One Mom's Journey

New Blog

2008-05-20T13:46:00.001-05:00

I've moved. Visit my new blog.

Mindless Entertainment

2008-05-16T16:45:00.008-05:00

This, I am sure, is going to sound crazy to all of you. When I was preggo with little man, I watched the Gilmore Girls.
Things got busy, so I stopped watching somewhere mid season 6. I recently discovered that it is on ABC Family at 5:00 every day. Wouldn't you know it; they were on season 6, so I was able to DVR the show each day and watch it while the kids were napping. I love it and am pretty hooked.

Yesterday's episode ended with the season 6 finale. I tried to tune in at 5:00 today while nursing the princess (hubs had little man outside mowing the lawn), and the whole thing started over at season 1! What happened to season 7??? I need season 7! Don't they know I only have a few more weeks of maternity leave...when it's over I won't have the time to watch the Gilmore Girls. Darn it!

This brings up another point. We starting watching Dexter on CBS. Have you seen this show? The premise is pretty sick and disturbing, but we got hooked (much like the sopranos - you get hooked quickly). Anyway, this show has already aired 2 seasons on showtime. We just watched the season 1 finale and now I need more. Knowing more is out there is driving me nuts!

I am considering canceling HBO and signing up for Net Flix. Then I can rent Gilmore Girls season 7 and Dexter season 2. Notice, if you will, these two shows could not be any more different. How can I possibly need to see both?

From all of this, you can gather that I am a television junkie. However, I'm not all about television. I also love to read, but I am really a beach read kinda girl. I like mindless books that I can lose myself in and not think.

I just picked up The Second Nine Months by Vicki Glembocki, which was a suggested reading from the Blog Mamma herself. I started it yesterday and am already 3/4 of the way through. It's a great book. There are a lot of parts that I can totally empathize with her. Like the way other babies are sleeping through the night and yours is the only one not sleeping through the night. This happened with Little man, although the Hubs swore that the other mommies were lying through their teeth. Who knows! Anyway, it's a great book. Pick it up if you want to relive some old memories!

Monthly Photos

2008-05-15T12:17:00.002-05:00

When Little Man was an infant, I had his photo taken on the 24th of each month. It started when I lived near a Picture People. I got my free sitting fee and free 8 x 10 and walked out the door without buying a thing - yes, I am that cheap! That changed when we moved to the backwoods of NH. The nearest Picture People is over 1 hour away, so that was out. I started taking him to Wal Mart and getting their cheap packages. It turned out okay b/c grandparents got pictures. Between 12-18 months he started getting the wiggles at each picture. By 18 months, it was a photo by luck, so I stopped.

Now that the Princess is here I had to make a decision. Do I get her photo taken each month or skip it? I made the decision to skip it. Then, my Mom got to me with, "what are you going to tell her when she gets older and wants to know why there are pictures of Little Man each month and not her?" Okay, good point. She had a 1 month photo taken and she went in yesterday for her 2 month. She's 2 months old! Time flew by!

I am not the scrapbooking type (but I do appreciate the hard work and beauty of others' books), but someday I would really like to put all of Little Man's in one book and all of Princess's in another. Looking back at Little Man's it really is neat to see the monthly growth. I'm glad I did it and happy that I made the decision to do it with Princess.

Words to Ponder

2008-05-15T12:16:00.001-05:00

1 Peter 5:6
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.

Support

2008-05-14T08:26:00.003-05:00

Aside from the comments on my blog, we have had tremendous support in our personal lives. Without the support of our family and friends, it would be a difficult cross to bear.
Here on some of the kind words sent to us:

From a 2 time cancer survivor and all around awesome lady:
Sometimes God has a mysterious way of tell us something.
Sometimes we get handed something that we can’t figure out what the purpose is for.
Sometimes, when life is going impeccably well- BAMN, something comes to “throw a wrench” into the mix.
I haven’t stopped thinking of you two… and my mind is spinning, and my heart is so very heavy. I can say I’m strong, you can too… but reality is… I haven’t been strong this past day- for I’m sad, scared, worried & questioning the “whys” of life. Why again, why you guys, why now?
As we know- we can go around & around in circles & wont ever have the answers.
I’ll tell you a secret. I think of my cancer daily. Not a day goes by that somehow it doesn’t cross my mind. Whether for good reasons of feeling super, & kicking the C in the butt… or for worrisome “will it return for a 3^rd time” thoughts, what if it does, etc. Many people would think I’m nuts for allowing it to cross my mind daily. Its not always consuming, just a brief thought as I say my prayers, or something will remind me, etc.
But then … reality kicks in… and someone I know get diagnosed, or REdiganosed… and it kicks me to think of everything all in a different light. I can firmly say, for the first time in my 6 years of dealing or being a survivor… that I’m confidant if I were to be rediagnosed I would have the most support I’ve ever felt in my life. we have found people like you guys, the Whi&&*$% etc. who light our lives. Sometimes- tough times are a reminder of the spot you’re in within life, and the support that embraces you as a family.
Know there isn’t much I can help w/… I know I can’t take the worry or anger away… but PLEASE know w/ all my heart I am thinking of you daily & wishing there’s something, somehow, I could do to “make it better”. Im sure Timmy would reach for a Bob the Builder band-aid if he knew you were “hurting”.
We love you guys… cherish you in our lives far more than you can imagine… and are here for every ounce of support possible. PLEASE if there’s anything you need help w/, or would like a hand in… please do not hesitate… we’re here!!!
With love, thoughts & prayers… be strong… you got this!!!

Her equally fabulous husband:
There is no way for me to put into words what J just did so eloquently. For I believe that only those who have physically gone through what you and J have can express emotionally what each of you feel from your own personal experiences. Those of us who are husbands, wives, family and friends of you (both) can give all the support necessary to help, encourage and do whatever you may need to get through this. But still, cannot feel what you or others feel because it's not actually happening inside of us.
I want to reiterate what my amazing wife has and tell you two (actually 4)that we're here for you for whatever you all may need. We're glad that you have so much family and many friends around for your support, strength, a good laugh, a good beer, or just a few minutes to be there for you in the times you need someone.

From one of my best Friends:
I imagine it was a horrible day!
I am sure it has to be so frustrating. There is nothing one can say to make the fear go away or relieve that stress. Just have to wonder what the Lord is trying to do in all this.
I will continue to pray for you and T. I know this is quite trying on both of you. I will pray that God will help to give you the answers you need each day. If you are anything like me...it is the contant questions in my mind..."what if_____?" or "what will I do when____?" You know those questions never end....because the possibilities are endless. So, I pray that you will let your mind rest knowing that God has got you! And He will provide you with the questions and answers at just the right time. Focus on loving your husband and your two beautiful babies. God has the rest my friend!!!!

Overnight

2008-05-14T08:17:00.003-05:00

It was a rough night. I got a few hours of sleep, but I spent the night worrying and praying. My first worry was putting Princess down for the night. After her cousin's episode yesterday, I was so afraid to put her down. I ended up checking on her several times throughout the night.

I also spent time thinking about the Hubs and praying that he doesn't need to go through treatment again. It would be very hard on him and hard on Little Man. I don't want either of them to go through that.

My heart is heavy today, but I keep praying that the Lord will lighten my heart.

Verse of the Day:
Matthew 6:34
"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Clearly, I need to take one day at a time and not let my mind wander to places it should not go.

A Day not worth Repeating

2008-05-13T17:08:00.003-05:00

My phone rang at 6:00am, which is never a good sign. The hubs called me on his way to work. His brother, who works for him, called him to say our 14 week old niece had stopped breathing and an ambulance was on the way to their house. I got that info and waited 20 minutes for an update. those were the longest 20 minutes ever spent. I don't think there has been a time where I have cried so hard or prayed so much. My mind was going places I didn't want it to go; I was scared out of my mind.
At 6:20 I got a call that said she was breathing again, but on her way to the hospital. At 7:30, I got a call that said they were going to keep her overnight to run some tests. I made the decision to go to the hospital to see how things were going. By the time I got there, she was being sent home. All the tests they had run came back normal. They think it was acid reflux that startled the vocal chords and stopped her breathing. So frightening!

At 1:15 this afternoon the hubs called me again. The mole they cut off his leg last week was Melanoma. For those of you keeping track, that's his 4th Melanoma. The first 2 went into his lymph system and caused him to go through a year's worth of chemo type treatment. The 3rd, this past Thanksgiving, was only on the surface and not a worry. This one is a little deeper. They are concerned that it might have traveled into his lymph system again, so are scheduling a surgery to find out.

I am beside myself with the way this day has turned out. Try as I might, I can not figure out why this keeps happening to him. The hubs is pretty torn up about it and I'm not doing so well myself. I've leaned on God today more than ever. I do believe, he is carrying me right now.

Work

2008-05-12T15:26:00.002-05:00

I returned to work when the Princess was 6 weeks and 1 day old. I started back at 1 day per week. When she's 12 weeks old, I will go back full-time. It was actually pretty easy to go to work, but probably because I knew the Hubs was going to be home with them all day.

It was quiet, no one works in the office on the weekends, so I got a full 8 hours of work done. I came home and asked the Hubs how it went and if he had a new appreciation for a stay-at-home mom. As I was doing the dishes from the day, putting the laundry in and cleaning the floor, he said to me, "It wasn't that hard." Really??? In my head I threw the soap wand from the sink at him and hit him square in the nose.

The following weekend proved to be more difficult for him. I stopped off for grocery shopping before I came home. He called me while I was in the store and while I was on my way home from the store. Perhaps the Cinco de Mayo flu hit him hard and he wasn't up to a full day of daddying.

Then, this weekend. The Princess decided she didn't want a bottle any longer. That's right, no more bottle for her - she is, after all, a princess and what she says goes. I got to work and was there for an hour when the phone call came through. What am I going to do with her if she won't take a bottle? How am I supposed to go back to work full-time (and I can't afford not to)? This is not a good thing. After trying 3 different bottles/nipples, she finally took one yesterday. Will it last? I don't know, but we will try again tonight when Daddy gets home.

Missing

2008-05-12T13:41:00.002-05:00

I haven't posted in quite some time. The truth of the matter is, someone questioned my faith because of something I wrote. Quite frankly, it upset me and I haven't wanted to write anything since then. The hubs came up with the name of my blog. I told him I didn't think it was a good idea because I wouldn't be free to say what I was really thinking without people judging me. It took over a year, but it happened. Someone judged me.

I am thinking of two things:
1) starting over with a whole new blog, but I can't come up with a title.
2) stopping all together.

Stay tuned for what happens.

In the meantime, here is a pic of Little Man and the Princess from this morning.

Economic Stimulus

2008-04-29T16:29:00.002-05:00

We decided to do our part to stimulate the economy. Our plan, we when heard about the check we would be getting was to put it in the bank to help pay for our astronomical property taxes ("live free or die" my tushie). I started the ball in motion when I suggested we buy a new couch with the money. Then I made the comment , "have you noticed every house on our street with kids has a swing set but us?" while driving home one day. Less than a week later the decision was made to buy the kids a swing set. Maybe we are "keeping up with the Jones's," and I am okay with that!

Here's the one we bought. The kids will enjoy it and I will enjoy sitting in the sun watching them play - perhaps with a nice glass of lemonade (spiked with vanilla vodka).

Potty Training and Pull Ups

2008-04-29T09:08:00.003-05:00

It's Shaping up to be a crappy day.

Timmy has had 3 pee-pee accidents and it's not even 10:00am. The last one was a doozie; it was the kind that runs down the legs, gets the socks wet and leaves a puddle on the floor - which led to him walking to the bathroom in his wet socks on my hardwood floor. He took off his undies and pants, then I instructed him to go get new underwear upstairs. He didn't take his socks off, so the wet trail went all the way upstairs.

I was on my hands and knees cleaning the floor, when I got to the bathroom I found the pile of clothes. I took a break from cleaning the floor to take the clothes to the laundry. There was a load ready for the dryer, so I decided to throw that in. I opened the washing machine to switch it over to discover I washed a pull-up! Have you ever done this? All the gel that absorbs the pee was on every inch of every item of clothing in the wash...ARGHHHHH!!!!

What the F am I supposed to do with that?

Before I can figure that out, I need to clean each stair on the stair case and the hall leading to his room.

Anyone want to trade lives with me for the morning?

Underwear

2008-04-23T17:36:00.003-05:00

We are still in the very long process of toilet training Little Man. We have tried so many things, but now we are taking a more laid back approach. Instead of getting annoyed with accidents (which, by the way, after 6 months is very difficult a task), we are laid back. We typically say, "That's okay. Accidents happen," then enlist his help in the clean up. Because of this new approach, I have taken to putting extra underwear and pants in the vanity drawer of the bathroom we use most during the day.

Today, whilst folding laundry at the counter in the kitchen, I asked Little Man to put a pair of his underwear in the drawer in the bathroom next to his pants. I had a partial view of the bathroom. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him open the bathroom door and throw his underwear inside. I then repeated my directions.

Me: "Little Man, go pick up the underwear and put them in the drawer in the bathroom. Put them next to your pants, please."
Little Man: "They aren't in here, Mommy."
Me: "What do you mean they aren't in there?"
Little Man: "They aren't in here, Mommy."
Me: "Where are they?"
Little Man: "They in the toilet."
Me: "How did that happen?"
Little Man: "I not know. Maybe they like a rocket and shot in there."

Fabulous! If nothing else, he adds humor to my day with his imagination and ability to divert blame elsewhere.

A Find Worthy of the Princess

2008-04-23T13:50:00.004-05:00

I'm so excited about a recent purchase. I have checked out Etsy.com, but have not had a reason to buy anything up until this point. I was searching Etsy a couple of days ago for headbands for Princess. I have never been a huge fan of headbands, but I really think Princess needs something to liven up the area. Not only did I find what I was looking for, I found more than I intended to buy. I got 2 baby bands and an extra bow! Here is one of the baby bands I bought.

When they arrive, I will post pics of Princess wearing them.

The creator of these fine baby bands, who calls herself a Mommyprenuer, was a full-time career woman who left it all behind to be a wife and mother. With the help of her family, she has created a great business. Visit her Etsy Shop gibbygator and her website Rainbow Sherbet Boutique.

I love that I bought something adorable for Princess, but I also love that I bought it from a mom that was able to make staying at home with her children work for her!

Sleep

2008-04-23T13:21:00.002-05:00

Oh how I long for a wee bit of sleep. Just a few short weeks ago I thought to myself, "this isn't so bad. I can handle this." Fast forward 5.5 weeks into Princess's life and the lack of sleep has caught up with me. I am beyond exhausted and feel as though I am walking through my days in a haze. Just 2 short nights ago, Princess woke crying in the middle of the night just 45 minutes after I put her down - I cried too.

Sleep, please be with me soon!

Bloggy Giveaway

2008-04-17T08:19:00.002-05:00

Rebecca, the queen of BlogMommas, is giving away some bloggy goodness! She found an uplifting Dance Game and just so happens to have an extra one. Stop by Blog Mommas to check it out and enter to win! While your there, stick around and check out her site!

Martini

2008-04-17T07:38:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was quite a day. Little Man was scheduled to have his 3 year old picture taken (I'm only 3 weeks late...pretty good in my mind) in the next town over. Because we were going over there, I decided to run by daycare. I wanted to grab an enrollment packet for Princess and let Little Man say hi to his teachers and friends. This did not go over so well. He hid behind my legs the whole time, letting go briefly to give his teacher a hug. I tried to reassure him that he was not staying, but he was still not letting go of me. He wouldn't say one word to any of his friends. Given the past month with him, it was only slightly heart-wrenching.

We stayed for only a couple of minutes, then went on for picture taking. He was a very good boy and we got several good choices for the package deal. Princess, however, was another story. I nursed her before we left and she should have napped. A 30 minute drive didn't lull her to sleep, so she was awake the whole time. By the end of the photo session, she was screaming. It was very unpleasant. (The only good thing about the experience was that it was in Kmart and I was able to get 12 month sleepers and turtle necks for Princess for next winter.)

We had a 15 minute drive home and it was almost lunch time, so I decided to stop in at the golden arches to get lunch for Little Man - he was so good for his pictures, I thought a treat would be nice...and thus began the downfall of the day. The meal was too hot to eat in the car, which did not go over well. Then, when we got home I requested that he use the bathroom before eating. That didn't go over well either. I was met with a lot of "NO" and crying and carrying on. It was really quite pathetic. This lasted from 12:00 right through to 1:00, when I was thrilled to put him down for his nap.

Upon putting him down for his nap, I requested that he sleep away his crankies. He slept, but his crankies didn't go away. He cried and carried on for the rest of the afternoon right on through to when the Hubs got home. Hubs thought I might be exaggerating and responding to Little Man in a way that showed how little sleep I got the night before. After just an hour of dealing with Little Man, the Hubs was ready to go insane!

Last night was a night for Wednesday Night Dinner, which means a night of slight indulgence. Because that's the case, I went in search of a drink (only 2 hours before our dinner guests arrived, but still after 5:00). I made myself a grape martini and it was delicious. If I weren't more held together than I am, I would have had that grape martini at 1:00, then kept having them right on through Wednesday Night Dinner.

Household Power Item

2008-04-15T18:30:00.003-05:00

If there is one item I can't live without when it comes to babies, it's OxiClean. I'm telling you, this is one powerful cleanser. Princess Pooper struck in a big way in the middle of the night. It was an explosion that all moms can relate to. It went out the sides and up her back. It soaked through the onesie, through the nightgown and through the blanket sleeper.

There is not another stain remover out there that I have used that can get out breast milk poop. I have tried it all. A friend of mine recommended soaking the soiled items in water and OxiClean, so I figured what the heck? I tried it and she was right. The stains come out. Thank goodness my inner-blonde was smart enough to remind me to get a new tub before the princess made her arrival!

Thank You Notes

2008-04-15T17:39:00.002-05:00

I was raised by a Mom who knew the importance and value in a Thank you Cards. She drilled the need for writing them into me, that it is now second nature for me. Not only is it second nature, but I have started drilling it into Little Man. He knows that not only do we say thank you when someone gives us a present, but we send them a card too.

Thank you notes are for more than just weddings. Thank you notes are for wedding showers, baby showers, house warming gifts, birthday gifts, new baby gifts, anniversary gifts and holiday gifts. Thank you notes are also for little things like dinner parties, summer pool parties, wine tastings and being an overnight guest in someone's home. These are just a few. Think of all the things you would like to be appreciated for in your life, then you will have your list appropriate occasions for a thank you note. People like to be appreciated, no matter how small the gesture.

When I write thank you notes, not only from me, but from my children I always do more than thank them for the particular item. I think it's important to tell them if you have already used/played with it and how much fun/useful it was. I also like to thank them for attending the event or for thinking of us/me. I try to make each note as personal as I can. For instance, If it is for family that we only see a couple of times per year, I always mention that I/we are looking forward to our visit.

There's no need to hand pick each individual thank you card you write. There are internet sources for packages of cards that will be perfect for what you need. CardsDirect.com is a great online source for packaged cards. Think it's just for corporate thank you notes? Think again. Check out the card to left - perfect for your kids' next thank you note.

I love this card because it can come from kids. Given that my life lately has been all about Little Man's third birthday thank you notes or Princess's birth thank you notes, I have found the perfect thank you card for both of them.

This is a sponsored post.

Try it Tuesday

2008-04-15T09:41:00.006-05:00

Lemon and Garlic Chicken with Roasted Veggies and Yogurt Sauce
This has a Greek name, but I dare not type it for fear of horrible misspelling! My recipe is a modification of a recipe I found in Cooking Light magazine many years ago. It's a staple in our house.

Ingredients
Chicken Tenders
Veggies for roasting - whatever you like. We use zucchini, summer squash, mushroom, red peppers and onions.
3 Lemons
1 Cucumber
1 Head of garlic
Olive Oil
Oregano
Salt and Pepper
1 Large container plain fat free yogurt.

