Hair and Skin Care

I have a friend that I have known for 20 years and I adore her. She resides in Boston with her hubby and is currently pursuing her Phd.

She recently introduced me to her online store, Identity Hair and Skin Care where she sells handmade hair and skin care products made by her. She's got a bachelors in Biology from MIT-so she's a brainy chick who knows how to roll in this arena (and she also uses big words like saponification.)

I purchased some of her handmade products recently and received them in the mail today. They smell divine and are made from simple & natural ingredients. They're incredibly affordable as well, $3.75 for a bar of beautiful handmade soap!

Lavender & Milk Soap and Herbal Infusion Soap

I got the info below from her website to give you an idea of what goes into her products.

Handmade Soap

Identity soap is made by mixing natural plant oils and lye, a chemical process called saponification. The finished product consists of soap, glycerin, scents, added ingredients, and moisturizers. Handmade soap is excellent for people of any skin type because it cleanses and refreshes without over-drying and stripping the skin. The different types of soap bars include essential oils, moisturizers, herbs, milks, honey, as well as other ingredients that enhance each soap in its own way!

Hair Care Products
All of us have different hair care needs, and Identity specializes in hair conditioners, oils, and moisturizers. For dry hair (such as that of people of African decent), oil-based products are necessary for moisturizing and styling. Many of these products that are on the market are made from petroleum based oils (such as petrolatum), which are lower quality and simply sit on the hair without penetrating. The hair remains very dry, while only appearing to be moisturized. All hair creams, lotions, and oils from Identity are made from natural plant oils, which absorb into the hair, improving it's condition. Products are made to keep dry hair and scalp moisturized with less build-up and dandruff.
More oily hair simply needs a good rinse-out conditioner, or a light leave-in conditioner. All of the moisturizers at Identity can be used as rinse-out conditioners, or hot oil treatments. They add shine, moisture and manageability between washings!

Lotion
The lotion at identity keeps things simple! We use basic ingredients, no fillers. Specifically, we include skin-nourishing natural moisturizers such as shea butter, cocoa butter, glycerin, aloe, and essential oils to make high-quality, rich lotion, beautifully scented! We have two varieties - one rich for dry skin, the other lighter for slight moisturizing or for summer / after sun.

Check out her store if you have the chance and see her handmade offerings!

Hey Look!

Hey someone stuck my husbands head on a book! He's the furthest guy on the right (dude w/ glasses.) That's kind of cool! He worked his tail off the last year writing and organizing two chapters for this book ontop of his already busy schedule of working full-time and writing a curriculum for these nuts here (who allowed us to go to Vegas this summer by paying for the whole deal...woot!) And he still comes home and turns into Daddy (you know like Clark Kent turns into Super Man, totally like that.) Good Job Babe! We love you lots!

A Little Story From My Past...

I've been inspired by my fellow momma bloggers Super Ninja Mommy over at Two Under Two and Tara over at The Cupcake Cafe, to think of a story from my past and share it with you guys. They both just recently shared stories from their pasts that cracked me up! Now I don't presume to think I'll make you laugh but maybe you could humor me and pretend it's funny. You know lie to me.

Okay so when I was 12 me and 2 of my friends rode the bus downtown to the City Center Mall. The City Center Mall doesn't really exist anymore but when it was open it was a pretty hoppin place for a while. So we rode the bus down there and thought we'd just walk around for a while and do what 12 year old girls with no money do-ride the escalator up and down and try to look cute so all the older boys notice you.

When we were getting ready to leave we shuffled over to the hotel lobby that was connected to the mall and asked the hotel attendents if they could tell us where the bathrooms were. They told us and we headed in that direction. We made a wrong turn at some point and ended up walking into a banquet room that had about 6 large tables in it. Each table was covered with different types of food. My friends and I quickly scanned each table and zeroed in on the very last one. The one that was covered with an assortment of desserts. The one that had two large glass bowls filled to the brim with full-sized candy bars. We forgot we had to pee.

A guy in a suit appeared and didn't seem to mind that we were there. He was very polite to us and welcomed us to take whatever we wanted! Say What? For real? Yes that's what he said and then he left. It was clear that we all were thinking the same thing b/c as soon as Suit Man left we all took off runnin for the candy bar table! We grabbed handfuls of candy bars-full sized candy bars. You'd think we hadn't eaten for days the way we were shoving those candy bars down our pants and in our pockets. You know what? We managed to get every single one of those candy bars into our drawers. When we were done we realized it was getting late so we headed for the bus stop. When we got on the bus we headed straight towards the back so we could check out are booty.

It must have occurred to us a few minutes later how odd of a situation we were in cause we all 3 just burst out laughing. How strange we thought. And why did we feel the need to take 200 candy bars and shove them in our pants? Like we were really gonna eat 200 candy bars between the 3 of us? We could not stop laughing, it was so weird and so damn funny. Not to mention the damn candy bars kept falling out of my waistband and down my pants-it was too unreal and the situation kept making me laugh.

My parents were a little bewildered when I showed them my cut of the booty. I had to convince them I didn't hold up the UDF.

History Is Always Being Made But This Is A Doozy!

WOW Obama's Inauguration is today, how exciting! There are expected to be 2 million people in DC. What an exemplary time in our American history.

Gardening with the Babes

I wanted to share my plans this year for gardening with W & Super N. They adored my gardening endeavors last year and really wanted to be apart of it. So this year I thought we'd create a garden specifically for them and that way I can began to teach them how to take care of the plants (or actually we can learn together, I'm new at this too!)
This year I'm going to take a few ideas from the book Roots, Shoots, Buckets and Boots: Gardening Together with Children- I adore this book! Not only does the author create the sweetest illustrations, it's just lovely but also her ideas are fantastic and clever and really allow you and your babes to enjoy gardening in a non traditional way.

What we're going to do this year is a Pizza Garden. Essentially it's a circle that is 6ft in diameter and just like a edible pizza, it is divided up into triangles. Each triangle holds a different herb or veggie that can be a topping for your pizza. Say one triangle holds a Tomato plant that is caged upwards and next to that is a section of basil and oregano. Another section may hold eggplant, god I love eggplant (roasted with some olive oil and goat cheese thrown ontop, yowzer!) Back to the plan at hand....my kids will love this and best of all it will be their garden! How sweet is that?

I think at this point what we'll include in this garden, of course I need to consult with W & Super N since afterall it's their garden.

Garlic
Tomatoes
Oregano
Basil
eggplant
thyme
onion
peppers (not sure what kind yet)

The book also has some other fantastic ideas that we may incorporate into our existing gardening, check it out if you have the chance.

Aye!

Happy Birthday MLK.

An excerpt from MLK's Speech 'Where Do We Go From Here' addressed to the Southern Christian Leadership ConferenceAtlanta, Georgia August 16, 1967.

" It is perfectly clear that a violent revolution on the part of American blacks would find no sympathy and support from the white population and very little from the majority of the Negroes themselves. This is no time for romantic illusions and empty philosophical debates about freedom. This is a time for action. What is needed is a strategy for change, a tactical program that will bring the Negro into the mainstream of American life as quickly as possible. So far, this has only been offered by the nonviolent movement. Without recognizing this we will end up with solutions that don't solve, answers that don't answer and explanations that don't explain.
And so I say to you today that I still stand by nonviolence. And I am still convinced that it is the most potent weapon available to the Negro in his struggle for justice in this country. And the other thing is that I am concerned about a better world. I'm concerned about justice. I'm concerned about brotherhood. I'm concerned about truth. And when one is concerned about these, he can never advocate violence. For through violence you may murder a murderer but you can't murder. Through violence you may murder a liar but you can't establish truth. Through violence you may murder a hater, but you can't murder hate. Darkness cannot put out darkness. Only light can do that.

And I say to you, I have also decided to stick to love. For I know that love is ultimately the only answer to mankind's problems. And I'm going to talk about it everywhere I go. I know it isn't popular to talk about it in some circles today. I'm not talking about emotional bosh when I talk about love, I'm talking about a strong, demanding love. And I have seen too much hate. I've seen too much hate on the faces of sheriffs in the South. I've seen hate on the faces of too many Klansmen and too many White Citizens Councilors in the South to want to hate myself, because every time I see it, I know that it does something to their faces and their personalities and I say to myself that hate is too great a burden to bear. I have decided to love. If you are seeking the highest good, I think you can find it through love. And the beautiful thing is that we are moving against wrong when we do it, because John was right, God is love. He who hates does not know God, but he who has love has the key that unlocks the door to the meaning of ultimate reality.
I want to say to you as I move to my conclusion, as we talk about "Where do we go from here," that we honestly face the fact that the Movement must address itself to the question of restructuring the whole of American society. There are forty million poor people here. And one day we must ask the question, "Why are there forty million poor people in America?" And when you begin to ask that question, you are raising questions about the economic system, about a broader distribution of wealth. When you ask that question, you begin to question the capitalistic economy. And I'm simply saying that more and more, we've got to begin to ask questions about the whole society. We are called upon to help the discouraged beggars in life's market place. But one day we must come to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring. It means that questions must be raised. You see, my friends, when you deal with this, you begin to ask the question, "Who owns the oil?" You begin to ask the question, "Who owns the iron ore?" You begin to ask the question, "Why is it that people have to pay water bills in a world that is two thirds water?" These are questions that must be asked. "

Potager Gardening 2009: Seed Starting

Babes Playing in the Garden

Regardless of what's going on on the house front, I've decided to go ahead and start my seeds in the next month. For those of you who aren't aware, last year I started seeds in my basement with a grow lamp and heating pad setup. You can read about my seed starting endeavors and such from last year here http://anxiousmonkey.com/search?q=garden.

Last year I planted an array of veggies and some berries. I had some successes and I had a few failures but overall I'm still pumped to pursue this passion of mine-that is to grow my own food and cook it. I bet you didn't know that was a passion of mine, I don't write about it much if at all. Perhaps I will soon. I've recently become inspired by this gal here http://www.restaurantwidow.com/ check out her blog, you won't be disappointed!

I've tweaked my plan this year to try not to overwhelm myself, like I did last year. I'm going to stick to about 10 veggies/fruits and a handful of herbs. Oh god that sounds hard...what to choose, what to choose! The link above has a list of veggies and herbs I planted last year but I ended up adding another 10 or so veggies. I've always been an all or nothing kind of girl. I'm trying to simmer that part of me just a tad for my husbands and children's sake (ooh I think I need a comma there, it looks like I have more than one man! I don't roll like that but...oh well! I'm a bit tarded in the comma arena-I'm sure you've noticed.)

I currently still have my 4- 3'x3' raised beds outside and I will do the Square Foot Gardening Method again- it's so damn easy and it looks pretty too! Although I desperately want to grow strawberries this year, I'm going to wait until next year when hopefully we'll be moved.

Something I had hoped to do last year was to grow in the winter by using cold frames. I love the book, Four Season Harvest: Organic Vegetables From Your Home Garden All Year Long. In the book are illustrations on building your own cold frames. I'd hoped to grow greens over the winter and other veggies but with the house stuff and some health issues I wasn't able to commit to a winter garden. But I plan to have a garden all year long this year.

What I think I'm going to purchase this year is

1. Swiss Chard (I had great success last year growing this!)

2. Scallions (These didn't grow real well last year, I don't know why. But I adore onions and will attempt to grow these buggers!)

3. Heirloom Tomatoes (I grew a few varieties of tomatoes last year...they were awesome!)

4. Spinach (This grew well last year.)

5. Dwarf blueberry bush, potted

6. Dwarf Fig fruit tree, potted

7. Zucchini Summer Squash Hybrid

8. Bush Beans

9. Mustard Greens

10. Fennel

Herbs:
-Cilantro (I adore you!)
-Parsley

-Ginger Root (Been told it won't grow here, i'm going to try anyways.)
-Mint mix (Some for my garden and some for my window box. Yum mint tea & I'll make some mint ice cream this year...woot!)
-Lavender (For the side yard and perhaps the garden too. Oh yes maybe lavender & mint ice cream!)

At any rate, I hope I don't bore my friends (ya'll) with my gardening endeavors this year. I really enjoyed it last year even amidst the chaos of having a colicky baby and my other little peeps running around. I can't wait for spring- Isn't Spring such an awesome time of year?!

Oh yeah I'll have to update you on the chickens I plan on raising in the backyard.....

I'm just kidding! Ha I got you! I'm sure some of you thought I was for real cause you know I'm a little nutty like that. But I tell you it is a secret desire!

More pics from the last year (from the Huz's camera phone)

Super N at COSI for a Farm Workshop

Baby J in Vegas

Super N at COSI, same workshop

Some pics from the last year

Baby J's once-in-a-blue-moon bath

W & Super N at Lakeside

Salvadore Doggy

A year after the Huz and I got married we got a dog, a puppy to be exact. A 4 week old 1/2 English Springer Spaniel and 1/2 Great Pyrenees puppy to be even more exact. He was the cutest little fluffy, wobbly guy. We managed to get our puppy the same day we were moving into a new townhouse. That first night we slept on a mattress in the living room, I can't remember why exaclty. I think it had something to do with helping the puppy become acclimated to our home. But what really happened was the damn dog cried for hours on end and then just kept peeing on our floor the whole night. We named him Salvadore Doggy (you know Salvadore Dali...Salvadore Doggy...yeah, yeah.)

Salvadore was such a fun and lively dog. He was also an injury prone dog. Have you ever met a dog who sprained it's tail b/c it wagged it too much? Well that was Salvadore. And he did it not once but twice. He also managed to sprain his back not once but twice. He pulled a claw out of his foot, not once but...twice. You see this was a special dog. We loved him just the same.

Once when he was about 6 months old we were awakened by a constant thumping sound. We sat up in bed and could see from street lamps shining through the windows that Salvadore was repeatedly walking into the wall...no shit. We jumped up and drove him to the 24 hour Animal ER and found out he had an infection that was causing him to do weird things. Well they do and xray and then call us back and there on the xray right before his belly was a screw! The dog swallowed a screw! Not a little screw but a honkin 2" screw! WTF?! Well he fortunately passed the screw and the cost managed to stay under 1k but holy crap!

When we started to have kids the huz and I vowed to eachother that we wouldn't be one of those families who give up their dog after they have kids...no matter what. My how things change after you have children...especially your patience and understanding and ability to "deal" with life. You see Sal was overall a sweet dog. But he started to get incredibly jealous after Super N was born. He started to shred poop filled dipes all over my couch. He also started jumping the fence and wander around the train tracks just behind our house. I'm not sure what's going on back there on the tracks but often he'd come back wet and smelling disgusting. Like skunk mixed with poop. We concluded he must have been rolling himself in some sort of trash & animal poop sludge mixin it up on the tracks...disgusting. Well guess who had to bathe him after this little adventure, every single time.

It started to become apparent to us to start to look for a new home for our furry baby, sadly. We searched and searched for about 4 months until one day we came across an older couple who was retired and wanted an older dog for their older dog to play with, Sal was almost 7 years old at the time. The couple came over with their dog and Sal him played it up in the backyard. They played well together and the couple seemed to fall for Sal right there. They took him that day back to their piece of land with a pond. We periodically receive emails and pictures of him. And they told us he likes to dive into the pond.

As difficult as it was to give our furry babe away, we felt we couldn't love him the way he should be loved anymore. Our house is small and it quickly became tight with a wild dog and two small babes. We were fortunate to find a couple who were willing to love our dog and take good care of him. We think about him and miss him a lot but we feel it truly was the right decision for us.

Oh yeah I can't forget to tell the best story ever that involves Sal. One day I had come home and I went to open the gate that I had blocking Sal in the dining room and kitchen. I walked into the kitchen and there on my floor was a dead rat! Now I know that peeps often refer to mice as rats but no I'm talkin about a 1ft from head to tail RAT! He was laying on the floor belly up...dead. Sal had apparently thrown down with him and kicked his ass. Of course I'm like totally calm but flippin out in my head. At that time I had only W but I was 7 months pregnant with Super N. I kept thinking about how unsanitary and disgusting rats are and that it was in my house and how the hell did it get there etc. And you know all this passed in my brain in a matter of 1.5 seconds. I quickly grabbed like 6 shopping bags and slid them into each other than grabbed about 10 papertowels, folded them up and grabbed the bugger by his tail! I wanted to run him to the dumpster out back but I really wanted to show the Huz when he got home from work too! So I sat the bag with the rat on the basement stairs. You better believe I thoroughly scrubbed and sanitized all the floors, baseboards, everything the rest of the day. I also found how he got in. We had a hole in the floor of our laundry room, it goes directly under the back of the house. The rat apparently smelled food and came on in. That night I sent the huz straight to Lowes and he bought a piece of steel and drilled it into the floor covering the hole. We've had no issues with rats since.

W's conversation with Gramma

The kids were giving Gramma and Grampa hugs as we were about to leave and this is a conversation between W, my 3 year old, and my mom.

W: (hugs gramma and happens to put his head directly between her breasts) Gramma you have breasts? They have milk in them?

Gramma: No

W: The dogs drunk it all huh?!

Gramma: yeah

A Girl's Love

When I was 5 I had my first exposure to zombies. Ever since then I've been truly in love. I know most everything about zombies and I can converse about my love for hours on end. Although I can't remember the content in a book I read yesterday... I can however recall all the details of my love as documented in popular movies throughout the last 25+ years.

And this lovely sticker has found a new home on MY minivan. I'm like a giddy school girl.

My Jeans Feel Looser

So my Gap Curvy's are fittin better this week. I've been trying to figure out why cause I haven't been watching my weight necessarily or what's going in my mouth. There is an absence of fudge around the house since Christmas has been packed up and shipped out but I didn't eat a ton of that high fat (OH MY GOD GIVE ME MORE) goodness over Xmas to justify a drop in weight now.

Standing in the kitchen scarfing down a little bit of noodles for lunch today I realized I kept turning around to see if the little boy was coming around the corner to scream at me in baby babble. I saw a shadow on the floor moving in the dining room so I knew he was lurking. I quickly put the fork down and swallowed my noodles and turned around in just enough time to see him come over the horizon...I mean through the kitchen doorway.

You see Baby J is crawling now which means every time I'm eating he finds me, sits down at my feet and starts bouncing on his butt and screeching at me. His voice becomes louder and louder and I eventually crumble and either give him a tiny piece of what I'm eating or quickly put it away. He of course doesn't like it when I put it away but I found that if I quickly pick him up and whisk him away it is a sufficient distraction. Oh Lord! I thought before he started crawling that I'd only have to worry about keeping the floors clean and keeping little unnecessaries out of his mouth when he was crawling. But little did I know I'd have to share my food with yet another turd! Come On! I thought I'd have at least another few months before he caught on that mommy's got yummies. Shit the jig is up! Well at least I'm slimmin down!

This is so frickin industrious of me...we'll see how far I get.

I'm providing my next 2 weeks of menus.

Breakfast:

Mon- Yogurt Parfaits (we copied Mcdonalds since the kids and I enjoy them.) w/ a banana.

Tues-Banana Crumb Top Muffins(I'll add wheat germ to the muffin batter.)

Weds-Apple French Toast Casserole

Thurs-Yeast Pancakes (I'll throw in some ww pastry flour.)

Fri- Oatmeal

Sat- Leftover brkfst items from the week.

Sun-Copycat IHOP Harvest Grain & Nut Pancakes (I have some batter frozen.) and Turkey Bacon

Mon- Lemonade Muffins

Tues- Baked Oatmeal

Weds- Toast w/ poached eggs

Thurs- chocolate chip pancakes

Fri- yeast waffles

Sat- Leftover breakfast foods from the week

Sun-Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

Lunch:

Mon- Friday: PB&J w/ apple slices or macaroni & cheese w/ apple slices

Dinner:

Mon- Fried Rice w/ leftover sticky chix I made on Sunday.

Tues- Chicken and Dumplings w/ leftover sticky chix

Weds- Creamy Burrito Casserole w/ a Spinach Salad

Thurs- White Chix Chili & cornbread

Fri- Lemon Garlic Pasta & White Bean & Tomato Salad

Sat- Chinese Chicken w/ Swt & Sour sauce, steamed rice & steamed broccoli

Sun-Brown Rice & Lentil Casserole w/ corn (I'll throw some tomato sauce in the cass.)

Mon- Hamburger Soup w/ Homemade Rolls

Tues- Thai Coconut curry w/ noodles and tofu

Weds- Really Good! Vegetarian Meatloaf w/ mashed pot's & peas

Thurs- Delicious Drumsticks w/ Rice & Noodle Pilaf & green beans

Fri- Beef Stroganoff and Steamed Broccoli

Sat-Elsa's Chicken Curry over rice

Sun- Portobello Stuffed Rigatoni (from a bag) w/ Tomato Sauce (I'll throw some TVP in.)

Menu Monday...Yeah Right!

So I'm enjoying the whole Menu Monday thang but to be honest with you my life is a bit out of whack right now to keep up with preparing meals for my family. With having the whole house thang shot down last week and being sick and moving at lighting speed shuffling every one to and fro for the holidays I'm a bit tired. My ear is acting strange still and I'm fighting some sort of other sinusy infection...god damn it! But I'm alive and kickin! Anyways...yes Menu Monday not gonna happen this week. I'm going to try to crawl to the grocery store and grab some cheese or stomething and toss it ontop of some sort of casserole or something made out of ingredients I have on hand. We'll see. I know I got some chix in the freezer I could thaw that and bake it. I think baked chix was on the menu last week, yes that's what I'll do!

Now that dinners out of the way...I was thinking that you guys that read this are going to get tired of my melancholy mood right now and bail on me. Listen don't do that. I'm very resourceful and will hunt you down. Just hang on with me as I go through this learning experience (shitty time) and try to hang on for dear life and not slip into a permanent funk and allow my kids to subside on goldfish crackers and eggnog for breakfast (Aye I know there are some vitamins in there somewhere!)

We're still hoping the potential buyer comes through and allows us to move on, although I tired of waiting for someone who doesn't appreciate my abode. Did I mention I hate this whole stupid process?

What's going on this week? Well it's almost New Year's..yay! Time to pull out the new budget software...boo...i mean yay! And the huz is gonna make some fancy alcoholic beverages this week for our celebration on the 31st. We're having a party and it's gonna be in front of the xbox 360-me and the huz drinking alcoholic beverages...that's how we roll. We're such an exciting couple!


Happy New Year!

Oh yeah the huz is turning old on saturday, it's his birthday! We're gonna go fancy and eat at a fine dining establishment. Hopefully the folks will watch the babes and it'll be an enjoyable birthday for him. I'm trying to think of something else fun for us to do that he would feel loved by. It occurred to me to take him to play Laser Tag but I'm kind of scared. I'm thinking we'll injure ourselves and how much does something like that cost anyways? I'm such a wet blanket sometimes. I should just schedule it and we should just go...I'm still kind of scared. I'll let you know if we (I) chicken out and take him to the movies instead.

I'm Guest writing over at Two Under Two while Super Ninja Mommy is out of town.

Check it out here http://2undertoo.blogspot.com/2008/12/and-baby-makes-4probably-notbut-maybe.html

So it Seems

So it seems that we could possibly, maybe, perhaps seal this whole house deal after all. The sellers of the house we want to buy got wind of the whole dealio (drama) with the ex potential buyer of our house and now they're offering to pay for the fixes that may need to happen in order for the ex potential buyer to buy our house. Wow crazy! I'll let ya'll know if anything come from this.

I'm not sure what to title this post so for now I've left it blank. I'm just so disappointed at the buyer pulling out of her contract to buy our house. I'm also very frustrated b/c from all appearance she had no idea what she was getting herself into. And also this whole experience thus far reassures me that there needs to be some sort of regulation by the government on Appraisers and Inspectors in the area of real estate.

The reason the buyer pulled out of her contract, well what was communicated to us, is b/c she was overwhelmed by the amount of repairs that had to be done according to the inspector (who is often viewed as God in these situations). We're frustrated though because in the Request To Remedy paperwork she submitted to us she only listed three things she wanted us to perfom-and I got those done the very next day. But she pulled out anyway. It seems she was just really overwhelmed or something I'm not really sure, but nonetheless she committed and refused to be honest (from our perspective) and then didn't follow through with her committment to us. Her pulling out of the contract was legal because she had until the 25th to respond. It really sucks! We just feel like she led us on and it was so rude! What a frickin waste of time! And we were ready to close next week!

What do we do now? Well the contract on the new house is now void b/c we won't be closing on our house (someone pinch me this is not happening.) So at this point we lost our other house...the house. I don't think I can communicate how sad and angry we feel (I'm about to cut a bitch!) We're trying desperately to get perspective though b/c we know there are worse things in this world happening to people. And we are grateful for so much (but this bites the big one!) And whose to say the house we want won't be on the market for a while longer. And maybe someone else will actually like our house and we can still sell and move into the house. At any rate, we're gonna keep on keepin on and relist our house and have showings (ugg truly the worst part with 3 little babes!)

My mom and dad have been so encouraging through this process. I've gotten phone calls and emails over the last few days from the both of them. They keep telling me to keep going or actually mom says, "pull your big girl panties up and keep fightin, your a fighter girl!" She cracks me up more these days as we're learning to understand oneanother better.

So I guess saying this is a waste of time is not actually true. Since I wrote that up there in the second paragraph it's not sitting well with me. We have learned some things about what we will and won't do if we get a second offer. We've also learned how many people care! Our friends and family have been so thoughtful over the last day as we got the news yesterday morning. We really appreciate it! We've also been pretty sick these last few day, my eardrum almost ruptured on monday so I was in a lot of pain with a "raging ear infection" that's what the nurse practitioner called it. The Huz and I both are pretty sure we have sinus infections too. And Super N has pink eye in both eyes and Baby Jin one eye. I thought W had pink eye too but he has managed to escape all of our sicknesses and got to enjoy a day with extended family while we tried to rest at home in our sickness with two sick babes.

Today we're going to go to our Great Grandparents home and celebrate with family (uh more like try to breathe since there will likely be 35 people crammed into a not so large space...ugg.) It should be fun (perhaps I should bring my inhaler?) Or hopefully it will be somewhat relaxing (Oh how I hope it will.) At about 5ish we'll leave the G Rents and go to my parents home and open gifts with them and my sister's family-should be a Merry Ho Time...or something like that.

Merry Christmas

And A Merry Christmas To You Too Lady

The Buyer pulled out. We are very disappointed and angry.

Mi Vida Loco

I have 3 babes with Pink Eye. The Huz (formerly Hub) and I have raging sore throats with a side of green funk, aka phlegm. If I recall correctly I was sick last Christmas. Sheesh this is not what I had in mind for a Christmas tradition. (Perhaps next year a week before Christmas I'm going to load up on Coldeez to thwart this unwanted tradition.) Hopefully I'll ring in the new year phlegm free. Speaking of the new year I was hoping that the Huz and I could go party it up with friends and have a yummy dinner somewhere but not this year. We've concluded that our gift this year to one another is a house. Oh yeah we're buying a house!

What's up with the house?!

Well let's see. Both houses had inspections last week. We received a request to repair report on ours Thursday evening. Apparently some of the roofing tiles were damaged and some of the seals were broken (ice storm of 05' or hail storm of 06' or wind storm of 08'???) Some of the flashing was not where it should be as well. We also had a piece of soffit that was rotted. Apparently the painters we hired to paint our house for 4k 2 months ago neglected to tell us that we had some rotted woodness going on up there. However they had no problem painting right on over it...MOFOS! At any rate, we also had a small hole in a front gable and some minor electrical issues that will be solved tomorrow by our trusty electrician. All in all pretty easy and now we can breathe a bit. The report on the house that we are in contract with came back pretty clean. It did have 3 small gas leaks (eek!) and a cracked joist in the basement that we asked the owner to support with a piece of wood, we were informed this morning that she has obliged.

In regards to the inspection on the house, we shadowed the inspector and got to hang out in the house for 3 hours. It was really reassuring to walk through and find out that the house was in pretty good shape for being built around 1920. The house also has had some renovations done in the last 10 years that the inspector said were done well. (I actually have a cool story about the guy who actually did those renovations.)

There is a small room with a french door off of the family room (the pic above). It currently doesn't have a heat duct running to it. When I first walked through the home at the end of August I envisioned that room being a bathroom. The Huz agreed over time that this was a good idea. I inquired on whether or not that was a possibility and the inspector thought it was totally doable and would be rather easy since the plumbing for the toilet was directly below the room and the plumbuing was about 3 feet away! How exciting a downstairs pot woohoo! We plan to jump on that right after we move into the house. My dad is disabled and can't do stairs very well at all so having a bathroom on the bottom level will be awesome in many ways for everyone (including Mommabear who doesn't have to run two small butts up the stairs all the time when potty training happens or when she has to go to the pot.)

This last week has been retardedly ridiculous. Momma almost cut a bitch! Naw I'm just kiddin. But I did feel like that cause this mortgage industry is a crock of sh$*t. Let's just say I'm not surprised that so many mortgage companies and banks have went bankrupt...mofos. At any rate, we pushed our closing back to January 13th. Now we can enjoy Christmas a bit and pack in a slower fashion and breathe a little bit. Crazy fool what was I thinking to try to close on Dec 30th...sheesh!

MERRY CHRISTMAS lovely Monkeys!

Monday: Black Bean Soup w/ Turkey and corn thrown in

Tuesday: Bkfst: Dutch Eggs Lunch: PB&J and/or Leftover Marzetti, Dinner: Baked Chix with peas & mashed swt potatoes

Wednesday: Breakfast: Pancakes w/ syrup & Turkey bacon, Late lunch/Dinner: Christmas Eve at G & G's & my mom and dad's

Thursday: Christmas celebration food included (bkfst, lunch & dinner) at Mom & Dad's.

Friday: Bkfst: Oatmeal, Lunch: PB&J, Dinner: Marinated Chix Breasts, oven roasted pot's w/ evoo & garlic, & spinach

Saturday: Brunch: French Toast Souffle Dinner: Stuffed Peppers & Roasted Green Beans

Sunday: Brunch: Baked Oatmeal Dinner: BBQ Chix on English Muffins & Honey Glazed Carrots

Man life is rough right now! You'd think with selling the house and getting a contract on the house we want life would be roses (or happy crap like that...). But I tell you getting through a house inspection and then waiting the alotted 10 days is murder on the nerves! I'm dying here! Waiting sucks!

Anyways, because we've been running around like nuts trying to get all the necessary paperwork, inspections, insurance papers, appraisels, etc, etc we are pooped. I forgot to mention that we are closing (or trying to) on Dec 30th, yeah I've been upfront about my addiction to chaos. At any rate, can't wait for this sh#$ to be done!

So here's Menu Plan Monday delivered on Tuesday evening, give me some slack it's my birthday already! Oh and I'm STILL doing the Aldi Queen's Menu Plan, it's awesome, so convenient and I love it!

Monday: Leftover Macaroni Casserole

Tuesday: Roasted Turkey Breast with noodles

Wednesday: Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops and Noodles Romanoff (It didn't get made last week.)

Thursday: Scalloped Potatos and Ham (but I'm using leftover Roasted Turkey Breast) & green beans

Friday: Poor Mans Chix Parmesan w/ veggies of some kind

Saturday: Brunch: Pancakes & Turkey Bacon & leftovers for dinner

Sunday: Brunch: Scrambled Eggs or french toast & Veggie Chili (from a box) for dinner

Do you hear that gurgling noise?

Yep it's my stomach. I think I'm going to barf! We just sold our house!! Yay!! Details later when it's all said and done.

A Day In The Life of Our House..Currently...(Continued)

I quickly grab my 2 year old and carry her to the bathroom, tell her to "wait right there" while I grab a handtowel off of the towel bar and run back to the room. I throw the towel over the pee that has now soaked into the carpet and stand on it with my bare feet to absorb as much as I can. I pick up the towel and head back to the bathroom tossing the towel in the bathtub for my husband to discover tomorrow morning as he gets in to take a shower. I simultaneously grab the training seat from beside the toilet and my still naked 2 year old. I do some sort of juggling act but manage to shove the both of them on the seat in the correct order.

I run downstairs to grab a diaper, the baby sees me fly past him and his screams quiet and then increase in sound as he realizes I'm not there to pick him up. I grab the diaper from the laundry room and run back through the house and back up the stairs to the bathroom. I silently commend myself for not tripping over the large blue rocking dog parked smack dab in the middle of the living room. Grabbing my 2 year old I throw a diaper on her, ninja style, and then take a moment to just collect myself as I fill my heart pounding. Heading around the corner I find the 3 year old, grab his hand then lead them both down the stairs. We head to the kitchen and I turn the under-the-cabinet tv on and plop them on the floor to watch Curious George.

At this point the baby has seen us and has quieted his screams into whimpers. I walk across the dining room, reach down into the pack and play and grab him his whimpers turning into coos. I clutch him to me taking in his warmth at the same time realizing his sleeper has been soaked completely through and up to his neck in urine. I quickly draw him back from me and carry him to the rug in the living room, lay him down and run to get another diaper from the laundry room. The baby starts screaming when he realizes I've left him there alone. I return and try to manuever the urine soaked, cold, sleeper off of my crying baby. I then change his diaper, pick him up and take him to the laundry room to search for dry clothes. While there I grab some tights and a dress for my 2 year old and some underwear, pants, and a shirt for my 3 year old. I trip over the dirty laundry pile on my way out and note in my head that I need to wash clothes. While sitting in the living room changing the baby I take in the mess that has accumulated in the room over the last few days. I immediately feel overwhelmed by it. It's been 15 minutes since I woke up.

I'm currently still using The Aldi Queen's Fall/Winter Menu Planner.

Monday: Turkey Meatloaf w/ Cheesy Mashed Potatoes & Sauteed Spinach

Tuesday: Salmon Packets and Rice Noodle Pilaf (from last week; we were looking at houses and went to a pizzaria for dinner)
Wednesday: Roast Turkey Sandwiches w/ chips and apple slices (from last week; hub and i had a big lunch so we didn't eat dinner, the kids had pb&j for dinner)

Thursday: Ham & Macaroni Casserole w/ Broccoli

Friday: Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops and Noodles Romanoff w/ a veggie

Saturday: B: pancakes, D: quiche

Sunday: B: french toast D:Scalloped Pot's w/ Ham and a veggie

$5 Starbucks Gift Cards Giveaway Winners

Thank you guys so much for all the great ideas that you have for keeping busy in the winter while indoors with your babes! You've given me some great ideas to keep my own kids busy. I plan to write up all the ideas and post them in a few days so come back and take advantage of this great resource.

And the winners of the 2 $5 Starbucks Gift Cards are...... Susan & Cheryl! Thanks for the great ideas ladies.

A Day In The Life of Our House..Currently

Even though I have ear plugs in my ears I can hear a faint muffle. I barely open one eye and kind of peek out of it to see where the noise is coming from. My 2 year old is standing at the side of my bed in front of me buck naked, with a huge grin, patting my cheek and saying, "hi mommy!" Of course I'm hearing "mamaamam." I grit my teeth send up a short yet pleading prayer of, "please God help me," take my ear plugs out and get ready to face another day. I grab my naked 2 year olds hand and lead her to find her brother who I presume is naked as well. I hear the baby downstairs faintly whining and gooing at the same time. I turn the corner out of my room and see my naked 3 year old bouncing on his box springs, his mattress on the floor, the sheet lying next to it in a heap. I feel my heart rate increase a little as I quickly scan the room and notice that the window is open...again. I let go of my 2 year old's hand and walk across the room to the window. I peer outside and see 2 toys stuck in the gutter. Even though I can't see beyond the roof, experience tells me there is a pile of toys in the driveway just under the roof. I close the window, try to compose myself and turn to speak. At the same time I notice a stream of pee running down my 2 year olds leg as she says, "uh oh potty!" The baby's faint whines have now turned into hungry screams. And we haven't even gotten downstairs yet.
To be continued.

Daydreaming (Is that one word or two?)

So I've been daydreaming about something over the last couple of weeks. This is different from my daydreaming about being a regular on SNL -like I'm that funny. Or when I was convinced I could be a rapper when I was 17 and actually started writing and practicing my rhymes-in my head of course. I also bought some beeswax and dreaded my hair. After a little while I realized that a rapping, white girl with dreadlocks may not fly so well in our culture (or any culture for that matter, except of course Japan cause their f$#&ing crazy...) Some of you don't know this about me. But I have large dreams of doing some wacky shit.

What I've been daydreaming about as of late is being a professional B Boxer (beatboxer). In my head I fantasize about meeting a really good beatboxer who could take me under his wing and critique me and help me achieve my b boxing potential. I then picture joining up with a group of street b boxers and traveling with them and showcasing our talents at some large event (like we're the Cirque Du Soleil or something...which I did want to join at some point. I thought with the right diet and exercise routine, the Hub didn't think it was a good idea.)

The art of B Boxing has totally crowded my thoughts and so I've been practicing a lot. My kids really seem to dig it and it makes them crack up in laughter (of course they're probably laughing at me as my husband was internally but was doing a very nice job at containing it as I told him this secret desire last night before bed.)

Don't be surprised if you see my ass on a street sign or you actually see me with a group of people on a corner somewhere. Just say "hey" and feel free to stop and listen. Of course currently I'm too scared to actually do it in front of people except my kids so don't expect to see me or the signs soon of course. But keep your eyes open in the next 5 years or so.

If you are interested in trying your hand (mouth) at b boxing click Here.

$5 Starbucks Gift Card Giveaway

I have two $5 Starbucks Gift Cards to give away.

In order to be entered to win please leave a comment letting me know of a way you keep your kids busy during the winter months indoors. Don't forget to leave your email addy as well!

I will pick 2 winners out of a bowl on friday night and let you know on Saturday morning.

Happy Holidays!

With being a stay-at-home momma with small children my mind is often consumed with meeting their needs and what I must get done in the day. Since having babes it seems Thanksgiving and Christmas just go by without me being able to fully enjoy them. A couple Christmas's ago while out shopping I bought a cd of Christmas music. I think it was Alvin and The Chipmunks Do Christmas or something. At any rate I bought this cd and listened to it and it was if my shoulders relaxed and I exhaled and all the stress of life just lessened. I was able to go about preparing for Christmas and the season in just a better mood with a better outlook. It was so nice!

So what "works-for-me" is Christmas music. Listening to it everyday from November until Christmas Day. We have it on almost every dinner playing lightly in the background and while we're just hanging out at home. My kids and hubby seem to really enjoy it as well. And it helps me to slow down and enjoy Christmas.

Just kidding about the cd being Alvin and The Chipmunks...I'm much too sophisticated for that...HA!

Montgomery Bus Boycott

On December 1, 1955 Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama to a caucasian individual, thus starting the 381 days of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. She and a handful of others including Jo Ann Robinson, an Alabama State Law Professor and civil rights activist who was waiting for an opportunity to institute a bus boycott, changed history forever because of their courageous actions.

Take a minute and check out this awesome website dedicated to this significant event in history.

Currently I'm using The Aldi Queen's food plan so all my recipes can be found there.

Monday: Dinner with parents
Tuesday: Potato Soup w/ toppings: bacon & cheese
Wednesday: Chicken Delicious, salad & crescent rolls
Thursday: Salmon Packets w/ Rice and noodle pilaf
Friday: Leftover Salsa Chix (from the freezer)
Saturday: Bfst: Pumpkin Pancakes Dinner:Roasted Turkey Sandwiches w/ Blue Chips & apple slices
Sunday: Quiche , Turkey Bacon & fruit

Pretty Things for Girls

I cannot believe it's December already. I was able to do some Christmas shopping this weekend but usually I have it all done by December. I was not one of the many who braved the cold and the crowds on Black Friday to do my Christmas shopping (...those crazy fools..I'll probably do it next year). Instead I sat in a comfortable chair with my cup of coffee and my laptop and preceded to order gifts for my nieces online (and in my jammies I might add). It was awesome! Here are some of the cute items I managed to snag.

Jealous Huh? Where did I get these little lovelies you're wondering?Etsy! You must head over there and check out all of the many handmade items they've got for sale over there. If you are truly looking for something unique to give this holiday season go there!

I got the barrettes, ponytail holders and the birdy ring from ButtonBoutique. I snagged the other ring from katieskreations. It's for my 9 year old niece, Emma, I think she'll love it.

Creativity Through Limitations

I love what Jennifer from Life From the Roof says in her guest post at Money Saving Mom.

She says, "It’s easy at times to feel like we’re limited or lacking in our ability to “live” because we have less money, but I’ve observed over time, in my own life as well as in the lives of others, that often we are at our most creative when we are provided with limitations and boundaries. As T.S. Eliot once wrote:

“When forced to work within a strict framework the imagination is taxed to its utmost – and will produce its richest ideas. Given total freedom the work is likely to sprawl.”"


This resonates so much with me! I am at my most creative when I have limitations. And I feel like even though our country appears to be having a financial crisis, maybe it's a blessing. For those whose homes are in foreclosure or have lost their jobs, I feel great compassion and I'm saddened by their situations. But I do wonder if this time of "crisis" could lead us to a much needed perspective shift on money and on material items as a whole. I guess getting us to really evaluate our "needs" versus our "wants". And forcing us to be creative with our money, resources and our material items. I'm sure there are a lot of people out there that already do this, but I'm not one of them.

Happy Thanksgiving Friends and Family!

I love you all!

I hope everyone's holiday is enjoyable. I thought I'd go ahead and get my mind aligned around gratitude and thankfulness since afterall it is Thanksgiving. Now if I could learn to do this every other day of the year- with time.

A few things I'm grateful for:

My husband who although we butt heads a lot- I love you so much and couldn't bear to think how sad and lonely I'd be if you weren't in my life. I look forward to these next years of raising our kids together. Also learning how to grow closer by spending time together (albeit we don't have a lot right now) by playing games together, talking, watching movies, going to concerts and our favorite way to spend time together, eating at fun restaurants and enjoying creative cuisines. I love you man!

W- My first born. You're turning into an empathetic and intelligent little guy who can hold his own in conversation. I hope this coming year we can start to have little mom and son dates. I'm grateful you're in my life.

Super N- Such a loving little girl. So tender yet very tough. You've been making me laugh since you arrived. I love you.

Baby J- You've learned to speak your mind already. I just love hearing you chatter in your bed in the mornings. I can't wait to get to know you better.

My family- I've really been blessed with my family. The Hub's parents are incredibly supportive and loving. And my parents care so much about their grand kids. As painful as the past has been I'm still grateful they're my parents. I hope I can continue to show them love.

Friends- Not sure what I'd do without my friends to make me laugh, bring me back to reality when I'm too emotional or angry or sad to get there on my own; or to just accept me and enjoy a cool conversation.

God- That He is good and loving and faithful, although I don't understand it all the time.

Again, have a GREAT Thanksgiving friends and slow down and take it all in.

With love!

Trying to Get Back Into The Swing of Things

At the beginning of the year I started budgeting, planning menus and shopping the CVS deals. Everything in that arena was going well until baby #3 came along. It seems that everything in my life got off kilter for a while as I learned to adjust to the chaos of having 3 little ones.

Baby J is now almost 8 months old and has been sleeping through the night for a while, not crying all the time and just generally happier. I'm dealing with my PPD with meds and I'm taking meds for pain that I've been experiencing. I overall feel a lot better. Things still get stressful with having 3 babes but it's gotten a bit easier.

So now that days are a little better I decided to try to menu plan again and stay within a budget again. Our gastrointestinal systems are a bit out of whack and we've gained some weight b/c of eating out, mostly pizza carry out. I also really enjoy making dinner but often I'm so tired by 5 o'clock and that seems to be the witching hour for the kids as well so often a homemade dinner doesn't happen. Some things I've thought of to try to head off the typical 5 o'clock pattern is thinking ahead about dinner and prepping it either the night before or a little at a time throughout the day. Setting out all the ingredients for the meal I plan to prepare the day of the planned meal, the unrefrigerated ones. And last but definitely my favorite, throw a bunch of crap into the crockpot in the morning and let it go all day until dinner time.

Upon realizing the blessing of a crockpot I searched online for crockpot recipes and found a really helpful site A Year of Crockpotting. The blogger's intent was to use their crockpot everyday for a year- I urge you to check it out and take advantage of some of the recipes to make dinner time a little less hectic. Another website that has been helpful too when it comes to making economical dinners that are easy, $5 Dinners. This blogger has made it a goal to make frugal meals, $5 for her particular family, and urges others to pick a dollar amount that allows you to make frugal and healthy meals for your own families. And one more website that I find helpful is The Aldi Queen. Amy Clark provides a few different menus using items exclusively from Aldi's. Recently I've made a decision to shop at Aldi's more so her menu plan and shopping list is very helpful and is just what I needed. I'm so grateful for all the mom bloggers out there who use their powers for good-to help other moms.

I went shopping today for two weeks worth of meals, diapers and wipes. I won't be doing that again with the kids in tow, it was like Bebe's Kids running around the store, momma yelling, etc. etc. But even though it was stressful I'm excited to have a menu plan and all the fixins needed to make some yummy dinners. I'm starting to feel like I can breathe again.

8 Afghan Girls attacked with Acid b/c they were attending School

Believed to be by the Taliban who believe women shouldn't be educated.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=p2MkoTZZ0Ns&feature=related

Menu Plan Monday

Monday: Curry Chicken with Coconut and Peanuts over Quinoa

Tuesday: Pasta w/ Sauce and Broccoli

Wednesday: Asian Stirfry w/ Rice and Tofu

Thursday: Happy Thanksgiving (eating with family)

Friday: Leftovers!

Saturday: Stuffed French Toast & Turkey Bacon

Sunday: Salsa Chicken and Black Bean Soup

Bone Marrow Transplant May Have Cured a Man with Aids

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27683001/

3rd Showing

So perhaps the furniture offer helped. We have a 3rd showing tomorrow with the same potential buyer. I hope she makes up her mind soon; this is starting to drive me nuts. Next I'm going to offer my children...wait that's the whole reason we're moving to a bigger house. Okay so I'll offer the swing in the backyard and the patio furniture instead.

Just kidding! I love my kiddos and couldn't give them away!

Potential Buyer

The potential buyer I mentioned before, apparently is interested in another house as well as ours and she can't decide. We offered to include the furniture we bought to stage our home to try to sweeten the deal...will it help?? We shall see. Oh boy I hope it helps!

Psalm 77

I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and he will hear me. In my day of trouble I sought the Lord. My hands were lifted up all night long; I refused to be comforted. I think of God; I groan; I meditate; my spirit becomes weak. You have kept me from closing my eyes; I am troubled and cannot speak. I consider days of old, years long past. At night I remember my music; I meditate in my heart, and my spirit ponders. "Will the Lord reject forever and never again show favor? Has his faithful love ceased forever? Is [His] promise at end for all generations? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger withheld His compassion?" So I say, "It is my sorrow that the right hand of the Most High has changed." I will remember the Lords works; yes, I will remember Your ancient wonders. I will reflect on all You have done and meditate on Your actions. God, Your way is holy. What god is great like God? You are the God that works wonders; You revealed Your strength among peoples. With power you redeemed Your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. The waters saw you, God. The waters saw you; they trembled. Even the depths shook. The clouds poured down water. The storm clouds thundered; Your arrows flashed back and forth. The sound of Your thunder was in the whirlwind; lighting lit up the world. The earth shook and quaked. Your way went through the sea, Your path through the great waters, but your footprints were unseen. You led Your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Speech to the Young: Speech to the Progress-Toward by Gwendolyn Brooks

Say to them,

say to the down-keepers,

the sun-slappers,

the self-soilers,

the harmony-hushers,

"even if you are not ready for day

it cannot always be night.

"You will be right.

For that is the hard home-run.

Live not for battles won.

Live not for the-end-of-the-song.

Live in the along.

Metaphors by Sylvia Plath

I'm a riddle in nine syllables,

An elephant, a ponderous house,

A melon strolling on two tendrils.

O red fruit, ivory, fine timbers!

This loaf's big with its yeasty rising.

Money's new-minted in this fat purse.

I'm a means, a stage, a cow in calf.

I've eaten a bag of green apples,

Boarded the train there's no getting off.

More Poop

What's up with kids and poop? Why do they think it's so cool??

I awoke this morning to find (yet again) a naked 2 & 3 year old running amuck in poop! They pulled off a doorknob, that wasn't fully attached, and stuck it in poop and then used it as a stamp to make circular stamp patterns all over the carpet. Yeah okay so they're creative and perhaps we have the making of a couple of future scrapbookers with their stamping talents but I wasn't too thrilled. Off to clean up poop and more poop.

Will Our House Really Sell?

So we put our house on the market on November 5th. Thus far we've had 1 showing by a perspective buyer and then we had a sort of open house for realtors in the area. We are told we will have 2 showings this week as of today. This is a slow time of the year for house sales but fortunately our area remains as one of the areas doing above average for house sales...thank God!

But anyhoo...something really cool that's happening is that after the perspective buyer saw our house last week we received a report indicating that she's interested in our house. The report also stated she wanted to take a few days to consider it. Tonight we received word from our realtor that she is coming to see our house for the second time this Tuesday. She also requested the dimensions of our living and dining room spaces. To say we are a bit excited would be an understatement. I guess our house could really sell this week! Of course if not we'll deal with that but it could...wow!

Thought I'd share where things are at at this point in time.

Obama is our 44th President

I'm really happy Obama won! It's very exciting for our nation. To have an African-American as President really shows how far we've actually come in terms of acceptance and respect. Although I know his campaign is all about how there will be change, I don't expect much honestly (I feel as though I'm being realistic, not pessimistic). I am glad though we have someone representing us that is very diplomatic, thoughtful and intelligent. I'll be honest with you and tell you one of the main reasons I voted for Obama was b/c of his wife. She is a tough cookie! She graduated from Harvard, is a successful & proven lawyer and she's a momma. Also, from all appearances she loves and respects her hubby. My thinking was well with a woman like that on his arm supporting him he will do great things.

Little Mr. 7 Months Young

Ahhh Baby J...

Somali Women Accused of Adultery and Then Stoned To Death

The atrocities in our world break my heart.

Click Here to read.

The House is on the Market

Preparing to sell a house is difficult. It's even more difficult when you have kids, as my friends Susan and Amanda can attest to (and countless others I'm sure). In my mind I didn't expect the process of getting the house ready to go on the market to take so many days and nights of pure exhaustion. Throw in some sickness, a week power outage, delayed house painters and a few nights stay in the hospital and the time frame gets extended even more! This whole process is so stressful that at this point all we can do is chuckle and shake our heads muttering something like, "what did we get ourselves into this time..." Fortunately we see light at the end of the tunnel and we can honestly say that we are truly almost finished. Good thing since the house is now on the market..hah! We still need to finish up some trim work, painting and install the closet screens/doors.

Starbucks Gift Card Giveaway Winner

And the winner of the $10 Starbucks gift card is ... Cheapsk8mom!

Thanks for playing that was fun!

I'll plan to do another drawing for another gift card soon.

Starbucks Gift Card Giveaway

I'm going to give away a $10 Starbucks gift card...All you have to do is leave a comment letting me know your fave Starbucks drink. Please also leave your email address so I can contact the winner. The winner will be randomly selected on October 31st!


yummmm coffeeeee...

Coming Soon

There is now a realtors sign in our front lawn that says, "Coming Soon"...I'm so relieved. Although our house needs some touch up painting done, the backyard needs some grooming and the house needs a major cleaning we will have it done this week. The house will then be put on the market next Monday. I feel like I can start to relax a little.
In regards to the house we want, once our house is on the market we can make a contingent offer on the house we really want. Who knows if we'll get it but we'll see.
Here's what the outside looks like of the house we'd like.

Update: The Seller of the house we want (the one above) rejected our contingent offer...sad but true.

Postpartum Depression

I realized this week that I have Postpartum Depression. Some of the things I've been experiencing are

• Intense anxiety- This seems to come in the form of nightmares and panic attacks. I get so overwhelmed and anxious b/c of the constant screaming and demands on me day to day that I feel like my heart is going to burst b/c it's beating so fast. What accompanies this reaction is an immediate and intense sense of dread or hopelessness.
• Insomnia- Being alert from 9pm until midnight and then waking back up again at/around 4am. This of course leaves me exhausted in the mornings and afternoons.
• Weight gain- I feel so overwhelmed by my emotions and/or circumstances that I'm eating a lot of junky food. It seems at times that tasting the food is the only thing that is enjoyable in life.
• Inability to function- I can function where absolutely necessary- my kids, bills, shopping...but clothes washing, dinner, cleaning house are all done if there is no clean underwear or things are starting to smell (and then sometimes I don't really care-the Hub takes care of it).
• Not enjoying my kids and loving them through play- This is the most painful to admit but it's as if I've had a wall that is preventing me from giving to them in this way.
• Intense anger and sadness
• Morbid thoughts- like giving Baby J up for adoption as one example.
• Withdrawal from relationships

Now that I've realized that I'm struggling with PPD I called my OB and she has prescribed a depression med. As I begin to take it and hopefully experience some change I'll try to update my experience. I'm also going to go talk to a counselor friend next week or the following week.

Also, weds night a friend initiated a chat over tea and she just totally enveloped me with support and love. She asked me questions to try to figure out where I was at and how she could support me. She then came over again last night and we talked some more. I noticed yesterday and even now my interactions with my babes have changed. I'm more relaxed and loving and my anger has dissipated tremendously. Friendship, a supporting heart and ear are a tremendous resource to the depressed person, I see now. I'm grateful.

Baby J 6 Months Old

Don't judge him to harshly but the Hub just informed me recently that he was smitten with Baby J-he wasn't very fond of him before. They had somewhat of a tumultuous relationship until recently, this past weekend, so I'm happy about the new change. I think me nursing Baby J didn't allow the Hub much opportunity to hold Baby J. And when I wasn't nursing Baby J didn't really seem interested in others holding him. But now things are different! Baby J has turned into a more content baby who smiles, chews on his feet and giggles a lot! He loves being held and snuggled by daddy and overall more pleasant babe.
On Sunday we had him on all fours and he moved his back legs forward. We were really surprised! We're assuming he's going to crawl pretty soon...kind of crazy if it comes to fruition. W started crawling a week before he turned 1 and Super N started crawling at 1o or 11 months, I need to look it up.
Life in regards to Baby J is a bit easier and I'm very grateful!

Halloween

In light of Halloween I thought I'd decorate my blog in the appropriate colors!

Speaking of Halloween, I bought W and Super N their costumes last night while at Once Upon a Child. I was going to buy Baby J a cute little cow number but I needed to save a little money I'll just wait until next year. I'll have plenty of time to decorate him! I'll leave you wondering what I picked up for them. I'll post pics later!

The playgroup I'm apart of is going to a Farm tomorrow to celebrate the Fall Harvest. We did this last year and it was so enjoyable for all of us moms and our kids. One downer I do recall is that with the admission price you were to receive a donut and a hot cup of apple cider. I remember we were all looking forward to the cider b/c nothing says fall like apple cider. Well apparently they ran out and substituted in it's place a little cup of apple juice. You know the kind you used to get in school with the foil lid that you peel back! Needless to say we were all disappointed by that one! It's kind of funny thinking about it in retrospect though!

I'm so excited and I hope that it's cool outside so we can wear sweaters and that there is apple cider there! I also hope the kids love it like they did last year. One drawback is that Amanda and V won't be there this year since they moved to another state. I miss them but I know they are enjoying their new home in Indy.