Friday Five

FIVE BEST TV SHOWS
1. Little House on the Prairie
2. 24
3. St Elsewhere
4. Cheers
5. Roseanne (the early ones)

FIVE BEST WHITE SOX PLAYERS (NOW AND WAY BACK)
1. Ron Kittle
2. Paul Konerko
3. Carleton Fisk
4. Ozzie Guillen
5. Aaron Rowand (that's Caroline's vote)

FIVE BEST CHICAGO SPORTS MOMENTS
1. 2005 Sox World Series Win
2. Da Bulls~6 times
3. All of Devin Hester's TD punt returns
4. AJ Pierzynski taking 1st base on a ball 4 in the dirt during Game #2 ALCS
5. 85 Bears Superbowl Win

Who's On Bedrest?

Um. . .I thought I was the one who was supposed to be taking it easy? Evidently, Tim had a rough day of . . .? You fill in the blank.

Please Don't Call DCFS

So today was one the most interesting doctors appointments we've ever had. Last night Tim was playing with the girls in the backyard and was swinging them around. Not so much smart. By 10pm Amelia was hysterical about her arm. It didn't appear swollen or out-of-whack in any way so we just gave her Motrin and got her to sleep. By morning it was pretty obvious something was wrong. She was cradling her arm and not using it at all. Called good ole Dr Stroman who told us to come in. From there, the fun began.

We were sitting in the room and he walks in, looks at her chart, and asks us what the problem is. Told him "Daddy airplane rides." OK. What happened next we EXACTLY like the scene from "The Karate Kid" where Mr Myagi "fixes" Daniel-san's busted knee. Dr Stroman claps his hands, takes Amelia's arm, twists it around til she is screaming and on her knees. And then she's fine. He looks at us and chuckles, "Never seen an elbow AND wrist dislocated. That's pretty cool. No more airplane rides."

Friday Five

FIVE BEST BREAKFAST FOODS
1. Biscuits and gravy
2. Veggie omelet
3. English muffin
4. Corned beef hash (Though I feel as if I need a triple bypass afterward!)
5. Jeff's "Nasty eggs with toast"

FIVE MOST ANNOYING THINGS PEOPLE SAY TO PREGNANT WOMEN
(Disclaimer~~These bug me now b/c I'm pregnant. I have probably said all of them.)
1. WOW! You're huge!
2. Do you know what you're having?
3. Are you trying for a boy?
4. I was in labor for 8 days and tore all the way thru. My heart stopped and I had to be revived.
5. I did it without an edipural. If you just focus, you don't need one.

FIVE BEST SMELLS
1. Pink grapefruit.
2. Anything lemon.
3. Spaghetti sauce simmering.
4. Spring.
5. Burning leaves in the fall.

FIVE FAVORITE HYMNS
1. Great Is Thy Faithfulness
2. Blessed Assurance
3. It Is Well
4. Amazing Grace
5. By The Sea of Crystal

Take It Easy?

I had my 20 week ultrasound and check up yesterday. Good news, bad news, and in-between news.

Good News~Baby looks great. All organ systems present and working. No spina bifida, no water on the brain. No obvious signs of chromosomal errors.

In-between news~very modest baby. He/she has legs crossed at the knees and tucked under. He/she also was breech and facing inward so the tech could not tell the sex. I really didn't want to know but Tim and about 80% of everyone else does so I was kinda glad! :-) So for a while at least we are all still in suspense.

Bad news~I have had some bleeding off and on since the beginning of this pregnancy. Now I know why. I have a complete placenta previa. This is when the placenta forms at the bottom of the uterus instead of at the top and blocks the cervix. This results in 2 things for me.

1. For now, "partial bedrest". I am supposed to "take it easy" OK, how on earth is that possible?! I am trying, really. But it is so hard. There is so much to do. Tim is finally working again after the cold and snow of February. Everyone has been great about offering help but I suck at accepting it. I need to work on being gracious and saying "thanks" instead of "No, really. I'm OK." As Kim said, I am not resting so that my baby will have blond hair instead of brown. I'm resting to ensure the safety of the baby. Because the placenta is over the cervix it is easily irritated and could cause early labor. I have to have another U/S in a few weeks to see how things look.

2. IF the placenta does not migrate northward, I will need a C-section. That scares the heck out of me. As much as I hate pregnancy, I really don't mind the birth. All 3 girls had really good deliveries. As long as I get my epidural, I'm all good! :-) I watch enough Discovery Health Channel to know I do not want a seciton.

So for now, I ask you to pray for northward migration. My doctor said the chances of that are "remote" due to the placement of the placenta, but that's what we're hoping for. No complete bedrest and no c-section.

Thanks so much! :-)

Friday Five

Often my thoughts freeze between my brain and my finger for blog posts. I think of fantasic ideas at 3am but they never actually turn into posts. So here's an idea I saw on another blog. Simply for fun and because I really adore lists of any kind. Not necessarily in any order, just my opinion.

FRIDAY FIVES

Five Best Songs Ever~Excluding Hymns, P&W, and Country

1. Midnight Train to Georgia~Gladys Knight

2. Material Girl~Madonna

3. Sweet Caroline~Neil Diamond

4. Come Sail Away~Styx

5. Every Rose Has It's Thorn~Poison

Five Best Country Songs Ever

1. Anything But Mine~Kenny Chesney

2. Whoever's In New England~Reba McEntire

3. She and I~Alabama (Though it's hard to narrow that down!)

4. Whiskey Lullaby~Brad Paisley and Allison Krauss

5. I Don't Call Him Daddy~Doug Supernaw

Five Best Movies Ever (Ok, maybe this is more a Best 80's movies!)

1. Dead Poet's Society

2. Mr Mom

3. Boyz in the Hood

4. When Harry Met Sally

5. Say Anything

Five Best Restaurants

1. Wildfire

2. Chik-Fil-A

3. Quiznos

4. Ro-Sals

5. Gus's Fried Chicken

Meal Plan Monday. . .well Tuesday

I'm slow. I so meant to do this yesterday but I was busy. . .Celebrating Mr and Mrs Mommy Brain's Anniversary. . .working on Ebay. . .watching "24". . .um. . .

Monday . . . . . . . . .Grilled Cheese and Soup (GEMS at church)

Tuesday . . . . . . . .Chicken Stuffed Red Peppers (From Dinner's Done)

Wednesday . . . . . Egg and Sausage Casserole with Biscuits
(I have to make this for MOPS so I'm just going to do a duplicate.)

Thursday. . . . . . . Linguine with Clam Sauce and Garlic Bread (Also from Dinner's Done)

Friday. . . . . . . . . . Auction at Caroline's school
~babysitter for little girls~frozen pizza and broccoli
~Dad, Mom, and Caroline eat at school

Sat Out. . . . . . . . . Where or what I'm not sure but probably Quiznos as that I want Mama is craving!

Sunday. . . . . . . . . Cabernet Crock Pot Beef with noodles and beans (also from Dinner's Done)

I went to Dinner's Done on December 1 and made 13 meals. Soon after that morning sickness hit pretty hard and I haven't really cooked or felt like smelling up the kitchen since. This past week I am finally feeling able to get my "kitchen legs" under me again. These meals are the last of my pre-made stash. Money is always much tighter at this time of year for us so I will be cooking myself yet again! I have even started pulling recipes out of magazines again.

Baby Needs A New Pair of Shoes

This is what is happening in my kitchen right now. Yep, it's boys poker night. They are playing "no copper, no paper" so no one is betting away the mortgage money or anything so it's just guys having fun. I am listening in and they are FUNNY. They even wrote up a cheat sheet to figure out what hand is high. They think I'm in here working. . .hee hee. Nope. I just hope Tim wins b/c he's got 3 little girls who are clothes horses. :-)

Happy Birthday to Me

I am officially old. 35 today. I had a really nice day though! Last year, almost everyone forgot. Even Tim. So I have been milking this all week. :-) "Please clean the bathroom, dear. It'sm my birthday." ect, ect.

Things didn't start out great as at 4am Caroline climbed in bed with me because she heard thunder. GGRRR. . .But I had a half bag of Kettle Cooked Lays Potato Chips and Sweet Tea for breakfast and that made it all better! Christine came out and we went to get massages which for me was really more of a butt-rub as this sweet little baby of mine is sitting right on my tailbone and that HURTS! Then a lunch at the Olive Garden with Clark the Handsome Waiter. After Christine left to tend to her brood I chatted with Leslie the Wonder Sitter and watched this week's American Idol with her since she missed it and I have it Tivo'd. Tim and I went out for dinner with just Caroline which was fun since we usually are occupied with Smash and Crash. Caroline sometime has the curse of being ignored because she doesn't scream and throw things in public!

Got home just in time to tuck in the little ones and watch AI. Now, I gotta say, WHAT THE HECK?!?!?! We still have to listen to Sanjaya and Antonella?!? So not good. At least my 2 stayed put for another week. We love Phil and Gina over here. I want to start picking songs for them. Gina needs to do some Joan Jett~~I'm thinking "Bad Reputation" would be awesome. Tim loves Phil. Voted 57 times for the dude. If I didn't know better, I'd worry.