At least the day before:
Strain your yogurt in a cheese cloth over a colander and bowl (to catch the drippings). I like to leave a good 24 hours for straining. If you don't have cheese cloth, you can use coffee filters or even a thick paper towel. Save the yogurt container in the refrigerator to mix and store the sauce the following day.
If you have Greek Yogurt available, you can skip this whole step and just use that. It's much thicker and will stand up to the ingredients that make the sauce.

Day of meal
Sauce Chop whole head of garlic for marinade and yogurt sauce. I do this in a mini food processor to make my job a little easier. Reserve 3 teaspoons of chopped garlic for yogurt sauce. Add three teaspoons of chopped garlic to saved yogurt container. Put remaining garlic in marinade. Peel and seed the cucumber. Chop the cucumber finely (I coarsely chop it and add it to my food processor. Add this finely chopped cucumber to the yogurt container. Zest one lemon and add it to the yogurt container. Squeeze the zested lemon into the container, then add the strained yogurt. Add a dash of salt. Do this the morning of the meal, if time allows. It will give the sauce more time to develop its flavors.

Marinate the Chicken.
In a food storage bag, squeeze two whole lemons and toss in the lemon halves. Add all but 3 teaspoons of chopped garlic, a few tablespoons of olive oil, a dash of salt and fresh ground pepper to the bag. Add water to the marinade to make it go further. Then add the chicken tenders. You should marinate for at least 4 hours.
When ready to cook, pull chicken out of marinade and discard marinade.
Add a small amount of olive oil to a skillet. Brown both sides of chicken, then cook thoroughly.

Roast Veggies
Chop veggies into large chunks. Spread evenly on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes. Turning once.

Plate and serve with rice or pita bread. Delish!

In the warmer months, or for those of you blessed enough to live in warm climates, this can be done as kebobs on the grill. If you do it on the grill, add tomatoes - yum!

Diaper Song

2008-04-14T16:58:00.004-05:00

When Little Man was an infant, I made up a diapering song. It came back very naturally with Princess Pooper.

(Sung to the tune of dradle, dradle, dradle)
Diapy, diapy diapy I wear you everyday.
Diapy, diapy, diapy on my bum you will lay.
Diapy, diapy, diapy you keep me oh so dry.
Diapy, diapy, diapy without you I would cry.

She loves it!

The Week That Was

2008-04-13T14:37:00.005-05:00

Last week flew by. Before I realized it, Sunday came along. I love Sundays; they are a day for families.

I spent my week doing many things. I started my week on a very low note. I realized that I didn't like the way Little Man was behaving nor did I like the way I was responding to him. Pretty sure there was a mental post about him driving me nuts. The night I wrote that, during a middle-of-the-night feeding, I prayed. I prayed that the good Lord would wrap His Holy Spirit around my heart and soften it when dealing with Little Man. I asked that He give me the perspective I needed to understand what Little Man is going through.

My prayers were answered. I was a much kinder, softer and gentler Mommy and Little Man was more responsive, well behaved and likable. We had an excellent week together. For me, this begs the question...why didn't I seek the spiritual help I needed sooner? Often times, I find it takes a really low point for me to seek help from God. In this situation, I heard myself talking to Little Man like an outsider would hear me. It wasn't pretty.

Little Man spent the week being snuggly and wanting to be where I was and where Princess was. Every time I put her on the floor, he was right there with her.

It was a big week for the Princess too. She got a bottle for the first time from Daddy (which meant I had to pump, but that's another issue). Once she figured out something was coming from that rubber nipple, she took to it like a champ. I am a firm believer in starting breast fed babies on bottles during their 4th week. I know too many moms that don't and have a hard time when they need to return to work or even leave the house without the baby for a few hours.

In addition to the bottle, she had her first responsive smile. I was singing Skip to My Lou to her and it just popped right up. She followed it with others. Unfortunately, I am the only one around when this happens, so the picture I took is not the best picture, but you get the idea. I'm sure I am biased, but it happens to be one the my favorite smiles ever.

In addition to all of that, we found time to go bowling, go to the recreation center for toddler play time 2 days, go to the library for story time and go for walks each day. It was a good week. It took some time to get into the swing of things, but I think I made a successful week of it.

Tomorrow will start a new week. I hope I can have the same kind of week I had this week.

The Good, The Bad and the Funny...

2008-04-09T14:51:00.000-05:00

Sides to Breast Feeding

The Good
At the beginning of my first pregnancy, I swore I wouldn't breastfeed. I just didn't think it was for me (mostly because I know a lot of boob men and I didn't think of my breasts as a means of nutrition). As time went on, I started to warm up to the idea of nursing. I tried it and managed to nurse Little Man for a year.

When I got pregnant for the second time around, there was no question that I would nurse again. I was so much more relaxed this time around when Princess Pooper latched on for the first time just a few weeks ago. It was so easy for me and I didn't feel the need to seek the advice of a lactation consultant. Oh what a joy it was to not feel that awkwardness I felt with Little Man. To see her latch on right away was pure joy for me.

I know that I will be able to provide what she needs for the first few months of her life. Everything she needs comes from me, and I am the one responsible for her well being and growth. It's a powerful thing and what makes that special bond. (Please don't read into this as me being a breast feeding freak that thinks it's the only and best way to go - I don't think that at all. I think it's a very personal decision and one no one should feel pressured about by anyone.)

Breast feeding burns a ton of calories! Not to mention the severe cotton mouth you get and the desire to drink gallons of water each day - super weight loss aide!

The Bad
I remembered there would be pain involved, but I wasn't prepared for just how much the second time around. After a few days, I could swear blood was being sucked from my right side. Every time she latched on to that side my eyes would well up with tears and my face would contort in pain. I was sheer torture and had me questioning my desire to continue. Oh how easy it would have been to pop a top on the can of formula we have for just-in-case purposes. The only thing that kept me from quiting was the very real fact that formula is insanely expensive and we can't afford it. Truthfully, that is the only reason I stuck it out. Princess Pooper is just over 3 weeks old and the pain stopped a few days ago.

I, alone, can feed her. No one else can get up in the middle of the night and help me. It's just me and her at 2:38am. At 4 weeks she will get her first bottle, but then that begins the pumping and feeling quite like a cow hooked to a machine. I made the mistake of pumping in front of mirror in a hotel room with my last pregnancy - that vision will remain with me forever - it's not a pretty one.

The girls are enormous - like the size of large cantaloupes. Did you know there is a cup size out there bigger than DD? Yeah, me neither until now. The girls have upgraded to F! What the heck? There are no stylish nursing bras out there in that cup size. La Leche makes nursing bras now, and they are quite stylish. The problem, however, is that they don't go beyond D. For an organization so nutty about breast feeding, you'd think they would cater to women with breast of all sizes.

The Funny
The girls are large and require support, so I hold her with one hand and the boppy and I hold one girl with the other hand. If I didn't do this, I am afraid I would suffocate the princess. Anyway, I recently woke about 2:30 for a feeding. I started feeding her by the light of a ladybug night light online. I looked at the clock at about 2:35, then next thing I know it's 3:45. I looked down at her (mind you, with a severe kink in my neck, it was done with difficulty). There she is, mouth open a mere inch from my breast and sound asleep and there I am still clutching to my breast. What a picture it would have made!

The princess cries and I get let down. After several stained shirts, I learned to wear a bra and breast pads at all times. I can not go without - it's just not okay to have 2 large streaks of milk running down my shirt.

It's gonna be a long year of nursing. Will I stick it out???

2008-04-08T09:28:00.003-05:00

Little Man is driving me nuts today. In addition to sending him to his room twice already (and he's only been awake for 3 hours), I am currently listening to him yell, "Come up here!" over and over again in the monitor - whoops...I shut the monitor off, so now it's just a dull yelling I can hear up the stairs and through his door. I have been faced with back talk and not listening all morning.

This begs the question, should I go back to work after 6 short weeks instead of 12? I can't afford to send him to daycare without me going to work. If I could afford it, his little tushie would be there are least 2-3 days per week.

I can't stand the thought to leaving my little one after 6 weeks, so there must be something I can do to make the situation better.

Edited just 5 minutes after I posted to say he came down, we talked about it. I told him we needed to go the library and he should go to the mud room for shoes. He chose not to listen to me again and said, "no" over and over. So now, he is in his room for the third time this morning.

A New Journey

2008-04-06T17:08:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow the adults in our house embark on a new journey. A journey of weight loss. Our journey will be all about counting points (to those unfamiliar will all things diet, that is Weight Watchers - I joined and got an at home kit). We have needed to for some time. Health concerns have plagued us lately and have caused us concern; that should have been reason enough. Anyone that struggles with their weight knows it takes a lot to make us begin that journey - mostly because we have been through it before and gained it all back.

This time, we not only have health concerns on our minds, but we have a wedding to attend in the Grand Cayman about 1 year from now. Shallow? Perhaps, but it is the kick in the bum that we need to make us start. The thing is, we haven't been on a real vacation since our honeymoon. This will be our first vacation in 9 years - I want to look good (not bikini good - cause, let's face it, I've had 2 kids and my stomach doesn't have a lot of elasticity left - no one needs to see that).

I haven't decided if my blog will play a role in our journey. If it does, it would probably mean I need to be accountable to my 2-3 readers.

Yikes

2008-04-05T08:22:00.006-05:00

Today is the first day I am completely alone with two children. My parents left on Monday (they were here for 2 weeks following the birth of the Princess Pooper, and they were a tremendous help). The hubs took this week off from work to help soften the blow for Little Man. Today and tomorrow (Sat and Sun) he is working a home show, so I am alone.

I promised myself I would shower last night because I knew I wouldn't get one this morning. I was right, I didn't get one this morning but I didn't take one last night either - yuck! I braved getting dressed, but I sit at the computer un-showered and wondering if this is what the next 9 weeks of my life will be like.

Last night, whilst planning my morning, I thought I would pump milk after Princess Pooper's 6am feeding then I thought I would put in an exercise video - blahhh! Neither of those things happened. I went back to sleep at 6:45 and woke at 7:25 to get Little man out of bed. From there, I went on to trying to juggle it all.

I brought milk, two go-gurts and a granola bar upstairs for Little Man to have while waiting for Princess Pooper to wake up, eat and get dressed. Turns out, she woke earlier than I expected so the whole thing was sped up by 30 minutes. I managed to get it all done, then plop her in the baby bjorn and clean things up downstairs a little.

She fell asleep whilst in the carrier, Timmy happily played geotrax...both things gave me a minute to sit and post. Of course, now that I am sitting, Little Man wants my attention.

For the blogging universe of stay at home moms with more than one child...I throw this question out there: How do you do it???

Reagan's Birthday

2008-03-25T13:02:00.005-05:00

On March 14th at 1:30am, I was woken by contractions. They were strong enough to wake me, but weren't super hard contractions. They were still at the point where they felt like bad menstrual cramps. By 3:30am, I woke the hubs and we were on our way to the hospital with my mom. We got there and they stuffed me into the triage room and left me there, like an airplane in a holding pattern, for hours. I'm not exaggerating. I was there for 12 hours before they moved me to my own room.

The thing is, they couldn't measure my contractions so the nurse didn't believe me. The hubs was so annoyed and argued with the nurse about it. My face was contorted in pain and tears were brought to my eyes, but they couldn't find the contractions on their machine. The nurse actually told the hubs that I wasn't having them. Nice, huh? This, by the way, is the same thing that happened during my last pregnancy...they just couldn't measure them (even at the end when they were the hardest, they weren't showing on the machine). For whatever reason, though, they decided to keep me.

By 11:30am, the contractions started getting harder. I spent my time either lying in bed or walking around the birthing pavilion. Walking was good, by as the contractions got stronger they stopped me in my tracks in the middle of the hall - where I put on a show for the expecting parents taking a tour of the birthing pavilion. I wonder if I scared any of them?

By 5:00pm I was in my own room. The lead resident came in and checked my cervix. There was absolutely no change. I was blown away by this because the contractions were so strong - how could I have not progressed? The same thing happened with Little Man...I never got passed 4 without them breaking my water.

They decided they would break my water, but I opted for an epidural first. The best doctor in the planet came in with his numbing drugs and did his magic. He gave me a spinal first, which was supposed to provide immediate relief and last an hour, then did the epidural. The only thing is, the spinal and epidural only served to make my legs numb. It didn't numb the contractions. The happy doctor said it was normal for that to happen if the baby's head was deep in the pelvis. Great - just what I wanted - another birth without the luxury of numbing medication.

Another resident came in with the lead resident and a med student a few minutes after the happy doctor left. They checked my cervix again and I was at a 7! What you know...I did it on my own! Maybe my body just needed to relax and the spinal and epidural did just that for me. It was then, that they decided to break my water. That was at 7:48pm. The docs left after they poked that little hook in there and broke the bag of water. My nurse (a shift change had taken place and the nurse from heaven had shown up - Mary Ann) stayed in the room. A few minutes following the breaking of the water, I needed to push and needed to push right then. The nurse got the residents in there and called for the attending. At 8:08pm, just 20 minutes following the breaking of the water, Reagan (pronounced like the president's name) was born. I pushed through 3 contractions and out she came. I gotta say, it wasn't that bad. The hardest part were the contractions and feeling them so strongly.

The attending strolled in about 5 minutes after Reagan was born, saw that it had happened (hey, thanks for coming in - further proof that doctors don't really do much during the whole prenatal visit and delivery thing) and left. The residents and med student stayed in the room and cleaned things up (delivered the placenta, massaged out blood clots and stitched me up).

We stayed in the hospital until Sunday evening, but were ready to go by Saturday night. It's so boring there!I posted a ton of pictures on our family's photo blog. Check them out!

Try it Tuesday

2008-03-25T11:50:00.005-05:00

File this one away for next year...

As many of you know, Little Man is allergic to eggs. A great deal of energy, on my part, is spent finding egg alternative. Easter is no exception to that. We can't decorate real eggs - if they break it would be a very bad thing for him. This year, I ordered some egg craft kits from Oriental Trading Company and we made rice krispies treats and molded them into plastic eggs. The Easter Bunny hid everything and Timmy had a blast.

Next year, when looking for a fun treat on Easter...try molding rice krispies treats into plastic eggs. It's fun and adorable!

Reagan Elizabeth

2008-03-17T14:30:00.005-05:00

She's here! She made her debut Friday night at 8:08pm. She weighed in at 6.6 pounds and was 20 inches long.

When I have adjusted to this whole new world, I will come back and recount it for all of you.

Big brother welcomed her with open arms (so far, anyway).

Nurse Practioner vs Doctor

2008-03-12T12:09:00.002-05:00

Until yesterday (week 39), all my prenatal visits have been with a nurse practioner. I did this myself. I enjoy the nurse practioner and think she is very knowlegeable. In addtion, I appreciate that she can spend extra time with me.

Very early Tuesday morning, about 12:30am, I awoke to a screaming toddler. He's still sick and still waking up screaming uncontrollably (pretty sure he is having night terrors brought on by his illness). I woke with a headache, dealt with little man, then took tylenol. The screaming toddler woke at 1:00 and 1:30, but then slept the rest of the night. I, on the other hand, couldn't fall back asleep and was dealing with a pounding headache. By 3:30, after having tried a heating pad on my neck and a cold cloth on my forehead, I sat up in bed and started crying. The hubs, God bless him, woke right away. He got the BP cuff and woke my mom to take my BP. It was elevated, so I called the hospital (they were fearful at my last visit that I might have pre-eclampsia). They wanted me to come in and be seen. 40 minutes later, we got to the hospital and I vomited in front of 4 people - joy!

I was kinda hoping they would have met me at the door with a needle full of pain reliever. Yeah, they don't do such things. An hour after we got there, I got a dose of morphine in an IV - have you ever had morphine? This is not something I want every again. I can't even imagine how junkies love the stuff.

They released me a couple of hours later, but wanted me to do a 24 hour urine sample to check for protein in my urine. Have you ever done this? No??? You pee in a little bucket, then transfer it to a gallon jug kept on ice for 24 hours. Sounds like fun, huh?

My regular appointment was scheduled for 2:45 yesterday afternoon, but the doctor agreed to squeeze me in right then. Fantastic - I guess I do like her was my first impression.

First impressions can often times be wrong. She was completely un-sympathetic to me. It was like she had no time for me at all and couldn't be bothered by me. I was so annoyed and functioning on just a few hours sleep and morphine. I think she spent about 5 minutes with me. I pratically had to beg her to do an internal exam to check my progress (which hadn't changed)! How I managed not to cry during this visit is beyond me.

My mom, who is a retired RN, has been vocal about her displeasure of me not seeing a physician. My argument about them only showing up for the delivery didn't fly with her. She did not agree with me that the nurses do all the work. Her thought is that the doctors know more than the nurses and should be seen every now and again throughout a pregnancy. She wasn't discounting the knowledge of the nurse practioner, just thought I should see a doc too.

Well, I saw the doc and she seemed less than caring about me. She was nothing in comparison to the nurse practioner I see. I stand by my decision to schedule my appointments with the nurse practioner and hope to not have the doctor I chose at the beginning of this pregnancy be on call when I deliver my baby - even though she will only come in while the baby is coming out.

So much for wordless wednesday - sorry for the complaining!

A Sick Boy

2008-03-10T13:13:00.003-05:00

The only reason I will announce that I am happy this little girl is still enjoying the comforts of my womb is because little man came down with some kind of nasty virus that has kept him in and out of fevers since Friday night.

On Friday, upon arriving at daycare with little man, there was a note in tapped to his cubby, "there is a case of conjunctivitis going around." Fabulous!

My parents picked little man up Friday and he wasn't well. He was just out of sorts and quiet. We went about our business when he got home, but you could tell he was starting to come down with something. By Saturday mid-morning, he was a wreck and his eyes were starting to get puffy. I decided to take him to the pediatrician to get his eyes check. No conjunctivities, but a virus that will make him feel crummy.

Doing my motherly duty, I asked about the whole cold/cough medicine debate. The PA we saw is fantastic, young and a father of young children...so he gets it. He said he doesn't give his kids anything but benadryl and tylenol/motrin when they are sick. As a result, I decided to skip my usual dosage of Triaminic (which really works for little man's cough) at nap time and give him a dose of benadryl on Saturday. I thought to myself, "well this will be great...he'll get a ton of sleep," then I ran off to wal-mart for my weekly grocery shopping.

When I got home I was greeted by the hubs with a horror story. Apparently there are side effects to go along with benadryl that are less than pleasing and all together scary for parents and children. Little man woke after 45 minutes screaming, hitting and kicking the walls, and unconsolable. There was nothing hubs could do to calm him down. After about 30 minutes of this behavior, little man wore himself out enough to go back to sleep. I got home 45 mintues following that and had just finished unpacking the groceries when the process started over again. This time, I tried to deal with it. He would not be consoled for a good 20 minutes. He was like a boy I didn't recognize and completely out of control. As scary as it was for me and the hubs, I can only imagine how scary it was for little man to be that out of control. I was finally able to calm him down by taking a bath with him. It actually worked, but it took a long bit of clinging on little man's part to fully calm down.

It was a nightmare and not one I wish to repeat. I will go back to triaminic b/c I know it works. I have to keep the benadryl on hand, but will only ever give it if he has an allergic reaction to eggs or nuts.

This proves, once again, the good Lord knows what he's doing. All those nights last week when I was praying for this little girl to come out and play, he wasn't ignorning me. He was allowing me to care for a sick little man in a way that only I can. Mommy's always provide the best comfort - hubs, if you are reading this today...no offense to you b/c you did great this weekend with him.

Come Out, Come Out....

2008-03-07T12:54:00.002-05:00

little girl; mommy wants to see you! Seriously, I'm all done with this whole pregnancy bit.

I went to an appointment on Wednesday afternoon with a raging headache and nausea. I was dilated 2-3 cm and 75% effaced and she stripped my membranes. The doc was concerned about pre-eclampsia so checked my blood pressure 3 times during the appointment. It went up each time - of course it went up each time...she was making me nervous. She then sent me for bloodwork and ordered me to stay home and rest on Thursday. Yeah...right!

I did stay home from work on Thursday and stayed on the couch for some of it, but really...this is not an easy task. At about 5am the contractions strated, but we sporadic. About 10:30am they regualted themselves. They were 4 minutes apart and last about 1-1.5 minutes. After an hour, I called the office. They had me come in - they don't send you to the hospital when the office is open. The doc checked me and I was a generous 3cm dilated. What the heck does that mean? It's like her saying 2-3 on Wednesday - which is it? 2 or 3? I said to the doc...as long as your in there, can you strip the membranes again? She did.

They hooked me up to monitors and couldn't find the contractions...meanwhile, through each contraction I was grimmacing and fighting the tears in my eyes. The nurse and doc both knew I was having them. After about 45 minutes of this, they sent me away for a couple of hours to have a light lunch and to go for a walk. The doc wanted to see me again in 2 hours for a re-check.

We went to a sushi place. I had salad and an avacado roll. I was hoping the wasabi would get things started. Then we went to Kohls and looked around. Following the advice of the former OB nurse I work with, I squatted (and pushed) many times in Kohls to look at items on low shelves and racks - figuring I would rather break my water at Kohls and have them clean it up than me clean it up at home! (just how does that work exactly? do you say, "wait...I need to clean up this mess before we embark on this 45 minute car ride to the hospital" or do you have some poor unsuspecting relative or friend clean it up for you?)

I went back the hospital knowing they were going to send me home. I hadn't progressed any further - the only thing she said was the head was a little lower (thanks due, I'm sure, to the squatting sessions at kohls) and that my cervix was feeling squishy...nice, huh? Once again..."go ahead and strip those membranes while you are in there. " She predicted I was in early labor and would be back that evening. Yeah, I wasn't. The contractions stopped being regular and went back to sporadic - oh the joys of being pregnant!

So...it's Friday. I decided to go to work, much to the amazement of my Mom. Here's the thing though, at work I can take my mind off how badly I want this over with - with the exception of the fact that everyone that walks by my office says..."oh, you're here?" YES....I AM HERE TO FORGET THAT I DON'T WANT TO BE HERE! Then the hubs calls to be supportive and ask how I am doing. It is with him that I can be truthful. I fight back the tears and say "fine," but he knows and can hear in my voice that I am about to lose it; he knows that I'm not fine and that I am exhausted, uncomfortable and just plain all done.

By the way...stripping the membranes....nothing more than a painful process that isn't working for me. I'm guessing it was something invented by the OB community to give the desperate mothers between 38-40 weeks pregnant some hope that it will happen. You want to give me hope? Go in there with your little crochet hook and break my water!

Now that I have ranted, I can go back to finishing my lunch and taking my mind off of it (which I am not doing very well).

Wordless Wednesday

2008-03-05T06:44:00.004-05:00

Here's Timmy singing Twinkle Twinkle to his new cousin, Colbie. Maybe he will do better than I am expecting when his sister arrives.

Try it Tuesday

2008-03-04T14:05:00.002-05:00

I've got nothing - sorry! Chalk it up to being 38 weeks pregnant and completely out of energy. I made a really great Greek chicken dish for Wednesday Night Dinner last week and had intentions of photographing it, but my inner blonde causes me to forget things - so there you have it...maybe next week.

As long as I am here - a couple of updates.

Hubs took the time to actually read my blog yesterday. He was somewhat unimpressed -whoops! The one day I don't want him to read it and he reads it. Figures!

I have been having a ton of contractions, but nothing regular. I have an appointment tomorrow. I keep hoping that all of these contractions will have moved me beyond 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced - all that pain better be good for something! I had the hubs take a picture of Timmy holding the doppler on my belly at my last appointment, but it's not a flattering photo, so it will never make it to the blogging world.

I work with a former OB nurse. I asked her the best way to get this ball rolling. She said nipple stimulation and intercourse. Oye! Neither sound too appealing to me, but maybe when desperation sets in I will give them a try. This pregnancy, with the exception of the first trimester, has gone really well. I don't have anything to complain about, so I should stop rushing her.
The problem is, however, that my parents arrived Saturday night for the entire month of March. They will soften the blow that will rock Little Man's world. The sooner she arrives, the more time they will have to cushion his fall from his only child throne. In addition to that, Little Man's birthday is on March 24th - I would love to have them spread out 2-3 weeks so they don't have to share a birthday party. There's probably another issue (a lot less pretty and I am not proud) going on. My brother-in-law's girlfriend, who was due just one short week before me had her baby 3 weeks ago. I might be the teeniest bit jealous of that.

Standing Up

2008-03-03T10:31:00.003-05:00

Last week the whole family was getting ready for a quick trip to the in-laws' house. The hubs said, "I gotta use the bathroom first." Whatever, I walked away and finished up a few things and this is what I heard:

Little Man: "Daddy, you're standing up to potty?"
Hubs: "Yep."
Little Man: "Mommy, Daddy is standing up to Potty."
Me: "Yes. Sometimes boys stand to go potty."

I knew the day would come when Little Man would want to stand to potty, but I was really hoping it would be awhile. Here's the thing - I'm not trying to squelch what boys do naturally, however, boys dribble! There's nothing I dislike more than cleaning dribble. The truth of the matter is, I am so vocal about my dislike for dribble that the hubs got tired of hearing about it and starting sitting. Can I get and Amen and Hallelujiah??? Why in the world he chose to stand that night, I don't know.

Nothing came of Little Man seeing the Hubs stand and pee. Nothing until a week later...

We had just finished dinner and it was bath night. Here's what happened:

Me: "Let me clean your hands before you get down. Then we can go upstairs for a bath. What color bath do you want?"
Little Man: "Purple."
Me: "Okay. Follow me into the mud room, so we can carry the towels upstairs."
Little Man: "Okay, Mama."
Me: Handing Little Man a towel, "You take this one and we will use it for your bath. I'll take this pile."
Little Man: "Okay."

Then we headed upstairs for the fun that is bathtime.

Me: At the top of the stairs, "Go into the bathroom and get undressed. I'm going to put these towels in my room."
Little Man: No response, but he walked into the bathroom.

I proceeded to my room and piled the towels in the linen closet. I walked back to his bathroom and was greeted in the hall by Little Man with is pants and undies down at his ankles:

Little Man: "I just peed standing up, Mama."
Me: "You did what?"
Little Man: "I just peed standing up."

I immediately checked the floor for puddles - assuming that he peed on the floor. I didn't find anything, so I went to the toilet and found the seat down and the lid closed (amazing!). I lifted the lid and sure enough, he peed in the toilet. He had, of course, dribbled on the seat and he forgot to flush...but he actually peed in the toilet whilst standing.

It was game on after that and sitting to pee is no longer and option. Following the first time, I gave him a lesson in standing to pee - I may not be an expert in the field, but I plan to raise a courteous male urinator. He now knows to raise the lid and seat. Aim at cheerios (Thanks Mom - that was added by her arrival yesterday), pull off some toilet paper and wipe himself, close the seat and lid, then flush. Now, the only thing left to teach him is to clean the dribble from the floor when that happens. I assume an almost 3 year is still too young to be using mr. clean wipes (you know dangerous chemicals and all), so I guess that lesson will need to wait.

Top 5

2008-02-29T13:31:00.003-05:00

The Hubs listed me as one of his top 5 blogs to read daily - so nice of him, so perhaps I should stop calling him cheap on my blog...but, really can I do that???
So now that he's done that, it appears that I am supposed to choose my top 5. Here they are - in no particular order. I will say, however, it was particualarly difficult for me to narrow it down to just 5 blogs that I really enjoy.

1. Looking for Rebecca is one of 4 places I get my daily doe of Rebecca's blogging. She's got a great writing style and some really fantastic blogs.

2. Burg put together a new blog and it's fantastic!

3. Jersey Mum is written by a Mommy of 3 kids, one of which is a new born. She actually manages to update us with humor while being a good mom - amazing! Today, I had to tell her she was my hero of the day!

4. Ellinghouse is a great blog written by a fabulous mom! I am addicted to the stories she tells, the giveaways she has and the updates on her father-in-law.

5. Life as I Know it is written by another fantastic mom. She reminds me constantly that I am not alone - she's totally real and tells it just like it is!

Of course, there are many others that I read all the time. Narrowing it down to five was tough!!!

Here are the obligatory «rules» that go with these sorts of posts…
The 'you make my day award' works like this:

1) Write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think and/or make your day.
2) Acknowledge the post of the award giver.
3) Tell the award winners that they have won by commenting on their blogs with the news!

I laughed so hard...

2008-02-28T14:04:00.003-05:00

...I wet my pants. It's true! Last night we were having our weekly Wednesday Night Dinner (which, now that I think of it...I wanted to photo and do a try it tuesday with...but forgot). Like all Wednesday Night Dinners, that topics of conversation turned increasingly funnier throughout the night. I can't tell you what topic we were on (quite frankly my inner blonde has forbid me to remember), but I can tell you I started laughing with a full bladder. Mind you, the full bladder of a 37 weeks preggo woman is not very full, but it was full enough. The conversation that followed went something like this:

Me: "Stop...I'm gonna wet my pants."
Male Guest: "C'mon"
Hubs: "No man; this is serious. She will wet her pants."
Me: Laughed even harder.
Male Guest: Seriously?
Female Guest: Looking on in horror and praying to God she is not like that when she gets pregnant.
Me: Laughing even harder while pee is leaking out. Then trying to compose myself enough to stand and walk 10 feet to the bathroom.
Male Guest: While I was in the bathroom giggling and peeing, "Listen to her giggling in there."
Me: I walked back to the table and notice a small wet spot on the chair - fabulous! I didn't announce it, but got out the cleaner when they left.

Pregnancy is a splendid and miraculous time!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-02-27T06:49:00.003-05:00

This really isn't a wordless wednesday post, because I actually have something to say. This needlepoint or cross stitch (not sure which b/c I am not crafty) was done by my Great Grandmother when my Mom was born. She was my Mom's Mom's Mom (got that?). She was the only great grandparent that I was blessed to know well. I grew up with her only a few blocks from my house. Everytime I went to her house, it smelled of something baking - like all grandmothers' homes should. She used to give me warm milk with freshly grated nutmeg. We used to pick fresh figs from the tree in her backyard and eat them with a spoon. We used to pull the honeysuckles off her vine and suck the sweet juice from the end. She had a wonderfully sweet way about her. She passed away when I was in Junior High. I feel blessed to have had so much time with her. I have a few things of hers: a hope chest, a jewlry box and now this lovely prayer that she did over 60 years ago (by the way, she entered it into the county fair and won a prize).

My Mom has had this prayer in her closet for a long time. It's how Timmy and I start our prayer every night, and how I intend to start our evening prayer with the new little one. When I found out I was having a girl, I asked my Mom for it. I brought it home with me following our trip to Cali in November. I soaked in in Oxi-Clean (it was seriously dingy) for few hours, then washed it out by hand. I searcehd high and low for a frame (I finally found a silver one that we primed and painted green) and hung it on the wall in our nursery. I hope it turns into one of those things that can be passed down for many generations. It's such a lovely prayer and piece of art. I hope my daughter appreciates it as much as I do someday.

Try it Tuesday

2008-02-26T12:53:00.003-05:00

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies - egg free

As many of you know, my little man is allergic to eggs and all nuts and seeds. I am often on the look-out for egg free baking recipes. Below is a recipe using an egg substitute. I also used Giradeli Chocolate Chips, as they are the only ones on the market that are not manufactured in a facility that manufactures nuts.

They were/are really quite good (not chewy, but crispy). I am super happy with the results. Timmy helped make them, which really means he stood on a chair and turned the kitchen aide on and off for me. Of course, he likes to turn it on when my rubber spatula is scraping the sides, so I have smartened up and started unplugging it when we turn it off! He seems to be a big fan of cookie dough - go figure??? A child of mine liking cookie dough??? It must be genetic!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (eggless)

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 tblsp water

3 tblsp canola oil

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

3 cups oats

bag of chocolate chips

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat together the butter and sugar until creamy. In a small bowl, combine the water, oil and baking powder (this is the egg substitute). Add the egg substitute and vanilla to the butter and sugar, and beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt to the butter mixture. Beat all well. Once thouroughly mixed, add oats and chocolate chips. Beat until combined.

Bake on parchment paper in oven. I used a small scoop from pampered chef for my cookies - they took about 16 minutes in the oven.

Delish (to borrow a rachel ray-ism).

Made in the USA

2008-02-26T12:52:00.002-05:00

A friend of mine sent me an email today that said it was a “very interesting perspective by Jay Leno.” I, being a grateful American and feeling very blessed to live in this great country, loved the article and decided I should post it here. Before doing so, however, I decided to check snopes.com to see if it was, in fact, written by Jay Leno. Call me crazy, but my gut was telling me Jay Leno is not going to call the media a money hungry machine (since it is that machine that affords his massive car collection and fab lifestyle). Upon checking, I realized my gut was right. Jay Leno didn’t write the article. A gentleman named Craig Smith did. I have never heard of Craig Smith, but that does not make his point any less valid. In my mind, perhaps yours too, it makes his point of view more valid than the point of view of Jay Leno.

Enjoy the article!

Made in the USA: Spoiled Brats, by Craig Smith
On World Net Daily

The other day I was reading Newsweek magazine and came across some poll data I found rather hard to believe. It must be true given the source, right? The same magazine that employs Michael (Qurans in the toilets at Gitmo) Isikoff. Here I promised myself this week I would be nice and I start off in this way. Oh what a mean man I am.

The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is headed and 69 percent of the country is unhappy with the performance of the president. In essence 2/3s of the citizenry just ain't happy and want a change.

So being the knuckle dragger I am, I starting thinking, ''What we are so unhappy about?''

Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter? Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job? Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?

Maybe it is the ability to drive from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state? Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter? I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough. Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all involved. Whether you are rich or poor they treat your wounds and even, if necessary, send a helicopter to take you to the hospital.

Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home, you may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of having a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames thus saving you, your family and your belongings. Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes; an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss. This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90 percent of teenagers own cell phones and computers.

How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world? Maybe that is what has 67 percent of you folks unhappy.

Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S. yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here.

I know, I know. What about the president who took us into war and has no plan to get us out? The president who has a measly 31 percent approval rating? Is this the same president who guided the nation in the dark days after 9/11? The president that cut taxes to bring an economy out of recession? Could this be the same guy who has been called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled brats safe from terrorist attacks? The commander in chief of an all-volunteer army that is out there defending you and me?

Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have volunteered to serve, and in many cases have died for your freedom. There is currently no draft in this country. They didn't have to go. They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a ''general'' discharge, an ''other than honorable'' discharge or, worst case scenario, a ''dishonorable'' discharge after a few days in the brig.
So why then the flat out discontentment in the minds of 69 percent of Americans? Say what you want but I blame it on the media. If it bleeds it leads and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a car crash with blood and guts. How many will watch kids selling lemonade at the corner? The media knows this and media outlets are for-profit corporations. They offer what sells. Just ask why they are going to allow a murderer like O.J. Simpson to write a book and do a TV special about how he didn't kill his wife but if he did ? insane!

Stop buying the negative venom you are fed everyday by the media. Shut off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the bottom of your bird cage. Then start being grateful for all we have as a country. There is exponentially more good than bad.

I close with one of my favorite quotes from B.C. Forbes in 1953:

''What have Americans to be thankful for? More than any other people on the earth, we enjoy complete religious freedom, political freedom, social freedom. Our liberties are sacredly safeguarded by the Constitution of the United States, 'the most wonderful work ever struck off at a given time by the brain and purpose of man.' Yes, we Americans of today have been bequeathed a noble heritage. Let us pray that we may hand it down unsullied to our children and theirs.''

Ladybug Nursery

2008-02-24T17:56:00.004-05:00

The nursery is finally done and awaiting the arrival of our little one. I went with a ladybug theme. Surprisingly, it was more difficult than I thought to find ladybug items. I'm still on the hunt for ladybug knick-knacks, but I guess I can pick them up as I see them.

The room was already painted a light green. The hubs installed a chair rail and painted the top part of the room pink. The bedding I chose was picked from several choices online - I thought it had pink in it, but I was wrong. What looks pink online is a small red gingham check. I decided to heck with it and went with a pink paint anyway.

The furniture is from Timmy's nursery, and it still in good condition (aside from a few bite marks on the crib - do they all do that?).

Aside from the ladybugs, she's got her requisite pink Red Sox hat and a couple of girlie frogs in the room. If she's gonna be my daughter she's gonna need a frog or two. If she's gonna be the hubs daughter, she's gotta have just a tad bit of Red Sox Nation.
All that's left to do is wait and wait some more. 3 more weeks, as of today...but whose counting. I pray that it won't be 5 weeks!

2008-02-22T09:29:00.000-05:00

So I wrote about the bad side of pregnancy recently, now I feel it's only fair to share with you how this pregnancy is really going. With 3.5 weeks to go (hopefully not more than that, anyway) this pregnancy has been pretty great. The list I provided before was really a combination of the two pregnancies and this current one has given me very little to complain about.

Last time around, I gained 40 pounds. This time around, I am still down 2 from my starting weight. I'm not trying to lose weight, it's just happening. If my doctor saw the amount of junk I put it my body, she would be shocked! The thing is, most carbs aren't appealing to me. I only like my vegetables raw at this point, and the thought of fried food sends me into orbit. Most meat, too, is not appealing to me. I can choke down a few bites, but then reach my limit. M&Ms on the other hand seem to satisfy me - oh and I also love funyuns. Neither good for me or doing anything to add to my nutritional needs each day. Right now, I weigh about 18 pounds less than I did when I delivered Timmy. Amazingly enough, however...

The girls have not changed in size. If anything, they have grown. Button up shirts that I wore at the end of my last pregnancy are gaping at my chest this time around. The hubs considers this a good thing (even though it's a viewing only show right now) - I find it rather annoying. I don't need anything extra up top - believe me!

My appendages have not swollen up. My feet are not the size of a 500 pound woman's feet this time around. Amazingly enough, my feet are just as dainty as ever (I say dainty b/c they are about the only dainty thing on me). I didn't go up a shoe size this time either - this is great! In addition, I still have my wedding ring on. Last time around, the ring went at about 5 months preggo!

My asthma has not been giving me a problem at all. As a matter of fact, one of the inhalers I take to controller hasn't been touched in weeks. Last time around, I ended up in the ER and on steriods to control it. Prior to either pregnancy, I did all kinds of research on asthma and pregnancy. It appears that 33% get better, 33% stay the same and 33% get worse. I've done 2 of the three.

My comfort level is not terribly bad. My hips aches sometimes and I put a pillow under my belly at night, but other than that - I'm good.

I will say this, my anxiety level has not changed. I still spend many hours praying and hoping that everything is okay with this little girl. On Wednesday, I called my doctor b/c I had bad cramping and hadn't felt the baby move for awhile. They took me in for a non-stress test and everything was fine - the baby actually got the hiccups as soon as they hooked me up to the monitor. The unknown is very difficult, as I am sure it is for everyone. I have never been very good at relaxing and going with the flow, so doing that when it comes to the baby I am carrying around is just not gonna happen!

With the exception of the first trimester, this pregnancy has been much better. I was so super sick for 12 weeks that I was sure this pregnancy was bound to worse than the first. I was wrong. This one has gone very smoothly. The only thing left now is the waiting anxiously for her to make her arrival.

Pretty Mom MeMe

2008-02-21T16:03:00.000-05:00

Burg tagged me for this MeMe. I can't resist a good MeMe and this one is a tad more thought provoking!

So, the rules:
Start off by writing 5 "Before I was a mom" statements, then tag 5 more moms..
If you're tagged, you have to tag 5 pretty Moms, including the one who thought of you today & sent it to you. The idea is that if you get tagged again, you will know you are really pretty!
Add your name at the bottom of the tagged persons list, and without bumping the person at the top or bumping anyone off, let the list grow. Hit 5 pretty moms on your list to let them know they are pretty!

Before I was a mom, I didn't understand what it was like to love something so deeply and so much. The first mother's day following the birth of my little man, I wept for joy over how much my own Mom loved me and that realization. You just don't know until you have one of your own.

Before I was a mom, I didn't know what it was like to be responsible for the physical and mental safety of another person. Now, keeping my little man safe consumes a great deal of my thoughts, time and energy.

Before I was a mom, I didn't give much thought to my words or actions. Now, I think about everything I say and do and hope and pray that I am having a positive influence on my little man's life.

Before I was a mom, I didn't realize that many blessings in my life. Now I look at my life and thank the good Lord for everything in it - from the smallest of things to the very large!
Before I was a mom, I wasn't afraid of dying. Now, I am afraid of not being there for my little man and his newly arriving sister. The thought of something happening to me takes over my thoughts on occasion and overwhelms me with sorrow.

Tagged before: The first chain of tag: 1. Lovelymummy2. Pek Imm3. Momisodes4. Ling that’s me5. Janicepa6. AnnieQ7. Allthingspurple8. Montessorimum9. clumsy mommy10. Sandra11. KittyCat12. VivianZ13. Sweetpea14. Sasha15. Giddy Tiger16. Wen17. Jo-N18. Janice Ng 19. Blur Ting20.Soul 21. JYankee 22. Burg 23. Chrissy

I'm tagging: I'm not going to tag anyone. I don't want anyone to feel pressure to complete this. I will say, however, it's one of the better MeMe's I have seen. It really causes you to pause and think.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-02-19T19:44:00.003-05:00

Not quite Wordless Wednesday - on a cold winter's day, I wanted to be reminded of a sunnier time. This is a photo from a trip my Mom and I took to Hawaii with my Grandma, cousin and aunt. It was 1990!

Try it Tuesday

2008-02-19T12:54:00.003-05:00

Egg Free Brownies
I found this recipe in a recent issue of Family Fun Magazine and changed it up a bit to suit what I wanted. It's a quick and easy homemade brownie that happens to work for my egg allergic son. They have a different texture to them, but work as a good substitute for the real thing!

Ingredients
1 1/3 cups of graham cracker crumbs
1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips
4 1/2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1 (14-ounce) can of sweetened condensed milk

Begin by melting the butter in a pot, then add the sweetened condensed milk and chocolate chips. Stir until just melted.

Remove from heat and add the graham cracker crumbs. Stir until combined.

Pour batter into a greased 9 inch square pan. Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for 25 minutes. Let them cool, then slice and enjoy.

Land of the Living

2008-02-18T12:51:00.002-05:00

Being among the land of the living is a wonderful place to be! I started feeling better again yesterday. I'm not completely up to par, but am feeling so much better than I was. I said to the hubs whilst in the middle of the whole thing...I had better not go into labor, I don't think I have the energy to push out a kid!

Whilst sick, we had a new addition to our family. My brother-in-law and his girlfriend had an adorable little girl, Colbie. Mom was due 1 week before me, but had her 5 weeks early. She spent some time in the intensive care nursery, but is home now and doing well. I saw her the day she was born, but have not seen her since - which is killing me! It was surreal to see her and have the nurse say to me, "So...this is what the baby inside of you looks like right now." Yikes - wake up call that I am not ready for this to happen. I hope to be feeling better soon enough to spend some snuggle time with her.

There were also two showers for me, while I was down and out. One at home by a very dear friend. I have only a small handful of friends in NH, so the shower was small and nice. It was a jack and jill shower with kids - so it was a good time for all. The hubs was on camera duty, which meant we had a total of 3 pictures for the entire event and two of them were focused on Timmy! The other shower was given at work. I was overwhelmed at both showers by the kindness and generiousity of my friends and co-workers. My family really is blessed in so many ways.

Lastly...I did somethign I never thought I would do....I agreed to buy a minivan! YIKES!!!! More about this in another post.

I'm Sick

2008-02-13T08:38:00.001-05:00

An alien germ has taken over my body and has left me with a horrible cold. I refuse to think that it's the flu, but it hasbeen going on for 1 1/2 weeks. Sorry I have been absent from posting and reading your posts.

Burg, I saw you comment about tagging me and I will get to it - just need to get over this cold first.

SB - the winner of my giveaway - I have not forgotten about you, but I have not had the energy to pack the box and go to the post office. I hope to do it this weekend.

Wishing you all well!

Grooming

2008-02-04T12:16:00.000-05:00

Personal note to Grandma before I begin: Grandma, I know you read my blog. If there were ever a post you might not want to read, it might be this one. Just a cautionary warning.

I have always been a bit of stickler for downtown grooming. Not for anyone other than myself. I like to feel groomed, not like an amazon woman. Neat and trim is just my preference. When pregnant with the little man, I begged the hubs to take over the yard work. His response was something like, "Absolutely not! And never speak of this again." Then I pled my case to my mom. Her response was very much the same; she after-all, came of age in the 60's when an overgrown jungle was all the rage (possibly a badge of honor?) and couldn't understand my desire to groom. Arghhhhh! ~~The hubs~~ I was far too cheap to pay for professional downtown grooming, so I suffered with a jungle of my own until the end. Note to self - excellent baby shower gift (a wax job gift certificate).

Here's the kicker, I have 2 girlfriends back home that would take care of business for me in a heartbeat. I know this about them. I know this because I know they have the same downtown grooming preferences as I do - we share these stories. Back home, however, is 3,000 miles away. Call me crazy, but a flight to Cali is probably less cost effective than professional grooming.

Fast forward to present day: at 33 weeks pregnant, imagine how I am feeling about not being able to see past my belly to groom an area that I know must be frought with overgrown weeds at this point. While I have lost all sense of modesty over the birthing process, I can not seem to get past the desire to be neat and trim.

So I made a decision last week following my morning shower. I stood on an old bathroom towel, poised with 1 foot on the bathroom counter, scissors in my right hand and hand-held mirror in my left hand - ready for business. I felt a mild stab of trepidation, wondering what would happen if I cut myself - yikes - then took the plunge and started trimming. Ahhhh...relief. I feel so much better about myself.

Bloogy Carnival Giveaway Winner!

2008-02-02T09:46:00.000-05:00

Using A Number Radomizer I found a winner! The lucky girl, who will save her toilet paper from certain destruction by the hands of a toddler is S.B. at Be Thrifty Like Us! Congratulations to you!!!

CIGARETTES AND TAMPONS

2008-02-01T14:43:00.001-05:00

A man walks into a pharmacy and wanders up & down the aisles. The sales girl notices him and asks him if she can help him. He answers that he is looking for a box of tampons for his wife. She directs him down the correct aisle. A few minutes later, he deposits a huge bag of cotton balls and a ball of string on the counter. She says, confused, "Sir, I thought you were looking for some tampons for your wife? He answers, "You see, it's like this, yesterday, I sent my wife to the store to get me a carton of cigarettes, and she came back with a tin of tobacco and some rolling papers; cause it's sooo-ooo--oo-ooo much cheaper. So, I figure if I have to roll my own .......... so does she.

The hubs doesn't smoke....but I can totally see him coming home and telling me to try this so we can save money!

Wednesday Night Dinner Conversations

2008-02-01T12:42:00.000-05:00

At our Wednesday Night Dinner, we discuss everything. The conversations usually start out with something mild and tame. By the end of the night, and a couple of bottles of wine later, the conversations can get a little raunchy. This week we joked about needing a pod cast of the whole event. The thing is, however, that we would either need to shoot ourselves from the neck down or blur out our faces. We have been known to dish a little dirt that others might not like. In addition we think we are funny; most people would just think we are drunk and ridiculous (think designated driver...how many of you like to sit around and watch a bunch of drunk people act crazy). The idea to pod cast the whole event usually happens at the end of the night, after the last drop of wine has been poured. A better idea would be to tape record (can you still buy a tape recorder?) the whole night, then to blog a few of the funnier conversations.

This week, our topic started out with the presidential campaigns. Dear hubs was trying to convince the girls that our tendency to vote based on moral issues is wrong. I still don't understand his arguement, so I can't even begin to tell it here. The conversation that night ended with a story from our dinner guests about their recent vacation and a gag that they witnessed on the airplane, which involed a large fushcia toy of a raunchy nature (please...please use your imagination, as I can not write out the actual item - if you need assistance in visualizing the toy, please sing the following "baum, chicka, baum, baum").

Somewhere between politics and toys, we talked about how I was feeling with 6 weeks left to go in my pregnancy. I mentioned that I was feeling uncomfortable now. Here was the hubs response to that, "Why? My belly's bigger than yours? You don't hear me complaining about carrying it around and having to sleep with it."

I have chosen to forgive him, as he was under the influence of wine and another male in the vicinity. When I saw through his drunken haze, I could almost see a gorilla beating his hands on his chest.

Presidential Candidates

2008-01-31T12:27:00.001-05:00

Queen of Mayhem posted this site on her site and it was pretty cool. It's a quiz that tells you which presidental hopeful your beliefs fall in line with most. Give it a try.
I was furthest in my beliefs from Obama (which shocked me...thought I would be furtherst from good ole Hillary).

A Good Mom

2008-01-31T11:57:00.000-05:00

So I took Timmy to another prenatal appointment with me last week. When we got there, we promptly went to the bathroom (that's my life with a potty training little man...always in the bathroom). The door to handicap stall was propped open with a trashc an. We went into that bathroom (listen...don't judge me. I am sorry, but I'm 33 weeks pregnant and a small stall with a toddler just won't work for me). Being the lazy mom that I am, I didn't move the trash can. As a result, the door was left open to the stall we occupied.

Well, wouldn't you know it...an older (65-70 ish) woman walks in to use the restroom. No...she didn't need the handicapped stall (thank goodness), but I was embarassed that I left the door open. Anyway, we finish our business in the stall and head out to wash our hands. This is the converstation that took place.

Me: "Can you reach it?"
Timmy: "Uh-huh. This handle is red and this one is blue."
Me: "You're right. The red handle is for hot water and the blue handle is for cold water. When we turn them both on together we get warm water."
Timmy: No response

We finished up the hand-washing and went about the business of drying our hands. We walked back out to reception, where he remembered a toy from his last visit. I left him go the 15 feet away from me to explore the toys, while I waited in line. Of course, the woman from the bathroom steps in line behind me. What the heck, can't I shake this lady?

Then Timmy started to bring toys to me in line. At that point I said to him that he should play with the toys "over there," and I would be there in just a few minutes. After saying that, the bathroom lady says to me, "You're a good mom."

I nearly fell over. What a nice thing to say. Here I was, still embarassed by my bathroom laziness and she's complimenting my mothering skills. How nice of her and it pretty much made my day. I'm pretty certain she thought I was a good mom, not based leavign the stall door open, but based on our hand-washing conversation.

It's amazing how much an unexpected compliment can make someone's day. My goal for the weekend will be to make a stranger's day by complimenting them.

Wordless Wednesday - Fog

2008-01-30T12:20:00.001-05:00

Museum Fun!

Bloggy Giveaway

2008-01-29T06:29:00.001-05:00

Rocks in my Dryer is hosting a Bloggy Giveways Carnival! I love giveaways, so I couldn't resist. There are over 500 blogs participating in this Giveaway Carnival - click here to see all the blogs participating in the Carnival. A warning, however, it's addictive! You get to see and read so many great blogs tha you could spend hours doing it!

After entering several giveaways myself yesterday, I decided that I should give something away on my own blog. I am giving away 3 Toilet Paper Protectors and 1 package of Cabinet Locks, which has 2 locks in it. To enter:
1) Post a comment on this entry - include 1 weird fact about yourself.
2) Make sure you leave either a link to your blog or your email address so that I can get in touch with you if you are the winner.
3) Enter by Friday, Feb 1 at 11:59pm. I will randomly draw the winner on Saturday morning and announce it on my blog at at Rocks in my Dryer.
Bloggers and non-bloggers alike can enter to win. I can't, however, ship outside the USA.
Have fun and good luck!!!

A Funny from Little Man

2008-01-28T12:25:00.001-05:00

A little bit of funny from the little man's teacher.

Miss E: "I meant to tell you this yesterday, but things were crazy"
My thoughts: Oh crap; what did he do?
Miss E: "Timmy said the funniest thing to me in the bathroom. I usually sit on the floor when I take him into the bathroom, but yesterday I squatted. When I squatted down, my pants split. Timmy said to me, "Uh -oh. That's not going to work." He says the funniest things to me."
Me: "Yep. He's got some whoppers."

I left thinking, I have an insightful kid who has the ability to make people laugh. Everyday is a fun experience with him. Thank goodness he didn't say to her, "That sucks!"

The Clintons

2008-01-25T10:55:00.000-05:00

If you love the Clintons, stop reading this now, lest you be offended by what I post on my personal blog (.....my attempt at a disclaimer).

Last night, while watching the news, I saw that Playboy Magazine named President Clinton as the sexiest president. Ummmm…hello? Am I the only one that finds a dirty old man, who does terrible and nasty things with young, college-aged interns, cheats on his wife, then changes the definition of “sexual relations” for all of America to be the most unattractive man in the world? Please, tell me I am not the only one! Honestly, the man repulses me.

Finally, here's a joke emailed to me by my dear Mom, who really can’t stand the Clintons.

Bill and Hillary Walk Into A Bar

Hillary Clinton called Bill into her office one day and said, "Bill, I have a great idea. I know how we can win back middle America and secure my presidential victory in 2008."

"Great, but how do you propose we go about that?", asked Bill.

"Well", Hillary responds, "We'll go down to a local Wal-Mart, get some cheesy clothes and shoes like most middle Americans wear, and then we'll stop at the pound and pick up a Labrador. When we look the part we'll go to a nice old country bar in middle America, and we'll show them that we really enjoy the countryside and show admiration and respect for the hard working people living there."

A few days later, all decked out and with the requisite Labrador at heel, they set off from New York in a westerly direction. Eventually they arrived at just the place they were looking for. With dog in tow, they walk into the bar. They step up to the bar and the bartender takes a step back and says, "Aren't you Bill and Hillary Clinton?"

Hillary answers, "Yes we are, and what a lovely town you have here. We were just passing through and Bill suggested that we stop and take in some local color." They then order a couple of cocktails from the bartender and proceed to drink them down, all the while chatting up a storm with anyone who would listen.

All of a sudden, the bar room door opens and a grizzled old farmer comes in. He walks up to the Labrador, lifts its tail and looks underneath, shrugs his shoulders and walks out the door. A few moments later, in came another old farmer. He walks up to the dog, lifts its tail, looks underneath, scratches his head, and then leaves the bar. Over the course of the next hour or so, another four or five farmers came in, lifted the dog's tail, and went away looking puzzled.

Eventually Hillary and Bill could stand it no longer and called the bartender over. "Tell me", said Hillary, "why did all those old farmers come in and look under the dog's tail like that? Is it some sort of old custom?"

"Good Lord no", said the bartender, "It's just that someone has told them that there was a Labrador in here with two assholes!"

Breast Feeding

2008-01-24T12:37:00.000-05:00

From Web MD newsletter on 1/22/08.
Exclusive breastfeeding for at least four months may help prevent asthma, eczema, and food allergies in high-risk babies, but there is little evidence that delaying the introduction of specific foods makes a difference, the nation's leading group of pediatricians now says.
In a newly published policy statement, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) abandons a previous call for the gradual introduction of foods typically associated with allergies in high-risk children.
The earlier guidelines recommended delaying the introduction of cow's milk until after a child's first birthday, eggs until age 2, and tree nuts, peanuts, and fish until age 3.
"We just do not have the studies to back this up," study researcher author Frank R. Greer, MD, tells WebMD. "If a child is going to be allergic to peanuts or eggs, it doesn't seem to matter [after 4 to 6 months] when you introduce these foods."

When I got pregnant with Timmy, I never wanted to breastfeed him. I grew up with many boob men in my life, so my impression of breasts were not that they were to nourish a child. I had a very large mental block against it. Then, I started doing research on all the benefits that my little bundle would receive if I breastfeed him. Given that I have asthma and am allergic to peanuts (oh...and let's not forget the eczema I had as a child), I thought I really owe it to him to breastfeed him. My thinking was that I should do everything in my power to prevent him from going through the torture of asthma and being allergic to peanuts.

So here's the thing: I breastfeed Timmy for an entire year. AN ENTIRE YEAR! In my opinion, that's pretty astounding for a woman who didn't want to do it at all. This does not, however, make me one of those fanatics that thinks that breastfeeding is the only way and you are less of a mom if you don't. I don't think that at all. I only did it for the health benefits it was going to give my child (and b/c the hubs didn't want to buy formula). I say, if you want to formula feed - go for it. There are a lot of good formulas out there that provide much the same nutrients as breast milk.

Having said all that....all that breastfeeding didn't do a thing to fight off the asthma, eczema and food allergies. Timmy, despite my best efforts, has them all. He developed eczema when he was about 6 weeks old - that's when he was breastfeeding exclusively, so if the kind breastfeeding folks could explain that to me...I'd appreciate it. Then, when he was about 18 months old, he was diagnosed with asthma. Following that doctor's appointment, I broke down in tears. I was that child who had asthma so bad it prevented me from doing a lot of things - I so didn't want that for him. I left the office with a nebulizer and a very sad heart. The medical problems didn't stop there. Around the same time as the asthma diagnosis, we discovered, following a trip to the ER, that he was allergic to eggs (not just the whites, but the yolks too) and all nuts and seeds. Oh joy!

The nut allergy I can live with - I have had to deal with it myself my whole life and, quite frankly, I don't know what I am missing when people talk about peanut butter. The egg allergy, however, is really really challenging. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to find baked prodcuts without eggs or a substitute that will allow you to bake with ease? The toughest part of a food allergy is letting him go into the world and praying to God that he remembers what we have taught him about some foods not being safe and that he should always ask an adult he knows if he can eat it.

Now, I get this email from Web MD spouting off the same nonsense about breastfeeding aiding in preventing these things. I didn't help my child. Maybe, just maybe, some kids are prone to have asthma, eczema and food allergies and there's not a darn thing we, as parents, can do about it. Would't it be nice if the pediatricis, the AAP and all the breastfeeding proponents out there would stop making women feel guilty about their choice not to breastfeed?

After all of that, I will say that I enjoyed the experience of nursing Timmy. I do plan to do it again with this new bundle of joy. Whether or not I make it for a whole year (given that I will return to work after 12 weeks) remains to be seen.

Autism Speaks

2008-01-22T10:35:00.000-05:00

I stumbled upon this link at Ladybug's Picnic today. It's a link to a great video for Autism Speaks. The video is What Kind of World do you Want, and it is a great way to spend about 3 mintues of your time. Click on the link and watch the video. Five for Fighting, the band playing the song in the video, will donate $.49 each time the video is viewed.

Watch it - every little bit will help!

Try it Tuesday

2008-01-21T18:51:00.002-05:00

Make your own Taco Bar

Brown the ground meat of your choice (I used ground pork b/c I had it on hand) with garlic, salt, pepper, chili powder and cumin. Do this to your taste. None of the spices are spicy hot, so don't shy away from them. If you have not used cumin before, use it lightly to see if you like it - it has a smoky flavor to it.

