My little meatatarin.....

So I was in my room, doing a few random crunches on the floor. The Princess was doing some, too, while Side Salad was trying to sit on me. The Squirrel all of a sudden says,

"I wish everything I touched turned to meat! And gold."

.....okay.....

Then, she began running around turning things into meat. "Daddy's TV is meat! The counter is meat! The towel is meat!"

The Princess tried to reason with her little sister. "What if you touch us? Then, we will be meat, too. You can't turn everything into me-"


"You're meat! Look, Mommy! I turned her into meat!" Obviously, the Princess wasn't very convincing in her argument.


She followed me downstairs and patted me on my back. "Mommy, you're meat. I'm just kidding. But everything else is meat, meat, meat!" She bopped off to work some more magic.


"Pencil meat! Yummy yum-yum!"

"Call me on the line, you can call me, call me anytime-Mommy your phone is meat!" That's right. I am rockin' Blondie for my ringtone.

Anywho, the Princess and the Squirrel, as far as I know, have never heard the tale of King Midas. That makes it all the more intriguing that she is touching things and turning them into meat.

Guess I know what tonight's bedtime story is :)

There's something wrong with my bed, Mommy.....

I don't have cable. Not real cable, I mean. I have the "broadcast tier," which-for a whopping $12.21 each month-gives me channels 2-13, pluse WE and TNT. I need it because we get such crappy reception here. Anywho, the lack of cable makes it necessary to amuse myself by unconventional means.

Last night, I short sheeted my children's beds.

What is short sheeting, you ask. Well, dear reader, short sheeting is when you take the flat sheet, tuck it under the mattress at the head of the bed. You fold it about half way down and it looks like a normally made up bed-except the sleeper can't get their feet to the foot of the bed.

So they do what any intelligent person would do-they kick their legs really, really hard as if it will make a difference. I know it sounds strange but it's absolutely hilarious! I set my camera up and recorded it for posterity. Then, my mother and I watched and laughed! Did I mention my lack of cable?

It was really funny, though.

Due to technical difficulites

Happy Thanksgiving!

My most sincere apologies first. I know I renewed my dedication to blogging but I hit a glitch shortly after my last post-my cord died. This meant that I could not charge my laptop. My only option initially was to go to my BFF's house and use her sister's cord on the weekends only (since she attends school in another town). They were really sweet about it, being my honorary sisters and all. The sister thing is another story for another day. Anywho, 2 big box stores, and 4 universal cords later I broke down and ordered the cussin' $90 replacement directly from Toshiba. I can't complain. It works and the shipping was amazingly fast. I ordered it late Monday night and received it on Wednesday. I though I might not get it until Friday which would have been even more of a pain.

Moving right along, I have much to blog about including date night, turkey day and my new love of the movies.

Let's start with movies. I haven't been to the movies in years. I think the last movie I saw in a theater was "Bogeyman." Seriously. It had been YEARS. So "New Moon"-GO TEAM JACOB!-came out and all that changed. I have been to the movies three times in the last week. I went to see NM-GO TEAM JACOB!-on last Friday night. I couldn't see it Thursday because I have class on Thursdays. I got all fancied up with make up and my Cullen crest shirt. I even wore a little red jewel by my eye.

That's my fierce sexy vampire look------------------->

The acting was better as were the special effects. After all, the actors were a bit more experienced and the budget was a lot bigger. My favorite part was Jacob not wearing a shirt of the last half of the movie. I cussin' swear, that boy has turned me into an incorrigible cougar! I am almost ashamed. He is so cussin' hot. Whew! I am a true Twilight fan because I actually read all four books, not like those Twi-lite fans who just watch the movies to see sexy Taylor Lautner.

He IS legal now, right? Ye Gods, he's a hottie. BTW, Rob Pattinson has one big nipple and one little nipple. Watch for it when he is about to reveal in the Piazza. Oh and here is Rosalie's wig.

You can get it for $5 at Walmart.

