A bird just flew into my open storm door. What am I thinking? Poor birdy? No... I'm thinking about what I would have done if that door had not been there and the stupid bird flew into my house! Thank goodness I keep the door *ahem* a little dirty so this won't happen all the time. This bird was maybe just a bit slower than the typical bird...
I'm participating in The Natural Mommy's Tuesday-as-Monday Meet & Greet! Meet my kids:
This is actually the best picture I've ever gotten of the 3 of them together. Family photos usually look something like this:
Give or take a butt or two.
Today I went with Abby on her second ever field trip to the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery. We saw turtles and snakes, did science experiments, played grocery store, touched real starfish, and looked at some decapitated birds. It was fun, but now I'm exhausted.
I picked Avery & Ethan up from Grandma's house afterwards, and Avery said "Let's go to the zoo, and then to the museum!" Can sleeping mothers accompany their children to the zoo and the museum? What about passed-out-from-exhaustion mothers?
Here it is - a picture of what, exactly, I'm giving away. Remember, post every day of the Mommyfest and get an entry each day. Link me from your blog & get three additional entries.
Since we're right in the middle of MommyFest, I thought I'd offer everyone reading this a gift! The gift is actually a tip - but it's a good one! It's how to save a bundle on diapers or Pullups this week, if you have a Kroger nearby.
Huggies diapers are on sale at Kroger this week (through May 18) for $9.49 for a jumbo pack, plus you get another $4 off for every $20 in Huggies you buy. You can do this deal 2 times each visit, so here's my scenario for the best deal I've found:
1. Go to Shortcuts and sign up for coupons. They place these coupons right on your Kroger Plus Card. Go to the baby coupon section and add the $2 off Pullups coupon, the $1 off Huggies Supreme, and the $1 off Huggies to your card.
2. Go to Pullups.com and print out the $2 off Pullups coupon. After it prints, press the "backspace" key on your keyboard and print it again. Repeat until it says you've printed the maximum amount of coupons (or up to 4). If you have Pullups coupons already, you can skip this step. Pullups coupons can be used on any Huggies diapers.
3. Go to Huggies.com and print out the rebate form to get $5 back when you buy 3 packs at a time.
4. Go to Kroger and buy 3 jumbo packs of Huggies for $9.49 each. Buy one mega pack for $14.99. Total for 4 packs = $43.46.
5. Checkout. Use the coupons you printed/ already had.
6. Look at your receipt. You should have saved $20 total! That's $8 in paper coupons, $4 in Shortcuts coupons, and $8 from the Kroger Huggies sale.
7. Go home & fill out that rebate form. You'll get another $5 back in a few weeks!
8. Repeat as many times as you'd like, or until you run out of coupons. The Huggies rebate doesn't specify one per household or any other limit on the paper copy I picked up at Kroger.
Total savings = $25. You'll spend $18.46 for about 182 diapers! Is anyone else as excited about this as I am??
This is probably my all-time favorite cake recipe, courtesy of The Pampered Chef.
Rocks in My Dryer has a good themed "What Works for Me Wednesday" today - What Doesn't Work for Me. So, here's my contribution:
********************************************************
Some people have to homeschool their children. I have to not homeschool my children.
Don't get me wrong - homeschooling is a great thing to do. I was homeschooled myself for 8 years, and I am very smart. :o) But it's not the only option, and it doesn't make people bad parents if they send their kids to school.
The reasons we don't homeschool are many, so here are a few of them:
1. Daniel doesn't want to. He is not the type that is disciplined enough to learn on his own, so he assumes that no one else is, either.
2. I'm still in college and very near graduating. When would I teach my kids - in between class periods?
3. I feel called to a ministry or counseling career. If God gave me this desire, I feel that He wants me to pursue it. Homeschooling my kids would definitely limit the time I could devote to ministry. In fact, sending my kids to school frees up a few hours for me to work on this. I'm not the type that concentrates well with lots of people around me - probably because I was hometaught...
4. I have 3 kids and I feel that homeschooling them would not be fair. I think homeschooling is very, very hard, and nearly impossible if you have more than two kids. I as one person just cannot devote enough time to each kid, that I would feel I am sufficiently teaching all 3. Of course, I believe that there are lots of parents that can do this, no problem. You all have my respect.
5. We live in the best school district in our town. Not that this makes the school district good or anything...
6. Private school is always an option, so I won't have to worry as much about what my kids are learning at their school.
7. Our kids absolutely love going to school (regular or Sunday School). I couldn't take that from them.
8. Homeschool is not a word, according to spellcheck. Hmm... neither is spellcheck. :o)
So, even though lots of people are supposed to homeschool, I fell that we are not. At least not right now. I'm glad some parents do homeschool, and I'm glad that we have the option. But for now, I'll send Abby off to school with tears in my eyes as I think about how big she is.
**Feel free to agree or disagree with me in the comments section. I love to know what you think as you read my blog.
Ethan needed a haircut. I couldn't stand the idea of my baby losing all his baby hair, so I cut it myself. We took Avery to Cookie Cutters Salon for his first haircut, asked for them to keep his hair long and bowl-ish, and they chopped it all off. It grew back, of course, but it was no longer baby hair after that - it was coarser and thicker. So with Ethan, I couldn't take that risk.
Man I cut it short, didn't I?? *wink wink*
Yup. Still looks like a baby. Mission Accomplished!
Everyday - everyday - I have to participate in a battle. I fight with Abby about her cleaning her own room. I send her in there to simply make her bed and pick up the Polly Pockets. 20 minutes later, I go to check on her progress, and see baby dolls and dress-up clothes all over the room. I get angry at her, tell her to clean the mess right now, and suggest she doesn't get out any more toys until she's cleaned up what she's done playing with. 20 more minutes pass, and I check on her once again. This time there are little bits of paper all over the room, and water drops everywhere. The bed is not made, the Pollys are still out, the dolls are out, the clothes are out. What else can I do but enter into yet another war with Abby, during which I vow to throw away all her toys, sent Abby to a farm for messy kids, and leave her home for the day while the boys and I have tons of fun without her.
The thing is, I can't do any of those things. There is no farm for messy kids. I can't leave my 4 year old home alone all day (nor would I). And I also can't throw away all her toys. I'm too frugal. I couldn't just throw them away and simultaneously throw away all the money we spent on them. It would take too long for me to get rid of them, because I would have to list them all on Ebay. So, what threats can I really make that I'll follow through on?
So, right now she's being "punished" and she's supposed to be in her room cleaning. The problem is, she's actually in the living room playing trucks with Avery and fighting over a coloring book. I guess she's lost interest in all her own toys now that they're all out and in the middle of her floor.
We literally spend the entire morning fighting this battle, everyday. Why can't I just fight an easy (or easier) battle like The Battle of Gettysburg? At least that one eventually ended.
Scary thing #1:
Let them play on train tracks.
I've always been afraid of trains, but I don't know why. I used to shudder every time I would drive under a train track overpass, and when I heard the whistle of a train. I got over the whistle thing once my mom moved near a train track and I heard it all the time. Maybe it's because my mom's best childhood friend's sister got ran over and killed by a train.
Well, tonight as I was driving to get my kids a pie baby, I saw 3 kids playing on a train track. This is a well-used track, and the kids looked like they were maybe 3, 6, and 8. I didn't think much of it as I passed by on the way to get that pie baby, but when they were still there on the way back I got a little worried. There is a small church right on the tracks, and in the parking lot I saw a jeep with one door wide open. There were no people in the parking lot. The boys looked like they were dressed for church.
What would you have done in this situation? I mean, what's appropriate? Do you go home & call the police? Do you jump out of your car right there & pull the kids off the tracks? What if your own kids are in the car with you?
I ended up calling the police when I got home, but I was watching and listening for a train the entire time, worried to death for those kids. At the end of the conversation with the dispatcher I was asked a weird question - "are they all white kids?" But that's a whole 'nother blog post altogether...
I found out tonight that a Strawberry Pie Baby from Big Boy will feed Abby, Avery, and Ethan, with a piece left over for Daniel (although he says he doesn't like pie babies). On the other hand, a Hot Fudge Cake feeds just me. They are the same size, in case anyone was wondering...
Now how can you not want to eat something called a "pie baby"??? It's too cute not to eat. It's like when I say to Ethan, "you're such a cutie pie, I just want to eat you up!" Strawberry Pie Babies = Eating a cute child. It just makes sense.
Sorry I haven't said much lately. I'm right in the middle of the last week of school and finals week, which means no spare time right now. Of course, it doesn't help that my Microsoft Word trial ran out after I wrote 9 pages of a final paper and I couldn't edit it....
So, maybe I'll blog a little more once I finally graduate. Or maybe after finals - we'll see.
Okay, spread the word - I'm actually doing a giveaway. Come back May 12 - 16 & sign up during the "Mommy Fest".
Hint: The giveaway involves chocolate.
This post is about weiners and butts - be warned. For those of you without sons, you might not understand.
In our house we have a cute phrase for the ends of loaves of bread - "bread butts". I know, it's a little improper. Well, the other night I made a loaf of bread (homemade, yes!) and Abby requested the "butt". Avery replied, "I want the weiner!"
Apparently, he's trying to make up for the woman episode.
Avery and Abby are really into playing table "games" lately. I mentioned the Pinching Game in a previous post. They also play the Squirting Game, which involves an orange, and the Spraying Game, which involves water and mouths.
So at lunch today, I said "We're going to play the eating game! Whoever eats the most wins a cherry Icee!" Yup, I'm rewarding/bribing them with sugar.
So Abby and Avery are eating and eating, and Abby says, "I'm winning!"
Avery replies, "No, I'm a woman!"
Apparently the sugar bribe is not the only issue with this "game" - it also may or may not change your gender.
Okay, several people have asked me how to "CVS," so I'm going to tell you how I do it.
First, get a CVS Extra Care card at CVS. Next, scan through the CVS ad & make a note of everything that you will ever use that gives you back Extra Care Bucks. Look through your coupons and try to match coupons to the Extra Care Buck deals in the ad. If you have coupons for the items, great! You can also use a CVS coupon with a manufacturer's coupon, making it even cheaper. Take your list of Extra Care Buck items, coupons, and about $15-20 with you for your first trip to CVS.
Now this is the hard part. Buy only items that give back Extra Care Bucks, not matter how much more they may cost than at other stores. Once you buy this first $15-20 worth of stuff, you'll never have to spend more than $1 at CVS again (if you keep up this system). You'll spend $15-20 this time, but if you use those Extra Care Bucks that you got back and use them next time instead of cash to buy more Extra Care Buck deals, you have yourself an unending cycle of free products.
You just have to be really disciplined to buy only what you'll use in the future without over-doing it, to buy only items that give back Extra Care Bucks, and to ignore the prices. You also have to be super diligent about clipping and saving coupons for anything that you would ever use, not just what you need right now. You never know what will go on sale at CVS, so if you have a coupon you're going to be really happy.
Sites such as MoneySavingMom, IHeartCVS, and MoreThanEnough will also help you match coupons to deals, as well as give you links to CVS coupons when available.
Any more questions, leave them in the comments and I will answer.
Well, I really have nothing interesting to blog about today. It's just a great early summer breezy day - even though it's Spring. We no longer have Spring, you know - that's so last year. We just go from winter to summer now.
Anyway, today I hope to inventory my stockpile that I've obtained free from CVS, Walgreens, Meijer, and Kroger. Getting stuff for free (or less than $1) has become a game for me. I love looking through the ads, matching coupons to sales. I don't know why I didn't do this sooner. We literally get approximately 90% of our household goods and toiletries for free now - even diapers.
So, now that I have this stockpile, I need to slow down a little. I have to force myself not to "buy" more - even if it's free. I say I'll donate the stuff to shelters or give it to friends, but really I won't. My intentions are good, but also lazy. I've actually tried to give people toothpaste after I got 14 tubes for free at Meijer, but they look at me like I'm crazy and no one will take it. I guess its weird for someone to give you toiletries, for some reason. At least I didn't go crazy getting the free KY Jelly (I got none) and try to give that to my friends. Or maybe that would be a good thing to donate to shelters. Hmmm...
It's "What I Believe Tuesday" on The Natural Mommy, so get ready to hear what I believe.
First of all, note that I have only three children, and note that I had them rather close together (currently 1, 2, & 4). Also, note that I often say I will probably (probably) not have any more kids.
That said, I will now indulge my ego by saying the following:
How many kids you have shouldn't matter to anyone else, nor should how often you have them. When Daniel & I were pregnant with Abby, everyone thought it was awesome, just great. When we were pregnant with Avery we were asked "already?" And with Ethan, "I hope you know what you're getting yourselves into." Well, yes, we do know what we're getting ourselves into and its great, it sucks, its wonderful and horrible. But such is raising any number or any age of children.
It's going to be hard sometimes to have one kid or 20 kids, and it's also going to be fun sometimes. No one should judge you because you have a lot of kids, and no one should judge you because you have not that many kids (or even no kids).
I personally do not believe that God expects everyone - or really anyone - to just have kid after kid until they go through menopause - but its none of my business if they do. I do believe that some people shouldn't have kids at all, or should only have one - and I really know for sure that God won't judge them for that - unless of course, He specifically told them personally to have lots of children. "Be fruitful and multiple" doesn't imply that you have to be able to multiply by tens and twenties in my mind.
So go ahead - try for another one, or buy that product to prevent another one - it's none of my (or anyone else's) business.
I was thinking... If I'm so uncomfortable driving my new minivan (yes, I still am), then am I really comfortable being a mommy at all? I mean, it seems like every mom I know with more than one kid has a minivan, and they drive them and look normal while doing it. I just feel that I look odd driving my minivan. Like I'm just driving my mom's car or something. Not that I think I look young or anything, I just don't think I look like a minivan driver.
As for being comfortable with being a mom, I've wondered this before. I feel very uncomfortable at places where lots of moms gather, like "momtopia" at the mall, baby gym classes, and busy playgrounds. I even feel weird at Chick-Fil-A if there are lots of moms there. But, I also feel very strange if I go anywhere without the kids. Like I forgot something.
So I'm not really sure what it is that makes me feel different around other moms. Inadequacy, I guess. Age, maybe. Of course it helps that my kids are the cutest in the whole world. (sorry other moms)
Two good links for this week:
Hand Made Mother's Day Gifts that Guys can Make
and
Make a Baby Sling
Don't these muffins look good? Daniel was playing around with our digital camera and took this picture as a test. I know, it almost looked like I was going to give you the recipe for these awesome muffins of mine. Okay.
Betty Crocker Muffins
1. Buy muffin mix.
2. Open muffin mix.
3. Prepare muffin mix.
4. Bake muffins.
5. Eat muffins.
I know, that joke never gets old.
We finally bought a minivan. Go ahead, tell me I'm now a real mom, officially an adult/old/boring, whatever you'd like. The truth is, its really hard to have three kids between the ages of 1 and 4 in the backseat of an Oldsmobile Alero. Don't judge until you've tried it! The constant "pinching game" that Abby taught Avery was the last straw. I would get the kids out of the car, and their arms were literally covered in red scratches and welts from this game. Abby also had quite a few clumps of hair pulled out of her head the past few months.
Now the kids love the new space they have, being able to see everything from their seats, and running around the van before I strap them all in. There are things I really like about the van, but gee, I really miss my car. Now it's Daniel's car, because he never has to go anywhere alone with the kids.... He's enjoying the sunroof that I loved - even though he never uses it.
What I really miss is having the kids right behind me. I know, that's why we got the van. But I can't hand them food, pacifiers, or toys if they need them. I can't tickle their little toes while I drive and make them all 3 laugh at once. (There is no cuter sound). I have to actually pull over, put the van in park, and walk to the back to give them food.
Also, I just feel weird driving this gigantic minivan. In my eyes, it appears to be bigger than anyone else's van. Is this how it always feels to drive a van? I can't wait to go to the ATM and not have to climb out of my car to reach it, though. No more complaining that not everyone has a van/SUV/truck!
Another thing I do like about this van is the space to carry stuff, whether I need it or not. I currently have a stroller, a big box full of newspapers to recycle, a box of toys, a blanket, a bundle me, and a huge box containing a porch glider in my van. The first day we had the van, I went to Ikea just to buy a rug. Just because I could.
I guess I'll have to just tickle my kid's feet at home from now on...
You know how they say that when you kiss a boo boo it makes it all better? I mean there are actually scientists out there studying this to see if it's true. This must be serious healing.
Kids just pick this up all on their own, too. I mean one day they get hurt and they just run up to you and say "kiss my boo boo, Mommy." And you do, and then they walk away happy despite the spleen hanging outside of their bodies. (Mommy kisses truly do work that well.)
Well Ethan has picked this up as well - but with a twist. Apparently, one day he hurt his finger and I said "let me kiss your finger and make it all better." Now anytime he hurts himself anywhere on his body, I have to kiss his finger. He stubs a toe, he brings me his finger. He bonks his head, he brings me his finger. He falls off the couch, he brings me his finger to kiss.
That combined with the cute kissey sound he makes and puckered lips means he gets lots and lots of kisses - boo boo or no boo boo.
I just think everyone needs to check out this site. Unless, or course, you don't need to save any of your hard-earned money.
Money Saving Mom
My most popular (read: 3 comments) blog post has been published through Associated Content.
You can re-live the magic of getting shoes on Ethan's feet here:
I was thinking today about all the things I can't have with kids in the house. I'm not talking about guns and liquor - I mean simple things like food in the cabinets and stuff on tables.
Today I walk into the kitchen, and Avery has dragged the desk chair into the room, used it to climb onto the counter, and get into the cabinet. He's sitting there on the counter eating leftover Easter candy. He does this all the time. I seriously cannot put stuff in the cabinets unless its okay for him to get into it. One time he was sitting on the counter using my kitchen knives to cut various things he found in the cabinets.
Today the kids also put an unknown number of DVDs into an electronic device Daniel owns. He doesn't know about this yet - hopefully he'll read this blog at work and be calmed down about this by the time he gets home. These DVDs were in the TV armoire - how silly of me to leave them where any normal person would have left them.
I also have this nice Bath & Body Works soap pump full of soap on my bathroom sink. It gets emptied into various cups, bowls, potties, and washcloths daily. That is the same soap Avery used to wash the doll hangers in his potty.
The kids get into the fridge at their leisure - eating string cheese, mustard, and juice pouches as often as they want. They get into my purse and backpack and chew up all my gum, then use my chapstick to cover anything they want. If I leave my coupons down low, Abby soon has them scattered all over her bedroom. If I leave the computer on, the kids have about 1,000 different windows opened on it before I can turn around.
Sometimes I just reminisce about the days before I had kids and could leave a candle lit somewhere other than on top of a TV armoire 6 feet tall. I miss the days when I could leave the newspaper on the couch for a minute and it wasn't shredded and wrinkled beyond recognition. I used to actually be able to set a can of Coke down...
Now we have a garage that we can't really use because its crowded with all the stuff we have to keep away from the kids. Thank goodness you need a key to get in there! I also have a full refrigerator top with the same kinds of things, although they have gotten up there before.
So tell me, is this normal, or are my kids just extra annoying?
Sometimes I feel old. Today I feel young. Maybe I'm a schizophrenic... But really, I think it just has to do these kids of mine. When I'm chasing them around the yard yelling (playfully, not angrily), "I'm going to get you!" I feel young. But when they keep running and running and demanding that I chase them more as I fall to the grass and grab my heart gasping for breath, I feel old. Wait a minute. Maybe I'm just having a heart attack. I'd better call my doctor, which I don't have - but that's another story altogether.
I have this habit of getting really, really frustrated with the kids and with Daniel and with other drivers and with the entire world - to the point of strangling them all. Don't worry, I only dream about strangling everyone, I don't really do it. After all, how strong would my hands have to be to strangle entire world? *** My talk about strangling is a joke. Please don't call children's services on me.***
In other words, I'm an angry person. I know, "what??!!" You never guessed that about me, I know. When I'm angry, I feel old. I feel like I'm just too old to be a mom, and I am just too old and too tired of life to enjoy it.
Well, since I said that today I feel young, let me explain. I have a friend who is having her second baby on Monday. She's 41. I started to think about this, and about my feeling old at 28. Already it sounds off to me. I'm feeling that I'm too old to be a mom, but this friend of mine is pregnant at 41. Wow.
So I started doing a little thinking, and that led to me doing a little math (go figure! - pun intended). When Abby graduates from high school, guess how old I'll be?? 41!
Now I feel young, and I sincerely hope that my aforementioned friend doesn't feel old if she reads this. Cause really, you're not.
I was going to get rid of this baby seat...
But it's Ethan's favorite place to jam:
...and Avery's favorite place to lounge around in my robe:
The other night Daniel, the kids, and I were at our bi-weekly Bible study. There were our 3 kids, plus 4 others - in other words, chaos. The adults were discussing sacrifice and trying to have a serious Bible study, but the kids found lots of fun in running around the room screaming and laughing. It got to the point that no adults could fully concentrate or even hear each other.
All of a sudden, everyone started singing the song, "Jesus Love the Little Children." I just sat there and listened, not really knowing what was going on. Later I asked Daniel why everyone did that. He said, "Because kids are jerks." He didn't really mean that, of course, but it got the point across anyway. Apparently, the song was a reminder that God loves them all the time - no matter how much they interrupt our studying and worship of Him.
You know, both of these points are very, very true. God does love each and every kid, no matter what they do. And, kids are jerks. I deal more often with the second truth in my day-to-day life, however, so that's what I will blog about today.
I know every parent must have an endless supply of "kids are jerks" stories. I mean, like two days ago when I was trying to straighten up the house, do my homework, and cook lunch all at the same time, and I heard water running. I run towards the bathroom and find a dismantled potty seat, an open doll armoire, and a very wet Avery washing doll hangers in his potty bucket. The sink, the floor, the potty, and the Avery were all covered in soap bubbles as well.
Or the night before that, when I go into the bathroom (are you seeing a pattern here?) and find that Abby has used one of Avery's white t-shirts to dry her not-quite-completely-clean marker covered hands. Now Avery has a nice white and red t-shirt instead. Why do they even make markers that are not washable??
Anyway, the point is, kids are jerks. I know, I said that already - but really, kids are jerks. But don't we just love them anyway? Don't we just forget about the bad thing they did ten minutes ago, go clean the mess they're making right now, and then go clean the messes that the other two made while we were cleaning that first mess?
And if you really think about it, its not just kids that are jerks. Its all people. Its even animals. There are some really, really jerky cats in my neighborhood. Just ask the one that pooped in my driveway - or the one that pooped on my doormat. Flaming bags of dog poop would be lost on us.
So think about how you forgive your kids when they're jerks the next time an adult is a jerk. If God can do it, maybe we can try too. I've got to close this post now - Ethan is in the kitchen pulling down the sweaters I have hanging up to dry. What a jerk.....
p.s. I don't really think that my kids are jerks, and Daniel doesn't really think anyone's kids are jerks. That was just for emphasis.
Yesterday I caught a Focus on the Family "Family Minute" on the radio that really made me stop and think. It was a great reminder that my kids (and your kids, and everyone else's kids) are eternal beings. The people they are now will live forever... somewhere.
Sometimes I wonder about these kids of mine. They seem so rebellious and just downright bad at times. But then you see a sight like this, and it puts everything in perspective:
Eternal beings, indeed.
I just learned about this website. You can go there, type in the full name of whatever skin care product you normally use, and find out how dangerous it is. Well, it turns out the moisturizer I use on my face every day has not one, but four ingredients that are known to cause cancer. Yes, cancer. The baby lotion I prefer to use for my kids has the same cancer-causing ingredients. Now its one thing for me to use these products, but I really feel weird using them on my kids.
How am I supposed to balance all the bad things I hear about with all the promises God makes to protect me and my family? I know we've all heard these verses - all about picking up serpents and drinking poison. Does this include knowingly putting cancerous products on your face and your kid's entire bodies??
It's always been Daniel's stand that everything causes cancer. It appears to be true, but is it wise to just ignore every warning you hear? I mean, who in their right mind would ignore the warning that cigarettes cause cancer and let their kids smoke? Who would ignore that the sun causes cancer and let their kids go out in the middle of summer without sunblock? I don't even let my kids sit close to the TV for fear they will go blind!
But really, do we completely understand every single cancer risk that we encounter daily? If we were told that fruits and vegetables cause cancer, would we stop eating them? Would this one bit of knowledge outweigh all their positive aspects? What if we were told that deodorant causes cancer (which it no doubt does, according to the website)? What if toothpaste were dangerous? What if kissing a baby caused cancer?
Speaking of what we eat... (umm, or babies...) Is it really better to eat only organic foods? All my life I've been eating non-organic, and now I'm told that I'll be healthy if i just switch right now to nothing but organic. Can organic-only really reverse the 28 years that I ate otherwise? Think about the cost - organic foods cost at least double what "regular" foods cost. They usually cost about 3-4 times as much. This makes me think that organic food people are behind all the hype - after all, look how much money they make by using fewer products!
