Snow Day!!

We finally got a snow day this winter! Granted, we have had some big dumps of snow but we had enough overnight that they FINALLY called a snow day. That means - no school!

That also means, playing in the snow!!!

Alexis was LOVING the snow

She has snowflakes on her eyelashes

The neighborhood gang

My three snowbunnies

Logan wasn't so thrilled with the snow. Next year for sure.

Check out our new videos too! All just in our front yard.

Hysterical Commercial

My sister in law, Laura, sent me a link to this video and I was busting up about it all morning.

You see, my brother and his wife are both deaf. And having grown up in a house with a deaf brother, you learn to appreciate all kinds of little things. This commercial just cracks me up because I could see my brother doing it, which makes it even funnier.

Enjoy!

Toddler for Sale

It has been a rough morning with an extremely grumpy Alexis. She woke up waaaaaaaaaaay too soon and Logan and I paid for it all morning. The pushing, the throwing, the yelling, the temper tantrums, the picking on Logan every possible chance she got.... This altered poem is all I could think about in the back of my mind.

They are both down for a nap and I hope that everyone is in a much better mood when they wake up.

This is my personal hack at Shel Silverstein's "Sister for Sale" that my brain had worked out as I watched Alexis yelling "no" at Logan for the umpteenth time this morning.

"Toddler for Sale"

Toddler for sale!
Toddler for sale!
One screaming and tantrum throwing little toddler for sale!
I'm really not kidding,
So who'll start the bidding?
Do I hear a dollar?
A nickel?
A penny?
Oh, isn't there, isn't there, isn't there any
One sucker who will buy this little toddler for sale,
This screaming and tantrum throwing little toddler for sale?

Breast Cancer 3-Day

Well, my girlfriend, Michelle has talked me into walking the Seattle Breast Cancer 3-Day in honor of my mother. For those that do not know, my mother is currently in the beginnings of her own personal battle with breast cancer. There isn't much that I can do for her from Bend and even if I were there - she has all the fighting to do. It sucks. It really does. I would gladly take this burden from her, but I can't.

I have been donating to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation for years and years now. Not enough to find a cure based solely on the funds that I sent them, but I always figure that every little bit counts. And from what I understand, it really does.

So, Michelle and I are starting our own little walking team to throw some more money at this cause and do what we can to help my mother and any other future women that will get this awful thing. In September we will be heading out to walk 60 miles over the course of three days. Yikes. The training starts tomorrow and I will be burning through several pairs of shoes in the next few months.

Since we are a team we thought we needed a really good, catchy, fun name for ourselves. I mean, we could be hit with this thing ourselves some day so why not put some humorous spin on it today. But our team needs a name and we are open for suggestions.

So far we have:

- Hikers for Hooters

- Melon Marchers

- Boobie Buddies (Katya's suggestion)

- The Ta Ta Twoesome (Katya's suggestion)

If you have a suggestion for our little team, I would love to hear it! I need to have one soon in order to register. When I do register I will post my info so if you or someone you know would like to support me in my quest to raise $2,200 it would be appreciated.

New Toofers

Little Logan got his first tooth yesterday!

This explains his exceedingly difficult temperment lately and his lack of sleeping at night. I'm a bit on the tired side to say the least.

It seems that a whole bunch of his teeth have decided to come in all at once. Not only did he pop this little bugger out on the bottom he has another one coming in next to it and one coming in on the top. I expect a few more days of his less than stellar attitude towards life.

Wish me lots of patience in dealing with all the whining.

Nutrition Suggestions

Today was MOPS and you all know how much I love my MOPS.

The topic today was about healthy snacks. There was a nutritionist that came in and gave a talk about healthy choices, things to avoid like the plague (aspertame, trans fats, fast food...etc), things to eat lots of (fruits, veggies, lean protein, whole grains...etc) and she showed us a video that had nine ways to improve our lives and our children's lives.

The nine things were:

1. Shape young tastes by only offering healthy snacks.

2. Feed your family the right carbohydrates. (Whole grains and carbs from good foods. Protein and fiber help to regulate the energy provided by the carbs.)

3. Feed your family the right fats. (No trans fats, no hydrogenated fats, use Olive Oil and Canola oil)

4. Feed your family grow foods. (Legumes, whole grains, yogurt, eggs, oils, cheese...)

5. Raise a grazer. (Children should eat 5-6 mini meals instead of three)

6. Start the day with a brainy breakfast. (No sugar cereals)

7. Feed your family lots of fruits and veggies. (Include lots of color in your diet)

8. Take your children to the supermarket. Get them involved in their food choices.

9. Add a whole food based supplement to the family diet. (We take Juice Plus gummies in our house, so we are good there)

Another thing was to have a nosh tray or a nibble tray for your kids to graze from all day. Offer bite sized bits of healthy foods with healthy dips (like peanut butter, low fat ranch or yogurt) and put them into a cupcake tray and leave it out for the kids to eat as they like. This is especially good since a lot of kids won't eat a new food until they have seen it 10 - 14 times (like Alexis, Logan eats everything). I made one and although Alexis is choosing to avoid the green stuff for now, it is there for her to try if she wants. I filled mine with lots of dried fruits and some multi grain wheat thins. I think this will be a great thing when Logan gets a bit older (and gets a mouth full of teeth). Another idea was given by a mom that has been having great success with a book by Jessica Seinfeld called Deceptively Delicious. It has ideas that she has been using with her own kids where she purees veggies and mixes them into things that her kids will eat. This mom brought in some awesome brownies that had spinach and carrot puree in it and I didn't taste it at all. I plan on getting sneaky myself. This way I can actually get veggies into Bob as well.

The last idea is just mine. I was watching Rachel Ray (I love her show for some reason) and she had a mom that had created an awesome chart for tracking what her kids had been eating and giving the responsibility to them to help keep track too. Her company is called Chickinfeed.

I figured that this was a very appropriate post since Laura was needing suggestions for dealing with a picky eater herself.

If you have other suggestions, feel free to lay them on me! You can't have too many ideas.

Happy 1st Birthday, Logan!

My little Logan turns 1 today!!

Each of my babies were something special to me. Katya was my 'Surprise Baby', Alexis was my 'Miracle Baby' and Logan was my 'You Have Got To Be Kidding Baby'.

I found out I was pregnant when I was visiting my family in San Diego last August. I had just been so busy with an infant, tired from having an infant and nursing, cranky and moody that I didn't really notice that I had been getting bigger around the middle. I just assumed that I had reached a weight loss plateau. It was only when I stopped long enough to sit down and read a book that I realized that I had a serious hard pooch going on.

I went to my old Ob as soon as that little test strip had two pink lines on it because my pregnancy with Alexis was such an ordeal, if I needed progesterone or something I needed to start right away. I went in for a blood test and they called me a couple of days later telling me that something was wrong and I needed to go in for an ultrasound. Man, I was so all over the map with my emotions at this point. I didn't want to be pregnant yet and as soon as I find out I'm pregnant there is a problem.

My girlfriend, Desiree, went to the appointment with me so she could watch Alexis. I went in for the ultrasound and the tech kept asking me all kinds of questions as to when I had my last mensus and was I sure. It wasn't until she showed me the screen and told me that I was 17 weeks along that I kind of had a meltdown. I am sure that everyone in that suite and the waiting room heard me scream "you have got to be kidding". I was going to have two babies twelve months apart. My brain wouldn't digest it.

I kind of just blew past my whole first trimester and the rest of the pregnancy was pretty much uneventful. I had some serious sciatica stuff going on at the end which wasn't pleasant, but that was it. How different could two pregnancies be?

Logan was induced a week early like his two older sisters were and he still managed to be 8lbs 14oz and 22 inches long. He was a big baby. There was lots of family there at his birth including Katya, Ginger and Diana. It only took one push to get him out! It took me 2 1/2 hours of pushing to get Katya out.

Logan is my little teddy bear. He is all about hugs, pats and snuggling. He really is such a sweet little guy. But now that he is old enough, he is starting to enjoy trying to get his sister into trouble. He can cry at a moments notice and he loves to follow people around and bellyache until they pick him up. Katya keeps trying to tell him that the chicks just won't find his whining attractive, but he doesn't seem to care yet. Give him ten more years. :)

Although Logan was the surprise of surprises - our family wouldn't be complete without him. Happy Birthday my handsome little man!!

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

We are having a bit of a cold snap this week, in case you can't tell.

At least the snow is staying nice and crunchy!

If You Can't Beat 'Em.... Join 'Em

Meet my new phone.

I figured that since everyone else in the world is opting to text rather than talk on the phone, I should too. Especially since this will up the odds that Katya will want to continue to talk to me and send me the crazy pictures that she takes on her phone.

Now I'm cool. Can't work the phone quite yet, but I look good while I'm trying.

Oh yeah... I also have a hot red phone cover for it so it really looks like it is mine. Now I just need a cool phone charm.

For Better or Worse

I love this comic strip. It is capturing all the conflict that mom's feel and I totally relate to it!!

24 Hour Honeymoon

Bob and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary yesterday. Five years together!!

To mark the occasion and to actually spend the first overnight without kids since Alexis was born, we spent the night at the Sunriver Resort just south of Bend. (The above picture was our room only with snow outside the windows) Thank you SOOOOOO much Debbie, Patti and Ginger for taking care of our three kids so we could do this.

The resort was so nice, the room was so luxurious, the food so good, the spa so nice (pedicure, facial, steam room, whirlpool - ahhhhhh) and the sunken tub in the room so decadent I could have easily stayed a week no problem.

Bob has been working so hard this was a nice escape for him as well as me. He got a massage and looked visably relaxed after his steam and jacuzzi. We both needed an escape in the worst way with all the "stuff" going on in our lives.

We had never been to the Sunriver Resort and I am all about making time to escape there again next year. Forget next year, I'm going to make sure that my family gets down there for at least a meal so we can take advantage of the awesome views, the trails and the spa when they come to visit.

I'm all energized again and I can face all the myriad of things that I need to do with new energy and happiness. What a difference 24 hours can make!

Mommy Purse

I was thinking the other day that I have a total Mommy purse, as I dumped the contents of it on the kitchen counter in order to find my misplaced debit card.

Not the purse itself, mind you. My purse is a custom, brown leather bucket bag from Maya Moon Designs. I get compliments on it wherever I go.

It is the contents of my purse of which I speak. I was looking at all my purse "stuff" spread out all over the counter and was thinking how nobody could mistake that I was a mom. Some of the contents included:

- 2 jars of baby food
- 4 pacifiers
- 1 diaper
- a baggie with some baby wipes in it
- a baggie with some snacks for Alexis (corn chex, yogurt raisins, craisins, dried blueberries, goldfish...)
- a wallet crammed with receipts from such places as Safeway, Chatterbeans (a kid play place), Carters outlet and the drycleaners.
- no cash whatsoever
- a picture folio filled with pics of my nephews and my kids (at all ages)
- a baby rattle thing to keep Logan occupied on a moments notice
- papers filled with volleyball and basketball game schedules
- Tic Tacs (Alexis and Katya love these)
- an address book (to send holiday cards to loved ones when I remember)
- a calculator that doesn't work (I found that out last night)
- both kids little yellow immunization cards (otherwise I forget to bring them)
- a battered red cell phone
- a checkbook that normally only has one or two checks left in it
- crayons
- pens and a pencil

Prior to the little ones, my purse had things like makeup in it. Or even a small package of cute little tissues to blow my nose and a sunglass case with a little piece of silk to clean them with. HA! Those previously pampered sunglasses just get thrown in now and hope that they make it to the next days wearing without getting too tattered.

There are so many little joys to motherhood, this is just one of them. In just a few years I'll look back and remember pulling out a jar of babyfood instead of my gum and laugh.

The Mighty Thor

Thor is my little puppy. Well, he is not so little anymore and he really isn't a puppy anymore, but he is my little companion.

I got Thor when I was in a deep funk over the loss of my uncle, my court battle, my arm surgeries, living apart from Bob and stuff going on at work and he was just the thing I needed in my life at the time. I found him when the Humane Society parked themselves outside of Petco one day. He was the cutest puppy on the planet!!

They had told me that he was a Llasa mix. HA! They got that wrong. When he got older his fur changed texture and color, his ears starting standing straight out like Yoda and he started to look like a Terrier. Sure enough, the vet said that he is probably a Cairn Terrier. Sturdy little dogs from Scottland. He was pampered and spoiled when I lived in San Diego. He went to doggie daycare almost every day, got groomed once a week, went to the dog park at least three days a week and had every toy, chew and doggie pad to keep him cool and comfy when I was gone.

Well, we moved here to Oregon and he became a lot less pampered. He started playing with the neighbor dogs and hanging outside a lot. He is inside with me most days unless I leave and he has to hang in the backyard (1/2 acre is enough to run around for a little guy like that) and he can escape the weather in the 3rd car garage. Well, I was feeling that he spent too much time being cold in the garage so I got him a heated dog pad to lay on when I was gone and a heated water dish so his water wouldn't freeze. Now he will be feeling better.

Sunday I noticed that his dew claw was sticking straight out. Upon further inspection I noticed it was totally infected. Poor guy! I took him to the vet yesterday and she fixed him right up. His little leg is all bandaged and when he needs to go outside to use the facilities, I have to tie an old IV bag onto his leg to keep it dry. It should be off by Thursday, but my little heart just breaks seeing his leg all bandaged up. But he is enjoying the treats that I bought him. A giant steer knuckle bone that was basted! That is like cheesecake for us.

Isn't it funny how our pets become members of our family? I love my little Thor! I hope he is with me for many, many more years.

Birthday Party

Yesterday we had a little birthday party / BBQ for Alexis and Logan.

Nothing big, but it was just a little something to mark the occasion. Bob and I used it as an excuse to visit with our neighbors and some family that we don't get to see a lot of.

We had burgers (they don't cook too fast in winter on the outside BBQ so Bob was whining that he didn't have as nice a BBQ as my brother - who owns a Viking), chips, fruit, veggies, cupcakes (decorated by Katya and her friend) and some marionberry pie with ice cream. Nothing fancy, but nobody went hungry.

We had cleaned up the "Art Room" and Bob had reassembled the pieces to the Foos Ball table so there was much activity in that room. We also had a movie going in the "Lounge" but the weather was so nice the kids ended up outside and on our neighbors trampoline. When you get used to the weather, 40 degrees feels warm.

The kids got lots of nice gifts from everyone, which was very sweet. Books, slippers, a toyshop thing (that had a blowdryer that made noise and Alexis kept trying to blow dry my hair with it), cars, Blue's Clue's socks and some dress up clothes. Alexis even got a handmade leather purse from my neighbor, Maya, who makes them as her business. Talk about fancy!! Katya is jealous.

Then we all had dessert and the kids watched "Monsters Inc" for a while before everyone had to head home to get ready for today. Logan LOVED his chocolate cupcake and Alexis warmed up to hers after we told her that the candle was not edible. She had taken a big chomp off the corner.

The kids crashed hard at bedtime and I must say it was fun. I missed all my other family who couldn't be there, but I hope you enjoy my little blog about it.

Poor Bailey!

This is all about Grey's Anatomy - a new episode last night!!

My heart just broke for Bailey. I couldn't imagine watching your child hurt that much. And it is so sad that her and her husband resent each other so much. I can see both sides and there isn't a right or a wrong answer for them. I hope their characters get some counseling. It breaks my heart to see where they are.

And George! He didn't tell his mother yet! Ooops. How weird for Callie. I wonder where he is headed next.

Meredith and McDreamy - talk about issues. I love his house lot. What a view!

Was that compassion coming from Christina? What??

Dr. Haun just made a serious error in talking to Bailey like that. Understandable, but man. I wonder where that will be heading next.

Ok.... I had thought that this writers strike was over. I hope they reconcile soon because I need to know what is next for everyone.

Mean Moms Unite!

Two of my girlfriends are having some problems with their teenage girls. One is 13 and one is 14. Typical problems with grades dropping, attitude issues and general malaise with trying to get them to do something other than sit on the computer all day. I hear it a lot from other moms that I run into.

I am very lucky. Katya is a dream teenager (right now). She is doing great in school, she is involved in sports, she does Campfire, she does her chores (even if she grumbles and I have to poke at her to finish them), she has some nice friends, she is polite and nice to others and for the most part is a fabulous kid. She has her moments, trust me, but all in all I can't complain. I was a pill when I was her age and gave my parents all kids of grief so I know what the flip side is.

Because Katya is doing so great, I am often asked for parental advice. My advice always is - be a mean mom.

- Be the mom that lays down the law - and sticks by what you said. Even if it is an inconvenience for you. From day one.

- My mother told me a long time ago that if it isn't cute at 22 it won't be cute at 2. You are raising a future adult.

- Be the mom that is all "up in their business". Know their friends, know their friends parents, feel free to go through their stuff periodically, listen in on their conversations, look over their shoulder when they are on the computer, know where they are and who they are with 24/7.

- Give them just enough rope to hang themselves. Let them know that they can hang themselves and if they do, it won't be pretty. Trust is earned, not bestowed.

- Make getting grounded the most awful thing in the world. For our house it is no electronic devices at all. No computer, no TV, no IPod, no cell phone, no phone at all, no PSP - utter and total boredom to a teenager. Lots of book reading and house cleaning during this time.

- Know their teachers and email them periodically to make sure that your kid is doing good. Make your kid give each teacher a little something for Teacher Appreciation Week and Christmas. A little gift card is just a symbol of thanks and respect for what they do for educating your child. They should know that you respect them and they should too. It doesn't matter if they are in high school or elementary school.

Now, I'm not saying be a tyrant. Just be there for them. Talk to them. Know their world. Be their sounding board for advice. Bring up the tough topics like drugs, smoking, sex, relationships, life choices, college....open dialog. You can't be their friend, but you can be their parent that they choose to go to for the rest of their lives.

My mother was a mean mother. I resented the heck out of her most of the time, but I learned a lot from what she was trying to instill in me. I turned out pretty good. I never did drugs, never got arrested, never took up drinking, I work hard, I love my family, I try and be charitable. She did pretty good with David and I.

Whenever I hear of stories of other mean mothers, I celebrate them! They are teaching responsibility and accountability. I get too tired of these parents and counselors that think that kids need "space" and "freedom to find their own way" and when they are bad "they are acting out to some external issue and need therapy". Bah. There is a whole generation of kids out there that are jerks. They are rude, selfish, self-centered, lazy, materialistic, instant gratification required little pukes that can't take care of themselves. They can't manage their money, they don't care if they destroy other people's property and they can't see two years into the future much less one month.

So if you are a mean mom - right on!! Let me know who you are because you rock!!!

Happy B-Day Alexis!

Alexis turns 2 today!

This is the beginning of a journey into lots of new words, refusals for no reason, new skills and a whole lot of fun. I hope I have the energy to keep up with her and Logan both.

Alexis was my little miracle baby. Bob and I had tried for two years to get pregnant and instead had two miscarraiges. I was beginning to give up hope of ever giving Katya a sibling. I switched to a fertility Ob/Gyn who did every test she could and she gave me the green light. Then it happened! I got pregnant and the tests began. My pregnancy with her was a day to day thing since my levels of hormones weren't high enough. I did progesterone for three months and didn't tell more than about five people I was even pregnant. I was getting weekly ultrasounds to make sure that she was growing from a speck to a little bean. Then at week 12 the doctor said that I could actually be happy and tell people I was pregnant. It just so happened that I was getting ready to move to Bend at this time so I thought all was well.

No such luck. I ended up spotting the entire two day trip from San Diego to Bend and I was terrified that I would lose her on the road. Luckily, she stayed put. My doctor up here did tests and she looked fine. Then at five months I started to have premature effacing and I was told to stop working out and just take it easy. Up until the seventh month, Alexis kept her legs crossed during ultrasounds and because of this last one we finally knew she was a girl. The last two months involved tons of Braxton Hicks that hurt so bad I couldn't move, so I was in bed a lot.

Then delivery day came! I had her induced a week early like I did Kayta. I am prone to making big babies so I wanted her out early so she didn't get too big (she still managed 8 pounds). The delivery was uneventful. It was painful, long, tiring and involved some full-on screaming at the end, but she came out perfect!

Never was there a more anticipated or wanted baby on the planet. We tried so hard to have her and she was almost taken from us so many times.

You would never know it now from her being the energetic, feisty, funny, shoe loving, opinionated little firecracker that runs around our house, stores toys that she doesn't want Logan touching zipped up in her pajamas, puts everything on her head like a hat and who totally owns Bob.

So, Happy Birthday little Lady!! It is going to be a fun year!!

New Year's Resolutions

Ok, I am a bit tardy in posting these but I have had them written down for a while.

My cousin, Beth, posted her resolutions for the New Year already. They are darn good ones too. I searched to see if I had posted some for last year, but I came up short. I guess I was too busy having Logan to give it much thought.

So... after much thought here are my resolutions. I hope to be able to compare these to next year like Beth did to see what I actually accomplished. She is a clever girl.

1. Lose my last 15 pounds. I've reached a stalemate with my weight and I want it gone! Time to get serious.

2. Exercise at least four days a week. I'm not putting a time limit or anything, because I will be lucky to fit that in.

3. Get more organized. I used to be the Queen of organization and now I am a mess with piles of papers everywhere.

4. Potty train Alexis. Yikes.

5. Make progress with digging ourselves out of debt.

6. Minimize. Continue on my quest to rid myself of my excess "stuff" via Craigs List, Free Cycle and Goodwill.

7. Make it to San Diego in March, June and December. June and December are for sure, March is the questionable one due to how my Mom takes to chemo.

8. Remember people's birthdays. I updated the family b-day list and now I just need to be more proactive in acknowledging them.

9. Make a positive impact with my new role on the Board of Directors for Campfire. Not sure what that will be yet, but I'm remaining hopeful it will be great.

10. Continue to make my family know how much I love and appreciate all of them. Not only those at my home, but those that live far away.

It Was A Merry Christmas

I am finally sitting down to write about our Christmas. (Things have and still are a bit crazy around here and Logan has learned about the power button on the computer.)


Although we missed family and friends in San Diego something fierce, it was a good Christmas here in Bend. And it was a "White Christmas" because it dumped beautiful, fluffy snow on us all day.

I was lucky enough to have two of my bestest best girlfriends in the world come and share it with us. Michelle, her daughter Rese and Desiree and her daughter, Alia. Michelle and I lived only about a mile from each other in Poway and we pinch-hit parented for each other when we had crazy times at work. Not seeing her almost every day is still weird. I met Desiree through Michelle and I have found her to be one of the nicest, most genuine, caring, complex individuals I have ever met. Being friends with them has been a priviledge.

Anyway, everyone showed up on December 22nd (after we battled another round of stomach flu the week before) and the house was full. The addition of the lounge made things really nice though. People had some space to go to when they needed it. December 23rd was Katya's birthday and the girls all headed out to do some last minute shopping, endless window shopping, catch a movie and lunch while us moms relaxed and caught up. Sunday night was a big family pizza and ice cream cake party at our house.

Christmas Eve was spent with Desiree and the girls at Mt. Bachelor doing some snowboarding while Michelle helped me chop endless veggies for spaghetti sauce for our dinner that night. We had some extra guests come over for dinner and we all had a heated game of Taboo. Way fun.


Christmas morning brought with it a gluttony of gifts and a huge breakfast. It was a lot of fun watching Alexis really get the hang of the gift opening this year. Thank you so much to everyone that gave us or the kids a gift, it was much appreciated! We felt really spoiled by family far and near with letters, cards, homemade ornaments and phone calls.

That evening we had more guests and we all merged at Debbie K's house for a feast of Honey Baked Ham, turkey, stuffing, pies, baked potatos, asparagus, yummy rolls, Ginger's homemade cheese ball and tons of other assorted munchies. Michelle and Rese got a Wii this Christmas so most people spent the evening trying their hand at it. It was a lot of fun and it felt good to be surrounded by what family we had in Bend as well as some great friends.

Christmas is all about sharing your love with others. I got the best gift of all by having my girlfriends come up with their daughters. Throw gifts into the mix with some other great friends, family who you love endlessly and great food - it was a great time. Next year, I will be in San Diego for Christmas to be with the rest of my family .... fer sure, dude!