The Spoiled Housewife

Still Around, Just Not Here

2009-10-12T12:17:00.000-07:00

Check me out at my new blog. I am not really a "housewife" anymore, although I am STILL AT HOME! So..I've made a site based more on my business, but will still have plenty of "mommy" posts as well!

TAME THE FLAME

I'm BAAACCCKKK!!

2009-09-14T05:05:00.000-07:00

Oh it's been so long..I'm horrified! But we have been BUSY here! My son started Kindergarten, our puppy got Parvo and we chose to do the treatment ourselves(he SURVIVED, YEY!!!), and last but not least..I STARTED MY OWN BUSINESS!! WOO HOO!!!

Its taking off at full force and all I am working every. single. day. to get all of my filing systems, and supplies organized and ready to go because I have entered this business in the BUSY SEASON!! I launched on the 4th. Since then, I have sold over $300 in product, booked a total of 5 bookings, the first one is underway right now as she is having a catalog party with her co-workers. I also have sold product to my Schwan's man, and to a woman at a garage sale I was shopping at! Seriously!

SO..what is it that I got involved in?? SCENTSY!! And for where I live..it is just started to spread into our state, I am 1 out of only 2 consultants in my town of almost 20,000 people..AND..I am the only one working the business full-time..so I see myself going up, Up, UP!! And very quickly!! But..I am committed to updating here much more often, and hope you won't mind that I document some of my successes with the business, because I want to be able to look back someday when I'm AT THE TOP and see my humble beginnings!!

To learn more about what me and my choice to join Scentsy, visit my website. And make sure when you're there to click on the "Interactive Catalog"..it's really neat and give you the best look at our products!

If you have any questions for me about the Scentsy business, or products, you can message here, or email me and I'll get back to you ASAP!

I will slowly be catching up with all of you..and I can't wait to see how you all are doing!! Thanks for being patient with me!!

A Day Off, SAHM Style

2009-08-07T04:12:00.000-07:00

Everybody deserves a day off from time to time. Even a stay-at-home mom deserves one. The bad thing about it is, you can't just call off or play hooky. The kids are ALWAYS there. There's no such thing as weekends or sleeping in as a parent, stay-at-home or not. Am I right? But yesterday I got a half day off and I can tell you I needed it! I am rejuvenated, and re-energized this morning! Hallelujah!

It all came about in the daily morning email my husband sent me. He mentioned that he was not feeling like being at work. My husband works hard, let me tell you. He works 7 days a week, 10 hours through the week, and 6 hours on weekends. Rarely does he take a Sunday off, and I can't quite remember the last time he took both a Saturday AND a Sunday off. It had been about a month and a half since he had even taken off a Sunday. So I knew that he must really be burnt out to mention that he didn't feel like being at work at all. I emailed him back and suggested that he just take the day off after lunch. Being in a union he can miss 2 days every month with out any repercussions, so going into his boss's office and saying "Hey I'm not coming back after lunch." is perfectly acceptable, no questions asked. He did exactly that.

He got home, and stretched out on his recliner. Ducky was napping, Punk and Twinkletoes were each on separate computers playing computer games, a rare treat for them. I spent about 2 minutes talking with SB, and then said "I'm going to sit in the sun!" I took a book with me and didn't move for over 3 hours except to refill my ice water. It was heavenly! SB got to doze, I refreshed my tan, the kids felt spoiled, and all was calm!

Then Ducky woke up and our world turned upside down again, as she is officially into her "terrible two's", but for those few hours, SB and I were able to recharge and hit the ground running this morning. Again, Hallelujah!!

Our Family Has Grown

2009-08-03T05:13:00.000-07:00

I had a wonderful birthday, despite my frustrations the days leading up to it. Everything worked out and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. My husband installed a cd player into my van, and got me both of the Taylor Swift cd's that Twinkletoes and I had been dying to have. We've been singing non-stop since then!! My mom got me new phones for my house, since the ones I had were crap and always went dead without warning after 15 minutes of conversation. And she also got me, The Sims 3 game..which totally explains my absence from this blog..I'm totally addicted!

We spent the 25th (the day after my bday) at my mom's to celebrate. We had good food, games, conversation, and family bonding. It was wonderful. The kids were getting tired, and I was itching to play my new game, so we headed home around 8pm. The kids wanted to go see if the neighbor girl was still outside, so as we were unloading everything from the van they ran to the backyard to check. Next thing we knew, Twinkletoes comes screaming and crying around the corning, shouting, "TAG GOT LOOSE!!!" (Tag is our shed-crazy, totally wild dog, who likes to run away any chance he gets, and kill small wildlife.")

*crap*

SB got the kids calmed down and took off on foot to look for him. First stop, the church camp across the yards. About 25 minutes later he came back and got his truck. About 45 minutes later he came back home because it was too dark. The dog never came back. He isn't at the pound. My theory is that he managed to make his way 3 miles up the road to the country and is living his dream life stalking and killing animals in the woods..but who knows. Probably some poor family found him and was suckered in by his sweet face and kept him, not realizing what they are getting into like we did when we adopted him from the pound.

The kids were surprising not upset at all after the initial shock. Twinkletoes proudly announced that "Now I can get my kitty since Tag won't kill it." And Punk just immediately started asking for a new dog. Ducky was not as understanding and for 3 days afterward kept taking his collar and pointing to his dog run asking "Where Tag?"

We really didn't waste any time replacing him. We knew for sure that Twinkletoes would be getting the kitten we promised her before we adopted Tag and then found out that he didn't like small animals. So I checked the paper and found inside litter-trained older kittens. Perfect!! The kids and I hit Big Lots for all the supplies we needed for our new addition and then picked up our new orange & white long-haired baby boy, Harry. (Punk and Twinkletoes named him..)

SB and I talked about the dog situation. "Ducky really needs a dog." we agreed, "she's such an animal lover, but because she is so young, she can't love on the cat, because she runs and screams after him like a little troll, and the poor thing runs scared every time! "

We decided not to do the pound rescue this time. Last time we thought it was the right fit for us, getting a 1 year old dog, and skipping the puppy training, but we ended up with a dog that was impossible to retrain to stay with us in the yard, and we were never able to enjoy when outside because he had to be tied at all times.

So we found black Lab/Walker (a hound) mix pups and scooped up our new 6 week old baby boy, Hunter. Named appropriate because the Walker breed dogs are used for hunting, but don't HAVE to be. My mom's beloved dog, Cosmo, who died last year was half Walker. She fell in love with Hunter and we took her out yesterday and she adopted his sister, Bella. (Named after Bella from Twilight!)

Here's some pics of Hunter the day we brought him home..

The Sun Will Shine

2009-07-23T04:55:00.001-07:00

I'm feeling MUCH better today..because I know you all were SO concerned about me, right? I hate being down in the dumps and some days it feels like I can't seem to dig myself out of the hole I'm in. But today, I'm feeling like I'm out of it. Finally. (Before any of you try to give me advice about anti-depressants, don't worry, I got that covered! I've suffered from PPD since I had Twinkletoes, and almost 4 years later, I still feel like I'm battling it..oh the joys of motherhood, right?)

Anyway..enough about my medical history. Let me tell you about the "gorgeous" July weather we are having here. I tried to take a picture for you, but it just did NOT capture the dreary, dread that is covering our small Ohio town. So I Googled "dreary day" and found this image that TOTALLY captures what it looks like here:

The rain has been falling for over 24 hours now, the air is thick with humidity, even though it's just over 60 degrees, and my basement is mildly flooded. I went down there this morning to put in a load of laundry, and because i wasn't paying attention got my feet soaked in slimy water when I got back to the corner where our washing machine is and where water always leaks in at when it rains hard. I should have known better, but hey, it was only 6:15 and I hadn't had any coffee yet!

I'm not going to let the weather get to me. The rain is actually much needed. My grass was turning brown, plants were wilting, and my pumpkin patch seemed to be at a stand still. As of this morning, there is a newness to the grass, my plants look much happier, and the few pumpkins that I have on my plants tripled in size! Rain, is truly nature's renewal.

I intend to spend my day finishing catching up the laundry I started yesterday. Watching "Elf", again, with my kids (they're obsessed let me tell you!), and getting psyched up for my birthday tomorrow. A day all about me..I can handle that! So long as my husband sends me romantic emails and my kids tell me I'm the "bestest mommy around"! And I know they will..because THAT is one thing they are good at doing for my birthday, and really..why should I even want to ask for more??

Its My Birthday And I'll Be Pissed If I Want To!

2009-07-22T06:14:00.000-07:00

So I mentioned yesterday that Friday is my birthday. One year closer to 30. Believe it or not, I am actually VERY EXCITED to turn 30. As of Friday I'll have 3 more years to wait. I'm not wanting my life to fly by or anything, but because I started my family at 21, I am not living the typical life of a 20-something. I have responsibilities, and on the infrequent occasions that I do get to go "party", I am always paying for it the next day because a hangover + 3 kids is NOT very much fun.

Plus, with 30, there seems to be more an acceptance from other mothers. Well older mothers, that is. Sure I have friends my age who have kids, but a lot of the mothers I encounter at my children's activities are in their 30's and honestly, they treat me as "less of a mother" because I am still in my 20's. They do. Have any of you other younger mother's experienced this snobbery? It's not fun. Nor is it fair. And THEN when they find out that my husband is 11 1/2 years older than I am..well that always brings a whole new level of interesting looks and comments directed at me.

So, back to "Friday is my birthday." You see, I am big on making sure everyone in my life has a great birthday. Last year I threw a surprise party for my husband, just family, but he had never had one before, and I thought it would be fun to surprise him. I put a TON of effort into it. All the way to hiding homemade pizzas in our basement freezer, and buying the beer and liquor and hiding it as well. This year for my mom's I planned a fantastic menu and proceeded to give her "the best gift she had ever received."

Since I put so much effort into the birthdays for the people I love, is it so much to ask that they do the same for me? I love my husband to death, but being handed a gift still in the bag from the store it came from and a steak dinner (when I'm not even a huge steak fan) is not exactly putting much effort into it for me. But I know my husband, and I know that he really does try. He just doesn't quite "get it". Its my mom that is letting me down this year.

She stopped by last night and in the midst of our conversation she says,

"So, what do you want to do for your birthday?"

"Um..I don't know. Whatever."

"Well, do you want to go out? Do you want me to make something for dinner? What do you want me to get you. Just tell me," she proceeded to say.

"Mom, I don't know. I really don't. To be honest I hadn't even thought much about it. I've had a stressful day today."

"Well, you'll have to let me know so I'll know what to do."

Okay, I know it's nice that she is wanting to do something for me. But why do I have to plan it? I didn't ask her what SHE wanted to do for her birthday. I just said, "You need to come over here at 1pm, we'll have some appetizers, play some games, and then eat an early dinner." I mean it was HER day..she shouldn't have had to be worried about planning anything.

So, I'm just a bit down this year over my birthday. I found it incredibly discouraging that I am in charge of planning my own birthday. Again. I don't get why the people I love can't take notes from the birthday's I give them and give me the same in return. All I really want for my birthday is to be with my family and NOT have to plan anything. But that doesn't seem to be flying with them this year.

"Happy Birthday to me.."

PRAISE THE LORD..a little quieter please!!

2009-07-21T05:37:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning and actually one of the first thoughts on my mind was "what should I blog about today". I didn't really have anything new to share. My kids are still in residing in "Crab-O" land. I'm still thinking about starting up a new home business. I'm still working on transferring home videos..nothing new really.

I thought, maybe I'd share that my husband is working 12 hour shifts this week, but really, that's boring. He's only working about 2-3 extra hours / day. Nothing blog-worthy about that.

I have no more poop updates other than Twinkletoes is more regular now.

Hmm..what to blog about?

I poured a cup of coffee and went to sit outside on our breezeway to get away from my loud children and their movie that they have insisted on watching non-stop since yesterday afternoon, Elf. Yeah, that's right, the CHRISTMAS movie. I have "Baby It's Cold Outside" stuck in my head, and the fact that it's chilly here at the end of July is making it seem colder since I keep singing that song. So I went outside to get away from all the "Christmas cheer" and drink my coffee in peace.

I had just sat down and started to take a deep relaxing breath when I was startled almost out of my seat! By what do you ask? LOUD LOUD LOUD church music being played on a piano over probably the loudest loud speaker I have ever heard. And it has been going on non-stop now for about 30 minutes. Not that I'm against church music. I mean I love the Lord, and music played for Him is fantastic, but I really don't want to hear it at 8:15 in the morning while sitting on my breezeway trying to enjoy a cup of coffee.

You see, if you walk across our street and through our neighbor's yard..their property adjoins with a large church camp. And this church camp is held this year from July 23 - Aug. 2nd. (I had to go look it up to see how long I'd be enduring morning disturbances.) Our neighbors have warned us about this week since this will be our first summer living in this house. They said it's loud, the kids that attend it sometimes wander up onto our street and into our yards, and to make sure we keep our vehicles locked, because there is usually some thefts around the surrounding neighborhoods when this camp is going on. Great, huh? I personally couldn't see myself going to church camp and then robbing the neighbors, but I guess not all "Christians" have learned the "Thou Shalt Not Steal" commandment!

So..it looks like I'm in for an interesting week. Probably won't be much peace and quiet around here. Oh and I turn 27 on Friday. I'll blog about THAT tomorrow!

Blah..Well Maybe This Monday Isn't So Bad After All

2009-07-20T12:08:00.000-07:00

Today, again, has been "one of those days". It started out with stress, the stress grew bigger, to the point where Punk got himself all worked up..started hitting everyone, calling everyone names, slamming doors and just being down-right unenjoyable. Needless to say, he's now grounded from all video and computer games for the rest of the day and has been informed if he acts up ONE MORE TIME he will lose them for tomorrow as well.

Twinkletoes, has done nothing but cry and whine all day. She refused to listen to me only moments ago when I told her to stop jumping off of our end tables, and fell off of one of them and bit a hole right through her tongue. The screaming coming out of her was ear-piercing and got even worse when I made the stupid mistake of mentioning that she was bleeding.

Ducky, well she is napping now, but before that, she just learned the word, "Cookie", and screamed it at the top of her lungs over and over again when I told her she would not be getting a second one after lunch.

The only good thing today was that I may have found a home business company that I actually KNOW I could thrive at, and am seriously considering joining it. (IF I can convince SB to let me spend the $99 to buy the Consultant kit.) I'll share more about that if I can convince him, and if I can't, well I'll give you the link to the consultant's site. I'd give it to you now, but in case I do join, I want to save it so I get the chance to win your business! ;) Seriously, this company seems PERFECT for me. I still have my "coaching" business, but I just am not passionate about it anymore. Sure I still work out, but I think I jumped into that when I was feeling really "gung ho" about exercise. It was not something that I had always had a passion for. But this other business, is something that I truly LOVE and every single person in my life loves too. So..we'll see. CROSS YOUR FINGERS THAT SB SAYS "YES"!

Mondays truly stink, but at least there was a good thing in mine.

Silly, That's Us!

2009-07-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

I have very weird kids. They are extremely goofy and silly. And I absolutely love that about them. They don't care what people think, they just let loose, and be their strange little selves. And its not an attention thing, its just how they are. (They get it from their dad!)

Who knows??

Ducky..with a newborn Halloween hat on..in July!

This is how Ducky spends most of her day.. talking to and brushing our dog with a Barbie brush!

Um..yeah, Punk LOVES to pull up his pants like this and laughs like a hyena when he does! (He learned this trick from his dad..no comment!)

Punk with his "I'm pretending I'm mad" face after losing a game of "Mexican Horseshoes".

Here's to being silly! I am trying to take a lesson from my kids and enjoy life as much as they do.. they are ALWAYS true to their self!

I Need A Recharge!

2009-07-14T06:09:00.000-07:00

I have been under a lot of stress lately between money concerns, and Twinkletoes' poop..I am a tearful mess about 45% of the day.

Twinkletoes' got "backed up" again this past weekend, and this time, she just COULD NOT get it out. She would scream, cry and smack me whenever I made her sit on the potty and just TRY to go. She was traumatized, I was traumatized, and SB kept Saying to me, "it's okay baby, I know how you feel".

"Really? You know how I feel? Were you the one in there watching our 3 1/2 year old baby girl in PAIN? No, you weren't, so don't even think you can tell me you know how I feel! "

And yes, I really said that to him. I was very stressed out and sick with worry and I didn't care how my words, and the tone I said them in hurt him.

But yesterday, an old acquaintance of mine, and now new long-distance true-blue "mommy friend" gave me advice via Facebook messages on a plan of action to take. I had Twinkletoes on laxatives, I had given her glycerin suppositories, and had just bought a bottle of mineral oil. All good approaches, but she needed that blockage out NOW before the laxatives would really be of help. So this friend of mine..suggested using an enema, and using is RIGHT AWAY!

Off to Kroger we went. When we got home, I explained it all to T, and she was nervous, but she was willing for me to give it a try. She was tired of being in pain. And it worked! She was thrilled, I was thrilled. And my mom, Grammy, came and picked her up after work and bought her a Barbie for being so brave.

I spent the morning, emailing back and forth with SB about what was going on and that I was going to do this enema. I told him how stressed I have been and how sorry I was that I had been taking a lot of it out on him. I know it wasn't fair to him. He was just trying to be encouraging with his words over the weekend, but I was worried sick and tired of being the one traumatizing our baby, and I felt like a HORRIBLE MOTHER for not being able to know how to help her without casing her so much pain.

I got an email in response and here is a little tidbit:

Babe, you are not a failure. YOU ARE A GREAT MOTHER!!

I really do hope you have a good day, you deserve it. Once we are caught up again I would like you to take a day and go pamper yourself with a massage and whatever else you want to do to relax. I mean it, I really think you could use some me time for yourself.

He most certainly is right about THAT..and I am going to take him up on it. I haven't had a massage in years. I haven't taken a lot of "me" time..I mean what mother does, really? And so, once we get our finances back into some sort of order, I will be taking a "Jen Day" and will probably even see if a friend would like to tag along. Massage, lunch, shopping..something like that. I need to recharge, and this sounds just about right! And..I even told SB last night that this could be my birthday present from him to me. And what a great birthday present it will be!!

Well, At Least We're Not Homeless

2009-07-13T05:02:00.001-07:00

I really dislike money. It taunts me. I swear to you it does. My husband has a decent paying job, decent enough for us to be able for me to stay home. But that does not mean that we have excess amounts of it. I don't get my nails done, I don't go tanning, I don't go shopping, we don't go on vacations or go on outings that cost more than a few dollars. Would I like for us to be able to do those things, sure I would! But we just can not afford them. We made the decision for me to stay home with our children when Punk was born. I didn't go to college, I had a decent enough job, but after looking into childcare while I was pregnant, and comparing it to my paycheck. I would have walked away at the end of the week with under $100 in my pocket. We made the decision that less than $400/month would not be enough of a help for our family to have me away from home and have our child and potentially future children spend 10 hours /day with someone who was not a family member. (At that time I had almost an hour commute.)

So, I became a stay-at-home mom. It started out great! When Punk was a baby I spent our days playing peek-a-boo on the living room floor, endless hours gazing into his eyes, and recording every new milestone in his baby book. After the initial adjustment to my life at home with this little person, I started to feel like I wasn't "pulling my share" of the work in our family. I started taking care of our home like it was a paying job (laundry not included in this, I still suck at laundry!), and I took up taking care of our bills.

Our bills are the thorn in my side. I absolutely hate doing them. I hate trying to figure out where our money needs to go, and all of that crap. I am not a "math person" to begin with so it's always been a challenge for me. My husband, on the other hand, is great at it, but for some reason leaves it all up to me. I do not want this job. Occasionally, he'll say, "Don't worry about the bills anymore, I'll take care of them." I'll hand him the bill binder that I put together, think he's finally ridding me of this horrid chore, only to find out that 2 weeks later he has yet to crack it open and I have to scramble to catch everything up.

But this is not the point of this post. I'm just ranting a bit. It seems like with money, we have our ups and down. We'll be going along just fine, everything paid up, a little extra for fun things, and then BOOM! We'll get hit with some big bill and we're stuck playing catch up. That's been us for the last 2 or 3 weeks. I hate catch up. It stresses us both out, and neither of us handle stress well. The idea of a savings account is a joke for us. We just don't have enough coming in to have that kind of safety net..yet. Bad, I know, but I don't think our situation is rare in this country.

So..we've been stressed out. We've been juggling bills. I've been having yard sales so we have a bit extra to pull us through this difficult time. Just one or two more weeks and it should be caught up, but that seems like an eternity to wait. Exhibit A being our phone/internet bill. It was due Friday. There's just not enough to cover it if we want to eat. So it'll probably have to be shut off until THIS Friday when SB's paycheck hits our bank account. Sucks, but there's just not much we can do about it. Feed our children, or be able to get online..hmm..that's a no brainer. We're not poor. We're just struggling. We'll be okay. We just have to get through this tough time.

I've cut us back a ton. We cut back our immense satellite package to a basic one. Funny thing about that is we only lost 4 channels that we actually watch. I'm looking into completely doing away with our home phone service and getting us a Magic Jack. Aldi's has become my favorite place to shop..although, I can't bring myself to buy their meat. I only turn on our central air on the days that the humidity is so bad it's suffocating. And I am regularly using coupons.

We believe that within the next 30-60 days we are going to have a major change (for the good) in the amount of money that is coming into our household, but that is not something I can give the specifics on publicly at this time..but when I can, I can not wait to share it with you all! But until then. I am hoping I don't go prematurely gray. I am hoping my husband doesn't have a stress-induced panic attack. And throughout it all, we're trying our darndest to keep our kids from realizing anything is amiss.

With 3 young children, and at the point we are at in our lives, I know that what we are going through is fairly common. It's just not any fun. And until things turn around, we'll just keep hanging in there. Holding on to our abundance of love. And praying so hard that things get better sooner rather than later.

Oh, I'm Rockin' It!

2009-07-11T04:49:00.000-07:00

If you hadn't noticed my new profile picture. I got a hair cut. I decided to be a copy cat and have it cut exactly like Kate Gosselin. You know, the mother of 8 y/o twins and 5 y/o sextuplets. The soon-to-be ex wife of Jon. You know, from the show "Jon & Kate, Plus 8" on TLC. Are you following me yet?

Anyway..I knew in advance that it was not exactly a very "popular" cut as far as the media goes. I had read a comment recently that suggested maybe the kids had gotten loose with the scissors. Kathy Griffin dubbed it "just ridiculous". You know..regular run of the mill slamming of a mother. And in reality, that's what she is. A mother. Why people feel the need to pick her apart is really beyond me. Leave the poor woman alone..she's just trying to give her children a good life. I'll tell you, if TLC, or any network, came knocking on my door and wanted to film my family, and could pay me millions of dollars to allow them..you'd bet your booty you'd be watching us every Thursday at 8pm! ha!

Okay, so onto my own my own "Flock of Seagulls-humped-a-porcupine, reverse mullet weave" hair.

(let me just step down my my soap box)

I got my hair cut like her's last week. And I absolutely adore it. I already had my hair weaved blond so that was one step I didn't have to do. I went to Great Clips, of all places, with my $4.99 coupon in hand, said a little prayer, and hoped that it would turn out good. What I got, was pretty good. I still had to chop on it a little at home, but no biggie. I immediately updated my Facebook and Twitter status announcing my new hair. And then, ran to find my camera to post vanity pictures!

Here I am:

To be honest, it's even cuter now, because I looked at more of her pictures online, and realized I wasn't parting it far enough over on the one side to get more of the "flop" across my left eye. And I had to trim up the top some more to get more of the "spike". Yeah, I'm really loving this hair..did I mention that?

My husband, adores the haircut. Says its the best one I've ever had. "Very sexy." My friends and family all gave rave reviews as well. I was even told that "You put her (Kate) to shame." All the positive feedback relieved my worries that people would think it was stupid to copy someone who is so "in the spotlight" right now. You know, I didn't want it to be one of those "Rachel from Friends" things where EVERYONE was copying her, and no one really looked good in the cut except for Jen Aniston.

But yesterday, I found my first critic. I was sitting under my lovely shade tree in the front yard, messing around on Facebook, while holding a yard sale. A woman, got out of her vehicle and walked up. I glanced up and said "hello" and went back to what I was doing. She was dressed pretty shlumpy. Her hair was frizzy and pulled back in what I assume was supposed to be a pony tail, but had probably been slept on for 3 or 4 nights. I really don't judge people like that, but you just wait until you hear what she said and then you'll understand. She walked right up to me. Pointed at my head and said "Why in the hell would you do that to yourself? Or are you just a bitch like her (Kate)?"

What?? Seriously? Wow.

I didn't even respond to her. I mean how would YOU respond to that? I just looked back down at my laptop, and updated my Facebook status to, "is just WOW! Some lady (at my yard sale) just said to me, "Why in the hell would you do that to yourself? (pointing at my hair) Or are you just a bitch like her?" Really lady??? Little does she know while she's going back to her shopping that I'm calling her out on FB! mwah hahaha!!" It made me feel better. Not that she had hurt my feelings, but to be that blatantly rude to a perfect stranger. Bizarre.

Here were some of the comments that I received from friends:

Do people have brains anymore? Why would you say something like that to someone?

Little does she realize how ugly her arrogant and critical attitude make her. No hair style could make up for that.

I think you should blog about her too...Nasty!

I love your hair!!! She is just jealous!

It blows my mind how ignorant people are!

Obviously, I chose to take the advice to blog about her as well. So, Ms. I Haven't Combed My Hair In Days, So I Feel The Need To Make Myself Feel Better By Attempting To Humiliate Strangers, you did not humiliate me. You actually made me laugh. I know that I am rockin' this hairstyle. My husband thinks it's hot. My friends think it's cute. My mom even asked me for hairstyle advice since I apparently have "nailed the perfect hairstyle for my face". So by putting me down, in my own front yard, all you did was give me the fuel for a great blog post. SO THERE!!

A Time For Quiet

2009-07-10T05:01:00.000-07:00

I love spending time with my husband. We usually sit outside together in the evenings after the kids are in bed, talking or playing Cribbage. It's good to sit together and unwind while enjoying each others company and conversation. We'll usually head inside around 10 or so and watch an hour of TV before snuggling down for the night and falling asleep. I truly love this time with SB, and couldn't imagine my life without him as my companion.

But then there are times when we're stressed and tired, and just not much fun to be around. Not that we're fighting or anything, just not really in the mood to talk. Last night was one of those nights. We put the kids to bed, I took a shower, and SB pulled out the laptop and started playing Texas Hold 'Em on Myspace. He never does stuff like that, and I know for him it was nice to just do his own thing. I had a book that I was trying to finish up ("Northern Lights" by Nora Roberts"), so I sat across from him at the table on the breezeway and fully immersed myself in the story.

We were comfortable. We were quiet. We were happy. Neither of us felt like we had to entertain the other. Neither of us felt like we had to sit and chat about the stresses in our life. We just enjoyed the peace and quiet, together, but separately. It was a great "re-charge". I looked at SB at one point and just felt this overwhelming rush of love. So I told him. He smiled, and I knew that he felt it too.

Sometimes when you've been with someone for so long, you just know what they need. Last night SB needed quiet. Last night he needed to do something indulgent, that as a father of 6 and sole provider for our family of 5, he rarely takes the time to do. And I was okay with that. More than okay really. It's nice to know that we can be together but still do our own thing without feeling left out.

Marriage is so awesome. You learn new things every single day. You go with the flow. Roll with the punches. And if the love is there, as well is should be since you decided to spend the REST OF YOUR LIFE with that person, you can be happy doing just any small thing as long as the love of your life is by your side!

Poop

2009-07-07T09:55:00.001-07:00

What a fun weekend! I hope you all had a fun one too.

There was one part the weekend that was not so great. Twinkletoes' poop.

This poor child has constipation issues. And she is scared of the "poop that hurts" so she holds it in. That's what happened this weekend. Saturday she was practically lethargic the whole day. I gave her a child laxative in the morning to help, but all that did was let the poop that was already in her intestines to be smeared out around the blockage. After seeing her cry in pain. Take a nap to forget about the pain, and then proceed to spend the rest of the afternoon in the house on the couch while everyone else was outside laughing and playing. I had had enough. My poor little girl's fun weekend away from home was being ruined by poop! This was NOT going to happen ANYMORE!

So I did what I did not want to do. I did what she did not want me to make her do. I made her sit on the potty and scream through the pain until the poop came out. I felt like I was coaching her through childbirth. And what did eventually come out was SO HUGE that it CLOGGED UP THE TOILET!! I had to PLUNGE a 3 year old's poop!! Not cool!!

So now I am determined for this to never happen again. She has suffered with this issue long enough. I will no longer allow her to hold her poop in for days just to have this continue to happen.

Every morning, I vow to make her sit on the potty and get her poop out. She hates it. I hate having to make her do it. But, it's worth it for her not to have to continue to go through what she went through Saturday afternoon.

Have any of you had similar problems with their own child. Is there another way to help her through this fear of going poop? She has plenty of fiber in her diet. She just is scared to poop. And holds it in until it becomes a major blockage. Help a momma out, would ya??

Independence Day!

2009-07-02T06:18:00.000-07:00

Just want to wish all of you lovely bloggers (and blog readers) a fantastic 4th of July weekend!

We are going to be busy with lots of family for the holiday so I will not be back until Monday!

Be safe. Enjoy good times. Good beverages! And hopefully FIREWORKS!!!

God bless our Country & our soldiers!!

Learning To Fly

2009-07-01T06:46:00.000-07:00

Last week, Punk had to go to Kindergarten Camp all week from 12:30-3:30. I didn't blog about it at the time, just for privacy, but now that it's over, I wanted to share a bit about his experience.

Kindergarten Camp is something put on through the local schools to give the kids a run through of what Kindergarten will be like, get to know their teacher and some of their potential classmates (it is not decided yet what kids will be in AM or PM classes, so not all of the kids that he went to camp with will be in his class). They also incorporate Safety Town and a field trip into the week. I was VERY impressed with this program and I hope that local budget cuts do not affect this program by the time my girls get to Kindergarten age.

On the first day, Punk was very excited. He had been counting down the days for a week and when it finally got here, he could hardly control himself all morning waiting for lunch to be over so he could go to the school. But, when we got all loaded up in the van to take off, I looked at him and his eyes were filled with tears. When I asked him what was wrong he said, "I'm just a little nervous, and I am going to miss you guys so much!" I told him that we were going to miss him too, and I was sure that by the time I came back to pick him up, he'd probably be mad that it was time to go home already. That made him feel better and he never cried. Not even when we got to the school and his sisters and I had to leave him. I was a smart mom, and didn't try to give him a hug or kiss "goodbye". I gave him a high-five instead, and he seemed to really appreciate that!

When I went to pick him up, he was so excited telling me his stories for the day. He thought it was cool that he had gotten to have recess. And he even had a little homework assignment, which he took great pride in completing, with my help, after he had his after-school snack.

The whole week went by smoothly, and when it was all over he was upset that he'd have to wait a couple of months for "real school" to start. He's ready, and not scared at all, and to be honest, I am ready too! This week showed me that the 3 hours that he will be gone a day are really not THAT long, and although I will miss him around here all day everyday, the break will be good. He's ready to start learning and making friends. And I am ready to watch him grow and start to use his wings.

Now, I just have to fear 1st grade, when he'll be gone from me ALL day..THAT will be what gets me.

Captured Memories

2009-06-30T06:46:00.000-07:00

Well my yard sale was a success. It added almost $300 to our pocket! Very nice indeed! In the spirit of making money, I decided it was time I figure out something that would be a bit more lucrative. I absolutely LOVED being able to contribute a large sum of money to our family. That's something that I don't like about being home with the kids. Not contributing money. It sorta stinks. I mean I have my fitness business..but I am starting to think that maybe it's not for me. I'm not really the "go out and sign people up" kinda gal, and that's the sort of person you need to be.