Rather than buying pre-fab hard taco shells (which, being a cali girl almost floored me when hubs suggested that we have tacos and he bought the shells - I had never known anyone that bought or used them. My mom always fried her own and they were delish), buy some corn tortillas and warm them on a skillet - no oil required. It takes about 30 seconds on each side. You can use a spatula to turn them, but I use my fingers. Sometimes, when the hubs and I are feeling adventurous, we make our own tortillas using corn flour, water and a tortilla press - they are so good!

Wrap the warmed tortilla in foil. I am lucky enough to have a tortilla keeper for keeping mine warm, but if you don't have a cali source (like my mom who sent me this warmer she bought in the local grocery store for a few bucks) foil works well. You just want to make sure they stay warm and moist.

Finally, cut up your favorite toppings for your tacos. In this case, I used lettuce (all I had was the fancy kind, but normally I would use iceburg), tomatoes, avocados, onions and cheese (if you can find Mexican queso fresco in your grocery store - I recommend it - nice and mild soft cheese). I also use taco sauce for my tacos. In this case we used red and green sauce (the green sauce is nice and tangy - made from tomatillos - again, delish). Sometimes, if I am feeling ambitious or for a party, I make homemade salsa for the tacos, but that's a post for another Try it Tuesday.

Pass all the things around the table - do it family style, making one taco at a time. It's worth it - try something different this week.

IUD

2008-01-21T16:10:00.000-05:00

Sometime last week I got a new parenting magazine in the mail. My inner blonde doesn't allow me to remember which is was, and it doesn't really matter. Anyway, as Timmy was settling down for the night and watching a few mintues of tv before bed (does that make me a bad mom that part of his wind down for bed is about 20 minutes of PBS Sprout?), I picked up the magazine. The first ad in teh magazine I paid any mind to was an ad for an IUD. I started to think about it, and put it on the back burner in my mind.

Later that night, the hubs was innocently watching tv while I was still thumbing through the magazine. It was then, that I decided to blast him with what was sitting in the back of my mind.

Me: "Instead of you getting the snip, snip when after the baby is born, why don't I just get an IUD? It's 99.9% effective and it lasts for 5 years. That way, when the little pink frosted bun in the oven starts kindergarten, we can have the option of having another...if we want."
Hubs: "Are you high?"
Me: "C'mon. We could have 3, and it would be 5 years from now."
Hubs: "No way. We are only having 2 kids. When she is born I am making the appointment."
Me: "Are you sure you don't want to think about it."
Hubs: "I'm positive!"

Here's the thing, a small part of me would like to have 3 kids. Then, the smart part of me takes over and remembers my vow during the first trimester of both pregnancies, "I'm never doing this again." Then, I think how great it would be to have another (talk to me 6 months from now and see if my attitude is still the same). Driving into work a couple of days later, I was still thinking about it. My last and final thought, however, was, "Holy crap! If this, by some miracle, were an option, then the next baby would be born when I am 40 - that's not okay!" That sealed it for me.

I guess that will day surgery for the hubs in a few months, then the whining will commence (scratch that, the whining will start when the appoinment is made - to which I will find some response about squeezing something the size of a watermelow out of something the size of a lemon).

Pregnancy Symptoms

2008-01-17T08:48:00.000-05:00

There are a lot of joyful things about pregnany, but I'm not in the mood to focus on those. Instead I would rather focus on the annoying little tings that come from this most blessed bun in the oven.

1) The girls have changed. They haven't been the same since the first bun, but now they are even different. They are so sensitive, I think I can see them sagging a little more each day, and they itch. I hope the itchiness is not a sign of growth b/c if they get any bigger, I'm not sure what I'll do (the hubs, I am quite positive, would be happy to see them get bigger).
2) Food aversions abound. Nothing ever really sounds good to me these days. I pratically ate nothing during the first trimester, but now that I can eat, nothing sounds all that fabulous to me. There was that one time I was craving a Mexican Shrimp Cocktail, but since then there hasn't been anything of substance that I have wanted to eat. I have gone serveral days without consuming any meat products at all, which is so unlike me. Don't freak out - I got my protien from laughing cow cheese.
3) Discharge. I believe Jenny McCarthy said it best in her book, Belly Laughs. It's like niagra falls in my pants. Seriously....why does this need to happen? I have exchanged a monthly nusiance for 9 months of pure annoyance!
4) Hemorhoids. Oh, I'll admit it. I have them. It's disgusting and foul.
5) Urinary Incontinance. Just once I would like to sneeze, cough, laugh, etc without a little pee escaping. Thank goodness I am wearing panty liners becuase of number 3!
5a) - Getting up to pee 5-6 times per night. Knowing the you have to pee like a race horse, only to find a few drops trickling out - Thank you, little one, for doing a jog on my bladder!
6) Stinky Gas - How many of you out there were able to clear a room? Yeah....it's really bad when you need to leave the room too.
7) Headaches. I'm prone to headachs anyway, but now that I only have tylenol to take, they just seem even worse. When I nursed the little man for a year, I swore I would throw an excedrin party when it was over - I did. I love excedrin and can't wait to have it back in my life. I will not, however, forgo trying to nurse this little bun for the sake of my precious pain reliever - at least you can take advil while nursing.
8) Pregnancy brain. I have dedicated many posts to this little pregnancy gem. I look forward to recapturing my somewhat intelligent mind in a couple of months.
9) Exhaustion. Do I even need to say more about it? I think I start yawning shortly after 9:00am and continue until bedtime a good 12 hours later!
10) Lack of Comfort. Oye - could sleeping be anymore uncomfortable when you are as big as a house? Last night I finally snuggled up with a pillow next to me; that helped slightly and was much more manageable than the huge body pillow they market to us women desperate to find comfort.
11) Decisions. Trying to sort through all the baby paraphenlia out there to decide what you really do and do not need. My mom likes to remind me that they didn't have all this stuff when I was a baby. All she needed was a play pin! And while I am talking about play pins, can I just ask...what happened to them? Gone are the days where you can put your baby in a play pin and clean the house. Now we have something half the size we call a pack n play - not the same thing.
12) Vehicle Travel. Realizing that once a second one comes along there won't be room in your car for anyone other than your immediate family. Then realizing that your worst nightmare might come true - you might just need to become a minivan mom.
13) Braxton Hicks. Oye! These little beauties are painful. I just experienced my first ones last night. In my last pregnancy they just felt like menstral cramps, which I can handle like a pro. These things last night were all too reminiscent of the real thing.
14) Tendonitis. This is a little known pregnancy symptom, but that didn't stop me from getting it (I like to to experience everythingI do with full force, so I couldn't leave this one out). With the little man it happened the last two weeks of pregnancy and continued until he was about one. Guess what started this week? I have 9 weeks to go and it has started. I need to dig my braces out from under a pile of stuff I was hoping to never need again.
15) Swollen apendages. Feet as big as a 500 pound women and fingers so swollen you walk around without a wedding ring on, causing people to look at you and wonder where the daddy has gone. So far, with this little bun, I have not had the pleasure of this happening. There are, however, 9 weeks left so I still have time of meeting my goal of doing this baby growing without missing a symptom!
16) Anticipation. Wanting to meet the bundle so badly, but wondering when it will happen and at what moment you will make the decision to go to the hospital.

Do you have any to add? I'm sure I could come up with more...

Parenting Magazine

2008-01-16T08:31:00.000-05:00

I am a subscriber to Parenting Magazine and got my February issue. Upon reading it, I was disappointed. Enough so, that I sent them an email - which is not like me at all. Here's what I sent to them.

When my February 2008 issue arrived, I was happy to see a Food Allergies feature on your cover. As a mom of a toddler with allergies to eggs and all nuts and seeds, it’s good to see awareness raised. My hope is that someday an article will be written that focuses on raising awareness in parents of children without food allergies. These are parents that send their children to play group with peanut butter crackers and cookies laced with things that would cause a severe allergic reaction in my child. If there were more awareness in these parents, perhaps they would worry more about the crumbs left on the play mats from the snacks they send out into the middle of a play group.

I look forward to your Good Eating recipes each month, but imagine my dismay to see each of the 4 recipes featured contained eggs. You followed a feature article on food allergies with recipes that featured eggs, one “The Big 8” food allergens you listed. Perhaps these recipes would have been better suited for an issue where you didn’t have a whole article of food allergies.

Try it Tuesday

2008-01-15T06:21:00.000-05:00

Here's something different for Try it Tuesday. Try having the hubs cook dinner! I have a terrible cold that has traveled to my chest and is making me miserable. The hubs took pity on me and cooked Sunday night (I will give credit to him for cooking last night too). He actually enjoys cooking and is pretty good at it. Somewhere along the line of being with me for 9 years, he stopped cooking. Why did that happen? Don't get me wrong, he still grills food in the summer time. It's the day to day that he stopped doing. Having said that...I will say that he picked it up again for a few weeks when I went back to work. I would come home and he would already be there working on dinner; this was a great turn of events. Like most good things, however, that came to an end too.

Anyway, the Try it Tuesday this week is for making your own take out. The hubs is on a Fried Rice kick, so he gave it a go.

Cold Sticky Rice (servings to cook should equal amount of people you are serving - he did two servings). the rice needs to be cooked and cooled. I never believed it before, but now I know - it doesn't stick to the wok. After many failed attempts at buying the right kind of rice (we tried short grain, long grain, jasmine, basmati....), I finally bought the rice in the white paper sack in the Asian food section - oh what a difference - it's perfect for any kind of Asian food!
Garlic - to your taste
2 Onions (white) - chopped - we live a little big to keep the sweet taste.
Onions - green for garnish
1 carrot - finely diced
1 celery - finely diced
1/2 orange bell pepper - finely diced (we happened to have this in the fridge, otherwise it wouldn't have been used)
1/2 cup frozen peas - defrosted
2 pieces chicken breast - cut into bit size pieces
soy sauce - to your own taste
oil - enough to saute

Pre-heat the wok over high heat. Add the oil, garlic and soy sauce, stirring constantly so as not to burn garlic. Add chicken and cook 3/4 of the way. Add the onions and saute until soft. Add the carrots, celery and any other non cooked veggie you choose. Cook until veggies are soft. Add the rice and more soy sauce. Heat the rice through. Add the peas and green onions. Stir until peas are heated through.

Some people add an egg at the end by making a well in the center and scrambling the egg in the well, then stirring the cooked egg throughout the rice. With the little man's egg allergy, we skip that part.

It's yummy and simple to do. The most difficult part is chopping the vegetables.

Baby Budget

2008-01-14T08:41:00.000-05:00

In November I started selling some of the little man’s winter clothes on ebay in an effort to have money to buy stuff for the little pink frosted bun in the oven. I made over $250 with everything that I sold. The sad part is, I didn’t even scratch the surface of what I can sell. It’s such a pain in the bum that I don’t know if I want to sell the summer wear. I just may have a yard sale over the summer and sell it then (on the other hand, we have family who just had a little boy, so I should let them go through it first and take what they need). Since selling the clothes, I bought a lot of girl clothes on ebay and a painting for her room.
I planned to spend the rest of it over the weekend. My brother-in-law’s girlfriend is having a baby and is due one week before me. We planned this big shopping trip (I say big because the nearest babies-r-us is almost 1.5 hours away) on Saturday. The hubs and I had been talking about it and I was getting excited (shopping does that to me). I don’t have many friends in NH to buy things for us and it is a second baby, so a shower really isn’t going happen. On one of our final conversations about the shopping, the hubs started asking a lot of questions.

Hubs: “what are you going to buy?” “how much are you going to spend?” “what are you going to buy?” “what are you going to buy?” and finally “why don’t you wait awhile to buy things.”
Me: “hmmmmm…we’ll let’s see. The nearest babies-r-us is over an hour away. Do you really want me to drive over an hour much later than the end of January?”
Hubs: “why don’t you wait awhile to buy things.”
Me: “ARGHHHHHHHHH” “What is going on?” “Do you have something you need to tell me?”
Hubs: No response, just a quirky smile.

Okay, something is going on. It couldn’t possibly be a shower, because I seriously have like 2 friends that’s not really enough to count on a shower. (It’s pathetic I know…go ahead and get out your violins. Let me explain, though, I moved here as a stay at home mom in my mid-thirties. Most of the women here have lived here their whole lives. They didn’t exactly throw out the welcome mat at mommy group and invite me into their little cliques. Now that I ma back at work, I work in HR. HR is not exactly a position where you make a lot of friends. I need to keep too many secrets and can’t participate in office gossip.)

My hunch was right; something is going on. My dear friend, Yesenia, who lives down the street and with whom the hubs and I share our Wednesday night dinner called the next night. She was feeling bad for Todd and thought he might crack under the pressure, so she was calling to tell me she was giving me a shower. This is very sweet of her, but I still have my reservations about the number of people at this shower (it just might be short and sweet).

Anyway, I kept the shopping trip as planned. My mother-in-law was with us too, and was like a bull dog keeping me from buying too much. I will say it worked. Because she was there, I showed great restraint. My Grandma and Grandpa sent money for the baby and said to use it for my shopping trip, so that’s what I did. I only dipped $30 into my baby budget. I ended up with a new diaper bag, 6 carter’s sleepers (which are just about the best item of baby clothing ever), a couple of outfits that were on sale, two towel sets that were on sale, a basket for the changing table, and a cheapy tub for the counter (our infant tub leaks). I thought I showed great restraint. There was so much more I wanted! I registered, so I hope that I get some things off my registry…otherwise it’s going to be online purchasing for me and a budget that gets cut because of shipping. There’s not really a lot that I actually need. Most of it is girl bedroom things.

Medical This & That

2008-01-11T11:06:00.000-05:00

It seems as though you can’t keep my family out of the doctors’ offices lately. Below are a couple of updates.

My pre-natal visit went very well yesterday. Timmy went with me for the first time. He was very good. The nurse practioner was so good with him (another reason I really like and don’t feel the need to see the doctor – I mean, seriously, the doctor only comes in the delivery room to catch the baby). She pulled a chair up next to the table and let him stand on it. She used the tape measure to measure how tall he was, then let him hold one end while she measured my stomach. Then came time for the heartbeat, she let him hold the Doppler and guided his hand to find the heartbeat. Finally, we ended with him wiping the gel off my stomach. The whole thing was pretty cool for him, but the best part was wiping the stuff off my stomach – that’s pretty much what he talks about from the experience. This morning, during our morning potty session, he told me he needed to go with me again.
During my first labor, I had prodromal labor, which is labor that doesn’t progress your cervix dilation – this went on for 48 hours with Timmy and I didn’t get past a 4. They gave me patocin, and it didn’t do anything for me. Finally, they broke my water. In 1.5 hours, I went from 4 cm – 10 cm and had Timmy – super fast. At the visit, we discussed what will happen if I have prodromal labor again. She said depending on where we are in my pregnancy when she is doing an internal…if she sees the bag of water, and she breaks it, then whoops! See, just another reason I don’t want to see the doctor.
One last update on me. I lost weight in the beginning of this pregnancy. My last visit was the first time I gained weight. I gained 3 pounds, which put me back where I was on my first visit (they don’t count the 10 pounds I lost before even seeing them). Then yesterday, I gained 1 pound. If you do the math, it means that I have gained only 1 pound since my first visit with them. Yeah me! I was so worried b/c they told me I could only gain 15 pounds, and I didn’t know how I was going to make that happen. Clearly, my body has figured out a way to make it happen – I’m not dieting or trying to lose weight, I am just not as hungry and very little sounds appealing to me. The big question now is, will this trend of not being as hungry continue after the baby is born? I hope so!!!

Todd’s Chest Pain Update
For those that don’t know….Todd was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma in 1999. The melanoma spread to his lymph nodes, and resulted in a year long chemo type treatment. He was also diagnosed with Melanoma again in November 2007, but it was stage 1 and required nothing more than removal of the offending mole.
Finally, he was having chest pain last week.
Todd has his tests done yesterday for the chest pain. He did a stress test and an echocardiogram. Both seemed to go well, but they will most likely run more tests. The doctor informed him that he had been doing some research on Todd’s case and found something interesting. His melanoma treatment in 1999-2000 could be the cause of this. Current research is showing the when these treatments were created, cancer patients weren’t living as long. Now that they are living much longer lives, the side effects from the drugs are starting to show. The drug/treatment Todd used was interferon, which may be related to heart problems. The doctor is continuing to research it. Most likely, he will be sent to Dartmouth Hitchcock for more tests.
Now…my warning to parents. Melanoma, apparently, is the gift that keeps on giving. Not only can it spread to your lymph nodes and metastasize into other forms of cancer, but the treatments might be the cause of other health problems. No matter your child’s skin tone, please, please apply sunscreen on them every time they go outside. You should even put it under light colored and white t-shirts, as they do not block UV rays. Take it from my husband’s experience, sunscreen is essential. Now that we are more educated, gone are the days of rubbing yourself with baby oil before a sun bathing session.
As far as our own follow-up…it’s time to get back in shape. Todd, and me by default, will need to get in shape. He has no choice other than to diet and exercise to get off the excess weight and to keep his heart as healthy as possible. His treatments may have had an effect on his heart, so now he needs to make sure to live a healthy lifestyle. It will be essential for him to do as much as possible to counteract what the medication did to him.

Hello Baby

2008-01-09T17:11:00.001-05:00

Timmy got several books on being a big brother and what it means to have a new baby for Christmas. He is fascinated with the books and really enjoys reading them. One book in particular, Hello Baby by Lizzy Rockwell, captures his attention quite well. It includes pictures of the baby inside the mommy’s tummy, separate pictures of the stages of growth, the umbilical cord as it is as scab (or boo-boo, as we call it), the mommy at a doctor’s visit and the little boy hearing the heartbeat, the mommy breastfeeding, the baby getting a bath and holding the baby very carefully. All in all, it’s a great book and has allowed for some very specific teaching points for Timmy.

Because of the book, we have talked about:
The stages the baby goes through in Mommy’s tummy.
The boo-boo the baby will have and that it will turn into a belly button.
The special milk that Mommy makes and where it comes from, which is just for the baby.
How the baby will cry, and what we can do to soothe the baby.

We have also spent a great deal of time talking about my visits to the doctor and hearing the baby’s heartbeat. Because he is so fascinated with it, he is going to my appointment with me this afternoon. I really hope it goes well, so that I can schedule all my appointments for the end of the day to involve him.

By the way - notice the haircut in the picture? Oye - that was a decision I made, since the little man is so terrible at haircuts. I was trying to make it so I didn't need to do it again for awhile. it's a little too short for my liking and for daddy's. Sorry!!!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-01-09T17:09:00.000-05:00

How long will unloading the dishwasher be fun?

Try it Tuesday

2008-01-08T19:42:00.001-05:00

Kid's Party Cake
1 box cake mix, prepared according to directions.
Bake 1 9 inch round and 12 cupcakes according to directions.
2 containers of white frosting - do not used whipped frosting.
4 different food colors - use the gel or paste colors, not the liquid (it thins the icing too much)
Skittles sorted into 4 different colors.

Mix the frosting colors. Choose colors to match the party theme or taste of the child your making the cake for. Prepare 4 different colors of frosting. Keeping in mind there is one color for the 9 inch round, one color for seven cupcakes, one color for 4 cupcakes and one color for one cupcake.

Frost the 9 inch round.
Frost the 7 cupcakes.
Place one cupcake in the center of the 9 inch round cake, then place the remaining 6 cupcakes around the center cupcake (making sure the sides touch on each cupcake - tight circle).
Place the next 4 cupcakes on top of the seven.
Place the final cupcake on top of the 4.
Decorate with skittles to your liking.
Add candles - I used the spiral candles for a little extra something.

The cake is a big hit with the younger crowd and other parents are usually impressed.

