Off to the Races

Goodness gracious, it's Saturday morning, the ONE day out of the week that I can sleep in and not force myself to wake up when the alarm so rudely alerts me it's time!! So why then have I been awake since 5:15am????

Silly as it sounds I think there are two reasons why. Are ya' ready for this...

1. I woke up stressing about a book report that the athlete has put little to no time into over the last 3 weeks since it was assigned, (granted this is also my fault!). He got off to a rockin start and read the book in it's entirety over two days, but his enthusiasm quickly fizzled out when he had to actually start writing the report. No surprise there though!! That is the normal trend for him.

So now over the next two days he needs to write the report, design a game centered around his book, create a cereal with a theme from his book, and write and memorize a commercial to present to his class on Monday, selling his new cereal.

All this has to be done this weekend in between ALL OF THIS....

10:15am - Athlete's soccer game

11:00 -Princess's soccer game

2:00 -4:00pm - Attend a friends birthday party

5:00pm -Trick or Treating, which by the way I still have not gotten a costume for my son, and it is REALLY bothering me! (So add another hour or so on the schedule to shop for a costume.) I feel terrible about this. It has never happened to us before. I am always on the ball with Halloween and my kids have had their costumes for weeks. Up until last night the princess was costumeless (is that even a word?) too! Luckily my sister-in-law who has 4 children, graciously let us go over last night and try on all the costumes she has saved up over the years. She is a VERY smart mom!! We found a winner and I got one out of two down!!

This by the way is the second reason I woke so early on my one day to sleep in! I feel bad about dropping the ball this year! I really hope we are able to find the athlete a costume and that the stores are not sold out of everything! Otherwise I will be left getting very creative with some felt, pipecleaners, boxes, and anything else I can get my hands on, fashioning a do it yourself costume! (This will not be pretty, I might add, so let's just hope we don't get to this point ok?)

Alright, rant over back to our crazy weekend and book report finishing!!

Sunday:

9:00am -Sunday school

10:00am -Church

1:00pm till who knows -Nephew's birthday party

Soooo somewhere in between all this craziness we will also be writing, coloring, designing, gluing, and memorizing a book report due first thing Monday morning.


On Your Mark, Get Set, GOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

Responsibility...and the lack thereof

Every morning in our home it's the same thing, getting my children ready for school, day after day, it goes something like this...

Me: Did you brush your teeth?

The Athlete: No

Me: Then go do it, when you are done with everything and you are ready for school, THEN you may play with the daycare kids.

Me: Did you take your asthma meds?

The Athlete: No, I just finished brushing my teeth, (said in a tone that is not so nice!)

Me: Go take your meds and finish getting ready. I should not have to tell you every morning what needs to be done before you start to play, (said in an exasperated kind of tone!)

And this goes on task after task and day after day.

The final straw was yesterday when we were all walking out the door. I had to drive them because we missed the bus, again!

Me: Athlete, you forgot you reading book for school, it's on the couch.

The Athlete: I didn't forget it!!!! I knew it was there and I was gonna grab it!!! (yelling)

Me: If I hadn't said anything to you, you would have walked right out that door and gone to school without your book.

The Athlete: You never believe I can remember to do anything!!! You don't think I am responsible!!!!!!!!!!

(UM, what was that? Did he really just say that I don't think he is responsible? He seriously really thinks that he deserves to be called responsible without proving that he is in fact a responsible person? Apparently so!)

Now don't get me wrong the athlete is in fact a very responsible kid when it comes to choosing right from wrong. He makes very responsible decisions with his peers and elsewhere. He helps his sister and is a safety freak. But I am talking about being responsible for your belongings, your daily tasks, and such. On that aspect, not so much.

So what's a "responsible" parent to do?? I'll tell you...

I calmly explained to the athlete that starting tomorrow I was no longer going to treat him like he was a child. I would give him the "responsibility" that he so desperately felt that he deserved, and get himself ready for school, without any intervening from me.

OK?

"OK" he agreed, extremely content with himself.

Proceed to this morning...

The athlete awakes bright and early, comes down fully dressed and proceeds to get himself his own breakfast. After breakfast he cleans up his mess, and heads right into the bathroom to brush his teeth. He passes me in the hall and I notice he has what could only be described as a very smug look on his face.

I ignore smug look and secretly think to myself that this is going better than expected and maybe I should have given him more credit, or at least a chance to prove that he can be more responsible at his age.

I continue to get lunches and backpacks packed and help the princess do her hair. When suddenly I hear a sound that is forbidden in the morning at our house unless everyone is completely ready for school. The athlete has started playing the Wii.

I quietly laugh to myself and wait for the repercussions from the coach who was well aware of the new policies starting that morning.

In less than 30 seconds flat the athlete was at my side, so angry he could spit.

Me: What's the matter? (with a smug smile on my face now)

The Athlete: Dad took the Wii away from me for a week!!!

Me: Why?

The Athlete: Because I turned it on and I wasn't ready for school. I forgot to take my asthma meds because you didn't tell me to!!!!!! That's no faiiiiiiiiir!!!

You gotta love it!!! Are ya kiddin' me??

Me: But it's not my job anymore to tell you what needs to be done in the morning. I'm giving you more responsibility, remember? And along with more responsibility comes more consequences for your actions. The sooner you learn that the better off you will be my friend!

The athlete stormed off and took his meds , finished getting ready for school and never said another word about it!

Apparently around here, if you ask a certain 9 year old boy, responsibility is supposed to be handed out without earning it, AND there should be exceptions to the rules!!

Yeah, I don't think so! Do you think he got the message?

My Halloween Anniversary

Ask any child that you know, "Are you excited for Halloween?", and they will get that little twinkle of excitement in their eyes and list off what they are going to be this year, and how much candy they are going to get, and what Halloween parties they are going to and so on... but to most adults, Halloween is nothing more than a blip on the radar. Sure they might be going to a fun Halloween party, or taking their kids trick or treating, but the day itself is nothing special.

For me though, Halloween holds a special place in my heart, and no it is not costume or party related!!

Halloween night is the night, almost 10 years ago, that I officially learned that I was going to become a mother for the very first time!

Trick or treat!!!

And let me tell you, on that dark night, it was definitely more trick than treat! I was 23 years old, fresh out of college, broker than broke, and barely able to take care of myself, let alone another human being.

It was after midnight and the coach and I were driving home from trick or treating with his two little sisters, when I decided to bite the bullet and mention to him that it might not be a bad idea to stop in to the 24hour drugstore to pick up a pregnancy test... dun, dun, daaaaaaa!!

I had been living in denial for the past week and was trying to convince myself that I was just running a little late that month, even though for the past 8 years I had never had that issue! After a week of torture and running to the bathroom every 15 minutes I decided to give up the facade and face facts. I had to act like an adult and deal with the reality that my life might be about to change. Living in the world of not knowing was no longer an option.

The coach almost drove off the road right then and there but quickly got himself composed and we drove the remainder of the way in silence, to the pharmacy and then straight home and right into the bathroom where I ripped open the package and read the directions three times.

I did the deed, and quickly left the room, feeling sick to my stomach. The wait was torture. I could not believe the reality of the situation. We were NOT suppose to be dealing with this. I was supposed to be starting my teaching career, and planning to announce my engagement to my folks shortly, and then spending the next year planning an amazing wedding.

NOT spending the next 9 months of my life growing a human being inside me!!!!

But as you already know, that was exactly what was happening.

That was a sleepless Not so Happy Halloween night.

Over the next two days I learned that I was approximately 3 weeks pregnant and my life was changed forever...

Nine months later on July 1st, at 10:06 in the morning, the athlete made his first appearance into the world, and I became a mother!

Ten years later am I where I thought I was going to be then? No, I could have only hoped for this much! In fact, my life has been full of more amazing blessings than I ever imagined.

Do I have any regrets about becoming a mother quicker than planned? Absolutely Not! In fact, knowing what I know now, I would go back and do it all again in a heartbeat!! Sometimes, the best things in life happen to be the ones that throw us off course for a little while. I fimly believe that everything in life happens for a reason. You may start off thinking the worst of a situation and then after the fact, be so grateful for the experience you were blessed with. That is exactly what happened to me on that Halloween night!

So along with everyone else, making or buying costumes for their children, stocking up on candy, decorating their homes into spooky abodes, and going to parties, I also think back to my special Halloween night, and I smile.

Happy Halloween Everyone!!!!

It's time for the Pampered Chef Free Giveaway!!!

UPDATE: Congrats again to Kaleena!! The princess pulled her name out of all the entries for this fabulous gift!! We had over twenty entries between both blogs, thank you all so much!!



