M.I.A.

Well I've been M.I.A. (missing in action) for the last couple weeks.... and here's why...

Bubba came down with the flu (vomiting and diarrhea.... yay) Wednesday before Christmas. Which then meant we couldn't go to our family Christmas' in town....... Ceej came down with it shortly after.... and then Christmas Eve JDub and I had it..... Waking up Christmas morning was hard... considering JDub was in the basement bathroom... while I ran into our bathroom upstairs. Simultaneous puking is not very fun..... I couldn't handle Bubba for the day...... NO WAY. I had to call in reinforcements! Thank goodness we have family in town. Our first Christmas with Ceej was not exactly how I pictured it... but whatever I'm just thankful we are all alive and well (Now anyway.......).

In the midst of this... JDub decided we should finally fix up our bathroom upstairs.... Due to the idiocy of the previous owners of this house... paint was chipping everywhere in the bathroom. We had to hand scrape all of the paint off.... patch parts of the drywall that came off in the process... and spray texture on the walls... Not an easy feat when you have 2 little ones to attend to. Today is our day of rest............ sort of... we have to wait for the texture to fully dry before painting tomorrow! I am exhausted....... whether its still from the flu... or just needing to work out.... I am ready for bed every night by 9:00 pm....... sad I know! with it being New Year's Eve I doubt I'll be able to stay awake to see the ball drop!

I am looking forward to the New Year.... I hate resolutions... but I really want to try and work out 3 days a week... I think I can manage that. I also need to work on my temper..... I have had a short fuse these past couple weeks...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! Hope you all party tonight... cause I'll prolly be sleeping once 2011 hits :)

Why are commercials so loud?

Ok I'll admit I like TV... especially on these cold winter months when there is really nothing to do but be inside with the kids. Sometimes you can only do so much coloring, reading, playing... whatever.... and then you need a little break. And I especially like to watch a little TV when Bubba is down for a nap and Ceej is still awake. He's too young to know what I'm watching so it doesn't matter if its inappropriate for children. So I'll be sitting there... nursing Ceej and he'll almost be asleep... when BAM! One of those annoying, LOUD commercials comes on?! I mean what the crap right? It is beyond annoying. I can't tell you how many times he'll be out of it and then he'll wake up and be alert because of the loud interruption.. It has forced me to put my TV on mute and have the Closed Captioning on too. I may not be deaf but I have used that plenty of times!

And then I came across this article.... http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/12/15/politics/main5982822.shtml

Its basically saying someone came up with a Bill to end loud TV ads! I know there are probably more pressing items out there... but I would think this would please alot of people... and I know I'm excited about it! I'd vote for the person that came up with it!!

Now if they could just do that in movies as well.... I swear JDub had a TV that would adjust the volume... but maybe I was just dreaming that one. I know at certain times its good to be a little louder... for suspense or whatever, but I'd rather not have to turn the volume up and down and up and down all the time...... You'd think they'd be able to control that with all the technology out there! Not to mention I know my Mom wishes her TV on the porch would have done this... she might not have busted her lip and hurt her knee back in the day :) (that's a VERY funny story if you haven't heard it you should ask me sometime)

World's strongest babe...

So the other day I'm upstairs doing something... can't quite remember what but I'm sure it was cleaning or picking up... b/c well that's ALL it seems like I do! JDub was downstairs with the boys. All of a sudden... Ceej starts crying. And its not that, I'm fussy cry, its the something awful happened, not normal cry.... So I rush downstairs and I'm like "What is going on down here?!"

Apparently he had crawled over to my 3 lb weight, picked it up, rolled on his back and then dropped it on his head.... Now I can't get too mad at JDub b/c yesterday I left Ceej alone in the living room and he apparently got poked in the eye with something.. what I'm still not sure... but yea Ceej is freakishly strong... And the funny thing is I try to warn people how strong he is... Just because I want to be nice. But its like they think I'm bragging or something. The don't believe me... its like that friend that you have that over-exaggerates everything! So you never know how serious something is you just assume they're over-shooting it. But really I'm not... Ok I know the title of this entry was a bit much... but that was just to be funny. But he is really strong.. For example I have a nice chunk of hair that is just now growing back b/c he ripped it out of my head... not just one little hair... it was a nice handful. He's ripped out Bubba's, and Mangos... you think oh cute he's grabbing my hair and then next thing you know you're in pain and he's putting the stray hairs into his mouth!

So just another warning... If you happen to hold Ceej and he grabs on to your hair... get it out of his hand as soon as possible or you will lose it....

Coupons

Coupons are great right?! Well sometimes they are.... I thought coupons were suppose to be nice incentives to buy a product! But then there's the fine print..... you have to spend $25 before you can use this coupon.... you can't use it on sale or clearance items....

I mean is it really worth the headache to cut them out, then remember them at the checkout... sometimes I wonder! So my mom and I went shopping at Gordman's the other week. It happened to be one of those days where you got the chance to scratch off and see if you won $10, $20, or $30 on your next purchase of course... Its NEVER for what you're buying right then. Its always nope, sorry! You must pay full price for everything you're buying now... and then come back and spend more money just to use this coupon! Oh and the fine print on these puppies?.... You can't use your "free" $10 on shoes.... which is totally what I wanted to buy!

So anyway, JDub and I end up going back and getting some more little Christmas stuff and a new sweater dress for me! Mom ended up giving me her $20 that she won so I had $30! Now of course... could I use both of them together on the same order? NO!!! And then the lady at the check-out tells me she's not suppose to let the same family use 2 coupons. What are you?! The coupon police? I could easily make up a name and address and write it on your stupid coupon... not to mention I could leave and come back to a different line with a different cashier and you woudln't know! I tried to hand JDub some cash to pay and she freaked! So he had to spend $5 on his credit card... ridiculous......

I mean I love the items they have at Gordmans... but honestly their coupons SUCK!

I use to be a member of the Dairy Queen Blizzard club or whatever too... They'd send you coupons for buy one get one blizzard every once in a while and then a free one for your birthday too! But any time I'd try to use them at the DQ's around here... they'd tell me they don't participate in that promotion! Well how come when I signed up they specifically asked me what DQ I would be going to and your store was an option?! Can you tell me that?!

Ok so I rarely go to Panera... just because its not that close to where I live and its not that convenient to have to get out of my car and go in with kids... But they had those punch card things... ya know you buy so many specialty drinks or bagels and you get some free! Or at least they use to... of course I've been saving this card up for years.... and when I finally get it full and want my free drink they deny me and say "Oh we got rid of those a few months ago...." Seriously?! Can a girl get a break... apparently not!

I know... I should just learn to pay full price for things... its just sooo annoying though! Why even have the option of coupons if you're going to make it practically impossible to use them hassle-free?!

cloth diapers update

Ok so when Bubba was younger I decided I wanted to be green and get cloth diapers... I even posted about it waaaaay back in Aug '09. I was super excited and ended up going with gDiapers. Ya know in genereal they worked really well... But Bubba complained about them... he hated wearing them, and well I got lazy so I stopped. And he's potty-trained now anyway!

Then came Ceej... Now I'm sorry but newborns go to the bathroom ALOT! And well, breastfed babies seem to poop alot more too. It seems like every hour you're changing a disposable diaper... So the thought of doing cloth (which you pretty much have to change every 2 hours...) when he was just a teeny lil babe did NOT interest me at all. But once he got a little bit bigger (and was sleeping better so that meant Mommy was sleeping better and a little less lazy!) I thought I should get them back out.

I was disappointed. It seems that the gDiapers liners have broken down over time, or from being washed alot... I dunno. I'm sure they'd blame me on the type of detergent I was washing them with too (apparently 'free and clear' is not really free and clear of everything...) But anyway. Instead of just having to change out the cloth insert, I was not only having him soak through the liner and diaper, but his clothes and pants were getting wet too! No thanks... That's way too much laundry for me. So I thought about giving up on the cloth all together.

