Wednesday, December 22, 2010

A few Christmas videos

Isn't it amazing how social media has changed the way we live? Facebook, Twitter, blogs, texting, Foursquare, and the smart phone have definitely changed the way we communicate with each other. What if all of these things were around when Jesus was born? Wouldn't that make for some interesting stories? Well, the folks at ExcentricPT and Igniter Media thought it would!

The first video called "The Digital Story of the Nativity"




The second video is called "A Social Network Christmas" and is a little more serious than the first, but still very entertaining.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

We've been robbed.....almost

Ya know what you DON'T want to hear at 5:00 in the morning? Your husband saying "Honey, someone tried to steal both of our cars last night."
That's exactly how I was woken up this morning. I should have immediately gotten out of bed and taken action. Instead, I said "Was anything stolen?" When I heard him say "no," I said "Great. I'll call the cops when I wake up." And then I went back to sleep. About 10 minutes later I sat up and said "Did he just say someone tried to steal BOTH our cars?!" I was shocked. We live in the country. Things like that aren't suppose to happen out here. That's why we moved OUT of the city. But, things like that can happen anywhere!
It turns out our cars were almost stolen by a few juveniles that were on a car stealing spree. They had also escaped from police custody. The fugitives actually had the nerve to knock on our neighbors door and ask if the neighbors could take them to a nearby town. Luckily, the neighbors are smarter than me and told them no and called the police.
A few deputies came out and combed our yard looking for the kids. This was at about 2:00 AM. Guess what I was doing while punks were trying to steal my car and cops were combing my yard with flashlights.
Sleeping. Yeah, I was sleeping. I slept through the whole darn thing. I've always considered myself a light sleeper. Guess I'm going to have to rethink that. I can't help but wonder why the dog never barked. It's quite obvious by his actions today that he's very spooked. I know for a fact if he was barking, I would have heard him. At least I'm pretty sure. I mean, he barks LOUD. I can only assume that he didn't see any immediate danger since the would be thieves were outside and not trying to break into our house.
It's still scary though. I can't help but feel like a little bit of my illusion of safety has been shattered. I can't help but think "What if." What if they had tried to break in to the house? What if they neighbors had let them in? What if they had knocked on my door? What if I had let them in (and I probably would have...I'm not so smart like that)? What if they had succeeded in stealing one of our cars? What if someone had gotten hurt?
It's all scary. This is the first time this has ever happened to me. When we lived in the apartment I never had the illusion of safety. I knew that place was dangerous. Here, I thought we were safe. Part of me knows that we're still safe, but I'm definitely re-thinking where we keep the gun.

The screwdriver they used to try to start the car. It was one of ours that was left in the car for one reason or another.


Contents of the glove box. I'm assuming they were looking for an extra key.


Tip of the screwdriver. You can't tell, but the tip is broken off.


Tip of the screwdriver in the ignition. I'm guessing the broken screwdriver is what kept them from stealing the car.


All in all, I'd say we got off pretty easy. Things could have been a lot worse. The kids have been arrested and will be charged for attempting to steal our cars. I'm so thankful that nobody was hurt.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

The dreaded pink eye

Adelae's been in school since September and up until now, we've managed to avoid one of the joys that comes with school....illness. The flu has (knock on wood) missed us so far. There haven't been any reports of lice (knock on wood again). Other than a cold or two, it hasn't been anything we can't deal with. Until yesterday. Adelae woke up with gunky eyes. I looked at Ben and said "Oh crap. She has pink eye." I put in a call to the pediatrician, since Adelae's eyes weren't pink or itching her, the nurse said it was probably a cold that had settled in her eye and not to be to worried. So, we continued about our day. A day that included several errands.
While we were out to lunch Adelae said the phrase I was dreading "Mommy, my eyes hurt." I asked her if they itched and she said no and they still weren't pink. So, we continued our errands. We were in the middle of Meijer, I took one look at her and said to Ben, "We need to get out of here. Her eyes are horrible." And they were. They were fire engine red, swollen and just nasty looking.
I whipped out my phone and started frantically looking up doctors hoping I'd be able to find a walk in clinic that was still open. Luckily, the doctor that Ben and I see has a walk in clinic. Even luckier, they were still open and had open times. Unfortunately, we only had about 30 minutes to get there. Have you ever tried to check out at Meijer the weekend before Christmas? Well, it's not fun. Or fast. Somehow we managed to find the only open check out lane. We were out of there in lightening speed.
The Nurse Practioner that looked at Adelae was really nice. She said that she was pretty sure it was pink eye and she would just go ahead and prescribe us some eye drops.
I am so glad that we were able to get her some medicine. I just feel really bad for making her wait. I knew I should have taken her to the doctor that morning, but I went against my gut. Had we gone that morning, her eyes wouldn't have gotten so bad.

