Be Our Guest

Today I am a guest blogger at Taking Flight. I was honored to do so, but feel inadequate at the same time. Lexi has a way with words that really draws you into her post...and me, I'm just funny...on rare occasions.
So, thanks for the vote of confidence. Now go read my post and let me know if you try out the oatmeal cookie recipe. I promise you won't be disappointed (unless you just really hate oatmeal cookies, then I suggest finding another recipe to make instead.)

And Now I'm "IT"

Lexi, a friend I wish I had known better when we lived so close, was tagged, and tagged me in the process of completing her tag.
Tomorrow I am a GUEST BLOGGER on Lexi's blog (yep, someone other then me cares what I say) so I figured I better hurry with the tag so I have time to concentrate on her assignment. (That, and work on the basement some more...the toys have GOT to GO!)

So, without further ado...

FIVE

Here is a list of 5's about me:

5 things I was doing 5 years ago:

1. Learning the in's and out's of raising our first child. Brennan was almost one.
2. Planning the best dang first birthday party for that child.
3. Scrap booking with Melissa.
4. Taking my hot hubby, Bart, to and from work (we shared a car, still do)
5. Wishing my neighbor (who I really love and was glad to have as a neighbor) would move so we could have the downstairs apartment with the small patio instead of the upstairs apartment with a smaller balcony.

5 things I'll do tonight:

1. Read more of "Magic Tree House" #4: Pirates Past Noon with Brennan. (His reading skills ROCK!)
   
2. Cook dinner (we are fancy tonight: Manwich, tator tots, and pineapple rings)
3. Give Ethan a bath...his feet stink!
4. Watch "How I Met Your Mother" with Bart. (Same hubby as five years ago, same car as well)
5. Put up some laundry! (Who am I kidding? That will be there until Wednesday)
   

5 things I would do with a million dollars:

1. Get Bart back in school.
2. Pay off all the stupid debt we have, esp. every nit-picky doctor bill Bart has acquired.
3. Buy a year supply of diapers so I don't have to get them every time I go grocery shopping (those things take up too much room in the cart!)
4. Get the 3 month supply of food all stored up, along with the water and savings.
5. Go on a tour of America with my family.

5 places I have lived:

1. Monroe, LA
2. Tooele, UT
3. Leesville, LA
4. Graham Hall, LSU Campus, Baton Rouge, LA
   
5. Omaha, NE
   

5 jobs I have had:

1. Toy Store Sales Clerk...During Christmas, at Cortana Mall, in a Seasonal store.
   
2. Tour Guide at The House on Ellicott Hill in Natchez, MS.
3. Waitress at Clara Nell's Downtown Deli in Natchez, MS
   
4. Office Worker at LSU
5. Teacher, Westdale Middle School, Hell Baton Rouge, LA
   

5 things I want to be doing in 5 years:

1. NOT working in Primary.
2. Volunteering at the children's school more.
3. Belong to the PTA Presidency?
4. 100% caught up scrapbooking
5. Spending just as much time as I do now with my kids and sexy hubby.
   

5 people I tag:

1. Jeni C.
2. Melissa B.
3. Um, I am no good at picking people...if you do it, leave a comment here so I can go read it.
   

What are your 5's?

Another Post by Brennan (I think he might need his own blog)

this is my story it is?????????????????????????????????????????????? star wars!
a long long long time ago a galaxy is at the time of war the jedi! fight for the republic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! watch out for
jabba the hutt

The Winner Is....

The winner of the smocked dress made by my sister, Jeni, is....STACY!!!! Random.org picked number 84 of 94 entries and it just so happened to be one of Stacy's 22 entries! Congratulations...Jeni will contact you soon!

Stacy Hutchinson said...

I've done the past two posts before this one. Does my endurance count for anything? I found some trendy looking moo-moos at Target today for lounging around the house postpartum. I might do a post about them, they're so cute and comfy. They both button down the front for easy nursing access.

March 24, 2009 6:32 PM

I am so excited Stacy won...she and I have been friends for quite a while and she is preggo with baby #3...A GIRL, baby Afton.

For those of you who did not win...just come back later, there will be more contests then! Thanks for entering and sharing all the great sites and tidbits about your daily life. Also, if you ever want to order one of Jeni's dresses, just contact me and I will put you in touch with her.

Another Secret

I have my first ever cake "order" for a friend. I might even be getting paid (we didn't really talk about that, so I could just be a really good friend...as long as I get back what I spend on cake mix, supplies, and fondant, I will call it a success :-) so that makes it even sweeter.

Now, for those of you who watch "Ace of Cakes", you know that Duff and Jeff often go on seemingly pointless trips to "see" what they are making (I bet Duff went and played in a real tank before asking someone to make this one...Karen, don't worry. No fireworks will be hooked to Lexie's cake) and better understand the dynamics of the cake. Really it is just a way for them to get to do things the average Joe would not be able to do on a cable t.v. show.

Because of their example, I felt it in my best interest, when I could not find a picture of what I was looking for, to have a viewing of the movie that the party is themed around.

What movie, you might ask? What movie would cause me to title the post, "Another Secret"? Why are you ashamed of the movie you viewed? I mean, come on...Lexie is only turning four! It can't be that bad, right?

It is. It really, really is.

The theme of Lexie's party, and therefore her cake, is...

Yep, Camp Rock! A show I know NOTHING about, other then assuming the kids go to camp and they rock. I mean, my boys are into Star Wars Clone Wars, Ben Ten, and Dora the Explore with a little bit of Curious George thrown in for good measure.
So, I start searching the internet, wondering about one specific thing I'd like to put on the cake, but only if they have one at Camp Rock. There were no pictures (that I could find) of the driveway of Camp Rock, where I was assuming a banner of some sort hung. In my mind, I was hoping for a banner draped between two tall wooden poles, hand lettered, declaring that, yep, you've entered Camp Rock.

Bart bravely put Camp Rock on the que at Netflix, causing much better movies (who am I kidding...next up is Spongebob Squarepants and Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist) to be moved down the list.

And tonight, that is right my bloggy friends, TONIGHT, I watched Camp Rock. (Bart wants you to all know HE did NOT watch Camp Rock...he downloaded free music from amazon.com...he actually got a free Dan Zanes c.d. for the boys, which I am secretly pumped about) We put the boys in bed (after watching the season finale of Ben Ten where Bart got really excited that Ben gets all new aliens next season) and I popped that movie in the DVD player, bracing myself for a HORRIBLE time.

After about five minutes, the comments from the computer room started pouring in.

"Haven't you seen it yet?"

"Why are you doing this to yourself? To me? To US?"

Then, I saw it...the sign I was looking for (literally!) It was right there, as they showed everyone arriving at camp...a wooden sign with the logo of Camp Rock, the same one you see everywhere! So, my dream for the finishing touches on the cake (I know Karen, Lexie will love it no matter what, but now I will love it, too) came true. And, along with those dreams, came more calls from the computer room.

"Okay, Jessie, you've seen the sign, why are you still watching?"

and then,

"It's been on for 45 minutes. Aren't you turning it off?"

Yep, you guessed it.

My new secret.

I ♥ Camp Rock.

Well, maybe I won't run out and buy a tee-shirt and hang a big poster on my wall, but I can see its appeal, even without a daughter by my side, forcing me to watch it. I probably won't watch it again on my own, but if I ever 'have' to watch it for some reason, I won't mind, though I will admit I DID fast-forward through a few of the songs to speed the movie up, just a bit. If you fast-forwarded through all the songs, I bet the movie would be 45 minutes, tops.

So, keep my secret, okay...though I think my tolerance of Camp Rock will bode well with me as I try and find a girl child to "borrow" for a few hours so I can go watch the new Hannah Montana movie and NOT get weird looks as I walk in to the theater, alone.

It's Coming...

In a few short weeks, we will be celebrating my blog's second birthday or anniversary. I have not decided which to call it yet...but I have been working very hard on getting LOTS of giveaways for the ENTIRE MONTH! It is going to be great.
What could be in store? Maybe some shoes! (SeeKaiRun)
Maybe a c.d. (Charity and the JamBand, which my kids LOVE)
Maybe even a DVD to learn how to decorate cakes like my mom (well, let's face it...we will NEVER be as good as her, but we can try!)

If you have something you want to do as a review and or giveaway, just send me an email and we will get you lined up!

I can't wait!

Pineapple Jerky

Today I got a great package in the mail...PINEAPPLE JERKY! I have been curious to try it and just got the opportunity to test it out.

