Did I miss something?

I keep getting emails from e*harmony about how my soul mate could be out there waiting for me. I shouldn't waste time, I should sign up now. NOW!

Do they know something I don't?

Cause last time I checked my soul mate was in the kitchen making grilled cheese. Hold the butter of course. Even at four one has to worry about their cholesterol.

And the winner is.....

This is as scientific as things get around here. I couldn't figure out how to use those automatic thingys online but I can figure out how to have dash-1 pull a name out of a cup. And yes folks, he is dressed like an astronaut.

In case you can't read the name its Mrs. Jen McNeil over at Mayhem at the McNeil's. I'm sure her little baby girl will LOVE these!

Congrats! And thank you everyone for entering. I'm having another giveaway in the very near future and this one is for everyone, not just baby-mama's.

a slice of the morning

me. "Bubba what are you taking for show and tell this morning."

dash-1 "My balloon so I can show them how to blow it up."

me. "we've been over this you cant take balloons into school."

dash-1 "Why? They fit in my pocket."

me "Because its the rule. And I said so. But mainly because its a rule."

dash-1, very sweetly, with a smile on his face, "Mom, could you please leave me alone?"

Well he did say please.

**a lil update** He finally gave up on the balloon and was stumbled across flyboy's flight helmet (dear lord I'm hoping he has more then one since he's flying right now). He tried it one and was thinking about taking that in for show and tell. I mean really how kick ass would that have been, he would have been the only kid in the class with one of those to show off.

But alas, what did he take? His yo-yo. Apparently at four, nothing tops a yo yo.

Where the bubbles go

Last night I was feeling a little better, however I looked like hell. Actually that would have been a serious step up from what I looked like. My skin is not just pale but almost blah and my under eye circles are no long contained to the under eye area. And the nose, lets just say I'm rivaling Rudolph.

So what's a girl to do. I figured I would put on a little face mask then take a nice hot shower. Or so was the plan. I drained the boys bath and went to work on my face. I got the whole mask on and realized I could hear the water draining.

Somewhere in the house. Not in a pipe.

I will admit, I actually sat down on the toilet lid for a second and debated even going to find out what the hell was going on downstairs. Sometimes ignorance is indeed bliss. And it was 8:30 and I just wanted to relax. I did not want to find a problem.

Oh but I did.

I sucked it up, acted like an adult and went downstairs to find the bubbles of my boys bath in the toilet and on the floor of our downstairs bathroom. Sweet. I tried in vain to plunge. And call my husband to flip out but there was no answer. In hindsight that's probably a good thing, I would have gone ape shit and no good would have come of that.

I finally admitted after 15 minutes of plunging in vain that this was not in my real of expertise. I called my landlord. My lovely, understanding, wonderful landlord who came right over. Of course right around this time I realized I had a face mask on, a robe and no bra. So i scurried like a crazy person to change, wipe off my face and look human.

Here's a little side lesson I learned last night. One should not keep a face scrub mask on their pregnant face for close to 25 minutes. When I took it off I looked like I had been dragged down the beach on my face. It was quite the look.

So now the handyman is here looking at our pipes. I still haven't showered, flushed a toilet, done any of the 15 loads of laundry I was of course going to get caught up on today, or run the dishwasher. And wouldn't you know, today is the day that I'm supposed to take a meal over to one of the guys that flyboy works with who just had a baby.

I guess I can just clean myself up with towelettes or something.

Oh and earlier this month a pipe going into our dishwasher froze and burst and water was everywhere. Earlier this week the boys and I got locked out of the house and the spare key was no where to be found and of course flyboy was totally unreachable.

Thank goodness this month is almost over. And flyboy will be home soon.

ps. the giveaway is still open down below!

Giveaway! Giveaway!

I have had a dilemma since dash-1 was born. Lullabies. I never found any that didn't make me want to pull my hair out and stick cotton in my ears. I'm not a real music fan, I prefer talk radio but try rocking your newborn to sleep to Rush Limbaugh and it doesn't really do much.

So I got a couple baby cd's. Crap, crap, crap. Really. Crap. So I had a friend who owns every cd known to man make me a compilation. As a result young dash-1 was a bit of a fan of Britney's slower melodies. But it was the best I could do and it seemed like more of an alternative then Rush.

That should set the stage for what a hard critic I am about this sort of stuff. But I recently was sent info on Hushabye Baby Music (yah for all those poop/vomit stories, someone noticed I'm a mom!) I listened to the cd's and they are amazing. They do instrumental covers of well known country songs. And its not just for country lovers, they've got The Rascal Flatt's, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, Carrie Underwood, the classics like Johnny Cash (the boys really liked those), Willie Nelson, and I know I'm still leaving some out, go to their site (click here) to get more info on what cd's they have, something for everyone I'm sure of it.
I'm not a huge country fan, but I like the popular stuff and the classics, my mother is like me, but she was a Patsy Cline fan and I remember hearing her music growing up. So when I got her rendition cd I ripped it open and the boys and I danced to "Walkin After Midnight". Well swayed was more like it but still, you get the point.

Although I must admit my favorite turned out to be a true country classic, "Forever and Ever, Amen" by Randy Travis. Maybe I'm a bit more country then I thought.

I need to get me a pair of daisy dukes and we are having pulled pork for dinner one night this week.... but that's a side note.

Oh and just an additional FYI, they also do a line with rock albums (click here for info), so you could rock your little one to sleep to the sweet lullabies of AC/DC, the Beatles, and a lot more. Come on you know your dying to know how someone turned AC/DC into a lullaby. I was.

If only I could get them to do a lullaby line for talk radio. I'd be in heaven. And the kids would be so smart.

So that brings me to the giveaway. Cause I'm sure that's what got your attention. Leave a comment between now and Thursday night, oh say sixish in the pm, and you'll be entered to win a 4 CD pack of the Hushabye Baby Lullabyes. If you put a little post about his giveaway directing people this way, and really folks, I have low expectations, a couple sentences will do, then I'll enter your name twice.

If you don't have kids don't despair this would be a great baby gift. And who doesn't know someone who's having a baby. Come on most of us are military. We procreate with the best of them. I'm kidding.

So those of you who have little ones, have a little one on the way, or know of someone in either category enter away!

life with children

As with almost every area of life with children my showers are drastically different. I was thinking about this when Lala wrote a post about how she yearns for a good 40 minutes shower but due to their new place 15 seems to be all she can squeak out.

Before we had kids showers were uneventful, get in, relax, sing a little, lather, rinse, repeat. Just enjoy the time to think.

Now... not so much.

Just the act of getting in the shower requires dash-1 and 2 to be kinda sorta distracted with something else. I get them some juice, a little snack, put on a cartoon, and hope for the best. Showering with the door closed? Oh please those days are gooooone. First if you close the door they bang on it. A lot. And our door sticks so that means that should there be an emergency the little ones wouldn't be able to get in. And by emergency I mean having to pee as well as someone bleeding.

So take today for instance, it was pretty typical of a morning shower. Get in stand under the hot water and enjoy peace and quiet in a room all alone. As I'm shaving dash-2 comes in and proceeds to toss all his bath animals into the tub. I try to toss them out, we go back and forth until he loses interest. I figure what the hell, flyboy is away, one shaved leg is good enough.

As I shampoo dash-1 has settled in the bathroom for a lively discussion of how he saw Saturn out his window last night. I try to explain it was most likely the neighbors yard lamp. He refuses this claim, gets nasty and storms out of the bathroom.

I return back under the water and wonder if I ever have to come out or if I could just live in my shower ala Kramer in that classic Seinfield episode.

Dash-1 starts flushing the toilet. A lot. This doesn't affect the water temperature but I'm starting to wonder why its being done. He claims he's catching bugs. Now granted we do have ladybugs around here but I doubt he's just caught ten in 2 minutes. I stick my head out of the shower and tell him to walk away from the toilet.

Dash-2 tosses an elephant back in the shower. I've given up and he can shower with me. The elephant not dash-2.

I've decided that I should get out at some point and face them. As I'm grabbing my towel the light goes off, apparently the light is bothering dash-1 so he's taken to turning off the bathroom light. And begins an immediate pleading for all the other lights to be turned off. I asked if he had a headache, no apparently the light is just hurting his beautiful eyes. His words. Not mine. I turn off the lights but refuse to turn off the one in my room. This does not go over well but I remember that I'm the mom. "Don't like it, don't come in, its my room, I pay the bills."

I'm reminded that actually daddy pays the bills. I remind him that I gave him life. We leave it there.

And that my friends is what showering in a house with more small children then adults is like. See now your all gonna run out and have a couple aren't you?

Ode to wrinkle cream

I have a problem, I'm a brow furrower. I don't know why, it doesn't have anything to do with how bright it is, if I'm wearing sunglasses or regular glasses, if I'm pissy or in a fine mood. In the grand words of Nike I just do it.

