Just We Moms

Misheard Lyrics

justwemoms@gmail.com (Mandie) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 04:18:00 +0000

Happy Christmas (War is Over) is not a song I hear often, but for some reason I have heard it about 10 times this season already. I've always thought the lyrics were:

A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any beer.

I always thought it was odd that the Christmas song would sing about lack of beer. I guess I thought it was part of a mothers against drunk driving campaign or something.

Not thinking about what you are singing (or saying) has interesting results.

Long Overdue Photos

justwemoms@gmail.com (Mandie) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 22:22:00 +0000

String Bean enjoys the Bears Rams game on December 6, 2009. Bears win! Also pictured: Guy. Guy is her trusty companion and curer of all that ails.

Making a fashion statement. Of course boots, a winter coat and mittens go with a diaper-only outfit!

Merry Christmas from the Bean family!

A Full Day's Work

justwemoms@gmail.com (Mandie) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 02:52:00 +0000

Two batches of mint chocolate chip merengues made (because I put too much peppermint extract in the first one and had to make a second to balance it out), cooled and stored away...

A shopping trip to pick up part of my mother-in-law's Christmas present, some wedding things at Target and wrapping paper for some of the larger gifts completed...

A batch of sugar cookies made, cooled and stored away...

A trip to the zoo to see the Christmas lights...

Dinner out with the husband and child...

Made a breakfast casserole for a friend who is packing up to move...

The kitchen cleaned and ready for another day of cooking...

Balanced the checkbook...

And now I am waiting for Mr. Bean to get up and start prepping his famous homemade lasagna so I can clean up after him. At least a huge chunk of my to-do list got checked off today!

Holiday Meal Planning

justwemoms@gmail.com (Mandie) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 04:02:00 +0000

I am doing most of the holiday cooking this year. Here is what is on the menu:

Main Dishes
White Chicken Chili with crusty bread
Stay-in-Bed Stew
Baked Macaroni and Cheese + broccoli as a side

Appetizers
BBQ Meatballs (oven)
Cool Veggie Pizza (crescent rolls w/ cream cheese and veggies)
Deviled Eggs
Fruit stuff
Artichoke Dip w/ triscuits
Cheese/Crackers or Nacho stuff
Pickles
Jesus’ Birthday Cake

Breakfast Foods
Breakfast Casserole (bread, cheese, bacon, eggs)
Cheesy Potatoes

Cookies and Snacks
Russian Tea Cakes
Sugar Cookies
Chex Mix
Mint Chocolate Chip Merenges*
Molasses Gingerbread cookies*
Mint Chocolate Oreos
Spritz Cookies (made by my brother-in-law)*

I will be adding more main dishes to the list, but my cookies/snacks are almost finished! Only the ones with asterisks still need to be made. If you have any suggestions for improving my
menu, let me know!

It Has Arrived!

justwemoms@gmail.com (Mandie) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 04:42:00 +0000

The new-to-me oven has arrived. It is installed. I can begin baking now!

Our handyman friend, Eric, installed the new oven for us. We had to run across the street to Ace Hardware to get a part for it. Of course, we are having a frigidly cold day today and the snow is falling and blowing everywhere. Eric entertained String Bean on our walk by purposely sliding in the snow. Incessant giggles followed. One 88 cent part and we had no other snags.

I am looking forward to getting going with my holiday preparations now.

Regis and Kelly Called Me!

justwemoms@gmail.com (Mandie) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 04:42:00 +0000

I was watching Regis and Kelly. Of course, Regis is out due to hip surgery so Bryant Gumble was co-hosting with Kelly Ripa. It is funny I even know all this because I rarely watch them, usually just when I am doing things and TV is on in the background.

Well, I fell asleep during the opening credits, but heard in my subconscious the dialing of the phone for when they do their daily giveaway. Their phone started ringing at the EXACT moment my home phone started ringing.

Have you ever had those really irrational dreams that happen between snoozes on your alarm clock? That's kinda what I had going on. I thought to myself, "Wow, the Regis and Kelly show is calling me for their daily trivia question. I didn't even enter, and I sure as heck didn't watch the show on Friday, so the chances of me getting this question right isn't very good. At least I can win the consolation prize."

So, groggily I got up. I walked up to the phone and saw the caller ID. Sure enough it was "unknown number" as I'd expect it to be when a live TV show is calling you. Of course, they don't want their real studio line phone number to get out.

I answered the phone. "Hello?"

Long pause. "Wait," I thought to myself, "the phone on TV is still ringing and I've clearly picked up the phone. What is wrong with their end of the line?"

It was at that moment that I realized I was being called by a telemarketer.

Baby's first Bears Game

justwemoms@gmail.com (Mandie) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 05:00:00 +0000

String Bean enjoyed her 2nd ever professional sporting event today: a Chicago Bears game. It was in the 30s, but that did not stop her from napping during the first half and cheering throughout the second half.

She was by far the youngest child at the game (that we saw). She loved the attention she got from all the fellow fans. Sporting her Bears jersey, she rooted on the home team. (Like my play on words there?) She taunted the Rams fans sitting next to us, and ignored the drunk guy (who eventually passed out) a few rows in front of us.

All in all, it was a good day to visit Soldier Field! Bears win!

I want her.

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 17:21:00 +0000

Sophia I first discovered her a couple months ago. I made inquiries, but we just plain and simple don't have the money for a home study. It makes me sad, because we seem like the perfect family for her and she seems like the perfect addition to complete our family. So, if anyone has a couple thousand bucks lying around with nothing to do with it....

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

justwemoms@gmail.com (Mandie) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:11:00 +0000

I am having one of those weeks where I make a to-do list and start checking things off feeling pretty good about what I am getting finished. Then while working on one of the to-do tasks, I realize there are multiple things I left off the to-do list.

I feel like I am doing a delicate dance that is turning out not to be very graceful. Instead, I'm tripping over things and fighting with my two left feet.

In about 2 weeks, the to-do list will be empty and I will go back to being graceful. Maybe.

Answered Prayer

justwemoms@gmail.com (Mandie) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 03:58:00 +0000

Yesterday, I told the story of our oven's carbon monoxide problem. Today, the repairman made a house call to evaluate the cost of repairing our oven. Verdict: get a new oven. The repair was going to cost almost as much as the oven itself cost us 5 years ago.

When Mr. Bean came home, I broke to him the bad news of the broken oven and unwelcome guest who had been or is currently living under it. Mr. Repairman told me it was "a creature women tend to not like" and left it at that.

I threw up a few hail Mary prayers. You know the kind that go like this, "Well, Lord, we can't afford a new oven right now. I suppose you already know that. So, as we set forth on our adventure, please pave the way with good sales and 0% financing for 12 months." Of course, on the way out the door, I updated my Facebook status to read I am "open to any and all of your oven buying advice as it seems we are in the market for one. We can use our old one if we want to die of carbon monoxide poisoning. We are opting to purchase a new one." I had a few replies of suggestions of brands and off we went.

What we wanted at store #1 was unavailable until December 12. We could not gamble waiting that long since we start our parade of holiday parties on December 13 and I have a large amount of baking to do.

At store #2, we settled for the next best thing which did not have all the features we wanted. The price was lower than at store #1. They offered free delivery and haul away. The installation cost was only $20 and we could get 0% financing for 12 months. So, we bought it.

We got home and the following comment was on my Facebook status, "We have one you can have! Ask my mom about it." Figuring it was worth the phone call and vaguely remembering talking to his dad about them having this stove sitting in their garage post-remodeling looking for a new home, I called.

It the the exact brand and color we were hoping for. It also has all the features we want, they are willing to deliver it and take a look at our visitor situation under the current oven. All we have to do is find someone to help us install it. Luckily, a mutual friend of ours is a handyman. Check, check, check, check, check and check. The best part of the whole deal is that its FREE. Oh, yeah. That's my kinda deal.

I'm out $70 for the repairman's fee, but that's a small price to pay for getting the thing replaced. I don't know how much our handyman friend will charge for installation, but it will be much cheaper than the cost of a new oven.

It is amazing to me that even the small things we bring before the Lord matter to him!

Hello, Mr. Firemen!

justwemoms@gmail.com (Mandie) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 02:42:00 +0000

When our carbon monoxide (CO) sensor went off this afternoon, I picked up String Bean (who was out cold taking nap) and went outside. That is when I started laughing because I realized that the public service announcements tell you to get out, but do not really elaborate on what to do after you leave the house.

I tried to call Mr. Bean, but he didn't answer, so I did the next best thing. I called the 85 year old lady who lives upstairs. She laughed and agreed she didn't know what to do either. We decided we'd walk over to the Fire Department (at the end of our driveway basically) and ask them what to do.

Once we got there, they called it in and told us they'd meet us at the house. We walked back home and soon heard and saw the fire truck behind us. Really, Mr. Firemen? A fire truck is required for you to walk into my house with a hand held meter and check the CO levels?! And it takes 3 of you? Must be a slow day at the firehouse. (Interestingly, when they arrived, I got to hear my emergency call go over the radio...not that it was an emergency...nor did I call.)

Upon arrival at our house, one of the neighbor's sons (a 20-something) frantically came running out of the building telling us that the fire alarm was going off in the corner unit and no one was answering the door. About then I think he saw the huge fire truck following us. It is nice to know that the neighbor was concerned enough to bang on our door and then run out to try the windows to see if anyone was inside. Thanks, neighbor.

One fireman took the levels of CO with his handy meter. One looked talked to the 85 year old I brought along, and the third took our alarm off the wall. I asked him if he was impressed that I'd left a step stool for him to reach the alarm with. He was. Says that does not happen very often. (I'm here to serve!) He then lectured me on what a bad alarm we have. Well, Mr. Fireman, it did go off and alert us to a problem, so it can't be all bad.

Ends up our oven is emitting a large amount of CO whenever we open the door. Although the levels themselves were not very high in our condo when they arrived (our door had been wide open for a period of time prior to their arrival), the levels were off the charts when they opened the oven. A repairman will be visiting tomorrow and charging us an arm and a leg to look at it and possibly fix it.

I guess this is a good excuse to put off baking for Christmas for another day or two (depending upon when that repairman shows up tomorrow).

Fantasy Football

justwemoms@gmail.com (Mandie) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 03:39:00 +0000

My husband is really having a rough fantasy football week. He is playing me. I'm winning. He has two guys playing in tonight's Monday Night Football game. Walking into the game, he was down 44 points.

Every time one of his players scores, he updates me on exactly how many points he has until he catches up and surpasses me while reminding me that my team cannot score any more points this week.

We are halfway through the third quarter. He's down by 34. I think it is safe to say that I, Pug Central, will win this week and upset the #1 team, Bob Nokes, in our league.

Take that, Mr. Bean.

Things You Should Know...

justwemoms@gmail.com (Mandie) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 04:48:00 +0000

...about decorating for Christmas with a toddler

Verbal commands such as "stop" and "gentle" suddenly mean nothing when the glow of Christmas lights captures them.
Expect shrieking, screaming, jumping up and down, and possibly temper tantrums from your husband (well, if a Bears game is on while you're decorating anyway).
Empty boxes are fun to stack and knock down. Be sure the ones your toddler grabs are indeed empty.
If you have a toy shopping cart at your house, it is amazing what chores associated with decorating you can get your child to do.
If you have one of those ornaments that you touch to turn on and off the tree lights, be sure not to do so in the presence of your child. You will regret it the rest of the season.
Animal ornaments are a crowd pleaser.
When setting up the nativity scene, be sure to explain whose birthday it is. Inevitably your child will respond to the question, "Whose birthday is at Christmas?" with "Daddy!" *slaps self in forehead* We are working on correcting this although technically, she's right.
When chopping down your Christmas tree, picking a field that is without mud is desirable.
Mittens are also desirable.
When your toddler experiences Christmas for the first time (in her memory anyway), the reactions are simply priceless. Have your camera ready (and battery charged)!

Happy (Day After) Thanksgiving!

justwemoms@gmail.com (Mandie) — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 04:14:00 +0000

Things I'm thankful for this year:

A husband who loves our family and sacrifices for us.
The daughter God has blessed us with.
The child God will be blessing us with in the near future.
A job that understands my priority of being a Mom first and is okay with that.
Cars that are paid for and (currently) work.
A home we can afford to live in.
The little things like my cupcake pans and trouser socks.
And many other things I couldn't begin to list!

Happy (day after) Thanksgiving!

Thankgiving Eve

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:10:00 +0000

'Tis the eve of Thanksgiving, so I suppose I should think of some things for which to be thankful. (like how I made sure not to end that sentence in a preposition? )

I'm thankful that I don't have to cook the turkey.
I'm thankful for my dear sweet Filbert.
I'm thankful for my delightful Walnut.
I'm thankful for my precious Peanut.
I'm thankful for my boundless Cashew.
I'm thankful for godly parents who love me.
I suppose I'm thankful for 3 older brothers. ;)
I'm thankful for loving in-laws who are not the stuff of nightmares.
I'm thankful for my dishwasher (even though Filbert does most of the dishes.)
I'm thankful that Filbert does most of the dishes.
I'm thankful for my house.
I'm thankful for my bed. (I really love my bed.)
I'm thankful that even though times are tight, my children have never gone hungry. (I mean actually hungry, not whiny privileged American hungry which just means I want a cookie.)

Christmas Shopping

justwemoms@gmail.com (Mandie) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 01:53:00 +0000

Normally by this time of year I'm finished with shopping except a few odds and ends. I feel so behind right now. I have items picked out for a few people, but not purchased. I have exactly 2 gifts purchased, and I have about 13 more to go. Sigh.

Anyone want to go shopping for me? (Mr. Bean is soooo lucky. I do all his shopping for him!)

Why the Bears Stink this Year

justwemoms@gmail.com (Mandie) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 02:04:00 +0000

I blame the speckles. Whose idea was this? The shirts are much worse:

Let's start by firing the apparel designer. Maybe morale would be higher and the team would play better.

Where's My Tail?

justwemoms@gmail.com (Mandie) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:11:00 +0000

My sister-in-law purchased this as a gift for String Bean's birthday:

The Where's My Tail? puzzle is made by Infantino and can be found at a pretty reasonable price. (For some reason, Amazon is listing this at $45 right now. I think it really should be $15 or less. There must be a glitch.)

Just this evening, we put together this puzzle 5 times before I called it quits. I cannot believe how quickly my 2 year old is matching the parts together. It is really amazing!

Gift Shopping with String Bean

justwemoms@gmail.com (Mandie) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:51:00 +0000

A friend from church is adopting a toddler from China. Tonight, String Bean and I went shopping for her "toddler shower." I figured that String Bean would know what to get being that she fits into the same age group.

As we roamed the aisles of the store, she squealed in delight at all sorts of things. First, she discovered there was a purple dress on the rack and that I was wearing a purple sweater and that pretty much blew her little mind. Next, she found a sippy cup that was exactly like hers and attempted to drink out of it without success.

When we finally made it to the toy section, there were books to be discovered, toys to ride, balls to throw and buttons to press. We finally settled on some kids' kitchen ware (spatulas, bowls, colanders and the like). The great thing about taking her to shop for someone else is that I have a great idea of what to add to her Christmas list!

Two Year Stats

justwemoms@gmail.com (Mandie) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:37:00 +0000

String Bean had her 2 year well check today with none other than my cousin (by marriage), Cindy!

For those of you who do not know, we've battled a weight problem since shortly after birth with String Bean. So, we are always eager to see if she's improved. Today she tipped the scales at 21 1/2 pounds! This is in the 1.6% for her age which is an improvement over 6 months ago when she was in the 0.5% for weight.

While this is great news, we are still forced to keep her rear-facing in her car seat due to the weight requirement of her car seat which is 24 pounds. If she continues to gain 1/2 a pound each month as she did the last 6 months, we are looking at having the option of turning her around in April 2010. Of course, extended rear facing is safer, so we aren't complaining. The only time it bugs us is on long road trips. She doesn't know the difference!

Other stats:
Height- 32 inches (10%)
Head Circumference- 18 1/4 inches (21%)

Giraffe

justwemoms@gmail.com (Mandie) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 04:24:00 +0000

String Bean got a giraffe puppet for her birthday. We took it to the library with us today. What a thrill to see a display case full of giraffes. Even the librarians got excited for us!

Operation Christmas Child

justwemoms@gmail.com (Mandie) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 03:35:00 +0000

String Bean and I spent some time this afternoon getting her shoe box ready for Operation Christmas Child. I think this will become an annual tradition for our family.

We took a walk to Walgreens and grabbed a basket to put all our treasures in. Among our treasures were a tiara, necklace, toothpaste, 2 toothbrushes, a small Christmas tin with hair accessories, 2 tubes of "lipstick" (flavored chap stick), sunglasses, a small plush panda, a Christmas pencil with a large eraser, a bar of soap, and over a pound of starlight mints.

(I vetoed the WD-40 she insisted on putting in our basket!)

After packing our box, String Bean was playing and found some balls and little Christmas-y figurines that our friend Connie gave her at church today. She chose one of the balls and one of the figures to put in the box. She's already learning to share!

This is the final week for dropping off your shoe boxes! Be sure to check the site and see where your local drop off points are and ideas for what to include in your box.

A Perfect Party

justwemoms@gmail.com (Mandie) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 02:45:00 +0000

As you know, String Bean turned two this week. Today she had her birthday party. Had we invited all her friends and fans our house never would have held everyone, so we had to limit it to family and babysitters.

The morning started out with String Bean taking Pop (grandpa) to her favorite park. With the two distractions gone, Mr. Bean, my mom (Nana) and I were able to set up for the party and cook lunch for everyone. Mr. Bean assembled his famous homemade lasagna the evening before and prepared most of the green bean casserole. Mr. Bean also put together an awesome slide show of String Bean's Second Year. He got the garlic bread ready while my mom and I spot cleaned, moved furniture, set the table, laid out the buffet, and decorated with photos of String Bean.

String Bean and Pop arrived home from the park and while Pop took a bath, String Bean took a (very brief) nap. When she awoke, Nana gave her a bath while Mr. Bean and I took care of last minute details.

Auntie Carolyn showed up early to the party since today was String Bean's fitting for her flower girl dress for the wedding. My mom made the dress and had to do some last minute hemming, but wanted to be sure the length was correct first.

Guests began to arrive at 11:30 and lunch was served at noon. Just prior to eating and saying the blessing, String Bean lead the group in singing the "Choo-Choo Song" which introduces everyone in the room. String Bean was the perfect hostess.

Following lunch, we watched the slide show Mr. Bean had made. It was a hit. By demand of the cousins, presents were opened immediately following. Ama and Grandpa tuned in for the present opening via Skype and enjoyed seeing everyone and everything String Bean got. String Bean enjoyed opening the gifts and loved everything she got (which was evidenced by her playing with every toy this afternoon).

We ate ice cream and cupcakes while String Bean made a mess.

It was the perfect party and we are happy that String Bean is loved by so many!

Happy Birthday, String Bean!

justwemoms@gmail.com (Mandie) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 03:33:00 +0000

Dear String Bean,

We have enjoyed being your parents these last 24 months. You've brought much laughter to our home and have enhanced our lives in ways we never could have imagined. We look forward to this coming year and seeing you grow into a big sister, learn to use the potty and expand your vocabulary more and more. We can't wait to hear all your thoughts and help you discover new things.

We love you more each day than the day before.

Love and Kisses,

Mommy and Daddy

Remember Our Veterans!

justwemoms@gmail.com (Mandie) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:28:00 +0000

I come from a rich heritage of veterans. My grandfather (Pop-Pop), my grandmother (Nonna), my dad, and my father-in-law all served our country.

Pop-Pop and Nonna both served in World War II in the Army and Army Nurse's Corps, respectively. They did not meet until after the war, but that common background is what started a conversation that has resulted in 4 children, 10 grandchildren, and 9 great-grandchildren.

My father-in-law served the US Navy for a few years which helped him get through college through the GI Bill.

My dad served the Marine Corps for 20 years before retiring and now works as a contractor for the Army.

Remember today on this Veteran's Day to thank a veteran for their service to our country. After all, freedom isn't free!