Let's be honest...when we think jerky, we think of mountain men with big beards and flannel shirts. Really, though, jerky is for anybody who wants a little more protein and a lot less fat in a snack. We have brought jerky with us on long road trips and love it eat it as a filler so we can stop less often.
I have a husband who LOVES jerky, so I think we will be frequenting jerky.com often to feed his inner mountain man. Jerky.com has free shipping on a lot of items and pretty low prices. There are a lot of animal choices, too, from beef jerky to buffalo jerky to ostrich jerky. (I think one day I might be brave enough to try the ostrich...do you think it tastes like chicken?)

And for those of you who don't go the way of the meat, there is pineapple jerky, which I tried today. It was so yummy. The ingredients are simple: pineapple and honey. It was made in Maui, and when I think pineapple, I think Hawaii, so I knew this would be a good thing.

Every bite was delicious. After I finished my first piece, I wanted more, but decided to save some for tonight (and for Bart, get his opinion of a non-meat jerky) I like the sweetness of it, and I like that unlike a can of pineapples, it tasted very fresh and sweet, not tangy. I also liked that the fruit was chewy, so I could savor the flavor and have each bite last a little bit. I think these will be great to take on our trip as we drive home from Louisiana this summer...and they will be a LOT healthier then the reeses pieces and gummy bears we usually snack on.

They just keep growing...

Jackson and Ethan both had well-checks Monday. I loved having them on the same day/time instead of making two trips to our fabulous Dr. Walters in less then one month. Jack loves Dr. W. so much he talks about seeing her when we are home. It's funny that when she actually comes in the room it takes until the end of the exam for him to open up and talk to her, not just make these weird grunting noises he makes when he gets nervous.

STATS:
Jackson (who turns three April 6th!) has dropped to the 80% coming in at 36 lbs. and 39 1/4 inches.
Ethan has had quite a growth spurt in the past two months. Remember how I was whining that Ethan went from being my biggest newborn to my smallest two month old? Remember how he weighed two-three pounds less then either other brother at two months? Well, I think I spoke a little soon.
This kid weighed in at 17 lbs. 12.6 oz (95%), was 26 1/4 inches long (90%) and has a head that is 17 1/2 inches round (90%). When the nurse was filling in his paperwork, she was shocked to see he had gained FIVE pounds in TWO months!
He weighs a tiny bit more then Brennan at this age, but E. is taller then B. He weighs a little over one pound less then Jackson, and E. still has the height. I guess that explains why all his 3-6 month pants are high waters.

So, now you know...whether you cared or not. It will be interesting to see if Ethan continues to stick so closely to his brothers growth patterns as he gets older.

LEGO Land

Last Sunday, my living room turned into Lego Land. Brennan spent all afternoon building ships, colonies, and all things Star Wars. (Note the pile of laundry in the background? I do laundry once a week now and that is the beginning stage of getting it put up)

Thanks to Uncle Justin, Brennan has 1000's of pieces to create whatever his heart desires.

The beginnings of play...notice the legos are spread out ALL OVER.

Taking a break from all the hard work.

The details Brennan puts in his ships are exact. He can tell you exactly what each little brick represents and why it is in that particular spot.

Brennan loves to show his creations off, and didn't even mind posing for me, too.

Me, trying to learn about bokeh. Not the best, not the worst.

Brennan is such a delightful kid. He's smart, surprising us every day with things he knows, he's funny, making funny comments without even knowing it, and he's creative. He does the best things with Legos. To some it might look like stacks, but to him, it is an entire world created by him, for him.

A Dirty Secret

I am doing some spring cleaning. It is time to de-clutter my house.

So, today I conquered the master bedroom. It was the most in need of the upstairs rooms. We often shove things that don't have a home in there if someone is coming over or if we just don't know what to do with them so there was a pile of things to be dealt with (plus a bunch of clothes Bart has failed to hang up).

I dropped Brennan off at school at 8:25 (I forced him to eat breakfast at school, ha!), fed Jack, Ethan and myself, then got down to business. It is now 12:48 and I have fed all three of us again, bought airplane tickets for me and Jackson (since Ethan is free!) to fly to Florida to visit Jamie, put some laundry in to wash, checked my email a ton as a group of friends plans an Easter party, and DEFEATED THE MONSTER of our bedroom.
Now all I need to do is shower (yep, it is 12:49 and I am in my p.j.'s I mean, I don't want to get my "good clothes" all dirty!), pick up the mess Jackson made in the living room while I ignored him, allowed him to watch t.v. and have free reign of the that room, and figure out what to make the boys for dinner and I am done.

Okay, now for the secret...I was using the hose to clean the edge of the carpets in my room...there was a lot of trapped dust in there, when I decided to look under the bed at the head board. There was SO MUCH dust there it actually looked like a spider web or something. In the two years that we have lived in Omaha, I don't believe that particular part of our home has EVER been cleaned. Until today. By me. In my pajamas. With greasy hair. And morning breath.
Gross, I know.

Now, time to beautify.

Happy Monday

I am not feeling very productive today.

I need to finish putting away the winter hats and scarves and gloves and such, but then I checked weather.com and was told we might still need those things.
Darn winter...don't you know nobody wants you? My daffodils are blooming, the purple and pink flower thingies (yep, totally technical term) are coming, and the day lilies are peeking their heads up, too. (See, the pink thingies are pictured, they keep coming back cause this picture was spring 2007)
If winter hurts my beloved flowers, I will throw some ninja-style kicks its way.
Yep.
I will teach winter to come mess with me in spring.
.......................................
It is going to rain today, but I am okay with that. Our "yard guy" (really he just did this one project for us and wants to do more, but I don't see it written in our stars right now) just finished digging up the rocks and mulch and overall ugliness that was the side of our yard and filling it in with dirt. See in the picture with Brennan from spring 2007? That ugly is gone, soon to be filled with grass...but first, a trip to Home Depot where I will buy the seeds and place them myself.
I mean, I have a 25% off coupon for Home Depot. What did the yard guy offer for grass seed? Not 25% off. Just the advice that we need more then we think because birds will eat some of the seeds.
Little thieves. Let me catch you eating MY freshly applied grass seed...I just might go Ninja Kung FU UFC on you, too.

Coming Soon

As many of you know, my mom is a phenomenal cake decorator. She outdoes herself again and again and each week I can hardly wait to check her "What's New" page on her site.
She has created (with my initial help, I might add :-0) a truly unique way to decorate some of her cakes and she is creating a DVD to share this technique, along with a few other tips and tricks. When she was visiting for the birth of Ethan, she did two free demos for some friends here...a few I think are actually using what they learned! I know I am! (remember the zebra cake I begged y'all to go vote for? I won!)
These DVD's will be on sale around the middle of April for $25, including S&H. I am sure I will do another post then so you know it is time.
It kills me to see all the fabulous cakes she makes for others, with me stuck here in Omaha...a thousand miles too far for her to create cakes for her favorite grandson's birthdays (though she makes them b.day cakes when we visit, b.days or not).
Maybe, just maybe, if you are really lucky, she will give one away on my blog...but you will have to ask her really nicely and add a cherry on top to see.

CIO

(I didn't do a SPD post, even though we went to an awesome kids party,
so I will slowly feed you pictures from SPD, one post at a time)

One of my MOM friends had a post about CIO (crying it out) yesterday.

Coincidentally, today I decided it was time Ethan was NOT swaddled during nap and night time (well, we will do night time after nap time is conquered). I mean, he IS four months old as of Wednesday and he IS 17.5 lbs...he's busting out of even the best of swaddles some nights(I can swaddle like a rock star, too, thanks to Miss MawMaw blankets) and that is waking him up which in turn is waking me up and making me UNhappy. Meaning...CIO is coming into play once again at our house...Round Three, the FINAL CIO Countdown.

So, today, I laid him down in his bed around 12:15...no swaddling, no swinging (I think we will keep using the swing sometimes, but not always). He was tired because he kept falling asleep while eating, but he was awake.

So far (and it's only been 45 minutes or so but now might be my only time to blog) he has slept restlessly...he'll let out a whimper here, a cry there, but so far there have been no mass hysterics. I am thinking I will let the whimpering go on for a while longer because it is not constant and it is not driving me bonkers...however, if he is not OUT by about 1:30, I might throw him in the swing so he gets a good nap and is not Mr. Cranky Pants tonight for Bart (Brennan and I have a church thing).

Okay...it's One p.m. now and there is no more whimpering.

I will go ahead (jinxing myself, I am sure) and say "Day One, Nap One" is a success. A little premature, yes, but I have laundry to switch out (tomorrow is laundry day and when you see my post about Brennan and Legos, you will see it takes two days for one day of folding) and a kitchen to straighten, so I am OUT.


What's your opinion? Do you let your babies CIO or do you hold them until sleep falls upon their sweet baby head every time? Let me know, but don't be a jerk about your opinions, or I will stick Megan on you as retaliation.

UPDATED: It is now 1:38 and he is crying (madly) right now...hmmm...

UPDATE #2: He stopped all whimpering and mad man crying by 2 and is still sleeping. I hold to my success for day one.

It's All in Your Head

When I was a senior in High School (97-98), I was part of the illustrious yearbook staff. There were five of us, plus Mr. Hathaway, the beloved English teacher. We had a great time that year as we snapped photos and designed what would ultimately be the one unifying memory for most of the students that year.
One of the jobs of being on the yearbook staff is coming up with goofy captions.
Today I have a confession.

I

Still

Do.

("han-han" {like the dude on the Simpson's})

I used to actually record these thoughts on my scrapbook pages, proof forever that I.Am.A.Dork.

Now, I just think them to myself. I do not even share these thoughts with Bart, for fear of the ridicule I will endure.

("Why do these boys keep kissing ME?")

But, I do it all the time. As in...every time I upload pictures and am previewing them. Any time I see a cute picture on someone else's blog...it's really a disease, I think.

Most of the captions in my head are dorky, like me, some are funny, like me, and some are just plain old brilliant, once again, like me.

I don't know of a cure for this disease, but if it is something I can help the boys not develop, then I need to figure out a way. I'd hate to deny them the fun of creating the yearbook (I still get a bit bigheaded when I look at my Class of 98 Vidalia Vikings one that I helped create from start to finish), but if I can save them the embarrassment of Caption-itis that comes with this extra curricular activity as an adult, I might just have to.

What weird-o quirks do you have and do you fear you will pass them on to your family???

Who taught him this stuff?

Yesterday as we were returning home, I was talking with Bart about something, don't remember what. We'll just call it "X" so you can follow my story.
Brennan wanted to talk about something else, but knew we would correct him or ignore him (I did CIO with him, so he has been trained to know that he will be ignored :-) because we are trying to teach him you do not just interrupt someone while they are talking.
We continue our conversation and then Brennan says, "Speaking of X, I want Y." Of course, "Y" was not related, but he had figured out a way to not interrupt, but ADD to our conversation.
Bart and I could not look at each other (probably for the best, I was driving) or Brennan for a minute because it was so funny to us.
I mean, "Speaking of..." I know he didn't learn that one from us!

I recently discovered that one of my MOM friends has a great online store, Midwest Creations. She sells cart covers (to keep the babies safe, I think after my niece's scare with salmonella I need one), diaper bags (I want the one below!), and a few other items.
I absolutely love this shirt. I am thinking of ordering one for a friend who just had a baby girl. Isn't it just the cutest?


Kirsten also has the photography bug. She creates wall art that spells names. Right now on her blog, she is giving one print away...however, the catch is that YOU don't win, it is for you to give to someone else as a gift! If I win, another friend who is about to have a baby girl will be blessed to get one of these neat gifts.



Go here to enter her giveaway. If you win, you can always give it to me if you are looking for the perfect someone to share the love with. Oh, and if you enter, mention that you heard about the giveaway from Jessica a fellow MOM...I just want to see how many of you enter from this site.

Smocked Dress Giveaway

Here is a picture of my adorable niece, Sophia, in the completed smocked dress. Look at how cute the seed pearls are in the light...Jeni did a great job and I hope some of you are interested in ordering from her. If you are, just send your request to r-family@homail.com
Enter the contest by clicking on the link on the right...contest ends March 28th and you can enter EVERY SINGLE DAY!

Scrubbing Bubbles Shower Cleaner

I am a Bzz Agent and recently got to try out the Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner . I was optimistic, hoping that there really was a magical solution to my grubby shower doors.
See, we have a bathtub, then besides it (seperate) is a shower with two doors of glass that like to get grimmy.
I had been using the Scrubbling Bubbles that comes with the blue lid and is a foam b/c it worked great, took little manpower, and smelled fresh. (I don't know it's name, but it is SB brand) I gave it a rest and tried this out.
Today we ran out of the cleaning solution and I must say...I think I will actually add it to my list for next shopping trip! Though I will still have to clean the shower on occasion, it did a great job (for about two weeks with one cleaner) of cleaning the shower and keeping it basically scum free. Anything that makes me have to clean less is a winner in my books.
I have a few $5 coupons left, so if you want one, email me your mailing address at r-family@hotmail.com and I will get one out ASAP...I will go on a first come, first serve basis.

What is your favorite thing to use to clean the shower/soap scum???

Not Me Monday

Yes, it's later then usual, but it's still NOT ME MONDAY!

So, without further ado....

• I did NOT lose Jackson at the zoo. No, he was holding my hand (or Candace's or Tessa's or random strangers...) the ENTIRE time.

• A sweet old Asian man (I think he was ethnic) did NOT help Jackson when I found him...in the men's restroom when Jack would not come out of the bathroom.
• I am NOT wishing for a nap. Nope, I went to bed early last night (and the night before that and the night before that...)
• Jackson did NOT eat (?) drink (?) some apple Sauve shampoo this morning because it smelled like apples. He is too smart to think just because something smells good, it does not always taste good, too.
• Brennan did NOT pretend to be sick this morning because he wanted to go to the zoo more then school. Good thing I am NOT smarter then him and did not see his trickery.
• I do NOT always think I am right and have a hard time accepting suggestions from others. I always am grateful for ideas from others. (I really am working on this one, trust me!)
• I do NOT have a play date of some sort lined up every day this week...zoo, St. Patrick's Day party, Relief Society Craft prep at my house, park on Thursday (no school for Bren!), Bounce U on Friday (still no school). I love staying home every day and doing things here, like cleaning the dust out of the corners, putting in gardens (I am planting strawberries and flowers), and allowing the kids to watch too much t.v.

That's all for today. Check back next time for more.

Oh, and I am so excited to be doing a review of pineapple jerky from Jerky.com. Stay tuned to find out more...

Lately...

Lately I have been "FINDING JOY" in staying up late, blog surfing, while Bart plays Resident Evil 5 Million (They've been making those games since before we were married, it's like we are old friends, the zombies, RACCOON, Umbrella and I)
Here are a few sites I've found (been told about AGAIN by Diana, thank heavens this last time I was by the computer and remembered to look it up) while wasting timespending time with Bart.

The Pioneer Woman - Ree Drummond
Skip To My Lou
Tip Junkie

I have spent a lot of time at all three sites, plus I've been doing a little bit of research on DSLR photography as well...I have a few ideas of what to do for the boys pictures that are coming up (a few photographers belong to MOM), but if I can get my skills to be "good enough", I might, for the first time EVER in my LIFE take the boys pictures on my own...we will see.

Of course, if my pictures SUCK, I can always call in the pros!

Guest Blogger: brennan

i like u
my girl frinds are willa ! (My girlfriend is Willa.)
my naem is brennan (My name is Brennan.)
i like star wars
what do u wish
do u wont frinds? (Do you want friends?)
what das your brather want? (What does your brother want?)
do? u hafv ine girlfrinds? (Do you have any girlfriends?)
i love u
what are yourboy frinds? (What are your boyfriends?)

i love u i love you

what is your bratheer,s naem???????????????? (What is your brother's name?)
what is your mom,s naem? (What is your mom's name?)
what is your naem? (What is your name?)

By Brennan, age five

What do you do for weekend fun?

The weekend is here and I am dreading tomorrow. What will we do? Will we go to a store (I do NOT like going to the store with all three boys...sometimes it's okay, but other times, not so much)? Will we play outside? (That might be a good thing, finally!) Will we just sit around, do nothing, then wonder where our day went?

What do you and your family do on Saturdays? I'm looking for free/cheap/easy ideas.

Love It or Hate It

Things I ♥

1. Nap Time
2. A clean kitchen
3. Listening to Brennan read (he is getting so good!)
4. Spending time with my family (but not during nap time)
5. Blogging

Things I Hate

1. Yogurt with fruit in it. It makes me want to throw up.
2. Below zero temperatures
3. Doing laundry
4. Brown bananas
5. Paying bills
   

Introducing...

The new and improved BLOG...well, the writing will still be the mediocre ramblings of me, but it sure looks prettier and oh so girlie! (Being in a house of boys can suck the girl right out of you) If you are lucky enough to have a big monitor (like our new laptop), then you see beautiful swirly pink on the sides. If you have a smaller monitor, like my PC, then you don't see it...but know it is beautiful.
Thanks SARA of Subjective Beauty for taking my fabulous header made by Karen and running with it. Karen...April 19th...you, me, a zebra cake to exchange hands!
So, if you are thinking about a bloggy makeover, go check her out. Tell her I sent you so she will be happy and know she helped make my blog a better place to waste your day SPEND QUALITY TIME!

BTW, I now have a BUTTON that you can put on your blog...it's over there on the left. Just copy and paste that stuff into an HTML thingie on your layout page and my little bike riding family will show up on your blog, making your blog that much cuter to look at!

One more thing, don't forget to enter the giveaway, found on the right...and esp. don't forget to order one from Jeni for however many extra points were offered...you can enter once every day!

MakeOver

Not for me, but for the blog...stay tuned as things might be a little messy for a bit...But...Tune back in by Friday and be prepared to be dazzled.

Tattle Tale

Brennan recently learned the difference between tattling and telling on someone because it is important for an adult to know at school. (Because I NEVER tried to teach him that at home.)

THANK HEAVENS!

That counselor at school is one smart lady to teach him that (You should hear some of the other things he comes home informing me Mrs. Proctor taught him that I've been trying to teach him for YEARS!)
Anyways, today, as Jackson climbs out from under Brennan's bed as I am trying to wrangle him down for naptime, he looks at me and says, "Mommy, Brennan was naughty. He broke his bed and it can hurt me."
I told him not to tattle, I knew his bed had a broken rung. (I may have used Brennan's bed as a step stool when there was no mattress on it and broken one of the wooden rung thingies.)
He says, "But I not tattle. It hurt."
Yep, not tattling, just informing me of a dangerous situation. Never mind the fact that he discovered this by pulling out the suitcases I store under Brennan's bed (where do you store those darn things?) and messing EVERYTHING up...things I specifically asked the boys NOT to do.
I guess Jackson is learning from Mrs. Proctor, too. Maybe he can start attending her sessions with Brennan's school class and learn things.

Does Mrs. Proctor teach a potty training for toddlers class?

The Secret is in the Sauce

So, I saw this site on a friend's blog, then on another friend's blog, then on a blog I stalk (but I leave a comment on occasion)...so I figured I should check it out.
Turns out, it was a great time to do so because they have a bloggy carnival going on for giveaways! Go check them out and maybe you will win some great stuff!
They are calling it a Spring Fling and I love it...I can't wait for spring to get here. Today it was SO FREAKIN' COLD I thought we'd fallen back in time to January or the ICE AGE! I mean, it SNOWED! Jackson saw the snow falling as we had the kitchen door open (see, I forgot I spilled fries I'd baked into the bottom of the oven then I turned on the oven the next day to warm up bread from Great Harvest and there was a fire...luckily Brennan did NOT see this happening.) and was freaking out over it. I guess his toddler weather radar told him it was time for shorts and flip flops to make an appearance.
While we are on the subject of crap-ulous weather...I'd like to find that damn ground hog and give him a piece of my mind! Six more weeks of winter. He can...well, this is a blog my son might read (seeing how he is reading EVERYTHING in sight and knows how to find my blog), so fill in the blank...and be very descriptive about what the ground hog from hell can do for causing this intense cold snap to fall upon poor old Southern Belle ME!
(The boys and I plotting out a way to get the ground hog to insure this weather does not continue to happen at the end of winter every year...Brennan has his light saber and Jackson is dressed as Anikan Skywalker...I think we are going Star Wars on him.)

Ethan Graduates

Today Ethan had his last physical therapy appointment! Katie said things are progressing nicely and she does not have to see him anymore. She will call in a month to see how things are going and we are to continue with therapy at home until about eight months, but things are looking fine.
His head is still slightly misshapen in back, but it will continue to fill in and eventually be fine.
Good news.

In other news, Bart does NOT have Celiack's Disease. Thank heaven's...I was starting to worry about being gluten free for the rest of our lives...I mean, how do we go home to visit family and eat at their houses and say, "Now, you have to go buy some expensive food for Bart"? Of course, we would do what had to be done...luckily we get to keep gluten in our family. I mean, it is an old friend after all...how could I say good bye to Cinnamon Toast Crunch and wheat bread grilled cheese?

Bowling for Dummies

Bowling with preschoolers is no joke. Jackson scored 89 one game and 106 the second! He got one strike and four (?) spares. The other boys, Danny and Nathan, did just as great. Of course, they did have bumpers up and they used a ramp to get up speed (Nate did not), but they still did fantastic.
I think even if I used the bowling for dummies I'd still score badly!