Late Weekend Post

The pictures will show you:
-This weekend we ventured out to the Dam Festival in Little Falls.
-Joslynn liked the parade a lot.
-She also enjoyed the mini petting zoo.
-The kids got a new (old) wagon from grandma and grandpa.
-Both of them LOVE ice cream!

Help! We need some sleep!

How do you convince a two year old to go back to bed at 4:55am? Joslynn has been getting up at that time lately, not like it is any different than normal, but seriously child! We need some sleep! I was an idiot setting my alarm last night for 5:45 am thinking that I might actually "sleep in" until the alarm went off, since I have an appointment early today with Jackson.

Here's our dilemma:

1. The kids share a room, so if you let Joslynn cry in her crib she will scream until she wakes up Jackson who likes to sleep in in the morning.
2. She is too young to sleep downstairs in her own room.
3. We are not going to let her stay up any later because she has a bedtime of 8pm which gets stretched many times closer to 8:30. Even when she stays up later, she is up at the same time.
4. She takes one nap a day in the afternoon.
5. She's running around constantly with her 10 second attention span so you'd think that she is tired.

For a while, we just said, 'she's an early riser, I guess we'll have to live with that' but now we just need some sleep. Any suggestions from those with little ones?

Moms don't get breaks...

Even though I was going out for the evening with a friend of mine, I was still a mom the whole time. In fact, before I went out I precooked dinner for Josh and the kids so that it would be less chaotic for him alone. Then, just as we were leaving, I could see that Joslynn was possibly going to cry and throw a fit upon my departure, so I thought maybe if I helped warm up dinner and get her in "food" mode that she would be distracted enough to not make a big deal of my leaving. So, I quickly got kids in their seat and highchair and got food rollin' in the microwave, pacified Jack with some finger foods for a minute or two, got milk sipees out and waved goodbye from the foyer. No crying...that's a good sign!

My friend and I went to Mongo's for dinner. Mmmm...I LOVE Mongo's! I think I could eat there everyday if I had the time and money. Over dinner we discussed mostly mom stuff, since my friend is expecting her first baby this fall.

After dinner we proceeded to the mall to search for some gifts and essentials. I was searching for father's day stuff and she was looking for birthday and bridal gifts. My shopping trip was much more successful than hers. I found cards for my dad, Josh's dad and also some stuff for Josh (which I can't elaborate on until after Sunday.)

After roaming the mall for a while we left and headed to Cash Wise because I knew that Joslynn had like two drops of milk left. God bless my friend for being so easy going. We walked in to get milk and left with half a cart full of groceries. As we walked through the juice aisle, she said, "It's amazing, even though you aren't with the kids, you are still in 'mom mode.'" I replied with, "As a mom you will have a constant tally in your head of how many diapers, wipes, formula, and other essentials you have in the house." We finished our shopping and headed for home.

After this "night out" I realized a few things:

1. My friend is awesome for several reasons. Not only is she patient and understanding, but the fact that she appreciated my 'mom mode' reinforces the fact that she is going to be a great mom herself. This friend is also the kind of friend that you can still have a good time with when you are doing ordinary things like shopping for bras or strolling through the grocery store. I love her!
2. My "night out" was a nice break from being a mom, even though moms really don't get breaks...

All moms out there...I salute you.

Reasons Why I Love My Dyson

Oh, Mr. Dyson, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

1. Cat hair
2. People hair
3. Dust bunnies
   
4. I hate sweeping
5. more cat hair
6. Rice
7. Sand
8. Finely shredded cheese...everywhere!
9. Crumbs, crumbs and more crumbs

...and my final reason for loving my Dyson so much...

10. When you are having a Goldie Hawn, Overboard moment, it works great for vacuuming off the table (minus the banana peel).

Goodbye to a fuzzy friend

A bittersweet end to a good friendship has come today. Maynard, or "Maynie" as we call him, our cat, has gone to his new home today. We recently found out that Jackson is allergic to cats so we knew that we would have to find him a new home. He really is a nice kitty. He likes to be by you, so whatever room you are in, he tends to follow. He sleeps at the foot of the bed, kind of like a puppy. Joslynn loves him and Jackson does too, even though he can't touch him. He's been a great companion for the past 5 years and I am very sad to see him go. I am hoping that his new "mama" will love him and give him a lot of attention.

The sad part is...I am losing my pet of 5 years. He always seems to know when I am sad and need somebody. Joslynn will miss him, and I think it will be hard for her to understand that he is gone. Another sad thing is that my children don't have a pet either. I think that children, (and all people) really benefit from having an animal around. I am sad that they no longer have that.

On the bright side, my son will no longer be bombarded by cat hair (nor will we), but his reason is more of an issue since he is allergic. Also, I hope that Maynie can bring joy to an old lady and her grandchildren just as he has done for us. Goodbye fuzzy-pants!

2 weeks down...10 to go

One of my biggest goals for the summer is to start and finish my P90X workout videos that I have. If you have even been bored flipping the channels, you may have seen it on an infomercial. There is this guy, who looks like a Ken doll, his name is Tony Horton. He's awesome. Anyway...I wanted the workout program after Joslynn was born and actually got through 3 1/2 weeks of it until I found out I was pregnant with Jackson (no wonder I was draggin' ass.) I figured that if I want to do the full 12 weeks, now would be the time to start since it takes at least one hour a day, 6 days a week for the workouts. Lord knows that I don't have that much time during the school year; its hard enough during the summer! I am officially done with two weeks; wish me luck on my next 10 weeks!

Four years and counting...

Today is Josh and my 4th wedding anniversary. My how the time flies. Let's take a peek back (literally) four years...=It rained on our wedding day...supposedly that is good luck...
Because of the rain, all of our pictures are inside...
Our friends and family still tell us that is was the most fun they've ever had at a wedding...
After four years with this man, he's still the one I'm saving all my dances for...