Sometimes You Just Have to Start Over

Sometimes life just gets to be too much for us. It can be as extreme as a relationship that has fizzled out or as commonplace as a closet that has gotten overloaded with clutter. When it gets to a certain point, you just have to wake up, admit that enough is enough and start over. The relationship needs ended and the closet needs to be completely purged. Wipe the slate clean!

I am using today to do some of that type of stuff. I have a few closets, both literally and figuratively, around here that need to be emptied and restocked with the bare necessities. From time to time, I have to just go on a de-cluttering bender to clear my junk and clear my head. The peace it brings to walk into a clean room is incentive enough.

Ever noticed how freeing it is to just toss that pile of papers you haven't taken the time to go through? How about clicking that "mark all read" botton in your feed reader or inbox? Ahhh! Like a lead jacket has been taken off. 99% of the time, you won't have missed a thing and you'll feel much better.

Now is a good time because school is only a month off (cringe) and there are no children's birthdays (aka "toy-clutter-fests") in our house in the very near future. There is a slight chance my de-cluttered spaces will stay that way for a while!

While my closets won't be resembling the one pictured above (Sorry, honey, not by a long shot) I need to fling the physical clutter from my life before I can fling the mental clutter. Peace is on the horizon!

Image Credit

When There Are No Words

Last week, a 10th grader in our school district was killed in a tragic accident. You can read the story here.

As a parent, you can't imagine losing a child... just the thought is unfathomable. The agony of it must be immense. The "why's" and "what if's" must play on an endless loop through your mind.

Even an adult would have serious issues dealing with the feelings that would follow, so think of that little brother. He is one year older than Matthew. He is in the grade ahead of him and I wonder how he is doing. I served lunch to him and his remaining brother all last year, but I do not "know" them.

I saw the father and the two sons walking down the street as I worked this morning. To see them, you would never know. They looked like any other father and sons walking to the store to pick up a snack or something to drink. It's a good sign, I suppose. It was slightly comforting to see them and know that even though their world must be dark and upside-down inside, they are living on the outside.

My heart aches for them. All of them have a lifetime of this memory to come. It will fade and lessen as the years go by, but it will always be in the back of their minds. I won't be attending the funeral and I will likely not send a card, but they are in my thoughts. When there are no words, there are always prayers. That's what I will send and I know they will be felt.

Pit Hair

It isn't a new grunge-rock musical. It is the subject of Steven's latest obsession. Actually, he's obsessed with when he will be a man. The kid is six years old, mind you. He wants us to, "...tape a paper to the wall so we can make a mark and when I grow past that mark, then I'll be a man."

If only it were that easy!

A few days ago, Steven came to me...

S: Mom, do I have any hair on my chest?

Me: Yep.

S: Well, how come you can't see it?

Me: All humans have hair all over their bodies, but it is usually too light to see unless you're up close. When you get older, it will get darker and thicker.

The next day, he walked down the hallway with his hand behind his head, craning his neck to look under his arm...

S: Dad! It finally happened! I got my first pit hair!

Mike: (Trying not to laugh) Wow! Look at that! You sure did!

S: Yeah. I bet there'll be more tomorrow, too!

By the next day, according to Steven anyway, he had a total of ten pit hairs under his left arm and one under his right arm. ***Sigh*** they grow up so fast. LOL!

Itching to Spring Clean?

We topped out at a whopping 36 degrees here today. While many of you may think I'm crazy to think that's warm, compared to the 20's and below that we've had FOREVER, it was a heat wave.

And BONUS! We're supposed to hit near 50 for the next 5 days!!!

I'm just abut to get the tank tops out!

Maybe I won't go that far, but I must be itching to do a little spring cleaning because last night, I went shopping and bought 2 new clothes baskets (2-bushel, people!!!) and a badly-needed new hamper (with a pull-up handle and wheels!!!) for the boys' bathroom. The other hamper is literally falling apart as is one of my old clothes baskets.