But then I found econobum cloth diaper covers :)  These are great! No worrying about snaping liners in and out... its all one piece. Another nice thing is its a one-size diaper. With gDiapers they have small, medium, and large.. but with econobum they have one diaper with several snaps that you can adjust to size your babe just right!

I was a little hesitant about the snaps. But they are working very nicely. I like it even better than the velcro. When I need to wash them I don't have to worry about the velcro getting attached to everything else in the wash! OMG I hate it when I'm switching the laundry over and velcro from bibs and the gdiapers would be attached to a shirt or blanket and just shred it to pieces!

Now I know this might sound a little gross... but I dont even have to wash these every day! I can use these 2 diaper covers all day long. I start with the green, then switch to the blue and let the green one air dry. By the time Ceej needs a new diaper the green one is ready to use. And while I didn't have much luck with the gDiapers... the gCloth inserts work great with these econobum covers! So I didn't have to go out and purchase a bunch of cloth inserts.I still use disposable at night. And usually when I'm out and about... But I'm able to use them during the day while we're at home! So while I'm not fully green... at least I'm doing a small part :)

"I need to Pray Mommy"

Bubba has tried every stalling technique in the world when its nap time or bed time... "I need to go potty"... or he needs a special animal to sleep with. "Cover me up again... I need to kiss Ceej or Daddy or Mommy or Mango"... "I need a kleenex"... and the list goes on and on. Its a little ridiculous... I mean its sad at 2 he already knows how to do that! But my favorite stalling technique of all... "Mommy I need to pray" he says!

I started praying with him a few nights and he got the hang of it. I'll tell him to start and he says "Dear God, or Dear Lord... Thank you for........." Now I'm not sure where this all came in... but everytime he prays lately it has to include all of the kitties he knows... It usually starts with my sister's cat Mr. Flakers.... I wish you could hear how cute it sounds when he says it too! Its more like Micker Fwakers... anyway. Then he moves on to Mango, Charlie, Hobson, Guillermo, Tucker, Sasha... these are all relatives of mine, whether its aunts, sisters, grandmothers' you name a cat he's met, and he will pray for it! So just FYI if your cat needs prayer let me know.... send a pic... and I'll be happy to have Bubba pray for yours as well!

snapfish vs shutterfly... and SHUTTERFLY WINS!

Everything seems to be done online these days.... which is convenient and a little annoying at times. But one really cool thing I like having online is a place to store my photos. I am not the best at taking photos.... or even remembering to bring my camera to certain events, but once you have kids taking pics is very important! You want to make sure to catch those "first" events, and other funny events along the way. Especially when you have family that might want to see them as well!

So when I first heard of shutterfly and snapfish I couldn't decide which one to go with... I'm sure you've heard of them... its an online database where you can store your photos. They also have cool gift ideas and other resources for your photos. I've used both of them to share photos with friends and family, make photo-books, mugs with photos on them for all those coffee drinkers out there, and calendars all as different gifts for different occassions. I made a photo book for JDub for our 3 year anniversary. I gave one to my dad for Father's Day. I also do my Christmas cards every year on them. JDub and I didn't do Christmas cards until there were kids in the picture. I mean who really wants to see a pic of just us? I didn't! But once we had our cute little red-headed Bubba we just had to do a photo!

Last year's Christmas Card was by far my favorite! We bought them from Shutterfly. It was a simple design that didn't take too much way from the stunning photo we had a friend take. Bubba looked like a little ceramic china doll he was sooo cute. It was super easy to upload the photo and order them. They came straight to the house, envelopes included! We got so many compliments on them too. This was last year's design stirling snowman card '09

So when thinking about Christmas cards for this year I was wondering where to turn....then I got a notice in my email the other day........ Snapfish said if I didnt make a purchase this month all of my pictures would be lost forever. What the crap right?! I was a little shocked. So that pretty much made my decision final! BUH-BYE Snapfish... HELLO SHUTTERFLY 24/7! I mean I just read on another blog how I can get 50 free Christmas cards from Shutterfly for being a blogger! That sounds soo much better than having all of my photos gone forever..... What do you think?!

Pyro? oh yea!!!!

Ok so JDub is really the fire pro around the house... mainly b/c I am constantly attending to a child in need (or in "want" really...) which can make it hard to attend to a fire as well. We were fortunate enough to have a very generous family at church who gave us a bunch of free firewood!! And I mean a bunch... his entire truck bed was full of the stuff... He even made a holder for the wood out of 2x4's and that thing was overflowing! So while it looks like this outside.....

It looks feels like this inside :)

Bubba is doing very well with the fires too. He knows he needs to stay away or he'll get hurt. I still find him messing with the ashes or wood when the fire is not lit... but he's learning. He is only 2 after all right?! Ceej is a rolling machine these days. He's not really crawling, but he does manage to get halfway across the room just from rolling around. He is sitting up very well which is great. Soon I think I'll be able to move him up to the next car-seat and not have to lug that heavy thing around anymore! You'd think I would have built up my arm muscles enough... but no. I am weak!

On another note... I cannot believe Christmas is almost here! I'm excited to see Bubba open his presents this year. He was still kind of out of it last year... but seeing him on his birthday was too cute. We really didn't go nuts with the presents though. He has soo much stuff already. I am almost done shopping! So that's exciting... I just need a few stocking stuffers and a couple more little presents for people and I think I'll be done. I even have most of them wrapped! Not bad for December 4th :) 

Seamstress? who knew?!

Ok so I've dabbled in sewing a little bit over the years.... as mentioned... I made Bubba's 1st official halloween costume..... (a candy corn)

I even helped make my beloved t-shirt quilt (with help from my mom!!). We cut and sewed all the squares and black material in between... I left the batting, backing, and quilting part to a professional...

So when I got wind of this website.... http://www.newdressaday.com/ I thought hey maybe I can do that?.... If you haven't checked this girl out you really should. It is pretty amazing what she can do with a little TLC.

So I decided to try out my skills the other day! I wish I would have taken more pics along the way... I started cutting and then thought, OH wait maybe I should document this! So yea.. Anyway I got this shirt when I was still working in health insurance. An XL... what am I gonna do with that right? I mean JDub's smaller than I am...and I was swimming in the thing.

I cut up the sides of it also cutting off the sleeves. I still wanted sleeves but knew I'd have to adjust them b/c they were pretty big! After that I ended up cutting the sleeves to size (w/o measuring..) and pinning them back onto the shirt and sewing them on. Then I gathered the sides with pins along with the edges of the sleeves and sewed those as well.... I really should cut off some of the length.. and well the shirt is a bit tight at the bottom I guess I should have tried to make it less of a straight cut and have it taper out at the bottom... but at least I know now for future reference... for my first try I'm pretty happy with it!

What do you think?!

Doggy doo is a big Don't!

I like dogs... don't get me wrong! They're cute, fun to play with, and nice to snuggle too... but when you don't have a dog you shouldn't have to worry about dog poop in your yard... right?! Well you'd think so anyway. But not if you live at my address! It is sooo frustrating. I am about ready to set up a video camera to catch the culprits. OK I'm sorry, but isn't it proper etiquette to clean up after your own dog has done its business... especially if it is in someone else's yard?!

I know, I know... you're thinking "its probably your neighbors..." Well I know for sure its not my next door neighbors... One has a toy poodle... and the poop in my yard is way too big to be hers... and also I've seen the owner specifically come and pick up her poo when she did one time.... and Two... the other neighbor barely even lets their dog out ever! And when he does its always on a leash thing in the back yard.

My neighbors across the yard... God bless them they are wonderful people... but they are busy-bodies! I am about ready to ask if they've seen any dogs going in my yard... or seen who's walking their dogs and letting them! If anyone knows it would be them...

Have you seen these signs... or a variation anyway...?

