Happy Easter

Happy Easter everyone!


Today we:

• let Madeline climb into bed with us so we could squeeze a little more sleep out of our morning (it didn't work)
• hunted eggs filled with 'um-nums' (Lydia's word for M&Ms) left by the Easter bunny
• ate bacon and eggs for breakfast
• had a "lazy" morning around the house with sugared up squirrels running from room to room
• spent lunch with Kevin's family and had a truly lovely time as the girls were spoiled and sugared up
  
• ate ham
  
• went straight to dinner with my family where the girls were spoiled some more and given more sugar
• ate more ham
• AND I got a photo of the four of us! This is HUGE. (for me at least...)
  

I'd say it was a pretty awesome day.

How did you celebrate this wonderful day?

Sickapaloosa 2011

I started this blog what seems like ages ago and barely blogged. Then we had Madeline and I began my life as a stay at home mom. I blogged a lot. (Well a lot more than I did in the beginning.) Then Lydia was born and life kind of got in the way of me blogging. I try, but I just don't know where my time goes most days.

Back when I was a mother of one and a much more frequent blogger I used this space as a journal of our life. Our life as we know it. Right here. Right now. These days will fly by faster than I can remember them and I want to remember them. The good, the bad, the sick, the healthy, all of it.

I want to get back to that. I feel like I need to get back to that. I make no promises, other than the promise to my self to try to do a better job of recording our lives. Because some day I will want to remember this.

Even this,


We are all still sick. Monday will mark two full weeks of illness in our house and if the girls' colds last as long as mine and Kevin's we are in it for a while longer.

After my Tuesday Ten post Lydia's rash got worse and the next morning I took her into the doctor where they confirmed the rash was probably an allergic reaction the antibiotic she'd been taking since the previous Monday. She hadn't yet developed hives so the nurse practitioner suggested I continue giving her the medication.

I refused.

I am so glad that I did.

Later Wednesday and all day Thursday my baby was miserable because the "benign" rash turned into full out hives. What if I had continued the medicine? How much worse could it have gotten? Parenting is full of really hard choices and I am so very glad to have listened to my instincts and to have guidance from some really awesome friends (wink, wink) and an amazing husband to stand beside me.

As of yesterday I thought we were, again, on the mend. So, being awesome I sent the girlies to spend the night at my parents. Sorry Granny and Poppy. I hope you sleep better tonight! :)

When I collected them today, Lydia, who had been ok according to Granny and Poppy was a clingy, crying, miserable mess. See the above photo for proof. She stayed that way until bedtime.

Madeline, well it seems that this cold virus has finally caught up to my high spirited big girl. When I got to my parents Madeline was taking a nap. Yep, a nap. As in the first nap that girl has willingly taken since July 2009. And get this, she ASKED to go back to bed. HUGE RED FLAG that my home girl is S.I.C.K.

When we got home she had a low fever and spent most of the day sacked out or playing quietly. Totally, not herself. At bed time she had an even lower fever and was starting to get some of her normal spunk back, but she also didn't fight the bedtime routine at all (not normal) and fell asleep quickly.

So we will see how my squirrels are doing in the morning. Kevin is still hacking up a lung, but feels better. I am coughing but not with the intensity or frequency of my husband. I have my fingers crossed that if the girls really do get this funk that it is quick and less severe than Kevin and I had it.

Will you cross your finger's too?

I'd like to leave my house for something other than doctors visits, medicine and popsicles. Please?

Where I reitterate: home ownership isn't for the weak hearted

What a week we've had.

Sunday night a potentially tornado forming storm we woke the squirrels up from their oh so important beauty sleep to hang out in our basement. I told them it was a fun adventure. I lied.

After getting them back into bed Kevin discovered that the 70+ mph winds felled 1/3 of the silver maple in our back yard. Falling on the play set in our back yard and revealing the severe amount of rot in the tree.

The play set will be ok. It wasn't smashed, just knocked severely out of whack. Fingers crossed it is easy to rectify. The slide however is toast. (Which reminds me, what in the hell are plastic slides so expensive?!?!? We priced a new one, thinking it would be between $5-=$75 bucks. Nope, $160! It makes me sick to even think about it. I digress.)

The tree is not so lucky however. Although we don't want to get rid of the tree (and we especially don't want to pay for removal) based on the amount of rot in the tree it is just a matter of time before more of the tree comes down and we may not be as lucky (if you count falling on the play set lucky) next time. We'd hate to have the tree come down on the deck, or the house, or the cars. So it is coming down.

What a miserable start to our week.

Then today. Oh today. At 2pm the water main broke on our street. We have been without water since. It is now 8 hours later and there is still NO SIGN OF THE WATER COMPANY!!!!!!!!!!! They told us when we called this afternoon that the water would be back on within 8 hours. That is 10pm. So when we called them back at 8pm to find out what was going on they told us it would be back on within 8 hours.

So who knows when we will have water service back. Oh, what a week.

The Tuesday Ten, vol. IX

10 things I ♥ about Madeline

-1-
When she smiles at me like the photo above I just can't say no to her. Please don't tell her that. She would use it against me.

-2-
I love the way she "coughs" and "sneezes" to get sympathy, gain attention and, I think, relieve stress in new situations.

-3-
I love how helpful and loving she has become with her sister.

-4-
I love when she blows kisses to me at bed time. There are always four. One for my cheek, and three to put in my pocket for Kevin, Lydia and Olive.

-5-
She loves to cook just like her momma.

-6-
I love the way she says "Wydia." It melts my heart and I am savoring that little speech snafu because I know one day we'll wake up and it will be gone along with the last little traces of my little baby girl.

-7-
Madeline makes up songs to narrate her day. Just today I heard her making up a song about cleaning up the blocks in the playroom. They were being bad and she was sending them to their "room."

-8-
"I know just what to do!" is her favorite phrase.

-9-
She is teaching me patience. I lesson I desperately need and am still working to master. My guess is she will continue this lesson for years to come.

-10-
I love the way she laughs at her own jokes. They are the worst jokes I've ever heard but she thinks they are the funniest bits of language ever.

The Tuesday Ten, vol. IIX

It's been a week. That's all I have to say about that.

For this week's Tuesday Ten I harassed my children by following them around with my cell phone camera all day. I hope you enjoy it more than they did.*


-1-
Today was hat day at school. Madeline borrowed Granny's crazy bat hat. It was the craziest hat by far.
























I promise she smiled like .45 seconds after this photo... but doesn't she look pathetic?


-2-
While Madeline played at school Lydia and I played at home. Well, we tried to play. She is in the point and scream and throw a fit stage.
























But she's cute so that makes up for a lot of it.


-3-
Then we went to target and we found out what freedom smells like. It's kinda like a crisp fall day in October.
























Man am I funny or what? Don't answer that.


-4-
After naps Lydia gets ready for Mardi Gras.
























...kinda.


-5-
I made potato soup for dinner. I am totally obsessed with this soup. I'll share the recipe soon.
























It isn't really that yellow in person. Honest.


-6-
The squirrels occupied themselves while I cooked.
























Be advised, this is rare.


-7-
Dinner was yummy.
























And very colorful.


-8-
Lydia likes to smear food into her hair.
























Her hair stuck like this until bath time.


-9-
You can't head to a bath without a little dessert...
























Why yes that is Redi Whip in a can? No, you can't have any.


-10-
Bath time might just be Lydia's favorite part of the day.

Madeline tolerates it, at best.

Bonus -11-!!!
Then I got to deal with the three foot pile of laundry in my bedroom.
























I am happy to say it is now all folded.

Happy Tuesday!

__________
*Of course I am kidding. They didn't really hate it. Ok, maybe Madeline hated it a little (see #1), yikes!

How Valentines Day Beat Me Into Submission (by the numbers)

Number Valentine's day related crafts done in the last five days: 4
1- foam valentine hearts with heart stickers
2- marble painting
3- Madeline's school valentines
4- roses for Madeline's hair (assembled at 6:15 AM because I woke up thinking about crafting and couldn't go back to sleep until those damn roses were made and OUT OF MY EVER LOVING CRAZY MIND!!!!)

