Road Trippin' to the Rooster

P and bubbies ready to ROAD TRIP baby!!

We recently got home from a family vacation in Rhode Island, hubby's home state. It was a wonderful trip because not only was it great seeing family, but we learned our kids are easily transportable. The car ride was almost 14 hours on the way out and 11 on the way back...can you say "that peepee diaper just has to wait until we get home...I can't bear the thought of changing my child on the car seat one more time or go out in the frigid air to change them in a dirty rest stop bathroom?" once really time fast? Anyhooo, the kids were great on the way out and the way back. I highly suggest a DVD player and lots of movie choices or heck just one movie. My darling P watched the Aristocats probably 4 times out and 4 times back and didn't complain once.

Once we got to RI we were welcomed with open arms by our Aunt Mary and Uncle Bob. They had the house kid pimped because they have 5 grandchildren of their own that are 3 and under. Can we say the kids had a great time? Yes, and then some. They got to see their cousies who they adore, their Papa, their aunts and uncles and second cousies. Hubby is very close with his cousies, so it was almost like seeing brothers and sisters rather than cousies. I understand that because I am that close to my lovely cousin Candyce. We shopped, we ate, we hung out at the ocean and watched the fishing boats come in, we went to the Providence Children's Museum, but most of all we visited with family and caught up with each other. I also got to see one of my best friends who rocks my world. I miss her so much and she would be a huge facet in the decision of us moving out east.

I cannot write enough how awesome my kids were. I am/was so darn proud of how respectful, mannerly and loving they were with family they barely even know. It was darling. I need to document that when we stayed with Bill P CHOSE to sleep out on his couch all by her wee little self. I think she found that sleeping in bed with mommy and daddy kind of sucks...because daddy farts (I hope he doesn't read this because he'll tell the truth about who REALLY farts in bed.) But, her choosing to sleep out there all by herself was stinkin' cute and so mature. God love her.

Here are some pics:

This is Shane's house in Wakefield where he grew up.

Bob, Mary, Papa Bill and P. Mary and P put chocolate frosting on a cupcake topped with P's favorite food: strawberries. Only on vacation can you eat cupcakes before bed. YUMMY!

Papa Bill and Shane. Bill is Shane's step-father; Shane's bioligical father died when Shane
was young.

Lady of the Flowers at Providence Children's Museum. That place is a barrel of fun....COSI should take some notes.

High-fivin' after "chowda and clam cakes."

My darling P at Darcy's. Playing the piano and singing...give that girl a round of applause.

P and I get our picture taken at this very spot each time we go back to RI. It started when P was in utero. I want to post the other two I have....yes, only three pics so far...I love the
start of traditions.

One of my BFFs Kristine. She rocks my world.

bubbies has his first haircut at "Curls and Crewcuts" in Mystic, CT.

Nicole, kids, Papa Bill, and our family acting like we normally do.

2009?!

Wow....2009, eh? I remember thinking that 2000 was SOOO far away. I actually couldn't even comprehend the two thousands. And now look, we are almost a decade into them! We spent the evening with our dear friends at Daryl's abode. We had finger foods, wine, beer, games and good times.

Happy New Year!! (Big, hubby, D, Bridgette, Peaches, johnnyLung)
The girls and bubbies off on the right getting into EVERYthing.
The girls made D's bed a play area. We couldn't find them at first and when we did they were just hanging out on D's bed in the dark. It was really funny. They proceed to play in her room for the majority of the evening.

Onto the stuff I need to get down, but am hesitant to write. I am really proud of what I have accomplished so far in my life, and am FARRR from finished. I have many things on my TO DO list and I believe once you throw them out in the universe they are just hanging there, waiting for you to do them. I am calling the lists below my "Tens." I have a list for the spiritual and soul nurturing things I want to do, and a list for the actual things I want to do, such as hobbies, extra-curricular activities or finishing up the foundation for my new career. Of course, stuff gets added to my lists everyday, but I think the following "Tens" are a great start and are the forefront of my mind at this moment.

The spiritual and soul nurturing Tens (in no certain order, but the mommy and wife goals stay in the first three):
1. Be a good...great mommy.
2. Help my kids find their way through life at their current stage with enthusiasm, love and patience.
3. Be a better wife. My hubby needs more attention.
4. Be more patient.
5. Be more loving.
6. Be less angry.
7. Be more organized.
8. Be a good friend.
9. Keep the focus.
10. Be more understanding and less expecting.
Hobbies, interests and career foundation Tens (in no certain order):
1. Play guitar. I bought an acoustic Fender 3 years ago and still can only play a few chords. (Granted I have had two kids in that time, so I do have an excuse)
2. Get better at crocheting.
3. Start making softies.
4. Finish my masters...I am on the way!!
5. Get published. (I have been published in the paper, but I want it to be my own original work, not PR)
6. Start research for my book. (already have the idea, just need to tackle it)
7. Finish Edgar Sawtelle.
8. Start my "city and kids" blog.
9. Run a 5 K and possibly a half marathon.
10. Be a better cook. (all all that goes with it - shopping organically, shopping smartly, creating menues for the week, not burning and overcooking perfectly good food to the point of pig slop)

Christmas

Christmas morning (yeah, I'd been up since 2am sick as a dog!)

Christmas has been full of good cheer, family, friends...and sickness. Hubby and I were discussing the past Christmases and realized that we haven't had a "normal" Christmas since we moved in together. Sickness has plagued us since 2001: Shane had food poisoning; my dad had two heart attacks; P had horrible colds for two years in a row; Sheilah passed; and this year I had a stomach virus that zapped the life out of me. BUT, given all that cruddy crud crud, we had a great time...and that includes all the years prior.

A lot of the fun actually happened even before Christmas began. We had a Secret Santa gift exchange/party for the kiddies in my mommies group, a friend's Christmas, an ornament making party and a "cheer" dinner at Sumeno's. On Christmas Eve Daryl came over with her son and we played Guitar Hero....my goodness was that fun. I really am not a gamer....hubby games enough for the both of us...but, seriously, that game could convert me...well may not, but I do like to play. As soon as Daryl left we became little elves and got paper cuts, tape burns and scissor slices wrapping the gifts for the kids from Santa. It is really cool to start our own little traditions....things that my kids will look forward to every year that will be special to them. P was especially excited leaving carrots for the reindeer and looking out her window at "Santa's sleigh" (a brightly shining star that will hopefully fool her until she is a non-believer). very cute.

Another tradition, that P started and probably doesn't even realize it, is there will be a pink present under the tree each year for her. All P wanted from Santa was a PINK present. I am stocking up on pink wrapping paper because that color isn't exactly the easiest thing to find during the winter holidays! Hubby looked at Target, Toys R Us, Babies R Us, numerous grocery stores, Walmart, JoAnne's, and I finally found it at a Paper Party Outlet Store and paid almost $4 for barely enough paper to wrap one present. What a rip off. BUT, in the holiday spirit, which I usually do not have and am trying to get, I shelled out the $4 and $2.50 for a pretty pink ribbon to put on it. We seriously wrapped only one present with it and ran out. Luckily she said A pink PRESENT and not MANY pink presentS. :)

Of course I documented everything in photos, so here are a few fun shots for remembrance sake:

P and bubbies and their buddies Secret Santa Gift Exchange

Loop Christmas at The Hazelett's

Ornament making at J-n-G's

P and Mila watching the Grinch. I wish I had a better picture of J-n-G's tree. It is the most awesome Christmas tree EVER. All of the ornaments are handmade by our friends. John has been hosting an ornament making party for over 15 years. Yes - the tree displays immense talent...as well as the craziness that comes with talented people...like one ornament is a chip with a googly eye glued on.

Dancing to Guitar Hero on Christmas Eve...does it get better? (Black Magic Woman, I think...)

Grammies, Papa and Cousies Christmas Day (yay! Annie made the pic!)

Christmas cards? uhmmm...

I send out Christmas cards every year...I mean every stinkin' year. When I met Shane we started sending out funny cards we designed ourselves (nice thing about having a CRAAAAZY, imaginative artsy-fartsy husband - he comes up with it and I just nod and act like it was my idea). But, this year I don't really feel like it and I don't know why! It isn't that I am not in the Christmas spirit, quite the contrary, I actually am into Christmas this year like no other year. If you ask hubby you'll find out I don't typically enjoy all the green and red, bells, sleighs, lights and what have you...but, since having children I have become more and more excited over the holiday season. This year my gifts were thought out, planned for. Some even have themes or contain an inkling of something from a conversation I shared with a friend or family member...but, the thought of doing Christmas cards seems daunting.

Part of me thinks it is because the USPS is such a nightmare. It is kind of a pain in the ass to get two kids together to run errands, especially in the cold, and to "run" into the postie is seriously an extra special nightmare. Babies are cute, so people don't get all up in arms if the baby lets out a yelp, but if P screams or laughs too loudly I get dirty looks. Looks that tell me to "quiet that kid down" or "can't you get control of your own kid?"...of course, this could all be in my head...I mean, I never have done well in places where I need to be quiet. By nature, I am loud.

I dread going to the post office. I dread trying to keep my kids quiet in the post office. I dread the fact that P thinks it is funny to run down the aisles and aisles of PO Box homes and not listen to me. I dread that she steals the baby and pushes the stroller down the aisles and aisles of PO Box homes not listening to me.

Now, give all of that dread, I have found out that I can go to the postie after hours. I can buy stamps and mail off letters AND packages on MY time. Really, I have NO excuse to not send out Christmas cards. Guess I am just lazy.

About Blogging

I have spoken to many friends and family members about blogging. Much of the time I get "oh, you have a blog?" or "oh you do that?" as if it is a nasty word...b-l-o-g. Well, I have to admit, it has been an incredible outlet for me. I mean, I pretty much have a FREE online diary that I will be able to look over in 20 years that includes: pictures, thoughts, and my children's milestones. In addition to that, if I just kept a scrapbook I'd never have the silly comments or comments of support that my friends and family members have posted. And, added bonus, I don't have to come and bombard people with pictures and videos - my readers can read when they feel like it...or not at all (which I find is the case for many..."you STILL do THAt?").

I also think it is a great way to keep people updated on our lives. As social as I am, I still am not half as social as I was before children. I can't just get out whenever I feel like it and meet up for drinks, dinner or dancing. It just isn't my life any longer. So, I figure, I tell my six degrees about my blog and they can see what we are up to, how much the kids have grown and maybe even get a giggle from something silly I have posted.

Now, in addition to those people who think blogging is weird or a waste of time, I have other people in my life who wish to start their own blog. I would LOVE it if certain people I know would take the plunge because I get such a kick out of them in real life, it'd be great to read where their minds go when they can write what they want when they want to write it.

For those who are looking to start a blog, take a gander at this...some helpful ideas: (Citing and thanking: advergirl: http://leighhouse.typepad.com/advergirl/):

Questions people always ask me: How do I get started blogging?

"I don't know" seems to be an unsatisfying answer to this common Q; so, I chatted with a few friends about what's worked for us and what seems to be working for bloggers infinitely more successful than us.

Here are the seven big ideas:

1. Make a plan: Think of it as strategy-lite. A little guiding framework that sets expectations for you and your readers.

