Vegas or Bust

My husband's family decided for Christmas this year we would all meet in Las Vegas where Steve's brother Derrick lives. It seemed to be a good half way meeting point for all of us so we all agreed to 2 nights and one full day of family fun right before Christmas (so we could all spend Christmas day at home). At any rate, I've only been to Vegas twice, and neither time left me with pleasant memories. The first time I got food poisoning from one of those famous buffets and the second time I spent the week with Steve working at a trade show while me, him and Evan were all miserably sick. Yet this time would be totally different right? Good memories were going to happen this time!
The day before we left, my mom warned me to watch out for the weather. I wasn't too worried though because we were heading south, into warmer territory right? Plus, when we went to CA last year for Christmas, THAT was some yucky weather we ran into. This "rain" or whatever would be a breeze compared to that. So when we left in the morning around 9am we were in good spirits, and ready for the 6 hour drive ahead of us. However, sometime after Nephi, it all changed. The weather got nasty, and one county, who will rename nameless, did not believe in plowing I-15. We saw about 20 cars that had slid off the road and we ourselves were down to like 10 mph till we finally stopped dead for about 20 min. It was awful! When we finally made it through that harrowing experience, the weather turned to rain. Going through Arizona, we saw the super scary Virgin River, all swollen and raging and were glad to see the slightly drier roads of Nevada. Then about 40 miles from Vegas, our tire blew. At first, we didn't panic because we knew we had a spare tire. What we didn't know, was that we didn't have all of the tools to change it. Our used van evidently never came with a jack and a lever ect. (so if you are reading this now and haven't had to change a flat on your vehicle yet, go check right now to make sure you have all the tools needed to do so!!) So, after about a half hour, we figured out we wouldn't be able to change our tire. We then decided to call our car insurance company for some roadside assistance, however, the lady my husband talked to was pretty unhelpful and said she would send help from Moapa (wha?? weren't we closer to Mesquite or Vegas??) and it would take 2 hours for someone to reach us. Luckily, our father-in-law happens to also be a saint and by that time had made it to Vegas (after having a 9 hour drive himself) and volunteered to come rescue us. By that time it was dark, but he managed to find us and help protect my husband from getting run over while he wrestled with the tire in the dark and rain. We made it to Vegas on our spare around 8pm, 11 hours from when we started! I have to give it to the kids though, they were SO amazingly good. Only Owen freaked out a little and at one point fell while playing in the van and had blood coming from his mouth (which I could never quite figure out where exactly in his mouth it was coming from). Other than that, we survived on snacks, goodwill, prayers (thanks mom for saying you'd be praying all day for us, I'm positive those prayers kept us from getting the flat during the blizzard or while driving very close to the scary river) and peeing in bottles (thanks Cassie for that idea!). And we had a nice visit with Steve's family and only got stuck on I-15 for about 15 min. on the way back home for pothole repair. The End. Merry Christmas Everyone!!

Friday Confessional

It's Glamazon time! Let's start the confessing--

I confess...
My last couple of blogs have sounded like a lengthy church talk. I guess I haven't spoken in church for awhile, so feel free to call me bishop! I'm actually prepared this time!
I guess I have just had all these thoughts on my mind and have felt compelled to write about them. I don't really keep a journal, crazy, but my blog is the closets thing I've got, so there you go.
I also confess I want my happy baby back. I think my 15 month old turned 2 this week. Or maybe all those sudden tantrums are caused by teething?? I don't know, but I miss being able to move something away from his curious hands and not have him cry and scream about it for 15 min. I also miss not being able to worry about all of the bathroom doors being closed all of the time. The kid has been making a beeline for the toilet every chance he gets. Yuck.
Here is my last confession for the week--
I wish I had never started potty training my 3 year old.
There, I said it.
And I mean it.
He woke up last night at 1am because he was in pain. From not peeing. I finally convinced my hysterical, crying, irrational child to sit on the toilet. After a small eternity he finally peed and splash guard my butt, I got drenched in the process (b/c being a pee coach requires you to be hugging the child while he's trying to pee at 1am apparently). Anyways, I have now instituted the "You Must Pee 3 Times A Day" Rule to prevent future middle of the night hysterical awakenings from being in pain from not peeing.
And yes, I did try to convince him to wear diapers again! But he refuses. Sigh. You would think a kid so bent on not putting a diaper back on would have better peeing skills. Oh well, maybe next week will be better...

More on Missing Out

As mothers especially, we need personal inspiration, but more importantly, our children need it too! Not only to see us handling every day life with the guidance of the Spirit, but also in turn, teaching them how to use it too. If we don't show them the way, how will we expect them to learn on their own how the Holy Ghost speaks to them? Another quote" In today’s world we must provide quiet, reflective times for our children and teach them how to listen to the still, small voice. With all the blessings our modern age has given to us, let us not give up the things that promote the workings of the Holy Ghost: time alone to pray, ponder, meditate, and read the scriptures; and time with family undisturbed by noise, distractions, and too many activities."
I keep hearing lately about overscheduling our kids' days and their over use of media. Those things rob us of our time with our kids and lessens their opportunity to listen to our Father in Heaven. I know I am guilty of these things! I let my kids play as many video and computer games and watch as much tv as they want in the name of trying to clean up, get dinner made, do the laundry or I just plain don't have the energy to play with them. Yet I know I'm not doing them any favors. I keep hearing too about how the greatest gift you can give your kids is your time. I try to remember that when a child is bugging me for the 5th time about something while I'm trying to unload the dishwasher! Once again, those little things add up..
A final quote from Conference"We live in a wonderful day of opportunity, learning, and prosperity. But with these wonders come also the degrading deceits of the adversary, trying to push their way into the fabric of our lives, even attempting to burrow into the safe refuge of our homes. If we will receive the Holy Ghost as our guide and be wise in knowing, guarding, and building upon this gift, we will not be deceived. And as evil increases in the world, there will be a compensating power of the gift of the Holy Ghost for the righteous."