A Marriage Made In Heaven

Very hot crispy french fries and sausage gravy. Like the kind you put on biscuits for breakfast. It was so beautiful. I wept.

New Spring Auctions

Here's a bunch of new spring auctions. As always, FREE shipping for blogger buddies! :-) I will have about 50 new ones up by the end of next week~I hope. . .

Greeting from the Frozen Tundra

We are up in Michigan for the long weekend. Kinda a last minute trip as we realized Caroline didn't have school Friday or Monday and Tim is pretty much unemployed these days! We are staying at the in-laws house and the fun part is they are in Florida so we kinda are just hanging out. We are always spending our time with family up here so we kind of came to see the folks we never get to see.

We went to see our friends, Kent and Jen, last night. They have the most awesome house right on Lake Michigan! Amelia and Greta had a great time playing with their boys, Weston and Grant. I think Amelia is smitten as ALL she has talked about since is her "new fwiend who is boy named Wess-on"! They took us to a great local joint that had a lizard in a cage which kept the small folk entertained all evening. Thanks guys!

Today we went to visit our alma mater, the awesome Calvin College. The girls loved it. Caroline was very concerned that it was too big and she would get lost "on my first day of school here." Amelia and Greta were just in awe of the CHEESE. Greta would say , "Big cheese, are you?" and Amelia repeated over and over that big cheese is "silly thing at a school!"

After the girls played "Here Is Your Future" and had to listen to me and Tim blather on about how much it had changed and endless stories of "here's where we did such-and-such" we went to the famous Yesterdog in Grand Rapids for chili dogs with my step-bros and their women. We then went to see Joel and Liz's new house which is a really cool 1910 place with awesome detail. Amelia and Greta traumatized their cats til the poor things hid so far even Joel couldn't get 'em out. Again, Liz, I am so sorry. Send me the bill for the kitty therapy.

Tomorrow we plan to spend the day with Tim's sister and family. My niece is 13 and makes for a great babysitter so we hope to have dinner WITHOUT the kiddies! On Monday we will head for home with a stop at Russ's on the way out of town. Hope y'all are having a stellar President's (Condi Rice in 2008) Day and we'll see you at home!

Switch-a-roo

I always wanted my girls to have a blankie. Each one got a beautiful Gymboree blanket for coming home from the hospital. There was something so cozy about each kid having a blankie and it certainly helped with having a babysitter!

Caroline's was this beautiful fall one and this awesome navy one did not pay attention to it til she was older~like 3. Now she keeps it in her room and plays with her American Girl dolls with it. She still takes it on sleepovers.

Amelia was born in June and got this cute summer-y print one. She never once paid attention to hers so it's in a nice spot for "someday"

Greta got this great floral one. Really sweet. What does she pick to love? A very soft BUT very white fuzzy number from Aunt Christine. It was great for a January baby but so hot and sticky come summer. Greta loved that blankie to shreds. It has holes and a permanent icky smell that just won't wash out. This week was the end. She took it in the van somewhere and dripped that black melted snow/muck all over it.

At Target yesterday I kept showing her fuzzy blankets and asking if she'd like a new "go-ey" (kinda like Joey only with a "g") She said no, no, no. MY GOEY!! I gave up but bought a cute pink one with flowers just in case. At bedtime we gave her the new one and got her all excited about it. It certainly helped that once Amelia saw the attention she threw herself on the floor in protest that it wasn't hers. Once Greta saw that Amelia wanted it, she changed her tune and decided that a new goey wasn't such a bad idea. I am happy to report that old one is bye-bye and new sweet smelling blankie is tucked under her arm as she watches Dora.

OK, go ahead and comment about how mean I am. Tim already has. Until he thought about how many germs were in the old one. Now he's onboard with the new program!

Goin to the Chapel. . .

Everyone needs to check Josh's vlog. He's got big news! The link is in my sidebar.

Perception vs Reality

I was just reading an article someone emailed me about being a "good" vs "bad" mother. The authors basic point was that different does not equal bad. By her definition the only bad mothers are those who neglect, abuse, and abandon their children. Formula feeding moms are not bad moms. Co-sleeping moms are not bad moms. Vegan moms are not bad moms. Junk food moms are not bad moms.

When I was a new mom, I actually had a friendship fall apart over this. Perception is a powerful thing. My friend was a breastfeeding, make your own baby food, co-sleep, baby wearing mom. I was the exact opposite. I bottle fed, happily supported the folks at Gerber, stuck my baby in her crib from the first night home. Neither of us were sure we were doing the right things so suggestions sounded like criticism. When she said, "Just stick with it! Breast feeding is so much better for the baby than formula." I heard "You selfish wuss. I didn't let it get to me and my baby is better off than yours." What's not at all what she meant, but that's what I heard. When I would say things like, "Are you getting enough sleep? Do you feel like you need alone-time with your husband?" She heard, "Your marriage is going to fall apart because your baby sleeps with you." We both felt hurt and judged which led us to just stop talking to each other.

Lots has changed in the 8 years since I became a mom. I am much more comfortable in my decisions which has led me to be more comfortable in my friends' decisions. I know I am doing what is right for my kiddos and I know other moms are doing what is right for theirs. I have also learned to take what someone says at face value. Yes, breast milk is the best food for babies, but my babies get formula and I am OK with that. I no longer dissolve into tears when someone asks me why I don't breastfeed. My kids go to bed early and I have friends who kids stay up late. Big deal. When a friend asks me why I do or don't let my girls do certain things, I generally offer a brief explantion or simply say "Because that's what works for us." And I hope that when I say "Caroline really needs 11 hours of sleep." my friend does not hear "Your kids are sleep deprived brats."

This also becomes an issue as your kids get old enough to notice differences in families. Just recently Caroline has discovered that our close friends' kids have a TV in their room. I explained to her that is a choice each family has to make and we have made a different one. We are not better because we don't allow a TV in your room and they are not better because they do. (Well, cooler maybe, but not better.) Every mom has things that "push her buttons" A girlfriend and I have shared a good laugh over our inconsistancies. She forbids Kool-Aid because it's too high in sugar but her kids eat fruit snacks all day long. I don't have fruit snacks but my kids can drink Kool Aid til they have a permanent stain on their faces. It just is a "thing" for each of us.

I think as women and especially as moms we tend to read too much into the sub-text of conversation. I always say I don't offend easily but I guess that's not the best way to say it. I know that when I say something and it's misconstrued, it drives me nuts. I figure it probably drives others crazy too. If someone says something that rubs me the wrong way, I usually try to figure why, what were they really saying, and did it really have anything to do with me? Often what I heard, was not what was said.

And in case you were wondering, my friend and I did make peace. We are not close buddies but we have talked about it and both see that we were being way too sensitive at a hard time in our lives. We chat on occaision and I do consider her a friend. :-)

OK, Fine

I've been tagged by Amanda and out of my desire to do it before Kim (who was tagged before me) I am going to go ahead. I never ever answer these emails but since Amanda asked. . .

A- Available or married? Married for 13 yrs, taken in various stages since 9th grade. . .

B- Best Friend? Um, Kary and Christine and Kim

C- Cake or Pie? Cake, yellow with strawberries

D- Drink of Choice? Sweet Tea, Diet Coke

E- Essential Item? Cell phone

F- Favorite Color? green and pink

G- Gummi Bears or Worms? Ick

H- Hometown? Um, depends on who's asking. Chicago-area is my usual answer.

I- Indulgence? McD's french fries

J- January or February? January cuz it's Greta's birthday!

K- Kids & names? Caroline Rebekah (8 1/2), Amelia Kate (3 1/2), Greta Lindsay (2), and Baby Bean Due 8-2-07~you think I'd give up names?

L- Life is incomplete without? sleep

M- Marriage Date? December 18, 1993

N- Number of Siblings? younger sister, Kim 30, younger brother Jefferson 26, Step-bros Joel 27-ish, and Josh 24-ish. Sis-in-law Saena 26, Liz 27-ish

O- Oranges or apples? Oranges, but only if someone else peels it for me and removes every speck of white stuff.

P- Phobias/Fears? Snakes, spiders, heights, giving birth without an epidural

Q-Favorite Quote? Uh. . .blank stare

R- Reason to Smile? Bears in the Super Bowl

S- Season? Spring

T- Tag three people! 9 Hookers in A Forest Preserve, The Pregnant Woman With 6 Kids, My Dear Sister (now she has to do it. Her's will be fun to read too.

U- Unknown fact about me: I am really a great singer.

W- Worst habit? Ignoring my screaming kids.

Y- Your favorite food? French fries

Z- Zodiac? Piecies. I can't even spell it.

My Little Couch Potatoes

Ah, mother guilt. It strikes us all. When it was just Caroline, I was the perfect mother. "No child of mine. . ." crossed my lips A LOT! When Caroline was a toddler/preschooler she was allowed to watch 2 hours of TV a week. Yep. And you know what, I stuck to it. We played outside, did craft projects, went shopping and out to lunch with Grandma. We were in a playgroup, we went to MOPS, we went to the library. I'm telling you, I was the perfect mom.

And then I had another baby. And then another. And yet one more is coming. Life has changed and I have had to adjust my ideals with it. Now I'm not against TV. I'm not one of those folks who thinks Bert and Ernie are gay or that Barney is a occult figure. I love me some Blue's Clues or Dora. (Though I have had 3 kids so far that are DEATHLY afraid of Swiper!) My biggest motivation for limiting TV was I didn't want to start a habit I would have to break. I saw grade school age kids I knew who just spaced in front of the TV for hours. I am also married to one of those. Tim would watch Spanish game shows if that was all that was on. I am not a huge TV watcher~I like to watch certain things and when they are over, I move on. I rarely turn on the TV with no show in mind. I was successful with Caroline in this. She is not a huge TV watcher, usually turns it off as soon as her show is over. Amelia, not so much. That kid is just like Tim. She will watch anything at anytime and often whines til I give in and turn something on.

Since the weather has been mostly too rainy for outside play and I am spending lots of time lying on the bathroom floor trying to keep my lunch down, Amelia and Greta have been watching way more TV than I'd like. At first the guilt was crushing. I felt so bad that I was turn their brains to mush and not giving them the attention their big sister got. Slowly, I am accepting that things have changed. My mobility has changed, who wants to shop and do lunch with a toddler and a preschooler. Heck, I consider it a major accomplishment if I can hit Target and Strack's in the same day.

So I am hopeful that soon we can start to limit the TV time. I am saving my pennies for a fence so I can send 'em outside without close supervision as soon as it gets warm. Now we just need a sandbox and swing set. . .

Baby Update

Let's all take a collective sigh of relief. ***SIGH*** I went in for an ultrasound yesterday because I was bleeding~not spotting but bleeding. All is well with baby and there is ONLY ONE. Hallelujah!

Happy Birthday Greta!

My littlest kitty is 2 today and what a strange trip it's been! She's a hoot and a joy and total stinker. I was inspired by Jana and Nora's story to try to write Greta's. I have never actually written out any of their stories so I thought this might be fun to relive it all.

I found out I was pregnant with Miss Boo when Amelia was only 11 months old so I was a bit shocked to say the least. I took the test on a Sunday morning and Tim wasn't even home so I of course called Kary first. I believe I said "I'm pregnant" and she said "Shut up."

Anyway, a rather rough 6 months later I began to have really severe itching on the palms of my hands and soles of my feet. I mentioned this crazy symptom to a few friends and they all thought I was weird and my doctor said, "You're pregnant. You itch." I just figured it was another one of those strange things that happen when I'm pregnant as I had similar symptoms with Amelia. One night when I was 35 weeks I couldn't sleep so I got up to surf the internet for baby names~since we still hadn't come up with a girl name. On one site someone commented on a bunch of names and then added a PS question about itchy hands and feet in pregnancy. I about fell off my chair. I followed the answers thru the maze of websites and ended up here. I had every single symptom listed and then I did what any rational very pregnant woman would. I FREAKED OUT. I tried to go back to sleep but ended up staring at the wall til morning. After I got Caroline off to school and Amelia settled into TV, I called my doctor. She was on vacation for 2 weeks. Um. . .not good. So I asked to speak to the doc on call. She ordered a bunch of blood tests and said, "Come back in a week." I had a gotten a friend to watch the girls while I went for more bloodwork and in chatting with her (she's a nurse) she says, "So-and-so had that with her daughter and she knows all about it. Call her." So I called the girl who was actually researching to write a book on Cholestasis. Her daughter was delievered in distress at 34 weeks. She gave me a referral to a high-risk doc who knows all about Cholestasis. After 950 phone calls to his office I finally got my Doctor Uncle Dave to call him for me. He called me back within 30 minutes, said come on down and we'll get that baby delievered tonight. Um, hello? Now?!? So off we went.

We got to the hospital, they hooked me up for a non-stress test, ultrasound, and amnio. Baby Girl (who we had decided on the way to the hospital to name Georiga Grace) is not cooked fully. Her lungs were "close but no cigar" was what the doc said. So we were sent home for the weekend with strict instructions to go straight to the ER if there was no movement for 30 minutes or more. Talk about a relaxing weekend~NOT! Over the course of the weekend we got a call from a girl from church whose niece was stillborn from Cholestasis. So that really helped me stay calm. Tim would wake me up all night long to ask if she was moving. Or I would wake up to him poking at my stomach trying to get her to move.

I called Dr Ambrose Monday morning and said I'm really stressed out about this, what can we do. He was really great. He said he totally understood, come on in and we'll check the lungs again. If they are closer, we'll induce you. Cut to the chase, lungs were ready, sent us up to L&D, started the pit and we were off! My Uncle Dave is an anethesiolgist so he stopped to see me. He looked at my monitors and said, "Why don't you have your edpidural yet?" I told him I wanted to walk, wait til the contractions were stronger, blah blah blah. He laughed at me, went and got his partner, shot that epidural right on it. It was awesome. I was so numb I kept asking the nurse if I was still have contractions. At on point I yelled at Tim for farting in front of the nurses. She jsut laughed and said, "Honey, that's you." Oooo! I was so embarassed!

Morning of Jan 11 came. Dr Ambrose came in at 7:45 and broke my water. I was only 3 so we figured it would be a while yet. About 8:30 I started feeling really uncomfortable. I was buzzing the nurse but not getting an answer. I sent Tim out to find her. He told her that I thought I needed to be checked. She rolled her eyes, told Tim that I was just at 3, and she'd be there in a minute. She came in 10 minutes later, lifted up my sheet, turned white, yelled "Don't push!" and ran out of the room. I complete and Baby Girl was crowning. After a flurry of activity, Dr Ambrose starts the 10 count to push. I got to 4 and he said "Stop, the head is out. . .oh, nevermind." I looked down and saw her little feet. He never even got a chance to suction her. That's what happens when your last baby was 8 lbs and this one was 6 lbs! She was healthy and perfect.

Greta Lindsay (Tim changed his mind about her name while I was in labor) was born at 8:50 on January 11, 2005. She is so much fun! Greta learned early on that in the chaos she needed to speak up or we'd forget about her. These days her greatest goal is to be just like her big sisters and tries so hard to keep up with them at all times. We love her to pieces and are so thankful for the gift that she is!

An Amelia Quote for the Day

Upon seeing me in a purple shirt

"Thank you for wearing that Mommy. I enjoy purple."

American Idol

After all the craziness of the holidays I am so looking forward to some serious couch-potato time. And what better then American Idol? It starts again in a few weeks and we can't wait. I know it is the cheesiest thing ever but it is SO fun to watch! Here's a neat shot of our own American Idol on Christmas. This is what happens when fun aunts and uncles buy for your kids. And Uncle Jer had to get in on the fun too. I think he sang "Dancing Queen" while Greta did "Hinkle Hinkle Wittle Tar"

Would Someone Please Make the Room Stop Spinning?

I forgot how awful "morning" sickness is. I have also been enlightened that the older you are when preggers, the worse it is. Fan-freakin-tastic. I want to puke. All. Day. Long. It is so bad. Don't get me wrong, I am thrilled to be having another (final) baby but I am so hoping this passes soon. Ugh. I have tried every trick in the book including prescription drugs and so far nothing helps much. The drugs have almost stopped the actual throwing up but I am still so queasy I could die.

OK, pity party over.

Christmas was good~the girls were spoiled as per usual and we got to have Cuncle Jer and Cant Kim and Ewise here for a few days which was great fun. Lots of sorting of presents to happen today until the Bears game starts. We have no plans for New Years Eve but that's OK cuz I'm not sure I'm really a fun addition to a party right now. We had a great time in Hilton Head with Dad and Judy and Jeff and Seana. I went shopping alone. As in ALL BY MYSELF! I was giddy with joy. I also found a Gymboree outlet down there and was in my glory. :-)

Chirstmas Wishes to All!

Merry Children and Happy New Baby to All! Oops. Guess I'm a bit mixed up, being preggers and all.

We are off to Hilton Head for the week~without the girls! All alone to sleep in, eat out, and shop, shop, shop. We'll miss you all and see you all for the New Year's Eve!

Merry Christmas to You from us!

Tim, Jen, Caroline, Amelia, Greta, and Baby Bean

You Take the Good, You Take the Bad. . .

Here's Jen, Anne and Shawnie singing the theme song from "The Facts of Life" We knew every stinking word. We also did a mean rendition of "Little Red Corvette"
I'm not sure what Tim was doing here. Suffice it to say it was the end of the evening. He did roll up his jeans to earn him the nickname "Huck". Not sure why.
Here is our only guy who dressed for the night. Lee AKA Steve sported his Sonny Crockett look.
Part of the festivities of the evening included Totally 80s Trivial Pursuit. All kinds of fun and hilarity ensured. Boys vs. Girls. They did well with Sports while us gals had Music and TV locked up! Here Dawn becomes very excited to shout out "Alan Thicke!!"
Shawnie tries out the martini shaker. We had Wedding Cake Martinis, Jack Frost Martinis, and the non-alcoholic Cosmo-NOT Martini. They were yummy!

I gotta say, I love these people. We had our 2nd Annual Small Group Christmas party last night. Yee Haw. Over the past year we have been through a lot together, the most difficult being the losses of Andrew and Jesse. We also know how to have a rockin' good time. Real friends are the ones who are there for the fun and the not-so-fun. So last night was a Christmas in the 80's theme. Great fun for most of us who were cool in the 80's not so fun for the ones who were toddlers in the 80's! We had martinis and dinner. Cheesecake and beer. And lots of "candy from the crapper." I had a dish of wrapped candies in the bathroom last year and they were so excited about it! Some of the highlights of the evening included the girls singing the "Facts of Life" theme song all the way through, Tim making up his own questions, calling Lee "Steve" all night just because we could, Tim rolling his pants up like Huck Finn, laughing at all our pictures from the 80's, and dicussion of the term skin flute. Hmm. . . Enjoy the photos and join a small group today.

To Do's Done

In an effort to feel as if I have actually accomplished something, here is my DONE list. Now most will need to be re-done before tomorrow night's party but hey, we're closer.

CLEANED
Master bedroom
Master bath
Hallway
Laundry room
Amelia/Greta's room
Girls' bath
Family room
Mudroom

Nov. invoices
Paid bills


STILL TO BE DONE
Playroom
Office
Kitchen
Bath
Mop floors
Caroline's room

Make grocery list
Grocery shop
Plan menu

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's off to work I go. . .

My Insurmountable To-Do List

In my "free" time I often surf blogs~especially the Christian Mom varitey. While some are a bit on the cheesy side, they are often well-written snippets from other moms like me. One thing I have noticed on the Homeschooler Mom Blogs (LOVE these as they are full of organizational ideas) is the practice of listing your to-do list on your blog (I think my pronouns are all messed up there.) One mom I "chatted" with said she does it for accountability. Well, heck, I need me some o' that! So, here's my To-Do by Friday night list. We are having a Christmas party here and only one person has seen the house so you know I'll be doing the grand tour.

CLEAN
~playroom ~office ~family room ~mudroom
~downstairs bath ~kitchen ~Amelia/Greta's room ~Caroline's room
~guest room ~girls' bath ~laundry room ~master bedroom
~master bath ~hallway

Grocery shop
November invoices
Pay bills
Laundry
PHONE CALLS
~painter ~builder ~insurance guy
Find pototo recipie
Finish and mail Christmas cards
Organize Christmas presents
Figure out who needs what for Christmas

I think that's it for now. Anyone wanna help? :-)

Griswold Family Christmas

I have a really weird extended family. I mean that in the nicest way possible, but they are kooks. We had a family Christmas party this afternoon that ended with a bottle of Irish whiskey being passed around the circle with everyone taking a hit~especially my 81-year-old Grandma and her sister. So I got thinking in the season of much family togetherness that I really do like them and the biggest reason why is they are a hoot. Exhibits A-E

**My Grandma makes us sing the "12 Days of Christmas" every year and last year we tried to do it "gay"

**My dad and my uncle once went sledding down a hill. With no coats. Into a creek.

**When Tim married into my family, he didn't know quite what to think. His family is very nice and my family yells things like "GET OFF ME YOU FAT OAF!"

**We once had a "meeting" to move the official beginning of Happy Hour up to 10am so one could have beer on one's Post Toasties.

**My Uncle Jim does a mean rendition of "Junior Birdman"

What kinds of fun stories come from your family? Do you do weird things? Are we the only ones who spend hours of drunken fun?

A few additions. . .

A while back I listed so simple do's and don'ts to make this holiday shopping season nice for all. After being out all morning, I need to add some.

DO vacate your parking spot immeadiately upon arrive to one's car. DO NOT organize your reciepts, adjust the heat, light up a smoke, balance your check book and start chatting on your cell phone while others are waiting to take your spot.

DO NOT chat on your cell phone while navigating a crowded parking lot. Please pay attention.

DO allow the person behind you to ask a quick question of the sales person who is helping you. If you are the person asking the quick question, DO make sure it is a question answerable with one-word.

Anchor stores in the mall, DO NOT close any earlier than the rest of the mall without making a huge announcement. Especially when my car is parked near your store.

Thank you for your cooperation.

My New Favorite Website

I am having a moment here. This is my new homepage. Every recipie EVER! Check it out and we'll have a party!

The Sky is Falling! The Sky is Falling!

No time to chat. . .we're in for the "BIG ONE" and I need to prepare my disaster kit and set the DVR. I wonder if 90210 will record if the power goes out? We are supposed to get slammed with snow in the next 24 hours. Jerry and Tracy are saying up to 14 inches and Andy already has his sleeves rolled up. Every notice that the weather guys loosen their ties and roll up their sleeves as it gets worse? But our family favorite is Tom Skilling~or as we call him "Tommy Skillhead" Tom has a "moment of glee" every time the isobars are tightly packed across the lake. Love him.

The Answers. . .

Question #1
What month was I born in?
March

Question #2
What was my black lab's name?
Oliver
Ashley Correct!
Bridget
BJ
**A bit of a trick question as I did have dogs named Oliver and BJ at one time**

Question #3
What is my favorite movie ever?
Top Gun
Dead Poet\'s Society
Fame
When Harry Met Sally Correct!
**Another trick as these are all in the top 5 but When Harry Met Sally trumps 'em all.

Question #4
What's my favorite fast food restaurant?
Burger King
McDonalds
Wendys Correct!
White Castle
**Though I can see why Christine got that wrong. I made her eat White Castle to try and get me in labor with Amelia.

Question #5
My first job was at the mall. What store?
The Limited
Gymboree
The Gap
County Seat Correct!
**I sold Guess jeans at Chicago Ridge Mall**

Question #6
What is the one fruit I hate?
Bananas Correct!
Kiwi
Grapes
Blueberries
**Bananas are just icky.

Question #7
Who was my first boyfriend?
Lance
Mike J Correct!
Doug
Tim
**Another trick. Techincally, Mike J was the correct answer. However, Doug was probably my first "real" boyfriend. Like we actually went on dates and stuff as opposed to just making out at Sandy Mels parties when Mike and I were "going out" in 8th grade. And Lance, only in my dreams!

Question #8
Where do I go to church?
Faith CRC
Crown Point CRC
Crossroads Correct!
**Um, Aimee, you go to church with me and you got this wrong. Hello?

Question #9
What is my favorite band?
U2
Nickleback
Bon Jovi
All of the above Correct!
**Love 'em all.

Question #10
What is my favorite TV show ever?
Roseanne
Little House on the Prairie Correct!
St Elsewhere
Days of our Lives
**Long live Half Pint and Almanzo. I love him.

Need some help. . .

I need some Christmas shopping advice~especially from you boy moms who buy electronic gadgets. Caroline really wants a pink Nintendo DS for Christmas. Where is the best place to buy one? Is Ebay a good place? Are there ever coupons that you can use? How can I search for the best price without driving all over town? Will I ever be skinny again? Is she the right age for one? Will I ever see her face again or will it forever have that dazed computer screen stare? Are you sick of my questions? HELP!

Fashion Friday~A Bit Late for the Holiday

Here's a happy Greta at the Pumpkin Patch last month. I just love this picture and the outfit! How can you go wrong with Brunt Orange cords for pumpkin hunting?

Do you love me?

Amanda had one of these on her blog and it is so fun! hee hee It's all about how well you know me. Or care to.

http://www.testriffic.com/friendtest/622514

Holiday Shopping Do's and Don'ts

With the season of cheer upon us, I feel the need to remind us all of some simple rules when out and about. I have already been out and encountered many a Hooiser who needs an reminder. So here's a handy primer for all. . .

GROCERY SHOPPING
DO stay to the right of the aisle when stopping to check ingredients, compare prices, ect. This allows others to pass easily.

DON'T stop in the middle of the aisle when running into your BFF from high school. Kindly resume shopping or move the reunion to Starbucks.

DON'T make the poor clerk do a price check on every stinkin' item in your cart because you are sure that the sign said "Buy 1 get 10 Free" DO make dang certain that if you ask for a price check that you are correct.

DON'T chat on your cell phone while meandering back and forth down the aisle, making it impossible for me to pass you.

THE MALL
DON'T walk against the flow of traffic. With a stroller, 7 kids, Grandma in a wheelchair, and a seeing eye dog.

DO leave your coat in the car. I do not want to carry it for you. (This only pertains to my shopping companions. I do not carry strangers coats.) I also do not want to hear about how warm you are in your parka.

DO be aware of your surroundings~especially when needing to back up. My baby does not wish to be sat upon.

DON'T allow small children to behave like, well, small children in stores which they have no place in. Right now I can not think of one of those but I'm sure there is one or two.

DON'T hog Santa. Hug, smile for a pic, share your list, and get the heck out. Don't come back while my kid is sitting there and ask her to move so you can get another snap shot.

While on the subject of Santa DO remove yourself from the line in the event of a potty/diaper emergency. I would be happy to hold your place in line while you attend to business in a more private area.

DON'T attempt to return an item with no reciept or tags and then cuss out the store manager because she won't give you a cash refund.

PARKING LOTS
DO remember pedestrians have the right of way. Especially in marked cross walks.

DON'T park in the "Expectant Mother" parking if you do not own a uterus.

DON'T "steal" a spot that someone is obviously waiting for. If turn signal is on and car is waiting for another car to clear out, it is their spot.

DO return your cart to cart corral.

DO allow the pregnant, elderly, or mom with many children to have the closer spot. If you are alone, adult, able-bodied, and it is not a blizzard, please let those of us who need to shlep 3 kids into Target have the closer spot.

One final overriding tidbit~DO NOT for the love of Pete take your toddler out shopping at 9:30 pm and then yell "I'm gonna whip your butt!" at her for behaving like a toddler who should be in bed not in Target.

Thank you for reading and have a joyous shopping season!

Fashion Friday

Since I do consider dressing my daughters to be an Oympic sport~hey, I gotta be good at something~I'm flat-out copying Lisa's idea of Fashion Friday. It also gives me something post about other than all my angst. So here they are in all their glory! :-)

First we have a teeny newborn Greta in Playtime Piggy from Gymboree, that set is a Size Preemie!

Next is Amelia at 3 months in an awesome Tommy patchwork jumper I actually got at a garage sale! What a deal!

Last but not least is kindergarten Caroline in a great Gymboree Poppies set~we have had that set in 3 different sizes she loved it so much!

Thanks for looking and will someone PUH-LEEZE tell me how to make my posts with pics pretty?!?!?

Greta and the Staple Gun

We had an interesting trauma last week. We were at MOPS cleaning up (well, chatting) and Greta takes a dive onto the iron table base. I'm thinking she's ok, just whacked her noggin. I'm snuggling her and I say to Shawnie, "I taste blood. Did I cut my lip?" No, but blood is covering the back of Greta's head. And I missed this, how?

So to be safe (and cuz he's less than a mile up the road) we stopped to see good ole Dr Stroman. It goes something like this.

I walk in and announce "I don't have an appointment but we've got a head wound!"

And what does Tae Ni say? "I LOVE head wounds!" Takes a look at her and says, "Yep, ya gotta take her for stitches." Groovy.

Then Cool Nurse with the Nosering Lisa yells from the back, "We've got the staple gun!"

Um, hello? Did you say GUN?!? And STAPLES?!?!?! So Tae Ni whips out the gun, pulls her hairback and before I can spit out "Doesn't she need ANESTHESIA?!?!" He puts 2 staples in head.

So now Miss Greta-Boo has metal in her head and will not be passing through security anytime soon. She didn't even flinch. Wow.

And I know all of you are asking yourself "What become of her outfit with all that blood?" Worry not, I think I can save the outfit~great set from Petting Zoo. (OK, quit laughing behind my back. I made $1600 bucks this week. :-P ) I tried to check it discreetly while holding her and Shawnie caught me.

New Auctions Up!

I've got 96 auctions up~90% Gymboree and some boutique stuff and custom hairbows too! Click on the link on the side of my blog that says "Current EBAY Auctions" Sizes 6-12 up to Big Girl 8-10

~*~*~*Blogging Friends Special~*~*~*~
If you win an auction and tell me you saw it on my blog, shipping is 1/2 price!

Check it out~great holiday stuff :-)

I Love the 80s

Seriously. Like crazy love. Like I am still wearing leggings with big sweaters. Oh yeah, that's cool again. VH1 is running another totally rad show to feed my obsessions with both the 80s and organzied lists~The Top 100 Songs of the 80s. I am only thru 34 so DO NOT RUIN it if you know them all. I have it all TiVo'd and need to catch up.

A family friend who is a big music junkie once told me there was "no good music made after 1972" I find that wrong on so many levels~the biggest of which is I was born in 1972 and I did not ruin the music scene. I have thought about his statement and have modified it a bit. I think most people name their favorite music as what was popular when they were teenagers. Now I'm a big fan of what the kids are listening to today but I will always hold the 80s were the best. My parents thought the 60s were the best. And on and on.

So my QOTD is what are YOUR Top Ten of the 80's? Here's mine. I think. I may add more. Offensive and controversial as they may be. . .

10. Livin on a Prayer~Bon Jovi
9. Only in My Dreams~Debbie Gibson
8. Personal Jesus~Depeche Mode
7. It Takes Two~Rob Bass and DJ EZ Rock
6. Pour Some Sugar On Me~Def Leppard
5. Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For~U2
4. Every Rose Has It's Thorn~Poison
3. Material Girl~Madonna
2. Pride (In the Name of Love)-U2
1. Paradise City~Guns N Roses

~*~*~*Happy Halloween~*~*~*~

Here are the little angels sharing their Skittles. Yumm-O. They had so much fun!

You might be a redneck if. . .

Here's a neato shot of our neighbor's back yard. No, there was not a terrible storm or vandals. That, ladies and gentlemen, is normal. They started to assemble a new picnic table, got bored, and left it there. For 9 days. This was a stroke of genius on their part. They didn't need to pick up any of the paper or cardboard from their new purchase~I did. Out of my shrubs, trees, and window wells.

Now moving to Exhibit B. Look closely at this shot. See the windchimes as big as your leg?! Observe the stunning Bug Zapper powered by a sunny yellow extension cord. Pretty, eh? So that brings me to the Q 'o the Day. How do you ask someone you've spoken to twice to remove the windchimes that wake the dead? Before you answer, you need to know that Mrs Redneck was seen screaming obscenities at the ATT guy last week in the backyard. In a muu muu. With curlers.

Seriously, I love bein' a Hoosier and all, but I am trapped in a Jeff Foxworthy special. Help.

Long Live TULIP

Here is an article to read. Discuss among yourselves. Follow up post to come when I actually have more then 10 minutes to string a thought together. . .

Books and More Books

I love to read. I could sit in my comfy chair~not to be confused with the comfy couch~and read til I have to get up and pee. I read fiction, non-fiction, "Christian" (I hate the term Christian fiction but heck, we'll use it here.), "secular" (again, bad term), the phone book, old yearbooks, and magazines of all shapes and sizes. Oh, and the church directory. Ya never know if it changed since the last time I looked up a number. So becuse I am deluded enough to think you care, here's a small list of some of my favorite reads from the last few years or so. Feel free to add your opinions and your own titles. Just no laughing at some of them. I run the gamute from cheesy to philosophical. Some I will list by series because it is easier. And it's my blog. I can do what I want. So here is my list of books I have read a zillion times and will read again soon.

The Red River of the North Series by Lauraine Snelling
This would fall into the "Christian fiction" catagory but I do love historical fiction. This is set on the Dakota prairies of 1880s. The main character does way more in her day than I do in a month. I always want to get up and plow a field or milk a cow after reading these. Great family saga that isn't too nicey-nice.

The Love Comes Softly Series by Janette Oke (some one PUH-LEEZE tell me is it "oak" or "oakie"!)
Also falls into the "Christian fiction" and lands squarely in incredibly nicey-nice. But I still love it. Such a sweet story.

Redemption Series by Karen Kingsbury
Great story. A bit over-written but I did get attached to characters and wanted to see how it worked out. Kingsbury is a gifted story-teller but not so much a great writer.

Dancing in the Dark by Big Bill Romonowski and Friends
Changed my life. Or at least my major. Love him. Love his book.

Redeeming TV by Quintein Schultze
Can I get an AMEN from all my siblings here? Will change the way you view TV completely. I am also TOTALLY showing my age as this was his NEW books when I was there.

The Girlfriends Guides by Vicki Iovine
Wet-your-pants-funny. Must read for any beginner mom.

Eve's Daughters by Lynn Austin
All of Lynn's books are great but this one is still my fave. You can tell just by reading this book that Lynn is a Calvinist! :-) I get really tired of characters in "Christian fiction" that are very one-dimensional. "Good girl goes to church, doesn't touch alcohol, never has any sin, ever. Bad boy is very, very bad. Dances to rock music, reads Harry Potter books, swears, and even has GASP non-Christian friends!" Lynn's characters are not perfect. They are real flawed people with a grasp of total depravity but no clue about grace until it whacks them upside the head. This was the first book I ever actually read in one day.

Goodnight Nobody by Jennifer Wiener
Great fun read about a bored SAHM who tries to figure out who murdered her neighbor.

Can You Keep A Secret? by Sophie Kinsella
Also a fun read about a women who has too much to drink and ends up telling her life story to a handsome stranger seated next to her on a trans Atlantic flight. Turns out he's her new boss. Goes on from there. . .

Sophie's Heart by Lori Wick
Pure Velveeta. But hey, why not a little cheese with that glass of wine. . .

So whatcha all got?

An actual quote. . .

"I better clean up my house in case DCFS shows up."

Uttered after a well-meaning-but-not-very-understanding lady returned a child from the street to the house.

Weigh In

It's Tuesday. . . .

More Holes in Her Head

Yep, Amelia got her ears pierced. She loves them so much~it's all she talks about. It was kinda a spur of the moment thing. I was at the mall with the girls on Saturday and we went to Claires to get some new earrings for Caroline. The poor thing has been wearing the same pair since July because somehow we lost her earring box in the move. Anyway, Caroline says "Amelia, do you want to get your ears pierced?" Well, duh?!? She's all over that idea. I tell her it's going to hurt and she says "It not hurt. I not cry." So we did it. As we were sitting there getting set up I said to Caroline, "Daddy's gonna kill me" Amelia then got upset and said "No Mommy! Daddy not dead you!" Oops. Guess she knows what kill means! I called Tim on the way home.