I think they're pretty tacky... but it is getting ridiculous around here. When I'm raking leaves or out playing with my boys I don't think about watching out for dog poop b/c I DONT HAVE A FREAKING DOG! So I'm getting upset when I almost step in it... or see Bubba about to step in it... its really not cool. I might have to invest in one and see if it works to make people be more responsible.....

For-ev-er....

Bubba takes the LONGEST time to eat.... every meal... 3 times a day.... and it drives me crazy?! I've tried bribing him with candy if he hurries.... I've tried setting a timer and making him finish by a certain point... I've tried leaving the room and just playing with Ceej until he finishes... nothing seems to be working. It is ridiculous... If you try looking up online about speeding up your ridiculously slow eater they just tell you to calm down... because its "good" for you to eat slow... you digest your food better and don't eat as much blah blah blah!

The other day he literally took 2 hours to eat half a banana and a bowl of oatmeal.. It would have taken him longer too if I hadn't gone over constantly to tell him to eat a bite. Or just shoving a bite of food in his mouth myself! OMG it is just so frustrating. Three times a day I have to deal with him and I'm really getting warn down by it. All he wants to do is talk... or sing songs, or ask me what I'm doing every five seconds. I've tried being nice... and I've tried yelling and being mean (yes I know it was a dumb idea but I just couldn't take it one day!). Oh and don't even get me started on how many times he has to get up and pee during a meal either... Ok ok.. I know that I don't have a life. Or at least my life is to stay at home and raise these boys... but I didn't think I was going to have to spend 6-7 hours in the kitchen a day waiting for my oldest to eat.

Good Deal!

Who doesn't love a good deal right? I love getting compliments on something and then saying "oh thanks... I got this shirt from Wal-Mart for $7!" JDub and I (and the little boogers too) went shopping at Target last night. It was one of those trips where JDub said he needed something for his new Droid phone..(don't even get me started on that thing......) and he had already looked online at Wal-Mart and they didn't have what he needed... or at least he didn't think they did. So we made the treck across town. No biggie really. I had a few grocery items I knew I needed so I mainly looked for those. He didn't end up finding what he wanted either...

And then there was the clearance Halloween aisle!!! It looked like a lot of stuff at first... but it turned out to mostly be pet costumes! Dog ones really. They kinda made me wish I had a dog to dress up! But I picked through and ended up finding a scally-wag pirate kid costume! It was a shirt, pants, belt, bandana, and skull and cross-bones sticker... all for $.70! Oh yea baby! I mean I'd still like to get a sword, eye-patch, maybe even pirate hat.... wouldn't mind a cute little pirate to sit on his shoulder either! But yea... at least I have a good start for next year's costume.

I want what I paid for....

I like brand name things... not in everything I buy... but certain things.. Take Lay's Potato Chips for example. They are just sooo yummy. If you buy the off-brand they just aren't as good. So one time when I opened up my bag of Lay's to enjoy some chips and found them burnt to a crisp... Yea... I was a little upset. See normally I'm very happy with my purchase. So I did what any decent person would do... I called and complained! JDub thinks I just like getting free stuff. But honestly who doesn't like getting free stuff? And its not like I'm playing the system or something. In instances like that I feel like they should know I wasn't a satisfied customer ya know? A week or so later I got some coupons in the mail to get a free bag of chips and even some other coupons for $1.00 off my next purchase and what not too.

Being a breast-feeding mother, keeping my extra milk stored properly is pretty important. When I'm not home and Ceej needs some milk I want to make sure there is some on hand. So recently when I was storing the extra milk in some of those Lansinoh bags I noticed it was leaking out everywhere! This was NOT cool. I mean it takes a lot of time and effort to pump out that milk only to have it go to waste. So again.... I emailed and let them know their product was failing! They again did what any decent company would do for a consumer... they sent me replacement bags!

Bubba thinks he has to have popcorn any time we watch a movie these days.... I guess it could be worse so I usually let him (and myself) indulge. I had bought some Orville Redenbacher kettle corn so we've been eating that. Once again... it wasn't up to my standards the other day... Somehow one of the kernals had burnt a whole in the bag which meant only half of the kernals actually popped into popcorn. I kept the bag on top of the counter b/c when I got a second I was going to call and complain....... but somehow it got thrown away! JDub had ruined my plan... oh well I guess its not the end of the world, but I wanted them to know it was faulty! Call me crazy I guess....

Just for fun!

Here's my manicure I gave myself :) I have to say I was pretty impressed, usually I'm not able to paint the fingernails on my right hand that well. I think my thumb nail was my favorite :)

DIY Halloween Costumes....

So as long as I can remember I've pretty much always made my own Halloween costumes..... mostly b/c they didn't have that many options when I was younger..... and nowadays it seems like everything has to be "naughty" a.k.a. slutty.... No thanks! I remember growing up one of my favorite costumes was when I was Pippi Longstocking! I don't remember the exact outfit... it was overall-shorts of some sort and different colored socks.... plaid shirt under it... but I remember getting a wire hanger and cutting it and sticking it in my little pig-tails to have them stick out! That's one good thing about already having red hair... you don't have to wear a wig!

One time in college I was Avril Lavigne too! I thought it was pretty good... and several people could tell who I was (I did carry around a blow-up microphone for a hint!) I've been Ginger from Gilligan's Island too! (Once again the red hair really came in handy :) ) If I ever have my own Halloween party I'd love to try Jessica Rabbit... I don't know if I could pull off making my own dress like hers though....... and that might be a little too "naughty" for me......

Last year I made a Candy-Corn costume for Bubba. I thought it turned out very cute! I had alot of fun picking out the material and figuring it all out too. This year I came up with a Banana costume for him! I just took an over-sized yellow sweatshirt... seam ripped the armpits to make holes for his arms to go through... safety-pinned the arms together in back to look like the peel..... put black electrical tape on the end and took a white hood I kept from my quilt project and put that underneath! I'll post pics on facebook... I think its pretty cute... but then I saw a commercial.......

Have you seen the Target commercial where the mom is making her son an Iron Man costume? Honestly I saw it for the first time and that "Wow that's good!" and then the light thing falls off and they show you a costume for $20 you can buy. I was a little disappointed... I guess its a good thing my kids are so young and they don't know the difference between "good" costumes and home-made ones... right now Bubba is getting a kick out of running around in his little banana costume! He could care less if I made it myself... I know that day where he wants to buy one from the store is just around the corner (sniff..... *tear*). Baby's going to be a monkey! That costume I acquired from a nice co-worker of JDub's! So I didn't have to whip one up or buy one which was nice :)

Side note............
Baby is getting sooo big... I feel like I have to come up with a new nickname. He won't be a Baby much longer!! So... without further ado..... I will call him Ceej! (Thanks sis)

crafty creations!

I don't know why... and I don't really have much to show for it. But I have been a busy little beaver around here lately. I feel like I have no time to do anything! Whether its clean the house... pack for my upcoming vacation, upload photos on facebook, and write on this blog... I just haven't had the time... but here is something I did manage to find the time for.......

Aren't they cute?! Ok so my "spiders" looked more like octopus... and my Frankensteins just looked like monsters in general.. but hey I came up with the pumpkin idea all by myself! They were a hit at my church's chili cook-off. They were pretty yummy too...even if it was pure sugar.

Seriously though... I'm not sure why but I feel like every day is non-stop madness... Today I did manage to do laundry and clean the toilets... I still haven't packed for our trip to TN!!! But I am soo pumped. I haven't seen my nephew for almost a year! And alot of our family down there hasn't met Baby either.. So it should be a good trip. Hopefully after we get back from our little vaca... (14 hour drive... please pray for the sanity of me and the rest of my family......) I'll have more time to get some things down around here...

Whatever happened to its JUST October?