• Define your audience: Knowing who you're writing for helps determine what you'll write about.
• Choose your specialty: Great blogs have a tight focus (writing about world politics one day and your cat the next tends to limit your readership to your mom and your arch-enemy from summer camp).
• Select a “repeatable” URL: People talk about blogs online and in real life. Make it easy for them to tell someone about you - go to advergirl.com (that will redirect you to the URL mess you see above).

2. Prioritize content. It all comes down to what you write. Design, frequency, platform, syndication - all that stuff is good, but you win or lose audience based on how intriguing your perspective, how hot your finds, how smart your commentary.

• Invest in memorable pieces: Once a month, blow it out of the water. Use images, charts, original pictures, interesting frameworks.
• Share new ideas: Most of the social Web is collecting and trading. Adding new cards to the stack puts you ahead.
• Involve others: Can't think of anything good? Ask an expert. Post interviews, roundtables, content from conferences, guest blogs, etc.

3. Write the way people like to read.

• Have a big voice: Make your style of writing work as hard as the content of your writing
• Use lists and bullets: Blogs are the cud of media. People come to them for easily digestible ideas.
• Integrate multimedia: Because 20-somethings swear podcasting is fun

4. Build networks. Your best blogger friends are also your best syndication network. If you're an advocate of theirs, they'll be an advocate of yours.

• Link, link, link: Share the link love. Reference source material, link to similar content.
• Read and interact: Yeah, Twitter is easier, but you've got to dive into your overflowing RSS reader and see what other people are talking about if you want to be relevant and read.
• Respond to comments and ideas. Bloggers win loyal readers and ambassadors by being part of the conversation they start. (Yes, I know, I am terrible at this)

5. Make it easy.

• Prioritize subscription options: Let people subscribe in any reader, via any medium.
• Tweet the latest: Feeds can pile up. Tweet what you're blogging about for instant clicks. (Just make sure you tweet about more than self promotion, or followers will wander off).
• Work in series: It makes reference easy and gets your community involved in idea generation.

6. Tell people about it. Yeah, your mom will tell a few people about your blog, but mostly it's up to you. Go ahead, don't be embarrassed. Blogging isn't just for geeks anymore.

• Create anticipation: Let people know what's coming.
  
• Get podiums, bylines: Get your marketing department to pimp you.
• Add your blog address to your email signature

7. Understand the tools: Sometimes success is in the software.

• Pick a powerful engine: Servers like Typepad and Blogger are so chock full of interlinked content and reference that they're basically like steroids for search engine optimization.
• Use titles for search terms: Google loves the title field on blogs. Use it wisely.
• Track readership: Free reporting tools like Google Analytics and Feedburner make it easy to see which posts people loved.

10 months old

P at 10 months

bubbies at 10 months

They definitely look like brother and sister, but I don't think they look *just* alike. P favors me now, but when she was a baby she looked more like hubby's side. I think my son looks like me - especially me as a baby. I need to get some of my baby pictures scanned in to show our similarities.

A new found talent?

The photographer...she is learning that if she is taking the pics, the only way you get one of yourself is the turn the camera around.

It seems as though P has a talent for photography! Hubby and I went through a little tutorial with our digital camera (the little Canon PowerShot) and she took some great pics! I seriously was so impressed that she not only had an "eye" for a shot, but that she was patient enough to line it up and press the shoot button. This makes me very happy because I am a photog junkie myself...let's just say there are 13,720 in my iPhoto files of the kids. Anyhow, my 2 year old never ceases to amaze me with her determination and patience...and, hopefully this photography talent will be something we can nurture.

A few of her masterpieces:

The funny part about this shot is that bubbies was actually posing for her.

She asked me to pose for her.

Piper and fatty-boom-batty - easy camera prey.

One of favorite things of the moment: her dino.

Daddy is always a good shot.

This is my favorite...there is noway I could have gotten this myself. It makes ME want to look in the toilet.

Poor baby

I took the babes to the pediatrician today. bubbies starting oozing googledy goo from his eyes at Grammies' house last night, and mom and I agreed a trip to the doc's office was necessary. I have been wanting to get this rashy-rashness checked out on his bum too, so I figure why not hit two birds...well, three because P has these crazy bumps on her face...with three stones. Two birds with one, I mean three birds with one, or two birds three stones...whatever.

The trip to the pediatrician's office always begins with good intentions of leaving early...of course, we always leave with JUST enough time to get there. I hate it. But, what can I do? P pooed her pants, the baby kept taking his shoes off, I couldn't find their coats (which I so conveniently left in the car and were now like ice cubes, so had to find other coats) and I forgot to even brush my hair. I was scary. Then I was even scarier because I was stressed and getting angry. P said "mommy don't yell! you are being mean!" OH NO She diNT!!! Yes, I was clearly being cross with her...but mean? You ain't seen mean sister. haha! just joking. I just shut up and realized I should not be angry with my 2 year old for not wanting to wear her coat...I mean, that is an every day occurance, why should it push my buttons today? Well, because we were going to be LATE! LATE like I am to everything anymore. Luckily my kids are cute or I'd keep yelling.

Well, as soon as we got in the car everything went smoothly. We even got a good parking space: meaning close enough so I wouldn't freak out that the kids were getting too cold in this darn Ohio weather. The nurse led us to our room and I got kids settled to only receive a highlight to my day. P asks if she can sit on the stool in the room "Sure," I tell her, "but don't stand on it." Believe it or not, she actually listened to me! But, that is not the highlight. The highlight was when she put the stool against the wall and clear as a bell yells "DON'T KEEP THE QUEEN WAITING" about four times...and the doctor walks in. I was laughing so hard I almost wet myself. Then I thought that my doc probably thinks I tell her to say that. I haven't even heard that phrase before much less tell her to say such things. However, I have to admit, I hope she says it again. Maybe I'll get better customer service.

