The Gogg Blog

2011-06-30T06:44:00.000-07:00

Last evening I walked into Taylor's bedroom to see the girls stuffing Littlest Pet Shop figurines into each other's shirts. Maddie told me she was going to "push them out" and then proceeded to grunt and groan like a woman giving birth. These pictures are from this morning, however, because I caught them playing this game again.

Really people, I only have three movies that have scenes with women giving birth, and I don't watch them that often! The good news is the girls have been playing together nicely.....

Ode to Toilet Paper

2011-05-06T14:15:00.000-07:00

Alas dear toilet paper, you go so fast
wiping so much little potty training ass.
It seems to me that there really should be
some kind of contraption, some kind of thing
To keep tiny hands from grabbing so much
wadded up paper for one little butt.
Packages upon packages bought every week
I should grow my own forest to wipe all this cheek.

Please Don't Leave Me!

2011-04-19T05:30:00.001-07:00

One thing I am having trouble balancing is working towards the adoption and maintaining my normal life. I have to remind myself to focus on what's going on now, not what I am going to need to do in 4 months and what might be happening in a year. The girls are starting to "rebel" at my mind being so obviously absent, and are exhibiting really frustrating behaviors. Maddie especially.
One thing I know is that I can't keep up this blog and the adoption blog at the same time, so for now I am going to be posting over there only. Everyday life mixed in with adoption stuff. I have more followers over there anyway, and it has only been live for 2 weeks! I don't want to lose the readers I have over here.

www.moveanymountian.blogspot.com

Happy Birthday Cameron!

2011-04-10T12:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday and today we are celebrating my only son's 10th birthday. Love and laughter abounds. Cameron started off his birthday by waking up at 4am this morning to have some "man time" with Corey. They set off fishing while the rest of us slept until 7. After blueberry pancakes and sausage, he spent the rest of the morning shooting Nerf darts at his sisters. This afternoon we will grill some ribs. This is the gaggle of giggling children last night, eating ice cream cones.

We love us some ice cream around here. We should buy stock in Dryers. Or Bryers. Or whatever is on sale each week.

And no, I don't feel bad about that. There is some redeeming nutritional value in ice cream. Besides, as I sit here at the kitchen table typing this, Maddie sits next to me eating a fresh raw tomato like an apple.

I pulled another tooth last night, this time one of Brittany's molars. I really think I have earned my dental degree by now. And, the tooth fairy needs to get a second job if this keeps up!

Happy Birthday my sweet son. You hold a special place in my heart as my only son, I hope you know that. No matter what the future may hold, our love for you can only grow. As a matter of fact, that may not even be possible. That's how much we love you!

Do You Hear That?

2011-04-09T14:08:00.000-07:00

Do you hear that sound? It's the winds of change. I'll be cheesy now and borrow the lyrics from an absolute favorite song of mine sung by Scorpion many years ago.

Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow share their dreams
With you and me
Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow dream away
In a wind of change

There is change coming in our lives.
And we couldn't be happier.
I pray that the people in our lives realize that this change, while colossal, is but a blessing. I pray that God softens your hearts, like he has mine, so that you can know we are doing this out of love, and you will realize too that we are taking these steps not to take something away from our children, but rather to give something back. To spread love beyond the 4 walls of our house.
With our eyes wide open.

Please join in us watching Dateline on Sunday night 7pm/6 central, "Who is the boy from baby house 10?". This episode shows the horrors that children in Russia who have been abandoned by their parents into orphanages, called baby houses, endure until they are adopted. If they are not adopted by age 4, they are transferred into adult mental institutions, to live out their lives in misery. Neglected, unloved, and even tied to cribs and beds. This is actually the second time NBC has shown this type of story, the first time was about mental institutions in Serbia(conditions are the same throughout Eastern Europe). It was very disturbing. I imagine this episode will be too.

And that brings to mind another song "Cause I gotta have faith faith faith"! (a little George Michael, anyone?)

Silliness and Other Stuff

2011-04-07T06:01:00.000-07:00

First, the silliness. Boxes. My girls sure love boxes. They are more fun than any toy in any Target in the country.

This morning, I am feeling peaceful for the first time in weeks. Actually, it started last night. This strange peace just washed over me, and for once I was able to sleep fall asleep quickly and rest well. My brain had actully been hurting from all of the thinking and planning and questioning and doubting, so sleep has eluded me every night as my thoughts swirled relentlessly around in my head. But last night? Peace. And joy. And hope. Sometimes you have to just step out in faith, and trust that if God is calling you to do something, He will provide the means. He will make it happen. Because when it's all said and done, if He wants me to do something, then it is His responsibility to overcome all the obstacles. I'll admit, when I've been told in the past that God will provide, he will make everything work out, I have scoffed. Ha! I said. What is he going to do? Put cash in my mailbox? Remove doubtful people from my path? Well, according to the online support group I have joined, that's pretty much what he does! (If, If, If what you are doing is really his will for your life.) I can only say He has been working on me in the last 3 months. Softening, molding, changing my heart. We are very blessed. And now it's time to give those blessings back. Share them. And step out in faith. For those of you whom I know in real life, you may not agree, you may think we are out of our minds, but all we need from you is this. "We love you, we support you, and we believe in you, trust that you will do what you feel is right. We are here for you."

Who is that tapping me on the shoulder?

2011-04-02T06:31:00.000-07:00

Many times in my life I have felt like I should be doing more with my life. But, and this is a big "but", the more has always been for myself. Meaning I should be working harder, at a better job, or go back to school and finish my degree, or cleaning my house more or socializing more or going to churh more often. So the feeling that I should be doing more is not foreign to me. However, lately I have been feeling a little lost, a little pointless. What is the purpose of my life? What is God's purpose for my life? I feel like there is something I should be doing. Something to serve Him and glorify Him. And I don't know what it is, so for the first time in my life I have been praying for God to show me, to tell me, what He wants me to be doing with my life. I have been prayerfully asking Him to please show me what my purpose for Him is, not for myself or my family. I don't really know how to explain it. If you go and visit Patrice, she says what I am feeling in a much clearer and more eloquent way. I feel a stirring in my heart, which may or may not be God starting to tell me something I can do to serve Him. It's not something I am really ready to acknowledge out loud. I fell upon this one blog, and have been reading it faithfully, and searching out other blogs with similar stories and following these women's journeys. I'm feeling pulled in this direction, but it is scary. I'm not even sure that this is God tapping me on the shoulder or what, since if I'm being honest I have never really felt "called" to do something for God or even felt like I should be serving God in a bigger way. I apologize for all this rambling this early Saturday morning, but these past few weeks of Corey working practically nonstop (for which I am thankful, not complaining) has brought me a lot of time with my own thoughts. Those of you with true experience being called by God to do something, how do you know it is Him tapping you on the shoulder and not just your own mind wanting something that another person has?

2011-03-30T12:46:00.000-07:00

The scene: Taylor and Maddie are at the table, snacking on some chips (yes, I let them snack on junk food but only after they have had fruit. I whole-heartedly believe that bribery has it's place in the job of parenting). Overheard: "Mommy is my best friend." (Taylor speaking to Maddie) Beautiful to hear, but finite I know. My 12 year old doesn't hate me yet, so parents of teenagers out there tell me at what age can I expect it to start?

2011-03-25T12:37:00.000-07:00

I have removed the huge picture at the top of the page in the hopes that my grandparents can once again access the blog. A picture that big takes too long to load, and some computers/internet connections can't handle it at all. I realize that the blog looks rather plain now, but this is too important to worry about such trivialities.

Grandma...please let me know if you can see the posts now.

Sometimes I Wonder...

2011-03-24T05:49:00.000-07:00

~If I am always going to have to choose between financial survival and being basically a single mom or having my husband home with us in the evenings and on weekends and not being able to pay our bills.

~If prayer really makes a difference. I mean, if everthing is preordained and God already knows everything that is going to happen, what is the point of praying for someone to not have cancer? Or for that person with cancer to be healed? Or really for anything not to happen in general?

~If other stay at home moms who spend much of their time alone (husband at work) struggle during the dinner-to-bath-to-bedtime routine like I do? I'm fine all day and then bam! When the time of day comes that he usually comes home and he doesn't, I fall apart.

~If other mothers despise Playdoh as much as I do. My kids love it, but jeez cleaning it up sucks. Especially if you have all the little tools and stuff that turns the big balls of Playdoh into tiny little pieces, spread from here to kingdom come.

~What I am going to do with myself when my kids are grown. Oh wait...I don't wonder about that at all. I know. I am going to have a life!

2011-03-23T05:55:00.000-07:00

The time has come to say goodbye to the crib. It is not one that converts to a toddler bed, like we had thought (we bought it brand new, why did we think this when it wasn't stated on the box?). Since Maddie climbs out, we leave the rail down so she has less distance to fall and place 4 bed pillows stacked in twos right on the floor. Aren't I a great mom? So safe, so conscientious. There should be awards for mothers like me. Soooooo, we will find her a new bed. With Taylor we went straight from the crib to a twin. I'm not big on the toddler bed, seems silly to buy a bed only to have to buy another one in a year.
Also, does anyone know (you--I'm talking to you, my four readers out there) if there is a childproof cover for light switches? Maddie will not stop climbing out of bed and turning the light on at bedtime, so we have had to use black electrical tape and tape the switch down. We pray, we read, then she gets a few minutes of lights-on time to read on her own, then we have last potty, then the lights go off while I sing her like 10 songs. But, she keeps getting up after lights out and turning them back on. The electrical tape works, but I have to use a lot to keep her from being able to just pull it off, and we can't go on like this using 1/4 roll of tape every night. Hints?

2011-03-22T12:43:00.000-07:00

The worst part of checking your credit report? You find old medical accounts that you didn't know were on there and then pay them.

The best part of checking your credit report? You find old medical accounts that you didn't know were on there and then pay them.

The Biggest Gap Ever

2011-03-19T12:48:00.000-07:00

Taylor lost her first tooth today. It was barely wiggleable (wiggable? wiggly?) for months, and then suddenly yesterday it was extremely loose. This afternoon she was complaining that it was hurting, so I told her I needed to pull it. Needless to say, she was not quick to jump on that bandwagon. After explaining to her that if she wouldn't let me pull it, then she couldn't complain to me that it hurt, she gave me the go ahead. You should have seen her face! Although who was more nervous, her or I, is anybody's guess. (I didn't show it, though, I had to act sure and confident and tell her that it is completely normal for her mother to grab ahold of her tooth with a piece of toilet paper and rip it from her mouth.) After slipping off the tooth twice, I managed to yank that puppy with no tears from either of us! And here she is....

It must be the biggest gap ever from just one missing tooth.

I told her she looks like a pirate. Captain Taylor Sparrow.

The Tooth Sisters

2011-03-16T12:48:00.000-07:00

Spring Break then....

Spring Break now...

2011-03-11T16:49:00.001-08:00

Leave it to Taylor to dip grilled scallops in ranch dressing.

Old

2011-03-10T14:24:00.000-08:00

I'm wearing one of my few pairs of designer jeans. They are some skinny slouchy "Lucky's" that my husband bought me a couple of years ago. They are lightly distressed, a few strategically placed worn out spots.

Taylor says to me: "Why you got holes?" (ok, we need to work on grammer)
I say to her: "Because it's cool."
She responds: "But it's not cool. How do you think it's cool?"

Huh. Aren't they supposed to be teenagers before they start to question your definition of "cool"?

2011-03-06T05:27:00.000-08:00

Taylor, yesterday morning at about 8 am, from the bathroom:

"Mommy, it is so great to be alive!"

Taylor is one super balloon-blower-upper.

I warned her that it was going to pop. What is that look on her face...is that disbelief? No way...

It popped, of course. Cue much broken-hearted crying. Sigh. I hate knowing everything.

Random Ramblings

2011-03-02T17:41:00.000-08:00

* Fear. It's alive and well. Actually, not quite fear yet. Anxiety. Nervousness. See, they have been cutting hours for technicians at Corey's company. There's just not enough work right now. Until today, he has escaped unscathed. He's actually had quite a bit of overtime the past few weeks. This morning, they told him to come in an hour late. This afternoon, they told him he has tomorrow "off". This could pass, or this could be only the beginning of a disasterous decline. It's scary, though. The worst part of being a SAHM? The helplessness. The dependency. The inability to bring in some money to help alleviate some of the stress on your husband. (BTW, I am very open to keeping a working mother's child for extra income, I just have to find the child!)

* Maddie was on the toilet and asked me why I have lines on my knees. I told her they were wrinkles and I have them because I am old. She reached for my knees from her sitting position on the toilet and said "I will rub them out."

* Maddie said at dinner "thank you for this meal" again, only this time I admit I only served hot dogs. Hmm. I cook that bad?

* I admit that I am only watching American Idol this season so I can see Steven Tyler.

* I love 5. Taylor is 90% wanting to please me and make me happy, and only 10% naughty. You can't ask for more than that.

* My husband rocks. Seriously.

* The songs I have to sing to Maddie before she will go to sleep at night are Jingle Bells, Silent Night, a long-added-on-to-version of The Barney Song, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Santa Claus Is Coming To Town.

* Every night after I finish singing and leave the room, Maddie starts forcing out coughs and calling "Mommy I'm siiiiiicccckkk." "No, you are not." Cue more forced coughing, and around and around we go.

* I'm well aware that this new blog design is ugly. The previous one stopped loading, so I had to set up a new one, and I can't get it right. I finally got so frustrated that I just threw this up (literally. ha.) and will fix it when I feel like trying again.

2011-02-28T13:23:00.001-08:00

Last night right after we sat down for dinner and prayed, and I filled Maddie's tray with another home cooked meal, she said this:

"Thank you for making this dinner Mama."

Awww, it was so sweet in her little voice 2 year old voice. Sometimes, a little appreciation goes a long way towards reminding you why you work so hard as a mom. Brittany and Cameron are do such a good job of this, expressing their appreciation and telling me thank you. This is the first time Maddie has said anything like this, and unprompted at that.

(brag alert: no, I did not translate that. She said it exactly like that, in a complete and clear sentence.)

Check and Check

2011-02-25T05:39:00.000-08:00

I checked two things off of my to-do list, and I feel relieved. I have said before that we don't live in the best neighborhood right now, so naturally I have been concerned about the quality of the elementary school that Taylor would be attending this August. I am ecstatic to report that we will not have to move!
(Actually, I want to move. To a better place. But it is not in our immediate financial future to afford a better place, though I was fully planning to make it work somehow if the school sucked.)
Actually what I am happy to report is that the school is awesome! It is new and also was named an "Exemplary" School for 2008-2009 and 2009-2010. She and I have been talking about Kindergarten a lot lately, and we are both excited.
Also, I found out that Taylor can receive some help with her speech issues through the school district starting at age 3 (thanks, Mom!). She does not have to wait until she starts kindergarten. I have an appointment in April (good thing I called now, because that's how far off the first available date was) to have her tested by the special ed department, and they will determine what kind of help she needs and how to help her. I am happy to finally be making progress on getting Taylor what she needs.

Aaarrrggghhh!

2011-02-24T05:52:00.000-08:00

No, I'm not a pirate. I just realized I sounded like one when I said that out loud.

I have to say, this Maddie-being-able-to-get-out-of-her-bed thing is really, incredibly frustrating. Turns out the crib does not convert to a toddler bed (huh..I thought they all did, except for the cheap ones and this one wasn't). Of course we didn't learn this until Corey had removed the side and searched the garage for the little rail. So, the rail went back on, and now I just have it in the lowered position. She sleeps like a monkey every which direction, so we can't just leave the rail off. I'm sure she would fall out (Corey says it's not that far, she won't be hurt. I say of course she won't but she will wake up and then wake me up) without anything there. Since I know she is going to scale the side it is better if she has a shorter height to climb and a shorter distance to fall, I decided to just leave the rail down for now, until we can get her a bed. It's kind of funny, actually, because she doesn't even try to hide the fact that she got out of her bed. She immediately turns the light on and by the time I get in there she is on the floor looking at a book or a puzzle. At least she knows not to pick a noisy toy! All kidding aside, bedtime (and naptime, too, though she doesn't get up as many times) is just not like it used to be in the good ol' days, when she was trapped in baby jail.

Maddieisms

2011-02-22T12:45:00.000-08:00

"You are 'nnoying me." (annoying)

"That rirritating." (irritating)

"I cover your mouth so you stop talking."

I Had to Run the A/C Yesterday

2011-02-22T05:31:00.000-08:00

It's February.

'Nuff said.

We Had A Good Run

2011-02-21T05:43:00.000-08:00

The time I have been dreading has come. Maddie has started climbing over the crib rail and cracking her door open, looking for escape. Today when Corey gets home from work he will turn the crib into a toddler bed. I worried all night that she would break her arm when she hit the floor after launching herself over the rail. I have said many times that I will not let my child cry it out, no matter the age. So, for awhile there we were going back into Maddie's room every 10 minutes to sing another song, give another kiss, etc, for an hour until she finally went to sleep. I was tired of that, so a little over a month ago I put my foot down and brought that habit to an abrupt stop (without letting her cry herself into an exhausted slumber...yes, it's possible). We have had a good run with easy bedtime. After reading some books and singing some songs, I only had to go back into her room one time each night, and that was to get her up for her last potty (she goes before she gets into bed, but she always needs to go one more time). That's it. It still would take her awhile to fall asleep, but she never called us back in there after her "last potty". Bedtime was so easy. I watch "Supernanny", and I am shocked by the bedtime scenes, with the kids screaming and getting out of bed hundreds of times, the mothers sometimes having to sit on the floor in their room near the door, to keep them from screaming. And I thought, thank heavens I don't have to go through that. We have it easy. Well, toddler bed and Maddie running amok at bedtime, here we come.

