mean mommy

i realized recently that Lu's nummies are as much my crutch as hers.

her bite is messed up because of her nummies.

she doesn't use them except in bed, but it was enough that it was an ordeal every time it was misplaced.

and then she started napping at kristin's, sans nummy, and I knew she could do it.

it was time.

saturday night, i told her i couldn't find any of them and put her to bed. weeping and wailing ensued, but the worst part was Miss M couldn't handle it! she kept coming out and making it worse!

Sunday night, we threw away the nummies.

we said goodbye to each one, all the while Lu sobbing harder and harder! she demanded extra dolls and animals and blankets and songs in bed. she finally calmed down and she was so proud of herself this morning.

tonight, there were more tears, but much less screaming! she continues to refer to her nummies being in the trash so i know it helped her to see where they went!

apparently i haven't earned many points with Miss M either. today's tantrum was over which door she got into the car through and resulted in her telling me she wanted a new mom and that she hates me. :(

W asked me last night if we were doing okay as parents. hopefully?

What would you do?

When do you speak up?

Do you watch the show, "What would you do?"? Admittedly, I do not. But I think about situations like the ones they pose. I wonder if I would stand up for the common man. I wonder if I would have the guts to stand up for a stranger.

Then, the devil on my other shoulder tells me to shut my mouth. It tells me to mind my own business, don't judge, etc.

Yesterday, a discussion on Facebook ensued about the worth of teachers. People I don't know called them "babysitters" and said that "anyone can get a license to teach". Now, I'm a speech therapist. But I do teach. I teach kids to talk. I also have a talented sister who is a teacher.

So I opened my big fat mouth and commented that I thought that their remarks were offensive and disrespectful.

Should I have opened my mouth? Maybe not. The conversation was deleted shortly thereafter and I felt a pang of guilt that I might have overstepped my bounds. But I felt strongly that I wanted my sister and teachers like our beloved Mrs. Strom and Mrs. Shaide to know that I respect, value, and am amazed at the hard work they do to enrich my child's life.

they dive as they dive as they dive

I stole this off my brother's private blog because...

1. this just needed to be made public, it's for the greater good really

2. My parents are awesome for learning to scuba

3. they're even more awesome for taking us all (wait, not me, no way, no how! not interested!) with them!

4. look! they're even having fun

5. It gives me a good giggle every time i see it!

status updates

E...

is grateful for a quiet night at my home with chinese takeout and vegging.

is still tired after a long weekend with three extra kids!

is in love with tagalongs!

has too many projects to work on this week!

feeling very stressed about her house.

feeling frustrated that her iphone camera isn't working right now.

is having a big delivery this week!

wishes someone would come clean up all the toys!

W...

is at school :(

works so hard!

looks really cute in his glasses!

Miss M...

is rockin' her new haircut!

needs to stop getting up for drinks and hugs after bedtime!

is going through a growth spurt-lots of high water pants and lots of tripping over herself.

Lulu...

thinks Woody and Jessie are the best.

makes funny faces.

is in love with chocolate milk!

The King's Speech

I debated for a long time about whether I would see The King's Speech. It is rated R and I don't watch rated R movies. However, I felt very drawn as a speech therapist to this movie. After hearing from friends and colleagues alike that the only offensive language is used in the context of therapy, I decided to go. I was not disappointed. It is a fabulous movie with a fabulous message. The F word (along with a bunch of British swears that I don't really comprehend) is said, repeatedly, in two short scenes, as a strategy to release tension.

I didn't want to raise a controversy because I chose to see this movie. But I did want to share that it is refreshing to see a movie that positively portrays stuttering, as this article points out.

I also enjoyed this article about who the real Lionel Logue is from the publication I get for being a speech therapist.

I don't do a lot of stuttering therapy right now, but I admire those like my friend Roxanne, who are experts, who are patient and innovative and are able to help stutterers communicate.

hearts

A heart-shaped box of chocolates may not be my first choice. But my sweet hubby gets big big points for not forgetting his girls on a very very busy Valentine day at our house!!

