~And on to Today~

A little of this...

noreply@blogger.com (Jeanette) — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 00:31:00 +0000

Hello my bloggy friends! I have had a rather busy week, and unfortunately that meant neglecting my blog. My keyboard is still messed up as well, and using certain keys involves a copy and paste. This makes it hard to get motivated to write, but here I am!

I asked a few blogging buddies for post ideas, topics that would help move my blog toward being more than just a journal. I would like this place to eventually be a resource of sorts, as well as a place to get to know me!

My friends were able to give me some great ideas! I have a few posts in draft that I am working on, so be on the lookout for those! For tonight though, I thought I would just write a little of this, a little of that, and just write what comes to mind!

Fall is finally here! We had some rain at the beginning of the week, and the rest of the days have been nice and cool! I am so excited, and will be purchasing my pumpkins in the next few days!

I took my grandpa to the VA Tuesday. He had 3 appointments. It was an all day event and by the time we were able to leave, I was ready to punch someone in the babymaker. Thankfully, I was able to restrain myself this time. We did get his hearing aides repaired, and he can now hear me without my having to scream at the top of my lungs. I consider that a total win, so the trip was worth it.

Tomorrow, I will be grocery shopping for them. Which, if you have read my blog for long, you will know it is about my most hated chore.

I will also be taking the grands to purchase a car, but that is another story for another day!

Right now, I am going to go bath my babies, and then do storytime! Tuck them in, take a shower myself, and then hit the bed! This mama is TIRED!!

The one that comes after K

noreply@blogger.com (Jeanette) — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 22:06:00 +0000

Yesterday, I dropped a few drops of water onto the keyboard of my computer. I quick*y turned it over, hoping the water wou*d run back out. I turned it off for a few minutes, and decided I shou*d aim my b*owdryer at the keys for a few minutes.

Bad idea. My keys started to me*t.

I unp*ugged everything and set the *aptop in front of the fan for about five hours.

Today, most of the keys are working. A few do not, but I can survive without them. The one that is giving me troub*e is the one that comes after K. Yeah, that one. So p*ease read * as the *etter that comes after K. Hopefu**y it wi** start working again soon.

Harvest Time!

noreply@blogger.com (Jeanette) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 06:38:00 +0000

Fall is in the air. I can feel it coming, I can smell it. The leaves are turning and even starting fall off the tree outside my living room window. Nights are now chilly and I've been able to shut off my air conditioner and open the windows. I can walk into any department store and find a Pumpkin Spice scented candle sitting on the shelf!

Autumn is my favorite season. I'll say the same thing in the Spring, but for now, Fall is where it's at!

Unfortunately, I live in a region that has about 15 hours of Fall and then it's over. That might be an exaggeration, but not by much. Winter always comes much too quickly.

And I hate Winter. As a matter of fact, I loathe it. Snow? Ick. Ice? Double Ick!

For now though, I'm going to pretend that freezing temperatures and slick sidewalks aren't right around the corner. I'm going to focus on the beauty that is Fall and take full advantage of the time I have with it.

In a couple weeks, a local Mennonite community is holding a Fall Festival. My uncle is actually very good friends with the Mennonite family, and they gave us the scoop. There will be hand-churned ice cream, hayrides pulled by horses (which Ella will absolutely love!), and pumpkins of course!

We will also be returning to the Farm Market this year. They have a ginormous pumpkin patch and the most delicious apple butter ever made!

My neighbor and I share a little area of yard between our front doors. Instead of each of us decorating our own yards, we have decided to combine our efforts and turn our shared area into a Harvest Wonderland! A farmer I know is supplying me with a few straw bales and corn stalks, and Amy and I will purchase pumpkins and mums. These won't be the main attraction though!

We have gathered a few pairs of old jeans and a few flannel shirts. We are going to help the kids make their very own scarecrows! I'm so excited about this it's ridiculous! It will be so much fun for Brookelyn and Nolan and they will look great sitting on the straw bales, surrounded by pumpkins and corn stalk bundles!

Ella and Audrey (Nolan's little sister.) aren't quite old enough to build a scarecrow, but they will not be left out. We plan to get a couple of the cute little pumpkins and some finger paint, and let the babies go to town! They can paint up their little pumpkins and then they will be part of the display as well!

Somewhere in the middle of these activities, I would like to also find an orchard to take the girls to. Ella loves apples, it's one of the few things she will actually ask for by name when she wants a snack. Brookelyn likes them as well, as long as I peel the skin off for her. I think it would be fun to take them and let them see where apples come from, and they can pick a few of their own! Sounds fun, right?

Gosh, I love Fall!

Have you already started your Fall decorating? Does if feel like Fall in your area yet?

An Addition to the Family!

noreply@blogger.com (Jeanette) — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 16:57:00 +0000

My apartment doesn't have a washer/dryer hook-up. That? Really sucks.

There IS an on-site laundromat, but it is only open during office hours and as we all know, I'm not exactly an early-bird. It would cost me about $2.50/load, not to mention I would have to either sit down there and babysit the clothes as they are washing or take a chance on having them stolen. At my previous apartment, a whole load of my children's clothing was taken and I'm not willing to risk that happening again.

In town, there is another laundromat I could use, and it's actually pretty nice and fairly cheap. I've used it a time or two in a pinch, but I thankfully don't have to depend on a laundromat to keep our clothes clean.

My gramcrack has always been kind enough to let me bring my laundry to her house to wash and dry. She doesn't ask for anything in return and even lets me use her soap if I forget mine. I am usually needed out there at least a time or two a week so I generally take a couple loads out with me each time I go and this allows me to stay on top of the laundry situation.

