Extreme Ego Boost

I was standing in line at Kohl's the other day when I noticed a certain purchase the woman in front of me was making.  It was a bra, which isn't anything exciting, but the name caught my attention the most..."Extreme Ego Boost Bra."  OK...not being the most well-endowed person myself (I know...wayyyy too much information), I'm not bashing anyone for buying this, but I find it kinda sad that women feel so much pressure to look a "certain way" that they need to buy an "Ego Boost" bra to make them feel better.  And let's be honest, it's not your girlfriends who are going to be noticing your ego boost bra, right?

We all want to feel lovable and attractive and look fab all the time, right?  (Hahaha for us stay at home moms!)  But this bra really got me thinking...I know...I'm weird like that!  What can I do to give those around me an extreme ego boost?  How can I say an encouraging word, send a card or email, give a complement, a hug or a smile to brighten someone's day?  How far a few small words can go to give someone that little boost that might totally turn their day around.

 The kids had a great time Trick or Treating tonight, in spite of the truly awful weather.  Happy Halloween everyone!

Punkin Time!

 Spidey-O-Lantern, Hello Kitty and a little punkin, courtesy of Carter and Reese!

Carter was flipping through the toy ads this afternoon and saw a page with Nerf guns.  I was in the other room and heard him yell, "Guns!  I want Guns!  That's what I really want for Christmas!!!"

Snowman in October???

 Give 'em 1/2 inch of snow and they'll build a snowman!  Carter was bursting into our room this morning with excitement and the first words out of his mouth were, "I'm ready to go out in the snow!"

After coming back inside, Carter was checking every 2 minutes to make sure the big snowman was still there.

They named their big snowman Frosty

"Bat" Man

Carter was telling a friend about all of his super heroes today.

He said "Batman always beats joker."
She said, "Oh, really?"
And he said, "Yes, he throws bats at him!"


Reese was standing on the bench this morning while the kids ate their snack.

Me:  "Reese, please sit down or you will have to go in your high chair."
Carter: "Yea Reese, sit down or you will be a pie sharer!"

Silly Reese

 Derrick shreds up our newspaper to add to our compost.  We are serious composters...it's a little scary.  This is what the kids decided to do with the shredded paper before he had a chance to get it away from them.  Yes the dog is under that big pile of it in the third picture!

Driving with the kids this morning, we passed by a McDonald's.  Reese yelled out, "Look, I see Old McDonald's!!"

Watching me use the restroom this morning, as I was washing my hands, Reese said to me, "Good job, Mama.  Good job using the potty.  Now you get a special treat!"  Ugh...can you tell we've been trying to get her to use the potty a lot lately.  Now if only she would use it!!

Being Thankful

Sword and Owls

 I just heard an idea last week about putting a new "Thank You" in a jar every day from now leading up to Thanksgiving and then reading all the things your kids are thankful for at Thanksgiving to teach them the meaning of thankfulness.  I've been meaning to write down some of the things they say to start doing this and keep forgetting.







We try to talk about some things we are thankful for every night before we eat dinner as part of our blessing.  It's just so funny to me the things the kids remember at the end of the day.  We took them to the zoo today so I figured they might mention that in their "thanks", but the discussion went something like this...

Owls

Me: "What are you guys thankful for today?"
Carter: "Going outside"
Reese: "Coloring with chalk."
Carter: " My sword."  (I made him a cardboard sword today)
Carter and Reese: "Owls!" (we made toilet paper roll owls today)
Reese: Berries  (she picks them off the bushes in our yard)
Carter: "Smashing stink bugs on the tree!!!"

Derrick: "Did we go anywhere today?"

Silence......

More Silence....


Carter: "Going to the zoo!!"

Giant Pumpkin at the zoo today!

Reese was putting stickers on a paper this afternoon and coloring.  I asked her if she was having fun making her picture and she said, "No I'm just making messes, Mama."  Oh well...at least she's honest.

Speaking of being thankful, my grandmother just went through surgery to fix a broken hip tonight.  If you could all keep her in your prayers...I'm very glad she is through the surgery but she has a long recovery ahead of her.

Victoria's Secret is no place for double strollers!

Taking the kids out to run errands is such a treat.  (Not like trick or treating, mind you!)   Yes, I say that with 100% sarcasm as typically they will last about 2 minutes before the first fight breaks out.  Then I feel like it is only extreme bribery, and stuffing their faces with food and thinly veiled threats that work together to get me through to the finish line.  Today was no exception. I had a number of things I was trying to get done and had to pack a large tote bag full of snacks just to get through the morning.  Not only that but somehow both kids managed to finagle me into giving them an early "Christmas gift."  I mean, what kind of mother tries to buy Christmas gifts with kids in tow....seriously??  Yea (head hanging) that'd be me.  And when the kids see the gifts...well first that kinda takes the surprise out of it and second...they want them RIGHT NOW!!!!  OK, so lesson learned...I'll do all my shopping on Amazon next year.  Excuse me for trying to support local businesses!

My second major revelation today...yes sometimes even the most seemingly-obvious things like not taking your kids Christmas shopping for their own gifts can be a revelation to a somewhat-new parent...was that taking a double jogging stroller to the mall and actually trying to shop with it is not a good idea.  It is hard enough just to get through the main door to enter the mall, let alone weave and wind your way through the display cases and narrow passage ways of a retail store.  Every single store I entered, the workers had to come over and actually move a display out of my way so I could get through.  Talk about embarrassment.  I just happened to have one of those coveted coupons to Victoria's Secret for free underwear, which I can never pass up.  Hello FREE!  Now don't get any weird ideas in your brain...I did NOT go lingerie shopping with my kids, it was one stinkin' pair of underwear, but just about every movable display in the store had to be moved so I could get from the entrance, to the underwear, to the checkout, and back out of the store again.  For once they did not ask me if I needed help with anything else and probably watched me go with great relief.

And my third revelation occurred after dinner.  About 2 minutes after dinner, to be exact, when Reese pranced over to the pantry, opened the door, and grabbed out a box of Ritz crackers.  This was after she ate 3 bowls of apple sauce at 3:30 pm and then a very hearty dinner at 5 pm.  Derrick and I spent our entire evening prepping fruit and canning so we were pretty distracted for a little while, and Reese took full opportunity of our inattentiveness.  She went from the Ritz, to Craisins, from the Craisins to peanuts, from peanuts to nacho chips, and then back to Ritz.  She was stuffing her face like she hadn't seen food in weeks.  So my rational thought was, I have one working doorknob protector...right now on our basement door.  I'll just remove that and risk her falling down the steps in favor of childproofing the pantry.  No, I did not actually follow through with this, but in some small way, I would rather childproof my pantry than have to watch an event like that unfold again.

Sigh...kids!

Fall Fun

We had some fun in the sun today...another gorgeous fall day in Pittsburgh.  Re-visited the apple orchard to pick 2 more bushels of apples, played in the leaves and participated in the neighborhood Halloween Parade.  Carter and Reese got to test drive their Thing 1 and Thing 2 costumes and I thought they turned out pretty great!

Dirty Teeth

I was brushing and flossing tonight while Carter sat and watched me.  He started asking questions..."Momma, why are you taking so long to brush your teeth?  What is that string for."

I tried to explain about brushing and flossing to clean your teeth and that when you get older your teeth are closer together and "you need to floss to get the dirt out from between your teeth."

He thought about that for a moment and asked, "Well why did you eat dirt?"

Photo Card

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Worst Kids in the World?

I blame my kids for my loss of brain cells...sorry but it's just too coincidental that I started experiencing so many lapses in memory only AFTER having kids.  I spent an hour last night making a casserole to bring to my Bible Study this morning.  I had not one, but two notes to remind me to bring it.  I baked it this morning, making the whole house smell amazing, wrapped it up and had it sitting on the table to take with me.  But when I got there this morning, 10 minutes late, did I have the casserole with me...NO!!!  Instead of packing it in the car when we left, I left it sitting on the kitchen table.  Reese insisted I carry her to the car, so I left it there, thinking I'd get the kids buckled in and then come back in and grab it.  Well, after coming back home to get it and arriving 45 minutes late to my study, I was pretty ruffled.  And yea, maybe just a little bitter about my diminishing brain power.  I used to be pretty smart...I used to not forget things as I was walking from one room to another, or spend 10 minutes looking for the sunglasses on top of my head.  Such is the sacrifice a parent makes for her children, I suppose...

As if the thought of losing my mind were'nt enough to dampen one morning, we had a near catastrophe at the library today.  Carter went right up to the checkout desk and said to the Librarian, "Reese ripped the animal book!"  Oh my gosh, total embarrassment.  This is one of those moments you just dread.  This is one of those times you want to shrink down into the carpet and disappear.  I mean the last thing you want is to be labeled as one of Those Parents...you know, the ones who let their kids rip library books.  Heaven forbid!  I tried to discretely whisper to him that we had glued the part that was ripped, but he kept insisting, rather loudly, no Reese ripped it, and "she's so bad!"  I'm sure my picture is now in some secret library archive an "X List" of parents who allow their kids to rip library books.  Sob...sob...

While trying to make dinner tonight, Carter came over and asked for his cup.  I informed him that he had left it on the floor in the other room, a mere 15 steps away.  This sent him into a total fit..."You get it for me!!!"  When I refused, he stood there and cried for the next 5 minutes.  When he did finally go and get it he plunked it on the counter next to me and said, "Fill it up."  When I informed him it was actually still half full, he began screaming for another 5 minutes.  Am I an awful parent or what??

Reese said to me after we were playing games on the Wii last night, "I'm a game playa!"  For some reason, I found this to be hilarious.  Perhaps things start to get funnier when you are losing your mind though??  :)

Thank Heavens for Little Boys...especially once they are in bed at night!

1/4 cup of Cornstarch
1/4 cup of water
1 drop or 2 of food coloring
= fun sidewalk paint!

Not sure if it's washable yet...(that might be the last time you see them in those outfits)....have a hunch it isn't, so I'll let you know.  The kids really had fun bedazzling our driveway today.  I'm pretty sure it's the most colorful in the neighborhood!

Now that Reese is officially never napping anymore, I feel like I've been forced to be extra creative in finding things to keep them both occupied and happy all day.  It seems like the days are very long sometimes and I know it's only going to be more difficult the more cold, winter weather approaches.

I feel like if I don't get Carter out and running around for at least a few hours a day, he is completely, ridiculously, over-the-top crazy by night time.  I mean he is non-stop wrestling, screaming, drive-you-out-of-your-freaking-mind child by 6 pm and often doesn't go to bed by 9.  My ability to tolerate my children's antics plummets as the evening advances, so nights are tough for me when he is in this state of craziness.  I found him a couple new super heroes at the thrift store today so currently those are keeping him happy and quiet...but it's only a matter of time.

So, sad as this sounds, I am always incredibly happy when it's bedtime.  I LOVE my children, don't get me wrong, but they do know how to suck every bit of my energy out, almost effortlessly!

Rainy weather "projects"

The rain is on the way and I've been combing the internet for good projects to do with the kids indoors this week and all winter long.  Here are a few that caught my eye:

Cut up pipe cleaners in a bottle that kids can move around with magnets.

Make your own sidewalk paint.  I know this is more for outdoors, but I definitely want to try it.

Toilet Paper roll bird feeders...too cute!

Make your own "pinata???"  Not sure if this could work for Carter's bday party.  Sure would be cheaper!

Monster out of a tissue box...genius!

I give all credit to Pinterest for these ideas.

Happy crafting!

Luv Fall!!!

Sorry...this is cheesy, I know.  But this butternut squash really looked like it had a heart in it while I was prepping to make soup last night.  So much soup that I has to use my 23 quart pressure cooker to make it in.  28 cups of squash and 24 cups of chicken broth later I fell into bed at 1:05 am...but I have LOTS of squash soup to last me all winter long...yum!

I took the kids for their annual "leaf pictures" this afternoon because it has been SO windy here, I figured there wouldn't be any leaves left in a few days.  The colors weren't what I was hoping for compared to years past...see Carter at 11 months...but we made due and still got some cute shots.  How 4 years flies by...

 The kids had an interesting lunch today.  Carter ate 3 bananas and Reese would only eat "pink eggs."  I have NO idea where she came up with that but I did indeed make her pink eggs, which she devoured.

This afternoon when we were outside, Reese was playing with the dog and heard her sneeze.  Right away she said, "Bless you, Radar."  So polite!

Fall DIY Decor

I'm always so jealous of people who have an eye for decorating.  I'm not very creative with my holiday decor and don't usually know where to start.  But I feel like I stumbled across a couple great and easy ideas for this year.

I found these flower balls on Pinterest.  Just artificial flowers and ribbon stuck into a Styrofoam ball.

I was hiking in the woods with the kids and found these cool berries that I picked.  They look great as a centerpiece and they were FREE!!!  We grew the larger yellow gourds in our own garden too!

Birds...

 We visited the Aviary this morning because it was their Free day for the year...apparently every other parent in Pittsburgh thought that'd a great idea as well because it was so crowded you couldn't even move, let alone see an actual bird.  After 45 minutes of battling the crowds and smelling some serious B.O. (That's bird odors), we gave up and opted for a walk in the nearby park where the kids saw waayyy more birds...er, ducks, at least.

Derrick was able to bike over from town to hang with us for half an hour so that was a treat too.  There is a Civil War memorial there that the kids enjoyed climbing on.  It has this quote, which I thought was a good one:

With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations. ~ Abraham Lincoln