Weekend Review

Our weekend a recap in pictures.

Ian helping his Daddy water the grass seeds (this is actually from last week, but Ian has been a watering helper several times since I took these pictures).  The grass finally started to sprout late last week after all the rain.  Chris mowed the lawn around the spots where the delicate new grass was growing.  We couldn't not mow because the grass that was still left was crazy long after all the rain we have been getting.


Playing with the new PBS Kids app on the iPad Friday night.  He loves playing with the iPad, and I have a lot of games and videos on it for him.


Ian pulling Mason in for a nose kiss (pressing noses together) on Sunday morning.  We lazied about most of the day working on little things around the house.


Attacking Daddy!  What is more fun that using a person as your own personal jungle gym?


I worked on a little sewing project that I will highlight in tomorrow's post.  Also, I cleaned out Ian's closet.  Oh my goodness that kid grows fast.  We boxed up the stuff he is growing out of and that is off season (even though it suddenly feels like fall again - stupid Michigan) and went out shopping for some new shorts to replace the ones he outgrew from last year.  Mind you I tried on his shorts from last year about 3 weeks ago and they fit, then on Friday when it was over 80 degrees I pulled out a pair only to find they were too tight on him.  Go figure!

Kane on the Loose

Our neighbors have a dog; he is a young German Shepherd mix they call Kane.  For the most part he is harmless, rarely barks, sometimes sneaks into your backyard to play and poop.  The only concern I have about Kane is his aggressive friendliness.  The broken fence on his side of the yard makes it too tempting to hope over into our yard so I can't really blame him for that. Maybe his owner but not Kane.
 


(photo from last spring of Kane visiting while we drew with sidewalk chalk outside.)

It isn't uncommon for Kane to be outside and come bounding over to say hi when we arrive home.  Usually it is just lots of wiggling and poking with his snout, but he is a big boy and just his size alone could knock you over if he decides to brush the back of your knee in his circles of joy.  He has knocked Ian over before coming to say hi so I'm always cautious and get Kane to go home when Ian is around, but when I'm alone I don't mind Kane's little visits.

Thursday evening I ran out to get a few groceries and a treat for work on Friday because it is one of my student's last day.  I piled the few bags in the back of the van at the foot of Ian's car seat.  When I got home I noticed Kane in the front yard with one of our neighbor's friends.  I got out of the car as usual and opened the sliding door to get my stuff.  At this moment, I noticed Kane bounding across our yard at full speed, coming to say hello.  I turned to face him and braced myself in case he jumped on me when he arrived.  Instead, he jumped right past me and into the back of my van.  He wiggled his way into the back behind the seats, like he thought he was going to get to go on a car ride. 

I was totally in shock at first.  I really didn't expect that at all!  After checking to make sure he didn't smash my food I opened the back hatch for him to get out while the neighbor's friend came running calling out Kane's name.  Whoever the guy was he looked completely mortified.  Kane didn't do any damage and eventually hopped back out of the van the same way he came in and went bounding home with the guy.  He was quickly ushered into the house. 

At least no real harm is done when Kane is on the loose. 

It is going to be a blast the next time Mason is in the van and catches a whiff of Kane having been in the vehicle.  He's little smooshed nose will be all out of joint. 





(For the record I feel really lucky to have a friendly dog living next door.  He might stop by for unexpected visits but it could be a lot worse if he was mean.)

The Story of a Booger

When Ian was smaller he would get really upset when I would wipe his nose.  I think maybe he thought I was taking the snot out and it was actually supposed to say in there.  To make it more of a game I would tell him I was collecting his boogers for my collection, that conveniently was stored in the trash can.

(Yeah I know I'm weird. That is a surprise to no one who knows me, I'm sure.  I make up games and songs to make mundane and unpleasant things more fun.  If you don't like it you can put on your "Socks and Shoes! Socks and Shoes! It is time for Socks and Shoes!" and "shake your groove thing" on out the door.)

So now that Ian is a little bigger he doesn't mind me helping keep his nose clean and will allow me to look for and clean his boogers and runny (or as he calls it "wet") nose.  I usually look inside his nose and act all horrified by the state of his nose and dramatically clean it up to save the day. Sometimes he gets his own tissue and wipes his nose himself, putting the drama into throwing the tissue away.

(See being goofy works!)

Somewhere along the nose wiping way I started calling Ian "Booger" as sort of a nickname, anytime he was being a bit of a pest or had a runny nose.  It seemed appropriate because being the keeper of boogers is sort of one of the main jobs of a mom and kids keep mom's in steady supply of reasons to do this job.

(I also call lovingly call Ian, "Bubba" and "Stinky Foot" as a play on Littlefoot from A Land Before Time and the fact that Ian does in fact have stinky feet.)

Well now that you know the back story; last night Ian and I were wrestling on the floor, generally goofing around and being obnoxious.  At one point he grabs my head with both his hands and tilts my head to look up my nose, pretty much the exact way I do to him.  It was pretty random, but I like to go with the flow and see what he comes up with next.  After a thorough inspection of my nose, Ian decided I had a "wet" nose.  He looked closer, I assumed to determine if I needed a tissue, but then exclaimed very animatedly, "Booger!  Then he got the look of mock horror on his face and ran away screaming.

(The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, does it?  My poor kid is going to be as weird and I am.)

((I think I might save this story to include on my application for Mother of the Year.  Clearly, with this type of parenting I am going to win hands down.))

Bits-and-Pieces

1.  I spent some time this last week making reusable snack bags from oilcloth.  Now that I have a sewing machine at the ready, I can toss together little projects like this when they pop to mind.  Unfortunately, the big projects like the skirt I started get pushed back.  (The skirt is being avoided because I am nervous about working on the hem.  I'm wanting to be in the right mood to concur that job. 

2.  In the past week I have seeded our front lawn twice...still no grass sprouts.  If it doesn't take this time I might just pave over it and call it good.  I'm so sick of looking at all the bare dirt and having Chris waste water in vane trying to get it to grow.  One thing owning a house has proved to me is that I DO NOT like yard work.

3.  I had an awesome day with my best friend Sarah this Saturday.  We made a plan to get together for a night sometime soon, and have a girls day including a sleep over.  The idea is to get a hotel near the outlets and stay there for the night just to get away.  It will be my first overnight away from Ian. 

4.  I joined Pinterest and I like it better than Tumblr for storing things I like online.  It is awesome because you can put things into categories.  They had me at organization!  Yay!

5.  My toenails are currently painted florescent orange.  I just thought you should know, or at least be warned because it is bright!  Obnoxious, just the way I like my toenail polish.

Five things that make me happy right now (because reminders are always a good thing): a Kindle book gifted to me from a friend, my sewing machine and stock of fabrics for random projects, snuggling with my son while he plays games on my iPad, my husband for doing what he can to help me feel less stressed, and the chimes hanging on my porch playing me a cheery tune in the spring breeze. 

Mama

Yesterday was Mother's Day, and it was a lovely day! My Mother's Day actually started with getting to sleep in on Saturday (what a joyful gift).  On Sunday we all woke up together and went out to breakfast early to avoid the rush.  That turned out to be a big fail because all the restaurants were already busy with families taking moms out to breakfast. 

After we got home I took a nice long shower, just because I could, and enjoyed being able to take my time getting ready for once.

Meanwhile, I learned, Chris was coaching Ian to say Happy Mom's Day, which ended up still coming out "Mom Day!"  He ran up to me the moment I came out of the bathroom with an iTunes gift card and his declaration of "Mom Day!"  I don't think he understood but he sure was proud to deliver that little card to me.  (I used it to buy music and some apps for the iPad. Woo!)  What a sweetie!

Then Ian spent the rest of the day calling me "Mama."  Usually he calls me Mom or Mommy so Mama sounded so sweet and cute because I hadn't heard it since he was just learning to talk.

At least it sounded sweet and cute for the first half of the day. 

I made the mistake of telling him that I liked that he was calling me Mama for a change and that it made me feel good to hear him say that.  So as you would imagine he spent the rest of the day calling me Mama.

Mama, see!

Mama, cars!

Mama, I want juice. Mama!

Mama, sit! Mama, cars.

Mama. Thank you Mama. Thank you.

After a few hours of this, Mama sounded less and less sweet and more and more annoying.  But I tried my best to grin and bare it but I know he was just doing it because he is two and I said that I liked being called Mama. 

Other than hearing the name Mama eleventy billion times my Mother's Day was nice and low key, just the way I like it.  Relaxing is a premium gift that I don't take for granted! 

Nor do I take for granted the gift of motherhood.  Becoming a mom didn't come easy and days like Mother's Day just remind me how much my heart and soul wanted Ian and that I am the luckiest lady alive to have him in my life.

Six Word Saturday

Coming out of my funk? Maybe.

For Mom

IMAG0321.jpg, originally uploaded by cmstacer.

Our day care provider bought flowers for all the Kids to give their moms for Mother's day. One of the girls gave Ian these to give me, meanwhile one of the babies crawled over and grabbed at the remaining flowers ripping off some of the petals. I offered to take them so the other moms can have the more perfect flowers. Honestly, those missing petals make them more special to me. Slightly flawed but sincere.

Cheers

We have lots of moments when Ian is talking and I just don't get most of what he is trying to say.  He has a LOT of words he says really well, but some still throw me for a loop.

The other night we were having dinner and Ian got up from his seat and ran over to stand next to me and kept repeating something over and over.  I was trying to put the sounds together into something but it took long enough for him to get frustrated.  Then he shoved his cup up in my face and said it again and it all came together.

"Cheers!"

He said "Cheers" and wanted to click glasses with me!!!

First of all: that is so cute I just might die.

Second of all: I felt so awful to leave the poor kid hanging while I tried to decipher the word he was rambling. 

Third of all: Where the heck does he come up with this stuff?  We don't toast anything!  That is a little too fancy for our drinking from whatever cup or mug was clean and most reachable in the cabinet family.  All I can think of it was something they did at day care or he caught it from that movie Despicable Me, when the little girls have a tea party and "clink" their cups together.  Either way he is a sponge.

So CHEERS everyone, Happy Thursday! *clink*

I Do It!

On my lunch hour today I spotted a little girl, dressed in purple, run ahead of her mother to drop a letter into the mailbox outside the pharmacy. She must have been about five years old, and looked so happy to be doing this little job.  You should see the pride on her face that she did it all by herself.

A memory suddenly struck me; an image of myself crossing the street at the corner by the bank, running ahead of my mom to put her mail in the mailbox. Then I would cross the street again and trail behind her to the grocery store. We always walked because the store and the corner with the mailbox were so close.

I remember the pride I felt in being helpful and doing a chore all by myself...even if mom was just a few yards away keeping tabs on me. It feels so good to be independent and helpful!

This in turn made me realize something else, something much more important. On mornings like today when it takes an extra five minutes just to get Ian dressed for the day because he is insistent that "I do it!" (I meaning him) I should push back the frustration that we are tuning late and let him take the lead. I might be a few minutes late for work but he is learning and I love the thought of the pride he must feel in accomplishing something for himself.

I love it when the universe finds a way of showing me something I should have realized all along but needed a nudge to remember.

Six Word Saturday

A look through Ian's camera lens. 

Photos from Ian's Fisher-Price Kid-Tough camera that he got from my parents for Christmas.  There were more that 240 pictures, most of the carpet or black from him holding it backwards with the lens to his face.  Among the many worthless pictures were a few gems.

Weekend In Review

Sorry no pictures for this weekend in review I was to lazy busy to upload them from the camera.  Maybe I will post some later this week instead.

I took Friday off because day care was closed for Good Friday.  Since I was going to be home with Ian anyway Chris also took the day off and we went to his parents for the night.  I wanted to be sure we were home for Easter morning.  I'm pretty firm on wanting to be home for holidays so Ian has a stable tradition of family time for those days.  Besides how would the Easter bunny know where to find him if we were off gallivanting around. 

So we had our visit and came home on Saturday with a singing and dancing bunny for Ian from the in-laws.  After we settled in at home we went out to buy a lawn roller so we could get to work for the rest of the weekend.  The grubs are mutilating our lawn again this year so we are going full on assault this year.  Treating the soil, rolling it flat again since they have so many tunnels that it is spongy.  Finally we will reseed the lawn, because right now it is just dirt in most places.  I would like to give a shout out to all the birds that did their part in ripping out what was left of the grass to get at the grubs.  Thanks you dirty rotten shits!

Then on Sunday, after Ian had candy for breakfast from his Easter basket (yeah, I'm that mom) we went out to breakfast.  Our favorite restaurant for breakfast was open and we like to do our part to make sure they get enough customers to make it worth it.  Besides who wants to clean up after cooking breakfast...I know I don't. Ian was pretty happy with his haul from the bunny: three books for his interactive book reader (it reads the books to him), a movie (Megamind), a bunch of eggs full of stickers, Reese Pieces and Cups (his favorites) and some socks rolled up and stuffed in a big plastic egg. 

The rest of the weekend, any moment I could squeeze in, I spend reading The Hunger Games trilogy on my new iPad that came last Monday.  I am full on an eReader convert now.  I use to be all about the books with the real pages...than was until I read a book, then then two on the iPad.  Holy crap it is easier to read in bed, easier to take with me when we traveled.  I love it and I am totally sold.  Now I really wish I had not stocked up on all sorts of books to read.  I would love if there was a way to trade them in for credit on an electronic version of the books.  Do you hear that Amazon? Get on that!

On a side note: The Hunger Games trilogy is going to give me nightmares but damn it is a good read.  All I have to say, without a spoiler for anyone who hasn't read and wants to, is that I would rather die that live in the world created in these books.  That is all.

Bits-and-Pieces

I am going to replace Random Tuesday with my own thing.  It will still be random and on Tuesday but it will now be known as Bits-and-Pieces.  Feel free to steal use this name too, and on any day of the week that suits you.  Flexibility is a good thing.  Leave me a comment if you want to join in on Bits-and-Pieces so I can visit your blog.  Maybe I will even figure out how to make a button with a linky or something.  Learning new things is good for your brain.  

1.  I would like to start off by saying that the word "pieces" looks really wired to me.  It just doesn't look right, but I like it anyway. 

2.  This weekend I started two big projects and eventually they will each get their own detailed post.  For now just know that I started making a skirt this weekend.  It could be better but it is coming along nicely for my first apparel project.  Second, I started painting my banner for the Festival of Banners.  It is big! Way bigger than I expected.  I look forward to showing it to you in its completed state but for now here is a sneak peek.



3.  This past week Ian sat on the potty.  Not only that but he was the one to ASK to try sitting on the potty!  I know you are excited about that because I am.  Now to just get him to actually go while sitting on the potty.  Baby steps, or toddler steps in this case.

4.  Yesterday my iPad finally arrived.  I wasn't feeling too excited about it during the waiting for it time.  Mostly I felt a bad for spending so much money on something like that.  It is so selfish and goes against my never buy anything full price motto.  Now that it is here I am in love.  I'm am especially in love with the Kindle application.  To try it out I bought the e-book "The Hunger Games" to read and it was on sale through Amazon for only $5.  I'm already six chapters in after one night and I am surprised by how much I like reading via e-reader.  Me and my Kindle app are going to run away together and live happily ever after.  I'll send and e-postcard. 

5.  This makes me so happy.  I can't even tell you how happy it makes me.  ...and now I want ice cream.

(source)

Six Word Saturday

To Do List (six, six word items)

Breakfast with my family at Cranker's

Mason to the vet for oil change*

Get art on at community paint

Watch newly purchased Harry Potter Movie

Scrub the bathroom to clean shine

Take the Grocery Getter out shopping

*Today is Mason's annual appointment for a heart worm check and vaccinations.  He is going to thrilled.

Carly's Voice

This video was linked on Twitter by a friend of mine @dpringle.  I found it so moving that I decided to post it so I should share it with all of you.  It is the story of a young girl named Carly who is autistic and found a way to communicate even though her body will not cooperate with her mind.  It is an amazing look into the mind of a girl silenced by autism and reminder to never judge a book by its cover.



Carly's Voice

Things Toddlers Teach You

Did you know that you can kiss with more than just your lips?  Yeah, that's right! Other body parts can kiss too, or at least so says my son.  (Now, get your mind out of the gutter and read on to learn more.)

When Ian gets affectionate he will ask for a kiss, followed by a hug and then another kiss.  Sometimes, if you are really lucky he will ask for "nose" which is when you press your noses together and your noses kiss.  Then "eyes" which I am sure you are already imagining is when you get close so your eyes are just as close to each other as possible.  There is also the possibility of an ear kiss, but that is very, very rare so I can only assume it is really special.  So far only Daddy has gotten and ear kiss from Ian and I am beyond jealous about this fact.