Even More on the Subject: the Temporal Side

I'm doing both of these posts in the same day because I believe that handling the small things in an inspired and wise way requires not only the Spirit for guidance, but also the desire for more self control on my part. I did an experiment yesterday. I decided that instead of getting angry instantly at every little annoying or frustrating thing my children did, I would do everything in my power not to lose my cool. I prepared myself mentally for this challenge and remembered to do my breathe easy exercises when things felt particularly stressful. I also decided to remember to see the humor in things and not take my childrens' actions as personal attacks on me. I figured by the end of the day, if I really could not lose my self control, I would be totally exhausted! And oh what a day! All my children were being challenging, I did not think I was going to get through the day without losing it. However, I somehow managed to survive until bedtime and the amazing thing that I discovered was that I was NOT exhausted! I didn't feel drained! I could not believe that keeping my cool expended less energy than not getting mad and frustrated at every little thing. That outcome had never occurred to me! So what a lesson in what concentrating on how I'm going to act on a daily basis when things happen and making that decision beforehand on how I would handle things can make such a difference.
I really appreciated Carrie's comment in my original post, (I hope she doesn't mind me quoting her): "I want my kids to be happy and to be able to laugh and smile even in not so funny circumstances. And you're right, it is a whole lot of little things that all add up to make a life. So the little things can't bring us down so easily." Carrie's comment made me realize that I need to remember I'm setting the example for my children in how to handle every day life. If they see me get frustrated at every little thing and not deal with it well, how can I expect them to cope any better than me? It made me realize that when the little things in my childrens' every day life add up at the end of the day, I want them to add up to happy :)

More on the Subject

So how do we go about handling the simple things in a wise and inspired way? When I lived in Salinas, I had a good friend who was the mother of twin boys who were about 2 years old at the time with another child on the way. Life seemed full of chaos for her but she was always so sweet and cheerful, truly one of the nicest people I ever met. I wondered how she kept her sanity intact when life was far from perfect for her. It had to be more than just her sweet personality, right? One person could only contain so much patience, right? Well, as I spent more time with her I found out her "secret". She said she followed the promptings of the Holy Ghost constantly. She said she even prayed about when she should put them down for naps when she was having trouble getting them to sleep. She said one time her boys wouldn't stop screaming and she had tried everything she could think of to calm them down when finally she felt prompted to sing a hymn to them and it worked she said. She said she had even tried to sing other songs before that and they didn't work (and she has a truly beautiful voice by the way), but by following that still small voice and not doubting (cause she could have thought, um, I just tried singing...) she was able to calm her children down. I am reminded of another Ensign article "Lullaby for Timothy" that quotes"By putting our trust in the Lord, we can give our worries to Him, and He in turn will lift us, giving special gifts to sustain us—often through other people."
So through the example of my friend there, what I'm trying to say is that I think handling the little things in a wise and inspired way is about having the gift of the Holy Ghost. When we are in tune with the Spirit, I think we let our gut reactions move over for the quiet promptings of the Holy Ghost instead. I will admit, I have a hard time with this. And I know a lot of people only feel comfortable praying for the bigger things in life--illnesses, husband finding a new job or traveling safe on a long trip, but what I think what we forget is pointed out in this next conference talk--
"As disciples of Christ, we must make the gift of the Holy Ghost a conscious, daily, prayerful part of our lives. President Boyd K. Packer, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, said, “No one of us can survive in the world of today, much less in what it soon will become, without personal inspiration.”⁴ UAdd a Note How can we use this heavenly gift as a vital compass for our daily actions? We must believe that even in our weaknesses, the still, small voice we feel comes from our Father. We must pray and ask and seek and then not be afraid when answers come into our heart and mind. Believe they are divine. They are."
I feel like I've let the chaos and constant drudgery of every day life drown out the Spirit for quite a while now. Which, in realizing this, makes me feel foolish because I am denying myself my greatest source of help and comfort. I remember a time when I used to know how the Spirit prompting me felt, I could recognize it readily, I need to rediscover that in my life. I don't know why I've been floundering on my own for so long, it just seemed like more things on my to do list: read scriptures, pray regularly, go to the temple I had to do in order to have the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, I just felt like I could do without those things bugging me for awhile. Elder Jairo Mazzagardi said "What may appear to be of little importance, such as going to bed late, not praying for a day, skipping fasting, or breaking the Sabbath--such little slips--will make us lose sensitivity little by little, allowing us to do worse thing." and may I add, lose sensitivity to the promptings of the Spirit as well. In short, I believe there isn't any situation too small or inconsequential that the Spirit can help us with if we let it. The Lord is on our side! I know I want to recommit myself to doing what's necessary and right to be in tune to have this great gift in guiding and helping me to be the Mother I want to be.
However, we aren't the only ones on the missing out end too though, someone else misses out when we aren't getting inspiration from the Lord. I will talk more on this tomorrow, I think we've had enough food for thought for now :)

Enough is Enough

I never took much thought as to what kind of mom I was going to be before I had kids. Surprisingly, it just wasn't something I worried about. I guess you could say as I've been figuring things out along the way, there has begun to arise in my mind a clearer image of the kind of mom I'm trying to become. No worries, this mom is by no means perfect, but she does have more patience, kindness and is made of sterner stuff. I'm not inviting comparisons here to other moms, though I think it's good to have moms around you that you admire and can pick up some good mothering skills from, but it's more like, hey, I notice I get angry about every 30 sec. I don't want to do that anymore!
I was reading a general conference talk yesterday by Per G. Malm and a particular story he told really hit me. He said his grandmother sent one of her young children to get some eggs but on the way home broke them all. It didn't seem like the child did this intentionally, but a friend of the family who was there at the time said the child should be punished. However, the mother was like, nah, that won't get my eggs back, let's just make some pancakes and be happy. I thought about how I would have reacted because, let's face it, whether it's broken eggs, spilled juice, pee accidents, that scene described by the general authority could be reenacted a thousand different ways in a thousand different scenarios in my house every day. I admit, I would have gotten mad about the eggs and would have at least yelled at the child. I'm not proud to admit that, but I usually go with my gut reaction and my gut reaction does not usually tell me to remain calm and brush it off. But this is why all those kinds of little moments add up, Per Malm says "In our day-to-day actions, it is often the small and simple things that will have a long-lasting impact. What we say, how we act, and how we choose to react will influence not only ourselves but also those around us. We can build up, or we can tear down." Isn't that perfectly true with our day to day lives with our children? He also goes on, and this part really gets me, to say "When we learn to handle the small and simple daily things in a wise and inspired way, the result is a positive influence that will solidify harmony in our souls and build up and strengthen those around us. This is so because everything which invites us to do good “is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore [we] may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God” (Moroni 7:16)."
Ah, so I think the key to the Mom I Want To Become is doing better with how I react to the small things, those every day little situations that can drive us crazy if we let them. And I will be the first to admit, I usually let them! But who couldn't use some more harmony in the home? It reminds me of the saying "Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me". Kind of cheesy, but to the point. Moms usually set the mood of the home so I'm determined to work on mine. Also, it got me thinking, how do we go about handling the simple daily things in a wise and inspired way? I will talk about my thoughts on this more tomorrow. In the meantime, if you do have any thoughts on this, please share!

Random Is As Random Does

When I was working at the library tonight in the backroom with another gal, she came over to her stack of stuff she had left behind and commented on how she can't seem to stick to one thing and get it done and then move on to the next thing. She said she was just flitting around tonight from one thing to the next, forgetting about other things she had started doing. I just laughed and told her she pretty much just described my every day life. I feel scatterbrained all the time, forgetting what I'm "supposed" to be working on, always telling the kids to remind me if they want something because maybe on the 4th time they ask for a cup of juice I'll remember that I was on my way to the fridge to get it. I wonder if it's just "mom brain" or if I've really just gone crazy sometimes! I always seem to be on my way to doing something only to end up doing 5 other things before I get that one thing accomplished. Example: I start making muffins only to realize I need to empty the dishwasher first only to remember I need to call the scouts to remind them of den meeting only to realize I forgot to email my visiting teaching report only to discover I can't find a coupon I wanted to use tomorrow when I go grocery shopping only to not be able to not find the grocery list I need for tomorrow while making Justin some lunch and getting some toys for Owen, wait! wasn't I making muffins???
My mom told me today when she comes over she doesn't dwell or even notice the piles of dirt and clutter that may be eyesores to me. (probably the sweetest thing said to me all day! sniff!) She said to just do what I can and enjoy my kids basically. I thought about that tonight when things were slow at the library. How I think I need to remember that everything I do should be based on love. Love of my family. Am I bugged about the dirty dishes because I love my family or because I take pride in keeping the kitchen clean? I guess what I'm saying is I'd like to remember that if it comes down to giving love and time to my children versus letting my messy room remain messy for another day (or two, or three...) then I should choose my family. I guess it's something we probably all realize, but I think I needed the reminder today :)

The Nightmare that is Potty Training

So I finally did it, I started that bizarre, horrible adventure that is teaching a child to poop and pee in the toilet. I did not want to go there. I've been dreading this part of my life ever since my children were born. Evan's training (like everything else with him) did not go well so I was in no rush with Justin. In fact, I didn't even know how I wanted to approach it this time. So when I was checking in books one night at the library, one came into my hands that was "Toilet Training in Less Than One Day". Who knows? It could work, right? What did I have to lose? It wasn't a long book, but I took a few months to read it twice and take notes and all that so I could be "prepared." That's just my style, people. Anyways, after setting a date to "train" like 3 times, I finally bit the bullet and had my mom watch my one year old for me on Thursday so I could try this whole method out. I had 5 hours to accomplish my goal. At first, it seemed to go ok. We used a doll that he gave water to and then he helped her pee in the potty. Then the doll had an "accident" so he could see what happens when accidents occur. Then it was Justin's turn to pee in the potty and he sat on it very willingly, but nothing came out after 10 or so minutes and the training kind of went downhill from that. The worst was when he had an accident and had to "practice" going potty quickly from different points of the house. He just dissolved into tears and wouldn't stop crying no matter how upbeat I was and said cheerily "Mommy loves Justin. Mommy does not like wet pants. Justin wet his pants. Justin needs to practice." In effect, he only did that training thing once, which means, when he has accidents now, which he does all of the time, he is learning nothing from them. Sigh. Also, he'll do something amazing, like go all night with underwear on, wake up dry and then go potty, but then have like a poop accident right in front of me. Sometimes I think he gets it and sometimes I don't think he gets it at all. So, instead of being trained all in one day (which, in the book means the child recognizes on his own he has to go potty, stops what he's doing, approaches toilet, pulls his own pants down, sits down, pees, flushes, pulls pants back up and goes back to what he's doing without any help from me) I think we are having a typical potty training experience after all. Well, it was worth a try right? Maybe if we would have had more time, or I would have worked through his tantrum and tears and made him practice after an accident...Hopefully, gulp, the next child will go better?

No Title

There's 3 degrees of embarrassment: there's embarrassed, humiliated and finally "these people are going to think differently about me now." I experienced the last one tonight at a friend's home. When it was time to leave, my oldest child thought it meant he got to go home with a friend he was there playing with, however, he was not set to go play there next, I was planning on picking up some dinner and going straight home. Well, before I could even blink my son was on attack mode. Oh, it wasn't a tantrum, that I could handle, this was an ANGER STORM. My 6 year old was hitting, kicking, destroying, just being very vicious to me. I was kind of in shock and trying to play it off in front of my friends , trying not to show how mortified and disturbed I was by my son's behavior. I mean, we'd been dealing with his hitting ect. for a long time now and he hadn't acted out like this (especially with everything combined) like that in recent memory. I would have much preferred whining or even crying about that we had to leave. But he was literally threatening me and even throwing things at my poor friend who was trying to reason with him. The really sad thing is that he probably could have played at his friend's house again if he just would have asked instead of immediately going crazy on me. I don't know what my friends' thought about my rather pathetic attempt to stop his behavior. My efforts felt like putting a tiny band-aid on an arm stump gushing blood. I was so disappointed in him and me by the time I got us out of there, it was all I could do not to burst into tears in front of the Little Caesar's pizza guy. I told my son, in a calm manner I'm proud to say, how disappointed I was in his behavior when we got home. I find it easier to communicate when we are both calmed down, but honestly, in the heat of the moment, I don't know what to do about my son when he's acting like that, even when it happens at home. Even looking back tonight, an hour or two later, I don't know what I could have done different. I've tried taking away video games, tv, computer time, we've done timeouts, we've persuaded, loved, spanked, all different sides of the spectrum. Maybe we just haven't been consistent long enough with one method. Either way, there's about 15 min. of my life I wish I could erase today...

Friday Confessional--Going for the Gold

Glamazon is back and is yet again inviting us to give TMI! And seriously, you know I love to do just that. I mean, if you can't tell that my blog is almost entirely made up of these confessionals, well then, you haven't been reading my blog enough. So welcome back to the inner recesses of my crazy mind. Hey, I warned ya.

I confess...

There are certain small, perhaps menial, tasks that I do every day that I secretly think I deserve some credit for.
As in, I'm waiting for someone to run into my house and place a medal around my neck, so, yeah, nothing fancy. I'd also take a pat on the back though, for the record. What kind of tasks you might ask have I been dying to receive such accolades for? Well let me tell ya! I've even made them in easy to read list form for your reading pleasure.
1. Emptying the dryer lint thingy AND throwing it away immediately instead of letting it accumulate into a giant lint hairball on top of the dryer.
2. After taking out the trash, putting another liner in the trash can.
3. Doing the laundry PERIOD. My least favorite household chore. I feel like once that last pile of clothes is shoved in a drawer I should hear some applause.
4. Always walking the poopy diapers immediately out to the trash can outside so our house doesn't have a pile of nasties by the door. (this is like 5 trips a day people!!)
5. Drying by hand any dishes that come out of the dishwasher soaked instead of piling them by the sink to air dry and put away 10 days later.
6. Attempting to make sure my kids' clothes match every day.
7. Making it through the grocery shopping trip without my 2 little ones who are with me throwing a tantrum.
8. For once, winterizing the backyard garden this year. (ok, it's not an every day thing, but I'm pretty proud I got this done)
9. Getting up and getting ready before the kids are awake (this is MOST mornings, but not every morning)
10. Not going postal during breakfast when each kid wants a different made to order breakfast and then doesn't like/eat what I make.

Friday Confessional--Coming Clean

Glamazon is doing it again--nope, not the laundry (though with 4 little ones I'm sure that doesn't even have a beginning or end), it's time to air out another kind of laundry--the deep, dark emotional kind. Where, what you wouldn't tell your best friend of 20 years, you'll freely reveal on the internet for any ol' joe to see. Yep. So let's get started:

I confess...

Sometimes, when I see a dish/fork/plate/cup that didn't come clean in the dishwasher the first time, I will just leave it in there for a couple of wash cycles.

Not because I know my dishwasher will get it on the second try, it's because I just purely want to hold off the fact that I'm going to have to get that dish/fork/plate/cup out and hand scrub the heck out of it to get whatever crusty is on there off.

I hate hand washing. Especially crusty stuff.

And dried on by the dishwasher crusties are the worst.

I think once I even put the offending dish away hoping my husband would get it out to use and in disgust, wash off the crusties himself.

That backfired. He took the dish, said "yuck!" and promptly stuck it in the dishwasher. Sigh.

Why can't I ever get anyone to do my dirty work for me! Geesh!

There's More Than One Kind of Marathon

He was a hardcore runner, I was a hardcore shopper. He had the looks of a movie star, I didn't even bother to look in the mirror before I left the house. He had water bottles strapped in around his waste, I had a pack of gum to bribe the kiddos with. But we both meant business.
I first passed hottie runner man on my way to Walmart this morning. I was in for a small marathon of shopping with two small children. My normally organized shopping list was a mess and I knew I was in for more than I wanted to spend, but I was determined to get through Walmart and then Reams in the name of food and diapers to get us through another week. An hour later, I stopped home quickly to unload perishables before heading to Reams. Ironically, as we were passing the donut shop, I saw hottie runner man AGAIN. He was even running at the same pace I first saw him. That's when I knew we may be vastly different, but have the same stores of endurance, cause if you've ever gone anywhere with 2 small children for more than a half an hour, you know the kind of risk you are taking. You've got to be committed! So we were both in for our own tests of endurance. I only hope we both made it home alive. Well, at least I know I'm happily eating some chips and dip right now :)

Friday Confessional Brought to You By Monday

I'm a little late on this one but decided to just go ahead and write up the post I've been thinking about anyways. After all, you miss seeing it all hang out on my blog right? So, let's get to the confessin'

I confess...

I have a phobia of swallowing pills

It wasn't always so, I used to be able to take pills with the best of them, even without the aid of water! Then, I got my wisdom teeth out. After that, I was unable to swallow another pill. In fact, I had trouble swallowing at all. Fun times.
Anyways, usually, luckily, I don't have to take a lot of pills so this phobia of mine doesn't get in the way of livin' (and when I'm old and have to take a butt load of pills I'll deal with it then, ok??). My brother-in-law was even kind enough to get me a pill crusher. I just keep lots of applesauce and yogurt on hand so I can crush and mix. Well, then I decided, a few weeks ago, to go to this Chiropractor/Wellness Center to see what I could do about not having my acne come back now that I wasn't nursing anymore (just don't ask why I went to a chiropractor about hormonal acne, just know I'd been to enough doctors and dermatologists to know they weren't helping...). Also, it turned out he said he could help me out with my constant tiredness. Bonus! So, I got 3 supplements. And 2 out of the 3 taste super nasty. I had to get around it somehow, I was going to have to swallow this stuff for at least the next month. Finally, I discovered, if I crushed everything, threw it in the blender with some OJ and frozen fruit the cold numbed my tastebuds enough I could down the yucky concoction without gagging too much. Phew!! So I make my cocktail of nastiness every morning in the name of clearer skin and more energy. May I never grow old!!!

From Fruits and Vegetables to Baked Goods

So Owen does not like cooked/cut up/raw/ fresh fruits and vegetables. I either have to feed them to him in baby food form or turn them into baked goods. I've been experimenting lately with different recipes trying to find ones that the whole family will eat (after all, one baby can only eat so many bland zucchini muffins!) and that don't sacrifice nutrition for taste (I still want what I bake to be as healthy as possible). I figure, maybe I'm not alone and some of you wouldn't mind trying some of these recipes yourselves so I thought I would share. Here are the top 5 so far:
1.Whole Grain Banana Pecan Muffins Of course, these probably have the most sugar out of all the recipes, but they are really, really good, and as many of you know, ourbestbites.com rarely disappoints.

2. Whole Wheat Sweet Potato MuffinsI followed some of the substitution recommendations in the comments and so will probably continue to play around with the recipe. But I substituted applesauce for oil and only did 1/2 cup of honey. These have no sugar sugar and sweet potatoes go really well in baked goods. Who knew?

3. Jen's Zucchini BreadA friend from college, who also happens to be a mother of 5 and a dietitian, came up with this healthier version of zucchini bread and Owen gobbles it up. My husband thought it was a little too "sponge cakey" but I liked the consistency but I'm sure you could, once again, play around with the recipe if you felt like it.

4. Cheesy Corn Fritters
I actually bought a book called "Healthy Meals for Babies and Toddlers" that this recipe is from and Owen loves these, but the other kids--not so much. I'm sure I could doctor them up for the other kids, but I like just the general idea of adding different veggies and/or fruits to pancakes.

1 egg
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup canned corn kernels or frozen corn
4 TBSP grated cheddar cheese
1 tsp snipped fresh chives
2 tsp sunflower oil for pan-frying
Put the egg and milk into a small bowl and beat with a fork. Add the flour and baking powder and beat until smooth. Stir in the corn, cheese, and chives. Heat a little sunflower oil in a skillet and drop either teaspoonfuls or tablespoonfuls of the batter into it. Cook for 1-2 min. on each side, until the fritters are puffed up and golden. Drain on paper towels and serve.

5. Scrambled Egg TaquitosOwen cannot get enough of scrambled eggs, they are a favorite right now. So I like to make these because the whole family loves them and Owen gets veggies and herbs in his scrambled eggs (I pretty much just give him the filling).

Do any of you have recipes for fruits and/or veggies that are on the healthier side that have been a hit with your family? I'm always looking to expand the ol' recipe folder :)

Why It Never Really Felt Like Summer

and now summer is practically gone and I feel a little bit cheated...So here is my list of reasons why it never really felt like summer to me. Good thing there's always next year, right?

1. It did not get warm till JULY

2. Cassie and Krista did not take their nightly summer walks by my house

3. My kids got tired of playing outside in the backyard every day after only one month :(

4. Utah does not have lightning bugs

5. Only had one GNO a month instead of weekly

6. Did not have one water balloon fight

7. My sister did NOT have enough bbqs (I require a minimum of one bbq invitation every 2 weeks :D)

8. My oldest started 1st grade and all day school just kills that summertime feel

9. I don't own a bike (bike riding will always say "summer!" to me even though i haven't ridden one in like 10 years)

10. The kids and I never made it to an outdoor pool

Did anyone else feel like this year's summer was just missing "something"??

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is my 32nd birthday. Crazy!! So far I'm having a love/hate relationship with my thirties. I love that I don't care so much what people think anymore, that I have a pretty stable life, that I'm not really THAT old yet. I hate not having energy anymore, feeling brain foggy all the time and feeling like my body can't handle anything I dish out to it (you mean I have to be CAREFUL now??). I also am still struggling with not having the confidence I feel I should have or the selflessness I wish I had. Balance, balance, balance. Yep, that will always be a work in progress I'm sure.
So, today I am getting a massage (a gift certificate I had from last year that was hard to use with a 2 week old...) and going to in and out burger with the hubby. Not bad for a 32nd birthday I think.
Thanks to everyone who sent me b-day wishes today or thought of me. It's really nice to be remembered :) and thanks too for my wonderful parents who not only survived my really horrible bratty years, but even managed to still like me after everything I put them through!! The older I get the more I appreciate my mom and what a strong, kind person she is. I have a good life :)

Friday Confessional--Bad Date Edition

So, there's a theme this week: Worst Date EVER!!! I have to admit, I didn't go on a lot of dates before I was married. And especially before college, the dates were few and far between . Yet, for some reason, the bad dates I have been on pretty much involved high school dances. And my worst date ever? Junior Prom. Bad enough I skipped senior prom without any regrets. Here's the story and you can judge for yourself...

A few months before my junior prom, I started hanging out with a Boy. He had pursued me our freshman year but I wasn't interested at the time. He apparently didn't mind my dogging him back then because it didn't stop us from becoming friends my junior year when we ended up sitting by each other in a couple of classes. We also had a few mutual friends, and I got to know him better. Well, Boy had an on again off again girlfriend our junior year too and at the time we started hanging out outside of school sometimes was during an off period. At that point Boy asked me to prom. Now, I knew, when he asked me he had asked his ex-girlfriend first and she had said no. Then he had asked his ex-girlfriend's best friend and she had said no. So, I was his third choice. Yeah, that should have been my first red flag! But he assured me that he really wanted to go with me and that he liked me very much and I have to admit, at that point, I liked him too so I said yes.

Fast forward a couple of weeks before prom. I had been hanging out with/sort of dating Boy for a little while now when someone in my English class let it "slip" that Boy had been sleeping with someone this whole time (and nope, it wasn't his on again off again ex-girlfriend either). In my book, that information was grounds for immediate break-up. I confronted him immediately (Boy was in my English class too), he admitted it was true and I told him pretty much I wasn't going to prom with him and that I never wanted to speak to him again. I was crushed. I really had liked Boy and could not believe he was so untrustworthy.

Well, Boy called me EVERY NIGHT for two weeks! I refused to answer the phone or talk to him at school (yeah, sitting by him in class was suddenly awkward!). One night though I answered the phone (in the days before caller ID) thinking it was my best friend but it was Boy. He somehow managed in that conversation to talk me into going with him again.

So, with that seriously horrible, uncomfortable background in place here is how the date went down: he was really late picking me up because he got a speeding ticket on his way to my house, he had gotten me the wrong kind of corsage, and he had told me he wanted to be a chef but the meal he cooked for me was the first one he had ever made and it was seriously lacking in skill. At the actual prom, the girl he should have taken was there and made dagger eyes at me the whole time.( I was so ready to throw him at her if she wanted him so bad!!) Plus, after awkwardly hanging out at the lame prom Boy had failed to plan anything fun to do afterwards. You would have thought with all the effort he went to get me to go with him he would have done a better job with the date.

After that night, I was done with Boy. During the summer when he tried to date me again, I said No and stuck to it. Boy is now just a Facebook friend. LoL.

Ok, now go link up at Glamazon's and play along, I know you've got a story to top mine :)

June 1997

So, by the title, you maybe can guess that this post has nothing to do with motherhood. You're shocked, I know. Let's leave the sicknesses, the tantrums, the sleepless nights, the cute baby smiles, the pictures sweetly left underneath my door and the other children related things behind for a moment and think back 13 years ago this month: I was in Europe baby! Every June I get a little nostalgic and like to think about my trip to Russia and Europe that I took with 42 other girls, 3 boys and 3 teachers while I was at Ricks College. I was gone the entire month of June and we first flew to Kiev, Ukraine. We spent 3 days there and then went by cockroach infested train to Moscow. I didn't know another person in my group. There were lots of sisters, moms and daughters, even friends that were together, but I had nobody. And I was experiencing culture shock. Yes, can you say "growing experience"? We stayed with families and got to see how people lived in Kiev, Moscow,and St. Petersburg. In general, it was in tiny old apartments in large concrete apartment buildings. Oh, and did I mention they turn off the hot water in Russia in the summer. Apparently you don't need hot water in the summer time because it's well hot. Uh, huh. But, I digress, St. Petersburg was lovely and I love history and enjoyed all the sites, but I have to admit, I was glad to move on to Europe. By that time, I had made some friends in the group, so I wasn't as lonely. I got to see Belgium, Holland, Italy, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and France. It was a whirlwind tour. Some highlights were our whole group getting stuck in an elevator at the Louvre, 42 girls walking ANYWHERE in Italy (you pretty much have to beat guys off with a stick for whatever reason in that country), and getting filmed by a Korean tv crew in Germany. At that time in my life I was a very picky eater so I only ate fruit and gelato while I was there, oh, and Chinese food (don't ask). I think between the walking EVERYWHERE and eating practically nothing I lost like 10 lbs. When I got home I slept and ate and that was all for 3 days straight. I had a really fantastic time and there's so many places I would love to see again, it's hard to believe that in 13 years I've never gotten a chance to go back. But at least I can say I went once and every June I can get out my memories, dust them off, and remember for awhile while I'm cleaning the kitchen for the 11th time that day.

