Mommy, Just One More Minute!

PSF: Stamps

2009-11-06T09:48:00.005-06:00

Hosted by Cecily and Emily

Sophie asked me if she could play with her new stamps the other day.

Why did I assume postage stamps?

And why did I think it would have been OK to waste postage stamps--since obviously I didn't ask or even think to go check?

OH WELL--the money saved in potentially ruining a book of stamps was much better spent on soap and water and the three showers it took before the stamps finally cleaned up off her skin.

Eat, Drink, and Be Scary!

2009-10-30T00:02:00.006-05:00

This is all a part of the big Flippin' for a Flip giveaway over at 7 Clown Circus. Today the carnival is at Better in Bulk, and she wants to see everyone's devilish desserts and things.

Usually I would clean up in a post like this. Holiday treats are MY cup of tea--however, this year there are just too many circumstances that having ultimately used up all of my creative baking juices. So there is only one other thing to do this year...........................

Enjoy the Candy!

Plain and simple.

With my Halloween mojo MIA this year--we are enjoying the obvious--and not trying to push to hard to 'get it all in' like I tend to do. Life certainly seems a bit sweeter anyway!

Happy All Hallows Eve!

OH and there is one more thing......NO such thing as 'leftovers' when it comes to me and candy. We indulge all day long on the greatest candy day of the year, and then DO NOT leave it around the house. Seriously, I would weigh 400 pounds! We wait until Thanksgiving to kick off the next round of holidays and let those games begin.

I sooooooooooo love this time of year.

PSF: Say Cheese!

2009-10-29T20:00:00.000-05:00

Hosted by Cecily and Carissa

He did! I can't wait to hear how it sounds, but it sure does look beautiful to me.

What do you think? Is he going to be a redhead? Or is that just my over-editing skills?

Writers Workshop: Show and Tell

2009-10-29T06:50:00.003-05:00

If you want to join in the fun go HERE to learn about the giveaway and this weeks' carnivals. Today's is being hosted by Mama Kat over at Mama's Losin' It.

2.) Show and Tell using your favorite Halloween home decor.

This is a pic of the outside decor from last year. These are undoubtedly my favorite decorations for a couple of reasons. First, Sophie and I had a total blast shopping for them and decorating the house. We both thought it was just the coolest thing ever--WAY better than our outside Christmas decor. Spending that kind of "FUN" time with Sophie is my favorite thing in the world and I am so glad I got a picture to help me remember. Second, I am a huge fan of twinkling lights and giant blow up things. There is something very innocent and cute about them--not to mention easy to put up. I am a HUGE child at heart and I think these decorations tells everyone passing by that children live here. What do you think?

Oh, and the dog's ears crack me up too! It was SUPER windy that night--he was standing still! The ghost was just about to blow over when I snapped this pic.

Posts of Halloweens Past

2009-10-28T00:00:00.001-05:00

7 Clown Circus is one awesome place to visit these days! To find out why go here. If you already know why, read on...oh and to help my lucky stars with the powers that be (the random generator) for the end of the week, I am truly Flipping for the Flip!!

"Ghosts of Halloween's Past"

These first two pictures are from Sophie's first 'real' Halloween where she was old enough to participate in the festivites. She was a very tall one year old--but TONS of fun and she loved every moment! The top pic is noticeably at a pumpkin patch the one underneath is at Sophie's first scarecrow festival.

In these two pictures Sophie is only 2! I can't believe how enormous she looks to me and how teeny tiny she is compared to now! Above she was wearing her fave Halloween dress for her cousins birthday party at our old house, and below was Sophie's first Halloween where she actually went trick-or-treating. She was Stephanie from Lazytown.

Underneath was last year's Dorothy costume and I have so many 'ghosts' popping out right now I'm actually getting sad! Sophie was only 3 in this last picture, but to me she looks like a kindergarten kid for sure! I wonder how old she'll look this year! I did have a little extra time to go back through some of my posts of my Halloween's past and found a couple of funny/educational/eye-opening ones from last year. Feel free to read on if interested.

Click if you like SPIDERS

Click if you like BLOOD

Click if you like LIFE LESSONS and the real reason that "Ghost" of Dorothy above haunts me.

Creepy Crawly Craft Carnival

2009-10-26T05:55:00.014-05:00

Hosted by Mayhem and Moxie as part of a Flipping for a FLIP giveaway week over at the awesome Angie's 7 Clown Circus.

OK, here goes:

I'm crafting challenged--or a person with crafting disabilities--or whatever the PC term is right now. Basically--I'm NO Martha Stewart.

As much as I love to see all of the sparkly, glittery, gluey, puffy-painted adorable delights created by tiny hands--I have to admit that when it comes to creativity--God must have simply left that out of my Mom DNA.

BUT!

I can follow directions.

So thank God for crafts like this:

These crafts come in kits! Not only are all of the pieces there, but there is a wonderful box with directions and pictures and everything you need to create a perfectly pre-fabricated craft that when finished makes you feel like you just painted the Sistine Chapel! Albeit--a color-by-numbers version of said chapel maybe, but still, these awesome little foam-rubber kits do wonders for my craft-esteem and are available at most craft stores I've been brave enough to walk in to. I love them!

In addition to following directions from pre-made kits I can also copy-cat! That's right--if I see a picture in a magazine I can re-create it.

I'm so talented, right?

Actually, with this craft, I did have to dig deep for a little creativity because I didn't have a stand to put the bouquet in--the craft was simply to take Sophie on a walk to collect pretty leaves. That was easy and fun too. Then all we have to do was assemble a bundle with some pipe cleaners around the stems and stand them up for some beautiful, homemade, fall leaf centerpieces.

The 'standing-up' got tricky because I only have giant vases for real flowers, not teeny-tiny ones for leaf flowers. So, I got out last years leftover play-doh Easter eggs and simply took half an egg with half the play-doh on top and stuck the stems in. It totally worked for almost 2 hours--which gave us enough time to enjoy a delightful dinner--before I promptly threw them in the garbage.

I'm pretty sure Sophie didn't even notice. At least she didn't say anything!

Now, for some of my favorite stuff. I've plugged PICNIK on my blog before and I just have to say if you want some fun way to kill a million hours--go head over there to 'play' with your pictures. This website is one of my favorites--I've already spent mega tons of time over there. This year they have created some really fun ways to spook-up your photographs--

This is so totally gruesome, and I can't think of a better (or any other) place than my blog to post these pictures. I love the look on little Sammy's face--and took total advantage of it to really make Sophie look as scary as possible.

Here's another one:

Funny little look on his face made turning him into a Shrek look alike very easy!

EWWW--Gross isn't it?
I can't imagine when or where I would actually use these pictures, but I think someday this will be really fun for my kids to play tricks on people.

Gotta love Halloween though. I know I do!

But, I recently mentioned on Angie's comments that my Halloween mojo is missing.

Unfortunately this year, the only thing I seem to be loving is the candy. In honor of this carnival Sophie and I attempted a new kit craft yesterday, and well, I'll just let the pictures do the talking.

The look on Sophie's face here tells it all.

Forget it! Let's just play with the glue!
So, we crashed and burned this year with the Halloween crafts. THANK GOD for the candy! And the giant tin of popcorn! And drinking water out of the sparkly glass to make it fun. Yeah-we were really rockin' the house yesterday! Maybe next year I'll find my spooky spirit and make up for my lack of ghoulish glitz this year.

OK, I'm done for today. If nothing else though, blogging this week is totally fun!!!!!!If you to join in the Crafty Carnival fun--go here. If you want to join in for a chance to FLIP with Angie and the rest of her gang go here. At least I can 'fake' my enthusiasm for this holiday by blogging a lot--AND I bump up my chances for winning a new camera--now that's something to celebrate!

PSF: H.A.N.D.S.

2009-10-16T15:14:00.005-05:00

Hosted by Cecily and Carissa

H.A.N.D.S.

They way I see them: Honoring And Nurturing my Darling Sam!

They way Sophie sees them: Helping A New Dear Sibling

They way Sam sees them: Hooray! Another Nummy DinDin! Scrumptious!

This is what I call "Hands On" parenting.

PSF: An Introduction

2009-10-09T08:29:00.006-05:00

Hosted by Cecily and Angie

Finally, without further ado, here he is::::::: Samuel, Sam, Peanut, Sammy, Little Monkey (Sophie is little Mouse), Sammikins, or SweetPea--we haven't officially decided on the fun nickname. For now, he is my little man--and I just love to snuggle and cuddle with those cheeks!

WELCOME HOME BABY SAM!

PSF: The New Big Sister

2009-10-02T06:22:00.009-05:00

Hosted by Cecily and Linds

I have been missing from the blog action for quite some time now. Before this little blog of mine changes in a big way, I thought I would jump back into PSF's with a little tribute to the one who started all of my blogging.

Therefore, in honor of my first favorite person in the world, before I officially introduce my other favorite person in the world, I thought I would tell a photo story with photos.

I have just a couple of comments of course--to help the story along.

Sophie about 10 days before her new job begins.

This was Sophie last night making sure we all still new who's the boss.

While waiting to meet Sam when he was still in the hospital, Sophie practiced with one of his new teddy bears. She LOVES her new title as big sister.

Instant best friends for life!

I have been absolutely blessed and amazed at the amount of love pouring out of this little girl. I admit I was nervous about her reaction to our new peanut, but Sophie has proven -once again- that she truly is the best little girl in the world--by being the best big sister in the world! So even though everything is turning to baby blue--Sophie is our shining star who will forever remind us that PINK is her signature color!

PSF: Spell Check--Mastercard style

2009-06-26T05:51:00.001-05:00

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Mickey Mouse chicken nuggets from CostCo: $9.99

ABC Tator Tots: $4.29

Princess Crown Plate: $2.00

"MOMMY! You spelled ME!!!!!"

Making Sophie's night while her daddy was out of town: PRICELESS

WordFUL Wednesday:: Food Network Challenge

2009-06-17T06:35:00.000-05:00

Dessert for the gestationally diabetic

Last night after complaining to Sophie about my sugar-free jello dessert instead of the big giant bucket of sherbet I wanted.......

Sophie: Here's dessert Mommy --tadpole tails, snake, frogs, and shrimp. Taste the shrimp Mommy, it has blueberries in it.

I like blueberries.

Sophie: Oh, and here Mommy, have some Mickey Mouse Milk with cinnamon.

Mouse milk? Now that's just plain weird!

Personally I think she was just being nice so she could take over the laptop--she'd been trying all night and is digging the webcam!

Click below for more WordFUL Wednesdays brought to you by Angie!

Pssst.......

2009-06-16T08:15:00.002-05:00

There's a buzz in the air and it's not the bees--it's the WII's!

Jumpstart is coming out with a brand new game for the Nintendo Wii called Pet Rescue and they are going to send out some pre-release copies soon. For more information click here to go to Jumpstarts blog entry about the new game, or click below for the blogs homepage and browse through all the Jumpstart has to offer. You won't be sorry--it's one cool website!

PSF: Happiness is......

2009-06-12T16:59:00.004-05:00

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Happiness is .....

Red-Eyed Tree Frogs! Especially when you can eat them and they have names like Cha-Cha!

We had taken Sophie to the Rainforest Cafe down in the big city (Chicago) a few weeks ago, and she was so excited to see the real-life version of these frogs wandering the restaurant while we lunched. His name is Cha-Cha and Sophie talked about him for days! THEN we saw this yummy Jello-O creation in the June issue of Your Big Backyard so of course she wouldn't stop bugging me until we made them.

**AHHHHH** So this is what normal feels like--it's been so long for me, I was starting to forget!

Sophie enjoyed it too! It was one happy day.

My little piano man......

2009-06-02T15:20:00.004-05:00

I'm sitting here trying desperately to catch up with my favorite blogs while I jam some tunes from my new play list I created for our romantic summer evenings on the porch. Yeah, about as romantic as Willie the Whale can get.
Anyway, as I read and listen, my little guy in the tummy just started going crazy when Nina Simones' Love Me or Leave Me came on, and during the piano solo toward the end of the song he kicked out a finale that actually made me stop and hold my belly.
How cute!
The baby counters are definitely correct when they say the baby can hear in-utero. Oh and he seems to dig Gordon Lightfoot too. This kid is so cool!

Or wait, maybe he's trying to get me to turn the music off? Maybe he can't stand it--which is why he is going crazy. Uh oh. Now I don't know! It's just like these damn hormones to make me see both sides of the coin.

I miss my happy-go-lucky --the glass is half full-- mentality. Once these crazy hormones are gone, I should be able to claim my brain back and all of the butterflies and rainbows that go with it. I should add in some bullfrogs and firetrucks too!

(this is just me btw trying to ease back into blogging--I've been gone forever!)

PSF: A Yummy Recipe

2009-04-24T06:50:00.008-05:00

With the amount of lemons thrown at me this week, I could easily open a fruit stand right in my front yard.

Now, at the beginning of the week-I would have simply thrown those lemons at anyone who happened to walk by--and probably chucked handfuls if you dared not to even think to say HI!

However, once my terrific Tuesday was underway, my entire attitude was transformed and I figured out a way to make some whoohoo lemonade instead.

And it tastes fantastic!

This is my favorite recipe to share although to be honest I've experimented with tons of recipes this week-and I love them all. If you are interested in some more--feel free to email me!

Susie's Digital Whoohoo Lemonade

The cooking time varies in this recipe by the amount of creativity you have to add to the mix.

Ingredients:

One broken camera (lemons)

1/2 dozen old pictures waiting for editing (pitcher of fabulous ice water)

Premium package at Picnik (yummy sweet sugar)

A dash of your own creativity. (your very own special secret ingredient)

Instructions:

Once you have broken the camera, before you get to purchase a new one, you need to go back through your older pictures and find the millions that went unedited because time just moves to quickly.

Choose 6 of those unedited photos and upload them to your premium Picnik account. It's important that you have the upgraded version of Picnik so you can enjoy the FANCY COLLAGE version and scrapbook the pictures very easily for flavor.

Add a dash of your own creativity and viola! You now have some beautiful scrapbook pages! Picnik will easily store any unused photos for the next rainy day until you replace the broken camera!

For more recipes and some super photo stories please click below!

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

It's all about Girl Power.

2009-04-23T07:30:00.006-05:00

We had some almost perfect weather yesterday, so Sophie and I lunched at the Arboretum to celebrate Earth Day.
While we were picnicking,

Me: Please keep your strawberries on the towel instead of the table--other people eat here too.
Sophie: Oh sister.
Oh no!
Me: Why did you say that? I totally knew the answer.
Sophie: Because I want the boy to change back to a girl now.
sigh -- think fast, think fast, think fast!
Me: Well, at next week's appointment, whatever it is, boy or girl, is what it will be when it's born. OK? And I'm not sure it will work twice. You might only get one chance at that game.
Pathetic I know.
Sophie: OK. But I want it to be a girl now.

Fabulous-Next Wednesday should be so much fun. Here's to hoping she changes her mind!

WordFUL Wednesday: Is it a baby sister? Or a baby brother?

2009-04-22T09:49:00.005-05:00

Yesterday morning while Sophie and I were getting ready for the doctors appointment I was explaining things for her to expect when we got there. I wanted her know what I would be going through so she didn't freak out. She kept saying, oh brother, after everything I explained.
Me: I have to give a urine sample. "Oh brother."
Me: Then they weigh me on their scale. frown. "Oh, brother."
Me: Then they will take my blood pressure and start to ask a million questions about my medical stuff. "Oh brother."

Finally I asked her, "WHY do you keep saying that?"

Sophie replied, "Becausssse Mommy, I want a our little baby girl to turn into a baby brother."

"Oh. Really? Well, we will find out next week, so keep saying that, maybe it will work!"

Well, she only had to wait about another hour. I had a completely unexpected ultrasound yesterday in which Sophie found out if she was a big sister to a baby sister or baby brother.

She is THRILLED!!!!!!
Can anyone guess? I circled the key parts so you can all see. Now, this is a blog about Sophie, so if you want to really get an answer--hop on over to my other blog , It's All About the Baby, to get a play-by-play account of yesterday's appointment and confirm if Sophie will have a baby brother or sister.

However, the doctor did say she's never been this sure of any baby in her life--even though she couldn't guarantee it! She giggled at how proud this baby was to show him or herself off! Life is good!!!!!!

For more WordFUL Wednesdays, hop on over to Angie's place at Seven Clown Circus.

PSF: No picture can describe....

2009-04-16T07:19:00.009-05:00

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Since this is PhotoStory Friday I need a photo:

This photo was taken about a month ago when Sophie was painting her rock collection. Today's story has little to do with this photo except that it is one of the last three pictures I ever took with my handy-little-pocket-sized-go-with-me-everywhere Sony Cybershot.

I'm feeling a little lost. ~~Sophie through a fit and knocked the camera out of my hands~~ My camera broke and a replacement has not yet been purchased.

So far, I've been OK. It's been about a week and a half, and besides EASTER (argh) I've not missed being able to snap pictures. The weather has been icky and we've been stuck in the house.

This morning however, I got my first pang of Man I need a camera--NOW! You see because Sophie and I were coloring the other day and she loves to give me her finished pictures with a little flourish like TaDa! I immediately say, "This is gorgeous--I'm putting on the fridge for the world to see." and I do.

Well, this time I actually finished a picture so I promptly gave it to her. TaDa! She immediately said, "It's gorgeous Mommy, I'm putting it on my refrigerator."

Now her refrigerator is a Step II plastic one. Very cute, but magnets won't work. I didn't give it another thought- thinking she would just end up throwing it around the room somewhere--or--eventually come and beg me to give her the tape dispenser. Nothing ever happened.

Until this morning. I just happened to glance over at Sophie's fridge.

Here's what I saw...

TaDa!

((Insert picture of my picture half hanging out the door of her refrigerator for the world to see.))

SIGH.
I want a picture of this! And it's not because I want the world to see my beautiful, almost-in the lines coloring either. She is totally smarter than me and figured out a way to hang a picture that I never even thought possible. Since I have no picture to describe--I'll have to stick with words . UGH!

Moral to this story? Don't drop a digital camera.

Oh well. Here's to a beautiful wordy weekend full of family (SHOPPING) time!

Seriously.......

2009-04-13T09:02:00.005-05:00

I used to think there was a conspiracy against parents by the toy companies (specifically their packaging departments) but now I think it actually got started by the creators of preschool programming. I still want to know what they have against parents.

Recently Sophie has been totally into rhyming words. We are reading Dr. Seuss like he's going out of style and she is loving every minute of it! She will go about her day rhyming away--dog rhymes with hog--cat rhymes with bat--and so on. Plus, if she stumbles upon a rhyme accidentally I get to see that Christmas face again: MOMMY--petal rhymes with kettle!

Wow, that is something:) We were making flowers out of jelly beans on our giant Easter cookie eggs.
Oh, she also likes to make up rhyming words by changing the first letter: cattle, mattle, dattle, tattle...she thinks this is tons of fun!

My only question to these clever creators of preschool shows is this: Why in the world did you name one of the Wonder Pets -- TUCK???!!!!

PSF: Right Now

2009-04-09T08:19:00.010-05:00

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

I'm not the happiest of people immediately after opening my eyes in the morning. BUT,

When Sophie wakes up--you'd think she was rushing to see if Santa came --every morning. I usually give a cheerful 'good morning' or a quick little 'hey sleepy head!' That's about all I can muster up until I'm fully awake.

However,

I've noticed that if I give her an enthusiastic "HEDDOE Butter Bee--How are ya?" As if I haven't seen her in two years--she always -always- breaks into gigantic smiles and giggles and comes running to give spontaneous hugs and kisses. ALWAYS--just like it's Christmas morning.

It doesn't matter that the house isn't clean, or her playroom doesn't exist yet, or her stubborn cold just won't go away, or that it's cloudy and cold AGAIN outside, or she won't get to go to the zoo yet, or that she didn't get to play her favorite game last night, or that I said NO to the millionth cookie that she wanted instead of dinner last night.

None of that matters because she lives in the moment. She is concerned with being happy right NOW.
Not tomorrow because it's not here yet and not yesterday because she knows it's gone and doesn't give it a second thought.

My new goal: make that' Christmas Morning' face appear on my little mouse as often as possible and start learning everything I can from my offspring who is most noticeably smarter than me.

So in the words of the great Van Halen--Right Now is Everything!

Life is good!

WordFul Wednesday and a Wordful from a sponsor....

2009-03-25T00:06:00.000-05:00

OK, not really a sponsor, but I do have some interesting info. to talk about before I get to my WW picture.

I love all things educational-especially when it comes to my two favorite things, computer skills and reading. Well, while I am patiently waiting for Sophie's reading light to click on, I have noticed that she is incredibly good on the computer. So, when I was contacted about a new educational website-I of course checked it out---JumpStart.

I love JumpStart for many reasons. The coolest part is that not only is Sophie learning hand/eye coordination alternating between the mouse and the arrow keys, but ALL of the games she's played so far have required her to practice skills that will enable her to READ and do MATH. Sophie has already spent hours playing on this site. I LOVE IT! You can play on the website for free, or you can become a member and get access to a million other things available on this site. There are also CD-ROMs for sale. The CD-ROMS open a huge resource for learning, plus it offers ways not only for parents to communicate with other parents (awesome,) but you can also leave messages for your kids AND track their progress if they play without you present. Sophie is still closely monitored by me so that she doesn't wander off into a 'older' zone and get frustrated. I want her to keep loving this as much as I do.

This would be a great website for any pre-schooler, home-schooler, or even after school programs. The entire place is really neat--caters to a bunch of ages--and is a 3-D virtual world that can compete with any of those silly video games out there!

Here's a screen shot from something Sophie discovered last week in Adventure Land for ages 4-8. (I personally prefer Story land for the 3-5 year olds, but I let her choose where she goes first, so she will go to where I want her to after about 15-20 minutes or so.)

At this point in the game, she was looking for the treasure chest with clothing so that she can continue, and in the meantime she found this slide that she can crawl up and slide down. She's having so much fun--time flies when she is on this website.

If anyone is interested I can give out one 3-month trial membership. Just leave me a comment and I will get in touch with you. (Be sure to leave me your email so that I can.)

OK--on with my WordFUL Wednesday.......................

Lately getting pictures from Sophie has been a struggle.

This is usually what I get.

Nice!

Not really.

But I don't want to leave this post with a picture of Sophie's backside--So I put this picture up.

Washing her hands may not seem like a big deal--and certainly not a milestone--except that on this day when I snapped this photo it was because it was the first time I didn't have to ASK Sophie to wash her hands!

Hand-washing is just as much of an issue as getting a picture, so I certainly needed to document her fabulous cooperative spirit. I even asked, "Whatcha doin' Soph?"

She responded, "Well when I came in my hands were really dirty so I came in to wash them so you would let me have a popsicle!"

Work it baby---work it! (what movie?) I can honestly say she OWNS it! Great job mouses--you rock!

And YES, she got her popsicle. Couple of 'em!

Window Shopping

2009-03-23T08:07:00.006-05:00

You know the saying, 'Act as if thee have faith, and faith shall be given unto thee,' or in other words 'Fake it until you make it?'

Yeah, well, I'm not so sure how they truly work either, but I am certainly giving them a go. A couple of weeks ago I was fed up with not being able to build or even work on my nest. I have to wait until my husband moves his office outside of our basement. I'm going to turn the basement back into Sophie's playroom so I can baby-proof the rest of the house and get ready for the new arrival. WELL,
Since he's not out and I can't cater to my nesting itch--then of course I want to go shopping--but in the economic funk of the world that doesn't seem very possible either. Not to mention that I'm still really early in the pregnancy and I guess I'm more superstitious than I thought. I should at least wait until I find out if it's a boy or girl.

SO--in the midst of it's just 'a little too cold to play outside' but the sun is shining away and we can't clean or organize because we don't have the room and we can't actually go buy the new furniture I want--then we at least need to get OUT of the house and fake it.

So what did I do?

I went to register at Baby'sRus. I mean, Sophie and I were bored to tears, so I suggested that we go pick out new stuff for the new baby.
Sounds stupid, but really we had TONS of fun. Sophie loved holding the 'zap it' gun and I loved getting out to see what's new and cool in the world of baby. Besides that--it was a little more fun than real shopping because we got to zap everything we wanted. Sophie thought it was so cool when I kept saying--Get IT--every time she asked if she could get 'this' for new baby.

We.had.a.BALL! 2 hours later it was time to go home for lunch and a little viewing of HSM3. What a great day.

AND even though we didn't actually buy anything that day--except the jelly beans and pizza rolls that I was craving for lunch-- I did manage to find a bunch of things that I do want for new baby AND because I actually started a registry I got a bunch of free gifts from the store! Whoohoo for window shopping!

This was the first time I actually had fun not buying anything and I didn't even worry about it since we still have a good six months before baby.

Oh, and once again, Sophie is teaching me that she is a little Mommy sponge, and even if words aren't actually spoken to her, she's still soaking up everything she hears.

We were smell-testing baby lotions and shampoos when Sophie encountered one she didn't like.
"MOMMY," she shrieked as loudly as possible, "this smells like CRAP!"

That's mommy's little princess! I was so proud. Yikes.

When I quickly and calmly said, "Sophie you can't say CRAP." (I whispered the icky word.)

Guess what she said?
"YOU do Mommy."

Yikes again.

"Well, we don't say it in public."

What else was I supposed to say:)

PSF: 12 weeks? 13 weeks? Who's counting?

2009-03-19T19:08:00.003-05:00

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

I was going to post this picture on my pregnancy blog and compare Sophie when she was in-utero to the new unborn baby, until yesterday when I discovered that I can't find any of Sophie's ultrasounds!!!! WTH???

I NEVER throw anything away. EVER! I still have clothes--no lie--from college in my closet. And yet I go to find VERY precious pictures of my favorite person in the world? nothing. nada. zilch. I've looked everywhere.

I'm so stressed! ARGHH!

Anyway, it's still fun to take a peek at my insides, so here's new-baby-on-the-way Widloe at her/his 13 week appointment. (The doctors said I was only 12 weeks 2 days--whatever.)

One of the best things about having to see a perinatologist is that they have all the best toys-- ultrasounds are AWESOME and all in 3-d! Whoohoo for complicated pregnancies!!
Oh, this is a profile pic and I went ahead and labeled some key parts-so you can see that he/she is throwing up her hands by ears-maybe to cover some of that giant head of his/hers!

Believe it or not, having that little nose show so soon is a VERY good sign that the risk of chromosomal abnormalities is very low. Well, that and all of my blood tests all came back normal. phew! I still can't believe I was brave enough to take those scary tests-especially after I heard 3 of my friends had false positives!

So there you have it--my uterus is alive and kicking and growing right on schedule. At least not everything about pregnancy is stressful!

Now, if I can just find Sophie's pictures, then maybe I'll relax--for a moment anyway.

Wordful Wednesday: The sunny side of things.

2009-03-18T00:22:00.002-05:00

Last month Sophie and I were reading from her new magazine, Your Big Backyard, (recently upgrading from Wild Animal Baby) and we saw this idea in the back. Sophie got so excited she wanted it for dinner. So, breakfast for dinner was what we did.
Simply spray a small bowl with cooking spray and crack in an egg. Poke the yoke so it doesn't explode and cook for about a minute.
Cut a couple pieces of toast and viola! The greatest sunrise (or in our case sunset) you'll ever eat!
The coolest part is that every time we dress up food to look fun--Sophie eats WAY better. Now, how do I make chicken fun?
Oh, and I stuck in the links for the magazines so that if you have never seen them go check them out. Sophie LOVES both of them and they make it easy to send the subscriptions as gifts. The National Wildlife Federation website is also a great resource if you are looking for 'at home' projects to do with your little ones.

All Aboard Diner

2009-03-17T00:01:00.002-05:00

When I was in college they taught us that in order to fully 'wrap-up' any lesson or theme used in teaching we had to create a closing culmination activity or field trip. What better way to wrap up our A's than to a field trip lunch at the All Aboard Diner?

They should rename the place the the Great Train Robbery. Or how about Choo Choo Cha-Chings. Good in theory and in gimmick, but the place was anything but what we expected. I don't have to tell you how Sophie felt about it--look at that face in this picture! She might have mirroring my face after spending almost $40 on a lunch for 3! At a diner. Not a steakhouse, or even just a Chili's for heavens sake. Ridiculous!!!!! The food wasn't even that good, much less that big. Come on.

Anyway, the next time I pick a field trip, I will have to do better homework before venturing out.
You can tell my hubby got a big kick out of the train that delivered the food. I think he had more fun than the two of us combined!

But, in all fairness to the afternoon, it did feel good to get out for a bit especially when February 2009 seems to have been the longest month in recorded history. Plus, I LOOOOOVVVEEE spending time with my two favorite people in the world, so no matter how much money or time we spend--it's always worth it.

*Oh, we finished the A's about two weeks ago, but I totally forgot to blog about them-so this post is just a touch late!

Paying it Forward to.....

2009-03-16T07:45:00.003-05:00

Congratulations to Corey! @ Living and Loving Every Minute of It!

It won't be hard to follow Corey's blog with her gorgeous pictures of her little Sugar Bear, all of her infinite mommy wisdom, and her love and expertise for photography that she is happy to share. She's got one cool blog and she is a great blogger friend. Thanks to everyone who was interested in the book, and please don't forget to follow Corey so you can get another chance to play!

I had written every one's name on a sticky note and put them in a basket and had Sophie pull the winner.

Sophie: "Why am I doing this?"
ME: "So I can give away a book."
Sophie: "Can I have jelly beans?"

So, Sophie wasn't exactly interested--but I know a bunch of you out there are, so keep an eye on Corey because she will be paying-it-forward when she's done.
Thanks for playing!!!!

PSF: Relax Mommy, I'm ready.....

2009-03-13T07:49:00.004-05:00

You're ready. Really? Am I ready?

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Once again, Sophie has proven to me that all of her developmental milestones happen naturally. Sure, I need to provide certain tools and encouragement but eventually she always chooses to move forward and try out her sea legs when it's time to grow.
Of course, for months before she makes the decision I am always sweating, worrying, sometimes even defending why I haven't done something about it sooner-to the people I think follow the real status quo, or what's "normal."

Here are my big examples:

1. At about 2 1/2 Sophie still drank one last bottle before bed. Did I push? Nope. One night she just said, I don't want to drink a bottle. OK. That was that. No more bottles. sniff.

2. When it was time to be diaper-free, she again made the decision. OK, Mommy, I'm ready to just wear the undies. OK. That was that. No more diapers. sniff.

3. Out of the blue, before I even thought about it, she decided all on her own that she wanted to take showers instead of baths. What? OK, That was that. No more bathtub. sniff (she did recently re-discover the joys of the tub, and will choose a bath 'just for fun' sometimes. phew!)

4. The doctor's office has always been tough but for her 4 year old appointment, she boldly announced to me that, "I will be brave Mommy, and I'm not scared." Normally, I have to surprise her by just taking her, and bribes of sprinkle donuts and skittles are always involved. Not this time. Not only was she brave as she flew through the check-up with flying colors, but she also even dared to take a peek in a pediatric dentist office on the second floor of the building. OK. That was that. No more bribery for health. sniff.

5. Last night at bedtime I offered the option for the millionth time to try sleeping in her own big-girl bed, and she quickly said, OK Mommy, I'm ready. OK. That was that. No more co-sleeping. No more family bed. big giant sniffs!

After it was lights out- see you in the morning- you're the best big girl in the world- sleep tight-I love you, she totally fell asleep. (Oh, and she announced that she will be the best big sister if new baby is a girl, and the best big brother if new baby is a boy!)

What? Hold it--you're not supposed to be ready yet, I'm not ready yet. But I didn't say that.
My entire reason for not pushing on these matters was that I wanted Sophie to be emotionally ready for the changes, not just physically. I've always gone slow and at Sophie's pace--so that she can appreciate and welcome change--not be afraid of it.
Well, that's all fine and dandy, and these examples are giving me glimpses that I am accomplishing my goals--but I forgot one little thing--ME!

I'm was a complete mess. Seriously. I wasn't ready for her to be on her own last night. I offered it, but I didn't really think she would do it. Holy Crap.
I was downstairs happily watching my favorite Grey's Anatomy, completely uninterrupted, when all of a sudden I had big boo-hoo tears running down my cheeks. Where's Sophie? Oh yeah, sound asleep in her own room like every normal 4 year old. I dreaded going to bed. I wasn't ready.
I dragged myself up anyway. I brought up our at bedtime Popsicle and popped in my comforting Gilmore Girls. I couldn't relax, couldn't sleep, and I missed Sophie ridiculously.
So around 10:30 I went back downstairs to sit with my husband who was shocked that I was still awake.
I realized then that I was experiencing the exact kind of anxiety change can bring when you don't know it's coming. I wasn't so sure I could handle it and I knew I didn't want to go back to bed anytime soon. So, I put on some eating T.V.--Triple D from the food network, and ate my way into exhaustion: pepperoni, bread & butter pickles, and jelly beans. Yep-I'm preggers all right. All of the emotions I was having were what I had been trying to spare Sophie from--at least until she's old enough to handle it.

It was then I finally got it that I am the one who is old enough to handle it. So off to bed I went.
It was so weird. The hallway bathroom light on-the bedroom doors propped open just a smidgen, and every in their own room happily dreaming away. SO WEIRD! The dog was excited though. He came up on the bed and sat right in the middle where Sophie's pillow used to be--and put his head on my pillow.

Alright, I guess I can be grown-up about all of this. I am the mom after all. OK. That IS that. No more baby. sniff.

PSF: A River in an Ocean and a Potion~ Moving On.......

2009-03-05T16:10:00.009-06:00

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Sophie: Mommy, I want to sing that song that makes you smile.

Mommy: Awww! Let's hear it!

Sophie: (in the CUTEST little singing voice ever):

Like a River in the Ocean,
My Potion
Move On,
Like a river in the minute, move on.

Move On, is what we did today! The flu is over (THANK GOD) the SUN is shining and the breeze--although very brisk--was WARM! It was a beautiful day and we wasted no time getting outside. We played at the park, took a bike ride, and then played hopscotch on our home-made sidewalk hopscotch board. PERFECT DAY!
Life is good!

Sophie was so happy today she even posed for a quick picture. This kid rocks!

Yep, that brought down the house!!!!!!
Any guesses to the band? Anyone?
Well, how about this--I'm combining today's PSF with a giveaway--a PAY it FORWARD giveaway.
A couple of months ago a dear blogger buddy, Kelly at Close to Home, read the book, Chicken Soup for the Mother of a Preschoolers Soul, and loved it so much she wanted to share the wealth. I jumped on it because I love all things Chicken Soup and this book did not disappoint.
Plus, Kelly, being the awesome blogger that she is, sent me some goodies that Sophie and I adored--take a look:

Now it's my turn to share. I want to send someone this copy of the book and keep it going. If you would like to read it, just say so in a comment. I'll pick someone Monday. Oh, and please leave me an email so I can contact you!

Have a great weekend!
and Thanks Kelly! The booked rocked and I am finally paying it forward!!!!!

WordFUL Wednesday: Just one picture please?

2009-03-04T00:01:00.000-06:00

It occurred to me that during my recent cave-dwelling I have neglected to take my usual million daily pictures of Sophie. So, in order to rectify this, last week I tried to catch her in a natural pose doing something normal--coloring.
Even though I never once uttered the phase, "smile" or "say cheese," she knew exactly what I was after. This was the cutest silly pictures she gave me. The rest had an amazing amount of toddler tongue showing. (I know she's no longer a toddler, but it sounds better than preschooler tongue. for some reason. )
So, yeah. My beautiful girl--acting in all ways like the little entertainer she just may be destined to be.

Feel free to jump in on the WordFUL Wednesday fun and jump on over to Angie's.

Gatorade just might save our lives...........

2009-03-03T18:22:00.003-06:00

Let me ask you something......Have you ever put a saltine cracker in your mouth when you are deathly thirsty and just let it sit on your tongue?
I did.
Today.
And I have to say that it is fabulous!

I can't remember the last time I was in this much pain. I've broken several bones, required dozens of stitches, and even a C-section, but all of those (even the one where I got cut right in the leg on spring break and needed 27 stitches on that gusher) run a very distant second to the pain I am feeling right now.

We are calling it the Cherry Koolaid Flu.

Sophie loves her koolaid, sugar-free of course, and that is the only thing she's really been able to have since Sunday. Remember I told you how sick she got? Well, it's the only thing that she has thrown-up too.

Then at about 1AM this morning it was my turn. I too love a nice cool cup of Koolaid so yeah--uh huh.

Then my husband came up to check on me at about 5:30AM only to detour himself to the guest bathroom. He likes Cherry Koolaid too!

The three of us are one pathetic site. My poor husband learned the hard way that fizzy diet 7UP just churned up his stomach even more--and kept him occupied for quite some time. Stuck to the couch or bed, where even sitting up to watch T.V. is incredibly painful, I'm trying desperately to see the good in this.

My husband and I were trying to watch the news this morning and ended up just turning off the T.V. due to the high volume of food commercials. OMG--I can't type the F word--as a matter of fact, just thinking about anything remotely edible could send me into the other room, with waves and waves of dry heaving.
Wait, no, that's not a good thing.
SO, after the three of us spent literally 6 hours in bed this afternoon (Sophie and Nate actually slept while I just rocked back and forth)--we all decided for a change of scenery and are back down in the family room.

I talked to the nurse at Sophie's pediatrician's office and while she was incredibly sweet, comforting, and sympathetic, she did tell me this could last from anywhere to 5 to 7 days.
The sweet nurse told us to slowly sip room temp Gatorade and chew ice chips until we felt strong enough for something real like a little saltine cracker.

SO while I honestly feel like I am dying a slow painful death, I keep repeating over and over, I am healthy, I am strong, I feel great. Over and Over and Over.
I think it's working because I have actually been able to hold down a whole handful of crackers. Now we are all sipping our Gatorade--and you know something? I think once again Gatorade is proving to be the miracle drug. A long time ago my sister swore by it's medicinal powers to relieve every womanly symptom you could think of--and I think today we are experiencing first hand the miracle power of this wonder drink.

So that's a good thing.
Another good thing is that just about by the time this is over we get to spring ahead the clocks and officially start Spring! Hooray!
I refuse to retreat back into the cave that I had recently moved out of, and I have to say I am REALLY looking forward to feeling better. Really. I am strong, I am healthy, I feel great.

Holy flu! I wouldn't wish this on anyone. It's the worst feeling on the planet. I know have confirmation though that Sophie is stronger than me and my husband because she has not uttered one complaint through all of this. She is such a trooper!

Unfortunately she won't try the saltine trick. Neither will my husband. Maybe tomorrow. I have a feeling we are not going anywhere. Oh, and thanks to pre-posting I was able to finish a WordFul Wednesday that has nothing to do with our pathetic little current state of ill health.

I'll keep everyone posted on when this starts to let up though. Jeez--I still can't believe this is happening. Thank God it's still freezing outside and we are not missing anything.

ABC's are here again!

2009-03-01T16:35:00.000-06:00

Thanks to the help of an awesome website called Starfall Sophie and I are resuming our preschool activities until the it's time for her to actually go to school.

We started with the letter A because Sophie said she wanted to go in order. OK, so our ABC days are back.

First, we did about 30 minutes of computer time, and later after lunch we did these pages together--which are similar to some of the activities online. She got a lot of practice following directions (coloring the capital A's red and the lowercase A's yellow,) tracing her letters, counting the number of apples and finishing the sequence by drawing in the four picture, cutting and gluing pictures of things that start with A, and we even got lucky because we did this on Presidents Day and actually found a pic of good ole' President Lincoln himself--A is for Abraham.

Anywho, Sophie even helped me turn all of her cutout pictures into a silly sentence using all of the cutout words she found in the magazine: Awesome Abraham jumped Above an Ape in the A.M.