This reminds me of another "controversy" going on in my house right now. I leave my razor in the shower, because I use it every single day in the shower. Lately Abby has been trying to use that razor as she showers, cutting her toes or fingers almost every day. Daniel says I should just move the razor to save our poor baby from certain shaving doom. I say I should be able to have a razor in the shower, and she should just learn to not touch it. Should I be inconvenienced for her safety? It sounds very much like my dilemma with the skin care products we use, doesn't it?
For years I've loved Ikea. I loved looking through the catalog, looking at the rooms on their website, and watching people on TV design shows use Ikea stuff. I always wished there was an Ikea in Ohio. Well, last week an Ikea finally opened up within 30 minutes of my house. Exciting, right? I just couldn't wait to go there!
Yesterday I went to Ikea for the first time. It was the most horrible experience I've ever, ever had. First, we're told that we are not allowed to use actual shopping carts upstairs. We have to use this stupid one-seater cart with no basket for all three kids and for 5 coats and 2 purses. Then the lady that told us this actually follows me to the elevator to make sure I don't sneak a real cart upstairs. As soon as we get upstairs, we see about 300 people with real carts, so we search until we find an empty one & snag it. Then we walk around aimlessly, following the signs and never really getting anywhere for an hour. There is no quick trip to Ikea. Those Swedish people are marketing geniuses - they force you to walk past every single item they have for sale just to check-out.
Finally, I've had enough beds and couches and cabinets, so I take the boys to get a hotdog in the cafeteria. I wait in line for 20 minutes because the people in front of us just can't get over those Swedish meatballs!!! - and then I'm told that hotdogs are only served downstairs in the stupid Bistro. Great.
Another hour back to my mom and Abby, then another 2 hours to actually get to the Bistro. The elevator you take to go up cannot take you back down, by the way. The down elevator is all the way on the other side of the store. Another genius marketing ploy. Also, you're not allowed to visit the Bistro without paying for your stuff first. AND it seems you can't leave the store without actually buying something, unless an employee physically lets you out. Marketing geniuses. I can just see those rich old Swedish guys laughing at us dumb Americans. "Ya! Das Amerikans stuck in de store all day!"
Anyway, I'm heading back to Ikea this weekend. I walked past a few hundred plants I might be interested in buying.
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Ethan is an Air 1 Baby!
The proof is on the web site - he's in the middle.
(Thanks Coppelia!)
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The kids and I spent a good chunk of the afternoon trying to take a picture of Ethan for the "Air 1 Baby" page on air1.com. I only had to send a regular picture of him and they would post it on their website. However, I thought it would be extra cute to send in a picture of him holding a microphone and wearing headphones. Has anyone else ever tried to get their baby to wear headphones? Now I know why earbuds were invented - so babies could listen to their Ipods without the hassle of keeping headphones on their ears. Of course! Besides, their little ears aren't exactly in the same location as adult ears.
So which picture is your favorite?
Abby asked me today, "Do you want to see my pretty princess smile? It will make you not mad at me for anything. It will remind you of things you love - like pretty smiles, girls, and love."
Makes sense to me.
This is what all kids seem to do when you think you're taking a nice family photo.
Today I had someone actually suggest that my kids look alike! If you've read my earlier post about Avery's blonde hair, then you know how often I have people ask about it. But today I took the kids with me to recycle our newspapers, and the man operating the scale asked me if they (not sure which 2) were twins! I told him they were actually 1, 2, and 4, and he was amazed. "How do you handle them??" He asked. They weren't even acting crazy - they just sat in their car seats being little angels. He didn't understand how I could keep track of 3 kids so close in age at once.
The truth is, neither do I. I've gotten braver lately, but there are still so many things I won't even attempt to do with all 3 kids. Today the kids and I went to Best Buy for the first time - I mean the kids have never been there before. I was afraid they would grab all the DVDs off the shelves and roll around in them or something, but they didn't. Sure, they told me what DVDs they wanted (pretty much all of them), and they were mesmerized by the 30 or so TVs they saw - but they were well behaved.
Finally, I'm seeing a good reason not to have more kids. They get easier as they age. How's that for letting go?
I offer the following evidence in The Case of the Missing Puzzle Pieces:
Exhibit A: 
When asked what the suspect was doing, he answered "Ahh-Ohh!" 
A witness was called to the stand: 
His testimony follows:
"I was riding my tractor and I bonked my self really hard!"
Apparently he then saw this:
So, ladies and gentlemen of the jury - what is the verdict?
I'm wondering if this is normal. Abby comes to me about every 10 minutes, all day long, and says she is "really just sort of very hungry." I feed her lunch, I feed her breakfast, I feed her dinner, and I feed her several snacks throughout the day. Now this little girl used to refuse to eat practically anything but fruit. We called it her fruit and bread diet. In the past few months, she'll eat just about anything we give her - and ask for more.
I wonder if that belly of hers really has some sort of tube that connects it to the center of the earth, where all the food I feed her is going, leaving her belly completely empty.
Normally I wouldn't worry about this so much, but it's snowing here today - a lot. I can't go to the store - what if this hungry little girl eats all the food we have??
If you read anything in the paper about a family in Ohio starving to death during a snowstorm while their 4 year-old daughter sits and complains of hunger, chewing on the last piece of bread - well, let's just say you'll know exactly what went down.
I can't even count on 2 hands the number of times that Hillary Clinton has called me today and in the past week. I'm not even a registered Democrat - why is she calling me? Did she look up every person in Ohio, just to call them? Or is she calling all the women of Ohio, since that's where her votes are "supposedly" coming from? Maybe she just really needs a friend, and she's really only calling me because she's read my blog and likes how I think??
Now I'm wondering why political people are exempt from the Do-Not-Call List... Technically, they're trying to sell me something (themselves). Right?
If these candidates can answer some questions I have about real life, then maybe I'll vote for them. Some questions I'd like to see addressed:
1. Why is it bad for a baby not to poop, yet it's also bad for a baby to poop too much?
2. Why would kids prefer sleeping on the floor or on the couch with their necks bent in half to sleeping in their nice, cozy beds that I spent a lot of money buying?
3. Why are fruit snacks bad for you, but fruit is good for you?
4. Why aren't potatoes nutritionally valuable at all? Shouldn't french fries, potato chips and potato candy count for something?
5. How can Ethan poop 5 times today, even though he's been fed the same things he's always fed? (I obviously have some poop issues today)
6. How come every time I buy something it goes on sale the next week?
7. Why is Spanish so hard to learn, especially when I need to learn it to graduate???
8. How does having kids make you simultaneously the busiest you've ever been, and the laziest you've ever been? (Admit it - you have let the housework slide more since you've had kids than before you had kids)
9. How can McDonald's and Burger King come up with so many little pieces of junk to place in their kid's meals that my kids think are all different, yet they're the same?
10. Why is it so fun to play in a room, as long as Mommy is in there too... but that room stinks if Mommy leaves and tries to create a post on her blog?
11. Why isn't corn ever digested the same way other foods are? (maybe I should have called this "A Post About Poop!)
Let's just say that someone in this house got a haircut today. By Abby.
Now I know to keep my scissors put up while I'm clipping coupons & have to walk away for a minute.
2 In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat—
for he grants sleep to [a] those he loves.
3 Sons are a heritage from the LORD,
children a reward from him.
4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are sons born in one's youth.
5 Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
when they contend with their enemies in the gate.
Yup, our quiver is full of them. Lots of kids, you know. I was asked (again) today if seeing Ethan walk well makes me want to have more kids. Sometimes, yes, but sometimes no. Seriously, having newborns is horrible, horrible, horrible sometimes! But what mother doesn't look back at every second of her children's babyhood and long to try it just one more time?
Although lately, I've really wanted to get a dog. Hmm... I'm not sure which is more work, but I don't see anything in this Psalm about a houseful of puppies!
I finally gave in and cut poor Ethan's bangs. He says he felt like a sheep dog. No kidding. Those were his first words.
But really, he did do that blinking in disbelief thing all the time - unfortunately, the disbelief was in how much his long bangs got in his eyes. Now he's less of a baby... More of a toddler... Closer to a kid... Almost a man!! Like I've said before, I have a hard time letting go. This was Ethan's first hair cut, but my last first haircut to give. If that even makes sense to anyone but me.
However, lately I've felt that my kids are still quite young, and I have a long way to go before they're grown. I don't know which is better - feeling that time is flying and being depressed because they're growing so fast, or feeling that they'll be little forever and not noticing that time is flying by. It's just so hard emotionally to be a mother - I wonder what dads think?
Enough of this - I think the snow and clouds are effecting my mood. Also, that new Superchick song is on the radio, and it's very depressing....
On a lighter note, here's a cute picture of Ethan cross-dressing!
This past weekend was another one of those weekends. While the kids seem to be getting better from their sicknesses, mine hasn't really gone anywhere at all, and Daniel is off and on with his own form of sickness. Well, now the kids are acting sick again. This has been the sickest winter ever for us - an award we're very reluctant to accept.
Yesterday was Sunday, and since only Avery and I appeared to be well, we headed off to church. This was after a lot of bathing and dressing and coercing. We finally got in the car, nice and clean, neat and tidy, and ready for church. Since eating was not a part of our getting ready for church that morning, we were forced to stop at Tim Horton's for donuts and iced cappuccinos (just kidding, only one!!) on the way to church, despite having barely enough time to get to church before the Sunday school class I teach starts.
Everything is going great. Avery's got donut holes, and we're within a couple miles of our church, with 5 minutes to spare! Avery's in the back seat talking and singing and acting Averyly, so I have the rear view mirror adjusted so I can watch him be Averyly (safe, I know.). I watch him stuff an entire donut hole in his mouth. Despite my warning to "be careful," he starts to slowly, slowly choke on that donut. The bad thing is, I didn't even think "Oh my gosh, my son is choking!" I thought more about him spitting the whole thing out and where it would go. That's also an Averyly behavior.
Well, he spit it out alright, along with all the other donut holes he already had in his belly. He "spit" them out all over the front of his coat, his pants, his shirt, and his carseat. Did I mention we're within a mile or so of church and have 5 minutes to spare?
He's crying, saying he threw up his "donut balls." I'm trying to comfort him, keep him from getting it anywhere else but his seat, and drive all at the same time. Moms are definitely multi-taskers. I pull over to see what can be done to get this kid to church. Hmmm... Nothing. Nothing at all. So I attempt to clean up the mess with the two napkins Tim Horton's gave us, some wipes, and a plastic bag. I also have to turn my head every few seconds to prevent myself from adding to the mess. I have a very weak stomach for these things.
So, I finally give up and take Avery's pants and coat off, and sit him in Ethan's carseat. Thank goodness we have three carseats crammed into our backseat!! I cover him in a blanket, and we head to church.
At church I have already decided to head home, but I need to find someone to cover my Sunday school class. Well, when I get there I feel guilty for planning on leaving, so I run around the bottom floor looking for pants for my kid, and a friend is running around the top floor looking for pants. There are no pants in our church.
So, I have a half-naked Avery in my arms, a huge picnic blanket wrapped around him, and he smiles up at me and says "I'm hungry, Mommy." We leave church early, and head back to Tim Hortons.
So, yesterday was Valentine's Day. This is my very first Valentine's Day with a kid in school. I've been looking forward to this for years - I love making Valentines, I love making those covered boxes and cans to hold the Valentines, and also hearts are just really easy to draw & cut out.
Well, I didn't want Abby to be different from everyone else in the class, but I didn't know if the other kids would be making their Valentines or just signing the store bought Valentines. So Abby & I made some, and we bought some. We cut hearts out of red foam, punched holes in it, stuck in a sucker, made pipe cleaner bees, and wrote "Bee Mine" on the hearts. And last time I was at CVS, I picked up some Valentines that held suckers. I know, sucker overload, right?
Well, we get to the Valentine party, and most of the kids brought store Valentines. However, this one kid and his mom took microwave popcorn packets, wrote "You make my heart pop!" on them, and made paper hearts that they sewed together and stuffed with candy, and made the teachers cookie-mix-in-a-jar, covered with country-ish fabric and a picture of the kid (I'm not kidding, here) wearing a cowboy hat and dressed in a western shirt.
So now I have a question: Is there a middle ground here? I mean, is it possible to not do too much, yet still do something worthy of putting your kid's name on it? I doubt any parent wants their kid to be the only one that brought nothing but a card, and I personally don't want my kid to be the one that does it all. Of course your kid is worth all this work, but is it really for the kid - or for the other parents?? Of course all the other moms and the teachers told this mom "you're so crafty!!" I wonder if they were also thinking "and you must have a super amount of spare time on your hands!!"
I just don't have the time to do that, and I doubt I have the will to do that with 3 small kids. There are only 8 kids in Abby's preschool class - what will it be like next year when she has closer to 30 in her class? I'd better start reserving that pony now....
I have quite possibly found the most child unfriendly device know to man. It can be dangerous, it can be annoying, but it can also be funny. If you've ever called your mortgage company, your bank customer service, your power company, or anyone else that doesn't realize people have kids - then you probably know what I mean.
It's the voice-automated phone systems that are everywhere these days. I suppose they make life easier for... someone... but not me. I call one these numbers, and inevitably, my kids run in the room screaming. The "woman" on the phone either says "I didn't quite understand you," or "I think you said... buy a boat." This could really be dangerous.
But even if you don't have problems with your kids, you could (read: will) have problems. Have you ever tried to use one of these systems when you have a cold? Each cough sends you to a different department. Or if you walk past a TV, who knows what Dora will make you buy!
What ever happened to waiting on hold for an hour and then being transfered to twenty other departments before you're told they can't help you??
This weekend was just horrible. Yucky and bad. All 3 kids, Daniel, and I were sick with (I guess) the flu. Now everyone knows how bad it is to be sick. Everyone with kids knows how bad it is to have even one sick child, let alone 3 at once. But really, can you ever get over being sick, and having 3 sick kids at once? I've never actually done this before, and I hope to never, ever, ever, ever do it again.
So that's the 5 bad things (5 sick people). Now for the one good thing. Daniel was just really, really awesome this weekend. He cooked (even though no one wanted to eat, exactly), he washed dishes, he did laundry, he put away the laundry, he cleaned up throw up, he cleaned up barf, he cleaned up vomit, and he generally did everything else. What on earth would I do without him??
Daniel does react differently to being sick than I do, and he always has since I've known him. When I throw up, I feel much worse and know for sure that I am sick as can be. When Daniel throws up, he's happy because he feels better and knows that he's getting better. When I'm sick I don't like to be touched or even talked to. When he's sick, Daniel wants to be cuddled and paid lots of attention to. When I encounter sick kids, I get sick myself (just at the sight). When Daniel encounters sick kids, he just cleans them & gets on with what he was doing.
While I was sick, lying on the couch and not eating, Daniel was sick, holding two sick kids in bed and eating eggrolls. Not all at the same time, but you get the point.... Thank goodness for Daniel.