And I'd have my Christmas shopping done.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

I'm tired

I've always been a night owl. It's very rare that I go to bed before midnight. I use the time to work on my cross stitch projects, read, watch TV or just hang out with Ben. I love my quiet time. Lately, the late nights have not been loving me though. I'm so tired all the time. As I sit here typing this (at 3:00 in the afternoon), I'm fighting to stay awake. Ben keeps hinting that it's because I'm getting older and can't function on 6 hours of sleep. I'm not ready to believe that! My body can't be betraying me right? Maybe I just need more coffee.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Refocusing: My Faith

In addition to refocusing my marriage, I've spend the last year refocusing my faith. When my marriage was in trouble, my faith was also in trouble. I'm fairly certain the two go hand in hand.
It was hard for me to keep the faith when I felt like things were slowly falling apart around me. I did a lot of praying in that time. I just wanted answers. I wanted to know that everything was going to be ok. During those hard times, I found that praying really calmed me down. When things were particularly difficult, I'd say "Ok God, I can't handle this. I need a little help here." More often than not, I would feel immediately comforted. It was like a calm would just wash over me. I could take a second (or a minute) and refocus. I would think that what I was enduring was nothing compared to what Jesus endured for me. Suddenly, my problems weren't so bad. I could refocus.
Earlier this fall I felt this call. I knew that I was suppose to be doing more. Somewhere, I was suppose to be doing more. So, I volunteered to help with Children's Church on Sundays. Making the lesson plans, while time consuming, is so much fun. Teaching the children about the Bible has fulfilled a need I didn't even know I had. It's wonderful to see their eager faces each and every Sunday morning.
I can honestly say that if you had told me at the beginning of the year that I'd be such a large part of our tiny church, I wouldn't have believed you. I never though my faith was strong enough.
Turns out, all I needed to do was to refocus.

Monday, December 13, 2010

Refocusing

2010 has been a equally horrible and wonderful year. This past year has tested my marriage in so many ways. For a really long time Ben and I were just existing. We weren't interacting with each other hardly at all. I think it was a combo of depression (on both our parts), lack of communication, living with two young children, and money problems. We fought a lot, about everything. I would say "It's a nice day" and Ben would say "No, it's not." That might be exaggerating a little bit, but not by much. As a result, neither of us were happy. The kids weren't happy. It was awful. I felt like I was living in a powder keg.
Then the inevitable happened. The powder keg exploded. We had one of those knock down drag out fights. You know the one where you say all those horrible and nasty things that you think, but don't really mean. Or maybe you do mean them in way way way back of your mind. There was shouting and cussing, belittling and just general nastiness. I can't say what the fight started over. I can't even remember all of the things that were said. I know it was ugly. I know that the phrase "Let's just get divorced" was said by both of us. I know that if we weren't married with little kids, that would have been the end of us. I know that we both admitted that we were fastly falling out of love with each other. It sucked. A lot.
The next morning after we were calm, we talked. We talked and talked and talked. The bottom line was that we love each other. I know deep in my heart that we are meant to be together. We are soul mates. So, we chose to get some help. It wasn't something that we told a lot of people about. It was a very private matter. We went faithfully for what seemed like forever. It was hard. It was probably one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. We faced a lot of our demons and refocused.
We focused on what our marriage could be and should be, not what it had become. Each week I felt us growing closer. Slowly, the fighting stopped. We kissed more, we hugged all the time. We remembered the wonderful things about each other that we loved so much. The passion was back. We fell in love all over again.
Yes, we still have our issues and demons. We still argue. We still annoy each other. But, at the end of the day, there is no place we'd rather be. I'm so grateful to Ben for wanting to save our marriage. I'm so grateful that he helps me through my hard times and lets me help him through his. I'm so lucky to have such an amazing man in my life. He is my soul mate and my one true love.
I am happier now than I think I've ever been. It just took a little refocusing.

Friday, December 10, 2010

We had a first today!


Today was the first time I had to call poison control.

Brinna got ahold of the toothpaste while I was in the shower. I had it on the back of the sink, where I thought she couldn't reach. She either grew a few inches, has Go Go Gadjet arms, or she scaled the sink. Either way, she got it.

When i got out of the shower she proudly held the tube up and said "Mamma teef!" Or at least that's what i think she said.

I went into panic mode. Did she eat it? Did she fingerpaint the couch with it? How much did she eat? I smelled her breath......minty fresh. Crap.

So, I called the pediatrician. The told me to call poison control. After an obnoxiously long time on hold, the woman (nurse?)  assured me that Brinna would be fine. I was told to give her some milk and keep an eye on her. Thankfully she's fine.

I'm still not sure how she got that toothpaste, but I'll find a new place to keep it, that's for sure!

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Monday, November 29, 2010

Not Me!

I most certainly did NOT convince my husband that we needed an XBox 360 with Kinect. Nope! Not me!

I also did not enlist the help of people he works with to convince him that we need one. Nope! Not me!

Once I did convince him that we needed an XBox Kinect, I did not also convince him that we needed Dance Central.

When the Kinect finally got here, we absolutely did NOT spend the entire day playing when we were suppose to be doing housework. Nope! Not us!

I also most certainly did NOT take a video of Ben dancing. If you've ever seen Ben dance, you'll know why he made me promise that. I also did NOT laugh the entire time I was taking the video. I did NOT laugh so hard that I had tears running down my face. I also was NOT laughing so hard that I had to stop taking the video.

If I did take a video of Ben dancing, I most certainly would NOT post it on my blog. Nope! That would be SOOOOOO mean of me. I would NEVER EVER do such a mean thing.

Or maybe I would and call it payback for the time he threw up in my hair.



Maybe this will teach him not to read my blog. Or teach him to not throw up in my hair.

In all fairness, I really should add that he scores much higher than I do on the dance game.

Friday, November 5, 2010

Letters of Intent

Foursons


Dear sweet baby Brinna;

SLEEEEEP CHILD SLEEEEP! Seriously! Mommy is TIRED. Like beyond tired. Exhausted. This business of not napping unless I'm holding you is getting old. Likewise to the waking in the middle of the night and screaming your tiny little head off. Yes, I love snuggling with you. I don't even mind bringing you into Mommy and Daddy's bed. However, if I bring you into my bed, you must SLEEP! 2:00 am (or 4:00 am) is NOT playtime. It is sleep time. Daddy has to get up really early for work in the morning and when you wake him up at 3:00 am by repeatedly smacking him in the face, he's crabby. When you scream at the top of your lungs like someone is hurting you, you wake up your sister. That makes her crabby. When you continue crying, that wakes up Mommy. That makes Mommy tired and crabby. I promise you, we will ALL be in better moods if you would just SLEEEEEP! Just lay your tiny little head down and close your eyes. If you can't sleep, could you at least learn to play quietly in your crib? Mommy put a ton of toys in there. You have a tiny baby, a glow worm, a nice fuzzy stuffed elephant and a stuffed kitty. They're all there to entertain you.
I love you, my sweet sweet baby, but if you don't start sleeping, Mommy's going to lose her ever-lovin' mind.


Sincerely,
ZZZZZZZZZ...what? oh, I was typing...
Your very sleepy Mommy


Dear Adelae;

It wouldn't be fair of me to write a letter to your sister and not to you. So, stop sassing me please. I get it, you're 3 (almost 4) and fiercely independent. I understand that you have opinions on what you do and don't like. I get it! But when Mommy says "Hurry up and get dressed." That means hurry up and get dressed. It does not mean go play with your toys until you're good and ready to get dressed. When Mommy says "Please pick up your shoes and put them away." That means to put them away. It doesn't mean to put them in another room where you think I can't see them. And no, I don't care if that's what Daddy does. When Mommy says to eat your dinner, you don't get to say "But I don't want that dinner." You get to eat it and be grateful that we have hot food. And if you don't eat your nice hot dinner, you can expect to put on your pajamas and go to bed. Yes, I know that means that I'm a mean Mommy. I honestly don't care. You'll get over it. So, let's work on the attitude. Mmmkay?

Sincerely;
I swear, child if you don't pick that up.....

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Trick Or Treat Smell My Feet

Ready to Trick or Treat

Waiting not so patiently for the parade to start.

Adelae showing off her very regal wave.

The bunny in the parade.

CAAAAANNNNDDDYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!


Wordless Wednesday is brought to you by 5 Minutes For Mom

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Brinna Says CHEESE and FIH-AH

Here are some super cute videos of Brinna. Ignore the food on her face and on her clothes. It was dinner time which is never neat in our house.



Monday, November 1, 2010

Sick of it

I'm sick of cleaning.

I'm sick of the dishes.

I'm sick of the laundry.

I'm sick of being expected to know where everybody's stuff is all the time.

I'm sick of being everything to everyone and nothing to myself.

I'm sick of being fat.

I'm sick of changing dirty diapers.

I'm sick of people not accepting the consequences of their actions.

I'm sick of censoring myself.

I'm sick of always being second best.

I'm sick of cooking dinner.

I'm sick of running errands.

I'm sick of people that can't drive.

I'm sick of hearing about children dying.

I'm sick of hearing about rapes and murders.

I'm sick of Obama bashing.

I'm sick of political commercials.

I'm sick of people being mean.

I'm sick of Brinna being sick.

I'm sick of my husband working all the time.

I'm sick of not having a job.

I'm sick of grumpy kids.

I'm sick of running errands.

I'm sick of rude people.

