Stonebrook Cottage

Heart Burn

2009-11-22T22:21:00.001-08:00

Currently I am rocking the worst heart burn on the face of the planet. I was so excited to post up some FABULOUS pictures and blog away...but now i have been slapped with heartburn! i may have over done it on the taco salads. I will try and post again later this week.

I've missed you

2009-11-14T14:53:00.000-08:00

Well apparently while you are sick...the world still goes on, as it should, I suppose. I'm back from my semi-hiatus. Where was I you wonder? On some amazing tropical adventure with my incredible husband and kids? Touring the amazon backpack style?

No.

I was just sick and holed up at home. I was barely (about 10 minutes a week) on the computer. We had all kind of interesting viruses going through our house. Amazingly enough...we all had something different. I had the flu plus a nasal infection. Christian (2yr old son) had the flu (horrible horrible stuff!) my daughter had the fakes (more to come on this later) and my husband had a cold.

So basically, we have a cocktail of yummy meds going on in our house. cocktail hour is at 6pm...it's okay if you come in your sweats!

Currently I am attempting to pack for vacation, get work done, manage my ever busy children and get the house cleaned. Mostly because when you come back from vacation, you want your house to be cleaned.

Here's to hoping I complete one of the tasks i listed above.

The DECISION.

2009-10-24T21:44:00.000-07:00

Currently my status is : SICK AS A DOG...
well truthfully, i have never understood that meaning. "sick as a dog"? What does that really mean? That dogs are sooo sick all the time and i am as sick as one? I see this is going to give me a headache, trying to make some type of sense of this expression.

Since being sick, my cute Hubby has been doing it all. Bless his heart and the women who ends up marrying him when i one day take my last breath. He was Betty Crocker, Mr. Dad and Mr.Mom all rolled into one. I wish i could flip the switch and make myself get better, so i could help out more. I am feeling a little bit better, i switched whatever i had before with a cold. Basically, my nose is stuffy, my throat is sore and I have a headache. I strongly believe the girl i was sitting next to in class on Friday based her germs on to me. She did inform the class that her and her boyfriend suffered a 3 day cold.

Jumping onto a new ship. Maybe you remember my confusion in past blog posts about if i should vaccinate our family for H1N1 or not. We were DEAD set against it two weeks ago. The something happened to me, and i realized for safety issues i at least need to have it, but without the mercury. Then i started thinking of my husband and our children, and realizing the environment that we are in and the germs everywhere. Maybe we will get the H1N1 and my kids will still catch it and somehow be sick, but for me...i think it is something that my family and I need to do.

I hate that there isn't enough time for me to really sit back and look through every single non-biased report to really get a good grip on this. I hate that i don't know what this will do to my kids in 2 or 3, or even 5 years from now. What mom wants to say, "yeah okay, you just made that in the lab and ran a couple of test? yeah sure, go ahead shoot that up in my kids". You want to say, "okay tell me what are the possible long term consequences that my child will have to face? Can we see all the studies, even the ones on babies (which as far as i understand now are extremely few) so we can make a better informed decision instead of feeling the pressure gates close on us to make a decision". I just wish there was time, but there isn't and so i have to hope and pray that what we have decided is best for our family. I pray i don't have to find out the hard way that i made the wrong choice.

What 5+ years of marriage has taught me

2009-10-21T20:39:00.000-07:00

- My husband is a better cook than I am.

- Legally I have not changed to my husband’s last name. I keep thinking I’ll do it…but I really like MY last name…I mean I had it for decades, I have a hard time with change. Maybe for the 10year I’ll officially change my last name to match my husband’s…maybe

- In all honesty, my husband is right about %90 of the time. I still argue my point across even when I know I am wrong…I figure maybe he’ll just get tired of me trying to “prove” my point that he’ll toss me a bone and give up the debate…but he rarely does

-I am such a homebody. Although I always liked going out and doing things here and there and everywhere prior to marriage and kids…I really am just comfy being wherever my family is

- I need and enjoy my vacations ALONE. When I say alone..i mean, no hubby and no kids. I love them all very much…but I am seriously so much more refreshed and nicer to be around when I have reacquainted myself with me again.

- No matter how hard my husband tries I will never love any of the Rocky movies, or be able to sit through a John Wayne movie without looking like I am in pure pain.

- The longer I am married to my husband, the more I love him. When I think of how much I loved him when we first got married it felt like a ton then, but when I really look at it from then to now, I think it was just a small bit compared to how much I love him now

- Playing sick every once in a while is beneficial to you. Don’t overdo it though

- You can teach a dog new tricks. I have only had to deal with the toilet seat being left up 2 times in 5 years.

- My husband likes to be pampered just as much as i do.

- Money doesn't grow on trees...i was devastatingly shocked by this news

-Perfection is highly overrated and unnecessary.

**I wonder what 10 years of marriage will teach me, what has marriage taught you?***

WordLess Wednesday: My family

2009-10-20T22:01:00.000-07:00

I would like to introduce you to some very special people. Yes, they can collectively and separately drive me bananas. But they also collectively and separately give me hope, a reason to live, and happiness! They are my world and so much more.

Hello everyone, I would like you to meet my family...

Disney Costime Winner...

2009-10-20T14:05:00.000-07:00

Still feeling pretty sick...but i wanted to get this up and out, since Halloween is seriously around the corner. I went to a website called True Random Service to enter in all numbers. Well actually i just entered in 1 and 113 ( i know it shows 116 enteries...but 3 of those are me responding to people) . So..countdown from number one to number 12 and skip any entries from me. If you are the winner you can contact me by leaving a comment on this post and then i will contact you to get your costume of choice and mailing information. Otherwise you may have to wait until later in the week when i get around to it.

