Honey Mommy

Adventures in Parenting- The Cyclist and the Missing Boy

2009-11-12T13:45:00.009-07:00

The weather was so nice earlier this week that Honey Daddy rode his bike to work. Later in the afternoon I thought I saw him ride into the carport on his bike. So I told Jonah he could go outside and say "Hi!" to Daddy.

Then I put on Eli's shoes and we went outside. When we got outside, what do you think I found?

Nobody.

I could not see Honey Daddy or Jonah anywhere! I started calling for Jonah, but nobody answered. Then I started to panic. What if I didn't really see Honey Daddy riding in? What if Jonah went outside and somebody took off with him?!

I was freaking out! Then our neighbor told me he saw Jonah on his tricycle following after Honey Daddy, so I set off down the street with Eli on my hip.

I caught up with Honey Daddy and Jonah in the parking lot of the nearby church. It seems that Daddy wanted to go on a cool down ride, and Jonah went with him. Honey Daddy invited Jonah to go with him and didn't think to tell me! I was relieved and a bit peeved at the same time. But Honey Daddy apologized for not telling me before they left the house.

The funny thing is that I actually had my camera with me because I went outside to take pictures of the cricket Jonah had found. So I took some photos of my guys on their bikes together.

So what do you think? Will Jonah be a cyclist like his mommy and daddy someday?

Hosted by Cecily and She's a moron and can't remember...

Yogurt Face

2009-11-10T17:28:00.002-07:00

Eli is getting pretty good at eating with a spoon. So when I was in a hurry and the boys needed a snack before we left the house, I just I gave them both a yogurt and then went to get a few more things done.

I guess I should have thought a little harder about my snack choice because this is what I came back to:

Is there something wrong?

I seriously laughed.. and then ran to grab the camera, of course!

What made it even more hysterical is that I had Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" going through my mind, but with the words changed: Y-y-y-yogurt face, y-y-yogurt face!

I love it!

Jiminy November Cricket!

2009-11-08T15:27:00.008-07:00

I know some of you were probably thinking, "Yippee! Now that winter is almost here we will have bug-free posts over at Honey Mommy. No more creepy, crawly photos!"

Sorry to burst your bubble! My little boys must be bug-hunting experts! Just last week Jonah found this little guy hanging out on our back porch:

I have never seen a cricket up close before. He was pretty lethargic, so it was easy to catch this little Jiminy. He seemed to feel better after spending a few nights in our warm garage (until I had a moment to snap his picture).

But what do you do with a cricket in November? I didn't exactly want to keep him for a pet... but I felt bad letting him go because he probably won't last long in our current temperatures.

Maybe it was my conscience talking, huh?

Purple Mountains Majesty & the Slippery Slope

2009-11-05T15:51:00.011-07:00

A few weeks ago we went for a family drive up the canyon. I was sure that we would find some gorgeous fall leaves that I could take pictures of. I was a little disappointed to find green trees, or completely naked trees with the leaves blown off by a recent storm. I also didn't count on the snow! There was even ice on the road. My disappointment quickly turned to apprehension.

We hit a couple of icy patches, but nothing too terrible. We even saw three cyclists heading down from the top of the canyon, which we thought was pretty incredible (and cold!).

Then we hit a large icy patch going uphill, around a corner. The problem wasn't really the ice... it was the car stopped on our side of the road putting on their chains. We couldn't get around them and so we started sliding backwards down the hill. It was so scary! There were cars behind us and oncoming cars trying to go around the stopped car in front of us. Needless to say it wasn't a good situation.

We weren't sure anyone could make it up and around the icy corner. Some of the cars turned around (with Honey Daddy's assistance). Eventually the car blocking the road moved and we decided to give it a try. I think I had my eyes closed and my hands clenched... and was so relieved when we made it!

Then I was having one of those moments where I felt like my fun family idea had turned into something of a nightmare. It was starting to get dark and we hadn't had very much fun... much less taken any nice photos.

But then we found some spectacular scenery at the top.

Can you see why I love living near the mountains?

Even though I went back up the other side of the canyon a week later and got some gorgeous fall photos, I still really love these. Maybe it's because I feel that I earned these photos.... maybe it's because they redeemed what could have been a horrible trip... or maybe it's just because they are lovely.