I'm sick of it.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Really?--Letters of Intent

Foursons


Dear Ear Nose and Throat Associates:
Attn: Dr. Shreck

You might not remember me, I'm sure you're absurdly busy, but you did my sinus surgery back in September. You did a great job and I can't complain about your surgical skills. However, I really think you might need a watch. Or a lesson in time management. I came to your office yesterday for a follow up to my follow up. I was informed upon check-in that you were running at least and hour and a half behind. AN HOUR AND A HALF! WHAT?! How does one get THAT far behind? And why oh why wouldn't your secretary, nurse, or someone call patients and explain that you are behind. Maybe do them the courtesy of seeing if they would like to reschedule.
I wish I could explain what an ordeal it is to bring a 3.5 year old and a 15 month old to Mommy's doctor appointment. First, there's the diapers and the wipes. Then there's the snack and the drinks. And, of course, the toys. You see, I want to be prepared so that my appointment can go as smoothly as possible. But here's the thing, an hour and a half wait with two little kids just simply isn't possible. Not to mention my appointment was at 4:15, so that would mean I wouldn't be seen until 5:45. That's dangerously close to the dinner hour. Maybe other kids don't turn into crazed maniacs around the dinner hour, but mine do. So, again, not a good scenario.
I was totally amazed that the receptionist was totally rude as well. She said "It's not like I can do anything about it." I explained that I would be unable to wait and she said "What do you want me to do?" What I wanted to say was "Walk your lazy behind over to your handy dandy computer and schedule a different appointment. And while you're at it, how about an apology and some compassion." But what I said was "Can you just cancel my appointment?" I kindly explained that I had made the 25 minute drive and that I was a little frustrated. She said "That's not MY fault." Apparently she knows of some teleportation device that would beam me directly into your office, eliminating the need to drive.
It's like this...if I showed up an hour and a half late, would you still see me? What's that? The answer is no? Well then, why am I expected to wait on you? Do you forget that you charged me almost $20,000 to do the surgery? Do you forget that YOU work for ME, not the other way around? You see, I'm wise to this game. I won't play it. I won't make my kids and myself miserable because of your poor time management. I won't do it. Yes, you are a great doctor, but you will no longer be MY doctor.

Signed:
I'm not waiting

Thursday, October 28, 2010

We didn't blow away!

I'm still here, we haven't blown away in all of this crazy wind! I find myself facing a lot of writer's block lately. I have a lot of stuff in my head, it's just hard to get it out. Not to mention, it's a wee bit disheartening to post blogs and have no comments. I'm sure people are reading, but I need some comments people! Don't have an account? No problem! Post under anonymous, but please sign your name so I know who you are!

We've been ridiculously busy for...well...since forever it seems. I know that one of these days we're going to be able to sit around in our pajamas all day long and watch TV. Right? No? Not gonna happen? Sigh....

Here's a few updates:

Adelae is still loving pre-school. She is making lots of little friends and learning so much. When I hear her sing her songs, it makes me smile from ear to ear. I remember my Grandma telling me that one of her favorite memories of me when I was little was when I would sing her all my preschool songs. I like to think that Grandma's looking down at Adelae and smiling that same smile. Adelae has developed a real passion for reading lately. When I go up to check on her at night she's almost always cuddled up in bed with her flashlight and her book. She can't read the words yet, but she loves to look at the pictures. Her imagination has really taken flight as well. She's starting to get into playing house with her various dolls and stuffed animals. Adelae is also working on testing my patience, but she's 3 so it's to be expected. Over all she is such an amazing little girl. I love to watch her grow. Even though she's a big girl now, she's not about a few snuggles here and there. The other morning she climbed in bed with me and whispered "I just wanna hold your hand like this till I fall asleep again." How could I say no?

Brinna is changing a little bit every single day it seems. She's starting to "talk" more and more every day. Right now her favorite thing to do is to point to something and say "UH! AH! AH! AH!" insistently until you give it to her. She is entranced by baby dolls and petrified of any toy that moves on it's own. She has definite opinions on what she does and doesn't like! I would like to say that she's growing like a weed, but well...I can't. She's definitely our little munchkin. She just had her 15 month check up and she's weighing in at a whopping 16 lbs 4 oz and is 29 inches long. Our doctor said that some people are just tiny and isn't concerned at all. Brinna eats like a horse, so I'm not sure where she's putting it all. It's my theory that she has a hollow leg. Brinna has a wee bit of hero worship going on where her big sister is concerned. Lately she does everything Adelae does. Most of the time it's pretty cute. Most of the time. It's not so cute when Adelae is sassing back and Brinna starts yelling "AH, UH, BA, MA, AH, AH!" at me. Brinna recently learned how to give kisses and hugs. She will routinely walk over to me just to give me a hug and a kiss. It completely melts my heart.

I'm doing well. I've fully recovered from my sinus surgery (although I dang near had a heart attack when we got the bill). I have my final check up this afternoon, but I expect that all is well. I recently decided that I needed a few more tattoos, so I had that done last weekend. Other than that the kids are keeping me hopping! It seems like between school, appointments and errands we are rarely home. That's ok though, it keeps us all busy and occupied. Sadly, my housework is sorely behind. I suppose I should be doing that instead of blogging, but blogging is just more fun!

Ben's tired. Poor guy! They've been pushing him really hard a work lately. He's been working three 12 hour shifts and one 10 hour shift, not to mention a few hours of overtime on the weekend. He's hoping his schedule slows down sometime soon so he can spend some time with us. We miss him! He took Adelae to their first Father/Daughter activity at school the other day. They had a pumpkin carving night. All of the kids sang their Halloween songs and Ben was one proud Daddy. I love that he loves spending one-on-one time with each of our girls. They are very lucky indeed!

We've been fighting some awfully strong winds the last few days and I'm pretty much over it. I suppose this will be the wind that finally blows winter our way. We're hoping the propane fireplace that we purchased will help keep us all warm and cozy this winter. If not, I'm going to pack up and move down South.

We're slowly getting ready for Christmas too. Adelae has a wish list a mile long. She's really nice and helping her sister make her wish list too. I'm pretty sure that the Tiana (from Princess and the Frog) Barbie that Adelae put on Brinna's list isn't really for Brinna. When I pointed out that Brinna might be too little for a Barbie Adelae said "Oh. Well I can just play with it till she's big like me." At least she's thoughtful!

That's about all that's worth reporting in our little part of the world!

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

A Halloween Preview-Wordless Wednesday

Here's a little Halloween costume cuteness to feast your eyes on.





Wordless Wednesday is brought to you by 5 Minutes For Mom

Friday, October 15, 2010

Toot Toot!

I rarely toot my own horn, mostly because I don't really ever do anything worthy of it, but today I am. About three weeks ago I started The 30 Day Shred by Jillian Michaels. If you've ever watched The Biggest Loser you know that Jillian is no joke. If you know me, you should know that I hate exercise. Hate it. With a passion. I'd rather do just about anything than exercise. A month or so ago I decided that it was time to start doing something. I was feeling blah and very overweight and unhealthy. I've been hearing about the 30 Day Shred and decided that I could do it. It's only 20 minutes. I mean, I can do just about anything for 20 minutes, right?
The first day was rough. I almost passed out afterward and couldn't walk. The second day was worse. I actually had to take an Aleve so I could walk! But, I kept on. Day by day it got a little easier. I can say that I've noticed a big difference just in the three short weeks I've been doing it. Today when I got dressed I realized that, for the first time in a long time, my breasts are bigger than my stomach! Hooray! Last night Ben commented that was looking a lot thinner. Yay for me!!! So, just this once, I'll toot my own horn :D

*****TOOT TOOT******

Monday, October 11, 2010

Bullying

I don't often post about current events, but something has been weighing heavily on my mind the last few days. Bullying has been all over the news lately. There's the college student that jumped off the George Washington Bridge, the high school in Mentor where 4 students have killed themselves over the course of a little over 2 years, and a little closer to home a mother was bullied through her blog moments after she has posted that her son had died due to a congenital heart defect.
Bullying is everywhere. It happens online, in the hallways of our high schools, locker rooms, college campuses, elementary school playgrounds and everywhere in between. There are no words to explain how disgusted it makes me to see this happening everywhere. Kids are bullied because they're smaller, not as smart, gay, black, latino or "different" in any way. It's gross. All of this media coverage has me thinking about the bullies as well as their victims.
How is a bully made? Are they just mean? Is it some sort of cry for attention? Does the relative anonymity of a YouTube post or a comment on a blog make people feel safe?
Chances are, adult bullies were child bullies. (I have no proof of that, it's just a thought.) So, why weren't they stopped? Why AREN'T they stopped now? Where are the parents? Why are they not disciplining their children? I hear over and over again "The school didn't do anything." Why is it the school's responsibility? Why isn't it the parents job? If I found out that either of my girls were bullying other children, you can bet there would be consequences at home. I would work with the school to make sure the behavior was stopped immediately. Shouldn't others do the same?
With all of the technology out there, internet bullying is almost seen as a victimless crime. You can post nasty comments to a grieving mother under "anonymous" and you never have to see the reaction. It's just as easy to harass classmates on Facebook, MySpace or Twitter. You never see the reaction. You aren't there when that person, who is already hurting, reads that comment.
I've walked high school hallways and I've seen bullying. I've seen a group of students tease another student and laugh. When did it become funny to hurt others? When did we lose our empathy, our ability to care about others?
I wish I had the answer. I wish I could grab all of those people that are hurting others and scream at them. Or smack them. Or anything to get their attention. But I can't. I can write this blog and hope that maybe it touches someone. I can pray for the bullies as well as their victims. I can make sure that my children aren't bullies. I can make sure that they feel comfortable talking to me so if they're ever bullies they will tell me. If they are ever bullied, I can make sure that I stand up for them. I can offer words of encouragement to those that are being bullied in the hopes that my kind words will be the ones that reach them.
I hope that others will do the same.

Monday, September 27, 2010

You can tell it's Monday

Don't tell anyone, but I actually like Mondays. Well, usually. It's the day when our schedule goes back to "normal." It's usually a down day for the girls and I. I catch up on laundry, which means I get to watch some of the shows that I miss while I fold laundry. (Thank you networks for putting episodes online!) I get the dishes done, the kids nap. Over all, it's a good day.
Not today. Today we all have a horrible case of the Mondays. It started last night about 11:15 when Brinna woke up screaming her tiny little head off and continued all day long. Apparently, Brinna decided that she didn't need any sleep last night. She woke up at 11:15 and finally fell back asleep at 4:30 am. That means that I didn't fall asleep until 4:30 am. Adelae wakes up at 7:30 am every day. That means that I had 3 hours of sleep. 3 stinking hours! Have you ever tried to take care of two very active little girls and do housework on 3 hours of sleep? I don't recommend it. I thought that maybe I'd get in a short nap. Nope! Not today! Today Adelae decided we needed to play! So, we did. Then I figured I might as well do my workout, so I did.
So, here I sit at 5:00 pm so exhausted I can barely move. The dishes are still in the kitchen and dinner still has to be fixed.
Today I say "Is it Tuesday yet?"

