What do you use for Night Time ? ...A Cry Out For Help !

I would really like to be able to Cloth Diaper Lil Worm at night again. When he was under 6 months old I used Bum Genius with 2 microfiber inserts and this did the trick for me. Then all of a sudden Lil worm started to leak right through those Diapers at night. I also thought he was waking up at night because he did not like being wet. I would change him and get him back to sleep. I do have disposable Diapers in the house in case we have a baby sitter or even Grandma who has a hard time with the cloth. I started to use them at night! Ugggg! I feel like I'm wasting so much money. I was tired of changing the crib sheets , Pajamas, & a new Diaper at 3 A.M. Anyone who does Cloth Diaper knows how annoying Disposable diapers are after you have tried Cloth. I would LOVE to know what has worked for your Heavy Wetters at night. Please Please Give me some ideas. I do not want to buy all sorts of covers if they are not going to work. Thanks Mama's for your advice!

Christmas Came.....And Then it Went...

Is it just me or does it seem like Christmas went by real fast this year. I actually feel like the whole year is going by real fast. Christmas Eve we went to my In-laws house for a family get together. Monkey boy ran around their huge house like a crazy man. He had so much fun with his cousins playing video games and eating from the Chocolate fountain that Grandma and Pa Pa always set up every year. Lil worm was a good baby. I think he had a good time looking at everyone and exploring a new house on his hands and knees. It figured that when it was time to eat Dinner I had to take Lil worm in the back Bedroom and feed him and we took a nap together. I missed dinner, but I loved our peaceful moment together( and the much needed nap). When we woke up..... I ate dinner. It was yummy. We made it home by 10:30. We got everyone to bed just in time for Santa to make his way to our house. Monkey Boy woke up at 8 am on Christmas Morning. We opened all the Presents that Santa brought. Monkey boy got a guitar with flames on it, the Crayola Glow Dome, and real live fish. Santa brought Lil worm a toy telephone and a baby car that he can sit on. It was a great Christmas . I also got my Christmas wish. My wish was NOT to be in the emergency room on Christmas eve or day. (If you remember I was in the Emergency room on Halloween Eve and Thanksgiving Eve with Lil worm) Thank Goodness My wish came true and we all enjoyed Christmas.

Nothin's Better

Than when you 10 month old falls and you are the one who can scoop him up....... and with one snuggle make it all better.





Than the way your Children smell and look after their bath right before bed.





Than Watching your Babies Sleep





Than being able to be the one who gets to experience all the 1st's. (Crawl,Word,Walk,Food,Tooth)





Than Seeing your Children's eyes Light up when they come down the stairs and Santa has left them lots of presents.





Than when your Son hugs you and tells you he wants to merry you.





Than being the recipient of the most precious gifts God could ever give you, your Children.



Than Walking into your Child's room after they have taken a nap and seeing their smile when they wake up.

Than being a Mom

Update

Wow This Month has been crazy for me . We just moved into our new house the middle of November. After that we had Bronchitis, UN-Packing, Thanksgiving, More UN Packing, Flu, And now Lil worm is on antibiotics to take care of his Bronchitis. I feel a little torn because I have been so busy I have not been able to Blog as much as I would have liked in December. I try to do a lot of activities in the Month of December to keep up family traditions. It has been real hard to get stuff done when one of us is fighting some sort of cold. I recently got a new Lap Top from my Husband. (our old one would only work if you balanced a Fabreeze bottle on the power plug to keep it charged) A New Computer was a very welcomed gift. Since receiving this WE have not had time to transfer all our photos to the new computer. I don't know about you, but I really like adding photos to my post. I know this is putting a damper on my posts. I hope we can find time to do this. I want to Wish all who have taken the time to read my Posts A Very Merry Christmas. You have all made my Blogging experience a very Welcomed One. Thank You !

Monkey Boy's Christmas Program

Monkey Boy's Christmas Program was this morning. I was So Looking forward to seeing my son on the Church stage singing . We have had a crazy November and December Thus Far. We moved into our new house in the Middle of November during witch I was recovering from a bought of Chronic Bronchitis that I always seem to get in the winter. On Thanksgiving Eve Lil worm came down with the Flu . Monkey boy somehow managed to stay healthy. I however caught the Flu from Lil worm. Now my Flu has turned into Bronchitis again." O Vey" Monkey boy has the sniffles and Lil worm is still not 100%. Last Night When my Husband got home from work I ventured out to Target to Start Christmas Shopping. I put a small dent into me list. I Left the house at 8 pm and was home by 11pm. I gave everyone baths and finished Dinner before Daddy came home. All he had to do was put everyone in bed. Mission accomplished! However upon my return Lil worm was crying in his crib. He is a awful sleeper. I try to go in there and Rub him and shhhhhhh him and nothing works. As soon as he sees me he wants up and he will stop at Nothing to get what he wants. I struggled with him from 11 til 12 to stay in his crib. Then it was Downstairs to watch Baby Einstein and calm him down. We stayed up until 2 am when I finally got in bed. Monkey boy woke me up at 3 am because I heard him coughing. I went into his room and gave him some medicine. At 5:30 my Husband alarm clock goes off for work. We Chatted in bed about why Lil worm does not sleep and how We cannot find the Video Recorder to record Monkey boys Christmas program. Remember we just moved in this house 25 days ago. So I figured I would take a lot of pictures and that would have to do. I got up at around 6:30 am made coffee and thought about the plan of attack for getting out of this house and in time for the program. After a half a cup of coffee I began:





6:45 = start packing Diaper Bag


6:55= Prepare Bottle for when Lil Worm wakes up


7:00 Wrap the Teachers gifts and put by back door so I will not forget to bring them


7:30 call girlfriend to confirm that I will meet her and her Daughter in the Church Lobby


7:32 Realize that its 7:32 and both the boys are still sleeping (we have to leave by 8:30)


7:35 1st attempt to wake up Monkey boy who tells me hes sooooo tired. Open his blinds


7:40 I Plug in my curling iron and jump in the shower


7:48 take the the world quickest shower all wile telling Monkey Boy to hurry up and get dressed


7:50 get myself dressed


7:54 get Lil worm out of his crib and change him (HE woke up when I was in the Shower)


8:00 I Un -Plug my Curling Iron and decide to sport the ponytail (who was I kidding like I would have time to do my hair.)