Thanks for playing everyone!

Poison Control: Yes, we have a problem

2009-10-19T21:59:00.000-07:00

Numbers you should know by heart: Poison Control number.

You would think that after 3 years with 2 kids my husband and I would have poison control on speed dial, or know that number by heart anyway...but alas, we don't.

We are the family that has the ER on speed dial, because my son likes to run up our medical bills and frequent the nurses for some undivided attention.

anywho...back to my story. So when my daughter was what I thought safely tucked into bed sound asleep...she apparently wasn't.

After hear what i thought was her bedroom door closing, My Dh called her downstairs so she could come out of her room from her nap. She was dillydallying and about 15 minutes later brought her self on downstairs, grabbing her tummy. I noticed that she has toothpaste all over her...like she trying to take a bath in it! More like she was trying to rub it in like lotion actually. She had it on her arms, legs, face, and hands.

Then my daughter grabs her tummy harder and says,

"My tummy hurts Daddy, It's full of toothpaste"

My children...whom i love, don't mistake that, always seem to pull the best "stunts" when i am sick. I have currently been on a sick bed for 2 weeks. Sick as a dog! They colored on the carpet...for kicks amongst other things.

So any who, after talking to the Poison control person on the phone, he tells my DH to give her some milk and just monitor. He says she should be fine and if she vomits then we need to bring her in to the ER. So far she has kept everything down.

My daughter I believe has a love for ingesting things that can be poison. She has consumed perfume, lotion, and shampoo in large doses in her 3 years of life.

What this all really means: is that tomorrow i will be busy once again reorganizing things out of her room or out of her bathroom and into mine so she can keep her busy body self out of things she shouldn't be in. Have your kids ever consumed something that was poisonous or considered poisonous because they took it in large doses?

**I will announce the winner for the Disney costume giveaway either later tonight or tomorrow**

The Starve Out

2009-10-14T21:22:00.000-07:00

There comes a time in your child's life when you must use the starve out method.
What is the starve out method you ask? well read on readers...read on!

It started on Tuesday...the last straw. It was dinner time once again. I pulled out my Paula Deen Children's cookbook and made a yummy Parmesan cheese pasta dish and biscuits for my kids. I set it all on the table, a little proud of myself for pulling through this sickness long enough to make a wholesome meal for my children.
After announcing dinner my children came running to the table like bulldozers...only to announce, "That's yucky!" I completely tuned out their rude remarks attempting to get through the dinner prayer...i won't lie, i slipped in a little: "heavenly father, please let my children appreciate this food". Anywho they refused to eat. They kept singing "it's so yucky..yucky yucky yucky..it's sooo yucky". They sang how yucky their food was. Because i wanted them to eat something for dinner I made them something else for dinner, which they refused to eat.

So my mom called, and among other things pointed out to me, "I have never heard of a kid starving themselves to death. I have heard of someone starving a kid, but not the kid starving themself. cut out the snacks" So i'm smart enough to realize after 5 kids...my mom knows what she is talking about. She had a point there: my kids wouldn't starve to death if they missed a meal. So after doing one last call for dinner I dumped their plates. low and behold little ms. missy and her sidekick came whinnying to me about how hungry they are, and how starved they are. My daughter informed me, "mommy, i'm as hungry as a hippo" in which case I said, "No, your not. If you were hungry as a hippo would have eaten one of the two meals i made for you."

Basically i sat my kids down and gave them the business. I informed my children that the kitchen was closed and if they are hungry they can eat 2 servings of breakfast in the morning. I told them that i am no longer making a variety of options for them to eat. There will be no more meal 1 and backup meal 2. There will just be one meal..and it will be what everyone in the house is eating. If you don't like it, you can go to bed hungry. They didn't really care about what I was saying because after the glorified speech I gave they continued to whine about NEEDING dinner. My children went to bed hungry that night. It's not like they are 1 and I need to cater meals to them.

So today (Wednesday) when I finished making dinner and my children informed me that dinner looked "disgusting" I said, "that's fine, but that is your dinner. There are no other options tonight" So they skipped away from the table like two children who knew mom would break down and whip up their fav. PB&J. I stuck to my guns. I left their plates on the table. 6:30pm rolled around and they were talking about how "starved" they were, I reminded them their dinner was on the table, and i went on about my business. About 15 minutes later they were both at the table wolfing down carrorts, pasta and a side of meat(well one of my kid's ate the meat, the other is a vegetarian). I was a proud mama! I won! In your face! Who is the queen of the castle!!!? Me, Me ME! so anyway, I'm a little proud of myself..that's right, i went on ahead and put myself on a peddle stool.

WordLess Wednesday: NASA

2009-10-14T20:41:00.000-07:00

Not me Monday

2009-10-11T22:09:00.000-07:00

How was your week? I hope it was fabulous! Enjoy the NOT ME MONDAY.

I did not allow my kids to spend the day hanging out in their underoos. I am the kind of mom that believes there kids should be dressed in clothes at all times! I would never allow them to wear their underwear around the house all day! Nope, not me.

I did not keep finding excuses last week to put off cleaning my house. I am a HOMEMAKER and i take my job seriously! I believe every little teeny tiny thing has it's place and i strive to put everything in its place and dust all day long. I would not continuously blow off cleaning, Nope, not me.

I did not have a million obligations on Saturday that i slowly but surely extracted myself from with the belief that sometime you just have to say "no" and take time for yourself. I am a Yes girl. I really think people should say "yes" to anything they are asked. I would not blow off obligations for a day to relax, not me at all. I like working hard to the bone:)

I did not try to talk my husband into being a stay at home dad while I go to medschool to cut back on the dysfunctional therapy that everyone thinks my kids will need when they are older. When my husband laughed and said "that i was cute" i did not try even harder to get him to be a SAHD. Nope not me...hello, i am so aware that my cute hubby has a business to run.

I did not completely forget that my Son had karate class on Saturday. I keep a planner, i remember everything...i would never forget to remind my husband (mr. forgetful) to take our only son to karate. No..that was not me.

A Day of Nothing

2009-10-10T18:39:00.001-07:00

I had meant to make today a cleaning...because let's be honest, my house is screaming for attention.
The house got no love from me today. We did some MINOR picking up and grocery shopping in prep for tomorrow, sabbath.
We even actually forgot Christian ( my son) had karate class today...so he missed it. Some days you just need a day where you do absolutely nothing.

And....
Today was that day.

Embarrassing Moments

2009-10-09T19:39:00.000-07:00

Things you don't know about me...and yes, i'm a bit embarrassed to share. This will prove...that I truly have no secrets.

1. my most horrifying memory ( which my husband holds his side laughing his head off about) is when i was...maybe 5 or 6 (i hope that is correct, i'll be even more mortified if i was like 9) and my sister got invited to a sleepover party. Somehow I got to tag along with my older sister and go. I was a little sick...during the middle of the night i had an accident in my sleeping bag! Yes...i poop-poop-ka-chooed in the sleeping bag. My parents were phoned and my sister and i were rushed out of there faster that you can say "ewwww! gross"

2. Around age 8, i got a button stuck on the roof of my mouth. You know those metal buttons that can come apart? Well i had it in my mouth and got it stuck. Like the retard i was i went into the kitchen and got a butter knife to get it out. My sister told my dad. It was embarrassing going to the ER .

3. A year or so after that incident I swallowed a diary lock. Nope, not the key..like in so many romantic movies...but the lock. And...ohhhhhhh, how it hurt! I was in shock. I didn't tell my teacher (this dumb incident was done in class). The lunch time came around...i couldn't eat my peas because the lock was stuck and hurt so much. This was followed by yet another ER visit.

4. Moving on to my married years. While swinging on a shopping cart at night and reminiscing that i was 10 again I flipped the shopping basket over and twisted my ankle. People were starring, so i gather the little almost non existant pride that i had..took the shopping cart back and Slowy walked to my car so it didn't look like i was limping. Later my ankle swelled up to the size of an elephant's. This was followed by a trip to the ER, in which i had to explain how this happened. I was mortified

5. The one that tops them all...the grand daddy if you will. I was crafting (doesn't it always happen like this?) and i had the Tacky glue in my hand. I was pressing it and nothing would come out. So like a retard i put it in front of my eye (to get a better view) and squeezed..next thing i know i have a bottle if tacky glue in my eye. I'm screaming, My husband has my face over the sink while spraying my eye with the sink hose ( i secretly believe he enjoyed that). This was followed by a trip to the ER. I asked the triage nurse if i could skip telling him how this happened. It was a no go. I told him, he laughed...to hard if you ask me. He said they always have bets going on in the hospital of who does the dumbiest thing of the night. He said i won the award that night. I was mortified.

So far i have been 2 years clean of having to go to the ER for myself. I hopefulluy i can have another 2 years...

To Swine or Not to Swine?

2009-10-09T17:37:00.000-07:00

So...I have watched my child 2 times in the last hour deliberately dump is cup of water on the table and lap it up like a dehydrated dog. He is currently pecking at me like a hen begging for more water. No, thank you...i'm done cleaning floors and tables because he feels the need to have a mini bath.

Currently on my mind: The swine flu vaccination. I am concerned about it, as I am with most anything that is "new" and going into my children. I was watching NBC news and they were talking about how rapidly the swine flu has already spread. My daughter's school has seen 3 cases of it already. Luckily no one in her class. Kids are so germy especially at her age. People are coughing and sneezing with extra "goodies" coming out to their noses, all the while sharing a snack at snack time or touching a toy that another kid will grab. It got me to thinking...I may just get the swine flu vaccination. I am pretty worried about it. I love my children to pieces, and it would tear me apart if thhey were a casualty of the swine flu and I had refused to get them vaccinated. At the same time, what if i get them vaccinated and in 5 years they and millions of others who got vaccinated suffer serious problems. Basically: you are damned if you do, and damed if you don't. Pick your poison, i guess.

Mommy WARS..The Tug of War

2009-10-08T00:15:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I feel like I have to choose between being this stereotypical soccer loving, great cookin', homemakin' mamma and wanting to have a career.

So...I was once AGAIN, back on the fantastic track of wanting to go to med school. Then I watched this clip on Oprah ( I actually didn't watch the Oprah episode because I had the t.v. at 4pm and i was studying when she came on at 9pm. I heard that it was a very emotional and wonderful show, as i am sure it was) of a SAHM...who was honestly like the best stay at home mom despite her catastrophic injuries. So then, I felt bad for wanting to go to med school. Like I shouldn't be out there trying to go to school to be a doctor. I should be at home with my kids because they need me. It is a tug of war that I face with my self on a daily...sometimes hourly basis.

"So you wanna be a doctor?" "why don't you just use the degree you have?" "you realize it's going to be so hard right?" and i once had a lady say to me, "Everyone i know who is a doctor, hates it. " I didn't say anything back to her, because i couldn't think of anything nice to say...so i said nothing at all. But i would have liked to say, "I hope those doctors that hate being doctors are not treating you..."