Here's the thing. The washer and dryer we've been using out there is 17 years old. A few months ago, the agitator broke, and only the bottom half would still spin around. This meant we could only do half loads of laundry at a time, and I would usually let things soak for 30 minutes or so in the soapy water just to make sure things were getting clean. I use Spray and Wash like it's my job on even the smallest spots because although the clothes do get swished around and the general dirt is removed, the washer just doesn't have the power to really beat the clothing clean.

The dryer also had it's problems. After the washer finished with my half-load of clothing, I would have to separate my half-load into two smaller loads to dry and they would take at least an hour for each group.

So to recap, one average sized load of clothing would take me over 2 hours to complete. I didn't complain because Hey, my gram was kind enough to let me do laundry there. For free. And I try to never complain about anything free.

But last week, something glorious happened. The dryer broke. It simply gave up the fight and walked toward that bright light in sky.

The next day, the washer started leaking.

Yesterday, I spent the day at Sears with my grandmother, and we looked at every washer/dryer combo they had. We knew we weren't going to get a fancy one, they live on a budget after all. Plus, my gram has to be able to actually operate the washer, and we are talking about a woman that has had me set the clock on her VCR for about 15 years now. But still, the fancy ones were fun to look at!

After we piddled around with the bright red front loaders, the stackables and the other fancy displays, we headed over to the top-loading machines. We compared prices and cubic feet, and finally landed on a set that made my gramcrack happy.

Aren't they beautiful?? The whole way home I was giddy. I couldn't have been more excited if they had been my very own. I folded down all the seats in my van and loaded these bad boys up, refusing to wait for delivery.

My uncles installed them as soon as we got back to her house, and we said goodbye to the broken set. I think my gramcrack was a little sad to see them go. You would have to know her to understand, but she doesn't accept new things easily and has a hard time parting with the old.

She didn't have anything that needed washing right away, so I tossed the girls' blankies into the washer and fired that bad boy up.

From start to finish, it took less than 40 minutes to wash AND dry the blankets! With the old set, it would take at least twice that time!

I can't believe I'm blogging about a washer and dryer that aren't even my own, but I'm still excited about them today! And now that I've shared about them with all of you, guess where I'm heading...

To Gramcrack's of course! To do laundry! And I'm excited about it!

I'm pretty sure...

noreply@blogger.com (Jeanette) — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 00:33:00 +0000

...that I'm dying over here.

Four or so days ago (I can't remember at this point, my mind is too scrambled by the thought of my impending death.), Ella had a runny nose. The next day, Brookelyn had one, too.

The next day, full on snot factories. Both girls had head colds, and I prepared myself for a few days of wiping the noses of grumpy kids.

I've spent plenty of time wiping noses, but they really didn't let it interfere with their play. No long naps, no tantrums, nothing. I thought I was getting off easy.

Ha!

Yesterday, I woke up feeling a little stuffy. It went away after a few hours of being up, and I felt fine. Today? my head is full, my nose is running, I have that yucky taste in my mouth, and I spent most of the day napping. I've blown my nose so much it's raw, and we had hot dogs for dinner. I don't like hot dogs, but I like easy. Hot dogs are easy, dinner is served.

If you don't hear from me again, it will be safe to assume this cold took me out.

Co-Sleeping by accident

noreply@blogger.com (Jeanette) — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 14:32:00 +0000

When Brookelyn was born, I brought her home, placed her gently in her bassinet, and decided then and there that she would always sleep in her bed, not in mine.

I could remember hearing other mothers talk about their 6 year old that still wouldn't sleep in his/her own bed, and I did not want to deal with that.

There were times that I would lay Brookelyn in bed with me to cuddle, but for the bulk of the night, she always slept in her bassinet/crib/playpen.

When Ella came, I started her out in the bassinet as well. I slept in the recliner at first, because after my c-section the thought of laying flat on my bed to sleep was scarier than a snake bite. So I parked the bassinet right by the recliner and would lift her out to breastfeed and then put her right back in it.

Then, my grandmother had surgery. I had to go stay at her house for nearly a month to help her recover. Ella was less than a month old when we made this move, and she and I shared a bed while we were there. I worried that she would have a hard time going back to the bassinet once we went back home, but she did great! She eventually moved out of my room and into Brookelyn's crib, and Brookelyn moved to a toddler bed.

It was great! I had my room back! The girls were right next door and I had a monitor with video and sound. I could see and hear everything they were doing, but didn't have to tiptoe around my own bedroom when they were sleeping.

When we moved to this apartment, I decided they should continue to share a room and made the extra bedroom a playroom for them. They did great with sleeping in their own beds here, too.

Then about 6 months ago, Brookelyn got sick. She had ear infections and a bad cold, and I had a few different reasons for putting her in my bed to sleep. I didn't want her to get Ella sick, and I wanted to be able to check her throughout the night to monitor her fever and breathing.

In her 3 years, I think that is the sickest she has ever been. It took her weeks to fully recover, and I was lazy about moving her back to her room.

Eventually, I decided it was time for her to go back to her bed. I was foolish enough to think she would just skip happily back to her room without a second thought.

Um, I was wrong.

Every night, there were a multitude of excuses.

"I can't sleep."

"I'm scared."

"I need to cuddle."

That was the one that got me. I need to cuddle. When she looked at me with those little eyes and pouty face and told me she *needed mommy to cuddle with her, I caved. I let her climb in bed with me and waited until she fell asleep, and then carried her back to her bed.

"This isn't so bad." I thought. So that's what we did at night. She would lay with me and cuddle until drifting off, and I would return her to her room and have my bed to myself for the rest of the night. It worked out great and I didn't mind.

Then I started being jerked from sleep in the middle of the night by my child using my legs, arms, hair, or whatever she could reach as a handle to pull herself up onto my bed.

Every night, at some point, she would wake up and come back to my room. At first I would carry her back to bed, but that got old really quick. I gave up at that point and just let her sleep with me. I would still try to encourage her to sleep in her bed, but I quit fighting her on it.

Brookelyn is not an easy person to sleep with. She spreads out and takes up more space than you would think possible for someone her size. She gets right up in my face and wakes me up with her hot breath. She talks in her sleep and she kicks. Hard.

A couple weeks ago I decided I'd had enough. I told her she was sleeping in her bed and that was that! I'm the mom here, I make the rules. Go to your own bed!

After a few nights of screaming, begging and tears (and some from Brookelyn, too;)), I knew I had to come up with something. A light bulb came on, and I came up with a solution! I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner!

You see, we have two toddler beds. A friend was giving one away and I took it, knowing I would need it for Ella eventually. Ella is still in her crib, and will be at least until her third birthday. I don't have a lot of storage space here, so I set the bed up in the girls' room. I figured it would come in nice through the day when they were in there watching cartoons, and since they have a playroom, I didn't really worry about the space it was taking up.

So as I was trying to figure out how to get Brookelyn out of my bed, it dawned on me to just put the extra toddler bed in my room! I thought if I moved a bed in there for her, and made a big deal about her getting to share a room with mommy, she might agree to sleep in it! I wouldn't totally have my room back, but I would at least have the bed back!

After moving some things around, I made room for her bed right beside my own. I showed it to her and made a big deal out of it, and she seemed a little excited by the idea.

At first, she would still want to lay with me and cuddle, and then I would put her in her own bed as she was falling asleep. The very first night, she slept in that bed till morning! After a few more nights, she started getting out of my bed after a few minutes of cuddle time and climbing into her own bed all by herself!

Victory!

This works out great for us. I've mentioned before I'm sure that Brookelyn has bad dreams. She talks and cries out in her sleep, and this was always a challenge when she was sleeping in another room. I would have to get out of bed, go to her room and comfort her, and then drag myself back to my bed. Not a big deal really, if it happened occasionally. But I'm talking at least 4 times a night, 4 nights a week. Now, I can just reach over and rub her back, tell her it's all okay, and then go back to sleep!

This is by far the best idea I could have came up with. Eventually, I will have to find a way to transition her back to her own room. But for now, this is working for us. She feels safe and secure knowing I'm right beside her, and I get better sleep because there isn't someone kicking me and breathing in my face.

I would have thought if either of my children were going to develop a habit of needing to sleep with me, it would have been Ella. She is the one who slept with me as a newborn, so it seemed logical she would be the one to try and weasel her way into my bed. Instead, she absolutely loves her own bed. She won't sleep with me, even when she is sick. On more than one occasion, I've had to sleep in a toddler bed so I could be near her and keep and eye on her fever and breathing. I guess this just further proves that all children are different, and you have to be able to adapt and change your way of doing things with each child.

Do your children sleep with you? If they do, how do you plan to get them back to their own room when the time comes? If you've already gone through this, how did you make the transition?

My Grandpa...

noreply@blogger.com (Jeanette) — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 14:47:00 +0000

(This was supposed to be posted yesterday. My modem pooped out on me and I'm just now getting a connection.)

...turns 82 today.

I had a post all written, talking about how much he has overcome in this past year, and how grateful I am that he has made it this far. But while rereading before hitting publish, I decided to save that post for another day. It seemed to center around my fear of losing him, and I want today to be about celebrating him!

So instead I'll tell you a little about him. I have mentioned my grandpa countless times on my blog, but never really gave any details about him.

Grandpa was born in West Virginia. He grew up there with his parents and his handful of brothers and sisters, in a tiny house sitting on top a mountain. He quit school before junior high so he could work to help support the family. He went into the coal mines, dug night crawlers and did odd jobs, all so he could bring his paycheck home and hand it to his mother.

At 17, he lied about his age and joined the Navy. Eventually, he got busted and had to go home until he really turned 18. When the time came, he enlisted in the Army instead.

After leaving the service, he married a woman named Nancy. They eventually divorced and he moved to Ohio. He met another woman named Nancy, and they married and had 4 children. One of those children died at birth, and another one of those children was my mother.

After years of not being in school, he went back and earned his GED. He took college classes. He owned and ran a bait shop. He was a case worker for the welfare office.

While working at the welfare office, he was injured. He fell, and shattered his knee caps. This put him in a wheelchair, and he eventually had another injury that involved a handicap restroom door crashing down on him.

He eventually worked his way out of the wheelchair. His knee caps were damaged and his equilibrium was off due to the door coming down on his head, so he was resigned to walking on crutches.

He moved the family out of the city and into Southern Ohio. He and my grandmother raised their kids and eventually their first grandchild was born.

That would be me, haha.

My grandpa nicknamed me Scooter, and told me he ordered me from the Sears catalog. He bought me a doctors kit and then I became Dr. Scooter. My earliest memory is of shining a flashlight in his face and saying, "Does that bright light hurt your eye?" He would reply with, "Oh it hurts, take it away!" I would then put a band aid on him and tell him to take 2 aspirin and call me in the morning.

Gosh I was a cute kid!

I spent more time at my grandparent's house than I spent at my own. And when my parents divorced, they were the ones I wanted to be with. When I was around 12 years old, I moved to their house. I bounced around between there, my mom's and my dad's, but Papaw's house was always "home."

It still is.

Now that I'm older and they are elderly, the roles have reversed. Instead of them taking care of me, I try to take care of them. I try to make sure they have everything they need and take care of themselves. I would do more, if they would let me. They saved me countless times, both from myself and from circumstances. Nothing I could ever do would be enough to repay them for that.

I have a mother and a father, and I love them both. Losing my mother broke my heart, and no one could ever replace her. But when it comes down to what a parent really is, my grandparents fill that category in my heart.

My grandfather has been a daddy to me in every way that matters. He has been there for me and supported me every step of the way, even through my mistakes. He has given me advice and saved my ass when I did what I wanted anyway. He taught me to drive, and paid for my prom dress. He has always made sure I know that no matter how old I am or what kind of baggage I'm carrying, I can always come home.

So now you know my grandpa! He's a great man, husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. And today, he is 82.

Happy Birthday Papaw, I love you more than words can express.

Remembering 9/11

noreply@blogger.com (Jeanette) — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 16:10:00 +0000

Nine years ago today, I was sitting in Mr. Roach's History class. It was a brand new school, and each classroom had a TV and telephone. The class next door was Current Events, and they would watch CNN or another news channel every day as part of the classwork. As soon as the media started broadcasting that a plane had flown into one of the Towers, the teacher called Mr. Roach and told him to turn on the news.

We all sat and watched the chaos, wondering what on Earth had happened. As we were watching, the second plane came into view and headed straight into the already flaming buildings.

We were all shocked. I don't think any of the students really knew or understood what had just happened. Mr. Roach sat down, actually he basically fell backwards and landed in his chair. He simply said, "We are going to war." Just five words, that is all he had to say about it. I'll never forget those five words though. When he said what he did, the reality of what had just happened began to sink into those of us in his class.

The rest of that day is sort of a blur. I know that I stayed at school, but many students left. Parents were calling, teachers were crying, and everyone was in a state of shock. My grandparents called and asked if I wanted to come home, but I just finished the day out at school.

I think most everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing that day. I don't think anyone will be forgetting any time soon.

If any of you lost a loved one in the 9/11 tragedy, please know I'm very sorry for your loss. And to my readers who have family or friends serving in the military, there are no words to describe how grateful I am to them. Because of what they give up, I get to keep what I have.

No matter what everyone has planned for today, please take a moment to remember those who lost their lives on September 11th, 2001, and the soldiers we have lost in the days since, as our Military defends our country and fights for our freedom.

Pampers-Gifts to Grow

noreply@blogger.com (Jeanette) — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:09:00 +0000

I have been using diapers and wipes for the past three years and 8 months.

I'm not loyal to any brand, although I typically use Luvs diapers because they are cheaper, and Pampers wipes because I like their texture the best. Depending on sales or coupons, I'll switch it up at times and use Huggies or Pampers diapers.

In all my diaper buying and using experience, I never realized that Pampers had a "Gifts to Grow" program. In a nutshell, you set up an account, buy Pampers products, find the code on every Pamper product, and enter it into your account on the Pampers website. You earn points and then use those points to select rewards from what they offer.

See where I said there is a code on every Pamper product? Do you have any idea how many codes I have casually tossed in the trash!? Ugh, I am so mad at myself!!

I saw the program mentioned on a message board a few days ago, and went to Pampers to see what it was all about. By just entering the codes I found via Google searches, I already racked up over 200 points!

I figured that if I'm just learning of this after all the time I've been buying diapers, that a lot of you might not know about it either! If you are already buying Pampers products, why not benefit from it? And if you are like me and buy the wipe refill packs in bulk, make sure you check each refill pack for the code. I assumed there would be just one code on the box the packs come in, but instead I found a code on each of the packs themselves!

So go to Pampers and set up an account, and then come back here! Copy each of these codes and paste them into your account and watch the points add up!

9/6/10  Promotion Code  LABORDAYFB92010  10
9/5/10  Promotion Code  XKCMYXFVD96VXVK  10
9/5/10  Promotion Code  OHAMANDAAWGTG08  10
9/5/10  Promotion Code  GETSTARTEDNOW10  10
9/5/10  Promotion Code  GTGGETREADYSOON  10
9/5/10  Promotion Code  GTGTENMONTHCODE  10
9/5/10  Promotion Code  WELCOME2PAMPERS  50
9/5/10  Promotion Code  WELCOME2GTG2010  10
9/5/10  Promotion Code  GTGPLAY3USA2010  30
9/5/10  Promotion Code  GTGLEARNMORE089  10
9/5/10  Promotion Code  WELCOME2VILLAGE  10
9/5/10  Promotion Code  GTGFIVEMONTHS10  10
9/5/10  Promotion Code  THRIFTYMOMMYGTG  10
9/5/10  Promotion Code  GTG5FREEPTS0810  5
9/5/10  Promotion Code  GTGCOUPONPOINTS  10
9/5/10  Promotion Code  CAREFORNEWBORNS  10
9/5/10 Promotion Code  SEPFACEBOOK2010  10

These are all promotion codes that I have found online in the past few days, so I assume Pampers puts a few out every so often as a special bonus. I do not know how long they stay valid, but some of the ones I found were already expired. All of the ones I listed were valid as of a few days ago, but I cannot guarantee that they haven't expired since I entered them. *Give them all a try, it only takes a few minutes!

In the future, I will post new codes as I find them. I haven't been able to determine yet if the codes from purchased products are shareable, so until I figure that part out I will only be posting the promotion codes. If anyone knows the answer to that, let me know! If they are valid for more than one user, I'll happily share my product codes as well!

Do any of you already use this program? If so, share any codes you have in the comments! And if you have earned enough points to cash in on a reward, tell us what you got!

*If while entering the codes, you receive a message that one has expired, could you kindly let me know so I can remove it from the list? Thanks!

*****Disclaimer: Pampers has no clue who I am, and I am not being compensated for promoting the Gifts to Grow program. I just thought it was a great concept and wanted to share it with other moms (or dads) who may be regularly throwing codes away.*****

Fall and an upcoming review

noreply@blogger.com (Jeanette) — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 22:24:00 +0000

Fall is fast approaching, and I couldn't be more excited! I'm ready to start baking, and have my house fill with the warm smells of cinnamon, baked apples and of course, pumpkin pie! Baking requires supplies, though. A person needs everything from measuring spoons to dutch ovens! A little basic knowledge on baking comes in handy too, but you already knew that!

Over the last few months, my girls have slowly smuggled all my baking paraphernalia out of my kitchen and into their play kitchen. Some items I have managed to reclaim before they were damaged, other things I'm just going to replace. I need to do that soon, because now that Fall is on it's way, I'm ready to get my bake on!

So it was perfect timing when CSN Stores contacted me and asked if I would like to review a product from one of their many websites. They have tons of cookware and kitchen accessories, which is exactly what I'm in the market for!

A new toy for the kitchen, as well as the opportunity to share about it with my readers? Count me IN!

My only problem has been deciding what to review. There are so many choices, it's hard to pick just one! I will pick soon, though. This will be my first review on the blog and I'm excited to pick something and get the process started!

So be on the lookout, a review will be coming soon!

Best Friends

noreply@blogger.com (Jeanette) — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 17:16:00 +0000

Ella

noreply@blogger.com (Jeanette) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 17:12:00 +0000

I've blogged before about Ella and her "keep to myself" personality.

She has always been so little and quiet that most don't believe me when I tell her age.

Since becoming mobile, she has always chose to stick close to me, getting upset if I left her sight. I was her comfort zone.

Although annoying at times (like when trying to clean. Or shower.), it always made my heart sing to know I was her favorite person.

Lately, Ella has been coming out of her shell.

She is finally starting to become friendly, and is taking an interest in playing with other children, or even by herself if no one is available. She will smile at strangers, and let her grandparents hold her.

Her vocabulary has quadrupled in the past month. She says a new word every day.

Part of me is so happy for her. I don't have to feel as guilty when it's necessary for me to leave her for a few hours, and I know she is learning so much by exploring the world outside of mommy's arms.

But the other part of me, the part that wants to keep her my little baby forever, that part is crying. My baby is growing so very fast, so fast that I'm not even sure when this change took place.

I have always cherished the moments when my children climb into my lap for a story or just a little snuggle. But now that Ella actually leaves my lap through the day, I am so much more grateful when nighttime comes and she drags her blankie over to me and holds up her arms to be lifted into mine. She lays her head on my chest and sucks on her little finger and is once again my little baby.

I don't want to hold her back. I want her to grow and learn and socialize. But if she continues to need rocked every night, and sucks on her finger a little longer, I'm alright with that. I'm more than alright, it will be a dream come true.

Baby on the Brain

noreply@blogger.com (Jeanette) — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 04:30:00 +0000

For the last month or so, I've had intense baby fever.

Everywhere I go, I see new babies, or women who are about to pop. There are 3 pregnant women on my side of the apartment complex. Bloggers I follow are having babies.

Babies Babies Babies!

I made matters worse when I decided to sort through things in search of yard sale items. I found all the newborn clothing and nightgowns and itty bitty shoes and oh, my heart just ached!

It is not the time for me to have another baby, not to mention that at this point in would be a miracle for me to get pregnant, if you catch my drift!

But! But, someone close to me is having a baby. In fact, she's in the hospital as we speak experiencing labor!

By this time tomorrow, I'll have my baby fix!

I'm going to cuddle that new baby girl and rub the fluff on her little head and take deep breaths of that sweet newborn smell.

And of course, I'm going to click click click away with the camera!

Then hopefully, that will cure my baby fever!

I'll share pictures either tomorrow night or the next day. I'm going to create some birth announcements for the new mommy to hand out!

So stay tuned for baby pictures. And if anyone has any tips for dealing with baby fever, I'll totally take any advice I can get!

Five Question Friday!

noreply@blogger.com (Jeanette) — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 15:42:00 +0000

I'm trying out a new blog hop today! You probably know Mama M, and if you don't you should definitely check her out! She's great and funny and every Friday she gives us questions to answer and then post to our blog, and then we can link up to her so other 5QF'ers can come check out our answers! It's a great way to get to know each other!

1. Do you have any nicknames and if so how did it come about?

My grandpa started calling me Scooter before I was even born. I'm not sure where he came up with that, but I don't think he ever called me by my actual name until my teenage years. I was always Scooter. When I was 4, he bought me a doctor's kit and I became obsessed. I would poke and pull and prod while giving him and "exam" every time I saw him. He then started calling me Dr. Scooter. He called me that for years and still does when we are having one of our heart to hearts. Aww, I love my g'pa. I also have an uncle that calls me Boogie (he's called me that since I was little and I have no idea where it came from), another uncle that calls me "Nette" ( I think we can all figure out where that one came from :)). Oh, and the girls' dad? He calls me viper.
2. What is your birth order amongst your siblings?

I'm the oldest. I'm also the only girl. I have 2 younger full brothers. Jerrod is 23 now, Jason just turned 19, and I'll be 26 in September. I also have a half brother, Noah, who is no longer with us. He would be turning 13 this November. Wow! I just realized my little bro would be becoming a teenager this year! He's been gone for almost 7 years, so it's hard to imagine him as anything but a sweet little boy!

3. In a movie of your life, who would play your significant other?

Hmm, I need to think about this one. I guess this question could be answered in 2 different ways. I don't really have a significant other at the moment, so I could rightfully just pick who I would like to be mine, right? Wow, that's tough. I don't really watch a lot of movies so I guess I don't have a favorite actor. Ohh, wait! The question doesn't say it has to be an actor, does it? In that case, I'll say that if my life were made into a movie, I would have the girls' dad play my significant other. Then, he would make money from the film and he would have to give me some of it! Hey, gotta get child support somehow, right?
4. What is currently your favorite song?

Easy one! I have always loved Eminem, even if sometimes his music was a bit too much for me. Also, I love Rihanna. Their new duo, "Love the Way You Lie" is my current fave. It's a beautiful song and it has a powerful message. Love it!
5. Are you saving your money for anything right now? Big or small purchase?

I'm always saving for something! Right now, I'm tucking back cash for Christmas. I'm so excited about it too, since last year Ella wasn't really old enough to understand what was going on and get excited. This year, both my girls will finally be old enough to enjoy it! I can't wait!

Alright, that's it! That was fun, you should try it! Head over to Mama M's place to read other 5QF entries!

I have an owie

noreply@blogger.com (Jeanette) — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 04:13:00 +0000

I have swimmer's ear.

It hurts. It hurts really bad.

I had it all the time as a kid, and actually thought it was kind of cool to hear the water swishing around in there!

Now? I want nothing more than to ram my head into a brick wall just so my ear doesn't bother me as much!

How did I stand it back then? How does any child stand this horrible affliction!?

There have been many, many times that I have experienced something as an adult and wondered how the heck kids take it in stride.

I would provide an example but right now my ear is causing me to experience severe lack of brain control.

But this? This takes the cake.

When I was younger and would get water in my ear, I would hop on one foot with my head tipped to the side, and the water would pour on out. Sometimes I would need to give my head a little tap right above the ear, and if it was really stubborn I would hold my breath, plug my nose, and force the air into my ears.

No go this time. I've tried all of the above with no success. I've also used an ear cleaning kit, stuffed my ear with cotton, and finally broke down and bought some drops made specifically for swimmer's ear.

None of it worked! My ear actually feels worse now!

Is there a doctor in the house? Please tell me that one of you dear readers is like an expert at all things water in the ear, and you have the magic cure. I'll pay you, I'll send you chocolate. I'll let you pick my bloggy topics for the next year if you can help a sista out!

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go stand in the bathroom and point the blowdryer at my ear while I hop on one foot.

I want my mommy!

Television and Learning

noreply@blogger.com (Jeanette) — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 16:46:00 +0000

I have a dirty little secret, and I'm going to let you in on it.

Are you ready? Sitting down?

I... actually let my kids watch TV!

I grew up watching Saturday Morning cartoons, and when my girls were old enough to sit in front of the TV, I let them. Until I started reading blogs, I had no clue that there were people out there who didn't think children should be exposed to television!

I do not plop my kids in front of the TV so that I don't have to play with them, nor do I treat the TV like a babysitter. I don't let them watch trash, and I make sure they go outside or go play upstairs throughout the day. But cutting out the TV altogether? Never letting them watch? Not in this house!

The Flintstones was about as educational as cartoons got when I was young. These days, there are cartoons that teach numbers, letters, Spanish, sharing, colors and shapes. Nick Jr proclaims themselves to be "Preschool on TV!" And I believe that statement to be absolutely true!

When Brookelyn very first started to become verbal, I set out to start teaching her. I went out and bought little blocks of different shapes, and some fun plastic bracelets in all different colors. That night, I sat down with my daughter, held up a purple bracelet and said...

Sissy, do you know what color this is?

I expected her to just kind of stare at me or maybe attempt to take the bracelet away. Then I would tell her the color and move on to the next one, practicing over and over until a color or two stuck with her. Instead, she said...

Puw-ple!

Huh? Surely this was a fluke. I held up a blue bracelet.

What color is this Brookelyn?

Bwoo!

And what color is this?

Wed!

My daughter knew the color of every single one of those bracelets. Upon further inspection, I realized she also knew all of the shapes.

And this was just the start. My daughter constantly shocks and amazes me with the things she knows. And now that Ella is starting to get verbal, I'm seeing how much she has learned as well. Ella has just started talking in the last month or so, and the kid can count to 10. On her own. I discovered this one day when I told her that Brookelyn was going to go hide and then we would find her. My baby covered her eyes with her hands and I heard.... "Un, Two, Fee, Fo......."

Now, I will take some of that credit. Since my children were born I have always counted out loud while clipping their nails, or counted the number of times I pour the cup over their head when washing their hair. It keeps them occupied and distracted enough for me to do what I need to do, and if the numbers sink into their memory, that's a bonus. I also say the ABC's while climbing steps or brushing their hair. So it is entirely possible that Ella can count to 10 simply because her nails grow like weeds and she has frizzy hair, so she hears me counting on almost a daily basis. But the colors and shapes? I owe it to Nick Jr baby!

I totally agree that children should not watch violence on TV, or be exposed to some of the racier commercials. I don't let my children watch programming that is aimed for adults, or even preteens. If I want to watch something I DVR it and watch after they have gone to bed.

The great thing about Nick Jr is that there are no commercials. Dora will play in it's entirety, and then for 10 minutes or so, a little animated moose, appropriately named Moose, will come on and give a lesson. It may be matching, it may be counting. Sometimes he talks about sharing, other times the lesson centers on kindness or memory skills. But it's always educational.

Even though I am technically a Stay at Home Mom, I have to spend a lot of time away from home. My grandparents need me to help them out, and some weeks I am gone more than I am home. I would love to be able to stay home with my children every day, teaching them everything they need to know. Hell, I would love to homeschool them for at least the first few years. The reality though, is that I can't. I never know when my grandfather is going to be hospitalized, leading to my being gone for days at a time. I do take every opportunity that arises to teach my children, it's just not as often as I would like. So for me, the educational programs my girls watch is a tremendous help.

Every child is different, as is every mother. I have nothing but respect for the mothers that have decided they do not want their kids watching television at all. It is up to each one of us to decide what is best for our own children. That goes both ways though.

I read several blogs written by women that do not allow TV in their homes, and I have great respect for them and love their blogs. There are also a few that I have came across that do not allow television, and think that no one else should either. One blog went so far as to say that mothers who let their child watch TV do so just so they have a free babysitter, and are too lazy to teach their kids anything. Those are the blogs that I do not revisit. Just because I made a choice different from yours, does not make you a better mother than me.

So there you have it. I let my children watch TV and I'm not ashamed of that a bit! Not only does it give them some downtime, but it encourages them to learn and teaches them things that I can then expand on.

What about you? Do you allow your children to watch TV? If so, do you think they have learned something from it? If you don't allow television, would you mind sharing one of your reasons for doing so?

Circus

noreply@blogger.com (Jeanette) — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 02:02:00 +0000

My dad invited the girls to the circus this past Friday. I went along as well, because hey, who doesn't love a circus!?

This circus was just a little one ringer, on the fairgrounds of my small hometown. The entire county only has one stoplight, if that tells you anything about how small the county is.

I was a bit disappointed, because I had told Brookelyn there would be an elephant, and there wasn't. I ended up telling her the elephant was sick and was at the elephant doctor.

There were horses, though!!

My little girl, Ella, who is usually indifferent to anything other than Dora, went completely crazy! She got so excited and clapped her little hands for every trick those horses did!

During the intermission, we noticed that they were offering pony rides. Brookelyn said she wanted to do it, so my dad got a ticket for both girls. Brookelyn liked it, but was nervous.

Ella on the other hand, loved every bit of it!

Just look how happy she is! I knew what it was going to be like when it was time to get off, and I mentioned to the guy running the thing to get ready to plug his ears when her turn was over. He thought it was so cute the way she was laughing and enjoying herself, he said she could ride for as long as she wanted!! Had it just been her and I there, I would have let her ride all day. But it was hot and Brookelyn was waiting, so after a few more go arounds I told her it was time to get off.

Anyone want to guess what happened?

She cried and eventually threw herself on the ground, melting into a pile of tears. She also kicked me in the face when I tried to pick her back up. See the guy holding the giant corndog? That's my dad. He throughly enjoyed her little fit and when she was finally done crying, told her to tell mommy to buy her a pony. Thanks Dad!

And that was our day at the circus! Now excuse me while I try to figure out a way to fit a horse on our back porch.

P.S. After hitting publish, I noticed my dad is wearing a Jack Daniel's t-shirt. Great circus attire there Pops.

CSN Winner

noreply@blogger.com (Jeanette) — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 18:07:00 +0000

My internet seems to be behaving itself for the moment so I was finally able to pick a winner!!

The winner said...

"i want a Hamilton Beach Food Processor"

Congratulations, Smarti! Please contact me by email this week and I will get your gift certificate to you!

Technical Difficulties

noreply@blogger.com (Jeanette) — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 17:22:00 +0000

Blogging from my phone to let you know that my internet is down and has been all morning. I can access Facebook but can't get my blog or anyone else's blog to load. As soon as it starts working again, I'll post the winner of the giveaway. Sorry for the delay!

Last Chance!

noreply@blogger.com (Jeanette) — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 09:32:00 +0000

Just a friendly reminder that today is the last day to enter my giveaway for a CSN gift certificate!

Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Jeanette) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 12:00:00 +0000

It's time for a giveaway! CSN Stores contacted me and asked if I would like to host a giveaway for them and I of course said YES! CSN Stores consists of over 200 different stores, so you can find anything from dinnerware sets to sandboxes!

I looked through the many websites trying to find the perfect item to give away to one of you, but there was just so many great things that I couldn't choose! So instead, one of you will win a $45 gift certificate to be used on any item of your choosing on any of their websites!

The giveaway will be open from now till midnight (Eastern Time) on Friday the 13th! On Saturday, I will randomly select a comment and post the winner. Once the winner contacts me with their email address, I will forward that to a rep with CSN Stores and they will send the gift certificate! Then you can shop shop shop away!

How do you win?

1. Visit CSN Stores and leave a comment telling me what caught your eye. You do NOT have to purchase this item if you win the gift certificate.

2. Follow my blog using Google Friends Connect and let me know you did, or leave a comment and let me know you already follow.

And that's it! Simple, right? Go!

*Disclaimer- I was asked by CSN Stores to host this giveaway and gladly agreed. I am not being compensated in any way for holding this giveaway.

noreply@blogger.com (Jeanette) — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 22:38:00 +0000

Just a quick reminder to everyone to check out my giveaway tomorrow! Here's a little hint...

Your prize can be almost anything you want it to be!

See you tomorrow ;)

Bios, Birth Stories and Blogging

noreply@blogger.com (Jeanette) — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 23:28:00 +0000

I mentioned in my makeover post how excited I was to have the tabs at the top of my blog now. I just spent some time adding to the girls' bio pages, just a general summary of their personalities and what they like to do. You can check them out by clicking on the "my girls" tab up top or just click right here. Then click on the picture of the girl you want to read about!

I will be adding to their bio pages as time goes on. I'd like to eventually put links to posts that focus on them. It occurred to me that I've never posted their birth stories, aside from touching on Ella's in my breastfeeding post. So this week, I will write out Brookelyn's birth story and then Ella's the following week. Then those posts will be linked to their bio pages! Gosh it's great having tabs!

I updated my bio page as well, under the "about" tab. It's not really anything you don't already know though!

I feel excited to blog again. I was a faithful almost every day blogger there for awhile and then when life got busy it fizzled out. I had no ideas and even the rare idea I would have didn't seem like it would appeal to anyone. The blog redesign has given me the boost I needed to get back into this though! There for a little while I had a pretty good traffic, but I know that has dropped due to my lack of posting. Hopefully now that I'm back on my game some of you will start stopping by again! Otherwise I'll feel like I'm talking to myself and I do enough of that in real life!

I'm also really excited about the giveaway I have coming up on Monday! I'll give you a hint... tomorrow!

Cleaning house

noreply@blogger.com (Jeanette) — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 18:48:00 +0000

If you've been reading my blog long, you know that although I am technically a Stay-at-home-mom, I am usually on the go more often than I get to stay home. My grandparents are elderly and I try to help them as much as I can by grocery shopping, running errands, driving them to appointments and doing things around their home such as cleaning out a closet or paying their bills for the month. Then of course my children have the occasional appointment and I have had a slew of doctor visits recently myself. I try to make sure I take the girls somewhere at least once a week to do something fun, usually going to the park or finding somewhere to swim.

This leaves me with an average of two days a week that I spend the entire day at home. I use these days to get caught up on housecleaning, sort clothes for washing, just general things that need to be done. The day ends with me being frustrated because I spent my whole day getting caught up around the house and now I have to go to bed so I can get up early and I still never got around to plucking my eyebrows. Then I think about what I have to do in the next few days, look around my now clean home, and get upset because I know that by the time I get to spend another day at home, my day will be spent doing exactly what I just finished doing. Grrr!

It's not that I do nothing on the days I have places to go, I do. I keep up on the dishes, keep the kitchen relatively neat, and try to keep the living room picked up. But I don't do any hard core cleaning, and then must do it all on the few days I get to spend at home. I'm talking about scrubbing the bathrooms, mopping the floor, carrying stray toys upstairs and organizing the playroom. Dusting, cleaning the glass, running the sweeper, and straightening up the porches.

If I were home for the bulk of the day every day, I could just do a few things on that list each day and my home would always look great! But I'm not, and it doesn't. By the time I get a day to spend at home, there are clothes piled on the steps, toys stacked by the landing waiting to be carried up, and although at first glance it doesn't look bad, *I* know that it's lacking, and that's enough to put me in a bad mood.

I need to find a way to balance things out, so that when I do have a day off I can spend just a few hours catching up and then can enjoy the rest of my day in a clean home. So I'm going to try to make sure I do at least one thing extra every day, no matter how tired I am from running around all day. Maybe I should make myself a schedule and have a daily routine so that things don't get so far behind. I need to figure out something, so that I can start to enjoy my days at home instead of busting my butt the whole time I'm here.

I would love to hear from working moms, or other moms that just have a busy life like I do. How do you keep it all done so that your house stays clean all week long? If you have a schedule I'd love to see it!

Notice anything...

noreply@blogger.com (Jeanette) — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 02:05:00 +0000

...different?

That's right, my blog got a whole new look!

A couple weeks ago I stumbled across a blog that was offering free designs to the first 100 people to respond! I of course jumped right on that offer!

Keep in mind that the offer was for a FREE design, okay? I thought that I would get a new header and a background, and that would be it. It was free after all, I couldn't expect much, right?

WRONG!!

Creative Designs by Cristin went all out!!

She added tabs to the top, organized my sidebars and made labels for my various sidebar content. She made a new signature for me and created bio pages for Brookelyn and Ella!

Cristin was sooo nice to work with and communicated with me every step of the way. When she was all finished, she emailed me and thanked me for letting her makeover my blog! SHE thanked ME! I of course emailed her back and let her know how awesome she is and I thanked her!

I'm so excited to have the tabs, they are one thing I never figured out how to do! In the next few days I will add more to the girls' bio pages. As my blog grows and I start to cover the different topics I hope to post about, I may add more tabs to help organize my posts. That will be a long way off of course but it's exciting to know I can do that now!!

If you are thinking of finding someone to redesign your blog, I highly recommend Cristin. Head over there and check out her work, I promise you won't be disappointed! You can click on the button up toward the start of this post or simply click here to be directed to her website!

In celebration of my new look, I'll be launching a giveaway on Monday! What's up for grabs? You'll have to come back Monday and find out!