Potty Talk, Part 2

Hi, Potty Training Fools ~

I had to laugh a few minutes ago. This whole Blogger thing has recently added a section for statistics. How many page views you have, tracking where they come from, what time of day people look at your site. The page that has had the most views? My last post on Potties. I had no idea that Potty Training was such an entertaining and interesting topic. Of course, everything revolving around Poop in this house is interesting and increasingly funny.

Is it not amazing that kids think the terms Poop, Pee Pee, Toilet, Flush, Diaper and Potty are the world's funniest words. And they learn this on their own. Lexy hasn't been to preschool yet, isn't in daycare, and the play dates and music classes that we do don't have ANYTHING to do with potties (unless it's me begging for the advice of others)... and yet, those words, especially Potty are the funniest things. Lexy will say POOP at the top of her lungs and race away squealing with laughter. I don't quite share that humor. Is it because she knows that I don't like it? It's not as if I've sat her down and said that we're not calling it a Potty anymore, that we're calling it the bathroom... although, I would really really like to.

Want to know what I want for Christmas this year? Other than the kid to be out of diapers, that is? 5 minutes alone in the bathroom. 5 minutes to not have her come in and ask me what I'm doing. Because, it is after all the worlds most interesting activity. One trip to the bathroom where I'm not asked "You going poop, Mommy?" And, please, one blessed event where after I (and know that apologize for anything that seems graphic) finish with my necessity for there to be no peering into the toilet. I mean, it's like she's looking for the Holy Grail or lost her favorite toy in the snow and standing there staring at it is going to make it reappear. Please tell me that your kids do this, too? That it's not just my beautiful, intelligent, hilarious daughter that is so obsessed with this?

So. It is nice to know that you all are as Potty Obsessed as the people in this household are. 46 page views. Not many in the grand land of blogging, but the highest number that this lonely little Mommy Blog has achieved and I am still sitting here smiling because it was on the topic furthest from my heart.

Oh, and speaking of Christmas... I had a friend post on her facebook page a question about how many presents Santa brings their kids. I was wondering what you all do for your kids. Last year Lexy got a very special gift of a Cabbage Patch Kid from Santa and one or two other smaller gifts. I'm assuming that this is what he'll do again this year. We haven't talked about it, seeing as he's so busy up North getting the final touches on everything, but I don't know why he would change his routine. But, I am curious what happens in your households. Does Santa only bring one gift, five, twenty? And just how far do your gifts go? Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Grandparents, Great Grandparents? Your friends kids (absolutely in this house)? The neighbors?

What do you do for your traditions and how the heck do you fit it all in? I'm already running out of time and money and energy...

Merry Christmas Early. I love this season. It's my favorite. Merry Merry Merry.

Love to you all.

Potty Talk

Hey, Peeps.

Oh my gosh. I have something to share that I'm sure will just bowl you over. A confession. It will shock you. I hate the word Potty. I find it dirty, stupid, childish, I could hop over to the online thesaurus and come up with a few more terms but I think you get the general idea. And I use it about 75 times a day. My life is revolving around Potty Talk. No, not the kind that requires washing my daughters mouth out with soap, but the kind that brings to mind diapers, wipes, potty rings, small people potties, big people potties, zero privacy in the bathroom, videos, books, rewards, discussions, need I go on?

Before Lexy was born I remember a conversation with one of my girlfriends where I told her that I was going to teach my children the phrase "Mommy, I need to use the facilities". Okay, so I was semi-kidding, but in my head the house was clean, the children were sitting on the sofas in white clothing, there were no toys on the floor, the kitchen was spotless... I was having a pre-mommy insane moment. I think I had a lot of those.

Lexy will be 3 years old in a matter of weeks. She is no where near potty trained. I have to tell you, I'm starting to take it personally. I mean, really, there is no interest what-so-ever. I ask, she says no. And I'm sure that that last statement is going to be my life's refrain for the next 20 years or so, but that's beside the point.

We own the potty ring (you know, that thing that goes on the toilet so little people don't slip through and land in the water)? We have the little person sized potty. In the same bathroom. Every morning I ask "Do you need to use the potty". One of my first statements everyday begins with the dreaded word. I've tried stickers. I've tried toys. I've tried candy. Now, that was a big one because she doesn't get candy with the exception of one piece after dinner for dessert. Nothing brings about any interest in the actual learning or training. Realistically I know that there aren't many adults in Pampers, so I should be good in a while. But it would be so nice to move beyond this phase and get rid of the changing table.

So. Here I am asking you. Begging really. Please please please. How did you train your kids to use the bathroom? How did you get them interested in learning? And, most importantly, did you have a better term than POTTY???? Ask your parents friends to read this post. Share it and ask them for me "how the heck did you potty-train your uninterested, doesn't want to bother stopping what she's doing, too bored to sit on the toilet child???".

Please. Help Me.

Update

Update.

