Don't booze & cruise...just crash on your siblings floor!!!!

Hellooo all. Its Monday morning at Em's and I am sitting with the kiddies. The girls are laying down watching Go Diego Go, and Bub is playing in the corner with his toys. The moments that are calm like this are far and few between so I figured I'd recap the weekend before the stinky diaper hour hits. Usually they all poop around 10 so I just do a little assembly line and change them all one after another. lol. Anyhow...

This weekend was alot of fun. Friday evening and Saturday afternoon I had jewelry parties so that kept me busy. On Saturday night the whole fam went to Em & Kev's for pizza and wings. It was so much fun! We weren't all together for Thanksgiving this year so it's been a while since we've all hung out. All of the kids had a blast playing together. The boys had a nice, rowdy game of beer pong going in the basement so us girlies bundled up and drove up to Otisville to get us some of our own booze. Em & Lay got a bottle of Malibu and I got myself some of this pre-mixed margarita stuff. So, we sat and drank our concoctions while trying to calm down the kids for bed. Me & Ant ended up sleeping over due to the snow/alcohol consumption so it was a fun night. I always enjoy myself with my brothers and sisters.

On Sunday me and Ant both woke up with some hangover-ish symptoms so off we went to fight it the best way we know how-greasy ass diner food! Oh yes, we had a feast of potato skins, mozzerella sticks, chicken wings & fingers, fried mushrooms, diner fries and a greek salad for me. And what better to wash it down with then ice cold fountain coca cola!!! Yummy. I prob sound so gross but you know that feeling of having a slight hangover (major hangovers leave you doing nothing but puke and sleep the day after) and just sitting with a pile of grease and sugar in front of you. mmmmmmmmm. Too bad hangovers happen about twice a year for me nowadays, lol.

After our fatty fest, we made a quick stop at Rite Aid for some catfood and rushed home to catch the Giants game. Anyone who knows my husband, will tell you he's a crazy football fanatic so nothing gets in the way of his games, particularly the Jets. He is absolutely obsessed, we all have our Sunday "uniform" of jerseys that must be worn. So he watched his games and I cleaned the apartment to get ready for the workweek. After the games, we rearranged our living room furniture and got our apartment ready for the holidays with our tree and decor. I love this time of year so much. I always go through a depression right after the holidays are over. I love how cozy and festive our home always looks. Its like living in a party. Sophia actually was big enough to help this year so it was extra fun decorating as a little family. Christmas is going to be a blast. I am just as excited for her toys too, she is getting some really fun stuff this year. No more rattles or crazy baby einstein movies for her! lol. Bring on the good stuff!

This week is going to be a normal one, at least I think it is. Tonight I have a sales meeting, followed by having the girls over for our weekly viewing of The Hills. Tomorrow and Wednesday I bartend. Before you know it, the weekend will be here all over again! I hope everyone has a great week! Oh and in case ya didn't know already...XMAS IS IN 16 DAYS!!! xoxoxox

Happy Thanksgiving!

This isn't going to be a long post, my apologies for the lack of sharing lately. I've been doing some long overdue soul searching so I've been laying low. However-I would just like to say Happy Thanksgiving to all of my loved ones and I hope you have a wonderful day! I would also like to say, in the spirit of giving thanks, that I am deeply grateful for all of the people that play such an enormous role in my life. From the fam & friends that I am lucky to see everyday to the people who live far but still remain close in my heart-not a moment goes by where I don't feel tremendously fortunate to have such amazing people to share my life with. I hate being depressingly sentimental but that is just where I am at with my life right now. Life is too short to take people for granted, especially the ones who count. I love you all! Don't eat too much! xoxoxo

Just squirrels trying to get a nut...

Hello all. I know its been a while but I have been a stressed little volcano ready to spew over and I didn't really want to unleash that beast on all of my readers. I know venting is a great stress reliever but there is a fine line between venting and sounding a tad psycho so I have stayed away. Now, my stressful situations still exist but I have been coping with them for a little while so I should be safe. Enough said.