Friday, September 24, 2010

Katy Perry & Her Girls

Have you heard about the latest controversy on Sesame Street? Yes, I said "controversy" and "Sesame Street" in the same sentence. Apparently parents all over are offended by this video. Go ahead and watch it, I'll wait. And if you catch yourself singing, I promise not to tell anyone.



Done? Good! Did you like it? Find yourself singing along? Did you figure out what people are making such a big deal about? No? Go watch it again. I'll wait.

Get it yet? Well, I can tell you that I had to watch the video about 3 times before I could find anything objectionable, and even then I got it wrong. I thought, "hmm...is it because of Katy Perry's past songs?" After all, the lyrics to one is "I kissed a girl and I liked it, the taste of her cherry Chapstick." Or could it be the lyrics of the song that this parody is based on "You PMS like a bitch, I should know." As much as I love Katy Perry (and I do), I don't listen to her songs with the kids. I think the lyrics are inappropriate. I wanted to know if I was right so I decided to dig a little deeper. I looked at various new articles, blogs and comments on the video. (It's not hard, just Google Katy Perry & Elmo if you want to see what people are saying.)
The problem? Katy's cleavage. So, I watched it again. I suppose there is one point where her girls are a little jiggly. I decided to perform an unofficial study. I had Adelae watch it to see if she would notice. She watched it, then watched it again. Her and Brinna danced and Adelae even sang "Elmo's up, Elmo's down, Elmo's running around." Not once did she say "Mommy, her boobs are jiggly. I need to wear a low cut shirt so I can be like the girl in the song." In fact, I think the shirt I had on at the time showed more cleavage that the outfit that Katy had on.
So, this leads me to the question, would most preschoolers notice? The answer, I highly doubt it. We need to keep in mind the audience for shows like Sesame Street. It's not me or my husband. It's preschoolers, children aged from birth to 5 or 6. Has our society become so overly sexualized that even preshcoolers know that breasts can be sexual? Seriously? If that's the case, then I think the parents that are complaining really need to take a good hard look at the lessons they are teaching their children.
We are very open about our bodies in our house. I breastfed Brinna for a year. Adelae sees my breasts a lot. In fact, she takes a shower with me. It's just easier. I see nothing wrong with it. God gave us these bodies. They are beautiful. Plus, she's THREE! THREE! Right in the middle of the target audience for Sesame Street. Even at 6 I don't think that she's going to look at that video and say "Wow Mommy! Look at her boobies! They make me want to wear low cut shirts!" If she does? Well, that's the day that I think it's time to turn off the TV and spend some quality time with my child.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

The love of a sister

There a so many things that amaze me about my children. One of the things that never ceases to amaze me is the love they have for each other. If one cries, the other one cries. If one is in a bad mood, the other one is in a bad mood. If one is happy, the other one is happy. It's fascinating.
The three of us were sitting in the living room together. I was rocking Brinna trying to get her to nap and Adelae was on the couch being silly. Adelae started laughing at herself. Brinna pops her head up and just starts laughing hysterically with Adelae. Now, I'm pretty sure that Brinna didn't understand why Adelae was laughing (She told me a joke), but she was laughing because her big sister was laughing. It was one of those simple moments that just sort of take my breath away.

In case you're wondering the joke was:
What does a duck have for a snack?
Cheese and QUACKERS!

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

3 down!!

Happy Anniversary, babe! I love you :D








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Tuesday, September 14, 2010

It's in the mail


For the first time in years I'm applying for a job. And not just any job, a job I really really want. I've been watching the Classifieds every week for the ad for this particular job. I was starting to think it was never gping to show up. Then yesterday it appeared. "Wanted: a breastfeeding peer helper" Yes! Finally! I sat down and wrote a resume and what I hope is an awesome cover letter. I. Want. This. Job. I want it very very badly. More than I've wanted anything in a long time.

I know the time has come when we can no longer afford for me to be a stay at home mom. Preschool tuition, the need for another car and the want to own our own home someday make it impossible. We need to be a two income family. Or Ben needs a raise, a really big raise. Since that's most likely not going to happen, it's time for me to venture out into the work force.

