Keepsake Moments

A week ago, Super Mega Dad awarded me the Keepsake Blog Award. I haven't forgotten, I've just been busy. The sun has finally decided to shine on the East, for a few days at least, now if we can just hit temps above 80 degrees, we'll be all set. Anyway, the day he posted it, we went out for a hike and, you guessed it, played with bugs. Not just any type of bug, but slugs in particular. The girls loved terrorizing them getting real close to them until they pulled their eye stalks in. We didn't bring any home in jars. We actually don't bring any bugs in, they can be jarred, played with and studied, they just have to stay outside. That's not so say we don't get them in the house from the door that's always left wide open.... And then we've been going to the lake to swim. Which is nice because no one ever goes to the lake. It is so peaceful, usually just us and a few friends. And as long as we leave the snake alone, we're all set :)

So, anyway, the rules of this award state, that I need to tell a "keepsake moment" in my life, as well as to pass on the love to some of my fellow bloggers who will probably never see this post because most of them are heading to BlogHer and will just delete the gazillion posts in their blog readers when they return. I'm supposed to come up with ten of them, so here goes.

My keepsake moment goes back to when Moe was born. She was, a complete surprise baby. I found out I was pregnant when Einey turned two and Meenie was 6 months old. I was in shock. And denial. And shock. Even as my belly grew bigger, I still couldn't fathom that I was going to have another baby. To top it off, Moe was breech my whole pregnancy. There was a huge probability that I would not only be bringing a baby home to two very young toddlers, but also be recovering from a c-section. Thankfully the stars aligned and I had a great doctor and no c-section. I remember telling my Husband the day before I went into labor that I couldn't do this. That I wasn't ready. That we couldn't have another baby. But when I met my beautiful daughter three days later (yes, I was in labor for THAT long), it made me forget all my apprehensions. Moe just fit into our family and before long, I couldn't remember what it was like not to have three little one's (that's not to say it was all rainbows and cotton candy, because there were numerous rough patches there).

So that's my keepsake moment, when I realized that everything would be fine. We have three kids and we will survive. And I wouldn't change it for anything!

So now onto the tagging, although really, it's hard to pick just ten.

Clink is just an awesome person - as a photographer, writer, mother and friend. She doesn't post often, but really, with a toddler and new puppy who could blame her. You should check her out, her posts always make me laugh.

Mrs. Chicky is also another great woman. I don't know how she finds time to blog (in multiple places too! And I swear she had a dog blog somewhere but I must have been mistaken) and have so much fun with her beautiful daughters, but she does. I'm sure your already reading her work, because seriously, who isn't?

Mrs. Chicken is also another great writer and mother. She captures life in ways that you can just see and feel. She's also not afraid to say just how tough this motherhood gig is. Hopefully she's getting some much needed R&R this week with the sun and the salt air surrounding her family.

Fairly Odd Mother is an inspiration to me. She's got three kids close in age to my girls. And while many of us New Englanders were going bat-shit crazy with the rain and cool temps, she didn't complain as much. Many of us were counting down the days until school starts again, but not FOM, her kids are home year round. She has to be a saint..... She makes this all just seem so easy!

Letters to Catherine is just an amazing blog. How could it not get a keepsake award? I hope they turn this into a book for sweet baby Catherine. I started reading last June (sorry I don't comment) and was captivated by how strong Katie and Donnie are. Catherine was so very sick, even before she was born. They didn't know how long they would have to spend with her once she was born. Soon Catherine will be one year old! It's been a rough road, but Catherine is so very strong.

Stimey is my next honoree. She writes about Life. Autism. and Gerbils. Her three boys remind me so much of my girls and many of her outings I can picture happening to us. From chasing birds to falling off statues, we've been there before. Funny story semi-relating to Stimey. I was out with friends last week and we were playing an ice breaker type game. One questions was "has a blog". A friend looked at me and says "you have a blog". She is an avid reader of Stimey's and found my blog when Stimey linked about letterboxing. Totally random and just well, unexpected.

Audrey makes up one of the three parts of Mom generations. She has four boys under the age of four, but still seems to have so much energy. Plus, her family rocks. She's writing daily fashion advice for moms right now, so go check her out.

Only three more to go....

Karen is another great read. She is mom to three boys and a birth doula. Seriously, what's cooler then that?

Kate is also another blog I read often. She's in the processes of moving, and even if she states otherwise, seems to have things under control. I remember how much of a pain in the ass it was to move when it was just the two of us, going from apartment to house, I can't ever imagine moving with kids (although hopefully we will in the next 2-5 years). Not only that, it was short notice for Kate.

And last, but not least is......

Suburban dwelling-Sierra. She writes about living in the suburbs with her kids balancing work and home.

Okay, so I just noticed that everyone I chose lives on he East Coast (with the exception of Mrs. Chicken, but she is staying on the EC while this was written, so that should count, right?)

25 Random things

Okay, so I took this from my Facebook page, but I have no clue what to blog about.

Snow days are getting old - there are only so many times I can say the kids are home from school, we went sledding and I baked more cookies, brownies, pancakes or cookie brownies... So here goes. Sorry if you read this already :P

* Wait, actually there are a few changes....

Hum what to share…..

1. I met Husband when I was 14 and married him when I was 19. We are celebrating out 10 year anniversary this fall! We brought our first house at 20 and I had our first child at 21.

2. Over a four year period (from October 2002 – May 2005) I had three surgeries, three babies and numerous ER visits. That was just myself, and does not include visits made by Husband or the girls in that time period.

3. I used to be a perfectionist. It’s taken a long time to realize that hey, you cannot be perfect all the time.

4. I am way too serious. It takes a long time for me to “lighten up”.

5. I have panic/anxiety attacks. They fucking suck. I hate them and hate feeling like I’m letting people down.

6. I graduated second in my class in high school. And was amongst the top in my class in college.

7. Other then motherhood, I’ve never had a full time job.

8. I have no clue what I want to do for a job when Moe go to Kindergarten next year. And it scares me.

9. I was the first (and only) member of my immediate family to go to (and graduate) from college.

10. My three daughters are 33 months apart (18 months between Einey and Meenie and 15 months between Moe and Meenie). Moe was a surprise. A happy surprise.

11. I gave birth to all three with no drugs. I was in labor for Einey for 8 hours, Meenie for 15 minutes and Moe for 45 hours. Thank good she was last. I delivered all of them naturally. Moe was breech. I was not allowed to leave the hospital while in labor with her.

12. I love my inlaws. They are great people. Even so, I tend to make things difficult at time.

13. I have a blog. Lately it’s sucked. I need something to write about.

14. I coach soccer but have never ever played before. It’s a lot of fun. Now none of my kids want to play though.

15. I love spending time outdoors with my family.

16. My family drives me nuts! Seriously.

17. I always count stairs as I walk up them.

18. I tend to volunteer myself for anything when people need help. I’ve finally learned to smile and say “no.” But then I feel bad.

19. *I hate scary movies almost as much as I like them. I think it stems from being brought to see Nightmare on Elm Street when I was four. I remember hiding in my seat in the movie theater the whole movie.

20. I tend to be laid back as a mom. My kids are not involved in a lot of activities, they don’t always wear hats during the winter, they play outside by them selves, watch a lot of TV, run barefoot during the summer and play way to many video games. They are, I think fairly well adjusted and so I’m told, pretty well behaved (the last part, I’m not so sure :P)

21. I didn’t drink coffee until I was pregnant with Moe (which I think is self explanatory). Now I’m hooked, and so is she.

22. I never dreamed I’d be a stay at home mother. Nor that I’d spend many days in an elementary school. But I love watching my kids at school and having lunch with them.

23. As you can tell, my life and who I am pretty much revolves around my family. But I’m okay with that. Even if it makes me slightly boring.

24. I usually read a book in one to two nights. I’m not exaggerating, ask my friends.

25. I would love to have had more kids. Husband, was done way before I was.

I'm not passing it along as I did on Facebook already, but feel free to play along if you want.

The power of six

Motherbumper put this out to anyone interested. Since I've been posting everyday and I'm running low on ideas..... I'm in! Here's the deal:

• Go to your Sixth Picture Folder then pick your Sixth Picture.
• Pray that you remember the details.
• Tag 5 others.

Since I'm really low on space on my hard drive (all my pictures are on CD's except my current one's) my picture will be fairly recent. I tend to categorize pictures by month and then date. I used to be able to get a year's worth of picture's on a Cd. Then six months. Then two months. Now I'm lucky if I get one month. I think I need to get an external hard drive.

So let's see - 2008. My sixth file folder is currently August. And here is the sixth picture:



This picture is of Meenie. it was taken August 2nd (I know - I've dated the pictures) at my parent's house. My parents put in a new pool this summer and I believe it was our first visit over there. I'm pretty sure she was either saying "there's no way I'm going in the pool so take this off" or "I have to go to the bathroom so take this off". Eventually she warmed up to the pool (I think on our second or third visit) and loved swimming around. Einey took to it like a fish to water of course. Moe, I think she screamed every time we dragged her in. Maybe next year....

So, now I'm tagging Binky, Toyfoto, Sci-Fi Dad, Fairly Odd Mother and Stimey.

What's in a name?

My good friend Binky posted this meme the other day and since I'm totally running out of things to write about, I decided to follow the leader on this one. Unless of course, you'd rather me write about all of the items I've recently purchased at Target now that we have one real close. Too close, if you ask me. Or about how Moe made the first letter of her name in poo the other day. * Total talent there.

*No hands were used in the creation of said letter

Lauren tagged me for this meme I was going to steal...

1. ROCK STAR NAME (first pet, current car): Prince Town and Country

2. GANGSTA NAME (fave ice cream flavor, favorite type of shoe): Latte Flip-Flop

3. NATIVE AMERICAN NAME (favorite color, favorite animal): Purple Monkey

4 SUPERHERO NAME (2nd favorite color, favorite drink): Green Banana Daiquiri

5. NASCAR NAME (the first names of your grandfathers): Laurent Lloyd

6. STRIPPER NAME (the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy): Rose Twix

7. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME (your fifth grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter): God, I can't remember, but I'll guess on this one Lavelle Las Vegas

8. SPY NAME (your favorite season/holiday, flower): Autumn Daisy

9. CARTOON NAME (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now): Apple Socks

10. HIPPIE NAME (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree): Muffin Willow

So now I'm passing the game and tagging Jennifer A., Clink, and C Sierra.

Where were you when?

I totally stole this Meme from Kikarose. She twittered that she wanted other to play along and since I don't have anything constructive to write about this week (I'm sure you don't want to hear about how Moe cried going to preschool again today or how I cleaned out my playroom and tossed 1 giant bag of garbage and three bags of toys or how I've been moving plants around in my yard - dividing them and moving them to better spots). Right? So where was I?

Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster - January 28, 1986
I was in first grade. I remember sitting in the middle school band room watching it with the other first graders. We were sitting on the stair floors and watching it on an old TV. I remember we were all talking and then it got quite. One of the teachers shut the TV off and someone turned the lights back on. That's all I remember though.

The Oklahoma City Bombing - April 19, 1995
It was my freshman year of high school, so I must have been in class somewhere. I think maybe history? I don't know, but I remember there was an announcement made over the intercom.

Princess Diana's Death - 31 August 1997
I honestly don't remember.

Attack on the Twin Towers - 11 September 2001
I was still sleeping when the first plane hit. I remember waking up, and turning the computer on. I remember noticing headlines about a plane hitting the tower, but when I clicked it, the link was dead. I remember Husband calling and asking me if I heard what happened. When I said no, he told me what happened. I remember trying to get a hold of my in-laws - it was their anniversary and they had mentioned wanting to go into NYC to the Statue of Liberty and Twin Towers that day. I remember finally reaching them. They woke up late (8am ish) and decided they weren't going to go after all. I remember getting back in touch with Husband. I remember wondering when he'd be home - his site became locked down - no one in, no one out. Even though it was the start of his shift, they didn't know when they'd be relieved. I remember driving to find my niece - her husband was in the national guard. She couldn't get a hold of him either. I remember driving to my mom's house. I remember my sister arriving. I remember the three of us sitting on a bed just watching the news all day long. I remember hold my stomach - my Einey - and wondering just what type of world I was bringing my child into. I didn't want it to be like that, like it is now. I remember Husband calling as often as he could, asking for updates. I remember him finally calling and saying he was coming home - they got relief. I remember going home.

Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster - February 1, 2003
I don't know where I was. If I had to guess - I would have to say I was at my best friends house with Einey and best friend R playing. I may even have been napping as I was in the middle of a very tough pregnancy.

7th Harry Potter Book is Released - 21 July 2007
This was easy - I was asleep.

Michael Phelps Wins His 8th Gold Medal - August 16, 2008
I was on the couch trying not to fall asleep. I feel asleep shortly after. IN fact, I nodded off during the race (well just prior) and woke up moments before he hit the finish line.

If you've reached this far, consider yourself tagged. Leave a comment and I'll stop by!

Today, Addy awarded me this award. I am very happy to accept this award and of course, pass it on. The following are seven blogs that I look for in my feed reader. The first two ladies are new mothers to their second children - both boys. I remember those days well of having a toddler in the house and a new baby. The third blog is a mother of two, who writes about work and home and for her, how both sometimes mix. The fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh blogs are moms of boys, in which, I get to glimpse the unknown. Take some time to stop by and visit them if you get a chance.

24/7
Chicken and Cheese
Ittybits and Pieces
Slouching Past 40
Needs New Batteries
Stimyland
Formula Fed and Flexible Parenting

As always ladies, pass it on to seven others, link back, add the button, and let those you send it to know.

Ten More Things About Me

Along time ago - well maybe not that long, but long enough, FOM from Fairly Odd Mother reached out and touched me for this meme.

Here are the VIR (very important rules):

· Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.

· Share five random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog. Then, share the five top places on your “want to see or want to see again” list.

· Tag a minimum of five random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment in their blog.

So, here we go:

Random and/or Weird Facts about Whirlwind:

1. I am the first person in my immediate family (Husband excluded) who has not only gone to college, but graduated with a degree. That degree, however, really isn’t helping me right now.

2. I am a mommy. Sounds obvious, right? But I am a mommy in the sense that my kids come first. Most of our activities and schedules revolve around them. That’s not to say that I put my Husband behind them (I don’t) but we try to schedule around them. It does, however, mean that I will never have a career. Sure, I’ll have a job at some point (once Moe is in school sometime) but it’s not going to be one of those soul-stealing, married to your job type deals. It will be one where I can be there for my kids when they need me and so I won’t have to rely on other to raise my kids. (sorry if that sounds to sancti-mommy-ish).

3. I was (still am?) a tom-boy. I had more male friends because I couldn’t relate to the girls (I didn’t care about clothes, hair, make-up and giggling at boys). It was easier to have real friendships with boys than superficial friendships with other females. Now as an adult, I have many female friends. It’s easier once you get past high school!

4. I have dimples in my shoulders. They are kind of unique. My dad has them and so does Moe. I’ve had plenty of people comment on them.

5. I tend to over analyze things which cause me to have mild panic attacks. It’s part of some unconscious drive for perfectionism. It’s what drove me to be a straight A student all through school. It wasn’t until after I graduated college that I realized I don’t have to be perfect. I can fuck up and the world will not end. I try to show the girls that yes, I make mistakes and that as long as they try their hardest we will be proud of them.

Places I'd like to visit/revisit:

1. St. Thomas. We went there on our honeymoon almost 9.5 years ago. It was everything I expected and then some. White sand beaches, incredible banana daiquiris (seriously, nothing can compare!), and incredible scenery. A trip to nearby St. John’s for some time on some private beaches is a great escape.

2. Hawaii. It’s one place I’ve always wanted to visit.

3. England. I’ve always been intrigued by the countryside and of course, Stonehenge! And of course, I’d love to visit London. “Look big Ben. Look Big Ben. Look Big Ben.”

4. Australia. Everything about it interests me. I’d love to spend a few weeks there. Of course, the plane ride’s a killer!

5. Belize. A friend sent me a link to a place in Belize the visited and it looks amazing. Ruins, rain forest, beaches. What more can you ask for?

Now. . .who to tag, who to tag?
Jane @ Pinks and Blue Girls, Stimey @ Stimeyland, WhyMommy @ ToddlaerPlanet, Karen @ Needs New Batteries and that's it. What, that's only four? Didn't you read that I'm giving up trying to be perfect.

And for those of you new here, be sure to look at 5 other things about me (and about the girls) Coincidentally, the girls parts are still pretty much all still relevant today.

Tagged (Again)

I was tagged again - this time for a 5 things... meme by Jenifer of Everybody Loves Raymond (well some maybe) on her way back into the blogosphere.

THE 5 THINGS MEME

5 things in your refrigerator.

1. A bag of cherries which have been in there for a long, long time. (I think from Meenie's family birthday party about a month ago) Apparently the girls do not like cherries. Either that or I am to lazy to cut the pits out of them. Either way, I think I need to throw them away.
2. A half gallon of milk (and I swear I just brought it). I think I need to invest in a cow- it would probably be cheaper.
3. Cream cheese and sour cream for the super yummy cappachino cupcakes I'm making for a party this weekend.
4. Husband's bar of chocolate from God knows when. And I was nice enough not to eat it on him.
5. Three and a half dozen eggs - because they were buy one get two free last week.

5 things in your closet (I'll do husband's closet because it's in our room. I actually share the closet in Einey and Meenies room).

1. A Darth Vader voice changer mask.
2. A really big super soaker.
3. A pirate costume and sword
4. Rolls of wall paper that have yet to be hung on the walls.
5. A Gargantuan Blue Dragon and Gargantuan Black Dragon

5 things in your purse or backpack

1. Pictures of the girls
2. Raffle tickets for a school function I have yet to sell (yeah we get them over the summer as well).
3. Tickets from the Wiggles 2005 concert.
4. My cell phone (and Husband's cell phone).
5. Tokens to the local grocery store.

5 things in your car

1. Two bicycles with training wheels (plus helmets), a soccer ball, bunch of kites, three folding chairs (2 adult and one child) and a stroller.
2. A few changes of clothes (mostly Moe's, I need to put more in for the other girls).
3. A bag of pasta that I need to drop off at the local food pantry.
4. A box of individually wrapped crackers and cheese for when the kids get hungry while we are out. Dubbed the snack bucket, but there isn't much of a variety yet.
5. My beach bag (which we use every day). Contents include a life jacket, two towels, a gazillion pairs of swim goggles, two pairs of water wings, three bottles of sunblock, s container of baby powder, a sand pail with shovel, lots of sand and a comb.

5 things in the world you want to see before you die

1. My grandchildren and even (hopefully but no too soon) great-grand children.
2. Victoria Falls
3. Australia
4. Europe
5. World Peace

I guess it is now my turn to tag 5 of you to participate...

So let's see, I'll go out on a limb and choose....

My fellow New England Mamas (yeah I choose all of you!)
and
Nate (because well, I can't ever comment there!)

Tag, I'm It !

I've been Tagged by Angela at Gram's Memory Keeping Corner

The idea of this meme is to list 8 Random facts about yourself.

Here are the rules, first.

1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.

2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.

3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.

4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose people to get tagged and list their names.

5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

Random Fact #1
I started wearing glasses when I was three years old. I have horrible eyesight and a really bad astigmatism. When I was 16, I begged and pleaded to get contacts. I still wear them and love them.

Random Fact #2
In high school, I was a geek. And I was very overweight. Despite that, I was captain of my schools cheer leading squad my senior year. And also named All-star for my school. I graduated second in a class of about 110.

Random Fact #3
I met and started dating Husband when I was 14. He was 17. We got married when I was 19 and have been very happy ever since. It has been almost 8 years!

Random Fact #4
I grew up in a lower income family. We didn’t have much, but we had each other. My parents were always able to provide for us, and even got us stuff we didn’t need. I never really appreciated the sacrifices they made for us. Despite that, I went to college and have an A.S. degree. I plan on going back when the kids are older, but I am not sure what for yet.

Random Fact #5
Sometimes I fake being asleep so Husband has to get up with the kids.

Random Fact #6
Outside of being a full-time SAHM, I have never held a full-time job. Never even a real part-time job. I have worked 40 hour weeks doing summer jobs and per diem. But never an actual job with benefits. This has been because I have never really needed to.

Random Fact #7
My family could star in their own soap opera. Not Husband and the girls, but the family I grew up with. You can’t live with them, you can’t live without them!

Random Fact #8
I loved being pregnant. If I could, I would have more kids. My best friend once asked how many kids I wanted (when Einey was an infant) and I told her six (remember that?). If I had enough space and more money, I would have a ton more kids. Maybe spaced out a little better, because three in under three years is hard! Real Hard. But Husband went ahead and drew the line at three.

That is the end of my Random Facts.

Now, I tag:

Binky @ 24/7 (when she is finished her move)

Mrs. Chicky @ Chicky, Chicky Baby (when she’s back from Vacation

FOM @ Fairly Odd Mother

Sassy Girl @ Our Jubulation

Ryan @ Ryan’s Calamity

Toyfoto @ Itty Bits and Pieces

Real Moms let their kids watch TV...

Courtesy of Kristen's Real Moms Meme, in search of the Real Mom Truth.

Brought to me by Binky.

Real moms know the power of TV.


Real moms know that TV isn't all bad. Real moms know what it takes if they want to:
hit the bathroom in peace,
get some chores done,
spend some quality time with their husband before older kids come home,
relax by the computer, reading blogs and drinking a latte,
cook supper,
take a bath without having company.....
the list goes on....

What else can distract a toddler so that you can get things done? It can even be educational, if you pop in Baby Einstein, Leap Pads Letter factory, TMBG: Here come the ABC's and many others.

I tag:
Mrs. Chicken
Toyfoto
Mom- 101

unless of course, you've already been tagged, in that case.
Shit, I've got nothing.