Exciting!

This whole giveaway thing is so exciting! The Faerie Castle is always open to free things!!! I love free stuff. I am frugal... nay, I am cheap! And I love to give things to other people... I may just host a monthly giveaway here!

I also think this carnival is really cool because I have visited blogs that I never would have seen otherwise... even some on accident! LOL

Things are ok, here. I have a situation with a walking boy! Mal (the baby) is walking... at 10 mos old. I am trying to figure out how to upload video to the computer from my new camera. If I figure it out I will post some video of the walking wonder.

I also have a mouse in my house. Or more than one. I have caught one. And I had a glue trap disappear... which means a mouse stole it! Why? Why would he steal my trap? I cannot find it anywhere. I hope I don't SMELL it soon! And then I have left traps the last 2 nights and no mice in them. But we have seen the darn thing running around! I am sorry. I could clean my house from here til eternity and not have all of the crumbs up. The boys are messy! So... any suggestions on mouse extermination? Short of getting a cat, because I so totally am not dealing with baby's in the litter box!

Anyway, I will be back later with some more amusing stories and maybe even a recipe... I have to jumpstart the hubby! LOL

My Very First Give Away!

UPDATE!!!! The contest is now officially closed. Because I am a dork but not a geek I cannot figure out how to actually close the comments for this so that no one can comment anymore. So, basically, if you comment after 6:00 PM CST it will not be counted.

Now... to get ready for the drawing...

I am jumping on the bandwagon! Head over to Bloggy Giveaways to see about 700 different blogs giving away really cool stuff! I decided to host my very first give away as part of this fantabulous carnival!

I just recently started to blog so there is not too much here but please take a moment to look around! Anyone with advice on teens, toddlers and newly walking babies is especially welcome! LOL

First, I will show you what I am giving away.... this wonderful jewelry and hairpick set handmade by my own very talented daughter!

There is a set of beautiful beaded hairpicks, dangly beaded earings and a beaded bracelet. I would have stolen the hairpicks and kept them for myself but I just got my hair cut! You can tell her how much you love her work at her blog if you would like!

If you would like to win this wonderful set of beaded pretties, here are the rules:

1. I will keep this open until Sat. Feb 2 at 6 PM CST. All entries must be received by then!

2. I will have my daughter draw a name out of a hat for the winner!

3. Open to anyone in the continental US. I am sorry but I cannot afford int. shipping! You do not have to have a blog to enter but make sure you leave an email addy so I can contact you!

4. Winner has 5 days to respond to my email. If they do not then someone else wins!

5. I will post the winning name on my blog by 9 AM Sunday morning.

To enter... leave me a comment on this post. In your comment answer one of these two questions:

a. Who are you planning to vote for in the presidential elections and one reason why. This is to help me make my decision. But, since this can be controversial feel free to answer the next one...

OR

b. What should my DH name his new cooking blog? See details on this post to help with the naming.

Entries without one of these questions answered will not win.

Ok! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you come again! Sometimes I am witty, sometimes I am just stressed out! Get to know me! You just might like me....

Name that blog!

My darling husband is about to get on the blog bandwagon! Yay honey! He is a professional chef and has been for about 21 years. He plans on writing a cooking blog. Not sure of the details yet but he will hopefully get started soon. His excuse now is that he doesn't have a name!

So...... lets get the brains in gear! Those of you who know Steven know that he has an odd sense of humor, loves music and sci-fi, and loves him some gourmet food. Lets come up with some options for names and get him blogging!

UPDATE** Steven is planning on putting up ideas for easy gourmet meals, candy making, breads, and anything he thinks of. He has a very ecclectic mind. He will also be posting helpful hints for cooking without sugar and for low fat and cholesterol cooking. WHo knows what will show up! I am hoping he will be getting started soon! Help us name it so I can get him all set up!

I will be posting later today or maybe tomorrow about the great, walking 10 mos old, the giveaway addiction that I suffer from and the mouseketeer that would not die....

Falling down.....

I am falling down on the job, folks. Today has been a cleaning day and absolutely nothing has inspired me to be creative. I may get that way before the night is done but I doubt it! LOL I have been scrubbing and washing and changing diapers and vacuming and sweeping and hanging out clothes and/....... insert other chores here... all day long. AND trying to keep the kids from hurting each other!

