Almost Over

The holidays are just about over, I took down all the decorations yesterday. Christmas was very nice. It was a lot of running around, but it's always nice to see family. Peanut Butter seemed to have a great time. Once she opened on present she wanted to open them all or take a bite in to them. She loves knocking down the stacking blocks I got her and likes to give the little dog a ride in the car. But of course she loved playing with the paper more than anything. The boy was more than happy with the PS3 and was excited about the gun. He can't wait for hunter safety now. It was nice being off for 2 weeks, but I think I appreciate the time I get to spend with PB more when I'm working. She's getting pretty independent though. She is going all day long, doing something or the other. She seems to enjoy climbing and pushing the chairs around more than playing with toys. Her new thing is talking on the phone. She like to steal our phone and pretend she is talking on it. I got her a toy cell phone yesterday; she went to town babbling away.

We don't have any plans for New Years right now. I'd be happy just staying home for once, but I'm sure J will want to do something.

Oh the Weather Outside is Frightfull

So here I am at 5am, I can't sleep. I don't know if my body is saying, "Hey you used to get up at this time everyday for work. I don't care if your on vacation." or if it's the predinisone. So I'll blog a little and go back to bed in an hour or so. The weather is kind of nasty outside a little mix of snow, ice, and wind. I was expecting to 6 inches of snow on the ground, but there might be an inch or 2. My Brother got stuck in Chicago last night. I don't know if he decided to rent a car and drive to my mom's last night or stayed the night hoping to fly in to Madison this morning. I will have to give him a jingle later.

Basketball didn't go so well yesterday. They lost all three games. The did make the 3rd one interesting staying pretty close. The boy played really well that game. He is actually starting to display some aggressiveness. It's hard not to tease him some when he gets talking about how to intimidate people, because he just been pretty passive until recently. He has even inquired if it is okay to kiss his girlfriend, mind you he's in 6th grade. I was a little taken aback, J thought it was funny. And he doesn't remember what his mom said to him about it. I guess he got her a necklace for Christmas and his mom bought that so she must be lightening up on the whole girlfriend issue. I get where she's coming from, I do think it is a little young for all that, but I do remember passing notes and such around that age. J said his first kiss, kiss, was in 6th grade so... I can't for the life of my think of when mine was I know it was older than that, but I guess it wasn't the moment in time that it is for most. He's dying for a cell phone for Christmas; he mom was going to get him a prepaid one. I'm not sure how I feel about it, but they are so handy at times. Our other big taboo purchase was a gun. Yes, J bought him a gun. The boy will finish hunter's safety and will be able to gun hunt next fall. We have a trigger lock and he is pretty responsible in the gun safety. He has both his Mom's dad and brother who hunt and J so it's nothing new he's being exposed to.

I am hoping to be in a more festive mood by the end of the day. Christmas is my favorite holiday, but I just haven't gotten that spirit per se. I am excited to see Peanut Butter open presents. I think I just feel a little overwhelmed with the whole clean the house, you really should get some Christams cookies made, and the end all evil, I hope everyone enjoys their gifts. J always goes all out on Christmas. I tend to feel bad not spending as much as he does, but for some reason he always has more money than I do. We have seperate accounts for those wondering, and I'm horrible with money, which will be another post next week. He's even talking about buying a HD TV. I'm like if that's what you, want it's your money. But back to the mood thing, hopefully after a big breakfast out with the fam, a couple of errands, some football, a touch of cleaning, a cookie or two and some Christams specials, Elf was on last night:) I'll be ready to go tomorrow.

Have a Merry Christmas Everyone!!

4 days and counting.

I know christmas is still 4 days away, but it feels like it will be tomorrow. I think I'm actually done shopping. I made the huge mistake of heading into this toy store yesterday. I was finished shopping for Peanut Butter, but of course I bought her a little wooden pull car with a dog driver, and an ugly doll. They had the coolest doll house with all the furniture. I told J, I can't wait until she's big enough for that. He said what if she doesn't want a doll house. Party pooper. I wish it was still fun to buy for the boy, but alas, it's all playstation for him. The boy has basketball tomorrow, so a whole day at the gym. Hopefully they play well. I haven't done any holiday baking as of yet. I'm hoping Sunday, but I have to clean the house too. I did get a bit of that done today. I realized I have way to many knick knacks and pared down a bit. I hate dusting. And by the looks of a couple items you could tell, I almost thought they were made out of dust. And yep, even with nothing to play with up there, she still wants to be on top of the table.

Cranky Pants

Peanut Butter has a serious case of cranky pants today. (they are so cute I had to share.) I think it is all Santa's fault. I really wanted to get a photo with Santa, I figured today would be a lot slower than on Saturday and it was. I figured we'd have a little time to get to know santa and we did. But she was not having any part of it. She clung on to me for dear life, even after blowing him kisses. So I didn't force her and we left. I need to pick up a couple things before we left and she didn't want any part of that screamed her lungs out in Pennys. I assumed she was hungry it was lunch time so we went over to Panera bread and cranky pants continued. she wouldn't eat and she had to drink the milk out of the straw, which she really hasn't figured out yet. They she wanted to drink my drink. She managed to eat most of her sandwich in between screams. It was packed in there to I felt bad for the people next to me. I'm probably making more out of it than it was cuz the one dude next to me didn't leave and he wasn't eating anything he was studying math. She was in too much a mood for me to attempt Target so we ventured home. She probably slept about 20 min in the car and as soon as I shut the engine off, Poof she is awake. She will not take a nap once we get in the house, but proceeds to whine and scream for the next 3 hrs. I bundled her up and walked down to the post office and after that she's been a pretty happy camper. I'm sure it will be early to bed tonite too, with her screaming around midnight to come co-sleep. At least J got to enjoy the fun this afternoon:)

Favorite Decoration

So f or Lesle's blog, here's my post of my favorite decoration, a set of 3 reindeer. I like the way the light shimmers off of them. I tried my best to capture a better picture, but I think I have all my settings all wonky on my camera. I wish I could remember where I bought these reindeer from, because I'd like to get more. I think it was a Home something party. If you know and have seen that these are still available let me know.

