The Thrills of being a New Mom

O Christmas Tree!

2012-01-06T13:50:00.001-05:00

I was just looking through the pictures on my camera today and came across pics from our Christmas tree hunt. This is an annual tradition for our family. And part of the annual tradition is at least one child crying the entire time. This year that award goes to JD!

Years ago we would go with our good friends. Then they moved to North Carolina for a couple years to attend Bible school. They are now back and living just 10 minutes away - YAY!! So we continued that tradition this year. The fun part about that is my hubby and Becky look for the largest trees. Cory and myself are more reasonable and look for a nice tree that will fit in the spot of our home where we have chosen to put the tree.

Here are some pics of the tree hunt for you to enjoy!

Nice day to take a stroll.

The babies "enjoying" their ride in the wagon.

My man cutting down our tree.

Look at those muscles!

EJ cutting their tree.

Cory helping EJ.

Dave finishing up!

Look at those muscles!

A fun day!

And the finished product!

There's Always A First

2011-11-04T07:32:00.001-04:00

I've been a diaper changing momma for 6 straight years now. Last night I took JD's diaper off and found this puzzle piece.

Princess and Buddy never put stuff in their diapers.

Mommy Knows Everything

2011-11-01T21:55:00.001-04:00

I've been trying to get Buddy excited about starting Kindergarten next year. At this point, he is less than thrilled about going. He just wants to stay home with his mommy forever. How sweet! Here are 2 recent conversations:

Buddy to Grandmom: I'm going to be 5 at my next birthday. (excited! Then quickly realizing 5-year-olds go to Kindergarten). I mean, I'm going to be 5 in 5 years.

Then just last week:
Buddy to Princess: I'm not going to school next year. I'm going to stay with Mommy. She knows everything and she can teach me.
Princess to me: What's 100+100?
Me: 200
Princess: what's 112+102?
Me: 214
Princess: What's nine one hundred(I love how they make up big numbers) plus 12?
Me: 9112
Princess: I bet you don't know how to make plastic bins!
Me: You're right. I don't. :(
Princess to Buddy: Mommy doesn't know everything!

(He still claims I know everything so I can teach him.)

Happy Birthday, JD!!!!

2011-10-31T13:44:00.001-04:00

Chaos

2011-10-20T09:10:00.000-04:00

Why does my life feel so chaotic all the time? Do I choose this? How can I take control of my chaotic life? These are questions that I started asking myself this morning. Let me tell you about my morning.

The plan was to wake up at 5am to start making soft pretzels for Princess' non-sugar birthday snack at school. (See. I am crazy. I should have just sent in pretzels in a bag!) Well JD decided to wake up at 4:44am (a number Dave and I see all the time. We will take any insight on that.). I nursed and rocked him hoping he would go back to sleep without waking the whole house. At 5:15am, I decided there was no hope and I HAD to start on the soft pretzels. So I take him downstairs with me.

I got the pretzel dough mixed. Set it aside for an hour to rise. Made lunches for Dave and Princess. All while trying to keep JD happy and stepping over all of his messes of toys and dishes that he is pulling out of the cabinets. Oh and picking him up to keep him from crying from time to time. Then I hear Buddy yelling for me. He is ready to get out of bed at 5:55am. I made him stay in bed longer (which lasted 1/2 hour).

6:45am the pretzel dough is ready. I roll it out and make 130 bite size pretzels. Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar on half (I know. I kind of broke the rules.) and edible orange glitter on the other half. Put them in the oven. Put toaster things in the toaster for Princess and Buddy's breakfast. Make them get dressed themselves. Get the pretzels out of the oven. Put them in containers for easier delivery.

I get the kids out the door to drop Princess and the snack off at Kindergarten. I forgot my phone for Princess to call so Daddy could wish her "Happy Birthday". Get the kids out of the car and realize they are dressed for summer (it's only 52 degrees). OOPS! Then we get to the school just as the buses get there! I forgot to time it so that I didn't have dodge 200 5- and 6-year-olds. AAHH!

Thankfully I came home. JD went straight to bed and Buddy didn't give me any hassle about taking a shower. Now I have a kitchen to clean up. Some birthday shopping to do. Lasagna and french bread to make for dinner. Brownies for dessert. I hope I remember to pick her up from school.

So do you see any way that I could simplify my life? Haha! By the way, I'm not complaining. I'm just glad the morning is done and the snack made it to school.

Oh and these soft pretzels are really good and relatively easy. Kelli, I hope you don't mind me sharing the recipe.

JD 10 months

2011-09-10T17:16:00.000-04:00

OH MY! What a busy bee!! I would say a couple days after my post "JD - 9 months", JD became mobile.....very mobile. He crawls everywhere. His favorite position is standing (while holding on to something). He cruises a little now also. He likes to be anywhere that he is NOT supposed to be. Haha. I try surrounding him with toys, and he crawls to the shoes and starts chewing on shoes. UGH.

Speaking of chewing, he got his 6 front teeth in. 4 on top and 2 on the bottom. I think he is now working on the other 2 on the bottom.

Recently he started waving and saying "ha" for hi. He goes around the house yelling "ha da" or "Ab". He is so loud. He also says Mama and babbles a lot....loudly.

He loves his brother and sister. He also loves when we are in a store and people talk to him. Sometimes he says "ha" to everyone and then gets mad if they ignore them. It's kind of funny. But I must say, on the other hand, there is a lot of times where he gets bashful and hides his face....hmmmm.

A Day In the Life....

2011-08-26T16:03:00.003-04:00

Today the living room was a mess. So I put Princess' things and Buddy's things in two separate piles to be put away. Buddy put his things right away. Princess left the room to play with other toys. I explained to her that if she didn't put her things away I would put them in a box and she would have to earn them back. She decided she wanted them in a box to see what kind of chores I would give her.

Buddy was talking to Grammy today about Hurricane Irene. She told him it was going to hit the Outer Banks and reminded him that is where we usually go to the beach. Buddy replies, "sometimes we go to the Outer Banks to get money for our hair cuts."

JD - 9 months old

2011-08-02T11:28:00.009-04:00

JD turned 9-months-old on Sunday. He has accomplished a lot this month. He is still in the process of getting 6 teeth at once. 3 have poked through and 3 are right there almost through. The first tooth he got was his left "side" tooth (I obviously don't know the names of the teeth), then his front right, and third his bottom left. He wants to be different and get them in a different order.

He has also learned to roll really good. Although he doesn't realize he can get places by doing it. He can sit up from a laying down position. He gets himself into a crawling position, but can only go backwards. I saw him moving forward once. So soon he will be moving around. His favorite position to be in is standing. He will stand, holding himself up, for 20-30 minutes just playing.

He brings so much joy to our family. He can easily entertain all of us.

This is supposed to be a video, but Blogger is giving me a hard time uploading it. I will try later. It is on Facebook, so if we are "facebook friends" you can watch it there.

Old World Raspberry Bars

2011-08-01T15:00:00.003-04:00

Yummy and EASY dessert!!! (I did not make these in the picture, but that is what they look like.)

OLD WORLD RASPBERRY BARS

Prep Time: 15 min Yield: approx 25 bars

Crumb mixture ingredients:

2 1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 cup chopped pecans (I've never put these in)

1 cup butter (softened)

1 egg

Filling ingredients:

3/4 cup raspberry preserves (or any flavor you want. I've used lemon curd also)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all crumb mixture ingredients in a large bowl. Beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until mixture resembles course crumbs. *Reserve 2 cups of crumb mixture and set aside.

Press remaining crumb mixture on bottom of an 8x8 baking pan. Spread preserves to within 1/2 inch of edge of pan. Crumble reserved crumb mixture over preserves.

Bake for 40-50 minutes until lightly browned. Cool completely and cut into squares.

*if using dark or non-stick pans reduce temperature to 325 degrees. Bake 45-55 min.

Cover and store pan for up to 5 days (they probably won't be around for that long, haha!) or freeze for up to 1 month.

What Is It?

2011-07-22T07:22:00.004-04:00

This morning I went outside to take some recycles out to the recycle bin and I saw a big "bee" flying around. I've never seen a bug like it. Then I noticed that it was flying around this pile of dirt in my flower garden. I watched it for a while. It never went in the hole (from the pile of dirt). I'm assuming that is it's home, but don't know for sure. Do you have any idea what it could be? (sorry the picture isn't the greatest. It wouldn't sit still and smile.)

Games, Painting, and Tea Parties

2011-07-22T07:02:00.004-04:00

Yesterday the kids and I played many games of Crazy 8s, Mickey Mouse Yahtzee, Jay Jay the Jet Plane, and Cootie.

We went to Color Me Mine to learn how to bubble paint. I wish I would have had my camera, but it would have been hard to get pictures since I had JD and had to help Buddy and Princess. I will put "after pics" on when we pick up the bowls. Anyhow they painted their bowls inside and out. Then the lady at Color Me Mine, made a mixture of paint, water, and dish soap. The kids mixed it up, then put a straw in it and blew bubbles. While they were blowing bubbles, I had to put the bubbles in the bowl or dip the bowl in it. By the end, there was a big bubbly mess on the table (which is expected, the lady actually said we were allowed to make a mess). All of the other kids in the shop came over to our table and wanted to play in the bubbles. Buddy decided to taste the mixture. Not on purpose, he said he thought he was blowing. It was really cool. I can't wait to see the bowls when we pick them up. Princess wants to bubble paint all the bowls in my kitchen now. I'm thinking bubble painting will only be done at Color Me Mine. Hehe!

Then Princess loves "tea parties" (or really just eating on a blanket). So mid afternoon we had a tea party. Buddy, Princess, and I had chocolate chip cookies, vanilla ice cream with peanut butter and sprinkles, and grape Kool Aid. This was JD's very first "tea party". He enjoyed a graham cracker and water.

I'm trying to think of something to do today. Something in the cool of a building. These 100+ degree days are hard. The kids want to go outside, but are ready to come in after just 5 minutes of being out. Any ideas?

End of Summer

2011-07-21T06:38:00.007-04:00

My life of schedule-free living is nearing its end after 6 years. As of August 1, I am going to have to follow a schedule. Princess is starting Kindergarten this year. On August 1, she will be going to a Kindergarten Transition Camp at her school. She will learn how a school schedule works and how to use the cafeteria (which in turn, when all of the students go to Kindergarten, she can teach them how to use it).

So in these last 2 weeks, I'm trying to do some fun things with the kids. Here are some of the things we did yesterday. (We stayed inside most of the day because it is just unbearably hot and we are getting a new roof, so it's kind of dangerous to be in our yard right now.):

1. We made zucchini bread.

2. We made "Melty Beads". Can you guess what they are?

Abby designed her own "SpongeBob Hiding in the Forest" (even though they do not watch SpongeBob") and Ian made a fish.

3. Bounced on their bouncy balls.
You can never be too careful. You never know when you will fall off of your bouncy ball and hit your head or elbows. :)

4. Then off to the church picnic. They played carnival games, jumped in the bounce house and got their faces painted. They wanted to look like puppies.

She was a sad puppy, because I told her it was too late for a bedtime story.

Can't wait to see what today brings. I think a little painting at a local ceramic shop. Princess already told me she wants to play some games today. I'll keep you posted.

