Lookie, Lookie!!

Look who crawled for the 1st time tonight!! It only took her 8 months and 5 days. :) It won't be long now before she's all over the place! Now I need to find one of those big octagonal baby gate thingys to contain her. There are just too many little toys. I'm so excited I got it on video though. I just happened to be sitting there taking pics of her when it happened. I had sat her up on the floor to play with her and brought out a bunch of the boys' baby toys. Next thing I know she's on her hands and knees reaching for a toy. I called dh over and he thinks this is probably the first time he's seen any of our kids crawl for the 1st time. Here are some pics and video!

Can I give thanks...

That Thanksgiving is over? Phew. Everyone just left and I have peace and quiet once again. When my family is over, we talk and laugh. When his family is over, everyone hangs out on the couch and watches a movie. A loud movie since half of them are deaf apparently. And they always bring uninvited guests. Every. Single. Year. It's common courtesy to just let the hostess know you're bringing someone, right? MIL didn't even know they were coming. It usually irks the hell out of me but I just let it roll this year. I just planned for extra food.

Dinner was good though and I got mucho compliments on my food. I'm so full. Time to get back on the WW wagon! I tried not to overdo it tonight though.

What else...I watched a bootleg copy of Twilight last night (flame me if you want). It was a very poor quality picture so I def want to see it again in full color and light. It was that bad. I really liked the movie though. I went into it knowing I always like the book better and I would have added some scenes and possibly taken others out but it was good! I really hope they can put more money into the next movie and make it even better. Dh watched with me since I'm always talking about the books and he even enjoyed it. He went and dowloaded the audio books right after! :) He's not a reader so audio books are about the only way I can get him to *read* a book.

That's it for our weekend so far. Tomorrow is unplanned as of yet but I'm sure you'll read all about it if we actually do something!

Exhausted

Why am I sooo tired tonight? I didn't do much of anything today. I didn't fight any crowds at 5am. In fact, I was home all day for the most part. Dh had to work but got off early so we went by Gamestop for their B2G1 used game free sale and then we went to Mimi's Cafe for dinner. That's it. I could barely drag myself off the couch to drive to Publix tonight to get more green beans for tomorrow's Thanksgiving dinner and I still have a lot of prep work to do as well as clean the kitchen. Ugh. I need a nap.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just put me in the oven because I'm stuffed! Way too much food but man was it good! Everyone has gone home now and Bella is in bed. And I get to do it all again on Saturday!

Bella had her first taste of pumpkin pie, turkey and gravy, cranberries and who know what else. I think she really liked the pumpkin pie. I have pictures to prove it! She only had little tastes so hopefully there will be no upset tummy tonight.

Logan was funny. He kept coming back for a piece of this pie or that pie. Oh and I want to try that cobbler and this cobbler. (Yes we had a LOT of dessert!! 2 pumpkin, 1 apple, 1 shaker lemon (blech!! came out bitter), blackberry cobbler & peach cobbler). And don't forget the whipped cream. My Aunt told him to say *When* as she was squirting it and she kept going and going and going and he never said when! LOL He also started a new tradition. Instead of the blessing he (and this was on his own) asked everyone what they were thankful for. It was really sweet. It was hilarious when he told Ian that Ian should be thankful for him (Logan).

It was a nice day and I'm thankful I have a great family, awesome friends, a roof over our heads, food in our bellies and we are all healthy and happy.

After Dinner Nap


Our new photo wall and my garland


General silliness before dinner


Oohhh what's that?


I think I'll try it.


Mmm this is good!


I want some more. How do I open this thing?


Forget it! I'll chew thru the top if you won't give me more.


More desserts!

Sweet Hubby

Dh went out Christmas shopping during his lunch hour yesterday. He got sucked in by one of those kiosk people and ended buying so much stuff(some for gifts too). He hemmed and hawed about it for a while and then decided just to give it to me last night. LOL It's from Seacret. It's a line of mineral lotions and salts (and other stuff) for your body. I tried the Peeling Mask Cleanser last night then the Mud Mask and the Face Cream and I swear my pores looked smaller today and my blackheads are gone or lighter. I used the Salt Scrub and Body Cream this morning and I still smell good. I'll keep trying it and report back!

I. Want. That. Camera.

Bella really wants my camera.

