Kids shows that make me crazy!

I always said my kids would not be allowed to watch very much television, but somewhere along the way, both of them have become quite the little couch potatoes. I try to limit their watching to educational (mostly Noggin or PBS sprout), but even these “educational” shows can be less than desirable for the mom who has to listen to them on a regular basis. Here are my least favorite shows that my kids seem to adore!

1) Max & Ruby – I have now renamed this cartoon Justin & Alexis because Ruby is often a very mean big sister! I mean seriously. I watched an episode yesterday in which Ruby and her friend were having a sleepover and kept asking max for his sleeping bag and other items, yet when it came time to go inside the tent, they basically told him to go away. I have just a few questions about this show: “Where the heck are the parents?” Why is a 7 year old girl taking care of her brother anyway? What on earth are my children learning from this show? What I think is that Alexis is learning to be a nag and Justin is being prepared for a lifetime of being nagged, tortured, and bitched at by his future wife. :)

2) The Wonder Pets – This show is just creepy. The life like little animals actually scare me somewhat and I can’t stand most of the songs. Unlike other shows that are full of music, the songs aren’t very catchy, just more like sing-song speaking. Additionally, the duckling’s speech impediment bothers me. Especially when Alexis tries to copy it and says, “this is sewious”.

3) Peppa Pig – This is one of those little shows in between shows, but still annoying. These creations do NOT look like pigs. Their heads are shaped like…well…use your imagination. They hairy faced dad is the worst. You know that somewhere there is an illustrator laughing his ass off about the phallic headed pigs he put in a kids show.

4) Zooboomafoo – Okay, I know that this show has lots of educational value. My kids love animals and I should be happy that she watches this, but I can’t stand the Kratt’s brothers. I will seriously change the channel if I can get to the remote before Alexis see it simply because they annoy me so much. I do however love Zaboo the lemur. He’s cute and entertaining. Maybe they can just get rid of the brothers and let him do all of the teaching.

5) Caillou – Lots of good life lessons, but one whiney little boy. I’d smack my kid if she acted like that. Okay, I wouldn’t really, but I sure would want to. He’s horrible. At least I can tell Alexis that she shouldn’t act like him.

So much to do...so little time

Has it really been almost a month since my last post? My how time flies when you have tons of things to do. Well, since my last blog post, so much has happened. I officially started grad school which has kept me extremely busy. I am enrolled in the Educational Counseling program with the hopes of obtaining an M.S. and a PPS credential for K-12 and eventually becoming a school counselor. I am taking 2 classes right now, but they are both accelerated and last only 4 weeks. Basically I am taking 4.5-6 units a month which is the equivelant of 22 units a semester. The program itself is 17 months, but the last 3 are internship, so if all goes well I will be "working" in a little over a year. I go to school Monday through Wednesday from 5:30pm-10pm and then spend the rest of the week reading and doing homework. Additionally, many of my classes require observations or projects, so in the next 15 months I will be accumulating 100 + hours of practicum and then another 600 hours for my internship. After 2 weeks of trying to obtain clearance and trying to setup schools to complete the a fore mentioned hours, I now wonder how on earth anyone finishes grad school. I emailed and/or called 5 different schools and districts and only received one reply back and not surprisingly, that was from the school district that I grew up in. However, the hoops you have to jump through in order to actually do any hours in the schools are incredible. It was going to take almost 4 weeks to get clearance which isn't really helpful for my two classes this month. Thankfully, the assistant superintendent was willing to make an exception so that I could do the 4 hours that are required for my classes this month, but I'm still boggled. I have talked to quite a few people in my classes that are struggling with the same issues and find it strange that anyone can actually complete their hours when so many places will not return correspondences. I would rather someone email me and tell me they aren't available than just not respond. It just seems so unprofessional. Regardless, I have an appointment with a counselor next Friday to shadow her and interview her and then I will spend all weekend writing 2 papers and preparing a 10 minute presentation to evaluate her school counseling program. I really am excited about the whole thing, however frusterating it gets. I have never been so sure in my life that this is what I am supposed to do. I can't wait to get started and I enjoy the few hours a night in which I get to engage in adult conversation without watching furry or animated television characters.

