Gardening

I am thoroughly enjoying my garden. I never knew how peaceful and stress relieveing it could be to pull weeds, water, and watch vegetable plants grow. P and I get excited to go out everyday and look at the fruits of our labor...and fruits are indeed starting to grow from all of our loving care! We have peas on the vine, green bean flowers that are really pretty to just look at, crazy tall tomato plants, baby banana peppers poking their way out and some full herb plants (they'd be more full if I didn't keep picking from them!).

The peas are so much fun. They are viney plants that grow quickly from seed, and once they start growing they vine out on the ground and start twining their tendrils around neighboring plants or whatever they can reach. I should have built the pea trellis when the plants first came out of the ground so they had something to help support them as they grew. But, since I waited until they were vining out in the garden, they were unwanted houseguests to the pepper and green bean plants, wrapping their little spiney arms around them hoping to stay for good. But, I came in and broke their little grasps and managed to train them to stay in their OWN part of the garden and grow up their little home I like to call the "TGBT" or The Great Bamboo Trellis. The flowers which are turning into the peapods came out a couple of weeks ago and some have turned into full on vegetables! I can't wait to pick them!


The green beans are doing well, too. There are a ton of little pretty purple and white flowers in AREA GB. We should have some nice martian spears (Is that what Lola calls them?). Take a look at the pretty flowers....awwee...



Even though those recent thunderstorms scared the bejeezees out of us and I was *this* close to getting the babies up and going downstairs, the rain was good to my garden. Obviously, the plants loved the sky water and I looked out on the garden at 2am (when the tornado sirens were going off for the 100th time - it was stuck, so I heard) and the plants were reaching to the sky. It was cool to see. I really don't know how much longer I can keep my tomato plants caged in before they start rebelling and having little red and yellow babies, and it would be the banana peppers' faults because, well, you can get my drift when you look at the phalicness of the budding banana.

Tomatoes:


B Peppers:


My next step is to figure out how to keep critters out of the garden. I have seen the dread pirate OWL and hubby keeps trying to talk me into putting down blood meal. I can't go there, though, especially with dogs. One, I just don't like the name of it "blood meal," like who makes a meal out of blood...I shouldn't ask that question openly. Two, from others' experiences, if you have dogs they dig and dig and dig some more to try to find what is making the blood so they can have a meal. gross. So, I am looking to other solutions. If you have some, please post them, or agree with some of these so I know what to do. Here are some ideas I read about:

-Vinegar soaked rags on sticks placed around the garden. Supposed to deter small critters (squirrels, chipmunks, rats - if you have rats you may want to just clean up your garbage first) and I believe racoons, too.
-A crazy owl-type-scarecrow thing
-Human hair
-coffee grounds
-cayenne pepper mix (really don't want to go there b/c of child prodding at the leaves and potential for hurt eyes and mouth)
-moth balls? but won't that be toxic to the food you eat?
-blood meal.....but as I mentioned, waayyyy last resort if even a resort at all.
-

Wise words

Over the passed few weeks I have been given good advice, suggestions and pointers. Some of it made me cry, some made me laugh, and some enlightened me. I have been searching for things to help me with parenting P: how to discipline, understanding her age, what type of play is good for her at her age, age appropriate behavoir, activities that seem fun but may be too old, etc. etc. There are some fantastic books out there, and I bought one I really like called "The Happiest Toddler on the Block." It is really funny and I am enjoy the read, but it is taking me forever to read it because once the babes go down for nappy nu-nus or nigh nighs I don't have time or don't feel like reading. I should probably cut out posting, but I love having this online diary...and, I love taking this well-needed time for JUST me. And, eat chocolate in peace.

Anyhow, here are a few things I have learned that may be the same things eating at you....or not. Take a gander:

-Remember that you have never been a mommy of a toddler or a baby, so cut yourself some slack. But, also remember that your child has never been a baby or a toddler, either, so be sure to cut them slack, too.

-Sometimes MOMMY is the one who needs a time-out. Mommies should never really yell at their children...even though sometimes we can't help it. When you feel yourself getting angry and ready to burst, calmly say to toddler "you know what? Mommy needs a time-out. I'll be back when I am not angry (substitute whatever you are feeling here)." Take yourself into the bathroom, shut the door and repeat "I am so angry, but she's only 2. I am so angry, but she is only 2" until you are calm and can deal with your child again. By the time you get back she has already moved onto something else...hopefully, or she'll need to be the one in time-out.

-When referring to bad things the toddler is doing always say that you don't like the ACTION, never say you don't like them. Such as: "I really don't like it when you yell and roll on the ground. It makes me mad and frustrated when you yell (not mad and frustrated at YOU.) and then roll on the ground."

-Put words simply. Example: it is not "Do you want a graham cracker?" It is "Want cookie?"

