baby crying, can't think........

Argh! I want to pull out my hair. Ayden is sick, he has a cold and a bad cough, and he NEEDS TO GO TO SLEEP, but he's sitting in his room crying, and not the real kind of crying, the kind that says "I'm really tired and want to go to sleep, but I don't feel good and I just want to be cranky cause I don't feel good...". Yeah. I've gone in there, rocked him, read to him, laid down with him, gave him Motrin, gave him a drink, and still, NOTHING. I feel for him, I really do. But I need to go outside for a while.....

Things I Have Realized Today.....

1) Clorox bleach pens and Mr. Clean Magic Erasers are my friends. They can get out ANYTHING.

2) I started this blog about me, and most of the things I've written are about the kids. Oh, well!

3) Steve Wilcos freakin rocks.

4) It's 12:30 at night and the birds are still singing outside....weird.

5) There are things that I want to write here but can't because I don't want them broadcasted on the internet. It makes me think about what people want others to see, and what they're really like inside. Cause I know from what I write, and then read, although it's my life I'm writing about, if I didn't know me and I was reading my blog, I would think I was different than I am. Does that make any sense??????

6) I feel like a giant weight has been lifted off me because my friend emailed me back and told me her feelings. I hadn't realized just how horrible I felt about what was going on until now.

7) I'm taking a bath and going to bed.

Something to write.....

Yay! I have tonight off. And I got hubby away from WOW for a little while so I can have the computer. I should be sewing right now, I have a lady who is considering a very large order of crayon rolls and I need to send her pics. But I'm taking a break for a few minutes.

I finally got the dining room done! I am very proud of myself. Here it is in all its' glory, I had to take a picture fast while it's still clean, lol.



And here's my cutie pie making faces at the mirror after his bath tonight. I couldn't resist, he is just too cute!



B is such a trooper. He has two holes in his bottom lip, and it doesn't even slow him down! He still eats drinks, nurses, and acts crazy with his brother, and it doesn't even phase him. He is so funny. He is the total opposite of A, A was so quiet and shy and reserved....not this kid! He is just a big HUGE ball of energy. I think mostly he feeds off of A, but I also think he takes after hubby with his stubborness, lol.
Well, it's late, and I'm tired. Off to sew.....

ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow..........

Yup. That's what it looks like. B's front teeth went through his lip :( He's being really brave about it though. We went to the playground so the kids could play with their new buckets and shovels, and we were sitting at the (metal) picnic table having a snack. B was trying to climb up on it, and his foot slipped, and....well, you can just imagine. Smash! Poor little guy :( I was very freaked out because his mouth was literally POURING blood. You should see our clothes from yesterday. They look like I just slaughtered an animal or something. I took him right to the ER, after calling to see if there was actually something they could do (they said they needed to see it to see if he needed stitches or not), and waited for a long time (as usual), and the dr. said it looked good (if that's possible) because where it had gone through on the bottom of his bottom lip was already starting to close. So that's good, I guess. But I feel like a horrible mommy, he was sitting right next to me, and there was nothing I could do!

It seems like every time I actually have some coherent thoughts to write down, there is always someone on the computer (hmmm....). Darn it. We need a laptop. (Are you reading this honey??) Cause now I can think of nothing I wanted to write. Grrr... Maybe later.

No More Candy Please!

So I've decided that candy is the devil. Seriously. It makes my children into little screaming demons. Even more than usual, lol. My kids have not had as much candy as they have had this weekend, ever.

Oh, and wonderful, A just came running into B's room and says there's a cockroach in the living room! So I go out there, and say "A, where did you see the cockroach?" First he says "It's dead. It's in the window under the blinds." I look, nothing there. I say, "A, are you telling stories?" Then he says "It was a cockroach riding a four-wheeler!" Yeah. Love-ly.

I just figured out how to upload videos to YouTube - yay! I'm proud of myself. Yup. Here goes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgPV9iSlGhQ

We had a busy weekend. On Saturday...hmm, I can't remember what we did on Saturday. So I guess Saturday wasn't busy, lol! Sunday we went to breakfast at Good Sheperd, then went to the service. Well, the kids and I went to church, hubby stayed home. The kids were crazy, too much sugar already, and were really antsy during the service. I had to leave a few minutes early, but oh, well, that's life! Then from there, we went to an Easter party at BJ's friend C's house. The kids had a TON of fun there! She and her hubby have this gorgeous beach cottage with huge windows and a vintage kitchen. They had an Easter egg hunt with over 100 eggs! The kids were exhausted from all the hunting and playing, so we took them home, and I took a nice long nap. I missed BJ coming over by about 2 minutes, hubby said. Then we went out o dinner at Cici"s Pizza. If you've never had the pleasure of eating at Cici's, I'm sorry! It's not that the food is all that great, but until July 11th, it's the only place we can feed our family of four for 10 dollars total. And A LOVES IT. He asks to go there ALL THE TIME.

I've almost finished the dining room, it's only been like, 6 weeks, lol! Seriously, though, I''m really trying to get it done. I figured out last night, when I was sitting out on our swing at midnight, after cleaning out my van and the carport, that the reason I haven't had a lot of time to do extra things lately, besides the fact that I'm working at night, is because I spend so much time cleaning. So if I do a little cleaning a few times a day, and get the whole house done, and keep it that way, it will be much easier. We'll see how that goes.....A's home from preschool this week, so maybe that will be easier because B will be occupied....maybe.....

Well, speaking of cleaning, I think I'll go finish the dining room, A has a dr. appt today for his cough, and I'd like to get it done before then. Wish me luck!

She? She?

That's what I hear all day from B....he's trying to say "fishy", for Goldfish. This kid is a Goldfish ADDICT!

Thank goodness for no preschool on Fridays, I'm wiped OUT, and actually got to sleep in for a little while this morning. A had his easter egg hunt at preschool yesterday, and hubby stayed home with B so I could go. It was really cute watching all the kids go out on the playground and hunt for eggs. I love his preschool! The teachers are awesome, he is doing sooo much better with being away from me, and his coloring has really improved in the past couple of months. I made him a cute Easter shirt, too, here he is in it:

I thought it was perfect cause ever since he was born I've called him my "snuggle bunny cuddle bear". I also discovered a new breakfast that the kids love: pancake roll ups. I bought 35 cent packages of pancake mix at Wal-mart, cooked them up, and then wrapped up some scrambled eggs in them. They are really yummy. Who needs McDonalds breakfast!

So, I was looking at the package of Skittles I bought on my break last night. Did you know Skittles have 48 GRAMS of sugar in them?! That's right, 48 GRAMS. I checked out my white sugar in the cupboard, and a teaspoon of sugar only has 4 grams of sugar in it, if that makes any sense. So that means one bag of skittles has 12 TEASPOONS of sugar in it. Kinda makes you think, huh? I freak out if the kids fruit snacks have like 17 or 18 grams of sugar in them. Yikes.

Rain rain go away.......

So today is crappy and rainy. Blech. It makes me so yucky feeling. B is off playing in his room with his trains, so I thought I'd sneak on here quick. I've been thinking a lot lately about an old friend. I don't know if this old friend will ever read this or not. But if she does, I've been thining about her. I know she thinks I forgot her, but I didn't. I get so wrapped up in my life sometimes, and I tend to just assume everyone back home is fine unless they call me. Ever since the day she wrote me an email, all I want to do is cry when I think about our friendship. Ask anyone, even hubby understands (and that's a BIG THING) how I feel about it. I showed him the email, and if that makes her mad, oh well. He was actually shocked. It hurts deep down inside to know that we'll never really be the good friends we once were. We were like sisters. I just can't bring myself to talk to anyone about it, or even think about it too much, cause I'll just get too sad. But it still creeps in.

Anyway, even though I love this friend to death, I can't even think about her right now or I will start to cry. Or get mad. Or both. I've just needed to write what has been in my head for a long time. So, on to the next subject. And if it hurts, I'm sorry.

So I'm almost done with the dining room. It actually looks a lot bigger now, since I got rid of the big giant cabinet in the corner. And ooh ooh! I just checked my email, and someone had offered a dehydratot on freecycle yesterday, and the lady emailed me back and said I could have it! Sweet! I've wanted a dehydrator for a long time. Now I can make apple and banana chips! And maybe beef jerky....maybe not :p Yucko.

Well, I'm going to go watch Thomas with B. It's a crappy day, and sure, I shouldn't let him watch TV. So what. He looks so happy and cute when I turn on the movie, and I'm a sucker. So sue me!

"Suck my hair!"

Yes, that's what my silly 3 year old asks me to do every time I use the hose on the vacuum. He is so funny.
Today was pretty productive, I got both kids shot records and 181 forms to get them registered at the CDC on base. I have to take B there for A's preschool Easter egg hunt. Then I stopped by the housing office to ask about when we'd be moving. The first girl I talked to said April. I was like, "WHAT??!!" So then she's like, "Um, hold on, let me talk to my supervisor." So I talked to that lady who REALLY knows what's going on, and she said sometime between June and August. Which isn't bad. There's a ribbon cutting ceremony/open house for the new housing in Thrower Park on Thursday. I'm excited! I can't wait to walk through and see what they actually look like!
So after housing, I went to Wal-Mart and bought our "essentials" for the next 2 weeks. Yup, pretty boring, except for the fact that while we were IN the store, B had 3 tantrums. Yup, 3. It would have been more, I'm sure, but I grabbed some baby goldfish off the shelf and let him start eating them. I'm sorry, but I've got to get stuff done, and that's pretty much impossible when you have a 21 month old screaming at the TOP of his lungs. His tantrums have been driving me crazy lately! He's very emotional, especially when it comes to Thomas the Train, of all things! If A takes one of his trains, watch out! That's what the first tantrum was about, I wouldn't let him get a Thomas book. Then it just kind of spiraled downward from there.
Well, I hear one of the kids waking up, and I need to get dinner in the oven before hubby gets home. This is my last night of being on vacation (although it's unlike any vacation I've taken before!), so I guess I should enjoy it....now let's see if hubby will give the kids a bath tonight...

Eggs, eggs, where are the eggs????

We went to the easter egg hunt at the marina playground on base this morning. We went last year, and there were hardly any kids there. This year, yeah.....there were a lot more. The kids had fun, though. J was there with C and S. A and S kept walking around holding hands, it was so cute! Here are some pics...







I was surprised, A caught on really quick to the fact that he was supposed to pick up the egg and put it in the basket. I shouldn't be though, he is so smart, and he's got a great brother to teach him.





So today I'm going to try and work on the dining room. I can't believe I'm doing this...but....here's a before pic.....yikes (hanging head in shame).




In my defense, it has only looked this bad for about a week. I decided to finally try and consolidate my sewing stuff into the cabinet Bobbie gave me, then I got sick and stopped. So, by the end of this weekend, my goal is to finish it up. It's going to take a lot of work, but it has to be done before we move anyway. Speaking of moving, there was an article in the Keesler News about the new housing. The first people get to move in in 5 days on March 20th. I'm so frickin jealous. I can't WAIT to move. They are so nice....
Anyway, hubby is bugging me about getting on the computer, he wants to go play WOW. Wow, what a dork, lol :) I like that. And I need a nap. Badly. I'm still feeling kinda gross and stuffy, but I think the worst part of being sick is over. I also need to call my sister and discuss some ideas for this summer......

it's time to CLEAN HOUSE! buh bye toys....

oh my gosh I think I have broken every single toe. MY KIDS HAVE WAY TOO MANY DAMN TOYS.

Prayer of the Day

It is so nice out today! I have all the windows open, I can hear the birds.....I love living down here, in the wintertime, of course. The summer sucks ass.

A has this movie called All About Big Red Fire Engines that he LOVES, and he wanted to watch it this morning, and well, I feel like crap still, so I said OK, and I decided to do something I've wanted to do the first time I watched this movie with him. It was shot in New York City in 1993, and I've been meaning to look up and see if any of the firefighters were killed on September 11th. I don't know why, just....I guess so I could pay tribute when I watch the movie maybe? Seeme silly now. So anyway, I found this website, and this is what I'm going to be thinking about and praying about today - all the families of these 343 firefighters. The sad part is, out of all those 343, only 29 are confirmed dead. Gives you somethin' to think about, huh? Here is the link in case you're interested:

http://www.nytimes.com/library/national/091101rescuers.html

Just looking at all those faces, I can't even imagine. They could be your husband, your neighbor, your husband's buddy who comes over to drink beer and play pool. It's crazy. You never know what will happen. Just a normal day, I was driving to school, I was just passing Star Dental Center on Rte 13 going towards Dryden coming out of Cortland when I heard about the first plane crash on the news. By the time i got to school, every single TV was turned to a news station. I think I went to one class, then they closed the school and sent everyone home. I remember going to the Skillet at some point that day, I remember sitting on the couch watching the news, actually glued to the news, I remember watching people run on TV, but I don't remember what order all that happened in. Anyway, just thought I'd let everyone know what I was thinking about today.
I'm also going to try and make wheat bread. We'll see how that goes....if it turns out good, I'll post pictures. I have a (supposedly) really good recipe:

Wheat Bread

Dissolve 2 packages dry yeast in 1/2 cup water with 1/2 Tbsp honey or sugar. Mix the following ingredients (with the dissolved yeast) in a bread mixer.

3 1/2 cups warm water
1 1/2 cups powdered milk
1 cup oil
4 beaten eggs
3/4 cup honey
2 Tbsp salt
1 or 2 cups white flour
about 10 cups whole wheat flour

After kneading in the bread mixer, let rise until doubled. Divide into 6 small loaves. Knead and shape. Let rise in greased pans. Preheat oven to 400F. Reduce to 300F and bake 1 hour.
I think I will probably halve the recipe for the first time. Nothing worse than 6 loaves of gross bread :p
Oh, and here are the long awaited pics of my bathrooms! Yay. Enjoy!

Bathroom 1 Before


Bathroom 1 After


Bathroom 2 Before


Bathroom 2 After


Yup, they weren't that dirty before, but....oh, well, it was fun anyway! Oh, and by the way, I didn't find anyone from his movie on the list. Thank God. I'd never be able to watch it again without crying!

Ahh, child labor....

Isn't it great???? It was so nice out today, the kids were outside for a long time before lunch. And yes, B is still wearing his pjs - so sue me! Check out my latest side of the road find - someone had it out by the road in the housing area next to ours.











Just call me Ms. Garbagepicker...actually, technically, I made hubby go and get it because it was too heavy, so he's the garbagepicker this time! The kids love it though. And there's really nothing wrong with it! It has a couple cracks by the turret, but other than that...perfectly fine! Crazy people.

So I still feel like crud today. But I actually feel a little bit more human than yesterday. Yesterday I thought I must have been dying. I haven't felt that crappy in years! I think being outside with the kids, as opposed to lying on the couch with my head glued to the pillow, helped a lot.

I was looking at another girl's blog who also lives down here, and is also a military wife, and also lives in base housing (I think, from her pictures), and she had an idea that I liked - a house makeover, or something along those lines. She had mentioned that her house needed a makeover because it was so dirty. Yeah. Can't imagine that feeling....lol. So I decided to use her idea, and it kind of works. I took before and after pics, and it made me clean faster to get to the after ones! I think I may use this on the whole house....starting with...the bathrooms...dunh dunh dunh.....

Here's the before pic...or not!

Well, darnit, it's not working for some reason. So, I'll have to leave you in suspense of seeing my dirty bathroom until next time.

uuuugh....

blech. That's how I feel. I am so sick. I think I have the flu. Waaahhhh...that took too much energy. What a wuss I am! At least the kids are sick, too. A's been out of preschool since yesterday. He would have been out anyway today, his teacher said there was a really bad gas smell there this morning.
Here's A:


Here's B:


They're cute when they're sick. Unlike their mother, lol. For your viewing pleasure, I will NOT be including a picture of me today. Count your blessings.

Surprisingly enough, my Etsy site has had a lot of business lately. Purty cool. I have a lot of fun doing the crayon rolls, they are my best seller. I may have another order coming in from a lady who ordered one this weekend. We'll see!

Work is going really good. My job is easy, and I like making $8 an hour for doing cake work. I make more, doing less work, than I did at Cortland Wal-Mart in the cash office. That was 5 years ago, though.

LOL! A is going around taking pictures, and he said, "Mom, look at this red thing I took a picture of!" It was his finger on the lens. Funny funny. Funny kids. I need to shower. Or do something human. Brush my teeth maybe....put my contacts in....eat food.....something. I just want to curl up in bed and sleep for hours and hours and hours. Sigh.......well, I guess i should make the kids something to eat.
Here's to the flu :(

Whoops, I missed a day! I've been meaning to write something every day. Oh well, you can't win them all.....

I am loving Sirius radio that hubby started up again. They have a "Spa" channel, and it plays really relaxing music. It's on all day at my house! I actually have today off, for some reason, the only day I really WANT to work (because I get to wear jeans to work on Fridays), they never schedule me! Go figure. I'll have next week off, though, cause hubby is on stand by.

The house is looking better. I'm doing pretty good on keeping it clean, just still have that mountain of laundry, argh. I wish it would just do itself :s But speaking of doing itself, this lady came through my register the other night and bought a Black and Decker Scumbuster, which was on clearance for $10, down from $30, and said it was the best thing for cleaning your bathroom! She said it did all the work for you. Well, she actually said it to her friend, but I was listening....anyway, I bought one last night, and I can honestly say this is the only time I have ever sat in anticipation wanting to clean the bathroom, lol. I also bought a whole bunch of placemats on clearance for.....drum roll please......10 cents each! Can you believe it? They are normally $1.50 or more each! I bought probably 50-60 placemats, 6 kitchen towels, my Scumbuster, some pretty napkin rings, a new rug for the kitchen, some silicone potholder gloves (4), and a rack to hang my potholders on, and I spent only $25! And in case you're wondering WHY I bought so many placemats, it's to make
http://www.jcarolinecreative.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Store_Code=JC&Screen=PLACEMAT placemat purses. Fun and easy. Well, my dishes are calling me, maybe I'll write more later. Hubby took the boys out to look at new trucks (for him), so I'm taking advantage and I have the whole house, with the exception of the dining room, clean. Happy Friday!

New Day, New Stuff

Well, as many of you may know, I am addicted to finding a great bargain.

Translation: I LOVE FREE STUFF! (Who doesn't?!)

A family down the street just moved in last week, and they have had a race car bed sitting outside since they moved. I've been eyeing it, thinking, hmmm, I wonder if they're getting rid of that.... Well, on the way to preschool this morning, I saw a big box that said "Salvation Army" on it, and the race car bed was right next to it! Score! I stopped over there when we came home and asked the lady if I could have it. She said go for it, so I tried to pick it up, but I couldn't take it apart, so I had hubby go over there and get it later. I also picked up some boxes of toys and clothes to put on freecycle. And she also was giving away an exercise ball, a really neat stand up candle holder, and 2 self inflating mattresses! Yes, I feel accomplished.

This week I'm really trying to work on the house. With us moving into the new base housing soon, I have got a lot of stuff to go through. I'm starting with the closets. I've gotten the linen closet, the blanket closet, and the front hall closet done so far. Now I need to start on our closet, the boys' (which aren't that bad anyway, surprisingly), and the shelves over the washer and dryer (which are REALLY bad!) Plus, I'm also trying much harder to keep the house clean. Dad and Kay came and spent the weekend with us while they were on vacation in Florida, and I think some of Kay's good housekeeping skills rubbed off on me. It was like a breath of fresh air to have them here. We've lived down in MS since September of 2003, and this was the first time dad has been down here. I really miss him. The kids had a blast with both of them, and I was really glad, cause B has had stranger danger lately, and I was afraid he would scream when dad tried to play with him. But it was the total opposite! They had so much fun playing together. I got a chance to talk with dad about some things I've needed to talk to him about for a while, and it was nice to be able to do that. I'm still not sure how I feel about it, and I don't think he is either. I'm hoping that time will help. We'll see.....

Well, that's about it for today. I've got a growing mountain of laundry to fold and put away...blech....my least favorite chore, and you can tell. Plus, I have to work tonight, so I need to get a little rest. Until next time......

All MINE!!

Well, I've been reading a bunch of people's blogs and decided to set up one just for ME! This year I'm going to try and write more, here, and in my journal. So here goes!!