I am so excited to finally be posting my Pampered Chef Breast Cancer Awareness Free Giveaway!!!! Remember in my post titled "To My Sisters" I mentioned that I would be hosting a free giveaway in the next few days?

Well, I've been anxiously awaiting to hear from my super, marvelous friend Michelle over at "Style 411" to find out what gifts she so generously put together to donate here on my blog and now I know!!! Let me just say that she has gone above and beyond putting this super collection of gizmos and gadgets together for you guys. So show her some appreciation and stop by her blog at www.michellestyle411.com to say thanks. Go tell her just how wonderful she is!!!!

Would you like to know what's included in the giveaway too???? Well just have a look below....

Wouldn't you just love to be the lucky gal who gets to sip her coffee or tea from those adorable pink polka dot mugs????

Or how about using the cutting board and knife to slice up some cheese and crackers at your next little get together????

Also included is the Pink Mini-Measure All Cup, Ribbon Decorating Stencils, Pink Nylon Knife, and the Help Whip Clip!!

You can show your support for breast cancer awareness and have some amazing high quality products from the Pampered Chef at the same time!!!

Can you tell I am just tickled PINK about this giveaway?????

Am I clever or what?

OK, on to the important stuff that you have been waiting for... how to enter this "pinktacular" giveaway!!! (Gosh, I am on a roll tonight folks!!)

There are two ways to enter for a chance to win the Pampered Chef Pink Giveaway. If you do both, you get two chances to win!!

Way number 1: leave a comment relating to Breast Cancer Awareness in this post.

Way number 2: go to my fabulous friends blog at www.michellestyle411.com and leave her a comment relating to her Pampered chef donation on one of her blog posts.

I will keep track of the number of entries and on October 31st, Halloween night, I will have the princess draw one lucky winner out of a hat and I will announce the winner on this post!!! So check back on Halloween to see if you are the lucky reader!!

Good luck!

Dang, dang, dang it, the flu has hit!!

Well, it's official!! The athlete has the FLU and also full blown pneumonia, which is a complication from the FLU!

Dang, dang, and more dang it!!! I am kicking myself right now and I have just awarded myself the worst mother of the year award. Apparently that bout of sickness that infected our home last Wednesday was actually the flu and I didn't realize what it was. I did take him in for a throat culture though, because he was presenting all the symptoms of strep.

The culture came back negative, and he seemed to be improving over the next few days. The fever broke, his energy level came back up, but he seemed to come down with a cold after the fever went away.

I sent him to school yesterday and the day before, HECK, I even let him play in his soccer game on Saturday and go to practice Tuesday night!!! (Yup, I am an awesome mom!!)

He got off the bus yesterday and looked like death warmed over and I knew he was burning up. His temp was 104.2!!!!! The heat was radiating off of his body and you could feel it from 3 inches away!!

Holy panic attack moment!!! Luckily the coach was home early from work and took him immediately to the pediatrician, (I still had daycare children here or else I would have taken him myself), where they then confirmed that he has had the flu all along since last Wednesday and has now developed pneumonia from the flu!

Poor baby, I have never seen him so sick in all his life. I was actually scared for him last night and I gotta tell ya, it is a horrible feeling.

I felt so helpless and angry. I wanted to be able to take his pain away and make it better. I paced around my house wondering what was happening at the doctors and if the coach made sure to tell the pediatrician EVERYTHING I told him to tell her!!

So now it's a waiting and resting game. Lots of fluids, even more rest, and antibiotics for the pneumonia. Hopefully we will see some improvement now. But it still doesn't take away the guilt I feel :(

To My Sisters...

For those of you who know me in the real world, you probably saw the name of this post and thought, "What is she talking about? She doesn't have any sisters." This is true. I don't have any biological sisters. But when I wrote the words "To My Sisters", I was referring to all the wonderful women out there in the world; the mothers, daughters, sisters, grandmothers, aunts, cousins, and friends. I am speaking to every women, of every age, all over the world.

Why am writing to all of you and not specifically speaking to just the ones that I happen to know personally you ask?

Because tonight I want to write about the devastating disease Breast Cancer. And every woman, everywhere, needs to here what I have to say.

Breast cancer isn't picky. It doesn't size up it's victims, hand selecting each and every woman for some admirable trait they possess. It does not restrict itself to one age group or nationality, or one group of family or one group of friends.

It just HITS and it hits HARD, devastating the lives of everyone who comes in contact with it.

In case you haven't heard, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and I thought it fitting to inform you of some scary statistics. (At first I wrote scary and then deleted it. I didn't want you to think I was trying to frighten you, but then after thinking about it for a minute I realized that as matter I fact, I think I was trying to scare you... just a little bit. Not put the fear of God into you, just make you read this and maybe open your eyes a little bit to the truth behind this fierce killer.)

Did you know that...

One in eight women or 12.6% of all women will get breast cancer in her lifetime.

Every 13 minutes a woman dies of breast cancer.

Seventy-seven percent of women with breast cancer are over 50.

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women between the ages of 15 and 54, and the second cause of cancer death in women 55 to 74.

Breast cancer risk increases with age and every woman is at risk.

The first sign of breast cancer usually shows up on a woman's mammogram before it can be felt or any other symptoms are present. Get one annually!!

You are never too young to develop breast cancer! Breast Self-Exam should begin by the age of twenty.

Pretty damn scary if you ask me.

I have a history of breast cancer in my family. My mother's mother past away when she was in her early thirties leaving my mother when she was just 15 months old. After doing some research we learned that two of my mother's aunts passed away from breast cancer as well as two of her cousins.

Luckily, my mom and her sisters are alive and well and never been diagnosed with cancer. But these statistics should not be taken lightly. Whether you have a history of the disease in your family or not, there is always a risk!

On a more positive note:

Ninety-six percent of women who find and treat breast cancer early will be cancer-free after five years.

Early detection of breast cancer, through monthly breast self-exam and particularly yearly mammography after age 40, offers the best chance for survival.

Over eighty percent of breast lumps are not cancerous, but benign such as fibrocystic breast disease.

Bottom line, you are your best advocate against breast cancer. Do your monthly breast exams, and if you are not sure what you are doing I urge you to talk to your doctor.

I did.

I flat out told him that I was clueless when it came to doing breast exams and that I didn't know what I was even looking for. He gave me a fake "boob" for lack of a better word, placed it on my chest, and told me to find the four cancerous lumps inside. He watched me do a self exam and told me I was doing it correctly and son of a gun, wouldn't you know it, I found all four lumps!! More importantly, I felt much better about doing self exams from then on because I knew what I was looking for. If I can do it, you all can do it too. I promise it isn't scary or something to be embarrassed about. Your doctor is there to help in any way he or she can!

On an even more positive note, I have an exciting free giveaway coming up related to Breast Cancer Awareness!!!!!! (See I am not all about the doom and gloom!!! I'm actually a very positive person!).

A very talented and good friend of mine who is a Pampered Chef consultant, and happens to write a fabulous style and beauty blog called "Style 411" - www.michellestyle411.com has graciously offered to donate some totally awesome gizmos from the Pampered Chef breast cancer awareness line!!!

How awesome is that???? Could it get any better??? Well yes it can!! All you fabulous readers of mine have a chance to win these great gifts, and support the American Cancer Society at the same time!! WOOOO HOOOOO!!!

Stay tuned because in the next few days I will be announcing the Pampered Chef Breast Cancer Awareness Giveaway so stay tuned!!

To all my sisters out there, take care of yourselves.

Not Me Monday with a FREE GIVEAWAY!!!!!!

Yes folks, it's that time of the week again!! A time to come clean about your not so stellar mom moments! You know what I'm talking about. This is the time and this certainly is the place to let it all out! No holding back.

Feeling guilty about anything that you did as a mom this week? This is a great week to share those moments, because if you do, you will be entered into a contest to win a really great suprise! Details at the end!!!

I certainly did not feel guilty about sending the athlete off to school with nothing but a sweatshirt to keep warm. I also did not look out the window and see snow falling on the ground about an hour later. Nope not me!!
(On a side note here, I also did not keep replaying this day over in my mind for the last 5 days while a certain child was sick as a dog and wonder if that day had anything to do with his newly acquired symptoms. That would be foolish!)


I did not convince myself that giving my sweet child a slice of cheese and a few bites of yogurt was plenty to eat for breakfast and that she would be fine at school until snack time! I am a health conscious mom and would never let my daughter go to school with anything but a wholesome, nutritious breakfast, consisting of more than one food group. Not me!

When dealing with the sickness that seemed to linger here at home this past week, I never once got frustrated or pitied myself while nursing back to health two very sick children for days on end. Not once! I also did not snap at the coach when he came home from work on day 2 of said sickness when he asked me what was wrong. I did not glare at him and snap out, "I need 15 minutes to myself to at least take a shower!!" I would never take out my frustrations out on my husband or be a smidge bit jealous of the fact that he was not stuck home for the past 48 hours dealing with sick children. Nope not me!!

What not me moments did you have this week? And be honest! It is nice to see that us moms are not alone! Leave a comment in the comments section of THIS post to be entered into a giveaway to win this fabulous book...


I Was a Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids: Reinventing Modern Motherhood by Trisha Ashworth and Amy Nobile.

This book is hysterical and has some great Not me mom moments in it. To enter simply leave a comment in the box below this post with one of your Not Me Moments. You must leave it in this post, a Facebook comment will not be entered into the giveaway. The winner will be randomly chosen and announced on Friday of this week. Good luck and happy Not Me Mothering!!!

Plain and Simple

Today I am tired. Plain and Simple. I am sick of my kids being sick. I hate seeing them this way. The tired, glassy eyes, the endless coughing, the fevers that keep coming and going. And of course, the constant worry of a mother wishing she could make them all better.

I've realized that it doesn't matter what age your child is, you still worry when they get sick. You still try to do everything you can to make them well. Your heart still aches for your children when they break down and cry in your arms because they just don't feel well, Plain and Simple.

You go into overdrive and mother 24/7. During the day you snuggle, you soothe, you fetch drinks and meds. You rub tummies and wipe noses, you tell them you love them when they tell you they hurt. Plain and Simple.

The endless nights, you must mentally prepare for. You do your best to get some rest with little ones in your bed. You constantly wake, checking for fevers, administering meds, giving drinks , and blowing noses. You watch cartoons in the middle of the night, or lay there and watch the minutes tick by on the alarm clock. You give in to exhaustion and shut your eyes, but continue listening to the sniffles, the coughing, the wheezing.

It's impossible to sleep through that. You feel guilty about wishing you could sleep.

But how can you, when your little ones lay awake coughing and crying because their head and body ache. You rub them and soothe them no matter how tired you are. Sleep is not allowed on nights like this. Plain and Simple.

I want my kids to feel better.

I am sick of the sickness that lingers in my home.

Plain and Simple

Yeah.... PG my behind!!

OK, let me just back track a little before I get to the real reason for writing this morning. The athlete came home from school yesterday and it was obvious that he was NOT feeling well. We tried to get through the afternoon, but by dinner time there was no way to deny that he was in fact, sick. (uugh!)

So I heated up some soup, cuddled him up on the couch, and proceeded to look for a movie on demand for all of us to watch. I scrolled through the list of all the PG and G movies.

We do not allow our children to watch PG-13 movies. Why you ask? Because they are 9 and 6 and not 13! That's why! The coach and I feel very strongly about what is age appropriate for our children and we sensor movies accordingly. Oh, and please don't get me wrong, I am not by any means telling other parents out there what they should or should not allow their children to watch, I am simply stating what our beliefs for our own children are on this subject.

And so, this led me to the movie Coraline, which by the way is PG. It was the only one on demand that the athlete and princess had not yet seen. So we all settled in for a relaxing, enjoyable, (so I thought), evening of movie watching.

The movie was definitely bizarre from the beginning. The athlete piped up and said to me, "Um, this movie is really weird, ma!" I told him it was different, but let's give it a shot. It might be really good.

The first alarm bell went off when Coraline goes downstairs to visit her neighbors, two elderly eccentric theatre junkies. One of which has a chest size that is soooo utterly exaggerated that even with clothing on, it is impossible for them NOT to be the only, and I mean only thing that you notice on the television screen. The fact that when she moves around they jiggle up and down and left to right, doesn't help disguise them any better either!

I ignored, to the best of my ability, the monstrosities on the boob tube, pun intended here folks!

But couldn't help hear the tiny giggles coming from the princess who noticed the over-exaggerated body parts as well. I'm pretty sure that had the athlete not been feeling under the weather that this image would have elicited some cracking up on his part too. He's a nine year old boy after all!

The real problem happens when Coraline goes through the tunnel to the alternate world, or a better word might be the fantasy world.

At one point she is directed by her fantasy parents to go downstairs to see the show that the theatre junkies are putting on. When she goes down to their apartment, it has been transformed into a full size theater and the show is about to begin. The curtain opens and up pops one of the elderly women in a mermaid suit. To which Coraline utters to her friend sitting beside her, "She is practically naked!" and they laugh together.

Wait, wait it gets better! After she performs the curtain closes and reopens, up pops balloon lady, you remember her right? The one with the mammoth maracas?

What is she wearing you ask?

Nothing but turquoise star pasties and a thong!

What was she doing while wearing nothing but pasties and a thong you ask?

Twirling and spinning, jumping and leaping, singing and dancing around the stage. It looked like a scene from an adult entertainment film gone perversely wrong!

WHAT THE HELL????

I was actually thinking something much worse, but I am trying to write appropriately.

I think at that moment my eyes literally bugged out of my head and before I had a chance to process what was being permanently burned into my retinas, the laughter rose up and exploded from two small children sitting in the room.

The coach looked up from the computer and muttered something under his breath then started yelling, "change this crap, change it, change it!!!!".

I jumped up and began fervently looking for the remote control, which I couldn't find fast enough because it was hidden in the mounds of blankets that we had been covered in.

Finally I simply ran for the tv and shut it off manually. All this while the athlete and princess whooped and hollered and screamed hysterically about how funny that old woman looked. The athlete then proceeded to tell me just how "inappropriate that movie was and that we certainly should not turn it back on". Ya think?!!!

Now, I have to ask, On what planet is a fully naked woman, young or old, with nothing but pasties and a thong on, appropriate for children under the age of 13? I certainly don't think children should be exposed to a scene like that, do you? Maybe I'm in the minority, maybe I'm not. That is why I had to blog about this. Aparently I am back to screening movies first before allowing my children to see a film because I can not trust the rating system for films any longer.

I need to know where other people stand on this issue.

Has anyone else seen this movie, with or without their children?

What do you think about the scene I so artfully depicted for you all here?

For those of you whose children have seen the film, what were their reactions?

Below this post is a comment section, for all you moms out there, Please feel free to weigh in on the subject! I am dying to here what you all think!

In case you can not tell this really has me in huff!

A year in history, 1976

All I really know about the year 1976 was that I was born on a Saturday morning in the early fall. I was very curious about what else went on the year I was born. Obviously it is too early for me to remember what life was like during that time, so I did a little research and this is what I discovered!

Interesting Tid-bits that year:
hurricane Belle hit the US east coast
the $2.00 bill was introduced
The "Son of Sam" committed his first violent attack in NYC
The Winter Olympics took place in Montreal, Canada
Punk Rock was born when The Damned release their single New Rose
Jimmy Carter defeated Gerald Ford in the US presidential election

Technological Advances:

Apple Computer Company is formed
IBM introduced the first laser printer
NASA unveils the first space shuttle, The Enterprise
An American panel warns that CFC's Chloro-fluorocarbons used in aerosol cans damage the Ozone layer, (who would of "thunk" it back then?)
Landing Vehicles from the US Spacecraft Viking I and Viking II set down safely on Mars

Popular films that year were:
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
The Omen
All the President's Men
Rocky

Famous people born that year were:
Colin Farrell
Reese Witherspoon
Jennifer Capriati

Melissa Joan Hart

Famous people who died that year were:
Howard Hughes
Agatha Christie

Interesting huh? All it took was a few clicks on the computer and 10 minutes of research. I challenge you all to find out what went on the year of your birth! Happy searching!

Dear Laundry,

Did I ever tell you how much I despise you? Out of all the many household jobs that must be done on a daily basis, I hate you the most. Hate is such a strong word and I don't like to use it frequently, but in this case if the shoe fits where it!

I will cook, I will clean, I will scour the bathrooms, in fact every room in my house. I will dust, I will vacuum, I will even wash walls and woodwork to remove the filth and grime that many little hands have left behind. However when it comes to you laundry, I must warn you, that I will do anything and everything to avoid you!! You just don't rate that high on my list of likeable chores.

My problem is not starting you, as a matter fact I am quite good at that! My problem is the follow through.

You might take several spins through the wash if I start you and forget about you

If you're lucky I might get you so far as the dryer on the first shot

BUT after that.....

there is NO guarantee that you will get finished!

You might get folded, you might not

You might get left in the dryer and sit for days

You might get rewarmed in the dryer to get the wrinkles out

You have a 50/50 shot of making it to the folding table, how lucky you are!!

Once you have finally made it to the folding table and are in nice neat individual piles, chances are you will sit there for days while the athlete, princess, coach, and I come down daily and pick out our clothes.

You might not EVER make it upstairs or neatly laid to rest in appropriate bureaus.

I wish I could promise you this, but since I can't even keep this promise to my family, I would say your chances are pretty slim.

Sincerely,

Not Me Monday

Ever do or say something during the week and thought to yourself, "Oh my God, if anybody could see me right now", or "I will never admit doing what I just did"? Well here is the time and the place to come clean! Don't be embarrassed. We've all been there at one time or another and made some not so stellar decisions!

This week I did not go out to my minivan on a warm fall morning and upon opening the driver's side door get blown back by some utterly disgusting smell. I certainly did not just open all four windows and let it air out instead of searching for the source of the smell. Nope not me!!

I did not give in to my desires for a good night sleep and let the princess climb into my bed for the last three consecutive nights in a row, after fighting with her several nights ago, insisting that she stay in her own bed. That would be pointless because every mother knows consistency is key when breaking children of poor bedtime behaviors and I would never have done that.

I also did not neglect to stop for gas one night last week because it was late and I wanted to get home, (even though I was practically running on fumes). Furthermore I certainly did not proceed to jump in the minivan the very next morning and drive my children to both of their schools without stopping for gas because we were running late, while silently praying to God to not let me run out before getting to a gas station. That would be completely irresponsible of me and would never even cross my mind. Nope not me!!

There I did it. I feel a weight has lifted! Go ahead give it a try! It's nice to admit as moms we are not perfect everyday! What Not Me Moments did you have this week? And be honest!!!

A little Halloween fun anyone????

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Barking, and Rocking, and Breathing, Oh My!!!

Can I just vent for a few minutes here. Maybe even get a little sympathy from my fellow moms that can appreciate what I am going through right now with my "little cherubs", and I use the term sarcastically at the moment!

For some mystical magical reason the athlete and the princess, aka my son and daughter, have decided that night-time is now a time to TORTURE, their mother and father from the time they go to bed until the wee hours of the morning.

Our bedtime routine was established many years ago, and up until a few weeks ago worked wonderfully well. Unfortunately there has been a mass breakdown of our system. And, it seems that each night gets progressively worse than the night before. Super!

Now I must preface this by informing you that my little cherubs are 9 and 6 years old.

The night before last started with sending the kids both up to bed to get settled and read for 15 minutes. Then the coach* and I proceeded to go up, tuck them in, say our prayers, and last but not least shut out the light. That is the exact moment that the princess started in...

*husband

"Daddy please stay for a few minutes, I need my panda, can you fix my blankets, Mommy I need a tissue and some water. Why is my nose stuffy, I won't be able to sleep. Can you keep the hall light on and the bathroom light," all this in addition to, the hugely obnoxious Tinkerbell nightlight she has twirling around in circles in her room. "And don't forget to leave the door wide open so I can see all the lights on". And I wonder why the heck my electric bill runs so high. I think I found my answer.

So we finally get her settled in and she falls asleep. That is when the athlete decided it was his turn to take over, because you know, his parents need a little more torture before they can relax for the night. Can you sense the sarcasm in my voice yet?

His new issue at night is SOUNDS! And I'm not talking about loud bothersome sounds, I'm talking about any and every sound that you might possible hear at night when you lay down to bed. The sounds that the average Joe doesn't even notice because they are able to tune out the normal sounds in a household.

It started weeks ago with the tv. When we watch tv at night it is too loud for him to sleep so, being the kind and respectful parents that we are, we turn it down for him. But, that is not low enough, he needs it really low. Now we sit in front of the tv and make sure we don't move, or talk because otherwise we won't hear what the people are saying on tv. Nice right?

You would think that the problem is solved great, good night, but Oh No, not with this boy. Because the tv is quiet now, it enables him to hear other sounds going on around him. In the past week he has had an issue with the neighbors dog, even though the windows are shut, the rocking chair my mother-in-law sits in at night, the sounds of the utterly obnoxious Tinkerbell nightlight that I mentioned above, (this one I don't fault him on though!), and you ready for this one... the sounds of his sister breathing while she is sleeping!!!! Not snoring people, I said breathing!

I gave up after that one and very firmly told him that enough was enough and he would have to work it out. If I heard from him again, that he was going to lose going to his friends house at the end of the week for pizza. Was that too harsh? I don't think so, he promptly went to sleep.

