Confessions of a Supermom Dropout

I've entered the world of stitch markers

2008-07-17T22:33:00.010-05:00

I just got the SM bug. I see all these wonderful projects with these beautiful SM's on them and I gotta have some for myself (and to share a few with friends).

I went to the local craft store and bought a few supplies and before I knew what hit me, I had 28 of these little guys finished. I can't believe how quick and easy they were to put together. I love them!

Here is a sampling of my work:

Knitting, knitting and more knitting!

2008-06-28T18:54:00.009-05:00

I am currently working on 3 projects. The first is a pair of socks for ME! Yes...something for me for a change! I am about 40% done with them. I'll post pictures when they are finished.

I just picked up some yarn for project 2. It is a sundress for the princess! It will be in two tones of blue.

The bodice and trim will be in the lighter blue and the skirt portion will be in the navy color.

I am also working a shawl for a hospice charity. It is in multi color tans. I wanted it to be able to go to a man or a woman.

I finished these items in the last 6 months:

I have been a busy girl lately. I haven't blogged in....forever. I have also made at least 10 other items since the beginning of the year. Off to working on one of my many projects now!

So it's been a year of autism now

2008-04-01T22:51:00.003-05:00

Our son Little D was diagnosed a little over a year ago with being in the autism spectrum. He is now believed to have Asperger's Syndrome. If you would have told me a year ago that he would be the kid he is today, I would have thought you were lying. A year ago I was unsure about LD's future. I didn't know if he would have even a glimpse of a normal life. Now....the sky is the limit for what LD can achieve.

One year ago at this time our son could not communicate any of his needs verbally. He had many behavioral issues. His sensory issues were so bad and we had no idea how to deal with them. We were at a loss.

Now, our son is talking overtime and won't shut up! LOL He still has behavioral issues but we are learning more about them each day. His sensory issues can still be trying but at least we have techniques that help him get through the incidences.

Here is a little tidbit about what our little man has....Asperger's Syndrome:

History

Asperger's Disorder was first described in the 1940s by Viennese pediatrician Hans Asperger who observed autistic-like behaviors and difficulties with social and communication skills in boys who had normal intelligence and language development. Many professionals felt Asperger's Disorder was simply a milder form of autism and used the term "high-functioning autism" to describe these individuals. Professor Uta Frith, with the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience of University College London and author of Autism and Asperger Syndrome, describes individuals with Asperger's Disorder as "having a dash of Autism." Asperger's Disorder was added to the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) in 1994 as a separate disorder from autism. However, there are still many professionals who consider Asperger's Disorder a less severe form of autism.

Characteristics

What distinguishes Asperger's Disorder from Autism Disorder is the severity of the symptoms and the absence of language delays. Children with Asperger's Disorder may be only mildly affected and frequently have good language and cognitive skills. To the untrained observer, a child with Asperger's Disorder may just seem like a normal child behaving differently.

Children with autism are frequently seen as aloof and uninterested in others. This is not the case with Asperger's Disorder. Individuals with Asperger's Disorder usually want to fit in and have interaction with others; they simply don't know how to do it. They may be socially awkward, not understanding of conventional social rules, or show a lack of empathy. They may have limited eye contact, seem to be unengaged in a conversation, and not understand the use of gestures.

Interests in a particular subject may border on the obsessive. Children with Asperger's Disorder frequently like to collect categories of things, such as rocks or bottle caps. They may be proficient in knowing categories of information, such as baseball statistics or Latin names of flowers. While they may have good rote memory skills, they have difficulty with abstract concepts.

One of the major differences between Asperger's Disorder and autism is that, by definition, there is no speech delay in Asperger's. In fact, children with Asperger's Disorder frequently have good language skills; they simply use language in different ways. Speech patterns may be unusual, lack inflection or have a rhythmic nature, or it may be formal, but too loud or high pitched. Children with Asperger's Disorder may not understand the subtleties of language, such as irony and humor, or they may not understand the give-and- take nature of a conversation.

Another distinction between Asperger's Disorder and autism concerns cognitive ability. While some individuals with autism experience mental retardation, by definition a person with Asperger's Disorder cannot possess a "clinically significant" cognitive delay and most possess average to above average intelligence.

While motor difficulties are not a specific criteria for Asperger's, children with Asperger's Disorder frequently have motor skill delays and may appear clumsy or awkward.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis of Asperger's Disorder is on the increase, although it is unclear whether it is more prevalent or whether more professionals are detecting it. The symptoms for Asperger's Disorder are the same as those listed for autism in the DSM-IV; however, children with AS do not have delays in the area of communication and language. In fact, to be diagnosed with Asperger’s, a child must have normal language development as well as normal intelligence. The DSM-IV criteria for AS specifies that the individual must have "severe and sustained impairment in social interaction, and the development of restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests and activities that must cause clinically significant impairment in social, occupational or other important areas of functioning."

The first step to diagnosis is an assessment, including a developmental history and observation. This should be done by medical professionals experienced with autism and other PDDs. If Asperger's Disorder or high-functioning autism is suspected, the diagnosis of autism will generally be ruled out first. Early diagnosis is also important as children with Asperger's Disorder who are diagnosed and treated early in life have an increased chance of being successful in school and eventually living independently. To learn more, see Consulting with Professionals.

This information is from The Autism Society of America. To find out more about autism...please go to: http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer

One child in every 150 is diagnosed with autism. Out of every 5 children, 4 are boys. These children need your compassion and understanding and your support to be heard. Please don't let this month go by without informing yourself a little more about autism.

Thank you from our family and from my beautiful boy who just happens to live life walking to a different beat then the rest of us.

God bless you.

I'm a Christian

2008-03-06T23:33:00.000-06:00

I just love this poem but have no clue who wrote it! What a great reminder that it is all about HIM and not about us! I hope you all enjoy it!

I'm a Christian

When I say..."I am a Christian" I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin"
I'm whispering "I was lost, now I'm found and forgiven."

When I say..."I am a Christian" I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say..."I am a Christian" I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on.

When I say..."I am a Christian" I'm not bragging of success...
I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.

When I say..."I am a Christian" I'm not claiming to be perfect.
My flaws are far to visible but God believes I'm worth it.

When I say..."I am a Christian" I still feel the sting of pain...
I have my share of heartaches so I call upon His name.

When I say..."I am a Christian" I'm not holier then thou.
I'm just a simple sinner who received God's good grace somehow!

Satan must employ toy packaging developers!

2007-12-24T18:34:00.000-06:00

It took everything I had not to use every swear word I have ever heard while trying to take the kid's toys out of their boxes. !(#*$&%&*&#(@(&$&*@((@&$$^^#@*

Don't they know that there is no toddler on the planet that can wait for a parent to remove all those dang twist ties? Do they not have children? Is this for anti-theft? If so....don't they realize that these toys are bigger then any pocket or bag can hold so it's not very likely they will be taken from their packages and stolen?

So, as the smart mommy that I am with two small children, I decide we need to get the toys out of the boxes on Christmas Eve after the kids go to bed so we aren't sitting there in the morning trying to get the 4,000,000,000 (yes that is billion for those keeping track) twist ties that is tethering every single part of every single toy in the box. It doesn't matter that the toy has appendages that could never slip through one of these stinking twist ties...let's put 20 more on it! Hey, let's get creative and put two or three together and twist them around one part of a toy.

Well, the toys are set free thanks to mommy and daddy. No swear words were actually said.....out loud. The scissors are dull from mommy deciding her sanity is worth a pair of scissors to cut through the twist ties instead of untwisting them all.

My one Christmas wish is for the jokers who designed this packaging design to be inundated with 100 toddlers energized with stocking candy all bouncing around them while they release a toy for each and every one of them from these insanely over-secured packages!

Gee.....I feel better now!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a twist tie free night!

WIGGLES WIGGLES WIGGLES

2007-12-09T23:36:00.000-06:00

The Wiggles are sleeping....they don't want to be watched right now! LOL

That is what I have had to tell Little D on more then one occasion. He is driving me batty with The Wiggles! If he could live with them I am sure he would pack his bags in 10 seconds flat!

Let's see....LD's viewing schedule is:

Spacedancing Wiggles
Cold Spaghetti Western Wiggles
Wiggle Bay
Big Red Car
Top of the Tots

I stop there only b/c I have never let him watch more then 5 in one day. I don't know which DVD he would put next on his line up and don't want to find out. He sticks with this line up with each new day.

Can I just say I have Wiggles in my sleep? I don't think fruit salad is all that yummy yummy anymore! Cold spaghetti is just that....cold. Rolling down the sand hills would make me dizzy and I really don't feel like dancing the gloomies away or doing the eagle rock.

Ok...just the mere fact that I could recall all of those songs without looking at a DVD or CD is amazing. What is really sick is that I could name at least 20 more without even batting an eye.

Did you know that Greg (Yellow Wiggle) has a neurological condition that is not allowing him to tour anymore? He is married is in his late 30's and has kids. Jeff (Purple Wiggle) is in his 50's but sure doesn't look like it. He is not married and was in a band called The Cockroaches with Anthony at one time. Anthony (Blue Wiggle) is in his late 40's and has a wife and kids. His brother produces the show. Murray (Red Wiggle) is also in his late 40's and is married. Not sure on the kids though. All but Jeff have degrees in early childhood development.

How incredibly sad is that? I know more about the Wiggles then I know about some of my acquaintances! Can someone come and help LD to find something else to get fixated on now?

I gotta go Toot Toot Chugga Chugga in my Big Red Car now. So go to dreamland while you Rock-a-bye Your Bear and sail off with Captain Feathersword.

I am now one of the "put together" moms

2007-11-27T22:34:00.001-06:00

Or so I've been told.

I used to have really long hair that was pulled back just to get it out of the way.

Well....I decided to cut it all off. I got sick of the long, heavy hair and wanted a new look. Of course you can't have a make over without some color added in as well.

Now I actually have a style. Can you believe it? I was told by some friends that I now look like one of those mom's that look put together instead of one that rolled out of bed and got ready in a moments notice! LOL

So....does that mean that I now have to go out and buy the "put together mom" clothes or can I just continue with the "mom on the go" clothes?

Man, I love my sweats!

I'm sick of sickness!

2007-11-17T23:14:00.000-06:00

If one more kid pukes on me, I'm running away! Ok...so not really but I do feel like it. I have spent the better part of the last 6 weeks with sick kids. Between Little D's therapies and the nursery at church, they seem to be picking up everything but their toys!

One minute its a killer yeast rash on Princess Grabby Hands' bottom. The next it's the flu for LD. Then we get croup for PGH and move onto a full blown cold after that. LD gets a cold as well. We won't go into the dog throwing up somewhere in there (got into rib bones in the garbage).

This is all on top of the normal amount of fur balls from the cats and any other messes that happen daily around here.

Ok...so I am done with the sickies! BE GONE YOU EVIL GERMS! I COMMAND THEE!

Do you think it worked? Probably not...but it was worth a shot!

The most precious gift before bed

2007-11-08T10:27:00.000-06:00

Little D had a rough day yesterday. He was using his "almost" three year old mouth all day. He was so sassy and it was a day that I couldn't wait for bedtime.

We put LD to bed and he didn't make too much of a fuss about it. He fell asleep on the floor in his doorway like he does quite often. I don't know why but he just feels a need to fall asleep there.

Before going to bed I usually put him in his bed. Usually I just pick up his limp, sack of potatoes body and put it in bed, cover him up, kiss him on the forehead and leave without him so much as making a whimper.

Last night was different though. The actions and conversation are as follows:

I pick LD up and he slightly wakes up but doesn't say a word. I lay him in bed and go back for his favorite pillow and blanket that are still in the doorway. I lay his pillow in his arms and put the blanket on him.

LD: (with eyes half mast) Thank you for pillow mommy.

ME: You're welcome sweetie.

LD: (still half asleep) Goodnight mommy.

Me: Goodnight sweetie, I love you.

LD: (with a sleepy smile on his face) I love you mommy.

Me: (as I pull the blankets around him closer) Sleep tight and stay warm little man.

LD: (still with that sleepy smile) Night mommy.

and off to dream land he went with that sleepy smile on his face. It was so cute that it just melted my heart. After the day I had, God just made a huge smile in my heart with my little man. It was a moment that I so needed that night.

I love my little boy....sigh.....

So once you have what you wanted...then what?

2007-11-05T19:02:00.000-06:00

My house is clean. I don't mean it looks clean. I mean it is uncluttered! I mean it has been purged of all of the junk that I accumulated and kept for no apparent reason. It is CLEAN!

I now have kids rooms that can be walked in. How did that happen? There are no toys everywhere falling off of every shelf. We must have gotten rid of at least 3 boxes of toys.

I no longer have to cram the drawers shut. The clothes actually fit into the drawers without overflowing....IN ALL OF OUR ROOMS! That in itself is a miracle. I got rid of at least 6 garbage bags of our clothes and 4 boxes of kids clothes.

I was ruthless. You should have seen me! I was SMOKIN'! TOSS, KEEP, DONATE, EWWW....and whatever came to mind as I was shown things. It felt so gooooooood!!!!

So now what do I do with myself? I have always had this underlying guilt that my house was cluttered and it kind of just ate at me all the time. Now it isn't and it just doesn't feel right! I lived the other way so long that I don't know what to do with myself now!

I guess I should tackle the garage one of these days. PLEASE DON'T MAKE ME DO IT!!!!

The bandit strikes again!

2007-10-29T23:43:00.000-05:00

If this stinking thing doesn't quit getting into my garbage I'm going to scream!

Ok...want a funny visual? I actually was throwing baby red potatoes at it trying to get it to leave my yard. I can just imagine how that looked! LOL Yeah...I'm a dork. You don't have to tell me.

I tried calling animal control before and they won't deal with it. They told me to buy a trap. Ok...then what? I'd have that trap out for weeks b/c there is like a whole family of the little stinkers living around here. I live near a wooded area...they like my place!

I let the dog out and she chased the bandit up our fence. The determined little gus just stood on the top of the fence waiting for the dog to go back in so he/she could go back to what he/she was doing. Talk about gall!

DH wants to get an air rifle just to encourage the bandits to stop coming back. I don't know if I like that idea but I don't blame him since he is the one cleaning up their messes all the time.

Here is his/her mugshot in case you spot the critter! There is no reward other then you that you are keeping our property clean of garbage!

An act of God...

2007-10-29T23:10:00.000-05:00

...or a least a half a dozen church ladies. That is what it took to get my bedroom decluttered. WOW DOES IT LOOK GREAT!

I didn't know you were supposed to be able to see anything below your shoulders while standing up in a vanity mirror! Who knew you were supposed to be able to shut ALL of your drawers of your dresser? You mean to tell me that clothes are not supposed to be packed tighter then sardines in the closet?

WHY DOESN'T ANYBODY TELL ME THESE THINGS? I would have done this a lot sooner! Ok...so that last part was a tall tale, but it sounded good!

So anyways...I can actually lay in my bed and not feel like my room is going to attack me. I can walk all the way to both dressers without tripping on anything. I can pull clothing out of the closet without having 5 things fall of the hangers from the friction! These feats are right up there with the parting of the Red Sea! I just never thought it would happen!

Believe it or not...I actually got rid of 2 garbage bags worth of yarn! That is a true miracle! I donated it to the craft group at the church because they can always use scrap yarn. I think that in itself is a huge event. ME PART WITH YARN???? WHO KNEW? LOL

THANK YOU MOPS LADIES FOR ORGANIZING THE UNORGANIZABLE!!!! YOU GALS ARE THE GREATEST!

So we are on to conquering my bedroom

2007-10-28T23:47:00.000-05:00

Yes...I do mean conquering. When we changed our office into Little D's room so Princess Grabby Hands could have the nursery...well...all the stuff had to go somewhere and only a small amount of it could go in the new desk in the living room. Can you guess where the rest went?

Since that cold February day (yes, PGH slept in our room for quite a while out of me being too lazy to switch rooms) we have harbored things such as a sewing machine, a few huge Rubbermaid containers full of yarn, a book shelf, some cork boards and many other items in our bedroom. Let's just say that my bedroom looks more like Sandford and Son instead of Martha Stuart.

I have some lovely MOPS mommies coming buy to help. They are organizers extraordinaire. Either they are that darn good or they just don't know what they are getting themselves into! I probably have bottles of hair products and perfume in there that have dust on their dust. Mounds of clothes that don't have a home.

I CANNOT WAIT FOR THIS! I NEED A RETREAT IN MY OWN HOME!

You can't tell I'm excited, can you?

BLOW OUT!

2007-10-25T11:10:00.000-05:00

We dropped Little D off at grandma's today and brought Princess Grabby Hands in for her 15 month check up and shots. We were almost home and went over some tracks and POW...the tire blew. The other back tire went slowly flat because there was a nail in it. OH JOY!

SO...we were just 2 blocks from the local tire place so we slowly drove there and they are looking at it now. The one with the nail can be fixed but the other one is a complete blow out. There goes about $90. Isn't that grand? Well, wait a minute...I'm glad it wasn't a grand. I guess it could have been worse.

I left hubby there and walked home with PGH in the stroller because I didn't know how long it was going to take and with PGH just getting shots, I didn't want her having to sit in a tire place for a couple of hours and being uncomfy. Thank God for me being very prepared because I had plenty of blankets in the van to cover her with and cover most of the stroller with because it's super windy out and only 50 degrees. It was about a mile from the tire place to home. Not a bad walk but considering poor baby just got shots. Let's just say she wasn't pleased.

Not how I wanted to spend my morning but what can ya do? SIGH....

PGH is only 15 months and already 32 inches tall. She is 25 lbs 8 oz. My little girl is going to be an Amazon woman! Considering she started life on the 20th percentile for height and weight for the first 5 months....she sure made up for it now! She is now in the 88th percentile for height and 83rd percentile for weight. She is just a really tall girl! SOB....I don't want my baby to grow up yet!

Squirming Cat + Scissors + Wrist = Tetanus Shot

2007-10-24T13:25:00.001-05:00

So first of all...I guess I should not be using small embroidery scissors for cutting matted hair off of a wiggly cat. D'OH!

Cats are very squirmy, in case you didn't know. Scissors that are as skinny as a fork tine plunging into your wrist does not feel good, in case you didn't know. AND...trying to figure out when you had your last tetanus shot at 10:00 at night can be frustrating, in case you didn't know.

So now that you've had the bullet points, here is what happened:
I was trying to cut matted hair out of my over furry cat. He usually doesn't move too much but I guess he was just in a mood and decided in mid cut that he needed to flip off of my lap. The scissors slipped and rammed right into my wrist causing one side of the blade to go about 1/2 inch into my wrist. THANK GOD IT MISSED THE ARTERY BY AN INCH! That would have been horrid!

As I was trying to get the pain to stop, I thought that maybe I may need to get a tetanus shot. Now to the normal people, this shouldn't be too hard to figure out. BUT to an accident prone Annie...this is hard to figure out. I have cut or hurt myself more times then I can imagine. Couldn't be that I don't use the right tool for the job...NOOOOOOO! >insert eye roll here<

Well, going back through the years by each mishap, hubby said he didn't recall me getting a shot since we've been together and that was 8 years ago next month. Then I had to recall the 2 years before that. I realized that I must have gotten one at least 11 or 12 years ago when I cut my hand on a metal blind while working at a blind factory. That had to be it.

Off I went the next morning for a shot. Oh fun. I was ready for them to take me away in a straight jacket thinking that I tried to off myself or something because of it being on my wrist. I can tell you that if someone was trying to commit suicide, scissor puncture to the wrist is not the first choice they would go with.

So now it is a day later and my arm is killing me! The wrist feels ok. It's where the shot was that feels like a professional wrestler socked me in the arm. OUCH! I can't wait for this knot to go away now.

So...at least I'm good for another 10 years...right? >another big eye roll here<

Yes it really is our anniversary

2007-10-20T19:35:00.000-05:00

And the whole day has went by and I don't think either hubby nor I even thought to say HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to each other. What does that say about us? LOL

We aren't mad at each other. We aren't even frustrated with each other. I just don't think either of us has it in us to think of this day as any other day. It just is what it is.

So anyways....it's been 6 years since we tied the knot. We got married on Sweetest Day in 2001 just 39 days after the Twin Towers were attacked. How's that for starting your marriage off realizing how much you really mean to each other? We knew from that point on how fleeting life was and there are no guarantees that we will be here tomorrow. I guess that has made us respect and love each other that much deeper because we can't know how long we will have each other.

Well, onward and upward with the happier stuff. We enjoyed the morning at the park with the kids. While Little D found it fun to try to leave with other families (I guess we just aren't meeting his standards or something)...Princess Grabby Hands decided to wander the streets...LITERALLY! She kept making a bee line for the parking lot keeping mom and dad (mainly daddy) on their toes. What a little stinker. Apparently the fun park stuff wasn't doing it for her...she wanted to go play out in traffic!

Six years have passed since we said I do. Are we more in love? Maybe. Are we sick of each other yet? I don't think so. Hey...neither of us has ripped the others head clear off his neck. I think that says something right there! LOL

So this year starts the 7 year itch. I doubt it will effect us in any way. I don't either of us has any energy to want to start a new relationship with anyone else. I doubt either of us would find anyone better for each other anyways. We balance each other too well. While hubby is an eternal pessimist, I'm the cheerleader optimist. Even when I am in a funk, hubby turns it around and becomes the cheerleader for me. We just switch roles seamlessly sometimes as the need arises.

So here is to another 6 years and beyond. I just pray that we will both be on this earth to grow old together and see our grandchildren and great grandchildren. We have to be able to spoil with abandon someday don't we? Can't do it to our own kids or else pandemonium would ensue....have to wait for grandchildren!

Even licensed professionals shouldn't color their hair on their own...

2007-10-15T18:53:00.000-05:00

Well, I started out with drab medium brown hair. I have no clue if that is my real hair color. I haven't had just my own hair color since I was 15 years old. That is another story though...it was the 80's...I had to be a bleach blond! LOL

Anywho...I decided I wanted blond highlights. Well, more like streaks. I wanted them to stand out a bit but not be totally bright. I guess I'm no longer making sense here, but I digress. I was too lazy to go to the beauty supply store and do it professionally with the right supplies so I decided to do a box of highlighting stuff from the store. How the heck does the normal person do the streaks right when a licensed professional can't do it the way the box tells you to? This is ridiculous.

I have my hubby help me. He is going off of what I was telling him to do and apparently not getting it. My hair came out striped and very uneven. Let me tell you....I was not going out of the house like that. The blond was TOOOOOO blond and it was in funky chunks (not funky in a good way).

Strike two...An hour after the first mess up, I get hubby to go buy another box of color. I tell him to pick up a dark red to cover up the streaks and hope that I end up with dark red hair with strawberry highlights. The only way to describe the color that resulted from that application is "OH MY GOSH IS THIS RED!" I think if I went outside someone would think my head was on fire and douse me with a bucket of water. This cannot stay either. We won't even go into the fact that the blond now looks rather orange and still splotchy.

So now on to try number three. The next morning we couldn't go to church because the kids were sick. I guess part of me was relieved because I didn't want to go their with hair that looked as if Satan had a hand in picking the color (totally not hubby's fault...the color looked great on the box). I slap a hat on my head and run to the store myself.

I find a nice neutral light brown and figure that it would blend the blond (er..orange blotches) and tone down the red. I shove this third color in less then 24 hours on my head and wait the 25 minutes. I wash it out and this is what I now have:

Not that it's bad, it's just not what I had planned on. I wanted my medium to light brown hair with blond highlights. I got dark reddish auburn hair instead. Oh well. At least I am presentable and am getting compliments on it. Maybe next time I won't take the *ahem* easy way out and do it right the first time. >INSERT HUGE EYE ROLL HERE!<

Onto the next order of business...

Two words...

CRACK KILLS!!!!

Yes...that is Little D and Princess Grabby Hands watching TV. I have no clue why her diaper was so baggy but I just had to get a picture of her little baby butt crack hanging out. It was too cute to pass up.

Now back your regularly scheduled web surfing....

I'm going to glue his butt to the bed

2007-10-14T21:07:00.000-05:00

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I think we have a record tonight. I lost count but I do know that little D was up a minimum of 15 times tonight. It's so hard to stay mad at a little boy yelling "I NEED A KISS" from the other room.

Let's see...the list of excuses tonight:

"I need a kiss." 4 times
"Look at my cars." twice
"Car on the lines." (on his street rug in his room)
"Need trains on my bed." (I don't think so young man. Trains can stay on the train table.)
Threw a foam chair over the gate in his doorway and then crawled over and landed on it.
"Shmuzzy bear need shoe." (Bear's shoe fell off...or rather was taken off to give LD a reason to get out of bed.)
"Need more cars."
Comes out with fireman hat.
Comes out with foam chair to watch TV.

The list is probably longer but my frazzled brain may have forgotten some of the excuses.

I would never do it but there are nights that duct tape and bungee cords pop into my mind! LOL

The adventures of Calamity Jane

2007-10-12T19:22:00.000-05:00

Yes, I'm talking about Princess Grabby Hands. No, we haven't officially changed her name but I am contemplating it after this past week!

I feel like that commercial "It will be a miracle if she makes it to 2." She came into this world and within 3 weeks Little D dropped a board book on her head. I think that should have been an prophesy of things to come.

Within this week the child has fallen off of 4 chairs (thankfully they are children's chairs and not regular ones), got a minor shiner from tripping over the end of a wooden slide in a toddler area, had a bruise on her shin (no clue where it came from), bumped her head multiple times on various items and got shoved off of a mini-trampoline that is for LD's therapy. I wonder who could have shoved her....hmm......can you even dare to guess! LOL

It will truly be a miracle if she makes it to 18 months much less 2 years old. The child is definitely Calamity Jane. I will be shocked if she makes it to her second birthday without stitches. Then again, I said the same thing about LD and he hasn't had stitches yet so I'm amazed at him as well.

I think I have a lot of worry ahead for years to come. Oh fun!

Gotta love selective hearing

2007-10-08T19:17:00.001-05:00

Why is it that a child who cannot hear his name when it is being shouted from three feet away 20 times can hear the ear splitting crash of two marshmallows colliding in mid air?

I can literally be just a few feet from Little D shouting his name numerous times and he won't even flinch. I feel sorry for his future wife! He has the "male" selective hearing times 10! AND...yes, we've had his hearing checked as well as looked for fluid in the ears. He just doesn't hear what he doesn't want to hear.

This same child can hear me pulling one little jellybean out of a bowl from the opposite end of the house and come running out with his hand open. Where is this super sensitive hearing when I am calling him to pick up toys?

I know when LD is back in his room with Princess Grabby Hands that he is trying to pull her into his ways! She sometimes can be the same way! Bring out some food of any sort and PGH comes toddling through so fast there is smoke coming from her tootsies!

Maybe that is the key...I need to stop calling for them and just start rustling wrappers and bags out in the living room. Maybe they'll catch on too fast but I might fool them for at least a week or so!

Oh Pumpkin, Where Art Thou

2007-10-04T21:03:00.000-05:00

Today was PUMPKIN PATCH DAY at the Little D and Princess Grabby Hands household. Grandma treated us and Auntie came along for the ride! What a great day!

From singing chickens:

To train rides with mom and dad:

Fun was had by all! LD got to root for pig number one (Sqealy Ray Cirus) and his little porker took first place. Here he is cheering his piggy on with Grandma (his most favorite person in the world).