-If a child is expressing frustration (crying or screaming for something), repeat their words with sympathy so they know you understand them. Don't just say "it's okay." Example: child screams because they want out of their carseat and you are driving. Simply saying "we are almost home" makes them feel ignored. The child cares that they want out of their carseat, not that you are almost home. Say "oh honey, you want down, you want down now. Mommy can't get you down, she's driving." And say it sympathetically, not as if you want her to just be quiet and listen to music in the backseat until you reach your destination...even though that is probably what you're feeling after they have been screaming "WANT DOWN" for the passed 5 minutes.

-A pack-n-play is a good thing to use for time-outs (thanks to Beth). You don't have to worry about a safe place to put them because they'll be in a netted prison (ha!) and you won't have to train them to sit on a specific chair. And, importantly for me, you won't have to say the dreaded "go to your room." I really don't want to put P or E in their rooms for punishment unless it absolutely has to be done that way. I remember hating my room because it was a place for punishment rather than comfort - I don't want my kids to feel the same way. I also got to the point where I was scared of my room...not sure if an over-active imagination had something to do with it, though.

-The re-introduction to "1-2-3 Magic" from memory and then Susan told me her pediatrician recommended it. My sis-in-law Denise used it and it really worked! I started it a bit with P and it seems to be going well.

-Pick a few things that are rules of the house, but don't be overwhelming. Around three is good...and, you'll realize just how good of a parent you are! For me, eating her 3 squares at home happens at the table (and can be at the picnic table if I am asked before the food comes out to the table), no hitting baby brother or the dogs, and we are working on #3. Right now it is that she has to treat her books with respect and not rip the pages. She has destroyed around 5 of her books and I don't like that.

-Brushing her teeth and baths are not negotiable.

-And, last but not least, here are some words from George Carlin just because he has always made me laugh...just ask me what PF means....

HOW TO STAY YOUNG

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay "them."

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love , whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them , at every opportunity.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER :

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

Forgot to mention

We totally ruled the kickball game on Tuesday...if you consider losing 14 to 3 ruling.

A note from one of our fearless leaders:

"another stellar performance.
final score.
somethin' like 17-3.
3!!! - amazing.

there were some great pegs.
especially a bullet fired at tiny blonde woman.
she almost cried. ha!
and some great attempts/failures. lasik.
even some hot, cross-team, same sex molesting at 3rd.
buff played almost every position at once.
but next time it better be ALL positions, ALL the time.
and some guy pegged me in the back of the head.
as I tried to turn a single into a triple.
I fell and ate grass.
he will be hearing from my lawyer.
we also need to practice the "human shield" technique.
pioneered by pete. very funny.

statues = also funny.

next game we want to incorporate something new.
shanes idea. the "all play".
when the other team kicks it in field.
EVERYONE runs to it.
we let it hit the ground.
and then just kick it back and forth to eachother.
like little kids playing soccer.
it'd be best if we moved like a cluster of morons.

good game.
ask kristin what "pegging" really means.
j."

I would like to mention Susan's stellar performance. The ball was kicked in her general direction an abundance of times and her ability to miss catching the actual ball, but running after it, did not faulter. She was an outfield guru for a girl and the MVP in Nitwits team standards. I can only be jealous of what she can do to a red rubber ball. I mean kicking it, you perves.

What's for dinner...or not....

I am so happy to have my mommies group - a group of women who understand exactly what I am going through, understand what I complain about and all around just "get it" because we all have one HUGE thing in common: our children. We are all at the same place in the most major, life-changing, whirlwind, exciting, strenuous, stressful, fearful time of our lives. A time when, at least for me, I need more support than ever. And, I don't mean someone to watch my kids, I mean someone who cares how my morning was, what books I am reading, how I am choosing to discipline my children...without passing judgement, and someone who just is there to make me smile. All of the girls in my group do just that, and I hope I do that for them, too.

I am also learning about food...one of my very favorite things. Susan and Heather gave me pointers on some great peanut butter pasta and bean dip. Easy, good for you food that I won't feel guilty feeding my child. Beth, who was pondering culinary school (I am pretty sure I remember that correctly), made this incredible banana cake that I need to get the recipe for. Also, she had some of us over last year for a Mary Kay party and made some sort of delicious french toast casserole. We were all going back for seconds because it was awesome and low-fat to boot. I ask for recipes or how-tos all the time, but who better to ask than women like myself who have similar taste in food and need to feed a family.

I recently bought a vegan cookbook and am looking forward to trying a few dishes from it. The best part is that I won't have to look for substitutions for dairy because vegans don't eat dairy. yeah! The book has some great information written up front that explains why vegan, what vegan and things that seem vegan and are not. After reading it, I certainly could never be vegan because I enjoy some of the foods not included in a vegan diet. They don't eat such things as honey or even wine! What? It kind of grossed me out to read that wine could be fined using blood, bone, chitin, egg, albumin, fish oil, gelatine, isinglass, marrow or milk. Now, if you are like me you are wondering what the heck chitin and isinglass are. Be ready with your own version of an airplane barf bag....

Chitin: rigid part of insects and crustacea (I think I have read that on a label before, not sure, but it sure sounds revolting)

Isinglass: pure form of gelatin, obtained from the air bladder of freshwater fish.

Oh, and here is one for fun:

Rennet: extract of CALF stomach, yes, baby cow...wtf? I guess, though, this substance may be non-animal derived, just check with the manufacturer.

Groddy to the max!! Fer sure.

Now, even though I do eat meat and meat by-products, I do not agree with inhumane treatment of animals. And, if it wasn't so gosh darn expensive I would only by free-range meat. Just like it is suppose to be. Not pinned up animals that can't move or walk because they have no room to live. Their poor little existance is to feed the machines...and think of all the meat we waste, too. I recently just threw out turkey we didn't finish up! That was some little bird's breast. Okay, I won't go there...

Anyhow, I am super excited to try to make new, healthy things. I really want my little babes to grow up making smart food choices and having an understanding of all the great foods and recipes out there. Yeah, sure, chicken nuggets and fries are also on my list at times. :)

Baby Mine

Ethan turned 5 months old today. I had so many lovely words written about him and a silly story about how he hit himself in the head with a rattle and cried, but alas, darling daughter made a sneak attack on me and grabbed the mouse before I even realized what happened. My whole entry was deleted. So, here are some pictures:



One thing I do want to mention is that the swing above can't swing him anymore. It can hold him because of his length, but he is too heavy (at 5 months old) for it to actually sway him back and forth. I have tried different positions, different speeds...my baby is too heavy for a baby swing! ha! He's just a big boy.

And, here is the little shit - can't you just see it in her face? Trouble I tell ya, trouble....

Oh, darling daughter

I was on the phone with my mom this morning to tell her George Carlin died. My parents were on the road home from their Florida vacation, and I felt this information was worthy of an immediate phone call due to the fact my dad was a fan and we had seen the George a couple of times. As I was giving the information to my mother, P decided it was time to scream bloody murder about not having any juice. I think in P's little head she believes I cannot hear her when I am on the phone. Hence, the need to scream at the top of her lungs. My mom just laughed on the other end and asked if that was "her." No, it was me. I studied a bit of vantrilaquism while you were on vaca...what? Yes, that was her. Her in her glory as of late. P doesn't seem to do too much nowadays without her accomplice: loud, obnoxious, sometimes can launch a surprise attack scream. She even did it to me at the library during storytime. She wanted me to jump on the carpet with all of the other pint-sized humans who I could have crushed with one wrong landing. I kept mouthing "no, no, watch the teacher. The carpet is for kids, not mommies." As I tried to reason with her, a mommy sat right down on the carpet I said was "No Mommies Allowed" and just smiled and cooed at her daughter. I wanted to smack her for ruining the little facade of a rule I created to keep my darling angel from erupting into something louder than the Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture.

Well, it happened, as I anticipated "MOMMY, SIT HERE, NOW!" wtf? I was so embarressed and so, just, well, pissed. But, I just smiled and sweetly told my spicy pumpkin muffin that mommy was staying put, in so many words. The other mommies just looked at me with smiles as if they understood my plight, and if I was at a Blackjack table I would have bet it all because I knew they did. P just ended up smiling at me and turned around to wait for the next story or poem the librarian had in store to entertain her. The wee ones around her did the same and acted as if what P did was perfectly acceptable behavoir...probably because they just did the same thing to their mommy or daddy and were planning to do it again real soon.

Currently, I am cringing because my volcano is about to erupt in her nursery. She has been throwing a fit because I want her to nap and she wants me to rock her more or give her more water. No. End of story. Just lay your peanut head down and rest for an hour...or four...and give mommy some much needed time to recoup from your morning frenziness that about put her over the edge - and is keeping your baby brother from getting a good nap because he cannot sleep through your yelly yelliness.

I've got the music in me

Last night we went to friend Daryl's for a cookout. John and Geni and D's friends Doug and Dorothy were there with their two boys. One of the boys is 2 and P got along with him famously. I watched the two of them play together and was in super awe of how much P has changed since turning 2. She has blossomed into this little girl with imagination, daring, love of music and laughter, and bossiness. I don't really think she is trying to be bossy, she just knows what she wants and what she wants to do. She'll either do it on her own or try to get you to do it for her. I noticed she loved having little J (Dorothy's boy) do what she said. Of course, he is so young and she is so young that they really should only be parallel playing, and they were, but I noticed P kind of bossing him around...just a touch. :)

Peyton grabbed bamboo sticks from the yard that D put there to mark where the mole holes were so little ankles wouldn't get broken. P immediately made them her musical instruments and began singing the Jack and Jill song with Little J that she learned at We Joy Sing. She kept interchanging the sticks - sometimes J was allowed to have one stick, sometimes two, but she had to be the one singing and starting the song. It was not at all obnoxious...to me it was really cute and showed me some leadership qualities on P's part.

I have had her going to music class since she was 9 months old. She has primarily gone to We Joy Sing, but I just finished up Music Together with her about 3 weeks ago. From what I have read, music is an excellent way to help brain development in children. It enhances their memory, helps them learn how to count, recognize rhythm and melody, gets them interested in music and musical instruments, creates a sense of commoradory with their fellow students, teaches them patience and social skills. I am so impressed with these music classes and the things P has learned - not just songs, but abilities as in sitting still and being patient, listening to me when I tell her something, appreciating sounds and songs and the funnest part - listening to her bust out in song or sing along to music at home or in the car. She can sing a lot of songs from start to finish. And, some of them aren't just repetitive verses or nursery rhymes. I know this is from her classes and from me singing to her and keeping music in her life.

I love music and have always loved singing. I told hubby the other day that I wished I had someone push me harder when I was younger. I had a professor say I should go on with vocal lessons, but I didn't take her seriously...probably because I never had anyone really help me realize the opportunities I could have had as a singer. Now, I am not talking American Idol crap, or pop singing, but maybe Opera or a great chorale group or something. I am not expecting P to make music a career or anything. I just want her to appreciate it, be interested in it and maybe take that interest further than just listening to the radio or her iPod.

Princess? Awe

Last night hubby and I went out to dinner for our *gulp* 6 year anniversary. Six years, 2 dogs and 2 kids later, wow? Well, we made it over the 5 year slump...even with all my neurosis. I can be quite difficult, a slob, over-eater and have a firey temper, and when you wrap all of that into one package you have a challenge. Luckily, my hubby thinks my good qualities far outweigh my bad, and for that I know why we have made it this far. I remember when we told my parents we were getting married. My dad asked hubby if he knew what he was getting into. Hubby politely said "yes," but he really didn't...whew, he really, really didn't. Our first year of marriage was like the stormy seas - the waters start churning, the skies get dark, the water gets rough and then enormous rolling waves come toppling over one another. Your chance of survival on this type of water is slim. Think of that last breath-taking scene in The Perfect Storm...how scary was that when the ship sank? Now, imagine me as the stormy sea. I have gotten so much better and would now consider myself a minor tropical storm.

I have been complaining about customer service lately, and I told hubby last night that if our service was poor I was going to say something. He said, "please don't, and please don't fight with me tonight." awwe. I felt so bad and made it a point to behave myself. Of course, complaining at the restaurant we went to last night probably doesn't happen often. We went to The Refectory. It was awesome. The service was impeccable, the food was phenominal and the wine pairing was perfect. Our server was very knowlegeable about all of the dishes and sympathetic towards my (son's) allergy to dairy and was on top of recommending dishes that were dairy-free. He brought a few glasses of wine from the restaurant's earlier wine tasting for us try. It was so funny to see hubby's face after he took a sip. He HATES the taste of wine, beer, and alcohol - it has to be highly diluted by bloody mary mix or hidden in a good margharita. That makes me sad because my tour of the Nappa Valley one day will not be with him...unless they do a green tea tour as well.

We made our reservations for 8:30p so Ethan would already be asleep and Peyton would be shortly to slumber thereafter. Daryl watched her and put her bed. When I came downstairs all dressed up Peyton said "Mommy is a princess." It was so freakin' cute. I asked hubby if he told her to say that and he said he did not, that she said that on her own. I can't believe my two year old is saying things like that! And, I need to dress up more often to get those lovely compliments. :) I am starting to feel better about myself because I like my new haircut, have dropped a few pounds and am getting more active again. Only 15 more pounds to go. I am taking it slow so it stays off. I really want to get back into my smaller sized Lucky jeans again.

When we got home Daryl happily told us everything went well. Ethan didn't make a peep and P didn't cry for long after we left. Daryl said she got her a tissue for her tears and wiped her face. P, I guess, held out her finger and told Daryl to wipe the tear off of her finger and then wanted to keep the tissue...but, we don't know where that tissue went. I think the dogs probably ate it.

Teeth!?

I was letting Ethan chew on my hand yesterday and felt something hard. I thought he had a piece of plastic in his mouth or something from a toy he had been chewing on...or possibly, but thought NOWAY, a tooth. Well, I put my finger in there and fished around his bottom gums and low and behold there is was: a razor sharp, hard, forcing its way out of his gums tooth! I looked in and saw it in all its glory, along with #2 right beside it racing to get out first. WHAT?! My darling is only 4 months (well, almost 5 month) old! Is this possible? P didn't get her first tooth until she was 9 months old. She was mastering all her brain skills first and the physical development came later...which, I suspect, will be the opposite with Ethan.

I should have known because he started biting me when he nursed a few weeks ago and has been drooling and putting things in his mouth constantly. But, from what I read, babies aren't necessarily teething when they begin doing all of those things...it is merely developmental. I thought the constant jamming of fists and fingers into his pie hole meant he was learning to sooth himself. I figured no paci = fingers or fist or blanket or whatever was around that was safe and could be chewed on and drooled on to death. Well, I was wrong. And, I was wrong to assume that he would do things similarly to how P did things. Wrong, Wrong, wring my neck for thinking so.

Ethan is his own unique baby self that will do what he is ready to do when he is ready to do it. I need to remember he is not the same baby P was...we were smacked in the face with that when he was born with a penis and a full head of dark brown hair. I like to call he and P my yin and yang babies. Figuring out which child is the yin and which child is the yang will take some time, but I have my suspicions.

Mom's Night Out

Mom's Night Out was a great idea, proposed by Jo, that the girls in my mommies group latched onto. One night out a month for us, as women, as adults, as something other than just a mom, was eaten up by everyone in the group. It seems to be a time when we really connect and enjoy each other's conversations uninterrupted by "I want snacks" or "get me down" or some sort of crying or demanding from a person 1/4 our size. We get to talk about our ideas, thoughts, dreams and just get to know each other...and, of course, laugh and be silly. Hence "Best Time Ever" photo #1:


This was taken at the Happy Greek in the Short North. I believe Ethan was two months old when I braved leaving him alone for the first time. It was kind of scary for me and I was concerned the whole time about hubby and if he could handle the responsibility of two children by himself...one being a newborn at that. I had a lot of fun with the girls and laughed most of the night. We never have a loss of laughter in our group...cuz we are all just that cool and funny.

Our night out is the third Wednesday of each month. A week out we start the email banter writing about where we want to go or do. Typically we are all in for trying a new place for dinner. I think having a low key night with a cocktail, good food and good company is the ticket for all of us to have a good time. Last night was proof of that. We went to Black Creek Bistro on Parsons. It is a fairly new place where the owner serves food that his family grows and slaughters on their farm in Pataskala. They had a nice selection of wines and cocktails, and the menu had a decent variety of dishes to suite each individual taste. I, of course, was very limited due to the fact I cannot eat dairy. We were able to celebrate Susan's birthday, which is actually today, and send off Amanda as she and Vincent are moving to Indiana this weekend. We'll miss them.

Beth was CRAcking me UP. Two martinis made that girl a stand-up routine. She was so darn funny...and I am not sure if she was trying to be the whole time or if I was a little tipsy myself. "Best Time Ever" #2:


Birthday girl was mad at me because I took this one with her mouth full of Lamb Lollipop (does that also come in Johnny Depp?)...


Ethan gave her a present at mommies group that morning. Let's just say if he was a super hero his name would be Spit-Up Man and where he spit up clearly shows us he will not be gay.

And, last, but not least, our special send off picture to always remember Amanda by...I think this is a really good picture of her, but she just laughed at it because she was giving the camera cooky...

Attack of the baby!!!

I laid out the blanket and put Ethan on it to roll around and play. P came in and plopped down beside him because she likes to tickle him and be silly. Well, today Ethan played back with her. It was like a baby attack and P loved it, but didn't quite know what to do when he rolled over. I thought he may be trying to roll onto his belly, but I think he was genuinely playing. I had to get a video of it. Ethan is 4 and 1/2 months old and P is 2 years old.

Of course, then P got too rough and kept pushing him in the head. He laughed, but I could see her getting rougher and rougher. It was a little too much for an over-protective mother to handle.

The blanket they are laying on was Shane's when he was a baby. His Aunt Mimi or Nana knitted it for him, and I can't remember which one. Unfortunately since Sheilah is gone, I don't know who would have that information. Maybe Aunt Ronnie or Judy, but they were busy with their own kids at the time. hmmmmmm.....

Kickball

We had our first game of kickball last night. I really suck. Wow, I really, really suck....but, so does everyone else for the most part which makes me feel not so bad. ha! Our team name is The Nitwits. Our color is pink, we peg for outs, our aim is to lose, and when we get in the outfield I think we make sarcastic comments more than actually play the game. Our time in the outfield is surely a show because there is always something going on, whether it be Big Jilm yelling obscure coaching strategies, Geni doing the ball dance or John and Shane picking on everyone...we have it all. It is a circus...where's the tent. Of course, I can't help to get involved with all the antics. That is just my personality. I am as ridiculous as the next person - it is just hidden under a mommy costume and a calloused wall created by the horrible tortures of a job I quit long ago.

