Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is my mom's birthday. You can wish her a Happy Birthday here.

Ah, The Joys of Motherhood!

This morning we got up and went to church. We actually got there on time--a first since the time change. Makayla tried to sing along with me, and both girls folded their arms during the prayer.

Everything was going well. I thought it was so sweet when Ellie climbed onto my lap and rested her head on my shoulder. She coughed a little, then burped. Then she totally puked all over me!

Holy Crap! Where did that come from?!?!

As I was frantically looking for my car keys (buried at the bottom of the diaper bag) and something to somewhat wipe up the mess (resorted to Makayla's white sweater that she had taken off just moments before), she puked again. It wasn't just a little dribble down her chin, either. This puke was reminiscent of that scene in Shrek the Third where the force behind the puke is like a fire hydrant that you have to push against with all your might to keep from being bowled over.

I found my keys and left before Kasey had any real idea of what was going on. The looks on people's faces as I walked by were priceless. The looks ranged from pity, to sympathy, to revulsion, to confusion. It was awesome! (and not the good kind of awesome. The I'm-being-totally-sarcastic-and-this-day-can-not-get-any-worse awesome.)

Just as I was walking (half-running) out of the chapel, she erupted again. With the help of a friend, I managed to get coats on both of us, and I quickly drove home.

The second we walked in the door, I stripped Ellie down and ran to my bedroom to change. Just as I was buttoning up my pants, I heard Ellie puking in the other room. Seriously! How much did that girl eat for breakfast?

I cleaned her up and got some clean clothes on her. I was talking to my mom on the phone, warning her that Ellie was sick, since she had been here just yesterday. I wanted her to be prepared in case she started feeling under the weather later on.

While I was talking to my mom and following Ellie around with a towel and a bucket, I heard a little knock on my door. I opened it to see Kasey and Makayla standing there.

Kasey said that after we left, Makayla started feeling sick, and he wasn't going to take any chances. Can you blame him? So they walked home in the snow.

Kasey, being the champion husband and father that he is, volunteered to stay home with the girls so I could go back to church to play the piano for the primary. I scrambled to get another dress on and drove back to the church.

When I came home, Kasey was changing Ellie's clothes. He informed me that she had puked again and had a blowout. But of course she couldn't do both at the same time, so he'd had to clean her up and change her clothes twice in the 90 minutes that I'd been gone.

Whew! It's been quite a day for us! Ellie is sleeping peacefully now. But I'm really not looking forward to her being sick tonight. I hate changing the sheets and doing laundry in the middle of the night.

Reason #533 I'm Grateful to Have Little Girls

I saw the funniest thing in Walmart tonight--a plastic urinal to teach little boys how to pee standing up. Oh my heck! I laughed so hard!

I wish I would have had my camera with me.

------------------------
I quickly did a search and found a picture of it.

For those of you with little boys, would you buy this?

There Are No Little Boys in This House

You know you live in a house full of little girls when your 3-year-old thinks this is normal, every-day attire,
and your 16-month-old walks around the house saying "Where's princess?"

Please Take My Poll or Leave a Comment

Take the poll and tell me which hairstyle you like best for Ellie.

I'm Back

Wow! I haven't posted in quite a while, it seems. Let me explain.

I spent Friday reading. I finished Atonement by Ian McEwan and read all of Uglies by Scott Westerfeld.

I really liked Atonement despite the language and love scene. It was a good story that was well told. It also made me think. I couldn't wait to see how it ended.

I was so addicted to Uglies. I absolutely could not put it down. I walked around all afternoon with it in my hand. Cooking dinner, taking care of the children, cleaning the house--all done while reading this book. I read all 425 pages in just over 11 hours. Granted, it is a Young Adult novel and quite easy reading, but still.

When Kasey got home from work on Friday, he told me that he would be working out of town this whole week. So I really wanted to spend some quality time with him. As a result, I hardly went near the computer all weekend.

On Monday, I woke up late. (My children let me sleep until 8:30. It was heaven!) I asked Makayla if she wanted to go to preschool. She said no so I went to my mom's house for the day. It was so much fun and uncharacteristically spontaneous.

Yesterday I babysat a little girl until 2, then had some of Makayla's friends over from 4 to 7. I was so exhausted by the time they left and I got the girls to bed. I wrote 2 emails and watched a movie to unwind.

I babysat again this morning. After that little girl left, I spent 90 minutes in my kitchen--washing dishes, wiping down the walls and ceiling, polishing my cupboards and scrubbing the stove. Whew! I'm pretty tired now, but it feels great having a clean kitchen.

Now I'm off to work on another room. I'm trying to get everything clean before my Pampered Chef party on Saturday morning. Anyone want to order something? Let me know.

So there you go--my blogging absence explained.

Easter Dresses

My mom made my girls some new dresses for Easter. They turned out really adorable. Sorry I couldn't get a better picture than this. My camera is still being retarded.

Quick and Easy Dinner Idea

This afternoon, I rediscovered Chili Bean Nacho Skillet. I tried it about 4 years ago, and it became an instant favorite. I haven't made it for quite some time, but as I was flipping through a recipe book trying to come up with something for dinner, I found it.

It's seriously the easiest recipe EVER! The hardest part is browning the hamburger. I meant to take pictures and post them, but just as I whipped out my camera, I remembered that I forgot to replace the batteries. Oops! So, no pictures, but I'll post the recipe anyway.

1 lb ground beef
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 can chili beans, undrained
1 can corn, drained
1-15 oz can (or two 8 oz cans) tomato sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp chili powder
shredded cheese (opt)
tortilla chips (opt)

In a large pan, brown the hamburger and onion; drain. Add chili beans, corn, tomato sauce, sugar, and chili powder. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
Sprinkle cheese on top and cover. Remove from heat and let set until cheese melts. Serve with chips.
Makes 8 servings

The best part of this recipe, besides the delicious taste, is that it only takes 15 minutes total to make.

Counting

Makayla is learning how to count in preschool. This morning she was showing off her new skills by counting for me. When she got to the end of what she knew, she improvised.

Twenty nine. . . . twenty eleven, twenty twelve, twenty thirteen. . . . ummm twenty seventeen. And that's all I know.

What a kid!

I'd Rather Have a Root Canal

I have a sick baby. She was up every hour, on the hour, from 1am until 7am.

(In my most whiny voice) I'm so tired!

Sick kids are the worst!!

Three More Reasons to Love Ellie

1. When she says 'baby,' it sounds like 'Bobby.' It's so adorable. I'm constantly asking her to say baby because I love it so much.

2. Whenever I change Ellie's diaper she says, "Thank you, Mama." When I'm done, she stands up, blows me a kiss, and walks off. So stinkin' cute! It makes me not mind having to change diapers all day.

3. Ellie loves to read. I've mentioned this before, but it's just as true today as it was last week. Yesterday, I heard Ellie rustling some papers. I went to see what she had gotten into. She was sitting in her chair with my Parenting magazine. After studying the "bobby" on the front page, she started flipping through the magazine, babbling like she was reading it. I hurried and snapped a few pictures before she noticed what I was doing.

(Sorry for the poor quality photos. My camera was not cooperating with me.)

Thanks!

Thanks for all the great advice, everyone! Now I have lots of things to try until something works. Maybe I'll get lucky and the first thing I try will do the trick.

Don't worry, Mom. I won't take away the bink until after you are done watching Ellie.

Please, Dear Readers, I Need Some Advice!

I took Makayla to the dentist on Friday. While I was there I asked a question about Ellie's teeth. The dentist asked to see her. After peeking in her mouth, he told me it was time to wean her from pacifiers and bottles.













Okay, so the bottles are not a big deal--I've already started switching her over to regular cups--but UGH! Getting rid of her bink is going to be so much harder!

He said to do it gradually so she doesn't start sucking her thumb, a much harder habit to break.

I don't even know how to begin weaning her. This was a non-issue with Makayla. She only used a bink for about 6 weeks when she was 12 or 13 months. Then she stopped completely on her own.

If anyone has suggestions of how to do this weaning thing gradually, I'd seriously be so grateful. I don't want to traumatize the poor girl by taking her bink away too quickly. Plus, I desperately want her to continue going to sleep on her own and sleeping through the night. (I'm really selfish that way.)

Toys Are a Waste of Money

My girls have a room full of toys.

And still, they insist on playing with the box I got at Costco last night.

I'm not sure why I even bother buying toys.

This Christmas, empty boxes for everyone!!

Something to Make You Smile

I just saw this on Brooke's blog. You have to check it out! It's so cool!

What's Worse Than Junk Mail?

Getting a letter from the County Sherrif's Department informing you that a convicted child molester has just moved in next door! Yikes!

This is very unsettling considering last Saturday's events.

Oh, and by the way, Makayla tried to run away from preschool today. What is up with my child??!!

Let's Just Say I'm Thrifty

My apartment has a lot of. . . . quirks. Take my bathroom, for example. The heater doesn't work. Strike that. The heater smells like a burning mouse whenever I turn it on, so I choose not to do so. (There is no mouse, by the way. But that doesn't mean that there hasn't been one in the past.) Instead, we leave the door open and let the heat from the rest of the apartment warm the bathroom. This, along with the heat from showers in the morning, seems to work well enough to keep the bathroom at a somewhat comfortable temperature.

However, quirk number 2 is that the bathroom door won't stay open of its own accord. This would be my fault, I think. When Ellie was a brand new baby, the sound of the bathroom door creaking would wake her up every time. Annoying!

So, I bought myself a trusty can of WD-40. Having never used the stuff before, I had no idea how much liquid would be adequate to stop the squeaking. As a result, I used way, way, way too much. It fixed the squeak, but created a new problem. . .

The bathroom door will not stay open. It always quietly swings shut. Now if I used the heater in the bathroom, it would not matter if the door was open or closed. But since we've already discussed that, I'll show you my solution for the problem with the door.

I use a hanger hooked to the doorknob, which is then hooked to the towel rack. I think visitors at my house are somewhat put out by this, but whatever. It works!

Well, it has worked up until recently. Makayla is starting to get to an age where she wants her privacy. She can get the hanger off for the door to close, but she struggles to get it hooked back up to keep the door open.

Sometime today when she was finished in the bathroom, she didn't get the door hooked open. It escaped my notice until I needed to use the bathroom myself. I opened the door and was greeted by a blast of cool air. In my head I was thinking, Oh no! This is not going to be good!

Let's just say that I was wishing for my own heated toilet seat this afternoon!

Favorites

Ellie's new favorite game: sliding out and pushing back in my keyboard tray while I'm trying to type.

Not my favorite game.
-----------------------
Makayla's new favorite saying: (he, she, it) is my favorite. For example, "Mom, I want to watch this movie (holds it up for me to see). It's my very favorite."

"Makayla, you've never seen that movie before. It's not your favorite."

"Yes it is! I want to watch it, so it's my favorite."

Right.

Not my favorite saying, but sometimes it's really funny.

My Book-Lovin' Girls

Over the last few days I've been thinking about things that my girls like. Immediately I thought about books and reading.

For as long as I can remember, I have loved looking at books and reading. I hoped that when I had kids they, too, would love books.

It would seem to be the case. Makayla and Ellie both love looking at books. Neither of them are old enough to read yet, but that doesn't stop them from looking at the pictures and telling me their own stories.

I get a kick out of listening to Makayla recite "Quick As a Cricket" with the same inflections in her voice that Kasey uses. It's so adorable to watch her sit next to Ellie and "read" to her.

I also think it's super cute to read Ellie's favorite books with her. I can feel her bouncing on my lap in anticipation of the next animal to show it's face. And more times than not, she makes the animal noises with me. Then begs for me to repeat it.

I love that they love books as much as I do. I hope this is a lifelong passion for them.

I scrounged around for some pictures of the girls with their books. This is what I found.

Makayla--10 or 11 months old

Ellie--Shortly before her 1st birthday

I had to add this one, too. She loves her "Ram-papa."

Story time with Daddy before bed. It's their favorite! Kasey's a much better story-teller than I.

I Have Never Been So Scared In My Life

Fear has taken on a whole new meaning for me today.

Before today I was afraid of silly things like the dark. But after today, fear of the dark in no way compares to the fear I felt when I learned that my 3-year-old had run away from the birthday party she was attending.

Even after I found out she had safely walked home, that horrible feeling didn't leave me until I got home myself and held her tightly in my arms.

I know that angels were watching over my family today. And no one can tell me that God does not love and protect His children.

Maybe One Day I'll Have a House

My neighbors are by far the most annoying, inconsiderate people roaming the face of this earth.

Well, that's not actually true. Let me clarify. My neighbor's family are the annoying ones.

When we moved into our apartment, we had different neighbors than we have now. Across the hall was Druggie and his cousin, Druggier. Directly above us was Tahoe Lady with the cute girl. And across from her was above mentioned Inconsiderates (aka Tahoe Lady's siblings and mom).

This, of course, was not our ideal living situation, but after looking for an apartment for weeks, I really just wanted some place to live. I was in no position to be picky.

We moved in the middle of October and quickly discovered that our neighbors were less than desirable. If it wasn't the smell of various drugs wafting through our door from across the hall, it was the 2am drunken parties hosted by the people upstairs--parties accompanied by the most irritating music ever written. Just thinking of it makes my whole body cringe in revulsion.

Unfortunately, the music was not just saved for the parties. They blasted it every afternoon at 1:00. with their door open. just as I was putting the children down for a nap. And the music was so loud, that I literally could not hear my own TV that I was sitting 5 feet away from.

On countless occasions I tromped up the stairs to politely, and sometimes not so politely, ask them to turn the music down. And on even more occasions, I skipped the trip up the stairs and called the police to come over and talk to them. (Ah! the beauty of living in a town with no time restriction on the noise ordinance.)

Also unfortunate was the almost constant sound of children screaming, footsteps clomping up and down stairs, and the unemployed, adult son yelling at the top of his lungs. Aack!!

After a very unpleasant April confrontation involving drugs, drunks, weapons, and police, the landlord finally decided to step in. (I know because I heard it all as I cowered in my apartment praying for Kasey to hurry back from working in New Mexico.)

By May, Druggie and Druggier had been evicted, and we haven't seen them since. They were actually really nice, but I'm sure that had something to do with the fact that they were high most of the time.

July 1st brought the eviction of the Inconsiderates upstairs. I'm sure I did a happy dance or two when I watched them haul their stuff away. Too bad the peace and quiet didn't last. You have to remember that the Inconsiderates still had family above me--Tahoe Lady with the cute girl. They visit far too often for my liking and with them, they bring their music and screaming children and adult son who still yells at the top of his lungs.

We have better neighbors now. Across the hall is New York Guy. He just moved in last month. I've only seen him twice: once when he moved in and once when Makayla knocked on his door (I was so embarrassed). Upstairs is Young Couple Who Always Take Our Parking Space. Above us is still Tahoe Lady with the cute girl. She works a lot. So the only time we see her is when her family comes over.

It is this occurrence that led to this rant about my neighbors. You see, just about the time I put Ellie down for a nap today, the Inconsiderates came over for a visit, bringing with them their noise. I quietly endured it, knowing they would leave eventually.

As I was typing this, I watched them drive away. You'd better believe that I did a little happy dance while letting out a sigh of relief!

My New Favorite Way to Waste Time

One evening I was clicking on links that my sister had recently added to her blog. I clicked on one that said "found magazine." Forty-five minutes later, I pulled myself away from the computer to do something productive. I try really hard not to visit this site because I can't just look for 5 minutes and then turn away. It sucks me in. It's completely addicting. . . . and I highly recommend it!! If you have a few minutes to spare, why not waste them here? You might even get a good laugh.

I took Makayla to get her hair cut yesterday. I'll post a picture when I get around to taking one.

Dream Jobs

I've been thinking a lot lately about having a job again. I don't want to go back to work right now. I'm busy enough, thank you. But when my kids are grown, I would like to work again. So I've been thinking about jobs that I would like to have. Since it will be an option instead of a necessity, I might as well do something that I enjoy. This is what I've come up with.

1. Library book put-er away-er: I worked in a library for 3 years while I went to college. I absolutely loved being amongst all those books. My favorite duty while working there was reshelving the books. It's so relaxing and fun to browse while I'm putting books away. I would love to work in a huge library that has an endless supply of returned books that need to be put away. The library I worked in only had about 10,000 volumes with a mere 3500 students using them--not really enough to keep me busy for a whole day.

2. Working in a billing office: My degree is in bookkeeping and I'd love, one day, to use that knowledge for something besides figuring the family budget.

3. Stocking shelves at a grocery store: I try really hard to ignore that anally obsessive part of my personality. But sometimes I dream of letting that part come out to play. What better place than a grocery store full of shelves that need to be restocked and faced.

4. Book reader at a publishing office: How cool would it be to get paid to do something that I love so much--reading. I can just imagine being curled up in a big comfy chair reading manuscripts all day. What would be even cooler is if they let me edit the manuscripts too. Anyone currently writing a book that you'd let me edit?

This last one is probably not a real job, but if it were I'd say Sign me up!

5. Snow Shoveler: I discovered this winter that I really quite enjoy shoveling snow. I know. I'm weird, right? I think it's good exercise, and it relaxes me. Some people like running. I like shoveling snow. If I didn't have kids, I would be that nice older person shoveling the sidewalks of everyone on the street where I live.

Report Card

If my status as wife/mother was based on the completion of my to-do list, I totally would have flunked out today!

I did exactly 5 things on my list before ignoring it all together.

And really, I don't feel bad. Because instead of vacuuming my living room, I danced around it with my 15-month-old. And instead of changing the bedding, I used it to build a castle with my 3-year-old. When I "should" have been scrubbing the toilet, I was reading books to Ellie and helping Makayla learn her letters.

You know, when it comes right down to it, those are the things--dancing and playing and reading with my children--that they will remember and not whether or not our house was spotless every minute of every day.

Plus, there's always tomorrow to get things done.

Tuesday's To-Do's

Sorry, no time for a real post today. This is my to-do list because I did practically nothing around the house all day yesterday.

1. Return shirt
2. Call Michele about fabric
3. Make 5 cards for card group tomorrow
4. laundry
-iron (AKA--toss everything back in the dryer to get the wrinkles out)
-put away folded clothes
-wash, dry, fold, put away bedding & whites
5. Clean kitchen
-wash, dry, put away dishes
-clean off table & counter
-clean out fridge
-sweep & mop
6. Clean Living room.
-pick up toys & other clutter
-vacuum
-dust
7. Clean bathroom
-toilet
-vanity
-shower/tub
-vacuum (that's right! I have carpet in my bathroom!!)
8. My bedroom
-clean off computer desk. again.
-dust
-change sheets then make bed
-put away pack 'n play
-take girls' toys and put them in their room
9. Girls' bedroom
-pick up dirty clothes
-pick up books and blocks that Ellie dumped onto the floor
-vacuum
-wash and sanitize humidifier
-put new sheets on both beds
10. dinner: Oriental Chicken over Rice
11. Figure out where UPS office is, then drop off package
12. balance check book
13. chop up fruits and veggies
14. schedule hair appointment for Makayla
15. Get stuff together for Makayla's preschool project
16. Remember Ellie's medicine (blasted ear infection!!!)
17. Call my sister
18. Dream about getting to read my book today

*Sigh* I hate days like this.

Next Thing I Know, She'll Be Graduating

Saturday was a sad, sad day for me. I was browsing the toddler section at my local Walmart. I was going to pick up some things for Makayla. I realized, to my dismay, that none of the clothes in the toddler section fit Makayla anymore.

That's when I reluctantly turned my cart toward the little girl section. This morning Makayla is wearing some of the new things I bought for her on Saturday. And they fit!!

I know that most mothers are happy when their children are wearing clothes that fit them. I guess I'm just struggling with the fact that my 3-year-old is wearing size 6. In little girls. Already! It's like she grew up and somehow I missed it!

Want to Save Money at the Grocery Store?

Forget clipping coupons. That takes too long. This is my new idea for spending less money at the grocery store. My biggest downfall is roaming the isles and buying stuff that is not on my list.

So now what I do is drink 2 or 3 glasses of water and wait. I wait just until I am barely starting to have the urge to pee. Then I hurry to the store to do my shopping. I hate using the restroom at the store. Gross! So as I'm shopping, I'm really motivated to hurry so that I can get home to use my own bathroom.

There's no more dilly dallying in unnecessary isles. I only get what's on my list. That's as long as I can hold it before I pee my pants.

I can foresee one small problem---long check out lines. I guess if that were the case, this plan would not be so brilliant. I guess I'd better stick to clipping coupons.