Crazed

Lovey kids and loogies

2012-01-24T14:07:00.000-06:00

First of all, mad props to my man for dominating his interviews and getting a sweet promotion. I'm super proud of him : ) Not psyched about him being gone 3 out of the next 4 weeks for training, but I know it's a necessary evil. I'm definitely pacing myself over these next few weeks...easy meals, carefully choosing my cleaning battles, and being a naptime nazi. Nap-less days just aren't an option when this chick is flyin' solo.

So far, the kiddos have been super good. Granted, we've only been alone two whole days, but hey, every hour counts. Just check out this sibling love : )

They hauled every blanket, pillow, and stuffed critter they could find into their playhouse and begged to take their nap in there. They were so sweet. So, I let themmm....stay there until I could grab my camera to snap this pic. Then, I brought them back to reality and put them in their own beds. This momma just doesn't toy with sleep : )

This is a super sweet shot that I wish was a video instead of a pic, but I don't think I'll forget the dialogue anytime soon. Cade was "reading" Eve her favorite book, "Biscuit". It's a super short, simple book about a puppy's bedtime routine. I'm afraid it's given them a super skewed reality of what having a dog will actually be like, but it sure makes for a good bedtime story right now. This dog is basically spoiled rotten. He gets a snack, drink, hug, kiss, blanket, doll, and story before he goes to his bed, and that's still not enough. He then traipses upstairs and steals the little girl's blanket and snuggles at the foot of her bed. Most nights, it's a stretch for my KIDS to get all of those things before going to sleep. A dog? I don't think so.

Well, I have a kind of a big "project" going on right now, but I'm still waiting for some details to work out, so I'm going to keep you in the dark for now. If it doesn't work out, you may never know what was going on : ) Pretty shady, huh?

To make up for keeping things under wraps, I'll leave you with the uplifting words spoken to me by my four-year-old son today, while I was slaving away to prepare his gourmet lunch (turkey and cheese w/ fruit).

Cade- "Hey mommy. You are getting really big."

Now, since I've been trying to explain the growth of Trek and how that affects my size, I was happy he'd finally noticed that my belly was growing. I mean, I am 29 weeks along, after all.

Me- "Yeah. Trek is really making mommy's belly grow, isn't he?"

Cade- "No. Pretty much all over you are getting really big."

I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry...or spit on his sandwich. Just kidding. I wouldn't really spit on my kid's sandwich. But I sure would have if it had been an adult, so watch your back...and your sandwiches.

I wear my sunglasses at night

2012-01-07T23:05:00.000-06:00

Yeah, so I don't even own a pair of sunglasses. My 2 year-old, however, owns 20. Well, maybe not 20...but definitely at least 13 pairs. For some reason, she always seems to have them upside down on her face, which, of course, causes them to slide down her nose. This, consequently, causes what I would describe as a "hissy fit". Cade is usually my OCD kid, but Eve has him topped when it comes to fashion. "Momma, get it right or get outta my face" is generally her motto when I'm doing her hair or attempting to accessorize her. Just check out what happened when she became "fwustawated" with her shades the other night.

Yes, I'm one of those evil women who takes pics of her crying child.

Before you report me to DHS, just know that the waterworks shut off as soon as her brother dug her princess shoes with "Chwismas lights" in the heels out of the depths of the dress up trunk. Whew.

Annnd after a 10 minute battle of wills over whether or not she could wear the glasses to bed, we struck a compromise.

This time, I was the one about to have a hissy fit trying to make those stinkin glasses stay put on the Cabbage Patch doll's watermelon head.

And yet another sunglasses shot.

Yeah, I still have another kid. He just generally avoids the camera unless he's naked, which of course is a no-go on the ole blog. I did snag a few of him while he was too silly or drugged (allergy meds) to notice.

First, here he is in his "drugged" state. He's also in his fav position...spread eagle. He assumes this position whether he is clothed or not. I'm a little tired of seeing his boy junk. He, on the other hand, never grows tired of seeing, shaking, and flaunting it. In fact, he stated a few days ago that boys and girls should all have penises because they're awesome. Let's just hope this fascination tames down before kindergarten : / If not, I can forsee lots of office visits.

And here we have my kids in the throws of their daily ritual. It's called the "mommy just made up the bed, let's destroy it" ritual. Just in case you're wondering, this is not one of the battles I pick every day. I make that bed knowing there's a 50/50 chance it'll survive the rest of the day untouched, and I'm generally willing to take that gamble. I know, I'm such a risk taker.

Speaking of risks...asking Cade to dress himself when I'm in a time crunch is another risk I sometimes take. There's pretty much a 100% chance that it's going to cause a further delay, but my brain-dead self usually forgets this and asks him to do it anyway. Blame it on the baby. Sometimes, he "loses" the clothes I lay out for him and asks me repeatedly where his clothes are. Other times, he layers his clothes over his pjs because he gets focused on a cartoon and he forgets to undress first. But here lately, his trend is to shake things up a bit by using his shirt as pants and his pants as a hat. See?

He'd shucked the hat before I could snap a pic. Sometimes he even stuffs the legs of the pants so that they stand up on top of his head to resemble "ears"(I'm sure he gets this humor from his daddy)

...then he laughs himself to tears, and my crazy, pregnant, temporarily emotionally bi-polar self usually ends up joining him. See what I'm talking about with the delays? At this point, not only am I un-stuffing jeans and dressing this kid, but I'm re-doing eye makeup, as well. In the midst of all this chaos, Eve has probably managed to sneak into the kitchen, unwrap, and devour half a dozen cheese slices.

Oh, and look what Mr. Smartypants did.

Why?

"Well, you said to stop throwing my dirty clothes on the floor." No comment.

I know I've totally skipped the Christmas blogpost. No worries. I'm sure I'll get to it before next Christmas. I will give you a little sneak peek as to how well my kids are treating their brand spankin' new toys, though.

Can I interest you in a game of head-less, ball-less Hungry Hippo, anyone?

The devil wears a Kroger manager's special sticker

2011-12-15T21:34:00.001-06:00

Yes. Yes, he does. Some weeks, these stickers are budget savers. My eyes are trained to spot these suckers from at least 50 yards away. I really do love a good manager's special.

So, imagine my elation when I spotted one in the cooler at the bakery. And no, it wasn't on one of those awful black forest cakes (sorry if you like those...but gah-ross). Nuh uh. This sticker was on the holy grail of desserts.

Cheese. Cake.

$5.99 for a little circular nugget of happiness. I nabbed it and could not wait till the kiddos were out for the night. I had a date with the cheese cake.

I pulled it out of the fridge, ready to cut myself a nice, healthy slice (ha!), but what catches my eye but the stinkin' nutritional facts label. Gag. Seriously. Gag me. 29 grams of fat for 1/8th of the cake!?!?

I'm sure that most folks are already aware of this egregious number, but I don't usually buy a whole pre-made cheesecake. My mother-in-law occasionally supplies me with a luscious homemade, un-labeled cake, or I usually order it in a restaurant...where it is served in gloriously over-sized portions, and is, once again, un-labeled.

I cut my slice, slowly devoured it, and fought the temptation to up my 1/8th serving to 1/4. I triumphed. This time.

Here's a quick glimpse into my kiddos' lives over the last few days.

Cade sprayed about .7 of an ounce of Lacoste cologne on his shirt the other night while he was supposed to be brushing his teeth. Doesn't sound like much cologne? Just check out how many ounces are in your bottle. It's a lot. I've sent this pj top through the wash twice. It'll still knock you out if you get within 5 feet of it.

Eve has worn out the spot of carpet next to the wall which is her "time out" spot. The terrible twos have hit. Hard. Tonight, in the few minutes it took me to change out the clothes from washer to dryer in the laundry room which is directly across the hall from the bathroom, she managed to dump an inch of water on the floor. Literally, an inch.

It makes me eager to have a little Post-it baby (not sure where I heard this term, but I'm adopting it) for a while. Stick em' somewhere and they stay. They don't douse themselves with cologne or rot the subfloor with bath water. Maybe little Trek will rub off on his older siblings a bit. Unlikely, but a gal can hope.

Now, I'm about to indulge a little more (as if a 29 grams of fat slice of heaven weren't enough) with a $5 bottle of nail polish and an episode or 3 of New Girl on Hulu : )

My kids are too....

2011-12-06T14:07:00.001-06:00

Smart. Loud. Funny. Whiney. Strong-willed.

Take your pick. I'm a little skeered of what numero tres is going to be like.

First of all, we have Cade. Cade will correct you if you use "good" instead of "well" and "right" instead of "correct". He doesn't hesitate one bit to let you know that you are failing at something because "maybe it's a little too difficult for you, and you just need a lot more practice." Umm. Yah. He desperately longs to be 6 years old because "all kinds of cool stuff" happens when you are six. In his head, he will be able to ride with only a seat belt, he will be able to ride a school bus, and he will make 400 hundred dollars a day when he reaches the ripe old age of six. Where does this come from? I'm 27 and I've yet to concoct a legal way to make 400 dollars a day.

Then there's the new and ehhhh....improved 2 year old Eve. Granted, she is 100% potty trained--Day and night. No dipes and virtually no accidents. Yes, I do hear the hallelujah chorus in my head every time I think about it--but good night has she thrown us for a loop lately. She can go from helpful to helpless in the blink of an eye. One minute she's belly laughing, and the next she's fuming and trying to hit you. You'd think she was the pregnant one. Grrrr...

Her saving grace here lately has been her humor. For instance, after lunch today, she stated that she was going to sit on the table. Right before she plopped her rump on the table top, I said "Big girls don't sit on top of the table." She looked at me for a few seconds and busted out laughing. "Mommy, you said boogers don't sit on the table!" Now, I know she heard me perfectly. So, in those five seconds of silence after my statement, she concocted something funny in her head that would make me totally forget the fact that she was sitting on the table for the 100th time this week. Instead, I'm now wondering how on earth she came up with that so fast.

This is why I fear #3 sometimes. At the end of almost every day, I feel outsmarted.

Time flies

2011-12-06T14:06:00.001-06:00

Blush...gasp

Almost 6 months since my last post. Really?!?

I won't EVEN try to fill in all the blanks. I'll just hit the really high and really low notes : )

First of all...

Whaaaaat? Yep, if you just stalk my life in blogger world, you didn't know this. I am, indeed, knocked up. No worries. The "baby daddy" is my boyfriend, who also happens to be my husband. Oh, and this is definitely one of the high notes from the last few months : ) I'm 18 weeks, and the kiddos go with us in a little over a week to find out what #3 is. I say boy, Cade says girl, Eve swears it's a baby : )

Yes. Tis true. Baby girl turned 2. She also told her brother to shut up, went out of state without mommy for three nights, and has decided to quit diapers cold turkey. God knew I needed another little one because this one is growing up too stinkin' fast. To celebrate her big day, I made her pink buttermilk biscuits. Her birthday actually fell on the day of the big Mario and Princess soiree she and Cade shared at a local park. This was the first party we've had that wasn't "family only." We asked that no gifts be brought to the party. Best. Decision. Ever. No crying kids. No arguing over the actual ownership of the toys. No chasing tissue paper around the playground when the 30 mph winds kicked up. It was lovely. Lots of Cade's friends showed, and my cake remained in one piece.

I voiced this plea on Facebook, but I want to repeat it on here. Maybe somebody will save a sista next year. If I ever breath a word about making a fondant covered cake again, just slap me. Hard. This was the crumbliest fondant known to man. I divided and dyed into 10 different colors and devoted about 6 hours to it. I would blame this insanity on hormones or something crazy like that, but let's get real. My pregnant body was pleading for me to sleep....not sculpt Princess Peach's head at 1 a.m.

Yeah...so I started this blog post about a month ago, and I'm just now wrapping it up to post. Sad. I know. I'm now 22 weeks pregnant, and it's a BOY! Mr. Trek Archer Slay will be here before we know it. Cade has finally gotten out of the denial stage. He wanted a girl. Some kinda bad. He even felt the need to tell the sonographer "Well, he won't be as big as me when he comes out." Lawdy, let's hope not. I think he's finally wrapped his head around the fact that he will always be older and bigger than his brother. Now, if he can just get over the fact that his name is Trek and not Cade, we'll be ok : )

I would just keep blabbing into the next topic, but I should probably cut this one off right here and just start a new one. Maybe it'll be published before New Year's. Maybe.

Ain't that a kick in the head?

2011-05-17T22:12:00.000-05:00

No, I'm not talking about love. I literally feel like I've been kicked in the head. Repeatedly. With a pointed, steel-toed boot. But I haven't been kicked. In fact, I've barely been touched lately because it hurts too bad. No, what I have is shingles.

No offense, but I totally thought shingles was something only old people got. On top of that, I thought they were just being whiny babies about the pain. Well, it turns out a 27 year old CAN get it, and if anything, they down-played the pain. It hurts. It hurts like nobody's business. Now, I'm wishing it WAS an ear infection (what I thought it was when I went to the doc yesterday).

Blogging should be the last thing on my mind right now, but seeing how my contact with the world will be pretty limited for a while, I'm probably going to end up blogging more than usual. Plus, I'm suuuuper sleepy from my herpes meds (just sounds funny to me), and I have a boy who is fighting sleep some kinda hard. My mom volunteered to take Eve off of my hands for the night, so he's sleeping in their room solo...something I don't think he's ever done. He's usually the one jetting off to greemaw's every chance he gets, but alas, he has a date with the dentist tomorrow, so he had to sit this one out. When I just tucked him back in for the 4th time, he told me that he can't sleep without his sister. Sweet.

Speaking of sweet, my little man is already learning the art of wooing. While he was running through his nighttime hygiene routine, he decided he'd like to weigh himself. After he weighed himself 10 times, he decided it was mommy's turn. He excitedly asked how much I weigh, and I answered him by telling him "too much!" He thought about it for a few minutes, then he said "Mommy, you don't weigh too much. You are juuuuust fine."

Well, I guess I'm off to attempt to wash all this horrid product out of my hair. I had no idea when I got ready this morning that mousse was a no no. After researching for a bit, I've learned that it can actually increase irritation on my poor, diseased scalp and cause my hair follicles to die. WHAAAT?!? I sooo do not plan on losing half of my hair at this ripe old age, so I'm about the wash like nobody's business...or until I feel like fire is flowing through my veins. Oh, and even lukewarm water feels like molten lava on my scalp, the inside of my right arm from wrist to elbow, and the last two fingers on my right hand, so this should be interesting.

Yeah...this is some pure craziness. Hoping for a speedy recovery or for some amazing pain meds to show up on my doorstep : )

3 going on 16

2011-05-14T19:04:00.000-05:00

I would've said 3 going on 30, but a 30 year old would have the sense not to say this to his momma : O

Just a tiny snippit of our day...it's been a doosie.

Me-"Cade, Eve is getting a treat because she's done such a great job eating. If you want one, you need to eat some more of your dinner. You have to make that choice."

Cade- "I'm not gonna eat anymore. I don't want a treat."

5 minutes later

Cade-"Mom, I think I deserve my treat now."

Me- "No, Cade. You did not eat your supper, and it's not for you to decide whether or not you get the treat. That's mommy's job."

Cade- "But it's not your job. You said I hab to make a choice. I made a choice not to eat my supper. Now, I want to make the choice to get a cookie. I decided that's my choice. See, that's how I do myyyyy job mom. It's not yooouuur job. I make bacisions (decisions)."

Ummm yeah.

Pickin' and choosin'

2011-05-09T17:31:00.001-05:00

As I was sitting across from the "napping" kids' room, working on printing out some coupons, I heard the click of the door. Cade was up. Well, I guess he was never technically down, but oh well. I just dropped my hubs off at the airport for a 4 day business trip, so I'm pacing myself and choosing my battles wisely. Late afternoon nap is most definitely not one of them. Early bedtime, however, will be : )

Anywho, Mr. Mischief peeks around my door frame with a chesire cat grin on his face and announces he's awake. "I've been reading my bible in my bed, mom. I read some great stories. I read bout the prodigal son (he even got the d and g in the right order...I know a handful of adults who can't even to that)," he says. All the while, he is inching into what space is left behind me in the chair and choking..err..hugging me from behind.

After inspecting his bed, a bible has in fact materialized and is hiding beneath his sheet. I also discovered that his sister, who was in deep slumber only 30 minutes ago, is now bouncing up and down in her crib. Hmmm...no idea how that happened.

So, you see why I'm choosing my battles carefully these days. With his charm and his daddy's eyes, I'm afraid I may engage in battle and lose to my little guy : ) If ditching nap time to read his bible is his worst offense over the next few days, I think we just might make it.

P.S. Those women who always talk about how much easier it is to drop their husband off at the airport with each business trip...you lie. Not nice. Not nice, at all.

Scrugglin

2011-05-05T15:57:00.000-05:00

Tag team back again...

Yeah. You can thank me later for getting some good ole-school "Whoomp there it is" in your noggin. Bring back memories? Yeah, it takes me for a fun jog down memory lane, too. Man, I thought I was some kinda cool with my dolla stoe boom box and my cassette single of this song. Fun times. But this is soooo not where I was going with the whole "tag team" bit.

Meet the new tag team in town.

Cute, huh? Yeah, when they're SLEEPING! Well, they usually play pretty well together after their naps, so I'll count that as a cute time, too.

Oh. My. Stars. These two have given me a run for my money over the past few days. In the last week, there's been fever, boulders disguised as teeth trying to make their way through Fancy's gums, overflowance of dipes, sinus infections, antibiotics (which cause an overflowance from the one not in a dipe...gahross), and att-i-tude in abundance. Oh, did I mention the attitude?

Lawsy mercy, I thought I'd reached my end last night. I'm pretty sure Brandon was bracing himself for an explosion or an attempt to fly the coup last night. Love that man. Without his sanity, I'm pretty sure I'd be rocking myself to the humming of a lady named Nora in the padded cell next to mine at the state mental hospital. No idea where Nora came from, but she sounded good, so I'm rollin' with it.

Up to this point, it's pretty much just been Cade sassing me and Eve about anything and everything under the sun, and Eve screaming like a banshee every time Cade looked at her the wrong way.

They've pretty much been running their own shows, and warring fiercely against one another. Sounding kind of like something straight out of WWE, right? Well, here's another move straight out of the wrestling rink...those little stinkers learned the art of tag-teaming. Seriously. I thought this was just something that twins did to their parents. Nope, it turns our my two are capable...and not only capable, but born professionals.

Eve gets mommy's attention by destroying the train track while Cade raids the fridge...

Cade diverts mommy by sending the folded clothes down the slide (pop-up tunnel with one end on the couch and the other on the floor) while Eve empties mommy's sewing trash bag all over the kitchen...

Eve lures mommy to the babygate (which is keeping them in their room for a few minutes of sanity) with the meltdown of the century while Cade sneaks out the bathroom door entrance to their room...

It literally goes on and on because this has been the majority of my day.

I'm not too worried, because just like any wrestling tag-team, somebody will tick off the other and they'll be separate entities once again. Until then, don't be surprised if you don't see me in public with them.

In the meantime, I'm just going to have to visit my Lightroom albums frequently, and remind myself that they really are good, loving kids. They're just having a bit of a rough patch...together : /

Here are the sweetnesses at their best.

Especially love these next two : )

This may be the last post until Team Anarchy decides to break up. Hopefully, the duo will return to their normal, semi-obedient selves soon and very soon. If not, I'll be off to see Nora.

Feelin' like a criminal

2011-03-23T16:58:00.000-05:00

I just got back from the consignment sale, and I am feeling a little guilty. Ok, #1, some of those consignors basically GAVE their stuff away. For reals. #2, I ended up having some "help" at checkout, and I didn't spend a dime. Well, I guess now that I think about it, it was a pretty stinkin' awesome trip. Here's the loot.

Almost spotless Ked's, pink Converse, and mint condition Sand Suns (Which are boys, but who cares? Hopefully her friends won't make fun of her.)

That is a smocked Petit Ami set that I got for...sit down and control your gag reflexes...$4. The denim romper is Ralph Lauren, and was the same price. Not a spot on them.

I was a sucker for these : )

Super cheap playclothes

The only decent things I saw for Cade. And believe me, I looked..and looked. There were some dirt cheap Kelly's Kids seersucker shorts that I nabbed.

Fancy's hat that greemaw decided was a "must have"

Total: Just under $90

I'm not sure whether I should wash it and put it away, or hide it under my mattress to keep the cops from seeing it when they find out what I paid for such great stuff.

Now here's the shameless plug, and no, I'm not getting paid or compensated in any way, shape, or form (but I'm not opposed to it, either). Go to the All 4 Children Consignment sale tomorrow and Friday from 9-5. On Saturday, things will be half off! I shopped early because I had volunteer hours, so think about that next time this sale rolls around. It's worth it to raid the racks early. It's at the Ag Museum off Lakeland. Seriously. Go.

Oh, and you can shop early for $10 this evening. Here's their link

http://www.all4childrenconsignment.com/

Whew...shopping with kids and two posts in one day have wiped me out.

She's a lady

2011-03-23T10:39:00.000-05:00

Well, she tries to be anyway. We just call her "Fancy". Eve is a bonafide girly girl. You'd think she was my sister's kid. Aunt Shell is covered in sparkles, pink, and perfume. Me...ummm...not so much. So how did my girl get to be such a...girl? Don't get me wrong, I think it's funny and cute how slipping a princess dress on her can transform her, and how makeup brushes and jewelry make her eyes twinkle. It's reeeaally funny when you tell her she's fancy and she starts movin' those little hips and dancin' her hiney off. Now that, she did get from me : O I dance every time I'm called fancy, too. Who doesn't?

