Much better

This weekend was fabulous.  Did you hear me?  FABULOUS!

We packed up the car and headed out Friday afternoon with not a care in the world.  We left our two little monkeys in the very good hands of their Mimi and hit the road.  We stopped for an impromptu dinner at Ruth's Chris then continued on to our hotel.  We checked in grabbed our coats and headed to the Bay front bar complete with outdoor fire places.  I had another glass of wine and Josh had a drink himself. 

The next day we got up and played the entire day by ear.  We had a late lunch, saw a movie, shopped, went to an art walk and then did appetizers for dinner followed by late night pizza.  We slept in, we snoozed and we went about our day without a care in the world.  I remembered why I fell in love with my husband many years ago.  I realized we continue to have so much more in common than just our home and children.  We are still the crazy couple that stayed up all night on our first date talking and then watched the sunrise.  A little more sleep deprived, but that same couple indeed.

We vowed to each other not to make it so long before we take another trip just the two of us.  Then we hurried home to snuggle our babies.

Thank you Josh for being the wonderful husband and man you are.  I am very lucky you love me too!  Thanks for a fabulous weekend.

Avoidance

Dear Internets,

I've been avoiding you, yes I have in a bad way.  Trust me it's not you, so don't take it personal, it's me, all me. You know when you have that project, or test to study for, or appointment and you really just really can't even think about it.  You avoid the topic or subject or in my case blogger at all cost.  I haven't even been reading blogs until tonight.   It's sad and true.  I have no idea why.  I've actually gotten anxious and nauseous thinking about how I haven't blogged or documented milestones or told any of the cute antidotes that have happened here in the past few weeks.  And that my friends was a clear sign that it was time to step away from the computer. 

These past few days I've been feeling down and like crap.  Not depressed and no I don't need medication (not that there is anything wrong with that, I just haven't needed it).  No, just typical off days.  Days were I can't get my shit together or anyone else's.  This week alone, I lost my keys at the movies, my ipod,  my 23 month old --- oh I kid the ipod is not really missing!   But you know the days or weeks when we just can't get it together, we all have them.

I feel  like my life is constant choas and I'm always exhausted and just can't get it straight.  I'm treading water as fast as I can and I am barely staying afloat.  In fact several times this week I have been late  (GASP!)  Me, the one always early was late, more than once. 

So this weekend my husband is whisking me away to a romantic weekend on Mobile Bay.  Be jealous, it's the first time we have gone away for a weekend together since Meredith was born.  I know far too long since the last time.

I am hoping I will have time to regroup, relax and then be back, back to my old self.  Handling the daily chaos and easily staying afloat. 

I promise not to avoid you when I return.

xoxo,
2 tikes!

what she says....In which she becomes her mother

Let me start this off by saying in college, I made what some people (uh-hm my mother) would call a very poor decision.  Let's be honest, I made several poor decisions in college, but this one really stands out to some people (uh-hm again my mother.)  At 19 I got a tattoo.  Yes, a real one, one that hurt like all get out going on.  It's small well smallish, it could almost be covered by a quarter, but not quite, and oh it's on my derriere.  Yep, got a permanent Phi Mu stamp right above my derriere on the right side.  What can I say, damn sorority girls.

For five years I concealed it very well in front of my mother, always picking bathing suits that hid it or jeans that didn't go that low when I was in front of her, until that one fateful day at a camp on Lake Pontchartrain.  That day I didn't do to good a job, to be honest I'd had it so long and had kind of forgotten about it.  Oh well, now she is taking it to the grave, right mom?

So that brings me to today.  Today Meredith brought a gift to her little friend in dancing whose princess party we missed Friday afternoon due to the swine flu.  Yes, she was devastated.  The little girl had brought Meredith some of her princess party favors.  The favor included a glittery princess wand, princess socks and 3, yes 3 princess tattoos!  My 3 1/2 year old was in love!  She got in the car declaring "Oh I just love it, love it, love it!"

"Mom can we put on my tattoo now?"

"Huh?"

"My new tattoos from my friend"

"What you know about tattoos girlfriend?"

giggling

"Momma, can we put it on now?"

"No bug, we can put them on at home because we need water to put them on."

"Momma you got a tattoo"

"Yep, I do"

"Momma your tattoo is on your heiny cakes" that's our fancy word for booty

"Yes it sure is!"

About 30 minutes later we arrive home.

"Momma, can we put on my tattoos now?"

"Yeah bring it here, where do you want it, right here(pointing to her upper arm) or right here (pointing to her lower arm)?"

"No Momma!  I want it on my heiny cakes just like you!"

At that point I started imagining her pulling her panties down to show her little friend where she put her new princess tattoo and then telling everyone about her momma's.

"But if we put it there you won't be able to see it, see momma can't see hers."

"Okay, put it here" pointing to a very acceptable arm location with a sad face

Thankfully hers will wash off, maybe at 15 she will still believe mine does too!

Disney -- Was 10, now 11 things I learned at Disney and you should know too!

Since our very recent trip to Disney I thought I would make a list of 10 things 11 things I learned at Disney this year....in no way is this list anything other than my personal thoughts, but use it like a bible people!