Mission Impossible

The mission should you choose it is to find a way that will keep Peanut Butter off of the table. She will not stay off of the chairs and I conceded this to her, fine, sit at the table like a big girl. But ultimately she is up on the table top. There isn't anything left up there anymore so I don't know what is appealing. But all day long it is a battle, I didn't think my vacation was going to consist of this. The only good thing is as I was waiting in the Dr.s' office I read that children between 1-2 who are defiant are generally kids who have good parents that set limits. But the bad news from the Dr is apparently I have shingles, which is why my skin has felt so chapped. I didn't get the rash or blisters, just extremely sensitive skin. I got some meds, so hopefully this will clear up by the weekend.

the little things

We went shopping today. Got a few more presents knocked off. I wanted to get Peanut Butters photo with Santa, I was so hoping she wouldn't cry. But J handed her over and boom the tears. I tried to calm her down a bit and they are like take her off. I just about had her ready and they were like your done. They handed her a coloring book and said come look at the photos. I could barely wait. So they show me the fantastic shots of her screaming and I'm like No, I'm not buying anything. And they were in shock that I didn't want any. I understand you have a crap load of kids to get through, but the 5 min you could have spent with me could have made you 25 bucks. It is just the little things.
Twice this week I feel like I've been ripped off by charities. Toys for Tots was outside Walgreen's and asked if I could help out, as little as 10 dollars. I said sure here's a 10." Well, we need 10.55." I said that's all the cash I have on me." Could you dig through your purse for change?" I'm like can't you just take the donation. And she looks at me all disappointed, so I say let me check my car. I find a dollar in there and hand it to her and she says pick a toy and put it in the barrel. So I do and get no change back. Fine its for charity. Today I'm in Barnes and Noble and as I'm checking out, "would you like to buy a book for dane county foster kids, we have books as low as 3.99." I say sure give me a 3.99 one. I pay I look at my slip later because I wasn't sure if they gave me the one dr suess book for free and no they didn't, and my 3.99 book for charity was 5.99. Yes it's only 2 bucks, but it could be 2 bucks for another charity. I'm ready to give up on the whole thing. It is the little things.

elves

The boy and Peanut Butter as elves.

a christmas video

Just a little video for you.

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Its a give away.

The Letter C

Bear with me I haven’t posted in a few days and actually had some things on my mind.

C Is for cookies. I gave Peanut Butter some Oreos, well Newman Os, yesterday I don’t know how much of the cookie she actually got in her mouth. The dog had a field day. Why Newman O’s you ask? Because they aren’t make with bleached enriched flour and corn syrup. I hope I haven’t created a monster, since now she has started begging for them. I’m glad I don’t buy them very often.

C Is for corn syrup. I have an obsession with corn syrup; I don’t want it in my food, especially when it doesn’t need to be there. I understand caramel is made from corn syrup and most candies, that’s fine, I choose not to eat those things very often, but why does it need to be in bread, spaghetti sauce, ketchup, yogurt, baby formula, crackers….. I could go on forever. Knowing that I’m eating something with it in it almost makes me sick. People ask how I lost weight and I say give up the corn syrup and dextrose, its other name. I make a very conscious effort to not buy anything with it in it. It is very hard sometimes, which is probably why I spend so much freaking money on groceries. You almost have to buy organic or specialty foods to avoid it.

C Is for Christmas. It is coming way to fast, and I am way to money crunched. I can’t believe all the coupons and deals this year. The stores are doing almost anything to get you in there. I am done shopping for PB, unless I spy a cute outfit. They boy is done except for is game system, but J is buying that. I just have a few more things to get and let the wrapping begin. I may have to bake some cookies. I have a bit more to decorate and I can get my Rubbermaid tubs out of the way.

C Is for cleaning. I desperately need to give my house a good cleaning. I’m glad I start vacation this afternoon, so I can get started. We have so much clutter it is crazy. I seem to go through it every other day and poof we have piles again. Piles of paper, piles of clothes, piles of dog hair, piles of dishes….

C Is for chapped skin. I hate winter. My skin is so dry and chapped it is burning right now. I slathered on the lotion this morning and 30 min later it is just pain. I’ve never had it this bad. I am open to any suggestions. I currently use Aveeno lotion, though the Neutrogena fast absorbing hand cream seems to work pretty well.

C Is for chores. Apparently, I am the only person on the planet who expects chores to be done for in exchange for money. The boy flat out told me no, when I asked him if he was going to shovel. His feet were cold. He’d better not ask me for money.

C Is for crisis. What to do with our dog. He is getting to be a handful. He went after the neighbor boy the other day. He said he was fine. He is constantly whining to go out or to be let by his food. He isn’t listening. He is growling more often. Took him to the vet for shots Monday and she said he’s probably feeling cooped up and such. She said to try and have him run out his aggressions. I thought I could make this work, but I’m thinking I may have to call the humane society pretty soon. It’s been a hard adjustment for him with PB.

C Is for co-sleeping. Nope we haven’t broken that yet, in fact it’s worse. She will lay down and go right to sleep in her crib at 8pm and like clock work between 11:30 and 12:30 she is up screaming bloody murder. We bring her to bed and she crawls over to me and snuggles up. She has even gotten so bold as to pull my arm over to hug her. I’m just too beat to remember to get up and put her back in her crib. And as much as J complains about her sleeping in our bed he doesn’t move her either. I’m considering trying to move her to her big bed, but I’m wondering if 16 months is too soon.

You Are a Bright Christmas Tree

For you, the holidays are all about fun and seasonal favorites. You are into all things Christmas, even if they're a little tacky.

What Christmas Tree Are You?

Kicking and Screaming

45 minutes, I repeat, 45 minutes, that is how long my daughter threw herself on the floor for kicking and screaming yesterday. She actually kicked herself up onto the lower shelf of the coffee table and out the other side. I have no idea why or what made it stop. I was hoping she would make it last long enough for her father to enjoy, but serenity entered her body as the phone rang with her dad saying he was on his way home. She apparently only wants to share the good times with mama.