8 months old

I didn't realize it until tonight but Bella is officially 8 months old today. She's getting so big already. I was able to buy her some bigger shoes yesterday at Target. She has room to grow into them too (mainly for keeping her tootsies warm now). She's sitting up so much better although she still can't get up there by herself yet. She's close to crawling. She just hasn't made her move yet. She's a happy girl most of the day, just don't make her wait for her food! LOL

I took some pics today but my ISO was still set on high from Phantom so they came out really grainy. I'll try to take some more tomorrow. Here's a video though!

Babywearing Motrin Stupidity

I read about this a week or two ago I guess. I just never blogged about it. None of my IRL friends have mentioned it so I'm unsure if it's reached their ears yet so here I am to spout off about it!

Motrin put THIS ad out and boy oh boy did they catch flack for it! The snarky tone and the message had me fired up. Did they not do a focus group or survey any babywearing moms? Apparently not. To make it even worse, they put the ad out during International Babywearing Week. Oh my.

I love to wear Bella. I'll readily admit I love the attention and compliments I get when wearing her, but I do NOT wear her as a fashion statement(although my carriers are cute! LOL). She's not an accessory to my ensemble. I am also not in pain when wearing her. If you're in pain, you're wearing the wrong carrier or just wearing the right carrier wrong. Wearing my baby does not make me look tired and crazy. In fact, it keeps both her and I calm. I have my hands free to shop or do things with the boys and she loves to look around. She usually naps in it as well. And really? Now I'm an *official* mom? Whatever. I was an official mom the minute I conceived.

Motrin I know you've apologized but from now on, I hope you do a bit more research into your target audience. Maybe you meant for this ad to come off as sympathetic but you missed the mark.

So Wut

Dh and I saw this car last weekend on the way home from Phantom. We passed by them and I told dh I wish I had had the camera out. Lo and behold, they were going the same way and ended up catching up with us. When I saw them in the rearview mirror I told dh to get the camera out quick! There were actually two cars and you mcan see a piece of the other in the mirror. I think the rest of the car says something like *2 outlaw 6*. This has to be the silliest car I've ever seen. I remember when I was younger that the big fat tires on a low car were in. This is worse by far IMO. Nice rims though. :)

Salon Saturday

A few weeks ago I posted about doing something drastic. I erased it nearly right afterwards because I started researching what I was thinking about and realized I wouldn't be able to it without a lot of maintenance. Maintenance that would cost me much moola.

So this is what I did instead...

BEFORE:


AFTER:


My original plan was to go red. Well, more auburn than red. Instead I went back to my roots and ended up with a more chocolatey color, actually called cinnamon. It will take some getting used to but I really like it. I think my eyes really pop. The best part is that my stylist/colorist knows what it's like to be a mom and not have a lot of money and pointed me in the right direction for touch ups from a box. I did splurge and get a good shampoo though so this doesn't fade too fast. I know it may take a few times to *take*.

What do you think??

Thanksgiving

I'm not sure what to even do this turkey day. It's a weird one for me. I'm so used to my entire family being around and with my parents split now and my sister and her family living with my dad, it's really awkward. So this year it's my mom, aunt, mom's bff and our family. That's it. It's like we've been split down the middle. Ugh. I'll make the best of it though.

Here's what I have planned so far for dinner:

Cajun Turkey from HBH
Smashed Garlic Potatoes
Stuffing
Garlic Parmesan green beans
Gravy
Fresh cranberry sauce
Crescent Rolls

I'll let someone else bring desserts. Dh wants peach cobbler. We'll see what we get! I'm sure my Aunt will be bringing one of her two side dish recipes she brings every. single. year. I don't like either of them (shudders). Some people do though so I guess it's all good.

Less that a week to go!

Twilight Movie Reviews

Parts II and III are up on the blog if you're interested.

Cullen Interview (Twilight)

Check it out HERE. I love that they've signed on for 3 movies! I hope this movie is a huge success (which I expect it will be) so we get to see the next book on the big screen.

Twilight Movie Reviews

They are starting to roll in after pre-screenings last night. I'm soooo excited to see this movie. Here's is Part 1 of a review by a TwilightMom.

WARNING: There may be spoilers involved. I didn't see anything I didn't already know but here's fair warning. Okay, here's Part 1. Keep checking back for Part 2.

I've also been reading some messages from Twilight Moms who saw the screening last night. If you want to read those messages (and there ARE spoilers!), go HERE.

No matter what anyone says, I'm going into this knowing that they will never make a movie as good as the book. Never.