Getting off that topic b/c that is NOT what I want to write about...I'll pick up where I left off when I left you last....The Wiggles Weekend. It was so fun and exciting that me and Em both cried when they came out. Yes, you heard me correct, we cried. Maybe its the fact that we watch them every single day of our lives and they have become somewhat of a celebrity to us too, but whatever it was, we were pretty moved. Plus we were so close to the stage that we could make out every drop of sweat on their faces. They put on quite a show too! The kids had a blast (poor Bub fell asleep on Ant during the show, sensory overload) and it was fun to see the ecstatic looks on their little faces. At the end of the show, me and Em grabbed the girl's & hauled ass to the stage to try and get a hand slap or something. No physical contact (they were prob scared of us pulling them off the stage) was made, but Murray did wave goodbye to us!!! Call us crazy "mom-groupies" but we had a blast and it was worth every cent (however, we did avoid the urge to buy an $18 light stick).

Last Monday, I attended our monthly lia sophia meeting and I received my first award! I got an award for top-selling advisor (in my region) during the month of October. That was def something to smile about. I was absolutely elated. I could tell Ellen (my advisor/mentor) was pretty proud of me, too. I was awarded a $25 jewelry certificate and $50 cash for holding a show that sold over $1000. I also won another $25 jewelry certificate from our raffles that we hold at the end of the meeting. It was a good night. Look out November!!!

In the lull of all the economy crap that is going on, I have decided to play a little game, if I may call it that. I am going to spend as little money as I can and blog about my frugal ways. This poses a challenge for me, I love to shop and drink my $5 lattes from Starbucks. But I just can't stand reading about "the crisis" anymore so I am going to make this shitty situation as fun as I possibly can make it. Not that me and Ant are broke or anything, I am just tired of feeling guilty about going out to eat and buying nice things when others are struggling. So I am going conservative!!! I would love to hear every one's input and suggestions for how they are dealing with the economy as well. What have YOU had to cut back on? How do YOU save money?

As far as my fundraiser went, I managed to raise $200 to give to the Gurliacci family. I will be sending them a check, as well as a little bracelet that I had bought for Natalee. Hopefully, the money will do them some good. It makes me feel good to know that I was able to help them in some way. I would like to say a very very big "thank you" to everyone who ordered. It is definitely appreciated.

Before I finish this post, I would just like everyone to ponder the meaning of the word, "GRATITUDE"....what does it mean to you? What are you gracious for? I think we live in a world where people can get so wrapped up in what is going wrong in their lives that they forget what is actually going wonderfully right. Every day when I wake up, I try to think of at least 10 things that I am so incredibly grateful for in my life. This morning when I looked at the cover of the newspaper, I saw a young couple with a little boy standing at the window of the Orange County DSS office. They were applying for public assistance. Inside the article, it tells us of how the young couple is sharing a studio apartment with the guy's father. Another story tells of a young couple with 3 children who are trying to live on a measly $300/wk income. Enough said. Count your blessings, folks. In the words of my brother, "we're all just squirrels trying to get a nut." lol. Gotta love the Patrick-isms. List your blessings and be grateful. We're all fighting our own battles in a way and we often forget the reasons for why we keep fighting rather than just giving up.

I hope everyone had a great week. Til next time. xoxox

Happy Halloweenie!!!

