4th Milestone in our relationship

We celebrated Princess' 4th birthday a couple weekends ago and I feel like it was a turning point in my relationship with my only child. My fairy godmother (really my fairy grandmother) wove her wand and changed the child that I've come to know.

I've previously posted about her little 'isms and the difficulties that I have had thus far in striking the right balance between being the disciplinarian and a loving mother. Often times I've felt like a complete failure because she often expressed her dislike of me. I rationalized that in my attempt to make sure that she had the structure that I did as a child that I have forgotten to have fun with her. There are times that I'm totally fine with the relationship and then there are many times that I cry myself to sleep in prayer that things will get better. How could my only child, my daughter, have so much disdain for me. What have I done? What haven't I done? I felt like I was destined to have a purely contentious relationship with her forever.

But, then things changed completely. She turned 4 and she turned into a "big kid" - she is more rational and reasonable, she is fully expressive of her reasons for things, she's more sensitive to how her behavior impacts others and she's been super loving toward me. I know it's only been 2 weeks; but if your knew what our days were like, you would triumph in this small victory too.

Here's to being a big kid! I love you Princess and I pray that our relationship continues down this path.

I've run out

Hubby and I are laying in bed at 10:30 p.m. when we hear princess' bedroom door open. Of course, she doesn't want to sleep and for the past few weeks she's been relying on the well crafted argument that she "can't go to sleep." Tonight though she thought of a new reason for her slumber difficulties - she's "run out of dreams." Hubby and I just look at each other and did everything that we could not to burst with laughter. Where does she get this stuff from???

Exposed

Inevitably the day arrived; the day that hubby and I would have to scramble around, look for cover and make up a crazy, stupid story. Yes...that day came and it was quite hilarious! I knew it was coming but I didn't know when and I didn't expect it to be so soon.

You know how crazy busy it's been around here recently - working full time while trying to be a mom and wife, while planning a conference on my "spare time". So, something had to give, and s-e-x was that thing. I know, right....what a bummer!

So the other day I got home relatively early and princess was watching "On Demand" (her favorite) so hubby nudges me and invites me upstairs. I say why not because there was no time like that time and princess is usually good for a twenty minute block when she's watching a show On Demand. Hubby goes upstairs without notification to princess and I follow a few minutes later ostensibly to use the potty.

We get it going really quickly because time was of the essence. We're pretty much into it as we hear the pitter patter of little feet as she makes her way upstairs. Hubby grabs one cover leaving me very exposed so I rush for another one that's close by and we lay down under the covers.

"What are you guys doing?" she said very inquisitively.
"Oh, just relaxing and watching tv." we responded.
"Why are you watching tv up here?" suggesting that it didn't make any sense.
"You should come watch On Demand with me!" she said.
"Sure thing!" I said hoping that she would leave the room because I couldn't move from the position I assumed because I was undressed under the towel that I grabbed for cover.
"Let's go mommy" she said as she walked out the door.
"Phew!" I remarked to hubby "That was a close one."

I thought we would get a "pass" until she was about five but I didn't think that we would have to reserve activities at age three. How have you handled this situation - because I'm not the only one?

Taking it back to the basics

Princess and I went to one of her classmate's 4th birthday parties on Saturday. The party was so simple and so basic and the kids had a blast! I sound surprised, don't I? As I stood in the backyard and watched these kids fall out over playing with a hose in a blow-up pool it made me ponder all the frills and fancy that we parents try to do for these kids parties, when the truth of the matter is, all the kids really want to do is take it back to the basics!

Jon & Kate + 8 - 1?

So what's the deal folks? I heard rumors last week that Jon stepped out, but Kate seemed to be confident that the rumors weren't true and optimistic that the marriage could withstand this rough patch. Then I heard another report last night that they're splitting.

I have seen the show but I don't watch it religiously (what? I know and I'm a reality tv junkie). So, I am by no means in a position to really comment about it. But, I've been hearing bits of info and I have so many conflicting thoughts about the situation.

First, I saw a clip where Jon said (and I'm paraphrasing here) - sometimes I just want to be Jon, not Jon and Kate plus eight. I could totally understand where he's coming from. There are times that I just want to be Ny, not mommy or wifey, just Ny. And I'm pretty sure you guys can relate.

