'Cuz I'm just mean like that

Why? Well.... because he asked for it. Literally, he came to me with a hair tie and was trying to put it on his head like Mommy. So I did one just to be goofy. Since he let me do it, I went ahead and did another one. Of course, he said "ow ow ow" the whole time I did it and then after about 4 minutes of it, he started pouting "off off off off" at me. But it was good for a laugh when we did it.

Would I let him run around with his hair in pigtails regularly? HA!
Would I let him put bows in his hair and polish on his toes? HA!
Would I put him in a ballerina tutu and send him out the door? HA!

I am pretty old fashioned. These things make hilarious pictures to save to show his later girlfriends when he's about 15. But would I regularly turn him into a sissy-boy? Nope. Not having it. Although I got some flak from some people for doing it, most of my friends laughed their heads off at the pictures and said immediately "BLACKMAIL!!!" They get it. LOL

If a mom can't have something to save to later blackmail her teenaged children into good behavior, what else is there? I mean, I know good parenting spawns good children, but what fun is that???? Mommy has to have a little laugh here and there, too, doesn't she?

So to the people who saw the picture and asked if I'd lost my mind or told me it was time for a haircut(and yes, it is trim time), lighten up. And to the people who saw the picture and laughed with me, Have another chuckle at Joshua's expense. He's too little to know the difference yet.

If it helps, I WILL find something equally embarrassing to do to Holley. Because ya gotta love a teenaged girl's reaction to an embarrassing mother. I can see the horror now "Mo-o-o-om!" LOL.

Besides, the pictures are my payback to Joshua to being a smartmouth already. I will ask if he is silly, and he just rolls his eyes and says "moooo----oooom" in that tone that makes me want to crawl over and kick his little butt. Luckily, I don't think he knows about sarcasm yet.....

Cah-Ray-Zee

This has been a CRAZY month. Pronounced Cah-Ray-Zee!!!! Thank goodness for the end of November. :P Onward with December.

My baby boy is almost two. It is insane to believe. And since the last post, he has starting REALLY communicating well with us. We still have some spots to work on, but in general he is doing great, compared to where he was. Still behind a bit, but catching up well. His pretend play just suddenly EXPLODED!. My house is a zoo. Literally. Want to put the baby in the swing?



Whoops. Sorry Mr. Elephant. We'll just go over to the little rocker.



Mr. Penguin, don't you belong somewhere snowy???? Okay, Okay, she's awake anyway. I'll just put her in the jumper for some fun.



Tigger!!! This is starting to get out of hand. What am I supposed to have her DO? And Joshua sayyyyyyyys........."Teach her to do the books and earn her keep!"




After a long day of learning to write, Holley decided it was time for a dinner of....



FEET!!!

Yes, my baby girl sits in her high chair and sucks her toes. Little wacky weirdo.

And with those pictures, I do believe I shall leave for the night and I will leave you with a quote from Sir Joshua himself. "Daddy Dirty! Stinky Poopoo!"

Quit Whining

I did a lot of personal research on the candidates for this presidential election. I tried to be unbiased, but no matter what people say about the media, every author or speaker has his/her own opinion and it flavors the report. Personally, I didn't care for Obama or McCain. So to make my decision, I had to track their history of voting and stances on the things that are important to our family.

I'm proud to have been given my chance to vote, and I'm proud that I took that chance to make my voice heard. Regardless of who I voted for, the winner or the loser, I made my choice. So if I'm unhappy with how things turned out, I could grumble. If I'm happy about the results, I could throw a party. But what good would either of these things do? Neither a party nor a grumble shows any respect to the office of the President.

I have heard some McCain supporters say things like "Well, it's not my choice, but that's OK. I hope Obama does well." This is my personal stance. I had resolved, prior to voting, that whomever "wins" or "loses" would have my respect as the leader of my country, and I wished him well. I liked the McCain quote, where he said "I cannot wish my opponent luck, but I do wish him well." That's just it, you don't give luck to the guy you want to surpass, but certainly people should respect the hard work and energy that it took to get to even participate in the Presidential elections as a candidate.

