Parenthood

Look at that boy!  Doesn't he have the sweetest little smile?  The sweetest blue eyes and button nose?  I Just had to sit on that sweet three year old so I could pull raisins out of that cute little nose.

Going Private

My blog is going private.  Not that there's been much to read over the last year or so, but if you'd like to continue to follow me send your email address to chandramarie@yahoo.com.  Thanks!

Trials of Parenthood

The middle child decided to jump off her brother's changing table tonight. Good thing her chin caught her...you know, so her hands and feet didn't get hurt. Two holes in her lip, two loose adult teeth and bleeding gums = one very unhappy child and mom. On the bright side, the teeth are still coming in, so they didn't go all the way through her lip. Taking all three kiddos to the ER is not on my "to do" list tonight. (Daddy's at a concert.)  Hoping the teeth tighten up again, I'd hate it if she lost them before they even came all the way in.  Sigh...

Guess what...It isn't spring anymore.

It's August.  I haven't posted in months.  What do you want, I've been a bit busy!  Busy doing things like planning a surprise birthday trip for the Mister's 40th birthday, which, by the way, remained a complete surprise until the night before we left and was awesome!  Busy getting a business up and running.  Busy being mom to three needy adorable kids.  Busy traveling across country to visit family and friends.  Busy hanging out with good friends and enjoying the hot weather, sunshine and heck...even the humidity.  Busy celebrating double digits, an outstanding flag football season, basketball camp, and a first overnight trip without us for our oldest.   Busy watching Little Miss lose her first and second tooth within a couple weeks of each other, write her name, find countless new outfits in her dress up bin, be a terrific mommy to her babies,  and draw millions of pictures.  Busy navigating the terrible two's while remembering how thankful and blessed we are to be parents to that two year old.  Busy watching that same two year old learn to speak in full sentences, share (sometimes), develop a sense of humor and find his rowdy side all while still remembering to cuddle with me at the end of the night for rock-a-by and lullaby time.  And, in the interest of full honesty, busy pinning, blog reading, crafting, trying new recipes (2 superstars and one epic fail) and moving furniture around in my house.  It's a busy season of life, and while it isn't all roses and champagne, it's a season filled with blessings.

Spring in the South

Growing up in a part of the country that didn't get tornadoes, I wasn't especially fearful of them.  When we moved here, as we were driving into town we had to pull over because a tornado was expected to hit the area we were about to drive through.  I told The Mister that if we hadn't already sold our home in CO, I'd turn around and go back.  After sitting it out, we got back on the road for the final hour of our trip and drove through the aftermath on the way to our new home.  Luckily it hit in an unpopulated area and just took down a lot of trees.  That was May, the end of spring tornado season for that year.

I forgot about tornadoes and settled into life in TN.  Over the next couple years we'd have warnings and watches, I never knew which was which and I'd watch the news but I was the crazy person standing outside looking at the sky.  I think our oldest only sat in our safe place maybe once or twice during those years.

That all changed two years ago on Good Friday.  We were at a friend's house for a playdate, when one of the women got a call from her husband saying we needed to watch the news and a possible tornado was coming.  We loaded all the kids into a bathroom and the moms went out to the porch, two of us carrying babies.  We opened the door and about a mile away was a funnel cloud with debris flying in circles.  It stopped before it reached us, but caused lots of damage and took two people's lives...a mother and her baby.  We had to take all sorts of  alternate routes to get home that day and drove through the hardest hit areas in the days that followed.  That day helped me develop a very solid fear of storms.

Two days ago, the weather guys were mentioning lots of storm activity headed our way.  It rained and thundered all night, I listened for text messages from the National Weather Service and turned the TV on a number of times during the night.  Even with those precautions, the storm caught us a bit off guard.  I was dozing and listening to the weather outside and then all of a sudden the wind was really loud.  Possibly the loudest I've ever heard.  We went running upstairs to get the kids and as we were doing that we heard trees snapping and debris hitting our roof.  It was really scary.  Throughout the morning we heard reports of all the damage in the area, along with reports of more storms to come throughout the day that were possibly going to be worse.  I think the kids were in our powder room/safe area 5 or 6 times.  Our area experienced lots of downed trees and power lines, plus a number of homes and businesses with minor roof and/or structural damage.  It was a long and trying day and by the end of it I was OVER spring storms.

Then I saw the reports coming out of Alabama.  Even though yesterday began with fright and ended with me being worn out and weary, it could have been so much worse.  We're so lucky we just had strong winds.  I'm reminded me to be thankful I was able to spend the day with my family and even though parts of it were scary, it's nothing like what the people in Tuscaloosa experienced.  No one died here.  Comparatively, the damage in minimal.  

I hope we don't spend much more time in our safe place this spring, but I'll gladly take that over the alternative.

Wow!

What a ride this week has been.  Its spring break, and it started with a houseful of sick kiddos.  Monday we confirmed E's ear and sinus infections were clearing and that the other two were dealing with serious allergies.  They're all still coughing and snotty, but I'm happy to report no wheezing is involved.  Keeping our fingers crossed that Ryan's growing out of his asthmatic tendencies.

After Monday, this week has been all about Embellished Living.  Tuesday was spent in final preparations for our first Craft Show, and Wednesday through today was spent at said show or working on special orders that came in during the show.  We got so many compliments about our product and presentation.  People couldn't believe we made everything on the table.  They thought we were a company, had a store, and did trunk shows.  Wow!  We've been in business just over a month and it has been so much fun, and while we thought we had a good product, we had no idea how positive the response would be!  After this week, we can't wait for our next show in May.

On top of all that, my family has been so supportive and excited right along with me.  I feel so blessed!

Tuesday Twelve

1.  Sorry for my lack of blog posts, I didn't realize how long it had been!

2.  E was at the doc last week.  This week both E and Little Miss are going.  Hoping all three don't have to go next week.  Allergy season is rough on our family.

3.  I really dislike springing forward due to daylight savings time.  I have a pretty good internal clock and it always takes me a couple weeks to adjust.  The kids are all feeling it too.  I hate having to wake all of them each morning because they're so tired.

4.  Our first Craft Show for Embellished Living is just a week away!  A few people got a sneak peek over the weekend and we got lots of good reviews.

5.  I'm really looking forward to the warmer temps they're predicting for the end of the week.  Mid 70's sound fabulous!  Hoping it holds for spring break next week.

6.  E had a big week.  I finally brought in the little potty and he used it a number of times.  Once he even did it all by himself!  He also started crawling out of his crib.  I think we'll be moving the toddler bed into his room this weekend!

7.  Little Miss is starting to write her name.  It isn't perfect, she usually misses the k, but she's getting there!

8.  The biggest little is finally meeting a few more kids in our neighborhood.  We let him go up a block, where there's an older boy who plays basketball.  R's been spending time at his house playing hoops and with a group of boys closer to his age that play at the next house down.  I'm happy he's meeting new friends and all the boys have been nice, respectful, cheerful kids.

9.  The Rents are coming to visit in a couple weeks.  We're excited to see them, but also excited to be sneaking away for a few days of couple time while they watch the kiddos.

10.  The Mister enters a new decade of life during that time.  He doesn't seem to want to celebrate that.  I have other plans.

11.  I'm getting my hair done tomorrow.  It's been 6 months since it's been cut or colored.  Looking forward to the head massage and my new hair.

12.  The biggest little is headed to the orthodontist next week.  Sounds like braces and a palate expander are in his near future.

Exciting Stuff

You may have noticed the big black box on the right side of my blog.  Curious?

It's been a dream of mine for some time to open an Etsy store.  As much as I wanted to do that, I never felt like it was something I could do alone.  The time has come though!  Three friends and I have combined our talent and resources to create Embellished Living.  Rather than start an Etsy store, we started by advertising to friends and family on facebook.  Up and running for about three weeks now, we've already had a few sales and lots of positive reviews about our products.  We have two craft shows coming in the next couple months, so we're busy crafting and figuring out all the ins and outs of business.

I'm so excited about this!