About a year ago I noticed that dash-1 was a brow furrower. At first I just thought he was in a nasty mood, then I noticed that he did it even when he was zoned out so to say. And then I looked in the rear view mirror and caught myself doing it. All the time.

And now I'm noticing little wrinkles. Little 11 lines between my eyebrows. I've tried to stop but alas, it's some unstoppable thing I do. I asked flyboy for botox but he didn't quite see the need. So I bought this stuff. Garnier Ultra-Lift cream and started using it last week. It's about 13 bucks which did seem a bit pricey to me (I'm cheap. Really cheap) but significantly cheaper then botox.


Can I just say, I'm in love. I figure if I start using this stuff now I can keep on brow furrowing and the plan is working. My wrinkles are getting better and well, now I can focus on driving instead of checking out my wrinkles in the rear view mirror.

Really we are all safer for it.

What I wish I could really say

Sometimes I just wish I could say no don't go, I need you here.

Flyboy left again. It's not a long trip, just around a week I think, it's just that I'm under the weather and feeling in less then tip top shape. He kept asking if I wanted him to not go, but I know how that works. He was kinda asking in the way you ask someone if they want your last cookie when really you have no intentions of them actually accepting it.

Not only had he said that he wanted to go on this trip, and I certainly don't blame him, who wouldn't want to get away from this germ infested place, cold blah weather, to go somewhere tropical and warm. But its his job, its his job to go get on a plane and fly, whether I like it or not, whether it fits into my schedule or not.

The truth is I wanted to ask him to stay. Scratch that I wanted to yell at him, "Of course I don't want you to go, I've been dealing with sick kids and sick myself for two weeks! I want you to be here over the weekend with to help out." I'm no medical doctor but I'm going to go out on a limb and say perhaps I'm a giant germ right now because I'm pregnant and exhausted. I'm worn down and I don't know how to tell him that.

Being home with the kids day after day, all by yourself is hard. Add germs and its just a recipe for a meltdown.

But its not that easy to ask him to stay. I feel like then I'm intruding on his job. And I don't want to be that wife. The wife in the squadron who has "issues" and every guy there knows that she is a pain and the reason that her husband doesn't pull his weight. I don't want to be that wife. Yikes, I hope I'm already not that wife.

Really?!

And now I have strep throat. And one ear is plugged shut so I can hear out of one side only.

Really, I'm a walking germ. With glasses and a really nice handbag but a giant, festering germ none the less. This must all end soon right?

On long shot in the ass later and I should be feeling better in 24 to 48 hours. It was hard to tell if the shot was the highlight of my day or the nurse. Or dash-1 who kept saying "Ooooh that's gonna hurt mommy." "Does it hurt yet?" "How bout now?" And a personal fave. "Ooooh your butt is white."

Feeling good

Today has been a good day. I'm feeling more like myself. And not just that it seems my time hugging the porcelain bowl seems to be, hopefully, winding down. I'm still nauseous but I don't seem to be spending such a high percentage of my day puking. Not to sound all Martha Stewart but that my friends, is a good thing.

Today was my 12 wk visit. Indeedy do there is a baby in there, who appears to have a nice little heartbeat. Too soon to figure out if I could be getting a break from all the blue and maybe have a little pink in my life but really, healthy is all I ask.

I doubt I'll be keeping you all informed of all my little pregnancy milestones, I doubt that high on anyones reading list and I have far to many poop stories and funny tales of dash-1 mooning the dr's. Of course those might not be high on your reading list either but oh well.

(Side note last week in the er I asked his brother to pull his pants down. I meant the legs of his sweatpants which for some reason dash-2 likes to pull up at his knees like he's trying out for some gang or something. When what do you know dash-1 comes from behind the curtain with his pants pulled down showing off his little white butt and he asked us all, because of course there is a doctor and two nurses/medics in the room, "like this mom?")

More than anything today I'm feeling some relief. I'm feeling like I can finally get excited about having another child. For the past six weeks I've felt like I've been holding my breathe, afraid that the moment I became attached something would go wrong.

I suppose some good from the lost pregnancy is that where as before I was overwhelmed and slightly terrified of how to adapt to three, with this blessing I'm seeing it just as that. A blessing. I'm not terrified, I'm not overwhelmed at the thought of three, I'm excited. That's all. I know there will be challenges but I'm just thankful for the opportunity to rise to them.

