Friday, August 29, 2008

The Amazing Olivia

Olivia rode her 2 wheel bike with training wheels yesterday all the way to the park. She rode with super fast lightning speed and the grace of an angel. Ok some of that statement might be a wee bit extreme. Liv did ride her bike exceptionally well and fast, but as far as graceful... not so much. She was looking all over the place and basically zig zagged her way to the park. When she got there she made a lap around the playground before jumping off to play on the slide. She was super proud of herself and we were too. It had been awhile since she had been on her big girl bike. When we left the park, she put her helmet on and rode home in a straight line. It was amazing. She just got on and took off. I freaked out that she was going too fast and thought she might eject herself over the handlebars so I caught up to her and slowed her down. I guess she has inherited the speed demon traits of her father. All the way home Livy chanted, "Mommy I go fast..." Yes Olivia you sure did!

On another note, Ava wore her panties to the park and came back dry. Good job big girl! AND....before we left for the park Ava told us she had to go potty so Dave put her on the BIG potty and she made a GIANT poop. Everyone screamed and clapped for her. You would have thought she had just won the lottery.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Thursday Thirteen #7




Thirteen Children's Books we read at least once everyday:


1. GoodNight Moon

2. The Going to Bed book

3. The Children's Bible (Ava is a fan of Moses)

4. It's Not Easy Being a Bunny

5. A Fish Out Of Water

6. Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street?

7. Animal Melodies

8. Little People: Let's Go to the Zoo

9. Songs That Go

10. Learning Songs

11. My Little People Farm

12. Horton Hears a Who

13. Horray for Daddies (Olivia's favorite)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!




Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Wordless Wednesday #8





Potty Talk

Last night we went to the park after dinner. This was our first experiment to see if Ava could keep her panties dry. We were out for about an hour and when we returned she was dry. Yea Ava! Today I took the girls shopping for experiment number 2. Ava had peed before we left the house. We went to two stores and came home with dry panties. Again Yea Ava!!

Now the poop thing is a whole different story. She has pooped in the potty before but seems to like going in the panties better. I have a feeling she poops standing up and that's why I keep missing when she's going. I am not overly worried about this though. It did take Livy a while before she mastered it.

On a side note: we are all still sick. I feel much better today and my throat doesn't hurt as much. Olivia is still snotty but better. Ava seems to have gotten worse and now has the yucky yellow snot. I really don't know how Dave is doing. He has a whole bunch of other issues to worry about...

This weekend we go to Grammie's house to go swimming. This will be the last time we go back until Christmas. I have to pack a few things but mostly I have left toys and clothes there so I don't have to bring too much. This should be a fun weekend. It is supposed to be hot and Grampie wants to BBQ. They are also giving Olivia her big girl day bed for us to bring home. It should be an interesting next week.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Manic Monday #6




Mo from It's a blog eat blog world created this fantastic word for today's Manic Monday : Club

In my state of mind this weekend the first thing that I thought of when I saw the word CLUB was cavemen clubbing their women. This lead me to examine medieval CLUB weapons. I wasn't really liking the way my PMS thoughts were going so I started thinking of different types of communities or CLUBS that exist. Since my posts are geared towards my kids I started thinking of moms clubs, book clubs, athletic clubs, and then the good old fashioned bars/pubs/clubs. I sometimes miss the club scene. It was fun when I was younger to try out different clubs with my friends, get all dressed up, spend lots of money, and then go out for a bite to eat afterward. Yeah, that was fun then, but my life is so much better and fulfilled now. Spending time with my family at the zoo, or the park, or lounging around on a Sunday afternoon wiping runny noses, beats the club scene any day.


The Weekend of Sickdom

Is there such a thing? Sickdom? Our contaminated house would say yes. Ava started us off with this round of illnesses. She woke up Friday with a fever, a lot of sneezing (mostly in my face), and then the massive snots brigade. I washed both our hands after every sneeze and sanitized practically every thing that I could but sure enough the sickness spread to Olivia by Saturday night. It really sucked too because Ava was much better by Saturday night and we thought we had escaped any big drama.

Saturday night the neighbors kept letting off fireworks which in combination with Olivia's inability to breath clearly it kept her awake. After repeatedly going into her room we decided to let her sleep with us. By morning it was obvious that that wasn't the best decision as we woke up to a puddle of urine in the bed. I am guessing that her diaper shifted since she usually doesn't pee in the bed. Does it really matter? No. We still woke up today in a puddle of pee.

So Olivia is feeling miserable. Snot has engulfed her face and hands. She has a fever and has been somewhat crabby. Ava is better with little or no snot so I'm hoping by tomorrow Liv is feeling better.

On the Ava front: She made a poop in the potty. This is our first one in recorded history. Some did make it into her panties but hey we can't expect miracles and I certainly wasn't expecting this so soon. Dave found her pushing and rushed her to the potty. Way to go Daddy Dave and Avacakes!!!

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Potty talk & the museum

I realize I may not need to jot down every little thing about Ava' s potty training but it helps me remember what worked and what didn't from day to day and to track her progress so far. Today she woke up with a wet diaper but it was far less filled than usual. Maybe it was due to her cold but yesterday after her nap she woke up with a completely dry diaper so I'm thinking that she may have made a connection with liking the feeling of dryness and of panties. I hope so. I really really really hate the hot smell of pee in the morning accompanied or unaccompanied by the waft of crap she usually has. Somehow I don't see my life working out that easily since it hasn't yet but we shall see.

Today Dave went to the doctor to get his x-ray. Yes this month 3 of the 4 of us have been x-rayed! Yeah we filled the quota!!! For those of you who don't know me that was total and complete sarcasm. How many other freakin' families have to be x-rayed, on weekends of course when the hospital is half staffed and at their VERY slowest? Apparently just us. Because we are that cool. Ugg. No more visits to the ER, the x-ray room, the pharmacy, or the doctor. We are taking September off...a vacation let's say. Ok I'm done. I'll stop.

While Dave was off doing his thing, Ava made her first potty, then ate breakfast, made a few more potties, and then Dave was back and ready to go on our outing. Ava had been completely dry all morning, minus the monster dump she took in the panties (sucks big time to clean). Dave sat her on the potty one last time before we left for the wildlife museum. She peed, we clapped, and away we went. We were gone for about two hours and when we returned her diaper was completely dry. We sat her on the potty and she made a huge pee and off to lunch she went. What a great first half of the day Ava had potty training! Yeaa Ava!!!

On a side note: The wildlife museum we went to was very interesting. It serves as a rehabilitation place for wildlife as well as an educational facility. Olivia loved the hawks, owls, and falcons. She and Dave are always bird hunting so that was wonderful that they got to see them together and up close. Ava enjoyed the bunny, the opossum, and the fox. We happened to be there during a feeding time for the coyote so we watched it devour a small rodent and a few vegetables.

The place wasn't very big so Olivia was able to run around without holding my hand and I think she felt like a big girl. Ava wanted to be free too so most of her time was spent struggling to free herself from her father. After we looked at all the animals and played in the exploration room we went outside and found a huge playground filled with kids. Liv took off running for the slide and Ava played on the train tunnel. Usually at our park there are very few kids if any when we go so it was nice to let the girls mingle with other kids their own age that they don't know. Livy really soaks up what she learns from other kids quickly.

Now we are back home and the girls are napping. Dave's cleaning the turtle tank, and I'm paying the bills...yeah that's it- paying the bills online.

Friday, August 22, 2008

The Superstar

Ava, the superstar, has done so well today in her big girl panties. I has been 2 hours since we all got out of bed and she has not wet her panties yet. Today we started by removing her diaper and putting her directly on the potty. Within seconds she had finished so on went the panties. I have to admit that while she ate breakfast in her high chair I was holding my breath that she didn't pee all over the place. Once she was done eating she went right back to the potty. Again she used it within a few seconds and back on went her panties.

So the best part: Awhile later, Ava said pee pee and took off her panties. I directed her to sit on the potty and she went willingly and made a pee. So cool. She did this a few more times and each time took off her panties for herself and made a pee. Now she doesn't so much want to put the panties back on but that's ok. I make a game out of it and eventually her feet end up in the panties. If we can continue like this for awhile I think Ava may eventually be out of diapers by Thanksgiving and that's something to give thanks for...

Update: Ava made it the entire morning without having an accident and using the potty all by herself. I'm totally shocked that she has taken the initiative to sit on the potty and recognize when she has to go. I thought that that would be down the road somewhere but maybe putting the panties on has made the whole difference. Either way Ava you rock!!!

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Training Pants

Ava's started wearing big girl panties today. She loves them and is so proud of herself. She has been telling Livy, "look...panties...look." We will have to see how it goes today. So far she has peed in 3 pairs. I never actually used training pants with Olivia. She used disposable diapers and regular panties but I think Ava needs to feel wet to get the idea. Pull-ups seem to just act too much like a diaper for her.

Well here's to hope and prayers that I don't end up with trails of urine and lumps of poop all over the house.

Here's a little synopsis of the rest of the morning: Ava pointed down and said, "poo" so I asked her if she had to go. She walked towards the potty so I helped her take her panties down. Ava sat on the potty and made a pee pee all by herself. I didn't have to do anything. This is the first time she has initiated using the potty and actually going. Yeaaa Ava!

The rest of the morning she stayed dry and I put a diaper on her just for nap time. I hope the rest of the day goes as good as the morning. She has not pooped so that might be an issue of poopy hands when she wakes up from her nap, but we will just have to wait and see.

Recap: Ava stayed dry the rest of the day with only one accident. This was a great start to training pants.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Thursday Thirteen #6



Thirteen CONFESSIONS:


1. I don’t always brush the kids’ teeth before bed. I feel bad afterward, but not enough to get them back up and do it.
2. I sometimes park in the disabled persons space to drop off mail but I get upset with other people who park in diasabled spots at other times when they don’t have a decal.
3. If I’m not ready to wash the laundry but the basket is full, I sometimes remove my husband’s pants from the basket and hang them back up in his closet so he can wear them again. (Sorry Dave. I guess the secret is out.)
4. Ok so this is kinda gross. I actually didn’t realize I did this until the other day. My youngest is being potty trained. When I rinsed out the potty bowl I was using the kitchen dish towel to dry it off. Who knows what got dried off after that. Yuck.
5. On the weekend I sometimes say I’m paying bills online when I’m secretly reading blogs.
6. Occasionally I have paid a sitter to come over and watch my kids so that I can work… I just forget to mention that it’s on my blog and not my home business.
7. I sometimes throw away onesies because I am just too lazy to wash them out.
8. When I give the girls a bad hair cut I say I took them to the shop down the street.
9. Sometimes when the girls wake up in the morning their sheets might be a little wet. During their afternoon nap I realize I forgot to change the sheets and then leave them on since they have all ready dried.
10. On occasion I wonder if I am doing this whole parenting thing right. Then I write a post like this and …well… it speaks for itself.
11. I usually forget to say prayers at bedtime with one daughter but not the other. Makes me wonder if subconsciously I think one needs a little more help from God.
12. Sometimes we are given many bottles of wine either through my husband’s job or some other thing. Typically I hoard the ones I like and pour the ones I don’t for my neighbors.
13. If you have a confession let me hear it…

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!




Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Wordless Wednesday #7- Stopping to smell the flowers


Stopping to smell the flowers...


A huntin' they will go...

Wordless Wednesday : Olivia

Hummm. She's holding out on me...

Today's potty training has been unsuccessful to say the least. I think Ava has caught on to what is happening and is holding out for something better than the treats she is currently being provided. That little sneaky baby. Well has she got something coming to her...

This morning when I opened her door to see if she was awake I found her sitting in the corner of her crib chatting it up to her fellow com padres tiny dolly and little white rabbit. Of course her lovey was in hand too soaking up all the gossip. So as I opened the door I was greeted with my usual, "hello mommy" and waved arms ready to escape the crib. And there it was- the faint smell of poop. What a wonderful morning.

We walked down stairs and I asked Ava to lay down so that I could change the poop which of course she didn't. I began to unzip her anyway. Oh Yeaaa! She had poop up to her boobs. Back up the stairs we went to get rid of the mess in the tub. Even Ava was disgusted by the sight and smell of it. As the zipper was nearing her belly button and she saw the smear across her chest she said, "EWWWW". Yeah, your darn right ewwwwww.

After the 10 minute shower Ava sat on the potty. Nothing happened in the bowl. We waited a little longer and still nothing and to top it off she kept messing with the potty lid and trying to sit on top of it. This has become the norm the last few days where she can't keep her hands off the lid so she got off the potty and I put the diaper back on. Small victory for her.

An hour later Ava was back on the potty. Since I removed a dry diaper I thought she'd peed. Wrong. Nothing in the bowl again and a huge argument ensued over that stupid lid.

Lunch came and went and Ava had one more chance to sit on the potty. She had not peed all day so I would assume she would have to go at some point. After a good 10 or 15 minutes the smallest pee ever trickled into the bowl. She clapped and pointed and I accepted that that was as good as it was going to get. Ava went to bed and I got out the screwdriver and removed that stupid lid. HA.

I'm sure she will find something just as annoying to do again but at least now the bowl is open and I don't have to deal with the lid.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Manic Monday #5 ~ Wax


Mo from It's a blog eat blog world has given us the word WAX for today's Manic Monday
This makes me think of Candy WAX lips. So yummy.

The Weekend

The weekend is almost over and we crammed so much into it. Yesterday we went clothes shopping, grocery shopping, and pet store browsing. Then we found this really cool lake/pond/pool place to swim. Apparently at one time this was part of a lake that was closed off to make a swimming pool, complete with chlorine, and sand. It was really a strange phenomena to see but it starts out about 6 inches deep with a sand bar that goes out about 30 feet. Then the sand just stops and it becomes a swimming pool bottom that gradually becomes 5 ft. Weird I know but soo much fun. The girls had a blast playing and building sand castles. We took them to the deep part and let them jump into the water which is both girls' favorite thing to do at the pool. We bought some BBQ for dinner on the way home. Ava was so tired she crashed for an hour during dinner. When we woke her up her little eyes were red and puffy but like a trooper she sat on the potty and went right away. I think she smelled dinner and wanted to eat but hey- who can blame her when there's BBQ waiting in the kitchen for her.

This morning Daddy Dave made everyone blueberry muffins and cream of wheat. Yes, he cooked it all and it was fantastic. After breakfast Avacakes, who is cutting another tooth, made her potty, Livy made her potty, and Dave cleaned the kitchen up. I paid the bills, cleaned the bathrooms, dyed my hair, and took care of our godawful litter box. Ewww did it stink. I swear that cat can annihilated a small village with what she leaves in there. Anyway, Dave and his little women went to buy a new vacuum since ours bit the dust during the cleaning and after they get back and eat lunch Dave and I will begin repairing the pool that the cat popped when she thought she could stand on it. Hopefully the water will be warm enough for the girls to swim in today after their nap. It's only about 74 degrees out right now so the odds are slim but here's to hoping.

Friday, August 15, 2008

Potty Talk

Today's potty experience went amazingly. This was the first morning Ava woke up and went straight to the potty. She sat for about a minute and exclaimed, "pee pee, pee pee" and pointed into the bowl. Sure enough there was urine in the bowl.

We all waved goodbye to the potty and Ava ate breakfast. Immediately after she finished and was cleaned up she sat on the potty again. When I removed her diaper there was a small wet spot so I wasn't expecting any miracles so if something happened in the next five minutes great. If not we were going shopping. Wow! One minute later Ava was eating her candy and I was washing out the bowl. She is getting really good at this. Dave and I are so proud of her.

On a side note...Livy is teaching Ava how to poop right now. Ava is clapping, "yeah Livy" and trying to look into the bowl from behind. Livy is saying, "listen to the poop." These two crack me up!


Quick update to this post:

We went shopping, came back, ate lunch, and put Ava on the potty in one last attempt before nap time. That little rascal knows exactly what she is doing. She sat for maybe a minute and pointed to the bowl of urine and then up towards her bag of candy. Congratulations Ava...I think you are becoming a big girl.... :) I love these two little cuties to pieces.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Thursday Thirteen #5



Thirteen Things that I fix around my house if I had more money:


1. I would landscape the front yard and make it look attractive to the rest of the neighborhood.
2. I would landscape the backyard so the girls could play on grass and we would have a place to sit and eat dinner when it is nice outside.
3. I would buy a new lawnmower so I could actually start it without help. Ours is too hard to pull the cord and make start.
4. I would buy a new toilet for the bathroom since ours is broken.
5. I would repaint all the places that have dings around the house.
6. I would paint our room since it has never been painted.
7. I would rent a stump grinder to remove the huge ugly stump in our front yard.
8. We could use a hot tub but that's really dreaming.
9. I would replace our windows with "low e " dual pane windows to cut the cost of our electricity bill.
10. I would build a house of a rabbit so the girls could have a bunny.
11. I would ask Dave what he would want fixed.
12. I would hire a maid to really clean the blinds and windows.
13. I would probably buy a new mattress because our albatross is awful.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!




Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Potty Talk

I love coffee. If it weren't for coffee I don't think I would have the patience for this potty training thing. It has been going fine, but it is getting kind of boring. I enjoy getting a half hour to play with Ava, but our options are limited with what entertains her. Puzzles and books are her favorites but after reading and re-reading them my brain begins to turn to mush.

Ava sat on the potty and made her pee pee today. This time her diaper was dry when I took it off so it was a good indication she was going to be successful. Once she went she pointed and clapped like usual. Olivia came over to check it out too and we waved goodbye to the potty.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Wordless Wednesday ~ Redneck

If Wordless Wednesday included words


My Southern raised husband claims "he ain't no redneck" yet a picture speak volumes:

Yes the pool is filled with water which later he used to clean the kids...




Potty Talk

Oh brother. Today was a tough one. Ava's diaper was wet when I sat her on the potty. It didn't feel hot but I suspect that she had peed not long before. So she was sitting putting her puzzles together and it had been awhile. I was ready to put the diaper back on and try again later. Of course someone came to the front door before I got the diaper on... It happened to be the Animal Control guy who was coming to see if he could remove a bird's nest from the side of our house. The birds have flown away so we have the opportunity to seal up the hole before they come back to nest again. Anyway, I told him I'd meet him in the yard and I quickly threw a diaper on Ava minus her pants. Yes, I should have seen it coming and now regard myself as an idiot, but I no sooner walked into the backyard, then Ava rips off the diaper and pees on the floor. Of course.

When I came back into the house Liv had no problem telling me that the baby had peed "right here mommy" on the floor. So after all that time of waiting we missed the show in the potty. Oh well. God knows she has a lot more where that came from. Sure enough an hour later we were back on the potty clapping our hands and eating some candy for a job well done.... and a mighty big pee pee to boot!

Potty Training ~ Twice in one day

Yesterday Ava used the potty twice. We are so proud of her but most of all she is soooo proud of herself. She sees the pee and looks up with her clappy hands shouting, "all done!!!" It is so cool. Then of course she demands her candy, which she rightfully earned, and both girls giggle in delight while chocolate drips down their face.

Yes, Olivia gets candy whenever Ava uses the potty and vice versa. This makes for no hurt feelings and everyone is happy.

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Manic Monday ~ Boil

Mo from It's a blog eat blog world created this fantastic meme word for Manic Monday : BOIL
If there's anything great Boiled it's a Shrimp Boil



Potty Training ~ Day 5

We might be out of diapers sooner than I thought. Ava is really taking to potty training. Today she walked over to the potty by herself and sat down. Dave immediately removed her clothes and helped her back on. She played for about fifteen minutes with her puzzles and books and then sure enough she knew what was happening. She looked down into the bowl and saw the first drizzle. She pointed and I reaffirmed with her that that was indeed her pee pee floating in the bowl. She then pushed out a little more and looked at me for confirmation again. I told her she was doing it. She was going potty. She looked down once more and out it came. The giant flow of pee right into the bowl. She jumped up and turned around to she what she had done. She was very excited and proud of herself. Dave rushed over to congratulate her and check it out the contents of the bowl. She proudly pointed her finger at the pee and said, "all done." And yes she was...just in time to going swimming in the backyard.

Santa Cruz



Saturday we drove to Santa Cruz to let the girls experience the Boardwalk. This was definitely a car ride worth taking. Dave put the movie on and away we went. Traffic was smooth, coffee was hot, and girls never made a peep until they saw they ocean and then chanted, "we go beach" with their silly little screeches.

















This is our arrival. Look at all the smiling faces. Time to go have fun.


Our first stop is bowling. Now I know that doesn't exactly sound too "Boardwalky" but the girls are really into bowling and have such a great time.














Dave bowled with Olivia. She could hardly wait until her turn came around again. She sat at the table playing with all the buttons on the console while eating a snack. Ava and I bowled together. Don't let her age fool you. Ava knows exactly what is going on all the time and can keep up with Olivia. She picked up her ball herself and rolled it down the lane. Afterwards we all would yell "yeaaa" and she would do her dancing feet and clap. They were so cute and together they bowled a 70. Not bad since I bowled a 100 and Dave bowled a 110.


Next we went to the beach and ate lunch. Bringing a double stroller down a sandy beach sure ain't easy but we got the job done. After lunch we swam in the ocean, built sand castles, threw a little sand around, reapplied sunscreen, checked out the seagulls and pigeons, and basically had a great afternoon at the beach for a few hours.


In the late afternoon we walked over to the wharf. Ava took a small cat nap in the stroller and Olivia and I browsed the shops for toys. We tested a few out, checked out the kites, and looked at the clothes. Then we watched some people cast out their fishing poles and listened to the seals below.


Dave and I decided to stop at a restaurant and get some clam chowder. Ava smelled the food and promptly woke up and demanded her fair share. Dinner was tasty but we had to go. It was time to ride some rides.





Here's each of the girls on the Carousel. We thought Ava might not enjoy the rides since the last time she was on a merry-go-round she cried but alas she is past that. The little baby is now the big girl toddler who can and will experiment on everything. She had a blast. Olivia of course loved it. She is definitely a theme park girl.


It was time to go and the girls waved goodbye. We climbed into the car, put on the movie, and started our journey home. Within fifteen minutes both girls were sound to sleep and we turned that damn movie off. It was a joyous ride home!

Friday, August 8, 2008

Potty Training ~ Day 4




Today was another great potty training day. Livy and Ava slept in today until almost 9 AM. By the time we got dressed, ate breakfast, and cleaned up breakfast it was almost 10:30AM. I thought about putting Ava on the potty and figured we would wait just a little while. She was having fun playing with her sister and they were totally entertained and focused on what they were doing. More importantly I was able to drink my coffee in peace.


As I savored every drop for the first minute I looked over and there's Ava sitting fully dressed on the potty. You know the saying when you gotta go you gotta go. Well she had to go. I undressed her from the waist down, sat her back down, and again offered her a puzzle. She put it together and took it apart a few times. About 10 minutes had passed and then a trickle came. Ava looked into the potty and pointed. We clapped and shout hooray. Then a minute later another trickle followed by a stream. There she was in all of her glory looking down into a bowl full of urine and she looked up smiling and stood up and hugged me.
Again she struggled with getting dressed but I gave her her treat and told her we'd go bye bye. That was all it took and we were out the door.

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Potty Training ~ Day 3

Today was the second day and again Ava peed. She really likes sitting in the potty chair so I sat next to her and handed her different things to play with. Mainly she chose the puzzles because she's big into puzzles right now. The number one has been a challenge but the others she can put together in lightning speed.

Ava played for about a half an hour and then the trickle came. She looked between her legs and sat up and clapped. It was awesome. She was so very proud of herself. She was given a candy and then came the tears. She did not want to put the diaper back on. Life's rough when you're one. So I dressed her under protest and immediately took the girls to the park. This was a great potty training day.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Thursday Thirteen #4



Thirteen Things that I will have to stop eating in order to lose weight on my diet:
I gained a mere 65 pounds during each pregnancy with my daughters and have lost roughly 75 pounds so far. I would still like to lose another 15 pounds. From my lips to God's ears.... These are in no particular order:


1. Pizza- a.k.a. the carb killer.

2. Chips- all kinds- and I favor all the spicy hot brands... They know who they are...those oily salt drenched gifts from God.

3. Fast food. The usual suspects...mexican, burgers, mexican burgers, fries...oh not the fries. I love them very much especially with chili and cheese on top.

4. Any type of chocolate candy that I can get my hands on but claim I have in the house as an incentive on getting my youngest daughter to use the potty.

5. All processed boxed foods. Mac-n-cheese is good for the quick fix but ...even the organic still is made with cheese. bummer.

6. Hotlinks, hot dogs, or any other meat shaped like a sausage with or without the word 'hot' in front of it.

7. Mash potatoes. Mixing broccoli in them doesn't bring their calorie count down. I love me some potatoes.

8. Donuts. These just should not be sold at supermarkets. The temptation is just too overwhelming.

9. Dessert or any meal I can convince my husband to get in the car and go drive for past 8PM in exchange for...a big thank you of course.

10. Salsa- because it can't be eaten without chips. I don't include Tapatio in this. I can not live without Tapatio on everything.

11. Cheese... a limited amount is ok but I eat it on everything that I put hot sauce on so one's gotta go.

12. Guacamole, again it's a chip thing. By eliminating chips alone I could probably lose five pounds in a day. It's that or start buying stock...

13.Oh no not the alcohol :(

Wow with a diet like that it makes me wonder how I lost any weight at all. But in truth I do jog everyday for at least 30 minutes and most of my binge eating happens on the weekends when my husband is home. I keep to a pretty decent diet on the weekdays, egg whites, brown rice, brown pasta, chicken, fish, dried berries, and the occasional diet soda. The list above is mostly just the crap I snarf down on the weekend as a treat for eating well during the week.



Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!




Potty Training ~ Day 2

We have pee! Wait a minute... We have pee in the potty!!! Yeaaaa Ava!

Ava sat on the potty while Olivia watched Sesame Street. We put together and took apart puzzles and read books. Soon there was pee and we clapped and cheered Ava on. She got excited and tried to push more out. Great start for today!

Wordless Wednesday ~ #5




Wordless Wednesday: Potty Training Day 2
Wish us luck!





Tuesday, August 5, 2008

The Beginnning of Potty Training Season- Day 1

Yes. It has started once again. Ava is 18 months old and ready to begin. She all ready likes to take her diaper off and sit on the potty so here's to hoping this will be a bit smoother than it was for Olivia.

Today we started with the usual diapers off approach. Ava sat on the potty for awhile and we clapped and cheered her on. Unfortunately no pee but that's ok. She wanted to get up and move around again so I went along with folding my laundry while the girls played in the living room. I looked up from my pile of clothes to see this cute bewildered look on Ava's face. She had peed on the floor. A few wet puzzle pieces and a hard wood floor has made cleaning up rather easy. After sitting on the potty again with no results the diaper went back on for a while. Soon Ava was eager to rip open the tabs so I figured go ahead....oh how did I not see that coming. Immediately she peed on the floor. If Livy wasn't insistent on stepping in it, this would have made for an easy clean up also.

Now I am armed with paper towels and ready for the... oh no there she goes again. Wow! After the huge puddle she just left on the floor I didn't think there would be much left in her. This time she has sprayed the carpet a little. It's ok though, many diapers have been changed on this rug. I plan on getting rid of it next summer when Ava is completely out of diapers anyway.

So after a few more clean ups I am aware of the pattern forming. As soon as Ava feels like she needs to pee, she takes her diaper off. That is where we will start tomorrow. Diaper on, armed with cleanup supplies, and lying in wait for Avacakes to take the diaper off. Today she spent an hour naked from the waste down. Not bad for day 1.

Monday, August 4, 2008

Manic Monday ~ Big



Today's word is big from Mo's Manic Monday Meme.

When I saw the word this movie was my first thought-
I loved this movie when it came out and still love it today. I think now I want to take my kids to FAO Schwartz to let them see where it all began..

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Big Sunday


With only a few weekends left before Dave starts teaching again, I really want to make the most out of them and have the weekends be full and fun for the girls. They need to spend as much time with him as possible since during school year they won't see him three days out of the week.
So today we had breakfast outside at our picnic table. Ava had no problem eating her waffles, cottage cheese, and banana. Olivia had to be bribed to eat hers. She really just wanted to play and be squirted with the hose.
When Ava finished her breakfast she ran all around the yard. I watered all of the dead spots while she ran through the hose and giggled. Olivia was still sitting at the table not eating her food of course. She was throwing it everywhere.
Soon we cleaned them and the table up and headed to the park. The girls are so big now that they can both walk there and back all by themselves. It's a little bit sad for me that Ava, the baby really isn't a baby anymore, and can do for herself. I know that she will probably be my last baby and a small part of me wanted her to remain a baby just a little bit longer but she's so persistent and into Livy's business that she has grown up so much faster than Olivia.

When we made our way to the park Olivia ran off to climb all over the jungle gym to show daddy every thing that she can do now. Basically that's everything that the park has to offer.. Ava showed off her expertise as well. She can climb the stairs and go down the slide by herself. She does not want us to help her. If we get too close she grunts and screams at us to back off. It's cute and scary at the same time.




We played until we were tired and Livy said she was ready to go home for her water and a snack. We always have a snack and water after the park. Again we walked home and lounged around until Dave was ready to go get the oil changed in the car followed by a car wash. Of course the girls yelled, "shoes...ews...eeewwws..." until he let them go with him."

So now I am home alone. It's been a half hour but it feels like an entire day. I can't wait until they get back and see what the rest of this day has in store for us.

Saturday, August 2, 2008

The Beach

It started out to be a pretty windy morning. We decided to pack a small picnic lunch and head to the beach to eat and play in the sand. Little did we know the day would turn out to be very hot and beautiful.


I asked Liv if she wanted to go to the beach. She yelled yes and quickly put her shoes on. "I go beach mommy. Shoes on." Ava heard the excitement and exclaimed, "ews ews" while pointing to her feet. She knows that she has to have her shoes on to go somewhere and she is always ready to go.

Dave and quickly packed up the ice chest, toys, and swimsuits and jumped into the car. All the way there Olivia told us about how she was going to the beach, going to the beach, going to the beach, you get the idea right?

We arrived and found we weren't the only family with this idea. The whole park was hoppin' with people, kids, boats, tents, everything. It was great. The girls were totally excited.

We hopped out of the car and found a shady picnic table for lunch. The girls were so cute, sitting there drinking their juice and eating their sandwiches. Soon we were finished eating and had changed into our swim suits to head down to the water.

The girls loved the playing in the sand. Olivia was into throwing it at everyone and putting it on top of Ava's head. Ava didn't seem to mind and kept right along digging. She built a huge sand castle with Dave and Livy would come by and stand on top and kick it down occasionally. Then Ava would stand on top and kick it down. They were filthy and loving it.

Ava and I strolled down the beach a bit and wandered upon a little dog. She had her index finger pointing feverishly and shouting, "daw..daw" Then Livy ran up and asked the ladies if she could pet it. Both girls were able to pet the puppy. That always makes their day.

So it started getting sweaty hot on the beach. We had been playing for at least 3 hours so we cleaned up and headed home. On the way we stopped at McDonald's and got 4 ice cream cones. Ok mommy not the brightest idea for two toddlers to be eating in the back of the car but you have to live dangerously sometime.

The rest of the way home was one of the quietest car rides. If I didn't know better I would have thought the girls were sleeping...instead they were chowing down and loving it. We arrived home and our neighbors brought over their new tiny puppy. Oh the girls were able to play with two puppies in one day. Fantastic. Off to dreamland they went after a quick shower and a kiss good night.

Friday, August 1, 2008

Friday's Lesson For The Day...

Oh where to start.... the ER, the Pre-ER, a day at a glance....

Let's start with the girls are perfectly ok and ready to play all day. Last night was a different story.

After dinner, Dave cleaned the kitchen up while the girls played in the family room. I was across the street talking to a neighbor. When Dave was finished inside he took the girls with him to the store. He went out the garage door with them and I came in through the front door. As he drove away I noticed these little balls scattered on the floor. I started picking up a few of them and then noticed they were everywhere. I couldn't think of what toy we had that would contain such small little balls so I called Dave's cell when I realized these might in fact be lead balls. Panic attack!!! Dave didn't take his phone with him either. More panic..

I feverishly cleaned up all the balls that seemed to have landed everywhere while waiting for Dave to come home. I found the broken egg shaker toy too which was prompted packed up for the doctor to investigate. Dave drove up and I explained what I had found and that the balls may be lead. Smart Dave said that lead is not magnetic so let's see if they attach to a magnet and they did. Whew. One less thing to worry about. So he calls the doctor while I search for more balls and the nurse calls the poison people to see if they are ok with the possible steel balls in their stomachs. So the poison guy says that the steel itself is not harmful but they may have inhaled the balls into their lungs or what could be in their stomach could cause a blockage somewhere. In other words they both need to have x-rays taken.

Yeah, ok- back to panic attack. Hadn't even thought of steel balls in the lungs or blockage. It is also now almost 9 PM and they are getting crabby and tired. We put on their jammies and head to the ER. First of all Olivia hates hates hates to have her temperature taken at the doctor's so it stands to reason when the ER guy asks for a rectal temperature she screams so hard that she broke all the blood vessels around her eyes. Ava, on the other hand, was like, "hey buddy whatcha doin' back there?" So we move on from there to the x-ray room. Both girls do wonderfully on the table. Olivia saw the pillow and wanted to lay down and take a nap. Much better than the last time when she was x-rayed for eating part of her wooden crib.

Last stop was the doctor. Good news- we have two perfectly formed little girls with fancy new pictures to prove it. Not a small little steel ball in sight thank god. Ok- panic attack over. Egg shakers thrown in the trash now that this fiasco is over, and nothing else filled with anything will be entering our house. Whew. We stopped by a fast food place and got the girls a small cake for dessert for being such good troopers at the doctor and behaving so well past their bed time. They were in heaven eating their cake and Dave and I could go to sleep knowing everyone was ok.

So all that being said, I'd say the lesson for the day is there is no lesson. You can't watch your kid every single little second or they will become paranoid and neurotic. You just have to deal with whatever comes up and remain calm and don't jump to any big assumptions until you have something confirmed with your doctor.