Sneak Peak

Every year we do Halloween cards instead of Christmas cards.  Here is a sneak peak for this year.

Halloween Bat Party Halloween

Make a statement with Shutterfly Halloween photo cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

It is Potty Time!!!

Well, not really but sort of.  LM's daycare has been putting him on the potty (not that he does anything on it) so we thought we might go ahead and get one for home to stay consistent with the program.  Much to our surprise, when we put several on the floor at the big box kids store, he jumped right on like he knew what he was doing- thank god because I no longer squat when I pee.  Apparently the dumb parents didn't give the smart kid enough credit!  Due to a poor selection and my unwillingness to purchase a potty that sings when you pee in it, we ended getting one that was in a box and didn't have a sample out.  Of course when we got home, LM was all about the new potty- pulling it out of the box and climbing up on it.. yes, you heard me- climbing up on it.  This thing must have been 2 1/2 feet off the ground!  All of the other are a scant few inches off... so low to the ground that both Big Daddy and I were afraid to get down that low to demonstrate how to use it for fear we would never get back up.  We now realize that if he can't get up on it, he can't use it (the same reason we hide all of the step stools in the house) so off we go to return it back to the store.

We have no real hurry in getting a potty.  LM is interested insomuch that he  tries to put his head in the back of the toilet every time I use it and he laughs hysterically at me.  Really not a confidence booster for me.  Other then that, he is about 20 months old and likes to hand the TP to me.

My question for my one follower and the 14 visitors I have had in the past 2 months, what is the best kind of potty to get for a boy?  Big Daddy (also code for OCD Daddy) is in the camp that it needs to have a pee pee guard that goes up to the Little Man's chest.  I want to be able to rinse the pee container out so it needs to be separate.

Throw a little love my way and let me know what kind you like... or just ask your friends to visit my blog and let me know what kind they like..... would ya please!!!

Silhouette Giveaway

I can't express how much I NEED one of these!  My nerdy self would go crazy putting labels on everything!  I also would love to use it to make t-shirts.  The possibilieis are endless.
Prudent Baby- a blog that I read is having a giveaway for this cool baby.  Click to read the details!

poison ivy

How on earth does a 1 1/2 year old get poison ivy?  I think we are never to know.  LM has a raging case from the bottom of his shorts down to his little chubby ankles.  He has been great about it, not scratching at all.  He patiently lifts his legs for lotion several times  a day and sometime even points to the spots and say boo boo.  He also loves the extra time in the oatmeal bath playing with his toys.  I myself get horrible poison ivy that spreads like crazy!  I am thrilled that with his first case, he has managed to not look like a freak (like mama) with it all over his body.  The mystery is where did he get it?  No one at daycare or any of the neighborhood kids have it.  Big Daddy and I have been looking for it in the yard, but have not found any yet.  I fear we are never to know where it came from, just that our Little Man is a trooper!

Is it Fall already?

I don't know about you, but I am sick of 90 degree days, crunchy hot grass on the ground and dust in the air.  I am totally ready for pumpkins, crisp air in the am, cold feet that say ahhhh when they find their way under the covers, and the changing color of leaves.  Come on fall... get here already!

Getting Back On Track

What to say, what to say.....ummmmm I am ready to get back on track?  It has been a short and filled summer since I last posted during Maymester.  In a nut shell, work was swamped this summer.  No vacay this summer so the entire time just blurred together.  I had a much heavier appointment load then anticipated, but was very successful so it was rewarding.  Fall semester has been in full swing since the middle of August, and we are moving into the first rounds of test grades.  I anticipate my work load increasing with the raised need for support that these grades will demand.  We have also had some changes in my organization that have made many people take a closer look at their work situation.

On a personal note, LM has had quiet a summer filled with Doctors.  We have been watching an eye because we thought it was crossed.  Several trips to the specialists and it turns out that we don't have a child with a crossed eye that can be fixed.  Instead, we have a child with an eye that just looks crossed and can't be fixed.  It is one of nature's optical illusions.  Apparently there are many kids out there who have nose bridges that are flat (LM's is flat but turns up in a cute pug at the end).  This flat bridge causes one or both eyes to appear to be crossed.  Hopefully as his baby face matures and grows harden angles, he will grow out of this.  For now on, we just say that it isn't crossed and that it is an illusion..... yeah right is what people are thinking in their heads :)

LM also had tubes placed in his ears.... finally.  I know I have been looking forward to the day and I tell you this is our first stretch of 30 days without an ear infection or a continued treatment for an ear infection or a complication from and ear infection.  WOOT WOOT!!!  It is interesting how much he has changed since the surgery.  Mainly because he can hear!  Silly me, I thought I had a good sleeper, it turns out that he just couldn't hear anything.  Now, his little head pops up all night like a ground hog at every noise.  He also cringes at loud noises that he might have just turned in the direction.  He also has had a word/vocabulary explosion!  This has been really cool to watch, but has made us feel like bad parents because we didn't notice how bad his hearing was.  We just got his all clear ticket where any hearing loss has now been recovered and there isn't any permanent damage!

On a personal note, I have started sewing again and taking a bit of personal time for myself.  Hubby got a transfer/promotion/change in position and is now on permanent days!  My time as a single mother are over, I just need to get in the same groove with hubby!  It has been super nice to have him around the house and LM LOVE him some DADDY!

That is it until later... seacrest out.

SILHOUETTE MACHINE GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

SILHOUETTE MACHINE GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

I would love to win one of these beauties.... the things that can be made with it are endless!!!!

Maymester

Today was an eye opener.  Today was summer school orientation.  This means that Maymester is over.  Maymester was the time when I was going to catch up on old project and start new projects.  So far, one sort of large project has been crossed off, one medium project is crossed off, and I have added one additional project.  I am a bit sad to see Maymester ending, but I am excited to see my new students tomorrow.  It is always nice to start a new semester with new tools, new relationships, and new fresh outlooks.

On the home front, LM is once again suffering (?) from a massive double ear infection that has moved into both of his eyes.  I write the ? because this kid has to have a crazy high tolerance for pain.  He had no fever, no tugging or pulling on ears and didn't show any discomfort at all.  The only sign we saw at home was some sneezing and coughing... you know, like a COLD!!!  Since we didn't catch it in time, we totally feel like horrible parents.  LM goes for his 15 month check up next week and at that point, we are going to push to see and ENT.  I am concerned because he is beginning to try and talk now (hilarious to see those wheels turning as he tries to form the words) and I don't want this critical developmental step to be hindered.  Big teacher thing here I know :)

On another note, I leave you with my favorite picture of my Mom and LM.

End of School and 5th grade Chorus

The kids here in GA are finishing up their school year.  Although where I grew up, we went to school until the end of June, I am still teased by memories of the end of school year joy.  I attended Elementary School until 6th grade and then it was off to a Jr. High School.  In Elementary School, we always looked forward to the 5th grade chorus.  It seems like some schools still have the tradition.  Check out this 5th grade chorus and their version of Landslide.



  If I had a chorus, I would totally make them sing this song.
And can you believe it... they sing the CURE also!!!  I so want to be in chorus!

GO! GO! GO!

GO! GO! GO!
This is what we have been doing!  The little man and I flew "up North" as they say down here to visit family from both sides.  We had a blast! 

LM did a GREAT job on the plane.  Such a good job that when we landed, people around us commented that they didn't know there was a baby sitting near them!  I was a bit nervous flying by myself with all of junk you need to take for a small child- stroller, car seat, diaper bag, and a 29lb child but we managed to do it.  As I predicted, the most painful part was getting the diaper bag, LM (who refused to walk) and the car seat down that ramp to the actual plane....pure hell.


Our time "up North" was so much fun!  LM got along great with all of his cousins, aunts and uncles and other Grandma.  It was full of meeting new play friends, playing with many LARGE dogs, exploring new play areas, feeling the cold again, and seeing tons of new and exciting things. 

Yesterday was back to the grindstone, but my spirits were lifted when I pulled out of the garage to go to daycare and LM said GO! GO! GO!.....just like when the planes took off and landed.

Happy Mother's Day

I am a bit late with this post as Mother's Day was yesterday.  However, I did want to take a minute to thank my mother.  She will never read this as she is completely unaware of the wonders of technology.  In fact, she still thinks that when I book her air flights, I am calling the airline for her!  My Mama is getting on in years now having lived more then twice my life.  I hope that I have started to become all that she wanted of me and for me.  I love her and as LM wrote in my card yesterday... "You are the best, and all the other Mommys suck!"

I am a wild and craaazy guy!

My kid is a wild and crazy guy.  He has now figured out how to run.  Yesterday he was playing in the sunroom, aka toy room, and I was being a bad mommy and catching up on my TV queue.  All of a sudden, the LM comes tearing out of the sun room screaming la, la, la at the top of his lungs.  He takes a lap past me, into the kitchen, around the island, backtracks to include the kitchen table and then goes back into the sun room to continue playing.  It cracked me up.  He would repeat this behavior every 10 minutes or so.  He totally reminded me of one of my all time favorite comedians... Steve Martin.
I used to have a poster of him on my wall that said "Best Fishes"- he had a fish in his jacket pocket.  The man is a genius and  for those of you who are current movie fans or who are not current movie fans, perhaps you don't know or remember him as a stand up or on SNL.  The man is just about as funny as it gets.



Oh, and those of you who hang your head and shame about Glee! Lift them up high.  It is already to have some harmless fun and some snarky Sue fun!

Shoes, teeth and ears- an update

New shoes again for LM.   Apparently I am a bad Mommy because I tried to shove my kids foot into shoes that are already a size too small.... it seems like we just bought them!

Teeth- well LM has worked sooo hard to get the four teeth that he has in and last night in a single SPLAT, he almost lost 'em.  He face planted on the hardwood floors in the kitchen.  Blood was all over!  By the time we had him cleaned up and had taken assessment of the damage, he had a bloody nose, a split lip, two loose front teeth and a cut in his gum.  He did figure out that ice cream makes EVERYTHING feel better !  He was still feeling the bruises this am from his fall.  But the teeth are still in!  Hopefully he didn't bang them on the playground equipment at daycare today.

Ears- nothing to say except they looked like bunny ears for a few days over Easter and now they are fine.  I am hopeful that we won't have any ear infections for the rest of the spring/summer (knock on wood).

oh and before I forget.... Glee!!!!

Tennis Sunday

What a beautiful day for tennis!  My partner managed to pull it out in 3 sets, but we won!!!! 
It was a great weekend.  We took the LM to G-Day on Saturday.  He did great!  We were a bit anxious about how he would do with all of the crowds and the noise.  We sat up high in the shade and where we wouldn't bother anyone if he had a melt down.  As it was, he happily climbed on the seat, flirted with a co-workers little girl, stole a few kisses, and clapped when everyone around him clapped.  In fact, that was the high light of his day- clapping.  I think that he thought that everyone was clapping at him!



As for Daddy and me, the best part was that we were able to carry him across campus in a backpack so our backs were not hurting at the end of the day from carrying him in our arms!

It has been a great weekend!

what to say, what to say....

I have to say that I don't know what to say for this post.  It has been a while since I have posted and I really have nothing to say.  I have been struggling with an upper respiratory infection that got nasty two weeks ago.  Once I admitted defeat and got medication, it went away slowly but surely.  However, last week, I covered for a co-worker at work and really have not had any time for any adventures.  Thus, I don't know what to say!
Little Man on the other hand, has had many adventures!  I will summarize below:

1. He switched from soy formula to whole milk successfully this weekend.
2. Monday was his first day permanently in the  big boy classroom... no cribs and he has to feed himself all of his food
3. He didn't poop for 2 days and they we cheered when he finally did (and boy was the clean-up taxing on all of us)
4. He started signing for the sign ball
5. He now signs: ball, thank you, all gone, fan and more
6. He has discovered the neighborhood playground
7. He eats everything you put in front of him- often not chewing it up enough resulting in interesting diaper changes

For your viewing pleasure, here is a picture from the playground!

New shoes, new teeth but no new ears...

This was a busy weekend for the LM.  Little Man got new shoes for walking.  He got cute little white traditional baby shoes.  I love them and my husband thinks they are dorky.  I told him to go buy some cool shoes...  I am sure he will never make it to the mall with LM so I am not too worried about that. 

Little Man has two bottom teeth about a third of one top tooth and is now working on grinding a hole in his gum for the next top tooth.  He is using anything he can like a cheese grater on his gums.... the sounds are horrible!  I have found that the addition of teeth changes his entire look.

Along with the new shoes and teeth LM also has developed a new ear infection.  It is a new record as we are off of the antibiotics for two days.  Poor kid.  One more infection and we are off to an ENT.  I am sure tubes are in our future.  I understand that there are kids that have it WAY worse then us, but the teacher in me can't help but worry about speech development issues.  If he can't hear, then how is he going to develop proper speech?

On a side issue, I think I had an ear infection when I was a kid and it hindered my ability to utilize correct grammar and spelling.... what do you think?

Birthday Boy

I think this picture says it all.  It describes the pure joy of childhood!

Happy First Birthday my sweet, sweet baby boy!

Snap Shot Memory

Do you know what a snap shot memory is?  I know you do... it is a piece of time, image, feeling, thought that you take a quick mental picture of a file it in your memory bank for ever.  I am a visual person and have several of these... sitting with my Dad just before he died, my Mom and I planting flower bulbs in the middle of winter so we had hope for the spring, my husband juggling oranges in the grocery store.... any who.... I had another snap shot memory this past Valentine's Day.

My husband and I have never had the chance to spend many Valentine's Days together due to our schedules.  Thus, this day has turned into a non-stress day for us.  We usually do cards for each other and sometimes a treat i.e. flowers, candy or a sweet but we don't stress about it.  This year things were a bit different because of The Boy.  We (TB and I) had to get together a card/treat for his daycare teachers to show how much he loves them and I have to admit that as I was cooking up their treat, I began to get into the spirit of the day!  We made some special candy and these Felt Fortune Cookies from Martha Stewart.

 

TB then had a good time trying to eat the cookies as I extracted them from his tiny little hands and packaged them in Chinese food take-out containers.  We used the sayings from the Conversation Hearts for the fortunes.  TB also gave out several cookies to some of the other special people in his life.... they were totally charmed.

The best part of Valentine's Day was that TH got up early with TB so I could sleep in.  My two men then proceeded to MAKE me a valentine with... get this... fingerpaint!  TH hates messes so this is crazy thoughtful and just about brought me to tears when I saw my first Mommy Valentine and that it was handmade!  I don't think TH knows how much this means to me now and probably for the rest of my life.  It was a snap shot memory to file away.

I take offense for Stevie Nicks

I take offense for Stevie Nicks.  There are two reasons.
1) I can't believe that she sang back up for Taylor Swift at the Grammy Awards!  I actually am a fan of Taylor Swift, but Stevie is such an icon that she really shouldn't be singing backup for a pop star!
2) Taylor Swift sounded like I do when I sing Karaoke- flat and out of tune- basically horrible!  Poor Stevie having to put up with this new generation of pop who can't hold a match to her singing!

bumps

This weekend was a rough weekend for the little man.  LM managed to bump his head on every object that he possible could.  He managed to pinch his little fingers in every little tiny space and pulled every object down on himself that he could (including DVD cases, books, toys and a plant that he can apparently now reach).  At one point I found him behind the recliner presenting me with the perfect photo op.  LM on the ground, head cranked back, beer can (with koozie) locked and loaded into the guzzle position.  I missed the picture in my frantic scurry to make sure he didn't spill any beer on  himself or the carpet.  Here is the part where you ask yourself... spill any beer on  himself or the carpet??!! What about LM drinking beer??!!!  I still haven't shifted myself completely to that baby/kid world.  I still have one foot in the "don't waste the beer world".  Does this make me a bad Mommy?

Driving me crazy

There are many things in the world that drive me crazy.  I am sure that this blog will serve as a place for me to record all of my quirks and irks, so let's get started.

Having the same conversation over and over while the other person either 1. does not remember having the conversation or 2. pretends that they didn't have the conversation.

Let's examine why both reasons drive me crazy...
It is disrespectful to expect me to remember my life and your life.  It is disrespectful to me to have an active conversation with me and not remember it. 

By pretending you didn't have the conversation in total you make me feel like I am re-doing a part of my list that I have already checked off.  You make me feel like I am not important enough to listen to (and remember) when I feel that you are important enough for me to take a minute out of my busy day to tell you about what ever it is.


Am I irrational about some of this... sure!  However, in my mind, when I check things off, I check them off.  I don't want to have the same fricking conversation three times with the same person or three people.  I am a slack catcher.  It drives me crazy!

My Heart Hurts

My heart hurts today.  You see, I live in the south and we have had horrible temperatures this past few weeks.  People down here just don't know how to handle it.  Pipes are bursting, cars are sliding on ice, and people are getting hurt.  This Saturday, three of my neighbors thought the ice on our neighborhood pond was frozen enough that they could play on it.  They were wrong.  One child survived, two did not.  I watched part of the rescue from my car since I could not get to my house, leaning into the back seat touching my baby to reassure myself that he was safe.  I saw a friend frantically looking for her two boys my heart stopping until they found each other.  I talked to other mothers and we instinctively reached out to touch each other- needing the human contact and reassurance.

Later that evening, the cars started.  One of the boys lives a few houses away from me and people came to show their respect.  Cars are parked all over the place- some nicely in line, some hodgepodge.  On Sunday the cars were still there and more people were visiting the lake area.  There are people who go to talk, sing, leave items and some just sit.  It is a steady stream of people visiting.

There are messages on facebook about loving your family and treating each day as if it is the last.  Messages about showing your love and support for the boys and for their families that are eloquent and that are awkward or simple.

This is my simple message.... My heart hurts.

GLEE!

The baby has been feed his dinner, thrown it up (a texture thing), put to bed and now Momma is slightly ashamed to admit that she is kicked back in the recliner tossing back some cheese and crackers with a swish of coke (the real thing, not diet).  Much to my delight, there are several back to back episodes of Glee! on tonight so I can stay up late.  What more can be right with this world??!!!

I am sure that when I can't sleep tonight due to the intense sugar buzz and baby fussiness, I am going to look back and this moment and wonder exactly how many years ago it was that forgot that coke that late at night gives me heartburn, sugar buzzes me out like a drug, and no matter what that baby is going to get me up at least one time during the middle of the night to find that god damn binkie that is always on the floor under the exact center of the crib?

Nevertheless, I am totally happy and content at this moment and expect to have no regrets because all is perfect in my little world!

twenty ten or two thousand and ten?

I just learned this morning in the shower while listening to the radio that the correct way to pronounce this year is not two thousand and ten, but instead is twenty ten.  I know this is not a new topic for those of you who actually pay attention to what is happening outside of their world, but I have been on Christmas Break from work.

Each year for this break, I make a habit of disappearing from the world by becoming blissfully ignorant of what is happening around me.  How do I do this.... easy!  I don't listen to the radio (Christmas Carol station  or ipod only for me), I don't watch any local, national or international news, and I don't read the newspaper.  My husband becomes increasingly frustrated at my inability to communicate with him on these levels during this time. To be honest with you, it kind of feels like a drug to be so stupid/numb in the brain about the world around you.  I find that in many ways I am a nicer person because I am not stressed!

A bonus is that when I do surface, I am totally charmed by news stories that others are tired and bored of when I hear them.... thus my opening line to this entry!

On a side note, I am back to work after a hectic morning of dragging my ass out of bed, packing lunch, packing daycare bags, dropping off to daycare, and making that long ass drive to work without falling asleep in the car.  I almost made it to work on time!

Who am I in 2010

Who am I or is it whom am I? Whatever... I can tell you who I am now.
I am....

• A mother who's son has just learned how to crawl (God help me I can't keep up)
• A professional in the higher education world (BIG U)
• A professional who loves her job
• A wife of 13 years who deeply loves her husband
• An avid knitter
• A competitive tennis player
• A reader (miss my books with the little one)
• A lover of all technology (gimme gadgets)
• A first time blog owner
• A person who is fascinated with other who seek self help in the world of reality TV (it never works out)
• A TV junkie
• A procrastinator
• Someone who laughs when others fall (I love dumb humor and morbid humor)
• A road rager (use your blinkers people)
• Someone who needs more patience for incompetent people (If only I and a select few could run the world...)
• An educated person (3 degrees... I still can't believe it)
• A mess- emotionally and physically
• I have no filter and need to think about things prior to expressing
• Crafty

Who do I want to be in 2010? Well in a nut shell, I want to be the type of person who works to minimize their weaknesses and builds their strengths. I want to be a better mama, wife and friend to those around me. I want to finally take the time to be self-aware enough to change into a better person and set examples for those around me.