From Our Front Porch Looking In

Movin' on up.

2009-09-23T22:07:00.003-04:00

I've moved! Go here!

I'm confused. Very confused. But, my fabulous friend Kellie is helping make everything OK in my world. Be patient with me, please. Join me, won't you?

Reli On Temple Touch Thermometer (review and giveaway)

2009-09-20T20:32:00.006-04:00

{Disclaimer - I was selected by MomSelect to review this product and was given an extra thermometer to give away.}

Germs started taking over our house this week, so I figured I'd found the perfect opportunity to try the Reli On Temple Touch Thermometer! Henry (17 months) came down with a fever recently and his energy was zapped. He spent lots of time resting on my lap and this thermometer was perfect for taking his temperature then. It's lightweight, but sturdy and it took his temperature quickly - we had a reading in less than 10 seconds! The digital display is clear and easy to read, too.

I would highly recommend this thermometer for older children more than the younger ones. Stillness is necessary to get an accurate reading and as moms know, it's much easier to get older children to sit still. Henry was quite ill, so getting him to sit still was relatively easy. Now that he's feeling better, I'm sure it would be much, much harder to get a good read.

Overall, it's a great product!

Now, here's your chance to win one! Leave a comment, tell me about your family! I will choose a winner Saturday morning, September 26th. Good luck!!

Helpless

2009-09-20T20:00:00.005-04:00

I spent the majority of this week feeling helpless. My baby boy was sick and I couldn't take his pain away. What started out as a low grade fever turned into a knock down, drag out 104.9 fever that rendered my boy horribly lethargic, miserable and in the ER. While we were still at home, I tried Motrin and Tylenol and the fever would come down to 102 and it wouldn't budge from there. Within an hour or so, it was right back up again. We spent several hours in the ER with a resident who was a bit of an alarmist (She walks into the room, takes one look at my boy and rushes out yelling, "I think we need to admit this kid". I immediately start to panic and cry. She comes back in and says, "I didn't mean to worry you." Really!?!?!) Urine tests, chest x-rays and blood work all came back negative. They diagnosed him with a possible ear infection, gave him a whopper of an antibiotic shot and a script for more antibiotics and sent us on our way. Two days later, he wasn't much better, so we went to his pediatrician. He was diagnosed with a throat infection there (docs in the ER said his throat was fine. ugh.). His pediatrician said that he'd start to feel better by Friday night or Saturday morning and that was true - by Saturday morning, he was feeling a little spunky and by this morning, he woke up cool as a cucumber and feelin' fine. I've never been happier to see that boy show me his devilish, little smile. With Henry around, life is always interesting. Hopefully it will be a little less interesting for a while.

This makes me happy

2009-09-09T20:20:00.006-04:00

It's the little, simple things, ya know? Roasted broccoli brings a smile to my face every time I eat it.

Yes, I'm a dork.

20 minutes

2009-09-08T14:29:00.009-04:00

of tears (from me, not the kids). My boy is now officially a kindergartner. My biggest boy is now a 2nd grader.

That shirt screamed Jake's name from the shelf at The Children's Place on Sunday. I absolutely HAD to buy it - it's his personality - fun and funky. As we were picking out clothes for the 1st day of school, it was between this shirt and a Spongebob one. I was so happy to see him pick this one. It just makes me smile. He makes me smile. It's been too quiet around here today - my newest sidekick has been wandering around, looking for his brothers. I've been able to get some things done, without breaking up fights.

Will was so sweet and helpful to Jake this morning - it's always nice to see that side of their relationship. I will say that I see it much more than I thought I would. I always imagined boys just wanting to beat each other up, tattle on each other and just bug each other. While that does happen (often), the sweeter, kinder side of them shines through a lot. It makes me feel like we're
doing something right.

Breathe in....breathe out....

2009-09-03T18:08:00.006-04:00

That's what I'm trying to do. The first day of school is Tuesday. I've met both boys' teachers and I believe they're going to LOVE school this year. That makes me happy.

I'm not sure I can describe the feelings I have about sending Jake to school. I'm just not ready. He is SO ready. I can't keep him here forever (but, I'd like to).

I'm desperately trying to push these feelings away. I want to show him that I'm excited for him to go, excited for him to learn new things and make new friends. I'm certain my eyes will fill with tears on Tuesday morning, while we wait for the bus. I've never been so happy to have transition lenses in my life - I WILL NOT show him my sadness. Instead, I'll hug him tightly, smile and wish him a fabulous day. Once that bus drives away, I can't promise the tears won't fall. In fact, I'm certain they will.

My crew is heading to Columbus, Ohio tomorrow. The boys and I are going to the Columbus Zoo on Saturday morning while my husband and my in-laws go to the Navy/Ohio State football game. I didn't want to sit around here by myself for the weekend, so we invited ourselves :) I'm geeked, the boys are even more geeked and I need a day or two in some new surroundings.

Pictures will follow in a few days.

Happy Labor Day!

Life

2009-08-26T14:37:00.002-04:00

It and some of its struggles have gotten in the way. I apologize. I need to take a few days to rest my mind.

I'm still around - you can find me on Twitter, if you need me. I'm Mommy23boys.

In the blink of an eye

2009-08-19T09:08:00.006-04:00

We started here:

and 7 beautiful, fabulous years later, here we are:

To my sweet Will,

I hope 7 is a magical, fun filled year for you. Enjoy every day.

Love,

Mom

On a picket fence

2009-08-10T14:13:00.008-04:00

I was blessed to be born with the ability to sleep anywhere, at any time. Literally. I never had to be lying down or even comfortable. I could sleep sitting up, if necessary. My mom used to say I could sleep on a picket fence.

This blessing had been one of my favorites. Sadly, it has left me.

Nothing is bothering me (well, other than having to get my house ready for the 25+ people coming to my son's birthday party next week, my husband's softball injury that *might* require surgery and having to ship this one off to Kindergarten in a few weeks.) I toss and I turn and I do it a little more. I listen to my husband snore (maybe THAT's it - who am I kidding, we've been together for 8 years. I've almost tuned it out completely.) and I listen to the fan make these very odd noises.

People, I need to sleep. I require more sleep than most human beings on the planet. I enjoy staring at the backs of my eyelids. I DO NOT enjoy drinking my weight in coffee, just to function throughout the day.

Maybe.....just maybe I'll relax a smidge after the birthday party is over. But, then, school starts....

Ain't she a beaut? - Wordless Wednesday!

2009-08-05T09:00:00.000-04:00

Vacation, way back when....

2009-08-04T10:02:00.008-04:00

Is summer really almost over? School starts in 36 days. It's not really felt like summer here - the weather has been quite wonky this year. The idea of cold weather moving in makes me want to cry.

I'm reliving our vacation (in my mind, at least), so I thought I'd share some of the fun with you!

This is one of my favorite days - we spent the whole day on the beach with my sister and her family. The adults sat and chatted while the boys played for hours in the sand and ocean. We left Tank at home with my mom - he's not quite ready yet! My husband is trying to help the boys find sand crabs.

The only thing that would have made this picture better is having my baby boy in it. Maybe next year :) We were waiting to be seated for dinner and I decided to snap this shot of my boys.

I rode these exact rides as a child! The boys love hitting the boardwalk when we're there because they know there are lots of rides and games to play. It's a pint sized heaven on earth :)

"The Lake" is one of my favorite places on earth. My husband's aunt and uncle have a house on Deep Creek Lake in western Maryland. We go for the 4th of July and it's wonderful. I love watching my boys REALLY play - baseball and fishing and football and swinging, etc. etc. It's good, clean, healthy fun - no electronics involved. They slept harder than I've ever seen them sleep - the fresh air just does a body good :) Henry was the same way - his fun was a little bit more contained, but he still loved it.

See what I mean about "really playing"! Friends at the lake have this contraption set up with their riding lawn mower. The boys did this for hours during our time there. It does my heart good to know that they'll have these memories as they get older.

The Boots to my Dora.

2009-07-20T20:52:00.013-04:00

The Bert to my Ernie. The Patrick to my Spongebob (this one would be his favorite).

My middle child. The child who plays that role VERY well. The child who has been by my side more days than not. The child who will plant himself outside of the bathroom, so he knows the second I walk out.

I'm sending him off to Kindergarten in 49 days. I'm heartbroken about that. He's my shopping partner, my helper, my snuggler during quiet time. He loves to hold my hand, just because. He's an excellent big brother and will entertain Henry when he gets fussy and I can't get to him in time.

What am I going to do without him? I suppose I'll continue to prepare him the best way I can and be proud of the fact that he's a good boy with a very tender heart, a feisty personality and desire to please and do well. I can think of nothing else I want in my children.

Winners!

2009-07-16T10:03:00.004-04:00

We chose the winners the old fashioned way - I put all of your names in a bucket and my son picked out 2. He thought it was the COOLEST. THING. EVER.

Thank you to all who commented! It was nice to "meet" you all.

The winners are:

Jen Holt

Omaha Mama

Congratulations and you'll be hearing from me soon!

Mommy Grace - Erasing Your Mommy Guilt (review and giveaway)

2009-07-12T20:26:00.008-04:00

Mommy Grace - Erasing Your Mommy Guilt, by Dr. Sheila Schuller Coleman

In this season of my life, mommy guilt is all around. There's guilt about not reading to my boys enough, not feeding them more veggies and not sitting on the floor enough to play with them. I deal with mommy guilt from the moment my eyes open in the morning until the moment they close at night. When I was approached to review this book, I knew immediately that God was at work!

I read this book over many evenings and EVERY evening, I was met with "a-ha" moments - reading personal stories from Dr. Coleman that often mirrored my life! Many of these personal stories left me shaking my head in agreement and left me feeling like I truly wasn't alone.

Dr. Coleman writes about, with perfect detail, the many different types of "mommy guilt" moms are faced with on a daily basis. The book is simply written and very easy to understand, with concepts easy to grasp. It's written in such a conversational tone that I often felt like I was having a chat over lunch with my mommy friends! At the end of each chapter, Dr. Coleman gives a bible verse that goes along with the chapter's content AND writes a beautiful prayer to compliment it.

I don't know that anything will ever completely erase my mommy guilt, but this book went a long way in making me feel better about where I am right now.

*********Giveaway*********

There are 2 copies of Mommy Grace - Erasing Your Mommy Guilt up for grabs! Just leave me a comment to be entered. I'll choose a winner on Wednesday, July 15th. Please make sure I have a way to contact you :)

Hello.

2009-07-10T11:42:00.006-04:00

I'm Tina, remember me? I've been all over the place these last few weeks and I believe I'll be staying put for a while now.

I like living here. I don't love it anymore. The vicious winters have taken their toll on my psyche. I suffer from SAD (acronym fits nicely). Here, winter lasts 6 months. That's 6 months of dark, dreary, cold and snowy days. I loathe snow. I'm petrified to drive in it, which means I'm stuck at home A LOT.

I also have no family here. That's probably a good thing most of the time. But, I have 2 nephews and a niece that I miss terribly. I hate seeing them only 1 or 2 times a year. My boys and my nephews get along famously and it's so much fun to watch them play together. My niece's 2nd birthday party is this weekend and we won't be there. That just makes me sad. I was able to spend lots of time with them when we were back a few weeks ago and it was lovely - really lovely. It's getting harder and harder for me to leave "home" and come back here. I'm trying really hard to "bloom where I'm planted", but I'm struggling (and I've already been here for 2 1/2 years).

My cousins are significantly older - I never truly "grew up" with them, even though I knew them. It warms my heart that my boys have cousins that are SUPER close in age to them (my oldest nephew and my oldest son are 10 months apart and my youngest and my niece are 9 months apart in age) and I could watch them play together all day.

I miss them so much. I miss the area where I lived - where I married, where my first baby was born. I miss the ocean. I REALLY miss the ocean. I was able to dig my toes in the sand and watch my boys play, just like I wanted. It was a little piece of heaven on earth for me. I watched my husband truly relax. I watched my boys and nephews play together and I was able to laugh with my sister - something I haven't done in ages.

It felt good - really good. I don't know when I'll do it again. I keep telling myself that I need to bloom where I'm planted. I wonder how many times I'll have to repeat that to myself.

I haven't fallen off the face of the earth.

2009-06-29T22:56:00.002-04:00

I'm here - haven't had internet access until today. I'm on vacation with my family - we spent all day on the beach yesterday. It's been fabulous so far - I really miss it here.

blah....blah....blah

2009-06-21T19:55:00.003-04:00

Life has a tendency to get away from me. I feel like I'm in survival mode most days, having 3 boys here with me all day instead of just 2. It's amazing to me how much more food is eaten/laundry is used/messes are made when all 3 kidlets are here. Three children also require a BUTT TON more energy from me - I'm still adjusting to that.

Vacation is in 3 more sleeps - YAY! I'm not a fan of the 10 hour drive (one way), but it's nice bonding time with my husband and it's fun to play little games with the older boys while we're on the road. I'll get to spend some time at the beach, ON the beach, with family and friends. I'll get to watch my sweet nephew T play some baseball and I'll get to relax....I think we (especially my husband) need that part more than anything. We need the chance to get away from HERE. Away from the auto industry, more foreclosure signs than I care to ever see again, stress. As much as family drives me nuts sometimes, I'm thankful that we have a place to escape.

I'll be back soon with some baseball/tball tidbits AND a book review/giveaway.

Hope you guys enjoyed your weekend!

I'm tired.

2009-06-05T11:00:00.005-04:00

Baseball and Tball are kicking my ass and I'm not even the one playing the games. I can only imagine how I'm going to feel when my boys are older and playing more than 1 sport.

It's hard for me to put into words how I'm feeling about the rest of what's going on in my life. I'm blessed - I have a good life and I don't take it for granted at all. We're all in desperate need of a vacation - time away from HERE, time to spend with each other and time to relax. There's so little relaxing around here - time is spent worrying about jobs and what's right for our family. I don't want to worry anymore. I want to dig my toes in the sand and watch my boys play on the beach. I'm tired of worrying.

Pardon my construction

2009-05-29T09:53:00.003-04:00

With my incredibly limited skills, I'm trying to redo some things here. So, please excuse my mess.

Together.

2009-05-26T08:28:00.008-04:00

We set out to make this weekend a complete family weekend - EVERYTHING we did, we did as a family. (I did bust out a bit by myself yesterday - with a family full of boys, taking them to a craft store sounds about as fun as a root canal.) It was really nice.

We loaded up our gear and went to the park on Saturday - we planted ourselves under a tree and just hung out. The weather was spectacular. The boys were very well behaved and fun was had by all. It was definitely needed. (My husband works for GM - life in our area isn't fun AT ALL. It's rather depressing, so a break from work AND beautiful weather was welcomed.)

It was one of those days that our souls craved. Time without phones and computers and technology. Time completely together as a family, laughing, joking and playing.

Here I sit, counting down to the next vacation. 29 days.

I could eat him with a spoon.

2009-05-21T09:00:00.001-04:00

Ensemble from Target.

You Capture. Sweet.

Every little bit helps

2009-05-20T16:19:00.000-04:00

As my walk in my faith continues, I'm always amazed at the ways God gets my attention. It's almost as if He slaps me on the back of the head and says, "DO THIS".

That virtual slap on the back of the head came this afternoon, when I read this.

If you can help, please do.

You Capture. Colors.

2009-05-14T09:24:00.000-04:00

This week's You Capture is colors. This rose was the second thing I thought to snap - my eyes were the first, but I couldn't do it alone and the 5 year old couldn't help too much. I'm not feeling terribly creative, but the roses ARE beautiful.

Go visit Beth - see her groovy colors and the colors of others! You Capture. Colors

Beauty from my beasts :)

2009-05-11T08:50:00.000-04:00

(Side note - I rarely call my children by their real names. I have numerous nicknames for them and some may sound odd and not terribly motherly, but hey, that's how we roll around here. So, if you see things like "beasts", please know I call them that with more love than you could ever imagine and they know it!)

My wonderful husband took some vacation time on Friday and took J to play some putt putt. I decided that napping with Henry was far more my speed at the time, so I snoozed for a glorious 2 1/2 hours. After putt putt and during my nap marathon, B and J shopped for these. I received them later Friday afternoon, after Will came home from school.

2 dozen of the prettiest red roses I think I've ever seen.

A BEAUTIFUL geranium patio pot! (it's sitting in the garage because the weatherman suggested we bring plants inside last night.....stupid Michigan weather.....)

I had the best Mother's Day! An awesome church service started the day and then it was off to buy MORE plants (I bought a lot on Saturday, too!), eat some lunch and then come home to weed the garden and watch my beloved Tigers whoop up on some Indians tail. We ate yummy Chinese take out for dinner and watched AFHV and Extreme Makeover Home Edition as a family. It was truly a fabulous day. For those of you that are mothers, I hope your day was fabulous, too.

Now, please say a little prayer for that geranium patio pot and its contents. I have a black thumb despite my best intentions and I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY want those plants to thrive this summer. I purchased SO. MANY. plants this weekend for pots on our deck, so say a little prayer for those, too. They definitely need it.

I love this game!

2009-05-07T09:06:00.000-04:00

God knew what He was doing when He gave me boys. I always wanted to be a mom to little boys. He knew that when this stage of life rolled around, I'd be ready for the challenge and REALLY soak it in. He was right and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! It's time for some organized sports, my friends.

My time is no longer my own. My time now belongs to the LC teeball Atlanta Braves and the LC machine pitch Cleveland Indians. I now have to wash actual uniforms and **gasp** "protective gear" for my older boy. I sit in a folding chair on the sidelines, in the rain and wind, and cheer on my babies. I tell them to keep their eye on the ball and to "RUN! RUN! RUN!"

Jake plays teeball. Jake only plays teeball because Will plays baseball. Jake doesn't particularly care for the game. He's far more interested in the snack at the end of the game. In fact, he asks about the snack before the game even starts. B and I are fully prepared for his participation in this sport to come to a crashing halt soon. He's got the talent for it, but he's far too "eh, whatever" about it. He has fun playing the game and he's a GREAT sport about it - he goes where the coach tells him, hits when the coach tells him to hit and he cheers his teammates on throughout the game. This obviously isn't his niche though, so we're going to roll with it for the time being. Our boys are taught to see a sport through if they choose to play it, so Jake is prepared to play the rest of the season. I have a feeling he'll be choosing bowling next :)

Baseball is just one of Will's niches. The boy lives for this game. He's definitely my boy. It turns my stomach a bit to see him in a Cleveland Indians uniform instead of a Detroit Tigers uniform, but I can't get everything I want. He just wants to play and he doesn't care what position he plays. He's got skill. He's determined. He cheers on his teammates. It's so much fun watching him do something he loves.

The season ends at the end of June, so my life will revolve around that until then. I wash uniforms, etc several times a week and eat dinner at a ridiculously early hour, so we can get to the ballpark by game time. I schlep the Tank and his gear to the field and watch him toddle around and shake the fence along the 1st base line. I think it's his way of cheering on his oldest brother. he eats crackers and drinks milk when he's at Jake's game - he must be channeling Jake's true feelings. Jake would rather just eat, too.

I LOVE this game!

It's a sickness, people.

2009-04-30T08:46:00.000-04:00

My sweet friend Jolyn got me REALLY hooked on couponing. She's a real pro at it - I'm learning little by little. It's hard for me to explain the joy I feel when I get a good or REALLY good deal on something. Like I told Jolyn and our friend Stacey (who is also quite good at the whole couponing thing), I squeal inside and come seriously close to dancing out the store. I now look for deals on everything - before, I bought things when they were on sale. Now, I will only buy them when they're on sale AND I have a coupon. It's a sickness, really. But, a good one.

2 Hormel Compleats
1 box Band Aid brand Band Aids
1 St. Ives Apricot Scrub
1 bottle Vaseline deep conditioning lotion
1 Clorox toilet bowl cleaner
1 box Soleil razors

I paid $6.36 for all of this stuff. $6.36 The razors by themselves were $5.29! This stuff came from Kmart - last week, in our area, Kmart doubled coupons up to $2.00! $2.00 off became $4.00 off instantly! That alone makes my head spin.

I paid ABSOLUTELY NOTHING for this. All of this toilet paper was FREE! Each package was a dollar this week at my local Kroger. I had a 50 cents off coupon for each one and Kroger doubles up to 50 cents - that makes it all FREE :)

I've become addicted to this. I never buy anything I won't use. I know of women who will buy 20 bottles of Robitussin just because it's on sale and they have coupons for it. I wouldn't use 2 bottles of Robitussin before it expired, much less 20. I understand donating to charity with stuff like this, but I'd rather buy 3 to donate and use the rest of the money to buy stuff I'd use.

Here are my 2 trips last night (no pictures though - I was too tired to do it by the time I got home and half of it is put away now).

4 boxes of Chex Mix Chocolate Chunk bars - $1.00 EACH - $4.00
2 boxes of Betty Crocker Fruit Stickers $1.00 EACH - $2.00

This store doubles coupons up to 50 cents. I had 4 coupons for 50 cents off a box of Chex Mix Chocolate Chunk bars. These coupons doubled to make the bars FREE!

I had 1 coupon for 50 cents off 2 boxes of Betty Crocker Fruit snacks of Fruit Stickers. That coupon doubled to $1.00 off 2 boxes. That made each box 50 cents.

I paid ONE DOLLAR for 6 boxes of snacks for my kids!

Next, on to Walmart.

