Wordless Wednesday - Two Geniuses

No Mess Watercolors

  Amryn is one creative little girl, she loves to color and draw, a real little artist. Recently I got out a set of watercolor paints for her to try, I was a bit nervous about the possible mess, but figured since they were watercolors,and water soluable, that it would be a pretty easy cleanup. As I'm looking in the cupboard for a cup to give her some water for her brush, I had a brain storm! We have several of those plastic cups with lids that you get at restaurants with the kids meals, you know the kind with the hole in the top for a straw? I grabbed one of those, filled it with a bit of water, and stuck the paint brush in the straw hole! I took it over to Amryn and showed her how to put the brush in the hole and pull it out, and that was all it took! Even when the cup tipped over, only a few drops leaked out! I'll try to update this post later with some photos, but I wanted to get this little tip out there, maybe I can save you all from some floods!

It's the little things...

Being a stay-at-home Mom, I don't get a lot of chances to go out, and even if I had the chance, me staying at home means we live off of one income, which means well...things are pretty tight. But we make it work, and I think it is helped me to enjoy a simpler life, and that's okay. Where I once would look forward to a night out on the town with my friends having dinner and drinks, I now get really really excited when one of my favorite TV shows starts a new season. Which brings me to the current reason I'm so excited...Project Runway season 8 starts tonight!!!!  I haven't not watched every season, I think I came in around season 3 or 4...but the reality TV junky in my LOVES this show!  Maybe it' the fag hag in me, that looks forward to seeing all the fabulously cute gay bois, or maybe I just love the creative aspect of the show. You would think that there really isn't much more that can be done with clothes...and then BAM they come up with something that no one has ever seen before! I got my DVR set, and I can not wait to have some "me time" tonight after Amryn is in bed, ahhh the little things...

Wordless Wednesday

Yes I'm back from the abyss once again...to give you Worldess Wednesday...

Oops..I did it again...(horrible Birtney Spears reference not intentional...)

Hi everyone...it's me again...yea I know, I know...I slacked on the blogging again. Sorry! I blame it on a combination of SAHM of a 2 year old exhaustion, and writers block...but I'm going to try to get back on the horse I swear!

Amryn had her first "Tiny Tutu's" dance class yesterday, which went fairly well. We were worried because sometimes when she gets around other children, well she tends to be a bit agressive with her friendliness...she doesn't hit or bite or anything like that...she HUGS and KISSES and sometimes this leads to some overzealous tackling to the ground mid hug. We reminded her in the car on the way there to not just attack people, and my hubby has been trying to teach her to shake hands, so we were pretty optimistic, and she did great! She was more interested in running around after all the other little girls than in grabbing ahold of them, and despite accidently wacking another little girl with her princess wand because they were all standing too close together and Amryn is a lefty, there were no incidents. But I must say a class of 2 year olds dancing around in leotards and tutus is so stinkin' cute!

So there's a bit of an update for you all...I promise to try to get back again this week to write something of substance. I have reviews and things piling up that I need to take care of! If I don't make it back beforehand...have a happy 4th of July everyone!

Friday - Here comes the sun?

After all my complaining about June-uary...I woke up this morning to find that the sky has turned a strange color, it isn't gray anymore...it is BLUE!! Then there's this large bright yellow thing in the sky, I'm not sure but I heard somewhere that this is called THE SUN! I'm pretty sure this may be a sign of the apocalypse...or maybe summer has finally come to Oregon! (crossing fingers, knock on wood, and any other superstitious stuff...)

So to celebrate this lovely day, I've decided to join in on New Friend Friday, from The Girl Creative, and Follow Me Friday from Still On The Verge! Click the links below to join in!

Wordless Wednesday

We hit 80 degrees for the first time this year on Saturday, and it was free fishing day!

Terrific 2's-day - Amryn's Playlist

Hey, look at that, I'm writing a blog post! Sorry for not being around much lately, we're still getting adjusted to my hubby being back to work, and his schedule keeps changing, and I'm trying to get back on track with being the only stay-at-home parent and maid service. So now on to Terrific 2's-day.

Amryn has always enjoyed music, even when she was a tiny little infant she enjoyed being sung to sleep. This love of music has only grown with her, and she now can't hear a catchy tune without moving and grooving. She has varied taste as well, she has just started getting into kids music, after receiving a CD player and CD's for her birthday, but she also likes the music that my hubby and I listen to, especially on the radio in the car, and can actually sing along with some of the songs! So I thought it would be fun to write about what Amryn's "playlist" would look like if she had her own iPod. (This may be something I might actually create to put on my iPod for car trips etc.)

1. "I Gotta Feeling" by The Black Eyed Peas - She loves singing and dancing to this one, though it comes out kind of like "I ababa dababa tonight...goodnight." She loves to yell "Smash it!" too.

2. "The Wheels on the Bus" - This is a recent addition to her repertoire, she loves to sing and make all the hand motions.

3. "Hey Soul Sister" - by Train - She really likes to sing the "hey's" this is also a good song for car seat dancing.

4. "If Your Happy and You Know It" - She often requests to sing this song, she loves to clap, stomp, and shout hooray!

5. "Use Somebody" - by Kings of Leon - This one she kind of surprised us with one day, it came on the radio and we could hear her singing from the backseat, this is one where she knows a lot of the words-like entire phrases.

6. "Say Hey (I Love You)" by Michael Franti - She is so adorable when she sings this song, because it comes out "I yuv uwwww, I yuv uwwww, I yuv uwww" this is also another favorite car seat dancing song.

7. "ABC's" - When she sings them by herself, she sometimes skips sections of letters, like she'll get A-G and then skip to Q-Z. If someone is singing with her she will sing all the letters. I love the way she says "dub-u" and "Xxxxxx".

8. "Black Horse and a Cherry Tree" by KT Tunstell - Amryn loves to sing the "whoo-hoo's"

9. "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" - She learned this one watching Nina and Star on Sprout, I would this was probably the first song she started singing along to.

10. "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga- Much to the chagrin of my hubby who can't stand Lady Gaga, Amryn and I are fans.

So there you go, Amryn's top 10 playlist, in no particular order. I'm pretty proud of my little girl's eclectic taste in music, and I love listening to her sing, watch out American Idol 2024!

For your enjoyment, a video of Kings of Leon!

June-uary....

It seems like it has been raining here FOREVER. Ok, ok, I do know that I live in Oregon, but this is even a little much for our already infamous rainy-ness. I think we've had like 1 sunny day in like 20 some days...whatever, it is just sad and wet and depressing. It has gotten so bad the weather man has been joking about how this is more like our weather in January, and thus the new phrase "June-uary".  But you know what the worst part is about all this wet and cold? Amryn has an entirely new super cute summer wardrobe hanging in her closet which has never been worn! Meanwhile she's running around in size 18 month pants (because I didn't really want to waste money on the next size up when she should be wearing all the cute summer clothes I already spent money on), which could be a good thing for when the floods hit because the child has grown like 4 inches in the past 6 months and now her pants are all capris. I keep reading blogs and seeing pictures of all these adorable babies and toddlers in these cute dresses and tanks tops, as I dress my child in fleece pants and long sleeve shirts!  I have heard rumors that we may hit the 80's this weekend, that we are supposed to dry up Friday and it looks like dry times through atleast the middle of next week...I'm cautiously optimistic.

Micro Monday

In my attempts to be a better blogger, I wanted to take a few moments to write a little Micro Monday post. Big news in my area right now is the story of Kyron, a 7-year old boy who has been missing since Friday morning. His step-mother attended his school's science fair with him that morning, and he was last seen outside his classroom at around 9am. His parent's had no idea anything was wrong until he did not come home on the bus that afternoon. It is getting nation wide coverage, but if you are in the Pacific NW and want more info, there is a facebook page here.

Back to the daily grind...

So I know my posts have been few and far between lately, which really saddens me because I was really getting into blogging there for awhile. Well my hubby started training for his new job on Tuesday, which has thrown our life into a tail spin since I am now having to remember what it was like to be home alone all day with a toddler, and because his training is from 3:00pm-11:30pm. So we've had to make some adjustments to Amryn's schedule, while she was used to going to bed at about 10:30pm, she is now lucky to get to bed by Midnight, but sleeps until 11:30 am/12:00pm. Luckily this will only last like another week or 2, and then the lastest he will be working is 10pm.

I had actually forgotten how lonely it is to be a stay-at-home Mom. I had my hubby around everyday for nearly 6 months, so with him being gone now I'm having to adjust to only having a toddler to talk to all day. Plus now that hubby is working again I have no one to help out with the household chores, and I have forgotten how exhausting it is to try to do it all.

Lots of fun things to update on including Amryn's big girl bed, adventures in potty training, and our trip to the county fair where Amryn had her first pony ride! So hopefully I will get to those things along with more reviews in the coming week(s).

Have a good weekend everyone!

I feel like Willy Wonka!

   If you're anything like me, you've stood in the candy aisle eyeing all the different types of chocolate bars available trying to decide just which one would satisfy your sweet tooth, but none of them seem to have just the right mix of ingredients. One has chocolate and nuts, another one has caramel, but Oh...peanut butter would be awesome too! Sadly no one candy bar has everything you crave, so maybe you cave in and just buy one, but it still leaves you wanting after it is gone.

   I was recently given the opportunity by Chocbite to go to their website and create my own chocolate bar! I was really excited as I looked through the different types of chocolate available, I chose milk chocolate, and by the time I got to the toppings I was seriously giddy. Macadamia nuts? caramel bits? And toffee crunch? YES please!

   Not long after I received a small white box in my mail, and nestled inside it's bubble wrapped home was this heavenly looking bar of deliciousness...MY personal creation, a chocolate bar that was everything I wanted.  This was a custom made chocolate bar, with a cute little "bite" taken out of one corner, and as I broke off my first square I was literally drooling with anticipation. There weren't just pieces of macadamia, these where like HUNKS of macadamia nuts, and delicious little balls of caramel, with tiny little crunchy toffee bits (I loved these as they reminded me of the things they used to sprinkle on Toffee Nut lattes at Starbucks...I miss those).

 I just have to say, I was not disappointed, as I took a bite the chocolate was unlike anything I have ever tasted (and I've had some GOOD chocolate in my time including Godiva) it was so smooth and soft that it just melted in my mouth, the toppings were all high quality and very fresh. This definitely a chocolate you must savour and enjoy, this is not your kids chocolate bar...in fact I doubt you'll want to share this with anyone (yea, sorry hubby)!

Have I hit you in the sweet tooth yet? Well it gets better...from now until the end of the year you can use the code: CHOCBITE20 at checkout to receive 20% off your order! (Think: Fathers Day and Christmas!) Be sure to check out Chocbite on Twitter and Facebook! I ate my very last piece of my milk chocolate, macadamia, caramle, toffee crunch bar while writing this post, and I'm very sad...looks like I'll need that coupon code myself!

Disclaimer: I was given a free bar of chocolate from Chocbite for the purposes of sampling in order to write a review.

Terrific 2's-day (err...Wednesday)

Okay, so technically it is Wednesday, since it is 12:45am..but since I haven't been to bed yet I still say Tuesday. lol

A little background on today's post...I met my hubby through a personals ad he entitled "Shrek seeking his Fiona."  and one of our early dates was seeing Shrek the 3rd when it came out in theatres, so the Shrek movies have always had a special place in our hearts. So when we heard that a 4th Shrek movie was coming out we were really excited. Then we got to thinking about the possibility of taking Amryn with us to see her first movie, she likes to watch TV and has a pretty good attention span for a 2 year old, so we decided to give it a try.

Monday we decided that Tuesday would be the big day. We wanted to go to an early showtime during the week, so the theatre would be less crowded, so there would be less chance of annoying large amounts of people with a talking 2 year old ( but really it's a cartoon so if people can't get over the fact that there will be kids there and that hey, kids tend to make noise, then well, they should just wait for the DVD).  We really started hyping it up, telling her about the "big TV screen" and how she would have to be quiet while watching the movie. So all day yesterday all she talked about was going to see Shrek, and the "big TV" and "Shhh...quiet."

So we get to the theatre early, wanting to make sure to get a seat where Amryn would be able to see, and to have time to get settled and everything. She did really well sitting in her own seat, eating some popcorn, during the pre-show stuff, all the previews, and some of the movie.  But then she started to get a little antsy. So she sat with Daddy for a little while but then starting fussing a bit louder, so he took her out of the theatre for a minute to talk to her about being quiet. She came back in and stood up and walked between hubby and I for a good portion of the remainder of the movie, but she did a really good job at being quiet, and I think all and all for her first movie theatre experience she did an awesome job! Now all she talks about is Shrek, the dragon, and Donkey, so I'm guessing she did in fact watch the movie. So all in all it was a pretty terrific 2's-day. Next on the list...Toy Story 3!

(Oh, my review of the film...it was good, not nearly as good as the other 3 though...)

Holy Crap! It's Friday!

So yea, this week sorta flew by for me, and well I didn't do too good with the blogging thing...AGAIN. Life has been a bit hectic around here lately...getting hubby ready for his new job (he starts on June 1st, yay!)...getting me to a job interview today (I think it went well, but I've said that before and gotten no response what-so-ever, so maybe if I don't get my hopes up and think I totally won't get it, they'll call me for the 2nd interview), and a host of other possibly important other stuff like laundry and TV watching, and hubby playing Xbox...ya know busy busy busy.

And it isn't like I don't have stuff to write about, I've actually literally got piles of stuff here to review..including OMG the very best chocolate I've ever tasted, a REALLY AWESOME kids book, books and websites and other cool junk. But lately after Amryn goes to bed (which is when I do the bulk of my blogging) all I've really wanted to do is climb in bed and zonk out...which sometimes happens. But I promise I'll be back soon with all those cool product reviews, (cause I know you're all dying to know about this amazing chocolate) and maybe a coupon code or giveaway or two. Big things I tell you, big things...okay well atleast things.

Sorry, time to catch up again...

So I haven't posted in a few days, things have been busy around here with hubby getting a new job, and the weather has just been way too gorgeous to sit around the house all day! Unfortunately as we say here in Oregon, if you don't like the weather wait 5 mins, and now our sunny nearly 80 degree days are going to give way to rain with 50 degree temps by the end of the week. But it was nice to get outside with Amryn, to blow some bubbles and help her learn to ride her trike. She's starting to get the hang of it, and can pedal for a couple of rotations and then ends up steering herself into the grass, still not too good on the coordination of hands and feet together, but she'll get there. I'm planning for a lot more outside time this summer, especially with the possibility of hubby having to work graveyard shift at his new job! (Apparently shift requests will be based on performance during training class, so here's hoping he does well, as trying to sleep with a 2 year old in a small apartment will probably not be much fun.)

I've been over-run with great blogging opportunities lately, and I'm working on bringing you all some great reviews about some cool new books, websites, and products, so be on the look out for those soon! Tell your friends and neighbors, the more followers and hits to my blog the better opportunities I will get, hopefully including some giveaways for all of you!

Have a wonderful week everyone!

100!!!

Wow! I finally reached 100 followers! Amazing! I'd like to say I have something cool to give away or something...but I don't...yet. I'm working with several different blogging agencies, so we'll see if I can get something soon. But thank you to everyone for following!! And if for some reason I don't already follow your blog, please let me know! Thank you!!

So I won't have to resort to killing him after all...

My sweet hubby has been unemployed for about 5 1/2 months now, and all this 24/7 always togetherness stuff has been getting a bit old lately. I love him dearly, but I don't think any couple was meant to spend THAT much time together. Luckily for us and our marriage, HE GOT A JOB TODAY!! Whoohoo! He will start training in the beginning of June! So no husband-cide for me. LOL

Terrible 2's-day errr Wednesday...

Yesterday was my hubby's birthday, so I was a bit busy and didn't get a chance to post my usual Terrible/Terrific 2's-day post...but that's okay because I didn't really have much to write about until today.

We live in a fairly large apartment complex made up of many many buildings, and in front of each building is a parking area, some with carports and some uncovered spots. Our parking spot is directly in front of our apartment, so when you open the door you can see our car. Usually when we go to leave, Amryn will walk out ahead of me and then stop right outside our door, and then I'll either shut and lock the door, or if my hubby is with us, he'll do it, and then I take Amryn's hand and we walk out to the car. Well today the 3 of us were leaving to go to the library, and I open the door and Amryn TAKES OFF RUNNING! I holler after her to stop, and when I realize that she's NOT STOPPING, and is almost past the parking spaces and INTO THE STREET! I start running and screaming at my husband (who is still inside w/ the door open, why I thought he could get to her faster I don't know.) She stops IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD, just as I catch up to her, THANK GOD no cars were coming or going at that time (we live just 2 buildings in from the exit), because I'm pretty sure she's too small to be seen by someone in a car, I would hope that the sight of the crazy mother running and screaming would have slowed them down, but who knows. I grabbed that child by the arm and right in the middle of the street I swatted her on the butt twice, and told her that she is not allowed to run in the street! (I do realize this is a popular hot bed topic, and I do not believe in beating children, but I see nothing wrong with a couple of pops on her diapered butt when she has done something life-threatening dangerous.) Yea, I think that whole situation took a few years off my life! And now the new rule will be that Amryn must be holding my hand when I open the door! Ahh the terrible 2's.

Micro Monday

Dear Sigmund,

What is your fascination with eating Amryn's crayons? I get that they are kinda chewy, but I doubt they have any discernible flavor, and honestly I'm tired of picking up rainbow colored poo. So just leave the crayons alone, thank you.

Love,
Mommy

Six Word Saturday!

I love Starbucks Happy Hour! Yummy!

In case you haven't heard, Starbucks is doing 1/2 priced Frappucino's during "Happy Hour" from 3pm-5pm now through May 16th! It was exactly what I needed to day to help get rid of a 2 day migraine! Plus it went really well with the beautiful Spring day we had!

New Friend Friday!

I love reading new blogs, and I love having new followers...so once again I've joined in on New Friend Friday from The Girl Creative Who is I might add doing a cool giveaway on her blog right now so check it out!

So welcome to those who are stopping by, and please follow me and leave a comment so I can return the favor! I'm just starting out on this blogging journey, but I have some new things in the works right now, including some reviews and possibly some giveaways soon...but in the meantime I hope that I can at least be somewhat entertaining.

Confession TIme

Ok...I'm about to make a confession that no adult woman should probably ever have to make. I Jessica, like totally uncool music. Yes it is true, I love singing along with my Neil Diamond CD's, and dancin' in my car to old Billy Joel, in fact right now I'm singing along to Barry Manilow's greatest hits..."At the Copa...Copacabana" yea I love me some Manilow (I REALLY wanted to go see him in Vegas, but none of my friends would go with me :( ) My musical tastes are super eclectic, I always say that pretty much anyone could find atleast 1 CD in my collection that they would listen to. I have pop, rock, classical, country, show-tunes, dance music, you know it...my iPod playlist is a bit schizophrenic one minute you might be listening to Adam Lambert, the next minute you're listening to Neil Diamond, and then Rascal Flatts. To me it is not as much about the type of music someone makes as it is about how well they make it, I like people who are genuinely talented, so many artists these days are nothing but studio creations who really can't carry a tune in a bucket. But if liking good music makes me totally uncool, I think I'm okay with that.

Yay! Potty training...yea...not so much...

So we've had this potty for awhile now about 6 months or so, it started off with Amryn just sitting on it with her clothes on, just to get her used to the idea and to adjust to it gradually. Then every once in awhile she would sit on it without her diaper, and 2 times she actually did pee. Since she's turned 2, I have been wanting to get serious about this potty training thing, and she seems to be showing all the signs, telling us when she's wet, taking her diaper off when she's wet etc. She also LOVES the Pull-ups (actually I guess ours are Easy-ups) because they have Dora on them (which she doesn't actually even know about since she's never seen an episode of Dora because I hate Dora, but that's a story for another time) and she will actually ask to wear "Doras" instead of diapers, but sadly 10 minutes later she's peed in the Doras and dang those things are expensive! If we take her to the bathroom every 15 minutes, she's peeing every 20 minutes in her Doras right after she sat on the potty! *sigh* I've thought about doing training underwear instead with plastic covers, but we only have like 3 pairs, and buying enough for her to pee her pants every 20 minutes everyday would be more expensive than the pull-ups. lol Others have suggested "Oh just let her run around naked" yea...we rent. (And I do not have a stream cleaner.) and we have a very curious dog who is known to be slightly inappropriate with the licking...so yea, naked not going to work so well. I know she'll get it, I know she won't be going to college in diapers, I know she's still pretty young...but it is still frustrating.

Now I've heard things about a 3-day program. Does anyone have and experience with this? Any good books you've read on the subject? How long do/did you have your child sit on the potty? I'm taking tips, so please comment away!

Wordless Wednesday

Terrific 2's-day - My sushi baby.

Ever since Amryn started eating solid foods my hubby and I have tried our best to introduce her to a variety of different foods, including things like Thai food and sushi. Now I will admit this isn't regular toddler fare, but I love the reactions we get when we pull the highchair up to the sushi bar. A terrific thing about having a 2 year old is that she can now express to us what things she likes to eat, and for several days Amryn had wanted sushi. So on Friday we hit one of our local sushi restaurants for their daily "Happy Hour" where everything on the rotating bar is only $1.50 each.

As soon as we get her strapped into the highchair she's reaching for the sushi bar saying "Sushi!! Sushi!!" We started off with some California rolls, and gave her one, she downed that thing in a split second was asking for more! Then we got a plate (3 pieces) or her favorite House Rolls which she ate all by herself and demanded more. At one point a member of the staff was walking by and stopped to watch as Amryn was eagerly shoving sushi into her mouth, I heard him kinda chuckle and walk away. This wasn't the first reaction we have gotten to Amryn's eating habits, one time at the same restaurant a lady was walking out and came up to us and said "She's the cutest little sushi baby I've ever seen!" I'm a firm believer that children are not born disliking certain foods, no one told Amryn that 2 year olds don't eat sushi so she doesn't think it is at all unusual, she just knows its one of her favorite foods, which I think is pretty terrific!

Amryn last summer at the sushi bar.

Attention Dog Whisperers.

So my dog Sigmund, who is a pug, thinks he is a person. Well, atleast I think he does...or maybe he thinks that Amryn is some sort of strange dog or other pet, because he has a serious case of jealousy. Now I know that sometimes dogs can get jealous when you bring home a new baby, the funny thing is though we got him when Amryn was about 18 months old, so she was here first! Here's some examples of his jealous behavior, today I was sitting on the couch eating some pretzels and Amryn came up to sit with me so she could have some too, well of course Sigmund has to jump up on the couch and sit there staring at us like "Where's mine?" Or if I'm sitting at the computer and Amryn wants to sit in my lap, I'll lift her up and hold her on my knee, and everytime Sigmund is there jumping up and nipping at her or scratching her, and when I put her down, he won't leave her alone! He puts his mouth over her hands (does not bite her though) or knocks her down, I think he's trying to play but is just too rough or doesn't understand why she doesn't particularly like it. I'm not sure if he is jealous of me for being with her, or jealous of her for being with me, because he has sort of adopted me as his "person". I think that the other problem is that the family we got him from also had another dog, so he's used to having someone to play rough with, but they also had a 4 year old daughter, who would have been Amryn's age when they got him, and they said he was great with her.



Anyway, the hubby and I are at our limits with some of his behaviors, so we have signed Sigmund up for a training class at the local park n' rec, but it doesn't start until June! This is the first dog I've ever really owned, as the dogs my family had were all when I was Amryn's age, so I have no clue how to go about training a dog. Any dog experts out there have any advice? My husband already has 2 different homes lined up for him, but I really really don't want to get rid of him, I mean just look at this face!

I wanted to just crawl into a hole...

Have you ever had that nightmare where your child is screaming uncontrollably in the middle of a crowded library and everyone is staring at you? Crying so loudly that your husband, who is upstairs, can hear it and think to himself, "That sounds like my daughter, I better go see what's going on." Well that folks was my reality yesterday.

We went to the library, and Amryn and I were in the children's section while hubby went upstairs to look for somethings. Amryn was playing happily around a small table with another little girl that was probably about 3 years old, whose father was busy on a computer like 15 feet away and wasn't really paying attention to his kid, but that's a post for another day. Amryn ends up tripping on something, (her own feet?) and catches her chin on the side of the table, and instantly breaks out into a blood curdling scream. Of course everyone in the library can hear this inconsolable screaming child, and I'm getting the look of death from a number of patrons. (I wanted to scream at them, "Yes, I am aware that this is a library, and that my child is screaming, I really don't need your stares!) My first instinct is to run for the exit, but I've got a screaming child in my arms, and a stroller, plus all the books and movies we've picked out, I was contemplating just leaving the stroller and library books and movies when a library worker comes over to ask if she's okay (because she's still crying and screaming). I'm so annoyed, embarrassed and frustrated at this point that I basically just ignore the lady and say something like "Yea, she hit the table." I think the lady may have offered me some ice, I didn't really hear her because I was focused on getting to the door, when I see my hubby coming down the stairs. I briefly explained what happened and he scoops her up and heads for the exit.

He was finally able to calm her down enough to come back in and we got all the books and movies checked out. She's left with a gash on her chin where she kinda rubbed the skin off, but at least we were saved from having to go to the ER again.

Terrible 2's-day!

Ahh the joys of parenting a stubborn and independent 2 year old...it's time for another addition of Terrible/Terrific 2's-day.

Lately Amryn has decided that napping isn't really her thing. It's been pretty hit or miss lately as it whether or not she will take a nap on any given day. Yesterday, I had a job interview in the afternoon so I was gone around her usual nap time, so it was up to my hubby to fight with the mighty 2 year old over nap time. I get home about half an hour after he had put her down, and she is screaming from her bedroom, he has already gone in once to tell her it is time to sleep, but she is screaming "Ma-ma" so I decide that maybe I should go in and let her know that I have returned. I get into her room and she's standing in her crib with tears and snot running down her face and she says between sobs "sob Da-sob-da made me-sob- take a - sniffle-nap." I comforted her and told her that it was time for her to take a nap, and I layed her down and tucked her in with her bunny, and left the room. She continued fussing and screaming, until we just decided to go get her, which has been happening more and more lately when she just won't nap. She does okay for the most part without a nap, until about 7 or 8 pm when she totally looses it and becomes so clingy and whiny and just miserable, which usually leads us to say "Now see, THIS is why you need a nap!" Which of course doesn't convince her in the slightest that napping is necessary. I'm just really not ready for her to stop taking naps, I think that 1 1/2 to 2 hour break each day is as much (if not more) for my sanity as it is for hers.

It's time for Six Word Saturday

Can I go back to sleep?

America Deserves a Raise!

Do you know of someone who works much harder than what their pay check reflects? Someone who puts in extra hours? Someone who devotes themselves to their job? Do you know anyone who deserves a $40,000 raise? Advance America wants to reward one hard working person a $40,000 raise, and if you nominate them then you'll get one too! Go to America Deserves a Raise and tell their story! The top 100 highest-rated stories will each win a $50 Visa Gift Card and go to the finalist’s round, where a panel of judges will choose the winner of the $40,000 raise. Plus, for every vote, Advance America will donate $1 to job training and education charities (up to $50,000). If you enter someone please leave a comment with a link, I'd love to check out your stories!

They will also be giving away one $100 Visa Gift Card each day!

Disclosure: I was given the opportunity to promote this contest from Bzzagent, for doing so I will have a chance to win an Apple ipad.

Wordless Wednesday

Terrific 2's-day!

Time once again for my new regularly scheduled blog post where I will entertain you with the antics of my newly 2 year-old daughter! Since last weeks Terrible 2's-day post, things have been pretty good at our place, so today I shall share a Terrific 2's-day post with all of you.

I really LOVE how much Amryn is talking now. She has always had a pretty impressive vocabulary, I mean the child said "pizza" before she ever said "Mama". But just recently her vocabulary and speech have just blossomed! We have full thought processes and nearly full sentences! She can recall and describe something that happened months ago! She can make her needs and wants known, she looked at her Daddy yesterday morning and said "Daddy, yogurt please." So polite too! This is definitely something terrific about having a 2 year-old!

Micro Monday

Just a little post to share how much I love gift cards! It's like 2 gifts in one, you get a present AND you get to go shopping! Yay! Off to spend Amryn's birthday gift card to Old Navy today!

Spoiled Rotten!

Well if any of you live in the Portland, Oregon area and smell a strange smell coming from the NW part of town, that would be my kid because she has seriously been spoiled rotten! We had Amryn's birthday party yesterday, she received 1- tricycle,and 1-jungle block set from one set of grandparents, 3 new outfits, a swimsuit, and a golf set from another set of grandparents, 1- Pooh boat blocks set, and an apron for her kitchen from her aunt,uncle, and cousins, and a $25 card to Old Navy from her oldest cousin and his girlfriend. On top of the barn and kitchen we got her, and the Tinkerbell CD player and books and CD's that the 3rd set of grandparents sent from Ohio. Yea...spoiled rotten!

After we had eaten lunch we get the cake all set up with the candle and we're ready to sing happy birthday, and right as we start singing, she sticks her hand in the cake! But she was a big girl and blew the candle out all by herself! Here's a video of Amryn devouring her cake, but she was a big girl and used her fork!

PR Friendly Mom Bloggers Blog Hop!

Happy Birthday Amryn!

As unbelievable as it seems, today my baby turns 2. It seems like yesterday that I was holding my tiny little baby in my arms and now I'm lucky if she'll stop long enough to give me a hug! She is an amazing little person, and she never ceases to surprise me with everything she knows! It's such a fun age though, she is really getting into pretend play, and we are starting to be able to have full conversations with her, even my husband commented this week about how much fun she is now. I sometimes have to remind myself that she isn't a baby anymore, and that she is far more capable and independent than I really give her credit for, I guess this will be my first of many tests of "letting go" and allowing her to stretch and explore for she is such a fearless and adventurous little thing.


Today we are taking Amryn to a local inflatable place where they have play times for just toddlers 3 and under. She LOVES to jump, so I know this is going to be right up her alley. Plus she'll get some much needed socialization with lots of kids and I know that will thrill her to no end. Just a fun day out with Mommy and Daddy, and then her party with family tomorrow. What more could a 2 year old ask for?

Happy Birthday Amryn!

Wordless Wednesday

I just don't know if I'm ready for her to be 2.

Terrible/Terrific 2's-day

As I sit on the verge of officially having a 2 year-old. I came up with this idea for a regular post for this blog...so now everyday Tuesday is now officially Terrible/Terrific 2's-day. The point behind this will be to report some of the terrible or terrific things about having a 2 year old. The ultimate goal here will be to get a button and to figure out those McLinky things and maybe have others participate as well so we can all commiserate or celebrate having 2 year olds!

This week has definitely had some trying Terrible 2's moments. But the biggest one would have to be Amryn taking a bottle of A-1 sauce off a tv tray and sneaking into our bedroom where she proceeded to dump approximately 3/4th of a brand new bottle on our bedroom carpet. Oh yea...good times. She freaked out and came running out to me, and I picked her up and noticed a brown liquid on her foot, and then I smelled it and realized what had happened! Needless to say I couldn't get it all out of the carpet, so now anytime she's in our bedroom she comes in and points to the "sauce" on the carpet. It was a total "Calgon take me away" moment...and I know it is just the beginning of a long terrible and terrific year...

Six Word Saturday

It's time for another Six Word Saturday!




Love you honey, get a job!


My dear sweet husband has been unemployed since December, and I know he has been doing his best to get a job, but seriously he needs to get a job. This 24/7 always being around each other...well it's getting OLD...FAST.

Blogging Role Models

Do you have any blogging role models? You know, blogs that you read and you just WISH that your blog was like 1/2 as cool? Maybe it's the way they write-maybe they are funny or just write with lots of vivid detail, maybe it's that they give away really cool stuff, or maybe you really like their blog layout...whatever. I have a couple of bloggers that I really enjoy, in fact some of them I followed long before I even had a blog of my own. So today I thought I'd take a moment to share with you one of my blogging role models, so check out Amy Storch at amalah.com and maybe she can inspire you too.

Also if you would like to leave a comment and share your blogging role models I'd love to check out their blogs!

Birthday and stuff...

So plans have been made to celebrate Amryn's 2nd birthday next weekend. We've invited family to join us at a local pizza place for lunch, and then we'll have cake and ice cream. She's only 2, and we don't really have friends that have kids her age, so planning some giant "kid" party would not only be way to expensive but also kinda pointless since she really won't care anyway. So we figured lunch at her favorite pizza place with family and maybe a few friends, and a Yo Gabba Gabba cake would be just fine.

Yesterday we went to Toys R Us to pick out her last birthday presents, the plan was that since we already got her a big gift (a toy kitchen we got on clearance at Target after Christmas for 50% and have had in storage ever since) that hubby and I would each pick out 1 thing for her that was around $20. Then we saw these bigger Little People sets, a house, a farm, or a parking garage, and I suggested to hubby that maybe we should combine our money and just get one of those. So we took one of each off the shelf and lined them up in front of Amryn and asked her which one she wanted, and she pointed to the farm. Of course we have both realized this is probably going to be the last time we are going to beable to take her shopping with us while buying gifts for her, I'm sure my Christmas time this year she's not going to forget quite as easily.

Speaking of forgetting, I recently got out some toys that had been put away for awhile, she has so many toys and we just don't have the room to have them all out all the time, and she acted like she had never seen them before! One toy, a tea set, has gotten a ton of use as she has made and poured tea for me, Daddy, and even the dog. I think we've all had about a gallon of imaginary tea by now. I guess it is just preparing us for the millions of plastic meals we'll be eating once she gets her kitchen for her birthday! I'm hoping that we can put it together on Thursday night after she goes to bed so when she gets up on her birthday Friday it will be there to surprise her. The biggest challange is going to be figuring out where to put it! I am thinking I'd like it in the living room so she can be with us and play, but I'm not quite sure if it will fit in the space available. I guess I better get hubby to drag it out of storage so we can get measurements.

My Dad got Amryn a trike for her birthday, which I know she will LOVE. Everytime we go outside she wants to play with the bikes in the bike rack at our complex. So I see many sunny days outside this summer with her scooting around on her trike. We're waiting for my Mom's box from Ohio, and then there's still my hubby's parents, and my step-sister also got her something. Seriously this child wants for nothing, and I think the toys may in fact take over our apartment! But I'm still excited to see her reaction to everything! I still can't believe my baby is going to be 2.

Top 2 Tuesday

Time for another Top 2 Tuesday with The Undomestic Momma .

Top 2 Favorite Magazines:

1. O Magazine - I used to have a subscription to Oprah's magazine and I really enjoyed it, it has a lot more content that I am actually interested in compared to other women's magazines. Sadly, I don't have a subscription anymore, and it is just too expensive for us right now, but hopefully one day I'll be able to read it again.

2. Parents - As a (relatively) new first time Mom I really enjoy reading Parents magazine. I think it helps to keep my updated on the latest information but also provides fun ideas. Plus it doesn't hurt that I got a free subscription.

Ahhh Silence...

My husband has been unemployed since the beginning of December, so that means he's been home EVERYDAY.(Yea, I love him and spending time with him, but really it's gotten to be a bit of overkill lately.) Which also means that the TV/computer is spewing the sounds of one video game or another for the majority of any given day. Add to that din the noises of a nearly 2 year old and all of her battery powered toys (Seriously, don't batteries like die anymore?!) and it's non-stop noise a good 16+ hours a day around here. Except for the last 2 hours...

Hubby went out with a friend of ours, and Amryn has been taking the best nap she's had in along time...and I've been sitting here enjoying the relative silence...well except for the dog snoring on the couch. Ahhh...peace.

New Friend Friday!

My blog is growing by leaps and bounds especially my followers list! I love the idea that there are people out there that will actually read what I write. Plus I love to read blogs and get new and fun ideas from other Mommies! So last week I started joining The Girl Creative for New Friend Friday!

This week we were asked to give our birthday, my birthday is February 7th.



Thanks for everyone stopping by!

The Today Show talks about BABIES!

Here's a clip of what the Today Show had to say about the new film Babies, which starts on May 7th! I am so super excited to see this movie, and I'm glad it is getting such good press!

The TODAY Show features BABIES as "the movie trailer that makes hearts melt" and the trailer as "just under 3 minutes of pure pleasure". Featuring Jeff Gardere, Clinical Pschyologist giving his expert opinion of why it's so important for a movie like this to hit theatres now.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Umm...it's Thursday...

It's Thursday, and I can't decide on a single thing to write about, and I feel like doing another Meme would just be a cop-out at this point. So it's the first day of April, and my baby will be 2 in 15 days! We have started doing some pre-party planning, we searched 3 different stores to find one that makes a Yo Gabba Gabba cake, now Amryn is obsessed with cake, anytime you ask her about her birthday all she wants is "cake" and "pizza". We already got her a kitchen on clearance the day after Christmas, regular $100 we got it for just under $50, we've had it in storage this entire time! So hubby and I are each going to pick her out one more under $20 gift, I think hubby has decided on the Fisher Price Little People Fairy Treehouse (which is alot cheaper at Target) and I'm leaning towards the Leap Frog AlphaPet Explorer (which YAY! is on sale right now on Amazon). Plus she has 3 sets of grandparents, and I know that my step-sister and her family already got her something too. This child wants for nothing let me tell ya. We're not really going to throw a "party" but will probably just go out to lunch with family and maybe a few close friends. Aww, I still can't believe my baby is almost 2.

Wordless Wednesday

What a difference nearly 2 years makes...

Top 2 Tuesday

In an effort to keep up with blogging, I will be trying out some random Memes and other such things. Today it is Top 2 Tuesday with The Undomestic Momma.





Today's Top 2 - 2 Random Facts About Yourself


1) I'm left handed, but pretty much the only things I do left handed are write and hold a fork. I cut with my right hand (probably from a lack of left handed scissors as a child), throw with my right hand etc.

2) I'm a reality TV junkie, some of my current favorites are: Project Runway, Models of the Runway,Ruby, 16 and Pregnant, True Life, 19 Kids and Counting, Celebrity Apprentice...umm I'm sure there are more, but you get the idea.

I don't know how "random" those are, but there ya go.

Oh Dear Dear Hubby....

So while on the computer tonight, my hubby comes across pics of my header and button on our computer. Now I know he knew at one point that I had a blog, but I never really told him much about it...so he says "Jess in Momland?" and I'm like "Yea, those are things for my blog." He says "You don't write about our fights do you?" (Geez, it isn't like we're fighting all the time, and even when we have an arguement it isn't like it is about anything that anyone would want to read about...) "Umm...no, just about Mom stuff." "Well, does anyone ummm...read it?" I smile and tell him "Actualy I have over 50 followers now." He says "Yea, but how many people we don't know?" "Actually, all of them are people we don't know." I think he was a bit surprised by that. We'll see if he actually tries reading the blog next.

My Button- Yay!

Thank you everyone for the great tips and links about making a button. I started off with the directions on Shasher's Stories where they talk about using Picnik to create the button, then uploading it onto Photobucket, and then using the directions from A Heart for Home to get the text box for your blog. So it isn't the most elaborate or coolest looking button, but I think it will work for now. If you want to grab my button you can find it on the right side-bar, then leave a comment so I can come and grab yours too!

Six Word Saturday....

It's Six Word Saturday time again...


Up early + No nap = Crazy Mommy

(Hey I only used six words, symbols don't count right?)

Are These Not the Cutest Movie Stars You've Ever Seen?

While at the movies recently I saw a preview for the movie Babies, and it really caught my attention. So I was really excited when I was given the opportunity by Bzzagent to spread the word about this amazing film, which hits theatres on May 7th, just in time for Mother's Day. Babies will follow the lives of four babies in four very different parts of the world.


Bayarjagal is from Bayanchandmani, Mongolia.


Hattie from San Fransisco, California.


Mari from Tokyo, Japan.


And Ponijao from Opuwo, Namibia.

I am really excited to see this movie, I think it will offer me as a parent a better appreciation for all the "luxuries" we have in this country that help us in the raising of our children (disposable diapers, wipes, bottles, breast pumps...)But I think it will also give me greater insight into how simple and natural parenting can be with out all of those things, and to maybe not stress so much about being the "perfect Mom" because hey, sometimes the goat is just going to drink the bathwater.

So please enjoy this trailer for the film Babies, in theatres May 7th!

New Friend Friday

I love reading blogs, so I'm always on the lookout for fun new "reads". So I thought what better way then to join in on New Friend Friday at The Girl Creative. Thanks for stopping by!

Button Button I Don't Have a Button!

Can someone tell me how to create a button for my blog? Or perhaps give me a link that would lead me to some sort of online tutorial? Or ya know if you're feeling really super helpful and bored...maybe make one for me? Haha thanks!

So...it's Thursday...

It's Thursday, and I haven't made a post since Monday...just sitting here trying to do some free flow writing to see if anything comes to me. I remember taking a writing class in college, we actually met in a computer lab so everyone got to sit at a computer and the Professor would tell us to just keep typing even if we only typed one word over and over again until something came to us. I don't think that would make for very interesting blogging, so I'll try to atleast come up with different words for you to read.

Wednesday was definitely one of those "terrible" 2's days, Amryn awoke sometime around 6am, she wouldn't go back to sleep on her own, so hubby ended up bringing her in to the bedroom where she slept with me. We later went out to run some errands and grab a bite to eat, then got home and put Amryn down for a nap. She usually cries when we leave the room after putting her in her crib, but she usually settles down after a couple of minutes and goes to sleep. Today she would not stop talking, and calling for us, and then crying. So I finally decided to go in and get her, I pick her up and instantly feel wetness, which I thought was strange because I had changed her before putting her down so there was no way her diaper should have leaked. Upon further inspection I realize that she had a total blow-out diaper, it was up her front and up her back and leaking from all sides. So instead of wasting an entire box of wipes it was off to the bathtub for the second bath of the day. She didn't seem to bothered, and didn't have a fever or anything, so I'm guessing that maybe something she ate didn't agree with her or something. Needless to say, she didn't get a nap today, so around 7pm she was in full out whiner mode and into everything, nothing made her happy, she was crying and just all around unpleasant. It didn't help matters that our dog has decided that since Spring is in the air that he's getting a little frisky, and likes to try to knock Amryn down and mount her. (He's fixed too!) So he gets all riled up and is try to jump on her and naw on her hands and sniff at her butt and just being a real pain in the ass. She's screaming and crying and yelling "No Siggy!" and running away only encourages him more! So I finally made her sit up on the couch with me until he could calm down. He's normally a really great dog, and super sweet, I just think we need to get him out to the dog park more to get his energy out, but with our lovely rainy Oregon winters/springs we haven't had alot of opportunities yet. Needless to say, after the day we had she went to bed early last night, luckily without a fuss.

Micro Monday...

I haven't been following the health care bill too closely, but it seems to me that those who are bitching and complaining about it, ALREADY HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE! So as soon as they have to decide if they are really "sick enough" to warrant going into debt for $1,000 for one emergency room visit, or to just suffer with it and hope it doesn't get any worse, then they can start bitching. When they have life threatening and life altering conditions that are left untreated because they can't afford to go to a Dr, or get lab work, or buy prescriptions, then maybe they can start complaining. Maybe when they are told the only way they can get Medicaid is to get pregant, then maybe they can get upset. Until then, enjoy lviing in your big houses, driving your fancy cars, and going to the Dr. whenever you get a sniffle, and STFU!

Lonely in Momland

My life in Momland has gotten kind of lonely lately...I really feel like I don't have any friends. I'm kind of strange, yeah I'm a "Mom" but I don't fit in with the homemaking, scrapbooking, soccer Moms from the playgroups. I was a fag hag, I know more about which gay bar serves the strongest drinks than I do about which playground has the best slides. I don't really fit in with my old friends either, I no longer have the luxury, freedom, or desire to go out to bars 3 or 4 days a week, or the expendable income to go shopping, or out to restaurants like we used to. And those impromptu road trips where we'd decided to drive 4 hrs at 9pm on a Saturday, those are definitely out. I still love my gay male friends, and I know there are a few of them that would still do anything for me if I asked, I guess I just feel like I don't have anything in common with them anymore. Yet I lived in that scene for so long that I feel like I don't know how to act around straight people, especially women. I don't really care about hair and makeup, and being a plus sized gal I can't really go right out and buy the "latest" thing, and probably wouldn't waste the money on it even if I could.

So obviously I need to find "my people" now, because while I love my hubby I really do need some sort of other interaction with adults or I may go mad. I need to find some normal mothers, the ones who don't do their hair and makeup for a playdate, Moms who throw on a pair of lounge pants and a t-shirt, put their hair up in a pony tail and call it good. Moms who don't care about driving the newest and biggest SUV, or living in the largest and nicest house. Aren't there other Moms out there whose idea of "me time" is taking a bath and reading a good book? I don't cook gourmet meals, my apartment often looks like a tornado hit it, and while I sometimes like to get "a little crafty" I haven't had the time or space to do anything in over 2 years now. I don't want to hang out with Moms who are constantly critiquing everything I say so they can judge me because they apparently think I am judging them, or who are so crazy about their little snookums that they can't even get more than 2 inches from them. My God, you did have them cut the cord after birth right? I mean jeez, you might as well wrap them in bubble wrap.

Honestly, my perfect friends would be Mitchell and Cameron from Modern Family. I totally need to find some gay men with children.

Wow!

Recently I learned about a site called the Mom Bloggers Club, it sounded interesting so I joined the site and a couple of "groups". I never imagined I'd go from like 7 readers to over 30 in less than a week! Thank you everyone for coming to my little piece of the web, and for following and leaving comments! I am doing my best to try to get to everyone's blog to return the favor, but this has caught me a bit off gaurd so it could take me a bit! But hopefully now I will feel more motivated to actually keep up with my blogging!

Six Word Saturday

Sun and 70's, Spring is here!

A Special Request for my Hubby...

If anyone here is a Dr. Pepper drinker, they have just come out with new specially marked bottles from EA games that have codes under the caps. My husband would love to get as many of those as he can to get items for his Xbox360 games. If you have any of these bottles and don't want the codes please leave me a comment!

Thank you everyone!

Wordless Wednesday

Daddy's Little Girl

Where did 2 years go?

Yesterday I finally got our digital camcorder hooked up to our computer to upload over a years worth of little videos and pictures. Once they were on the computer I couldn't resist watching a few of them, my little baby playing with toys, our first family trip to the zoo, and Amryn digging into her 1st birthday cake, and I wondered to myself...where did all the time go? I can not believe my little girl is going to be two next month, but then I think about the stubborness, the fit throwing and the high pitch screaming that we've had going on here the last couple of months and I know we are right in those "terrible 2's".

But, there are some pretty terrific things about 2's too, she's more and more verbal everyday as now she can start to form sentences with 3-5 words, she's also now old enough to really participate in activities and she remembers and talks about things we have done (after our recent beach trip she now asks everytime we leave the house if we're going to the beach). She is also now old enough to play with some pretty cool stuff - coloring in coloring books, playing with dolls, and I can not wait to give her the kitchen we bought her for her birthday (we got it on 50% off clearance after Christmas for $49.99 and have had it in storage ever since)!! Having an almost 2 year old also means we have a little helper, she can bring things to you from across the room, or pick up stuff off the floor, a guy at Hollywood video got a good laugh when he heard Jason ask Amryn to get a video game off the bottom shelf for him. So I guess 2 won't be all terrible...ugh if we survive potty training.

Amryn devouring her 1st birthday cake

Amryn at the beach drawing in the sand

Sooo...yea...

I've been neglecting my blog again...I think I just need to sit down everyday and make myself write something. I have lots of things to say, I think I just worry that it won't be interesting to anyone, or not as well written or witty or funny as the blogs I enjoy reading. But anyway...

Februray is a big month around Momland...I just celebrated my 33rd birthday on the 7th. Lucky for me the hubby is not a huge sports fan, and didn't mind going out to dinner in the middle of the Superbowl. Then of course we had the 14th, the in-laws came over in the afternoon to babysit and hubby and I went to see the movie Valentines Day, and then out for Thai food. And finally on the 27th my dear husband and I will celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary! I always joke that my husband lucked out, he gets all the big "wife" days out of the way in one month and is free from worring the rest of the year that he'll forget my birthday or anniversary. (Well, he better not forget our anniversary since he picked the date, 27, because my birthday is 2-7)

So as part of the celebration for all of this months big events, this week we took a trip to the beach for 3 nights, with daughter and dog in tow. The weather was amazing, sunny and beautiful except for the night we arrived when it was raining. We went for a walk on the beach on Tuesday morning, Amryn saw a seagull, pointed, and said "Chicken!" She then entertained herself with drawing in the sand with a stick. Sigmund got to meet a few other dogs, tried to chase some seagulls, and learned a quick lesson about how cold the water is on the Oregon coast, when he happily ran to the waters edge and it lapped at his paws. If I can finally figure out our digital camcorder that we've had over a year I'll try to upload some video from our trip. Wednesday was spent at the Oregon Coast Aquarium, where Amryn was mesmerized by all the fish, especially the jelly fish. Of course no trip to the beach would be complete without some outlet mall shopping (Children's Place sale, 12 pieces of clothing $36!), and a couple of trips to Mo's for clam chowder! We got back yesterday, I think we're already ready to go back!