Happy Birthday Taylor!

2011-02-17T06:47:00.000-08:00

Happy 5th birthday to my sweet Taylor! You are caring, affectionate, creative, imaginative, smart, happy, loving, helpful and completely wonderful! I couldn't love you more if my life depended on it!

***please forgive the old picture, but this old computer still will not let me access My Computer to upload pictures from the memory card.

Speech Delay is Contagious

2011-02-13T06:24:00.000-08:00

Taylor has possibly the cutest child-saying ever. EVER. Her Taylorism is "I can hear my heart beeping." She says beeping instead of beating. She says this often, and despite the fact that I tell her the correct way to say it every time, she continues saying it her way. Which is seriously adorble, so I don't mind. What I do mind however is that Maddie is starting to copy the way Taylor says things (duh, since they are together all day long). The problem is that Taylor has some speech problems, and though Maddie does not (I have gotten her to say things correctly when prodded), she imitates what she hears. For example, Taylor can't make the "T" sound, it comes out as a hard "C". Toilet is Coilet, toy is coy, and so on. She also makes the "D" sound as a hard "G". Unfortunately we can't do anything about the her need for speech therapy right now because the girls are now uninsured, and Corey makes too much money to qualify for help from the state. I really hate the fact that we have to wait to get her help until she starts school and can get speech therapy through the school district. I am working with Taylor as much as I can, I correct her every time she makes a sound incorrectly, but she just can't get her tongue to do what it is supposed to. I even went to a mommy speech therapy blog and tried to have Taylor do the exercises, but I'm not trained so she still struggles. I did read on this site that she is making the typical substitutions that other kids with a speech delay make. I feel like an awful mother making her start school already needing extra help. I fear that the teachers and other students will have trouble understanding her, and that will lead to frustration on all sides. We can understand pretty much every thing she says, but that's because we are with her all the time of course! It is becoming a bigger problem now that Maddie is making the same substitutions as Taylor despite the fact that she can make the correct sounds.

This is funny, though. Taylor says "gotfor" instead of "forgot". Maddie does the same, only because she hears her big sister. I constantly tell them the correct way to say it, but they persist with "gotfor".

A Whole Lot of Nothing

2011-02-08T05:49:00.000-08:00

We are still here. I haven't posted in awhile because there is something wrong with this computer and I can't post any pictures. (For any of you computer whiz people out there, when I try to pull up "My Computer" a flashlight appears, moving back and forth, and then disappears with an error box popping up.) Without pictures, I have not much to say. Taylor turns 5 in a few days, and we are doing lots of talking about kindergarten coming up. She is super excited, as am I! Because of this health insurance deal, we have been talking about my going back to work when Taylor starts school so that we can afford insurance. What stinks about this country is that if my husband sat on his a** at home, we would qualify for government aid and insurance. But because he works hard, we can't have insurance. Really makes sense.
Anyway, we are all feeling better finally and are looking forward to a playdate both tomorrow and on Thursday.

Wish List Wednesday

2011-02-02T07:58:00.000-08:00

For lack of anything more interesting to post, I am going to play along with Jennifer in her special Valentine's version of Wish List Wednesday. Go check her out!

~I am still using Corey's old work laptop, and it is slow, heavy, and I can't scroll using the touch pad (which is a bigger deal than you would think). Plus, it's not mine and I really shouldn't still have it.

~I would truly love to replace the 25 year old dresser we are using as a television stand in the living room with one of these!

~ My vacuum cleaner is way past it's prime, and I'm thinking that when I vacuum, it only picks up the dust and blows it out the other side. Since this is a "wish" list, I really want the Dyson Ball All Floors Upright. Ahh, what a dreamy vacuum cleaner. Ha!

It's Cold!

2011-02-02T06:55:00.000-08:00

There is nothing much happening around here. We are cold, like the rest of the nation. There is such a strain on the power companies that they are rotating 30 minute outages throughout the city. It was great fun to lose electricity this morning at 7:30! Luckily, I had already brewed my coffee or there would have been a crisis. Here in Texas we are certainly not used to weather in the 'teens. However, I feel very lucky to be able to stay home where it's warm and not have to take the girls out in this. I'm feeling for all you working mothers out there! There are a few upsides to being a stay-at-home mom. Just kidding, being home with them is great. Most of the time. Ahem.

Nothing special going on with these pics, just wanted to liven up this boring post. Maddie demanded that I take a picture of her with her cat in her shirt yet again. Don't look too close at that second picture, because then you will see the greasy fried potatoes in the corner. Just look at the veggies. Thanks.

Sunday Senses

2011-01-30T12:38:00.000-08:00

Sight: Sunshine for the first time in days, no children in sight.
Hear: Silence. No kidding, complete silence. Never happens around here. (Husband took all children to the park. Need I say more? He is awesome..I love him.)
Feel: Stress, tension. Today is the final day we have to make a decision on the insurance thing as tomorrow the papers are due back. I thank those of you (all two of you!) who gave me some input, I only wish private insurance were an option but I am "uninsurable". Yeah, I'm a hot mess I guess.
Smell: Nothing, really. I do need to clean the litter box though. Gross.
Taste: The wonderful box of chocolates that my mother-in-law sent me for my birthday tomorrow.

Go see Rebecca and she'll tell you what she's experiencing today.

Say What?

2011-01-28T06:08:00.000-08:00

It has been a pretty hard week around here. Maddie and I are sick, and Taylor seems to have woken up this morning coughing now too. Since we are sick, we have stayed home all week and passed on several playdates that we normally would have used to get out of the house and have some fun. Needless to say, we are feeling stir-crazy.

And then, on Wednesday, we get the news.

Effective February 1st, our medical insurance will increase by 75%. From $134 per week for crappy coverage, to $236 per week for the same crappy coverage. If we want to go up to the better plan that utilizes a copay rather than an embedded deductible (which we were planning to do), we will have to pay $264 per week. Without giving you specifics on finances, I can tell you that that is not a drop in the bucket. It would really, really hurt.

We are in an uproar. Should I go back to work just to pay for daycare and insurance? Should we risk being uninsured? Can someone who has had to make this decision before give me some advice?

This is the sick house, signing off.

2011-01-25T13:09:00.000-08:00

I know that I like to brag about how I feed my children. Even raw tomato and green pepper strips disappear at an alarming rate into Maddie's mouth. I never show you the other side, though. While we do eat tons of fresh fruit and vegetables, we also eat lots of junk like ice cream, cookies and chips. Here is proof that my kids don't always eat healthy.

That is powdered sugar on their faces, from those bags of highly-processed, white-flour-and-lard-filled donuts.

Proof Positive

2011-01-24T06:02:00.000-08:00

I mentioned in an earlier post that Taylor has, for the most part, stopped the set of behaviors that put the "terrible" in the two's and the "terrifying" in the three's. The preschooler generally wants to please his/her parent, and is much more aware of others and their feelings. (I learned this in a child development class in college, so I didn't make it up but I can't tell you exactly where it comes from either. I have found it to be true, however, having a third child passing through that age group. )
Last night Taylor offered more proof. All six of us had just sat down at the dinner table, hands folded, just about to start the prayer. Taylor says, "Wait a minute everybody, I have something to say. I love you all."

There's something to make you smile on this Monday morning.

Children of the Millenium

2011-01-18T13:03:00.000-08:00

Like it or lump it, we live in an age of technology.

Easily accessible and relatively cheap, it has taken the place of things like jacks and hopscotch in our childrens' lives.

When not at gymnastics or soccer, Brittany and Cameron can be found on their computers, Nintendos and iPhones (Brittany received an iPhone 4 for her birthday from her father and Cameron is using my older model that I gave to him when I switched back to my preferred Blackberry). They both work hard, at school and their respective sports, so I figure it's ok.

Taylor and Maddie have inherited their love of technology. That's just great, 'cause I can promise they will not each have their own iPhone and laptop like my older two!

2011-01-14T12:43:00.000-08:00

You know you have been watching too much "16 and Pregnant" when your two year old and four year old daughters come to you with cats stuffed into their shirts shouting "I have a baby in my tummy!".

(disclaimer: I watch this show on my computer while I'm cooking dinner. Because that's much less damning than watching it on the big television in the living room, right?)

January Equals

2011-01-12T06:23:00.000-08:00

January= My birthday (yay)

January= Post-Christmas slump (boo)

January= Waiting for info to start taxes (yay)

January= Return of the insurance deductible (@#&%^@)

January= Oh wait, did I say yay for birthday? I'm another year older (boo)

January= Adorable girls in warm fuzzy jammies (yay)

Maddieism of the Day

2011-01-10T05:51:00.000-08:00

"No hose way!"

translation: No way jose.
Yes, I'm ashamed to admit that I've said this to my children. I'm a paragon of proper grammer and class.

And the Lightbulb Goes On

2011-01-08T13:21:00.000-08:00

I have figured out why the experts say that the optimim time interval between children is (at least) two years. With an age gap of 2-3 years, one child will be out of the terrible two's and the terrifying three's before the next one enters the phase. Taylor was an extremely trying three year old. Madison has suddenly, within the past two weeks, turned into a holy terror. My sweet, calm, compliant, laid back, momma-lovin' baby has turned into little red haired hooligan from "Problem Child". Remember that movie? John Ritter was the father and the child was pure evil. That may be a slight exaggeration, she's not quite evil yet, but she has changed. Everything she does is completely normal for a two year old, but I'm surprised I have any hair left after this week.
A few examples of her OMG-how-am-I-gonna-get-through-this-day-without-losing-my-mind behavior:
-Throwing food. And cups. And plates. And bowls. Every bit of food I give her.
-Turning the light off in the bathroom every time I take a shower. I have to scream for Taylor to come in and turn it back on.
-Dumping the remaining water in her cup on my kitchen rugs after she has a drink.
-Chewing up food and spitting it out. On the floor.

I know that every other mother reading this is saying so what? My kid does that all the time. I realize she is not unique in her two-ness (not a word, I know). It is really just the pure defiance that rankles me. And the showering in the dark part. I have always coddled her, and let her pretty much get away with anything and everything. Now I am reaping the results of that. I did the Super Nanny thing on Thursday night, where I kept returning her to the time out chair every time she got up and starting the clock over, and I think a 2 minute time-out took 30 minutes to accomplish. (She also kept standing up and turning the a/c or heater on. I guess I should move the time-out chair to a spot not directly under the thermostat.)

Taylor, thank-you-Jesus, has come out of this type of behavior. She is mostly sweet and wanting to please me. Occasional tantrums, occasional loss of hearing (meaning she just ignores me when I tell her to do or not to do something), but not destructive and pushing her boundaries like Maddie. I am so glad that I don't have a two year old and a three year old.

Good thing she's cute. Seriously cute.

A Story

2011-01-05T13:40:00.000-08:00

This is the "tree" that Taylor and Maddie planted this afternoon.

And this is Taylor and Maddie "watching the tree grow", which Taylor says she is going to do "all night long".

I can't seem to convince her that her tree made of sticks and dead branches will not grow.

Please excuse the appearance of the back yard. That big dirt spot is where Dezi dug up the grass last summer, trying to get to the cool soil underneath during 100+ degree weather. The white stuff to the right of the porch is the filling Finn pulled out of the old comforter that was in his dog house. The paint has also been chewed off of the house in several spots, especially near the bottom of the post. Why in the world does anybody have dogs??

The New Year

2011-01-04T12:10:00.000-08:00

The year 2010 was pretty good, I have decided after long and earnest introspection. Ha. To be truthful, I have only briefly thought of last year, and only after seeing other bloggers write out reviews and recaps of 2010. All in all, it was a good year. We have made progress in several areas of our life, making headway in reducing the drama, being better parents and increasing our financial stability. Baby steps in all areas, but strides forward none the less. We ended the year in a better place than we started it, and you can't ask for more than that.

What's in store for us in the year 2011:

~Brittany will get braces, with the spacers going in today. Yay! So much for that financial stability I was just talking about.

~Taylor starts kindergarten.

~Possibly we will move to a bit nicer neighborhood. I have great hopes.

~We are planning a visit to the great-grandparents on both sides in MO, but I am hoping to squeeze in our first short "adult only" trip somewhere. Anywhere. wink wink.

Happy New Year!!

The Return of "Teddy"

2010-12-29T12:33:00.000-08:00

Maddie has developed a sudden and complete love for the little (now quite mangy) stuffed bear (koala?) that I carried around as a young child. Mom has many stories of this bear and I, including the new nose and "hat" she had to sew on when the dog chewed him up. He is 32 years old, I believe, and his fragility limits his play time. Which is probably his appeal to the girls. He is basking in the new love that is being heaped on him despite his grunginess, which reminds me of the Velveteen Rabbit story.

What Kind of Mother Forgets the Camera on Christmas?

2010-12-27T13:48:00.000-08:00

This kind.

It's true, I forgot to take my camera to my mother's house on Christmas Eve. Therefore, I have no pictures of my many children opening their many presents on Christmas morning. I know, I know. You all watched your own children open their presents, why do you want to watch my four children open theirs? It was fun, that's for sure. I would have liked to have a picture of Taylor opening her unicorn Pillow Pet. She saw them months ago at Walmart, and has not stopped asking for one since then. She (I) wrote it on her Christmas list that was posted on the fridge for the past three weeks. So, you can imagine her face when she opened that one. Unfortunately, that's all I can do too. Is imagine it. Because I forgot my camera on Christmas. What kind of mother does that??

The Favorite This Year

2010-12-26T06:52:00.000-08:00

This was their gift from Grandma, and as you can see it is a huge hit. You should have seen Maddie whisking away. That is what she is doing in the last picture. As a matter of fact, you can see that she refused to turn around and look at the camera. She was too busy cooking!

Things I Have Learned This Week

2010-12-23T08:21:00.000-08:00

1) It is actually better to buy the cheap diaper rash cream, I realized this morning as I was cleaning Boudreaux's Butt Paste for the second time this week off of the recliner. The cheap generic stuff is much thinner and easier to wipe up.

2) I can now fully understand why my mother never had the same excitement and love of Christmas that I had as a child. When you are the mother, not the child, Christmas brings loads of stress. The tree is coming down the day immediately following Christmas.

3) I have spoiled Madison, and coddled and babied her to the point that now she thinks she can get away with absolutely anything. And now that she is two, and can use logic and problem-solving to reach things she shouldn't, this is a big problem. She is in the full blown terrible twos.

4) My husband truly is a thoughtful, selfless person. I already knew this, but my appreciation for this facet of him has been renewed this week.

2010-12-23T06:17:00.000-08:00

I can finally say that I am completely done Christmas shopping. And it is only the day before Christmas Eve! Plenty of time. There is definately no need to start earlier next year, nosiree. Plenty of time.

***eyeroll***

Somebody Call CPS!

2010-12-18T06:07:00.001-08:00

Quick, someone call CPS--"Computer Protective Services".

Maddie ripped four keys off of the computer I am currently using, an old laptop that belongs to Corey's office. Suffering the same fate that my laptop suffered. Perhaps if we intervene now, this one can be saved.

2010-12-16T13:32:00.001-08:00

Today I did something I should have done months ago. I threw every single non-washable crayon we had into the trash. This action has left us with 8 lone crayons. The non-washable ones are cheaper, you know. That was my reasoning for choosing those. Faulty reasoning.

This and That

2010-12-15T13:44:00.000-08:00

If I have any readers left, I apologize to you for my rare and boring posts as of late. Things around here are pretty monotonous, although my mother-in-law was visiting for the past week (hi Mary!) so that was a welcome diversion. Ever since I dropped her off at the airport yesterday afternoon, Maddie has been repeatedly asking me "where her go?".

I am very relieved to say that I am pretty much done with my Christmas shopping, for the kids at least. I am very excited about the play kitchen that I found for the girls (a gift from my mom). It is old-fashioned, made mostly of wood (plywood), complete with red and white checked curtains. Taylor has been asking for one ever since I bought a big package of plastic food, and I didn't want a cheesy plastic one. I almost had to settle for the pink plastic Disney Princess one that talked and played music (ugh), when suddenly I saw this one. There was only one left, and it is exactly what I have been hoping for. I can't wait for the girls to open it on Christmas morning.

Our Christmas tree this year leaves a lot to be desired. It's really quite a sad sight. The ornaments are all on the top 1/3, and not solely because of the little ones. My cat spent the first night the tree was up grabbing the red balls and batting them around the living room. At first the ornaments were at least spread out on the top part of the tree, but little hands have rearranged them into clumps. We have a pre-lit tree, and Taylor keeps trying to unwind the strands of lights from the branches. Not a good thing. Poor tree. I should have bought that hideous shiny white table top tree from Garden Ridge. It was pre-lit also, and already so "festive" that it wouldn't even have needed ornaments. Truly gawdy, that thing was. But is was 50% off, so I really was tempted.

The girls had their first visit to the dentist last Friday. I know, I know, I'm way behind with Taylor. But they both did very well, and the dental hygenist was very pleased the extremely low amount of plaque build-up that Taylor had, especially for her age and for never having had a cleaning before. You wanted to know that I'm sure. Maddie just had an exam, and her teeth look great too. Whew.

One final note. Or question, rather. A person should be allowed to have something, something that belongs only to them and doesn't get destroyed by small people, right? Right?

Traditions

2010-12-13T06:29:00.000-08:00

One of our family Christmas traditions is making stockings. Each year I buy 4 plain stockings, some fabric puff paint, and let the kids decorate their stockings. We started this tradition in 2006, so I have piles of red stockings in a box in the attic. Here are some pictures from this year.

Two Things That Are Really Annoying Me Right Now

2010-12-04T13:02:00.000-08:00

1) Having to run the A/C still. In December. While Corey is hanging Christmas lights. Why do I live in this state?

2) Maddie getting back out of her crib after we have put her to bed for the night to go potty. Three times every night at least. Six times last night. Can't she just wear diapers forever?

Rock-a-bye Baby

2010-12-03T12:23:00.000-08:00

Taylor is such a little mommy. So is Maddie, for that matter. The game lately is to put all doll babies and various stuffed animals on Maddie's green potty and on the regular toilet padded seat insert (placed on the ground, of course) and talk and talk about how they all need to go potty. Here is Taylor, rocking her favorite thing to "mother".

Can you guess what it is?

How about now?

No? Look a little closer.

Why yes, you are right! It is Finn, the most recent addition to our family.

Before you call the Humane Society, she is just keeping him warm as he dries from his bath. He has a tendency to shake like crazy when he is wet, so every time we give him a bath we wrap him in a baby blanket and hold him until he warms up. No cruelty involved.

Painting

2010-12-02T13:12:00.000-08:00

Ohh, the mistakes we make as parents.

Like buying paint kits from the dollar bin. Cheap paints=not washable.

In Memory of Hilary Jane Ferguson

2010-12-01T07:32:00.001-08:00

Last night I found out that a dear friend of mine passed away unexpectedly. Her name was Hilary, we met at church around 20 years ago, and she was my roommate 13 years ago while living in a small apartment, when I met my first husband. In fact, he was the one who called late last night to tell me. They had remained friends, and he had found out through Facebook. What a way to learn of something like that, right? It was very unexpected and sudden, and we don't know what happened yet. I haven't seen her since Taylor's 4th birthday party in February, and it has been at least 3 months since we have even spoken. Still, I am shocked and saddened beyond belief. She was only 5 years older than me. So young to die. I just cannot understand this. It just goes to remind you that you never know when the last time you see someone will indeed be the last time. Rest in peace, Hilary. I will miss you.

***edited to add: I just received an email from her sister, and apparently she hadn't been feeling well for a few days. When she missed an appointment with her mom and sister, they sent a friend over to her apartment to check on her. She had died in her sleep on Sunday night/Monday morning. I feel for the friend who found her that way. It appears at this point that her death was due to her heart condition. I knew she had congestive heart failure, but was not aware that she was having any symptoms.

Maddieism of the Day

2010-11-29T06:20:00.000-08:00

Me: "Are you pooping?"

Maddie: "Check in my diaper."

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T08:23:00.001-08:00

I just wanted to take a moment and wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving. I have been baking up a storm. I don't mind bragging that I have managed to become quite a competent cook, however baking/desserts are not my strength. So why did I volunteer to handle the desserts this year? Who knows. Last night I made a pumpkin cheesecake, and this morning I baked an apple crisp. I'm not sure how the cheesecake will turn out as I've never made one, and you know there is a lot of room for error on that one. That is why I went with the apple crisp for the second one. Hard to mess up, that one is. I hope. It's in the oven right now. In a few hours we will be heading to my Mom's house.
Just a few things I am thankful for this year:
~four healthy children
~one supportive, sweet, affectionate, hard-working, unconditional-loving husband
~plenty of work available for my husband despite the economic uncertainty
~all extended family
~the ability this year to look back at the year and feel with complete certainty that we are a stronger family in a better place than this time last year

Have a great day all!

Ode to Conair Soothing Sounds Machine

2010-11-24T08:34:00.000-08:00

This little machine is perhaps the best the best purchase I have ever made. I ordered it from eBay, and including shipping it was only $32. Seriously, if it was possible to love an electronic gadget, I love this one. Every night I use the "ocean waves" setting, but there are nine others. After a comment I received on my post about the neighbor's music, I should clarify that the music is not loud enough to bother the other neighbors. With the exception of the one time I was called a nasty word, the music can't be heard outside. Only in my master bedroom when all is quiet and I am trying to sleep. So, calling the police to enforce the noise ordinance is not really a solution. Something about the way the walls were built amplifies the music. Yes, I can still hear it all night long, every night. It's like there's a nightclub nearby and I am only hearing the beat of the base, but there's not one anywhere near here. Anyway, this little cheap machine is wonderful. The waves are so soothing, and the music doesn't bother me anymore. Sleep on, sleep on.

Proud

2010-11-22T05:45:00.001-08:00

Yesterday my gorgeous 12 year old daughter competed at the state level in gymnastics. She is now ranked #9 in the state of Texas (for her age group). This is a girl goes to school for 8 hours and then works out at the gym for 3 or 4 more hours, depending on the day. She works so hard, and I am so proud of her.

2010-11-18T18:31:00.000-08:00

I need a break. I need a break. I need a break. This has been my mantra for the past three days as I have seen hide nor hair of my husband. He has been busy at work, to say the least. Right now both little girls are with their Grandma, and it is quiet here. I have my break. It was great. I say "was" because now that five hours have passed, I miss them! Terribly! I want them back! Can any of you other sahm's relate? Or am I just crazy?

***edited: I should add that after I handed them over to my mother, I went to the mall with a friend and then out to dinner with her. I haven't been to a mall since before Maddie was born. I guess that's why I feel like ok, break's over.

Neighbors

2010-11-17T13:42:00.000-08:00

Well. Hm. I sure am glad that we are renting this house. We couldn't have bought it anyway, had we wanted to, for we are diligently trying to rebuild our credit after several extremely tough years. But I sure am glad, sitting here today typing this, that we didn't. Because our neighbors are successfully chasing me away. We don't live in a "rich" neighborhood, we don't live in a "poor" neighborhood, but rather somewhere in between. The german shepherd next door barks continuously, especially at night and at 6 in the morning when other neighbors are starting to get into their cars to head to work. This same neighbor plays very loud, very annoying music every.single.night. Bump bump bump goes the base and/or drums, in my head as I'm laying in my bed. I'm the type of person that needs complete silence and zero stimulation when I'm trying to fall asleep. I can't even have the television on low volume. My husband? He falls asleep to the point of snoring within 90 seconds of his head hitting the pillow. A monsoon could be raging right outside the window and he still can fall asleep and stay that way. And I am not exaggerating. So irritating. Before you think of it, yes the irritation stems from jealousy. I have to concentrate to fall asleep. Ridiculous, I know. My mind is very hard to turn off so that I can start to drift off. I think about my problems, what is good and what needs improvement in my life. I pray, I process my day. When there is irritating noise that gets my blood boiling? Forget it. Corey can't even really hear it, but then he was in the military and also sets off fire alarms near his ears many times a day, so it's no wonder. A few nights ago the music was so loud that even Corey could hear it. I worked up the nerve to go next door and knock on the door. It didn't go well. I reasonably and politely told the woman (I think it is the single male owner's mother) that I could hear the music in every room in my house, and especially in my baby's room and pointed to Maddie's window. She tells me that maybe I should move my baby into another room then! Then she proceeded to call me a b****, slam the door in my face, and shut off the front porch light. Nice, huh? You know how later, after a heated conversation, you think of things you wish you had said? Well, I wish I would have told her to act like an adult since she's at least 60 (she only looks about 50) and also mentioned the fact that moving the baby wouldn't help since I already told her I can hear it in every room. Take that!!
I really had planned to stay here for 3-4 years, until we won't be laughed out of the room when we approach a bank for a mortgage. Now, I'm not so sure about this. Loud music only on the weekends would be bad enough (I'm really old and grumpy, apparently), but every night? Come on. I guess I belong in a senior living community.

Maddie Is Two...And Acting It

2010-11-12T12:43:00.000-08:00

Today is Madison's actual birthday. Since her birthday party was on Sunday she had already opened her presents, but I saved a couple for today. A girl has to have something to open on her official birthday day. Wouldn't you know that the cheap spinning light toy she opened up today would be the favorite of them all.

And to celebrate Maddie turning two, here are two Maddieisms. They are real gems.

~"Your boobies are sticking out. Put on a towel." (I had just gotten out of the shower)

~"You know my happy birthday? Taylor don't give it back." (She was referring to the light spinner thing)

I can't believe that the last baby I'll ever have is no longer a baby. That thought simultaneously makes me sad and happy. A whole new phase of our lives is upon us. Goodbye baby years, hello teenage years (ack..how do I have a tween? I'm too young.). Fortunately, the loss of the wonderful things having a baby includes--constant snuggles, toothless grins, first laughes, tiny feet, amazing milestones, rocking--is replaced by equally awesome things--the return of a social life, alone time, using the bathroom in private, more sleep, more money (goodbye diapers and baby paraphernalia), and alone time with your husband (wink wink).

