In Training....

Husband introduced Einey to his favorite hobby this past weekend. He ran her through a dungeon, delve style. Capturing the treasure was the objective, which she completed with her whole party left. Her party members were a Dwarf Sargent, Elf Warsinger and Dragonmarked Heir.

They started off with her coming down the stairs into the first level of the dungeon. She decides to take the passage to the left. Through the first door, and she spies a statue in the corner.

"Mom, what do I do?"

"Do you see it moving"

"It's a statue, it doesn't move"

"Just ask."

"Is it moving?"

"DM: Roll your D20" 14. "You see it blink it's eyes".

Einey picks up the piece to inspect it.

"Use your imagination honey"

"Now what"

"Shoot it"

After two rounds, she made her first kill and defeated the Gargoyle in the corner.


Her next encounter was a Sorcerer and his "pet rat". She took out the rat first, with a little help as she tried to "target" her party members with her fire and ice spells.

Next up was some dragons? And lastly was a troll at the entrance of the Treasure Room. She defeated the troll and claimed the treasure. She leveled up her characters picking a +1 to attack bonus for the dwarf and Dragonmarked and a second cure spell for the Elf.

Some things I observed with Einey were she was adding her own dice rolls to the bonuses on the cards (much quicker than some older players we have played with), she was reading the correct information off the cards (i.e. dmg) as she went along in the game and she knew if she rolled over the AC. They both seemed to have alot of fun playing! As she walked into different parts of the dungeon, she would chant "I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid"! I really wish i had a video camera to capture "her first game".

Husband made up this adventure as he went along, but has already started to plan the next one.

Photo Hunt Saturday - Salty

When I think salty, I think of the ocean. We took these pictures of some tide pools last summer (Atlantic Ocean). Whenever we go to the ocean, we always try to find some tide pools - you never know what you are going to find in them! We love just searching through the pools. These two pictures have just some sea snails and baby mussels.

Snails!

Mussels!

Miss Independence...

This week, Einey has entered a new phase in life. She is trying to carve out an inch of independence in this crazy household. She shares a room with her sister, while Moe has the room to her self. As Moe gets older and sleeps regularly through the night (she still on occasion, wakes up which is common in toddlers). Eventually ,we will probably reverse the sleeping situation, giving Einey, as firstborn, a room to herself. However, with three bedrooms and 5 people living in this house, some of us have to share.

At a friend's house the other day, Einey saw a sign on her friends door which read "Get Owt of My Room". The sign was put up to deter his two younger sisters, neither of whom were at the reading age, from entering his room. As the only boy in a four child home, he earned that single room.

This morning, after dropping Einey off at school, I noticed this note she left on the Magna Doodle:


The fact that she has to share her room has not deterred her from trying to keep the others out. The fact that she does not have a door on her bedroom has not deterred her from making a sign. The fact that her sisters cannot read has not deterred her. The fact that she told me after school, that she only one's one of her sisters to stay out hasn't deterred her.

As other friends are dealing with their children learning new words, and thus asserting their independence, we are entering the need for privacy phase.

There is a whole world to explore out there and she is one step closer to being ready to explore it alone.

Snow Day

Yesterday was one of the most relaxing, fun days we've had in a long time. Laughing and smiles were on every face for the majority of the day. There was no screaming, yelling, hitting, or little monsters to be found.

What made yesterday different from the rest? Einey had a snow day from school and Husband happened to be home as well. We mad e big breakfest and got ready mid morning. Then we took the kids to a nearby school to go sledding. What I thought would be a quick outing cut short by cries of "I'm cold" lasted close to 1 1/2 hours. It ended in a few tears but the were tears of "I don't want to leave". But it was lunch time and nap time and mom and dad (who don't have snow pants) were getting cold.

We all took turns going down the hill in the sleds. Husband and I switched of sliding with Moe while the two older girls went down on their own and trekked back up the hill. We had normal sleds and a thin, plastic on you are supposed to kneel on. It ended up with a huge tear in it, but Meenie still used it anyway. It was her favorite one! At one point, I was laying down on that sled and going down the hill with Meenie on my back! I haven't been sledding in close to 13 years. I forgot how much fun it was. And work too. My arms were killing me after that work out. From holding onto the sled to running across the field pulling the kids.

We came home and sipped hot cocoa with marshmallows with our meal. It was the best day we've had in a long time!

Today's project is going to be building a snowman when Einey gets out of school.

The Good and the Bad...

I could have killed Husband this morning. And if he were home, I probably would have considered hurting him.

Husband's hobby is painting. He paints fantasy figures as a hobby (picture little statues smaller than the Little Pet Shop toys ~25mm for those of you who can picture it). Apparently he's pretty good, because people from all over the world hire him to paint for them. Actually, he is pretty good if you look at the amount of detail on them.

Anyway, he keeps his paint in a bucket and brings it downstairs at night so he can paint while watching TV. During the day, the paint is supposed to be upstairs, in the hobby room attached to our bedroom so it is out of the way. The last few nights, what does he do? He leaves it sitting downstairs in the living room. Yesterday, Moe took a bottle of green paint and dumped it into the palette that was sitting on his painting table. No harm done except to the green paint. This morning, apparently she was trying to dump the brown paint into the palette. Only she had the palette sitting on the couch. And it spilt. All over the couch. Did I mention the couch isn't very old? And was now covered in paint?

Somehow I managed to blot all of the paint off the couch. The cushion was much worse than the couch. But I put that in the sink and continuously ran water over it while blotting and squeezing. I'm not sure how I did it, but I believe I got it all out.

The couch is brown with red and green. The paint was also brown, but a very light/bright brown.

At least it came out.

Photo Hunt Saturday

This week's them is soft. While I could think of many things that were soft, one thing kept coming up in my mind. Nothing is softer than the blankets and stuffed animals in Moe's bedroom. I decided to peek into her crib and take a picture of what was in there. Today she had two fleece blankets (which are super soft and warm), the Grinch (who is also very soft) and piglet (again, very soft). Sometimes I wish I could curl up with some of the stuff in her bed.

100th Post and other Random bits

Okay, so technically this is my 102nd post, but have I told you before how I'm always late? Well there's no exception to that rule here!

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I swear I have the cleanest toddler on the block. You can't even think about taking a shower without Moe climbing in before you. She is constantly obsessed with bathing. If she spills water on her self, she tells you "dirty, need bath". You mention bath and she's naked and in the shower before you make it up there. As a result, I have been bathing at night while she is asleep just to have privacy.

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I posted a picture last night on my other blog but decided to throw up the challenge here.

So just what is on your computer desk? Mine is a bit messy at the moment, but normally, I try to keep it organized. Currently, I have games, the printer, the scanner, 2 digital cameras, books, toys, diaper rash powder, a watch, sippy cups, a phone, a brush, pictures, CD's, a Gameboy homework and dice. Plus tons of assorted papers. I really try to keep it clean, but sometimes, it just doesn't work! Anyway, post links to pictures and/or descriptions in my comment and I'll come check out your work area.

edit: The picture is different as with some of the pictures on my photo blog. For some reason, I lost half my pictures today and had to find some. They may not be the same version of the one's I had posted.

New Camera

Okay guys, I need some suggestions. We are actually finally looking to get a new digital camera. I want a SLR type.

I look at everyone's pictures and have been dreaming of a new camera for so long! We are currently using a Sony 2.oMB that we got over 5 years ago! Don't get me wrong, it's seen us through many events. The birth of all three girls, school plays, weddings and adventures! It's time for an upgrade. We do alot of nature photography as well as people. So what are your suggestions?

What I accomplished while Husband was away

Husband has been away in DC since Wednesday. He attended a gaming conference, where I am told he had alot of fun.

While he was gone, I managed to do a few things around the house.

1). Let daughter miss her first day of school. But she was sick and it was only 2.5 hours.

2). Have the dishes washed every night, although I have no one to prove it.

3). Fixed the toilet that has been broke for about 10 months. If I knew it was only a 5 minute Job and so easy, I would have done it back then instead of waiting for him.

4). Re framed a bunch of pictures which had been knocked down and had the glass broken. Also have them hung back up on the wall.

5). Rehung the mirror in Einey and Meenie's room that I have been waiting on Husband to hang. Almost as long as I was waiting on the toilet to be fixed.

6). Hung some pictures of the girls in our bedroom. Although they are about 3 years old. And there's none of Moe. But we have been working on painting and wallpapering the room for a looong time (who has time to paint and wallpaper?) so I can't blame this one on him.

7). Cleared the ice off the steps so I don't fall on my ass leaving the house. I couldn't find any ice melt (because, who carries it when you actually need it?). I accomplished this by pouring hot water on the steps and then shoveling the sludge away. Then I put a crap load of dirt down.

8). Washed and folded (and even put away) almost all of the laundry.

9). Moved some toys around. The kitchen set, which has been unused for months, was moved from Einey/Meenie's room to Moe's room. The dishes and food which was in the playroom also got moved upstairs to Moe's room. Then all three of them promptly played with it for hours.

And now I am letting the girls stay up late watching a movie. I want them to sleep in tomorrow morning!

I'm afraid of...

Peanut Butter. And not because of the Salmonella outbreak plaguing some manufacturers. But because of Moe. Moe came walking in the room with two fist fulls of peanut butter and a face covered in the gooey mess. At this point, I am more scared of the contamination of two year old fingers than of Salmonella.

Photo Hunt Saturday - Antique

This week's theme, antique was difficult for me. The two pictures I found are the closest I could come to the theme. The first is a replica town clock.


The second is a mansion in Newport. While not exactly an antique, it was something I thought could loosely fit the theme.

Feeling better

I am a perfectionist and hate when we have to miss anything. The bad mom in me said send her in. The good mom said let her stay home. She has until Tuesday to recover and it's only 2.5 hours!

Einey is feeling much better. I felt bad as she couldn't go to school on Thursday due to being sick all day Wednesday. I actually almost sent her in anyway as they only had a 2.5 hour school day. They had a 1/2 day scheduled and ended up with a 90 minute delay due to weather. They were going to have their Valentine's Day party and probably just free play the rest of the time. But when I went out to start the van, it was covered in a solid 1.5 inch thick layer of ice. I tried leaving it run for awhile but it wasn't helping much. I finally said screw it and went back inside. She shouldn't have gone in anyway. Plus, with her feeling sick, did I really want her eating party junk? I sent in her valentine's earlier in the week, so her friends got them Thursday. She'll get her bag when she goes back on Tuesday.

I moved the van into the sun to try and melt the ice. Today, I had to go out and chip away what was left. I don't think I have ever removed ice so thick from my vehicle before. My driveway is covered in ice. I had to throw dirt down on the steps to give us some traction. I hope when Husband comes back from his trip, he grabs some ice melt to do the stairs, even with the dirt, they are a slip and fall waiting to happen.

Anyway, we are surviving well without Husband home. He seems to be having fun and we can't wait to see him Sunday!

Happy Valentine's Day...

I hope yours is going better than mine.

I kissed hubby goodbye at 10:30 am and sent him on his merry way. He's heading to DC for the weekend to a gaming con with some friends. At precisely 10:45 am, Einey started to puke. And puke she has since then. I was slightly amused at first - it came up bright pink and seemed somewhat fitting for the day (powdered donuts and strawberry milk).

So here I am sitting in a virus infested house with the kids. We are getting low on milk (I may have to ration it).

There was no school today due to the ice and snow that fell last night. So daughter will not be going to school tomorrow. Which means she has 6 days off. Plenty of time to rest.

I had to cancel having friends over Friday night to keep me company as I don't want to infect anyone else.

I brought some new sleds last night hoping to use them this weekend, but as of right now, we have about 1/2 inch of snow and the rest is ice. Not enough to use the sleds.

Last night, husband and I went out to a nice quiet dinner. Alone. It was very relaxing. After that, we stopped and picked up some flowers. Just a mixture bouquet, which I prefer over just roses anyway. And that is all I wanted for Valentine's Day. I don't feel like we need a holiday for him to ell me he loves me. He does that all year long. He shows me he loves me with the little things. One day isn't going to change it.

Anyway stay warm, stay healthy and enjoy whatever treats you get.

Photo Hunt Saturday - Broken

This week's theme is Broken.

This is a picture of a mill in my hometown that was being demolished over the summer. It is still at the same point, as they are still cleaning up the debris around it. Whenever we drive by, my girls always ask "Is it still broken? Are they going to fix it?"

This is a steeple of a church nearby. This too, is broken.

Check out some other pictures here:

It would have been easier to milk a cow...

We were out of milk tonight, so I tried to make a quick trip out to grab some. That normal 5 minute trip took over a half hour!

I started at the bank and was in and out. Figuring I would save some time (but knowing the milk cost twice as much), I stopped at the local grocery store which was between the bank and my house. Made it to the checkout line to find out as I was checking out, the lines went down and I couldn't pay with my debit card. I never carry cash and left my checkbook in the car as I only needed one thing. I was told I could use the ATM and come back to pay. Um thanks but no thanks! I was not about to pay the $2.. service fee on top of the outrageous price for milk.

So onto the little convenience store just past my house. In and get to the cash register. Um, sorry, you need to spend over $6 to use your card.

Next stop, the gas station further down the road. Milk at 1/2 the cost of the grocery store and I could use my debit card.

Total distance: 3 miles round trip.
Total cost: $2.39
Total time: Over 1/2 hour

Next time, I'll find a cow to milk, it may be quicker.

Snowy Scene's

Here are a few pictures I took around the yard today in the freshly fallen snow.

The brick walkway.



Buds.



Ice on a bush.



Snow on the Rhody.



Tree Stump.

Up Close of the stump.

Lattice.

Raspberry Bush.

On a Fallen Log.

Side View.

Vine.

On the toad house.

And of course, the shovel.

Photo Hunt Saturday - Something Gross

This week's theme is something Gross.

Last summer, we really got down and dirty discovering the things growing in and under our yard. We found this pink fungus growing under some logs we had cut down in the yard.

This red fungus was growing on a log, under the bark. We found many different types of fungus growing in, on and around the logs, as well as many different types of bugs. I'm not one to think bugs are gross, but rather interesting. Fungus however, in any form is gross!

Groundhog Day

Here in the US, it was Groundhog Day. Today Good Ole Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow, foretelling an early spring. This came as no surprise to those of us living in the Northeastern US who have seen barely an inch of snow this winter. We enjoyed weather in the 50's into January.

Yesterday, I tried to explain to Einey (who was learning about Groundhog Day in school) that no matter if the groundhog saw his shadow, the official start of spring doesn't change. It still comes with the vernal equinox on March 20th.

Here is a shot of one of our groundhogs that lives in the woods behind the neighbor's house. He was rather cute, munching on the raspberry leaves and weeds, until he decided to infiltrate my garden last year and eat my squash plants. He's one of the wildlife we can tolerate though.

SNOW!

I was half tempted to wake the girls up to play outside when I saw this. But it should still be there (plus some) in the morning)!

Fixed

I can upload my pictures again, so remember to check out my 365 Random pictures again. I uploaded all the pictures I had taken on the days when I couldn't upload them. Now all that's left is today's picture...

Books, Books and More Books........

Visit our house and one thing you will see tons of is books. We have books in every room of the house and van. Board books, kids books, chapter books, our books, cook books, how-to books, library books, classics, novels and bathroom books. Books full of history and pictures. We also have an array of magazine subscriptions, with each of the girls getting their own magazine each month.

Growing up, books were a huge part of my life. I could always be found with a book by my side. In school, I would hide them in my school books during lessons. Not only that, but I read fast. It takes me only one or two nights to finish a novel. This is both a blessing and a curse. Its great that I can read so fast, but it is also increasingly difficult to find enough books to sate my hunger. I never have enough time at the library to browse for myself, instead, heading right to the children's section for the girls. Their favorites right now are anything by David Shannon , "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus" by Mo Williams and "Winners Never Quit" by Mia Hamm. Moe drags this one around the house saying Me-amm, Me-ammm. Currently, my favorite books are "The Fat Cat" and "The Pirate Story" both written and illustrated by Einey.

A few weeks ago, I introduced Einey to a children's dictionary. Its one with the pictures to help her find a word. She was so excited to open it up and be able to spell words like "octopus" and "umbrella". I only hope that she remembers to use it as she grows and comes across something she may not know.

This morning, I found a stack of books sitting net to me that badly needed some bandages to make them whole again. I know the girls don't mean to be rough, but just love certain books more than others. SO i grabbed some tape and was taping the pages back together.

As I was doing this, I started thinking about how I really need to go through their bookshelves to see how many more books need repairs. Unfortunately, I know that I will come across some that, no matter how much love we give them, will never be whole again. These are the pop-ups that have lost their tabs. The board books that have had their pictures peeled from them, and even a few without covers. I don't look forward to that task. I don't want to throw out any books, no matter how unreadable they may be.

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.