Perhaps I will post again later. Or maybe Monday's Muse will be on Tuesday this week. Or it may just be an off week. I am getting ready for a garage sale which means lots of going through junk. Talk about really realizing how much stupid stuff you own! Golly gee whiz. Time to clean out the stuff!!

Later.

Oh, yeah.....

btw... I am not pregnant. Just because I was wondering. And so I checked. And I'm not. Yeee-Haaawwww.... and also awwwww..... Why does the baby fever make us crazy? I kinda want another. And kinda don't. And KNOW that I could not handle another one right now.... but.... awwwwww.....

Presidential Candidates

I have just realized that I do not know enough about the presidential candidates to make an informed decision when it comes time to vote.... I suck. I have been so wrapped up in the kids that the whole world is a blur around me. Time to wake up and see what's going on. Who stands for what? Who do I want running our country? Let's be honest... a republican candidate will not be getting into the White House this year. So... which Democratic candidate am I most impressed with? No clue. I have never like Hillary. But that is a personality thing. I have no idea where she really stands on the issues. And I know next to nothing about Obama or Edwards, either. So... anyone want to give me a heads up? What sites are out there that you would suggest as a way to educate myself without too much confusion? I am an intelligent woman but am out of the loop politically...

Get off of your brother's head...

This is the phrase I keep hearing come out of my mouth over and over again. With variations of course: Get off of your brother, don't stand on your brother, your brother is not a chair, your sister is not a trampoline, stop spitting on me (admittedly a bit different) and many more. Boys can be such a challenge to herd.... erm.... raise. Why do boys feel this need to hurt each other? And why do they find it so amusing? I have to honestly say that I don't find it amusing when someone headbutts me in the chest. But the boys seem find it hilarious. And what's up with the spitting? You would think I would be used to it by now... and I am. In a weird, grosstastic way. I still marvel at the amount of spit my 2 1/2 year old can conjure up at the drop of a hat.

I watched my two boys play and realized that I have a situation on my hands. I have a 2 1/2 year old boy, Braeden, who is pretty straight forward. What you see is mostly what you get. he is the kind of kid who gets mad at you and will punch you in the nose. No holds barred.

Then I have the 10 month old, Malachai, who seems so sweet and innocent. So angelic. Such a cherubic demeanor. Butter wouldn't melt in this kid's mouth. But.... he is sneaky. He is an instigator! An instigator, I say! He is the kind of kid who will grin at you and when your back is turned take you out with a tire iron! No shit! I watched him playing with B and he tackled him, knocked him over, blew raspberries on his belly, pulled his hair and bit his nose. When B started to fight back a little, M started to cry like he was hurt. B had barely touched him. If I had not seen the whole thing I would have assumed that B had hurt M. And punished B accordingly. Little M just grins up at me when I reprimand him. And I smile back cause he is just so damn cute. I have a feeling this little guy is going to be a handful!! Suggestions? How do you deal with such wildly different personalities?

Who me? I didn't do nothin'!

Speaking Of Speech...

I have had this post written (and several others) but just haven't really gotten a chance to post them. Today I will try to catch up...

Braeden (The Boy) (I am giving up trying to be anonymous. Cause I keep forgetting) was supposed to have his therapy session again on Wednesday. His therapist called and had to reschedule as her daughter was sick. No problem, I have kids, I understand. But, I did get to have a good conversation with her about B's speech issues and his progress and future plans. It was a conversation that I really needed to have with her. She feels that B is saying many more words than I think he is saying. His pronunciation is just so bad that I am not understanding. Also, with my hearing problems, I may not be hearing what he is saying all of the time. She definitely feels that he does need the therapy. For pronunciation as well as to push him to use words more often. I am not sure how him making sounds that are not understandable is different from just babbling. Speech, to me, is words that are consistent and understandable. If he is saying Peas when he means carrots.... do I praise that? Or do I correct it? (Not that he says either of these 2 words, mind you... I am lucky to get a vroom-vroom when he wants to play cars...) I guess I am worried that he won't get as much help as I feel that he needs. But she did say that she will be concentrating on getting him to verbalize and praising attempts at words. So, I guess that is OK. I am just confused as to what she will be doing that I am not already doing! She is going to bring me some informational packets about speech development at different ages and how to encourage speech. This will give me something concrete to work with.