Super Easy, Yummy Recipe!!

(I made this tonight adding some apple pie spice and it was yummy! Much like apple pie without all the peeling!)

SUPER-DUPER APPLE CAKE

Cake:
1 box white cake mix (I used a butter cake mix)
1 1/2 cups applesauce (I used unsweetened)

Glaze:
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup of milk

For Cake:
Preheat oven to 350. Spray pan with cooking spray.
Mix cake mix with applesauce until smooth. May take more or less applesauce. Use at own discretion. Pour mixture into a 9X9 inch baking pan. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until cake tests done.

For Glaze:
Melt butter in a sauce pan. Add the remaining ingredients for the icing, stirring rapidly with a wire whisk until smooth. Pour over warm cake.


My notes from tonight are in italics. The other notes are from the original poster.

• The cake mix powder is mixed with applesauce ONLY, do not prepare the cake according to the directions on the box!
• Many people poked holes in the baked cake before adding the topping. It tastes a bit different, but is not necessary. The Glaze is VERY runny, but don't worry, it's supposed to be! Make the glaze right after you put the cake in the oven. It will thicken up a little bit. I dare you to keep your fingers out of it though, it's that good!!
• The recipe calls for a 9x9 pan, but I used a 9x13 and it was great. I've heard the 9x9 can lead to the glaze spilling.
• I added Apple Pie Spice to my cake batter. Probably 1-2 tsps worth (just sprinkled it, didn't measure). It tasted like apple pie without all the work of actually peeling apples! We ate it with vanilla ice cream, yum!!

Tuesday (not so) Fun

Poor baby. She's been coughing for the past 2 days but this morning she started coughing up green stuff. Blech. Her nose is running clear though. She does have a slight fever so I'm keeping her at home and even gave her some Tylenol. She needs some sleep but right now she's fighting it. I went around the house and sprayed Clorox Anywhere spray everywhere today! By God I'm going to get rid of this bug if it kills me! And I better not catch it either. I have a relaxing few hours planned at the salon on Saturday (my last time for a very long time- back to the box I go I think after this. UGH!!) and I want to enjoy them!

Is This Normal??

Ugh. Logan is driving me crazy. He snuck a donut yesterday and lied about it. He got a timeout and a lecture. This afternoon he came to me and asked if he could have a snack. I said yes and even opened it for him(Reeses Snackster). I came out to the kitchen and noticed an empty yogurt container in the trash bag. Hmm Ian didn't eat it(he was asleep) and neither did I so I called him on it.

"Oh it fell out of the fridge".
Uh huh. Where did it fall?
(points to the floor)
How did you clean it up?
"With a paper towel"
I look in the trash. No towel.
"There are no paper towels in there." (He should be a poker player with his straight face.) The cup is clearly empty PLUS there's yogurt ON his face!

THEN I notice the Mini Oreo package he got on Halloween in the trash bag which I know was on the counter earlier and I notice just how dirty his white shirt has gotten since he got home (he had on a sweater all day). I guess he wiped the oreo evidence from his hands onto his shirt.

OMG. Now he's had 3 snacks and lied about two of them in all of 20 minutes. So he got a timeout. I turned my back to feed Bella and he scooted his butt into the tv room to watch tv. Good heavens he wants to try me now. This time he gets timeout and no tv the rest of the day. I went to turn it off and he grabs my leg and holds on so I have to drag him with me to turn the damn thing off. I got him off of me and then he starts in on the guilt trips. LOL "You're not my friend anymore. You hurt my feelings". Oh geez. After his time was over we had a little chat about lying and sneaking/stealing food since there's no reason for him to do so. Have you seen this kid? It's not like he's starving over here.

So back to my questions. Is lying at age 6 normal? Is sneaking around and trying to do things behind mom's back normal? He's obviously not good at lying despite his poker face since he left evidence everywhere. He doesn't get it that Mom. Knows. Everything.

I've warned him too that Santa is watching him. I think our Elf may need to make an appearance sooner rather than later so he can start reporting all the goings-on in our house to the big guy himself!

Cute Alert!!

Have you seen this video cam??? How cute are they??

These are Shiba Inu pups. There are 6 of them- 3 girls, 3 boys. Here's the link to tell you all about them.

I want one!! ;)

Goose Egg?

My boys are always smacking into something- or one another- and getting some bruise or bump. I've always put ice packs/gel packs on them to bring any swelling down. I learned a new trick recently though and it was amazing how well it worked!

