Now for my 2 cents worth on the Bumbo recall. Quite frankly I think it's CRAZY that Bumbo has done a recall on their baby seats just to add a warning sticker. Then again, I cannot comprehend how 28 parents or sets of parents could be dumb enough to put their child's Bumbo seat on a table or other high surface. Maybe I'm just overprotective but I don't put the baby on the kitchen table for any reason... not even strapped into his carseat! And it's not like I'm a nervous first time mom or anything... this is my third child so I do tend to be a little more slack about stuff. (No offense intended to first time moms of course, just commenting that with my first I was a bit more Type A.)

Seriously thought... the baby got one of his big sister's barrettes in his mouth yesterday and started to choke on it (he's okay, came right out as soon as Daddy flipped him over)... but does that mean I should sue the manufacturer that made those barrettes because it was a choking hazard? NO. That was completely mine and DH's fault... we should have been a little more cautious to check the floor before putting the baby down to play. That was just a lack of common sense... luckily it doesn't happen very often.

Well, the baby is fussing. Just had to post my thoughts on all this nonsense.

It's a New School Year!!

Woohoo! I am beyond thrilled that school has started back. Although my kids are not yet in "big school" the preschool that they attend starts the same day as our county school system, which was Monday, August 13th. Ms. Drama Queen is almost 5 so to prepare her for Kindy next year I have her going 5 days per week this year to preschool and Ms. Wiggle Worm is going to Mom's Morning Out at the same place on Tues and Thurs. Let me tell you it is just SO damn nice to go to the grocery store with just the baby to deal with. He's such a happy, easygoing baby and smiles and coos at me through the store. He sits up in the cart (we have one of those cart cover things) and plays with his toys while I get a nice latte from Starbucks and then do my shopping.

Today I especially needed that Starbucks as we had a rough morning. If you have kids then you might know what I mean, if you don't then I'd suggest you not read this. It started rather early. The baby woke me up at 5 am with a rather insistent cry for food. He was very kind and slept from 9:30 pm last night... if only I had been smart and gone to bed earlier than midnight! I nursed him and we went back to sleep... until my alarm clock went off at 7:15 am. Now normally the alarm clock is just there as a back up because the baby wakes me pretty much every morning at 6 am so I'm up by 7 am at the latest. So I go flying out of bed (after carefully sliding the baby off my arm) and rush downstairs to start my morning routine.

Of course the very first thing I realize is that I am completely out of coffee creamer. I live for my nice vanilla flavored creamer in my morning coffee. Oh, well I decided to skip it, make instant vanilla cappacchino instead (aka lumpy powdered stuff that might have a touch of caffeine in it) and figured I'd grab a cup at Starbucks when I got to the grocery store (my local grocery store has my bank, a really nice pharmacy, and the Starbucks - very convenient!) Eventually I get done with morning chores - loading the dishes, making lunches for preschool, putting out cereal bowls, filling sippy cups, you get the drift - and head upstairs to get everyone up and dressed. That includes my husband who is blissfully snoring still. I get the girls, grab everyone's clothes and head to my room.

I set up my kids on the bed in assembly line fashion (it's SO much easier this way) and get everyone started. My oldest can do pretty much everything, although she needs assistance with snaps and buttons... she tends to get distracted so needs me to remind her to stay on task (this translates to "I have to yell at her 10 times to quit tickling the baby and put her shirt on). My middle child, in typical 2 yr old fashion, wants to do it all herself... which means watching her struggle to get an arm out of her jammies for at least 4 minutes. So I change the baby and get myself dressed (and encourage the kids to hug Daddy and wake him up) while this is all going on. So this morning we had a change to our routine... my 2 yr old took her diaper off, told me "Di-dee dwy Mama!" and then said "Pee-Pee" and peed all over MY bed. I go lunging across the bed to put the diaper under her dressed in just my underwear and ended up having to run an extra load of laundry this morning. The good news is that she's finally figuring out when she needs to go and telling us... I just hope next time she's either still wearing the diaper or she's sitting on the potty.

Let's see, then we moved on to breakfast. Breakfast is always interesting in my house. I give them 2 choices for breakfast. This morning it was cereal or Pop-Tarts (b/c by now we're running late for preschool). My oldest answers "Waffles". I repeat to her "Cereal or Pop-Tarts", she still wants waffles. After a few rounds of this game I finally walk into the kitchen saying "Okay, it's cereal today!" and she comes crying after me because she really wants Pop-Tarts. Oh, and she ate all of 3 bites of that Pop-Tart.

We finally got out the door and as we're getting ready to load the little ones in the car my oldest locks herself in the car and can't remember how to unlock it. At this point I'm in the house buckling the baby into his infant carrier and DH is standing outside the car door with the 2 yr old... the keys were in my pocket so they had to wait a minute for me. I dropped them off at preschool (only 10 minutes late, not too bad) and drove straight to Starbucks. I'm looking forward to bedtime tonight b/c I'm thinking wine sounds good.

Well, as it's now thundering and both little ones are up from their naps... I have to run.