There was eating in the world of Lexy last night. Actual eating. Chewing, swallowing, forkfuls of eating. Okay, maybe not forkfuls, but actual eating. And I don't know if it was because I smothered everything in tomato sauce, or it was Josh's friend that spent the bulk of the meal talking to her, or the promise of a piece of candy for dessert if she would just swallow that last mouthful of broccoli. But, does it really matter? It was as stress-free as a dinnertime meal in the household can get and for that I am thankful.

Oh, and for those of you who didn't know that my kid is brilliant and is way advanced for her age? I just have to tell YOU. Last night after I put Lexy to bed I went to my parents house to help my mother decorate her Christmas tree. I told Lexy I was going out and she was still awake when I left. At some point in the evening, Josh went upstairs to tell her to go to sleep (this has been another on-going saga). Their conversation went something like this:

"I need to talk to Mommy."

"Mommy is sleeping"

"No, she' not. Mommy went to Nana's house. I heard the garage door go up and down. TWO times."

"You heard the garage door go up and down TWO times?"

"Yes, Daddy."

"Well, I can't fool you, can I?"

"No, Daddy."

Told you so.

Happy St. Nicholas Day, my friends. I hope St. Nick left you something nice in your shoe.

I am now THAT mom.

Oh, Lord, help me. I have just sat my daughter on our stairs with a mouthful of sweet potato fries, peas and carrots in an attempt to get her to swallow what would be her fourth bite of dinner. I mean, I think I have officially obtained the title of "Worst Mother in the World" or at the very least "Strangest Parenting Technique". I didn't mean to make it into a battle, but there you have it. And there is just no way that I can let an almost three year old stubborn me out. I mean, I am the queen of stubborn. I live my life by "I may not always be right, but I'm right 99% of the time and there is just no way that this moment is that other 1% of the time". When I'm right, I'm right. And I'm just usually right.

See what I mean about stubbor? Four bites of dinner. It's not that there were only four bites. It's that the four bites took an hour and required spitting out of a very large mouthful of I have no idea what. And it was just gross. And I am getting so tired of gross. And she's not even three. Remind me again, what did I sign myself up for? Was I thinking a few years ago when Josh and I had that conversation about having kids and was it the right time? I'm thinking no, because I just don't think I have the patience for this.

I mean, the stairs. I stuck her on the stairs. And I made my husband go over to her (he chose to crawl across the floor like the dog) to sit on the floor and tell her that he would only sit next to her if she swallowed her food. Seriously. I am officially insane. Of course, the crawling and sitting on the floor was his idea. I had no part in that. Me? I'm the one that moved the high chair away from the window because her reflection was distracting her from the actual eating process. For Him? She swallowed that mouthful of food in 10 seconds. Just to get him to sit on the stairs next to him.

Now, the kid eats most everything. I can't truly complain about the types of food that she eats. She is not a picky eater. But when she doesn't want to eat (which has been dinner the last 3 nights in a row) she just drags it on and on and on and I turn into some kind of crazed, food obsessed, "eat your dinner there are starving children in China or Rwanda or Chicago" kind of person. I had no idea that I was going to become that kind of mom. Am I by myself in this? Are there things that your kids do that just turn you into some kind of lunatic that you never envisioned was a possibility?

I think I need to go to bed. Now. For about 12 hours. And tomorrows dinner duty is hereby assigned to Josh. Me? I think I may take myself out for a nice quiet dinner at McDonald's. Alone.

While I Wait...

Hello Loved Ones.

Right now I have laundry in the dryer, brownies in the oven, Lexy is napping, Glee is on the TV (love my DVD gift set Josh got me for my birthday), and I have a few things to finish before my parents come over for dinner. So, while I wait for the dryer to buzz and the timer to go off on the oven, what am I doing? Getting a much needed nap? Picking up and organizing toys? No. I am writing to you because I promised myself I was going to get back into the swing of things now that summer has passed.

Summer has passed. Today I bought two pumpkins for carving. And by carving I mean scraping out the insides to make delicious pumpkin seeds. That is my plan for post Lexy bedtime this evening. We'll see if it happens, but I love pumpkin seeds heavily salted, so there's a very good chance... But, back to the summer having passed. I realize that I was very negligent to my blog over the summer months. I didn't even write while I was on vacation in Rodanthe, NC. A whole glorious week of Josh, Lexy, beach, sand, sun, beach pizza, seashells, wind, surfers, and more family.

So, to make up for it I want to show you the beauty of September in the Outer Banks.
















I wish I was still there. Although, my house is just starting to smell like melted chocolate and there are pumpkin seeds waiting to be harvested. Those are good things, too.

Talk to you all soon.

C-

And so it begins...

Hi, everyone.

I know, I know. I've been off again for a while. And by a while I mean something like 6 weeks. So, who knows who will actually read this. But, anyways, here it is.