Then, on that same thought I assume he wanted to get married and wanted to have kids - mind you he may not have asked for eight kids, but he wanted kids. When you make a decision to have kids, then your priorities should change. You've got to put their well-beings ahead of yours. So, buddy these are ALL your kids (and there is no doubt about that - just look at them) so you've got to step up to the plate and be responsible.

Also related to that thought, where does he get off trying to leave this marriage and family and leave Kate with eight kids to raise on her own - that's ludicrous!

On the opposite side, although I don't watch the show every week, the times that I have seen it there is such little love between Jon and Kate. It's so apparent in their body language and they way they talk to each other. It's very, very noticeable in Kate. She speaks to him like he's a child. There is no romance (but c'mon we know how that goes so neither of them gets dinged here) BUT there is no intimacy in the way they interact either. Have you ever seen them sitting on the couch together during the interviews? He always sits with his arm around her while she scoots over as far as she can to the other side of the couch (and it's an really an oversized chair) and turns her body away from him. She acts like she's really disgusted with and by him - acts like she doesn't even want him around. So I look at this and it doesn't come as a surprise that they may be separating. I'm not excusing his actions (so don't beat me up) but I'm just not that surprised.

As you can see, my thoughts are all over the place on this one - but I do hope that they figure out a way to make sure that those kids are protected and happy. If that means sticking out or separating - whichever way they decide just as long as those kids are happy, that's all that matters to me!

TGIF ... great!

Honestly...TGIF just means that I have to step up my game and find "fun" stuff to occupy daughter for the NEXT 48 HOURS. I will not get to sleep in, or read the paper, or get on the computer, or go shopping, or have a 20 minute shower, or get my nails done, or watch anything except Disney for two entire days. I adore my daughter but why are my weekends ALL about entertaining her? Thank goodness for pre-school, otherwise I would be bald and crazy!!!

Musical Cars

Our vehicle situation is pretty crazy right now. When we were looking for a nanny, we made sure to ask that any interested candidates have a car since we knew we would need them to pick up Chatterbox from school. Luckily our fabulous nanny had her own car and lived very close to us, which made for a lot less stress in the mornings. Fast forward 1 year and add Giggles starting school and a new baby to the mix. Pile on top of that the fact that our nanny's car is in need of major repairs and that she has been sharing her car with her sister and that she moved to another county. Sound complicated? But wait! There's more...the nanny's car, an older model Ford Explorer, doesn't have a center seat belt in the back seat which means that she can't have 3 car seats installed. This is a problem since she now needs to pick up both Chatterbox and Giggles from school with the baby in tow.

We toyed with the idea of buying her a car for use with the afterschool pickup, but of course we were trying to avoid the added expense. Not to mention it just seems so excessive to me (and we already know that I am fighting a daily battle with the mommy guilt that we are paying someone else to do the things I should be doing). So we had the bright idea of having a center seat belt installed in her car so that she could accommodate all 3 kiddies. Well, it sounded like a brilliant fix until we got to the dealership and discovered that her back seat is not a bench, but 2 individual seats that are connected, so a center seat belt can't properly be installed. You still with me?

So. Things were fine over the summer because I was home on maternity leave and took my car to drop off and pick up the girls from school, but...last week was my grand return to work. What to do? What to do? We decided to try out me catching a ride with hubby in the mornings and him dropping me to the Metro which I could take to work. That way the nanny could use my car to do the drop off and pick up. Aside from the fact that I feel even worse because I don't even get to drop off the girls to school and interact with their teachers, etc. , the other problem is that hubby has a shorter work schedule than I do and so it ends up with me bolting out of the office about 15 minutes earlier than I'm supposed to, running to the Metro, him picking me up, and us speeding home to relieve the nanny before her set 10-hour shift is over. Whew.

Not complicated enough? You're right. There's even more. This week hubby found out that the brakes on his truck are shot and that until he gets everything repaired (for the low, low price of $1,000) he absolutely cannot drive it. Luckily, today the nanny was able to borrow a car from a friend that can take 3 car seats, and so hubby drove my car today.

Sheesh. Talk about trying to make it work.

WTF?!

Chatterbox learned a new word at school yesterday. You guessed it - the "eff" word. I couldn't believe it! And she had to know it was bad because when I asked her to repeat it to me after Giggles tattled on her, she refused. I must have looked visibly panic-stricken because she insisted that she could not repeat it and wouldn't tell me where she heard it. I mean, I knew this would come one day, but so sooon??

What's next? Crystal meth in her backpack?

I know. NOT FUNNY.

Coming Up For Air

Having a newborn in the house has been hectic...fun...but hectic! (Did you catch that Mommy Guilt Reflex?) And so naturally, blogging fell by the wayside. But, things are finally settling down and I'm back on the block. Or blog, as it were. And I have so many things to post about.

First things first - here are some recent photos of my bambino. He's so cute and cuddly, if not a little lacking in the sleeping department (at night anyway).

The other question I get asked the most (after "how's the BABY?!") is "how are the girls adjusting to their new baby brother?" Up until this week I was answering "fine!" or "great!" or "they just adore him!" But for some reason, this week all that changed...I guess they realized that he is here to stay. Giggles started getting unusually whiny last week, but now it's on a whole other level. Everything is grounds for a meltdown: not enough ice in her drink; a broken blue crayon; the ending of the Dora episode - you name it. The worst of it though, comes when it's time for the nanny to leave everyday. It's likely because she gets the nanny's undivided attention all day long while evil, old Mom has to constantly nurse, change, and hold that doggone baby. But seriously, Giggle wails and screams and tries to run out the door when the nanny leaves. It was so heartbreaking that the nanny even offered to take Giggles with her for the night. She usually calms down within 15 minutes or so, but it's really nuts.

[And before you start rolling your eyes at me for having a nanny while I'm home - know that I am only home for 3 lousy months on unpaid maternity leave, and will be needing the nanny for the baby once I go back to work, so that's why she's still here. And yes, I am fortunate.]

Then there's Chatterbox. She's really been doing fine until yesterday. Up until then, she has been very helpful with the baby and very loving towards him. But, yesterday the nanny was going to take the girls to the park as she often does, but Chatterbox had her own meltdown! She screamed and wailed that she didn't want to go and that she wanted to stay HOME! WITH! MOMMY! And then proceeded to dramatically change her mind three more times. She ended up staying with me and we made cupcakes for the neighbors together. It was fun. And I could tell she was happy. (I suspect Giggles was happy too, to have the nanny all to herself at the park.) And so all's well that ended well.

And I imagine the adjustment to the new baby will take some time. My "Mom to 3" advisors (Justice Jones and my SIL) have told me that the transition will not be easy and that the best thing I can do is spend one-on-one "Mommy Time" with each of them indivudally. I've already started doing this and am looking forward to next week when the girls' gymnastics classes start. They are going to be in different classes on different days and so we'll be able to talk in the car, to and from the class, and maybe we'll go to lunch afterwards or something like that, just the two of us. Giggles' class is a "Mommy and Me" class, so that will be even more great.

And right on cue, the Babe is whimpering for me through the baby monitor, so that ends my blogging time for today. See you next time on the New Adventures of Old Justice Fergie.

This season's gonna be good.

My Very Own Visa Commercial

Bubble machine: $7.99

Watching your kids' absolute delight over dishsoap blowing in the wind: Priceless

Seeing Double

Two completely unrelated things:

(1) I found out why the nanny needed to take yesterday off - she was interviewing for a part-time nanny position that she will likely accept. The catch? It's from 6pm to 12am, 4 days a week! I immediately felt horrible. As a WOHM, I am completely sensitive to the how moms feel when they are forced to sacrifice quality time with their kids in order to pay the bills. She must feel terrible to have to miss the evenings with her 12-year-old daughter. And her daughter must be upset too. Not mention that her days will be exhausting. How I wish we could pay her more so that she wouldn't need to work a double shift.

(2) Speaking of double, I swear that when I looked in the mirror today I saw a DOUBLE CHIN. I almost fainted. I just asked my co-worker and she says I'm seeing things and that I'm wearing the pregnancy very well, but she's clearly lying to be nice. I. Saw. It.

Ugh.

Bullies in the Hood

Recently, we had an interesting situation with one of our neighbor's and I and wanted to pick your ear about it. See what you think.

Background:

When we first moved to our neighborhood Neighbor, myself, and another mom, "Lisa," used to hang out, as families or for mom's night out. Hubby just didn't like Neighbor's Hubby so we stopped hanging out at Neighbor's house. We still saw them at Lisa's but that was it for the most part. It kind of created for awkwardness in group settings but no biggie. Time passes and a new mom moves into the neighborhood, "Erin." Erin has two boys close in age to Neighbor's oldest boy so they get together all the time, even carpool to school. Erin's hubby, BTW, plays professional football and her boys are the toughest and most athletic boys I've ever meet.

