Asleep

Folks....my night was no where near as interesting as Fergie's a couple nights ago. I got to bed around 10:30 p.m. (great for me!!!) and was knocked out approximately 2.75 minutes thereafter.

However, I should have known that something was ary when I couldn't get baby to sleep until 9:45 - which is about one hour past her normal bedtime. One o'clock this morning, she's crying. I look at the clock and figure - what the he!! - she's not hungry and there is absolutely NO reason in the world that she should be awake. So, I let her cry. And cry she did. She cried so much that by the time I finally got out of bed, she just couldn't calm herself down. I sat there and just looked at her. I know I should have done something more nurturing but I was so exhausted that I just didn't have the energy. Anyway, she continues on this path for the next hour or so - sleep for 10 minutes and then awake for 10 mins and so on.

Finally, I can't take it anymore at 2:30 a.m., so I get up and go to her room. She wants to play! I take her out of the crib and she's running around, talking up a storm and is just as wide away as if it was 8:00 a.m. Anyway, I let her do her thing for about 15 minutes, while I lay on the floor in her room. Finally she agrees to go back to bed. Thank goodness she slept for at least a couple of hours before crying again (I let her cry again - I just couldn't get out of bed).

Here's the clincher - and I'm sure you're not going to be too surprised - DH slept through the entire episode!!!!! How that's possible is beyond me!!!!!! But, surprise, surprise.

"Crud" Just Doesn't Cut It

I know I said I was gonna post pics of our trip today but I never got around to uploading them last night and here's why:

We have a breakfast table with stools in our kitchen and Chatterbox's latest obsession is sitting on the stools. Of course they are high and not made for TODDLERS but, in order to minimize the whining-pleading-begging, I let her sit on one every now and then. So yesterday evening she was sitting on the stool finishing her grapes and I said "Ok! It's bathtime. Let's go..." And went to lift her up off of the stool. Well, she had her legs wrapped around the stool so that she didn't fall while sitting on it, and when I lifted her up she didn't let go of the stool right away and so once she did, it fell over. Onto.My.Foot.

Oh the pain.

No, seriously. It really hurt! I was immediately debilitated and fell to the floor clutching my big toe and trying not to cry because I didn't want to upset the girls. I also didn't want to curse like I wanted to so instead I screamed "Aw Crud!!" [Which we got from Auntie Fe and her kids] And let me just say that screaming "Aw Crud!!" does not give you the same sense of satisfaction as some of those other four-letter words. Chatterbox kept asking if I wanted a Band-Aid. Giggles was staring at me, not sure how to react. I was writhing on the floor. Hubby was out playing basketball so I had to just suck it up. For the rest of the evening I limped around doing the bedtime routine and once everyone was asleep, I finally collapsed into bed and propped my foot up on a pillow and watched 1/2 of American Dreamz, which is quite possibly one of the worst movies I've ever seen. We expect better from you, Hugh. Oh yes, we do.

When hubby got home I told him "I think my toe is broken." And he proceeded to play doctor and prepare me an ice pack, Ace bandage wrap and he even offered to clean up the dinner mess in the kitchen so that I wouldn't have to get up. Note to self: Act injured more often.

Anyway, my toe still hurts this morning and I had the worst time finding shoes that I could actually wear to work that wouldn't be excrutiatingly painful. Somehow, I don't think I could have gotten away with wearing my Nike flip flops. I've decided that if it still hurts by the end of the day, I'll go to the ER to see if it's actually broken.

And that was my evening in a nutshell. And the reason why I never got around to uploading our photos.
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One more totally unrelated thing:

The dinner I made last night was delish! It was the Mexican Black Bean Lasgana from Menus4Moms. Sounded kinda strange but it turned out great. And grocery shopping for the week was a breeze because they actually send you the grocery list. Love it!

Week Three: Weigh-In

Ok, so here's my deal:

On Saturday evening I weighed myself and I had lost 3.5lbs!!

Then we went to Hershey Park for the holiday weekend.

And the good people of Hershey clearly have not heard of the Tales from the Scales Weight Loss Challenge, because...

They give you chocolate when you check-in to the hotel.
They give you chocolate during the trolley tour of Hershey.
They give you chocolate after the trolley tour of Hershey.
They give you chocolate after the Chocolate Tour.
And of course there is no shortage of chocolate to eat and purchase in the amusement park, various restaurants and, of course, Chocolate World.

And so. Last night when we returned home I weighed myself and, since last week, I have lost 0lbs. I was so sad! But not surprised. And while I made sure I enjoyed myself and had a little kettle corn, funnel cake and fudge, I did make a conscious effort to not overdo it.

So I'm back on it. Today's a new day! And I expect to have a positive report for y'all next week.
I'll post some pics of our trip tomorrow.

Gretel & Gretel

Chatterbox and Giggles have the unfortunate habit of eating their food/snacks all throughout the house. yes yes, I realize it's my fault. As you can imagine, this is causing extra cleanup for mom because there are inevitably cracker remnants, popsicle drippings and the occasional grape in all possible nooks and crannies of my house. And since we bought a pretty new carpet for the girls' room yesterday, it would just break my heart to see it a stained mess by Tuesday. Clearly I need to institute a No Snack Zone Policy for all rooms except for the kitchen and maybe their play area. How do you all handle this? Do you have a No Snack Zone Policy?

I can't take the trail of crumbs anymore. And besides, if they get hungry outside of the Snack Zone, they can always gnaw on the gingerbread walls.

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*Updated to add:

And since Jenibeans asked...here is a pic of the carpet. Ain't it adorable? It's great quality. And a steal.