It's not the 1950's

I have a love/hate relationship with being a stay at home mom, and have for a number of years. After having our first, I couldn't fathom putting him in a random day care setting so I could go to a job I didn't love.  I didn't see the point in missing all his "firsts" so I could keep my resume current and we could have a little more cash in our pocket.  I didn't think I could handle being away from the child we had worked so long and hard for.  Together, The Mister and I made the choice that I would stay home.  We were willing to accept having less financially than we'd been used to.  We didn't think about my resume or 401k or work skills, there would be time for those things later.  Months turned into years.  It never seemed like the right time to go back to work.  During those years I did some work from home, most of it ended up being unpaid or barely paid and none of it long standing.  I also figured out what I wanted to do with my career life and went back to school for another degree.  It felt right and like eventually I would work in a field I loved for reasons that were worthwhile to me.  Then we decided to pursue IVF and I knew I wouldn't be able to give my all to both, along with my other responsibilities, so I quit.  After one semester.  Sigh.  It was the right choice for me and our family at the time.  Baby #2 arrived,  and just as I started thinking about career path I found out I was pregnant with baby #3.  That baby is now two years old and we know there won't be any more.  In 3.5 years all my kids will be in school and I will have been home with my children for 14 years.  A few friends have asked when I'm going back to work.  An acquaintance recently told me she was scared for stay at home moms because it seemed like they had no drive.  I've had people look at me with disdain in their eyes...like I'm not contributing enough to society.  I even had someone ask me if I felt badly about all the money spent getting a degree that I'd only used for a few years.  Society has an opinion about stay at home moms, and it doesn't appear to be a positive one.  Sadly, there are times when I buy in and feel that way about myself.  Then I remember that I am doing my best to raise good, happy, well adjusted people and THAT is the most important job I could have.  That said, what happens when my kids are in school and I start feeling the pressure to rejoin the workforce?  My resume will be laughably out of date.  My skills: do negotiating with toddlers and tweens, planning meals and finding the best way to clean crayon off a wall count as useful skills?  I know we made the right choices, but I'm feeling like this choice will change my future drastically.  If friends and acquaintances can't figure out what I've been doing for the last ten years, how will a prospective employer?

Kid Friendly Recipe (Daddy approved, too!)

I don't normally post recipes, but I was so thrilled with the response this one got tonight that I thought I'd post it.  We've been in a food rut so I've been looking for new recipes and stumbled across this one.  The Mister was skeptical, he doesn't love pickles, but the kids saw a burger on their plate and went to town.  Everyone ate and raved about them.  Impressive for a never tried food.  We're running low on ground Turkey in our freezer so I actually used ground beef.  I think it's the second time I've cooked with ground beef since we've lived in this house.  I'm sure they'd be just as good with ground turkey.  

Cheddar and Pickle-Stuffed Burgers

• 1 ½ lbs ground beef
•  3 oz low fat sharp cheddar, cut into ¼ in cubes
•  1/2 cup seasoned dried bread crumbs
•  1/4 cup dill pickle slices, drained and chopped
•  1/4 cup chili sauce
•  1/2 tsp salt
•  1/2 tsp pepper
•  whole wheat hamburger buns

 Heat grill. Combine all ingredients to form 6 patties. Cook on medium for 6-7 minutes per side. Serve on buns.

(I subbed 2 Tbsp prepared horseradish for the chili sauce, shredded instead of cubed cheese and a bed of lettuce instead of the bun.)

Weird

Periodically one of my ears, sometimes both, gets warm.  They turn red and are warm to the touch, eventually they cool down.  I showed this to the Mister tonight.  Prognosis:  This never happens to him and I'm weird.  Didn't need my ears to tell me that.

Already???

When Little Miss sees things she wants we tell her to put them on her birthday list.  This worked well for a number of months, now she's a little iffy on the idea.  Reasonable, considering she just had a birthday and realizes what she wants won't come for another year.  The other day, she found something worth waiting for.  We were in the carpool line at Ryan's school.  A number of teachers were standing outside to help kids out of cars, one of which was a young, attractive male.  Makenna used to ask about having a birthday party and would tell us who she wanted to invite, some days this teacher was on her invite list.  Last week his status was elevated.  She didn't want him to come to her party, she wanted him.  For her birthday.  We are in trouble.

Tonsils

Little Miss had her tonsils and adenoids out at 2.5.  The ped said they were the biggest she'd ever seen.  The surgery went perfectly.  A nurse took her to look at stickers and we didn't see her until it was over.  No tears, no screaming...it was awesome.  Until that night, when I tried to give her pain meds that she didn't want to swallow and she wouldn't go to sleep until well after midnight.  The next 48 hours were some of the worst of my life.  Seriously.  When your child is in pain, it doesn't get any worse.  

