Happy New Year!!

EDITED TO CLARIFY Content!!!


I can't believe this year is just about done with. We have had ourselves a busy week, and while most of it was pretty good, we had a huge disappointment. The disappointment being that hubby didn't get to come home at the end of the week as planned.

Christmas was with the my In-Laws (Which was wonderful because they were a big help). It was nice to have family here with us, since hubby is deployed this year. On the other hand, I had never cooked dinner for them before (don't ask me how I have managed that, we've been married 6 yrs!) so I was a nervous wreck. Not to mention I am a crazed perfectionist when it comes to entertaining. I go overboard, do way too much, and drive myself nuts! I bought a Honey Baked Ham from well, you know where. And I had been under the impression that I was buying the Mini Ham. We had got one at Easter time, so I assumed it was a year round thing.


When I went to pick up my ham, it ended up being $49.95! And since I had to stand in line to pick up the silly ham, there was no way we were doing that again. So home we went with our over-priced ham. To go with the ham (insert heavenly music here) I had bought rolls, then planned for Sour Cream and Cheddar Mashed potatoes, THIS corn pudding, which was delicious, and then of course Double Layer Pumpkin pie and a Jello Poke Cake in Strawberry in the shape of a star.

My mashed potatoes are kind of a wing it process. I don't have a recipe. I boil potatoes, thats simple enough. But in a mix of water and chicken broth. Then I get crazy and mash them WITH the skins on. I just like them that way. Then I throw in a stick of butter (look at me, I'm Paula Deen!) a container of Sour Cream and an entire package of shredded cheddar cheese. SO GOOD. Apparently the leaving on of the skins is a NORTHERN thing. Because my MIL asked me what the brown things were in the potatoes. I almost laughed out loud. I know not everyone does it that way, I guess when hubby asked the first time I did it, I should have known!

The corn pudding was easy, I followed the recipe except I only felt like putting in 4 eggs instead of 5. I know, I should write a cook book or something.

The chilluns had a great Christmas morning, got WAY too much stuff if you ask me though. I had tried to keep gifts to a minimum for our part. But when you have family all over the US who can't make it for Christmas, they get a LOT! Which also squashed my Santa plan. We for one are not planning on encouraging Santa. We want it to be a fun thing, but well known as make believe. But I know everyone has their own ideas And I will kind of let it slide for now. We will re-enforce as the years go by. Because in our house, Santa is not responsible for the gifts, or the day. Jesus is, its His birthday.

On a sadder note, hubby is still on deployment. He was supposed to be back for two weeks a couple of days ago. They are not here and may not be here at all until April. Which is horrid, and depressing, and infuriates me. And I hate having to tell my boys everyday when they ask what day is Daddy coming home. And I have to keep trying to explain. I could go on and on, but I am trying to work on not complaining so much.

Our New Year will bring him home at some point though. Hopefully and prayerfully as planned in April.

I am not much for resolutions, but I have decided we are going to work on cutting way back on the amount of sugar we eat in this house. As well as eating more organically.

And this year will see us MOVE out of the Armpit! I am so happy about that, and its whats getting me through all this. I hope you all have a Happy New Years Eve! I am spending mine with my little ones. Well, I am down to one little one, Train Junkie is the only one who is going to make it to Midnight. But we are going to toast eachother and then its off to bed!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Happy Birthday Train Junkie!!!

Dear Train Junkie,

I can't believe you are 4 yrs old today! I have watched you grow and change so much this past year. It doesn't seem too long ago, you were a little guy, our first born. We brought you home, we lived in Oregon then, and Daddy and I thought, ok now what? You were so precious and we loved how much joy you brought to us!






As you grew, you learned to crawl, and then walk. At 10 mos old! We knew you were so smart! Then you learned to CLIMB, and we knew you were too smart for your own good!





This year has been a big year for you, you finally got your little sister that you had asked for, and then you started Pre-School! Every day you learn something new. I love that you love trains so much and can tell me EVERYTHING I could ever possibly want to know about them. I love that you used to sleep with about 6 diecast metal trains every night.





Train Junkie, you were a gift from God and I can't wait to see what this next year holds for you! I feel so privileged to be your mommy. And while your emotions tend to run high, your excitement and joy for life are what make you so special. You have such a sweet spirit. Before you were born, I would pray over you. You are learning to be gentle and kind. When I watch you with The Princess, I am amazed at your patience with her. I love hearing you call her "Precious Little Girl" or when you tell me she is your favorite baby!
And while for now, you and Little Guy fight and pick at each other, I know you truly love him and as you and he grow up together, Little Guy will always be your best friend.





Mommy and Daddy love you so much! I hope you have a WONDERFUL Birthday!

One More Thing

We will be MOVING out of the Armpit come July, and I am just so excited about it for a number of reasons. While we may not be buying a house right off the bat, we are visiting my parents instead of house hunting, so we are going to take our first year there to get acquainted with the area and find the BEST house for us. And when we move, we are wanting to get a puppy! Train Junkie will be almost 5 and Little Guy will be 3 and a half, and Princess will be just about a year.
Here is where we would like to get a puppy from!!

www.scottspuppypalace.com

They have some adorable little puppies and since I want one I can put in a bag, this seems the best place for us! Yeah, I know, am I really going to carry a dog in a bag? Probably not, but we do want a little one. My boys have specifically asked for a small dog, preferrably a dachsund.

I Have A Problem...

Apparently I am uptight. No, really! The other day the boys and I embarked on a cookie cutting adventure. I had originally made homemade cookie dough, but let it sit in the fridge too long and it got hard. So the Pillsbury Dough Boy gave me a roll to use. I taped wax paper to the table stripped them to their undies (Spiderman and Thomas!) and rolled out a little dough for each of them. I had visions in my head of my boys and I cutting out the fun little Christmas shapes, PERFECTLY. The dough would stay on the paper, the boys would listen all while being busy little elves.
And in case you were wondering, this would be the FIRST time I let the boys help me make cookies. 2 and 3 yr olds don't cut cookies neatly. It didn't take very long to realize that Little Guy was not going to use the cookie cutters as God intended. Oh, I had to cover my eyes while he took the candy cane shaped one and it into the dough IN THE SAME PLACE 10 times!! It took everything I had to not grab everything up and do it myself.





But I pulled it together, we had a GREAT time once I calmed myself down. I let them cut them out however they liked, and they will be delicious! I have plans to let them DECORATE them next! Am I crazy??




On a side note, The Princess is growing in leaps and bounds! This week I started her on cereal, carrots, and sweet potatoes. She loves them! And is already trying to take the spoon from me to feed herself.



Isn't she just a DOLL??

OH! And we are so excited around the Posh house because the countdown has begun! In 17 days, Train Junkie will be 4 yrs old! In 22 days, it will be CHRISTMAS (and my In Laws will be here too) and then in 25 days HUBBY will be home for 2 WEEKS!! We can't wait!!

The Oh So Fashionable Chain Letter

Tell me, who wouldn't be tempted by the promise of $800,000 mailed to you daily within the next 90 days? I would love to receive the cash, even if it was in $1 increments. And I guess I would then be forced to buy a MUCH larger handbag to tote it around in.

Thats right folks, I have been chain lettered, and lo and behold, I am breaking it as we speak. I have gotten this particular one 3 times in the last 4 months. Twice from the same woman. Who apparently has not made her mountain of cash, or she wouldn't be sending the letter so often. On the other hand, maybe it is working so incredibly well for her that she does it once a month.

I am tempted, but I have researched the heck out of it. Apparently this originated from some man named Dick Hollman. He was broke, at his wits end, car in the process of being repo'd when he stumbled unwittingly upon the proverbial cash cow. He started THE LETTER. Sending it to 200 people with 6 names on it (which apparently is what makes this one SO DIFFERENT!) you send a $1 to each of the 6 names, drop the top name off, add your name to the bottom, and sit back and watch the cash flood your mail box. And it looks to be a teensy bit illegal. A scam if you will.

I am trying at this moment to find SOMEONE REAL who will tell me about their experience with it. Just out of curiosity. Because, while it may have worked for one person, there is no guarantee it is going to work for anyone else.

Holiday Spirit Abounds In My House

I LOVE Christmas. Its one of my favorite times of the year, and even living in the armpit of America can't take that away. I love the decorations and the lights. All the yummy Christmas treats add to my joy! Although I prefer to bake and give it away. I have been in and out of blogging lately, getting everything prepared for Thanksgiving gave me plenty of material, but no time!
Then today I came across the 5 Minutes For Mom Christmas giveaway!



It ends today, but you STILL have time to check out the prizes and enter some of them too! There are so many great items, and all useful!


So Thanksgiving, loads of fun. I got to make all my favorites, Turkey, cranberry stuffing, mashed potatoes full of sour cream and cheddar cheese, rolls, and OH the DESSERTS!! Chocolate Cream Pie, Double Layer Pumpkin Pie, Strawberry Pretzel Salad, and a Pumpkin Roll. And Train Junkie had his traditional bowl of Thanksgiving Mac and Cheese. Just like the kind the Indians introduced to the Pilgrims. And I thank them every time he asks for a healthy bowl full or processed cheese and starch.

Little Guy, of course, ate EVERYTHING I put in front of him. Although you would never know it to look at this kid.

All in all, it was a good day, a little sad since hubby is deployed, and we really miss him. But every day I mark off on the calendar puts him a little closer to us. I am so thankful that I have a wonderful family and a loving hubby, sweet kids, and good friends. We are very blessed in spite of a lot of things. And I am especially thankful that even though hubby is deployed, he is someplace OTHER than Iraq...

You Likey The New Look??

I have been trying to add Google Adsense to my blog for sometime now, but could never get it to work. And a friend of mine has been telling me how she makes a couple hundred extra dollars a month with the Firefox dowload button, (yeah thats it over there on the side, go ahead, download it!! You get faster intenet and I get a $1!)so I decided to try and install it. Now as most of my friends already know, I am slow in the bloggy knowledge department. All that coding makes my brain feel like MUSH!
So I emailed my good friend who designed my original look for help. She tried, got the same results I did and that led us to decide to CHANGE my whole look!!
And since I am in PINK overload since having a sweet baby girl, this is what we came up with.
I appreciate my dear friend for coming to my rescue and revamping my look! Thanks!

The Next Crocodile Hunter?

To all my 8 readers, I apologize for being MIA for so long. Our days around here have been filled with spending time together and staying on top of keeping my house clean.
This deployment has been hard on my Little Guy so I have been trying to keep him occupied and feeling loved. The time is going by quickly thankfully. And after much waiting we know where we are moving next July! We are heading North, which makes us REALLY happy. I have missed living where there are actual seasons. Its so nasty and hot here in the armpit, although it has finally gotten chilly. This time next year, there will be SNOW in our front yard. Both the boys are excited about making snow angels and going sledding. And a White Christmas!
The other night we were winding down from a busy day and I decided to turn on Crocodile Hunter for the boys. Its one of their favorites and since I have been so disappointed by not seeing an alligator here, this is how I get my fix.
Steve Irwin was tracking a 9 ft croc and Train Junkie was getting very excited. His eyes were dancing and there was a big grin on his face. The camera panned and got a good close-up of the big reptile and my 3, almost 4 yr old leaned forward and with awe in his voice said "Ooooooh isn't it BE-UT-Tiful?? Hes my BAAAAYBEEE...."
Ummmm what?




Oh, and here is a new pic of The Princess and Little Guy!



Can someone please explain to me, why it is SO easy to go overboard buying little girl clothes?!?! I have to control myself daily!

I meant to take a pic...

I have been the lucky winner of two contests the past couple of months from some of my wonderful bloggy buddies. The first one was to win an adorable apron set from the Pinks and Blues Girls, the sponsor was Carolyn's Kitchen and I won a FABULOUS Dorothy Apron!




The other thing I won was at the 5 Minutes For Mom cyber shower. They had so many of their sponsors contribute and give not only great gifts to the new mama's but great prizes too! This is who I got a pair of Flip Hops from! They are these absolutely too cute for words bunny slippers that look like flip flops. And as soon as I get a spare moment to paint my toenails, I will take a pic and share with you all!!

Making Money!!!

Part of what I wanted to do while hubby is deployed is make enough money to pay down our debt quite a bit. I figured out how much I needed to make a day and then did research to try and figure out how to do it. There are a lot of scams out there, I can tell you that. I have been writing articles on Associated Content and make money when I do it, and if people view my writing, I get paid for that too. And I know I could make a whole lot more there if I would sit down and write more articles.
I have been selling books on Amazon, but I don't plan on buying more books to sell, I just list ones we have already read so thats not going to be a continual source of income.
The other thing I have been doing is completing offers on a website called Cash Crate! If you go and fill out offers, most of them are free, then they pay you. I have done it once already and made a small amount. But this time I am seriously going at it and have been doing the free trials that you cancel before you get charged for them. It doesn't take a lot of time to do, and to me its worth it to be able to make some extra cash and stay home with my kids! So if you want to make some money, and help me out at the same time (I get a percentage based on what my referrals make!) Then PLEASE click on this link I got my first referral today, so please go check it out!!!

Missing

This year has been a rather rough year for our family. What with friends being diagnosed with Cancer, as well as my dad, a close friend of ours lost their new baby, one of my best friends moms had a brain hemorrhage, and now today, hubby deployed for 6 months. This will be our third, and it just doesn't get any easier. My Train Junkie is taking it well for now. But my Little Guy was so sad. He kept talking this morning about how we were going to get to say Bye Bye to Daddy and watch his ship go Bye Bye too. But on the way out this afternoon, he fell asleep. And once Little Guy is asleep, its HARD to wake him up. We tried and tried but just could not rouse him. Hubby kissed and hugged him anyway. On our way back to the house, through the DREARY pouring rain, Little Guy woke up. And immediately asked, "Are going to say Bye Bye to Daddy and his boat?"
All the tears I had tucked away came welling up in my eyes. Not so good when its already a monsoon outside! I had to explain to him that we did, he was asleep, and while we tried to wake him up, he didn't want to. I told him how Daddy had kissed and hugged him goodbye. Poor Little Guy began to cry in earnest. "I want to tell Daddy Bye Bye, Mommy!!!" Man, there was NO stopping my tears at that point!
I know that we don't have it so bad, Hubby's not going to Iraq or any place like that. He will be dealing with drug boats though. And half way through, he will be home for 2 weeks. So I keep telling myself, its October now, he will be home in December for a visit. Then out again and back 3 months later. We can handle that. But its still tough. Its hard to be a suddenly single mom with a 3, 4, and 2 month old. It makes things a lot more work. Going to the store becomes a HUGE task. Theres no one to give me a break when I get tired, or don't feel well. Its entirely left to me to kiss boo boos, put kids to bed, feed, clothe and plan activities. Thanksgiving will just be us. Kids birthdays will be just us. And thats tough. I know God is looking out for us, and will help us through this deployment. Just like He has in the past. He will sustain us. And hold us close to Him.
It will still be hard, and we will still be sad and lonely.
Today, we are going to make the best of it. Its rainy and stormy outside. So the boys and I are going to get in our jammies. We are going to watch movies, pop popcorn. I am going to make blueberry muffins, chocolate cupcakes, eat ice cream and drink hot cocoa. And try our best to forget the world outside.
If you think about us, pray for us. Leave me an encouraging comment! I know this won't last forever, but when its piled on top of all the pain of this past year, I think it just was the proverbial straw.

OOOH Its a Baby Shower!

5 Minutes For Mom is always doing cool stuff. And thanks to their dual pregnancies, all their sponsors are participating in a Fun Cyber Baby Shower! Not only do they get gifts, but we get fun prizes too!

Now they have 3 games, and I am going to partake in all three, just beware!

1. Most Sympathy Inspiring Delivery Photo....


As you can tell, I had a water birth, so that meant NO pain meds! I didn't have access to any, and as it was my first birth experience, I had no idea exactly what I was getting myself into. Although I do have to say that out of the three, it was the most amazing. I was in labor for 14 hours and had gone in with self controlled extremely high blood pressure. It was super intense. But the result, was my great little Train Junkie!


2. The Best Baby Bump



Also from being pregnant with Train Junkie, because I had such high blood pressure, I was incredibly swollen, this was taken a couple of days before I went into labor. I was huge, and was down to my last pair of pants! Not only that, because I had midwives, they didn't care how much weight I gained and encouraged me to eat all the time....


3. The most remarkable, interesting, or brutal Birth Story

This is something that could go either way. The birth story for my Train Junkie was interesting because I had a water birth. We chose a birthing center because I have always had issues with medical intervention, and with needles. So I wanted a birth that would allow me to make my own decisions, eat when needed, and move around to assist with the process. I had 5 amazing midwives who were with me through my entire labor and delivery. When we went in, I had been having contractions for a couple of days, but with little progress. They had the birthing tub ready when we got there, and after being checked hubby and I got in. Thats right, my hubby GOT IN the tub with me! 2 of my midwives were strong christians and prayed with us before we got started. We had brought a CD player and played worship music, mostly Delirious, throughout the birth. My water had broken earlier, but mine breaks on top. So when it got time for me to push, I pushed for 4 hours without anything happening. The reason why, was that the bag of waters had collected and was what I was trying to push out. They broke it and then everything sped up. I actually gave birth in the tub, I remember being very aware of the pain, but it didn't bother me. I knew the outcome would be a beautiful baby. Once I had my little Train Junkie, it was time to birth the placenta (gross, right?) but I just couldn't. Nothing happened. They gave me herbs to help, and also a shot of Pitocin and that didn't help either. So we all piled in cars, somehow that doesn't sound quite right, and headed up to Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU) to have a D&C to get rid of the placenta. I lost a liter of blood, and was getting pretty weak. But I was able to walk in on my own. They admitted me quickly,and had the procedure done, and they said when I could get up and walk out, I could leave. So after about 30 minutes I did. We went back to the Birthing Center and spent 2 nights there. The room had a 4 poster king size bed and it was like staying in a bed and breakfast. Homemade meals and incredible care. It was an incredible experience, and should we, or God intervene, and we change our minds, I would definitely do it this way again!
My second child, Little Guy, was born at the Naval Hospital. NOT a good experience at all. My water broke in the morning, so I called hubby to have him come home from work and take me in. They looked me over and declared NO BABY SHALL BE BORN TODAY! Yeah right. I was already dilated to a 4, and they sent me home. But I knew the contractions were different then the ones I had been having for 2 months. So we went home with the intentions of heading out to dinner, and then to the mall to walk. Hoping to get that baby moving! We had Train Junkie with us, but had set up with out nanny agency to have a sitter on call for us that week. We went to eat at Souper Salad, one of my favorite places, but I just didn't feel good, and didn't want to go walking afterwards. We headed home and hubby went to run me a bath to help me feel better. But I didn't make it past the front door. I felt horrible and then the contractions started full force. Back into the car we went, my hubby will tell you I looked like I was going to climb out of my seat in pain. Once we got to the base hospital, they took me up to look me over, although I was obviously in labor. Let me tell you, Military Hospitals are not the best place to give birth in. And now the one my son was born in has several law suits against it for various reasons. Nice, huh?! Anyway, they decided I was in labor and took me up to L&D. I wasn't in very long before I was asking for drugs and an Epidural. However, the urge to push took over and I couldn't stop it. They kept telling me I wasn't ready, until the nurse looked down and saw the top of Little Guys head. He was on his way and nothing was stopping him. It took probably 4 pushes and he was out, as the man with the Epidural made his way in. The entire time, hubby was holding Train Junkie who just watched the whole thing with interest. I had a 2nd degree tear and the Dr. proceeded to sew me up without any local anesthetic. I stopped him, asking"OOOOWWW WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!" He replied, "Sewing you up". "WELL STOP IT! That HURTS!"
He didn't although the nurse finally brought over something to numb me.
Suffice it to say our Baby Girl was not born in the Navy Hospital, and my experience with her was normal and easy.

Now, I get to pick my top 3 gifts, and HOPE and cross my fingers, that I WIN something!!
1. First Choice Lucky Mom necklace
2. Flip Hop Slippers!
3. Peekaboo Baby nursing cover

Now, its your turn! Let me know if you play, I LOVE reading birth stories :)

My Too MUCH To Do List

I am sitting here eating my bowl of Count Chocula cereal, do you guys remember this cereal? We were at Wal-Mart last night and needed to pick up some groceries since hubby has duty today, and went to the cereal aisle. We ALWAYS neeed cereal. Come to find out, hubby's ALL-TIME favorite cereal is Boo-Berry. And since Wal-Mart carries this uber nutritious breakfast fare for the low low price of $1.88 a box, we got 4! One of which was Count Chocula, or as my Little Guy calls it Chocky-do da.
So here is my To Do list for the day....
* CLEAN my house, living room, kitchen, dining room, master bdrm
* Strip beds and wash and change sheets
* Laundry in general
* Work on my sewing project (and if anyone has any sewing machine usage pointers, PLEASE share them with me!!)
* Make "something" (I know what it is, but she reads this..)for a friend of ours for her birthday
* RE-CLEAN my kitchen since my boys will be helping with above task....
* Finish hanging pics upstairs
* Pay some bills online
* Workout

Now, if I accomplish even half of this, I will feel pretty good about my day. I also have to find time to hang out with my kids, make meals, take a shower, and bath my boys! Maybe I will just go back to bed.

So, 2 questions for you guys, 1. What is your favorite KID cereal?? and 2. Whats on your To DO list today?

Issues, We All Have Them...

Some of us more than others! Reading here earlier in the week, led hubby and I to start talking about our oldest childs food issues. And how TRULY bazaar some of them are. The topic, in case you haven't made it over there yet, was basically, how do you handle mealtime meltdowns? Go read it, and the comments, some are HI-LARIOUS! Ok, I know that took stinkin' forever, but it was worth it, right?
Train Junkie started life out pretty good, I nursed him full time (like its a job, right? And you all know it pretty much is...) until about 4 mos and then we did the usual starting food routine.(He breas*tfed until 11 mos, when he cut himself off) And he did well. Ate like a champ. LOVED green beans. Which in and of itself should have signaled my inevitable demise. Because according to my mother, when I was little I also held the green bean dear to my heart. To the point of asking for more, and at the tender age of two, I made my way around the dinner table taking them from peoples plates. Now I HATE them.... As does TJ. And all veggies in any form unless its tomato sauce and isn't that a fruit? He will eat most fruits.

But here is where it gets weird. I will start with the juice issue. We have always given our boys juice that is half water. For sugar reasons. Well, TJ HAS to have his juice with the water down (meaning put in first) and juice up. If it is any other way, and he sees you do it, he will NOT under any circumstances drink it.

The main foods he eats are Mac & Cheese, no preference to brand, so I could make it homemade if I was insane and had all the time in the world, hot dogs, ham and cheese, pb&j, and pizza. Most cereals, and breakfast foods. No eggs, he used to love them, then only wanted them if they were scalding hot. No sausage or bacon. Who doesn't like BACON??? He will eat pancakes. But hates Poptarts.

TJ will not eat a ham and cheese sandwich unless the ham is first and the cheese on top. The newest neuroticism, (is that even a word?) is he loves a ham and cheese rollup. This is a tortilla, with mayo, and ham and cheese. Ham first, cheese next, ROLL it up, do not cut it at all. If I make a quesadilla, same rule applies. We had a complete meltdown the other day when I made it WRONG. Ham on top, cheese melty on bottom, and oh the humanity, cut into the evil triangular shape. Instead of a circle....Which must be to symbolize the halo hanging over my little angel...
On a side note, I did refuse to make him anything else and he eventually picked at it and ate some of it.

Oh, and hot dogs, yeah they need to be COLD. I think I just threw up in my mouth a little thinking about that one. He will even go so far as to eat his Mac & Cheese cold. Like for lunch yesterday. All COLD. ICK. His chicken nuggets, if they are already cooked, he will eat them COLD from the freezer. And everything is to be dipped into ketchup and ranch.

He does, however, like grits. Yep, you heard me correctly. Something he picked up at school. I pay good money for my son to go to school and develop a taste for grits.
You know, for all the time we spend watching The Food Network, you would think some of it might rub off on him. So far, just the desserts have caught his attention. As he asked me to make him a CREAM PIE today. Too bad I can't camoflauge the veggies and mix them into that!

Do any of you hide foods within other foods? What are your kids weird food behaviors??

Pink With Excitement!

5 Minutes For Mom is at it again! October, as most of you know, is Breast Cancer Awareness month. And name brand products usually come out with something in that fabulous pink in support. A percentage of the sales typically goes to the charity. Dyson and Target are exclusively offering the Pink All Floor Vacuum, with 40% going to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. And for all my effort posting here about it, I am entered into the drawing at 5 Minutes For Mom to WIN my VERY VERY own! You can too, all you have to do is head over to here leave a comment and then link back! Easy Peasy! Or don't cuz that makes my chances a little greater.... Just kidding! Go, comment, link, and then support a great cause!

Routines

Baby Girl is sleeping in her swing, the boys are engrossed in Little Bear, and I have a moment to myself. Jesus has got my back today! I guess that means I better get off my rear and go clean up my kitchen, do some laundry and put away all my desk stuff, and refill my filing cabinet. AND work on my latest project. What happened to that sigh of relief I just let out? I am pretty sure I just sucked it back in....

We are starting to finally settle into a routine that works for us. I don't think that happened with the boys until they were much older. God has really blessed us with a good baby. The boys tested my endurance when they were this age. Train Junkie didn't sleep. Would NOT sleep. We walked, jostled, danced and CRIED trying to get him to sleep at night. Laying him down didn't really work, he screamed and screamed. And then cried some more. And living in an apartment or base housing isn't really conducive to letting your kid just cry it out. And my little guy had allergies that kicked in at about 1 yr. His doctor didn't catch it, and so we endured crying at night, his little body so tense because his tum tum hurt. After eliminating suspect foods, we realized he had a milk allergy and a gluten allergy. And once we got that taken care of he slept great. Loved his crib and we could lay him down at night. He fell asleep on his own after that.
Baby girl is completely different. She sleeps great, she loves being in her swing. Most of the time she is happy and content! And finally my boys do to!

MPM once again

I have been so sporadic about posting anything, but I did manage to get a Menu Plan put together. Of course we haven't been sticking to it as well as I would like. But hey, I think thats par for the course with a new baby. And how long is a new baby considered a new baby? Baby Girl will be 7 weeks old tomorrow. I can't believe how fast these past weeks have gone. And she amazes us everyday with her big grins (slide show to be included!) and how well she can hold her head up already. Our little ones, although not little for long, are such a blessing. Even when driving me nuts. I was in the kitchen, getting Train Junkie his juice, and the boys were underfoot, getting into everything, pulling stuff off the counters. And I told TJ to knock it off or I was going to lose my mind. At which point, he turned to Daddy and said (or rather, whined) "But I want Mommy to lose her mind!"
My little guy is notoriously cranky if he doesn't get a nap. But if he does get one, we have a hard time getting him to sleep at night. He fell asleep yesterday in the car on the way to our friends house and then finished his nap on her couch. Of course he had himself a little accident so I had to pick him up some shorts and undies at Target. Because Train Junkie gets a train mag every now and then, it seemed only fair that Little Guy should get a magazine to look at too. The obvious choice was a Monster Truck magazine. He LOVED it. Little Guy flipped through it pointing out trucks until he came across a page with Jeeps. Which hubby has.
Little Guy got very excited,"Look at the Jeep, thats very special to Daddy!"
I know, I know, there is supposed to be a Menu Plan in here somewhere!
Here we go...


Saturday: Tacos with fresh avocado
Sunday: Chicken, Salad with Cherry Tomatos, and rolls
Monday: Breakfast for Dinner, Blackberry Pancakes
Tuesday: Roast with Red Potatoes, Baby Carrots, French Bread
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup (perfect since it will be raining all week!)
Friday: Spaghetti with Garlic Bread
Saturday: Marlboro Mans 2nd Favorite Sandwich


Here is a pic of the infamous Jeep...




After I came home from some major grocery shopping the other night, hubby went out to bring in the groceries while I fed Baby Girl. This is what he came in with instead!



Which is kind of funny since while we live within walking distance of the river, the beach is a good 20-30 minutes away. The boys got a kick out of it and decided to name it Herman. But then Herman had to go back outside because SURELY his mom and day missed him...

And finally, here is the promised slides of my SMILING baby girl!!

Road Trippin'

It has been a long two days. We are currently driving our way back from visiting hubby's family in Texas. Imagine how much fun it is to drive for 2 days with a 3 yr old, 2 yr old, and a 6 week old. I think Baby Girl has done the best. We have eaten our combined weight in junk food, and drank more caffeine than would normally be legal. Altogether makes for some delirious parents. Hubby and I tend to get ridiculous in our conversations. We start making up odd statements and ways to describe things that you normally wouldn't hear.
On the other hand, its great to have that time together as a family. The boys are entertaining. Train Junkie gets very excited and high pitched when he spots a train. Little Guy talks ENDLESSLY about the bugs he sees and whether they are nice or are going to "get" him.
I was reading from a Guidepost earlier this week and read an article that Alton Brown from the Food Network had written. If you are a fan, then you know he is responsible for shows like Good Eats and Feasting on Asphalt. I had no idea he was a Christian until I read the article. Which only makes us like him more! We were cruising through Mississippi, when we saw a group of guys on motorcycles. Convinced it could POSSIBLY be him and his entourage coming back from their FOA tour, we whipped around to follow them. They pulled into a diner on the side of the road, and we realized it was NOT him. Oh well, its the thrill of the hunt, right? Which makes us sound like stalkers, which we are not! Just enthused fans...
We have become technologically advanced for this trip. The boys have their DVD player, which lends to keeping them entertained. Not that we play it from the moment we get in the car. It usually gets put into play once that glazed over look takes hold of them. And I feel especially techy traveling with my laptop and wireless card. Thats right people, I can check email, and surf the net.... FROM THE CAR!!! Look out (insert techy persons name here, since I don't know anyone...) I am moving up in the world wide web!
During our time in Texas, I convinced hubby I could not go on a moment longer if I didn't do something with my hair. It had been cut right before Baby Girl was born into a shaggy rendition of Mandy Moores latest "do". I wanted to go blonde too, but knew the minute the hairdresser started putting the foils on, I would go into labor. I hear its a lot easier to head to the hospital in the middle of a hair cut, than get up and deliver a baby with my head covered in bleach and foils.
So I researched and found a reputable hair salon. The girl had put my hair in so many foils, I am surprised I didn't start picking up digital satelite tv. She put me under the heat dealy thingy with the hole in the middle, and I read up on Britney Spears and her troubles. She was on the cover of EVERY rag mag, so I didn't have much of a choice in reading material. Anywho, hairdresser girl came to check my progress, and in the process shifted the foils. The weight of them must have pushed them onto my scalp, because suddenly, it felt like my head was ON FIRE! I started looking for my girl and finally had to flag down someone else to find her. She decided it was time to rinse me out and blow dry my hair. It looks great, however, I now have crispy hair in places near my scalp from the BURNS that were inflicted upon my poor head. Its a little scabby too. I only hope it doesn't fall out and leave bald spots. That would completely spoil my attempt to look like I am completely together and not chasing around 2 kids while simultaneously being chained to the couch every two hours to feed a baby. And keeping an immaculate home.

Boy Talk

I was a little worried that because I had a little girl, that I might not pay as much attention to my boys as I have in the past. However, I don't think that is the case. Both my boys are so interested in their little sister, giving kisses, and talking to her. Their little faces light up when she grants them that ever elusive baby smile. And it warms my mama heart to the very core.
I was sad this morning when I had to disappoint my oldest that he couldn't go to Preschool today. We got up, got dressed and loaded in the car. Only to find it wouldn't start. The engine wouldn't even turn over. Which to me said, (and trust me when I say I am not car savvy AT ALL!) it was the battery. It had to be! My poor son kept asking me if he could go to school. I had to explain why. To which he asked, "Couldn't we walk to school?" Yeah, cuz I am going to walk 12 miles with a 2 yr old, a 3 yr old and a 4 week old! By the time we got there, school would be over. Thankfully he settled down and played with his brother. My friend came and we tried to jumpstart the car. Nothing happened, so I ended up buying a new battery at the Auto parts store.
Its a good thing too, as tomorrow I am supposed to pick up my MIL at the airport and get my hubby when his ship comes back in. I think it was a God thing it happened when it did. Hubby and the boys and MIL are driving to Texas on Saturday while I fly with Baby Girl to visit my family. Dear hubby is INCREDIBLY directionally challenged. So having the car die on him would cause him to fall apart!
After surviving the trials of this morning, I wanted a nice slow afternoon. Instead Train Junkie comes downstairs, hands me his juice cup which is swarming with SUGAR ANTS! ICK, ick, and double ick. Now, we only just moved in here, so the ants are not from us. I asked him where he had gotten his cup from. His answer? His bed. The top bunk. I went to have a look, and sure enough, his sheets were full of the little buggers. Time to strip the bed I guess! After making use of some home remedies (cinnamon and a spray bottle of vinegar water) and vacuuming like crazy, I went back downstairs.
But it all faded into the background when my two great little guys were playing in the living room. They were acting out word for word a story from Little Bear! It was so precious and sweet. I had a smile on my face as I watched. And was rewarded by big BOY hugs! Of course, they are still boys, and I am sure tomorrow I will be ready to condemn them to their rooms for hours.
At least they had already emptied out the bottle of baby powder the other day...

My Sweet Girl

I thought I would share some pics of our little one!

Enjoy!!

Playskool Giveaway

Browsing around blogs, I stumbled upon this one
and saw she was doing a giveaway of a TON of great playskool items! I have always liked their products, and since we have a new little one, they will all eventually come in handy! I especially like insulated flip top cups (found here) I know my 3 and 2 yr old would like these! So go and enter, you only have until tomorrow to sign up...

Its My Job!

I was catching up on my reading over at one of my favorite blogs Pinks and Blues Girls when I read they had been "blagged" (blog tagged is what I am guessing that means!) about 8 jobs they have held. And after reading the 8, I was inspired to do my own, they didn't "blag" anyone in particular, but invited all to participate! So here are my 8, in no certain order...

1. Cinnabon This was my very first job. I was about 14 yrs old, and DESPERATELY wanted to earn money other than what I was getting for an allowance. It was ok as first jobs go, it made me HATE Cinnabons though, I saw all the butter and sugar that went into them and refused to eat them for several years afterwards. That Christmas, I was sent home with 12 DOZEN. Needless to say, we were very popular that year!

2. Chik Fil A This was my Senior year job, I worked here because half my friends worked here, and the other half came and hung out. Plus I had Sundays off! It was also in the mall....

3. Nanny I nannied off and on for about 12 years. I loved working with kids and the pay was really good. Most of the time. I did have some odd experiences at times though. One of the families I worked for in Dallas, the dad was the VP of Blockbuster over Marketing, so I RARELY saw him. He worked in Los Angeles most of the week. I had free reign with the girls and took them with me every where because there was a bad situation regarding the mom. And I couldn't leave the girls alone in the house with her. I grew up a lot during that time.

4. 24 Hour Fitness One of the WORST jobs EVER! I worked in the Kids Club, as well as the Front Desk. The job itself wasn't bad, it was the people I worked for. It was all about the money, and they didn't care at all about their employees. Which was well reflected in how little they paid us! But hey, I got to work out for free whenever I wanted.

5. Waitress I waited tables at Papadeaux in Dallas. LOVED the food, wasn't all that thrilled with the work. This was when I was in Bible College, so a lot of my friends from school worked there with me. It was some of the hardest work I have EVER done. I eventually quit because I started developing Carpal Tunnel in my wrist from carrying the trays. I also was Waitstaff for the Season Ticket Holders of the Dallas Stars!! Hockey, for those of you not in the know! This was the most fun, and I also worked with a lot of my friends from school. We took orders, and money and got to watch the game. There were runners to bring the food down so we had it easy. And the tips were AWESOME most of the time!

6. Mover Exactly what it sounds like. But for Corporations. The funny thing about it, was that for about $12 - $15 an hour, I did next to nothing. Because as a girl surrounded by guys, they wouldn't let me do anything too hard. I stuck stickers on boxes, and counted them. Always a good time, and the companies would usually treat us to dinner somewhere nice.

7. Dillards Typical retail job. I worked in the Jrs Dept. and worked with some great people. This was also my first job as a married woman.

8. Wedding and Event Planner This is what I do now! I own my own business and also just started an online magazine about Event Planning. I love this so much, its a lot of fun. I am taking a small break since we just had our new little one, but I plan on really diving in after we move next year.

There you have it, 8 jobs I have held. Not all of them exciting, and certainly not all of them either! I would run out of fingers if I counted all the babysitting I did! So, I am also not going to "blag" anyone in particular, but if you do it, leave me a comment so I can come and check it out!

Settled?

There has been a lesson to be learned these past 3 weeks. And that is... DON'T move and have a baby within two weeks of eachother! Now we are finally moved in and our kidlets are settling, and settling into a routine.
Its not like we moved too terribly far, just within our complex, I really wanted a bottom floor entrance since hubby will be deployed in October for 6 months. And I just couldn't seem to get on board with hauling 3 kids and groceries and everything else up and down stairs for that long. Albeit, it would be the workout of a lifetime, I prefer to use my "On Demand" to get into shape! So we moved. With a 2 week old. Call me crazy! I have.
My dining room is stacked with boxes, none of which are labeled. Like I said, we live on the edge here. My kitchen is mostly organized, but I lost some cupboard space and my pantry. And until we re-install our child locks, there are some things we can't put away yet. But my living room, and the upstairs is mostly done. So I think that deserves a round of applause! Go US!
We took a break from our usual grocery shopping regime since we were busy packing and what not and I didn't want to haul more stuff than we had to over to our new place. So yesterday, for the first time in about 3-4 weeks, I made a very LONG list, went through my coupons and made a MENU PLAN!! Thats right, I planned a menu for this week. Now sure how well we will stick to it, in fact last nights dinner went right out the window because it took entirely too long to grocery shop. Even though I went by myself. Apparently Publix and Winn Dixie don't staff their stores with more than 3 employees on a Sunday.
So here is my TENTATIVE Menu Plan for the week!




Monday: Strawberry Stuffed French Toast
Tuesday: Sandwiches (Damon has duty)
Wednesday: Chicken Tacos with fresh avocado
Thursday: Crockpot Pot Roast, Baby Carrots, Red Potatoes and Salad
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday: Spaghetti and Garlic Bread (homemade)

Whats for dinner at your house??

Girly Things

When the Train Junkie was born, almost 4 years ago, we got a ton of stuff for him. Loads of blues and greens and boy things. So cute and when his little brother came along 14 months later, we happily passed everything on to him. Not to mention they have a cousin who is not that much older than them, so they got even more clothes from him!
Enter Baby Girl. Suddenly we have NOTHING! We can't really use anything from the boys because they were both born in winter months. Summer babies are so different, especially when you live in the armpit of America, like we do.
Today, and I may be crazy for doing this, but hubby and I, along with Baby Girl, headed out to get her some much needed clothes. My first foray into the world of PINK! Oh I could have done some damage, let me tell you! So much cute stuff. And looking at all that I bought, I feel like I barely made a dent into the required wardrobe items. She will have MORE than enough onesies. And sockies, although we probably won't put very many on her until I can pick up a pair of Robeez. We didn't get her any jammies, because the stores were getting in Fall items, and well, we live in HOT AND HUMID LAND! And will until about November. But my word, I need shorts, and pants, and leggings, and tops, and tanks, and T's. And then when we travel to Oregon to visit my family in September, we will need some little light sweaters and jeans and long sleeve T's. Does anyone else feel OVERWHELMED yet??
We are hoping to make it to church tomorrow morning, so I will take a pic of her in one of her cute new outfits and share!

We Had A Baby.....

GIRL!! Our sweet girl was born yesterday afternoon at 1:51 pm. She weighed, get ready for it.... 9lbs 15oz! Thats right folks, this 5 ft 2 in woman gave birth to an almost 10lb baby. Which is just crazy to me. I was convinced this baby was a good deal smaller than my two boys were. And she was the biggest one! But she is so sweet, sleeps pretty well, and can sooth herself to sleep! She is a GENIUS already! Not at all biased here....
Thought I would share a pic with all of you



Isn't she beautiful?!?!

WHAT?? Win A Flat Screen TV?!?!

No, I am not the one giving it away. I don't have that kind of clout online yet! But if you head on over to 5 Minutes for Mom, you can enter to win a 37" Flat Panel HD TV! All you have to do is leave a comment, I was #646, and then post about it with a link or two! EASY! Oh, and did I mention its being sponsored by BEST BUY!?!

STILL Pregnant!! So Heres a MPM

I am sure, you are all curious as to whether we have had our new little one. Well, NOT YET!! I am still waiting, and not all that patiently either I might add. Hubby has been home most of the time, which has been such a blessing. He is still working on the base, but his ship is gone. MIL is here as well. The boys are loving all the attention they are getting. Although all the new toys and books might have something to do with that....
We thought it might happen yesterday at some time. Simply because it was a full moon last night. Which apparently has some effect on pregnant women close to their due dates. The funny thing is that when my MIL brought it up, I went and looked it up BOTH my boys were due on a full moon! But, NOOOOO, apparently this baby is quite happy right where he/she is! So, tomorrow I am going in at 6am to be induced. There will be plenty of news and pics probably later this week!
I decided to put together a VERY loose, child friendly, and easy for MIL to make.



Monday: Chicken Tacos with tomato and avocado slices
Tuesday: Pizza Bake
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: Quesadillas
Friday: Mac and Cheese and apple sauce
Saturday: order a pizza

After the baby is born, I will have to stay in the hospital for 3 days. I am thinking I will probably be back home either Friday afternoon or Saturday morning. I will keep ya'll (MIL is from Texas, I think its rubbing off) posted!

I will say the boys are excited for the new baby to be born, Train Junkie keeps asking if he can tell the baby to come out! I have been baking like crazy too. I found the Tiramisu recipe at The Pioneer Woman Cooks, and made that on Saturday. YUMMY!! Oh my word, super easy, and so good! I left out the Marsala for pregnant reasons, I wasn't sure the alcohol would cook out. And while I have read plenty of articles about having a glass of wine here at the end to relax me and maybe spark labor, I am just not THAT liberal!

In order to keep you all occupied (since you are just hanging by a thread to hear what we have and all!) I have 2 questions for you!!
1. If you have children, were any of them born during a full moon? (you can google moon phases and if you have a child born in 2000 - now, you can look it up)

And my second question is a little odd, I have found the BEST toothpaste in the world! Where did that come from you ask? Just my own random ramblings, really. Anyway when I was in L.A. my friend had a tube of Aquafresh Extreme Clean. I tried it, and will NEVER use anything else again! Talk about fresh and minty deliciousness!
2. What type of toothpaste do you use?? Do you have a preference or is it whatever is on sale?

New Update

Nope, not in labor, but hubby just called and his leave was APPROVED!! Of course it took literally all day to find this out. At least now I can rest easy knowing he will be here for when I go into labor. I have been a nervous wreck all day. Praying, or maybe a better word would be beseeching God for His holy intervention. I have asked everyone I know to pray for this. And so now I want to THANK all of you who prayed! God is amazing, and I know prayer works. This may be a minor issue on some levels, but it was a big deal to us. And God heard us! So thanks again everyone!

3 Cm And An Update

Yesterday was my Drs appt. We were hoping for a little more action, but 3 cm is better than nothing I suppose. And my Dr does not think I will come even close to my due date. Hopefully today we will know whether hubby has his leave approved or not. We have been praying seriously about this. So please pray we hear a positive answer today.
The rest of last night was FANTASTIC!! We went to The Melting Pot. For those of you who don't know, this is a fondue restaurant. And they are amazing. The ambience is warm and cozy and we were shown to the little secluded corner booth. Our waitress was friendly and informative and walked us through every course. There were FOUR of them!
We started off with Swiss Cheese Fondue, with veggies, apple chunks, and three types of bread pieces for dipping. WONDERFUL!! It definitely satisfied my craving for cheese fondue. This was followed by a salad. All their dressings are homemade and my choice of Mushroom Salad with Parmesan Italian Dressing was super tasty. Then came the Entree. Which can be incredibly overwhelming in the choices. I forget the name of the one we went with,(of course!) but it had a good variety of meats, Ahi Tuna, Shrimp, Chicken, Filet Mignon, and a Teriyaki Beef. Pot Stickers and veggies rounded out the Entree. Our waitress gave us a choice of 4 different means of cooking. Oil or 3 broths. We chose the Mojo, which was infused with garlic, cilantro, orange and lime juice. The sauces that come with it are yummy, although my favorites were the Teriyaki, the Green Goddess, and the Gorgonzola cheese ones.
Then came the BEST course possible! The dessert course. There are several Chocolate Fondue combos to choose from. SMores, Oreo, and a Turtle one. These are all flambeed. Then there are some pure chocolate choices. We got the Yin and Yang, which was dark and white chocolate. I LOVED IT!! There were yummy dippers to choose from, strawberries, pineapple, poundcake, marshmallows, cheesecake, and brownies.
Oh it was heaven in a pot!
Afterwards we walked, and walked, and walked some more. Hoping to help things along in the progress department. Don't know if it helped at all.
I have been doing some "research" on ways to jumpstart labor. I know, I know, most of them are considered to be Old Wives Tales, but its kind of fun to try some of them. Walking, of course, is one of the main ones, and then there is the spicy food route, or eating fresh Pineapple, Mango, Kiwi, or Papaya Juice. Which has an enzyme in it that is supposed to help tone and start contractions. Last time, with my little guy, my wonderful hubby went out and bought me a whole pineapple. Which I promptly cut up and ate. And the next day I went into labor! So could have been the pineapple, could have been I was just ready! I won't do the Castor Oil for obvious reasons. And I may try some of the herbs. I also want to get some Evening Primrose Oil. This is supposed to help dilate my cerv*x.
My Dr has only scheduled one more appt for me, and if I can get to a 5 by next week, unless I go into labor, which would be better, they will admit me and will go from there!
As it stands, I just talked to hubby, he is going to hear whether he got the leave approved probably about right now. Otherwise he has to leave tomorrow at noon until the 1st. So please just pray they show him favor and understanding about our situation and that there won't be a problem at all.
So there you have it! Time to make lunch for the hooligans!

Still Pregnant, So On With MPM!

Not that I thought I would have had our new little one just yet, but all the signs are there saying we will be meeting him/her soon! But I thought I should have a menu plan for this week. Just for the fun of it! Of course, what gets made when all depends on how I am feeling. We got quite a bit accomplished last week. Besides the onesies and things I picked up, hubby and I got some newborn diapers, wipes, the little thing that goes in your carseat to keep their little heads from rolling around, (thanks for bringing me the carseat Dawn!) as well as ADORABLE boy and girl bring the baby home in outfits. Since we like to wait to find out what we are having, I always pick one of each and then return whichever we don't use.
We got the carseat installed in our car. Which turned into quite a task because it required moving the other two around. Train Junkie is ECSTATIC about being all the way in the back now. Our Durango has 3 rows of seats. Yesterday we went out on a trial ride and he was grinning the whole time! Too cute!
And then of course washing all the new onesies and I am washing all our baby blankies too. Not that we will need them. Its so hot here right now.
Anyway, here is our menu plan for the week, tentatively of course!

Sunday: Barbecue Pork on Rolls with Fruit
Monday: Hot Dogs since its just me and the boys, I will
probably eat something light
Tuesday: Hubby taking me to Melting Pot for my B-day after Dr appt!
Wednesday: Saucy Crockpot Meatballs and noodles, Salad
Thursday: Leftovers, on rolls to make Meatball Sandwiches
Friday: Swedish Meatballs with Rice
Saturday: haven't decided yet
Sunday: Birthday, and MIL flight comes in this morning, so who
knows!

What are you making this week??

Getting Close!

Actually, I guess I am getting started. I had my 36 week appt today and I am already dilated to 2cm. And my Dr could just feel the baby's head! I am so excited about that. Its the little things really, that make me happy! I know I won't make it to 40 weeks. Hopefully hubby will be around when it happens. It seems more likely now, than had I not dilated any. Of course, after my appt, I realized I am NOT at all prepared for this new little one. Sure, we have a crib and a pack and play. But I don't have any clothes or anything. My boys were born in the winter. So everything I have is geared towards bundling up a little one. So I picked up some onesies, neutral of course! And some little mits for little hands, a binkers, and a couple other items. I did save some for hubby to pick out with me. He enjoys doing it. Anyway, all prayers for continued progress so hubby gets to stay instead of going out with his ship for a week and a half would be GREATLY APPRECIATED!! I have to say it terrifies me, not that I would be alone, my MIL would be there, but somehow I think that might be even more scary!

I will end this with probably the funniest thing I have heard in quite a while!

I went to pick the boys up from the sitter, and when we got there, discovered that she had really hurt her foot trying to show her son how to kick a soccer ball. Its probably broken. And NO that is not the funny part! You are all terrible! I stayed with her until the last kid besides my two were picked up so she could put it up.
She decided to go into the ER. I was explaining this to Train Junkie, who is always very concerned when there is an injury. He was talking about Miss Jen going to the Dr and did she have a boo boo.

So I asked him: What will the Dr do when Miss Jen sees him?

Now his usual response would be: The Dr will feel her better!

Not today!
Instead he said: The Dr will FEEL Miss Jen up!

I think we laughed for 10 minutes straight. Which was probably a good thing since it took her mind off the fact that her foot was starting to swell and turn purple with a big bump that really shouldn't be there!

The Lord Works In Minty Ways

So I had my own personal miracle last night around 10:30pm. Probably not a big one by most standards, but to a 36 weeks pregnant woman, this was MONUMENTOUS!!! Ok, so maybe not that huge, but I have no control of my hormones at this point and it takes very little to make me really happy these days. Or cry for that matter, but thats a whole 'nother story!
One of the little things that has sustained me these past 36 weeks, has been mints. I don't want them during the day though. Just at night. When I am asleep. When I was pregnant with my boys, I discovered that mints at night helped to keep nausea at bay. You know, for the "Morning" sickness... This time however, if I don't have fresh minty breath/taste in my mouth throughout the entire night, it makes me ill. Also, due to the fact I need the air set at about 70 while I sleep, it makes my mouth seem really dry. And then I am miserable and can't sleep. Which leads to that crying I mentioned earlier.
Before I left for L.A. I bought one of those multi-packs of Tic Tacs, the BOLD ones. Dear hubby likes to steal them so I always keep a pack in my purse. But I had a ton of them and thought I was doing fine in the stockpile of mints department. As it turned out, Wednesday night was my last night with mints. I had 3 measly little Tic Tacs to keep me through the night, and hubby had Watch that night so I KNEW I couldn't send him to the store to get me more. I made them last. So last night, I figured, I don't really need them, I will just spend a little extra time brushing and flossing my teeth and have loads of water handy. Hubby and his ship left yesterday so I had no one to run to the store for me. And I was CERTAINLY not going to load the boys into the car, haul them into the store just for a thing of Tic Tacs.
I went to bed and then I just LAID there. And laid there. My mouth was dry, I kept drinking water which in turn made me need to use the bathroom. Still laying there. Ok, I HAVE to go hunt for mints. I KNOW there aren't any, but I was desperate enough to hope for a few stray ones in the bottom of my purse. How sad is that?!? Now I know you all want to run to the store buy up packs of mints and send them to me so I am never without again... (you can go ahead and email me for my address now...) I went out to the kitchen, after searching the tops of dressers and our Entertainment center as I put stuff up there to keep out of the reach of my boys. Nope, NOTHING. I am now frantically pulling stuff out of my purse, theres not even a STRAY one in the bottom. I am praying now, Please God, help me find some mints!! I have about 3 pockets in my purse, on one side there is the big zippered one. I keep my business cards and cards from vendors I collect in there. Nope, not in there. Now the other two pockets are on the other side and I usually put spare change, keys, or other little things I don't want to spend a lot of time trying to locate in the vastness that is the bottom of my purse. Wednesday night, when we had dinner with Damon, I had gotten the boys a Butterfinger to split. It was was a little stale, so I wrapped it up and stuck it in one of the side pockets. It was still there last night. I knew there was nothing else in there, but wait, what IS that? TIC TACS?!?! There WAS not Tic Tacs in that pocket the other night when I stuffed the candy bar in there. Its a full pack too, and should keep me til Tuesday when I have my next Drs appt and can run to the store while the boys are at the sitters. GOD gave me Tic Tacs! He said, "Its really pitiful to watch this poor pregnant woman run around the house, while her hubby is out playing war games on his ship, stuck with two sleeping "angels" so she can't get to the grocery store. I am going to make her really happy and give her some Tic Tacs!"
I slept quite peacefully and minty last night!

MPM here we go again

I had such a hard time putting together a menu yesterday. Nothing sounded good, even making out my grocery list was tough. But I know its because I have reached that point where I am not able to eat a whole lot. And even the littlest bit can leave me feeling just icky. However, its not just me eating, I have a HUNGRY hubby and two kids with hollow legs to feed. So I powered through and came up with this.


Sunday: Italian Stuffed Shells This was SO GOOD! It took a little bit of prep, and I substituted in pepperoni for the sausage. And Prego instead of homemade sauce.
Monday: Leftovers hey I said it was GOOD!
Tuesday: Hawaiian Chicken Bake
Wednesday: Taking Dinner to Damon on ship, he has duty
Thursday: Pizza Bake
Friday: Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
Saturday: Breakfast for Dinner

I also tried to grocery shop and menu plan through July 13th since hubby will be gone the end of the this week through then. We will see how much I stick to what I tentatively put together for next week!

Slaves To Trains

As many of you know, trains are the ruling favorite of a certain 3 yr old in our house. It is constant and all consuming. Everything and anything is subject to becoming a train at any given moment. We have tried to teach him his full name, you know, first middle and last. But if you call him that, he says "No, I am just N**H The Big Boy Engineer of Fast Trains" Which would be a great name should he decide to become a wrestler of some sort. He loves, no, let me rephrase that LOVES freight trains, and when it is available OnDemand (or as I call it, OnOccasion) he wants to watch it all day long. Its this incredibly long and boring documentary on the History Channel OnDemand about Freight Trains. Puts me in a coma in minutes.
Thomas holds a special place in his heart, but at this time Thomas is NOTHING in comparison to his new (old, but re-found) train video. We were cleaning out closets and repacking boxes for our inter-complex move to a lower level entrance townhome, and we came across a box with VHS videos in it. And there on top was the video that I am sure Mamaw (My MIL) bought for the train junkie. Its called Fast Trains, and is this cheesy 30 minute video about, you guessed it, trains. And since its unearthing Sunday, Train Junkie has watched it at least 17 times. If he could rewind and rewatch all day long, he would. But I make him take a break, he can watch 2 times in a row, then it goes off for a while and he needs to go play for a while in the playroom. At night, it goes into its box and resides by his side in his bed. Yes, in addition to the SEVERAL hard metal trains, a big plastic elephant and one airplance, Train Junkie now sleeps with a VHS video. Maybe so he can absorb the video into his brain in his sleep. I am hoping that if he sleeps with it long enough, it will just be on a constant loop in his head and I won't have to play it anymore.
As for my Little Guy, he has spent the morning back and forth between me, his brother and the incredibly fascinating GI-NORMOUS roach hanging out on my ceiling. I am not even going to attempt to get it. I am 35 weeks pregnant. And short. So I don't really see myself standing on a chair and trying to stretch and reach to get it. And so while we wait for hubby to get home, my Little Guy has named it Ant, or The Bug, and has carried on a very elaborate conversation with me about how its a nice bug, "Its very BEWTIFUL, and will not steal my milk cup, mommy!" and how its sad and misses its "famwee"
I have been trying to movitate myself to finish what I need to do online, not fall asleep, endure some contractions, and since I have cleaned up the kitchen from breakfast, I have some baking to work on. But that requires standing, which requires dealing with the INTENSE pressure in my pelvic area, not to mention encourages an extremely quick rush of fluid to my bladder and cause me to run to the bathroom. Which is why I am still sitting here. Imagine that.
What is going on in your house today?

MPM here I am again

Due to going out of town last week, and not having to worry about dinners, I let hubby do that... I didn't post anything last week for a menu. And it left me feeling slight incomplete. But I am ready to jump back into menu planning. I am hoping to get some things put together in the next couple of weeks or so to freeze in preparation for the new baby to be! On the other hand my MIL will be here, so maybe she can be talked into cooking... I will let you know how that turns out.
So here we go!
Monday: Leftover Chicken Enchiladas from yesterday
Tuesday: Slow Cooker Dump and Go Cheesy Chicken (have NEVER gotten to this one!)
Wednesday: Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
Thursday: Hotdogs for the boys, sandwich for me (hubby has watch today)
Friday: Pizza Pancakes (haven't had these in a while!)

Nothing too exciting, I am usually so worn out by dinner time, I like things to be simple these days!

In Which A Phone Gets Zapped

My hubby, who for the most part, is against all this "oversharing" of personal life, has been bugging me to share this story with all of blogger-ville. Which is odd to say the least. When I was enjoying the California Sunshine, he called one morning and told me the story and then informed me I could put it on my Blog so people would laugh and leave me comments. He loves to hear the comments.
I could write a whole post about how he is AGAINST blogs, but wants me to read my favorites to him, but instead I will humor hubby and share with you all about the strangeness that is THE CELL PHONE!
As I am sure my audience of 3 remembers, not too long ago, hubby was overseas with his ship in the Scotland area. Right before he left, his cell phone (Verizon issued) started acting up. Its your basic flip phone and when you flipped it up all you could see was a blue screen. No pics, no list of phone numbers, and when you called someone, you had to hope you were putting the numbers in right. When he was overseas, and OUT OF AREA the pic came back. No more blue screen. Hubby was elated to say the least. Well, the minute they got back with in range, the screen went blue again. We took it, and my phone, which was also acting up, into the Verizon store. And may I just say that I am always impressed with the lovely service people at Verizon. As opposed to Cingular where the last time I had a problem the two twits who worked there basically ignored me and worked on a customers account who wasn't even in the store! So while Verizon fixed mine, they couldn't figure out what was wrong with hubbys. Their suggestion was to send it in, and get a free ($50 fee of course for sending it in) phone from the insurance. We held onto the phone.
About a week later, his battery died and he plugged it in to charge, turned it back on and the pic came back again. Don't hold your breath though, it did not last! It got turned off again and stayed that way for a while.
So there I was, relaxing in the cool balmy 70 degrees that is Los Angeles (I have to remind myself every now and then so I can forget the humidity here) when hubs calls and tells me how he fixed his phone. He was messing with it, because he is a guy, and has therefore apparently been blessed with the ability to understand and fix all things electronic. I let him live in his dreamworld occasionally. Anyway, he started thinking about how when it was out of area, it worked. So he started walking around our house trying to find a place that did not get a signal. Which is a lot of places actually. Although not the black hole our house was when we lived on the base. And I had to perch on the arm of the couch at a 90 degree angle with my head cocked to the side in order to talk to my parents for 10 minutes before I lost the ever roving signal.
For whatever reason, hubby decided that the kitchen would be a good place to look for low signals and then had the BRILLIANT idea that he should put his phone in the MICROWAVE. So he turned off the phone, placed it in the Microwave, turned it back on and shut the door. It worked. The pic came back and there was no more strangely mocking blue screen! So the next time you have a problem with your cell phone, just put it in the microwave. Its all very scientific you know.

Making Money

I know I have mentioned before that I signed up and have been occasionally writing posts for make money blogging. This will be my 4th post for this site, my first 3 have already been paid. Not that I have made too much money, but thats more on me since I have to write to make it happen! There are tons of opportunities to choose from and the higher my ratings get with Google and Technorati, the more likely I am to get higher paying opportunities. My earnings as of now are about $17. Everything goes into Paypal, and I can deposit it into our bank account from there. The purpose of posting for payperpost is to make some extra money to go towards paying down our debt. Every little bit helps!
I think what I love most about this site, is that it really does pay! And the guidelines for each post are easy to follow. Should they find something that needs correcting, they give you a chance to take care of it and still make some moo-lah! I highly suggest you all head on over there, get your blog approved and get to writing! Its easy and its fun!

YUM!! Ice Cream!

This is just too good to pass up, and what better way to celebrate the 4th of July than with Homemade Ice Cream?! The very generous ladies at 5 minutes for Mom are hosting a Fourth Of July giveaway. This and this are the prizes in the first of many contests to come! So head on over here to find out how and where to enter! Its easy! Go, go do it now! C'mon, it will be fun...

Almost Too Tired

I have been sitting here this morning trying to get some work done. I have articles to write and a phone call to make. But instead I am practically drooling on my keyboard. My eyes want to close so badly right now. Unfortunately, unless my boys spontaneously fall asleep, that won't be happening until sometime after 8 tonight. I thought being on my vaca in California would help me catch up on some sleep. Boy, was I wrong! The time difference wreaked havoc on my already screwed up sleep cycles. Combine that with getting to spend time with one of my closest friends that I haven't had any face time with in two years, and well, lets just say my boys let me get more sleep!
Plus I got so spoiled with hubby being home, today is the first day he actually has to go to work. And what makes it more fun is that he has watch tonight. Although on the flip side, that probably means I will be getting to bed a lot earlier!

On a slightly less perky side, here is an update on my dad. He is recuperating at home, slowly. He has good days and bad days. As I would expect is going to happen when you have the type of surgery he went through. When I called to talk to my mom the other night, I found out that the type of tumor that was in the bone they removed is very rare. And is usually not found within a bone. His Doctors were planning on radiation, but have decided to add chemotherapy as well. My dad was hoping to avoid that. I am unsure if it will be in pill form or not. Is this the usual way now? There is just so much we don't know. And its a little scary to say the least. I know God is sovereign and in control, but can I just say that 2007 has not been the greatest year ever. To those of you praying, thank you so much. It is a precious thing.

The West Coast Blues

My vacation ended yesterday, when I flew home from Los Angeles. Let me tell you, I LOVE the weather in California. It was gorgeous, sunny, breezy, and not the least bit humid. Cockroaches? Not a one. Mosquitos? Nope! Cost of living? Astronomical, and all the drivers are insane. But all in all, a great trip. So now, I am back to reality and my mind is in overdrive with everything I need to get done. One of which is putting together my monthly Ezine for July. Which you can view here I thought since the wedding I assisted with was a beach wedding, I would make my focus Summertime and Beach events/weddings. So here is what I am asking of ALL of you, make this my QOTD! (Sorry Stacey!) What is your Fourth of July tradition? Did you have one growing up, and maybe use now with your family, or have you made your own tradition? Do you have a favorite recipe passed down from generations, or one you use each year on your own? SHARE PEOPLE!!!

Working Our Way

We have a goal. Its a rather frustrating one. We want to be debt free. Which I am sure is the goal of a lot of couples. Ours, while large for us, is probably small in comparison to others out there. But it is ours and I want it GONE! I think whats most frustrating, is that it feels like its going to take forever. There are no bonuses in the Navy. Other than when hubby goes out for certain amounts of time, or does Flight stuff. I can only do so much with my business right now. I have little ones at home, and a new one due in a few weeks. I am sure some of you have seen the payperpost.com posts I have done. So far 3, and they do pay, but I would have to do a TON of them to really make money on them, and I don't have a high enough rating (google and technorati) to qualify for the ones that pay ALOT! I know having a bigger readership would help with that.... hint hint wink wink
I am getting "paid" if you can call it that, to read emails. And they are RIDICULOUS. All the get-rich-quick schemes you can handle. Wealth and prosperity can be mine for the low, low cost of $99 and probably everyone I know. Multi-level marketing can be fun! Fortunately for me, I am not dumb enough to get involved in any of those. I wish they worked. I wish I knew an honest person who does the viral videos, sits around all day not making phone calls or stuffing envelopes and have $1000's deposited into their bank account on a daily basis. But I don't, because chances are, they DON'T exist!
I did discover the other day, a place called cashcrate.com through a girls blog who is in a ton of debt, and is working to try and pay it off in two years. She has made quite a bit of money on this site. Well, over a $1000 in fact in a month. So, I read all her info on it, and then I checked out the site. Then I contacted her and asked some questions. Which she was more than happy to answer for me. I signed up under her. I think that is the best way to make money on there.
Its your basic money making deal. You fill out forms, or surveys. You can opt for the ones that are 100% free, meaning no trial offers, and still make some money. And when you reach $10 then you qualify for a check at the end of the month. Which I already qualify for. You can also do the trials and things, but you are signing up for a service for a certain period of time to try. You then have to remember to call and cancel before they begin billing you. Which right now, I don't feel like taking the time to remember.
But referrals are where its at. So heres the deal people, go check it out, if you have the time and would like to make some easy extra money, then sign up. But PLEASE do it under my name. My referral link is here. Just click on it and sign up. Its free to sign up too. I will try and keep you all updated on how things are going and how much I am making. When I get my first check, I will scan it (blacking out personal information of course!) and show it to you all. It didn't take me a lot of time to get to $10.


If you have any questions, feel free to ask me! I will try to answer the best I can!

Random Cravings...

For whatever reason, my cravings are getting stranger and stranger. But I guess anything is strange considering I never really craved anything with my other two pregnancies.
I can't seem to stop baking. I want to bake ALL THE TIME!! I made some yummy bread earlier this week, and this morning, I made Blueberry muffins. I make ALOT of pudding. I don't know if you can consider that baking or not. Probably not since it is instant. But I do add-ins... See, now you are intrigued. By the crazy pregnant woman and her pudding post. I love banana pudding, you know, with french vanilla pudding, vanilla wafers, and bananas layered. And then topped with Cool Whip. I also made Chocolate pudding, and I just put in the Vanilla Wafers and topped that with Cool Whip. YUM! There is just something about really SUPER cold pudding with yummy cakey Vanilla Wafers that makes me all drooly.
Is it weird, that I really wanted to eat my Blueberry muffin (or Nuffins, as my boys call them)with Cool Ranch Doritos? And a really cold glass of chocolate milk?
Which brings to mind an episode of Friends. And you all know which one I am talking about, you just don't want to admit it. And because I ALWAYS remember random things like this, I am more than happy to refresh your memory.

Joey, drinking chocolate milk: "Hey Chandler, did you want some?"
Chandler, in true sarcastic form: "Hey Joe, No Thanks! I'm 30."

So now, that I have plugged Doritos, Jello Instant Pudding, 'Nilla Wafers, and Friends, I am going to sit back and wait for all the free stuff for me to try to start pouring in....
I can also mention Land Rover if that helps!

What are you craving today?

Spreadin' The Love!

I love a good contest! But then, who doesn't? Not that I win alot, only occasionally. Hope, however, springs eternal and I will enter until I get SOMETHING!! Although I do have to say, that the other day, I WON (yes, you read that right!) a GC to Chili's from AlisonWonderland.
Here is my next hope to win.....
The girls over at Pinks & Blues are giving away an ADORABLE Dooney and Burke purse. I am usually a Coach girl, I say that like I have TONS of Coach purses, when in fact I only have 3 and a wallet. All you have to do to qualify is head on over and leave a comment! TOO EASY! You don't even have to have a blog, which I know someone who doesn't who might want to enter....

They are also including a cute Juicy Couture shirt, (its a small so I would have to wait quite a while to wear it, being preggo and all) and 2 pairs of VS pant*ies. All new and clean of course!
And you know, my birthday is in a month and a half, and this would make a GREAT gift to me, from, well, you know, ME!!
So head on over and check them out, let them know you came from me, they give prizes for most visits from a link too....

Look Mom No Hands

Or at least no PIN numbers or remembering 1-800 numbers to make long distance calls anymore! Thats what you will find when you use a Pingo phone "card". Quality and ease with no more hassle of carrying around phone cards and worrying about losing it or running out of minutes!
My husband is in the Navy, and when he is deployed, he is always looking for a great deal on phone cards so he can call home. But rates can be high on international calls. And that leaves little for souveniers!! With Pingo, you are guaranteed competitive rates, no additional charges, and great customer service, and you get the best rate on international calling cards abroad! All you pay is for your minutes and a nominal monthly maintenance fee. No hidden charges! And when you sign up, you will recieve four hours of free international calls as well as a $25 online merchant gift certificate for places like Mrs Fields, Spawish.com, or even Lobster Gram!
When you sign up, you have the option of using your issued PIN number and an access number, or using the Pingo Pinpass feature to bypass your pin number. Simply register up to 10 of the numbers you call from the most, and then you no longer need to use your pin and access numbers when using your home, cell, or office phone!
When looking for virtual International rechargeable phone calling card service, look no further than Pingo!






This post is being considered by payperpost.com

Why Can't They Go To The Bone Bank?

I had just fallen asleep last night when my phone rang. About 12:30-ish, I think. Usually I am pretty good about turning the ringer down and just having it on vibrate. When hubby is out for watch, I keep my cell in my room because I feel safer that way. So when it rang, or I guess SANG (since for whatever reason, when a unavailable number comes up it plays RedNeck Woman, which is odd in itself, I don't like country music!) it scared the living daylights out of me! I was about to ignore it when I remembered that my parents number is unavailable and maybe, just maybe I ought to pick it up. Of course, it was my mom, who said, "I didn't think you would answer it, I was gonna leave a message!"
She was calling to let me know how the surgery went. Had my Dad not broke his leg, he was supposed to be admitted yesterday at 10:30am. Being there already, they thought it could help speed the process along. The Dr had other ideas. Sunday he came in and told my parents, although mostly my mom since my dad was rather loopy, that he didn't have a scheduled time for the surgery. They had been bumped up to first spot, then kicked out of first spot, because someone decided to come in later. Also he was NOT doing anything until he had the BONE in his hand.
If you all remember, they were going to replace the bone in his leg with one from a cadaver.
To which my mom asked me: "They have Organ Banks, I figured they have a Bone Bank! Can't they just go get one that FITS from the BONE BANK??"
Had I been eating or drinking something I would have spit it all over my bed.
Apparently looking for a matching femur bone takes some time. Surgery didn't start until about 3:30pm yesterday. And lasted for 4 hours!
Everything went well, and he is beginning his recovery. Their goal is to get him up and moving as soon as possible, and discharged Thursday.
God is GOOD!!!

Vacation Ain't What It Used To Be!

I am so excited about my trip next week. And a just a wee bit nervous since I will be 32 weeks pregnant! But, one of my closest friends is finally tying the knot and I just have to be there for it. We have invested a lot of prayer in her finding the right guy.
I wish we could fit a family vacation in this year, but as I stated above, its not a good idea this year. I have been reading everybodies blogs lately about traveling and it took me back to when I was little and would do a summer trip every year with my parents and sister. It was so different back then. Think Mid-80's!
We never flew anywhere, because my mom has severe motion sickness. So instead we would pile into our 82 Datsun 2-10 and head out on the open road. Driving, thankfully didn't confine us to the great state of Oregon. We went to Disneyland, Victoria BC, Edmonton, Canada, Lousiana, etc.
Apparently my mom also had a severe sickness that involved no loud music in the car. This was torture for two young girls who wanted to sing their hearts out to "Walk Like An Egyptian", and any thing by Micheal W Smith or Amy Grant. Oh sure, she would have the radio on.... you just had to strain in order to hear it. Go ahead, sit in your car and imagine your are about 8 yrs old, you ask for some music and while most people have theirs set at about a 10-12 on the volume knob, which is not all that loud, my mom kept it at about 3-4. I think the strain itself was more dangerous than the louder decibels might have been. So we would bring along PILES of books and read and read.
As it was, a Datsun, while popular with all the guys in my high school when I drove it, its not a roomy car. And I am WELL KNOWN for not being able to sit up straight or normal. I tuck my legs up, or sit on one with the other stretched out. Or both on the back of the front seat. Sometimes I sat sideways. And unbeknownst to ANYONE, there is a LINE down the middle of the backseat that, according to your older sister, you are not allowed to cross. That puts you into her space and violates all privacy codes. Or something like that. I would sit, curled up in the backseat of a two door car, trying to be comfy on a long hot road trip. Quietly reading my book. My toe would inch over the invisible divider (ON ACCIDENT OF COURSE!) and my sisters internal FAIRNESS meter would sound off. MOOOOOOM, She is ON MY SIDE!!! MAKE HER MOVE!!! She is BUGGING ME!!!!!! And with no radio to drown her out.... Well you can only imagine how fun those 4 day road trips could be.
Once we got to the Hotel, the line from the backseat, magically re-appeared down the middle of the queen size bed my sister and I would share. We had our own rooms at home, always had. So it put us both out that we had to share on these trips. We would fight over covers, and of course over who strayed into the others territory in our sleep. When you should be able to control where you roll of course. One year, my sister brought along SAFETY PINS and pinned down the middle of the bed. Thats right, instead of maybe asking for another blanket and sheet so we didn't have to share covers, now I had to worry about whether I was going to be SKEWERED in the middle of the night by an unfriendly pin. Yep, family vacations are great. So many memories, and I want our kids to have as much fun as I did!!