Happy Birthday Madison!

2010-11-11T17:45:00.000-08:00

I'm running the A/C in November. Really? Seriously? Is anybody else having unseasonably warm weather?

On a completely unrelated note, have you all seen those widgets on the sidebars of blogs for ChipIn? Apparently, it is now considered socially acceptable to solicit funds over the internet from complete strangers. We can now beg for money to finance anything from adoptions to household bills. I was thinking of putting one up on my sidebar to request money to buy a new computer. How about it folks? Is is worth a forking over a little of your own hard earned money to see again pictures of my lovely littles?
(insert snark here)

From All You Mothers Out There...

2010-11-09T05:25:00.000-08:00

Can I get a "daylight savings time sucks?"

Check Up

2010-11-08T13:20:00.000-08:00

Today one of our playgroups visited a little "ranch" that touted a petting zoo, pony ride, and a balloon for $5. Taylor is a horse fanatic, and every time we drive down the street near our house where there is a stable advertising riding lessons complete with horses grazing in the front, she begs to ride a horse. In fact, she eats her vegetables and fruit religiously so she can "grow strong and big and ride on horsies". Based on all of this, I figured this would be perfect. Well, she did get to ride a pony. They both did. In a circle. Very slowly. About 4 times around. They were also presented with a dixie cup of goat pellets when we got there, so they fed the goats and held some rabbits. It was weird. But, Taylor loved it. The little boy in front of her had his mother walking the circle with him, holding on to him. Right up front Taylor made it clear she did not want me to go with her. I wish I could show you the look on her face. She was thrilled.

Yesterday we celebrated Maddie's 2nd birthday with a small party. Yesterday was also the 3rd anniversary of my Dad's death. It was a fun time on a rotten day. I was so busy cleaning and shopping (yes, I wait until the day of the party to do all this) that I didn't have much time for sadness and reflection. Which is good, I guess, but with the relief comes a little bit of guilt that I didn't. I'm making up for it today, though, because my Dad has been in the forefront of my thoughts most of the day. I miss him. He would really enjoy Maddie, she is so smart and sassy. When Brittany was this age, they were inseparable. He was such a good grandpa, and I hate that my Maddie and Taylor will not ever know him.

Potty training is moving ahead full force, despite Maddie still being 4 days shy of 2 years old. The good--she is recognizing the urge to go and successfully using her little toilet. Yay for fewer diapers! The bad--she heads into the bathroom on her own, shedding her diaper somewhere along the way, and before I've had the chance to even notice she is in the bathroom, she is carrying the pink plastic bowl, shouting and sloshing pee on the carpet (the bowl is shaped like the mouth of the frog, complete with tongue..a little weird).
**I'm just kidding about the pee on the carpet, there's not enough in there to actually go over the edge. But there is definate sloshing and there have been several close calls.

Everything else is going along just swimmingly. We are looking forward to a visit from Corey's mother in December. I am loving the fact that the weather is cooler, and getting excited that the holidays are approaching. My favorite time of the year. You all lucked out, because as I am still without a computer of my own, you have been spared a picture of the first ever poop in the little potty. Bah I'm just kidding. Did you really think I would take a picture of that? I could barely stand to look at it.

2010-10-31T18:20:00.000-07:00

Ok, so here's a story for you. I was all set to have some time to myself this evening while Corey took the girls trick-or-treating. (Here's my dirty little secret..I hate Halloween, and I didn't want to go. Spending one painful hour in the Walmart costume isle while Taylor vacillated between a zillion different costumes and then having to return that afternoon and repeat the activity because the one she finally chose was missing a piece..that was my contribution) Then his pager went off and he had to go to work, so I took them up and down our street alone. One of our nice bachelor neighbors went the extra mile, and he was handing out little paper baggies with colorful Halloween pictures on them and two candy bars inside. Included with the candy bars was a handwritten note. After the girls went to bed, I was ~~raiding their pumpkin buckets~~ verifying the safety of the candy and picked up both notes, with the intention of throwing them away. Something stopped me, though, and I set them back down on the counter. I guess I felt bad tossing them, since he obviously invested a significant amount of time cutting up pieces of lined notebook paper into little slips and writing his message with a pencil. I looked down at them again, more closely this time, and this is what they said..

"Happy Hollween"

Both of them.

Foolish

2010-10-31T07:15:00.000-07:00

Corey and I love to watch horror movies. We usually just laugh through them, pointing out the impossibilies, the absurdities, the ridiculous actions of the characters. Last night we took a trip down memory lane and rented Stephen King's "Pet Sematary" (yes I know cemetery is misspelled, but that is the spelling he uses). I have watched it several times in the past, however last night was the first time I have seen it since I became a mother. Let me warn you, the scene where the toddler is killed on the road by the speeding truck affects you in a horribly different way when you have a child who is the same age sleeping in the next room. Remember the tiny bloody shoe? I was barely holding it together, hands pressed against the sides of my face, mouth hanging open. Then when the funeral scene came a few minutes later, where the casket is knocked to the floor and the little hand is visible for just a few seconds, I burst into sobs. Total.basket.case. I can't explain it, and maybe it's foolish. But watching those two scenes now, as a mother, I just was slammed with a feeling of "what if" and "I can't imagine....". Those are awful, awful scenes.

Corey, of course, laughed at me.

I laughed too, later, when the toddler is brought back to life as a scalpel-wielding, neck-munching little giggler. However, I will never watch that movie again.

Absence

2010-10-27T13:06:00.000-07:00

Posting just seems boring and somewhat pointless when you can't include pictures, that's my excuse for the lapse in blogging lately. Who cares what I have to say, right? I know you all are just here for the pictures. And when I say "you all", I am referring to the 3 readers that I have. I'm hoping you guys hang around, because I will resume regularly scheduled programming at some point.

What's up:
~Madison has started using her potty
~I won a $150 Visa giftcard from BlogHer and One A Day (wahoo!)
~I have joined 2 sahm groups, so we are able to escape the house for a few mornings a week, drastically improving my mental state and the girls' social lives

...crickets...

See? Without pics, I've got nothing. Snoozefest.

Happy 12th Birthday My Dear Brittany!

2010-10-25T06:23:00.000-07:00

Today is my oldest child's birthday. I would bless you with a picture of her, if I could figure out where to stick the memory card into Corey's work laptop. I asked her yesterday if I could pretend she is turning 10, because I am way to young to have a 12 year old. Let me tell you, she has already perfected that tween look of disgust.

I love you miss Brittany, and Happy Birthday!

(**my husband called while I was still composing this, and he told me that this computer has no place to insert a memory card. Um, seriously? So, no pictures for awhile.)

Just Perfect

2010-10-22T12:41:00.000-07:00

My computer seems to have crashed, and turned itself from an HP Pavilion Entertainment PC into a piece of trash destined for the garbage bin out front. Grrrr. I am on Corey's work laptop right now, and besides the fact that he usually takes it to work with him, it is extremely slow. So you may not hear from me much, at least for now. A new computer isn't exactly in our budget so who knows. I don't even need to mention all of the lost pictures and files. Grrrr..

Why I've Gained 3 Pounds This Week

2010-10-20T12:28:00.000-07:00

Remember the stuffed peppers I told you about awhile ago? They were such a hit around here that I didn't hesitate when I found a variation on that recipe in Redbook this month. I made a few changes myself to the actual recipe in Redbook, and Corey said he actually liked these even better than the green pepper recipe. These are the differences:
-italian sausage instead of ground beef (the Redbook recipe called for italian chicken sausage)
-red peppers instead of green, sliced halfwise and laid flat, instead of leaving the pepper whole and filling it
-marinara sauce instead of canned diced tomatoes and worchestire
-mozzarella instead of cheddar, though the inside of the pepper is still sprinkled with parmesan (also sprayed pepper with olive oil spray)
-the filling had scallions and oregano
These were very, very good. Since the peppers were sweet, I used sweet sausage and a sweet marinara sauce as well.

On Monday night I also used a Redbook recipe, one for crab and shrimp quesadillas. Once again, these looked better in person before I cut them and stacked them up! They had cheddar and monterey jack, sour cream, pico de gallo, corn, shrimp and lump crabmeat. I served black beans and extra sour cream and pico on the side. The girls loved them, especially Taylor.

If I keep cooking like this, those jeans I have been so excited to wear will not fit any longer. Fat and happy, that's what we'll be!

Procedure Stinks

2010-10-19T13:56:00.000-07:00

I need to rant. I need to rave. "Ranting and raving" is a saying I remember my Dad using a lot. And doing a lot, come to think of it. Anyway, if you don't feel like "listening" to my tirade, I don't blame you. Feel free to stop reading right now.