I'd love to own my own shop. Just sell all sorts of stuff. Kind of like a Five and Dime sorta place. That would be so cool. I could have the kids at the shop with me, I could close it down if I had to pick them up from school. It would be awesome. But alas, it is a wish and sometimes wishes don't come true. But I'm not letting go of it. It may just become a reality someday.

What I have decided to do, is start my own service business. That service being transferring peoples home videos that are on VHS to DVD. This is the ad that I've posted on our local message boards, Craigslist, my Facebook and my Myspace:

I have started a new local service, Captured Memories, for transferring VHS home videos to DVD.

Service Includes:

* Transfer of VHS home video to DVD.
* A computerized label identifying the contents of the video that you will specify what you want it to say. Example: Date, Events, Names, Ages, ect.
* Video to be completed within 1 week of drop off. Unless otherwise specified by me, due to demand of service.
* Return of original VHS tape.
* Gift wrapping and shipping service to a family member or friend also available for an additional charge.

Cost for each video transferred, $25.

Special Customer Appreciation Offer: Have 9 videos transferred and get the 10th transferred for FREE! You do not have to have all 9 transferred at the same time. I will keep a record of returning customers and will honor this offer no matter how much time has passed between transfers.

* Receipts will be given and must be provided at pick up so there is no mix up of videos.

* You may choose to drop off and pick up your videos OR a pick up and drop off service provided by me will be available for FREE in "the town I live in", only.

**Please Remember, the transfer of a low quality VHS will result in a low quality DVD. It is impossible to take a low quality VHS and make it high definition even when transferring to DVD. BUT, by transferring your VHS home videos NOW, the quality will no longer degrade once on DVD. Our family's memories are too precious to lose by risking leaving them in VHS form.**

NO REFUNDS! Unless, I am unable to transfer the video due to the video being too far degraded in quality.

NO transfer of videos containing adult nudity!

Please respond to this email so I can help you give you family a treasured gift by preserving all of those "Captured Memories"!!

What I started to think about after posting this locally, was why not offer this to my online friends? I am sure some of you may have a need for a service like this, am I right? So..I have decided to offer this up to you all as well. Everything in the above posting remains the same, EXCEPT, obviously you would have to ship your videos to me. Unless you feel like driving hundreds of miles for a drop off. So..here is what I am proposing to you as far as the shipping aspect goes:

If you contact me and place your order BEFORE JULY 31st I will offer FREE RETURN SHIPPING of your original VHS tapes and the new DVD's. (You will still be responsible for the initial shipping of the VHS tapes.) And instead of "The 10th video transfer being FREE", I will offer you "The 5th video transfer FREE"!!

Remember, this offer is only good until July 31st! So..think about it, talk it over with your spouse, siblings, parents, friends..anyone you know who may be interested in having their precious memories captured on DVD!

And as an added note..I transferred my family's home videos for my mom as her birthday gift, and her exact words were "This is the best gift I have EVER received!"

You may contact me through my email to talk about order placement.

It's Hot

2009-06-25T11:17:00.000-07:00

It is hot.

I mean HOT.

Seriously, it's really really hot.

And you know what I am doing on this HOT HOT HOT day?

Rummaging through my basement digging out all of our junk so I can hold a garage sale tomorrow.

And then I am lugging all of my junk up the steep basement steps.

I then am dragging it all outside into the HOT air to wipe down and price.

If I don't make at least $150 tomorrow..

I swear I will throw myself down on the hot, itchy grass and throw a tantrum.

Did I mention that it's HOT?

Do you know what I'd much rather be doing today than this disgusting chore?

I'd much rather be spending it the way I spent last Friday when it hit 90 degrees.

I'd be with my children at my aunt & uncle's house swimming in their pool.

Yep. That's what I'm dreaming of.

Floating in the pool.

Watching my kids paddle around with their water wings on.

And drinking margaritas.

Just like I did last Friday.

But instead.

It's HOT.

I'm covered in basement filth.

And dreaming of the dollar signs I will be making tomorrow.

And dreaming, is probably the appropriate word for it.

Since it's HOT, and people are probably all going to be at their aunt's pool.

Or at the community pool that is just down the street from here.

And where will I be?

Sitting in my front yard.

Keeping my kids out of the junk.

That I will be begging people to buy.

Yep. Sounds like a fun day.

Wow..My Busy Life, In Pictures

2009-06-24T10:17:00.000-07:00

Where oh where have I been? Let's see if this is any explanation...

We spent a rainy day at the Muirfield Golf Course for a practice round of the Memorial Tournament to celebrate my dad's 55th birthday. This is SB & me!

And here is the "birthday boy" my dad and my brother.

We got to watch Tiger & Jack Nicklaus play in the Double Skins Tournament. (Tiger was the winner!)

We had our driveway widened and re-gravelled.

BEFORE

AFTER

We've enjoyed many evenings on our breezeway playing with the kids..here we were letting them be photographers.

We've had water fights.

We've played in the sprinkler.

Twinkletoes had her dance recital.

And of course we have had many, MANY bonfires. (The man in the picture is my 20 year old stepson, J.)

So I have been trying to be online..but it hasn't been happening too much. I do promise a more "wordy" post tomorrow!

SUMMER ROCKS!!

Just Jen

2009-06-15T07:25:00.000-07:00

I am excited to announce, that after YEARS of searching..I finally have a girlfriend again! I haven't had one since I was probably 18. I have other "mom friends" but we spend our time chatting about kids, and husbands, and household-running. I have just been needing a girlfriend that I could talk to about anything and everything ELSE! And I finally got one!

And the best part is..she's my neighbor! So we can pop in on each other, whenever. Well, when she's not at work.

Friday night after Will had gone to bed, I was invited over for drinks and girl talk with one of her co-workers. It was so much fun and I didn't make it back into my house until almost 2am! Then last night she stopped by for a chat, and this morning before she went to work she came over for advice on her guy problems, and I was SO happy to be there for her.

I've truly missed this! The kids love that she has a 10 year old daughter who likes to play with them. And we like that they can entertain each other and leave us time to talk.

She's single, so therefore it's not a "couple thing" when she comes over. That would be fine, but I really like that she's MY friend. And not just friends with me because her husband/boyfriend is friends with SB. And I like that she's MY friend and not just friends with me because our kids are the same age and we get together for playdates.

Yes, this is what I have been missing all these years. A girlfriend. And I'm so glad I've found her. I can not stress the number of times I've cried to SB that I have no friends. No real friends that I am completely comfortable to share things with and that is completely comfortable to share things with me. Things that have NOTHING to do with kids. Or cleaning tips. Just a chance for me to sit down and be JEN, not Punk's, Twinkletoes' and Ducky's mommy, or SB's wife. And she even likes SB and SB likes her, so we can still all get together and chat when the kids are playing and SB doesn't have to feel excluded if he's home and we are hanging out.

Yes indeed, this is great!!

TGI - "Date Night"

2009-06-12T06:11:00.000-07:00

Can I just shout, at the top of my lungs...TGIF!!!

Seriously! I am SO SO SO excited it's Friday. SB and I succeeded in having a nice, calm week, and I think we all are finally feeling refreshed around here. The kids are not nearly as crabby. I am not nearly as bone-tired. And SB seems to be in a more sociable mood than he was at the beginning of the week. In fact, just last night he asked me if I'd like to sit outside with him on the breezeway, after the kids are in bed and play Cribbage tonight. You're probably thinking, "big deal, your husband wants to have a game night, so what?" But this really IS a big deal! I LOVE to play games. If I had my way we'd play Rummy, Cribbage or even Go Fish, every night of the week. And then on weekends have friends or family over for Euchre or Monopoly on the weekends. But my husband, well, although when he does play games, he enjoys himself, he usually opts not to play any of the games I suggest when I suggest them.

So for him to come out and ask me if I want to play a game and even make a "date" for it. Well I'm pumped!! It's a break from the normal, "put the kids in bed, get showers, then lay in bed and watch TV until bedtime" routine that we normally are in. I thought about pressing my luck and see if he wanted to invite another couple over and play Euchre instead, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized, after last week, a night playing a game and talking to each other, ALONE, sound much more fun! Maybe next month..

Our days of "date nights" are pretty non-existent these days. I have no desire to go out to a bar like we used to. And 9 times out of 10 when we do get a night alone without the kids, it turns into a quick dinner out and then a movie night in our house, sans the kids bedtime ritual, which to be honest, is the perfect date night for me now that I am a mother of 3. And a STAY AT HOME mother at that! Kids really wear you out and make you appreciate quiet moments at home, ALONE, with your husband.

What do you do for date nights? If you get any at all.

I'll try to post a bit tomorrow morning, but it's going to be a bit of a busy day. We've got Punk's LAST t-ball game, and then we have to get Punk and Twinkletoes ready for an overnight camping trip with my mom. So, if I have a spare moment, I'll pop in, if not..well I'll see you on Monday!

Have a GREAT weekend..and seriously..let me know your own date night ideas! I may have to put them to the test in upcoming weeks..and you never know..it may make the blog! :)

The Doctor Visit

2009-06-11T07:59:00.000-07:00

We went to see our family doctor today about Twinkletoe's episodes where she stops breathing and zones out. He said it could be a form of seizure. Or it could be related to her fall.

She is being sent to a pediatric neurologist for an EEG and MRI.

I am trying to stay calm and not get to worried, but a pediatric neurologist, just sounds plain scary to me.

Please say prayers that everything is in working order and these test turn out to just be a precaution and will not lead to anything.

I am praying hard for my sweet baby girl.

Little Mommy

2009-06-10T05:47:00.000-07:00

I love taking pictures of my kids. For me, the candid shots when they're just being themselves and not posing for the camera, are the best! It's hard to do because they hear the "do do do" sound when the camera turns on the they all start yelling "CHEESE!" Here's a couple of examples:

CANDID:

SUPER-CHEESE:

My daughter, Twinkletoes, cracks me up. She wants to be JUST like me. I find it very flattering, but it makes me concerned for the day when she decides she wants nothing to do with me. I try to think that that will never happen. But I know the day will come. Well the other day T, being T, decided that she wanted to take pictures like me and practically yanked the camera out of my hand. She started snapping away, and this is the result of that. Personally, I think she did a great job! I absolutely adore the picture she took of Ducky and me.

f

For Twinkletoes, it doesn't stop at picture taking. She wants her hair styled like mine. She wants to wear makeup like me (I don't let her, although sometimes I do put a little blush or lip gloss on her to appease her). She insists on sitting like me, saying things that I say all the time. She just is a little mommy and I love her for that!

I'm curious, in what ways do your own kids try to be like you.

What A Week!

2009-06-09T07:03:00.001-07:00

Well, a day later than I had planned..but I'm back! I will try to make this post not go on and on, but that may be hard considering how much I have to share!

Last week was TREMENDOUSLY busy! Let me tell you all about it!

Monday: SB and I attending the calling ours of my dear friend's husband. He died too soon, and too unexpectedly. He was a 35 year old father of 2 young children ages 5 and 3. He had a massive heart attack brought on by an undiagnosed condition that he was born with. My friend and her children (along with the rest of his family and friends) are completely devastated by this loss. I pray for them daily. They need peace, understanding of why this happened, and comfort as they approach each new day on a journey to a new "normal". Please send prayers and good thoughts their way.

Tuesday: SB and I attended his funeral in the morning. SB called his son (my stepson!) to wish him a Happy 22nd Birthday! That evening Punk had a t-ball game. My dad and aunt who live 2 hours north of us, met us at the game to kick off the beginning of their 3 day visit to celebrate my dad's birthday. We then went back to our house where my mom and brother met us, and we cooked out and had a bonfire. It was a very happy and joyous end to a very sad day. My mom and aunt took the kids back to my mom's house for a sleepover and my dad, SB and I sat out by the fire until almost midnight sharing stories and catching up since we hadn't seen my dad since February.

Wednesday: We woke up around 6am and enjoyed warm coffee on the breezeway while waiting for my brother to meet us at 7am. This day was also my dad's 55th birthday! We then headed off for Dublin to attend the Double Skins Game at Muirfield Golf Course as part of the practice round for the Memorial Tournament. This was our gift to my dad. We stopped and had breakfast at a Cracker Barrel on the way. We had hoped for a hot, sunny day. Instead it barely reached 60 degrees and poured down rain on us the entire time!! But we did get to see Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus (along with many other PGA pros) up close and even got ourselves filmed on national television during the skins game! Luckily we had recorded it on our DVR and were able to watch it and see ourselves and laugh! SB called his daughter (my stepdaughter) to wish her a Happy 8th Birthday! We ended the day with a cookout at my mom's house, and stayed there until 1am drinking wine and enjoying good family time!

Thursday: The guys all went golfing. Us girls and the kids stayed at my mom's house and rested up from our busy day the day before. My mom wasn't feeling the best, and my aunt was exhausted from helping her with the kids the day before. I made my "famous" Garlic White Lasagna and everyone enjoyed it for dinner that evening. Twinkletoes had her dance rehearsal that evening and after we made it back to my mom's house, my mom, dad, aunt, SB and I all played Scrabble until almost 11pm when SB and I decided it was time for dad and us to take the kids back home since SB and my mom had to work the next day.

Friday: SB was at work before I was awake, but then Dad and I spent quiet time sitting on the breezeway, drinking coffee and chatting while we waited for my aunt to come and pick him up so they could head back to their houses. It was sad to see them go, but our visit was wonderful and we gave my dad a fantastic birthday. I spent the rest of the day working on my mom's birthday gift! We went to bed early that night trying to get some rest!

Saturday: We drove and hour north to pick up SB's mom so she could attend Twinkletoe's dance recital that evening. I called my mom to wish her a HAPPY BIRTHDAY since it was her 55th bday! We went to T's recital at 7 and got home around 10. She danced beautifully and was thrilled with the miniature rose bush her dad and I got for her and the tulips my mom got for her. Since this was her first time doing something like this she had NO IDEA that she would be getting flowers! The smile on her face was brighter than the sun.

Sunday: SB drove the hour to take his mom back home and I stayed home with the kids to make up the food for my mom's birthday celebration at our house. My mom and brother came over in the afternoon and we had artichoke dip as a snack. We broke out the beer and champagne and watched one of the home videos that I copied for my mom (which she said was the best present she had EVER received) and then spent the rest of the day outside playing Mexican Horseshoes (a game sorta like Cornhole, but 1000x better!) We then grilled shrimp skewers and had those over salad w/ garlic bread for dinner. Then we sat by the bonfire and chatted until it got to be almost dark and my mom headed home. Twinkletoes gave us a scare at bedtime. She stopped breathing for a minute or so. We almost had to call 911. We are starting to wonder if her going unconscious awhile back after her fall, was not due to the fall. My husband had a form of epilepsy as a child so we are going to have her checked out to see if she has been having seizures. Please say a little prayer for her.

So THAT was my week last week! Obviously the busiest of the year, thus far. Hopefully the busiest one we'll have for a long while. I had to spend the day recovering yesterday. I sat on the breezeway reading and just letting the kids run wild in the yard. They all even napped in the afternoon, and Punk NEVER naps!

It feels GOOD to be back to normal again!!

I Apologize

2009-06-05T09:14:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to put out a little apology to my readers. I am sorry I've been MIA. Starting next week I will definitely be around more.

Memorial week was busy busy, as I am sure everyone else's was. And I thought I would be back after that.

I was wrong.

One of my dearest friend's husband died suddenly at age 35, leaving behind my friend and their 2 young children.

Needless to say, I had no desire to blog, nor time to do so either.

On top of that, this week, we've had family in town and will still have family around through the weekend.

So I will be back Monday. Please say prayers for my dear friend and her children.

Oh..and go to Mrs. M's awesome, fabulous blog today to see her featured blogger..ME!! Interview and all! :)

Sunshine!

2009-05-19T06:27:00.000-07:00

We are encountering a beautiful weather week here in Ohio! Absolutely beautiful, let me tell ya! Yesterday was the coolest day we will have at 66. The rest of the week is mid-70's through low 80's! So exciting!

Yesterday the kids and I went to a local greenhouse and picked up some orange poppy plants to put on our "mountain"..the hill on the back of our yard that is covered in trees and other bushes. Everything is so green and we needed a nice burst of color and what better way to do that than with POPPIES!

Then I mowed the yard. I had intended to save it for my husband to do. But Monday's are our busy days with ball practice and dance class in the evening and I knew he wouldn't have time. With the rest of the week being much warmer I thought it would be nice to get it done for him so he wouldn't have to sweat like a crazy man getting it done.

Now our week is free of outdoor chores, and we can just enjoy the warmth and HAVE FUN!

Today the kids and I are going to plant some banana peppers, jalapenos and cucumbers along the side of our house. My attempt at learning to garden. And then, it's nothing but play!

I hope you all have a wonderful week and I will hopefully be full of funny stories to share as the days progress!

Rats!

2009-05-14T05:14:00.000-07:00

Oh how I hate to write this. I just want to put out a notice that I have no problem AT ALL helping companies get the word out about their websites/products. But I need you to ask me first! My email link is right on the sidebar! Just shoot me an email so I can review your site/product and if I find it to be something that my readers would be interested in hearing about then we can talk about how best to get the word out. Be it a post like this one, or an advertisement on one of my sidebars. I will, however, not allow comments to be left on my posts with links to sites. They will be immediately deleted as soon as I see they have been posted. Thank you.

OKAY! Now that I got THAT off of my chest..let me tell you my sad story for today. I had a moment of "bad mommy" syndrome this morning. I was busy filling up the kids' juice cups when Punk came into the kitchen all teary-eyed and said. "I'm still really scared about what you said about those rats."

At first my mind went blank, "Huh? Rats? What is he talking about??" But then I remembered. I have been constantly getting on the kids to stop leaving crumb trails all over the family room carpet. I am constantly picking up sticky crumbs of Pop Tarts, or tramping on Cheerios that then get ground into the carpet. I had had enough of the the kids making such messes. And never getting it through their thick little skulls that they needed to be cleaning this stuff up or better yet, not being so darn messy to begin with!!

So yesterday, in a moment of "I've had enough!!" I said, "You guys, if you keep leaving messes like this all over the floor, rats will get in our house!" Then I laughed and said "Just pick it up!"

I seriously thought they knew I was joking. Apparently not.

Poor Punk was freaked out about it and once I told him that I had been joking and thought he KNEW that I had been joking, he just started crying and said "I didn't know, and I was SO SCARED in there this morning!!"

Oy. What a fantastic way to start the day.

Blessings & A Recipe

2009-05-13T11:32:00.000-07:00

Oh how tired I am! I've been working out every morning for the past almost 2 weeks, and I forgot how exhausting that is! I think I need to add more calories to my diet..so I am sipping on a fantastic protein shake as I type this. Oh and I also just finished mowing my yard..hills in both front in back!

I just have to say..there is nothing, NOTHING better in my world than the feeling of sore muscles, knowing I'm trimming up again, drinking a healthy snack, enjoying a tall glass of ice water, listening to LOUD country music, all while sitting on my breezeway watching my kids play and BLOGGING! HELLO!! I love my life!!! Seriously. I DO!!

What are the things in your life that YOU love? The simple things, you know. We all know we love our husbands/significant others, children, God, all those big things are obvious ones. But what are the little things? Those are the things we tend to overlook. And then we get grumpy because our husband fell asleep on the couch instead of talking with us after a long day. Or we get grumpy because our kids refuse to listen to us and keep breaking the rules. Or we get grumpy because we prayed for a new toaster and God didn't follow though (no I have never done that, but you get the idea right?).

But you know, through all of the "let downs" in our lives we never should be grumpy because of those things. We should take that time to reflect on those little things that we are thankful for.

So, today, if you are mad about a squabble with husband, kids, God..whomever..take a moment to remember the little things that make you happy and I know that your state of mind will start to change and it will make it possible to forgive and move on from the other challenges.

Now, let me step of my soap box, and get back to that yummy protein shake! While I'm at it..let me share the recipe with you!

Chocolate Banana Smoothie
1 scoop Beachbody Vanilla Whey Protein Powder (hint: you can order from my website!)
1 cup skim or 1% milk
1T unsweetened cocoa
1T peanut butter
1 banana
1tsp honey
a little ice

**2 servings**

Blend in a blender until smooth! (EASY RIGHT??)

Calories/serving 205
Fat/serving 5g
Sat. Fat/serving 2g
Carbs 26g
Fiber 3g
Protein 17g WOO HOO!!

Slimmin' Up For Summer

2009-05-12T06:06:00.000-07:00

The seasons are changing and I don't know about you, but I am in need of a little trimming before it's time to put those shorts back on! How am I going to get back to where I want to be? Well, the obvious choice for me is to use the program that got me fit in the first place! Slim in 6 by Beachbody! This program ROCKS! It helped me go from a size 12 to a size 6 in JUST 6 weeks last year! Exercising 6 days a week and eating within my caloric range got me slimmer and healthier than I had been since..well, I can't remember how long it had been since I looked that good!

THIS WAS ME BEFORE:

THIS WAS ME AFTER:

If YOU are serious about wanting to lose weight and look great! Then I highly suggest signing up to be a (free) Beachbody customer under ME! I will then be your coach, will help you choose which Beachbody videos and products are best for you and you can even join my new thread for daily discussion, venting, tips and MORE! The info for joining me is at the top of the left sidebar!

Now check out this video on Slim in 6..the program the helped me get fit and is going to help me tone up in time for shorts season!! JUST 6 WEEKS...

Hassle-Free Kids Bedroom Makeover Tips

2009-05-11T07:51:00.000-07:00

My husband and I are in in the process of getting ready to redecorate our children's rooms. Last week I was asked by a company that sells children's furniture if I would let them write up a post for this blog that I could share with all of my readers! When I found out that one of the ideas was makeover tips for kids rooms I JUMPED at that chance. I really enjoyed the following article and I hope you do too! And don't forget to click on the link included in the post below to check out all the great furniture items they have to offer!

Hassle-Free Kids Bedroom Makeover Tips

As parents, we know all too well how fast a child can change his or her mind. Toys they love one week are discarded a week later, in favor of something newer and cooler. On the same token, a child can grow tired of his or her bedroom set up. This is why updating the look of your kids bedroom from time to time is a good idea.

From rearranging the position of your kids bed and updating the bedding to throwing up some wall decorations, here are some hassle-free bedroom makeover tips that are sure to keep your kids happy.

Beddy Good: If you're child has outgrown his or her bed, then investing in a new one isn't a bad idea. A car-shaped bed could be a fun addition to your kids' bedroom. Other good alternatives include a captain's bed or a bed with a bookcase headboard. These beds are both fun and functional, providing extra storage space that you likely didn't have before.

If you don't want to get a new bed, try rearranging the bed's position for a nice change of scene. Lofted bunk beds are great for kids and often come with optional desks and storage that can be added underneath the bed.

For a quick and easy change, consider updating your kids bedding. A new comforter or bed-in-a-bag set with your kids' favorite cartoon character is a great way to freshen things up. Throw on some matching accent pillows and stuffed animals for some additional fun.

Finishing Touches: If you don't want to bother with changing the furniture, by adding a fresh coat of paint, some wall art, a new rug, or maybe a new lamp - you have the ability to really transform the space without much incurring much cost.

Change of Color: Freshen up the kids' space with a fresh coat of paint. Get your kids involved by having them help choose the paint color! Look for non-toxic low VOC or zero VOC paint to minimize harmful fumes in your kids bedroom.
Extra Padding: Area rugs are great for a kids room. Whether you want to go the educational route with a rug showing the solar system or the fun route with a Princess-themed area rug - area rugs are a great way to add some color to the room. Placing an area rug beside the bed is also a good idea in case your child falls out during the night.
Light Bright: Adding a fun lamp or night light to your kids bedroom is definitely a bright idea. Disney Lamps, Sports-themed lamps, or animal lamps all add a little bit of style and humor to your kids space. A fun night light will give your child an added sense of security, ensuring that he gets a good nightmare-free night's sleep.

Making over your kids bedroom doesn't have to be a big deal. A few small changes will keep your child happy while keeping costs down.

Helping Feed The Hungry

2009-05-08T05:52:00.000-07:00

Teaching kids about people less fortunate than them is an important task that we as mothers must do. It teaches empathy, understanding and tolerance, not to mention responsibility!!

I know that I don't do this enough. We are a very typical middle-class family. My husband has a job where he makes enough money for me to stay home, but not enough money for us to provide a lot of luxuries. And to be honest, that is perfectly OKAY by me. To be completely honest, even if we did have lots and lots of money, my children still wouldn't get all of the stuff they think they need. I want them to grow up knowing the value of saving for items they want. I want them to understand that the money that their Daddy makes at work goes towards paying for our home, food, electric, water...nothing is free. And gifts are saved for special occasions. Very rarely do they get "treats" while out at the store. It's just a luxury that they don't need.

But on the other hand, when they do get these things, I want them to understand to be grateful that we are able to afford these things. Many families out there can't. Many families out there can't even afford housing or food.

This past winter a local shelter opened up. Our church bulletin put out a list of needs for this shelter. Number one, blankets. We had recently gotten a box of my mother in law's old blankets (why she thought we needed them, I couldn't tell ya) but I saw this as a perfect opportunity for the kids to learn about giving to others. So we spent an afternoon washing them up and putting them into a box for the woman who ran the shelter to pick up. I explained to the kids what we were doing and they seemed to get it.

But that was months ago, and I haven't done anything since to help people in our community. I really should try to do something weekly with the kids to give them more of an understanding. Yesterday, an opportunity arose for another learning experience with the kids, and I jumped on it! Of all things, the USPS is having a food drive called "Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive" where tomorrow, May 9th, you can put non-perishable food items in your mailbox for your mailman to pick up and deliver to local food pantries. Isn't this awesome!! And it's so EASY! No running out to deliver the items. I can spend time with the kids bagging up cans of soup, tuna, spaghetti sauce; things we have in our cupboards that we can afford to replace so that we can be responsible citizens for helping others in our community who can not afford even simple grocery store items.

The kids are very excited about the idea of putting the food in the mailbox. But they also are showing a huge amount of concern about it. I explained that the food goes to families that can't afford groceries. That there are many kids out there who have to go to bed hungry at night. This started an onslaught of questions:

"But if their bellies are growling because they're so hungry, I bet those kids can't sleep very well. Right, Mommy?" -Punk, 5

That's right baby, that's why it's so important that we take this opportunity to help these families.

"If we give all of our food to the mailman, then will we have to go to bed hungry?" -Twinkletoes, 3

No, we are helping them because we have enough money to buy more food for ourselves. You will not go hungry, and neither will the kids whose families we will be helping.

So, I highly encourage you to take some time with your kids today to pack up a bag of food, and talk about the responsibility we have in helping others. The way the economy is right now, who knows which one of us may be the family needing such food drives in the future, and I would hope that as our children grow they continue to give to those less fortunate, fulfilling the responsibility of a concerned citizen of our great country!

A Whole New Look!

2009-05-07T07:36:00.001-07:00

I DID IT!!! I know it's not "professional"..but I like it!

The "Experts" Don't Know It All

2009-05-07T04:47:00.000-07:00

This morning, as I was sitting out on my breezeway, drinking my 1st cup of coffee and lazily skimming the April issue of Parent's Magazine, I came across an article about night terrors.

Just a small little tidbit, but as I was reading it, I came across this quote, "While the episodes can be scary for you, your child won't remember a thing."

Not true!

As a young child, I suffered from night terrors. From about the age 2-6 I would have about 3 of them a year. I remember every single one.

I would have very vivid dreams where I was being chased by a bear, hunted by a wolf, covered in ants, or would be being attacked by puppies and kitties. Yes, the last one is true, and my mom humiliated me years later by announcing that I used to have bad dreams about puppies and kitties to all the kids in my 5th grade class while on a field trip. It was one of those "DUH!" mommy moments that she knew she'd regret as soon as the words were out of her mouth. But that's not the point of this story. Obviously, that is a whole 'nother post.

I remember all of these dreams. I'd start screaming and fighting and would actually SEE the menaces of my dreams in my room! I was technically still asleep. My mom or dad would race to my room after having been ripped from their own peaceful sleep by my terrifying screams and would have to just stand there until the terror had passed and I would peacefully, fall back to sleep.

But, I always remembered them. I remember telling my mom and dad about them the next day. In detail. My mom remembers hearing me scream "GET AWAY FROM ME! LOOK OUT! THE WOLF IS RIGHT THERE!" While pointing to an empty corner of my room. At about age 3.

So, lesson to parents. The experts don't always know what they are talking about. Night terrors, can be remembered by children. So make sure that if your child has one, you talk about it the next day. Maybe they wont remember. But if they do, make sure you are there to comfort them and explain that it was all pretend, you were there, and there was nothing in their room. They were and always will be safe!! Even from puppies and kitties!!

The Sickbed

2009-05-06T05:31:00.000-07:00

Last night, SB and I loaded up the kids to head out on our hour journey to the town where my stepdaughter lives to watch her school play. We got about 15 minutes into our drive when SB said he wasn't feeling well. He felt like he could throw up and was very light-headed. We decided to turn around and go home because it would be a very long night if he ended up getting sick at the school play and I was left to wrangle all of our kids and then drive us back home.

We hit the McDonald's drive-thru on our way back into town because nothing had been planned for dinner and as soon as we walked in the door SB headed for bed to rest and told me to wake him up at 7:30pm so he didn't sleep all evening.

Hmm.

Now I was supportive that he should rest. Anyone with whom you love, when they're not feeling well you want them to rest, right? But I couldn't help being a little upset. There are many many times when I've been sick. Really sick. Not just feeling sick. That I have felt so much guilt over just going and laying in bed, behind a closed door and leaving SB to take care of the kids alone that I just don't do it. I suck it up and wait until the kids are down for the night and THEN I get my resting in.

Maybe I need to be less self-sacrificing and start following his lead. He seemed to have not one ounce of guilt that I then had to sit with the kids, alone, while they ate their dinner. Then I took them outside so their screeching and fighting wouldn't disturb him. And then I had to fight with each one individually when it was time to go in the house to go to bed. Ducky I put to bed at 7pm, Twinkletoes at 7:30 (she normally goes to bed with Ducky, but I was feeling nice and let her stay up a bit longer) and then, Punk was off to dreamland at 8.

Spoiled Housewife, my ass.

I did indulge in 2 glasses of chilled wine and finally got around to reading my April's edition of Family Circle and after I got all the kids tucked into bed I took a hot bubble bath. But frankly, I earned it.

I'm curious. How do YOU as a mother deal with sickness? When you're sick, do you take the time to nap and rest once your husband is home? What about your husband? Do you allow him to take that time to himself even if you don't do it for yourself? Let me know by commenting here, and if you're lurking around the shadows..come out come out wherever you are! I want to know who's visiting so I can visit YOU!

And if you noticed that you used to be on my sidebar, but are no longer there, please leave a comment. I lost my blogroll when I switched names, and now..I am having trouble getting everyone added again.

Drumroll Please...

2009-05-05T05:02:00.000-07:00

No longer will this blog be referred to as "Kitchen Table Parenting". I am now, introducing myself as...

THE SPOILED HOUSEWIFE!

I have been thinking and thinking about what to rename my blog. How to really get my feelers out in the blog world with a new online personification. And this post inspired me.

No, I am not really spoiled in the sense that my "mean" neighbor thinks I am. But I am spoiled in lots of hugs and kisses from my babies. A husband who comes home to me every night and actually WANTS to spend time with me instead of sitting in front of the TV while I take sole care of the children. And in the fact that I "get" to stay at home and raise these little ones myself without having to rely on a child care provider.

So I figured. It works.

A little ironic, a little funny, a lot of happy..I am "The Spoiled Housewife"!!!!

**I am going to be having a custom blog layout made..I am now looking for recommendations for inexpensive blog designers.

**Please update your site readers or blog rolls to work with my new address**

**Please note that if you read back posts that have links to other posts that I wrote under the KTParenting name, you will no longer be directed to the post mentioned. I will slowly but surely get that fixed. In the meantime you can fix the address by deleting the "kitchentableparenting" and typing in "thespoiledhousewife". **

A Poem For My Love

2009-05-03T05:53:00.000-07:00

I haven't written poetry since I was assigned it in high school. But this morning I was inspired to send a poem to my husband through email since he is off working on this cloudy Sunday morning, when I know he'd much rather be home with me & the kids.

Kids, kids, everywhere.
Make me want to pull out my hair.

Ducky peed all over her bed.
I seriously have no more hair on my head.

Please come home.
I feel so alone.
Come on baby, come home, come home!!

Yeah, not so romantic. But I figured, it sure is a sweet way to complain, right??

Ch-Ch-Changes??

2009-05-02T05:48:00.000-07:00

So..I have been doing some thinking lately.

I think I am HATING the "Kitchen Table Parenting" name. I only named this blog that to go along with my fitness blog's name, but now...after my blog has come along I don't like it. At. All.

So..I am considering a name change. Although, I haven't decided WHAT to name it. That's the difficult part. Because once I rename, I'm not going back.

I used to blog a blog with the name "Mamaritaville". But I'm not thinking I want to bring that back. Any thoughts?

Also. I am SO wanting a custom blog design...but lack the funds to pay for one. Or pay VERY MUCH for one. Any suggestions there?

I promise I'll be better with posting next week. I've been a little "blah" this week. PMS has gotten to me. That and rainy weather.

I did finish reading "The Host" by Stephenie Meyer. Totally ROCKED! I had borrowed it from my (nice) neighbor, and now I am considering going out and buying it for myself. Although I will probably wait until it's in paperback. I really like paperback books better..and not just for the price. I absolutely despise the paper covers that go over a hardback book. They're annoying.

Now I'm reading "Revolutionary Road" by Richard Yates. Good. So far. But I was expecting it to be, I mean they have made a movie out of it right? And best of all..I got it for just 25 cents at Goodwill. I didn't even KNOW Goodwill sold books. I'm SO going to be a regular patron of their literary section from now on!

Have a great weekend. If you're lucky enough to have nice weather..enjoy it. We on the other hand will be bundled up in our sweatshirts and jeans and heading to the ballpark in a few hours. Woo. Hoo.

Let's Be Friends..OKAY!

2009-04-30T05:35:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning, dreary. I have been dreary almost every day this week. Hence the lack of blog posts. We went from 80 degree SUNNY weather to 60 degree rainy and gray weather. Blah. Blah. Blah.Blah. Blah...

You've got the idea right?

Well I logged into my email this morning. Sifted through the 50+ messages that had accumulated since last night. Junk. Junk. Pizza delivery confirmation. Junk. Message from SB giving me a list of "favors" to do for him today while he's working(like I don't already have ENOUGH to do today!). Facebook message alert. Junk. Junk. Comment from a blogger. Junk. Junk.

WAIT A MINUTE!! I got a blog comment?? I haven't posted anything since Monday, and people are actually still reading? Awesome!!

In fact, not only was this blogger just stopping by to give my hokey weekend recap messages a quick read. She was bringing to my attention that she had awarded me with an AWARD! Oh thank you thank you thank you!!

It's the "Lets Be Friends Award" and it was presented to me by Mrs. M! Thank you, Mrs. M...I like you too!

Try as I may, I could not find the origination of this award so that I could link back to the "creator's" site..so if any of you out there know who created this award..please let me know so I can do add a link!

Anyway..here is what the "Let's Be Friends Award" entails..

"The Let's be Friends award stands for this: These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind of bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated.Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers."

Aww!!

Thanks again, to Mrs. M. And now..on to my 8! (If Mrs. M wouldn't have awarded this to me, she's SO be on my list!!)

Catherine from Evolving Mommy

April's Mom from Little April Rose

Sarah from Kingdom Twindom +1

Veronnica from The Adventures of Miss V

Tiffanie from Three Peas In A Pod

Alicia from Murry Mayhem

Jen from Land of Lovings

Jennifer from Baby Making Machine

Okay..thats it! Have a great day!!!

Reason Why It Was The Best Weekend...

2009-04-27T07:54:00.000-07:00

...minus pictures because ~~I am too lazy~~ it's too nice outside to mess around with trying to find my USB plug to upload!

My husband took off Friday, Saturday & Sunday!

We bought a new (to us) minivan!

We had two nights of hanging out until the wee hours of the morning on our breezeway with my husband's adult sons laughing and enjoying the warm breeze.

Our kids rode their bikes and played with the neighbor boy for hours on end, thus NOT whining about being bored.

I finished reading "The Shack".

I started reading "The Host", by Stephenie Meyer.

I got a suntan.

I got to hang out with my favorite neighbor & enjoy some great laughs.

My son's t-ball game went off without a hitch.

We grilled out twice!

We ate all of our meals on our outdoor dining set.

My husband finally installed my old fashioned wooden screen doors on our breezeway.

I then spent the entire weekend opening them just to hear them smack shut.

We bought some new plants and did a little landscape work.

We enjoyed EVERY SINGLE MOMENT!!

How did YOU enjoy YOUR weekend?

I Live In His Glory

2009-04-23T05:44:00.000-07:00

Last night I was awake most of the night. I started reading the book, The Shack by William P. Young. It's a little hard to read (so far) as a mother and I was tempted to stay up all night to read it all so that way I could find out if it had a good ending. But I didn't. Instead, I layed awake worrying for my own children. Now, I'm not saying not to read this book. I can't give a true opinion of it yet because I am not even halfway through it. It was loaned to me by my mother, and she never loans me books to read if she knows they will scare or upset me. Especially when the storyline involves a child. So..I'll update on my feelings for the book once I finish.

Anyway, I have been having heightened anxiety over my children's safety and health a lot lately. There was the scare that Twinkletoes gave me. And then of course I have been reading a few blogs from mother's who have sick children or who have lost children, and that certainly isn't helping this anxiety. I know I could just stop reading these kinds of things. But I don't, because I want to continually pray for these women and I can't do that without knowing what they are going through at the moment.

While I was laying in bed, wide awake, around 12:30 in the morning. I heard Ducky. She sounded terrible. Some sort of dry coughing was coming out of her. Then silence. Then a raspy breathing. I instantly freaked and ran to go get her out of her crib. (I honestly think she was just thirsty, now looking back.) But because I was shaken from the book I was reading, I was sure something was wrong. I took her and her favorite blanket into the family room and turned on a dim light. I held her and she kept doing that weird coughing, breathing thing and I just held her. She lay on my chest, refusing to look at me. Probably thinking, "What the heck Mom, give me a sip of water and let me get back to bed!!" But no, I just left her there until she fell back to sleep and her breathing was back to normal. That steady in and out of a sleeping child. I sat there for at least an hour, smelling her sweet head. She's 20 months old as of a few days ago, and she's losing her "baby smell". But I was breathing in what was left of it and admiring the love that I felt for her. I silently prayed my thanks to God for blessing me with not only this sweet miracle. But my other two miracles who were sound asleep in their beds.

Today, I awoke, after not much sleep, feeling very calm. I need not worry about what could happen. Why waste time in worry? For it says in Matthew 6: 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And again in Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of it's own. I am writing these verses on an index card and taping them to my fridge today. I need to take each day at a time. Enjoy the blessings that I have been given, and NOT WORRY ABOUT ALL OF THE "WHAT IF'S"!!

Feeling rejuvenated by God's Love, I got online to catch up on blogs. And found this update. God truly is Good. God truly does give us hope in any storm. This mother may still have a very hard road ahead of her, but for today. She is happy. Praise Him!

And every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:11

The ULTIMATE Spring Giveaway!

2009-04-22T07:30:00.000-07:00

As I was getting ready to go enter my comment on this blog post..I found out..the deadline was last night at 11:59pm. They're doing the drawing today. Lesson learned..read the WHOLE entry to a contest before spending 20 minutes writing up a blog post about it. Ugh.

I wasn't really planning on posting today. I have to make a grocery list so the kids and I can hit the grocery store today. Starting tomorrow we're getting our warmth and sun back, so we need to get the indoor chores and errands done so we can enjoy the outdoors starting tomorrow and probably won't come inside much until the next round of rain is supposed to hit next Tuesday!

The kids are dying to get out there. They dislike the cold, dreary days as much as I do! One of their favorite activities is playing on our swing set. It's not the best, but it works. In fact for Easter, the "infamous bunny" brought an infant swing for us to add so that Ducky can enjoy the swing set now too. But that meant having to take off the rings, so now Punk and my 7 year old step daughter can not do their acrobatics. But you know, such is life with a large family. We can only afford SO much stuff. They're lucky they even got the swing set in the first place!

Another area of the swing set that is starting to cause issues is the slide. When Punk sits on it..his legs go halfway down, so really, what is the fun in that?

Last week, while wandering through Lowe's, SB and I were admiring the "cool" swing sets and just wishing that we could actually afford to get one for the kids. I mean, he and I could do the set up..no need to spend an extra $1000 on that. But alas, there is no possible way we could drop anywhere from $1500-5000 on a swing set. But we can dream..right?

Well, today, I found a giveaway that may just make that dream come true!!! Dad Blogs is GIVING AWAY a Kid's Creation swing set valued at almost $5000! And it is tricked OUT let me tell ya!! Oh and the winner of the swing set..also gets a Canon PowerShot SD1100 Digital Elph..oh yeah! I NEED a new digital camera..mine keeps leaving lines across all of my pics.

So I'm now entering in to win this awesome package of greatness! And did I mention that the shipping cost is covered with the swing set as well??

Now..let me just say, that because my kids do already have a swing set and because I do already have a digital camera. If I win, I am not going to be greedy and keep everything to myself. I will be donating both of my items to a local needy family. Promise!

So if you want to enter..just click HERE. Good luck to us all!

A Brother's Love

2009-04-21T06:57:00.000-07:00

When I got pregnant with Ducky, our 3rd (and final baby), Punk was a very mature and opinionated 3 year old little boy. He was excited at the idea of having a new baby. But because Twinkletoes who was 1 1/2 at the time drove him crazy on a daily basis by following him around, copying everything he did (you know, typical little sister worshiping big brother stuff) he was bound and determined that this new baby was going to be a boy.

He'd tell me on a daily basis leading up to the ultrasound that this baby was definitely going to be a boy. He just knew it. And to be honest, so did I. I had correctly guessed the sex of Punk and Twinkletoes from the moment I was pregnant with them. Call it mother's intuition or whatever, I was POSITIVE that this baby was going to be a little boy, whom we would name Wesley Scott, and he would be just as adorable and smart as his big brother! My husband, on the other hand was sure that the baby was a girl. Because I was SO SURE that it was a boy, I never could finalize a girl name with my husband. We went over and over names, just like we had done with the other 2 pregnancies so that once the ultrasound was over we could stop calling the growing baby "the baby" and start referring to it by it's name..but this time. We went in with only a boy's name, and my positive feeling that not having a girl name would be fine, because we wouldn't need it.

Ha.

During the ultrasound, I spotted it first. The 3 little giveaway lines that indicate the baby growing inside of me was definitely NOT a boy. (Remember, I already had had one of each so I knew what to look for). I remember saying "It's a girl," and the ultrasound tech saying, "Hmm, let me..Oh! You're right!"

And then, Punk burst into tears. "NO! I wanted the baby to be a boy! I don't want another sister! And on and on it went for the remaining 4+ months of my pregnancy.

"Mommy, when this baby grows up will she turn into a boy? Because I really don't want her to be a girl."

He asked questions like that on a daily basis. And yes, poor Ducky was referred to as "the baby" until about 2 weeks before she was born because SB and I could NOT come up with a name that we both liked for her.

But things changed for Punk as soon as she was born. He fell in love with her. His little baby sister could, and still can, do no wrong in his eyes. He is as sweet as honey to her, while on the other hand he treats Twinkletoes like his arch enemy. Every day he covers her in kisses, even now that she is getting closer to toddlerhood every day.

Just this morning I said to him after he sweetly greeted Ducky good morning, "So, Punk. Aren't you glad Ducky is a girl now, even though you wanted her to be a boy?"

He replied, "Yeah, but you know. I don't know know if she'll still be that cute when she gets bigger."

Huh. I hope his love for her holds on even if she isn't "that cute" as she gets bigger. Because it is the sweetest, purest love I've ever witnessed in my life. And also, I don't think I can handle much more sibling fighting. Those two are the only 2 of my 3 kids who don't fight with each other. Crossing my fingers and toes that it hangs on, for my own sanity!

Praying For Stellan

2009-04-21T06:29:00.000-07:00

Baby Stellan, whom I've mentioned before, and really if you read blogs you probably have heard about on a daily basis, is undergoing surgery on his heart, RIGHT NOW!

Please pray for him. Pray for his family who is waiting for the surgery to be over and to be a success. Pray for the medical staff who are working on him. Pray for God's Will to be done.

Pray for STELLAN! (and wear orange for him as well!!)

I've Been Stereotyped

2009-04-20T07:38:00.000-07:00

This weekend, after an awesome day at the ballpark watching Punk take part in his first Opening Day ceremonies of our town's baseball association and his first t-ball game, I was excited to come home and relax. One of our neighbors came over, someone with whom I believed I was becoming good friends with, and we decided to have a cookout together. We combined our food and my husband did the grilling while we waited for her husband to come over and join us.

We had a few drinks and the night was progressing nicely. Lots of stories being shared, lots of laughs, and lots of good food!

Not long after putting our kids to bed, my neighbor's husband went home as well because he had to get up early to go to work, but left us his cell phone number with the warning, "Call me if my wife pisses anyone off, she has been known to do it before, so in case you need me, just call!"

We laughed it off. She's always been so fun and nice!

But. Then. Something. Changed.

She started attacking me, verbally that is. I don't know what happened, but one minute we were talking about kids, and the next, she turns to me and starts going on and on and on about what a spoiled housewife I am. How I take advantage of my husband. How I just live the life of luxury and don't know what it's like to put in an honest day of work.

"I've HEARD you sit there and say, 'Oh I'll just let SB do that', or 'SB can take care of the kids for a little bit, I'm taking a break.' Let me tell you something, (Insert a very explicit name that starts with a 'C'), this man (pointing at my husband) works all day, this man is the only one taking care of this family, and you have the NERVE to sit in your chair in the evenings and let him deal with the kids!? How did you become so spoiled? YOU DO NOTHING and yet you expect YOUR HUSBAND TO HELP YOU?"

Yep, she said all that...and then some.

I am not a confrontational person so I just sat there.

Bless SB's heart, he jumped in and said "No, Jen works really hard, we have a system that works for us and I actually want to help her in the evenings, she needs that break."

Well, that just was like pouring fuel on a fire. She continued to go on and on about how he shouldn't be helping me out. I am the one who "sits home all day and does nothing".

I finally managed to get her to go home. I then walked straight to the bathroom, locked myself in, and cried. SB heard me and made me come out. I informed him that I didn't know if I was over-reacting, because after all she had had too much to drink, but I was NEVER talking to her again. I would be polite if I saw her outside, but she was NEVER to come to our house again.

SB then reminded me, that yes, she had had too much to drink, but that was not the first time she had said that kind of stuff to me. That was just the first time she had been HATEFUL about it.

That got me thinking about the snarky comments she's made in the past few weeks. Like the day she came home from work and I was outside with a baby on one hip, and a bag of trash in the other hand taking it to the outside trashcan. She yelled across the street, "Must be nice to live the life of luxury." I laughed. I thought she was joking because, taking out the trash, while dragging an 18 month old around is definitely NOT my idea of luxury, but in hindsight, she wasn't kidding. She was referring to the fact that I was at home all day.

Then I thought about the exchange she and I had had earlier in the day, before our cookout. She had gone inside my house for something and then let me know that our big screen TV was left on even though we were all outside.

I responded "Oh, I TOLD Punk to turn that off when he came out to ride his bike, the little booger didn't listen!"

She replied, "Its YOUR obligation to take care of this stuff, you're the one who's always here. You shouldn't expect your kids to do things for you."

Hmm. So, I guess my kids should have no responsibility. Just me. Since all I do is sit around.

After crying myself to exhaustion on Saturday night. Waking up on Sunday morning and feeling very very down. Constantly tearing up all day Sunday. I've finally came to realize, that there is nothing wrong with me. There is nothing wrong with my life. I am not lazy. I do not overly rely on my husband. He does things for me and the kids after working all day because he wants to. Because he knows that I, too, have worked all day!

There is however something very wrong with my neighbor. She apparently is jealous of me. That's right, I said it. I still have little kids. Her kid is all grown up and has flown the nest. I get to be home with my kids. She worked while her kid was growing up and is still working. I have a husband who is willing to help me. She apparently doesn't.

Does this mean I'm spoiled? Maybe.

But does this mean I am not worthy of respect? No.

Does this mean I am not worthy of being treated kindly? No.

Does this mean that I am a lazy housewife who does nothing but lay around and leaves all of the actual work for my husband to do? ABSOLUTELY NOT!

I work hard. I love my family. And screw HER. I'm done. I have NO intentions of ever having her over to my house again.

My perfect, dream neighborhood just got a little stinky..but oh well. At least now I won't ever have to worry about being attacked in my own home like that again!

Maybe I Was Supposed To Forget? EDITED

2009-04-16T06:26:00.000-07:00

Last night I couldn't sleep. Why? I don't know. I hadn't had any caffeine since my morning coffee. I was tired. But I just couldn't get my eyes to stay shut. As I laid there staring at the ceiling a great blog post idea popped into my head. I considered getting out of bed and typing it up and scheduling it to post first thing this morning. Therefore, saving me a bit of time this morning because I knew my kids would be impatient to get outside since the sun was finally going to be making an appearance after three solid days or dreary skies and cold rain. But, I talked myself out of it, mainly because I was just too darn comfortable to convince myself to get out of bed and walk into the dining room to turn on the computer. Nevermind that the dining room is about 10 paces from our bedroom door.

"Oh well. I'll just lay here and plan it out in my head so in the morning I can type it out real quick, get everyone dressed and head outside.", I thought.

Ha. What a joke. I spent the next 30 minutes, at least, laying there and "blogging" in my head. It was a great post. I think. It was funny. I think. It had substance. I think. I could win awards for that post. I think.

Needless to say, if you haven't figured out already. I have no freaking clue what that post was going to be about. None. Nada. Zilch. Zip. Zero.

So instead this is a post about a great post that I was going to give you but have since forgotten so now you get to hear about how I was going to entertain you but now I'm not since I forgot what I was going to say. (Is there a blog award for the most random rambling sentence? If there is, will you award it to me?)

Since I don't have anything to say. And my kids are getting ants in their pants waiting for me to get dressed and let them loose outside. I give you a list of bloggers that need your prayers. Desperately. I'd be very happy if you visited them all, and said a little prayer for each one of them today. And remember to keep them in your prayers daily. (Maybe, just maybe I was meant to forget my FABULOUS post so that I could bring these prayer requests to your attention. Nothing is an accident right? I think the Lord meant for this to happen..although I would not complain if at some point today He helps me to remember what I WAS going to post about. And if He does..well then I promise to type it out right then and schedule it to post tomorrow. It was a FANTASTIC post..I KNOW it was..)

PLEASE PRAY FOR:

MckMama & Stellan - battling with SVT (rapid rhythm of the heart) & preparing for the trip to Boston as I type this
Caroline - battling ITP (low platelet count) and may need another trip to the doctor today
Bruce's family - no words here..just please read
April Rose - may she be born healthy
Angie - just passed what should have been the one year birthday of her beloved daughter, Audrey Caroline, preparing for a trip to Calcutta
Hannah's Dad - in the hospital trying to recover from a massive heart attack (She is also a friend whom I have known since grade school!) **EDIT**Just found out he lost his fight, please pray for comfort and healing for the family!
Rochelle's brother Brian - undergoing his second brain surgery on April 27th (info on sidebar)

If you know of others in the blog world who are in need of prayer, please add them to the comment section so that myself and others will know to add them to our prayers lists.

Hope you have a wonderful day, enjoy the sunshine if its shining in your little part of the world, and hug your babies a little tighter today and thank God that they are healthy!!

They Need You To...

2009-04-15T12:10:00.000-07:00

PRAY!

100 Thing (That May or May Not Bore You To Death!)

2009-04-15T05:29:00.000-07:00

I got the idea to post "100 Things About Me" from this blogger. I hope you enjoy..

1. I am a self-proclaimed "Twilight" addict. It's bad..really, really, bad! EDIT: The series of books..the movie was just okay for me..I think I watched it too soon after reading the book, though. I'll try it again in a couple of months.

2. My favorite color has always been purple.

3. When my husband and I got married, I was 2 months pregnant with our second child. No one knew except immediate family, until my 15 year old stepson announced it during his toast at the reception.

4. I really think I'm mildly OCD. I have to have things in a certain order, or I totally lose my cool. It's strange, but me!

5. Since buying our house in December, my husband and I have not been able to stop working on home projects or planning new projects..we really need a 12-step program!

6. My favorite cartoon when I was a kid was "The Gummi Bears".

7. I watched "Marley & Me" last night, and haven't cried like that over a movie since I saw "Beaches". (NOT recommended for anyone who has lost a beloved dog, recently!!)

8. I check my email multiple times a day. Usually it's nothing but junk, but I hate having a cluttered inbox..again OCD..

9. I am beyond mad that "Life On Mars" was canceled.

10. For that matter I'm still mad that "What About Brian" was canceled, too!

11. I only watch 1 soap opera (contrary to the opinion that SAHM's sit around and watch soaps all day).

12. I DVR that soap opera, "As The World Turns", and as of today am 4 weeks behind. I never have time to actually sit and watch it, but I always get around to it eventually. Last year I watched their Christmas episodes in March!

13. My friends and I when we were growing up (around 9 & 10) used to hold "concerts" for our families. We'd practice for days, and on Saturday night we'd subject our parents to listen to us sing, Wilson Phillips, Mariah Carey, and New Kids On The Block.

14. As many times as I THOUGHT I was in love..I realize now having been married to my husband for the last 4 years, that I never really knew love until I met him.

15. Speaking of my husband, he makes a point to leave the house in the morning before I get out of bed, because I am a total "B" when I wake up..and I stay that way until I've had at least 2 full cups of coffee.

16. I never drank coffee until this past winter. Now I can't survive without it.

17. I gained 55 pounds when I was pregnant with my first child.

18. I only gained 25 and then 30 pounds with the other 2 kids.

19. I lost the baby weight with the "Slim in 6" program, and am now a Beachbody coach.

20. My dad wanted to name me, Heather.

21. I am so glad my mom didn't let him. Not that there is anything wrong with that name, but I'm SO not a "Heather".

22. I live in the friendliest neighborhood EVER! All of the neighbors spend time outside chatting with one another. We share things with each other. We're constantly knocking on each other's doors asking to borrow something, or bringing over goodies. It is my DREAM neighborhood, and I am so happy we moved here. I've made some great, great friends! (And we've only lived here since December!)

23. I live on a "Dead End" street, so since we don't have heavy traffic, it's perfect to let the kids ride their bikes in the road..with close supervision, of course.

24. I love hardwood floors and my husband and I were thrilled to find the natural hardwood floor (in great condition)under the carpet in the dining room, living room & hallway. We ripped it all up this past weekend.

25. I learned this weekend, that taking up carpet is NOT MY THING. I have blisters and my hand still feel like it's in a permanent cramp from pulling up the 1000's of staples that were holding the carpet padding down.

26. My favorite flowers are white roses.

27. My second favorite flowers are hydrangeas..the kind with the blue tips on the petals. They composed my wedding bouquet.

28. My husband and my's song is "Remember When" by Alan Jackson.

29. My dad and my's song is "The Way You Look Tonight" by Frank Sinatra.

30. I would never ever ever relive my high school years if I had the chance.

31. I love the band "Hinder" and if you ever come to my house in the summer, and I happen to be drinking beer(which is almost everyday in the warm months) you will hear their CD played, over, and Over, and OVER! One of my stepson's friends hates coming to our house for that exact reason. And not because he doesn't like the band..he just got tired of hearing me playing my favorite songs on repeat..like 7 times in a row.

32. I have 5 tattoos.

33. I used to have my nose pierced and am considering doing it again.

34. When I eat at the Olive Garden, I always order the same meal, every time. I have no idea what their other food tastes like.

35. I will be 27 on my next birthday.

36. I am (sorta) a Grandma. My stepson has a 2 1/2 year old little boy. He calls me "GiGi".

37. My husband is 11 years older than I am. (He had his oldest when he was 16.)

38. I have begged my husband to let us move to Florida..he isn't budging..even though he lived there for 8 years and misses it.

39. I've come to learn that a healthy relationship involves sacrifices on both sides.

40. I'm not even half way done, and am having trouble..Maybe this may just be 50 things about me??

41. I've had 3 previous blogs before this one that I gave up. This one and STAYING, that's for sure!

42. I knit.

43. I cross-stitch.

44. I can hula dance..oh no wait..no I can't.

45. I pig out while watching "The Biggest Loser"...last night it was a root beer float...ugh..so ashamed!

46. I'm done having children. It's sad sometimes to think about, but in all honesty..I'd probably go totally insane if I had another one.

47. My son has his first t-ball game this Saturday. I can not wait!!!

48. My 3 y/o daughter has her first dance recital in June.

49. As I'm doing this I'm writing out my check for the garbage company.

50. My favorite place to be when I was a little girl was at my grandma's farm. I am a true country girl at heart, even though I've lived most of my life in town.

51. I have many many cousins, but most of them I dont talk to, which I find very sad.

52. One day I was driving home from the bank and I SWEAR I saw the guy that played Brandon in 90210 driving in a HUGE FANCY BLACK HUMMER through our town.

53. Luke Perry(who played Dylan in 90210) grew up in the town beside us..his parents still live there..so really I could have seen "Brandon" driving through our town..maybe here was here visiting with Luke Perry?

54. My cousins rode the school bus with Luke Perry when they were younger and said he was a total jerk.

55. Enough about Luke Perry...I've never been to Disney World.

56. I had never been to Florida at all until my honeymoon. I haven't been there since either. Probably because I bugged my husband for months after we came home to pack us up and MOVE!

57. I have to sleep on my stomach or I can't sleep at all.

58. I get very very angry at my husband when he falls asleep in front of the TV.

59. I LOVE to pick at people. Got a splinter? Let me squeeze it outta ya! My family avoids me at all costs when things like that happen..apparently they say "it hurts"..buncha babies!

60. I am scared to call and order pizza. Seriously, it causes me to have a mild anxiety attack. My husband gets very aggravated with me about it and has been making me do it to get over my fear.

61. I always wanted a big brother.

62. When I was a little girl, my favorite Cabbage Patch's name was "Blanche Catilda". I left her at a neighbors house one day and remembered the next weekend, only to find that they had up and moved practically in the middle of the night. Taking my beloved Blanche with them.

63. If I wasn't a mom, I'd probably have been a nurse. Who knows, maybe someday I'll go back to school and become one..but I doubt it. I like being home with my kids. I think that's very important.

64.Date nights with my husband used to consist of hitting every bar in town and making new friends along the way.

65. Now..date nights with my husband consist of going out to dinner, hitting Lowe's and working on home projects (sober) until 2 or 3 in the morning.

66. I love the sound of wooden screen doors smacking shut in the summer months. My mom just bought us a pair of screen doors to put on our breezeway doors as our Easter gift. (I'm still waiting for my husband to install them..hopefully this weekend!)

67. I used to HATE blue walls. This past weekend my husband and I painted our dining room, living room AND hallway a beautiful blue color called "Smokescreen". It looks absolutely awesome with the hardwood floors!

68. Talking on the phone with friends for hours is probably the only thing I miss about being a teenager.

69. Sleeping is my favorite thing to do. If I didn't have kids, I'd still probably sleep until mid-afternoon on the weekends.

70. I'm the happiest when my family can be outside chatting with the neighbors until dark and watching the kids running around and laughing.

71. I love to read. Every time my 20 year old stepson visits (which is about every other week) he is amazed that I'm reading a different book than the last time he's been here. What can I say, I read fast. Especially when I feel a connection to the characters.

72. I have 3 stepkids. A 21 (almost 22) year old stepson(the one who has the little boy). A 20 year old stepson. And a 7 (almost 8) year old step daughter. The boys and I get along great, it's been harder with my step daughter, even thought I've been with her dad since she was just a year old. But now that she's getting older, and coming to visit us regularly every other weekend, we're finally establishing a good relationship.

73. I have no regrets of things I've done in the past. Every decision I've ever made has made me who I am today.

74. My son's middle name is my mom's maiden name. Giving him that name was probably the best gift I ever gave my mom. The Christmas I was pregnant with him, we gave my mom a snowman ornament that said "Grandma" on it, along with a card (from the baby) signed with his full name. It took her a minute to realize what she was reading and when she did, she started crying because she was so excited and honored.

75. I miss my dad a lot. He moved 2 hours north 4 years ago, and we only get to see him 1 or 2 times a year. We used to see him at least once a week before he moved.

76. I have only one (younger) brother, and we fight ALL THE TIME. We've ruined holidays with our fighting. (Its never my fault..seriously, it's not!)

77. I used to think my husband's sister didn't like me. Now we get along great!

78. I have been impatiently waiting for my 19 month old daughter to start talking. She's only been saying "Bye", "dada" or "Tag"(our dog's name) for months now. The other day she said her first (sorta) sentence. She pointed out the window and said "Side, wanna play!" "Side" meaning "Outside". And she's also started calling me "mama"..finally!!

79. When I was little I had the chicken pox 4 times! I KNOW, you're only supposed to have them once, but I never had them bad enough to become immune until the last time.

80. Last year on Mother's Day I came down with the worst flu I've ever had in my life. It was SUCH a great day..NOT!

81. I never have figured out what the playground taunt "Go suck an egg" was supposed to mean.

82. I can't wait to become one of those "snooty" moms on the PTA.

83. I have a weak lower back and am constantly injuring myself because of it.

84. I blame pregnancy for my back problems..kids really screw your body up!

85. Months 5-7 are the most enjoyable being pregnant. At least for me. You're finally showing, not just looking like you ate too many desserts, and you're not to that miserable point yet. I'd have 100 kids if the whole experience was as fun and comfortable as those couple of months.

86. My tubes are tied. (Too much info? Sorry!)

87. I had all of my kids by c-section. My body is incapable of dilating properly, even with the help of Pitocin(a drug that induces labor). We found that out during labor with my son, and I had to have a (sorta) emergency c-section with him. Hospital policy where I had him at doesn't allow VBAC's (vaginal birth after cesarean) so I had the girls by scheduled c-sections. (Again, TMI? Sorry!)

88. I could have gone to a different hospital and tried a VBAC, but for me, it wasn't worth it. It would have been different if I'd have had a c-section because he was breach or something, but since it was a flaw in my body, I knew it would be safer just to schedule the c-sections. Plus, CONVIENIENT! My husband and mom knew months in advance to plan their vacation time.

89. Even if I won the lottery, I'd probably never move from our 3 bedroom 1 bath ranch house. It's so perfect for us. (Although, I would finish the basement, adding an additional bedroom & bath down there, and expand the girls' room.)

90. Even if I dont ever win the lottery, which is probably pretty likely since we dont play it) we will still do those things to our house..it'll just be YEARS down the road.

91. My favorite holiday is the 4th of July. I love the hot weather, cookouts, fireworks, parades, and the feeling of pride of our country.

92. My wedding dress was priced at $695. I bought it from a local boutique that was going out of business, for $65! (That was including tax!) Can you say BEST BARGAIN SHOPPING EVER!?

93. I'm slightly addicted to Facebook.

94. I dont understand Twitter, but I tweet on it everyday.

95. I never realized how much I love yard work until we owned our own home.

96. When my son was born, and I held him for the first time after he had been cleaned up, weighed, and measured in the nursery. I asked my husband if they had put baby lotion on him. (He smelled so sweet..just like Baby Magic lotion.) My husband told me no, they didn't even use any soap, just a warm towel. I never realized how amazingly good newborn babies smelt. I was instantly in love and wanted to just chew on him!!!

97. I still get butterflies holding my husband's hand.

98. There are 2 books that I read once a year, and have done so for the past 10 years. "Gone With The Wind" in the summer. "Little Women" in the winter.

99. Before my son was born, I wished he would have my hazel eyes. He instead got his dad's gorgeous blue eyes. When my 2nd child was born, I wanted her to get her brother and dad's blue eyes..she did. So when I had my 3rd child, I again wanted her to have those blue eyes..it wouldn't be fair for her to not get them since the other 2 did..but she has my hazel eyes, and I tell ya, I was a tad upset at the beginning, but there is NOTHING like looking into your child's eyes and seeing a reflection of yourself.

100. My name is Jen..and I just probably bored my 2 readers with 100 things about myself..but at least I had fun doing it!

If you want to do this (it is kinda fun!) make sure you leave a comment for me so I can visit you and read your 100 Things!

Punk's BIG Day

2009-04-14T05:29:00.001-07:00

Today is the day. The day I have been dreading, yet looking forward to since the day that my little man was born. It seems like just a couple of weeks ago, my mom and I were talking about how quickly the 5 years would fly until Punk went to school. At that time he was probably only 6 weeks old. Now those 5 years are up. And as I type this the kids are getting dressed so that I can take Punk to his Kindergarten registration.

Last week he had his immunizations so that his record would be up to date for today. I've made his dentist and doctor appointments for his checkups that I'll have to turn in before the first day of school. I've gone over and over these questions, "How do you spell your name?" "What is your address?" "What is your phone number?" How high can you count?" Ect. Ect.

I honestly have no idea what they'll actually be asking him, and the fact that they will take him into another room away from me to do the evaluation, I'll probably never know, because my son, is a natural blonde, and it shows! (He'll forget the minute we're back in the car.) So it will probably all be a mystery. Well until Twinkletoes goes through this in 2 years. That girl will give me every detail down to what the teacher was wearing.

But for now, today is Punk's big day. I am a nervous wreck. He on the other hand, is all, "Whatever, lets get this over with." And a little tiny piece of my heart has broken. My baby boy is all grown up. My FIRST baby, my LAST baby boy, is getting prepared to leave our nest. I'm so proud. I'm so sad. But today is a day I will never forget. This is the beginning of a new life for Punk, and I can't wait to see him fly!

Subtle Reminders of His Love

2009-04-10T08:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a beautiful Ohio Spring day. The sun was shining, the temperature was in the mid-60's, it was absolutely perfect. Twinkletoes, Punk and I went outside after I put Ducky down for a nap and spent the first hour digging up weeds in the flowerbeds. Nothing exciting, just the 3 of us with our trowels, working together.

After we had finished with that I went inside and got them a juice box and snack and got myself a nice big glass of ice water. I sat on my swing in the back yard and just watched them.

First, they chased a white butterfly all over the yard, squealing and laughing. Then they took turns pushing each other on the swing set. They both know how to pump their legs themselves, but they were having a very rare moment of brother/sister love and I guess decided it would be more fun to help each other.

After they were bored with that they climbed "the mountain". It's really just a steep embankment at that back of our property where lots of wildlife grows. They love to play at the top of it in their own make-believe land.

I sat there absolutely amazed at the peace I felt watching them. No fighting, no crying, just the two of them enjoying each others' company. It was absolutely perfect.

I needed a day like that after what I went through on Tuesday. They are regular kids, most of their time together is spent fighting or competing for my attention, but yesterday was a rare and wonderful time. Lots of laughs, lots of love, and most of all one happy momma!

Sunday is Easter, and as you're hiding your eggs and stuffing your kids' baskets, take a few minutes to remember what the holiday is really about. He is Risen indeed!

Not For The Faint Of Heart

2009-04-09T05:58:00.000-07:00

It's been a wild week, that's for sure! Monday was fairly calm, a lazy day due to below normal temperatures outside and snow showers.

Tuesday, topped the chart for the scariest day of my "mommy" life. I was in the living room with Twinkletoes and she was explaining to me how she was going to teach, Tag, the dog, how to play hopscotch. I laughed and told her I had to go potty, but would be right back.

No sooner did I get to the bathroom I heard a VERY LOUD THUMP, a quick scream from Twinkletoes, and then an eerie quiet. When "T" gets hurt, she usually screams forEVER and makes every little injury a dramatic event. And due to the fact that she is about as coordinated on her feet as Bella is in the "Twilight" series, I'm used to her always being bruised or bandaged. The quiet following that scream indicated to me that this was NOT her usual fall.

I took off running to find her. She was laying on the kitchen floor completely still, face down. I pulled her hair out of her face to see what she was doing, hoping beyond hope that she was joking with me. When I saw her face, I knew this was no joke. She was gray, lips were turning blue, and her eyes were rolling back in her head. I started screaming for my 5 year old to bring me the phone. I was ready to call 911 immediately.

I quickly turned her over onto her back so I could start CPR if she needed it, which she looked like she did, only to have her eyes pop open and she started SCREAMING AT ME!

"LEAVE ME ALONE, I'M FINE, GET AWAY FROM ME!!!!!!"

I was in total shock, but I knew if she was screaming and running away from me she must be okay. That's when the adrenaline that I was running on when I was ready to save her life, left my body. I started shaking from head to toe, tears pouring from my eyes and sobs wrenching my body.

Punk was standing there with the phone still in his hand and just said "Is she okay? Because she really made my heart hurt!"

I went and found T and started asking her, what happened? Are you okay? To which she responded with more yelling to leave her alone.

I called my husband sobbing, barely able to explain to him what was going on. He told me to call my mom, who is a nurse, to see if I should still take her to the ER. Although, every instinct in my body told me she was okay. She HAD to be okay!

My mom told me to check her pupils, she explained that if they were different sizes she had a concussion and I needed to take her in right away. And of course if anything, ANYTHING in my body told me something was seriously wrong, not to hesitate to load the kids up and GO TO THE HOSPITAL!

T finally calmed down enough to let me hold her and check out her eyes. They were fine, as beautiful as ever. She showed me where it hurt. A huge goose egg on her forehead with so many broken blood vessels showing through.

She curled up in my lap for a couple of hours as I cried and prayed, and prayed and prayed.

Thank you Jesus for protecting my sweet baby girl. Thank you Jesus for giving me the strength to be prepared to save her life if it would have come to that. Thank you Jesus for providing me with the support and love to carry me though even if she wouldn't have been okay.

I spent the rest of the day pampering to T. I took her and bought her new shoes like I had been promising for weeks now. I bought her (and Punk) a Happy Meal from McDonald's. And I read her what felt like 100 books, made up songs with her, and tried to keep myself from breaking down every moment that I looked at her.

Last night I had a nightmare about it. Just me kneeling down beside her and pulling her hair back and seeing that face. I woke up screaming and crying. She seems to have forgotten the whole ordeal. I however will never be able to forget it, and am thankful I am the only one who saw her like that. I never would want my husband to have that image in his head.

Yesterday we colored Easter eggs and played outside, today we'll be outside again. Life is back to normal, but I still can't shake the feeling of how different it would be if Jesus would have chosen to take her from us.

Everyday miracles surround us. Some days, Lord, they don't have to be quite so scary!!

Who Licked Off The Salt?

2009-04-03T09:38:00.000-07:00

There are lessons that it seems like every mother learns, and then immediately forgets.

For instance, no matter how cute your baby's little tush looks with all those rolls and dimples. Letting said baby run around a room naked, with no diaper, always results in pee on the floor!

You'd think we'd learn, but no. I've made this mistake too many times to count! It's especially embarrassing when it happens when you have company over, and have to lay a towel over the wet spot so people's socks don't get wet. And you have to continually apologize as you watch them hop over the towel multiple times that evening.

Today, I was reminded of another lesson, that I have failed to retain in my memory.

It's a very very bad idea to eat a chip off of a toddler's plate. Nine times out of 10, you'll ended up popping a soggy mess into your mouth and will immediately gross yourself out and completely lose your appetite for your own healthy lunch.

Yep. We mother's just never learn!

It's A Beautiful Day..

2009-03-31T08:40:00.000-07:00

..so instead of blogging..

..I'll be enjoying more of this..

Not Me Monday: Stellan Style

2009-03-30T05:58:00.000-07:00

MckMama started "Not Me Monday" as a way to let go of the feeling of perfectionism. This week, Natalie from "The Cline Family" decided we should honor her and Stellan by doing it "Stellan Style"! I agree! So..here we go!

This week, I did not turn on my computer every morning before I had even had my first sip of coffee to check MckMama's blog to see the updates on Stellan that had occurred overnight.

This week I did not have a dream where I was trying to log into Twitter to get the latest Stellan update only to wake up in a start that I was actually DREAMING!

I did not write Stellan's name on my front window in dry erase marker to send a picture to Stellan's Name Gallery, only to then spend the rest of the day keeping my kids from writing on the window with the markers.

I did not break down sobbing reading this post, yet laughing and cheering for her at the same time, it's about time she got PISSED!

I also, did not stop everything I was doing online to post the "Praying For Stellan" button on my sidebar the minute I saw it!

What about you?

Stellan In The Sunrise

2009-03-29T05:11:00.001-07:00

Are you like the hundreds..probably 1000's of others who have been reading Stellan's journey over the last few days?

MckMama had posted about Stellan's name gallery being reopened now that he is sick and in the hospital. After looking through the pictures that were sent to her before he was even born, I thought to myself..if I am inspired, I will make a picture to send to her.

This is what inspired me..

This is Stellan's name in the Sunday morning sunrise. God is good.

Click here to send your own image.

Just What We Need For A Tea Party

2009-03-27T05:14:00.000-07:00

I am really anticipating finding out the winners of the awesome giveaway's from the Ultimate Blog Party @ 5 Minutes For Mom! I am not sure I can stand to wait until tomorrow morning to find out whether or not I won anything...OH PLEASE LET ME WIN SOMETHING!! (Can you tell I love free stuff!) You can read my party post, and my top giveaway picks, here.

There are actually a ton of giveaways that go on in the blog world, all the time. I enter some, but not all. I mean if something doesn't peak my interest, why waste someone else's chance of winning who really wants the item? Right?

But today..I found something that I would LOVE to win!

Sales Addict, is giving away a PATCHWORK THROW!

It's so cute! Go check out the site, and enter if its something you'd be interested in winning..and if you're not interested, DON'T ENTER..seriously..don't ruin my chance! ;)

Have a great Friday..TGIF! And good luck!!

Flabby? No, Not Me!

2009-03-26T07:39:00.000-07:00

Due to the fact that I am still hurting from the toothache..and due to the fact that I can barely pull myself away from "Twilight"...I am sort of at a loss of what to blog about today.

So until tomorrow, Go Check Out My Other Blog! All about my recommitting to fitness and what programs my husband and I will be starting on Monday!

He Lets Me Cry

2009-03-25T07:46:00.000-07:00

This toothache I have is the worst I have ever had in my life. And let me tell ya, I've HAD toothaches! Apparently, after seeing the dentist yesterday, the tooth that broke has an exposed nerve and that is the reason for the intense pain. He prescribed me a pain killer to take until the tooth can be removed on Thursday, but it's really not helping. At least not at the dosage that he has prescribed.

Last night after getting home I immediately took one and started to get some relief. I was thrilled! Only 45 minutes later, after eating dinner, the pain was back and it was worse than before. I think more of the tooth crumbled or something and more of that nerve became exposed. Well, I ended up being convinced by my husband to take another dose after just 2 hours of taking the first, even those I am supposed to wait a full 4 hours. He told me that with as close to bedtime as it was I would want to get that pain under control so I could sleep.

Thirty minutes after taking the second dose, I was in so much pain that I ended up crawling into bed with an ice pack and crying so hard I could barely catch my breath. SB came back and talked to me about how awful I felt and just let me cry.

Once I had held the ice on my cheek long enough to numb me up a bit, I calmed down and thanked SB for just letting me cry.

He looked at me and said "Why wouldn't have I?"

And it hit me. I have an AWESOME husband. (not that I didn't already know) But he could have either ignored me and stayed in the family room or told me to suck it up and be quiet. But he didn't. He loves me, he knew my pain, and he just let me cry until I wore myself out.

Things like that are nice reminders of why I fell in love with him in the first place, and why I will love him for the rest of my life.

Oh and by the way..I'm still miserable. But hanging in there..

I Put It Off Long Enough

2009-03-24T08:49:00.000-07:00

So today really sucks. I have an infected/broken tooth and it HURTS! Ibuprofen works for a few minutes and then the throbbing, "just wanna shove my head under a pillow and cry" pain comes back.

So I'm not really in the happy go lucky blogging mood. So I'll just share a random thing for the day and you can comment and let me know your thoughts on it.

I've Joined The Cult.

I Just Bought The Book "Twilight".

Okay, go ahead and start commenting!

Getting To Know You is FUN!

2009-03-23T09:02:00.000-07:00

One more thing for today...

I found this and signed up to take part in it...YOU SHOULD TOO!

A GREAT way to make new bloggy friends! Thanks to Lynnette from Dancing Barefoot on Weathered Ground for putting it on!

A Great Green Site!

2009-03-23T07:41:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago on my fitness blog I posted about a coupon site that provides coupons for a healthier you. I really do enjoy this site and still am using it.

Then a few days ago I was approached by another company that had seen my post and wanted me to be aware of their company and that they too provide "green coupons."

After spending some time on the SustainLane site, I knew I had to share with you all (and no I'm not being paid for this!). I am a "chewy" kind of mom. (Thanks to this blogger for making me aware of that!) So a site like SustainLane is really exciting for me because it is always nice to find new ways to go green and get healthier.

The site offers lots and lots of information from their homepage, but I wanted to point out two sections that I, as a mom, found the most exciting.

Green Saver Discount Coupons - with lots of catagories to choose from, including: Clothing, Home & Garden, Skin & Body Care, Baby, Pets, Food & Drink!

AND

Gorilla in the Greenhouse FOR KIDS! - a site for kids with cartoon episodes, activities, a blog and more to teach kids about the importance of going green!

I hope you all will check it out. Sign up for the site to receive their newsletter & to write reviews on the products (FREE!), and come back here to let me know what you think!

So They All Rolled Over & One (almost) Fell Out

2009-03-21T06:58:00.000-07:00

Have you ever woken up hanging onto the side of your bed for dear life. Afraid if you make one more movement towards the edge of the bed you are going to crash onto the hardwood floor. Risk knocking over your nightstand, and end up with a lamp being smashed to pieces on top of your head? Well..that's exactly what happened to me last night.

My husband is an awesome dad. So awesome, in fact, that he has trouble saying no. I am a very sound sleeper and hear nothing in the middle of the night. Unless our dog is raising all kinds of hell because hes seen a raccoon or deer in our yard, then I tend to jump right up out of a deep sleep. But otherwise, I hear nothing. So when out kids sneak into our room at night asking to sleep with us..I miss out on that whole conversation. I have a feeling it goes like this:

"Daddy, can I ..."

"Go ahead and get into to bed."

Yes, my husband is a sucker when it comes to sweet sleepy voices. (I assume.)