Hosted by Cecily and Emily

Losing Sleep Over Daylight Saving Time

2009-11-03T15:18:00.007-07:00

The phrase "Spring ahead, fall back" helps me remember which way to move my clock for Daylight Saving Time. I always liked the "fall back" part because that means when daylight saving time ends we get an extra hour of sleep, right?

WRONG!

Apparently my kids did not get the daylight savings time memo. So they have been waking up at the exact same time they did before the time change... except now it is an hour earlier! Oh joy!

So I go to bed an hour later each night, and then wake up an hour earlier at the behest of my little people. I would like to say that I am getting more done because I am now awake another hour a day, but unfortunately the only thing I am getting is more tired!

Apparently I am not the only one! Since nap time takes longer to arrive than it used to, little Eli is completely exhausted and practically begging to take a nap. Then he crashes HARD.

I was afraid that I would wake him up by taking his picture, but I don't think a marching band could have roused him!

Jonah has not taken naps since the beginning of the year, but once or twice lately he has been so tired that he took a nap too.

This particular afternoon we were trying to wake Jonah up, but all to no avail. Honey Daddy even lifted up his arm, only to have it flop back down on the covers without even a flinch from Jonah. Apparently my boys play hard and sleep even harder!

This afternoon I actually had an hour to myself when both the boys were sleeping... at the same time! The house was SO quiet... it was lovely.

So maybe Daylight Saving Time isn't all bad... but it still doesn't make much sense to me.

When told the reason for daylight savings time the old Indian said…
‘Only a white man would believe that you could cut a foot off the top of a blanket and sew it to the bottom of a blanket and have a longer blanket.’

Farewell Halloween

2009-11-02T15:09:00.005-07:00

First of all, if you didn't see our Toy Story Family Costumes, you just have to go tell me it was all worth while!

I couldn't let Halloween go without showing off the pumpkins we carved. Actually, I wanted to show off Honey Daddy's pumpkin photography skills. Isn't he amazing?!

Here is Jonah's happy pumpkin:

And here is the pumpkin that I did. I got over my desire to carve an elaborate pumpkin and settled for this one.

We had a great Halloween. The costumes are being put away and the pumpkins are rotting on the front porch. I think I am suffering from a Daylight Savings Hangover. I am also wondering what on earth I am going to do with all this CANDY?!

Ecostore USA $25 Gift Certificate Giveaway (and Review)

2009-11-02T12:12:00.002-07:00

Sometimes it seems like it's hard to be "green" while raising young children. Who has the time or money to make sure that your products are environmentally friendly? Well if you are looking for little ways to make a difference each day, Ecostore USA is a company worth looking into.

Ecostore USA carries products for baby care, hair care, household products and even products the furry members of your family. Ecostore USA products contain No Nasty Chemicals and the site does a great job of listing what you will NOT find in their products with information about each one.

All of their products are made from plant- and mineral-based ingredients, free of toxic chemicals that bring people closer to nature with non-toxic, environmentally safe solutions that also help to reduce our carbon footprint.

I received a generous invitation to review 2 products from Ecostore USA. I chose the Nappy Balm and the Baby Shampoo.

Nappy Balm

Isn't Nappy Balm a fun name? In case you didn't know, in some parts of the world they call a diaper a nappy. Since Ecostore was founded in New Zealand, this diaper cream is called Nappy Balm.

When I decided to try this product, I wasn't sure if it would really work on diaper rash. After all, you need a product with some zinc oxide, right? Wrong! This product is entirely plant based and it works just great.

My little Eli gets diaper rash pretty often when he is teething. I tried out this balm a few times and the redness disappeared. At first I was surprised that the Balm came in a tub rather than a tube. Then I realized it didn't really matter because either way mommy is going to get some on her hands. This way you can actually control the amount of balm that you are using a little better.

Baby Shampoo

We have already used the baby shampoo several times, and it works great! It is not strongly scented or perfumy, like many store brands. Rather it has a natural fresh smell. I think it smells nice and cleans my dirty boys' hair just as well as any other shampoo we've used. The best part is that I don't have to stress so much about the boys accidentally drinking the bath water because no harm will come to your baby or our waterways from this shampoo!

The generous folks at Ecostore USA are going to give one Honey Mommy reader a $25 Gift Certificate to be used on any product from their website. Thank you so much Ecostore USA!

