Summer Happenings . . .

Well, it's hard to believe that there are only a few weeks left. I've managed to get a few things accomplished this summer.

• I completely organized the science lab that I teach in at school
• Attended a 6 day conference in Washington D.C. with other teachers and administrators in my school about teaching science
• Took a trip into the city with the kids and Sharon to see the Frog Exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History
• Spent 5 days in Sherburne, NY with Mom and Frank hanging out at the town pool, riding quads on their 31 acres and roasting marshmallows by the campfire
• Spent a few afternoons at the sprinkler park with Stephanie and Donovan
• Went through Vinyl-Siding "hell" . . . but the house looks GORGEOUS now
• Finished the cabinets on the side porch

A few things on the agenda:

• School Supply shopping . . . fun, fun, fun!!
• A trip to the Bronx Zoo is in order . . . we'll probably do that on Friday
• Dentist visits are in order and planned before school starts
• A Grown-up Girls Only day planned for the 25th down in Sharon's neck of the woods

Well, there ya have it!! . . . Summer Happenings :)

Paella and Sangria . . . with a few of the Sistas . . . FUN

Well . . . it wouldn't be summer if there wasn't atleast one gathering of the Kappa Sigma Xi Sorority Sisters didn't have a gathering. This came together on Saturday for a Sunday Night -- that's how we fly around here sometimes.

A good time was had by all -- good food -- good drink -- and tons of fun passing the Acer computer around the table to upload the picture below and update Facebook pages . . . I know . . . I don't have a Facebook -- shouldn't need one . . . anyone who wants to find me can find me at www.genevievecallahan.com :)

Well -- it took 7 1/2 Months . . .

Considering my last post was December of LAST year . . . suffice it to say that the full-time job that fell into my lap in April has been keeping me very busy . . . since that last post we ALL have celebrated another birthday, finished another academic year and it is entirely hard to believe that Colleen will be going into 7th grade and R.J. will be starting Kindergarten.

Our summer has been totally busy. Bob and I got away to D.C. (work for me . . . pleasure for him). I'm not complaining, just stating the way its been. We've taken a few trips to the sprinkler park and plan on heading upstate to spend a few days with Frank and Mom.

We did get into the city today to celebrate Sharon's 42nd birthday -- fun times. Here are a few pics.

Ahhh . . . Could it be so much time has passed?

Well, I can't believe that Old Man Winter officially arrived!

Wasn't I just blogging about SUMMER fun?

Any how, when I get a minute,
I'll be changing the title of my blog to be
"Random Thoughts from a NOT-SO-Stay-at-Home Mom

In the meantime, I wanted to get some of these
pictures out for you folks to check out.
The kids have really had a great time for the
past three days playing in the snow.

The bundling is well worth it all. Fun . . . fun . . . fun!

For those of you in the north, I sincerely hope you are
enjoying the weather as much as these two are.

Check out the handywork of Colleen and R.J.

LET IT SNOW!! LET IT SNOW!! LET IT SNOW!!

Men are from Mars . . .

. . . and it's NOT a bad thing -- it's just a different "thing". Little things have been smacking me in the face lately. How differently Bob and I do things is UNBELIEVABLE!! In the past, I would go insane and wonder "WHY, why, why". Well -- because guys do things differently than gals. NOT better -- NOT worse, just different. I happened to be at Woodbury Commons today. My gal-pal Steph and I brought the kids, hit the Coach store, Dooney and Bourke and then the playground area. She and I tag-teamed it a little while. I hit the Disney Store while she kept an eye on the kids. I returned the favor when she hit the Nike Store. While "keeping an eye", I couldn't help but notice how all of the moms were sitting on benches and micromanaging their kids from the side-lines (if you will) while there had to be at least EIGHT (no exaggeration) dads out there in the middle of things making sure that their little ones were doing everything politically correct on the playground. I got to thinking -- which is the better approach here? The up close and personal approach taken by dads or the not so close from the side-lines approach from the moms? Well, the verdict is out here -- feel free to comment if you'd like to weigh in!

I barely have a minute . . .

. . . but I was just checking my e-mail and Bob sent this picture of me via his phone. The St. Joseph's Feast was here last week . . . unfortunately a reminder that the summer has come to an end. To those of us in the field of education . . . well -- you know how it is.

As you can see, R.J. and I had a great time riding the BIG SLIDE!!

Gotta run . . . it's a school day. I'll try to get some pictures up from R.J. and Colleen's First Days as soon as I have a little more time.

Getting BETTER by the minute!!

Summer truly was in FULL SWING last week. I can't really take credit for the idea -- really, Harry is to blame. An OPEN invitation was sent out to some folks from Little Ferry. The goal was to get together with old friends, catch up, swap the latest gossip, meet in a fun place, and give the kids a chance to play.

While the weather was quite HOT -- it didn't keep the kids from riding bikes and playing on the playground. Many geese got a work-out too!! Snacks were shared . . . as well as good ole PB & J sandwiches. While we "Moms" didn't leave the picnic table (too busy yackin') -- the "Dads" managed to do laps around the lake jogging or biking. Quite frankly, I don't know how Jeff managed that jog in that heat!! Lap two was done with the aid of Bob's bike.

