Fun Comparision

Oliver 6 months 2009

Joseph 11 months 2004

Halloween Fun

Halloween 2009

Carving pumpkins actually went a lot better than I expected it to.  I learned my lesson and limited the pumpkin designs to the easy ones in the book this year.

Here they are

Dragonsaurus, Lion and Optimus Prime

This makes all the work that I put into this costume 6 years ago worth it!  I am so glad I got two Halloweens out of it!

The amount of candy we accumulate in our neighborhood is insane!  This was from about 30 minutes of trick-or-treating.  I only let them eat whatever they want on Halloween night and the rest is rationed, 2 pieces a day.  Sigh.....it's going to take A LOT of willpower for me to just say no to the candy bag! 

An Ode to my Sheets

I recently purchased my first set of flannel sheets.  I don't know why my mother deprived me of them my whole childhood, considering I grew up in the frozen tundra.  I really could have used these, but we never had them.  I have been wanting a set ever since we moved to a much colder climate.  Previously, I could never justify spending that much money on sheets.  That was until this year when Land's End sent me a wonderful email informing me that all of their flannel sheets were 20% off!  I could not resist and I went ahead and bought these.  It was definitely the best decision I have made in a long time.  I LOVE these sheets!  I don't freeze when I get into a bed with cold sheets at night, and in the morning I just don't want to get up.  The only small downfall is that they do shed, but I can live with that.  So, if you live where it gets cold, I HIGHLY recommend these.  By the way, they are still on sale!! 

More Funny Things Henry Says

Me (while having school this morning): What do you call a girl chicken?
Henry: Ma'am?

A Daddy-less Saturday

Excuse me while I pat myself on the back.  I just survived an entire Saturday as a single parent while I was sick.  Oh and did I forget to mention that I came up with the grand idea of making Halloween cupcakes with the boys today. WHAT was I thinking?!  Needless to say, it did not go as planned.  Here are some pictures of the boys creations and mine.  Sigh.....Martha I am not, but I keep trying!

The boys' creations

My attempt (I know they're  pretty bad, but Oliver was screaming the entire time, I can't decorate under stress :-)

Would the real moms please stand up?

I am so sick of this.  Seriously, do women have to be subjected to this unrealistic portrayal of the postpartum mom?  I can honestly say that after all three of my kids I didn't look much different than I did the day before. Oh yeah, except for the deflated balloon that once resembled my belly!  It seems like every year the celebrity moms get "fit" and look like they never had a baby, sooner than the year before.  I guess if I had a chef, nanny, personal trainer and millions of dollars waiting for me in movie deals, I would probably have more incentive to lose the weight.  I do know that I have been working my butt off (literally) for 5 months and have been STRUGGLING. 
Could it be my age?  I am 30, almost 31 now.  But no, it CAN'T be!  Halle Berry, Ellen Pompeo, Naomi Watts,  and Nicole Kidman were all 40 when they had their babies and didn't seem to have any trouble getting back in shape.  Unfortunately, when you don't have a nanny, chef, personal trainer or millions of dollars; breastfeeding, waking up the middle of the night, taking care of a four and five year old, cooking dinner, cleaning the house, doing the endless loads of laundry, ETC, leaves you a little bit exhausted.  I am sure some of you moms out there can relate, I just wish I didn't have to see those celeb moms in the magazines, but for some reason I can't stop looking!

Because God loves us

Me (as the boys sit on their feet on the chair, and then complain about them being "tingly"): Why do you think God gave you a bottom?
Henry (gives the textbook answer that he always gives when we talk about God):  because He loves us!

I guess he is right but that isn't quite the answer I was looking for!

So cute!

Check out this video, if it doesn't make you smile I don't know what will!

Babies Laughing

Poor Baby

Man, can I relate to this picture!  Oliver's first tooth just peeked through this morning and he doesn't like it.  I had devised the perfect plan to take away his pacifier following Mass on Sunday.  This way we would have an entire week for  him to get used to life without it.  I also picked a week in which I didn't have my bible study or mom's group meetings, where he would be in the nursery.  Unbeknownst to me, Oliver was about to get his first tooth.  By the time I realized that his fussiness was not only related to pacifier withdrawal, it was too late.  There was no way I was going to give it back after we had been through the first day and night!  So, we (mostly Henry and I) have been listening to him whining and crying for two days and I wonder when it will stop.  It is amazing how I can't remember this time with Joseph and Henry but right now it feels like it is never going to end!  WAH!

Great book, good timing

I find it interesting that the day after I blogged about the difficulties of being a stay-at-home mom, my copy of Stay Home, Stay Happy arrived in the mail.  This is such a great book.  I am not even finished yet, but couldn't wait to share it.   The author is Rachel Campos-Duffy.  She was a cast member on season 3 of the Real World way back in 1994.  Wow, that makes me feel old!  I watched the Real World all of the time in high school and remember her as being the Catholic Republican.  Even then I liked her!  
Rachel is now a stay-at-home mom of 5 kids and lives in rural Wisconsin.  She was a finalist twice for a co-hosting spot on The View and continues to work as a columnist while staying home with her kids.  This book is exactly what I needed to read right now.  It reaffirms my decision to stay home and has given me some great advice to make it an even better job for me!  

See Any Similarities?

Can you tell they're brothers?


Joseph 6 months

Henry 6 months

Oliver 6 months

Friendship anyone?

Wow, I am really feeling sorry for myself today.  Since this is my blog I am going to vent!  Does anyone else get lonely being a stay-at-home mom?  It is tough sometimes.  I have days where it REALLY bothers me and today is one.  I have been to countless, and I mean many events to meet moms since we have moved  here.  Time after time I have come home disappointed.  I have planned play-dates, lunches, gone to meetings, church groups and have walked away empty.  Seriously, does no one else want or need friends?  It seems like people aren't interested in cultivating friendships like they used to.  Sometimes I wish I lived in the 50's when my state in life was the norm, not the exception.  Granted, it is much harder to make time to get to know someone when you have a family to take care of.  I am just tired of trying.  I feel like I have a great big L on my forehead that everyone but me can see!  I used to have a lot of friends before I was a mommy, what changed?  Don't get me wrong, I feel like this is a worthy sacrifice to make to stay home with my kids.  I don't regret my decision at all.  I also do have a couple of friends here, two to be exact!  So, how can I remedy this?  I guess the only solution is to keep dragging myself to events, and hope for the best, but sometimes it just isn't fun.

I have a confession to make....

I have a confession to make, I really like Martha Stewart.  I know she can be extremely annoying, meticulous, ostentatious, not to mention I completely disagree with her on politics.  I mean who is really going to take the time to sew a sweater for their dog or have chestnuts flown in from Washington state?  I admit, sometimes, she does go a bit far and is out-of-touch with the everyday mom and wife.  BUT, there is something that I really admire about her.  She can really make me want to try to make that beautiful holiday wreath that will cost about 5 times the amount it is worth.  Of course, this is because Martha is a brilliant business woman, and I have to go to Michael's to buy her tools in order to start.  I have even tried many of her recipes and they were less than great.  Yet, I still try to tune in to her show and pick up her magazines.  I promise myself, as I cut out ideas for crafts or that party I will never have, that someday I will have time to do some of these projects.  I have been inspired to break out my sewing machine that has been used more by my mom when she is visiting than me.  I am also planning on taking a knitting class in a few weeks.  So, maybe I would not completely disappoint Martha,  BUT I don't think you will ever catch me spending a week sewing a shirt for Fido!