I am making this post because I am so saddened to hear so many McCain supporters whining about the results and McCain's concession. I want to scream, because half of them didn't bother to make their voice heard at the polls, and the other half are acting all gloom and doom over this. I want to put them in a corner and tell them what I tell my toddler: "Quit whining. It will be over soon enough." If a person feels it so absolutely necessary to think that Barack Obama as President is a punishment, just wait 4 years and make your voice heard again. At worst, he will only be there for 8 years. 8 years sounds like a long time, but in the grand scheme of things, it's not so bad.

Honestly, to those that complain and those that say with absolute fear and dread in their hearts, "It's in God's hands now" or some similar statement, I say it has always been in God's hands. We may not be pleased with some of the political decisions he makes, but until he tries to burn Christians at the stake, we are not really in a bad place.

Consider: This country has had a rotation of presidents from day one. Liberals, conservatives, liberals, conservatives. It was about time for a liberal to have a turn trying to run the country. We've always bounced "back" from things in the past. Whether you agree with this side or that side, we will see another conservative in office soon enough. It scares me to hear the extremists on both sides talk, as if the first thing to happen will be assassination attempts regardless of who won.

I'm not upset by the outcome. I'm not pleased by the outcome. But I will respect the office of the President and I will respect Senator Obama as my president. All I am asking is that everyone else do the same. It will make for a more peaceful 4 years, in my opinion.

I am trying to teach this standard of respect to my kids. That a debate or a difference of opinion can go so far, but to watch how they speak. Whatever happened to the Golden Rule? Would some of my friends who speak so disdainfully of the candidate opposite of their choise want someone else to spread the same filth about them? I seriously doubt it. And I put that question to the candidates who chose to run smear campaigns instead of smart campaigns as well.

As for me and mine, we will serve the Lord. Above all else, we will serve the Lord and trust that he knows how to keep us afloat as a nation. Why is it so hard to find that trust in the Lord when things are going your way, but when things are harder or not coming out like you want them to, you turn to the Lord in prayers of dismay and dissapointment? Trust that HE WILL GUIDE US, always.

And now I shall jump off my soapbox and return to my typical amusing posties tomorrow. :)

what a day!

I'm done. This day...wow!
The day started out all right, everybody was happy and slept within the marginal terms of "good." Or "well" if you prefer proper grammar. I had to run to the drugstore and to the doctor's office with a question. So I wound up having to bring Joshua in to be seen due to a rash on his face that is either an infection or a latex allergy, and she's not commiting to either one, so he gets antibiotics. Wheeeee.
But, still. OK. I knew I had to run to the store for a bit(out of formula), as well as pick up the prescription, so I had planned a busy afternoon.

I got locked in Joshua's bedroom, instead.

To preface, this door did not have any doorknob on it when we moved in. Neither did the closets in that room, so we assumed they had taken them off for the safety of a small child. Joshua has yet to discover his bedroom door, and we've been here for two months. Given his "doh" fascination, this is surprising, but there it is. Well, Holley was asleep in the living room and I went in with him to mess around with some stuff. I needed to put something on the wall behind his door, so I say "Go ahead, close the door." He closed the door. Then we couldn't get back out. Whoever took the doorknobs off, LEFT the latching/locking mechanism on the stupid door! I couldn't get a good enough gribp on the edges to pull the thing enough to bend the lock, and I had child-proofed Joshua's room. Wait. The closet! I had some small storage stuff in his closet! Hmmm....let's see. Christmas wrap. No. Gift bags. Maybe....try that, nope. Empty guitar hardshell case. Well, that's not going to pick a lock. The rest is out-of-season clothing. hmmm. well....there are safety pins on the corners of his bed tent! The door broke the head off as I was trying to pick the lock. Sigh. The window! There's a safety guard on it, but if I can get that off, I can jump out and ring the doorbell until the landlady answers it and helps me! OK, who the heck screwed the safety gate onto the window? I don't have a screwdriver!! Holley has awakened. She's crying and upset. Start to panic about the fact that it's nearly 3 hours or more until Shaun gets home! Yell out the window. "HELLO? I NEED HELP!! HELLO? ANYBODY? HELLO????" The guitar case. Joshua stands at the window yelling "H'WO? H'WO???" That guitar case would make a great battering ram! Yeah, good idea, poor execution. It didn't work. Start crying with Holley. Back to the window to yell for help. The landlady(who lives right upstairs) is home. Finally I hear from the upstairs window. "Megan? Do you need something?" Uh, yeah. HELP. duh. Freakin' out, I just asked her to please come and get the baby and help me get out. She does, of course, and calmed Holley, then picked the lock with a knife from the kitchen. And thank goodness she was home. She said "I thought I heard something funny." Oh well. At least she could come and get me out. Holley had wet and was hungry! poor thing. Shaun came home from work and fixed the rest of it(read:removed)


So, Okay, by the time I calmed down, Shaun was almost off of work. So I go get him and we head to the shopping plaza, where EVERYONE IS SOLD OUT OF MY FORMULA. Holley has a low tolerance for the other kinds. Great, now I'm just irritated. We bought a can of the Enfamil brand equivalent, but we will see. Some kids can go back and forth, but Holley can't even tolerate the powder, so we aren't sure about this. And when I asked if I could order two cases ahead---(that's twelve bottles, we do one bottle per day), they tell me that they do do pre-orders or order in any especially for a customer. Shoot me now. We have to go back out tomorrow and pick some up from Target, who usually is the only place that has plenty.

With everything that went on today, I remembered to bake bread, but forgot to make supper so we had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for dinner. ha ha ha.

By the way, the images today are of Joshua at 2 months old and Holley at 4 months(well, today). Both barely fit into the snowsuit at these respectable marks, but I wanted the matching pictures!

The librarian is BORED????

How in the world can a librarian be bored in the city? There are so many people, and hey, it's a LIBRARY! So many books, and all the day's news at her fingertips. The day had barely begun at 10:30 am for them. There was a children's group meeting there and about 11 little 5 year olds running around.

And yet, I believe she was bored. She sat at the check-in counter with that one-elbow-on-the-table-propping-up-her-head and a dazed sort of look in her eyes. When I put our videos on the counter, she just stared at them as if I was interrupting her game of solitaire on the computer just one click before she won the 1000th game.

And boy, oh boy, when I hauled Joshua up to the counter with the Eloise Takes A Bawth book that he had checked out, she looked at me like I was insane. Then the fun part came in.

"Joshua, show the librarian what you did to her book."
Joshua pointed at the book. "Uh-oh."
"Joshua, show her the page you tore out."
Blank stare--from both the librarian and the boy.
"I'm very sorry, but the page was torn and he got to it and finished the job."
She just stared at me.
"Joshua say you're sorry."(he still doesn't have this word, but any acknowledgement would do!)
Joshua promptly started pointing out the videos he'd borrowed.
"Buf!" The Magic School Bus
"No?"Frosty The Snowman
"Mah-mee?" OK, I don't know why he said Monkey--it was a learn to read video with no monkeys in it at all.
The librarian just raised her brows. "OK." And then ignored us.

So back into his stroller he went, feeling very pleased that he did not have to use up any of his dimes on a torn page. And me disgruntled that the librarian could have at least looked at the torn page and said something along the lines of "Oh no, we should never tear library books!" to reinforce my teachings.

I maintain...how can anyone working in a library ever feel bored? If there are no patrons, pick up a book!!!

Look very carefully at the above image. This is a portion of our living room AKA playroom. Yes, I know there are toys all over but if the kids are having fun, I merely require them to start learning to pick up their toys before bed. Honestly, this is a hit and miss mission, but it's there. Anyway, regarding this image: can you spot Joshua? Look as hard as you can and tell me where in this picture he is. He's there. The answer will appear at the end of today's post.

I'm baking my own bread now. It's really easy! I thought all this time that bread required a ton of work, and did I really want to throw my hat into that arena when Schwebel's Country Potato Bread is so yummy already? Well, I looked into it. I found a really fun and easy recipe! I have a recipe that takes a bit more effort from my cousin that I am going to try soon as well, but for now I am using a recipe for No-Knead Bread. It came out light and fluffy on the inside and crunchy on the outside, and just delicious. That's exciting for me, as every time I learn how to bake something new, I am super impressed with my bad self. ha.

I know I haven't posted this past several days and there is a very good reason for that. I have two under two. HA! Seriously, Joshua has required a lot of extra attention this week for being purely ornery. I don't know how else to describe it. He's biting, hitting, taking things(more like snatching) and running over his sister this week. And he can't figure out why this is bad. Sigh. He also loves on her, tries to change her diaper and her clothes, gives her a bottle and shares *some* of his toys. Holley decided this week to take an assertive level of interest in some of the toys and apparently her brother doesn't like to see her scootching around and snatching a ball out of the bin or a teether.

Holley is also teething. She went at some ice chips in a mesh feeder today as if they were the last food on earth that she could ever eat. She doesn't tolerate the Tylenol well on her tummy yet, we have only gotten two doses into her that stayed in her. The typical gels or teething tablets are lactose based, so mostly, she is going through this all by herself. On top of the reflux pains, we have had some crazy days! It is fun to watch her. She has decided that a cheek is the best thing to gnaw on. And so Joshua and I during the day get some random "hugs" from her. She grabs either cheek and holds my face still, then comes in as if she wants to give me kisses. Then she proceeds to eat my flesh. It's really funny, and if she's not yelling at us, this is how she spends her day.

OK. Are you ready for the answer to our quiz from up above?
Joshua was located :




HA! This is his new hobby.

MIA

I'm gonna go missing for the rest of this week. We just have too much on our plates at the moment we are redoing the apartment so that it is more "Serviceable" to our needs. Joshua got his own bedroom and is soooo excited! Anyway, I need to focus on the reorganization. I also have to put in several telephone calls and deal with some appointments with the kids and me so this is a crazy week. :-P

Sleep is for Losers.

You know, ya put them down on time. Droopy eyes, lots of yawns, and off to bed. Brush our teeth, say our prayers, read two stories. Kisses good night and turn off the light. You've done your job. You're supposed to be rewarded by some peaceful and quiet slumber.

In this house, within 5 minutes of turning off the light, it is turned back on. Playtime ensues. No toys allowed in the bedroom? No problem, we can get around that! Simply unload the diaper shelf or the drawers of clothes. You want to be really funny, keep a stash of bedtime books right on the bedside dresser. They won't stay there, not even for one night. You want to see something like this:



and instead you find something like this:



A fantastic example would be last night. I finally fell asleep before Joshua did. The last time I checked, it was 10:30 pm. He'd been in bed for 3 hours. He was exhausted, struggling to keep his eyes open, and yet, it was the PERFECT time to SING!!! "doe doe dooooe, gah gah BYE!" over and over again. I recorded it, but my computer appears to have eaten the recording.

At any rate, I got up at 2 am to check the kiddies, and would you believe it, he was giggling in his sleep.

Holley, on the other hand, once she falls asleep, stays in mostly one place(something her brother didn't do the day he was born!) and SLEEPS. Yes, with the reflux, she grunts some in her sleep. Yes, with the reflux, she is propped up and arches her back, then slides down accidentally. But mostly, she's just.....still. And here I was preparing for another mover and shaker.

Anyone out in Web-World with any ideas about getting the boy to stay asleep, I'm all ears. Or eyes? hmmmmmm.....

And just for kicks, let me add to this. The first person to publish a comment or to call me personally with a "That's so cute" comment is getting punched in the face. It is obnoxious behavior, not cute, and it keeps us up all night long. So if you have a comment like that, please hope you are not the first!

Helpful Hands

I have a Special Helper. You've heard of Mother's Helpers? A mother's helper comes over and takes over your dishes, laundry or simply watches the children so Mom can get a few minutes to herself, or just get housework done without someone tracking mud behind her while she mops.

Well, I'm not lucky enough to get a Mother's Helper. I got a Special Helper, though. My special helper does all sorts of things. He throws away old paper, water(ha ha), dirty diapers(the disposable kind, usually), hairballs, napkins, empty bottles, prescription creams, spatulas, breakfast bowls, Holley's clothes, clothing of his own that he doesn't care for.....

My special helper helps cook. He could flip a pancake right out of the pan and onto floor, even!

My special helper helps me with the baby. He feeds her her "Muk"(milk) even when she doesn't want it. He tries to dress her. He measures her just like they do at the doctor's office. He tried to give her a suppository. My special helper gives the baby lots of toys to play with. You've never heard a baby scream until you hear the scream of a baby upon whose head a tractor was dropped. If you've never seen the pre-anger-mostly-frustration face of a 3 month baby, check out the above pictures.

My special helper helps with laundry. He takes my laundry basket or pile and quite evenly distributes the dirty clothes around the room.

My special helper is an interior decorator. He often rearranges pictures, books and furniture so that we can most efficiently fill ALL the open spaces in the house.

My special helper cleans. He can dampen any rag with any contents of a sippy cup and go around wiping down household surfaces. Because life can never get sticky enough.

My special helper takes the place of my garbage disposal. In two easy steps, any leftover will disappear before your eyes. Step 1: slather ketchup on it. Step 2: had to Special Helper. Now watch and be amazed.

Yes, I have got quite the helper around here. Who needs any other assistance?

Moving to the Lake

That's right. I'm going to move to a lake. Any lake. Pond. Ocean. River. Any of these will do. And I don't mean waterfront property. I am going to comission someone to build us an underwater home.

Apparently, this is what will make my children happy. And I'm all about the happy child.

Joshua played in the bathtub for 2 full hours yesterday before I decided to release the parent in me and make him get out . He wasn't happy about that. 2 whole hours! Do you know what I can get done in two hours without him badgering me? Okay, I am not sure what I could get done. I spent the time online trying to find a good bargain on some organic terry diapers. But still....I think I could live like this. One 2 hour bath, every day.

Holley falls asleep in the bath. When she was on the hammock portion of ther baby bathtub, this was sort of understandable. Warm water pouring over her while she's nestled in the safety of a hammock. Shoot, I'd fall asleep under those conditions. But now, the hammock is off and she is in the baby bath. Immersed, and sitting up. She'll just let out a sigh while I'm washing her and the next thing I know, she's starting to drift off. Most babies cry when pulled from the bath, and I always assumed that was because wet plus naked equals cold. I'm pretty sure Holley just cries because I woke her up.

Holley has developed a fascination with cups, and will grab at any drink she can reach and stick her hands in, regardless of beverage. Joshua loves fountains and lever-style drink releasers(like on my fridge, bleh).

Over the course of potty training, Joshua has repeatedly peed on the floor. Instead of hiding from me or letting me know he had an accident, I often find him playing in it. Splish splash, mama, come join me. And look, my tractor can go through this puddle too! Sigh.

I am seriously considering this option. Maybe the "Sealab: 2021" animators know someone to hook me up with. ;) Just submerge us in water and the kids will never cry again.

hmmm, how would I deal with electricity?????

I seem to have misplaced......

My Mind. Has anyone found it? It might be underneath of Joshua's bed.

My son has taken it on himself to hide my daughter's diapers from me.

On my search around for them, I discovered things that shouldn't have been lost yet, seeing as how we've only lived here for a MONTH. I also discovered something vitally important to my child's personality. He thinks in a nuclear attack, he will survive with the provisions he makes under his bed. This is the only explanation I can find for why a 21 month old boy needs race cars, a stack of about 6 books, a cup, a spoon and fork, 3 different stuffed animals, a blanket and a small pillow, and several articles of clothing all stuffed under his bed. Never mind that he thinks he is taking his sister along with him. Being the protective big brother that he is, he had included pacifiers and baby pajamas in the mix. I guess I'm glad he thought of her, right???

A person could imagine, with the list I just provided, that I am ignoring him during the daytime, or that I don't clean my house. Let me just explain that this is all that happened since the last time I cleaned under his bed--last week!! Let me also explain that with the exception of the silverware(who knows how he managed that bit), this all happens either during naptime or, most frequently, during the middle of the night when he thinks it is cool to be awake.

Which is why my daughter sleeps in a crib in the living room for now. He will wake her up. It is making us loopy, because we have her things in there. That bedroom is for sleeping in. One crib, one bed. Period. But she is sleeping in the living room. I have been considering changing that situation....see poll to the right of this post.

The night wakings aside, he's a good boy. He listens....most of the time...and he tries to help. But his biggest deal is in the hide and hunt. He tried to hide the chicken I was thawing for dinner today. Sigh. What is a mama to do with a boy like this? I find things tucked into corners that I didn't know we even had. Today I set the mail on the table, and I came out of the bathroom to find him stuffing paper into the vacuum. We had to have a nice little chat about the vacuum just being for little paper.

And try asking him what he's done with something.... He doesn't know what you're talking about. Little Sneak.

I never did find the missing diapers.