A few of the funny things that happened last night:

-an easy fly came my way. I freaked out, let it fall between my hands, closed my knees to stop it as it bounced right through my legs and further outfield.
-Leigh went to catch the ball and did a move the Globtrotters would be proud of. The ball went right around her neck and down her arm. Priceless.
-Bridgette fell off the wall and ran into traffic trying to get the ball. This was funny to watch, but not funny at all because she hurt her wrist.

My, my. We are surely a circus act. ha! I need to get some of this on video.

P and E went with me. P had a hard time when I went out to play. She cried and cried and didn't understand why she couldn't come. It made my heart melt - especially seeing her sit there with her stuffed Big Bird that is as big as she is. Daryl was watching her,E and the Hazelett girls.

This is what makes the game so fun...from one our fearless leaders: JohnnyLung writes:

"great.
game.
all.

things we did awesome:
peg'd fools.
kick'd balls hard.
kept'd running.
lost'd fantastically.

things we need to improve:
less doubleplays.
more sliding, buff.
not keep the game so close. (we lost 17-2)
less stealing catches from teenagers, kaleb.
more yelling and tomfoolery.
pay more for parking.

am I missing anything?

just a thought.
we did this one game.
maybe for the first kick of the other team.
during the first inning.
of every game.
no one moves.
we all stand still.
and let the ball drop.
and they just run.
confused."

Pea trellis

My friend Daryl came over and helped me put up a pea trellis and stake my peppers. The peas were starting to wrap themselves on the green bean plants and creep out, so I had to get a trellis up for them. It was so easy! Daryl brought some bamboo rods she picked up at Big Lots! on the cheap, some plastic ties and yarn. We hooked the rods together and voila, a pea trellis. I think it took us like 20 minutes. Since I didn't put it up when I initially planted the seed I have to train the peas to grow up the trellis. Not a big deal because the plants are still very young. They should be really pretty growing up the trellis.


P helped, too. She found a branch with some leaves on it and wanted to plant it in the garden. Darly helped her "plant" it and P put a rock in a hole in the dirt she found near the peppers. What a cutie. It was also the day of bikini. My cousin gave us a little bikini swimsuit for her and I wanted to try it on her to see if it fit. Well, she didn't want to take it off and wore it all day long. Too stinkin' cute.

Father's Day

Father's Day was really nice. We walked to the park and had a picnic and then let P play on the playground for about an hour. Then later that afternoon we went to Auntie Carol's for a cookout with the fam. My parents weren't there because they left for Florida on Friday the 13th...ooooooohhhhh. We had dad and grandpa over the weekend before for a seafood cookout (shrimp, scallops and stuffed clams) to celebrate to be sure we honored my dad before he left on vacation.


Father's Day is always so nice because the weather is usually gorgeous. We typically have a cookout on that day and hang out outside. It is still kind of weird to think of Shane as a dad. I wonder if he thinks so, too. Sometimes I hear mom, mommy or mama and wonder who the heck the kid is talking to...well, it is me! crazy.

Garden

I finally have the garden I always wanted. Hubby built a flowerbox beside the deck and filled it with dirt and good top soil so I could plant the vegetables and herbs I wanted to plant this year. I was a little nervous because I have never grown anything but a few herbs before. The herbs did well, so I was assuming other veges would, but just didn't think my thumb was green enough for a garden. Our friend Daryl took P and I to the Anderson's to pick out what we wanted to plant and gave me some great advice on how to grow the plants. I was really excited to do this project with P hoping she would learn something and have fun with mommy, too.

We picked out tomato plants, red and yellow bell pepper, and Daryl gave us three banana pepper plants that were already small plants. I picked up stringless green beans and peas from seed, and thyme, parsley, rosemary, basil and lavender basil from small plants. We bought some tomato cages and discussed how far apart and how deep to plant all the veges and herbs. P helped me plant everything with her Little Tikes shovel, rake, and her hands of course.

We finished planting everything and were very proud of the work we had done. P and I talked about how the plants would grow and how we need to stay out of the flower box...which didn't really sink in because she was playing in it 15 minutes later and having the dogs run through it - I was afraid my green beans and peas would never come up!

Everyday we went out to make sure the soil wasn't too dry and check on the plants. I kept reminding her we needed to keep a lookout for the plants to come up from the seeds. And, after just a few short days the bean and pea plants made their grand entrance into the world! We...well, I was so excited! These are the green beans.















And these are the peas. The peas came up overnight! It was crazy. They were immediately little plants.










The green beans and peas really took off, and it has been really cool to watch them grow. Peyton gets excited to help water the plants and look at how big they are getting. I am going to start to measure them everyday with P so she can learn about measurements and how things get taller as they grow.





She is really happy to help, too!