11.  Strollers to bring or not to bring? -  The Disney strollers are expensive, they are not comfortable, but they are convenient in that you don't have to bring them from home or fold them and bring them back to the room on a bus.  But then you do have to bring the tired/cranky child back without a stroller if you use a Disney a Disney stroller.  Remember you will also be tired and carrying a 35+lb child is heavy, carrying two is nearly impossible.  We brought our umbrella stroller to have one to wheel one child back, we wish we had two late at night.  Our intention was to leave it at the park during the day parked outside a restaurant and then to use the Disney double while at the park to only push one.  Then at night when we were leaving we were going to pick up the umbrella stroller to wheel the sleeping/tired child back to the hotel.  However, our kids hated the Disney stroller, it is not conducive to napping or sleeping and they fought over the Maclaren we brought from home.  Next time I will bring two umbrella strollers and forgo the whole renting from Disney.  Pushing two is also easier than navigating a double and not a big deal to us. Last year I brought my very big baby jogger,that is super comfy, lots of shade and easy to push, however it is not easy to fold, not compact, and heavy which does not make it a great stroller to transport on Disney's bus system.  On  Disney's bus system the children must be removed from the stroller and the stroller folded to get on the bus.  When you take the monorail you can keep them in the stroller and just wheel it on....so convenient!  The buses are not though, your husband will be the one to hold that stroller while standing on a breathing room only bus.  Just something to think about.

10.  Meal Package--  The jury is still out as to whether this is a good thing. After our trip last year, I said I would never go without it.  Well you know what they say about saying never.  Anyway the package we got allowed for 1 snack,1 quick meal, and1 table service.  And those come with an entree, a LARGE (overpriced)drink, and a desert.  Now let me say that if I didn't have the meal plan I may just opt for the entree and a smaller drink. However my meal plan obviously pays for a large drink, an entree with a side, and a desert.  I would never buy the desert if it wasn't with the plan.  At least not with every meal, especially a quick service meal which is like fast food.  But it comes with it right....don't be silly guys,Disney doesn't give away anything for free. You are paying for it.  Decide if it is worth it. Also the sit downs come with a desert as well, for every person you get a desert, a bunch of money spent I normally would not spend.  If we did get the desert we would all get one to share....just saying.  And the price range has to be pretty big for the meal plan, one lunch cost us $60 and one $100 and they were both covered for a sit down,you know which base you are paying right....remember Disney isn't giving anything away.  Oh and another thing I had a friend mention you could bring bread and get peanut butter packets and jelly and make sandwiches to save money, I did not see that or any PB&J packets at all. I did see lunches that people made ahead of time and brought in.  But let's be realistic unless you have a kitchen in your hotel and are staying off Disney in a condo with a kitchen and bringing lunch in,you have to eat, I just don't know if the meal plan is the way to go.

9.  Reservations....decide where you want to eat 6 months from now....Seriously --  Yes,my friends if you don't make dinner reservations when you book your trip or 6 months out at least.... forget about it.  Josh and I came home with 2 adult sit down dinners and 1 child sit down dinner.  Not because we were sick of Disney food and refused to use the money we had already spent on the dinner.....nope we simply could not get a reservation.   We even ate at a place that used 2 table service credits and we still didn't get a chance to use all of them.  So the day you book your trip book your dinners.  You don't even have to show up the reservations you make, unless it is one that needs a credit card reservation which is only a handful.  You can make the reservation, with good intentions to show and then not and there is no penalty, which is a major part of the problem, but that is a different story.  So make one for at least every day in case. That being said if you want a character dinner, call the day you can to reserve your spot, especially if you want to dine at Cinderella's table in the castle at the Magic Kingdom.  Which also leads to this,if you don't use all of your meal plan vouchers you do not get a refund from Disney.   So book those reservations early.  Some of our favorites are Akershus(Epcot princess dinner), Sci Fi Cafe(where you eat in a car),  Chef Mickey (character lunch at Contemporary), 1800 Park Fare (Cinderella dinner at Grand Floridian), we also did breakfast at Crystal Palace (nothing to write home about, but very conveniently located in the Magic Kingdom.)  There were also two other restaurants that were in the Magic Kingdom and looked good an Italian place right when you enter and a sandwich place, but we couldn't get reservations at those.

8.  The food stinks,but you aren't there to eat right?-- Okay let me start this by saying I am originally from New Orleans, so I like spice and flavor in everything I eat.  The food at Disney is all the same and after a few days taste the same too, it's just prepared and served a different way everywhere. Seriously, it is all the same and mediocre at best.  And after 5 days of eating Disney food, you would give your first born for McDonald's or something else that isn't served in a Mouse ear tray.  Trust me.  At this point take a break from the park and go to downtown Disney.  Guess what....they have a McDonald's and other restaurants that are much better than Disney food.  Or at least I think that!  Take a night to go shop and pay a very inflated price for a big mac or make reservations at Rainforest Cafe and take a break from Disney dining.  Especially when you have no reservations that night (not for lack of trying) and you cannot eat another hamburger,nugget or chicken wrap!


7.  Don't feel like you have to do it all --- Disney is huge.  In fact we saw quite a bit this last time that we didn't even venture to last year when we went.  And you know what our kids didn't know they missed anything.  Disney is big, trying to accomplish it all with 2 small tikes in not possible. Don't' try and your kids won't know the difference.  We went for the week.  We love Disney and we love not feeling like we have to cram it all in 4 or5 days.  We stayed 7 nights and although some people think that is too long,but it was just right for us.  That being said we hung out at the pool one afternoon and took a night at downtown Disney.