She also told me that I am too hard on myself. That I am a wonderful mother and work much harder with my children than many of her other parents do. That made me feel good. Although I still feel like I should be doing more. When my son says "peeese" for "thank you" ... well.... what do I do there? I just say thank you, that's right, Braeden, Thank you. And I try to make sure he is looking at me when I speak... maybe one day he will just pop out with thank you instead of this sound that bears no resemblance to thank you at all. It sounds like please but not in the correct context. arrrggghhhh... it's so hard to figure out how to handle things and what to say and do. Kids are such a challenge.

He also seems to be having more issues with jealousy of the baby lately. Wanting to be on me when I am nursing, weanting to hurt his brother, lots of roughhousing. I am not sure if this is something i should just ignore or not. I try to spend one on one time with each of my kids. Maybe it will settle down once the baby is completely weaned from the breast.....

My daughter, the activist...

I have written on here about my boys quite a bit. And complained about my daughter! Today, I have to share with you something that she has done that makes me extremely proud of her. Her post on her blog about this is here. Basically, she is speaking out against injustice and mean teachers! She has reacted to a teacher speaking badly to a student and is refusing to let him get away with it. She is so cool. I am proud of her for refusing to take something like this sitting down!

My girl is so confident on the outside, but so sentimental and soft hearted on the inside. I have spent all of her almost 14 years worrying about her getting hurt. And she has bounced back every time someone is mean and shown me what strength of character and spirit she has. It is a proud moment as a mother to see your child shrug something off and say "Their loss" about someone not wanting to be their friend.

High school can be a scary time for a teen. And for a mom! I struggled so hard with the idea of skipping my daughter a grade. Not because I thought she wouldn't be able to handle the school work. That is not an issue with my girl. She has goals and plans and she will work to achieve them no matter what. My fears were all revolving around the social aspect. And the emotional impacts. Jenna (my girl!) is a young teen. She is naive in the oddest ways. And so caring that I worry about her being taken advantage of. But, somehow, she has developed a little bit of my cynicism without losing her softness. She has made friends this year that are really great kids. She has excelled in school and has been participating in HS activities. I am constantly amazed by her.

On those days when I think this girl will never learn to fold clothes or put dishes away in a timely manner... I try to remember days like today. And how proud I am. She is a strong, independent, beautiful young lady. So what if her clothes are wrinkled......

Viva la resistance, Jenna!

While I am thinking about it...

• Jackie is giving away movie tickets here as part of a valentine's giveaway.
• Pennies in my Pocket is giving away a gift certificate for $50 to Quote The Walls.

I will be back later for more adventures in my daily life of wonder..... LOL

The New 'Do

I was very tired for these pics. We left the house at 9 am and did not get home until 3. LONG day of dentist and hair and boys at the mall....

So what do you think of the new 'do?

Monday's Muse

This is an older one that I am reworking...


Shrouding fog
clings tenaciously
about the toes of the world.
Flowing gently,
sluggishly following
smooth laid roads and highways.
Coverings eyes
and muffling sounds.
Playing blind-mans-bluff
with a mechanized world.

Comfort Amidst Chaos

I have been a devoted lurker (stalker?) of Julie of Mothergoosemouse for some time now. Today, she is having a virtual baby shower! So, I am putting my two cents in as to what it is like to raise boys.

When I was an all-knowing and world-weary 19 yo and pregnant with my first child (soon to be a single mom) I wanted a girl. (Because ohmygodwhatwouldidowithaboy! hehasapenis andgirlsclothesarecuterthan boysclothesanyway) (hehe) And lo and behold, some 9 months later, a girl was born unto me. And we had a blast. She was an easy baby and we had that great mother-daughter bond thing going on. And then she became a pre-teen..... But that's another story.

