It Sure is a Hot Hot Day...

(anyone else know that Higglytown Heros song? Anyone?) ;) If so, I'm sure it's stuck in YOUR head too now. Hee.

Anyway, so yeah, it's hot. I actually ventured outside a little while ago and replanted my herbs into pots that I could put in the kitchen window. Why? Because it's too hot lately to go out and water them. (or pick them, for that matter)

Our whole front yard looks a bit ghetto'ish right now. My flowers? They are all dead or dying. The weeds are taking over, the bushes and the tree are overgrown and I just. don't care. because it's TOO HOT.

And then there's my next door neighbor, who doesn't help the situation. Just today I threw a beer can and a cigarette butt from our yard back into his yard where they came from. (Dear Zach and no-name brother of yours, please move back to the frat house!) He also has a weed of record-breaking size growing (all alone) in a window box on the porch. It must be three feet high. I will have to try and take a picture because it's really quite impressive to behold.

Other than that? Nothing going on here today. Cleaning... playing... yada yada. I'm so boring these days. Don't worry, this blog is about to get an exciting infusion of energy... just give me a week or two. :)

On What Planet?

Up way too early again for whatever reason, so I'm passing the time by watching some baby show on Discovery Health. They are doing a bit on babies sleeping through the night... "Most babies don't begin sleeping through the night until they are 3 months old or weigh 12-14 pounds."

Now, I know I finished complaining about this ages ago (see the archives for proof). But seriously? Mine was FOURTEEN months old when he slept through the night regularly. Did I get jipped or is their statistic just way off? Hardly any of my mommy friends had the "3 months/12 pounds" night sleeper.

Anyone Remember This?

When I was somewhere in between first and third grade, I saw a movie called "The Electric Grandmother" in school. It was one of times toward the end of the year where the teachers were out of things to talk about, so they'd throw three grades into one room and pop on a reel-to-reel. Yes, I said REEL-TO-REEL. I suddenly feel ancient.

Anyway, I just remember this movie being really good! For some reason, it popped into my head a few days ago, so I sat down this afternoon to track it down, because, you know, that's what the internet is BEST for... tracking down random things from your childhood.

The search was much faster than I thought it would be! Here it is! Anyone else remember seeing it? I ordered the DVD on Ebay (can't beat $5!) so I can see if it's as good as my memory says it was after seeing it 22 or so ago. :)

No Fun...

Ben had ANOTHER doctor's appointment this morning. A followup on a followup of a followup actually, to check on some stubborn fluid that has taken up residence in his ears. No infection... in fact, he's been clear for a couple months. But the fluid in one ear will. not. leave.

Now she wants us to go see the ENT. :: sigh :: I'm hoping the ENT will not be too aggressive with the ear tubes. I'd like to wait and see if he gets one more ear infection. But... we'll see. And we'll do what we have to do!

Good Morning...

Up BRIGHT and early at 6a.m. for no good reason. Harumph. The toddler is amazingly, still snoozing.

And my house? It does not smell good... it reeks of last night's dinner., which in the end, wasn't worth it. Anyone for Papa Johns tonight? I'm think I'm done cooking this week. :)

Discovery....

Decaf ice mochas from Starbucks are just as good as the real thing.

Also, back-to-back Gymboree classes, do NOT, I repeat, do NOT guarantee an afternoon nap for the toddler, at least not until well past 3p.m.

In other news, The Naptime Gourmet has been updated with a few new reviews and recipes. I'm making the Easy Vegetable Curry tonight! Yum! :)

28 Months Old!

I missed this yesterday! Benjamin was 28 months on the 24th. Both pictures show his little personality so well that I couldn't decide on just one to post. Doesn't he look like a such a trouble-maker in that bottom one?

Apparently, this month brings milestones like extreme opinionatedness (is that a word?) and asomewhat unhealthy obsession with heat pumps. Seriously though, he is so much fun.

His favorite things right are building elaborate block towers, roller coasters and tunnels for his trains. (the last two he needs our help with... so Tom and I have the chance to get VERY creative with legos) He also likes to jump off of things, as I have mentioned before. He doesn't seem to notice or care how high something is. He just knows he wants to jump off of it. Sometimes, he will say, "Jump to daddy?" or "Jump to mommy?" But he usually jumps before we're even ready to catch him!

His language is truly an amazing tranformation from just six months ago. It has been fascinating to watch it develop so quickly almost out of nowhere. Now, his thoughts are so complex, he can actually do things like NEGOTIATE with us, which kind of catches us off guard. For example:

Us: Ben, you need to eat two more bites of dinner and then you can have two M&M's.

Ben: Okay. Yes. Two more bites and then I get M&M's AND go see the heat pump in the backyard.

Us: Uhh... deal?

This past month has also brought with it a little bit of separation anxiety, but we're working on that. Now, when he reassures himself over and over that "Daddy always comes back" is sounds more like, "Silly boy, daddy ALWAYS comes back! Of COURSE he does!" :) We test the waters with Sunday school again this weekend. Wish us luck.

All in all? I'd say 2-1/2 is the best age yet! :)

At Least The Room is Padded....

We're escaping to an inpromptu Gymboree class this morning because Benjamin tells me he wants to "jump off of things". He has been jumping off of his bed/chair/the stairs all morning. We need to get to someplace padded before we end up in the ER. (again)

Happy Birthday Aunt Debbie! :)

We had Ben's godmother's birthday party on Sunday! Ben had a great time charming all the ladies (his specialty) and Aunt Debbie had a great time swimming with her 2-1/2-foot playmate. Happy Birthday Miss/Aunt Deb! We love you! :)

Random Ramblings...

...because my mom has her digital camera at the moment and it has all my cute pictures on it that go with the REAL blog post I want to do this morning. (from Ben's Aunt Debbie's bday party yesterday)

* My cell phone "new every 2" thingie just kicked in, so I am due a free new phone. I want a camera phone and I'm wondering if I should I go with the LG or the Samsung? Anyone? Anyone?

* I really need a good idea for dinner tonight. I keep jumping onto The Naptime Gourmet and seeing Krystyna's delicious-looking rendition of the Sesame Chicken and it's making me hungry.(seriously, go look. You'll see what I mean) But I just made that last week... any ideas? I have to run to the store in about three hours, so you have some time... ;)

* My house is a mess. I have been busy since Friday and things have just collected all over the place. Please send help.

* Don't even get my started on the ants I am battling right now. What happened that they starting coming in all of the sudden? It seems like everyone I know is having problems with them right now!

* The coffee I am drinking is really REALLY good. Yum.

Fun Stuff...

Me as a Sim. :)

New! On The Ben Show!

We do prayers with Benjamin every night... very simple "God bless ______" Typically, it's the usual suspects. "Dear God, God bless mommy, god bless daddy..."

Two nights ago, Tom said to him, "Okay, who else do you want to God bless?"

The answer? "God bless the whoa whoa." (fan)

Tom: Ooookay. Anyone else?

Ben: And the kitchen whoa whoa.

Tom: Anyone else?

Ben: And the BIG whoa whoa in the backyard. (the heat pump)

I'd like God to bless that whoa whoa for a few more summers as well, since it's very expensive to replace. ;)


In other news, the toddler has added a new trick to his death-defying repetoire. He likes to jump off of things. Pretty much anything will do. And the higher, the better. Stairs, his bed, the cooler that was sitting in the foyer. Oy. Does anyone else see another ER trip in our not-too-distant future?

Hey! Today is My Three Year Blogiversary!

Care to revisit the post that started it all?
I find it terribly amusing on many levels... mostly because when I read it, I realize I had NO idea what I was in store for. ;)

Why?

Why am I up at 5a.m. and the toddler is still sleeping? Why? the sun isn't even coming up yet and I'm sitting here in the living room in total darkness. I did, however, finally discover a use for the screen brightness feature on my laptop. Ouch!

Review Day...

I completely forgot (until I tried to call him at work) that today is Tom's annual review! Wahooey! Being a first-born, he is always pretty psyched to be "graded", evaluated and hopefully praised. Being the first-born/virtual-only-child that I am, I totally get that.

In fact, my favorite quote ever from The Simpsons is from the episode that the school shut down and Lisa was going nuts. Completely manic and crazed, she brings a paper to her mother and says:

Lisa: [panting] Grade me...look at me...evaluate and rank me! Oh, I'm good, good, good, and oh so smart! Grade me!
[Marge scribbles an A on a piece of paper]
[Lisa walks off, muttering crazily and sighing]

Yeah, Tom and I are text-book first-born/only-child people pleasers... seriously. We have issues -- all of which, I'm SURE Benjamin will have. Truly... how much attention can one child get?!? It's ridiculous. This is why he needs a sibling. PRONTO.

But I digresss... anyway, Tom's excited. Then of course, there is the always prospect of MO MONEY MO MONEY MO MONEY, which is always a happy occasion.Though, honestly? I think he is more excited about the being graded and praised part.

Silly boy. Grades and praise don't pay for house projects! Bring home the dough! ;)

Slave To a Contractor Window Today... (or... not)

**update**
Soooo... Home Depot just called. Apparently, the installer got our doors out this morning and discovered they were defective. (something about a bent frame and the door wouldn't close) Can't install today. In fact, we have to wait another 6-8 weeks for them REORDER the door.

In a very "un-Erin-like" move I said, "That's fine. But caan we get some kind of discount for all this trouble? We've been waiting on these doors since March." And guess what? He said, "More than likely." We just have to address it AFTER the install because they have to make sure all of the costs are covered. But he was putting a note to the manager in our file.

Heck, I'll trade another 6-8 weeks without access to my deck for a few hundred bucks off! No problem!

I do wish I hadn't taken down the blinds and curtains though. Guess I'll be putting them BACK up tonight. (we have the sun out back all day so the living room minus the blinds/valances? A tad blinding.... not to mention, a bit toasty.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Other than a very brief opportunity to run out this morning, I am slave to one of those infamous contractor windows all day today. The installer guys are coming to replace our french doors in the living room. Supposedly, they will be arriving between 12-2. I'm sure they think it will take them a brief two hours to complete the job. But I know my house better than that and *I* know they will be here until the evening sometime. (sigh) We'll see...

What does one do when there is giant hole in the back of one's house all day long? Should I sit in the living room and supervise? Should I retreat to the basement? Hrm...

This is enough to make me wonder if it was worth it replace these doors in the first place. I mean, other than not being able to access our deck, and rotting from the outside in, the current doors are NOT that bad!

Not Much to Say Today...

Just thought I'd post and publish so you'd at least know I haven't gone awol again. I'm a little overwhelmed with the toddler... he has turned from "Poddler" (Pod-Toddler.. hee hee) to Tasmian Devil overnight. Every room we go into, he destroys within minutes. (and not in a reasonable toddler way... more like, in a crazy, hyper-person way) So I have spent the time we have been at home today picking up and putting away over and over and over and over and over...

I should also add that he awoke at the ungodly hour of 5a.m. I got coffee and puttered on my laptop until 6, but then there was no containing him. So we got dressed and went out to breakfast (no breakfast food left in the house for some reason) and then to the store. We were back home by 7:30a.m. That is just WRONG.

Hopefully, Today Will Be an Improvement Over Yesterday...

Our a/c problem turned out to be a dirty filter. I don't feel COMPLETELY stupid because we did just change it last month. I remember because we didn't turn on the a/c this year until the second week in June and we changed it that day. The one I removed yesterday though made it look like we hadn't changed it in six months. Gah. No wonder the heat pump was working so hard. Anyway, we have a cool house today, which I am very grateful for. And to my poor friends in the UK and Oregon for whom a/c is not standard in homes? You have my utmost pity... what's the deal with that?

Adding to a mostly miserable day yesterday, Benjamin decided he did not need a nap. The problem was, he really did. By around 3p.m., he was in super-imp mode, which, compounded with his current pod-toddler personality, was really not so much at treat to deal with. Even wearing him out at the Gymbo class didn't help...

And speaking of Gymbo class, we didn't have a good day there EITHER. The nasty little girl who glares, growls and then hits every child who dares walk by her got Ben GOOD yesterday. (her mother does virtually NOTHING about this) He was already pretty sensitive and it set him off bigtime. Took me 15 minutes to calm him down. And then right after that, another little boy, who seemed to also be in pod-mode, was running in circles and had a head-on collision with Ben, giving him a nice bruise on his right eye. Yeah, we've had better days.

So the rest of the afternoon I got to hang in the hot house with the whiny imp. He spent much of the day in time-outs and getting yelled at. He even got his fingers smacked a couple of times. (what else do you do with a toddler who laughs at you when you put him in time out and then gets up, walks across the room and does the same thing he got in trouble for AGAIN all the while grinning from ear to ear at you just DARING you to do something about it? If you have any better advice, I'm all ears... because frankly, finger smacking wasn't all that effective either)

By the time Tom got home, I was near tears. Yeah, it was one of those days.

In other news:

* I just saw that Amazon is offering groceries now. I'm checking out the prices because with their super-saver free shipping? This could be VERY useful...

*I read on another blog (Sarah's?) that the Wiggles are much older than I thought. Jeff is 53?! Seriously? (as we speak, I'm watching him leap around the stage like 20-year-old) But then again, my 53-year-old mother leaps around at step-aerobics class everyday, so I guess it's not THAT crazy.

You Could Fry an Egg.... Pretty Much Anywhere... Possibly Even in My House...

**update**
I'm thinking ice on the pipes that lead out of the heat pump does NOT mean anything good... UGH. A/C off for now in hopes it just needs to rest and regroup.




In case you haven't heard enough OTHER people complaining about it yet...

IT'S HOT!

And, to make it even MORE fun? I think something is up with our air conditioning. It's only blowing cold air when I crank it down to 50 and even then it's barely blowing air at all. And upstairs? It feels like a sauna. Um, yeah... after showers and teeth brushing this morning, we high-tailed it downstairs. I had to dry my hair first though, and it was NO picnic to be blowing hot air at my head. (Sadly, I am not one of those people with the good hair who can just let it air-dry and have it look at all presentable...)

Currently seeking refuge on the second floor... but I have a feeling we'll be moving down to the basement by the end of the day.
I'm taking Ben to a Gymbo class in a little while just because I know we will get to at least be cool for an hour.

In other news, my toddler has summoned his alter ego... we call him "Pod Person Ben". Pod Person Ben comes around now and then to hang for a few days. This time, he has been around since Sunday. PPB is ultra-sensitive, ULTRA whiny, and likes to sit on the floor of grocery stores and wail like a banshee because I won't let him put a plastic produce bag over head. (I'm such a MEAN mommy!) He is REALLY a joy to be around right now. Want to come play with us? ;)

I'm.... Back? Maybe?

Whew. I appear to be back in business. I'm still QUITE annoyed with my hosting company. They are lucky that I don't really feel like picking up all my junk and moving it somewhere else at the moment...

Anyway, sorry for the disappearance! I couldn't even figure out a way to hang an out of order sign to let you all know what happened! I emailed people who were in my gmail address book. Sorry if I missed you... I wasn't sure of some of the addresses... whether they were from t-shirt customers or blog readers. :\

Finally Finished!

New bathroom... okay, so now I want the rest of my house to look like this. :\ Tom is SO excited about that. ;)*


Next project/dibacle? The master bathroom... it's much smaller than the hall bath (and you're thinking, "How is THAT even possible?!") and doesn't have any wallpaper to take down. It does, however, have one of those huge wall-size ugly mirrors, the builder-grade faucet and the lovely $11.99 medicine cabinet. Still in the planning stages on that one... I did go get paint chips today. Leaning toward red! I know! Scary! But I think it'll work...


*Actually, Tom IS excited... he learned a lot from doing this one bathroom project. We are thinking about going to take a tiling workshop at HD together so we can retile BOTH bathrooms in the near future. Such a turnaround from the guy who didn't even know how to hold a hammer when I met him. ;)

The Blog Curse Strikes Again!

7/16/2006

You know how everyone always says that when you blog about something good, it ALWAYS jinxes it?!
They are right. I have been bitten in the bum time and time again and I really should have known better...

I was all up on my high horse about how Benjamin has no separation anxiety. He generally jumps into new situations without mommy and daddy with both feet, especially if there are toys and other kids involved. Sunday school was no exception. We've been going to months now without incident...

Then the damn cat died.

I swear, that cat is haunting me from the grave with this legacy of abandonment issues he has left us with.

Ever since then, Ben has had this issue with his daddy leaving. Every day when I get him from his room in the morning, I have to reassure him that daddy is just at work and he'll be home at dinnertime. He reminds himself all day long too. "Daddy will be back. Daddy always comes back!" It's really kind of sad...

So going to church this morning began like it always does except that we tried to go to the earlier service so we could get to the grocery store afterwards before naptime. We got to the church, walked him down to the room and that's when things went downhill. He started screaming and crying and clinging to Tom. They gave us our pager and we decided to leave him and see how it went. Off we went to the service. We were two songs into the service when our pager started vibrating. I left the sanctuary and headed down to the Sunday school rooms... before I even got to the bottom of the stairs I could hear him screaming.

(sigh) There was no calming him down, so we just left. I insisted we go back for the next service though because I wanted to nip this little issue in the bud... I thought maybe just the change in routine and different teachers at the earlier service are what set him off.

So we went to the store, talking the whole time about "school" and how fun it is. He agreed and talked about the blocks and the toys... we told him we were going back after the store and he seemed cool with that.

Back we went...

This time, he went into the room, no problem. He found a Thomas toy and was playing happily with that and a Little People garage when we left him. We thought we were off the hook... patting ourselves on the back about what smart parents we are....

We got into the sanctuary, sat down.... the choir had not yet even begun to sing this time before the pager went off again. Back downstairs I went... this time, he was crying so hard he was choking and gagging. (sigh)

And, here' s the kicker... he didn't want me. "Daddy!" "Where's daddy?!" "Daddy come BACK!" Tom and I had agreed that if I wasn't back in two minutes that he would come down and join me, so he arrived shortly thereafter and Ben calmed down... but GEESH.

Needless to say, church was a wash today and I am now more than a bit concerned about how preschool will go in the fall. We are going back next week, of course... we're armed with a strategy where Tom is going to stay for awhile and then try and leave, but leave something of his behind so Ben can remind himself daddy will come back. We'll see how it goes...

If it's not one thing, it's another with toddlers, no?

What's especially frustrating, and as I've said before, is that Ben is NOT a shy child. *I* was a shyu kid, and afraid of EVERYTHING, so I KNOW what that kind of kid is like. He isn't afraid things, generally.... but something about the cat disappearing and never coming back has set in motion some serious issues that will obviously take some time to work though.

And now I have to ask myself, is having pets really worth all this?!

It's Not So Much a DADDY Blog...

...as it is just Daddy's BLOG.

My husband, one of the few people I know who really and truly loves what he does with a passion and excitement usually only reserved for his wife and child, started a blog a week or so ago. I won't bore you by linking to it because it's all about the bond market. (He is a bond analyst, but don't ask me to explain what he does, because even after five years of marriage, I really have no idea)

Blogwise? I think it's a snoozefest. Unless you're into that sort of thing, then I guess it's interesting. ;)

Anyway, he had a little taste of celebrity today when a post of his made it into the Wall Street Journal! (can't link to it because it's a subscription site and it would put you to sleep anyway, trust me)

Needless to say, he was pretty psyched and I'm proud of him!

Seeya Later Alligator...

Ben and I were playing two days ago and he was doing that toddler stream-of-consciousness nonstop talking thing (oh, c'mon you SO know what of what I speak) and out of nowhere he started talking about alligators and monkeys. Now... where he learned about alligators was a mystery to me because I (nor his daddy) don't remember ever teaching him about them. He even had this whole dramatic alligator snapping motion with his arms down pat.

"Ben, where did you learn about alligators?"

"Miss Sue!" was his enthusiatic "duh mommy!" reply.

Miss Sue is our beloved one-of-a-kind Gymboree teacher. And somehow, despite the fact that I attend every class with him, I guess I managed to miss this alligator discussion...

SO, yesterday, I paid more attention. (okay yeah, so maybe the other time I MAY have been chatting it up with another mother... MAYBE, just maybe...I'm just sayin')

Anyway, it was "Monkey Day" and she did this adorable little poem with the kids, complete with hand motions and the dramatic "Alligator snap" Ben had been showcasing at home.

Thought I'd share it with you because it really was a BIG hit with the kids! (you just have to try and put the cruel fate of two out of the three little monkeys out of your mind. ;)f

Without further adieu...

The Three Little Monkeys

Three little monkeys swinging in a tree, (hold hand up with 3 fingers in the air)
Teasing Mr. Alligator, Can't catch me! (shake finger, use voice to sound like you're teasing)
Up crept Mr. Alligator quiet as can be. (whisper this line, pretend to creep around)
SNAP! (use arms like an open alligator mouth, snap them together on the word SNAP)

Two little monkeys swinging in a tree, (repeat actions throughout all of the verses)
Teasing Mr. Alligator, Can't catch me!
Up crept Mr. Alligator quiet as can be.
SNAP!

One little monkey swinging in a tree,
Teasing Mr. Alligator, "Can't catch me!"
Up crept Mr. Alligator quiet as can be.
SNAP! (pause) MISSED ME! (teasingly)

Rumor?

So um... we'll be in Florida in mid-November... heard a rumor there's be some other friendly bloggers there at the same time...
Hrm?

Naptime...

We did a DOUBLE Gymboree class today... our teacher is particularly awesome because she bends rules left and right. Right now Ben is old enough to move up to the next level but still enjoys the younger level... so she lets us come to both. Today? That meant TWO FULL HOURS OF jumping, running, climbing, shrieking, chasing and parachute play. I dare say I wore that kid out GOOD.

Oh yes. You better believe he is napping. ;)

Playdate Video....

I had some little video snippets on my digital camera from our playdate yesterday that I had forgotten about. Here they are all strung together... nothing TOO interesting... except for the babies talking to each other at the end. That's CUTE.

I Wish...

I wish there were a way to make a Starbucks Mocha with skim milk and no whipped cream appear magically at my house while Ben is napping.

I could make something similar myself, but it just wouldn't be the same... :: sigh ::

Off to go find something in the caffeine family to partake of.

Just Relaxing...

Looks like rain today...(?) thank goodness. I needed a day to relax with Ben and straighten up the house a little. We do have to make a run to Bed Bath and Really Long Lines to return some towels and then to the grocery store for something to make for dinner. Anyone have any dinner suggestions? I'm too tired to go recipe hunting right now... Nevermind... I've decided on this... haven't made it in awhile and it's a favorite around here.

Ooo! It's House Party Time on Playhouse Disney. Dan Zanes and his quirky, folksy music are growing on me. I'm also big into Choo Choo Soul right now (another Playhouse Disney short they've been running a lot lately) but the cd and/or the mp3? NOT AVAILABLE anywhere. What's THAT about? Ben LOVES Choo Choo Soul! And I know he's not alone! Yes, I have checked EBay and Half.com. :(

Blogroll Playdate... in Pictures! (updated)

You can view all of the pictures here.

We are home from Baby Blog Meetup 2006! I am pleased to report that Claire is actually Claire and not Carl. And Isaac is actually a toddler, not Carl's accomplice who carries the duct tape and rope. ;) Claire is as sweet and as funny as she seems on her blog and Isaac and Jacob are an adorable duo. Jacob (and Lily too, come to think of it) was such a good sport too to be Bjorned around in this heat for so long!

I'm sure you are well aware, but wrangling multiple toddlers into one place to take their picture? Near impossible. Here are a few attempts.




Today, it's ohhh about 105 degrees outside... yes, even at 9:30a.m. it was 105 degrees outside. We lasted approximately an hour at the playground. Then, Jen suggested a McDonalds near her house that had a toddler cage Playplace. So we caravaned over hill and valley and one lane wooden bridges in our mommy assault vehicles....

Arriving at the McDonald's, we set the boys free and off they went... then we mananged to convince some chick to take our picture as proof we were actually all present!



Please note, I am the odd man out since I do not have an infant protruding from the front of me... Hrm...can't decide if I am feeling left out or grateful about that....

The babies hit it off REALLY well...



All in all, a good time. And I'm pretty sure Ben is going to be napping for QUITE awhile...

Thanks for playing, guys! We had fun! :)

Blogroll Playdate!

In just 3-1/2 hours or so, I'm meeting up with Claire, Isaac and Jacob! Actually, Jen and I are.

This came about after I read a post of Claire's last week about her drive to the Delaware beach (where we just were) and surmised that she must be closer to Jen and I than I had originally thought. Sure enough, a Mapquest search from her city to our favorite playground said it was only 45 miles! Claire, being more adventerous than I, was willing to put her two Munchkins in the car and travel the 45 minutes down the 95 corridor for a playdate! (though we promise to reciprocate eventually) :)

I think meeting an online friend is kind of like meeting a celebrity that you'd ACTUALLY want to talk to. It's very cool!

I have met online friends a few times in the past... most recently, my friends Lynda (and her husband and two granddaughters) and Bonnie from an online fear of flying group I used to frequent. That was such a great experience, well... if you take out the part where I was 20 weeks pregnant and it was 150 degrees and 500% humidity in Florida that November day. But it was so much fun. There is something very strange/fun about meeting people for the first time but already knowing them. Even my usually anti-social husband had a great time with them!

I'm so excited to meet "Those ONeal Boys" in the flesh too! I think Ben, Ryan and Isaac are going to have a blast together on the really cool playground. And I'm sure we'll take TONS of pictures (I'd guess three whole cameras worth)! And I'll BET there will be three separate blogs about it for you all to read later. ;)

Stay tuned!

The Naptime Handywoman....

(which means we might be ordering dinner out tonight) ;)



I caulked the vanity, hung the mirror, the shower curtain, the toilet paper holder, a new towel bar and a handtowel ring. I also put little shiny knobs on the vanity drawers and door. (not all of that is pictured... this bathroom is exceedingly difficult to get a picture of)

This was all at the expense of the laundry and MANY MANY other to-do's but I think it was well worth it. I feel so much better now AND caulk is a friend now, not the enemy. :)

Ben, In Short...

The welcome packet came from Ben's preschool the other day... I never realized how excited I'd be to have my very own name plackard for my car. (so when you are sitting in the drop-off/pick-up line, they know who you are)

Inside this packet were pages and pages to be filled out, medical forms mostly. But is was the two "Getting to Know Your Child" forms I found most interesting. For the first time ever, I had to sit down and condense my child's entire personality... his likes/dislikes, his fears, things he's good at, things we're working on... down to a few blanks on two pieces of green paper.

My first instinct as a mother was to write a novel for each question. I mean, who is more interesting and complex than MY kid, right? (HA! Yes, that was sarcastic) I want them to know everything about him though... and it was daunting to, for instance, edit his "likes and dislikes" down to a few sentences. I tried to think of it in terms of things they might encounter during the 2-1/2 hours a week he is with them and so I came up with:

"Benjamin loves to sing and make music. He also likes to be read to and LOVES playing with cars, trucks and trains. He enjoys swimming and playgrounds, though he HATES the swings. He loves routine. He does NOT like bugs. He hates having to sit still."

(Except for the part about the swings is my kid a generic 2-year-old or what?)

"Fears my child has" was another difficult section for me. Ben isn't a fearful kid in the traditional sense of the word. He is very outgoing and social, generally isn't afraid of new situations or people, takes enough risks to land us in the emergency room a few times a year, and doesn't really have any separation anxiety.... so as far as preschool goes, all of that is wonderful.

BUT....
He is ocassionally randomly and somewhat unreasonably afraid of really bizarre things. So on this line, I got to write:

"Lately, the list includes: older men with white hair, getting his hair cut, professional photographers, dirt, and ocassional loud ,unfamiliar noises. You really just never know what he might decide is something to be afraid of!"

(at this point, they will start talking about what quirky weirdos we all are in the Baby Human family. Who writes that their child is afraid of dirt?)

:: sigh :: This was so hard!

Getting There...

I heart this faucet. And now that I know how easy sink fixtures (not so much shower fixtures though) are to switch out, I'm absolutely doing the kitchen and master bathroom next. What an easy way to make a HUGE difference!

We still have to put up the framed mirror and the over-the-toilet cabinet. There is also caulking to be done around the sink and some small details like knobs for the vanity door/drawers and a switchplate for the outlet by the sink.

I have a good idea for how to fill the wall above the towel bar (not pictured)... but that's a fun little project that won't take more than an hour or so. I want to find baby bathtime pictures of Tom, me and Ben (tastefully cropped, of course). Then I'm going to scan them in, convert them to black and white and frame them in three little gallery frames to hang right next to each other. I hope I can actually FIND one of Tom. I know I have seen at least one, but it was him in the tub with his younger brother... and frankly, having a naked picture of your brother-in-law (baby or not) hanging in your bathroom is a just a littie bit weird.


But I digress, as usual. We are almost FINISHED. The transformation just with the new vanity and faucet is really amazing too! I wish when we sell the house that I could hang a "before" picture in there. ;)

For comparison, here is a before (a WAY before back when we first moved in and were having floor tile issues) from a different angle of the vanity/light fixture. The old medicine cabinet was your standard $12.99 builders special with the chrome framed mirror and white metal.

Just Plain Cute.

Ben is pretending the space underneath our living room tv cabinet is a car. He has Tom's keys and watch (which he is wearing) and keeps announcing that he is going to work and to get gas. After he arrives home, he says, "Daddy home from work!"

...Cuteness.

Friday... FINALLY...

Well, I was somewhat productive yesterday. I would have been MORE productive had the toddler napped more than an hour and a half. (which one of you jinxed it?? Hrm??) I wish I had been able to make progress on the work I had to do that PAYS me, but sadly, I did not. Maybe today.

In other news, I think Ben talks in his sleep. On and off all night last night, I kept hearing these long toddler diatribes about "Mommy, open the back of the car!", "Mommy, close the back of the car!" and such things. All I know is it kept me awake and this morning? He was talking CONSCIOUSLY at 6:19a.m. and I was NOT ready to be awake.

I'm trying to let the Wiggles babysit right now. They are not doing a very good job. Ben is pulling all of Tom's t-shirts out of a drawer and marching around the room while waving them around like flags. Thanksabunch, Wiggles. :P

Speaking of occupying the toddler, I discovered yesterday that the Gymboree promotional package I got when I renewed our membership last month allows us to go whenever we want, however many times we want. I wish I had known this that week it was raining nonstop. We will be taking advantage of this though... there is no nap like the back-to-back Gymboree class nap, except maybe of course the Afternoon Swim nap. That's a tough one to rival.

Oh wait, Greg Wiggle seems to be stepping up to the plate with the babysitting. Thanks Greg, at least I know who I can count on!

Step Away from the Blog...

(and the tshirt shop)

Ben just went down for his nap (I hope). It is now 1p.m. and I'm hoping for a good 2-3 hours to be productive. That means NO BLOGGING for me... that means no fooling with Photoshop and NO tinkering with Ye Olde T-shirt Shoppe. NONE! Do you hear me? NONE!

If you see me on Yahoo or posting on here or commenting on your site, please shake your finger at me because I have so much to do I don't even know where to start.

Going to start on the pile of toys in the living room now... followed by the cleaning of the giant hairball the cat just coughed up.

Homemade Cheese from Now On....

I had to make a run to the mall yesterday. Frankly, it's something I try to avoid because I HATE the mall, but it had to be done. Anyway, while we were there, I noticed there was no one in the Picture People, so I wandered in with Ben to see if I could get his picture taken. I always say I'll never go back to Picture People, but here's the deal ... if a place seems dark or creepy or different too quiet or whatever, Ben will sometimes decide it's someplace to be totally terrified of. The studios at Penny's, Sears etc all give off this impression and I know he'd freak. Picture People opens up to the mall and is very bright and cheery.

So Picture People it was. And they had an opening... so in we went. I thought it was going to be TOO easy because on the way in, Ben spied an airplane prop and he was VERY excited about it.

As soon as we got into the little room with the photographer? He decided there was something he didn't like about the place/situation and he FREAKED and started yelling "Go home RIGHT NOW!!!!" and there was no changing his mind. :: sigh :: He freaked the way he freaks when I take him for a haircut or to sit on Santa's lap. Though, he DID dutifully sit in the airplane and SAY "cheese" (minus the smile, plus the tears) Soooo... I guess that's the end of professional pictures for awhile.

Needless to say, we didn't get any pictures. We left and didn't even reschedule. Once Ben decides something doesn't sit well with him that way? There's really no fighting it (unless it's a haircut because he HAS to get haircuts... I just get to hold him down while he screams the whole time) Sooooo... it's home photography for a year or so until I get up the courage to try again.

Mini-MeUs...

I was cleaning off the basement computer this afternoon and found a picture of me from the summer I was two. Then I meadered through my pics of Ben just to compare. Found this one. Freaky, isn't it?


He doesn't always look just like me, just certain expressions and angles. Sometimes he looks like Tom.... there's no doubt he's the daddy! Am I wrong?


It's been really fun divying up Ben's body parts and figuring out what he got from whom. ;) Here's what we have so far. His eye shape and nose? ALL TOM. His hair? Also Tom's, though mine was the same color at that age. Face shape, mouth, profile mine. Teeth? Tom's. Feet? Mine. Toenails, strangely enough, Tom's. (they are weird, trust me) Elf Ears? Neither of ours. I won't point fingers and tell you whose they are either... but they did skip a generation or two. Eye color? Also skipped a generation... those are his Nanee's. More as we figure it out. ;)

Just BUY Them Already...

I check in on the stats for my store a few times a day. Today, there has been this person from Galveston, TX on and off ALL DAY LONG. They have at least five shirts in their shopping cart from what I can tell. They are THIS CLOSE to buying, they are just taking their sweet time. Go ahead... just put in that Visa number, buddy...

Intriguing...

Just heard about The Maryland Kids Fest. Anyone ever been? It sounds like it might be fun... I'm just worried it's going to be all stuff where Ben will get trampled by big kids.

??

Good Morning....

... are the fireworks over now? I had no idea, but apparently our house is a front row seat for some HUGE (and loooooong) fireworks show. I felt like I was in Disneyworld or something. They went on for-freakin-ever. And they woke Ben up and he does NOT appreciate being woken up by explosions, we discovered.

Everytime we thought it was the finale, there would be a pause and then they'd continue. Oy.

So anyway, I am thankful it is now July FIFTH.

Other news... not much really. Spent the fourth at my inlaws. Learned a little about kittens and adopting through the S.P.C.A. (the three cats that I have had until now were all pure-breds, which I now think is part of the reason for their ill health) I think maybe in the fall after we get back from our next Florida trip we MIGHT think about getting a kitten. I know I said I was done with cats, but I'm afraid Milo will be lonely. Ben is also suddenly VERY attached to him and seeing as Milo has two health conditions (mild, but there nonetheless) I worry that we will find ourselves suddenly petless at some point and how Ben might take that. Plus, kittens are so much fun. ;)

Not sure about our plans for today. Looks like rain all day, so we may have to get creative.

And with that, the boy has awakened from his beauty sleep... gotta run! :)

Doing Our Part to Pass on the Patriotism to the Next Generation...

Ben will happily tell you that today is "Merica's Berfday!"

Also to be noted, he is wearing a little Oshkosh July 4th outfit that his godmother bought him for LAST July 4th. It is size 18 months and was nowhere even close to fitting last year. This year? It's a little big, but works. I'm pretty sure it will still fit next year.... which begs the question...does Oshkosh take measurments of ACTUAL children for their sizes or do they use extra-large chimps?

Dinner...

Really REALLY yummy dinner from tonight reviewed over on The Naptime Gourmet. Seriously, you have to try this one. Thanks to Mandy for this recipe she posted months ago!

I have to get to updating that site soon... the last two months are still not categorized. There is lots of great new stuff people have added though! :)

Can the Handyman Save the Day Again? I Hope So....

**update** Well, the estimate is about ohh... three times what I thought it would be. BUT... still tempting. I'll have to talk to Tom about it when he gets home. We COULD just have the handypeople do the complicated parts (the vanity and medicine cabinet) and save the easy stuff (mirror and cabinet) for us to do... we'll see, I guess. I'd rather just have it all done at once. But that's just me. I have no patience. NONE.

So my husband is a little annoyed with me... I called the handyman for an estimate this morning because at this point, I just want my bathroom FINISHED. i'm tired of running back and forth to Home Depot for parts and tools. I'm tired of trying to "figure things out". I'm tired of the mess.

Tom and my father-in-law were going to install the vanity, countertop, faucet, mirror and medicine cabinet. (They still might do parts of it, depending on the estimate I get from the handyman) But we're having a problem with the waterpipe situation that my husband and fil seem to think will involve a blowtorch and my brother-in-law. And there need to be holes cut in the brand new vanity. I'd REEEALLY like it to not be that complicated AND I'd like it to not involve so many people. I hate when they all start working on something here and the next thing you know, it has taken up all of their weekend, something I, as a wife, would not very much appreciate if it were my husband working on someone else's house, and I'm sure my sil and mil are not crazy about themselves.

Anyway, so I'm hoping the handyman can come in and "get er done" in one fell swoop for a couple hundred bucks. We have it in the budget, since we returned both the original mirror and medicine cabinet (which were too big and more expensive) for cheaper, smaller models. And then? We can actually use our bathroom. Gee, that'd be nice, since the 3x3 shower cube in the other upstairs bathroom is making me claustrophobic and since poor Ben has become deathly afraid of the jets in the "BIIIIG bathtub" downstairs.

I really do not think I will ever change my kitchen... just this little bathroom redo is driving me INSANE!

Afternoon Photo Shoot... ;)

Giving the camera some love this afternoon... (we were bored)

Me: Ben, show me "I'm happy, but the cat just yawned kitty breath all over my face!"


Me: Show me how you feel about grandmom being at the beach for ten days?


Me: You just got a record deal as Junior Stevie Wonder!


Me: Hey Ben, you just heard that daddy used a hammer AND a drill today!

Lazy Sunday...

The Toddler is cranky today. Very VERY cranky. No idea why. It's really wearing on us too. We were almost out the door for church and Tom and I looked at each other and said almost simultaneously, "I don't feel like doing church today." So we ended up at the flea market instead. It was "research". I'm glad we went because I discovered that the flea market? Is NOT something I want to be part of.

Ew. And I say again. EW. The people (and their stuff) smelled funny (and were very rude to boot). The stuff was JUNK. And um... yeah, I do not think I will be taking a day out of my life to go sell shirts there, thankyouverymuch.

But lesson learned. Then we went to Lowe's to buy a(nother) new medicine cabinet. I'm quickly losing steam on this bathroom project. I'm kind of into immediate gratification and this project is NOT doing it for me. It's just a mess and I want to just close the door and never use the room again. When we move, we can advertise it as "extra storage!" Tom says that's not an option. :P

Ben is napping.... hopefully he will awaken refreshed and no longer exhibiting his alternate "Sir Pissy Pants" personality.

I'm off to go do nothing somewhere... at least for a little while.

So Many Projects, I Don't Know What To Do...

I had a little free time today and sat down to work... but on what? I need some Adderal or something because I can't seem to stop the synapses from firing long enough to actually work on any one thing for a long enough period of time to make any progress.

The bathroom? I am stuck... I still have paint to touch up, we had to exchange our mirror today, and now we have to exchange the medicine cabinet. Stupid too small, weirdly shaped room. Also, I can't get the toilet back together because I can't get the replacement nut back on the ball-cock. No, I'm serious, I'll scan the instructions from the replacement part package so you can see. Man oh man is Google is going to have fun with that one.

The T-shirt Shop: I'm in the midst of working on a catalog of sorts for when I finally do the flea market thang. It's tedious and taking forever and I just don't feel like working on it for more than 1/10 of a second.

Invite I'm supposed to be designing for my mom... umm.. yeah, don't feel like doing that either.

Uhhh... Blogging. Check. Yeah, I always seem to find time for that.

Freelance Web Blah Blah: Seeing as I get paid hourly, you'd think I'd be logging as many hours as possible. But I can't seem to get motivated... probably because they have asked me to REorganize a part of the project that took me 17 hours to organize in the first place. Just for that? I should double my rate.

Transferring home movies to DVD: Somewhere along the way, that became NOT fun. I got tired of having all the crap laying around in the living room, so I moved it to the basement. The inaccessibility just killed my motivation.

So there you go. Here I sit, with a project list the size of Texas.... and bored because I have NOTHING TO DO. ;)

Never a Dull Moment...

We went to Panera this morning for breakfast, since we also had to go to the grocery store...

Ben and I sat down in a booth and waited for Tom to bring the coffee back to the table. I noticed as we sat down that there was an older man in the booth behind us with an eye patch. I silently cringed because I had a feeling I knew what was about to come out of my toddler's mouth.

I should preface by saying we've been talking a lot about pirates lately around our house. Ben got a Little People pirate ship from my cousin for his birthday...

You see where this is going...

Ben stands up in the booth, peeks over, points at the man and says, "EYEPATCH!!" "Mommy! Pirate!!" "Aye Matey!"

I mean really, what can you say to that?

I'm just thankful he didn't break into a chorus of "Yoho yoho a pirate's life for me!" (which he does ocassionally)