We hope to do it again -- perhaps the weather will be a little more forgiving.

Best Summer EVER -- and a SECOND HONEYMOON TOO!!!

Well, there was absolutely NOTHING holding us back -- Bob's schedule fell into place nicely. We didn't need passports to sail into Canada. Grandma was more than willing to watch Colleen and R.J. so we could take a SECOND HONEYMOON.

Our Carnival Cruise ship sailed out of New York. We were fortunate enough to get an e-mail the day before encouraging us to take advantage of pre-boarding. Bob literally walked in the door from work Saturday morning at 8:30. Cousin Rosie picked us up and had us at the port by 9:15. We were done "checking in" by 9:30 and hanging out in chairs waiting to board the boat. By 11 a.m. the previous passengers had disembarked and we were allowed on the boat! We didn't set sail until 5:00, but hey -- so what? Waiting to set sail on the Lido Deck is truly my first choice anyway!!

We had a full day at sea before our first port: St. John's. The weather wasn't truly cooperative, but that was okay. We made the most of it -- went ashore, shopped in the market, went to the mall, got Colleen the stuffed moose she wanted and took a couple of photos along the way.

Usually when we cruise, we don't eat in the Dining Room. With kids in tow it's just easier to eat at one of the casual buffets on board. Since we were kid-free, every night was spent experiencing fine dining. Not only was the food absolutely wonderful EVERY NIGHT, we also met the greatest bunch of people. Ellen and Brian were from Washington D.C. and George and Donna from Pennsylvania. If we play our cards right, we all may just try to meet again sometime in the future.

On our actual ANNIVERSARY DAY we were in Halifax, Nova Scotia. We took a tour of the lovely town, took in the sites, learned some history and hit a local brewery. I highly recommend the Dr. Pepper at Alexander Keith's Brewery. Their Indian Pale Ale with the right amount of Ammaretto and Coca Cola tastes quite yummy.

Later that night we had a Canadian Mounty visit our table. The waitstaff sung us the "Happy Anniversary Song" and later we had some pictures taken on board. All in all, it truly was a Happy Anniversary.

Fog was quite amazing during this trip. Whether we were close to land or out in the the middle of the Atlantic, the fog kept the captain of the ship quite busy. Never had I heard that HORN go off so many times during the course of a cruise -- better safe than sorry.

Summer is here . . . Yippeeee!!

Well, I don't have any pictures to put up today, but I just wanted to say a few words about how my summer is going so far.

Literally, my last day of school was LAST Wednesday, I packed up the kids and headed to Upstate New York where my Mom lives with her husband. They have 31 absolutely beautiful acres. Many hours were spent throwing wood into the fire pit and roasting marshmallows. Colleen had the great fortune to see a deer on the property and R.J. had a blast running all over the place catching grasshoppers. The weather was not exactly cooperative while we were there. We had rain everyday off and on which was really no big deal. As soon as the rains came and poored, they stopped.

Since I've been home, the days have been flawless. Bob gets home from work, Colleen goes off to day-camp (where she has been named an "official" assistant counselor). By the time she gets picked up, it's bathing suit time and we head two doors down where my neighbor and her son have a virtual water park in their back yard. We've been sunning ourselves while the kids splash and play and then, before you know it, it's time for someone to throw something on the grill.

All in all -- summer is off to a fantastic start. I've actually been hoping for a rainy day since my basement needs some serious attention, but since the sun is shining . . . that chore is just going to have to wait for another day.

Holy Cow -- Where has the time gone?

Well, suffice it to say that the Callahan world was turned upside-down back in October . . . hence, why nothing has been posted since that time. Slowly, but surely, things have been working their way right-side-up and I feel the need to put a few words out there for those interested in reading.

I can't believe that the month of June is almost half-way over. R.J.'s last day of school was yesterday . . . Here's a picture we sent to his teachers as a "Thank You". R.J.'s first school experience was really wonderful.

Colleen's last day of school is next Friday. She's done a great job at the charter school and I'm thrilled to say that she is getting the help she needs when it comes to her areas of weakness. She finally made up her mind to do something with the TANGLED mess that was her hair . . . check out the NEW AND IMPROVED COLLEEN . . .

I get to work until the 25th. While I do thrive on the hustle and bustle of everyday life, I truly am looking forward to the summer even though it will most likely be filled with a lot of "nothing".

Colleen is eager to go off to day-camp and wants to take a painting class and a cooking class. R.J. will most likely be spending his time with his little buddie two doors down in the blow-up pool and on the slip-n-slide. Bob is going to take the time needed to learn the ropes at the new hospital he's now working for and well . . . I'm sure I can find about 13,000,000 things to do around this house.

I'd like very much to put a couple of backyard barbecues on the calendar. If you are in the area . . . look forward to an invite.

I've got the rest of this school year to plow through in the meantime. I hope to get more blogging done eventually too.