PGH helped cheer on the piggies with Daddy.

Here he is going up to accept his sticker for being a #1 PIG ROOTER and his first place ribbon. He wouldn't let me take a picture with the ribbon.

PGH sits among the giant orange things, of which she has no idea what they are, while LD searches for just the right pumpkin.

LD gets to pick a pumpkin. Of course he NEEDS the 31 lb pumpkin. What kid doesn't? I guess when you are as cute as he is and the apple of Grandma's eye, you can get her to pay $9 for a pumpkin! LOL

PGH is tuckered out. It's been a long day for her majesty! Why can't I have a ride when I am tired at the end of a fun day? No fair!

I still want my stinking Alpaca farm so I can make my own yarn and sell it on eBay! What a cute, hungry Alpaca. This one ate almost my entire little cup of carrots! We couldn't resist her (at least I think it was a her) beautiful, huge eyes!

What a great day. It was 84 degrees and sunny with a slight breeze. It was almost empty in there because it was just after the school kids left from the field trips and just before parents got off work to bring in more kids. There must have only been about 50 people in the whole place (not including workers). What a perfect time to get there (1:30 pm).

Oh...Just to bring a smile to your face...here is a little video of LD dancing with the Can Can Chickens. He loves them. AND NO...It's not my foot tapping him on the butt. That is Auntie's foot! LOL

You've heard of Dancing With the Stars! Now watch Dancing With the Chickens!

Why must I be the keeper of the toilet paper?

2007-10-03T22:17:00.001-05:00

Am I the only adult capable in this house to change the roll? I guess so!

I can almost guarantee that if there is a roll that is almost empty, hubby will use all but 2 sheets of toilet paper to avoid changing the roll. You know....IT'S NOT EMPTY YET....as the excuse. Yeah, like what can I do with 2 sheets of toilet paper? Pick a booger? I couldn't even blow my nose with that small amount!

The last time I went into the bathroom I made sure to tell hubby to bring a roll in with him since it is almost empty. That was earlier this afternoon. I go in there a few minutes ago (mind you this is now about 8 hours later) and find the roll with a few wisps of toilet paper hanging off of it and the new roll still sitting on the back of the toilet.

I think this is an epidemic. I know many other "Keepers of the toilet paper" as well and their complaints are the same. I guess pushing that spindle together to pop out, pulling the cardboard roll off, sliding the new roll on and then pushing the spindle back into the holder is just too hard.

Maybe we should start a school. "TOILET PAPER INSTILLATION FOR THE ROLL REMOVAL CHALLANGED 101" We'll save 102 for recognizing that the roll will be empty enough soon to make sure another roll is available for the next person in case they need it. I can guarantee that there would be a line of wives out the door signing up husbands and kids left and right. Now if we could actually get said husbands and kids to attend the class...that is the problem.

So...off I go keeping fannies wiped and keeping females from having to drip dry. Into the night I whoosh making sure that nobody is needing to yell through the door "I NEED A ROLL!" For I am KEEPER OF THE TOILET PAPER! The mightiest of all!

So join me! KEEPERS OF THE TOILET PAPER UNITE! Or is it untie? No matter, I will keep all toilet paper spindles filled or die trying! Or maybe it's try dying...no no no! Maybe do some tie dying? Whichever! AND I'M OFF! >Way off....just ask my hubby!<

Let's play the "NOT STAY IN BED" game

2007-10-02T20:16:00.000-05:00

I don't know who is worse lately...Little D or Princess Grabby Hands! Who knew that two children under 3 years old could play this game so well? Is there a private school that I don't know about that they are attending during nap time or something?

Here is the scenario:

I put them both in bed. PGH cries like I just put her down to be eaten by wolves or something. LD smiles and says NIGHT MOM and grabs his pillow. I know LD is just humoring me. PGH calms down and I think all is well.

Within 30 minutes LD will hop out of bed and bound into the living room. Usually it is "I got hiccups" or "Tie my bear's shoe (which is already tied, by the way)" or "I need kisses" or about 20 other phrases he has decided are great excuses for getting out of bed. Anyone have some duct tape for this kid? UGH! Bungee cords??? ANYTHING??? I'm desperate!

With LD, I follow the GET BACK IN BED now method and lead him in there. Works sometimes but not others. If only I had the patience of Supernanny! Yeah right! Does she even have kids? Patience is not for those that have them. Patience is for those that can give them back to their parents after a few hours!

So then LD gets...well...not quiet but at least he gets it that he has to stay in bed. Within an hour, PGH (who has been asleep this whole time) will wake up screaming bloody murder. I wait a few minutes thinking that maybe she just woke up startled and will go back to sleep. No...I am not ignoring her...well, maybe yes I am but this is a nightly pattern so I doubt anything is really wrong with her.

After about 3 to 5 minutes of the crying to get more pitiful, I finally check on her. She sits there with fear in her eyes and wants to come out of bed NOW! I pick her up to calm her. PGH is fine the second she is in my arms. I try to put her back down. No go. She wants to stay up now! SIGH....

I bring her to the living room and rock her for a little bit. She starts dozing off and I think "HEY...LET'S TRY THE BED THING AGAIN!!!!" As soon as I stand up her eyes pop wide open. ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!! I get her in her room and she cries her face off in the crib. I tell her goodnight and let her cry. It's usually over within about 5 minutes when she realizes that mom won't let her stay up all night.

Now it's even worse when Daddy is home. When PGH gets up, she flirts so horribly with Daddy that he will hold her for an hour! No wonder she is doing this nightly pattern. She knows Daddy will give in because she is just that darn cute! He is in huge trouble with that one. He can't resist my puppy dog eyes and she has them, too! We are so lucky that I control the check book or else this child would probably get him to buy her a toy store!

As I type, I have PGH finally calmed down and back to slumber land. LD is in his room counting loudly (as he does so often while trying to get to sleep) but it's getting quieter and slower so he must be calming down as well. Maybe, just maybe I'll get peace and quiet by 9:00 pm! I can wish can't I? As my grandpa used to say..."Sit on one hand and wish on the other, then see which gets filled first." Grandpas are so full of wisdom, aren't they? ;) I can't wait to get old and cantankerous so I can fill my grandkids with such wisdom! LOL

A root canal is nowhere near a filling!

2007-10-01T16:42:00.000-05:00

Ok, when you are going in expecting just a filling and leave with a root canal...your day isn't that wonderful! BLEH!

I went in today expecting to get one or two teeth filled. I had a lost filling and a broken tooth but thought they were just filling worthy and even the person who did the initial exam said fillings. Well, that is the last time I listen to anybody but the person who will actually be working on my teeth!

I go in and am told that BOTH TEETH need root canals. OH FUN! I only got one done today. I go back for the other one at the end of the month. I have to wait on the crown portions because of the expense but at least the pain of the nerve will end.

Ok...you can hate me now...it wasn't that bad. I've heard horror stories of people jumping out of the chair. I was numbed up and it began. The dentist was the most soft spoken and calm man I have ever been around. Part way through I felt a little twinge and he said I would need another shot in the actual nerve. I was waiting to be hanging from the ceiling by my finger nails during this.

He injected the nerve and counted to 5 (expecting me to cling to the chair like a baby monkey hanging for dear life as it's mom swung through the jungle). I just sat there like nothing was happening. The dentist looked at me in shock. He asked if I had felt it. I said yes but it wasn't more then a tiny pinch that was gone in less then a second. He said that is the part everyone dreads and why they put off getting a root canal for long periods of time.

Either I have the highest pain tolerance on the planet or other people are just way too sensitive! I don't get it. I really didn't find it to be that big of a deal. Is root canal pain just over rated for extra sympathy?

So, now I sit here drooling on myself like an infant and hungry as all get out. I don't dare eat because none of it would stay in my mouth anyways right now. My lip feels about the size of Daffy Duck's beak! My tongue feels like someone shoved an over inflated hot dog in my mouth. Such a lovely picture I am painting for you, isn't it?

So go on and eat your lovely dinners and think of me with a mouth so numb that I could get 1000 piercings in it and not feel even one (not that I would but you get the picture) and talking out of the side of my mouth. WOOHOO! >INSERT HUGE EYE ROLL HERE<

Lost Little D for 10 minutes today

2007-09-30T13:56:00.000-05:00

I was so scared that I thought I would throw up.

Hubby was in the prayer room praying about this decision of leaving us for school. I got the kids from the nursery and went to wait outside of the room for him. A lady that runs the grief counseling group that I know was talking to me about what was going on and wanting my phone number to get some information to me. I let go of the kids (we were by a wall and it was pretty open ~ not too many people right next to us) and wrote it down. Princess Grabby Hands started toddling away and Little D ran after her to grab her with me following close behind. I grabbed PGH and next thing I knew, LD was nowhere to be found.

LD, being not even 3 years old yet and with autism, is completely fearless. I was petrified that he ran outside or any other worse situation that goes through a mom's mind when their kid is missing. I started dodging between people. There were so many there b/c it was right after the 9:30 service ended and people were coming in for the 11:00 service. I am shouting for LD at this point with everyone looking around to see who I was yelling for.

A woman from my retreat yesterday saw me and knowing my LD is autistic started searching frantically with me. She saw one of the security people (my hubby is on security too so we know them) and they went outside and alerted the greeters to look for him.

10 minutes seemed like 10 hours at this point. I must have made the rounds around the church at least 15 times. I had PGH in my arms and left the diaper bag by the prayer room door. I pass by the prayer room door on another pass and guess who is there trying to lift the diaper bag.....YES MY SON!!!! PRAISE THE LORD!

I just grabbed him and hugged him so tightly. I shoved both of the kids in the prayer room with daddy at this point (don't know why I didn't get him when this first happened but my brain was mush) and went to find those who were looking to tell them he had been found. By this time, my friend from the retreat was in tears herself and security was getting someone in a golf cart to drive around the parking lot. THANK YOU LORD FOR THOSE THAT CARE SO MUCH.

Needless to say, my eyes are red from crying now. We got to the van and buckled the kids in....I just lost it. I bawled for 5 minutes.

Yes, LD got "the lecture" about staying near mommy and never running off. And people wonder why I usually have him on a harness backpack thingy.

CALGON TAKE ME AWAY!

We go Grandma's house

2007-09-25T20:28:00.000-05:00

I know if Little D could dig a tunnel the whole 16 miles to Grandma's house, he would in a heartbeat. Every single time we get in the van, the first thing he says is "WE GO GRANDMA'S HOUSE!" 90% of the time he is wrong and lets us know how upset he is that we aren't going the direction he thinks we should.

LD is always trying to "tell" us which way to go by saying "THAT WAY" and pointing in a direction. Incredibly, he always points in the direction that Grandma lives no matter which way we are going. How does a two year old do that? It's almost freaky!

One day we are going to follow his pointing and see if he leads us there. I will probably fall over laughing if he did. The child cannot remember that we just told him to pick up his toys but he can remember which direction Grandma's house is no matter how long it's been since we've gone there last.

Grandma just promised him the pumpkin farm next week. I know he is going to love it. We will go to Grandma's house and LD will not care that we are going to see pumpkins (although he talks about them constantly all the time). He will only care that Grandma is getting in the van with us to go there, too.

My hubby has a daddy's girl with Princess Grabby Hands. I have a momma's boy with LD but the second Grandma is in the picture....mommy becomes chopped liver! Oh the humanity! LOL

It takes so little to make me happy

2007-09-23T21:09:00.000-05:00

I have some things for sale on eBay. One of the items went up by a quarter in the last minute. I squealed with delight. How incredibly silly is that?

I tell ya! My hubby says it is way too easy to make me happy and I'm a super cheap date. That's me! If I am what I eat then I'm cheap, fast and easy!

I don't ever want gifts. I never want to go anywhere. I don't drink. I don't buy expensive perfumes or anything for myself. I don't wear make up often. I don't wear much jewelry. I must be the lowest maintenance wife just above the Amish!

For Christmas, my birthday and Mother's Day, my hubby says it's like pulling teeth to find out what to get me for a gift. I never want anything really. On rare occasion I have gotten a gift certificate for a manicure and pedicure and it takes me a while to use it. I still haven't gone for that hubby told me to go get back in January.

Why do I do this? Why do I not care? I mean, I am glad I am not materialistic but how come I am not that upset about putting myself last? I am a woman! I should care about this stuff.

I think I am part alien. I really do. What other woman does not want anything? What other woman gets excited over a stinking quarter increase in an auction she is selling?

I am pathetic! I need a life I guess! LOL

Aparently I stink

2007-09-21T20:16:00.000-05:00

Well, I can tell you all because it will just stay between you and me right? I know you won't tell anyone!

I was going to the bathroom the other day. You know....not number one but number two. I had the door open, as usual when you have two toddlers and you have no other adult in the house to watch that they don't destroy the entire place in the few minutes you are in there.

So anyways, I was going to the bathroom and my sweet and charming Little D (almost 3 for those of you new to my blog) left the hallway to go to the living room. I thought he was just going to go play or something. A minute later he comes back with the wipes. Now, you have to know that he brings me the wipes whenever Princess Grabby Hands (our 14 month old baby girl) is stinky. It's just his way of telling me she needs a diaper change.

Back to my story, he brings me the wipes. I ask him if PGH is stinky. He replies no. I ask him if HE is stinky. He replies no. I said who are the wipes for. He says, "MOMMY IS TINKY!!" GEE THANKS KIDDO! I laughed so hard I almost fell off the toilet.

After composing myself, I told him, "Well yours doesn't smell like roses either son and at least you don't have to clean MINE up!" The things this kid comes up with!

So, now you all know my embarrassing story about LD, the bathroom and mommy. I know you will totally keep this to yourself and not tell a soul, right? I have your word don't I? I thought so! THANKS!

