Last Night

I was told to try an even earlier bedtime.

6:00 p.m.  Dinner

7:00 p.m.  Head upstairs for baths

7:30 p.m.  In bed

7:40 p.m.  I check on Taylor and she tells be that she wants more time to read to Maxine.

7:50 p.m.  Taylor comes downstairs and hands me a pair of feather earrings.
Taylor: Mom, I got these for you! They are so soft!
Me: Taylor, did you go in my room?
T: *rolls eyes* Well, they weren't in MY room and they weren't in SISSY'S room... I got them from your room.  Sissy helped me.
Then, she went back up to bed by herself.

8:05 p.m.  We hear talking but assume it is the girls "silently" reading to their "friends."

8:10 p.m.  Jaden calls us upstairs because Taylor won't stay out of her room.

8:15 p.m.  Taylor has to go potty for the 150,346,257th time.

8:25 p.m.  Taylor is refusing to get into bed.

8:30 p.m.  Taylor gives in and lays down with her eyes closed as long as I hold her hand.  I hold it for about 2 seconds and then hand the job off to Maxine.

8:40 p.m.  Getting frustrated with my child for not wanting to go to bed.

8:50 p.m.  She's snoring.

10:00 p.m.  I go to bed.

5:15 a.m.  My alarm goes off.  I jump up and look to the floor.  Taylor is not there!  I go to her room and she is still fast asleep!

HALLELUJAH!!!

Taylor is spending the night with Gramma J tonight.  Yeah, she's taking one for the team.

This Mama needs some HELP!

The number one most misunderstood thing when it comes to parenting is the Terrible Twos.  The number one most misunderstood thing when it comes to 3-year-olds is bedtime.

You see, when Mike and I were new parents, we heard talk of the Terrible Twos phase.  You know, when your child turns two years old, she would throw temper tantrums and even though it wouldn't necessarily be ok, we would deal with it because, well, it was to be expected!  Then when your child turns three years old, she would magically go back to being that angel that she was before the T2 phase!  You know what I'm talking about, right?  Well my friends, I'm here to tell you that it is all a big LIE!

The Truth About the Terrible Twos

1. The T2 phase STARTS at age two-ish and lasts for at least two years.
2. You will look back on those newborn nights when your baby cried for a bottle and then went right back to sleep and think, "It really wasn't that bad!"
3. The child will NOT win the battle.
4. The parent will NOT win the battle.
5. Threats don't work.
6. Rewards don't work.
7. Punishments don't work.
8. It is a battle... With no clear ending in sight.
9. It will stop as suddenly as it started.

We are right in the middle of the T2 phase with Miss Taylor Max.  She is stubborn, she pouts, she whines, she cries, she throws herself on the ground, she screams.  The only thing is, she only does this at bedtime!  For some reason unknown to all other humans, she hates bedtime.  Apparently she believes that bedtime is just a myth and it is something that she doesn't believe in.  She also must think that her family is pretty dumb to believe in the concept of bedtime, because she doesn't like to let anyone else in the house get a full, restful night of sleep!  

When we talk about this with other people, the first thing we are asked is, "What time does she go to bed?"  Bedtime is 7:30.  Yes, it is early, but when you are a kid and need to wake up at 6:00 in the morning, 7:30 really isn't that bad.  Actually, 7:30 is her sweet spot.  Any earlier and she isn't quite tired enough and throws a fit because she isn't tired.  Any later and she is overly tired and throws a fit... for no reason except that she is tired.  We have the best chance of going to bed good if she is in bed at exactly 7:30.  On occasion, Jaden gets to stay up until 8:00.  Mostly to let Taylor cry it out for a half-hour or so, but also because she is past the T2 phase and "gets it."  We've tried rewarding Taylor with staying up a little later and it backfires almost every single time.

Mike and I have tried it all.  We have rewarded going to bed good.  We have taken away her Dora movies, her Maxine, her blankie, her stuffed animal... it does NOT work.  We have tried letting her cry.  We have tried closing her door.  We have tried reasoning with her.  It doesn't matter.  We have asked our parents, friends with kids, and even doctors for advice.  The answer always comes down to, "It is a phase and she will grow out of it."  We know this, but it doesn't make it any easier.