In addition to school which takes up a good portion of my time, Alexis celebrated her 3rd birthday! I can't believe my little angel is 3! On her actual birthday we had a simple cake and let her open up presents from Mommy, Daddy, Nana, Uncle Ted, and Justin. The following weekend we had a big party at her favorite place, Chuck E. Cheese. I must say as exhausting as it was, it was also lots of fun. Alexis and Justin had a great time and Justin discovered a love for largthe characters, though I'm not sure he would want to let them go. Alexis on the other hand is still very tentative around Chuck E. Cheese, though she did finally hug him once. Probably the best things about her birthday were that Uncle Ted came out from Illinois and Uncle Jerry came out from Arizona. It meant so much that they came so far for her birthday, plus we all enjoyed the opportunity to see them. Uncle Ted was here for a whole month and leaves next week. I will miss him so much but am thankful for the time we got to spend with him.

The highlight of my month though is that Alexis has FINALLY decided she wants to use the potty! She has been in panties for about 5 days now with very few accidents and I expect that it will be a short time now before she has completely mastered the potty!

And now for the fun stuff. PICTURES!

As I said, Justin LOVED Chuck E.

Alexis after she had gotten up enough nerve to hug the mouse



Alexis trying to pretend she is happy about this picture.



Alexis has a favorite Backyardigan episode in which Austin wins a gold medal in the race around the world. This was by far the best moment of the night for her when she received a special Chuck E. Cheese birthday medal.



As you can see, she continued to hold on to her gold medal even as she blew out her candles.



Presents were so much fun this year as she actually knew how to open them and was surprised and happy each and every time she opened something.



Even here when she had no idea what it was. She was even more excited when she realized it was a sleeping bag. She slept in it on the couch for two nights!



Playing dress up in the little mermaid costume Uncle Jerry gave her.




Who is this little boy and where did my baby go?



Justin thought Bella needed a hat too!



She was a good sport, but didn't look too happy about it.

Hope everyone is having a great day and I will try to update more frequently!

I'm Finally Doing it.

Grad school that is. I've been hesitant to apply because I was so terrified of not being accepted, but after some deep soul searching, I made an appointment with my counselor and filled out the application...and guess what?? I start on March 2nd! The fear has almost subsided and I am so incredibly excited. I was looking at the list of classes and they sound so interesting. I'll be working on my Master's in Educational Counseling and hopefully, if all goes well, I'll have my pupil personnell service credential in about 2 years. I'm still somewhat frightened. I still find myself lacking self confidence and asking myself a billion questions. What if the classes are too hard? What if I can't find time to do my homework? Will I be ready when it's time for my internship? Will I truly be able to finish? In addtion, leaving the kids 4 days a week for classes makes me sad, but I know it is ultimately for the best. So wish me luck as I journey into the unknown and make my way towards what will hopefully be a rewarding career.

Marriage is a Worthless Piece of Paper!

Don't get me wrong. I love my husband and I am completely committed to our relationship. This is strictly marriage from a legal point of view. Being married means that our credit, both past and present is shared, however, I cannot make payments on any of his credit accounts. I called today to make our mortgage payment and was told that legally they couldn't accept a payment from anyone but my husband. So when he forgets to make his payments on time my credit will suffer because we are married, but yet the government has passed all of these laws that prevent me from making the payment and protecting my credit even when I can give them his social security number, address, phone number, shoe size, etc.? Additionally, when we bought our house, my name was put on the paperwork as an authorized person so this wouldn't happen, but apparently the mortgage company that first bought our loan from the lender didn't get all of the required information. This just reaffirms my thoughts that the government has no place in marriages. No wonder the fiscal situation is so screwed up in our nation!

Winter Weather and More

Our winters in California tend to be pretty mild and even what they call "storms" usually consist of a little bit of rain and that's about it. Nothing like the storms we experienced this past summer in Illinois. However, today we had a storm in which the thunder shook our house, scared the dog, and produced some very large hail. Justin was a little shakey throughout the whole ordeal, but my little thrill seeker Alexis came running to the windows screaming, "I love storms!" Here is a big of our big storm.


The weather has been keeping us inside more or less, but thankfully the kids (all three of them) have been playing nice...well most of the time.


And our new favorite past time...Rockband! I can't wait until the kids are actually old enough to play. The newest version has a no fail setting so they can play along with daddy without ending his game.

Finally...we booked a house at the beach for the end of February and I can't wait! My mom's friend is getting married on the beach and my brother will be here from Illinois, so I am looking forward to a wonderful weekend in the sand. The last time we went to the beach Justin was a mere 6 months old so this trip should be much more fun for him than last time. Three weeks seems like an eternity!

Discipline (or the lack thereof)

Alexis is becoming nearly impossible to discipline. Timeouts are just a time for her to sit and look cute. Spankings are a temporary fix (sometimes) but usually hurt me more than they hurt her. I asked her yesterday if she wanted me to spank her. Her response: "Yes, I do. Please spank me." At which point she turned her bottom to me and said "Go ahead". Today, I decided to try taking things away from her as a way to encourage her to listen. It all started because she didn't want to get dressed and she didn't want to have her hair combed. She laid down in the middle of the hallway and refused to move. Here is how our conversation went:

Me: Alexis. It is time to get dressed. If you aren't standing in front of me by the time I count to five, you will not watch any TV this morning. 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5. (I go to the hallway where she is still laying down) No TV this morning. (At this point she realizes she messed up and starts screaming)

Alexis: NOOOOOOO!!!!!!! I wanna watch TV. I'll get dressed.

Me: Sorry honey. It's too late. No TV, but you are going to get dressed. (as she's still not moving toward the couch to get dressed I decided to threaten to take more away) I am going to start taking toys away if you don't come here right now.

Alexis: Go ahead. Take them all away. Throw them in the trash. Want me to help you?

Words cannot explain how hard it is not to laugh when your 2 (almost 3) year old is just so matter-of-fact. So as you can see, this doesn't seem to be a successful method of discipline with her either. What will I ever do when this child is a teenager? God help me!

Though she spent most of the morning begging for TV, we did have the opportunity to spend some quality time together without Sprout. I think I shall keep all mornings television free. After she got over being mad at me, we really have had quite a fun day. Now if only she could learn to listen....

My Biggest Regret

I don't often have regrets because I truly believe that every choice (both good and bad) that I've ever made has just brought me to this place where I am now. When I had children, there were a list of things I said I would never do and choices that I made as to how I would raise them. One of my big things that I refused to do was CIO (that's cry it out for those of you who don't know). I have always laid down with or held both of my babies for naps and nighttime. Not a big deal and I still don't mind doing it. My problem? Lately neither of them want to go to sleep whether I'm next to them or not. They are the most horrible sleepers....well...not sleepers, they sleep fine once they actually go to sleep...it's just a nightmare getting them to that point. Tonight it took me almost an hour to get Justin to go to bed and it was after midnight when Alexis finally gave it up. I am so tired and so frustrated and I wish, while they were smaller, I had made them CIO so that they would be better sleepers now. I guess it does me absolutely no good to sit and dwell on this because it's not like I can make them CIO now, can I? They are both in real beds and no longer in cribs so I'm pretty sure it would be impossible to keep them in and if I did, would it be psychologically damaging to them? There must be a better way. Any advice would be so greatly appreciated.

Sick Again??

Really? Is it possible that this is the worst year ever for colds? My kids have been pretty healthy, but in the last 2 months it seems like it has been one cold after another, after another! Christmas time brought the stomach bug that made us all ill and 2 weeks after that, Justin and Alexis both ran fevers for a couple of days. Not more than a week later we were all sick again. The past seven days has been pure hell. The kids are sick. My mom is sick. Anthony is sick. I am sick. Will it ever end? I thought Justin was getting better as his fever broke on Wednesday, but alas...he's running fever again! I can't tell if it's a continuation of the previous ailment or if he's contracted something new. I guess we're gonna have to brave the doctor's office tomorrow, where he can catch something else while we spend hours in the waiting room. Maybe we can make it til Tuesday when the patient load seems to be smaller. Does that sound like an irresponsible parent? To wait an extra day and keep your child in misery to avoid siting in a waiting room for 2 hours or more with a bunch of sick kids? We'll see what tomorrow brings. I just can't help but think about the first 2 years of Alexis's life. I can count the number of times she was sick on one hand. I wonder if it is just because I never went anywhere or saw anyone so she wasn't exposed to as much as the kids are now. Not only that, but with Anthony's job, I'm sure he's bringing home God knows what. I guess I'll just sit here and wait ever so patiently for summer to come...We're hardly ever sick during the summer so life can go back to being happy and healthy.