6.  Remember your kids ages, let them act that way,you try and remember not to-- If your kids are 22 months and 3,expect them to throw a tantrum when they don't get their way or when they are just plum exhausted.  However remember you are probably in your 20s or 30s and you throwing a tantrum to is not going to solve anything and just cause the whole situation to get worse quick!  And me to write about you on my blog.  There were more kids crying and adults yelling than my poor head could take. Remember they are kids guys, no crying would be unreal. 

which leads to...

5.  For being the happiest place on earth, there are a lot of tears at Disney --  Disney days are long, it requires patience and kids will be immediately whacked off their normal, typical schedule and out of their routine.  However kids are pretty resilient and will normally do well.  It's the parents who struggle and spend the afternoon in tears fighting with their significant other about whether he brought the camera, left the wipes at the hotel, brought the rights snacks in the backpack or walked the wrong way down the street.  Oh I kid, but realize it is long days for everyone and you will see more tears from tired kids and exhausted parents.   Try to just roll with it and save the reprimanding at loud decibels for when your kids are in their normal environment, with their normal routine.  If you expect them to roll with it, learn to roll with it too.

4.  For being geared towards kids, Disney is pretty damn dark! -- The rides besides the teacups, dumbo, magic carpet, carousel, and roller coasters are pretty freaking scary.  Even Small World scares the crap out of me, although the kids love it!  But Snow White's ride, Pooh's ride, and Peter pan are pretty dark and really loud as well as lots of the shows.  Noah sat with a sheer look of terror on his face and occasionally cried.  Meredith covered her ears and eyes for most of them.  Of course Meredith covers her ears a lot!  It's her thing, her coping mechanism if you will and who am I to mess with that?

3.  If you kids don't sleep with you at home, they won't sleep with you in Disney either! -- So from about day 1 our kids have slept in their own beds.  They go to sleep on their own and sleep all night upstairs in their own rooms, in their own beds.  Unless they are sick and wake up sick in the middle of the night that is where they are.  That being said it is very interesting and frustrating trying to get two small tikes to sleep in one hotel room with us.  Josh and Noah shared a bed and me and Meredith, they were pretty certain they could stay up until whenever and it was party time.  Josh and Noah often strolled the resort grounds to get him to sleep.  Just don't expect Disney to always exhaust them and them to fall asleep magically in the room with you.  Tinkerbell doesn't sell fairy dust for that!  One night they did fall asleep and stay asleep as we transported them onto the bus and then into the room.  One night, the rest was a battle between us and them!

2.  The Monorail Resorts - If you can afford it, go for it!  The convenience is worth it.  Enough said!

1.  Those Mouse ears only look good in Orlando! - Disney sells it all and almost every ride dumps you right into a store of some type.  Your kids will want and to be honest so will you!  Remember those mouse ears are not quite as cute in your hometown.  Even if the trip is a once in a lifetime thing, limit the mouse paraphernalia.  Don't go overboard....seriously...no one sported their mouse ears once we hit nola!

Because having nothing going on right now, would be too much to ask for!

I would love to write a continuance post about Disney, but that won't be happening right now.  Why?  Because of the other things going on.....mostly the swine flu!

On our flight home I noticed Noah's nose was runny, I figured it was bound to happen.  We were on a flight with hundreds of other people in really close quarters, breathing the same air, spreading multiple germs for almost 2 hours.  Not to mention every time his pacifier fell out of his mouth at Disney he or we would pick it up and give it back to him. Sanitary? No.  Convenient?  Yes.  So yes, we obviously brought home germs.

By Monday he had a fever, and by Tuesday so did Meredith.  This morning it was confirmed that we have swine flu.  Well them, not me.  I tested negative.  However I feel as crummy as they do and have even taken two naps myself.  So really I'm convinced I got something.  Maybe they didn't stick that thing far enough up my nose....talk about uncomfortable.

Anyway we do have the swine flu.  Thankfully the kids are resting quietly now, which would leave me time to upload the hundreds of pics I took at Disney or I could nap instead.  For the third day in a row, the nap is going to win out.  Sorry.

Well I will nap as soon as the dishwasher installer and his loud talking wife are finished.  Did I mention that my dishwasher went out as soon as we got home?  It worked twice and then was apparently fried in an electrical explosion or something.  All I know is the electrician showed me some very burnt up wires and told me how lucky I had that green/ground wire or I wouldn't have a house anymore.  Yes, thank God for green wires. 

So as soon as I am feeling up to it, I promise to post some pics from Mouse world.  I also promise a very exciting and interesting and possibly educational post about my top 10 tricks/tips/lessons about Disney world.  Oh it will be so exciting....not really, but we can pretend.

Well that's all I got today.  I'm working on my list, maybe I'll crank that out today to, or I'll just to continue to administer the oinkment for my kids swine flu.....isn't that cute....my friend whose husband works in the ER told me about that one....apparently that's how we treat the swine flu here is south mississippi.....thanks Laura!

In which I truly lose my mind....Disney world part 1

Exhausted.....in one word.....exhausted.

The trip started out rocky and down right rough, but by Sunday things were much better.  On Friday night at about 11:30pm, Josh and I made sure that everything was packed.  We loaded the truck, we packed our carry ons, we set out our tickets.....tickets.....shit....did we do the online check in.....shit.....JOSH CAN YOU PRINT THE TICKETS?