Well, Friday is back, and it also happens to be Halloween. I'm at Em's with the kids but Kev should be home soon, so off I will go to start the night's festivities. Sophia is going as a skunk, and a very cute one at that. We are having our friends, Dan & Samantha, over with their son, Trevor, who is one month older than Sophia. I bought a special Lia Sophia sign to stick in my yard to advertise to all the mommies bringing around their kids for trick-or-treating. I may sneak a business card or two into their little treat bags as well, always on the hunt for more money making opportunities (ha ha). As far as the week went, BUSY is the only word that sums it all-and the weekend is not going to let up either. Tomorrow, Me, Ant, Sophia, Em, Kev, Mia, & Bubba are off to Connecticut to see....drum roll please...THE WIGGLES!!! Yayy! Me & Em are practically wiggles groupies from watching them alllll the time, lol, so we are very very excited. As soon as we get home, I have to jet over to my friend, Eva's, to participate in a vendor "open house" night where I have already set up a Lia Sophia table. Hopefully I can rack in some business there. Then, on Sunday, I am doing a show at Aunt Nancy's and off to Outback to bar tend at 5. Whew! Just seeing it in words makes my head spin. I won't even go into how busy my week has been, I'm sure you can only imagine. But please do not mistake this for bitching or complaining, I am extremely grateful to be busy. Money is good, I'm doing what I love surrounded by people that I love even more. Burnt out-maybe, but, unhappy-definitely not! I am blessed....and I can sleep when I am dead. lol. Tuesday I get a day off from babysitting due to election day, but I will prob be catching up on my cleaning and laundry. The madness never ends!!! However, Em agreed to split up our week where she would alternate bringing the kids to my place and me coming here. That is a huge help, it will allow me to be home to get things done during the day that have been neglected as of late (ahem...laundry).

Last weekend was alot of fun, our Friday night dinner was a success and the food turned out great (thanks to my awesome hubby who cooked and cleaned for the occasion). Then on Saturday, I ran some errands until Ant got home and we headed over to my parent's for dinner. Seeing everyone was nice...not something I get to do often anymore. My new niece, Taylor, is a peanut and sooo beautiful. I love holding a brand new baby again...made me reminisce of Sophia as a newborn. I def miss those days....maybe one day soon I will have some good news for everyone (no that is not a pregnancy announcement). Sunday was just a day to relax...made breakfast for Ant & I(bacon and eggs), and we went out & bought Sophia some new fall/winter clothes from Kohl's as well as new sneakers for the hub. Then he headed off to his parent's house with Sophia to watch the Jets and I had a few hours alone until I had to work. Of course I watched "Atonement" again, for the 100th time, and then headed off to make some more bacon (not the kind we ate for breakfast,lol) .

I must share with everyone, before I go, my favorite TV show. Private Practice has got to be the most addicting, emotional, tear-jerking show ever. Every week I am left choked up and blubbering like a baby. Definitely watch it!! It is on every Wednesday night at 9 on ABC and full episodes are available to watch online.

Well that is all that I have for now...I hope everyone has a fabulously, spooky Halloween! And no teepeeing the neighborhood! xoxoxox

TGIF!!!

Ahhh...the end of another week and boy am I glad to know that tomorrow is Saturday, and I have zero plans! Never have I been a person who would be happy about nothing to do, but life has been busy, therefore, the opportunity to do nothing is quite rare! Tonight we are having Ant's parents, his cousin, her hubby, and their kids over for dinner. We try and get together at a different person's home once a month and tonight it is our turn to host. We'll be making a big tossed salad, our re-creation of Outback's "Alice Spring's Chicken", and some garlic mashed potatoes. I have plenty of leftover wine from our wedding, so some Bud for my father-in-law and we'll be set! As busy as things have become, we always try to schedule in family and friend time. It is definitely something that I have learned I need in my life. Balance is absolutely essential for me to function, I have to have my alone time, social time with others, time with just my hubby, and time alone with my hubby & daughter. Otherwise I feel like I am lacking something and I get grouchy. Grouchy is never fun.

On another note...this week I did very well financially so I caved and bought the Ugg boots that I have been lusting over. Anyone who knows me, knows that I worship my Uggs and basically live in them through fall & winter. I have two pairs that I received as a gift for my 21st bday and neither one has shown a bit of wear & tear. Of course they need a good cleaning but they have no strings or stitches sticking out and the soles are like new. And they keep my feet nice & toasty all day long. I do not care who says they are "UGG-ly", haha, or out of style...I love them and I will not be giving them up anytime soon. So, as of right now, my new black, crochet Uggs are on their way...come to mama!

