What's going on? The terrible, terrific, trying twos?

We're raising a strong willed child. My parents are smiling. They've said it's not fair for me to have a Preschooler who walks the straight and narrow. You pay for your raisin'. It's an unwritten rule.
Well, I'm now being challenged.
My Wild Thing is giving me a run for my money. He is a child after my own heart.
He.is.strong!



Our trip to Sams this week:
He wanted a drink. Now. Right that second. He was pointing, shouting, and thrashing while we were 3rd in line at the drink station. It was a Saturday at Sams! The drink station is a busy place and the Wild Thing has no patience or understanding of such things. He got his drink. Then he wanted to exert his independence and hold it without my help. As a result of our struggle over the SAMS sized drink, IT WENT EVERYWHERE! The Sams employee was annoyed, but not as much as me!

He ran a HIGH fever last week and started waking up at night. He wanted to be rocked so I obliged. He.was.sick! This has carried over to this week. Now he just wants to be rocked, but the sympathy and lack of sleep has run its course. Last night I made him cry it out over 2 hours! I pulled a Super Nanny tactic and walked in the room, gave him his paci, layed him back down, and walked out without saying a word. From what I remember this went on three different times during the two hours. HE CRIED, SCREAMED, THRASHED, AND CARRIED ON NONSTOP! I felt evil. My babysitter assured me that I did the right thing.

He loves this chair, but I'd like to call Fisher Price and complain.

Yes, I did leave the batteries in it while it was stored in the attic. yes, it has a short in it causing the lamp to not work properly. The Wild Thing doesn't understand this. It makes him mad when the lamp doesn't always light up and I think Fisher Price should witness the fit. Is it unrealistic to have them make their toys a little more mom friendly. Is it too much to ask for toys to be durable enough for batteries to be stored in them for 3 years while in the attic. This is my Christmas request to Fisher Price. REALLY!

He did his usual protest this week as we dropped him off in the nursery. Thankfully the sweet, older lady remembered his previous fits and said "oh, I remember him let me get behind him so he doesn't hit his head." Bless.her.heart. We love her!!!

Is it always a happy day in our house? No. No it's not. Do I still feel blessed and fortunate? Yes. Yes, I do.

oh happy day.

This is more for me than anything because today was one of those days that I just don't want to forget.
*Multiple phone calls with my mom
*Food, Family, and Friends..all in one day.
*Shopping.
*Grilling and supper on the back porch.
*New Jeans.
*The Preschooler swimming without his life jacket.
*Pictures
*Home grown tomatoes.
*I.heart.summer!

Shine a lil light...

Our VERY ACTIVE 18month old who's already known as being WILD broke my lamp shade.
The one I've had for like 15 years. The one that was clearly boring, unexciting, and outdated. So for the past few weeks, I've been staring at an end table with a shadeless lamp sitting on three books surrounded by three picture frames trying to figure out what type of shade belongs on that lamp.
I wanted something fun, but had no idea where to start. As I was pondering the lamp shade, I started to notice our dark walls, dark furniture, and dark window treatments. DARK, DARK, and more DARK. This place needs some light and love. Since I refuse to paint EVER again I reached out to some friends and received some much needed help. So.. guess what... We're going to have our house painted and I'm tickled to death over it. It's going to be light, airy, and fun (hopefully).
Everything in our house is pretty much the same as what the previous owners had so I'm ready to make it more of our own. I've been all over the decorating websites trying to get ideas, but when it comes to this kind of stuff I DID NOT GET THE HOME INTERIOR GENE. I've also found this color hunting, house looking stuff to be addicting. We also need would like a new dining room table. One that is oval with a fat base would be nice.


See it just keeps escalating. And it all started with a lamp shade. :)

Surfin' in the USA

If everybody had an ocean
Across the U.S.A.
Then everybody'd be surfin'
Like Californ-i-a
You'd seem 'em wearing their baggies
Huarachi sandals too
A bushy bushy blonde hairdo
Surfin' U.S.A.



You'd catch 'em surfin' at Del Mar
(Inside outside U.S.A.)
Ventura County line
(Inside outside U.S.A.)
Santa Cruz and Trestles
(Inside outside U.S.A.)
Australia's Narrabeen
(Inside outside U.S.A.)
All over Manhattan
(Inside outside U.S.A.)
And down Doheny way
(Inside outside)
Everybody's gone surfin'
Surfin' U.S.A.