The Problem:

Three weeks ago Oldest was playing outside when Neighbor's kids invited him to join them in their yard. Oldest is thrilled, he doesn't play much with kids in our 'hood since they are not really his age, the boys at least. Neighbor calls me a few minutes after Oldest arrives and invites me to a "last minute" BBQ they were having. I was home alone with the kids so I agree to join them after Youngest's was nap. Less than an hour later I'm at Neighbor's house and it's a full blown party. Erin and her family is there, Lisa's kids were there with parents on the way, and one of Neighbor's kids was having a playdate. Playdate's dad was even there. On the grill was enough chicken, hot dogs, and hamburgers to feed an army. I guessed that when Oldest went over there Neighbor felt obligated to invite me for the BBQ. No biggie, it was polite I suppose and she probably assumed I wouldn't come since I typically decline her invites for reasons stated above.

While there things seem to be going smooth except for one incident with Playdate. One of the boys called her fat and she was very upset about it, like any 8 year old girl should be. I find Oldest playing with the girls, and make sure he had no part in permanently damaging this poor girls self-esteem and causing her to have life long eating disorders. Neighbor or Erin didn't seem at all concerned. Their boys denied any name calling. Playdate's dad was too busy with Neighbor's hubby at the grill and didn't even realize what was going on. Playdate locked herself in her dad's car. It was all strange. Other than that, the kids appeared to be having a good time.

Hours later in our car, I asked Oldest if he had a good time and he tells me yes, even though Erin's boys began picking on him. ?? According to Oldest, one of Erin's boys said something pretty nasty in front of the other children. When Erin's boys arrived they said to the other children, "We hate that boy," and stared right at Oldest. After that comment, Neighbor's son refused to let Oldest play with his scooter or basketball. And, they put all the toys in the garage and closed it so Oldest couldn't play with anything else. And, they kept waiting for him to cry but Oldest "just ignored them" and went to play with the girls. As Oldest is telling me the story, my head starts spinning. Hubby asks for clarification and looks over at me with fire in his eyes, adding fuel to why Hubby doesn't like Neighbor's hubby. Oldest tells the story again. We remain calm and tell Oldest that we are proud of him for the way he acted. He didn't respond in a hurtful way or let it bother him.

So I call Neighbor, calmly explain what was just told to me, and she says she'll investigate and call me back. She would also tell Erin, who was still at her house (probably eating some of the Red Velvet cake I saw sitting on the counter). Neighbor calls back the next night and left me a quick voicemail message saying she asked her son what happened, he denied it all, and that her son always plays well with younger children. That was it. Erin never called. I left Neighbor a message thanking her for getting back to me and that was it.

I'm not disappointed with Erin because I really don't know her enough to have higher expectations. As for Neighbor, I'm disappointed.

The solution seemed pretty simple, Neighbor is officially no longer my friend. Which solves the problem of my kids ever being around hers or Erin's. But then there's Lisa. Lisa called us last week to invite everyone, plus some other families, to their home on Saturday to watch the playoff game. She left three messages about it. Everyone was invited for food and fun, including kids, who would be watching movies and eating pizza upstairs. I called Lisa and told her we couldn't go. I was bumbed because I like Lisa and I especially like the way Lisa's husband cooks. :)

But, this weekend, Lisa, Erin, Neighbor, myself and two other women are scheduled to go to dinner and a show. The tickets were purchased a month ago. I'm not the type of person that can pretend nothing is wrong so I feel like I should say something to bring closure to the situation, or something.

The Question:

Am I overreacting, being too sensitive or what? I realize my kids will face Bullies at some point of their lives but I'm not ready for it, nor do I really know how to handle it. How would you have handled it? Should I say anything or just pretend nothing happened?

Any advice much appreciated.

Boys Will Be Boys...

My little nephew was playing with a measuring tape last week and accidentally sliced his finger all the way through to the tendon! He ended up having to undergo a 3-hour surgery. He's fine now (and back to being rambunctious), but what a scare! Auntie Fe sent a picture of him post-op:

Doesn't his little sad face just break your heart? The things little boys get into...

Into the Mouths of Babes

Alrighty, I have a confession to make.

Giggles sucks her thumb.

And it's gotten progressively worse. At first she only used to suck it on occasion, but lately, chances are that she sucking it more often than not. It really doesn't bother me all that much. I know that possibility of braces looms in our future. But it doesn't drive me nuts and I'm not a stickler for making her stop.

Enter hubby.

He is always after her to "take her thumb out of her mouth." I think he is particularly insane about it because he sucked his thumb for an embarassingly long time as a child. Whatever the reason, it's starting to cause tension between us. He makes her cry when trying to stop her habit and I hate that. Why can't he just let her be? She's only 18 months old. Am I being too lenient? What should we do?

Anyone have any advice?

Speaking of Thinking She's Grown...

This morning she insisted on taking a mug of "coffee" (i.e. water) in the car with her on the way to school.

J. Jones - it reminded me of when your Oldest used to drink his "coffee" and "read" the paper in the mornings when he was 3...

That's What Friends Are For

The only thing worse than having a stomach virus is taking care of a toddler with a stomach virus.

You do not want to hear the details. Trust me.

Instead I will post a couple of my favorite freeze-ahead recipes for my friend Jenibeans who is having her fifth baby in less than 6 weeks! Really, she deserves more than a measly recipe or two - more like a YACHT or some such lavish gift. But, in the interest of making life a smidge easier for her family when the baby arrives, here goes...

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.

*Freeze-Ahead Tip: I would prepare the casserole up until the veggies and freeze it. Whenever you're ready to eat it, let it defrost, add the cheese and tortilla chips and bake.

AllRecipe.com's Chicken Florentine Casserole
My family just loved this dish. And I imagine it would freeze well.

McCormick's Chili
Just follow the directions on the packet. Add a side of rice or even just some Tostitos and it's a wrap. This is one of my old faithfuls. Freezes beautifully.

Finally, I found this post from a while back when I made a week's worth of freeze-ahead meals. If you like the sound of any of the dishes, just let me know and I'll email you the recipes.

And now back to our regularly scheduled vomiting programming.

Wasn't that lovely? A post discussing both stomach viruses and dinner recipes. CLASSY.

A Modern-Day Fairytale

ONCE UPON A TIME...there was a family with two full-time working parents and two wonderful little girls. Here is what happened to us 2 weeks ago:

Saturday: Old nanny quits without notice.

Sunday: We experience a range of feelings beginning with panic and ending with rage.

Monday: Daddy stays home from work with the girls. They think it's Christmas.

Tuesday: I stay home with the girls. They decide to play Drive Mommy Crazy. All day. It's fun.

Wednesday: Daddy stays home from work. And "manages to clean the entire house and make dinner." Goody for you dear. We interview a potential nanny. We like her but, in addition to moving in with us, she wants and arm and two legs.

Thursday: I stay home with the girls. Hubby can't understand how come I couldn't clean the house and have dinner ready. Oh I could have dear. I just didn't feel like it. We had much more fun eating popsicles in the pool. We interview 2 more nannies. We really like one of them. Things are looking up.

Friday: Hubby stays home with the girls. Realizes that Wednesday was an anomaly. The house is a mess and we order pizza for dinner. My sister comes to town to help us out with the girls. She rocks. We interview 2 more nannies. Well, only one shows up. We like the one that came. But she can't start for a month because she wants to give her current family ample notice. What a concept. Oh well, that's ok. We like the nanny from Thursday.

Saturday morning: The nanny from Friday calls. She wants to know if the position is still available. She told her current family that she had an interview. The dad got upset and put her out of the house (she was a live-in). She needs a job asap. Oh and, in order to maintain her visa, she will have to attend class 2 nights a week. At a college that is 40 minutes away from our house. And she has no car.

Saturday afternoon: We decide that it makes more sense to go with the nanny from Thursday. She'll watch the girls, cook and clean and she won't need to live-in because she doesn't live far away. And she has a car. And can communicate in English. Which, after the week of interviews we just had, apparently are attributes rare in nanny-land.

Saturday evening: We hire the nanny from Thursday. We wish the nanny from Friday good luck. She is staying with her cousin until she finds a new family. I feel better knowing that she is not on the street. I ply myself with sangria. I deserve it.

Sunday: We are so nervous about the new nanny that we can't sleep. We consider downsizing our home so that we can afford for me to stay at home. We consider moving (again) to be close to family in order to avoid situations just like these.

Monday morning: The new nanny starts. We love her. The girls love her. My sister loves her. The nanny (re)organizes the laundry room and dusts. Everyone is happy.

God answers prayer. But we knew that.

THE END.

Quite Possibly the Only Time You'll Hear Me Mention Yard Sale and Thrift Store Shopping. In One Weekend. Not That There's Anything Wrong With That.

Speaking of being tired...I just have to tell you all about our jam-packed weekend. It all started on Friday when my sister came into town to help us out until we found a replacement for our nanny (that story's for another day and another post). Bless her heart. And then we interviewed two more nannies that evening - trust me, that alone was enough to exhaust the most rested person alive.

Saturday the girls were up at the crack of dawn as usual (what is up with that? don't kids sleep-in on Saturdays anymore? Or is not sleeping-in another side effect of global warming? Please explain.) And so my marathon began. On weekend mornings, it's all about me getting the kids out of the house. Otherwise, they tear everything up, get cabin fever and by 11am, all three of us are bat crazy and that's never good. Our first stop was to Hubby's football game to drop off the chair that he forgot at home and desperately needed. What happened to sitting on the grass? Aren't you all supposed to be big, tough, manly men? Anyhoo, we obliged and brought him his Eddie Bauer Sports Chair with matching carrying case. Very masculine indeed.

Then we were off to a yard sale that a friend of mine was having to raise money for our church. I made sure to only bring $20 with me because, well I love a good sale - used goods or not - but really, we don't need one more piece of junk in our house, whether it's for a good cause or not. And good thing I did do that because we left the sale with only $3 to spare. But, in addition to a few children's books and a craft set, I did get these two cute (brand new!) dresses for Chatterbox and Giggles for a total of $8. See Exhibits A & B:

Where to next? Without a plan, I headed towards where any normal, intelligent, self-respecting mother of young children would go: Target. But before we arrived at our old entertainment stand-by (Cartoons! Playing in the electronics section! Toys! And more toys! A full selection of Swiffer Cleaning products! and even Frozen Foods!) my sister and I had the fantastic idea of heading to the pool. It was on. We were women on a mission. I drove home, ran in the house - because unloading the two kids, getting them in the house, getting them back outside and bucked into the car? that would have taken eons - gathered everyone's swimsuits, towels and SPF 8000 for this crazy sun we've been experiencing. The pool was FANTASTIC. We've lived up the street from the swim center for the past 4 years but have never actually gone swimming there. And now I see what we've been missing out on all this time! (And what Big Mama's been talking about all summer) There was a zero-entry pool, a pool with a water mushroom, a tot pool, a huge waterslide and a lazy river for tubing. Basically, a heavily-chlorinated version of heaven. We swam and splashed until we couldn't splash no more and headed home for a bath and a nap.

Meanwhile, while the kids slept, I ran to a meeting and came back home making a bee-line for my bed because I was beat from the sun and needed a nap like anybody's business. And about 13 minutes into my nap, the phone rings and it's the person I met with telling me that I left my purse at her place. WTF? How the heck did I leave, drive all the way home and not notice that I didn't have my purse? I'm losing it people. Don't say I didn't warn you. So anyway, I go and get my purse, stop by the thrift store near my house (another story for another post) so that my sister could see it, and go back home. For about 20 mintues. During which I threw some pajamas and a toothbrush in a bag and then headed to...a slumber party! For grown folks that is. A friend from my mommy group had a few of us over to have some girl time and it was great.

But first, I stopped at the store to pick up some slumber party snacks: Twizzlers, Cool Ranch Doritos, Strawberries and Dipping Chocolate, and...Wine (grown folks, remember?). And so I get to the cash register and of course I have to show my ID to purchase the wine. I open my wallet and the slot where I usually keep my license is empty. Naturally. Again, WTF? Ah yes. I took it out at the pool to show proof of residency for the county discount. And then carelessly threw it in my pool bag so that I could stop Chatterbox from throwing herself into the pool fully-clothed. In any case - no ID = no wine. Now that I was halfway between home and my friend's house, I could have (should have) turned around to go get my license, right? You know, the whole "driving without a license" law violation thing and all. But my girls' night out was starting in 10 minutes and I wasn't about to be late! So onward I forged. I arrived at my friends and life was good. The night went like this: Sangria, blah blah blah, Homemade Guacamole, blah blah blah, More Sangria, blah blah blah, 4-course dinner, blah blah blah, Still More Sangria, blah blah blah, and conversation and laughs that covered topics like whether or not we each thought our child was "weird" to in-laws that drive us crazy to hair weaves, and everything in between. This lasted until 3:45am at which time I passed out in a very comfy bed. Exactly 3 hours later, my loving husband called my cell phone to "remind me" that I needed to be home at 7:30am so that he could go to his football game. Insert curse words here.

I made it home by 7:40am, bloodshot eyes, (sans driver's license) and all. And of course the rugrats were wide awake and rearing to go. So without missing a beat, I made them scrambled eggs and toast, took them outside for fingerpainting, filled up the baby pool so I could trick them into washing the paint off of themselves they could splash around, gave them a bath, got them and myself dressed and again, we were off! We spent the morning at a great park where we rode a carousel and a train and the kids played on the playground while mommy tried to keep her eyes open. Then we met Hubby for lunch (where my meal sucked) and headed home. Finally. Everybody took a nice long nap and all was right in the world. Then I went grocery shopping for the week and watched the latest episode of Entourage (priorities people!) And so it was no surprise that when Monday morning came and it was time to go to work, I was still exhausted. But we had a blast over the weekend and really, who needs sleep anyway?

It's for the weak.

You're Three

I cannot believe that you're three. Three. Three!

It seems like yesterday that we brought you home from the hospital and stared at you in disbelief over how tiny and delicate you were. And, by the way, it also feels like yesterday since, for some reason, I am just as tired as I was back then. Maybe it's because now I am running after you trying to get you to put on pants before running outside. Call me modest. Or it's because I am busy picking shredded cheese out of the dining room carpet because you decided to "make tacos" on your plastic stove.

Perhaps it's because I am running behind you down the sidewalk pushing you "faster! faster!" as you practice "riding" your tricycle. It could be because I'm figuring out the best way to remove the lotion that you've smeared all over your room.

Or maybe it's because I'm out of breath from answering your thousand questions during each and every car ride. It could be because I'm making up a song to the tune of Dora's "We Did It!" each time you finish something that you've been working hard at. It might be because I'm chasing you down so that I can save the poor soul whose ear you're talking off on the phone. Or maybe it's because I'm trying to prevent you from completely submerging yourself in fingerpaint during our craft time.

Or because I'm diving in between you and your little sister to stop you from brushing the heck out of her hair. It also could be because I'm reading "Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother Too?" eleven times before bed.

It may even be because I'm doing a cheerleading jump each time you take a bite of anything that isn't plain white rice. Or it could be because I'm dancing in a conga line with you singing "It's time to Sprout it up! Sprout it up! Before we go to bed, let's Sprout it up!"

It quite possibly is because I stayed up way past my bedtime last night assembling your play kitchen so that I could surprise you this morning. Or maybe it's because I'm so busy thinking about how grateful I am that you're such a happy, healthy and spunky little girl.

Whatever the reason, I'm tired. And I can't imagine being any happier.

Happy 3rd Birthday Kiddo! You light up my life.

And I'm working on that Barney cake. Popsicle swear.

Fisher Price Toy Recall

Just in case you haven't heard, there is a major toy recall for many Fisher Price toys for kids (esp. toddler toys). See the release below:

Fisher-Price Recalls Licensed Character Toys Due To Lead Poisoning
Hazard

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in
cooperation with the firms named below, today announced a voluntary
recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using
recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.
Name of Product: Sesame Street, Dora the Explorer, and other children's
toys
Units: About 967,000
Importer: Fisher-Price Inc., of East Aurora, N.Y.
Hazard: Surface paints on the toys could contain excessive levels of
lead. Lead is toxic if ingested by young children and can cause adverse
health effects.
Incidents/Injuries: None reported.
Description: The recalled involves various figures and toys that were
manufactured between April 19, 2007 and July 6, 2007 and were sold alone
or as part of sets. The model names and product numbers for the recalled
toys, which are all marked with "Fisher-Price," are listed below. The
toys may have a date code between 109-7LF and 187-7LF marked on the
product or packaging.
Sold at: Retail stores nationwide from May 2007 through August 2007 for
between $5 and $40.
Manufactured in: China
Remedy: Consumers should immediately take the recalled toys away from
children and contact Fisher-Price. Consumers will need to return the
product and will receive a voucher for a replacement toy of the
consumer's choice (up to the value of the returned product).
Consumer Contact: For additional information contact Fisher-Price at
(800) 916-4498 anytime or visit the firm's Web site at
www.service.mattel.com

To see this recall on CPSC's web site, including pictures of the
recalled products, please go to:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml07/07257.html