All posts by Anne Younger

Anne is a 30-something full-time SAHM mom of 5 ranging from 3 to 17 and grandma of 1 who resides in Ashwaubenon (Green Bay) Wisconsin. She started blogging in 2008 as a way to regain her sanity. She enjoys coffee, chocolate, cheeseburgers and vodka along with spending time with her husband and kids.

Let The Demolition Begin!

We live in a house that was built in 1973, it’s a super cute ranch with 4 bedrooms, 1.5 bathrooms, a living room, kitchen, full basement and a HUGE yard.

We love our home and all of the beauty the previous owner had covered….you know, the beautiful hardwood floors!

The thing about this house that we really dislike is the kitchen that dates back to 1973.

This is the kitchen the way the previous owner had it.

2217 Gilson Court, Green Bay WI 54304 Kitchen before demo

As you can see, this kitchen offers very little cupboard space, hardly any counter space, still has the original 1973 cabinets that have been painted one too many times, and don’t even get me started on the floor!

Fortunately we are in the process of turning this kitchen into a beautiful space!

Last weekend we worked very hard to remove that ugly floor (peel n stick tile) that was attached to a layer of sub floor that was stapled to another layer of peel n stick and finally the original 1973 poured epoxy floor.

And yes, I took pictures!

Pulling up all of the old flooring was A LOT of work.  Once we got down to the last layer of peel & stick (the white squares), Alex had to pull out at least 1000 one inch long staples and then we had to remove the tile in sections and then remove the adhesive before we could move on.  We started this project about 5pm Saturday and finished just before 11am on Monday.

We will be removing the cabinets in the next 2 weeks and then sanding down any rough surfaces along with sanding down the bad paint job the previous owners had done.

Be sure to watch for more kitchen updates!

 

Watch Me Walk!

Big things are happening in The Megalomaniac Mommy home….

Our little Ellie is up and walking!!!

Yes, the little lady who turned 10 months on October 17th, started taking a few steps just over 2 weeks ago. Over the last few days, she has really improved and is quite the little walker.

She also has a few words that we hear daily like Dada, Mama, and nummy.

For being our little preemie, she is already wearing A LOT of size 12 month clothing and we are starting to make plans for her first birthday party.

Friday Night Fun

Now that the Alex is working 2nd shift (I promise to write more about that later and all the other changes we have made), we finally have time to do more adult things outside of the house.

When we first met, we enjoyed going out to dinner alone as a couple, going out for drinks with friends, late night movies, and the occasional night out at the local casino to play a little bingo.

I have been playing bingo at the casino since I was pregnant with Zack and in all those years, I have never won.

Yes, hundreds of games of bingo and not once did I leave with a prize.

In April of 2007, after a very good day at our rummage sale, we decided to send the kids of to Granny and Pa’s for the night and head out for a night of bingo.  This was the Alex’s first time at bingo and wouldn’t you know it….within the first few games, he won the top prize of $300.

Since that night, my bingo playing days have stayed online, in the comfort of my own home.  These days, there are great sites like www.partybingo.com that allow you to play bingo from home and you don’t end up smelling like smoke in the end (the casino is one of the few places you can still smoke indoors around here).  I’m hoping that now that the Alex is working 2nd shift we have the opportunity to head out to the casino for another Friday night of fun, but until then, I will continue to feed my addiction and entertain myself online.

Do you and your significant other have something you like to do together for some Friday Night Fun? Please, keep it clean! LOL!

 

Staying Connected with the Galaxy SIII

Since Alex switched to 2nd shift last month, we have all be adjusting to our new schedule and not having daddy home in the evenings for dinner, homework, and bedtimes. For the big kids, it’s not such a big deal, but the little ones really enjoy their daddy time and they do get more during the day however at night, sometimes they just need a quick daddy fix. In order to stay in touch and get that quick fix while daddy is at work, we have been using the Tango App on our Samsung Galaxy SIII phones.

Tango allows you to make free voice and video calls and text message. We have been using it quite a bit to video chat with daddy before bedtime and it has been a great tool.

We have also taken advantage of the video chatting on the Galaxy SIII so daddy is also included in important moments and milestones, like watching Miss Ellie walk across our living room last night.

Here’s a screenshot of a video chat I had earlier with Alexander.


He thinks it’s really cool to sit in one room with one phone and call mommy on the other and be goofy!

Once again, technology wins and helps make my life easier and keep our family connected!

Disclosure: I am participating in the Verizon Wireless Midwest Savvy Moms program and have been provided with a wireless device and six months of service in exchange for my honest opinions about the product.

Chicago Toy & Game Fair #ChiTag

I have been trying to make it to the Chicago Toy & Game Fair for the last 3 years yet something has always gotten in the way. This year, nothing is stopping me! I am loading up the van with the family (minus Zack who will be hunting) and we are heading south to Chicago at hitting up the Chicago Toy & Game Fair the weekend of November 17-18 at Navy Pier!

I am excited to introduce the kids to all kinds of new toys, check out the giant-sized games such as Bananagrams, Perplexus, Doggie Doo (which is a HUGE hit in our house), and more. There will also be an opportunity to me the Moshi Monsters which I know Alexander will be thrilled about! Oh and I can’t forget about the free contests and game tournaments, speed stacking demos, and sooo much more!!

You can get your tickets to the Chicago Toy and Game Fair for adults $10 and Children ages 3-13 $5 children under 3 are FREE! Click here for ticket info and a $2 off coupon.

Here are some great pictures from the 2011 Chicago Toy and Game Fair!



You can check out more awesome pictures from ChiTag 2011 HERE.
Continue reading Chicago Toy & Game Fair #ChiTag