Stay tuned for more of our preschool adventures and a brand new website I'll be reviewing shortly called, Jumpstart. We've already had tons of fun there.

As for today, the poor little mouse woke up with a nasty case of the stomach flu. As of now, about 4:30--she can't even keep an water down. Poor thing--she's so thirsty!

I wonder what is the mystical force that makes me instinctively hold out my hand to catch her vomit? I really don't think I care that much about my floors--why in the world do I do that?

eeeewwwww!

Silly Sunday: Can you spell that please?

2009-03-01T00:03:00.001-06:00

"Your name?"

Susie Widloe? I always respond to that question with a question-as if I can't believe my name is Susie Widloe! My husband thinks it sooooo funny. Susie Widloe? Really?

then, LOTS of people assume when I give my name, that I am saying w-OO-dloe, instead of w-I-dloe.
Once we get over the 'wood' part of the name, next comes the l-o-E spelling, instead of l-o-W.
I tend to get all annoyed at the inconvenience of it all-and most of the time assume other people are weird to misspell my name. Jeez! Get it right people! what.a.pain.

Imagine my surprise (no-make that my dorky-bubblegum excitement) when I stumbled across an old Partridge Family minisode on the new Hulu website.
The show is titled, "The Story of Red Woodloe." Not only is it spell wood-like people assume, but it also has the E instead of the W to it!

Yep, just another example of how I'M the weird one around here. I mean really, whoever heard of spelling Woodloe with an "I?" ;)

PSF: Sunny skies and Skittles are here to stay!

2009-02-27T09:12:00.007-06:00

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Life is good.

What? WTH does that mean anyway? That is the question of the year.

I've seen this little slogan everywhere for as long as I can remember, but until about 3:30A.M. today I had completely forgotten it's existence. and Truth.

Life is good. Period. That's it. Nothing to it.

For what seems like 2 years really only to be 2 months I've been living in a cave. A dark, scary, smelly, depressing cave of gloom and doom. I couldn't see something good if it came up and bit me on the nose.

Today I realized -- Life is good. It's totally true. All you have to do is look for it-and sometimes you don't even have to do that-it just shows up.

I forgot that when all else fails, I can always come back to my land of rainbows and butterflies because after all, the GOOD is the glue that keeps my family tight as can be, and what's not good about rainbows and butterflies? They are pretty, cute, gentle, colorful, bright, hopeful, and sweet.

In the past whenever we have experienced bumps in the road I have simply focused on all of the fun that is my SOPHIE and everything we do together. The more I focused on the good stuff, the less important the problems seemed.

I can't believe I forgot about this little trick!

Unfortunately, it works the other way too as I have learned the hard way. The more I focused on problems the less important the good stuff seemed. EEEEEEWWWWWW!!!!!!

It got so bad I even stopped blogging, and I LOVE BLOGGING!!!!
That's it!--no more nonsense. no more ickiness. I refuse to dwell on the bad stuff. It only proves to help crumble what my husband and I are painstaking trying to build--so from now on--I'm focusing on the glue that keeps us together--the good stuff.

Life is good.

Here's an example: February 7--not a cloud in the sky, not a speck of snow remaining, it's 65 degrees out and Sophie gets HOURS of outside time.

Life is FABULOUS!

I even got a little color on my cave-dwelling cheeks! (and you all know how much I adore being in the SUN!)
Fun!
This picture was taken on the 10th when the same kind of day happened again! BAM! Spring, right in the middle of winter, how cool is that??

I have also decided that in addition to focusing on the good stuff with Sophie I am going to journal on my other blog that I have renamed, It's All About the Baby, about all of my trials of being pregnant. I think it will benefit me because even when I am focusing on the positive, sometimes pregnancy can be downright scary. It is certainly GLAMOROUS if you know what I mean.

But I do want to keep it separate from the world of jelly beans and High School Musicals that is my journey with Sophie.
Oh yeah, we did have our HSM3 party complete with Mickey's D's and Shamrock Shakes on our famous magic table--totally fun! Plus, we recently discovered a yummy new cereal in honor of the terrific trilogy. Whoohoo for that!
Life is good!

WWordFullW: My Favorite Day of the Year

2009-02-18T08:35:00.006-06:00

FEBRUARY 2= Sophie's Birthday

February 2 is my favorite day of the year and it has nothing to do with the weather, famous Phil's, or any other kind of Hallmark holiday. We can officially forget about the silly rodent now OK?

We started her big day, two days early, with a family party at a local bowling alley. Here, Sophie and company gathered for bowling, pizza, cake, and arcade games. TONS of fun for families with small kids--I highly recommend it--plus you get the added bonus of adults being able to participate too. Very fun night!!!!!

Here she is after knocking down a couple of pins during the 'cosmic' part of her bowling party. She had a ball!

Two days later on her actual birthday we celebrated the day with the cake that she designed herself-for BREAKFAST, and had an at-home beach party with her new rolly-poley hamster wheel toy. (see my last post)
We also stayed in jammies that day and Grammy and Papa came over for a birthday lunch.
We finished that day we a showing of both of the HSMusicals in preparation for the big day when the third movie came out on DVD, and we played a very long round of "telephone" so Sophie could practice answering her new electronic now conveniently placed in her bedroom.

As our final tribute to Sophie's special day, our third day was spent at our yearly tradition of creating a new build-a-bear. This is a picture of Sophie and her new kitty, Kitty, as she fluffed her up in the bathtub area. We then managed to spend a small fortune stocking up on a couple of outfits and created her birth certificate (the creator of this store was a business genius) and some shoes and finally bows for her hair--all for a separate small fee of course.

We ended our dedication to my now 4 year old with a quick trip to the Disney store (I hadn't been since Christmas and was having withdrawals) followed by a ride on the carousel after enjoying some of our favorite Aunt Anne's pretzel sticks. This is without a doubt one of our favorite ways to spend time together!

As you can see, I like to stretch FEBRUARY 2 out as long as possible and this year because her birthday landed on a Monday, I was able to do just that. So Much Fun!

Now starts the 'now that you are 4' routine with a lot of big girl changes right around the corner. I'll keep you posted. Right now we are working on her big girl bedroom that now includes her own Hello Kitty clock radio and night light (exactly like Lorelei Gilmore's) and her very own Barbie phone which she happily answers all the time!

I still can't believe Sophie talks on the phone now! It's so weird. Fun, but weird!

PSF: Animal Magic

2009-02-06T07:12:00.004-06:00

When I was a kid February 2 was always a very fun day because Groundhog Day was just cool-well, as cool as in "let's celebrate a rodent day" can be. Now, as a kid I wanted lots of winter-playing in the snow was awesome-loved it and never minded being cold.

This year the stupid rodent chickened out and ran screaming back into his den. Damn--6 more weeks of winter.

I think somehow Sophie used psychic powers to zap poor Phil back home.

I guess kids are still the ones who love the snow.

BUT From what the weathermen are predicting though maybe Phil just ended up in a tree house somewhere because it really does look like spring is a-comin' oh yeah! 50 degrees this weekend I.can't.wait!

Fingers crossed everyone!

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

PSF: Strike a Pose

2009-01-30T07:58:00.005-06:00

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

I wanted a cute picture of Sophie the other day and when I said 'smile' she immediately made funny faces with noises to go with them.

So I said, "C'mon strike a pose for me."

"There's just something about a woman in a hat that's just so vogue, you know what I mean?"

(what movie?)

About six months ago Nate was laughing at my Susie~bubblegum~ness and said that if he was a millionaire he would buy me a cable station and call it the 'Susie Channel.'

(if you know anything about me, then you know I really hope he makes this one come true--I am just this dorky. )

Since then, we have been critiquing movies, music, and shows by if they will ever make it to the Susie Channel or not. The question is, "Is it bubblegum enough?"

Madonna's music and videos will all make an appearance on the Susie Channel-although not ALL of her stuff is bubblegum enough (I'm thinking TRUE BLUE is my greatest hit); the movies Twister and Practical Magic will be run once a day --everyday; and T.V. reruns will consist of The Brady Bunch, Happy Days, and Sex in the City. For evening time I will show The West Wing, NYPD Blue, and of course, The Gilmore Girls.

Cheesy huh?

Well, that's me-all things bubblegum.

Oh, and one last thing--we just heard yesterday that coming on February 17 High School Musical 3 will be out on video and you can bet your booties that Sophie and I will be celebrating with an entire week long High School Musical tribute and the "Susie Channel" will air the trilogy weekly!

My only last question is this, "What's on your channel?"

(and if you guessed the movie from the quote above you can bet all of your bubblegum it will be run as well)

A New Haircut

2009-01-29T07:05:00.002-06:00

I just needed a post to put up here so that the picture of my toe will get buried quicker.
Sophie got a haircut last weekend in preparation for her Big-girl birthday coming up this weekend.
She had a ball making up the 'loot' bags for her friends that are coming to see her on her big day.

OK, that's all I've got today. Is it just me or could these two pictures actually be of two different people? Cameras are so weird.

Oh, a little side note: today is the first time I got "no misspellings found."
--YEAH for spell check!

WWordFulW: This little piggy went to ...........

2009-01-28T06:38:00.006-06:00

~~Market~~ kick a chair-on accident yesterday morning.

and went "Good Golly Mother of God" all the way home.*

How's that for a wordful?

*Those are not even close to the REAL words that were said but this is a family friendly blog.

OUCH! Actually this one took my breath away-it hurt so bad-so I didn't mutter anything for a few moments.

Seriously, I just trying to straighten up some of the toys in my house before anyone woke up. Yeah, this all happened before my morning coffee. What a fabulous day.

All I can say now is, Sean Barber you are one heck of a nicknamer! I am still living up to mine today!
Oh, and this picture is a "back-to-almost normal size and a prettier shade of bluish pink" as opposed to last nights' bigger than my big toe puffy with a shade of violet. So.Much.Fun! Anyone ever try to sleep with their foot propped on pillows? how about while they are pregnant-with fiery razor blade heartburn and an enormous tummy full of bloat? Aren't I delightful?

I can't believe I actually broke my toe 4 days before Sophie's birthday party. Have I mentioned this is her first party outside of our home--at a bowling alley? I'm soooooo going to look like Flipper-the beached whale--C'MON!!!!!

For more WordFUL Wednesdays please go here and play along!

Nah, just kidding, I'll just be the clutzy silly mommy I always have been;) Good grief!

The 3 Little Pigs~As retold by a pregnant woman.

2009-01-26T08:13:00.006-06:00

In the original story of the three pigs you have the first 2 , who are defeated by the wolf and it's up to the last pig to save the day.
This is the story of the one who saves the day--before the day gets here.
You see, the third little brick layer, isn't actually a pig at all.
It's a pregnant woman.
Today, it's me.
That's right. I am now a smarter than life, tougher than normal, FATTER THAN THE WORLD, saving-the-day heifer. Wait, heifer implies a cow, let's make that a SWINE-because a pig is just not quite as mature as a swine and well I am after all, pregnant. jeez. But I haven't always been like this. And Thank God I won't be like this forever. Yesterday morning I woke up in the pig body, and decided I needed to get my story to the world so that when they see me no one will think that I am just some kind of fat and lazy person, but actually the hero in a famous folktale.

Once upon a time, starting the day after Christmas, I gave up eating LOTS of food to eating barely any, starting drinking tons of water, exercising at least 4 times a week, and completely gave up sugar or anything that closely resembled it. I did this for two weeks straight while my jeans got tighter, my face more puffy, and my mood swings would have made even Glenn Miller proud.

Then came the 'Am I pregnant' question for about 3 days. I analyzed, scrutinized, and rationalized that the answer was an absolute NO. I just didn't want to talk myself into it and go through another round of tears and disappointment that is certain to follow a failed pregnancy test.
Then came Monday night when a teenie little voice deep in my gut yelled, Wake UP--you're pregnant!
So at around 5:30 AM I went downstairs to endure another brutal, gut-wrenching test-only this time I passed. I sat and stared for a least 5 minutes at the result--NOT--believing it.
Finally I ran to wake up hubby-who jumped off the couch and hugged me. We were so excited. For like a week everything was "oh, hooray, my prayers were answered, and another little one is on the way! Yippee!"

Unfortunately the honeymoon is over and I have been violently shoved into the "fat suit" or "swine gear" to fulfill my duties as the 3rd pig in the famous story. You see, it appears that since the moment of conception my body began holding on to every drop of water that I gave it, which is why my pants are tight. It's not the baby, but water retention to give me the cheeky rolls and the tummy waves that all pigs display. Yeah, the baby is the size of only a mere peanut without the shell, yet is nestled snug in a home as big as Xanadu itself, built in the immense private island that is my belly. Even Charles Foster Kane would be proud of the splendor.

SO,

Barely 7 weeks into this baby making journey and I have already lost myself. I am now simply the third little pig, preparing my home of bricks to keep out all of the wind-bag wolves who might try to destroy my family.

To reassure the other pigs that they are safe and sound and that I have accepted my new life role, we celebrated yesterday with pancakes.
(I actually saw this idea on another blog and can't remember who's it was--so if you read this please tell me and I will give all of the credit due.)

In the spirit of the story I will tell you that my feeble little pig#1 ate the equivalent of how much a piece of straw would weigh; pig #2 followed suit and ate enough to maybe cover the weight of a stick but scraped the Mn M's off his plate like they were rabbit droppings or something, and I, pig #3 ate a solid plate of pancakes, candy and all, so that they sat like a lump of bricks in Xanadu, until an hour later when I was hungry again--and finished everyone else's pancakes.
Nice.
In addition to changes in appearance there are also the added bonus of total fatique, yet complete insomnia, and really weird food cravings (no aversions except for my beloved coffee--sniff,) like chicken and cheese. GROSS--but it's all I want.
Then there is the fermenting process that is happening in my digestive system which not only blows me up to the size of a 5 ton tank by the end of the night, but also causes tremendous heartburn, and slows down every process of elimination. YUCK--I feel toxic. Seriously, my pants totally fit in the morning, but by mid-afternoon I look 9 months preggers from all the bloat in Xanadu. (oh, and with all of this fermenting going on --yes gas is being released. I'm digusting.)

Yes, I prayed for this.
and yeeeeees, I will forget all of this, because as soon as the baby is done staying in the private hotel, he/she will grace our presence turning our home into the Xanadu we built-only 33 more weeks to go. Yippee. whatever. It's Possible --Pig. (what movie?)
You know what they say though--only the STRONG shall survive, which is why I believe God made sure women are the ones to give birth;)

The end.

EPILOGUE
At the beginning of my story I declared this:
"I am now a smarter than life, tougher than normal, FATTER THAN THE WORLD, saving-the-day swine."
It takes the entire 40 weeks for all three of those things to be true.
Unfortunately, at this stage of my new role, I'm just getting to the FATTER part because my brain is total mush (you might see evidence of this by my proofreading) and I cry at the drop of a hat-and picks fights with my hubby as an added bonus. (we are not speaking as I type!) whoohoo for pregnancy
I'll keep everyone posted when this changes--and of course, when the big bad wolf comes to huff and puff--in other words, when I give birth--I'll be sure to blog about it.

PSF: It's official:)

2009-01-22T19:00:00.001-06:00

Sophie's smarter than me,
AND she's not even 4 yet! Here's the evidence:

(at dinner last Sunday, pizza night) Sophie: Can I have a root beer too?

Me: Sure kiddo, just leave it at the table, please don't take it in the family room.

Sophie: Why not?

Me: Because it might spill.

Sophie: You take yours in the family room, annnd I've seen it spill!

Want to know how my outstanding, patient, spectacular, self answered?
Because I said so~! Then I went on to calmly yet matter-of-factly say, "When you pay the bills, feel free to do whatever you want. Until then I say." (like I'm some sort of big shot)

When did I turn into my parents?
big heavy sigh.

The picture doesn't match the story, but I was just too plain flabbergasted during that particular moment to snap a pic of her brillance, so I choose a more happily-go-lucky one this week. THis one cracks me up with those ears!

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

WWordfulW: Teletubbie Tidbits

2009-01-21T00:19:00.001-06:00

Last week when told Sophie we were expecting a little sister or brother for her she immediately went into the nursery-turned-toy-room-about-to-be-turned-back-into-a-nursery, and grabbed the teletubbies. She brought them downstairs with her right away and when I asked her why she responded,

"The baby needs them so we can watch the Teletubbies together." Sophie hasn't watched the Teletubbies since she was a baby, and she just knows the new baby will love them like she did.

Just another reason why I can't.stop.crying!

Now, back in the day when Sophie did love the tubbies, I ran around like crazy searching for the missing Dipsy. These tubbies are about a foot tall and they sing and dance when you clap your hands really loud. Poor Dipsy. It's just not the same without him. I did see some on EBAY, but I only buy 'New in box or NIB for short' ---used stuffed animals GAG me!

To play more WordFul Wednesday go to Seven Clown Circus or click on the button on my sidebar!

Make Believe Monday: Roll Call

2009-01-20T08:14:00.010-06:00

We are starting the slow process of preparing for the new baby. In order not to get too overwhelmed I decided to prioritize one task at a time. Breaking things down in small work-able chunks that can engage Sophie seemed like the best way to go to avoid insanity. Not that I'm complaining by any means, I LOVE TOYS, and everything babies, but I am also out of room. Completely.

Task #1: Organize Sophie's Dolls.

Our Make Believe Monday turned into "Let's pretend your dollies are from different families and build them different homes" which took up almost 2 hours of our time!

This turned out to be extra fun since Sophie took it upon herself to scour the house and bring every baby she owns upstairs. I unfortunately do not remember all of the names, so we ended up repeating a bunch. We did manage to count a whopping total of 77 + the missing and (chewed up) Princess Kayla--she's the pink version of the purple and tan ones that we do have in the pics below.

In this picture we have the Big Momma in blue in the middle of her kingdom surrounded by her cabbage patch kids, Angie Julieka, Rosie Muriel, and our latest addition Frannie Elizabeth, along with brand new Ivy waiting for her pig tails to get down, and lastly all of the stuffed Mickey and company. In the top left there is an overview shot of her whole room, and in the top right there is her collection of the Disney dolls, babies Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella, 2 Snow Whites, 3 Belles, and one Little Mermaid. (This collection continues in her barbie suitcase where she 2 of each + the High School Musical gang.)

In this pic I have the two Kayla's in the top left; Melanie and Effie in the top right; and Ducky, Melody 1 and Melody 2 in the bottom middle. In the background picture are from left to right, Ava, Jillian, Sammy, Josie, Sally, Angie, and Amy.

This is a picture of the bassinet which is now referred to as the Twin Tower Condo, and the delightful group in the white crib of dollies that started them all.

In the top right we have the Bitty Twins, Little Aunt Julie and Little Sophie, followed by the original Bitty Baby, cleverly named Bitty and Fancy Nancy. In this portion of the tower we also have several orphans who may or may not have names.

In the bottom left we have the original brat pack; Pepper, Lucy, Annabelle, Duffy, Bonnie, Katie, Annie, and Purple Annie. In the center of the photo we have Cloe & Hailey, Noelle & Joy, Boy & Girl, Debbie & Henry, the triplets: Julianne, Pixie, and Castle (don't ask), and finally our fave twins, Jenny & Jodie.

Here we have Lizzie, Carrie, Izzy, Molly, Emily, a basket of unnamed dolls, and under the night stand are Mandy & Kimberly (mine from childhood,) and Daisy who was my mom's when she was a kid.

Lastly we have another little Aunt Julie, another Sophie, Isabel, and Kiki.

Not pictured are Maddy and Jean who are currently vacationing in the nature bouncy in the nursery. (I forgot to take their picture.)

I decided I wanted to document all of this so I took lots of pictures. I really hope Sophie turns these dollies into a real collection. How fun will it be for her to give these to her own children someday. If not, then she certainly has a record of all of the dollies she once loved.

Task Accomplished.