So, my resume is in the mail! If all my lovely readers could send me some "get the job" vibes, or even say a quick prayer, I would appreciate it.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Adelae goes to school..part 2

I was going to tell you all about what Adelae did at school on her first day, but I figure it's a story best told by her. You'll have to bear with her, she had had a really long day and was a little tired :)

Friday, September 10, 2010

Adelae goes to school..part 1

Today was Adelae's first day of pre-school. She was SO excited to go! She couldn't even sleep last night. I, on the other hand, was a whole bag of emotions. Nervous, scared, proud, anxious and excited about sum it up. I knew she'd be ok, but it's the realization that she's growing up and this is the start of her independence. But, I'm so very proud of her for not being scared to tackle this brand new experience.

Doesn't she look so big?


Every girl needs a pink back pack with her name on it.


Away she goes!


And this is how I left her, playing ponies with her new friends.


Stay tuned for Adelae's report on how her first day of school went.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

At least it's not bed bugs

Am I the only person that's totally freaked out by the bed bug epidemic? I'm petrified I check our mattresses about 3 times a day, just to make sure. So, you can imagine how freaked out I was when Brinna had three little red bumps on her cheek. I stripped the beds, flipped the mattresses and had a mini freak out session. No signs of bed bugs. Whew! Then I found more bumps. I kept telling Ben "It's bed bugs. I just know it's bed bugs." I made him re-check all the beds...twice. (It was the day after my surgery and I wasn't suppose to be doing anything.) Still no bed bugs. Yet the rash continued to spread. It's probably a good thing I was taking my Lortab (Vicodin) or I probably would have been having panic attacks. In case you don't know this about me..I HATE BUGS!
Anyway...the rash continued to spread. I thought "Hmm..chicken pox?" So I asked my stepmom. She said "chicken pox." So, I called the doctor. The phone nurse said "Not chicken pox since Brinna's been vaccinated." Fabulous. So now I'm back to bed bugs.
I can't take the not knowing, so I made an appointment for her. It took the doctor all of five minutes to make a diagnosis. Not bed bugs.
It's hand, foot and mouth. (Not to be confused with Hoof and Mouth or Mad Cow Disease.) Basically, she has a virus. There's really nothing we can do except to give her Tylenol or Motrin for her sore throat. At least it's not bed bugs!

Saturday, September 4, 2010

2 times a day


My post op instructions were rather funny. I was told to use Afrin 2 times a day for 2 days. Absolutely no more than that. The post op nurse made a very big deal about that. It was written on the Afrin bottle, on my post op instructions and, just in case we forgot, on a bright yellow post-it note. Apparently Afrin is very addictive. I'm ok with all that. I hate Afrin anyway, so no big deal.

I find it absolutely hilarious that they are so over the top about their Afrin use instructions, yet they prescribed me 120 Lortab (which is basically Vicodin). 120 Vicodin! Yowza! I'm allowed to take 2 every six hours, so roughly 8 a day. Now, I'm bad at math but i think that works out to roughly a 2 week supply. The post op instructions say to take the Lortab for 2 or 3 days. Why did they feel the need to prescribe me enough for 2 weeks? Doesn't it seem like they should be a little more concerned about Lortab addiction?

If they are going to go out of their way to make sure i know Afrin is addictive, shouldn't they do the same for the narcotic? I'm just sayin'......

Friday, September 3, 2010

Sinus Surgery is HOT!!



This is the fabulous look I'll be sporting the next few days. It's sexy, I know.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Wordless Wednesday

This is how God says "Good Morning"




As always, don't forget to check out 5 Minutes For Mom to see what others are wordless about.

Friday, August 27, 2010

Letters of Intent

Foursons


Dear Self:
Get motivated to write more blogs. Stop being so afraid you'll offend someone by posting a blog on the proposed Mosque by Ground Zero. (For it, by the way) I don't know why on Earth you think you're too busy to write. I mean, it's not like you've been busy every single weekend since May. It's not as if you have a 1 year old that just learned to walk, open drawers and cupboard doors, and learned to close drawers and cupboard doors. It's not like you're trying to get the house ready for a visit from out of state family. You also don't have a surgery scheduled soon or child waiting to start preschool. Oh wait...that's right..you do have all of those things. Hmm..Ok...maybe I'll forgive you, just this once! But seriously, start blogging again.

Sincerely,
Your creative side


Dear adorably honest 3 year old:

It's not appropriate to ask Grammy why she has a big bump on her head (it's a mole) or why she has wrinkles, or why her skin is bumpy. Yes I know Mommy laughed, but that still doesn't make it right. It's also NOT ok to tell Mommy that she needs a bra for her tummy since "bras are for holding up your boobs so they aren't saggy and jiggly and Mommy's tummy is saggy and jiggly." Mommy has quite enough body issues with out you adding to it. It's also not ok to make your sister cry by literally dragging her away from your toys. Also, I'm fairly certain it wasn't your 1 year old sister that knocked over all the toys and drug them into the corner so "she could hide from Mommy."

Signed,
It's a good thing you're so darn cute or I'd get really mad



Dear adorably cute toddler:

Please stop pinching your fingers in the dresser drawers. It hurts. You think you would have learned that lesson by now. Could you also please stop climbing the stairs at lightening quick speed? It gives Mommy a slight heart attack when you sit at the top of stairs and wave to me. The door to the stairs is shut for a reason. Let's leave it that way, mmmkay? And I know that you're getting teeth, but biting everyone isn't cool. But, please don't stop giving Mommy hugs and saying "awwww" while you do it.

