13 Dec 2010
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I need a new car…STAT!

When we started house hunting we decided that it was a good idea to downsize to one car. This would save us money in so many ways and we could bank the savings for the new house. We decided to sell Hubby’s truck instead of my beautiful, fun to drive Passat (I love that car more than words can express!) Anyways, it was a good decision because we sold it for a few thousand dollars more than we owed on it.

Now we are in our new house and we have been a 1 car family for about 4 months. I HATE it! I feel like a caged animal around Thursday of every week. Then I spend all weekend running around like a crazy person doing all of the errands I should have finished during the week. This leaves no time for family.

So I told Hubby we NEED a new car ASAP! He agreed but now what do we get? I would prefer an SUV but I guess I am not completely opposed to a…a um…well a…minivan! Whew! I said it…

Now I very rarely…ok never ask for any outside help but I figured that you guys read this blog and so I trust your taste. What are your suggestions? Tell me all of the good, bad and ugly about the cars you own or used to own. Keep in mind that I would like to keep things as cheap as possible but I don’t want to skimp on quality or function and I really like the pretty ones. Anything with space and storage is a plus! I know you guys will point me in the right direction…right??


10 Dec 2010
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Happy Birthday to My Little Man!

                                                                                         

2 years ago today I experienced the easiest birth on record. I calmly walked into the hospital, hair done and makeup on, got checked in and prepped for my c-section. It was only 4 short hours later that I was resting in my room with the most precious boy I had ever seen. Since that day he has continued to be a joy.

I can’t believe my baby is 2 years old today. I suppose its a little tough because there won’t be any more babies. No bottles, no cribs, no rocking chairs…well I can’t say I’ll miss all of those. But he is the last one. I look forward to the future when he starts kindergarten and is playing sports. Everyday I can’t wait to see what comes next.

Today I may shed a few tears for the loss of my baby but then it’s all smiles for my little boy. Happy birthday Cole! I love you!

09 Dec 2010
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Does she ever take a breath…?


You know when you are watching a reality show of some kind and they put that little counter in the bottom of the screen to count how many times they say a certain word? I wish I had one of those for my daughter; to count every word she said. I was thinking today that it had to be a lot because that kid never stops talking! I have never met anyone in my life that can talk in a continuous sentence like she does. She effortlessly changes the subject and only rarely does she need input from me on whatever she is talking about. However, every once in a while she catches me off guard and asks “Moooommmmm? Mom are you listening to me?” To which I always reply “Yes babe, of course I’m listening”.

I suppose it’s payback for all of the jabbering I did at my own mother when I was younger and still possibly do to this day. It just amazes me that she is never silent. I often think about how I neglected the silence when I was childless. I took those moments for granted and spent them looking for some sort of action.
I remember when I was younger I would go dancing with my friends and when we left the clubs we would laugh because our ears were ringing. We would scream at each other in the car just so the other would hear us. Now on the weekends when my husband takes the kids to the park, I sit down on the couch and listen. Once they are out the door my ears start to ring with the silence just as they did 10 years ago walking out of a club. When did my life get so noisy?! About 3 1/2 years ago I guess…I’m sure one day I will miss the noise and chaos but for now…I am in an eternal search for quiet.

09 Dec 2010
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Talk About Stuffing Your Stockings!

This has got to be the giveaway of the season! Be sure you head over to TodaysMama and check it out!!

Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme

TodaysMama (link to: http://bit.ly/tmwishlist) and GameStop (link to: http://bit.ly/gamestop10) are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.
1. What is your holiday wish for your family?
My wish for my family is that they can look past all of the gifts and material parts of the holiday. That they can appreciate our togetherness and feel grateful for all of our blessings.
2. What is your Christmas morning / Hanukkah Nightly tradition?
The kids get up early and we look at all of the presents Santa left. Then I cook fried apples and biscuits to eat while we open gifts.
3. If you could ask Santa for one, completely decadent wish for yourself, what would it be?
A gift card with a high balance to go on a shopping spree!

 4. How do you make the holidays special without spending any money?
We stick to our favorite traditions like getting the kids dressed into their PJ’s on Christmas eve, loading into the car and drive around drinking cocoa and looking at Christmas lights.

5. What games did you play with your family growing up?
My family LOVES cards! Hearts have always been our favorite.

6. What holiday tradition have you carried on from your own childhood?
On Christmas eve, kids get to open one gift and it ALWAYS pj’s!

7. Where would you go for a Christmas/Hanukkah-away-from-home trip?
I would love to spend a Christmas in New York City.

8. Check out GameStop (link to: http://bit.ly/gamestop10) and tell us, what are the three top items on your GameStop Wish List this year? The Zumba Fitness game, XBox360 and a kinect.

08 Dec 2010
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Wordless Wednesday

In honor of yesterday being Pearl Harbor Day. A big thank you to all who serve this wonderful country.

07 Dec 2010
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The Rise and Fall of Pumpkin the Great

Long ago I fancied myself a dog person. I have always had dogs and they have always had me. All through my early 20′s I worked at vets and loved every minute of it. We lost our lab a couple years back and then we were moving a lot and the kids were still very little so we decided to wait until we had a house to get a new dog.

On Halloween we picked up Pumpkin. She seemed like a great fit for us. The kids were excited and I was loving having a dog back in the house. We nursed Pumpkin back to health from being on the streets and then nursed her again when she got kennel cough. Very quickly Pumpkins “puppy nibbling” became locked jaw biting. She was fine at night just watching tv but once the kids were around everything got crazy!

One afternoon, the 3 year old broke my heart. Pumpkin had bitten her and through her tears she said “mom, you got the wrong doggie. This one bites!” It was obvious that this wasn’t working out and so this weekend we set out to find Pumpkin a new home…without kids.

The response to our ad was overwhelming. In fact, 4 days later I am still getting emails. But last night pumpkin left for her new home. A home with no kids, two attorneys, and another daschund mix. I couldn’t have thought up a better family for her.

My youngest is fine. He never really attached because he was at the wrong end of her teeth most of the time. But A was upset. She understands but its hard at the same time. We waited so long to bring a dog into our home and four short weeks later, she is gone.

After all of the issues we went through with our lab, which is a whole other blog, and now this…I can’t help but wonder if I have lost my K9 magic. Perhaps I am just in a long run of bad luck. Either way, we are without a dog and back to square one.

There are a few positives that have come out of this situation. First, we saved a dog from the shelter and I know she has a fantastic home. Second, I convinced my family that big dogs are way cooler than little yappy dogs.

Thank you to Pumpkin who kept us on our toes for the last month and for chewing the feet and hands off of Barbie prompting A to ask “why do we need feet?” to which I responded “to put cute shoes on of course!”

03 Dec 2010
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Here Comes the Bus!….Watch Out!

As a mom I think it is important that we share our most embarrassing stories with other moms because that makes us all feel like we aren’t alone. Since today is Friday I thought this would be the perfect time to share a little story from last week…Enjoy!

Usually I go shopping by myself. Mostly because its the only time I can have my thoughts to myself even if it is “what are we going to have for dinner next Tuesday?”. However, last week was Thanksgiving and I was feeling extra thankful for my wonderful family. So, I decided to take my 3 year old to Super Target the day before Thanksgiving to pick up our few last minute items….I’m so nice!

Anyway, I needed to pick up a bottle of wine for our holiday dinner so we headed to the wine isle. Immediately, she starts saying “oooh mom! Look at this one, you would love this wine!” “How about this one?” I grab what I am looking for and get her off of that isle leaving behind several giggling shoppers.

Now we are headed to the checkout and I pause to ask “did we get everything we need?” This is where my 3 year old winds up the pitch and lets me have it…She responds in her loudest toddler voice ”I think so…we got the wine!” “OH! Do you need pills? You take pills everyday”. Child services? Does anyone here work for child services?…You’re killing me kid!

At this point there are at least 4 people taking it all in so that they can tell this story around their holiday table. I can hear it now “There was this lady at Target….blah blah blah…poor kid!” I wanted to say “Can you blame me?…living with this one!” But I figured at this point it would be better to just walk away. Explaining that the “pills” are a Woman’s One a Day Multi-vitamin and an extra iron supplement would just ruin their fun.

So next time one of your kids drags you through the mud be thankful that they didn’t call you an alcoholic pill junkie in the middle of Target and then pass your story along so you can make the day of another mom just trying to survive. Happy Friday!

02 Dec 2010
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More Than Mom Pick of the Month

Last month I was asked to review a few new products that will be available in Target stores. After trying out some of the products, I decided to nominate the entire line of products for my More Than Mom Pick of the Month. They are that good!

Here is a little info on EO…
EO® is a family owned and operated, Certified Organic Manufacturer of personal care products using the highest grade natural and certified organic ingredients. We create products that are natural, gentle, effective and free from animal testing. We know that providing a product with integrity and sustainability is a choice and we make this choice consciously to ensure that only the finest products are created.
We believe the formulation of beneficial and synergistic herbs, essential oils and natural ingredients is an art form. We search for ingredients with uniquely beneficial traditional and therapeutic properties. We also choose not to include synthetic colors, fragrances or harsh chemicals in our products. It is our mission and our privilege to develop our own innovative and efficacious formulas, source our natural ingredients, manufacture, and find the most environmentally friendly packaging to fill and ship each and every EO® product.

With two kids under 3 I encounter a fair amount of germs on any given day. Chasing these two little ones around doesn’t always give me time to stop and wash my hands at the sink. This is where EO Products come in handy. My favorite product is the hand sanitizing spray. It’s quick to spray on and my hands feel clean and soft. The lavender scent is heavenly.

I keep EO foaming hand soap in the bathroom. Lavender & Aloe is my favorite but who could resist Grapefruit & Mint. One of the best things about EO Products is they are available at Target and online at http://www.eoproducts.com/.
EO Products make perfect gifts for the holidays or take some time and treat yourself!

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