PSF: Chicken McNugget Lipgloss, Rated PG

2009-01-16T07:33:00.004-06:00

I thought it would be fun to have a little car picnik before going into CostCo the other day (saying NO to mcdonalds is sooooo much easier than saying no to the delightful offerings of pizza and hot dogs at the Costco cafe.)

Then I started to feel a little guilty about feeding her junk food-especially since I choose to be healthy that day and Sophie had a yummy flavor of chicken fat coating her lips.

So yesterday, instead of napping she wanted to go swimming. No problem-anything to ~~ease my guilt~~ get some exercise!

I should mention here that last night around 5PM the car thermometer read -15 below zero!!!!!!!!

So to the pool we went. Even I thought I was crazy-- until I realized--hey, I get to park here now!

Whoohoo for special parking!!!!!!!

Have a great weekend!

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

WWordFullW: and the Grammy goes to....

2009-01-14T08:21:00.003-06:00

How we roll.

Or should I say rock and roll?

Now on this video, it's mostly my voice and background music from HSM 3, but she is still in the running for the next Hanna Montana--she got me at the end with her incredibly proud bow!

Ok, child prodigy in music? Too soon to tell, but I'll buy tickets to this concert all day long!

Anyway, this is a little snippet of how we spend our days when we are trapped during the deep freeze. whoohoo for indoor fun! (that may be a tad sarcastic)

PSF: Would you like stamps or our extreme value today?

2009-01-08T11:21:00.001-06:00

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

This is the latest pic of Sophie. To me, even though the quality of the photo isn't great, she has lost all of her 'baby" and is officially a big-girl. The best big-girl on the planet I have to say.

I'm contemplating --no make that WORRYING--some of these 'big girl' changes that are about to take place: school, naps, night sleeping, portable comforts, etc; Sophie doesn't even notice much, yet I am freaking out.

I'm not ready for her to go to school yet. OK? There. I said it. I'll miss her. There are still things that need to be done, like outings to the zoo and bicycle trips to the arboretum. Now that I have the big truck we'll be able to cart her new 'big girl' bicycle and my bicycle + the trailer if she wants --anywhere we want to go. I can't wait. Adding preschool would just make her schedule a little too chaotic for both of us and the bike-rides & zoo just wouldn't take precedent over school.

So let's forget school. She's still only 3 after all. Time for me to make the most of it. She got a new shopping cart and a cash register for Christmas, so we are having a blast shopping right now-we've literally spent hours taking turns buying groceries. SO MUCH FUN! And not only are we getting in some good people skills like politeness, manners, and courtesy, but we also work on math;money-quantities-addition-oh yeah, number recognition, AND problem solving like figuring out if you need to buy one or two boxes of cereal and such. For me this is better than school. We both love it.

However, come April, her daddy will most likely no longer be working from home, so there is the danger of zero mommy time which makes mommy not-so-happy after awhile.

Preschool doesn't sound too bad when I put it that way.

I think the best compromise will be to find a school that she can attend once a week until the fall when she can join a 'real' preschool and go three days a week. I'm sure I'll be ready by then--I mean Sophie will be ready.

Now, all I have to do is find the place and once she's turn the magic '4' we're all set.
Phew. I can stop worrying now. Thank God. I was really stressed and only because I forgot my own rule that everything happens naturally. I don't need to push, fight, or manipulate as long as I am showing Sophie a good example of how to live. You know, "parent" her. Easy right? When will I learn?

For example, she choose to stop drinking a bottle on her own time-I didn't need to fight or 'wean' at all--it was all so simple, natural, and absolutely no big deal.
I did however waste several months on the 'OMG, my 2 year old still has a bottle' nonsense in my head.

For another example, Sophie choose to rid herself of her diapers--again--on her own time. I did give a slight push last summer when I said "absolutely no diapers in the swimming pool," but after that I just let her be --and before I knew it I heard the magic words, "Mommy, I want to wear my undies all the time now!"

Too bad I spent almost 6 months really sweating my incredibly tall 2 year old in diapers-constantly worried about all of the 'looks' I would get and the disdain from other would-be-friend moms that I couldn't be friends with because my daughter was not yet potty trained and couldn't attend certain classes.

Then Sophie turned 3 and I endured another 4 months of uncomfortable hell, until I let nature take it's course and she finally lost the diapers for good.

SO why am I worried about preschool? 'Cause it's how I roll. I'm also currently worried about where she sleeps at night-family or baby bed, when will she let go of the binkie, will she ever stop napping--god NO!-- and if so what in the world will we do with all of this time?--oh yeah, preschool--duh!-, and the biggest worry of the day, how will I get her to open her mouth for the dentist without drugging her?***

When will I learn to remember that all things happen naturally? When will I ever stop worrying about 'what's next' in the grand scheme of growing and maturing? Yeah I know, when hell freezes over, I just may get a good worry-free night of sleep. In the meantime I have my blog, my health club, and the forever best friend--Skittles!--to keep me company during my times of stress.

I could just give it to God knowing He has the final say anyway, but I don't have that much Mom-confidence to announce that to the neighborhood moms as my daughter runs around with her bunny bear on the back of her bike.

But I can just say, "Today I am letting her be," and maybe even inspire another mom to chill out a little. Hmm, maybe I should take my own advice!

***Seriously, I need some tricks for the dentist. I am completely against child 'doping' (TWO dentists have told me this is the only other option if is doesn't open up herself-TWO!), but I understand the importance of dental hygiene (especially since I have more than just one cavity right now because of my lack of dental visits and strange immature love for skittles) and have absolutely no idea how to do this one.
I am very anxious because A. I do not want my soon-to-be 4 year old to have to have a root canal on a little baby tooth and B. she grinds her teeth at night- BADLY- and I am really concerned about that. This is one of the reasons I still allow the binkie--she doesn't grind when it's in her mouth.

OK, so if anyone knows of anything I would love the suggestions. I really need some help here.
Have a great weekend! Thanks for playing!

Spreading the love

2009-01-03T11:54:00.004-06:00

I saw this over at Andrea's blog and just had to share.
You have to read the fine print for full effect.

Call me Dorothy.

2009-01-02T07:52:00.005-06:00

I am soooooooooo not in the mood to re-enact the Wizard of Oz right now.

Tell that to my stupid cable provider. Not only was my internet down for over a week over Christmas, but it turns out that I had the capabilities of fixing it myself ALL ALONG. Sometimes you have to learn it for yourself--stupid ruby slippers.

So, all of my 25 days of Christmas posts will have to be Christmas memory posts instead. If I get to them.

In the meantime, I've got a birthday to get ready for--Sophie is turning 4! LOTS of big changes coming--YIKES! Now that the house is calm, Christmas is erased, cookies are consumed, and bellies are flopping ALL over the place, I am ready to tackle the new year.

One thing needs to stay the same though- the look of this blog. I just don't feel myself with any other look--AND--I can only handle so much change at once. Need to tread softly here, we are moving in to new uncharted territory. Pre-kindergarten. Not just preschool, but she's actually going to be a Pre-K kid. Holy cats. Holy Holy Holy cats, Scarecrow!

Stay tuned.

Oh, and Happy New Year! I can't wait to see what '09 brings --whoohoo for clean slates!

Here's one for the road: Sophie was so excited to help me bake over Christmas that on this night she couldn't keep her mouth closed or her arms down. The jokes on her though because no matter how she poses I still think she's fantastically sparkling. (You can click on the picture to see an up-close view--it's a little small in the post.)

OK maybe not-well just squint your eyes. What in the world did I do to P-O my computer anyway?

2008-12-25T00:17:00.000-06:00

I was one of the six billion that tuned in to this last year thus creating a pop culture phenomenon via YouTube. These guys have a great story, but more importantly are just really fun to listen to and watch. They are hilarious. So in the spirit of "I'm way to busy to blog this Christmas," I thought I would give these guys some more attention. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas!!!

Straight No Chaser - 12 Days of Christmas

WW: My New Favorite Picture

2008-12-24T00:11:00.001-06:00

I just can't stop staring. The picture itself isn't fabulous; as a matter of fact, it might be in the one of the least fave categories--I soooo need a new camera.

But the subject in the picture is breathtaking, inspiring, and honestly, simply my favorite person on the planet. Period.

Merry Christmas!

One Cold Winter's Night

2008-12-23T06:57:00.002-06:00

A couple of weeks ago we spent the weekend in jammies. Not the first time we have done this, but it was the first official Christmas night that we stayed in. We had just finished this new fleece blanket to go with our fleece jammies, when Sophie decided Jackers needed it the most.

It doesn't matter that we had the heat blasting, a fire blazing, and his fur coat to keep him warm. He just needed that little extra something.

He's such a good sport, and Sophie had a blast taking care of him!

PSF: A Crazy Sweet Christmas!!

2008-12-20T00:09:00.001-06:00

I wouldn't mind the title of Mrs. Claus.

At all.

In fact, I decided this year to pretend. In my mind she's in charge of the cookies. She's in charge of the belly that shakes like a bowl full of jelly.
That grocery list is real. I bought that stuff. Almost all at once.

So I began with 14 1/2 dozen Spice cookies to shown above. In the past my hubby has called them 'heroin' cookies, because upon consumption, you are immediately addicted to them and actually go through withdrawal if you run out.

Unfortunately in the batch you see above, I had forgotten the baking soda. Took me a day or two to figure that out, but I did and simply chucked them all and re-made them. This time I only made about 10 dozen, but they came out almost perfectly. I have to say that these little morsels are a special treat because not only do you have to sift all of the flour before measuring (a total of over 20 cups) but you have to hand roll them each--twice! This is a total of about 294 spice cookies, individually rolled twice.

Then came the rest of the baking.

PEANUT BUTTER BALLS: 2 batches ~(188 individual balls-hand rolled)

FUDGE: 1 batch (78 pieces-individually wrapped)

SNICKERDOODLES: 2 batches (8 dozen, individually rolled)

SUGAR COOKIES: 4 batches (half frosted, half plain)

APRICOT SURPRISES: 2 batches

PUMPKIN ROLLS: 8 (that's right 8 since Thanksgiving!)

This picture includes ALL of the sweets in the house at the present moment.

You see, Mrs. Claus isn't just in charge of baking, she's also responsible for all of the delicious visions of treats that dance around in the heads of millions of children each year.
I started with my own child by decorating a gingerbread house and tree shown here in the middle of the table with BUCKETS of candy also shown:

spice drops, dots, skittles, MnMs, licorice, tart'n'tiny's, peppermint ribbons, raspberry filled, candy canes (4 kinds), special-ordered red, green, and white swirly lollipops in peppermint and fruit flavors, peppermint nougats (my fave) and of course the Wilton special decor candy that comes with each kit.

The candy list also includes an assortment of Christmas chocolates--mostly left in the advent calendar--chocolate Santa's, Hershey kisses (regular and peppermint), Reese's Christmas trees, and chocolate coins.

I don't mess around with my Mrs. Claus responsibilities. Neither does my hubby when it comes to helping Santa out on Christmas morning. I think I'm more excited than Sophie!

This is ready for December 26, along with a bucket of tums, Pepto Bismal, and a sorely neglected member card to lifetime fitness.

The bellies will shrink, and probably be right back to normal by next Thanksgiving when it starts all over again.

Oh, and if anyone wants to play a Christmas prank on their endocrinologist let me know; I'll let you borrow the pictures!

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

I'm getting a lump of coal......

2008-12-16T08:15:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I woke up at 2:30 AM because I couldn't sleep due to the fabulous sack of snot sitting in my head. Thanks Soph....
So, yesterday I decided not to make the same mistake by taking some cold medicine before sleeping.
Sleep for 12 hours.
12 hours!!!!

So I'm behind. A lot.

In order to entertain Sophie I decided to do a little video trick and post it on my blog. Unfortunately the folks at Disney don't let you copy and paste embedded videos, so I went through the back door.

On the video above this post you'll see where the URL is supposed to be----a little message as to what I get for being sneaky.

Ooops.

Well, as soon as I get organized, I'll take that off and just share the link with the world like I'm supposed to.

In the meantime, coal--smoal. I've been a good girl.

PSF: A Christmas Carol

2008-12-12T07:37:00.003-06:00

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

My only comment is, "Enjoy the new Jingle Bells. This will be our version from now on!"

Oh, and I know the lighting stinks. I always forget about that part!

Crazy Busy Weekend!

2008-12-08T03:28:00.006-06:00

For the first time that I can remember, time is moving just as painfully slow as when I was a kid and at the same time so quickly I want to stop the clock so I can soak in more.

I LOVE CHRISTMAS TIME!

This weekend I spent fantastic quality family time absorbing every blissful moment while frantically trying to capture every memory with the camera.

We had a couple days with some boring advent surprises: Sat, a slinky jr. that doesn't really work, and Sun. some Hershey kisses with some Princess nail polish that her daddy doesn't want her to wear. OK, so even the elves aren't perfect!
The Hershey kisses were good though!

And the several hours playing with Auntie Julie more than made up for the boring trinkets in the big wooden tree. Somehow I didn't get any pics of this fun playtime, but I was up to my elbows in cookie dough and other holiday goodies that I guess I just couldn't grab the camera. I ended up making 14 DOZEN spice cookies btw! I think I've already gained at least 5 pounds with at least 3 weeks to go before the new year's resolution kicks in! Yikes!

Then it was off to the grocery store to pick up some more ingredients for the yum yum shoppe that is now my kitchen.

How come I get a good action shot, a fabulous facial expression, a GORGEOUS smile, or mesmerizing eyes but I can only get them one at a time?

A good action shot with a silly facial expression would be fun, or how about that smile and those eyes together? In the same picture?

Does anyone really want to see all that chewed up bread in her mouth? Nope, but I guess at least the eyes are there. And if Santa shows up with Photoshop, well then I guess it just won't matter now will it?

Anyway, no one can ever say that Sophie and I don't have fun EVERYWHERE we go, because these pics above were taken while waiting at the deli counter. Yeah, we're a riot!

Then came her first cake making experience--not to be confused with cake baking, which she is still too young to do.

She greased the pan, measured the popcorn, tested the M'n'M's and finally after it all said and done, fell on the floor, stuffed like a little turkey!

Except for the melting of the marshmallows, she literally did the entire thing. This cake is called something like Miss Hilda's Popcorn Cake from the kitchen of Emeril's mother? I think. We got it off of ABCnews.com one morning when we happened to catch Emeril and his son (I think that was his son) making some treats on Good Morning America. Sophie saw this and right away said, "Let's make that Mommy."
Well, who am I to deny this kid anything--especially when it comes to dessert?

The weekend wrapped up last night with a visit from Gamma, and unfortunately due to one piece of pizza too many, these babies just couldn't buckle up their seat belts and ended up with several broken bones! Thank goodness there was a doctor in the house. Poor Sophie Mommy got a ticket for failure to buckle to up her little ones, but thankfully everyone will make a full recovery.

When I asked her how much the fine for the ticket was Sophie, not missing a beat, replied, "One dollar."
Phew! Sophie sang and read to her little broken babies and nursed them back to health--all before bedtime!

It's just NEVER a dull moment around here. Today will be NOOO exception! Let the season RING!!!!!!!!! whoohoo for Christmas.

PSF and the 4th and 5th Days of Christmas.

2008-12-05T06:05:00.006-06:00

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

The popcorn was perfectly buttered. The pretzel was hot and the cheese very scrumptiously cheesy. The freezee was blue raspberry. The twizzlers absolutely made our mouths happy! Sophie's outfit was a fantastic combo of Christmas ruby red slippers with her red and white striped outfit to match.

She was the perfect HSM mascot.

AND, the theater was empty. Blissfully, quietly, and comfortably empty so that my little cheerleader in training could totally enjoy our first official movie together. (We tried once about a year ago with her daddy and she only lasted until the animated portion of Enchanted lasted.)

EVERYTHING was awesome. We ate our treats. We sang the songs. We danced in the aisle! Literally -- because no one else was there! We ran up and down the steps and sat way at the top.
We snuggled and relaxed while we happily enjoyed the final farewell to our fave group of teenagers.

The movie itself? Good old Disney with it's own brand of delightful cheese--that we happen to love. But the MUSIC! It was amazing. And there was tons of it--almost a sort of rock-opera; they literally sang out their HUGE teenage problems. It was soooo cool.

We love all things HSM. And the elves today decided to leave Soph something that says

'We understand how much you love this stuff.'

This is what belief in Santa really looks like!

I just can't stop!

2008-12-04T08:22:00.000-06:00

I think I was born to be an elf!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Elf Yourself!!!!!

2008-12-04T07:06:00.001-06:00

Somehow we found this last year, and this year is all new and improved! Have fun!

Auntie Julie, this one's for you!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Weird, wacky, WHATEVER kind of Wednesday

2008-12-04T04:08:00.009-06:00

It seems the elves were playing a little trick on Sophie when they gave her Pez candy in her calendar this morning.

Sophie said, "Oh great, little tiny candy things."

Nice.

Then I pointed out the little figurine on the shelf behind the calendar (it didn't fit.) OHHHHHHH.

A Pez dispenser!

Well then-

"This the best candy in the world!!"

Why wouldn't a little plastic reindeer make all the difference in the world?

OK, so here's how the day was supposed to go. Music class, drop the car off at the dealer where a loaner car was waiting, ~~stop at Walmart to grab a couple of items for Emeril's sweet treats recipes~~ , ~~make the recipe~~ and do a Christmas craft and ~~have lunch while waiting for the cake to set~~ , ~~clean the upstairs bathrooms~~ (Sophie LOVES to mop floors--who am I to stop that?) and then while ~~Sophie naps~~ I was going to clean the downstairs and ~~finish the laundry~~ before dinner.

I know I am a little ambitious. HA! I guess in my 'back-to-normal' glory of plan making and Christmas enjoying, I forgot the golden rule: everything planned takes TWICE as long as expected, so be flexible. It even took me twice as long to get to music because my dumb brand new slightly used vehicle already needs service. All of the things crossed off the list above were the things we didn't get to. It's my own fault.

But all's well that ends well. We managed to do a craft. This was hysterically stupid because it was almost too hard for me! I had to hot glue almost everything which Sophie was whining about because she wanted the glue gun.

Sorry Kiddo, but I just don't have my car to rush you to the hospital with 3rd degree burns today.

Then she dumped the glitter all over the table right at the same time my hubby calls and says nothing was going to be covered under our supposed 'bumper to bumper' warranty-AND they were out of loaners and wouldn't pay for a rental car.

My head almost exploded.

This is when I ran upstairs to my closet to do some pillow talk screaming and punching. When I came back downstairs I told Sophie to finish the project however she wanted while she at least finished the measly bag of microwave popcorn that I made for lunch. Nice.

Then it was, "Mommy, I don't want to nap today."

Of course you don't sweetheart because I really don't need any mommy time. There's not much that needs to be done. No problem.

Whatever.

She watched TV for like 2 hours after that. I didn't even care. I should have sat down and just watched TV with her, but Oh no, I had to try and be Supermom and fix all of the little problems going on my world.

I will say that calling the GM of a car dealer was about the most brilliant thing I could EVER have done yesterday. Seriously, not only will everything be fixed FOR FREE now, but they have a delightful Camry standing by should the repairs take a little longer in case I need a car. AND they are considering either giving me that 'bumper to bumper' I thought I had, or at least a refund for the crappy warranty they conned me into buying. Win win. whoohoo!

I don't even care at this point, I'm just glad the dumb thing is getting fixed.

But back to Sophie. By this time in the afternoon, she starts to get all whiny that she's bored, which was code for uber-tired, but instead of forcing her to nap (because I was in NO MOOD for a fight-or take her up to the filthy bedrooms) I encouraged her to play in the sink and attempt to wash the dishes.

She embraces every chore with 100% enthusiasm and yesterday even offered to dry the dishes once she was done. It took her almost an hour to complete the task while I ran around like crazy trying to clean the rest of the house and do laundry.

Yeah, my lack of caffeine delirium had set in (we were out of dt.pepsi and i was sweating too much for coffee) and I was on complete psycho auto-pilot.

Sophie did a great job, I got the entire first floor SPOTLESS including the dusting--all of the laundry washed and dried (but not folded--I'm not that good) and even had about 30 minutes of playtime left while we waited for Nate to go pick up dinner.

Yeah, you didn't think I would cook in my nice clean kitchen did you? Remember the glitter?

I told Nate that I really hoped Santa Claus would consider giving me my cleaning service back. I miss them. Besides, even though I find cleaning somewhat satisfying (you get immediate results) I do not have the personality that can do fun stuff when there are chores to be done. AND there are ALWAYS chores to be done which means all work and no play for me most of the time.

I think the real reason for yesterday's chaos was simply because on our first two days of Christmas, I ignored the chores and spent every moment I could with Sophie. Considering I snapped by day 3, well, I guess I still need to figure out a better balance here.

Oh and one last thing. Apparently the Wonder Pets are slowly but surely taking over because once again, they managed to get me off my computer so that Sophie could play their new computer game. I have to admit though that the "Save the Puppy" is really cute and reminds me of a certain little puppy I brought home once. I couldn't resist. So I sat and colored instead of blogging yesterday while the Wonder Pets taught Sophie how to give a puppy a bath. Good times.

25 Days of Christmas

2008-12-02T17:36:00.011-06:00

On Monday we started the Advent calendar. Sophie wants the Wonder Pets Save the Reindeer DVD. She's started asking for it about 2 seconds after we bought her the Save the Nutcracker DVD two weeks ago at Target, so imagine my surprise when the Elves left a little note in the calendar along with some peppermint kisses saying they left her a surprise by the big TV.
When Sophie saw it, she goes: WOW, this is the exact movie I wanted! Where's the surprise from the elves?
Unfortunately I think she gets that unsatiable appetite for wanting it all from her mom.
However, since coming off the wicked drugs I discovered the humor in parenting again. Phew. Because seriously, if you lose the ability to laugh at being a mom, then you lose the ability to be mom. At least I do. And I have, but not anymore. Here's an example.
After she watched her new DVD with breakfast Monday morning we had to run a couple of errands before going out for our fave Target lunch and heading home for a Christmas craft before nap time. (oh, and btw we never got to the craft)
Well, the second we got out of the car and walked into the bank, Sophie began whining for a lollipop. Now, I didn't see any lollipops and really didn't want her to have more sugar than absolutely necessary, so I explained we weren't at the right bank for lollipops. Only the one by Grammy's gives those out. (and I no longer bank there coincidentally)
Meltdown.
Score one for me. Meltdown continued while I finished my business. 10 minutes and a whole bunch of tears later, the banker looks at me and says not so quietly, can she have this?
Yes, it was a little grape dum dum lollipop.
Sure, but where the h**l was this stupid thing 10 minutes ago? I really said, sure, but YOU should give it to her--she pretty much hates me right now anyway. I just wanted the teller to feel like the good-deed-doer I'm sure she was trying to be in her young, thin, pretty, 22 year old NON mom way.
Any who-Sophie took the lolly and life is OK again.
I finish up, grab my bag, turn and....
You guessed it.
Sophie dropped the dumb dumb on the lobby floor and it smashed into a thousand pieces across the shiny clean marble.
More howling.
I almost told her to lick it up.
I stood stunned, embarrassed and beat red --unsure how to even approach this until finally an older, very sympathetic banker lady came to my rescue with another lolly. Actually, she was sympathetic to Sophie--not me--as she gave me a look that said, "Gosh mom why are you being so hard on her-she's only a kid!"
whatever.

Now, I didn't say a word about this incident to anyone until now. I even told Sophie when we got in the car that I didn't understand what the fuss was about, or why she melted down about a silly little lollipop, so instead of getting mad--I'm simply choosing to move on and focus on what she did right. well, at that moment she had stopped crying. jeez.

And with that we both let it go.

Here's why I know now that was the right way to handle it.

Today, after discovering the adorable little purple pen and candies in the calendar from Santa Elves we ventured off to the mall to return something.
Yeah, a mall at Christmastime with a 3 year old--not so safe. BUT--once Sophie discovered the Disney store there was no turning back. I just went with it. I relaxed--and let her be. She grabbed pretty much all of the floor samples: baby stroller, babies and stuffed animals, vanity tables, golf sets--you name she grabbed it and had it stationed at the front of the store for a good 10 min play time. No big deal I thought until the "Mommy, I want to get this today" started.
Sorry, nothing till Christmas. This is now Santa's job.
Well.
Once I convinced her to walk away from her little mini play land to walk around the store with me, I thought we would be OK. And I was right.
When we got back to the entrance I told her to leave the stroller and keep her fingers crossed that Santa will get her letter--
"As a matter of fact," I said, "let's go tell Santa RIGHT NOW--so we won't forget."
"OK," she says, and walks away from the store completely tear free! See, I quit harping on her and she finally does the nice things. I focus on the good stuff and she acts accordingly. At least today. Thank God!

Yeah, she's the best.baby.girl.in.the.world.

Until, we finally find Santa's house in the mall, and wouldn't you know? He was at lunch!
Meltdown.
Not because she wanted to sit on his lap or anything--oh no, she's wants none of that nonsense, but she really needed ME to tell Santa what she wanted. (let me say right now, I dread the moment when I actually have to do this--I have always and forever been TERRIFIED of the mall Santa.)
"Then, well, can we go back to the Disney Store and get something?"
I just kind of snorted.
Meltdown.
Then she bumped her lipped on a low counter by Santa's fireplace.
Meltdown with a couple extra screams.
Awww, poor thing. She definitely didn't deserve that.
No, I didn't buy her a dolly. I thought about it though.
I do have some restraint. But she did get a little ice cream cone to help that bruised lip--you know, because the cold works just like an ice pack-only yummier!

See? This is funny stuff here. I can't imagine missing another moment. So I won't. I'd say if I keep up looking for the humor, this will be our best Christmas yet and it's only the second day! Not bad if I do say so myself--and I can't WAIT for tomorrow-just because. When was the last that happened?

Oh, and here's a little slide show of what Sophie thought was sooooo funny at lunch! (Aunt Anne's yummy pretzels-yeah, we're healthy today!)

Merry SITSmas!

2008-12-02T07:29:00.002-06:00

Merry SITSmas!

Go check out some other Christmas cards at The Secret is in the Sauce and spread a little Christmas cheer! SITS are tons of fun with millions of comments, giveaways, friends, and prizes! You can't lose by stopping by!

Mamarazzi Swap: My Favorite Things!

2008-11-29T07:43:00.003-06:00

We did it! Mission accomplished! Thanks Andrea! You rock!
My swap buddy from across the big ocean had a whole bunch of goodies sent over for me and let me tell you, WOW--they are awesome! I don't know how Mamarazzi did it, but she found my twin when she hooked the two of us up! Everything is so awesome. (oh, and Sophie saw the candy bars and even though they were in German, she knew exactly what they were. Then again, she can't read, so all candy bars must be in German to her, but she does know good chocolate when she sees it!)

Andrea, at Blogging Mama sent me all of the things you see in the slide show. Let me list them for you: a new journal (with a copy of her fave family recipes in it), 2 of the greatest candy bars ever (the chocolate mint one is already gone!), a CD with my her favorite songs on them, a sparkly princess crown ornament, a cool funky girl ornament, star ornaments, post-it notes because who doesn't love office supplies?, and an adorable Christmas card in German. I love all of her fave things and some of the things I sent to her actually compliment what she sent me, right down to the peppermint chocolates and office supplies. How cool is that? Oh, and also how cool is it that the ornaments arrived on the day we were trimming our tree? YEAH!
Thanks to Andrea for all of her wonderful favorite things, and thanks to Mamarazzi for doing this awesome swap--it was tons of fun!
To see more swaps go over to Dandelion Wishes and check out Mr. Linky. There's a whole bunch of blogger buddies giving away a whole bunch of cool stuff!

PSF and a little song and dance.

2008-11-28T00:01:00.000-06:00

Um, let's make this a song and photos. If you have kids, then you know the tune. Please feel free to sing along.

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

The Wonder Pets (with Sophie) save the Christmas Bear!

"Good Night Linny! Bye Tuck--see you Ming Ming!"

(jingle bells ringing in the next room)

Linny: The phone, the phone is ringing!
Ming Ming: The phone, we'll be wight there!

Tuck: The phone, the phone is ringing!

Linny: There's an animal in trouble.
Ming Ming: There's an animal in twubble.

Tuck: There's an animal in trouble somewhere.

Sophie: Look Wonder Pets, it's a baby Christmas bear with a paw stuck in a gumball machine!

Tuck: It's a baby Christmas Bear--with it's paw stuck in a gumball machine.

Ming Ming: This is searweuous!

Tuck: Let's help the Christmas Bear-what's a Christmas Bear?

Ming Ming: What's a gumball machine?

Linny: A Christmas Bear is a cross between a polar bear and a brown bear. A gumball machine gives you a gumball when you put a coin in.

All: Let's help the Christmas Bear!

Linny!

Tuck!

and Ming Ming with Sophie!

All: We're Wonder Pets and we'll help you!

All: What's gonna work?
Teamwork!
What' gonna work?
Teamwork?

All: oooooooooooooooooooh!

Linny: Look! There's the Christmas Bear!

Tuck: How do get the bear's paw out?

Sophie: I know! I can put a coin in to send down a gumball and that will push his paw out!

Linny: Hurry Wonder Pets! it's cutting out off his circulation!

Ming Ming: This is searweous!

All: Yeah! His paw is free!

Ming Ming: Wooks wike our work here is done!

Linny: Great Job Wonder Pets and Sophie! This calls for some celery-gumball style!?!

Linny
Tuck
and Ming Ming with Sophie!
We're Wonder Pets and we'll help you!

This concludes the Widloe version of the Wonder Pets. Hope you enjoyed the show. Can you tell the effects of the icky hormones are gone and this mommy is back? whoohoo for feeling good!

A Thanksgiving Thursday 13

2008-11-27T06:46:00.006-06:00

Today is the ultimate day of gratitude. All day long we will eat fantastic food, enjoy each others' company, appreciate everything we are thankful for, and try not to burn the house down turkey.

13 Reasons I am grateful today!

1. Hazel Eyes and a little chocolate goatee that never seems to wash off.

2. Flower footprints in the snow. (hard to see, but I have a bird to get in the oven, so no time to edit!)

3. Christmas lights! I even hang them in my kitchen I love them so much! Hooray it's finally Christmas season!!!!!

4. Holiday decorations and the days spent putting them up. I usually start right after Halloween.

5. The GREATEST family on the planet.

6. PRESENTS! Giving is way more fun! I love to wrap and make pretty bows. This year I got a head-start with Mamarazzi's Favorite Things Swap. This is what 'My Favorite Things' are supposed to look like. Sorry Andrea, I forgot about customs. I'm sure someone had fun unwrapping these-especially the um addiction--I swear it's not what you think!

7. Stockings to hang on the chimney with care. There was a Christmas not so long ago when I was truly scared Santa wouldn't come. Not only did he arrive that year, but we were even able to order these awesome Pottery Barn stockings to hang. I'll never forget how grateful I was that year!

8. Shadow dancing. I swear she comes up with the BEST stuff every time I just let.her.be.

9. Snowmen. These are the ones I have in my collection (and counting) but we also LOVE the real kind that we will hopefully be constructing shortly.

10. Twirly dresses and window shopping. Playing with Christmas toys at our local Target is highly entertaining.

11. Jack. The greatest dog ever. Oh puppy!

12. Christmas Bears (actually Mistletoe Bears). Our favorite memory of a favorite store-Marshall Field's-and a true source of creativity. (come back tomorrow for the PSF and you'll see what I mean.)

13. Belief in Santa and the anticipation, wonder, awe associated with his arrival while spending time with family and friends--eating, laughing, playing, and singing Christmas carols.

Now that's what I call Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving--and let the Christmas season BEGIN!!!!!

gobble, gobble, gobble,

A couple simple equations.......

2008-11-25T07:53:00.005-06:00

Lots of sugar + a little bit of greasy pizza + no liquids of any kind = The worst case of the runny runs I've ever seen in a little person. Good times.

Clomid + monster ovulation = UTI. ( and the meds turned my pee a radioactive neon ORANGE--which was a bit alarming) Good times.

The two above equations have happened simultaneously so while I was holding what felt like a bowling ball covered in razor blades in my bladder and trying not to vomit from all the antibiotics floating in my system, I've been consoling a poor little girl who just couldn't make it to the bathroom TWICE yesterday. UGH! So much fun!

But here's the real reason I've been a fantastic non-blogger lately.

I've been sleeping in!

It's really been bothering me that I just couldn't find the time to play no my computer because last year I blogged everyday at this time of year. Usually I get up super early and have lots of ME time.

But things change.

Sophie needs more of my time and attention, so that means that there are several things being pushed aside, and by the time I get some time to do what I want the house is a disaster or the laundry needs my attention. I absolutely canNOT concentrate on blogging if there are household duties to be done. I still have a little bit of my type A teacher personality in me.

Then there was round two of clomid--nuff said.

Then I had an issue getting my mamarrazzi swap out in the mail--I'll blog about that soon--that was tons of fun!

Then I decided to deck the halls--and I do mean Deck! I was in the midst of my craziness with the hormones, so I took it out on the garland and my snowman collection.

This is Sophie the first day I started bringing up all of the Christmas stuff.

Halls are decked and the holidays are upon us. We are ready though.

Through it all I have been snapping lots of pictures, so here are a bunch. I've been meaning to post all of these on the widloe world blog for people who really want pictures of us, but I am in the midst of redecorating the blogs and it's not done yet. Just one of the many unfinished projects I've got going.

The day I finished decorating we got this little bit of snow. Sophie was so excited that she just had to go outside to try and lick some snowflakes. I know bare feet--but she was only out to take the picture.

Later that night she put on all of last years snow gear-which for the most part still fits-weird-and played for a little while outside with Jack.

She loved eating it the best, but only a little off the deck. The backyard is a total Jack zone and no snow eating is allowed.

Sophie dressed up to go do our Thanksgiving day shopping. This is my new fave outfit. She liked it to, and even better she LOVES wearing her little hat with her coat-a big change from last year. Yippee!!!

Welp, we've been doing lots more and I have pictures to prove it, but seeing as it's almost time to call the doc and check on some turkeys--I'll have to stop for now.

Hope every one's T-Day plans are coming along nicely. I'm starting to get really excited. Tomorrow (the day before Thanksgiving) is one of my absolute favorite days of the year!

PSF: A Mullethead with Chex Mix

2008-11-14T06:41:00.006-06:00

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Yep, that's right I gave myself a mullet. I mentioned a few days ago that bang mutilation was one of the side effects of taking clomid ~that my doctor failed to mention. Well, this week I have been blissfully 'normal' so I decided that maybe I could fix the bang problem. I thought that by simply cutting farther back and making more bangs I could cover up the short ones.

W--R--O--N--G!!!!!!!

Yeah, this picture looks weird, but seriously this is the hair I now have. I just didn't want to show the world what first thing in the morning looks like on my face. Now, with the help of photoshop that hopefully Santa will bring, these edits will highly improve, but for now I can only do my best with what I have.

Here's how I made these beautiful pictures of myself.

I used the doodle option on Picnik to erase my morning face and added a little frame around the pic as I'm told that makes for a better picture. Unfortunately the pink doodle makes my hair look redder than it is.

Then I did the same thing with 2 pictures of me that I like and saved them all as jpegs on my computer. One was used on the first pic above and the second one is below.

Once they were cropped to fit as best as I could, I simply used my powerpoint to layer the pictures so that it looked like I was wearing the hair. Not even close to professional I know, but I was entertained all morning today!

This is just to give you a little reference as to what the pics look like by themselves.

Think I can get away with this hat on Thanksgiving? My husband has been urging me for a month now to go get a haircut but why would I listen to reason? Well, besides the shame of letting my stylist see what I did, I now have to wait for it to grow out-so there's no chance in hell I'll be without a hat or at least pulling my hair up for quite some time. Damn hormones!

(Oh, and my engagement ring broke last week too! So now I while I waiting to have it fixed, I discovered that my wedding band is too big and falls off without the engagement ring. So, No wedding ring, indefinite BAD hair, and barely any tan left. Oh yeah, I have so much self confidence right now. )

But it's all in the spirit of creating another one of these!

She's so perfect! My God we did good with this one! Can you blame me for wanting to try again?

Here's something I wanted to mention too because when they officially have me committed to the loony bin, I want it documented that my craziness came with the best of intentions.

Last week Sophie came down with a brutal cold which it seems she has passed to many, many people--(sorry folks) but luckily not to me. In an effort to keep her as happy and comfortable as possible, I catered to her many whims on the day this picture was taken.

That means that I went through all of the bags of chex mix in the house and took out only the pieces she likes.

How's that for a crazy mom? It would help if someone from the makers of chex mix would read this and see that their 'cheesy triangles' are good enough to be packaged by themselves, but until then, I guess the guilt-ridden takers of the nasty lab-generated hormones will have to be the ones to cater to this particular taste.

Well, here's to a short week of rest before the next round of crazies kick in! This is going to be some holiday season that's for sure!!!!!!

The Two Week Wait (2WW)

2008-11-10T01:34:00.008-06:00

Without a doubt one of Mother Nature's cruelest yet most exciting moments in time. My hopes, dreams, AND fears have all been amplified. My body has been put under a very unforgiving microscope. My mood swings have taken on epic proportions leaving me seriously considering being committed. I've cast aside a couple of strong values, changed my perspective and back again, and have cried a ridiculous amount of tears while laughing my head off. I was eventually just able to say 'F*** It' and move on. It took two weeks.

In the beginning it was exciting to dream about the possibilities. To imagine what was taking place moment by moment, day by day, and thanks to the Internet, I had pictures to go with those possibilities.

We had so much fun going back and forth on our top baby names for boys and girls. We reminisced about what life is really like with a newborn in the house. We delighted ourselves with the notion of Sophie being a big sister and how that would affect her future.

Of course with all of that excitement came fear, mostly of the unknown. Fears of potentially declining health, based on an incredibly difficult first pregnancy. Fears of life threatening complications mixed with the reassurance that it's out of my control and we have hired fantastic doctors with which to entrust our confidence.

Fears of a rocky financial situation as incredible expenses are sure to come with the addition to the family. Fears of providing a life better than we ourselves have had in order to promote the future of our children. Fears of what could happen--what may not happen--and most importantly what we want to happen. Are we really being careful about what we are wishing for?

All of this happened in just the first two days of the two-week-wait.

For the next 7 days the mood swings kicked in as the effects of the clomid wore off. During these swinging days I have been motivated yet devastated, tired yet full of energy, happy yet crying--basically about as crazy as a person can get.

I started several projects--yet finished none of them. Obsessively cleaned my house then looked down my nose at the thought of those tasks. Washed the laundry, but didn't put it away, cooked like an iron chef for days and then literally ignored my own kitchen for a week. I have several unfinished posts, millions of unedited pictures not yet displayed in cyberspace, and an immeasurable amount of friendly blogs went unread because there has simply been 'No comment' from this blogger for awhile now.

I cried at the drop of a hat for both happy and sad reasons and laughed out loud for the same exact reasons. The more control I forced on my life, the more my emotions made sure I had the opposite effect-and I lost all control. At times I'm sure poor little Sophie didn't even recognize her own mother. But in the end, it will be worth it right? We will come out stronger when this is all done--and with more than we can imagine being added to our family. Right?

During the last 5 days of the two week wait, I had the pleasure of really getting in tune with my own body, physically and emotionally, and questioning everything I discovered.

Is my stomach getting bigger? Am I cramping? Is this implantation? Am I uncontrollably angry because of the hormones now running through?

Am I tired because I'm pregnant? No, make that exhausted--so I must be, right? Is there an octopus playing football in the middle of my tummy?

My skin looks good, I'm not breaking out as usual, this can't be PMS can it? Frito's wouldn't taste good on a pizza hut pizza, or would they? Do I really want to try it?

Is this all in my head? Am I making this up because I want it to be true?

Yeah, such an amazing two weeks. Eye-opening, emotion inducing, with all sorts of excitement brewing -- literally-- in the pit of my stomach while waiting, waiting, waiting, for an answer.

On the 13Th day I was nervously awaiting the answer. I was afraid to feel anything, crave anything, or even think anything. Even without the calendar this was one of the creepiest Friday the 13Th's I've ever experienced. Didn't even make it out of my jammies last Friday. I was terrified just to go to the bathroom--because I didn't want my body to tell me anything. I wasn't ready for the know-the skinny-the scoop--because I knew I wasn't ready for whatever Mother Nature was going to hand me. I could handle yes or no--because I wasn't prepared for the no.

On the 14Th day of the 2WW my body had yet to give it up--what's the result? Did we score a goal? Or strike out in extra innings? When will we know? When will this end?

It was this day I felt ready to know. Ready to celebrate--or commiserate-- and ultimately accept either way if we accomplished the goal. We had two plans to implement based on the grade, and I simply can't remember EVER being that anxious before a test in my life.

The 2WW is cruel. The 2WW is just. un. necessary. It's not fair-and simply stupid that modern science can't knock it out. It needs to keep trying. please.

While implementing plan B we began the grieving process-because this is a test I will have to do over. We packed in a whole bunch of denial in a few short hours that afternoon while simultaneously bargaining with God to make the test wrong. Then came anger as Mother Nature kicked in her most painful and ridiculously mean sign that the test was accurate. Sunday was the perfect depressing day. Gloomy, cold, and snowy weather started the day, the Bear's lost, and a broken spirit sat in self-pity.

Finally turned on Joel Osteen and he talked of acceptance and letting God stay in control--no matter what happens.

Good old Joel. He always says just the right things. Process done.

It's almost Monday morning, and after many choice words with God, a few pounds of chocolate, and marathon night of my fave West Wing in front of a fire with my beautiful family, I'm ready to finally say 'F*** It--Let's keep moving forward.'

As I frantically began finishing all of the unfinished projects (just like Trixie) I. REALIZED. SOMETHING.

A lot of people who have had the unfortunate experience of the 2WW don't have this:

Impromptu trips to the zoo on an unseasonably warm November afternoon.

(I tried to fix the pic from the delightful camera booths, but this was the best I could do)
Or this,

The chance to care for a little one with a cold 2 days later.
Or this,

A fun surprise at Target (Christmas!) when she's feeling better.

Or this,

The chance to snap the picture of the little girl distracted from her crazy mom on freaky Friday by the addition of the Marshall Field's Mistletoe Bears!

(She's named them after the 5 surviving dogs from the movie Eight Below btw, so if anyone has 3 more bears to part with I would LOVE to add the 3 poor dogs that die in that tear jerker of a movie!)
Or this,

Just a little silliness before bedtime with a camera.

I consider myself lucky.

After the 2WW is over, I have my little cuddle-bug, my butter-bee, my little mouse to keep me going. I get to spend Christmas with a beautiful little girl and enjoy the holiday like a kid all over again for years to come with my favorite person in the world. She's the one I am really grateful for everyday. Thank God for Sophie.

Sophie and I will spend the next 2 months or so appreciating our time together, remembering what we are grateful for each day, and celebrating a very special holiday season.

I'm lucky alright!

Now the only question left to ask is will we do this again? Can I go through it without thinking about it? Can I just do the footwork and not think about the outcome?

Two days ago the answer was NO WAY; yesterday -not so sure; but today, right now I know, absolutely! we are moving forward. We will keep going. I want what I want and I won't stop until I get what I'm KNOW I'm going to get--Sophie will have a little sister. Maybe a little brother. Maybe even both-God willing.

Yep--if it doesn't kill you--it will make you stronger. I have the muscles to prove it. And the smile, see?

Oh and note to self:: when the effects of the clomid kick in next month--do not touch the scissors and attempt a haircut. Apparently bang mutilation is a hormonal side effect the doctors are hesitant to disclose. So is going to the eye doctor to get rid of the glasses--I still can't believe I haven't switched back to my contacts yet! Welp, at least there's jergens natural self tanning lotion to keep me less-than-pasty this winter!

WordFul Wednesday: Bi-Partisan Donuts

2008-11-05T07:39:00.006-06:00

I want to post a little note so that Sophie will know someday in the future exactly how she participated on yesterday's historic day.

The first order of business was voting of course, but running as on-time as I have been lately we had to postpone the festivities for a more serious venture which was the dreaded flu shot. I don't know who dreads it more, but considering I didn't want to find out, I didn't tell Sophie exactly where we were going. I just said we needed to make a quick stop at a doctor's office and then off to pick up coffee and maybe one of her favorite donuts before heading over to vote.
"Vote for what?"
"The President of the United States."
"Oh." End of that subject.
Yeah, so let's not forget she's 3 and very easily bored. Someday she'll be interested.
On to more important things--in her world anyway.
Sophie must have assumed it was my doctor we were to visit, because when we walked in to her doctor's office she goes, "What are we doing here?" Her sarcasm is reaching new heights and I have to say I'm impressed.
"Um, you'll see--hey there's a bunch of books--why don't you grab one?"
She does get distracted easily.
Once she took one step in the room however she performed the Vulcan death grip on my neck and proceeded to take out all of the hearing capabilities in my left ear with her scream.
I had to bear hug her with her legs around my tummy while the nurse stabbed her from behind in the leg! What happened to getting shots in the arm?
It was the worst 5 minutes of the day -- if for no other reason because of the amount of guilt that was quickly dumped on my shoulders when Sophie asked me questions like, "why would you do that Mommy?" and tell me things like "that really hurt Mommy." (I have to mention though that she told her Daddy later that night that it only hurt a little--HA! is what I said. yeah, I have no shame and called her out on her own bravery)
However, an extra donut was in order because she was totally brave and got through it.
When we got to the place everyone runs on I grabbed my bags a' Joe while Sophie perused the selection of sprinkled donuts.
"They have blue ones Mommy! Look, they have red too! and LOOOOOK they have ones with both on them! WOW! Mommy can I get those?"
"Absolutely Peanut--cuz you are one. brave. girl."
So I told the woman behind the counter that we would take one of each and she looks at me and says, "All three?"
Like I was going to tell her my political convictions via a donut.

Sophie on the other hand seemed to make her choice. You see, when she eats a donut it's usually just the frosting and sprinkles that she eats and then politely hands me the rest of the donut to me to ~~eat~~ throw away.
Yesterday she licked the frosting off as usual and when I happily grabbed the bag to throw it out I noticed that one particular donut didn't get licked. I mean at all. I LOL when I saw it!
I'm not saying which one of course, as I want to keep this blog as friendly as possible, and seeing as how she won't be able to vote for another 15 years, I'd say that maybe by that time she won't be persuaded by frosting and sprinkles. But, then again, maybe she will!

After this we finally made it to the polling place to vote where Sophie announces to the group on the way out (and I swear to God I'm not lying) "That's it? That was a lot easier than the doctor!"
Yeah--voting can be pretty painless.
I'm glad she got to see first hand just how easy it was and whether she remembers it or not, I will and it was a pretty cool memory to have when you see just how much history was made by the end of the day. (oh, and the free cup of coffee at Starbucks wasn't bad either)
Unfortunately, by the time all of the decisions, announcements, and festivities began last night BOTH of us were snoring soundly in bed and missed the whole thing. Nice. I'm sure CNN and MSNBC will oblige me all day today with recaps.

For more WordFul Wednesdays, please head over to Angie's!

PSF: A Halloween Love (hate) Story

2008-10-31T07:30:00.000-05:00

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Below is the former home of the two spiders I fear yet have grown to appreciate over the years. I now refer to them affectionately as Charlotte and Chester: two generations of big, giant, scary spiders! I had to picnik them in as they have decided to move away--or so I thought.

It's actually the slider door to my back deck. A couple of years ago a rather large spider, who had not yet been named Charlotte, decided to build a beautiful web here. I was fortunate enough to notice this web when I walked right into one morning while letting the dog out. If you have ever walked into a spider web you know exactly how tickly, sticky, and hairy it feels. At this point I was totally freaking out-yelling and screaming and doing the wiggly dance trying to get spider web off my face. Not a good way to wake up. I was so mad at the spider who did this -- I couldn't wait to get my revenge.

The next night I looked out the door just before going to bed and I noticed the spiderweb was back. I clicked on the light in time to see big, giant, hairy, black Charlotte scurry behind the light fixture. I actually contemplated lighting the web on fire, because I tend to have those instincts in me from time to time, but thought better of it and just went to bed.
The next morning I noticed several huge bugs had been caught in the web--bugs that could very well have gotten into the house while letting the dog in and out.
That's when I let her live.
Then I showed Sophie the web and she LOVED it-thus she became Charlotte and she was a wild, family pet for the rest of the season. We had an understanding--Charlotte and me--and as long as I left her web alone--she would stay outside and continue to catch icky, nasty bugs for me.

That year ended without another mishap-spider and mommy getting along just beautifully and life was good.

The next year another spider came along. I know it wasn't Charlotte because this guy was brown not black-so we assumed it was Charlotte's better half and named him Chester. We made the same agreement with Chester, figuring Charlotte was probably at home taking care of the babies (you know spiders have hundreds-right?) Life was still good-no giant bugs getting in the house, and I learned to accept --rather than hate-- another big spider.

I still get the E-B-G-B's though just typing this little story.

This year?
The web didn't come back. It had appeared that they had taken their babies and moved away. No web, no spider, and a big threat of icky bugs flying around the back porch.
It seemed a little strange that the spiders didn't come back. I still can't believe I actually wondered what happened to them.
Yeah, I wondered------at least, until I saw this spider just about a week ago.............

I was washing dishes when I looked up and saw this ENORMOUS creature looming in the window, teasing me. "Neener neener neeeeener!"
I screamed for Nate to come see and he said that I needed to get a picture of this one. It was the KING of all KING Spiders.

He moved up that night so I was able to get a good contrast picture against the white part of the window. It then occurred to me that this monster may very well be the reason poor Charlotte and Chester haven't come back.

I think this guy ate them.

Seriously. For all I know, this was Charlotte's own offspring who turned on the family and took them all out in order to conquer the backyard.

I'm not naming this one. As a matter of fact, I contemplated catching him and sending him back to the Amazon rain forest where he belongs.

I WILL NOT learn to love him. Especially when I think about the fact that when spiders have babies--um, they have hundreds!

Yeah, we'll be moving soon. And if one of these monsters makes his way into my house? I'll make sure my husband blogs about it, after I've had my heart attack. I just hope I survive.

So, once again, I HATE SPIDERS! Always have, Always will. And I really miss Charlotte and Chester. Never thought I would say that! Poor, stupid, giant, hairy spiders. UGH!

This is the GIANT bugger before I edited the picture.

And this is him, post Picnik. Can you believe this is a REAL spider. In my backyard???????? OMG!

Monopoly anyone? HURRY it ends Nov. 3!!!

2008-10-30T05:31:00.004-05:00

You just landed on

PARK PLACE!

You owe me $35 or how about we split $1,000,000?

Monopoly and McDonald's have teamed up again and is offering all sorts of ~~bribes~~ prizes to get people to eat the greasy junk food-I suppose while they are playing a fun family night game.

Well, you know I am the biggest dork with no willpower when it comes to chicken mcnuggets.....

So, let's just say you have officially landed on Park Place-so you can kindly leave your $35 rent by clicking the donate button on the left sidebar, OR you can cough up Boardwalk and I will buy it from you for say, hmmmm, half the bribe, I mean, prize?

That is of course unless you don't really need $500,000--to which I kindly ask that you again please focus your attention on the donate button on the left sidebar of this blog.

Seriously folks, why not team up and get the goods? If for no other reason then I will actually be able to attempt ignoring my fave greasy joint until the Shamrocks emerge from their frozen cocoon. Besides, imagine if ALL of the prizes are won? Maybe McDonald's would rethink using a wholesome, healthy, family activity like Monopoly and turning it into a fat, cheap, marketing ploy that does nothing but promote the unhealthy habits of the increasingly unhealthy CHILDREN population (and some of their moms!)

OK, I also have North Carolina, Atlantic Avenue, and Reading Railroad so I don't think it would be too hard for 3 or 4 bloggers to hook up and share the prize. It's only money right? (oh, and for the record, you can order a big, giant, diet coke to claim a playing piece if you want to play--you don't actually have to eat their food.)

FYI

I find it very interesting to note that the 'Here and Now' version of Monopoly I am showing above actually has McD's french fries as one of their game pieces! They also have a Starbucks coffee cup so if anyone has this version, I'm interested. I'm waiting for the day when Starbucks starts printing game pieces on their cups!

WordFUL Wednesday : ILUVMOO

2008-10-29T00:01:00.001-05:00

Sophie had brought this truck to my attention on the way to the gym the other day.

"Look at the truck Mommy, It's a cow!"
I just new I would get a picture on the way home because I immediately thought of Flea's World when I saw this.
The license plate is ILUVMOO . Cute huh?

Oh, and I also need to give a little plug to Picnik where I currently upload to edit photos. I have yet to acquire my own copy of photoshop, so until I do, this is a great substitute. They have recently added some features which I have used above-- the zombification technique for Halloween, and the mirrored frame are the two I tried for this photo. Since we were in a moving vehicle when I snapped the picture, it's still a little fuzzy, but I think the color added the effect I was looking for. Anyway, just wanted to give credit where it's do, and if you haven't seen picnik yet-go check it out. It's tons of fun!

To play WordFul Wednesday click below to visit Angie!

A Monday Moment

2008-10-28T07:29:00.002-05:00

I have to thank my KUMON workbooks for this one. Yesterday, once we were up, dressed, and fed, I decided I would just let the natural thing happen-whatever Sophie wanted.

So, I asked her, "Do you want to play something or do a learning activity with me?"

How thrilled was I that she picked a learning activity? Of course, Sophie will choose the #2 option I give her about 95% of the time so I admit I'm a little manipulative. Anyway, I was planning on doing some more practice with letter sounds on Starfall, but she didn't want to be on the computer, so I grabbed the workbooks instead. It turned into a solid 2 hours of scissoring, gluing, and tracing words with pencils. Sophie was having a ball using her scissors. We were using the Let's Cut Paper workbook from Kumon and ended up doing about 6 pages!

She only ended up tracing a couple of words, and it's hard to see, but when we got to the dog she insisted on printing the letters herself instead of tracing. I was shocked when she made the perfect lowercase letters--written upside down no less--to spell the word 'dog'. She figured out that if she made a 6 and turned it over it was a little 'G'.

I was amazed--Sophie was proud--and it was the perfect home school lesson I have never planned. Whoohoo for spontaneous teaching and memorable moments!

PSF: Conquering a Fear and a Couple of Foxes

2008-10-23T21:38:00.004-05:00

A couple of weeks ago Sophie and I went to a scarecrow festival -- one of our final hoorahs of the carnival circuit. This one happens to be one of my favorites because of the town it's in--it's adorable right along a pretty river. Sophie loves anywhere that has carnival rides and cotton candy.

But this story isn't about the festival.

It's about a fear.

A fear of heights.

An irrational-unexplainable fear of heights.

When I was a kid I LOVED climbing things: trees, jungle gyms, and every chance I got I loved to crawl out a window and play on a roof.

I have no idea when or even why that changed. But will you look at the size of this bridge?

I was terrified. But we had to cross it to get back to the car-OR walk back the way we came which would take WAY too long--we were already running late. Sophie was cranky but I think she sensed my anxiety about getting across this thing because she offered to carry the kettle corn.

Um, yeah. Show off. She's having so much fun sipping her lemonade.

Notice how exactly in the dead center of the bridge she is standing?

Yeah, well that's because she was busy trying to figure out why I was standing directly in the middle of the bridge.

Sophie: Mommy, what exactly is down there anyway?

Me: Whatever. (sigh-I was a little more than perturbed at her acrobat abilities on the middle of a huge bridge) It's a river--that's why we need the bridge Soph. (again, you can tell how directly in the center of that thing I was standing.)

Sophie: but Mommy, you know how to swim!

My own daughter thinks I'm a big chicken.

At least we made it across--even though my palms were soaked, my heart pounding almost as hard as my head, and I felt really stupid by the time we got across. I hate that I was such a big chicken. But I did it. All the way across. It only took 10 minutes.

At least I conquered the fear. For one day anyway.

Earlier on that day...

Me: This is called the Fox River Sophie.

Sophie: Are there a lot of foxes in there?

She just loves to be the center of attention. Did I mention how many compliments she got that day for her dress? After awhile she turned to me and said, "Mommy, why do people keep looking at me?"
Me: Because you are gorgeous kiddo and people can't help but notice you.
Sophie: But they're not saying anything to you.
She misses nothing.
So, this is one invisible chicken mommy saying -- have a great weekend!

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

May you please turn your attention to the spotlight....

2008-10-23T16:19:00.001-05:00

I think everyone loves to feel good, especially when posting and reading in bloggerland. Nothing makes me feel better than seeing my name and blog on another site. Over the past couple of weeks I've been given the honor of being in the blog lights and have been linked to a bunch of blogs. Thanks everyone! Whoohoo for links and spotlights!!!!

Now it's my turn to put the spotlight on some of my favorite fellow bloggers AND to keep this circle of light and warm-fuzzies going as much as possible.

First,

Nicki over at Slow Down, Gym Shoe AND Kelly over at Close to Home have both tagged me for the 7 random things tag. I really do love getting tagged! Thanks Guys--WHOOHOO for TAGS!

7 random things about me......................

1. I love to talk about God. I'm not churchy or anything or even religious really, but I do believe in a higher power, supreme being, celestial controller of the universe-whatever you call it--he's there and in charge of everything. It's comforting to know that because of God, I am accepted, approved, redeemed, talented, blessed, empowered, AND I don't have to control anything or even figure it all out. I just get to BE. Thank God!

2. I love the Gilmore Girls so much I would move to Connecticut without ever having been there. (oh and of course, Sophie would have to go to Yale!)

3. Reading aloud to Sophie is one of my favorite things ever. I try to get one or two books in before nap time and a few in at bedtime. This doesn't happen everyday, but most days. I really love books and try to take her to Barnes and Noble as often as I can. Even though she would rather play with the trains and toys than look for books, she always sits and reads with me-plus it's a nice environment to hang out in.

4. I would rather shop for toys/books than clothes-or even shoes.

5. If given a choice between dressing up and going out for dinner-or grabbing Mickey D's and watching the Wizard of Oz? Yeah, there's no place like home. seriously.

6. I truly believe that Dairy Queen is good for the soul.

7. My current favorite movie is Underdog - recently replacing Enchanted. Twister is still a close #2 and has been since it came out.

Now, I will tag the following bloggers: (for the simple reason of wanting to read more about you guys!)

1. The Sports Mama at You Don't Have to Like Me
2. Killlashandra at Modern Mama's Fabulous Favorites.
3. AVTCoach at This Abundant Life
4. Missy at Bees and Boo-Boos
5. Mamarazzi at Dandelion Wishes
6. Rachel at Following in My Shoes
7. Supercool HotMama at Super HotMama's House

But wait there's more! AWARDS! whoohoo for awards!

"Just Me" over at Snickerdoodles gave me a Kreative Blogger award! Thanks Just Me--love your blog!

Along with giving it out to 6 other bloggers you also post 6 things that make you happy when you get this award.

Because I've been drowning in a cesspool of hormone created tragedies in my head these days nothing seems to be making me happy except my precious quiet time at my computer. So I thought it would be appropriate to share with the world just exactly where I spend my time when I get lost in cyberspace. I chose for my 6 things that make me happy to list 6 BLOGS that make me happy ..........WHOOHOO for them as I give them this award.

1. Hope Floats : I love this blog because Melissa was not only the first blogger I encountered just about a year ago, but she is also right around my neck of the woods (the woods being the outer suburbs of Chicago.) Whoohoo for that! I laugh lots when I visit her blog, especially when she is explaining her latest underwear chronicles. Oh, and she is my good luck charm because both of the blogger contests that I have won have come from her! As a matter of fact I am enjoying some positive affirmations right now! But besides being a funny, close-to-me blogger, she is also very charitable in festive and sometimes bloody ways. She is one cool blogger!