I don't know what got into me

2007-09-20T22:18:00.000-05:00

Maybe I am sick of looking at the stuff. Maybe it's because we need the money. Maybe I am just enjoying selling stuff. I just finally got a bunch of stuff listed on eBay.

Wow that is hard work. I give a lot of credit to those women that do this for a living to make extra cash. All that picture taking and pricing and description making. WHEW

Now I can see why some people just go to these eBay brokers to get their stuff listed. How do I start a racket like that? I can do that for a living...especially if it's kids stuff!

Now if only I can get motivated to clean out the rest of my house. I guess this is a step in the right direction...right? I swear, there are days that I feel like just cleaning out the whole house and putting it up on eBay. It's just stuff that I probably don't really need and most likely wouldn't miss.

Why do we get so attached to our junk? I mean really! You can hold onto something so small and insignificant for years and then finally pull it out and wonder what the heck you kept it for. How silly.

I need to go through the rest of the 4 million boxes in the garage. Maybe, just maybe there could be something worth something in one of them. Probably not though! While I'm dreaming....

So who wants to get me organized?

2007-09-19T07:05:00.000-05:00

I think I have bought at least 3 books on organization. I would read them except I have no clue where they are! That statement would be funnier if it weren't true....sigh.

I'm looking around my house and am just shaking my head in disgust. I am tired of saying "sorry about the mess but we are in the middle of spring cleaning" when it's already September! I have a box for a box, a bag for a bag and piles all over. BLEH!

So, who wants to come clean out my house? I totally need one of those clutter shows here. They would probably look at my house and say NEVER MIND! I know, I'm pathetic! I told you I am a supermom dropout! You don't believe me?

My living room is decorated in early toddler. Toys, hand prints and crumbs everywhere. My kitchen is clutter haven. It has junk that is on it's way to the garage on a few counters but has not made it that far. We won't talk about the dog food all over the floor that the dog seemed to think she needed to spread around.

Speaking of the garage....wait, I don't want to speak about it. I have a 2 1/2 car garage that I cannot get one car into. With my sister's stuff in there (tanning bed, washer, dryer, TV's, bikes, etc.) and all my junk (those many boxes of clothes I mentioned in a previous post), you have to CLIMB all over everything to get to what you are looking for.

The attic. Well....yeah....the attic. It isn't full but the whole area around the pull down steps is so crowded that I can't put anything else up there unless I organized first. I will be lucky to find the Christmas decorations in a couple of months.

My bedroom. The catch all for everything we don't want getting into the kid's hands. Toys that are taken from them when they won't pick them up so they become ours for a day or two. Laundry that is always over due for getting done. My dresser that I don't remember what the top of it looks like because of all the junk that gets piled on it. What a wonderful, peaceful haven to sleep in. NOT!

Princess Grabby Hand's room. The kids don't play in there so it has boxes of clothes to grow into flowing out of the closet. There is a box of extra stuff from the kitchen that we don't know what to do with it. She, also, has my old desk (from when I was a kid) in there and her room is DINKY! Poor girl. One of these years I'll get to redecorating and organizing her room. Maybe in time for her to get married even!

The bathroom. Between the two litter boxes that tends to have more litter out of the then in them because of the sloppy cats and a hubby that has a habit of leaving EVERYTHING in there (including a complete library of books) I always feel like the place is a mess. We won't go into the bath toys hanging on the wall in a mesh laundry bag.

Now the last thing, Little D's room. Believe it or not, our 2 1/2 year old room is the most organized in the house. Well, it was the most recent redecorating project that we have done (this past spring). We made him a Bat Cave....Batman. I recently changed the furniture around in there to make it easier for the kid's to play in there so everything is pretty well organized. Wow, who would have thunk it? A boy's room cleaner then the rest of the house.

Oh wait! I cannot forget our yard. I have a brown and withered thumb so the thought of me growing anything but hostas (the plant that never dies) is a joke. In fact, I am so over run with hostas that I think the yard will soon no longer need mowing because it will be one giant hosta. I guess that is what I get for wanting something that I can plant that I can't kill. The yard is decorated in preschool playground. Swing set, club house, ride on cars, bikes, trikes, basketball hoop, etc. all clutter the yard. I can't complain, it was all given to us for free.

HELP! ANYONE???? I THINK I NEED A BULLDOZER AND JUST START OVER!

So I guess someone wants to work in my place

2007-09-18T17:43:00.000-05:00

I went to the unemployment office to get some paperwork showing that I do not qualify for unemployment payments. I have not worked in years due to being a stay at home mom. The woman behind the desk brings up my social security number and asks "I see you worked at XXX recently." First of all, I never heard of the place. Second, I haven't worked in about 4 years. Thirdly, it had the name Phoebe Barrett next to it.

As you probably noticed by my profile, Phoebe Barrett is not now nor has it ever been my name. Apparently this person has decided to pay into my social security income. I don't know. I have to call tomorrow to see what I have to do. This lady better not make me have to go through the trouble of changing my social security number or else I'll be a very cranky lady!

I am not worried about her stealing my identity in the terms of getting credit or whatever. I will share with you that the only credit she could achieve with my social security number is the credit that someone is alive that has it. Due to many medical issues (and subsequent bills), let's just say me getting a credit card would be harder then Donald Trump being turned down for one. It's just not going to happen.

So here I sit with a double identity and no money to show for the cash she is making at her job. Hey, if you're gonna use my number, at least give me some money that your making on it! Just kidding there but now I have to deal with yet another governmental office (OH JOY) to get this straightened out. We won't talk about today with having to go to 5 governmental offices all today. That is another story that I just don't want to talk about. The lines and waiting that I had to do was worse then the line for the newest roller coaster at Walt Disney World. UGH!

We now have 4 upright people in our house!

2007-09-17T21:51:00.000-05:00

Watch out world! Princess Grabby Hands now has a higher reach! She is a full fledged walker now! She walks 90% of the time and is getting faster each day. OH MY!

I look at PGH and Little D and wonder where those two delicate babies went that I had not so very long ago. I asked this of hubby the other day and he said the two toddlers we now have ate them! I don't doubt it. They look a little like those babies but are so "KID" looking now.

I told PGH today that she better either pray for an extremely fast metabolism or learn to slow down on the eating. The rate she is going, she will be 500 lbs by her second birthday! That child will eat her food and try to nibble on what her brother won't eat. I get one super picky kid and one that would eat dirt if you gave it to her.

Speaking of eating, I think her favorite food right now is paper. Any kind of paper. Notebook, magazine, toilet paper, paper towel...you name it, she'll eat it. I have no clue. I swear I give her enough fiber and her diapers are proving that!

Little D won't eat squat. All meat except for chicken nuggets are made of poop in his book. Won't touch eggs, veggies or even hot dogs! What 2 year old won't eat a hot dog? Not that I thing they are all that great nutrition wise but COME ON! Don't they all pretty much like them? If the kid doesn't have his Ovaltine and Pop Tart every morning, you would think that the sun refused to shine that day or something. What a picky pants!

I guess PGH takes after mommy. She hasn't met a goody she doesn't like. Oh boy! That is not the trait I want her to get from me. I have the figure to prove that statement. She is pretty slim now so I'm just hoping it continues or the poor girl is gonna have a lot of junk in that plush trunk of hers!

So now I NEED to make socks

2007-09-16T06:31:00.000-05:00

My friend Ann got me on a kick to wanting to knit my first pair of socks. Or as hubby says, tie knots in yarn to make something. She has been feeding into my addiction as well by giving me links to patterns. Leave it to a friend to help you push further into an addiction when she has it herself! LOL You know I love ya Ann!

So anyways, I get this yarn off of EBay and it was delivered today. It is an Alpaca and Merino wool yarn blend. Can I just say that this is the softest, silkiest yarn I have ever felt? I cannot wait to make a nice pair of dressy socks for church for under my nice slacks and feel my feet GLIDE into them. You know it is luxurious yarn when your hubby feels it and requests socks made for himself out of this yarn!

AND...again feeding my addiction...Ann made me some stitch markers that are AWESOME that I'll get to use on pretty much any sock pattern I decide to use. At least I know someone who doesn't think I'm completely nuts for my yarn addiction.

I have told hubby that we need to buy an Alpaca farm now. Well, he is unemployed right now and hoping to get into a slightly different type of job then straight drafting. What is more different then owning a bunch of goofy looking animals that you can make yarn from? I told him that we see the commercials all the time and joke about it. I could make my own yarn and even sell it! Ok....now I'm just dreaming but it would be cool! We wouldn't have the start up money for a farm. It's tempting though!

It's the little things like a really nice yarn to make me happy. I'm so pitiful! I get giddy over yarn! How goofy. Oh well, like I told hubby when he met me, at least I'm a cheap date. I enjoy the minor things in life and am very low maintenance! Put me in a yarn store and just let me feel yarns! LOL Sad....isn't it?

Does it count as exercise?

2007-09-15T19:50:00.000-05:00

I just spent the evening dancing with my kids. I sure hope I burned at least a few calories! I am ready to toss out this CD now. The songs have well annoyed me after the third round of playing them.

First we did the Chicken Dance. You know the one. The dance that everyone looks like a fool doing at every wedding in full dressed up attire. "I don't wanna be a chicken, I don't wanna be a duck, so I'll shake my butt! QUACK QUACK QUACK QUACK!" Yes, I did the hand motions, the butt shaking and everything. I think Little D was more baffled (one of his new words) then anything at seeing mommy flap like a chicken! LOL

So then we move onto the Hokey Pokey. Did I spell that right? I have no clue. Get this...my hubby had no clue what the motions to the part that says "Do the Hokey Pokey and you turn yourself around" and I had to show him. Yes, he was trying to do it with us. The funniest part? We were in the living room with the blinds wide open to the big picture window! I can just imagine someone passing by and seeing our two big butts doing the Hokey Pokey! LOL The kids are too short to see them unless you are right next to the house so that had to look hilarious!

Well, we also did Ring Around the Rosie. LD loves ALL FALL DOWN! He thinks it's hilarious. Mommy thinks it's time to get a new body so I can get up before the next turn of ALL FALL DOWN! This body FALLS DOWN just fine but it's the getting back up part that it doesn't like.

I've also discovered that just because I'm Happy and I Know It that I don't always want to clap my hands after I've heard the song at least three times. There was a weird part in that song that had someone crying. How peculiar. I found it a little disturbing but hey, if they want to cry in a song, then that is their option I guess. LD heard this and got hysterical (in a sad way) that someone was crying. I've never seen him have such empathy for someone else before. WOW!

Princess Grabby Hands was dancing with daddy through most of this. She is just in love with her daddy. I guess most baby girls are! They looked so cute together. PGH was cracking up with everyone dancing.

I am hoping LD goes to sleep faster. He out danced everyone here. He was running around and around in circles for about 30 minutes after we were pooped! I was waiting for him to fall down from being completely dizzy. Never happened.

That reminds me...don't roll down a hill as an adult. You don't recover very quickly to go running back up it. Last time I did that, the kids that were with us ran back up and rolled back down three more times before I could even stand up because I was so dizzy. There are three things you should never do after 30. First, don't roll down hills. Second, don't do anything that puts your butt over your head (cartwheels, flips, etc.) unless you are well trained and thirdly, don't try to keep up your energy level with a 2 year old boy. It just won't happen unless you are an aerobics instructor. I think mommy needs a nap now.

So why can't I get automatic clothes rotation?

2007-09-14T18:58:00.000-05:00

I just spent about 2 hours sorting through clothes. First, the hand me down clothes given to me by friends (THANKS GALS) that are for both Little D and Princess Grabby Hands. I had looked through them when I first got them but never actually did anything with them aside from leaving them in their boxes on my couch until now because the items were a little too big.

Today I decided that PGH's belly button hanging out of everything and ankles showing when she wears pants is over. If LD wore some of his jammies much longer, the ability of him creating grandchildren would be in question because they were getting a bit snug in *AHEM* certain places. I washed, folded and sorted everything by drawer (or hanging up) to get used which took about an hour to do (besides the actual washing/drying). Can I just say these kids are set?

I spent the next 30 minutes going through their drawers (the ones in their dressers, not the ones on their butts....they still have diapers, not undies). Found almost two boxes of outgrown clothes between the two of them. I think that both LD and PGH would have been wearing Daisy Duke shorts soon if I kept some of them in their clothes line up. Anybody need some clothes? I think there are about 20 boxes in the garage now. Ok, let me rephrase that....anybody want to help me get ready for a garage sale? I didn't think so....

Well, then I spent about another 30 minutes putting all the new clothes in their homes. I know there are probably things I missed but I'll find them when I go to put them on their little fannies and they are showing baby booty cracks when they bend over! LOL It already happened to PGH with a pair of pants daddy put on her yesterday. They were a tad small and we had to change her before going grocery shopping so people wouldn't take pitty on the poor ragamuffin child!

I don't know how people switch their whole wardrobe between the seasons. I just can't be that organized. I'm lucky if all my clothes in MY closet fit me at the same time much less if it's the right season. Considering I wear shorts around the house in the winter because I keep the place nice and toasty, no point in storing them away.

So my idea...I want an automatic clothes rotation system. One that scans the kids, gets their measurements and determines which clothes in their rooms will not fit anymore and weeds them out into a box. Would be nice, eh? While I'm dreaming.......

I JUST WANT TO SLEEP IN JUST ONCE!!!!

2007-09-12T20:48:00.001-05:00

Why is that so hard for two toddlers to understand? WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!

Well, I guess I shouldn't complain too bad since they are now sleeping until 8:00 am instead of the 6:00 am that used to be their wake up call. I had to convince them that the sun would still rise even if they weren't awake to greet it. I am the type of gal who loved to sleep in until the crack of noon. I NEED 10 hours of sleep to feel normal. Why is that so hard for a child to understand? Don't they know that mommy would be much more pleasant to deal with if they slept until at least 10:00 am? Geesh!