My New Addiction (not really, but sort of)

2011-07-11T11:09:00.006-04:00

Most of you know that I LOVE saving$$$$$$$$$. Since having JD, I haven't been CVSing (yes, it is a verb). I still use coupons, but not like I used too. Actually we cancelled our local paper because they didn't give us a very good deal to resubscribe. (I am soon either going to pay their fee or subscribe to a cheaper other local paper. If you have any thoughts on that, I'm open to them.) I still read blogs though that give me information on good deals.

For the last couple of months, I've been saving my family time and money! No coupons, no leaving the house, buying online! I love it. I push a couple buttons and I get the stuff delivered to my front door a couple days later. AND for cheaper or equivalent to in the store (Free shipping too.)

All from Amazon.com. They have a "subscribe and save" program. You sign-up for the program (free), order your item, click on "subscribe and save" and you save 15%. You then schedule how often you want the item delivered. It is very easy to "manage" or "cancel". They will send you an email before they send you the next shipment to make sure you want it.

There is also a program called "Amazon Mom" that will save you an additional 15% on baby supplies.

I've also seen with diapers, on the product page you may see a "Your Coupon Book" where you can "clip" a coupon for an additional discount.

Here are a couple things I have bought:

PAMPERS Size 3

$22.82 for 144 diapers = $0.16/diaper

(in store usually $0.23/diaper)

WIPES

$9.79 for 504 wipes = $0.02/wipe

EARTH'S BEST ORGANIC 1ST VEGETABLES STARTER KIT, 2.5 OZ JARS, PACK OF 12

$5.95 for 12 jars of baby food = $0.50/jar

(in store usually $0.79/jar)

KRAFT GRATED PARMESAN CHEESE, 8 OZ. CANISTER, PACK OF 12

$21.13 for 12 canisters = $1.76/canister

(in store usually $3.99)

KRAFT MACARONI AND CHEESE, 7.25 OZ BOX, PACK OF 15

$9.76 for 15 boxes = $0.65/box

(in store usually $0.99/box)

I've also gotten olive oil and dishwasher detergent this way. They have a whole "Subscribe and Save Store". If you choose to buy products this way, PLEASE be sure to click on "Subscribe and Save" when you put the product in your shopping cart. If you don't, you pay shipping and you do not get the 15% off.

*Disclaimer - These deals can change at any time or become "out of stock".

Hearing God

2011-06-30T07:24:00.003-04:00

Conversation between me and Buddy yesterday:

Buddy: Today is Wednesday.

Me: You are right. How did you know that?

Buddy: I asked God what day it was and he told me.

We've been talking to the kids about hearing God. This conversation just made my heart smile.

From the Beginning

2011-06-23T06:42:00.000-04:00

The other night, Dave was taking a sip of my grape juice to take his medications. I jokingly said, "Don't drink it all." Which brought back a funny memory.....

At our wedding, we took communion together. We each had our own piece of bread, but for the grape juice we had one pretty brass goblet with our names and wedding date engraved on it. When it was time to partake in the juice, the pastor handed the goblet to Dave. There wasn't a lot of juice in the tall goblet so Dave had to tilt his head back pretty far to get even a sip. I'm standing there watching and thinking he forgot that he has to share, so I whisper "Don't drink it all."

This story still makes me giggle because the poor guy was just trying to partake in communion and there I am on our wedding day giving him orders already....surprisingly he didn't run out of the church that day! Now he is stuck...Bahaha!

What Happened to my Baby?

2011-06-22T14:00:00.000-04:00

My baby is 7 1/2 months already! Boy, does time fly! He is such a joy to have in our family. He smiles and laughs a lot. He doesn't cry much at all...especially if he is in Mommy's arms. I hate to say it, but I have another "Mommy Baby". That makes 3 "Mommy Babies". AAAAHHHH!! Oh well, as hard as it is, I do try to enjoy it. I know it won't be forever.

In the last month, he has started eating some baby food, not all the time, but when I feel like giving it to him. Did you see all that chub on him? Not from baby food, let me just tell you.

He started sitting up really good. I don't have to put anything behind him in case he falls.

He finally started rolling over. At his 6-month-check, the doctor asked if he was rolling over. When I said "no", the doctor was concerned about his upper body muscles. He put JD on his belly and JD pushed himself up as high as possible. The doctor said, "well it's not his muscles, it must be those thighs!" Poor JD. I love the chub!

He loves jumping in his jumpy thing that hangs in the door way.

And you can see those teeth trying to make an appearance. They are not through the gums yet, but you can just see an outline of them. It won't be long.

Most importantly Princess and Buddy still love him sooooo much! Buddy tells me all the time that he loves JD. So Awesome!

My 1st Attempt

2011-06-21T21:34:00.005-04:00

I rescued a chair!!! That's right.....dumpster diving!!! Just kidding! I did rescue a chair from the giant truck that eats the things people don't want though.

I had just decided to look for a chair that no one wanted anymore (on one of those famous websites) and wouldn't you know, my neighbor put one out for trash the very next week. So really I just picked it up off the side of the alley and put it in my garage.....thrilling, I know. So here are the before and after pictures.

Before:

After:

I wanted vinyl with a "funky or loud" pattern, but the store I went to didn't have quite what I was looking for. So I will keep my eye open and maybe change the seat later.

Here's the run down:

Chair Free

Paint $8

Vinyl $3

Foam $3__

Total $14

My Little Buddy Turning 4!

2011-05-12T07:00:00.000-04:00

My Little Buddy is turning 4 today! I can't believe it! He is getting so big.

A lot has happened in his life this year. We had season passes to Hershey Park this past summer. He went from riding just a couple rides to riding all the kiddie rides. He even tried his first roller coaster, The Trailblazer, but hated it.

In preparation for his baby brother, he got a big-boy room equipped with a loft bed and basketball hoop. And just recently he went from sleeping on the floor under the bed (on his crib mattress) to sleeping on top!

He became a big brother this year. He loves JD so much. In fact he tells JD everyday that he loves him. I love how he interacts with JD. He doesn't do the "baby talk" stuff. He just talks to him like they are the best buds.

He gave up his pacifier this year. We took it and put it inside this teddy bear that he made.

And most recently, he is potty-trained!

I've really enjoyed watching the changes in his life this year. He is not a fan of change, but has handled things pretty well. It was definitely a year of testing. He loves to be silly and make us laugh, which he did many, many times. I am so thankful that God gave him to us. I can't imagine my life without him.

FAVORITES

Best Friend: Princess

Favorite Place to Eat Out: Friendly's and the "Ice Cream Shop" (some people call it Rakestraw's)

Favorite Food: Chicken on a bone, Ice Cream

Favorite Ice Cream: "the kind that Grammy likes" (which is surprisingly Teaberry)

Favorite Color: light blue

Favorite TV show: Dora the Explorer, Mickey Mouse

Favorite Movie: Tangled (also likes Up and Toy Story 3)

I Can Do All Things....

2011-04-02T16:20:00.003-04:00

"I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13

My mission for this week was to get Buddy started with going to the bathroom on the potty. At this point, we've had more "accidents" than success, but we are still going full force.

Anyhow, one time he was sitting there and said, "I can't do this." To which I quoted the scripture, "I can do ALL things through Jesus who gives me strength." Then I sang the scripture to him with a song that he has on a CD.

All day he has been singing "I can do all things". I love it! Then he changed the words to "Daddy can do all things." I saw his little mind working and his next statement was "Daddy can't do all things. He can't lift a house!"

"Stations"

2011-03-25T06:33:00.015-04:00

My best friend Selma told me months ago that I should do "stations". You put a different activity in each room for the kids to do and have them rotate every 15-20 minutes. I've had intentions of trying this, but never got around to it.

Yesterday morning I decided we were going to give it a try. So while I was in the shower, I decided what the stations were going to be. This is what we did.

Station 1: Craft Station - I cut a bunch of shapes out of different colored paper. I had them make a picture out of the shapes. Both decided to make a house. So that there wasn't a huge "glue mess", I put glue on a paper plate. They used a Q-tip to apply the glue to their shapes.

Station #2: Pretend Play Station - I set up their Pl*yMob*l Animal Clinic and they played with that for the 15 minutes.

Station #3: Building Station - At this station, they built with L*g*os for the 15 minutes.

Station #4: ABC Station - I put several toys/tools in a basket that help teach ABC's, their sounds, and how to write them.

Here are the rules:
1. One kid per station. I assigned one station to each of them to start, then rotated in a circle.
2. Stay at the station until the timer goes off. I set the timer for 15 minutes.
3. Clean up station before moving on. When timer goes off, it will be set again for another 2 minutes. This allows for finishing up and clean-up.
4. Do not ask Mommy to help. I wanted them to figure things out on their own. (Plus I wanted to get a couple things done.) They still wanted to show me their projects, etc. And I still got to "praise" them. But I didn't have to sit there and help the entire time.

The kids LOVED it! Princess of course wants to do it again today, "but with different stations". Buddy sometimes had a hard time staying at a station for the entire 15 minutes. Like, he built his L*g* tower and was done. So I had to help him think of something else he could build.

I will definitely be doing it again because the kids loved it AND because it was over an hour of "no fighting or tormenting each other".

Mommy, Can We Do That Again?

2011-03-16T07:35:00.006-04:00

The other week, our play rooms were a royal mess (I don't have pics from that day.) I think all the toys were on the floor. I wanted the kids to help clean-up of course, but dreaded it because Buddy doesn't really help. He will just stand or sit there and watch or just play....and then I end up yelling at him. So I started thinking how I could get him to help. Then I remembered a parenting class we went to a couple years ago. The teacher suggested making a picture check list for the kids.

So I did just that. This was Buddy's list. I'm not great at drawing, but he knew exactly what each picture was...bouncy ball (riding toy thingy), cars and trucks, play food, shopping cart, and balls. Princess received a similar list, but with different items.

It was amazing how fast they cleaned up. They loved checking the boxes off. They actually raced to see who would get done first.
I used a fun little notebook for each of them and their pens that they can wear around their neck. Buddy finished is list first and asked for another one. So I drew up another list for him. Then again with Princess. It was amazing!

When the rooms were cleaned up, they said "Mommy, can we do that again the next time?!" We have done it since they and they STILL love it!

To Fight or Not to Fight

2011-03-10T06:39:00.002-05:00

This morning is no different from my mornings the last couple of weeks. I have at least one kid up early. This morning Buddy woke up at 5:45am. Princess woke up at 6:15am. I let them climb into bed with me and say, "we are laying here until 7:00. If you talk you will be going back to your bed.". Well that lasts for about 10 minutes (especially since both of them are up).

I usually give them a million warnings because I'm too lazy that early in the morning to follow through (great disciplining, huh?). So here I am this morning, I told them quiet until 7. It lasted 10 minutes. So I decide not to fight it. They are watching Oso Detectives (or something like that) and I'm blogging on my iPod. Maybe the day will be better since I'm not fighting with them and I won't get in a bad mood first thing.

Easy Peasy

2011-03-03T11:01:00.005-05:00

Do you remember about a year and a half ago when we made princess go through "pacifier withdraw"? If not, you can go here to read about it. We told Buddy that when he turns 4, we were going to take him to "the store" and put his pacifier in an animal.

