Aloha Friday ~ #9

Welcome to this week’s edition of Aloha Friday.

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response.

My question:

Do you have any reoccurring dreams?

My answer:
Over the years I've only had one dream that reoccurs fairly regularly. I'm in college but forget that I've signed up for a class and never go and now it is the end of the semester and I'm going to fail. OR I sign up for a class and no matter what I do, something always keeps me from actually getting to class. I've talked with others and apparently this is a common dream theme. Has anyone else had this one?

A Thousand Words Thursday ~ Bad to the Bone!

My Warren is bad... bababa bad. Bababa bad...bad to the bone!

Visit The Mom Jen at Cheaper than Therapy for more A Thousand Words Thursday fun!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Dilly Bars

On Saturday the boys had their first dilly bar from Dairy Queen. It seems strange that Lucian is almost three now and hasn't had one but don't feel too bad for him. He's had plenty of other DQ treats.

I was a little surprised that Lucian was slow and tentative and he didn't eat much. All he would say over and over again, "This is deeelicious!" Warren on the other hand was virtually silent and busy, mowing down almost the entire thing. He had to be slowed down or he would have gotten a bad ice cream headache.

It brings back the good ole' days to see them eat them. I couldn't help but think of my summers as a kid and going to DQ for my dilly bar treat. Sigh...

For more Wordless Wednesday check out 5 minutes for Mom and 7 Clown Circus!

Not Me! Monday - #23

I love Not Me! Monday created by My Charming Kids so I’ll take this time to reflect on what I did not do this past week. Please take a moment to visit MckMama's blog to see what she has not been up to herself.

Yesterday I did not take pictures of my 18 month old son Warren tormenting my almost three year old son Lucian by sitting on him. I don't find all this absolutely hilarious. If you were to look at the pictures below the lump in the blanket isn't my little boy being smooshed by his younger brother who was obviously enjoying his brother's increased immobility caused by the blanket. Nope. So I didn't capture it on film. Never!I didn't have both my boys sick for the past couple of days with high fevers and decreased appetite. Of course I didn't make the mistake of letting them play when their fevers dropped and they started feeling a little better. Even if I knew they were totally going stir crazy and weren't interested in watching anything on t.v. (of course I didn't let them do that either!) I wouldn't let them overdo it. This didn't cause their fevers to spike after naps and I wasn't feeling a little guilty for not discouraging their play.

We also didn't make a run to Dairy Queen to buy a treat but decide to do things a little different (a.k.a. cheaper) and order two dilly bars and two buster bars. After paying more than $7 for these items I didn't wonder why we even bothered in the first place. I didn't regret not getting that blasted strawberry waffle bowl sundae I love so much. What happened to dilly bars being a $1?

Last night, completely frustrated with Lucian because he wouldn't stay in bed, I didn't trick him into believing I had a key to his bedroom door and threaten to lock him in there. I wouldn't do that with a key to a different door to our house since I don't even have a key to his door anyway. And it didn't totally work. (Brilliantly, I might add...)

Aloha Friday ~ #8

Welcome to this week’s edition of Aloha Friday.

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response.

My question:

How do you feel about going to the dentist?

My answer:
I don't actually mind getting my teeth cleaned. I just love the clean and fresh feeling afterwards. I also really like my dentist. Despite this, I kind of dread going to the dentist. Why? Because I'm not a fan of my hygienist. She has a way of making comments that make me feel like a little kid for not flossing enough or still having my wisdom teeth (at the request of my dentist since I have enough room). And to put this in perspective, I've never had a cavity and have decent oral health. I do brush my teeth twice a day like most people. I don't know why I continue to see her. I guess now that I've gone there for over 6 years I just keep going back. Anyone else feel like they get scolded at the dentist?

A Thousand Words Thursday ~ Fishing with Daddy!

Last week for our vacation Lucian got the opportunity to go fishing for the first time with daddy off the dock. He really enjoyed it and is becoming such a little man. His older cousin Noah on the other hand, was having a blast catching tadpoles and carried them all around in a bucket before finally releasing them. It was pretty cute and Lucian liked checking them out too!:)


Visit The Mom Jen at Cheaper than Therapy for more A Thousand Words Thursday fun!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Me and My Boys!

I know what you are thinking. Could it be? Really? Pictures of me with my boys? Why yes, on our vacation I actually got a in a few shots with the boys playing at the resort's playground on one of the few nice days. I almost can't believe it. And then I compare how many shots my husband is in versus me and I realize it isn't all that amazing. I'm still usually the one taking the pictures so I am in such a small percentage. But I'll take it!

For more Wordless Wednesday check out 5 minutes for Mom and 7 Clown Circus!

Not Me! Monday - #22

I love Not Me! Monday created by My Charming Kids so I’ll take this time to reflect on what I did not do this past week. Please take a moment to visit MckMama's blog to see what she has not been up to herself.

While on vacation this past week I did not find myself doing plenty of crazy things. Like trying to walk outside in wet grass, holding on to my 18 month old as he was squirming to get down and still trying to hold my pants up with my other hand without dropping him. I didn't want the bottom of my pants to get wet and muddy of course but still. I wouldn't create this very ridiculous display so that my mom could burst out laughing at my silliness and thereby make it even harder for me to continue walking. I certainly wouldn't do this for any of the other resort guests to see either.

In trying to tame our crazy son we also wouldn't consider a harness for him for the first time on vacation And then we wouldn't actually be playing up to the idea that it is a leash and say things like, "here boy" when he is wearing it just because it really does feel like you are walking a little puppy dog. Nope. We didn't do that.While hanging out with his older cousins on vacation, our almost three year old Lucian did not start singing along to a song that they all seem to have stuck in their heads. That song wasn't, "Cha Cha Cha Chia." (Yes, as in the Chia Pet theme song.) But I didn't find it so hilarious that Lucian's version was a little different when I heard him going, "Ta Ta Ta Tortilla!"

While eating out on our vacation at a small local diner (where the food and service was atrocious by the way) I didn't take our youngest son into the unopened attached gift shop to kill some time. I then didn't proceed to flip a plug in switch in order view a lamp and when I proceed to turn the strip's power off, break the switch. I didn't immediately walk out of the gift shop. (In my defense I did nothing out of the ordinary so it was already faulty. It wasn't the lamp itself, I swear.)

While at Grandma and Grandpa's we didn't suddenly realize that little Warren was missing and run into the bathroom expecting him to be playing in the toilet again. Nope, my dad definitely wouldn't leave the bathroom door open. We didn't discover him wet and eating dog food instead. No sir..

And lastly, while sitting with my son Lucian before bed last night, he didn't pull the top of my shirt slightly down on one side over my shoulder, explaining, "Don't you want it like this, Mommy?", as he struggled to pull it down. I didn't then say, "um, ok" to have him look totally satisfied and smile at me before saying, "There mommy. Now you look like a princess." This didn't totally melt me and I didn't smile and agree with him. I didn't then laugh my butt off when a few minutes later he was also trying to make daddy into a princess too. :)

I'm Back!!!!

Miss me? You may have noticed that I've been absent this week, with only a couple of posts. My family went on vacation with my parents and my sister's family to a cabin on a lake. And when I say cabin, I use that liberally. It is more like a gorgeous log house than a cabin (which implies something smaller and older). It was fully furnished with four bedrooms and two baths on a beautiful setting in Big Fork, MN. (The resort is called Loon Point Resort if your interest in now piqued.)

The only thing that put a damper on our week long getaway was the weather. We only got a couple of nice days with many days of rain and cooler temperatures. I know this is Minnesota, but come on. What happened to super hot July? I feel like summer has totally passed us by and only lasted for a week. Here is to hoping that August makes up for it.

As you can see by the pictures we were really "roughing" it. I'll be sharing more photos and stories about our trip throughout the week so stay tuned!

Aloha Friday ~ #7

Welcome to this week’s edition of Aloha Friday.

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response.

My question:

Is your birthday a big deal to you? If not, at what point did that change?

My answer:
Today is my birthday but it really just isn't all that big of a deal to me. My birthday really hasn't for the last few years. (When I had turned 26 I was made the mistake of saying I was 25 four months after my birthday.) I think this is especially true once you have kids and are so busy. Perhaps next year when I hit 30 it will mean more. And this is no offense to my family who does celebrate my birthday. It certainly isn't ignored, I just don't really care all that much. Is that weird?

A Thousand Words Thursday ~ Angry Warren

This is my angry Warren. He is mad at mommy and daddy for refusing him a bottle. This is his angry stare after being denied the wonderful milky goodness that is the bottle. Sippy cups (with milk) don't obviously don't count and he does not want to give the bottle up completely. Must resist...must resist change... need.. the... bottle...love... the bottle... only want the bottle. (You get the drift.)

Visit The Mom Jen at Cheaper than Therapy for more A Thousand Words Thursday fun!

Wordless Wednesday - Fawns

For those of you who regularly visit my Wordless Wednesday post you will notice something different. Yes, I have only one picture. Crazy, I know! I normally include at least a few pictures for your viewing pleasure but I just had to share with you these two adorable fawns.

I caught them relaxing, basking in the sun in our backyard. We live in town but have over an acre of land and it is not unusual to see 8 or more deer in our yard at a time. They don't even seem to mind when we are outside and fairly close.

I used to say the deer were what has kept me from really having a garden or planting flowers since they love to nibble on anything and everything. But I'll admit that is really just my excuse for not liking to weed!

For more Wordless Wednesday check out 5 minutes for Mom and 7 Clown Circus!

Not Me! Monday - #21

I love Not Me! Monday created by My Charming Kids so I’ll take this time to reflect on what I did not do this past week. Please take a moment to visit MckMama's blog to see what she has not been up to herself.

I did not totally forget about Not My Child! week and instead write a traditional Not Me! Monday post. I am not totally bummed now that I forgot to participate this this week's special theme. I am not hoping MckMama will bring it back so I can try to NOT forget again.

If you saw me and my family at Olive Garden for lunch on Saturday you would not have seen us with horrible manners. I always set a good example for my kids so I did not find myself feeding Lucian (my almost three year old)with my fingers at times. This was not because he would take too big of bites and have spaghetti hanging out of his mouth and down his chin. I would of course cut his spaghetti up much better than that so it wouldn't have even been a possibility.

I did not break the unwritten restaurant rule and pick up some of my son's noodles off the floor just because I felt bad. And actually even as I write this I am not thinking of a other Olive Garden Not Me's. Like the fact we ate there for my husband's birthday and got a chance to use that gift card that we did not get for Easter. And not even this past Easter, but the YEAR BEFORE. Not because we don't love Olive Garden but because we rarely go out to eat somewhere where it isn't a buffet (for less stress & no wait) or doesn't serve pancakes (our picky son's favorite food).

I also did not rather enjoy our waiter whom I couldn't tell if he was just really nice, trying to get a good tip or even flirting with me. I of course am not liking the idea of the latter. No, certainly not. Even if he is kind of cute and too young for me. Oh and yeah, I'm totally off the market and not even looking because I'm happily married. And I was eating there with two kids and a husband. So naturally I wouldn't be happy if he was actually flirting with me. I couldn't enjoy that even slightly.

We do not allow our 17 month old to climb on our wooden swing set. Just because he wants to of course we don't let him. And I, as his responsible mother, don't allow him to either. I also don't allow my husband to discover other uses for overalls as not shown below. The top of the overalls don't make good handles and neither do the belt loops for going down the slide head first. And we definitely don't allow him to go down head first. Nope.
While at Target I did not reach into my bag to pay and find my wallet was a little wet. With milk. How did milk get in there you ask? It was not because my husband complained that our youngest son's sippy was leaking on his hands. I was not stupid enough to take it and then PROCEED TO STICK IT IN MY PURSE. (Seriously, I don't know where I come up with these clever ideas.) Not me!

Aloha Friday ~ #6

Welcome to this week’s edition of Aloha Friday.

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response.

My question:

What is your favorite part of your body?

My answer:
This may be a tough question for a lot of you. I had to sit a minute and think about this question too. What DO I like about my body? Usually I only see the negative and I know I'm not alone. Well, I really like my neck line. I know it sounds weird but I like the whole clavicle and neck area. I think it looks nice with v neck and scoop necked tops as long as they aren't cut too low. (I know there is a term for this area but it totally escapes me at the moment.) I know everyone has at least one thing they like so spill it!

A Thousand Words Thursday ~ My Heartbreaker

Do you ever take pictures of your kids and once you look closely you can't believe how much your baby has grown? Lucian will turn 3 next month. Where has my little boy gone? I look at these pictures and they just remind me of how fast the time with our children goes by. I love to watch the changes in him as his body and his mind grows but it still makes me a little sad.

I think he is going to break the hearts of many girls. Don't you?

Visit The Mom Jen at Cheaper than Therapy for more A Thousand Words Thursday fun!

Baby Loving Mama's Momfinitions

Becoming a parent instantly changes your life. Suddenly you learn about all kind of new concepts you never knew before. ParentsConnect.com has created a humorous way to share these new concepts with their Momfinitions. Fun, isn't it?

Here are some that I thought of immediately:

1. Baby Poopouri – The lovely smell that lingers after opening the diaper pail
2. Bag ‘o Stuff – Used to be known as a purse and has grown larger since having kids. Now includes random items like a single sock, small car, half eaten snack, dirty wipe used to clean a face, etc.
3. Mama White Finger- Leftover white residue that stays on the forefinger even after washing. The result of using a lot of creamy diaper rash ointment.
4. Canine Perks – The extra benefit of owning a dog that will instantly clean up any messes created by but not limited to: Cherrios, spit up, and splattered milk.
5. Toddler Tornado – The seemingly instant mess created by a toddler on the loose. Includes scattered toys, books, blankets, clothing, pillows and more! Tons of pick up fun!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Backyard Fun

My husband finished assembling the new wooden swing set last week and now my boys get to enjoy the fruits of his labor. It is a great set (thanks Sam's Club!) with plenty of different things to do on it. Of course my boys are just daredevils so Lucian loves going down head first and Warren loves to climb up the slide, use the rock wall and climb the monkey bars ladder to be just like his big brother!

For more Wordless Wednesday check out 5 minutes for Mom and 7 Clown Circus!

Blogger Burnout ~ PR Blackout 8/10-8/16

If you've been following the blogging community you may have heard that Trisha from MomDot has called for a PR Blackout. A single week for bloggers to take back their blogs and have the opportunity to go back to the basics of blogging. To give all bloggers the chance to blog about what we feel like sharing versus other obligations.

MomDot is challenging bloggers to participate for one week in August in a PR BLACKOUT challenge where you do not blog ANY giveaways, ANY reviews, and Zero press releases. In fact, we dont want you to talk to PR at ALL that whole week. We want to see your blog naked, raw, and back to basics. Talk about your kids, your marriage, your college, your hopes, your dreams, your house and whatever you can come up with for one week.

I have only been blogging for six months and already I've got piles of reviews/giveaway items just waiting to be posted about. What started out as a hobby has become a job. Please don't get me wrong. I appreciate all the wonderful opportunities I've been given. I love trying products and sharing my thoughts with all of you. I get ecstatic to give away products to my readers because what is more fun than making someone's day with a win? I have also really enjoyed working with all types of sponsors from small business owners to PR reps, all of which so far have been a pleasure to work with. (Aren't I lucky?) I enjoy connecting business owners with a customer who never knew they existed. Unfortunately the time spent trying out products, taking pictures, working on review/giveaway posts, marketing giveaways and just keeping up my email is taking up all my free time. I don't have a chance to blog about much of anything else and if I do take the time I feel a little guilty for not finishing that review item that has been sitting here for almost a month.

Many of my visitors are following me only to enter my giveaways, not to share in the motherhood experience. Not that I don't appreciate those people too but I'd like to develop a deeper relationship with my actual readers. Those who take the time to read my NON giveaway posts, actually enjoy them and maybe, if I'm lucky, even leave a comment. (There must be at least a few of you out there...)

So I'm joining in this one week where I will not post a review, giveaway or talk about another company or product. Instead I'll create posts that are hopefully entertaining and fun.

Thank you to all my past, current and even future sponsors who support me in my one week off from outside blogging obligations.

If you feel the same way about your blog, please join me in some guilt-free posting! Until then, I hope you enjoy all the reviews and giveaways I have coming up! :)

Not Me! Monday - #20

I love Not Me! Monday created by My Charming Kids so I’ll take this time to reflect on what I did not do this past week. Please take a moment to visit MckMama's blog see what she has not been up to herself.

I have not become so enamored with taking fun photos with my kids that I did not ruin a fun moment this weekend by stopping to take a few pictures. My son Lucian did not become upset when I stopped pulling him in the wagon in order to "capture" the moment, thereby ruining it.

I wouldn't do this. The pictures above depict only the happiest of moments!

We also did not let Warren eat a leftover apple yesterday morning that Lucian left laying on the table after he was finished with it. Nope. We didn't do that so ignore the picture below.
Last week we didn't have sidewalk sales by my work and I didn't partake in horrible things for me like mini donuts. I only eat healthy food so of course I would not give in to temptation! (What do they put in those darn mini donuts to make them so addicting?)

I didn't start smiling and chuckling at my son Lucian when he kept getting out of his bed when he was supposed to be sleeping. I maybe couldn't help it since he was so adorable and sweet. But of course I always keep a stern face and mean business when I am attempting to get him to do what he is told. I don't struggle with this often so this never happens. I didn't do this. Nope, not me!

Aloha Friday ~ #5

Welcome to this week’s edition of Aloha Friday.

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response.

My question:

How many dates would you guess you average per year?

My answer:
Last year I think we got two. This year we already have had two so we are on a roll. I'm thinking by the end of the year we may be up to four! It might be time to find an actual babysitter. :)