I discovered, today, that our kids have had possible exposure to the flu, strep throat and scarlet fever.  E has been very fussy and clingy so I took his temp and looked in his mouth.   The kid's tonsils are enormous.  Bigger than M's.  There is no light between his red, veiny, bulging tonsils and his uvula (I think that's what it's called).  Have I mentioned here that after finding out I was pregnant with him, one of my early thoughts was "I hope this child doesn't have her tonsils, I don't think I can live through that again"?  

Sigh, I think I know where we're headed and I don't like it.

Tuesday Twelve

1. We started the morning at the dentist's office, Little Miss had a 6 month check up.  No cavities, teeth and gums look great.  We still have the issue with the membrane between her lip and upper gums being too long, but we'll wait another year before deciding if it has to be clipped.  She went back all by herself and did a great job.  The dentist and hygenist gushed about how good and cute she was.  Proud mommy moment.

2.  I made veggie/chicken enchiladas last night, without a recipe.  They had lots of different veggies, were relatively low in fat since I used 2% cheese and nonfat sour cream in small quantities and served red grapes on the side.  Everyone ate them and loved them.  Proud domestic moment.

3.  The Mister had a guys poker night last weekend.  He cleaned the house while I cooked for the guys.  One of them sent me a message a day later telling me how good the food was and thanking me for taking care of them.  Another proud domestic moment.

4.  I now weigh less than I have since I got pregnant with our Little Miss.  That's two pregnancies and almost 5 years ago.  Proud self moment.

5.  Still have 10 to go before I hit pre IVF weight and another 5-10 after that.  Hopefully the next 15 don't take as long to get off as the last 15 did.

6.  I spent yesterday trying to get organized.  I have about 6 notebooks, all with lists for different things.  Yesterday I put all those together in one binder.  I'm following the lead of my organizing guru/awesome friend Jacy and hoping it helps with my productivity.

7.  Just had the last sip of a Skinny Caramel Macchiato  that was purchased with a gift card from Christmas.  I love cards gifts like that, they make me think of the giver each time I use them, and I get to splurge on a small treat with no guilt.

8.  I feel our life changing.  We're slowly leaving the land of baby.  We had gorgeous weather this past weekend and all three kids played outside for most of the day.  We checked on them periodically, and Big Brother was given strict instructions about staying in the yard and watching his siblings...and it went well!   Wow!

9.  I love blogs.  I have about 100 of them bookmarked.  Maybe more.  I could loose hours perusing diy, home decor, friend and craft blogs.  Had to put the smack down on myself.  I miss reading all the blogs and seeing the amazing ideas and things people have done in their homes, but it feels good to back away a bit.  There, now you all know my dirty little secret.  "Hello, I'm Chandra and I'm addicted to blogs."

10.  Have I mentioned that we recently set up Skype?  The kids are loving that they get to see some of their grandparents when they talk to them.  We don't love it quite as much because their grandparents get to see them acting like fools every time we talk.  For some reason Skype brings out the wild and crazy in our kiddos.  Hoping that will mellow in time.

11.  Trying to decide if I'm going to dive into our taxes this afternoon.  Looking forward to the refund, since we bought a house and will get a tax credit.

12.  Whew, finally made it to twelve.  It was a struggle today!

Responsibility? What's that?

I blew off responsibility and have been playing in my house all day.  Moving furniture, hanging pictures, crafting and figuring out my ottoman slip cover.  Makenna colored on walls again yesterday (yes, she just got crayons back at Christmas, the girl doesn't learn) so she's been in her room all day.  Her punishment was to clean her room by herself.  She might be there until next week at the rate she's going.  Eli has been my little helper, only making small messes and now napping.  Ryan's home from school and with the first nice day we've had in some time, he's out with his best buddies...his basketball and hoop in the driveway.  Kids have been good, I've been doing things I love and to top it off my secret sister dropped off a couple CD's for me.  I love music and love getting music.  This has been such a great day.  This is the kind of day that makes me never want to work for pay again.  Guess I'd better come out of the clouds and get to my list of chores though, otherwise the one who does make the money will come home and wonder what I've been doing all day.

It feels good to blow off responsibility once in awhile.

Thankful Thursday

Yesterday was rough.  I was in a mood due to another snow day, but only for two of the three kiddos.  Silly to be in such a foul mood about a snow day, but I have such limited time without kids that I really look forward to those days.    The kids picked up on my mood and it put all of them in moods.  The two year old was a pill all day.  He wasn't listening, yelled at me frequently, was in time out numerous times for poor behavior, etc, ect.  I was really, really ready for my night out with friends by 5pm.  When The Mister walked in, I was out the door with barely a kiss for any of them.  While Daddy was cooking dinner, cleaning up the kitchen and entertaining our kids, I was at a beer and bubbly tasting with some great girlfriends.  We had a great night.  Lots of laughs, good food, good drinks, great conversation and some funny memories.  I woke up this morning feeling so refreshed.  When we got to school, the boy remembered he needed his report card signed.  The report card that was sitting on the kitchen counter next to his backpack, that he also needed.  Yesterday that would have pushed me over the edge and I would have yelled.  Today we talked about responsibility and the consequences of not being responsible, and later I dropped the backpack at school with a little love note for my boy.  After dropping Ryan, we came home to have breakfast, take baths, make snacks and get out the door for the little man's photo shoot.  Yesterday we would have been late.  I would have tried to fit other things into the morning and wouldn't have been patient with the kids.  Today, I didn't deal with anything but getting us all ready, which included lots of fun in the bath, lots of giving choices to E to help with his independent streak and allowing him the time to decide and do things himself.  We were out the door with plenty of time to spare and arrived happy at the photo shoot.  The shoot went great and then we ran a quick errand before heading home.  The kids have now been playing, without fighting and by themselves, for over an hour.

I am so thankful for Thursday.  For a husband who understands I need time away and allows me to take it without adding to my mommy guilt.  For kids who forgive me when I've been a mean mommy and love me just as much as they always have.  For  great friends whom I enjoy spending time with.  For a better mood today and for my ability to make those around me be in a better mood too.

I spent Saturday night with some gorgeous grey felt, a foam ring and my glue gun.  (I really need to get better at moving the clutter before I take a picture...blush.)

Just getting started!

Under the Table and Dreaming posted a faux rosewood wreath that was made with a recycled book.  Loved it but thought I'd try it with felt, since I'd already made a wreath using pages of a book for my mantle.  Besides, I've been wanting to make something with felt for quite awhile, to me it says warm and cozy which is exactly what I need at this time of year.

I made a pattern for a couple different sizes of flowers but before long I was just winging it.  Like snowflakes, no two flowers are the same and I like it that way!

One accent flower made of white paper for contrast in texture and color, and wah-laa, all done!  I say wah-laa, like it only took a hour to make.  It took a few more than that, but I love it.  The Mister and kids do too.  The oldest said, "You're like the best at making stuff, Mom."  Sweet boy.

Opinions requested.  Do you like the accent flower?  Should I have gone all grey?  That white one isn't glued into place yet, still deciding so I appreciate feedback.

*Please excuse the poor photos.  One of these days I'll replace my POS camera and get something that will take a picture worth posting.  In the meantime, you get photos from my iPhone.  Sorry peeps.

Another First

 Someone got his first haircut!  It happened on his birthday and wasn't planned.  I was brushing his hair and he had all sorts of tangles in the back.  Rather than let me get them out he kept running away and fighting off my attempts.  Rather than battle with him, I decided it was time to cut.  Imagine a wiggly two year old and a frustrated momma with a pair of scissors and not much time for each cut.  It was a hack job.  Surprisingly, it doesn't look too bad.  The curls hide a multitude of sins in the haircut department.

He's still cute...duh... and still has curls, however, the ringlets are gone.  Don't know if they'll come back with the humidity this summer or if they're gone for good.  He looks older.  My baby is indeed growing into a kid.  Now I just have to make myself throw away the pile of golden curls.  *Sniff*

Guess Who's Two!!!

Eli, that's who!!!  Here he is the day he was born.  All the nurses oh'd and ah'd (those are words, right?) about how cute he was.  We, of course, completely agreed with them and were smitten from the minute we laid eyes on our little boy.

And here he is, at almost two.  I know all kids are beautiful, especially to their parents, but this little guy has a smile that lights up his face and the room.  He's full of mischief, but his eyes twinkle with the fun of it all.  We call him Dr. Jeckle and Mr. Hyde because his mood can change on a whim, but it also means that we can usually make him laugh or giggle and forget about whatever was causing the issue.  His favorite people include mommy, daddy, Yiyan , Na and Jace.  His favorite toys are books, books and more books.  He also likes to color with his sister, play with his little people bus and airplane and play babies or dress up or whatever Makenna puts him up to.  He's full of opinions and is talking more and more every day, so we're getting a better understanding of what those opinions are with a few less tears of frustration.  His and mine.  He loves granola bars, yogurt, cheese, apples, cereal, peas, milk and juice.  Depending on the day, he also loves stir fry, chili, scrambled eggs with veggies and salsa, hummus, carrots and peppers.

 Here we are two years ago.

 And here we are just a few weeks ago.

 Such a sweet baby.  Such a sweet toddler.  I can't imagine life without his grin, curls, spirit, excitement, laughter, and the best cuddles.  Seriously, the kid gives the best hugs a Mommy could ask for.  His last words at night are "Love you too, Mommy.",  whether I have said it yet or not.  I wish I could get his sweet words recorded, they melt my heart every. single. night.

Happy Birthday to my baby.  The child who isn't a baby anymore, but now a toddler.  The last two years have flown by and I'm sure the next number of years will fly by just as quickly.  So, for now, I cherish the sweet moments and the lingering baby because I don't know how long those cuddles will last.

Tuesday Twelve

1.  Yesterday was supposed to be the kids first day back at school after winter break.  Instead we had a snow day and another one today.

We made a snowman the size of E and still had snow left to play in!

Makenna had fun making snow Angels

Eli playing in the biggest snow he's ever seen.

While Ryan threw snowballs!

We knew it was time to go in for lunch when Little Miss ate the nose off our Snowman!

2.  Our dining room, which we've rarely used for an actual meal, is about to become our office/craft room.  I am soooo excited for the transformation to begin!  I'm glad The Mister rolls with my ideas and doesn't give me too much grief.  Now to scour Craigs List and the local Goodwill and Thrift stores for a desk and crafting table.

3.  E is going to be a baby model later this week.  He's doing a print ad for a local kids clothing store.  Fingers crossed that he cooperates and my fab friend Kate gets some good shots for the store.

4.  I have errands that have to be run today.  Getting out on icy roads with three kiddos in tow doesn't sound like fun.  What to do...

5.  The Mister and kids want a dog.  I miss our pup, Jake, and would like another one someday, but have had a hard rule about  no dogs until all the humans are potty trained.   I've added another rule to the list,  no dogs until we have a fence.  Taking our doggie visitor out when it's snowing and freezing hasn't been fun.

6.  I'm starting a craft show/etsy/facebook business with a couple friends.  I'm so excited about what the months ahead hold.  Hopefully lots of great creations, fun with friends and a few bucks too.

7.  We ran out of coffee this morning, which brings me back to number 4.  No coffee...icy roads.  Hmmm, tough decision.

8.  I went out with a great group of women last Saturday.  We started with sushi, I went for the veggie and cooked rolls.  Tried a few I hadn't tried before and of course the wasabi and sake were delicious.  After dinner, I had to break into a friends house.  Really.  She gave me the code to her garage door but I had to open the door into the house with a credit card.  Glad I brought my girl Tanya along because I couldn't get it open.  T saved the day and we were able to help out a friend in need.  After that we met up with some of the dinner group and did a little bar hopping.  No matter where we went, we all just hung out and chatted.  Lots of laughs, good conversation...Good times with good friends.  

9.  Laundry and cleaning the kitchen are on my agenda today.  Bet you wish you were me right now.

10.  M and E are so sick of each other.  They play together a lot but fight numerous times each day.  I think all of us will be so happy when they finally get to go to preschool for a few hours.  Fingers crossed that day is tomorrow.

11.  My scale has been without batteries for over a month.  I'm afraid to put new in and see what it says.  My clothes still fit, but I'm guessing the 5 pounds I lost have found their way back.  

12.  I got Just Dance for the Wii for Christmas.  We've been playing in the evenings and it's so much fun.  I'm the reigning champ, but the rest of the family is getting pretty good.  I heard the Kinnect has a playback option.  I wish this did, it would be hilarious!