I'm in LOVE with the Nate Berkus Show

I can't lie. I didn't know about the Nate Berkus Show. I've heard about it, from a few different friends. But I had never seen it. I had seen Nate on Oprah. And I adored him. Recently, I stumbled on the show. My life has never been the same since!



Literally, that 1 hour block, has changed my life. Nate has some of the best people on his show. Everything from cooking to decorating to fashion. So many tips. Lots of great new websites, blogs, and new places to look and explore. I've learned so much! Now I have a show to tivo and watch when my little ones are napping. By the way, those cupcakes, I'm so going to try them! :)

I'm Going to Miss Him!

Way back when, I started watching Live. Regis was hilarious! I didn't watch all the time. But I watched whenever I was home from school. Mostly while I was hanging out with my grandma. Then I went off to college, and med school. There were very rare days, that I'd have off. But I always tried to start my days off, with Regis.

I watched as he looked for his new co-host. And I silently prayed, that it would be Kelly. She was so fun! So much like Regis. They seemed good together. When I got pregnant, and pretty much left the "working world," Live became my show. Every morning, I'd watch Live with Regis and Kelly, as I did laundry. Yes, all these years later, I still watch. Not every day. But most days.

My favorite part of the show, is the first 15-20 minutes. Otherwise known as "Host Chat." The silly stories, their opinions, sports updates, family pictures, all of that. I LOVE it!!! When I've been feeling bad, or sad, I could count on Regis, to make me laugh. :)

This is the beginning of Regis' last week on Live. I'm sad. I can't lie about that. Every day, they've been counting down. And my heart has been getting heavier, and heavier. No one will ever take Regis' place. I hope that he continues to have a public job in entertainment. Because I'm sure going to miss him, every morning. My coffee and laundry, just won't be the same.

Bones

I missed Bones last week. And I've had it at the top of my list, to watch, since Thursday night. It still hasn't happened. And it looks so good...



I've waited since last May, to see what's going to happen next. I guess I should stop blogging. Maybe I can catch part of an episode, while I'm trying to wake up. And before my kiddos get up. But somehow, I can't get myself out of bed. And we don't have a TV in our room. I could just watch it on my laptop....

Is there any show that you've been waiting for? And that you still haven't seen. This is the one for me. My hubs first got me interested in Bones, during the Summer 2010. It was our guilty pleasure. We'd stay up late, on the weekends, and watch. I'm pretty sure, that we watched 3 seasons, that summer. Maybe we need to make this a weekly, TV watching, date. It could be good...

Blogging and Fall Nail Polish

First of all, I don't usually blog this much in a week. But I'm pretty sure, that I've blogged every day this week. I'm blaming that, on me, trying to fix my blog. No lie! So I'm signed on. Working here. And I say, why not? Like when I was searching for some yummy nail polish. Tonight. I put into google, "Fall nail polish." And this picture pops up...

I searched and searched for the source, but nothing was working. Don't you HATE that? I really wanted to know, about each one of these colors. All I was getting from google, was that the page had been moved. :( Any way that you put it, I'm loving these colors!

I'm never going to buy a Chanel nail polish. I'm not that crazy! I could probably buy 5 nail polishes, for that price. And well, I'm almost 100% positive, that you can find Logan, Daniella, and I at Target tomorrow. Looking for similar colors. Yes, this mom of 4, is dying to paint her nails, these delicious colors!

I Want...

I happened to catch, all of 5 minutes, of GMA this morning. It happened to be a crazy morning. One that was supposed to be easy going. Patrick was taking our 3 oldest to school. I was going to just hang out with Daniella. Taking down Halloween decorations, fixing my blog, and maybe taking Daniella to Target. Who doesn't like a random trip to Target?

But things got a little crazy. Logan forgot his backpack. So I made the "mad dash" to get it to him. It was super important this morning. "Show and Tell" day. My car was giving me a bit of trouble on the way home. I stopped and left it off at the mechanic, and waited for a ride home. Yes, I caught the last segment of GMA. As Daniella and I walked through the door. It was a good thing too. Look at what I saw...