Addicted

As if I didn't have enough things to keep me busy, I recently rediscovered Facebook. I've had an account on FB for ages, yet rarely used it. I did however spend hours and hours interacting with friends and family on MySpace, the more popular choice at the time, but the times...they are a changing and it appears that everyone has switched from one social networking site to the other. I, being a follower, not a leader, am following right along and I just can't get enough! I am really enjoying reconnecting with old friends and new friends. If you aren't yet one of my friends...send me a message. It appears I spend much more time there than texting, answering my phone, or managing my blog!

Live Active Video Games (Family Fun for All!)

Those who have small kids, but are still kids at hearts themselves and love playing video games, will know how hard it is to actually play video games while the kids are awake. Anthony and I LOVE the Wii. We bought it right after Justin was born on a whim, but it really has been worth every penny. The only real problem is that Alexis wants to play and just hasn't been able to get the hang of the games, with the exception of Wii bowling which she gets lucky with once in awhile. Well...in the search for alternative games that will get us active (because Wii Fit isn't in stock ANYWHERE), we came across Outdoor Challenge. It has a big game pad for two and a number of little mini games that are very active and pretty fun. It's probably geared more at children, but alas if you are competive like Anthony and I and also easily entertained, it can keep you occupied for hours and hours on end. Of course Alexis was very interested when we brought it home, and low and behold, there are a few of the mini games that she can actually do. It was so exciting to her to be able to "race" against mommy and daddy, ride a skateboard down the mountain, and jump rope. She still isn't coordinated enough to really play, but can do it well enough to make her feel involved. I highly suggest this game for anyone with little kids who still like to play video games themselves. One other game that has been great for Alexis is Wii Music. Alexis likes music anyway and always pretends to play musical instruments, so this was really up her alley. I am just so excited that she is getting old enough for games. Now if only Justin could get the hang of them too! As a side note, I can't even begin to tell you the workout I got from playing the Wii tonight. After an hour of playing Outdoor Challenge and Dance Dance Revolution...all of my muscles ache and I feel like I've been at the gym for hours! I can't wait to find a Wii Fit for more fun ways to exercise!

Pictures, Pictures, and more Pictures

I finally took the pics off of the camera and thought I would share them with you.

Early last week, Alexis and I baked a cake. I love how she wants to help with everything even if it takes a little longer.

She was an excellent mixer.

She was an excellent licker too.
The frosting wasn't as much fun for her, but she enjoyed the final product and was very proud.

"You aren't really gonna take a bite?"
Yes...she did.
And here she is...completely satisfied.

Justin falls asleep in the strangest places. Yesterday, while I was getting dressed, he climbed up in his chair and promptly fell asleep. It took me quite some time to find him as this chair is over in a corner and rarely used.I'm still not sure why he picked the chair. This is where he usually goes when he wants to relax.
This was the bassinet that we used for both Alexis and Justin. Once retired, we chose to put it in the playroom closet for Alexis's baby dolls. Apparently, she still likes it as this is where I find her on a weekly basis.
Sometimes the kids play together so nicely.


And sometimes....they don't. Can you guess what Alexis is saying? "THIS IS MY HORSE!"

Bella truly is like having a third child. Here she is caught with her hand in the cookie jar...so to speak.

And here are some comparison pics. The first was taken in October and the second was on the same couch a couple of days ago. What a difference 3 months makes.

And finally, here is my new do.
Okay, so I guess that is enough for now. Hope you enjoyed them.

The Sweetness that is my Kids

Sometimes, having two little one's so close together can be wonderful. The older they get, the more they behave like little people and the sweeter it can be. This morning Alexis insisted on having cold pizza for breakfast. It may not super healthy, but...I'm lazy...it's quick...and usually she won't eat breakfast, so at least she was eating. The cutest interaction happened shortly after.

Justin (to Alexis): More Please (this means he wants some of whatever you have. He hasn't quite learned that you must have some before you can get more. He also told her in sign language just incase she couldn't understand what he was saying. I'm still amazed at how much sign language my kids have continued to use even after their words came)

Alexis: Here you go. (holds out the piece of pizza for him. Justin tries to take it) No. I'll hold it...you take a bite. (When did she become such a big girl?)

Justin: Thank you. (Signed and said)

The cycle continued until they had finished off the piece of pizza, after which, they headed off to the kitchen to beg for more. In the kitchen Alexis insisted that we give Justin his "own piece". However, Bella decided she wanted pizza too and promptly removed it from his little hands. Thankfully, Alexis was in a sharing mood and let him share her second piece. So sweet and so loving. Unfortunately, I suspect that before the day is over, they'll be fighting again, but for a brief moment, I was able to imagine what life might be like if they always liked each other.

My $33 Makeover

Life is good. I have seriously let myself go in the past 5 years, but I am well on my way to getting back to where I want to be. After 2 kids and 50 pounds, I'm not extremely happy with my physical appearance. I've been working out again for the past 4 weeks and I'm finally starting to feel results. My clothes aren't quite so tight, I have more energy, and the mass that blocks the view to my feet (better known as my belly) seems to be shrinking. I feel really good about my progress and look forward to seeing what happens if I can stick to my strict regimen of working out 6-7 days a week.

In addition to my body, I also have neglected my hair, skin, and eyebrows. At one point in time I used to go to the salon every 6 weeks for a trim, color, and waxing. Due to money issues, that just hasn't been feasible lately and I'm probably getting my hair cut every 6 - 12 months and waxing has become a thing of the past, which has left me looking like a complete and total mess. Of course, usually I just get up and put my hair up in a clip or a pony tail, so no big deal...right? Something about birthdays always makes me wanna be a little better and look a little more like the old me, so I decided to do something about it. Like I mentioned before, money is tight, so I had to get a little creative.

I usually use Bare Minerals makeup because it is the best makeup ever, but it's expensive, so it just wasn't an option right now. I purchased Cover Girl True blend foundation and mineral makeup at Longs for only $11 and was so surprised at how light it felt, how good it covered, and how well it matched my skin. At 50% off, it was a great deal. I then used the InStyle Hollywood Makeover site to pick out the hairstyle I wanted and printed the picture. This was the part I was most concerned about because usually I go to my friend Angie's salon, and using a discount stylist was terrifying, but desperate times call for desperate measures so armed with my picture I headed to the HairWorks Family Salon inside our local Super Walmart. (Ang, if your reading this...I'm soooo sorry, but we are super broke and I just can't afford the prices at your current salon. I love you so much and as soon as finances get back to normal...I'll be back!) I got a cut for $13 and surprisingly enough, I'm very satisfied with it. The girl did a great job though the customer service left something to be desired, but ce lest vie. My final purchase was Loreal Preference hair color in light auburn. I picked up 2 boxes for $9 at Walmart and had my mom apply it. I got out the tweezers and the trimmer and went to work on my eyebrows and after an hour of painful plucking, I am proud to announce I now have two eyebrows again instead of one. Less than 4 hours later and a mere $33, voila! I am ALMOST beautiful again. Well....okay, I may still be far from beautiful, but I feel human again and am definitely a little more happy about how I look. I'll post some before and after pics tomorrow when I can get someone to take some. Until then...

A Birthday Surprise

Thanks to all of you who sent birthday wishes via message board posts, emails, phone calls, and cards. You have no idea how much I appreciated them and how special they made my day.

When I first woke up yesterday (my 33rd birthday), I didn't expect much. After the two months that Anthony didn't work a lot, we're still trying to catch up and money is still pretty tight. All I really wanted was to sleep in and not have to change diapers. Unfortunately, Justin had other plans and refused to let me stay in bed past 8am, but my mom made up for it by making me breakfast and I was able to get a 2 1/2 hour nap mid-afternoon, so everything was okay. Anthony planned to make me a cake and my sister-in-law and her fiancee planned to pick Alexis up for an overnight visit and a trip to Chuck E. Cheese. It may not have been the best birthday ever, but when compared to the previous three, it was pretty nice. In case your wondering why the previous three were so rough...well...for birthday 30, I was 8 months pregnant and just wanted it to be over...31 I was 5 months pregnant and still suffering from severe morning sickness, so I was not in the mood to party...and 32 was okay if you forget that I was suffering from severe ppd, had a colicky 6 month old and a terrible 2 year old. Anyway, because our family is so aware of how tight money is, Anthony's mom and sisters, pooled their money together to give me a night out without kids. Anthony and I got to go out to dinner with a friend and his girlfriend and then we did Rock 'n Bowl, darts, and drinks at the local bowling alley. I just about cried when my sister-in-law told me and they will never know how grateful I am for such a wonderful gift. I had an awesome night and other than being slightly hung over today, my birthday was perfect. Thank you to all of you who made it possible. I love you all so much and am so thankful that God put you in my life and made us family.

Justin's New Nickname

About a week ago, Alexis started calling Justin, "Dookie". That might sound sweet and enduring if you don't live in our house, but in our house we use "dookie" bags to pick up the "dookie" when we take Bella on walks and when she goes "dookie" in the backyard. We all tried to convince ourselves that she was calling him "doogie" like Doogie Howser, but alas, she made sure to ennunciate every syllable so we understood exactly what she thought of her baby brother. It wasn't a big deal because it only lasted a few days, but she has returned to it today after he maimed her with his teeth. After a pretty gruesome fight over a bouncing ball, Justin bit Alexis on her chest, bringing blood and making her cry forever! Alexis response, Justin is once again "Dookie". Who can blame her? If he bit me like that I'd probably call him "Dookie" too.

Because I Said So!

The words I promised myself I would never say. I thought I would always have a good answer...yet today, I actually said them. Alexis has finally learned to ask the dreaded question, "Why?" Everytime I told her to do something today, her response was always the same..."Why?" When I told her to take her nap, "Why?" When I said it was time for lunch, "Why?" When I told her not to bite, "Why?" When I told her to leave the dog alone because she was eating...you guessed it..."Why?" It was in complete frustration when I asked her to pick up her toys and she asked "Why?" that I screamed out and replied, "Because I said so!" This phrase is so horrible and teaches a child nothing and I hate that I resorted to it. I want my baby to do things because they are the right thing to do, not because someone told her to. I want her to learn right and wrong, not just how to be a follower. So I will try to be more patient and answer all of her whys with well thought out answers and hopefully not become so frustrated that I scream out those 4 little words again.

Sadness

Since we've lived in our house for a year and a half now, we finally decided it was time to finish unpacking and clean out the garage. It will probably take another year to finish, but we got a good start today. We cleared out at least half of the boxes and threw away a lot of garbage. However, most of the stuff we got rid of was baby stuff. I have one bag of clothes and one box of toys that I plan to keep as a way of remembering Alexis and Justin's childhood; the clothes they came home in, their holiday outfits, some special outfits that they wore often, baby rattles, etc. Other than that, we let everything else go. I took about 8 boxes of clothes, toys, and other baby stuff to the Salvation Army and have another 8 boxes that my sister-in-law (SIL) is coming to go through since she is having a baby girl in May. As we unloaded the boxes at the Salvation Army, it was a bittersweet moment. Anthony had a vasectomy a year ago so we knew we weren't having anymore kids, but getting rid of everything somehow made it more final. As I watch Alexis & Justin grow from babies into a little girl and boy, I feel the joys of watching them become little people, yet I also feel the loss of having little babies. Life gets so much easier as they become more independent, but I long for the days of holding them and rocking them. Thankfully, Justin is still a cuddler. He still crawls into my lap and just cuddles. He still gives me hugs and kisses for no reason and he still crawls into my bed in the morning just to be with me. Alexis was never really a cuddle bug so I will hold onto Justin's "baby-like" behavior as long as I possibly can, probably much longer than I should, but since I won't be having anymore, I'll enjoy every moment.

Faulty Toys

As many of you know, my kids are "spoiled rotten" when it comes to toys. Christmas this year was no exception. We (okay, I) went overboard again and made sure they got everything the wanted and everything I thought they needed.

There were two things that I bought that I am so disappointed with. I debated over buying the This is Serious Ming Ming, but every time we went to the store Alexis would pick it up and carry it around constantly. If you aren't familiar with this toy it is a little stuffed duck that sings and "flies". Actually, it just rolls around and it's cape lifts up, but it's cute and Alexis and Justin both really liked it. So I did some research and though there were a few bad reviews that said it stopped working or malfunctioned, most of the reviews were 4 or 5 stars so I decided to buy it. I waited til it was on sale and got it for $10 less that the usual price and Alexis's happy little face on Christmas morning was worth every penny. She didn't really play with it th first couple of days as she was really absorbed with her other toys, but as the newness began to wear off of the bigger toys, she picked it up and spent a fair amount of time with it. So did Justin and for 3 days it quite a bit off use. Well, yesterday, Ming Ming started acting funny. It all started with a high pitch whine while she was singing and then she stopped "flying". I keep hoping it's a battery issue, but I have a sinking suspicition I should have paid more attention to the bad reviews. A mere 11 days after Christmas, it appears that This is Serious Ming Ming, is in serious twouble!

The second disappointment was the ball pit. The Wonder Pet's Fly Boat Ball Pit was a big hit in our house. Both of my kids have pretty much lived in it for the past 11 days and Alexis has even put her pillow in it to take naps. They love jumping in it and watching tv in it. Alexis takes her Ming Ming in it and uses a toy golf club as an oar and goes off on many adventures to save the animals. As you can tell she is quite the fan of The Wonder Pets. Anyway, because it is just a blowup ball pit, I didn't expect it to be extremely long lasting, however, because of the age group it is made for, I expected it to be a little more sturdy than it was. The bottom ring went flat last night and I can't seem to find a hole in it. It won't keep any air, so it must be a big gash, but I've searched and searched with no success. I'm thinking it may be a seam, so when the kids go to bed tonight, I'll try again.

With toddler toys, I don't expect an extremely long life, but 11 days is just ridiculous. It angers me so much that we spend our hard earned money on toys that can't stand up to the job they are made for: entertaining children. If anyone has more horror stories about faulty toys or biggest disappointments...I'd love to hear them. Misery loves company and Alexis has a birthday coming up, so I'd like to avoid buying more horrible toys!

Another New Year's Vent... aka God help me!

Please give me patience to make it through the next week. Please help me to NOT pick up a cigarette no matter how bad it gets! (Yes, even after all this time I still want one when I'm stressed) I'm tired of putting on a happy face and pretending it is all okay. It IS NOT okay! I'm tired of being everyone's maid. I'm tired of taking care of everything and everyone. Isn't it enough that I take care of two kids, the dog, two cats, the laundry, the trash, and most of the house work? When there are 3 other adults in the house, I shouldn't have to clean up after all of them. Rinse your own dishes and put them in the sink. Don't leave them on the table. Close the bathroom door already. I have a one year old who loves to play in the toilet! Put the chain back on the door when you come in. It takes like two seconds and I don't want the kids to get out when no one is watching. Furthermore..I'm tired of drama. I can't handle anymore. I had enough drama growing up and enough drama when I was younger. I'm too damn old to deal with everyone's garbage every day and I don't want it around my kids. You've got problems? Me too! Deal with it. Stop expecting everyone else to fix things for you. We can't. I think I'm gonna go work out now. I need to get rid of some stress. Goodbye for now...

Holiday Blues

So my new year isn't starting off very well. I spent the evening with my mom, my husband, my father-in-law and my precious children. It was pretty weak as far as New Year's Eves go, and a little depressing as it is the first New Year's I've spent home doing nothing. As we move into a brand new year, I should be happy and carefree, ready for a new start. Instead, I sit here more depressed than ever. I've tried to tell myself that I have a million reasons to be happy, but the truth is, besides my two beautiful and wonderful children, I feel completely and utterly alone. Three years ago when I quit my job to be a stay-at-home mom, I thought I was doing the best thing in the world, but tonight, as I sit her by myself, I'm not so sure. Yes, I know it is great for my kids to have a parent home all of the time and I know it saves money because daycare is so expensive, but it has changed my life so completely and I'm not sure it is all for the better. I was once a social butterfly who thrived on being with other people. I was always doing something whether it was with a large group of people or just hanging with my bff. Now, most of my days are spent in my pj's, cleaning house, cooking meals, and hanging out with my toddler's who are extremely entertaining, but not very deep conversationists. I don't want any of you to think I don't love my children or that I don't love being with them, I just feel like there is something missing in my life right now. I miss my girlfriends. I miss having someone to gossip with. I miss having a life outside of my house. I know that I will have to be the one to change it. I have lost a part of my identity and really need to find myself again. I don't usually make New Year's resolutions, but maybe this year I will. 1) I will get back in contact with my friends and start getting out a little more. 2) I will make an effort to meet new people and build new relationships that help me to feel fulfilled as well as re-establishing my relationship with God since it has weakened a little in the past year. 3) I will continue to be a good mom and will work on being a great mom. I will spend more quality time actually doing things with them instead of just being with them. 4) I will not necessarily lose weight, but will start being healthier by eating better and exercising more. 5) I WILL apply to and WILL get into grad school! I have to do these things not just for me, but for my family. They need me and I cannot allow myself to wallow in self pity. Please pray for a happy and fullfiling 2009 for my family and I and I will do the same for all of you! :)