At that point, I pulled out my laptop to find the email with the confirmation number of our flight,  the email I never printed out or the confirmation number I never wrote down....do you see where this is going?  Exactly.  Apparently in my chaotic state of late, I deleted the email from Southwest, which was deleted from my delete box.  So there was no email or trace of me ever purchasing anything from Southwest in cyberland.

So we picked up the phone at 12:00am and called Southwest to give them our name and find out exactly what time our flight was and check in.  That is when the nice ticket lady said...."I'm sorry but you aren't booked on ANY flight on Southwest tomorrow."  I wasn't on the phone, but if you know me you know what my reaction was or what I would have told the very nice ticket lady.

Instead I listened to the part of the conversation I could hear and got wind of the bad news....the very bad news....then fumed....WHAT THE FUCK!  I BOUGHT THOSE TICKETS!  After I insisted we were on that flight and that we had better be, I started to question myself.....did I book those tickets.....did I forget.....did I mean to do it when josh got home from work......I booked the trip on a weekend while he was on call at the hospital.....I did get the tickets right after I booked Disney right? right? right?  BRAIN WORK!!!!

Yes, the doubt crept in and my husband after giving 3 credit card numbers and our last name several times, hung up the phone with the nice Southwest lady with no seats on any plane departing from New Orleans and headed to Orlando.....or really any flight at all.

It is now 12:30, my kids are in bed and are so excited about our big plane ride and trip to Disney that was supposed to happen in less than 12 hours.  What the hell?

So we try to book more tickets on Southwest assuming I just forget, even though I know I didn't.  But at this point what do you do?  The Southwest lady checked and double checked and our family has no seats on any plane going anywhere.  Panic starts to set in.

My more reasonable husband gets a little panicky too, he decides to check our credit cards....good one.  But, the credit card company's website is down and we can't look up our records to see if we did purchase them.  And to save paper our credit card company does it all online.....so why isn't your website working!!!  I jump on my computer to purchase more tickets, but Southwest's website is showing all flights are booked to Orlando the following day. I am about to cry.  I cannot disappoint the two tikes sleeping upstairs, we have been talking about this trip for months!

So Josh, being his calm, collective self, calls Southwest back.  Tells the lady the situation and that we need to purchase more tickets now, he rationally explains that we need to get to Orlando tomorrow, and then politely asked her to please help us out, because the direct flight we were supposed to be on is sold out.  I am thinking...give me the phone...I'll get us on that plane....lady you are so lucky it wasn't me to call.  I know I booked that flight...dammit! 

The nice Southwest lady takes a minute to check out the situation and dig a little deeper, as she says.   What?  Don't these people dig deep every time someone calls and says they did book a flight before you tell them they didn't????  So again we give her and spell our last name to dig deeper....several minutes go by.....I'm am totally freaking out...... and voila, she finds one.... except this flight was in October of last year.....yes genius, that was our Southwest flight from our Disney trip last year......just book us a new freaking flight!!!!  So now I am yelling...."just book another damn ticket.....Josh,tell her to book us more tickets." 

 Am I happy  the price has more than doubled than the price I had thought I already paid...NO!  But we need to get to Disney world dammit and apparently I am really a chicken with my head cut off and need to start taking moments to breathe and write things down or print things out and put them in places they won't get lost!  Either way.....book us another flight already!

So the lady keeps looking.....several more minutes go by....and I am just beating myself up....how could I forget to get tickets....who does that.....did I really do that.....I'm not that stupid....I know I booked those damn tickets....I know I paid exactly X amount of dollars for them.  Josh I did book them, I know I did!

So I tell this to Josh and still being his calm, collective self, simply tells the lady..."Mam, that is our last year reservation and I need to be in Orlando tomorrow is there another flight you can put us on?"   Me, I'm still yelling in the background....I have no idea how he puts up with me for the record.

And that is when she says...."Hold on sir....let me keep digging....I'm still not convinced you aren't booked on a flight out tomorrow.  "WHAT?"  What would give this woman any indication that we MIGHT be booked tomorrow.  Either we are like I've been saying....or we aren't like your other lady told us.....what is to be determined....I didn't book the tickets under Mr. & Mrs. Smith.....I booked them under the names I gave you and spelled out for you multiple times.......is Southwest trying to give me heart failure.....come on!

The lady is looking....I am thinking alternating thoughts and at the same time.....HA I did book those tickets/please let her find our flight/ha I know I booked the flight/come on PLEASE find them!

At about quarter to 1am, she found them.  On an earlier flight than what I swear I booked.  Or let me say an earlier flight than I know I booked!   Yes, my flight was leaving about noon.  The flight she had us on was leaving a little after 8am.  Did I mention we live 2 hours from the airport.  The rest of the flights out were booked.  So I took a deep breath, cursed myself for deleting the email and in general not being more responsible and thanked my lucky stars she found our reservation and that we didn't hurry and book a second more expensive reservation without getting to the bottom of it.  And oh Southwest I am not letting you off that easy....I know I had that reservation....you need to be more accountable too dammit!

Okay Internets.....here is the pivotal learning part of the post....you probably already know this and do this....if not take note and write it down.....THOSE FREAKING CONFIRMATION NUMBERS THEY GIVE YOU ARE PRETTY DAMN IMPORTANT....WRITE THEM DOWN!!! DON'T JUST PRETEND TO!