On Sunday, I had gotten a free night off from work due to a faulty fire alarm issue, and Ant had gone to his parents to get Sophia after our night in Atlantic City. So I took advantage of the few hours alone, and watched one of the greatest movies ever made, "Atonement". It was on HBO on Demand, so if you have HBO I strongly suggest watching it. If not, it is a surefire bet at the video store! I can't tell you too much without ruining it, but it is full of twisted, tragic love and deceit. The cinematography is amazing and the scenes are so beautiful your heart will ache. Keira Knightly and James McAvoy make the most extraordinary on-screen couple and they carry the movie the whole way through. The rest of the cast is good, but those two make the movie come alive. I love finding good movies, especially ones this good. Atonement has definitely earned a mark on my 'favorite movies of all time' list. (Saving Private Ryan, Baz Lurhmann's Romeo & Juliet, Marie Antoinette, Atonement, Pirates of the Caribbean 1-3, All Harry Potter movies, Amelie) There is nothing like snuggling in and escaping into a different world for a few hours. Maybe after our guests leave later, I will be able to coax Anthony into watching Atonement too.

I hope everyone had a great week and has an even better weekend! xoxox

Zoos, Fondue, Poker, and Camping in the Car....

Monday is here and so another workweek has begun! Temperatures have begun to seriously drop here in NY and I was greeted this morning by frost on the ground as well as on my car. I actually had to sit and let my car warm up this morning. Since we just bought the Edge, we haven't had a chance to get an automatic starter installed and I think its due time. Those things are worth every penny spent, there is no price on climbing into a toasty, defrosted car in the morning instead of feeling as if you just stepped into a freezer...brr! Last week was a good week. Ant and I both had off on Monday, Columbus Day, so we took advantage of the beautiful fall weather and jetted down to the Bronx Zoo with Sophia. Neither of us have been there before, gasp!, so we were both excited to check it out. It really is a nice zoo, you definitely forget about the fact that your in the middle of NYC (except for the little pathway past the Congo Gorilla Forest where Naseem's Grocery and Juan's Cuchifritos peek through the fence). Sophia and I even took our first camel ride together! All in all, as much as we love being with our friends & family, it was sooo nice just to spend some exclusive time together with our daughter. The remainder of the week flew by...work work work. Ant's birthday was Saturday so we spent Friday night with his parents for dinner and cake. And being the spontaneous couple that we are...we decided to head down to Atlantic City for Ant's birthday night, just the two of us. His parents love the alone time with Sophia, so she spent the night with them and off we went. Due to our lack of planning, we didn't have a chance to book a hotel room and being it was a Saturday, all of the decent hotels were running around $400 a night. Well, we figured we just bought a nice & roomy SUV, why not take advantage and camp out in it for the night? (here is the part where my Mother is going to say, "you did WHAT!?!") So, we threw in some nice, heavy blankets and a few pillows and hit the road. We got there around 4 ish and the weather was amazing. We found The Showboat parking lot and got ready to hit the boardwalk. We had dinner reservations for the Melting Pot at 9 so we figured we would walk down towards Midtown and gamble at Caesar's until it was time. I had some beginner's luck at the Roulette table and one of my number's hit on the first go, $100 richer!!! After swiping our player's card, the dealer saw it was Ant's bday and gave us two free glasses of champagne. We decided to take the bubbly on the go and enjoy it while strolling the boardwalk. It was so romantic, the waves were rolling in, the fall breeze was blowing, and the sun was setting. Just as much as we appreciated our time on Monday with Sophia, we always love the alone time as well. As our dinner reservations drew near, we continued on to the restaurant (with my new champagne glasses nestled in my purse, lol) figuring we would have a few cocktails at the bar. This was our first time at the Melting Pot and I have always wanted to eat there so I was very excited, and what a time it was! It is definitely the PERFECT "date" restaurant to get cozy with your loved one! After a few amazing martinis and the most amazing cheese fondue ever, we were escorted to our table for dinner. Our table was this snug little corner, very closet-ish if you can imagine that, where we sat side by side with the burner for the fondue pot in the center of us, perfect for snuggling up. It was so much fun, too! After choosing what cooking style and entree platter you would like, they bring everything out "unprepared" and you cook it yourself by letting it sit in the steaming hot broth. It almost reminded me of cooking hot dogs over a campfire, only a LOT more sophisticated, lol. But the best part by far was dessert. We chose the yin & yang fondue which is essentialy just half dark, half white chocolate, accompanied by assorted fruits, cheesecake, pound cake, marshmallows, and brownies to dip in it. You can't even imagine how decadent and romantic this is, an absolute must for couples. We will be paying this restaurant a regular visit for when we are in AC. After dinner, I made my grand poker debut with my poker obsessed husband. Usually I walk around bored out of my mind while he spends hours playing, so it was time to get in the game. I figured I had the basics down so we signed up for a 2-4 Limit table and each bought in for $100. I was very nervous but kept my cool. It was very overwhelming at first, everyone plays so fast! But I refused to be beat, and we kept at it. After a few hours, and a few great hands, we were shocked to learn that it was almost 3 am! Time flies by at a poker table and now I see why he takes so damn long! I had fun, though, and maybe I'll try it again sometime. We even doubled up on our money! We agreed that we were exhausted at this point and decided to get some sleep, off to the trunk we went! It wasn't that bad, I was a little scared but we had chosen a well secured (at least we hoped) parking lot and I was so tired that I didn't care. Its not something that I will actually plan to do again, but in an emergency situation I know that my car makes a functional hotel room! lol. I did manage to steal the all of the blankets and I had a very cold hubby in the a.m. We woke around 8, went into the casino to pee, made a quick $150 off of blackjack, and hit the road. All in all, we left with money in our pockets and some very funny memories to look back on. Then last night, the fire alarm kept going off at The Outback so I even got a night off from work, which I certainly did not complain about. And here it is, Monday morning again! I always look forward to Mondays though, its "Hills" night after all!!! Me and a few of my closest girlfriends are extremely obsessed with the show so we made a little girl's night out of it every week. Some good vino and a few snacks, we are happy ladies when Mondays roll around! I hope everyone had a great week...hopefully this week will be just as fun & eventful as last!!! xoxoxox

Jewelry for Natalee Marie

So this week I have decided to give back. I went to school with a young, married couple who have a 2 year old son, Dominick, and a 4 month old daughter, Natalee Marie. When Natalee was a young infant, she was diagnosed with Retinoblastoma, which is cancer in both of her eyes. I've been following her story via MySpace and have been praying for this beautiful baby to get better. I saw that alot of local buisnesses were doing what they could to help raise money for the family to help with her medical bills (some of her injections cost around $900 and are not covered by insurance). I was contemplating sending them a small donation when a lightbulb went off, I could do a book party through lia sophia and donate what my paycheck would be! So I am donating 20% off my total sales to them and am keeping a small amount for shipping costs and gas money for when I deliver people's orders to them. I started collecting orders on Tuesday and will continue to do so until Thursday the 30th. If anyone is interested they may order by directly contacting me @ (845)800-8001 or atmegentile@hotmail.com and may place orders through my website http://www.liasophia.com/megangentile -cash,checks,MC,Visa, And Discover are all accepted. When you enter the site, just click on 'Our Jewelry' to view the catalogs and enter my name in the hostess box to order. If anyone would like to order that does not live around here, I will gladly ship your items to you at no extra cost. It feels really good to do something for another, especially when that other is only 4 months old. I appreciate everyone's help and will keep you updated on how my fundraiser turns out! For more info on this precious little girl, please visit her blog at http://bighearts4lilhands.blogspot.com
xoxoxMegan

She works hard for the money!!!