Win it!

1. YOU MUST DO THIS FIRST or all other entries will be DELETED! Please visit Ecostore USA then leave me a comment about a product you would LOVE to try other than the ones I reviewed (1 entry)

BONUS ENTRIES

2. Follow Me on Blogger (1 entry)
3. Follow ecostoreusa on Twitter (1 entry)
4. Become a Fan of ecostoreusa on Facebook (1 entry)
5. FOR 5 EXTRA ENTRIES - Blog about this giveaway, with a link to my blog and come back and leave the link to your blog post. Post FIVE separate comments that you've blogged about this.
6. Add my main button to your sidebar (if it's already there, let me know that! Leave link to your blog.) (1 entry)

Giveaway will end on Friday, November 13th . U.S & Canadian entrants only. Please leave your email so I can contact you if you win. Many thanks to ecostore USA for this review and giveaway Opportunity!

“I received a product for this review on behalf of the company. All opinions are solely my own. Others who may use this product or service may have different opinions.”

Happy Halloween from the Honey House!!

2009-10-31T20:59:00.004-06:00

Happy Halloween from our Toy Story Family!

Buzz Lightyear and Woody the Cowboy hope you had a great time!

If not, we may have to send Zurg over to straighten you out!
He's pretty scary, don't you think?

(p.s. Isn't this about the best homemade Zurg costume you have ever seen? Thanks! I think so too!)

The Scoop on Pumpkin Carving

2009-10-29T22:19:00.012-06:00

Better in Bulk is having an Eat, Drink, and Be Scary Carnival today that I wanted to participate in, along with my regularly scheduled Photostory Friday. But to be honest, I have been so busy with Halloween preparations, that I haven't had time to cook much of anything. So instead I will give you the scoop on pumpkins at the Honey House.

This year Jonah is absolutely dying to carve a pumpkin. I don't think he really knows about all the goop and yuck that is inside, know what I mean?

While I was in college I got into carving pumpkins with a pattern. That way you end up with an awesome, elaborate pumpkin. The only thing is... carving a pumpkin like that is very time consuming! It's all well and good when you are single, but adding kids into the mix makes doing this kind of craft much more difficult... especially when you have more than one!

It seems like I had the time to do crafts like this when I only had Jonah. Here is a picture of Jonah's first Halloween (three years ago!). Can you believe that I carved both of those fake pumpkins next to him (I still have the "trick or treat one")... pretty cool, huh?

I even had the time to make his Halloween costume... without a pattern! I thought he was the cutest gingerbread boy ever. What do you think?

This year I did not make either of my boys' costumes. Instead I made the mistake of making mine and Honey Daddy's. I am still working on it... and sure hope I finish in time!

Tonight we will most likely be spending time in the kitchen carving pumpkins... but not elaborate ones. Just pumpkins with a face, most likely. Though the creative mommy in me still wants to make an elaborate pumpkin, the tired mommy in me wants to get it done as quickly as possible.

Maybe we can compromise?

Hosted by Cecily and Carissa

Trick-or-treat vs. Trunk-or-treat

2009-10-29T08:42:00.010-06:00

Today I am participating in Mama Kat's writers workshop:
5.) Describe a favorite Halloween moment you wish you had on video.

Times have changed, haven't they?

Halloween for my boys is an entirely different affair than it was when I was a kid. This year (as in years past) our community is holding a "trunk-or-treat". For those of you who don't know, that means you all meet up at the church/community center and pass out candy to your friends and neighbors from the trunk of your car.

In some ways it's really nice. You get to see all your friends, neighbors and their kids in costume without having to walk around the entire neighborhood. It's kind of like a big costume parade! You finish your trick-or-treating pretty quickly and then go home. It's also safer because you are only getting candy from people you know.

But somehow I can't help but think that my boys are missing out on part of the experience of Halloween. They are missing out on trick-or-treating... you know, the way I experienced it growing up in the middle of nowhere in Wyoming.

I wish I could show you a video of what Halloween was like when I was a kid.

It seems like I always made my own Halloween costumes... and so did my siblings and most of my friends (or their parents!). Then on Halloween night my mom would pile the six of us into the van to go trick-or-treating. Our nearest neighbors lived about a half a mile away, so we had to drive. When we reached a house we would all pile out of the van and probably dash through several inches of snow to get up to the house.

"Trick or Treat!" we would all scream with delight. Then our friends, neighbors, and relatives would fill our pillowcases with yummy treats. I am not just talking about wrapped candy! My aunt Kristy always used to give out the yummiest popcorn balls... which everybody loved! And there were always cookies and there was one house that always handed out homemade donuts... tons of them! Often we would all be invited in for hot chocolate or cider.

Now you don't let your kids eat anything unless it is store-bought and wrapped. Most of the Halloween costumes come from the store too. And someone inviting you in for hot chocolate would probably be considered scary.

I LOVED Halloween when I was a kid. Popcorn balls, cookies, hot chocolate, donuts, candy, and visiting friends and neighbors. Those are the Halloween moments I remember. It seemed to be such a friendly family affair. I don't want Halloween for my kids to be all about the candy, you know?

How about you? What was Halloween like when you were a kid?

Same Costume, Different Boy

2009-10-27T18:50:00.005-06:00

Am I the only one whose kids have more than one Halloween costume?

Not on purpose, mind you. Eli has more than one because he can fit in Jonah's old costumes. Jonah has two costumes this year because grandma sent him a costume this year before she was aware that he has been begging to Buzz Lightyear for months.

Actually, having more than one costume is not necessarily a bad thing. They say that you only wear a Halloween costume once, but my kids have been invited to wear their costumes for all our regularly scheduled activities this week. That mean they get to dress up every day this week except for Friday!

For Halloween this year the entire Honey household is dressing up with a Toy Story theme. However I actually managed to convince Jonah to wear his other costume to our Music Makers class yesterday. Then we went and took pictures in the leaves afterward. Isn't he the cutest monkey ever?

Since Jonah wore his monkey costume, I dressed Eli up in the giraffe costume. That way they could be my little animals! Cute, huh? I actually managed to get Eli to sit still long enough for a photo.

The fun thing is that this is the same giraffe costume that Jonah wore two years ago.

So now I guess it is kind of a tradition that my kids all wear the giraffe costume... at least once.

What was Seen Last Halloween

2009-10-26T08:49:00.016-06:00

Can you believe that Halloween is less than a week away?

As I was looking through last year's photos, I came across this photo of Jonah in his gorilla costume from last year. I just LOVE this picture, especially since Jonah was going through his "I don't want my picture taken" phase... and he actually has a ghost of a smile in the picture (go ahead, click it... you know you want to!).

The past week or so I have been staying up late working on our Halloween costumes for this year. The boys' costumes are done, mine is nearly finished, and Honey Daddy's is still a work in progress. We are doing a "Toy Story" theme. My boys will be Woody and Buzz, I am going to be Jessie and Honey Daddy will be Zurg. It should be absolutely fabulous... if I get it done on time!

What are you going to be for Halloween?

Get in the mood for Halloween at:

Where's my Baby?

2009-10-22T15:35:00.003-06:00

This morning I finally got around to organizing little Eli's clothes. His 12 month shirts have been looking a bit small lately, which is not surprising since he is 19 months old now!

So I packed up his 12 month clothes and got out the 18 and 24 month clothes. As I put his "new" clothes in the drawers, I couldn't help but remember what Jonah looked like in those same clothes. It seems to me that Jonah was wearing them just yesterday, and I can't believe that Eli is big enough to wear them now.

He is getting to be such a big boy! I took a picture of him last week and noticed that he is starting to look more like a boy and less like a baby.

My baby boy no longer sleeps in a crib. He climbs up on everything and is not afraid of anything! My baby boy doesn't walk, he runs!

My baby boy is starting to talk so that we can actually understand what he is saying. He wants to do everything his big brother does and thinks he can do it all by himself!

I guess my baby boy is not a baby after all.
Isn't is amazing the difference a year can make?

Though he may not be a baby anymore,
he will always be my little boy.

Hosted by Cecily and Kelli

The Joy of Kid's Meal Toys

2009-10-20T15:49:00.011-06:00

What is up with kid's meal toys nowadays? Do the people who make these toys even have kids?!

We don't eat fast food very often, but in the past few months we have been to fast food places a couple of times. My boys are old enough now that it is actually worth it to buy a kid's meal for them, although if I could buy the meal cheaper without the toy I would totally do it.

Here are some of the "wonderful" toys that we have ended up with:

Next we got two of these lovely Bob balls at Carl's Jr.

Not too bad, right? We haven't seen the movie that goes with the toy, but what little boy doesn't enjoy playing with a ball that looks like a monster?

Last month when we had a busy Saturday we ended up at Arby's. I could not believe the "toy" that came in that kid's meal!

Wow! Justice League Bobbing-Head Heroes! Cool, huh?!

Did I mention that they are made of cardboard?

And guess who gets to assemble this little beauty? That's right... Mommy. I hope your good at origami! Check out these instructions:

Yadda, yadda, yadda... Blobby-blah. Tab A into slot A, Tab B into slot B. Repeat 12 times...
Who thought this would make a good kid's meal toy? It took me 20 minutes to get this sucker put together.

Neat-o, huh? And the head kinda bobbles... ooooh, aaaaaahh!

When I got it together my son said, "Put it here on the table so I can get a good look at it."
"Sure." I replied, "Because that's about all you can do with it."

The darn thing nearly fell apart before I got a picture taken!

Today the boys and I went out for fast food again. I had some free meal coupons from the summer reading program at the library. The toy we ended up with was some kind of magnifying glass with a lovely cardboard scene to look at. I wasn't sure that would be very exciting for my three year old and 1 1/2 year old. So I went to exchange it for another toy.

This time we ended up with a Bob robot that is a voice changer:

So you talk really loud into the slots in the back of the robot and your voice comes out the front... just as loud and somewhat hollow sounding. Looks like another winner, huh?

The Bathroom Ban

2009-10-18T15:16:00.003-06:00

It seems we are on a roll at the Honey House. I just hope that we stop rolling before we all get dizzy and fall off!

It all started with toilet trouble. All of the sudden our potty was not flushing like it should. The bowl would fill with water just to the point where you thought it would overflow- and then the water level would s-l-o-w-l-y sink back down.

Needless to say, not everything was going down like it should either... ah-hem. We plungered and plungered... all to no avail. We were starting to get suspicious that the potty may have ingested something it shouldn't have.

So finally Honey Daddy had no other recourse but to take the toilet apart to see what ailed it. Unfortunately in the course of dissasembling the potty, the porcelain cracked. Drat! So then we got to go out and buy a new potty (which flushes like a dream!) and Honey Daddy got the pleasure of installing it in our bathroom.

In case you were wondering, we did find a toy wedged in the potty. We are pretty certain Eli put it in there and flushed it down.

Then one day later I was on the back porch cutting Honey Daddy's hair. Jonah walks up to us and says, "Daddy, look what I found buried in the sandbox!" It was Daddy's contact lens case, covered with sand... inside and out. Boy, was a certain little boy in trouble!

Needless to say, now the bathroom door stays shut, and little Eli's bathroom privileges have been revoked... for now. Good thing he's still in diapers, huh?

It's also a good thing that these two trouble makers are so stinking cute!

(p.s. Didn't Grandma send the boys the best pajamas ever?)

Squaw Peak and Bridal Veil Falls

2009-10-15T14:15:00.000-06:00

I love to go on outings with my kids. I especially enjoy it when we get to go with friends!

Last week we went on a drive with one of my friends and her kids. Luckily for us she has a nice "mom van" that we can all fit into. We decided to take a drive up the canyon and see some fabulous fall foliage. We were definitely not disappointed!

The mountains were a riot of color. Red, green, orange, yellow, brown and grey. It was gorgeous!

We drove up the canyon far enough to see Bridal Veil Falls. I think it is particularly lovely this time of year.

It was a little chilly, so the kids only got to get out once to see the waterfall. I don't think they really minded that much. They were having a great time in the back of the van (with their lollipops).

My friend and I were having a great time just talking and enjoying the scenery. We went up Squaw Peak, which was gorgeous. We got to see so many pretty trees and the view up there was spectacular!

I had never seen Utah Country from so high up, and we didn't even make it to the top before we had to turn around! Even though we didn't get to the top, it still kind of felt like we were nearing the top of the world.

Isn't Mount Timpanogos pretty from up here?

Hosted by Cecily and Carissa

Adventures in Parenting- the Big Boy Bed

2009-10-13T15:23:00.007-06:00

So last week after our crib climbing incident we knew we had to get a big boy bed for little Eli. Instead of getting a toddler bed, we move right up into the big leagues and get our kids a twin bed. I figure they might as well get used to it now, and it saves me money in the end, right?

We already had a bed frame, since we bought a bunk bed frame when Jonah got his big boy bed. So all we had to do was go get a mattress and get everything put together.

Getting the mattress was an adventure, since we don't own a pickup truck. Good thing Honey Daddy is good with ropes! Yep... that was us you saw driving down the street with a mattress tied to the roof of our car!

(and No, Eli didn't ride home on the top of the car!)

Honey Daddy spent the better part of an entire evening getting the beds all put together. He actually took apart Jonah's bed and put it in Eli's room, since that is the top bunk frame and it already has a railing. Then he put the bottom bunk frame together in Jonah's room.

I'm glad Honey Daddy's thinking ahead because when the boys share a room later on, all we will have to do is move Eli's bed and put it on top of Jonah's bed. Of course then they will end up switching beds again... but whatever!

Eli thought his new bed was pretty cool! He loved the ladder that Daddy made him.

He actually adapted to his big boy bed beautifully. I guess even though 19 months old seems a bit young to me, Eli was ready for it. I don't know if I was really ready for it though... he still looks so little when he is sleeping on that big bed.

They grow up too fast, don't they?

Sometimes You Feel like a Nut...

2009-10-11T14:56:00.005-06:00

I have always thought it would be nice to have a nut tree. Just think... all the nuts you could eat! I am a big fan of almonds, but they are SO expensive. Honey Daddy and I have entertained thoughts of taking out one of our other trees and putting in a tree that will give us shade AND earn it's keep... by giving us yummy nuts.

Then as I was walking around my neighborhood with the boys I had second thoughts about that idea... as I crunched across the sidewalk.

Acorns can be beautiful... or at least I think so.

But I don't necessarily want to spend all that time picking them up off my lawn. Hmmm... so maybe no almond trees for us after all. Then again, maybe they aren't quite as messy as acorns?

Another kind of tree that lives in my neighborhood (but not in my yard) makes walking on the sidewalk somewhat squishy. Maybe I don't want this type of plum tree either.

Our yard and garden is home to several fruit trees (including peach and apricot), but the fruit is larger and not quite this abundant. I guess for now maybe we will stick to the trees that just have these:

The leaves are getting more and more beautiful around here, and I LOVE it. It's not even too much of a pain for us to clean up the ones in our yard.... Honey Daddy just sucks them up and bags them in the lawn mower!

My Lawn Mower Men- Summer Adventures Mulching Mower Review

2009-10-10T14:53:00.005-06:00

A few weeks ago I hosted my first giveaway ever, which was sponsored by All Children's Furniture. I had so much fun with the giveaway and was über-excited that they also wanted me to review a product from their website!

The hardest part was deciding which item I wanted to review because this site has EVERYTHING! They sell everything from toddler beds to toys. All Children's Furniture is basically one stop shopping anything you could need for your child. I think this year I might have to do some of my Christmas shopping online because it is so convenient! They have a great selection of products, the prices are reasonable and many items that I saw were on sale.

After much deliberation I chose the Little Tikes Summer Adventures Mulching Mower because I was pretty sure the boys would LOVE it. Once I told Jonah it was coming, he asked me about it every single day, "Mommy, did my very own lawnmower come today?"

I was actually amazed at how quickly the mower arrived. In less than one week from the time it was ordered, the mower showed up on our doorstep (good thing too--I had some excited boys waiting impatiently!). The first thing I loved was the packaging. Can you believe there were no twist ties or screws? Hallelujah!

The minute it was out of the box my boys were squealing with delight and pushing it all around the house. They loved how the little "mulch beads" popped up as they pushed the mower around. Since Honey Daddy needed to mow the lawn that night we took the mulching mower outside.

The boys loved the mower so much that they starting fighting over who got to use the it first! I had to supervise so that both my boys could get fair turns. I wasn't sure if little Eli would be able to push it, but at 18 months old he had no problem with it.

I thought it was hilarious how they had to investigate all the parts of the mower. They had to open the gas cap, turn the key, and put it in gear. I even caught them turning the mower over to check out the underside!

Jonah LOVES his mower. He followed Daddy around the yard and was excited to be "helping" mow the grass. I liked it because this way they could help Daddy without getting too close to the actual mower! You can tell from this photo just how fast Jonah was zipping around the yard with his mulching mower:

If you need a gift for Daddy's little helpers, this is a great toy idea! It has kept my boys happily playing in the yard for hours.

Thank you to All Children's Furniture for providing my boys with this item for review. They will be enjoying it for years to come!

Adventures in Parenting- Escape from the Crib

2009-10-08T14:38:00.012-06:00

My second son Eli has been physically adept from the moment he was born. It seemed like he reached all the physical milestones way too early! Perhaps it is because he is trying to keep up with his older brother. Whatever the case, Eli started walking when he was ten months old and he has been running, climbing, and keeping me on my toes ever since!

In our latest adventure, Eli somehow figured out how to climb out of his crib late last week. This is NOT good because this is the kid that has been opening doors for a few months. I was sure we were in for trouble, but then he didn't do it again....

until Wednesday night. You knew it had to happen eventually, right?

When we put Eli to bed that night he climbed out of bed and opened his bedroom door after a few minutes. So Honey Daddy put him back in bed and told him "No, No!". After a few minutes he was at it again. This time I went and put him back in bed and told him it was time to go "Night-night" and he needed to stay in bed.

This went on for the next half hour or so. Finally Eli gave up and had cried so much that he fell asleep. I figured that he would learn to stay in bed when we put him down and then he would just sleep through the night and our problem would be solved.

Not so! At about 4:30 a.m. we woke up to the sound of little feet on the kitchen floor. Eli climbed out of his crib in the middle of the night, opened his door, and was walking around upstairs. How scary is that?

So Honey Daddy closed the flip latch on the back door and put Eli back to bed. Then I spent the next half hour or so putting him back in bed until he eventually gave up and went back to sleep. I spent the next hour or so listening for the little monkey to make sure he stayed in bed.

Needless to say, I didn't get tons of sleep that night... and neither did Eli, which made for a long day. I got to go shopping for door knob covers in hopes of keeping Eli stuck in his room, if not actually in his bed.

By nap time that day Eli was so exhausted that he went to sleep without any problems. Then when Honey Daddy got home he took the front railing off the crib temporarily so that Eli can actually get back into bed when he gets out.

Eli seemed delighted to be able to get into and out of his bed this evening. He wasn't so thrilled when we put him to bed and he discovered that he could not get out of his bedroom.

It looks like this weekend Honey Daddy will work on getting the other bunk bed frame set up in Eli's room. Then we will be off to buy a mattress. I guess Eli has decided that at 18 months old he is done with the crib and wants a big boy bed!

Hosted by Cecily and Angie

Flirting with Fall

2009-10-06T16:49:00.005-06:00

Fall is starting to creep into my valley in the mountains. The weather has all of the sudden gotten crisp and cool and the leaves are starting to change in the mountains behind my home.

Can you see the first hints of red up there? (click to make it BIG) Also did you notice the SNOW? I said it had gotten a bit chilly around here, didn't I?!

Soon all the green spots on the mountain will turn to shades of gold, orange and red. Most of the leaves on the trees here in the valley are still green. But a few of the early bloomers are starting their metamorphosis already.

I caught this tree in front of the mountains in mid change. It seems determined to go first and show the rest of the trees how to do this Fall thing right!

I have also spotted some changing leaves not to far from my home. I love it when the trees start to shift from green to gold, orange and red. Isn't it gorgeous?!

Now you can see why Fall is my favorite time of year!

I have been meaning to take a drive up the canyon to take pictures of the Fall leaves there, but I just haven't made it yet! Hopefully we will go this evening and I can show off Fall in it's glory in my neck of the woods in a future post!

Mommy Moments

2009-10-05T11:00:00.005-06:00

You have heard the phrase "senior moment", haven't you? When you forget to do something, or can't remember a name, or you mind just goes blank for a moment-- then you can laugh it off and say you have had a senior moment.

What I don't like about that phrase is that it implies that I am forgetting things because I am getting old. I may be over 30, but I'm definitely not old! I know I have a sharp mind, but the constant distractions that come with taking care of kids divert me from my train of thought or what I was doing. That's when I forget things... so I think I they should be called "mommy moments" instead!

You know what I'm talking about, don't you?

You go to empty the dishwasher only to find that it is still full of dirty dishes with the soap still sitting in it. Obviously you were going to start it, but then got distracted- that's a mommy moment!

How about when you go to move the clothes from the washer to the dryer, only to find that the clothes are sitting in a washer full of water with the lid wide open.

Or you lay down in bed at night only to realize that the washer is full of wet clothes that you didn't ever manage to get into the dryer.

So I had another mommy moment today. Here's the story:

I had way too much to eat over the weekend. We went out to dinner for my birthday. I had a night out with the girls. We went to a mission reunion for my husband. At all of these events they had tons of yummy, delicious, fattening food!

So I weighed myself this morning and freaked out when I found I had gained about 5 pounds. I have worked hard to get where I am and I don't want the weight to sneak back on. So after breakfast (and starting the dishwasher and starting a load of laundry) I decided to go for a bike ride and take the boys out in the trailer.

I put on my cold weather cycling gear, dressed the boys warmly and put them in the trailer. I had my heart rate monitor on and took my cycling GPS with me because I wanted to know how many calories I burned while I was out.

It was a good workout, hauling 60 pounds of kids plus the trailer behind me. I was feeling good!

Then I got home and pulled the GPS out of my pocket to check on my stats and see how well I did. Would you believe I put the heart rate monitor on, brought my GPS with me, and even turned it on! Yet somehow I forgot to press the start button! *sigh*

Oh well- chalk it up to another mommy moment! Now I'm off to put the dishes away and put the laundry in the dryer. At least I have it somewhat together today, right?!

He Glows in the Dark

2009-10-01T16:27:00.005-06:00

While shopping some sales, I found a cute shirt for Jonah that just happens to have a picture that glows in the dark. He was so excited to wear it! He wanted to see it glow the minute I took it out of the drawer. I told him that first the shirt needed to "charge up" in the daylight and then he would have to look at it in the dark.

A short while later Jonah asked, "Is my shirt charged up?"

"Probably," I replied, "but you need to go somewhere really dark to see it glow."

"Ok, Mommy." He said. "Wanna see my shirt glow?"

"Sure." I said.

"Watch this mommy!" Jonah said excitedly as he walked to the coat closet, opened the door, walked inside (by himself!) and shut the door.

"Does it work?" I asked, trying not to laugh.

"Yes! Look mommy, it's glowing!" He replied. When he came out of the closet I asked him again if his shirt worked. He said, "Yes! It glew!"

I couldn't help but laugh. Kids can be so funny sometimes!

This is the same boy that while we were out walking, pointed out a rock an insisted that I take a picture of him sitting on it. This is a welcome change from the "don't point that camera at me" phase we went through last year!

Besides, who am I to argue with this cutie pie?

Hosted by Cecily and Linds

Fisher Price Tough Trike Winner!

2009-10-01T08:11:00.003-06:00

We have a winner of the Fisher Price Tough Trike Giveaway sponsored by All Children's Furniture!

I used random.org, and as you can see from this picture, the winner was comment #51. That is Tena of Punky Monkeys!

Congratulations Tena!

This is the Ride that Never Ends....

2009-09-29T17:00:00.006-06:00

On Saturday Honey Daddy and I completed our second century ride together. That's 100 miles on a bicycle, in case you didn't know!

That means the day before my birthday I reached my goal of completing three century rides this season. This was the most challenging century ride we did this summer. My honey was nice enough to ride nearly the entire ride with me, even though he is faster than I am and definitely better at climbing hills!

He even took some spectacular shots of me while he was waiting for me at the top. You can't tell from this picture, but this hill was about six miles of 8% grade or so. It was tough!

At least the scenery is nice while you are pedaling slowly up the mountain!

Then you get to the rest stop at the top of the hill and you think, "Hooray! I made it!" Then you turn the corner and see one more big hill!

The entire ride was hill after hill after hill! But my honey stuck in there with me. Isn't he a cutie?

I cut my honey loose at mile 80 and let him go at his own speed. I figured spending most of the day with me was birthday present enough. Plus he was there to cheer me on when I finished.

I have to say that riding a century ride certainly gives you a feeling of accomplishment! It also gives you a whole bunch of sore muscles... not to mention a sore tush! I think after doing a ride like this any cyclist deserves to park themselves under this sign temporarily: