Weekends Make Me Tired

Aren't weekends supposed to be relaxing? Not so much here. I did succeed in getting the boys' rooms rearranged and cleaned. All of their toys are still packed in bins and boxes and locked in another room. I still have to go through them. But, I got a lot done! And, I roatsed two huge pumpkins and now have more than 28 cups of pumpkin puree in my freezer and fridge. Time to do some baking this week!

I need some suggestions for new bands or groups to listen to. I want to keep growing my musical soul but I really hate the music I have heard on the radio lately. I would love suggestions for bands or groups that I may not have heard of or listened to. You can check out the post I wrote about the soundtrack of my life to see some groups I enjoy or check out this post for one of my favorite bands of all times..... The only music I really do not care for is country, gospel and that gangster rap stuff. Otherwise, I am open to anything! LOL

Just as an aside, I think I may have lost my taste for coffee. Either that or all the coffee shops here just serve really nasty coffee....

The Wingmen of Mayhem (my sons) had a great weekend. Saturday was constant whining from the moment they woke up until I finally got them to bed around 10 PM. I think it was all of the changes going on with their rooms. And Malachai is freaked out by his bed. No, OK, he likes the bed. He just doesn't want to sleep in it. I keep finding him sleeping on the floor next to his brother's bed. Sweet, huh? But, I know they will get used to it and it will be better in the long run for all of us.

Just so y'all know, I am planning to do some reviews and giveaways here periodically. This will still be mostly my blog about the daily life of me and family, but I do love me a good giveaway.... so we will see what kind of cool products I might be able to come up with for an occasional contest here! LOL

So, kind of random and floaty today, but I still feel like I got stomped on this weekend. I may just need a nap today.

Tomorrow, I plan to discuss Thanksgiving. Food, plans, traditions and deals. Catch ya on the flip side....

Jiggly Butts Unite!

I am sooooo exhausted. I promise to update tomorrow. For now, I am too mentally exhausted to actually write anything..... So, enjoy the following video with Foamy the Squirrel.....

** CAUTION..... Adult Language **

Reorganization To Subvert Mayhem

I love my sons. I do. However, there are times that I could strangle them. The other night, while I was trying to deal with a situation involving a full box of Cheerios being dumped out all over the living room floor, the boys went to play in their bedroom. They destroyed it. Braeden seems to have this need for mayhem and destruction. I'm not sure what his deal is, we are working on that. And Malachai will do whatever his brother does. So, they took every toy they own and dumped them in the middle of the floor. They pulled every book off the shelves and tossed them. Every piece of clothing out of one of the closets. Every DVD off the shelf. Fun times were had by both boys.

I had a near heart attack when I saw it.

One thing about their bedrooms, they are arranged weird. The room is really two rooms. They are two rooms the same size as regular bedrooms with a connecting little hall and a separating wall that is actually a closet, built in desk and shelves on each side. If that makes sense. And there is a connecting bathroom as well. It's a great setup for kids. Normally. We have had the boys sleeping in one room and the other room has been a play room.

I am in the middle of rearranging this. I want the boys sleeping in separate rooms. I am really hoping that will help them to settle better at night. I am also in the middle of trying to buy and get installed closet doors that I can lock. That way I can keep them from pulling their clothes down. AND I can lock up their toy boxes at night to keep them out of them.

But, part of this process involves a need for a new bed. Braeden has been in a toddler bed (racecar) and will not let it go. He still fits in it fine so no problem there. But, we ended up having to put Malachai into the bigger bed that was meant for Braeden. And he needs a toddler bed. The twin is too big for him and it has other issues. I also need to get rid of a lot of their toys. They have too many. I think it is an issue for Braeden and is becoming overwhelming for him.

So, I posted on freecycle and am picking up a toddler bed and mattress this weekend from someone. I will be spending some time between now and then trying to box up all of their toys and books in preparation of going through them and getting rid of at least half of everything. Either throw away broken and incomplete toys or sell toys they have outgrown or donate things. I need to be able to have every toy they own in a toy box to be locked up at night, on a high shelf that they cannot reach or put away where they cannot get at it. That way, when it is bed time, they will have nothing better to do than go to sleep.

Maybe then I can get them settled better.

With Braeden's sleep issues, the only way he ever falls asleep is watching television. So, they have a TV in their room. However, Malachai goes to sleep better in the dark with no noise. This will hopefully solve that issue as well with them in separate bedrooms.

I also found some great cabinet locks on a child safety site recently that I am going to order. I am still looking for a decent refrigerator lock that they will not be able to open. Since I cannot trust Braeden to stay out of the fridge in the middle of the night, I really need to be able to keep it locked. Any ideas? We have a simple slide lock on it now, but he can open it....

Wish me luck as I tackle the mayhem that is their bedroom over the next few days!

Awards, A Giveaway and Maintenance Issues

First, let me tell you that Anne over at My Mommy Reviews is having a giveaway for some child safety items from the My Precious Kid site. This is a great giveaway with very few entries so far. Head on over and check it out! You won't regret it.

Ang over at Just An Army Wife and Just a Mommy has a giveaway going on as well!

Both of these end November 9th.

There will be a little bit of site maintenance here over the next few days. I am trying to add some different lists and buttons on my sidebar and may end up screwing some things up. I am sooooo not tech savvy. Hopefully Jenna will be available to help me out so that I don't ruin the blog....

I received an award from two different people over the past few days. It's a great award!

Margaret from Pickles and Lollipops gave me the award first and then Feliciae from Living Just Like Grandma passed it over to me as well! Both of these ladies have beautiful blogs. Take the time to pop over and visit if you never have!


So here are the official rules

Accept the award and post it on your blog.Make sure to link back to the person who awarded you. Then pass it on to 15 other blogs you find worthy and make sure to let them know they have been awarded.

I am going to have to think about who to award this to.... have patience! I promise to award it soon! I want to try to give it to people who have not already gotten it....

AND, just a shout out to my lovely daughter, Jenna, who helped me design this blog. She made the header up top for me and we worked to getehr to choose the layout and background. Thanks for making my blog lovely, kiddo!

Southern Charm

I've been reading a series of books by Carolyn Haines for a little while now. I picked up the newest book int he series at the library this weekend. The books are murder mysteries based in the Mississippi Delta. The author is actually from Mississippi and so the books are so accurate that it's almost scary! From the use of first and middle names when talking to someone to the friendly and charming actions and speech, it really is on the money.

The South is different. For anyone not living in the South, you just won't get it. I moved to Mississippi from Florida. We joked that we had to move North to go South! Because, let's be honest, Florida is sooooo not the South. Florida is a weird mixture of Florida Crackers who have lived there for generations, Yankee transplants, Cuban immigrants and Haitian immigrants. The culture is different. Where I lived, in Central Florida, it was like a melting pot. Living in a college town, we had all nationalities, religions and political ideologies all mixed up together. People were very tolerant and accepting for the whole. People tended to be a little standoffish but friendly. There was a tendency towards rudeness, especially in the college town, and while I loved my friends and family and liked my town, it wasn't a big wrench to leave.

Mississippi is like a foreign country. Talk about culture shock! People are open and welcoming. There is a tendency to be all up in other people's business that I was never used to. While welcoming everyone, the people (as a whole, not at all across the board however) tend to be more judgmental. Less tolerant of differences in religion, sexual preferences or political beliefs. It's been weird. I love the friendliness and the openness. I hate the fact that I feel as if I need to hide the fact that I do not go to church. Or the fact that I am pro-Choice. Or even the fact that I have friends and relatives who are gay. Now, if you know me.... you know I am not one to hide anything. So, I have struggled with my need to be as open and up front as I normally am and juggling that with not wanting my daughter to have issues at school because of people judging us.

Poor Jenna had a rough week last week. Some people here seem to find the idea that my husband and I got married on Halloween to be weird. They have called us Satanists or asked if we worship the devil or are witches. I laugh at them. Jenna gets mad. She spent all last week telling people they needed to get their facts straight and that Halloween had nothing to do with the devil.... she got quite angry about the whole situation.

I think I lost the point of this blog post....

Basically, what I am saying is that while living in the South has been a revelation and an education, I will not be sad to leave. I will miss some of the people. And I will miss the friendliness and charm of strangers.... but I will be glad to get back to where I can be myself without any fear that my children will suffer as a result.

The South. A big mish mash of wonderful, beautiful, charming people and places mixed together with a surprising amount of judgment and inability to accept change and differences. Maybe it is just the small town South that is this way.... or maybe it is just me.