So, our diagnosis was this: the Queen didn't have to wait long, bubbies has eczema on his butt and legs and conjunctivitis in both his eyes, and P just has bumps from the old "wipe and smear."

Baby's 1st Thanksgiving

Happy 1st Thanksgiving, bubbies!

Aunt Niecey & bubbies

Darling boy

My darling boy is almost walking on his own. We went to COSI last Thursday and he was all over the place crawling, playing and "walking" those little push cars. It was so amazing to see him GO! It was amazing to see my daughter as well. She played with her "s"riends and ran all over the place without mommy in site...which, I have to admit hurt my ego a bit; but, to see her pretend play and make new friends truly fills my heart with adoration. She'll just go up to another child and say "hello, what's your name?" Can she do that? Really?! Really?! Guess I can't be the center of her universe forever...*tear* *sigh* *tear*.

The baby is sleeping well in his own room. I thought that transition would be really hard on me, but I think I mourned for about 5 minutes and then was over it. As much as I put a roadblock up to change and am incredibly nostalgic, I am also very understanding to the fact that my children need to grow and I can't keep them as babies forever. On the flip side, I don't want to treat my children as if they are older than they are. Sometimes hubby does things that I really don't find appropriate for a 2 year old, maybe a 4 year old, but not a 2 year old. BUT, my 2 year responds well to whatever it is - for instance, going to the movies. Hubby took P to see Wall-E a few months ago. I was abhorrent to the idea, but I let it happen because I had to let hubby "do his thing" even if I didn't agree with it. That was REALLY hard considering I can be such a control freak. She had a great time...she can't remember her middle name, but she remembers Wall-E. ha! Now Madagascar 2 is coming and hubby promised P I was going to take her. We are movie lovers in this family, so I guess it is natural for her to love them too.

Do you mean ALONE?

Drink the juice Shelby

I actually had a ton of adult time this passed weekend, and it was niiiiiice. :) Granted, I missed my kids because they are generally attached to me, but I also enjoyed hanging out with my good friends and family. I actually felt back to the "old" me...if that makes any sense. It seems that since I have had kids I lost some of who I really am...and not the bad parts - the good parts. My friend Jocelyn posted some old pictures on FB and I had the light in my eyes that I have been clamoring to switch back on. Having kids made my controlling side out of control and my nervous side twitch...well, I am over it. I just want to have fun (now, I don't want to sound like I don't have fun, because I do, but I want the feeling of guilt to go away if I take time for me!) I told hubby I need to just change my mind on some of the ways I look at things and I need to focus on the goals I set for myself. Oh, it is much more complex than black and white...it always is.

Anyhow - I had a great weekend. Friday was my friend Geni's birthday and we went to the Cultural Arts Center to celebrate. It really only took one glass of wine for me to get the giggles and then it was over. My group of friends are so damn funny. Let's just say Seymore Luckoff will be resurrected. And, Daryl knows it is her fault. And, it was Daryl's fault that we were so obnoxious at the baby shower. She like a drug to me because when I am around her all I do is laugh.

Sunday we went up to Michigan with my Aunt and my cousin's family. P rode in the van with the girls and Auntie Carol, Candyce and Mitch. She had a great time. She was touching the ceiling of the van and telling Candyce how strong she was - hahaha! But, then she did something that is like her, but unlike her. She twirls her hair either on the side or the back - well, she twirled it so much that she twirled a chunk of hair out of her head. It didn't hurt her - it just came out. Early alopecia or just a hair twirlin' fool? I'll take the hair twirlin' fool one for a 1,000, Alex.

We got up to Michigan in plenty of time to drop the kids off with my sister-in-law and hit the auditorium to see my starlette niece as Shelby in Steel Magnolias. I choked back a few tears when I saw her walk on. The stage just lit up with her presence. It was awesome. Blush and bashful - enough pepto bismol pink to coat my house. :) I got a nice dose of reality for my birthday - the little girl taking tickets asked if I was Amanda's mom because "you look just like her." Amanda is 15 - YES, I know it is possible...but...I AM vain...sometimes. Lucky for Amanda she doesn't look like a troll or I'd be really pissed. haha! Carol, Candyce and I made menaces of ourselves during intermission...as per usual. Candyce and I have the same sense of humor and love to laugh at obsurdities...so does my Aunt, of course. And we decided that making funny, obnoxious faces during intermission and taking pictures of them was fun. I'll leave this post with a few fun weekend shots so my kids can see them later and say "gawd mom, you are such a dork" when they are old enough. My nephew said to hubby "I didn't know adults acted like this." Should I be embarressed? awwe, no. :)

Me, Candyce, fly-by Colby, Carol and my beautiful Amanda

The Wonder trio

B-day girl Peaches La Rue and pal Michelle

Buff, Me and johnnyLung

bubbies is 9 months old!

My baby boy is 9 months old! We had our check-up at the pediatrician's office yesterday and he is in good health - no more evil ear pain. Can I just say, yet again, that I love my pediatrician? They do such a great job with information, they make me feel like my choices for my children are the right ones (because every parenting style is different, and what makes it unique is it is your own! I love being my own unique mommy to my wonderful children), they have articles posted from our local papers that highlight children seen in the office (I love seeing that "Allison" got third place in swimming or what not), and they are just plain nice. One thing I DO wish, though, is that I got a comment from someone there like my mom got when I was born..."boy, that girl is built like a brick shithouse." no joke.

Stats:

Weight: 21 pounds 13 ounces (75th percentile)
Height: 30 inches (95th percentile)

Just this morning P said, "I luz him a lot." awwwe.

**I need to mention this because I keep forgetting: Papa calls bubbies Big E. Big E because he was/is such a big baby. I don't know...he is losing his running in weight to 25% of babies his age and 5% in height! Maybe he won't be a giant afterall...shucks.

Peepee project

I do believe that potty training is a sheer test of my patience. Seriously, what is the big deal about sitting on the potty? It is even Elmo's face for crying out loud? Friendly place to put your butt? Maybe I should create some sort of bathroom get-away? I am not happy.

Yesterday, P and I went to pick out panties. She chose Little Mermaid panties, which is not surprising because she loves mermaids and fairies, and she was extremely upset that I didn't have them washed for her to wear this morning. Well, "we" don't wear panties right now because "we" are not potty-trained, so the little "you don't have my panties washed" fit made me laugh. Then she got mad at me for a laughing.

Anyhow...on with it. Poor little thing has been constipated for about 4 days and has been on Miralax so her little poos aren't like rocks. I have been letting her drink juice every morning so I could lace it with the poo making granuels and, waiting and waiting for it to take effect. This morning it decided to....of course while she was in her panties (I talked her into wearing cotton training panties - which was hard because she kept saying they looked like baby brother's diapers...ugh).Well, about 15 minutes later I noticed her potty signals and grabbed her to go on the potty. She freaked out, peed down my leg, and then a turd fell on the floor as I was trying to get her on the potty. She WOULD not sit on the potty. As I was wrestling with her bubbies was following us and decided that standing supported by the toilet was the perfect place to get in on the action. I was so stressed out because I *really* didn't want him A.) crawling in the poo or B.) getting peed or pooed on. And, the fact that he was all handsy wandy all over the toilet was making me really ill. All he needed was a good hand washing, but what if he put his hands in his mouth BEfore I was able to get P all situated? During these thoughts I was man-handling P to actually put her butt on Elmo and she was FREAKING out and pulling her legs under her, essentially peeing on herself...and bubbies.

By this time she also scared her poopy back to its little home making me worried that she was going to get some sort of bowel obstruction. I ended up having to leave her screaming-little-fit-throwing-body in the bathroom while I put bubbies in his crib so he wouldn't crawl back to the toilet and lap the water up or something. It was horrible.

So, I have dirty training panties getting washed and Little Mermaid panties drying that P is currently very excited to put on. I am hoping this means I won't be diapering her through high school - maybe just cleaning up turds off the floor. Who knows.

It is SOOO getting easier

Well, all those parents with older kids were right...it gets easier. Now, if you asked me even one month ago I would have disagreed with them; but at this point with my children it is, in fact, easier. bubbies is 9 months old and Miss P just turned 2 and 1/2. They are officially starting to play together, P *wants* her baby brother around and he is smitten with her. When bubbies gets up from nappies P is the first one into greet him. Sometimes he is frightened by her, but generally he is happy to see his sissy and gives her a big fat 4 toothy grin.

I have noticed with the increase to 3 squares for the baby that his nursing throughout the day has decreased. .....give me a moment, ah, shed a tear....okay now I am over it. I have to say that with Miss P I didn't have nursing remorse, and I don't think I will with bubbies either. To me, breastfeeding is just what you do when they are babies and when they are through they are through. No biggie. But on the flipside to that, I do center my world around being a breastfeeding mama. I have missed out on many things this year to make the nursing commitment to my son, and I will never, ever, ever, ever, in a million years regret it. In fact, it is something I love to have been able to do for my children and I will always feel a special bond to them because of it. I feel like I brought them life and then sustained them once they were born just by my body. It is pretty cool. I am lucky to have been able to do it, stick with it and most of all endure it. I'll tell you, getting bitten is not fun...and the healing after a laceration on your nipple is even worse than the bite....but, it is what it is and we worked through it. Also, eliminating dairy from my diet has actually made my tummy feel better. It'll be interesting to see how my body reacts when I add it back in. I don't want to be yogurt and cheese-free forever! :)

I am already planning my first trip when bubbies is off the boobie. My friend Jill has sent me some great plane deals for a visit to South Beach...gonna have to take her up on it. Bloody Marys on the beach? Uhmmmm....what was the question? Just got get a bathing suit body...working on it, working on it.

October

I am really sad to see October go this year. The biggest reason is because it was the birth and death month of my Grandfather, but there other reasons too. We had a great early fall in spite of our loss, but we also got to see family we hadn't seen in years and I was able to do many fun things with the kids. We went to a few farms for festival days where we picked pumpkins, drank cider, fed animals, played in hay, enjoyed the wonderful weather and the beauty of the changing leaves, and mostly got to hang out with good friends and family. Our annual kids' Halloween party was so much fun, and trick-or-treating at Cousin Candyce's to "get candy, get candy, get candy" (in the words of Jerry Seinfeld) were some highlights as well.

I really enjoyed watching P experience new things. She was too young before, so this year she embraced feeding chickens, carving and painting pumpkins and her excitement to be with her "sriends" was adorable. One of my favorite memories stems back to the dread pirate chicken - why always chickens with me? I just don't know. Anyhow, P was feeding chickens at Stratford Farms and Grammies took her into the chicken coop so she could see chickens laying eggs. There were probably around 15 hens in the coop awaiting the arrival of their beautiful little hard-shelled goo filled babies, and a few nests had eggs in them. It was really neat to see P find the white treasure in the nests...ooh ahhh went mommy and grammies when we found a nest with an egg. Teaching P not to touch was easy - she is such a sweet and respectful little girl (disclaimers should be inserted here). But, then there was this hen that was very curious about P's intentions. Our little feathered friend kept peeking around to see if P...and only P ...was still lurking about the henhouse. It was quite funny to see that hen peak around the corner of her nest to check out the little intruder. I can only imagine what was going on inside that little feathered pea brain - "hey, kid, step away from the egg." or "YOU are still here, c'mon, I need a little privacy. Laying an EGG you know."

AWESOME.

Pictured: The giant 8ft Lego man who washed up on the beach

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 7:02 PM on 30th October 2008

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At 8ft tall and wearing a garish green jersey he's not the sort of chap to get lost down the sofa.

In fact, you'd think he was unlikely to get lost at all. But someone (possibly someone big), somewhere is missing a key bit of their Lego set.

The colourful character mysteriously washed up on Brighton beach yesterday spawning dozens of tales - soon to become local legend - about where he may have come from.

Stand-up comedy: Bemused children heave the brightly coloured figure upright

While some believe he floated from Denmark-where there is a Legoland park), others suggest he toppled off a ship. Of course, there's always the cynical possibility he's part of a publicity stunt.

Resident Gerry Turner, 34, said: 'It's very odd. God knows how it got here but people are saying it's from Holland because it's got some Dutch writing on it.

'It must have fallen off a boat of something. The kids love it.'

Children who helped stand the Lego man up on the beach were desperately curious about where it came from.

One said: 'It's great, but we don't know why it's here.'

Castaway: The giant Lego man lies where he washed up on Brighton beach

A spokesman for Brighton and Hove City Council said town hall officials had no idea of the origin of the Lego man, but added that they saw no difficulty in letting it stay on the beach where it washed up.

He said: 'There's no problem at all. It will be interesting to see how long the Lego man stays there for. We'll keep an eye on it.'

But Lego was insistent: 'We're bemused. He has nothing to do with us.'

The Lego giant's arrival on the East Sussex shingle yesterday morning comes two years after an armada of plastic ducks landed on British shores.

Borne on the ocean currents, the ducks had made a 17,000-mile odyssey from the Pacific where they had been washed from a container ship in a 1992 storm.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1081751/Pictured-The-giant-8ft-Lego-man-washed-beach.html

Ear infection

bubbies was diagnosed with his first ear infection today. I knew my barely-just-turned 9 month old would be suffering from ear pain as soon as his cold started getting worse. Poor thing has been sick for a week and a half and was on the mend; but when my Grandpa passed, his schedule got all out of whack and he lost precious healing sleep.

I don't know why I have to document my children's first major sickness (besides HIS milk and soy intolerance..ugh), but I do. I save their first prescription receipt from the pharmacy too. Like, what the hell am I going to do with that...and why would they even want it one day? I have no idea. I'm a goob like that.

I am sure he'll be all better in a day or two. Amoxicyllin is quite effective on my children...well, until they need Omnicef. ha! I wish I could take that yummy pink stuff when I need medication. That is one thing I hate about growing up....pills are for schmos.

I miss you Grandpa Browning

Harold Richard "Brownie" Browning
BROWNING Harold Richard "Brownie" Browning, 83, died peacefully in his home on Tuesday, October 21, 2008. He was born in Portsmouth, Oh. on October 4, 1925. He is preceded in death by his wife Marian Browning, brother Hobart G. Browning and parents Hosie R. and Essie M. Browning. He is survived by his 3 daughters, Susan K. Williams (Fred), Carol A. Fitzer (Richard), Janet L. Bush (Robert); sister, Christine Browning of Fla.; 6 grandchildren, Kristin Marks (Shane), Paxton Williams (Denise), Brett Fitzer (Christina), Candyce Condon (Mitch), Andrew Bush, Heath Bush; and 9 great-grandchildren, Amanda, Colby, Bailey, Carlye, Mindy, Peyton, Annabelle, Ella and Ethan. He was a World War II Navy veteran. He retired from DCSC. He was a Mason, Ralph R. Rickly Lodge #670 and a 25 year member of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite. He was a member of the Community of Christ Church, Worthington, Oh. The family will receive friends for visitation from 5-8 p.m. on Friday, October 24, 2008, at WEIR-AREND FUNERAL HOME, 4221 N. High St., Columbus. The funeral service will take place at 10 a.m. Saturday, October 25, 2008 at Weir-Arend with interment to follow at Union Cemetery. Elder Robert Appleton officiating. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to a charity of your choice. Sign the online guestbook at www.dispatch.com/obituaries

2nd Annual Spooktacular Halloween Bash

I am thrilled to post that bubbies and P's Halloween party was successful...at least in my eyes. It seemed like the kids had a ton of fun. Everytime I looked around I saw smiles and giggles...and screams, of course, so I am taking that as a sure sign of enjoyment...or quite possibly sugar overload, but none-the-less I loved seeing those adorable, candy-ridden, costume-wearing children having a good time. My friends were all so creative with their children's costumes. It was really special to see how in love all my friends are with their kids. It makes me so happy to know I have surrounded myself, my children and my husband with such wonderful people who love and respect the power of family, children and friendship. P, bubbies, hubby and I are very lucky so and so's.

On to the party. We partied outside. We had a long table set up with ghostie sandwiches, candy, cookies, mummy hotdogs, and nectar of the gods apple cider that mom, Auntie Carol, my sis-in-law and I made. My mom was dressed as Mother Goose and kept the children entertained with stories, music, and crafting. Hubby worked his butt off cleaning up the outside, setting out last minute decorations and providing great fun ideas like the rocket balloons and the "candy in the hay" hunt. I love the idea of pinatas and found one with a Halloween motif that I crammed full of eyeball ring suckers, Marvel comic candy sticks, plastic bugs and gummy bugs, and lotsa other crazy, weird candy. I figure when the kids go trick-or-treating they'll get the traditional candy bars and what not, so I wanted to make the candy interesting...not that the kids even noticed, I am sure! I had the children decorate bags with witchy, batty, ghostie and foamy stickers that they used to collect the candy in the hay and the pinata candy. I am saving that idea for next year too. We had some cooky music playing that of course included songs such as Ghostbusters, the Monster Mash and Purple People Eater.

The guest list included those people we hang out with the most (but, the people without kids didn't come because...well, uhmm..ya know? I don't know if I'd go to my friends' kid's party unless they needed me to help.) And, my incredible...I need to repeat that...incredible sister-on-law came down with my two nephews and my youngest neice and of course had thought of all the things I had forgotten without even have had a discussion. Below are some fun pics from the party - I really need to hire a photographer next time (yeah, right). I find that I am hyper about taking pics because photography interests me so much, but I can't take pictures and run a party at the same time. So, I don't have everything I wanted, but I did get GREAT memories in my camera and in my heart.

Arrrgh & baby arrrgh

Desmadora & her familiar Kitty

Mother Goose, baby arrrrgh & Aunt Witchy

Aunt Witchy & Desmadora

The chef...did she wash her hands?

spooooky story

Pinata candy fun

P and her stash. The kitty ears lasted oh, about 15 minutes.

Beautiful pirate and the bandito that *rassled* her from seafaring ways.

Cute little bugs and hot mama cowgirl

Pickin' hay 101

Stinkin'...well, glowin' cute baby

Chicken

It is one of my good friend's birthday this weekend. We have a similar sense of humor in that we make-up the most ridiculous things and then laugh at them. For instance, "the chicken bucket of love" was quite funny for a while. Kel, whose birthday it is, even got me an "engagement chicken." It was a handmade adorable little stuffed chicken that I kept on my desk for year. Chicken has seemed to cause a LOT of funny moments in my life, actually.

One silly chicken memory that makes me roar with laughter to this day was when my friend Kris and I did a breast cancer walk in New York. We were walking back to hang out for the day we laughed that her old manager called chicken breasts boobies. She and her manager worked in the restaurant industry and when they did the count for night he would ask "how many boobies in that lexan." We laughed and laughed and then decided it was funny to name as many chicken dishes as we could inserting the word boobie. So, essentially, I guess it was the boobie walk. And..my daughter eats boobie tenders...as long as the boobies aren't too hot. I prefer boobies on my salad and am not a huge fan of boobie in a can. I could go on all day.

Kris and I also had Halloween chicken fun. I flew out for the weekend a few years ago to see her in Boston. We had tickets to go to Salem to get the wits scared out of us at the Night of Necromancy, which was basically *real* witches teaching us about the craft, a TON of red wine and some finger foods. The apps were served in one room and then the festivities took place in an adjacent room. To get to the next room we had to pass under none other than a trellis of chicken feet! The witch asked if we each wanted one - hell yeah! Those two chicken feet were great fun the next day. One ended up on a seat in the T and we laughed to hysterics watching riders push and shove to get the empty seat and then look in horror at the foot. Noone would sit in the seat. That foot was rather awful looking all dried up.

Back to my birthday friend. I found the perfect card this year. The card has an old lady sitting next to a guy in a chicken suit. There is a thought bubble over her head and inside the card are stickers with different sayings you can put in the bubble. Well, I chose to make up my own because I think I am far funnier than their creative people who made up those bubbles...well, maybe not, but I did get quite a giggle out of what I wrote. I hope my friend does too.

Slow down already!

This is me talking to bubbies:

"Little boy, what are you doing standing in your crib? You little stinker, you aren't supposed to be doing that already. I guess you want to play and run with your sister...and, I can't blame you. She is really fun and silly. She can't wait for you to walk and run with her."


This is how I am feeling:

"Please slow down my sweet son. Don't grow too fast and walk away from mommy. I want to hold you in my arms forever and sing sweet songs in you ear. Please slow down my sweet son. Thinking of picking you up after your first scraped knee makes me sad. Please slow down my sweet son. I don't want to hold you back, but I don't want to let you go, either. Just let me hold you here a bit longer and rock you without you struggling to get down. I love you my sweet son."

Ever feel...

Sometimes I have so much I want to do that I do absolutely nothing at all. It MUST be a syndrome or something. Maybe something like:

CAL Syndrome: Complaining and Lazy
DB Syndrome: Dragging Butt
FTANYI Syndrome: Freeze Tag and Now You're It
BF Syndrome: Big Fanny - from sitting on it and not doing anything

It is as if I do nothing but daydream and feel like things would never get finished, so why start them. Or I feel like things are sometimes too hard...just because I am being lazy. I have a very large pile of laundry waiting for me, dusting and bathrooms to clean, yet, here I sit on the computer. At least I am accomplishing getting photos posted and getting this off my mind. Maybe just writing about it will be enough to motivate me to do something.

I think part of it is I haven't worked out in about 2 weeks. My knee was bugging me, but now that it is better I have NO excuse not to be exercising. I need to either join Jazzercise again or the Rec Center. I want to run, but now that it is getting cold I am kidding myself that running will happen. I am looking forward to shopping for the Spooktacular Halloween Bash that is happening next weekend - hopefully it will be as much fun as my mind is making it out to be.

ABCs

P sang her ABCs to me in the car the other day and I had to get it on video. I just can't believe she is old enough to sing this song coherently. She is 29 months - or almost 2 and 1/2.

Old Hilliard

Another thought I had about over-analyzing is worrying about how loud, rude, obnoxious and down right unruly my 2 year old P can be. Recently, friend Beth posted about apologizing for our children's actions. It is nice that she brought that up because one of my best friends was in town last week and I felt like I was constantly apologizing for how P was acting. My friend kept saying, "Kristin - she is TWO. Get over it. That is how she is supposed to act." I found that most generally this is how people feel about two and three year olds - they expect them to be out of control and crazy, and coming from a single friend, I appreciated hearing she didn't expect anything less from my "terrible toddler."

