When Daddy Cooks

Thursday, January 29, 2009

This is probably more suitable for Not Me! Monday, because it's more of a confession than anything else. But it's too hilarious not to blog. One of those moments where you say out loud, "I'm totally blogging this, honey, and the whole internet is going to laugh at you." You know you've had those moments.

So last night, we're laying in bed, laughing about an incident earlier in the day (and me making a mental note to blog about it) in which Beckett was fighting his nap and hollering from his crib. After about ten minutes of it, I turned to DH and said, "Well, what should we do with him?" Without missing a beat, he responded, "Give him a chocolate donut and tell him to go to sleep?"

We totally did give him that chocolate donut. And guess what? We got two hours of free time because the bribe worked and he went to sleep. My husband is a genius.

That lead to him mentioning to me that he had made the boys hot dog quesadillas for lunch.

"Come again?!"

"Yeah. Hot dog quesadillas. They needed meat in them and we didn't have any chicken left."

"Oh, you're so getting blogged TWICE now."

Blogged by Making A Modern Family at 11:52 AM 3 comments  

Saying goodbye to handmade.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Save Handmade! BuyHandmade.org


As many of you know or have heard, new legislation that will go into effect on February 10th by the name of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) will force many small businesses, work-at-home-moms and other makers of children's items to close their doors. Forbes has a great article explaining the whole thing.

I won't even begin to explain how saddened, outraged, depressed and defeated I feel over this issue. I was a full time WAHM in the past and am a self-proclaimed handmade addict. The thought that I can no longer buy or sell handmade items is just sickening to me. And if you read into it further, you will discover that there is even a possibility that the making of items as gifts could be outlawed. I have no words for that idiocy.

I know that my first question was, "What can I do to help?" So I thought I'd pass along my findings to you. We need all the help we can get to turn this around.

One of the best things you can do is write a letter to your senator and congressman. You can find a sample letter here. Find your senator here and your congressman here. You can also put a button on your blog like I have at the top of this post. Find the code for that at Buy Handmade's blog.

Another thing I'm trying to do before the dreaded deadline is buy handmade while I still can. I searched around and found several stores with CPSIA specials. Check 'em out, help 'em out, show 'em some support.

Kissing Kumquats - Her adorable skirts are half price, plus many other great deals.

Hair Sprinkles - 25% off her entire stock of custom made hair clippies.

Whimsy Couture - Custom monogrammed onesies on sale for only $8.88.

plainjane - Her entire inventory of custom baby clothing and accessories are marked down.

Tiara's Boutique - Gorgeous custom tutus. Seriously, these things are adorable!

Baby Brewing - All baby and kids tees are marked down from $16 to just $6. Lots of witty and cute sayings screen-printed onto American Apparel tees.

Peanut and Tommy - Wide selection of knitted and crocheted toys marked down.

There are obviously many more so shop around Etsy and see what treasures you find before it's too late.

Blogged by Making A Modern Family at 12:00 AM 1 comments  

Reason #45474 my son makes me laugh

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Tonight he danced around the living room, playing air guitar on a drumstick and sang "I wish-a-fad-a MESSY'S GIRL!!"

Translation: "I wish that I had Jessie's girl."

Yes, my 3-year-old sings Rick Springfield. Quite well.

Blogged by Making A Modern Family at 9:02 PM 0 comments  

Crazy. I am crazy.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

So, scratch the post from last week in which I said I'd chosen what bedding we'd be getting. I decided on a whim today that I'll sew everything. I think I have lost my mind. I attempted it with Beckett and only got about halfway finished. But this time, I ordered super yummy Heather Ross fabric that I definitely can't let go to waste, so I'm in it for the long haul.

I decided to go with the Mendocino line in the Jughandle colorway. I'm picturing two-tone walls - fuchsia on bottom, pale yellow on top with a white chair rail. Hand-painted mermaid and fishy artwork. Lots of pillows and coordinating lamp shade, mobile and basket liners. Ohh, I'm drooling just thinking about it all coming together.

Drool with me. These are the fabrics I ordered:



Blogged by Making A Modern Family at 1:49 PM 2 comments  

SquishyGirl is spoiled.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Already. And this is just the beginning.

Some of our purchases from the last two days. There are also several cupcake onesies I didn't take a picture of. She is going to be drowning in cupcakes.



Blogged by Making A Modern Family at 11:37 PM 4 comments  

15-week Ultrasound

Monday, January 19, 2009

I've been waiting for this day for weeks and I can't believe it's finally here. The ultrasound was amazing. It took about an hour and the baby was soooo sweet. Laying on its belly the whole time, one arm back behind its head. Measuring between 15 and 16 weeks so that's good. My placenta is on the back of my uterus, which surprised me. I was sure I had an anterior placenta because I haven't felt near as much movement as I did with the boys at this stage. This one just seems to be a quiet baby.

And of course, the part everyone wants to know: it looks like squishy is a GIRL!! The tech didn't want to say for sure since I'm early still but there were definitely no dangly parts and we saw labia. Looked nothing like my boys' ultrasounds! DH and I went shopping and bought some pink already, we couldn't resist. We'll keep tags on and I'll go back in a few weeks to confirm.

Here's the money shot.. looks girl to me.














Blogged by Making A Modern Family at 12:17 PM 3 comments  

The Most Important Decision Ever

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Okay, so not quite. But pretty damn important to a super anal planner-aheader decorator.

After spending countless hours crawling through website after website chock full of baby gear, I think I am 99% sure what bedding we will be getting.

For a boy:




And for a girl:




I can picture either possibility in my head with certain wall colors and now I'm on pins and needles waiting until Monday, hoping that the babe will cooperate and we'll get a good enough shot to determine the sex. Because I cannot wait another three weeks. CAN. NOT. Most impatient pregnant woman in the world here.

I'm also 99% sure we are decided on names. And no, we aren't telling, so don't ask. Heh. But they're gorgeous and perfect and I can't wait to announce this little one by name on his or her birth day.

Blogged by Making A Modern Family at 10:30 PM 4 comments  

Baby!

Sunday, January 11, 2009

I hate being melodramatic in my blog posts because it's always short-lived. I woke up feeling much better yesterday. I really need to not miss doses of my meds any more because I'm pretty sure that was the main reason for my temporary freak-out.

Plus, I got to go squish on Miss Trinity yesterday and who wouldn't feel fab after that? She is so much tinier than my boys were. I got out Beckett's footprints when I got home and I'm not lying when I say his feet were twice the size of hers at birth. I almost hope I get a little peanut this time, just so I'll have a newborn a little longer.

Blogged by Making A Modern Family at 9:21 PM 2 comments  

I forgot about this crazy hormone thing.

Friday, January 9, 2009

I have been on the verge of tears all day. Ugh! I know I need to just give in and have a good cry but DH is playing poker at a friend's house and I don't want to do it alone.

It has been such an emotional day for me and I'm sure it doesn't help that I've missed two doses of my Zoloft in all the excitement. Why am I a blubbering mess? Here's why:



My good friend since high school gave birth to a gorgeous baby girl today. I was at the hospital with her last night and stayed up until the birth aside from a couple hours of sleep at a friend's place.

I am so incredibly ecstatic for her but I also didn't expect the huge wave of emotions that would take over me. Seeing a laboring mama and then the tiny little baby that comes out of it really brought all the memories of Beckett's birth flooding back for me. And I won't lie, a few times today I have caught myself thinking, "Oh my god, that hurt. Really bad. And I have to do it again. What was I thinking??" I know it'll all turn out fine but it's so different when you see someone you know go through it as opposed to doing it yourself or seeing it on TV or the internet.

I also got the.. privilege *cough* of having my birthing choices challenged to my face over and over again throughout the day. An opinionated mama bear watching her youngest daughter go through natural labor - and very obviously blaming you for her daughter making the choice to attempt such a feat - does not equal a fun time. And being told that she "hopes I go through this tenfold" - well, you can only imagine how great that was to hear.

I just need a good hot bath and a long cuddle with my hubby to relax all the stress away. And tomorrow I'll get to go and love and squish on a newborn and hopefully that will make today not seem so rough.

Blogged by Making A Modern Family at 9:11 PM 1 comments  

Project 365: 1-7

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

I decided to take another stab at Project 365 this year. I've failed twice in the past because really, there's only so many things you can take pictures of as a SAHM. But with 2.5 kids plus two cats, I'm hoping my life will be exciting enough this time.

Click the thumbnails for a larger view.


1:365 2:365 3:365

4:365 5:365 6:365

7:365

Blogged by Making A Modern Family at 3:15 PM 0 comments  

Fawyer

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Yesterday, Sawyer helped me write out a birthday card for DH. I tried to instruct him in writing "Happy Birthday" but we ended up with "Happe" and then the B-I in birthday, plus a bunch of random letters. It still charmed the pants off DH though, of course.



Also. He gets the letters F and S confused, because they sound so similar. And he absolutely insists that his name is spelled F-A-W-Y-E-R. Ah well, what can ya do?



DH and I had a deliciously unhealthy birthday dinner at Outback, where I guiltlessly snarfed down a bloomin' onion, Caesar salad, bloomin' burger (okay, so I only ate half of that) and some fries. NOM NOM NOM.

Blogged by Making A Modern Family at 3:43 PM 0 comments  

13 weeks

Monday, January 5, 2009

Time is flying for me with this pregnancy. Which means my belly seems to grow at supersonic speed. Seriously, where did this thing come from?!



I love it though. Pregnancy is really the only time I feel truly and completely sexy.

Blogged by Making A Modern Family at 10:37 PM 2 comments  

Inaugural Not Me! Monday



Today I'm participating in MckMama's Not Me! Monday for the first time. Never heard of it? Then hop on over to her blog and read the rules so that you, too, can air your dirty laundry and not feel an ounce of guilt about it. Or at least, be able to find someone who totally did not do something just a little more scandalous than you.

So, on to my.. erm.. confessions.

Yesterday morning, I totally did not fall down the stairs while holding Beckett. We were not only about halfway down and thus fell a full 8-9 steps. As clumsy as I am, I did manage to keep him on top of me and break his fall, resulting in several lovely battle wounds for myself. And yes, I did check on the baby with the doppler and he/she is fine. No, I definitely do not have my big fat cushiony butt to thank for that. Do I?

I did not get a hankering for nachos at almost one this morning while watching Food Network. And I most certainly did not use being pregnant as an excuse to melt some shredded cheese over tortilla chips and indulge, at 1am. They were not tasty at all.

I have not been a lazy oaf for the past several weeks, spending most of my time on the couch. My laundry is not piling up and my kids definitely do not watch too much Dora and Blues Clues. I also have not trained Sawyer to do things like bring me clean diapers and throw the dirty ones away. Nope, definitely not already behaving like this in the first trimester of pregnancy.

And speaking of the first trimester, I do not already have to keep my pants unbuttoned at only 13 weeks pregnant. My parents, however, did get me two BellaBands for Christmas which have been a lifesaver for my chronically unbuttoned jeans.

My husband is not turning 27 today, and I am not turning 24 in a couple weeks. We are not getting older. It has not been ten years since he graduated high school and we certainly do not sometimes act like we still ARE in high school. Nope, not us.

And lastly, I am not still in my pajamas at almost noon and my kids are not eating waffles and bananas for lunch. Of course I have already been to the store for baking supplies to make DH's birthday cupcakes, and they are already in the oven.

Or.. not.

Blogged by Making A Modern Family at 11:13 AM 4 comments  

It's starting to sink in.

Saturday, January 3, 2009

A couple days ago, I received a sample package from Luvs containing one of their cute little BLues Clues diapers. I'm a Luvs girl, so I was like, "Sa-weet! Free diaper for my giant kid!" (Because you know the size 6 - which BOTH my kids wear - has the least amount of diapers in the box. NOT fair.)

Well, this was no size 6. Not even a 5 or a 4. It was an itty bitty, teeny tiny size ONE. Aside from wondering how the gods at Luvs could know I was baking a wee little thing that could fit into that size, I marveled for a good five minutes that OH MY GOD - I am going to have another baby that fits into that size. Size 1's are so tiny, people. And tiny equals disgustingly cute.

DH does not believe that either of our chub monsters ever fit unto a size 1, and I had to assure him that they actually started at the size below that - newborn. I have a hard time believing it myself.

Up until now, it has not really seemed real that I'm having a baby. I'm in that in-between stage of having a little bloat-belly but not feeling any movement or getting many "when are you due?" comments. Not even having a doppler at home to spy on the little nugget every now and then has made it much of a reality. But seeing that tiny little diaper that fit into the palm of my hand made me catch my breath.

Holy crap, guys - I'M HAVING A BABY.

Blogged by Making A Modern Family at 11:24 AM 2 comments  

Hello, 2009

Thursday, January 1, 2009

2008 had it's fair share of good, bad and awful. It goes without saying that I am beyond stoked that 2009 is here and I'm ready for a fresh start.

2008 became the end of life on earth for two of my closest grandparents. Both losses were shocking and very unexpected, and gave me my first real dose of loss in my life.

My parents moved away in 2008, leaving me to truly grow up and learn how to live day to day without my mom a phone call away as a last minute baby-sitter or grocery shopping partner.

I struggled with many personal demons in 2008, and I'm confident in saying that I have overcome them. Confusion over sexuality, battles with severe depression and a troubled relationship consumed my life for over half of 2008. I turned to partying and alcohol and shut everyone out. Not my proudest moment as a mother by far, but I'm so incredibly lucky that my wonderful husband stood by me through the worst of times and we are now proudly past those demons, together.

2008 made me the mother of a pre-schooler and a toddler instead of a toddler and a baby. My boys are the only ones, aside from my husband, who have stuck by my side no matter how bad it got and were always able to bring a smile to my face. I am so incredibly in love with them and couldn't imagine two more perfect children.

We got the shock of our lives in 2008 when the baby we never thought we would have was conceived. I won't lie and say it was easy at first, as we were both confused and scared and unsure if we could handle it. A third baby was not in our plans but we have embraced it with open hearts and are now beyond ecstatic about this new little life.

2008 left our family, like many others in America, struggling in this horrible economic crisis. But we thank our lucky stars that my husband still has a job, we still have our house and we still have each other. We will get through it, and I feel that things will get better sooner rather than later.

Hello, 2009. Nice to meet you. I hope we become great friends.

Blogged by Making A Modern Family at 10:15 AM 1 comments