Still here? Don't say I didn't warn you.

Why is it that when you are one day late on a loan payment, the threatening phone calls start immediately, and keep coming every single day until you pay up....but when that same company owes you money, they take their own sweet time giving it to you? When we purchased our new car a few months ago, there was still 2 weeks until the next payment on our trade-in was due so I didn't pay it. The dealership took too long to send in the payoff check, and the very day after my payment was due the loan company decended on us with the collection calls. Three days of this and I was sick of my phone ringing several times a day, so I went ahead and paid it, knowing there would be an overpayment on the account. I was assured by both the dealership and the loan company that we would receive this money back. One week after the car loan company had finally received and processed the payoff check, I called to inquire about my overpayment. I was told 30-45 days after the payoff date (August 26th) I would receive a check in the mail. "Sorry, it's procedure." Still waiting. I have called and spoken to many supervisors, told it is an automated thing and there is not an actual person that will print and send the check. I was told there is not an actual person they can contact to find out why it has not been sent. How can this be? There has to be a person working there, right? Unless our world has completely been taken over by computers and us lowly human beings are no longer needed, there has to be a person sitting behind that computer, right?
So here we sit, 53 days later, still waiting for our refund. I asked the supervisor if I can collect interest (like the astronomical amount they collected from us over 5 years) and a late payment fee too, now that the 45 days has come and gone. Let me tell you, I did not get a favorable response to that question. The kicker is...this same company now holds our new car loan. No, they can't just transfer the money over to the new account. I think I'll tell them this next time I call: "I know my car payment is due on the 24th, but it will take 30-45 days for you to receive it. Sorry, it's procedure."

An Example of Our Parenting Style

2010-10-16T13:43:00.000-07:00

Whenever any one of our three daughters are eating with a decided lack of table manners (for example chewing with their mouthes open, burping at the table, taking too large of a bite, and see the above pictures), we always tell them to make sure and do that on all of their dates. Our purpose in telling them to repeat atrocious eating habits? The young men will surely be turned off and disgusted, hopefully derailing any after dinner "activities" they may have planned.

I'm pretty positive we will not be winning any parenting awards in the near future.

Road Trip

2010-10-13T12:50:00.000-07:00

On Monday we went for a mini-vacation, a short road trip to visit to some beloved family members. When I met Corey, these two people were like surrogate parents to him. Very quickly they came to mean a great deal to me, too. Yes--another set of parents to us is exactly who they are. In every way.
Whenever we are coming home from playgroup (or anywhere actually) if it is nearing 11:30, I have a devil of a time keeping Maddie awake. I want her to stay awake just so she can nap at home. I planned our departure to coincide with nap time so that Maddie would sleep on the way there, knowing it would be a cinch as long we left around 11:30. Au contraire mon frere.

I even swaddled Maddie, hoping she would be blissfully transported back to her newborn days and drift off. Uh, no. It just made her laugh.

2010-10-09T14:10:00.000-07:00

Gretta is not thrilled that I replaced the broken doll stroller with a new one. With a hard plastic restraint bar and leg holes. That Taylor stuffs her legs through.

****By the way, I was tricked. Where did my Fall go? It's hot today. Harumph.

2010-10-08T12:34:00.000-07:00

I borrowed this quote from Redbook magazine. I even have it posted on the fridge, and reread it several times a week. This quote really spoke to me, so I wanted to share it with you.

"Love the life you lead. That doesn't mean walking around with a smile plastered on your face; it just means that at the end of the day, when you stack it all up, there are moments of joy, laughter, and love that define who you are."~Nate Berkus

How true is that? After I read that quote, I actually felt relief. Here's why--I have moments where I want to pull my hair out, I'm frustrated, unhappy, resentful, sad, irritated. When I have these feelings, they are immediately followed by feelings of guilt. How many working mothers out there would give their eyeteeth to be able to stay home with their young children? I want to feel like I love my life, yet I have these feelings so I must not, right? Wrong. At least I now I think so. Loving my life doesn't mean I am happy every single second. Because I'm not. But I do. And that, my friends, is a good thing to realize.

Maybe I Should Start Reading the Ingredient List

2010-10-07T13:18:00.000-07:00

Last night Maddie was eating mini carrots dipped in ranch dressing. Many things my girls eat give them rashes on every part of the face that it has directly touched, like cinnamon, tomato sauce and strawberry jelly. This particular brand of ranch dressing has caused the worst rash ever.

Says my husband..."Ranch is no jok-er."

Are you laughing yet? No? Well then you must not get it. The rash resembles the red painted-on mouth of the joker (brilliantly played by Heath Ledger) in Batman. This is a great representation of Corey's brand of humor. So, we hear ~~cheesy~~ hilarious and witty jokes like this all the time.

Peace

2010-10-06T12:36:00.000-07:00

I have been feeling very peaceful for the last week or so. This is something that I have struggled with all of my life. I have a tendency to be very restless and discontent. I have so many good things in my life. I know that. I am so incredibly lucky. I know that, too. When I'm feeling melancholy, agitated and dissatisfied, these feelings do not necessarily correlate with circumstances or events in my life. These moods come from inside of me. On any given day, I can handle the same incident in thoroughly different ways. For example, spilled milk. On a good day, I shrug and wipe it up. On a bad day, I shriek or burst into tears. There you go, folks. My secret is out. I am a moody beyotch.

Anyway, my point is that I'm feeling at peace right now, and that is truly a blessing from God. It could be the arrival of Fall. It could be that I've joined two mother's groups, and we have regular interaction with other SAHM's and their children. Who knows? But that picture above of Dezi? That's me. Relaxed. (Though not as relaxed as him, being that he is dead and all. **But not in that picture of course.** Sorry, bad joke.)

A Smile the Size of Texas

2010-10-04T10:54:00.000-07:00

I love Fall. It is by far, without a doubt, my favorite season. And it is finally here! The weather has changed it seems. Right now I am sitting here with my windows open for the first time this season, feeling the wonderfully cool, refreshing air flowing through my house. Today I feel invigorated.

I'm saying goodbye to:
*Sweat. Sweating 10 minutes after I've had a shower. Sweating every time I get the girls into and out of the car.
*Triple-digit electric bills.
*Children gone rowdy with pent up energy because it is too hot to go outside to play.
*Shorts. Because let's face it, no one looks stylish in shorts over the age of 16.
*Fire ants and flies.
*Sweat. I can't emphasize enough how much I hate to sweat.

I'm saying hello to:
*Fabulous jeans.
*Soft-as-butter knee-high leather boots. Or cowboy boots. Or Uggs.
*Double digit electric bills.
*Walking into a store feeling fresh despite the struggle of car seat belts and traipsing through parking lots.
*Plush footie pajamas on little ones (is there anything as adorable?)
*Thick, homemade split pea soup. And chili. And bean soup.
*The holidays right around the corner.

Today, my smile is as big as Texas.

Sunday Funday

2010-10-04T06:39:00.000-07:00

No words are necessary.

Maddieism of the Day

2010-09-30T06:33:00.000-07:00

"I have a booger in my nofe."

(She has the cutest tendency to make her "s" sound like an "f". Like mouse is moufe. And house is houfe. And nose is nofe. Utterly heart-melting.)

What Goes Up, Must Come Down

2010-09-29T13:51:00.000-07:00

Remember my post about things being pretty relaxed and running smoothly around here lately? Well, what goes up must come down. Taylor seems to be developing asthma, and the grand part of all this is that her insurance covers nothing. Zero. Zilch. That is, until we spend $3500. It's that old embedded deductible thing. I've complained about this a lot here, what with my recent medical happenings. $135 per week doesn't buy you much medical insurance these days. I can't wait until January when we can change our medical insurance. You know, where you pay $40 to go to the doctor. And $20 gets you the prescription you need. And that old deductible stuff doesn't even come into play unless hospitals are involved. She is now on an albuterol inhalation medication (Ventolin HFA) as needed, and the best part is the equipment we had to purchase seperately, the AeroChamber. This is a piece of plastic shaped like a tube that cost $50. I asked if I can just wrap a toilet paper tube in saran wrap, would that work? Ha.

Ebb and flow, baby. Ebb and flow.

Stuffed Green Peppers

2010-09-29T05:58:00.000-07:00

This general recipe comes from my mom, but being the kind of cook that I am, I may have changed things up a bit. I'm also not the type to follow a recipe by measurements, I tend to add something until I think I've added enough. So I hope you can follow this recipe and enjoy these like we did1

Clean out the peppers, how ever many you think you need. You can also use red/orange/yellow peppers, but I am rather cheap so I use green. Try to find the ones with wide bottoms, so that they will sit up. After you have removed all of the inside gunk, pat dry inside and out and sprinkle parmesan cheese in the bottom of the pepper. I used the shredded because that is what I had in the fridge, but you can use the regular grated if you want.

Brown ground beef and chopped sweet onion together, drain grease. Add one can of diced tomatoes, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup minute rice (I use brown), some worchestire (I use a lot of that but the recipe says 1 tsp). Cover and simmer about 15 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed. Add shredded cheddar cheese, and I also added some shredded Romano because I had it in the fridge. Stir. Fill the pepper cups and sprinkle some extra shredded cheddar on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Now, I took this picture before the baking. I took another one after, but as you will see when you make this, they don't look as pretty after they are done baking so I'm going to use this one!! Also, the Velveeta in the background is not in this dish, I used it to make homemade macaroni and cheese as a side dish, which goes great with it by the way. Also, if you like your green pepper softer, you can boil it for a litte bit before you assemble the peppers. I don't like soggy veggies, though, so I didn't.

Color Her Purple

2010-09-27T13:28:00.000-07:00

Taylor loves purple with a passion. Clothes, food, crayons, anything that comes in a color needs to be purple. She has had purple curtains and a circular purple shag rug in her room for a couple of months now, and we have been on the hunt for a comforter that would match. I, for one, was wanting something pretty, feminine, little-girly, with just a touch of purple that would tie in the curtains and rug. As it turns out, Taylor had entirely something else in mind. Behold...the blinding purple satin comforter...

I gave in, since it is her room after all. Sigh.

Maddieism of the Day

2010-09-26T07:35:00.001-07:00

"Put clip in my hair."

five seconds later...

"Take it out."

Insert more offensive bragging...Did you know that it is considered normal for a two year old to just begin using 2 word sentences? (as per "Parenting Magazine"). My slightly-under-two year old used a 5 word sentence today. And you know what? That is not uncommon. Well, usually her sentences are only 4 words. I'm so proud...

Recipe for Turkey Burritos

2010-09-25T11:47:00.000-07:00

Ha! I'm just kidding. There is no recipe. These two girls have been, uh, having trouble with their behavior this past week. Let's just say that they are disinclined to acquiesce to my requests (I love to use that quote, it's from "Pirates of the Caribbean". Makes me feel smart!). "Turkey" is the kindest word I can think of to describe them right now. But in case you need a few more, "brat" and "hooligan" would be accurate as well.

9/23/10..That's All

2010-09-23T16:25:00.000-07:00

Can those eyes be any more blue? No photoshop here!

Do you know that saying "no news is good news"? It seems like (to me, anyway) I mostly blog about the problems and annoyances in my life. When nothing is really happening around here, I feel like I don't have anything to blog about. Other blogs seem to garner attention and traffic when something big/awful/tragic is going on in the authors' lives. Illness (especially in babies), financial problems, high risk pregnancies, etc. All of you other mommy bloggers out there know what I am talking about. Fortunately for me, I have no major difficulties or drama in my life right now. So, I guess "no blog is good blog". Huh. That was really stupid. See what I mean? I have nothing to blog about.

Nothing Funny Here, Just Move Along

2010-09-21T13:16:00.000-07:00

"Sit on Gretta. Sit on Gretta."

Those were Maddie's words as she squashed my cat with her backside. Although, to be fair, the cat should not really be sleeping on the booster chair at the kitchen table. I did dress her today, by the way. She now undresses herself repeatedly.

Maddieism of the day: "See you later baby." (She hears my husband and I say this to eachother often.)

***edited to add: As I published this post, there was an ad on the left sidebar from Chili's that said to print this coupon for free chips and queso. That is so unfair! Chili's rocks, and I'm not allowed to click on my own ads. Boo.

Maddieism of the Day

2010-09-20T15:04:00.000-07:00

"Moof outta my way"
(translation: "move out of my way")

***Is it offensive bragging to tell you all that she was walking around the house this morning counting from one to ten out loud to herself? Ok. Well then I won't say it.

Requesting Your Feedback

2010-09-19T14:12:00.000-07:00

Internet friends and loved ones, I need your help! Can you please tell me whether you like the new picture or not? I realize that it is huge, and also slightly scary when the page loads and faces fill the entire screen. Is it too overpowering? Should I revert to the colored box simply stating "The Gogg Blog" with one line of text? Please leave me a comment and give your two cents!

**edited to add: I can't make it smaller, so it is either ginormous or not there at all..

Cook, Clean, Cook, Clean, Cook, Clean...

2010-09-19T11:05:00.000-07:00

Seems like all I do. Oh, and with loads of laundry thrown in there at least every other day. I cannot describe how tired I am of cleaning the kitchen floor (mainly around and under the table) after every. single. meal. and. snack.

Momma said there'd be days like this, there'd be days like this my momma said...

Ahem. Sorry about that.

This is what everbody is doing right now. Maddie is absent because she is napping.

More Silly Ways to Pass the Long Hot Days

2010-09-16T19:19:00.000-07:00

Here are some action pictures (hence the blur) of Taylor and Maddie having ~~potato sack~~ Kohls sack races.

My Little Carnivore

2010-09-15T13:25:00.000-07:00

Madison loves meat. She and Tayor both eat tons of fruits and veggies, but she likes meat more that Taylor does. Anyway, I debated about posting these pictures because I'm sure they don't exactly enhance the image of a "good" mother that I am trying to portray here on my blog. Then I realized that I don't need others to think that I am a perfect mother, because of course I'm not. Nowhere near in fact. So here you go. My little carnivore, gnawing on a large ribeye steak bone at the dinner table last night, without a shirt on. Around here we try our best to be perfect ladies and gentlemen with impeccable manners. Ahem.

Ride'M Cowboy

2010-09-14T13:13:00.000-07:00

The girls were riding "horses" today, complete with the Bonanza theme song. Sigh. The things we do to get through the long, hot, long days.

Thank Goodness for Two Things

2010-09-09T17:46:00.000-07:00

We have had so much rain this week that I am supremely thankful for two things. Grandma (who of course is not a thing but rather a person) and Playdoh.

Grandma kept Maddie and Taylor at her house Monday night through Wednesday, lavishing them with love and giving me a much needed break. And two new packages of Pladoh? 'Nuff said.

Sunday

2010-09-07T14:17:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, Twister. An oldie but a goodie.

And just in case you were wondering? Totally worth it. The huge grins on their little faces and the uncontrollable belly laughs are totally worth the sore muscles and yes, even looking completely ridiculous. Though I'm pretty sure my beloved and I don't fall within the recommended age bracket for this game. Where's the heck is the Trivial Pursuit?? Geez I'm showing my age.

In Trouble or Not?

2010-08-31T17:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Taylor and Maddie were on the back porch. I allow them to play out back alone as long as they stay on the back porch where I can see them (and it is the only shady spot as well). Unfortunately my attention was ~~on the television~~ on laundry, dishes, vacumming, and scrubbing toilets and I didn't notice that they had found a small chunk of charcoal and were drawing on the concrete with it. I dragged them inside, yelling, and practically had to give them bathes in the middle of the day because they were so filthy. I was angry, I admit. Then, later, I noticed what Taylor had been drawing.

I asked her what she wrote, and she said "my name". How can you really be mad when your 4 year old daughter, who is not in formal preschool, was writing letters all on her own?

2010-08-26T14:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Gretta was spayed. I know, you all wanted to know that! I had it done through Emancipet, which is an organization that performs vet services for the shelters and also for regular customers at a low(er) cost. Being the cheap person that I am, I declined the purchase of a collar to keep her from licking her incision. Well, last night she was licking with a vengence. It was too late to go anywhere to pick one up so my adorable, resourceful husband made one for her.

Yes, that is a Luvs box. And no, it didn't last long because she is a houdini.

Hot

2010-08-25T11:01:00.000-07:00

It is so hot and dry here, it's almost unbearable. Not for my girls, though, who still want to be outside digging in the bone dry dirt. Sigh. The poor grass.

Another brag on Maddie:

Taylor said "I miss Dezi" and Maddie immediately said "I miss Dezi too Mama".

Maddieisms

2010-08-23T14:03:00.000-07:00

Maddie's speech has suddenly taken off, blossomed. Her reasoning and logical thinking have grown by leaps and bounds in the last month. She is talking in complete sentences now! (Not all the time of course, but still yea!) Here are some she said today:

"You need to take a nap." (I had just that I was really tired)
"I want this one."
"I love Taylor."
"I love tv."
"I love Pooh bear."
"I want to hug you."
"I have poop."
"I see you Mommy."

Maddie is only 21 months old. I really don't remember any of my others using more than 2 words at a time, if that, this early. Maybe it's because there are so many older children talking up a storm around here.

Poor Folks' Swimming Pool

2010-08-21T14:41:00.000-07:00

A Cat's Life

2010-08-18T13:57:00.000-07:00

Alternately titled "Gretta Earns Her Keep"