OH Red Red "Whine"

Dear Diary--Calgon.....take me away!!! 

So as I work in my home office I hear a "boom" and a "splat" and think "hmmmmm...." and then I hear the husband say "oh no...... no no......".  I know the kids are not home so I only have one assumption.....there is now a huge pile of RED matter all over my cream colored carpeting.

I know what you are thinking......why would a mother of two small boys have cream carpeting???
Oh wait....you weren't thinking that were you?  Is the red matter BLOOD?!   Nope. 

Why at 10:30 am it would be none other than gallons....and gallons of RED WINE!   My husband has been brewing a batch that he kept in the dining room while it was fermenting.  But somehow he claims it "slipped right off the table" and well..... all over my cream carpeting.  And I mean ALL.OVER.

So I stayed calm.  I knew taking a straw and trying to suck it up would only delay the process...and probably would be a little fuzzy....so I got the carpet shampooer out only to figure out that this thing didn't have enough power to combat this mess.

Quickly googling 'how to remove red wine from carpeting' I found so many different ideas.  Of course the answers my husband found were opposite of mine.  So we went with my ideas---- borax, white wine and salt...and scrubbed and pasted.  It's drying now. 

And my husband is out purchasing paint to cover the red wine stains all over the white wall.  AND pricing carpeting.  Sure, I've asked for new carpeting for another room for two years and after only ONE spill from him in a room with perfect carpet, it's about to be replaced.  Momma thinks she's going to finally get her 'new' carpeting in the family room kids!  Funny how things work.

Cheap and easy way to decorate kids rooms!

So I find that every week my oldest son is in to something different when it comes to his bedroom.  First it was cars, then fire engines, then spiderman and now seems to be any action hero.  I found that using removable stickers are a great way to change up the decor quickly and more importantly, CHEAPLY.  Here is an easy to use bedroom decor (even a kid can do it!) that is definitely worth checking out.  We've had quite a few different ones over the last couple of years and they work great.   Super easy to apply--and the kids can move them around the room if they wish (all by themselves).  

FUN way to learning letters....numbers....sight words (oh my!)

My 4 year old is currently learning his alphabet and I have a great game that is very interactive, fun and gives them a little "edible treat"--which of course both of the boys love.  It's actually a great way for my 21 month old to begin learning his letters as well.

So here is what you need:
Plastic cups
Dry-erase marker  (if all you have is a sharpee you can use that along with a "magic eraser" to wipe it off OR you can actually just use stickers/masking tape with the letters written on them)
Treats (I used M&Ms, but stickers can even be used)

Yup--it's THAT easy!!!

HOW IT WORKS:

• Take 3 cups and draw ONE letter on each
• Put a treat (like an M&M) under ONE of the cups (don't let your little one see which cup though)
• Let your little one "guess" which cup it's under by SAYING the letter.  Once they get the letter right, they can lift up the cup.  The best part is they can keep trying until they "win".
• Wipe off the letters and start with new letters
• This can also be done with numbers and sight words

Have fun!!

I hope to post a picture soon.

New Year--new post.....

So I seriously suck at this blogging thing.  BUT as in the title, this is the true reality of being a mom....no "me" time.  I'm really going to try much harder to make more time for "me" this year....2013.  By the way, Happy New Year to all!!

So I'm going to make some resolutions for myself that I'm sure to keep:

1.  Losing Weight.  

• Sure, I can do it just like all the rest.  I'm not saying I won't gain in right back--but I can certainly lose it.  No.  Really though--I want to go from Flabulous to Fabulous in 2013.  Not quite sure how I am going to make that happen yet, although I did get a Wii for Christmas along with the Zumba workout.  

2.  Tell him what he THINKS he wants to hear.  

• So the dear husband always tells me that I need to TELL him what I want--as in giving me help with things around the house, etc etc.  Although I've had this conversation several times and have even made up cute little index cards to help give visuals to the tasks that are needed around the house, I will make his wish part of my resolution and be very upfront and honest with him.  I'm sure he's going to love it!