So back to why I was hanging on for dear life. I woke up at 4am, with a major backache, clinging to the edge of my bed, and no pillow under my head. I started to roll over and got a bony elbow right in the boob. I tried to push that little pile of bones (Twinkletoes) over to get some room and ended up bumping right into SB. I then started pushing on him to get him to roll over, only to find out that Punk was on the other side of him!

I was a bit irritated by all of this. I don't like my kids sleeping in my bed, unless they are sick. Then, I don't mind having them close. But otherwise, they have their own beds..they need to SLEEP IN THEM!

When SB finally got out of bed around 6:30 to head off to work the three of us remaining were able to stretch out a little. (I only have a queen-sized bed and am seriously considering upgrading to a king after our night last night.)

But anyway...back to the story.

So, I woke up about an hour later, and immediately called SB on his cell to let him know that I was NOT pleased that he allowed BOTH kids sleep with us. I need my rest!! And I have a bad back!! I can't sleep squished up like I did.. ANYMORE!

Turns out..it was all MY fault. Well he didn't say that, but after hearing WHY they came and got into bed I realized, "Oops". They were scared because their rooms were too dark. We have an angel nightlight on our bathroom vanity that gives off a pretty nice glow and if I leave all the doors open..well they get a soft light shining into their rooms. Yesterday I had unplugged it to plug in my blow dryer and flat iron and..forgot to plug back in that darn light.

So when the kids came in complaining about being scared of the dark, SB DID in fact try to get them back to bed, and plugged the nightlight back in. But it was too late. They were upset and it was just easier for ~~the pushover~~ him to let them sleep with us.

So I'm now recovering from a miserable night of sleep. I'm on my 8th cup of coffee, have taken 4 ibuprofen and am waiting for nap time. Oh that's right..I don't get to nap!

I'm Here For The Party!!

2009-03-20T04:46:00.001-07:00

If you're not aware...it's Blog Party '09 time!!! I've actually taken part in past Blog Parties, when I blogged under another name, but this is a first for Kitchen Table Parenting.

Isn't it exciting! We can win prizes! We can get to know new bloggers. It's so fun!! I know that I have found a couple of my favorite bloggers through past parties and I am excited to add new ones to my sidebar after this year's event.

So...WELCOME! Take a seat at my kitchen table and lets chat!

I have snacks..

Savory Party Bread

Pumpkin Seeds

I have pizza:

Herbed Parmesan Pizza Dough

Red & White Sauce

I have dessert:

Sauteed Strawberries

For the kiddies:

Sugar-Free Gummi Worms

After you've indulged in all of my snacks...let me refer you over to my Fitness Blog so you can learn how to best work off those calories and maybe..if you take the step..make some money while you're at it!

No party is complete without a great discussion, right? So go here to put your two cents in about a new "friend" that is about to debut for our children.

I want to thank you for stopping by..dont forget to join the party at 5 Minutes For Mom for your chance to make new friends and win some prizes!

Feel free to hang out as long as you like, and leave me comments! I will definitely respond and keep the conversation going!

Just wanted to add in my prize preferences as I totally forgot to do it this morning!

The following are my top choices in order of preference..if I win and all are "taken"..then whatever I receive will be fantasic and I will absolutely LOVE, I am sure of it! All the prizes listed sound GREAT!!

1. 58 – Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer
Provided by: Moms Who Think
Prize details: From Amish Friendship Bread to Decadent Cheesecake and all the meals in between dessert, Moms Who Think has recipes you’ll love. We would like to donate a Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer to help make one lucky winner’s home cooking even easier. (winner’s choice of color, $349.99 retail value)

2. 119 — 2 Life journals (one for you, one for a friend) to guide Bible reading and study
Provided by: Mom’s Toolbox
Prize details: These Life journals will guide you (and a friend) through the SOAP method of journaling your way through the Bible in a year, or whatever time frame you choose. On April 18-19 I will be cycling from Houston to Austin in the BP MS 150 to raise awareness and funds for Multiple Sclerosis. Want to support my ride or learn more about why I am riding?

3. 49 – Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred DVD and The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook: Budget Friendly Meals Your Whole Family Will Love
Provided by: Pudget: Losing Weight On A Budget
Prize details: These two great tools will help you during any phase of your weight loss journey.

4. 68 – $30 gift certificate to Christian Book Distributors
Provided by: A High And Noble Calling
Prize details: A High And Noble Calling would like to encourage you in your role as a wife, mother, and homemaker by donating one $30 Gift Certificate to Christian Book Distributors for you to enjoy.

5. 80 – Crocheted Fat Bottom Bag
Provided by: Biz from Happily Thinner After
Prize Details: 1 (one) Fat Bottom Bag - Hand made (crocheted) in the color of choice and lined - value $50.

6. Any of the Target gift cards!

Take Me Out To The Ball Game..

2009-03-19T09:23:00.000-07:00

Punk is starting t-ball this year. He is so excited and has been out every warm day this week practicing throwing and catching with SB. It's so funny watching him pick up on his dad's way of talking.

"Hey Dad, that had some 'gas' on it didn't it!?"

So cute!

We got the call earlier this week from his coach letting us know that practice starts Monday and that he was to go in on Wednesday(yesterday) to get fitted for his shirt. We were also informed that SB would get to be the assistant coach, and let me tell you that was so exciting for me!

I really want us to be active in our kids activities. Not just become the parents that drop off our kid and show back up at the end to take them home. So by SB getting to be assistant coach, I know that we are off to a great start in supporting Punk and letting him know we are there for him ALL THE WAY!

Anyway, last night Punk and SB took off to go get sized for shirts and Punk had the BIGGEST SMILE on his face. He looked so grown up it about broke my heart. After about an hour or so and they hadn't shown back up, I started to get a bit concerned and called SB on his cell.

Me: "Where are you?"

SB: "Oh, we had to go to the other sports store to get his pants & socks because the other place didn't have his size."

Me: "I didn't know you were getting that stuff today?"

SB: "Yeah..well..Punk can be pretty persuasive."

(tell me about it!)

So they finally get home and Punk starts pulling his purchases out of his bag. Out comes black pants and red socks.

Me: "His colors are black and red?"

SB: "Yep..lucky boy!"

Me: "Lucky MOMMY..I wont have to worry about buying stock in "Spray & Wash" to keep his pants white!"

Let me just add that Punk's FAVORITE colors are black & red. If he had his way we'd paint our house black.

So, he is happy, I am happy. Let's PLAY BALL!

Twinkletoes' & Mommy's Vlog Debut!

2009-03-18T06:44:00.000-07:00

I Think She's CUTE!

2009-03-17T05:29:00.000-07:00

So apparently an older version of Dora is set to release later this year. This way our daughters (and sons) who adore Dora can have her "grow" with them. As much as my kids love Dora, (Punk has kind of turned his back on her now that he's 5!) it saddens me to think that this little girl, who annoyed me to no end at first but whom I now love, would stop being a part of their childhood once they "outgrow" her. So for me, this new Dora is exciting and I can't wait to see how they market her and how she will become a part of our family.

But unfortunately, there are lots of moms out there who are in an uproar. They think that Mattel & Nickelodeon have "sexed" Dora up. I don't see it. I think this new version of Dora looks about like any other regular little girl as she grows up. Becoming aware of fashion, and wanting to try it out for herself.

Take a look at this pic and let me know what you think. When you are done here, you should go read the article that brought all of this to my attention.

A Good Day Turned Bad

2009-03-16T07:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a lovely/awful day. I woke up early with my kids as always and immediately started getting ready for church. I recently have recommitted to finding the right church for us so that I can continue my spiritual growth and raise my children up to love Jesus. SB informed me on the way out the door to head to work (that's right, my husband works on weekends..the OT is SO worth it!) that Punk had been up very early coughing and decided to head back to bed because he didn't feel well. I was concerned for him, but pretty upset. This meant that my goal to try a new church was squashed. I still went ahead and showered and got dressed "just in case".

At 9am, I called my mom, who had intended to join the kids and I on our new church adventure, and told her that unfortunately, it looked like I had to stay home. Once she found out that I was dressed she told me that since she hadn't started to get ready yet, she would come stay with the kids and I could go check it out and let her know if it was worth it to go back next week.

Let me just say, I was SO thankful for this and when she showed up at 10:15 I headed out on my merry way to attend the 10:30 service. It was WONDERFUL! This church does an amazing job at acknowledging visitors. They provide a packet of information on their church and after the service invite visitors to go to a reception in the church office where the Associate Pastor waits for you and answers all of your questions. (You even get coffee, doughnuts, and a coffee mug filled with Hershey Kisses to keep!)

Not to say I was swayed by the gift, but the other churches I had tried out last fall did NOTHING to acknowledge visitors. I had even filled out the visitor cards requesting more information and never received so much as a phone call! So THIS was JUST what I needed to feel comfortable and welcome.

I returned home so excited to share with my mom that not only did this church make me feel welcome, but the sermon was AWESOME, the people were friendly, and there were plenty of young families (which was majorly important for me since I have all these kids!). We then headed outside since it was warm and sunny and spent the rest of the afternoon walking around my yard checking out what plants were popping up. (This is my family's first spring in our new house so it's going to be surprise to see what landscaping we have.) Later, we decided to sit on the front porch to chat.

It was then that I started to get a few whiffs of natural gas. At first I just ignored it because I thought I was just smelling things, but then my husband came home and I asked him if he could smell it. He said no, but he had smelt it a few days before, but didn't think anything of it. My mom then said she could smell it and SB went to check the basement where the meter is and said there was an odor down there.

CRAP!!!!

So we proceeded to call the gas company's emergency line and they sent a technician out right away. Turns out our entire gas line from the street to our house needed replaced, as well as our meter. The man informed us that yes they would have to dig in our yard, but promised that it would be a small line dug and by the time they left we'd barely notice they had been there.

We spent the night without heat and hot water because of course they turned everything off, and awoke this morning a bit chilly, but otherwise okay and ready to have this mess taken care of.

About an hour ago the gas company showed up. With. A. BACKHOE!!

I now have a totally dug up yard, dirt ground into my carpet because they have to keep coming in to check things out in the basement. And a crying 3 year old because she is positive that the backhoe is going to crash through our house.

Fun times. Let me tell ya!

The Cat Says Moo

2009-03-14T05:00:00.000-07:00

So we're sitting at the KITCHEN TABLE yesterday morning and the kids were eating their cereal. With milk. Which to some of you may seem like "Okay, so...?" But my kids NEVER want milk in their cereal. They prefer it "dry".

But yesterday they wanted milk, so of course I was more than happy to oblige.

After finishing off his cereal. Punk was "drinking" the milk with his spoon and randomly yelled out "YUM! COW MILK!"

I looked up, laughed out loud and said, "Yeah..that's where milk comes from."

He replied, "No, it ain't." To which I laughed out loud again, because seriously? Ain't? Where did he learn that? That word most definitely is not in my vocabulary. Maybe he's heard his dad say it? I dont know. But so random!

Twinkletoes was in the process of putting her empty bowl in the kitchen and comes back to the table just a chuckling like she heard the funniest joke. I looked at her with that "what's so funny" look on my face and she squeaks out between giggles, "Milk don't come from cows! *hee hee* Milk comes from CATS!"

So I then proceeded to spend the next 15 minutes explaining to Punk that "ain't ain't a word and we ain't gonna say it"...and to Twinkletoes...well I tried explaining that yes, some milk comes from cats but the milk WE drink comes from cows. She continued to giggle. I think she thinks I was kidding. Maybe I need to start looking into preschools, because apparently, I "ain't" doing such a hot job of home preschooling these kids on my own!

Okay Lord, You Have My Attention

2009-03-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

I've been needing to make some changes in my life. Nothing major...well something very major. But what I mean is nothing like moving or divorcing my husband! ;)

What I mean is I've been needing to refocus on my faith. I am a Christian. I love Jesus and I know that through him I have received Grace.

But I have not been very faithful to him. I have only been praying when I needed something, or when I remembered. Not good. I haven't been going to church because we have had reasons to search for a new one. Unfortunately, I have been using the "we're looking for a new church" excuse for over a year.

I need to refocus on Him. I need to get back to church. I need to trust.

Thanks to an amazing blogger that I have recently come across, my heart has been spoken to. I spent a couple of hours yesterday reading her blog and sobbing. Yes, her story is sad. Very sad. She has experienced more sadness than any one person should ever have to encounter. But yet she still trusts in Him. She still is reaching out to so many others when even the best of us may have turned inward and shut others out. I am in awe of her.

But the thing is. When I was reading her multiple posts. And like I said, sobbing. My heart was being spoken to. He was telling me that sure, she has great faith, but there is nothing stopping me from having that same kind of faith too. Except me. I'm holding myself back. He is there waiting for me. He has always been there. And I have not been meeting him in the quiet. Heck, I haven't been meeting him nearly enough in any situation.

So Lord, I am here now.

And for those of you wanting to know who this lovely blogger is. Just click on the box below. And make sure to have plenty of tissues available.

Sick Days. Then & Now.

2009-03-12T07:29:00.000-07:00

I have been sick now for almost 2 weeks. I thought I was getting better, but now I think I am having a relapse. I think I have an infected vocal cord. Or maybe not. But that's just how it feels. Every time I cough there is a searing pain in one part of my throat. My voice is weakened. So I am trying not to talk. If you know me, you'll understand that this is virtually impossible. I love to talk. And I also have 3 kids, and a dog whom I have to yell at about 1000 times a day. So lets just say, it's been a long morning..already.

It's hard to get your point across when one child is beating on the other, or the dog is biting off their socks when all you can do is whisper (in a stern tone) "knock it off or you will sit in time out (go in your kennel)".

I wish I had a whistle.

So today we are just trying to survive. Or I am at least. I've decided to take a sick day and not do anything around here. Well I'll still dress & bathe the kids, make the meals, unload & load the dishwasher, take out that trash...but that's it. I swear. Toys all over the house, so be it. Beds unmade, oh well. Momma is sick and I need to rest.

Makes me wish I wouldn't have taken sick days as a kid for granted. When all I was expected to do was lie on my grandma's couch, get waited on and watch how ever many cartoons I wanted. And nap. Oh how I wish I'd have taken advantage of naps when I was able to take them!

In other news, I wrote a pretty great blog (if I do say so myself) about my choice to workout using the Beachbody programs on my other blog. If you're not in a rush, go check it out!

The Day I Killed My Blog Before It Ever Got Started

2009-03-11T10:47:00.000-07:00

Today is one of those "beautifully deceiving" days. I got up this morning, and knew it was going to be chilly..but as the day stretched on and the sun began to shine, I started to get excited. It was going to be warm, AGAIN! I had visions of opening the windows, taking the kids outside, sitting on the porch, playing Simon Says, pushing the kids on the swing set, you get the idea...

But no.

It's cold.

And windy.

Which makes it feel colder.

This stinks.

So instead we're spending the day inside. The kids are sick. Ducky puked all over the kitchen floor and then went and got a dish towel out of the drawer and attempted to clean it up all by her little 18 month old self. It was cute. But not that cute.

I'm bored. They're bored. Now I am sure YOU are bored after having to read this. Hopefully tomorrow will be better. This isn't a great start for the new blog. But what can I say. Its cold. We're trapped in the house. I'm bored. So why shouldn't you be too?

Welcome To The New Edition!

2009-03-05T07:46:00.000-08:00

So let me do a quick intro to my new "mommy" blog edition to the "Kitchen Table" name. If your looking for fitness info, advice, or coaching information you're at the wrong place..you need to go visit my Kitchen Table Fitness blog.

That being said, let me introduce the "crazies" you'll find featured on this blog. There's me, Jen, the mom. SB, the husband. Punk, the 5 y/o son. Twinkletoes, the 3 y/o daughter. And last, but not least, Ducky the 1 1/2 y/o daughter. Oh and there's also our shed-crazy dog, Tag.

Stay tuned for the funny, heart-wrenching, wild, adventures of raising 3 kids in a small town in Ohio! Our extended family will make occasional appearances I am sure. They give us enough stories to last multiple lifetimes!

So take a seat at OUR "kitchen table" and let us entertain you!