I'm sure I'll be slightly more paranoid this time around. Unfortunately loss teaches you that you can lose again. That your not untouchable, that your not immune. But it makes you that much more thankful for what you are given. I'm going to try to relax, ease up on my paranoia (although really my bizarre paranoia could be a whole post) and enjoy the ride I'm on, no matter how many bathroom breaks I have to take.

My birthday boy

Last week a certain little blonde hair, blue eyed, motor mouthed cutie turned four. That's right the big 0-4!

I'm pretty certain I said this last year and I'm pretty certain I'll say this again next year (and every one there after) I don't know how we've already gotten to this point. Really it seems like just yesterday you were a tiny baby, just babbling and watching the world go by.

You are fast becoming an honest to goodness little boy you now wants to take on the world rather then watch it from the sidelines.

You might look more like me little man, but you are all your father. You have his intensity, his fire, his drive. This is coming at a cost to me, just yesterday I bought wrinkle cream for the first time. But I see the light in your eyes and I know where you got it from. And I have some idea of what it means.

Some along the way might try to squeeze you into a mold, face it kiddo, you much like your father, aren't meant to be squeezed into a mold. You my dear are a doer and a thinker. Already it seems you are finding your voice and standing firmly on your own two feet.

Again I say this every year but I can't wait to see what you become in life, what path you will chose. I've seen such growth and maturity this year, I cant even begin to imagine what your going to be doing this time next year, let alone when your 18! As you finished up your third year of life you were writing your name, writing words down, trying to sound out words, getting yourself dressed, and becoming an actual helper around the house.

On of the greatest joys of being a mom is been being blessed to watch you grow into a little gentleman. Here's to another year of ups and downs, spills and messes, heartache and joy, hugs and kisses, and endless, unconditional love. Even when you drive me crazy.

Happy birthday to you, my very special little four year old.

missing daddy and swimsuits

Being a military family is tough.

I didn't expect it to be a cake walk, but you know I was blinded by the bling bling on the uniforms and the wicked large paychecks. HA! That last part, that's called humor folks, it helps.

But seriously, I didn't come from a military family and I certainly didn't realize the wear that would come from flyboys constant comings and goings. And while over the years its become normal for me, as our boys get older I'm seeing things differently. I'm a big girl, we connect up when he's home and do our thing when we're apart.

Not so easy for the kiddos.

I swear I have heard "When is daddy coming home?" 782 times between yesterday and 11 am today. I explain when daddy will be home only to get tears and whining. I love my children dearly and I understand they miss daddy, but my ears are almost to the point of bleeding.

And I haven't told them that when daddy comes home he's only home for a couple of days and then he's off again. I figured I'd tell them when they noticed he hadn't been home for dinner... in a week.

I like to tell myself that this is a stage. This is a hump we have to get over. That as they get older they will understand and accept this a little better. Painful as it may seem from time to time, its the way it is. Like it or not it puts a roof over our heads, food on the table, and well, keeps us free.

I just wish it didn't always hurt them so much.

Now on a totally side note... why in the world does Target have bathing suits out?

Dash-1 made an excellent point last week by looking at them, looking at me, looking at them again and asking, "Is it summer already?!". No dash-1, in fact dear child the high is 39 today. But we will look spectacular shoveling the driveway in our swim suits.

valentines day and vomit

I was talking with a friend on Monday about trying to meet up for lunch this week. She works down at WP so it would coincide with a commissary run. She mentioned that her girls were sick and I uttered those words, those famous last words.... "Oh we are on a great run here. No sickness in a month and a half. I don't know how we are doing it but the boys are just healthy as healthy can be. Not even a runny nose!"

I kid you not, that night dash-2 projectile vomited during dinner (great when your gag reflex is already trigger happy) and then after bath. And then while he was sleeping. Twice.

I blame myself. Sigh. And possibly a couple of carts at wal mart that he just had to lick. Oh and a bathroom or two on the Jersey turnpike. He didn't lick those but I think just being in them can give you disease.

And of course, all of you know that this happened the night before flyboy was going out of town. Of course. I don't think he's ever actually been present for a drawn out sickness. I really dont hold that against him too much because I'm pretty sure that it's not done on purpose. But still.... lucky bastard.

And anyone with small kids close in age knows how these things go. One gets it, starts to get over it, passes it to the other, then back and forth for a week or two. Fun with a capital F.

Dash-1 came down with not only the stomach bug but a nasty flu on weds, yucky stuff spurting out of both ends, high fever, and all he wanted was his momma. So he puked on me, breathed on me, laid on me. And then I got it.