2. My Chaos My Bliss: I love this blog for about a million reasons! Cecily R has a way of making raising kids seem so blissfully normal, yet incredibly off the wall, while at the same time expressing unconditional love for her family and dealing with the craziness that only a stay-at-home mom can appreciate. I love to play the PhotoStory Friday game that she hosts with a fellow blogger, and I can't seem to get the picture of her in high heels out of my head. (It's the post that got me hooked to all things Cecily!) She's a gifted writer and talented photographer. I always feel good after reading what she has to say and seeing pictures of her beautiful children.

3. Burgh Baby : The Burgh Baby's Mom is one of the funniest bloggers I've stumbled upon yet. I love the way she expresses her love and pride for her beautiful little toddler while simultaneously keeping me in hysterics because she finds the humor in every situation-especially the unsuspecting fellow drivers in and around 'The Burgh' as she calls it. I crave her stories of the scary babies and look forward to her shopping sprees and LOVE her hierarchy of parental intelligence-but most of all, I just love the way she expresses her ultimate appreciation for her leading lady. (It's also cool that she's got me on the cool kids list and on her blog roll!)

4. Kay's Simple Life: The first thing I need to say about Kay is that she has SPECTACULAR taste in music; every time I jump on her blog I hear just the 'right' song for the moment. I dig this about her! Second, she is very talented with the crock pot and shares her knowledge-which I thought was delicious! Third, she is not only a devoted mother, but a brilliant homeschooler as well and shares lots of tricks of her trade with the blogging community. She is one special mom. Oh, and not only does she have famous taste in shower curtains, but her street is famous too thanks to Extreme Makeover Home Edition .

5. Living and Loving Every Minute of It: I encountered Corey's blog just recently this past summer through the PSF posts and I am thrilled that I did. She is one fantastic photographer and is not shy about sharing her expertise! I love her insatiable appetite for her Sugar, as well as her ability to share nothing but hope, happiness, and miracles with her blogging friends. She is remarkable and though I've only read her for a short time, I am now a loyal fan!

6. SevEn cloWn CirCuS: Angie is one-of-a-kind. Seriously. You HAVE to visit this blog if for no other reason than she is incredibly saucy! She is the host of her own WordFUL Wednesday game and it's so fun to see how people actually interpret their otherwise wordless snapshots. She is an AMAZING mom with stories that will melt your heart with a kiss, make you laugh out loud with a kick , and she will answer if you ask-as honestly as she can. I love that about her. Mostly, I just love that she really loves her family and has some incredibly gorgeous children. She is also just a very real mom with very real mom humiliations to deal with that make her so endearing and easy to like. She is the best!

While scrolling around for my favorite posts I stumbled upon this one which I am ashamed to admit I never saw! Angie gave me an award here and somehow I completely spaced and missed the whole thing. So, a very belated THANKS and WHOOHOO to Angie for thinking of me over the summer!

I would love to give this blog award to a few of my other faves in bloggerland:

1. Robyn @ Where's Jelly? for being the kind of blogger I wished lived just 2 hours closer to me.
2. Julie (aka crazymamaof6) @ Truly Delightful in Every Way for doing it all SO WELL w/6!
3. Tommie @ Tuesday Update for her take on what Happiness Is...AND her taste in shoes!
4. MamaGeek @ What Works for Us because she is McCrafty & likes the same TV show as me.
5. Alexandria @ I'm the Mom for her crayon philosophy-love it!

Wordful Wednesday :: Look Mommy, My Arm is Bleeding~!

2008-10-22T14:36:00.006-05:00

Sophie thought is was soooooooo funny when she started playing with the little color tablets that makes the bath a tub of fun. Unless you use the red one.

I'm pretty sure I lost about a month of my life .

I re-gained composure quick enough to remember the camera. She just thought it was so cool how she could make her hands, arms, legs, cheeks, and feet bleed. Um, why? I have NO idea!

Thanks Crayola. So glad you helped her find her calling for a career in special effects.

Please play along with Angie for the wordful Wednesday!

Letters have sounds?

2008-10-20T07:29:00.003-05:00

I was unsure yesterday how to plan my week. I've decided to take a break from Montessori; it's very hard and there is definitely a reason teachers need to be trained in it. I'm back to just planning my weeks based on different themes like I did last year. SO-I figured since fall is in bloom I would make this a LEAFY TREE week and do all sorts of colorful activities including a trip to the local arboretum.
Of course there is an underlining "reading" theme that is also taking place. I'm dying to teach her to read, but I was a little stuck. You see, I want to purchase the zoo phonics kit, but the initial kit is VERY expensive, and the entire preschool kit is even more. Since I have an 'all or nothing' mentality I guess I can wait for Santa Claus to bring me this kit. In the meantime, where do you start --besides the usual reading aloud and letter recognition?
Then I saw a website about letter sounds and the light clicked.
I mentioned last night to Sophie we were going to be learning about letter sounds this week when she asked me the question, "Letters have sounds?"
Perfect! Away we go! Oh, and then I said a group of letters make words and she goes, "They do?"
Oh yeah-one step at a time.

BTW--I have been super busy doing all sorts of activities with Sophie and have the pictures to prove it. The problem with posting and keeping up with my blog is called an HSG--had one last week. If you know what that is I'm sure you'll understand and if you don't, God Bless-- I certainly hope you never have to, it's not exactly pleasant! Also, the wicked witch* inducing round of clomid has also prevented me from posting or having much contact with the outside world at all, but it seems to be subsiding for now. Here's keeping our fingers crossed.
Anyway, I have lots of catching up to do, and will be busy this week for those of you who like to stop by and check out what we are up to-I will start letting you know.

*wicked witch is putting it mildly....snapping at EVERY little thing that goes wrong and dissolving into tears when someone doesn't put the cap on the toothpaste....oh yeah...oodles of fun.....I started bawling the other day when Nate turned left across traffic too fast because our giant truck might tip over, but then again not fast enough because a car was coming and could have hit us! Now that is crazy!!!!!!! good times.

PSF: and a Happy New Year!

2008-10-10T07:10:00.010-05:00

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

I thought that by putting down my camera this week I would have more time to stay "right in the moment" and really enjoy time with Sophie.

Welp, I put down the camera this week, and I literally can't remember one thing that we did! Um, and when in the world did Friday get here? I'm still stuck on Wednesday.

Not much of a story, but it's the best I can do.
Strange week. Very strange week.

Moral to this story? My camera not only improves my memory, but also slows down time. If I don't pick it back up--the next thing I know it could be Christmas and I'll still be wearing my Halloween costume! (only 76 days away I believe--so just in case I forget --

Merry Christmas

Happy Thanksgiving!:)

I did manage to click these pictures as we were running out of the house trying to make it to music on time. Phew! At least I know we did in fact GO to music already or I might have tried to go today;)

Oh, and one more thing--these are real smiles this week so I do know that we are doing something right! I just love that little haircut of hers--wish I could wear it!

Wordful Wednesday: T.C.B.Y.

2008-10-08T07:18:00.010-05:00

Yesterday, I tried very hard to stay right in the moment. I have to say it was pretty tough-if for no other reason than it was Tuesday. I've nicknamed it Terrible Tuesday but I did try everything I could to turn it into a Terrific Tuesday.

I failed. On many, many levels.

BUT, because I like to focus on the good stuff that happens, here's a little photo snack of one of the things that was terrific about our Tuesday.

When Sophie woke up yesterday she was all cuddly and cute and started playing with me and Jackers. Then she said, "Mommy let's go back to sleep!" I didn't hestitate on that idea. It only lasted a second though and she was playing again. Then I mentioned we should stay in bed all day today. (If I'd stuck to that then I wouldn't have these pictures.)

But we did stay and play for almost another hour. We were daydreaming about what our day would look like if we just stayed in bed. Then the bed became a car, a boat, and an airplane. It even allowed us to grocery shop-while we invented a giant once over scanner for the groceries so we no longer have to use the conveyor belts and just leave all of the stuff in the bed/cart/car. It was so much fun and I really felt like yes-I stayed in the moment.

After many, many mishaps and meltdowns, just before BOTH of us were in tears I said, (to myself) "screw the rules, let's get an ice cream cone." It was 3:30 and I was supposed to be on my way home to start dinner.

We happened to be right next to a TCBY (The Country's Best Yogurt) when it I felt the compulsion for junk food right before dinner. Now I haven't been here in years and it was so fun to discover that not only was everything yogurt but most of it is 98% fat free--except for the sugar-free & fat-free version I was able to delight myself in.

This place rocked!

Sophie was happy. I was happy. and all was well in the Widloe World again.

Plus, this little afternoon snack encouraged me to for-go making dinner and head to the health club instead. So glad I did. I got in a great workout, and came home to make a nice healthy soup and sandwich dinner.

Phew! We made it through this day. Oh, and the frozen BLUE yogurt that managed to dribble all over Sophie DID come out of her sweatshirt last night. Phew--again. Oh, and Sophie only ate about 1/2 of this cone btw. Even kids have limits:)

For more WordFul Wednesdays please go over here to Angie's blog.

from this moment..

2008-10-07T07:35:00.009-05:00

Most of the time in my life I am striving for something, learning something, or working on something (that something being anything from spiritual awareness to a connection with God to learning a better teaching method to a more organized household and menu schedule)--waiting for THAT moment when it all makes sense and I achieve that goal and my dreams come true and life ummmmm, begins? Wait. No, that can't be right. My life began a long time ago. Why am I still waiting for that moment?
I finally get it--THAT moment is now. Not tomorrow. Not when I lose weight, have more money, pay off debt, live in my dream house, have more children. No, it's right here-right now.
I easily forget about the moment because I am anticipating 'what's next.' Have I put the laundry in the dryer? Did Sophie brush her teeth? Are we ready for tomorrow? Do we have a plan for today? OK-Sophie's eating lunch, let's get out the craft--or the books--or change for the park--or start dinner--while I wait for her to finish and so on and so forth.
I don't want to be 50 or 60 or 85 by the time I realize that 'what's next' is really supposed to be 'what's now?'
What happened to having lunch with Sophie--right now, right when it happens?
What happened to enjoying what we ARE doing - instead of prepping for the next thing?
It's soooo easy to get distracted and let my mind start to spin out of control during the day-overwhelming me with all sorts of things that have to be done before I go to bed. The have-to can wait. Have-to's are things like shelter, clothing, food--you know, the basic needs like a blogger friend kindly pointed out to me recently.

So, I'm practicing 'staying in the moment' and I find when I get a little "camera happy" I begin to start living in the future thinking about new activities to do, posts to put up on the blog, and anything else -except- whatever it is I happen to be doing at the moment.
So--over the weekend I put the camera away.

On Saturday, we decided to grab some Jimmy John's and go to a park for picnic and playtime. It was a gorgeous day outside-not a cloud-about 65 degrees (70 in the sun without the breeze) and we were all together-including Jack. I remember thinking while we were eating our sandwiches how I wished I had brought my camera-then remembered why it was good I didn't.
I enjoyed myself.
We ate at picnic table and shooed away bees.
We laughed when Daddy-O was more scared of the bees than any of us.
We talked for the dog while Sophie fed him half of her lunch. Then we laughed even more when Sophie talked for Jack too.
We sat on the swings for more than 30 minutes and just talked and talked and talked. I taught Sophie how to do a 'spider' ride on the swing, even though I am too big to make it effective.
We laughed some more.
It was so fun to relax, smile and laugh, and just BE. We stayed in the moment and the moment was mmm, mmm, good!

I adore days like that. It's what makes life sweet. It's why we are here.

Yesterday afternoon I started to get a little cranky because of all the 'have-to's' rolling around in my head. It was then I told Sophie to pack it up we are going outside. I REMEMBERED TO STOP! I REMEMBERED what is important--the moment. Here's what happened when I did.
We went to the park for a bit. Played and had fun. Just me and my daughter-swinging on the swings.
When we got back our neighbors were up (from their naps) and out. Sophie got to play and the moms got to talk--for like 2 HOURS! We just stood there chatted and the kids ran around and played and I swear to God --life was perfect.
Our neighborhood felt so normal, nice and safe. It was so much fun.
By the time we got in Sophie was super tired and dirty, so I bathed her while dinner was cooking and she conked out on the couch right after dinner at 6:30.
When I stayed in the moment--everything fell right into place beautifully. I had plenty of time to clean up dinner, have some adult conversation with 'the boys downstairs' (Nate & Co.), AND I was able to just BE before any 'what's next' thoughts crept in my head. Awesome!

The only flaw is that I don't have the pictures to prove it. Maybe I'll get one of those really skinny cameras that I can fit in my pocket--but not until I mastered the art of 'staying in the moment.' I don't want any distractions yet because it is just such a great thing. I have really been able to relax and go with the flow much better over the past few days.

I did snap one quick picture yesterday though. It appeared Jack was missing us and took Sophie's pumpkin pillow to keep him company until we came back. He's such a sweet puppy.

I can't wait to see what our moments will look like today!

I'm being followed! WHOOHOO!

2008-10-06T05:19:00.000-05:00

When it comes to monitor size and memory my BIG computer kicks my lap top's butt. This is my main computer, so all of my faves, scrapbooks, and fun stuff are on this computer--including a list of all of the blogs I love to read regularly. For some reason, Sophie does not like my big computer. She doesn't mind if I sit with my laptop in the family room to read blogs-or even if I take it upstairs before bed to chit-chat on the mom boards. But, if I were to go into the living room to the 'big' computer after dinner? She's in my lap and won't leave me alone. I get to read nothing--unless Mickey Mouse or Nickelodeon websites are involved.
See why I want to teach her how to read? How fun will it be when she can really start using her computer?
So, if I want to play catch-up with bloggie friends other than at 5AM-the little laptop it is. What a pain to keep up with my blog rolls and add favorites to both computers-never mind the fun stuff I can't do on the little laptop-like scrap booking.

I noticed this morning however that 2 people are following me.
I have no idea how long they have been there. WHOOHOO for finally paying attention! Has this feature been here for awhile?
Now, I get to start adding all of my fave blogs right in my very own dashboard. No matter what computer I go to--I'll be able to find you. All I have to do is sign in-whoohoo! I'm so excited. It may take a couple of days to get everyone in there, but hallelujah--no more blog rolls. I'm simply going to follow you instead. YEE HAW! It is very twitter-esque.

Now, just waiting for some commentluv to become compatible with blogger and I won't miss one important post-from anyone who stops by.

PSF: My sad little Dorothy and a GIANT life-lesson

2008-10-02T20:01:00.001-05:00

This has got to be the saddest picture I have ever taken. Not because she's not adorable in her new Halloween costume, because she totally is, but because Sophie is just so sad behind that smile. I can't think about it too much, or I start to cry. Sophie isn't really smiling here. She's smiling through very real tears. She was trying to put on a brave face--because her mommy was mad at her. My heart is seriously breaking.

For the past week or two, anytime Sophie doesn't get what she wants, she starts to cry and walks away and has a 'mini' fit. She doesn't throw herself down and have full-blown temper tantrums, but she makes 'mad' faces and clenches her fists and goes and sits away from me or whoever is bothering her. She's not asking for help-or simply choosing something else-and her frustration is truly getting the best of her.

In this picture, Sophie was so sad because she was comparing her shoes (which were 2 sizes too big) to the giant pumpkin on the window. She was trying to tell me how big they were on her feet-like how big the pumpkin looked on the window. I was so focused on trying to take her picture in her new costume that I got confused about what in the world she was talking about and really upset her. Her frustration thresh-hold is unusually low and it took me some time to figure out that my frustration thresh-hold is even lower than hers.
Thankfully, I am finally aware of it. Whenever I encounter a parenting problem -in any area -I consult my smart love book. It reminded me that when my child is frustrated I need to react with loving regulation and comfort until the frustration subsides--not anger or withdrawal of my love and attention-and certainly not harsh words and consequences~that's demeaning. Only in this way can she learn how to deal with life's ups and downs while simultaneously experiencing the esteem-boosting type of loving relationship she has with me at all times. Otherwise I run the risk of teaching her that I want her to be upset when she gets frustrated with others OR that her frustrated feelings are OK--when in fact they are not. They are normal, but not OK--I sure don't want her to walk around frustrated all the time.

Well, you know what I have been doing lately?

Sophie: Mommy, I want more candy!

Me: Sorry Sophie-you'll get a tummyache.

Then -- when she cries I get all mad that she isn't understanding and accepting. Ew. I get mad because she is mad. This is just when she is upset. When I'm frustrated? Um, I clench my fists, make my mean face and stomp away. Seriously! Holy cow! I am the one crying over the spilled milk--because I'm the one who has to clean it up! I am acting and dealing with frustration exactly like my 3 year old. How do I know this? Because she is simply doing what I'm doing. She's my little mirror. I'm not handling frustration well at all lately--and I am teaching her how NOT to handle it. She just may be more emotionally mature than her own mother.

So, the lesson here? Stop taking pictures when Sophie is crying. No really. I need to get a grip, take a chill pill, or have a drink for God's sake! What in the world am I taking life so seriously for? From now on it is my goal NOT to show bad examples of dealing with frustration to Sophie. I WILL show her what is a big deal and what isn't and the appropriate responses to both. I WILL change my reactions. After all, it is just milk-and it can always be cleaned up.

I WILL give her my love and comfort--even when I'm not giving her that ice cream cone she's crying for-or that toy that she desperately wants to play with. I bet she stops freaking out. I bet she learns that no matter what she get the best of me-as much as she needs. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

It sure has been a crazy couple of weeks!

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Preschool Puffs and Plugs: Week ending Oct.3

2008-10-02T16:30:00.004-05:00

Homeschooling updates from a proud parent's point of view
*Puff: praise extravagantly; to publicize with often exaggerated praise; *Plug: the favorable mention of something,
****************************************************************************

I needed some sort of catchy phrase to start summing up our activities-especially since I am having trouble with daily blogging-and there seems to be a lack of jazzy synonyms for words like summary and review. So, I dug a little deeper, stretched a little farther, and found 'puffs and plugs.' I know I could use 'weekly wrap-ups, or Saturday summary' but I wanted something a little brighter with the sparkly touch that seems to be all things --me.

OK, let's start with the PUFFS:

Monday, September 29:Craft Project

On Monday, Sophie chose a pumpkin patch scene to create with a foamies kit bought at the craft store.
She figured out how to put the two trees together by herself.Then using the box as a guide she created her masterpiece.The only thing I did was hot glue the tree, fence, and sign to the base-right where she told me to.
She's a perfectly proud-of-herself preschooler. I am perfectly pleased at her efforts. I'm even more thrilled with her ability to follow directions; her capability of sitting in her seat content and behaving for almost an hour; and I couldn't be happier with her tiny little motor skills getting all that tape off the back of the foamies and the fact that she was able to figure out how to assemble this practically on her own.

Tuesday, September 29: Bead Sorting and jewelry design.

The Montessori lessons** I was using said to pick four shapes with same or only 2 different colored beads. I decided Sophie could handle something a little more challenging.
With a bit of coaching from me, she made the decision to sort by color instead of shape. Each time she got bored with a color she moved on to a new color. This kept her busy for almost 20 minutes! I think she enjoyed putting the beads into this container the best. She was really excited that the box tops snapped in place.

Then it was time to make a necklace and 'jam' on her guitar with it on. I couldn't get a great pic of the necklace though. I'll have to do some editing and post in the future when I get the chance.

Wednesday, October 1: P.E. and a little tool-time.

Notice anything about this bike? (besides the fact she is growing quickly out of it)

Yep. No more training wheels. She fell gracefully though and seriously had more of a fit wearing the helmet and knee pads than she did when she fell over. She's one tough cookie.

After all of that great exercise (for me and her daddy) she decided she still wants the training wheels.
So she put them back on. I may have helped a little.

Now for a couple of plugs:

Also on Wednesday we did a Montessori exercise playing I Spy with one of the actual I Spy books--the Halloween version. It's great for teaching letter sounds (I spy something that starts with a B,) colors (I spy something black,) and even a some higher level cognitive skills (I Spy something that flies only at night.) A bat was the answer to those three--in case you were wondering. Anyway, this was a fantastic teachable moment while at the same time disguising itself as down time-getting Sophie ready for a nap. LOVED IT! We will be doing this one often. I am sooooo looking forward to the Christmas version. It will be a staple in our Christmas time activity schedule.

This is Sophie giving herself a plug once the training wheels were back on. Good for you Butter Bee~Take a Bow!

*definitions from dictionary.com
**I have decided to tone down the Montessori pressure I put on myself by picking one or two activities for the week and then just improvising on the rest-relying on my former teaching skills to help me turn play-time into learning time. She absolutely lives in a complete educational environment, so pretty much everything she sees, hears, and plays with will help her grow leaps and bounds educationally in some fashion or another. This week was a LOT less stressful than last week, and instead of scrambling to fill time, this week we ran out of time to do all of the activities scheduled. Plus, if I use Thursday as a wrap-up day, I won't feel so damn guilty about not posting everyday. Today we were going to do science and practice making bubbles, but we will postpone until next week.

Wordful Wednesday: Move over Miley--heeeeere's Sophie!

2008-10-01T08:01:00.010-05:00

Maybe we can start a new show on Disney and call it "Hannah Montana - The Preschool Years!"

She is absolutely a ROCK STAR in the making. Just remember: you saw it here first!

We have recently discovered the joys of Hannah Montana, and Sophie is trying to live the Best of Both Worlds. Her HSM head/microphones come in handy while banging out her tunes. I'm soooooo psyched she loves music so much! Whoohoo for the tunes!

For more WordFul Wednesdays go here to Angie's Circus! Or click on her button on my sidebar!

2008-09-27T08:29:00.000-05:00

"Mommy Cards"

I was talking to a friend of mine awhile ago about how hard it is to meet people as a stay-at-home mom. Now, there are lots of groups and things to join, but most are costly and there is always the issue of scheduling and commuting which doesn't always work. Now there are those 'great' days when you are at the park and you happen to catch the right moment when several other moms decide to go that day and you can actually have some pretty good conversation. Not to mention the fact that these are the people who live close to you, so the chances of play dates and things are really good.

The problem comes in when it's time to go; no one actually has a pen and paper with them and since we can't remember each others names, who really has the guts to say, "Can we meet here again tomorrow?"

I don't know. I bet lots of moms out there do have that kind of confidence, but I know for a fact I don't. My friend agreed that it makes leaving weird sometimes. So, since she is a former graphic designer and loves the craft stores she came up with these:

(FYI--the markers are not actually on the cards--they have been "picnicked" in to hide my phone # and address.)

These are "Mommy Cards" that she designed specifically for me based on the colors from my blog and what she knows of me as a mom. She made some more for another friend of hers and I can tell you all of these cards are completely unique and match the mom behind the card. They are so cool!!!!!

Now when I go to the park, music class, open gym, or even the health club--if I happen to meet someone I would like to talk to again--I have all of my info with me in a nice little convenient card that fits in my pocket. Who said you had to work for a 'company' to have a business card? This is perfect!

I told her she should go into business. She's so creative--I almost hate to actually hand these out to people because they are sooooo cute! I guess I will just have to 'order' more from her soon. I just love the sparkly gems put on mine along with all the pink flowery stuff. WAY cute!!!

So, if you are interested--she's still in the experimenting phase, so cost is flexible and negotiable-all you need is a blog--or simply to be a 'stay-at-home kid-caretaker' in need of some friendships.

Just leave me a comment with your email and I will pass along the info to her.

Saturday Summary Part 1: 9.20 to 9.23

2008-09-27T08:20:00.015-05:00

Last weekend: September 20

Buying a new car takes forever. We've been looking and looking and looking for weeks--and we still spent several hours over a two-day period at dealerships before we finally found the one that works for us. I wanted to be a 'green' mom and do everything I can to help the environment and save the polar bears. Well.........................

Yeah. BUT--and I do mean BUT, they are giving away these giant gas guzzling beasts at the dealers for practically nothing (seriously this was the same price that my new Camry was 8 years ago!) and we really need a second car AND I have always loved driving the big giant truck mobile.....AND--we literally drive about 50 miles/week--maybe 75 if we go to the zoo. So, the way I see it? I am helping the planet because I am taking this dirty pollutant emitter out of the hands of someone who will drive it the average 230+ miles/week, thus preventing almost 75% less gas emissions on the environment PLUS since we don't drive much we won't need to spend too much at the pump. It is only 2 miles to the grocery store.

It's a really pretty truck too and Sophie LOVES the fact that she can sit in all sorts of places in the back and still have lots of room for her giant dog and all of her toys. Now, if I can move along the growth of this family and actually have more children--we're all set.

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Monday, Sept. 22, 2008

We had to grocery shop in the morning, and I let Sophie help me bag the fresh fruit and work on getting the twist ties around the bags. It's hard for her to manipulate the twist ties, but she's getting lots of practice. Then she was being so good at the store, I felt compelled to take her to open gym for an hour before heading to the health club. By dinnertime we were both exhausted and feel asleep very early. It was a great day though and the elliptical machine is getting easier!

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Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008

There is something about Tuesdays. I don't have a clue why they are so trying, but they really are. Very. This was no exception. I have been behind on our schedule since last Friday, the day after the tea-party, so I feel a little overwhelmed with trying to come up with activities Sophie loves to do that will actually teach her something. On Tuesday mornings they have story time at Barnes & Noble so we headed over there, but we were late and missed most of the stories. We stayed for awhile though and read some books together and played with a couple other kids for awhile with the train set they have out. It's kind of a fun place to hang out when we don't feel like going to a gym.

When we got home, Sophie was itching to go outside so we decided this would be a great day to decorate the front porch for Halloween. Well, after about 10 minutes of trying to tether down the blow-up ghost and succeeding mostly in losing the tethers in the ground, Sophie got bored. Unfortunately for me right before she got bored she opened all of the boxes containing the 'stuff' and dumped it all out on the porch. I quickly changed the front screen to the glass door and let her decorate the door with window clings. This gave me about another 20 minutes of frantic 'let's get the stupid lights up and plugged in' time. Once she was done she gave up and went inside to watch Underdog for the trillionth time-leaving me to finish the front porch--or so I thought.

This is what happens when you leave a 3 year old unattended. She's done this before too--and I guess I just didn't learn my lesson the first time. She went out to the porch in the back--OK, no big deal right? I figured she could play out there until I was done out front. We have a fenced in yard so she's perfectly safe.

Anyway, when I first saw the chalk I quickly decided no use in getting mad and frantically trying to clean it up--I just let her be. I would have to clean her up anyway, so I might as well let her enjoy herself while I got dinner in the oven.

When I went back out to check on her I noticed that she had not only covered herself with chalk but had also decorated Jack with a bucket of yellow chalk. Poor guy, he just got over a round a antibiotics from an allergy to shampoo and here he was covered in chalk. My frustration level is quickly being bumped up to explode mode. But I hadn't blasted yet at this point.

I simply dusted out as much chalk as I could from Jack and then brushed his fur really well. I got it all out and let him back inside before she doused him with the bucket of bubbles she found while I was brushing Jack.

Now I should go back and say that I had made a homemade lasagna that day for Nate and the two guys that also work out of our house right now and part of the whole process was cleaning up the giant mess--including washing the kitchen floor--after it was all assembled and in the oven.

This is after an entire day of B&N, porch decorating, dog grooming, and now Sophie was a giant mess on the back porch.

I did what any normal mom would do and hand Sophie the hose and ran back in the house. I gave her the pleasure of washing off all of the chalk and bubble juice off the porch. Of course, her dress apparently needed cleaning too as well as the side of the house and all of the windows.

I had to yell at her through the back door to put down the hose, before I came back out.

Then I realized that Sophie needed a bath and some dry clothes before dinner and I only had about 20 minutes before it was done.

******sigh*******

I'm exhausted but "kept moving forward" as the Robinson's encourage and just got it done. Once Sophie was all cleaned up and changed, I was able to run downstairs and make the salad and get the bread out and set the table and serve the lasagna. I had given Nate and company a 10 minute warning. Then I had Sophie go downstairs and announce dinner. 10 minutes later I sat down to eat with Sophie. 20 minutes after that I had her run downstairs again to remind them that dinner was ready and getting cold.

They finally came upstairs and my top was literally boiling over with steam. I was super p/oed and wanted to scream--but couldn't do that in front of Nate's business partner. He knew how pissed I was though by the look on my face and the fact that I said nothing to either of them when they first came up. I sat with them though and chatted anyway while they ate their nearly cold lasagna before tackling again-cleaning the kitchen. I figured the best way to diffuse my frustration was to at least talk to adults for a little while, before the Wonder Pets came on.

At this point I was beginning to wonder if I would ever see my computer again--I'm just too jammed packed with things to do, and now I was too tired to even fire up the laptop in bed. At least Sophie was ready for bed. I can't remember how quickly we fell asleep that night, but I do know that both of us were in bed by 7:45 that night. I'm pretty sure I fell asleep before Sophie.

This picture doesn't do it justice--it almost looks better during the day because of the giant spider web--but it still looks pretty cool.

I think I just love this picture because of the possessed dog --his ears are sooo funny!

Saturday Summary Part 2: 9.24 to 9.26

2008-09-27T08:00:00.007-05:00

Wednesday, September 24

Music Class and some Lemon Cake

We had music first thing in the morning and it is by far the best class we take. I'll be so sad when Sophie is too old to go. It's just that much fun. I wonder if they would let me go without a kid? Probably not-that might be a little creepy.

ANYWAY--we were feeling our usual post-music let down because we can't seem to get enough of our Miss Joan, so I decided we should make a quick trip to Walmart and peruse the Halloween stuff for a perk-up. On our way Sophie mentions that she wants lemon cake. I thought about for a minute and decided OK--as long as you make it yourself.

It was a success--even though we made a giant mess and managed to set off the fire alarms. The only downfall was the fact that she didn't want frosting (which REALLY surprised me) and lemon cake really needs frosting.

Here are the pics from the process......

using her pouring skills

using her stirring skills with her hands

using her stirring skills with a spatula

using her tasting skills once her hair is finally back

and finally, the finished products....a pumpkin, leaves, tulips and daisies. These would have been AWESOME if she wanted to frost them, but that's OK. I really don't need to be eating any cake anyway--especially with Halloween just around the corner.

Sophie was so happy that I let her make cake she decided it would be OK to go to the health club. She's starting to hate it and getting her to go is turning into a challenge.

That night instead of TV we decided we needed to start learning the music for music class better so we got out the instruments and the book and started jamming away. There is a really cool song about a canoe that Sophie and I loved. It has a really simple little beat and I can play it on her little recorder. After singing it for awhile Sophie suggested that we make a canoe to paddle down the river. So, a canoe was built!

Here she is trying to paddle the canoe with her pink recorder.

Once she got tired of playing music Sophie decided to take her toys for a ride on her canoe-turned-sailboat. She goes, "Bye Mommy! We're off to Egypt! Love you!"

I think the Little Einsteins had been to Egypt that day.

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Thursday, September 25

Painting Pumpkins

With super-human energy I decided to invite my neighbors over to paint some of the pumpkins we had picked up last week at the pumpkin patch. My usual peppy self was starting to show signs of tiring though once the paints were out. I think at this point I had officially run out of steam and I even forgot to take pictures! The pumpkins got painted with as little effort from me as I could get away with. They are cute and I'm pretty sure the kids had a good time painting-so that's all that really matters.

My friend and I just ended up chatting for a couple of hours before she took her little ones home for a nap and Sophie and I snuggled upstairs and watched a movie. I was beat. So was she because it was another GORGEOUS day outside and neither one of us felt like doing anything. She even choose to take a nap after the movie instead of going to the health club with me. I was grateful for the day off the elliptical. I'm a little sore anyway.

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Friday, September 26

Yesterday I dropped Sophie at my mom's for the day and headed over to the gym for a stress-free workout. Not sure if it was just my busy week or my fuzzy brain but I got a huge case of the clumsies yesterday. I tripped, dropped my towel, almost had my ear ripped off when I stepped down to retrieve the towel because I forgot about my ipod, then TWICE I came dangerously close to falling over when my hands slipped on the handlebars while trying to take my heart rate. I . was . horrified!!!!!!

I spent 73 minutes (1 hour 13 min) on the elliptical yesterday burning a whopping 750 calories. My legs are really hoping I gain some confidence soon. I literally could not even look in the mirrors much less get off the machine until I knew for sure that no one who might have seen me would even remotely still be there. Like anyone is looking anyway right? Oh and I came home too exhausted to even shower again, so I sat around and watched a movie and TV for the rest of the day--until bedtime.

Yeah, I think I'm going to actually lose some weight here. Oh and speaking of tired, I totally forgot to post not only the wordful wednesday the PhotoStory Friday as well! jeez--I had better try to get a little more organized this week. AND schedule some reading time. How did I get so busy so quickly? I can't even figure out what changed!

2008-09-25T07:46:00.001-05:00

Thursday, September 18, 2008

"Tea Party Breakfast"

Because we are doing these activities at home and there are no other children for Sophie to play with-I am trying really hard to make all of the basic Montessori lessons I find as fun for her as possible. When we sat down to have this tea party breakfast, I had already made her crust less toast in little heart shapes with her favorite strawberry jam. I put the crust in her crown plate and added a few dollops of jam to dip in if she preferred. (I also stuck in her little box of cookies she wanted from the store that week because they were pink and looked cute on the table.)

As far as skills go, Sophie practice pouring and was even able to hold the saucer while she poured. She really had fun pouring (I used sugar-free cranberry juice in the teapot and we pretended it was our favorite passion herbal tea from Starbucks) and kept offering me more tea. I ended up drinking a lot of tea that morning, but that's OK, she really had a good time.
We also practiced some manners and used lots of words like, "May I" and "Please & Thank You." She was also getting a kick out of being the 'hostess' and kept offering me and Belle more and more things.
The only flaw was that she wouldn't take 'no thank you' for an answer and kept pushing. Hmmm, I wonder where that came from?
After breakfast I showed her how 'bus' the table and take everything to the sink where Sophie went ahead and washed all of the dishes. She had a ball!
We were spending way more time than planned on this activity, so I jumped in and dried the dishes for her.
I think it was a great success. She has excellent manners AND can manage to pour very well. Every bath time since she's had tea parties with her tub toys and has even added some 'foam' (suds) like they do at Starbucks.

If only I had stopped there for the day....... but oh no, not me............

Sophie grabbed her binkie/bunny right after she finished the dishes and said she wanted to watch TV. Well, I had already planned an afternoon at the pumpkin patch-including a fun little car picnic for lunch. I intended doing this for fun rather than using it as a learning activity. However, the petting zoo was empty and the workers really wanted someone to 'educate' on all of the animals as we walked through--the result was we were bombarded with TMI and by the time we got home we were exhausted and more than a little overwhelmed! We fed goats and pet the baby chicks and saw a giant pig just about to give birth and even pet the little baby horses and tried to feed them some corn as well. It was one LONG day! We did have a good time though.

The hay ride was her favorite part.

She sure does love these giant jumpy things though.

She got a big kick out of the train ride too.

PSF and A VERY Important Lesson

2008-09-19T00:01:00.000-05:00

If these pictures aren't worth 1000 words I don't know what is......but I do know that everyone in this house has the whole 'dunking of the cookie thing' perfected!

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Oops

2008-09-18T15:57:00.003-05:00

OK weird, I am trying to go back and edit the last post and now every time I go into it, the sentence that needs editing is gone.
Weird. Well, I meant to say, DOES this count? not-do this count.

Music class and a leaf blower........

2008-09-18T00:30:00.004-05:00

This was Wednesday. (I'm a little behind.)

This is Sophie twirling in her new favorite dress. I tried to get her mid-twirl with the skirt out, but after several picture attempts chalked this up to the only one-and what happened to the color?

Then I tried for a close up-but she refused to put down her spoon.

She thought she was sooooooo funny!

Spoon or not--I think she's gorgeous. I can't stop staring at her eyes. Oh, and is it weird that I want my hair to look this good?
Anyway, we were both very happy to finally get back to music class today. We have endured an entire long summer without Miss Joan and we needed to see her ASAP!

Of course class was BRILLIANT and we left as happy as two little clams on a warm sandy beach!

As far as Montessori goes, well, do this count for practical life skills? I was really excited to see that Sophie has picked up on my leaf blowing fascination. It's my thing. I just find it so rewarding to move around a bunch of leaves and look back and see a clean, pretty lawn-instant gratification. (It's almost as great as shoveling snow.)

No Montessori happening here.........YET!

2008-09-17T07:28:00.007-05:00

I mentioned before that teaching Sophie using the Montessori method is turning into a thing. Well, it is, and I am --for sure-- NO expert! As a matter of fact, I'm not sure at this point if I should even try to continue-maybe just plan little 'mini' lessons that I can do with her in the way I have already been trained as a teacher. **SIGH** Who knew it would be this hard?
Must do more research.
In the meantime there is a really cool book I am going to pick up called, Basic Montessori: Learning Activities for Under-Fives , by David Gettman. There are a couple of more books I can get to help with the whole 'Montessori in the home' thing. I think my biggest problem is that the web subscription I have is geared for the actual classroom-and it's a lot harder to do most of this stuff at home.
In the meantime-while I am still trying to grasp the basic concepts of Montessori-I am doing activities with Sophie based on what I think might be the way to go--a child-driven curriculum, or maybe it's just child-driven activities geared toward a specific curriculum. See? I'm confused. But I think it means whatever she shows an interest in-is what we do at that moment or during scheduled 'classroom' time. I have different activities to go with areas of interest-arts/crafts, language, computer, math, and so on. I think my biggest challenge will be consistency--at least with sticking to a schedule. It's so hard here at home when I don't have a boss breathing down my neck or even a time-card to punch.

On Monday she was interested in painting so I brought out the finger paints and let her experiment for about a half an hour.

I tried not to 'teach' her but just to show her how to finger paint. Seeing as I have absolutely ZERO artistic abilities, no actual pictures were drawn. She did love playing with it though and she definitely loved getting messy! Then I went a little further and let her "clean up" in the kitchen sink, cleaning the tray and washing her own hands. Made a huge mess for me, but Sophie was so content when she was finished that she didn't throw a fit when I said it was nap time!

Yesterday was a different story. I have yet to master the whole 'circle-time' thing, considering it's just the two of us, so I thought that before I get out the calendar and teach her songs I would get her used to sitting with me and 'planning' her day by having her set up a schedule. First we needed to put some Velcro on the pieces that I already had made-she seemed to enjoy this, but wanted to keep going after we were done.

She did a fantastic job of picking out the activities to do yesterday and put them on the schedule board herself. We have to work on order though. That's OK. It's only our first try right?

She was so proud of herself when she was finished. I love that she put lunch first and wanted to take a bath before dinner and go shopping afterwards. It was cute.

I rearranged it to fit our actual schedule, thinking that maybe sometime I could follow her way of doing things and let her be in control. Not yet. I will be snapping some new pictures to make some more cards over the next couple of weeks. (I made this board after Sophie's first birthday, so all of the pictures are old, but she got a huge kick out of seeing herself doing things as a baby!)

I was starting to feel stress at this point because she started to play with all of the Velcro and then found her scissors. I got out the scrap paper and her 'fancy' pink sparkle glue and we cut and paste for about 20 minutes. Again, I attempted to make a dog, but with my lack of artistic abilities, it looked like a giant bunny. At least Sophie got some fine motor skills tuning time and giggled in the process. She is getting very good at working with the scissors. I think I'll try to get her to cut in a straight line next time.

Coming up later this week: music class (YEAH!), window washing ("practical life" skills to put up some Halloween decals,) and a tea-party breakfast. I might throw in the pumpkin patch if time just because it just opened and won't be that busy yet. We'll see.