And I do think the heart-shaped box of chocolates may just be the treat of THEIR choice!

love you hon!

my panic

I lost my sweet Lulu at Target today.

I felt like my heart had stopped but was pounding out of my chest at the same time.

I have lost them around corners before, but never for this long or this REAL.

I thought she was with Teriney, but she hadn't followed us from the toys to the clothes.

All of the worst scenarios, all of my worst fears, all came crashing down on me.

Thankfully, a Taret security guard happened to walk by just then. He took a quick description, locked down the store and suddenly, I had every employee and lots of fellow mommies looking for my blondie with pigtails and turquoise leggings!

Teriney went to look in the front of the store and then came back and told me I should look in toys where we had just been.

I ran to the toys and there was a group of moms surrounding my baby, calling to me that they had found her, and carefully watching over and protecting my lost little chick like the good mother hens they all were.

She was completely oblivious, playing on the sample Leapsters, and when I told her that she had scared me, she looked at me seriously and replied, I'm coloring, mommy!

I am so thankful for a Heavenly Father who answers scared prayers of scared mommies quickly, for fellow moms who knew how I felt and helped rather than judged, and for the quick, efficient response of Target!

happy valentine's day!

Happy 80th Birthday to my wonderful, sweet, missionary Grandma Betty!

Happy Love Day!

My favorite commercial for V-day this year is:

Celebrate the day that means "I love us!"

So happy valentine's day to my man and my babies because I love US!

the things Miss M says!

Now that they're both talking like crazy, I figure I need to update my big girl's "funny things" list. So, here's the old list from the sidebar, for record keeping.

8/13/10 I love you! Be safe! Don't hurt anybody and don't stare at anybody!

Never mind, it's just not worth it, Mom!

There's a mermaid coming out of my bum!

Cause there's a lot of mermaids in my bum!

another immaculate conception!

M: i have a baby brother in my tummy!

Hazie: no you don't!

M: yes I do.

very pregnant aunt T: What's is name?

M: (thinking hard) Jesus!

She just learned her full name. I told her her name is M A H. She corrected me. "No Mommy. I'm PRINCESS M A H!"

watching Grace at the bridal shop, getting measured for her wedding dress

M: You just need to follow your heart, Gracie!

kitchen=chicken

goggles=buggles

pacifier=firepass

Princesses who change rubber clothes=Temping Princesses

You're driving me natchez!

You're bugging me nuts!

M: (holding out a jelly bean) here you go, mom

Me: I don't like the green ones. what flavor is it?

M: Peter shoes

hmmmm.... (I was brave and tried it, thinking that Starburst jelly beans wouldn't have a shoe flavor, even if they were Peter's shoes, and luckily it was just green apple!)

a crab is a tramp!

you need to learns this probbem.

chances chances a tramp is trampy!

M: what is that?

Me: (holding a piece of PB toast for M) it's special toast for someone very special. do you know who?

M: uh-huh! it's Barbie!

Me: (laughing) nope, it's for you!

(in the car on the way home from church)

M: i peed on my panties at church, it was all my fault.

me: sweetie, it wasn't your fault-good job going on the potty.

M: was it your fault, mommy?

me: it was an accident. it wasn't anyone's fault.

M: was it Marmae's fault? (her aunt, who's her church class teacher)

this one's from Jonas (my nephew)

Gma: Are you the prince?

Jonas: I a Princess! (very adamantly)

Jasmine's on mine bum!

puh-wuh-lease???? (we're learning /l/ blends :)

M: I'm sleeping beauty and LG is Jasmine and you're the fairy godmother.

Me: I want to be the queen.

M: The wicked queen? (gasps) Are you going to give me an apple and make me fall down and sleep?

Me: No, I'm going to be a nice queen like sleeping beauty's mommy.

M: And give me an apple and make me fall down and sleep?

Me: You're a goof!

M: No, I'm a princess!

Me: You're a goof, princess!

M: No, I'm a sleeping beauty goof princess!

(enter Daddy, just home from work)

M: My prince is home!

(M, opening up a story book to read to herself)

M: Once upon a dream there was a princess...

