Full Time Mumma

I need to win this!

2011-03-29T07:54:00.001-04:00

I need to win this so I can update my weightloss ticker.

So click here for your chance too!

C2-5K Week 1 = done!

2010-06-06T14:55:00.002-04:00

Finished up Week 1 Day 3 this afternoon - I had ZERO drive to get up when the alarm went off at 5AM so I canned it. Then felt guilty so went out at about noon instead - there was a cool breeze and a light rain which was awesome!

I didn't weigh in this morning either - so my weight is after breakfast and lunch, although it's still a pound down from just a few days ago so I'll take it!

For now Week one is complete! I start week 2 on Tuedays - which is 20 minutes of 90-seconds of running followed by 2-minutes of walking, etc. Looking forward to it!

C2-5K time!

2010-06-01T14:09:00.004-04:00

Well it's summer - and if I want to wear a bathing-suit anywhere other than my back yard I want to loose a bit of weight. Plus although people may tell me I look fine, I am really out of shape and that's the bigger goal here!

My friend Ann has had great success with the C25K - better known as the "couch to 5K" program. She looks awesome and could probably kick my butt (although I think she could have done that before!)

I'm going to blog about this because I want a place to keep track of what I'm doing, and since I don't want anyone to know my weight (or if I fail) and no one reads my blog I thought this was the perfect place!

According to the internet my ideal weight is between 108-132. I got on the scale this AM and was 144 - which is great because the last time I checked I was 155! I'm shooting for 115, but will take what I can get!

So today was day 1 - I didn't have the program yet but I knew the basics, so although I didn't actually follow the rules it was close enough for me. I'm going out again on Thursday and am really excited!

Wow spring again!

2010-04-26T09:44:00.004-04:00

And now I have three kids who complain that their shirts are broken.

Don't know what I'm talking about? See here and here!

Oh and apparently reading my blog is like taking Seasonique - you only get it 4 times a year!

Ahhh fall

2009-09-07T12:15:00.002-04:00

The time of year when I get to spend my days filling bird feeders, planting Mum's and trying to convince my 3 year old that her shirt is not broken, the sleeves are supposed to be that long.

hmmmm this seems very familiar.

Letter(s) of the week - W, X, Y, Z

2009-08-26T21:13:00.003-04:00

Well we'e come to the end of the alphabet! We started this project almost a year ago - I remember picking up the leaves we used for week L right before we made our project for week A.

We finished up these projects a few weeks back and have taken a break before we start preschool!! Yes we're going to be homeschooling this fall and we can't wait! I've reorganiz our toy room and made us a little classroom. The D0llar Tr33 has become our best friend.

Below are the slide shows for our last month of ABC's and I'm hoping to update this blog soon with some of our preschool activities.

W is for Whale!!
This project didn't come out exactly as I planned - but then again I never claimed to be an atrist!

X is for Xylaphone!
I LOVED this one! I was so excited when Allie over at NTFFC did this project because I didn't want to go with her Halloween X-ray. Everyone loved this one and I was really impressd how well they did following directions.

A Yellow Y!
There's not much to do with a Y - so we followed Allie's lead again and made a "Y"ellow Y.

Z is for Zebra!
We finished up our ABC projects with a "Z"ebra. No on wanted to make stripes - but they really enjoyed the white paint on the black paper!

Give-a-way

2009-08-04T09:54:00.002-04:00

Go here for a chance to win free stuff!

Then bookmark her or follow her because she's funny as all hell!

MoM - Apple Muffins

2009-07-20T09:16:00.001-04:00

Apple Muffins - yield 12 muffins. When we bought our house a few years back we discovered we own an apple tree! Very cool to watch them grow each year that's for sure! Although technically the apples are free (although it would be cheaper to buy apples than pay my mortgage I guess) I still hate to see them wasted. It took me a few years but I've finally found a great muffin recipe - maybe I'll sell them in my yard sales this year - cha-ching!

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 egg
1 cup milk
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
1 1/2 cups peeled chopped apples
Topping:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Heat oven to 400`

Line muffin tin with paper liners, or grease.

Cream together sugar and butter. Add egg and beat well. Stir in milk.
In another bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder and spices.
Add egg mixture to flour mixture and blend until just moistened. (Batter will be lumpy.)
Add apples to batter and blend carefully.

Fill muffin cups and sprinkle each one with a little of the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture.

Bake 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.

*Disclaimer - this is not my recipe, I found it in a book we borrowed from the library called Apple Farmer Annie!

well it was bound to happen!

2009-07-14T17:53:00.002-04:00

Lorelei got into my lipstick today - she's over three so I guess I've had a pretty good run! Thing of it is though I never wear makeup - the only reason this was in the drawer is because I used my "wedding/funeral" purse last week and it was in the bottom.

Luckily she came out to show me before chasing her siblings down with it!

MoM - Spiced Nectarine Muffins

2009-07-13T14:47:00.002-04:00

Spiced Nectarine Muffins - yield 12 muffins. Since food prices started skyrocketing last year and my kids all started eating real food, I've been doing more and more of shopping our grocery shopping at Club type stores. A few weeks back I discovered all 3 kids like nectarines so I skipped off to the local BJ's and bought a container. Of course later that week 2 out of 3 of them decided they no longer liked them. What's a mom to do!? I didn't want them to go to waste so I googled "Nectarine Muffins" - here's what I found. It was great - I even got the above mentioned 2 to eat them. ;) I've never added the pecans because I don't have them on-hand, but I'm sure they are great that way too!

1 1/2 cups diced ripe nectarines (bout 3 nectarines) peeled
2 tsp lemon juice
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup melted butter
1/4 cup milk
1 large egg
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
2 tsp sugar mixed with 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Heat oven to 400`
Toss chopped nectarines with lemon juice and set aside.

Line muffin tin with paper liners, or grease.

Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, 1 tsp cinnamon and salt in a large bowl, break up the clumps of brown sugar.
In another bowl, whisk together butter, milk and egg **be sure to add the butter to the milk first or else you'll have scrambled eggs!** Stir milk mixture into the dry ingredients and blend until moistened. Fold in nectarines and pecans (if using).

Fill muffin cups and sprinkle each one with a little of the sugar/cinnamon mixture.

Bake 20-25 minutes. Cool about 3 minutes in pan then remove to cool completely.

*Disclaimer - this is not my recipe, I found it when googling for muffin recipes myself!

MoM - Banana Nut Muffins

2009-07-06T14:30:00.000-04:00

A new week a new muffin!

Banana Nut Muffins - yield 12 muffins. I just can't seem to buy the right amount of banana's! Either we run out mid week or there is 3 or 4 left turning brown before we get to them. Here's what I do with the brown ones (Oh and you can freeze bananas and thaw them out for this!)

2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup mashed banana (usually about 2 bananas)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Heat oven to 400`

Grease muffin pan.

Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl; make a well in center.
Mix milk, egg, oil, banana and walnuts in a small bowl. Pour mixture into well.
Mix batter just until moistened; do not overmix.

Spoon batter into greased muffin cups.

Bake until toothpick comes out clean and muffins are golden brown, about 15 minutes

*Disclaimer - this is not my recipe, I found it when googling for muffin recipes myself!

