Parenting 101 Days of Giveaways

Only 5 days left!  Go to Parenting and be sure to enter the giveaways.  All you have to do is click on the 101 Days of Giveaways at the top of the page and fill out an entry form.  Super easy! 

Aug 26- Burts Bees Gift Basket ($200)
Aug 27- Micralite FastFold Superlite Stroller ($320)
Aug 28- The Smart Games Line by Fundex Games ($300)
Aug 29- Olay Gift Basket ($204)
Aug 30- Power Wheels Tough Talkin' Jeep by Fisher Price ($270)
Aug 31- Beaches Resorts Trip ($3000)

I would love to win the Beaches Trip!  Our family could use some relaxing. 

When the going gets though, the though get going!

As I am sitting her writing this, my mom is getting her first chemo treatment.  :)  We have been waiting for this day for such a long time.  She is ready to fight and wants to get this cancer out of her body.  For those who don't know, the doctors can't really tell what kind of cancer she has.  They know she has it on her stomach and pancreas.  They don't know where it started, just that it has spread.  In two months they will do another scan and see what the cancer is going.  Hopefully it will be smaller or just plain gone!  Treatments will be every two weeks. 

I'm so happy for her and scared for what's ahead!  I'm so happy we can start this fight and give it all we have.  Buggy is currently working on a new card to send her grandma.  :)  I pray that someone up above is keeping an eye on her and will help her though this tough journey.  Thinking of you mom!  Good luck today!

Back to school

I've been reading and looking at the pictures people are posting about their little ones going back to school.  Our oldest will be starting preschool in a few weeks.  It's hard to believe that she's big enough and ready to take this next step in her little life.  There really isn't a whole lot to get ready for preschool.  I took her school shoe shopping and let her pick out 2 pairs of shoes.  A pair of tennis shoes (pink and white) and a dress pair (nothing but pink sparkles all over!).  She's so excited to wear them.  She's not really ready for school clothes shopping.  We have added some needed pieces, but she'll just be playing and hasn't really hit a big growth spurt.  (As I'm saying this, I'm sure she will now.)  We've talked about going to school and having friends.  She already has her birthday party planed and is just ever so excited about the whole thing. 

Wordless Wednesday

If you have a Wordless Wednesday you'd like to share, link up!

Tuesday Blog Hop

Goo

This is the best stuff ever.  It kept Buggy busy for over 45 min.  She loved it and wanted to make more after her nap.  I made it for her in a round cake pan for two reasons.  One, it was all contained in one area.  Two, the pan was shallow enough for her to sit in her booster seat and still have access to the goo.  Clean up is too easy.  All you need is a wet washcloth to wipe up anything that "spilled" out of the cake pan.  It's fun to play with.  If you hit it or adjetate it with quick movements you can't push through it.  However, if you use slow movements it's like slime.  I was able to pick up a solid piece and ooze it on Buggy's hands.  She loved it!  I saw a segment on Ellen about this and wanted to try it out for our self.  I'm so happy we did.  :)  Here's how you make it. 


GOO
1 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup of water
food coloring (to color the goo if wanted)

If you are going to make yours a color, put the food coloring in the water.  Then just mix the cornstarch and water. 

Diaper Diary Day 1

As soon as Crazy O woke up I just went with it and put on her first cloth diaper.  I thought I'd try and keep the first one easy and go with an all in one (AIO).  I used a blue Thirsty size x-small.  All I had to do was just put it on and we were off. 

It wasn't as hard as I thought.  We were golden!  I can do this, and it's pretty easy.  It was time to put her down for her nap, and I made sure she hadn't gone.  She didn't so I kept this one on.  :)  A few hours passed and her morning nap was over.  I was so excited to go get her and see how well we had done.  To my surprise, the diaper was wet!  The whole thing.  I just wanted to cry.  I wasn't sure what I had done wrong.  I really want this to work.  I changed her and all of her bedding.  Then I called my friend to ask why the diaper was wet on the outside too.  Maybe I was to use a liner with this one.  I thought I had done everything correctly.  In fact, I did.  My friend assured me that it wasn't my fault, but Crazy O.  She had peed more than I thought she would.  Next time we'd just have to use an extra liner.  Sounds easy enough, so we went on our day in cloth. 

I went about my day, and it really didn't bother me like it did the day before.  I don't know why people make such a big deal about cloth or disposable.  To each his own.  Whatever works for you works.  :)  The second diaper I used I put on too tight.  Poor Miss Crazy O had elastic marks on her little legs and back.  The third one was perfect!  Not too tight, didn't leak and was just great.  It was a Bumgenius.  I just love these!  Pocket Diapers are the way to go.  I really loved this one.  Third times the charm.  Yay us. 

Hubby came home from work and sent me out for a few hours (how sweet of him!).  I came home to find Crazy O in a disposable.  He just laughed and told me that he didn't know how to put them on or work them.  LOL!  Not sure if he's really on board with this, or if he just wants to support me.  Only time will tell. 

Cloth Diaper Diary

I have been interested in cloth diapers since Buggy was in diapers, but never got around to getting them and trying them out.  I have a couple of really good friends who use them and love them.  I have been reading more and more about how people just love them.  They say it's not as hard as one would think.  After staying up all night talking to my friend about her experiences and knowledge, my friend from church brought some with her today to show me a small portion of her stash.  (This small portion was over 15/20, so I can just imagine how wonderful her stash really is!)  After having a little show and tell with hubby listening (I think he was), we have decided to try them out.  My friend was so awesome that she is letting me try out some of the different kinds!  She gave me a big bag of them to try out.  This is just amazing that anyone would let me use their diapers for a week.  I'm so excited! 

After church we came home and I put the bag up on the table.  I just stared at it wondering what this journey was going to be like.  I know that it will be a little different in the beginning, but I'm really very excited to try them all out and get some of my very own.  After all of my research I'm still a little nervous to do this.  I don't want to ruin her diapers, and I just want everything to work out.  :)  I want Little Miss  Crazy O (LMCO) to love them how I love them.  I'm very lucky to have two great people to help me through this journey and a supportive hubby on board.  :) 


Even though I'm so very excited about this trial, I just was too nervous to put LMCO in them.  I stared at them all afternoon as they sat in the bag.  Nervous to use them and mess up.  I have gathered enough courage (I know what you're thinking--they are just diapers and just do it) to try them in the morning.  I will take you on this journey with me telling you all of the mishaps, first poopy one, and the ones I buy for my own stash.  :) 

Still here

So, I'm still here.  I know I haven't posted anything in a while, but we are having issues with the power.  I hope to have everything ready and back up in a week!  I have some really cute things to post.  Buggy and I made goo one day, and she just loved it!  She played with it for over an hour.  :)  Miss Crazy O had her shots and is just coming out of that funk.  :(  Poor little thing.  We have to take her back to the docs for a weight check.  She's a little on the small side, but still ever so feisty. 

Problems

We're having some kind of electrical issues going on.  I haven't been able to get on, and not really sure how long this will last.  I hope to be back on for good tonight.  Hubby thinks he knows how to fix it/what the problem is.   I have faith!  I just hope this isn't going to cost an arm and a leg.

Treasure Hunt

So, I'm on a treasure hunt whether I want to be or not.  I never thought my kids would be "one of those kids", but it turns out that they are.  I always thought that kids who swallowed stuff had parents that just didn't really watch them until recently.  Buggy has been carrying around this small, pink, plastic bead for the last 3 days.  I watched her like a hawk.  She just wanted to carry it around and show everyone.  She has never been the child that put things in her mouth or be very mischievous.  Yesterday I was sitting on the couch feeding Miss Crazy O when Buggy comes up and says "I don't have my bead anymore".  She was a little distraught.  I asked her where it was, or what happened to it.  She just looked me in my eyes and opened her mouth as big as she could.  My first thoughts were ...great, I'm one of those moms, but I've been watching you...is my Buggy going to be ok?.....what do I do?  She was very calm and told me that she was chewing on it and that Daddy told her not to put anything in her mouth but food.  I agreed and told her that is for safety reasons, otherwise it could be dangerous.  She became worried and started to cry.  She thought this pink bead of hers was going to be swimming in her stomach for the rest of her life.  We explained that what goes in must come out.  Daddy was a great help on this one!  :)  She just eats up whatever he says.  So, the nurse told us that we just have to make sure it passes by 3 days.  She laughed when I told her the story and said that it's normal and most kids do this.  Have any of you experienced this?  If so, I'd love to hear about it!!  I think this is so *gross*!  I'm not up for searching, but I guess I don't really have a choice in the matter this time.  Oh little Buggy...what am I going to do with you?

5 months already!

Today our Miss Crazy O is 5 months!  It seems like yesterday I was going to find out what we were having when I was admitted to the hospital.  They found that my cervix was open and took me up to L&D and I dilated from a 1 to a 5 (with no pain mind you).  It was the first time I left Buggy in the little daycare for the hospital.  I didn't even get to say good-bye to her because she would have cried.  I had to sneak out.  :(  So, they admitted me.  My hubby came and had to pick up Buggy, but because of the H1N1 bug going around I wasn't able to see her.  Children under the age of 18 couldn't come into parts where patients were.  Keep in mind all of this is happening the Tuesday before Turkey Day.  I was in the L&D side for 2 nights.  The first night my water broke---but just a small leak.  They told us that our baby was going to be born @ 21 weeks and not make it.  I was just in a loss for words and feelings at that point.  After being "stable" with no other leaks or anything they moved me to where I'd be for the next 95 days.  Yup, that's right, 95 days without going home!  I was on my back for the next 3 weeks.  There were two nurses who gave me my first bath since being in on Thanksgiving.  I remember laying there thinking....am I really here, is this really going on.  What a world of diff it was to have clean hair though!  They were great spirit lifters.  :)  Because I was on my back with feet above my head, I had to use a bedpan.  For those of you who have never seen one or used one, I think it's pretty awful.  :(  I hated calling the nurses in for it and then them having to empty it out.  Talk about embarrassing!  As time went on I got some steroids for the babies lungs.  The docs and nurses all couldn't believe I was still here.  We made it through Christmas (with the nurses sneaking Buggy in to see me for the first time as my gift from them).  Then came New Years, My Birthday, Hubbie's birthday, and Valentine's day.  I asked every day if I could go home or get a weekend pass.  As my pregnancy was progressing, the docs would give me more privileges.  It went from sitting in bed to standing and walking to the bathroom by myself, walking in my room, showering, walking to the nurses station, walking on my ward, wheeling around my floor, and wheeling around the hospital with supervision (if I had a visitor).  I grew to love my new family (nurses and docs).  You learned which ones you loved to draw your blood and talk to, and which days you'd spend more in your room.  If another lady on the floor was going home or they were c-sec-ing the baby I would get very upset and protest by staying in my room!  My new family would let me sleep in the mornings, ordered pizza one night, watched the Superbowl with me, watch Lost with me, make packets on  slow weekends, thew me a birthday party and baby shower.  :)  They were great!  I got to 36 weeks and the docs said I could go home for a week, but still be on strict bed rest, and come back to have the baby @ 37 and 1.  So, that's what I did.  It was bitter sweet going home.  Leaving all of my new friends behind but, oh, the freedom of home.  I would get to see Buggy, my mom (helping), hubby, and two fur babies.  I could eat what I wanted and not choice A or choice B.  :)  I went back the next week to have my little baby.  While in the waiting room I went into labor, I kid you not!  The whole time in this hospital and nothing, but now the day of, she wants to come out on her own.  :)  We're so blessed to have made it through everything with a healthy little girl.  I will sure never forget the time I spent, memories made, and new friends.  I am very thankful for our little miracle baby!

Wordless Wednesday

Jump

"Don't look at my mess"

So I was getting Buggy ready to go outside so she could play in her new beach ball sprinkler. All she had to do was put her mermaid outfit in her dress up drawer and pick up her cars she was playing with. :) I went in her room to grab her suit and towel when she told me "Mommy, don't look at my mess I made". I thought she was talking about the cars she had played with and replied with an "Okay". So I walk into her closet to get her suit and she's putting her mermaid outfit away. There were tutus, bracelets, and all kinds of things on the floor and out of the drawer. I told her that she also had to pick up those things and close the drawer. She responded with "Mommy, I told you not to look at my mess". Crack me up!!!

Hoppy Friday

I know there aren't many of you following yet, but I thought it would be great for everyone to hop around.  :)  I'm waiting for news of CPO (Chief Petty Officer) results.  My hubby is for them and my fingers, toes, and eyes are crossed!

Up late

Little Miss O has decided she doesn't want to sleep tonight.  I think she's already cutting teeth!  She has had Orajel on her teeth all day.  And tonight when I went to put it on, her little gums felt rough.  All of this already at 4 months!?!  Our Buggy didn't even get a tooth till she was 15 mos old!  So this is a totally different ball game.  And poor hubby.  He has a day packed of work things in the morning.  Maybe he'll put in his ear plugs and just ride it out.  I know I wish I could do that and he would stay up with her.

Wordless Wednesday

This is little Miss Crazy O.  She has found her little
tongue. 

Make sure you check out Parenting today for a chance to win a pair of Frigidaire washer and dryer!  They also have a cute article about birthday outfits!  Cute stuff.  I have to start planing buggy's mermaid party.  Only 2 more months till she's 3!  Wow, where does the time go?  I'd love any ideas you might have.

Muffin Tin Monday 8/2/10

Happy Muffin Tin Monday! We've been having a rough couple of last weeks, so I thought we'd do a rainbow theme today. :) It sure made us smile. We had red watermelon, orange jello, yellow mac-n-cheese, green salad, blue gushers, purple yogurt, and brown teddy bears to dip.