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!