Sincerely,
Your mommy that loves you even though she's slightly frazzled

PS...I know you don't know what the toilet is for yet, but take it from me when I tell you it's NOT for playing.

As always, don't forget to check out Foursons for more fabulous Letters of Intent.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Wordless Wednesday

This is a perfectly acceptable outfit to wear to feed the cats...in August...





Don't forget to see what others are wordless about by visiting 5 Minutes For Mom.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

She can walk!

I'm really late in posting these videos, but it's official, we have a walker! Brinna would now rather walk than crawl. It always amazes me how fast little ones become masters at walking. She's practically running all over the house now!



Sunday, August 22, 2010

But he's my most favorite pet...

We live in the country. Part of living in the country is finding bugs in the house. This time of year, crickets are especially popular. Adelae and I found a HUGE cricket in the bathroom the other day. I should also mention that I'm a teeny bit afraid of crickets. (They're big, black and very hoppy. I can't squish them cause...well...ewwwww and I can't catch them because I'm petrified they're going to jump on me.) So, I made the mistake of telling Adelae that the cricket would be ok until Daddy got home. Somehow, in Adelae's mind, this translated into "You can keep the cricket as your pet." Ben found the offending cricket and put it outside. A meltdown ensued. Had I been able to find the camera, I would have caught the whole thing, but the camera was lost in the abyss of the kitchen table. Anyway...I had a nice conversation with Adelae about the whole thing. I did manage to catch that on video.


Tuesday, August 10, 2010

So over it...

Remember when it was winter and I was complaining about the cold? And longing for summer? Well..I'm so over this summer. I'm sick and tired of the heat and humidity. I'm over it. Take it back. As of this very minute it's 93*F with a heat index of 103*F. There's absolutely no breeze and it's so humid I feel like I could wring water out of the air. We don't have air conditioning so it's about 95*F inside the house. I'm hot. I'm sweaty. I feel like I can't breath. The kids are hot and sweaty and crabby. Brinna won't nap. Adelae doesn't want to play. Even the dog and cats are lethargic. I'm over it. I want fall. I want 70*F days and 50*F nights. I want the humidity to go away. I want dry crisp fall air.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Dear Computer

Please don't get another virus. Please!

I was in sheer panic mode when we came home from a night away to find that our computer had been infected with a virus. I don't care so much about the recipe book I've spent years creating, or the spreadsheet that makes sure my bank account is balanced, or the patterns for projects that I have. I don't care about Ben's fantasy baseball team (although he really does), I don't care about Facebook or Twitter (mostly because I access them from my phone), I don't even care about this blog. I was, however, in full on panic mode over my pictures. I have been using my Shutterfly site as a back up for my pictures. However, I've been neglecting uploading them. I share a lot of pictures on Facebook, but not all of them (I know..hard to believe when you look at all the ones I upload to Facebook). I foolishly also haven't backed anything up to discs lately. Not smart, I know. All I could think of was that I was going to lose all my pictures from the last year. All of Brinna's birth pictures, all of the pictures from her first Christmas..all of it. I sat at my computer and cried. And cried some more.
I called Best Buy and they wanted a small fortune to retrieve my files and get rid of the virus on my computer. I honestly could have almost bought a new computer for what they wanted to charge me. I cried some more.
Then, like any true modern day woman, I hit up Facebook. I KNEW someone on my friends list could help me. I was right. An old friend from Bowling Green came to my rescue. He gave me detailed instructions on how to activate the Safe Mode on my computer (Alt F8 upon starting the computer and hold till it beeps). It worked! I was able to run a virus scan and TADA! No more virus! Peter Lunn (hope you don't mind me sharing your name here Pete!) you saved the day! Many thanks to you, my friend! :)
And what have I learned from this experience (other than Facebook is really valuable, despite what my husband thinks), you may ask? Don't open emails from people you don't know. (Yes Ben I'm looking at you)

Monday, July 26, 2010

A Year of Firsts

**Warning**This post is VERY picture heavy


To My Sweet Baby Brinna:

Now that you're a year old, it's time for Mommy to get a little sentimental and look at all of your "firsts." It amazes me how much you've grown and changed in 12 short months.

The first time I saw you. You cried and cried and cried, until they brought you over to me.


The first time you officially met your big sister. She loved you immediately and couldn't wait to hold you.


Your first bath was NOT a success. In fact you hated it.


Your first real smile. Your little grin still makes Mommy's heart melt.


Your first family nap.


The first time you sucked your thumb.


Your first Halloween.


Your first Christmas.


The first time you sat up all by yourself.


Crawling for the first time.


The first time you stood.


Your first Easter.


Our first vacation to Kalahari.


The first time you decided you were a monkey instead of a baby.


And finally....

Your first 4th of July.


I love you, my sweet baby girl! I can't wait to see what the next year brings!