Friday, May 28, 2010

Nigh' Nigh'

Curly was (and sometimes still is) a terrible sleeper. She was a bad napper as a baby and woke up several times a night for a ridiculously long time. A lot of that was my fault...being our first and only she was spoiled. One peep and I went running in. In order to get her to nap, I'd drive her around until she passed out and then I'd park in the garage and let her sleep.

I got smarter with StinkyMan. I also got luckier. He loved to sleep. Still does. Even before he could talk he would walk to the baby gate that blocked the stairs and point at his room. I'd take him up, kiss him, put him in his crib and he'd be down for the night.

Peanut is just the same. She begs to go to sleep if she is tired. She claps her hand with joy when I say "You ready for a nap?" and she happily climbs into her bed at night.

So Peanut and StinkyMan are clearly freaks of nature. How lucky would I get with BabyGirl?

Well, let's just say that her new phrase is "Nigh Nigh" for good night and this morning, at 10:30 she came into the family room to find me, said "Nigh Nigh" and held her arms up for me to lift her. She slept for 2.5 hours. Then tonight she said "Nigh Nigh" and when I didn't respond right away, she threw herself on the floor and howled. When Husband picked her up, she smiled, waved at me and said "Nigh Nigh!" and Husband reports that she practically dove into her bed.

I think I got lucky 3 times over. Now if only I could go back in my time machine and get a do over for Curly.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Kissy Kissy

Peanut is a super lovey little girl. She lives to give hugs and kisses. And she's so dang cute that she is on the receiving end of many random acts of kissing.

Last night I was tucking her in and she gave me a sweet kiss on top of my head.

"Thank you, Peanut. You give the best kisses."

A few minutes later I catch her pursing her lips like she is giving a kiss and pushing them up and down, left and right with her fingers. She looks perplexed.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

"I can't kiss my own face. I can't reach it!"

"No, it's hard to reach your own face."

"But I want to kiss myself with a best kiss."

"I don't think you can manage that." I tell her. "Can I kiss you instead?"

She sighs dramatically. "OK. A best one."

I smooch her. "How was that?"

"Was that a best one?"

"Yes. Was it good?"

"Yes!" and that came with a big hug and another kiss.

"Thank you, my Peanut."

"You're welcome, Mommy."

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Keep Your Eyes Open-She's home!

For this woman:




I went to high school with her, she was the class after me, her brother was in my class and her sister in law is a long time friend. If you have any information at all, no matter how insignificant it might seem, please contact authorities. Her family is desperately worried. Jennifer may have been depressed and the last known contact with her was Sunday May 16th.

Please keep Jennifer and her family in your thoughts.

UPDATE: Jennifer is home as of late Tuesday 5/25. She is thankful for everyone's concern and asks that we respect her privacy. Thanks to all who took the time to look at the flier and information.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Gettin' Pretty

A little over 2 months ago I made a deal with myself. I decided that it was time to spruce myself up. You see, I'm totally guilty of being in stay home mom rut. Jeans, T-shirt and a ponytail, make-up free nearly every single day.


And while I constantly struggle to get a little thinner or dress a little cuter, it occurred to me one day that I could do my hair and put on some make-up every day, with little effort and feel a whole lot better about how I present myself to the world.


My biggest cheerleader in this new endeavor is Peanut. She hears the hair dryer and comes running into my bathroom "MOMMY!" she shouts, trying to be louder than the hair dryer "IS IT TIME TO GET PRETTY?"


And I nod, so she perches herself on the edge of the tub and waits for me to finish drying my hair. When I am ready she joins me at the vanity and we start getting pretty

First up is powdering our faces, so I do hers first with a powder free brush (but she doesn't know that) and then I do mine (with powder of course.) Then we examine ourselves in the mirror.

"What's next?" she asks.

"This" I answer as I grab the eyeshadow. I put on mine and then move to do hers.

"Is this eyes open or eyes closed?" She asks without fail.

"Closed." I say, as she shuts her eyes and I brush on the very lightest light color and then "blend" it away with my finger.

"And now?"

"And now this!" I show her the mascara.

"Is this eyes open or eyes closed?"

"Closed." and I touch her lashes ever so lightly with the wand.

We evaluate ourselves and decide that some blush is in order.

"Smile!" I say as I brush the super light baby pink color on the apples of her cheeks. Then I do the same on mine in a slightly darker shade.

"What's next?"

"We're all done! What do you think?" I ask, as we peer into the mirror.

"I think we're pretty!" she says as she claps her hands and smiles. I lift her down and her beautified self runs off to play while I do my hair.

Yes, about 2 months ago I decided to fix myself up. And what I got to go along with it was quality time with my Peanut. I knew spending time on myself would make me look nicer...I never imagined it would make me feel so happy.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Streaker

BabyGirl is a streaker.

The child will not leave her diaper tabs alone. The minute I stick them shut, her hand flies down to open them.

There is no more wandering around in a diaper. As soon as I turn around she is one nakey girl.

And she loves being nakey.

She strips that diaper off with great glee. She untabs one side, wiggles out and then kicks it off her from around her ankle with a happy little dance of freedom.

