Music Monday- Guest Post!

 Music is a huge part of Tommy and I's relationship. Its something we bonded over in the beginning and still connect with now.  I will be posting the lyrics to a song and what it means to me every Monday (hopefully). At least until I run out of interesting things to say (Or I forget). Make sense? Feel free to do your own but please link back to me and add your site to the comments below!


*This week's post was written by none other than the one that knows me best, my husband Tommy. He is normally a silly person but maybe not so much today. He has a blog but... well, he han't updated it in forever so I won't bother sending you there. If you want to see more of silly side, you can find him on Twitter as @DanishDaddy. Enjoy!*

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I'm Not Who I Was By Brandon Heath





I wish you could see me now
I wish I could show you how
I'm not who I was


I used to be mad at you
A little on the hurt side too
But I'm not who I was


I found my way around
To forgiving you some time ago
But I never got to tell you so


I found us in a photograph
I saw me and I had to laugh
You know, I'm not who I was


You were there, you were right above me
And I wonder if you ever loved me
Just for who I was


When the pain came back again
Like a bitter friend it was all that I could do
To keep myself from blaming you


I reckon it's a funny thing
I figured out I can sing
Now I'm not who I was


I write about love and such
Maybe 'cause I want it so much
I'm not who I was


I was thinking maybe I
I should let you know that I am not the same
But I never did forget your name, hello


Well the thing I find most amazing
In amazing grace is the chance to give it out
Maybe that's what love is all about


I wish you could see me now
I wish I could show you how
I'm not who I was




When Amy asked me to type out her Music Monday, I was so excited. Anyone who knows me at all knows that music plays a huge part in my life. All kinds of songs poured through my head. Rock... Techno.... Comedy... but something just kept pulling me to this song.


I am so proud of my wife, she is a truly amazing and understanding person. She does such a wonderful job raising my little boys to be men. My boys and her are my life. This song moves me to try to change for the better. To become a better person. It's that, and it also makes me feel like it is playing to my brother Henrik. It just tells me that no matter where you are in life, there is always someone there who will help you make it through.


Sorry for making this post so serious. If Amy lets me guest post again. I promise it will be funny. I also wanted to thank every single one of you for being there through our stories.

A Blog with Substance Award

They like me! They really like me! At least Beth at Two Monkeys and A Washtub does. Or at least she likes me enough to give me this award. Not that if you don't give me an award, you don't like me. Unless you don't like me, in which case, why are you reading this? Anyway, yay awards! I have said before, I am lacking in acceptance speech capabilities but I do really appreciate it so much that someone thinks I have substance.

So, this, like any bloggy peer award comes with "rules":


•Thank the blogger who awarded it to you: Check.


•Sum up your blogging philosophy, motivation, and experience using five (5) words:

1. Theraputic.
2. Relaxing.
3. Friendships.
4. Information.
5. Community.

•Pass it on to 10 other blogs which you feel have real substance.


Ok, this was really freaking hard.. I have a lot of bloggy friends that don't post regularly so I left  them out. Plus, some of them have a lot of personal stuff (like family and friends blogs) on their pages so I didn't want to include them. I won't be doing this choosy thing again methinks. 


JaMonkey
A Ruffle in Time
Cori's Big Mouth
Family Organic
Girls After Dark (18 & up!)
Julie Jabbers
Mommy in Suburbia
That 22 Year Old Housewife
The Adventures of a Blondie Mama
Life of a Daydreaming Mommy




Anyway, that is it for now folks. I'll be back Monday with Music Monday: Guest host!

Pretty Piggies.

My D's pretty summer piggies. He is so proud of them you guys. I love his free spirit so stinkin' much. Hope you all have a great weekend.

Family Fun

Last night we went to our local mall and played around at the kids play area. We were there late, so we had the whole play area to ourselves and it was so nice. The boys enjoyed having free reign and we, of course pulled out the camera and started snapping away. We took 112 pictures in the 20 minutes we were there. Thats a little more than 5 pictures a minute people. Insanity. What can I say though, my kids are stinkin' cuties. So, I figured I would share a few of my favorites with you since I have some newbies around here and I haven't shared many pictures recently. Enjoy.

Trying to teach his brother to climb

Yay! No one is here!

My goofy husband

D trying to imitate Tommy.

My boys. <3

My beautiful D.

Silly K.

We're on a boat.

Me and K.

Smooooooch!

Practice makes perfect.

Mommy Confessions Week 6

Ok, so we all have them. I have decided its time to stop keeping them to myself in hopes that other mommies will realize that none of us are perfect. Here are my dirty little secrets for the week in hopes it will encourage me to be better. What are yours?