I don't know about you, but I'm starting to feel the pressure of the holiday season roll around and land with a big thud on my doorstep. For those of you who don't know or don't have in-laws, it is really hard to orchestrate 3 family gatherings and get everyone together and please everyone and not have a mild stroke in the process. Josh and I are already discussing Thanksgiving plans. I mean, really. Thanksgiving already? When did the summer end? I don't seem to remember giving permission to the 80 degree days and humidity to vacate the premises. Nobody listens to me. It's just not right. I'm kinda funny sometimes. The world should really sit up and pay attention. Summer should have stuck around for another month or two at the minimum.

Now. As for the fact that Halloween is a few weeks away, we had a bit of costume drama in our household. You have to understand that I don't typically order things from catalogs or over the Internet, but we still get all those catalogs in the mail. Who doesn't, right? And Lexy loves to help me get the mail and to put things in the recycling bin (after all, Elmo recycles so it must be cool, right?), so when we get the mail together she gets to take all the junk mail and catalogs to look at and dispose of properly.

Number One Mistake. Letting Lexy have the Pottery Barn Kids catalog with the Halloween costumes in it. All I heard from the middle of August for 2 weeks was "I want to be the owl. I love the owl. The owl is my favorite." Seriously, what 2 year old remembers that they want to be an owl for Halloween 3 weeks later? She should have moved on the Fancy Nancy or Angelina Ballerina seeing as those are huge in my house right now. But, no. "I love the owl. Mommy get me the owl". Pitiful. So, I gave in and called to order the owl costume. Mommy of the year award goes to me. Number Two Mistake. I waited a few weeks too long. I should have started planning Halloween in January when all the really excellent moms do their shopping and know exactly what their kids are going to like and want. I'm not sure what I was thinking. They are all sold out. Everywhere. Even in Canada. They don't even have the next size up. Not in the stores, warehouses, outlets. NO WHERE. But, "Mommy, I want the owl. I love the owl. The owl is my favorite."

Again, Mommy of the year. I decide, ebay. Someone must have ordered this for their child and had the "I don't want to be a stupid owl" reaction from their precious and adoring child.

They are selling on Ebay for over $100.00. For a Halloween costume for a 2 year old. They will wear it for an hour max. Will they play with it later? Not so much. It's not going to become their favorite toy that they sleep with every night. It's just not going to happen.

Lexy is going to be a bee.




Love to you all,

C-

p.s. Thank you for your patience with me. Check back here and there and there will be posts. I promise.

And if you're wondering about the Finn-dog. He does have cancer. A stromal sarcoma. Bad news. Good news: He is expected to have ZERO recurrence. The oncologist thinks he'll be fine. We just get to spend a fortune on ultrasounds, x-rays and follow up exams for a year until we hear we're totally out of the woods. Meanwhile, he's back to his happy-go-lucky self. Annoying the heck out of me by sitting on the back of my good formal sofa. Brat.

Finn Part II

Dear Friends.

This has a long and traumatic weekend that I have yet to recover from. I'm not sure if I'll ever recover from it. I have learned that our beloved Finn has cancer. Low-grade stromal sarcoma. The doctors give him a 40% chance of surviving a year if we don't choose to undergo treatment. The odds in the other direction are forthcoming when we see the oncologist on Tuesday.

I have also learned that my dear friend from college has had the news that her newborn and beautiful son has a rare genetic disorder called Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficency. It has life long implications for his care and lifestyle and may require a possible transplant situation. This is not fair for a 2 week old. It is not fair for a family just starting out. It's just not fair. If anyone can rise to the occassion and be the knowledgable and loving mother it will be her.

I know that this is hard to read and for me harder to write. I am hoping to learn from this weekend and the stress that it has brought. I am hoping to grow from these things and learn how to be a better friend and how to parent my child through what is a likely situation of losing her beloved "Finny Finn". This is going to take some adjustment and getting used to.

Love to you all.

Carin

Finn

So, I said that I was coming back. I was going to find the time to write. I was going to update everyone on the trip we took to Josh's parents and the beautiful river that they live and work on. I was going to post the cute picture of Lexy sitting on a horse at our friends farm, the pictures of her chasing the cats, looking at the chickens, running through the fields to find the cows. I was going to write about how I'm getting more and more exhausted because work is getting more and more oppressive (in terms of work load seeing as we have zero staff at the moment) and Lexy doesn't stop talking or asking questions for every second of her waking hours. And sometimes while she's sleeping. I put up one post... and then I got smacked in the head. Okay, not really smacked in the head. 22 staples in the stomach. Not my stomach. Finn's stomach.

Friday morning Finn peed on the floor at 2 am. I know, sorry, it's a tad gross. I had to get up and clean the floor at 2 am. It was gross for me, too. And then, when I woke up at 7, there was vomit and bowel movement on the floor. Now, I have a 2 year old. Accidents and sickness happen. But when you're having breakfast company and 2 year old awake and calling "Mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy" over and over and you still have to shower and make the said company breakfast, finding surprises on the floor is not the greatest way to start your day. And then there were ants in the kitchen.

