Watch Out For The Flying Bottle!!!!!!

Okay, whoever said getting a child to drink real milk instead of formula was easy? Please speak up so I can invite you to my home and you can see first hand just how NOT easy this step in parenting a baby is.

My typical morning starts out like every other morning. I give Little A her breakfast, usually Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal and some other type of fruit. Afterwards, I clean her up and set her in the living room with her toys and she always wants a bottle (weaning from that will be my next fun (NOT!) story for you all)

Here’s where I think I am being all smart and sneaky. I make a half and half bottle (half formula and half milk) I shake it all up and walk into the room. As soon as she sees me she lowers her head and glares at me with her eyes half open. I quickly hand her the bottle (lest my arm gets ripped off for how fast she grabs it) she tilts her head back, puts the bottle in her mouth and BAM! it happens.

The bottle is flung within a millimeter of my face, her eyes turn red (I swear to you they do) and she opens her mouth and screams at me, "How dare you try to pull a fast one on me?" Well, ok she doesn’t really say that it’s more like "Gaa gaa goo goo ga ga!!!!!" But she screams none the less. And then we begin our day of me trying really, really hard not to give in to her and just give her all formula. It never works. I get a headache from her crying and it breaks my heart. She is my last baby and I want her to stay a baby (did I really just say that?)

Well wish me luck I am heading back into the baby bottle zone to have our afternoon fight, because I just can’t get enough milk/formula showers in a day!!!!

Look At What I Won!!!!

About a month ago I signed up for a giveaway to win a Baby Sherpa Diaper Bag Backpack. And guess what!!!! I won it Thank you so much to Baby Sherpa and to ‘BenSpark‘ over at Read To Me, Dad for hosting the giveaway that gave me this awesome backpack. I LOVE it!!!!!!! It is all packed up and ready to go theme park hopping with me You have made this mommy so very happy!!!!! This bag ROCKS!!!!!!

Life's Like A Box of Chocolates...

No not really because they melt. It’s more like a book.

Hubby and I were talking about how we are going to be starting a new chapter in our lives and it really got me thinking. My book would be an interesting one I tell you. But it starts off slow gets really good in the middle and has no ending as of now.

The middle (my life for the last almost 14 years) has been the best. Sure I have had my ups and downs, who doesn’t? The best part of course is my hubby and my children. Every year is a chapter and this chapter will end a little sooner than expected due to our move. This evening we will be going to see what could possibly be our new home and I am nervous and excited. But I am happy that soon I will be able to put this past year behind us and start a new chapter. It’s been tough with the highs of having Little A and the lows of losing our home but we are strong and we have made it through the tough times. Because we did it together.

So who knows maybe one day my life story will become a book (lol I can dream can’t I?) But it would be an interesting read How would your book read?

Ok Fay...Go Away!!!

Ugh I hate rain, yeah I know it’s good for the grass and all that jazz but man 3 days straight of rain just really sucks!!!! And the dull, grey skies are doing nothng to help my mood. The kids are going stir crazy, and I am almost willing to put them outside in the wind and rain lol

All this rain has brought the froggies out and I was reminded how much Big A dislikes them. When she was little hubby showed her a giant frog that was stuck on the wall near the doorknob for the front door. We had just come home from dinner and it was dark out. She couldn’t see it too well so she got closer which I guess spooked the frog and made it jump right on her face. I mean the dang thing completely covered her little face. She started screaming and running around in circles trying to get it off of her. Finally after a minute or two it just jumped away, but to her it seemed like an hour (or so she said lol). I laugh about it now but my heart broke because it scared her. Now I won’t even go near one for fear it will do that to me too

On another note looks like we will be finally getting our act together to move within the next month or so. I will add that to my list of things to do. Hubby just finished the "BIG" project that he has been programming for for over a year now, so the stress is off and he can now focus on our move

Getting ready to head on over to Posh Point of View for the launch party for Nola Meadows Studio Join me in helping Jen have a great start to a great business

What A Day

EDIT: The storm has turned so all we will be getting is rain for 2 days (and thats a big EWWW but better than last night’s outlook) I think Allison "hoped" it away from me

Ah the first day of school has come and gone. I am so happy that I homeschool my kids. They start at 8 a.m. and end at noon. 4 hours thats it, then I can focus on all the other things I need to do throughout the day, like prepare for the possible hurricane……

I think we got all our fly away stuff off the back porch and we have removed all the trees (not the trees I meant the limbs) I got all my running around done before the first bands reached us (it just passed) I am wiped out.