I miss the days when it was just October... a month that came after September and is in the fall... its when you should go buy pumpkins and carve them for Halloween! Instead... its Breast Cancer awareness month... National Popcorn Popping month... even National Sarcastics Month.... I mean its ridiculous! Don't get me wrong... I love cookies.. but does October really have to be Cookie Month? And wouldnt it make more sense to have Cookie month in December anyway? Afterall for Christmas most people bake cookies...

October 1st is apparenlty World Vegetarian Day... like really they need their own specific day? Why not have "Pick your nose and eat it day!" or "Tell the truth no matter what day!" Oh that would be some day huh? "Oh honey do I look fat in this......" "Um yea... actually you do... please get rid of that outfit you'll never fit into it again!"

Aren't we all pretty aware of Breast Cancer... and Vegetarians? I mean I'm aware they're around... I've even learned a few people I know are vegetarians... why in the world they wouldn't want to eat meat I have no idea... I know some meat-eaters are a lil weird. JDub was talking about some guy he works with that squirrel hunts. Really? Poor, little, cute, furry, squirrels? You'd want to eat THAT?! No thanks... but than again... I guess you could say pigs and cows are cute too (I really dont think chickens qualify at cute...  or turkeys for that matter....)

October 2nd is apparently "Name your Car Day".... what if you've already named your car... are you suppose to rename it? What if you're like most normal people and you have your car for more than a year... are you suppose to rename it every year and then remember what you've named it over the years? Its pretty stupid. I want to know who's job it is to come up with these little "holidays" and overall months... cause it seems like they could be putting their time into something more worthwhile.

Sometimes Brand Names are worth the extra cost....

I am usually ALL about being cheap... I mean a family of four with one income and diapers coming out of ears.... yea I need to be frugal sometimes. This is why we don't have cable.... we don't go out much.... and we have alot of used furniture and clothes. I love hand me downs from cousins!!! (thank you :) )

But sometimes once you try something... you just can't go back to the cheap stuff! You know what I'm talking about right? Like Simply Orange Juice! It is the BEST BEST orange juice I have ever tasted! Yea... I grew up on that nasty frozen concentrate stuff you add water to and stir.. my grandmother still gets the strainer out for me when I am there for breakfast! Yes, I use to be picky... I didn't like the pulp, but I can deal with it now! I just choose not to! And I can't bring myself to buy the icky orange juice b/c it just isn't as good. Simply Orange Juice is simply THE BEST. If you haven't tried it, you really should! Well wait maybe you shouldn't b/c you'll be like me and not want to drink any other orange juice!

And then there's Oreos...... I mean who doesn't love Oreos right? I know I do! I just about have one every day......(while hiding in my pantry away from Bubba) But the thing is I can't just buy regular Oreos. I have to buy the Double stuffed Oreos. I mean more creme filling?! Yes please! And if you go back to the regular, they just don't taste that great... they're not terrible or anything... but they're no Double Stuff!

Peanut butter is awesome. Its good on celery........ toast......apples.... pb and jelly or pb and banana sandwiches. I really feel sorry for people who are allergic to nuts. That really sucks for you. I don't necessarily have to have a certain brand of peanut butter. I mean I can do Jiffy... or Peter Pan... but the off-brand? Like the store brand?! YUCK! The texture and consistency are just not the same. At least not to me. So yea... apparently choosy moms' do choose Jiff... or however that goes.

I was never a big fan of yogurt. I remember when I was younger and had some sort of virus... the doctor prescribed a tablespoon of yogurt ever hour or some crap like that. I thought I was going to die! Yes, I was (or maybe still am?) a little dramatic... but yogurt just grossed me out... whether it was the taste or texture... I dunno. But I did not care for it. But as I grew up... I tried more and more yogurt... mostly b/c its healthy and they have some decent flavors now. But once I tried the Dannon Light and Fit.. I just can't go back to anything else! I know it has splenda, which in general I try to avoid, but its small amounts right?

I've always liked coffee. My mom said I even drank it when I was little! But I usually need lots of cream and lots of sugar. Once I discovered Dunkin Donuts coffee though.... I just need sugar. Its THAT good! Sure I can drink other coffees.... but at home when I brew my own, I prefer Dunkin Donuts. It makes me sad we don't have a Dunkin Donuts around here anymore... but at least they have their yummy coffee available in grocery stores!!

Old Cold...

Have you ever passed out? I have completely passed a few times in my life.... but had some close calls numerous times as well. Its a strange feeling. I remember the first time I passed out...... I was in high school... at my parents house. JDub and I were dating then... I started feeling funny. It was late and time for JDub to leave... he was talking but I can't honestly remember what he was saying b/c I was hearing this whooshing/whirring sound and he sounded all mumbled and quiet. Everything I could see was starting to get blotchy and go black.... just as I shut the door after he left... BAM! I was on the floor. It was so weird. I have no idea how long I was out.... and if I hit the door on my way down or what.

I'm one of those people who gets light-headed pretty easy. If I find myself this way I know I need to sit down, get some sugar... and maybe even a cold cloth on the back of my neck. I'm especially bad when I'm pregnant! From now on I am refusing to see the dentist whenever I'm pregnant (ok....IF I get pregnant again...) For some strange reason, whenever I get in that chair, after a while, I start to feel woozy! Once again things start going black and soon I can't hear the people around me. At least I've felt this feeling before though........So I'm able to warn them. It happened with both my pregnancies! I had to say STOP! I THINK I'M GOING TO PASS OUT! Then of course they're freaking out.... putting me on oxygen... getting me something sugary to drink. It's quite embarrassing. I'm usually drenched in sweat by the end of it... but thankfully I didn't totally go limp either time.

Then there was the time I was donating plasma....... yep... for those of you who have done this before, you know the rooms are packed full of on-lookers. It was terrible. I did the "Um... excuse me... I'm sorry but I think I'm going to pass out!" Which turns into chaos! The workers ran over...started fanning me down... they put cold compresses on my neck... people stared... SOOO embarrassed yet again. I stopped donating shortly after that for fear of it happening again!

Its kind of funny when you see people pass out..... like on TV.. JDub almost did at the birth of Baby! He'll probably deny it.... but when I was getting that epidural (totally recommended by the way :) ) he went all yellow......... But its no fun when its happening to you!

Random thoughts.....

Do you think Adam and Eve really had belly-buttons? I mean its not like they were ever attached to a mother by an umbilical cord... Yet for some reason they're always drawn that way.
Why do men have nipples? Is there really a point? At least for women they're functional.
In general I taste the food my children eat... I'd hate to make them eat something that's nasty... but try your own breast milk? .... just can't bring myself to do it!
I must have the sense of humor of a 5 year old... cause I still find farts hilarious.... I remember this time in college when I was in a half hour abs workout class and this girl let one rip. OH man I could NOT stop laughing.... the more I tried not to laugh... the harder I laughed. Fart jokes in movies... I'm always the one laughing...  I just can't help it..
It sucks when JDub's gone for work... I miss him, but I wonder if I really "miss" him... or just miss having another set of hands around the house to help... or another adult to watch the kids while I have some time to myself....
Some days I really think I'm developing early-onset Alzheimer's disease. I'm constantly walking into a room not remembering why I came there in the first place. I can't remember what day it is sometimes... or if I've even brushed my teeth yet... Even in the shower I'll forget where I'm at... like have I already washed my face? The other day I only shaved one armpit....
The season premiere of Parenthood is on tonight!!! Whoo HOo!!! I just love Lauren Graham :)
Sometimes I hide in the pantry or around corners to eat my cookies or candy just so I don't have to share them with my 2 year old....
I really do enjoy Lady Gaga's music.... and so does Bubba... he requests Alejandro all the time in the car.
I hate going to the store with both kids these days.... Baby can't quite sit up on his own... so I end up having him strapped to my chest in one of those carriers... and then Bubba's in the cart. People stare... I can't tell if its cause they think my kids are cute... or they're staring b/c they feel sorry for me..... it definitely feels like the latter of the two
I love Halloween! I know the background of the reason we celebrate it isn't so hot... but its so fun to dress up the kids and see the trick-or-treaters. JDub hates it... which really bums me out. I would love to have a themed Halloween party... like dress up as your favorite _________. Or even just have a toga party... but would anyone want to come to that?
Is it sad that I'm really excited for the new season's of my favorite TV shows? I'm really bummed that I wont get to watch some of them b/c they're not appropriate for Bubba. He's waaaay too perceptive. I am not a morning person... but I might just have to become one so I can put him to bed earlier and watch my shows at night.
I can't wait to wear my Snuggie and drink hot tea around the house (Lipton's Orange Spice preferably) once it gets cold out! That's the only good thing about winter... oh and I'm definitely making a snow man this year!

Ain't Technology Great?!

For the most part.. I LOVE technology. I mean remember when the internet first came out!!? I was obsessed. All I did was sit in front of that computer in my parents kitchen and chat ALL the time with friends. There was this thing I would go on after school too... Gosh I just can't think of the name of it right now... but it was awesome! You could play pictionary with other people from all over! You'd sit there and wait for the other players to start drawing and then you'd guess! I'd have to say I was pretty good at it... some people would get mad at me and leave the "room" I was in b/c they didn't like losing. And then you'd have a chance to draw too. It was cool.

And cell phones... its a wonder we lived w/o them for so long! You know how I feel about my Instant Netflix on XBox too (LOVE IT!!!). Mp3 players are also pretty sweet... I'm not cool like everyone else, I don't have an IPod... but its all good. I'm not gonna lie... I kinda wish I had a Kindle too! I mean not having to go to the library and pick out books... or wait on a waiting list FOREVER. Or even go to a bookstore! You can just download it! Too cool... So yea for the most part I'd say I Heart Technology...

UNTIL THIS..........

Ok yea I know this is a terrible pic... but this is a mobile speed trap that's hanging around the area... Ok seriously I do not get out much... I'll admit I'm a hermit crab (and will probably be even worse when it gets cold around here...) but of course the one day I do get out, I just go flying by this thing! I was too busy responding to the 15 million questions Bubba asks these days that I didn't even notice it! Then all of a sudden it clicks and I'm like ahhhh crap! I debated whether or not to tell JDub.... so I just told him when we were laying in bed trying to go to sleep. See usually I'll talk to him about something that pops into my head b/c it's hard to have an adult conversation around the house. Bubba's always "What doing Mommy?" or "I need gummy worms!" interrupting whenever we try to talk so its hard to remember what was actually discussed. I thought this would be a good time to tell him also b/c he tends to fall asleep and not remember some of the things I tell him. So.... I thought I could play the "I told you that!" card if in fact we get a ticket here in the mail. But turns out he WAS listening and knows. The ONE time I would want him to be asleep and not remember he's awake... go figure. I rarely enter contests or gamble for this exact reason... I am not a "lucky" person.

Can't live w/o it

Isn't it amazing the things people use to live without? I find it hard to believe... but somehow people managed to live without things like air conditioning! This month has been especially hot... and while I know I could survive w/o it... I dont think my kids could. Bubba for sure needs a haircut. And he instantly sweats when its this hot b/c of it. But he just looks so darn cute! I get several compliments for his cute curls so for now... we'll just sit inside with the air conditioning!!!

I for one hate doing the dishes... it is soo annoying! All I feel like I do is stand in front of that sink scrubbing and rinsing. I can't imagine how much longer I would have to stand there if it weren't for that wonderful invention.... the automatic dishwasher! My neighbor says she never uses hers... and that just baffles my mind!? Who in there right mind would want to spend extra time hand washing and drying dishes all the time? Not me... Now I swear I have to "wash" the dishes before I actually put them in the dishwasher... but still...

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So yea I wrote that first half a while back... and then lo and behold... my dishwasher is acting up! Its leaving a nice white residue all over the dishes... I have to take them and soak them in vinegar just to get that off... and then handwash them. Double duty if you ask me. We've tried looking at the water softener.. which apparently did have a bit of a clog in it.. but the dishwasher is still not right. We tried running a load with vinegar in there, but apparently that damages the dishwasher (if the thing doesn't work anyway... does it really matter?) And now we're going to try some different detergent... who knows if this attempt with fail too. I HATE hand-washing dishes. I have enough crap to clean up as is... do I really need to do this too? I swear JDub just uses every dish known to man too! Does he ever hand-wash the dishes? um NO. So while I'm over here using paper plates and washing my one dish I used in the morning to reuse at lunch and then wash again for dinner... his dishes are just piling up...

Please let this new dish soap work! I feel like all I do is stand in front of the kitchen sink all day long... Bubba's going to start asking where Mommy is and automatically go there to find me.....

Movies

I love movies!!! That's why I love Netflix sooo much too... Here are a list of movies I think everyone should see. They aren't necessarily my favorites of all time... but they are some of my favorites that I can think of right now. Some are funny, some are intense! and well some just have hot guys in them too. Here are some movies I've enjoyed watching and would watch more than once!

-Date Night
-Extract
-She's out of my League
-Taken
-Transformers
-National Treasure
-The Proposal
-She's the Man
-Superbad
-Batman Begins
-The Crazies
-The Blind Side
-Inglorious Basterds
-Zombieland
-Star Trek (the newest one)

seriously you should see them.. they're enjoyable!!!

All about Bubba

I CANNOT believe my little guy, Bubba, is 2. It is just INSANE to me! Time really flies. It seems like just yesterday I was watching him roll over for the first time... but now he's a big boy! He's been using the potty everyday (sometimes w/o accidents). For the most part he feeds himself... and picks out his clothes for the day. He lets me know when he's hungry and what he wants to eat (most of the time is CANDY he's screaming for...) He's a good boy too.

When I asked what he wanted for his birthday he replied "Thomas GAMOONS..." aka balloons with Thomas the Tank Engine on them. So I decided to have a little Thomas party for his 2nd birthday. We acquired a small ball pit from a friend, JDub blew up water balloons, and we had our slide in the back too. Everything was a hit! His guests enjoyed the ball pit too... and a few people got wet but it was all good. He was a good boy; sharing everything up until the end when it came close to bed-time. He made sure to say "tank you" to everyone... even before he opened their presents sometimes!

And the most amazing thing yet?! The hours upon hours of watching "Elmo Potty Time" has finally paid off!!! Bubba had been enjoying running around the house naked... and doing the naked dance (don't worry we caught that one on video for blackmail... I mean enjoyment later ). Sure he had a few accidents while naked... its to be expected. But after purchasing Elmo big-kid-underpants he wanted to wear them! So the day before his 2nd birthday.... he demanded to wear Elmo. We woke up that morning and put them on. I made sure to tell him that Elmo doesn't like it when you pee or poop in him... so if he had to go he needed to tell Mommy and we could hurry to the potty.

Well I think we went through all 7 pair that came in that pack the first day! But that's ok. He freaked the first time he started peeing in them. He cried and cried... he was upset b/c he didn't want Elmo to be mad that he peed on him! But I assured him that Elmo would forgive him... and just like on the video... Elmo and Grover said "accidents happen... and its ok..." He does wondefully with me when it comes to going to the potty. He'll even tell me when he has to go sometimes! Most of the time I see him grabbing himself and ask if he needs to go and then we go even if he doesn't feel like it. He's getting better at going with JDub too so that's nice. I just hope he can get the hang of it and get help from other relatives... He manages to stay dry during naps... but we still have him in pull-ups at night (sometimes they're dry... and then some days they're wet). But all in all it is a wonderful thing! As much as watching "Elmo Potty Time" drove me crazy... I think it really did help. I can remind him about the things they teach in the video... like using toilet paper (but only a little bit), flushing, washing your hands... etc. I know I'm still spending alot of time in the bathroom these days... but at least 7/10 times he actually does go!!

We had his 2 year checkup last week. The doctor was a little shocked when I told her we'd been using the potty... She thought it was a bit early for a boy. But honestly he was showing the signs... wanting to use the potty.... telling me he needed a new diaper... staying dry during nap-time and even some nights.... and wanting to wear underwear. And I'm glad I did it. Since we spend most of our days at home we haven't really had too many accidents... I am getting more worried about when MOPS starts back up, and being in nursery at church... but time will tell. I know it's not the end of the world if he does have an accident... But I really am proud of him. (And myself for being patient...)

The next step is to get him to use his own potty... I just bought a Baby Bjorn potty chair (so I dont have to worry about him falling off our toilet and getting hurt... its happened...). So lets hope he wants to use that and then he'll be able to sit on it himself!!

sooo annoying!

So I happen to be one of those people who get very annoyed by things... its really a terrible burden. I can't get through the day w/o being annoyed by something. Most of the time its Bubba who's driving me crazy... sometimes Mango likes to get in on it too... Sometimes it feels like its JDub's job to annoy me... and then there's the most annoying thing yet....

Hairs?! Yes I'm talking about hair being the most annoying thing to me lately. Not the hair on my head... well technically its hair that use to be on my head. I swear I shed like a dog! I am constantly finding hairs all over me. And summertime is the worst. It annoys me even more b/c I'm usually wearing tank tops or sleeveless shirts and there always seems to be a hair tickling my arm, my back, my neck, my chest... doesn't matter where... and then its impossible to find! If you ever see me examining myself... hair is most likely the culprit.

If you're an aquaintence (or sometimes stranger....) and you have a stray hair on your clothes... I am likely to pick it off your sweater as well. I can't even listen to what you're saying half the time if you have hair on you... I'll just stare and stare until finally I pick it off... I know its weird..

And then there's when I'm in the shower. You would not believe the amount of hair that comes off my head when I'm in the shower! And then they're stuck to my legs when I'm trying to shave... ugh.... hair you drive me crazy!

Self-less...or selfish.....

There are certain times in my life when I consider myself to be a self-less person... Most of the time this is when it comes to my children! I think I've mentioned I will forego showering b/c there's just no time.... I will not get online or watch the TV shows I wish I could b/c I'd rather be going for a walk, or reading to Bubba. I will skip the opportunity during the day to do my workout b/c I'd much rather snuggle with Baby while he sleeps in my arms....

JDub and I have given up a lot since we started our family. We knew we'd have to make these sacrifices (no cable tv.... less eating out... no or minimal vacations.... buying ice cream instead of "going out for ice-cream".... turning down invites to concerts... or trips out to the bar... etc) I really don't mind giving these things up most of the time. But there are those times when I'm jealous of the friends and family who seem to go and do whatever they please!!!

And then there are times when I'm a little selfish... JDub doesn't have too many hobbies... He works on the house alot, and plays video games on the XBox here and there. Now he comes home and tells me he's joining a Fantasy Football League?! Ugh... Instead of being happy for him to get involved in something with guys from his work, I think "great.... how much time will this take out of the time he spends with me or the kids?!" I know... its terrible. How self-centered am I?! I even said "So this time you'll spend on the internet making your teams or whatever it is you do..... will this come out of the time you spend looking at Trucks online every night?" Sometimes I just can't help myself. JDub is such a wonderful husband and father to our boys.... I need to stop being so mean and let him have a little fun just for himself.... so say a little prayer for me to be more supportive. I can always take that time to have a little "Me" time myself right?

It's human nature to be the jealous type right? I wouldn't say I'm jealous all the time... but it does flare up now and again. Lately I've been mowing the lawn, not b/c JDub wouldn't do it... but b/c I'm jealous of the alone time he would get if he were to do it?! Being a stay-at-home-mom is a 24/7 job. With rare down time... Kids are always needing a new diaper (Please let Bubba take an interest in potty-training again soon!!) or something to eat. They crave your attention and involvement. But they can sure make you laugh and want to show them off too :)

what you do in your sleep.....

I've kind of always wanted to video tape myself while I sleep... Have you? Some mornings I wake up and I have no covers.... this I believe is b/c JDub is a sheet stealer! He's always hoarding the blankets.. He sleeps in the fetal position half the time with the covers all up around his neck. I can't stand that! I feel like I'm going to suffocate if they're all up around my neck the way he likes them. Unless its winter and I'm freezing... But honestly I wake up every day and my pillowcase is half off the pillow. HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN?! What in the world am I doing in my sleep to cause my pillowcase to come off?! I can't figure it out..

Sometimes the sheet will even slip off the mattress on my side. Its all good when I go to bed. I usually even straighten everything out and pull the fitted sheet down more... and yet its almost coming off the bed by morning. I dont' know why... but this doesn't happen whenever I have Baby sleeping with me. Sometimes if its been a rough night I'll pull him into bed with me...  or if we're all taking an afternoon nap I'll just have him sleep in bed with me b/c he never sleeps as long as Bubba does. I always wake up in the exact same position that I fell asleep. I wonder why that is? Maybe its some sub-conscious thing cause I know I don't want to squish my baby.... I know you're not suppose to sleep with infants... but I just know deep down I could never hurt him.... and I'm not drinking or anything so its not like I'm out of it.

I get a kick out of watching my two sons sleep sometimes... so if might be funny to watch myself!

Buyers beware of Chicco brand car seats!

When it came time for us to buy a carseat over 2 years ago.... JDub did a lot of research. He is soo good about that. He has the patience... and apparently time... to do that sort of thing. So when he came up and said he thought the Chicco brand travel system (a carseat, base, and stroller combined) was the best buy.. I said lets go for it! I even recommended it to friends. It had high safety ratings and good ratings from people in general. I really liked it too! I still notice other families have the same exact one when we're out and about and its 2 years old! So yea... you might have noticed how I said LIKED and not LIKE...... yea well while we were on the choir trip, which Baby came along on.... he developed this terrible rash on his little elbows! I couldn't figure out for the life of me what it was from. He was in the car seat alot b/c we were traveling alot.

TURNS OUT IT WAS THE CAR SEAT! Can you believe that? Little did we know Chicco brand carseats have been giving poor little babies rashes for a while now.... Apparently it is the fire-retardant part of the fabric... mixed with baby sweat... I dunno. But I felt soo bad. And well its not like you can just go somewhere w/o a carseat! So that was a bit of a bummer.. for a while there I ghetto-rigged a pillow case over top of the fabric, cut holes for the straps and buckles to keep his little arms from rubbing up on the fabric. And now we've purchased a cover from diapers.com... nomie brand. So far so good! The rash is soooo much better. His poor little elbows are a little dry still... but he just moves those arms around so much I dont think they've had time to heal all the way! Anyway. The cover is really nice. And it definately beat having to buy a whole new car seat! The only problem is now I'm not sure if we'll be able to use the stroller since its the same fabric... right now we can still click the car seat into the stroller and use it that way.. and well we can lay a blanket down too. But yea that totally sucks. So beware if you're in the market for a car seat...

Let's all go to the movies...

Bubba had his first movie experience this week! The local cheap theater (movies are ususally $3 a pop) has a promotion going on this summer. Free kids movies (kids 17and under are free, adults $1) Monday thru Thursday at 10:00 all summer long! This week was Monsters vs. Aliens. I had been wanting to go all summer but didn't really have the chance until this week. My grandmother is in town from Tennessee to see Baby for the first time :). She's loving him and his red hair of course (she's a red-head as well!). So I convinced her and my mom to come along and take the kids. Baby was wonderful... he just watched the movie/slept the whole time. Bubba on the other hand didn't make it through the whole thing........ but he was pretty good for about an hour of it!

It was quite the production! They really went all out at the theater. Sparkles the Clown was there scaring... I mean "entertaining" before the movie. They had kid packs with popcorn and candy. I think Bubba was more excited about eating popcorn than actually watching the movie! Of course I made the mistake of letting him get a big container of apple juice... I thought if I held it while he drank we'd be ok. Yea well we were until he started fussing and saying "I DO IT!" Which in turn led him to spill apple juice all over his shirt... that was about the same time we had to leave and go out into the lobby...  I should have known it was going to be packed when we showed up and there were two school buses parked in the lot! There were 4 theaters all full of kids! It was pretty insane. It was fun though. And I'm glad he was able to experience it. We might have to try again before summers over... if I can recruit some help again!

On another note, Baby rolled over from his stomach to his back for the first time this week!

I Dreamed a Dream

Please sing the following to the tune of I Dreamed a Dream from Les Mis!

There was a time when I would sleep

When no screams or cries

would wake my slumber

There was a time when I would unwind

And I'd relax

Resting was so amazing

There was a time

then it all was lost.....

I Dreamed a Dream in time gone by

when everyone could speak

and use the potty

I dreamed that I'd never get so annoyed

I dreamed that burp rags were a plenty

Then I was clueless and well rested

And dishes were used, washed and put away

There were no diapers to be changed

No tantrums thrown, no food wasted

But the children come all day

with their whining soft as thunder

as they tear your world apart

your dream's faint and far away

We use to be cool and much less lame
we'd see friends and go out after twilight
I use to be known by my first name!
But "Mommy" is all I am right now

And still I dream for time to read

And money to go on vacation

But there are purchases we can't forsee

And there are dreams that are not useful

I had a dream my life would be

So different from this one I'm living

So different now from what it seemed

Now life has tainted the dream I dreamed

choir

Whooo what a long weekend and week this is going to be!!! We had our mini-tour for choir this past weekend. It was lots of fun. Here's some pics of the places we performed!!

I'd have to say my favorite was singing at the Sinsinawa Mounds in Sinsinawa, WI. I believe the average age of our audience was 70! Lol. And most of them were nuns. It was pretty cool. They were so appreciative of us being there and performing for them. And they were just too cute!

Baby was such a good boy the whole time... and thanks again to my mom for coming!!! She watched him while we practiced and performed. Everyone just oooeh and aaahed over him... I don't blame them cause I do too! He's just such a happy baby these days which is sooo nice.

Tomorrow we're off to Mason City for one last performance of this music we've been working on since the beginning of the year. I missed our concert in May b/c of Baby being born early and all... so I was so happy to be able to sing it this past weekend and tomorrow too. Hopefully we'll be as great tomorrow as we were this weekend (not to sound full of myself or anything... but we're pretty good :) ) I think my mom has heard us enough to agree!

Just as a little side note.... I'm working on a nice little parady I'll be posting soon I hope... if I have some more time to work on it that is!

My new favorite thing.. the Woombie

OMG I have been getting the best sleep lately! And I really think its all thanks to this little thing called a Woombie. This is a picture of Baby wearing his woombie... well this is actually an old picture, from the first weeks at home after his birth. This is the newborn size... he had to upgrade to the "Big Baby" size... All I can say is this was the best investment ever! ($2 at a garage sale?! thanks to my mom!) He goes to sleep anywhere from 8-10:00 pm and doesnt wake up until 3:00-4:30! It has been wonderful this week. And I really think my mood has been better because of all the sleep too.

The only problem is Baby spits up... ALOT... So I am constantly having to wash it and then it has to air dry which takes time... but I guess its all worth it if I remember to do it. And well if I forget... it just has dried spit up on it... it wont kill him to wear it again!.. I know you're probably thinking that's disgusting. But desperate times call for desperate measures. And when it comes to sleep I can get a little desperate! (Don't judge me....)

This week is coming to an end... and while it had its hectic moments (I'm pretty sure I've been spending up to 2 hours in the bathroom each day {due to the fact Bubba is potty-training and enjoys wasting my time...} 15-30 minutes at a time.) In general I'd have to say its been a pretty good week. Mostly due to my new favorite thing... the Woombie! So thank you thank you thank you to the inventor of the Woombie. I could kiss you right now.

Was it magic?....

So the other day JDub opened up his drawer (Yes.... you read that right.... his one drawer he has in our dresser. There are four drawers total... but come on... he still wears clothes he wore in high school... so its not like he needs the extra storage.  He'd prolly tell you different... but whatever!) and he said "Yay! The Boxer Fairy came." Now I know that's not exactly the "Thanks honey for doing my laundry... I needed boxers how did you know?!" but it was funny. I try to do my best on keeping on top of things like this. I mean I am home during the days so the least I can do it keep up on laundry and cleaning... Well maybe not the cleaning so much. Its hard to do when you have a little one wanting to "help" or a crying baby keeping your hands busy. It can be a real chore just getting the broom out of the closet b/c Bubba wants to drag the thing all around the house... terrorizing the cat and knocking things down.. and of course I have to worry about him hitting Baby with everything he gets his little hands on.

But anyway... sometimes I forget myself that things don't happen automatically or magically! Someone has put their time/effort/money/hard work into it... So don't forget to appreciate those in your life..... whether its mowing the lawn or getting you a beer... oh and speaking of beer... if you haven't tried the Summer Shandy by Leinenkugel's yet you should! It is yummy... its beer with a little bit of lemonade in it. It is very refreshing on a hot summer day. And yes I am breastfeeding... but they say a beer a day helps your milk supply! So I'm helping Baby by drinking a little bit of beer!!! :) Its really a win-win situation.

But yea make sure to let the people in your life you are thankful for them! I hope you all know how much I appreciate you :) It means a lot to know that people are interested in what's goin on in my life and read this little blog of mine. Love ya!!

Old = lame

Is it just me or the older you get... the more lame you become? I mean think about it... when you were younger you got excited about fun things like dances... and graduating high school. Then cool parties and going out to the bars.... then of course graduating college... then came marriage and children! But after all that what's there to get excited about?

Here are some examples of the things I get excited about and you tell me how lame it is...
-finding a coupon for something I needed to buy anyway...
-finding a great sale on kids clothes...
-when my doorbell rings and its my order from diapers.com
-getting my workout and shower in before JDub gets home from work
-a great cup of coffee
-even having the time to write on this blog is awesome!
-when Elmo is on so I can get some things done around the house...
-fitting into some of my old shorts.. (ok that one's pretty awesome... and I'm proud of that... but still need to do some work...)
-getting a babysitter :)

So yea... I really think the older you get its the smallest things that make you happy. Which in turn makes you pretty lame... Then again... maybe there's a curve on it ya know? Like you're lame for 25 years or so... but then once your kids are grown and on their own you're back to cool things that excite you.. like retiring and going on cruises and what not....

Sleep

Why do kids fight sleep? I would give anything to have an uninterupted 2 hour nap every day... and go to bed before 9. What gives? So I did get a decent nap in today... that was a nice surprise... but taking that nap meant I didn't do my workout... or shower... so you win some and you lose some I guess.

Oh and my birthday came and went... I'm totally bummed b/c I forgot to check my other email account and I missed out on free cold stone ice cream. SO NOT COOL. Apparently the coupon expires within a week of your bday so that sucks. I did however get some nice gifts :). Thanks to all... We've been listening to Lady Gaga.... my hair looks great... one because I finally chopped it off and donated 10 inches to Locks of Love and two, because my grandmother gave me WEN shampoo!! I really do like it.. I dont think JDub will let me continually get it... but hey at least I can have nice, no fuss hair while my life is crazy right now.

I really think in the long run I will enjoy having our boys so close in age... but right now the "terrible two's" and a colicky 2 month old are really bumming me out........

Summer time!!

Oh garage sales how I love thee!!!

This time of year is great! The weather is nicer.... I dont have to be cooped up in the house as much... we can go for walks... and go garage saleing!!! The only problem is, it is not an easy thing to do with two children.... especially an almost 2 year old and a newborn! Yikes. I recruited my mom to come along with me on Friday. Let's just say we only made it to 2 garage sales.... hardly worth going across town... but it was nice to try it out. Then again I did get some clothes for the boys and even some stuff for myself all for under $12!!! Bubba has already enjoyed wearing his new Thomas the tank engine summer pj's and I can't wait to see Baby in his new ISU gear!

One thing that sucks about this time of year is all the construction!!! I swear you can't go a mile w/o running into some (here in Iowa anyway). I know the roads are terrible... but jeez. You might as well say we only have 2 seasons.... winter... and construction... so much for spring summer and fall!

Summertime is fun though. JDub and I just celebrated our 4-year anniversary! Well I dunno if I'd call it much of a celebration.... If I recall we had a nice family from church drop off some dinner (yes people are still dropping off food 6 weeks after the birth of Baby! Its awesome :) ) we did our usual nightly routine... feeding the kids... bathing the kids... and went to bed early! Oh well... what do you expect! My bday is coming up next week too... whoo hoo.. birthday's just aren't as much fun the older you get.... that and the fact it falls on Father's Day this year... so I think I'm gettin screwed just a lil bit... cause JDub will get all the attention! j/k No he deserves it! He is an awesome father to our little boys... And apparently he says we're done having kids (honestly, this is the worst time to decide that.... Baby is still too young!).

Tanning

I am one of those people who use to indoor tan frequently... It just makes you feel good! It's a nice relaxing time... and I could usually only go for 10 minutes at a time b/c I'm practically albino... In college it was great b/c a roomie of mine worked at a rec center where we could go in and tan for free! It was so awesome. I love laying outside to tan as well... but honestly who has the time? And then you get those pesky tan lines... You have to remember to turn over or you'll get burned on one side and be all white on the other. And don't even get me started trying to tan the sides of your legs or body if you're laying out... its nearly impossible!

Honestly though, I dont know if I should technically call it tanning for me. Cause I tend to turn a shade of pink or red... not brown so much. Well I guess you can say I turn a little brown because I get more freckles when I'm out in the sun. I get so sick of seeing those commercials where they're talking about skin damage and dark spots..... they talk about freckles like they're blemishes! Well if freckles are blemishes than I have the worse case of acne anyone has ever seen!

So lately I've turned to using those self-tanning lotions. They're not all bad. I know a couple years back I used one of those gradual ones. Where when you use it every day it gradually turns your skin a darker shade. If I recall it worked pretty well. But honestly I dont shower every day..... let alone put lotion on so I dont see that one working out right now. I usually have some time on the weekend to take a nice long shower... exfoliate... shave... all that good stuff so that's when I take the time to use the self-tanning lotion! Here's the best way I find to use it....

1.Exfoliate and shave your legs. (I've only been using the lotions on my legs b/c my arms are pretty freckled from exposure right now anyway...and NO ONE needs to see my stomach right now... yuck!) I have this sugar scrub from bath and body works... or any type of scrub with beads to help get that dead skin off should work.
2. Completely dry your skin. If you have any drops of water on you at all it will cause streaks which is NOT attractive... I know from experience.
3. Put a nice creamy lotion in areas that crease... like around your ankles, your knees, and your feet.
4. Then I like to use the self-tanner lotion... I usually do the front, then back and rub it into the sides in circular motions on my calves and then thighs.
5. I find when applying the lotion to my knees, ankles, and feet, it is best to mix it half and half with another gentle lotion (like lubriderm). That way you don't risk getting it too dark and settling into the creases...

Of course you should let it dry before putting clothes on, and I wouldn't recommend putting any tight clothes on after.... just make sure you do it on a day you can lounge around for an hour or so until it completely dries... no working out, or showering... You could even do it right before you go to bed! or start a long movie...

I guess while I miss tanning... at least they have this substitute.... as long as you don't cake it on and put too much you won't look orange. And hey... don't we all look better with a tan?! I know I do... cellulite... stretch marks... you name the flaw and a little tan will do wonders on the your appearance!

Free time

OK.... I took baby to the chiropracter yesterday... I know some of you out there are thinking WHAT? Taking a baby to the chiro? But I was kinda desperate! Have you mothers out there ever felt this way? Cause I do frequently... well maybe not frequently.. but still I feel a lil desperate sometimes. It wasn't bad. Dr. Chris Smith was very nice (and cute I might add...) and it was all pretty gentle. So far so good.... He was pretty instantly great right after the treatment. He's been sleeping alot... but baby's sleep alot anyway... he's just sleeping without me having to hold him! Which is a huge plus for me. I'm not going to say it worked for sure just yet. I mean it hasn't even been 24 hours! But so far so good.... its just too bad he's not in my network... otherwise I might go there too! (He has free adjustments for kids every 1st Thursday of the month... how cool is that?!)

With me not having to give Baby constant attention... I almost feel like I have free time again! I was able to do my workout, get online, and do some laundry too! I should have showered.... I'm thinking "Car Car" might be the nickname for the new babe. That's what it sounds like Bubba is saying whenever he says his name! I also came up with "Farter".... b/c you wouldn't believe the gas that comes out of this kid in the morning! But that might be too crude... it does rhyme though!

I'm getting a little depressed how none of my clothes fit... I had to breakdown and buy a new one-piece swimsuit.... I think it looks ok... I haven't had any girlfriends over to tell me the truth yet... (any one can feel free to stop by and make me try it on and tell me the truth... i still have the tags and the receipt!). I asked JDub... but I think we all know what a husband's opinion on how we really look means nothing..... I think I bounced back pretty fast after Bubba was born... yea not feeling that way with Car Car though.... But man I am feeling it after my pilates tape today! Yikes.... I am OUT OF SHAPE!!! I need a walking buddy this summer.... any takers?! I have a double stroller and everything!

Anywho... my free time is up... Bubba's awake.... let me know your thoughts on the possible nickname... and Happy Friday!!!

Infomercials

Does anyone else think infomercials are just hilarious? I mean honestly... where do they find these people to over act and be so dramatic?! So I know its sad how many of them I'm about to talk about.... but this is the price we pay not having cable!

Ez cracker... please visit https://www.ezcracker.com/?mid=547819&a=55959&s=99
Seriously? Is it really that hard to crack an egg? I dont think so! I know there are times when yes... a piece of eggshell can sneak its way into what I'm cooking... and you just pick it out! but not like these people are showing?!

Kangaroo Keeper... visit https://www.kangarookeeper.com/?MID=582833
Now this one I could probably see myself buying... cause my purse is VERY disorganized. My purse is also too small for one of them I think. I do love those big purses though... that way you can sneak in candy and pop at the movies!? If I were to get one I'd prolly have to go purse shopping too!

WEN shampoo... visit http://www.wenhaircare.com/
I still haven't tried this... but would LOVE to. I still see the infomercial often too....

Lifestyle Lift....... visit http://www.lifestylelift.com/
I know I know... .I'm only 25... well soon to be 26 yikes!!! but I couldn't help watching this one! It was crazy to see the before and after photos and videos. I know I don't need this procedure now, but man I prolly will in a few years! I never thought I was a vain person but I might have to be if I look like these before photos!

Pillow Pets.... visit http://www.pillowpetstv.com/
These are actually pretty cute. My mother in law gave one similar (pillow pal I believe is the name) to Johnson for Christmas last year... the pillow pets are machine washable though! I mean honestly... shouldn't everything be machine/dishwasher safe? I hate spot cleaning or hand-washing... its annoying!

Ok that's enough for now I guess.... if you're bored enough you should check out some of the sites... but really some of the people in these commercials are so over the top. You can't help but laugh at them!