Her wig really was that bad. It was like Kim on RHOA's wig. Just a hot cussin' mess. But seriously, I cried while reading them and kept up the whole teen vampire angst by reading LJ Smith's Night World series and Dark Visions. Twilight is the best though. To be honest, the movies aren't really that good. The acting kinda sucks. I just watch because I love the books.

I really enjoyed myself so I began plotting on when I could return to the movies. Lettuce's birthday was Friday. I know, I went to the movies without him. Don't judge me, people. He worked that day! So I treated him to a date night on Tuesday. We ate at Dennys-quite delicious, bowled with my brother and his girlfriend, and saw 2012. It started off...cartoonish. But it drastically improved. I liked it, though if this particular doomsday scenario plays out I will not bother trying to survive. It's too hard. I'd just give everyone a big slice of chocolate cake, dose us all with Bendadryl and read the kids a story until we all fall to sleep together. Wow, that's pretty depressing.

Moving right along...

I shall lighten the mood with concise description of my mad bowling skillz, son! I hit 3 pins in the first five FRAMES. Yeah, cause I totally suck. I ended with a 54. Lettuce had the same score. My brother and his girlfriend annihilated us: he had 75 and she had 71. So sad, so sad.

Turkey day was delicious. Veni, Vidi, Vici. I did most of the cooking and it looked like this.



I caught the Itis and slept for 6 hours. So did Side Salad. 'Nuff said.

So today, and by today I mean yesterday, I took Princess to the movies. The Astronaut was with my brothers and the Squirrel went with her aunt so we got a little us time and while Lettuce and Side Salad hung out at home. We wanted to see Planet 51 but they were having technical difficulties. Probably the feds, always trying to keep us from knowing the truth [cue the X-Files theme]. Instead we saw the Fantastic Mr. Fox. It was a unique movie. I rather enjoyed it. Roald Dahl is the man. All his movies are getting screen time-Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the Witches-personal fave, James and the Giant Peach. We have those on DVD and I will def be adding FMF to the collection. I wonder if they are going to do the BFG next?

The movie I am really waiting for is ALICE IN WONDERLAND STARRING JOHNNY CUSSIN' DEPP. I love Love LOVE Johnny Depp. We literally have over 300 DVDs and he is in like 50 of them. I think I have every movie he is in minuse Benny & June and What's Eating Gilbert Grape. Johnny, Winnona and Leo all in one movie and I don't have it. Oh, the agony!

I was about to start typing about how I don't have Girl, Interuppted but I think I am rambling so I will bring this to a close. I like going to the movies and that's the end of it. I will be going far more often.

Until next time...

Hello, All I'm back!

It's been forever and a day since I've posted last. I have been so very busy with the kids and school and life in general. They ducklings are out of school and having a blast ripping and running and going to the lake. They take to the water like ducks. Side Salad in particular likes to grab a pool noodle and dash off as if he knows what he is doing. He has no fear. Here are Squrirel and the Astornaut playing in the water.

Notice the smears of sunscreen on the Astronaut's shoulder and forehead. That's nothing compared to this:

[Note to self: never let a three-year old apply her own sunscreen.]

I digress.

So much has been going on that I don't know where to begin, so I'll just start from now. I am going on vacation next month. That's right, I am taking a week long sabbatical. I'll be in Florida for the most part, and taking a short cruise to Nassau. It's my first cruise. The Astronaut and the Princess will be going with, but Side Salad and Squirrel are staying home with Lettuce. This is because we are going with my mother and she got some sort of deal but only 4 people can go-and all 4 have to share one cabin on the ship. Furthermore, the kids' club on the ship is for age 4 and up. Squirrel is 3 Side Salad is only 16 months old today (yay!). They wouldn't be able to do any of the activities. In light of this, we will be taking a family cruise next summer on Carnival, whose kids' clubs start at age 2 AND who has babysitting services until the wee hours of the morning.

Again, I digress.

I am going on a trip and I would like to look nice while I am galivanting across white, sandy beaches in a tropical locale. Therefore, I need to go on a diet and hit the gym like it's going out of style. Seriously, people, I need to shed some pounds. So, for the month of July, I will be using my blog as my diet diary. Bear with me, offer support, give advice, whatever.

It will be worth it because in August, this will be my vacation diary :)

The dieting starts today. I am going to try the Dukan diet. It seems easy enough. Click here to find out about it. I am going to the grocery store after I go to church.
One more lake shot, and I'm out!


Ciao!

My Perfect Princess

If any of my children is me all over again, it's my Princess. She is a true diva, late to her own birth. She stayed an extra 10 days before her eviction/induction. Our running joke is that she stayed in because her hair wasn't right. This child was born with a doobie wrap. She was due a week before my 21st birthday, but born 3 days after. This was NOT a good thing. Princess was my hardest pregnancy. Six straight months of vomitting during which I lost 20 lbs. My whole weight gain was only 16 pounds. She was 7 pounds 19 ounces and only 18 1/2 inches long. (A wee bit bigger than her mama, who was 7 pounds 1 1/2 ounes, and only 18 inches long). She was born rather quickly; I went from 6 cm dialated to her being in the isolette in about 20 minutes, epi free. That short birth is probably why her head wasn't very cone-y. We are both Sagittarius' and have similar dispositions and similar taste. We even look alike. Our baby picks are nearly identical. Except I think she is much prettier than me. She has this big doe eyes, with impossibly long eyelashes. They literally look like butterfly wings, they are so long. Sometimes I can't believe this gorgeous creature came from my belly.
Me at four:
She at four:


She stayed on her own schedule, not walking until she was nearly 14 months, not talking until about a year and a half-but spoke in full sentences immediately. She was very petite and looked like a little walking doll. In fact, I bathed her in the bathroom sink until she was nearly 3.

But now she's tall and lanky, like the horse who happens to be her Chinese sign.

Princess is a tough cookie. Her doc took her tonsils and adenoids at the tender age of 4. Dora accompanied her to the hospital for surgery that day. It was one of the most nerve wracking days of my life. Surgery and the whole anesthesia thing terrify me. But Princess was a trooper.



To be candid, she was born at the wrong time. She should have been a firstborn child, the oldest or an only. She is so competitive, has so much drive but she feels so limited and inadequate because Astronaut can do more than her. She gets so frustrated when he does things she can't, but at the same time, she is very advanced. Not to brag, but this child is quite possibly a prodigy. She taught herself to tie her shoes and write her name at 4 years old. While amazing, it is a major factor in her school behavior. She was bored silly by pre-K and it showed. I got a lot of calls home last year.

I love my mini-me. She is a challenge. I imagine her teen years will be memorable. And I can't wait until she is all grown up so we can do things together.

Sweet, isn't she.

Checkin' in

Hello, all!

I've been busy with midterms and first birthdays. That's right! Our side salad is now one years old. We celebrated in style at the local Mickey Ds. I think it's okay to have a McNugget or two on your birthday-you only live once...

School is...school. I am just exhausted. If I could figure out a way to pay off my student loans and have some sort of stable income, I'd say screw it and just be a SAHM.

Lettuce and I had a talk about breastfeeding. I know his family are pretty anti-breastfeeding so I wanted to gauge his feelings on me continuing to do so. He was totally fine with it. He can see the benefits in the health of the ducklings. Astronaut sleeps in his undies only, year round. Literally. The boy walks around in just underwear when it's snowing outside. He never gets sick. Lettuce and I have been together since he was 3 1/2 and he'll be 9 this year and he has never been sick. I breastfed him until he was 13 months old. The girls on the other hand, weren't so lucky. Princess was only breastfed 4 months. She immediatly stopped growing. She had tons of earaches and her tonsils removed at 4 years old. Squirrel was EBF until 6 months, though we started solids at 4 months. She had a combo until she was about 7 or 8 months. The ear infections were constant and she got tubes at 9 months. Whoa!! I've gotten a bit off topic. Anywho, Side Salad will be getting the good stuff indefinitely, that's the point. And here's a pic of us nursing in public to celebrate.


Ciao!

Today was my Princess's party :)

Today, Princess had her birthday party. It was a full month after her birthday. We had it at the marionette theatre, of course. "Beauty and the Beast" was playing and it was fantastic. She had a blast and got some nice gifts.
Here of the party guests. My Princess is in the middle holding Side Salad. The Astronaut is the one in the glasses and Squirrel is down at the bottom in the pink

Princess, holding one of her gifts: a Tinker Bell blanket.

And another that all of the kids got excited about: Operation.



Getting ready to blow out the candles on the awesome custom mermaid cake! Here's a shot of the cake just for Smoo, who unfortunately had to miss the party.

A new year, a new accomplishment!

On December 30th, Lettuce had surgery. It was supposed to be an outpatient surgery but do to unforeseen circumstances, they kept him overnight. He's fine now, came home on New Years Eve.

While we were there, Side Salad took a step. That's right, he took a step. My little monkey. He is 9 3/4 months old. This is the youngest any of my children has walked. Astronaut walked at 10 months, the divalicious Princess at nearly 14 months, and the mischievous Squirrel at 11 months. I am so proud!


Here is a grainy clip of my little darling stomping across the living room...obviously Santa didn't get that memo. I got a crockpot and a rice cooker.

Right before visions of sugar plums danced in their heads....

I love Christmas.

I love the magic, the mystery, the fun, the suspense, the traditions. Childhood seems so short now. I try to make Christmas as magical as possible for my kids while they are young. They believe in Santa. We have things we do. I want them to have traditions so that they are their uncles and my age, they can reminisce. Tonight, we set out the reindeer feed for Santa's crew. It's birdseed and glitter. We sprinkled it out in the yard. They loved it, though the Astronaut felt it necessary to give it a taste test-yuck! Then the real fun began.

The kids decorated cookies and a gingerbread house. They did a great job. The first time, we decorated, then baked. Didn't go so well. The kids piled on the sugar and sprinkles and all of the sugar carmelized-then burned. Plus the kiddies handled the dough so much it got really thin and hot. So the second batch, we adults made the cookies, then baked. Then I whipped up some quick frosting (powdered sugar, plus milk and a dash of vanilla extract) and the kids decorated them. This turned out much better and we had Santa-worthy cookies.

The Squirrel and her fractured gingerbread man

The Princess and her snowman

The Astronaut and his snowman

Then we decorated a gingerbread house. It was fun. Then everyone got washed up and went to bed without many complaints.

I have to go move the gifts downstairs. I only have a few hours until they are back up. They'll be up with the sun and I have to make breakfast, then start on dinner. I hope all of you are having a wonderful Christmas too.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight!

A DIRE Emergency This Morning

As I was attempting to sleep late on a Saturday morning (and the term late is relative-I just wanted to sleep until 9 am), I heard a crash and a scream. I knew the children were up because they all marched into my room at around 7:30 or 8 to let me know that they were ready for breakfast. I told them to eat some cereal.

Anyways, back to the crash and scream. I had ever intention of simply ignoring it and continuing my slumber. However, it turned into moaning. My mommy sense started tingling and I headed downstairs to see what it was.

A sink full of blood. Well, not full, but enough to be alarmed. T had "fallen" off the couch and her teeth cut her lip. I had her gargle with some salt water so I could assess the direness of the situation. There were 3 punctures. By now, my girl had my full attention and wasn't about to let it go. T is a clever girl, and files away information for later use. Obviously she knew that when someone hit their head, they are not supposed to go to sleep (or that's what my mama told me). So my princess starts in with "I feel like I need to go to sleep...my head wants me to go to sleep..." To add a touch of realize, she tried to go prostrate across my lap like a swooning Southern belle. Nice try, Toots.

It was nothing apple cinnamon pancakes couldn't fix.