Flyboy was supposed to be home a couple days ago, of course again, the trip got extended, outside his control I understand, but frustrating as hell. I thought I could hang in there but my mother disagreed. Thankfully she drove six hours to keep me from my deathbed and to help with the other two lepers. I am happy to report that after five hours in the er, three bags of IV fluids, some great nausea meds I am feeling much better. Mom is back home, dash-2 is recovered and ready to dig out of the house with a spoon and Dash-1 is getting there. Slowly.

I take that back. This post was sidetracked with a giant vomit cleanup, total wipe down of the living room, an outfit change, and two loads of laundry.

Oh yeah and happy valentine's day. That's the real point of this long winded diatribe. As I have for the past three years I am spending Valentine's day with my two true loves, dash-1 and dash-2. There will be no romantic dinner or even moments to myself. And honestly, really, honestly, I'm good with it.

But I am annoyed by something. I signed on to my local mommy board thingy and surprise surprise there was a HUGE thread about how people's husbands weren't doing anything for them. Really I'm kinda shocked at how some of these women were putting down their husbands, I mean no wonder you aren't getting anything.

But why not look past that? I get that its nice to be remembered by your spouse but why not look at all the little things that they do for you instead of all the giant romantic gestures that not all men are known for. My husband, love him to death, is not such a romantic guy, but he will get the decaying mouse out of my house and I'd much rather that then flowers.

Hell, I can buy myself flowers but rid the house of mouse? I think not.

Why not be thankful that your husband is home with you? Get over yourselves people. Some people are just content to be miserable. So please folks, instead of lamenting that you might not have gotten a huge bouquet of flowers or a lovely card, just appreciate your spouse today.

I hope mine knows how very much I appreciate him. Happy valentine's my love, I'll see you when I see you.

Dance dance revolution

My sister is a wonderful aunt. She adores the boys and lavishes attention on them whenever we are visiting.

She also plots ways to drive me insane.

Case in point, she's an elementary science teacher and she knows that dash-1 has a great affinity for space. So she burned two space songs that she uses in class on a cd for him and gave it to him while we were at home. I did not realize it was only two songs. I thought it was a whole cd.

My mother tried to warn me. She told me to just "forget" the cd there so I wouldn't suffer in the car. But no no, the good mother in me said, 'darn it if my son enjoys it we will listen to it in the car'.

Holy crap. The same two songs over and over again. At one point at a rest stop on the turnpike I contemplated getting back in the car or just letting the boys navigate home without me.

I mean one can drive and one could work the peddles right?

Oh and by the way, these of course, are techno type songs sang in full on rhymes. Delightful no?

But on the other hand my soon to be four year old does now know his planets in the correct order (as do I now) and can explain to you the finer points of an asteroid. But its coming at a great cost of my sanity.

Yesterday I again decided to be cool mom. I brought the cd in the house (alright little bit cool mom but really I just wanted the cd out of the car!) and put it on in the living room, blasted the volume and went to get bedtime stuff together.

The boys loved it. They were head thrashing, jumping up and down, trying out some air guitar, however, dash-1 decided that his pants were inhibiting him. And you cant have that while dancing to your robot space music.

So he decided he would dance in his boxer briefs. Imagine my surprise when I walked into the room and there were his skinny mini, pasty white winter legs, flapping around in all their glory. And his brother, much the same, shaking his money maker in his diaper.

Something tells me I should definitely chaperon their dances in school. You know just to be on the safe side.

how to blog again?

Blogging is not exactly like riding a bike. Once you take a break, purposeful or not, it can be a bit hard to get rolling again.

Where do you start? Do you catch people up to date? But then up to date would be a big yawn since, well, despite what some may think, my life is not the perpetual excitement I lead you all to believe.

I didn't really mean to take a two week break. It just kinda happened, but really, I'm back. I hope you all are still around. Something tells me I have a lot of blog catching up to do. Good thing flyboy is away so my attention doesn't have to be split.

Oh shoot, I still have the kids to feed and water.

I'm sure some of you must wonder what the heck is up with me lately. So to come out of the closet I'm knocked up again. I'm just at eleven weeks so hopefully only a week or two more of the constant nausea, vomiting and desire to curl up in a ball and sleep.

I've found it kinda hard to blog, what with running to the bathroom to vomit and all, but also with the stress of hoping that nothing bad happens again. The fear of saying anything and the "what if's" started to take their toll but I'm feeling better in that respect.

Well now that I've gotten the first post back out of the way, I'm ready to get back on the blogging band wagon. I might even post another post today. Wouldn't that be something?