Ode to All the Blogs I Never Write

If I had a "drafts" section in my head you could peek at, you'd see that it was full. I write so many blogs in my mind that never make it onto the computer it's sad. Oh, there's no one reason I can blame, sometimes I think of the best blogs while drying my hair (I don't know why the bathroom is so inspirational for me, but it seriously is where I think up most of my ideas!) then forget them as soon as I turn the blowdryer off. Other times, what I think of as highly entertaining just doesn't sound as good typed out as it did in my head, and many times I talk myself out of writing on a particular subject because I'm afraid it will be too controversial or reveal too much about me or even just sound too mundane. I've always had this problem though, it did not start with blog writing. In school, writing papers was the bane of my existence. I could do the research all right, I would always gather about 100 times more info then needed, but it was sitting down, sorting out my thoughts and quotes and what nots and putting things just so that would just about kill me. Ugh. Just thinking back on it now is making me break out into a cold sweat. But blog writing is supposed to be fun, right? And it's the closest thing to a journal I've got. I really should just write what I feel and to heck with my desire for it to be organized perfectly. Maybe I'll just have to set a goal for myself, to write like a blog a week and just hit "publish post" despite any misgivings. Hmm, taking pride in my thoughts, now there's an idea...

Friday Confessional--Drink Up!

I have to keep up with Glamazon's confessions so we have equal amount of dirt on each other, ya know? So here's the true story of my life...

I confess--

I'm ridiculously picky about the taste of my water

I won't drink certain brands of bottled water because I think it tastes icky

For instance, Sam's Club brand, tastes the WORST (sorry Mom, but it's true)

I also won't drink tap water if it offends my palate either (For instance, if you are ever vacationing at Virginia Beach, don't bother turning on the faucet for a drink. Majorly gross water. Also, Melissa from High School, your tap water was also on my do not drink list)

I use a Klean Kanteen, not so much for the environment, but more because it doesn't make my water taste like plastic after a half hour. Leave water in it over night, wake up in the morning, take a drink and it tastes the same! Wonderful!

We have a filter on our fridge. It makes the local tap water taste much better, but it does not last forever, you gotta change it regularly, ya know?

recently the filter ran out and I begged my husband to replace it, complaining that the taste of the water had changed and was not very good anymore. He didn't believe me about the change. Then he changed the filter this morning, took one sip and was like, wow, it does taste a lot different with the filter! See, I'm not crazy.

And in case you are wondering where the best tap water EVER is, if you are ever in Bloomville, OH, their tap water is phenomenal. Seriously, I drink about a gallon a day whenever I visit.

Friday Confessional--Get Back to Work!

So, what's on everyone's mind this week? I bet you are curious about my innermost thoughts, why else would you be here right? Well, let's get started...

I confess....

I am going back to work

yep, it's for money, not for fun

but it's a good thing I like working at the library

I quit the library 2 years ago with the intention of not going back till I was working on my MLS degree

but then, money got tight again

I guess having 3 kids and the cost of everything going up will do that to a family

and it was either steve get a 2nd job or I could work one night a week at the library

yeah, we went with the easier choice

so, we'll see how this works out

and just for the record, I don't usually tell people my innermost thoughts

in fact, I don't really keep a journal and anytime I do I only write stuff I wouldn't mind other people reading

so sorry I didn't exactly bear my soul this time

maybe I'll try again next week :)

Confessions of a Panic Stricken Mother

I confess....

I do not want to go to bed tonight

which, considering I only got 3-4 hours of sleep total last night, you'd think the opposite would be true

and if you add to that the 3 miserable nights of sleep I got before that

well, you'd think I'd be dying for some shut eye

but I'm AFRAID to go to sleep

because that's when the middle of the night wake up calls happen

that are just BAD NEWS

for instance, last night, my 5 year old waking up puking at 2am

he did not go back to sleep till 6:30am

yep, that much puke

throw in a baby with a fever and you've got momma going back in forth from one to the other all night

which, I know, as a mom, you just can't escape nights like that

but for the 3 nights previous dealing with the before mentioned sick baby with a fever who feels miserable (and a 2 year old also with a fever) did not make the 4th night of fever + puke very easy to deal with

so, now you can see why I'm just a little scared to see what tonight is gonna throw at me.

I'm just being negative and not thinking it's going to bring me sleep is all

on that note, happy mother's day all, after this week of sick kid's I think Sunday is sounding pretty darn good :)

Friday Confessional--Order Up!

Glamazon once again is encouraging us to bear our souls...

Some people have a weekly tradition of going out on a date with their husbands or calling their mothers, me, I like to confess strange things once a week to the public at large. Go figure. This week is no exception. Welcome to my world of strange paranoia's! So this week I confess....

--Whenever I go out to a restaurant I have this crazy worry that I am going to come off as a demanding jerk to whoever is our waiter or waitress

--It's b/c I really want them to like me and think "wow, they are the easiest table here tonight!"

--But then I think I try too hard and the few requests I try to make come out sounding all wrong

--my husband on the other hand can ask for all kinds of stuff and come off sounding as cool as a cucumber

--I even try to ask for things followed by "when you get the chance..." and other such accommodating phrases

--But I see it in their eyes--they never like me!

--for instance--last time my family was at Chilis and after I asked for something in that way, Steve said "my! aren't we bossy!"

--the total opposite of the effect I was trying to achieve

--maybe next time I go out to eat I should try what George did on Seinfeld once--he did the opposite of his instincts and everything went his way--

--so I'll just order something, hold the everything, next time and see what happens...

--yeah, I know, they'll probably just spit in my food...sigh...I should just stick to drive-thrus...

Brothers From the Same Mother?

I've been trying to figure out how to write this post in a way that years from now my children won't read it and be mad at me. But, it's something I think about a lot: how different my 2 oldest boys are. Even when I was pregnant with them, I could tell they were opposites. Even while in the womb, I felt like this almost psychic connection with my oldest, like I just know what he's thinking (probably because we are WAY too much alike!), while, with my middle son, I have no idea what makes him tick and felt no "I can read your mind" connection while I was pregnant (that never worried me by the way, I still feel very connected to him, just in a different way from his brother). I had a very tough delivery with my oldest and it did not get easier from there. He had colic and was a difficult baby for the first few months. His saving grace was that he slept through the night at an early age and has always been a good night sleeper (though nowadays the trick is getting him to GO to sleep, but once he is out, he's out). J's labor was sooo much easier than his brother's and the nurse summed up J's personality before he even came out by saying "he's one happy little guy!" J, as a baby, was what I had dreamed babies to be like before I had my first one: content, fun to play with, just able to hang out with the family and go with the flow. He was a good napper but a horrible night sleeper and he had acid reflux (which thankfully went away at 6 months). As the boys have grown older, these differences have only grown and I seriously wonder how these two boys came from the same parents! Everything that was such a struggle with my oldest has been so much easier with his brother (for instance, getting my oldest to say please and thank you--you'd think I was demanding the moon and then all the sudden in the last week J has started to say them without me even asking him to) and everything that came easily to my oldest has been harder for J (my oldest talked very early and very well while J at 2 and a half is getting speech therapy). Oh, they do have their things in common like both are momma's boys and have had their stages of major separation anxiety, but it makes me wonder if my 3rd boy will be somewhere in the middle of his two polar opposite brothers. So far, I see a little of both boys in my youngest. But what are the siblings like in your house? Are there opposites in every family?

Friday Confessional--Let's Get Uncomfortable!

Finally, I got the button back up! Yes, Glamazon I really do love you!

I confess...

After 7 months of nursing I wanted to quit this week

The baby has been pinching the milk jugs

I have not hurt this bad since the first few weeks of nursing (when you expect the pain, ya know?)

And he's been screaming after feedings, so I'm like, are you one dissatisfied little customer or something?

So, I've decided to go down that road called "here's a bottle of formula".

I've been giving him one a day this week, but today I gave him two.

It was bliss

And this from a mother who was so proud of finally being able to not supplement and solely breastfeed on the third try.

How quickly and how far I have fallen!!

But seriously, you don't go pinching the milk jugs that feed you.

More Than I Knew

I was thinking today about how tired I was and it was only 8am, debating between dragging my children out of bed (yes, we are still being punched in the face over here by Daylight Savings Time) so they could be cranky the rest of the day but go to bed at a decent hour tonight (Evan thinks 11pm is his new bedtime) or let them sleep so I could hop in the shower. Yes, my tired body cried "Clean Me!" so I opted for the shower. At least Evan, when he did finally get up, was in a good mood, that's the first morning this week, so it was a nice surprise. But, besides this early morning dilemma, I also had thoughts on "if I could be doing anything else (as in job wise) what would I be doing instead right now?" And you know, there really isn't any place I'd rather be right now than taking care of my kids. Yes, it's exhausting, suck your soul dry work a lot of the time, but I love my kids and essentially can't imagine anything else I'd want to do more. Even though I do want to be a Librarian, that can wait, for now, I've made the choice to hang out with my kids. Yes, a lot of the time is "hanging out" time, I must admit, our quality time isn't as quality as I'd like, but I hope as I continue to adjust to this strange new world that is having 3 kids, it'll get better. I do try when I feel up to it to vary home life a little bit with a craft or a tickle chase, but hopefully the Lord accepts my attempts to be a good mother and will cut me some slack on all the tv and video games I've let my kids watch and play over the last year. So, the realization this morning, that this IS where I want to be right now, eased the burden a bit and that's something this mom could always use first thing in the morning.

Friday Confessional

too lazy to do the button...sorry Glamazon!!

I confess...

--I should be vacuuming right now. oh well.
--actually, I digress, I'm here to confess I did another bad thing
--Yes, on top of dinging car doors, I have now fallen into the dark realm of faking accents to throw off telemarketers
--I am REALLY bad at fake accents in case you were wondering
--well, a certain newspaper agency we once got the paper from calls us every few months to see if we want to resubscribe
--we never do
--but they insist it's such a good deal, we'll get coupons, blah, blah, blah
--anyways, they don't give up
--so, I answer the call last night, I don't know why, and in a panic, because I'm usually too chicken to hang up once the real person starts talking, I decide to fake an accent and actually say "no, those people don't live here anymore"!!
--ok, I'm sure the chick was onto me because I think I went through like 5 different accents during our conversation and by the end I sounded just like her own accent.
--clever, I know
--I felt really stupid and will never do that again
--the experience may just have given me the courage next time to just hang up even if someone has already started speaking
--yes, I know, another great life lesson learned

Friday Confessional Time

I confess....
--on my netbook I couldn't figure out how to scroll down and highlight at the same time, thus, no Glamazon button--sorry!!!
--this past week I went grocery shopping on a really windy day
--what kind of confession is that you ask?
--well, that wicked wind whipped my van door open right into somebody else's car door
--yeah, it totally left a ding
--i felt really bad because don't you hate to come out of church, i mean, come back to your car to find a mystery ding?
--i thought of writing a note, but i didn't have any paper or writing utensils
--so then i decided i would, when i got into the store, borrow some paper and a pen
--but when i got into the store, i remembered my loving husband at home with our darling children who i told i would only be gone for a half an hour
--this ding was really going to eat into my grocery shopping time
--when i got done shopping there was a different car parked next to me
--is it bad i felt relief??
--it was an old car anyways...
--yes, i've got a dark side...
--and i also confess i changed my blog heading to something i don't even really like, but at the time i couldn't think of anything i liked better than "From the Mind of Erin"
--so i'm open for suggestions :)

Changes

I decided to change the heading to my blog because I've noticed a theme evolving in my posts and even though they do tend to be pretty random at times, they mostly revolve around my thoughts on motherhood. Ok, it's more like a public place for me to vent about motherhood, but if you know me at all, you know I can't keep things in. Seriously, I must tell someone else! I did an experiment in high school where I decided that for one day I wasn't going to complain or tell anyone else how I felt. Um, yeah, I was crying by 6th period from keeping it all in! Pathetic, but I do wear my feelings rather openly, so I thought, why not celebrate that and devote this blog (so you've been warned in advance now) to my thoughts and feelings as a mother. Pretty much, being a mom is my life right now so therefore, the choice in subject matter. It would be different if say, I didn't have any kids and was into roller derby, then all my posts could revolve around rollerskating and kicking other girls butts. I'm sure there's a blog about that somewhere out there so you can go look for it if you ever get tired of me talking about babies, vomit, lack of sleep ect. I won't be offended, really, I might just cry though...
On another note, a minor (ok, MAJOR for me) miracle has happened in the last 4 days, and it's called "my baby is finally sleeping"! He turned 6 months old yesterday and for the last 6 months I have been failing utterly at getting that child to take naps or have a bedtime or sleep through the night. My attitude, at the beginning, was that hey, he's my 3rd kid, we'll just let things happen naturally. Um, yeah, big mistake there! What was natural for him seemed to be never sleeping!! So, I tried talking to the doctor, the nurses, letting the baby cry it out, rocking him to sleep, nursing him to sleep ect. Nothing was working and I was desperate, desperate enough to finally check out a sleep book from the library. Gasp! Ok, not a big deal for some, but for some reason, when I read "parenting" books I go a little cuckoo and take what they have to say too literally and seriously. My husband heads for the hills when he seems me reading a book to "help" us out somehow because he knows I will soon be eating, sleeping and spouting that book nonstop. Well, I'm happy to say, that did not happen this time, I've learned, maybe? not to take the book and myself so seriously. At any rate, I chose the Ferber method and it's been working. Owen, for the last 4 days has been napping and going to bed at around 9:30pm and sleeping till 5:30am (when I nurse him) then sleeping again till about 7:30am. I feel like I just may get my life back yet and even be able to vacuum now more than once a month. (wait, did I just admit that?? hahaha!)

Never Enough

It seems like lately there's never enough. I could spend every waking moment holding Owen and it wouldn't be enough. I could spend hours playing Wii bowling with Justin but he'd never want to quit. I could spend all day spending time doing things with Evan but it would not be enough attention. I could spend every waking moment picking up messes and vacuuming and cleaning and my house would still get dirty every 30 seconds. I guess what I'm trying to say here is that there's a point where you have to say enough is enough and live with it. I'm not very good at this. I feel guilty about everything but it's not doing me any good so I should stop being so hard on myself. I keep thinking if I could only keep my house clean, or spend more one on one time with the kids, or not let the kids spend so much time in front of a screen then we'd all be happy. Well, I don't think changing one or two things is going to honestly bring instant family harmony no matter how much I might wish it to. So, I should spend less time feeling miserable about my lack of "fill in the blank here" and get on with the business of being as happy as I can with what I can do and with what I got. So if anyone has got the "never enough" problem figured out (at least better than me right?) I'd love to know the secret to your success!

Friday Confessional Strikes Again!

Thanks Glamazon for giving my venting a valid format and a specific day to share it on! Don't forget to check out Glamazon's own dirty little secrets this week. They are bits of laugh out loud genius. Now onto me...

I confess...
--I wake up anywhere from 4 to 8 times a night
--and no, I don't have insomnia, I have children
--combine a 2 year old that doesn't sleep well, with a 5 month old that sleeps with me, and my own small bladder, yep, it's a pretty bad mix
--here's a rundown from Monday night: go to bed with baby 10pm, wake up 12:30am to put baby in his bed, wake up 4:30am to make sure baby is still breathing and go pee, 5:30am wake up to nurse baby in bed, 6:30am hear 2 year old calling for me which I ignore, 7:30am wake up for good.
--and that's a good night people!
--i can totally understand why glamazon takes ambien! (or until recently took ambien!)

--i also don't let my husband go to bed before me
--i'm bitter about the fact that currently he gets to go to bed whenever he wants while i have to get the baby to sleep before i get to sleep, so if the baby ain't sleeping than nobody gets to sleep i say!
--i know it sounds cruel but he usually does not go to sleep till midnight or later,so it's not usually a big problem (though sorry for enforcing that "rule" honey when you were sick...)

I confess...
--this is about all the blogging i can manage to accomplish right now
--i'm really into stress eating
--and grocery shopping
--my mom recently confessed she's addicted to grocery shopping
--i think i can relate
--tuesday, when all the grocery ads come out, is the only time i'll go and get the mail myself
--then i scour the ads and meticulously plan my grocery list based on the sales
--i get a little thrill every time i get a shopping trip done without deviating from my list and managing to stretch my grocery money as much as possible
--then when i need to stress eat i can be happy knowing i was able to get all these snacks for cheap

Friday Confessional

Ever since Glamazon started doing Friday Confessionals, I've wanted to participate. Her confessions make me laugh, cry, totally commiserate and sometimes vomit in my mouth a little...
so here's for jumping on the bandwagon!!

I confess...

--I try to always change the toilet paper roll when it runs out
--it irks me to see that barren roll just sitting there
--it seems so uncivilized, not to mention how fun it is to be stuck at somebody's house, just having done your business only to have that empty roll holder staring you in the face, mocking you
--yes, you guessed it, i love any excuse to roam around somebody else's bathroom with my underwear around my ankles on a TP treasure hunt!
--of course, I'm being judgmental probably, because while I try to stay on top of the roll changes, I'm not perfect, so sorry if you've ever been stuck at my house with no TP
--however, I don't think my husband cares as much about a new roll being on because I once waited to see how long it would take for an empty roll holder to bother him before he'd change it himself
--I waited almost a month before I couldn't take the empty rolls building up on the counter before I just filled the holder myself with a fresh roll
--of course, after I wrote this earlier this week (without his knowledge) the next time our toilet paper ran out, he changed it :D

--my baby spends a lot of time on the kitchen counter
--yes, he prefers the counter to a bouncy chair
--while my other 2 LOVED the bouncy chair, Owen hates it
--for some reason the counter is comfier or something and I say, whatever it takes to get those dishes put away!
--we also often eat dinner with him lying on the dining room table

and my final confession...
--I started writing this post on Monday because yes, people, it took me all week working on this post here and there to get it done. I have that much free time right now. Jealous, I know.

PS: I had pictures to share as well but my camera and my computer aren't getting along right now apparently. pooh.

The More You Know....

The less you do! Here are some of the differences I've noticed in how I handle things the more kids I have:

Bathtime:
Child #1: gets a bath every night, complete with special soap and lotion afterwards.
Child #2: gets a bath every couple of nights
Child #3: is lucky to get a bath once a week, which may or may not include soap...

Floortime:
Child #1: has a blanket laid down before he gets put on the newly vacuumed floor
Child #2: gets put on the couch because mommy is too lazy to lay down a blanket
Child #3: gets put straight down on the carpet that hasn't been vacuumed in weeks

Crying:
Child #1: at the first sign mommy is there and will continue to hold him even if he doesn't stop wailing
Child #2: has to wait a few minutes, but will still get picked up
Child #3: is currently carried around constantly, but if continues to cry, too bad! gets put down

Diaper Changes:
Child #1: gets changed constantly whether he's really wet or not and instantly if he's poopy
Child #2: probably gets changed 3 to 5 times a day, might have to wait a few minutes if poopy
Child #3: must have wet through his clothes or have a loud poopy before being changed

Pumping:
Child #1: sucks
Child #2: still sucks
Child #3: sucks to the point if anyone offers to nurse my child mommy would rather take them up on it than pump

I'm sure you all have your own revelations about how things have changed from child #1 to child # whatever you are on, please feel free to share! And go us mommies!!!