Yes, I struggle with being a homemaker. Who doesn't? And if you say you don't you are a LIAR, and stop reading my blog! On a typical day i clean, 20 minutes later my darling ( i do love them) kids have toys splashed every which way. I have a book called The Joy of Cooking. Please! I am usually trying to cook a meal with kids running around the kitchen playing tag, and all too often an important ingredient is left out. My husband has been such a blessing with the cooking though. This summer he allowed me a MUCH needed reprieve ( i think it was really for him) from cooking. I soaked it up. I start officially cooking again on Monday...not looking forward to it.

I try to make it to playgroups..but we skip them more than we make them. Personally i am 100% fine with it, and i think they are too. My daughter has preschool twice a week for 3 hours and my son will be starting school in January twice a week. The are both involved in 1 activity (daughter in ballet/tap combo class and son in karate) because that is all i can handle and i don't have any desire to overload my kids with so many activities that they end up liking nothing.

No, I don't want to be the mom with my kids in 3 and 4 and 5 different sports. Not right now. Especially if i have to be the one to take them. No, thank you.

On most days my energy is zapped by noon. A BIG part of this is my own fault. Actually probably 98% of this could be my fault. I somehow always forget to eat breakfast. I am anemic and i don't do what i should to fix that, which sadly is relatively easy. I don't prioritize, the list goes on.

Sometimes I feel so overwhelmed I don't even know which way to look. I have wonderful support, truly i do. However, i really do have to take care of me before i can take care of anyone else effectively, right? Balance. That is what I need. How does one find balance?

WordLess Wednesday :Naked

2009-10-07T07:25:00.000-07:00

I strongly believe my child will turn hostile on me at 16years of age when he finds out from a friend at school that there are pictures of him all over the web of his naked baby bottom. For, it's worth it:)

Don't forget to enter the Disney Costume Giveaway

Today

2009-10-06T13:28:00.000-07:00

There are days we should say something...
...but we won't
So we don't.

This is one of those days.

Not me Monday

2009-10-05T22:25:00.000-07:00

I did not feed my kids Pillsbury Rolls and Cheese for dinner because I was sick of dealing with picky eaters. I love making 5 and sometimes 6 different things for dinner in hopes that my kid will eat one of them. Bread and cheese? What are they, inmates? No, I would never do anything like that.

I did not completely tweak my neck while bending down to grab my son's toy car and sneezing. Even when the pain wore off, I certainly didn't play it up like I was still hurt just to get a good neck rub and to get pampered by my DH. That just isn't me, I would do something like that.

I did not completely ignore my daughter while she had a tantrum (major melt down) because she didn't want her corn dog at the harvest festival so I gave it to her brother. Like any good mother, I would have set that corn dog on a silver platter for when hell freezes over and she decides she may want it again. I am not the kind of mother to ignore my child during a melt down..in public! Not me.

I did not try to get out of cooking dinner by boosting up my DH's ego and telling him what a wonderful fantastic cook he is, and how we would starve without him. I like to have my apron on at 4:30 with my lipstick just right and a 3 course dinner on the table at 5pm when my hubby is off work. That's just the kind of wife i am. I would never try to get out of cooking a meal, Never. That just isn't me.

I did not develop carpel tunnel while typing like a lunatic because Robin McGraw was writing to me on twitter...ME! I definitely believe in using grace when typing...not hammering away at the computer keys like they did something wrong. It is completely tacky and tasteless for the people around you in borders to think you don't know how to type without banging on the keys because a celebrity was talking to you. How classless. That for sure was not me, nope, not at all.

Don't forget to enter our Disney Costume Giveaway here. It's so easy to enter!

Mommy where are you?

2009-10-04T07:57:00.000-07:00

So, for the past 9 months my heart and mindset has been on doing what I need to do to get into Med School. I am religious (LDS) so I prayed about it, and I felt confirmation to do it.

I really want to be a part-time doctor...which is almost impossible, almost. I really did/do want to be a doctor, but be home when my kids got home from school, and have dinner with my family, and see them. Part-time doctoring really is not recommended by practices and a lot of doctors are having a struggle with this now. I read an article last night that probably made me feel like I should look into something else. Here is what it said:

"If your group hasn't yet bumped up against physicians petitioning to work part time, it will soon. With women now comprising nearly 50 percent of medical students, many young physicians are entering practice expecting that they'll work part time to raise families at some point in their careers. And Gen-Xers of both genders have made it clear that maintaining balance in life—coaching Little League and eating dinner with the family, for example—ranks far above achieving partnership."
--- www.pmandr.com

Then I did more research and found trying to be a part time doctor...is seriously hard to find. It's almost like you have to work full-time for years to make your place, and then put in the plug for part-time, which may just be wishful thinking.
So anyway, I was having some serious doubts about all of this, and if going to med school and being a Doctor was really truly what I wanted. Or if, like most moms, I lost my identity in being mommy? Am I pushing med school because it is what I WANT to do, or because I need something so BIG to separate me from my Mommy mentality? Does that even make sense? It made sense in my head...which could be the problem with a lot of things.

So amongst my confusion last night I prayed for guidance and if being a doctor and going to school was right for me and my family. I had such a different feeling this time. Like I should be a writer. I have always LOVED writing. When I was little I would write and write and write. I won book contest. I Loved writing books and papers. I got such satisfaction out of writing papers. I would write papers for my sister, my brother and even my husband. I have always wanted to a writer my whole life. So last night when my daughter crept into my room like a thief in the night at 2:58am I welcomed her in the bed and just smiled at her and felt an unfathomable about of happiness that I FINALLY knew for sure what I was meant to do.

Then this morning when I woke up...I felt confused. Doctor or writer? Both are hard, it' not like one is easier than the other, to me anyway. I woke up this morning feeling like med school is what I should be doing. How can that be? Last night I felt 100% like I should be a writer? How can I be feeling so strong about two different career paths? Is it me wrestling with God on what he wants me to do vs. what i want to do? Which does he want, and which one do i want? I don't know.

Now I am completely stressed out. This post was not therapeutic for me at all, I thought it would be for some reason.

On a less confusing note: If you haven't entered the Halloween Disney costume contest, click here to enter.

Disney Halloween Costume Giveaway

2009-10-03T15:33:00.000-07:00

I wanted to do a fun giveaway where mommies who have little boys can participate in as well. This give away is for a Disney character costume, straight from the Disney store itself! They had sooo many dang cute options that I couldn't choose just one! So i decided to give you lots of options to choose from.

How to enter this contest:
1. You must be a follower of this blog (mandatory)
2. You must choose the costume that you would would like to win. Leave this with your comment in the comment section.

For extra entries you can do any or all of the following: (leave separate comments for each if you want them to count)

1. Follow me on twitter [ www.twitter.com/lchristian ] and leave me a separate comment letting me know
2. comment on any other blog post that i already have up or will have up. Leave a separate comment letting me know you did this.
3. Add my button to your blog and let me know you did in a separate comment.
4. Blog about this giveaway and link back to my blog, leave a separate comment letting me know you did this.
5. Buy something from any of my store listed in the navigation bar and let me know you did this by leaving a separate comment.

This contest will end 10/15/09 at 11:59PST.
The winner will be announced on 11/16/09. Please make sure to check back to see if you won. I will give the winner 24 hours to contact me after winning. If i do not hear from the winner then I draw a new winner. winner contact me here: sbcottage@gmail.com

Still looking for sponsors for the 25 days of Christmas Giveaway. We currently have 4 sponsors. One of the gifts include a $100 Visa Gift Card. If you are looking for a product review and are willing to do a giveaway then contact me here : sbcottage@gmail.com You will have free advertising on my blog for the entire month of December!

And the winner is...

2009-10-02T18:07:00.000-07:00

My daughter wanted to help me announce the winner for the hair bow/flower clip contest.
Try not to gaze into the messy background ....which is my messy office.

The Winner, if you wouldn't hear or see the paper was: The Lost Earring . I will contact you and get your mailing address so I can send this out to you.

Have a Happy Friday!

Self Esteem

2009-09-30T22:04:00.000-07:00

For the record I seriously tweaked my neck sneezing while bending down..and I can't move it! It hurts so bad i want to cry. However, I wrote this post last night when I got back from the mall...so i had to post it for ya'll!

If you are ever looking to take a real shot to the self-esteem then take yourself to the mall.

As I walked into the mall I immediately felt like I looked like a defeated mom. You know those moms...you see them everywhere. It's the mom with the wrinklie top and the bottoms that have some concoction of something from your child's hands or mouth. Your hair generally looks like it is still caught in the wind, even though you are indoors and there is no wind. You then realize that you are dressed in clothes that are durable and sensible...basically, they scream "I'm an overworked mom!".

Maybe you are sporting the "backpack" or a "diaper bag" that acts like a purse (2 in 1). Your friends make fun of you because even when you go somewhere without the kid/s you take your diaper bag. Why mess up a good thing and transfer your stuff from a diaper bag to a purse only to have to return it back to the diaper bag hours later. Maybe you put on makeup that day. Or if you are like me, you tossed a coin this morning to either do makeup or do your hair. Hair won out, so no make up today.

The amount of effort I put into myself this morning is dismal. Not only did I wear a shirt sporting a few good sized holes down my arm, I also wore it inside out half the day!

Yes, going to the mall can be a shock to the system. Not that my goal in life is to look like a beauty queen contestant, I just want to go for the less drabby "I'm an exhausted, beat down, rundown, overworked mom". So the idea: well it's time to buy some new clothes. Not that i am going to break the bank and spend money i don't have. I am going to buy a few versatile items i can mix and match with and hope for the best.

If you have not entered the giveaway contest enter it today..because it is the last day to enter. Click here to enter.

A little something for you...

2009-09-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

I have a love of making hair bows and hair clips with flowers on them for my daughter. Who am I kidding, I like making them for myself too. On Monday my daughter and I journeyed off to the nearest craft store for some supplies and made some hair accessories. We made so many that i decided to have a little giveaway to gift some away.

To enter: Please become a follower of this blog and leave a comment.

The winner will be chosen on Friday.

Upcoming Giveaways:
Keep your eyes peeled for these upcoming giveaways.
Halloween necklace
25 days till Christmas Giveaway
$100 Visa gift card
If you want to be a sponsor contact me sbcottage@gmail.com

Also...My kids are in the Cutest baby and Kid contest, so feel free to vote for them if you haven't.
To vote for my son Click here. He is #12 in the Baby section.
To vote for my daughter Click here. She is #12 in the Kid section.

BIG HAIR

2009-09-29T09:12:00.000-07:00

As I drove my daughter to school today, I noticed some of the leaves changed colors. Finally. Hello Fall, We have missed you. I loved when i woke up this morning and i looked out my window...it was all groggy outside. I love it when it's like that. Makes me want to cuddle up with a blanket, a book and a movie.

This morning when my half naked daughter came frolicking through our room I almost passed out. Her hair....I don' t think i have ever seen her hair that big before. We also had about 12 minutes to get up, ready, dressed, cleaned up, and fed before school (we woke up late). I knew there was NO WAY I could dig through that a resurrect her calm curls from the crazy girls that were on her head. So I did a pathetic quick brush job on her hair and tossed a headband on. However, the headband did nothing to tame that craziness. So I tossed on some detangler to try and comb it and lay her hair down more flat. No luck, the hair wanted to be big today. I found the hat that my sister-in-law made for my daughter, put that on her head and we called it good. It was still BIG...just not as BIG as it was before. I sent up a few silent prayers that she does not take off her hat at school.

Don't forget to vote for my kids in hte cutest baby/ kid contest.
To vote for Christian. Click Here: Cutest Baby Contest He is #12 (vote to the left hand side)
To vote for Haylie. Click Here: Cutest Kid Contest She is #12 also. (vote to the left hand side)

Nope. Not me

2009-09-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

I did not roll over and ignore my crying child, in hopes that my husband would wake up (with a careful nudge) to go and get him. What kind of mother would i be? No, that was not me.

I did not run into the pantry where my children can't see me and stuff my face with Oreo cookies in 10 seconds flat. How incredibly disgusting! No, not me.

I did not use lotion in my daughter's hair because i have no idea where the hair gel is. No, not me.

I did not sign myself up to buy a $300 food dehydrator, then back out. No, not me.

I did not let my kids hang out in their undies for a full day last week. No, not me

I did not accidentally use my husband's toothbrush to brush my teeth and then not tell him. No, not me.

I did not put clean clothes back in the wash again because i was too lazy to fold them. I firmly believe a clean home is a happy home. I would never do something so "lazy". No, not me.

I did not check my email like a crazed manic (214 times) last week in hopes of hearing some important news. Talk about OCD. Nope. That is sooo not me!

I did not grab my daughter's red shoes to put on my son because i had no time to run up the stairs and grab his camouflage shoes. No. Not me!

I did not slip and fall down a full flight of stairs while strutting the new heels that i practically begged like a dog for, which I was told were to dangerous for me! No. that was not me at all!

I did not forget that my daughter had sharing time (again) and rush to the car to grab whatever random toy she left in there. Nope, that was not me at all!

****On another note: Vote for my kid's in the cutest baby/kid contest. Christian is listed in the baby section, and Haylie is listed in the kid section. They are both #12. Click here to Vote

Utah vs. California

2009-09-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

I feel like I have been interviewing everyone I know about Utah. It started with me telling people that we are planning to move to Utah in a few months, and live closer to my husband’s family. People here were telling me I wouldn’t like it….it’s “different” they would say. Will it be a bit of culture shock? Yeah, I’m sure it will be. Will it be weird to go inside a mall and not see a group of girls in bare midriffs rockin’ “bull’s eye” tattoos? Sure.

Hopefully the area I am moving to will be diverse, or somewhat diverse. Will I “blend” in Utah? The answer is: Most likely not. If I cannot blend in California, my personality is bound to not blend there and of course leave many confused by my usually normal sarcastic behavior which will of course be misconstrued as RUDE &HATEFUL, I’ll be blacklisted by all the Mormons. This will then cause me countless hours of tears and trying to find a doctor to give me anti-depressants, just to fit in.

Anyway, so there is a good chance I will have no friends in Utah, which truly is fine by me. As my husband felt the need to remind me I gave up my “so called social life” for volunteer work, so that I can complete the volunteer hours required to get into med-school. So, between kids, my school, work, and their school…it probably works out best.

I would probably be their friend then blow them off and never call and hang out because I am too busy, then they would be completely offended. We would make fake “let’s get together” dates…when really we both know we won’t. Kind of like when you see a friend (or extended family member) that you haven’t seen in a little bit and you run out of conversation so you end by saying something like, “we really need to get together and have lunch, or do a date night”. But you are both aware that as soon as you walk out that door no one is calling anyone to schedule anything, you both know what you were doing…you were pretending.

I digress…so yes, I have heard the “church is different out there”. Then when I had people explain to me what they meant. I better understood that, actually, the church is the same there as it is here and everywhere else an LDS church is located. However, the people there are “different”, or so I hear. Most people seemed to be at a loss for how to describe Mormons in Utah to me. What do you mean they are different? “Do they all have third nipples and puss streaming uncontrollably from their eyes? “ Of course not, I was informed. Well…What the HAIL is wrong with them then? Finally I was informed that there is some clickety click click clicks in Utah. Big woop dee do da. I could have told you that and I don’t even live there. Stuck up? Check. Snobs? Check. Self-Righteous? Double check. Just kidding.....well kind of. There are definitely large parts of California that represent this...Hello southern California. Personally, I like to believe that not all of Utah is like that, it can’t be right? I am sure I have an overly judgmental view, why? Is it from being in California too long and listening to too many people rag on Utah Mormons? Or is it just that most Mormons from Utah..come off a bit…well, different?

Things I Love

2009-09-26T08:05:00.000-07:00

There are those moments when I am with my family and it is pure bliss.

It is that moment when I look at my husband and he is laying on the floor tickling our children, who of course run away, only to run back in for more.

I love those moments when my DH and I are lying on the couch talking and you can hear Haylie and Christian laughing their heads off.

I love those moments.

I love when I drop Haylie off to preschool and it is just me and Christian enjoying each other for a few hours. It is then that I really get to tune into him and know him.

I love those moments when I pick up Haylie from school and she sees me waiting by the door and runs full force at me to show me her sticker that she got from her teacher.

I love those moments

I love those moments when I am walking around the house and my husband grabs me and tells me how much he loves me...and some other stuff (wink*wink)

I love is when my husband watches the kids so I can go out and take a break and enjoy myself.

I love it when my husband makes dinner…let’s be honest here, it is NOT my strong suit.

I love when my children get along.

What are the moments that you love?

Too Good for Payless

2009-09-25T07:48:00.000-07:00

As a kid we didn’t have a whole ton of money growing up. So payless was usually the go-to place for shoes. From 6^th grade till about 10^th I hated this. Before 6^th grade, I don’t think I really cared, i don’t think anyone really cared about “brands” and all that hoopla until the 6^th grade.

Once I turned 15 and a half I was working at McDonald’s buying my own Puma’s and Nikes…goodbye Payless. Now, it wasn’t just because it was “Payless” that I hated (and I do mean hated) their shoes…it was the fact that I and countless other victims were basically crucified at school for our “Payless kicks”. Now they make the shoes much cuter. But then, It was extremely obvious you were wearing payless shoes. Usually because you were wearing the shoes that was featured in the commercial, or because they were so plain it was obvious they had to have come from there. My mother once bought me Addida knock offs at Payless….the jokes went on for DAYZ! I would wear long pants to try and cover up the 4^th stripes, because everyone knows Addidas only has 3 stripes not 4…why call unnecessary attention to myself by wearing knock offs with 4 stripes.

Fast-forward to two and a half weeks ago.

Two and a half weeks ago I had to by my daughter her ballet shoes and tap shoes. The teacher recommended Payless. I could tell that she noticed I was uncomfortable when she said the word “Payless”. I was uncomfortable. I visibly shuddered and tried to control the acid reflex I could feel churning its way up. I pasted on a smile and walked out of there thinking, “No kid of mine is wearing payless kicks!” I took myself to a few stores around town, target, Khols…that whole bit, in search of tap and ballet shoes, no such luck. So I did what I thought I would never do.

I braced myself and walked into payless looking for tap and ballet shoes. Low and behold, they had them. Not only did they have them…but they were dang cute and the ballet shoes looked wayyyy better than the cheapo foam looking ones I seen at target. I had no idea that payless is partnered with the ADT (American Dance Theater). I was so impressed by the shoes. After buying her shoes I browsed around the store looking at all the shoes they had to offer…and HELLO when did they get so cute? Did I miss this train? Or is it now that I am a parent I can see a different perspective? I was in shoes heaven. I was making notes in my head what I was going to come back and buy.

I was telling My DH how adorable the shoes were, and how I cannot believe we were buying our kids $40.00 Nikes and crap like that when we could get these dang cute shoes for $12 bucks. Of course, like any man, hewas excited because, well…anything that saves money makes him happy. He did say though, once they hit 5^th grade kids can be brutal and we should cross payless off that list when time comes. How did I ever think I was better than Payless? When did I become “that” person? Well it’s nice to get off that high horse and rest my booty on the couch with the more sensible people.

Don't forget to B-R-E-A-T-H

2009-09-24T18:47:00.000-07:00

Today was a hellish day. It was terrible from sun up to sun down. I did momentarily contemplate leaving my kids at Ikea and taking myself to McDonald's for some peace and quite..then going back to Ikea and pretending like I "lost" my kids...when i probably just left them playing in the kid area.

At around 3pm I allowed my children to have a self government and leave me alone...didn't go well. I did't think it would, but mom had mentally checked out.

As I write this my daughter is repeating "mommie, mommie, mommie" from her doorway. On any other day I would acknowledge her...walk into her room give her a hug and kiss and ask "what's wrong baby?"...right now i am just going to ignore it though. Ihave a headache the size of Texas...yes Houston, we most definitely have a problem.

Amongst the nightmare of things today..my daughter COMPLETELY trashed her room! On a daily basis I refold the clothes she takes out of all her drawers to makes what she calls "a clothing cake". Today she took it to a whole other level. she dumped out everything from her dresser drawers, all her millions of shoes from her closet, every bloody toy in her room and every single item off she shelf. After seeing that I mentally made the note that I am stripping her room bare! Well..I am for sure removing her dresser out of her room, I am sick of day in and day out having to re-due her clothes because she wants to have "clothing cake parties".

My children who usually have their "moments" don't usually get into full on fights with eachother. Today I could not keep them apart. They fought all flipin day long! They would start hitting eachother then I would seperate them and put them in their own rooms to play...then 10 minutes later they would find away back to eachother and start again (keep in mind, they had plenty of timeouts while this was going down). After about 20 tries i got sick of it..i was defeated.."you wanna beat the hell out of eachother? okay. " Yes, i know what you are thinking, Gasp "Bad mommie!". Look, I have no illusions that i'll be winning any type of mother of the year award anytime soon.

I think somehwhere after my daughter took my house and car keys and threw them in the bushes, I just lost it. Not in the sense that I went gangbuster and went Ike and Tina on my kids...But i was soooo over it. My mind had shut down from dealing with them. That has never actually happened. On rough days I hold it together pretty well until they go down to bed. I kindly informed my children who usually stay up till 8pm, that they would be going to bed at 6pm tonight since neither of them know how to keep their hands to theirselves (yes..that tune "keep your hands to yourself from Yo Gabba Gabba came into my head just now). That was of course met by tears and whinning..in which..i didn't care.

I was actually at the point where if my kids were swinging on the top of a chanderlier I would be like, "just try not to land on your face when you fall" and keep on walking like it was nothing. no stoppping to freak out and rush to grab them and get them down. Nope, not today. Today..this mommie was worn and beat down.

Yeah, today was a no good, very bad day. Hopefully tomorrow is better.

WordLess Wednesday

2009-09-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

I obviously have a problem with studying the required reading...Medschool here I come...(yeah right!)

I'M having a BABY!

2009-09-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

I am having a baby. Yeah! Well…the baby isn’t exactly here or in my belly yet…but I am sure he/she is waiting for me to get my ace together and figure out what the “hail” I am doing. I have been waffling back and forth of to have a baby, or to not have one. Yes I am only 24, but I feel like I have this small window left to continue expanding our family. I am in the process of finishing (slash) taking some post bachelor classes to actually apply to med school. So basically I have about a year and a half to 2 years before I am all done with all the chemistry classes. I would much rather have a baby now, then try and have it when I am in med school dealing with an even nuttier schedule.

I have no pressure from anyone to have a baby. Of course the hubby would like a couple more ( I max out at 4 kids altogether)..oh yeah..and my mom is ragging on me to pop a few more babies out.

Here are my reasons that 2 kids are better than 3:

1. So much easier to find a sitter for 2 kids, rather than 3

2. My hubby and I have been on 2 cruises and want to go on more, I am not even sure we could do that with 3 kids (who will watch the kids for a week or more?)

3. Kids are expensive….another one would surely put me in the poor house, right?

4. My kids are at the age where they sleep blissfully, I am afraid to give that up…I like my routine...and my sleep

5. Things work so good right now, I am afraid to throw the train off the tracks

6. Traveling by car and plane is much easier with 2 kids vs. 3 because DH and I can both take a child..with 3 kids, someone has to sit alone

7. I would have to buy a bigger vehicle, perhaps an suv ( Not so bad actually)

8. Medical insurance…fudge! It’s already expensive

9. My two kiddos are best friends..sure they have their “moments”

10. I don’t have to run into a bathroom in public and self express my milk because my boobs are super engorged (really, this is the best reason of them all)

Here are my reasons why baby #3 is good

1. We know our family is not “complete”

2. My daughter has been asking for a “sister” at every opportunity she gets to open her mouth

3. Because the more the merrier, right?

4. If I wait till I have finished med school…my kids will be so far apart in age!

5. Because babies make the world better

I know my reasons for holding off on baby #3 seem selfish…because mostly they are. One minute I am gung ho ready to try for a baby, then the next …I just have to get things “perfect” before tossing in another monkey into our mix.

Did/Do you have reason for holding off on your second or 3^rd, or even 4^th child? What finally made you bite the bullet and do it? Leave a comment and let me know.

A post about babies, boobies, and a grenade

2009-09-21T17:07:00.000-07:00

So as I have been deciding off and on to make baby 3 or cap it with the 2 we have. I was totally stoked about getting baby 3 out in the world possible before heading to Mormon hill…also knows as Mecca to Mormons, (yeah, I’m LDS) then my son had a major melt down today…MAJOR! I was tempted to drop him off at “a safe place” ( fire department) and drive my ace home…have some of that wine my neighbors had sent over that I have been holding out on, ya know…Since I am LDS I don’t drink, but with the day I had I WAS thinking, “ ah, what the hail.” Finally we made it to his bed, in which I happily laid him down, bolted my daughter in her room. Shut my door and refused to answer when my children were yelling, “mommy!”

TMI ( too much information) ALERT. Avoid this section if you know me or have seen me casually in passing but are too stuck up to say hi.

That was not even 100% of the reason why I was thinking X on the baby factor. I remember my husband saying the whole [birthing] process was like “watching a grenade go off” I won’t go into much detail, but you know what mean if you have had a child and you didn’t have them via C-section. I remember thinking “WTF! They did not even explain this in my labor and delivery class” I was a hot mess for about 2 weeks (after delivery) …wobbling around in pain, sitting on donuts ( until kids I always assumed a donut was for eating) .

Then I flashed back to nursing. Holy cow my boobs! The only thing that comes out of your mouth is “DON’T FREAKIN' TOUCH ME!” Personally I think labor and delivery classes are all bull. No ONE does that. There was no me breathing and counting one, two, and three. My husband was freaked out in a corner. I was huffing pine sol while in the delivery room (hey some people eat soil when pregnant…mine was pine sol). Then I was SOOOO medicated. I was on everything under the sun, I didn’t feel anything when my daughter came out. Then they started beating on my stomach, “What the Hail are you doing!” ?? That part I felt. After I had her , instantly all my medicine wore off and I was in for the worst time of my life, soar boobies, bleeding boobies and of course the grenade I was dealing with down there.”

My second one came easier…but beforehand was more painful. I remember telling my doctor, “no, I don’t want to push, it hurts” all things I should have thought about before getting knocked up a second time. I had an epidural shot ( because I was in no way brave enough to have a “natural” birth…the epidural is as natural as I get…hook it up doc!) but it only worked for half of my body. I kept pushing that button to release more…but it wasn’t doing anything but making one side more numb and the other side still felt EVERYTHING! But the recovery was crazy fast with him. I literally bounced back after I had him. I was like, “can I just get my baby and go home? I got this.” But no…I was on lock down in the hospital.

So I’m thinking…what will the 3^rd one be like? Maybe a bit of both mixed in? Maybe I’ll have crazy labor pains and a hard recovery? Or maybe I’ll have an easy delivery and an easy recovery?

Someone once said to me “you won’t remember any of the pain at all and you will want to have dozens more…” Newsflash…I got a memory like an elephant. I remember! Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with hot flashes because I am reliving the birth of my children. No…I don’t like being pregnant…I like being in labor even less. I do on the other hand Love when my actual child is in the world…which is really a bonus for everyone, otherwise my children would have to get some serious counseling when they are adults…like they won’t already have to get some.

Let me know I am not talking to my self here, leave me a comment and make my day.