Below, I posted the same cake with a Spiderman theme for a Spiderman party. All the cupcakes and cake are white. I made webs on each cupcake with gray icing. I drew a bullseye with icing on each cupcake, then pulled a toothpick from the center out to make it look like a web. I topped each cupcake with a small plastic spider (easily found in any party store). Once the cake was put together, I dusted the whole thing with clear edible glitter. It made the cake sparkle like dew on a morning spiderweb. It was very cool and made for a very happy 5 year old and his mommy, who happens to be a good friend of mine.

A little Monday Rambling...

2008-01-07T20:56:00.000-05:00

What a trying day it has been for me. It's almost 9pm and I am just getting up the energy to post now. I had to work in a different office today, so I left 30 minutes before I normally do - just to get there and greet new employees. I stumbled through most of my day, not feeling quite right. Then the sore throat and runny nose started - good grief! I was hoping that I could get through the winter without catching some kind of cold, but nooooo....here it is!

While I am on the subject of a cold, I have two doctor's appointments this week. One with my OBGYN for a normal prenatal visit and the other with my new PCP. The last time I was sick (September) I tried to get in to see my PCP and the office said they would not treat me while I was pregnant. They didn't want to deal with the liability - can you believe that crap??? I honestly failed to see how prescribing me antibiotics was going to harm the baby. Hey, here's a tip...take out your physician's desk reference and look for the category of medication and give me one that's B or above. It's that simple! That was all it took, and I started doctor shopping. I finally found one that I think will work out; she's actually a nurse practitioner, which in my experience tends to be a little better. (My Mom's a nurse, so maybe I am biased towards their bedside manner)

I did an HR orientation for these fine new employees, who were actually the most inquisitive group I have had in the 9 months that I have worked there. Normally, this would thrill me to no end. New employees that show a sincere interest and desire for knowledge are fantastic. Today, however, I was not feeling in the mood to spend 20 minutes debating the reasons for the federal privacy laws that prohibit us from sharing clients private health information with employees. Seriously folks, the debate went on for 20 minutes.

Then back to my desk by 2:30, where I met with an employee about benefits. That took up a good amount of time. I got to eat lunch at 3:00, but only because my 3:00 didn't show for her appointment. I packed my stuff and left around 3:45 - only 15 minutes early for me when I work in that office. I just couldn't take it anymore.

Wait....Fox news is on in the background...my day just got better. They are showing Hillary Clinton crying at a press conference. Fabulous. This shows me one thing, and one thing only...she's got tear ducts and knows how to use them. I don't for one second believe that they are real.

While I am on politics, the primary is headed to NH tomorrow. I am still undecided about who I want to vote for. Quite frankly none of the candidates impress me. All of them seem in-genuine to me. Maybe I will write in Becki's name on my ballot!

And to end my rambling on a positive note...the little man announced tonight that his tummy felt tight and that he needed to poop. Woooooo Whooooo! Break through...he told me he had to go instead of me asking him. This is fabulous and I hope it happens again soon!

The Heart

2008-01-04T14:51:00.000-05:00

yeah, this is not a sentimental post at all. If you were hoping for one, today's not the day.

Wednesday night at the dinner table Todd said he had chest pain. A pain that was like someone pushing on his chest. Fabulous! I quizzed him, and he said he was fine. I told him that it was not unheard of for 35 year of old men to have heart attacks and he had better be sure he was truly okay. I also made a comment about the fact that I can't do this whole parenting thing on my own (applause to single moms out there that can).

I got home last night a little after 5:00 and he tells me he is having it again. I promptly put him on the phone with my Mom, a retired ER registered nurse. She was on the fence about him going to the ER, but thought it wouldn't be a bad idea. He got off the phone and decided that we should make the trip to the ER, which was the first sign that it must be bad if he is willing to go in for tests and open his wallet for the $100 co-pay.

We dropped Timmy off with my in-laws and jetted off. A couple of hours and a slew of tests later, he was released. The EKG did show one abnormality, but the cardiologist at Hitchcock was of the opinion that there wasn't any trauma to his heart. We left with instructions to follow-up with his PCP this morning, which Todd has already done. He had a 2:00 appointment to go over everything. I'll feel much better about the whole event after they run more tests.

On the up-side, when we got home my Mother-in-law had folded the laundry that was in the dryer, put a new load in the dryer and had done my dishes for me. Very nice and not at all necessary.

More updates to follow.

Inner Blonde Strikes Again!

2008-01-03T09:45:00.000-05:00

My inner blonde, who reared her airy head upon the beginning of this pregnancy, has finally reached her peak performance; she has finally cost me money! $20.33 to be exact!

Timmy’s still in potty training mode, so I drag a bag of extra clothes and underwear with me to daycare every day. Because ~~the hubs~~ I am too cheap to buy enough changes of clothes to keep some at daycare on a full-time basis, I carry this bag back and forth everyday. I keep the bag next to my purse in the mud room. It was -4 degrees this morning when I left, and the high is expected to be 9 degrees. Given the extreme cold, I knew I needed to pack an extra pair of fleece lined pants for him today. If he had an accident, I wanted to make sure he could change into something equally as warm. In addition to the cozy warm pants that I consciously put in his bag this morning, I put his beloved blanky in the bag too. I’m sure by now, you have guessed where this is going.

I left the house, purse and lunch bag in tow. I peacefully made the 30 minute drive to daycare, pulled into the lot, turned the car off, then “oh CRAP” I forget his daycare bag. How could I possibly have forgotten his bag; it’s in the same darn place every morning???? I had to break the news to him that he wasn’t going to have blanky that day because I forgot his bag. He whimpered for a bit, but took it better than I thought he would (I suspect that daycare will bear the brunt of his whimpering at nap time). I then had to break it to daycare that I forgot the bag of spare clothes and that I would be back after a trip to Wal-Mart. Then, as I was driving to work, I called the hubs (yikes) and had to break the news to him. I didn’t tell him that my inner blonde was at fault, because, quite frankly, he wouldn’t find the humor in it. I think he might have been ~~the teeniest bit~~ annoyed.

Then, I get to Wal-Mart and search the shelves of the cheapest pants I can find – not a single pair of 4T to be found. Now, when I was looking for 3T in the late summer this would have been the perfect situation, now it just plain sucked. Hey, did I mention that I was about 15 minutes late for work at this point? No? Well I was, so then I frantically starting searching through all the racks for the allusive 4T’s – I found some, finally. What I found, however, were mesh pants and very cheap. ~~The hubs~~ I like cheap, but come on – it’s going to be 9 flippin degrees today – these things are as thin as paper! Well guess what – I didn’t get to be picky today. I bought four pairs of pants, a package of underwear and a package of socks (sometimes accidents result in floor puddles, which get the feet wet too).

I carted the whole lot back to daycare. I gave my little man a kiss goodbye and apologized for blanky’s absence for the second time, then headed off to work. I got there about 40 minutes late. My boss’s vacation started today, thank goodness, but I suspect (as with most things) she would have taken it well – hey, she finds my inner blonde funny!

2007-12-31T21:43:00.000-05:00

Try it Tuesday - Bailey's Irish Cream Cake

2007-12-31T19:47:00.000-05:00

If you want a cake to impress them all, try this one! My family has been making this cake for over 15 years. It came to us by a friend of the family who offered it to my Dad one holiday season. I can't remember if it was during a secret santa or an auction at work, but my dad was the lucky recipient. I do believe the woman came up with this recipe on her own. It's a winner and a crowd pleaser. try it for people once, and it will be the most requested dessert you take to a party.

Ingredients:
1 yellow cake mix, baked according to package directions for 2 9 inch round pans
2 pints heavy cream
2 Cans rolled wafer cookies - There are several brands out there. The most readily available at grocery stores are the Pepperidge Farm Pirouette cookies.
1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons of Bailey's Irish Cream
powdered sugar to taste
1 tsp vanilla
large chocolate bar
decorative, wired ribbon

With an electric mixer, beat 1 pint of heavy cream, halfway to whipped cream. At the half way point, add 1/4 cup Bailey's Irish Cream and powdered sugar to taste (I added about a 1/3 of a cup). Continue whipping the cream until it is stiff and the consistency of whipped cream.

Slice each round in half using unflavored dental floss (easiest way to slice a layer of cake in half).

Place one layer of cake on cake plate, cut side up. Drizzle layer with 1 tablespoon of Bailey's Irish Cream.

Repeat the process (drizzle with 1 tablespoon of Bailey's and top with whipped cream) on 2 more layers - a total of 3 layers should have the Bailey's drizzle and the Bailey's whipped cream. Don't forget to place the cake layers cut side up.

Clean out mixing bowl and make another batch of whipped cream, this time without the Bailey's. Whip the cream half way to whipped cream, then add powdered sugar to taste and a teaspoon of vanilla. Then beat the rest of the way to whipped cream.
Place the top layer, cut side down, on the top of cake.
Cover with fresh whipped cream (do not drizzle with Bailey's Irish Cream).
Cover the sides of the cake with fresh whipped cream.
While you want the cake to be smooth, do not worry about crumbs showing in the whipped cream - they will be covered.
Line the outside edge of cake with rolled wafer cookies, placing each cookie side-by-side. The cookies will be taller than the cake, which is okay.

Tie a wired ribbon around outside of cake and make a large bow. There are plenty of ribbon choices out there. Use whatever works for the cake's occasion.

Finally, shave chocolate curls with a vegetable peeler and add to the top of the cake. You should do enough chocolate curls to come to the top of the cookies.

This works best with room temperature chocolate. Just hold the chocolate in your hands. You'll find as the chocolate warms up in your hands the curls become easier to do.

Refrigerate the cake for several hours before serving. I typically refrigerate overnight.
This might be a time consuming cake, but it is so worth the effort. Since Christmas is past, might I suggest you make it for your love at Valentine's Day or make it for Easter. We have friends that are newly engaged. When they get around to having an engagement party, my plan is to make it for them and have the cake plate (a new one, of course) serve as the present for the bride that is a newly emerging baker.

My Year in Review

2007-12-31T13:01:00.000-05:00

It really doesn’t seem like a lot happened to me, once I started typing it all out. Ir eally hope I am forgetting something and that I not really this boring!

My little man turned two – I guess that means he’s not a baby anymore. When I look at him now, I can’t believe how quickly time passes and how he has turned into a little boy right before my eyes.

I entered the world of working moms. Being a stay-at-home mom was a wonderful privilege and one I enjoyed so much, but like most good things it came to an end. I was lucky to do it for 2 years. Believe it or not, I think going back to work was good for me and for the little man. I think I just might be a better mommy because of it and I think the little man has been exposed to far more interesting things than I would expose him to.

We discovered that we are expecting another child – a girl this time. This pregnancy, during the first trimester, was far worse than when I was pregnant with the little man. I am also a little loopier and have made friends with my inner-blonde this time around.

My parents came for a visit twice this year, which is always good time. It’s so nice to see them and we are so blessed that they are retired and have the ability and means to travel and spend time with us.

Our extended family welcomed a new little boy – a cousin for Timmy. We also received news that Timmy would be getting another cousin at the same time his sister arrives. Babies abound!

We went to California and introduced Timmy to Disneyland! A good time was had by everyone.

Todd was diagnosed with another Melanoma. By the grace of God, however, it was stage 1 and he doesn’t need any further treatment.

Our Christmas season was festive and full of life. Timmy was fun to watch and his excitement was contagious.

It’s New Year’s Eve. I find myself wondering, being the non-resolution kinda girl, is this the day people decide what their resolutions for the new year will be? And if it is today, then what day to they realize that they have broken their well-meaning resolutions?

Melanoma Update

2007-12-28T11:21:00.001-05:00

Todd got the pathology report back. The melanoma was not in any of the skin layers they removed during the wide excision on December 18th. This means they got it all when they did the original removal. The diagnosis of stage 1 melanoma still stands. PHEWWWW…that is my sigh of relief. I’m still not thrilled that he even had another melanoma, but if you are going to get it stage 1 is the one to get. Thank goodness the doctor noticed it and removed it right away.

He will not need further treatment. He will, however, need to be seen by the dermatologist every 3 months now. He was supposed to be going every 6 months, but that somehow made its way into once per year when we moved to NH. You can bet I won’t let that happen again. His doctor, who is new to him, seems pretty aggressive, so she won’t let more than 3 months go by either.

Attention Shoppers - Crazy Pregnant Woman has Entered the Market

2007-12-27T09:04:00.000-05:00

I don’t have many cravings with this pregnancy, but when I think about it I didn’t have them with Timmy either. My Mom says she ate Chili Beans (you know the kind from the can, probably Hormel) everyday when she was pregnant with my brother. I was kinda looking forward to having my own “thing” I could tell my kids about, but it hasn’t happened.

What I have is aversions. With this little girl, the thought of anything from the grill makes me want to hurl. We drove by a steak house the other day and just the shear smell of it sends me into orbit. French fries and anything from fast food restaurants seems to be turning my stomach as well. The thought of even trying a Quarter Pounder right now is enough to send me screaming from the room. With Timmy, I didn’t eat poultry for 9 months, nor did I cook with onions, garlic or tomatoes; and orange juice was like death to me.

I have cravings from time to time, but nothing that I need everyday. When I do get them, however, I want the food item right away – which leads me to this post. Christmas day my mother-in-law had out cheese and crackers before the big meal. On that platter was goat cheese. I ate some, and it was delicious. As I was driving to work this morning, I started to think about that goat cheese and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I dropped Timmy off at daycare, then went back to the store and bought a box of crackers and a thing of goat cheese. At 8:45am, I was eating goat cheese and crackers – is that wrong???

Wordless Wednesday

2007-12-26T17:54:00.000-05:00

Before:
After:
Cookies for Santa:
The most exciting part: Rudolph ate most of the carrot!

Yankee Swap

2007-12-20T14:12:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year! I always enjoy picking out a gift for the Yankee Swap, but I have to say...I often pick a gift that I want. It's typically something very nice. In my years of participating in these at work, I have never ended up with what I brought or anything that interests me. Sometimes, I would end up with just plain horrible stuff. I know what you're thinking - How terrible she is! Where is the spirit of the season in her? Yeah....normally I would agree with you, but I put a lot of effort into the gifts that I take to these things and always end up with something that somebody pulled out of their junk drawer (seriously - one year I got peach tapered candles).

This year I was planning to give a yankee candle. It has been sitting at my house for awhile now, and I knew it would work out well. Everyone (well, maybe not everyone - my mom doesn't like candles - I'm sure there are others out there like her) likes them. I bought a cute little tin to put it in on Tuesday, and when I came home to put the gift together, I discovered it had been lit. The hubs lit it one night when we had people over, which is surprising considering he hates candles b/c they blacken the walls after long term use.

So...back to the drawing board. I had to run out for a last minute thing for the CEO, so I looked in the book section and found the new Rachel Ray cookbook (for those of you that have read my blog for awhile, you know I am a huge fan of hers). I bought that. I'm not saying I put any thought into this gift at all - b/c I didn't. I did, however, pick it with myself in mind. It's a book that I really want.

Fast forward to the Yankee Swap this afternoon. I was prepared to get the shaft, as I always do but I drew number 1. In this agency's version of the game, number 1 is the best number to have. Yeah!!!! Finally! All those years of paying my dues with crap gifts and I can finally get the one I really want! That's right - I took my book back and am taking it home with me!

And....for the record, had I not drawn number 1, I would have ended up with a CD from some no-name local band (no one was thrilled about this gift)! See; it would have meant my luck continued.

Wordless Wednesday

2007-12-18T21:11:00.001-05:00

Try it Tuesday

2007-12-18T09:25:00.000-05:00

My attempt, with Try it Tuesday, will be to post a recipe every Tuesday.

This week's recipe is for cream cheese cookies. It's my Mom's recipe, and it is excellent. The hubs swears it the best cookie he's ever had and he's not fond of sharing them with anyone else. Unfortunately for him, I only make them once per year. For no reason in particular, these cookies only get made at Christmas time.

Dough
1 Block Cream Cheese, softened
2 Sticks Butter, softened
2 Cups Flour

Beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in the flour, slowly. Beat until combined and smooth. Remove dough from mixing bowl and form into disc. Wrap disc in wax paper and refrigerate at least 3 hours.

Filling
1 Cup Chopped Walnuts
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
3 Tablespoons Milk
Cinnamon

Combine all ingredients with a fork or spoon. This filling recipe makes enough for 2 batches of cookies. I have also substituted (for my allergic son) raisins for the nuts, and it worked just as well. The hubs liked both versions.

Putting the Cookies Together
1) Remove dough from the refrigerator and cut into quarters. Roll 1/4 of the dough in granulated sugar into a large, thin circle. Turn the dough as your roll, to keep the sugar evenly spread on crust. Once you have rolled the dough, turn it over one last time. Upon turning it over, wipe away some of the excess sugar from the pastry mat (trust me this will help when the cookies are baking).

2) Cut the dough into 16 triangles. I use a pizza cutter for this - works really well and makes a long smooth cut.

3) Place a small amount of filling at the wide end of each triangle.

4) Roll, beginning with the wide end, each triangle to the center of the circle.

5) Place on lined cookie sheet. If you don't have a silpat, use parchment paper. It is essential that you line your cookie sheet, as the sugar on the outside of the cookie caramelizes. All 16 cookies will fit on one cookie sheet; they don't spread much.

6) Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 15-17 minutes. The cookies will be slightly golden when done. Start checking them at 15 minutes.

7) Remove the cookies from the pan right away. The caramelized sugar will cause the cookies to stick if you do not remove them right away. Scrap sugar from silpat (or discard parchment paper) and repeat the process.

Enjoy the cookies - so tasty! I wish I had taken a nicer picture of the cookies - perhaps on a nice dish - but the cookies were gone before I could think to do that!

Melanoma

2007-12-17T15:28:00.000-05:00

Today I write my blog entry with a heavy heart. In 1999 Todd was diagnosed with stage 4 Melanoma. It required one year of chemo type treatments, one month of intensive IV treatments, and 11 months of self-injections 3 times per week. To say the very least, it was a trying time for him. As his girlfriend, fiancé and wife (all 3 throughout the process) it was difficult for me too. It’s never an easy thing to see the person you love most in this world go through something so terrible and see the side-effects that the drugs take on your body. Even writing this now, my checks are stained with tears.

I have written a post at the beginning of my blogging career about his illness. Several years later, I was able to see the lesson God gave us. His illness put our young relationship to the test and put us on a level that many don’t achieve for many, many years into a relationship – that was the blessing in his illness. Upon learning this lesson and writing the previous post, I never expected to write about it again.

Prior to our Thanksgiving trip to California, Todd had a suspicious mole removed from his shoulder. The dermatologist called while we were in California with the news that the mole removed was, in fact, Melanoma. The sheer horror and fear that went through my mind rivaled anything I have ever felt before. My first thought was, “I can’t believe we need to go through this again.” He has an appointment tomorrow for a wide-excision, where they will go in and take out an 8” x 3” oval on his shoulder. This will allow them to get clean lines on the and biopsy the tissue around the mole that was removed. The upside, so far, is that this Melanoma appears to be stage 1 only, which means it did not travel to his lymph nodes (as it had before). Tomorrow’s procedure will be able to confirm the stage for us. With a stage 1 Melanoma, there isn’t any treatment that needs to be done. I am trying to hold onto that silver lining, but try as I might, I can not get rid of the fear that is dwelling within me.

I am a firm believer in “things happen for a reason.” Try as I might, however, I can not find a reason for this. Maybe I need to be several years removed from this incident to find the lesson in it. Right now the only things I feel are fear, frustration, confusion and anger over this.

Dear Santa

2007-12-14T13:20:00.000-05:00

Dear Santa,
I've been a good Mom all year. I've fed, cleaned and cuddled my son on demand, visited the doctor's office more than my doctor and whipped enough body parts to last an entire lifetime.
I was hoping you could spread my list out over several Christmases, since I had to write this letter with my son's red crayon, on the back of a receipt in the laundry room between cycles, and who knows when I'll find anymore free time in the next 18 years.

Here are my Christmas wishes:I'd like a pair of legs that don't ache (in any color, except purple, which I already have) and arms that don't hurt or flap in the breeze, but are strong enough to pull my screaming child out of the candy aisle in the grocery store.

I'd also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the seventh month of my last pregnancy.

If you're hauling big ticket items this year I'd like fingerprint resistant windows and a radio that only plays adult music, a television that doesn't broadcast any programs containing talking animals, and a refrigerator with a secret compartment behind the crisper where I can hide to talk on the phone.

On the practical side, I could use a talking doll that says, "Yes, Mommy" to boost my parental confidence, along with two kids who don't fight and three pairs of jeans that will zip all the way up without the use of power tools.

I could also use a recording of Tibetan monks chanting "Don't eat in the living room" and "Take your hands off your brother," because my voice seems to be just out of my children's hearing range and can only be heard by the dog.

If it's too late to find any of these products, I'd settle for enough time to brush my teeth and comb my hair in the same morning, or the luxury of eating food warmer than room temperature without it being served in a Styrofoam container.

If you don't mind, I could also use a few Christmas miracles to brighten the holiday season. Would it be too much trouble to declare ketchup a vegetable? It will clear my conscience immensely.

It would be helpful if you could coerce my children to help around the house without demanding payment as if they were the bosses of an organized crime family.

Well, Santa, the buzzer on the dryer is calling and my son saw my feet under the laundry room door. I think he wants his crayon back. Have a safe trip and remember to leave your wet boots by the door and come in and dry off so you don't catch cold. Help yourself to cookies on the table but don't eat too many or leave crumbs on the carpet.

Yours Always,

MOM

...P.S. One more thing...you can cancel all my requests if you can keep my children young enough to believe in Santa.

Slippery Slope

2007-12-13T12:10:00.000-05:00

I already wrote about one controversial thing in my blog within the last week, so I decided what the heck – I’ll do another. At this point, it really is okay with me to talk controversy. Quite frankly, why this is controversial is beyond my depth of understanding. I get why abortion and the death penalty are controversial, but this??? My sense is that is controversial to only a small percentage of Americans, but that may be my naivety.

The New Hampshire news has been carrying a story about a local school district that is being sued to have the Pledge of Allegiance removed from the school. Mind you, however, the school district already has a mandate that says students are not forced to say the pledge and can even remove themselves from the room while it is being said. My question to the fine folks, who are going to waste my tax dollars fighting something that really isn’t an issue if his/her child can leave the room, is why would you want to take away another student’s right to pay allegiance and respect to this fine nation that we live in? This fine nation that gives you the right to voice your opinion on the subject and gives your child the right to step out of the classroom? You are doing all of this, and wasting tax payer dollars, because of one word: God. What’s going to happen when the school district spends upwards of 6 figures to fight the case, then cuts extra programs from the school because they can’t afford them any longer? Your child will no longer get the fine arts class, the band class, the international club, the ski team, etc….because you are trying to make a ridiculous point. I bet you will be the first person to complain when your little prince or princess doesn’t get to take that school field trip to the Museum of Science that the kids look forward to every year.

Guess what – the majority of the nation thinks you are ridiculous. I guarantee that if we, as a nation, voted on keeping the Pledge of Allegiance in schools and the word God in the Allegiance, it would pass with a landslide victory. I hate the thought that a few appointed judges get to make this decision. Why can’t we, the American people get to decide? I will also say this, if the Pledge of Allegiance is ever removed from my child’s school, I will teach him the reasons why we say it and why this country is so great. Then I will encourage him to say it every day at school – not teacher led, but on his own. What’s the person who wants God removed from our country going to do then? Is that person going to sue my son for his freedom of speech?

While we are on the subject of removing God from America, I’m going to keep on going (quite frankly it’s a slippery slope and it can just keep going and going). It’s no different that the people that want all Nativity scenes removed from any public forum. If that happens, I will personally start a campaign to get every believer (home owner and business owner alike) across this country to put a nativity scene on their lawn or on their store fronts.

What’s next? Why don’t we just go ahead and cancel Christmas. Yep – let’s get rid of it as a national holiday. After all, (and some people appear not to know this) Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Christ. Almost everything about Christmas, and the days leading up to it have religious symbolism.
The candy cane was created by a Christian candy maker as a reminder of a shepherd’s staff. The red is a symbol of the blood shed by Jesus and the white is a symbol for His purity.

The Wreath symbolizes that God is the Alpha and Omega. He is everlasting and His kingdom knows no beginning or end.

Christmas Lights symbolize that Jesus is the light of the world; an everlasting light and the light of our salvation.

Holly symbolizes the crown of thorns.

The star at the top of your tree marks the place where Christ lay as an infant.
The angel at the top of your tree symbolizes the angels that proclaimed the birth of Christ.

The Christmas tree is the symbol of the Jesse Tree. Jesse was the father of Kind David. It is fro his lineage that the Christ received his earthly ancestry.
Santa Claus represents Saint Nicholas, who tossed pouches of gold coins through windows of needy people in his town.

The colors of Christmas: Red is symbolic of the blood Christ shed for our sin. Green is symbolic of the eternal life we have through Christ. White is symbolic of the purity of Christ. Gold is symbolic of the kingship and royalty of Christ.

Here’s the thing, when you remove God from America, will we also need to remove all of these things from our lives too? What’s next on the list of that loud minority of people that want God removed? I think these people are entitled to their opinion, I really, really do. When their opinion, however, starts to affect my life, I start to get annoyed. I think it’s time for the silent majority to step up and fight for what they believe.

Am I done being controversial on my blog? Nope, a fire was lit under my tush and now I just feel the need to write about what’s on my mind. It’s my blog, so it seems like just as a good a forum as any to write about this stuff.

Taxes

2007-12-13T11:09:00.000-05:00

As we prepare to write a check for almost $5,000 to cover 6 months of property tax on the 20th of this month, I got this email - thought I would share it with you.

This is too true to be very funny

The next time you hear a politician use the
word 'billion' in a casual manner, think about
whether you want the 'politicians' spending
YOUR tax money.
A billion is a difficult number to comprehend,
but one advertising agency did a good job of
putting that figure into some perspective in
one of its releases.

A. A billion seconds ago it was 1959.

B. A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive.

C. A billion hours ago our ancestors were
living in the Stone Age.

D. A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet.

E. A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and
20 minutes, at the rate our government is spending it.

While this thought is still fresh in our brain, let's take a look at New Orleans It's amazing what you can learn with some simple division . .

Louisiana Senator, Mary Landrieu (D), is presently asking the Congress for $250 BILLION to rebuild New Orleans . Interesting number, what does it mean?

A. Well, if you are one of 484,674 residents of
New Orleans (every man, woman, child), you
each get $516,528.

B. Or, if you have one of the 188,251 homes in
New Orleans , your home gets $1,329,787.

C. Or, if you are a family of four, your family
gets $2,066,012.

Washington, D.C .. HELLO!!! ... Are all your calculators broken??

Tax his land,
Tax his wage,
Tax his bed in which he lays.
Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes is the rule.
Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.

Tax his ties,
Tax his shirts,
Tax his work,
Tax his dirt.

Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he tries to think.

Tax his booze,
Tax his beers,
If he cries,
Tax his tears.

Tax his bills,
Tax his gas,
Tax his notes,
Tax his cash.

Tax him good and let him know
That after taxes, he has no dough.

If he hollers,
Tax him more,
Tax hi m until he's good and sore.

Tax his coffin,
Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in which he lays.
Put these words upon his tomb,
'Taxes drove me to my doom!'

And when he's gone,
We won't relax,
We'll still be after the inheritance TAX!!
Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL License Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Perm it Tax
Gasoline Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax),
IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax),
Liquor Tax,
Luxury Tax,
Marriage License Tax,
Medicare Tax,
Property Tax,
Real Estate Tax,
Service charge taxes,
Social Security Tax,
Road Usage Tax (Truckers),
Sales Taxes,
Recreational Vehicle Tax,
School Tax,
State Income Tax,
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA),
Telephone Federal Excise Tax,
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax,
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Tax,
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax,
Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax,
Telephone State and Local Tax,
Telephone Usage Charge Tax,
Utility Tax,
Vehicle License Registration Tax,
Vehicle Sales Tax,
Watercraft Registration Tax,
Well Permit Tax,
Workers Compensation Tax.

STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?
Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago,
and our nation was the most prosperous in the world.
We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.

What happened? Can you spell 'politicians!'

And I still have to 'press
1' for English.

I hope this goes around THE
USA at least 100 times

What the heck happened?????

Wordless Wednesday

2007-12-12T06:29:00.000-05:00

Faking It

2007-12-10T21:18:00.001-05:00

When I was a young girl, my family would trek to the Christmas Tree farm, search out the perfect tree, cut it down and cart it home for decorating. It was always such a blast. Then one year, my Mom decided she wanted a different kind of tree. Not the kind you cut down, but the kind you buy from a road side stand. It was a different breed of Christmas tree altogether - short needles instead of the long we were used to and lots of space between branches (hey, I am not a botanist; I don't know the names of the trees). Hmmmm... I didn't like that development one little bit.

Eventually, the elegance of the new kind of tree she bought grew on me. I stopped resenting the fact that we didn't cut down the tree together. When I moved out on my own, I started buying the same kind of tree. Then, horror of all horrors, my Mom bought a fake tree! How can that be? Why would she do such a thing? I was never very happy about it, but like the last switch, this one grew on me too. I never succumbed to buying myself and artificial tree, but I saw the sense in her buying one for herself. We have tossed the idea around, but spending a lot of money up front really isn't an option.

We were planning to get our tree this year over the past weekend. I called the hubs before I left work on Friday. I asked him if he minded if I just stopped and bought one on the way home. I wasn't crazy about the idea of walking around in a foot of snow searching for a tree. He wanted to do this, not because it takes me forever to find a tree but because it only costs $10 for a tree at that particular farm (why??? b/c the guy never prunes them, so a perfect one is almost impossible to find).

Hubs: fine, but don't spend more than $200.
Me: What kind of tree do you think I am going to buy?
Hubs: Just go ahead and buy a fake one.
Me: Hmmm....okay.

I spent almost 2 hours searching for the best artificial tree I could find. I started my journey in KMart - after all, Martha Stewart is the queen of all things tasteful, so she must have a nice tree. Yep, she does, but they were more than I wanted to spend. I moved on to Home Depot - ughhh...they have a bunch of crap trees there. Then I went to Wal-Mart - again....crap. I went back to KMart. I searched the trees again and found one I liked. I checked with the tree stocking guy on the price of the one I liked (yes, he was a special guy just doing trees). It was a $250 tree, but starting the next day it would be $150. There were only 4 of those trees left, so I went to customer service to ask whether or not I could buy something that day and bring the receipt in the next day for credit if it went on sale. Yes, as a matter of fact, that is an option at kmart, so I bought the tree and got the $100 credit the next day.

Guess what...it's the perfect tree. There aren't any needles to clean up, I don't need to worry about watering it, I don't need to worry about it drying out, I don't need to string lights, and the branches are strong enough to hold my heavy ornaments.

Hair

2007-12-10T21:11:00.001-05:00

Last week Timmy and I had a conversation about hair. It was first thing in the morning. Timmy was sitting on the toilet and I was sitting in front of him: we were waiting for things to happen (for the poo-poo to wake up, as we like to say now that we heard my bro's family say it). Here's how the conversation went:

Me: Your hair is crazy today.
Timmy: I put it on my pillow last night.
Me: You must have slept crazy; it's sticking up all over.
Timmy: (While looking up at the ceiling) It's way up there? Up to the light?
Me: (holding my hair up as high as it will go) No, not that high. Mommy's hair doesn't go that high.
Timmy: (leaning forward and running his finger along my upper lip) You got hair on there Mama. It needs to come off.
Me: (laughing my tushie off and thinking about how darn cute he is).

2007-12-05T09:10:00.000-05:00

I saw this on Jenny's site, and I just can't pass up a meme (especially not a Christmas one).

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Definitely wrapping paper. Presentation and opening the present are half the fun – what fun can you have with a bag???

2. Real or Artificial tree? We still go real, but I’m leaning towards fake. Here’s the thing…no lights to put on. No trekking through the snow to cut one down; this one just comes out of box stored in the basement – ahhh easy! No needles all over the place. Wait….most importantly, it would be a perfect tree every year!!!

3. When do you put up the tree? When we head to Calif for Christmas, it goes up the day after Thanksgiving. When we are in NH for Christmas, it goes up 1st or 2nd weekend in December.

4. When do you take the tree down? When we head to Calif for Christmas, it comes down before we leave for our trip (who wants a really dead tree in their home while away – sounds like a fire hazard). When we stay in NH, I try to get it down between Christmas and New Year’s Day.
5. Do you like Eggnog? Yuckkkkkk!

6. Favorite Gift you received as a child? I can’t say anything in particular. I always loved everything. The one thing that remains my favorite every year is the stocking. My mom is a fabulous Santa’s helper when it comes to the stocking – so creative and fun!

7. Do you have a nativity scene? I wish I did have a traditional one. I have one in a snow globe, one on the gown of a large carved angel, and two ornaments.

8. Hardest person to buy for? Hands down, my Mom. She has everything in the world (that’s not tacky, gaudy or smelly) and what she doesn’t have, she buys for herself. It’s very difficult.

9. Easiest person to buy for? Timmy. I mean really; I asked him what he wanted for Christmas from Santa Claus. He said, “presents.”

10. Worst Christmas gift ever received? It was a Yankee Swap gift. 2 peach colored tapered candles. Really??? I bought some really cool gift from Pottery Barn to that darn Yankee Swap and I got to peach tapered candles? C’mon!

11. Christmas Cards...Snail mail or E-mail? For Christmas cards, snail mail can’t be beat. I love to get all the cards. I still need to find the perfect card this year and get a great photo of my prince.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Christmas Vacation!

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Not soon enough. This year we are only buying for our parents and Timmy, so that makes it easier. Our plan is to go on 12/16 – doesn’t Toys-R-Us on a Sunday afternoon in mid-December sound like a good time?

14. Have you ever 'recycled' a Christmas present? I have – I am sad to say. In my defense, however, it was a lovely present and I did really like it. I was desperate for a gift!

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Cream Cheese cookies stuffed with Walnuts. It’s a special family recipe and a favorite of Todd’s.

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? We have had clear for 8 years. I’d like to switch it up, but we are too cheap to buy new lights.

17. Favorite Christmas Song? God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman – Bare Naked Ladies and Sara McLaughlin (sp?) mix – love it! It makes me so happy every time I hear it.

18. Travel at Christmas or Stay Home? Every-other-year we go to Calif for Christmas. I love it and wouldn’t have it any other way.

19.Can you name Santa's Reindeer? Donner, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Doner, Vixen, Blitzen – hey, I did it. I didn’t think I could.

20. Do you have an Angel or a Star on top of your tree? A star. It just feels right to have a start at the top. I grew up with an angel, but I prefer the star. Every time I look at it, it reminds me we are celebrating the birth of Jesus.

21. Open the Presents Christmas Eve or Morning? Christmas day only! We have a minor family argument about this. Todd wants the kids to open one on Christmas Eve, but I say make them wait until morning like I had to do.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? The craziness of a simple trip to the grocery store.

23. Shopping ... Mall or online? I used to do a lot online, but within the last year, two of my credit cards have been stolen that way. It will take a lot to get me to try that again.

24. Do you decorate outside for Christmas or just inside (or at all?) Both, although I wish we did more outside. Dear hubs is kind of a grinch when it comes to that.

25. Favorite Christmas cookie? Cream Cheese cookie stuffed with walnuts.

26. Do you own Christmassy clothing or jewelry? I have a pin and earrings left over from my first grade teaching days.

27. Do you believe in Santa? No, but will let Timmy and the little one on the way believe for as long as possible.

Warning

2007-12-04T15:14:00.000-05:00

As a Christian, I do several things that other Christians may frown upon. I enjoy Halloween; I even dress my child in costume and take him trick-or-treating; and horror of all horrors – I decorate my house with Halloween décor. I enjoy the Harry Potter movies and love the Harry Potter books – a really no-no to some Christians. Here’s the thing, though. These things are, in my mind, aren’t bad. I can tell the difference between fantasy and reality.

I think it’s important for my son to be raised as a Christian and to thank God for each and every thing in his life – that every thing is a blessing and nothing is deserved. I see the fun of dressing in costume and playing make-believe. My ultimate goal is for my child to have fun with Halloween. I won’t teach him the pagan meaning behind Halloween. I will teach him that witchcraft and devil-worship are terrible things against our Lord, and that they have nothing to do with the Halloween that we celebrate. I also see the value is teaching him to distinguish between fantasy and reality. He’s too young for Harry Potter, so he hasn’t been exposed to it yet. When the time comes (I have confidence in my beliefs and my knowledge) I will take the opportunity to explain to him the difference between fantasy and reality. In my mind, there is no difference in the fantasy of Harry Potter and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Both are very well written books and movies that allow children to explore fantasy and reality.

I don’t mind fantasies that tantalize the imagination. What I do mind are fantasies that speak out against the Lord I love so much or that paint our Lord and Savior as evil. I have finally found the thing(s) that makes me draw a line. The movie the Golden Compass, which starts in theatres this Friday, based on the book Northern Lights, by Philip Pullman (the first in a trilogy of books called the Dark Materials trilogy). The books are a fantasy that follows the life of a young girl on a battle between good and evil. Evil, in these books, is the church.

I first received word about this in an email, you can see it at snopes.com. I don’t mind telling you I was appalled. I even had a discussion with my cousin, who sent me the email. My first thought was Hollywood is going to love this movie and it will probably end up winning all kinds of awards (like Brokeback Mountain). My cousin responded in agreement and even said that Oprah will probably have a screening of the movie and the audience and her will eat it up. I’m not sure about Oprah yet, but I have seen the reviews and critics love it. Why, oh why, does Hollywood have to get behind such a terrible thing?

From what I have read, it seems that the movie execs made the movie in the least offensive way they could. My response to them, “Yeah for you….you dumbed something down and turned it into what appears to be a great kids’ movies. What you have done will result in parents, and kids alike, adoring the movie so much that they want to read the whole trilogy.” The result of them reading the whole trilogy is not a simple fantasy… In a 2003 interview Philip Pullman, the author of the trilogy, stated, “My books are about killing God.” In an earlier interview, 2001, he stated that he was “trying to undermine the basis of Christian belief.” Is that what we want our children to read about?

Philip Pullman will not get one single cent from me. What he will get, however, is my prayers that all Christians hear about the true meaning of this movie before they make a decision see it. He will get my prayers that the he someday comes to know the Lord that I know.

For another article on the movie go to times online

Next up – politics! I’m kidding (for now anyway).

Bloggers that agree with me - imagine that!

Rockabill y Mama

Looking Closer

Welcome Home

2007-12-03T12:34:00.000-05:00

We returned from sunny Southern California on Saturday to 10 degree temperatures and an impending snow storm Sunday night and Monday (they were right about the snow storm -it's here).

Our trip "home" was excellent. It was actually exactly what I was hoping it would be. Timmy did really well (as well as can be expected for 2.5 year old) on the flights. He hung in there like a trooper!

We got to spend a lot of time with my brother and his family. Timmy played with his cousins and has a special affection for his 3.5 year old cousin Sierra - they were like two peas in a pod when they were together - it was really nice to see.