The boy has another dance tonight. I guess they have dance fever in middle school. I don't remember ever having that many dances, certainly not 2 weeks in a row. He hasn't done a thing to earn any money, so I don't know how he thinks he's going to get in, unless his mom passed him some cash this morning. I have a hard time just giving him money for not doing anything. I remember having lists of things we had to have done during the week, he can't remember to feed the dog or make his bed. He got lucky and it snowed, so I'll have to make him shovel. And shovel he did, I'll give him credit he did a decent job. His mom gave him some money too. He'll be able to buy all the ladies something to drink.

Basketball tournaments start tomorrow, thankfully it is in town this weekend and his first game isn't til noon. I took the day off, so who hoo, I get to sleep in til 8 or when the girl says get up. I have this killer sinus problem, so some sleep will be great. I think we need a humidifier, between home and work it is so unbearably dry, I think it may be the source of my problem.

She Doesn't Stop

The girl just doesn't stop. She is go, go, go all day long, except for a short period called a nap, or recharging. Today it was the chairs. Now that she has figured out how to get up into the seat, she must be in one. If you have the chair slightly away from the table or desk, she has a homing beacon and is alerted and is in that chair and all the naughtiness that awaits in the arms length of where she is sitting. I thought I had all the chairs pushed in as I was sitting at the computer and I look behind me to see where she is at and it's in the chair with daddy's check book in one hand and a pen in the other. It looked like she was going to balance his books. So she screams bloody murder when I take the pen from her, but perks up when I offer a pencil and sheet of paper. So I leave her be. I look back again and there she is standing on the table with a salt shaker in her mouth, looking for some place to run. So of course I say smile and make daddy proud and get a couple photos. J gets home and he never pushes the chair at our desk back in, so she's in it every time he gets up. Then she was in a drawer in the kitchen that of course has all the screws and teeny pieces. Yes, I need to child proof better, but the brains I gave her have just kicked into hyper drive and she's into things she's never given a second glance to. I was not prepared.

O Christmas Tree

We went and got a tree on Saturday, I miss going out and cutting one down, but it's just easier to pick out a cut one until Peanut Butter gets a little older. The weather was crap that day anyway. We took a chance on one that still had its branches up from being bundled. I thought J was crazy to buy one we weren't sure what it was going to look like, but it turned out to be a pretty nice tree. I decorated it last night while J gave PB a bath. She was in awe when she came down and I was shocked she didn't run over to pull any of the ornaments down. Well, right away anyways. The awe must have worn off and she thought well, I like pretty things I just take one or two. Stinker. J said she stayed away from it this morning, but learned how to pretty much shut herself in the refrigerator and how to pull the chair away from the computer desk so she can get up on it. Figures she ended up with my brains. She has become fascinated with the Rudolph figures that play songs. I collect Rudolph stuff and have the Bumble, Rudolph, Cornelius, and Santa. Well I have two Bumbles since I didn't think I had one and bought another. Since she likes them so much I kept that one for her. I'm going crazy listening to the darn things. She stands and points until you play one for her, and the one a gave her it roars right away, which scares her, even after being played a hundred times, which is pretty funny.

Thoughts for Thursday

I decided I’d give Thoughts for Thursday a try. My thought is why are we so scared. When I was a kid I was let loose and had to be home at 6pm for dinner and at the curfew whistle 9pm in the winter 10pm in the summer. Our neighborhood stretched across about a mile along a highway. If we were up to any shenanigans, parents would be getting a call. Everyone knew who everyone was, and you knew who the “strange” ones, i.e. pedophiles,were and were told not to go near their homes. We didn’t have traveling squads for everything, unless you made the all star team for little league, which was at the end of the season. We had pick up games for baseball and basketball. We had regular forts in the summer, and snow forts for snowball fights in the winter. We played king of the hill and had a ice skating rink in our park. We actually used the park, we would swing high, flip off the teeter-totters, and get that merry go round going so fast someone was sure to get sick. We rode our bikes everywhere, there were no rides places, if we wanted to go swimming it was a 2 mile bike ride to the flowage with seaweed and leeches, not to the pool, that has to have a waterslide. We used this thing called our imagination and pretend to be anything and everything. We did have Atari but it didn’t consume our lives. We camped out in back yards, climbed trees, and played flashlight tag. What has happened in the last 15 yrs that we now seem to live shuttered up in our homes, afraid to let our children out because they are going to get kidnapped and molested? Why does every sport have to be run through an organization to be fun, or worthwhile? I told someone I was going to have the boy, 11, walk 2 blocks to the middle school in the dark, 6:30pm in the winter, to basketball practice and they thought I was crazy. Seriously have we become that scared we can't have a kid walk two blocks. Or have we become that busy that we can't get to know anyone anymore. I'd much prefer my backyard neighbor to come talk to me about her concerns about my dog, than calling the cops, which I'm sure have better things to do, like fight crime, than be bothered with my dumb dog. I worry that my daughter will miss out on all the fun I had as a kid.

Esty

Esty, where have you been all my surfing life. I have spent to much time on this site yesterday and today. I bought Peanut Butter the cutest, way too expensive hat. I couldn't resist, I had to have her make it in purple. I normally will not pay that much for a hat she'll probably lose, but I loved it. I have been considering getting one for myself. I cannot believe all the cool stuff on here. I may have to make a wish list for Christmas.

As for naughty girl she was pretty good today. A jabber box, but a good girl. She had a hoot kicking the big ball around the living room tonight. She also had a good time pouring out my soda on the carpet, so maybe she wasn't so good. I'm hoping she'll sleep the night in her crib. Whoever I told that I loved snuggling with her while I sleep, well not so much anymore. She only snuggles right when she come into our bed after screaming her head off. Then she takes over pushing me off the bed, or she sleeps the wrong way, so her feet are constantly kicking my back, and it she should happen to stray across to J's side of the bed, plunk he drops her right back on my side usually on my head or hair. I usually put her back in her crib when I get up for work at 4:50, but I now enjoy having her wake her daddy, by banging his head with the TV remote wanting him to turn on Sesame Street. She was good for a whole week sleeping in her crib, I think the cosleeping while we were in gooberville reverted her.
I'm also trying to ween her from the nuk, I'll let her sleep with it, but I'm trying to get her out of having it during the day. She seams to be doing okay with that, granted it's only been a couple days.

Naughty Girl

I pick up Peanut Butter from daycare today and I get the news, "She's been pulling hair today. We caught her three times." I said oh we've been having a bit of a problem with that. They said they gave her a talking to, which I'm sure made sense in her 15 mo old brain. I'm not sure how to get her to stop. I've tried a number of things. She seems to do it to me when she's either mad or tired. She's been trying to stand on her car again, before I had a chance to stop her she was up and wham she was down. She seems to be going through a naughty phase.

Cranky

Cranky, that's how I'm feeling today. I'm afraid I've taken it out on the family too. Peanut Butter started it though:) She was horrible when she got up from her nap today. Just plain naughty and tantrum throwing. I tried to take some photos for our cards. I'm not sure I like them it's down to these two.

Shopping

Thanksgiving went ok. Peanut Butter was pretty good on the ride up. I think the dvd player helped. Turkey day food was good. PB got it all over. She had a rough afternoon with another little girl. She took everything from PB and after about an hour, PB had had enough and grabbed the girl's hair with both fist and shook. I had a hard time prying her fingers off, she was quite angry. We then went and took a nap. I guess the other girl is going through the whole another baby in the house issues, and is very possessive.
Today I went shopping by myself for a whole day. I wish I had longer, I didn't get nearly enough done. I got shopping done for my secret santa. I wish they would make shoes in size eleven. I couldn't find a pair to save my life. I am also having problems figuring out what to get people for Christmas. I may just wing it and hope people are happy. I can't believe I couldn't find anything I liked at ON for PB it has to be a first.

Tired

Seriously, I am beat tired. I am getting depressed because I am so tired. On top of being tired, I still have this nagging sinus problem. I am not looking forward to getting up early again tomorrow. I am not looking forward to packing yet tonite. I am not looking forward to work tomorrow, even though I only have to work 6 hrs. I am not looking forward to a 5 hr car ride with possible snow with a 15mo old, while driving at my worst time of the day, when it's getting dark; I have a hard time focusing. I am not looking forward to gooberville. I almost broke down tonight, the tears started, but I said suck it up there are single moms who do this everyday, you've only done it a week. I did get a good haircut today. I was happy about that. I said, I wish I could do the posh cut, and she said well, you probably could. I said no, hers is a little too much. So she cut it a little inverted. It doesn't look anything like posh's hair, but I really like it. We'll see how much I like it tomorrow when I have to style it. I'll post a pic when I get a chance. Well, I'd better be off to pack and sleep.

Have a Happy Turkey Day.

Kisses

It was a long day. Peanut Butter was rarin' to go when I got home from work. She was bobbing on the stroller and then she gave us kisses. They taught her how to do it at day care, but I rarely get her to do it for me. My mom was here for the weekend watching PB while I was at work since J is off hunting. It was nice, PB was in a good mood all weekend and was a big ham for Nana. Nana brought some delicious chocolates that she got in Belgium along with a cute little outfit for PB and a stuffed animal rabbit. It was all very nice. Thanks Nana. You can kind of see the botched hair cut in the video. I fixed it as best I could today. It looks a lot better.

What was I thinking?

Peanut Butter needed her bangs trimmed, so I trimmed them. After they dried they were still in her eyes, so I trimmed them a little more, or should I say a little too much. Then she wouldn't stay still to even them out. I'm devastated, I can't believe what I did to my daughter. I am too embarrassed to even post a photo. Maybe tomorrow after I try to fix them again. She is going to so look like Dora. What was I thinking?

Deer Hunting

J left for "the land" for deer hunting today. It has been irritating me for weeks. He's been building up this whole week he's going to be away and wonders why I'm pissed about it. I know he's been doing it for the last how many years, I don't care that he goes, it's the fact that I never go anywhere anymore and am a tad jealous, and dropping off PB at 5:30 am at daycare isn't the easiest thing, I have no idea how single parents do what they do everyday. I dream of having a weekend away, let alone a week. I've been considering going to Scrapfest in Texas, but I don't know if I can afford it. I'm a little afraid to meet the online people in person, I have this preconceived notion of who everyone is and don't want to ruin it. I'm on the fence. I have decided that since I'm going to miss Black Friday, being in gooberville, next Sunday I am going out into the world by myself, a day without PB trying to be Houdini getting out of the cart or trying eat every package that I place in the cart. I will take time to try things on, hem and haw, without worrying that she is now standing on the seat trying to climb out or sneak under the door into someone else's dressing room. I will be able to spend more than 15 minutes in the scrapbook store, shopping for my secret santa. Though I talk big, I would miss my Peanut Butter so much if I went away for a weekend. Like I told J, I chose her to be my life now. He said I need a night out. I'm like I quit drinking what would a night out do for me, unless it was dinner and a movie. I could handle that. I miss movies in the theater.
I suppose you're still wondering what or where is gooberville. It is my hometown, though my parents no longer live there. It is a population of about 1000, and our whole main street is just about all bars. I think there are probably 20 of them. Drinking is the past time. In the winter it is a snowmobiling mecca, and there are 4 ski hill in the area. We have what is called the lower block of what is our main street. And what is the lower block you ask? Its where the 5-6 strip joints are. It is on the border with Michigan and they have all the stores, well had them, they do have Kmart, and it sound like wally world is coming to take over, so there won't be much shopping on Black Friday. It's just depressing. J now owns land there with a guy at work who is also from there. It is weird how many of us from gooberville do what we do.Yes, I knew who he was, everyone knows everyone and he graduated with my brother. The only bad thing is the few people I would still consider my friends I haven't talked to in years. I was thinking about dropping one a card letting her know I was going to be in the area and see if she wanted to get our girls together and play. I haven't seen either one of her daughters. I guess I just fear the rejection of why now, and don't mail it.

Hello? It's for you.

I took Peanut Butter to JC Pennys today for some photos. I was fairly happy. I got a bit nervous when she screamed for about 15 min of the 30 min car ride before falling asleep. Apparently that little nap did wonders because she was raring to go after that. I picked out 2 different poses. One she has my, " aren't I the cutest thing" look. It is too funny. We did lunch and some grocery shopping and got my oil changed. She was a card when we got home, yelling and running, I was just waiting for her to drop to the floor and fall asleep, but she kept going. She has started to figure out the play phone. We, or should I say I, have been talking into it like someone's calling and handing it to her. They make that cord so darn short these days. I'm amazed that thing still sells. Does anyone have a rotary phone any more? Today she was sitting on her car with the phone. I can't believe she thinks she need a cell phone already.

Stairs

PB went down stairs by herself for the first time today. Of course, no one saw her do it. J said she was watching TV on our bed and he went to take a shower. He came out and walked by the stairway and she laughed at him and he looked down and there she was sitting on the landing. Thankfully she didn’t fall and break her head open. We haven’t gated them going down because she has never really looked at or attempted going down. But I’ve been wondering when she was going to try them. The other night she was staring down them like she wanted to try. She pushed the laundry basket I had sitting on the top of the stairs down, and ran into our room and found one of the remotes and threw it down. She’s pretty good at getting up them. I sometimes wonder if I give her too much freedom. She pretty much has free reign on the lower floor. We don’t have a bathroom on the lower floor to be playing in the toilet, and I have the stairway up gated. I just let her do her thing and if she starts getting in too much trouble, like climbing up on to the sofa table I stop her. And there isn’t too much to get into upstairs, I usually shut the bathroom door and the sometimes the door to my scrap room, but she loves playing with my ribbons which are currently in a box on the floor, which is easy access for her. I’m just not a hoverer, I’d rather she learn and figure out things on her own. I sit and play with her and read her books when she lets me; she wants to flip, flip, flip the pages. But for the most part I let her be her independent self, when she wants me, she lets me know, which never fails to be in the middle of making dinner.

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Six down and one day of work to go. I am looking forward to my days off. I don’t really have any plans for them. I might try and get Peanut Butter in for some photos. I need to figure out what to do for Christmas cards too. I should get my haircut, but that might have to wait until next week. I was so disappointed with the photos that we taken at daycare. They had a photographer come in. Last year my photos were so good, I had a hard time choosing. This year, the teachers raved about how she smiled and such, so I was excited to get the proofs, and I was, to be honest, pissed when I saw the proofs. I told J to make sure her sweatshirt wasn’t zipped all the way up when he dropped her off, but someone zipped it way up, and someone combed her hair all forward so she looks like that little boy off of eight is enough. I swear on the form I said no stuffed animals and there she is, in the one photo she actually had a smile, next to this huge white cheesy bear. And in 2 others on a bench with a big white cheesy bunny? It’s not even close to being Easter. In most of them she has this duh look. I should scan them and post them, but I’ll obey the whole copyright thing. I need get some done to give out at Christmas. I just wish we had someone local other than Wal-Mart that did inexpensive photos. The place I had most of hers done is $79 for 3 5x7s and 4 wallets. And after I was treated at the last shoot, I don’t think I’ll go back.

I finished another book off of my list today, Jennifer Government. It was a decent read. I cruised through it. I didn’t think that I would like it after the first chapter, but I ended up getting into it. It is based in the future where companies and corporations basically run the world and one company decides to murder to boost profits. Everyone’s last name is based on who you work for, hence the agent investigating the murders, Jennifer Government.

Sleep

Sleep, oh do I need some. I had the harebrained idea to come into work at 2 am this morning. I need a little overtime; otherwise Santa may not be visiting our house. I got to go to bed at 8pm, but Peanut Butter got up about 15 min after I laid down, so I brought her to bed with me and we fell asleep. About 10:20 pm she started coughing and woke me up, I put her back in her crib and tried to fall back asleep. About 11:00 I had to turn on the TV for some noise to fall asleep to and of course PB woke up again about 11:15. I let her cry for a bit, but when she starts shrieking, I can’t take it, so I brought her back to bed and J joined us and we all fell asleep. And then the alarm at 12:45 am, yep, 12:45 am, an of course my clock is set about 15 min ahead so it’s 12:30, I hit snooze a few times and drag my behind out at 1 am. So since 4:50 am yesterday, I've had about 4 hrs of sleep. I got really tired around 5am, but since then I’ve been ok. I really need a nap at this point, my contacts are pasted to my eyes, I have a sinus headache, a bit of heartburn, and I can’t stop eating, which is the biggest pitfall. All that for an extra hundred dollars.

Speaking of Santa, I’ve been looking for something different to get PB for Christmas. I’ve been looking online at Moolka.com. They have some neat stuff. I’m considering: the cow, the monkey, this doll, or this one.

I was looking at their cars to get my cousin’s son one and all the ones I like are out of stock, like this one so I might get this or this. He’s a little more than a month older than PB. I'm considering the stack of blocks for PB also.

All the boy wants is and xbox or ps3 and if he get either one, I'm thinking that is about all he's getting. He's at that age where he's so hard to buy for. I've can't believe I'm saying this, but I think I might give up on buying him books, otherwise I'll just have to buy him the ones I want to read. Like the Dark Materials series, since people want to make an up roar about boycotting it, I must read it.

I was reading zoe's blog about the bratz doll, which will never be allowed in this house, and appropriate clothes for kids, and agree, I don't know why it's become okay to sexualize little kids.

It Is Getting Colder

Well, it's starting to get colder. It has been consistently in the 40's and as usual I am freezing in the house. We have the heat set at 67 in the day and 64 while we are sleeping. I have to have a long sleeve shirt, pants and my slippers on now to keep from freezing. J is so warm blooded, I swear he'd turn the heat off. I used to be that way years ago, but now I'm cold all the time. I think Peanut Butter has his warm bloodedness. I bought her some old navy slippers to keep her toeses warm, she worn them for about 10 minutes and ripped them off and threw them over the gate at the dog.
PB and I went to Madison this afternoon to get a winter coat and some snow pants. I found a cute set at Target and bought it, but then I went to BabiesRus and found a cute set there that was on sale for $10 less. So I bought that one and returned the other to Target. PB would not leave her shoes on, which is funny because I was looking for a new pair for her and I lost one in Shopko. I don't know how , but I found it under a rack of clothes. But I didn't find a new pair for her.
We ate dinner at Panera Bread and they had some funky jazz on. PB thought it was great, she danced in her high chair as she ate. She must have been hungry because she ate a whole turkey and cheese sandwich. I had the fuji apple salad. It's currently my favorite thing there.
She's been a stinker lately. She pushed her car up to the coffee table and climbs up. For some reason she thinks she's so cool up there. As soon as she gets up there she says hey, and you look and she either waves or laughs. Today she got up there and started dancing to Dragon Tales. She's lucky she's so stinkin' cute.