 ~ I let K try grapes for the first time on Friday. He enjoyed them so much, I let him eat a ton of them. Then I remembered we were going to be in the car pretty much all day long on Saturday. D'oh. Yeah, if you have ever fed a kid in diapers a bunch of grapes like that, you know about how that turned out. I'll spare the rest of you the details.


~ I put K in a pair of fleece longies that were his brother's the other night (because all of his pocket diapers were in the wash and he had to wear a fitted and I didn't want him to get the floor wet). They fit fine width wise but seeing as how K is a shorty short fatty cakes, they were about three inches too long. I considered changing them until I realized that with his feet covered in the soft fleece, he couldn't crawl on the linoleum floors in our kitchen. Textile baby proofing anyone?


~ My oldest, D, discovered my nail polish drawer this week. He got so excited. "Oh, mama! Pretty toes!". I explained to him that yes, mama paints her toes but little boys don't and he looked at me like I had smacked him. After finding him in my bathroom admiring the different shades of red and pink a million times I caved. I sat there this morning, in my bathroom floor, and painted my (almost) three year old son's toes a pale, sparkly pink. Wait till his father sees this.


~ I have also started using my (almost) three year old to spy on his baby brother. Its pretty handy actually, to be able to send him to go see what K is doing when he gets all quiet out of sight (its only occasional, don't get huffy). If he heads back my way, it means K is doing something normal. If D yells "OH NOOOO !" I know there is going to be a mess to clean up.


~ This one isn't exactly my fault but I still feel bad: We went to an indoor playground yesterday with my bestie and her JaMonkey to let the kids play and burn off some energy. While it sucks to be charged to let your kids play with regular toys, it beats the heat of the playground and its a big area so they got to run a little. Anyway, my poor little K came home looking like he had been in a bar fight. Rug burn on his forehead from flipping over a mat, scratches all down one cheek from an overly enthusiastic lady friend, hair sticking out from all angles from sweating and bubble solution. Plus it was way past nap time so his little eyes were all blue and puffy. My poor little bug didn't even want to eat lunch. Just nursed and crashed out.

Breastfeeding: Join the Boob-olution!

I love this video so I thought I would share. It made me giggle and its so true. Its so worth sticking with for so many different reasons.

Bloggy Hoppin'

The Southern Way

Last Saturday, we went up North a bit to attend my grandfather's 80th birthday party. To Ider, Alabama to be exact. Most of my maternal family lives in that area and the area surrounding Chattanooga, Tennessee. When I was young, this family was the family we did everything with. Birthdays, vacations, holidays, you name it.


We still came back for holidays and such of course and our grandparents would come visit occasionally but the rest of the extended family became familiar strangers. Acquaintances with blood ties if you will. We were the big city folk and that somehow made us outcasts.


When I was three or four though, we moved away. Far away. To a bigger city a days drive away. From then on, we were the outsiders. We dressed differently, we lost the southern drawl to our voices, we saw the world outside that little town.  


I think it took more of a toll on my mother than anyone else. These were the people she had grown up with. The people she schooled with and married with. They all had babies all very close together too. My sister and I were too young to understand the loss and my father was too narcissistic to care.


We moved all over the country and eventually settled here in Atlanta in '97. Life got hard and my parents divorced. My maternal grandmother passed away, giving us less reason to head North than we already had. When I got married and we started having our own families, it got even less. The occasional landmark birthday or wedding but that is pretty much it.


I've lost touch with what its like to be "southern" after all those years. It really is a different kind of thing. A feeling, a loyalty, a breed even. I don't know if its age or what that has made me notice it again so much lately but this weekend it really caught my attention.


We were walking into a restaurant for lunch and an older gentleman held the door for us, complementing the lady in front of us and saying hello to both our boys. We were greeted everywhere we went with smiles and familiarity. I got called sweetheart more than once and while it made me chuckle, it was kind of nice to not just be outright ignored like you are this close to the city. Even though we live in the south, you don't meet many actual southern people around here. Southern people get called a lot of names but really, so much of it is unwarranted.


Going north is a pretty rare occasion for us but really I kind of wish we had more reason to. To get away in the refreshing simplicity id country life. Even if we are outsiders.

Music Monday

 Music is a huge part of Tommy and I's relationship. Its something we bonded over in the beginning and still connect with now.  I will be posting the lyrics to a song and what it means to me every Monday (hopefully). At least until I run out of interesting things to say (Or I forget). Make sense? Feel free to do your own but please link back to me and add your site to the comments below!


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Mercedes Benz by Janis Joplin


Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz.
My friends all drive porsches, I must make amends.
Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends.
So oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz
Oh lord won't you buy me a color TV.
Dialing for dollars is trying to find me.
I wait for delivery each day until 3.
So oh lord won't you buy me a color TV.
Oh lord won't you buy me a night on the town.
I'm counting on you lord, please don't let me down.
Prove that you love me and buy the next round.
Oh lord won't you buy me a night on the town.
Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz
My friends all drive porsches, I must make amends.
Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends.
So oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz

This song is classic, no? Having "things" is something that almost everyone I know struggles with. Some more than others, granted, but I guess its somewhat in our nature. Its something that we haxe really worked on in the last year ourselves. Tommy and me are both big time gadget people. We like try out the next big thing and have always pretty much gotten it. Instead, we are trying to focus more on things like vacations and day trips with the boys. Making family memories instead of collecting things that they won't remember. Next up will be trying to unload some of the stuff we have laying around in storage by selling it or donating to Goodwill.


This is also the first song I ever sang at Karaoke. Embarrassing fact #128.

Mama's Crunchy Favorites

So, lately in the bloggy world around here lots of people have been talking food. All kinds of food. Recipes, stores, types, etc. I have thought about typing out a list of our favorites for a long time and figured why not now? Shopping is my thing. More than that, saving is my thing. I don't think  I have ever paid full price for anything in my entire life. I owe that to my mother.


Here is the trick though... I am weird about food. Especially food for my kids. There is a list of "rules" for food in my house. For example, I don't buy things with high fructose corn syrup (why?) or artificial food coloring (why?) unless there is absolutely nothing else available and let me tell you, that is almost never. Those are the big two. Doesn't sound like it would be hard to avoid? Trust me, HFCS is in everything nowadays. There are also things I prefer like organic fruits and such but I have to be realistic about those too. Some things aren't worth buying organic, some things you can't find, and some things it doesn't matter that much. I most try to stick to the dirty dozen and snacks. I also do my best to avoid soy (why?). Too much GMO and estrogen weirdness for my comfort there people. Told you I was funny. The thing is, most convenience foods are out. We eat mostly whole foods and meats.  Grass fed beef and free range chicken, all that jazz. My favorite guilt pleasure is the raw milk though. Sooo creamy.


That said, sometimes you have to have a grab and go snack or meal. That is where my list comes in. These are the things that I buy for the snackies and the inbetweens or the out 'n' abouts.  I also feel like I should say that these rules are nearly impossible to enforce when we are out of the house and you didn't bring something. You do what you can I guess. The occasional no- no is the spice of life, right? So, here is my healthy foods (on a budget) list for you. If you have anything to add, let me know! I love finding new things! (Of course you should always read the ingredient labels because guess what I discovered on vacation? Sometimes, the ingredients vary by manufacturing facility, aka state. Nice, right?)


Meat

• Tyson Chicken Fun Nuggets. Frozen chicken nuggets here. These just so happen to be in the shape of dinosaurs. Double win. 
• Hebrew National Beef dogs. Still not the best thing for kids but better than Ball Park.

Jellies, Jam, Etc. (These are absurdly easy to make yourself but finding the time is hard sometimes.)

• Hero Jams & Jellies
• Smuckers Organic Strawberry Preserves
• Trader Joe’s Reduced Sugar Organic Preserves. There are several flavors.
• Karo Dark (with Blue label)
• Jif Peanut Butter
• Pretty much any actual maple syrup is HFCS free.

Snacks 

• Whole Grain Goldfish crackers. They recently made the switch to natural colors too! Yay! 
• Mediterranean Snack Co Veggie straws. I have tried a ton of veggie straws and these are by far the best.
• Kix cereal. 
• Trader Joe's Cereal Bars. They are cheap. Cheaper than the nasty Nutrigrain bars even! 
• Michael Seasons Baked Cheese Curls. 
• Archer Farms Fruit Leathers. From Target.
• Plum Organics Pouches. They make an awesome, healthy snack. Super easy way to get your toddler to eat their veggies. 
• Snikiddy brand snacks. They are all healthy options and they have a ton of flavors but the classic ketchup fries flavor is to die for. Oh, and the mac and cheese puffs too!
• Motts Natural applesauce. There is usually a store brand of this too.

Yogurt (There are lots of these. They needed their own catagory.)

• Yoplait Simply GoGurt. This is squeezy yougurt! Perfect for travel. 
  
• Yoplait Kids Yogurt. 
• Stoneyfield YoBaby Organic Drinkable Yogurt. I will say though if you are going to put it in a sippy cup, dilute it with some milk first. They are still a tad too thick for that.
• Dannon Activa Yogurt
• Great Value Light Nonfat Yogurt (most varieties, if not all)
• Horizon Organic Fat Free Yogurt 
• Stoneyfield Farm Yogurts. Kids, toddler, baby and adults versions.

 Sweets

• Trader Joes Joe Joes. Natural version of Oreos and are so much better. 
• Trader Joes Animal crackers. Organic, low fat and super tasty so I don't feel guilty giving them to them either. They are also vegan, which is kind of ironic... 
• Trader Joes Organic Lollipops.
• Natures Path Toaster Pastries.  Tasty and organic. The strawberry ones are best. 
• Envirokids Peanut Butter Panda Puffs. Like tiny, crunchy peanut butter cookies. 
• Snack Pack Pudding Cups. Made with real milk and no yucks. 
• Earths Best Sesame Street Snacks. They have different kinds of cookies and crackers but the Letter of the Day Oatmeal Cinnamon cookies are the best. K loves the banana Smiley Snacks too though.  
• Archway’s Molasses Cookies. 
• Keebler Pecan Sandies Cookies.
• Keebler Simply Sandies Cookies.
• Pepperidge Farms Butter Chessman Cookies.
• Cadbury chocolate. Most of their chocolate is HFCS free but always check the label.
• Ben & Jerry’s. Most varieties (watch out for the kinds that add bits of candy bars and cookies that may contain HFCS)
• Breyer’s All Natural Ice Cream
• Breyers Pure Fruit Strawberry Fruit Bars. These are sooo good.
• Lindt Lindor Truffles. My favorite.
• Dove - Most varieties.

Drinks

• Sam's Choice Fair Trade/ Organic coffee. 
• Jones Naturals. These are kind of expensive and hard to find though so they are a treat. 
• Meyenberg Goats Milk. This is what we use between raw milk because it is so much easier to find. If you have never looked into goats milk and the benefits, you really should. Its not cheap but definitely worth it. 
• Unsweetend Iced Tea. 
• Capri Sun ALL NATURAL 100% Juice. Be sure to look for the "100% juice" on the box!
• Horizon Flavored Milks (chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry) These come in the individual serving boxes too and are great to keep in the diaper bag because they don't require refrigeration.
• Ovaltine (dry chocolate drink mix)
• Tropicana orange juice.
• Simply Lemonade.
• Bolthouse Farms C-Boost Smoothie.
• Archer Farms brand Natural Italian soda.
• Accellerate Sports Drink.
• Hansens Natural Soda

That is all I can think of for now. I will try to come back and add more as I think of/ find more so keep this page bookmarked. Don't forget to add your favorites to the comments too for everyone to see!

Mommy Confessions Week 5

Ok, so we all have them. I have decided its time to stop keeping them to myself in hopes that other mommies will realize that none of us are perfect. Here are my dirty little secrets for the week in hopes it will encourage me to be better. What are yours?

~ The other day I was sitting in my chair, chatting with some friends online when I realized the boys were just a little too quiet. All I could hear was a quiet whooshing sound coming from my bedroom. So I jumped up and took off to see what they were up to. When I walked into my bedroom, I saw D and K sitting in the floor on either side of my double breast pump. D had pulled up K's shirt and was "pumping" K's chest while just sat there and watched. You guys, I just about died laughing. I laughed so hard I couldn't go find the camera to take a picture. It was grand.


~ D got up extra early one morning and I had been up late the night before piddling around, so I turned on the TV for him and promptly passed back out on the couch only to be woken up about half an hour later to D dumping a box of cereal on the coffee table. That is a messy mistake I won't be making again.


~ Last night, I went out with two of my friends for dinner. People, I was a little too excited to be leaving the house sans kids. Like, almost giddy. I even made up my face and thats big around here. I love my kids more than anything on Earth but Mama needed a break.


~ I woke up my toddler last night when I got home to get a kiss and a hug which he returned enthusiastically before curling up in my arms and going back to sleep. Turns out I missed him quite a bit while I had my "break". Who knew emotions could be so fickle? (K was still up when I got home so I got to snuggle him to sleep too. Double win.)


~ I still have not done any planning for the boys party. Still. Its in a month and we don't have a place to have it. Lets hope next week this won't make the confessional... again.

Bruba

My Boys

These little boys. They adore each other. Its almost too sickly sweet. The way they wait by the other's bedroom door in the morning. Waiting for the other to wake up. Or even to make a peep, before squealing like wild animals. If its D up first, he runs to his brother screaming his name, climbing into his bed and hugging him around the neck. If its K up first, he stands up at his brothers door yelling "Bruba, brubababa!" until D opens the door and he comes spilling out all over his little brother. 

"C'mon, lets go!"

They play together as much as they can at this age. Little K is not very good at the big boy games likes to play. Mostly, he likes to taste D's toys as they touch the ground to make sure they haven't gotten any tastier since the last taste. D is ever so patient with him and lets him have his taste before he scoops up the toy and continues his game. Sometimes they play chase around the house. Back and forth down the hall. K chasing D then the other way around. Squealing and giggling the whole time until they collapse at the end in a pile of cuteness and snuggles. This game is going to get both more fun and more exhausting as K starts to walk and then run. My poor neighbors.

Bruba love.

 My favorite thing, is the hugs they share. D will just turn and wrap an arm or two around his baby brother and K will melt into his brothers shoulder. Content and confident that his big brother loves him. That melts me. Its a mixture of pride and overwhelming adoration. That these two love each other so much already. Not to say they don't have their little spats or they won't ever change but for now, right now, brother equals bliss. I can't wait to see these two little monkeys grow up and be close. They love each other so much but they are loved even mucher.

A brother is a friend provided by nature.
-Legouve Pere

Music Monday

 Music is a huge part of Tommy and I's relationship. Its something we bonded over in the beginning and still connect with now.  I will be posting the lyrics to a song and what it means to me every Monday (hopefully). At least until I run out of interesting things to say (Or I forget). Make sense? Feel free to do your own but please link back to me and add your site to the MckLinky below!


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All I Want Is You By U2






You say you want
Diamonds on a ring of gold
You say you want
Your story to remain untold


But all the promises we make
From the cradle to the grave
When all I want is you


You say you'll give me
A highway with no one on it
Treasure just to look upon it
All the riches in the night


You say you'll give me
Eyes in a moon of blindness
A river in a time of dryness
A harbour in the tempest
But all the promises we make
From the cradle to the grave
When all I want is you


You say you want
Your love to work out right
To last with me through the night


You say you want
Diamonds on a ring of gold
Your story to remain untold
Your love not to grow cold


All the promises we break
From the cradle to the grave
When all I want is you


You...all I want is...
You...all I want is...
You...all I want is...
You...




Tommy and I have been married for just shy of six years. While I wish that I could tell you those six years had been nothing but happy, sweetheart years, I just can't. We have had our share of fights and threats of leaving and unhappiness. Therapy and long nights. Part of it stems from our personalities. T is a slow to anger, keep it inside for too long type of guy and I am a let it out now, quick to anger and spout off type of girl. Volcano, meet tornado. Its definitely something that has both helped an hurt our relationship in totally different ways.


One of those spells, has been all too recent. Add the stress of him working all the time, having only one car, two kids, trying to make things great financially, etc and you get one cranky, hostile environment. The fights and the yelling and the stomping around here were pretty intense. Our saving grace has always been our ability pare back. To just start letting guards down and get back to the bare bones of our relationship. Back to those first few months where all we needed was each other. We made things work. We laughed about the things we couldn't. Our love in its simplest form has always been there in the background. Nagging at us when we were angry. Even through times where we couldn't even talk to each other, all we needed was each other.

Beginnings

This weekend marks a big milestone for both of my babies. It will be the beginning of D's last month as a two year old and the beginning for K's last month as an infant. See, their birthday's are the 14th (K) and the 15th (D) of next month. My toddler is all grown up and my baby will be a toddler in a months time. I have really been struggling with it this week for some reason. I am not ready to have two big boys. Even though the transition has already begun.


I was talking to D last night about some of his toys when it hit me that we were having an actual conversation. No more babble, no more short sentences or pointing and grunting. He is a little chatter box and isn't afraid to try big words. Then there is the tricycle and the start of "school". He is getting pretty deft at playing games on the computer and is learning new things all the time. He is no longer the baby that I used to rock for hours on end just snuggling close and smelling his smell. The snuggles are still pretty awesome but they are less and less as he grows and gains independence.

(click to enlarge)

Then there is little Mr. K, who is looking more and more grown up all the time. His proportions are less and less baby like. His body is getting ready to take off running. He stands at the coffee table that just months ago, was where he liked to nap on top of. He has his favorite toys and foods and people. His big brother is his idol. His temperament, even in the last month, has evened out and even though he still has his Hulk- baby moments, they are growing less as he is growing more. He is more social all the time too. Less and less all about his Mama, which of course slightly breaks my heart, but its good to see his relationship develop with others too. He is no longer the tiny little monkey that laid on my chest for so many hours in the hospital sleeping and nursing and sleeping and nursing. Now when he nurses, he is ready to go. Off on another baby adventure.

(click to enlarge)

I guess its just a crazy transition to do both at once. Not that I can really help that. Maybe its the fact that we may not have any more kids thats getting me. Maybe thats what makes it so hard for them to grow up. Or maybe its just that they are my little babies and maybe I will never see them as anything else. I am so proud of my little boys though. They are both such awesome little people already and I am loving seeing them transform into even better "bigger" people. This weekend is just the beginning of the adjustment. Its only going to get better from here.

Mommy Confessions Week 4

Ok, so we all have them. I have decided its time to stop keeping them to myself in hopes that other mommies will realize that none of us are perfect. Here are my dirty little secrets for the week in hopes it will encourage me to be better. What are yours?

~ We have spent way too much time indoors this week. Except for a day long car excursion on Monday to run a million errands and a quick trip to the park yesterday, we have been locked up in our house for the week. In my defense though, its so freaking hot. I am so ready for September just for the weather. The 80s and low 90s sound like heaven right about now. 

~ The boy's joint birthday party is in a month and I have done nothing to prepare for it. Nothing. For the last two years, we have had D's party at the same peaceful little pavilion by a pond in a park close to the house. That pavilion is now a playground though, so we have to come up with something else. The other close park is huge and they want a crazy amount of money to reserve the only pavilion they have for parties. So, I have just given up on looking. Its time to get working on it though. We need to have somewhere to have it for sure and with the quickness. 

~Good news: The laundry is mostly caught up. Bad news: we are living out of the dryer and piles of clean clothes on the couch. Le sigh. 


~ We have eaten out way too much this week. Bad for money, bad for us. This week in general has been a crazy whirlwind of fun/ business so I blame that. Plus, once we get home, I am too tired to cook a good meal. I did decide yesterday though that I need to be using my crock pot more. 


Thats all I can think of this week. Maybe I've been extra good! I deserve a cookie don't you think?

Getting ready!

So, a few months ago, I told you all in a rambly sort post that this fall would begin our "homeschool" adventure. The only difference is I decided to keep him home full time and skip the two day preschool bit. We decided that it might just confuse him too much. So, we are giving our "homeschool" a full shot this fall and then re- evaluating in December and seeing how its working out.


I say "homeschool" because we aren't having a specific schooling type go of it. No lesson plans, no hours, no structure. Its more of a blend of homeschool and unschool that we are attempting here. Following his lead but still having weekly themes to focus on. Still doing crafts and projects with the themes etc. If it goes well, we will probably have a more structured approach as he gets older. Right now, he is just three and already loves to learn about things and how they work and all that so I am not worried about the approach we have.  I am really excited about trying this out. I think it will be good for us to have something specific to focus on and learn about each week. Who knows maybe we will make it every two weeks. Just playing it as it goes.


So, I have most of our supplies in our hall closet. There area few little craft things I need to pick up and I need to figure out a letter board but otherwise we are set to go this coming Monday. I thought about putting it off until after his birthday in September but it seems silly to wait that long considering we don't have anything else going on. So wish us luck! If anyone has any cool sites or ideas to share, let me know! I'll keep you casually updated as we go.

Busy, busy, busy!

Yesterday and today have been crazy around here my friends. Lots of running and freaking out and errands and even more freaking out. Hopefully things will settle down here tomorrow and I will be back with your regularly scheduled fun but for today, I'm afraid I have neither anything fun to say nor anytime to type it all out. Bad blogger. Flog me if you must.


I did figure though, since there are so many new people here recently I would post the links to the introduction posts I did a while back on our family. A little getting to know you type fun for you to catch up on.


20 Random Things About Me


Intro to Tommy and our marriage


Intro to D (a.k.a. the big boy)


Intro to K (a.k.a. The hulk baby)(This one is perpetually outdated as is the case with kids under one year)


Quick birth stories of my babies


I hope everyone is having a great week! Don't forget to be getting your mommy confessions together for Thursday!

Music Monday

 Music is a huge part of Tommy and I's relationship. Its something we bonded over in the beginning and still connect with now.  I will be posting the lyrics to a song and what it means to me every Monday (hopefully). At least until I run out of interesting things to say (Or I forget). Make sense? Feel free to do your own but please link back to me and add your site to the MckLinky below!


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Bulletproof by La Roux (Hyper Crush Remix)






Been there done that messed around,
I'm having fun don't put me down
I'll never let you
sweep me off my feet.


I won't let you in again,
The messages I've tried to send,
My information's just not going in.


Burning bridges shore to shore,
I'll break away from something more
I'm not to not to love
until it's cheap.


Been there done that messed around
I'm having fun don't put me down,
I'll never let you
sweep me off my feet.


This time baby I'll be bulletproof,
This time baby I'll be bulletproof.


I won't let you turn around
And tell me now I'm much too proud
To walk away from something
when it's dead.


Do do do your dirty words
Come out to play when you are heard
There's certain things
that should be left unsaid.


Tick tick tick tick on the watch
And life's too short for me to stop
Oh baby, your time is running out.


I won't let you turn around
And tell me now I'm much too proud
All you do
is fill me up with doubt.


This time baby I'll be bulletproof,
This time baby I'll be bulletproof.
This time baby I'll be bulletproof,
This time baby I'll be bulletproof.


This time I'll be bulletproof
This time I'll be bulletproof
This time I'll be bulletproof


(Instrumental)


This time baby I'll be bulletproof,
This time baby I'll be bulletproof.
This time baby I'll be bulletproof,
This time baby I'll be bulletproof.






This song caught my ear a month or so back and I added it to my playlist on my phone. Its pretty infectious and even D started to like it quite a bit. When my sister came to visit, her and D would sing it in the car together and ever since she left, he walks around the house singing it. He calls it his "Aunti song". It wasn't until a few days ago that I really got to thinking about the lyrics. What woman hasn't had that feeling? The feeling of invincibility? Especially when purging toxic people and even ideas and ideals from their life. The feeling of empowerment. 


I have, in general always had a pretty hard shell. Case hardened even in the last decade. Bulletproof. People rarely bother me because I rarely let them get close. The exception of course being my family and friends (you know who you are). I am uncannily good at reading people. It has often been my saving grace but it has also been my downfall. You have to be able to protect yourself from certain things but being hurt is also a bit of how we learn. So, is bulletproof always a good thing? I am thinking not. How do you change that though? 


*Sorry for the ramble... I wrote this at 2:15am.

The Things We've Learn as a Parents

I was out with my family the other day for lunch and in a small local coffee paper there was an article about the way things change when you become a parent. About how some of the things are so subtle, you don't even notice they are happening and some of them are so ridiculous, only a parent would understand. It made me and T start thinking about some of the things we have learned as parents and some of them are pretty funny. Some of them are things we thought we would never do as parents or things that we wondered about before.


So, we started a list. These are some of the things we have learned:

~Exactly how long it takes to microwave enough dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets to fill a hungry two year old without them getting crunchy and inedible.

~How to change a diaper in the dark, in a parked car, on a wiggling child, all at the same time.

~Which lines of your toddler's longest bedtime books can be skipped with out changing the story to get them to bed before midnight.

~How bright and beautiful a full moon really is in the middle of the night.

~How fabulous velcro on shoes and hooded towels really are. Admit it, you used to think they were weird.

~Where all of the public restrooms are in any given store or place of business that you go into. Even if this is your first time there, you take inventory upon arriving.

~Why people panic when they realize a special binkie/ blanket/ toy goes missing.

~How to unlock your front door holding a baby, two gallons of milk, six grocery bags, a diaper bag, your toddlers hand and a drink without putting anything down. All so you don't have to go back to the car.

~ How much it hurts you when your baby is hurting. Its a real and tangible feeling!

~The names of all species of dinosaurs and what each one looks like. Sound isn't an issue since they all say "RAWR!". (This is a big one in our house right now.)

~That somehow white socks stay in pairs but patterned socks that go with a specific outfit are magnets for the sock stealing gnome that lives in your dryer.

~That when your child comes to you to get a boo- boo kissed, you will kiss it first and then wonder when the last time that body part was washed.

~That you can make edible play-doh for about 1/8th of the price of real play-doh out of peanut butter and its actually pretty tasty to clean up.

~The way Cheerios crunch into a million pieces and stick to your feet when you step on them.

~How to quickly navigate a house littered with legos and other sharp toys at 3 a.m. without turning the lights on to comfort your child.

~Schedule Schmedule. They go to sleep when they are sleepy.

~ Your heart really does grow with every child you have. There is no such thing as a "favorite". Its just not possible.

~ Why your mommy friends were always late to everything. Something you didn't understand when  you didn't have kids of your own. Its something you have to experience.  

~ What true exhaustion feels like. Its way worse than any hangover you have ever experienced.

~ You can't protect them from everything. Boo- boos are going to happen. Its how you handle them when they do, that makes a difference.

~ You can do pretty much anything with your feet. At least I can.

Feel free to leave the things you have learned along the way in the comments!

Mommy Confessions Week 3

Ok, so we all have them. I have decided its time to stop keeping them to myself in hopes that other mommies will realize that none of us are perfect. Here are my dirty little secrets for the week in hopes it will encourage me to be better. What are yours?

~ This past weekend we went to the pool with a couple of my girlfriends and their families. We ended up swimming and chatting and playing for about 3 hours. Much fun was had. Towards the end, poor little K, who had splashed his little heart out for most of the day, was done. Done, done. So, I nursed him a little and he passed out in my arms. We all said our goodbyes and my little family headed back up the hill to our place. When we got there, I just laid K down in his bed so he could continue his nap. Not bad right? Except (you knew there was one of those coming didn't you?), I totally spaced on the fact that he was still only wearing his swim diaper. Now, if you have ever had a kid in one of those, you know how much they hold. I didn't realize it, even though I had checked on him several times, until he woke up from his nap 3 hours later, still soaking wet... with pee.

~ I really shouldn't try to blog when the kids are awake. Not only do I make all kinds of spelling and grammatical errors but when I look up after publishing, my house looks like a hurricane came through. So I spend the rest of the day cleaning up the mess they made in the ten minutes it took me to type the stinkin' post. Blogger and mommy fail.


~ My youngest son, K, busted his lip the other day. He was standing at the coffee table and I reached my hands out to him expecting him to either cruise over to me or grab my hand like usual and instead he just let go of the table and went limp. The poor little guy expected me to catch him but I was too far away. I felt horrible but he got over it pretty quickly. I guess that is just part of being a baby but I still feel like the worst mommy ever.


~ Two mornings this week I have slept in really late and left my husband to take care of the boys. I am not really sure who I feel more sorry for there. T for getting a dose of the craziness that seems to beset the house when the boys wake up or them for dealing with Daddy not knowing what to feed them or where the diapers are or what to do when they gang up on him and tear the house apart. So, I have gotten up to chaos two days this week but I got some much needed rest and the boys got to eat crap for breakfast so they aren't complaining.


~ I realized yesterday at 4 o'clock that K has a hearing test this morning. I really should be better about putting appointments in my phone. It would be different if this was the first (or second or ten thousandth) time it had happened.

No- Go BlogHer Blog Hop

Ok, so I am not going to BlogHer this year (Again)( and possibly also duh). So I decided to join in on this No-Go BlogHer Blog Hop hosted by ToBeThode and Musings of a Marfan Mom. In order to participate, I have to answer three (No, four sir) FOUR questions.


1. When did you start blogging?
Some time in 2006. It was a pretty lame blog of sorts though so we don't talk about it. I moved to blogger in 2007 though.


2. Why did you start blogging?
To let out some steam and talk about life in general I guess. I love it though. Its an awesome outlet for all my talking I don't get out other wise. A great way to share info and make friends.


3. What is one thing you are going to do this week that is WAY cooler than going to BlogHer?
Ha. Umm. I am going to be sleeping in my own bed for starters. I am also going to be hanging out with my kids and getting kisses whenever I want them. I might even make some brownies one night! (Thats right, I live the crazy life)


4. Share a post that you think says a lot about you or is your favorite. (share the link in YOUR post so we all can see) 
Is this a question? Well, lets see. There is the "typical- day- in- the- life- of" post, my "love of snuggles" post or the one where I "talk about my babies births and such". Yeah, thats three posts. So sue me.

Feel free to look around and get to know me better. I like to be able to start new bloggy relationships or I wouldn't do this type of thing. I do have one request though, if you are only going to post your site name and address or a link to a giveaway (which you are more than welcome to do!), please do it on this post and not on one of the posts I put my heart into please!

The Blahs

I haz it today people. Too much stress lately with not enough outlets. Don't worry though, today I am spending the morning playing with my kiddos and then I'm going to take a long nap. That should fix it and I will be back with you in the morning with my Mommy Confessional in all my happiness. 

Until then check out 365 for some pictures of my cuties or take a look at the big blog roll up top and check out some new blogs. Maybe you will find yourself some new favorites.

D and the Tricycle

Last Christmas, my mother bought D a tricycle. A cool one. He loved to sit on it and pretend to race around the house. Sometimes using his feet to push off the ground so he would go a few feet. Some time this spring, the tricycle got put into storage and slowly forgotten about. Until last week. D discovered in there while we were looking for something else and his eyes lit up and he squealed with joy.

"Mama! My bicycle! There it is!"

His excitement was contagious as I pulled it out for him to look at and try out again. At first, he just pulled it around the parking lot by the handlebars. His chubby little fingers gripping so hard his knuckles were white. He lead it around and told everyone we passed that Mama had found his "motorcycle". He looked like a tiny little, one man parade. Complete with its own bell.

After a little while of that, I asked him if he wanted to try and ride it like a big boy, which of course was a curious kind of "yeah". He has always been a little bit of a skeptic that D. So he inspected the steps on the back and the wheels and the seat before he gradually climbed on and slid himself to where he could touch the ground. 

I showed him how to put his feet up on the pedals and he just sat there. Ringing the bell and playing with the handlebar tassels was pretty awesome for a bit but then he wanted to get going. He put his feet back down on the ground and tried to push off. He went about six inches, looked up at me and said "I'm a big boy". 

"Yes, sir. You are a big boy. Put your feet back on the pedals and push."

And that he did. To his surprise and to mine, he started to move. Forward. He looked up at me and smiled quickly before looking back down at his moving feet. Slowly but surely he started to move and gain confidence.

Around and around the parking lot we went. Slowly at first, then just a little faster. Not too fast though. Just fast enough for his little feet to keep up with the pedals and for me to help him out with the big curves. His steering could still use some work. 

After a bit we went in for lunch and a good long nap. It dawned on me that he is growing up. He is not a baby anymore. He swims and he draws and he rides tricycles like its nothing. He is going to be three in a months time. He is a big boy. 

Hes my little man now but he is still my baby boy too.