8:08 Come downstairs with everyone and feed Lil worm his bottle



8:16 Go outside and warm up my car and load the car with Diaper bag and Teachers gifts



8:20 Start to Bundle everyone in their Winter gear



8:25 Everyone is Bundled up and load everyone in the car



8:28 Give Monkey boy a banana and Apple juice in the car for Breakfast (doughnuts and snacks directly after program)



8:50 Arrive at school



8:51 grab Stroller and unload Diaper Bag and Teachers gifts.



8:58 walk in school



The Program was great Monkey boy was so cute. When I took off his winter hat his hair was all over the place . He wanted me to fix it in the Bathroom and NOT in the classroom. He was acting funny and he told me in the bathroom that he was nervous. Too Cute. I told him he would do great and brought him to his classroom. Lil worm an I went into the Sanctuary and waited for the Program to begin. I wore a long beaded necklace and Lil worm sat on my lap and played with that necklace the entire time. He was very well behaved. Thank Goodness!!
When it was Monkey boys turn to get up on stage my camera (of coarse) stopped working. I decided to stop trying to figure it out and enjoy the performance. At the reception I asked a mom who did record the entire thing if she would please please make me a copy. She agreed.
It amazes me that it takes so long to get out of the house with 2 kids. Bye the time we were done I felt like I just ran a mini marathon. What time would someone with 4 or more kids need to start getting ready to leave?

The Ship has Sunk !!!

Well I am so sick. I do not know if its the Flu or what. I started to feel under the weather on Tuesday night. I had to work on Wednesday from 12-8 so I sanitized my hand as much as possible and tried not to touch the kids. I am a Dance Instructor . I teach 20 classes a week and Wednesday was their last class before Christmas break. It was also their parent viewing class, so I didn't want to cancel their show off class. I am suppose to have 3 classes tomorrow ,I hope I can muddle through those classes to because it's their last class and parent viewing too. I'm awake right now and it's 4 AM my Lil worm and I have been fighting to get him to sleep since 2 AM. I finally gave up and decided to watch Baby Einstein. I hope after this he will want to go back to bed. My Husband is upstairs sleeping because he has to go out of town at 5 this morning. Well I absolutely hate being sick with kids, I feel like I cannot keep up on ANYTHING. I hope this illness ends soon for me because I have not even done any Christmas shopping. I normally do Christmas cards too ,but with the move in November and Lil worm getting sick on Thanksgiving, and now my illness I might just have to let some things go. I wanted to do them too so everyone would know we moved and have a new address. O Well Like I said I gotta let some things go. Right now I feel like a sinking ship. I hope this passes soon.

Is Sleeping Through The Night a Fable?

My Lil worm is not a good sleeper. Monkey boy was not a good sleeper. How I longed for a baby that would sleep. I prayed for it. I wished for it. I read every book on it,and I didn't get it. As most of you know we just moved into our house right before Thanksgiving , and then Lil Worm had the Flu. I figured that his lack of sleeping was because of the transition to the house and the Flu. Well the house is no longer new, and the Flu is over. Lil worm just turned 9 mo. Last night he was up 3 times. I didn't have to feed him,but I did have to rock and snuggle with him. I Treasure our snuggling time,but I would love for it to happen at noon and not 2 am. The 2 nights prior he did sleep through the night, but why can't this happen for like 7 Nights in a row? It's such a tease to have a 9 mo old sleep for 2 nights and on the 3 be up 3 times. I can't stand when people ask you the dreaded question"Is he a good sleeper?" "Does he sleep through the night?" I always respond "He Sleeps when he wants to sleep" uggg. One again I am just convinced that Sleeping through the night is A Fable . A story that sleep deprived Mommy's made-up long ago to cope with their lack of sleep.

ART AT IT'S BEST !

Monkey boy recently drew a picture of Him and I. I was so excited to have legs. This is the 1st picture he ever drew where I have arms and legs. He is on the left and I am on the Right. He drew a picture of his favorite Imaginary mouse next to him , and a Flower next to me. The big circles on the top of the page are clouds. I asked him " Where his Baby Brother was in the picture?" He told me" This Picture was when we were taking a walk ,and Lil worm was still in my belly." I Love this Photo , and I Love my Monkey Boy!!

What are you Looking At ?

Monkey boy took this photo while I was making Dinner. You can only Wear Them for so long ! I enjoy every moment..... Even when he is to fussy to let me make Dinner by myself. Priceless !

We Have Moved In!

We have Officially moved into our new house. I have been very busy unpacking and trying to get this house in live able condition. I was in the emergency room with Lil worm on Thanksgiving eve. He had 104.0 temp and he is only 8 mo old. They managed to get his temperature down and he started to look better. The Doctors sent me home telling me that it was probably just a viral infection and to give him Tylenol and Motrin to keep his fever down. On Thanksgiving day my Husband took Monkey boy to our in- laws for Thanksgiving Dinner. I stayed home with Lil worm. I was having a hard time keeping his fever down,then he scared me because he woke up from a nap shivering, and the 4 little teeth he had were trembling ,but he had a temp of 101.9 . I called his Pediatrician who informed me that Lil worm had the Flu. I was so aggravated at the Emergency Room visit 1 day prior because they did not test him for the Flu. Lil Worm started taking Tami Flu and he seams to be doing better. So far Monkey Boy shows no symptoms. Only time will tell. I hope to get back to more Blogging and Reading everyone's blogs ,but for now we are trying to keep Lil worm as comfortable as possible and to unpack as much as we can.

Thanksgiving ....A 5 year old's point of view

Mama: What are you Thankful for Monkey boy?

Monkey boy: My Mom and my Dad and my baby Brother

Mama: What are you going to eat on Thanksgiving Day?

Monkey boy : Valentines Cookies with hearts on them!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Wordless Wednesday

Camping Anyone?

When my Husband was packing up things in our basement for our upcoming move, he came across a old Camping tent. My Husband decided to set it up in the basement so Monkey boy could play with it before we packed it up. (Just so happens that Monday night football was on)Monkey boy had so much fun sitting with Daddy in the Tent watching Football that night. I thought this was a real cute idea. (even if it was so he could squeeze in some Football time between packing) I was amazed that my Husband came up with the idea. That tent stayed up for 2 days, and then we packed it away. It was a great having it up because most of his toys were packed up already. Monkey boy was able to have a lot of Imaginary fun with it until it came down.

BFF (Best Friends Forever)

Monkey Boy: "Mama Your My Best Friend"

Mama: "Yep We Will Be Best Friends, Forever and Ever"

Sometimes he just melts my heart!

Christmas Came Early For Me!

Maybe it's because I wear the same clothes every day, or maybe because he's tired of seeing me in the same style "Mommy Clothes" everyday. My Husband surprised me with a 200 dollar gift card to Carson Perie Scott. He told me he bought me a gift card style because he did not want me to feel guilty when spending that much money on myself. He knew that if he already spent the money I would use it, but if he told me to go spend 200 dollars I would not. I know 200 cannot get that much at Carson Perie Scott, but when I only purchase Target clothes a lot of times they do not last. I for sure am going to "try" to find a pair of real nice jeans, then at least 1 dressy outfit for the Holidays. I told him I need to go shopping by myself so I can really focus on getting the best deals. I am excited to go shopping . Sometimes out of the blue my Husband surprises me! This was definitely a big surprise.

Wordless Wednesday

In 5 days

In 5 days we will be in our new house. We did a lot of moving and packing little things getting ready or the big move on Sunday. We are trying to get rid of things that we do not use. It is amazing how much extra stuff you have 5 years and 2 kids later in the same house. I am trying to not get frustrated with the lack of organization a house half packed can be. We have a very busy week ahead of ourselves besides working and Monkey boys Preschool. I need to try to recover from this cold that the children have decided to give to me. I cannot wait to be in our new house and unpack and get organized. I love to organize and am looking forward to unpacking and finding new homes for all our stuff. Since I'm fighting this cold my Husband had been pretty much all the packing. I hope I can get some boxes done today. Little by little it will all be done, and we will be enjoying this new chapter of our lives.

Frugal tips

I try to be as frugal as possible. I think that once you become a mom the more frugal you become to try to save for your family. A few things I do to save money are as follows.







1. I Cloth Diaper


2. I use cloth napkins



3. I dye my own hair


4. I do not use any paper plates.


5. I use coupons when ever possible.


6. I cut my sponges in half's so they can last longer , Who needs a huge sponge to wash a plate?


7. I only run the dishwasher when it is full.


8. I turn the water off when I am brushing my teeth.


9. I always ask for extra Splenda whenever I purchase a coffee, so I never have to buy any.


10. I try to always eat the leftovers so I do not waste any food.




11. I make a lot of my own baby food when I can get fruit at good prices.

12. I try to combine errands to save on gas.

Do you have any frugal tips you would like to share? I am always looking for new ways to save!

Can you get Kicked out of Preschool????

My son Monkey boy is having a real hard time in Preschool this year. Therefor I'm having a real hard time too. At Preschool pick up last Friday he was not in the classroom, but in the administrators office. He threw another one of his Monkey boy style tantrum. Apparently he wanted to be line leader. At my sons school you are only line leader for the day if you parent is the Helper for the day. Well his favorite girlfriend was the line leader and he wanted to "share" the spot with her. This is not allowed. Monkey boy ended up being the very last one in line, and when the began to walk down the hallway to go to the playground he tried to cut in line to get closer to his friend. The teacher grabbed his arm and "tried" to bring him back to his spot in line. This then prompted Monkey boy to fall to the ground. I do not need to explain what happened next, anyone with a Toddler or Preschooler knows. When I picked him up he was crying and the administrator told me that its hard for her to believe that this is coming from a 5 year old. She told me she has seen this with 3 & 4 year old's,but not with someone who is 5. I replied "well he just turned 5 last month". "Nothing excuses his behavior,but he just turned 5" I asked Monkey boy to say he was sorry for his actions, and I could not get him to talk. I apologised for him and we went on our way. Later that night I talked to her again on the phone. She told me that Maybe if I followed thru with my discipline he would start to behave better. "What?" "Excuse Me" Anyone who knows me knows that I follow thru. I was a bit offended by this comment. She then went into detail about how I could not get him to say Sorry . I explained to her that getting a UN heart felt apology from my son at that time was teaching him nothing in my opinion. I told her I did not push the apology from him because I felt like he had enough discipline for the incident. Having been in the office for 45 min and missing snack and recess. I then told her that this situation is not over in my book, we will be writing another letter of apology, and he will come back and say a hart felt apology the next school day. I also informed her that he has had a hard year thus far, a new baby, a new house, and we recently had to get rid of our dog of 8 years. I told her none of this makes his behavior appropriate, but he might be dealing with all this in this negative way. The thing that has me upset besides the obvious behavior issue is that he was in the office for nearly 45 min. Why wasn't I called? I feel as if I should have been called after the first 5 min if he was not calming down enough . I will let the Preschool Coordinator Lady know that if this is to ever happen again I want to be called right away, because I think sitting in a office for 45 min is too long for a 5 year old. I am wondering what the rest of this school year will bring. Boy this Parenting stuff is so much harder then I ever expected.

Mama, It's not your recipe it's my recipe.

As I was taking Monkey boy to school this morning he informed me of a recipe he wanted to try. He told me that the ingredients he needed were as fallows. A cup,Orange juice,and a Popsicle stick. He then told me that we needed to pour the Orange Juice into a cup add a stick and freeze it. He was very excited about trying his very own recipe. After school we went to the grocery store and picked up the Orange juice and impromptu grocery store run for Orange juice resulted in a 49.00 Jewel bill and yummy Rib-Eye stakes and asparagus for dinner. Anyway back to the story at hand . Monkey boy was so super cute when he made is recipe. He reminded me many times that it was not My recipe but his very own. I had so much fun making His Special Recipe with him. Sometimes its the small things in life that really matter. I was so happy that I was able to be home with him and drop everything to go to the grocery store and make his recipe with him one on one.

Wordless Wednesday

Haute Pockets.

I recently Peuchases 2 new Haute Pocket Diapers with Snaps. I purchased the Ruby Red, and Gold Dust color. They are on sale now for 12.95 a Diaper marked down from 17.95. I purchased mine from Nikki's Diapers. I am always building my stash because I seam to always need more Pocket Diapers. I work 2o hours a week and Graqndma and Daddy think pocket Diapers are the easiest. So far I have used then for about a month now and I am really liking them. I love that fact that the snaps do not contribute to my Velcro snake that I pull out of my washing machine every time I wash. I use the fold over laundy tabs,but still somehow seam to get Velcro snakes. I like the microfiber inserts they are more contoured to fill the entire diaper inside. The 2nd insert also snaps to the 1st one. This Diaper looks like it is made very well, I think it will hold up over time, espically the snaps so the velcro doesn't look old.

It's Monday Already?

I cannot believe how fast the weekend flew bye. I think its hard for me to even have a weekend because I work for 8 hours every Saturday Morning. Do not get me wrong. I love my job and like working. We are so busy preparing to move. Trying to pack and still keep my children's lives as normal as possible. Doing Laundry, School Drop -Off, Pickup, Work, Dinners, ect. My days are very packed. I cannot wait till we are in the new house. It will take some time to settle in, but will all be worth it. Today I packed up everything I needed for Lil worm to run errands when Monkey boy is in preschool. When I got to Preschool my Friend informed me that she forgot she was suppose to be parent helper today. This is a little problem because she has a 2 year old who I needed to watch so she could stay at school. I could not do all my errands in the Morning with 1 child. I now need to do them in the after noon after Preschool pick up. Sometimes in life your day does not go as planed. This now makes everything like laundry and packing pushed back to a later time. I do not mind watching her Little daughter she is so sweet. I Love how Dainty this little girl plays. Watching her is fun. It is just a little annoying when your day does not go as planed. If you are a person who plans things ahead of time you know exactly how I feel. Thank you for all the kind comments when I was having a awful day, Hope your Monday is a good one.

Do you ever have one of those days!

Do you ever have one of those days when every little thing seams awful. I'm having of of those days today! I cannot stop crying and being overwhelmed with everything. My house is a disaster. I have 2 kids recovering from being sick. I lost my voice. I need to start packing because we are moving in less than 10 days. My Lil Worm will not let me get anything done he just wants to be held all day long. He is only taking cat naps. I have to get ready and leave for work at 6 when my Husband gets home from work. I teach 3 dance classes then get to come home to a baby who is not sleeping through the night because he is stuffy. I know I have many positives in my life. I know this. I am Thankful for all I DO have, but today is just hard.

Is this my kid or what?

Monkey Boy decided to be Spider Man with Muscles for Halloween 2009. The original Halloween costume was Darth Vader, but on day of Spider Man was the winner. We had a lot of fun Trick-Or-Treating this year. Every Year he gets more and more excited about it. LIl worm missed his 1st Trick -Or -Treating because he had a bad cold so Daddy stayed home with him. I had a good time devoting the whole day to Monkey Boy! This is one of my Favorite Pictures of Monkey Boy he was dancing because someone had spooky music playing outside their home. Monkey Boy was the center of attention with his cool dance moves.

What A Deal

My son Monkey Boy loves to play Dress Up. He dresses up in different Costumes all day long. Today After work I stopped by the Target to pick up some Necessities and noticed that all the Halloween Costumes were marked 75% off. I decided to pick out 3 costumes that he does not have yet for Christmas Presents. I now have a head start on his gifts and literally spent 16 Dollars on 3 presents that I know he will love.

Just Go To Bed !!!!!

What is it about bedtime that makes all the questions of the day come out? It's unbelievable what they come up with. Do they save the thought in their head all day and think : I will ask this at bedtime. Really how many questions or statements can one ask before going to bed ? My count is 8. Please tell me your child's stalling question.



MOM,

can I ask you a question?


can I go in the basement and get my stuffed doggie ?


can I get a drink of water?


Mom you forgot to give me a hug goodnight!



Mom can you read me 1 more story?


Mom my nightlight is Broken.


Mom I forgot to give my Brother a kiss goodnight!


Mom will Pa Pa buy me the Buzz Light year Computer?

JUST GO TO BED!!!!!!!!!!!! UGG!!!!!!

On Halloween Eve....

Lil worm has been fighting a cold for over a week. Monkey boy had it, and then it was his turn. Well on Halloween Eve Lil worm was running a very low temperature of about 96.8 96.4 96.1 for over 2 hours. He also felt clammy and cold. He was not himself all day. Hardly eating and only taking short catnaps all day long. He only wanted to be held. I could not put him down at all. I called his Pediatrician who informed me that his cold had been going on long enough and she did not like his temperature so off to the Emergency Room we went. I called my Aunt to come over and stay at our house because Monkey Boy was sleeping at it was 11 pm. When she arrived my Husband and I left for the Emergency Room. When we got there Lil worms temp was normal he was running 98.1 so that was much better. I Bundled him up for the ride there and we had the heat Blasting in the car,so maybe that helped get his temp up. They checked his oxygen levels, they did a Chest X-Ray and Tested him for the Flu. The good news was that he passed everything and they told us that it's just has a bad cold. We got home at 4 am. Because of Lil worm's cold he is not sleeping at night. I let my Husband sleep until 9 am and then I napped from about 9 am til 1pm. I took Monkey boy Trick -Or-Treating and Daddy stayed home with Lil Worm. Monkey Boy had lots of fun. I wish we all could have done this as a family,but Lil worm needed to be at home. This is a Halloween I will never forget. I hope next years is Better!

Monkey boy's Costume's Of Halloween's Past!

On the Eve of Halloween I thought I would share with you Monkey Boy's costumes through the years. Monkey boy was born Oct 11 2004 . I wanted to take him to the mall to have a professional picture done for his 1st Halloween. My husband on the other hand was scared to take this little Colicky baby anywhere. Thus prompted the home photograph of baby Monkey boy in a velour Lil Pumpkin sleeper and hat.

For Monkey Boy's first Halloween where he could kinda go Trick or Treating we decided to be a Baby Darth Vader. He was so cute walking around asking for Candy that he had never tasted in his life thus far.

When Monkey boy was 2 he wanted to be Spider Man. I do not think he ever saw the show, but somehow he knew this is what he wanted to be! I still remember the sound of his little baby voice saying Spider Mammm!

When we were 3 we were going to be a Firefighter,but at the last minute decided to be a Cowboy. I sent my Cousin Danyel out to pick up Cow boy boots day of from Walmart. We could not be a proper Cowboy with out Cow boy boots.

Last Year When Monkey boy was 4 he decided it was Transformer Time! Here he is standing next to his favorite girlfriend who he calls Princess. He tells me he is going to marry her. LOL

This year he has lots of Costumes in his dress up box to choose from. Grandma bought him a big boy Darth Vader costume. He sometimes changes his mind at the last minute now that he is older. I hope he decides to be Darth Vader because the costume is so cute. We find out on Halloween what this newly 5 year boy will be !

I Need Your Help !

So we are all feeling better . Thank Goodness! I now need to get packing soon. We will be moving around the middle of November. The problem is that I have never moved with 2 kids. I'm nervous about packing. When do I pack up the toys?(do I pack them all or leave some out to be played with day of) How much of their clothes should I leave out? How can I cloth diaper the entire day of the move ? Do I pack up some of my Diapers? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm sure some of you out there have some tips on Moving with kids . Also how do I explain the move to my 5 year old? he knows that we have a new house,but will he understand that we will never live in this house again? I know this might seam like a lot of random thoughts, but I am a plan ahead kind of person and I want everything to go smoothly.

Wordless Wednesday

How did I first learn about Cloth Diapers????

I am participating in a Cloth Diaper Carnival Hosted by Dirty Diaper Laundry. Her blog is a awesome resource for anyone who is looking about information on Cloth Diapering. The topic is who got you started on your Cloth Diaper Journey?

Cloth Diapers have been around forever, but I never Cloth Diapered my 1st son Monkey boy. He is 5 now. My Girlfriend Melissa did not Cloth diaper her 1st son either her son is 5 now too. Melissa did however have baby #2 before my baby #2 and she decided to cloth Diaper her Little girl. Having this awesome friend show me all her adorable cloth diapers I was curious about them. I had only heard of the Cloth Diapers our parents used and all the horror stories that go with them. The dunking of poop,the wet pail method. Uggg ! Who would want to do that? When Melissa showed me how easy it was to Cloth Diaper her daughter. I wanted to Cloth diaper my baby. She gave me 3 Bum Genius Pocket Diapers as a welcome gift for little worm. What a great gift. Well Lil Worm was born 4 weeks early and I was so preoccupied with his premature birth that I just brought him home in a disposable and used the ones the Hospital gave me. He was 5 lbs 15 oz at his lowest weight and the Bum Genius were swimming on him. One day when I was standing at Babies R Us getting ready to fork over 40 bucks for a big box of Diapers that you just throw away I remembered the Cloth Diapers my friend bought me. I did buy that big box of Diapers, but went online and ordered 3 more Bum Genius. I knew I needed at least 6 in order to give it a good try. When my three Diapers came in I prepped them and then the next day I gave it a try. I remember calling my Husband and work and saying I cloth diapered our son all day. He replied "Daddy doesn't do Cloth" . When he got home I showed him how easy they were and told him how much money we will save and he was on board too. So Thanks to one Dear Friend showing me the Modern way to Cloth Diaper I am saving the Earth and I now an Obsessed with Looking up Cloth Diaper brands and Purchasing some of them.

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Everyone's Sick

So we will be moving soon. We got the house that we wanted. I'm real excited about the neighborhood and School. The crazy part is that both my both my boys are sick. I have no time to pack or organize anything because both the boys are so needy. My poor little dudes. We went to the Pediatrician and she said that its just a real bad cold for both of them. It could turn into something worse, but for right now we just have to take it easy and baby them. Lil worm had a temp of 102.7 and Monkey boy had a temp of 103.1 We are keeping the temps down with Tylenol and Motrin. It' s been a couple of exhausting days because I have been up a lot with Lil worm and Monkey boy, just trying to keep the house functioning with laundry , dishes , you know everyday mommy stuff. My husband came home early from work last night after a run to Walgreen's for some necessary items to keep the kids happy like goldfish crackers, Motrin, apple juice, and a rented movie for Monkey boy. Then he did the dishes that I didn't get a chance to do. Great Daddy!! Hopefully they will get better soon. I do not want them to miss out on all the Halloween fun this year. I just prey that we do not get sick after them.

Sculley Eyeball

Halloween is drawing near and my Monkey boy Loves Spooky Halloween Decorations. I am always looking for fun easy crafts that we can do when the baby goes down for his 1st nap. I found this Wooden Skeleton at Michael's craft store. They had other decorations, a witch, a ghost,and a vampire. We picked the skeleton. I put newspaper down on my Kitchen Table and secured it with painters tape. Painters tape will not hurt the finish on my table. I gave Monkey boy some kids pant and watched him create his own Scary Halloween Decoration. Monkey boy named him Sculley Eyeball. I wrote the date on the back, and we will now have him forever.

Carrot and Cauliflower Puree

Making your own baby food is so simple. It's sad that we live in a world so based on convenience that many people just buy baby food because the Gerber people tell you to. I fell into this trap with my 1st son and bought baby food. I thought that making your own food was too time consuming and to hard to do. Organic baby food can cost up to $0.77 a jar. When your older baby eats 6 2 oz jars a day that's close to 5 Dollars a day on baby food. I make my own baby food to save money, and I know exactly whats in my son's food. I have made all kinds of baby food purees. The picture above is Carrots and Cauliflower. I use a metal steamer basket underneath steam it with about a cup of water until mushy. Then I blend the mixture in the Blender until its a good texture. I store my food in Baby Cubes that I bought at Babies R Us. These cubes are great . They are B.P.A Free, reusable and dishwasher safe. The prepared food lasts in the freezer for up to 8 weeks, but we eat it much faster than that. All you have to do is thaw it out, warm it up and serve. The Carrots cost me $ 2.00 , and the Cauliflower was $ 1.80 So for a grand total of $3.80 I made a total of 20 2oz containers. That comes out to about $0.19 a jar. You cannot beat the savings, and Its really so Simple to do.

How to get your Cloth wipes to pop up

I make my own cloth wipes solution. I store my cloth wipes in a old Huggies Wipe Container. I use baby washcloths for wipes. I use to use the dry wipe method and spray wipe solution on a wipe when ever I needed one, but as Lil worm is now way more active when he is getting his diaper changed I needed my wipes to pop up rather quickly so I can get the diaper change done fast. I lay one washcloth down and another one on top of it halfway. I the fold the bottom washcloth halfway on top of the 2nd washcloth. I keep doing this until I have enough wipes to fill my container. I cover the wipes with 2 cups of boiled water mixed with 1 squirt on baby soap and 1 squirt of baby oil. Now when ever I need a wipe the can pop up out of my container just like disposable ones do!

Getting Sooo Big!

Look at my little worm. He's practicing sitting up in his playpen with his favorite pal Bert. Sometimes I wish I could just freeze time and keep my baby this little, but it's so much fun to watch them grow. Happy Friday Everyone!

It Happened ... Its Hard To Believe...My Monkey Boy turned 5

Monkey boy was born on Oct 11 2004

He was born at 8lbs. 12 oz. He was the most beautiful baby I ever saw. My due date was Oct 6. My water broke Oct 10 at 7:30 am. I went to the Hospital and was in labor until 4:33 am when he came out by c-section on Oct 11. I tried to push him out for nearly 4 hours. I could feel him move downward, but then when I rested between pushes I felt him suck back upward. I never wanted a c- section but I was so happy to have this boy out! We came home from the hospital and my life really changed. I no longer slept, and I cared about a little someone more than myself. Everything we did revolved around this new little boy. Monkey boy was a real cute baby. I did baby sign language with him and he could communicate with me before he could talk. I took this little boy to Mommy and me Music class, Mom and me swimming classes and Gymboree classes when he was a crawler . He was my little buddy going everywhere with me and I enjoyed every Elmo song we listened to and tried to sing along with in the car. Monkey boy was a independent walker-no -climber at 11 months. I could never leave him alone not even for 1 min. This boy climbed on everything. My kitchen table, the couch, the fireplace. The best is when I was doing the dishes and I turned around to find him climbing on the outside of of the railing leading upstairs. We had a gate at the bottom so he could not climb on the stairs, but the outside if the banister is what he wanted. Now you know why his nickname is Monkey boy.

I remembered my sons 1st Birthday. My husband was just finishing putting carpet in the basement the day of his party. We invited everyone to celebrate his 1st Birthday. It was so much fun watching him eat his Birthday Dinner Spagetti for the 1st time ever. We had a Elmo themed Birthday because at 1 he really liked Sesame Street. I remember crying when everyone sang Happy Birthday to him. I could not believe that my little baby was already 1. It felt like the first year flew bye. It's crazy that at one moment you can be listening to a tiny baby scream for 2 hours strait , and you wish that they would just grow -up and all the sleepless nights would be over. Then in a Bink of a eye your baby is 5. It really goes by so fast!

Monkey boy wanted a Halloween themed birthday party. So we did just that! I invited all his friends to come to the Rec Center that I rented out. We had pizza and a Ghost Birthday cake. I had 2 kids tables set up for independent play. I set up Playdoh with Halloween themed Cookie cutters. I had coloring table with Halloween themed coloring sheets. We also had a Ghost Pinata. The part was a huge success. I of coarse teared up when every one sang Happy Birthday. Birthday party's are so emotional for me I remember all the details of my labor and how at 4:33 am my life changed completely. I was given the greatest gift of all My Monkey Boy!

HAPPY 5th BIRTHDAY TO MY MONKEY BOY!!!!!

Ugggg!!!

We are planing to move real soon. We are trying to move in a better neighborhood with better Schools since Monkey boy will be in Kindergarten next year. Where we live now the schools are not that good. They are not bad, but not good. When we moved here we fell in love with the house and Monkey boy was 2 mo. old we didn't even think about schools. I would love to send my son to a private Catholic based school, but we cannot afford that right now, and affording 2 in a private school is out of the question for us at this time in our lives. Maybe some day , but not now. So lately we have been looking at houses, and we definitely have to give up some things in order to get other things. One house we like is a independent house, but is in a subdivision that does your lawn and shoveling, so you do not really have a back yard. With in the complex there is a park like 5 houses down. So the sad thing will be that we will have to give up our swing set. If we cannot take the swing set with us we will give it to some dear friends. I will miss my boys wooden swing set and the time we spend in the backyard, but with a park that I can see out my back door maybe this will not be so bad. Also the house does not have a finished basement, I'm use to our nice finished basement. Moving is hard for me. I moved a lot as a child, and I really like the idea of staying in one house forever. Staying in this house is not a option. We have to move. I know this is going to be hard for me . I will miss this house and all the memories I have off it. I know I need to move forward with this, but its so hard. We are not sure if we are getting this house yet. We put in a offer ,but are not sure. So a lot is on my mind lately, I wish I could just blog about diapers that I love, but my mind is so preoccupied with this move.

My little Monkeys!

I'm a total dork, but I have so much fun putting my boys in matching clothes whenever I can. I do not do this all the time, but if I happen to see something cute and affordable in both their sizes I'm totally sold. Monkey boy loves dressing the same as his baby brother. (I gotta get my fix before its not cool to him anymore!) I cannot wait for matching Christmas pajamas and Christmas outfits. I love these T-Shirts I found them at Gymboree when they were on sale and the Monkey is so cute! Tell me do you enjoy putting your kids in complementary or matching clothing sometimes?

Family Traditions

Do you remember doing family traditions with your family when you were little? As a mom I want to create many family traditions with my children. Many traditions I do with my family I'm sure you do with your family. Carving Pumpkins, Making Christmas Cookies, Thanksgiving Dinner, Home made Easter baskets and so on. But do you have any out of the ordinary things that you do that you want to make a tradition in your family? I Always make my son a goodie bag on Valentine's Morning and Halloween . When he wakes up on those days there is a special bag filled with little gifts where he sits at the Kitchen table. I have been doing this for him since he was 2 and he still is surprised to get the special present when he wakes up. Every Christmas I take Monkey boy Shopping to the Dollar Store to pick out gifts for his Grandparents, ,Aunt's Uncle's and Cousin's. I give him his own money, and let him pick out what ever he wants to give them. Sometimes he pick 's out real funny gifts like a pink snorkel for PaPa, or Tums for Daddy because he knows he eats them. I occasionally make homemade pizza with my son. My husband tosses the dough in the air like a real Pizza man and Monkey boys laughs so hard when he does this. Monkey boy also loves putting the toppings on his own pizza. I remember going to get donuts with my Dad every Sunday Morning. We would walk there because we lived so close to the doughnut store. Then I would pretend to read the newspaper with my Mom. So I was wondering what Traditions you do with your family in hopes that they will always remember?

Wordless Wednesday

Joseph... And his coat of many colors

I love my sons Preschool. Its a Co-op Preschool. This means that there is a lot of parental involvement. About once every month you get to be parent helper in the classroom. I love the fact that besides the Teacher and the assistant Teacher there is ALWAYS a Parent in the room. When you are in the classroom you assist the Teachers, purchase and prepare snack, and get to spend some quality time with your child in a classroom setting. Its real neat to see the interaction between your child and all his classmates. The school he goes to is a Christian based school. They pray before snack and at group rug time . They learn and recite Bible verses. They teach this is such a way that the Children really learn about our Lord. On this particular day they were told all about Joseph, and they made their version of Josephs coat of many colors. I took pictures of Monkey Boys coat when we got home from school. He was so excited about it!

Great America In The Rain !

We recently got a real good deal at tickets to a private day out at Great America. We have been wanting to take Monkey boy all Summer but couldn't justify the pricey tickets. Well my girlfriend Judy got us tickets at just 35 dollars per person and Lil worm was free. The awesome part of this deal is that it was a private party so hardly no lines. We purchased our tickets about a week in advance and were real excited to go. Then the day came . The weather called for rain and lots of it. The tickets were non refundable. We could not find a sitter for Lil worm so off we went. I have 2 strollers. A Zooper and a Britax. We took the Zooper because it has a rain cover and a foot muff so we could keep Lil worm warm and dry. I also brought my baby Hawk baby carrier. Just in case Lil worm wanted to be worn. At Great America there is a Mothers room that is quiet and has 3 rocking chairs in there so you can take care off your Lil one. This room was a life saver. Over all we had a great time and Lil worm was a trooper.

Disappointment

I just received a issue to the November Parents magazine. I was so surprised to see that on page 92 there is a small article on saving "Dollars On Diapers" They go on to tell you that it costs a average of 2,000 dollars to diaper 1 child. Their tips on saving money on diapering includes the fallowing:



Collect Coupons

Be Open to the Bargain Brands

Buy in Bulk

Find the right fit (so you don't waste money on leaks)





I enjoy this magazine I often read very useful articles, But this article just disappointed me ! It amazes me that they never mention saving money by using cloth diapers. Many people do not even know that cloth diapers are a option. I wish cloth diapers companies were able to spend more money on advertising by having ads in these popular magazines,maybe even commercials. When you are at the grocery store of if you have a subscription check out page 92 of Parents magazine. I for one am going to write to them this time on this article.

Ready for Bed !

I just love Lil Worms smile in this picture! It really shows his personality! I have a picture somewhere of Monkey boy wearing the same Jammie's, but I cannot find it. (ugg). I really enjoy putting Lil worm in Monkey boys old baby clothes. It's amazing how certain baby clothes bring back such great memories! Do you have a favorite piece of baby clothing? He's has a Bum genius on under the Jammie's. We add a extra insert and we stay dry all through the night !

And then there were Pirate's

I worked last night, and when I got home I checked on Monkey boy to make sure his blankets were on him. He has a Bunk bed. So in order to check on him I have to climb up a ladder. To my surprise he had underwear on his head and his stuffed dog's head. I tried so hard to hold my laugh in so I wouldn't wake him. I ran down stairs and grabbed my camera and took a few pictures. In the morning I asked him why he slept with underwear on his head and his dog's head. He replied " We were pretending we were pirate's. My goodness this little boy just amazes me with his imagination.

Wordless Wednesday (almost)

The cutest picture from Monkey boy's 1st Sleepover

But I Want To Turn 5 !

I went to the Mall on Sunday to pick up my Lil worms 6 month pictures. I brought Monkey boy with me and Daddy stayed home with Lil worm. We had a very busy weekend. We went to Great America on Friday and on Saturday Monkey boy had his 1st sleepover ever. He was so over tired. We were in the mall and he threw himself on the ground and was crying over not getting a gumball. We immediately left the mall. I was kinda frustrated that I didn't get to do any window shopping. Normally Monkey boy is a great shopping partner. We were in the car on the way home and I told him I was disappointed at the way he acted. I told him he was grounded from his Nintendo D.S.. He did not like this and he proceeded to tell me the meanest things this almost 5 year old could think of. " I hate you Mommy" ya that one hurts even though I know he is just over tired and has a hard time getting out his frustration. I then replied that "Maybe I should ground him from his upcoming Birthday Party" I wanted him to stop shouting out mean things from the backseat of the car. Then he replied "But I want to turn 5! "
I thought that was such a funny concept to him. If he didn't have his Birthday Party he would stay 4. I only wish this was true then I could stay 32 . We talked about his behavior later that night when all was calm. I also need to realize that sometimes as parents we want to cram so much fun things in 1 Weekend and really these little kids cannot handle being off there schedule.

You know you are a mom when.....

You are at work and discover a Binky in your pocket.

You are never ALONE in the bathroom

The only Band-Aids you have in the house are Scooby -Doo

You can never catch up on the laundry

You find action figures in your purse when you are looking for a pen.

You sport the ever so popular ponytail hairstyle more that you want too.

You keep your make-up in the car in case of emergencies ,because you hardly ever wear any any way

You buy Apple Juice in large quantities

You say things like "Stop Putting that matchbox car on your Brothers Eyeball !"

When bringing 1 child with you to run a errand seams like a vacation


PLEASE ADD YOUR OWN****

Monkey boy's 1st Sleep Over !!

My oldest son Monkey boy is about to turn 5 on Oct 11th. His Best Friend Neil turned 5 on Oct 3rd. Neils Birthday wish was to have Monkey boy sleep over for the 1st time ever. I asked Monkey boy if he wanted to sleep over at Neils house in his sleeping bag? I told him that Mommy will pick him up in the morning. Since he has slept over at his Grandma's a few times I think he gets it. My girlfriend (Neil's Mom) and I meet at a Mommy and me swimming class when the boys were 6 mo old. Yes I've known her for about 5 years and she is a awesome Mommy. I feel real comfortable with him sleeping there. She just texted me telling me that they are having a great time and she was going to get them to lay down soon and watch a movie. Monkey boy then informed her that his bedtime is 8 o'clock. (How cute is that!) She Told him that he could stay up later because it was a sleepover. I hope the rest of the night goes well ! I will post pictures tomorrow shes taking LOTS for me .

Lil Worm 1st bath

This is one of my favorite photo's. This is before Lil worm could sit up. Now I give him a bath in Kitchen sink. Monkey boy was so excited to help me give Lil worm a bath. Lil worm on the other hand was not happy. The contrast of the 2 cracks me up evey time I look at it. Enjoy Your Friday everyone

Don't eat and drive !

Yesterday was my super crazy day. I woke up at 6:45 am . Had to wake the baby up because the night before he was awake 3 times and had a real hard time sleeping. Feed the baby, Feed the Monkey boy, Then we got Monkey boy ready for preschool. Hopped in the car dropped Monkey boy off at preschool at 9:00 am. I took Lil worm home we did another feeding. Then I folded some cloth diapers. Started another load of laundry. I made dinner (pot roast) yummy. Loaded the dishwasher. Took A Shower to get myself ready for work. I did all this wile entertaining Lil worm. I was trying to keep Lil worm awake because we and to Leave at 11:00 am to pick up Monkey boy from Preschool and I wanted him to sleep in the car. Lil worm slept in the car there and back to our house. When I got home from preschool I gave instructions to my MIL about how to put the roast in the oven and Lil worms feeding schedule. Then off to work I go. I look in my rear view mirror and see lights. I pull over . The officer ask 's me if I know why she pulled me over ....Ummm No . She said I was swerving into the other lane she asked me if I was texting.....No.... She asked me if I was drunk? ....What? Are you serious? (I most have looked crazy because my hair was wet and I had not put my make-up on yet ) No way I'm a Mommy I told her ...I was just reaching in my purse for a granola bar because I had no time to eat lunch before going to teach 8 dance classes. She said I swerved 2 times. She took my identification and came back to my car with a warning ticket. I really had no idea that I swerved getting the granola bar out of my purse. Lesson Learned though PAY MORE ATTENTION when driving. Then I went to work taught 8 dance classes and came home to a sink full of dishes. I ate dinner and went to bed until 4 am when Lil worm wanted to have a Mardi Gras Party. So far today has been a lot smoother of a day . I hope it stays that way.

Wordless Wednesday

Baby Monkey Boy & Baby Worm

Just Say No

This afternoon It took me literally a 2 hours to organize the Scholastic book club order. I some how volunteered to be the book club mom in my sons preschool. I unknowingly thought this would be a piece of cake. Boy was I wrong. 1st you have to collect the orders from parents and try real hard not to misplace one as the parents hand these forms to you when you are feeding your 7 mo old, or dealing with a 4 year old that is crying because he can't go to a park. After you collect all the forms you need to make sure that the parents added up there orders right and make the check out to the right person and in the correct amount. If you happen to get one that's wrong you need to contact that parent and keep your fingers crossed that they have not disconnected there phone number, because then you will need to wait for the said parent to show up at drop-off and tell them they wrote their check out wrong. Then when you get home you need to call the order in: Say all 43 books by name and order number and be sure not to miss one because you will be destroying some little kids heart if by accident you order the wrong book. Then after you order is phoned in you must remember to but all the parent checks in the mail. Then in 7-10 business days you need to organize and distribute all the books to the children. And guess what you get to do this 8 more times this year. So believe me when I tell you ! Just say No !

Let's Play

Monkey boy wants so badly to play with Lil worm. It's hard for me to come up with things that they can do together and still keep Lil worm safe. It will be easier in another year when he's walking around. I bought Lil worm a baby swing to put on the backyard swing set. Monkey boy loves the fact that now his Baby Brother can have swing races with him. Just looking at my two Boys on the swing set is pure Bliss for me! I really hope they will grow up and be good friends.

Daddy Does Cloth Diapers

I am participating in a Cloth diaper Carnival hosted by Kim at Dirty Diaper Laundry the Theme for this months Carnival is Husbands and Cloth!

• A lot of people in my immediate family and friends think I'm crazy because I Cloth Diaper Lil Worm. You have to remember I never Cloth diapered my 1st son Monkey Boy. I actually looked into it on the Internet when I was pregnant, but my Husband told me he would never change a diaper If I wanted to use cloth on Monkey boy. ( He was scared of the unknown) Being a 1st time mom I could not convince him to give it a try. When we had Lil worm I wanted to Cloth Diaper him . This time I Cloth Diapered him all day and then called my Husband at work and told him that "Surprise I Cloth Diapered our son all day and it was easy and actually fun" I showed my husband how to change a Cloth Diaper When he got home from work and because we use Imse Vimse Flushable Liners He was on board too. They make it so easy to change a poppy diaper! I am amazed at how much this Daddy can do! From not wanting to try it to being able to do a Bikini Twist Fold with a Prefold and a Snappi ! A wile back my back went out and my Laundry Room is in the basement . Did my Husband run out a buy disposables? Nope he washed them and stuffed the pockets like a champ. It is great knowing that my Husband and I are on the same page with Cloth Diapering our son . Even if some of our friends and family think we are crazy . If you have ever considered Cloth Diapering believe me when I tell you It's not the Horror Stories you hear of of Pins and Plastic Pants. It's Modern ,Hip, and Easy to Cloth Diaper so go ahead and try you may become obsessed like me .