Your lady of leisure…

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I had intended on writing an account of our crazy, crazy chaos around the house lately. But as I sit at Starbucks sipping coffee and…wait….what?! Leisurely writing? I guess I’m not going to get too much sympathy right now. All is actually holding steady and there is a dull roar of normalcy settling on our house. We are back to a routine.

We spent all weekend deciding NOT to buy a house. I know, I know! We had clearly spent the whole week before deciding TO buy a house. But after spending 4 (straight!) hours on Sunday looking at houses, driving by houses, going to open houses…even Emma who loves going into new houses and “picking out” a new room for her…had had enough. I’m still not sure how we spent 4 hours…there really isn’t a lot out there right now. And as J. said, each house we kinda liked, there was some big “compromise” with it. Not the right school district, not really big enough, not a very nice yard, crazy price tag (you want what? for that??), and the list goes on and on….

So long story short, I am back to searching for a house to lease for a year or so, preferably in the good school district so we can just pop Em into kindergarten next year – no muss, no fuss, no extra $15K in private school fees. At least that is the plan.

We go on Thursday to register for the preschool we really like. Fingers crossed we will win the “preschool lottery” and get accepted. Okay, I’ll just say one thing…and then be done complaining. It is ridiculous to have to fight so hard to get a child into preschool! I know she will love it and it will be great for her – and I’m not even saying this because I know I’ll be weepy when she actually leaves on her first day…but, come on! It is PRESCHOOL! I have been wait-listed on 3 of the “top” preschools (apparently they teach a superior alphabet, the roman numerals and the difference between the color “moss” and just plain old “green”? I don’t know – why and how they get to be “top!”) and I was told that I really should have been on the list when I was pregnant (!) with Em. It is just plain ridiculous.

And…enough. I know most of you have already heard me rant on this subject. Just wanted one more. Now, I’m done.

But just in case you think that I am a coffee-sipping lady of leisure today, I’ll leave you with one picture that pretty aptly describes my mornings around here. Why I deserve my Starbucks today – or how I earned my Starbucks.

Yes, it is waffle – glued in with syrup.

waffle hair

Best Shot Monday

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So today’s “best shot” isn’t any great genius photographic shot. I was taking pictures of the girls in their new swimsuits (so cute and $6 each on clearance! Thank yooouuu, Old Navy!) and told Addie that I could see her bee-bo (belly button, you will understand if you are a Sandra Boynton fan…) and here she was checking to see if her bee-bo was still there, and the pic after is my “best shot Monday” pic. I just love her expression. Well, and her plump, sweet toddler thighs….*sigh.*

where is my bee-bo?

Oooohh! There it is!
As always you can see the other shots on Flickr. Happy Monday, everyone!

Who’s Your Daddy?

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My short stint as being the “favorite” parent is over. Addison is clearly now a Daddy’s Girl, just like Emma. It’s all Daddy, all the time around here. Now when I pick her up in the morning her first words are “Daddy? Daddy. DAAA–DY!” This was the scene yesterday morning and again this morning, too.

daddy’s girls

I can’t say I blame the girls, J. does seem to have a gravitational pull that is comparable to that of the moon’s. You just want to be around him when he is around. Plus he is letting them watch the Three Stooges this particular morning, something they will never get from Mommy.

But (okay, here comes the whining and maybe a little stomping of my feet!) it just isn’t FAIR! I want to be somebody’s favorite, too!

I mean, COME ON! Who actually lugged you around for a total of 20 months, pushed both of your *little* 8-pound bodies into this world, spent a total of 2 years nursing you, changed 9,721 diapers (and this is using a modest 6 diaper per day estimate) and have laundered 832 loads of your laundry (again, based on a very conservative estimate of 4 loads a week!)? I coerce you into eating something other than cheerios and cheese, make sure you are clothed most days (ok, the shopping part is actually fun…maybe you shouldn’t count that), wipe your runny noses, dry your tantrum tears with my t-shirt, make sure you take your vitamins and brush your teeth every day.

Ah, who am I kidding? Given the choice, I don’t think I’d want to be around me either. I am definitely not the “fun” parent here.

Potty Party!

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Okay, for anybody that does NOT have kids…you may want to stop reading now. This post has a lot of “dirty” words, they might just be bodily functions but anyone who has not had children may find themselves a bit squeamish after reading the following.

So I invested in a new potty bench because I’m not sure what happened to Em’s but it was donated somewhere along the line, I think. And A. has been very interested in all things potty lately. So I figured it can’t hurt, right? But mostly it has been used as a little stepstool and not really for anything “potty.”

But this morning as we were going into the bathroom and stripping Ad’s jammies off of her, she kept saying “Potty, Potty!” And I thought it was because Em was um, er….”on the potty.”

But just on the off chance that she had to go, I put A. on her new potty bench and before I knew it – I heard her actually…peeing!

So we had quite the little party in the bathroom for her. We were all cheering for her (Emma loudest of all!), I took pictures and J. took video. Emma kept standing over her instructing her how to “wipe.”

“You go front to back, Addie!” (She is taking her big sister role very seriously!)

So we took the pee-pee to the potty and waved goodbye and Addie got to do her first flush. It was all very exciting. (I can tell you are all trembling with excitement!)

But, wait! That is not the only potty news for the day – while we were in Target, she turned to me and exclaimed, “Poopy!” Although we didn’t get to the bathroom “in time,” I’m thinking she is really starting to recognize what is happening there. So maybe it will all be a very smooth process?

Yeah, Pee-pee!

Look at that proud little face!

Little Shout-outs

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I admit I’m a bit of a blog-stats nerd. I LOVE looking to see how many views I got for the day (we hit a record on Saturday, yeah!), who is viewing it and how they got to my blog. Now that I’m posting comments on other sites, I’m getting some new readers and finding some new blogs to read. All very fun!

I also LOVE, LOVE, LOVE getting comments. Ahem…yes, from you. If you haven’t left one yet – all you have to do is hit the little link below (Add comment) and leave a message. Come on, make my day! Let me know you are out there. Maybe it is a bit egotistical, but it is fun to know what things really strike a chord with those that are reading. I will say thanks to Kimmer and Papa, my regular commenters. I know that I can count on the two of you. And Nickie, too. Smooches to all of you! The rest of you….what are you waiting for?

Here are a few other blogs that you might like reading if you enjoy this one. If you don’t enjoy this one, maybe you will still like these, but what are you doing reading here anyhow! These are in my bloglines right now and my “reading” while I enjoy tea or breakfast in the mornings…(Ha! You like my use of “enjoy” – as if there is ever a mealtime you “enjoy” when you have a 3 1/2 year old and an 18-month old?)

Playgroup Dropout – the founder of Small Change and a great blog-writing Mama, too.
My Momtra – she claims “I’m just one person . . . . who ends up doing an awful lot” what SAHM can’t relate to that!
Looky Daddy – tales of a stay-at-home Dad with TWIN girls. And he still maintains a hysterical sense of humor. Go Dad!
InkyBlack – amazing, amazing Flickr account. I dream of having photos like hers someday.
Picture This – another fun photography blogging Mom, founder of the Best Shot Monday
Purple is a Fruit – another toddler-wielding Mama – maybe I love her because her Riley and my Addie are on the EXACT same timeline? She is really funny.

Oh I have plenty more…but that should be enough to get you started for awhile. But of course, not distract you too much from coming back to check in here occasionally, too.

Wait…what day is it?

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Try to explain to a 3-year old what a “holiday” is, what a president does, who George Washington was, and why the gym is really packed the days people don’t have to work. All of this as we are running into the gym (late!), so I can try to make it to spin class and work off all the junk I ate this weekend.

Cripes, this parenting stuff is getting harder by the day.

I remember that I was going to be that mom that stopped and patiently explained the answer to whatever question my child asked me. Ha. Ha. HA! That is such a funny line. Just typing it makes gives me a stitch in my side.

The other night Emma asked:

E: What is that hang-y down thing in your throat is called?
Me: Um, I don’t remember. Why?
E: I just want to know what to call it.
Me: (Remembering my promise…)Um, well, how about we will look it up tomorrow?
E: Ok, because when the whale swallowed Nemo’s Dad, you could see it and Dory tried to hold on to it, and….(blah, blah, blah – the story continued on there. I guiltily confess, my listening did not.)
Me: (Thanks, Pixar. Couldn’t include that little fact into your cute little fish movie?) Ok, we’ll figure it out tomorrow.

The next day the elusive word for the “hangy down thing” came to me (epiglottis, in case anyone is interested) and I was so excited to tell Em. After I told her, she just stared at me like, “Um…great. What are you talking about, again?” Clearly the moment was gone and I had missed a prime teaching opportunity.

Figures. Why didn’t I just go out and look it up when she asked?? Is this what I have to look forward to for the next 16 years? You can just call me “always a day late…”

Best Shot Monday

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Okay, so it is 3 hours early here, but I guess it is already Monday on the East Coast, so in that case – I’m right on time! I am not sure if I’ll have a chance to post tomorrow, we have had a hectic weekend around here and it looks to be a very busy week.

I’ve been doing “photos of the day” occasionally, but I thought it would be a nice touch to do a more regular photo day. Tracey over at Picture This does a “My Best Shot Monday” and invites her readers to join in, so I thought that I would start trying to post my favorite shot of the previous week.

So, let’s get to it.  I may have 2 best shots – I can’t pick between my two girlies!  And that is the case this week. My two best shots from last week…

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emma_tree_bw_sm.jpg

Top 10 reasons I love my new car…

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10. It handles like it is on rails! Okay, maybe not that great – but it is definitely so much better than the truck.
9. It has lots of space even though it doesn’t take up much space. (I can park compact spaces, now!)
8. The doors are short – when I open them, they don’t hit everything within 3 feet of our car.
7.  It has a Moonroof. It is almost as good as J’s convertible. Better in some regards – Emma doesn’t complain about it being “too windy.”
6. I have driven it all week (put on over 150 miles) and the gas tank is just below 1/2 empty!
5. It gets about the same “miles til empty” that the truck did, but it costs 1/2 of what it did to fill the truck. (Seriously! Cut my cost at the pump in HALF!)
4. My iPod hooks into the stereo AND it has a 6 CD changer. Laurie Berkner and They Might Be Giants can now peacefully co-exist with music Mommy wants to listen to.
3. Oh, did I mention that it gets great gas mileage?! I feel “greener” just owning a non-SUV vehicle.
2. It is so super safe. I love the ads that are out for Volvo right now – they are rated so highly in safety, this maybe should be #1, but really…

The #1 reason I love my new car is that it is easy to look cool in…even toting groceries and 2 kids!  Well, maybe it doesn’t look as cool as I think….but it feels pretty cool.

(Emma looks cute next to it, too!)

car.jpg

Small Change – Monthly Challenge – #1

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smallchangethree_copy_1.jpg

Sooo…I am so behind. The monthly challenge was supposed to end yesterday. But we did do it! Emma and I created a card (well, Emma created it) covered in fun stickers. It was actually a very rewarding and fun activity. I showed Em the picture of the little girl we “adopted” for the month and told her she was sick and Em said “Awww, I hope she doesn’t have to get any shots!” I didn’t want to open the whole can of worms about how sick the little girl really was, so I just told her that I hoped so, too.

zayla.jpg

I asked her what little gift she might like to send to the little girl and she really thought about it…and then said, “How about some of my princess coloring books? She might like to color if she has to be at the doctor for a long time?”

I told her I thought that was a fabulous idea and that it was very sweet of her to offer to give her books, but that maybe we could get her a nice, clean, new coloring book. And so we did. We got the Princess Color Wonder book and some markers. I thought that was a very thoughtful and sweet idea. I’m just a little (ok, a lot!) proud of her for that. I am really so happy to have these little “challenges” to do with her each month. This is one I think we may continue in for a while, too. Yeah, Beth!! Fantastic idea.

I haven’t heard from many of my friends and family about accepting the challenge. I did, however, talk with my sister, Michelle, and she found a children’s hospital dear to all of our hearts, Mott’s Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor. And she has signed on to be an advocate for them – helping to write emails to legislators on behalf of the hospital, etc. Such a fantastic idea! I wish I had thought of that. Yet another small effort that will make a huge difference. Yeah, Michelle, too!!!

So on to this month’s challenge. And as Beth explained – we are making this one a 6-weeker to get us on a first of the month date. (Nice!) This month she is proposing:

…to make a sacrifice, just a small one, and donate the money you save to a children’s charity of your choice. Maybe the cereal for dinner idea works for you (it would be very popular with Mia), or maybe you could do pancakes instead. If not, do something else. Skip your Starbucks for a day and donate that three or four bucks to charity, or skip it once a week and donate fifteen bucks. Do frozen pizza instead of delivery, there’s at least ten dollars. Don’t buy those totally cute shoes that you really don’t need and give that money to needy kids instead.

The idea isn’t the amount of the donation, it’s the action behind it. It is a way to be grateful for all that we have, for all our good fortune (which most of us are so blessed with, even if we are not blessed with actual fortune). It’s walking the talk – giving up some small thing that we want but do not need to give something to kids who are in need. I think it is also a great way to set an example for our own kids, and to get the older ones involved. If they are old enough, talk to your kids about it and see if they are willing to give up dessert one night a week or some other small treat and instead donate that money to help other kids.

Another great idea. I’m definitely going to do giving up a Starbucks at least once a week – that is an easy $25 in the next 6 weeks. I’m going to have to do a little research and come up with a good children’s charity that I can get in with. If anyone has any ideas, please leave them in the comments below. We may do a weeknight (or two!) of cereal/pancakes, as well. Although that isn’t so much of a sacrifice since we all love those kind of dinners anyhow!

I also am going to ask Em something she might want to give up. She is (and I am, too) rather fond of “lunching” out a few times a week. That would be a good one for us I think. I’ll keep you updated.

Let me know if you are “in” on this month’s challenge, too. I’d love to get a group of “small changers” here and brag about you on the blog!