Logan smacked his head and cheek on his bunk bed today. It immediately started swelling so dh grabbed the ice pack. I ran to my PC because I had just read a tip about this very thing and I wanted to find it again and try it. You pour salt in a bowl and add just enough water to make a paste. Apply it to the bump and it will bring the swelling down faster than ice AND you won't hear any complaints about it being too cold. We just let it dry on there and we had plenty left so we did it once more. No more swelling! He doesn't even have a knot on his head although he does have a mark (forehead) and a bruise (cheek). Try it next time your kid takes a tumble!

New Blog Header

I needed another change so here's what I made.
All papers and elements are from the SHABBY SMILES kit by the ShabbyPrincess
www.shabbyprincess.com

Phantom of the Opera

Back in August, I got dh tickets to Phantom of the Opera for his birthday gift. He really wanted to see it. So we had our first date in 6 years today when we left the kids with my friend Jen for a few hours and went to the theatre. I actually got to hold a conversation with my hubby without kids interrupting. I even got to hold his hand just like we used to do pre-kids. That's just not possible anymore. We've usually got the baby in our arms and someone else's hand. So it was nice to have some *us* time.

Phantom was a good show. I'm sure someone is out there reading and saying, "What?! Just good?!" but to me it was. I had a really hard time understanding the lyrics and what was going on. I got the gist that it was a love story. Phantom loves Christine but Christine loves Raoul. There were some good comedic moments, great costumes and music and good special effects though. I really liked the 2nd half of the show. A lot of what happened in the first half was just filler it felt like. I almost didn't want the second half to end.

Would I see it again? Maybe. Maybe I would understand it better if I watched it again or even saw the movie. I do know that dh and I would like to have more date days so I'm sure we'll see something else at the theatre eventually. We'd even consider taking the boys to a family show (there were quite a few kids at Phantom). I'd love to foster a love of the theatre in them.

Hairbow Contest- MUST ENTER!!

My very good friend Mandie has started her own Etsy business and she's hosting a contest for some cute hairbows. You must go check her out!! She's got some *Qute* stuff!!

Go HERE to enter!! And hey, if you don't have a little girl, you can always send the bows to me. Bella will look adorable in them. ;)

Babylegs Contest

I love these for Bella! Cross your fingers for me. I could never buy 20 pairs on my own!
Win 20 Pairs of Baby Leg Warmers from babySNAZZ!

Cupcake Ornaments

I got this idea from my bargain board recently and it looked so cute and easy that I decided to try it. The foam is toxic so I wouldn't do this as a kid project. They could sprinkle the glitter though.

Cast:
DAP-Tex Multi-Purpose Foam Sealant
Cupcake liners
Cardboard (optional)
Glitter
Seed beads
*Berries*(I used a Christmas berry sprig)
Eyepins (got from the jewelry area)
Cord (not pictured)



Using an old muffin tin, put a cupcake liner in each and add a circle of cardboard to the bottom. I used a cut up cereal box.

Take each berry off the stem and using a jewelry eyepin, screw it into the berry where the stem came out. Go ahead and do all your berries before starting your cupcakes.

Shake, shake, shake your can of foam, add the straw and pull off the tab. Squirt foam into liner in a circular motion. It does expand so don't go too high. If you end up with a swirl on top, you can flatten it out with a finger or plastic knife.


Once it's filled, quickly add your berry (cherry), your beads and glitter. Optionally, you can add paint to them. Do each cupcake seperately. The outside foam dries quickly. Let them sit for a bit before moving. They will probably take several days to cure/dry completely on the inside but you can move them once the outside is set.



Once dry, add your cord or ribbon to the eyepin, tie in a knot and it's ready to be hung on a tree or given away! These are super lightweight and cute!

Don't talk to strangers

Yea, this goes for us moms too. How many times do we tell our kids not to talk to strangers yet an unknown man (in a wheelchair and more than likely homeless) asks me a question, and I stop to see what he wants. Stupid! I was just outside Starbucks tonight, in clear view of the inside, and with other people outside so I didn't feel in danger or anything. This guy was going to ask me something and then stopped and said he's ask me when I was done inside. Huh? I don't know what he was going to ask, for money perhaps? When I left I had 2 drinks though and he had rolled a few feet away so I didn't stay to see. He had his *girlfriend* with him too. She asked me something about ice while I was in the store but with no teeth, it was hard to understand her. Do I look like a good person? Or a pushover? And why do I always stop?

