Too Much Information.

Yesterday we went shopping. At the checkout line, the girls began chatting with the friendly cashier when he asked how they were doing. They proceeded to tell him their names, plans for the week, about their birthdays and Einey even went as far as give out information on where she went to school.

This isn't new. As they have learned new information about themselves, they like to share the info with who ever will listen. I've stopped them numerous times from just rattling off their phone number and addresses to anyone within ear shot.

I've come to accept that this is part of their growth. Hopefully soon, they will learn just who it is okay to share this information with.

I need to remember to never teach them their social security numbers!

Changes

I've been playing around with changing some settings. Let me know what you think!

Two-isms

Two is….

…wanting Mommy only when she is busy with someone else.

…constantly taking your clothes off.

…wearing shoes all the time until it is time to go outside or when you are in the car. Then there are no shoes to be found.

…changing your mind the minute Mommy gets you a drink/food/you dressed.

…playing musical chairs at dinner time.

…asking for one more drink/to brush your teeth/another story/anything to stay up a little later at bedtime.

...saying “NO” all the time.

…having a favorite color (“blue”) and number (“two”).

…giving kisses and hugs for no reason.

…being so incredibly cute that it’s hard to punish you.

So these are some things I’ve noticed with Moe and her friends. If anyone wants to add to the list, feel free to add in the comments section.

Photo Hunter Saturday

The theme this week is Silver.

This was taken last November at my parent's 25th (silver) anniversary party.

In sickness and in health.....

We have been racked with the Ickies again this week and husband is avoiding us like the plague. This is the second time we got hit with the stomach ickies and let me tell you, it's just not fun.

It started Saturday with me having to go.. I didn't think much of it because that happens occasionally. Monday and Tuesday were not much better and I noticed the two younger ones had some very loose bowels as well. Wednesday, I woke up vomiting. I managed to get Einey to school without getting sick and as the day wore on, I started to feel better. Thursday arrives and same thing. It took until late afternoon for me to feel better. The two younger ones are still going way more than normal, but at least it's just coming out one end. On a side note, I am finally starting to get my appetite back after three days. I just ate an apple and it actually tasted like something. It also made me realize how hungry I was.

Tomorrow is supposed to be wicked cold (single digits and a wind chill knocking it into the negatives), and Einey has a 1/2 day. I have half a mind just to keep her home, but she and husband are the only ones not sick which I attribute to the fact they are out of the house and away from us festering germ heads!

Moe and the Hamster

For the past two years, we've had a cute, fuzzy little rodent living on a shelf in the playroom. He's the only one we haven't gone out of our way to get rid of. He has lived a quiet existence, except for the one time Einey poked her hand in and got bit (she was 3 and we had just gotten him). His name is Rainbow the Wonder Hamster. The other day, I noticed he had chewed yet another hole through the cage (it's his second since we got him). Knowing he is nearing the end of his existence on earth, we borrowed a glass cage for him.

And that's where the problems started. The playroom shelves were built around the measurements from his other cage.

His new cage was too big to fit back on the shelf, so we put him behind the couch.

Last night I hear the poor little guy screaming (its a pitiful sound) and Moe laughing. I go in and Moe has the cover off and she is squishing him with a plastic tube. I rescue him from her and he was breathing quite heavily. After a few minutes, he was back to normal.

This morning, I returned home and noticed the cover of the cage was off. I asked husband if Moe had been in the cage again and he said he didn't think so. I go in and no hamster. Now I am frantically looking for him, but luckily, he had just fallen to the floor below and not ran away (there were some cushions there which softened his fall). I managed to get him to climb in a tube and put him back in the cage.

Now, Rainbow the Wonder Hamster has a new home way up high.

Wild

I have decided to join the photo hunters. Each week, people post a picture to go with a single theme. The link and blog rool are on the side if you want to check them out!

Yesterdays theme was wild. And since I am always late, you get my picture today.



These were taken last summer in a field near where we were walking. They have always been my favorite flower.

Winter has Arrived

Today was cold. Very, very cold. It was 12 degrees when I had to bundle up and bring Einey to school. All I wanted to do was lie in a warm bed and drink hot chocolate, but that didn't happen. According to the NOAA, today was the coldest day since February 27, 2006. Almost one whole year.

At least it is supposed to warm up a little tomorrow before we get zapped with snow. Of course, I am not really counting on snow as it is almost the end of January and all we have seen are flakes, back on the 5th of December.

I hope everyone managed to stay warm today.

What's in your Crib?

Hi guys, Moe here. So lately I've been giving my Mom a hard time about going to sleep. After all, who wants to be alone in the dark? And I swear she lets my sisters stay up later (even though she tells me she doesn't). It's just not fair, they get to sleep in the same room. me? I've got nobody. Except Elmo, but he can be boring. Once I tried to force feed him some fruit snacks but he wouldn't even chew them. Mommy gives me some books to read, but duh, I can't read them. I do like looking at all the pictures though.

So this brings me to my big question, what's in your crib?

In mine, I have my Dora pillow, which if you remember, I like to sleep under, my other two pillows, Elmo, Mommy and Baby Wormy, a few babies, Curious George (he was my Dad's), Pink Bunny and my three favorite blankies (the pink one, the one with bugs and the striped one. I usually have some books tossed in as well. On the side of my bed is the fishbowl. I prefer the birdie one as it lights up my ceiling, but Mommy says it needs batteries and we don't have the right size. I think she's lying to me because it's "needed batteries" for months now and I know she's gone to the store since then.

These are my sister's beds. The one on the bottom is Meenie's. She has a lot of pillows! The big one is her "12 dancing Princess Pillow", then she also has a Strawberry Shortcake pillow, a butterfly pillow and a star pillow she got from one of the nurses at the hospital. She got a cool new quilt that Mema made her. and a big pony. Right now she has kitties and poodles on her bed but usually she sleeps with her Strawberry Shortcake dolls.

The bed up top is Einey's. She just got it yesterday. It looks so cool, but Mommy and Daddy told me I am not allowed up there. I'll show them. One day when they aren't looking, I'm going to sneak up there. She has just 3 pillows, like me. She has a big pillow with hearts, a butterfly pillow and a My Little Pony pillow. And she also has a new quilt Mema made her. It matches Meenie's and the flowers on their wall.

It's not fair I tell you. I didn't get a new quilt!

So guys, show me your cribs! Post in the comments and I'll come visit!

De-Lurking

It seems that it was just National De-Lurking Week, but I missed it because I'm late. Well being late is nothing new to me, so I'm asking you now to leave a comment. I know there are readers out there! So just leave a comment to let me know you've been here. The best think is, you don't even need a blogger account!

So far this year, we've done alot of nothing. And you know what, it feels great. I love not having anywhere to go or anything to do. I love being able to spend the day in my pajamas (well I could have if I didn't need to bring Einey to school everyday). I love just spending time with my family. The stress levels for everyone have been way down. The girls are listening and the parents aren't yelling. It's a win-win situation. Now if I could just get the dog to not eat out of the garbage can...

It seems though that on the occasion we do go out to visit friends or go to story hour, my kids catch another cold. Every time I get the coughing to stop and the noses clean, it lasts for about a day before they are hacking and spewing snot all over the place. It's been weeks now! And this is very uncommon for us, we are all normally very healthy. I guess it was bound to catch up with us sometime! It also appears that Einey may have an ear infection

In other news, Einey's mattress is due to arrive this morning. She is very excited about having her own bed. That's right, you read that correct, her own bed! To save space (and because she and Meenie were soo small) they have been sharing a bed for the last year and a half. They started off snuggling each other but as they grew, the ended up on either side of the bed. I'd like to say they quietly shared secrets as they fell asleep, but then I would be lying to you. In reality, they did talk as they fell asleep, sometimes even reading o each other, but usually that would evolve to jumping on each other (which I can't figure out how as they had the bunk bed frame above them) and lots of noise. So now we are going to actually put the ladder up so Einey can access the top bunk. She is very excited.

Moe is still giving me a hard time going to sleep, but as I found out this week, it is usually only when daddy is home. Since he's been working nights this week, she hasn't been too bad. We had a bit of an issue last night, but once I got her calmed down and asked her what she wanted, she told me another story (Her story time was cut short because she was jumping on the bed and I made her go in her crib). So I read her one more story and then she told me she was ready for bed. I put her down and didn't hear another peep out of her.

Meenie has been wonderful lately. She was always a cranky baby and hyper toddler. But lately, she's been very polite and very nice to everyone. She's listening to us and helping out around the house. I am very happy with how she has been lately!

The Scent of a Child

Last night, Einey woke up with an earache, so I let her crawl into bed with me and the heating pad.

As she lay there asleep in my arms, I became acutely aware of her scent. She smelled of crayons and dirt, pencil erasers and sweat. As she snuggled her head closer, I caught a whiff of her dragonfuit shampoo.

People always talk about what baby's smell like. Of powder and Johnson and Johnson's Shampoo. Of strained peas and curdled milk. Of poop. But as time goes on, they start to lose that distinctive smell of babyhood.

I also thought of smells associated with the girls over the past few years. I can remember Einey smelling of sweat because as a baby, she always had a sweaty head. Meenie had that distinctive hospital smell for awhile when she was sick. And Moe always smelled like Vanilla because she couldn't drink milk when she was younger. Then there is the smell the girls have when they are running a fever, it's not strong, but I can always tell. Moe gets a distinctive smell when she's teething, but that is because it always gives her loose bowels. Einey smells of Sunflowers and Berries, depending on which type of detangler I use on her.

During the Spring and Summer, the girls smell of fresh air and dirt (A smell also associated with soccer in our household). Sweat and lemonade. Popsicles and hot dogs. Lake water and Sun.

In the Winter and Fall, they smell of warmth against the crisp cool air.

I realized last night that they don't lose their smell, but rather, it evolves with them, changing as they do. It grows with them taking on their likes and personality.

Can I play too?

Binky's got the story, Lauren's got the tracks.

I've got the Train!

Toys, Toys, Toys!

With Christmas just behind us and Moe getting older, I have decided it is time to purge some toys.

Gone are the days of Mega Blocks,
Rattles, Teethers and Blankies. Goodbye Little People and Board Books. Farewell Leap Pad Learning Table and Lean on Me Activity Chair.

Welcome Polly Pocket, Barbie, and Strawberry Shortcake. Bonjour My Little Ponies and Littlest Pet Shop.

But when new toys come, and the extra space grows, you come to a point when you just have to let go. And its not like they can't let go, it's us! They have tossed certain toys to side, where they have steadily been collecting dust for the past few months.

So with bags and boxes in hand, it is time for me to tackle the playroom. Its time to pass on the toys we've outgrown to friends who will enjoy them.














On a side note, we've decided that the orange just doesn't work (especially with the room outside being green). Watch this space for the new improved playroom. Just don't expect to see the results anytime too soon. Last time we painted the playroom, it took a week, with the girls being stuck in front of the TV and Moe being stuck in a highchair. This time, there is less "actual" furniture in the room to move, but it will still take awhile.

Nothing to See Here....

As I sit here, I cannot think of a single thing to write about. I am at a complete loss of anything to say.

I could mention the weather, but it is still above normal for January (it's supposed to hit 60 tomorrow). I could mention the kids, but they have been very well behaved lately. I think the stress of the holidays had gotten to all of us. The kids have calmed down. I have stopped having anxiety attacks every time I leave the house. I worked again today (for the first time in 3 weeks) but nothing special happened there. It was nice to be back. I no longer have a babysitter, which means less work for me (if that is even possible).

I guess the only think worth mentioning is that I've noticed the more posts I put up, the less spelling mistakes I make. I guess it's good for something.

365 Day Project

I decided to take Lauren up on her challenge.

However, I am fairly positive you do not want to see 365 days of me! So I am going to do 365 days of random pictures. Things that catch my eye and make me smile.

I was also a day late in starting that blog, but since I took some pictures yesterday, I decided to not let that stop me.

Let's hope I keep the camera charged!

The link is on the side if you want to take a look.

Winter Weather

Those of us in the Northeast have been enjoying above average temperatures.

Today, January 2nd, it reached 49 degrees (by my van's thermometer). What better way to spend the afternoon than a day at the park! So after picking Einey up from school, we spent the next hour and 45 minutes playing at the park. We ran races on the track (and I need to practice because Einey is fast!), played dodge the football and played on the playground.

It's weird because the last few years, I believed anything below 70 was too cold. But it wasn't cold. A bit chilly, but hats and mittens solved that problem. Tomorrow looks to be about the same so I think I will be heading back to the park!

Snow would be nice too. Not alot, but maybe a little.