I bought:

12 boxes of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese Crackers $1.00 EACH - $12.00
5 boxes of Pillsbury Brownie Mix, Family Sized $1.00 EACH - $5.00
1 box of Lucky Charms - $2.50 (impulse buy..I'll admit it - no coupon)
4 rolls of Bounty paper towels $1.00 EACH - $4.00
1 gallon of Tank milk - $1.98
1 dozen eggs - $.98
1 loaf of bread - $1.52
1 bottle of pancake syrup - $1.79

(The milk, eggs, bread and syrup were Walmart brand)

I paid $20.13 for all of this stuff. The crackers were 50 cents a box. The brownies were 65 cents a box (1 minor mix up - someone had put a cake mix down with the brownie mix and I picked up that instead. The cake mix was 88 cents, but I still got to use the coupon, so I only paid .53 cents. I paid 50 cents for each roll of paper towels.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this! I've always created my own kind of fun though...lol I got some great deals on stuff at Meijer last week, but I won't bore those of you who couldn't care less about this. :) However, I now have enough Capri Suns AND crackers to last me the rest of the school year and well into the summer!

If you're interested in learning more about couponing, go to www.couponmom.com and register. It's free and you'll learn A LOT. Also, register at www.afullcup.com. The women on that board are AMAZING at this kind of stuff.

Pink eye, baseball and stupid broken computer cord, OH MY!

2009-04-27T11:38:00.000-04:00

In my effort to become a better homemaker, wife and mother, I've neglected this blog. I am H.O.R.R.I.B.L.E. with the balancing act. It's most definitely a shortcoming of mine. I was so much better when I was younger - I worked, carried a full 18 credits EVERY semester in college AND graduated in 4 years.

Fast forward several (ugh) years and here I sit and I can't do it anymore. I just need a schedule. I'm sure that will help. Yep, I'm sure of it. I'll work on that today.

So, here we are - Monday. We're coming to the end of a week full of antibiotics for the Tank. He contracted pink eye from his FIRST EVER visit to the church nursery. In fact, it was the first time WE'D ever been to that church. It was such a nice gift. Couple the pink eye with the head crud that came pouring out of his nostrils and we had a mighty fun and DISGUSTING week on our hands. He's on the mend now and back to his old self. Jake now has pink eye. I give it 2 more days before Will has it. I've already cleared it with the doc to use the same drops on all 3 kidlets - saves me duckets on the office visits.

Our baseball/Tball season has started - we're doing 2 practices a week for EACH child. I'm less than impressed with the league we're in - this would be the 2nd one we've tried. Organization is KEY to things like this and they have zero, zilch, nada. J's coach *believes* the season starts this Saturday, but she's not sure. Um....really? W's coach has no idea when the season starts. Um....really? Neither child has a uniform yet, either. Don't get me started.

On top of all of this, my stupid computer cord broke again. I have to order another one. I haven't ordered it yet, so I'm on B's computer. I like it fine, but I want MINE.

I promise, that as part of my effort to pull my arse together, I will post more. In fact, I'm going to work on a post about the $$ I saved last week. Couponing is a sickness, my friends. Just wait :)

So, yeah, THAT was fun!

2009-04-16T11:08:00.000-04:00

Life hasn't been remotely interesting - that's why I haven't been here. Well, that, and Easter and family visiting.

So, my mom left on Sunday - we hung out as a family all day and it was lovely! I packed for our mini vacation. You might want to grab a cup of coffee or something to snack on - this is gonna be a long one.

We left Monday morning - our destination was 3 hours away. We got things situated when we arrived and B took the big boys downstairs to swim for a bit. I thought I'd put H down for a nap and enjoy the peace and quiet. I got the hotel crib set up - put it where he couldn't see me. I put him in it, just like I'd do at home - he stood up and screamed bloody murder. NOT. LIKE. HIM. at all. So, after 30 minutes or so, we headed downstairs to see B and the big boys - I saw no sense in keeping the poor kid up there if he wasn't going to sleep.

He headed out to explore about 45 minutes later - H fell asleep in the car almost immediately (he never does that either). He slept for about 25 minutes. We had dinner and headed to the mall that was near our hotel - they had a GREAT play area for itty bitty ones like H. He crawled around like a mad man for a good 40 minutes - I thought that would be a perfect thing to tire him out. Not so much.

We went back to the hotel and B gave him a bath. I brought everything from home to keep the routine the same. After his milk, I put him down in the crib and he stood up and screamed bloody murder. Again, not like him at all. My wonderful husband did everything in his power to get this kid to go to sleep. He walked, he sang, he bounced, he ignored. NOTHING worked. By 10:45 p.m., we knew that this child wasn't going to sleep and if he did, he'd wake numerous times. So, we packed up and came home!

We drove 3 hours to eat dinner at Red Lobster, look at Lake Michigan, go to the mall and swim in hotel pool. We got home at 2 a.m. I put H down in his crib and he rolled over and went to sleep. He slept until 9:30. Turd.

So, we decided to take the lemons we'd been given and make some lemonade. We had a STAYcation instead of a vacation! On Tuesday, we headed to a local outlet mall and B and the big boys played indoor glow golf while H and I walked around. Yesterday, we went to a Tigers game - H's first Tigers game. He was less than impressed, but I was in heaven. My beloved Detroit Tigers won 9 to nothing. I'd go to every home game if my wallet would allow it. Our spring and summer date nights are always Tigers games. Always. I wouldn't have it any other way.

B went back to work today - boo. Will has a few days left of spring break - we're headed to the park tomorrow with some friends. Today was going to be a garage saling day, but H isn't feeling too well. J has tball practice this afternoon, so we're going to lay low today. The windows are open and we're enjoying the fresh air. It's a gorgeous day!

My own crazy.

2009-04-08T14:06:00.000-04:00

I don't know whether I'm coming or going as of late. There are just far too many things running through my brain right now. Excuse the randomness - it's my own kinda crazy.

My family needs a vacation in a bad, bad, BAD way. We are going away for 2 days early next week and while I'm happy about that, we really need to go somewhere WARM - somewhere where there's no threat of snow in APRIL.

I have to go grocery shopping tonight. I don't want to. I do the bargain shopping/coupon thing, so that requires a trip to 4 different stores. I love grocery shopping and I adore going by myself, but I just don't feel like going tonight. My mother is coming to visit tomorrow, so I must go tonight. I need to buy wine.....LOTS of wine.

I have the mother of all backaches right now - I think when I put H down for a nap, I'm going to have J sit on my back for a bit.

J won't stop talking - he talks incessantly. He didn't utter a word until he was 2. He must be making up for lost time.

H took 2 steps yesterday. I'm not sure how I feel about that.

I love Elmo. I could watch him all day. Elmo and Peep - have you ever watched that show on Discovery Kids? Google Peep and the Big, Wide World and listen to the theme song. I can guarantee you will sing it in your head for DAYS. I lurve it.

Me thinks I'm going to schedule a massage soon - I've not been a big fan of those before, but I'm thinking it might be a good idea now. Ya know, before my head explodes from all the stress.

I'm looking forward to May - May will bring to a close a volunteer position I've had since last summer. This position has caused me far too much stress. I'm happy to be done with it.

H can fake cough - it's pretty funny.

I just remembered that there are cookies left over that my MIL brought last weekend - YAY! YAY! YAY! I need something because I ate all of my Dove Truffle Eggs.

I need a nap.

I have books upstairs that I long to read.

My beloved Detroit Tigers aren't starting off well AT ALL.

1 more school day and I'll have all 3 boys here with me until April 20th. God help me.

A mighty funky diaper is calling my name right now. Ick.

Wordless Wednesday, but with LOTS of words

2009-04-01T12:28:00.001-04:00

One year ago today, this sweet little boy entered the world. Once I put him on my belly and started talking to him, he stopped crying and stared at me. The love affair began right there.

I've done my best, as his mother, to soak up EVERY. OUNCE. of this year. I've patiently dealt with all of life's upheavals when a newborn joins the family. I've spent many, many hours just sitting - staring at him, smelling his hair, playing with his feet. I needed to memorize all of him.

This year has gone so amazingly fast. I vividly remember every detail of his birth - my water broke at exactly this time 1 year ago (1:34 p.m.) - I remember where I was and what I was doing. It's so surreal to me that all these months have passed and we've hit one year.

ONE YEAR.

I have a bond with this boy that I didn't know could exist. Don't get me wrong, I adore my big boys. They both hold very special places in my heart and I have bonds with them that I don't have with Henry.

I didn't sleep well last night - there was a yucky pit in my stomach. It was inevitable - he was going to turn 1, whether I wanted him to or not. I'm happy and excited on the outside, but a little piece of my heart is breaking on the inside. I just wanted him to stay little forever.

Staying little isn't going to happen. I'll continue to enjoy every bit of this. I'll keep that little broken piece of me on the inside and celebrate this year with my family tonight and let him grow.

Happy Birthday my sweet boy. I love you more than you'll ever know.

Wordless Wednesday - they're only spoiled a bit.

2009-03-25T08:51:00.000-04:00

My dad bought this go kart for his grandsons....all 5 of them. Their names are painted on the hood of it - it's fabulous and our big boys L.O.V.E. it.

Saying goodbye to a friend.

2009-03-23T10:24:00.000-04:00

My best friend from college is having her first "baby" put to sleep today. He is old and sick and his quality of life is not good. He's been OK at best for a while, but he's taken a huge turn for the worse today.

His name is Comet - he's a very sweet Cocker Spaniel. He was a crazy young pup - he ran all over Shannon's house like a crazy man. I used to take him outside on a leash because they don't have a fenced in yard and he was always SO full of energy. He was a great companion when I sat on their couch to watch TV.

My friend is heartbroken and I can't be there to hold her hand or give her a hug. When she told me of her plans today, my thoughts immediately went to the Rainbow Bridge.

This is such a comforting poem for me - I'm certain some of my old pups are waiting for me and I'm sure Comet will be waiting there for her!

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...

2009-03-19T21:15:00.000-04:00

Welcome to my little corner of the Ultimate Blog Party 2009! Come on in and look around :)

Let me start by introducing myself - I'm Tina (nice to meet you!) I'm 34 years old and happily married to my wonderful husband Brian. We were blessed with 3 little munchkin men - Will is 6, Jake is 5 and Henry will be 1 on April Fool's Day! Our little crew lives in the frozen tundra of Michigan - my husband's job brought us here. We're originally east coasters. I'm lucky enough to be a SAHM. In my spare time (ha!), I like to scrapbook, cook and go to Detroit Tigers baseball games.

So, have a drink, grab some food, listen to some tunes and enjoy yourself. The couch is uber comfy and I hope you enjoy your time here :)I've included 2 recipes - one is for my favorite drink and the other is for one of my favorite party foods. I'm also giving a prize away over at 5 Minutes for Mom, so check it out!

Enjoy!