I first heard about this book from Lola. But I hadn't seen it. And I didn't know when it was coming out. But the stars aligned. I got to see this cute turkey cake. That Buddy was teaching America how to decorate. The perfect addition to any Thanksgiving! Actually, Daniella made me promise, that we'd make that turkey. But who am I kidding? The second I saw it, I was already making plans. And honestly, who doesn't want to semi-bake and decorate like Buddy? I've always wanted to semi-bake like the Cake Boss. And if I can learn something about decorating, that's a total bonus!

Add this to my Wish List. I'd tell Patrick to get it for me, for Christmas. But I don't think I can wait that long. I know, I'm bad! Tomorrow, Logan's class is going to Barnes and Noble, for a field trip. Daniella and I are also going. It wouldn't be a bad thing, if I stumbled on a copy or 2 of this book. Because I hear, my good friend, is also wishing for a copy.

Grab Some Coffee, Let's Chat

The last few weeks have been crazy. And busy. I've tried to keep up. I've typed, organized, decorated, shopped, spent time with friends, enjoyed my family. Did I mention, I'm also in charge of 12 fundraisers from right before Halloween, to New Year's. I'm exhausted!

But I've been blogging. Trying to keep up with this little sweetheart. That I've grown to love, over the last few months. But honestly, I haven't been checking my own blog. You know, typing in my url, and reading. I was trying to respond to my comments. But nothing was working. So I contacted Blogger. And waited.

Meanwhile, I was still blogging. The other night, after the kids were in bed, Patrick and I were just hanging out. I was blogging about our sons, and my hubby was catching up on e-mails. I'm pretty sure Patrick was wondering what I was laughing at. He headed to my blog. This blog. And quickly asked were my posts were.

My response, "What are you talking about? They're on the blog." When I looked at my blog from his laptop, there were only a handful of posts. Nothing since mid-September. When I looked from my laptop, I saw everything. What was going on? So I got on the family computer. Again, it looked like the blog, that I saw on Patrick's computer.

I quickly contacted Blogger. I crossed my fingers. I didn't panic.Why? I type and save all my blog posts on Word, then I post them on Blogger. I'm still waiting to hear back. It's so frustrating! Something similar happened in late July, or early August. It wasn't so bad then. I'd only been blogging for a few weeks. In less than an hour, I had everything fixed.

I'm taking things into my own hands. I'm going to be re-posting things. I'll post them on the same date and time, as the original. I told you I was a little odd. I just don't have the comments, that were posted on each post. Has anyone else had any trouble like this? Any problems with Blogger? I've had some issues blogging. And I've only been at this since June...

But I'm staying positive. I just don't want people to think I'm weird. Blogging about things from July. Or posting 10 posts in a day. I'm just trying to fix things here. Heck, I'm still learning here. And I find it a success, when I can post 3 times a week. :)

I'm also trying to figure out, how Lola posted that top banner. How does she get certain labels up there? I'm going to have to call her. I want that! Maybe I'll link my twitter and Facebook pages too. So much to do. I hope I find the time. Friends, is blogging always this complicated?

Our Sons and Lights

Let me start off by saying this, in our family, we LOVE the holidays! All of them. We try to make every holiday so special. But the one thing, that Patrick and I have never been really good at, is putting up lights outside. I just don't know where to start. And Patrick is always working.

We never decorated outside our home, small apartment, or house, until Ethan was born. Then we bought some lights. When we lived in the SW, and had 2 small children, we paid the interns to hang our lights. And usually, we had them over for dinner too. It was great! And then, after the holidays, they'd come back, take them down, and put them all away. Bless them!

When we moved out here, we had a little more money, and a lot more home. We invested in some new lights. Previously, we'd been using Christmas lights, that had been my in-laws. We loved them! But couldn't find enough to cover our new home. Because those lights were from the 1960s. Patrick and I decided on clear lights. And we bought so many!

Nowadays, we pay a group of guys to come put them up. Yes, I still have no clue where to begin. And Patrick is still working over 100 hours a week! So our wonderful gardening buddies come help us out. Over the last few years, we've added some cute Christmas signs. And a few fun characters. Including a Santa. But nothing too crazy. No music. No blinking lights.

But recently, the "Halloween House," has been all over the news! My sons are so into it. Every time it comes on the TV, they have to watch it. The other night, Patrick looked up the video on YouTube. And my sons were in heaven! Then they noticed, there were other songs. For over 2 hours, Patrick and the boys watched these videos. This is their favorite!



Now our sons are begging Patrick, to decorate our house. To add some music. Get lots of fun lights. Oh, I think we're in trouble! I found some papers this morning, for "plans." For this Christmas. And next Halloween. I think Patrick needs to start studying holiday lights...

A Little Fun

I had planned on blogging, about our weekend today. More specifically, Patrick and I's Date Night. But I'm getting old. And last night, kicked my bootie. Patrick and I have been relaxing all day. Very unusual for us! But we're enjoying it. The kiddos are in bed. And I'm catching up on a TV show or 2.

In so many words, I'm not really in the mood, to blog about my weekend. I'm ready to relax, and go to bed. But before that, I did want to blog about something. That's because of Trina. And this fun "Fill-in-the-Blank," that she had on her blog. So here I go. I promise to blog about our fun tomorrow!

1. My current obsession is decorating our home. Our kids' rooms are essentially, the only "finished" part of our home. And after chatting with Lola, I really want to get started on this. Maybe we'll convince her to come back here, and do the job for us. :)

2. Pinterest is something I always want to sign up for. But I always get sidetracked on the internet. And I forget. This might be a good thing. I can imagine, spending way too many hours, on Pinterest!

3. My greatest strength is multitasking. I'm really good at that! I've gotten good at doing 20 things at once. And I'm pretty sure, it's a good thing.

4. Self doubt/worth is my greatest weakness. I've been working at it for years! Hopefully, one day, I'll feel better about myself. I see this as an ongoing project.

5. My life is perfect right now! I've never been so happy. My family is happy and healthy. Our lives are moving in the right direction. And things seem to be falling into place, for our family. We're blessed.


6. In high school I was not really cool. I was quiet. A nerd. And part of a Dance Team. That I never really felt like I belonged in. I'm glad all of that, is now behind me.

7. When I’m super tired my body aches, I can't think straight, and at some point, I get incredibly moody. It's not good. And I'm trying to work on that.

Welcome Back!

I didn't realize how crazy, "Back to School" would be. Patrick works 100+ hours a week. And I respect that. He's providing for us. And this job, it's something that the 2 of us talked, at length, about. I especially love, that Patrick works so hard Monday-Friday, so that he has Saturday and Sunday off. Just so he can spend time with our kids and me.

With that, comes a lot of responsibility for me. Yes, we're lucky. I get to call on some help. From time to time, I call a friend/babysitter. Who helps with my kids. If I'm busy with work, or have a lot of things, I can call for some help. It doesn't happen much. But when I need the help, I can get it.

The last few weeks have been crazy! I've been so busy. We now have 3 kids in school. That's 3 teachers to meet. 3 Parent-Teacher Conferences. 3 groups of parents. Thankfully, only 1 PTA. Which now, I'm a big part of! I didn't see that coming. But I was elected. And I'm going to look at that, as being a blessing. Oh, and I'm the "Class Parent" for all 3 of these classes.

Count to 10. I need to breathe. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed. I'm feeling like a bad parent. A bad mommy. I know that I shouldn't. But it's just the way life is. I question these things, when life gets tough. We've had so much going on. I know that Patrick feels bad. He wants to be around for all these events. But he has to work.

Earlier, when I was putting Daniella down for a nap, she hugged me. So tight. And kissed me. Whispered in my ear, "Mommy, I wuv you." In that second, I knew all of this. was well worth it! I'm going to get through this. I know, once the kids start to settle into school, and we get a schedule going, it's going to be OK. Thank goodness, that we did most of our "Back to School" shopping, weeks ago. That, plus all of this, might just push me over the edge. Until then, I'm going to curl up, and watch some TV. And eat a little chocolate. Yes, life isn't that bad.

Counting Down the Days...

Until we get to go to the Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze. Our family always enjoys that. It's a tradition around here. One that we count on, every year. Picking out a pumpkin for everyone. And having so much fun in the maze. Yes, it's exciting! And just one of the things, that I look forward to every Fall. In case you didn't know it, Fall is my favorite season! Is there anything special that you just love about Fall? Anything special that your family does? Something that we should try?

I Miss These Tacos...

The one thing, that I miss the most about the southwest, is the food. All the street vendors, and family restaurants. Yum! Especially tacos like this...

Yes, tacos just like this. With tons of fresh salsa. And a big agua. Or pina.Yum! I've been craving this food for a while now. Yes, I cook Mexican food. Yes, Patrick and my Mother-in-Law make amazing meals. But I miss these tacos. The ones, from that little restaurant. The one that's only open in the middle of the day. Maybe we just need to take a visit. Just for a few yummy tacos. :)

A Need to Clean

All of a sudden, I have this need to clean. More like a passion to clean. But you get my point. And no, I'm not pregnant. I just want our house to be squeaky clean. With 4 kids, and 2 dogs, it's tough to keep this house spotless. But I do try.

Something about today, had me in a panic. An honest to God, panic! I don't know why. But it lead to a trip to Target. Where I bought $80 worth of cleaning supplies. Logan, Daniella, and I went out to lunch. And I about cried tears of joy, when the both fell asleep, on the ride home.

I managed to get them into their beds. Without waking them up. And I spent 2 uninterrupted hours, scrubbing away. Cinderella style, I was scrubbing the floor in the kitchen. I completely cleaned out the cabinets. Worked my way into the bathrooms. And finished today with tackling "Mud Room." I've got to finish that tomorrow.

I didn't stop there. While waiting for Ethan and Madelyn to get out of school, I called to make some appointments. I called to have someone come clean our windows, shampoo our carpet, and power wash our driveway and patio. There are just some things I can't do.

Part of my "frenzied cleaning," might be, because my kids are almost out of school. In a few weeks, I will have 4 kids at home. All day long! We'll probably add in some friends too. You know, because I want my kids to enjoy their summer. 

I know when this happens, I'm going to get little done. My house is going to be turned upside down. Maybe this is just in preparation to that. To ready myself for the chaos that is, life with 4 kids. Patrick got home tonight, and was surprised. I'm serious, our house is in the middle of a complete "shake down." I'm not going to leave anything undone. Does anyone ever do this? Or am I just strange?

Welcome!

Hi! I'm Brooke. Welcome to my blog. It's a place, that I hope to share about my family's adventures. Yes, my family. My #1! I'm married to Patrick. The love of my life! He's an MD. I'm also an MD. Except, I don't practice as much as Patrick. Only a few times a month. Why? Because we have 4 beautiful kiddos. From oldest to youngest, Ethan, Madelyn, Logan, and Daniella. These 5 beautiful souls, are my entire life!

A few more things about me. Well, 98% of the time I'm a SAHM/W. I LOVE it! I'm originally from the West Coast. My hubby is from the SW. We lived in the SW for years, when we first got out of medical school. We still miss it. But now, we live in the SE. And we're loving it too!

I enjoy cooking, baking, and blog reading. I'd love to read your blog. Please leave me a comment with a link. Or send me an email. I'm always looking for ways to connect with moms and wives. I also enjoy reading. Please share your latest read. I collect cookbooks. Love receiving mail. Most of my days, are filled with my kiddos, my hubby, and lots of fundraising. Let's not forget God. He's the center of my life. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me. And Welcome to my little place in Blogland!