T minus three days

What's in three days you ask? Why the grand blog-opening of the new and improved New England Mamas blog of course. Posts by us mama's from up here in New England. Don't worry, it's not all about the chowder ;)

So be sure to stop by on Monday. We're even giving away free stuff! I'm not sure what types of goodies we are giving away, but I do know you could win some of these. And they are so totally awesome. Or wait, maybe you shouldn't go. Um yeah. Then I can just keep these for myself. I need some more anyway. So yeah, Monday, what ever you do, don't visit here.

See you Monday!

WooHoo...

Were done, finished, kaput. The end has come!

Our days of diapers in this house are gone!

Moe has come off a week long spell of being diaper free at night. She wakes up and goes potty when she needs to and then goes back to bed.

I never thought I'd see this day.

And I couldn't be happier!

Strange, Strange Child

I've always known Einey is a tad strange.

Yesterday during dinner, while she was complaining about the tiny pile of carrots, green beans, corn and peas on her plate, she was telling us about the radishes and onions she ate at school.

So while I have a child who will not eat "normal" veggies: peas, carrots, green beans, tomatoes or corn (unless its on the cob), I have a child whose favorites include: radishes, onions, spinach, broccoli and cauliflower.

Not that I'm complaining....

Let's talk turkey....

No, not here. Over here!

Pictures with Santa

Today I took the girls to have their pictures taken with Santa. I haven't done formal pictures since Einey was a baby but since we are not going to our normal breakfast with Santa, this may be the girls only chance to see Santa up close this year. The girls were all excited. They were all talking about how much they liked Santa and Moe even was telling me "I love Santa" in the car.

Now "Santa" reads this blog. He knows full well about Moe the mischief maker. He was prepared to talk to her about her misdeeds and confirm our threats of finding a rotten onion under the tree. Only he didn't get the chance. Moe walked in, looked at him and then once we went up close, she started bawling her eyes out. He of course, felt bad that she cried so much that he didn't offer her threats of rotten onions. Instead, he sent her away with a candy cane and a kiss.

Once I got her calmed down, I had to hold her on my knee to have her picture taken. So I was kneeling next to Santa with Moe on my knee, Einey was in his lap and Meenie standing next to him. The photographer was great, once she got a few shots with me in them, I was able to lean waaaaaaaaaaay out of the picture so you won't even know I was there.

The day after....

As of right now, Husband is coming off of a 12 hour shift at work (minus the hour commute) and where is he? He's standing in line at Best Buy waiting to get my Christmas present. At one point he called and said he was just going to come home and pay what ever the cheapest he could find it for online, just to get out of the line. Then his carpool buddy managed to snag the item - I guess from nagging the person behind the counter at the front of the line. God I love this man!

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Last night I posted about some of the things I was thankful for. Today, while those are still in my mind, I will be attended the funeral services of the girl's cousin. She was 17 days old and it just doesn't seem fair. They knew awhile ago about the twins - and a host of problems with them. She's been on hospitalized bed rest for months at the only hospital with a pediatric heart surgeon - they knew one of the twins had a hole in her heart. Even with all of this, they just couldn't save her. I don't know what to say to the mother - a mother who lost one of her babies while I have three happy, healthy daughters.

Thanksgiving

Today we sat around the table eating the traditional Thanksgiving fare (turkey, mashed potatoes, squash, sweet potatoes, gravy, biscuits, peas, and pie) - our third such meal in three days. We celebrated dinner with the in-las before Husband had to rush to work. After dinner, and Husband's departure, we headed up to my parents house to visit and for dessert.

I am thankful for my three healthy, happy daughters, for my loving Husband. I am thankful for being able to stay home with my children (even with the high cost of everything lately). I am thankful for all my wonderful friends and family members.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Kidisms

This morning was full of mischief. Thankfully, not the messy kind. It started off like most mornings, the girls waking up, using the bathroom and getting themselves dressed followed by going downstairs to watch TV while I wake myself up (read, lie in bed for a bit longer...). Only this morning, the phone rang so the girls answered it. I heard Einey tell her Mema "Mommy's still in bed, so I'm in charge". A few minutes later when I went downstairs and they were still talking, I heard her again say I was upstairs.

After that, since it was still early, they asked if they could watch a movie before school. After telling them they could, Meenie hands me "Life with Brian" and informs me she'd like to watch that since they haven't watched it before.

After convincing them they'd rather watch TMBG: Here comes the ABC's , I heard Einey forcing her sisters to sit down and repeat after TMBG so they could learn their ABC's. I believe her exact quote was "You're going to sit down and learn your ABC's. Now repeat after them. Do it now." This all came along after Einey heard Meenie reciting her ABC's only saying k, k instead of j,k. One little letter....

In the mail...

Earlier this week, the we got a small package in the mail. At first, I was a tad confused, it was stamped from Canada and I couldn't place any recent orders from there. More confusing was it was addressed to me. I'm used to Husband and his packages from all over the world, but never for me. Upon opening it, I found some postcards for each of the girls (they LOVE postcards!) and some small Canadian treats. Einey claimed a wallet, Meenie and key chain (look Mom, it has a leaf AND a moose!) and Moe a little ball. It took me a bit but I finally realized it was from the 31 for 21 blog swap prize. Thank you Gabe for the sweet gifts. The girls loved them!

If I can locate all the items from the girls secret spots, I'll post pictures. I didn't think to snap a few before they divided up the goodies!

Thanksgiving and Christmas cards

I cannot believe it's that time of the year already. Thanksgiving is one week away, ONE WEEK, and I still don't know what my plans are. Husband is working nights so we'll see him a few hours before he goes in. We were going to celebrate the day before, but I have jury duty and he has the honor of attending the Thanksgiving dinner put on by Meenie's preschool class. It seems like this year, he's spending alot of time back at school. Two weeks ago, he accompanied Einey's class on a field trip (while I was in the preschool class) and then had lunch with her. Today, he's having Thanksgiving dinner with EIney (I cannot go as we didn't have a sitter). On one hand, I'm glad he's involved. On the other hand, I want to share these moments with the girls as well, but I know I just cannot be there for everything.

Anyway, back to Thanksgiving. We've had offers from both our parents, but it just isn't the same without everyone. We will probably end up cooking or turkey and all the fixings this weekend to have our family dinner.

And after Thanksgiving, Christmas come sup quick. I think I am more excited this year than I have been in years past. This is the first Christmas since Einey's birthday six years ago that Husband has not had to work. The first time that we can celebrate on that day and not a few days earlier/later. The girls are big enough that I cannot wait for Christmas morning. Now the big dilemma is picking out the gifts!

Monday, the girls didn't have school, so I dragged them out into the woods to do an impromptu photo shoot. All the pictures I have of them together, some one is making a silly face or they just don't look natural. I had high expectations, yet at the same time, didn't expect much. I know them and know how stubborn they can be. And it seemed like I was right when we got there and Einey starts complaining "I'm cold" (did I mention it was 32 degree's and all they had on were jeans and fleece jackets?), "I don't want to do this" and "I'm not going past that picnic table". As I led them onto the trail, I told them to pick out whatever log,tree,rock space they wanted for the pictures. Before long, they were laughing and smiling (naturally!) and I had plenty of great shots. Now I had the dilemma of picking out just one for our Christmas cards. So now our Christmas cards or ordered (and printed on on the way here) and I am so glad that is one less thing I need to do.

So now the cards are finished, I just need to address them. Maybe I'll bring them to jury duty and use that time to kill that task. What's next?

Fat Santa

Santa has always been a jolly old elf. An elf who snacks on cookies and milk. He's fat. There's no other way to put it.

There is also no denying that there is an epidemic of obese children in the US. Most of this is attributed to a sedentary lifestyle and convenience foods or meals on the run. I know as a parent, I always worry about the girls, despite their pediatrician's assurance that they are "just fine".

[To read more of this story, click here...]

When toys are to dangerous...

You've all seen half of my playroom. Like many other households in the US, I've had my recent purge of lead tainted toys. Since the girls had outgrown the toys anyway, I opted not to "sell" them back to the manufacturer. Instead, I just tossed them.

So with Christmas right around the corner, a mere 46 days away, I need to start thinking about what to get the girls. While I'm not ready to boycott every Chinese made toy (Husband would kill me if he couldn't get his plastic-crack in) because the girls are not willing to part with their My Little Ponies or Little Pet Shops.

Our big plan is to get the girls a Wii. I mean, so far there have been no reports of Lead painted Wii's. And I'm pretty sure they won't be licking the disks. I guess the only thing we would have to worry about is visual induced seizures or couch potato syndrome.

As for Moe, I'd love to build this kitchen set. I've had the plans saved for about 3 years now but just haven't found the motivation to build it.

This post was written for the Parent Blogger Network's Friday Blog Blast with conjunction with the Consumer's Network for the theme: Getting the Lead Out.

For a completely un toy game Moe discovered with normal everyday items, click here. It's at the bottom.

Going Green

I'm not one of these people who is a complete environmental nut-job. I'm also not one who is careless. I tend to be in the middle. So I think it surprised Husband when I told him I wanted some of the reusable grocery bags.

I had one or two that were given to me by the local grocery store when they started carrying them, but they don't fold real well and tend to take up alot of space. But I was getting so sick of the mounds of plastic bags that accompanied me home from every shopping trip. I hate how it seems like you end up with 10 bags for 15 items. Seriously, would it hurt to bag things together. So when I came across these bags:


I had to order them. They came in the other day and I can already say I love them! I used two last night to bring home what probably would have been at least a four bag trip to the store. They were light enough that I could carry them both in at the same time. And the best part is, they roll up into little rolls and can easily fit back into their carrying pouch. The pouch with all five bags easily fits into my purse, so I no longer have the excuse that I forgot them at home.

When UPS first arrived with them, Husband remarked on how small they were. He pulled one roll out and again commented on their tiny size. As he unrolled them, he changed his mind and said "I guess they are not that small". Then he wished me luck on folding it back up. Not only did I fold it right, but I did it again two more times. Yes, I can see, it's going to be fun shopping from now on.

In fact, I am already thinking of attempting to make myself a few more. After all, I did only purchase five. And I'm not quite sure where I put mine from the grocery store (although with it's size, it shouldn't be hard to find...).

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Around the same time I purchased these, I also picked up a lunchbox for Husband. Since we will no longer have piles of plastic around, I figured he'd need something else to carry his lunch in. The girls already have reusable lunch boxes as well as sandwich keepers.

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One thing Husband and I have remarked about the house that we like is it would be so easy to convert to solar. It already has the forced air heating system. We have been spoiled with this house. We moved in and it already had a solar system as it's primary heating source. It's saved us a ton, and we don't have to worry about oil or gas costs. The system itself is a tad old though, so the panels are a bit bulky (not that we spend much time up on our roof admiring them). And it only provides heat, not electricity. Our next house (whether we buy or build) we'd like to outfit with solar panels to provide both heat and electricity.

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Psst. The New England Mama's blog has moved. You can now find us here. So update your feeds and come visit. We don't bite.

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If you like those totes, keep watching. Someone may have brought two and may be using them for an upcoming contest. More about that later....

Fleeting moments

After dinner tonight, we settled down to watch a little bit of Harold and the Purple Crayon. About halfway through, Moe climbed up into my lap and started to relax. As she snuggled in close to me, I could see her little hands slowly moving. It was as she was kneading something soft. She buried her head against my chest, and all I could smell was the fruitiness of her hair. It's moments like these where I want them to stay little forever. For Moe and I, it was a fleeting moment as she is usually way to busy to just sit with her mom. I'm glad I got to sit with her for just a few moments and hope she will crawl up onto my lap again soon.

Uncaged

I knew this day would come. And while I am glad that it has come later rather than sooner, it still vastly affects my routine. Yes, Moe has learned how to climb out of her crib. At 3.2 years old, I know I have been lucky thus far. Her sisters were out of the crib much earlier than she.

But it really is a pain in the royal tush. Now at 6 am, in stead of listing to her play/talk quietly in her bed, I her her bump and then make her way to the bathroom all the while loudly exclaiming "I have to pee". The I feel a little warm body squeeze her way onto my bed twisting and turning, poking and prodding. No longer can I steal a few last moments of sleepy bliss.

Normally, while taking the time to shower, I would put her in her crib. Now she climbs out and feels the need to A) either join me (I don't lock the door so I can hear what they are doing), B) make as big of a mess as she can or C) tries to "talk" on the phone.

And nap time is the worst. She has stopped napping a month or so ago, but I would still put her in her crib for quiet time so I can actually, you know get house work completed. Or cook dinner. Work in the garden/yard without her running into the road. Now she just climbs out and either comes downstairs or goes into her sister's room and disturbs her. Meenie doesn't nap, but she knows enough to either sit on her bed with a book or quietly play with her pony's. Moe doesn't have that self discipline to sit (or do anything) quiet. Hence the reason she's still in a crib.

Oh well, what cn you do. They have to grow up sometime.

Cleaning up is hard to do...

I've been getting real frustrated lately. It is like pulling teeth around here trying to get anyone to clean up. Sure it takes 2.5 seconds to pull off all the toys from the toy shelves, but more like 5 hours of me arguing and yelling and bribing them to clean it back up. Sure it would take a fraction of that time if I just did it myself, but I hate it. I'm already cleaning enough, and it's their responsibility to clean up their own messes. Nothing seems to work. I try and I try to have them take one thing out at a time, but the second I am out of the room washing the dishes or folding laundry, they completely destroy whatever room they are in. I dread Christmas because I know they are going to get a TON more toys.

And it's not just the playroom. I seem to be cleaning off my computer desk and kitchen counters daily. Yet the moment I turn away, they are covered in stuff. Papers, dishes, fruit peels, pencils, hair paraphernalia. You name it, it's there.

Any ideas? Suggestions?

What the playroom should look like when it's clean.

After Halloween Wrap-Up.....

Here are a few things I learned this year:

1) It's nice to be able to see the kids while trick-or-treating. This delayed time change made that possible.

2) Never give a little pirate a sword. Even a foam sword. They will use it to hit their siblings, other kdis and little furry animals.

3) When traveling in a group (7 kids and 4 adults) never expect the bigger kids to wait for the younger one's. They know whats going on and the faster you get them done, the more houses you can hit.

4) Never buy your 6 year old daughter a 3 foot long wig. It will not stay on her head and end up being carried half the time.

5) Teach your kids to say "Trick or Treat" and "Thank You" not "Trick or Treat, small my feet."

6) Let them know that Halloween is the only time it's acceptable to see bloodied body parts all over someone's lawn.

7) Never leave the temp. tattoos out overnight. You will wake up with kids who have tattooed their faces AND water all over your floor.

8) Teach them to disregard that the other 364 days of the year, they are not allowed to talk to strangers, let alone take candy from them or ring their doorbells.

9) Never leave the candy down. You will wake up to kids who have fed themselves breakfast already.

Above all, have fun and get candy.