Old Hilliard and the babes

However, there are people who do not appreciate that a child is two, and when a child is unruly they get really annoyed and upset at the parent...and ridiculously at the young child. The kid can't really help it, but I do think it is a parent's responsibility to take responsibility for their child's actions. It is important a child learns that their actions have consequences - and that isn't always a reprimand. I think that apologizing for something your child did in front of them shows the child that whatever their action was, it wasn't acceptable. An apology was necessary - this was the consequence. Those are just MY thoughts and how I parent. Everyone has the right to parent how they want to parent and shouldn't be judged for their decisions.

Now that P is older I have her apologize if it is necessary. She doesn't always want to, but she needs to learn that if she hurts someone, damages property or says something mean, she needs to apologize. I feel she is learning how "to be" in the world and learning apologies is learning empathy, responsibility for her actions and to care that others have feelings and she shouldn't stomp all over them. Plus, seeing another child cry because my daughter did something makes me feel terrible. I don't really know if she understands what "sorry" means, but I am confident she'll get it eventually.

I spoke to my pediatrician about how much a two year old actually remembers because I was concerned about some yelling episodes that occurred. He said that two year olds don't remember a ton from day to day, but they do remember patterns and you are setting the foundation for what you want their actions to be as they grow - so be consistent. My mom being an early childhood educator/expert always helps me remember that my children's most influential role model is me - mommy. What? I signed up for hugs, kisses and playing! Not to be someone's role model! :) But, I now have the responsibility to raise good citizens. Hopefully my children will make positive impacts on the world and the people around them. And, I think part of that will be making apologies along the way.

Selfish or not so much?

It is so funny how as mommies we over-analyze everything we do. Before I had kids or was married I kind of just did what I wanted and never thought about how it effected other people. I was pretty selfish and pretty much into myself. It was awesome. I did what I wanted when I wanted and spent money as I pleased. Today, that is a totally different story.

I went shopping yesterday because bubbies needed sleepers. He is growing so quickly I am running out of things to put him in! I headed to the mall because I thought Children's Place was a good option - they typically have a good affordable selection. I wasn't planning to buy many because there is a huge twins/multiples sale coming up - this sale is like hitting the jackpot. Clothing, shoes, toys and gear galor - seriously, it is the motherload of all things kid.

Anyhow, I didn't get sleepers. I got two shirts, a book, a book for P and some cool Halloween stickers. Did I feel guilty? Hell, yes. bubbies is the one who needed sleepers and I bought stuff for me. Well, I did try to get them, but believe it or not, NOTHING in 12 or 18 months was on the rack that didn't have some Christmas-crap or snowflakes on it. Uhmmm...can't we save it for at least November? jeez. Well, back to over-analyzing...I was about to throw down $28 at Gymboree for a sleeper I didn't really like because I was feeling desperate not to be the old selfish me...but being financially responsible, I couldn't do it. So, bubbies just got a big dose of shopping, watching P play in the mall play area (ewwe...germs - we watched three kids pick their noses and wipe their fingers lord knows where, my daughter included) and waiting..waiting and more waiting to nurse when he was clearly hungry. Yes...guilt. BUT, the guilt did subside this morning.

I checked my gmail in hopes to see an email from eBay telling me I won the pirate's costume I was pining for...and I DID!! Yay! So, bubbies got something MUCH cuter than a Children's Place sleeper. I am biting at the bit for the Marks Monster's 2nd Annual Spooktacular Halloween Bash to take pictures of him surround by booty looking like a pillager of the high seas.

So, am I still selfish...?

Princess P's Proclamations

I lovingly call P my little princess as a nickname many times, and I like to joke around with her that the neighborhood is her kingdom. Whenever we are driving or walking through the neighborhood I tell her she needs to be nice to her subjects and rule with kindness and courtesy. She had no idea what I am talking about, which makes it quite funny. I ask her questions such as "what types of food do the subjects in your kingdom eat?" and "how many dogs does each person have to own?" - silly stuff like that.

I am sure through books and PBS she has learned that princesses wear dresses, and so began the whole wearing of the "princess," which is just a dress or pretty shirt...or pretty much anything I call "princess" to sway her into getting dressed. The funny thing, too, is that my little 2 year old niece calls her dresses "princesses"! I know she didn't get that from P because my niece lives in Michigan and we don't get to see them that often. I tell P that if she wants to be a princess she has to have white teeth and clean hands. I mean, that is just what princesses do, right? So, she brushes her teeth for me and washes her hands, and I am thinking about using the princess thing to help potty train her too. The other day we played dress-up and she put on princess costume attire that had been lingering in her toy boxes. We made proclamations for the "land." I tried to get her to come up with 5, but this is what we accomplished:

1. All royal subjects must wear coats.
2. All royal subjects must like sishies (fishies) - the kind you eat and the kind you look at.
3. All royal subjects must like to sit.
4. NOOOO!

That's all I could muster out of my little Princess P.

Grosgrain: Dollhouse Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Grosgrain: Dollhouse Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

'tis the season for CRAWLING!

My lovable bundle of belly laughs and belly rolls has the official status of "crawler!" bubbies has been wobbling on all fours a little more than a week now, and took two "crawls" at Mommy Susan's house four days ago. Then, last night he went all for nothing and crawled across the floor. I was super excited to watch him accomplish this huge milestone and to be knighted a 'Mover and Shaker'. Hubby was elated as he was greeted by his little man crawling towards him for a big afterwork hello hug, and hubby couldn't stop smiling all night. It was really cute.

Hubby and I are over the top with this crawling thing because P never did it. She scooted on her butt and didn't actually crawl until she was two and was acting like a lion. We worried because we had read so much that said babies *have* to crawl because of brain development. Luckily, our lovely pediatrician blew all those myths out of the water and told us our darling Princess P was just fine scooting - can't break a nail or ruin a good manicure crawling, now can we? But, bubbies being all boy, as the stereotype goes, has probably just begun entering the world of not only broken nails, but probably broken bones too.