Works for Me Wednesday: Baking Cupcakes

While baking one day, I discovered that Chatterbox's toy kitchen ladle was the perfect size for filling the molds in my cupcake tin. No more overflowing, messy molds! I've been using it ever since. With her permission, of course.

Check out Rocks In My Dryer for more tips...

Wordless Wednesday: Chillin'

For more Wordless Wednesdays, go here.

Protocol?

My aunt-in-law lost "Angel," her daugther, four ago this June. Angel was born with several developmental and physical disabilities. She died at 14 despite being told she would not live past 10. The anniversary of her death is approaching and Aunt mentioned this to me a few weeks ago when we were discussing birthdays and family events. We are very close with Aunt because she has two young boys that are 1 and 3 years older than my Oldest and also because she's just great. Well, I have always wanted to do or say something on this day but never knew what was appropriate. So I never did or said anything. This is not right. What is appropriate? Do I send a card, give her a call, or perhaps say nothing? Every Sunday after the church, they go and visit Angel. Maybe I can go and put some flowers on her grave? Or make a donation in her name?

Any thoughts or suggestions?

I'm sure there is a book on this somewhere, if anyone knows, please let me know.

Week Two: Weigh In

I'll be the first to say it: I could have done better last week. I had a hard time staying within my points range. Especially when it came time for dinner...

There were four major setbacks that I can put my finger on:

(1) The "Baked Goods Brigade" at work. I'm not even exaggerating when I say that someone brings treats in Every.Single.Day. From homemade Almond-Cherry Bars to Krispy Kreme Donuts to Girl Scout Cookies to Belgian Chocolate, it's all there. And it's disastrous for someone like me who loves to snack, has limited points and gets hungry around 3pm.

(2) The "Cosi Sabotage." I went to Cosi for lunch last week and I had my meal all planned out. I was going to order a Mixed Greens Salad (with onion!) and the Reduced-Fat Sherry Shallot Dressing. And tell them to hold the hot, salty, fresh bread because I didn't want any part of it. So my co-worker and I get to the place and it's mayhem because the weather is beautiful and everyone that worked within 2 miles of the restaurant apparently decided that they wanted Cosi for lunch. So i scream my order at the Salad Girl and she starts it but passes the salad to the Salad Guy to finish it. He yells "SHERRY SHALLOT DRESSING?"And I yell "YES PLEASE!" Without repeating that I wanted the reduced fat version. You see where this is going. And I didn't realize what had happened until I had eaten the salad and was on my way back to the office. And to top it all off, Cosi now has a NEW!HEALTHY!WHOLE GRAIN! hot, salty, fresh bread to accompany your salad that my co-worker insisted I try because it is "SO GOOD." Sigh. Once I got back to my office, I checked the Cosi website to see just how fatty the doggone salad was and I think I gasped out loud when I saw it:

Roasted Sherry Shallot Vinaigrette: 308 Calories. 31 Grams of Fat. What the *&!%!?

Reduced Fat Sherry Shallott Vinaigrette: 85 Calories. 5 Grams of Fat.

Don't believe me? Check it out for youself.

Unbelievable. So instead of having a 2 point salad (because the greens and veggies would have been next to 0 points), I ended up having an over 8 point salad! And it was probably actually more than 8 points becuase my WW Pointsfinder only goes up to 300 calories and 20 grams of fat!! Oh and the "Etruscan Whole Grain Flatbread"? 5 points.

I almost threw up.

(3) The "BBQ Bonanza." On Sunday we had a BBQ. Chicken, Ribs, Burgers, Potato Salad, Baked Beans, Corn, Chips, Rolls, Red Velvet Cake, Pie, Ice Cream, Punch, you get the picture. And though I did pretty good in terms of portion control, eating any amount of pototo salad or bread or pie is bound to blow your points out of the water.

(4) It was my time of the month. 'Nuff said.

And so that was my week. And despite all the drama, I have lost .5 lbs since last week. Not great but at this point, I'm just happy that I didn't gain!

Moral of the Story: Make sure you order the reduced fat dressing! Otherwise, you may as well have had a McDonald's Quarter Pounder and French Fries for that amount of fat grams. Seriously.

Click here to join in the Tales from the Scales Weight Loss Challenge!

Someone's Got To Say It

These little kid birthday parties are driving me nuts.

Oldest, whom I'm now referring to as Chatterbox, has had a birthday party to go to every weekend for the past 3 months. Or at least it feels that way. And I know I should be happy that she has so many "friends" (come on, she's 2) that want her to share their special day with them. And I am. But along with all that "specialness" comes a whole lotta hassle.

First you gotta rsvp. Now this might sound like a minor thing and a widely respected courtesy (and yes, I expect the same of others that are invited to my kids' parties) but it's a pain in the toe. I have enough to remember without having to call you to tell you that we will be at little Johnny's birthday party at Dragon Kingdom with bells on.

Then you gotta buy a gift. I'm always rushing out to get a gift at the last minute and then I have Gift Anxiety when perusing the aisles. Is this too cheap (after all, I barely know the kid)? Is this too expensive? Is this too boring? Is this too controversial (think leopard print minidress - hey I think it was cute)? Is the kid actually gonna use this? Do they already have this? Is this the right size? And the beat goes on.

And then a $3 card for someone who can't read. And then the wrapping, blah, blah, blah.

Then you gotta get to the party. This morning all Chatterbox could think/talk/scream about was this party she was going to this afternoon. And of course it was my Bribe Of The Day. "Come on and eat your breakfast! You wanna go to the PARTY don't you?"