WIPE OUT!



We'll all be planning out a route
We're gonna take real soon
We're waxing down our surfboards
We can't wait for June
We'll all be gone for the summer
We're on surf-ari to stay
Tell the teacher we're surfin'
Surfin' U.S.A.


Haggerty's and Swami's
(Inside outside U.S.A)



Pacific Palisades
(Inside outside U.S.A)
San Onofre and Sunset
(Inside outside U.S.A)





Redondo Beach L.A.
(Inside outside U.S.A.)
All over La Jolla


(Inside outside U.S.A.)
At FAIRFIELD BAY
(Inside outside U.S.A)

Everybody's gone surfin'
Surfin' U.S.A.

Everybody's gone surfin'
Surfin U.S.A
Everybody's gone surfin'
Surfin U.S.A.
Everybody's gone surfin'
Surfin' U.S.A.

Yeah,Everybody's gone surfin'
Surfin' U.S.A.

Game Food.

I can't help but wonder if anyone else saves their ballgame cups and containers and reuses them at home. We have a whole kitchen cabinet dedicated to cups from years past. The Commander won't have them tossed. He uses them. At Dinner.
Perhaps we should have registered for Razorback tickets instead of dinnerware. Either way, we'd have cups.
GO HOGS!

Today we are headed to the lake for relaxation. Maybe I should take one of those cups and enjoy a big ole glass of ice water with lemon to lounge with on the boat. Have a good weekend everyone!

Out of my mouth.

AHHH, the joys of motherhood.
I heard myself say the following things this week.

Who PEED in this chair..AGAIN?
(i knew the answer since the Wild Thing was not wearing a diaper..twice). HEY..for the record we were going outside to swim and swim diapers are treasured around here. They're only used for other people's pools. Want to come swimming anyone? :)

We don't put bacon in our ears. Please take the bacon out of your ear. Because we don't put bacon in our ears. TAKE THE BACON OUT OF YOUR EAR, NOW BEFORE I PULL THIS CAR OVER. The wild thing did not listen. Maybe it was the bacon.

We don't have to name your little brother when he grows up. Because he already has a name. Yes, he's going to grow up. That's right, he'll keep his same name. Yes, just like you.

Big Wheels for Little Guys.

I had a pink and blue big wheel.It was completely faded from being in the sun. I pulled the original stickers off and replaced them with puffy ones of my own. The Commander had a red and yellow one similar to the one pictured. I remember riding my big wheel up and down the neighborhood for hours on end. The Commander lived along a dirt road in the country so he used his back porch as a ramp.
The Preschooler has put about 10 miles on his riding up and down the driveway. He's learned if you push back hard on the pedals then you can make a slide landing, but he hasn't been ramping or meandering much through the neighborhood. I think the Commander put it best when he stated "they just don't make 'um like they used to."

Side note: I'm not being paid by the makers of duct tape to say this, but in this case it saved the day and life was better for everyone. :) Yay for duct tape and jerry rigging. :)

4th of july jackpot.

We hit the jackpot this year on the 4th of July at Nanny's. Literally, the Preschooler won 160 quarters. Not bad. Not bad at all. We left the quarters so LC could win the jackpot when she's 2. :) The Preschooler thought this Man Cave or Guy Room as he referred to it was the coolest place EVER!
Nanny outdid herself for this 4th of July and I overindulged in EVERY SINGLE BIT OF IT. I stuffed myself so full of fish and hushpuppies that I thought I was going to roll over and sink during the fireworks. That was after eating brownies, cucumber dip, stuffed jalepeno peppers, and Pioneer Woman's mexican layered dip. It.was.divine! Then we started all over again the next day when Solar fixed a roast. You could find me and Brewmaster testing it before she even had it shredded. You get the point. We ATE alot! Maybe that's why I can't get the lead out to get anything done today. :)
In between bites, We enjoyed watching these cousins interact with each other.
The Preschooler was overheard singing his own lyrics to if your happy and you know it!!

POOR LC! She's the Princess of the group, but she learned to hold her own by the end of the day. :)