WOW!!

Okay...so business is booming....send me an email if you need anything personalized or have a custom order!

foryourpeanut [at] gmail [dot] com


WOO!

Happy Holidays!!!

Menu Friday

NOVEMBER MENU

So...how have your weekly dinners been going? Ours have turned out pretty well. I really like the chile rellenos casserole. However, I prefer the diced chiles to the whole, but Dan prefers just the opposite. Oh well. Here comes November's Menu....

• Monday: Chili (the recipe on the back of the seasoning packet), Bagged Salad (we prefer the Lite Ceasar mix), and Jiffy Cornbread
• Tuesday: Weight Watcher's Teriyaki Turkey Burgers, CousCous, and Broiled Asparagus with Soy Sauce
• Wednesday: Weight Watcher's Pancakes, Turkey Bacon, and Fresh Fruit
• Thursday: Red Beans and Turkey Sausage (From Martha Stewart Everyday Food Mag, November 2009), Bagged Salad, and Jiffy Cornbread
• Friday: TAKE OUT!
• Saturday: Weight Watchers Spaghetti, Garlic Toast, Bagged Salad
• Sunday: Meatloaf Muffins, Steamed Broccoli, Instant Mashed Potatoes

As Maggie would say.....Yummy Yummy in my Tummy Tummy!

Tip Thursday

www.MyTotClock.com

Does your toddler have sleep issues?

My friend Lisa has discovered this clock. Within a few weeks her little girl went from getting up at 5am **gasp** to sleeping in until 7am **squeeel**. If you are in need of a sleep solution, she would recommend this to you. I haven't used it myself, but with her glowing recommendations, I totally wouldn't hesitate to invest in it if necessary.

Wednesday....not wordless

This post will be more for me than for you. I need to get it down on "paper" in order to try to figure out where I want to go. I am at a crossroads.

Jacob turned 6 months old yesterday. He doesn't have a check up until November 4th, so stats will be a little delayed. I can tell you that his is about 20 pounds or more! BIG GUY for sure.

We started cereal last night and we got melancholy results. He was interested in it at first and then thought..."hmmm, not sure this is what I was expecting" We will continue to try it and maybe he will be the eater that Maggie is one day.

We have also been bottle feeding since 3pm yesterday. I have had a medical setback that requires medicine that isn't approved for nursing mothers. At this point his bottles have been half breast milk, from my stored supply, and half formula. He doesn't like taking the bottle from me and I generally think he doesn't like the bottle. I know this is something he's just going to have to get over if he wants to eat; there are no other options. Why bottle feeding you ask?

I went to the hematologist yesterday to have my platelets checked. Like I said on Monday, I had a weird spot show up on my leg and it concerned me. Rightfully so....my platelets were at 18. If they drop below 10 I will have to have a platelet transfusion. Because they are below 30 I have had to go on steroids. We are doing a 4 day blast of steroids. I take 10 pills first thing in the morning for four days and then my platelets will be checked on Friday morning. I hope they will have improved by then. I will then go off the steroids for one week. If necessary I go back on for another 4 days. We will continue the process for 4 treatments. If these treatments don't work, then the treatments will get a ton more aggressive and nursing will no longer be an option at all. Right now, I can't nurse while on the steroids, or for 2 days after my last dose, but I could nurse on my week off the drugs. No issue really, you say. Just a break from nursing.

This condition, ITP, is something that came about randomly as a complication from pregnancy. There is a chance that the hormones coursing through my body as a result of breastfeeding could be continuing the platelet complication. A chance. There are thousands of reasons that my platelets could be low. It's easier just to try to fix then find.

Pumping and dumping and bottle feeding with a 2 year old running around is a lot of work. Because Jacob really hasn't ever had many bottles it takes him FOREVER to eat. Do I really want to invest the time and energy to keep my supply up, when there is a remote chance that there may be residual drugs in my breast milk. It's not like they test these drugs on nursing moms. Is the risk worth it?

My dad brought up another thought. Jacob's a big kid and he requires a lot of nutrition. It has been said that the breast feeding baby or the gestational baby get what ever they need from mom. EVEN TO THE DETRIMENT OF THE MOTHER. The body will steal from mom to provide. Is there a chance that I can't heal because my body is working so hard to keep up with Jacob's nutritional needs?

I know in my head, for my own health, that I need to stop nursing and give myself time to heal and get better, for both of my children. If there is a remote chance that all of this will go away with a few cans of formula for 6 months, I can't see that I have a choice. Jacob got 6 months of exclusive nursing. I gave him a great start. I have to be proud of that and stop feeling like I am letting him down.

I know in my heart, that I am not ready to stop. I love the bonding time and the closeness that nursing provides. There is just something special during that time. But is it worth the risks.

So Dearest Readers.....what are your thoughts. Give me the good, the bad, and the ugly! Bring it on........

Tutorial Tuesday

Christmas Crafts?! Really?!?! YEP! It is never to soon to get going on the Christmas Crafts. I am trying to stockpile my ideas for what to do with the kids when it gets cold and yucky outside.

Head on over to NOTNIGELLA.COM for a great tutorial on how to whip up these little guys!

I think these are too cute!!!!! What other designs can you think up?

Love Monday

• LOVE that we were able to get together with Family and Friends this weekend and celebrate a Buckeye WIN!

• LOVE that Maggie was able to take care of herself during that gathering and didn't need direct supervision from Mommy or Daddy the whole time. She was very happy circulating among the adults.

• LOVE that Jacob did one night of 7pm-7am. Yes, it was just one night, but I was thankful. Hopefully, we will see that again soon.

• LOVE that Maggie has transitioned to her Big Girl Bed so easily. She stays in it and sleeps great. Naps are still only happening about every other day, but that would have happened in the crib.

• LOVE my husband. I can't say that enough. He is so supportive and encouraging. I know he seems over bearing and egotistical and a know it all, but I love him. I wouldn't trade him for anything. He allows me the freedom to be me and I am so thankful for the opportunity.

• LOVE junk food. But unfortunately, I think I am noticing a trend. Every time I binge on crap I end up feeling really yucky for a few days. And sometimes, like this time, I find myself heading to the Hematologist to have my platelets checked. I have a weird spot on my leg....bummer
  

• LOVE the family photos we have on the way. I had a great time at the photo shoot and think we got some really great shots. I should have them back in a week or so and I will be sure to post pictures. If you are in the Columbus area and are look for a FaBuLoUs photographer, check out Tammy at TDSnapshots.com

• LOVE my readers. Thanks for checking in. I appreciate your interest. Now tell me....what do YOU love today????

Wordless Wednesday

Tutorial Tuesday

We went apple picking today and boy, did we have fun!!!!!

I came home with 15 pounds of apples, 1 gallon of cider, and a jar of apple butter. I guess I got a little excited about the outing. I think we will be eating apples for breakfast, lunch and dinner for then next few eons. I am going to start with this site to get some recipe ideas....

http://www.bestapples.com/Recipes/

Love Monday

• LOVE that life has settled down after 3 trips to urgent cares, one trip to the pediatricians office, one xray, and one bright orange cast.

"3 TRIPS TO THE URGENT CARE? WHAT THE HELL?"

Yeah, I can read your mind. Here's the synopsis:

Trip 1: I went to bed one night a couple of weeks ago and I just couldn't fall asleep. I tossed and turned for 2 hours or more. My arms felt incredibly restless. I don't have restless leg syndrome, but my arms felt like what I imagine that condition to feel like. Boy, that was annoying! The next morning my arms still felt weird. My body was just totally out of energy. I felt as though I hadn't eaten in days, you know all weak and shaky. But, I had eaten. So I called the hematologist to see if this could be related to my ITP. The hematologist didn't think so and urged me to head to the ER. I told Dan that I didn't want to go to the ER because that's where people who just lost limbs go. I just felt weak. We decided to go to the Urgent Care. They ran a ton of blood tests and urine tests and came up with ZIP. All of my tests came back normal. Oh well.

Trip 2: On Friday, a week ago, I got Maggie up from her nap. Like I usually do I set Jacob on the floor while I got Maggie out of her crib. I usually put Maggie on the floor with Jacob while I fold Maggie's blanket and put all of her stuff in its place. While I was folding her blanket, I heard Jacob let out a yelp. I looked down and he was on his back with his arm pinned behind him. Maggie was "helping" him roll over. OH CRAP. When I swooped down to pick him up his left arm just hung limp by his side. Off to Children's Hospital we went. Wow, that ER was one crappy place to be. I am so surprised that none of us got sick from being there. The nurse diagnosed Jacob with Nursemaid's Elbow. A doctor came in and did a quick movement with his arm. He cried for about 30 seconds and then all was good and fine again. Crisis averted.

Trip 3: On Tuesday of last week, I was on my way upstairs to get Maggie from her nap when suddenly she started to cry. When I opened her door, she was standing in the middle of her room. I had left her in her crib. Yep, she jumped out. Or better said, she fell out. She kept telling me she went boom and hurt her arm. I took her downstairs to calm down. You know, a little Elmo and a frozen GoGurt usually does the trick. After calming down, her arm still hurt. I called Dan and we decided to head off to Children's once again. Better safe than sorry right? We went to the Westerville. We waited 2 hours and weren't even so much as called to register. We decided to cut our losses and head on home and go to the pediatrician in the morning. We headed off the next morning to the doctor. They sent us to the Dublin children's for an xray. It was BrOkEn!! We then headed downtown to have a Children's orthopedist put her cast on. He told me she had a buckle break in her arm that would cleanly heal in 4 weeks. Week one will be complete on Wednesday. She does pretty well with it though. She really doesn't even let it slow her down.

Now....here's to no more doctor/ER/urgent care/xray/orthopedist visit's this week!!

Menu Friday

The following comes to me courtesy of

Skip to My Lou

and

You've Got Supper!

YUMM-O!!

Five Family Faves

1. Easy Enchiladas

Saute a swirl of olive oil and ½ cup chopped yellow onion in skillet. Add 1 lb cooked and chopped chicken, ½ tsp cumin, 3 T cream cheese, and 2 cups of salsa and cook until smooth. Place mixture down the center of 6 flour tortillas. Roll and place in greased baking pan. Top with green taco sauce and shredded Mexican cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

2. Pizza Roll Ups

Roll out Pillsbury pizza dough to a rectangle. Top with favorite toppings (mozzarella, pepperoni, spinach). Tightly roll like a long cylinder, keeping the filling inside. Tuck in ends. Coat with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Place cylinder, seam side down, on baking sheet and bake at 425 degrees for 12 – 14 minutes. Let rest. Slice on the diagonal and serve with pizza sauce on side.

3. Meatloaf Muffins

Mash 3 slices of torn bread, 2 eggs, ¾ cup milk. Add 2 lb ground meat, 2 T Worcestershire, 1 T minced garlic and ¼ cup chopped yellow onion. Spoon into greased muffin tins and bake for 25 – 30 min. at 400 degrees. Mix together equal parts brown sugar, yellow mustard, and ketchup, Top each muffin with tsp of sauce.

4. Easy Meatballs

Sprinkle 1 lb ground meat with Italian seasoning and add 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, ½ cup Italian breadcrumbs, 1 egg. Mix and form into golf ball sized meatballs. Place in sauce pan with 1 jar of sauce. Let bubble and simmer for 1 – 1 ½ hours. Serve over pasta (or on sub rolls with provolone the next night).

5. Ritzy Cracker Chicken

Pound chicken and marinate in Italian dressing for at least a few hours. Combine equal parts crushed Ritz crackers with Parmesan cheese. Remove chicken from dressing and dredge in cracker mixture. Bake chicken on lightly greased cookie sheet for 20 – 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Richmond moms, Michelle Jenkins and Susan Aprahamian, founded YouveGotSupper.com to provide an online recipe resource for busy moms and others stuck in a recipe rut. For more recipes and a dynamic, categorized grocery list, please go to www.youvegotsuppper.com.

New Link Thursday!

Yep...I found another new site. I have just started to dig around in this site, but initial appearances look very promising. Check it out and let me know if you find anything good!

You Can Make This!!!

Have fun adding things to your project list!

Wordless Wednesday

Tutorial Tuesday

Head on over to SWAKembroidery.com to check out the pdf instructions
on how to make these little bean bags. SO CUTE!!



And I will be headed here this afternoon with Maggie. Remember these from elementary school? SO FUN!

Love Monday

• LOVE that it's Pumpkin season and Maggie loves it as much as Dan and I do. We went to pick pumpkins (in the POURING rain) last week and boy was she excited!

• LOVE that Jacob might be closing in on sleeping through the night. On a good night he makes it until almost 6am before he peeps. I usually can get him to go back to sleep, until 7am or later, by just applying a pacifier and a lovey. On a bad night he starts to stir around 2am and Dan and I are up every hour trying to get him to fall back to sleep.

• LOVE my life. I know I complain a lot and I bellyache over the simple things, but all in all, I really appreciate what I have. My kids are wonderful, my husband rocks, and things could be so much worse. One of my favorite blogger moms always reminds us to "Think about the people with NO LEGS" when the going gets tough.

• LOVE My new 2 year old and she love her new bike!

• LOVE that my camera has 309 photos on it! If you want to spend a few hours reminiscing with me, head on over to www.TeamStamm.com
  

Next Weeks Menu

For those planners out there who fail to plan, I thought this might be useful. I try to have a monthly menu to eliminate the dinner stress.

Here is October's Menu.

Things change sometimes but this makes things easier!

Monday: Beef Tips in Mushroom Sauce over No Yolk Noodles with Broiled Broccoli

Tuesday: Beefy Mac n' Cheese with Brussel Sprouts and Reduced Fat Crescent Rolls
(Mac n' Chesse Recipe from WW cookbook and then I add 6 oz browned lean beef)

Wednesday: WW Pancakes with Fresh Fruit Salad and Turkey Bacon

Thursday: Chili with Lite Cesear Salad (in a bag) and Jiffy Cornbread

Friday: TAKE OUT!!!!!!

Saturday: Grilled Turkey Brats with Light Buns, Cous Cous, and Roasted (frozen) Asparagus

Sunday: Chili Rellenos Casserole with Spanish Rice



Happy Eating!



PS- I will try to post reviews of the linked recipes, as they are new ones for me to try. Also, do you have any good, family friendly recipes that I should have in November?

New Place to Spend Some Time

I think Thursdays are a great day to share a new website with you. I have found

www.ETSY.com

to be a wonderful site to waste lots of time. There are so many things to look at and get ideas from. If you see anything that you think might be an inspiration to you or me...lemme know!

ETSY.com

Your place to buy and sell all things handmade

So internet....any great sites or blogs you want to share with me???

Wordless Wednesday

Tutorial Tuesday!

I AM BACK!

I just completed my first craft show this weekend and sold lots of stuff! I now am completely self sufficient in my business!!! YAY!!! One of my most popular products was this one. I can make you one if you want....or you can make your own!!

Go Check out Crap I've Made for the tutorial on the FaBuLoUs onesie!!

So easy and SOOOOOOO cute!!!!!!!!!!!!

Field of Dreams

If I write it, will they read it?

I haven't written in a while. The "to-do" list with two children, a husband, a handmade baby goods business, a house that still isn't unpacked, 4 rental properties, and 2 cats doesn't leave much room for frivolity. The blog has fallen to the bottom of the pile.

Jake still isn't sleeping.

Maggie has turned 2.

I really do love my life, but DANG I am busy. I promise...I'll be back regularly. I just need Jake to sleep through the effin night....just once.....please......I beg......

Sleep Training...one week

I decided to start sleep training Jake last Monday afternoon. At least I think it was last Monday. It feels like an eternity ago. But, the process has forced me to really pay more attention to Jake and get to know who he is. All too often he was just lugged along in the carrier while Maggie and I did our thing. We didn't pay much attention to his needs. Now, he gets his own focus.

Here's what I've learned. Jacob only needs about an hour nap in the morning. But, he isn't hungry when he wakes up. He can stay on his every 4 hour feeding schedule. Also, he needs a longer afternoon nap. Sometimes it's 2 hours, sometimes it's not. He also still needs a cat nap in the evening, about 45 minutes or so. He just isn't the napper that Maggie was and I am becoming okay with that. She set the bar pretty high. And yes, he still gets up once a night, somewhere between 2 and 5, and again, I am okay with that. I know it's only for a short while that I will get this middle of the night snuggle time with my little boy. He will soon drop this feed.

I think a lot of the "issues" I was having were more about perspective than anything else. I was measuring Jake's sleep against his sister's patterns. And so the sibling comparisons begin! :0 . I need to realize that Jake will pave his own road and I need to let him follow it. I have to realize that sometimes the errands won't get run and dinner might be late and all of that is okay.

So, I am going to continue to make sure we are at home for all naps, but I think we can still go to a play date now and then.

NOW......on to fun stuff.....

THE ABBEY GIFT SHOP
OPENS THIS WEEKEND!!

www.the.abbeygiftshop.com

Unique gift shop opens Monday, August 31, 2009 By Kevin Dye Staff Writer West Jefferson residents will soon be able to have a glorious time shopping for unique gift items at a very familiar location in the center of the village. The Abbey Gift Shop is set to open soon in the newly renovated building that was the Sts. Simon and Jude Catholic Church for many years. While the building is set to be a gift shop, great care has been taken to retain much of what gave the old church its charm. Amy Tiefenthaler is the building’s new owner and she has been hard at work getting the gift shop ready to open. The Abbey is being designed as a one-stop gift shop location where customers can enjoy a relaxing time browsing what the store has to offer. “My main goal for this shop is for a customer to be able to come in, select a gift, get it gift wrapped for free and be on their way,” said Tiefenthaler. “I want people to have an experience here also. We will offer free coffee and tea to enjoy while they shop at The Abbey.” The Abbey’s motto is “Unique gifts for everyone” and that is what Tiefenthaler is currently stocking in her shop. The Abbey has special jewelry, handbags, craft items, Rothschild’s gourmet food items and much, much more. The new shop will feature unique gift items for children which can be personalized for the ones you love. “We will have a lot of personalized baby items,” said Tiefenthaler. “I have an embroidery machine and we can customize items for our shoppers.” Tiefenthaler has also updated the church that is over 100 years old and has completed some much needed upgrades to the landmark building. “I’ve really tried to keep as much of the original church intact as much as possible,” said Tiefenthaler. “I have had some work done on the building. In fact, this is the first time in the building’s history that it has had running water and restrooms in it.” The Abbey will offer special items for holidays throughout the year, though Tiefenthaler says she will stock Christmas items year round. The shop is also designed to be a place for people to sell their craft items on consignment. Folks who have made their own craft items and are looking for a way to get public exposure can contact The Abbey about selling their items there. While the work is still ongoing to get the shop ready to open, Amy has had some visitors pop in from time to time. “A lot of people have seen the doors opened and have stopped in,” she said. “They want to see what I’ve done with the church. I can tell you I have put a lot of work into this shop for the residents of West Jefferson.” The Abbey has clearly been a labor of love for Tiefenthaler, who often works under the watchful eye of her young son Bryson. She hopes that the village residents embrace what she has created in The Abbey. Tiefenthaler hopes to be in West Jefferson for some time. “I really like this community so much,” said Tiefenthaler. “I’d like to be successful and raise my family here.”

GOOD LUCK AMY!!

Go buy some stuff this weekend....go buy my stuff this weekend :) !!

Go Bucks!

Sleep Training...so far so...well I think we're making progress

As I write this on my BlackBerry (because I can't find 2 seconds to open my computer when Maggie isn't around) I am listening to Jake cry upstairs. Yep, we are on th second of 10 minute waits. He is mad and I am a bit numb to the crying. He went down for this nap without one tear and he still seems tired when I check on him. Although it makes him even madder when I go in I almost don't want to anymore. He still needs to be in his crib until nap time ends, right?

He did take 2 naps that were almost 2 hours each yesterday and he went to bed without crying last night. He slept from 8pm-6am on Weds night and from 8pm-5am last night. So I feel like that's pretty good. But here we are on day 4 and this morning nap looks just like Tuesday's. Is it because he's older that it's taking so long? I feel like he should be getting the hang of things by now. All I can do is keep trying and hope we'll get there.

I am a little discouraged right this minute. Hopefully this afternoon will be easier. I don't have too much to get done today (just 11 dresses to finish...yeah, not much). So maybe I'll squeeze in a nap later. Hopefully.

Random Thoughts from People Our Age

I saw this posted on Tammy's blog and I thought it was hilarious. ENJOY!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-I wish Google Maps had an “Avoid Ghetto” routing option.

-More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can’t wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that’s not only better, but also more directly involves me.

-Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you’re wrong.

-I don’t understand the purpose of the line, “I don’t need to drink to have fun.” Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and sticks when they’ve invented the lighter?

-Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you’re going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you’re crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.

-That’s enough, Nickelback.

-I totally take back all those times I didn’t want to nap when I was younger.

-Is it just me, or are 80% of the people in the “people you may know”

feature on Facebook people that I do know, but I deliberately choose not to be friends with?

-Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn’t work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ’s. We just figured it out. Today’s kids are soft.

-There is a great need for sarcasm font.

-Sometimes, I’ll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the f was going on when I first saw it.

-I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I’ll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone’s laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I’m still the only one who really, really gets it.

-How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

-I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

- I think part of a best friend’s job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

-The only time I look forward to a red light is when I’m trying to finish a text.

- A recent study has shown that playing beer pong contributes to the spread of mono and the flu. Yeah, if you suck at it.

- Was learning cursive really necessary?

- Lol has gone from meaning, “laugh out loud” to “I have nothing else to say”.

- I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

- Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.

- My brother’s Municipal League baseball team is named the Stepdads.

Seeing as none of the guys on the team are actual stepdads, I inquired about the name. He explained, “Cuz we beat you, and you hate us.”

Classy, bro.

- Whenever someone says “I’m not book smart, but I’m street smart”, all I hear is “I’m not real smart, but I’m imaginary smart”.

- How many times is it appropriate to say “What?” before you just nod and smile because you still didn’t hear what they said?

- I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a dick from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

- Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using ‘as in’

examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss’s last name to an attorney and said “Yes that’s G as in…(10 second lapse)..ummm…Goonies”

-What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?

- While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it…thanks Mario Kart.

- MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

- Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

- I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.

-Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

- I would like to officially coin the phrase ‘catching the swine flu’

to be used as a way to make fun of a friend for hooking up with an overweight woman. Example: “Dave caught the swine flu last night.”

-I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t at least kind of tired.

- Bad decisions make good stories

-Whenever I’m Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don’t mind if I do!

- Is it just me or do high school girls get sluttier & sluttier every year?

-If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible.

-Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I’m from, this shouldn’t be a problem….

-You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you’ve made up your mind that you just aren’t doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

-Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don’t want to have to restart my collection.

-There’s no worse feeling than that millisecond you’re sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

-I’m always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

- “Do not machine wash or tumble dry” means I will never wash this ever.

-I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There’s so much pressure. ‘I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren’t watching this. It’s only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?’

-I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello?

Dammit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What’d you do after I didn’t answer? Drop the phone and run away?

- I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

-When I meet a new girl, I’m terrified of mentioning something she hasn’t already told me but that I have learned from some light internet stalking.

-I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it’s on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

-Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles…

- As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

-Sometimes I’ll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

-It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.

-I keep some people’s phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

-Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn’t know what do to with it.

-Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, hitting the G-spot, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey – but I’d bet my ass everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time…

-My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day “Dad what would happen if you ran over a ninja?” How the hell do I respond to that?

-It really pisses me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and the link takes me to a video instead of text.

-I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.

-I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

-I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.

-The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, saw they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words, someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think about it, and then estimated that there must be at least four people eating to require such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by myself. There’s nothing like being made to feel like a fat bastard before dinner.

Tutorial Tuesday: How to Make and Tie a Moby Wrap

I think I might. As soon I have plans to leave the house with the kids again. However, by that time....Jake might be walking.....

Head on over to Monkeys-On-The-Bed for more!!

Sleep Training Day 2.....the rollercoaster of guilt

Thanks to those who left comments yesterday. It's nice to know who you are. I know there are plenty others of you lurking and that's okay too. I am getting the sense that many would like to know how sleep training day 2 is going so far and of course how the night went last night. I will just start by saying I have had better nights and I have had better days. But we are only half way through and there are plenty of hours left for improvement. If you are just here for a craft tutorial.....please scroll down. Happy Tutorial Tuesday to ya! If you don't mind a little woe is me session then keep reading.

First and foremost let me say that I know I don't have it that bad. I could be much much much worse. There are many mothers out there that fight harder and longer battles to raise their children and in the grand scheme of things I am not dealing with all that much. Having said that, I would still like to throw myself a small pity party and you are of course invited.

Last night started of like any other. I got Jacob ready for bed as usual just before 7pm and started his bedtime feed right at 7. As per the nurses instructions, I was to not feed him to sleep but feed him to drowsy. When I got the sense that he was done I was to make eye contact, sing him a little song or something, and then put him down awake but drowsy. If he cried wait 10 minutes before going in. He cried lightly but was out in about 5 minutes. He then cried/whimpered on and off for about an hour. Never for very long, but just enough to get me listening. I was by myself for bedtime last night so it was helpful to have the first ten minutes happen while I was getting Mags ready for bed. I had enough going on with her to not stew over him and his tears. And that's one part that really sucks,....he has real tears now....the are little but they are there....

I went to bed about 10:30 and then stewed and tossed and turned and worried that I was doing the right thing and then I worried that he had suffocated himself with his lovey (I made Dan go check just in case) and then I worried about what I was going to do when he got up. I laid there until almost midnight. Just staring at the insides of my eyelids.

Around 12:20 he started to stir. This is much earlier than usual. I watched the clock until 12:29 and then like a switch, he got quiet. Shew...we made it...or so I thought. At 12:45 he started up again. This time he was filled with so much angst that the 10 minutes were almost unbearable. But, my be was super comfy and I was really tired, I diligently waited the requisite 10 minutes. At 12:55 I went in to feed him. He at for 30 minutes total. Again I laid him down drowsy but awake. Again he cried when I left. It only took him about 3 minutes to settle and fall asleep.

Then I got some rest. I slept from about 1:30 until 6:30am. At 6:00 I was awakened by his cooing. It was a nice sound but entirely too early. I decided to wait him out. Would the cooing stop and he fall back asleep? (no) Would the cooing gradually gain speed until he was uncontrollably crying? (yes) I went into his room at 6:30 to calm him down. His ramp up from cooing to crying was very short, but he cooed for more than 20 minutes. I really want him to get to 7am. We're working on it.

On to naps.....duh don duh....(**cue ominous music**)...not so successful this morning. Because he got up early, he was tired early. I made him last until 8:30 before I put him down. He got himself to sleep very quickly (YAY!) but then woke up after 1 hour. (BOO!) For the second hour of his nap I went in every 10 minutes to soothe him (not really every ten minutes, but I did go in about 4 times during the hour...every time I came in he seemed to get even more pissed when I left....although he was all smiles when I was in there.) I finally rescued him from his crib at 10:50. He ate like a champ. I have been trying the Gripe Water, but he spits most of it out. ....and then I remember the tip that Jenny gave me. (put it in a bottle nipple and let him suck it out...that worked much better...thanks Jenny!!!!!!)

So here we are. I am now out on the back porch enjoying the AwEsOmE day. Maggie is splashing around in the baby pool and watering the plants. Jacob is next to me in the shade on a blanket, cooing away. I might put him in the bumbo if he gets bored on his back.

Hopefully, the afternoon nap will be smoother since he is pretty tired already from only having an hour nap followed by and hour plus of intermittent crying. I feel like I should feel really bad about the CIO method, but honestly I don't. I feel like it's going to work in the long run. If I can make it through the next few days. If.............

Hi...it's been awhile

Hi there. Have you missed me? I have missed you. I haven't been on in a while, because, in case you didn't know, I have and ALMOST 2 Year Old and an ALMOST 4 Month old. My hands are full. Better full than empty! At least that's what I tell the old ladies that look at me at the grocery store with that look of longing and pity all in one. Other moms...you know the look. So here I am. I am here today because I need you Internet. I need you to bend your ear in my direction and let me vent.

I know today is Love Monday and I will get there today, but not yet. If you just want to hear the fluffy stuff, then feel free to scroll down. Okay, now the warm fuzzy folks are gone. Let's get down to brass tacks. Life as I once knew it is gone. Now, I am not talking about Thursday evening Martini's at the Rossi or even Friday nights at the Mynt Lounge. I am talking morning outings and having more that 1 hour daily to run all of my errands. But WHY? you ask. JACOB.

For the past few days, Jacob has been a general cranky pants during the day. He is happy when one of the following is occurring: 1) he's eating, 2) he's riding in the car, 3) he's asleep. Other than that he is just generally whining at me. So....I started to realize that he never burps. Not all that uncommon in breastfed babies, you say? You're right and his sis was the same way. However...he toots like a mad man. He is constantly letting them rip and he only has one good poo a day. This all leads me to believe that he has some bad gas. I called the pediatrician this morning to inquire about the Gripe Water thing. Nurse Chloe says GO FOR IT! It won't hurt and it could help. Then she asks my why I might want to try it. I begin to explain the grumpy factor and bad napping and then I start to talk about how tired I am and that Maggie is now in the "MINE" and "NO" phase and how my socks feel funny and how I never quite get my oatmeal to the right temperature (add an ice cube? nope now it's too cold. okay in the microwave...dang too hot...argh...) and how....well you get the idea. After about 5 minutes of general venting, therapist Chloe begins to ask leading questions about Jacob's daily napping. Am I putting him down in the same place (no) at the same time (mostly) for EVERY nap (um.....NO...did I mention I have a 2 year old?) Well, in that case. DUH...."mommy you are doing all of this to yourself. Jacob needs sleep training. I bet he will even start sleeping through the night if you fix his daily naps"

Sleeping through the night you say? Okay, I'm listening and as I am listening I am realizing that this is all the stuff I was adamant about with Maggie. Jacob needs it too and I am doing both of us a disservice by not sticking with it. So, no more outings in the morning. No more Friday playgroups. No more life. I know this is a mere blip in the grand scheme of things, but now I have to figure out how to keep Maggie (and myself for that matter) from climbing the walls.

Sleep training began with this afternoon's nap. I put him down happy and awake 10 minutes before the desired sleep start time (1pm). I am to let him cry for as long as I can stand it (in this case I was going to wait 10 minutes) HEY INTERNET!! GUESS WHAT....he was quiet in 6 minutes. YAY! I didn't go up once. Now that's pretty good progress so far. What? It's only the first nap you say. Shut up. I am looking for silver linings. And those of you out there that think it's wrong to let them cry it out. Good for you....head on down to Love Mondays.

Usually he begins to cry after about 45 minutes of sleep. Guess what? Yep. I am going to have to wait another 10 minutes before I go soothe him. I am not sure what the best way to soothe him is. I don't want to pick him up. The nurse discouraged the paci because once it falls out we are back to square one. SO...I guess I will use my mommy instinct and see where we land. Hopefully he just falls back to sleep and I don't have to come up with a plan.