Artichoke-Parmesan Crostini
(makes 8 *prep time - 15 minutes *total time - 15 minutes)

8 slices (1/4 inch thick) baguette
2 Tbsp. olive oil
coarse sald and ground pepper
1 jar (6.5 oz) marinated artichoke hearts, drained, rinsed and patted dry.
1/4 c. shredded Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish (optional)
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make crostini: Brush baguette slices on both sides with a total of 1 Tbsp. oil; season with salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet, and bake, turning over once, until golden 10-12 minutes. Cool.

Meanwhile, make topping: Finely chop artichokes, and combine in a bowl with Parmesan, parsley and remaining tablespoon oil.

Dividing evenly, spoon topping onto crostini, and garnish with additional Parmesan, if desired.

Chocolate Hazelnut Martini

1/2 c. chocolate flavored liqueur
1/4 c. hazelnut flavored liqueur
1/4 c. orange flavored liqueur
1/2 c. half n' half

Fill shaker 1/2 way with ice. Add liqueurs and half n' half. Shake for 10 to 15 seconds. Strain the shaker into a chilled martini glass - serve immediately.

There are SO. MANY. amazing prizes being given away this week. My top 3 are:

1. # 89 $100.00 gift card to Home Goods from HG Openhouse

2. # INTL 23 Complete Blog Makeover from Busy Mama Blog Design

3. # 3 $50.00 gift card to Target from Beginner Baby Blog

Others, in no particular order:

12, 26, 44, 58, 68, 86, 91, 98, 118, 123 and INTL 29, 33, 35 and 36

Wordless Wednesday

2009-03-18T10:39:00.000-04:00

Our wedding day. I love that man more now than I ever have - he's a rare find :)
(please ignore the fact that this picture is a bit too big - I've tried to resize it 5 times. It's not working and I'm about to throw my laptop through the sliding glass door.)

My contribution to the celebrating of St. Patrick's Day....

2009-03-17T08:46:00.001-04:00

I sent the big boy to school, dressed up in green. He even had "pot of gold at the end of the rainbow socks" on from the dollar section at Tarjey. I'll even dress J and H up for the day - groovy SPD shirts and socks. But, me....eh. I'm not big on green. It's a beautiful color.....outside. So, my contribution will be the toes. That's all :)

Moving on....

2009-03-16T08:43:00.000-04:00

to the next round in the drawing for the basket of books is......

JODI!

Thanks to those of you who entered. I'll be doing a book giveaway of my own in a few weeks - keep your eyes open for it!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-03-11T11:02:00.000-04:00

See this adorable, stubborn little man? He's FINALLY POTTY TRAINED! I've panicked about this - he starts Kindergarten in 6 months. Last Monday, the doc told him he needed to be potty trained for Kindergarten - he started the next day and hasn't looked back. He hasn't worn a diaper since.

Can you say KA-CHING?!?! I can hear the money jingling in the bank account now!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-03-04T12:33:00.000-05:00

The stud muffin - his shirt says, "Dude, your girlfriend keeps checking me out" - a gift from my sister for Christmas :)

For more WW posts, check out 5 Minutes for Mom

Wanted: Happy people (shiny not a necessity)

2009-02-25T09:40:00.000-05:00

I'm throwing this out there for everyone to see and while I'm not at all proud of it, it's true and I'm going to own it - I'm a negative person by nature.

There. I said it.

I was raised in an incredibly negative household. No one took responsibility for their actions, apologized if they did something wrong or said something wrong or upset someone in any way, or just admitted if they were cranky or in a bad mood. "It" (whatever the issue was) was always someone else's fault. I grew up thinking that was just how it was. I married into a family just like my own. Oh! the negativity! Again, thought it was normal.

I divorced in 2001 and almost immediately met my husband Brian. His family was and still is a breath of fresh, POSITIVE, HAPPY air for me. Unfortunately, while it was and still is refreshing to be around that kind of happy attitude, it didn't really envelope me until recently. I spent the first 6+ years of our marriage as a VERY negative and cranky person - we've only been married 7 1/2 years. How sad is that?! It's sad for my husband, my children, my friends, my husband's family and God most importantly - my family didn't notice a difference. I'm not at all surprised.

I believe God laid it on my heart that I was making the lives of my husband, my children, my friends and myself miserable. I had SO! MANY! BLESSINGS! to be thankful for and I took every one of them for granted.

Recently, I've started to pay close attention to how my body feels around negativity. I'm actually uncomfortable. I feel heavy (and I need NO help with that!). It starts to take over all of my thoughts and feelings and just makes me downright miserable. I can only imagine what it does to the people around me.

I'm learning every day how to deal with negativity and the crankies. I know crankiness is inevitable - I'm sure I'll come down with a bit of it myself from time to time - I'm not that naive. But, I'll own up to it and deal with it.

As far as others are concerned, I've decided to remove as much of the negativity as possible from my life. I know there are people close to me that I can't and won't remove - BUT, I can choose to ignore the attitude and comments that come out of their mouths. I can remove myself from situations that involve negativity. I'll just turn it off :)

From this point on, I'm surrounding myself with happy (shiny is not a necessity!) people - people who are positive about life, people who know they are blessed, people who don't take the true good things in life for granted. I want them all around me - in bloggy world, in Twitter land, in real life.

So, if you are happy and you know it (sorry, I couldn't help myself), let's be friends :) Please leave me a comment and introduce yourself - talk to me. Tell me about yourself. Find me on twitter, I'm Tina aka Mommy23boys.

I'd love to be a positive, happy person for you, too!

Just livin' my life.

2009-02-20T09:52:00.000-05:00

I'm here, just living my life. I've spent my days lovin' up on, taking care of and playing with 2 little boys, while the big boy is in school. I've spent afternoons playing the Wii with the big boys, while trying to keep the mini one from pulling the dog's hair, ears, tail....you get the picture. I spent my late afternoons and evenings making dinner for my family - dinners where we sit at the table together, talking about our day and enjoying each other.

I'm here - watching God continue to close some doors AND open some new ones for me. I'm here - mentally trying to build this blog and I'm here - paying close attention to the things that matter most in my life - my relationship with Him, my family, my blessings.

I'm livin' my GOOD life!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-02-11T09:25:00.000-05:00

This is what Will and I did when I was bored - I'd put wigs and hats on him and take his picture. I probably peed myself laughing more times than I care to remember.

For more wordless wednesday shananigans, head on over to 5 Minutes for Mom

Down and out.

2009-02-10T09:36:00.000-05:00

My laptop isn't even 6 months old - the power cord has 2 small holes in it (read - wires sticking out). The cord no longer charges the laptop. The laptop is dead. I am lost without my laptop.

I ordered a new cord for my laptop - I have no idea how long it will take to get here. Overnight shipping was $45.00 - I couldn't bring myself to do it (even though I REALLY, REALLY wanted to do it). So, I am using B's computer. It's fine in a pinch, but I lurve my laptop. It has my Twitter on it. B doesn't want Twitter on his - what's wrong with him!?!? Anyway.....

I'll be here and there until my beloved cord gets here. Maybe this will be good for me. Nah. I miss Twitter already.

If you guys can spare some, we could use a couple prayers. There's lots going on at B's place of employment - too much for my silly, little brain to comprehend. Just please pray that we get out of this with few bruises and scrapes, please.

thanks.

To celebrate or not to celebrate...

2009-02-05T12:53:00.000-05:00

that is the question.

Valentine's Day - that's a tough one in our house. B's birthday is the 13th. He's not a big celebrator of the birthday thing. He'd rather it just go on like any other day, where I'm the one who wants to shout it from the rooftops. He believes Valentine's day is a "Hallmark Holiday". While part of me agrees with him, the other part wants to be girly and celebrate it with flowers, candy, nice dinner....you get the picture.

I don't think I'm going to get him to budge (I asked if he wanted to celebrate it this year and his response was, "If you want to" - not exactly what I was looking for...). So, I think I'm going to just have fun at home and we can celebrate as a family! If B flakes on me, at least I'll have the big boys here to hang with me :)

I think I'll make a nice dinner - Jake (my 5 year old sous chef who even has his very own apron!) and I will plan a fabulous menu that will even include a yummy dessert. I'll even grab some sparkling cider for the boys and a bottle o' wine for me or maybe even a chocolate hazelnut martini. One word - YUMMY!

Then, the boys will go to bed without arguing with me (wishful thinking here) and B and I will spend some good, quality time together.

Do YOU celebrate Valentine's Day or do you have a fuddy dud (is that a word?) in your house like I do?

There's an awesome giveaway going on over at Mom Generations. Go check it out!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-02-04T08:38:00.000-05:00

The BIG 5 year old

The big 10 month old who is growing far too fast for his mama.

Head over to 5minutesformom to see more Wordless Wednesday posts.

Jumbled thoughts

2009-01-29T14:26:00.000-05:00

Today is one of those days - a day when I have a million thoughts bouncing around my brain. I've been spending lots of time thinking about the amazing blessings in my life - my growing relationship with God, my husband, my sweet baby boys, my warm home, enough food to feed all of us plus some, etc. etc.

We live a very simple life - we're not rich monetarily, but we are rich in blessings.

I've read Trish Berg's When I'm 90 several times lately and it always makes me smile. It reminds me of the simplicity I have now and the simplicity I hope to have at 90, God willing. I heard Trish speak at the Hearts at Home conference in Grand Rapids, MI last year - FABULOUS conference and she's a great speaker. Look around her blog(s) after you read the piece.

He's F-I-V-E!

2009-01-22T10:07:00.000-05:00

Five years ago today, at this very moment, I was recovering from an insane natural childbirth experience. My sweet baby boy, Jake Allan was born at 8:56 a.m., on January 22, 2004, weighing 6 lbs. 6 oz. and he was 19 inches long. He was born at 37 weeks, 2 days, which totally threw me off.

My bag wasn't packed, my sitter for Will wasn't available because of timing issues and I just wasn't ready emotionally.

He's an amazing little boy and I'm blessed to be his mama. I've had loads of fun with him over the last 5 years and I look forward to many more years of fun with him. He's brought joy to my life that I didn't know existed. He's been counting down the days 'til his birthday for weeks now and he came running into our bedroom this morning with a huge grin on his face. He said, "Today is my BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!" Yes, my love, it is!

Happy birthday my sweet boy!

A beautiful new mama needs some BIG prayers right now.

2009-01-16T23:08:00.000-05:00

Kelly and her husband Scott welcomed sweet baby girl Harper into the world this evening. Harper is having some troubles and they need some prayers. PLEASE, if you pray or even if you just think happy thoughts, please, please, please send them up for beautiful baby Harper and her mama and daddy.

16 things....

2009-01-16T14:33:00.000-05:00

Steph tagged me and I'm more than happy to play along. 16 things you may not know about me...hmmmm....

I've been madly in love with Cal Ripken, Jr. since I was 12 years old. I cried like a baby when he got married. Yes, I'm a dork. I'm still madly in love with him though...

I'm a procrastinator - I still haven't unpacked the suitcases from our trip back east for Christmas.

Having natural childbirth (with Jake) was the most empowering experience of my life....graduating from college comes in second to that.

I was an elementary school teacher before I had children - I do miss it every once in a while, but I like being a mom a lot more :)

I believe my husband is the BEST THING that has EVER happened to me. He's changed me in ways that I never knew were possible and they're all very good and necessary changes.

I'd LOVE to be a professional scrapbooker.

I'd also love to be a dolphin trainer - I sound like I'm 6.

I never wanted to have a little girl. While I do wear make-up, I'm the furthest thing from girly and can relate far more to dirt, bugs and baseball than I can ballet, pink and Barbie.

I'm the black sheep of my family, as is my husband.

We're 100% good with that - it feels good :)

I was once a military wife and really don't miss the lifestyle at all.

My favorite song in the world is Southern Cross by Crosby, Stills and Nash.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Detroit Tigers baseball.

and Kitchen Nightmares, E.R., Lost, and the Office.

I'm so afraid of "middle child syndrome" with Jake - I think about that with EVERY decision I have to make for him and about him.

I love tequila and pineapple juice. In fact, I may drink one or seven of them tonight :)

I haven't done one of these in a while - thanks for tagging me, Steph - t'was fun!

Now, it's my turn to tag -

Jodi
Rach
Barb
Sandra

I hope you girls play along :)

On the up and up :)

2009-01-11T16:26:00.001-05:00

OK, I'm trying...really, I am.

I had a VERY difficult time coming back to Michigan after our trip home for Christmas. I miss my niece and nephews so very much and seeing them only once or twice a year really weighs on my heart. I enjoy the area where my in-laws live SO much - it's where B and I got married and it's where Will was born. I would love to move back to the area, but it's not in the cards for us right now. I spent a great deal of time (to me) depressed about that, but I'm trying to change my outlook. I'm trying to bloom where I've been planted - the ridiculous amounts of snow make it difficult to bloom, but I'll get there. I suffer from seasonal affective disorder and it gets worse every year (probably because the winters seem to get worse here). Our electric bills are sky high in the winter because I turn EVERY light on in the house - I can't stand dark and gloomy for several days in a row....adds to the depression.

So, here I am. I'm looking at my glass half full. My family is here, happy and healthy - I have a nice, warm house to live in and enough food to feed all of us, plus some. We have warm clothes and safe transportation. We're blessed.

I'm doing a bit of redecorating around here - all suggested by my husband! We bought this house 2 years ago - we negotiated 2 rooms of furniture when we purchased it and they even left some bathroom accessories, etc. when they moved out. It was nice in the beginning, but it's starting to feel like we're living in someone else's house - again, that adds to my depression. I know that sounds dumb, but it bothers me. I want it to feel like MINE.

So, we've purchased new living room furniture - LOVE it! Now, I need to redo the window treatments - that will come eventually. I've purchased some new candles and picture frames for the living room - I want to surround myself with things AND people that I love - I have my little family here, so I'm going to put pictures up of our parents, etc. etc. At this point, it's the only way I can be close to them often. I will be purchasing some new collage picture frames this week - they might be cheesy to some, but I love them :)

We have a built in desk in our breakfast nook - it was always a disastrous mess. B suggested that we stop using it as a desk and start using it for pictures! So, I cleaned it yesterday and now it holds pictures of family - it just makes me smile :)

I got a killer deal on a comforter set at Macy's the other day, so I'll be redoing the stuff in the guest room. My dad is coming to visit next week, so I want to have it ready for him. I'm quite excited :)

I'll be sure to take pictures of finished projects :)

Color me melancholy

2009-01-04T21:18:00.001-05:00

We made it back - I still have all of my hair and it isn't gray :)

I'm dealing with some things right now - all internal battles that I've never really experienced before.

If I'm not around, you'll know why. I have lots of reconciling in my head to do.

Say a prayer for me - I need some peace.

I wish you a....

2008-12-18T11:36:00.000-05:00

blessed Christmas and happy new year :)

My little gang is heading back home for Christmas this afternoon - 10 hours on the road is so NOT fun, but I'll be doing my best to enjoy it! At least the drive will be a nice time to reconnect with my husband :)

I will have VERY limited internet access while we're gone, so I'm wishing you all a blessed Christmas and happy new year now!

I hope the true reason for the season is remembered and I hope you all enjoy your time with family and friends, if that's how you choose to spend your time.

I shall return on January 2nd - pray that I still have all of my hair when I return (my family makes me want to yank it out) and pray that it remains the beautiful brown that it is and doesn't turn gray ;)

See y'all on the flipside!

Santa :)

2008-12-16T11:32:00.001-05:00

I hope I'm allowed to show these - they're professional pictures, so I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post them on the internet. They're pictures of pictures (my scanner has PMS and has been VERY moody). I only purchased 1 picture, but I want to show my friends!!

This is my FAVORITE picture of Henry....EVER. Henry fell madly in love with Santa's beard and I had to pull him off. The poor man's beard was real...lol

Will was SO excited to see Santa - no fear at all! Jake was a bit unsure, but warmed up pretty quickly :)

A diversion....

2008-12-12T12:56:00.000-05:00

I need one or twelve right now. Well, not really I suppose. I have enough to do around here. But, the news is depressing - even the internet has become depressing to me. I'm in need of HAPPY diversions. The busy diversions don't do anything to occupy my mind. I'm mentally exhausted and I'm not sure how much more I can handle.

Tonight, we're putting our sweet baby boys (Will and Jake hate when I call them my babies, but ya know, they still are :)) in their pajamas and we're loading ourselves into the car with blankets and Christmas music. We're going to run through the ever healthy McDonald's drive through, grab some chicken nuggets and chocolate milk and we're going to drive around here, looking at Christmas lights. I can't handle another negative news story, ad, etc. etc. I need happy and carefree. My children and Christmas lights are happy and carefree - that's enough for me.

These pictures make me smile - hopefully they'll do the same for you :)

Here's the finished advent calendar - I'm doing 2 this year (one for my sister and one for my SIL). I'll do ours next year.

I hope you all enjoy your Fridays and your weekends.

I feel boring...oh so boring....

2008-12-11T09:51:00.000-05:00

It's true. I do. There's nothing terribly fun and exciting going on here.

We've jumped on the "potty train" here this week and let me tell you, if I don't get another present this Christmas, this is enough for me. I've been trying to PT Jake for a loooooooooong time. He'll be 5 next month and I was starting to panic a bit. I've had to homeschool him for preschool because no one would accept him NOT potty trained. He starts Kindergarten in the fall.

He's open to potty training, which is a big step for him. But, I know this is going to be a long, drawn out process. It's one that I'm ready to tackle. Please pray that his momentum continues. It's truly a prayer that's been/being answered for us.

I'm still working on those advent calendars I started a while back. I kinda put them on the back burner for a while....which really meant I didn't feel like doing them..lol But, we're heading east next week for Christmas, so they must get done by then. I've finished almost all of my Christmas cards - one or two left to write and I'm DONE! I have one more gift to purchase and that's done, too - yeehaw!

I'll spend the next several times prepping for our trip and finishing up last minute odds and ends here. It's all fun, I think....

Deeeeeeeeeeetroit Basketball

2008-12-01T15:57:00.001-05:00

My husband played in a golf tournament a few months ago. His foursome won :) The prize was a suite at the Palace of Auburn Hills to watch the Pistons play.

We went yesterday and had so much fun. We didn't tell the big boys until they were getting dressed - it was like Christmas morning for them :) We stopped for lunch on the way (to save money on the food there because we all know that food in any kind of stadium, venue, etc. is terribly overpriced and not that tasty anyway). We had a great time watching the game (well, the boys/men watched - the women chit chatted for most of the game. I LOVE sports, but basketball is way low on the totem pole for me). The weather was horrible - snow/rain crud and it was COLD. We stopped to eat on the way home and had a yummy dinner at Red Robin. Henry didn't nap at all during the day, but he was such a gem. He was so happy and content - not at all something I expected to see because of the lack of sleep. He was just fabulous :)

My bebes :)

All my men :)

Henry and his mama :)

Wouldn't this be a big, fat blessing!

2008-12-01T13:36:00.000-05:00

Arianne over at To Think Is To Create has a fantastic giveaway. It would certainly help us out for Christmas and I'm sure it would be a huge blessing to anyone! Go check it out!

Dear Lord....

2008-11-27T19:55:00.000-05:00

I pray thanks for another beautiful day in your creation. I pray thanks for a cold, blustery fall day - a day that we were able to spend together, inside. I pray thanks for the clothes on our backs, the food in our bellies and the roof over our heads. I pray thanks for the "extra" blessings we receive every day - games of checkers, playing on the computer, fires in a fireplace, a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. I pray thanks for warm pajamas, comfy beds and security. I pray thanks for choosing me to be the mother of these 3 sweet little boys. I pray thanks for sending me Brian when I was at my lowest point in life and I pray thanks for 7 wonderful years with him. I pray thanks for friends and family that love us and the love we share as a family.

I pray that you be with the people who need you most tonight, Lord - the people who have no food or shelter or warmth. I pray you lift them up, close to you and show them the way. I pray you find your way into the hearts of my family members that don't know you - please keep them close to you and show them your way. I pray that our government makes the best choice for our automakers and its employees.

Lord - I pray thanks for my life!

In your name,

Amen.

The trouble with being almost 8 months old.

2008-11-24T13:49:00.000-05:00

My poor boy's face :( He's teething (well, he's been teething for MONTHS) and the drool is just over the top. There's so much of it that it's chapped his cheeks a bit. I'm constantly wiping his face with a soft cloth and I even put lotion on it - doesn't seem to be helping too much. We have ZERO teeth to show for all of this, too.

See the little red mark under the eye there? He's just mastered sitting up - he still falls occasionally, but he does it gracefully. There's very little "thudding" anymore, where he just falls backward and cracks his melon. He's now trying to get into the crawling position from a sitting position. His feet get caught though and he usually falls face first. Unfortunately, it was the exersaucer that he fell face first into this time. I was certain he'd have a black eye this morning - fortunately, I was wrong.

Teething, learning to crawl, etc. - it's tough being almost 8 months old :)

Monday...blah..blah..blah

2008-11-24T09:49:00.000-05:00

It's funny - I always wake with the best of intentions on Mondays. Most of the time, I fall short of my expectations because, well, it's Monday and I didn't really want the weekend to end, so I'm fighting it.

But, I can't fall short this week - I have far too much to do. Pray for me, people. I need drive and in a bad, bad way.

I have 3 UBER cute Advent calendars to finish, so I can send 2 of them to my SIL and my sister before next week - December 1st, is next week...ACK!?!?

I have to plan my MOPS Christmas party.

I have to finish my Christmas shopping - Christmas shopping AFTER Thanksgiving is less than an enjoyable experience for me. It must get done NOW.

I have a mountain of laundry to attack. Ick.

Here's to a productive week for y'all, too :)

Baby Leg Warmer give away!

2008-11-20T12:19:00.001-05:00

Henry will be crawling soon (pardon me while I sob) - the boy needs some extra padding on his knees. We have a pair of Baby Legs, but we could use more! I've entered to win and so can you! Click below to enter for 20 pairs of Baby Leg Warmers - SO, SO cute!!

Win 20 Pairs of Baby Leg Warmers from babySNAZZ!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-11-19T11:22:00.000-05:00

The view from our patio in Switzerland.

Our family day trip!

2008-11-18T14:30:00.000-05:00

This past Friday, my little crew headed to Frankenmuth, MI to Bronner's - the world's largest Christmas store. It was a nasty, rainy day - PERFECT for a trip to this store. It's one of my favorite places. If you're not in the Christmas spirit after walking through this store, there's a problem. It's open 361 days out of the year - we only go in November/early December because I have no interest in being in the Christmas spirit in June...lol Here are a few shots from our day!

Henry was mesmerized by the lights :)

My yummy baby boy and handsome husband :)

Jake :)

Will :)

Jake listening to a message from Santa

Me and the Hankster in my fabulous Mei Tai from www.meitaibaby.com

Proof that Henry actually smiles :) He doesn't like the flash on the camera - I can get him to smile, but as soon as he sees the flash, he gets the blank look again. I had to hold the camera off to the side, so he couldn't see it.

We had a really nice time up there - Frankenmuth is such a sweet, quaint little town!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-11-12T10:46:00.000-05:00

Tips on Tuesday!

2008-11-11T12:45:00.000-05:00

Head over to Sandra's and check out her groovy Tips on Tuesday! Her tips would have been fabulous for me over the weekend, when the crud I had was at its worst.

The only tip I have this week - winter gear for children!

Have your children put their hats, scarves and gloves in the arm of their coats when they take that stuff off - that way, they'll know where it is when it's time to put the gear back on again! That trick has saved my 6 year old SO much time and it's saved me quite a few headaches!

Family time

2008-11-10T15:31:00.000-05:00

My big boy doesn't have school Friday and my husband is also off, so we're heading here! I simply cannot wait!

We've gone every year we've lived here - it's a magical place. I like to take our Christmas card photo there, too and now that Henry is here, I'm super excited to do that!

I always spend far too much money, too, but I can't help it. It's a great place. If you're ever up here in MI, you should make it a point to stop by this place. Give yourself a few hours, too :)

Ick.

2008-11-10T09:56:00.000-05:00

We woke up to this this morning:

The boys were jumping for joy. Me...not so much. This statement is not too strong: I hate snow. Actually, I'm really not a fan of winter. Why I asked to move back to Michigan is beyond me. WHY, WHY, WHY did I not ask to go to Florida?! Our general area got about 7 ft of snow last year - the thought of that happening this year makes my stomach turn.

My big boy did look cute bundled up in his coat, scarf, hat and gloves this morning :)

Trick or treat!

2008-11-02T21:29:00.000-05:00

God came through yet again this Halloween - it was a balmy 67 degrees at ToT time! I remember as a child, having to bundle up under a coat when I went ToT and no one even saw my costume. How much fun is that?

There never seems to be a definite start and stop time to ToT here. We ate dinner early, so the boys would be ready to head out around 6 p.m. They were dressed and ready to go at 5:45 and I got Henry ready soon after that. I got the pictures taken and the big boys were itching to get movin' - the sugar was calling their names!

They were out for about an hour - Henry started crying about 5 minutes before they got home. He was out like a light by 7:45, but the big boys still had quite a bit of energy left. I had set up camp in the driveway, with our pumpkins lit and handed out candy there (our front porch is hidden behind some trees - it's VERY secluded and I would have been lonely ;) They ditched their costumes and handed out candy for me and rode their bikes in between trick or treaters. A firetruck came down our street and handed out candy to the kids - I looked out my bedroom window after putting Henry down and noticed my boys running into the street and firemen throwing candy to them - they LOVED it!

We had candy left over (we ran out last year!), so I split it up between the 2 big boys and we forced them into bed. It was a great night!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-10-29T09:28:00.000-04:00

Slow and steady wins the race (at least that's what I've been told).

2008-10-27T09:23:00.000-04:00

I'm at day 5 post op.

Some observations:

1. I hurt way more than I expected to by this time.
2. I still have to take my "good" pain meds once a day.
3. The heavy duty Ibuprofen just doesn't cut it most of the time, so I just deal with the dull achiness.
4. I think I'm up and about too much.
5. Resting here is hard because I want to help and sometimes, I need to help.
6. My husband is doing a GREAT job juggling work and home stuff.

I'm lying down right now - I'd like to stay that way for a while. Will is at school, Jake is hangin' on the couch watching Spongebob and Hank is in the Johnny Jump Up hangin' with Brian while he works. Maybe everyone will cooperate today and let me rest a bit more? We'll see.

I've been told that the recovery for this surgery is a slow process - I'm not allowed to do much of anything for 2 weeks. That seems like a looooooooooong time. I keep telling myself that slow and steady does win the race. I wonder how long it will take before my brain actually believes it.

Answered prayers

2008-10-26T12:51:00.001-04:00

Every night, as I'm rocking Henry for bed, I say my prayers. I pray thanks for every blessing He's given me AND us, from the food in our bellies to the safe travels we had that day.

I also pray that He finds His way into the hearts of my family members who don't know Him. I've been praying for this for months. It makes me sad that there are children in my family (not my immediate family) who don't know Jesus. I always pray that He can show them the way He wants their life to be. I pray that He shows them the blessings they receive every day.

The other day, I was speaking to my mom. She and another family member had gone shopping that day. This other family member asked for a Nativity scene for Christmas - this is one of the family members I'd been praying for. I immediately looked up and praised Him! I knew He had been at work and my heart soared.

I'm hoping this nativity scene is just the beginning for my family member. I hope she chooses to show her family how much Jesus loves her and her family. That would be such a great Christmas present for me.

Tackle It Tuesday (with a bit of a twist)

2008-10-21T08:48:00.000-04:00

My tackle isn't until 5:30 tomorrow morning - I almost wish it were today, just so I could be done with it and be on my way to recovery.

I'm having a hysterectomy tomorrow. I've been battling endometriosis, adenomyosis and other period related issues for years (read 20 years). I'm tired. I can't handle these issues anymore and the only relief I'll get is when I don't have a period anymore. We've been blessed with 3 insanely beautiful, fun little boys - I have no desire to have a little girl. I know we're done having children.

I've had 3 outpatient surgeries in the last 10 years and haven't been nervous about any of them. But, for some reason, I'm uneasy about this one. This one requires one night in the hospital, which I'm ok with. I'm trying to look at it like it's a mini vacation :)

I think what's making me uneasy is how final it is. I KNOW I'm done having babies - my pregnancy with Henry and the delivery weren't much fun at all. In fact, I've said that had he been our first baby, he probably would have been our only baby. Things are starting to get easier now - the sleeping is getting better (praise God!), he's a good eater and he's LOTS of fun (still a bit cranky though).

The idea of not having an "oops" again makes me a bit sad. Henry was an oops - big surprise, but a wonderful one. I remember laughing for 24 hours after the test came back positive - my heart sang. I'll never experience that again. But, I know I don't want anymore kids. My thought processes are quite silly I guess.

I'm trying to focus on the positives of this - no more periods!! No more pain!! No more having to send my husband to the store to buy feminine hygiene stuff :)

Please say a prayer for me - for a successful surgery and a quick recovery. Also, please say a prayer for my husband and boys - my husband is having to play Mr. Mom AND work from home for 2 weeks, so I can recover the right way. My dear MOPS friends are bringing us food - God bless them.

Thanks!

5 things that made me smile today!

2008-10-16T20:47:00.000-04:00

Bread from my bread maker :)

A pot of incredibly yummy Maryland Crab Soup - reminds me of home :)

Makes the house smell so warm and cozy :)

My sweet baby boy :)

My sweet Jake :)

It's Monday - yay!

2008-10-13T09:07:00.000-04:00

I'm trying to be optimistic and happy about that. Weekends go by far too quickly around here.

We had a true family weekend around here - we did almost everything together and the majority of it was very nice. I did run to Michaels and Walgreens by myself on Saturday evening, after the kids went to bed. B was watching Lost when I left, so I'm not even sure he remembered that I was gone and yesterday, Will and I went to Walmart to get a pumpkin and some mums. Yesterday, we decided we'd go to a pumpkin patch....it was a bust, hence the trip to Walmart.

Jake was apparently suffering from some male PMS yesterday and threw the mother of all temper tantrums in a shoe store in the mall. I'm not sure I've ever been more embarrassed. It took every ounce of self control I had not to pick him up by his earlobes and drag him out. Fortunately, I was wearing Henry, so that saved him.

I'm determined to have a good day today - a good week actually!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-10-01T08:41:00.000-04:00

6 months old already!?!?!?!?!

Tips on Tuesday!

2008-09-30T11:42:00.000-04:00

I was a slacker last week - just busy, busy, busy!

So, I'm back this week with a tip and it's probably one that everyone does already anyway, but I'll toss it out there.

Bathroom trashcans/bedroom trashcans, etc - I use plastic grocery bags as my trash bags for those little trashcans and instead of running to grab another one when I empty the trash can, I just put several in the bottom of every trashcan, so there's one there waiting when I take the full one out!

Head over to Sandra's to see more tips on Tuesday :)

Thoughts/plans for the weekend!

2008-09-26T10:22:00.000-04:00

Ahhhh, it's Friday. Yay! I survived 3 full days being a single mom. I take my hat off to all you single parents out there. 3 days just about did me in - I can't imagine having to do it full time. I love my babies with every ounce of my being, but boy, was I in desperate need of a break! Yesterday was the first time I had seen my husband since Monday - that just stinks. I'm OH.SO. happy he's home.

As you can see from my tweet, we're having an impromptu garage sale tomorrow - yay! I like going to garage sales, but I don't like having my own, so that "yay!" is a sarcastic one. I'm actually schleping my boys over to a friend's garage sale to hang out with her tomorrow and my wonderful, loving husband will be running our garage sale here! He's into that kinda stuff. Me.....not so much.

Tonight, I'm headed to a friend's house to have dinner and watch the Sex in the City movie. I've never seen an episode of that show, but I'm looking forward to hanging out with friends and relaxing - I need it in a bad, bad way.

On the homefront, I'm trying to catch up on laundry and do a bit of scrapbooking - I have several pages I'm working on and can't wait until they're finished. I have some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies in the cabinet that I'd like to make. There are lots of plans running through my brain - let's see if they actually get done...lol

Hope y'all have a groovy weekend!

Menu Plan Monday!

2008-09-22T11:19:00.000-04:00

It's an easy week this week - the hubs is on a business trip until Wednesday evening. While I'll miss him terribly (already do and he's still at the airport here...lol), it's a much easier time in the kitchen for me - the kidlets and I will do simple stuff.

Monday - I'll have a tuna sandwich.
Boys will have chicken nuggets, sweet tater fries and carrots.

Tuesday - boys will have Kid Cuisines with my sitter. I have MOPS.

Wednesday - pancakes, sausage and fruit.

Thursday - chicken strips, mac n' cheese and corn

Friday - tacos

Saturday - lasagna with bread and a salad

Sunday - if you can find it, you can eat it :)

Head over to the Org Junkie to check out other menus this week - I bet they're far more interesting than mine :)

Wordless Wednesday

2008-09-17T08:47:00.001-04:00

Tips on Tuesday!

2008-09-16T11:34:00.000-04:00

Sandra over at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom began a new feature today - it's called Tips on Tuesday.

She's going to feature tips and shortcuts when it comes to homemaking, decorating, car repair, etc. etc. that she's learned throughout her life and she's invited us to join her! I LOVE her blog and thought it was a great idea for a feature, so I AM going to join her!

My tip for today:

Toilet brushes - YUCK! But, if you pour a little all purpose cleaner into the toilet brush holder, it will disinfect the brush AND it will be ready for you to use the next time you have to clean the toilet. I did it the other day and it works VERY well!

Head over to Sandra's and see her tips - they are GREAT!

Feeling the sting.

2008-09-15T16:20:00.000-04:00

Let me preface all of what I'm about to say with this - I'm THRILLED that Steph was able to have the birth experience she wanted. I know how much she wanted a homebirth and I bet the experience was amazing and everything she ever wanted - that makes my heart smile.

With that being said, whenever I read of a birth experience being EXACTLY the way someone had hoped, I feel a bit of a sting.

I felt the most educated and informed when pregnant with my 3rd baby - I'd spent months preparing for his birth and doing my homework when it came to the kind of birth experience I wanted with him. I read books, spoke with friends AND my doc to prepare myself. I felt ready and knew what I wanted. I wanted a natural childbirth with NO drugs at all, no needles (incl. an IV) and no medical intervention unless it was a life or death situation. My doctor was behind me 100%. My 2nd son's birth was non-medicated (not by choice), but I felt fantastic after he was born and wanted to feel that way again after the birth of #3.

I did the physical exercises the natural childbirth books recommended. I poured over birth plans for hours. I carefully put mine together and I feel blessed and lucky that my OB was so supportive of my choices.

My water broke 15 days before my due date at 1:30 in the afternoon - I was nervous, but excited. I prayed that God would make this experience a good one for me. I prayed for a healthy baby and a birth experience that I could look back on and feel satisfied.

I got grief almost immediately when I got into my hospital room because I didn't want an IV. My doc backed me up, told them that I didn't want/need it and to leave me alone about it - they did, but I was treated differently....almost like a freak.

I knew that I wanted to labor in the water - I was able to breath through my contractions and talk through them, so I decided to hold off on the water because I didn't want my labor to slow down. I walked the halls, rolled on the ball, rocked on my hands and knees and felt good and happy that I was having the birth I wanted (even though the nurses thought I was insane for not wanting the IV - whatever). I agreed to be put on the monitors for 20 minutes out of every hour. 20 minutes was about as long as I wanted to be in the bed, too - it was uncomfortable for me to labor on my back in an uncomfortable bed.

I hit 6 cm without any medication and was in immense pain. I was watching the clock because I was on the monitors and knew that at the end of that 20 minutes, my happy rear was hoping in the tub. Within 30 seconds of that 20 minutes being up, the on call OB (my OB had gone home to change clothes and grab dinner - she was on her way home when the on call OB called her) and several nurses charged in my room and checked the monitor. At that point, they told me that my son's heart rate was dropping after every contraction. They then told me that I wasn't able to get off the monitors anymore and I had to stay in the bed - at first, on my back and then I had to be on one side for 10 minutes, then the other side for 10 minutes.

I remember, at that point, starting to cry. I knew that the birth experience I wanted wasn't going to happen. EVERY pain management technique I had wanted to use (and had used up to that point, except for the tub) was out the window. I was forced to stay in that uncomfortable bed. Because of that, I caved (while sobbing) and got the epidural. I knew there was no way I'd be able to stay in control when I wasn't even able to get out of my bed.

After the epidural, I progressed relatively quickly and pushed my sweet baby boy out in 3 pushes on April 1st, 2008 at 10:22 p.m. The cord was wrapped around his neck and my husband had to cut the cord before we could even get him out completely. I was able to deliver him myself and that was an awesome experience.....one of the highlights of my life.

The on call OB had a gurney in the hallway, ready to take me to an OR for a c-section. My OB told them to let me go because I had already delivered 2 babies with no issues. Had I been a first time mom, they wouldn't have allowed me to labor while his heart rate dropped.

I'm grateful that my boy was healthy. That's really all that matters. I'm also grateful that I didn't have a c-section. He is my last baby - I'll never experience the birth process again and knew how I *wanted* things to go. I'll never get to experience MY perfect birth.

Henry is 5 1/2 months old now and I think about this on a daily basis. It still stings. I wonder if it will ever stop stinging.

Menu Plan Monday!

2008-09-15T14:46:00.000-04:00

Now that school is back in session, I'm hoping to get into a better planning/grocery shopping routine. It's been a long time and I don't mind flying by the seat of my pants during the summer. I don't like doing it in the fall/winter.

Monday:

BBQ chicken pizza
regular pizza/breadsticks for boys

Tuesday:

egg, scrapple and cheese sandwiches
pancakes for boys
fruit

Wednesday:

chili with pasta

Thursday:

fondue for me! (MOPS MNO)
soup/Kid Cuisines for the boys and hubby

Friday:

Frozen lasagna
Italian bread
sliced tomatoes

Saturday:

pigs in a blanket
carrots and cucumbers with ranch dip

Sunday:

leftovers and if you can find it, you can eat it!

Head over to Org Junkie for more menus this week!

By Friday

2008-09-12T08:51:00.000-04:00

I feel like I've conquered the world when I put my boy on the bus on Friday morning, knowing that he has EVERYTHING he needs for the day. He had homework that needed to be done last night - he did that and it was in his folder. Today is Grandparent's Day and he needed 2 photos to do a little scrapbook page - he had those. His teacher sent some stuff home for me to cut out and she told me just to send it back a little bit at a time because there's a TON to be cut out - I did that. His lunch was packed and in his lunchbox and he had his 2 snacks for the day. I'm not sure I've ever been more thrilled that it's Friday. It's been a VERY long week - I have 2 sick little boys here, I'm exhausted and my poor house....oh my poor house. I need to attack it today and in a really bad way. I hope H cooperates with me.

B and I have a date tomorrow night - I'm very much looking forward to it. We have no idea what we're doing - we're just doing it together. We have *THE BEST* babysitter ever. I'd love for her to move in with us :)

It's a yucky day today - very cloudy and rainy. I love this kind of day - I'm almost forced to stay home and work. That's a good thing :)

Wordless Wednesday

2008-09-10T11:29:00.000-04:00

Wordless Wednesday

2008-09-03T09:14:00.000-04:00

First day of school!

One with Jake (who is homeschooled), just because he's cute :)

The 5 month old schmoog :)

Some randomness this morning.....

2008-08-28T09:54:00.001-04:00

* We're leaving again tomorrow - this time, we're heading to Deep Creek Lake, MD. My husband's aunt and uncle have a lake house there and we'll be spending the weekend with family. Most haven't met Henry yet, so they'll have loads of fun hanging out with him - he's quite the personality now and becoming more and more fun every day! On Saturday, B and I, along with some other family members, are headed to Morgantown, WV to the Villanova/West Virginia football game. The kids will stay back and wear out my in-laws and my husband's aunt and uncle...lol

* I'm tired. Henry has decided that sleep is for the weak and he just doesn't want to do it anymore. I don't like that AT ALL. I'm weak and need sleep desperately....probably more than most people, but hey, I've always been like that. I'm hoping to be able to sleep in the car on the 7 hour drive tomorrow morning - that is, if Henry isn't screaming the entire time. Henry and car trips don't mix too well. Pray for me people.

* Our weekend in Cape Cod was HEAVENLY! Here are some pictures! We rented a G6 Convertible for the weekend - the weather was fantastic for it!

My better half :)

Moi :)

Us at the wedding :)

The bride's parents own a house right on the ocean and they invited everyone for a cookout the next day - here is the view from their deck.

The view looking down from their deck.

Their house was AMAZING! We were the last people to leave that day - I didn't want to leave that view and the smell of the saltwater - it reminds me of home and how much I miss being near the ocean. We had the best time being together as a couple and hanging with good friends. The kids had a great time here with my in-laws and everyone was happy.

* First grade starts in 5 days! I met Will's teacher last night and she's VERY nice. She has a class of 29 kids with no teacher's aide - YIKES! I was a teacher before I had kids and oy vey - I just can't imagine. Will's best buddy is in his class again this year - YAY! His mom and I were a bit worried that they wouldn't be together, so we can both now breathe a HUGE sigh of relief! I got Will some new gym shoes last night, so he's good to go for at least the first few weeks. New, warmer clothes will come in the next few weeks. He grows like a weed and I refuse to spend that much money on new clothes for him to grow out of them before he can really wear them.

Enough randomness I suppose - Henry is finally sleeping and the big boys are downstairs playing with their Webkinz. I need to get moving on the packing, etc. I hope y'all have a great Labor day!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-08-20T16:05:00.001-04:00

Our biggest boy turned 6 yesterday!

One down, two to go....

2008-08-17T16:17:00.000-04:00

Ahhhh....that feels good! Sunday afternoon, hangin' on the couch with my laptop, while by biggest boys (husband included!) play with a Hot Wheels toy on the floor. Schmoog is sleeping upstairs, the dog is relaxing after a day at doggie day camp and the race is on TV. It has been a BUSY weekend!

My mom came into town on Wednesday and she left today - we had a very nice time! We shopped a bit and helped immensely with Henry. It was nice to get a break for a bit. Yesterday was Will's birthday party - loads of fun was had by all. We got a bounce house for the kids and they played in the slip n' slide, while the adults hung out on our deck. It was fabulous fun and the kids really enjoyed themselves! My boy's official birthday is Tuesday - he'll be 6. I'm trying not to think about it - I can't believe he's going to be 6 already AND heading into 1st grade in a smidge over 2 weeks. I swear I was JUST miserably huge and praying every other minute that God would just put me into labor with him. Will was 3 days late and he's still incredibly slow....lol

I have 3 more days until my in-laws arrive - they are coming into town to watch the boys while B and I head to Cape Cod for a wedding. I am SO EXCITED about this trip. We need these days away, to enjoy ourselves with good friends and be together as a couple.

I'm going to relax for a bit more, then I'm going back to work - the lower level of my house looks like a tornado went through it and I need to stay on top on it, so I'm not bombarded before my in-laws get here. Wish me luck!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-08-13T09:49:00.001-04:00

My big boys enjoying sparklers on the 4th of July!

Mama time

2008-08-13T09:28:00.000-04:00

We do the same thing every morning. I feed Henry and when he's done, I plop him in his exersaucer to hang for a while, while I make my coffee, get the big boys their chocolate milk, start some laundry, etc. etc. The big boys will sit on the floor by the exersaucer and talk to Henry, make him smile and push the buttons on the exersaucer to make some noise. Henry loves that time with his brothers and his brothers love it, too.

This morning, after I got everyone everything they needed, I started to clean the house. Eventually, Henry had had enough of the exersaucer AND his brothers and just wanted to be held. It was nap time, so we headed to his room and I put him down in his crib - the same way I always do it.

He started to fall asleep, but woke a minute later and started crying. I headed up to him and picked him up. We sat in the rocker and snuggled together and within seconds, he was asleep. My boy just needed some quiet mama time and I realized then, that I needed Henry time. It needed to be just the two of us. We both needed the quietness and I needed to realize that life goes by SO, SO quickly. It's time for me to slow down.

I'm amazed at the lessons a baby can teach.

Menu Plan Monday!

2008-08-11T11:26:00.000-04:00

I'm going to cook every day this week, even if it kills me...lol

Monday:

chicken breasts with gravy
brown rice
green beans

Tuesday:

BBQ sandwiches on whole wheat buns
corn

Wednesday:

Kielbasa with dirty rice
cucumber slices sprinkled with Old Bay

Thursday:

Penne with meat sauce
caprese salad
bread

Friday:

grilled salmon
roasted broccoli
wild rice

Saturday:

burgers and hot dogs on the grill
corn on the cob
baked beans

Sunday:

Charley's Slow Cooker Mexican Style Meat
whole wheat tortillas
corn cake
salad

Head over to the Org Junkie and see what yummy recipes other ladies (or gents maybe) have out there!

The PGA Championship - my boy's own little private heaven!

2008-08-08T07:21:00.000-04:00

Will's entire world revolves around sports - doesn't matter the sport either. We can take him to any major (or minor even) sporting event and he becomes so engrossed in it that he pays no attention to what is going on around him. He watches the entire game, from start to finish and asks a million questions along the way. He'll tell us when he's hungry or when he needs to use the bathroom, but other than that, he won't move....for hours....

My husband won week long passes to the PGA Championship in a raffle a few months ago. We'd been prepping both big boys for weeks now on proper etiquette at a golf course, especially one like Oakland Hills CC and how important it is to BE QUIET and USE INSIDE VOICES EVEN THOUGH YOU'RE OUTSIDE, etc. etc.

Jake lasted all of 10 minutes on Monday - he was hot, he was tired and he was thirsty and we literally had been there 10 minutes. We vowed he wouldn't go again and he was good with that...lol He even asked to go to the babysitter on Wednesday! We took Will again on Wednesday and he got loads of autographs and a few golf balls from different caddies.

He and his daddy went again this morning - since it's the 2nd round and "this one counts" (it's not just practice - all of this according to Will), they wanted to be there early. Will comes barreling through our bedroom door at 5:30 this morning, so excited he could barely contain himself and said, "Mommy, we're leaving now. We'll be gone all day!". He was giddy and I barely got my "I love you, be a good boy and have a GREAT time" out of my mouth before he was running downstairs to meet Brian to leave.

If any of you watch golf and you watch it today - if there's coverage from the 12th green and you hear a 5 year old male voice scream, "GET IN THE HOLE" - that's my boy :)

It's back to school time!

2008-08-07T23:32:00.001-04:00

Go here NOW!

Dare I say we're on our way? (long and possible TMI)

2008-08-07T16:40:00.000-04:00

Our sweet boy Jake is different - it's hard for me to describe to anyone and only my husband truly knows what I'm talking about when I say that.

He has done EVERYTHING later than his older brother - didn't walk until he was 1 1/2, didn't speak a word until he was 2 and at 4 1/2, he's still not potty trained.

The whole potty training thing has been a long and difficult journey. Our oldest son potty trained himself in 3 short days - woke up one morning and said, "Mommy, I don't want to wear diapers anymore!" and he didn't. It took 1 full day of reminding him to go on the potty and after that, he was good to go. He wore diapers at night for 6 more months and then did that on his own, too - took 1 night. In the 2+ years he's been potty trained, he's had ONE accident. Stupid me thought Jake would be a piece of cake to potty train - he'd want to be just like his brother....

OHHH no, it just doesn't work that way.

He had surgery in 2005 for what the doctors called "Anal Sphincter Dysplasia". He was born with his sphincter muscle detached. He had an awful time going to the bathroom after he started eating solids as a baby and it just went downhill from there. We had to give the poor baby 3 enemas a day for months before the surgery, to get his body ready. Once he had the surgery, he did VERY well. Going to the bathroom was easy for him - he seemed MUCH happier.

We moved back to the U.S. (we lived in Switzerland from 2004-2006) and he was good for about 6 months. Then, the problems started all over again. Fast forward a year and a half and we're still stuck. Part of me thinks he's just lazy and another part of me thinks there might be more medical issues. I just know, and call me selfish if you must, that I'm TIRED of changing 10+ yucky diapers a day on a 4 1/2 year old child. He's stuck in a 3 year old preschool class because he's not potty trained - all of his friends have moved up to the next class and I know he's going to be VERY sad to go back next month and be with kids he doesn't know. He can't go to the next Sunday school class because he's not potty trained, he can't go to our church's VBS Sports Camp because he's not potty trained....you get the picture.

He always runs and hides when he has to go - I know what he's doing based on that AND the look on his face. I forced him on the toilet this morning and he went 2 times! I danced a jig in the bathroom and our boy got a bag of M & M's as a treat! I knew there was more that needed to come out, so I had to resort to the one thing I DIDN'T want to do, but knew would work like a charm - the dreaded enema.

He agreed, I did and he screamed :( The stomach cramps were awful for him and the tears were awful for me. He hugged me and sobbed and I felt like I had failed him - failed to protect him from pain, but I was just trying to help him. After 20 minutes or so of bad stomach cramps, it finally happened. He went....and went A LOT. I'm not sure I've ever been more proud of him OR happier for him. The look on his face was pure joy - He was empty and felt so much better. I'm hoping (and praying, too) that this will be the beginning of GOOD things for our boy - he's got a clean slate and knows what he needs to do to go on the potty all the time now.

He's been clean all afternoon - wearing the same CLEAN diaper all afternoon. He's so happy - he feels so much better AND since he's been clean all afternoon, we're heading to Chuck E. Cheese in a bit. He's giddy. I'm giddy for him.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-08-06T08:03:00.000-04:00

Beautiful Sunday!

2008-08-03T13:14:00.000-04:00

Hope everyone is enjoying their Sunday :)

We're having friends over - cook out with burgers and dogs, baked beans and corn on the cob - kids playing in the Slip n' Slide and we're hangin' on the deck with the Ipod!

We have an UBER busy week coming up - the PGA Championship is in town and we're going! YAY! My husband won passes in a raffle a few months ago and we're VERY excited. We're going as a family on Monday and Wednesday (sans Hank - a friend is keeping him for us) and B is taking the boys on Thursday and Friday. He's going with a friend on Saturday and then he and I are going on Sunday. I can't wait - I LOVE golf tournaments.

I'm off. Enjoy your day!

Lookie here!

2008-08-01T12:32:00.000-04:00

Look who's 4 months old today!

He was enjoying his oatmeal this morning :)

Look what we had installed this morning:

Fun, fun! lol

Look what I FINALLY picked up yesterday!:

I love it, but I miss my mini-van terribly :o( I become quite attached to cars and I'm always very sad to see them go. This one will stick around for 4 years!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-07-30T08:09:00.000-04:00

A sleepin' peanut

Tackle It Tuesday

2008-07-29T15:34:00.000-04:00

I'm starting small here. My silverware drawer was a nightmare - there was so much stuff under the tray that it was hard to close the drawer. I would just move things around, so the tray would settle down into the junk. It was embarrassing. I decided I'd start there today!

Before:

After:

Nice, eh? Head over to 5 Minutes for Mom and check other tackling projects!

Dude, where's my car?!?

2008-07-29T08:38:00.000-04:00

I've been asking that question for almost 2 weeks now. You might want to grab a cup of coffee and relax for a bit - this one might take a while.

We are required, by contract, to buy a new vehicle every 4 years (my husband is in the company car program - he works for GM). We did what they call a "Drive and Buy". We order the car we want and it becomes my husband's company car for 3 months. During this time, we put as many miles on the car as we can - this will help lower the price of the car when it's our time to "buy" it. Then, we turn it back in to vehicle operations at GM, the dealership we choose to "buy" the car from comes to pick it up, then they call us to seal the deal. Get that?

Some not very nice person put a very deep scratch in the passenger side door of "the car" the day before my husband turned it in. We find out that the scratch must be fixed before I'm able to get the car, so the dealership has to fix it (not with my money, fortunately!).

Here's what I was told:

July 17th or 18th - I will get the car.

Nope, that won't happen - need to fix the scratch. It might take up to a week, but we're hoping it won't take that long.

July 24th will be THE LATEST you'll get your car. That day comes and goes - no car.

Then, we hear that the car will be done late Friday and at the latest, Monday (yesterday). My husband had to call the dealership 4 TIMES to talk to the salesperson. Needless to say, I still don't have my car. We got and are still getting the runaround from the salesperson AND the GM of the dealership.

I JUST WANT MY CAR!!!!!!!!!!! Fortunately, I still have my beloved mini-van that we had detailed a month ago - I'm scared to drive it because I don't want to mess it up. I'm tired of putting gas in it every few days - I don't want to fill it up and then turn it back into the dealership with a full tank of gas. But, I HATE putting gas in it every 2 or 3 days.

I JUST WANT MY CAR!!!!!!!!!

Happy Sunday peeps :)

2008-07-27T09:17:00.000-04:00

A little birdy told me that the Cricut cartridges at Michael's are on sale for $40.00 today - I. AM. THERE.

If you don't know what a Cricut is, go here. It's my new, favorite scrapbooking toy :)

I need to do a devotional or 7 today - feeling a bit disgruntled with my church and need to reconnect to the word. I also need to tackle the mountain of laundry and bags of stuff from Trader Joe's sitting on my kitchen floor.

I'm off - have a groovy day :)