At this point, following breakfast, I was completely selfish. I had realized something was really really really wrong with the dog when I couldn't get him to eat, he didn't want to see my girlfriend whom he loves, and he didn't want to move from the floor. In fact, he didn't want to lift his head. And then the stomach breathing started. That really deep, sucking, rolling breathing that you know is not a good thing. I called my mother. I believe my exact words were "I need my mommy and I'm not afraid to admit it." Oh, yeah, I was whining. Lexy was crazy from company, the dog was sick, there were ants in the kitchen. I wanted to sit on the floor and cry.

Long story short? Emergency vet appointment led to emergency vet hospital appointment followed by ultrasound followed by exploratory surgery followed by spleen removal and testing for cancer. It was almost like being back in the hospital after Lexy was born and seeing her in the NICU for the first time. The fear and icy feeling in the stomach and your heart beats a little irregular.



Our fur baby. Our first baby. Our permanent 2 year old. My company on quiet nights when Josh is out playing volleyball. My burglar alarm (or fox alarm). My buddy. Lexy's playmate. Lexy's "Finny Finn".



He got to come home Saturday night. He'd lost a lot of weight, couldn't walk very well, was really out of it with medication, had no appetite and had no interest in anything other than the new doggy pillow bed that we bought him to rest his sore belly on.




Our "franken-dog". 22 staples. An incision the entire length of his belly. And no way to explain to him what happened and why. He looks at me with these big eyes that tell me he wants to go for his long walk or to try and go down the stairs and he just doesn't get why it hurts so much for him to do it.

Every day he's getting better. He's eating again. We went for a short walk. He's walking up stairs but not down. He's wagging his tail when he sees new people. He's no where near being himself. But he'll get better from the surgery.

We're just waiting on spleen and liver biopsies to make any decisions about our 5 year old fur baby. The first child of our marriage and the first love of our lives as a family.



That's where I went this weekend. Maybe later this week I can update you on the river and the farm. Sometime after work before the biopsy results and during the "Mommy what's this?", "Mommy read this book", "Mommy I want want to watch Elmo"'s.

I hope your weekends were amazing. There must be some joy out there somewhere. Maybe it will be passed down this way when we get those test results Friday.



Love to you all.

Carin

Summer Wanderings

In the last 2 weeks I have had 4 of my readers ask me where the heck I've been. I didn't know you cared. Okay. Since most of you are my friends or new friends, yes, I knew that you cared. I just haven't been around to sit down and write anything. It's been one of those summers that on the days I'm not working outside the home I've been working inside the home, having guests, traveling to the grandparents respective homes and just cleaning my house and getting the errands done. It seems like there have been more and more things to do, but it probably just seems that way because I haven't been here on many of my days off recently to keep up with everything. But. I think things are settling. We'll see. We have a vacation planned in September and that will probably throw things off again.

So, to update you a little on a few of the things that we've been doing this summer, enjoy the following:





This is our neighbor, Thomas. Lexy is somewhat in like with him. She is always beyond excited to see him, and he always hugs her and gives her the best toys. I'm still more than a little concerned.






I had completely forgotten how much fun puddle walks can be. We've had a few rainy days where if I didn't get the kid outside to burn off some of that energy I may have run out in the middle of a hurricane to escape the amount of toys on the floor. Hence, the puddle walks and the cleaning of mud off of clothes, shoes, legs, and from up the shorts (mine not hers) after particularly well aimed and monster stomped splashes.



This pool is one of the most awesome gifts that we've received. The whale is a sprinkler, which I would think most kids would love but Lexy hates. But, as you can see, she loves the whale. Oh. And the pool is more than big enough for me to get in with her. Which I have. On many occassions.



I'm not sure what to say about this one. Evenings have become creative in our household.







And Lexy's first carousel ride. She held on so tight with both hands I could see white knuckles. She had a stone face the whole way around the entire ride. She was busy watching the other kids to see what they would do. And when it was done? She came racing over to me, slammed into my legs and proceeded to tell me how much she loved it. Who knew white knuckles and no smiles translated into pure enjoyment.

I'll try and update a little more in the next couple of days. But my house is clean. And mostly organized. It still amazes me, too. And I plan on keeping it that way even if it means being more OCD than I thought I could get. So, forgive me if I'm not back to the everyday posting.

Thanks for missing me.

C-

Quotation Marks

Dear Dear-ios,

Last night I stayed up late reading. Again. I know that I should know better by now, but I don't. If I was still 10 or so I would be under the covers with a flashlight. I always have this insane notion when I'm half way through a book that I can somehow finish it before my usual bedtime. The regular time to go to sleep that makes me functionable and sane and pretty the next morning when the alarm goes off at 5:30 or earlier. I am always wrong, yet I never regret it.

Seeing as I've only had 1 large mug of coffee and my brain is functioning on serious LOW at this point in time, enjoy some quotes from some amazing people to jump start your thought process this beautiful Wednesday morning.

Joy is prayer - Joy is strength - Joy is love - Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls.
-- Mother Teresa

The golden moments in the stream of life rush past us and we see nothing but sand; the angels come to visit us, and we only know them when they're gone.
-- George Eliot

Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.
-Judy Garland

People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within.
-Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.
-Eleanor Roosevelt

Love to you all. Have an amazing Wednesday.

C-

You Know You're A Mom When...

Howdy, Y'all!

I haven't dropped in to say hello for a while, seeing as I've been in serious mourning since the USA lost to Ghana in the World Cup on Saturday. I'm talking serious mourning. Flag at half-mast, not eating for days, crying into my pillow at night, wearing black for days straight (okay, I do wear black a lot anyway) mourning. I shunned all media not wanting to be reminded of the terrible loss I was coping with. Okay, that last part isn't true. I completely had the t.v. on and did find a cute and cheesy made for t.v. movie on the Hallmark channel Sunday night.

So, that's my story. Where I've been hiding. Now, on to more important things. Like my birthday. You see, my birthday is in September and seeing as it's June and that means only 2 1/2 months until my birthday I need to be planning my lists and getting all applicable parties involved in shopping now. Just kidding. I'm not that crazy about my birthday. My parents just like to be ahead of the game. They're the type that have Christmas presents purchased over 6 months ahead of time as well. So, they've been asking what I want for my birthday.

Originally they had talked about a Vera Bradley handbag. Usually Vera Bradley bags are WAY crazy for me. Too bold, too bright and I just don't dig most of the designs. I do have one wallet and the lunch bag in a more sedate pattern, but I really kinda dig this new one:
However, as cute as this design is I couldn't find a bag that I like enough. I guess I'm just a Coach girl at heart and can't stray from my line.

So I've been thinking about what to ask my parent's for for my 21st birthday. Yes, I'm only going to be 21. Again. For the 13th time. And then, on my last trip to the mall to celebrate my mother's birthday with a fattening and sinful lunch at the Cheesecake Factory I saw the sheet set and quilt that I want for Lexy's room at Pottery Barn Kids. I know. Champagne taste on a beer budget. But, it's beach theme girl stuff. And I haven't found very much of that since I had the brilliant decorating idea 2 1/2 years ago. And everything was ON SALE. Now, as you probably now, ON SALE at Pottery Barn Kids means selling one kidney instead of two. So, instead of buying everything that wanted while I was there and it was there, I thought I'd be responsible and talk to Josh about it first and look at the budget seeing as how we have big expenses in the next few months.

And then it hit. While checking out everything on line for prices. It was SOLD OUT. Of course. Just my luck. What did I do you may ask. I begged my mother for it for my birthday. Because she might have to make a trip back to the mall and I didn't think, even if I could work out my budget, that I would be able to actually get back to the mall to buy said items. And you know what she did... bought it. From the stores after calling the online catalog number. For my birthday. The cutest sheets and quilt in the world.





The real kicker in this situation? I asked for everything in Twin size. Lexy is still in a crib, soon to be switched to a toddler bed. She won't be in a twin for I don't know how long. I won't even be able to get the joy out of seeing these in her room for probably a year if not more.

Yes. You are a mother when... you ask for things for your children for YOUR birthday just so they can have what you dream of as perfection. I can't wait for her to be a little older and tell me that she hates it. Or that she wants to redecorate in ballerinas or skateboards or horses.

Hello, My Name is Carin....

Hello, my name is Carin and I'm a soccer-holic. I feel it's important to make this confession to you because we are on the verge of a massive soccer breakthrough and event in this country come tomorrow, approximately 12 pm. This is the time the USA v Algeria game should be ending. Preferably with a USA trouncing of their opponent. I mention this obsession only because it has reached it's worst for the World Cup. I have taken the morning off of work tomorrow so I won't miss the game. Yes, that's right. I have taken off from a part-time job so I can watch my home team play in the world cup.

Now, this may not seem like much if you're familiar with the sport or are from another country. In other places around the world the government will actually shut down the country for world cup match. Here? Not so much. I've been resigned to Live Stream on ESPN3 while at work so I can keep up with match play and the scores of the games. Thank you, Al Gore, for inventing the Internet. I don't know how hard my head would hit the floor if it weren't for the ESPN3 Live Stream.

I also mention this problem that I'm having because there is an article on the vuvuzela, the traditional African horn (the one that sounds like a herd of locusts about to descend in biblical proportions and eat your home, livestock, children, and anything else that you don't have tied down and maybe even the things you do) in the Washington Post this morning. I am so into this Cup that I have put aside the article (in the health section mind you) so that I may read it following this beautiful and heartfelt confession of my inadequacies. Oh, and just in case you were wondering about the purpose and function of said horns:



Yes. Saturday when my husband had agreed to watch Lexy play outside for the morning so I could watch the much talked about USA v Slovenia game... I dragged her inside with me for the first half and made her play with her inside toys, just so I could watch my beloved USA seeing as how Josh had to go out to run errands for "just a little bit". My fellow countrymen defending my honor and upholding all I cherish as a Patriot performed beautifully, following a first half tirade by yours truly.