While laundry was on my mind, I also picked up 2 packages of hangers. I'm embarrassed to say that Matthew (who is 11) has a closet full of clothes that are falling off the toddler-sized hangers still in there.

I mentioned that I was going to take the old hamper to the recycling place, but Mike suggested that we first fill it with old toys to get rid of, too. What a great idea!!! That sparked me to think about getting rid of more things like clothes and little things we don't love or use anymore. I am always thinking about that, but it is hard to do when you are running to this practice or that game nearly every night of the week.

SO.

With basketball coming to an end this weekend for both of the boys and about 3 to 4 weeks until baseball starts, I am making a little list of things I want to do during that time. I also pulled out a put-it-together-yourself-and-then-take-it-apart-and-put-it-together-the-right-way-using-the-directions set of drawers that has been aging in Steven's room for approximately 3 years now. It brought back such memories of when we put together their tv stands. I wiped the dust off and the box looked like new!

I will finish putting the drawers together tonight and stack them with the other set of drawers that I actually put together when I bought them. I'm not sure what we will put in the drawers, but I am leaning heavily toward Star Wars Guys. There is an entire army of them taking over his room as I type. I truly hope my cleaning desire and energy hold out till it's all done!!!

My Big Idea

Well, I thought I'd be spending this weekend doing something like cleaning or relaxing or shopping online for Asgi shoes, BUT Matthew's team made the playoffs and his game is in the middle of the day tomorrow. His games are usually an event for me. I love to watch him play and I don't mind making a day or evening of going to the games (even watching the game before or after). This weekend is supposed to be cold and rainy, though and that takes some of the fun out of it.

On top of that, Mike has to work, so it will be me vs. Steven. I say it that way because he is six and when a six-year-old is miserable in the rain at a football game that he isn't allowed to play in, it is all Mom's fault. We'll have to be there for about 4 hours and that spells torture for me.

Mike suggested taking his personal heater that he uses while ice fishing to keep warmer during the game. As soon as he mentioned ice fishing, the thought of his ice shanty became a much better idea. He has a clam shell ice shanty. For those who don't know what that is, it is like a big sled with a 2-seat bench on the bottom and a cover with windows in it that flips over you like a clam shell. Warm, dry and totally worth hauling with me if it keeps Steven (i.e.- me) from being miserable.

The idea has been growing on me ever since. I mean, Steven can have his toys inside and they'll stay contained, I can put my blanket and a little cooler for my drinks in there and camp out. Steven will think its a really cool fort! When I mentioned it to some of the parents at practice, they were envious that we owned such a contraption and all joked about the line that will form of people wanting to come in.

Well, time to get something accomplished for the day. Make sure you join me tomorrow at Make It From Scratch for my weekly craft post!!!

Bittersweet

After a few phone calls today, I found out that Matthew's team won their game last night. We weren't there due to Mathew's sprained thumb and the fact that it was over an hour away, but the win means that they are in the playoffs.

I'm glad they won and that Matthew will have another opportunity to play this fall. He really wants to get back in one more game. We went this evening to get some more athletic tape to stabilize his thumb for practice and the game.

Here we were thinking the season was over. You kind of prepare mentally for all the free evenings you'll have and the weekends that were usually reserved for games being open. One more won't be a biggie. I don't look for them to go much further just because of the way their season went. Let's just say that their record is a little heavy in the right-hand column.

As the boys get older, I realize that these days go all too fast. I'm willing to let them linger just a bit longer. Before I know it, he'll be playing on Friday nights for the high school. The only thing that won't change is me cheering in the stands.

Momentous Occasion

This one is worth recording...

I walked into Steven's room tonight to clear a path to his bed, but.....


...IT WAS ALREADY CLEAN!!!

I mean it! No Lego's waiting to pierce the bottoms of my feet. No Star Wars guys littering the floor. No video game cases to slip on and crack into a hundred splinters of sharp plastic that you can't even vacuum up. No light sabers to trip over and in the process turn them on with undulating noises and blinking lights.