Two In A Row

Tooth number two came out! I think he may have coughed it out. He's been coughing all day long and while he was playing his video game, out it came! Guess the tooth fairy will be back again tonight.

Done!

I finished the Twilight series last night. I can't believe it's over. I'm not sure what to do with myself now. I haven't been that into a series since Harry Potter. I'm going to go back and re-read them since I read so fast that I tend to miss details. Then I'm going to need something new and GOOD to read next! Any suggestions?

If you haven't read them, go pick them up, borrow them, buy them! You won't regret it.

Look Mom

No Tooth! He wouldn't give me a normal smile so this is the best I got. (I'm not sure what's all over his face.)


The tooth right next to it is very, very loose too. The new tooth is already thru and pushing on it which is why there's such a huge gap on the other side I think. It won't be long!

The tooth fairy did come and wrote Logan a little note about swallowing his tooth and also that he should always ask Mom or Dad before he eats candy since it's not good for his teeth. ;) He got $2 for his first tooth. Sorry, our tooth fairy isn't rich enough to give out $10/tooth like I've heard some kids get. He was thrilled with his "two green dollars" though and promptly told his teacher all about it this morning.

1st tooth lost

Logan finally lost his first tooth tonight. Unfortunately he really lost it. I noticed his tongue was blue and there was candy on his teeth as well but he says he wasn't eating candy. Uh huh. Right. I guess he swallowed it. So we'll see what the tooth fairy does or says tonight. His other loose tooth should be coming out any day now. His adult tooth is right behind it already coming in.

Science Olympics

Today was the Science Olympics at our local Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI). Logan and his friend Justin were chosen out of all the kindergarteners in our school to participate. Unfortunately, Justin was a no show so Logan had to do it by himself. They had a 10 min time limit to build the tallest structure they could from cups and folders. Logan built his and then just sat there waiting. LOL I have a feeling that some of the parents really practiced at home with their kids. So he didn't win but he was proud of himself and did very well! There was one kid I just wanted to yell at. He was sitting closest to Logan and kept reaching over to Logan's tower and acting like he was going to knock it down. This was before it was even measured. All parents were in the room yet noone said a word to this kid. Ugh.

After it was all over we were free to enjoy the museum for the rest of the day for free! And that's just what we did. The boys had a blast. Bella was on my back in my O&A and took at least 2 naps back there. Never heard a peep from her. We went from floor to floor and enjoyed everything.

I only had one issue and it's a sensitive one (re: fetuses) so feel free to skip to the next paragraph. There was a whole section called The Amazing You. For the most part it was a cool area- all about the body, hearing, sight, pregnancy ultrasounds, lungs, height/weight and a neat Hollywood Squares type gameshow with puppets. There was one area though that was behind a wall that had different fetuses in various stages of development. Had they not been real babies, I probably wouldn't have had such issues. On one hand I was fascinated by it. I could see what I've only read about so many times online when I was pregnant. Tiny fingers at 12 weeks, lips, ears, etc. BUT I was also saddened that these were real babies. They were on loan from another institute. I could only look at the smaller of them. The most term baby- approx 27 weeks- was just too close to home as I can't even imagine losing a baby let alone a baby that far along. I wanted to cry for them.

Along those lines, I did see a preemie doll in an incubator (okay, not sure if that's the correct technical term) that was sooo teeny. It was a *live* doll too in that you could see it move and breathe. I was okay with that.

We eventually moved on to the Kids In Charge area where the boys could do puzzles, tug of war, go grocery shopping, milk a cow, see how gears work, etc. It's a really neat area. I decided it was far past time for Bella to eat so I found a bench to sit on. Here's the irony- I picked the one bench near the cow milking area! Hahaha! It didn't even occur to me until I was already sitting there nursing her.

So on to some pictures!

Logan's tower


Posing after the contest was over.


Hurricane wind tunnel- this was probably around 70+ mph


Coming in for a landing


Star gazing


Rope maze. We pretended they were laser beams they had to crawl under. Logan and Ian had fun rolling and crawling under them.


Hey! Where's my body?


My boys morphed into one.


Yes, the guy moving back and forth in front of me without paying attention to anyone behind him was quite annoying. The 2 kids in the very front won.

