possibly the cutest thing ever

I met a friend for lunch today and it happened to be near Trader Joes. I LOVE Trader Joes but it is about 25 minutes from my house...not exactly convenient when there are 3 grocerys that are 5 minutes. Their food is great, healthy and cheap! Plus I never go without getting at least 2 bottles of "2 buck chuck". Pretty decent wine for $3. Yes, they need to change the name to "3 buck chuck" but that hasn't happened yet. Inflation! I happened to be there on my birthday in March and there was an older man checking me out (my grocery's, not me personally!) and carded me when he came to the wine. He looked at the card, looked at me, took my card and walked away. I thought he thought my card was a fake or something and started to panic. Turns out, he realized that it was my birthday and brought me flowers! Something similiar happens almost everytime I go there. Such a neat place! Did you know they let you take things home or open them up right there in the store to try em before you buy em? That is good business in my book.

I digress...

Anyhoo, they have these little tiny shopping carts that Ellie just loves to push around. She looks like such a little woman pushing it. She will pick things up, look at them, and decide if they should be purchased. Apparently, she pays attention when we go shopping and she does exactly what I do. It is bizarre to watch. I do have to help her make these important decisions. A girl cannot survive on animal crackers and chocolate chips alone.

Notice all the jewels. She is such a girl.

This was her in the car 5 seconds from falling asleep. Her entire nap today was the 15 minutes in the car. That is 3 days this week she hasn't napped. I fear the inevitable is happening. I fear that the nap is going the way of the dodo bird. Pray for me. I need my afternoon sanity break.

my little savant

The other day, I was online (shocking!!) when Ellie informed me she was going to draw a whale. I mumbled something in her general direction and continued to surf the net. When I actually looked at it, I realized what a good whale she drew! My kid is an artist! Abby, you would be so proud. Too bad we don't live in Parker so she could take some lessons from you!

Actually, I am about 90% sure this was pure coincidence but it was still pretty cool.

What do you think?

long afternoon

Chris played in the Cleveland Amatur golf tourney this weekend. Ellie and I went to watch him finish up this afternoon. We got there WAY too early and I had the immense pleasure of keeping her entertained and quiet for 1 1/2 hours. The amount of junk food the kid consumed in that time is quite astounding. She was very, very good. She is almost always very, very good. Just busy.

Here she is watching for Daddy. I just love those sturdy little legs.

Playing ring around the rosie. I hope poles and dancing have no part in her future...

My stud lining up his putt. He is so handsome!

For you non-believers out there...this neck of the woods can be pretty. See!


It looks like he might make the cut and go on to the finals, which is fantastic, but I will admit that a small part of me is saying "but if you make the cut, that is another whole weekend I am alone with this tornado." Time will tell...

"me do it"

This simple little 3 word sentence is probably going to drive me crazy. I am serious. All of a sudden these are the things my big girl must do by "sheself."

1. Get in her carseat. What used to be a 30 second job has turned into a 5 minute ordeal. I must say my car is a little tider because as she painstakingly climbs into her seat, I am throwing away trash, ect...For all you carseat experts out there, I make sure she is properly buckled in before we leave.

2. Put on her shoes. Crocs = no big deal. Easy Squeazy. Sandles = big deal. She can do it, but it takes FOREVERANDADAY. Then she gets mad when I have to tighten the straps. Lately I have asked to admire her handiwork (and tighten the straps in the meantime). This is working for now.

3. Get in the tub. Fun AND dangerous. Where do you draw the line?

4. Brushing her teeth. Yeah and she gets them so clean too! Not. I just take a quick swipe when she is done and call it a day.

5. Brush her hair. Have you seen her hair? There is A LOT of it. And it is a mop! Everytime she does it, the comb gets stuck, crying ensues, detangling occurs, kisses make everything better. When will she learn?

I have a feeling that getting dressed is next. Great. Something to look forward to.

weekend fun

We had a fun little weekend. Hot! But fun. Friday night a neighboring 'hood was having what I thought was a carnival so we got Ellie all excited about going on all the rides and what she was gonna ride etc... We get there and it was pathetic. Just little po-dunk games, no rides. They did have a bouncy area so she and Daddy did have some fun in that. I just love the look on her face in this pic. It should be noted that Chris was wearing his BRAND NEW, EXPENSIVE (but on sale) LACOSTE t-shirt. You know, the ones with the little aligator on them? The man is a maniac about his t-shirts. It was soaked through in less than a minute. He handled it pretty well though.

So since we got her all hyped up about rides and it was all she was talking about, we decided to try and find some. There is a place near us called the Memphis Kiddie Park. We have been meaning to go for some time and have just never gotten around to it. This place rules!
No admission fees
You get 25 tickets for $20 bucks
Rides are one ticket each
Tickets never expire
Adults (or anyone over 50 inches for that matter) can only ride 3 rides
It is basically a carnival for toddlers.

Here she is on the merry-go-round. Parents don't have to pay a ticket to ride. How cool is that?

I posted this pic, not to show my pasty white skin, or my vulgar display of thigh (did I mention it was HOT this weekend??), but to show how small these rides actually are. This is the roller coaster that Ellie loved! I was miserable. The kid running it acutally had to show me how to sit in it so the bar would close. Fun times.

The airplanes. These things went HIGH. She is a little daredevil.

and of course some putt-putt. This was in a nice shaded area. She just ran around while Chris and I tried to play.


As mentioned, it was a nice family weekend. I love my little family so much.

being june cleaver

We were at the grocery this morning and cookie mixes were 4 for $6. A good deal. I got chocolate chip, oatmeal, oatmeal chocolate chip and peanut butter. I then realized that instead of buying pre-packaged cookies (that I seriously stood in front of for 5 minutes trying to decide which kind to buy) we could make our own when we got home since we had enough cookie mixes to feed a small army. I then decided that Ellie could help me and we would have a special "mom and daughter" moment.

Enter June Cleaver. I held up all 4 kinds for Ellie to choose from. She choose oatmeal. I then let her turn the oven to 375. Probably not a good idea. Now I am going to have to make sure the oven isn't randomly turned on. Then we spent at least 3 minutes picking just the right bowl to mix in. Then SHE had to tear the package and pour the mix into the bowl. Then SHE wanted to break the egg (um, don't think so) and SHE wanted to stir, which she did. That is the fun part anyway. She is a very tidy baker (just like her mama) and we had a nice morning baking. Here is a picture montage what what went down.

Mix, mix, mix!

Putting them on the sheet to bake!

Doing the dishes like a good baker...or making a mess playing in the water...as we wait for them to bake.

Out of the oven. Are they cool enough to eat?

Yep! Sure are! Sharing with Mommy.


Happy Friday!

blisters

They suck. 'Nuff said.

friday nights - then & now

Just like the grocery story blog... only this one is all about Friday nights.

Then:

"work" all day
come home and put on a sexy little outfit
decide where to eat, the new place downtown or the fancy place in Chagrin Falls
go eat and have drinks! and an actual conversation!
go to a movie
go back to a bar for a few more drinks and discuss movie
go home
make whoopie
sleep til noon the next day

Now:

really work all day being a mommy
wait anxiously for Daddy to get home
make sure there are no visible stains on my t-shirt and jeans
decide which is faster, Bob Evans or Applebees
eat as quick as we can while entertaining Ellie
go home and play outside til bedtime or on a fun night, the mall!
spend an hour trying to get E to just GOTOBED!!
put a 2-year old "new release" netflix movie in
fall asleep half-way through said movie
stumble upstairs and decide which is more important, nookie or sleep
sleep wins
wake up at 2:17 to comfort Ellie
wake up at 7:04 for the day
by noon I have made and eaten breakfast, watched Franklin, unloaded the dishwasher, done 3 loads of laundry, mopped the kitchen floor,dusted, played dolls, made and eaten lunch, fed the cat, and pretended to be a bear. Life is great.

In honor of my good friend Jen who is birthing a baby as we speak, here is my favorite pic of our kids. It's an oldie but a goodie. Ellie and Enzo in wigs. Does it get any cuter??

Good luck Jen! Can't wait to meet the new addition to our little group!

um, yeah

Ok, remember how I said yesterday I was feeling pretty good after my walk? This morning is not so good. I hurt from my boobs down. More training is needed...

Also, to edit my rummage post, as I sounded like the Hitler garage sale lady...I did haggle with people and give them good deals, but the crazy lady wanted to give me .05 for something that was marked $5. Yeah right!

Ok, I feel better now that that is cleared up.

three things

I have 3 things to blog about so bear with me, this might get lengthy.

First, the garage sale.

If I had it to do all over again, I would not have gone through all the trouble and do this sale was and just would have donated everything. I made a whopping $220. If you divide that by the hours it took to get ready, I made about $3.15 and hour. I had baby clothes and I was sure they would fly outta here, which was why I decided to try and sell them. They were .50 a piece. Reasonable I thought. They didn't sell at all. Crap like opened bottles of cleaning supplies and old rusty paperclips went. I am always amazed by the stuff that sells at garage sales.

The benefits of having the sale:
It is $220 I didn't have before
My house is rid of junk and very organized

The negatives to having the sale:
The crazies came out. Seriously, garage sale people scare me. I told one lady to leave because she was making me so mad. I am not usually a forward person and it takes a lot to rile me up, but this lady was insane and wanted everything for free (she has a no-good husband and children, she is always in pain, she is poor, blah, blah, blah...i have a nice husband to support me, I should just give her anything she wants or needs for free, blah, blah, blah). After 15 minutes of telling her she had to pay what the tickets said and her trying to get them for free, I told her (in a firm, LOUD, voice) to just leave. She ended up paying full price for a few things and left. I am very proud of myself. I rarely stand up for myself like that.
It was a lot of freaking work!! Here are some pics of the big event...



Second, training for the Susan G. Koman breast cancer 3 day.

I walked 12 miles today with my friend Megan. We walked along the tow path and it was beautiful. I feel surprisingly ok. I am sore and have a few blisters, but I just might be able to do this. I hurt in weird places, like my hips and the backs of my knees. I need to raise $2200 for the event, and if you didn't get a form from me and want to donate to a great cause, just go to www.the3day.org, search for my name (Tia Davis) and donate (wink, wink!!) I need all the help I can get!

The third topic for discussion, my little diva.

She HAD to wear these patent leather RED shoes and carry her purse out and about today. She looks like such a dork. I hope her fashion sense improves.

my current poll

I am so sorry. I couldn't help myself. I actually woke Ellie up laughing so hard.

So take it!! Inquiring minds want to know.

This one's for you Riki!!

important firsts

Two important firsts happened in the last few days.

Number one, Ellie went golfing! (ok, technically, Chris took her once before, but this is the first time I went so this is what counts). There is a great learning center about 10 minutes from our house that welcomes and encourages kids to come out. It is even where Ellie will join First Tee next year when she is old enough. I really want Ellie to like golf. It is such a great sport and Chris and I have had so much fun in the past golfing together.

Cleveland public schools being what they are (horrible, pitiful, sucky, etc...), we will be looking into alternative school choices for Ellie. I have visions of her getting a golf scholarship to the exclusive all girls private school on the east side, Hathaway Brown. Honest to goodness, the cafeteria at this school offers only organic food and it has real oak tables with high backed chairs and a fireplace. It is hoity-toity! I could go on and on, but that is another post. In reality, we could never afford this school, but let me tell you...it is pretty nice. Back to this post now...

Putting with Mommy's putter.

Like father, like daughter!!

Fundamentals are key.


The second important first of the week is that Ellie created her first Mr. Potato head. It is pretty good if I do say so myself. Even Snow White and Cinderella are impressed.

superwoman

This was my day yesterday and I am not exagerrating even a little. Yes, I am tooting my own horn.

made breakfast
spring cleaned the dining room
went for a hour walk with ellie
filled up the pool and she swam while I cleaned the garage
made lunch
walked 6 miles as part of my training
got all the rummage down from the attic and moved it to the basement and it was at least 20 trips down 2 flights of stairs with lots of heavy stuff.
sorted all baby clothes I am selling

It doesn't look like all that much written down. But trust me...it was a lot.

Today I marked all remaining rummage while ellie played with the little girl down the street. Did I even mention I was having a rummage sale this weekend? Lord help me, it had better be worth it!

Could I be any more productive? (Friends viewers will recognize the Chandler Bing in that one!!)

happy 4th!

So E is feeling a little better and has been fever free for 24 hours (yea!) so we went to the zoo this morning. It was "Red, White, and Zoo" today and they had some special events and such. Her favorite exhibit by far lately are the fish, especially the sharks. These, of course, are up a gigantic hill. We were lazy today though and took the tram up. And here I am walking 60 miles in less than 2 months. I should have walked.




Have a wonderful and safe Independence Day!

Still sick

Pitifulness personified. She says her tummy hurts. She just walks around trying to get comfortable. She'll sit on my lap, then sit on her chair, then lay on the bed. There is also lots of moaning and groaning. It is seriously the most pitiful thing I have ever seen.

Since Sunday she has had 3 pretzel sticks, 3 drinkable yogurts, 4 blueberries, 1 chicken nugget, 4 bites of mac and cheese, a few licks of ice cream, and water. That is all. Luckily she is drinking great and is not dehydrated but the kid has to be starving. I did take her to get a milkshake today just to get some calories in her and she had 3 sips. She just doesn't want to eat. You can just tell she doesn't feel good. Poor girl.


This needs to go away already. It's no fun at all. I want to get back to my fun blogging about all the neat things we are doing, not discussing symptoms!

my poor girl

I wish I had some exciting new adventure story to tell you but I don't. We haven't left the house in 3 days due to Ellie's mysterious virus. We went to the doc on Monday and she said it was a virus and her 2 year molars were coming in. The teeth really seem to be bothering her. I got a good look at them and they are a red swollen mess. Poor thing.

She is fine and then she has a 102 degree fever. She is soooooo whiny. I feel so bad for her but at the same time, I am going crazy. It is 10 am and she just told me she wants to go to bed.

Go away yucky sickness!