Not... that any of that has...you know... happened before... or anything.

As if that weren't enough of a dream-come-true for a tired mommy, I didn't even have to put the sheets and comforter back on his bed! Can you imagine?!?!

I haven't had a night like this since before he could walk!!!

If he falls asleep on time, Mike and I might even get to have a night like we haven't had since before he could climb out of his crib! Wink! LOL!

Back to School Giveaway at 5MinutesForMom.com!

5MinutesForMom.com is holding a back to school giveaway this entire week! Good timing, ladies!!! They'll be reviewing and giving away several products for your school-aged kiddos and even something for those little siblings who aren't quite old enough for school yet.

You can place the button above in a post and/or in your sidebar and link back to them to be entered in all of the giveaways. If you aren't a blogger, you can comment on the individual posts to be entered and just spread the word to your friends!

How To Horrify A Mom-to-be

I was reading this at InsideMotherhood.com and thought it would be a great opportunity to scare the crap out of enlighten Margaret Sally about giving birth. My labors were no where near as interesting as delivering in a Sesame Place restroom , but what's the fun of going through all of that if you can't make a first-time-Mom-to-be have a couple of nightmares?

If you don't feel like hearing the boring details of my deliveries, visit Cracked.com to find out the 6 Terrifying Things They Don't Tell You About Childbirth. Men have it SOOOOOO easy!!!


Birth Story #1-

Matthew was born in 1998. He was supposed to be born on January 20th, but decided to make us wait another 9 days. The Dr. was sure I was waiting for a big snow storm to go into labor. That's what I figured, too.

I went into labor on a Tuesday night just after going to bed. I let Mike sleep because the contractions weren't very strong and they were like 20 minutes apart. By 5:30 AM, they were up to about 5 minutes apart- very regular, but still not strong. He called off work and we walked around town to get things moving a bit. By 9 AM Wednesday, I was at 2 minutes apart and feeling fine, so we called the Dr. He said to go get checked out at the hospital.

The nurses, God bless them, did absolutely nothing to help me out. They hooked me up to a monitor to check the baby, checked to see if I was dilated and made me walk the halls. Mike and my Mom got to join in that fun as well. That was the routine for the next 15 hours or so mixed in with a little pitocin and an epidural which got turned off WAY too soon.

And may I just take a moment to tell you what a joy it is to have every person in a ten mile radius who can find a pair of scrubs come in and shove their arm inside you clear up to their elbow? Don't worry, though, you get to pay them back by making a "mess" while pushing and they have to clean it up for you. :o)

This is where the Doc asked if I wanted a mirror positioned so I could watch the baby come out. WHY WOULD I WANT TO SEE THAT? I just wanted that kid out so I could hold him! GET IT OUT!!!!!!

Very, very, very long story short, after puking up the three meals I ate while in labor, Matthew was born on Thursday (remember I went into labor on TUESDAY?) around 5 AM with the help of the vacuum which is a little cup-like-thing with a handle on the end that suctions to the top of the baby's head so they can grab the handle and, in essence- YANK THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS OUT OF IT TO GET THE BABY OUT. I swear they had a human tug-of-war chain pulling behind the Dr. made up of candy stripers and nurses and whoever else they could find. Oh, I think there was a janitor, too.

Matthew was a tiny, skinny baby just over 7 Lbs. and about 19 inches long. He was the first baby I'd ever seen that didn't have an ounce of baby fat or chub on him. Ten years later, he still doesn't. Curse the male metabolism!!!

BTW- by that time, my epidural had long worn off and I had to make them stop stitching up my episiotomy to give me a little Novocaine first. That is one place you definitely DON'T want to feel a needle!!!



Birth Story #2

Steven's birth was a totally different experience. Steven's due date was up in the air from the get-go. We'd been trying to get pregnant for over a year. When I had my ultrasound, they sent me for another one to get some more measurements and pinpoint my due date. They weren't sure whether I was just further along than they thought or if he was just a big baby. The second ultrasound found me to be further along and my due date was moved from June 4th to May 21st.

Both of those dates came and went. I had 3 stress tests within about 2 weeks to make sure he was still doing fine and wasn't under stress. They told me he was fine and that he would be around the same size that Matthew was when he was born.

Then, Mike's Papa John passed away. I went into labor at the calling hours. We stayed the entire time and even went to the church so Mike could help set up chairs and tables for the dinner after the funeral the next day. Matthew's labor had taught us not to go rushing to the hospital or you'll end up walking forty thousand miles around the same boring hallways.

We got home and I sat up in the living room so Mike could get some sleep- which he couldn't anyways. By 12:30 AM, I thought it was time to get going. We called my Mom and took the bumpy way to the hospital to help things along.

Even though I had back labor the whole time (and what a JOY that is let me tell you), it was much more bearable than Matthew's. I pushed for about 90 minutes with nothing to show for it and they told me I needed to have a c-section. 20 minutes later, I was being lifted onto the operating table by everyone who had helped to pull Matthew out and I think they even pulled in the hospital receptionist for a little extra leverage.

Mike- who incidentally looked SO HOT in scrubs (Helloooo Doctor!)- gave me the play-by-play as they performed the c-section. I heard, "Whoa, whoa, whoa" and felt my body move on the table. Mike told me that they had to push the baby back in to remove the cord from around his neck. Thank God for c-sections because had I delivered naturally, he literally would have been strangled.

The next thing I heard was a nurse saying, "No wonder he didn't move when she pushed, look at that head!" I couldn't see him thanks to the screen, so here I am thinking my kid has some mushroom head or something until they brought him back from being weighed.

That's when I just about passed out due to the lack of oxygen. I couldn't even think right or speak because I couldn't breathe. The anesthesiologist asked if I was okay and I managed to squeak out that I was short of breath. He slapped an O2 mask on me quick as a whip and I got to hold Steven for .06 seconds before they whisked him away again. This is when they told me that he was kicking so much on the scale that it was bouncing all over and they'd just call his weight at 9 Lbs. even.

In recovery, they warned me before they wheeled him in. He was in an incubator because his temp had dropped slightly. In came what looked like a butterball wrapped in a blanket stuffed into a closed fish tank on wheels. The incubators are usually used for premature babies, but since he was three times the size of an average preemie, he took up the entire thing.

The worst part of the whole thing was afterwards, not being able to just stand up or sit down. It took at least 3 minutes to get from one to the other as I slowly adjusted to keep from ripping my stomach open again. I had gotten pretty used to the fact by the time I left the hospital, but no one ever warned me about my seatbelt and when I got in the car, the lap-portion of the seatbelt nearly popped my incision. BTW- they don't stitch you back up or even use staples anymore. They use steri-strips which are esentially tape. That's right, you get taped shut after c-sections!

Well, looks like my work here is done! Anyone else care to chime in?

My Heart is Breaking

As anonymous as blogging can be, I have made some good friends since I've started. The blogging community- the mommy blogging community in particular- is one of support and love. They cheer for your successes, they've got your back when someone ticks you off and they cheer you up when times are tough.

One of the first friends I made through my blog is Lisa at Midwestern Mommy. I've just learned that Lisa has been diagnosed with cancer. Lisa writes:

"I have cancer. I still can’t believe I just typed that sentence. I have cancer. The words, despite the machines connected to me, despite knowing I’m now in the oncology ward, despite the long and chaotic succession of nurses and doctors I’ve seen, just don’t seem real."

You can read the rest of her post here.

My heart is breaking for her and her family. She has a wonderful little boy and a great husband. I can't imagine what they are all going through. If you know Lisa, she doesn't beat around the bush. She lays it all out on the line and tells it like it is. That's what those who read her blog love about her.

Please go over and give her some support. Nothing we can say will make it go away, but just knowing people care can lift the spirit to new heights.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today is my Mom's birthday. Happy Birthday, Mom.



For those of you that know her, you know what a tough gal she can be. She's been through a lot in her life and plowed her way through it all to come out with barely a scratch on her. She can do anything and everything.



For those of you that don't know her, let me just say that although she has never served in the military, she is a seasoned veteran of many wars. Life has tested her strength and the four of us girls have tested her patience.

She's passed each test with flying colors and I have no doubt that she will face whatever comes her way with the same determination and laughter that she has faced it all thus far.

Happy Birthday, Mom. I love you!



PS- Make sure to check out the Make It From Scratch Carnival at Country Magpie.

Housekeeping

I'm catching up on some housekeeping today. I've really let it go these past couple of weeks. I mean I've been picking up, but I had a garage sale and I still have the leftovers from that sitting in the garage, I have some other things I've been meaning to get to sitting out waiting and there is just a bunch of deeper cleaning I really need to get to! I hate to make excuses, but its so nice outside that I've been neglecting the inside.

I have a daily routine that I follow to keep the bathrooms clean. With boys in the house who have poor very bad zero ability aim, that needs tended to at least once daily. I also try to keep the kitchen counters and sink relatively clean. I don't like to let the dishes sit in the sink and as soon as the dishwasher is near full, I run it and empty it at the first chance.

Here is the minimum of what I try to accomplish on a daily basis (the quicker the better):
Swish and Swipe- Flylady's term for very quickly wiping the bathroom mirror, faucet, sink, counter top, toilet and floor (swipe) then- with or without cleaner- swishing the toilet (swish).
Sweep & Spot Wipe Kitchen Floor- This needs done daily for sure in my house!
Run & Empty Dishwasher- If the dishwasher is empty, it will be easier to keep your sink empty. If I don't have a full load, I find other things that can be tossed in to fill it up like coasters, refrigerator door shelves or diffusers.
Shine Kitchen Sink- Another Flylady habit. It is so nice to have an empty sink and clean counter top next to it! Sometimes I use cleaner, but more often than not, I just use dish soap and a dishcloth.
Clean Living Room Floor- The kids do bring toys in and play, but it only takes a few minutes to get it all put away. I run the vacuum at least 3 times a week in here to at least hit the high-traffic areas.
Clear Off Snack Bar- Our snack bar is the biggest clutter magnet in the house. Everyone comes in the door and tosses their stuff there or they put something down there as they pass through. I am guilty of it, too.
One Load Of Laundry- Ideally, I wash, dry, fold and put away one load of laundry each day. It doesn't always happen and on Thursdays I like to do any extra loads like rugs, curtains or linens.
Lay Out Clothes For Tomorrow- This one saves a lot of time and sanity in the morning.

I generally don't make the bed this time of year just because I let the little ones I babysit nap in there and what's the point? I also don't make the kids make their beds because if I'm not doing it, why should they? I also want them to feel like they can play in their rooms and not have to stress about what the bed looks like.

My weekly routine is a separate thing that helps me concentrate on one type of room or chore per weekday. I have no set jobs, but knowing there is a certain room I need to think about helps me stay on task. Whenever I have a moment, I get something done in the room of the day.

Monday- Living room
Tuesday- Kitchen
Wednesday- Bathrooms
Thursday- Laundry/ Mud room
Friday- Bedrooms

Some of the things I do on these days:
Dust, vacuum, mop, clean windows/mirrors/TV screens, clean light switch plates, clean door knobs, dust tops of wood trim & door/window frames, declutter.

With a workout like that, who the heck needs ellipticals?

I'm not obsessive about my cleaning. I know it will get dirty again and that cleaning a house is a constant cycle. It will never be completely clean all at once, but if I keep up with things daily, they'll never be filthy.

I'd Forgotten How Exhausting Staying Home Can Be!

Nothing against working Moms, but I'd forgotten how very, very, VERY tiring it can be staying home with the kids! Mind you, I work in a kitchen with two other women, serving around 300 lunches a day. We serve them within about 2 hours with no warming ovens (meaning we can't prepare everything ahead and keep it warm until time to serve) and it is fast paced!

When I am at home, it is constant demands. Besides the house work and some yard work, the kids are always asking where something is, if we can go here or there and a million other questions. I find myself not wanting to sit down after supper so I don't fall asleep. I also get absolutely worn out by Steven's not wanting to go to sleep at night. It is almost 10:30 at the moment and he just emerged for the thousandth time with some silly excuse. I am at a loss.

I am really struggling to get back into a routine at the moment, so I apologize for the lame posts lately. There just aren't enough hours in the day and just not enough children's sleeping pills on the market. Just kidding.

Well, I'm ready to recharge tonight and tackle yet another day tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Here's a good link if you're looking for Ebac dehumidifiers.

Matthew's Great Game

Warning: Motherly gushing to follow.

Last night was Matthew's first game in two weeks. I was a little leery about letting him play because he got burned really really bad on one of his knees. Both of them got burned, but one was blistered and sore enough that it hurt him to walk for days.

His team played against a team in the next town that always has really good teams that usually beat us pretty badly, so it was nice to see everyone play well and keep up with them. The score went back and forth each inning.

By the 4th inning, I could see Matthew was starting to limp a little again. His coach let him sit out two innings while he covered his knee with wet paper towels. The skin was dry and feeling tight. His baseball pants were rubbing it, too which didn't help matters. His team tied the score and they held the other team off in the second half of the sixth (last) inning and they had to play an extra inning. Matthew got up to bat and hit a nice double for an RBI, but he got tagged out when the coach told him to round second only to make him and the runner in front of him go back when he was almost half-way to 3rd.

Matthew's team was up by 2 runs after the first half of the 7th inning. Then I heard one of the Dads say to me, "Oooh! Matthew's going to pitch!"

Wha?! Huh?!? Matthew hasn't pitched since the beginning of the season! But sure enough, there he was on the mound warming up.

Honestly, I was scared for him. I knew he would be fine. I knew he could pitch, but under the circumstances, I was terrified for him. This was kind of a high pressure situation- for a ten-year-old anyways.

He had a great warm up. He threw pretty good pitches and had most of them right in the strike zone, so I relaxed a little. Then the first batter stepped up to the plate. I just hoped that he didn't hit any batters and that no lefties would be up soon.

Can I just tell you that he did AWESOME!!!! He threw three great pitches to the first batter. On the third pitch, the kid hit it right to Matthew, he flipped it to first and made the out! The next batter was an exact repeat of the first. His coaches were giggling like school girls and and hollered, "Hey Matthew! Do that again!"

The next batter came up and he threw a couple of nice pitches for strikes. Then he threw one low and outside. I could see a little smile of excitement on Matthew's face. I hoped he wasn't going to get over-confident and start throwing wild pitches or something.

The next pitch was right down the middle and the kid got a hold of it. It zinged past Matthew's glove to his left. The second baseman was right there, grabbed it up and flipped it to first for the out! 10 pitches to win the game!!!

I was so proud of him! Everyone was patting him on the back and cheering. It was a great night for him and one he won't forget for a long time to come. Neither will I.

Congratulations Are In Order

My friend Margaret Sally from Just Me is PREGNANT!!!! Go over and congratulate her!!

Now I've got all of these tips floating around in my head for her. I will be hosting a "blogging baby shower" for her next week. Round up all of your tips and get a post ready. We'll shower her with tips and tricks we've all learned the hard way. What do you think? Are you in?

You can suggest a book, pass on a tip about changing crib sheets in the middle of the night, give her advice on how to get gum out of the cat's fur (if you have a kid and a cat, it is inevitable) or whatever you can think of.

Let's start on Sunday. I'll put Mr. Linky up then. Spread the word and get everyone involved! We really need to hurry before Margaret Sally ends up in a drug treatment center from trying to figure out which prenatal vitamins to take! :o)

Are You With Me?

You can hear the sighs of dread from women everywhere.

Yup! Bathing suit weather is right around the corner. It is the time of year all women fear for sometime between May and September, you will most likely have to appear in a bathing suit in front of someone other than an immediate family member.

The mere thought causes an involuntary "sucking in of the gut" reaction.

I am fully aware that you are thinking, "But Heather, you're married. You have two kids. No one cares what you look like in a bathing suit."

And my response would be, " Yeah, right. Whatevaahr!" For I KNOW that everyone is sure to see the jiggling where there should be no jiggling. Everyone will SO be thinking, "Steven is SIX! Isn't it about time you lose the baby weight, hun?" EVERYONE will be focused on my flab and parts that wave with the slightest movement of any limb.

It's true that I have no one to impress. I will never be a supermodel flanked by hoards of paparazzi. I am not an actress vying for the leading lady role opposite George Clooney. I don't want to be followed or drooled over by teenage boys. I am proud to be a mother and wife. I am very over myself.

I just want to feel comfortable in my own skin. I don't want to fear the ol' spare tire popping out when I sit down. I don't want to worry about the flag hanging from my upper arm when I wave. I am only human.

I know that no one gives a rip what I look like in a bathing suit. I know that I- and everyone else for that matter- have much better things to spend their time and thoughts on than my unwanted jiggles. I think I'll forgo the Phentermine 37.5 mg and live with the way I am. I'm not skinny by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm not fat either. I am an average person with things I don't like about my body.

But you know what? There are many more things I LIKE about myself than things I don't like and that's the important thing. There is nothing wrong with self-improvement, but there is no point in obsessing about it. So ladies, let's make THIS year the year we say, "I LIKE MYSELF"... even in a bathing suit.

Is It Worth It?

Okay. I'm not exactly "Skinny Minnie" like my Grandma Norma used to call me, but I'm not fat by any stretch of the imagination. I don't over eat, but I don't deprive myself either.

A couple of people I know are just appalled at the fact that my family actually eats hot dogs, On Cor Frozen meals and other processed foods.

Yes, those foods are filled with nitrates, sodium and other preservatives. I am aware of that. We do not, however, eat them for every meal. The majority of our meals are homemade from whole foods. If you really want to get down to it, Matthew and Steven fall on the low side of the weight curve for their ages. They are skinny minnies like I was and their Dad is. ;o) I think we can afford to eat a few things that aren't what you'd call "health conscious" meals once in a while.

It's like anything you do- all things in moderation. I don't eat too many fast food cheeseburgers, nor do I eat too many bananas. I just think taking any diet to the extreme is not healthy. A balance is necessary for a healthy AND happy life. I'm not going to fret over whether I use only whole wheat flour in every baked good I make any more than I will over the best diet pill out there. It isn't worth compromising my sanity over.

Add your two cents in comments.

Steven's Personalized Puppy

I was asked to review a personalized item for children under 7. Steven could hardly wait until his item arrived. We chose from the list of personalized books, animals and DVD's. He knew he would be getting a two-toned puppy that would sing a song that included his name in it. He could hardly wait until it got here.

About 10 days later, the dog was here. I was pleasantly surprised at the size of it. From the picture on the website, I imagined it smaller. It is actually about 12 inches when sitting and about 17 inches full-length. Steven named him Gumball, after his favorite treat at Grandma's house, and carried him around all day.


Gumball has even replaced the beagle that Steven has slept with since birth. Matthew bought a beagle for him the day he was born and Steven rarely misses a night without it. I haven't even heard him mention his old dog since Gumball arrived.

The song that Gumball sings is a "wake up" song that is so cheerful and bouncy without being annoying. It makes you want to dance. It is a real motivator!!! The song tells Steven to wake up, get out of bed, wash his face, brush his teeth and so on.

The song is played by squeezing Gumball's tummy where there is a small box with a button that activates the song. It takes 3 AAA batteries and is easily removed through a hook and loop tape closure in the back. Another thing I like is that there is a switch on the box so you can disable the song while the child is sleeping with the animal- they won't wake themselves up at night by rolling over on it.

The fur on Gumball is very soft. I caught myself petting it one night as I was putting Steven to bed. He is certainly very squeezable, too! I give our singing stuffed animal a huge "two thumbs-up"! I highly recommend this item!

The company Gumball came from is called Kids Personally. They offer personalized stories, DVD's, plush animals and much more. There is even a page of items you can personalize for teens and adults! Any of their items would be the hit of the party for birthdays, holidays or any occasion!

The Boyscouts Are On To Something

Matthew had his first baseball practice one night this week. While he practiced, Steven was playing with the other kids on the playground and I was gossiping chatting with some of the other players' moms. I wasn't far from the car and could see Steven, but he didn't see me and climbed into the car looking for me. I thought he was just looking for his drink and I had the keys, so I wasn't concerned.

About a minute later and he was calling me over. I opened the door to an unbelievable, eye-watering STENCH!

Steven had an accident and I had not one thing for him to change into. Usually I keep a change of clothes for each of the boys, jackets, blankets and towels in the van through baseball and football seasons. You never know when it will rain or when they will get muddy. I had removed all of that over the winter and have yet to put it back. Thankfully, I had plenty of anti-bacterial wipes since I did go through a whole package of them cleaning his legs and the seat where he, in his words, 'accidentally' sat down.

All I could do was clean him up and try to calm him down. Oh! And air the van out- we still had to ride home in it, you know.

I felt bad for Steven that night. He didn't know if there were bathrooms at that park and he couldn't find me. Then he couldn't go back to playing afterwards because I didn't have any other clothes for him. He was really upset about that part of it.

I have rarely, if ever, used the extra clothes I keep in the car, but as soon an you don't have something, you really, really need it. With all of this stress, or is it from all of the chocolate I'm eating to deal with the stress, I need to apply my acne treatment lotion and relax.

Right after I go stock my car back up, that is. :o)

Adventure Is Babysitting

I grew up with three sisters. While it wasn't always paradise, it was always an adventure. I am the oldest and the youngest is 5 years younger than me, so you can imagine the teenage years were a total roller coaster of hormones in our house.

The house was always teeming with kids- friends and cousins- and it was rarely quiet for even a minute. I enjoyed it, but relished my quiet time as well. There were plenty of slumber parties and my friends and I hit 16, someone was always stopping by. Another thing that also brought kids into the house was babysitting. I remember babysitting 2 brothers during the summers and bringing them home to jump on our trampoline sometimes.

It was just natural progression that we all wanted kids, but after I had Matthew, I wanted a LOT of kids. I wanted to have another one right away and keep on going. Mike wasn't exactly on the same page as me and for good reason. At the time, we lived in a 900 sq. foot apartment and had some land we planned on building on. Mike is much more grounded than I, thank goodness!

We did build our house and we did have one more baby, and now I just get my kid fix by babysitting. I have a great bunch of kids who give me all of the laughs and adventure that I'd like and I get to send them home each evening.

These kids come home from school and ask me all kinds of questions, they help themselves to their snacks in the pantry and they feel right at home. Just like I like it. We do projects, have little parties, joke around, play outside and watch movies. They are like family.

Tonight, two of the kids are spending the night. Steven and the boy call each other "Best Buddy" and the girl (who is Matthew's age and sweet as can be) is Matthew's future fiancee (according to me and her Mom anyway). It's Spring Break and I figured since they were going to be here early in the morning, I might as well let them spend the night and sleep in a little.

Ten years ago, if someone had told me what I'd be doing now, I'd have had them committed. Now, though it doesn't come with a life insuranceplan, it is a perfect fit. I love my "borrowed kids" and I love giving them a safe and fun place to be.