3.  Drink more.

• Beer.....water.....whatever.   One makes mommy happy, the other makes the body happy.  We'll split the difference.  

4.  Play more.

• As in lottery.  SOMEONE has to win, right?  Sure, I played a handful of times throughout 2012--mainly when the stakes were high.  But this mama is going to play hard in 2013 and like most Americans, hang on to the dreams of winning big.  What would YOU do with your winnings?  

I think that's about all for now.  Hooray for my first post of 2013!!!   Perhaps I'll see ya again in about 3-4 months.  (kidding, I hope!  I really need to get better at this.)

Great gift idea for grandparents!!

Ok--this is going to sound sappy...but there is one regret I had before my Father in Law suddenly passed away 2 yrs ago, and it's that we don't have anything with his voice on it.  Since then, I've been wanting to get those "recordable" books for all of the grandparents.  I just saw on zulily that they have those "record a story" books for only $7.99!!!!  I've never seen them that cheap.  Normally $20 and even amazon has them for $10+ each. So had to share this deal!!!

So when you go in to zulily.com--type in the "search" box  "record a story"--and there are at least 4 titles that come up like 3 little pigs, goldilocks, etc.

TRUE STORY:  I actually bought one  and did one myself before going for my 2nd c-section --I was so scared--and I wanted my son to have my voice for comfort.  It's his favorite book to this day because at the end I say "good night Matthew, I love you!"  and he kisses the book.  It's so cute. 

Here's a link for the record a story: http://www.zulily.com/invite/acern435/p/the-three-little-pigs-28209-2418933.html  

REMEMBER:  If you are going to order multiple--only order one first so you pay the cheapest shipping ($5 something) and then shipping on anything is free til midnight.

I had it all wrong!

So I've had it all wrong my friends...... I thought that kids loved ice cream IN their cones, but instead my children just love ice cream CONES.  Literally...JUST.THE.CONE.  Not sure what that's all about, but apparently they could care less if there's ice cream in it.  They just love to crunch.  In fact, they run to find them in the evening, after dinner and get beyond excited when I had them...a cone.

Try it.

Why Can't I Win???

Why can't I just win once.  No, not the lottery.  Although that would be pretty sweet.  I'm talking about just winning one in life.  I'm not saying that my life is horrible--it's definitely not.  In fact, I'm blessed in so many ways it's hard to even count them all.  But it's like I can't catch a break sometimes. 

After years of feeling horrible health-wise, and even worse the last 16 months or so, I finally visited a specialist last month.  Today I got the results.  The good news is it's not Lupus or Arthritis.   And I was already cleared for MS earlier this year.  Instead it's Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.  A syndrome I used to chuckle at because I didn't really understand it.  But now I do.  I'm living it.  I've lived it for years but now I know the name of it.

Back in my early 20's I got mono.  Not sure exactly how, as I thought it was something you'd get earlier in life--but I did.  And since then I've had one weird illness after another.  Ironically, this CFS is actually affiliated with the Epstein Barr virus which is what causes mono.  It basically never leaves some people's bodies. 

As a result I live in daily pain.  Like the kind you have when you are sick with the flu--very achy joints and muscles.  Everywhere.  And in addition there is a lot of weakness and tiredness. 

I guess I dealt with this pre-children because I just didn't know what else it was--but now with two small children, one of which requires a LOT of energy it's truly taking a toll on me.  I want to be the mom that can keep up and run around with them.  Again, for my older son he needs it as therapy.  And now I feel like it's getting harder and harder to provide it for him.  Literally taking a walk down the block will wear me out.  No, not immediately but the next day.  It's truly why every time I would start a good workout regime, I would have to end it quickly .... I would always get 'flu like' for days afterwards.  I just assumed it WAS the flu or some weird virus. 

So now I'm looking for anything that will help me.  Help me to be a stronger parent.  I read all of these stories about people with CFS being on disability because it's such a disabling illness and honestly, I used to judge--but now I totally "get" it.  I guess yet another lesson in life about not judging people.