Some 10 years or so later I am with this wonderful man and we are thinking of having another child. And then... BOOM... I am pregnant. And the ultrasound shows another girl! Yay! (Because Ohmygodwhatwouldidowithaboy etc etc etc) So... long story short.... two weeks before my due date I have another ultrasound and the doc goes "look a penis" and I am all"WHAT????? WHAT PENIS!?! YOU SAID IT WAS A GIRL! Girls DO NOT have PENISES." To which he responds "I know girls do not have penises but this baby does have a penis." And I am all like "Are you sure it's not a three-legged girl?" And he left the room. (Or something similar to that, anyway... you get the point.) So. I had me a baby boy cooking. And I panicked. What do I know about boys? Not one thing. I had never once changed a baby boys' diaper. I was kind of weirded out by the whole idea... ya know? I was scared I would hurt him the first time I changed his diaper. How was I supposed to know how to clean that thing??? You get used to it very fast. And you develop a quick reflex with the cover diaper or blanket... and an ability to easily tell when they are gearing up for a gusher....

Basically, my boy is the most wonderful gift I have ever received. And my second boy is pretty darn alright too. The wet, sticky, messy, crumby, juicy boy hugs are da bomb. And the way they cuddle up on the couch and play with your hair? It rocks hard. Boys are different from girls. They are faster and harder and more into dirt, bugs, mud, rodents, choo-choo trains and anything that could possibly get them hurt. They climb. Everything. They run. Everywhere. They spit. They get great thrills from beating on each other and giving each other bruises and rug burns. My 10 mo boy LOVES to jump onto his brother's head and pull on his ears.... whodathunkit?? Chasing boys is a challenge. You have to develop really good closing speed. And be prepared for ANYTHING! My middle child climbed on top of his dresser and was beating on his window and crying.... when he was 9 months old. Wow. And they pee. Anywhere, anytime. Watch out for the penis... it is out to spray you! And when they discover it... they will not leave it alone! After the first few times of seeing them with their hands in their diapers.... you almost don't notice it anymore. Really. I just calmly tell my middlest that that is for the bedroom or the bathroom. LOL. Oh, the gray hairs I have from these two boys is amazing.

But.... my boys are comfort in the midst of chaos. When one of them climbs into my lap and looks me in the eyes with hands holding my face.... my heart melts all over again. And when they come crying to me because of a boo boo because they know mommy can make it all better... it is a thrill! There is never a dull moment. There is never a time that one or the other of them cannot make me laugh through my tears.... or cry with laughter for that matter! The headless or stemless flowers, hands of sand and cute little rocks are precious. The bugs.... not so much.... but it's the thought that counts! They LOVE their mommy. With every beat of their hearts. Boys are big cuddlers. They are just special.

Girls are special too. And wonderful. Just different. My mom always told me that sons are different. Now I understand what she meant. I love all of my children to pieces. And my daughter has a special place in my heart that no one else could ever touch... but that boy love! It is a wondrous thing. I can't wait to see what happens next!

Julie.... enjoy your boy!

Nothin' New

All is well at the Faerie Castle. We have had a quiet and uneventful weekend full of not much of anything interesting! I have been watching bad tv and reading trashy mags. Watching the boys fight over silly toys and trying to get some sleep in between the teething related wakings of the littlest and the night terror wakings of the middlest. My eldest rocks pretty hard as she brought home some wonderful grades on her report card. So we went to lunch today... just the two of us! No boys. And she decided to tell me that I embarrass her when we go out to eat because I am picky and opinionated. I just want things the way that I want them. If I am paying $50 to eat at your restaurant and tipping another $10.... you had better make sure my glass is full at all times and that my food is the way that I want it! I tip good. Because I know that I am picky and demanding! LOL

Anyway... just ramblings today. I have been doing a lot of cleaning and organizing in my house... much more to do to get to where I want to be. My back hurts and my nipples are sore. The baby just cannot help himself. He must bite me. And giggle about it. I take the nipple away. It makes no difference. He is currently weaning himself slowly. If he keeps up with the biting he will be weaned much faster! No doubt! Cause bit nipples may be a little bit sexy in bed with yo man, but not when there is no sex involved!

M'kay..... ummm..... no great burst of inspiration here. No wonderfully amusing story. I will be back at my regularly scheduled thinking post tomorrow. And maybe, just maybe, I will be able to combine thoughts into a coherent whole.... but no guarantees.

Later.

My Guilty Pleasure...

I am watching Rock of Love 2... I love it! Too horrible! Bad writing, bad acting, bad girls.... very funny. It is after midnight so I am officially on Sunday. But it is still Saturday for me so I think it still qualifies as making my blog post for today. My children were rowdy little hellions today and kept me hopping! I am going to finish watching my show and GO TO BED. Cause I am a tie-red biz-ach..... hehe

The Husband and The Boy H'ween 06

My husband and our elder son Halloween of '06 at our wedding. We had a costume wedding and my mens got to wear kilts. hehe. Boy does he look different without his beard.... The Boy was a little over 15 months old here. That's my brother in the background.

I Got Nothin', yo.

I don't have a lot to say today! I am still up in the air over the hair. Cause I'm a poet and I know it.... LOL.

I am presently sleep deprived and feel puch drunk. I am going to go finish folding laundry and get ready for beddy bye.

I promise to be witty tomorrow.

For now take a look at this:

The Boy and The Girl chalking the carport. I love the shadows.

Speech Therapy 101

The Boy had his first speech therapy session today. I am not really ready to write about it yet. I don't think that I have really processed everything yet. It was mostly good... very little bad. More details when I can wrap my head around them.

Right now I am mindlessly unpacking and organizing the last of the boxes that have been stacked in my bedroom since August. Yay me! Now as long as all this junk doesn't just end up back in boxes in another room we are doing good....

Update tomorrow...

Hair Cut?

Ok. This is me with The Boy last summer. My hair is longer now. I want to get it cut. Cause the baby is playing havoc with it. And it will grow back. These are some of the styles that I am thinking about. I will probably be going a dark red as well. Since DH loves long hair I am going to trade him short hair for red hair. Good deal. I am trying to find something fairly easy to take care of and that will flatter my face both with and without my glasses. I mostly wear contacts but sometimes will decide to wear my glasses for months at a time.

What do you think? What would look good? Any ideas? Other suggestions welcome!

Let's Get This Potty Started!

So. Potty training. I missed out on going to a potty training seminar tonight. It was about training your child in one weekend. Now, I am assuming this is the basic "go naked" technique. Another mother got me handouts and is making copies of the notes she took so we will see. I am clueless about this whole potty training a boy thing. It has been a long time since I potty trained at all! And that was a girl! I am a little intimidated by the entire prospect, actually. With another little one running around, I wonder if I am going to be able to pay enough attention to do this right. I have read all of the theories and talked to other moms. I just don't know where to start. We have his little potty and he will occasionally go in it if he happens to be sitting on it when he needs to go. I guess I just set specific times to put him on it. With his not speaking it wigs me out. Cause how is he going to tell me he needs to go? He won't sign. I guess it will work out. Any advice is appreciated. I believe I am going to really start working on this next week. I need to. He is ready, I think. And we really would like for him to be trained before he starts head start in August. He will be in a 3 yo program and is supposed to be trained although they are not strict about it. blegh...... I am not looking forward to this. And then I get to do it again in about a year and a half. Ha!

So.... skittles. M&Ms. Fruit Loops in the potty. Any tricks? I would rather not teach him to pee on a tree which was one way my mom got my brother's to go. But, we lived in the country... different times and different places... And my boy? He would probably decide to pee on the fake tree at the Dr's office. Cause he is just like that.

It's all in the attitude.

What? You need me to whack somebody? No prob, dude....

Monday's Muse

Back on track, here we are! Today I was standing in my bathroom looking at my body. I am trying to psych myself intot he whole weight loss thing. You know... admit you have a problem and it is the first step to overcoming that problem? So, I was trying to admit I am overweight. Not just admit it but embrace it. Then begin to overcome it... sounds corny. It might help though! LOL ANyway, as I was standing there I got to looking at the numerous stretch marks that cover my ...... belly, hips, etc... and this is what came to mind...


silvery etchings across my skin
ghostly echoes of growth
a badge of honor and pride
and love
a sign of the stretching of heart


I think that if I am starting to actually think this way again, instead of in grunts and dirty lymricks, then maybe I might be getting back in the groove... we'll see.

I Potato You.... Somehow it just doesn't have the same ring to it...