Addicted

I am addicted. It's an obsession now. I am in love with the Twilight series of books. I started book 4 today and I just don't want to put these books down. You know she's a good writer when you smile, laugh, and cry when reading a book. I bawled in book two. Seriously, if you haven't started this series, I encourage you to pick them up. My obsession has gotten out of hand though. Apparently I can't read these books before bed. The past few nights I've had the most vivid dreams about the characters and what's going to happen to them. So much so that I toss and turn all night long. I even wake myself up to tell myself to stop dreaming and then go back into the dream. Ugh. Too bad none of my theories in the dreams have panned out.

I'm so excited to see the movie. I know I'm going to be disappointed but I want to see how they bring this book to life. Already I can say that the actor Edward is nothing like I pictured in the book. I really imagined someone much better looking. Books are always better than movies though. There's so much more detail in a book than they can fit in a 2 hour movie. I'm excited nonetheless! I doubt dh would go see it with me so *hopefully* I can get some girlfriends to go on a weekend afternoon or something. Any takers?

Desperate ISO

Plea #2!!

I bought a used Leapster Lmax for my 3yr old so he'd stop fighting with his older brother over his but now I can't find a charger for it anywhere. Ebay and Amazon prices are ridiculous. If you have one you'd like to sell, please email me! If you've spotted one clearanced somewhere, please let me know. I've checked Kmart, Walmart, Target and Goodwill to no avail. This is for the Leapster/Lmax (not the original triangular leapster or the new leapster 2). I'd be happy to pay shipping and a small finders fee.

Student of the month!

Logan got it! Woohoo! He got a Certificate of Recognition too but it doesn't say SotM, it says "For Honesty and Trustworthy". Okay, is it just me or does that make no sense?

He'll also be on TV tomorrow at school. I'd love to see it. I'll have to wait and see if I can record it on my camera or something. ;)

What she said!

I lurve Ashley.

Kmart Story

I can't believe I forgot to post this!

Just last week I was in the Kmart parking lot putting my kids in the car when a car pulled in next to me with a sleeping baby in the back. The mom got out, looked at the baby and preceded to walk off. I looked at her and said, "You aren't seriously going to leave your baby in the car are you?". I think I took her by surprise. She said No, I'm just getting a cart (the other side of my truck). I felt kinda dumb but then I was like what if I hadn't said something. I did apologize to her and explained that people do some dumb stuff and she completely understood and thanked me for caring enough to say something.

Election Time Is Ovah!

Phew. The phone calls can stop. The commercials can stop. The bickering can stop. Oh wait, that hasn't stopped yet. I've seen so many political threads today online. Lots of sore losers. Many happy moms and some who are unhappy their candidate didn't win but will make the best of it.

Congrats President-Elect Obama! I'm excited for you!

Going Green Updates (Women's Eyes Only)

I will keep updating that thread only instead of posting a new one. Just FYI.

Sweet Boy

Ian was crying this morning because Logan had some candy corn in his chair pouch (hangs on back to hold his stuff) at school. He cried all the way down the hallway that he wanted candy corn. I don't have any and we didn't get any for Halloween plus I told him he could have a piece of candy after lunch. (FTR, Logan wasn't eating the candy, he just showed it to me.) So anyway, I see this little boy walking with his hands over his ears like Ian's crying was bothering him. He seems like one of those kids that's just a loner. I've seen him a few times this year. We walked past him and were almost to the office when he stops us and asks Ian if he wants his Speed Racer car to make him feel better. How sweet is that? I'd say his parents are doing a good job with him.

Going Green (Women's Eyes ONLY)

***Guys- do NOT read this***

This means you Dad! Don't say I didn't warn you, it's women's talk!!!

Trust me on this.





So I'm trying something new. I've never been able to wear tampons. I could never get them in far enough so they were comfortable. I hate bulky pads. Since AF reared her ugly head today I decided to try out my new Diva Cup. So far, so good. I put it in tonight and after a slight adjustment, it feels really comfortable. It's completely reusable so that makes it good for the environment. I'm not having to throw anything out and add more to the landfills. It doesn't go in as far as a tampon so it's easier for me at least to use. I read rave reviews on my bargain board and got in on a deal a few months back. It's just been sitting in my cabinet since then. I will post more later and how well it works!

