Meg Ryan's Mom

Back a little ways I asked for ideas to do with Cheeks for the cold winter days since NJ experienced a winter like Minnesota.
I said I would feature those that gave me some ideas.


Well out of all my followers only one took up my offer.


That was Meg Ryan's Mom from Look It's Megryansmom


She suggested I take some snow & put it in the tub to let Cheeks play.
I liked the idea sadly, I never did it & now there is no snow left...THANK GOD!


Anywho, first let me just say she is not Meg Ryan's mom, like the Nana thought. The Nana was impressed & thought I was communicating with Meg Ryan's mom. Nana's a pretty woman, kwim?


Now the reason she has such great ideas is because she watches her grandsons. Check out her blog to see what cuties they are! One is just a few months old...I love me some chubby babies & her youngest grandson is a chubber!!!


She also blogs for Chicago Mom's Blog, like I blog for NJ Mom Blog. And she is very witty!!!


So go check her out.
Tell her I sent you.
I even noticed my sister is following her.
She must be cool if Erin is following her.




Late!

Ranch Life

So while the dulcid tones of the movie "Spiderman 2" play in the background I was perusing the internet & reading one of my fav blogs:
The Pioneer Woman
Ever read her blog?
If not, go, do not hesistate, just go
And
Check out her cookbook:
The Pioneer Woman Cooks


I digress.
So I said to my beloved.
"Hon, if you ever wanna live on a ranch, I wanna live on a ranch like this one"
&
Then, ala Vanna White, I turned the monitor & showed him her blog.


He says
"You could never live on a ranch. You wouldn't make it one day"
I in turn scoff & reply
"Yes I could. I could live on a ranch. I don't want to work it, just live there"
And he in turn comesback w/
"Um, that's the purpose of living on a ranch, to work it"
Oh that poor man, too many years of heavy lifting & such has left him slightly left of center.
"Bob, if we can afford a ranch, I will live & run the home part & you & the ranch hands will work the ranch. You have 3 strapping young boys, there are your ranch hands"


For some reason he snorted at me & rolled his eyes.
Ha!
I'll show him.




I will turn my little suburban townhouse into a ranch & it will be magnificient.
Now does anyone know how to wrangle some Canadian geese?




Late!

Earth

Okay, who remembered yesterday was Earth hour?
Huh?
Did you?
I so didn't
BUT did it count that I was in bed by 8:30 & all lights were off 'cept for the tv?
Tell me that counts for something.


Anyway, Earth Day is fast approaching
SO
I wanna know what are your plans?
Do you have any good ideas to help teach your kids about recycling? Keeping the Earth healthy? I need some ideas for Cheeks.


LMK if you have any ideas!!!
Or
If you participated in Earth Hour & will be participating in Earth Day.


Late!

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Ciao!

Wordless Wednesday~Well Hello!

It's a beau;tiful day in the neighborhood!

And thanx to P&G & Pantene my day is even more beautiful.
Awhile back they were running a contest via Facebook to win some cool things.
So I entered.
I try to enter a lot of things.
I once read that the more contests you enter, the more you win.
I am finding this to be true.


A couple weeks ago I was checking my "spammy" email.
Lo & Behold I saw something that said "win, prize", words like that.
Normally, I just delete but this time I opened.
Thank God I did.
Feast your eyeballs on this:

I, apparently, won one of the prizes.
A gift box of a few of their products.
Let's check out what was in there.
6 Oil of Olay Rejuviniste Eye Roller things (and yes that is the technical name for them!"
4 Cover Girl Lash Blasts (Love these!)
4 Secret Clinicals Deodorants
Venus Razor
Venus Refills
4 Oil of Olay Body Wash Ribbons
4 Satin Care Shaving Gel
6 Pantene Shampoos
6 Pantene Conditioners
And
A partridge in a pear tree!


Can you believe it?
I have aready given some of my winnings to my mom & sister.
I was so excited to win & then see it show up at my door!!!


Tell me, do you enter contests?
Have you ever won?
What is the coolest thingyou ever won?


Late!

Child Labor laws? We don't need no stinkin child labor laws!

We have entered the stage.
The stage where as parents we realize what we had children for.


That's right.
Labor.
No, not the kind where you push him (He was a c-section babe, hello! 11 pounds, 1 ounce, 15mm head....I was not pushing THAT out!).
The kind of labor where you say:
"Cheeks, run upstairs & get mommy her bag"
"Son, get daddy his sneakers"
"Cheeks, you made the spill, get a towel & help clean it up"


It's refreshing.
Really.
I'm thinking of hiring him out.
We could use the extra cash.


I know. I know. It's fleeting.
In a few short years I will have to bribe him to do anything.
I'm not above bribery....remember we have an 11 yo & a 16 yo.



For now, we have a more than eager helper.
And I, as his mother, want to nurture that side of him.
Now where is he? I need the van washed!



Late!

Conversations with a 3 year old

Cheeks: "Mommy, what's your favorite color?"
Me: "Pink"
Cheeks: "No it's green!"
Me: "No, it's pink"
Cheeks: "No it's green!"
Me: "No, no, it's pink"
Cheeks: "No, no, it's green!"



Upon seeing his father step out of the shower:
Cheeks while pointing to his father's nether region "Daddy, what are those?"
Daddy: "Those are my testicles."
Cheeks: "No Daddy, you have big balls, I have testicles"
Daddy: "Ok, go explain that to your mother."



And what conversations have you been having with your children lately?



Late!

Psst....

You can find me over here:





New Jersey Mom Blog ~ Daycare Providers Done Wrong



Come see me!

As I write this my 3 yo son is upstairs, having just woken up form a 4 hr nap, screaming his bloody head off. Literally screaming at the top of his lungs.
Why?
Well I refused to give him his binky, which I am trying to break him of.

Then he tells me he peed himself.
I go up there to clean it up & told him to put on the new underwear & pants I got out for him.
Well that threw him into an all out fit.
There he goes.
Screaming some more.
As if someone is gutting him.

This is how it's been all day.
He was in the corner all morning pretty much.
Then went to his room for being rude to my dad.

It's 5:15 & I still have to go to the grocery store & take the Tasmanian devil with me.
Oh, another scream.
Good times.

You know I try to keep this blog pretty upbeat.
I do.
Really.
I just can't do it anymore.

I need a few hours by myself.
Perhaps a day or overnight somewhere.

Im not whining.
Really.

I just want to vent & vent to someone who will listen.
Not decide to tell me "this is your life" or "this is the choice you have made"
No shit!
I do what I do for reasons that are important to me.

I feel like I don't get a break.
I already take an antidepressent...what else is left?

I love my family, I love my children.
I just need a break.
A mental health holiday.

Sorry, didn't mean to bore you all.
LIke I said just needed to vent.

I've been gone

Where have I been?

Did anyone notice?

Ugh.

Well I wasn't racing around.

I was stuck.

Without a working modem.

It decided to die.

Kaput.

Keeled over.

Mysteriously it started to work last night.

Yay!

I am still waiting for a new one to come from Comcast tho.

So since I was gone & really have nothing to write about I thought I would see if any of you have any questions for me.

Anything at all.

Ask away.

I am an open book.

Leave you questions in the comments & I will answer in an upcoming post.

Ciao!

Celtic Woman - Songs from the Heart

Thanks to Team Mom I was able to review the new cd by Celtic Woman: Songs from the Heart.

Can I just say what a fabu cd!?
I am a sucker for pretty much anything Celtic but this cd will wow you even if you aren't.

The women all sing beautifully.

When their voices combine it's like angels.
Sure, that sounds cliche but I am not trying to.
It's truly the only way to describe their voices when blending together.

They do a cover of Sting's "Field's of Gold" & Billy Joel's "Goodnight my Angel". I ama not a big fan of Billy Joel in general but the way Celtic Woman cover his songs has such a new spin on it & is so relaxing to hear.

I listened to this cd in my van on the way home from work. Rush hour traffic usually has me on the edge of my seat but listening to this relaxed me. Wish I was actually in my bathtub surrounded by bubbles and candles. This is definitely a cd for some "me" time or some romantic time with your significant other.

After listening to this cd I can see why the women performed on "Dancing with the Stars". They have a soft yet strong blend to their voices and each woman on her own is amazing. My favorite track is "Amazing Grace", it starts off with bagpipes which always give me shivers down my spine.

The women all take turns singing solo as well as together. Each a cd on their own and I will be buying each one, as a group this cd will definitely be in my playlist everyday! They even have a Christmas cd. Again, another genre of music that I am a sucker for.

Currently they are touring the states. How I wish they were coming to the Philly area but sadly not anytime soon. Otherwise I would have to find a sitter and make Bobster go with me.

Tell me what are you listening to lately? What's on your playlist? Have you heard Celtic Woman?

Late!

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At my wits end

My adorable child has turned into the monster from the depths of below.
I don't know what I am doing wrong.


He is good as gold for everyone else.
Me, not so much.


When I say it's a scream fest in the morning ending up with either me in tears or him in his room screaming bloody murder is an understatement.
I wake him up approximately 45 minutes before we need to leave.
He then screams & yells at me for waking him up & cries for his "binky" & "put the covers on me"
I leave him in his room & tell him when he can communicate with me w/o crying he may come out. He will scream at the top of his lungs for the next 15 minutes or so.


When something frustrates him (i.e. getting dressed, telling me to move the table so he can eat, etx) he will scream & yell. I ask him to tell me what is the matter but this only makes his get louder & tell me to "Go away" which gets him in trouble.


He is acting up when I take him to restaurants & it's very embarrassing. I am stopping doing that.


I am taking his prize possesions away for periods of time or other privelages.


If I grab him to take him into his room he kicks his legs so hard that I am bruised on my legs or wails his arms around so much that I get slapped & my hair gets pulled.


He's a wonderful little boy but I a can't take it anymore.
It's every morning.
It's almost every night.


If he doesn't get his way, it's Hell to pay.
We aren't the type of parents that give him anything.


Short of adopting him out til he's 18 or upping my meds I am just unsure where to turn.
I have followed tons of advice on how to discipline so if you have anything let me know & I will give it a go.


TIA

Mominatrix by Kristen Chase

Ever been to the Sahara Desert? Feel like there are cowebs where other things should be? While my dry spell is a result of being in different countries at the current time I could not pass up the following book to read.


This month I participated in the Silicone Valley Moms Blog Book Club, I am a member of the NJ Mom Blogs <~~~~~~~~~~ link over there. This month the book was Mominatrix's Guide to Sex: A No Surrender Advice Book for Naughty Moms by Kristen Chase.


I figured I would give it a try because who couldn't use a little advice for some spice in the bedroom. Disappointment is an understatement. Kristen is witty, informative, has definitely done her research and offers sage advice. The only problem for me was this book seemed geared towards parents of new babies. My baby is 3.


While having a c-section with my little 11 pounder, I didn't need to read about how I can buy sexy underwear that will help cover the scar & curtail some of the weeping. To use an old cliche: Been there, done that. Actually a weeping c-section scar is not a deterrent for my husband...just keepin it real!


Kristen talks about taking care of your "area" (this is a family blog so I will try to use many euphanisms) before embarking on first time post baby sex. I had always thought this was common sense and one of the first things woman did after not being able to see the "area" for the better part of 4 months. Some women wax (um, OUCH!), some shave, some trim but all should take care and I must admit while preggers this area did go untames BUT I did try to sway my sister into helping me with it but no matter what type of bribe I gave her or promised gift she told me she had to draw the line somewhere. Hmph!


She suggests how to set the mood, how to get in the mood, how to stay in the mood. Chase offers websites to find adult toys, porn and lingerie. She gives little tips through out and definitely doesn't hold back when telling it like it is.


My favorite chapter in Mominatrix is where she addresses the daddies. The one tip to get me in the mood that I will be passing onto the Bobster is for the daddy to help out with the chores. Nothing gets me more excited then to have Bobster do the dishes and clean up the kitchen. Man! I will show my appreciation BIG TIME after that. Nothing sexier than a man elbow deep in the suds.


Overall the book isn't aimed towards those of us with "older" children. Kristen addresses us and tells how to handle being "walked" in on. I have already had to deal with this and let me just say I never saw Bobster move so fast in his life...it was if lighting struck.


If you are the mom of a newborn or infant, definetly check it out. For those with a bit older kids, use your imagination and all is good. You will for sure get a chuckle out of some of her tips and suggestions. You may even find decide to try some of the situations she puts out there. I plan too. What they are I will not tell...again, family blog!

Tell me, are you a Mominatrix.

Disclosure: I received this book free as being part of the Silicone Valley Moms Blog book club.

Climbing the walls!

The Delaware Valley is having it's 3rd snow storm in a week.
Only 1-2 inches expected for our area, so that's a breeze compared to what we've gotten
BUT
Someone is tired of being cooped up that he's taken to climbing the walls!

I knew it would come sooner than later.

How do you like the trash bag covering up the a/c unit?
Classy, huh?
I like to call it "Early American White Trash!"
One would think I would just take it out of the window & store it for the winter.
Nah.
It keeps the hope alive that it will be warm again.
Well, that & the fact that I have zilch storage in this chateau.

So tell me, what do you do to keep the kids busy when they are cooped up.
I will feature the best idea in an upcoming blog post with a link to your blog (if you have one) or a link to your facebook (if you want)
Hit me with your best ideas!!!


Late!

Happy Valentines Day

From my little cupid (whose not so little anymore)

Where have I been???

The Delaware Valley got hit with 2 Nor'easters, days apart.

Dump a total of about 40 inches on this area.

I had a lot to shovel.

My neighbor did his side of the steps, but left mine for me to do.
I thought he might "man up" & help me but no luck.


Cheeks is lovin the snow.
I don't mind it but where I live doesn't do that great of a job at snow removal so I pretty much bring it into the house every time I leave & come home.
Sigh.
It could be worse I suppose.


What is going on in your neck of the woods?


Late!