Update on Bedtime

While I am thinking about it... both boys are in their beds! Well, the baby is in the pack n play NEXT to the crib (but in the new bedroom). I decided one change at a time was enough. After a week or so I will try moving him into the crib. But... both boys are in their rooms. No rocking to sleep, no tiptoeing around. Yay!

And now I can get my housework done...

If you give a kid a potato head.....

I think I have an artist on my hands... LOL

Weather Watch

Yesterday was a day of weather watching. We were under a tornado warning, then a watch, then warnings again. For most of the afternoon and evening. Several tornadoes were spotted in the general area. One major twister touched down north of where I live and ended up demolishing part of an elementary school while the kids were inside! Only three injuries. Thank goodness. As you can imagine, I was a nervous wreck with my eldest at school and the babies to worry about here at the house. All we got here was LOTS of rain and some hail. After the worst of the first storm was over it got very very still and strange feeling. Kind of scary. But it passed. We had about another three major downpours and then it started to clear up. Here are some pictures I took of my back yard after the first round. Keep in mind this was only ten minutes of rain.

And here we have some of the hail that fell at my house. I didn't go out into the yard after any of the bigger pieces. When I did try, I realized the puddles were half way up to my knees!

The boys' outside play area was totally flooded. Toys were blown all over the yard. I ended up having to rescue balls and trucks from the front yard and one big ball from the side yard. They almost made it across the street!

I am just happy that we are all safe and sound. My daughter got home on the school bus during a lull in the storm. She said the high school had them in the halls, etc. for safety during the actual tornado watch. One of the women in my playgroup has family in the town where the school was hit. All of her family are safe, too! This was a very weird coincidence (I think) after reading this post over at The Barn Bums the day before. I guess it is time to follow my mother's advice and get my emergency kit together. You never know what Mother Nature is going to throw your way!

SHHHHHH.... be vewy, vewy qwuiet....

They are asleep! In their own beds! In their shared room! Without my having to go insane! No! I am not bald! Although I am exclamation point impaired right now! But I am so excited! They are asleep!

OK. We can calm down now.

Just cause I haven't mentioned it lately... The Boy is still not speaking. It is a very large frustration for all of us. The Early Intervention people were setting up Speech Therapy for him. He was supposed to start in December. Then it got pushed to after the new year. Then it was supposed to be yesterday. And then the therapist called and said she had a flat tire. So, now, it will be next Wednesday before he starts therapy. He will be bumped from the program when he turns three. If they don't hurry up and get him started he will be bumped before he starts! And he is still on the waiting list for group therapy at the University.

His behavior issues have gotten somewhat better. Since we started getting his sleep schedule under control. If he misses a nap, goes to bed late or otherwise gets off of schedule... I can tell by his behavior. In other ways his issues are worse. But they seem to be more typical 2 yo issues. Fighting with his little brother, pushing, whining. Normal. I can deal with normal.

I just want him to be able to tell me he loves me. Really. Or ask for a drink. Or tell me he wants to play with his trains. Or ask me to give him a hug.

And it's just not happening. He has some words. And he has sounds that he uses for words that bear no real resemblance to the real word. Like "Teese" for "Thank You"... WTF? It breaks my heart to see him struggle so hard to tell me what he wants or needs and nothing comes out in a way that makes sense. Please, Ms. Therapist, get thee to my house!!!!!!

Yes, we have tried signing to him. He refuses. He turns his head away as soon as you start to sign to him and says no. (The one word he does say that is perfectly clear!)

And I talk to him. And do repetition. And read. And try to get him to copy words. And we watch signing videos. And preschool, naming kind of dvds. And we talk about stuff and how to tell us what you want and I talk to this boy until I am blue in the face. Either he is being really really stubborn. Or it really is a disorder. They have diagnosed him with expressive speech disorder. But, what the heck? I really just want the therapist to come here and explain what I can do to help my son. Cause what I am doing? Just ain't cuttin it.

Anyway. Major storms today here in MS. I will have pics and deets tomorrow. For now, I am going to rest my weary head in preparation for the awakening of the children....

Out of Time

No real time to blog tonight...

