Looks Like Some People Can't Take a Joke

Or take the time to read the rest of my blog.

You may want to start practicing what you preach my dear.

I certainly appreciate the irony.

School Pictures

Look at my handsome boys! LOL!

Colin looks like he's thinking..., "I've got you NOW sucker!"

Last year's Spring pictures turned out a lot better.

Colin had to be bribed with candy to sit for these. I think it was the matching vests. Even at 3, he knows that they're kind of cheesy.

Oh well, you can't blame a Mommy for trying, right?

I'm A Genius!!

I finally figured it out.

5 or more hours of sleep = A good day.

5 or LESS hours of sleep= A not so good day.

Now, if I could only solve this insomnia problem that I have.

An Afternoon At The Mall

It's pretty cold outside today, at least for the south. We actually had to wear jackets believe it or not.

I decided to get us out of the house so that we all wouldn't go crazy. We ran up to the mall and grabbed a bite to eat and then decided to run over to the play area where the kids always have a great time. Landon loves it because he gets to run around like one of the "big boys". I love it because it's closed in, and he can't get that far away from me.

It's a cess-pool of germs, so needless to say, I brought my stash of anti-bacterial wipes with me and put them to good use.

I know that there are fewer pictures of Colin, but at this stage in his life, he runs from the camera screaming, so I'm lucky that I was able to get at least one really good one.

(oh the exciting times of a stay at home mom and her boys right?? Hey, at least they're darn cute!)

Tag! I'm it...you may be next!

Thanks Andria!

I needed something to get my mind off of yesterday's crappiness.

So, here is my mission, and yep...I've accepted!

This mission, if you choose to accept it, is to list nine weird things about yourself and then tag nine more people to do the same, so watch out, you might be next.

1. I have extra sensitive hearing. The high school spanish classes that I taught hated it! It's not much fun at all now,though, with two young children and lots of noisy toys at home. I have worked long and hard with Colin to walk "softly" through the house (we have all hardwoods downstairs), He even runs softly. Landon's new favorite past time is screeching, so, we're working on a lower decibal version of it so he can still have fun, and not drive his Momma crazy.

2. I have a little bit of a hoarding tendency. I never realized it until I saw an Oprah show on it. Thank GOD I'm not as bad as the woman she had on there (she wouldn't clean up the dog poop on her floor! ICK!), but I still have what could be a slight problem (at least for our counter space anyway). I can't stand to throw out advertisements, catalogs, and magazines. I have this, "what if I ever want to look at it or read it" thought, and it just tears me up to throw the damn things out. I'm getting better at getting rid of them now, since I see my tendencies. Thank goodness my anal retentive Hubby balances out that side of me too. I think it's true that opposites attract!

3. I joke about being a germ-a-phobe, but truly, TRULY...I worry about germs and my kids. Every time I am at Target, I stock up on wet ones, antibacterial wipes, and I am constantly wiping down high chairs, tables, and my children's hands. I wash my hands at every opportunity, and I have Colin wash his any time he can. I'm sure I can't prevent all illnesses in my kids, but I'll be damned if I won't try. I'm not OCD, but the thought of germs just icks me out.

4. I sleep with four pillows. It started out as two, one under my head and the other on top of my head. I pull the covers right up under my chin and make a "breathe hole", and that's how I sleep. When I was pregnant with Colin I added the other two. I started sleeping with one between my legs and another behind my back, and now I can't sleep any other way. You really have to look to find me in the bed. It's a hoot. Oh, my poor husband.

5. I have the same hoarding tendency with pictures of my kids. I buy those big packages at the picture place to give them away to family and friends, and then I have to FORCE myself to do it! It's nuts! Why would I need to keep 5 different sizes of the exact same photo right?

I think I need therapy.

6. My second to the last little toe on both feet is shaped really funny. It's really skinny where it attaches to my foot, and then curves and gets really fat towards the end. It runs in my family, so at least I know I'm not adopted (DARN!)

7. I'm really funny about who I will let watch my kids. We had our first babysitter for both children (meaning both were up and had to be put to bed by the babysitter) one week ago. I don't know if it means I'm just *that* controlling, or if I am simply incessently worried about my boys. Other than that, it's been my Mom who watches them for us. She just can't do it at the drop of a hat though, because she lives a good hour and a half away.

I'm vowing to use a babysitter more often. I need it for my sanity, and our marriage needs it so we can actually have some quality time together.

8. I have dreams about going back to college and flunking out even though I already have a degree. I'm always either showing up for class and it's a big exam day (and I have NO IDEA what on), or I am at the graduation ceremony and I haven't been to one single class, ever.

Think I have issues with failing at something??? Hmmmmm.....

9. I can't spend more than $20 on something without putting myself on a horrible guilt trip. I think I'm getting better at it, but I used to "piddle" my money away on unsubstantial things because I couldn't get over the "$20" issue. Weird.

So...those are just a few of the things about me that are a little odd.

Whew...that was cathartic!

I'm tagging the following people: Gina , Melissa, BethGo, Peggie, and Mike.

Yep, I'm a loser. I think those are the only five people who actually read my blog (other than you Andria, but I think it wouldn't be fair to tag ya again!) :)

Hey, if you do read and lurk, and you want to be tagged, just let me know! You'll be next!

Getting it out...(update: tmi warning!)

Ummmm, yeah.

I started my period.

No nasty, bitchy woman comments k?? ( 'cuz at this point I might reach through the computer and rip your head off if you do.)

It sucks to be hormonal, but nice to know I won't feel this way forever

whew!

Getting it out...

Today is one of those days when I wonder what the heck it is that I've gotten myself in to.

I love my boys. I appreciate and realize HOW lucky and blessed I am to have them, that they are healthy and happy, and that I am able to stay home with them.

It's just that today I feel like I am on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

I can't stand it when the little things get to me. When I barely have to patience to get my three year old dressed. When the thought of having to find something else to wear to church tonight because the weather has gone from 30 degrees to 68 over the course of the day drives me to tears. When I can't just let go of the little things and enjoy my family and I'm constantly nit-picking everything.....UGH! I am NOT this person.

I've had other times like this and they all seem to revolve around Kelly's busy times at work, when he's home very little. Lord knows I've got it easy compared to the military wives out there, so I hate to admit it...but I'm just having a really rough time right now.

The problem is that it's only going to get worse. December will probably be a little easier than that last few weeks, but once January hits....busy season is on. Any other accounting "widows" out there who know what I'm talking about?? It will be that way through March or April.

We always manage to make it through the busy times, but it's never easy. In this state of mind though....I just don't see how I'm going to do it this year.

We don't have any family that is close enough to help out, so it's just us. I'm thinking that I might need a babysitter to come to the house maybe two days a week for a couple hours...just to take some of the pressure off. To watch the boys and play with them while I go to the grocery store, or cook dinner, or do laundry.

It's amazing how much better I feel when I don't feel like ALL of the responsibility is on my shoulders.

We have to make it work. I just don't know how we're going to.

The County Fair

Today was a beautiful day!

Finally, the sun decided to make an appearance (HALLELUJAH!). I think we really only had two blah days, but it's amazing how much you can miss that bright, hot, orb in the sky. In retrospect, it's also REALLY amazing how much it affects my mood. That, and the fact that my Hubby has been working WAAAAY too much the past two weeks.

Here's hoping that the mix of sunshine and adult interaction make for a much happier Lori over the weekend.

We decided to go on an adventure and visit the County Fair today. I, for one, used to love going to the state fair. I grew up in the state capitol, so it was something that I looked forward to every October.

I guess it's been a while since I've been. The boys had a blast, but I was pretty much overtaken with nausea by the time we left. The combination of pure sugar (cotton candy and a funnel cake shared with the boys and a friend) on an otherwise empty stomach, second hand smoke ( I feel like I smoked two packs of cigarettes with the amount I inhaled), and the exhaust from the rides was just overwhelming.

It's funny how a ten year break from something can really change your perspective.

I also forgot just how expensive the fair can be. I was ILL prepared financially and had to bum some money from the friends that we met there. Get this, tickets were pretty much $1 a piece, and then each ride was a LEAST 3 tickets per person. For all three of us to ride one ride it cost $9. Luckily, Colin was a *big* boy, and rode many of them all by himself. Landon and I did get to ride a few, so we weren't completely left out.

I think I was able to get some pretty good pics. I'll get them up as soon as I can.

Good News, Bad News

The good news to report:

Actually, the GREAT news is that Landon has gained some weight...WOO-HOO!!!! He went from 19 pounds 10 ounces to 20 pounds 2 ounces in two weeks. I guess I was doing something wrong huh? (mommy guilt! mommy guilt!) We'll just stick with the plan of shoving food into his mouth at every opportunity, and maybe he'll be back up to his "norm" soon.

The BAD news is this:

Kid #1: Landon STILL has an ear infection and he is on a new antibiotic. The very same one that gave us a RAGING case of thrush just a few short months ago. (JOY. At least we still have the medicine we need if it does sneak up on us again.) Plus, he's nursing a LOT less, so hopefully that will help.

If his ears don't improve in the next 2 weeks, then Dr. Cook is going to refer us to an ENT. I'm a little scared of the possibility of tubes, but if it helps him, then I'm all for it. I'm glad that the Doc is being assertive about his treatment too, and not just blowing it off.

Kid #2: Colin has a touch of bronchitis. He's wheezing a little bit, which I hadn't noticed (mommy guilt! mommy guilt!). I could tell, though, that his cough had gotten a lot worse. SOoooo, HE is on a Z-pack, and some kick ASS cough medicine. If his cough doesn't improve in the next 3-4 days, it will be breathing treatments for him.

I'm just praying that I can keep all of this medicine straight and not give the wrong stuff to the wrong kid.

Another job I didn't realize I had signed on for, pharmacist and 24 hour, on-call nurse.

They're my boys though....they're worth it.

Back to the Doctor Today

My stomach hurts.

We're going back to have Landon's ears checked since he finished his round of antibiotics last week. Too bad he's SICK again (along with his big brother).

Any of you Mom's and Dad's out there know what happens when your child gets sick? Yep. They don't EAT well.

I can only imagine what Dr. Cook's comment is going to be if and when we see that Landon has lost a couple of ounces.

UGH...the MOMMY guilt!!

Wish us luck.

Landon the Destroyer

Caught in the ACT!!!

Who knew that a drawer full of koozies, bibs, kitchen towels and a napkin ring (huh??) could be so much fun?















This is serious business, yo.
















Where's that damn napkin ring?

Rainy, Nasty, Day

Both of the boys are sick again. I swear we didn't even get a WEEK break this time! What a pain in the arse.

I do have some good news to report though. Hubby and I actually had a night out last night, and we HIRED A BABYSITTER....GASP!!! If you knew me in REAL life, you would realize what an accomplishment that is for me. I don't leave my kids with anyone except my mother or father and stepmom.

We attended a Young Life dinner with some friends from church and it was amazing! I was blown away by the speakers and the impact that Young Life has in the lives of kids today. If I ever get a life back (meaning when my kids are old enough and my Hubby actually can be home with them so I have a little free time for myself...YA right!), I'd love to volunteer with them. I think my background as a high school teacher would be helpful, and besides, I don't feel much older than 18, even though I'm 33 ( boy...that LOOKS old now that I've actually typed it!).

The sitter was a college aged teacher assistant from Colin's preschool. A really nice girl who Colin seems to like. He asked me all day over and over, when she was going to get there. Once she finally did, he pretty much tried to shove us out the door. It was great. Landon was a little shy at first, but when I carried him over to her, he reached to her with both hands and hugged her as hard as he could (um, am I in trouble later in life? Dumping their mother without a second thought??). I could have been sad, but it's nice to know that we now have a sitter we can trust, and someone that both of the boys like. Neither child flinched as we walked out the door (sniff, sniff).

When we got home, for some odd reason, EVERY single light was on in the house. I mean every light people. Maybe she's scared of the dark? I didn't ask. She said that she had a little trouble getting Landon down and that he cried for a little while. I realized why once she left and I went to peek in on him. She left the light on in his room! (maybe she transferred her fear to him?? Who knows.) Poor little fella....he's used to it being pitch dark, minus the little indiglo night-light we have in there. I made a mental note to ask her to turn it off next time around.

So, that's my less than exciting update to my less than exciting life. We rented some movies so we could stay in and avoid the rain for the rest of the day.

TV. It's a good thing.

The Laugh of The Day

Last week sucked.

Hubby was so busy at work that we barely saw each other, and the kids and I were ready for a change once the weekend rolled around. Luckily, Kelly only had to work all day Saturday, instead of both Saturday and Sunday. (Notice me trying to spin the positive instead of the negative...yeah, whatever.)

So....Sunday rolled around and needless to say, it was such a blessing to have Daddy home, but alas, I digress.

Landon started off the day by falling (that happens a lot to wobbly-walkers, not that I am a horrible mother) and getting a pretty nasty bump on his forehead.

This morning, as I was changing his diaper, I said, "Wow Landon, you have a bruise on your forehead from your fall yesterday".

Colin looked at me and said,

"A bruise?"


(*****drumroll please*****)


"On his three-head?"


?

(Get it?? "four" head??....... "Three" head"??)


?

Hey, for a three year old, I thought it was pretty good.

Maybe you just had to be there.

Earthquake in Hawaii??

I just found out about this! My Dad and Stepmom are vacationing there as we speak!!

My brother spoke to him this morning and they are okay. I'm waiting to talk to them and get the scoop.

This is definitely not something that I would normally worry about (and I can find some things to worry about!). I'm just glad that they're okay.

How freaky.

Three Year Old Question Of The Day

A little background (this may be a little "tmi" for some of you, consider yourself warned!)

I have nursed both of my boys. Colin weaned himself at 11 months, so no problem there. He went straight to drinking whole milk pretty much right away, so I considered it a smooooth transition.

Landon, on the other hand, LOVES to nurse! I think that he would probably nurse for the rest of his life if I allowed him to (he's definitely a BOOB man!). I planned to nurse him for a year initially and we made it that far and then some. He's down to nursing only in the mornings when he wakes up, and then at night right before he goes to bed.

I've often thought of weaning him, but considering that he's my last little one, the idea of it is bittersweet. I love the idea of having a little more freedom, but then it's such a special time for us to connect before and after our hectic days. It doesn't interfere with much of anything either because of the times that he does it, so we continue.

On to today.

We're at the mall, eating our lunch. Out of the BLUE (I mean, smack you in the face because you didn't expect it, out of the blue), Colin looks at me and says, "Mommy, why does milk come out of your boobies?".

I know that the people sitting in close proximity enjoyed the sweet tea that I consequently spewed out of my mouth in sheer surprise and embarrasment, along with the at length explanation as to why, "milk comes out of my boobies".

I guess I expected a question like that when Landon was born and I was nursing around the clock...but 13 months later??

Nice.

Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, It's on the Market We Go!

Sorry I've been laying low the last couple of days.I've actually been pretty busy. Visiting with my Father who was in town, cleaning up the house, FEEDING my youngest child at every possible opportunity, and then writing every bite down in his food diary. Ugh....poor little kid. He's going to have nightmares of his Momma chasing him around with a spoonful of something for the rest of his life!

He's still eating just fine. I've basicly resigned myself to feeding him his 3 meals a day, and then aiming for two more snacks on top of that. I usually am able to get one in. I honestly think he'd rather sleep than eat....so maybe that's where our problem is. It's 8:48 in the A.M. and he's still snoring away. Maybe he's trying to make up for all of those sleepness nights when he was little?? I'm walking around in a foggy haze due to this cold that I have. YUCK! All the boys had it a week or two ago, so now I guess it's my turn to join in the fun. YIPPEE! (sniff)

We met with a realtor this weekend about selling our home. It went really well and once we get our front porch painted (yeah...small job right??), we will be listing it. I'm not looking forward to chasing my tail and trying to keep up with the wave of destruction that follows my youngest child in this house. In a matter of minutes, he can empty EVERY bottom drawer in the kitchen, pull out 50% of the toys in the toy box and toss them all over the living room, and shred a box of tissues so it looks like it's been snowing indoors. I usually just leave it to clean once the boys go to bed, but I guess that's not possible if we could have potential buyers coming in at any moment.

The house that we had fallen in love with is now under contract...by someone else that is. It sucks royally. I keep trying to tell myself that it, "wasn't meant to be", and that something else we like will come available, but we haven't seen anything yet. So why are we rushing to put our house up for sale you ask? Because the problem with the first one was that we HAD to have our house SOLD to buy it. I can just imagine us selling this one, and then having nowhere to go....

Oh the joys.

Uh, Oh....I'm one of THOSE people!

Okay. I admit it. I called. Yep. It was me, and I'm GLAD I did it.

Tell me if you would have done the same.

So, I'm sure that there is one gas station in town where you always stop for your quick fill up. Am I right? Well, there is one that I drive by, literelly, at least 6 times a day. This used to be my, "quick fill up" place.

Several months ago, I was standing by my car doing the usual pre-fill up routine of swiping my card, making my selections, and putting the gas nozzle in my car (all the while trying not to touch anything for more than a nanosecond...have I mentioned that I'm a germ-a-phobe??) and I take a second and look over at the building. Nothing too unusual was going on. Two of the employees were sitting by the side of the building chatting and having their smoke break. I sat in my car with the boys to wait for the usual "clunk" of the handle to get out and finish my transaction, and that is when I realized that there wasn't anything unusual going on...just something highly STUPID and dangerous! I saw one of the women sit down on a milk crate and noticed that behind them, there was a sign very similar to this one. Those idiots were leaning against the PROPANE TANK display while taking their smoke break....at the GAS STATION!!!

I guess I would normally have just blown it off and not given it a second thought, but there I sat, with my two young children in the car, next to a gas pump full of it's own highly flammable substance, not 40 feet away from them....and I got pissed!!

I don't really care that they were smoking, hey, if they want to pollute their lungs with tar and nicotine, that's their choice. Just DON'T do it and put me and my children in a dangerous situation...just to get your nicotine fix.

So, that day, I called the gas station and spoke to the manager. I explained to him that I thought it seemed like a dangerous situation, and MAYBE he should address it with his employees. He apologized profusely and said he would make sure that they smoked somewhere else. I guess I was dumb enough to believe him.

So. Friday afternoon. I was on empty, and I'm going by said gas station. I pulled in, stopped by a pump, and look up to see......guess....c'mon, can you guess?? Yep. Those idiots were smoking right next to the propane tanks again.

So. As I said before. I called. Yep.

I called the Fire Department.

As far as I'm concerned, any unknowing patron of that gas station is being placed in harm's way whenever they visit it as long as those idiots are allowed to keep taking their smoke break there. I mean, come ON!! Can't you just go to the OTHER side of the building and smoke?

I don't know exactly WHO I talked to at the Fire Department, but he was going to send an inspector out to talk to them, and also notify the patrolling officer in the area that it was going on and to be on the lookout for it.

Will it stop?? Who knows.

Will I ever buy gas there again? Nope.

Idiots.

Thank you for the vent. I feel much better now.

Fifth Percentile???

I ask you.

Does this look like a child who is lacking nourishment???
















Wednesday pretty much sucked.

Nice way to start a post huh?

Landon had his 12 month well baby check yesterday ( a month late due to our lack of insurance coverage b/c of Hubby's recent job change), and all started out routine. I knew that we might be looking at an ear infection because he's been Mr. snotty nose for at least a week now, but I thought that would be the worst news that we would hear.

Needless to say, when Dr. Cook looked at his weight, and checked his position on the growth chart with a concerned look on his face, I started to feel a little anxious. "How are his eating habits?" he asked. Well, "He eats like a horse at pretty much every meal", I responded. SOOoooo, we both were a little surprised that he falls in the FIFTH PERCENTILE for his age group. HUH???? He's also been on a decline for weight since he was 9 months old. He's gone from averaging in the 50th percentile for weight to the 25th at 9 months and then 5th percentile at 13 months.

So, he would like to see us back in 6 weeks to do a weight check.

I'm at a loss. What do I do to help my child gain weight, when he already eats as much as he possibly can at every meal? He LOVES his fruits and veggies too, so he's also not just eating crap.

The Doctor's suggestion? Make your mashed potatoes with real butter. WTF???

Don't get me wrong...I LOVE Dr. Cook, but that really doesn't give me that much to go on here.

My fear is that there is something else going on. What if something is seriously wrong with my baby? I guess I'll just do my best not to "go there" for now.

I've started a food diary for him, and I'm going to give him as many opportunities as I can to eat each and every day. I can't force feed the child though...My gosh! I KNOW the one thing that we're missing is milk. My child will not TOUCH the stuff! I've tried strawberry, chocolate, and now we're trying the drinkable yogurt from YoBaby, but still no luck. Maybe we'll just go to ice-cream? My goodness...he could use the fat and calories right?

If anyone out there in the blog world has any suggestions...I'm up for them. I just want my baby to be healthy and I'll do everything I can to make sure that he is. Any prayers would be appreciated too.

I know that I've done everything that I can possibly do, as BEST as I can do it, up to this point, but the Mommy guilt is killing me....

WALKING???!!!

Leave it to my littlest guy to wait until I'M NOT HOME to start toddling all over the living room!

He's been taking 4 or 5 steps here and there, but nothing like what my Hubby and Father are describing from earlier tonight. (Yes, my Father is here for work and visiting in the evenings. More on that later.)

I ask you. When am I ever not home?

One random night out of the week when I go to praise team practice. Little stinker.

Let's hope that he struts his stuff tomorrow! I can't wait to see.

"Holiday Cooking, Blogger Style" Recipe Exchange

Apple Sausage Stuffing

Ingredients:

1 pound Sage Sausage (I usually use Jimmy Dean)
2 medium onions chopped finely
8 celery stalks chopped finely
2 large red apples, peeled, cored, and chopped (you decide how big or small you would like the pieces in your stuffing...I like small to medium size chunks)
1 stick of butter
About 8 ounces of Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned Stuffing
About 1/2 cup to 1 cup of chicken broth

Cooking Instructions:

Brown the sausage in a deep, large skillet at medium heat. Once browned, add onion, celery, apples and butter. Let simmer until onions are clear and celery and apples are soft (about 20-30 minutes on medium heat). Remove from the heat and add the stuffing into the mixture a little bit at a time. Add the chicken broth (or turkey drippings from pan) to add moisture to the mixture. Use your preference as to how much to add.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until brown on top.

As I said...there is not one holiday in my family that I can not remember this dish. I have three brothers, and we now literally *fight* over the left-overs! I get cravings for it during the middle of the year and bust out my crock-pot to make a turkey breast with all of the fixins'...and this is the high point of the meal!!

I hope you enjoy...sorry for the "tardy" post..it's been a cRRAAAAZzzzy day!!!

Don't forget to check back at Overwhelmed With Joy to see all of the YUMMINESS that has been shared in blog-land! Bring on the holidays...my taste buds are SO READY!!!

Holiday Cooking, Blogger Style: Recipe Exchange

I just wanted to let you all know that I am going to be participating in this recipe exchange tomorrow, Monday, October 2nd. Overwhelmed With Joy is hosting it, so if you'd like to participate, hop on over and check it out!!

I can't wait to share my family's Apple Sausage Stuffing recipe with everyone!! It's not a holiday meal with out it in my family!

Until tomorrow!! (unless something REALLY interesting happens between now and then!)