Another thing, those children do not know the most wonderfulness of sleeping in on an overcast cool day! These are not my children! I have no idea where they came from but it couldn't have been from this body. This body would only produce children that can sleep with the best of them. So now my fate is sealed. I am doomed to get up early until they are teenagers and want to sleep in. You know what will happen then, don't you? That is when mommy will wake them up nice and early (on a Saturday no less) and tell them, "If I'm up then you have to be up!" I'm so mean! LOL

Can I just have a weekend in a hotel room just to sleep until I can't sleep anymore? I would love to just wake up naturally because I am well rested instead of waking up because someone is talking loudly in their room to make sure I can hear them so they can get up. I am blessed to have them but is one weekend a year too much to ask for a complete sleep in weekend? YAWN!!!!

Little D is going down under!

2007-09-12T13:19:00.000-05:00

With all of the children's shows that Little D watches being based out of Australia, I am positive he will be sounding like an Aussie before long. He already sounds like he's from Jersey half the time b/c he leaves the R's off of things!

LD's favorite show is The Upside Down Show. They only made 13 episodes but the child cannot get enough of these to "brilliant" Aussies! >>>>In case you didn't know, they use the word brilliant as an adjective in place of things like wonderful or great.<<<<>

Then, you have The Wiggles. Anyone who doesn't know who these guys are has to be living under a rock. Greg, Murray, Jeff and Anthony sing, dance and amuse their way into millions of living rooms daily. This is not LD's favorite but he loves the music. Even if I am just playing the CD, he wants to try to sing.

Now, we have the Koala Brothers. These little guys help solve problems in the outback with their plane and band of buddies. I think hubby and I get more of a kick from betting which two friends they will help each episode then the kids do watching them. We usually bet a dollar for each one and it doesn't really matter who wins because the money goes into the kid's piggy banks anyways. It's all in fun.

I listen to LD speak. He gets this slight accent going. I'm beginning to think that he is going to live in Australia when he grows up! He says things with the same flare as these characters. Well, if he wants to live there, he better take all of us with him. I'd love to visit Australia!

This medicine may cause mass hysteria!

2007-09-10T18:06:00.000-05:00

Little D was just put on allergy medicine today. He was having problems during some of his therapies and being exceptionally louder so we had his ears checked out and there was some signs of allergies and sinus issues causing him to be a bit off and his hearing to be clogged up.

So he gets prescribed this medicine, Hydroxyzine. What does a good mommy do? I read all of the warnings first. I just love how they word these things. It's all doom and gloom if you take it but it is supposed to make you better, right?

For starters, LD cannot drive while on this medicine nor can he operate heavy machinery. So I guess my toddler won't be jetting around town in his sports car or operating a back hoe. Darn it! I wanted him to run some errands for me or dig a ditch! What is a non-heavy machinery? Does that mean he can operate a radio? What about a microwave? Can he operate Match Box cars? What about battery operated trains? Hmmm....guess I'll have to look this one up.

Unfortunately, LD will not be able to nurse a child or be pregnant either. Now, I was looking forward to having grandchildren some day but I knew it wouldn't be for at least a couple more decades (or at least it better not be if he knows what's good for him) and I had a pretty good feeling that he would not be carrying nor nursing his children. But then again, in 20 years who knows what medical science will come up with. Maybe they will find a way for the men to do all the pregnancy and labor stuff. Oh boy! The human race will be wiped out when they find out how much physical pain is with that!

My 2 1/2 year old will not be able to drink alcohol or take any other depressant drug. Aww man! I was so hoping to go bar hopping with the kid. They ruin all my fun.

I guess the one part he doesn't have to be concerned about is that the elderly can be more sensitive to this drug. Since he is still in diapers, wait, that may not work since some of the elderly are in diapers, too. Let me re-word that. Since he doesn't have any of his adult teeth, wait, that may not work either since some of the elderly don't have any teeth. Ok, since he has only been on this earth for under 3 years (ok, I think that may work unless there is an elderly alien that just came here within the last couple of years that this would apply to) I doubt he has anything to fear with this warning.

The one nice thing about the medicine is that it can calm anxiety as a side effect. Anyone who knows anything about autism knows that these kids can get a lot of anxiety over even the thought of changing their schedule, going shopping and many other things. This may be a wonderful side effect! Here's hoping that this one works in our favor!

Unfortunately, it says not to share this medicine so I guess mommy can't reap the benefits of the anxiety relief issues! Oh well. Can't win them all!

Shhhhh.....I'm selling hubby's comics!

2007-09-09T16:52:00.000-05:00

So I am doing auctions on hubby's comics. Here they all are is:http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZaimers1212

I am so tired of having something we don't need taking up space that we don't have. He hasn't touched the darn things since I met him almost 8 years ago. I am constantly cleaning out things of mine to make more room. Per my previous blog, we just cleaned out the kids stuff. It's time the big kid in the family cleaned out his stuff.

So do you think he will be mad? At this point, I don't know and I know he'll read this blog so he'll find out before long. He usually reads my blogs at least every few days. It's not that I don't care but come on! It's time to move on!

Well, he thinks I'm bluffing, I guess he'll find out differently. I know ultimately he won't be mad but he will be more bummed like a little kid told to wait until after dinner to have some cookies. I think he kind of wants to get rid of them but doesn't have the gumption to do it himself because he can't deal with going through them.

He always leaves it to me to get rid of something he can't bring himself to get rid of himself but doesn't want it anymore. He did this with some old clothes his grandmother gave him that he wore in the 70's. He said "if they disappear I don't want to know what happened to them" and they soon after disappeared into the great beyond. He asked where they were and I said somewhere besides here and he just smiled and walked away.

It's time for the comics to move on to the great beyond. It's time for someone else to enjoy them. He doesn't touch them and probably will never touch them again. They will just turn nasty and yellow and old. Time for them to go away.

I guess we'll find out before long! Sweetie...if you read this...YOU KNOW I LOVE YOU! LOL Think of all that space we can put other junk! Suck it up sweetie and wave goodbye to all those comics. I know you won't miss them!

>>>>Do you think that was enough kissing up to hubby? LOL<<<<

8 Random Things (MEME)

2007-09-09T12:35:00.000-05:00

Crystal (her blog is Song of My Soul) tagged me for this meme.
RULES - Post rules before giving the facts - Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves - People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their eight things and post these rules - At the end of the your blog you need to tag (hopefully) six people and list their names - Leave them a comment on their blog, telling them they have been tagged and not to forget to read your blog.

1. I just became a member at my church today. My hubby and I both became members and are very happy about finally being official members!

2. My hubby and I met at work. We both worked at a job we couldn't stand as drafters. We started dating and within a few months I quit. We got engaged 6 months after dating and he quit shortly after that. We were married 18 months later and have been together since October of 2001.

3. I am a yarn hoarder! I probably have enough yarn in this house to open a yarn shop. I have a huge outside lock up full of it and four drawers full of it in our bedroom closet. I think hubby is going to tie me up with my yarn and shove me outside with it soon! LOL

4. My couch is filled with children's clothes. A pile of dirty and a box of clean. I got some hand me down clothes in the mail from a friend (THANKS JODEE) and they are still sitting in the box because I've been to busy to do anything with them. I take that back, I am finding things to make me too busy to do anything with them because I'm too lazy to put them away! The dirty clothes are getting ready to be washed.

5. I'm currently eating pizza. It's not delivery, it's Di Giorno! Have you ever had their pizza? It's super yummy. Especially the garlic bread pizza! I'm glad hubby is eating it too or else he'd stay clear of me for the next day with garlic breath!

6. I am planning on home schooling my children. I feel for our family it would be the best plan. I am not against public school or private school. We have decided that our kids (especially Little D with his autism) would benefit from being home schooled.

7. I've had the same best friend for almost 24 years. My friend, Michelle, and I met in 7th grade and hated each other for no apparent reason when we first met. By the middle of the school year, we were best friends. Go figure! Tweens are so fickle! That was back in January of 1984. Wow, that just gave away my age! Oh well! LOL

8. My favorite thing to wear is sweat pants and a t-shirt. With two toddlers running around and a million therapies to go to, I don't have time to look spiffy. (does anyone even use that word anymore?) I guess that is partly what makes me the supermom dropout. I don't even try to look put together. I put on my sweats and t-shirt, put my hair in a braid and don't even bother with make up. If someone doesn't think I look good enough then they don't have to look at me!

I am sending this to my friends:
My hubby at Scripture, Steel Wings & Sippie Cups
Ann whose blog is bananerknits

I couldn't do 6 because I don't know anybody well enough to add them. If anyone else wants to be added, let me know! I'll Meme you as well!

Take a toy...any toy!

2007-09-08T21:41:00.000-05:00

TWO FULL BOXES AND A BAG OF GARBAGE!

That is what has come out of this house so far from cleaning Little D's room out of any broken or unused toys. I cannot believe that many toys were not being used! Oh my gosh does it look so much better in there! We even had room to rearrange things so he could get to his train table again. Yes...He is FINALLY playing with that cash hog! WOOHOO!!!!

So we still have Princess Grabby Hands' room to clean out. I know for a fact there are rattles and stuff in there and the child is over a year old. I don't think rattles are what is on her mind to play with at this point. Who knows, I may find the Holy Grail in there!

I just want the stuff out of here! With LD's birthday and Christmas being back to back, I know that they will get restocked on the toys in a few short months. We didn't get rid of the "favorites" or the ones they play with at least once every couple of weeks. It was all the stuff that I haven't seen either child touch in ages even though they had full access to them!

So now what to do. On top of about 20 boxes of clothes in the garage, I now have the two boxes of toys I just cleaned out plus another two that I cleaned out about 4 months ago. I gave a few toys to the speech therapist to update some of her stuff (she gets bored using the same toys over and over).

Garage sale. I know that is what is on so many of your minds. I really want to but UGH the work! It takes forever to set up and price everything. The clean up is easier because everything gets shoved into boxes and off to the charity thrift store with it. I refuse to try to resell things from the year before and have them take up space in my garage for a whole year. I'm sure I'll have a lot of other things that I am sick of seeing not being used by the next year.

Then to make sure the kids don't come along and take back out what you put in there! That is the hard part. They see toys they haven't played with in ages and all of a sudden it's their favorite toy all over again. GROAN!

So do I or don't I...that is the question. Decisions, decisions. If I am going to do this, I have to do it soon. It's already September for Pete's sake! (Who's Pete anyways and why do we care about his sake?) Someone want to come over and do my garage sale for me? I thought not. Well, I tried!

The ER needs an overhaul!

2007-09-07T21:54:00.000-05:00

I am so frustrated right now. Princess Grabby Hands had a good fall and hit her head. After a short while she wasn't seeming right but I couldn't tell if it was because of the fall or if there could have been other reasons.

After debating back and forth between hubby and myself for about 20 minutes, we decided that I should take her in to the ER just to get checked out. A "better safe then sorry" moment.

I get to the ER and it's got some people in the waiting room but not super crowded or anything. I sign her name on the clip board and just ask the security guard if someone can just talk to me for a minute to make sure she doesn't need to be seen right away due to it being a one year old with a potential head injury which can go from bad to worse relatively quickly. He said he'd tell the nurse.

I wait and wait and wait and wait. 30 minutes go by and I don't even see a nurse anywhere. Yes, I'm still in the waiting room and nobody has looked at PGH (not even a quick flashlight in the eyes check). I finally see a nurse calling up the next person on the list who happens to be about four people ahead of us and it is the first person to be called since I walked in. He says he needs to use the restroom and I take that moment to go up and talk to the triage nurse.

The triage nurse looks at my daughter for two seconds, says she's alert, seems fine and we'll see her when we get to her. Ok....since when do you know all that from looking at a child for two seconds? She was over a foot away from her. I wasn't expecting for us to by pass everyone there but would it have hurt them to look at her for at least a minute or two just to determine if there was a more immediate need because of it being a head issue?

I sat back down and waited about another 20 minutes and nobody else was called so I just left. I figured at this point if my PGH was going to have anything big happen, it would have happened and she was getting mad at me for holding her because she wanted to go explore the waiting room. I figured she was fine at that point.

This is the second time in that ER that I felt completely neglected. I understand ER's are busy but when someone comes in with a child with possible head trauma they should at least pretend to care because that is nothing to fool around with.

I've been there before waiting to see if I broke my ankle and had nobody even offer me an ice pack after an hour and a half. Finally hobble down to the nurses station and there is like 20 people sitting around talking and laughing. AND NOBODY CAN EVEN COME TO MY ROOM WHERE THEY LEFT ME FOR OVER AN HOUR AND SAY THE DOCTOR IS BUSY BUT WOULD YOU LIKE AN ICE PACK????? That is uncalled for!

I told them I wanted to leave right then and wanted my discharge papers. I left a complaint then and so did my hubby when I got home. He called because he was so angry with them. This ER used to be pretty good. I don't know what happened in the last year but it went down hill fast!

Sorry not a funny post today but right now it's hard to do funny when I want to (as hubby puts it) get out my pitch forks and torches and go storm the place.

By the way, PGH seems fine and we did a whole head injury assessment after we got home and she didn't have anything that would indicate a serious injury at that point. She is resting comfortably and we are checking on her every 30 minutes to be sure she is fine.

I think SOMEONE is trying to tell me something

2007-09-06T23:03:00.001-05:00

For the forth time in a matter of 3 weeks, I have heard this passage from the bible:

Train a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6

I have heard this by 2 different books, a website and a sermon in the last few weeks. The way it's always been explained is not that you should JUST train a child within the eyes of God on which way you should go but train them by their "bent"...their own personality so that it will be easier to find their way throughout life without having to try to be someone that they are not.

I think this is God's way of telling me that I really need to pay attention to both of my kid's "bent" and train them to the best way they will be able to comprehend and deal with things. Ok God! I got the message now! Ya don't need to smack me upside the back of the head with it! LOL I know I'm a little dense but sheesh!

Little D is very rambunctious. He is the type of child that goes 120% into EVERYTHING! This is my child that rolled over at 3 months old, crawled by 5 months old, cruised around the furniture by 7 1/2 months old and was walking by his first birthday. He will be the one at 6 years old flying off the roof in a wagon with an umbrella as a parachute and think nothing of it...while mommy stands there in complete shock trying to yell NOOOOOOOOO as the blood drains from her face! LD is the child that will fall, say "I'm ok" and get up and play leaving me to find later that his knuckles are bloody but he didn't care. He is the bull in the china shop, no stopping, spinning top, head strong hurricane that I love for all of those reasons.

Princess Grabby Hands has always been a little more cautious and laid back. This is my child that didn't roll over until 7 1/2 months old, waited to crawl until almost 9 months old, cruised around the furniture at 10 1/2 months old and now at almost 14 months old is just getting the gumption up to walk and is still very shaky at it. I don't think it was because she couldn't do these things earlier, she just didn't find any reason to do them. One thing she has done early though is to get that finger pointing and shaking it at people. She started that at 10 months old. I think we are going to be in trouble with little miss sassy pants when she really gets to talking. She is my mellow, content, take your time and enjoy each thing as I go little summer breeze that I love for all of those reasons.

This scripture keeps coming into my life for a very distinct reason. I have two very much ying and yang children. They balance each other out perfectly just like hubby and I do. He is very subdued, somewhat pessimistic, serious and straight forward that keeps me grounded. I am the outgoing, optimistic, silly person that keeps him ready to try new things and just go for it.

My kids need to be raised with the same beliefs, discipline, knowledge and morals but will have to be taught them in different ways. LD may not think twice about the dangers in his life and while I'll have to rein him back, I have to let him make his own mistakes as well. PGH may be the one who is extra cautious that I have to make sure she spreads her wings a little more often without pushing her too far beyond her comfort zone. What may be common sense for one, may not even occur to the other. While LD is socially introverted and prefers to play on his own, PGH is always waving at people and has no problem "flirting" her way into people's hearts with those long eyelashes and sweet smile. They need to know that their is nothing wrong with either personality and they can learn the same things but in different ways. LD will probably keep PGH on her toes while she keeps him grounded. Wouldn't it be funny if they changed up on me and switched gears? They would do that too just to prove me wrong!

I honestly believe in all that we've been through that PGH isn't our blessing as much as she is LD's blessing. God put her in LD's life to be a loving force to be reckoned with. LD cannot ignore PGH no matter how hard he tries. She is the type that will demand to be loved whether he wants to or not. Sounds kind of familiar...I won't mention any names here. They say that parents often have personality conflicts with their children that are the most like them. Let's just say I see a lot of head butting between PGH and mommy in the future!

>>>>Walking away before too many fingers are pointing at me from similarities between PGH and myself!<<<< ****WHISTLING****

So I get this idea in my head

2007-09-05T22:00:00.000-05:00

Why do I do this to myself? I get these crazy schemes and go for them and then wonder what the heck I was thinking. I swear I could make Laverne and Shirley look like a couple of rocket scientists sometimes!

What haven't I tried? I have made Dove Ice Cream bars at the huge Dove plant. I have sorted "spam" snail mail (you know...the Ed McMahon sweepstakes type things) at a mailing factory. I have worked in most retail jobs known to man. I have professionally done manicures, pedicures, facials and hair as well as some make up for weddings on the side. Yes, licensed hairdresser here.

The list moves on to a computer aided drafter (CAD) , which is how I met my hubby. I think I just got that certificate and worked in that field for 4 years just because I was to meet him. I HATED that career path. I am so not about the office politics. I just wanted to do my job and go home....but NOOOOOOO....I was drawn into every bit of anything that was going on in that office. Why do women have to be that catty?

So then I went on to working in the public school system in the Kindergarten while getting my teaching degree. No...I didn't finish it. Kind of had to put that on hold while having Little D and subsequently Princess Grabby Hands. Now I don't think that is the route I even want to go. At least I got a Child Care Certificate and an Associates in Arts out of it and am legally able to work as a preschool teacher! Yet another piece of paper to add to the pile of what I am legally allowed to do. LOL

While trying to conceive I chose to sell Avon. It was great until I became my own best customer. You kind of have to quit when that happens. I owed more then I made at that point and I don't even wear make up! It was all the other stuff they sell! I bought so many toys (for the kids I WOULD have) and gifts and body washes, etc. to stock up for 10 years!

I have also sold PartyLite Candles, Pampered Chef and am currently able to sell Usborne Books as well as Tupperware but I am not a very good product pusher so I haven't sold anything in months! I don't care and I'm just waiting for either them to tell me to go away! They just don't!

Oh...and I won't tell you how many years I have done craft shows and used to have my own craft store online. Wow...was that all me? I guess I'll do just about anything for money to stay home with the kids. Well, almost anything! Nothing illegal or immoral of course. Still do the craft thing and enjoying that but I think it will be a while until I can move back into the high demand I used to do it. At least it will be until the kids are old enough to help more then destroy as I am doing it! Gotta love that child labor! LOL

Ok...I just realized why I wrote this blog. I totally got off on a tangent here. If you know me in real life, you realize that is the norm for me. I am always in a million directions because I am a massive multi tasker. I can check emails while on the phone, watching TV and crocheting in between reading the emails. OK...just got side tracked again. I can see I better get going on the topic at hand before I totally go in yet another direction.

I told you all of the above information to show you that I am a jump in with both feet type of gal when I get my mind onto something. This time it's writing a book. I love to write (like you couldn't tell from all these blogs) and my dream was always to be a writer. I used to hide that dream and take it out only when I was alone for fear that if I left it out exposed to anyone else that it would get broken.

I am now taking the chance and going for it. I have an outline all ready to go. Now, if I get the ambition to write, I can pick one of the many topics for a chapter that I have listed and just run with it. The question is, how often will that happen with my 2.5 children, 4 cats and 1 dog always demanding my attention? Ok, so the cats don't demand my attention (unless they are out of food) so I don't have to worry about them. The dog on the other hand...she is an attention hound. And the kids? They are kids so you know how that goes. The hubby? We won't go there! LOVE YOU HONEY! :* >>Doing my best to kiss up to him after that remark<<

Well, I should start to write but it's late. Maybe during nap time tomorrow. My mind is just swimming with ideas of what to put on the screen! We'll see where this leads me! When I am a famous writer I will be sure to remember all those that helped me get there! OK....I tried typing that with a straight face! I just am never THAT full of myself! :D I'll be lucky to get the thing completed. Published? That will be another story!

They keep looking at me

2007-09-03T21:21:00.000-05:00

Ok...so this one isn't for the faint of heart. Turn back now before your retinas burn out from what you are about to read.

I was having a rather intellectual conversation with my hubby last night....at least I seemed to think it was. I got up to use the bathroom but turned to finish the topic first. After a few moments I realized he had absolutely no idea what I was saying. Noticing that I stopped talking, he just looked up and said "Put those things away, they keep looking at me." It took me a minute to realize what he was talking about.

Well, yes, it was my chest. I happened to be in a pair of baggy pajama bottoms and a white t-shirt with no bra (it was almost bedtime) and let's just say that I definitely didn't have to stuff with cotton what God had forgotten. Being that I was pretty much pregnant or nursing for the better part of three years, the size DD chest that I had grown accustomed to has now turned into an F. You flat chested gals need not throw tomatoes at me now, they are no fun at all! I will gladly be a donor to many of you!

So, here is the conversation as it happened:

Him: Put those things away, they keep looking at me.

Me: What?

Him: Those, they are distracting me.

Me: Well, nobody told you to look. And, besides, they aren't looking at you, they are looking at the floor.

Him: What? The floor?

Me: Yes, the floor. These girls haven't looked straight ahead in years. Right now, in fact, they are looking at the cat on the floor if you want to get technical about it.

Him: (rolling eyes) But I still like them.

At that, I walked into the bathroom and thought about it. It's quiet in there and I can do a lot of my best thinking in there even if it's just standing around doing nothing. Guys read in there, I think in there. If anyone has a problem with that, then so be it!

Anywho, I got to thinking about "them". I thought about how much "they" changed in the last few years. How much my whole body changed since having so many changes over the last three and a half years. I looked down at my body and thought that maybe my chest wasn't drooping just to droop. Looking down at my belly which was never firm but was never this "floppy" before made me really think about it. Maybe my chest is just commiserating with my belly and showing solidarity by not letting it be the only thing to head south. Maybe my chest felt sorry for my belly. I can live with that, a chest with sympathy.

This body, the one that lost and gained and lost and gained 30 to 50 pounds over the last few years is now a mom. The hips that used to fit easier into pants but now look like I'm wearing "riding" pants most of the time b/c of the saddle bags that now reside there. The middle never was flat but now it has more rolls then a bakery. How so much can change in such a small amount of time.

Now I'm sure the pregnancies alone did this to me. It could not have been any of those little miniature powdered doughnuts that I craved all the time or the 2 pound bags of M&M's that I downed in a week. Yes, my diet was wonderful during those cravings, wasn't it?

Before bed, I checked in on my kids as they slept. Little D was looking like a hit and run victim as usual. That child always has limbs in the most unnatural positions when he sleeps. Princess Grabby Hands, with those hands still for the first time that day, was sleeping in her usual "butt in the air" position with everything else curled under her.

I went in my room and looked down at my body once more. It seemed to look more like a soft place to sleep then a bunch of chubby rolls. It looked more like a big firm hip to hold a child that was tired after playing at the park then a saddle bag that made my pants fit funny. My chest looked like it was still deflated but at least I know they got that way for good reasons. Nothing too pretty about a deflated chest! Sorry, couldn't get any revelations on that one.

It's funny how your views of things in everyday life can change with just a glance of your kids. They change your life in all sorts of ways. Your days are busier. Your schedule becomes more hectic. Your time, body and life is no longer your own. But, you know what? I wouldn't have it any other way. I just have to hear one "I wuv you mom" and it all makes it worth while (even more so for me because of my son's disability). One nuzzle from your one year old little girl and the stress of the day melts away.

This body is now their safety net. It's their soft place to land. It's love. It's now me and what I'm all about and I'm loving every minute of it even on my most stress filled day!

Mommy's on Strike!

2007-09-02T10:27:00.000-05:00

Here is the blog that I wanted to publish last night but couldn't because I couldn't upload my pictures because of the snafu that happened last night that I wrote about so I am now writing it today!

Did that make any kind of sense? Don't worry, I wrote it and have absolutely no idea what it means! To see what I am talking about...please read the Blog from 9/1/07.

Considering we've had at least one person sick for the last 7 days (meaning mommy in one form or the other plus the remaining 3 in the house with colds).....MOMMY IS ON STRIKE! I just don't have it in me to even care if my house is clean.

Those that are clean freaks and germ-o-phobes may want to look away from the following pictures. I will not take responsibility for you if you pass out or get sick at the following sights of my house! The rest of you....read on!

This is my living room after 3 days. Not bad you say? Well....I have spared you the kitchen sink filled to capacity with dishes, the couch filled with dirty kids clothes, my hamper so overflowing that it's now spilling to the floor and the garbage can that has a bag sitting next to it because the can is so full that we cannot fit even a raisin on top without it falling off. We have LD in a tent that now blocks the hallway and PGH pounding away on a toy.....and subsequently my head. Oh my aching head....

As you can see...the kids have decided that 50% of the toys in this house now need to be in the living room. Little D has taken up mechanics and is now trying to figure out how the walker works from the bottom up...er down (since it's upside down). I just thank God that Princess Grabby Hands wasn't in it when he decided it needed to be flipped over. She is engrossed in The Upside Down show on TV. Yes, my toddler watches TV and her eyes haven't burned out of her head yet. Sue me!

Apparently, the walker is now fixed and LD is turning back upright. The dog has taken it upon herself to make sure that the plate on the floor that LD flipped over has nothing left on it. I guess she figured she would help with the dishes. Thanks old girl but I don't need your special doggy spit detergent. PGH is still clueless that her brother is doing anything behind her. She is so used to the extra loud noises he makes that she is oblivious to him until she wants to play with him.

If you noticed, the first picture has PGH standing. Yes, she CAN walk but no she WON'T walk. PGH can get places faster on her hands and knees, thank you very much. LD is all over the living room while PGH is pretty calm and in one place. She is my mellow child (aside from the grabby hands) while LD is the fart in a bottle that needs to bounce through the house like a super ball!

Well, mommy is feeling a little better. The kids are rambunctious again so I guess they are on the mend and daddy dealt with the garbage as well as getting my camera card reader thingy (yes, yet another technical term) this morning so we must be feeling better. I guess we have no choice but to make this house look acceptable now.

I know if someone came by unexpectedly I would have to tell them we were robbed or a tornado hit JUST our house or something to explain the disaster. I am so glad we have no company expected this Labor Day weekend!

I hope this goes to show you just how UN SUPERMOM I AM! Those of you in my shoes...I hope I made you feel better about not getting your housework done and you know that not everyone is as efficient as they try to make themselves out to be. Not all of us can be neatnicks, ya know! We have to be different to put a little spice into life! My motto? Clean enough to be healthy but dirty enough to be happy!

Now back to your regularly scheduled cleaning!

>>>>WHERE IS MY MAID??? Oh yeah....I'm it. I thought M is for MOM and not MAID...but that is another blog maybe in the future!<<<<

This stinking computer!

2007-09-01T22:05:00.001-05:00

So now that I've succeeded in making my hubby feel 3" tall....I can finally breath for a moment. I HATE COMPUTERS SOMETIMES!

Yes, I've apologized to my hubby. I was so frustrated that I couldn't see straight. Between being sick, the house being a wreck and having a really silly blog to write that revolved around a picture that I couldn't upload because my camera could not be detected by my computer....I am done with this day!

My camera uploaded pictures to my computer about 16 days ago (last time I uploaded...yes I know, I don't take enough pictures...join the club of those that are desperately trying to get me to scrapbook but will never succeed). Since 16 days ago, my hubby installed a wireless keyboard and mouse because our old ones went kaput and these were on sale as a set.

Earlier today the computer was running slow. I asked him to check it out and he decided to uninstall some things that we didn't use. For some unknown reason, every time this happens, something of mine gets uninstalled. I don't know how it happens, it just does. Go with me on this. Well, I don't know if it was the installation of the keyboard/mouse combo or the uninstallation of certain programs but my camera will no longer "talk" to my computer through it's USB cord. >>>>BEATING HEAD ON KEYBOARD NOW<<<<>

So...after about an hour of searching high and low for the installation disc that came with the camera (which I think might have accidentally gotten thrown out) and me huffing and puffing with frustration through the whole thing we decide to call the camera company, which will remain nameless, (COUGHCANONCOUGH) to see if they have an online installation because we couldn't find it for my model on their website. They informed us that we can get a new disc....FOR $20 FROM THEM! WHAT??????? I already paid way too much for the stinking camera as it is and had the disc. NOW THEY WANT ME TO PAY FOR ANOTHER DISC? a disc that probably costs them pennies to produce!! What a scam.

Anyways....I apologized to hubby for getting mad at him. He found that we could get a USB thingy (technical term there) that I can put the disc thingy (another technical term) from the camera in and plug it directly into the computer for much cheaper then the stupid disc from the company. He asked if I wanted him to get one now (it's 10 pm) and I said it's up to him but at this point I no longer was in the mood to blog about the picture I was trying to upload (maybe tomorrow night). He went anyways....he's such a good hubby! Hubby points awarded there without trying!

So, now I sit with a camera full of pictures, no way to retrieve them until we see if this USB thingy (yes, yet another technical term) works. FUN!

Well, now that I've vented to you, I feel much better! I can totally try to save face with hubby when he comes back and get back in his good graces (not that he was all that mad at me) and get some more liquid green death in a bottle (see last night's blog) into me and go to bed.

Isn't fun reading about how other people screw up their computers so you can realize that you aren't the only fool on the planet that does these things? We won't even go into why I am now confined to the desktop and no longer have a laptop! That is another story and it probably involved gremlins or something (maybe other little creatures in the house with little sticky hands and cute faces). I may blog about that some day but the feelings are still so raw about that topic that I just can't bare to talk about it! We have yet to have the memorial for that poor, abused laptop. SIGH..................

Adding....hubby just came back and the selection was scarce at Walgreen's (priced too high for what I want to spend...yes I'm cheap) so he said he will run out tomorrow to get one from somewhere else. Even more hubby points for that one.

Green liquid death in a bottle is my friend

2007-08-31T19:12:00.000-05:00

You know the stuff...the liquid that basically says if you aren't near your bed prior to taking it that you better hope wherever you are at is pretty comfortable. The stuff that tells you not to operate machinery or a vehicle and don't even attempt to walk a straight line while taking it. The stuff that warns you not to even try to pick your nose without someone keeping your hand steady so you don't poke an eye out. Your friend and mine....NyQuil!

Yes friends.....BY DOSE IS STUBBED UB! In fact....every human in my house has a head cold. WAHHHHHHHH!!!!!

Little D sounds like a frog and is loving it. He keeps making noises just to hear his own voice. He is having way to much fun with this. Princess Grabby Hands just doesn't have it in her to grab anything. You know she has to be super sick when that happens. I am ready to strap a permanent bucket under each nose to catch the drips. Papa bear is sneezing so hard that he blows the garbage cans across the street. He shouldn't be Papa bear...he should be The Big Bad Wolf who will blow this house down.

And me you ask? I have a nose that weighs approximately the same as a Tyrannosaurus Rex! Where the heck does all this snot come from? I blow my nose and 2 seconds later it is at capacity again! I should take stock in Kleenex if I continue at this rate. >>>Mental Note...see what stock in Kleenex is going for...<<<

Of course LD is just as rambunctious as ever. That child will never wear down. If I could have 1/16th of the energy that boy has I could make millions selling it! It's like living with Ricochet Rabbit! If you know who that is...you are old like me! LOL

PGH is looking pitiful. She even took TWO...count them...TWO NAPS today. One in bed and one on Pops. I've never seen a more pitiful looking child. Either she is really sick or she knows how to play it to the hilt!

Papa is fairing better then the rest of us. He just has a bit of a stuffy nose and some sneezing. How does he rate? Why does he get the minimal amount of icky feeling? Where is my "little" cold? Why don't I have just a "little" cold? NOOOOOOOOOOOO I have to have a sore throat, sneezing, congestion, eyes that feel like someone threw cat litter in them and am ready to pass out if I sit still for more then 10 seconds. NO FAIR!

If this makes any sense at all it will be a miracle since I took my green death friend about 10 minutes ago.

Well, I must find a mattress. If I don't, I will end up falling asleep while writing thizzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Bless you mommy! Bless me too!

2007-08-30T22:53:00.000-05:00

Just call us the house of sickies! Little D had a raspy voice, runny nose and sneezing yesterday. I've been sniffling all over today. Princess Grabby Hands is teething which is never a happy occasion EVER! Add to that....I think I had a touch of food poisoning, but I won't go into the gory details! Aren't you just so happy about that?

LD was sneezing everywhere yesterday so I kept telling him BLESS YOU SWEETIE! After a while he would say BLESS ME before I even had a chance. I would follow it up with YES, BLESS YOU!

Today it's mommy with the nose 'o' sneezes! I feel like someone strapped a whole container of pepper to my nose. Every time I sneezed, LD would say very loudly BLESS YOU MOMMY! BLESS ME TOO!

Ya gotta laugh at that! I guess he was covering his bases just in case! The kid is REALLY blessed!

The really big kid in my house (the one I call hubby) always tells me to take an ANTI HISSY TAB! I get the generic antihistitabs from Wallyworld (b/c the name brand is just too darn expensive). I get really bad sinus headaches sometimes which makes me crabby. (don't know why...aren't I supposed to be all sunshine and lollypops?) Hubby tells me if I take the anti HISSY tabs that I won't HISS at him so much! Yes....I literally do hiss at him when given the chance and I'm in a crabby mood! I feel it's better then yelling or telling him off! LOL

Hopefully we are all sniffle and sneeze free tomorrow. Probably will be just fine only for the simple fact that the kids have a check up tomorrow so they have to prove me a liar that they were ever sick! It never fails! The kids have some really nasty cold or rash or whatever and the second we get into the doctor, they look like a picture of perfect health! You know they have to do it just to spite me! LOL

PGH has had a horrible rash from teething all week and guess what is almost gone tonight? You guessed it! Of course it won't show up when she is on the way to the doctors! That would make sense! I just know that somehow they are doing this on purpose! I don't know how but they have to be! They are kids, they are capable of ANYTHING!

Don't put anything past a toddler!!!! Not even curing their own illness to make you look like a loony mom!

Lifehouse 'Everything' (A serious note)

2007-08-28T19:26:00.000-05:00

This video sums up my life. A friend of mine gave me this link to this video. I would never have thought it would be a video about me in so many ways. I just sob every time I watch it (which has been about 4 times today at least so far).

I have been down that road of many temptations after being raised a good Christian girl as a child. I could have said no but the temptations were very appealing and I made wrong choices. I went down the road of my own accord...it didn't just "happen" to me. I wasn't a victim that just stood there and let people make me do things. I was a mess who made my own bed and had to lie in it. I have just come out of a year long depression where I hit rock bottom and couldn't even enjoy my marriage or children anymore. I was just numb and went through life as if I were already dead. I had put most of my horrid past behind me many years ago but the feelings that put me down that road left scars all over my heart.

I am now filled with the spirit. I had to fight to get back but once I wanted it in my heart, God made it easier for me to get there. I now am filled with His glory and am living a beautiful life no matter what stresses surround me. I have complete faith once again and that is what this video represents to me. It seems very straight forward with theology to me. God does not just give you the life you want because you want it. You have to come to Him and fill yourself up with His love to get back the life you truly should have! Once He sees that you have been completely truthful with Him and are fighting the temptations that you once succumbed to, He comes to you and helps you resist those temptations and saves you from the wreckage that was your former life.

I can see my life clearly in this video. I was amazed by God as a child. I was tempted to do wrong things including lie, cheat, steal, drugs...the list of things that I could not admit to anyone (not even myself) goes on and on. I pretended it wasn't me who lived that life. I shoved the shame and memories of it to the back of my mind not wanting anyone to see who I really had been. I was only fooling myself because my God knew all that I had done. I was depressed and miserable. I didn't see any way through the blackness. I never considered suicide but my heart was already dying. Once I admitted to Him my sins and asked for Him to take me back, I realized the choices I was making made my own life miserable and there was only one answer. I fought to return to Him I fought hard and pleaded with our Creator to take control of my life back because I didn't deserve to have any control over it anymore. I was just fooling myself to think I ever had control of it to begin with. Only my Creator should be in control and I begged for Him to release me from my own self destruction. I cried hard on that day two short months ago in my van as I drove along to nowhere not wanting to go home right then. I knew that I needed to give my life to Him. Only my Lord Jesus could take my pain away and only my Lord Jesus could redeem my soul.

Once I finally had gotten it in my heart that He is the only one who could save me from myself then our Lord met me the rest of the way as he did for the girl in this video. She fought her way back to him and just when she could be beaten no more but was tired from the fight, He came to save her and bring her back to His protective embrace of nothing but love. That was me. I fought hard and once God saw that I wanted Him but had no fight left in me, He drew me up in His arms and said "I'll take it from here, you just follow." I was trying hard but still stumbling along.

I was in church a few weeks later listening to a sermon about Biblical Outlaws (Those that did not follow the crowd and did what they felt was right instead). The sermon by Pastor Bob that day included an example between the show "Flip This House" and what Pastor Bob was challenging us to do.... "Flip This Life." By the end of the sermon I knew the Pastor was talking directly to me. The final song was being sung and I just sat there. Before I could get to the refrain, my voice could no longer sing and I was in tears in my husbands arms crying so hard that I could feel everything for the first time in a long time. I knew right then that Jesus collected me up in His arms and said "Trust in Me and I will lead you to where you need to go." My life has not been the same ever since that day. I can walk high with Jesus by my side and see all the glory around me. My husband and I have not fought in a month. We are having struggles with other parts of life but God is showing us His plan and we are accepting it without doubt. We are not stressed even though my husband is unemployed. We are not stressed even though our son has a disability. We are not stressed while dealing with two rambunctious toddlers in our house. We are rejoicing that we are together and that God is in our home. We are rejoicing that our son is progressing wonderfully and we love him just the way he is. We are rejoicing that God blessed us with two beautiful children after we struggled through infertility and losses. God is truly good ALL THE TIME!

This video is beautiful and such a witness to knowing that anyone can get redemption if they seek it from our gracious Lord! I have and I now feel blessed each day I am here on this earth. I am trying to walk in our wonderful God's footsteps as closely as I can. I know I will stumble and fall because I am human but I know that He will pick me back up and help me walk with him again.Please watch this video and let it touch you as it has me. It reinforced my strength and love for God. It made me realize the fight to stay in his path is never ending but I will not let myself get to the point of being so far from Him that I can no longer see his face. If His face begins to fade, I will know that I am doing something wrong and race back to his path! God bless you and keep you for all eternity!

http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=ee73e63418003b47d7d5

My New Step Stool

2007-08-27T22:20:00.000-05:00

Princess Grabby Hands has been a climber more then usual lately. She loves to get on the couch to look out the front window. PGH is still too little to get up there on her own so she finds ways to climb.

Today she decided that Little D would make a great step stool! As LD was spread out on his side playing with cars, PGH crawled right over him toward the couch. It took LD a whole minute of her climbing on him before reacting.

I hear "HEYYYYYYYY OWWWWWW NOOOOOOOO OFF ME!" We look over to find PGH's feet digging in LD's ribs while trying to scoot her way over the edge of the couch. She finally got her chubby knees over the cushion and squealed with delight at her achievement and then proceeded to destroy mommy's vertical blinds! Wasn't that nice of her?

The funny part is, LD never once pushed her down or moved from his position. Either he is a stubborn mule or he will let women walk all over him his whole life! Either way, it can't be good! I guess he had his day in the sun with using the dog for a step stool so he was just taking his turn as one!

WELCOME TO HOLLAND

2007-08-25T13:00:00.000-05:00

These are two of my favorite writings. As a mother with an autistic child, this really hits home!

Welcome to Holland!
by Emily Pearl Kingsley

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel.

It's like this . . . When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guidebooks and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum, the Michalangelo David, the gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting. After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes and says, "Welcome to Holland." "Holland?" you say. "What do you mean Holland? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy." But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place. So you go out and buy new guidebooks. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met. It's just a different place. It's slower paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around, and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills, Holland has tulips, Holland even has Rembrandts. But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy, and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say, "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned." The pain of that will never go away, because the loss of that dream is a very significant loss. But if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you will never be free to enjoy the very special, very lovely things about Holland.

Celebrating Holland- I'm Home
By Cathy Anthony (my follow-up to the original \Welcome to Holland\ by Emily Perl Kingsley)

I have been in Holland for over a decade now. It has become home. I have had time to catch my breath, to settle and adjust, to accept something different than I'd planned.I reflect back on those years of past when I had first landed in Holland. I remember clearly my shock, my fear, my anger, the pain and uncertainty. In those first few years, I tried to get back to Italy as planned, but Holland was where I was to stay. Today, I can say how far I have come on this unexpected journey. I have learned so much more. But, this too has been a journey of time.

I worked hard. I bought new guidebooks. I learned a new language and I slowly found my way around this new land. I have met others whose plans had changed like mine, and who could share my experience. We supported one another and some have become very special friends.

Some of these fellow travelers had been in Holland longer than I and were seasoned guides, assisting me along the way. Many have encouraged me. Many have taught me to open my eyes to the wonder and gifts to behold in this new land. I have discovered a community of caring. Holland wasn't so bad.

I think that Holland is used to wayward travelers like me and grew to become a land of hospitality, reaching out to welcome, to assist and to support newcomers like me in this new land. Over the years, I've wondered what life would have been like if I'd landed in Italy as planned. Would life have been easier? Would it have been as rewarding? Would I have learned some of the important lessons I hold today?

Sure, this journey has been more challenging and at times I would (and still do) stomp my feet and cry out in frustration and protest. And, yes, Holland is slower paced than Italy and less flashy than Italy, but this too has been an unexpected gift. I have learned to slow down in ways too and look closer at things, with a new appreciation for the remarkable beauty of Holland with its tulips, windmills and Rembrandts.

I have come to love Holland and call it Home.

I have become a world traveler and discovered that it doesn't matter where you land. What's more important is what you make of your journey and how you see and enjoy the very special, the very lovely, things that Holland, or any land, has to offer.

Yes, over a decade ago I landed in a place I hadn't planned. Yet I am thankful, for this destination has been richer than I could have imagined!

BECAUSE I SAID SO: The Answer Is...

2007-08-23T21:15:00.000-05:00

BECAUSE I SAID SO: The Answer Is...

MOMMY MOMMY BELCH

2007-08-22T11:41:00.000-05:00

My husband, like any good daddy to a little boy, enjoys teaching Little D that belching is an extremely hilarious activity. Many times I catch him telling LD to come over to him because he has a secret. The secret is always a huge belch in his ear followed by roaring laughter. All I can say is thank GOD I have a little girl to EWWWWWWWWW at both of them with me!

Flash back to last summer. My sweet 19 month old LD is in the shopping cart at the grocery store. I am waddling behind the cart, approximately 400 months pregnant. Ok…a tad exaggeration….only 300 months pregnant. I happened to actually be 8 months pregnant and not realizing that I would be having our sweet Princess Grabby Hands before the end of the week. Not that this fact has to do with anything about to happen but I just needed as much sympathy that only a woman carrying her pregnancy between her knees can gather.

Back to the story. So here is sweet LD in the shopping cart. Mommy pushing and daddy following up close behind seeing what goodies he can swoop into the cart without me looking. Conversation is as follows:

LD: MOMMY MOMMY! (one of only about 12 words the child can speak at this point)

ME: Hold on sweetie.

LD: MOMMY MOMMY!

ME: In a minute.

LD: MOMMY MOMMY!

ME: What D? (wondering what could be so important that he needs to keep shouting this at me)

LD: BBBEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLCCCCCCCCCCCHHHHHHHHHHH (yes, he did a man sized belch that he needed me to pay attention to)

I look back to glare at the OTHER SON I have behind me (you know…that overgrown one that I'm married to that will never grow up even when he’s 80). I find him holding onto a store shelf laughing with tears in his eyes. Behind him are two teenage girls giggling and in front of me is a man and his son laughing.

Oh the joy of being a mommy to a little boy!

Out of the mouths of babes

2007-08-22T10:02:00.000-05:00

“It’s scumsus (scrumptious) mommy! DEWISUS! (delicious)” Only my Little D! I guess that grilled cheese sandwich was that darn good! That 2 ½ year old has a way with words!

I don’t know where he gets it but he is one of a kind. One of what kind I am not sure yet. When God made this child, He sure broke the mold. I’m glad! I want to be selfish and keep this goofy kid all to myself!

LD asks me for a drink. I get a sport water bottle for him. Dialogue goes as follows:

LD: HOW BOUT CHOCWIT (chocolate) MILK MOMMY?

ME: No, you will have water, you've already had chocolate milk.

LD: I HAVE AN IDEA! (while putting his pointer finger up in the air)

ME: And what is your idea?

LD: HOW BOUT CHOCWIT MILK?

ME: No, how about water or nothing?

LD: THINKING (putting finger on his chin)

ME: Well??? Putting water back in 5 seconds if you don't take it.

LD: I HAVE AN IDEA! (again putting his pointer finger up in the air)

ME: And what is your idea?

LD: HOW BOUT WATEW? (water)

ME: Fine...water it is.

Now why couldn't he have just taken that in the first place. Always the long way around with this one!

He is full of a million of them! Here are some exerpts that come to mind that he has said recently:

I'm sitting in the living room crocheting. Little D comes running out of his room and stands in front of me. He smiles the biggest, toothy grin I have ever seen on him. Then he shouts "OH NO! I NEED BRACES MOMMY!!!" and runs off. WHAT????? Where did he learn that dirty, expensive word?

LD is looking for his sandals. He has no clue where he put them. Thanks to his shoe fetish (loves to line shoes up around the house) he has moved them somewhere and has forgotten where. As he looks I hear "SANDALS WHERE ARE YOU I'M YOUR D!" Let's just say mommy hasn't laughed so hard in ages.

Almost every time LD cries he has to declare "I'M CRYING!" Like we can't tell?

LD's first full paragraph spoken: "NO NO! NO TOUCH DITTER! (sister) MINE!! YOU GO MOMMY NOW!!"

Spoken to his occupational therapist upon trying to get between her and the wall (and no, she is not a heavy person....she's rather thin actually): "YOU A BIG PEWSON (person) MISS RONNIE!"

The ever famous "ME NOT CHICKENS" is always popular. LD says this often and we have no idea what he means by that.

LD also went through a whole day saying DUCK SPIT over and over. Your guess is as good as mine. I wasn't even aware that ducks could spit!

He is mine all mine! I'll share him here but you can't have him! What a character!

Princess Grabby Hands needs more fiber!

2007-08-22T01:30:00.000-05:00

I know…you wonder where are the posts about Princess Grabby Hands….The 1 year old wonder! She is more subdued. Laid back little gal.

PGH doesn’t want to walk because she can get where she is going much faster on her hands and knees. She can, mind you, but just won’t. I have no clue where she gets her stubbornness from! (Ducking away from point fingers now)

Princess Grabby Hands is called such because she can grab everything in a 10 mile radius with those little paws before you can even blink! The child can pick a tiny speck the size of a pin head off of the carpet and get it into her mouth just seconds after I vacuum!

PGH will eat anything and everything. Let’s just say that there are some days I am just happy she got into one thing and not the other. Case in point:

One day I hear silence. No….not nap time. Trouble is brewing most likely. Just as I am about to get up to look for Thing one and Thing two, Little D comes flying into the living room brushing his hair with a toilet brush. THANK GOD IT WAS ONLY A WEEK OLD AND ONLY USED ONCE! EWWWWWWWWW!!!!!

All at once I panic! I now realize the kids got into the bathroom. I run in there to see PGH on the floor surrounded by toilet paper still attached to the roll on the wall but strewn throughout the bathroom. A wad of TP was in her mouth. Just as I was about to freak out, I realized that she was only about a foot away from the cat box. It was at that moment I realized that a little extra TP fiber in the diet is not bad compared with what she could be eating! The thought of cat box tootsie rolls in her mouth just makes me want to heave! I am so glad LD got her preoccupied with TP so she didn’t even notice the cat box!

I guess this is a “don’t sweat the small stuff” moment. I know with those two there will be many chances to be partners in crime! When you have two kids only a year and a half apart, anything can happen! Brace yourself Mommy….you’re in for a long ride! LOL

HEY GUYS! WHAT'S GOING ON?

2007-08-22T01:01:00.000-05:00

Setting the scene last night:
8:30 pm. Little D and Princess Grabby Hands have been in bed for an hour and a half now. While PGH is snoozing, I hear LD counting loudly in his bedroom. My guess is as good as yours. Maybe he’s counting sheep….who knows!

I’m sitting at the computer and daddy is washing dishes. Yes…some men actually do wash dishes and aren’t I one of the lucky one’s to have found one? Ok…so it was a deal that he had to do the dishes after he broke my new dishwasher so it’s not because he likes to do them. I always jokingly remind him that NO MAN WAS EVER SHOT WHILE DOING THE DISHES to which he just rolls his eyes at me….but I digress….

Ok…sitting at computer, hubby doing dishes. All of a sudden we hear “HEY GUYS! WHAT GOING ON?” We both turn to see a little 3’3” frame standing in footed dinosaur jammies with arms stretched out towards both of us. We both look at him and at each other for a full minute before we fully realize that this little person isn’t supposed to be out here. A grin on Little D’s face that could out shine a Cheshire cat challenges us to hold back our smiles so we don’t encourage him.

ME: What are you doing out here?

LD: I wuv you mommy.

ME: I love you too but you are supposed to be in bed.

LD: What going on?

ME: You going back to bed is what’s going on!

LD: (crawling on my lap and proceeding to kiss me 4 times on the lips) Wuv you mommy.

DAD: No kissing up to mommy. Off to bed with you.

LD: Wuv you daddy.

DAD: Love you too but you still have to go back to bed.

LD: Mommy!

ME: BED KIDDO!!!

LD: NIGHT NIGHT GUYS!

ME and DAD: Love you! Night night!

LD: (as we are shutting the door) ONE TWO FEE POUR PIVE SITS SEMIN EIGHT NINE TEN LEBIN TELB TERTEEN PERTEEN PITEEN SITSTEEN SEMINTEEN EIGHTEEN NINETEEN MANY…..

Finally off to sleep after about a hundred rounds of counting to twenty!

Ahhhhhh my day is done and it will begin again with Little D and Princess Grabby Hands in the morning!

ME NOT CHICKENS!

2007-08-22T00:48:00.000-05:00

Never have I heard such dirty words as THOMAS and TRAIN. Oh sure…they sound innocent when they are separated like that. Put them together and you get an addiction so expensive that you need a 12 step program to relieve your child of its grasp.

These words are always trumped by adding another dirty word….TABLE! Again, a very innocent word by itself. You would never think of this word to be of such horror. That is, until you put the word TRAIN in front of it.

So Little D (2 ½ years old) mentions these three words in the same sentence. All he talks about is at least the last two words. He eats, breaths and sleeps the words TRAIN TABLE! Everywhere we go that has one of these instruments of endless amusement, he must touch it….be mesmerized by it.

What does mom and dad do? Just like any good mom and dad of the “my kid needs everything” generation, we go to We Be Toys (name changed to protect the not so innocent) and buy said TRAIN TABLE on Friday afternoon.

After handing over our wallet and telling them to take every dime I have, I arrive home with this monstrosity. LD goes to sleep and we decide to put it together that night so he can wake up to its glorious wonder the next day. After 2+ hours of putting together, making a little town, an oil derrick, bridge, airport, shipping yard, mountain underpass (did I not say my account was empty after this) and anything else you can imagine, my child now has this wonderful thing called a TRAIN TABLE!

Fast forward to Saturday morning. LD is awake. Dad goes to get him while I wait in the front room with video cam in hand. Can’t even think to miss this as a video moment! LD comes out into the living room with eyes all aglow (sounding like a Christmas moment here) and screams with delight “OH MY GOODESS…..TWAIN TABLE…..A TWAIN TABLE.” Truly the Kodak moment we were hoping for.

LD spends every waking moment the whole next two days playing with this beautiful toy. In between eating and fending off baby sister Princess Grabby Hands (1 year old), he seems to be in his glory. I am in heaven just having a two days of quiet and being able to hear myself think for the first time in 2 ½ years! Ahhhhh….this is better then a Calgone moment!

Fast forward again to two weeks later. The ever wanted TRAIN TABLE now sits in his room. Trains are everywhere except on the table. I think there is one in his pajama drawer. Don’t ask. This expensive paper weight has all the delight and enjoyment of a neutered cat 1 hour after surgery. LD is running around like crazy again and I tell him to play trains. The following is our conversation:

ME: Play with your trains sweetie. Look…CHOO CHOO (futile attempt to be entertaining).

LD: ME NO PLAY TWAINS MOMMY

ME: You need to put trains back on table so you don’t lose them (mommy lost mind as well as some prepositions in that sentence).

LD: ME NOT CHICKENS MOMMY (said in a tone only Forrest Gump could imitate).

ME: Fine, your not chickens! (no clue what he meant by it or what I mean by this response).

Scene ends with me walking out of the room with my brain oozing out of my ear from a conversation that made absolutely no sense. Princess Grabby Hands is crawling right behind me with a “CAUTION” sign from the train set in her mouth. Must be an omen.

Welcome to my stay at home mom world!

2007-08-22T00:47:00.000-05:00

One dog, five cats, two toddlers and a husband. What more could a woman of the 21st century ask for? Well….maybe 5 minutes alone in the bathroom.
Every bathroom trip involves an entourage of at least three faces looking at me from the doorway. I must be extremely entertaining to the 2 year old, the baby and the dog (throw a cat or two in there for good measure) because I sure capture their attention the entire time I’m in there. If I had known I’d be the main attraction, I would have at least dressed for the occasion.

I suppose having the kids staring at me while I do my business is better then the alternative. A 2 year old roaming the house when mom is unavailable makes the Indy 500 look a bunch of tricycles tooling around the track. Water would be overflowing, baskets of clothes overturned, front doors trying to be opened and dog food becoming the snack food of choice.
Looking at it that way, an audience is preferable. Now if only I could get them to do some cleaning in there while they are waiting on me…..sigh….while I’m dreaming