"Hi hon. How's your camping trip?"

"Good. What's up?"

"Well, would you be upset if I got Amelia's ears piereced?"

"As long as I don't have to clean them, I don't care."

"Good. Cuz I already did it."

"That's what I figured."

Ah, he knows me so well. I have always been very conflicted about the whole earrings on little girls thing. It started with my dad who said only biker chics had earrings. Huh? I wasn't allowed til I was 12. I swore no daughter of mine would either. The funny thing is I always thought they were cute on little girls~esp them bald baby girls~like Greta! But somehow I didn't think that applied to my kids. They would look trashy. Hey, I never claimed to make sense. When Caroline was 4 we got her hair cut pretty short. I looked super cute but to soften it a bit, we got her ears pierced. After the alloted time we took out the started set and she would not let me put new ones in. Said it hurt. Okie dokie. No more earrings. Then when we were in Hilton Head with Dr and Mrs Beautiful and family, Christine and I decided to get Emily and Caroline's ears pierced. And Doug and Tim's too, but that's a story for a different day. After the intial hoopla, I never even noticed. So I guess that's why I broke down and did Amelia's. I realized it was not nearly the big deal I made it in my head. As most of my life is.

So that's my story and I'm sticking to it. :-P

OOOOO, Pretty!

Notice anything different about Miss Amelia?

Grab their jerseys, grab their jerseys. . .

I adore high school football. Seriously, it breaks my heart that my girls will miss out on it. The cool fall air, smashing helmets, cheering cheerleaders, the pep band playing "Peter Gunn", hot chocolate, smoking under the bleachers, and on and on. Oh the joy. And THIS makes me miss it even more. Can ya freaking believe it?!? Us who lived and cheered for the Knights of the 80's. When we did not win ONE game. I remember cheering for a game where we lost 88-0. Yep, 88-0. That was the game that my dad invented the "Grab their jerseys" cheer. He thought "hit 'em hard" cheers were useless. He was right.

I think we will move. Homecoming is next weekend. . .anyone game?!?!?!?!

A little help here, please. . .

My bow business is really starting to take off! It helps to use your girls as advertising! I'm going to be taking some to a new boutique that opened up here in town and hopefully she'll buy some to stock there.

SO, I need a name. I want something cute and memorable~and a bit snobby is OK too. I'm hawking these babies to moms who can and will pay $14 for a set of hand-made bows. My main market is mostly moms but think moms are girly-girls and have all girls and love the girly stuff. Moms who have had a few boys before girl arrives so they are itchin' to go nuts with ribbons and lace. My best ones are Grandma's who have had all sons and now have granddaughters!

Kim's suggestions were "Bows by Jen~They Even Make an Ugly Baby Cute" or "Bows by Jen~They Draw the Eye Upwards" PLEASE give me something more useful than Kim did!

Also, a few of you have inquired about bows for your little gals. I would love to set you up at a discount as long as you tell everyone who askes where you got them from! :-) Let me know soon as I'll be starting Christmas stuff this week! Here's a pic of a set I made to match something for someone~the fringy stuff matches a horse sweater with yarn "hay" on it.

MMMMMMOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Weigh in time. Icky poo.

You Can Put It On the Board. . .YES! Er, Um, NO

It official. My beloved White Sox will not be winning their division this year. Boo hoo. We still have like a 4% chance at the Wild Card but probably not. So it is over. It was a great ride but now it's back to being just a basic ball club. At least it will be easier to get tickets next year. This was the first year in as long as I can remember that I didn't go to one game. Too many band-wagon-jumpers buying all the tickets.

Now it's time for some football!!! GO BEARS

Yet Another Skank Post. . .

Just wanted to add one more thought. . .

I was just watching Tim and mine's (that is SO grammatically wrong, but I dont' know what's right) favorite guilty show, Two-A-Days. It's all about high school football~which by the way we just figured out that our girls will never get to have high school football games. Boo hoo. Anyhoo, some of the girls on there were dressed in very short skirts, low-cut tops, ect. Another reason I fight it now, is that soon they will be in high school. I want to have a foundation set for that. I want them to know what's not appropriate and have in ingrained in them. Secondly, if I start "just a bit" now where will it be when they are teenagers? We work with lots of teenagers and have had to tell girls they can't play pool cuz the guys are lining up behind them to watch them bend over the pool table. We have had to give them sweatshirts to put over their tops because they are too skimpy.

OK, I'm done.

What is a Skank?

First off, I just borrowed the title from a book I saw at B&N last week and I noted that on the post. I called no one a skank. The title made me chuckle so I used it. I talked about what was in the stores. I was making a point about how choices are somewhat limited when girls get out of the 2T-4T range. I said nothing about limiting choices to Little House dresses. I listed Hanna, Lands End, Gymboree, and even LTD2. Only of which Hanna could be accused of carrying Little House dresses. I am talking about exactly what I said, "gauzy tops and pencil skirts"

I am also talking about little girls not teenagers. I have no problem with a jr high girl wearing a trendier outfit~sheer top with cami, tighter fitting jeans. I am talking about little girls. When I wore big belts and tight jeans, I was 13 not 8. There is nothing wrong with fashion and trends. I love to go shoppping with my oldest (and hallalujah she loves it too!) I just get frustrated by the lack of choice. Things seem to be too babyish or too teenager-ish.

About the shirts with sayings, look again at the ones I linked. I was referring to ones with "snarky" sayings. I saw one out today that said, "If you catch me, I'll just lie" While I am not a fan of the "Princess" shirts, I said nothing about parents being unfit or uncaring if they let their daughter wear one. I thought my point on that was very clear. I think it emphasizes what they are instead of who they are and that's what bothers me.

This is a Bratz doll. And here is a Bratz Baby. Starting with the name, um, Bratz? I have a hard enough time with my girls acting bratty, why make it cool? And that much make-up and skimpy clothing is not something I want them to model after. And for the record, we also own no Barbies.

And note to Carol, I make a profit every season on my girls' clothing. So I spend less than zero. And about 80% of their closets are from resales or Ebay. Caroline gets a "budget" when we shop and she knows that she can spend it on one sweater or 4 outfits. It's her choice. I think that teaches her a lot about wise spending and materialism. It's not about looking "just so" Fashion and putting together an outfit is something she likes to do~it's a hobby~and she knows that. We talk about it everytime we shop. My other girls might not enjoy it like Caroline does. We'll have to see. . .

Stop Dressing Your 6yr Old Like a Skank*

Those of you who read my blog regularly~and there seems to be less and less of you these days~might have noticed a new button on my sidebar. It says "Moms for Modesty" and it is one of those online petition things. Now before you point and laugh at me, I do realize that online petitions do not save the world. But I also thought it was a good opportunity as the mom of girls to add my "Amen and preach it sister!"

This issue of appropriate clothing for little girls has driven me crazy since Caroline moved into the 4-6 size range. Before that we were happy at Target or Kohls or Babies R Us. While the quality sucks at all those places, we did find cute things. And for me it is not so much about "showing skin" I have no problem with the girls wearing tank tops or shorter skirts (ONLY if there are built-in shorts underneath) It is about making them look like little adults. I don't need Amelia to have a black pencil skirt with a silver chain hanging off it or Caroline to wear a gauzy see-thru top with a cami under it. I also detest those T-shirts with snarky sayings on them. Like this or this . We already fight against the attitude why enforce it? I also hate the Tshirts that say "Princess" While I am all about developing self-esteem in my girls, hello, let's talk about modesty! How 'bout a T shirt that says "Really good at soccer" or "Bakes a mean brownie" Let's focus on all the great talents they have instead of how cute or spoiled they are.

This quest is what brought me to Gymboree in the first place. I have been a Gymboree fan for years but their newest line has yoga pants that say "CUTE" on the buttinski~for baby! Why on earth do we need to DRAW ATTENTION to a toddler's biscuits?! I complained to the store manager. We are big fans of Lands End , Hanna Andersson, and I am even branching out to a very FEW pieces from Limited Too.

And while we are fixing this world problem, can we PUH-LEEZE get rid of Bratz dolls?!?!?! I am sick of Caroline coming home in tears because the neighborhood girls are playing with them and she's not allowed to. She understands (we point them out at the store and talk about how they are inappropriate) but it's still hard to be left out.

**Stole this title from this book which I'm dying to read!

Some Random Bible Fun

Here's a fun quiz. I am a Jerry Falwell Christian. Not so glad to hear that~not so much a fan of 'Ole Jer. Oh well. I think I fit more with George Bush Sr. but I do love me some sweet tea. So what kind of Christian are you?!?


You view the Bible as historically accurate and divinely inspired. You go to church every Sunday, with the Good Book in a Bible cover, and Wednesday night for Bible study. You've read at least one of the books in the apocalyptic "Left Behind" series, prefer your iced tea very sweet, and suspect Bill Clinton has murdered somebody somewhere in Arkansas. You're furious that people actually believe "The Da Vinci Code" and have bought a book debunking the novel. You wept uncontrollably all three times you went to see "The Passion of the Christ" and have ordered the DVD in bulk to give copies to friends. You may watch Eternal Word Television Network, and you adore Dr. Laura, Chuck Colson, James Dobson, and Rush Limbaugh. You enjoy some episodes of "Joan of Arcadia" but think it's not reverent enough--"Touched by an Angel" was better. If you're Catholic, you go to Latin Mass and weekly confession, though you don't have much to confess. You think homosexuals are sinful but try periodically to love them. You think the surrounding culture is so polluted that you shop at Christian bookstores, listen only to Christian radio and send your kids to Christian or parochial schools--or homeschool them. You give generously to your church and Christian charities. The Bible provides you not only a direct connection to God but a roadmap for how to lead your life.

Weigh In

Here we go again.

Let's All Go To Confession

I am not Catholic but there are certain practices of the Catholic church that I have always thought highly of. One of those things is confession. While I do believe that coming before God and confessing our short comings is better done without the priest interceding for us, I do like the theraputic component of confessing to another living person without the burden of them "knowing" you. It gives a certain freedom. Even though my BFF totally knows me, I care what she thinks of me. Anyhoo, here's my confessions for the day. Feel free to add your own.

1. I told a white lie to get out of something I didn't want to do.

2. I didn't stick to my budget this week.

3. I really like Nick Lachey's new song.

4. I said not-so-nice things about someone (only to my husband, not the whole world) because they hurt my feelings.

Ick

I have the stomach flu. It sucks. The last thing I ate was Mexican with 2 good friends 24 hours ago. I am feeling well enough to blog quickly and send Tim to the store for chicken soup. He took the day off work so I could go shopping all day yesterday with Dawn, Shawnie, Anne and Kathleen. Shawnie and Anne had the flu so it ended up jsut Dawn, Leenie, and me. (We had a wonderful time.) AND THEN he stayed home today so I could alternate between puking and sleeping. He's been outside cleaning out the garage with the girls since 2:00. That ladies is true love for me. You can keep your kissy-smoochy and flowers and gifts. I'll take this anyday.

Weigh In

It's weigh in time girls! Post it here. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Remember, the first week is the easiest.

Jen's Report Card for Today

PUNCUALITY~A
~Caroline was sitting on the front porch waiting for carpool this morning. We were car #3 in line for drop-off and pick-up at preschool.

NUTRITION~D
~Breakfast was cold cereal, no fruit, no juice. Lunch was Wheels and Cheese. Dinner was better~PB&J, carrots, and string cheese. I did grocery shop. Opened up a pack of cheese to shut Greta up. First time I ever did that.

PREPAREDNESS~D
~Greta had a bowel emergency at Target and I had no wipes. At least I was at Target where one can buy wipes, a whole box of 'em as they do not have little travel packs. Still no folder for Amelia's school bag.

LAUNDRY~B
~Got 3 loads done AND folded. (But that's only cuz Days was good and I folded while I watched.)

FINANCIAL PLANNING~B
~Made a budget for the business and paid 2 bills. 18 more to go. Went to the bank to deposit paycheck before checks start bouncing.

SELF CONTROL~A
~ I did not clock Amelia upside the head when she colored with NON-WASHABLE markers all over these capris and this top that she wore for the first time today. I also did not clock Caroline for leaving her bedroom door open to allow access to such markers.

DIET~C
~I was really good til I just ate a chocolate chip cookie. It was that or clock Amelia.

EXERCISE~F
~nope

And here we go. . .

So is everybody ready?!? Or least the people who are not big fat chickens. Post your starting weight, goal weight, goal date, and how the heck are ya gonna get there from here. Maybe a short-term non-number goal, like fitting into a certain outfit or accomplishing a certain exercise feat. Whatever.

Throwdown

Ok gals, here it is. A challenge. Almost all of us have been bemoaning the fact that we are oxen. (Amanda excluded cuz hey, she's got a good reason) So here's the plan. Starting Tuesday Sept 5 we are going to have a weight loss/get in shape challenge. I know I need accountability and someone to run to when the pull of the drive-thru is too much. Every Tuesday I will put up a post to check-in. Respond in the comments with your weigh-in and goals for the week. And we will hold you to them!! Do whatever "program" you want~I'm going to do WW b/c that has worked for me in the past and I'm familiar with it. Do Atkins, do fat grams, do B4L, whatever creams your twinkie (mmm twinkies. . .)

Comment on this post if you're in or not. I know Kim is in MI til Tuesday but I want a response from everyone else. Eat, drink, and eat some more this weekend. It's Mardi Gras for Dutch people. On Tuesday I will kick it off so be ready to post your current weight, your goal weight, a goal date, and your plan of how to get there.

Happy Girl/Sad Girl

Greta's blankie is in the washer and she is NOT a happy camper. Notice the red-faced screaming and goo running down her face.
French fries by the handful make everything better.

Four Eyes

Miss Caroline got glasses this week and she is so excited about the new fashion accessory in her life. She is planning every outfit around them.

The Master Bedroom

I am desparately trying to find bedding to do in our new bedroom.

**NOTE TO HECKLERS~~I have not bought new bedding in 4 years so shut it.**

I found this set at Kohls~I'm not a huge fan of Kohls but this caught my eye the other day. The pic is kinda small but you can view the larger photo. Whaddaya think? My walls are almost that exact shade of blue. And you gotta love a comforter the color of dirt. How gross can it get from 3 little girls on Saturday mornings?

Where the Heart Is

I had a very interesting meeting at church this week. It was kinda of a leaders meeting with everyone who heads up a ministry involving women so with MOPS I guess that's where I land. It was really neat to share our ministries with each other because while I had a bit of an idea of what they were doing they had no clue what MOPS even is. I was the youngest one there by like 10 years so MOPS just isn't on their radar screens.

In the course of our meeting we veered into a discussion of quality and excellence in our programs and balancing that with what is real and messy~life. While we all agreed quality is important, it needs to address the needs of the women in whatever group it is. It's so easy to get caught up in who is bringing food and did that person get a call and who is doing this and that. We so often get so full of the mechanics that we forget the heart.

We also talked about how we need to not let our particular talent or passion (single parenting, music, motherhood were the ones represented at this discussion) become the thing that is glorified. While it is definitely a God-given passion of mine for moms, that is not where the glory should lie. One woman was talking about how in her passion of music~she is starting a woman's worship night~it is easy to focus on the music because that is what moves her. Myself and another lady there~who I think is the only person who is a worse singer than me~tried to explain to her that while music is pretty, it doesn't move us in the same way. She was having trouble understanding that we weren't really interested in singing for 2 hours straight. Applying that to MOPS was a bit harder. I know that every woman does not have preschoolers, but I do get blinders about the ones who do. "It's been great for me therefore you should come too. And love it as much as I do. " They were telling me that even though I want to run through Target and hand out MOPS flies to every woman with a baby, not everyone is moved by that. It was one of those meetings where I really didn't learn anything I didn't already know in my head, but I didn't always get it in my heart. To have other women taking something that was so obvious to me (music) and pointing out the parallel in something not so obvious (MOPS) it kinda took hold a bit more.

So I am prepared to not sob over every mom who says "no" to MOPS. I think. We'll see.

Wowie Kazowie!

Just had to share my joy. Look how well my Ebay auctions did this back to school season! I am SO excited! This is the best per auction haul I think I've ever had. And now Caroline won't wear Gymboree anymore. Boo hoo says my wallet.

Now for a moment of complete randomness. . .

Amelia Age 3 says "I want to eat Hot Pockets when I get big like a person. I not a person now. I a girl"

Okie Dokie.

Hallalujah and Praise the Lord!

Today was the first day of school and to quote my good friend Kary "Yippee skippy flapper doodles!" I love the start of school. It's such an opportunity for organization! I know some of you have been sad about time marching on but quite frankly, I'm really happy about school. Caroline adores school~at least the social part of it~and her school is awesome. Even if there are 250 kids packed into a small little church. So here's my little bookworm decked out in her new Old Navy outfit and PINK camo backpack. Notice the layered polos with the collar up~how cool is that?!? And we also have 2 little girls who cried when they did not get to stay at "big kid school." Amelia was very much not happy.

Now for something educational. . .

School starts this week so I'm in a learning mood. There are a handful of blog I like to read on occasion and Holy Mama! had a great post this week reminding us all to do our monthly self-breast exams. Through that post I found this great video all about Inflammatory Breast Cancer which is what my mom died of in June 2002. If you don't have speakers, check out IBC Research. It is one of the best pieces I've seen about IBC and what it can do. Take a look and pass it on. Then go feel your boobies.

And the Oscar goes to. . .

OK, not so much. But I could think of a cute title. So, here's the answers that a few of ya wanted to know.

1. North to pick up, south to drop off.
~Mr. Mom. When Michael Keaton drives carpool the first day he goes through the line backwards.

2. I carried a watermelon.
~Dirty Dancing. When Baby first is introduced to Johnny.

3. Don't f--- with the babysitter.
~Adventures In Babysitting. When Kris encounters gang bangers on the El and they say "Don't F with the Lords of Darkness" that's her answer.

4. If you guys know so much about women, why are you at the Gas N Sip on a Friday night?
~Say Anything. Greatest movie ever. Or at least one of them. Lloyd says it to a group of guys bragging about how the chicks love 'em.

5. Strange things are afoot at the Circle K.
~Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. Tim's favorite movie ever. Bill says it to Ted when they first meet Rufus in the time machine.

6. Kmart sucks.
~Rainman. Raymond to Charlie at the end.

7. You can't say lesbian~it's women in comfortable shoes.
~Good Morning Vietnam. Adrian Cronhower during a weather report about it being rainy enough to need dykes.

8. I've just been felt up by my grandma.
~Sixteen Candles. Samantha's grandma points out her "boobies" to her whole family and then grabs them.

9. My dad was a peeping tom!
~Back to the Future. Marty sees his dad in a tree with binoculars.

10. I will not be ignored.
~Fatal Attraction. Glenn Close (I can not remember her name!) says it to Michael Douglas (Dan)

11. Orange whip, orange whip, orange whip, 3 orange whips.
~Blues Brothers. John Candy when ordering drinks at the Blue Brothers show.

12. No dancing? Jump back!
~Footloose. Ren (Kevin Bacon) to Willard (Chris Penn) when he finds out dancing is illegal in their town.

Thanks for playing. Johnny, tell 'em what they've won. . .

Just Call Us Betty Crocker

Today was the day. Kary (Circus Girl) and I baked. And baked. And baked. In 4 hours we made 8 dozen brownies, 8 dozen Tollhouse bar cookies, 3 dozen blueberry muffins, 3 dozen apple-cinnamon muffins and appx. 300 pancakes. We used mixes for the brownies and pancakes but everything else was from scratch. Ain't we domestic. We froze everything for breakfasts and school lunches. So now when Tuesday (pancake day) hits, we just pop 'em in the microwave. We've got yummy muffins too. And brownies. Yumm-O. We were both exhausted when we were done but SO glad we did it! Next time we will tackle dinner. We are going to shoot for 10 meals~5 for each of us.

New Auctions!

Some of you have asked so here it is. My newest Ebay auctions are up. I will be adding more size 6-8 plus some hair bows (I think) in the next few days. Link is in my sidebar. Bid 'em up gals!

Cinematic Fun

I'm working on a few games for MOPS and I get SO sick of the same 'ol ice breaker games. SO in the next few weeks I'm going to try a few out on you guys. Not the full games, just some ideas I'm experimenting with for possible usage. W

80's Movie Fun

What movie are these quotes from. And if you can, name the character who said it and the setting.


1. North to pick up, south to drop off.

2. I carried a watermelon.

3. Don't f--- with the babysitter.

4. If you guys know so much about women, why are you at the Gas N Sip on a Friday night?

5. Strange things are afoot at the Circle K.

6. Kmart sucks.

7. You can't say lesbian~it's women in comfortable shoes.

8. I've just been felt up by my grandma.

9. My dad was a peeping tom!

10. I will not be ignored.

11. Orange whip, orange whip, orange whip, 3 orange whips.

12. No dancing? Jump back!

QOTD

Pink camo~fashionably cute or horribly redneck?

Please Pick Up Your No. 2 Pencils

I went to Target today to get Caroline's school supplies. Shoot me in the head now. Why oh why do these teachers have to be so stinkin' specific?!? We needed 2 boxes of 12 Ticonderoga No 2 pencils. No generic Rose Art will do. And what does Target have 5 billion boxes of? Rose Art. Not a Ticonderoga in sight. Same with CLASSIC Crayola markers. Gobs of BRIGHT and BOLD. Nary a CLASSIC. If every teacher demands Ticonderogas and CLASSICs, why for the love of Pete does Target even carry the other kind?!? And BTW did our founding fathers fight with Daniel Boone at Fort Ticonderoga just to make pencils? Maybe the Hooker can answer that after her family field trip.

So now I get to go to Walmart. Ick.

Kiss Your Husband First

As Dr and Mrs Beautiful and have been waxing poetic about each other and the man/woman dichotomy all week (and making the less-mushy among us nauseous), my brain has been churning. So henceforth, I feel the need to throw my two cents in. I know you all have been on the edge of your seats waiting.

A few years ago I attended a MOPS convention out of state. We all met at one girl's house to drive down and dragged our husbands and children to see us off. In the midst of all the tears (by the toddlers, not the dads) and quick "discreet" groping (by the dads, not the toddlers) I noticed something. Most of the moms spent a lot more time playing huggy-kissy with their kids than with their husbands. While some of this may reflect the fact that the major huggy-kissy was done earlier in private, it struck me. And so I began to think and that led to a somewhat heated discussion on the L-O-N-G ride to St Louis.

**Central Question**
When we become moms, do our babies become the center of our affection instead of our husbands? If so, is that wrong? Is it the reason so many marriages~even those among our Christian world~fail?

Some of this displacement is inevitable. When we have a newborn~especially a breastfeeding one~they suck the very life-blood out of us. God created us moms with a fierce love and all-consuming drive to Be the Mommy. Without this, so many of us would succumb to the sheer stress of new motherhood. We are so touched out by the end of the day that any physical contact makes us run for the hills. But as the baby grows and sleeps and becomes aware that they are indeed their own person, mom sometimes doesn't get the memo. Instead of reaching back towards our husbands many of us fixate on our kiddos. Each of us has a tank of different needs and us moms tend to fill our need for cuddling and smooching and all that with our kids. While we love our husbands, we often turn into roommates who occasionally have sex.

Awhile back Oprah did a show with the question, do you love your kids or husband more? I was amazed at how many women were SO passionate about the fact that they loved their children above all else. "It's my BABY! Of course I love her the most! Anyone woman who would put a man above her child is not a good mom." I think the question is wrong. It's apples and oranges. I do not love my Pookie more than my Princesses. I love them differently. Tim is my best friend, makes me laugh all the time, is my partner in all we do, and well, ya know, the other fun stuff. The girls are each gifts and I adore them all as the individuals they are. The best way to love my kids is to give them a solid home to grow up in and that means a strong marriage. Even though we will snark at each other about how to cut up a pizza or whose fault it is that the paperwork is missing, there will be no divorce here. I would contend that is why divorce is so common. Mom is showering the kids with her attention and affection and Dad gets none. So Dad finds himself a little Pop Tart who will shower him. (See Dr Beautiful, I do agree!) Not that I am by any means excusing Dad from his tryst, Mom needs to be aware that she choose him to be her partner and lover, not just sperm donor.

So feed the kids some generic mac and cheese, call a sitter, and go out to dinner. Go out to Target. Go out parking. Go makeout in a forest preserve. Do something to show your hubby that he rocks your world. And always kiss him first and the most.

Say Cheese

This is not the actual pictures~just ones from when we got home so you can see the cute tops we found. Greta was not stopping for the paparazzi this afternoon.
I took the girls for pictures today. What an adventure that turned out to be. Caroline loved getting her pictures taken~she would actually throw a fit if we walked past the Picture People with out getting pics. Because of this I was always very smug about getting great photos of kids~"What do you mean little Susie hates picutres?" I thought it was obviously the mom's fault that her kids didn't cooperate. And then came Amelia. That girl has hated every camera ever pointed at her. Where Caroline would ham it up all over the place, Amelia scowled and pouted. Her 2yr pics feature a pose of her sitting on a stool with her legs so wide open she looks like she is sitting on the can. And Greta you ask? Greta is in between. She likes the attention but is easily overwhelmed by too much of it. She was standing on her head in waiting area but refused when the camera tried to capture her 1 yr old silliness. What I really wanted was a great pic of all 3 girls and one good one of each. I kinda got that~only after much bribing and my lap becoming the "stage" I have to give a shout out to Glamour Shots~they rock. They use digital so they took about 50 shots and they will do them all together, alone, whatever I wanted. They also curled Caroline and Amelia's hair which rocked their world. They even went as far as to re-do Amelia alone after we saw the proofs and didn't have a great one of her alone. I love them. I ended up with a 10x13 of all 3, a 8x10 close up of each girl, a 8x10 full-length of each girl, and 3 5x7s and 48 wallets for $208 total~including handle fee and tax. Pretty good deal for all they did. And they are SO nice and helpful. Only thing I don't like is I have no online proofs so I can't post 'em here for you all. So you will all just have to wait for Christmas. Or Kwanzaa. Or Hanankah. Or Ramadah.

Sweet "Baby" Caroline

Caroline was looking at my blog and saw all the baby pics of Amelia on her birthday and as per usual I heard a refrain of "It's not FAIR to ME!" Well, sweetie, I did not own a digital camera til Amelia was 3 months old so there are no baby pics I can put up of you. SSSSSOOOOO. . .here's my attempt at "fairness"~~she's 5 in these pics, baby enough I guess!

Caroline is a Tween

My baby girl is officially no longer a little girl! We have entered the tween years~those exciting years between sweet little girl and sullen teenager.

She loves American Girl dolls and the White Sox. Playing in the dirt and shopping with mom. And the saddest of all for me, no more Gymboree! boo hoo. Oh well, at least I have 2 more to dress as I like.

So Happy 8th Birthday Sweet Caroline! Mommy loves you.

Jesse Rees

Shawnie and Brian created a website for Jesse. Take a peek. We miss you Jesse.