The plants are growing like mad with all the rain. I took this picture today. I am going to have to start staking the peppers and look for support for the beans and peas so they don't just vine out all over the place. Hopefully we'll get some good eats!

Mommies Group

My mommies group is so much fun and the women in the group have become good friends of mine. They are each so different and fascinating in their own way. We generally meet every Wednesday at 10a and have some Friday outings. Once a month we do "mom's night out" on a Wednesday evening and try a new restaurant. We have so much fun together and they make me belly laugh with stories about their husbands, kids or lives. I truly feel blessed to have been invited to join such a group.

Yesterday, we took pictures of the kids together. We thought it'd be a great idea to start documenting them as a group to see how much they grow. Mommy Amanda is leaving us because her hubby got a job ay a practice in Indy, so we wanted to do it right away to be sure that Vincent was in the pics. They are special people who will surely be missed.

Here's the group of darlings sans babies....


Here are the babies...


Here is baby Ethan trying to eat baby Naomi...I guess he isn't allergic to beautiful baby girls!

Jumparoo!!

I put Ethan in the Jumparoo over the weekend and he LOVED it! It was so darn cute to see him get the hang of what he was supposed to do in that contraption. He started off kind of looking around and wiggling his legs. Then he realized that when he wiggled his legs the seat would move and wiggled them some more. Once he got the hang of wiggling he bounced a little bit which set off the lights and music. It totally made him giggle. Friend Mary let us borrow it since Sam is outgrew it. Sam loved it, too. Mary said he'd even fall asleep in it for 2 hours! ha!

We put Peyton in the little Einstein and she kind of freaked out at first. Their personalities are so different. We were also the first time parents that didn't realize she could have gotten in it much sooner...but, we thought she was too frageeelay.
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjodk4xcSChOEzOF_pC5LgftPtYopSsmaknCzJWuL4li3jhkW6ony6ncRMhUfJUw6PNAjnnW5cxUtdsxTpxAgfmvNsNFabi5ImfAS2iDtLVRE6F7xkz8n4cZwTJMvUnhArjUjI6/s1600-h/smilejump.JPG">

Baby in bed

Ethan is still in bed with me. He starts off in the pack-n-play in my room, but by 4:30a I can't take thinking of getting up again in an hour or two hours to nurse him again and I bring him to bed with me. I am so exhausted, and the only way I am getting any sleep is when he sleeps beside me. I know I need to move him into his crib, but right now that sounds like hell. He STILL gets up 4 times a night. I guess since he was sick the few two months of his life that set him back developmentally for sleep...at least that is what the doc told me. But, he also said that transitioning is going to be getting harder and harder because of separation anxiety.

I really like that my pediatrician places no judgement on people who put their babies in their own room at 2 days or 2 years. He said that Americans think the family bed is a weird thing and many think it unacceptable and dangerous, and then Europeans believe that Americans are crazy and not nurturing their babies by not having a family bed for at least the first year of the baby's life. Everyone has to do what is right for them - and people who place judgment on others for how they parent their children need to stop. I have people say to me, "that baby is STILL in your room?!" like I am crazy. My goodness, he is only 4 months old! I moved P into her room at 4 months, but it worked for her at that point. She did great and LOVED being in her own room. Ethan just isn't ready, yet...and neither am I. I feel like my body is finally starting to heal up and I am feeling rejuvinated in the mornings instead of like the walking dead.

Milk is for nuts

I am currently trying to cut the Silk soy creamer out of my coffee in the morning because I think it is causing a reaction in Baby E. He is allergic to soy formula, so it makes sense that he'd not be able to ingest it from me, too. The pediatrician said that soy breaks down differently than milk protein, so eating soy "should" be okay, but cut it out if he isn't doing better to test him. Well, everytime I use the creamer he spits up a ton and has diarreah, so I am thinking it is the soy. I am really hoping it isn't all soy - like the actual bean or the soy they use in baked products. That will limit my diet even further!

I cannot have any type of dairy because of his milk protein intolerance. He is extremely sensitive to even trace amounts of whey, milk fat, casein, and all dairy like milk, butter, etc. We are SO fortunate to have a Whole Foods down the street. That is the only market I can find certain foods I can eat. For instance, Almond Breeze. I simply love this alternative to milk. I just found it the other day and am jonsing to try it on my cereal. I used it in my coffee and it was good. I could even drink a glass of it alone. It is SO good. I am so happy because I think soy milk is dreadful - and the only way I could drink it was in my coffee with sugar. Almond milk tastes almost like dairy skim milk with a hint of nuttieness and sweetness.

And, it seems that the higher the percentage of cacao in chocolate, the lower the chances buttermilk or regular milk is used. So, I am able to still eat certain brands of dark chocolate! yeah! Having to cut out chocolate on top of everything else was killing me! I also find that there are a ton of delicious vegan recipes out there for desserts and things that normally include cheese or dairy.

I will continue to test him and hopefully get him to a point where he has no tummy problems. As I wrote before, thank goodness I can nurse him!

It is easier than I thought to live dairy-free - hopefully it won't be gluten, wheat or anything else-free.

When you think you have it bad...

I was making reservations at The Refectory for hubby and I's 6 year anniversary. I have always wanted to go there, and friend Amanda just went there with her hubby and said it was fabulous. I decided that would be perfect. As I was confirming my reservation I was asked to give an email address for confirmation. I thought this was an interesting thing for a bistro to ask, in a good way, and was interested to see what the email would look like and if it would just include confirmation information or what. Well, they use it as a marketing/pr tool - very cool. I haven't come across something like that before.

Anyhow, the confirmation had a very sad message included:

"On May 15, Rachel Widomski, a Haiku employee, followed a guest to the parking lot as he had left without paying the check. As he fled in his car, he ran over Rachel. Rachel has severe injuries and may be paralyzed for life.
Please join us June 18, for a special charitable Huia Vineyards Wine Tasting with proceeds going to the Rachel Widomski Medical Care Trust"

I waited tables and bartended for years. In that type of work environment you learn to depend on other people for your livlihood, and hope that the people you are waiting on are responsible citizens. I searched for the story online, and I copied it below. It is disgusting what this person did - gist - he ran out on the bill, when the waitress and manager went to ask for payment, he hit them with his SUV and put them both in the hospital. The waitress will probably never regain use of her legs.

Short North's outpouring aids 2 victims
Tips will be donated; art auction, concert planned
Saturday, May 24, 2008 3:05 AM
By Bobby Pierce

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

JAMES D. DeCAMP | DISPATCH
Paul Liu of Haiku restaurant reacts to news of fundraising efforts for his wife and a worker, who were hurt chasing a fleeing customer. Elizabeth Lessner, left, is the Central Ohio Restaurant Association vice president.


Rachel Widomski


Julie Liu

Waiters and waitresses plan to donate tips, artists will auction their work, and bands will host a benefit concert to help a waitress paralyzed in a hit-and-run outside the Haiku restaurant.

A customer who left the Asian restaurant in the Short North without paying struck Rachel Widomski and co-owner Julie Liu with his sport-utility vehicle as they pursued him into the parking lot. Police say Michael A. Rose purposely ran over the two.

"Right now, I am overwhelmed by the people of Columbus," said Paul Liu, who co-owns the restaurant with Julie Liu, his wife. "Thank you for embracing us at this time of need and showing us how much love is in this city."

Widomski, 28, sustained severe spinal damage and is expected to lose the use of her legs. She is at Grant Medical Center under sedation. Julie Liu, 43, suffered a severe concussion, broken ribs, a broken collarbone and a dislocated wrist. She is recovering at Ohio State University Medical Center.

Paul Liu asked people to focus on helping Widomski, who has the more severe injuries.

At a news conference yesterday, people in the Short North gathered to explain how they plan to help.

"It is spirit; it is spiritual," John Angelo, executive director of the Short North Business Association said. "Rachel will need every ounce of spiritual help she can get to pull through this."

Angelo outlined what is being called Hope Week, an effort to raise awareness and money. He said the bohemian spirit of the Short North will support the women: There already are more than 70 volunteers.

Staff at Short North restaurants and bars plan to donate their tips to the Rachel Widomski Medical Care Trust at Huntington Bank. The Central Ohio Restaurant Association is trying to expand the fundraising throughout the area, said Elizabeth Lessner, vice president of the organization's board.

A benefit concert, with proceeds going to the trust, will take place near Haiku, 800 N. High St., during the June 7 Gallery Hop. There also will be a silent art auction at the Art Exchange, 17 E. Brickel St. Details of both events will be posted on haikuhelp.com and shortnorth.org starting Thursday. Donations are being accepted at haikuhelp.com

"We rushed here to give her love and support," said Widomski's aunt, Martha Mancino. "But when we got here, we found she already had that support."

A storefront at 650 N. High St. will showcase the women's lives. Visitors can write letters and read about their recovery. Widomski, who is a painter and photographer, will have her work displayed.

"The entire art community has given support," said Adam Brouilette, president of the Couchfire Collective, a local artists group. "That small-town feel really helps."

Widomski has lived and worked in the Short North for six years, her aunt said. She is a fine-arts student at Ohio State University. Her family plans to bring her out of sedation today, at which time she will learn the extent of her injuries and begin her rehabilitation.

She has some insurance through OSU, her family said, but the coverage will not come close to meeting her needs.

rpierce@dispatch.com

Along with several scheduled events, haikuhelp.com is set up to take donations.




Copyright © 2008, The Columbus Dispatch