Any suggestions on how to get two little boys used to sleeping in the same room together? As soon as I put The Baby in his crib he wakes up and starts to cry which wakes up The Boy. It is making me crazy. I just moved the baby into the crib. He was sleeping in a pack and play until he was sleep trained. But now, he has regressed back to refusing to go to sleep on his own. And I can't put him to bed first and let him cry it out because then the boy will go wake him up when I put him to bed! ARRRRGGGGGHHHH!!!!!!!

Running out of patience here. About to put the baby in our room again just so I can get a break. But I really want him sleeping in HIS ROOM. Know what I mean?

Ramblings and Rumblings

I finally got my car back today. My mechanic.... well. I am not going to go into the whole story but I haven't decided if I will be going back to him or not. But at least I have my car back and it is running. I have never been so happy to go to Walmart before in my life. I was totally going stir crazy stuck here in the house with the kids and no way to go anywhere. I love my boys but their conversational skills are somewhat lacking. Although the baby now sounds like a chicken. Ha. He says "Ba.... bah, Ba.... bah" and the way he says it? Just like a chicken. Too too funny.

Takes me back to that saying... raising kids is like being pecked to death by a chicken.... hehehehehehe

I went shopping today and found some great Xmas material on clearance for $1 a yard. I bought lots. I think I am going to make fabric gift bags for next year. And maybe use it for lining old baskets for my goodie baskets. Kinda shake things up a bit! I also bought some yarn so that The Girl and I can start learning to knit.

Tomorrow I plan on posting my "Things I accomplished in 2007" list and then move on to my New Years Resolutions... dum dum dum....

I am feeling slightly nostalgic this evening. Remembering when I was in high school. My daughter asked me today what it felt like listening to her talk about her friends, etc. And all of the new HS activities. I told her it made me feel old. And I guess nostalgic too. The good old days. Full of drama and world ending grief and that first rush of LOVE! TRUE LOVE! O, this is THE ONE! Not! LOL.... Now I am starting to feel a little anxious about The Girl! She is a good girl. Good head on her shoulders. But she has a heart the size of Texas. Too big. And soft and soooo caring of others. She can get hurt so easily. I was much harder and more cynical by her age. Which is better? To be so trusting that you get hurt easily or to not trust enough but be a little more protected? Don't get me wrong... I still got hurt and had my heart broken. But... I worry... must be a mom thing!

I think I am getting my hair cut. I haven't quite decided on how short or what style. But I am really tired of the baby pulling it and the tangles and eating it whenever the wind blows. I figure it will grow back and by the time it gets long again the baby will be over the worst of the pulling stage. I hope. I also think I am going to go red. For my DH. He likes red heads. And long hair. So I will trade him. I get it cut shorter but he gets the red. Fair? Sounds like it to me! So.... those of you who know me... how should I get it cut? Hmmmm????? Chelle... I am talking to you!! LOL

Also.... I am almost finished completely reorganizing the boys' room/s. They have a double room. It's like two bedrooms connected with a short hall and only one door to the rest of the house? Make sense? And it has built in desks and shelves on each side. So, I have been reorganizing and cleaning for days. Trying to figure out the best way to fit in all of their books, toys, clothes, furniture and oh yeah... them! I think I am almost done. I move the toys back in tomorrow. (Why do I always misspell tomorrow?) They have been living in my living room (appropriately enough) since Sunday. ALL of their toys. ALL OF THEM. All over my living room. Crazy. Maybe I will take pics when I am done and post. I think it looks pretty good. Not really decorated too much yet.... but organized! (That's a big deal at my house!)

OK. Nothing earth shattering going on here.

There is a contest over at Mapper's blog... check it out but hurry, it ends Thursday at 7 PM!

Also, over at The Barn Bums, Jessica wants to know what you do to prepare for emergencies such as tornados or hurricanes. Cue my mom....

I will sign off for now, folks, and be back tomorrow.... same Mom Time... same Mom Place....

My husband, the stalker....

See this book? The Autobiography of Bigfoot. Very funny book. Then I got to the last page......
Yes.... it says right there in black and white.... He is talking to my husband. And stalking is a crime!