So, this morning looked like it was going to be a continuation of last night's whine fest with her. I was getting so frustrated because as I was trying to eliminate the gargantuous pile of clean clothes that my dryer keeps puking out into the hallway, she was clinging to me like a leech (and kinda draining the ooomph outta me like one of those nasty suckers, too). As I was hanging clothes in the kids' closet with her whiney behind planted firmly on my left foot, I spotted the lavender Fancy Nancy dress that she loves sooo much (kudos to greemaw). I slipped the magical concoction of cheap polyester and scratchy tulle over her head, and she turned into a new kid. There must be magical powers in polyester. Maybe that's why they wore so much of it in the 70's. I wonder if I could bottle the stuff...hmmm....

Oh, and who knew that Victoria's Secret underwear could be such a great mood changer? She's pretty much convinced that my underwear worn around her neck is THE ultimate accessory, and an accessorized "Fancy" is a happy "Fancy". I've even seen her pile on as many as 4 pairs. She was pretty much euphoric. Watch out pearls. VS's Pink are comin' for ya.

Here's a little fanciness...

I used to be able to pull off one heckofa french mani/pedi. This is what happens when your home pedi is interrupted umpteen times by playdoh crises, a poopy booty needing to be wiped, and a dumpster diving kid. Polish remover, I'm on my way. It seems that two coats of a single color is the way to go in this stage of my life.

Not so psyched about a toe nail re-do, but I AAAMMM pretty stoked about going to shop at the All 4 Children's consignment sale at 1 today with my volunteer pass. Of course, both kids will be in tow, so there's the potential for an utter fail, but let's hope for the best.

Catch up...

2011-03-14T17:36:00.000-05:00

Holy molies. It's been almost two months since my last post. Needless to say, it's been a little biz-ay round here. No worries, though. I'm about to get you up to date on Slay happenings in about 60 seconds...

We sold our little piece of country and traded it for big city life...haha (Brandon).

We looked at houses here, got transfer offers, looked at houses in other states, decided moving away was a no-go for now, and moved into an apartment as a compromise...closer to hubby's work, easier to move when/if we get an offer that IS a go.

Brandon and I went to ATL for a spur of the moment 3 day getaway.

Cade turned into a teenager. Well, it seems that way, at least. For reals, the boy has grown and talks non-stop.

Eve officially has asthma and about 4 more teeth.

I sewed three curtains, two pillows, two bags, a pair of pants, and a dress. Still have mountains of fabric.

I opted to sell my strugglin swagger wagon. I decided I wanted a CR-V...then a Pathfinder...then an Xterra because it was a little more rugged and sporty. In the end, I got a Jeep Wrangler. Score. Perfecto.

There's probably been a few dozen meltdowns, funny/embarrassing public moments, and nearly certifiably crazy moments with me and the kids, but who's counting?

About 3 hours ago, my living room floor was a sea of kettle corn.

And about 45 minutes ago, I nearly blinded myself while searing chicken in oil that was way too hot.

Ok. Up to date. Now for pics.

My little asthmatic pistol

You can take the girl out of the country...

Loves the playground

Mud. Bare feet. Cool playground. Can't beat it.

Sweet.

The mystery is solved

2011-01-11T16:57:00.000-06:00

For Christmas, Brandon and I bought Cade a set of Bible story books that were still easy to read, but had a little more substance than the super short versions in his toddler Bible. One of them is the story of Adam and Eve. We've read the story countless times, and afterwards he always gives me a re-cap, but it's always incorrect whenever he comes to the dialogue between Eve and the snake in the story. This is the usual converstaion...

"Mommy, the snake told Eve "no, no don't eat dat apple", but God said "yes" eat it."

I would always correct him and tell him that it was the other way around. I would explain why God didn't want her to take the fruit, and how it hurt God for them to disobey. He'd still give me the same summary 5 minutes later.

Well, today, his reasoning for this came out.

After going through the whole routine of correcting him, I asked why he kept saying God told her to eat it. He said, "Mommy, God wouldn't want Eve to be hungwry. Dat snake is mean, and he wanted to take her food!" My heart smiled. He knows that God is the Great Provider. Now, I must be sure to teach him about the jealous God who wants our obedience and fellowship.

Well, that mystery is solved. Now if I can just get him to stop randomly shouting "Let my people go! I'm gonna turn a stick into a snake and he's gonna eat you!" Yeah...he's coming up with his own little Bible story blend : /

Word on the street is...

2011-01-07T22:03:00.001-06:00

I can't think of anything profound or productive to say, so I'm just gonna share some things I've heard other people say lately. It's fun to listen : )

After the register rejected one of my coupons and a cashier had to call the manager, this cashier looks to the man behind me in line and says "I don't even know why dese women be trying to use dese croupons when de stuff is already on sale"...like I couldn't hear her. Geez. Instead of giving a tutorial on matching coupons with sales, I opted not to, and had the four cans of soup taken off my order and re-shelved. Hollybush Dollar General...not "croupon" friendly.

While looking through the remnant bin at Hobby Lobby, I heard an older lady talking to a lady who was buying fabric to sew for her grand daughter. The older lady whined about how time-consuming sewing is, and the seamstress stated that she didn't have a husband or anyone else in the house, so she had lots of free time. The older lady told her that was a good thing, because seamstresses can't sew and have families, too. She said "They just can't be good housekeepers and still be able to do all that blame sewing. I bet their kids just fall all over garbage and their husbands don't get any real food." Ever heard of balance? Obviously not.

Ok, the next was an encounter with an older lady at Kroger. She grabbed a block of cheese that was B1G1 free, and walked back towards her cart. I let her know that she could get another block or bag for free since it was B1G1. She said "Oh, I'm just not a bargain shopper. I don't have the time to look for deals and such." IT'S FREE! I thought about asking for her number to see if I could shop alongside her from now on and get all the free and discounted stuff she neglects to pick up.

Now, on to my little man child. This kid says some stuff that is straight whack.

"Mommy, look at this page (a page in his book, "Jesus and His Friends"). There's Jesus, John, and Pooter." Sorry Peter : /

As I was getting my ghetto on in the kitchen (dancing), he said "Mommy, you needa stop! Somebody can see you doin that. You not dancin good mommy." Guess I'm not quite the dancer I thought I was.

He is quite the lyricist, as well. He has come up with many complementary tunes which mimic, but should not be confused with the ever-famous "Pants on the ground". These are just a few

"Poop on the Ground"

"Pee in the Tub"

"Pee in the Bed"...are you seeing the theme?

"Poop on the Rug"

"Plates in the sink"...just to break up the excrement monotony.

And, the phrase that we have been trying to eradicate from his vocabulary. So far, our attempts have been futile...

"Oh my gawsh"...all the time. "Oh my gawsh, I can't bewieve you did that." "Oh my gawsh, Eve is lookin so cute." "Oh my gawsh, this food is wreally awesome, mommy. You use butter and chwocolate?" (a little too much Paula)

Told you. Nothing profound. Just a little taste of the last few days.

On a different note. I think I may have developed an addiction to sewing home decor items. I've been so focused on sewing clothing, I haven't sewn anything decor-wise, except for Eve's bedding. It's just sad. I've decided I'm tired of my home looking like it came out of a box or bag, which until now, it has :/ I'm customizing like nobody's business. It will be a slow process due to super low fundage, but I'm determined for this home to look like "home" and not a neutralized, staged house. Pics to come.

**I do have a deeper post saved and on the back burner. It was getting too serious too quickly, so I hit pause. I'll re-visit it someday when my sewing machine isn't whispering my name.

Stretchin' that dough

2010-12-28T10:53:00.000-06:00

I will start off by saying I am NOT the coupon guru...yet. Ha! Bahahaha.

*Side note- I've wanted to type the sound of my laughter with a "b" at the beginning of it for so long just to see what it feels like. Yep. It feels just as dumb as it looks. I'll never do it again. Promise.

Ok...enough rabbit chasing. For the past two months, I have been shaving a considerable amount off our weekly grocery bill, and I'm pretty happy with the breathing room in the budget. I've always thought couponing was a massive waste of time with little payoff. Well, the way I was doing it WAS a massive waste of time. I was using like .40 coupons on $3 items and thinking "What's all the fuss about?" Then, I took an hour or so, went to the Southern Savers site (but don't go there yet!), and learned how couponing really works.

First of all, I learned that clipping the coupons out of the paper and making a grocery list of all the things I want for the week without regard to sales, coupon values, or cycles (we'll get there) isn't going to save me squat. This is what I was doing.

Second of all, I learned that organization was key. I was sticking a few coupons in my wallet and pulling them out at the store to find those items, only to see that even with the coupon, they were usually more than the store brand version. Boo.

I'm not going to give a full tutorial because the SS site link above will take you to a plethora of couponing knowledge. It was honestly my sole resource for getting started and remains my primary resource. Disclaimer, though. The author is not from Jackson, so all of her Kroger deals are not the same as ours (if you're in Jackson). I've learned to double check our local ads before I race out expecting the same deals.

Sales- There are some things that we need every week that don't really go on sale. I could probably go to 5 different stores and find these items cheaper than I do at Kroger, but I'm frugal, not a lunatic. I most def would need to be committed after I attempted 5 stores with my kids. But lots of things DO go on sale. I just had to learn, and am still learning, when. There are some weeks when very few things are on sale, and that stinks. The key is to already be stocked up on those things from the week(s) they were dirt cheap. This leads me to cycles.

Cycles- Most food, and even non-food items, have cycles. They reach their peak and bottom prices at certain times throughout the year. I still haven't gotten completely on the cycle with groceries, but I'm inching closer. The trick is to buy them when they are at their cheapest, and buy enough to last until they are that cheap again. For instance, I bought like 10 boxes of GM cereals about 5 weeks ago during Kroger's mega event for around .60 a box...not the small boxes either. We still have Cheerios. Chex also went on sale a couple of weeks ago, and we have a box or two of that left, too. I probably won't buy cereal for a couple more weeks because it's not ripe for the picking yet. I will never go back to buying a $3+ box of cereal. It makes me sick to even think about it. Blech.

Coupons- Not all coupons are created equally. The SS site has info on where to get your coupons, and she even tells you how to use them to maximize them. I just get mine from the Sunday paper, online, and I've even ordered some from The Coupon Clippers. I know it sounds crazy to pay for coupons, but I only buy the ones that are super high value coupons (Buy 1 get 1 free on Axe, $3 off our dog food, $2 off Digiorno pizza are some of the ones from my last order.) Some coupons just don't come out in our area, and I'm most def willing to pay .20 for a $2 coupon (+ the cost of a stamp). You have to make sure you're buying a manufacturer coupon and not a store coupon, though. Publix sure releases some enticing ones. I'd basically be willing to move just to shop at Publix : ) I mean, have you had their key lime pie?

