No Sleep For You!

We got home from our friends home Saturday night later than the kids usual bedtime and it showed. They were melting down in front of us and we hurried to get them in bed.

Avi, the three year old, was having a hard time falling asleep. She was complaining that her tummy hurt. She has weird eating habits though. She will eat like a bird for weeks, picking at all her meals, and then, BAM! - she eats ravenously. All food in sight ends up in her mouth. She has been like this since she was a baby. So I didn't really think much of her complaint since she had eaten almost everything our host had in her home.

10:30 - Waaayyyy past the kids bedtime, I'm still comforting Avi and her need for food. I bring her some more animal crackers. Small. Not too crumbly in bed. Hearty. Then it happens. The sound every mom knows. The whine/groan that instinctively made me run to the kitchen for a bowl before I ran in to see her. And I got the bowl just in time too....

In the next hour she threw up three times. Mostly in the bowl. A little on her comforter, a little in her hair and a little on me... but we all survived.

11:30 we lay in bed ever so cautiously, listening for the smallest groan from the girls room and planning how our night will go (who has what shift when) if the barfing continues.

When you are first married you whisper sweet nothings to each other. Eight years later you whisper the barf contingency plan....

11:45 - baby wakes crying. Ugh... she hasn't been eating well lately. Maybe due to teething??? So I get up and nurse her.

11:50 - Avi makes a cry out. Hubby gets up to check on her and thankfully it is a false alarm. We get back into bed just about midnight.

Did I mention I was up early?? I'm getting kinda tired now.

12:00 - BOOM! BOOM!

What the??? We both bolt up in bed. Was that a gun??? Firecracker?? We live next to a military base, and can sometimes hear canons - but I didn't think this was one of those times. We jump out of bed and go to the front of the house to look out the windows. We inspect the front and back yards. Don't see anything right away.

As it turns out, a large burned out end of a firecracker landed on our deck. Sooo glad it didn't catch the roof or deck on fire!! Hello people. First of all, it is midnight. It is NOT a holiday. If you are trying to celebrate the new year - you are just TEN days late. And you are seven months early for the fourth of July.
Second of all - it was midnight.


We ended up getting about five hours of sleep. Which, if you have a kid with a stomach bug and a fussy baby all in one night - that ain't so bad. But still, a little too much night life for me.

Su Casa es Mi Casa

I'm back! Being gone for the weekend felt like a long break from y'all!! Sheesh!
Here's what went down in our family life on Saturday:

We were invited to a friend's house for dinner that night. They are really good friends and we feel comfortable hangin' with them. And, I know, if you didn't already catch it - that the title of this post is, not only Espanol, but reversed. I just thought it was appropriate for the title since we apparently consider their house our house.

During dinner I decided the meatloaf wasn't enough... I needed.... something.... I know! -Ranch Dressing. Maybe BBQ sauce, but I knew for sure they had Ranch. Know what I did? Even though the Ranch was not on the table or even offered.... I stood up during dinner and went hunting for it. I did this without even asking or announcing what I was doing. I just started rummaging through the fridge. Is it insulting to find a sauce for your host's meat dish?? Probably. The meatloaf was really good! Mind you, these people could open a restaurant because that is how talented they are in the kitchen. But, that didn't stop me...

I know, I know... appalling. You are wondering how many friends I actually have?? Well... a couple. And now you know why..... *wink wink*

Then, as if that is not crazy enough behavior - my three year old who is wearing their daughter's dress up clothes (yes, both older girls basically got naked at their house) didn't make it to the toilet in time and peed on their rug and bathroom floor. Hello!!! Actually, she tried to get there, and she did - but just failed to get the beautiful and elaborate dress-up dress hiked up past her waistline.

She comes and tells me about the accident (thank God) and I ask our host what she would like me to clean it up with. My daughter, in the meantime, is running through their house completely buck naked. Oh.... so fun..... so fun....

We get invited somewhere for dinner and this is what our family acts like??? ;) We definitely need to get out more!!

The adventure doesn't end there though. The night got even more exciting once we got home. Check back tomorrow so you can find out what I mean!

How Low Can It Go....?

The temp I mean. It is so cold! (I will avoid the "how cold is it?" jokes)

My hands are frozen! The yard is frozen. The van is frozen - and it is parked in the garage! I pity my poor hubby in and out of his car all day long in this freezing frozen world of ours.


I would like to say, that yes, we are running the home furnace at an appropriate temperature, but we are all still cold. Perhaps it is because although the sun is out, the view from our windows looks like the house was relocated to a vast frozen winter ice-land. I imagine something a-kin to when Dorothy was in her house and blown to the land of OZ. I think a few nights ago when we were sleeping, the house got up and moved to Antarctica. Brrrz!

Well, enough about that. We are all living through this, from Florida to North Dakota. So, no need to lament any further.

Here is an update on my cleaning out our stuff process:
In the last two days I got rid of a pair of my husbands pants. That's it. One pair of pants. But on the up side, it has been too cold to go ANYWHERE, so I haven't bought anything, or brought anything home. Yea! One positive thing about the deep freeze - I'm saving money!

I can conquer the world!!

Well, at least my computer world, for right now, at this time, this morning. But I sure do feel victorious!!!

Our mouse stopped working correctly last night - on the internet ALONE. Weird. Worked on the computer itself (programs, hard-drive) but not on the net. I FIXED it MYSELF. I am sooooo proud! (Actually it was simple, but that is beside the point)

I am not techie, so this feels like I just conquered Everest!

Notice the new blog style??? I have been eyeing this for weeks, and now, with my new 'fix' on here, I can actually 'grab' this background now. Seriously folks - I am flying high. My typing as probably jumped to about 200wpm!! I might play with the background still, but let me know if you like it. Readability, looks, etc.

Well, as long as I am conquering my known world, I think I'm gonna go work in the kitchen. Lord knows that room need attention - so toodles!! :)

Flying high with the Hubs

We went to watch Avatar last night. I would have prefered to watch a chick flick, but agreed to go anyway. I wasn't initally interested in the movie - but I figured, hey, he's watched thousands of hours of chick flicks, so I'll do this with him.

Plus... a night out without kids... who can not be excited about that??

Turns out, the movie ain't half bad. ;)

(This is not, repeat, not, a spoiler) If you have not seen the movie, there are these giant bird-type-dinosaur things that the people fly/ride on. It's cool. (said ever so nonchalantly)

But to men - it seems they are COOOOOOLLLLL! I'm only saying this, because when we got in our minivan to go pick up the kids after the flick, my husband starts driving the van as if he is on the back of a giant beast. Swerve....zoom..... pull up....dive right.... It was kinda fun to watch, and at the same time kinda terrifying. ha!

Actually, I was holding on for dear life.

I was seeing one of my husband's fantasys (flying - not stunt driving) lived out in front of me. "Did you like the movie?" I ask.
"Yeah. Totally cool. ....Wouldn't it be fun to fly on birds like that??"

Ah-ha!! I knew it. I encouraged him to drive like a not-crazy person, so we could survive the ride home and potentially dream about flying once asleep safely in our beds.

I used to dream about flying when I was a kid. And I still think it would be totally awesome - just not from the passenger seat of a minivan! :)

Thanks for a great date night honey!! You make life so very full of memories and fun!

Cleanliness is next to....

....insanity???

Problem: I have three and four year old girls sharing a room. I can't get them to clean it/keep it clean. Every once and a while I declare it a national disaster area and step in and clean it up for them.

My son has been "cleaning" his room since he was one. He is so good at it!! He doesn't keep a perfect room, and lately he has been cheating by putting all his clothes - dirty or not - in the laundry just to have a clean result faster. But... still, it is good for a six year old.

Apparently.....we never really taught the girls how to clean. This baffles me as I'm sure I have spent hundreds of hours doing just that. But this morning, when I asked the four year old to go back to her room and finish it - she fell on the floor lamenting that she can't!.

I am also baffled that they would prefer to walk on all their toys than to have a beautifully clean spacious floor to play on. Once, I told them that "we do not live like pigs". Know what my daughter said to me??? Guess. That animal lover.... She said "But Mommy, I do want to live like a pig." Hmmph.

There goes that argument. Bribery. Threats. Delayed gratification. Check, check, check.... I can't find anything that is working. I am hanging on by the tip of my fingernails though, because in just a few months they will each have their own room, and I'm hoping their own mess will be more disgusting to them. More motivation to keep it tidy. One can hope!

In the meantime, they have really really learned to play together in their room for hours and hours on end with no TV or movies.... and lots and lots of imagination. That part is a success story for any mom. So, maybe I need to 'chill' about the mess (a little) and be glad for the great memories and bonding time they are having together.

I'll just try to pretend it isn't making me crazy.

Resolute Resolution

We all make resolutions at the new year, don't we? Okay, okay, maybe some of us are 'above' that.... but I'm not. And I have never learned my lesson. Each year I make more and more new resolutions.

Sometimes they are really dumb. Here is my current dumb one: I want to be nicer. To whom?? you may ask? My kids. I can yell pretty quickly when say... one of them draws on the other ones face with my Sharpie marker. But I don't like the sound of my voice like that. (Whoa - childhood flash-back there...)

Point is, I can't be nicer just by being resolute. I need to probably talk to God about it. And learn that yelling won't get the marker off the face any faster.

Today is the 4th. But oh well, I'm setting a new resolution today even if I did miss the "cut off" date. If you have been reading this blog for any amount of time, you will get the sense I have a love-hate relationship with my house. I love that we have a house, yada yada, yada. I hate that it is not running at top speed due to clutter. Ugh..

I realized this many times last year, but once again today I shout it from the top of the mountain. (or just from the post on this little blog)

WE. HAVE. TOO. MUCH. STUFF.

There. I said it. Out loud. To someone other than my kids. I am dragging you along on my journey for less. Here's a profound thought: since we are finally done having kids, I can actually get rid of stuff that they outgrow!! Hallelujah!!

So here is my accomplishment for today: From the girls room I got rid of a sweater, two athletic jackets, a nightgown, and fleece pj's.

I know, I know... it's not much. But for today it will have to do. And it is a start. And you have to start somewhere. Right?