So...same nap time....same nap channel....tomorrow my friends.

I need to get some sewing done. I have 10 nursing covers done. 11 dresses in progress. 12 belts in progress. shew...I am a busy seamstress. If you interested you can shop my wares at www.the.abbeygiftshop.com. My stuff isn't on the site (yet) but you local folks can jot down the address and head on over. I think she is planning on opening the shop sometime in September.

If you landed hear to order a nursing cover or other such baby gear....don't worry I will have more fabrics soon. In the meantime you can send me an email at ForYourPeanut (at) gmail (dot) com.

Okay...

Love Monday

• LOVE that Bruce and Amy are expecting there "Cheetah" in February. His/Her big brother "Cooger" will be awesome!

• LOVE that Maggie will be TWO next month. ELMO birthday here we come. If anyone has any good Elmo birthday sites to send me to, please feel free!

• LOVE the Internet love. I love that 40+ people look at my blog daily. What keeps you coming back? Or....are you all just spam bots trolling for email addresses?

• LOVE the garden. So far I have some green beans and a couple of good handfuls of cherry tomatoes. There are lots more things on the vines though. Please send ripening thoughts.

• LOVE all of the blogs on my blogroll. I keep reading things at 3am, when I am feeding Jacob, and it's keeping me sane. All you bloggers out there....keep it coming!

Lastly....really.....what does keep you coming back. Of the 40+ readers out there, I only know who a handful of you are. WHO ARE YOU? Please tell me 1 (or more) interesting thing(s) about yourself in the comments. And for those of you I already know....tell me something I don't. :)

LOVE,
Amanda

AmandaOlogy

I'm hoping you'll fill this out about yourself. I would love to find out more about you! Copy this, paste into the comments or your own blog, replace my answers with yours and re-post this as your name followed by "ology".


***********FOODOLOGY***************

What is your salad dressing of choice?
Blue Cheese

What is your favorite sit-down restaurant?
Akai Hana

What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of?
Pizza Hut Pan Pizza

What are your pizza toppings of choice?
Mushrooms, pepperoni, bacon, and black olives

What do you like to put on your toast?
Apple Butter

***********TECHNOLOGY***************

How many televisions are in your house?
3 (one has no cable and no converter box, so it just catches dust)

What color is your cellphone?
Pink

Do you have an iPod?
No

***************BIOLOGY******************

Are you right-handed or left-handed?
right-handed

Have you ever had anything removed from your body?
Blood, wisdom teeth, 2 other teeth, and 2 babies.

What is the last heavy item you lifted?
Diapers, 4 boxes of 'em

Have you ever been knocked unconscious?
No

************BULLOLOGY**************

If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die?
No

If you could change your name, what would you change it to?
I love my name. I wouldn't change it.

Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000?
No Way.

**************FAVORITOLOGY****************

Season?
Spring. Everything is so fresh and new.

Holiday?
My Birthday. Yay Me!

Day of the week?
Saturday.

Month?
February. My birthday!

***********CURRENTOLOGY*****************

Missing someone?
Yes

Mood?
calm

What are you listening to?
Jacob starting to cry.

Current worry?
getting it all done. we have Maggie's birthday party in about a month and the house looks like it did a year ago when we had just moved in. we have such a hard time decorating. I call our style...cardboard and toys r us

***************RANDOMOLOGY*****************

First place you went this morning?
to feed Jacob

What's the last movie you saw?
??? I probably fell asleep.

***************OTHER-OLOGY*****************

How many pairs of flip flops do you own?
3 but I am only allowed to wear them when Dan isn't around

Last time you had a run-in with the cops?
I had a state trooper go through my diaper bag at the fair on Sunday.

Last person you talked to?
Jacob

Last person you hugged?
Maggie

Do you always answer your phone?
No. I'm busy and don't like to talk on the phone.

It's four in the morning and you get a text message, who is it?
My friend Lauren

If you could change your eye color what would it be?
Green

Do you own a digital camera?
Yes

Have you ever had a pet fish?
yes

Favorite Christmas song(s)?
All of them. Especially the ones where Dan feels compelled to sing along to the radio

What's on your wish list for your birthday?
A night out with NO kids

Can you do push ups?
yeah....a couple of em

Can you do the splits?
I used to be able to....I haven't tried recently

Does the future make you more nervous or excited?
Excited

Do you have any saved texts?
Only because I neglect to erase them.

Have you ever been in a car accident?
Several, nothing horrible.

Do you have an accent?
Depends on whose listening. Some say I sound southern.

What is the last movie to make you cry?
I can't remember. I try to avoid this kind.

Plans tonight?
Picture project!

Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom?
Not quite.

Name 3 things you bought yesterday?
diapers, diapers, diapers, wipes, sippy cups

Have you ever been given roses?
Yes. Dan had them delivered to me on our 6 month dating anniversary.

Met someone who changed your life?
Yes

How will you bring in the New Year?
Probably by going to bed early.

What song represents you?
Hooked on a Feeling....from the Reservoir Dogs soundtrack. OOGA CHUCKA!

Name two people who might complete this?
Kelly and Amy....maybe

Would you go back in time if you were given the chance?
No, the present usually seems better.

Have you ever dated someone longer than a year?
Yes

Do you have any tattoos/piercings?
No and Yes.

Does anyone love you?
Yes

Would you be a pirate?
Why?

What songs do you sing in the shower?
I don't sing in the shower....I relish the quiet alone time and the hot water.

Ever had someone sing to you?
nope and please don't

When did you last cry?
probbaly recently. I have a 2-year old and a 3-month old.

Do you like to cuddle?
Yes. It's a great way to start or end my day.

Have you held hands with anyone today?
Yes

Who was the last person you took a picture of?
The kiddos

Are most of the friends in your life new or old?
Mostly new.

Do you like pulpy orange juice?
Absolutely not.

What is something your friends make fun of you for?
How quickly I am willing to make an ass out of myself. We only live life once. Why not have a lot of fun while we are here?

ah....memories...thanks to SYTYCD

Melinda - Thanks for making me smile when you remembered one of my favorite songs...it made my day...

Roller babies

Wordless Wednesday (mostly)

_____________________________________________________________________





PS- I found a new blog. Check it out.... MommyWantsVodka.com
She is an incredible writer with a great story. I got sucked in for a solid 2 hours yesterday...when I was supposed to be sleeping...and now I am tired this morning. Off to the drudgery I go............

Love Monday (Tuesday Edition) and Tutorial Tuesday!

LOVE: Sing along and Dance along class with Joanie Calem. She rocks and Maggie loves her class. She is so excited when we go and sings and moves the whole way home. We are headed to the Gahanna Library today at 10am to get our fix. http://www.joaniecalem.com/

LOVE: That the kids are sleeping in. Both are still asleep right now. Maggie has been sleeping until 8 or 9 am. Jacob has been sleeping until 8am. WOO!

LOVE: That my garden might be producing. I have 2 red cherry tomatoes right now....yumm-o

LOVE: That Maggie loves the pool. We went to a birthday party on Sunday and Maggie sat by herself in the baby pool, while all the other kids ran around everywhere else, for over an hour. She was so excited when Daddy brought her her plate of food poolside. She didn't even have to get out to eat....she was in heaven. I had to wrestle her swimsuit off of her when it was time to leave.

LOVE: Getting stuff done. It's really hard with two kids, but I feel like I got a lot done yesterday. Unfortunately my blog fell off the bottom of the "to-do" list. Today is a new day.

LOVE: That Maggie will be 2 in 2 months! What a BIG kid she is turning into. I think we will have a Sesame Street themed party. She an Elmo are really close these days. He comes over to play almost daily (thanks to the DVR). Any thoughts and suggestions for this party would be appreciated.

Love,
Amanda


TUTORIAL TUESDAY:
I have seen a lot of these made for birthdays....I might consider it:

http://beckykaydesigns.blogspot.com/2007/10/pennant-banner.html

and I might combine it with this idea....

http://www.make-baby-stuff.com/personalized-birthday-banner.html

Happy Crafting!

Wordless Wednesday...neither wordless nor on Wednesday.....sometimes you'll have that

First of all, let me apologize for the delay in posting this week, but I have had a nasty cold and so has Mags. SO..now that we are feeling a little better I feel up to posting.

Here is my picture for Wordless Wednesday:

I love how my little ones love each other....and it's a great shot of the beautiful bows that Jamie makes. (and they stay in her hair!) Be sure to visit her site at SweetiePieBows.Blogspot.com!


and on a sad note....a well know blogger has passed away. I unfortunately just discovered her site. It's full of great ideas. She will be missed and if there is anything the blogging community can do, I will let you know. In the meantime....check out her site at thethriftychick.blogspot.com. She is leaving behind a very young family. The oldest of her children is only 8 years old and the youngest only 14 days. Such a cruel turn her life took. I really was struck by how short and unfair life can be. I will keep them in my thoughts.

Have a great weekend everyone....mine will be full of birthday parties! I plan on making at least one gift...I will be sure to post pictures!

Tutorial Tuesday (and my 200th post!)

Okay here it is...my 200th post!

woot.
(that's the kind of day I am having)

I found this really cute tutorial for a tummy time mat.....so cute!! I think you could make it out of scraps without much issue. Have fun!

Love Monday

LOVE: going to a wedding. HooHah and Ryan got married this weekend! YAY! The wedding was beautiful and the reception was a blast. Here's to MANY wonderful years together!

LOVE: Having Grammy in town to watch the kids so that Dan and I could go to the wedding!

LOVE: Cake...need I say more?

LOVE: My "Little" Guy. Jake had his 2 month check up on Friday. He weighs 15 pounds 7.5 ounces (95+ %) is 24 inches long (95%) and has a head circumference of 42 centimeters (90%). He is right in line for an average 4 month old...yep he's HUGE. We also found out that Maggie weighs 30 pounds...I CAN'T BELIEVE IT.

LOVE: all of the work I have lined up. Orders keep coming in and I have a ton to do before mid-August. All of my stuff will be for sale at The Abbey in West Jefferson, OH. The shop opens mid-August....you will have to check it out!!

LOVE: that this is my 199th post....hmmmm.....what should I do for my monumental 200th post??? Any suggestions?

Love,
Amanda

our 4th of July in pictures

" I love my crazy Uncle Shane"

"Grampa's lap is just the right fit"

"Do I have to wear that dress?"

"Don't look at me...this is my first 4th of July...I don't have a clue as to what's going on."

The happiest family!

Wordless Wednesday

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