Week of Recovery

Between beach exhaustion, possibly the beginning of a germy virus hitting our household this week, and all the beach cleaning up and crap I have to do....this is going to be a week of just barely making it through, I can tell now. I may give any good updates until next weekend. I will try my best to catch up on my fellow bloggers b/c it looks like there were some AWESOME posts! I can't wait to read them all! I'll be back...shortly...

Thankful Thursday!

(1) Beach Weekend!!!! It's hubby's birthday and we're heading for our first weekend at the beach WITH BABY! Wish us luck. Thanks:o)

(2) 3 years at a wonderful job with wonderful employers...excuse me...friends (who pay me to watch their children) and the two best, most well-behaved children ever!!!! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY ANN & ROB!

(3) Anniversary bonuses that is making this beach weekend possible (thank you thank you thank you)!!!!

(4) A beautiful, happy daughter. Just because she's made me smile so much this week. I love her!!!

(5) Playdates with my bff. Even if her child does puke and spread icky germs. Because shit like that happens and when it does, it just makes for funny memories!

(6) Flowers. Like the ones I received for my job anniversary that are sitting on my kitchen table. Their pretty:o)

(7) Sleep. I don't get enough of it. But I'm thankful for it when I do get it. It's so underappreciated.

(8) My big brother who is letting us borrow his beach-accesible vehicle and taking care of the dogs this weekend while we're away. He is awesome. But you don't need to tell him - he already knows;o)

(9) Washing machines. Seriously. I could NOT imagine doing all the laundry I have (especially icky, gross dirty diapers) without one. Handwash WHAT? I DONT THINK SO! People back in the day were brave, brave individuals! (I know...they didn't have much of a choice...but still!)

(10) In case I didn't mention it before................BEACH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My Pasta Theory

Autumn is obviously not on food yet, BUT I mentioned to my bff that I have a theory on why most children love pasta of any form. Pasta requires less chewing. Really. Think about it! Spaghetti, mac & cheese, shells, raviolis, etc. All a LOT less work than say, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or chicken nuggets! It may not be that they necessarily like pasta better (although, it could be that b/c pasta in all forms is just awesomeness anyway), but if they have to chew less, it means their mouths are less tired from eating, which means they will eat more!

I'm a genuis. I know. I really must write & publish my own book:oP

Suggestions Wanted!!!!

In a few weeks I will begin the fall semester. Yikes! The pros and cons of this is a whole other post in itself (to come shortly...). Right now I'm trying to think of ways to make my crazy, full schedule easier at home. I'll be taking classes 2 mornings a week, working from 12/1-6ish, and then doing homework at night. That leaves little time for cleaning, cooking, chores, etc. Here's what I've come up with so far. ANY suggestions (especially if you are/have been a mommy/part-time employed/part-time student all at once) are welcome!

~Minimize dishes - paper plates & cups. Sorry environment:o( This definitely helped those first few weeks of post-baby so I think it will be beneficial during this crazy time in our household.

~Minimize chores/try not to do everything at once! I want to make a specific (and SIMPLE) chore list for each day of the week. I have a tendency to try to do everything in one night and get exhasuted/frustrated because trying to do it all means that nothing gets done completely! Also, if I make a chore list and stick it to the fridge or backdoor, then Shawn will know what I would like help with! He's so awesome at helping out when I leave a list of random chores to do when he knows I'm super busy.

~Meal planning. I want to start planning meals a week or so in advance & include shopping lists for each week (and of course add anything that comes up randomly during the week...like toilet paper!) This way I have one less thing to do on a Saturday morning when I'm getting ready to do grocery shopping.

~Mass cooking. This also worked during pregnancy when I was in school. I found I had little time/desire to cook in the evenings after work because 1) I was tired and 2) I had homework to do. I did a lot of cooking over the weekend and stuck everything in the fridge for that week to just be heated up. It worked out pretty awesome.

What ideas do YOU have?

where i'm from (blog hop!)

This is my FIRST blog hop...so forgive me if this takes a trial or two before getting it right:o/ I found this blog hop via NinjaPanza - Sara is surely becoming one of my favorite blogs to read! So, here it goes...


I am from exersaucers
From coffee cups and washing machines
I am from the two bedroom ranch and carport
Laundry on the couch, dog hair by the base boards, and dishes in the sink

I am from the lilacs
The honeysuckles
whose long gone limbs I remember
as if they were my own.

I’m from Trivial Pursuit at holiday get togethers and brown eyes
from Mommy and Daddy
I’m from being stubborn and enjoying a good book
and from fighting with my siblings

I’m from “Because I’m your mother and I said so” and “Life isn’t fair”
and “You are My Sunshine”
I’m from visiting graves at Christmastime

I’m from Jersey and Irish/Italian roots
Spetzles and raviolis & spaghetti (every Monday night!)

From the time my big brother broke the ceiling fan light & threatened my life if I told
And crying the next day when I was asked about it because I thought I might die

Pictures of a mommy I look just like
Flashing by my memory everday


I cant quite figure out the whole link up thing quite yet...and Autumn is not in the mood. So check out 365 Days blog to read all about it!!!!

5 months!

Five months. FIVE months. FIVE MONTHS?! When did that happen? Next month will be half a year and...I'm just not getting into that right now. My baby girl is getting so big!

We had her check-up on Friday. She received two shots - HIB & PCV. She's been running a slight fever, but I think it might be related to something else (more on that later). She slept a lot that afternoon and was somewhat still out of it on Saturday, but I think she's just about back to her normal, happy self. Everyday she seems to be growing up right before our eyes. She's such a happy child, but also serious and curious - always looking to figure things out. Here's some new stuff that's happened in the past month:

~She's mastered the art of rolling over, both ways! She hasn't figured out that it means she's more mobile, so it's not like she's going from one side of the room to the other...yet. I'm waiting for the day of that discovery.

~She can sit up by herself, but she's still wobbly. After a few seconds she's going backwards or to the side. If she goes forwards she can catch herself and go into tummy-time mode, but she does not like it when she falls backwards. We're constantly practicing sitting up and she's getting better at it everyday.

~She's still trying to master the art of paci "in and out." She is very good at putting everything else in her mouth - blocks, toys, toes!, etc.

~The funniest thing she does nowadays is grab for anything in our hands. Specifically my cell phone or a drink. She reaches and grabs really well. The finniest things she's grabbed for are glasses full of lemonade, tea, or bottles of beer! NO - we do not let her drink the beer...just gum the bottle top!

As mentioned in a previous post, her first tooth did appear. Confimed by many other people (many of them already monthers of children with teeth). So I am not crazy! (Well...I am, but not in regards to her tooth!). The tooth, a molar, was there on Thursday when her Aunt Tara saw it. After that, I don't know when, but it disappeared! I could not find the dang tooth today! She's been teething very badly this week, so I wanted to see if it had made any progress on coming in. And it was gone! Where can a tooth go? Can you believe I actually wondered if it was a "fake" tooth that was so small that it fell out and maybe she swallowed it?! Yep. Moron Mommy Moment. So, I did what all 21st century mommies do these days - I GOOGLED! Turns out that it's not something super special. It's not common, but it has been known to happen. Teeth appear, but then during the teething process the gums become swollen and the teeth recede or become hidden by the gums. Sometimes they reappear immediately. Sometimes it takes another few months before they reappear. I wouldn't be surprised if this molar doesn't come back before her front teeth make an appearance. After all, her front teeth are the ones that are "supposed" to show up first. And, in regards to her recent fever, I'm going to say it's more likely to be due to the teething and the swollen gums than her shots. The shots she received on Friday were not new and she's never run a slight fever for more than a day when she's gotten shots, so this was very peculiar for her. I bet it was teething.

So that was our special month! It was fun, as always:o) She continues to make our lives happier each and every morning that we wake up. My time with her is priceless and I cherish each moment!

Chillin out...

This is the beginning of another week off. The kiddos I nanny are with their g-parents this week, which means Autumn & I are chillin out at home. Today it means I'm trying to actually get the house semi-decent from a very busy weekend. She's been fighting her sleep, so getting things done is taking longer than expected.

I hope everyone had a fabulous Fourth of July. I'm not ignorant enough to say this is the best country ever in the world - for the mere fact that I've only visited one other country in my life and that was only for about a week. However, we are a country and that in itself is something to be proud of. Many people fought for our independence, for one reason or another, and won! We govern ourselves and pride ourselves for our belief in democracy and justice. We don't always get things right...we don't always have the answers...and sometimes we're just plain dumb and fuck shit up. However, this is my home, I love it, and I am very thankful that many have fought and died to keep our country free and to keep my family safe.

This weekend was rather busy and eventful! Early afternoon I went shopping with a friend and found an awesome, HOT dress for only $9! I LOVE those shopping days!!! Then we met our friends downtown at a hotel where they had gotten a room for the evening. We spent some time swimming, resting up and getting ready for the evening. Shawn & I spent our first night out without the baby. She spent about 3 hours with a friend while Mommy & Daddy went to the club downtown. Friends of ours were playing in a band and it was another friend's birthday celebration - there was a lot going on that night and it was great to get out together and see good people. I was VERY anxious about my little girl(but it had NOTHING to do with who I left her with - just the fact that I was, in fact, leaving her!). She did just fine. I was glad to get out, but even happier to pick her up, take her home, feed her and snuggle her to bed.

Sunday was a late start. Nothing really happened til after noon. Friends came over, we cooked out, Autumn and I napped together...eventually we went out to find fireworks, but found nothing worthwhile. I hate NC fireworks. They all suck. Anyway...we came back to the house and Shawn lit up a bonfire with a huge, dead tree standing in the middle - filled with bottle rockets and such. There were a lot of explosions taking place last night. Autumn slept pretty soundly, thank goodness. It was good times - good friends, family, & food! I barely drank, so it was a sober holiday weekend which means I'm feeling pretty good about getting a ton of housework done today instead of dragging my ass!

Pics to come later!

Thankful Thursday!

Sometimes it's the simplest, littlest, funniest things during the week that make you happy. It's important to remember these things - to be thankful for them. Because while big things - like a good job, family, and friends are VERY important, it's the little things that help us get through the week! Here are my random, silly things I'm thankful for this week...

~Bacon. Yum.

~Cheese. I'm eating scrambled eggs w/ cream cheese, but lacking some american or cheddar since there is none in the house. I LOVE CHEESE. And I am truly missing it right now:o( If you have it...be thankful for it!

~$1.50 movie theater

~Good movies.

~Russell Crowe.

~Good movies with Russell Crowe.

~My furballs who have a habit of sneaking into the baby's room to lay down. It's too cute!

~My best friend's attempt at painting with her 16 month old son. I quote her in saying, "Fail." It make me laugh out loud, for real! I must say, though, Caleb looks awesome with his green highlights:oP

~Cute outfits for the 4th of July...must go get pictures taken!