So at 1am we are scrambling, instead of heading out for the airport at 730am liked we planned, we are now having to leave at 430am.  It is 1am....I decide to shower that night and then sleep, but my heart is racing, my adrenaline is pumping and I can't sleep.  I get into bed at 130am and I toss and turn and at 430am, Josh and I grab to sleeping tikes out of their beds and load them in the car.  We hope they will sleep until we get there.....

They are both wide awake by the time we back out the driveway.  They are on their way to the Magic Kingdom.....the excitement is bubbling out of them.  There is no rest for the weary.  For 2 hours we say....
"Yes guys we are on our way",  "Yep we are headed to the big plane",  "Yep we are going to DISNEY world!", "Nope we are not there yet!"

And eventually we board our flight and arrive in Orlando......Ahhhh!  But there will be no napping or resting....we check in.....we load onto another bus.....and we head to the Magic Kingdom!

to be continued....

What I like to dub the..."The I'm going to disney world and you're not!" snack day

Today was Meredith's first snack day of the year.  It also happens to be 3 days before we leave for our 2nd trip to Disney World.  I don't know who is more excited me or the tikes.  This year on snack day the kids also get to bring a small toy for show and tell.  The only show and tell brought that day is by the snack helper/line leader.  And to 3 year olds that is a VERY big deal.

Meredith was one of the last kids in the class to bring snack this month.  So we have been patiently waiting our turn to bring the snack and show and tell for what seems like an eternity.  This gave us plenty of time to think about what we were bringing.

Last week Meredith decided what she was bringing to show and tell all on her own.  She picked her small toy airplane and her small minnie and mickey doll.  That way she could show the kids what she would be flying on to get to Disney World and the Mickey and Minnie to show them what she would be seeing there.  She truly thought of this all on her own.  Then I took it one step further and made rice krispie treats shaped like mickey mouse's head with chocolate dipped ears. 

This morning Meredith decided to take it one step further and wear her Minnie Mouse dress and Minnie Mouse hat we got from Disney last year.  So as you can see we had a themed snack day/line leader day.  The theme I am sure seemed to be "I'm going to Disney World and you're not"  especially to the other three year olds.  It was not my intention for that.  I was a little worried though, especially since her little friend in the class really wants to go to.

However those were just silly fears, because her teacher sent me a lovely letter home today saying how much the kids loved Meredith's snack and show and tell, and how fun the snack day was.  I think it was a big hit!

Meredith got in the car with a smile beaming from ear to ear saying "all da kids LOVED my snack and dey thought dey was mickey mouse poppa-sickles, but really mom, dey were just krispie treats on a stick!  Isn't dat funny mom!  And mom EVERYBODY loved my hat!  And dey thought I was Minnie Mouse!"

Apparently Meredith's approval rating just soared in her preschool 3 class!

Here she is ready for snack day!

With her basket of snacks, and her show and tell.

Close up for the show and tell.

And because he is so handsome and wants to go to school with his sister so bad, here is my man with his show and tell too!

First haircut

Yesterday Noah received his first hair cut.  While I would have loved to have waited and let his curls grow, I have be honest, my boy doesn't have any curls.  Unless it rains and is muggy, then we get a few....like 2.  So yesterday I loaded my man up to see Ms. Lauren and cut away his wings.  She was shocked he was almost 2 and this was his first haircut.  What can I say we had a mohawk for a long time with little other hair.

Here is the before....see those wings over his ears.

Mom are you really going to let that lady near me with those scissors?

Now that I have a sucker, she can do anything she wants.

Ladies Man!

My handsome little boy and our favorite hair dresser!

Becuase you had a bad day...

You know that song?  This one...

Because you had a bad day
You're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know
You tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You had a bad day
The camera don't lie
You're coming back down and you really don't mind
You had a bad day
You had a bad day
 
Well it's Meredith's favorite song.  Seriously.  If you come into my house any given day, you may just catch her naked except for her underwear, belting out this song at the top of her lungs.  And not because she constantly has bad days, I mean how many 3 year olds have bad days?  Especially ones that often munch on Happy Meals for lunch, goes to dancing school, play school, has multiple play dates and owns 3 pairs of red shoes.  Exactly, not this three year old.  No sir-ree, no reason for a bad day here.....at all.
 
Today though was a different animal....she had a great morning.  Dropped her brother off at school, went to dancing, then we went to get a 99cent sonic mini oreo sundae, then to Hobby Lobby (her favorite store - no idea why, because it's not mine), then to lunch and then to Mimi's.  Where she played all afternoon.  She played with her dolls, rode on the golf cart, fed the ducks, and all kinds of fun stuff.  She even got ice cream for a snack for the 2nd time that day.  Which is unheard of normally.  I am the healthy snack momma, I tell ya.
 
Anyway her day was busy and the plan was to have her daddy pick her up on his way home from work.  But when your dad is constantly on call as her dad was tonight, sometimes those plans have to change.  So I went to pick her up and head to get her snack for school tomorrow.  Do you know what can cause a 3 year old's world to come crashing down?  Changing plans on them.  Plans they were looking forward to.  When I walked into my mom's to pick up my daughter that I had dropped off 4 hours earlier, I was met with Satan's spawn instead.  Okay not really, but it was so not my child.  Not the one I left earlier.  Not the one I went through 19 1/2 hours of labor with no epidural just to wind up with a damn c-section anyway.  Yes, not that one in deed.  Instead I got one with a surly attitude, on the verge of a complete breakdown and drowning in tears and other fluids draining from the senseless fit being thrown. 
 