We celebrated Thanksgiving on Friday with our extended family. My Mom hosted and tried a whole slew of new things - like brining the turkey and cooking it on some couter-top cooker - nither of which she will do again. The flavor was great, but the trouble with brining is that the gravy (which I made) is really salty! She aslo added cinnamon and nutmeg to the cranberry sauce. I commented on it, and later she decided she would go back to the old fashioned cranberry sauce next time around. I think we had 21 people there - it was great and something I look forward to each year. Next year, we will be there for Christmas and will have 5 more people if my cousin and his family from North Carolina are able to make it (I really hope to see them).

Timmy got sick on Saturday and Sunday. The poor little guy had a high fever. We took him to urgent care on Sunday. $50 co-pay later I learned nothing more than his ear was a little red, so it could lead to an ear infection. I gave him one does of antibiotics, then called it quits. Who wants a potty training toddler with the runs at Disneyland???? Not me! Wednesday Timmy had an allergic reaction to something - hives all over his body - arghhh! We gave him benadryl and out he went.

We went to Disneyland on Monday and Tuesday - what a fabulous trip that was. I will say, however, that Timmy is still a little bit too young to really enjoy it all. He had a good time, but couldn't appreciate it all. He rode a small roller coaster in toon town, then braved a bigger one - which scared the crap out of him. His favorite ride was Winnie the Pooh, which we rode 3 times in a row!

The rest of the trip was filled with family and friend visits, resting, eating and naps. It was great. As with all vacations, however, I am glad to be home. Not glad, mind you , for the welcome wagon in the form of lots of snow and super cold temps!

Traveling with a Toddler

2007-11-21T13:10:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow, we leave for sunny Southern California. Flying on Thanksgiving day, you ask. Why, yes. It seems like the perfect day to travel. We didn’t need to battle the crowds that are leaving today – not to mention the $$$ it saved us to fly on Thursday. The good news is that California is 3 hours behind us, so we will get there at 11:30am – not bad. Not to mention, my brother is an LA County fireman/emt; he has to work on Thanksgiving day, so we aren’t having our get together until Friday. Hopefully it will be the best day in the world to fly.

We need to leave our house at 4:00am for our 6:45am flight. Sound good? I’m preparing for the worst with Timmy – hopefully I will be pleasantly surprised! We haven’t flown with Timmy in 11 months. That was a mixed bag of experiences. We thought we would be smart with our trip to California – we took an evening flight thinking Timmy would sleep. We left at nap time for our 2 hour drive to Boston. He slept for 30 minutes! Then, when it came time for nigh-nigh, he wasn’t having any part of it. It was miserable. He was uncomfortable and kept saying, “done, done, nigh-nigh, done.” It was pretty sad. There wasn’t anything we could do. About 45 minutes before the flight landed, he fell asleep – that didn’t do us much good cause he woke as soon as we landed and they turned on all the lights. The return trip was in the morning and that proved to be a better experience. Therefore, both flights this time around are morning flights.

Last time, we decide to heck with taking a car seat through the airport. We bought this new thing called, CARES: Kids Fly Safe. It’s a harness system that attaches to the airplane seat. May I just say – kudos to the person that created this! As long as you have access to a car seat at the other end of your journey, it’s the easiest way to fly! (By the way - not my kid - just one from their website.)

This time we are ready with our CARES system and a bag of tricks. I have the following packed for Timmy:

Several colors of play dough and an activity kit complete with plastic cookie cutters for the play dough.
Boat loads of new crayons
New pad for coloring
A mini feather duster, AKA “tickler” in our house
Foam craft ornament kit
Personal DVD Player
15 Movies to choose from
Books and more books
Stickers for trips to the potty
Bag of skittles for trips to the potty

Will this carry me through a 5 hour flight, 1 hour layover and another 45 minute flight? I don’t know, but I sure hope so. The last time we traveled with the DVD player he wouldn’t have any part of the headphones. I wonder how he will do this time. Planes are so noisy, that trying to hear it without headphones is almost impossible.

We are flying Southwest for the first time ever – I’m nervous about the lack of seat assignments. Neither of us can handle a toddler without the other on a cross-country trip, so we really need to sit together. The agent that booked my flight said they have pre-boarding for people with small kids, so hopefully that will be the case! Otherwise, I will be saying my prayers for a good boarding number.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Bambi

2007-11-20T13:12:00.000-05:00

Last week began the season of men (and I suppose some women)in search of Bambi. By "in search of" I mean in search of to kill. Rather than calling it deer hunting, which sounds more civalized, I prefer to refer to it as Bambi killing, which is just plain sad and terrible. Here's the thing: I prefer my meat packaged and at the store. An animal carcas that needs to be hung for the blood to run out and carved with a hack saw by a friend, is not my idea of a good time or something I want to happen anywhere near my house.

In addition, it's not really something I want Timmy to be exposed to. We are talking a about a child that went with Daddy to clean a hit turkey off the street in front of our house; I believe his exact response, after stopping dead in his tracks 50 feet from the turkey was, "Daddy, I'm not liking the turkey that way." This was a turkey that was not bloody, just a turkey that was lying lifeless in the street. Clearly, Timmy knew something wasn't right. Now, having said that, tell me what a 2.5 year old is going to think of a dear carcus hanging in my garage with his mid-section cut open and a bucket of blood underneath him? Pretty sure he's going to know it's just not right.

The hubs thinks me I am being "over the top," and that it is more humane to hunt than what cattle ranchers do. Here's the thing about the more humane comment: I have listen to his dad talk about their hunting trips and discusss the fact that he had to follow a blood trail after having shot a deer and not killing it. Does following a deer to finish it off sound more humane that what cattle farmers probably do? Quite honestly, I don't know how cattle farmers do it, and I'm pretty sure I don't want to know. If I knew, I'd probably be a vegetarian. In college, I had to disect a cat for anatomy - it took me at least a year before I was able to eat chicken again. It's just me; I can't help it.

And, on another note, I don't even like venison. I have tried it and it's just not good. I will also mention that this was not a "sport" my hubs saw fit to participate in when we were city dwellers. Now that we are living in the backwoods of NH, he seems to think it's the thing to do. I asked him last night whether or not he was doing this because it was the thing to do or because he was passionate about it. It seems, my blogging friends, that he is passionate about it and has wonderful memories of killing Bambi as a child with his grandfather.

I could go on and on, but I'll spare you.

My Inner Blonde

2007-11-16T09:13:00.000-05:00

I have unleashed her - my inner blonde! When I say I have unleashed her, I don't mean that I have done it purposefully! This little girl that I am carry is sucking the intellect right out of me. I had a tendency towards being a little bit "airy," so maybe I was more susceptible to what is referred to as pregnancy brain.

I have always been concious of that slight airiness, and have tried to keep close tabs on it. It's not soemthing I ever wanted to share in my professional life, so I kept it at bay (with lots of hard work). When I was preggo with Timmy, I let out the inner blonde, but I don't remember it being as bad as it is now. Could it be becuase I am a mom of a toddler, preggo and working full-time? Am I doing too much to also keep my inner blonde from being not so "inner?"

My Type A personality is having a difficult time handling the little mistakes, both written and verbal, in the work place. It's one thing when my husband sees me as an airhead. He has known me when I am not being flighty, so he knows what I am capable of. My co-workers, however, have only known me for 6 months - they have no idea if I was just faking it and trying to be on my best behavior while being a newbie! I hope they give me the benefit of the doubt.

One last thing - This little girl had better be super smart - then I will know my inner blonde went to some good!

A Good Wife

2007-11-16T09:06:00.000-05:00

My crankiness is rearing its ugly head. Is it possible to have PMS while being pregnant or should I chalk it up to being pregnant, exhausted, head-achy and back-achy?
Unfortunately, my dear Hubs has suffered the wrath of my crankiness. Here is a devotional my good friend sent me at the right time. Thanks, Yesenia!

A Thankful Wife, By Melanie Chitwood

“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NAS)

Devotion:
Can you remember the last time you poured out your heart thanking God for your marriage and thanking God for your husband? Sometimes just the routine of everyday life can rob us of having a grateful perspective when it comes to our husbands. As life gets busy and stressful, it’s easy just not to take the time to let our husbands know they’re appreciated.

Think about the little and big things your husband does. Is he great with the kids? Does he help around the house? Does he work steadily and consistently? Does he have a great sense of humor? Is he good with the finances? Pray for God to show you one specific quality for which you can tell your husband ‘thank you.”

One area where my husband really needs to hear my thanks is in the area of his work. My husband needs to know I do not take for granted his hard work each day. I need to verbalize my thanks over and over and over. I also need to teach my children to be thankful for his hard work. They need to hear me thanking my husband, and they need to realize it is because of his hard work that we have many of the material comforts that we have.

Sometimes I’m surprised when my husband has told me he feels unappreciated. Inside I feel thankful for him, but I just haven’t done a very good job of expressing it. A man who feels unappreciated is like a balloon whose air has escaped. When he feels unappreciated, he might also feel defeated and unmotivated. These feelings then lead to a man who feels like he leads a life of drudgery. A wife can help “fill his balloon” with her words of appreciation.

Let’s take time this month to be purposeful about having thankful hearts for our husbands. Let’s take time to thank God in prayer and to thank our husbands in ways that will encourage them. Check out the application steps below and put one into practice today.

Dear Lord, thank You for giving me my husband. Give me Your perspective of him. Help me to fill him up with verbal thanks and affirming actions which will fill him up with encouragement. Give me grace to overlook his faults and shortcomings, just the way You do for me. Help me to partner with You in loving my husband. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Related Resources:

What a Husband Needs from His Wife by Melanie Chitwood
For more marriage tips, visit one of our partner ministries at www.growthtrac.com

Do You Know Him?

Application Steps:

At some point we’ve probably sung, “Count your blessings, name them one by one.” This is a great idea for your marriage! Keep a thankful journal where each day you write down five things you’re thankful for about your husband and/or your marriage. Be as specific as you can. For example, instead of thanking God for a husband who is “great with the kids,” thank God for a husband who wrestles with the boys, prays with them, and plays sports with them.

Each day tell your husband thank you for something specific about his character or something specific he does for you or your family.

Let him “overhear” you telling someone else how much you appreciate him.

Have your children make a thank you sign or write a thank you note to their dad.

When he comes home at the end of the work day, thank him with a warm smile, hug and kiss and promises for more later.

The minute he walks in the door don’t bombard him with questions, complaints and reports of your day and matters with the kids. Let him unwind.

Bake his favorite treat or make his favorite meal.

Tell him every day, “I love you” and “I’m so glad I’m married to you.”

Reflections:

Have I gotten in the bad habit of taking my husband for granted?

Am I concentrating on my husband’s shortcomings rather than his strengths?

Are you focused on what you think your husband is doing wrong, or on what God wants you to do?

Power Verses:

Philippians 2:4, “…do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” (NAS)

1 Thessalonians 5:11, “Therefore, encourage one another and build up one another…” (NAS).

Proverbs 31 Ministries
616-G, Matthews-Mint Hill Road
Matthews, NC 28105
www.Proverbs31.org

Make Shopping Simple this Holiday Season

2007-11-16T06:23:00.000-05:00

The holidays are just around the corner. Isn't it amazing to think that we just had Halloween and Thanksgiving is only a couple of weeks away. It blows my mind how quickly time flies. Now that I am working again and trying to juggle being a full-time mom and a full-time employee, I find myself wondering when I am going to find the time to add holiday shopping to my list. How will I ever juggle cleaning the house, decorating the house for the holidays, doing the laundry, grocery shopping and holiday shopping into the 2 short days we call the weekend? I think it's impossible. I see a whole lot of internet shopping in my future in the next couple of weeks.

If I am going to internet shop for the holidays, I will not do it without looking for promo codes. I'd be crazy not to use a coupon code site before looking; there's no better site out there than couponchief.com. You can find coupon codes for all you could possibly need.

My entire family is in California and I am in New Hampshire. A fabulous gift for all them this year will be web cams. I would love to give everyone a web cam so we can talk and see each other - what a great experience for Timmy and the little one on the way. There is no better place to buy a web cam than BestBuy.com! I plan to scour all the coupon codes available for best buy at Coupon Chief until I find the best one for what I need for my California family!

This will be Timmy's 3rd Christmas and he knows all about Santa and that toys come with Christmas. He has spent time looking through the mounds of catalogs that fill my mail these days. What better place to save money and buy toys for him than Walmart.com? Not only will I save money cause it's walmart, but I will save money cause I am using a coupon code from CouponChief.com. It will be impossible not to get a fantastic deal!!!

Wow - this post has been cathartic for me! I feel like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders for the holiday season. Won't you join me in saving yourself time, money and the hassle of being in the stores? Use CouponChief.com this holiday season! You won't be sorry!!!

Happy Shopping and Happy Holidays!!!

Whoops!

2007-11-15T14:56:00.000-05:00

A girl asks her boyfriend to come over Friday night to meet, and have dinner with her parents. Since this is such a big event, the girl announces to her boyfriend that after dinner, she would like to go out and make love for the first time.

The boy is ecstatic, but he has never had sex before, so he takes a trip to the pharmacist to get some condoms. He tells the pharmacist it's his first time and the pharmacist helps the boy for about an hour. He tells the boy everything there is to know about condoms and sex. At the register, the pharmacist asks the boy how many condoms he'd like to buy, a 3-pack, 10-pack, or family pack. The boy insists on the family pack because he thinks he will be rather busy, it being his first time and all.

That night, the boy shows up at the girl's parents house and meets his girlfriend at the door. 'Oh, I'm so excited for you to meet my parents, come on in!' The boy goes inside and is taken to the dinner table where the girl's parents are seated. The boy quickly offers to say grace and bows his head.

A minute passes, and the boy is still deep in prayer, with his head down.

Ten minutes pass, and still no movement from the boy.

Finally, after 20 minutes with his head down, the girlfriend leans over and whispers to the boyfriend, "I had no idea you were this religious." The boy turns, and whispers back, "I had no idea your father was a pharmacist.'"

Cake Time

2007-11-12T06:12:00.001-05:00

This weekend we went to a surprise party for a friend of ours. Because I love to bake, I offered to make the cake. I made a triple chocolate toffee cake. Everyone loves this cake and raves about it - let me tell you a little secret - - it's so easy to make!!!

Cake Ingredients
Betty Crocker Triple Chocolate Cake Mix
Ingredients to bake cake
1 package chocolate pudding mix

Pour cake mix and pudding mix in the bowl. Mix in ingredients listed on the cake box (only the cake box - do not use the milk called for in the pudding). Very important step that the box doesn't tell you. Grease and flour the pan! Always, always flour your pan. The chocolate cake boxes tell you not to use flour, but if you don't your cake will stick. They assume you won't be frosting the cake, but c'mon what's a cake without frosting???

Bake at 300 degrees - add about 10 minutes to the cooking time to allow for the lesser temp of 300. 300 degrees will give you a nice cake that is smooth and flat on the surface - very important for turning the cake out and decorating.

Remove cake from oven when toothpick inserted in middle comes out clear (cake will also be pulled away from the sides of the pan). Turn cakes out immediately. I put my first cake out on the cake plate I plan to use. The second cake I turn out on to a parchment or wax paper lined cutting board.

Let the cakes cool before decorating.

Filling and Decorating Ingredients
2 tubs Betty Crocker Chocolate frosting (do not get the whipped stuff)
1 bag skor toffee pieces (found on baking isle with chocolate chips)

Put a layer of frosting on the first layer. Sprinkle with Skor toffee pieces.

Add your second layer to the cake and frost the whole thing. Don't be a sissy with the frosting - load it on there. Be prepared for people to oh and ah over this cake. Not only does it look great, but it tastes amazing. If you can make it a couple of days ahead of time, that's the best way to do it. After a couple of days the toffee pieces start to melt and make a caramel in the middle of the cake. The pudding in the mix will keep the cake moist, so don't worry about that. Enjoy my little secret!

I'm out...

2007-11-12T06:04:00.000-05:00

I'm out of ink cartridges for my printer. I say cartridges because my printer takes 4! Sometimes you can be out of just one; not this time, I am out all 4 - arghhh! IThey have been empty for quite some time actually, but I need them now more than ever - The holidays seem to do that to me. Whether it's printing a recipe from online or writing my Christmas letter, I need ink and I need it now! Cartridge Finder has an easy to use interface that makes it simple to figure out which cartridges are required for more than 10,000 different models of printer, copier, and fax machines.

Because I'm on a budget, Cartridge Finder is an excellent site; they check PriceGrabber.com's merchant listings to find you the best price on the product you need.

This is a sponsored post.

Potty Training!

2007-11-09T08:11:00.000-05:00

I went to BJ’s one day during my lunch (BJ’s is one of those warehouse stores like Costco and Sam’s Club) to buy my monthly supply of diapers. On this particular occasion, I also needed to buy wipes. $90 later, I was convinced that I couldn’t afford to buy diapers for a toddler and an infant. So I made the decision that we ((I)) needed to potty train my 2 ½ year old. There are people out there that think that Timmy isn’t ready for potty training. This is based on books that give you a checklist of things to look for before beginning potty training. When I hear this, I think about my Mom and her mom and her mom – pretty sure they didn’t use books when they decided enough is a enough and had all of their kids potty trained by 2. Have the experts that have written these books considered that kids aren’t ready because the diapers are so darn absorbent now that kids have no idea they are wet? Maybe if we went back to cloth diapers, we would see a trend towards potty training as early as 18 months instead of at 3.5-4. Do ya think? I don’t know. What I do know is that I am the adult in the relationship and I am done changing diapers.

At daycare the afternoon after spending way too much money on diapers, I asked his teacher about it. I figured she must be an expert, since she has been providing services as a day care teacher for over 10 years. I was right; she has been assisting (taking the lead, really) in the potty training process for a long time. She confirmed that she thinks he is ready and gave me suggestions on how to get started. She is the biggest part of his day, so of course I wanted to follow her instructions. She didn’t want any part of pull-ups – thank goodness; those little gems are expensive! Not only that but I bought the cool alerts a few months ago – If it felt cool to Timmy when he went pee, he didn’t let on. Then again, it was summer, so maybe that cool sensation was refreshing??? I have to say, the commercial for these cool alert pull-ups is so stinking cute – that little boy who so clumsily states, “my pull-ups felt cool” made me buy them. What a waste of money! If you have had a different experience with them, please, by all means, post a comment and let me know.

The teacher requested 6-7 pairs of underwear and just as many changes of pants. It took me a couple of weeks to collect the items (hey, I’m on a budget and undies are not cheap – tell me why wal-mart sells a package of 10 undies for girls and only a 4 pack for boys. Where is the fairness in this?) On October 15 we entered the wonderful world of potty training. Day 1 – I called daycare around 3:00 – not a single accident all day! Granted, they put him on the pot every 15 minutes, but still - no accidents! He’s a pottying genius. Not really, that was just day 1. Day 2 had me pulling over 15 minutes into the ride to work and changing wet pants – thank you K-Mart for allowing me to use your parking lot. That was followed by pulling into daycare only to realize he wasn’t done with his pee and he was wet all over again! Day 2 was the worst day thus far!

He still doesn’t ask to go on his own, but we are getting there. Rumor has it, he has asked his teachers a few times to use the potty, but I have not heard it. We fly to Calif in a couple of weeks – will he be asking by then? Who knows. My plan for that trip is to put him in pull-ups and continue to drag his little tushie to the toilet every 45 minutes to an hour. At least with pull-ups an accident won’t mean wet pants too. Part of me wonders, however, if I will be doing harm to this terribly long process by putting pull-ups on him. We are also going to Disneyland while there, so again I wonder if I should use pull-ups or just take a lot of clothes with me.

Every night, when saying our evening prayers, we thank God for all of our blessings and for helping him be a good boy. We also ask Jesus to give us a good night’s sleep and to be a good boy again tomorrow. Recently we have added that Jesus help us learn to use the big boy potty quickly – is that okay?

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2007-11-09T08:07:00.000-05:00

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