But today she was foiled in her plot to be naked and she did not appreciate it.

Her pants were a little damp at diaper changing time. I didn't want to put a new pair on her so late in the day, but I didn't want her to get her dinner all over her pajamas either. And obviously there was no way I coould leave just a diaper on her.

Unless I put it on backwards.

So I did.

And she didn't like it. At all.

She walked funny and fussed a bit. She shook her legs grumpily and searched for those tabs but she could not get that diaper off.

After a while she forgot about the weird backwards diaper and played happily in her not quite naked state for an hour or so until it was time for a right way diaper and jammies.

Score one for Mommy.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

It's a miracle!

At least to me.

Let me explain.

Our house is 3900 square feet.

And in that vast amount of space I found something I thought was long gone.

Remember this guy?



Remember that he lost his eye? His tiny, little, less than 1/4 inch big eye?

Well this mama has some eagle eyes. It may have taken a few days, some serious looking and a whole lot of luck, but I found Lizardy's missing eye!

Husband immediately handled the emergency surgery.





And a boy and his Lizardy have been happily reunited.


My heart is so happy.

Not the same

At the park with Peanut...

Peanut: Mommy! (She's near hysteria)

Mommy: What?! What?!

Peanut: I have barf in my shoe!

Mommy (remembering well our recent vomiting spell): You have barf? Where?!

Peanut: In my shoe!

Mommy: Where else?!

Peanut: Just my shoe. (she holds up a shoe as a piece of bark flies out) OH! There it is! (She puts her shoe back on and smiles brightly) That's better!

Mommy: Ohhh! Bark! (Mommy breathes a sigh of relief) That's not quite the same thing.

Friday, May 14, 2010

Lizardy

This is Lizardy:


Lizardy is StinkyMan's beloved companion. He's not a lovey in the sense that he goes everywhere StinkyMan goes or even that he can't sleep without him. He can. He just prefers not to.

Lizardy often tells me what StinkyMan is feeling. It is Lizardy who feels sad when StinkyMan loses a board game. It is Lizardy who is smart and knows the answers to things that Mommy doesn't know. If StinkyMan is absolutely sure about something, it's because Lizardy told him so.

StinkyMan is protective of Lizardy. You see Lizardy is a baby, and he needs StinkyMan to take care of him. Lizardy is accepting and understanding of StinkyMan, even when everyone else seems to misunderstand him. In turn StinkyMan loves Lizardy with a fierceness that is undeniable.

But yesterday, a crisis occurred:


Lizardy lost an eye.

We think we know when and where, but truthfully it could have happened anywhere in the house at any time. Husband and I spent the better part of 2 hours combing the carpets and floors downstairs hoping against hope we'd find a chameleon eye.

No luck.

StinkyMan is sad. So sad. He handed Lizardy to me last night and said "I don't want him without his eye. When you find it and put it on you can bring him back to me." and he went to bed with a heavy heart. I, on the other hand, went back to combing the carpet. It killed me that he had every faith in me that I could fix his beloved Lizardy.

It killed me more that I couldn't.

At least, not yet. There are Lizardy doppelgangers on ebay. I will be purchasing at least one, if not two just in case. I showed StinkyMan the picture on ebay and he looked concerned. I could almost hear him thinking "But, I want MY Lizardy" so I assured him that I was simply going to get that other lizard and use it's eye on his Lizardy.

He was so happy he did a little dance and let out a little laugh.

And this mama's heart felt better.

And that, right there, is what being a mom is all about. Going to the ends of the earth (or ebay) to fix your kid's broken heart.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Peanutized

Ring around the posey
Pocket full of rosey
Ashes, ashes
We all fall down!

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Compare and Contrast

My two oldest kids are big into creating "clubs" right now. They can often be found in Curly's room, hammering out rules for one new club or another.

But the thing that made me laugh was that they each have a sign on their door for their own clubs that I think show an accurate reflection of where they are in life at the moment.

This is Curly's:


It says "The Happy Club. My Family and BFFs. Fun, Free!"

But StinkyMan's is not quite so all inclusive:

It says, in not so easy to read writing "NO GIRLS CLUB."

Welcome to your life, Buddy. With Daddy as the only other household member of that club, I think you guys are really outnumbered.

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Happy Mother's Day

Peanut (at tucking in time): Happy Mother's Day, Mommy.

Me: Oh, thank you Baby!

****3 minutes later****

Peanut: Happy Mother's Day, Mommy.

Me: Thank you, sweet girl.

Peanut: Mommy, you hafta say "Happy Mother's Day, Peanut."

Me: Oh, OK, let's try again.

Peanut: Happy Mother's Day, Mommy.

Me: Happy Mother's Day, Peanut.

And with a satisfied smile she closes her eyes and goes to sleep.

Mother's Day

You cannot know how many times I have written and rewritten this entry. Husband gave up on me and went to bed. I've been at it for over an hour now and the words just aren't coming.

How do I accurately describe motherhood? How can I convey the depths of the job of being a mom? How do I put into to words the sheer awesomeness of that responsibility? How can I describe the perks, the pitfalls and the peaks and valleys? Because there are plenty of all of those and we all have them. How to I get across how I really feel about being a mom?

And suddenly, I think I know.

Close your eyes for a minute and think of the greatest thing you have ever done, a day when you were your happiest. What was it? Was it the day you received your college diploma? Was it the day you got a promotion? Maybe it was the day you got married. Maybe it was even the day you had a baby.

Now take whatever that great thing was, and store it in your pocket for a moment.

Now think of a sad thing that happened to you. Maybe you were laid off. Maybe you had a fight and lost a friend. Maybe you got your heart stomped on by a boy who was supposed to love you. Maybe you were betrayed.

Got it?

Now take both those feelings, the happy and the sad.

Multiply them both by 100 minimum.

Happy x 100=

The first time baby smiles at you.

The first "Mama" when you know she means you.

The first wobbly steps he takes.

The first "I love you."

The first great report card.

The first kind act you catch your child doing.

The first time your baby finds a best friend.

The first time you catch on camera that perfect moment that you will look at for years and remember just how amazing it was.

Sad x 100 =

The first shots

The first ear infection

The first teething

When someone hurts your baby's feelings

The first time you send him to school.

When she doesn't need you like you thought she would.

When you realize they aren't babies any more.

When they don't get invited to a party.

When they struggle with something, anything, and you can't fix it.

When they figure out Santa.


If you are already a mom, you are well aware of the truth in what I wrote above. If you are not a mom, words cannot do these feelings justice. Being a mom.... it's like any other job and yet like no other job. It has high points and low points. There are no promotions, but there is always more work to be done. The money is bad, but the perks are amazing.

And though your official job title may be "Mother" most of the mothers I know are really "Mommy" or "Mom" and even the occasional "Mama." Those monikers are earned with love and patience and hugs and understanding.

Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms, Mommies and Mamas. What we do is hard work and you all do it so well. Hug your kids and know that they are the reason you get to celebrate today and pat yourself on the back for all that you do. You deserve it.

Friday, May 7, 2010

Money Saver!

I am not a mopper. I don't mop my floor nearly as much as I should. And when I do, it's not the old fashioned way with a mop and bucket. Oh no. I'm much more likely to grab my Swiffer WetJet and then my steam mop to really get the tile clean.

But today I was out of Swiffer juice and the cheap side of me just could NOT shell out the money for the replacement bottle. Certainly there must be a way to get my own cleaning solution into the bottle I had, right?

And there is! (Stop laughing BFF. I know you think I've gone 'round the bend.) And it can not be done just by turning the cap with all your might. I tried that.

So here you go:

Step 1: Boil about a quart of water in a pan.



Step 2: Once you've got it going, turn it off and, turning your Swiffer bottle upside down like you do when it's in your actual Swiffer, place it in your water, submerging the white cap and a little bit of the actual bottle.


Step 3: Hold it there for about 10 seconds. Get a dishcloth ready for the next step.

Step 4: Take the bottle out and turn that lid to loosen it like you would any other lid, using the dishcloth to get a good grip.

Step 5: TA-DA! Open Swiffer bottle.

So, you can now rinse the Swiffer bottle out well (you don't want to mix chemicals) and pour in any cleaner of your choosing, like PineSol or Mr. Clean or whatever. Me? I'm cheap and sometimes I like to pretend I'm green too, so I use vinegar. To do that I:

Step 1: Pour about 1/4 cup of white vinegar in the Swiffer bottle. A funnel will make that easier. You should get a bigger funnel than mine. Mine is crazy small.

Step 2: Remember that hot hot quart of water? Yep, pour it in the bottle too.

Step 3: Shake it up.

Step 4: Put the lid back on and insert the bottle back into the Swiffer.

Step 5: Mop away!

(Those are StinkyMan's feet. He wanted to help mop. His future wife thanks me.)

If you don't use it all it will keep until the next time, the hot water just helps to get some of the more stubborn spots.

So now my floor is clean and my wallet is a little bit thicker. Who wouldn't like that?

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Freecycle SCORE!

So a lady on my Freecycle Yahoo group offered up a cute desk/hutch combo. I wanted it for Curly's room, but missed out. Then the person who did get it flaked, so she offered it again. And again I missed it, but she told me she would keep my email as a backup. I thought "No way am I getting that thing."

But I did! Curly hasn't seen it yet and when she does she is going to flip her lid! She's been wanting a desk and I've been wanting some better storage. This will work for both of us!

This is the picture the now previous owner sent me so make sure I wanted it:




Cute, right? Perfect for a 7 year old girl! It's real wood, no particle board and with a quick paint stripping and repainting it will be good as new. And of course, minus the gas to go get it one town over, it was FREE!

See? Freecycle is soooo worth it! You should look into how to join your local group. You never know what treasures you may get...or what you might be able to give to someone who will use what you don't want anymore.

http://www.freecycle.org/

Sunday, May 2, 2010

And so the question is....

...which one of my kids has a future as an evil scientist?