Mommy's Day Out

Sorry, no real post for today. I have lots of errands to run today, including attempting to grocery shop with a high needs baby who screams if he isn't being held. Today should be interesting. See you all on Monday!

The Stealth Poop

If you have kids, you are all too familiar with The Stealth Poop. It's one of those things you really never forget about, even long after your kids are potty trained. It may not be a prominent memory, but spend some time around a baby and the memories will come flooding back.

Confused? Not sure what the hell I'm talking about? Well, let me enlighten you on the subject matter for a few minutes.

It's usually pretty easy to tell when your little one is pooping or has already done so. If the grunts and red faces aren't a big enough hint, the smell sure will be. These are the clues we parents use to tell us when it's time for a diaper change.

Ever so often, however, The Stealth Poop will rear it's ugly head. It's one of parentings greatest mysteries and a messy one at that. These are those occasional kiddy bowel movements that leave us baffled and asking "When?".

You see, it always starts out the same way, with a cranky baby you just can't console. They aren't hungry or tired but they keep on squirming, crying and whining. Eventually, after rocking and trying everything you can think of, you decide to start going through your mental checklist. Hungry? No. Cold/Hot? No. Fever? No. Diaper? What the hell!

Right there when you open the diaper will be the reason none of your efforts have worked, but you had no idea it was even there or how long it has been. There were no grunts, no red face and definitely no smell (until you open the diaper that is).

That, ladies and gentlemen, is The Stealth Poop.

10 Weekly Goals - Week 2

Well, I made it through my first week of setting goals and while initially I was a bit disappointed in myself, I realize this is a work in progress.

Here is how last week s goals worked out.


Family
1. Plan 2 week menu
2. Try 1 new recipe with Audrey (We didn't try a new recipe, but she did help me prepare spaghetti and meatballs for dinner one night.)
3. Read to Micah each night (Only managed to read to him one night, but it is a start.)

Personal
4. Choose a book to start reading
5. Drink at least 1 glass of water each day (Drank one glass and realized how much I hate plain water. Ick!)

Homemaking
6. Start the Flylady program (my house is screaming for this!) (Started but didn't do a good job of following each day.)
7. Create a recipe binder for the kitchen

Online
8. Write and schedule 4 blog posts (Only got 2.)
9. Write 1 article for AMS (my freelance work) (Client had no work for me to do last week.)
10. Create 1 lens for Squidoo (I'm addicted to this site!) (Created 2!)

Instead of dwelling on all the things on my list I didn't get done, I'm just glad I managed to at least cross a few things off. It's a fresh week and here are a fresh set of goals.

Family
1. Make some kind of treat for my family
2. Read to Micah each night
3. Hang Audrey's posters in her room for her

Personal
4. Start a new book
5. Start going to bed early every night

Homemaking
6. Continue trying to follow the Flylady program
7. Start recipe binder for kitchen

Online
8. Write and schedule 2 blog posts
9. Write 1 article for AMS
10. Create 1 lens for Squidoo

Wish me luck, everyone!

Keep Your Pre-Teen and Your Wallet Happy: Dip Dying With Food Coloring

Dip dyed hair is apparently "all the rage" right now among the pre-teen and teen age group. My daughter has been bugging me for a good year to let her put pink dye into her hair. She wasn't content with the spray can kind or the stuff you brush on and wash back out and I wasn't content with letting her bleach and then dye her hair at 10 years of age.

In an attempt to get what she wanted without being met with an immediate NO she was browsing some hair videos on YouTube one night and came across some girls who were using food coloring to get different color into their hair.

I'll admit, at first I was skeptical about this working. How would it stay in without running when she sweated or showered? With that, I did some investigating on my own. What I discovered was that there are actually several different methods you can use with the food coloring to achieve a semi-permanent coloring in your hair. The four most popular methods involve either vinegar, white shampoo, clear hair gel or mouse. Since we had a can of mouse sitting in the bathroom not being used anyway, I decided to try it out.

The supplies you will need to dip dye with the method I used are:

small bowl (glass works best because it won't stain and can be cleaned easily)
toothbrush
mouse
liquid food coloring of your choice (I used neon colors)
hair brush
towel
hair dryer

The first thing you want to do is make sure the hair is really clean and dry. My daughter always scrubs her head thoroughly and then blow dries hers before we start.

Next, squirt a little bit of mouse into the bowl you are using and then add a few drops of the food coloring you plan to use. Use the toothbrush to stir up the mix while adding additional food coloring until you achieve the color you want.

Once you have the mix ready, lay the towel across your shoulders. We use a "dye towel" that has been stained with different colors already. Brush the hair as straight as you can get it with as few frizz as possible.

Now dip the tooth brush into the color mix and scoop up a bit on the brush. Now all you are going to do is pick a starting point for the color and begin brushing it onto the hair in downward strokes. Once you have covered all of the top layer where you want the color to be, turn the hair over and do the same thing on the hair underneath to insure the hair is saturated.

Once you have all the color on that you want, the waiting begins. The longer the color stays on the hair, the more vibrant and longer lasting it will be. For my daughter, we leave it on for about an hour and it lasts about 2-3 days. By then she is ready to change it anyway. Pre-teens, so indesicive!

After the color has been on for as long as you like, rinse it with cold water until the water runs almost clear. Do not be harsh and rub a lot during this stage because you will rinse all of the color out. I usually just rinse until the water is almost clear.

Now you towel dry the hair is dry as you can get it and brush it out again. Dry the colored portion with a hair dryer or run a flat iron over it a few times to set the color.

Ta-da! Super cheap dip dye that will keep your kiddo happy.

***I will attempt to get pictures of each step put up soon.

How a Margarita Saved Me

Since bringing home a newborn I have been stuck in this sickening loop of feeling exhausted but not being able to sleep at the same time. My anticipation of the screams and cries all hours of the day and night leaves me wound tight and unable to relax and rest when the opportunity presents itself. I find myself constantly complaining that I just need some sleep, but when I get the chance to do so I end up laying there staring at the ceiling for hours until I finally get back up and continue with my motherly duties while walking around in a zombie like state.

Last weekend I found myself childless on a Saturday. That's right, both of my children were gone to their grandparents houses. This is a rare occurrence and in my mind I kept thinking that even with them both gone I was not going to be able to rest because of my insomnia issues. I fully anticipated them both returning home on Sunday to me still exhausted and frazzled, wondering how I would survive another week and keep the house from falling apart in the process.

Instead of just sitting at home, missing my babies, Steven and I decided to go out for dinner. I think we both needed a date night at this point. The tension and arguing in this house lately has been rather intense due to a lack of sleep on both sides. We've both been grumpy and irritable most of the time and have been taking it out on each other.

Our dinner was wonderful. Drinks, appetizers and an amazing meal while watching the Alabama vs. Georgia game on a big screen television near our table. The first thing I ordered was the biggest frozen strawberry margarita they had on the menu. It had been almost 2 years since a sip of alcohol had even crossed these lips and even though I was afraid one glass would probably knock me off my ass, I went for it anyway.

By the end of the meal, the 3 shots of liquor that had been poured into my sweet concoction were working overtime. No, I didn't feel drunk or even buzzed but I did feel unusually sleepy. Not the exhausted sleepy feeling I'm used to having, but a relaxed and stress free sleepy where I just wanted to curl up with a warm blanket and a good movie.

When we were finished and had paid our bill we decided to hit one of the local Redbox kiosks on the way home since it was doubtful anything worth a damn would be on television. We grabbed a few movies we had both been wanting to watch and happily headed home, both feeling recharged and better connected.

Once home we popped in one of the movies and settled in on the couch, snuggled next to each other. I can't even remember the last time we got to do that. When pregnant we couldn't because my belly was so big and after Micah arrived there was just no opportunity to do so.

What happened next? We both watched about 20 min. of the movie we had put in and the next thing I know, I'm waking up 8 hours later to a dark and quiet house. I looked at the clock with amazement when I realized I had slept a full 8 hours without even so much as moving. That restful sleep I had been longing for since the 2nd trimester of my pregnancy with Micah had finally came and it was glorious. That one margarita provided enough incentive for my body to finally unwind a little and relax enough for insomnia to not steal my sleep from me. I felt completely recharged and ready to tackle anything motherhood could throw at me.

It is truly amazing how much a small break from your children can effect things. Instead of dreading to see them both come home the next day because I didn't have the energy to do it anymore, I had managed to take a little time for myself and was looking forward to seeing them both come through the door so I could smother them in hugs and kisses.

I guess my message here is this:

Mamas, take time for yourself. If you aren't taking care of you, how are you suppose to give your best to your children? As mothers, we give everything we have but seldom think about how it effects us. Even a few hours away can be enough to get you through when you feel like you just can't go on.

10 Weekly Goals - Week 1

I've been a fan of Money Saving Mom for quite some time and often find myself wishing I was half as organized as she was. I know I can't see behind the scenes to see it's not nearly as organized as I envision, but I commend her for her ability to set goals and achieve them so easily it seems.

I've followed her series about setting 10 weekly goals since she started it and each time I read her goals for the upcoming weeks as well as what she managed to cross off her list from the weeks prior, I feel like a lazy bum. Most days, I do good to get my daughter out the door to school and dinner on the table. Not because I don't have time, obviously I do or I wouldn't frequent Facebook and Pinterest as much as I do. I just lack the motivation to develop structure in my life and instead choose to sit back silently each week thinking to myself "I need to do that!".

I found myself sitting here once again, thinking those same old thoughts after reading her most recent list of goals. Normally, I do this and then get sidetracked somewhere else and soon forget. This time though, I forced myself to grab a notebook and a pen and make my own list of 10 weekly goals. Even if I don't end up sticking with this every single week, I can at least say I finally gave it a shot and stop daydreaming about it.

Here are the goals I sat for myself for the week.

Family
1. Plan 2 week menu
2. Try 1 new recipe with Audrey
3. Read to Micah each night

Personal
4. Choose a book to start reading
5. Drink at least 1 glass of water each day

Homemaking
6. Start the Flylady program (my house is screaming for this!)
7. Create a recipe binder for the kitchen

Online
8. Write and schedule 4 blog posts
9. Write 1 article for AMS (my freelance work)
10. Create 1 lens for Squidoo (I'm addicted to this site!)

I'm starting small with many of these and hoping to build and expand on them if I can keep this up for longer than a week or two. I'll update at the end of the week with what I managed to achieve as well as what my new set of goals for the week will be. Wish me luck!

Noisy Neighbors and Babies Just Don't Mix

We recently moved from a 2 bedroom home to a more spacious 3 bedroom with an extra full bath. Our 2 bedroom was just too cramped with the overload of baby stuff we acquired after Micah was born. Even though he's never slept a night without being right on me to do so, having that extra bedroom is still very helpful as a place to store all of his things. The extra bathroom was a perk and has proven to be invaluable with a pre-teen in the home who insists on taking 2 hours to shower every night.

Our move wasn't a big one. Our landlord owns nearly every home on the street we live on, so when a 3 bedroom became available we took it and moved 3 houses down from where we lived before. I guess the positive to this was that we didn't have to pay for a moving truck this time, we just packed it through the yard piece by piece over 3 days time. Well, I didn't pack much of anything but a crying, sleepy baby around but you get the point.

In our 2 bedroom, the houses on either side of us had both been empty for some time, so we had grown rather used to it being quiet. In our 3 bedroom, we have noisy neighbors on both sides and I still haven't been able to get used to it.

On an almost daily basis, just when I've reached my breaking point and feel I may fall over from exhaustion, little Micah will finally decide to nap for an hour or so. If there is one thing we have learned quickly around here, it is to not make much noise when he is asleep or else it is all over with. He is a super light sleeper. Sneezing in the next room can often end a nap far too early and make for an evening of inconsolable crying.

Also, on an almost daily basis, one of our neighbors decides that just when my cranky baby is finally napping it is time to start hammering or doing something else around their house that makes a lot of noise. Of course, with this comes an almost daily occurrence of my little guy waking up from all the sounds and crying for hours because he didn't get to finish his nap out. Thanks, neighbors! I'll be sure to leave a gift for Christmas by your front door. Preferably some thumb tacks so you can stop hammering so many nails into the walls over there. Just how many pictures do you have to hang anyway?