Update #1 (POSSIBLE TMI!)- I wore it all night with no leaks. Emptied it and reinserted it this morning with no issues. I have noticed a slight pinkish tinge on the TP at times but it never reaches the pantyliner I'm still wearing just in case. I can't believe how comfortable it is. I don't even realize it's there!

Grump

Well, I know why I was so grumpy and emotional this weekend. If you're a woman, you'll understand! Ugh I was so hoping *she* wouldn't be back for a while longer. Darn that doctor and all his solid foods. Think if I nurse, nurse, nurse, it will go away for a bit longer?

A New Tooth

Tooth number two has broken thru! She'll have a mouth full at this rate! LOL Thankfully (knock on wood) she hasn't used them on anything but my finger yet!

Emotions of being a Mom

There the smile on Bella's face each time she sees me. The giggles I get out of the boys when I tickle them, the smiles when they say *I love you Mama*, the laughter when your oldest says quite seriously *You BROKE my heart* because we yelled at him to be patient already (ironic), and the joy I feel when just picking up Bella stops her crying or when she stretches and twists around to find her Dada.

There's the happiness of seeing her sitting up by herself or reaching another milestone. The love I feel for them each and every time I kiss them or go in to their room when they are sleeping to tell them one more goodnight. There's the sadness that they are growing up so fast yet blessed feeling that they are happy, healthy and well rounded children.

There's also the anger and frustration when they don't listen or when they are fighting and nit-picking each other.

Is it really a wonder how moms are so exhausted at the end of the night?

Feeling a bit Blah

It doesn't help that I'm all stuffy from this rotten cold and my muscles are sore (not sure why except carrying Bella on Halloween night) and I've just been grumpy the past couple of days. I feel really out of sorts. I don't feel connected to my girlfriends anymore. Everyone is off on their own. Everyone is busy volunteering at various schools, working and doing other things together. We don't have playdates anymore. We don't do any Mom's Nights. No holiday get togethers. It all feels really disconnected and I'm not liking it. I'm not sure what can be done though. Maybe it's all a part of growing up and growing apart?

Our core group has been together for over 5 years with a few others in our circle coming later. We all get along wonderfully and enjoy each other's company. There's no beef with anyone (at least not from my perspective). I just feel lonely I guess. I wonder if my hormones are shifting again since Bella is eating more solid foods and nursing less. Maybe that's why this is all coming out. To all my friends who read my blog, please don't be alarmed or anything. I still love you all. I'm just feeling blah right now and had to get it out. Dh doesn't get it. He doesn't have close knit friends like I do.

Please tell me I'm not the only one who feels this way- at least sometimes.

(I almost didn't post this. I may come back later and delete it so I don't look completely pathetic LOL)

Halloween!

Our night started with the boys bugging us. Is it dark yet? Can we got ToTing yet? Is it dark enough yet? We let them get their costumes on for pictures but being they couldn't sit down in them, they had to take them off again until it was time to go. We did hit more houses this year than usual. The boys even braved the house with the graveyard, scary music, fog machine, and strobe light only to find they had gone out ToT'ing and weren't home!

Halfway thru, Logan once again started in on the "can we go home now?" spiel. His candy was "too heavy". My response, if you can't carry it, you can't eat it. Sorry bud. I've got Bella in my arms and a flashlight too. There were a LOT of homes with no lights on, a few I wasn't sure about (had decorations up but no porch light) and a few with lights and noone answering. Seriously, how long have kids been ToT'ing and you don't know to turn OFF your light if you aren't participating? The boys got plenty though. I already raided their candy for the chocolate. Sshhh.

It was a beautiful night too. Not hot or humid. It was perfect. Bella fell asleep (way past her bedtime) part of the way. I had to try and keep her head from flopping. I couldn't wear her with her tutu on. She also decided to try eating her tulle and ended up spitting up a few times. Lovely. I had to rinse her tutu out when we got home. It was rather gross. She is such a good baby. She never fussed at all despite being out so late. In fact, when we came back inside she was smiling and giggling at me.

So without further ado, here are our Halloween 2008 pictures!

Julie, it's hard to see, but you may recognize this shirt. She was wearing the pumpkin socks too! I already had a black headband and found the bows at Target's $1 spot.


I picked up the cape and hat at Kmart while getting diapers. I had the spiderweb stockings leftover from a clearance sale from who knows when.


The boys got a lot of compliments on their Lego costumes. One lady thought Ian was a stoplight though. Hmmm good idea for next year!


Bella got her fair share of Ooh's and aah's too.