Day 2 - Food & more

Zachariah as Captain America with his little friend- the cat.

I think it worked how I did my last post. I had my rambling thoughts at the top, then I answered the daily question at the bottom. I'll probably stick with that layout for now. Then when I do have something to say, you'll be able to read it up here. And when I don't, I can just answer the daily question and be done. Work for you?

There is still time to join in the NaBloPoMo fun. I saw that they have the sign up open until November 5th. That's still a few days away. Join me.

Speaking of days. I am so off this week. Yesterday, Tuesday, I had in mind that it was Monday all day. No idea why. Then today...it's Wednesday, right?...I keep thinking it's Thursday. I was rushing my son through his homework thinking it was due tomorrow, when it's really not due until Friday. Oh well, at least he got most of it finished. I guess it's already been a long week for me.

And speaking of school, Zachariah is doing great. But here's my concern...he's been a pretty healthy kid (all his life). Other than minor colds and the chicken pox when he was a baby, we've had it pretty good. I know we are just purely lucky, and I don't claim to know why he's been so healthy. I'll just take it. But now that school has started he's exposed to so many more illnesses. He was never in daycare or preschool before, and aside from the church nursery/playroom for an hour each week he wasn't around children much.

We are just barely past 2 full months of school. And to date his class has already been exposed to Fifth Disease and now Pertussis. A few weeks ago we got a note home from school saying that there was a case of Fifth Disease going around the school and possibly his classroom. He was getting over a cold then. I read about the symptoms, then the next morning realized that he had it too (when his rosy cheeks did not go away & we found rash on his arms too). Fifth Disease passes pretty easily for most children. There is nothing you can do to prevent it, and once you know they have it the contagiousness is already passed. He never seemed to notice he was sick, so I was thankful for that.

Today he brought home a letter from the school nurse saying that there is a known case of Whooping Cough/Pertussis in his classroom. Not just at school, but in his room. Ugh! Other than vigilant hand washing, there is nothing that I can do to prevent him from getting something that he might already have been exposed to. They just want us to be aware and watch for the signs of it. And of course, you have to go to the doctor for treatment if you suspect your child has it. It's only the beginning of November, and I'm so over illness.




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Day 2 - If you knew that whatever you ate next would be your last meal, what would you want it to be?

Wow! I think this is a really hard question to answer. I love to eat so many different things (Like you couldn't tell that by looking at me!) that choosing just one meal would be really tough. I'm sure it would have to include dessert, though.

See, I'm a pretty content person. I have scalloped potatoes and ham in the oven right now. They are really yummy. Is it my favorite meal? No, probably not. But if you told me that was the last thing I was going to eat, I'd be OK with that. I can't think of anything in particular that I'd eat if I knew I could never eat it again.

I would assume if I knew it was my last meal, I would be dying. And if I was dying, I think I'd be more worried about spending those last precious moments with my family than anything else.

I just don't really have a favorite meal, I guess. I'm thinking too hard about this, and I'm still coming up with nothing. There are certain things that I crave or want from time to time, but that changes often. I don't really have a solid "go to" meal/food.

How about you? Do you have a favorite meal?

Day 1 - Writing

I can't help it. I've done NaBloPoMo for so many years on this blog that I have to do it. I have written so little here this year, but I want to do it again. I've lost touch with blogging about my life. I've gotten very wrapped up with my review blog- PS Mom Reviews. Don't get my wrong, I love doing that. It's just that it's very time consuming. After I finish those posts I don't really have the mental energy to write here. And that leads me right into the writing prompt for today.  Knowing that there will be writing prompts each day for NaBloPoMo actually helped me decide to jump right in. I can do this!



Day 1 - What is your favorite part about writing?

Actually I've never really seen myself as a writer. Funny, huh! And I was a write and editor for several years on my small college newspaper. I loved the job, but I still didn't see myself as a writer.

When I started blogging, I did it so I could get out some of my feelings about parenting. It was such a big change in my life, but I had very few friends who were in the same place as me. I needed the community of other mothers and blogging seemed like a great way to find that.

I suppose for me writing is a release. Sometimes I can write about things that I can't really tell everyone about. Or sometimes I can't relate my thoughts and emotions in a conversation the same way I can write them down. When I'm writing it's like a stream of consciousness. I can say/write everything I need to all at once without interruptions. Writing/blogging is just for me. No one can interfere with what I want to say (at least most of the time).

How about you? What do you like about writing or blogging?

K

I can't believe how quickly time flies by. It seems like yesterday that I started this blog. Can you believe that it's actually been 4 1/2 years ago? Really! Go look at my first post- http://mommydaisy.blogspot.com/2007/01/recovering.html. It was about my sweet little baby who had chicken pox.

Well, now that sweet, little baby is healed from the chicken pox and all grown up. He is 5 years old now. And this week...he starts Kindergarten! Talk about time flying.

It's all bittersweet that Zachariah is starting school. I'm not exactly where I pictured our lives to be. But I think I've raised a very good boy who is completely ready for school. It's going to be tough seeing him get on that great, big bus every morning. He's been really successful through the open house and orientation that we had today. He is ready for school.

I'm not sure I'm ready to send him. I know he's ready. But it's hard sending my only baby off to school. I have been around him 24/7 for his whole life. It's a very strange feeling sending him away from me for the majority of his day. He will get on the bus at 8:15AM and get off the bus at 4:10PM.

I know that I can do this. It will be an adjustment, but we'll do it. I honestly know he'll be fine there. Zachariah is a mature and smart kid. I just know I'll miss him so much. For now the hardest part will be getting him on that bus.

This all brings big, huge changes for me. I am a stay at home mom. This is my only child. Now what am I? (I need to explore this in another post, because there are so many things going on in my mind.) I do know that I'm still valued at home, though, so for now that's where I'll be.

Zachariah had open house Sunday. We love his teacher, his classroom is great, and the whole staff at the school are wonderful. The building he is in only houses Kindergarten, so I know the staff there is completely devoted to these little kids. Today was our orientation. We were at the school for several hours this morning. The kids took a tour of the school and got a very fun practice bus ride. The parents were briefed about what to expect this year in the school and in our child's classroom. I do feel really good about this school, and I'm excited for what this year can bring.

The rest of this week, while the rest of the school district is in session already, the kindergarten has staggered start days. They take 1/3 of each class for a full day the rest of this week. So, Zachariah will go all day Friday. He will get on the bus, then go to school all day.

I know if you've sent a kid to school, you understand my mixed feelings. It's such a roller coaster. And it's a big change in our lives. Here's the beginning of the end... I'll continue to do my best as a parent, and he'll work hard to get through school for the next 13 years.

Taken at open house 8/28/11

Variety

I didn't sit down intending to write a blog post, so we'll see where this goes. Life has been pretty busy lately. I feel like the last week or so was a whirlwind. It's just the little things that add up. But all is good.

*****

The Screen Free challenge we did went well. I plan to write about that on my other blog soon. I've already noticed differences in our routines without those distractions around. Are we (I really mean Zachariah here) watching TV/playing video games again? Yes, but definitely way more limited.

*****

Kindergarten! Yikes! This might deserve a post of it's own. I can say...it's coming soon. We're in the midst of preparing for it. I'm proud and nervous all at once.

*****

On a related note, I was reading a book with Zachariah last night before bed. It was a simple book to help young readers that we got from the library. I know he can read certain words, but he surprised me last night. I would point to words that I thought maybe he would know. For instance I tried "go", "is", "are", etc. These are just simple sight words. He's pretty good at sounding out bigger words too. But he knew almost all the little words I asked him. I was seriously surprised. It's just that this is the first time he's "read" them to me like that with no hesitation. My little guy is growing up.

*****

How was your Easter? Ours was nice. We had a great church service, then I made dinner and Matt's parents came over. I wasn't planning anything until early last week. I decided I'd just make a small ham for just us. I couldn't help it, I wanted ham on Easter. If I was going to make ham, I may as well make a meal out of it. So I got things to make ham, cheesy potatoes, rolls, deviled eggs, and no bake cherry cheesecake, plus we already made Easter cookies. When I realized how much food that was, I knew we wouldn't eat it all. Matt's parents don't generally do anything for Easter, so we called to see if they wanted to come over. It worked out well that their church was over in time and they came to join us. They brought along broccoli salad and sugar cream pie. Every thing was great, and we had just enough leftovers.

Zachariah enjoyed hunting for Easter eggs when he woke up in the morning. And this is the first year that I hid his basket (a tradition my parents always did). He loved trying to find it. (I made it easy this year...next year it's on!) And to continue another Easter tradition of my mom's, I got him pajamas. Fun!

Tell me about your Easter traditions.

Challenge

My family is taking on a challenge this week. It will be a big one for us. And my apologies in advance for being more absent on your blogs, Facebook, and twitter this week. Go see what we're up to and follow our journey here- http://psmomreviews.blogspot.com/2011/04/screen-free-week.html.

Just a Little Longer...

When will this end. I miss Matt so badly. He was supposed to be back in Ohio by this afternoon. We were going to the city where he's coming in to do a little shopping, go out to lunch, then go get him. Then we were going to bring him home. It was not meant to be that way...yet.

Yesterday afternoon we found out that the flight leaving the city they're in was canceled. And the next available few flights were booked full. The only possibility found (after hours and hours of trying to work this out) is to leave Monday instead. And even this plan is sketchy, because only one of the two of them has a seat on that flight. They are hoping and praying that another opens up by then. At least this is how I understand this all from where I sit. Ugh.

So the plan right now is for them to head our late Monday night. This would put them arriving home Tuesday afternoon. I'm glad that I don't work outside of the home, so it's easy for me to be available to get him from the airport whenever needed.

I am very thankful that they have a safe place to stay and aren't stranded in an airport in a 3rd world country where they don't speak the language. They found out just in time that this had happened and were able to stay put and take care of things. They should have no problems staying there for a few days, and there are hopefully some things for them to do while they are there. They have WiFi, power, and water. And I'm sure there is food available too.

I'm praying that the flights they are scheduled on stick, and they will have no problems getting back Tuesday. Matt is already worried about missing 2 more days of work, but he doesn't have many options at this point. He has time he can use, he just didn't want to. He's already been gone for two full work weeks, and we're going away for a week in the next few months for our family vacation. But things will work out.

I felt really helpless yesterday as I was receiving periodic updates about the situation. Fortunately Matt was able to get on Facebook with me, so we could chat for a while. I think it was a good distraction for both of us. I feel lucky, because 20 years ago we could not have communicated this way. In fact I probably wouldn't have known of the cancellation and might have waited at the airport for him not know what happened. Modern technology is wonderful!

So, I have a few more days to be a single mom. I need to pull some new tricks out of my hat, because I was not prepared for this. My mom is wonderful, and at least she's helping me salvage today. She called earlier to see if they could come here for the day. We can maybe go shopping and eat lunch together. It will give Zachariah someone else to play with. And she's bringing my adorable nephew, Easton, with her since my sister is working. I won't complain about that.

Here goes nothing. I can hang in just a little bit longer.

Only a Few More Days

Matt is finishing up his work in Africa. Today is their last day to work, and tomorrow they start their long journey home. We'll get to pick them up this weekend. And we can't wait to see him.

It's been a long two weeks, but it's gone by fast too. I have had lots of support and activities. When several of you offered to help distract us with things to do, it meant more to me than you know. I feel bad that it didn't work out to actually take you up on that, but it felt like I had a lifeline if/when I needed it. Thank you! (And I still hope we can get together sometime even after this....especially when it warms up and we can get outside.)

We have eaten out a lot! We went shopping a few times. We had lunch dates with new friends. We rented movies. We pulled out new games and movies that were saved for this occasion. We spent a weekend sick. We spent a weekend with my parents. We went bowling with my inlaws. We went to church and small group.

Zachariah is going to the local museum today with his grandpa (my father-in-law), so I can have a little break from him. We've had zero time apart for two weeks. I can't even leave the house alone to go to the store quickly. I'm used to being around him a lot, but this is extreme. I still have no idea what I'll do with my time this afternoon. I had several projects that I wanted to work on, but I didn't get to any of them. It seems like a waste to start now, when I know I can't finish. I might just run to the hobby store and enjoy the quiet of my house for a while.

Matt's trip has gone very well. If you'd like to read a little about his adventures, you can check out his blog. He's shared a little about what he was doing there and some of the things they did. I know he'll be happy to see us, but there is also a period of adjusting to being back in the US after a trip like this. Not only is there the travel weariness and jet lag that takes a long time to get over, but the cultural differences are huge and it takes some time to process. And he'll be in for a big weather shock as well. They were getting up to 115+ degrees during the day there. Here it's been cold...even for a typical March in Ohio. And now there is snow on the ground again. I hope for his sake it warms up here soon. (Who am I kidding? We all want it to warm up already.)

Things I've learned while Matt was away. Two weeks can go by pretty quickly, especially if you pack them full of activity. The house is cleaner when he's not here. My kid will go a little crazy at times without Daddy around. I've been calmer this time, so I can tell I've done it before. I sleep better when I can hog the whole bed. I am a big girl and can take care of myself and child when my husband isn't here. I do like his support (a lot), but I'm glad that I can feel like a grown up and know I'm capable of doing it alone from time to time.

With all that said...Matt hurry home! We miss you a lot and can't wait to see you again!

What is Normal?

I feel like life has been crazy these past few weeks. There have been so many activities taking up our time. Yet, when I do have the time I still don't feel like blogging or reading blogs. I have a few times. I do read your blogs, I do. I just don't comment as much as I think I should. And I don't feel like I should have to apologize, but it still feels like ignoring my friends when I don't comment. And I am sorry for that. I'm still here. I still care.

It always seems if we can get through these few days or the next few weeks or into spring, etc. that things will get back to normal. But I find myself really wondering what normal really is. Normal seems to be busy, so I may as well embrace that and learn to schedule life around it. I don't see things getting any calmer soon. Learning to manage my schedule is a must do. And finding a place in that for blogging (and review blogging) is important to me. Time with my family is also important, and that takes top billing. I just need to squeeze other things in when I have free time and use it wisely.