Ok. So where's the loot? I'm getting there o ye of little patience. Just remember, I'm shopping in cycles, so I don't have 4 packages of meat, grains, etc. I stocked up on those things when they were on sale. BTW, I haven't paid more than .20 for a package of pasta in months. Most of it's been free. Several times I even made money from buying pasta. We really like our pasta. Especially when it's free.

Ok. Here we go. First off, Walgreen's.

This is my first transaction. Why multiples? Because I knew how many Register Rewards (RR from here on out) I would get from the purchase of certain items, and I wanted to use them for the purchase of other items. They don't print until you pay, so you have to split your transactions. Also, you can only get a RR once for each offer. That's why the Herbal Essences are split up. I'll do my best to explain everything I did, but I'll probably leave something out. Sorry. I'm being orbited by two balls of energy, and daddy's sick in the bed. This is sanity blogging at its best.

Vicks stuff-$8 worth of coupons from the Proctor and Gamble (I will use P&G from here on out as the abbreviation) insert in the paper, $10 RR for spending $20 (RR are calculated before coupon savings)= appr. $2 for all of it

Chex- I didn't have any coupons on hand, but they are on sale for .99 a bag, and you get $1.50 RR for buying 3= appr. .50 each

Gillette razor-$4 P&G coupon, $4 RR= $1.99

Herbal Essences- On sale for 2.99, Buy 1 shamp/cond Get 1 styler free coupon, $1 RR= $1.99 for both

Those were all my RR items. These are the other deals as best I can recall.

Dawn- .99 Walgreen's coupon (made product .99, not .99 off)+.25 manufacturer coupon= .74

Secret Deo- They were B1G1 50% off. I had a $2 off Secret Flawless coupon and another .50 coupon for any Secret deo, so I got one that was cheaper. You can use a coupon for each item with B1G1. = appr $2 for both

Walgreen's storage bags- store coupon made them .99 each

The savings

I got $16.50 in RR from that purchase to use on transaction #2

Receipts are in the bedroom with the sick hubs, and I'm losing steam with remembering the final cost on things. Forgive me.

Chunky soups- Walgreen's coupon made them 2/$3 + $1.50 off 3 coupon= 4.50 for 4 (not my best deal on soup, but we needed them)

Always- On sale for $5.50+ $1 P&G coupon= 4.50

Tampax Pearl- On sale for $6.99+ $2 P&G coupon= 4.99

Olay soap-B1G1 50%, $2 off coupon

Herbal Essences-$1 off coupon + $1 RR printed out= .99

Now, I used my $16.50 on top of all my coupons (number of coupons, including RR can not exceed number of items...there's always gum and chap stick for filler items)

And voila...here's my second receipt.

Pretty sweet.

Okay, the next pics really display the sewing mess that is my buffet, the gunk left on my table from dinner that was consumed by my fam while I was away on my euphoric savings binge that I didn't bother to clean off before documenting the event, and even the mess in the living room. Oh. Well. Also, my pics are too warm, and half of them are crooked and out of focus. You're getting the idea here...

Ok. Like I said, I think I used 3 coupons at Kroger. I ran into a major manager's special display. Major. I bake. A lot. Most of it goes to my husband's work, the rest goes to my thighs. I cook a lot in general... always 1 meal a day, sometimes 3. So all these dirt cheap baking and cooking goodies were like hitting the jackpot. Once again, the receipts are in the infirmary, and I'm not going in there to retrieve them right now. I neglected to take a pic of the receipt, and I am waaaay too lazy to do that now, mid-blog. Nuh uh. You're just going to have to believe me.

I'll just be hitting a few highlights...

Hansen's Natural Apple Juice $1 each

Chicken Broth appr. .40 each

French Fried Onions appr. .50 each

Nothing spectacular here. Just necessities.

A few of the baking goodies.

Candy coating (almond bark) .70 each! It's usually around 2.70 per package (note: there is no "appr." before the .70 price...I remember this one clearly : )

Brown sugar appr. .60 each

More necessities...

Charmin on sale for $8.50 or so - $3 Kroger ecoupon (go to Kroger.com and load coupons to your card)

Except for the tomatoes, these cans were .20 and .30 each. I had a .50 coupon for 2 evap milks, so they were even cheaper. If you use "cream of" soups, you know this is 1/5th to 1/6th of their regular price.

$187.08 worth of stuff for $116.66. I've only been spending $60-$70 per week on groceries, but I went ahead and took advantage of the opportunity to stock up on these super cheap staples. Next week I'll only need produce and maybe a little meat.

If you hadn't noticed, I'm far from a brand slave. I could care less who makes it. I want value and quality. I don't care who I have to buy from to get it.

I also got some sewing goodies from Hancock's. They weren't rock-bottom prices, but they were all at least 30% off.

1 yd Wonder Under @30% off

2 yards of solid corduroy @ 50% off (about $3.50 per yard)

1 yard of print corduroy @ 50% off (about $5 per yard)

3 yards of elastic @ 30% off

Buttons .10

Button cover blanks @ 30% off

$20ish

The notions were all things I needed to move forward with project already in progress, so I didn't feel like shopping around too much.

So, that was my little adventure. Here are a few other things I can think of right off the bat that we do to save money.

Minimal driving- There's no such thing as a "quick trip" to the store for us. It's a 20 minute drive no matter what we need. I try to plan to shop when I'm already going to church or appointments. Also, stores start their sales on different days. It's key to find one day when they all overlap. Otherwise, you'll be making trips multiple times a week.
Cloth diapering- I try to use them as much as possible. I use disposables when we are out and about, but I try to use only cloth at home. I usually buy one pack of generic dipes a month.
Thermostat control- I try to keep the heat on 67. Try. I also try to make sure I let as much sunlight in as possible to heat our home naturally.
I dilute the kids' juice. They get plenty of fruits and veggies from meals and snacks. They are just drinking to hydrate. So when they get a cup of juice, I dilute it. Juice ain't cheap.
Eating at home- I try to cook every night if at all possible. If I know we won't be home for a meal, I try, try, try to make something that's portable. It's more difficult in cold weather because you can't eat outdoors, and Starbuck's at Renaissance doesn't take too well to you eating your home-cooked food at their cafe. Even if you are a paying customer. Just a heads up.
Cook enough for leftovers- It's my goal for every meal to produce enough leftovers to feed all of us lunch the next day.
Get your coffee fix before heading out, or take it with you. Even if you don't think you'll want coffee, go ahead and take some to-go. I know my van is cosmically drawn to the Grant's Ferry Seattle Drip. Must. Fight. The. Craving. International Delights creamers are awesome, and they don't have that partially hydrogenated mess.
Downgrade your cable or satellite. Who needs 300 channels?
Use re-usable grocery bags- Not only can you fit more stuff in them (less trips to and from the car), but you get .03 per bag discount. It's not much, but every little bit counts....besides, I use them mostly for the convenience, not the discount or the green-ness. Shhh. Don't tell anyone : /

Tip for iPhone users. The iBank app is great. You can link your bank accounts to it, set up monthly budgets, and input expenses via import from your online bank statement or from your phone at the time of your purchase. Great stuff to get husband and wife on the same page!

I hope I haven't totally confused you. Don't even start the whole "I don't have the patience, brains, or time for this" spill. Been there done that. I don't have an over-abundance of free time, math was always my worst subject in school, and I'm a mother of two preschoolers, so I think you can understand the current condition of my nerves. It's really not that hard. You just have to learn a few basic concepts, then you're set. It's so much fun to save money, and your man will appreciate your effort to make the money go further. He'll even start asking you if you have a coupon for something he wants before he purchases it : )

Now go forth and save some money!

It's the most greediest time of the year..

2010-12-14T22:38:00.003-06:00

Yes. I realize "most greediest" is horrible grammar. Oh well.

So why don't I have a super cheery, Christmasy title today? Because I'm getting so jaded with this whole thing we've dubbed Christmas. It feels like I'm WRONG for not overindulging my kids by spending boocoodles of dough on garbage for them to open, lose or destroy, and then trash before the end of January. Have I missed something?

I jokingly posted as my facebook status today that my car was going to get keyed whenever Cade finally went to school because all the moms would be mad that he burst their babies' Santa bubble. Yes, I told Cade that Santa is not a real person. Honestly, I think he's pretty creeped out by the whole idea of this old man in red velvet (I mean...isn't that just a little shady?) coming to his house in the middle of the night. And guess what? He's still psyched about Christmas. He knows mommy and daddy aren't buying him tons of toys. Not once this year have I told him that he would or wouldn't get a toy for Christmas based on his behavior, and he acted just fine. This is the kind of kid that I WANT to sacrifice for and give a meaningful gift to. I've been told "Oh, you just wait a couple of years. He'll be expecting all kinds of stuff at Christmas, and you'll have to stop being a cheapskate and buy that boy some real presents." What the heck? Do people honestly think that switches just flip in people randomly and they expect things that they've never had? Kids respond to our actions. They expect what is given to them. They exhibit behaviors repeatedly because they're allowed or encouraged to.

Whew...got all deep and opinionated fast. I know I'm not right about everything, and I tend to get rubbed the wrong way by lots of things, but I really don't think this is one of those things. I genuinely feel like we've seriously jacked up Christmas. Man, how did we get this far from a manger? I've asked Cade probably 10 times today "What is Christmas really about?", and he tells me it's Jesus's birthday. And sometimes he gives me this "Oh, mom. Again?" look, but I don't care. It's scary to see the look in his eyes when the Target commercial comes on and he sees these kids ripping through gifts and the song says they're feeling "electric jewels of jubilation", and if we have to have the discussion 20 times a day to keep our focus, I'm game. I thought electric jewels of jubilation was something you saved for the honeymoon...really, when you think about it, the wording is a bit absurd.

I volunteer at a place that supplies food and "care" for people in need...I hate the term food pantry because it's so much more. But here lately, I've been so frustrated with the inquiries of whether or not we can provide "Christmas" for their children. I was literally told that if we couldn't provide presents, they they were just going to skip Christmas this year. I was floored. Since this was someone who spoke openly about believing in God, I felt compelled to share that Christmas happens no matter what. Jesus was born, and that doesn't change.

Insert blank stare.

I really think this concept has never crossed many people's minds. It baffles me that people can't connect the dots here. I mean, first of all, the greed and overabundance is just wrong, but I don't understand how we can't make other connections. Like, we have lots of resources. People in other areas don't. We should share. Even our homeless have a decent life compared to kids in other countries. I mean, my dog, and I'm not a big lovie dovie dog person, has it better than some of these people. Here's an example of this extreme poverty and sickness that I ran across recently. Makes me sick to think how much further $25 would go over there. Honestly, it won't buy a halfway decent toy here.

So, once again, we will be the people who give either handmade things or charitable gifts in the names of our family members. And some of those people and people we know will think we're lame-o cheapskates, but that's ok. I'm not willing to throw His money down a drain just to appease.

I'm sorry if this came off as a rant. It probably was a rant, and I think I'm fine with that. It's ok to get fired up about some things, and you're an observer with free will, so if you made it to this point, you probably didn't disagree too terribly much.

I'm going to link a few sites where you could give charitable gifts this Christmas. I'm sure there are others, but I know people who have experience with these.

http://www.heifer.org
https://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/Giving/gift_catalog/
http://www.charitywater.org/
http://www.bloodwatermission.com/
http://www.pinelake.org/stewardship.php

Oh, and how about a little cuteness?

And some that aren't quite so cute?

And we're back to the cuteness

Maybe I'll have a cheerier post another day. Funny thing is that I'm actually in a really good mood today, so don't get this vision of a harried hag pounding away at her keyboard. I know there's lots of good people with good intentions in this world. I just think we need to turn our focus outward more often...beyond the walls of our home. I think the best gift we can give our families is a good understanding of what Christmas truly means, and I think we do Jesus a disservice by stopping at the fact that He was born. Yes, Christmas is a time to celebrate His birth, but it's also a great time to live out what He did and commands us to do as His children.

A lovely daaaaayyy..

2010-12-07T17:19:00.000-06:00

Impromptu rez pics tend to be our best ones. We decided to pack a lunch and head to Lakeshore. I'm so glad we did. The ducks were plentiful, the sun was warm, and the kids were photogenic. It doesn't get much better than that : )

Not sure what this face was all about, but I love it.

This boy was on the move. Eve dominated the lens today.

I've said it a hundred times, and I'll say it a hundred more...wrapped.

Sweetness

Don't be fooled. She was not walking at this point...but she is now : )

Tha view

Treasure

Eventually, I'll get to a deep post. I just wanted to spread some of this cuteness around...the kids, not me : /

Candyween

2010-12-07T17:11:00.000-06:00

No costumes. No scary stuff. Just good ole candy consumption. Simple and sweet....literally.

Birfaday Partay

2010-12-07T17:08:00.000-06:00

This year, instead of the kids getting a bunch of toys, Brandon and I had the idea to get everyone to chip in and buy/build a playset for the back yard. I was thinking this was going to be an ongoing thing that we would add to over the next year or so. Nope. The grandparents blew it out of the park. The kids have a ginormous set that will be enjoyed for years...not to mention memories of a sweet day with all their family. We partied from lunch till after dark. Such a fun day!

Cade sliding before the slide was even attached...he was psyched.

Big Daddy...big feet

Mad props to my FIL who constructed the whole tower prior to that day.

Are you ready? Ha...Just for you Tyler.

Cade's "rustic" train cake

Eve's strawberry cupcakes with white chocolate shavings

Not sure what to do here

Cake eating expert

Yeah...this party was def mid October. I'm such a slacker

These are a few pics of the kiddos enjoying their playset since the party

Luke loves the sand. Especially when it's being piled onto his back.

Birthday breakfast on his actual birthday. Waffles...yumm : )

Soooooooo behind...

2010-12-07T16:39:00.000-06:00

The past couple of months have absolutely flown by! I'm about to play catch up for a pic. The next few posts will be mostly pics and a few Cade funnies. Enjoy!

He gets it

2010-11-10T16:37:00.000-06:00

Nope. Not dead. Just dead tired. Took on way too much over the past month, and my bootay, and sleep schedule has paid the price. I've wanted to spew on here many times since the last post, but I felt guilty because I had so many other things that needed to be done. Silly, huh? Like having thoughts and emotions suddenly ceases when the calendar looks like it threw up...ha. I think they actually multiply. Well, I'll catch up later...maybe next week. For now, I just wanted to share something that made me proud and convicted the mess out of me today. Here's the convo...and a pic of that sweet lil' man, with whom I was speaking, in his new swing. More about the swing later, though.

"Mommy, where's daddy?" (for the hundredth time this morning)

"Cade, you know he's at work."

"Oh ok. He's at the store with his fwriends?"

"Well, he's at work, and yeah, I'm sure some of the people are his friends."

"Mommy, why he has to go to work?"

"Well, daddy has to work hard so we can have the things we have. If daddy didn't work, mommy couldn't stay home with you, we wouldn't have a place to live, and we wouldn't be able to buy food and clothes."

Silence...he walks away.

30 seconds later...

"He also goes work to give man food and money dat doeshn't have any."

He's 2, and he gets it. He gets that just because we work and make money, it doesn't mean that it's ours to go and blow. We have the God-given ability to work, and we have the God-given responsibility of using those resources to care for others.

We stopped about a month ago on Lakeland Dr. and gave a guy a few bucks at a red light. Cade was totally confused, so I explained why we did that, and let him know what that guy's circumstances may be. This Sunday, we left cans behind our vehicle at church for a food drive, and I again explained why we were doing that. They see. They remember. They understand. And one day, they will act based on these experiences. I get chills about my 2 year old have a heart for the hurting and hungry.

Take the time. Explain. And Give. It's not yours anyway.

Let me be still

2010-09-04T00:38:00.003-05:00

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Ok. How many walls have you seen this on? I first saw this prayer on a plaque with 5 too many coats of polyurethane on it in my granny's bathroom. I saw it in almost every senior citizen Sunday school room at church. I saw it in e-mails of people who had lost someone or had been diagnosed with some horrid form of cancer. So, I thought this was the old or terminally ill person's prayer. And not the spry or optimistic old or ill people. The sad, lonely ones with no hope, who just want to suck everyone else into their vortex. Needless to say, I did not think this prayer was for me. I'm a mid-twenties happily married mother of two beautiful children. I'm fine.

Well, a few weeks ago I realized I wasn't fine. I was in a house with 3 of the most loving people you will every find, and I was sad and lonely. Hold up. Did I just admit that I was one of those people from the previous paragraph? Yes. Yes I did.

You see, my state of mind had nothing to do with the people around me. I hadn't gone through a traumatic loss of a family member. We weren't suffering a sudden financial crisis. Nope. Through fleshing this out in a very hard convo with my husband (not that he made it hard, it was just hard to air all these emotions out), I realized I'd put myself into this spot I was in. I'd allowed some wants and selfish desires to fester in my head and in my heart, and I hadn't made any efforts to treat or heal these self-inflicted "wounds". I was taking blame for things that I was never blamed for, creating scenarios that weren't currently playing out, and harboring desires for things that I "should" want.

We live in the coun-try. We do not own our home and land. My husband drives 45 minutes to work. We can't walk out of our front door onto a sidewalk and stroll to our bestie's house. In fact, I don't know a single person's name that lives within a 3 mile radius.

Sob. Story. Right? I know. I can't even count how many times a day these things had been running through my head. I mean, I grew up in the country. I'm used to this way of life. Why am I whining? Then I realized...I'd gotten all wrapped up in the "American Dream". You know. The thing we're taught to want from birth...the dream of owning my own home, driving a nice car, grilling out with my nuclear-family neighbors weekly, and having my kids in the most expensive and highest ranked schools around. Yeah, you knew which dream I was talking about, didn't ya? Well, this dream had consumed my thought life. This is a dream that I never really envisioned myself pursuing as a youth. In fact, this is not really a dream I desire to flesh out in my current state of life. But, because I believed this lifestyle would make all of our lives "easier", I decided I should strive and strive to begin to make this dream a reality for my family.

Now don't get me wrong. I don't believe any of the things I've listed in the "dream" are actually wrong. However, I do believe the "love of" and the "lusting over" the dream are. I had to do a major gut check. I was soooo enamored with the thought of having some of these things, I'd almost convinced myself that they were feasible with our current income and in this stage of live. That's soooo very dangerous. You know how you think a thought for long enough, and it eventually seems like a reality, even though it most definitely is not?

I was over-thinking everything. "We're just out here on this land because of my family", "If we just lived closer to his work, we'd spend more time together", "If I could just have a neighborhood to walk through, I'd be able to exercise more", "If we had neighbors with younger kids and more in common, we'd be much happier". Here's the thing. All of those thoughts may be true. Here's the problem...I wasn't leaving any room for God's will in any of those thoughts. I wasn't giving God any room to move or any credit for the absolutely blessed life we currently live. I wasn't thinking about how living here is less expensive than anywhere else we could possible live, and it's because of the lessened financial burden, I am able to stay home with my babies. I wasn't looking at the lack of friends around me as a chance to stretch myself when I am in social situations. Oh, and here's the biggie. I wasn't thinking that maybe God doesn't want us tied down to a mortgage and lots of nice things because He doesn't want us too comfortable where we are. Whoa. That's a little scary. Crazy enough, a couple of days after this realization, several members of our church spoke about things like "just feeling the need to down-size and keep life simple because they knew big things were in store for them, and they knew they needed to be ready and mobile for when their time came to make that move." That just hit me in my very core. What if all of this was God's will?

What? Did you just say "what if" when it comes to God's will? Come on. I know I'm not the only one who has overlooked, questioned, or just flat out ignored the will and hand of God in my life. I started thinking about all the puzzle pieces in my life that just seemed odd, disjointed, and impossible to connect, and I broke. All the things that the world has seen as unfair and horrible in our life, God intended for good. It was because of Brandon's gloomy medical diagnosis that we decided to conceive at such an early age. Now we're the young, happy parents of two precious gifts. It's also because of our trials with his health that we don't have the squeaky credit necessary to procure our dream house and live "well", and I consider that a blessing because we have learned so much from living paycheck to paycheck and frugally. It's really hard to swallow that God would allow my husband to suffer in order to ground us and give us perspective, but I'm so certain that's what happened.

It's so easy to forget about all of the other characteristics of God when "love" is the one stressed to us so often. God knows us. He knows that for us to be moldable and willing we had to be broken....over and over. That doesn't sound like the "Jesus loves me" God, does it? But it is, and that's what I have to tell myself regularly to keep things in perspective. I've had to realize that different people are in different spiritual seasons in life. God has a perfect plan for us, but it is soooo incredibly easy to mess it all up with our "human-ness".

Whew. This girl has this whole situation under control now, right? I mean, it sounds like she's worked all this out in her head and heart, and she knows what she's doing and where God's taking her, right? Well, that would be a big, fat negative. I soooo don't have things figured out. I will think horrible things before the day is over, and I will, for the gazillionth time, want something even though I know it's not God's will for me in this season of life. I'm human..I'm sinful. I'm just glad He cares enough about me to slow me down long enough for me to process and see His plan...even when He already knows I'll start trying to make changes to the blueprint before this blog has posted.

So, I end with the title of this post. It's from a song I bought the performance track to, but never sang in church. I think it's because the lyrics are hard for me to swallow. It's so hard for me to be still...I can't remember all of the lyrics, but these are the ones I find playing through my head occasionally. (Update: Just found song on You Tube...was looking for the wrong name when I tried finding it last night/this morning)

***Found all of the lyrics...just can't stop with the chorus.

"Still" by Watermark

The more I get alone
The more I see I need to get alone more, more
Cause just when I think that I'm alone
Your Spirit calls out to me
And even silence has a song
Cause that's when you come
Sing over me

Still, let me be still
Let me be OK
With the quiet in my heart
Still, I want to be still
I'm so quick to move
Instead of listening to you
Shut my mouth
Crush my pride
Give me the tears
Of a broken life,
Still

Oh this world, it falls around me
And flutters all it's beauty in my eyes
But let me choose the solitude
Simplicity has always simply changed my life
Cause even stillness makes me move
Cause that's when my heart
Learns to dance with you

Still, let me be still
Let me be OK
With the quiet in my heart
Still, I want to be still
I'm so quick to move
Instead of listening to you
I'm your child
Tame my heart
Obedience
To me impart

Still
La la la la la, Hold me
La la la la la, Cleanse me
La la la la la, Change me, Oh God
Change me while I am

Still, let me be still
And know that you are God
And you are always enough
Still, I want to be still
To take all that I am
And simply lift it up
Shut my mouth
Crush my pride
Give me the tears
Of a broken life,
Still

It's so hard, but I want to just be still in His plan, and I want to be sure that when I move, we are both moving in the same direction.

It's zoo time, baby!

2010-07-23T22:58:00.000-05:00

Yeah, so this is my fourth time to go to the Jackson Zoo this year. It's so amazing how I know it like the back of my hand now, but Cade acts like we're on a new, exciting adventure every time. It's awesome! We spent twenty something bucks on a companion membership, and we've definitely gotten our money's worth out of it. I'm thinking these memberships will be great for b-days and Christmas...ahhh-hha-hem grandparents : ) Maybe the natural science and children's museum...if it ever gets finished? Hmmm...who knows. It seems like I looked into the memberships for the children's museum, and they were pretty pricey.

Well, before I get totally lost chasing another rabbit, let me throw some pics up on this page of my younguns at the zoo.

Thighs-a-licious...don't hate. You just wish you could pull this off.

He was so determined to make it up to the top of the slide. A few of them are pretty steep! There's nothing like being able to go down a water slide while viewing an elephant's big, muddy backside. Priceless.

She hated the little stations with the "misters", but she didn't mind the rain shower at all. What's up with that?

Ok. That was essentially our zoo trip. We were super psyched because daddy got to go with us.

Sooo...on a totally different note, can I just proclaim that God is so good? I mean, I know that statement is true, but sometimes you just KNOW it's true. I had one of those moments today. It seems like every single time I start to let worries and doubts about me staying home get to me, I hear the command to "just give it over to God" from the pulpit at our church. Always timely. Always relevant. Most of the worries boil down to finances, and He always, always provides a way. Seriously, in the past week, I've had photo sessions being booked right and left. Awesome.

This brings me to something else awesome. That's my sweet boy and his heaven-sent gift of blessing his momma's heart with song. His newest favs are "How Great is Our God" and the chorus from "Revelation Song". No, we don't listen to Christian music 24/7, and we definitely like our booty shakin music' playlist we've compiled on iTunes, but these two songs have just stuck with him. He belts them out with all of his heart, and my eyes just water. Sweet.

Well, I better call it a night. I still have lots to do, and I need to shut this TV off and stop dreaming. Say Yes to the Dress has been on in the background while I've been blogging it up and messing with some pics. I always start planning a wedding in my head every time I watch that show. Ridiculous I know, but I like so many types of dresses...everything from breezy and beachy to poufy and princessy. Those consultants would hate to see me coming. Oh well, I can always dream, and hey...there's always the possibility of a vow renewal service!

Night y'all!

Grub and Green

2010-06-24T18:04:00.000-05:00

Grub and green?

Ok. I wanted to put two completely unrelated topics into one post because I'm just crazy (or lazy) like that.

First, the grub.

I didn't start Eve on cereal until she was just over 6 months old. Some call it smart..some call it child abuse. Oh well. She's definitely not underdeveloped, and she's slept 11-13 hours a night since 6 weeks of age, so take that. She is one crazy eater. I don't even think 1/4 of the food actually makes it to her belly. She refuses to be fed. Sheeee wants to do it. So independent already.

This is what happens when you try to take the spoon away. She scrunches up her face, and it transforms into a weapon.

She'd like you to believe she made a happy bowl. Oh how she deceives.

Worn out from all that hard work.

I just wanted to share some of this cuteness. I often forget to share tidbits about her because there are so many "Cade stories" to tell. She is going to be just as big of a handful as he is. She is aggressive, she is silly, and she can melt me with her eyes. I'm in big trouble.

Now for the green. We live in the country. Some of the people we know think the subdivisions they live in 2 minutes from Dogwood are considered "country living". Please. When I say we live in the country...I mean coun-try. Anyway, this is going to seem really silly to some of you, but to my neighbors, this is going to be a big deal for them, too. This year was soybean rotation for the fields around our land. Can I get a whoop! whoop!? Know what this means? No more dry, ugly, brownish yellow corn stalks to look at for months on end. The corn grown around here is not for human consumption. It's for animals. It has to be dry, dry, dry to harvest. It's just gross.

Here are a few pics of what I get to see when I walk out my door this season. Oh...and as a bonus, you get to see the really cool storm the blew through yesterday. The deep blue sky looked ahhhmazing against the fields, and the fluffy white clouds made my camera salivate.

To our left

Straight ahead

To our right

This is the first "non-corn" year since we moved here, so that's why I'm ecstatic. Plus, being surrounded by corn is kinda creepy.

Corn=creepy...Soybeans=happy...well, for now anyways.

Our two nighter at Batson

2010-06-21T11:40:00.001-05:00

I'm a little late on this, but I'm sure you'll understand.

Last Tuesday, my sweet baby was admitted to Blair E. Batson with difficulty breathing. I've never had so much fear concerning the well-being of one of my kids!

I had a few errands to run before our Savannah trip (I'll have to save this ordeal for another day when the mention of this doesn't make me wan't to throw something, puke, or cry), so my granny offered to come and watch the kids at my house that morning. Eve had a virus the week before, but she had been doing very well for a few days. No fever. No runny nose. Very minimal coughing. I thought she'd be fine without me for a while, and I definitely felt good about leaving her while Brandon and I got away for a few days.

So, after the tires were balanced and the prescriptions were refilled, I returned home to find a happy toddler and a very fussy baby. She seemed pretty upset, but I could also tell that she was very tired. So, I laid her back in her bed to finish out her nap. After she'd slept an hour or so, I went in to check on her. I could tell that she was breathing quicker than usual, but she was sleeping well, so I let her finish out her nap. When she awoke, she was veeeerryy upset and couldn't seem to get her breath. She was taking extremely short, shallow breaths, and she could only get enough air to make a noise every 20 seconds or so. I called our doc, and after explaining the situation in full, the nurse told me to come on in.

Well, needless to say, after a couple of tests and an in-office breathing treatment, it was decided that she must be hospitalized.

Soooooo much went on in the hospital, it would take an hour to type it all. Instead of using that time for typing instead of some much needed cleaning, I'm just going to give you a rundown of the highlights : )

The first nurse was a neurotic mess.

Allen, the respiratory therapist is an awesome guy. Definitely made up for the other quacks who tried my nerves.

At one point Eve was on oxygen, had an IV in her foot giving her Rocephin, and had a monitor taped to her foot. Pi-ti-ful sight.

Doctor Adcock was great! Highly recommend him.

Brandon and I slept on one of those pullout chairs...at the same time. Not pretty.

I washed my hair in the in-room shower and after 20 minutes of rinsing, still had enough suds in my hair to make that crunch/bubbly sounds with I touched it. Worst water pressure ever!

Our fourth nurse was great. Loved Ashley!

At one point my dad, step mom, mom, brother, son, and sister were in the room while Brandon and I ate and grabbed stuff from home. I've heard there are lots of stories there.

Our third respiratory therapist was a crazed smoker. She had 3 asthmatic kids. Imagine that. (P.S. The doc is almost certain the smoke on my granny's clothes triggered the sudden lung inflammation. So, a smoking therapist did not make me happy.)

After 3 prospective release times, we finally blew that joint just before lunch on the third day.

It was a crazy time. Scary and trying. I'm so happy to have a pretty healthy, slightly raspy/crackly baby at home now.

Like I said, I'll have to get back to you on the foiled Savannah trip. It's just too soon.

Impromptu "picanit" on the trace

2010-06-11T17:57:00.005-05:00

Ok. Mental image. It's Wednesday at 3:15 p.m.. My dishwasher is running and my sink is already full of more dirty dishes. I've been at home with a sick baby and ca-ray-zy 2 year old for four days. There are enough Mega Blocks on my living room floor to build an additional room onto our home, and I'm so tired I could just lean up against the wall and fall asleep. Actually, if I could just stand still for a few minutes, I could probably doze off free-standing in the middle of the room. On top of that, my sick "mild child gone wild child" thinks it's acceptable to go on a nursing strike.....agghhh!!!

You're getting the picture, right? One tired, stressed mama. All I really want to do is set out a bunch of snacks on the table and tell everyone to have at it and crawl into bed. Instead, I think "Oh! A picnic sounds nice!" As crazy as this may sound, it was kind of a perfect idea. My husband drives home on the Natchez Trace each day, so I got this idea to throw together a picnic and meet him on his way home. Whew. I forgot how much work a picnic is! On top of that, I thought it would be a lovely time of day for some photo ops. We have only taken one family "portrait" (I use that term very loosely), so I threw the camera and tripod into the heap of necessities, as well. If you're going to take a family photo, you also have to wear decent clothes. I start in Eve's dresser, since she's the one I really want to take the most pics of. I've been slacking a bit : /. I pulled out an outfit she'd never worn before, and then made my way to Cade's closet to coordinate. I quickly found a green shirt (what was I thinking?) that went with the dress I'd picked out for her. After successfully dressing the kids, I moved on to our closet to find something for us to wear. Crap. I couldn't find anything kind of neutral to "go" with the kids' clothes, so I just grabbed something and threw it on and tossed a shirt for Brandon onto the "heap".

Five trips to the van later, and we're off to some elusive destination. On the way, I decide it may be a good idea to alert my husband to the fact that we would be meeting for a picnic. "Where?" he asked. Ummmm....well, that's a good question. Luckily, I found a nice spot not too far down the trace. As I carefully maneuver my van onto the grass, I see these ENORMOUS bugs start appearing from all directions. Seriously. We were surrounded. I was getting really worried, but as we drove closer to the water, they thinned out and the nice breeze kept them at bay.

Long story short...we ate mediocre sandwiches and snack foods, struggled, as always, with setting up the tripod to get a decent family shot (we just haven't broken down for a remote yet), and I snapped a few pics of the kids.

I usually don't mess with the color of my photos too terribly much, but since my crazy self put my son in a green shirt and snapped in an almost solid green background, I had to get a little creative.

All in all, it was a pretty pleasant evening. I still returned to a wrecked home, but at least I didn't have to spend the whole evening in the disaster area.

Imma be livin' that good life

2010-06-03T23:02:00.001-05:00

Okay. This post is going to be a bit of a whirlwind. Today was our fourth wedding anniversary. I remembered while I was sitting at the dinner table with my two munchkins. Some of you think I'm a lame wife...some of you can totally identify. Ha. Last year we remembered our anniversary one week later at the dinner table with my folks! We're not big "date" people. We forget peoples' birthdays, which we've caught plenty of flack over. We forget when relatives died. We forget lots of things. I'll be the first to admit that my memory totally sucks. I can barely recall any of my high school happenings....middle school and under are almost a complete wash.

So, when I was sitting at the dinner table tonight and my 2 and 1/2 year old starts belting out "Imma be, imma be, imma imma imma be", I thought about the rest of that chorus. Imma be livin' that good life. I started thinking about my life, and bam! I remembered my anniversary. Then came the flood. The sudden rush of memories and emotions that have made up these four years, and I had to discretely swipe tears so that my boy didn't get worried about his mama. It's been a crazy journey thus far. Here's just a sampling....

We've moved three times in these four years. For some of you that's nothing. For me, it's been really hard and has been a huge learning experience. Clinton...Jackson...Pelahatchie. Who knows where we'll end up next? We've learned that some landlords like to patch pipes with 2 liter coke bottles and that others don't make good on their renovation promises. We've learned that we're pretty much destined to have crappy neighbors who chainsmoke in their "smoke-free" rental, listen to Enya at 2 a.m., and allow their yappy mutts to gnaw on our legs.

We've learned that Ulcerative Colitis is an ugly disease. We've learned that all doctors do not have positive intent, and we've learned that some are amazing, brilliant people who are totally into saving lives. After two trips for me, and three for my husband, we've learned that Cleveland, OH just isn't a place we ever want to see again in this lifetime (love ya Cleveland Clinic...Cleveland snow and residents...not so much). We've learned that meds can make us do and say bad things, that colonoscopy images are scary, and that ostomies can bring people closer than they ever thought possible. We've also learned that living with a pseudo colon is a day-by-day learning experience...for all of us.

We've experienced the joy of bringing two babies into the world. Oh what joy. I'm going to start bawling right...about...now. Yep bawling. Our babies are uhmazing. They love on us, inspire us, and frustrate us like no other beings can. We've learned to be better people...better Christ followers because of them.

We've enjoyed being free of baggage from previous relationships. We were the firsts. And anytime things get rough and I'm ready to bail, I remember how we were so perfectly made for one another...how we waited for one another.

We've met new people and lost touch with people we thought we'd never distance ouselves from. We've switched to a new church after spending a decade at another.

We've held a total of at least 10 different jobs in these four years. We've gone from being a dual-income family which struggled off and on to being a single-income family which budgets like nobody's business and cuts costs left and right.

We've realized that we don't always get what we want, but we definitely get what we need....which is not always fun.

We've come to understand that love is not just something you say. It's a lifestyle.

We've learned it's ok to just "be" every once in a while.

And while writing this post, I've been reminded that I don't want to even imagine what my life would be like without him.

Happy Anniversary

Life with a nudist

2010-05-21T16:34:00.001-05:00

My two and a half year old is officially a nudist. He hates clothes. Loathes them, in fact. He definitely did not get this from me....must be from his dad : ) I guess he wants to be fair to all parts of his anatomy. I mean, is it really fair that the eyes get all the enjoyment? Why shouldn't every square inch of his skin enjoy all the sights and textures he encounters every day? Here are just a few places/times he particularly enjoys being nude.

1. Outside. It's nothing for me to look out into the back yard only to find a nude child running around playing with the dog. Most of the time, he'll maintain a shred of modesty by leaving his shirt on, but you can forget about bottoms staying on. The thing that gets me the most, is that he sits in his sandbox this way. Can you say ouch? That cannot possibly be pleasant. And what about bugs? Aggghhh. It makes my skin crawl just thinking about it. If the neighbor relations weren't so strained, I'm sure we'd have complaints coming from them. But, since they chose to allow their vicious mutt to return after his stay in the doggie joint, I guess it's only fair that we get to run a mini nudist colony.

2. On the couch. The cold, cold "inherited from Brandon's pre-marriage days" leather couch. He will strip down and promptly crawl up onto the couch to watch his "tartoons" in morning. I guess even his "peewuh"...I think you can guess what that is in his language...likes Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. At least he has one other being in this house who shares that sentiment.

3. After his "showah wit daddeeee". The child hates baths, so we've gotten into a routine where he takes showers with daddy at night. After his shower, my husband throws a towel over the little nudist's shoulders and releases him from the bathroom. He makes a beeline into the living room where I'm usually feeding the baby or taking a breather and yells "Tada!" while he simultaneously drops his towel, bearing all. The kid never even uses a towel to dry off. He air-dries. I guess he's just keeping it all natural.

4. Random public places. Now this has to be my absolute fav (this is dripping with sarcasm). There's nothing like seeing a shirt flung from the left side of the stroller and instantly hearing a burst of giggles. I stretch around the edge to look at him, and what do I find? A beaming boy who is rubbing his chest and belly. All the while, everyone else surrounding is either laughing or thinking "I'm sure he gets that from his mother. There's no way he would just up and do a thing like that if he hadn't seen it modeled at home." Well, little old ladies and uptight moms, I'm here to tell you that he did in fact start doing this on his own. I haven't shed my shirt in public in years. JUST KIDDING. Never done such a thing.

Bonus:

I wanted to throw in this incident which occurred yesterday. In an attempt to get some editing done, I'd allowed him to take my phone into the living room to "pway games and make T wex". Yes, he has his own apps on the phone. Don't judge. Those babies got me through a 2 1/2 hour wait at the doctor's office on Tuesday. Take that. Aaaaanyway...my darling walks in the room where I'm working away and says "Where's mommy's phone?" in the most mischievous tone I've ever heard from him. Without glancing at him, I say "I don't know. Where is it?" Again, he asks me where the phone is. I look over at him to see his pelvic region jutting forward in an unnatural stance. Upon closer inspection, I also notice an odd shape in his underwear (yes, he actually had some on). You guessed it. He'd put my phone, the object I have to touch and allow my face to touch many times a day IN HIS UNDERWEAR! Gross, I know. But I couldn't stop laughing for a solid 2.41 minutes.

Never a dull or fully-clothed moment in this house.

It's not easy being green

2010-05-19T09:16:00.008-05:00

First of all, I will throw this disclaimer out there...I am far from being completely green. I don't drive the most fuel efficient vehicle out there, I drink bottled water, and I use tons of paper towels. However, over the last year, I have tried to be very intentional about eliminating as much waste as I possibly could and slowly transitioning to a more organic diet. So, for today's post, I'm going to share a few of those ways.

1. Shopping organic- Let's be honest. Organic products are not cheap! I almost hyperventilated the first time I saw the $4.29 sticker sitting beneath Annie's Cheddar Bunnies at the grocery store. I mean, we'd been spending a dollar on Goldfish. How in the world would I be able to afford replacing all of my food with food that is four times as much? It took me a little while to realize...I wouldn't. There

was absolutely no way I could afford to pay full price for those precious little bunnies, and the thought of paying $7 bucks for apple juice was enough to give me palpitations. I realized there were certain foods which are more important to buy organic than others. Meat, for instance, is one thing that I try to buy organically. After watching Food Inc., I decided this was definitely one of the items I'd replace with organic products first. If you haven't seen Food Inc., you should watch it. I will warn you, though. Don't expect to be able to walk into your grocery store ever again without gagging or triple thinking every purchase! Like I said, the transition has been gradual, and we are faaaarrr from being totally switched over. If I need an item one week, and the organic version is way too expensive, I buy what I can afford.

2. Re-usable bags- I love these! It's sooooo much easier to unload them from the vehicle. I know I'm not the only one who used my arm as a "bag hanging bar" on a rainy day and tried to haul in 3 trips worth of groceries in one shot. Afterwards, my arms would have red indentions all the way up them from where I'd hung 20 bags on one arm. Now, 3-4 of those bags are condensed into one re-usable bag. You may get treated like a shoplifter when you walk into Wal-Mart, but it's worth it. They can be expensive! I buy the 50 cent ones from Wal-Mart. I was once asked not to bring them back to Kroger. I thought that was a little dumb for two reasons. 1) I'm saving Kroger money by not using their plastic bags. Seriously, I saved them at least 15 bags. 2) I think it says something that I'll buy my bags from Wal-Mart, but I go to Kroger to shop. Ummmm...hello. No matter how much you pressure me Kroger, I will not succumb to your scheme to get my to buy your $2.99 bags. My next project will be to applique our initial to a rectangle of fabric, and I'm going to sew that piece over the Wal-Mart logo on my bags. Ha! Take that Kroger!

3. Cloth diapering- Probably 90% of you just said "Ewww". I know. Right now you've got this vision of me changing a dingy, brown, stained diaper and having poop up to my elbows. Ummm no. There is no way I would do it if it was even remotely that disgusting. When I first looked into cloth diapering, I was very skeptical and overwhelmed. I looked at one discussion board and thought what the heck are AIOs, Pockets, prefolds, WAHMs? I was lost. So, I started out with something "safe". I found a type of diaper which was sold locally so that I could see and touch it. I lucked up and found a big box of them for sale at a consignment sale and used those for a while. Then, as I became more familiar with the different types of dipes, I bought and bartered my way into having the more advanced, expensive kinds. I still use prefolds some at home, but I use mostly AIOs (all in ones). We have been purchasing disposable dipes to use for all outings, but now that my collection of AIOs has grown, I'll probably only use disposables for the church nursery. Moms, you know how much waste is caused by disposable dipes. I really think this was a leap, not a step, forward in decreasing our waste. It's made a huuuuge difference. Many people just look at the cost of the initial investment for the cloth dipes, and I'll admit, some of them are very pricey. You just have to figure out which ones work for you and your budget, and acquire the cooler, more advanced ones as you can afford them.

4. Breastfeeding- Now, this can be the real toughie. With my first child, I was teaching full-time, and though my lovely principal gave me a schedule which allowed for pumping time during the day, my surroundings just weren't conducive to really producing enough milk to completely sustain him on just breast milk (cinder block walls, voices in the halls, janitors trying to clean in the off periods...not very comforting : /) So, we supplemented. This time around, though, I was determined to breastfeed exclusively. Breastfeeding can feel very confining, and it can be if you let it be. No, I'm not one to just "whip it out" in public. I'm way too shy to nurse in a public place, even with a cover. I pump. I pump like crazy. I pump on the road. I pump while I'm watching TV. I pump while I work on the computer. That may seem incredibly inconvenient to you, but really after a few weeks of it, it just becomes part of your routine. Your new way of life. I go wherever I want to go. I go out on dates with my husband. I leave the kids with their grandparents while I run errands for the day. It IS possible to have a life and breastfeed. Right now, I'm working on what I've dubbed "Project Savannah". There's a checklist on the fridge with the number of containers of milk I'll need to freeze in order for my husband and I to be able to get away for 4 days in June. Another plus, especially for my daughter since she's been exclusive, has been no tummy problems or reflux.

5. Environmentally friendly cleaners- I've tried to switch over to as many "green" cleaners as I can. Some of them work well, some of them may as well be pure water. I've been using Seventh Generation laundry detergent for a while now, and I've really liked using it. The Seventh Gen all purpose cleaner is great, too. I wasn't thrilled with the dish soap, however. So, until I find another, greener, option, I'm switching back to the trusty old Dawn. I did looove the scent of the dish soap though. I've often considered making my own laundry detergent, but in the battle for time, it always loses. You have to read labels and do a little research. Just because an item is made by a company that calls itself "green", it's not necessarily the greenest option. There are many smaller companies with great cleaners. I just haven't gotten around to using very many of them

You should watch this video. It's crazy!

I'd love, love, love to hear how you and your family have "gone green". I'm always looking for little ways to improve out lives and decrease our footprint : ).

**I tried to throw a few links up, but they've disappeared after saving and editing a few times. This post has been over a week in the making. Busy, busy week!

you had a bad day

2010-05-14T19:49:00.000-05:00

Yep. It's been one of those days. One of those "I can't look in the mirror because I look like death and I really don't want to see myself for who I really am" days. You know the ones. The ones you can predict before you get out of bed, or before you even go to bed the night/morning before. This would be my case because I went to bed waaaayyy too late. The ones where whatever you think spews out like word vomit, and you're wallowing so deep in self-pity that you don't even care to attempt to clean up the emotional messes you're making. The ones where you're so far in denial that you actually think the foulness of the day is caused by others, and you played no part in it escalating to its state of utter crappiness...for lack of a better word. Then what happens. You blow. You let it all out. You make complaints and claims that only make sense in your emotional and sleep-deprived mind. Ahhhh...and it's all better then....right?

Wrong

You look into the chocolate eyes of your two and a half year old. Those puppy dog eyes that were so full of joy when they peeked over the side of your bed at 6:47 that morning. But that joy is gone. It's been replaced with the threat of tears, and his face no longer glows...In fact it looks rather pale and dull. That's when it hits you. You've wasted a whole day griping, accusing, venting...For what? To make yourself feel better?

Well, since this has been my day, I'll be the first to tell you that "better" is the furthest from what I feel. I feel terrible. My head hurts, I look like an addict who is strung out, and I've been incredibly un-productive. None of that touches the hurt that I brought to my children, though. I know I killed my little warrior's spirit today. That hurts. It hurts so badly because I can't even apologize to him because he doesn't truly understand all that an apology entails. I think what hurts the worst is that he's probably already forgiven me. He loves me no matter what, and it makes me weep to think that I hurt someone who is so loving and forgiving.

I think if we're honest, we've all had those days. We're human. They're inevitable. But for us to grow and improve, I think we must strive to decrease them.

So you had a bad day....and it's ok.

Enter Sandman

2010-05-02T21:49:00.003-05:00

Okay. So, I'm totally drowning in photos which need to be edited, but I needed a little change of scenery on my monitor, so here I am. I don't really have a particular event to write about on this lovely (ha) evening. If you are in the Jackson area, you understand the "ha" after lovely. This weather and humidity is absolute misery. Okay, so back to my lack of subject matter. I guess I'll tackle the question that other mothers most often ask me.

How do you get your children to sleep all night in their own beds?

I will start by saying I am definitely not the sleep guru. I don't have decades of data and facts to back up my strategy. I simply knew what I wanted our nightly routine to look like...before my kids even came into the picture, and it didn't include them in my room. It definitely did not include them in my bed. I am not a snuggler, and the just the thought of those extra bodies in my bed irritates me. I just got the heeby jeebies just typing that last sentence.

Now, before you call me cold-hearted, un-nurturing or even closed-minded, please hear me out. I love, love, love my children. They are such blessings, and I try to cherish every waking moment I have with them...note that I said "waking". However, before my children comes my relationship with my husband. He is my best friend, and he deserves a special time of the day when all my attention and energy is focused on him. Granted, by the end of the day, my attention span and energy are almost non-existent, which means it's even more important for me to be able to focus solely on him. So, now that my priorities have been established, and you know why the choice was made, you're probably asking "how?"

Both of my children started out in their crib, in their room from day one at home. Since I chose to nurse both of my babies, it definitely would have been much easier to have them right next to my bed. However, I've learned through life's lessons that what's comfortable is not always what's best for me. I didn't learn about the Ferber Method until my oldest was a couple of months old, but we basically started practicing it from the very beginning. I didn't know in the beginning about timed intervals of crying and the "correct" strategy for building them up to self-soothing. I just knew that a little crying wasn't going to kill my baby, and if I could just tough it out, it would probably pay off. Neither of my children were/are rocked to sleep. In the first few months, I made it a point to wake them when I placed them in bed if they fell asleep nursing. Both of my children started sleeping through the night by six weeks of age (meaning 7+ hours). Every other month or so, one of them with have a bad dream, be sick, or have an "off" night which will cause them to wake in the middle of the night, but the important thing is that they return to their own bed.

During the day, they both nap in their own bed, not mine. Several people have said something to the effect of "Oh, you just wait till they get older. They'll be in your bed every night." I just simply flash them a big ole smile and say "No. They won't." How can I be so sure? Because it's just not an option.

I'll be very honest with you. Yes, they cried. Yes, it was very hard on my post-partum emotions. Yes, it was hard to have a toddler trying to sleep two doors down from a sobbing infant. But I feel like we've gotten over the "hump", and I now have a two-and-a-half year old and a six-month-old who are slumbering peacefully in their own rooms.

Like I said, I'm definitely not an expert. I know everyone has their own routine, and many people happily co-sleep with their children. I'm just simply stating what works for me and my family as far as sleep routines are concerned.

I do want to challenge you, however. If you are co-sleeping with your children, and it causes friction between you and your husband, please consider re-thinking your system. Remember, your relationship came first, and should continue to do so. Change is hard, but sometimes it is so very necessary.

If you are curious about how I tackle anything else, I'll gladly share my experiences with you. Just ask : )

"No!" is the new no no

2010-04-29T22:21:00.000-05:00

Look at that boy. Stare into the pools of chocolate he has for eyes: the ones that so closely resemble his father's. Check out the sweet little hands holding out his newest discovery from the backyard, A.K.A. "the land of the unknown." Watch those sweet little lips as they form the word..."no". Excuuuuuse me. What did he just say to me when I told him to sit down in his chair? Did he seriously just tell me no?

Yep. He did. In fact, he's decided to respond to any request, question, or command with that lovely little word. No. Ugh, how it grates on my nerves! It all started a few weeks ago. How we've survived the "no" phase this long is beyond me. After the first full day, I thought for sure that one of us would have to vacate this home. I had one woman tell me "Oh honey, he just doesn't know what it means." How can people be so naive? He's two and a half. Of course he knows what the word means. I've even asked him a series of questions requiring both the answer "yes" and "no" while he was busy playing with a toy. He answered each question using the appropriate word. I'm not stupid and neither is he.

So, how am I coping? Well, some days are better than others. Most of the time, I can calmly respond by saying "Cade, you don't tell mommy no." Sometimes I don't even have to say it. Immediately after he tells me "no", he says "don't tell mommy no!" Yesterday, he decided to replace all of his "no's" with the word "yes." Talk about confusing. "Cade, do you need to go to the potty?" "Yes"...So what do I do? Take him to the bathroom, of course. After he begrudgingly gets into his position, he shakes his head and says "no pee pee." Ohhh solitary padded room...how I long for you at times like these.

I hate telling people "he's just going through a phase", but isn't it the truth? Don't we all? The truth is, in a few months, I'll be able to laugh at the "no" phase. By that point, he'll be in a new phase (hopefully the "use the toilet 100% of the time so mommy's not chasing after me with the mop" phase), and I will be, too. Thank God for new phases and the ability to laugh at the ones in the past.

Oh, and thank God for pools of chocolate for eyes...quite possibly the only thing keeping him alive during this phase. I really like chocolate.

Ummmm...why so late?

2010-04-29T13:12:00.000-05:00

You're probably thinking...why in the world have you waited until 2010 to jump on the blogging train? Well, since this blog is going to be about honesty, struggles, and opinions, I'll give you my answer.
Since we've been married, we've only lived in one place where we have been able to have fast, consistent internet. That was while we lived in Jackson, and I was teaching full-time, struggling through the first few months of being a new mother, and going through lots of trials with my husband's UC. Also, we just haven't had the money for it. Groceries and utilities have always trumped internet, and if/when the day comes where we have to cut it off, this blog will probably vanish along with it. Until then, I plan to share whatever's on my heart and mind with whoever will read it.

I chose the name "Crazed" for my blog because that word carries two definitions...both of which describe me (one some of the time, and the other all of the time :). One definition means driven to point of insanity. Mothers, you know what I mean. Every now and then, I have days when I believe being committed to a facility would be better than the situation I'm in at home. On those days, sitting by myself in a padded room doesn't sound all that unappealing. In fact, it sounds downright tranquil. The other definition refers to small cracks in pottery. Some people desire some "crazing" in their glaze when they are creating decorative pottery. However, for a piece to be functional, the finished glaze should be smooth. Otherwise, it will collect dirt and gunk in the cracks, and will possibly even leak or break.

The second definition is the one which describes me all the time. I'm soooo far from perfect. I'm covered with "cracks", which gunk has seeped into. I'm flawed, and I have no idea how my Creator has refrained from trashing me. Unlike a potter, who fully expects their piece to come out of the kiln smooth and perfect, He knew that I would enter this world imperfect. Craziness.

I've learned that even an imperfect person can have plenty to offer the world, so that's what I'm going to do. I've going to offer what I have...my thoughts, opinions, and experiences. Of course, since they are products of my heart, mind, and actions, they will be flawed. I will never present them as truth, and I'm not on a mission to convert anyone to the "Misty Way of Life". I simply want to share my life with you. Maybe it'll help you through a tough spot, maybe it'll make you laugh when you're ready for the padded room, and maybe, just maybe, you'll feel like you're not alone in this crazy world. Most of my posts will probably concern family and household happenings, but some of them will be completely random. I'm open to questions, since questions about my parenting strategies and solutions are what spurred this blog into existence.

I have to give my husband some credit for this blog. He's convinced the "stuff" I talk about to him could help someone else out, and that there has to be others out there who will enjoy my craziness as much as he does...well most of the time he does.

Some of you will learn new things about me that you never knew, and honestly, you may wish you'd remained ignorant of them. If you like the "me" you see in passing, then look away now. Go back to my Facebook page, ooh and ahh over my adorable kids, and leave it at that. However, if you're really interested in the real me...the "flawed, learn as I go" mom and wife, click to follow this blog....you never know what you're going to see on here.