Number of photos taken to get valentines for the girlies: 78

Number of photos used: 2




Number of items cooked, from scratch, in the last five days for Valentine's Day: 6
1- Cupid crunch
2- banana nutella crepes
3- heart shaped quesadillas
4- soft pretzel bites with sharp cheddar dipping sauce
5- bacon wrapped meatloaf and
6- creamy mashed potatoes

Number of those items cooked JUST TODAY: 5 (numbers 2-6)

Number of hugs and kisses and I love yous and Happy Valentines days exchanged by our family of four: too many to count :)

Although the crazy of Valentines Day totally sucked me in and spit me out I think I still win.

Proof that I reign supreme:

After lunch Madeline gave me a conversation heart that said 'real love'. And said "Mom, this is for you because I love you sooooo much!" Followed by a HUGE hug. Totally worth it.

Now I'm off to ice my back and have my valentine rub my feet.

Happy Valentines Day!

Gearing up

We are gearing up for Valentines day around here. Monday we had a Valentines themed photo shoot. I'll share more from the "shoot" next week.

We made valentines for Madeline's classmates and celebrated the holiday at school yesterday.

Today we made Cupid Crunch, aka. puppy chow with valentine m&ms. Yum.

Tomorrow who knows what we will do! I'm sure there will be lots of hearts and red and pink and sweets and lovey!

Here's to a weekend full of sweet love!
____________

and just because I love you too!

Cupid Crunch

8-9 cups rice Chex cereal
1 c. semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 c. peanut butter
1 1/2 c powdered sugar
1/4 t. vanilla
1-1 1/2 c. m&ms

Melt chocolate and peanut butter in a sauce pan over low heat stirring frequently. Once completely melted remove from heat and mix in vanilla extract. Pour over cereal in a large bowl and mix well. Pour your powdered sugar in a large paper bag and add the chocolate coated cereal and shake, shake, shake. Finally spread the cereal on a baking sheet to finish drying. Once dry, mix in the m&ms.

Ya know?

So Kevin has been busy in the last three or so weeks.

I'll give you a hint:


That is a bunch of 2x4s, a couple of 2x12s, some 2x10s and a smathering of other pieces of solid pine (and please, ignore the mess that is the rest of our basement).

Any guesses as to what this is in its rawest form? (and if you know you don't get to guess...)

Any guesses on how many band aids Kev's gone through in three weeks? (I kid, he is super safe and wouldn't need band aids, ever... no really.)

I'll give you a hint. It is wicked heavy. Wicked I tell you.

The Tuesday Ten, vol. V

-1-
Today was SUPPOSE to be snowpocolypse 2011. Instead of the 1/2 inch of ice and then 16-20 inches we got a minimal amount of ice, a couple of inches of sleet and we MIGHT get some snow, but only a little bit. Kinda a let down really.

-2-
I did a redonkulous amount of laundry today. I still have a redonkulous amount I could still do. (Sheets and towels and the like...) but I think I'm done at least for today.

-3-
None of us left the house today. We probably won't leave the house tomorrow.


-4-
We are a little bored.

-5-
We are catching up on our DVR tonight.

-6-
But I spent the last 30 minutes on the IKEA website after a reference to the Grunka spoons on the TV show Chuck.

-7-
Why isn't there an IKEA in the greater STL area? WHY????

-8-
Why is it that TV newborns are always the size of three month olds? Not that I suggest newbies should be acting, but I mean, really?

-9-
Madeline announced today that she was going to have 5 children all at the same time and there names are going to be Acra, Bacra, Ama, Rama and Crama. I could not contain my giggles on this one. I hope someday I get those 5 grandchildren named Acra, Bacra, Ama, Rama, and Crama. I just hope I have enough arms. :)

-10-
And just cuz...

Gene Simmons has nothing on this girl

In honor of G. G.'s birthday I wanted to make sure we took a family photo. I knew the party on her actual birthday would be too hectic so I brought my camera (with a remote shutter) to my in-laws for Sunday dinner. When Kevin's family gets in front of a camera least one of us has their eyes closed or looks like they are about to sneeze but on Sunday I took what I consider to be the best family photo to date. Everyone is happy and smiling, even 15 month old Lydia.


But wait, did you see Madeline? Let me zoom in for you...










Oh wait, that is Gene Simmons from KISS. My mistake.

Here...


Yep, that's my sweet heart all right.

Of my two children common sense tells me that it would be harder to get a 15 month old to smile for a camera. Especially an un-manned camera as we used a remote shutter control so NO ONE was standing on the opposite side of the room. Essentially my 15 month old is smiling at nothing and I get this...


Oh where did I go wrong?

And does it end there? Of course not. There are quite a few photos where Madeline looks like this...


and Lydia looks like this...


There is only ONE photo where Lydia isn't looking at the camera with the big cheesy grin on her face...


And did you notice Madeline?

There's my angel.

Any one know how to photo shop this...


Into this...


Good grief.

The Tuesday Ten, vol. IV

-1-
I am beyond ready for spring.

-2-
Santa brought Madeline wings for Christmas and they have lasted 31 more days then I expected them to. They've been bent, sat on, smashed, pushed and pulled almost in two. Today they were closed in the bathroom door. There is barely a scratch on them. Although they appear to be nylons and wire hangers I think they must really be made of titanium and gortex.

-3-
I slipped on a patch of ice this morning before taking Madeline to school. I am sure my knee will be a beautiful technicolor mess by tomorrow. See #1.

-4-
I made turkey stock over the weekend and although I got a lot of comments on Facebook about how I was crazy and why wouldn't I just buy it I felt super proud of myself and was totally excited about it. That was until this morning when I measured it and realized I cooked it for E-V-E-R and I only got 96 oz of stock, or the equivalent of three pots of potato soup out of it. It's a good thing it was a low maintenance project. I'm gonna be extra peeved if it tastes like shoes.

-5-
We are in so much trouble.


-6-
Yesterday Lydia had her first (and hopefully only) case of nursemaids elbow. We are unsure of how it happened because she was just getting up from a nap when she started crying (so we didn't see anything). I am pretty sure after all of Madeline's trips to the Dr. for this condition we are on some sort of watch list, moments away from being hot lined by a mandated reporter. You can read about Madeline's forays into the world of NME here and here.

-7-
Madeline let me do her hair today. It may have been the highlight of my day. Just maybe.


-8-
Please tell me I'm not the only person who saves bananas for banana bread but never gets around to making it. If not, please lie.

-9-
Negative: Kevin's schedule today kinda sucked.
Positive: We had dinner alone when he got home from work.

-10-
Last, but in no way least: One of my oldest friends (who I've known since kindergarten) lost her grandmother today. Although I am supremely sad for the family I know that Grandma Joan's love will continue to bless them as they move through their grief and begin to heal. The love she gave will be carried on by not just her family but by all who knew her, including me.

Happy Birthday G.G.

Friday was a huge day in our family. Kevin's grandmother celebrated a very special birthday. If I told you how old she is I'd be in a lot of trouble. She really doesn't want people to know even though I want to shout it from the rooftops if/when I reach that age.

Don't think you can twist my arm. I'm not telling. Instead I am going to give you some interesting facts that a close family friend shared with us to celebrate her birthday. (Thank you Deb!)

In 1911* there were only 144 miles of paved roads and gasoline was sold in cans at the grocery store. And speaking of cans, canned beer had not yet been invented but you could walk to your corner druggist and buy marijuana, morphine and heroin over the counter without a prescription. Wild!

To celebrate G.G.'s birthday we all had dinner at her apartment building and celebrated with cake for all the residents.

Madeline snarfed down her roll.

I can't begin to tell you how happy I am that my girls are getting to know their great grandmother's. (My maternal grandma is still around too...) The bond that Madeline, in particular, has with G. G. is something to see. We are so very lucky to have such a strong role model for our girls.

Happy very special Birthday G.G!










__________
*Shhh.... let's keep that our little secret now won't we. You can read Grandma's 99th birthday post (and the story of how Lydia got her name) here.

Playing Catch Up, vol. III

How about a wordless weekend post...







October 30, 2010