Me: Are your panties still dry?

M: Yes! Are your panties still dry, Mommy?

Me:M, can you please focus?

M: I can, but I don't!

(reaching out to touch my cheek) Oh, you are so bee-you-tee-ful!

Oh, honey, are you okay?

I think...of course!

Have a good princess day, Daddy!

When I grow up and am six, I'm going to get mairmaid.

Good Morning!

Welcome to another snow day! That's three this week, folks!

Luckily, we had a change of scenery on Wednesday night, and went to stay at my Mom's for the weekend while they're out of town. So, cabin fever hasn't quite set in yet! We're house sitting and Sam-sitting (he's 18 after all, he just needs someone to tell him to do his homework and cook for him!)
The snow is beautiful, the sun is shining! It's going to be a great day!

I love staying at my Mom's because:

1) she has these stripy sheets for the guest bed that are wonderfully crisp while still being deliciously soft!

2) There is more than one TV! That means the girls can watch their annoying shows UPstairs!

3) She has the most wonderful sewing room, where there's room to cut fabric, iron and sew all within ten feet of each other, without all being crowded on the kitchen table like at my house!

4) She has a DVR and cable-I'm catching up on Law and Order: UK, Medium, Mentalist, etc.

5) we can make a fire on these cold nights!

6) She stocks her guest bathroom with hotel toiletries (I forgot my razor!)

7) Her house smells good!

8) The girls love her big bathtub!

9) Her never-ending supply of frozen chicken...chicken good!

10) She has different movies than we do, so the annoying kids movies are much less annoying! ...at least for one more snow day! Here's to leaving the house on Saturday! :)

Happy Friday, all!

My Snowstorm Agenda!

I'm supposed to wake up to snow this morning.

It has snowed more this year than any I can remember! It's fun, but I'm over it. I just want it to stay 50 degrees now and I'd be happy as a clam for quite a while!

I have plans to combat the impending cabin fever this week though. Big plans!

1) I have to make a serious dent in this month's book club book, The Good Earth, now that Maria Mae has finished it (see below)

2)Put together my pinwheels now that I have them all! Two perfectionist friends were gracious enough to give me two-so now instead of remaking the one I need to, I think I'm going to make two myself and make the quilt 4x4 instead of 4x3!
3) Put together my elephants once I figure out what I want to do for backing for this month's 12 Squared block for Holly!
4) Make and eat oreo brownies! ...with hot cocoa!

Wish me luck!

My afternoon

After working this morning, I had a big agenda to get ready for the "HUGE snow storm" here in Arkansas! So I was thrilled to find my baby like this at Kristin's, well rested and hopefully up for errands instead of her usual afternoon nap!

First, we visited my friend Jennifer to chop Miss M's hair! And by chop, I mean 8+ inches!

Isn't it darling? Look at my BIG 5 year old!!!
Then we went to Wally World to stock up on the essentials for the snowstorm!

bread? check!

milk? check!

string cheese? check!

oreo brownies? check!

Birthday girl and boy

Our day started off well. M had pretty crimped hair for school!

Grandma and Lu and I surprised Miss M at school with cupcakes!

I think her friends enjoyed them!!

That night we had an easy, fun dinner, more cupcakes and presents!

The next night, Daddy showed his girls how to break in the new PS3.
I love this picture. I love spontaneous snuggling!

taste the rainbow

I didn't want to make another princess cake. I thought it was time to branch out! Trying to depart from the land of princesses, I showed Miss M a rainbow cake and she loved it!

So, this morning at 7am, I was dying six layers of white cake to make a rainbow.

Lest anyone think W finally realized that he didn't need his own cake, the delicious german chocolate just for my hubby!

I love how it turned out!

And the layers were so pretty!!!

(we still had pink frosting, of course!)

I love how it turned out!

It took much more frosting than I expected! In fact, at the end, everyone had to stop me from adding more to smooth out the sides a bit!

It was TALL!

but darling!

Elephants!

I have elephants on the brain. We just got our February assignment for 12 Squared.

Elephants

I'm having fun with all the ideas out there! Particularly this one. Except I'm going to smooth out Mama's head and make her a bit less masculine, I think.

A fun project for a snowy night!

Happy Birthday to my Groundhogs!

I can't believe she's five!

Five years ago, I was snuggling the most tranquil, beautiful newborn I had ever seen!

Don't believe me?

See? She was a beautiful baby with dark hair.
I told you!

What an amazing, hair-raising, joyous, stressful, wonderful journey this girl has put us on!

After being the easiest baby EVER!!! a very spunky, opinionated PRINCESS emerged and it's been a wild ride ever since! One that I wouldn't trade and will not forget!

This girl loves:

*PINK

*princesses

*dancing

*twirly skirts

*chicken nuggets and ketchup, cake, oranges, pizza, peanut butter, noodles with "karma-john" cheese

*coloring

*being in charge

*talking, talking, talking!!

*making her bed

*taking care of her "babies"

*movies

*BLING!

*dressing up

*books

*snuggles

*fuzzy blankets

*letting her hair down...literally!

I love you, my firstborn girl!

But let's not forget her birthday twin!

Did you know that W has looked the same his ENTIRE life???

See? I told you!
And to his parents, yes, he FINALLY got his UALR hat!

Happy birthday to my wonderful man! I'm so thankful to be on this crazy journey with you!

And not to leave him out! He loves:

-steak

-potatoes

-sub sandwiches

-COLLEGE football

-and hockey, and baseball and golf

-playing golf, football, baseball and hockey :)

-cars

-finance

-eating out

-politics

-Republicans :), and the poor guy's stuck with me! I keep telling him, we don't have to vote because we just cancel each other out!

-romantic comedy movies! I married a guy who would rather watch a chick flick than an action movie!

-John Grisham books

-the Beatles

-Cream... the band

-german chocolate cake

-Diet Coke with fresh squeezed lime

I am thankful for these crazies who make my life wonderful! Happy Birthday Miss M and my W!

My flutist

Miss M and I went with my parents to the all-region band concert last weekend.

My brother Sam was first chair trombone in the second band and they were AWESOME!

Miss M was wiggly but quiet most of the time, but once she got into the music, she wanted to join right in!

Goal Setting: February

January 2011 Goals Revisited

1. Keep monthly goals to keep better track, keep it realistic, and keep after myself! here we are! good start!

2. Throw out 111 things in 1/11! My cousin is doing it and I NEED to do it! Done! The bags are still in my entry, but it's getting there!

3. Read a new book. Done! Read Insatiable by Meg Cabot.

4. Re-cover glider. I put this on hold until our new arrivals come to ensure a good match-I got worried that the fabric ear marked for this project with clash-ironic since the new arrivals are supposed to be "neutral"! :)

5. Cook dinner 4 nights/week. yeah, i got sick. but then we got our credit card bill so this will be reinstated for this month because we need to be good! :)

6. Exercise 2x/week. (we're keepin' it real here, folks!) walking counts, right? i told my doctor yesterday that i'm walking, now i just need to walk longer or faster to get more cardio in!

7. Donate fabric I will never use. in the bags in the hall with the 111 other things! ready to go!

8. Smile more. i think i did? more on this later!

9. Fix my bedskirt. totally forgot about this!

10. Buy storage filing boxes for papers. done!

hmmm.... 4/10 with three partially done. Well hmmm. Here's to February!

1. Read from the Book of Mormon EVERYday.

2. Pray EVERY morning.

3. Actually take my donations to Savers/GoodWill.

4. Cook 3x/week but only eat out 1x/week. (leftovers and thank heavens for Tobler Sunday dinners!)

5. Make the darn stockings!

6. Assemble pinwheel quilt-depending on when the last pieces arrive!

7. Smile more!

8. Actually do something with the filing box! :) Step one: purge unnecessary papers. Shred City here we come! W, take a deep breath!

9. Fix my bedskirt and brainstorm what I want my bed to really look like while I do it!

10. Walk 3x/week at a good cardio pace.