swimming in sunshine

This morning I packed up the car, the kids, a lunchbox filled with E's favorite "SAM-ICHES!" a bag of sand toys, and went on an adventure. While singing "we're gonna go-go-go-go- on adventure"... If you watch PBS Kids you know exactly what I'm referring to. Anyway. Our adventure.To the lake. I looked that like ridiculous woman dragging two kids, arms full of giant flotation devices, bags of things overflowing, to find stairs leading down to the beach area.
Needless to say, E went NUTS. We swam. And swam. Floated with floaties and swam some more. D even woke up from his slumber got in his airplane and joined the fun.
Best part, there was hardly anyone there :)
Worst part, finding smashed Miller Lite cans on the lake floor. {Welcome to Louisiana}
Luckily, this lake is about 15/20 minutes from our house, is free and will make our stay here at Fort Polk suck a little less since I plan on making this a weekly thing. Which reminds me, I need to stock up on some sunscreen for my creatures.
Honestly- I wish someone would invent a waterproof cellphone so I could get up close and awesome photos of my kids. Because, they L-O-V-E-D their day. And, I'll say it, because I think they're awesome.

{I know what you're thinking... She's awesome :-)}

This week, we're going to get back into our routine, play group, {maybe story time}, and unpack-unpack-unpack. One day, it will feel like home. And look like it too. Finally- this week, HOPEFULLY, I'll be featuring a toddler friendly {more than likely educational} craft for you guys to try at home should it catch your fancy.



Try not to have a Case of The Mondays tomorrow ;-)

Since Easter?

Seriously, I haven't blogged since Easter? Easter feels like it was last year.
I suppose I have been busy and a little, well, I'll just say it, lazy. Good news, I am almost done with school :) Finally!!! People keep asking me what I'm going to do after school. My answer is NOTHING. I get an awkward silence from the other person, but I'm taking a break and doing nothing. I've been a little overwhelmed lately and I can't wait to just, sit back, relax and play with my little creatures :)

We also moved. Unfortunately, not out of Louisiana. But out of our horrible house. We lost good neighbors and new friends in the process- but I guess that comes with the the territory. Welcome to the military. 


Finally. I need to get off the internet and Google. Sometimes too much information is dangerous ;-)
I am absolutely TERRIFIED of sending my children to public schools. And I haven't figured out if selling one kidney will be enough to send Emma AND to private school preK-12, or if Codi is going to have to chip in on the organ trade. Then, I've stumbled across unschooling. Which is a form of homeschooling. If our public education system continues to fail, private school becomes out of reach and moving to Canada is out of the option- homeschooling may become our only option. And unschooling may be tagging along. Please Google it. You may find yourself pleasantly surprised.


Looking forward to picking up my blogging again :-) I'll be honest. It has been missed.

pbk addictions

I need the world to know that I have a SERIOUS addiction to Pottery Barn Kids. Like, I need an intervention.

eggs and cards.

I've been doing "College Algebra" for like 2 hours. I'm taking a quick little break, then back to work. I have NO desire to do homework on a holiday, I'd rather do nothing tomorrow :) Also. The inventor of the 'snuggie' (and whoever picked it up for distribution) was a freaking GENIUS! My arms are staying warm while I work. GENIUS! I should be on an infomercial.

This whole week I wanted to do lots of fun Easter things with Emma. As it turns out, that didn't happen because I'm car-less (long story, my Jeep Commander, the tank, is beyond repair, so depressed) and I couldn't go to the library. For some reason our household doesn't have a printer. Which makes ZERO sense every time I think about it, which is often. And yet, we still don't have one. I can't answer that. We don't have one because we haven't bought one. What, a predicament we're in.

ANWAY.
So, Emma and I were limited to fun little things around the house. Which isn't much since I'm not the Easter Bunny and I can't just pull Easter things out of my ass. But, we did decorate eggs and Emma made grandparents Easter cards. Emma drinks the tub water so I wasn't about to put colored dye water in front of her. And to top it off, she has the attention span, of well, a two year old. Plus, I didn't want to dye eggs, I'll be honest. But, I still hard boiled some eggs and found a way more fun way for her to decorate, thanks to my Pottery Barn Kids magazine. On the cover in one of the Easter baskets they have eggs decorated with flowers and other things, I don't remember exactly. So, I hard boiled 5 eggs. Whipped out my scrapbook stuff, some stickers, felt flowers and other flowers and the glue stick/double sided tape squares. I laid it all out for Emma and she did really well. She didn't drop an egg and they turned out great.
She also glued/stuck the flowers on blank white cards and colored in them. She was pretty much over crafts by that time, so her real Picaso work isn't obvious in the pictures ;)

her first egg all completed

this was pretty much her favorite thing

sticking flowers on her egg

the finished products. i did one of them too.

 

her cards :)

On a side note:
There was a LIZARD in my son's bed yesterday morning.
Louisiana is GROSS.

HAPPY (early) EASTER
Have a blessed day and enjoy your families!

easter baskets.

Toddlers and Easter baskets. I said I was going to wait until Easter Eve, but that didn't make sense if you needed an idea or two for your little creatures Easter baskets.
If you have toddlers did you have an issue with this like me? We don't do candy for Emma at our house. She didn't have her first piece of candy until Halloween, and that was one Reese's cup. Then, she didn't have candy again until January. She loves being able to have a "treat" which she gets when we do movie nights. And those are pretty far and few between.
Back to my point. When you hear Easter you think candy and chocolate. But not at our house :)
I filled Emma's bucket for UNDER $10. I spent a little more on Declan's, but like I've mentioned, they don't make baby stuff for a dollar.

So, looking for ideas for toddler Easter baskets, here ya go.

I splurged and got the kids these buckets, from Target. They were $5.
They're' cute and well worth the money.

Because Emma is all that is girl, a 'pretty' (bracelet) and a compact.
$1 each.

I loved gardening with my mama when I was little. I hope to pass that on to Emma.
That tool set was the most expensive thing I purchased for her bucket $2 from our PX.
The watering can ($1) is from Walmart and so are the seeds (.40cents)
The gloves and yellow planter are from the Target dollar section. ($1 each)

And because Emma LOVES to be outside.
Sidewalk chalk and bubbles. Each $1. Both from Target.

The finished product!

Her eggs will be filled with Teddy Grahams, Animal Crackers and Yogurt Raisins.

And since it is Easter.
She will get a FEW Reese's Pieces and that adorable Chick egg with Reese's
Both under $1

Now. For Declan. 

A Fisher Price toy and a baby sock monkey.
Tell me that monkey isn't adorable. Because it IS.

His ALMOST finished bucket.
I'm thinking of a few more small things, since it does look pretty sad.

This week, starting tomorrow, Emma and I will be partaking in some fun Easter things. I told you, I love holidays.

Now, everyone go make your toddlers some fun little baskets, or in my case buckets.

jump starting easter

No pictures. Whooppssiiiieee.
Today, we took Codi's car and I managed to fit the double stroller in Codi's car. A two-door Toyota Celica. I had to take the front tray off and the shade thing for the front seat. But I got that sucker to fit. Then we managed to get both kids in there. That's a sight all in it's own. We then drove our happy cramped asses an hour away, finally out of the house, for some much needed (well, it was needed in my book) shopping and lunch.
I am a holiday fanatic and Easter is just around the corner. I have been shopping since the end of March for Emma's Easter basket. Sad, right? Today, I finally finished her basket and thought I finished Declan's. And then I saw it. His poor basket looks so pathetic compared to Emma's. But they don't make much baby stuff for under 2$. That's right, everything in Miss Things basket, I got for under two bucks :-) So, I guess if I matched their baskets by price, it would be about the same. But his basket looks so sad compared to hers. I guess he won't mind. He doesn't even know what's going on. I mean he laughs when he burps and poops. SO, I'm thinking an Easter basket isn't at the top of his priority list.
Anyway- when I do an Easter Blog, I'll share what I did and for how much, plus cost. So keep an eye out for that.  Maybe Easter Eve?
Today, I did my part in jump starting the economy. I'm fairly confident I could do it all by myself if we didn't live in Siberia BFE Fort, Polk. Where you have to drive an hour to get to anything decent. I complain a lot about where we live, but to me, it's worth complaining about. So, suck it up and keep on reading. We went to Target, which I love, and plus I L-O-V-E the dollar section. Mainly because they have books for a dollar. Emma is my little book worm and 98% of her books are from the dollar section at Target. True story. Plus, everything is a dollar. How could you not love that? Besides that, I bought the same shirt for Emma in three different colors. With that being said, I am my mother's daughter. If you like it, get it in different colors. I do it for myself too. I have like 6 of the same tank top, but they are all in different colors. It just makes sense.
They also have some old school DVDs on sale for 3.99$, so if you live near a Target, hop on over there and stock up. Stewart Little (1&2), Jumanji, My Girl, Casper, The Sandlot. I told you old school, but awesome. And for 3.99$, why not. I'm down for a sale. And speaking of sale, the new Harry Potter is on sale for 14.99 at Target too. So get that. I'm anxiously waiting to watch it.
We then made our way to Old Navy. I had a Gap gift card- which I mysteriously acquired before we left Washington, and we don't shop at the Gap. Mainly because we don't have one. I'm getting side tracked on how crappy Louisiana is again, whoopsie.
So, this awesome 50$ gift card. Ah. Emma got some rockin' shirts, a dress, not that she really needed any of that, but she did need new clothes. Catch what I'm saying? Declan got some little man clothes. He's pretty much past the point of dinosaurs on his clothes. So, we're going to move on to little man clothes. He got lots of polos. He looks so cute in a collared shirt. All grown up and handsome.

And now we're all tired. And sleepy. I wish it was bed time. I wish I had some ice cream to be honest.  It's a nice day to have some ice cream. BUT THIS PLACE DOESN'T EVEN HAVE AN ICE CREAM STAND. No DQ, nothing. No ice cream. Which is almost morally wrong in my book.

Enjoy your weekend. Spend time with your family. And enjoy the little things :-)
Because that is exactly what I plan on doing, so you should try it out.


Actually, I think a nice walk to the gas station for some freaking ice cream is what I'm about to do. Maybe not. But still. It's a thought.

no books.

I neglected my blog so badly that I had to log in. How sad?
I am officially a full time student again. Usually nap time is my time. But Declan has forgot about his coinciding nap time with Emma and now I have homework. Three classes. Two under two. And no books :) My first week of class and my retarded school didn't send me books. Then, they sent me an Algebra book I already own when I complained. I had to explain three times I already had that book, but didn't have my other books. This was Monday. It's now Sunday. And I still have no books.
Luckily, Al Gore invented the internet and I can get my Google on. Thank you Al Gore, I tip my hat to you.
Hopefully, you picked up on Mr. Gore. If not, I'm shaking my head in shame at you.

Currently- I'm enjoying a tall glass of water, an Almond Joy, and a rerun of Army Wives (since I'm caught up to the current season. Yes, I was that obsessed.) and am curled up on the couch with my heating pad. Which I'm fairly certain I'm addicted to. I'm so content I could fall asleep.
But, Declan has the magic timing. Tears in his sleep :( And he worked himself up so much that I can't put him down. Let me tell you. It's hard to type, read, and focus with a squirmy sleeping baby laying on your chest. Try it. Let me know how it goes.

That's all I have. Nothing exciting. Nothing fantastic.

On a final note.
Why does everything for girls have to have Dora the fucking Explorer, every Disney princess known to man, and Tinkerbell on EVERYTHING? Seriously.
Now. I'm done. On to bullshitting my way through this paper.

i don't have a title.

I know, I haven't done my thirty day challenge. I just haven't gotten around to taking a picture of a picture to do the spectacular post I want to do. I want it to be right.

I have to start with I have become attached to the series Army Wives. I saw an episode once and I thought in my head: there is no way that those women would be friends in real life. Because let's be realistic, most wives of officers tend to have this attitude of "I'm better than you, my husband is an officer". This isn't always the case, but let's just say in three years an officers wife hasn't said hello to me. But, since I've started the series from episode one, season one, I know why they're all friends. You'll have to watch to find out :)
Anyway, to the point of the story. I am so incredibly consumed with knowing what happens next. We have Netflix and it's on the instant queue.
For no reason I just typed an entire paragraph about that show. I'm sorry.

Side note: If I have to repeat myself one more time today, there's going to be issues.
We don't run around like banshees with our heads cut off, there's no need for all the screaming, we don't touch things that don't belong to us, leave your brother alone, we don't stand in our chairs, we don't throw toys, please sit down and relax. Repeating myself is exhausting.

Codi graduated from WLC! We were very proud of him.
So, we get there. Let me tell you, some Army wives like to keep it classy. And when I say classy, I mean - "Hey, I'm going to the Dollar Store, this outfit should work." I'm sorry, but at an event, I would not be wearing my tennis shoes, jeans and the baggiest shirt I own and my kids most certainly will not look like they've been playing in dirt before walking in the doors. How embarrassing would it be if Codi's platoon sergeant came and said hello dressed in that manner? Plenty embarrassing. For him and for me. Awwkkwaarrdddd.
Anyway, our camera sucks and the pictures I took of Codi didn't turn out. It's SUCKS. It makes me so mad. So, you'll have to use your imagination :)

(the dark green blobs are Codi.)

My Loves.

My Boys

Monkey and Daddy

(ignore my horrible looking face)

absoultely lazy.

I'm almost done with my challenge. And I feel like when I am, my blog won't have much substance. Eh. There is A LOT I would love to say, but for the sake of keeping peace I won't... For the record, I had an entire vague paragraph typed up and I held the back space button until it was gone.
Anyway.... On with my days.

`Day 28 - A picture of something you’re afraid of.
I have two.
The first is a practical fear that I'm sure many women with children have. Failing at being a mother. I am terrified that one day I will look back and see mistake after mistake and seeing that I have failed my children. I'm trying my best to raise good mannered and kind hearted children. I'm just trying to raise good people.

Second. I'm sure it's a fear of ANY military wife. Actually, it scares me so much I'm almost too afraid to say something and I have a huge knot in my throat and my stomach is turning. You know, I'm so afraid that I might jinx our family or something. I know that sounds silly. But that's how afraid I am. That's how afraid I was when Codi was on deployment and I wouldn't hear from him for a few days. Those were the longest days.
Have you ever seen the move The Messenger? You know those guys who go to the front door wearing greens? I am beyond terrified of that. I don't want a folded a flag. I am beyond terrified of losing my husband to war and of having men I don't know knocking on my door and someone handing me and my children a folded flag. It's scary and it's sad. How could I go on without my other half? How could I raise my children alone?

That is my biggest fear for any military spouse or mother of a soldier.  My heart aches and my stomach turns for all of them who have had men wearing their greens knock at their door with horrible news- past, present, future.
I am thankful for their service.


Ek. I'm crying. So, now on for some smiles.
And I'm sorry if you are too.


`Day 29 - A picture that can always make you smile.
This picture is the back ground on my cellphone. Emma is the best big sister. I hope she's half the big sister to Declan when they're growing up that Elisabeth was to me growing up. Emma gives me the best unsolicited moments to take pictures of. She's a lover. And she loves her brother. This picture makes me smile every time I see it. Which is a lot since I'm constantly on my phone.

twenty seven

`Day 27 - A picture of yourself and a family member.

I pick two family members, so take that thirty day challenge- which I'm almost done with!
I forgot all about my twenty first birthday. This is my mama, my brother and his freedom beard. I got the chance to know my brother while Codi was deployed. I went home and my brother was home. I hadn't lived with my brother since I was 13. So. To get to know him when we were both adults was an experience I am incredibly grateful for. He is the best Uncle to The Gremlin and the giver of The Dingo- Rinny, whom we love, she completes our family. He's the best brother anyone could ever have. I don't know if he knows that. But he should, because it's true. And the best uncle. He's the best uncle too, and I hope he knows that.
And then there's my mama. I love her. She's the very best. I regret the way I was for such a long time every day. But I am glad that it brought us closer together. She's the best mama and the best Grammy. I've done a post on her- so you'll have to go read that :)

It was nice to be around both of them while Codi was gone- although it was not nice he was gone. If he had to be away, I'm glad I was able to be with them. Make sense?

The Boot Campaign

I found something absolutely amazing on Facebook. I stumbled across it thanks to the Sons of Anarchy page. And I couldn't be more glad that I did.
The Boot Campaign.
Check them out and like them. Spread the word. Everyone should know about this.
I'm still working on a way (in my head of course) on getting people to partake in this. I just think it's awesome. Maybe it's because I'm an Army wife. Or maybe I feel incredibly patriotic. Or both.
Regardless of the reason, I'm doing my (little) part in getting people to know about this, because I think everyone should know.

SO. GO CHECK OUT: The Boot Campaign! Do it now.

books and a punch.

`Day 26 - A picture of someone that means a lot to you.

Gosh, this picture is forever old and set in good ol' Seattle, right before Codi's deployment.
Which reminds me, we really need family pictures done. Too bad we don't live closer to home. Elisabeth Smith Lifestyle Photography is the only person I'll trust with my memories!
Codi is my best friend. We have two of the most beautiful, intelligent and practically perfect in every way children and have survived a year long deployment.
I love him.

 

 

Now for the title of my blog for the day. Books and a punch. That pretty much summed up my day. That and a very moody, defiant, bossy little girl. Who luckily, only acted that way at home. When we were out and about she was perfect. 

SO. We had to go to the library because for some reason we don't own a printer. I'm still coming up with a reason for that. Now. In public, when people see me strolling their way with a double stroller, toddler in front, car seat in back, they avoid me like the plague. I'm a walking version of the Black Death. Unless they're old people. Old people love us. 

We strolled into the library and you should have seen the look this woman shot me. It was a glare that said, "You're bringing THEM in the LIBRARY?!" I just smiled. Like I always do when people are rude. Emma loved the library. She was quiet. She picked an Elmo Hugs book and I managed to find another Elmo book plus some poetry books to read to her. Then we made our way to the computer area. I printed what I needed to and then got two books for myself. There were so many I wanted to get. But I only have the attention span for two books. That and I never have time to read. I got a book I've read- The Blackbird House, Alice Hoffman. She's my favorite author. Then, I got a book of substance where I would learn something. I picked it straight from the nonfiction section, in the history department-(side note: I LOVE history. I would have gotten a history degree, but let's be realistic, where would I use it? Maybe one day I'll go back to school for history)- 'Hidden Power, Presidential Marriages That Shaped Our Recent History'. It's pretty good. So far I've read about Edith and Woodrow Wilson and The Roosevelts (Eleanor and Franklin). And I was quite surprised, mainly by FDR and Eleanor. Next up are the Trumans followed by the Kennedys.

I plan on reading a fiction and nonfiction book every time I go to the library. I have my eye set on a Jodi Picoult book and a book about Benjamin Franklin.
Back to the point- I got incredibly side tracked, if you're still reading, I apologize-
Emma was perfect in the library. She didn't scream or throw a fit. She sat quietly in her stroller and only dropped her books twice. She let the lady check her books out and didn't have a cow, she even said "thank you" and "bye".  The library was a success. And we got invited to story time on Tuesday mornings. At least I think it's Tuesdays, now that I think about it, I'm not sure.

 

Now. On to the punch.
We went to the park after the library since it's right across the street and we had the time. At first we were the only people there. Which I prefer, so Emma can play without older kids running around. But today, another couple showed up with their son (around Emma's age) and the mom was wearing her baby, as if it were a backpack. Which sort of annoys me, it reminds me of putting dogs in bags and that's not natural, but to each their own. Emma got so excited when that boy ran onto the playground. She chased after him yelling "WAIT!" and "BACK!". And finally, that boy turned around and I really thought he was going to play with her. Nope.
He punched her.
Right in the stomach.
She just looked at him. Then as my brother would say, she just "walked it off".

But his parents did not let that slide. Which I admit, I was afraid they were going to be like "Oh, boys will be boys" and what not. But they didn't. He got in trouble for hitting someone and then for hitting a girl. I just wish they would have apologized to me for it. We can't have everything though. They then left the playground. Emma finished playing like it never happened.

Now- I'm blogging and getting ready to read since both the babies are snug in their beds. I should have cleaned but reading is way more fun :-)

bananas and bbq sauce.

I swear, this will be the last post today. But, it will have pictures galore. Grey's Anatomy is finally a new episode and that is completely irrelevant  but I needed the world to know my excitement.
Anyway. Tonight I baked homemade banana nut muffins with my monkey :-)

(sifting the dry ingredients)

(she did it all by herself)

(this is the amount of mix emma put in her muffin cup)

(all done)

(emma approved!)

Then we made dinner. YUM! I've been getting tired of the same old, same old. But my husband and toddler can be picky eaters. But good news, they're getting better. Anyway, thanks to Picky Palate, I found a very tasty dinner- BBQ Ranch, Chicken & Cheddar pizza rolls.

1 Roll of Pillsbury pizza dough (in a can)
1/4 cup Ranch dressing
2 cups shredded BBQ chicken-- we had plain chicken last night, so I just shredded it and added some Sweet Baby Ray's
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup fresh cilantro-- I only used a tablespoon or two.

` Preheat oven to 350
` Open can of dough and press into rectangle (heads up: watch out for holes)
` Spread or drizzle Ranch over dough and top evenly with chicken, cilantro and cheese.
` Starting at the long end, roll dough into a log shape.
` Using a SHARP (if you don't take that seriously like me, it's a pain in the ass) knife cut 1 inch pieces and place onto a greased baking sheet
` Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

ENJOY!

jumping for sunshine and water.

I've got a lot today. So, I'm going to start with my challenge. And I'm almost done :-)
Day 25 - A picture of your day.

My kids have the worst allergies since we live in Louisiana now. For the past week and a half, I've been wiping snot from baby noses. It's incredibly gross. I hate snot. I hate boogers. And I hate the nose sucker and the horrible sound it makes. I'm waiting for the day where they wake up and there's no snot or crusty noses.


Now on with some fun stuff! And LOTS of pictures.

Whomever invented the Jumperoo was a freaking GENIUS! Declan has been pretty picky about how he has to be. He has to be sitting in the up right position or standing. And I couldn't get anything done. It was a rather big challenge. But now. Now he has a Jumperoo and he goes bat shit insane in his. He has even taken to falling asleep in there, and it's pretty cute. You have no idea how much of a relief it is to see him so happy and content.

(sleepy boy)

(i don't care what you say, he's the happiest baby in the world)

Today it was a beautiful and sunny 73 degrees, so I put together Emma's water table. And that girl went crazy. She played and played. She drank the water. Tried to make me drink the water. And then tried to make the dog drink the water. Needless to say, Rinny and I passed on that idea. 

(please ignore our very trashy looking yard that needs mowed)

 

(my monkey<3)

(drinking the water, it was "yummy")

 

(she moved the tower so she could do it better)

I need to get this off my chest. I was attacked by an ant hill of predators. The exterminator came yesterday and sprayed for ants. Well, he did a crap job. I was sitting coloring with chalk on the sidewalk, and my foot got in what I thought was dirt. It  wasn't. It was an ant hill. So, I panicked. I started stepping on them and what did they do? I'll tell you what they didn't do, they didn't die. They started crawling on my toes and BITING me. I got the hose and sprayed down the sidewalk for a good five minutes thinking that would take care of the little boogers. Do you think that worked? Sure didn't. These ants were on steroids and out for revenge! It was horrible. Now my toes itch :(

While outside, we played with the dingo. Rinny. She is so obsessed with tennis balls it's absurd. Now. I wouldn't mind if she didn't bring me 1/4 of a ball and expected me to play with her. But she does, so I do. We love her. 

(Rinniford P. Wellington Mann the III)

(See what I mean, it's not even a whole ball)