Truth: I haven't cleaned out my closet...

The truth is: I haven't REALLY cleaned out my closet and purged in 3 years. Actually, it will be 4 years this Spring.

Why?
Because I'm lazy.
Because I'm convinced that I'll get down to a size 2 again.
Because I'm convinced that I'll need the bigger sizes too, in case I get pregnant again.
Because I'm certain THAT will come back into style.
Because I have a memory in that dress.
Because this other dress used to be my favorite.
Because my husband gave me this top and he picked it out himself.
Because I look good in this color.
Because I wore that to their wedding.
Because I wore that to his funeral.
Because I will get around to sewing on that button.
Because once I get these hemmed, they'll fit just right.
Because although I've never worn that, it was a great deal.
Because I haven't worn this either, but I"m waiting to find the right pants to go with it.

Just because, okay?
I haven't cleaned out my closet because I don't want to!

Christmas Q&A.

Christmas is coming!


Q: Where shall we keep the gifts so the kids won't see them!?
A: Inside the unused luggage wherever you keep the luggage.

You're welcome.

Q: But what about stocking stuffers for my toddler?
A: You can start this for next year---all of the stuff he or she wants as an impulse buy at the store, but then they forget about it by the time you make it home: put all of that stuff in a drawer. By the time Christmas comes, you've got plenty, and you know he/she will like every bit of it because it's stuff they picked out. You're welcome.

Q: But what about stocking stuffers for my older kids?
A: You can start this for next year too---all of that random crap that they neeeeeeed along the way, souvenirs here/there/etc.... Snatch those up too all along the way. The $3 book at the book fair that they'll just die without? Done. The bookmark at the store that looks like a minecraft axe---done. You're welcome.

I've got some thoughts.

I'm soooooo behind in blogging.
Like crazy behind.

So, my mom says, "just write anything! You don't have to go in order! I miss your blog."

So, here it is.
What's on my mind?
Nothing world-changing, I assure you.

I've been thinking about the Sylvanian Family toys that I had when I was little. I loved this little animal set. Loved them.
So now they have "Calico Critters." They look the same. Are they the same? I don't know. Am I seriously googling this stuff? Yes. Yes, I am. So, I google Sylvanian Family bc that's what I loved as a kiddo.
sylvanianfamilies.net/uk
This a UK thing now?
Shipping on this stuff is going to be crazy expensive.
{Megan or anyone else going to the UK any time soon? I'll take a Sylvanian family, home, some little critter furniture, but nothing too small...you know, choking hazards and all. Sister has recently swallowed a coin. Dont' worry---she made change.}

So, back in 1980-something when I was playing with the Sylvanian Family, I had a little critter house that was similar to this:

 



Well, let me show you how these little rodents are living these days:

The Jeffersons aint got nothin' on them!
They are clearly moving on up in the world!

I've debated about whether or not she would like something like this. Would she? I don't know...she seems to be more about princess dresses and Nerf guns. She wants to shoot "bad guys" just as soon as her nails are dry.

I had fun just looking at all of the little critter homes and beach houses and schools, and cars and furniture. Back in the 80s, they were lucky to have a tiny log cabin in the woods and some wooden log stools to sit on. Sure, they had the primitive furnishings, but they were just barely domesticated back then. Now they're chasing the dream, aren't they? Storing up Earthly treasures instead of hoarding nuts for the winter. I'm afraid their greed will lead them to their own peril, and now I've just sucked all of the fun out of these little toys.

In less than a minute all of that ran through my head.

I think she'll get a princess dress and a Nerf gun for Christmas.

Mini Popsicles.

Check this out:

In grown up and big kid standards, these hardly count.
For a toddler, these are ______________.
a) awesome
b) cute
c) perfect
d) ALL OF THE ABOVE.

The answer is d) ALL OF THE ABOVE.

Did you clean it, or did you CLEAN it?

So....the living room can look clean and picked up....

...and yet, you can then find all of these things under one couch.

Ahhhhh, the mom life.

Hello, vodka....

So, some days as a mother are just easier than others. Some days your plans go perfectly.

Other days, your creative or genius ideas kick you in the ass and beat you upside the head.

Like this BRIGHT idea I had:
....oh, she neeeeeds her own little shopping cart.
....she likes to pretend like Mommy, so this will be a great idea. Let's take it with us to the grocery store. What could go wrong?

It was cute for a hot minute. 

 Then she decided she needed ALL of the Fruit Rolls in the produce section.

The above photo shows you---I still thought it was darling, right? There I am, snapping pictures, and "oh, isn't she just divine?" 
Around the floral department things REALLY went down hill.  She just abandoned her cart in the at the end of one aisle and took off running. Oh, did I just leave my purse and cart on aisle 14 to chase a toddler on aisle 15? Yes, yes I did. Did I, like an un-anticipating-this-to-be-a-nightmare-IDIOT get the little cart for myself (you know---the one that DOESN'T have a child seat and is for the "I'm-just-getting-a-few-things shopper)? So there I stood with a screaming, kicking, super-fun toddler back on aisle wherever-I-was, and had no big cart with which to contain her!

The only good news from this whole event:
1) A dear friend/fellow mom came to my rescue after apparently watching my great plan go awry, and got me a big, regular cart while I held my thrashing and screaming toddler, and
2) I learned my lesson.

 ...such a cute idea, right?
WRONG.

Another fun Mommy moment:

Discovering the answer to the "what happened to all of the clothes," and "what's that all over the dryer" questions.
It was a crayola, my friends. A crayola.

Whaaaaat???

I normally do NOT pay attention to the price of gas. For real. Maybe I should. I just operate by the mentality of "I have to have it, so I pay what it cost." Thank you, dear husband, for being the fiscally minded half of our partnership.

For the average conversation about the price of gas---I'd be out. $3 a gallon? $5 a gallon? Idk....But on THIS particular day---my eyes were WIDE FREAKING OPEN. What????? Less than a dollar a gallon? This chick took a pic! I used my fuel reward points at the gas station and it paid off.

 Now, my car cost less than Sister's to fill up, and hers runs on goldfish!

I may not know much about the price of gas on a daily basis, but I'm quite familiar with the cost of goldfish.

Really?

I was frustrated with my sewing machine. Couldn't get the needle to do something. Is there nothing this man CAN'T do? He just took a look at it, fiddled with the needle, re-threaded it, and BAM, he was sewing.
Seriously?
Really?
Ugh.

Don't get me wrong: I was happy and appreciative for him....but jealous that I can fritz with something forever to fix it or get it to work properly. He can walk over to something push one button (sometimes) and it's like the world just bends to his will. Lucky duck.

This blog is sooo lagging.

Let me just say that I sat down today to blog about E's birthday.
Well, the computer wouldn't connect to the network. It was at a point in my day when the beds were made, the house was clean, the baby was napping, laundry was going, and I had five damn minutes for myself. Well, lo & behold if the doorbell didn't ring a few seconds after I started cursing the situation, and it was all a mute point anyway.... Five minutes for myself? What was I thinking??? Life would take care of that.

Clearly right now, I've carved out a few minutes to update the blog, but mentally, I'm just not there right now. I'm frustrated with a lot of things lately, but right this minute: it's the fact that the camera roll on my iphone is full. Every other picture prompts the "too full" message and this pocket-sized gadget forces me to choose which image to erase. I hate the guilt and the pressure! So....anyway, I've had a problem getting the pictures exported from my phone to my PC, and this is a new problem for me. Same PC. Same phone. So, what's going on!?!? I've googled it and tried to problem solve, and it may be a simple fix such as updating iTunes, but for whatever reason it's "not responding" to me today. It must be able to sense my mood.

So---I have a bazillion things that I could and should blog about.
Technology is just not on my side these days.

Everything will just have to wait.

Reality Check, Easy Bake Style.

Gage wanted an Easy Bake Oven for Christmas.
I'm cool with that.

Darnin delivered.

When we got home from our visit there, Gage couldn't wait to make chocolate chip cookies Easy Bake Style....

We mixed. We rolled. We patted, and we finally had our teeny-tiny-cookies, ready to push through the oven.

Reality check time:

They were each about the size of a dime, and Gage instantly wailed, "They don't look like the picture!"

Ahhhhh, the picture.
Setting the expectation way too high for generations.
"Sweetie, that's what they do to make you want to make the cookies. They're probably fake cookies, made of plastic, only to look like the most delicious cookies ever, so that you'll want to make them and eat them."
Gage said, "They make them look bigger too. I'm eating all of these."

...and of course I let him. 12 of those tiny cookies doesn't likely equal one regular sized chocolate chip cookie.

PS: Easy my ass. Working with miniatures is not easier....

All Star Mommy.

Because, sometimes, I got this, yo.

{nevermind that my child is eating preservative-laden foods off a styrofoam plate}

PS: I cut my hair.

Right before we left to go to the Bahamas, I had all of my hair chopped off.
Woohooo!

It's so much fun!
...although I'm finding that I now have to have it cut OFTEN. Like every 4 weeks or so!

10/16: When we were sick.

Sickness sucks.

Well....back in October, Baby Girl and I got sick right about the same time. I learned quickly that she does NOT like grape flavored Ibuprofen. I also learned that nursing a baby with fever is like setting fire to your own nipples.

Dos Tetas!

Here's a little baby humor for you....

Baby Humor! Resisting A Rest!

(Yes, she's got the wonky eye in that above picture....but whatever. Totally funny! Sweet little funny girl!)

My cup runneth over.

Here we are.... Summer 2013.... all snuggled up on Mommy's lap.... on the love seat in the living room.

I once heard this: "I'd rather have my hands full than empty." It stuck with me....and it's so true. I would rather have my hands full than empty.

{Thank you, Lord, for filling my heart and hands with these two. There were moments, days, years when I couldn't imagine that these would be my blessings, but they are. They're here with me here, and I am so very grateful.}

Are You Kidding Me???

As seen online:

Yeah....those are maternity undies.
Sure, she looks pregnant.
Sure she does.
Yeah....that's EXACTLY what I looked like when I was pregnant...

{Husband: please erase those "visions" you have of me sporting your boxer briefs and my Ugg boots. Replace those memories with the above photo and we'll call it a day, k?}

Not Like Me....

Gage LOVES to check out at the grocery store. He loves to do the self checkout. For him, it's so exciting, and new and different. I can imagine that as a child, I too would have enjoyed this...

...but as an adult, I loathe the self checkout. It never fails: I get the "place the item in the bagging area" followed by "unexpected item found in the bagging area"...and then back to "place the item in the bagging area" and the inevitable, "please wait for an attendant." I am not fast enough at the self check out, or I do it wrong, or something. I end up just wanting to beat the crap out of the machine, and regretting my choice of even using the self checkout!

....so, there's that random tidbit of information about me & my son....
:)

UPDATE: Hubby's surgery!

Hubby had his 2nd and hopefully FINAL sinus surgery today. This time they went into the sinuses in his forehead. Yikes! The recovery/awake sensation after this surgery has been described to me as "invisible fire" in your face.
Ummm....ouch.

The good news: they did all of this through his nose, and not through his forehead and so no, he doesn't have bolts sticking out like Frankenstein. Yaaaay!
{Hey, we take the small victories where we can.}

The bad news: our nighttime ritual is going to be screwed as I parent two kiddos solo! {Somebody, beer me!}
....just kidding, I'm nursing.
(Let me pump first!)

Okay...I must be delirious from sleep deprivation because I'm just getting silly now.
The update is that the surgery is over. It went well. The recovery should be easier than his last sinus surgery (though I can't imagine that recovery from ANYTHING shoved up your nose could be pleasant in the least).

Oh, and I broke my toe.
There's that.
....but more on that later.

Newborn Diapers...My $0.02.

So....I ultimately plan to use gDiapers. We aren't there yet. Before Eliette got here, I decided that we would start gDiapers at size M. I thought this would allow us time to adjust to life with a newborn, and allow me time to adequately heal from my csection, and that we'd go from there. In the meantime, we'd use disposables.

Well....Little Miss was itty-bitty! Preemie diapers fit her best in the beginning. Then we moved on to size Newborn.
Boy, do I have some opinions on these disposable diapers!!!

So, here's my $0.02 on newborn diaper comparisons:

Pampers Swaddlers:
Love the indicator line that is yellow when dry, and then turns green/blue when wet. Love that! They seem absorbent, and Eliette never leaked through them....

But---do you see how the top dips down very little for the umbilical cord area? That didn't make me happy.

Huggies Little Snugglers:

Love these! The center area dips lower. They were great on absorption, and they have the indicator line too! The fasteners are round tabs instead of square/rectangular, so they didn't seem to ever rub on Eliette's skin if she curled her little body up. On the newborn size, these were my favorites!

Mom to Mom brand:

I had to throw in a generic brand to try too....
Sadly, I was very/very/very disappointed in these...

They were kind of crunchy feeling. Not very soft. The umbilical cord area wasn't stellar. The tabs were the worst! They are stiff, and pointy at the corners. When Eliette would curl up like she was in the womb, the tabs would poke and irritate her belly skin. And, they don't have the indicator line. These were by far the crappiest newborn diapers we tried.

Luvs:

I failed to take my own picture of these. Absorbent, just like they advertise. I have no real complaints about these diapers except: they lack the color indicator line. In the middle of the night, that line is so helpful! I just have to say, the Luvs seem to be a more cost effective choice, and I was pleasantly surprised by how well they worked on Eliette. I tried them in the past with Gage, and they were disappointing. ...but, that was 7 years ago!

So, in the end, the big winner for us has been Huggies Little Snugglers.


Now, how has our diaper changing been going?
Well, we've come up with a little system....
We have the changing table set up in the nursery, but in the first few weeks, Eliette wasn't sleeping in her nursery, so we rarely changed her in there. Instead, we've been changing her primarily in our room or the living room. So, we have these stocked baskets in both rooms.

 To start, each basket has a Munchkin brand pad that we lay down to protect the couch or bed... (It's draped over the edge of the basket in the above photo...)
Got them at Target, and they rock. They are waterproof and easy to just toss in with the laundry when needed.

So, also in the basket is hand sanitizer, diapers, diaper wipes, diaper cream, face/hand wipes, baby socks (because they so easily get soiled during diaper changes!), and toss bags for the throwing the diapers away... These little caddies have made diaper duty so easy!

Okay...that's my two cents for today....