Your firstborn's story

This list of questions is making the blog rounds, and since I loved reading everyone else's here's mine.


1. What were your reactions? Complete shock, I thought it would've taken longer than 2 months off of Depo, since they say don't expect anything for a year.
   
2. How old were you? 31 when I found out 32 when I had her.
3. How did you find out your were pregnant? J, out of the blue, said I think you're pregnant, I laughed, bought a pregnancy test to prove him wrong and it was positive, and so were the next 3.
   
4. Who did you tell first? my mom
   
5. Did you want to find out the sex? Yes, it took 2 ultrasounds.
   
6. Did you deliver early or late? A day early
   
7. Did you have morning sickness? Only when I took my prenatals in the morning before I ate.
   
8. What did you crave? Culvers chocolate shakes, ice cream in general, I had a strong adversion to fish.
   
9. Who irritated you the most? No one
10. What was your first child’s sex? Girl
11. How many pounds did you gain throughout the pregnancy? I'm embarassed to say, but a whopping 50.
    
12. Did you have any complications? I was borderline for preeclampsia. I dumped a ton of protien,had leg swelling beyond belief, but no high blood pressure.
    
13. Where did you give birth? At the hospital
14. How many hours were you in labor? 0, I went in to be induced, but apparently my contractions were about 5 min apart by the afternoon. I didn't feel any of them and they checked to see how dilated I was and found out the baby was in the breech position so I chose a c-sect instead of trying to turn the baby.
    
15. Who drove you to the hospital? J
16. Who watched? J, they almost forgot to bring him in.
    
17. Was it natural or c-section? C-sect
18. Did you take medicine to ease the pain? Yes
19. How much did your child weigh? 9 lbs 7 oz
    
20. Did you child have any complications? None, other than being breech
    
21. What did you name him? Maggie Janet
    
22. How old is your first born today? 15 months
    

Lost to Navy??

Notre Dame lost to Navy for the first time in 43 years, and it has to happen the first time we go to a Notre Dame game.

We drove to Michigan City, IN, on Friday. Our map quest directions we a wee bit off, but we finally found our hotel. We freshened up, changed, and went for dinner at the Heston Supper Club. They had the best prime rib I've ever eaten. It was fantastic. I had the perch too, which was fine. If you go, be prepared for a long dinner. I think we were there for an hour and a half, with no dessert. We headed back to Michigan City and I said, hey we haven't been to a movie since before Peanut Butter was born, so we found the local cineplex and saw Dan in Real Life. I really liked it, a romantic comedy. Steve Carell is awesome.

We left for South Bend fairly early and got to the College Football Hall of Fame around 9:30. We walked around for about and hour and a half. We had been there before, so it wasn't as interesting as the first time. But a decent place to see if you're interested in that sort of thing. We headed toward Notre Dame and ate brunch at Bob Evans. I had their pumpkin bread slices; they were delish. So much for eating well, but I justify it being vacation. We got to Notre Dame around noon and J was like a kid in a candy store. He was excited, he's been a Notre Dame fan his whole life. We had been on campus before, but never to a game. The campus is beautiful and there was still some fall color left. There of course were tons of "my"people, as J called them. We saw touchdown Jesus, bought some fleeces, walked to the church, the golden dome, to the fountain they dye green for game day, and around the stadium. We went in the stadium about an hour before the game, the view from the top was amazing.

The game was pretty good, why Notre Dame didn't try to kick a field goal to try and win at the end of the 4th quarter is beyond me. 3 OTs, it was pretty exciting. It was such a let down when they lost. We left right away and luckily got to the shuttle to the parking lot and made the second bus, they family in front of us said last time they waited 45 min to get back. We got out of the lot and on the express way right away and made pretty good time back. We picked up Peanut Butter at 10:20. She was excited to see us. Our friends said she was really good.

All in all it was a great get away. I had a lot of fun, though I did miss my PB.

Blah

So, I've got that just feeling blah thing going on again. I got assigned a crappy job for tomorrow, my Friday, so I just said blah, I'm taking a vacation day and it's a five day weekend. We're leaving on Friday for my first night away from Peanut Butter and it has me feeling anxious. Will she have everything, will she throw her tantrums for my friend, will she go to sleep for them. I know it's only one night, and she'll be okay, but it just has me all blah. J wants to eat at this fancy place on Friday night. It says casual dress, but any place that charges 30 dollars for a steak is more than t-shirt and jeans. So I have to find something to wear. There's all this pressure of having this great night to ourselves that also has me feeling blah. There's a chance of rain on Saturday, I don't want to sit at a football game in the rain. It's only a 30% chance but blah. Driving through Chicago is going to suck, blah. Seeing as I just read an article on the ton of road construction their doing.
PB has been throwing tantrums lately yesterday I think she cried for 3 hrs kicking her feet on the floor. She's like that video if you walk away she finds you and throws herself down again. Nothing seems to make her happy. Tonight she did it for 45 min while I was making dinner because I wouldn't carry her the whole time. J walked in from work and said what's going on here as PB is laying in the middle of the kitchen bawling kicking the floor. But he picked her up and gave her her nuk and it was all good. I think she was getting hungry, she ate a ton tonight.

Playing Tag

So a new round of tag has started. Think of a subject, or make up questions, or whatever you want and tag 3 people. So lets see what I can come up with.

Where would you like to vacation someday before you kick it? Why?

I need to go to Austria and Germany. I would love to see the Bavarian cottages in the alps. I would like to see Auschwitz. I can't image what I would feel there or if I could begin to comprehend what happened there. I would like to see where the wall was. I would like to drive really fast on the autobahn. I would like to see some of the beautiful castles. I'm sure there's more I'm not thinking of this moment.

Ireland is another stop on my list. I dream of green. I'd like to stay at and inn, do a jig in a pub and I'd go off the wagon to try some whiskey and have Guinness, and kiss the blarney stone. I'm also curious about the whole northern Ireland and the "troubles" . I want to see for my self the rocky coast and take my own photos of it instead of looking at the guide book. I'm not real hot on corn beef and cabbage, but I can probably skip that.

I now tag Cassandra Georgina and Denise

Trick or Treat.

I got Peanut Butter all dressed up for Trick or Treating in her monkey costume that my mom bought. It was so cute. She walked over to the neighbors and she had a special bag set up for her. She walked down the sidewalk a bit and made it to a few more houses. We mostly hung out in front of the house giving out candy. She ate a Hersey bar, half a kit kat, a tootsie roll and had a lollipop. I can't believe I let her have so much sugar, but hey it was trick or treating. At one point she dropped her bag and bent down to pick it up and ended up doing a complete somersault it was so funny. J had her dancing tonight, she is such a hoot.

The Dentist

The dentist went ok today. Peanut Butter got a little needy while I was in getting my cleaning. I was holding her as the dentist geared up and I think it freaked her out and she just screamed. But she was ok after that. The boy doesn't have any cavities, but he was told he need to brush better, big shocker. He was pretty helpful with PB today so I gave him his zombie box back. We went to Whole Foods and they were still out of dark chocolate chips in bulk. They'd better have them the next time; I'm going through withdrawals no other ones taste the same. We had lunch the the Olive Garden and shopped a bit at Target. I was proud of myself I didn't buy PB any clothes, and it was hard. I can't seem to find one of those white sharpie poster paint pens anywhere. I don't want to order one pen online, so I guess I'll keep looking. PB's got a pretty nasty cold. She didn't get to nap very well today so once we got home she slept quite a bit, I was worried she wouldn't go down very easy tonight but she did. She's like her Momma likes to sleep a lot when she's sick. J still asked about the cold medicine tonight and I explained again what the FDA said and he said well if people wouldn't keep their kids doped up all day. My reply was, like some one who says can't you give her something.

I've been Tagged.

Lesle got me

These are the rules I’m supposed to follow:

1. Link to your tagger, and also post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of you post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are TAGGED by leaving a comment on their blog.

My Random Facts
1. I have lost around 50 pounds in the past year. My goal is 20 more.
2. I am a Dark Chocolate junkie.
3. I have a love/hate relationship with cooking. I love to put a good meal on the table but hate the work, cleanup and dishes.
4. I have this weird super smell, the littlest thing I smell it.
5. I absolutely hate spiders.
6. I sometimes walk down the hallways at work pretending I'm on the runway ala antm.
7. I will never bungee jump or anything like it. And it's not because I'm afraid of heights.

I don't know enough bloggers to tag and I'm a big scaredy cat to ask so...

Ham it up

Can I just say I couldn’t be happier it’s Friday, well my Friday. I actually put in a whole seven day stretch without using any leave time. I had a crummy job today too, but it went ok. I’m a little tired though, Peanut Butter got up at 2 am last night just screaming. I pulled her out of the crib and she was bucking and kicking. She didn’t even take her nuk. I almost thought she might be possessed, since she was like that for almost 10 min. I was just about to let her work it out in her crib and Daddy worked his magic and brought her to bed. She crawled over and curled up with me and fell asleep. I put her back in her crib since she has a cough, and it annoys J to all end when someone is coughing when he’s trying to sleep. He apparently hasn’t been keeping up with the news, because he kept begging me to “just give her something.” He apparently understood when I said that something could kill her. I don’t remember saying that to him, but I was half asleep. But I guess she was doing fine this morning when I called home. She is so into bee-bopping around, shaking her hair like the Beatles. Last night she just danced and danced in her high chair. She cracked us all up.

We’re off to the dentist tomorrow. I hope the boy doesn’t have any cavities. I find it strange that something so automatic for my like brushing my teeth when I get up and when I go to bed and sometimes in between, is so hard for him to do. I think he needs things to hurt to understand the ramifications. He doesn’t understand that some of these actions, or non actions, can hurt our pocketbooks. It’s frustrating, and I’ve become the evil stepmother. I discussed this with J last night since I had to take that zombie box, the play station, and his TV away. I asked him to fold and put away his clothes and he just crammed them all on one shelf. I told him that wasn’t acceptable. So he put some shirts on hangers the wrong way, and threw a bunch of stuff behind a cart and said he cleaned it up. I know what your thinking, how can you put clothes on hangers the wrong way? Well, he doesn’t but them on so they hang on the shoulders; he puts them on so the hanger is poking out the front and back. So I took the ps and thought I disabled the TV, but he got that to work, until I unscrewed the satellite. Then he got down to business and actually cleaned it up. I was shocked it was neat and everything. I’ll give the TV back this afternoon, since he cleaned the rest of his room too. J thought I should give it back last night, but didn’t want to step on my toes. I don't know maybe I'm too hard.

So here's a new layout and a new photo of PB little ham.

Your Monster Profile

War Professor You Feast On: Beer You Lurk Around In: The Hearts of Men You Especially Like to Torment: Cops

What's Your Monster Name?

Couldn't help myself had to copy Georgina and Lesle.

Hello bloggers, PB’s mom here. Hee hee, a little intro courtesy of Gossip Girl, my new must see teen show. I have one that I get wrapped up in every year. First, there was Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, loved it. I have most of the seasons on DVD and I never get tired of watching it. Then there was Veronica Mars, I can’t believe they cancelled my saucy, little sleuth. I’m in the process of getting those on DVD. J wonders why I watch these shows, he seems to him that a woman in her thirties shouldn’t be hooked on shows about high schoolers. He even rolls his eyes at America ’s Next Top Model. I love to sit and eat ice cream while watching size 0s getting all catty. Maybe it’s because my high school life was so mundane or because I went to school in a super small town and didn’t have much variety or cliques. They just seem have so much more “drama”. Whatever, I love ‘em.

It’s been pretty boring on the home front. We’re in between sports seasons with the boy. Which is kind of nice, I don’t have to use vacation time on the weekends for a while, since I don’t have a whole lot left. Peanut Butter has been exploring, her new thing is to grab my finger and drag me to the back door to go outside. I let her out on the deck and she puts her head through the rails and looks around and waves at the neighbors if they are outside. Sometimes we walk down the driveway to the front of the house. She then climbs up the front stairs and thinks she’s all cool walking on the pedestals. I’ve been letting her give the dog treats; she gets a big kick out of it. She was in the cupboards again yesterday. She climbs way in there to pull out every last thing. She has pictures tomorrow at daycare. I don’t know what I’m going to put her in. I bought all these cute clothes last month, but I bought them in bigger sizes so I had stuff she could grow into. The 18 months are a wee bit big, so I might have to seek out an outfit after work today. I’m sure J will love that.

I actually got a page done last night. J has gone up north for the weekend to their deer camp. They have to get everything ready. He called me this afternoon and said they put up a buck pole today, and I say sarcastically, why? He says "oh so you have jokes today." If you don't know a buck pole is where you hand the dead deer from to show off. I don't think he's ever shot one he'd want to hang on the buck pole. The one year he came home and I think our dog was bigger. I do like venison sausage and hot sticks, but I hate cooking the steaks and especially the hamburger. The smell overwhelms me; I can't stand it.
I got a new med for my allergies and this one isn't much better, I know have pounding in my forehead in the morning. I'm not sure what to do about it anymore. I think I'm going to have to try the nette pot.
Well I'm off to hopefully finish another page tonight. Oh they finally passed the budget last night. Whoo Hoo.

We went to Madison today. Our legislature hasn't passed a budget yet, it was due this past June. People rallying against no new taxes were there, so state and local employees came out to rally for passing a budget. I will say, I am a state employee and it was my regular day off, because as I was leaving,I hear some random guy saying, " They sure aren't helping themselves, and they wonder why people are against state employees." I don't know if he thought we all took off of work, which no one was supposed to, or thought we were wanting bigger raises, which this was totally not about. I don't think people realize that if they don't pass a budget money runs out. Schools aren't getting their money, local municipalities aren't getting their money. They are going to have to raise property taxes to fund these things. So while the Legislature may not raise taxes the counties and cities will. I work for the Dept of Corrections and if a budget doesn't get passed we will have to find a place for 600 inmates that are being housed through contracts at county jails. We will lose gps tracking on sex offenders. Probation and Parole agents will be laid off along with so called "non-essential" personnel. If they have a job to do now, aren't they essential? I don't think people understand what being "tough on crime" means. We take in more inmates than ever, but have the same amount of bed space. Where do they go? We put them on the floor tripled up, we set up bunks in common areas, and we contract out space. We are dealing with a lot of offenders that just don't care about anything; they are more violent and more difficult to control. We are placing more inmates in lower security levels, because that is where beds open up. We have been living in this denial that everything is ok until something happens. Why does someone have to get hurt or worse to make a change? What gets me is there is this big push to cut non management jobs. Where I work we cut at least 9 non management jobs, while we cut 1 administrative position, yet created 3 more to take it's place. Instead of paying one person $60,000 we now pay 3 of them at least $50,000 a piece. Where does that make sense? There is so many places to cut money, I see waste on a day to day basis, but no one seems to ask the right people where cuts should come from. I used to love politics, it was what I was majoring in before I quit college. But there is so much outside money involved that unless one is a big donor, your voice isn't heard. We no longer live in a democracy, we live in who had the most special interest money wins. Ok I'll stop boring you with my rants.

It’s my Friday, even thought I took the last 2 days off. I ran to Madison yesterday since I could go without PB and take my time. I went to old navy and got a couple things. I was hoping to find something for PB’s pictures, but they didn’t have much that I liked. I think they were getting ready to turn over their lines. A lot of stuff was 50% off. I got a pair of wide leg pants. I loved the way they looked, but I’m not exactly sure where I will wear them. I also went to Whole Foods. I will never go there on a Sunday again. It was packed and the store is tiny to begin with. I feel rushed when it is busy and forget to get things. Maybe a list would come in handy, but I like to look for new things while I’m there. I wish I could afford to buy more things there. They were out of bulk dark chocolate chips; I was so bummed. When I go with PB the aisles are so narrow she can reach stuff on the shelves if I don’t have the cart just right. She doesn’t enjoy sitting real long either she wants out of the seat and usually can wiggle herself out. I’ve become a bad mom and put her in the big basket sometimes just so I can get the shopping done. She was so funny yesterday, dancing to the music on some commercial. I’ll have to see if I can upload it. I have to clear my camera out. I have run out of room. I hate to delete everything, with out backing everything on the computer up. The task of putting everything on cd is daunting. I wonder if I can put it all on an external hard drive and that would work. Oh the boy read his 100 pages finally. He sat and read for 2 hours on Sunday.

Since it's blog for a cause day on the environment, here's a few things I have done. I have replaced almost all of out light bulbs with the good bulbs. I have switched to method cleaning products, and ecos laundry detergent, which works really good and their scents are nice. Shutting off the water when brushing my teeth. I gave up paper plates. I'm trying to be a better recycler. I'm trying but I still drive an suv, use disposable diapers, and a bunch of other stuff.

A Day at the Farm

It was a very nice day. A vacation day opened up and I was able to take the day off.The boy had football in the morning; it was his last game. They did pretty good. We went to Walvogels', the local pumpkin farm. Peanut Butter had a blast. She fed the goats, went in the corn maze, did the slide with Daddy, rode the train, played in the hay and went in the spooky mine. The weather was decent it was cool, but it didn't rain and the sun came out off and on making it bearable. PB was on the move at the farm, never seeming to want to go the way we wanted to go. I'm sure that's a sign of times to come.
On the negative side. The Badgers stunk it up today. My sinuses have been going crazy lately. I have so much sinus pressure right now it's unbelievable. And my secret Halloween swap package is being returned undeliverable according to the USPS tracker.