I did what any good mother would do.  I threatened a punishment, I told her I was NOT happy with her choices and I told her I was disappointed in her behavior and then I left her there and headed to get her snack without her.  The snack I specially ordered for her class to go with the "I'm going to Disney world and you're not" theme I have going on for snack day tomorrow.....but that is a post for another day.  Anyway I left her.  I was bewildered. I normally get tears and a fit when she has to leave Mimi's but normally she straightens up when I correct her.  Today not so much.
 
About an hour or so later I met back up with the devil's spawn said child.  We looked eye to eye, she told me I was mean. I told her to go to time out and think about it.  She cried, I banged my head on the counter.  Five minutes later I sat her down to talk to her.  She said she was sorry and hugged me.  Then she threw another fit with screaming and crying and real BIG tears.  I'm not even sure why.  Can 3 year olds have PMS? 
 
I sent her to her room.  She stayed there screaming for a while.  She finally emerged and we hugged and I told her I loved her and she sat on my lap and she cried about crying and then I told her enough....move on.....you had a freaking bad day.  Sing that damn song you are always singing at the top of your lungs.  She didn't want to because she was having too bad a day to sing.
 
So about 6:30 we had both chilled out.  Josh went back in to the hospital and the tikes and I went up to start an early bed time routine.  Once everyone was in bed, stories were read, songs sang and prayers said, I tucked Noah in and then went to tuck in my girl.  She asked me if I loved her, I responded as I always do "to the moon and back."  She asked me how far that was, I told her as I always tell her "as far as she could ever imagine."  I kissed her and told her I was sorry, she said she was sorry too.  I looked into her deep brown eyes and saw myself looking back at me.....God bless me when she is 16.  I am going to need it.
 
Meredith remember always that I love you! I am sure there will be times when you don't like me and I don't like you, but I will ALWAYS love you.  No matter what!
 
**By the way you love that song, because the chipmunks sing it.  I love it because you sing it!

The cheerleaders and the hunk!

This past weekend we took the kids to the USM game.  It was Noah's first game, since his previous games were when he was in my belly!  It was also Meredith's "first" game, since she didn't remember ever going before.  It was also her first time to bring a friend somewhere, I have to say that is a pretty big girl move!

Here they are all dressed up in the USM garb, making funny faces!  Look at the happiness in those smiles.  To be young and innocent again!

The girls trying to get Noah to sit by them....he was too cool for that!

Gearing up to go!  Eagles to the TOP!

Best friends!

Pre-game we tailgated with the masses at USM.  We watched the bands, the cheerleaders and dance team and the kids were very interested in people watching.

The game was alot of fun.  We didn't have the typical game experience though, we watched it in a catered suite that Josh's office owns.  Talk about style.  The kids loved that.  They were right in the end zone with only glass between them and the field and several hundred feet of course, since we were on the third floor!

The girls played, cheered and had a ball.  Noah watched the game intensely, clapped, cheered, flirted with the girls both big and small.  Overall we all had a great time, it will be hard to go back to watching the games in the stands.  At one point during the night, Noah tried to crowd surf in the stands.  He had 5 adults up and out of their seats trying to catch him, someone did, I guess the boy knew what he was doing.  He also tried to climb over the glass railing the entire night.  Finally he took his shoes off and stacked them against the glass to get some height, he then climbed on his shoes and tried to boost himself over the edge....he came close.

At half time we headed out to get the three tikes home and in bed.  It was a great game.

The homework begins

On Friday, Meredith came home with homework.  I know who gives homework over Labor Day weekend?  Apparently the three year old teachers at Meredith's preschool, that's who.  The homework was to complete the silhouette with some of Meredith's favorite things.  Like her favorite colors, hobbies, food, animals, games, toys and so on. 

Thankfully this little homework project was easy, because in true Mandi fashion I waited until Tuesday to complete the assignment due no later than Wednesday morning.  I actually had to take my SD card to get pictures developed this morning.  Nothing like last minute.  I know as she gets older these projects will become a little harder and more involved so I will have to work on this procrastination thing. 

And yes, I said I will have to work on the procrastination thing because we all know homework and projects is as much work for the parent as it is for the child.  Just ask my mom and the endless science projects she had to do for us.

Here is my girl working on her silhouette....the other random worksheets are homework sheets she assigns herself daily.  My girl lives for homework!

Checking out the final project.

So proud of her work.

The finished product!

Here is what it all means.

Things Meredith likes...

- dancing

- Brownie-her dog

- her family

- coloring

- pencils for homework

- spaghetti and meatballs

- cooking

- baking

- dressing up

- princesses

- her favorite animal - monkey

- going to work with her daddy at the hospital

- oatmeal

- cookies

-the color pink!

I know these will change one day, so I love that I will have it documented at the age of 3!

The ants coming marching 10 by 10....

After a very busy, but very fun weekend....Monday rolled around.   Even though it is a holiday and I have an extra set of hands home to help with the Monday, it is still a Monday.  Since Noah went to bed at 6:30pm last night due to skipping his nap, he was up bright and early at 7am.  This was not his usual 8:30am, therefore I was forced to drag my tired ass out of bed an hour and half earlier than usual.  It nearly killed me since I couldn't sleep last night.  Josh had left to do rounds so he could get back home and spend the day with us, otherwise I would have made him get out of bed and get him.