Let me just say, we thought Princess was attached to her pacifier. Buddy is a whole different story. He has given me such problems with that thing. I have tried so many times to make it that he can only have it at bedtime. I would put it up where I thought he wouldn't be able to reach it. He would climb whatever it was to get that stupid pacifier. He NEEDED that thing.

A few weeks ago, his blue pacifier got a small hole in it. I told him I didn't want him to use it anymore, but he could use his spare red one. Just like that, his red pacifier got a hole in it too. (I did not do it either.) Well I wasn't ready to go through "pacifier withdraw" with him, so I just let him have it. Instead of sucking on it, he started chewing on it. Well........

....he basically chewed it in half.

One day, he told me that he got a piece of his pacifier on his tongue and just wiped it off with his finger. I told him that he shouldn't use it any more because if that happened while he was sleeping, he would swallow it. He says, "Then I will choke and have to go to the hostible."

That night he laid his pacifier beside his bed and never tried putting it in his mouth. This past Saturday, we took him to put his pacifier in an animal. He choose the St. Patrick's Bear and name him "Clover".

Before being stuffed.

Ian and Clover happy at home.

Yes. Clover is wearing underpants.

This was probably the easiest transition we have had with Buddy. He DOES NOT like change.

It Only Took 5 Years

2011-02-28T10:01:00.004-05:00

From the time Princess was born, we did what she wanted us to do to get her to fall a sleep. She was the first born, so we didn't really know any better. We patted her butt. We rocked her. We sat in her room then would try to sneak out without waking her. She slept on a small bed on our bedroom floor. We did everything, except let her cry it out (actually we tried, but caved). The last 2 years, I'm guessing, I would have to sit in the hallway so that she could see me. I would read, crochet, do coupons, or something to keep me occupied. But honestly, I hated sitting there (and miss out on the great TV shows that were on). I used to say that in our house, the first born was going to be the "spoiled one".

Well, she turned 5-years-old in October. Then JD was born. I was still sitting in the hallway, usually holding JD or nursing him. Then I would have to get up to change him or put him to bed...something that would make me leave the hallway. Guess what?! After just a few weeks, she didn't need me in the hallway anymore. She would still like for me to be upstairs, but I don't always stay up and she is okay. THANK YOU, JESUS!!!

I'm not saying bedtime is perfect though. We still have her giving us excuses why she can't sleep yet...water, potty, needs recovered, etc. But I don't have to sit on the floor in the hallway. YAY!!!!

It only took 5 years....

JD

2011-02-26T21:16:00.006-05:00

The kids LOVE, I mean LOVE, JD so much.

JD almost 4 months old

Yes, Princess is teaching him how to play the iPod already.

Seriously, each day is like the day he was born. They get sooo excited to see him. They fight over who is going to hold him or play with him. He gets a lot of what I call "tough" love. On the other hand, he gets so excited when he sees his brother and sister too.

Giveaways

2011-02-04T09:18:00.002-05:00

Who doesn't like getting something for free? Well, I have 2 giveaways to tell you about.

1. My best friend just started a new blog. It is very inspiring and encouraging. Anyhow, she is one of the most hospitable person I know. She shared her secret the other day and wants to help you with your hospitality. Check it out.

2. My best friend from when I was a little girl introduced me to this blog via Facebook the other day. Looks like a blog that I'm going to enjoy also. Anyhow, I'm hoping to win the organizer that she is giving away.

Best friends and giveaways....love both!

The Whirl Wind

2010-11-08T14:30:00.004-05:00

Last Sunday, October 31, I woke up at 2:15ish with contractions. They came every 5 minutes, but were short. Then they went to about every 10-15 minutes. All morning I kept getting contractions, but they weren't that close all the time. Finally around noon, I decided that I should keep better track of when they came and how long they were lasting. About an hour later, Dave says maybe we should call the doctor. That's when I realized that the contractions were averaging 5 minutes and lasting about a minute.

We called the doctor, she said to come in. And we sent the kids to Dave's mom's house. We left the house and arrived at the hospital around 2:00 p.m.

When we got to the hospital, they took me into a room to check me. I looked at Dave and said, "I hope I'm at least 4 or 5 cm. I don't want them to send me home." The midwife checked me and said, "You are about 8 cm." WHAT??????!!!!!!! I looked at her and said in a very matter-of-fact voice, "Can I get my epidural now?" And she said the words that I dreaded to hear, "I'm sorry. It's too late. And I think it's too late for any pain meds." WWWHHHHHAAAAATTTTTTT???????!!!!!!!

They quickly wheel me to my delivery room, hook up the monitor and my water breaks. Next thing I know, I'm yelling "I need to push". The midwife tells me to do what my body is telling me to do. So I scream and yell and push and at 2:25 p.m. (yes, 25 minutes after arriving to the hospital) my little JD was born.

It was so fast. A whirl wind! Dave barely got to text everyone to let them know what was happening.

I've been asked which way I prefer giving birth now, epidural or all-natural. E-P-I-D-U-A-L!!!!

My Little Laundry Man

2010-10-28T19:54:00.004-04:00

My Buddy will wake up in the mornings and say, "Mommy, let's do laundry." He will then proceed to find laundry that needs done and place it in the washing machine. I put the soap in and set the settings and he turns it on. Then he likes to sit on his stool for a few minutes and watch the clothes start washing.

When the washing machine is done, he will move everything to the dryer. Then I put him on top of the dryer and he turns it on. (Although now if I'm not paying attention, he will get a chair and climb on top of the dryer himself.) Then he empties the dryer when the clothes are done drying.

There was one week he had all the laundry washed and I had to look around for stuff to wash. Now I just need to get him to fold and put away.

Why Do Leaves Fall Off the Trees in the Fall?

2010-10-28T19:36:00.005-04:00

Princess: Do you know why the leaves fall off of the trees in the fall?
Me: Can you tell me?
Princess: Because it gets cold, the trees shiver, and the leaves fall off the trees.

Happy Birthday to my Princess

2010-10-20T07:11:00.003-04:00

5 years ago today, my princess was born. I can't believe how fast time has gone. She is not a baby anymore, not even a toddler really. She IS a little girl.

Lately she has become more interested in baby dolls and being a little mommy to them. She has one in particular whose name is "Flower" and she gets baths, fed, diaper changes, and sleeps in the cradle next to her. She will be a great big sister to her little brother due in 2 weeks. She is already a little mother to Buddy....doing her best to take care of him AND discipline him! She is very patient with him and is a great teacher when he wants to learn how to do something.

She is has a sensitive and servant's heart. This summer when her daddy was building beds, pantries, etc, she would always make sure he had a drink and check to see if he needed anything else. When at a restaurant, she is always concerned about someone if they are sitting "alone".

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ABBY!! I love you more than you will ever know.

Bloglines

2010-10-09T18:44:00.002-04:00

I use Bloglines to know when someone has posted a new post on their blog. However, Bloglines is going to be no longer as of November 1st. What RSS site do you use? I need to switch. Thanks for your help.

Buddy's New Room

2010-09-17T12:24:00.005-04:00

With the new baby coming, we decided to move Buddy out of his small room and into the guest room. Unfortunately we do not have before pics of the guest room (we always forget the befores).
Dave made Buddy a bed similar to Princess' and an awesome friend redid a dresser for us. We still need to add the valances and wall hangings. And we are going to put a basket ball hoop in his room too.

Buddy tried sleeping in his new bed last night, but has huge issues with change....so needless to say he ended up in his "old" bed last night. This should be a fun transition.

He's Home!!!!

2010-08-02T09:12:00.007-04:00

Updated: Here is a new pic from today!

After spending almost 10-months in Iraq, my brother-in-law Jesse placed his feet on American soil around midnight last night!!!!! I am so happy and so proud of him. I can't wait to talk, see, and hug him!!!!

These are all old pics of him. I haven't seen any of last night yet.

My Amazing God!

2010-07-25T21:51:00.007-04:00

As most of you know after Buddy was born, we had two miscarriages. The first one, I was 10 weeks pregnant. The other, I was 14 weeks pregnant. I went through the normal questions of why, etc? I knew God was in control. I had two healthy children at home, so I was already blessed. I didn't really dwell on it that much.

About 7 months after the last miscarriage, Dave and I decided to start trying to get pregnant again. With the previous 4 pregnancies, it seemed like we would think about getting pregnant and it would just happen. Well it didn't work that way this time. We started "trying" in October. By January/February (I know that isn't very much time. But like I said before, it didn't take long for the previous pregnancies) I began to wonder if it was going to happen or if we should just be happy with our 2 children.

At the beginning of February, I went to our mom's group at church. I basically just went for a good time hanging out with other mom's. Our youth pastor spoke at that meeting. When she was finished speaking, she decided to have the prophetic mom's come up and prophesy over all the mom's there. Two things happened that morning.

First, I was prophesied over. I got words like desires of His heart, good gifts, ears to hear, break off lies, pour upon your secrets you have cried out for. None of the words were real specific.

Second, there was another young mom there that just had her second miscarriage. One of the prophetic mom's asked me if I would pray for her. I agreed (In my mind, I was kicking and screaming. I will just say, it is out of my comfort zone.) I don't know if anything I said/prayed helped the other suffering mom, but I believe it helped me with my healing.

That night when I went to bed, I prayed that if I were to have another child that God would just make it clear to me. At that moment, I felt like a punch in my gut. No pain, just the pressure of if someone were to punch my gut. I didn't really know what that meant. I actually told Dave about it the next day and forgot about it. He reminded me a couple months later.

I would say about a week or two after that meeting, I was pregnant. My God is good. I am so thankful for this baby.

It hasn't been easy. My first trimester, I was very exhausted and I felt like I had 12 weeks of PMS....my poor family. Mentally it was hard too. I went to every appointment expecting bad news. And every appointment, the doctors would say "we could possibly hear a heart beat now" and we wouldn't hear it. Thankfully they would then do an ultrasound and we would see the baby and a heartbeat. Then they started asking about feeling the baby, and I hadn't. They figured out that I had an anterior placenta, meaning the placenta was between the baby and my belly; therefore making it impossible to hear a tiny heartbeat and feeling a tiny baby move.

It wasn't until my "big" ultrasound that I believed this baby was okay. We found out at the ultrasound that we are having another boy and that as far as they can tell the baby is completely healthy. I feel him moving all the time and I love every movement!

I am now 25 weeks and so excited to meet this tiny baby. God has given us a name (I'm not posting on here. But if you ask, I will tell you.) It means "God will raise up; God will set free; Appointed by God."

Changes

2010-07-25T21:41:00.002-04:00

I am someone that likes change (usually). I decided it was time to change the look on my blog....seriously, I think it has been the same for 3 years. Also I'm changing "Little Guy's" name to "Buddy". We are having another little boy, so "Little Guy" won't be the littlest guy anymore. Besides that, I call him "Buddy" at home. It will just make it easier for me to remember (you know, pregnancy brain then "I just had a baby" brain.)

So there you have it! For those of you who don't like change, this is really minimal. You can handle it.

My Favorite "Room"

2010-07-11T07:04:00.004-04:00

I really do not like doing home improvements or having home improvements done in my house. It creates a lot of messes for me to clean up and you just can't live normal life without obstacles. However, I do LOVE the finished "product".

It seems we are always doing home improvements. We did take a little break after our living room (which I LOVE) last year. But most recently, we did a little project.