So there you have it!  Now you know there are other ways to kiss.  So the next time you are with a loved one and want to express your affection, I strongly recommend getting up in their face and pressing your eye to theirs.  It is the ultimate in closeness...in more ways that one.

In other news: I think my kid loves me and I also have some of his snot on my cheek.

Weekend in Review

This weekend I took Friday off and took Ian to my parents for a couple days.

Ian fell in love with his Uncle TJ.  The moment he saw TJ, Ian really connected with him and wanted him to hang out and play.  Even when it came time for some lunch Ian insisted that TJ be the one to help open and assist with feeding.  "No Mom!"



The funniest thing was that Ian decided to call TJ "Bebah" also.  We thought that Bebah was Ian's way of saying Grandpa and Grandma, but now I'm not sure.  Either he thought TJ looked so much like my Dad that he should also be a Grandpa, or Bebah is really Ian's word for family outside of his Mom and Dad.  We will have to wait and see.  Until then I guess my Dad will be "this one" and my brother will be "that one."

After a nice visit at "home" with my family, Ian and I went to meet my friend Sarah for lunch.  We had sushi.  Well Sarah and I had sushi and Ian had nothing, as is his usual.  He was less that amused with the fried rice and chicken I ordered for him or the edamame (which also happened to be the name of the restaurant, Edamame Sushi) that we all split.  It was really fun visiting with Sarah and learning that I rather like sushi. At least crab based sushi.  

Sunday was spend running errands, including shopping for supplies for my first apparel sewing project...a skirt.  In the evening we had our first online meeting of the Jazz Hands Book Club #jhbc.  We read The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy; a book we chose after I tweeted about watching the movie and wanting to read the book again.  It was a lot of fun talking tweeting about the book with a great group of ladies; @CBethTweet, @showmyface and @justaddjava.  I'm really looking forward to talking about another book with them, and whoever else wants to join in, sometime in the near future. 


A very blurry camera phone picture of me with my towel (you've got to know where your towel is!) and my copy of the book.  It is probably for the best that it was blurry since I didn't have makeup on. Yikes!

Hi Cloud!

This morning it was very foggy.  As we stepped out the front door for the day, Ian saw the fog and stopped dead in his tracks.  He looked at me and backed up a little, "hot."

He thought the fog looked like steam, which we taught him means something is hot.  (What a little smarty!)

It took a little convincing to get him out the door.  I asked him if it felt hot to him.  You could see the gears turning in his head as he thought about that little detail. 

Finally, I resorted to a cartoon he knew, Pocoyo.  There is an episode of Pocoyo when a little cloud comes down and wants to be friends with Pocoyo and Pato the duck.  So I told Ian that the fog was just the clouds coming down to say hi to us.

It seemed to work and Ian seemed pretty happy with that explanation and cautiously walked to the car.  Along the way he babbled a little about the cloud but by the time we got to day care he couldn't care less about the fog anymore. 

The world really is much more amazing and terrifying through the eyes of a child where everything is a learning experience.  It never ceases to amaze me the things he figures out on his own.  Even if he doesn't get it quite right, his logic is spot on!

Mr. No says Damn the Man

Ian is going through a "no" phase right now.  Everything we ask him to do is always replied to with "no," even if the answer is really "yes." For example if I ask if he wants a treat, he will say no and then cry when he doesn't get a treat. It's really frustrating when he says no to things that even he knows are good for him or what he wants.  But, by golly, he asserted his little opinion that the man is not going to tell him what to do.

Ian, put down the syrup bottle and eat your pancakes.
NO!
Are you all done eating?
NO!
Then you need to focus on eating and put down the syrup bottle.
NO!
[An attempt at extracting syrup bottle from his hands resulted in a fit that had us leaving the restaurant in a hurry.]

Ian climb up on the bed and lay on your back please, it is time to change your diaper and get dressed for the day.
NO!
Do you want to sit in your pee pants all day?
NO!
Then why don't you let me change them?
NO!
[he climbs on the bed and lays on his side]
Please roll on your back Ian, we are running late today.
No!
[somehow he manages to get as stiff and a board and becomes impossible to move]
Ian, turn on your back right now or no TV time today! We are going to be late.
NO!!!
[insert me dressing him while he lays on his side acting like a fifty thousand pound dead log]


This morning after a few too many rounds of trying to reason with Mr. No, my husband turns to me and says "I think our son is a republican." 

Random Tuesday

Random Time!
1.  My son is scared.  Of what? Just about anything! He is going through that phase where he is learning the names for what he is feeling and right now he is working on scared.  Instead of saying "I'm scared" he says "I'm scary" which is so funny to hear him say that that over exaggerated shiver in his voice.  Right now he is particularly scared of robots that apparently live in my bedroom closet and possibly the bathroom. 

Last night I sent Ian to my bedroom to get a bottle of lotion because he was complaining that his back was itchy.  He marched off down the hallway to get it, then stopped dead in his tracks, and came running back crying, "beebots!"  He made me carry him down the hallway to get the lotion, because now that the robots were in his mind he couldn't vary well wait for me alone in the living room with robots on the loose in the house!  It would be annoying if it wasn't so darn cute!

2.  As much as I love painting my nails, I cut them down to nothing the other night.  I just suddenly and without reason just didn't feel like having nails.  Now I hope they grow back quickly because I want pretty nails again.  I'm so indecisive. 

4.  It will bother me all day that I randomly skipped number three, even though I did it on purpose.  I might even consider editing this post later to "fix" this.

5. This picture from Tumblr cracks me up every time I see it.  It pops up all the time when I search pug pictures and I have no idea where it came from originally.  Do you know what movie it references? 

 

 (source) 

P.S. I think I have been going about this "official" Random Tuesday thing wrong, so I am just going to post random crap whenever and not link back to a particular group.  I'm a lone wolf, or something like that. 

The Dragon Tail

 A few people asked about the dragon tail I made for Ian.  I followed the tutorial here at Tatertots & Jello, that was linked from a Craftzine.com post.  It was really easy to make and Ian loves it. 



I also learned a very valuable lesson about dragons...apparently when dragons get excited about having a tail, they run around the room and throw themselves on a pile of puzzles repeatedly until all the puzzle pieces are spread as far as the eye can see. 

Six Word Saturday

New Oven Inspires Me To Cook

OMG! Me? Cooking? Who would have thought?  The new oven we recently purchased with our income tax return is so amazing that it makes me want to learn new ways to use it and make things I have never made before.  The only problem is figuring out what to try my hand at cooking.  I'm excepting ideas if you have any to share.  Please keep in mind I am new to this cooking thing, and besides the basics I am pretty clueless where it comes to anything in the kitchen besides baking.  Baking I can do.  If you give me an idea that I decide to try, I will feature your suggestion and my attempt in a future blog post. 

That is more than six words but I think you will get over it

Anonymity

For the past few weeks I have been struggling with myself over blogging.  Something inside me suddenly didn't feel like sharing so much with the world.  I had so many what if questions rolling in my head that I didn't know what to do anymore.  What if using my real name online invited identity theft my way?  What if my son resents me when he grows up for blogging about him using his real name?  What if I say something online that my work doesn't like and they fire me?

I decided that there are enough what if questions to prompt making some changes if I really plan to continue writing online and feeling comfortable sharing stories about my family.  So to start I changed my Twitter name to remove any connection to my real last name, and I have removed my last name from my profile on this blog.  There will likely be some more changes down the line, but I am feeling a lot more comfortable knowing that my family will be a little safer with the changes I am making.  Those who know me will still know the real me but strangers will need to earn that knowledge.

I feel badly that the changes I am making will confusing some people and make things a little difficult for a while.  Hopefully, everyone will understand why I need to make this change and will enjoy more posts from the slightly more anonymous Melinda.

Also, since several people have asked me about my new Twitter name (@Sew_Lin) I thought I would tell you a little bit about why I picked that name.  Growing up my name was shortened to Lin or Lindy often by my family, especially by my mom.  I have always really liked being called Lin and I am a little sad that my nickname never seemed to catch on with my friends or even my husband.  The "sew" part came from my recent realization that I love sewing, and creating things with my sewing machine.  I started using "Sew Lin" when I created my Tumblr account, which I named That's Sew Lin.  It is sort of a play on the phrase "that's so Melinda," as in it is very much my style.  On Tumblr I post things that catch my eye online so I thought it fit really well and was just cheesy enough to be funny.  I would have used ThatsSoLin as my Twitter name but it just seemed too long and even more confusing. 

Thank you for sticking around and as a reward, starting next week, I am going to make it a point to blog at least a few times a week again.  <3

My Day In Pictures

Here is a little of what I did today, in pictures.

We took Ian to see the baby chicks at Tractor Supply this morning.  While there one of the workers let Ian and I pet a baby bunny too!


Of course, Ian had to test all the lawn mowers before we left.


Next up we went and did our grocery shopping, then I got to go out on my own for some shopping.  I scored Chris one of his favorite shirts at Kohl's for very cheap, and a clearance jean jacket for myself at JCPenney thanks to some awesome coupons.  Then I came home and make some homemade soft pretzels in our new oven that was delivered on Saturday.  While the pretzels cooked I put together a little table for my sewing machine.  It was an awesome score for only $39!


So with my new table set up for sewing I decided to finally make Ian that dragon tail I have been promising him for a couple weeks now.  He loved it and wore it around the rest of the night.  Chris said he wants one too.  I'm not entirely sure he was joking.


Then before bath time I cut Ian's hair.  Totally a last minute decision on my part, but it turned out really well.  I used scissors this time and he didn't cry at all...but he was VERY wiggly.  I only messed up around one ear where I cut a little too short.  Overnight it came out really good, but I am a little disappointed that I did it because now it looks like he is so much older.


One last picture of the Ian Dragon just because he's cute and I am proud that I managed to not butcher his hair. Go me!


So finally a little laundry and then it is finally my bedtime.

What a day!

Attention Readers

If you subscribe to my blog in a reader, please stop by and make sure you resubscribe.  I am making some changes and want to make sure you continue to receive notice of my posts.

Thank you for understanding as I make some necessary changes.

Something New...And Random

So I thought I would post for Random Tuesday, click the linky above to learn more.  Since it is random I am randomly not going to tell you anything about Random Tuesday.  I'm just random like that.

Randomly I wore shoes fit for a 9 year old to work today. They are Converse and I got them on clearance at Kohl's last year.  I love them.  The designs are hearts, peace signs and flowers.  It is all peace, love and happiness on my feet today.

I received my banner to paint for the Festival of Banners yesterday.  Now on to the painting so I can turn it in and have it on display somewhere in town all summer.  More on that for a later post.  Yes, I will be taking pictures.

I have been thinking about combining my two blogs into one.  My blogging mojo may have left the building for a while and instead of having two neglected blogs I am thinking of having one and perhaps it will simplify things to help me post more often.  I would love your random input on this idea.  Would you still follow me if it meant subscribing again after the change to a new blog address?

There are more unread books on my book shelf than I am comfortable with, but I just don't make enough time to read.  I need to change this.  Starting with a little Twitter Book club reading of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.  I've read it before but it is pretty much the best so hopefully it will spark that reading worm in me again.

And that is randomly it for my randomness today.

I Want a Present

For the last two days Ian has been begging for a present.

I made the mistake of coming home from the store with a little car for him once and now he seems to think he gets presents all the time.

Last night he turned to me randomly and said, "I want a present."
"Sorry kid I don't have a present for you, and presents are only for special days."

He didn't care for my logic.

Again today he begged for a present.

This time however I got wise and dug around in the tote of his toys I put away. I like to cycle his toys in and out to keep the feeling fresh. It seems it was time for something fresh.

So he got his Mr. Potatohead back and he played with it pretty much all day nonstop.

Six Word Saturday

Time to make time to blog.

Backpack On!

A while back I received some really great coupons for a high value discount on training diapers.  While Ian wasn't then, and still isn't ready for potty training, I purchased a package.  Why waste a good deal and we had room to store them for later.   

Fast forward to now, and he is growing so much that he is towards the upper end of the range to fit into these training diapers.  So I decided we would just start using them as diapers, that is, if Ian would cooperate.  Again, why waste.  

He is a vary particular little boy where it comes to what he likes and does not like on, in or around his body.  He has an opinion about everything.  It is annoying that he sometimes demands things incessantly, but also I am really proud that he stands up for what he wants. That will serve him well when he is an adult. 

The first couple times I put the training pants on Ian it was a struggle.  He didn't want to have to pull them on like pants since he was use to just laying there and having the diaper wrapped around him.  Once they were on he picked at them for a while and then just seemed to forget about them after a while.

Then one day I gave him a choice.  I handed him the training diaper and asked if he wanted that or a diaper.  He examined it and noticed the designs and pictures all over the pants.  It was decorated with Diego from Go Diego Go and Dora the Explorer.  Both are shows I know of but know nothing about since we don't have cable and have never watched the shows at home.  Ian however was pretty familiar with the character from watching at day care.

Ian started to babble something and indicated that he would wear the training pants.  It took several more times before I figured out what he was saying.   It was "backpack on!"  I was stumped, but I assumed it was something from the show since he says the same thing every time he sees them.  

Now this morning when I pulled out a diaper to change Ian he looked at me and said "No! Backpack on!!!"  So I guess we might be using training pants as diapers for a while.  Hopefully that means there is light at the end of the tunnel for the days of diapers.

Another sign Ian is getting closer to potty training is that he now comes up to me and says something like "I pee in there" when he wants a diaper change.  Most of this week he has been consistent with letting me know every time he is dirty.

Awesome!

Backpack on!

Six Confessions

Yesterday Liz from SRSLYLIZ posted Six Confessions.  I thought I would give it a whirl as well and tell you some of my secrets.  So here are six confessions about me.

1.  I always paint my toenails even though most people will never see them.  Also, I'm a little obsessed with collecting different color nail polishes to paint those toenails that no one will ever see.

2.  When a blogger I enjoy reading follows me back I feel a little special inside, like a celebrity knows my name.  Yes, I am aware this makes me a huge dork.

3.  Spiders (earwigs, and centipedes) in the house freak me out and I have to have Chris come and kill them.  I can't touch bugs or the things used to kill them.  If I have to kill a spider I usually have to vacuum it up so I don't have to get too close.  However, having a mouse in the house doesn't really freak me out at all. 

4.  Peeling citrus fruit is something I really just don't like to do because of way the pith feels and how it gets up under your finger nails.  However, I won't eat citrus any other way but peeled.

5.  I can't do a selfless good deed.  Even when I don't want to do something nice it always ends up making me feel good so it isn't selfless anymore.

6.  I'm not fancy enough to have big, juicy secrets to confess.  My life is pretty dull, but I love it that way.

Check out Liz's blog!  She has amazing taste in just about everything.  <3

Bubble and Brown

The baking pan that I ordered with the CSN Stores gift certificate I won on Mothering Mayhem came last night.  It's yellow, huge and I love it even though I have no idea what I will cook in it yet!  So far it is taking up most of my table as a clementine holder. 

This morning Ian took it upon himself to get a clementine from the new pan and the next thing I know it was gone.  "Ian where did you put the little orange?"  He smiles at me and runs into the kitchen, opens his drawer (he has a drawer with his bowls and a few other things he is allowed to get for himself) and pulls out the clementine.  I guess he just wanted to hide one away for later.  Silly boy.

Thank you Mrs. Mayhem of Mothering Mayhem for the awesome prize!


Rachael Ray 3 qt. Bubble and Brown Stoneware Baker

CSN Stores Gift Card WINNER

Without further ado the winner of the $30 CSN Stores Gift Card Giveaway is C.Beth

C. Beth said... I follow you on Google Friend Connect. 

 

 

Congratulations C. Beth and enjoy shopping!

Thank you all for participating!

And In This Ring

There have been a lot of germs going around in my house for the past month.  This weekend my husband finally caught the ear infection and sinus problems that Ian and I both had.  Since I have still been coughing like crazy we both made appointments to see our doctor.  It turned out the appointments were back to back. 

When I arrived at the office Chris' car was in the parking lot but he wasn't in the waiting room.  They had already taken him back and it wasn't long before the nurse came to call me back. While I was getting weighed (shudder) she told me they were going to put me in the same room as my husband and that the doctor was already in there seeing him. 

No big deal since we already know all of each others business anyway. 

Once I got into the exam room however, I think they saw the error of their ways.  While the nurse was doing the preliminary questions and vital stats with me, the doctor was trying to exam Chris.  They kept getting into each others way since we were four people crammed into a room not much bigger than a closet. It started to look to me like two circus acts that kept getting in each others way.

The nurse would take my pulse and go to write it in the file, but the doctor was standing in the way checking Chris' heart and lungs.  Then the doctor went to put Chris' prescription information into the computer and the nurse then couldn't get at the blood pressure cuff.  After that the nurse had to make the doctor move so she could open the door to go and get the thingy to measure my oxygen levels. 

I wish I could show you a video because it was really quite funny.

Beyond the tight quarters Chris was in a goofy mood and was using the exam table as his comedy night stage.  One of my favorites:
Chris to doctor: Can I get a prescription to nap and play hockey [the video game] all day?
Doctor: Uh... (while he looks to me for a reaction)
Me: Nice try, Chris.

Elsewhere

I have a guest post over at GirlyFight.com today, called Cookie Power. It is about the power of a small gesture and how it can do good for longer than you might realize. 

If you fancy getting in on GirlyFight's Love Unlimited month, check out the site and see how you can get involved. 

Even with the smallest of good deeds you can spread love to the world and brighten someone's day. 

Your Kisses, Give Them To Me

Last night Ian was running around the living room in a very loving mood and lots of kisses were demanded.

"Daddy, kiss!"
"Mom, kiss!"
"Dog, kiss! Dog? Dog, kiss! Huh?" [Insert dog running for his life here because he gets worried when Ian comes running right at him.]

Daddy: "Ian why don't you kiss Elly?" (Chris is good as finding a distraction for Ian.  Elly is a stuffed pink elephant from the show Pocoyo and she is Ian's current favorite stuffed toy.)

Ian:  "Elly?" (as he runs around dramatically the room looking for the toy)  "Elly, kiss!" (Then Ian kissed her right on the end of her trunk and presented her to both Chris and I to kiss as well.  He tried to get the dog to kiss her too, but he was still hiding from all the excitement.)

Then, Ian tossed Elly over behind the recliner and exclaimed "Where you go Elly?"

And that was that; enough kisses. 

CSN Store Gift Certificate Giveaway

Just recently I was lucky enough to be the winner of a gift certificate from another blog to the CSN Stores.  It took me pretty much a whole day of looking over their huge selection to pick what I was going to ultimately use my gift card for.  I picked a really cool Rachael Ray Bubble and Brown pan and bonus the item had free shipping!  I can't wait for it to arrive so we can use it as a serving dish at our next party!

Lucky for you, CSN stores would like to giveaway a $30 gift card to one of my readers!

I know you are excited, because I am seriously excited to give you a chance to shop!  Who doesn't love that?

So go check out their Modern Furniture, and come back and leave a comment on this post with what item you would like to purchase if you win the gift certificate. {Update} Be sure to leave a contact email address so I can reach you if you win!

For extra extra entries you can:
Follow my blog via Google Friend Connect (on my side bar)
Follow me on Twitter

Leave a comment for each entry, up to 3 per person. 

Good luck and I will post the random winner next week.

Breaking Up With My Toothpaste

I am not typically a brand loyal person.  If there is something new and cool I will usually give it a try.  Why not?  It might be really awesome!  If not, then switch back.  Whatever!

However, there are a few things that I am pretty loyal about and stick with through thick and thin.  I have been using the same brand of toothpaste pretty much as long as I can remember.  I am not sure why, but I always felt some loyalty to this brand.  My teeth are in good shape for the most part so perhaps I felt it was due to that brand doing it right.  That or maybe it is just one of those many little bits of crazy in me coming out in the form of toothpaste loyalty. 

All was right in my happy little toothpaste world until I went to the dentist a couple weeks ago.  The only concern I had to bring up was some sores in my mouth along my gum line.  After getting a good look over by my hygienist, where she peeled back my lips and pulled them this way and that way to examine my mouth, she told me that I need to switch toothpastes. She said the one I was using was too abrasive and was actually exfoliating the tissue in my mouth and causing the soreness.

What?

She gave me a sample of a different brand and told me to give that a try.  A NEW brand!  What about MY brand?  How do I just change like that?  I'm not sure how I feel about this, but if she says it will help I will give it a go.  I am all for a less ouchy mouth even if it makes me sad inside and guilty about "cheating" on my now ex-toothpaste.

Now, two weeks later, there are no more sore spots in my mouth, and the guilt for cheating on my old toothpaste is almost gone.  I officially just broke up with my toothpaste!

Who knew switching toothpaste brands could be so emotional. 

*No brands have been mentioned on purpose.  I am not bashing my ex-toothpaste brand because there is nothing wrong with it for most people.  Nor am I interested in converting you to my new toothpaste brand, or doing marketing for them for free.   

Inspiration Gallery

I am the type of person who loves to squirrel away things that inspire me, and things that I think look pretty.  I pull pages from magazines and keep them in a folder that is just for things I like.  Now with everything online I save pictures I come across online that inspire something in me for future reference. 

Keeping tabs on where I find that inspiration online is kind of a pain though.  It was a pain anyway until I figured out what Tumblr was all about recently.  Now I can just post anything I fancy on Tumblr and it links right back to the source.  Score!

So here is my Tumblr if you want to check out the things that caught my eye lately.  Some things are re-blogged from other Tumblr accounts and others are posted from various places online that I look for inspiration.  All of it represents a little of me. 

My New Hat

Check out my new hat from C. Beth Crochet.  She does amazing custom hats!  If you want to see some of the other hats she has made, look through the photos on her Facebook page.  I think the goat hats are really impressive and very cute with the little horns!

Simply Nothing

I suppose that I am really off to a good start at keeping the year simple, because I simply didn't post on my blog for a month!  Oops!  I have nothing to say for myself except to say that I just had nothing to say.  Hopefully starting with a new month, I will also have a new outlook and more to talk about.

Thanks for sticking around while I took a little unscheduled hiatus.  

I thought I would give a quick update on what has been going on in my world the last few weeks to catch you up on all the "fun" you missed out on with my lack of posting.

Ian was sick so I was off work two days.
I was sick, off work another two days.
Back to work for three days.
Ian was sick again, off work another day.
I am still sick, trying to work although I feel like poo.

That pretty much sums up the last two weeks of my life.  I have been off work a lot, dealt with a lot of fevers, gone through more boxes of tissues than I care to think about, and worst of all had to administer countless doses of medication to an unwilling child.

Giving Ian medicine should be a post in of itself.  There are no contortions of the body that can contain all this flailing limbs and pry his mouth open at the same time.  I won't even describe the horror that is giving that child eye drops for the pink eye he contracted while sick.  It has been an exercise in patience and flexibility. 

Thankfully we are on the mend.  I am on day two of a new antibiotic which promises to kill my ear infection for good, and Ian is half done with his course of medication as well. 

I am hoping for a very healthy, and full of things to post about, February.

Word of the Year

It seems a lot of people pick a word of the year to represent what they want out of the year ahead and to help focus their efforts to a certain channel.  After reading quite a few blogs where people are declaring their words, I have decided to come up with a word of my own.  (Just call me the bandwagon jumper-oner.)

My word of the year for 2011 is SIMPLIFY.

I picked this word because I want to simplify my life and do away with things I don't need, both material and otherwise.  Simplify also sums up a lot of my goals for this year: like cleaning up the junk room otherwise known as the laundry room, and clearing the house of unneeded clutter.  Also, I would like to tone down our spending on things to help us save more money.  So I am going to try and focus on the question "Does this help to simplify my life?" before making any purchases this year.  Hopefully having my word of the year in the back of my mind will help to dial in my efforts to make this a great year.

Here's too a wonderfully simple year. 

Reverb10: Days 26-31

Wrapping up Reverb10.


December 26 � Soul Food What did you eat this year that you will never forget? What went into your mouth & touched your soul? (Author: Elise Marie Collins)


This might sound silly but the coolest thing I ate this year was a maple bacon doughnut.  Well, half of one to be more exact since I had to share with my husband.  I had read about bacon covered this, and bacon flavored that before and always thought, YUCK!  We came across this doughnut in a little bakery and thought we were give it a try just to see.  It was delicious, like all the good things about breakfast all rolled up into one morsel.  Liking something I would have normally turned my nose up to was an eye opener that I need to be more willing to experience new tastes because you never know what you might enjoy.


December 27 � Ordinary Joy Our most profound joy is often experienced during ordinary moments. What was one of your most joyful ordinary moments this year? (Author: Bren� Brown) 


There were lots of little moments that bought me joy this year and they were just about all related to my son Ian.  Him saying he loves me for the first time being pretty much at the top of my list.  Beyond the Mommy moments I was most joyful and felt the most strong this year when I taught myself how to use a power drill.  I was scared of it but since my husband was hurt and I needed to install the safety straps to the TV to keep my son safe, I just figured it out on my own.  It was a great feeling to finish something I didn't think I could handle on my own.

December 28 � Achieve - What�s the thing you most want to achieve next year? How do you imagine you�ll feel when you get it? Free? Happy? Complete? Blissful? Write that feeling down. Then, brainstorm 10 things you can do, or 10 new thoughts you can think, in order to experience that feeling today. (Author: Tara Sophia Mohr)

I don't know how to answer this question.  The things I want to achieve in 2011 are more small things and not one grand accomplishment.  So instead I am going to list 10 things I would like to do this year from my life list:

1. Wear red lipstick for a day. (A far departure from my usual style of blend in.)

2. Go to the Highland Festival in Alma, Michigan.

3. Blog one photo a day for a whole month.

4. Get a skin cancer screening.

5. Buy a little black dress.  (Can you believe I don't own one already? What the heck!)

6. Take Ian on his first camping adventure.

7. Go for one month without buying anything except groceries.

8. Get CPR and First Air certified.

9. Finish my kitchen: complete paint, install trim, etc.

10. Remodel our small, and currently unusable, linen closet. (It is going to be my craft supply cupboard.)

December 30 � Gift Prompt: Gift. This month, gifts and gift-giving can seem inescapable. What�s the most memorable gift, tangible or emotional, you received this year? (Author: Holly Root)

The most memorable gift I received this year was a bag of Almond Joy Pieces.  Odd thing to be a best gift, yes I know.  However, it was a gift that reminded me of how small gestures can make big impacts.  I mentioned at work that I wanted to try those candies should I ever happen across them because I love coconut.  One of the students that I works in my office bought them for me and left them on my desk when she saw them in a store.  It made my day and serves as a reminder that simple and thoughtful beats grand any day.

December 31 � Core Story - What central story is at the core of you, and how do you share it with the world? (Author: Molly O�Neill)

I have read this prompt over and over again and I don't really know.  I think I still have a lot of "finding myself" to do before I can really, honestly give an answer to this question that isn't a bunch of bull shit.  If I could write my story the way I want it to go it would go a little something like this: She took a look at her life and decided what should go and what would should stay.  Then, she made it so.