Jaden went through the same thing when she was 2½-3.  She cried and screamed at bedtime.  I remember it so well because Taylor was a newborn.  Between the two of them, Mike and I were getting no sleep at all.  I also know that Jaden grew out of it eventually.  

So, Mike and I are basically at the end of our rope.  We are about to lose it.  It is the most frustrating thing in the world.  I know that it probably seems like I am making mountains out of molehills, but I'm not.  It is hard to handle.  It is hard to know what is the right thing to do.  Right now, it basically boils down to the fact that she doesn't want to be left alone.  She wants either Mike or myself to stay in her room until she falls asleep.  I don't mind doing that every so often, but I'm scared that it will develop into a habit that will cause more problems down the road.  A few times this week, I have sat on her floor next to her bed and let her hold onto my finger.  She falls asleep almost instantly.  When she is snoring, I replace my finger with Maxine's (her favorite doll) arm.  It works, but I'm afraid it is only making the whole problem worse, because eventually we will have to not do that.  Then what?

I know that every kid goes through this.  I know that we will all survive.  I also know that she was pouting and throwing a fit off and on from 11:30-2:30.  We got less than three hours of sleep last night.  Tell me what to do next because I feel like it's time to call Supernanny!

Moving Update: It SUCKS

UUUGGGGGGHHHHHH.....................
Yeah, It's going that well.  This whole moving process sucks.  I am absolutely exhausted both physically and mentally.  We thought we were so lucky to have had an offer just three weeks out.  We found our perfect house.  THEN, it all went downhill.

First, the buyer had an inspection.  No big deal, right?  Not until we found out that our furnace was emitting CARBON MONOXIDE!  Awesome, you know, if you like testing death.  So, the furnace was shut down.  The angry repair guy took a piece out of it and we were heatless.  Lucky for us, we purchased a home warranty for our buyer and it covers us while our house is on the market.  So, we get reimbursed for $1500 toward a new furnace (because ours is old as dirt and new parts went out with the dinosaurs)... only, because there isn't an immediate need for it (their words, not mine), since it's warm every other day, we'll get it when we get it.  We're still waiting on the check.

Then, Mr. Inspector Guy tells us that we need to update our electrical work, which we had already planned on doing.  We were still running off of a 60-amp fuse box and needed to update to a 120-amp circuit breaker.  For those that don't understand, it basically means, "Give me a ton of money and I'll shut off your power for an entire day!"  F-U-N, fun.  Oh by the way, you also need to have four of your outlets updated because (insert electrician jibber-jabber here).  Yeah, more money.

On top of those two major repairs, we also need to replace the door that goes from our house to our garage with a steel entry door and patch a hole in the garage wall where in intercom used to be because of something to do with a firewall.

Three windows need to be replaced because of broken seals causing wood rot.  This was on our inspection report when we bought our house (along with the garage door and hole) but because we were naive property virgins, and our realtor back then apparently didn't feel that it was necessary, we didn't worry about it.  Now, we are dishing out more money to fix things that should have been fixed before we moved in!  I know what you're thinking, "Why not just let your buyer deal with it?" right?  Funny you should ask!  Because the type of loan she is getting won't give her a dime until the house passes an inspection.  It's awesome.

Oh wait, I'm not done.  Do you know how expensive it is to fix your foundation?  Well, luckily we don't either, BUT we might if we stay there long enough!  Apparently the back half of our patio has a slight negative slope to it, causing a trickle of water to run down along our foundation.  This has caused a crack in a wall in the unfinished part of our basement.  The crack "isn't big enough or deep enough YET to have to repair the foundation," so instead, we only have to repair the cause.  This means, we have to have our cement patio leveled.  This involved drilling and shooting air (from what I understand) and cement injections... or something like that... until the patio is level.  Or, as I heard it, more money.

Looking on the bright side, maybe we will make enough money from the sale to do some of these repairs??  NO WAY.  Our home, that was appraised at $100,000 six years ago, that we accepted an offer for $98,000, was only appraised at NINETY THOUSAND FREAKING DOLLARS.  You. Have. Got. To. Be. Kidding. Me?!?!  Word around the block is that the appraiser had to STRUGGLE to even get it to 90 because there are too many houses in our neighborhood that are being foreclosed on, bought super cheap, flipped, and sold for more.  Grr...  The appraisal was done before any of the inspection updates, so we were able to get it up to $92,000.  We are still going to have to PAY to move, bot make any money on the sale of our house.

Mike and I have grown to HATE our house.  It is draining our energy and our bank account.  We have shed far too many tears because of that money pit.  At this point, we are doing what needs to be done to get the heck out of there.  Luckily, our buyer wants our house really bad and hasn't bailed on us.  Closing is officially on for tomorrow and then we say, "SEE YA" to Bolton Drive and all of it's headaches.

Remember back when I was all excited about being in a new house by Memorial Day? Well, we had an inspection on that house.  Luckily we did because we found out that it was structurally unsound.  The process we had to go through with leveling our patio would have had to be done to the ENTIRE house.  That would involve pulling up the new carpet and tile throughout the main level.  On top of that, the furnace had a gas leak, the A/C was on it's way out, several windows needed to be replaced, doors needed to be replaced because the damage to the structure caused the doors to break.  It was turning out to be more like a nightmare instead of a dream.  We graciously backed out of the deal and started the whole process of house hunting all over again, all while knowing that we were being booted out of our house by June 1st.

We found another house fairly quickly.  As luck would have it, someone else found that house, too.  We got ourselves into sort of a bidding war.  Fortunately, it was already priced lower than the first house, so we were able to up the price a little bit.  We ended up offering about $3000 over their asking price and they accepted our offer!  The inspection checked out with only a few minor repairs needed.  The appraisal passed.  The biggest blessing we have had was the fact that Mike knows the couple that we are buying the house from.  They have let us move our belongings into the house even though we have not closed on it.  We will forever be grateful to them because that saved us from moving twice!  We don't get possession until June 14th (this could change), so for a little over 2 weeks, we are homeless.  Mike's parents have let us stay with them, but everything we own is at the new house.

I am SO ready to be done with this whole ordeal!  I am NEVER moving again.  EVER.

Seriously.

Yes, I believe this is IN error.

Just so you know, I found this devastating news out only when I tried to access the site for a work-related search.  Love it.

Why Disney and their Princesses are now on my naughty list - UPDATED WITH LONGER VIDEO

Oh Disney... I hate to break it to you, but you've really burned a bridge with me.  I thought we were BFFs!  What you have done has not only disappointed me, but will most definitely disappoint my girls, especially Jaden.

You see, Jaden has asked Santa for a TON of princess toys for Christmas.  I had a little chat with the big guy and he tells me that she will be making out rather well.  But, after his elves had already finished their toy making, you decided to put a new commercial on TV.

UPDATE: CLICK HERE for the longer video. (Will open in new window)

(Actually, even though the new commercial is aired during every single break on Disney Junior and Nick, I can't find it online.  It shows each princess in her room, not just three of them.  Here is the shorter version.)



So, you can see why I'm stuck.  Jaden really wants this stupid castle!  It was the very first thing she asked Santa for when we visited him at the mall.  But, like I said, the elves are already done making her toys and probably already spent too much elf money as it is.  I'm pretty sure they can't afford the extra 150 elf dollars that is needed to make this castle.  How do I break it to J on Christmas morning because I'm sure she will be disappointed... Santa always leaves them a letter next to his empty cookie plate.  Should he explain his lack of a castle?  I'm pretty sure she'll notice an almost 4' tall castle is not in her house.  Thanks so much Disney.  If you would have put that commercial on in say, like maybe August, the elves would probably have taken advantage of north pole layaway and not gotten some of the other gifts.  On the other hand, should Santa pull some strings and try to get the elves to return some already made presents and try to find time to make this castle?  Time's a tickin', people!  What's a mom to do?

Killing Me Softly - 5 Months

Remember back when Mike and I met with our realtor about putting our house up for sale?  Well, we didn't list it.  Five and a half years ago we paid $100,000 for our home.  Over the span of four years (when we met with Jane) we had only paid off a teensy bit of our mortgage.  We went to the bank and got an amortization schedule.  It showed us how much of our monthly mortgage payment was going toward the principle and how much was being donated going toward the interest.  Basically, with how the economy and housing market is today, we wanted to get at least $90,000 for our home.  To walk away from a sale with money for a down payment on a new home (instead of literally paying someone to buy it), we obviously needed to owe less than $90,000.  According to our amortization schedule, we would be at that point by November 1st of this year.  So, last February we decided to tough it out for one more year, make the necessary improvements, and get our house on the market by April 1, 2012.  We have 5 months left.

First up on the schedule is the dreaded family room.  This has been an unending room of problems since 2007.  It's a great room!  Lots of natural lighting, laminate wood floors, gas fireplace, outside patio access, you name it!  We spend the majority of our time in that room.  BUT, in 2007 (shortly after Jaden was born), we experienced a crisis.  Apparently the roof leaked when we bought the house and the seller lied about knowing it did.  According to our neighbors, he was on the roof with tar after it rained every time.  You see, he had installed skylights in that room.  Skylights for a pitched roof.  On a flat roof.  We could never make plans when there was rain in the forecast because we had to make sure we were home to strategically place buckets all over.  My grandpa tried to help us out by tarring around the skylights.  He even put a new roof over that room (it's an addition).  During his re-roofing, we discovered that because of the moisture, we had rotted wood and a carpenter ant problem!  Unfortunately, re-roofing only made the problem worse.  We woke up one rainy morning to 18 different leaks in one room.  We had to move everything out.  We had couches in our dining room and the rest of the stuff in our living room.  It was awful.  I cried every single day of my life for a very long time because of the stress that room caused us.  We depleted our savings account and borrowed money from our parents and hired a crew to come in and rip out the skylights and replace the roof on the entire house.  We didn't bother having them fix the ceiling from the inside.  We just wanted the leaks to stop.  Since then, we have not had one single leak!  Now, we just have two gaping holes where skylights used to be.  You can literally see the plywood that is under our shingles.  In addition, we have the water damage to the ceiling from the 18 leaks.  It's a mess. 

Fortunately, I have an awesome friend that hooked us up with a great guy that is coming over bright and early tomorrow morning to renovate that room at a very reasonable price!  Not only is he fixing the ceiling, he is also repairing cracks that we caused by the settling of the room.  I'm taking Monday off work to repaint and put the room back together.  I'm thrilled to have this project upon us!  This was the one major thing that needed to be done.  Everything else (pretty much) is just icing on the cake!

Now, I need your expert advice.  I have only a couple of days to decide on a color to paint!  Right now, the room is yellow with a green accent wall.  There are a ton of windows, too.  You can see a lot of the room here and here.  It is connected to our dining room that is painted a terra cotta orange color.  Oh, and we have a red chair and an off-white couch that will be staying in there.  Help me out! 

Have you entered my giveaway yet for a free one-year subscription (or extension) to Disney Family Fun magazine? Such an awesome giveaway with absolutely no obligation to buy future subscriptions at all!

"Oh, crap."

I'm tired.  This week has kicked my butt. 

On Monday evening, Taylor wasn't feeling so hot.  We had just finished dinner and the girls wanted to go outside and play.  I went out with them to do a little yard work between swing pushes.  Taylor started moaning and rubbing her tummy.  I asked her if she was going to throw up... no.  I asked her if she had to go poop... no.  Touched her head... cool.  She's fine, just ate too much, right?  She climbs to the top of the slide.  I have my back to her as I am cursing the squirrels and/or bunnies for yet another half eaten tomato, when suddenly Jaden screams.  I turn around and am flashing back to the days of chillin' on the couch at Mom and Dad's watching Double Dare.  Taylor diarrhea'd down the slide!  I scoop her up and tell her to STAND STILL and don't touch the poop!  I run inside, lay a diaper pad down, and start running a bath.  I go outside and Mike is swatting flies away (why do flies like to eat poop??)  Taylor is upset and feeling a little crappy (hehe!)  I get her all cleaned up and back outside we go!  Now, what on earth do I do with poopy pants?  Teach those darned squirrels a lesson, that's what!  This is where it gets a little disgusting.  I sprayed her pants out right by my tomato plants because guess what Taylor had for dinner the night before... CORN.  Enjoy, my furry friends!  Bwahhaahhhahha (evil laugh)!

Well, apparently T had a little virus.  She was acting fine the next morning but didn't eat much of her breakfast.  Around noon, the babysitter called me.  Taylor was having "loose stools" again and wasn't feeling well.  I went to get the poor baby.  After her nap, she seemed to feel a little better. 

Jaden: "My tummy hurts."

Wednesday morning, I head to Walgreen's to pick up some children's Pepto.  Obviously Jaden wouldn't take it and Taylor cried because she wanted more.  No fevers + no throwing up = to the sitters.  Guess what?  They were fine!  No yucky reports for the day when Mike picked them up!

I went to Michigan for a little shopping trip with my mom that day.  I was literally two minutes away from home and Mike calls me, "You should probably go a different way because there is water coming up out of the street and kids (not ours) are playing in it."  I detoured around the block because the police had already taped off the water and were actually standing guard.  The girls had already eaten supper and were ready for bed.  We got them down and I went to make dinner for Mike and myself.  Spaghetti.  Small problem... the water had been turned off.  We called 311 and we were told, "There is a water main break on your street and because the children in the neighborhood were playing in the water, it needed to be turned off.  We wouldn't want a child to slip and be run over by a vehicle or drown."  So basically because parents have no control over their kids (or just don't care) we don't have water... nice.  They estimated that the water would be turned back on around 1:30 a.m.  We opt for Pizza Hut take-out.

After dinner and a little Big Brother, the storms start up.  It is pouring down rain and really windy.  All of a sudden, darkness.  The power went out.  J cries because the storms woke her up and she is scared.  It was really bad out.  We were tempted to go down to the basement, but I didn't want to wake Taylor up if it wasn't necessary.  So, Mike sat with Jaden and we both watched outside and listened for a tornado siren.  Eventually, the storm passed.  We called the electric company and they guessed that power would be restored around 2:30 a.m. 

No water.  No power.  Nice.

Everything was back to normal the next morning!  The shower spit some yellow water at first, but then it was ok!  After work, we came home and had spaghetti.  Mike's mom was on her way over so we could go to a meeting at J's preschool.  I went to do dishes and again, no water.  Luckily, it was turned on by the time we got home so the girls could get a bath. 

It's been a tiring week.

BUT, I did get some good news!  Disney Family Fun saw my post on the Hit The Road badge and loved our road map idea!  They want to feature it in their next issue along with a picture of my girls!  You all will have to go out and buy the October issue when it comes out so you can see these cuties:

Way to go, girls! 

TGIF...

Pass me a margarita, STAT!

Yea!! Oh no... NO!

I have been trying to get Taylor excited about the potty.  No, I am not officially potty-training her yet.  I just don't want her to be scared of the potty like a certain little red-head.  Before bath, I get her undressed and sit her up on the potty.  She was nervous at first but we got the princess seat out and all of a sudden, it became pretty cool!

Sunday night (a couple of weeks ago) was pretty crazy at our house.  Mike and I had gone to Indy on Saturday while the girls stayed at my parents' house.  We had just got home from the grocery store and were getting all of the bags unpacked as I was getting the girls ready for a bath.  I stripped Taylor and tossed her up onto the potty seat.  I went to throw some things into Taylor's diaper bag and came back into the bathroom.  Taylor was pointing and grunting (because she STILL isn't talking... much) to the bath.  I asked if she was done and she smiled and nodded.  As with each time, I just picked her up and put her into the bath.  To my surprise, the potty water was yellow!!  I got super excited and was clapping and whooping and getting Taylor super excited too!  J was in at this point and she was super excited about Taylor's accomplishment too!

The girls were busy playing in the bath while I ran in and out, putting things away.  Pretty soon, J starts yelling, "MOM!  MOM!  THERE'S POOP IN THE BATH!  TAYLOR POOPED!"  Ugh...

One step forward, two steps back...

**UPDATE:  This is one of those posts that I compose because I don't want to forget about it but leave it as a draft until a time where I don't have time to post something else...  Monday evening, we were in the family room and Taylor started grabbing her diaper and pointing in the direction of the bathroom.  I asked her if she had to go potty and she nodded.  We trotted off to the bathroom and I put her up on the potty.  A few seconds later, she pottied!!  We all got super excited :o) 

Our Month in Review

March has sucked. As you remember, I posted a list about what we've been up to... well, I'd unfortunately like to add to that list and just recap our month :o)

February 25 - I missed work due to a sever cold and fever.
March 4 - Taylor has a high fever.
March 10 - I miss work due to the flu.
March 14 - Jaden has the flu. She missed daycare and I missed work.
March 15 - Mike has the flu and is home from work.
March 19 - Jaden gets treated for Pink-Eye.
March 21 - Taylor has a high fever. She had to leave daycare early and I took her to the doctor.
March 22 - Mike is home sick again. Has a HORRIBLE cough.
March 26 - My throat starts to feel tight.
March 27 - Jaden is hacking up phlegm like it's her job.
March 28 - I'm home sick AGAIN with a fever topping out at 103.8 degrees F!
March 28 - Mike has a sharp pain in his chest.
March 29 - Mike goes to the doctor for a chest x-ray and finds out he cracked a rib coughing!
March 30 - Treating BOTH girls for Pink-Eye.

Also, Mike and I have been up almost every hour in the night with Taylor up until this past Sunday. We have officially banned the use of our large mixing bowl for anything food related.  This bowl has become the puke bowl. 

This month, I have caught vomit in a bowl, in my hands, had it sprayed across my feet, stepped in it, and cleaned it out of countless sheets and clothes.

We have disinfected almost every object in our household. We have washed every sheet and blanket. We have new towels, wash cloths, bedding, and toothbrushes.

We have filled three prescriptions and have had three doctor visits.

Mike and I have planned a mini-vacation. We need a break from all of this.  We HAVE to get out of town and get away from everything for one night. I'm hoping that when that day comes, we will both be 100% again and able to enjoy our 24 hours away.

Sorry to complain so much, but geez!  Can't we catch a break??  I'm hoping that April brings good health... We have a full month planned so we NEED to be healthy!

Oh, and I failed to mention that Gramma J is down and out with a bum back and Gramma Ina got Pink-Eye.  Also, Jude (the cat) decided that now would be a great time to start vomiting in the night... ugh!

What we've been up to...

2 people coughing

4 people sniffling

1 sore throat

2 pink eyes

4 with fevers

3 with diarrhea

2 throwing up

1 coughing cat

1 ear infection

4 lost appetites

4 achy bodies

6 missed days of work

3 missed days of daycare

2 doctor visits

1 prescription

18 sleepless nights

Don't you wish you lived in my house?

We are doing everything we can think of to get better!  We are airing out the house (when the weather allows), we are drinking fluids, we are going to bed early, we are washing hands, we are disinfecting everything, we are taking drugs, we are still miserable!  At least one of us has been sick every day since March 4th.  This is getting to be a bit ridiculous... Anyone else battling this nasty virus?

I'm DONE.

WARNING: Graphic content. 

 If this photo was my life, Jaden would be the fat kid, Mike is Miss Tri-County, and I am that lovely, chunk-covered man.  I have seen and touched and smelled and caught and cleaned more vomit and diarrhea in the past week than I have in my whole life!  I am done. 

We have all had a stomach bug.  It has not been fun in any way, shape, or form (except for the five pounds lost!)  I thought things were looking up yesterday.  I thought we had all flushed it out of our systems... until the girls had a cup of milk... WHOLE milk.  I knew it wouldn't be pretty.  I knew I should have said no.  I knew it wasn't a great idea.  Last night Jaden called from her bedroom.  She had to poop.  Her poor stomach was gurgling and turning.  I knelt down in front of her, rubbing her back and telling her it would be ok.  That's when I saw that look in her eyes.  They glassed over and her lips puckered.  I immediately jumped back as far as I could in the three feet that is our bathroom JUST in time for her to spew sour, partially digested, curdled milk all over!  By this point, I am pretty used to the smell of vomit.  I don't have a problem cleaning it up.  This?  This was RANK.  It was the worst smelling vomit I have ever smelled in my life... EVER (and I partied with a lot of lightweights in college)!  It went everywhere.  I got it all cleaned up and got J back into bed.  She said her tummy felt better :o)

Fast forward about three hours.  Mike and I are sleeping peacefully (for a whopping 20 minutes) when we hear Taylor sobbing.  Mike goes in and then yells for me.  Oh.dear.god.  SHE also puked all over herself and all three of her blankets!  The SAME sour curdled milk.  The same vomit-inducing smell that finally dissipated from the hallway and bathroom now filled her bedroom.

Can we get a break, please?  Can for one night, everyone sleep and leave all bodily fluids (and chunks) where they belong?  Can someone please buy me a new mixing bowl because I don't think I can ever bake with the puke bowl again.

You said it!

Welcome to the longest week EVER.

Here's hoping today and tomorrow fly by.

I don't know if I've ever said this before, but I *LOVE* my job.

Love it.

Not.

Especially when six stupid hours are spent trying to get royal blue bluer than blue.  Love it.

We've Been Hit...

with SILLY BANDZ!!! 

The babysitter was on vacation last week and when she returned, she brought a truckload of these crazy bracelets for all of the kids.  You know, there has been a lot of talk about these bracelets lately and I never understood the problem.  Teachers were wanting the banned from the classroom!  In my mind, I compared them to the Lip Smackers necklaces that were all the rage when I was in junior high.

I remember my friends and I had probably 20 of these little lip balms hanging from a shoe string around our necks. We were SO COOL.

So what is the big deal with Silly Bandz?  The are basically rubber bands that come in various shapes and colors.

Why all of the controversy?  WELL, I understand and am backing them with full support!  Last night, instead of eating dinner, Jaden looked at her Silly Bandz.  She played with her Silly Bandz.  She completely, 100% tuned us out.  She was not hearing a word we were saying.  She was mesmerized by her Silly Bandz.  We tried taking them away but then she went into a pre-meltdown and we figured it wasn't worth it.  So, Mike and I ate our dinner and Jaden played with her Silly Bandz... and ate probably 3 bites of her hot dog.  We have a new rule now.  Silly Bandz are for wearing to the babysitter's ONLY.  Before dinner, they go into a baggie.

She is then allowed to play with them after dinner if she wants to but they stay in the bag, on the kitchen counter at night.  Then, in the morning after breakfast, she can load her arms with her precious bandz.

Are they cool or what?  Have any of you run into problems with these pesky things?

She's out to get me!

Have I NOT said before how Taylor is my "wild child"??  Well, I was cleaning up after dinner yesterday and the girls were playing in Taylor's room.  When they are in there, I close the other bedroom doors, the bathroom door, and shut the gate so they (Taylor) stay in one room only.  Well, last night, Jaden needed to go potty.  I put the trash can up on the sink because Taylor has been known to dump it.  I'm back in the kitchen and Jaden starts yelling, "Mom!  Taylor is in the bathroom!"  I tell her that she is fine because I DID put the trash can out of reach... no problems, right?  Seconds later... "Mom!  Get Taylor!"  "She's fine, Jaden!"  Once again, "MOM!!!  TAYLOR HAS THE PAPER TOWEL!!"  ohdeargod.

She TP'd the bathroom.  I start cleaning it up and before long, I hear a crash of magnets in the kitchen. Crap!  I left the gate open.

She is so skilled in magnet removal that she can get them all in one swipe!  So, I start cleaning the magnets up and I notice Taylor is not around.  Sometimes quiet isn't a good thing...

Good thing she's a cutie or she'd be OUTTA HERE!

In other news...

I'm on day 3 of feeling like crap.  Mike and I were laying in bed last night and said, "What the heck was that?!?!"  um yeah... The noise he was referring to was most definitely my stomach attacking my insides.  Whatever kind of bug I have NEEDS to be gone by this weekend!  Ugh...

Also, check out this hand!

Somehow I bruised the heck out of my hand!  That picture was yesterday.  I think it might be looking a little better today...

I don't understand how I got his bruise or why it is shaped like a "C" but it hurts!

I'm Pregnant!

hehe :o)  NOT!  But MODG is so go tell her congrats!

You know what though, I feel like there are tiny ghost babies with tiny gigantic ghost knives inside my stomach stabbing the crap out of me and killing me from the inside.  Yeah, I have a stomach ache.  I feel like I drank five pots of coffee or something.  Not fun.  It hurts.  If I go home and lay in bed, will you bring me some chicken soup?  No wait... food is bad.  Bring me flowers and balloons.

I think my blog needs a face lift.  Any suggestions?