Letter(s) of the week - S, T, U, V

2009-07-01T10:24:00.002-04:00

I am really falling behind on these posts! We have still been doing out projects - fewer and fewer pictures though now that Sadie and John are participating because they need more help and it's just me.

Here's the last month's worth of projects - enjoy!

Under the "S"ea(horse)!
These were so much fun! It took me a while to get something that even resembled an actual seahorse though - you'll notice the difference in shape on each, I got better the more I did.

Go hug a "T"ree!
These didn't come out exactly as I hoped - but everyone knew they were trees so that's all that really mattered.

Time for an "U"mbrella!
This one was so fitting seeing how it's been raining in my neck of the woods for almost a month straight - and I don't live in Seattle! I gave everyone a blue, green and brown crayon for the background colors, Lorelei made sand, grass and sky all in the correct places on the paper! I was so proud of her. Everyone loved adding on the little rain drops. John was super excited about this one and pointed to the fridge all week saying "brel-brel".

"V" is for "V"ase!
I was so happy to see this project on the blog I visit just before we got to letter "V" because I had no idea what I was going to do. There's not much that starts with V that my kids are going to recognize!

MoM - Sugar-crusted Raspberry Muffins

2009-06-29T11:49:00.005-04:00

I love to make muffins! They are one of my favorite things to bake and there is an endless list of recipes out there. One of the blogs I read does a segment called "Muffin Tin Monday" - it's a cute creative way to get kids to eat. While making muffins last week this idea dawned on me - Muffins on Monday!

I thought I'd spill that over to the blog - since no one reads it now maybe someone will stumble across me when g00gling muffin recipes.

Here's the first recipe - I hope to add a new one each Monday!

Sugar-crusted Raspberry Muffins - yield 12 muffins. We loved these last year and I can't wait until our raspberries are red so we can make them again this year!

2 cups Flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup whole milk
1 large egg
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries

Heat oven to 400`

Line muffin tin with paper liners, or grease.

In a medium bowl, combine 1 3/4 cups of the flour, 1/2 cup of the sugar, the baking powder and the salt. Add the butter and combine.
In a second bowl whisk together the milk, egg and vanilla.
Gradually add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined, the batter will be lumpy.
Toss the berries with the remaining flour an gently fold into the batter.

Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Sprinkle with the remaining sugar.

Bake 17-20 minutes

*Disclaimer - this is not my recipe, I found it when googling for muffin recipes myself!

I made the cut!

2009-06-24T09:16:00.001-04:00

One of my blogs listed under that Funny $hit catagory is this one. I now notice vanity plates more than ever - which isn't saying much in NH since they are EVERYWHERE!!!

The other day I drove by a plate that I thought was good enough, I actually went home to get my camera and drove back by! I'm excited to say I made the cut! Check out my find here.

Letter(s) of the week - P,Q,R

2009-05-28T07:28:00.004-04:00

While I've fallen behind in the updates, we have in fact been working on our Letter of the Week projects! We are having so much fun outside that the actual letter is the only project we've been doing - by the time we finish an get back to "A" it will probably be winter again so we can add more in then, for now we are loving the outsid weather! (except today as it's pouring again!)

"P" is for Pizza!
This was my favorite - anc believe it or not it was MY idea! And if that wasn't cool enough, I shared it with the writer of the blog where I borrow my ideas and she enjoyed it - so much that the next time she does "P" she'll be using my idea! Cool! This was a great one for Lorelei because she loves to use her scissors but can't realy cut things out yet. With this she was able to cut out the "cheese" "green pepers" and "onions" all by herself - although she was a little concerned that the onions would sting her eyes :) I also snuck in a color lesson by having her add in the "ingredients" by color rather than name.

All hail the "Q"ueen!
Sadie and John got back into the action for "Q" week - and what a great job they both did! Sadie amazed me by putting the little jewels on the crown all by herself - and she didn't even eat any (until later when she found one on the floor). Lorelei drew her own face this time and was so proud of herself!

Rainy day "R"ainbow!
I had two ideas to choose from for "R" week - we went with a "R"ainbow since it was such a yucky rainy day yesterday. Lorelei did wonderful! I was amazed how quickly she picked up the pattern and put each strip on perfectly! Sadie tried to put them down the "right way" at first buy ended up ripping them all off later. John had no concept of the pattern and just smashed them on - perfectly of course!

We had a great time with these letters and can't wait for next week's "S" - we have so many to choose from!!

5 years on

2009-05-20T20:53:00.004-04:00

I can't believe that if things had worked out just a little different I'd have a 5 year old.

I don't think about "her" much anymore - in fact my actual due date was the 10th. It's not that I don't still hurt from the loss, I just can't dwell on it now - there's too much good to spend my time thinking about.

I still wonder a lot though, especially this time of year and in September.

This year was a little harder than the last few - 5 years is such a milestone. Plus the knowing that the 4 other couple friends we had at the time now have a 5 year old. Playing soccer or taking swim lessons, enrolling in kindergarten or taking piano lessons.

I don't know what our lives would be like with a 5 year old. I don't know how different things would be. I don't know if we would live where we do now or have as much debt as we do. I don't know if I'd be a SAHM or still be working. I really don't know much about how our lives would have been.

But I do know one thing, if I had that 5 year old, I wouldn't have my 3 year old or my 18-month old twins - and that's all that matters anymore.

but you said tomorrow!

2009-05-08T11:24:00.003-04:00

While my oldest is finally pee potty trained, she still refused to go #2 unless she's got on her night time diaper. So basically she holds it all day and will either go right before bed or right when she wakes up.

We've been trying any bribes we can think of - the latest is that she will get to go to Chuck $ Cheese.

A few days ago she did produce on the potty. We made a big deal out of it and I told her that if she poo'd on the potty again tomorrow Daddy would bring her to Chuck $ Cheese.

Now every time I ask her if she wants to try to poo on the potty she tells me "But you said I had to go tomorrow mumma!"

Letterboxing

2009-04-23T20:21:00.006-04:00

I'm not sure why I'm bothering with this - anyone who reads this blog I've either talked to about letterboxing, e-mailed about letterboxing or actually gone letterboxing with!

But since I'm bored tonight and all the kids are in bed I'm blogging anyway :)

I think I have a new obsession - if I didn't have 3 kids to drag around with me I'd be doing this all day! Letterboxing is kinda like a scavenger hunt or treasure hunt with hiking mixed in. Check it out here or here.

My friend Ann totally stole it from me and is kicking my ass with the boxes she's found. But we did get out together with the kids yesterday - below is a little slide show of our day. Oh and apparently SLIDE changed their options or something 'cuz I have no idea why that song is playing - but can't figure out how to remove it! *thanks Ann!!!*

What a differance 17-months and 3-days makes

2009-04-16T20:05:00.003-04:00

Today Sadie and John are the exact same age Lorelei was when they were born - 17-months and 3-days (case you didn't get that!)

I can't believe how much has changed in that time. It's just unreal to me that so little time has gone by but so much has changed. I was getting out some clothing for Sadie from storage and Sadie is now wearing the clothes Lorelei was wearing when Sadie was born - WOW!!!

I'd post some now and then pics - but my MACbook crashed again so I'm now the proud owner of a Gateway laptop, lovin' it but I haven't yet figure out how to get my old pics loaded. Oh and I keep forgetting to spellcheck (my MAC did that for me) so please forgive me.

Anyway here's a few of the most recent pics of the kids. I just love them!!!

Oh and we'll be getting back to the Letter of the Week soon enough - we've been enjoying the time outside now that the weather is nice!

Well that makes a lot of f*cking sense!

2009-03-27T08:39:00.002-04:00

I went to my local W@l-M@rt yesterday in search of a new spring jacket for Lorelei. She's now in 3T and no one gives hand-me-downs that big - it starts out great but then people seem to forget that you always need new clothes.

Anyway!

I dragged the kids to the store and started looking in the baby/toddler section - mumbling to myself wondering why I couldn't find any jackets.

The sales lady comes over - OK in truth she just yelled over from her seat in front of the bottles and sippy cups she's apparently counting - "What kinda jacket you lookin' for hun?"

"Spring jackets for this one" I reply pointing to Lorelei

She grunts while she stands up and says "Oh we ain't got none of 'dem in yet"

I look around at the bathing suits, tank tops and shorts and say "Really? You've got bathing suits in already but no spring jackets? That sure makes a lot of sense huh?"

I f*cking hate w@l-m@rt!

Back to work!

2009-03-23T08:24:00.001-04:00

In case anyone noticed I've been on vacation - Cozumel, Mexico. Great place - and I didn't have to worry about the spring breakers 'cuz it's more of a family place.

With the exception of one crazy night involving a group of 19-year olds, blue drinks, sleeping on the bathroom floor and a full day of recovery - the trip was boring. Nice and boring! I slept late, read 3 books, got a great tan and somehow lost about 10lbs!

But I'm glad to be back, I missed my lovey and my kids!

Random pics

2009-03-12T14:33:00.001-04:00

I noticed I don't have any pics up here unless the kids are doing projects or covered in paint. So here's a slideshow of some recent random pictures.

funny things my kid did today

2009-03-11T17:13:00.003-04:00

L - "I wanna have some chocolate 'cuz I peed on the potty"

Me - "OK you can have a piece of chocolate"

L - (horrified) "NO MUMMA! I no wanna piece of chocolate I wanna whole one!"

L - "Mumma what this?" - said while taking a tampon out of the box.

Me - "Oh you don't need that, those are for ladies"

L - "Oh like Lady and the Tramp?"

Me - (snickering) "Yea just like Lady and the Tramp"

L - "Oh, 'den 'dis one Lady, and 'dis one Tramp and 'dis one Scamp" - said while removing a super, regular and lite - in that order.

Ahhh spring

2009-03-06T18:21:00.002-05:00

The time of year when I get to spend my days filling bird feeders, planting seedlings and trying to convince my 2 1/2 year old that her shirt is not broken, the sleeves are supposed to be short.

Ahhh toddlers

Letter of the week - O

2009-03-01T19:50:00.002-05:00

No wonder I get no google hits - dam I'm boring! :)

We worked on Letter "O" this week. Everyone liked making the "O"ctopus, although John did get a little pissed when the tissue paper got stuck to his fingers. Lorelei and I made the "O"wl this morning - I printed it out on Wednesday but she was not interested, so it sat on the counter until she was. I was very impressed with her! She did it "right" today - now I know I'm not supposed to make her do it right, it's supposed to be about learning. I know that and I usually let her do the projects how she wants - however this morning I showed her how to put the glue just on the side of the wings so they would stick out and she said "Oh, OK mumma!", same with the tail! I was impressed - we'll see how it goes next week!

We're going to skip a few weeks on this - we'll be doing some St. Patty's Day projects for a few weeks and then mumma goes on vacation! I'm sure daddy will do some projects so I'll be sure to get those up when I get back.

an unfortunate perspective

2009-02-27T21:21:00.002-05:00

Hubs and I went out for dinner with his mum and the kids tonight. This is the first time we've been out with them to a real restaurant - the twins are 15 months and our older daughter is 2 1/2.

We were seated in the middle of the restaurant, with booths on the side of us. A couple around our age came in before our dinners arrived and the woman gave us "the look". I knew before she even opened her mouth she was going to ask for another table. Sure enough she did - rather loudly I might add.

Now my first instinct was to be pissed - my kids are good! They behaved well and the people that ended up sitting at that table even said so (of course they didn't know the 2 1/2 year old took a crap under the table (yes in her diaper!) but hey whatever!). My MIL said something about how she must not like kids and gave a little giggle. Hubs and I looked at each other and said almost in unison "or maybe she just lost a baby"

I wish I wasn't in that club, but I am. X3 if anyone doesn't know. It's a shitty club with a shitty membership card - that you carry in secret, but the other members know you've got one.

It's an unfortunate any of us have to look at things this way - I'd be much happier if I just thought she was a bitch.

Letter of the week - N

2009-02-22T20:33:00.003-05:00

I couldn't think of anything that exciting this week - so we made some "N"emo "N"'s. Who doesn't love Nemo right! We also made some cute "n"ests which are sitting on our window sill in the hopes spring will come soon!!

Here's the slideshow - sorry I'm tired again!

A-Rod's answering machine tapes

2009-02-19T11:26:00.001-05:00

I can't take credit for this one - but I thought all my fans would like it so I stole it!

10. "Hey, it's Mark McGwire. Want to get together this week and not talk about the past?"

9. "Joe Torre here -- thanks for helping book sales"

8. "Could you find a steroid that keeps you from choking in the playoffs?"

7. "Are you worried this will taint all the championships you didn't win?"

6. "It's Bernie Madoff. Nice try but I'm still the most hated man in New York "

5. "Michael Phelps here. Got any snacks?"

4. "This is Sammy Sosa. Just pretend you don't speak English"

3. "Michael Phelps again. Did I call you or did you call me?"

2. "Hey, it's Rod Blagojevich -- I'll say you're innocent, if you say I am"

1. "It's Madonna. You got a phone number for Jeter?"

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-13T14:41:00.002-05:00

We worked on so many (too many?) Valentine's Day projects over the last few weeks! I had a blast - basically anything I came across we made. I didn't realize how much we did until I put the slide show together - 131 photos, yikes!!! No, no I didn't include them all - but there is quite a few so I didn't bother with captions. As always the finished results are in Lorelei, Sadie, John order so you know whose is whose.

We made Valentine's butterflies, some cute frames for Dad to take to work, heart shaped sun-catchers, footprint hearts, a crown for Lorelei and some cards for Daddy.

Everything was a huge hit! Sadie and John especially loved the sun-catchers - the glitter in the little salt shaker worked like a charm. The footprint hearts were so much fun - I did them last year and I can't believe how much bigger everyone is! Lorelei loved making the crown, it took a bit of convincing as she was not in project mood that afternoon, but once I folded up the points and she realized what it was she was dancing around with it on - once we added the heart's it was even more fun! Oh and yes Lorelei wrote her own name on her card for Daddy - I'm sooooo proud of her!!!

Hope you can make it to the end of the show! I can't wait to start St. Patrick's Day projects!

accidently artsy

2009-02-11T11:10:00.004-05:00

This morning I did a Valentine's project with the kids involving footprints. Needless to say attempting to dip their feet in paint, make foot prints in the shape of a heart, take photos and try to avoid a mess was a bit of a challenge.