Second half also incurred some of the "Wrath of Carin". In fact, I believe I may have reached ultra-sonic sounds with my yelling and conversing with the referees (the ones all the way in South Africa)... During the second half, while Josh had Lexy in the backyard on the swings... Lexy looked up at her father and said "Mommy's inside yelling. Want to go inside and see Mommy yelling". Yes. All the doors and windows were closed.

As I said. This is an obsession. Or maybe it's just a life choice. A calling. A passion. A true love. A dream.

Go USA!!! Beat Algeria!!!

Friends, Meet a Friend

Hello, Dear-ios.

A while ago I had mentioned that maybe someone would like to post on this here loverly website and meet some of my new and used friends. Okay, not used, but old just didn't sound right either. Long-term??? Whatever. I digress. I had one such dear-io respond and she jumped right in with some of the most delicious sounding recipes that I am desperate to try.

I would like to introduce you all to a friend of mine from high school. A girl that I always remember with laughter and smiles. She was one of those girls that didn't look at my crazy because I was crazy, and one of those that didn't judge the bad hair, glasses, braces, or clothes. She allowed me to be me, she allowed everyone to be themselves and the girl could sing.

Oh, and when she says I would run up to her in the hallowed halls of LBSS, please remember that I run with the grace of a gazelle and my loud screaming voice has the dulcet tones of an angel in God's chorus. Really.

So, Dear-ios. May I present to you the lovely and talented Desirae, forever in my heart as Dee-Dee (sorry, maybe I'll just use D from now on).



Hello all. My name is Desirae (many of you would remember me as Dee-Dee). Why is it that in school we hated our first name and demanded to be called by our nick names? I attended Lake Braddock Secondary School Class of 94. I was in Choir my freshman and sophomore year. This is where I meet and became friends with Carin. I was a tomboy and tended to hang out more with the guys, but Carin was my huggie buddy. She could always make me smile, by seeing me in the hall and screaming huggieeeeeeeeeee. We bonded on the trip to Harpers Ferry and then at her house when a group of use were rehearsing for a skit in one of the Choir performances.

I lost touch with her as the years past, but now we have reconnected. Many of you I just passed in the halls, but in many ways I regret not getting to know you all a lot better. I am enjoying face book as it has given me the opportunity to get to know a lot of you on a more personal level.

As for brief bio – I reside in Cameron, South Carolina. I am married to a farmer (Bill), who manages the family farm of cotton and peanuts (the farm has been in their family since 1737). One day if you want to know our story I will tell it to you. He is my rock, my solid ground. There is a quote that fits us best and it is this: “I, with a deeper instinct, choose a man who compels my strength, who makes enormous demands on me, who does not doubt my courage, or my toughness, who does not believe me naïve or innocent, who has the courage to treat me like a woman. Anaïs Nin”

We have two little boys Jacob (2.5) and Capers (6 months). I recently have become a stay-at-home mom and trying my best to make it work for me. I am a work alcoholic by nature. I am however enjoying the boys and all their antics. Face book is my escape when I need a little break for myself and also Carin’s blog, which I enjoy immensely. Girl, you are a wonderful writer.

My hobbies are photography, reading, hiking, fishing, camping and just about anything to do with being outside. Anything else you would like to know, look me up on face book and ask away.

Here are a few of my favorite recipes:

Pot Roast Recipe
2 Cans Golden Mushroom Soup
2 Cans Water
1 package Beefy Onion Mix (either Lipton or Knox)
Beef Roast or Pork Roast (both are good)

Mix Soup, Water and Beefy Onion Mix in Crock Pot, Place in Roast, and Cook on low all day while at work.

You can add the following Veggies if you like, Green Beans, Potatoes, and Carrots. I used just green beans and it was very good.

Serve with Rice or Mashed Potatoes and biscuits.

Desirae’s Chili

Ingredients:

5 lbs hamburger meat
4 cans rotel tomatoes with chilies
4 packs of chili seasoning
3 large cans of light kidney beans or pinto beans
2 cups water – although you may want to add more

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together, bring to a boil, then simmer for at least three hours. You can also cook on low for more than 3 hours, I have found the longer it cooks the better it is.

Linguine with Chicken, Leeks And Tomatoes

4 tablespoons of Olive oil
8 Boneless skinless chicken (thinly sliced)
1/4 cup of Butter; (1/2 stick)
3 large Leeks; (white and pale , & green parts only), thinly sliced or 1 large onion, chopped
1 package of sliced mushrooms
4 Garlic cloves, minced
one 28 ounce can of Italian diced tomatoes (pre-seasoned with basil, oregano and garlic)
3 tablespoons of Dry vermouth or a Dry White Wine
1 pound of Linguine; freshly cooked
1 cup of grated Parmesan

Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add to skillet and sauté until just cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Cool slightly. Thinly slice chicken crosswise and set aside. Melt butter in same skillet over medium-low heat. Add leeks and garlic and sauté until leeks are very tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, vermouth and chicken. Cook until mixture is just heated through, about 2 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper. Combine chicken mixture, linguine and 1/2 cup Parmesan in large bowl; toss well. Sprinkle with basil if desired. Serve, passing remaining Parmesan. Serves 4. Bon Appetit June 1992.

Thank you, D. I think we can all see why she has Farmer Bill... wink wink. But, seriously. This chick rocks. I'm lookin forward to hearing the story of D and the Farmer, and if I don't then maybe I'll make it up and turn it into a fairy tale. "D and the Farmer". Anyways, I think you can all see that D still has it. It being kindness, open-heartedness, spunk (SAHM on a full-time 300 year old farm???!!!), and well, she gives GREAT hugs.

Sending one your way, D. HHHUUUUUGGGGGIIIIIEEEEEE!!!!!!!

Birthday Calamaties

Hello, Dear-ios.

This weekend Lexy and I had the joy of attending one of her friends (and betrothed) Adam's 3rd birthday party. Now, the fact that time has somehow gone by so fast that this little bundle is now a full-blown rambunctious 3 year old boy with a baby brother is somehow lost on me. I don't know how it happened and I have chosen to not think about it too hard. I refuse to believe that I have aged 3 years and I refuse to admit that I'm old enough to have friends with 3 year old sons (although I have some friends my age with kids older than that, but for them. They were probably 15 when they got pregnant. That was just the kind of crowd I ran with).

As for Adam, trains and cake were the themes of the day. And I must say that Wegman's makes a killer Thomas the Train cake. Not too sugary, with just the right mix of chocolate thrown in with the vanilla. Super Yummy. Watching Lexy interact with all the other kids there (she was the only girl) was a riot. There was one point when I thought she was going to try and climb into Adam's lap. I mean, come on girl, play a little hard to get. Although, if the marriage is inevitable and arranged and all that, why should she? Right? But, I must say, her attempts to get George to come and sit with her and talk to her.... uh, oh, Adam. You may have some competition after all.

Lexy was the belle of the ball. Of course, when you're the only girl and you're dressed in a too cute for words yellow sundress that does tend to happen. She had a blast and it was great to have been included.

And then there was the pinata. Everyone loved the pinata. There was no bloodshed. No scrambling for candy and toys. There was no shoving or pushing for turns. Everyone stood nicely and pulled their strings. In rounds. It was amazing that 2 and 3 year olds would behave so well. I give all the credit to the amazing parenting going on in this group. Well done, Moms and Dads. We are awesome. And then. Then there was the last pull on the adorable little Dalmatian fire hat wearing pinata. And it opened. Everyone was thrilled. Candy and toys, right?

Everyone except Lexy. She had a mini-meltdown a la, "Adam broke the puppy" meltdown. See, if a toy breaks or a crayon snaps in half, or a page in a book rips it's all downhill from there. I had no thoughts that a pinata would be traumatic, but "Adam broke the puppy". Big tears. Lots of them. Bright red face. I had NO idea that she would react that way. I had the same thoughts as any other parent. Scrambles for candy would take precedent over even looking UP at the pinata. But, not my sensitive little Lexy. She cried each time I tried to take her back to gather some treats. Thanks to the other mom's that collected for Lexy as well as helping their own kids gather their goodies. She loves all the things that came home in her bags.

But, try as hard as I might to convince her that the pinata was supposed to open and all it did was OPEN I have heard nothing in the last two days other than "Adam broke the puppy".

Happy Monday, Dear-ios. See you on the flip-side.

No!

Dear People,

Today I am wondering what it takes to say "no" to some people or some things and what it means to people that hear it. Or more importantly, DON'T hear it. I know that we all struggle with this kind of thing. Being women (mostly, sorry Oren), and being mom's or sisters or girl friends lends itself to wanting to be the most accommodating people that we can be, even to the detriment of ourselves.

My parents were the kind of parents that taught me it's important to help others. I started working with my mother at a local charity when I was 12. They made an age exception and I hid in the back with the workers and sorted food or whatever they asked me to do. I need to get back there, I just need to find the time. My parents also taught me that it's important to remember yourself in your life, too, though and if there are too many pulls on your time or if something makes you uncomfortable than you should be able to say "No thank you" and move on.

I guess what my question is or my ponderance for this morning, is "what do you do when you say No Thank You in the most polite way possible but whatever the situation might be is continually forced on you until you snap?". It's harder to answer this question when it comes in the form of family, which is my situation right now. But, truly, I want to know. I've tried politeness, I've tried bluntness, I've tried harshness. Nothing seems to work. I don't want to be rude after rude after rude, but I'm starting to think that that may be my only option. Or as one friend suggested during one of my 3 ranting phone calls "Ignore it. Don't email, don't call, don't respond in any way". Is that the last way for me to regain a little bit of my sanity? Ignore the situation or emails and pray that things get better? That is so not my personality, although I'm leaning towards giving it a go so that I can recapture a bit of my strength and my self-respect.

Advice people. I'm asking for your advice.

Talking in her sleep

Hello, Good Buddies,

I'm on my second cup of coffee this morning and may I just say that this is an amazing pot. And it's amazing that I'm not passed out with my nose in the mug, either. It just keeps going doesn't it? That big hamster wheel that we're all on. I just want to jump off for a few weeks, but I have to make it until September when the requisite vacation is. In the meantime, here I am. Prepping for work and wondering what to throw in my bag for lunch.

However, I did have something cute to mention about the cutest kid on the planet. Which is of course Lexy. In case you were wondering. Not that your kids aren't cute. I'm just being brutally honest because everyone knows that I'm brutally honest.

She talks in her sleep.

With her silly 2 year old grammar. At 6 am this morning, while I was combing out my hair, I heard her rolling around in her crib. When I turned to see if she was awake way too early, I hear...

"Need to go with you."

Now, this is what she says when I'm trying to make her leave her toys or come in from outside when she doesn't want to. I start to walk off, tell her goodbye and then I hear very loudly in the background "Need to go with you!" and when I turn around she's already running to me. Yes, we're still in that stage. It's adorable. One more mark in that cutest kid in the world column. But, she's never said it while sleeping before. She's said "mommy" or "mmppphh" but never full sentences.

I'm not sure if I should hope that this cuteness continues or not. I'm thinking there may be a definite lack of sleep issue if it does.

See you on the flip side lovelies,

C-

p.s. If anyone wants to write ANYTHING, recipes, stories, editorials, whatever, let me know. I still want to introduce you to each other. I started this as a way to let my friends keep up with me and the kid-let and the friends that are responding are a wide cross section of people from different periods of my life. It's kinda funny, actually. So, email me if you're interested. I'd love to hear from you and show you off to my other friends.

overwhelming media exhaustion

Hi, Friend-lies.

I hope that everyone had a restful weekend and is ready for the daily grind of the week ahead. I was going through my posts and checking out the blogs I follow and I realized that I haven't been here for a while. Granted, Lexy was sick (I'm thinking cold over molars at this point because the fever is gone and I don't feel or see any teeth, so I take back those horrible things I said about molars ~ for the time being anyway), I'm training 2 new employees at work, dealing with the regular household stuff... but most of all I've been feeling overwhelmed by media. News, TV, papers, magazines, facebook, Internet. It's all the same negative space. Sometimes life sucking in its negative-ness.

I know that a lot of you feel the same way, and I totally get it. I've even taken a mostly-break from facebook for a week or so, so forgive me if I haven't posted or updated and laughed at your status. I check in but don't have the verve to write or post too much at the moment. Maybe once work settles down things will be easier. So, bear with me lovelies. Once I can focus myself to sit and think and breathe this will be the priority that doesn't get dropped. It is supposed to be my quiet time, so I'm going to have to spreadsheet my way back or just remember the quietness and the fact that I have thoughts in my head outside of chiropractic staffing schedules or which Elmo's World video is the one we have seen the least.

I hope you all have a wonderful day. I love you all and I will talk with you soon.

C-

p.s. If anyone would like to write something for me in the meantime to post, just email me. I would love to introduce you all to each other.

Molars

Hi, Friend-lies.

It appears that my sleepless night last week wasn't due to the cold that I thought Lexy was getting, but in fact those nasty 2 year old molars. I broke down after 6 days of low grade fever, runny nose and cough and took the kid to the doctor on Memorial Day. God bless my doctors office for being open on a holiday. Seeing as I work on the next day it made me feel so much better to take her in myself and not send her with my mom. Lexy was great with the doctor, other than she wouldn't open her mouth to get anything more than a glance at those evil teeth making their way in. Needless to say, runny nose and cough are all allergy related (yea Lexy for inheriting my allergies and not Josh's stong immune system) and the fever and general blah-ness around her nap time and all evening = large pointy things shoving their way into my babies mouth. Bad teeth. Bad bad teeth.

But. When lovingly medicated with Tylenol Generic or Motrin Generic, the kid is 100% normal. And even without it she is still pretty darn great. I've got a good one and I know it. So. There was a slight hiatus from posting and hardly any time spent of Facebook for the last few days and it was really nice. I finished 2 books, lovely light summer reads and have moved on to the third. Read Karen White for free, fun, enjoyment, and some easy reading to move yourself aside for a little bit. And enjoy these. This is my light, ease, fun, and enjoyment.



(yes, this one is a little older, but I just uploaded it and it is flippin' cute, okay?)











By the way, we did that about 30 times. After running in a big circle around the front yard (through the sprinkler). Why is it I don't have a better waistline and better looking arms?

Love to you all. Splash!

C-

Sleep and Music

Last night I had about 4 hours of sleep. Lexy either has the worst allergies ever or just a cold, but with every sniff and cough I was awake. Of course, I didn't go to sleep until late as well just so I could keep and eye on the monitor. I know how quickly kids can go from snuffily to really seriously ill. So this morning I apologize for the incoherence and randomness.

What does it mean when you download Matisyahu and Eric Clapton at the same time from ITunes, but what you really want to do is jump on half.com and order Electric Youth by Debbie Gibson?

Just wondering.