Innocence

The other day we were all sitting in the car and having a grand ole' time.  Somehow, and I can't really say for sure, the subject came up of growing up and babies and getting married.  Sunshine was the one leading this conversation, she had many questions and many comments on the whole issue.  So Hubby and I finally ask her, "Who are you going to marry?"


I've heard her say about 100 times that she was going to marry Peyton, a little boy who used to be in her preschool class.  I was quite surprised then when she responds "Caden."


Me: "Who's Caden?"  I've been in her classroom a couple of times being room mom and I can't picture a Caden.


Sunshine: "He's a boy in my class.  He sits at the blue triangle table."


Me:  Trying to be very calm and not smile, lest she think that we're laughing at her, "Why do you want to marry him?"


Sunshine: In a dreamy voice that I thought could only be learned from watching cheesy 1980's TV shows, "Because he's sooooo handsome."


What!  Handsome!  He can't be more than 6!


Me: "Is he nice?"


Sunshine:  "Uh, yeah, he's nice."


Hubby: "Is he smart?"


Sunshine: "I don't know."


Me: "Does he play with you?"


Sunshine:  "Yes, he'll sometimes play with us."


Me:  Trying to push the 'nice' factor of choosing someone on my 5 year old, "So you want to marry him because he's nice?"


Sunshine:  "Um yeah, but mostly because he's soooo handsome."


As if this couldn't get any worse, we were at my parents' house today and I was sitting with my sisters, cousin, and mom.  Sunshine was sitting at the table with the kids and eating dessert.  I mentioned it (ok, I told the story a couple of times) to my sisters and my cousin and my oldest sister said something along the lines of "What!, a boyfriend in kindergarten!"  There were 3 little girls at this table 6 1/2, 6 and Sunshine who is almost 6.  The other 2 little girls (my nieces) are saying that they don't like boys, they're yucky.  You know, the whole cootie bit.  Well my little Sunshine pipes up and says that she likes boys and when she gross up she's going to marry Caden.  When my niece asked why, sure enough, she said because he's "soooo handsome."


Vicky

Bah Humbumg

I love Christmas!  I believe I may have mentioned this, if not, I am again.  I turn on the Christmas music the day that it begins, usually sometime around early to mid-November.  This is of course to encourage all of us to begin our Christmas shopping early and then to continue shopping until Christmas Eve thinking that we must not have enough "stuff".  Anyways, I listen to the music, sing along and look forward to it every year.  I often wonder what a radio station would do if I were to call in June with a request asking to play a Christmas song.


Like so many other things in life, you can't like everything and Christmas music is definitely no exception.  These are the songs that I will change the station when I hear and ban Sunshine from singing along.


Issue #1:  "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" - An innocent enough song gone wrong.  This poor child, he is trying to convince his brothers that he saw something and they clearly don't believe him.  There are only 2 reasons why this could be: 1. He is delusional and his family hasn't admitted it yet. 2. He has witnessed his mother cheating on her husband.  Of course the latter only encourages dysfunctional families that will inevitably fall apart in divorce and child custody battles, child custody battles of who gets stuck with the delusional child that is.


Issue #2:  "Last Christmas"  If you're not sure which song I mean:


"Last Christmas I gave you my heart
but the very next day
you gave it away"


Just not a very Christmas-y song.  How depressing.  The guy sounds like he needs some Prozac, counseling at the very least.  That was last year buddy.  Time to get over your ex.  You certainly aren't going to be finding someone who "cares" if you can't stop talking about her, much less writing songs for her.


And FINALLY, to take save the best (or worst) for last.  This song is the song that once it comes on the radio is instantly changed, yet somehow will be stuck in my head for hours after hearing it.


Issue #3.  "Do They Know it's Christmas" by Band Aid.  Ugh, I truly do not like this song.  "Band-aid" indeed!  You just need to yank that Band-aid off, don't go slow and make the pain last any longer than necessary.  This cannot be explained by one small line, there are too many things I don't like about this song.


...And the Christmas bells that ring there
Are the clanging chimes of doom
Well tonight thank God it's them instead of you


Well that's just truly un-Christmas all around.  I don't even know where to begin.  Remember to say your prayers tonight kids: "Dear God, Thank you for Mommy, Daddy, and those starving children.  Thank you for making them suffer and not me. Amen." - Nice.


And there won't be snow in Africa this Christmas time
The greatest gift they'll get this year is life


First of all, snow in most parts of Africa means one thing and one thing only: extreme global climate change.  Second, "their greatest gift is life"; not me, I don't think anyone should be thankful or grateful for life... I'm thankful for that new iPhone I might be getting.  Give me a break.  Time to yank off the Band-aid.


So, that's my opinion and I'm sticking to it!  Merry Christmas everyone and I hope you enjoy the holidays (crappy Christmas songs and all).

Vicky

I saw him! I Caught Santa Giveaway! ENDED

Just imagine... waking up... Christmas morning... and there he is... SANTA CLAUS!  Well if it doesn't happen maybe you can at least get a picture of him; at least to show your kids.  iCaughtSanta can make this dream come true!


A perfect tradition and a fun picture you can proudly display to let everyone know that YOU SAW HIM!  After all, there he is, in a frame in your house, caught in the act!  Of course, next year it may be harder to catch him when he realizes that you are fast and smart enough to snap that picture.  ;)

Santa getting caught eating his cookies and milk.

Santa checking his list.

With 20 Santa "poses" to choose from, one is bound to look awesome in your picture.  Pose him in your house, on your roof, by your front door... the list is as endless as your imagination.

Three easy steps: 

Downloading your picture 

Choose "your" Santa and customizing him to fit your picture 

Print your picture from your own printer.

That's it!  No waiting for shipping or going to a store to pick it up.

Buy it!

You can download and print your own picture from iCaughtsanta.com for $9.99 or you can buy a bundle of 4 for $20 and be able to print pictures with the Tooth Fairy, Easter bunny, and Cupid. 

Win it!

Win a picture of your own!  I have FIVE codes to giveaway before December 25th.  Make sure you have your picture ready for Christmas morning.  It's not very convincing if you show your "proof" in January.

One mandatory entry - Follow my blog!  That's it.  Easy peasy!  Follow via Google Friends Connect on the right toolbar and leave a comment with your email address in the form of janedoe at gmail dot com.  All FIVE winners will be announced and contacted by 9:00 pm CST on December 23.  Good luck to you all and have a happy holiday.

Vicky


I was provided with the above mentioned product free of charge in order to form my honest opinion. I was not compensated in any way. All opinions are mine and mine alone and yours may differ. Thank you to iCaughtSanta for providing the product for review and giveaway!

Puppy chow vs. dog chow and how to differentiate.

Puppy chow:
A chocolately, peanut buttery, crunchy goodness that I will gorge on until I am sick and then continue to go back for seconds, thirds and fourths.  Also known as Muddy Buddies, this yummy goodness is capable of destroying any sort of diet I may be on.  This container used to be full.  It used to be... last night.  Oops.

Dog chow:
Small pieces of kibble that my dog eats every morning and evening and has for her entire life.  Also known as Eukanuba.

The smell isn't exactly appealing to most people.

Unless of course you're a baby, then it must smell and taste good.

No matter what I do, I cannot keep Bug out of Lily's food.  I've dug it out of his mouth a few times now and I must say it is more than a little nasty.  If there's no food, he decides to go fishing in her water bowl, also not too cool but compared to the food, it's not too bad.  Poor Lily, within seconds of being fed, Bug is at her side.  What a good girl, she just backs up and shares her food.  Personally, if I were Lily, I'd kind of be like, "WTH!  This is my food.  I get the same stuff every day and you're trying to take it from me."  Then Bug would probably be like, "Yeah, well, I share my food with you don't I?  I don't see you turning your nose up at all those Cheerios I drop for you, do I?"  Then Lily would probably be like, "Yeah, but that's different!"

For the record, I did NOT let Bug eat any of Lily's food or put his hand in the dish.  He gets enough of it on his own.

Vicky

Nonuts and ice cream, can it get any better?

Bug's favorite things in the world?  Ice cream and doughnuts.  Only he doesn't say doughnuts, he says nonuts and he says it in a deep voice and gets all goofy.  If you want to bribe him, you're best doing it with a trip to Dunkin' Donuts.  He likes the chocolate glazed doughnuts best and it needs to be cut up and eaten with a fork.  If it's not cut up, he won't eat it.  He will call and call and call begging you to come cut up his doughnut and to get a fork as he is not able to get into the silverware drawer.


The funny part?  He doesn't always eat all of either one.  So often I will see him leave the table with 1/2 of the doughnut or ice cream left.  If the ice cream is in a cone, he usually doesn't get to the cone part.  But still, he claims they're his favorite thing.


However, if you put a plate of cucumbers, cauliflower, broccoli, and well, basically any vegetable, he'll eat the whole plate and ask for more.


The other day I was talking to my mom on the phone.  I was in the kitchen and Monkey was in the family room.  My Mom said she saw a doughnut maker.  I casually and quietly "A doughnut maker?"  She said she wasn't planning on buying it buy thought of Monkey when she saw it.  Well Monkey, who doesn't listen to you when you're sitting next to you, is around the corner in the other room and he comes trotting in, "A NONUT MAKER???!!!  I want a doughnut maker!  I yuuuuv nonuts"  And here we thought he might be having problems with his hearing.

Can life get any better than ice cream and nonuts?  I think not!

Haha!  As I sit here finishing typing, he comes along and stands over my shoulder saying, "Ice cream!  Nonuts!  Can we get some Mommy!"

Vicky

How do you sanitize a baby's mouth?

Monkey is slowly, slowly, slowly going through the potty training process.  I am desperate and not above bribery and doing anything I need to do to coerce him to go on the toilet.  He prefers the potty seat though.  I have been changing diapers and wiping butts for a combined total of 8 years and I'm not even close to being done yet, wiping out a little potty seat really isn't a big deal.  Especially if it works.  Especially if it works!


I used to have issues with putting the potty seat in the family room.  The thought of a child pooping in the living space kind of grossed me out.  I DID have issues with it.  Then I realized that they already go to the bathroom in the living space, they are capable of stinking up a room regardless if they have a diaper on, I've been watching them poop and make poop faces since they were born, and if the diaper leaks or they don't make it to the bathroom on time, you still have to deal with poop in the living room.  That said, we have the potty seat in the family room, right in front of the television.  It makes it a lot easier to convince Monkey to sit on the toilet every 25 minutes if he's not having to stop in the middle of what he's doing.  I don't want toys or books in the bathroom (we have a small bathroom and I worry that he will "put them down" in the toilet).


We also had to get a new potty seat.  The one we had bought for Sunshine had to be thrown away and we figured we'd get one that was a bit more compact.  This seemed to be a good choice, the lid flipped up without having to flip completely back, it was a sturdy stool (not that we use it as a stool since it's in our family room), it had a little boy "spray" cup, and it played music.  I kind of thought the music part was a little over the top, but whatever.  The music part doesn't work either by the way.


Well Bug is a year and one year olds are, if nothing else, curious.  It turns out that the lid is great to pull up and stand on.  It's fun to open and close the lid.  It's fun to mess around with the toilet ring that is inside.  It's also fun to take the little removable pee cup off.  For those who don't know what the pee cup is, it's a little cup that sticks up and allows a little boy to go potty without having to worry about making sure he's pointed completely down.  It is often peed on instead of the child's legs or your floor.  So now, Bug has not only take this little pee cup off, he has also placed it halfway in his mouth.  Oh.  My.  God.  Get.  That.  Out.  Of.  Your.  Mouth.  There he is, playing with some other toy with this pee cup in his mouth.  When I yell his name, he just looks up and smiles, pee cup and all, and takes off crawling.  He knew he wasn't supposed to have it, which is why he was giggling.  


I swear, I only left him alone for a few minutes.  I had to make dinner!  He was playing so nicely with his blocks!  It's not like he was alone for hours or even 15 minutes, it was literally less than 5 minutes and this is what he decides to do.


If for some bizarre reason I had put this in my mouth, I would have triple brushed my teeth (thrown away said brush) and continued to swish my mouth wish mouthwash.  How on earth do you clean a baby's mouth?  This cannot possibly be good.


What's worse, while I was washing off his hands, all I could think of was, "Please don't cuddle me and put your mouth or face on me."  Of course as I dried his hands I got past that thought and I thought of something else; I nurse.


So much for not being phased by bodily functions.

Vicky

Rollover Leatherworks Review and Giveaway ENDED

I, or should I say Lily, received a beautiful collar from Rollover Leatherworks.  A company that specializes in making beautiful dog and cat collars and leashes.  With hundreds of choices, it's not a matter of can you find one that you love, it's really more deciding which you love the most.


The leather is dyed with 100% eco friendly vegetable dye in natural leather colors as well as fun, bright colors.  Your dog's name can be added in a font of your choice.  Nine different gem colors can be added.  Different styles of collars, buckles, and leashes are all available for your choosing.  That was the other thing!  The types of collars!  There were martingales, Roman ring, buckle; the possibilities truly are endless.


Because they are leather, they do require a bit more care than your typical nylon collar.  Conditioning may be needed and they do need to be dried off if they get drenched.  Not to worry, a card is included with your beautiful new collar that will explain how to properly keep the leather.

We received a Roman ring collar with a majestic mahogany stain and stamped with Lily's name.

For those who don't understand how a Roman ring works (as I didn't), the heavy duty, industrial strength snaps are adjustable on the inside leaving a clean, polished look for any pooch.  If you prefer a buckle collar, Rollover Leatherworks offers 9 different beautiful styles to choose from.

 A sweet little extra adorns Lily's new collar.

Lily, modeling her Rollover Leatherworks collar.

The owner, Lana, is wonderful.  Rest assured, your order will be double checked and your product will show up exactly how you ordered it.  Visit Rollover Leatherworks on Etsy to purchase your very own collar or leash.

GIVEAWAY!

Congratulations csironkat!

You and your dog also have the opportunity to win a collar of your own!  Rollover Leatherworks has graciously donated a one of a kind collar to one lucky reader.  This collar is hand made to fit a medium to large dog with a 16-20" neck, it is dyed their desert sunset and is 1.5" wide.

Roses have been stamped onto the collar.

A heavy duty buckle and Chicago screws make the collar sturdy and secure.

The ins and outs of the giveaway!  The giveaway will end on December 23rd at 10:00pm CST.  Be sure to put your email in your entries in order to contact you.  The winner will be picked via random.org.  Good luck to you all!

The following TWO are mandatory:

1. Follow my blog via google friends connect

2. Visit Rollover Leatherworks and post your favorite product in the comments.

You can get one extra entry for each of the following:

1. Tweet about this giveaway.  Feel free to tweet as many times as you want, but you only get one extra entry per day.  Post the URL back so I can find it.

2. Blog about this giveaway, post the URL.

3. Post it on facebook or other social media site and enter the URL.

Vicky


I was provided with the above mentioned product free of charge in order to form my honest opinion. I was not compensated in any way. All opinions are mine and mine alone and yours may differ. Thank you to Rollover Leatherworks for providing the product for review and giveaway!

It's ok to feel sorry for me

Ugh.  about 15 years ago I was told I should probably get my wisdom teeth pulled.  I even went to a consult with an oral surgeon.  Well that was then.  I was scared and the idea of teeth being yanked out wasn't very exciting.


This is now.


Today I am sitting on the couch alternating ice on my very sore mouth.  Gee, no surprise, the teeth still had to come out.  The difference?  Now I have 3 kids who want attention.  I also can't take that oh so tempting Vicodin but am instead taking plain ole Advil.  Apparently Vicodin isn't good for my milk and wouldn't be good if passed along to Bug.  Whatever.  Now I'm pumping and dumping.  Even more depressing.  I've never had to pump and dump with any of my kids, now, because I had to have my wisdom teeth extracted, I have to throw away quarts of my milk.


Did I really just say extracted?  That's their nice way of saying their going to yank your precious teeth out of your mouth.  Someone you don't really know will be doing this too.  I was completely under, you know, another stranger in control of when I regained consciousness.  It was very strange.  One minute they were inserting the IV and the next minute Hubby was standing over me telling me to open my eyes.  Very strange.


So that was yesterday.  I have had some soup and pudding and eaten a strawberry shake and had a few bowls of sherbet.  What do I really want?  Those cookies sitting on the counter.  Those oh so delicious cookies that I can't eat because putting my teeth together at all causes pain.  I have been lucky though, or should I say Hubby has, he hasn't eaten any in front of me.


Hubby takes awesome care of me though when I'm not feeling well.  He brings me pillows and water.  Those ice packs are never melted.  He made dinner for the kids and me last night.  He gets me my medicine.  He woke up with Bug last night to get him to go back to sleep and put him down for his nap so he wouldn't be looking for me to nurse him.


The other downfall of waiting the 15 years?  I am no longer on my parents' awesome dental plan.  Their awesome insurance wouldn't have cost anything... at least I don't think so.  Ok, it wouldn't have cost me anything.  Now I have Hubby's very good dental insurance but am stuck paying what isn't covered.


Oh, and when I went in there, I suggested they do a cleaning.  He kind of laughed and said wouldn't that be nice.  When I said I wasn't joking, he had to explain that they don't do that.  What kind of oral surgeon doesn't clean teeth?!


*Sigh*  It's no wonder people don't want to go to the dentist.

Here are the pillows Hubby brought downstairs for me!

Vicky

Inspired by Finn coupon

Ends today at 2:18 EST! 40% off at Inspired by Finn, use coupon code HAPPYHOLIDAYS at check out... and happy holidays everyone.

Vicky

He's bleeding!

My kids do NOT deal well with blood.  That statement really doesn't describe it though.  Sobbing will begin hours after a fall when the smallest of blood is discovered.  Instead of sympathy puking, they have sympathy tears over blood.  Band-aids are not quick fixes as they are for so many children (in fact for the longest time Sunshine cried when you attempted to put a Band-aid on her, but that's a different story).


So when Sunshine came running into the kitchen frantically yelling that Ryan was "bleeding from his ear", I probably wasn't as concerned as most moms would have been.  It was more of a "What?!" and I walked quickly into the family room.


Sure enough, there he was sitting on the couch with blood all over his ear.  My next reaction was probably more of an explanation as to why my kids freak out.  I ran over to Monkey (no longer calm or questioning), "Oh my God, what happened?"


Monkey starts crying.  Sunshine starts crying.  Bug starts crying (how dare I walk away from him).  Sunshine is repeating "That doesn't look right."  I'm pinning Monkey down to look at his ear and to see where the blood is coming from.  Sunshine then runs to get Hubby which causes him to run frantically into the room.  He figured it was an emergency from her "description".


What happened and why was he bleeding?  He decided to get the earwax out himself and had made a minute scratch on the curved part of his ear.  Apparently ears are included in the whole "head wounds bleed a lot" saying.  It took forever for the darn thing to stop bleeding.

Vicky

SO tired

Sometimes it's better to not write at 1:00am.

Vicky

It's not about me anymore

It's been about 7 or 8 months since I had my last seizure.  It was different from what I usually have.  Usually I have no sense of anything about to go awry, I will simply come to, usually with someone (Hubby, paramedic) standing over me.  I'm also usually pretty emotional when they tell me.  I don't have much memory after I come around, as in I don't know my name, Hubby's, if paramedics are there they always ask what day of the week it is, not only do I not know what day it is, I can't think of any of the days.  If nothing else, it is a surreal, out of body experience.


About 7 or 8 months ago I had my last seizure.  This was completely different.  My girlfriend was coming over real quick for just a few minutes and I was running around.  I remember at the time thinking that things didn't feel quite right and I realized I hadn't taken my medication the night before.  Not understanding what the feeling was, I went downstairs and as I walked across the floor I had my seizure, falling down and smacking my head on the garbage can.  The last thing I remember was walking down the first half of the staircase and the next I was attempting to open my medicine bottle.  I wasn't able to open the darn child safe bottle and I wasn't able to focus on the bottle to see which one I had.  I looked over at Sunshine and she was staring at me with wide eyes.  I asked her if I fell down and she nodded.  I asked her if our neighbor had come over and she nodded.  I asked her why she didn't answer the door when she rang the bell and my poor baby broke down sobbing that she just wanted me to get up.  I sat on the floor for the longest time and just held her.   I told her that the medicine that she always sees me take is what keeps me safe and that I had forgotten to take it.  She asked and I answered all sorts of questions and we talked (again) about calling 911.


This was a pretty traumatic moment for her but I hadn't realized how much she held onto it on a regular, daily basis.


Today I saw one of Hubby's vitamins on the countertop that he had taken out but forgotten to take.  I picked it up and put it away and said something along the lines of "oops, Daddy forgot to take his vitamin."  She asked why he had to take them and I said he takes them just like she did only his are bigger and are for adults.  She asked what would happen if he didn't take them and I of course said that nothing would happen, it's just a vitamin but she shouldn't take any vitamins unless I give them to her.  She asked one more question then, she asked "If he doesn't take it, will he fall down?"


It broke my heart.  I hate that I caused her to see something so many people never will or want to see.  I have asked others who have seen my seizures and they aren't exactly G rated.  My poor Sunshine, some memories we wish they would remember and some memories we pray they will forget.


Vicky

Reba Cord Designs Review

I recently received a little felted snowman from Reba Cord Designs.  About 8" high and incredibly sweet.  Lightweight enough to go on your Christmas tree, but large enough that you could hang it elsewhere in the house, it is a wonderful addition to my Christmas decor.  This little guy is hand embroidered along the edges with the scarf sewn against him.  Now some might not think this is a big thing or may not think of it at all, but me, I personally hate when my snowman's scarf sticks straight out and have been known to not take snowmen out of the box when I see this fashion faux pas.  The little scarf, hat and buttons are all sewn firmly on.  His little broom is wood, giving it that extra touch.

I keep thinking it would look adorable hanging from a door handle.  

Of course Bug would never allow it.

Reba Cord Designs also sells hair clips, jackets, and painted Christmas chairs.  To purchase an adorable felt snowman of your own, visit Reba Cord Designs on Etsy.

Vicky
Yes I received this item to review, yes the opinions are my own.

ChiTAG fun!

The family and I went to the ChiTAG fair on Saturday and, OMG!!, it was sooo much fun.  It was much larger than I was expecting and the toys!  I saw toys and brands I have never even heard of.  New toys and their inventors.  The kids enjoyed trying everything and best of all, the exhibitors were telling you about their product.  If you were interested, they would then offer you information about buying it.  I never felt pressured by any of them.  I never felt as though I needed to make an excuse as to why I was walking away from a booth, even though my kid had just played with their product.  We will be going next year, no question about it!

Sunshine playing Pajaggle.  It was one of the first games we sat down at to really play.  I played a full game and watched her little brain work as she concentrated on the puzzle.

Monkey playing with CitiBlocs.  Similar concept to Lincoln Logs but you don't have to worry about where the little cut out notches are.  He made a nice round stack and knocked it down before anyone else could.

Bug playing with the drum at the Building Blocks area playing with the Plan Toy drum and ball sorter. Best of all the older 2 were playing with them as well.

There were so many things to see and do.  I am wondering what to decide on for Christmas and birthdays.  Next November seems so far away...

Vicky

Mmmm.. Steak

There's a great giveaway for No Name Steak.

Vicky

Snak Saks Review and Discount ENDED!

ENDED!

I received a beautiful reusable sandwich bag from SnakSaks.  If you're like many people, you may have never heard of a reusable snack or sandwich bag.  The are exactly what they sound like but cuter!   A reusable bag that you can use for lunch, snacks, school, work, picnics or any other time.  I have already used it for our Cheerios and Hubby has said that yes he would even bring it to work.

A sandwich size 7x7 Sak has ample space to hold breads larger than a classic white bread sandwich.  Smaller snack sizes are 4x7.

 The inner is a waterproof nylon that will keep even the messiest of sandwiches from squishing out.   You can see how roomy the bag is, the 2 pieces of bread don't even fill the bag 1/2 way.  (I couldn't bear to put my stinky salami sandwich in there the first day).

Velcro is stitched through both layers of fabric for extra reinforcement.

 Adorable prints show off your own personality.

To wash your SnakSak, you can either wipe it out by hand or toss it in the washing machine.  

Visit SnakSaks on Etsy for your very own.
For 10% off the entire purchase enter coupon code blog2011 (coupon does not include shipping)
Coupon code is good until the end of the year.
Enjoy and happy Snak-ing.


Vicky

I received this product to review, however, all opinions are my own.

Winter pet safety

Designs by Shay is having a giveaway to help keep you and your pets safe this winter.

Vicky

Monkey's business

Monkey is hilarious.  Not always a good thing as he thinks he can charm his way out of things.  But sometimes, he is just too funny.  It's not just what he says, but how he says it.  He still has such a little voice and has a knack with timing things that he is able to make things that might be considered annoying or just a regular statement by any other child, funny.  So, here is a running list of Monkey's Moments:


1.  Doing naughty things as in poking or pushing on you can be justified by the single statement of: "I wuv you."  This is not an apology, this is the reason why it is ok.


2.  Anything that he may like, usually food, he responds to the question "Do you like it?" with "Yes, I wuv it."


3.  Me: "Monkey, I don't want to see you doing..."  Monkey:  "Mommy, cwose yur eyes."


4.  Usually getting your attention will begin, "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy..." then the rest is often something simple like "yook at dis."


5.  He also thinks he is funny.  When he does something that he thinks is funny he'll say, "Is dat bunny? Dat's bunny."


6.  Although not as often as before, he'll correct you by saying, "No, no, no." He'll put his head down, looks up and shakes his finger at you.


7.  It's difficult to get Monkey's attention to say the least.  Often you end up say his name multiple times before he stops what he's doing and says, "What".


8.  Again, his lack of attention.  "Monkey, go do..." Nothing.  "Monkey, go do..."  Nothing.  "MONKEY, go do..." and finally, "Me?  Monkey?"  He has this surprised look on his face that he can't believe that you are talking to him.  Sometimes this is proceeded with a slight gasp.


9.  Monkey decided he wanted to give our cat a treat.  He was wandering around the downstairs with his hand crammed in the treat bag calling the cat.  I hate, hate, hate the way dog and cat food smells.  Me: "Monkey get your hand out of the treat bag." Him: "Why?"  Me: "It's stinky and I don't want to smell cat treat on you the rest of the day."  He shoves his nose right up to the bag and bring a handful up to his nose, "Dey don't smell, dey smell doooood."


10. Goggles.  Acceptable accessories for all areas of your life.  Including the bus stop.

Vicky

Training

We took Lily to obedience classes before the kids were born.  She was our baby and I wanted a well behaved dog inside and out.  I knew someday we would be having kids and she needed to know how to act.  Well she certainly was well behaved.  She always walked nicely on the leash, never straying more than half a step from your side.  She rarely barked at people walking past our door.  Although she had a weakness for cheese, she never took any food from anywhere or anyone.  Until the kids came.


In the very beginning cereal could be left on the floor overnight and she wouldn't touch it.  She gradually began to clean up stuff that had fallen off of the high chair and lick up Cheerios from the chair when they were spilled off of the tray.


And then... today... The kids had pieces of bread and were running around from her having her run with them and having a grand time.  All fun and games until the bread is eaten.  It happens to each of them (even though I tell them to eat at the table) before Sunshine finally decides that maybe Mommy knows something.  Then, while sitting AT THE TABLE, Lily takes food out of Sunshine's hand.  I was so mad.  Not just at Lily but at the kids too.  All that training so easily forgotten for a piece of bread.

*sigh* I guess we need to work on our training again.  I'll admit though, she's still an awesome dog.

Vicky

Puddle jumping

Blah, it's a rainy, gray day.  Blah.  Not too cold, but a nice day for cuddling up with some hot chocolate or hot cider and a book (cuddling with the computer isn't very appropriate).  It's also a school day which means walking Sunshine to the bus stop.  I suppose I could put the kids in the car but the car isn't in the garage right now so I'd still be standing in the rain to buckle the kids in.  Besides, I purposely bought Monkey and Sunshine rain boots and umbrellas just for this occasion.  Monkey was also lucky enough to have scored an awesome rain coat that goes all the way down to his knees.  I made sure they were dressed properly, wrapped Bug in my Moby, grabbed umbrellas and left for the bus stop.


We had got to the first puddle and they were both stomping around in it.  I was able to drag Sunshine away but as I walked away, Monkey started to cry.  What's wrong?!  I checked his shoes, his shoes have been known to come off when he walks (I don't know how).  They were still firmly on his feet.  I checked his rain coat, snapped firmly all the way down (you CAN NOT walk outside without having his coat closed).  So why the tears?


"Bug, what's wrong?"


"Der's more puddles!"


How on earth can you say "no" to a little boy who wants to jump in puddles?  I promised we would jump in puddles on the way home.

And jump in puddles we did!

Sunshine also wanted to puddle jump on the way home.

Vicky

One pedal at a time

A week and a half ago the little girl two doors down learned to ride her bike.  It was so much fun, Sunshine and I were outside and I was helping her and as we watched, she started pedaling a little further each time.  Next thing we knew, she was riding her bike.


It wasn't a surprise then when Sunshine asked to have her training wheels taken off of her bike 2 days later.  She had them off during the summer but was either not ready or just frustrated.  When she cried that she wanted them back on I said fine, riding your bike isn't something that needs or should be an argument.  Well we took them off and this time I said this is it, I'm not going to keep taking them off and on.  I stood outside with her and tried to help her with the basics, pushing off, pedaling and not going super slow, look up, etc.  She was very frustrated and I was apparently at fault.  I left her alone with her bike and came back out every so often.  The progress was definitely slow but she was determined.


The next day, back outside she went.  Practice, practice, practice.  I went out again and was helping her.  The 2 little girls 2 doors down were also helping her.  Nothing is as sweet as an 8 and 6 year old trying to help a 5 year old ride a bike.  Patience and positive peer pressure are always on their side.  She was getting about 3 or 4 full pedals and then nothing.


The next day I promised her I would bring her bike with me when I went to the bus stop.  In the 3 houses from the stop to our house she figured it out.  All of a sudden everything just fell into line; she sat up straight, looked up, gave a big push and strong pedal and got that other foot up in time.  I saw her from behind and how she straightened her back.  It was so exciting, I was so proud and she was as well.  It's one of those moments that I'm happy I was able to witness.

Vicky