Its 2:22 pm, Mia & Sophia are napping, Bubba is scurrying around the house in his walker...Dora the Explorer is on the TV. Welcome to a typical weekday for me! I am very fortunate to be able to call this one of my "jobs"!!! Don't get me wrong...spending an average of 40 hours a day with an 11 month old, 18 month old, and 2 yr old along with 2 very active labs can leave a person RUNNING to starbucks at the end of the day (and I do!) but I consider myself pretty blessed to be getting paid to do this. It also gives my sister a little "peace of mind" to know her kids are with someone that she knows and trusts and they are loved by me as if they were my own children. Plus I love the relationships that the 3 kids are building together-this alone is priceless. Sophia loves getting ready in the morning to go see her cousins..."Meezer" & "Bubby". When I pull up to Em's house I am always greeted at the window by a mound of blonde hair peeking out shouting, "Mi-Mi...Mi-Mi!!!" Could the start of one's work day be any more delightful? I love this job!
....which brings me to my other part-time job...bartending. Six hours of hustling, bustling, socializing, multi-tasking at turbo-speed, and walking away with a whole load of cash! Its an easy job that you have to work super hard at, if that makes any sense. The only problem is the fact that I am getting home around 11:30 ish which sux when you have a child that wakes up at 6:30 no matter what time mommy goes to bed, lol. Other than that I only bartend 3 nights a week and the extra money is a wonderful luxury to have in such a rotten economy.
And finally, I have my most favorite job of all (next to being a mom, of course)...selling lia sophia jewelry!! Never have I ever...1. felt so confident and self-assured(thanks to my amazing support system of women in my division) 2. made ridiculously easy money 3. exercised my love for all things fashion by creatively showing gorgeous jewelry and 4. had all the freedom and tax benefits of owning my own buisness. Not to mention we are always given the opportunity to earn amazing incentives and free jewelry, a free yearly trip to somewhere exotic (this year it's the Grand Caymen Islands cruise) and have meetings, rally's and a summer conference where we can all get together to share our tips and tricks, socialize, and win amazing raffle prizes. I know it all sounds too good to be true but it really is this amazing! I love it all so much that I would eventually like this to be my actual career, maybe even in the corporate aspect. I am constantly looking to share this opportunity with people and I ALWAYS pay for the start-up kit so if anyone is looking for an easy, fun way to make some moolah...let me know! Even if you live far away...you can take advantage of what lia sophia has to offer.
Now before this post starts to sound like a lia sophia infommerical or something...I must be on the run. So, that is what this girl does to make a living. It sounds like a lot, and it is lol, but don't get me wrong cuz I love every single second of it all!!! Til next time...(its now 3:27-I'm officially on coutdown to starbucks time, haha) xoxox

My introduction to the world of Blogging!!!

Okkkk, so with all the fab people in my life and their fab blogs that I so faithfully read-I have decided to jump on the Blog Train myself! I've always enjoyed the act of journaling and jotting down your thoughts, a very therapeutic past time, so I guess this is just another way for me to do that-an outlet for me to rant & rave, share & learn, and to just get it all out to a somewhat neutral source other than an overpriced therapist. Now mind you-an avid reader am I but an english major I'm not...so if my grammer or choice of vocabulary isn't exactly up to par...forgive me please!!! lol. Right now I am at a very wonderful place in my life-newly married, working 3 jobs that I love and am super happy with (bartending, babysitting my sister's children, lia sophia jewelry advisor), and I am surrounded by friends and family that are extremely special to me. Most of all I am a mother to a beautiful 18 month old daughter, named Sophia, who completes me in so many ways and teaches me more than I could ever learn about life from anywhere else. I enjoy drinking wine, eating good food, any form of arts & entertainment, traveling, and most of all-SHOPPING!!! So I guess I am your typical girly-girl minus the prissy, high maintenance of it all. I am sure my personality and true soul will surely be shaped out with every blog post in the future so I won't go on and on about my likes/dislikes. So here it is everyone! I hope you enjoy reading my blog as much as I enjoy reading all of yours!!! xoxoxox