Apparently I hit the zoom button before taking this pic - didn't it come out cool?

I guess the only way I'm artsy is accidently!

Letter of the week - M

2009-02-09T18:19:00.003-05:00

We worked on the letter "M" last week - I was going to make some "M"ayo to go with our "K"etchup from a few weeks back, but alas I did not. Instead we made some cute snow capped "M"ountains and a "M"ermaid.

Sadie and John are really starting to "get it" when it comes to projects - it's making things a little difficult trying to keep the all entertained while I get things ready, so I've been doing more and more prep work the night before.

We've also been doing some Valentines Day projects which I can't wait to show off! We're going to skip the letter of the week this week because I have a few more cute Valentines Day things I want to fit in and don't want them to get overwhelmed.

We'll be back with letter "N" soon - can anyone help me make a "N"emo out of the letter "N"?

Letter of the week - L

2009-02-02T09:44:00.002-05:00

We finally got to use the leave that Lorelei and I picked up back in October when we started this whole "letter of the week" project ideas!

I was so excited - unfortunately Lorelei really didn't care much. But she tried and we had fun just the same. Sadie was only allowed one leave because she kept crunching them and eating them (surprise!) - but she liked it and seemed to understand a little about what to do with the glue. John as usual loved it and was more than excited to put the leaves down. He got into the marker eating a bit, but tried to use the glue himself which was so cute.

Lorelei and I finally made it to story hour at the Library, which just happened to coincide with "L" week. I forgot my camera but she enjoyed the story and was very happy to learn she got to do a project when it was done, we'll be going every week now which will be nice for us to have some time alone, together.

The only other "L" project we did was the "L"ion I found here - and Daddy was home that night so he participated as well. She didn't like the tail, which I thought was adorable, so I snuck it on after she went to bed :)

3005

2009-01-31T09:11:00.001-05:00

WOW!

I sent an e-mail to the guy that photographed my wedding the other day. I just got a response from him and when I reread my original e-mail I realized I told him he photographed my wedding in July of 3005.

HAHAHA - imagine there is going to be a year 3005! I should tell this story and maybe one of my descendants will get married on my 1000 year anniversary.

Seven years my @$$!!!

2009-01-28T12:19:00.002-05:00

I've always been suspicious of the whole "don't swallow gum, it stays in your system for 7 years" thing.

Today I have my proof - I would have taken pictures but that's just nasty.

My 2 1/2 year old is potty training and gets lots of gumballs as rewards for trying. She's still not going often, but she's trying so we'll reward that. Today she informed me she needed to be changed - sure as $hit there was some gum in her poo!

I knew it!!

Funniest shit I've ever seen

2009-01-25T21:10:00.004-05:00

I'm watching TLC's "A Dugger Wedding" or whatever the hell it's called, you know that family that keeps pumping out the kids.

The commercial on right now is telling me that this program is brought to me in part by Lev0n0rgestrel.

I think this may be the most fitting example of irony I've ever witnessed!

Letter of the week - K

2009-01-25T12:55:00.002-05:00

I'm just getting lazier and lazier with this blogging thing huh? I'll probably call it quits when we finish up the alphabet because really what else is going on in my life - other than a stubborn little shit who won't pee on the potty for ANYTHING!!!

What a day.... here's the letter "K" slideshow enjoy!

We'll be on letter "L" next week - I'm excited to finally use those "L"eaves Lorelei and I picked up back in October!

Letter of the week - J

2009-01-17T22:01:00.003-05:00

It's late and I'm tired - the details are in the slideshow :)

One little detail though, all of these ideas are mine! Yes, yes I used my own brain and came up with them myself this time!

Oh and something is up with it because any words that are spelled wrong are showing up correctly when I go back in and a few of the pictures are cut off - hmmmmm, but again I'm tired to it will have to do!

Next week of course is letter "K" - I will be returning to my favorite blog and be making the "K"ing and maybe some homemade "K"etchup, I'm sure Lorelei would love that!

priceless

2009-01-17T21:05:00.005-05:00

Old Coca-Cola crate - free with purchase of Chinese food

Hot glue gun - free with purchase of husband

Fabric remnants - free with purchase of mother-in-law

Hours of fun as a grocery store - Priceless!!

Letter of the week - I

2009-01-10T09:25:00.002-05:00

We're back!

This week we worked on the letter "I"! Over the holiday our sign language chart got ripped down and the little people toys I used for our personalized alphabet book got packed up and put away to make room for Santa's loot so I was a little unmotivated. However we did make a cool "I"ce-cream cone and some homemade ice-cream a few days later.

I attempted to get Sadie and John in on the action this week as well. They both love to color - although Sadie does a lot more eating of the art supplies than actually coloring, but it was fun for everyone to play together that morning so we'll keep trying!

Enjoy the show - and we'll be back next week with "J"!!!

Reason #128 why I love my husband

2009-01-10T08:24:00.003-05:00

When he's sweet he's really sweet!

This morning I woke up to find this on my craft table - it's a hot glue gun, with a note that says

"Lis, you're doing a wonderful job at home with everything! You're a great mom & I love you. Chuck"

How quickly they forget

2009-01-08T15:43:00.001-05:00

This afternoon John wanted to give his big sister a kiss. He puckered up and went for it - she shooed him away and said "No John! Not on you mouth, you mouth yucky, you eat dog food!"

Just last night she too was in the dog bowl scrounging for left over treats.

It's time right?

2009-01-07T16:01:00.003-05:00

My son needs a haircut - has for a LONG time now. My lovey insists on taking him for his first cut, wants to take him to the same place his dad took him for his first cut. I get that - really I do I'm all about family traditions. But he REALLY NEEDS TO GO!!!

I've been threatening for weeks to start giving him a pony-tail if he didn't take him, yesterday I finally did. And what did he say when he got home? "Cute! we should leave it like that!" Not the reaction I was hoping for.

Here's a few pictures. Tell me can I get away with leaving the little pony-tail in? I think he still looks boy enough even with it!

Christmas projects

2008-12-31T15:53:00.002-05:00

We took a break from the letter of the week projects, but will be getting back into it starting on Monday. Since we never take a break from projects though here's what we've been doing the last month or so.

Sadie and John are starting to get into it also - when naptime works out anyway! John seems to love to color, Sadie is more interested in eating the markers and crayons, but that's what non-toxic washable supplies are for!

It's my birthday

2008-12-24T11:01:00.001-05:00

So there! :)

see us Elfed!

2008-12-22T22:40:00.001-05:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

six days....

2008-12-17T22:42:00.001-05:00

that's how long it's been since the last time I had power. what the FUCK!!!!! for anyone who's blog I read that also reads mine - I won't be catching up so let me know if I missed anything major!

Letter of the week - H

2008-12-08T15:21:00.002-05:00

Last week was letter "H" - we were lazy! Lorelei wasn't really interested in the "H"eart H so I did most of it. However when we did the "H"ippo a few days later she was all over it! I put on the head and then she choose where to put the rest - you can't see the tail because it went on the back, right where a tail would go of course!!

Since we went two weeks in a row without Lorelei really being that interested we're going to take a break from the letter themed projects and just do Christmas themed stuff until after the New Year, I think we both need a bit of a break!

Reason #7 why I hate my husband

2008-12-01T17:18:00.002-05:00

a play on my friend Ann's reasons why she loves hers - and why I'm going to steal him away someday! (kidding Ann!)

Last night after he came home from a full day of hunting to a venison stew cooking on the stove and fresh homemade bread on the cutting board the bastard had the balls to tell me he could tell I used store brand cream of mushroom soup and request I buy the name brand in the future.

He survived but will be eating mac n' cheese for dinner for the next week and a half.

Thanksgiving crafts

2008-11-26T20:22:00.003-05:00

We took a break from the Letter of the Week - but that didn't mean we'd stop the crafts. Lorelei has gotten really used to doing projects and asks to start as soon as Sadie and John are down for their morning nap.

Most days we just do free style coloring or painting, but a few days a week we do a "real " project. This week I got everyone involved - John really loves coloring and actually colors. Sadie on the other hand would much rather eat the crayons so she doesn't do much on her own - but loves it just the same! Once the coloring is done I let them play with markers with the caps on to keep them entertained long enough for Lorelei to finish her project.

Here's some Thanksgiving crafts - the first Turkeys we actually did a few weeks back, but I added them in anyway!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

P.S. - anyone have any tips on how to get my 2 1/2 year old to stop taking her clothes off?

Letter of the week - G

2008-11-22T17:50:00.004-05:00

Another week's gone by already - I love having somewhat of an agenda, but it's also making time just fly by!

We worked on "G" this week. Lorelei picked up the sign easily this time, and I'm very happy to say that even Sadie did! Although she wouldn't repeat it so maybe it was just a fluke. It was great timing for "G" since Lorelei is totally in love with Melman - the giraffe from Madagascar. We made a "G"iraffe although it was pretty much just a "C"ow of a different color and she wasn't really into project that morning, but it got the point across and she was proud of it when Daddy got home. We also made some "G"ingerbread cookies which came out yummy - Daddy was home when we were decorating which added some humor to the project as well.

We'll be skipping the letter theme next week because of Thanksgiving, but we'll be back with "H" the following week - I'd love to make a "H"ippo to keep with the Madagascar idea, but I don't think I could pull that one off.

Yikes!

2008-11-20T20:07:00.003-05:00

Apparently I've been spending too much time checking out my new buddy Slick. While googling the meaning behind the song 'Ring Around the Rosie' tonight my 2 1/2 year old came up behind me and said "I wanna see the guy that do like this - AHHHHHHH", shook her head back and forth and gave me the finger.

Time to censor myself I guess.

G week preview

2008-11-19T16:54:00.003-05:00

In keeping with the "G" theme this week Lorelei and I made gingerbread cookies yesterday. Because of the chilling time with the dough Chuck happened to be home by the time we were decorating them - this is his contribution to the project.

and then they turned 1!!!

2008-11-17T10:38:00.001-05:00

(Sorry Tina I stole your line!)

Sadie and John are ONE!!! I can't believe how fast the year went by - and how slow it seemed at first! I didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked, but we were a little busy :) I know some family and friends got other pictures so I'll share more later.

Thanks to everyone that could make it, and I'm sorry for those of you that couldn't!

Letter of the week - F

2008-11-16T12:30:00.002-05:00

It was another busy week for us! Sadie and John turned 1 on Thursday and we had a party for them on Saturday (post to follow I promise!) But we managed to work in a few "F" projects anyway.

We made this "F"udge - it was quick and easy but not as tasty as I hoped - we might try it again using peanut-butter chips instead. I slacked quite a bit on the sign this week so we're going to have to work on that along with "G" next week. She loved making the "F"lowers - mostly for the glitter she got to use. They didn't come out exactly as I expected, but I used craft foam instead of paper which added too much weight - but they are still pretty cute and sitting on the table as the new centerpiece.

I'm starting to see some real results with this little project of ours - we saw and Elephant on TV the other day and when I asked her what letter it started with she answered "E mumma!" without hesitation. She also informed me that she wanted a snack - which she told me started with S, we haven't even got to S yet!

do people actually by this?

2008-11-13T12:04:00.003-05:00

My 2-year old is having some poop trouble lately - so bad that she runs to me screaming every time she has to go. So last night I was on a quest for Apple Juice. We don't drink much juice in the house --- correction the KIDS don't drink much juice, I'm addicted and I figure it's better than the Budwiser I'd rather be drinking at 10AM.

So anyway, last night I went to the grocery store to pick up some apple juice. I'm a bigger bargain hunter than ever lately so I really study labels, prices and quantity now. I'm also trying to get a better handle on the amount of sugar my kids are consuming.

While perusing the juice isle I saw this product, what draw me to it was the 40% less sugar claim. I was intrigued so I took it down from the top shelf to take a closer look. Do you see what I see on the bottom of the package? The part you can't see when it's perched high up on the shelf. Yea that part - the part that says "Apple juice + purified water".

HELLO people - don't you get it? Of course there's 40% less sugar - there's 40% less juice!!! You're paying for less apple juice and more water - at twice the price no doubt!

Since the water coming from my tap is purified already I bought the store brand apple juice and will water it down - viola 40% less sugar.

Boksburg, Gauteng???

2008-11-12T12:08:00.002-05:00

OK I added this new thing to my blog that tells me from where people are checking me out - at least that's what I though it did. But I noticed this morning that someone checked me out from Boksburg, Gauteng. huh? I don't even know where that is, let alone someone who lives there!

Did I misunderstand what this widget thingy does or am I starting to get around?

the unnecessary statement of the year

2008-11-11T19:30:00.002-05:00

Kendra's family happy!

I mean really is a public statement even necessary? If you had to choose someone for your 20-something daughter wouldn't just about anybody be better than Hugh Hefner? Well aside from serial killers and such.

cute things my kid said today

2008-11-11T11:05:00.007-05:00

*while running around with a play knife*

"I back-in ook!"

(that would be "I'm Captain Hook!")

*while I was trying to brush her hair*

Me: "Stay still, you don't want dreadlocks do you?"

L: "No mumma, I no want GoldiLocks!"

*to her 1-year old brother after he fell off the windowsill*

"You fall down? You too little climb win-o. You OK buddy?"

Letter of the week - E

2008-11-07T12:33:00.003-05:00

I didn't realize there were so few project ideas that started with "E"! I should have printed off a picture of myself I guess - yes I spell my name with an E not an A!

Anyway we made the cute "E"lephant which she did all by herself again - even traced over the eye I drew in purple! And we made the tasty "E"gg dish for dinner no less, everyone liked it so that was a plus!

Next week we're on to "F" - I'd like to stick with an animal theme but I can't figure out a way to make a "F"ish so I'll be using the "F"eather idea I found here instead. Unless someone can let me know how to make a fish out of the letter F! :)

Oh and since it's Thanksgiving month I forced this project to work by calling it Turk"e"y time! Hopefully she won't grow up thinking Turkey starts with E.

Even 2-year olds hate hunting

2008-11-06T07:39:00.002-05:00

A morning conversation with Lorelei.

L: "Where Daddy?"

Me: "Daddy's hunting this morning"

L: "Daddy hunt 'gain?"

Me: "yep, he'll be home later"

L: "When Daddy ever not go'in hunt no more?"

5 things I hate about Hunting Season

2008-11-04T08:20:00.004-05:00

5. How long it is - there's like 152 different seasons depending on what you hunt and where you live.

4. The Butt Out

3. How expensive it is - and that's just the license fees, that doesn't include the ammo, new stands, new calls or the camouflage clothing he's got to repurchase every year because god forbid he be caught in last years styles! (yea 'cuz you know the trees change every year right?)

2. How my husband justifies the expense but saying "we need the meat". He went on a goose hunting trip with his brother a few months back and it cost him close to $250 - do you know how much steak, hamburger, chicken and ground turkey I can get in the grocery store for $250? Trust me a lot more than the 6 or so goose breasts he got - which he has yet to pick up from his brothers house!

1. How my husband can't get his ass out of bed earlier than 7:30 for work and never leaves before 8:30, yet can be up, showered, dressed in full hunting gear, out of the house and in his deer stand by 5AM during hunting season.

Letter of the week - D

2008-11-01T07:57:00.005-04:00

We didn't get as many letter themed projects done this week - we had a busy week with visiting with gee-gee, toddler gym and trick-or-treating!

Lorelei had a hard time with the "D" sign - but since I've always been doing it wrong myself I can see why! Once she figured it out though she was good to go. She did get a little confused with the picture of the "D"ogs - since she of course saw it and said "Abby and Ruger!" but I thought it was a good opportunity to point out how they had names different from what they were.

She loved making the "D"ragon! This week I printed off the finished project from the blog and left it out for her to see. She was able to do the entire project (with the exception of drawing the "D" and the cutting) all by herself! She even made the little eye - I was very proud of her!

Next week it's on to "E"! We'll be making a cute "E"lephant and a tasty "E"gg dish that my friend Kim used to make and I haven't had for a while.

Trick-or-Treat!

2008-10-31T09:57:00.002-04:00

Last night we headed over to my friend Ann's for trick-or-treating! She lives in a cute little culdesack so there were plenty of houses and no one got tired, although it was pretty cold so the little ones didn't last long. I didn't get as many photos as I would have liked, hubby couldn't make it so trying to drag the three of them around and take pictures was near impossible - thankfully Ann lent her hubby out for the night so it wasn't as bad as it could have been!

Letter of the week - C

2008-10-24T16:24:00.004-04:00

Well it seems that this little "lesson plan" of mine is keeping me pretty busy! I haven't had time for much other than doing or thinking of our projects.

This week we focused on letter "C" - Lorelei picked the sign up quickly and is starting to show me them in order when I ask. She had a harder time with the sound this week since "C" can sound different depending on the word, but was still enthusiastic when it came to finding things around the house starting with "C".

My idea-blog made cookies for their C week - but Lorelei loves Cows and Cars so we went with that instead. She was so excited when we pasted that cow head on - she immediately knew what it was. We made some recycled crayons out of all our old broken ones, she had fun taking the foil off but was a little confused at first. Once I showed her how to use them she thought they were pretty neat! We also made a Carrot cake which was a first for me! Came out great if I do say so myself - but when you start with 2 cups of sugar and a cup and a half of oil you can't really go wrong. Finally this morning we made a recycled car out of a juice box. I made one myself last night to show her what we were going to do, which was the first time I've done that. I was so proud of her, she looked at the one I had done and put the glue in the right spots and glued on the wheels all by herself! They didn't really come out like I envisioned, but she knew it as supposed to be a car so good enough for us!

Next week we're on to letter "D" - we're going to make a "D"ragon and I think I'm going to try some donuts, which are her favorite!

Letter of the week - B

2008-10-17T14:06:00.002-04:00

It's Friday again and the end of "B" week!

We didn't get out for a field trip this week - the plan was to go to the "B"each but it just didn't happen with the weather. We did however make the beach instead, along with a "B"ee and a few different "B"reads.

Next week we'll be working on "C"! The plan is to make this "C"arrot cake and also these "C"rayons.

Bitter Sweet

2008-10-17T13:07:00.002-04:00

My son is walking now! It's so cute - I'll get a video up on YouTube soon and post it for all to see.

I'm finding it a little bitter sweet. In two ways actually - the first and most obvious is that he's not a little baby anymore. Which is good because he was a very difficult infant, very difficult. The second is that as I watch him fumble his way from place to place I'm realizing how much I regret that I wasn't able to stay home with Lorelei and see all these little milestones with her. The daycare she attended was great and wouldn't tell me she did something unless I had already told them I saw it at home - but I'd be kidding myself to think that she just happened to roll over, sit up, crawl, stand or walk for the first time on a weekend. So although they acted like they never saw it, I'm sure more often than not I missed a lot of her actual firsts - and that's a hard pill to swallow.

But I see it now with John and soon with Sadie, that will have to be good enough because I can't go back and do it over.

Letter of the week - A

2008-10-10T15:41:00.003-04:00

We've come to the end of our first letter.

Lorelei really enjoyed the week and it gave me a bit of direction as opposed to just getting up in the morning and trying to think of something to do!

We started the week with taking pictures of things around the house that started with A and making the first page of our personalized Alphabet book, we also completed a fun art project using the letter A as a subject. My friend Ann gave me the great idea of also introducing the sign for our letter of the week which Lorelei picked up quickly! I decided to add in a little field trip as well so today we headed Apple picking which was a hit!

I can't wait for Monday so we can start on the letter B - I've already got a few pictures for the book!

Project ideas for the less creative

2008-10-06T08:48:00.002-04:00

I have very few friends who can honestly say "I know how you feel" - meaning they have a toddler and twins! You may *think* you know how I fell but trust me unless you have a toddler and twins you don't! Sorry just a fact :)

Anyway one of these friends sent me this blog the other day - it's a great site for creative educational projects to do with my toddler. I'm going to be doing a "letter of the week" project with Lorelei as soon as I post this - off to print Apples, Alligators and Armadillos!

chowda anyone?

2008-10-02T16:03:00.000-04:00

I decided to make this for dinner tonight - sweet!

1/2 cup diced (1/4-inch) slab bacon (2 oz; rind discarded if necessary)
2 cups diced (1/4-inch) sweet onion (14 oz) such as Vidalia
2 large carrots, cut into 1/4-inch dice (1 cup)
1 celery rib, cut into 1/4-inch dice (3/4 cup)
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch dice (1 cup)
1/2 lb yellow-fleshed potatoes such as Yukon Gold (2 small), peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/2 lb sweet potato (1 medium), peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
5 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (40 fl oz)
2 fresh thyme sprigs
3 cups corn (from about 6 ears)
11/2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Garnish: 2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced; finely chopped fresh chives

preparation

Cook bacon in a wide 6- to 8-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain, then add onion, carrots, celery, and bell pepper to bacon fat and cook, stirring, until onion is softened, 8 to 10 minutes.

Add all potatoes, broth, and thyme and simmer, covered, until potatoes are just tender, about 15 minutes. Add corn and cream and simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes. Add sea salt and pepper, then stir in bacon.

the history of hair

2008-09-30T14:24:00.002-04:00

it's so short I just had to blog about it!

Please don't mind the ridiculous look on my face in the December photo - I had newborn twins and an 18 month old, you'd look like that too!

gone country

2008-09-28T10:26:00.003-04:00

So yea, I like country.

It started in 2002 when I won tickets to see Alan Jackson - I had no idea who he was I was just excited to go to a concert at the new Arena so I put my name in for the tickets and won. Chuck told me who he was so I started listening to WOKQ and was hooked, some days it's a little too whiney for me so I switch back to rock, but most days I'm a country girl.

A year or so ago Chuck was in the car with me when a Brad Paisley song came on. Chuck being the musician he is loved the guitar rifts and went so far as to buy his newest CD - then one night after a few beers decided to join his fan club. I gave him shit for weeks about that. However I ate my words on Thursday when we went to his show and had AWESOME seats - a benefit of being a member of the fan club is advanced ticket purchase! We were sitting right next to the "cat walk" type stage that goes out into the crowd - you know the one that they walk down and high-5 the fans, yea that one! I was actually leaning on it most of the night. it was sweet!

And for your viewing pleasure - and to make the other BP fans jealous - here's a slide show.

pida on fwloor

2008-09-27T09:30:00.002-04:00

My 2 year old has a tough time sleeping - I'd say 9 nights our of 10 she wakes up and my hubby being the softy he is brings her into our bed. No big deal - I'm tired of s*x anyway and this gives me a great excuse to avoid it.

Last night he brought her in at sometime during the night and I didn't even realize it. Several hours later she woke us up with a scream - so loud I actually jumped up. She started crying and saying "pider bite lorelei!" "pider on fwloor" (for those of you that don't speak toddlereise that means "spider bite Lorelei" and "spider on floor"). We calmed her down and got her back to sleep.

Poor kid obviously had a dream about a spider. I know everyone dreams, but I'm at a loss as to how to explain this to her. We watch TV so maybe I could tell her dreams are like TV and not real? Will she understand that at this age? Anyone have any suggestions on how to handle this?

Copyright Schmopyright

2008-09-18T21:39:00.005-04:00

So I'm sure it's still copyright infringement - but since these are actually just pictures of the pictures I thought I'd chance it, because gosh darn-it these are some cute ass kids!! :)

Prescott Park

2008-09-18T21:39:00.004-04:00

This summer I've been trying to get out on a little adventure every week - just little day trips to the beach or the park, something to get us out of the house that doesn't cost a fortune! Today seemed like a great day to get out - cool but the sun was shining! I found a backpack when I cleaned out my closet yesterday so I packed it up with diapers and some leftovers and headed to Prescott Park for lunch and to look at the flowers, Lorelei was a bit upset to find that this park didn't have swings but cheered up as soon as she saw the water and the seagulls!

Servings per container

2008-09-16T12:56:00.005-04:00

I've never really paid much attention to the servings per container - I'll sometimes check the calorie count which of course includes the number of servings, but I've never really looked at how many servings there are in reference to will there be enough to feed my family.

Saturday night we had chicken on the grill and I threw in one of those Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers in the microwave. When I started serving it I realized we didn't have much for left overs - when I checked the bag sure enough there are only 4 servings - there are 5 of us!

So I started checking my cupboard - here's what I found:

Mac n' Cheese - 3 servings per box

Loaf of bread - 18 1-slice servings per loaf (that's over a half loaf just to make a sandwich a person!)

Cocoa Krispies - 15 servings a box (that's a box a week if we eat it every morning *which we don't!*)

Gallon on milk - 16 servings (at 3 glasses a day per kid that's over a gallon every other day!)

Right now my older daughter only eats about a half serving and the twins are splitting another half serving - but soon enough everyone is going to be eating a full serving and that means to feed everyone I'll need to cook double batches! And really does anyone eat just one serving anyway? Just this morning we made eggs for everyone for the first time and cooked 6!

And I thought formula was expensive - yikes!

My own personal 9-11

2008-09-11T07:32:00.001-04:00

Five years ago today I found out I was pregnant.

A week or so earlier I realized I was a few days late, then my grandfather died, I went back to school after 7 years, and my father let me know he was moving 1000 miles away - needless to say my "AF" was the last thing on my mind.

Tuesday the 9th I was feeling like shit, I was really crampy and uncomfortable but couldn't put my finger on it - I felt gassy more than anything (I hadn't re-realized I was late yet).

Wednesday the 10th I went to work and remember telling a friend how crappy I felt, I really thought it was bad gas - I had recently started taking some diet drug thing and also eating a lot of veggies. Chuck had practice that night and I was laying in bed in so much pain I was getting ready to call 911, but didn't want to because I had gone to bed in the buff and was too embarrassed to have paramedics come in and find me that way. Chuck came home later and I was finally able to sleep (again I somehow the thought of being pregnant still hadn't crossed my mind).

Thursday the 11th I got up and got ready for work as usual, I had some coffee and did my morning *ahem* business and felt pretty good. I left for work and started the day as usual. Around 9AM I started feeling shitty again, bad enough so this time I called the docs - the first thing they asked was if I could be pregnant. *LIGHTBLUB* I started looking at dates and realized I was over 2 weeks late. Oh Shit! How the fuck did that happen?!?!?! OK so I know the logistics behind it, but really when you're not married and are not really planning starting a family at that time the first thing you think is "Oh Shit! How the fuck did that happen?!?!?!". Doc sent me home to POAS (pee on a stick) and call with the results.

Since I lived over an hour away I decided to go to my mum's house instead since she was at work and I had a key. I stopped at the drug store on the way and picked up a HPT (home pregnancy test). I get in position and do what I need to do - 1 line not pregnant 2 lines pregnant. Wouldn't you know it - I get NO lines! defective test. So I had to go back to the store and get another one. I get back to the house and now of course can't pee if you paid me. Drink some coke, wait a bit, put my hand under running water, drink some more coke and finally able to go again. 2 lines - immediately. I dump out the coke because you're not supposed to drink caffeine when pregnant.

I call Chuck, and leave a message - he knew what was going on, message said "Um yea, I'm at my mum's call me''. I know he's going to know the results before even calling back. We talk and wow this is unexpected but ok we'll handle it no problem!

But something's wrong, I know it already. I've been in pain for weeks and now am almost doubled over - I've never been pregnant before but I know this isn't right.

It's a even longer story involving hospitals, ultrasounds, dr's giving me advice and shots of Methotrexate but the short of it is my first pregnancy is ectopic (as is the second and the third) and there's nothing they can do for that but end it.

It sucks but we handled it and here we are today with three great kids. Everything makes you stronger, I just wish I didn't need to be so strong.

(edited to add) I hope no one thinks I mean this in anyway compares to the actual 9-11, it's just the same day hence the title!

Praise from a 2 year-old

2008-09-08T08:21:00.003-04:00

Lately my 2 year-old has been telling me when I do a good job. It's so sweet!

A few weeks back we were painting pictures and I showed her mine and she said "Wow, wow mumma. Really good job mumma!". Then again yesterday I made pancakes (my "weakest link" if you will) and was all bummed out about how they turned out, and when she tried hers she said "mmmmm, really good job mumma!".

I got all teared up - I guess I must be a doing an OK job with her, because she obviously learned this from me. Also they are honest at this age. So there's nothing like praise from a 2 year-old.

A year already

2008-09-06T07:46:00.001-04:00

Hard to believe but it's been a year today since my Dad* was almost killed in a steam pipe explosion on the UNH campus**. He's made a remarkable recovery, there were a few days we really didn't think he was going to make it.

He was flown to Mass General where he remained in the ICU for I believe 27 days, then additional time in another room within the burn unit. We were told he would remain in the hospital for a minimum of 80 days - this is calculated by the % of burns - and he would then need additional time in a secondary rehab center. We knew he'd never be there that long, he's superman you know. For as long as I remember we've made fun of him for working out so much, calling him chubby and telling him to give it up old man, it's a good thing he was in as good shape as he was or he wouldn't have made it. He was home in 78 days - the day before Thanksgiving and just 8 days after the twins were born, you should have heard the sadness in his voice when he learned he wouldn't be able to be at the hospital when they were born - he worried I'd be upset, silly man!

Here's a few pictures of him before and after.

With mum when Lorelei was born June '06

With Lorelei Christmas '06

With Sadie mid-December '07

back to work (on our bathroom) mid-April '07

As you can see he's changed a bit, he's a little bit grayer and a little bit older, and he's still quite scarred, including the mother-fucker of all scars on his chest, but just on the outside. We all know he's in a lot of pain still, but he refuses to let it get him down. He told us while he was still in the hospital he planned to be back to work by spring - who goes back to work after this?!?!?! I don't know another person who wouldn't have just sat home and collected the workers-comp checks, myself included! But not this guy, he was back to work in 6 months 1 day - unbelievable.

*OK technically he's my step-dad but you know what they say if it walks like a duck it's a duck, right?

** There are a few errors in this story. He is a plumber not a construction worker, he actually received 2nd and 3rd degree burns over 80% of his body and he works for another (not to be named here) plumbing company not Harvey Construction.

bathroom pics

2008-09-04T16:21:00.003-04:00

We're about 99% done with the bathroom - the only thing left is a TP holder (the one we wanted was out of stock) and some artwork. I'm thinking black-&-white naked baby pictures in black frames. What do you think?

Here's a quick slideshow of the almost finished product. I give Chuck total credit on the decor, he's good when it comes to this kind of thing. Which is surprising since he once left the house in blue and yellow striped cut-off wind-pants, camouflage hunting boots and an Ozzy Ozborn t-shirt.

Mutha Sucka

2008-09-03T21:37:00.003-04:00

No real reason behind this post - I just want to show off how freakin' cute my boy is! (the shirt actually says Mutha Sucka we just couldn't get him to sit still!)

It's double the laughter and double the grins, and double the love when you're blessed with twins!!

2008-08-31T12:18:00.005-04:00

The title might be a bit misleading because I'm going to go off on a totally different topic - kind of :) Here's my PSA on what not to say to a mother with twins.

"Are they twins?" - when you see a mum with two babies, approximately the same size and appear to be the same age you can be pretty sure they are twins. The correct question would be "how old are they?" that way if they are twins mum will answer "10 months" if they are not she will tell you their individual ages instead, and using your powers of deduction you can figure out if they are twins.

"Did you have help?" - as in reproductive help. This is not a question you should ask a stranger, or a family member for that matter. If you are stupid enough to ask this question don't be surprised if the mum replies "do you use pads or tampons?", it's just as personal and rude.

"Are they identical?" - this is only stupid if you have already been told they are opposite sex. For the record the word identical means exactly the same - if they are of opposite sex they are not exactly the same. But if you are stupid enough to ask this don't be surprised if mum replies "no, he has a penis".

"Double Trouble!" - OK this isn't a question, but still something you shouldn't say. First of all although yes it's "trouble" to have two babies at once, most of us are very happy with them - especially if the mum would have answered "yes" to the "did you have help" question. Second when the kids are old enough to understand do you really think they are going to constantly hear that they are "trouble"? Oh and another thing - you're not clever, we've heard it a million times!

Can you tell I ventured out with them yesterday :)

Wow - I'm glad my grandfather's not around!

2008-08-29T16:29:00.002-04:00

The first thing I thought today when McCain chose his running mate was "I'm glad Pepe's not around to see this!"

Now I'm not saying he was a classic bigot or anything, but he was born in a different time and I have a feeling if he had to choose between a black man and a white woman he would have just stayed home.

Me on the other hand, I think it's a brilliant move by the McCain camp! I'm not saying I agree with it, but it's a brilliant move.

York Beach, ME

2008-08-28T19:48:00.000-04:00

Every year for about 100 years my grandparents went to The Anchorage Inn in York Beach, ME. I have lots of memories and a few pictures - I clearly remember taking the one of all of us at dinner one year when I was about 13, I stood behind Uncle Rock with the biggest grin.

15 years or so ago my grandparents started purchasing a gift certificate for 2 nights and dinner for 2 for my mum and *step*dad for Christmas each year, a few years back my mum also started getting Chuck and I one for Christmas.

My grandparents are gone now, but my mum has still been getting Chuck and I the gift certificate for our Christmas gift. It's fun to go back each year, we've missed a few years but try to go when we can.

We usually go in mid-fall because it's cheaper and less busy, however this year we decided to go in late summer instead and it was a blast! Lorelei loved the beach, she kept yelling at the water "Back wa-wa, don't get me!!!" and chasing the seagulls - which she called ducks. Sadie and John didn't get as much time on the beach since they can't seem to keep it out of their mouths - but they did enjoy it from the safety of the pen on a blanket.

I can't wait to go again - getting pictures of the kids in the same places year after year has already been fun for me, and it's only been one year! There is a picture of Lorelei standing on a rock in the slide show - I'm pretty sure I have a picture of me on this same rock, I'll go check my old photo albums and post a picture of a picture if I can find it. I just love creating traditions and making memories.

KuKd??

2008-08-25T15:29:00.000-04:00

I recently "met" a new blog friend through the blog-vine (basically a friend of a friend of a friend type of relationship only in blog land as opposed to IRL *that would be In Real Life*). Her name is Monica and you can find her here. She's a KuKd X2 survivor with a great sense of humor and an outlook on life I can't imagine holding onto after what she's been through.

I left a comment the other day on an article she blogged about regarding people without children being happier. She commented back on my comment and asked what I should be called since I'm a KuKd-er but I also now have kids. I was going to respond back KuKdKo(ut) but stopped myself because I thought maybe that would hurt her feelings. Who am I to joke about being Knocked Out when I'm the lucky one who's got the kids now. Instead I didn't respond.

It got me thinking - do I really belong in the same group of KuKd-ers that don't have kids? While I did go through my own losses and they were the most difficult things I've experienced, they really don't compare with some of the other women I know, and I'm fortunate enough to have my kids now and will never have to wonder what it would have been like to never have them. On the other hand I believe when women go through a loss they have a greater respect for each other and I have a feeling everyone is welcome.

We all see things differently and can't walk in others shoes I guess.

remodel finished

2008-08-23T12:52:00.000-04:00

With the exception of picking out new decorative items and towels the bathroom remodel is completed! We started this back in April and anticipated it would take about a week - hehehe!

Back for more

2008-08-22T22:09:00.000-04:00

I'm going to try this blogging thing again - I'm a sucker for punishment and just love when I don't accomplish what I set out to do!

Here's a few slideshows to get you going - I completely ripped off this idea from my friend Ann and give her total credit!