So we finally make it to the party and she's beside herself exhausted because she's skipped her nap because she couldn't POSSIBLY go to sleep with the prospect of a PARTY in her immediate future. But we've made it. Ten minutes late (which I think is pretty darn good) But of course the invitation -- to which I had to rsvp -- requested that we be there no later than 1:50pm because the program was starting at 2:00pm on the dot. Gimme a break. Are we talking about the opera here? Aren't they just gonna run around, take each other's toys, eat cake and fight over the red balloon? Nope. This party was at the Little Gym, which I have to say was cute. But waaay to structured for a 3 year old birthday. Chatterbox lost interest very quickly. Too many instructions and guidelines for the games when all she really wanted to do was climb through the padded tunnel three or thirty times. And so she didn't play any of the games. She reluctantly went on the moonbounce for about 10 seconds. Poor thing. And after all the PARTY! anticipation all morning.

She did enoy the pizza & cake portion of the program, however.

And then. The goody bag. Play-doh? Stickers? A noisemaker? Fruitsnacks. Does the birthday girl's mom hate me? Can you imagine the state of my car and my child by the time we got home? There's no way I'm not going to have to pay extra when I turn in my car at the end of my lease. Lightning blue playdoh smeared in the grooves of the leather seats must constitute "excessive wear and tear."

And I know what you're going to say. You don't have to go to all those parties. Oh yes I do. If I didn't, I'd feel guilty for depriving my beloved Chatterbox of her opportunity to socialize with her peers. It's part of the Mom Curse job description.

Just like finding out you have three of those goody bag stickers on your butt. In the elevator at work. Stranger things have happened folks.

8 Things You Probably Didn't Need To Know About Moi

I was tagged last week and I have been a bad blogger. Sorry Mrs. Schmitty! Hope you didn't think I was snubbing you. There really aren't that many interesting things about me but here goes...

The Rules:
1. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves. 2. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.3. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.4. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and to read your blog.

My List:

1. I just became a citizen of the United States on May 1st 2007! This means I get to finally vote. I have been a permanent resident since I was about four years old. So this is way overdue. Way overdue.

2. Where was I born you ask? Mexico City, Mexico. My dad is from Haiti, he met my Mother in Mexico, the rest is history.

3. I love to eat Sushi. It's my favorite "diet food." When I was in college, I ate sushi and soup, worked out and lost 10lbs. I don't know if it was the Sushi or the working out but it worked. Try it!

4. I used to have a dog named Tyson. He was a gift from my brother and husband when I graduated college. Well Hubby evicted him after Daugther was born because two kids and a dog was "just too much work." Hubby was looking for any excuse to get rid of Tyson in my opinion. But it really was a lot of work and we used to travel on the weekends a lot and it was pain to always have to put Tyson in a kennel. So now Tyson lives with my parents and he visits every so often. Oldest loves Tyson and still thinks Tyson is ours. He's included in all of Oldest's family pictures that he draws. Poor Oldest. Poor Tyson. But I suspect he's much happier. Plus, it gives my mom something to do. :)

5. I played the cello for 9 years and the violin for 12. No, I'm no prodigy. But in high school I was first chair in the cello section (that means I was the best in my section). I was really proud of myself. I also picked up the piano in high school. I was okay.

6. I am petite. I am only 5' 1.5" I like to add the 1.5 inches because every half inch counts when you are this vertically challenged. I would love to be 5' 3. Just another 1.5 inches would make a big difference when it comes to clothes. I typically have to have my pants altered or I buy petite. Now that I'm grown, petite clothes fit me perfect. But when I wear cute, trendy clothes, typically worn by younger women, I need to alter the pants. Pain in the butt.

7. I'm not a big beach fan. I live in Florida but I can do without the beach. This means I really don't like vacationing on tropical islands. Gasp! My ideal vacation is exploring a city, be it an ancient city in Rome or Las Vegas. And if there's a beach, I feel like I'm wasting my tan laying out and sitting in the sun. Bor-ing. All I can think about is the restaurants I'm missing out on, the places I'm missing exploring, and mixing and mingling with the natives.

8. Last but not least, I really want a piano. I want to play the piano on my spare time. Ha, funny. But really, I could totally practice at least 30 minutes a day. If not more. We don't have a room for a Baby Grand which is what I want. So, the next house, I'm going to make sure I have an appropriate room.

Okay, last step, I tag J. Fergie (yes, I know I still have to do my Bag Lady tag, I'm on it!), MamaLee, Tanyetta, ... Do I really need to tag 8 people???

Tell us a bit about yourselves ladies!

Ayudame

I am so sick of making the same meals for dinner over and over. I mean how many times can one family eat spaghetti and tacos in a month? Do y'all have any quick and easy recipes? Help a mother out.


Oh, and I don't have a crockpot (I know. Hubby thinks it'll burn down the house if it's on all day), so no crockpot recipes, m'kay?

I'm Going Out Of My Meme

We've been tagged by Jen!


Lists 8 random facts/habits about yourself in a blog post. List these directions in the post. At the end of the post, tag 8 people to complete the task. Leave the persons you’ve tagged a comment to tell them they’re tagged and refer them to your blog to read the directions.


8 Random Things About Me-

1. I hate being cold. I'm not sure if it's because I grew up in Canada or because of my Caribbean heritage, but whatever the reason, I can't stand it!! In fact, I'd rather burn to death, than freeze. (Did I mention that I'm also morbid? Ok, not really) I don't like to feel the wind from fans on me, don't like January or February, don't like air conditioning...you get the picture. In fact, I'm sitting at my desk right now wearing one of the two blankets I keep in my office at work. I will never complain that it's too hot. Promise.
   