And I saw the aftermath (like 2 minutes) of a weird car accident today on the way home from the library. The two men involved were okay and standing talking to the cops. But apparently the driver of a mustang missed a curve in the road and crossed the median (thankfully no car was coming at the time) and hit a man on a riding lawn mower!!!!!!! The front end of the mower was demolished and the front end of the mustang was laying next to it. Geez!!!! You cant even be safe on a lawn mower

Anyway, all my Florida blogging friends please be safe over the next few days

Good Movie

Big A and I watched a real good, funny movie tonight. I was suprised it was so good but any movie that can make me laugh like crazy and then make me cry is a good one in my opinion. It was Disney’s College Road Trip.

When Big A popped it in I was like okay I can get through this, but oh my gosh did I enjoy it. And oh my gosh did it make me ball. I have found out that I am sooooooo not ready to even think about this time in my kids life. Funny too because right at that precise moment my son was late coming back from being out, Big A was crying and Little A was sleeping in my lap. The range of emotions going through me was intense.

But I am all better now (all cried out (good song from the 80s btw) lol) and am here to say if you haven’t seen it yet go ahead and get it now. You won’t be sorry. And if your anything like me then make sure you have some kleenex nearby

Time To "Hunker Down"

Well it’s that time of year again. We are not in the direct path of this storm but we will be in the dreaded "right front quadrant" of it and I don’t like being there, it’s where all the nasty weather is, like tornadoes. It’s also the time of year where I have to act like storms don’t freak me out because then I will freak my kids out (try telling that to me who as a kid was constantly shoved down in the basement because of tornadoes in Illinois)

Now another thing is we always lose power over here in our neighborhood from normal storms. For a fun way to look at this….What am I gonna do without Internet?????? Think of all the blogs that I won’t see, all the cards I won’t be able to drop. lol

Gonna shop for the supplies (ran out 2 years ago, I am slacking) then come back and clean fun, fun!!!!

Last Three Day Weekend

So here we are 4 days away from the start of school. Looking forward to it even if it is more work for me. Big A is looking forward to learning more and I think J (son) is looking forward to school just being completely over lol. Little A has taken to standing on her head now, I have no idea why but boy does she like it and she thinks it is so funny and usually ends up laughing her self off balance. Whatever floats her boat

Trying to learn CSS here and there (which omg is not easy) cause I wanted to add some stuff to my site but I guess that will have to wait. LOL a few days ago I posted about not having much to do and feeling down and now I got tons of stuff going on. One of which will come about in a month or so. I am super excited about it. Pkayfit gave some advice that said "something will cross my heart" and I have to say it did. Big A and I were working on something together and it hit me. The rest of the story will come when I launch our idea, if I tell you now it won’t be a suprise

Thank you to all my blogging buddies for coming here and reading my musings. I have met a ton of super women through the blogging world and you have all touched and changed my life for the better I hope you all have a very good weekend.

An Alien In My Home

It looked like my son, even smelled like my son. But I know it can’t be my son because he is…….. CLEANING!!!!!!!

My brother-in-law snapped this picture with his cell phone because he too couldn’t believe that my son was doing dishes. It is a very rare thing to see in my home. Funny thing is he doesn’t want to make his hands all pruny so he wears gloves. Or maybe that is to hide the fact that he is an alien……. We may never know…….. I love to tease my son lol

A Huge Thank You

I want to take a minute to say a very big thank you to the following ladies who gave me advice when I was in a funk. Please take the time to visit their sites you will love them

• Allison
• Hilary
• Kim
• Laura
• Mamaflo
• Pkayfit
• Carol
• Tara R
• Renee

Again thank you all. You gave me alot to think about and be greatful for. It’s nice to see women helping others when times are low. Good sticking together

Little A Is Walking!!!

It started with her just trying to stand up and then I called to her and she looked up at me and smiled and then she let go of the chair and walked 9 steps to get to me. I cried I can’t believe she is already doing this. She is growing up so fast. Love my little angel

Gearing up for school to start again. This year I am introducing lapbooking to the kids. Big A is all excited about trying something new. She loves scrapbooking so she thinks this is an awesome concept (yes she even used the word concept lol) So I now will be scouring the net to find some lapbook ideas. I am excited to do this with her. Of course the son looked at me like I was crazy saying "I ain’t (I know it’s a word but it drives me nuts when he uses it) cutting and pasting anything. I am not 2." To which I just laughed at him and walked away. Still has to learn that what I say goes LOL

Do You Ever Feel?

Do you ever feel that you haven’t done enough in this lifetime? I am not sure how all this will come out but I guess I have been in a funk today. My son is almost an adult, Big A is becoming her own person now and it’s just me and Little A. All of that has hit me like a truck. Of course the hubby is there too but I am happy and content in my marriage the only thing we need to work on is spending more time together. I guess what I am worried about is losing my identity, my mom-ness (I know thats not a word but it fits lol).

Like for instance, there are so many talented moms I have been running across lately, and it makes me wonder where my talent is. I can’t sew, I am not all that creative, sure I have been known to have bursts of creativity but nothing major, and aside from my blogging friends I am kept pretty busy and lack that "adult interaction".

I have always said that my talent is being a mom, but many women share that with me, that doesn’t make me unique. I need to reflect on what makes me..me. And I need to find something that I can accomplish so I can step back and be proud of myself. Don’t get me wrong I am proud to be a mom its been my whole life for a very long time. I wanted to be that way back when I would take care of my dolls.

I would like to hear from others who may feel the same and maybe we can offer an ear and support. I am blessed to have what I have. I know there are others hurting right now in ways I can’t even imagine.

Oh Where, O Where Did My Pancake Go?

Oh my gosh reality came up and smacked me upside the head!!!!

Now it’s been 8 years since Big A had her first tantrum, but she had the most perfect (yep I said perfect) tantrums I have ever seen. We called her tantrums the "Pancake". When she didn’t get something or got mad she would quietly fling herself face first into the ground with her arms and legs spread out and just lay there. If we were out shopping we would just pick her up and it would be over, if we were at home we would just leave her there and she would eventually get over it and get back up.

Little A is the COMPLETE opposite. When she is mad she will let me know, and when she throws a tantrum she rolls all over the place. She hasn’t yet had one in public so I am not sure how that will go, however, my hopes that she too would just pancake eventually were completely dashed last night.

She had a 15 minute scream fest in our living room complete with throwing her head back and forth, rolling everywhere and pulling her little car walker on her head. We just sat there watching her with our mouths hanging open. Hubby grabbed the video camera and caught the last 5 minutes of it which captured her throwing her hands back and grabbing the handle on her car and then she pulled it on her head (duh!!!!).

The best part is while she was still throwing the fit he played the tape on tv and she got quiet right away. She was looking at the screen like "Who is this person and what are they doing?" Then on the tape she screamed so loud that it scared the "her" watching and she started to cry. I picked her up to comfort her (it was a different cry that the fit throwing one I know she was really scared lol) and she passed out in my arms.

So, again I sadly ask, "Oh where, oh where has my pancake gone?"

Playing A Video Game and Ran Across This

First let me set my frame of mind up for you all. I have recently been having trouble with my 15 year old son. Nothing too extreme just the typical I am a teen now pulling away from the mom stuff. Breaks my heart that the kids are growing up so fast and I have been trying without success to hang on to his youth. As with typical teens he complains and doesn’t want to do his chores, hates homework (which sucks for him seeing as he is homeschooled lol) and wants to see his girlfriend (his what?????) all the time. And he likes to consider himself an adult SIGH

So fast forward to my game playing. I am playing an awesome RPG game on the Sony PSP that I am just loving. It is called Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology a Namco Bandi game. Well, as I was playing there was some conversation between two of the players that just struck me on a much deeper level than just playing a video game should have (although I am extrememly passionate about gaming) Below is the snippet that really spoke to me.

"No matter how old, someone who sees the world as a prison and wastes their life complaining is just a kid. And no matter how young, someone who knows how to free themselves is a real grown-up"

I showed this to my son which he didn’t get until I explained what it said to me. Do not go through life complaining especially about things only you yourself can change. I have been in pretty crappy situations before and I was the only one able to pull myself out of it and free myself. I certainly didn’t just sit there complaining. And always know that things may be tough for you now but there is ALWAYS somone else who is worse off.

So thank you to whoever wrote the conversation between those two characters. It said alot to me and I hope it speaks to others as well.

My Favorite Meal

It is Pepper Steak….and it’s DELICIOUS.

You can add anything more you would like but to satisfy the picky eaters in my house this is what works for us

INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds strip steak (the kind used for stir-fry (usually 2 packages) or 2lbs. of beef flank steak cut in 1 inch strips)
6 TBSP soy sauce
2 TBSP cornstarch
2 TBSP brown sugar
3 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
vegetable oil
1 red pepper (I use 2 cause red is my favorite) cut in 1/2 inch strips
1 green pepper cut in 1/2 inch strips
1 medium onion cut in 1 inch strips
2 cloves garlic (or 2 teaspoons minced garlic from jar)

Prep work:

*I prepare the marinade first, then cut the beef, and then do all veggies.

In a large mixing bowl combine the soy sauce, cornstarch, brown sugar, sesame oil and pepper flakes. Mix well until everything is combined. (hubby likes things a bit hot so sometimes I add a dash more Red Pepper Flakes)

Cut meat ( I usually cut the stir fry pieces in half, easier to manage on the fork) and add to marinade covering completely. Set aside.

Cut all veggies, place peppers in bowl (large enough to add more stuff to)

Heat a Tablespoon of veggie oil in wok (or large pan) add peppers. Cook until crisp tender (about 4 minutes)

Remove from pan and place back in bowl. Add a teaspoon of veggie oil and half the meat mixture. Brown until done.

Place cooked meat mixture into bowl with peppers. Add a teaspoon of veggie oil to pan and the rest of the meat mixture. Brown until done. Add to pepper bowl.

MAKE SURE YOU SAVE ALL THE JUICES FROM COOKING IN THE BOWL TOO (The veggie oil use tends to be a little on the high side but it is so you have all those juices)

Add teaspoon veggie oil to pan and place onions in for 3 minutes stirring constantly. When semi transparent add garlic. Cook 30 seconds and then add entire contents of bowl.

Mix until everything is combined turn heat down and cook for 5 minutes (just long enough to heat everything back up)

Serve over rice (we use Jasmine rice, mmm mmm good)

ENJOY!!! Let me know how you like it if you make it. It’s our top favorite dinner (and it has been years that I have been making it so I do not remember where it came from)

Babies Are So Fast!!!!!

***WARNING - IF REFERENCES TO BABY POOP GROSSES YOU OUT DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER***

I am in total shock at how fast Little A is. Here is what happened….

I am at my desk which faces away from the living room. Little A is getting cranky as she missed her afternoon nap so I stop what I am doing, walk over to where she is to see if she has a bottle. She doesn’t so I tell her I am going to make another one (like she knew what I was saying) And I go into the kitchen right around the corner from where she is.

Now making a bottle of formula takes what? 1 - 2 minutes tops. Ok in that time she was one really sneaky little thing.

I come back around the corner, to see my little angel standing there with no diaper on and some strange looking crap (literally) smeared on the floor and the wall, along with a big puddle of something on the floor. UGH!!!!!!!

I say WTH and call for my son to grab her and hold her still, I run into the kitchen for paper towels, Big A runs upstairs to laughingly tell her Dad that Little A was playing in her poop (to which I promptly tell her that it isn’t funny, not one little bit). After cleaning it all up I threw (not really but I certainly didn’t hold her against me) her in the tub and gave her a good scrubbing. After getting her dressed for night night she very quickly fell asleep.

Life’s hard when you create poop art. It can wipe (haha) you out