Planned and Unplanned

I had planned on getting a lot more accomplished this week, but time got away from me and my schedule quickly filled up. Some of it I knew about in advance, while other things were a little more spontaneous. Here's what went down this week.

Sunday- Church and a baby shower- PLANNED

Monday- Had friends over for dinner and to play a few rounds of Pit- PLANNED

Ended up playing over 40 rounds of Pit and staying up half the night- UNPLANNED

Tuesday- J called me in the middle of the day and wanted me to meet him for the final night of a worship conference which was led by Brian and Jenn Johnson, some of my favorite worship artists. -UNPLANNED

One of Z's crocs went missing and so I tried to cram him into his size 7 converse with little success. We carried him into Stride Rite barefooted and got him a new pair of Saucony size 9 wide! He wore his size 7 shoes just 6 months ago, talk about a growth spurt! This of course was UNPLANNED.

After the worship service we made an unplanned stop at a McDonald's in Plano for Z to use the restroom. It was the craziest McDonald's I had ever seen. The play land looked like something you should have to pay to get into. Lights, video games, giant sky high play area, and techno music. I didn't have a camera, but here is a photo of the dining area that I snagged from Flickr.

Wednesday- My mom came in from Kentucky for the day. We went to the Alice and Wonderland Summer fest at the Gaylord Texan.- PLANNED



Thursday- J had another burst of spontaneity and had me call the babysitter so that we could have some alone time. We went to a really cool deli and drove around afterwards. This was UNPLANNED, but we PLAN on making more times like these a priority.

Friday- Went to see Where the Wild Things Are at the free outdoor theater downtown.- PLANNED
We left early because Z would was on his worst behaviour. Unplanned!

Saturday- Today we aren't going anywhere! We are just going to chill out at home, or at least that is the PLAN.

Rainy Afternoon

It was a rainy afternoon and the kids were both napping. I knew I had to wake Z up because he has a really hard time getting to bed at night and the later he sleeps the more difficult it is. He wasn't very enthusiastic about the idea of getting out of bed. I picked up the groggy toddler and brought him over to his closet to find an activity to get him going. I knew I had an Ispy book in there somewhere and even though he is too young for the pictures riddles, I figured we could still enjoying looking at it. When I found the book I opened it up I noticed that there was a message in it for me and which I thought was strange. Then I read that it said "I can't wait for you to share this book with my grandchildren. Love- Mom". I had forgotten that it was a gift that I got before I ever had children.

There I was with my son while his sister was asleep in the next room. We went through each colorful page pointing out our own picture riddles. It was the perfect rainy afternoon moment and definitely one of the finer things in life.



Today I am linked up with Finer Things Friday.

Ex Photos Etiquette

Yesterday I got a somewhat frantic email from a mother of a client who wanted to know if I could remove someone from a family photo that I had done. She said "someone doesn't want to be married anymore, or have any responsibility" and she wanted that someone's "presence removed." Ouch.

Believe it or not this was not the first time I have been asked to do this. I have to gently inform these clients that I cannot just delete people from photos. I mean sure there's the clone stamp, layering, and strategic cropping. I am not a novice when it comes to photoshop, but I am also not an expert and even then when you tamper too much with photos it's obvious and it's tacky so I personally will not do that to my work.

But the sad thing is that this isn't really about photoshop craftsmanship it's about heartbreak. It's desperately wanting to change reality, to go back and reverse things. Unfortunately that attempt to erase hurt is even more destructive than just a mediocre photo edit. It happens though. I am certain that someone you know has gone through a divorce or a really bad break up, or maybe you have yourself. So what do you do with those old photos? It seems trivial in the scheme of things, but it's a big deal. If you have a framed photo of the formally married couple do you keep it? What if it is a photo of just the bride in her dress? Do you try to photoshop all the pictures to make it look like it never happened? Or maybe you go the old fashioned route of ripping, burning or scribbling on someones face with a permanent marker? Then you have to wonder if there is any chance of reconciliation and all your momentous are gone. I have seen people do all of the above honestly!

So tell me readers. What do you do with photos of exes? It's a modern day conundrum.

Shopping By Price Per Unit

My budget is so tight right now that if it was a pair of jeans I wouldn't be able to fit my cell phone in my back pocket. I have had to find every little way to scrimp and save here lately.

Thank goodness most grocery stores list the price per unit or per ounce on the price labels.

I am no good at math. Not to mention those packages can be really deceiving and sometimes it looks like you are getting more than you really are. That is why when I shop I look at the price per unit to compare what is going to be the biggest bang for my buck. Usually the more you buy the better the price, so typically you will want to buy the largest container IF you know it is something you need. However, this isn't always the case. The other day I was looking at the prices on store brand peanut butter and I don't remember the exact numbers, but it was something like this-

18 oz jar- .165 cents per ounce
28 oz jar- .133 cents per ounce
40 oz jar- .142 cents per ounce

Well, I'll be darned the middle size is the cheapest. We go through a lot of peanut butter, but I would still be better off in the long run if I buy two 28 ounce jars than if get the family size.
On a side note, did you know that according to Wikepedia in 2008 Skippy reduced their standard jar size from 18 oz to 16.3 oz by creating a large hemispherical "dimple" in the bottom of the jar while retaining the same height and diameter? Yeah, sneaky sneaky.

There are times I don't buy the thing that is the cheapest per unit like if I don't need that much. That's why Costco isn't that much of a pay off for our little family. Other times I spend more on items I feel are just worth the extra cost, like toilet paper. I am all about generic, but we all have our things that we "splurge" on. That's where the coupons come in. If you have coupons then forget what I said about price per unit/ounce. Buy the smallest or the lowest priced container that the coupon will allow you to purchase and then use up as many coupons as you can get your hands on. For example a 10.75 oz box of cereal at $2.25 may be 20.9 cents per ounce and an 18 oz box of cereal at $3.25 is only 18.05 cents per ounce. So the big box is 2 cents cheaper per ounce, but if you have a dollar off coupon that would make the smaller box 11.62 cents per ounce and the big box 12.50. Now which box is cheaper? The small (and originally more expensive one)! So you're getting more out of your coupons when you use them this way.

I know we are dealing with pennies and fractions of pennies which just sounds confusing and pointless, but it does add up. The bottom line is, read the "fine print" the smaller the number, the bigger the savings. That's how I am keeping it frugal, for more tips check out Frugal Friday over at Life as Mom.

The Truth About Parenting

The other day I heard about a controversial study that showed that people with children were less happy than those without and that the more children you have the more unhappy you will be.

I don't know about you, but I thought that this was the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. It made me want to cry, scream, and shout "YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW HAPPY I AM!!!" But, before I got too riled up I thought why not go and read the article that this topic stemmed from and see for yourself what these statistics are all about. So I looked up the All Joy and No Fun New York magazine article on why parents hate parenting.

The first thing I found was that I was not alone in my response to this research. Daniel Gilber Harvard psychologist says "I’ve never met anyone who didn’t argue with me about this, even people who believe the data say they feel sorry for those for whom it’s true.” Yet these experts stand by their survey results. The next page begins with "So what, precisely, is going on here? Why is this finding duplicated over and over again despite the fact that most parents believe it to be wrong?" to which I am thinking "yeah really, tell me why."

There is an absolutely fascinating in depth theory on page 2 of this online article and I would encourage you to read it. In short, it appears that as our culture has changed and puts more and more emphasis on being successful in your studies and career it puts a lot of pressure on parents to view their children as a job in itself or as writer Jenifer Senior puts it "once college degrees became essential to getting ahead, children became not only a great expense but subjects to be sculpted, stimulated, instructed, groomed. Page 3 goes into the theory that the longer people wait to have children the more they are set in their ways and the bigger the adjustment is. I would agree with this theory, but might also add that this culture definitely struggles with a sense of entitlement and selfishness that could play a major role in why some of these parents are so discontent.

Page 4 touches on how one study that showed that "countries with stronger welfare systems produce more children—and happier parents". Then went on to suggest that if the government did more to provide for our children then we would have less to worry about and be better parents. This was a red flag for me, because I don't want the government raising my children or forcing me to do it a certain way. But that is another issue that I won't go into right now. On page 5 we look at the negative impact of children on a marriage. The exact opposite has been true in my life, although it definitely takes work to make sure you do have alone time with your spouse and that you keep the lines of communication open before and after you have kids.

The article concludes with the what happiness really means. Is it moment to moment or is it the big picture? Even though I disagree with the theory that children equate to misery. I don't want to sugar coat parenthood either. I remember a time when I had friends over and we were going to watch a movie, but I couldn't get Z to go to sleep. They were all out in the living room chatting, laughing, and waiting on me, the one with the kid. I was so upset about not getting him to lay down and how I felt like he ruined my evening. I think it's okay to admit those feelings, because sometimes it's tough, or maybe it's tough a lot. However, I think the reason I get riled up when I read something that says "why parents hate parenting" is because it puts me in a category that I don't belong in. I am a parent and I am extremely honored and grateful to be one. Unlike the people that were involved in this study I don't have a doctorate, I am not a journalist, or a philosopher so you'll have to excuse me when I say study shmudy. I only have 3 years of research, but these are some of my statistics and this is what happiness looks like to me...







and this is only the beginning.

Almost Heroic

Near the end of my first pregnancy I made a shirt that said "Super Mom" and I wore it home from the birth center after I had my son.
Since then I have found that it is a big title to live up to. Most of the time I feel like super would be the last word I would use to describe me as a mom, but at the same time I feel like I have developed some super hero like qualities since taking on this role. By the way, did you know that those nursing covers can second as a cape if you wear them backwards? It's true. I often flip my around after a feeding and run around like that in public without realizing I still have it on.

Here are my top ten mommy super hero traits, which is apart of Oh Amanda's Top Ten of course.

1. The Power To Endure High Pitched Sounds
Baby cries, and little girl screams for example.

2. Costume Changes At Rapid Speed
Super man in the phone booth has got nothing on me when I need to throw on some clothes and get out the door.

3. The Iron Stomach
I've tasted some baby food and changed some diapers that would make Iron Man himself want to hurl, but thanks to this power I can play it cool.

4. Speaking With The Eyes
It's like sending thoughts telepathically with just a stern look. This power can be used to reprimand children and spouses.

5. Go Go Gadget Arms
Whether it's stopping a glass from getting knocked off the counter or keeping a kid from running into the street there are many occasions I have to react as quickly as inspector gadget with my mom arms.

6. The Power To Not Care
I am still working on this super power, but I would like to put an invisible force field around my family when out in public that shield dirty looks or comments from people that maybe aren't used to children.

7. Smelling Power
The power of smell can be used to know when to change a baby's diapers, or if a food item is edible, or as a bath time indicator (for mom or the children).

8. Booming Voice Activator
You know the one "Get Over Here NOW."

9. Toe Skills
Being able to pick up objects with your feet while using hands to hold a baby and a laundry basket.

10. The Healing Kiss
When I became a mom I received a special power that allows me to kiss where it hurts and make it all better, this is by far my favorite super hero trait.


So what's yours?

Back To Normal

About a month ago I blogged about how we were in a little fender bender with a BIG car.

It took a while, but all the repairs have been made and everything is back to normal.

Well, almost. Normal would mean a messy car with toys, receipts, and wrappers everywhere, but the nice people at the auto body shop cleaned out my car for me.

I wish I had a photo of what it looked like before, but you will just have to trust me on this one. They did a thorough job inside and out. Is it worth it to get hit by a hummer and have a month of stress and worry for a "free" car wash? No. But hey, at least I have a clean car... for now.

Chick-Fil-Yay

This was our first year to participate in Cow Appreciation day at Chick-fil-a, but not our first time to to get free food from them. I have always been a fan of their waffle fries and lemonade, but I think they really stole my heart when I went through the drive thru with my yellow lab in the back seat and they had a doggie treat to give him! How thoughtful is that? I sent them an email expressing my love for all things Chick-fil-a, and what did they do? Send me a coupon for free food of course. I have gotten free food on multiple occasions when they are promoting a new menu item. At the end of last year I went on a night where you got a green receipt with your order, which was good to use anytime in 2010 to come back and get the exact same order for free (which I did). From the looks of the Life As Mom blog the San Diego area offered free dinner every night last week! Many restaurants have a weekly family fun night where kids eat free or if you really want to go all out you can be one of the first customers at a new chick-fil-a location and get free chicken for a year. I don't know how they can afford to do so many freebies, but it seems to really be working for them. The best way to find out what is happening in your area is to sign up for the email or text insiders at chick-fil-a .com

We had so much fun dressing like cows. We got 3 meals for free and left without paying a dime. It definitely makes me want to eat more chicken.



This post is linked to Frugal Fridays at Lifeasmom.com

Potty Training Part Two

Yesterday I shared what I called our "toilet testimony." My son was very uncomfortable with the toilet and had some form of pee fright. This meant we had to take baby steps or I guess you could say toddler steps when approaching the whole potty business. So we began with the Fisher Price Cheer For Me Potty. It's a training toilet that sings songs when the child relieves himself on it.

It helped make something that was daunting to him just a little more fun. The songs carried over to when he started using the full size toilet. As soon as he would go he would start singing "I am so big look at me, I can use my own potty..." There were even times that we would be away from the house that I would sing one of the songs when he had a hard time relaxing and it would help him to go!

Speaking of on the go, I always dreaded having to use public restrooms during this transition from diapers to toilets, but then I discovered something that made it so much easier. It's the folding traveling potty seat.

It really helps for little ones that have a hard time straddling that giant toilet seat. I read a LOT of reviews on Amazon before I made my purchase and it seems to work well for many kids. I just carried mine in a plastic zip lock in my giant purse. It's a little bit of a hassle, but definitely a big help when you are out and about. Plus, forget trying to balance them over the seat or covering the seat with toilet paper, you just place the traveling seat on the toilet and then your child can be secure and comfortable enough to go with ease and you don't have to worry about the filth. The traveling seats come in all kinds of kid friendly designs, which is just another incentive to help make learning to go potty a little more fun.

My son has already outgrown these products, but I feel like I got my moneys worth especially since I will get to use them both again. Luckily I have a while before I have to worry about that!!!



This post is a part of Things I love Thursdays over at the Diaper Diaries.

Potty Training Part One

I decided to try to potty train my son when he was 22 months old. My husband and I were both potty trained (willingly) by 18 months so I was hoping it would be genetic that he could learn early. I quizzed all my friends and family about how they did it and what approach would be best. From what I read I thought I should have everything knocked out in 3 days. Well, let me tell you he was not potty trained in 3 days, and by day 10 I quit because I realized that he was not ready! In fact he wouldn’t be ready until nearly a whole year later.

If there is one thing I learned through all of this it is that potty training is not one try fits all. But for the other mothers out there like me that want to know what method, how long, and what worked, I thought I would share my toilet testimony hoping that it might be helpful. That’s what makes this post a perfect for WFMW because it may not work for everyone, but it worked for me.

There are may be some children that are successfully potty trained in 3 days or less, but for my son it could not have been a more gradual learning method.

I began round two of potty training by showing him the Elmo potty time video, giving him lots to drink, and sitting him on the baby toilet encouraging him to go wee wee. He would hold it until he was blue in the face (almost literally) and would run off and pee elsewhere any chance he got. I had a notebook to document when he had a drink and the time and location of the pee or poop. After just a couple of days I had the whole thing down to a science as to how often he would need to go and I would take him. He fought it like crazy, but little by little he caught on. First he started peeing in the training toilet after about 4 days, about 6 days later he would go in the toilet at the church or friends house, after a couple weeks he had the peeing down as long as I took him, but it took nearly a month before he would consistently poop in the toilet. Now here we are 3 months later and he is the one telling me when he has to go and he is no longer having any accidents day or night.

Basically it just came down to waiting for the right time for both of us, then tracking progress and patterns, and being persistent. Check back tomorrow for more details and recommendations.



If you are potty training right now check out some of these other moms stories. Sometimes it's just encouraging to know that there are other people that are in the same boat.

The Dangers of Potty Training (Mary at Giving Up On Perfect)

Tales From Purgatory (Joy at In This Journey)

Potty Training (Mandi at It's Come 2 This)

I'm An Aunt

My brother and his wife had a baby a week ago which means I am an aunt. In my family we say aunt like it’s spelled not like the little bug. I know this is strange to my southern friends. I’ve tried to convert to saying "ant", but I still slip up from time to time.

The title of this post should probably say I am an aunt again, because I technically already had 15 nieces and nephews on my husbands side. In fact I am actually a great aunt. By great, I don’t mean that I am awesome, I mean that I have nieces and nephews that are older than me and have kids of their own. This is a photo of me last Christmas with some of my nieces.
So really the first time I became an aunt was when I married my husband who was the second youngest of 6 kids. His 4 older sisters started having kids of their own when he was just a young boy. This is most easily explained to people familiar with the movie Father of the Bride 2.
So, it’s complicated as always. I am still really excited to have a niece on my side of the family. It's exciting to see my big brother become a dad. Since we live so far apart I have yet to meet the baby, but I can’t wait.

It will be really special for SJ to have a cousin her age. They already have so much in common. They were both born in 2010, both of their moms and dads have the same first name, and they both got their mom’s middle name. It's confusing as always.

So I guess you could say my family is a little complicated and bit confusing, but really wonderful. I love being an aunt.


Do you say ant or aunt? Do you have any nieces and nephews older than you or maybe other complicated family dynamics like relatives with the same first name?

Then THIS Happened

On August 31, 2008 I wrote a post called "Then This Happened" about my son building with blocks for the first time.
He constructed this little creation and I was over the moon about his new development.

Now here we are almost 2 years later and this is what he is building these days

It's just amazing to watch your children discover new things and grow into beautiful people. When Z turned 2 he was still in diapers, sleeping in a crib, and taking a bottle. My goal was to eliminate those things by the time he turned 3 and somehow we managed to do it. Here he is in his new fire truck pj's and fire truck bed.

He's gone from baby, to toddler, and now he is on his way to becoming a little boy. It's bittersweet, but I am proud of him.

He's rambunctious and strong willed, but he is also a very sensitive and affectionate child. Sometimes I will give him a kiss and he says "thank you mom". The other day he was doing something cute and I said "You just melt my heart" and he said "No, your hearts wight there" and he pointed to this wall hanging in the room.

I rest my case.

The latest with SJ

The other day I was looking at my baby girl and thinking "What happened to my newborn!? I thought you were supposed to be a helpless little lump wrapped up in a blanket whose biggest daily achievement was opening your eyes for a few moments a day!" then she looks back at me as if to say "Oh mom, that was so 4 months ago."

I went ahead and did an official portrait session last week. I am trying my best to keep up with the pace I set with the first born.
It started with some photos of her sitting up, but that wasn't working too well.

So I laid her down

and she fell asleep,

but when she woke up

she was ready to turn on the charm.

Besides hitting a major growth spurt in the past month she is also laughing now and sleeping for 9 hours straight at night. Her latest quirk is grabbing things to suck on. I already shared about the thumb and if she is wearing a dress or shirt you will most likely find her lifting it up and putting it in her mouth like this-

I know this is an age where they explore a lot with their mouths, but I wouldn't be surprised if she is already teething too. Teeth seem to come early in our family. It's just genetic and Z was the same way.

That's the latest with SJ. She's a keeper.

Top 10 Trends I Am Not Into

It's time for Oh Amanda's Top 10 Tuesday.
This week I am sharing a list of things my peers are into, but I am not. If you are offended by anything that you read just remember, I am the one that is not cool here.

1. Smart phones
I have the basic bottom of the line phone which I use for calling. That’s that. One day my 2 year old picked up my phone and ran his finger across the screen like he was trying to “scroll” through my apps or something. He is used to his daddy’s iphone. I told him “no son you have to push the buttons on mommy’s phone. I don’t have a touch screen." It’s bad when you feel like your phone is so outdated even toddlers are patronizing you.

2. Twilight
All I know is there is a team Edward, team Jacob, and team I don’t give a rip.

3. Self Tanner
15 years ago the only kind of sunless tan you could get was splotchy and orange, but now there are a gazillion products to choose from. Can you believe women are paying $75 for a spray on tan that lasts a week? I think it’s great that women are starting to take charge of their health by using alternitive methods to tan, but I think I am just too cheap and low maintance to try any.

4. Infinity scarf/ Loop scarf
I almost bought one of these the other day, but I couldn't figure out what you were supposed to do with it. I tried to wrap around my head, but it got stuck and I looked like a muslim. Some accessories need to come with an instruction manual.

5. Texting
I am one of the worlds worst texters. I will use it every once in a while like last week when my husband ran out the door without acknowledging my birthday and he text me from work to say he was sorry. I text back to say “it’s okay I ate that cookie you were saving”. Other than that I think I am too much of a multitasker to text. Maybe they will come up with a hands free texting device, wait a minute I think I am onto something.

6. The Bachelor
Does anyone else think the concept of this show is a bit barbaric or is it just me? I could write an essay on this one, so I will just leave it at that for now.

7. The Gladiator Sandal
Nothing wrong with them, I just don’t happen to own any.

8. Tattoos
I have always tended to gravitate towards the rocker crowd so I have just as many friends with tattoos as I do without. I have no problems with them. If you have one or several that’s great, but I would probably give birth in my bath tub before I would ever get a tattoo, oh wait I did that.

9. . Piercings
This goes hand in hand with number 8. The only piercings I have were done when I was two years old. That was my rebellious stage.

10. Twitter
Maybe someday I will catch up with the rest of the world and start tweeting, but as you can see by this post I think I would use too many words.