2. I love onions. Red, white, yellow, green. In all foods. Cooked or raw. On my hot dogs, in my salad, with steak or with chicken. Just not on my pizza. My hubby hates onions. The deal is that if I am cooking with them, I have to chop them so fine that he can't see them or coarse enough so that he can pick them out of the food. I guess that's also a random thing about him. Let's get back on track.


3. I wish I had better posture. I tend to slouch. I try to correct myself when I notice but it's hard. And I'm thirty for Pete's sake. I need to go ahead and accept it.


4. I would love to go to Greece. It looks so serene and surreal. And of course they have brochettes, gyros and Greek salads. With onions.


5. I can't sing. I just can't. I was even rejected from the school choir in 4th grade. My mom gave the choir director an earful. Thanks Mom! You're the best. But, he was right.


6. I always thought I was going to be a broadcast journalist. And I almost was. But then I found out the starting pay. Dream shattered. Law school attended. My dream job is to produce awards shows or to dance with Alvin Ailey. Maybe in my next life. Oh, and when my kids are grown and off at college, I'm enrolling in Le Cordon Bleu. See if I don't.


7. I love being pregnant. It's when I feel my prettiest. I love the belly, the feeling of a little person growing inside of me, the anticipation, the nurturing feeling, the clothes, the cravings - everything. Well, except for the indegestion, back pain, dysfunction of the symphysis pubis [J. Jones - notice how this wasn't on Wikipedia when we were trying to find info on it three years ago!], the nausea and the stretch marks. But other than that, I love it!


8. I love print magazines. I really hope they aren't becoming a dying art form. I found out last week they were discontinuing Child magazine and I called them in a panic. I know I can go online, but it's not the same.

That's it!

I tag:
YOU!

Works for Me Wednesday: Eating Out with Kiddies

So simple and yet it's been a lifesaver time and time again...

When your family goes out to eat at a restaurant, ask to see the children's menu as soon as you are seated and order your child(ren)'s meal right away. Since their portion is small, their meal will come relatively quickly and will keep them busy so that you and hubby can take your time ordering and eating. The kids will also be less antsy on a full stomach and may actually sit still while you enjoy your meal (imagine that!) And, if the kid's meal comes with dessert, they can eat that while you are having your entree. Sounds pretty basic, but it's some of the best parenting advice I've gotten!

Works for us!

For more tips, visit Rocks In My Dryer.

Maybe They Should Rename it the O.K.Corral

Did anybody hear about what happened at the Golden Corral in Toledo on Mother's Day?
You've got to read this article. It's almost funny. [I said almost!] But really, that woman should know better than to mess with another woman's kids.

And Justice Jones and Justice Ny were just talking about how horrible it is when you're in a restaurant and your child is screaming.

I guess this is one way to handle it...

Week One: Weigh In

Gimme an F! an E! an R! and a G-I-E! Gooooo FERGIE!!

Oh don't mind them - that's just my personal weight loss cheerleading squad. They're quite motivating. If not a tad obtrusive during my work meetings.

But they're cheering because...I'm back on track with my weight loss. Today ends the first week of the Tales from the Scales weight loss challenge. I weighed in this morning and, since I started my diet in January, I've now lost a total of 14lbs [that's 3.2lbs since last week]. So, I am almost halfway to my goal. I've started counting my points again after slacking for the past month, which is the reason for the big loss this past week. And I also started walking in the evenings after work.

As for my challenges? Well, I've had a couple. First, my lunchtime aerobics instructor quit so I'm back to relying on myself to fit in a workout, which is tough. Second, I stopped doing WW online and have been doing it on paper, which is also a bit tougher. Third, since I've lost this weight, I've dropped to the next WW points range which means that instead of being able to eat 24 points per day, I now can only eat 22 points per day to see weight loss results. And boy do those extra 2 points make a big difference! Also, this past weekend did not help my cause since we ate out twice and it's much harder for me to stay on track with my points once I leave my doorstep.

So that's my report for Week 1. So far so good. But before I go, let me share a few of my favorite things to eat that are low in points but aren't necessarily "diet" food. Which I hate.

Campbell's Select Microwaveable Bowls:
Soo yummy! And filling. My favorites are Chicken with Egg Noodles (3 pts); Savory Lentil (4 pts); Italian-Style Wedding (4 pts); and Mexican Style Chicken Tortilla (5 pts). I love them because I can eat a hot, satisfying lunch for under 5 points. And I can toss the bowl into my purse and bring it with me to work. Just make sure to pay attention to the nutrition label - each bowl actually counts as 2 servings, not 1.

Dole Fruit Bowls:
These are great because they are only 1 point! And you can get one of your fruit servings from it. And they're good for your kids too. And of course, you can throw it in your purse.

Quaker Granola Bites:
I just discovered these this week. Each pack is 2 pts. Crunchy, tasty, wholesome and they come in Chocolate, Cinnamon and Peanut Butter. Yay. Oh wait I almost forgot: And they're good for your kids too. And of course, you can throw it in your purse.

See ya back here next week! I'll bring the cheering squad.

I'll Take *Lovely* for $1000, Alex

I have good news and bad news...Whatch'a wanna hear first?

The Bad News: My Mother's Day Weekend has come to a close.

The Good News: It was lovely! Remember my fun-filled day of errands on Friday? Well, as it turns out, I ended up at the mall for about 3 hours and mopped nary a floor and folded nary a towel. It was great! And I have about 5 new outfits (hooray!) and of course a fly pair of shoes (HOORAY!) to show for it. And I was able to get the shoes with a giftcard that hubby gave to me in 2005 (no joke) so that just sweetened the deal. Thanks Hubs! [Of course his response when I got home was "You wasted that gift card on SHOES?" Will he never understand?]

Saturday the gals and I lazed around in the beautiful weather outside all morning. Well, the gals splashed around in their kiddie pool and I lazed. *Lovely* Then Saturday afternoon was the annual Mother's Day Pink Party with my mother's group. Everyone dresses up in their prettiest of pinks and we celebrate motherhood over a deliciously catered meal in a beautifully decorated backyard. The hostess even gave out Certificates of Appreciation to all of the moms for our "dedication and hard work at the most challenging, fulfilling and important job of motherhood." Amen! Then, Hubby, the gals and I went out for dinner (yes, I was already stuffed) to a cozy authentic Mexican restaurant and then for an evening drive. It was lovely evening. Oh! And then I came home to a sweet card from my Sis and delivery of gorgeous roses and lilies from my Dad wishing me a Happy Mother's Day. *Lovely*

Sunday, Hubby and the girls brought me breakfast in bed. Well, actually the girls jumped all over me and the bed begging for my food as I tried to watch the mother-daughter episode of How Do I Look "alone." Then Oldest and I went to church where I was greeted with a beautiful corsage and Mother's Day card from the Teen Ministry inscribed with:

"It's Mother's Day...May the world bloom in your honor!

Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised. Proverbs 31:30"

Very true. But my new shoes are still slamming.

And after church, the family went to to a Caribbean buffet brunch. It.Was.So.Good. I'm still stuffed. *Lovely* We topped the night off watching the latest episode of the Sopranos. [Can you BELIEVE what Tony did to Christopher? He's cold man. Real cold.]

And that was my weekend. Did I mention that it was just *lovely*?

Cup of Tea Anyone?

I had to share this cute story. This morning at Oldest's school, the children served us tea, muffins, and fresh strawberries for their annual "Mother's Day Tea." The event was just beautiful. First, we entered the classroom and the children gave us wrist corsages. Here is mine:

Then we were escorted to our seats and where the mothers all sat around in a circle, (on chairs about 1 inch of the ground), while our children served us the food. Then, the children gave each of us their hand print and recited this cute poem, while they held our hands:

Sometimes you get discouraged
Because I am so small
And always leave my fingerprints
On furniture and walls
But every day I'm growing --I'll be grown soon oneday
And all those tiny handprints
Will surely fade away
So here's a little handprint
Just so you can recall
Exactly how my fingers looked
When I was very small

Then they sang a song and did another poem.

After they performed, the children gave us a portrait they made of us, where they actually cut clothes out of fabric, put jewels around our neck, used more fabric for shoes, and any other final touches they wanted. The details were just amazing. I noticed that the little girls really jazzed up their mommy's outfits. Details in the necklines- some were plunging, some were square, some had collars, some had patterns. I also noticed the boys typically had a one piece sort of dress thing. The girls, a top and a bottom. Cute!
The portraits came with a description about us. Here is what mine said:

"My mommy likes to cook dinner and wash our clothes. She takes us to the park and she takes me swimming. She also feeds my baby brother and sister and then puts us to bed. She teaches grown ups how to do school stuff. Some days we do fun stuff like go to the zoo. She likes to eat salads for dinner."

How CUTE! Of course, we were all tearing up. The teachers passed tissues around for everyone.
Isn't it funny what kids perceive? He thinks I enjoy washing clothes! I suppose that's a good thing, because all the complaining I'm doing internally is not showing through. One child wrote that his mommy likes to clean the kitchen. I bet she does.

What a nice morning. Happy Mother's Day Everyone!

Fruit Snack Detox: Days 4 and 5

Drumroll please...not one mention of fruit snacks in the past two days! Unbelievable. And really, this makes me feel a whole lot better because this means that she wasn't quite addicted to them so much as that she just loves to eat them if they're around. Mission Accomplished.

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On another note, today I am taking a Mental Health Day - Woo Hoo! A day all to myself to do things for myself. And I am going to start by running to the grocery, buying two kinds of milk (because Heaven forbid that both children would actually drink the same type of milk), and drop the milk off at daycare because they ran out and I only found out late last night when hubby's selective memory decided to remember what the teacher told him on the frivolous topic of the nutrition of our offspring. [And yet he managed to remember to check and see if he had the proper size wrench to adjust the in-ground sprinklers yesterday at 6pm. Hey, you win some.] AND THEN, I am going to come home and clean the house, do laundry, run a few errands...and then I will have all day about 30 minutes of the day to myself to do things for myself.

I'd better get going.

IMPT! Evenflo Car Seat Recall

Is this your carseat? If so, it has been recalled for a safety hazard:

"When used as an infant carrier, the handle can unexpectedly release, causing the seat to rotate forward. When this happens, an infant inside the carrier can fall to the ground and suffer serious injuries."

Yikes! For more info, go here.

Even Katie Couric Thinks That's Too Early

Every morning hubby's alarm clock goes off at 5:50am. Yes, that's correct. A full hour and ten minutes before my friends Matt, Meredith, Ann and Al say "Good Morning." And I say "hubby's" alarm clock because after I had Youngest and was getting up every thirty seconds to change diapers, nurse or rock to sleep, I realized that I was never really asleep anyway and so why bother with an alarm? I laugh in the face of sleep. bwwaaaaahahahahaha. It is for the weak. In fact, if you're not doing anything exciting tomorrow night, come on over and I'll challenge you to a "No Sleep-Off" (because that would be really exciting). Betcha I win.

But I digress.

Everyday, without fail, when hubby's LOUD alarm goes off I immediately tense up and hold my breath just praying and hoping that Oldest doesn't hear his alarm and fly out of bed searching frantically for her milk while screaming "MilkLeche Daddy! MilkLeche!" [Yes, yes, we do ROCK in the Teaching Our Kids Foreign Languages category, thankyouverymuch.] "Please stay asleep for just another ten minutes" I silently pray. He usually turns it off on about the second ring. And sometimes she wakes up and sometimes she doesn't. But THIS morning, hubby was either trying to make me bite his head off or secretly dip his toothbrush in the toilet [relax, the thought never crossed my mind] because he let the darn alarm ring like FIVE times.

And it was really amazing just how upset I got. Because mommy is back on the diet horse and therefore cranky. And mommy exercised yesterday evening. And therefore mommy is tired and needs her sleep. And her Cherry Garcia.

Don't judge me. I know where you keep your toothbrush.

Wordless Wednesday: Bagel Bites Gone Wrong

The "crisping tray"? It's a setup.

For more Wordless Wednesdays, go here.

Works for Me Wednesday: Taco Casserole

Every time I make this my family gobbles it up, and a friend who I made this for 2 months ago when she had her baby asked me for the recipe last week, so I thought I'd share...

Fergie's Famous Taco Casserole

Ingredients:

1lb ground turkey (or beef, but turkey is leaner)
1 can black beans
1 can corn kernels
1 can diced tomatoes (I like the Italian ones)
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
1 packet taco seasoning (I like McCormick's)
A few tortilla chips

yellow rice (I like Goya's)

Instructions:
Brown the meat. Drain if necessary. Stir in taco seasoning. Add beans, corn and tomatoes (you can also add any other veggie that your family likes) and combine. Transfer to casserole dish. Top with shredded cheese and crushed tortilla chips. Bake at 4oo degrees for 20 minutes (or until top is golden and cheese is melted). Serve with yellow rice.

Ta da! Easy, yummy and most importantly, contains veggies. What more could you ask for?

For more WFMWs, visit Rocks In My Dryer.

Fruit Snack Detox: Days 2 and 3

Things have been relatively quiet on the fruit snack front. The only major hiccup was that another little girl at Oldest's daycare had fruit snacks in her lunch on Monday and apparently Oldest tried to jump her for them. Clearly Laila's mom is trying to sabotage my program. That'll learn ya!

Yesterday Oldest was quite content with her fresh strawberries for dessert on Monday and a popsicle yesterday. This morning she asked for fruit snacks and when I told her we didn't have any, she made me pull down the snack basket so that she could see for herself.

But I'm happy to report no chills, fainting spells or cold sweats so far.

Lindsey Lohan's parents should send her my way. I'll whip her right into shape.

Mayday! Mayday!

I know, I know I'm a day late. But I still want to take part in Beth F.'s super duper MayDay Weight Loss Challenge. If you want to find out how it works, just visit Tales From the Scales and join in!

Here's my story:

Girl is stunning (work with me).
Girl goes to college.
Girl meets Boy.
Girl starts cooking and eating more, exercising less.
Girl starts working and makes no time for exercise.
Girl does Weight Watchers for her wedding as successfully loses 8lbs.
Girl and Boy get married.
Girl has Baby #1 and puts on 30lbs.
Girl is still about 15lbs overweight and is markedly less stunning.
Girl has Baby #2 and gains another 30lbs.
Girl is now about 25lbs overweight and not-so-stunning.
Girl decides, in January of this year, that she is "Bringing Sexy Back"
Girl starts on Weight Watchers and lunchtime aerobics classes.
Girl loses 10.7lbs!
Girl gets lazy. Aerobics instructor quits.
Girl falls off the Weight Watchers wagon.
Girl gains 4lbs.

And here we are! Basically, I would still like to lose 15 - 20lbs. I'm going to start back on my WW diet and exercising at least 2 times a week. My weakness? Heavy dinners and not exercising.

Wish me luck!

Fergie Family Fruit Snack Detox: Day One

So yesterday Oldest ate the last pack of fruit snacks that were in our house during church. [Oh come on! How else do you expect me to keep her sitting quietly for two hours?] The funny part was when she had to go to the front of the church to accept an award from the Children's Ministry. Of course she was clutching an opened pack of her beloved snacks and unknowingly trailing them behind her as she walked up the aisle. I was following behind her hurriedly picking them up one by one as she walked up there. Like a flower girl of sorts. Except without the cute headband or rose petals. It was pitiful.

Yesterday was also grocery shopping day. And you will be so proud to know that I didn't buy any fruit snacks! I have to be totally honest and tell you that I REALLY thought about it. I mean REALLY. I stood in the aisle staring at them for a good three minutes. I was like "well, they really aren't all that bad" and "what if i got another kind of fruit snack instead?" and "maybe I should just get one box in case of emergency." And then I realized I was being ridiculous and rolled on out of that aisle. Luckily Oldest wasn't with me or it would have been on.

When I got home she was delighted to see the grocery bags I had with me. She said: "Mommy! Grocery! Fruit Snacks! Oranges! Popsicles!" And I had to say [with a little bit of apprehension] "Mommy didn't get any fruit snacks, honey. They didn't have any. They were all gone. Lord, forgive me. But Mommy did get oranges! And grapes! And popsicles! High Five!" And she looked crushed for a milisecond but quickly recovered at the mention of popsicles. So folks, I have sucessfully substituted one sugar-filled snack for another. Great parenting!

I think I'll try and make her homemade popsicles with 100% fruit juice and chucks of real fruit. Yes, it'll still be sugar, but at least I'll feel better. And isn't that what this is really all about?

Happy Birthday Hubby!

Don't worry -- "Thirty's the new twenty" ;)

Getting Over

Justice Ny loves my "stories" so maybe she can find some humor in my week from hell. Here's what happened.

Sunday evening, I notice these strange little bumps on Little Brother ("B"). Is it a heat rash from the fever he had been fighting the past few nights? Who knows. But I could not explain it. Well, Monday morning, B wakes up and he is covered in red dots all over his body. I'm a bit scared because it looks scary. Hubby says to take him to the Emergency room, but he's acting normal so I say wait. I call the pediatrician instead. Hubby leaves for work and take Oldest to school. I start rushing to try to get Daughter to day care so that I can take B to the doc's office and be there as soon as their doors open at 9 am.

B goes down for his usual nap, around 8:30, and I quickly get dressed, get Daughter dressed, hair decent, etc., and run outside and load Daughter in the car. Let me just say that I never advocate leaving kids in a car, running or not, and I never do it. But typically my car is in my garage and I load my kids one by one in our safe, secure and cool garage. But this time it was in the driveway and it was already warm outside. So I did it even though as I did it I knew it was wrong. I turn the car on so that she can stay nice and cool. Well the car is a loaner car that I have been driving for over a week while the dealership worked on trying to figure out what the heck was wrong with my car (some sort of electrical problem). I run back in the house, get "B" from his crib, run back out and the car DOORS ARE LOCKED. YIKES.

Now, remember, it's a loaner car. So there's no calling Hubby for a spare key. Thank God because I could hear it now. I panic even more because although I turned the car on, I remembered I never actually checked to see if the air was on. NOT GOOD. Thankfully, the air was on, but it was on low. I call the dealership, I tell them to get someone there in 10 minutes otherwise I was going to break the window.

Daughter remains calm, and we start to play peek-a-boo while I tried to act like she wasn't locked in the car that was sitting in the sun. Thankfully, she looked comfortable. But my heart was racing. B is looking worse by the minute and was not at all happy about having his nap cut short. Someone arrives 12 minutes later. (We live close, THANK GOD). And I stay far back because I do not want him to see B and run for cover because it really did look bad.

When I finally make it to day care, I have the Director come to the car and grab Daughter for fear of reactions and spreading whatever has taken over his body to others. Director claims it's the measles and states she's only seen it one time in the last 5 years, after of course she makes a face and says "Wow." Nice. So I call Hubby, give him the report and he panics, and says he'll meet me at the doc's office.

Finally, we get to the doc's office. The nurse who checks us in yelps when she sees B. Nice. After waiting almost an hour, we learn B has the measles vaccine rash. And that it would get worse before it got better and that only 5% of kids actually even get the rash from the vaccine. And, we also learn that B had strep throat. My poor baby!!! I was heartbroken for him and also thinking about all the papers I had to grade starting that day. Then I'm mad at myself for thinking about the papers.

Anyhow, I didn't think it was possible for it to get worse but it did. It was worse by the time we got to the doctor and worse by noon. And worse yet the next day. Hubby took the kids to his parent's house to quarantine them from the rash and strep.


So that was Monday through Wednesday. No papers were graded, nothing was done. B was not in a terrible mood but he wasn't happy. I showered him with love.


Thursday, B is well enough to go to school. Rash has faded significantly, strep was being treated, he was not contagious and doc says it's okay for him to return to day care. Now, I'm still in the loaner car, even though I have been getting a call every day for the past 7 days from the dealer telling me that they were still working on finding what was causing the problems in my car and that they were sure it would be resolved "the next day."

This is where J. Ny will start laughing. On day 6, the gas light came on so I put $6.00 of gas in a car that takes about $70 to fill up. Because I was in the loaner car, my cheap butt did not want to put any gas in their car. STUPID. The $6.00 dollars did not actually do much and the light didn't even turn off. DUMB. Nevermind the fact that when I got the car, it was completely full. I thought I would get over. IDIOT. I stay home on day 7 so no gas needed. On day 8, yesterday, I got the call to come pick up my car. The light was still on and I knew I had to put some gas in it but I was rushing from place to place, (as always). Finally, by the afternoon, I pick up Oldest from school and tell him the first thing we're doing is getting gas. I missed my darn turn to get gas and I start to panic because the next gas station was across this big bridge.









It's pretty darn big isn't? (Note: the bridge is under going major construction. It was 4 pm, and traffic was getting heavy.) I am forced to enter the highway that leads to the bridge and I just know, I'm done. Well, right at the right edge of the picture is where my car dies. I am totally blocking one of the two lanes with my big a@@ SUV. One jack a@@ with his shirt off and a pick up has the nerve to stop right next to me and laugh and shake his fingers at me. By now Oldest is crying because he thinks the police, that's parked all over the bridge, are going to take us to jail. I'm screwed. Finally, a police officer pulls up behind me and is very angry that I'm blocking traffic. When I tell him what happened, he is outraged. JERK!
Another cop pulls up and asks me if I can call someone to bring me gas. Hubby of course. But I am always getting on Hubby for driving around with low gas. So I call him with a sick feeling and of course, he doesn't pick up. Call him three more times, still no pick up. It's his gym time, he always has his phone in his locker and I always am on him about that. I'm outraged.

Then I see a HELICOPTER. The news station, because yesterday was the first day that the bridge was back open in a few days. Nice. I'm trying to hide.

The Jerk came back, and pushed my truck with his car into the construction lane. Scratches and dents the back of the loaner in the process. Fifteen minutes later, the tow truck comes and towes me over the bridge, to the gas station I was hoping to make it to, and charges me $65.00- for less than a mile. I make it to the dealer by 5:15, make to day care by 5:45. Home by 6pm.

So let's do the math:
Gas: $6
Tow truck: $65.00
Migraines: at least 3
Sleepless nights: 5-7
Fight with Hubby for not answering his phone when I was stuck on the Bridge: 1
Dented truck that's not even mine: 1
Papers graded: 0

A week with B all by ourselves, priceless.

Happy Friday Everyone!

Bag Lady

Have y'all seen the little hangbag meme that's been going around? The curious cat in me has been enjoying checking out everyone's purses. Now it's your turn! Lucky You. My good ol' bloggy buddy Beth F. tagged me to share the contents of mine, so here goes...

This is the purse I'm currently carrying around. I really consider it a fall/winter purse but since the weather's been so yucky and it's taken spring a ridiculously long time to get here, I haven't bothered switching it yet. Hubby gave me this purse for Mother's Day 2005. Ain't he sweet?

Here's what it looks like from the top.

Here's my wallet. A Christmas gift from my Mama. Notice how it doesn't snap shut because it's overflowing with old receipts and used up gift cards.

This is my makeup case. A souvenir that my Croatian stepmother who used to live in Indonesia brought back from her trip to Italy with my Dad. Got that?

[Ok, i promise I never noticed that I haven't actually purchased any of these things myself until now!]

My lip stuff. I love lip stuff. I'm forever in search of the perfect lip balm. Neutrogena's has come close, but I'm still searching. [My MAC lip pencil looks like it has seen better days, yes?] Oh and the Cocoa Butter Swivel Stick? I carry that for imminent dry lip emergencies. What do you want, I was a Girl Scout.

My hand stuff. I am also in search of the perfect hand lotion. I've actually found it: It's Crabtree & Evelyn Gardener's Hand Therapy. It's liquid gold. And it's in my car.

Three emery boards?

My checkbook, trusty pen and postcard from my new dentist. You can't really see it too well from the picture, but the postcard says "Total Relaxation Dentistry." An oxymoron if I ever heard one. Did I tell you he's suggesting I get BRACES (to "make my already beautiful smile completely perfect" mmmhmm)? I'm going to be 30 for Pete's sake.

Ah yes, my phone equipment. No, I'm not a special agent. I'm just lazy busy. See the sleek and swanky red phone on the left? That's my new Fire RAZR that I got (for free!), oh 4 weeks ago, and have yet to transfer the numbers from my old phone to my new one. And so I carry around the old phone for "when I have some spare time." And the earpiece is for the car. And for my old phone since I can only use fancy-dancy Bluetooth with my new one. Sheesh.

And last, but not least the snacks. I'm actually a tad surprised because I usually have more. A Dole fruit cup. A beat-up packet of Stride gum. [And I agree with BooMama that the name is a tad icky]. And of course the fruit snacks. And yes, the packet is empty.

So that's it! Well, I cheated you out of seeing the photos of my Tylenol stash and my work id badge. I couldn't very well have you showing up at my job with hate fan mail, could I?

My turn! I hereby tag J. Jones, J. Ny (wishful thinking), Tanyetta, Tracey R., Mommy Dearest, and Mrs. Schmitty, and anyone else who wants to participate. Spill it, sisters!

She Likes Us...She Really Likes Us!

Mommy Dearest has tagged us for the Thinking Blogger Award!

Scary, ain't it?

I'm Your Pusher-Mom

Ok y'all. I've joked about it before, but now it's getting serious [sorta]. I really think that Oldest is addicted to fruit snacks. Besides the fact that when she's at home she must have a packet of fruit snacks IN!HER!VIEW!AT!ALL!TIMES! and when I open a packet for her she starts jumping up and down with big eyes and squeals of joy -- Let's take a look at some common signs and symptoms of addiction, shall we:

• Inability to relax or have fun without having fruit snacks. Yup.
  



• Sudden changes in work or school attendance and quality of work or grades. Yup. Craft time just cannot be enjoyed without having immediately ingested or anticipating the ingestion of fruit snacks.
  



• Angry outbursts, mood swings, irritability, manic behavior, or overall attitude change. Yup. [Oh wait, she's 2]
  



• Talking incoherently or making inappropriate remarks. Yup. [Oh wait, she's 2]
  



• Deterioration of physical appearance and grooming. By the end of the day? Certainly. [Oh wait, she's 2]
  
  


• Wearing sunglasses and/or long sleeve shirts Zoe winter vests frequently or at inappropriate times. Yup. [Oh wait, she's 2]
  



• No longer spending time with friends who don't eat fruit snacks and/or associating with known fruit snack abusers. Hmm, I have noticed that she doesn't really pay her little sis much mind. [Oh wait, she's 2]
  



• Engaging in secretive or suspicious behaviors, such as making frequent trips to the restroom, basement, or other isolated areas where fruit snack consumption would be undisturbed. Yup. Hubby and I have come across her trying to hide in her room or under the dining room table with the box of contraband snacks.
  



• Eating fruit snacks first thing in the morning. Yup.
  



• Talking about fruit snacks all the time and pressuring others to indulge. Yup. Heaven help me.
  

So, you see it's not entirely a figment of my imagination. And I realize I am to blame since I'm the one who keeps buying them, but I refuse to continue to be her enabler. Starting tomorrow the Fergie household is going on a Fruit Snack Detox! Ok, maybe not tomorrow, but definitely on Monday. I'm just a teensy bit afraid to feel her toddler wrath.