I wish I had before pictures, but for some reason, we usually forget to take those. It started as a stairway to our basement. We have steps right by our front door that lead to the basement and we also had this stairway in the back between the kitchen and toy room that led to the basement.

My idea was to just put some shelves in the back stairway for some extra storage. Then the idea grew into blocking off the stairway (putting a floor in), and creating a pantry! What an AMAZING idea! You see I have a small gallery kitchen. I've been forced to put all my groceries AND dishes in the cabinets for the last 5 years that we have lived here. I could never really buy bulk or extras if I found a good deal.

So my dad came up and helped Dave put the floor in and do some electrical work. Then Dave painted, tiled the floor, and put the shelving in (and did some more electrical work...that's a whole other story). And VOILA!!!! I HAVE A HUGE PANTRY!!!! I LOVE IT!!! I THINK IT IS MY FAVORITE ROOM IN THE HOUSE RIGHT NOW!!!!!
Sorry, it's not the best picture. There is more shelving behind the door (you can kind of see that). It goes to about the middle of the door. Then I have a place to put my Sw*ffers, Sh*rk mop, etc. behind the door too. Did I say, "I LOVE IT!!!!"

Dryer Vent Update

2010-04-18T17:20:00.001-04:00

So the dryer vent is fixed. The persistent bird only returned for a week after trying to find his home. I tried to tell him it was in the trash can, but he wouldn't listen.

Laundry goes so much quicker now. Loads that took two or three 60-minute cycles in the dryer are now taking 30-40 minutes!!!! Can you believe that?!!! I can't.

Disclaimer: Laundry dries much faster, but that doesn't mean that the laundry is actually getting done. Just wanted to make that clear.

Bird Looking for a New House...Any Takers?

2010-04-07T06:22:00.004-04:00

We've had a bird (or two) building a nest in our dryer vent (we have 2nd floor laundry). Any time I would see it coming, I would bang on the window and it would fly away. That has worked in the past to keep other birds from building nests on our porch. This bird kept coming back.

Dave had off of work on Monday, so he decided to take the bird's nest out of the dryer vent and put a new dryer vent on...you know, one that birds can't enter. Sounds easy enough, right? Wrong!

He took the old vent off and noticed the whole dryer hose was completely blocked from the bird's nest. (Thank you Jesus that it never caught on fire!) He also noticed that who ever put the hose on decided to use a vinyl/plastic hose....you know the kind that will not last forever. Needless to say, from his angle the hose looked like it was all cracked. So now the hose needs replaced too.

Oh, I guess I forgot to mention that the hose runs from the dryer about 8 feet and is BETWEEN the floor boards and our dining room ceiling! So guess what? You guessed it. We have a huge hole in our dining room ceiling now. Here are pictures of what we found:

We are thinking that there was another bird's nest in there before this bird started. Again, thank you Jesus that it never caught on fire. We found two dried eggs. Some of the straw and dirt was on top of the dry wall ceiling. Let me just tell you....it was a MESS!!!

I guess a couple of good things will come out of this.
1. My dryer should dry more efficient now. In the past I have had to run my dryer on 2 cycles for my clothes to be dry.
2. Our dining room renovation has officially begun. Dave has already started removing wall paper...just "to see how easy it will come off".
3. I can rest assured that my dryer will not start a fire.

Oh, we did see the bird come back that night. He was all confused....poor bird. He couldn't find "his" opening to his house. It was sad. (That was all said with SARCASM!!!)

Trusting in Him

2010-03-23T08:09:00.002-04:00

I am pregnant again! I am around 7 weeks right now...due at the beginning of November.

I've been feeling pretty good. You know the usual nausea and tiredness that goes along with the first trimester. I've had blood work. It came back normal. And I've had 2 ultrasounds. The first, too early to see anything. The second, baby measured 5mm and we saw a heartbeat....which in itself is unbelievable to me that you could see a heartbeat in a baby so small. (All of this testing is because of my history of miscarriages.)

This past weekend, I felt great. I had energy and didn't really feel sick at all. Honestly it worried me a little. I shared this with my hubby and some friends, who all tried to encourage me. I just kept praying for my baby to be healthy.

One of my friends said, "I've been praying for an easy pregnancy for you...no morning sickness, etc." So I guess God is just answering these prayers.

So do I pray for nausea and tiredness so I "know" that my baby is okay or do I just trust God to take care of my baby and forgo the symptoms. HMMM?! Let me think. I think I will trust in HIM! The One that created this baby for my family.

Knee Pads

2010-03-22T14:33:00.001-04:00

Walking past the bra section of T*rg*t this weekend, Little Guys says:
"Look Mommy! Knee Pads"

Care Package for Jesse

2010-03-09T06:39:00.003-05:00

This is Jesse (on the right) with an Iraqi policeman

I always thought it would be nice to send a care package to an American soldier serving in another country, but I didn't know any personally. So the thought would cross my mind, but end shortly after. Now, my brother-in-law, Jesse, is serving in Iraq. I now know someone that I can send to and I love sending him things.

I am getting ready to put together another package for him. I thought I would give you the opportunity to bless someone serving our country. If you are interested in sending any items or just a letter, let me know. I would like to get a package out to him sometime next week.

Some things that he is requesting:
~white mid-calf length socks
~snacks
~Power Bars (his favorite is chocolate peanut butter)
~Power Gels (his favorite is Strawberry Banana)
~AA batteries
~hard candies
~gum

Another Cute Story

2010-01-31T14:46:00.000-05:00

Princess, Little Guy, and I were cleaning Little Guy's bedroom. Princess started looking at the walls in his room. Here is our conversation:

Princess: Mommy, when Little Guy was in your belly, you and daddy painted Little Guy's room.
Me: That's right! Do you remember that?
Princess: Yes.
Little Guy: I don't want to go in your belly. I will cry.
Me: I don't want you in my belly.
Princess: Why?
Me: Because I will cry. Little Guy is a lot bigger now and it would really hurt me if he was in my belly....and I would miss kissing and hugging, playing, tickling, and talking to him.

Messy Bed

2010-01-30T14:42:00.000-05:00

I usually don't make my bed in the morning, but yesterday I cleaned our bedroom. (It looks empty now. Piles of clothes and dust bunnies really add to a room...seriously!) Since I have a clean room, I decided that I should make my bed. While I was making my bed Princess came in. Here is our conversation:

Princess: Did Daddy mess up the bed?
Me: Yes, every time you sleep in a bed it gets messy.
Princess: So, we should just keep it messy.

EXACTLY!!!! Why make the bed?

I Heart Food Coloring

2010-01-29T15:22:00.001-05:00

I love food coloring! I use it to make things fun for the kids. Here is a list of some things we do with it.

1. Bath Paint. I put some of their body wash in a small cup (we have stackable cups in the bathtub that they play with). Then I add just 1 or 2 drops of food coloring. They use a Q-tip as a paint brush and draw on the tub or their bodies. It doesn't stain. They wash it off with a wash cloth before they get out of the tub (so really they are cleaning the tub for me).

2. Colored Water. This is another fun thing for in the bathtub. I fill an empty body wash bottle with water and add a couple drops of food coloring. Their imaginations go crazy with it. They have used it to "wash" a baby (tub toy) and "cook" with it. It's fun and it also turns their bath water color.

3. Change the Color of Food. We have had green pancakes, purple noodles, blue milk on cereal, etc. You can do this to make a holiday special, i.e. red pancakes for Valentine's Day, green noodles for St. Patrick's Day. Or just to have fun.

4. Paint Eggs. This seems obvious, but you don't have to wait until Easter to paint eggs. You can paint eggs all year.

5. Paint Toast. Add food coloring to milk and let the kids use it to "paint" their bread. Then toast the bread (to basically dry it out). Then they can eat their artwork.

6. Science Project. I found this science project that I am going to try with the kids soon. All you need is milk, food coloring, and dish soap. I am not going use is as a science project, just something fun to do and watch.

7. Paint the Snow. Add a couple of drops of food coloring to water in a spray bottle. Let the kids spray the snow. The more colors you have the prettier your yard becomes.

8. Change the Color of a Flower. In the summer, I stop along the road and cut some of those Queen Anne's Lace flower/weed things. We bring them home and put them in water with food coloring. Then watch over a couple of days while the flowers change color. I think you could do this with any white flower.

What do you do with food coloring?

Sauce

2010-01-29T14:35:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, I was watching TLC before the kids woke up. When they woke up, I just left the tv on and got breakfast ready, etc. A while later, I walked in the living room and saw the kids watching "A Baby Story". No big deal. We watched the mommy have the baby. When the baby came out with blood on her, I looked at Princess. She kind of looked at me like, what is wrong with the baby. I explained that there is blood inside the mommy, so when the baby comes out sometimes there is blood on the baby. She was okay with that explanation.

Today, I was telling the kids that Miss Tiffany has a baby in her belly and the baby is going to come out soon. Little Guy says, "Is it going to have sauce on it?" I replied, "Sauce?" thinking I miss understood him. He said, "Yes, sauce. Like on tv."

My First Fast

2010-01-20T06:48:00.003-05:00

Two weeks ago, our pastor asked us to participate in a 10-day corporate fast. He didn't tell us what we should omit (except that fasting meant omitting food...not TV, etc). He just told us to pray and ask God what we were to omit. My fast consisted of omitting one meal a day, eating no sweets, and only drinking water.

Today is the last day. I don't think that I have ever done a fast before...at least not seriously. When I began this fast, I thought I was going to be super spiritual. Well, that's not how it turned out. The first couple of days was really rough. I think the devil was trying to get me to stop the fast. I was not a very nice person to be around. I yelled at the kids more than I normally do. At one point, I had to ask for their forgiveness.

I did see breakthrough though. Princess pooped on the potty 2 times. Dave has not been feeling good since December. Yesterday, that changed. He is on some new meds, but feeling so much better. You can tell just by looking at him. And our furnace has been giving us problems (this seems to be a yearly thing). This morning it seems to be doing fine. I am going to believe that it has been "fixed". I'm so excited to see what else God is going to do in this "year of breakthrough". I will let you know.

Now my question is: Is it OK to eat a peanut butter cup and drink a Pepsi for breakfast tomorrow?

Get Rid of That Winter Itch

2010-01-07T07:27:00.002-05:00

Do you have that winter itch? Itchy skin, that is. A couple of us have it in our family. It is very common in during these dry Pennsylvania winters. (I post this every winter hoping to help someone.)

I worked 9 years as a medical assistant in dermatology. This is what the professionals recommend to get rid of that winter itch.

Take 10 minutes or less in the shower. If your skin wrinkles, you have been in too long. Wrinkles (from being in the shower too long) mean dehydration.
Before drying off, rub baby oil or mineral oil over your skin.
After drying off, use a thick CREAM (Cetaphil or the drug store brand of Cetaphil is my favorite) on your skin. If it comes in a pump bottle, it is not thick enough. (Lotions are not thick enough and often times are more irritating to your skin)
If you can stand it, rub petroleum jelly on your skin before bed.

After taking control over your skin (or if you only have a mild itch to begin with), you don't have to continue with every step. You can usually manage it with just oil or cream.

Amazing Light Show

2009-12-30T18:33:00.002-05:00

A couple of nights ago, my husband told me about a light show that I may want to see. You see, we went to a couple developments to see Christmas Lights. We saw a lot of lights, but I wanted to see "one of those displays where the lights dance to music." His coworker told him about this light show in Camp Hill.

We found it with our GPS and IT WAS EVERYTHING THAT I WAS LOOKING FOR!!! I could have sat and watched it for hours. The kids loved it too.

The owner came out and talked to us and gave us a brochure and candy canes. He has a donation box and is collecting money for St. Jude's. He told us several times that he is just doing it for fun and is just promoting family time.

Anyhow there are four displays in our area...Camp Hill, Mechanicsburg, Hanover, and Manhiem. Put your family in the car and go check at least one of these shows out!!!! They are running their shows until January 10.

Click here for more information.

What's on Top of Your Christmas Tree?

2009-12-29T10:35:00.003-05:00

On Christmas morning the kids and I were sitting at Grammy and Pappy's house waiting for all the Christmas fun to begin. The kids were looking at all the ornaments on the Christmas tree. Here is our conversation:

Little Guy: Why does Grammy have a star on top?
Me: Some people put stars on top of their tree, some put an angel. We have an angel. Grammy has a star.
LG: What does Aunt Becky have on her tree?
Me: I'm not sure. I can't remember what they put on top of their tree. Princess, do you remember what Aunt Becky has on top of her tree? (because if anyone would remember, it would be Princess)
Princess: Hmm? I think a pirate.
Me: A PIRATE?
Princess: Yes. I think a pirate. It has a feather.
Me: Oh, maybe an angel. Sometime angels have feathers.
Princess: No. A pirate.

So there you have it. Aunt Becky has a pirate on top of her Christmas tree.

Fall Fun

2009-11-06T06:57:00.001-05:00

The kids and I took advantage of this nice fall weather and had some fun this week.

First we played in the leaves. We don't have many leaves in our yard, so we asked the neighbor if we could play in her leaves.

Then we went to a local lake, fed the ducks and had a picnic lunch.

Take advantage of this fall and play outside with your kids.

She Is So My Daughter

2009-11-02T14:18:00.003-05:00

We are working on this potty training thing with Princess. She is doing great with pee. I have been rewarding her with candy and a sticker for her sticker chart after she goes.

Well since Halloween, WE have been eating A LOT of candy! Today I decided that the kids and I will only have 3 pieces total today.

Princess pees on the potty for the 3rd time today:

Princess: I peed 3 times today. I get 3 stickers and 3 pieces of candy.
Me: No. You can have 3 stickers and 1 piece of candy.
Princess: Why?
Me: We've been eating too much candy.
Princess: I know the fun way. We can switch. I will have 1 sticker and 3 pieces of candy.

Hmm? Wonder where she gets her smarts?

The Beloved Pacifier

2009-10-31T14:23:00.004-04:00

We started telling Princess a couple months ago that when she turned 4, she was going to throw her pacifier away in the trash. So on her 4th birthday, I told her no more pacifier. I said, "when you are ready to throw it away, let me know and we will do it."

Quiet time came and she wanted her pacifier. I told her "No, you are a big girl. You don't need it." She would cry off and on for it. During her quiet time, I was chatting with Classic Mama on Facebook. I told her what was going on. She suggested going to Build A Bear and putting it in a bear for Princess. What a great idea! When Dave got home, I told him. He also liked the idea. As soon as we ate supper, we were off to the Build A Bear store. Princess picked out Hello Kitty to put her pacifier inside. Princess seemed a little sad, but was okay about the whole thing. I almost cried though, but knew I had to be strong for her.

THEN BEDTIME CAME :( oH mY wORD! Crying, Screaming, Reaching for the door, tossing herself all over the bed. WOW! I laid in bed praying and singing with her during this whole time. She did this for about 45 minutes and then just "passed out"....for about 3 hours, then it started again! I think I was up with her 3-4 times that night. (Dave was up with Little Guy each time too.)

The next night was better. She cried for her pacifier for a couple of minutes and then once or twice in the middle of the night, but that was it.

The next night she asked for her pacifier, but no crying.

She seemed depressed for about a week. I finally took her out just the 2 of us and spent some time doing what she wanted. I made the time all about her and that seemed to do the trick. She is her happy little self again. Once in a while, she will ask for her pacifier with a smile on her face.

Free $15 Gift Card from Kodak Gallery

2009-10-30T07:28:00.001-04:00

Kodak Gallery is having a "Million Thanks Giveaway". They are giving away $15 gift cards or 40% off during 3 different promotions. Here is a breakdown of the offers:

~1 FREE gift of $15 good towards the Kodak Gallery website (fulfilled as a digital code) per person limit.
~If/once the $15 gift codes are exhausted in each phase, 40% off gift codes will be given away.
~If you are the recipient of a 40% off gift code, you may come back to the promotion during the next phase to receive a $15 gift code.
~Visitors must register for the promotion and opt-in to receive future information from the Kodak Gallery in accordance with our privacy policy to be eligible for the FREE gift and/or discount code.
~300,000 $15 gift codes will be given away over the course of the promotion. Please see the breakdown to see how many $15 digital codes will be given away per promotion phase.
~Kodak Gallery is also giving away other gifts through other offers, totaling 1 million gifts.
PHASE DATES ARE AS FOLLOWS:
Phase 1 (Oct 20 - Oct 28):Minimum 100,000 $15 Gift Codes will be given away
Phase 2 (Oct 29 - Nov 5):Minimum 100,000 $15 Gift Codes will be given away
Phase 3 (Nov 6 – Nov 13):Minimum 100,000 $15 Gift Codes will be given away
Must be eligible for the promotion according to eligibility within the Official Rules.

I have already used mine. You do have to pay for shipping.

Dora and the Bumble Bee

2009-10-30T06:56:00.003-04:00

Dora isn't a big fan of getting her picture taken.

I am not a big fan of Halloween, but I also don't oppose Trick or Treating. I don't really talk to the kids about Trick or Treating until the day of. So on the day of, I just look at their dress-up clothes and ask them what they want to wear. They put it on and we go. There is no hype about it.

I think Princess has been Dora for 2 or 3 years now. And Little Guy has been a bee for 2 years. (The bee costume is size 12-18 months, so this will probably be the last year for it.) When they are adults and looking at their photo albums, they will probably question why they were Dora and a bumble bee for 5 years.

Anyhow, we went out last night for Trick or Treating. My Bumble Bee said some cute things that I wanted to write down.

1. This one lady was giving out baggies of candy. I would say there were probably 7 little candy bars inside of one baggie. She handed one to my little bumble bee. He says, "I don't want that. I want a lollipop!"

2. Another lady had a tray of candy. Little Guy picks one little Tootsie Roll. The lady says, "take some more". Little Guy just holds up his Tootsie Roll and says, "Where's Grammy? I have a Footsie Roll for Grammy!"

3. At one house, a lady was holding a whole big bowl of candy. Little Guy is combing through all of the candy. I say, "Okay Buddy, pick one." He says, "I'm looking for candy."

All he wanted the entire night was lollipops and "Footsie" rolls. It was so cute and funny.

Favorites

2009-10-29T06:25:00.000-04:00

On Princess' 4th birthday, I asked her what her favorites are. Here is her list:

Place to eat: McDonald's and Chick Fil A
Ice cream: Peanut Butter Cup
Movie: Strawberry Shortcake movie
Book: Thanksgiving Blues Clues
Song: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
Food: French Fries
TV show: Franklin the Turtle
Season: Fall
Color: Purple and Pink
Holiday: Easter
Snack: Teddy Bear Graham Crackers

It will be interesting to ask her this list next year.

Makes THIS Mama Proud...

2009-10-26T14:21:00.002-04:00

Can you see what this bag says at the top of this bag? You read it right. CVS.

Princess went her daddy the other day and asked, "How do you spell CVS? Does it have an 'O' in it?" I'm not sure who actually wrote it on the bag, but it was all her idea.

My 4-year-old is already beginning her great addiction to CVS. I LOVE IT!

Princess Turns 4!

2009-10-20T07:18:00.002-04:00

Today is Princess' 4th birthday!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PRINCESS!!!

We're Going on a Treasure Hunt

2009-10-09T06:57:00.000-04:00

The other day Princess told me that she was bored (in so many words, because she doesn't know the word "bored" yet...thank God). I asked her if she wanted to go on a treasure hunt. She got all excited.

We started by making the "treasure chest". I cut an empty egg carton into strips so each of the kids would have one. (If you plan ahead, you could use save egg cartons so your child has the entire carton and a lid) Princess and Little Guy colored the inside of each egg holder a different color. That's it! Time for a treasure hunt!

We started in the house. They had to find something of each color to put in the egg holders. For example, Princess found a strand of red beads for the color red. The only rule was that the items had to be small enough to fit in each hole. After the indoor treasure hunt, we decided to take it outdoors. We had to make a few rules like do not pick the neighbors flowers and no picking up cigarettes or nasty trash. We did allow them to pick up some "clean" trash.

The kids have had so much fun doing this. We have been on several Treasure Hunts in the last week or so. Oh and did I mention that for toddlers, this is a great way to teach or review colors!

Sausage, Peppers & Potatoes

2009-10-05T08:46:00.000-04:00

Good 'ole meat and potatoes! This is what we are having for dinner tonight. I love this meal.

SAUSAGE, PEPPERS & POTATOES
3 lbs lean sweet and/or hot Italian sausage cut into 2-inch pieces
3 large onions, sliced
5 medium green, red and/or yellow peppers, seeded and sliced
1 lb potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1-inch cubes

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F). In a large skillet, sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, over medium-high heat, brown sausages on all sides; remove sausage to paper towels to drain. Discard all but 1 Tbsp. drippings in skillet. Add onions and cook over medium heat until onions are slightly softened and lightly browned. Transfer onions to large baking dish. Add sausages, peppers and potatoes; toss lightly to mix.

Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring frequently, until sausage is thoroughly cooked, and potatoes are just tender. Remove from oven.

We usually serve this with a balsamic vinegar glaze (premade from the grocery store) to put on the sausage.

Supposedly you can freeze this, but I've never tried. Enjoy!

WHAT ARE YOU HAVING FOR DINNER TONIGHT?

A Field Trip to Paulus Orchards

2009-09-30T13:45:00.004-04:00

Last year I posted about taking the kids to the orchard to pick apples. We were invited by a friend to go to the same orchard for a field trip today. Let me just tell you up front the kids loved it!

They rode on a "wagon" pulled by a tractor. They each picked a pumpkin and 3 apples. They got to play at their playground and go through the corn maze (which I thought we would never get out). They were able to see how the small apples (used for juice) are separated from the large apples (sold at the market). And my son's favorite part, they got to see the bees making honey.

Here are some pictures to show you their fun!

New Bed for Princess

2009-09-02T09:59:00.005-04:00

Since June of last year, Princess has been sleeping on a box spring and mattress set on the floor in front of her crib/toddler bed. We finally decided to buy the bed frame and change her crib/bed into the double bed.

The night we made the change, we let her sleep in our room. When she fell asleep, Dave and I got to work.

When Princess woke up the next morning, we showed her her new room. She smiled for at least an hour. She couldn't get the smile off of her face if someone paid her.

On a side note, Princess used to wake up in the middle of the night (every night!) and sleep on a cushion in our room. Since she has a new bed, we told her she has to sleep in her own room. She is doing very good with this. She has only gotten up a couple of nights and needed covered up or music turned on and then she is okay. :)

I'm Hungry - Looking for Wisdom

2009-08-17T10:03:00.003-04:00

Someone once told me that parents of girls are expected to pay for their wedding which is equal to feeding a boy until he is an adult.

Well I can't count the number of times my 2-year-old boy says, "I'm hungry" in a days time. My question to you is how do I know if he is really hungry or not?

We just left the breakfast table where he ate a piece of toast and a bowl of cereal. That was all of 15 minutes ago. I think (if I'm counting right) that I have heard, "I'm hungry" 3 times already! Is he really hungry? Is he bored (I don't think that's the case this time anyhow)? Is he feeling another emotion and just doesn't know how to tell me? HELP!!!

Marco...

2009-07-31T06:41:00.003-04:00

The other day we were swimming in my in-laws pool. Princess has become quite the fish this year. She wanted to play a game. So I told her, "I will close my eyes and say 'Marco'. Then you say 'Polo' and I will try to find you." She was in a floaty thing and her daddy was pushing her around.

So we start. I said, "Marco."

She replied, "Pull-up."

Sketchers

2009-07-22T12:56:00.003-04:00

Last night I bought a pair of Sketcher sneakers for Little Guy. This morning I asked Princess if she wanted to see Little Guy's new sneakers. Of course she said, "yes!"

I showed them to her. Here is our conversation:

Princess: "They look just like Sketchers."

Me: "Like what?"

Princess: "Sketchers."

Me: "Where did you learn about Sketchers?"

Princess: "On tv." Then she proceeded to tell me about the commercial.

Now she is asking me to buy her a pair of Sketchers.

I guess Sketchers must have good marketing.

Top 12 Indicators the Economy is Bad...

2009-07-22T07:41:00.002-04:00

I got this as an email a while ago and thought it was kind of funny.

12. CEO's are now playing miniature golf.

11. I got a pre-declined credit card in the mail.

10. I went to buy a toaster oven and they gave me a bank.

9. Hotwheels and Matchbox car companies are now trading higher than GM in the stock market.

8. Obama met with small businesses - GE, Pfizer, Chrysler, Citigroup and GM, to discuss the Stimulus Package.

7. McDonalds is selling the 1/4 ouncer.

6 People in Beverly Hills fired their nannies and are learning their children's names.

5. The most highly-paid job is now jury duty.

4. People in Africa are donating money to Americans. Mothers in China are telling their kids, "finish your plate; do you know how many kids are starving in America ?"

3. Motel Six won't leave the lights on.

2. The Mafia is laying off judges.

1. If the bank returns your check marked as "insufficient funds," you have to call them and ask if they meant you or them.

Brownie Anyone?

2009-07-16T08:08:00.002-04:00

The other day as Little Guy walked away from our little Elmo table, which had choclate cupcake crumbs all over and around (thanks to Princess) he says, "Oh, there's sumpin on my foot". He sits down on the floor to look at the bottom of his foot. He then picks a cupcake crumb off of his foot and says, "A brownie!" He then procedes to eat it. Yum!

EAT MOR CHIKIN

2009-07-10T11:52:00.005-04:00

This morning the kids and I dressed up like cows and headed to Chick-fil-A. Today only for Cow Appreciation Day, if you dress up like a cow, your food is FREE. I will do almost anything for free food.

The kids had fun helping with their "costumes". They also got a balloon and a little stuffed animal cow. AND they got to play on the playground. Fun FREE morning!!!!

Hershey Park Happy

2009-07-08T07:23:00.003-04:00

Dave and I were going to go to Hershey Park this year just the two of us, since I'm not pregnant and could enjoy ROLLER COASTERS!!!!!!!!! Well after we saw how much Princess enjoyed the rides at Jubilee Day, we decided to take the kids to Hershey Park with us. It was so worth it.

Princess loved, LOVED it! As soon as a ride would start, she had an instant smile. She would smile for the entire ride. She even loved the Boardwalk (the water park).

Little Guy, well he liked the trains and the horse carriages, but that is about it. He slept the entire time that we were ate the Boardwalk. I think he will like it better next year.

Dave and I only rode one roller coaster....Fahrenheit!!!!!! We were a little nervous while waiting in line. I've never been nervous for a roller coaster before. Maybe it's age or being a mommy, I don't know. But anyhow, Fahrenheit was so much FUN! I can't wait to ride it again.

School

2009-06-15T12:48:00.005-04:00

I've been wanting to put Princess in some sort of structured class for a while now. She is also always talking about going to school. I took her to a dance recital at our church. Afterwards I asked her if she wanted to go to school to dance. She said, "yes and painting too!" She LOVES to paint. A week or so later, I asked her, "if you had a choice to go to school to dance or to paint which would you choose?" Immediately she said paint.

Dave asked around at work and found a place down the road from us (we pass it all the time, but never really noticed it) called the Art Center. They have camps during the summer for all ages. Last week I enrolled Princess in the "Preschool Painting Camp". Check out her first day on her blog.

I was nervous because I didn't stay in the room with her. I wanted her to do this without me...part of the reason I wanted her in a structured class. She did great. She did not cry or even ask for me. I am so proud of her. This is a big step for her.

While she was in class I made Little Guy have a photo shot. He didn't cooperate very well, but I got some good shots of him. Enjoy.

Little Guy's Summer Haircut

2009-06-04T07:00:00.004-04:00

Little Guy at his birthday party just a couple weeks ago.
Little Guy after his haircut yesterday.

If you missed Princess' haircut, check it out on her blog.

This House is Only Big Enough for ONE Family

2009-05-15T06:42:00.004-04:00

Wednesday, I got up early to paint in our living room (pictures to come very soon). I heard a thumping noise and thought maybe it was a cat on our porch. I looked outside and saw nothing. A little while later, I heard the noise again, except it sounded like it was under the floor I was standing on. About a half an hour later, I heard like a scratching noise coming from the basement. So I shut the dining room doors and the living room doors thinking that if there was an animal downstairs, I didn't want it upstairs so I could just open the front door and let it walk out.

I called Dave at work and told him about it. While on the phone, I snuck downstairs to check it out. My whole body was shaking. I don't like animals, especially wild animals. I looked around (from the steps...I wasn't going the whole way down). Didn't see anything. Then I heard it in the wall beside me.

When Dave got home he went down to check it out. We have drop tile ceiling down there and he could hear and feel it walking on the ceiling. At one spot, there is a little hole between the ceiling and wall. He put the flashlight there and saw a baby opossum. Later in the evening we heard noises from two different areas. We thought "great there are 2 of them."

Dave called an exterminator (or something) to come and get them. It would cost $185 for them to come set traps and $85 for each time they came to check the trap. Dave was like no way, I have a shot gun. Just kidding! That just seemed like a lot of $$$$$$.

So last night my father-in-law Bob came over to check things out. Dave and Bob found a mommy and babies living between the foundation and wall of our basement. Let me tell you the odor is not very pleasant at all. One of the babies got close enough that Bob picked him up (with gloves on) and put him in a 5-gallon bucket.

Princess and Little Guy were so excited. LG kept looking at it and laughing. Princess was not too sure at first, but then wanted food for it. She gave it leaves, maple seed, and a carrot. She then sang "the Wheels on the Bus" to it. And asked, "Can the opossum sleep in my room tonight?"

Since Bob couldn't reach the other opossums. He decided to set a trap outside thinking that the mommy would leave at night to get food. They found 3 places under our porch where the lattice was broken. They set a trap at one and blocked off the other 2.

Before we went to bed last night, the mommy was in there with at least 4 more babies. Dave read on the Internet that baby opossums cling to their mother. We haven't heard any more noises from the basement so hopefully they are all gone.

Don't worry, no animals have been hurt in this process. The baby last night was taken to a secluded area and let go. That's the plan for the mommy and babies tonight.

Little Guy's 1st ER Visit

2009-04-15T06:40:00.004-04:00

This past Saturday started just like any other day. We sat down to eat breakfast, played for a little while, then I decided it was time for a shower. Well Little Guy did not want me to leave him. I ran into our guest room so I could turn Dora on for him. He chased me in there (we turned it into a game). Next thing I know, he tripped over a pair of shoes and started to cry. Little Guy does not usually cry. I picked him up and said "brush it off", but he didn't just brush it off this time. It took his blankey and pacifier to calm him.

Grandpa came to our house later in the morning with Easter baskets for the kids. Little Guy didn't want any thing to do with the candy or toys that was in the basket. In fact, he only wanted to be held. This is when we noticed that he would not put any weight on his left leg. I stood him about 2 feet from me and made him walk to me (such a good mother, I know). He limped the whole way.

He seemed very tired, so I decided to put him down for a nap. I figured he would sleep it off. He woke up about 2 hours later with no change. That's when we decided to have him checked...maybe something was wrong.

Little Guy and I went to the ER. (Princess and Daddy ran other errands and had some quality time together). Little Guy was such a trooper. We waited in the ER waiting room for 3 hours and 45 minutes. He sat on my lap or on the chair next to me the entire time. Little Guy made so many new friends (mostly adults) while we waited. All the other kids in the waiting room were running around or crying at some point. He just sat there with me talking, singing, and laughing.

Finally it was our turn. As soon as we went back, they took him for x-rays. I was able to stay with him and hold his leg for the x-ray techs. He did not like getting x-rays. I think this was the only time he really cried.

After the ER doctor came in to tell us that his leg was indeed broken, the osteo doctor came in with all the supplies for a cast. He told me that it was Little Guy's tibia that broke...called a spiral or a toddler fracture. It is very common in toddlers.

Little Guy was able to sit on my lap while he got his cast on. The doctor asked Little Guy if he could count. They started counting together. Then Little Guy sang his ABC's, Oh Christmas Tree (he only knows 2 lines) and Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. He also asked for a cast on his other leg. He was so pleasant. When the doctor left, Little Guy wanted to take the cast off, but was okay with it when I told him we were taking it home.
Today he is okay with his cast. He is crawling or scooting on his butt to get around. He is still able to torment his sister (which I think is important to him). After 2 nights, he is sleeping good. Overall he is adjusting better than I thought. He saw the doctor yesterday and is scheduled to get his cast off on May 1!

Today Was a Nice Day For...

2009-03-31T12:59:00.002-04:00

Walking on rocks...

Smelling the Flowers...

Playing on the sliding board...

and looking for birds.

(or drinking from your binoculars?)

So Proud of Himself

2009-03-26T15:07:00.003-04:00

Little Guy is soo proud of himself. He can finally walk down the steps like Princess. He has been trying for several weeks and has figured it out.

He will get to the bottom and say "Again!". Then we will go back up to the top and walk down again.

Just One Scoop Please

2009-03-24T06:59:00.003-04:00

This is a story that my in-laws have told over and over again, so I thought maybe I should write it down.

About a month ago, we were at Grammy and Pappy's house (my in-laws). We were just sitting around visiting and watching tv.

Princess: Grammy, I want ice cream.

Grammy: Okay.

Grammy leaves the room to dish out the ice cream.

Me: Princess, tell Grammy that you just want one scoop of ice cream.

Princess: Why do I only want one scoop? (Grammy & Pappy thinks this is the funniest line.)

Me: Because that is all you need.

Princess to Grammy: Grammy, I just want ONE scoop.

Grammy: Are you sure that is all you want?

Princess: Yup, just one scoop.

Grammy: Okay.

If only she listened that well all the time....

A New Hobby

2009-03-23T06:17:00.002-04:00

A couple of my family members have been asking me when I will start blogging again. I didn't realize that it has been 2 months since my last post. Time flies when you are having fun. My new fun (hobby) is crocheting. I learned at the beginning of February to crochet. Our church has a new ministry called Community Connectors. My friend Livin' Life comes up with great ways to bless others in our community. In February, we crocheted or knitted hats and scarfs for our Streets Ministry to hand out. So I started crocheting hats. I think I made like 8 hats and 1 scarf - something like that.

Now I am addicted to crocheting. Here are some things that I have made since February.

This is a small drawstring purse.

In April the Community Connectors are making baby blankets for neonatal babies at the Harrisburg Hospital. This is may first blanket.
This is a tote bag that I just finished last night. It is made of "plarn". Plarn is yarn made from plastic grocery bags.

Princess Talking to Mary

2009-01-27T11:42:00.004-05:00

This is a "phone conversation" that I over heard right before Christmas. Of course I only heard Princess' side of the conversation.

Princess:

We will be there in a couple minutes.

Okay, Mary.

What do you want for baby Jesus for special?

Oh, okay, socks.

Special Princess socks?

OK, we make 'um.

Oh, Joseph? Okay

Bye.

Dancing with Cinderella

2009-01-18T16:25:00.002-05:00

Last night Hubby was listening to music on the internet. Princess climbed up on his lap and wanted to listen with him. So he turns on Steven Curtis Chapman's Cinderella (which is playing right now on my blog...if you want to hear it).

She's says, "I know" and runs back to her bedroom. With my help, she puts on her "princess dress." She goes back out and requests a dance with her daddy.

Then she asked me if I wanted to wear her dress. I thanked her but told her that it doesn't really fit me. Then she looks at our wedding picture in the computer room and says, "where is your dress?" I again told her that would be a good idea, but it doesn't really fit me anymore.

Then I thought why not. I never took it to be preserved or anything. It is just hanging in a closet. So I went and put it on. Well let me just say, it still fits...it just has a "sexy" open back now instead of a conservative back.

She was so cute. She had to hold my hand and take me out to daddy. Then she told us to dance. So Hubby changed the music to our song (These Hands byAll 4 One) and we danced.

Then she had to hold my hand when I was walking away. She thought that was the best...mommy in a princess dress.

Delicious

2008-12-20T08:12:00.001-05:00

Toddler Crafts

2008-12-15T08:36:00.004-05:00

Promises posted about doing Christmas crafts with Brady and asked for some suggestions. So I decided to post pictures of some that we have already done. Princess does all of the gluing herself. I put glue on a paper plate and she uses a Q-tip to put glue where she wants it.

I just cut a Christmas tree out of green construction paper and let Princess decorate it with foam beads, ribbon, and glitter paint.

With the green construction paper scraps from the above tree, she made a wreath. I tore the paper into little pieces. I cut the circle off of a Honey Bunches of Oats cereal box (but you could trace two circles from plates and cups). Then Princess covered all of the "brown" with the green paper. She then decorated it with 2 simple ribbons.

Amy talked about this craft at the MIA coffeehouse. We traced Princess' hands and one of her feet. I cut them out and we glued them together to make a reindeer. Princess used markers to make eyes, nose and a mouth (and whatever else she put on it).
I actually found this idea on the internet before Amy talked about it. On the internet, it suggested to keep this and do it every year to compare hand and foot sizes.

We the did it for Little Guy (except I did the eyes and nose.)

Someone Loves Me Too!

2008-12-04T06:34:00.004-05:00

I was tagged by Promises to do this meme. Enjoy!

Where is your cell phone? in my purse downstairs
Where is your significant other? on his way to work
Your hair color? brown
Your mother? dark blond
Your father? gray
Your favorite thing? watching my kids laugh and play together

Your dream last night? I know I had a dream, but I don't remember anything about it
Your dream/goal? to raise God-loving children and to grow old with my hubby
The room you’re in? computer room
Your hobby? I like to make bead jewelry, but haven't since Princess has been mobile
Your fear? that something bad will happen to my children, hubby, or myself

Where do you want to be in 6 years? right here or in a new house

Where were you last night? at home

What you’re not? lonely

One of your wish-list items? a complete living room

Where you grew up? Chambersburg, PA

The last thing you did? packed Hubby's lunch
What are you wearing? nightgown
Your TV? a lifesaver many days
Your pet? no thank you!
Your computer? is hard to live without
Your mood? indifferent
Missing someone? yes
Your car? 2 Toyota Camries
Something you’re not wearing? socks
Favorite store? love Kohl's. I like their clothes and they send me discounts all the time.
Your summer? fun - I look forward to going to the beach every year

Love someone? Lots of people
Your favorite color? varies, but usually blue or green
When is the last time you laughed? last night thinking about some things the kids said and did over the day

Last time you cried? I don't remember

If you are reading this and want to join in on the fun, consider yourself tagged.

My IQ

2008-11-07T06:25:00.000-05:00

Free-IQTest.net - Quick IQ Test

True/False Test

2008-11-05T19:34:00.001-05:00

It's a "True/False" test. Feel free to pass it along to others. I copied this from my 2nd cousin, Janice's blog.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, Jesus will still be King.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, our responsibilities as Christians will not have changed one iota.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, the greatest agent for social change in America will still be winning the hearts and minds of men and women through the gospel, not legislation.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, my primary citizenship will still be in this order - (1) the Kingdom of God, (2) America, not vice-versa.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, the tomb will still be empty.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, the cross, not the government, will still be our salvation.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, our children will still be more concerned with whether or not we spend time with them than with who is President.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, my neighbor will still be my neighbor, and loving him/her will still be the second greatest commandment. (Do you know the first?)

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, the only way to see abortion ultimately overturned will still be winning men and women to a high view of life through the gospel of Christ.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, the only way to see gay marriage ultimately defeated will still be winning men and women to a biblical view of marriage through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, my retirement will still not match my treasure in Heaven.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, "Jesus Is Lord" will still be the greatest truth in the Universe.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, we will still know that God is in control.

How did you score?

"We Did It!" (That's a Dora quote if you didn't know.)

2008-11-04T11:23:00.003-05:00

After grocery shopping this morning, the kids and I walked 1/2 a block to our voting poll and voted. No line. Easy Peasy (as The Gang states). The "poll watchers" commented on how I voted with one hand (I was holding Little Guy). I told them that voting was the easiest thing I did all day.

Now you get out there and vote.

How Smart is Your Right Foot?

2008-10-31T06:47:00.001-04:00

This will boggle your mind and you will keep you trying over and over again to see if you can outsmart your foot, but, you can't. It's preprogrammed in your brain!

1. Without anyone watching you (they will think you are GOOFY......)and while sitting at your desk in front of your computer, lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles.

2. Now, while doing this, draw the number '6' in the air with your right hand. Your foot will change direction.

I told you so!!! And there's nothing you can do about it! You and I both know how stupid it is, but before the day is done you are going to try it again, if you've not already done so.

Right On!

2008-10-30T12:18:00.000-04:00

You Belong in Generation X

You fit in best with people born between 1961 and 1981.

You are fun, laid back, and very independent.

You are willing to take risks and live your life however you see fit.

You are casual, accepting, and friendly. You see everyone as your equal.

What Generation Do You Belong In?

Organizing Toys - LFW

2008-10-29T11:17:00.002-04:00

Help!! Princess just turned 3-years-old last week. Of course, with a birthday comes a whole new truck-load of toys. And Christmas is in 2 months (YIKES!!). You can see where this is going. How do I organize all these toys?

Here are some of the issues:

* I have girl toys and boy toys.

* I do rotate toys.

* How do I decide what to give/throw away? What if the next child would play with it?

* Stuffed animals - need I say more?

* I have a toy room and they each have their own room.

* Lots of books - some board and some paper.

* I have a 5 shelf bookshelf, toy bins, and a 3 shelf bookshelf.

HELP!!! How do you keep control of toys in your house?

Next Season of Dancing with the Stars???

2008-10-24T07:33:00.000-04:00

What do you think?

A Little Known Secret?

2008-10-16T13:38:00.003-04:00

This morning I told Princess that we could go to the park and play since it looked like a nice day. We waited for Little Guy to wake-up, eat breakfast and get dressed. We got our shoes on and packed a snack. We pulled the wagon out of the garage and wouldn't you know it started raining. It was raining hard enough that we would have gotten too wet for a semi-chilly day. I had to tell Princess that we could not go to the park. She had such a sad face.

I told her that we could get in the car and drive to an indoor playground. She doesn't do well at McDonald's or Chick-fil-A. So, I decided to take her and the Little Guy to the play area at the Harrisburg Mall. I really didn't want to go that far from the house, because of doing laundry and housework. On the way there, I got a brilliant idea. Servant's Heart!!!

Did you know there is a play area at the Servant's Heart bookstore (formally Christian Publications)? I thought everyone knew this, but after talking to a friend who practically lives across the street from it, I realized that not everyone knows.

They have a sliding board, a bunch of toys (a lot are broken and dirty), puzzles, and a big screen TV with a lot of video options. It is geared more towards preschoolers. For the adults, right outside of the play area are tables and leather couches that you can sit and relax while enjoying a free cup of coffee, hot chocolate or tea.

We spent an hour playing on the slide, putting puzzles together, building blocks, and playing with all of the other toys. Unfortunately Little Guy still needs me there especially for the slide so I didn't get to relax, but it is just fun to go somewhere else to play. I put a kids music video on just for background music. We had a fun morning.

This & That - Edition #2

2008-10-16T13:02:00.003-04:00

Am I the only person that at the end of the day realizes that I forgot to brush my teeth all day? I am so sorry if you have been on the other end of that.
I paid $1.49 per gallon of gas today!!! I don't remember the last time I filled my tank for $23. Thank you Giant!
Princess stayed in the nursery last night at church - the whole night with absolutely no crying. THANK YOU, JESUS! She hasn't been in the nursery by herself for over a year, I am guessing.
Can the weather please decide if it's going to be hot or cold? Preferably cooler, since I spent a gazillion hours purging clothes and all of the summer clothes are in the attic.
Our computer doesn't always want to turn back on after it has been turned off. Thankfully, I just wait for Hubby to have a spare 5 minutes to take that $5 battery out and put the same one back in. Some day I am going to learn to do it myself. A day without a computer is a looooooooong day! (pathetic, I know)
I am about a year behind on Little Guys baby book. I seriously think about it every day, but am too lazy to pick up the book. Poor guy will never know when his first molar appeared.
My house is so dusty from all of the construction that is going on in my living room. Good excuse isn't it?
We are on day 2 of no pacifiers except at bedtime. Not going too bad. Sometimes I am ready to give in, but I haven't.
I love the MIA team. I think we are an awesome group.
TWO times in the last TWO days, I have looked down and noticed a booger on my shoulder. I am almost positive that it wasn't my own booger either time.
I am still waiting for Princess to wake up and say, "I want to go potty!"
Birthday season is starting. We have Princess this month and Hubby and mine next month. Then in December we have Jesus' birthday along with two of Abby's friends. And January has too many birthdays to count. Finally we get a break in February.

Is that enough randomness for you? I will stop. Have a great day!

Hmmm???

2008-10-10T07:21:00.001-04:00

Princess to Mommy: "I wuv Little Guy's sister."

Apples!!!!!

2008-10-08T06:27:00.002-04:00

This past Saturday, we decided to take the kids to pick apples. We took them to Paulus Orchards. The kids enjoyed it. Little Guy was picking "matoes" the entire time and kept falling over the apples on the ground. We picked 1/2 bushel of Empire apples which supposedly is 50 apples. I think we had closer to 75 apples.

Sunday I baked 12 apple dumplings, 2 apple pies and a chocolate cake (Princess' request). Yesterday I made 12 more apple dumplings. So if you wonder why Hubby and I are looking "well nourished" lately, this is why.

Just for OnFire...

2008-10-03T13:05:00.006-04:00

OnFire (I don't know if that is still her screen name or not) gave me the title of this post. She keeps hounding me for pictures. So I am finally listening to her pleads.

Yesterday, I took Little Guy to Miss Susan's for a hair cut. This was his second time there; however the first time we just had his bangs and around the ears cut. This time he got a hair cut. He looks like a little boy now and not my baby - boo hoo hoo :(. I had to hold him like we were hugging for the entire hair cut. So I have no actual pictures during the cut. Just before and after.

Before - he used to have a cute curl, but I think his hair got too long.

After

OnFire also wants to see what me living room looks like at this present moment. So I have included pictures from just the other week and now. My husband calls the now pictures "the rustic look". He thinks we should keep it this way.

One wall of my living room, just a month ago. Today. That is plaster mess all over the hard wood floor that will soon be gone also.
One month ago (excuse the mess)
Today (same wall, only taken from the one window). And yes, we got rid of the faux mantle - not really my style
Do you like the "rustic style"?

Where Have I Been?

2008-09-26T10:16:00.003-04:00

Almost the whole month has passed since I last posted. Here is snidbits of where I have been.

:) We fought through Hurricane Hanna to spend a week in the Outer Banks. Princess loved jumping in the ocean (as long as her face didn't get wet) and loved, loved, loved playing in the sand. Little Guy liked the sand somewhat, but did not like the ocean ("pool") at all. Princess also fell in the pool. Thankfully Aunt Rachel didn't mind jumping in, clothes and all, to pull her out. Overall, we had a great time. However, vacation is alot of work with 2 young kids. Can you believe, I only took one picture the entire week?
:( We came home to a dead computer. We think/thought (not sure which) it got fried in a thunderstorm. Our warranty expired a month earlier!! Hubby researched forums on the internet to see if he could fix it. After a short walk to CVS, $5 on a nickel-sized battery, and a couple minutes, our computer is as good as new!!!! Thank you, Jesus!!
:( Well almost new. We couldn't get into our email for another 2 or 3 days. Hubby called our carrier to find out why. After about10 minutes on the phone, it was determined that we never set the clock and date on the computer so we couldn't get to our email??!! Strange.
:/ We had like 150 emails. I had over 500 blog posts to read on my Bloglines! Ok. Over 400 were under my "budget blogs". I didn't read any of those. I only read the 100 from my friends.
;) Two days after getting home, I had to shop and prepare for our Mom's In Action meeting at church. I thought making eggs, sausage, and hashbrowns was the craziest thing I have ever thought of doing. It ended up not being too bad. My mentor moms are awesome and did a wonderful job Tuesday morning helping me get everything ready. I LOVE MY MENTOR MOMS!!!! I thought we had an awesome meeting!
:( Then started a week of unexpected doctor, ultrasound, and lab appointments due to pregnancy problems. With that being said, my pregnancy saddly ended prematurely this week. Now I have to continue with more doctor appointmens and labs until I am completely healed. (For those of you who knew and prayed, thank you so much. I am so thankful for your prayers.) I am doing good. I had a couple moments over the weekend, but now I am ready to take on the world - ok maybe not, but you know what I mean. All I can say is "God knows what he is doing and He let me be part of it."
;) Hubby and I celebrated our 11 year wedding anniversary. We went on a date to the Whitaker Center and saw the human body exibit. We had fun together playing with all the stuff in the museum part. (Am I old enought to be married 11 YEARS??)
:) I babysat Junior yesterday. He is such a big help to me. Anytime he comes over, he occupies Princess and Little Guy. I got so much done yesterday. Thank you, Junior.
;/ Hubby is in the process of destroying our living room. At this point, there is no carpet, no trim on the walls, not plaster on one wall, no light. ONLY A BIG MESS!! He says, "you will be so happy with this room when it is done." I better be. I'm sure I will. I will finally have new furniture. Never in our 11 years of marriage have we gotten any new furniture (except for Princess and Little Guys room).
;) That's about it. This weekend, Hubby is doing more demolition. I am going to the women's ministry thing (sorry TCC-I forget what it is really called) at church - hopefully I will see you there. We have a birthday party for my wonderful 9-year-old nephew. And I am hoping to get some apple picking and seasonal clothing swapping done. Busy, busy!

For some reason, I can't get the bullets to work. That's the reason for the two colored paragraphs and side-ways faces.

The Best Thing About Me Test...

2008-09-05T13:45:00.001-04:00

Your result for The Best Thing About You Test...

Humility

Humility is the defining characteristic of an unpretentious and modest person, someone who does not think that he or she is better or more important than others. And you? When you do the right thing, you're doing it for all the right reasons. All 7 virtues are a part of you, but your humility runs deepest.

It is likely you're a quiet type. But if not, then you just have dark, secret side that loves to give.

Humble famous people: JD Salinger, Isaac Newton, Harry Potter (pre-puberty)

Your raw relative scores follow. 0% is low, and 100% is perfect, nearly impossible. Note that I pitted the virtues against each other, so in some way these are relative scores. It's impossible to score high on all of them, and a low score on one is just relatively low compared to the other virtues.

YOUR VIRTUES

50% Compassion

56% Intelligence

63% Humility

44% Honesty

50% Discipline

14% Courage

17% Passion

Take The Best Thing About You Test at HelloQuizzy

Sleep Issues - LFW

2008-08-29T06:00:00.006-04:00

Wow! It's been a while since I have asked you to share your wisdom. Things must have been honky-dorry in the Thrills household for the last 7 months.

Well I have a lot of questions about sleep. This could possibly be coming from the fact that I am pregnant, tired, and thinking how am I going to do this when we have a newborn. So here we go.

This is our bedtime routine. Around 7:30 p.m., we ask Little Guy "are you ready for bed?" He waves and goes upstairs. We put his jammies on, pray with him, put him in his crib, and he is in there for the next 12+ hours...easy!

Now Princess on the other hand, gives us a hard time. Around 8:00 p.m., we put her jammies on, let her watch a half-hour show on TV, pray with her, and then we lay with her for forty-five minutes to an hour until she finally falls asleep. She will wake up some time in the middle of the night and come over to our room. We don't let her sleep in our bed, but we have a cushion on the floor that she sleeps on until 7:30/8:00 a.m. Around 12:30p.m., Princess will take about an hour and half nap. I lay with her then, but it takes her less than 15 minutes to fall asleep.

There's the history. Now I know that I am enabling Princess. And I know I shouldn't compare kids. I feel like sleeping has been an issue with Princess most of her life. And I think that it is because she was the first child and we did whatever it was that she "needed" to help her fall asleep. And now I just get frustrated laying in her bed for what feels like an eternity every night (except the nights that Hubby takes his turn - yeah!)

So my questions aren't necessarily "how do we fix her?" although that would be helpful, but what is "normal" in your house. Does anyone else go to extremes for your kids to sleep? How long does it take your kids to fall asleep? Do all kids get up in the middle of the night? If so, how do you handle it?

I try to tell myself that this is just a season, but then I wonder if I could still be doing this when she is 10, probably not 15 though. That's a long season. We are going on vacation very soon. So when we get back, I think I am going to work on this. I think part of the problem is I start to work on it and then I get tired so I give in again. I need to be consistent! That's hard for me.

Who Needs a Physical Test...

2008-08-14T07:22:00.004-04:00

...when you have God giving you the answers.

Well I teased a little over here in a comment yesterday, and actually one myself my first ever giveaway. So here is the story.

Hubby and I decided that we wanted to start trying for a third baby. I thought that it would be okay to get pregnant in the fall so I could go on roller coaster rides at Hershey Park this summer and get in the hot tub at the beach in September. You know things I can't enjoy if I'm pregnant.

Well this past week, I was supposed to get a visit from my aunt Flo (you know what I mean). And she somewhat surprised us by not showing up. Its a good thing though because I was feeling really tired and irritated all weekend. I can't imagine having to entertain the way I was feeling. I know...what does this have to do with being pregnant.

So Hubby and I were pretty certain that there was something more going on. Sunday, Hubby decides to pray the following prayer: "Lord, if Thrills is pregnant, I need a raise." You know we can't fit 3 car seats in the back of our car. So we need to be able to buy a van - uuuggghhhh! After being promised a raise a year and a half ago, he received that raise on Monday!!!

We decided maybe I should go buy a test to find out "for sure" - like we didn't already know. Sure enough, there were TWO lines!!!

So my accountant husband and I will be welcoming a new baby into our home next....APRIL 16thish!!!!!!!!!!! How's that for planning? Hubby says if it's a boy his name is Debit, if it's a girl her name is Credit.

Out of the Mouth of Princess

2008-08-11T10:20:00.004-04:00

This morning we went to the grocery store. On the way home it started to rain. Princess said something about the rain. I thought it was a good teaching moment. So I asked Princess, "Why does God make it rain?" She says matter-of-factly, "to have fun on the road!"

Then when we go home, we walked inside the house to a rather foul smell. I realized it was coming from the basement. Princess and I went downstairs to make sure the freezer was running properly. It was. (It smells like something died down there - makes me really nervous.) Anyhow, Princess is not one for stinky smells. She pinched her nose shut and said, "Mommy cover your nose. Not smell anymore." That solved the problem - no more stinky smells.

Then we had a surprise visit from Dora. I asked her, "where are we going?" and she said, "Snow." I don't think I am ready for snow yet.

After the Tornado Warning

2008-08-08T06:54:00.005-04:00

This was our evening last night.

Zucchini

2008-07-24T06:38:00.002-04:00

We planted a garden this year. Last year we planted tomatoes and had success with them. So this year I decided to plant more and see how we do. We planted tomatoes (cherry and regular), zucchini, green peppers, carrot seeds and cucumber seeds. We haven't seen any cucumbers or carrots but we have had a couple of ripe cherry tomatoes (lots of green ones), about 7 green peppers and a lot of zucchini.

I have made 4 loaves of zucchini bread. We have grilled the zucchini. We made zucchini crab cakes. I still have about 6 zucchini in my kitchen right now. Does anyone have a favorite zucchini recipe that you would share with me? We love zucchini but I'm afraid that if we have zucchini as a side dish every meal, we may get tired of it.

Well gotta go. I just got an email from CVS saying "Save, $5 this Saturday only".