When you're sliding into 1st and you feel a sudden burst......

Yup, Diarrhea ...courtesy of the stomach bug and/or the bad chicken I ate...Not sure which, but it doesn't really matter....I woke up Monday early morning and found myself doubled over in the bathroom sweating, and instantly full of anxiety (and NOT because everything causes anxiety for me)....But because all I could think was "oh no, this is not happening now, on a Monday, when I will have no one to help me if I am in fact sick (because let's face it, if you've had the stomach flu, food poisoning or alcohol poisoning ---- you know when it's normal poo or something is wrong with me poo)!

So by 7am, I was on my 5th trip to the porcelain God and was wracked with cramping that was ridiculous.....meanwhile my 2 year old and 11 month old were demanding breakfast, a diaper, a potty break.............so this is how the next approximate 48 hrs went.....


trip over baby gate to get there "in time"
bathroom - while in pain, tears, sweating, yelling to the kids on the main floor, that I was almost done, please don't hurt each other, be nice, stop yelling for me I'll be right there.....
trip over the baby gate coming back down....sit on couch
then telling kids, please don't bump mommy, please stop climbing on mommy, mommy needs to sit still, no mommy cannot get up right now, no wait, I will get you a snack in a bit
trip over baby gate to get there "in time"
rinse....repeat.....

Day 2: both boys woke up sick and crying....snotty nose, tired, crabby - so now they have bibs on to catch the drool, snot, tears & Mommy needs a diaper in order to function unless I could possibly spend the entire day in the bathroom? I ate Oyster Crackers and drank warm liquid jello (an old Mom recipe) and was in bed by 7:55pm.

Day 3: Feeling MUCH better, glad it's over, glad time does really fly by when you look back at it.....but seriously Mom's SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO BE SICK...EVER. PERIOD.

***until their children are old enough to take care of them!

So in my description of my blog, I said sometimes beautiful, sometimes gross....this is the gross one ;)

Happy Hump Day!

3 peas in a pod, The 3 Muskateers, Larry, Moe & Curly, 3 Billy Goats Gruff, 3 Blind Mice?!, 3 men & a ....remote?, The 3 little Pigs!, The 3 Ninja's........................My 3 MEN :) Happy Thanksgiving to MY family today! I love each one of them differently & yet the same!

Happy Holiday's! For real, I mean it this time!

I don't have a good track record when it comes to Holiday Seasons...there was one we didn't even acknowledge after my husband was robbed at gunpoint and I was a hot mess every time he left the house.....neither one of us were handling the after effects well, but I had an emotional breakdown....the next year we were putting in a new window and chose not to put up the decorations b/c our house was so small the tree was in the way for the Bay window installation, and let's face it, no tree = no Christmas..it's just not the same! The following year we moved into our newly built home on the 23rd of December so we didn't "really" have Xmas here then (although who could ask for a better present?!), the year after that my husband and I were temporarily separated (because I was temporarily insane).....THEN...there were 2 good years of Holidays.....

3 years ago, we were sad because we STILL weren't pregnant and everyone we knew either was or was already celebrating with their children/newborns...(mind you, my 1st son was conceived that Christmas Eve!)  The following year was Griffin's 1st Xmas, but it was the 1st Xmas for me in 30 years without both my parents (who moved 1200 miles away in November) & my grandma who had passed away during my pregnancy, so I was just plain miserable.....**taking a breath**....then the following year I was 9 1/2 months pregnant (again) and was miserable, fat, out of breath and ready to be done with pregnancies (delivered on the 28th).......NEEDLESS TO SAY, I'm very excited for Christmas this year :) I'm looking forward to the decorations, the music, the excitement for the boys, the baking, the EVERYTHING! I have never in all my life listened to Christmas music early....and today we listened, we danced and we sang! Bring it on Santa! We're healthy, happy, & ready for you this time! ♥

It was me.....15 years ago....

So today, I'm driving home from Target and I'm going about 59mph in a 45mph zone on a Local highway.......Now I'm in the F-150 4x4 that my husband is overly proud of and I'm just cruising along when I notice this little silver Camry come up on my behind....So I'm evaluating the situation from my rear view mirror and I take it all in: giant sunglasses, white fuzzy zebra dice hanging from the mirror, chomping gum, bouncing head to the music, PINK zebra seat covers both in front & back seats.......I'm guessing she's 17.

So after about 1 mile and an even closer proximity to the point where I can no longer see the hood of her car in my mirror, I do what any typical A-hole with a tailgater does...I tap my brakes....Now this was just a small warning, I by no means slammed on them, stayed on them or anything of the sort.... The following chain of events is still cracking me up 6 hours later......she SLAMS on her brakes, causing the car behind her to slam on theirs and on their horn. She lets go of the wheel and gives me the double bird through the windshield and I see her mouthing a ton of foul language which includes something to the effect of "learn how to drive stupid bitch".............

So she backs off and I continue on my way home. As we're driving the long winding way from Valparaiso to Hebron, she inches closer and closer and closer all the while chomping and singing.....and the things that run through my head are....I should get behind her and follow her home and speak with her parents....I should slam hard on the brakes, let her hit me and teach her a lesson, I should slow down in a NO passing zone to like 5mph and make her ride it out behind me..... but she turns off on a side road and floors it and is gone...

I then thought....that was me, I know EXACTLY what the panic/adrenaline felt like when she saw my brake lights light up at 59mph, because, I was her! I was the teenager driving too fast, carelessly, and having teenager road rage at the "old" people in front of me......Ah how times have changed...Now I'm a mother of 2, driving a large pickup truck and worried about people driving too fast and the safety of my own babies overrides any impulsive maneuver that could endanger them or myself.  Which then of course brought on a memory of being approximately 6 or 7 and my dad pissed someone off when we were driving and that person followed us home and we had to outrun them, hide and then pull in our garage and shut the door fast to avoid confrontation....I remember being scared that they were going to hurt my dad for being mean to them!! Then, some 20+ years later he did something similar again and got in an accident as a result WITH A SEMI......I guess it's a good thing I didn't inherit every trait my dad has! I calmly let her go home, because guess what...she will learn, whether it's NOW or later..... ;)

And Another.....Coffee Corset!

This one is going to be a Birthday present for my SIL, hope she likes it! (and I hope it fits her coffee cup! Next one I'm going to try buttons!!!

These quick and small projects are great for my beginner status! I like accomplishing something quickly, and it gives me tons of practice! I want to learn how to increase & decrease now...so we'll see what I can come up with...I also have a pair of slippers I want to make! Yes, it's official, I'm 33 next week and I've turned into an old crochet hag...... ;)  Maybe I should sell these on Etsy!

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

I don't like cookies....except when they're fresh out of the oven, besides that I'll walk right past them. So I have been searching for a soft chocolate chip cookie recipe that is AMAZING.....and may just taste like they came right out of the oven for days??!!

I finally found one!

They're made with pudding!!!!  Crazy, but smart! I found the recipe on a favorite recipe site of mine All Recipes.  According to them, this is a 5 star winning recipe! It was extremely easy, I had all the ingredients and my husband, son and myself find them fabulous! **Note, I chose to eliminate the nuts....

Recipe:
Award Winning Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Crochet Success!!!!

So I've been working on an afghan for over 2 years, it's about 4 /12 ft wide, and will be 6 ft long.....

 it's not even a 1/4 done....it's beautiful, it's perfect, it will be cherished when it's done.............in like 50 years. So to mix it up a bit I made a "coffee cup corset"! It took under an hour, I LOVE LOVE LOVE it and I have many other ideas & color combinations!

Isn't it cute?! 

So here is the blog that I found the pattern on! Coffee Cup Corset!  Now I'm thinking of peach/black, lime/black, some lace somehow.....lots of ways, lots of gifts! I just find them adorable! I definitely need thicker ribbon, but this is what I had, so this is what it got! ;)

Just in time for the Holidays! 

 Not to shabby eh?

My baby is walking! I am not sad!

So my 10 1/2 month old is finally walking!!! I say FINALLY not because he's a late bloomer (obviously) but because I really disliked the "infant" stage this time around.

Now don't get me wrong.... cuddly, peely, soft as velvet infants are amazing! Especially when you've created them in your womb and given birth to them yourself!!!  What isn't amazing is the crying that you can't help because they are just scared, cold, gassy and miserable at being thrown into the world after 10 months (YES 10...THAT IS THE ACTUAL LENGTH), the feeling that they are so fragile you might break their little arm just getting them dressed, the guilt that came with not nursing on my part because of an "issue", the guilt that I wasn't cuddling, holding, rocking, sleeping with him enough because this time around my 15 month old needed me and I couldn't do the same things I did the 1st time around.

With my 1st baby, I napped WITH him when he napped, he NEVER cried because I was there for every move, need, want. He's an amazingly smart guy.....so I have been wracked with guilt for the past 10 months that my 2nd child isn't getting the same attention and therefore might suffer. I felt bad when I just wanted him to go to sleep so that I could, I felt guilty when I didn't want to cuddle him in the middle of the night because I was exhausted from the day and guilty when I let him cry himself to sleep (that only took 11 minutes) but felt like an eternity........for the first time ever about 1 month ago.

So here I am, ecstatic that he started refusing his bottle about 2 months ago, ecstatic that he wants people food, refuses baby food, started sleeping through the night (FINALLY), ecstatic that he is walking...because all of this means that he's not really an infant anymore. And yes, he still "needs" me for everything but it's a different type of "need".  I am so happy to have 2 walking children, they play together, they interact well, they are so happy and healthy and smart. And I know that someday I'm going to look back and be like "oh my gosh, I miss them being babies" but for now, I'm happy that the hardest part of infancy is over and that my boys both smile at me and laugh at me and respond to me. I'm happy that I can tell if something is wrong. I'm happy that they're happy!

Some people are depressed when their children become toddlers, not me, I think it means fun times are ahead! Playing, laughing, giggling, messes, sleds, bikes, walks, finger painting, cookies, etc....

I cherish the moments I spent with both of them as tiny little soft babies, especially when they just "stare" at you like you're the most amazing thing in the world, I can't believe it's gone by as fast as it did because let's face it, when he was colicky I thought the time was going slower than a drunk turtle.

So even though I call them my babies, they will always be my babies and I love my babies......they are growing up and I'm excited! I'm loving that they giggle at each other! I love that my oldest constantly wants to know if "dee-dee" (we don't know why or how he came to that name) is awake.

Most of all, selfish or not, I'm happy that we chose to stop our family with 2 boys, I'm happy that they aren't infants and happy that I won't ever be pregnant or in labor again! I wouldn't change a thing (now I know that this blog seems like I sure would, but really I wouldn't!) It was an amazing experience and in fact all my life I always said NO children or maybe 1......then, about 2 days after my 1st was born I looked at my husband and said "I cannot imagine never experiencing this again, we have to have another".....and so we did.....lol, 15 months later!

The Elf on the Shelf coming to homes near you!

About 3 or 4 years ago a friend of mine told me about "The Elf on the Shelf". I remember coming home and telling my husband all about how she used it for her daughters & how one day when we had kids I wanted to do it for them.....for some reason, I just thought it was the best idea and something really fun for people to welcome into their Holiday traditions.

So last year my 1st born was a little over the age of 1, now even though I wanted nothing more than to buy it, I knew that patience would benefit me for this year....and I was right!!! We bought the Elf on the Shelf kit for our (now 2 boys) today at Target. It was $29.95 and although we really shouldn't have spent it, we did (I mean after all I did bid away $34 on Deal Dash (stay tuned for an upcoming blog on that fiasco) so how could I justify NOT buying this annual tradition that we could use for years in our home).

We read him the book, filled out his adoption certificate & explained how he cannot touch him or he'll lose his magic.  So he was extremely attentive, didn't even attempt to touch him and let me put him away for the night so he could "fly away" to Santa and return after Thanksgiving.

And even though some think it's cheesy, dumb, keeping up with the Jones', etc.....I am overjoyed to start this tradition! I cannot wait to do silly things with "Richie" and take pictures for the boys to see later in life. I want Christmas to always be magical in our home. Luckily my husband agrees with this "idea".  I intend to ALWAYS do fun things while they are young and before their too short youth gets ruined by naysayers and kids who's parents don't care if their child believes in Santa for years or not.  I want them to go to bed with excitement and wake me at 5am because Santa came! And even thought at the ages they are now, 2 & 10 months, I know they won't remember this stuff.....yet, but I fully intend to take many pictures of Richie the elf, the boys interacting with him and anything else that I myself would love to have seen of myself as a child.

I might be a hopeless romantic, fairy tale, dream come true, Santa to really be real kind of girl, but it's just who I am and I hope that one day my son's will look back and thank me for making their childhood fun, loving & magical!

My parents weren't really the type to revel in our childhoods, we didn't go many places, we didn't have many traditions, don't get me wrong we had some - like we opened gifts on Xmas Eve and Xmas Day was reserved strictly for presents from Santa. (Something I fully intend to continue in our home) I think it makes Santa that much more special.

So my blog today isn't super funny, it's not a life lesson (yet) lol, but I'm excited to begin our Elf on the Shelf Journey and for anyone that is interested, you can watch the movie that will be aired on CBS sometime after Turkey Day!!!!

Generics...

Now, this is a story all about how
My life got flipped-turned upside down
And I liked to take a minute
Just sit right there
I'll tell you how I became the Queen of a thing called Generics!

*** in case anyone feels the need to read the rest of the lyrics to The Fresh Prince Theme Song

;) Nothing like a little Will Smith aka Fresh Prince to start off a Friday night blog!

I'd like to complain about something for a bit..

Generic Items:  I AM THE QUEEN of cheap.  If I can save money on something I will, after all times are tough. I walk uphill both ways to the mailbox! In a skirt (nightshirt) with no shoes (this is for real).

I honestly would love nothing more than to buy brand name items including clothing, purses, shoes, toys, even greeting cards.  But our budget hasn't allowed it lately & previous to that I felt like if you compare "apples to apples"

(or ingredients in this case) why would you possibly spend more for something if there is a cheaper option?? I mean it's common sense! That $.10 difference could make or break us right? Well here is a small list of what I've learned in my almost 17 years of being "responsible" for my own self, my spouse and now to my children.  

Generic Q-TIPS = wad of cotton stuck in your ear, stick in your hand OR stabbing your ear b/c said cotton is only wrapped like 1mm thick.

Generic T-Paper = Now I'm not a fan of Charmin like some people....I'm ok with just plain Northern, but when I got like 100 rolls of Walgreens "The Big Roll" for $.10/ea I thought, Oh it can't be that bad.............IT WAS SINGLE PLY & SEE THROUGH (which also means finger through) crap! (Pun Intended!)

Generic Diapers = lmfao, poop up the back, out the side, sticky tabs in your hands instead of attached to the diapers, holds like 2 pees and stinks worse than a mans urinal at a NASCAR race. 'Nuff Said.

Generic Tampons = we're not going to go "there".  Let's just say DON'T DO IT!

Generic Hotdogs = like they aren't already bad enough to begin with (but I still am a huge lover of a Chicago Dog) they make generic, extremely cheap hotdog that taste like a$$ and probably are made from part of one as well. 

I prefer Ball Park, I know what they are made with, but they just taste better. Anything else is just NOT acceptable.....well except Vienna! But who can afford that?

Generic Sliced Cheese = plastic cheese in a plastic wrapper.  We buy Kraft singles. It's already processed fake cheese practically anyways and tastes pretty good.....so what is in the generic fake ones that make it taste like I'm eating a Barbie Doll arm???  

All this was spurred by the Q-tip after my shower last night, that really pissed me off........ Apparently I'm not over it! What are some things that you readers find that are unacceptable as a generic????

Happy Friday All!

Potty Training - blog #1 or is that a #2 I see coming??

Potty Training

what? There are trains on my wee-wee?

We've been potty training.  For about 2 weeks. I'm over it. I mean covered in it! I have been peed on more times than an Elephant handler. 

My child has NO problems telling me when he has to go, he's almost 26 months and is extremely intelligent in my book. He tells me whether it's pee or poop, if he needs to sit or stand and even volunteers to wipe himself and throw it in the toilet and proceeds to flush. 2x sometimes 3x, depends on if he thinks all the poo is gone.  Don't get me wrong, this is very exciting! He is ahead of the game! He thinks pooping in the toilet is cool! (um, except the other day when I was on a ladder with my head in the attic and he pooped in the corner of my closet - now we wear undies at all times) 

But here are the problems.....he's short, the stools are too tall, his "hole" is too North?!? The kid cannot get the pee IN THE TOILET.  I have said "point it down, point it down, point it down" so many times that I feel like slapping myself! So how do you teach a 2 year old to point "it" down when he practically has to break the dang thing to get the pee to go in the toilet and not on the wall, floor, shower curtain, vanity, his shirt, my shirt, his brother, our dog, my face, my neck, and yes....my eye.  I posted on FB that at some point in my life I'm sure that I have done something to deserve a pee in the eye ;) BUT COME ON! We have tried sitting, standing, leaning forward & yes, unfortunately some yelling (what do you expect, I have a 10 month old that is constantly at the helm trying to reach into the toilet to splash or pull out the toilet paper).

So I asked a friend who just potty trained her almost 3 year old twin boys.  She said "Oh! Those stools are too tall" (um, yeah I figured that out when he peed on the towel rack above the toilet). So she said her mom said, "wrap a telephone book in duct tape". Turns out that is an awesome solution! Except I'm a technology freak so we don't own phone books.  I went to the book shelf and proceeded to stack a What to Expect in the 1st Year Book & Your Guide To Breast-Feeding and wrap them in duct tape. (It kinda felt like I was sticking it to the "man" - ha! Take that stupid 1st year book that tells you if your child is developing normal & here it's so easy to breast feed, just do this and if it hurts you're doing it wrong!) my child is going to pee all over you! 

So now we stand on duct taped books, the pee only hits the tank or wall if standing and the lower part of the shower curtain or rug if sitting. He rarely will let me help, loves to clean it all up, and promptly asks for candy after he's done. - yes candy - Hey I'm diapering 2 children over here so whatever works! So I find myself washing the pee off my dry, cracked, peed on hands and handing him his 2 Smarties as his reward and pray that he can at least hold it for like 20 minutes before we have to do this all over again!!!!!!