Beth

Okay... so I've been slack and haven't posted in quite some time! What can I say, being a Mom is hectic and crazy sometimes. Now that I've completed party planning for Sport's 4th birthday-she's doing a princess themed dress up party at her ballet studio-I can focus on finishing up Christmas shopping and get down to wrapping presents. I also have quite a few December birthdays to shop for as well-my older DD, niece, nephew, and Dad are all December birthdays. Luckily my DD and niece are done... I just have to get a few things for the nephew and my Dad. Pre-teen boys are so difficult to buy for!

On other news, I've finally decided to freecycle something... I've been thinking about it for awhile because I have so many things that I want to get out of my house but I detest doing yard sales-the little amount of money really doesn't make it worth my time. I am currently awaiting a lady to come by and pick up this China cabinet that we've decided to get rid off... it's nothing fancy, made out of wood and plastic wood looking trim. We bought it for $50 at a yard sale 8 years ago but we want to turn our dining room into a playroom for the kids-it would be so much nicer if we could see the living room floor and not have it covered up by toys, books, etc. DH took this coming week off work and we are going to set up the playroom while he's home.

Hopefully we'll have enough time to get to some other projects this week as well... I'm sure I'll post again as the week of home improvement progresses.

Sick kids strike again. My kids have never had back to back illnesses like this... it's horrible. I feel so drained from dealing with all this. I will spare you the completely gross details but I issue a quick warning. If you are easily grossed out skip the rest of this paragraph. My 3.5 year old has a stomach bug... she's never had once since she's been potty-trained and does not grasp the concept of running to the potty if you think you need to fart. Therefore let's just say I've had to change her clothes about 5 times over the weekend and had to completely clean her chair at the kitchen table, the floor, and the toilet last night. YUCK! Can you say "liqui-shit"?? What a complete mess. Oh, and the baby had it first so her poor little butt is just raw. I've been slathering on the butt cream on both of them. I feel like all I've done for a week is clean up shit.

Okay, done with all the grossness, just had to vent for a minute about it. Oh, and of course I just feel so sorry for both my babies-they're so pitiful when they don't feel well. The part of me filled with mommy instinct does kind of enjoy the fact that my older DD will actually cuddle with me when she isn't feeling well. I know, that sounds kind of pathetic but hey, I enjoy cuddle time and if the only time I get it is when she's sick then I'll take advantage of it and hang out on the couch with her all day-housework be damned. Of course then my DH gets a little bent out of shape because quite frankly our house looks like thieves have broken into it and trashed it. Our living room is impossible to even walk through without stepping on toys or papers (that the baby decided didn't need to be in the trash can, btw.) Our bedroom is overflowing with laundry-both clean and dirty... the clean has been in baskets so long I will probably have to rewash it to bring it back to a normal unwrinkled state-UGH! I try to bite my tongue but really, it's been TWO WEEKS that I've been dealing with sick children, I'm pregnant, exhausted, and not feeling so damn great myself so maybe he could get off his damn computer and help. Whew! I do feel better just getting that out of my system.

Hey, if anyone out there watches Nanny 911 I swear they had my DH's clone on there the other night. The episode with the Morris family really hit home with me. I actually had to turn it off because I was getting upset for that poor woman-I know where she's coming from. Basically (for those of you who didn't see it) the husband works really long hours and when he does come home ignores his kids and wife and talks on his cell phone, uses his PDA or computer and continues to work the rest of the evening. He does nothing with his kids and acts like his wife should handle EVERYTHING because she is a SAHM. This dickhead stands outside in the yard yakking away about work on his cell while his 18 mos DD cries at the door for him-it's so heartbreaking. I feel like this a lot. My DH comes home and says he needs a break from working all day (which I do understand) but his 1/2 hour break turns into 2 hours on his laptop or attempting to watch something on TV while getting frustrated while our DDs make noise. Why he can't record it (like I do) and watch it after 9 p when they go to bed... anyhow, I feel very resentful and angry about the computer in particular. I've had dreams where I chuck the computer out the window or flip the circuit breaker off for the evening just to have some family time with him. I truly feel like he likes the computer more than us. It's sad. Well, gotta run... baby is waking up. Thanks readers for letting me vent a minute.

Beth

My wonderful DH just took Sport on an outing!

I know that doesn't sound like something to get so excited about but the baby is sleeping, the house is quiet... so I'm surfing the 'net and drinking my coffee. It's just so relaxing to have time to myself. (Of course I am crossing my fingers and praying that Spud doesn't wake up early from her nap!) There is a nagging voice in my head telling me that there are piles of laundry sitting in front of the washer and dirty dishes in the sink but for now I will try to ignore that voice.

Anyhow, when last I wrote I was in the middle of crazy sick kids week. I absolutely HATE it when the kids are sick. Luckily they are better now, although little Spud still has a bit of a cough. She never got too crabby, thank God, just slightly more snuggly than usual and she woke up a couple of times in the night. Sorry, are you guys out in cyber land falling asleep yet?

I'll change the subject for you. Let's talk about identity. Have you noticed (if you're a woman, that is) that your identity is tied to being a spouse or a mom? I am known in playgroup circles as "Sport's Mommy" not as my own name. It's really not a big deal when kids call me that, as they are all around my DD's age-3 years... BUT when other mommies do it you kind of want to smack them. Not that I normally refer to myself as a feminist but I do believe that a woman retains her own identity, even after marriage and kids. I mean, come on, we aren't all Stepford Wives or anything, are we? My DH married me because I have strong ideas and opinions and even though sometimes we disagree and tend to argue back and forth he'd rather have someone who will debate him on issues than someone who instantly agrees with him all the time. Personally I think he'd be bored if I agreed with him all the time! There are a few things we have had to learn to agree to disagree on and while we do sometimes get a little heated in our discussions it's because we are both rather passionate about our ideas. We (most of the time) manage to argue in a respectful manner (or table the discussion until the kids are in bed).

I think my biggest problems with relationships with other people-friends and family-are that I tend to have strong opinions and I'm not afraid to honestly state my opinions. I do try for the sake of family harmony to not blurt out an opinion to someone who is overly sensitive but I'm also not going to completely sugar coat something if I believe that someone needs a rude awakening. I also don't believe it's polite to be brutally honest with someone JUST to hurt their feelings or get a reaction out of them. But, if you flat out ask me for an honest opinion then you had better expect to get one!

Okay, enough ranting... that laundry seems to have gotten louder so I really should do something about it now.

Beth

Sick kids... tired mommy... is it naptime yet??

Just one of those weeks. First Sport was sick, grumpy, and running a fever Tuesday afternoon so I kept her home from preschool yesterday. She seemed perfectly normal all morning except for the wigging out and crying everytime she needed a tissue. She's one of those weird kids that cannot stand for her nose to be running-she stops dead in her tracks and starts shrieking for a tissue. You'd think it was the end of the damn world the way she acts. Anyhow, no matter how many Kleenex boxes I have all over the house if there is not one in her lap she wigs out and crys until someone hands the poor child a tissue. Good grief!! So I spent the morning wiping snot-lovely. And the baby has the nasty green runny nose that runs all over her face and gets that dried smeared look in her hair. Sorry if that's TMI but really if you have kids it shouldn't bother you at all. In fact, that's something my DH and I were discussing recently... after you have a kid your grossness factor pretty much goes away. If you have one of those babies that doesn't spit up or have blow-out escaping poopy diapers then you're pretty lucky (and lying) and may still experience the occasional grossed out moment... but in my experience by the time your toddler is old enough to say "here, Mommy" in the car and hand you a large booger it really doesn't affect you much other than saying sarcastically to said toddler "Thanks honey but next time wipe it on your shirt". I did learn from that particular experience and now keep a small box of tissues in the car where I can reach it. Anyhow, in their short lives I've been peed on, pooped on, thrown up/spit up on, sneezed on, you name it. I really don't think anything can phase me anymore. Oh, wait, blood does still freak me out a little but I'm able to handle the situation, clean up and care for the injured child, and then go hide in my bathroom and flip out in private. All those years as a preschool teacher I've seen quite a few boo-boo's.

Back to the sick kids. So, we're off to the store today to get more cold medicine (hopefully the kind that makes them sleepy...) and more Dora the Explorer chicken noodle soup-which is the only way to get soup into a stubborn 3 year old. And a few more Snickers bars for Mommy, along with coffee and soda. Too bad I'm preggo or I'd get the bottle of wine, too.

See ya,
Beth

Both of my children are asleep!!

I am not quite sure if the planets are aligned right or maybe I've been super nice lately and this is karma working for me but I stood completely still for about 2 minutes wondering what the heck to do... I decided to sit at the computer for a minute and eat a Snickers bar (hey, I'm pregnant, what do you expect!) So, anyways, baby Spud is down for her afternoon nap and my older DD, Sport and I sit down on the couch to have a snack (okay, actually it's my lunch-at 4 pm). She's eating her Ritz crackers and cheese and decides to cuddle under a blanket-she's been a little under the weather so no big shock there. I'm watching TV, eating my lunch, chilling out... I get up to throw the garbage away and she's out cold, clutching her Ritz crackers in one hand. Too cute! As she is not night time potty-trained yet I did run upstairs and grab a towel to slide under her, just to be careful. This is heavenly! It's so nice and quiet and peaceful in my house (oops, I've gotta go knock on wood now, I've jinxed myself!) Oh, and just for an FYI, Sport gave up her naps about 3 months ago, and boy have I missed them! She still gets crabby in the afternoons sometimes but by the time I can actually get her to stay in her room long enough to fall asleep it's almost dinner time, so why bother?

Well, this is going to be a short post, I need to go clean up all the toys in the foyer before DH comes home. There is nothing worse than walking in the front door and being confronted with a HUGE mess right in your way. He's sweet enough not to say anything about it but I know it bugs him (it would bug me that's for sure) so I try to handle things like that before it becomes an issue.

-Beth