So after I fetch a Noah man, we got in my bed to snuggle.  Noah's idea of snuggling and my idea of snuggling are very different.  Before long we heard Ta-ta coming down the steps and that was when I decided to get up and make oatmeal....much to Noah's delight. 

As I opened the pantry door there they were.  Hundreds, or thousands maybe.  They were having a standoff  and I was armed with my Method cleaner...what else should I have used around all the food?  The war on the ants began.  Thankfully the kids didn't pick up on my anxiety or start screaming with me.  They took the ants in stride and looked at me like I had officially lost all of my marbles.  If Josh would not had arrived on the scene and confirmed it, I may have thought I was seeing things, that's how lax the children's responses to the ants were.  Yes, even my Meredith who cannot stand a tiny bug within a 25 foot radius of her, did NOT react to the ants.

So there went my Monday, by 8am, I had made 3 bowls of oatmeal (2 for my growing boy and 1 for Meredith), unloaded an entire pantry of food, threw out 4....yes 4 garbage bags full of ant infested foods or foods that were at least a year or two out of date.  I had wiped down the entire pantry with bleach cleaner, used several of my finest choice words, text my husband about the dire ant/pantry situation and begged him to leave his patients in the ICU and come and help me....for the record he didn't. And cried...I did I cried over the ants.  I even thought about putting the house up for sale, because at that point it seemed easier than getting rid of them.  All of this by 8am. 

Yes, it is a Monday.  I don't even know what holiday it is today, because by golly I celebrated it yesterday and today was a typical Monday morning at work for me.  Stay at home moms don't get holidays, vacation time or sick leave.  I think I may put in a phone call to the union sometime today....oh wait I bet they have the day off.  I guess I'll quit crying now and go back to battle the ants.  I googled how to kill ants, but those websites weren't very optimistic and were making me realize just how many ants were hiding below the surface where I couldn't see.  My Monday morning had been bad enough already without reading that....so I quit.  

Anyone have any advice on how to get rid of them?

What she says....the fairy

 Blair this one is for you....

So a few weeks ago a friend of mine and fellow blogger posted a story about a special fairy.  This fairy is the clean up fairy.  After countless days of begging and pleading for Meredith and Noah to pick up their toys....and threats of throwing their toys away if they didn't pick them up, I took Blair's idea and went with it.  I told Meredith about the fairy.  I told her how she came at night and picked up any toys that were left out and gave them to boys and girls that didn't have any toys.

After my preschool explanation of this fairy and how she worked, my daughter began to cry.  At first I thought it was because she was so sensitive to the fact that some boys and girls had absolutely no toys.  I went into lots of detail about that and here she was sobbing about how some kids had no toys and she was going to share them.   I was impressed.....about to pat myself on the back...who said parenting was hard?  It wasn't but a few seconds later and then I realized that she was crying because she didn't want that fairy to come and give her toys to anyone.  It wasn't that she wanted to share with others who had no toys, it was that she didn't want to share with anyone....toys or no toys!  I know I will continue to work on that sharing thing, right after I get this clean up thing working.

Anyway I digress....back to the fairy.   So I go into detail and explain and re-explain how it works.  That night when the tikes are in bed, the play room, and their bedrooms are spotless.  I helped, but they did the bulk of the work.  Meredith worried about the fairy and Noah picking up due to his sister's persistent begging so that the fairy won't come.  The next night same thing.   In fact their have been times where we couldn't leave the house with the play room a mess in fear that the fairy would come by while we were out. 

A few days go by, the picking up continues and I realize my child is genuinely afraid of this fairy.  She is losing sleep over it, literally.  She can't sleep at night in fear of the fairy coming in her room at night to get her toys.  I am frustrated.  I didn't paint this fairy out to be the bad guy.  I didn't say she looked like a wicked witch and pulled toes.  So I really didn't want to have to say she was pretend and go back to living in a pig pen, but let's face it....we all need sleep....and by sleep I mean in our own beds.   So I did it, I broke down....I told her the damn fairy wasn't real.  She was just pretend.  She could sleep, there was no fairy coming.  It was just me and I was just going to throw those toys away if they were left out. 

My moment of truth did not change the mind of my 3 year old.  To her that fairy she still exist and I am just saying that she is pretend so she will sleep.  We still pick up at night.  She still stays up at night in fear of her.  I guess I need to make sure that the fairy brings a few surprises to let Meredith know she is a good fairy.

But today, the fairy thing backfired completely.  Meredith, Noah and I were in the backyard playing outside, when they started moving the pea gravel that is in the sand boxes under the swing set and dumping it all over the yard.  I quickly halted this and told them we needed to pick it up and put it back.  PRONTO!  They just stared.....

"Guys....NO, NO, NO,  the rocks stay under the swing set!"

"but why?"

"Because....I do not want pea gravel all over the yard."

"but why?"

"Because....it will kill the grass"

"but why?"

"Because when we cut the grass it will get shot across the yard by the lawn mower."

"but why?"

"Because IT BELONGS in the boxes under your playhouse and that is where it needs to stay"

"but why?"

"because I freaking said so.....BECAUSE, BECAUSE, BECAUSE!"

"but..."

"No...stop right there...let's pick up....RIGHT NOW"

"No mom, let's just leave it.  Da fairy will come when we are sleeping and just throw it away.  Okay!"

I realize I was outsmarted by a 3 year old this afternoon.  Lord help me when she is 16.

On days when she just dresses herself

My diva.  She has a fashion sense that is totally her own.  Some mornings we completely bat heads over the wardrobe.  Many of you may think like my mother, why on Earth do I give her the choice.  Well let me just say.  She doesn't always get to choose.  Sometimes when we are going somewhere or on Sunday mornings, I choose for her and that is that.  She knows that and typically does not fight me on this.  As long as the outfit meets her very picky standards.  Most of time I let her pick between two things.  And others I let her have free reign.  I figure what does it really hurt if she gets to pick her clothes for the day.  I'll tell ya, not a damn thing.

  It has gotten easier since I have gotten to know what she likes and what she does not like and will refuse to wear.  Remember when I said I only bought pink things, I did that way I didn't' have a drawer full of clothes not being worn because they weren't Pepto Bismol pink.  I started buying clothes that meet her very high standards of 1)not being tight around her arms  2)not being empire waisted and being tight across her chest 3)not being tight on her waist  and 4)not containing too much frilly stuff....then we got to a place where we are good.  I hated wearing stuff I did not like as a child.  I'm changing that with my own children. Here are some examples...

She loved this one....didn't want to take it off.

She totally put this ensemble together....do you love the shirt hair?  Yes, a yellow shirt she wore all day on her head like hair.....ALL DAY.  To the grocery, McDonalds, Target....ALL DAY!

Dress up at the discovery center.  She loves dress up and totally gets into character when she does. 

More dress up...this is my recent favorite princess ansemble she has put together.  We typically always wear her green dress, with a crown, heels and a purse.  See her side picture for an example.  However today, she totally mixed it up and had on a blue dress with two or three tutus underneath it.  This totally broke her no tightness around the waist rule, oh well.  I guess rules were meant to be broken.  Oh and when we are in princess garb, we have to play the part and refer to her as princess Meredith.  Today she waited for her little prince to wake up from his nap so he could dance with her.....he didn't cooperate when he awoke.

I wanted you to see the multiple layers under that dress.  I like to encourage her creativity and decision making skills.  I love it!

The kitchen wasn't the only room to get a makeover...

The kitchen and living room weren't the only rooms in the house to get a face lift.  I also re-did the "much in need of a new look" play room.  The room was originally Meredith's nursery, which was super cute and super gender neutral, since we definitely weren't finding out. 

That lasted all of 17 weeks.

Then Noah came along and both of them were bumped upstairs and it was transformed into the play room, or the room of crap that we own way too much of!And since it is one of the most seen rooms in the house, aside from the gorgeous kitchen, it needed an overhaul.

So here is the before....

And here is the after.....

I have to say it is much improved.  I also got some new plantation shutters in the toy room as well as the bedrooms, I love these things.  Mom you were right.

My cute little "by order of the management" prints that I got from etsy.  As well as Meredith and Noah's ugly dolls I picked up in NYC.  Meredith was happy to put hers on the wall she thought it was special.  Noah was just happy the damn thing was out of his room.  He hates that ugly doll.  When I first brought it home he whined and threw him down the stairs.  I went and got it and brought it back up and he slapped me, screamed, grabbed it from me and threw it down the stairs again.  I got the message, but I love to aggravate him with it....I know cruel!  Anyway the first couple hours he wouldn't go in the playroom without screaming.  But fear not Internets, he got over his fear and now is back to destroying the play room in 2.4 seconds!

Close up of the signs, aren't they cute!

Come on in and see what a difference one's sanity makes...

Oh Internets!  You have stuck with me through this horrendous renovation.  You have patiently waited and some of you may even continue to check the blog occasionally in hopes that I have posted pictures of the fruits of my labor and many months of blood, sweat and tears.  Well I did, it took almost as long as the renovation. 

I have lost my sanity through this process, I am slowly gaining it back.  But come inside and see what happened.  Realize that the living room is finished, but I am awaiting additional furniture.  I will post more pictures when it all gets here.  My photography skills are not the best....deal with it.  I also swear that I took better before pictures, but for the life of me CANNOT find them on my computer.  My organizational skills went out the window the day they started with this....

But alas we are finished. Things were not done on schedule, I cleaned better than I did in my entire life due to some peoples inability to use visqueen. And low and behold I survived. I guess I am cut out for that kind of work.

So here is the before......

And the after.........

Again the before.....

And the after....

Looking into the kitchen before.....

Looking into the kitchen after.....

The new brick wall on the living room side.  That mirror isn't staying there, I just don't know what I will put there.

Looking from the kitchen into the living room.

Before......

After.......

Looking toward the stove/cook top with the old island and floors and without the wall.

Before.....

After.....

The breakfast area before.....

After...

(I need a closeup of my new table, it is made from on old door from a house in Nola)

And now just some details.

My new chandelier over the breakfast table....

The new brick floors, I love them.

The new island.  I have bookcases on each end.

My new kitchen faucet.  Sorry it is blurry, but I love it!

The cabinet I had built on the brick wall on the kitchen side.  I use it as a china cabinet.

So what do you think?  Anything I left out you want to see?  My new hardware wasn't installed yet in these pictures, it is now do you need to see that?  Do I need a close up of anything else?  Please humor me, say something!