Then the real fun begins. The princess now wakes up on a regular basis between the hours of 12 and 2am. She wants mom, she wants dad, she wants whoever will give her what she wants, which by the way is to get out of her bed and come sleep with us. Lately we have been giving in because we have my mother-in-law living with us and we don't want to wake her in the middle of the night. But the more we allow this, the worse she gets. She now wakes earlier and gets more demanding because she knows she will get her way.

Last night after we got the princess settled for the last time, (we enforced the staying in your own bed rule last night, yay us!!!) The athlete decided he could not sleep in his bed because he was having nightmares too! Are ya kiddin me! We insisted that he stay in his bed. This all played out between the hours of 2 and 4 am. The coach and I layed in bed reminiscing about the times years ago when they had these same issues back when they were a toddler and preschooler! We finally fell asleep soundly, somewhere around 4:30am when I was rudely awakened at 5:15am by my friendly alarm clock. Marvelous!

Talent Envy

I have an old friend from high school that I have connected with thanks to the networking site we all know as Facebook. I was looking at pictures of his gorgeous family and commented on how beautiful the pics were of his daughter. It was then that I found out he was the magic man behind the camera. He told me that photography was a hobby of his and that he has a small photography business.

He was gracious enough to take time away from his own family one hot, humid summer day in August and spend several hours with my family taking shot after shot of the kids as they gallivanted around at the beach and on the playground.

I received the proofs from the shoot the other day and all I can say is "Holy Talent Envy!" The shots came out superb! He has a great eye and works wonders with children, making them relaxed and comfortable. Here are a few of my favorites! What do you think? His name is David Volkmann. Here is the link to his website. Check him out, you won't be disappointed! http://www.thedayofyourlife.com/

My kids call me Mom

but I am also known around here as...

1. the personal maid

2. the gourmet chef

3. the laundromat attendant; wash, dry, fold, AND put away service included

4. massage therapist

5. personal stylist and hairdresser

6. guidance counselor

7. mediator

8. housekeeper

9. chauffeur

10. event planner

11. doctor

12. teacher

13. disciplinarian

14. and I saved the best for last, the giver of hugs and kisses and the nightmare vanquisher!!

So when you ask someone what they do for a living and they tell you they are a full-time mom, think about the long list of job requirements!

I swore I'd never be a soccer mom...

Come on you all know what I'm talking about, back in the pre-parent days, when you thought you knew it all and were sure of the kind of parent you would or would not be.

Don't kid yourself we have all been there and done that! We can all recall a place or time when we have witnessed some poor mother struggling with what seems like a possessed child in a grocery store or restaurant and thought to ourselves... "I will never let my child behave like that in public. Doesn't she know how to control her child?" And, along with these inner thoughts we managed to make sure we expressed our utter disgust for that poor mother with a clear look of utter disdain!

If that has never happened to you, well than, I guess you are a better person than me. I for one had my mothering beliefs all planned out before my two little ones were even a blip on the radar. Me being a college graduate in elementary education, and having worked with children of all ages for over 15 years, thought I had it all wrapped up.

Boy was I wrong. Here is a quick brainstorm of just some of the things that I swore I would never do, (remember these are all pre-baby days!)

1. Never allow a temper tantrum in the grocery store, ha, ha, yeah right, I just strapped them
tighter so they couldn't fall out of the carriage and kept right on shopping!

2. Only allow 1 hour of television per day, (yeah, blew that one right out of the water during the
preschool years.) Love, love, love, noggin on demand!!!

3. Allow my baby/child to sleep in my bed. It's amazing what you will give in too when you
haven't had a good night sleep since you brought your first born home from the hospital!

4. Drive a mini-van. Yes, I drive a mom-mobile! Let's just say I love mine and would be lost
without it.

5. Bribe my children when I REALLY need them to behave. I am not proud to admit this one,
but hey, we are being honest here right?

6. Never lose my temper with my children. I have come to the conclusion that as a mom, there
are times when it is just not possible to remain polite and poised. I confess there have been
times when I have locked myself in a bathroom to take a mental break.

7. And of course, if you had asked me what my opinion of soccer mom's were when I was a
know-it-all young adult, I would have laughed out loud and said something along the lines
of... "ah, yeah, I don't think so!"

What were your pre-baby/child no no's? Come on, be honest now!!