Christmas Catchup

So... here we are at Christmas Catchup day. I know it is Monday and I should be doing Monday's Muse but... I have not caught up to myself yet!!!! LOL

Christmas at our house this year was pretty laid back overall. No people visiting until after the day, no places to go. The kids got up around 630 am and started in on the stockings. All three loved their presents. The baby really did not have a clue what was going on but he thought it was pretty neat anyway. The Boy was beside himself. He was totally into the unwrapping this year but then wanted to spend a long time playing with each toy once he unwrapped it. Fun times were had by all.

The Girl and The Boy tore into their stockings like they were filled with gold...

The baby was just not too sure about it all. He thought he would just hang out with the boob machine for a while and watch everyone else. While wearing the cute hat that was in his stocking...

The boys eventually got down to the business of fighting over who got what toy. The Boy thought that all of the baby toys were neat and The Baby thought he should get to play with all of The Boys toys....

After the presents were all opened we had a nice, relaxed day of playing, napping and eating. Then Christmas part 2 rolled into town on the 27th in the form of my mom and MIL. And many, many presents for the rugrats.

This is our tree after the grandmas got here. The pile is almost bigger than the tree. It looks like our tree vomited presents....

Moms stayed for a week and a half and celebrated New Years with us. And that gets us just about up to date on my holiday doins'!!!

Back to our regularly scheduled programming tomorrow....

Katrina Hits Gingertown

Here you see the Gingerbread House of Mr. & Mrs. Gingy. The aftermath of the hurricane has left one wall completely gone.

A tree is INSIDE of their home! Mrs. Gingy is distraught!

Mr. Gingy was shot by looters. See the blood on his head? Poor Mr. Gingy.....

Oh No!!!!! The roof has collapsed on Mrs. Gingy!!!! The horror!!!!

And now we eat them in effigy......

Peekaboo

He played peekaboo in my hair for about 30 minutes. Played hell with my hair but he sure did laugh.... kinda reminds me why I had kids. And makes you remember how to enjoy the simple things.

Bad day... Anger and Pissiness Run Amuck

My stupid el carro is in the shop. It has been in the shop for two weeks. The mechanic... who has been working on this car for a year and a half, has not seen fit to go into the shop and fix my car. Which is broken because he was supposed to fix something on it 2 1/2 months ago. I paid him to fix it. It is still not fixed, and now it is even more broken!!!

I would go get the car and take it somewhere else but it is LOCKED and the fucking key is in the LOCKED shop. And I do not have a spare key. And my family is leaving tommorow morning and I will have no car. No car, a husband to get to work and three kids. hmmmm.... can we say mommy is angry?

This guy has screwed me so hard that I will not walk straight for a year.

I will post more when i am not so pissed off....

Thanksgiving catchup

My darling husband cooking T'giving dinner... DH is a chef. No, I don't get to eat yummy food all the time. I don't ask him to cook at home very often as he does it at work all the time. But, he does cook all of the holiday meals. This was quite a dinner. My MIL is vegetarian so there was a tofu roast thing and ham and turkey and all of the fixins... very yummy.

The Spread.... right before it got devoured....










Me and the three hellions at breakfast the day after T'giving. How cute are they?? LOL










And next time.... you may just get a Christmas Post! Yay!

Catching Up

I will most certainly share Christmas stories with you, my faithful readers.... as soon as I catch up with myself! Since I did not have a working camera, I took pics of Halloween and Thanksgiving with a disposable camera. They have finally gotten developed! I got a new digital camera for Xmas so newer pictures are coming soon. But... for now.... enjoy these!

Daddy and the Girl carving pumpkins... The Boy was NOT HAPPY about touching pumpkin brains...

The Baby thought the pumpkin was pretty darn cool.

Our backyard play area. The Girl decorated for me... pretty wicked looking if you ask me.

Daddy and The Boy T or T ing. Freddy was pretty scary for the little guy.

Unfortunately, all of the pics that i took of the kids in costume... were crap. They were too dark, too light, cut off or just not there. So no more H'ween pics this year.

Next? Thanksgiving!!!! Yay!

Happy New Year!

Happy 2008 to everyone! No time to go into details right now as mom and MIL are still here.... But this is what we did last night:

Lobster! Yay mom for spending ungodly amounts of moola that I never could afford to spend to feed me wonderful sweet lobster!

And I will leave you with this last picture to tide you over until I get back here later: