Photostory Friday- Tale of the troubled tot

A warning before you view the following pictures.

You may feel sorry for this child. You may want to hug him and hold him tight and tell him everything is going to be ok. You may want to kiss his boo-boo and love him up until he feels better.

You may wonder what on earth happened to him to make him so upset. You also may wonder why on earth his terrific Momma snapped pictures while he was "hurting".

No, he did not break his arm. Or his toe. Or even his fingernail. He did not lose his best friend or get his feelings hurt by his big brother (this time). He wasn't over tired, over stimulated or over anxious.

Momma telling him he could not have a piece of gum caused this.

"NO MORE GUM!" is the reason for my son's meltdown.

It's tough being a kid.



Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Deep thoughts again.....

Scroll down for my Thousand Words Thursday post.

The Prompts from MamaKat:

For your birthday a sibling has decided to have the first six months of your blog printed and bound. Write a forward for the book.

What made your childhood bearable? Write about it.

There are more but these are the topics I am going to attempt this week.
Are these getting more difficult or is it just me? I am only a college graduate. I am sure this is stuff for university students.....



So my brother who is 5 years my junior decides to make my blog into a book. After hugging him and letting him know that he is the most thoughtful brother ever, I would write this.

Ahem. *bows*

I am just a simple girl. A simple girl who needed some kind of therapy during her years as a mother of two young boys. The happy pills took the edge off but I still needed something to get me through the day without running away from home.

And never coming back.

That is when I discovered blogging.

I thought that if I wrote down my thoughts and told stories about the chaos that is my life, that, maybe, just maybe, I would not need any psychiatric care.

And I would actually enjoy being at home.

Then I discovered that I actually enjoyed writing. I discovered that it really was therapeutic. I discovered that writing about my life would actually make me appreciate it even more. And then I discovered that baby #3 was on the way.

Weird how that stuff happens huh?

The chaos that is my life is just the way I want it. Writing about it makes me realize that my life is exactly how it was meant to be.

Perfect.

How is that for deep?

Next prompt- What made your childhood bearable? Write about it.

This is easy. In two words- my husband (he wasn't my husband at the time. Just sayin'). He was my best friend throughout public school and high school. I got involved with the wrong crowds. He didn't and made sure to let me know his feelings about it. When I did stupid things, he told me. When he didn't agree with decisions I was making, he let me know it. Even though I did some stupid "teenager" things on my journey to find myself, he was always there. I knew I could count on him through the good times and the bad. I don't know where I would have ended up if it wasn't for him.

Ok, that is all the deep, mushy, sweet stuff I can handle for today.........I need to go brush my teeth. I am getting a headache.

Thousand Word Thursday- Memories

I found a picture that I love. A picture that is not that recent. A few years old actually.

I am drawn to it for many reasons.

Because my children are growing up.
Because my children are rambunctious and rarely stand still.
Because my children rarely stand beside each other amicably.
Because they are standing at my most favourite place in the whole entire universe. My grandparent's lakefront property.
Because I know before long my kids will be grown up.

At least I have this picture.

WW-Discipline vs. Momma- Round 107

I have learned many things since becoming a Momma 7 years ago. Some things I am fabulous at and other things, well, not so much.

I am great at doing Lego and making creations out of multi-coloured playdoh. I am awesome at storytime because I can animate my voice for each character in the story. I am good at cuddling and watching television shows that I absolutely hate just because I want to relax with my kids. I am good at preparing meals that provide a balance of nutrition...or are full of bad stuff but make my kids smile.

I am not so good at discipline. I can yell like no one else. I can send my kids to their rooms. I can even explain why they were sent to their rooms in the first place. But being creative and teaching them while disciplining them I suck at. Big time. This is how creative I got yesterday after Mr. Attitude was sent to his room for being disrespectful.

I MADE MY CHILD WRITE LINES!

Deep thoughts

My Tuesday's Tribute post is here. Check it out. You won't regret it. Honest.



So, I was just checking out my daily celebrity gossip websites to get all caught up on the land of Crazywood aka Hollywood, and I read this.



"[Partying] is what I do for a living. I get paid to go to events and parties, and it’s fun."
- Paris Hilton tells the NY Daily News

Then my mind started to wander. Can you frickin imagine?

Getting paid mucho bucks to attend parties. To just show up. To just show up, act like a floozie and wear skimpy clothing.

Tough job.

I would do it.

But first I better stop eating the M&M's......and the Mini Eggs.

Then I better start going to the gym more than once a week.

Oh yeah, and I need to purchase clothing different than my current wardrobe of jeans and sweatshirts.

Dye my hair blonde.

Throw out my nursing bras. Purchase some push up bras and high heels. Learn to walk in new high heels.

Make an appointment for some plastic surgery. Ok, alot of plastic surgery. Oo....first I need to make alot of money to pay for the surgery. Yikes.

No problem at all.

Easiest job ever.

Time for a Tribute

A Jay and Deb Production.

There are many things I love. Many things that complete my life and make me thankful every single day.

My children.
My hubby.
My health.
My family.

And, my happy pills.

Without them I am miserable. Without them everyone around me is miserable. I live in a home with three males and a male dog who enjoys running away. I live in a home with a 10 month old baby girl who sleeps when she wants to sleep and wakes at about 1am for a solo party more times than I wish to count.

My happy pills, well, they make me happy. Not happy as in silly but happy as in being able to handle the chaos that is my life.

They complete me. How is that for tacky?

So I dedicate this post to the little white prescription pills that I take every morning. I appreciate all that they do for me and my family.

I also want to thank the TV show Intervention because watching it makes me appreciate my doctor prescribed medication even more. When I see what other people do who are not happy with their lives, I am thankful that I got the help when I needed it.

Now all I need is some quality "me time" more often and I will be as cheerful as a Disney character in costume.

Not Me! Monday

Yay for Monday! Yay for the weekend being over! Yay for getting back into routine!

Ok, fooey on all of it.

But at least I had this post to look forward to.

* I was not giddy at the thought of watching "Rock of Love" again last night. While watching it, I did not wonder how these women turned out the way they did. Did someone do horrible things to them as children? Do they think they actually look good? I also did not wonder why I wasn't blessed with perky breasts.

* I do not make my boys wear their daddy's shirt every year on their birthdays so I can take pictures. I do not plan on putting all of the pictures together in an album some day so we can reminisce about all of the times I had to bribe them with candy to get in the shirt!

* I did not let my 7 year old take a bath with his 10 month old sister. That is just wrong. He is 7. She is 10 months. He is a boy. She is a girl.

* I did not buy a huge bag of Peanut M&M's because they were such a great price at Costco. And if I were to purchase them it wouldnt be because I wanted to eat them.

* I am not avoiding the gym today because it is too cold to step a foot outside. And I would not try to use the weather as an excuse for my laziness. Nope, not me!

* I did not get extremely frustrated with Princess recently because she was whiny, cranky and crying all of the time......and then find out that she had a comb stuck in the foot of her sleeper that she was wearing. How did that get there?

* I do not deserve the Mom of the Year Award sitting on my dresser. Ok, there isn't a real award but I like to think I will get one eventually.....isn't that what being a Mom is all about? The pay cheque and the awards that go along with it?

* I have never said these words to my boys. "If you want to touch your privates, that is fine. Just do it in private."

Happy Monday folks!

Go to My Charming Kids to see the many other things that people did not do this week.

I Heart Faces- B&W

My submission for this week's category.

I give you my Princess.

Be sure to click on the "I Heart Faces" button above to view other pics for this weeks contest.

Muchly appreciated.

Phew..it's hot in here

Hubby and I took a quick trip to the Caribbean. (Ok, not really, but go along with me here.)

An overnight trip just to get away and have some couple time for a night. It was so nice. I recommend it to everyone.

And I was able to work on my tan as I am now at my pre-pregnancy weight (I wish) and finally have the body I have worked so hard to get. (in my dreams)

Eating Mini Eggs and Peanut M&M's has really paid off.

Here is a pic just to show you what hard work can do.




Create your own FACEinHOLE

Diets shmiets. Exercise shmexercise. The real secret is eating chocolate and sitting on your arse all winter. I am proof.

Oprah...feel free to call anytime. I would be happy to do a show on my secret to looking good.

Thanks to Jiggety Jigg for "exposing" me to this new site. Another addiction to add to my list......

PSF-Birthday Boy..err....Man

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Once upon a time there was a handsome young fellow who met a pretty young gal.

They fell in love.

They created a beautiful little girl that they named Momma.

Five years later, they made a handsome baby boy.

The family of four lived happily ever after, with some bumps along the road.

Today is the handsome young fellow's birthday aka my daddy.

In honour of my daddy, who still is a handsome young fellow by the way, I give you pictures.

He is going to kill me for this...........so much for the happily ever after part.....

Happy Birthday you handsome young fellow!

I love ya bunches!

Ch-ch-ch changes

Notice anything different?

I do and I LOVE it!!!!!!!

I received my new aprons in the mail today and had my blog designed by a wonderful gal.

Could my day get any better?

Look to the left and click on Indelible Creations to get your own design. You will not be disappointed.

Thanks Lex!

Momma-Naturally

MamaKat's Prompts:

1.) If you were starring on American Idol TONIGHT and HAD to sing, what song would you choose and why.

2.) Take a picture of yourself right this minute without primping and explain to us why it is you have not washed your hair today.
3.) I just asked Pat to help me with a writing prompt so here's his: "What do you think about the NBA All Star game"...blech.
4.) What's your number one pet peeve? Develop a punishment for anyone caught in the act.
5.) Write about something mean you did to a sibling growing up

These are tough. There isn't one sticking out saying "Pick Me" this week and I have a dentist appointment this morning which is stressing me out. I will type and drink while preparing for my appointment so I am not responsible for anything said in this post.

1.) If I were to sing a song on American Idol, it would be Eternal Flame by The Bangles. Remember that song? I used to sing it on the phone with my hubby when we were just friends...and teenagers. We spent hours on the phone. I sang the song and he said I was the best singer ever. So I would sooooooooo win the whole damn thing. If my future husband said I was good, I must be.



2.) Here is a picture of me right this second. Be prepared for hotness my friends. I am just naturally hot without makeup, a shower and in sepia tone.

I may be drinking but I know enough not to take a picture of me before showering and putting concealer on my under eye dark circles.

Joke folks. I do not drink at all. Just apple juice and Kool Aid.

3.) NBA All Star Game??? Huh? I am Canadian. Hockey I can discuss......basketball.....ummm.....no.



4.) My number one pet peeve is a tough one because I have so many. I really do hate seeing signs that are not spelled correctly. If you have a business and have signs out for the public to see then take the time to make sure it is all spelled correctly. Is that too much to ask? And if you aren't sure when making the sign or writing your daily menu on the chalkboard, then get out a dictionary or a computer and check. It is that simple. I am totally turned off from entering your business if I see spelling errors. Your punishment for this behaviour would be handwriting a 10, 000 word essay and having it proofread by someone who actually knows how to spell. If one error was found, you would have to do another one until it was perfect. Take that.

Oh yeah, and I hate it when people say "prostrate" instead of "prostate".

I also hate it when people on the Biggest Loser advertise products and try to make it look like it all wasn't set up.

Moving on..........

5.) The last one is impossible to do because I was an angel and never did anything mean to my little brother. People can only wish they grew up with a sister like me because I was nice, caring and always took the other persons feelings into consideration. Many $$$ in therapy has taught me that.

Happy Thursday y'all. I am off to brush my teeth and drink a bottle of mouthwash.

Disney vs. Momma

To see my Wordful Wednesday post, go here

To the Big Wigs at Disney,

I am writing this letter to express a few concerns. I am a mother of 3 young children. I am a Canadian living through a cold, snowy winter. I like to call it the cold version of Hell but that would be harsh. I love my country and I love experiencing all four seasons. Really, I do.

I digress.

Recently my husband and I visited a few travel companies to inquire about taking our young children on a vacation to the Most Magical Place on Earth....Disneyland, Orlando Florida. Your place of employment. The place that employs you. The place that makes you the big bucks. We had it all planned and while discussing it and looking at brochures with our children, they then became, well, very excited. Their excitement was contagious and we became quite anxious to book our trip. It was going to be so memorable. The trip of a lifetime. Something my family would remember forever. Well, probably not my youngest as she is only 10 months old, but we would take alot of pictures so it would be just like she remembered it. Or...we would have to come back in a few years when she gets older so she will have the memories too.

I digress again.

We made the trip to the mall at 7pm on a weeknight with our three young children to book the trip. That is alot to ask, but we were ready. This was going to be the best decision we ever made for our kids. We were going to be the best parents EVER! We told the nice girl exactly what we wanted.

To stay right at Disney so we could experience all of the wonderful choices your company has to offer. I mean, Disney is geared towards families and making it as easy as possible, what other choice could two smart educated parents make? Yay Disney. We wanted return a flight from Toronto. We wanted your wonderful Meal Plan and the Park Hopper passes. This was just too easy.

Yay Disney!

The nice girl checked her fancy shmancy computer and noticed a few things.

There weren't many flights available. She also noticed that Disney does not have very many rooms that will accommodate 5 people. HUH? Apparently we would have to stay at All Star Music Resort in a Family Suite......which costs more money. The room "might" be booked. HUH? We would have to leave all of our information and they would get back to us within 3 days to let us know if we could have the room. Excuse my confusion, but I didn't quite understand. Being the nice person that I am, I went along with it and happily handed over our info. It has been a week and we still haven't heard anything.



If Disney is a company devoted to families, why are there so few rooms available in a Value Resort to accommodate a family with 3+ children? We are not "abnormal" having 3 children. Heck, I know people with 4, 5 even 6 children. Why are we not able to get a regular room and then just rent a crib? I was told it was due to your fire code but am having a difficult time understanding why the creators/builders of your wonderful Resort did not think of this??????



The nice girl put everything on paper for us and the total cost of our one week vacation to see Mickey, Minnie....maybe even Donald was $6000.12. That is in Canadian dollars.



A week later I am still trying to pick up my jaw. I am also trying to figure out how your wonderful, magical company can charge that much to families wanting a nice family-friendly vacation for their children.



I realize that you have no control over the fees that the airlines charge, but still. Geesh. Can't you help a young family out?? Am I missing something? Have you given out free passes and accommodations to the many families that visit your resort every year without us knowing? How do people afford this? What have we done wrong when inquiring? All we want is to take our kids on vacation. But spending $6000 for one week is just a little out of our price range.



Your reply is appreciated.



Momma.

Wordful Wednesday

Are you in a bad mood?

Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed?

Do you need something to cheer you up?

I have the perfect solution to your problem.

Look at this.

Feel better now?

You're welcome.

Tribute Day

A Jay and Deb Production.

Gummy worms. Gummy spiders. Gummy teeth.

Why my tribute this week is dedicated to these sugary treats.

*they are yummy

*kids love them

*adults love them

*they can be used to decorate any kind of children's treat

*adding them to something children don't usually eat will magically make them yummy

* they are affordable.

*they can be served at kids birthday parties

*they can be put in a bowl in front of 6 seven year old kids and be devoured in minutes

*kids can be sent home after filling their little tummies with these sugar-filled treats

*the kids go home and tell their parents that they were at the best birthday party ever because they ate gummy teeth/spiders/worms AT LUNCHTIME

Thank you Gummies!

Wonder

Scroll down to see my Not Me! Monday post. It's a great one.

A new addiction of mine that keeps me from doing other things like parent my children is this place.

I love it.

Alot.

So I decided I am going to take part in this week's contest.

Here is my pic for this week.

Wonder.

Now I am off to, um, be a parent.

Not Me! Monday!

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

Another week. Another list of things I did not do/say/think.

* I absolutely did not watch "Rock of Love" last night and witness women doing things I did not even know were possible. I don't enjoy that show. It is trashy and I do not find that entertaining.

* I did not channel surf during commercials to watch "The Bachelor". I wasn't excited that they played last weeks episode again because I missed it.

* I did not actually enjoy hosting my 7 year old's birthday party on the weekend. I also did not enjoy the Mad Scientist that came to the party to do cool experiments for the boys. I am a grown up. Seeing her make fire and gas was not exciting at all.

* I do not allow my teething daughter to chew on spoons to ease her discomfort. We have approximately 203 teething toys in our home and I give her those at all times. Ok, I don't because she prefers the spoons.



* I am not extremely happy that my 7 year old received ALOT of Lego for his birthday because he spends hours putting the stuff together and does not complain that he is bored and has nothing to do. I do not secretly hope he becomes an architect when he grows up so he can make alot of money and design his mom and dad a house! That is just selfish and I am sooo not a selfish person.

* I am not giddy because I now have in my possession the Photoshop program I have wanted for months. I am not terrified to use it because I am a computer genius and find any sort of computer program easy. Ok, not really. I am terrified.

* I did not purchase a huge bag of Mini Eggs at Costco. If I did buy them, I would not hide them in a very high cupboard so my children can't find them. I also would not hide them when I eat them under a magazine so they don't see them and ask for some. Only bad mothers do that.

* In a moment of chaos (and weakness) I did not tell my children to "leave me alone". I am not PMS-ing and if I was I would keep it well hidden and be kind at all times to my wonderful kids.

* Studley did not run away two more times in the last 5 days....right in front of me. If he did run away he did not turn back and look at me as I yelled his name and offered up some treats. I did not secretly hope that some nice person would find him and keep him for his own. What kind of dog mommy would think like that? Certainly not me. If he did run away and then come back home 2 hours later, I wasn't secretly excited to see him and I certainly did not shower him with hugs and kisses.

* I did not run out to the Pet Store to purchase a tie- out so Studley stays home. Studley does not bark constantly while tied to the darn thing. He is quite happy to be tied to a tractor after exploring the community for the last 9 months. No problem at all.

That's all for today folks! It is Family Day here in our wonderful province in our wonderful country. I am going to go enjoy the family.

Hugs, kisses and all that mushy crap

I love my husband because

he is my best friend
he is an amazing father to our three children
he is handy and can fix things when I need him to
he always completes everything on his "Honey-Do" List
he isn't afraid to wipe a dirty bum
he is always the person to clean up vomit....because it makes me gag

he actually enjoys cleaning

he gets up early with the kids on the weekend

he smiles even when I am PMS-ing

he always drives

he likes my family.

he watches all my TV shows

he is a cuddler.....and is ok with the fact that I am not

he isn't afraid to show his emotions....and is ok with the fact that I don't

he loves me even though he has known me for 26 years

I love you Mr. Momma!

*I am hosting 6 seven year old boys today for a birthday party. Hold me.*

Happy Birthday to my First Born

Excuse me while I wipe my tears.

My first born turns 7 today.

How did that happen?

February 13, 2002, our lives changed forever.

I did not believe in love at first sight until I looked at my baby boy.

The joy he has brought to our lives is unmeasureable



The lessons he has taught us are endless


The experiences we have had are memorable


The laughs we have had are many!

He is beautiful, isn't he?


Happy Birthday Big Guy!

We love you more than you will ever know.

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek