Tinkerbell

So my child wants to be Tinkerell for Halloween. If you have stopped by here before you're aware that my child is a boy. Do I have a problem with this? Nope! Does everybody else, Yup! Ok I shouldn't say everybody. Daycare thinks it would be cute and I say have at it boy! My husband, I can't really tell for sure. I'm 90% sure he's fine with it, at least he says he is. But a childhood friend and my brother in law...they are trying to give me suggestions. As if they don't think I have not already asked him if he wants to be batman, spiderman, a ghost, wolverene, a pirate, a dinosaure, etc etc. Nope his heart is set on Tinkerbel and who am I to break a little guys heart?

Walkin

I know this blog doesn't get much traffic, but I had to post this just in case someone happens upon it.

I have a friend who has been training to walk the Breast Cancer 3-day (the3day.org). She has been training for months and has been walking miles per day to be able to make it through the walk. Even more difficult then walking has been the fundraising. There is a minimum she must raise in order to be allowed to walk, after all the training and fundraising she has done.

She has raised $1,600 so far but needs another $700 to meet her "goal". I agree that $2,300 is a lot, but this is not a goal that she chose, it is the minimum amount they require once you choose to walk.

This is for a great cause and there is no doubt that someone you know has, or will be affected by this disease. I know for me personally that my risk is increased because my maternal grandmother is a survivor. I have wanted to walk in this race myself for the last few years and it is a personal goal that at some point I WILL accomplish, but for now, please donate to her. Even $5 will help and that's what, your morning coffee? $10, a fast food lunch? So make lunch and coffee at home one day, and donate $15 (or more). It will help her reach her goal and you will feel good doing it.

Thank you
http://www.the3day.org/site/TR/Walk/SanFranciscoBayAreaEvent2009?px=3112183&pg=personal&fr_id=1299

How do you pee?

I was telling J the other day that he needed to learn to hold his pen.is when he goes potty so that he does not dribble everywhere. He agreed :)

The next time he went he came back and told me "I held it mommy" and I said "good job" . Then he proceeded to tell me "you don't have to do that because you don't have a pen.is, you have a uterus" I did have to explain that while that was true, my uterus was not used for that purpose.

And can someone please tell me how to explain to my 3yr old what a tampon is? He asks about those darn machines every time we go to the bathroom and "it's just something that girls use" just ain't cutting it anymore.

A camping we will go

So I really lagged at getting this post up, but better late then never, right?

On 8/16/09-8/18/09 we took Justus on his first camping trip. We had hoped to take him sooner, but it just never worked out. At the last minute we made the decision to go since R was off from school only until the 24th. Since I couldn't find anything on a weekend on such short notice, I decided to take Mon & Tues off and go during the week. We had a really good time.

On Sunday we began loading up the car, until we realized there was no way we were getting all our stuff into it, so we unloaded it and loaded up the truck. We headed out and stopped for a quick lunch before heading out the whole 20min to get to the campsite. We decided to stay close since this was J's first trip as well as the first time that we decided to take our dog. When we got to the site my first thought was "Man it's HOT". We got our spot and started unloading. Justus wanted to help put up the tent, but we all know how helpful a 3yr old can be :) . We we're hot, we we're sweaty, but it was up. I remember why we love our tent. It's big, and roomie and easy to get up. Thank goodness the directions are on the bag though or we would have been screwed. We relaxed for a bit and then took a walk. It seemed like the pool/store was pretty far so we decided to take a drive around the park to see the rest of it. Justus ended up napping in the car which was good because it was HOT and I did not think he would sleep in the tent. We made dinner, steak kabobs, potatoes, and corn. Since he kept asking, we finally let Justus roast marshmallows over the fire. He loved it. We made smores too, but he didn't seem all that interested in those. He just like the gooey mellos. It was finally time to hit the bed and all my worries about him sleeping were laid to rest. He fell asleep quickly and slept soundly all night. Only mishap today was when daddy tried to spray some OFF! on him and he looked down and it got in his eyes. Poor baby, and daddy too, he felt so bad.

On Monday we got up and had breakfast, eggs, pancakes, and sausage. I love camping food, for some reason it's just more fun. The we let J play around in the dirt for awhile while we took in the coolness of the morning. Just before I was going to think about taking a shower, wouldn't you know it, our dog got stung by a bee! So not fun. We both kind of freaked out because bees and dogs are not a good mix. When we looked at his lip we saw the stinger and Ryan was able to pull it out with his fingers. We called the vet just to ask what to look for and I headed up to take a quick shower in case we had to rush him in. While I was in the shower my phone went off and I thought "ahh man", but R just wanted me to know "so far, so good." Really? In a time like this, only text me if I have to grab my clothes and go. lol. R took his next and everything seemed to be fine. His lip was slightly swollen, but no more then you would expect from a bee sting so we headed to the pool. After a nice long time in the cool pool we went and had lunch, chicken drumsticks with cucumbers and carrots, with Ranch of course. We relaxed for a bit after lunch before heading back up to the pool again where I got the boys and ice cream from the store. After the pool we went to the "playground" which consisted of two swings, an inverted U climber and three big tires, needless to say we did not stay there long. We headed back to camp to make some dinner, Steak, corn, and potatoes. It was getting late by this time and we were cooking by lantern light. After dinner R took Justus to the bathroom and I was alone at camp. I realized it was the first time I was alone and I didn't know what to do with myself. I just enjoyed the sounds of the evening. When R got back he said we needed to get J ready for bed because while they were gone he had told R "daddy, I'm so tired." That's a first! So we got him dressed and laid him down and within a few minutes, he was out. We followed close behind. Camping wears you out. I had been checking the dog often and he was fine, thank goodness.

On Tuesday it was time to go home. We got up and made breakfast, with ham this time, and then took our showers. We started packing up pretty much right away before it got too hot. Justus actually did a really good job of helping to pack up, and didn't even get in the way. Once we were packed we drove up to the pool and went swimming before heading home. When we got home, we all crashed, we were so tired!

Oh, and the geese. J loved the geese. They were too funny. If you turned around they would start running after you, when you turned back around they would put their wings out and lower their head like they were trying to challenge you. It was a pretty funny sight. Too bad I didn't get a picture of that. :) And what is with a "catch and release" lake? Really, what's the purpose?!?

It was fun, and if it hadn't been so darn hot it would have been even nicer. We can't wait to to go in December during "winter" break.

Da Theater

A few weeks ago I found out that during the summer Edwards Cinema offers free movies for kids(and their parents). R had finally finished his summer class and I thought it would be a great way for him and J to have some daddy/son time. So on Wed 8/12 J got to stay home from preschool and go with daddy, and grandma, to his first movie at the theater. They went to see the Curious George movie.

I was told he was so excited he could hardly wait for grandma to get to the house. Once there he kept asking when the movie was going to start, and then I guess he was busting up during the movie. He had a really great time. They also ended up going to lunch and I guess he asked if they could pick me up, but they told him I was working. I'm happy he wanted to include me, sad I couldn't go with them.

It turned out to be a great time for him. I'm so glad he got to do this because I have wanted to take him to the movies, but could not see spending the money in case a) his attention span was too short or b) the theater was too loud for him, cause he tends to be sensitive like that. Neither thing happened, so bring it on Disney and Pixar.

Recent Justusisms

We were driving in the car the other day and J was making noises. R says "Your Driving me crazy" to which J responds "I'm not driving". All sarcastic of course. He gets that from me.

We went to a mini wedding for one of J's teachers and the girls had little veils and the boys had black top hats and they paraded out for us to see. After the ceremony J announces"I'm a circus man"... You know top hat, ring master. I think he also put it on his back and said he was a turtle.

Then the other night he says to me "Mommy, I think I see my kidney" as he looks into his belly button.

Cute things he says

On our trip from the bus to the car at the fair, J was riding in the stroller and says "mama, it's gonna be an awful mess when we get home." Lucky for me I was about 3 feet in front of my husband pushing the stroller, so I was able to laugh and compose myself before asking "really, why?" To which he answered "because I've got lots of sand in my shoes." Of course, why else. Just too cute. I have to wonder where he hears this because I don't think I've ever said anything would make an awful mess.

Full Weekend

This weekend was a full one. On Saturday we went to Santee Lakes to celebrate my nephew's birthday. While it was nice, it was also long and hot and I think J was pretty bored at times. He didn't want to play at the sprayground because he doesn't like water in his eyes and the only playground close consisted of a swing set with two swings and sand. Lucky for me he loves sand and he did play in the sand for a bit, but we were there for FIVE hours. And while I just wanted to lay on the blanket since I was melting from the heat, he wanted to run up and down the bank to go watch the ducks or watch his cousin play in the sprayground. Since the ducks were down a steep incline, I was inclined to follow so he would not fall in the water, and the sprayground wasn't exactly within good viewing distance either. Finally I decided that it was time to split from my family since everyone was doing their own thing anyhow and head to a real play structure. Oh I should have done this soooo much sooner. Needless to say I think he had fun, just being out and about. We were both worn out from the heat and he crashed as soon as we headed home and slept for about 30min, only to wake up, eat, watch a little George and head to bed, where he promptly fell asleep again.

Yesterday we stayed home during the morning, which he did not like. He ended up playing out back for a bit and being happy with that. After nap we headed to the Fair and got there around 4. It wasn't as hot as Saturday which was nice, but it was crowded. While J enjoyed seeing the animals and watching his other cousin ride rides, we both thought he was a little bored. Finally he got to play some games. He said his favorite part was the balls (throwing ping pong balls into jars) but he wished he had made it in. :) He still won a prize though. After the rides I suggested we take them to the playground (free) and on the way they found some hay bales and had fun running through and over those while the adults sat down for a minute and then we headed to the playground. There was a boy J's age there and this kid would not stop bugging him. I swore J was gonna deck him. I actually saw him turn around and the boy fall to the ground but I think, and J confirmed, that the boy just fell to the ground, no pushing or hitting involved. That kid was a brat. After a bit we decided to head home and I realized we didn't even hardly eat anything. J had a slice of pizza and an Icee, R some nachos, and I split some Tasti-chips with R. That's all I ate! I didn't want to deal with food at that point as it was already after 8 and we needed to get home and I knew J had eaten enough, which is all that really matters. When he was in bed I asked him if he had fun and he said "yes but I wanted to play another game, one that you ride." I felt so bad, he wanted to go on a ride, but just a few months ago we tried that at the carnival and he was super scared, and that just went in a circle. I guess we should have taken him on the little train or something :( Don't worry baby, mommy didn't get to do the one thing she wanted to go to the fair for either, to look at the cakes.

Ummm Hunny?!?

NOT what you want to hear when you go tuck your 3yr old into bed after being gone that evening while Dad was in charge...

"we looked at pen.ises on the computer" HUH??? "yea daddy showed me pen.ises on the Internet" ummm...I'll be right back.

As I suspected it was NOT the Internet, it was daddy's anatomy CD-Rom and yes they also looked at shoulders, hands, legs, etc. He just neglected to mention that part.

Please don't say that at day care.

Coupon Virgin

Up until Sunday I had been a coupon virgin. Oh sure I dabbled in coupons here and there, getting lucky. Mostly from the store ad, right down the street. They offered a few items highly discounted with the "in-ad" coupon, so I would rush down and get them, often buying several other things I may or may not need in the process. But never full on couponing or better yet stacking* coupons, to actually save money.

Until Sunday...Sunday R said "I want hot dogs." A light clicked on and I remembered I had a coupon for free hot dogs, and that started the ball rolling. I then remembered I had the stores flyer and they had some in-ad coupons that I wanted to use, but I also thought I had some manufacturers coupons for their coupon items so I started searching. Pay dirt!

I headed to the store, an bit anxious I admit, to try out this coupon game. And it worked! I walked out of the store paying less then I actually saved. I spent $28.05. With club savings and coupons I saved $49.01!! 64%. And what did I get?

4 boxes of granola bars, 4 boxes of cereal, a jar of PB, a box of cheese-its, a 4pk of Easy Mac, 3 frozen lunches, 2 bottles of whip cream (yes we use this a lot and it was B1G1), Bryers Ice Cream, London Broil, hot dogs, and buns.

Not bad. And while I admit that I did spend a bit more time preparing to shop, I want to do it again. I want to see how much I can save! All in all, since I had the free hot dog coupon, I think I spent $1.50 on dinner that night!

Yea, I'm proud of myself.

*Stacking-I didn't even know you could do this till I read about it. You can use a manufacturer's coupon on top of the stores coupon.

First Joke

Justus told us his first joke :)

What do call a dinosaur that's sleeping?

A Borontosnoreaus...said with just the right inflections.

Questions

Where does he come up with theses?

Mommy, why do blind people have eyes?

Blasts from the Past

Recently I took it upon myself to find two people from my past, that I think about often. The mom of a girl I use to babysit for and my 6th grade teacher. I emailed them both. I haven't heard from the mom, but my teacher emailed me back in less then 10 minutes.

I was so happy to hear back from her. So excited that I honestly just wanted to cry.

This was someone who helped shape my life. Someone I think about often and hope she is doing well. Someone who made 6th-12th grade, and my parents divorce a little less painful. Someone who I would love to sit down with and tell my entire life to.

Oddly enough she was a teacher who most students disliked as she was extremely strict, to the point that she wouldn't even let her students wear makeup. I remember she let me bring my Cabbage Patch Kid with me to 6th grade camp, even though it was frowned upon. In taking me under her wing she did things that would be soooo frowned upon now. Like making me make a promise to not...before I was 18. Or inviting me into her family life where I spent a weekend with her and her family (after the school year ended). Things were just different then. She asked me difficult questions that I hated her for and then years later went to see her to apologize because I understood why.

I'm so so glad she is well and that she has become a principal like she wanted. I really doubt that she truly knows how much her mentoring and friendship meant to me.

Contact a teacher that made a difference in your life. It will make you feel good, and most likely make their day.

Earf Day

Thanks to daycare, after going to the store today J held up the plastic bag and said to me "this is bad for da earf."

Yes sweetie, I know that. Now just remind me to bring my reusable bags.

Bunnies and Birthdays

Wow it seems like there have been a lot of birthdays this weekend. My bosses was Sunday but we celebrated it here at work on Thursday. I got to make a gluten free, organic chocolate cake...from a box. It didn't smell very good, and J did not want to lick the bowl, but after it was cooked and frosted it was actually okay. Thursday was also my dad's birthday and Friday was my grandma's and R's (who's the only one that really matters in this story).

Friday I left work at 10. I never do that so it was a huge shock for R. I wanted to take him down to San Diego for lunch and a trip through the Body World exhibit but with the drizzly weather and the roll over accident next to our house we thought it would be best to just stay in. Not to mention daycare probably would be less then ecstatic if we ran late on Good Friday. Heck we had originally planned to go to Disneyland, free birthday and all, but that plan was foiled when we realized it was Easter weekend.

Thursday I had made R's chocolate cake. A deliciously sinful, full sugar, full gluten cake with sour cream frosting. Staying in on Friday gave me a chance to whip up some butter cream icing and decorate the cake. He wanted me to make roses, so I could practice, but with only a half hour to pick up, there just wasn't time. I grabbed the boy, the cake and off we went to pizza with his family. Where R and his brother got in an argument on the state of our economy. Why or why? It's so interesting to see how different two people form the same family can be, especially since they are only a couple years apart. Despite that bit of tension it was a really relaxing dinner, for me at least.

On Saturday we didn't do much in the morning and headed over to a carnival for about an hour in the evening. J rode one ride and was done. Thankfully he had a blast playing games and even got three ping pong balls in the little floating cups. Since I had purchased tickets for two rides I just had to use the rest of the tickets myself. Unfortunately the carnival was pretty ghetto and the only ride that looked safe was the Tilt-a-whirl. It was fun the first few times around but then it got pretty monotonous. By the time I got off I felt sick and my arm hurt, very strange. Guess I'm getting old. blah.

Sunday was a really great Easter! Other then trying to make it down to brunch, where my uncle works, in time for the egg hunt, there was no stress. It was nice. When we got home it was nap time. I guess the sun wore me out because I ended up falling asleep in J's bed. When he woke grandma came over and we dyed eggs. I think the adults had much more fun then J, as he lost interest after about 10min.

Cheesecake

Sometimes random memories pop into my head. Today it was one about Pumpkin Cheesecake. When I was TTC I had heard that if you eat Pumpkin Cheesecake it will help you get pregnant. This knowledge called for us to go to the nearest Cheesecake Factory, about 40 miles, and buy a whole pumpkin cheesecake.

Liars! But it tasted good anyhow.

I had the rest of that cheesecake in the freezer for who knows how long.

What's that for?

J had just gone to the bathroom and needed to get into the bath, but before doing so he came to me and asked "mama, what's this?"
Me- You mean your pen.is? (thinking he was asking specifically about the head)
J-No this (pointing now under said pen.is)
Me- That's your scro.tum
J-What's inside of it?
Me-Your testicles.
J-What are they for?
Me-So when you get bigger you can help make a baby.
J ponders this info for just a second and then responds quiet pointedly and with a perfect facial expression "THAT, is never going to happen."

Grease

I got caught up in watching Grease the other night (one of my faves) when I realized.... It's like totally the originally High School Musical.

Justusisms

I wasn't personally there to witness this one but daddy said it went like this...

J-Daddy, why do camels have humps?

R- Well, it's to store water because camels live in the desert and the desert doesn't have much water. It's like a storage tank. It has water inside.

J thinks and responds- So what does the front hump have?

R-Water

J ponders this again, then says "then the back hump has cups."

J, the logical one.

Snort!!!

The snort HAS been identified. See I knew it was not like J to make something like that up, at least not yet. I'm sure he'll be a little schemer when he gets a bit older though. Mental note, must find a way to channel that brain power for good, not evil.

Anyhow, the snort is the tractor that J pointed out to me. At least it is in the book "Are You My Mother?"

Oh and now my car is a snort. Heck if it makes him want to get in the car, he can call it whatever he wants.