So, here are some things that you've been missing, especially if you don't follow me on my other blog, twitter, or facebook:

- Matt is leaving soon for another mission's trip. Some of you may remember when he went 2 1/2 years ago. He is blogging about it again, so if you'd like to see more about what he's up to while he's away let me know and I'll e-mail you the link for his Missions blog.

- Matt's well prepared for his trip, but we're sure going to miss him here. He'll be gone for two full weeks plus 2 full travel days, so almost 16 days. That's a long time for a stay at home mom to spend with no other adult in the house. We're planning a few distractions. There might be a trip to the grandparents for an evening or an overnight stay at some point. I'm also trying to think of fun things that we can go do just to break up the long day of being together all the time without Daddy around. But mostly I'm feeling OK about him being gone, and I'm excited for what he'll be doing on his trip.

- Last week we received a warning about people from our country going into the country Matt's going too (sorry I want to be a little vague). They were not telling people not to come, but they just wanted them to be on guard. While it did worry us a little, we still felt that it was safe and necessary for him (and the other guy who's going with him) to go. Then this week, we got notice that the threat was not a viable one, so there was no reason for alarm at all. Thank God! Of course I still have a few concerns about him going that far from home for that long, but I know that God has planned it all and things have fallen into place perfectly.

- My baby turned 5 two weeks ago! 5! It just seems so...grown up. He'll be starting kindergarten in the fall. We're getting ready to register for that and start that whole process. I'm nervous about it for sure, but I know it's going to happen whether I like it or not. I cannot get this kid to stop growing.

- Matt was sick two weeks ago. He was miserable for quite a while. The medication he was put on seems to have done the trick, and he's mostly better now just in time to leave.

- I hate to say this. We've had a pretty healthy winter. I know so many people/families have been really sick this winter. It's been a bad one. Zachariah continues (mostly) on the healthy path. I know how lucky I am that he's been such a healthy kid. See next item.

- Of course just before Matt leaves, Zachariah gets sick. He woke up yesterday morning with a fever, then threw up. Ugh! He took a nap in the morning, then he started to perk up. The fever went away right after he got sick, so that helped. We went out to dinner last night and he ate really well, probably because he didn't eat much all day at home. He was much better by bedtime. This morning...the fever is back. Poor baby. He's got a bit of a cough and this fever that did go down with some tylenol. I hope it doesn't get any worse.

- I'm starting to wonder today if I'm getting sick too. Of course! I sure hope it just passes quickly. Pray for me. I don't want to deal with being sick while I have no other adult help.

I know I have other things to share and blog about...like some things happening with my sister and what my cousin just went through. But I think I'll save that for later. For now I just wanted to get some words written here on this blog. I want to get back to normal.

Meal Rut Help

Yep, you read it right. My family is in a meal rut.

When I started watching my nephew, Patrick, in the fall, I got away from meal planning and grocery shopping with coupons. I was doing so well with that for a while, but I was busier during the day with him here. Those things all got pushed to the side. Before that I had time during the day, so that's when I did all my grocery shopping. I would scan the ads of the local stores, look online, find the best deals and match coupons to save a lot on our grocery bill.

In January when I was no longer watching Patrick I still found myself in a bit of a rut. I was preparing meals and keeping the house stocked with groceries. But we were still eating out about twice a week (too much for us), and a lot of evenings I didn't think about dinner until 5:00. That doesn't work so well when you're used to eating at 5:30. It ended up being more work that way. There was no plan.

So last month my husband pointed out that I needed to get back to meal planning. I agreed. So I got to work.

It's difficult for me to plan meals for a week. There are only 3 of us, and to prepare something every night I would end up with way too many leftovers. Plus our grocery bill would be too large for us to handle. What I generally do is plan 3-4 big meals to make for the week. I try to keep a few easy extras on hand to make on a boring night. And I keep in mind that we will probably eat out one night a week. The other days we can fix leftovers from previous meals.

This seems to work pretty well, and it's working with our budget as well. I have a big dry erase board that hangs on the fridge. It has the days of the week and areas for menu and more. (It's the one I reviewed at PS Mom Reviews.) I don't worry about lunches, we do simple lunches here. (Need ideas? I can share lunches if you're interested.) So all I'm planning is suppers. It works, and I think things have run smoother since I started doing it.

The problem is by the weekend we're in a rut. On Saturdays we're often busy, and I don't really want to cook. Sundays we have church all morning, and we get home just in time for lunch. Then we take naps and head out to small group (church group/bible study group) for the evening. We try to grab something to eat quickly before we leave. We don't mind eating leftovers, but by Sunday the leftovers are a little too...left over. It's OK to eat them for one meal, but by supper on Sunday it's very boring.

Saturdays I'm working on. If we eat sandwiches or leftovers for lunch, I can make something easy for supper. Sunday is the biggest problem. Especially for Matt. He's really tired of two rounds of leftovers.

Here's where I need your help. What would you suggest for Sunday meals?

One thing I've considered is using the crockpot (which I do like), but I don't think I have enough time Sunday mornings to get things ready. And I think it would either be not enough time to cook (for lunch) or too long (for supper). Another option is just eating out for lunch Sundays. This would be easy to do, because we're already out and about for church. There are lots of options between church and our house. I would have to either adjust the budget or plan well for this. That is doable I think, but I wonder if we'd get tired of it too.

So, that's where I'm at with it. I could use your advice, though. Please, help a girl out. My family thanks you!

Contest Redraw

Unfortunately Melissa is having troubles using the CSN gift code. She's in Canada and they add extra taxes that  don't really make it worth all the trouble. Anyway, after speaking with Melissa, she would rather pass the code back to someone else in the US. And we need to do it quickly, because the code expires at the end of the month.

I'm revisiting the post now and drawing a new number. The new winner is...#2 - Sarah @ No Whey, Mama. Sarah, I have an e-mail on the way to you. Just be sure to use this right away. Wouldn't want to let a $55 gift card go to waste. Plus many items have free shipping in the US.

Thanks everyone for entering!

I Really Should Draw a Winner...

OK, I was going to close the comments on my little giveaway Tuesday. But things came up. I ended up going to my sister and brother-in-law's hockey game to watch my nephew. I know, such a tragedy that I had to hold a sweet baby for 2 hours. Terrible, I tell you. He he, OK, so I enjoyed each and every minute. He's such a sweet little guy. He cried for the last part of the game, because he was so darn tired. But he still kept trying to calm down and rest on my shoulder. I felt bad. I knew it was past his bedtime, but I did what I could. I'm sure he fell right asleep on the way home. Poor guy. The bad news is I was so busy with him that I didn't take any pictures. You wanna see one from the last time he was here?

Easton & Zachariah

Now that's a pretty adorable excuse, don't you think? Not that it accounts for Wednesday, but let's just say I wasn't feeling great and Aunt Flo came to visit too. The two might be related, but they might now. Either way, I didn't do anything yesterday pretty much all day.

Today is a new day. We have our last swim lesson...until the next session starts next week. Zachariah has come so far. He's doing amazingly well. I anticipate they will move him up to the next level. And he really wants to continue lessons, so next week we'll just keep going to the Y twice every week.

So, on to the business at hand. I am using random.org to determine a winner for the CSN giveaway. Thank you all for entering.

Random.org just picked number 18. That is Melissa. Hi Melissa! Congrats! You'll be receiving an e-mail from me with your gift code and instructions on redeeming it. Enjoy!

Because I love you all!

It's time for a giveaway! I've been doing reviews for CSN Stores for a while now, but I want to share the fun with you. They have such a variety of products on their websites. With over 200 online stores CSN Stores has everything you need from a chic leather briefcase, fitness equipment or cookware.

You are all so nice. I love the friendship and support I get on my blog. So because I love you all, and I know you all probably like to shop as much as I do...I'm hosting a giveaway here. Not on my review blog where I get tons and tons of entries. Oh no, this is just for you faithful Mommy Daisy readers. I appreciate you and I want to pass it along.

So watch for a post very soon to see how you can win a Gift Card from CSN Stores!

Here

I still want to write here, in my little space on the internet. Why do I find it so tough to put the words and thoughts in my head down into this tiny space in front of me?

Part of my problem that is there is so much to say that I know I can't possibly say it all at once. Do you know what I mean? I'm sure you've felt like that before too. I need to accept that I can't say it all. This blog is just a small peek into my life. I know there are parts that you, my readers, are missing out on. But the truth is, that's just the way it's going to be no matter what I do.

So, let me just give you a brief overview of what's going on in my life.
*Christmas was fun, busy, but fun. I enjoyed the family time.
*I am no longer babysitting my nephew.
*I enrolled Zachariah in swim lessons again.
*Swim lessons get me to the Y, so I'm actually getting some exercise again.
*I am overwhelmed by even the thought of sorting toys in my son's room.
*We were spoiled for Christmas.
*I've enjoyed more time with my nephews (especially the one I wasn't babysitting- we saw him a lot over the holidays).
*I'm working out our new daily schedules since I'm not babysitting.
*I'm trying to get my house in good, organized shape and a cleaning schedule.

That's what you have to look forward to. And more. I'm hoping to post on this blog twice a week. That's my new year goal. And you can always catch me on Twitter or pester me in e-mail to make sure that I'm still posting.

Merry Christmas to All and to All a Good Night!

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Yes, I totally put that photo in our Christmas cards this year. Ha! That's my little family, being goof balls as always. So why not just show us like we really are.

I am taking a break from blogging, tweeting, and other such for a few days. I want to relax and enjoy Christmas with my family. So I wanted to take the time to tell you all Merry Christmas!

I hope that you enjoy the holidays with your family, and you'll probably see me around next week. 




*I apologize for my absence lately. There is so much I want to tell you, but so much I hesitate to say here. I will come back around soon, I'm sure.*

The End

OK, ya'll. I was going to answer your questions on the last day. But you all have some great ones. I think most of them will take a little longer to get a thorough answer. Especially since I don't have my laptop, it's getting late, and I'm tired. So, I promise to get to ALL of the questions from the last comment section.

So for tonight, here are some of the easy ones. :D

From Shelly-
Q1: What do you do when you can't sleep?
A1: I tend to stay up if I think I'm going to have a hard time falling asleep. I'd rather get really tired while I'm finishing up laundry at midnight than go to bed at 10:00 and not be able to fall right to sleep. That said, there are times (though not many) that I get up in the middle of the night and can't sleep. If I lay there for more than 15-20 minutes and can't fall back asleep, I get out of bed. I work on the computer, read blogs, crochet, read, watch TV, or a combination of several of those things. I keep busy for a while until I'm tired again and then head back to bed.

Q2: What are your favorite comfort foods?
A1: Uh, I'm overweight (obese in fact), you could say I got that problem from having a lot of comfort foods. It's true. Mashed potatoes are a big time comfort food for me. Beyond that it tends to be sweets, desserts, or chocolate (pretty much of any kind).

From Annonymous-
Q1: Are you having another baby soon?
A1: Define soon. Also, Sarah sort of asked me about the same things. I will answer them, but I can't do it quickly. I would love to have another baby right now. But it does take 40 weeks to get one cooking. And then there are other complications for us. So, no, I'm not having another baby soon, but I sure hope to. (I'll write more later. So many things to say, but not enough time right now.)

I hope those will suffice for now. I'll get to the others as soon as I can. And if you think of anything else you'd like to ask, go ahead. I need to keep up this blogging more often thing, even though NaBloPoMo is finished.

One More Day

Alternately titled: So Close.

So, here I am, one day away from blogging every day (almost) in November. No, they haven't been quality posts. But I'm here. And I've tried to be a better commenter.

Since you are all so wonderful, I want to answer some question for you. But first, you have to ask them!!

Anything that you've been dying to know about me? I'll answer pretty much anything. Really!

Wanna know what size shoe I wear? Or maybe what time I go to bed? Am I a side or stomach sleeper? What do I want to be when I grow up? How's that next kid thing going? How much fun is it to be an aunt?

Anything. Ask away. Please!!

Wordless Weekend- Sunday Flashback

Dog

Anyone want a 10 (almost 11) year old dog. He's a beautiful black and white cocker spaniel. But I have to warn you, he can be a bit of a brat.

OK, OK, so we probably really aren't going to get rid of the dog, but Matt & I might entertain an offer on him tonight.

We got home this afternoon from a few days away with our families. Generally we keep Chip (the dog in question here) in our fenced in back yard. But when he's at my parents' house he roams free, because they live in the country set back off the road. He's always stayed around the house anyway. Mostly he prefers being inside to outside.

When we got out of the car at home, we just open the door and let Chip out. He always heads straight for the house. Then he usually begs by his water dish until we fill it.  Tonight we left the front door propped open, because we had to haul in parts of twin beds that we brought from my parents' house (one for Zachariah...more on that later this week perhaps).

After bringing in most of the bed and the other things from the truck, I noticed I not longer saw Chip in the house. He usually stays nearby the window or doorway until we're done. Zachariah was playing quietly in his room and the rest of the house was quiet. We checked Chip's crate, where he sometimes waits for us, but he was not there nor anywhere else in the house. I took off outside, because he has wandered off the the neighbor's before when he escaped once. As soon as I got to the front of our yard, I saw movement in our neighbor's side yard...the neighbors across the street! I yelled, but he didn't come. Then I waited for 3 or 4 cars to go by on the road before running over there to grab him.

I called for him and ran towards him. That silly dog took one look at me and took off running the other way. By this point Matt had come outside from searching the house and saw I had seen Chip. He came running with me and Chip just kept running through the neighborhood.

Matt finally got him to stop and cornered him about 5 houses down. He picked him up and carried him about half-way, then I carried him the rest of the way. (I think the running around and carrying a 35 lb dog just about did him in since he's not feeling well.)

Grr, I can't believe him. I guess we'll keep a better eye on Chip or make him go to his crate when the door is open. I just couldn't believe he ran like that. Usually we can get him quickly if he gets out. But I thought for sure he was going to get hit by a car as traffic kept going by when I was chasing him. He tends to not pay attention to things like that, and he easily would have darted right in front of one.

So, for tonight only (ehh, maybe tomorrow too), if you make us a good offer, we might let you take our dog home.

Insert Title Here

This is my "oops" post. I did not make it to post yesterday. So I'm back dating this post. And yes, I'm fessing up and admitting it.

Matt got really sick Thanksgiving night. He was uncomfortable going to bed. His stomach was upset. A few days before he felt like he might be coming down with a cold or sinus infection, but this is not what was causing problems. A little after midnight, he was throwing up in the trashcan we fortunately moved beside him in bed. Then he was up miserable for a while. He got sick again later in the night too. And all day Friday was spent at my parents' house with Matt trying to be comfortable on a couch or chair somewhere. He finally slept most of the afternoon. He did not throw up any more, but he had a terrible headache, heartburn, and still a queasy tummy for a while.

Today was better. Matt slept well last night, and he was able to eat just a little today. Mostly he has a cough and some congestion bugging him now. He's still being cautious about what he's eating but his stomach is better. Thank goodness. I just hope it's the last that we've seen of it. Poor Matt.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope that you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving with your families. We did our usual holiday routine with lunch at my Grandma's and supper (less than 4 hours later) at Matt's aunts. Now we fed and full. I know I'm stuffed to the brim with turkey, ham, potatoes, and more.

May you find many things to be thankful for today!

Thanksgiving Eve

What are you all doing on Thanksgiving Eve? Cleaning your house? Packing your bags? Driving to the relatives? Cooking up a storm?

I'm catching up with laundry. I have a salad in the fridge. I'm thankful for wonderful family who shares such a lovely Thanksgiving meal with us.

I hope that you all have a lovely Thanksgiving tomorrow!

Review blog

Have you guys been by my review blog in a while? I have some super cool giveaways going on right now. There is the $75 CSNstores.com gift card, a Barney Learning Pack 6 DVD set, 2 Families of the World DVDs- Kenya & Afghanistan, and one for 3 Melissa & Doug puzzles.

You could finish some of your Christmas shopping if you win. :D Plus I have another Pillow Pets giveaway coming up among other things.

And don't miss me on Facebook, Twitter, and my Facebook fan page too. Thanks! You guys rock!

A weekend away.

Becky, you're awesome! You nailed it. That was indeed Giordano's Pizza in that last post.

We spent last weekend in Chicago. We had tickets to the Toy & Game Fair. It was pretty fun. There were some neat toys and things that Zachariah enjoyed playing with. And we really liked all the interested games that we saw. I'm hoping that I can make contact with a few of the companies to highlight them on the review blog.

So since we were already at Navy Pier, we took the opportunity to visit Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. for lunch that day. Mmm, it's always so good. Matt had never been to the one in Chicago, so that was fun to take him and Zachariah there.

We also met a really friendly bum in Chicago. So if you ever find yourself lost near Michigan Ave. and Water St., just go down toward the Metra underground. I didn't catch his name, but he tells us that people get lost looking for it all the time and he's happy to help them out. Ha ha! He was funny!

So, what did you do this weekend.

Wordless Weekends- Sunday Edition #3

So, I realize now that I did not take many pictures from this weekend. But if you're really good, these pictures will help you figure out where we went this weekend.

Where do you think we spent our weekend?

Wordless Weekends- Saturday Edition #3

We spent a weekend away. Wanna guess where we went? Not much to go on here, but the next post will help.

Spoiling It

OK, so I've already approached this subject on Twitter and Facebook. It's been a month or so, and I think it's time to revisit it. And this will give you a chance to chime in if you missed it before.

Most of you know that I started watching my nephew, Patrick, 4 days a week at the beginning of September. It's still going pretty well. We've adjusted our schedule and gotten used to having a baby in the house...mostly. I'm still happy to pass him back to his mommy each evening and on the weekend, but it is fun to spend so much time with him too.

He is 6 months old now and doing so many new things. This brings me to my dilemma. When the baby does something "new", do I tell my sister-in-law about it? Or should I just let her see him do it first?

To be honest he's with us almost more waking hours than he is his parents. And he's bound to do things for the first time at our house. When he rolled over, I think he did it first at our house. I had talked to SIL about how close he was to doing it, because it was the same way at home. I'm not positive whether or not he did it first at our house, but I suspect he did. So I say something like "Oh, so he's rolling over now? It was nice to see that." And she says "That's great!"

I don't think she's disappointed that we see it first (if she is she hides it). And I don't always mean to tell her something she hadn't seen him do yet. Just this week he's been working on his first teeth. It started with him being grumpy two weekends ago. She'd mentioned how grumpy he'd been all weekend when he came on Monday. He was a little out of sorts for me too, and she and I discussed whether he could be teething or not. His check up was the next day and the doctor saw no ear infections or anything, so it was likely teething. I looked and thought I saw teeth starting to get close to popping up. Then Thursday I noticed him really chewing on the edge of his pacifier. I looked in his mouth and saw that his two bottom teeth were just starting to break through the gum. I mentioned it to SIL when she picked him up, and she was excited but she hadn't seen them yet. Oops. I didn't even think about it like that. I thought my telling her was more as an excited aunt. And it ends up, I was the one who saw the teeth first. She missed it.

If I was the working mother, I would feel bad that someone else could see some of those milestones first. But with my child in the care of a family member, it wouldn't bother me so bad. And I also think I'd rather know those things had happened than not know.

But from the "poll" I took before, I got different opinions. There were many people who thought I should just let her see things and think they were for the first time. So, in other words, I should mention those little milestone things and just wait for SIL to tell me about them after she sees them.

And about the same amount of people said if they were the mother, they would just like to know when it first happened even if they weren't there to see it. Plus they believed it softened the blow since a family member is the caregiver.

What do you think? I'm at a loss here. In some ways I think I should keep my mouth shut, but yet shouldn't I just be open about it? I almost just want to ask her, but then I worry she'll think I'm holding back the truth by not telling things. Help!

Thankful Thursday #3

I am very thankful for the occasional night out alone. It doesn't happen often, but when it does it refreshes me. I think a little time out by myself (or with friends) is a good thing for me, for my marriage, and as a mother. And I'm thankful when that happens. Yep, it's the little things in life...

Loose Ends

I spent most of my free time today tying up loose ends...literally. I had several crochet and knitting projects that needed finished up. I'm so bad about starting things, getting them mostly finished, then leaving them sit.

I put the buttons on a Santa suit I crocheted for my nephew. I sewed together a mini-sock monkey ornament. I sorted some old yarn. I made pompoms for two hats that needed them.

That among other little things. I need to take pictures for proof of my adorable new projects.

Right now I'm working on a crocheted afghan for my sister's Christmas gift. She's been after me for about 2 years to make her one. And it should be done soon!

I love being able to finish so many things at once. But I think my list of new projects I want to start is getting too long.

Adult Fears

Do you have adult fears? No, not just fears about being an adult....though that is still scary to me once in a while. (When did I become grown up and have to handle all these grown up things? Why does this kid think I know so much? And since when did so many people depend on me and the decisions I make? Really?)

Sorry, back on track here.

No, do you have any fears that didn't bug you before, but the older you get the worse they seem to get? Or is it just me?

I totally have a fear (though fairly mild) of heights. I don't know when it started, but I've really noticed it more and more in the last few years. Sometimes it really bugs me, and other occasions I don't notice quite so much. But it's more on the "bugs me" side than not.

Last fall Matt & I went to see the Indianapolis Colts. Coming into their HUGE stadium there are open escalators to the upper levels. Going up them, you can see out over the field. It's really cool. Except that once I got on I didn't like it. I got on the escalator, got dizzy and almost fell over backwards. Fortunately, Matt was behind me and I did make it up. It was a strange feeling. And we sat up in the tippy top of the stadium (I'm sure Matt would make me clarify that we were really one row down from the top) and I felt a little light-headed the whole time. It was strange. I could deal with it, but something in me did not like that height.

The other place I've noticed is driving up an off-ramp from the interstate not far from here. (I was on it tonight which is what got me thinking.) It's a long ramp that has a bug turn in it. What bothers me is that it's up and open underneath. It's more like a bridge (which I don't normally have problems with), and there is no ground directly underneath the road. I think the combination of that and the big UP is what bothers me. I just don't like it. I've gone over it many times. It's never fun. It just makes me feel funny.

Do you have any strange things like that bother you? Ehh, it's probably just me.

Movies

Do you take your kids to the movie theater? I started taking Zachariah to movies a year ago. He loved it, and we haven't stopped since.

Over the summer we got to see "Toy Story 3" and "Despicible Me" at the theater. They were both fun kids movies. He loved them, and I enjoyed them as well. Those are the types of movies that I want to take him to.

I'm hoping to go see "Megamind" tomorrow night. And maybe later this month or next month we can see the new Disney movie "Tangled". That looks really good. Have you found any good kids movies? Do you like to take your kids to the theater.

You know, the cost is what normally turns me again, but we have a cheap theater near us that helps. In a nearby small (very small town) there is a one room theater. They show kid-friendly movies (and occasionally others but at the later showing), and they sell tickets for $3 per person anytime. And they have great snack prices too. $5 will get you a huge tub of popcorn and 2 drinks. Can't beat it.

I enjoy doing a movie night with Zachariah as a treat for us to get out once in a while. It's always good to find an activity that we both like, and it seems to make a good mommy & me activity for us. I'm sure some day (sooner than I wish) he won't want to be seen in public with me anyway, so I'll just soak it up while I can.

Wordless Weekends- Sunday Edition #2

Wordless Weekends- Saturday Edition #2

I Told Him...

I told Matt I was going to write this. I did! He's had fair warning.

Matt's gotten into the blog scene pretty heavily too. He reads a lot of mommy bloggers among others. He has a review blog of his own too. And I know he reads my blogs. I'm OK with that.

Just this evening he read something that a lady had posted. She said something to the effect of "don't you wish your husband couldn't read your blog, so you could write snarky things about him?"  When he read this to me, I said "Yes." Then I told him why. Why don't I just tell you my complaints. I'm sharing them, because I think that you'll be able to commiserate with me.

So, maybe I've shared this before. Matt is a great cook. Amazing! He has skills in the kitchen that I couldn't begin to imagine. I can cook. I can bake. I like to cook and bake. But Matt likes to cook too. And since he's good at it and thoroughly enjoys it, I encourage him to get in the kitchen once in a while when he can. This amounts to about once a month now.

This sounds wonderful you're thinking. Well, it is. Except...he refuses to do dishes. We do not have a dishwasher (nor can we put one reasonably in our kitchen). I am the dishwasher. When I make supper, I wash the dishes. When Matt makes supper...you guessed it...I do the dishes.

The problem is Matt likes to make elaborate multi-step dinners. This means many bowls, pans, dishes, etc. That means more dishes for me. Something is not working out here. Shouldn't he at least do the dishes when he cooks. Or if that doesn't work, he can do the dishes when I cook. Come on! I'm tired of washing dishes.*

While I'm on the subject, I did stop putting away Matt's clothes about 4 or 5 months ago. I'll hang his dress clothes in the closet, wash his clothes, fold his clothes, take them to the bedroom, but that's it. He always fussed about not being able to find things in his drawers. My organization didn't make sense to him, and his didn't make sense to me. So I just plain stopped putting his clothes away.

Sometimes I feel bad about not doing it, but I don't sweat it too much. I know it gives him an extra chore, but it has seriously saved arguments and hurt feelings since I stopped doing it for him. Sometimes we give, sometimes we take. I guess those are the things that make a marriage.

What chores do you and your spouse argue over?


*Truly, I don't mind dishes as much as I say I do. I can handle it, and it's just a pain sometimes.

Veteran's Day

Happy Veteran's Day to any veterans or active duty troops out there! My cousin is currently serving in the army and is in Afghanistan. He is expected to return home next month.

He has missed his wife's whole pregnancy, but I'm happy that he'll be home to see the birth of their second child. He missed most of the first pregnancy with their son too. I know he'll be glad to be home soon to see his wife, son, and soon-to-be-born-son.

Thank you, Nick for serving our country. Thank you for making my life what it is. Thank you for sacrificing precious time with your beautiful family, so that we can safely live our lives here. Thanks! I love you!

Time

I have to tell you something. I have the pokiest kid in the world! No, really! You think your kid pokes? Mine could beat your pokey kid with even more pokiness.

My son is almost never in a hurry. He takes his grand old time eating meals. And he likes to eat, so this takes up a big chunk of his day. He takes a long drawn out baths. Then he delays bedtime as much as possible.

Every time we need to leave the house, he's poking. When we're out and about, he's generally poking behind us.

This kid has one speed and only one speed....slow.

Most of the time this frustrated us to no end. Any ideas how to cure the pokies?

One person suggested a timer. I have used a time in the kitchen. It seems to help sometimes. I'm wondering if buying a little kitchen time would help out. I am willing to give it a try. But I'm open to other ideas too.

Busy Weekend

This weekend was pretty busy. We had a fun kid's birthday party for my cousin's little boy. He turned 6. He and Zachariah get along great when they actually get together. My cousin is in the military and currently serving overseas. But he will be home soon, so his wife and son are moving back to New York. We'll miss having them nearby. It's been great to see so much of them, but I'm glad their family will be reunited. And just in time for the arrival of their long-awaited second child's birth too.

Anyway, at the birthday party we actually had all the great-grandchildren together. That's never happened. First of all because Easton is a brand-new addition. And secondly because two of the kids are in the process of being adopted into my other cousin's family, so they've only had them for less than a year. It was fun to see all the kiddos together though and get a neat picture with my grandmother...their great-grandmother. The picture was posted this weekend if you're interested.

It was such a long weekend, that my child (he-who-never-naps) fell asleep on the couch Monday morning. He was pouting about something, then slept in this position for well over an hour. It's so unusual for him to fall asleep anywhere but in bed. And to sleep through all the normal activity going on around him, complete with baby cries. That was one worn out kid.



I'm glad we're well into this week with other things to keep us going. What's keeping you going this week?

Oh So Monday

We had a late night last night. The Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert was wonderful. If you've ever had any desire to see them, go! Go now! You won't be sorry.  Well, at least not sorry about seeing them, but you might be a teensy bit sorry about staying out so late when you have to get up early the next morning.

Zachariah was a bit of a problem to put to bed for my parents last night. We drove late to pick him up there after the concert then drove our hour and half home. It was a late night. Then he got up at his normal time. He was a little testy most of the morning. At one point after I'd put Patrick down for a nap, Zachariah laid on the couch. (He was mad I wouldn't help him with something he was capable of doing himself, so he was pouting.) Next thing I know, he's sound asleep all curled up over there. So funny. Thank goodness he was good the rest of the day.

Patrick (my nephew, who I am babysitting for four days a week) was a little out of sorts today. His mommy had said he was like that all weekend too. I think he's teething. It looks like he has the bottom ones maybe coming close. But his nap schedule was way off. He wanted to eat, then he didn't want to eat. On and on it went all day. He was manageable, but I did not get anything else done around the house while he was here. I'm thankful that he'll only be here in the morning tomorrow, because he has his 6 month check-up in the afternoon. Also...I can't believe he's already 6 months old. They grow so quickly from the beginning. It will never cease to amaze me.

What a Monday! I'm glad it's almost over. And I'm happy that we had a nice weekend to balance it a bit.

Wordless Weekends- Sunday Edition #1

Wordless Weekends- Saturday Edition #1

Dreaming

Do you like to "dream" about the what-if's in life? My husband and I do. I read in a book recently that it's good for married couples to dream together.

Sometimes we dream about our future lives together. Things we'd like to do, places we want to visit, and other fun things. Some of these things are realistic, but some are truly dreams and may (or will) never really happen. And we know that. But it's still fun to dream.

Do you do that?

I hope that you do. I think it's good to have some dreams. Sometimes it gives us something to work towards, and other times it gives us a little stress release just to think about other things.

A few months ago Matt saw a house for sale out in the country not too far from us. He was riding bicycle a lot this summer, and he rode by it often. He started to like the house more and more. And he told me all about it. He did a little research and found it online. It's even listed with a realtor that we know in person.

When he told me he saw a house he liked, I didn't know what I'd think. I knew he was mostly dreaming about it, but that's OK. Like I said we do like to dream together. My hesitation was that we have slightly different tastes in houses. I wasn't sure that I would like it.

Then he drove me by it one time on our way home. I was shocked. I really liked it. It's not what I'd call my dream home, but it was a nice house, practical, a great location, and a beautiful property. That was it, from them on I have been dreaming about this house. I've even pictured how our things would fit in it and what I'd like to do with the extra rooms (it is quite a bit bigger than our current house).

I did all this knowing that we couldn't afford it..even if we were looking for a house right now. But we do like to dream about getting a bigger house. We do hope to be in a position to sell our current home and buy something better in the next 5 years or so...or maybe sooner if we can manage. But there is a lot of work that needs done before we get there.

For now I'm going to forget about the work, and just dream about myself in that little house down the road. And there is nothing wrong with that.

Thankful Thursday #1

Since there are 4 Thursdays in November, the last one being Thanksgiving, I thought it would be good to share what I'm thankful for on Thursdays. Want to join me?

We've been doing some work around our house lately. It causes headaches, and simple projects never end simply. Things always escalate and turn into bigger projects. Then when we think we're done with things for a while, something breaks or goes wrong.

That all said, I am very thankful for my little house. It keeps us warm in the winters and cool in the summers. It's sweet and quaint. This is the home that Matt & I first had together (we bought it on our first anniversary...9 years ago). It's truly our home. Love it and hate it, but it's ours.

With so many people struggling in this country, I am very thankful for my house.

What's on TV?

Are you guys big TV watchers? We are. Most of that is due to the fact that we're sort of trapped at home in the evenings with a young kid needing a set bedtime. But this fall I'm not thrilled with what's been on.

There are a few new shows worth watching for me, a few old favorites that we're enjoying, but I feel like so many are missing the mark this season.

Glee- We watched it last season. I loved it. This season...meh. I'm very quickly losing interest and the reruns are not helping.

Amazing Race- I enjoy this, but I'm not completely invested in any of the teams. However, it would be fun to finally see an all-female team win it.

Survivor- We're watching, but not terribly interesting this season for some reason.

Big Bang Theory- Love it! This show is still hitting the spot.

Chuck- Same here. Love it! A few episodes have been not as captivating, but I still like the characters and the show.

The Middle- One of my favs. I've loved this since the beginning, and it still delivers on the laughs.

Modern Family- Fun, enjoy this.

How I Met Your Mother- For some reason I'm not enjoying this as much this season, but I can't figure out why.

And that's about it. I sometimes catch Castle, Private Practice, and Cougar Town online.

In general, though, I've been rather disappointed. There are nights that we don't really find anything to watch, so we catch up on the DVR or watch movies. What gives this fall?

With the Bad Comes the Good

So, I'm sick. Bleck. I have a cold. Fortunately it's not too bad. I can handle a little stuffiness, drippy nose, and sinus drainage. Zachariah had it first and shared with me. Isn't he just the sweetest!

But the good stuff is that I get to sleep in a bit tomorrow. My sister-in-law had some cancellations in the morning, so she doesn't have to go in early. That means my nephew won't be here until after 10:00. I'm hoping that buys me an extra hour or two of sleep in the morning. At the very least, Zachariah will crawl into my bed and watch cartoons while I rest for a bit longer. We don't do that often, because I have to be up earlier when I babysit normally. I like those quiet slow mornings.

And today Matt won tickets to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra in concert this weekend! It just so happens that my parents are available to keep our kid. We're excited to go to something fun like this together. We're pretty fortunate that we do get out just the two of us once in a while. We have grandparents within driving distance, who are willing to take in their grandson from time to time. And it's so good for us to get this time together...to forget about being parents and just relax a bit.

Going For It

Every year I have done NaBloPoMo. I can't believe that it's November again, and it's that time of year again. Yep, I'm going to stretch myself (a lot) this year and try to post every day in the month of November.

This will be a big commitment for me this year, since I've only posted 33 times so far this year and I'm planning to post 30 times this month! I do miss blogging here (I've kept busy with my other blog), and I want to try to come back to it. So I'm going to give it my all to give you some quality material.

To help us along this year NaBloPoMo is doing Wordless Weekends. That will help in the posting and also get me to share some new photos of my family, which I've done very little of lately.

Will you join me? Oh, come on, you know you want to!

CSN....The Store that has it all!

It's that time again. I'm giving CSNstores.com another go. I will be reviewing an item (or items) for them coming soon. I have not chosen what I will get yet. It's also so hard to pick something out since they have so much.  Do I want one of their contemporary coffee tables or new cookware for the kitchen? Or should I check out toys for Christmas or purses and shoes for myself?

With over 200+ stores to choose things from, I can always find something great with CSNstores.com. What would you get with a gift certificate from them? I'm leaning towards some decorations or things for my living room. I want to redecorate a bit now that our flooring is finished.

Who is Trick-or-Treating really for?

OK, I can't stand it anymore. I don't want to post on Facebook for fear that someone will think I'm singling them out. I'm not, and I'm sorry if you think I'm talking about you. I'm not. This is just a general rant about Halloween and trick-or-treating. And I have a feeling I can't be alone in my views.

First of all, if your child is not eating candy (they are too young), is it really worth taking them trick-or-treating? If they are coming along with older kids, I can see the fun in having them come along. But you really don't need to ask for candy for a child that is obviously too young to eat it.

And even if you do take your young baby trick-or-treating and you're taking candy for them, don't laugh and make excuses for the baby when they are sleeping and you are still collecting candy for them. Sorry, but I found that tacky.

I should also say that it is fun to dress a baby up, so I do understand wanting to maybe take them to an event to show them off a little. But it's the candy collecting thing that gets to me. If you, as a parent, really need candy just go buy it yourself.  My son's first Halloween was when he was 7 months old. I dressed him up, mostly for me, and he came along to a party I was helping with for kids. But I never dreamed of going out trick-or-treating with him. I didn't feed my 7 month old candy, so why would I do that. In fact my son has only done trick-or-treating at the mall. He doesn't get tons of candy that way, and it's well light, indoors, and so much safer.

Which leads me to my second issue...Do your children really need to go trick-or-treating more than once? Really? I don't know about you, but I don't really need my child to have that much candy. We go to one event, so he can dress up and enjoy the trick-or-treating part. That's plenty for us.

This year we attending a Trunk-or-Treat event at our church. It was a lot of fun. But since we did this, we ditched going to the mall-o-ween like we have done in past years. One time trick-or-treating is plenty.

And yes, I'm totally judging my friend who took her 9 month old to the church event and to the mall. What is the point?!! He doesn't eat candy, and he's too young to even remember this and understand what's going on. I should be nice, though, and say I do understand they were having fun taking him out, so whatever.

Fun Fact Friday

1. Can I just complain for a minute? Thanks.  We've had soccer games for 2 weeks now. At the beginning of the season they asked parents to sign up to bring a snack. No problem.  I'm happy to bring a snack for the kids afterwards. It cost around $10 or so to bring a small snack for all 12 kids.

First of all one of the mothers made a comment about needing to have her snack day be at a certain time, because she would need to get her paycheck first. OK, I understand needing money, but do you really live that much paycheck to paycheck that you don't have $10 (or less in some cases) for a small snack for the kids. And if that really is the case, I'm not going to judge, but I'd be happy to take over and provide snack a second week if needed. That's not a problem...really (and we live on one income). I know that's a little judgy, but I just see it as poor planning/budgeting.

Second, when asked to bring a snack after an athletic event I'm thinking of all the good things that I could bring for the kids to build their energy back up after playing so hard. I guess I'm alone in that thinking. So far we've had goldfish crackers with sugary juice box, Little Debbie chocolate brownie with sugary juice drink, and Little Debbie chocolate cookie with sugary just box. Now, I am not saying my kid doesn't eat those things from time to time. We've left him save these snacks and eat them later. Whatever! But come on parents, can't we give these kids something a little better.  The best out of that list is the goldfish crackers, which I'm OK with.

So this is our week to bring snacks. We take them to the game tomorrow (which looks like we might get rained on...great!).  It was hard for me to find "good" snacks that we prepackaged.  It's not mandatory that the snacks be prepackaged, but it's so much easier for a game to have something the kids can take on their way home. We found Minute Maid 100% juice boxes, mini-boxes of raisins, and whole wheat snack cracker packs.  I would have liked a slightly better alternative to the crackers, but my options were few. At least I found some whole wheat with no trans fats ones. We'll see if any of the kids (or parents) makes any comments about this week's snack.

2. Why is it so difficult to find great fitting jeans for real women without spending a small fortune?  After asking for recommendations on Twitter/Facebook I found some good options. I am a plus-sized woman, and it's tough to get good jeans that fit nice.

I found a new place I'd never heard of or been to... Avenue. Their jeans are priced pretty well online. Plus they happen to be running a sale this weekend, and you can find good online discounts for them. I had a few things picked out, but I was nervous about spending money on shipping not knowing how things would fit. I didn't want to pay to ship stuff back.

I heard mixed reviews about Old Navy's plus-sized jeans. I looked around and didn't see anything on their site that was what I wanted anyway, so maybe I'll try them some other time.

Erica suggested JC Penney. I didn't end up going with the brand she recommended, but I did find a lot of selection in my size there. I was surprised, and I'm glad I went to the mall instead of ordering online. I was able to try some different types/brands on and see what worked. I lucked out and they were having a sale on jeans, plus I had a 15% off coupon from a mailer. So I did end up with 2 pair of jeans and a new shirt from Penney's.

I was also going to try Macy's, but by the time I got there I'd already purchased 2 pair of jeans and didn't need anymore. So I didn't even look at pants there. But I did find a few cute tops for a reasonable price.

3. It felt good to go shopping just for me today. This plus-sized girl doesn't do clothes shopping very often.

4. Since we're already on the clothes kick...what do you think of the short (knee length or just above the knee) sweater dresses with leggings? I'm leaning towards cute. But I had a thought today...is that really going to last more than one season? Will it be a purchase that won't even work for one more winter/fall?

And would that style work for a plus-sized girl? I saw some really cute sweater dresses in Macy's. They had leggings too. I have fat legs, but with a knee-length sweater dress over top, I suppose it's no worse than wearing my knee-length sundresses in the summer. What do you think?

5. I'm working on an awesome afghan for my sister for Christmas! She's been after me for a while to make her one. I think she'll love it. I like it so much I want to keep it for myself!

6. Have you seen the pumpkin hat I made? I posted pictures on Twitter & Facebook. OK, OK, I'll add some to the bottom of this post in case you missed it. Also, if you're like me to make one for you, let me know. Shoot me an e-mail (mommydaisy@gmail.com or psmomreviews@gmail.com), and we'll work something out. (I can make newborn, 0-6 month, 12 month, and toddler size)

7. If I hear "Hey, Mom?" one more time while I'm typing this list I may scream. Then promptly send my kid to bed! GRRRR!

8. In case you were following the "should I tell my sis-in-law that my nephew rolled over for the first time here or not" debate...she didn't stay long enough for me to say anything yesterday. And I won't see them until Monday. I'm truly hoping that Nephew rolls over for his mommy & daddy this weekend!

9. I've been sorta dieting. I'm more trying to watch what I eat than anything. I hate calling it a diet. Plus there have been days (usually on the weekends) when I wander from it because we're going away or doing other things and I want to have something fun to eat. But I have lost 5 pounds. I need to add some exercise and get moving here. I have a LOT of weight to lose, but I'm taking this step-by-step. I know if I try to jump in and be really strict I'll quit as soon as I start. So I think changing my mindset, which I truly am already, is going to be the way to go.

10. The best news might be that Sarah from Semi-desperate Housewife had her baby boy this week. I've seen pictures from her husband and her sister-in-law. He's delightfully adorable! A beautiful baby! I can't wait until she posts about his birth and shares more pictures.  (I need to hurry up and make him a pumpkin hat too!)

1 week old baby with the pumpkin hat I made

Newborn pumpkin hat (my friend's new baby)

Nephew with the 12 month size hat

My adorable nephew with the adorable pumpkin hat I made