funny story

I am not sure how this post is going to come across written but it was so funny I just had to share.

Ellie loves to sing and I am sick to death of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and "Mary had a Little Lamb", and all the others we sing constantly. I broke out the old bible school songs (Jesus Loves Me, Zachius, This Little Light, etc...) and she loves them! Her favorite is The B.I.B.L.E.

For those of you unfamiliar it goes like this:

The B.I.B.L.E!
Yes that's the book for me!
I stand alone on the word of God
The B.I.B.L.E!

We sing it all the time. Yesterday afternoon we sang it through and Ellie goes "now let's sing it for you Mommy!" A little confused I start singing it again, "The B.I.B.L.E, yes that's" and Ellie stops me and goes "no that is all wrong! Like this! The B.I.B.Mom-my!" And then it clicked.

B.I.B.L.E = Ellie

She thought the song was about her! No wonder it was her favorite. So now we sing her version and mine. The B.I.B.Mom-my!

Do you think Jesus minds?

where did they go?

For my male readers out there (Phil Deckman and others I might not know about) you might want to skip this one because I am discussing a totally female subject and you might be a little embarrased to read about it.
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I heard it would happen. I even expected it. I just didn't know it would bother me so much. What am I talking about you say?

The disappearance of my boobs.

Now, I was never well endowed in the chest area, but I had a nice solid B cup and they were perky. I liked 'em.

Now, not so much. They grew tremendously during my pregnancy and then I nursed for a year (and would have nursed as long as E wanted to, she just woke up one day done). They were nice all during that time.

Then I was a little heavier than I should have been and they were still ok.

Then I lost weight and they disappeared. And are saggy! Eww! I went and bought new bras last weekend and had to get a smaller size. Damn.

Apparently Chris still thinks they are beautiful (or is a good fibber.) I know they served their purpose. They nourised my child, blah, blah, blah. They shouldn't have to make the ultimate sacrifice though! They should be rewarded!

If I ruled the world, the more children you have and the longer you nurse, the better your boobs get. (sigh)

oops!

Ok, so I have complete permission to post this story. Really, I do.

Saturday, I had a baby shower to go to so Chris was in charge of Ellie. He decided to take her in to his office to get a little extra work done. She loves it there. She gets to watch movies from a projector and draw on dry erase boards. Heaven.

So as he is walking in, an elderly security guard mentioned how cute Ellie was and then said it was nice that she got to spend the day with her, (ahem, here is the crazy part) GRANDPA! He thought Chris was Ellie's grandpa! I have been calling him "gramps" or "old man" all weekend. He is 31. We think the security guard was probably thinking of his own grandchild when he said this and just made an honest mistake, because my studly husband does not look like a grandpa!

So comment, let me know how handsome he is. He might need a little ego stoking!

half-birthday!

Yesterday Ellie was officially 2 1/2. I have decided to celebrate her half birthdays every year. Why not? October is my favorite month anyway. Why not have a little party?? So to celebrate we painted...

Then we played and played and played in our pajamas all day, and for dinner I made potato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches...
Then we had cake! (However, i think this cake could make the Cake Wrecks Blog, I think the smiley man looks a little drunk, but I guess that's what you get for a $3.50 Walmartz cake.)
Notice she is still in her jammies. Seriously, in them ALL DAY.

Happy half birthday sweet girl.

an interesting morning

So I mentioned in my last post that that Ellie has a cold. I was so glad when she slept all night last night with NO coughing. What a relief. Or so I thought.

This morning, she woke up, crawled in bed with us and said she didn't feel good. She just kinda laid there moaning. Said her tummy hurt. As also mentioned, she had some loose poops yesterday too, so I thought she just had some residual poops to get out.

Chris left for work and Ellie asked for breakfast, so I went to make it. Nothing heavy, just a banana and some toast. She didn't touch it.

Got back in our bed and insisted I lay with her, or rather, she insisted she lay on me. Fun. She actually fell asleep and I knew then she really didn't feel well.

She slept about 20 minutes, lifted her head and proceeded to SNOT VOMIT all over both of us and the bed. By SNOT VOMIT I mean puke that was purely SNOT.

GROSS!GROSS!GROSS!GROSS!GROSS!GROSS!GROSS!


Hell, no wonder she didn't feel good. She had a stomach full of boogers. 5 minutes later (after I had stripped her, me, the bed, cleaned the carpet, and gagged,) she looked at me and goes "I happy now! I feel better! Now where is my snack?" Since then she has been her normal happy self.

So the lesson learned here is, when your kid has a bad cold and doesn't cough all night long, expect SNOT VOMIT in the morning. Gag.

pure laziness!

We have had the laziest weekend. Ellie woke up with a cold on Saturday morning (at 2 AM! Didn't get her back to sleep til 5ish!) so we just lounged around all day Saturday and then today we just watched football. We have barely stepped outside even. It was kinda nice except that E was especially whiny (whiney?) She also had a touch of the runs so she kept going around telling us her butt hurt. Poor kid.

However, we did have some notable moments. They are as follows:

1. Chris finally fixed our toilet. It has been running and unusable for weeks. Yea!
2. Ellie is all of a sudden fixated on monsters (Halloween perhaps?) and told me that they say "Bon Jour!" I don't even know where she learned that word.
3. I tried this oatmeal on Saturday but had to throw an entire crock pot out. I think I did something wrong. It was unedible. (Sorry JonahLisa, I think I messed up!) I was so excited about it too. That forced us to have pancakes instead.
4. Ellie changed her mind about her costume and is now going to be a kitty instead of a "little tiny witch."
5. I found 2 new recipes I am going to try. If they are good, I will post 'em.
6. Ellie's new phrase is "I have a problem." We hear that a lot. "Come here Mom! I have a problem!"
7. I had popcorn for dinner Friday and Saturday nights!

And that's about it. Here is another shot of my girl. I just love her so much.

i hope she always feels this way

The other day I was getting Ellie dressed and she, of course, was fighting it. Here is how the conversation played out.

Me: Come on Ellie, you are too big to put up a fuss everytime we get dressed.

Ellie: I not big. I little.

Me: (realizing she is right), Ok, you're right. You are little. But you still need to get dressed without a fight.

Ellie: Mommy, I want to stay little forever. I don't want to be growed up.

Oh she is so smart. I hope she always feels this way. Now I just need to remember that she is little. And deserves to act little from time to time.

best buds

These two are just the best of friends. Enzo is 2 weeks older than Ellie and they have known each other their entire short lives. They see each other weekly (at least). Ellie plays better with Enzo than just about anyone. Good thing we like his parents!

dear ellie,

My dearest baby girl,

I love you more than my own life. I would stand in front of a bullet or an angry bear for you. I would jump off a cliff if it meant you would have a long and healthy and happy life. I really would. But must you:

Take off your socks 2 seconds before we have to leave? Everytime?

Talk so much that some days I want to shove knitting needles in my ears to try and rupture my eardrums?

Make a gigantic fuss every time you need your teeth or hair brushed? Or your clothes or diaper changed?

Climb into your carseat by yourself because "i big girl"?

Follow me as I am cleaning up, just to take everything out again?

Insist on putting on your "make-up" when we are running 15 minutes late?

Throw a fit when you can't have a sucker before dinner?

I know you are two and these days are fleeting. I know this. But days like today just can't end soon enough. Am I a horrible mother? Do you still love me? Can you tell that I really don't want to play Barbies or do I fake it well? I promise to do better tomorrow.

I love you, even when you drive me bananas,

Mommy

How cool is this?

My cyber friend C. Beth has posted a giveaway and I really want to win. The little bear she is giving away is precious and I have decided Ellie has to have it. Check it out here.

You can enter to win too! Just post a comment. Be sure to tell her Tia sent you!

Thanks!!

excuse me?

Ellie just came up to Chris and said....










wait for it.....




















just a little more.....






it's worth it, I swear....

"Pull my finger!"


We are so proud. And so classy.

super vs. slacker

I am reading a great book right now called "You're A Good Mom: and your kids aren't so bad either" by Jen Singer. It is all about finding a balance between SuperMom and SlackerMom. SuperMoms are the ones who always look perfect and volunteer for every thing and bring cookies shaped like Presidents for playgroups. SlackerMoms have gum in their hair, hide at the back of the room during meetings, and forget to bring snacks to playgroups.

Parenting is different then when we were young. There is such a competition between moms. I hate it. I mean, if Ellie doesn't know how to count to 20 in English and Spanish and doesn't know her ABC's by 18 months something is wrong and I am failing as a mother. What in the world is she going to learn in kindergarten? Long division?

As a stay at home mom, parenting is my job and like any job I do, I want to do it right. Only this job is about a trillion times more important than anything I have ever done. I have a friend who thinks I am perfect and is always commenting (nicely) about things I do. I have her so fooled. As far as the extras I do for Ellie, I enjoy them. I don't do them to impress other mothers, I do them because 1. my mother did it for me, or 2. it makes me happy. Below are a few of my Super vs. Slacker tendencies.

SuperMom:

1. I cut Ellie's sandwiches in fun shapes. She eats every bite this way and who doesn't want a cheese sandwich in the shape of an angel or a star?

2. I usually look presentable when we go out. I just look so much better with make-up. It only takes a few extra minutes.

3. I have been crafty lately. Felt boards, etc... This is not the norm.

4. Ellie eats pretty healthy. I go out of my way to add veggies to things or to make sure she has a healthy breakfast. Nutrition is a big one for me. The less pre-packaged food the better. I made these extra organic peanut butter and jelly oatmeal bars the other day. Easy Peasy. Very nutritious and good for you. Ellie won't touch them. Thanks to the Itty Bitty Bistro for this one. Let me know if you want the recipe, or just go to ittybittybistro.com. Great blog. Lots of good healthy recipes. Maybe your kids will like 'em.

SlackerMom:

1. I frequently use chocolate chips as a bargaining chip. Like, if I am ready to go inside and she wants to play more outside I casually mention that if we go inside, we can have chocolate chips.

2. I am online way too much while Ellie plays or watches tv.

3. I am not one to volunteer for projects. I let other people do the grunt work. I just don't enjoy it.

4. Ellie is currently only enrolled in storytime at the library. No music lessons, no gymboree, no dance, nada. Gymnastics starts in November though (if we get in). We are only enrolled in that to get us out of the house once a week and because I think E will look adorable in a leotard. Plus Dominique Moceanu teaches there. How cool is that??

5. I forget birthdays. I am horrible about this.

So far I think I have managed to find a happy balance. I can only imagine it's going to get worse before it gets better. We haven't even entered the world of room mothers, school pageants, soccer practice, and piano lessons. Ugh. I get tired just thinking about trying to keep up.

So what are you? Super or Slacker?

we are in trouble

I know I am biased as her mommy, but she is so beautiful in this pic, I just had to share. And look how grown up and sassy she looks. Stay away boys! For a long, long, long, LONG time!

pumpkin patch day!

Besides Christmas Eve and my birthday, Pumpkin Patch Day is my favorite day of the year. I mean, I LOVE IT. I have been looking forward to it since about May. Here are some pics of our day. I have set a new blog record and posted 25 pics. You heard that right. 25.

Picking a pumpkin.

She wanted this one.

Ellie and me picking my pumpkin.

Going through a corn maze.

Trying a cider sample. Yum!

Eating a donut. Double YUM!

Daddy enjoys one too.

I mean seriously, look at these. We got 6 pumpkin, 4 apple cider, and 2 maple. 8 of them were gone before we got home. We are going to a party tonight and taking a dozen as a hostess gift. We rock.

One of my favorites of the day. Riding the tractor to the activities.

A cool tree. Ellie wasn't too sure of it. "Spooky tree" she called it.

A ginormous slide that Ellie went down 237 times.

A walk in the woods.

A pony ride. Ellie and CrackerJack.

Free apples are provided.. We brought home more than we probably should have. They are good!

Chris trying his hand at some stilt walking.

Ellie on a rock.

Chris on a rock.

Ellie imitating Chris on a rock.

Getting a spider on her hand.

The finished product.

Our family (with our pilfered apples. SHHH!)

My other favorite of the day. Look at the love!

Drinking some cider on the way back to the car.

Goofy shot.

Goin' home. Another fun year at the pumpkin patch!

money

Money. I H.A.T.E. worrying about money. Now don't get me wrong, we are fine. We have no debt other than mortgage and a car lease and manage to save for college every month but there is not nearly the "expendable income" there once was. Now remember, I am not working. We planned for that but things are going up!

An example: the first time I filled up my gas tank back in 1993 I paid .89 a gallon. Yesterday I paid 3.79. Hello. That sucks.

Another example: Ellie does not like a lot of meat but she loves turkey sausage. The package I buy was 2.99, last week it was 4.69. Organic milk used to be 3.00. Now it is 4.oo. Hello. That sucks too.

A third example: This month our water and sewer bills are TWICE as much as last month.

These times are scary. Thank God we are not near retirement. I would really be freaking out then. We have taken a huge hit in our retirement savings (just like everyone else) and it is really frightening. When I was in Indiana someone told me it is good for our generation to have to sacrifice a little because we never have had to. I agree with that a little. But on the opposite hand...yikes!

So besides worrying, here is what I am doing to save a little and make a little.

1. Selling things on Craigslist. Yesterday I sold a lot of trucks for $5. Score! I supposedly have a gentleman coming tonight to buy an old trundle bed for $75. Double score! I have some interest in a few other things I have posted too. Here's hoping...

2. Shopping at Walmart. I was in there the other day for fall decorations and needed a few groceries. I went and got the sausage mentioned above and it was 2.50. Not on sale. Organic milk is 2.50 there too. That is huge savings. They don't have a huge organic selection and their produce sucks but I am going to have to start buying the staples there. Now why is Walmart a sacrifice? I have just never liked it there. I like to support the small guy. Plus everyone knows that Walmart eats babies.

3. Not buying something just because I like it. This is a toughy for me. Especially things for Ellie. I know it is important to reduce, blah, blah, blah, but I hate thinking over every single purchase and trying to justify it.

4. Collecting and saving spare change. Small, but pennies and nickles add up!

5. Transferring prescriptions back to CVS. I get a $25 gift card just for doing it. Plus $10 the first time I purchase something in Nov. and Dec. Right now my prescriptions are at my grocery for convienience, but with above mentioned prices, I am really going to be doing less shopping there.

6. Sitting here freezing. I refuse to turn my heat on. It is only October 2. It is 63 degrees in the house. This one is foolish and I know it. Ellie's little nose is red!

I know we are better off than a lot of people, and I am very grateful for Chris' very dependable secure job. This blog is just my outlet for relieving stress. I think I am just worried about Christmas and all those expenses. Debt after Christmas is NOT an option.

Thanks for listening to my financial ramblings and worries.

Just for my Indiana peeps. Here is a pic of Ellie. What is a blog without a pic??