True Story: The Boob Pillow...

**Based on ACTUAL events. Names have been changed to keep people anonymous**

So a few years ago a group of my friends go together for a Christmas gathering. We had previously decided to exchanged White Elephant gifts. Awesome. Everyone did a great job bringing silly items. But the most hilarious gift was an anatomically correct bright pink pillow in the shape of Tata's. Yeah that's right! I think we guessed them to be a D or a DD. The best part was they were originally opened by Bark and Mecky who sooo DID NOT want them but got stuck with them in the end via the luck of the White Elephant process! lol And thus began the game of dropping them off at each other's home. Bark and Mecky stealthily kept the pillow hidden until they could sneak it into someone else's home and leave it to be discovered at another date by another couple. Such as a Murder Mystery party at Meve and Stegan's (they sound Swedish, ya!). Well Meve and Stegan found the Billow (haha boob pillow, that was Alfie's phrase, not mine) that had been hidden in their bedroom and then proceeded to share the billow wealth and dropped it off at Rosh and Jobin's (haha Jewish??orrr Jamaican, mon' ??) and Rosh and Jobin made sure to bring it to our house, where it sat on the floor in our room waiting to be taken to Cave and Dassie's (haha Southern friends ??? lol). And this is where it gets interesting....

Alfie and I lived next door to his sister and brother in law for a few years at 290. It was great getting to see our niece and nephews, especially in the summer when they would be out playing when we would get home from work. On this particular day Cristen and the kids stopped over (i think i was home due to morning *all the time* sickness).

Side note: Alfie and I leave stuff around. no surprise here. Especially in our room. Neither of us are masters at picking up. But we also don't have anything dir-tay that NEEDS to be tucked away, however we are good about keeping things that should be private, private. Moving on...

So of course we didn't care that the kids would go into any room as they would search for our cat Nelly. We were used to this, and often Nelly would hide under our bed. No biggie. It was not shocking that as Cristen and i stood chatting in the family room, the kids had made their way into our bedroom. Although this time they came out with THE PILLOW. OH.DEAR.LORD. I.HAVE.CORRUPTED.THE.KIDS!! THEY HAVE THE PILLOW! (which had been on the floor by the dresser waiting to be taken to Cave and Dassie's).

"What is this?" was pretty much the first thing out of their mouth. I could not believe this was happening...NO NO NO! Luckily Cristen jumped in with a "Hmm what do you think it is?" (brilliant! test out what they know and see how much damage control we need to run...perfect!! What a mom!!). Micah jumps in with a "I think they look like eyes" and proceeded to hold them up like eyes. (Okay, i can see that... one down, one to go before we are in the clear). And then Jonah pipes in with "I think they look like these" and to my horror held them to where the large D-Cup mamba jambas would naturally be. DANG IT! Right on the money! Smart lil guy! Luckily their wise mama jumped in with a "Maybe Aunt Kimi uses them to practice for the baby?".....so clever, so clever. She then proceed to usher the boys out of the house and encourage them to play outside. THANK YOU JESUS! BUTTTT not before snapping a picture and sending it to Alfie with the caption "Uncle Alfie, what are these??" haha At which point he called saying "uhhh are you at home?!?!?" haha fearful that the kids had been at our house without me. You can bet that I made sure Cristen knew the back story of how we got the pillow as a white elephant gift and that it was not some freaky sex toy her children were holding. There really would have been no coming back from something like that I'm sure.

Ohhh the Good times at 290!!

Baby Proofing

Confession: I dread going to non-baby proofed homes.

Who's with me?!?! Nothing makes me more anti-social than having to closely monitor behind my newly mobile 14 month old making sure that he doesn't tear the host's home up. And yes we are good about telling Colton "no" or "don't touch, just look" but really what fun is it for child to hear "no" every step they take and what fun is it for parents to have to say "no" to every move their kids make. Wasn't the point of the invitation to socialize? How does that happen, when everything in the house screams "touch me" and to be respectful of those locations, I or Alfie have to watch Colton very closely.

Perfect example. Friday we went to a Christmas party at a home with no young children. There were lovely decorations throughout the family room/ kitchen and of course a large sparkling tree with ornaments complete with a very fun looking train underneath. I am sure Colton looked at it thinking "Heck yeah! Lets do this!!" and all i thought was "Oh Sweet Lord...a freakin' train. Kill me now!" Knowing that all night i would have to redirect Colton from the tree towards one of his lame toys only to then be distracted toward another poorly placed home decor item. I mean really, whats more fun: a giant tree with dangly things you can pull off and throw AND that has a train underneath OR a truck that he has played with loads of times?!?! Ummm I'm going with tree! The karma in me wants to give Colty a gentle nudge and say "Go to my man, they asked for it", high five him and take a seat on the couch while watching him trash the place... but I'm sure that would come back to bite me, so yeah. Needless to say, I didn't get to socialize very much that night... oh well.

Now of course I don't expect people to fully baby proof for my child BUT should you know someone with a small kid coming over it might serve you well (and aid in a much more delightful visit) to have an area that is ok for playing, where things are okay to touch or where there is nothing breakable or dangerous (like outlets covered) AND bonus if you have a few toys that they can play with (I always pack something for Colty but "new" toys make the trip extra special). I'm sure singles or couples with no kids wonder why families with children always want to host or why its a pain for us to "come over". Its for this reason: The kid is in their surroundings at home. They already know what is a "no touch" area, they have baby gates up, and mom and dad can actually enjoy their company because the need to monitor the little monster is gone! Its far easier to host than be invited places. (And extra easier if the gathering is NOT in the evening...hello its baby bedtime by 8).

Now i am not saying come over and trash my house just because we are baby proofed (i love the mommas who clean up after their kiddos before they leave), but Alfie and I definitely have it arranged that the family room area is a play zone, so children PLAY ON! (but only in there. All other areas of the house are off limits...lol) We have no decorative bowls or items that can be knocked down or broken. No baskets that can be pulled out and emptied. No DVDs that can be pulled out and stepped on. just toys, blankets and pillows. Now i am sure our home does not look as decorated as id like, BUT its Colton's home too and I'd like him to be just as comfortable in that space to do what he pleases as I am. And if that means i have to hold off on decorating for the next few months, then so be it.

So this holiday season, with the oodles of parties and family gatherings, think of us parents with little ones. Take pity on us and throw up a baby gate. Pop in some outlet covers. block off a room, have a basket of toys... ANYTHING. It will make the visit that much more enjoyable for everyone. Unless of course your goal is a quick visit, then of course don't change a thing, and we will be out of your home in under an hour!

RAMEN POST! RAMEN POST!

Soo at CCC Night (thats Coffee, Crafts and Conversation Night. Yeah thats right be jealous. Its a fantastic group of ladies and we totally get our craft on!) I was talking with Sohl aka Sarah and Alyssa aka Alyssa about our mutual enjoyment of Ramen noodles.

Sidenote: is it RAH-men or RAY-men??

Anyways, i shared how i doctor them bad boys up so they are much more fabulous than the usual noodles with the drab seasoning packet. So by popular request :) here they be, my FAVORITE ways to "upcycle" an otherwise boring bowl of ramen noodles.

FYI: i use the chicken flavor, cause it's the best. Just sayin...

Egg Drop Ramen
*I only make this on the stovetop, cause its egg and getting food poisoning is not my thing*
Add water to pot, boil, add noodles, add flavor packet (nothing different here)
Then, righhhhht before you would take the noodles out,
Put an egg on your head, crack it, let the yolk run down, let the yolk run down, let the yolk run down.... haha kidding.
Crack an egg in and stir stir stir quickly....BAM egg drop soup...Ramen style!

Sesame Garlic Ramen
In the asian aisle, grab something like this:


(So you can justify the purchase you can also use it for stir fry or for seasoning your faux PF Chang lettuce wraps...remind me to share that recipe....delish!)
While your water is boiling put a hearty dollop (prob about a tablespoon- overflowing) in a bowl, Add the flavor packet, add a few shakes of soy sauce to the same bowl (but not too much or else you will be dying of thirst later and your fingers will be little swollen sausages from all the salt...lol)
Then, if you like it spicy add a pinch of this chili garlic sauce (found in the same spot as the Sesame Garlic Sauce)




(And i mean pinch, this stuff is like sucking on Satans teat, its that hot, so use sparingly)
Add a bit of water from the pot and stir, to blend it. Then add in your noodles and remaining water.

Cheesy Ramen
*this is Alfie's recipe (It was one of the few things that stayed down when i was pregnant and pukin' galore. Annnd with that visual...)
Before opening the bag, "crush" all the noodles (not to a powder...geez, but into small little pieces) ... (Huh, believe me when Alfie did this i was like WHAT THE!! YOU'RE BREAKING THEM!!??, but its better cause then you can eat it with a spoon and get the yummy cheese broth, and who doesn't love cheese broth??)

Prep as normal (with seasoning packet) and add it to your bowl. THEN right before you would settle in to eat, BAM, add 1 kraft single (breaking into pieces as you add it) and stir until blended so there are no cheesey chunks. Thats it. It will blow your Ramen loving mind! I remember alfie making it for me, and being all "whatever" until i ate it and HOT DANG so much better! Oh and should you want it spicy, add a pinch of the above mentioned Satan Sauce.

And thats it!! Any other I'm-out-of-college-but-still-lovin'-Ramen folks out there?? Or any other suggested ways?? pass them along. Cause momma loves herself some ramen....

Hello, Hello...

I totally stole this idea from Ms. Ashleys blog. Hop over and say "What's up?!"

Outside my window...
is a parking lot, but its thankfully snow free so that makes me VERY happy. Yeah i'm one of those anti-snow people, especially if i have to drive in it.

I am thinking...
about my new job.... starts Jan 3rd, doing project managing! I'm pretty sure God has some stretching planned for me!

I am thankful for...
God's provision and timing. He is oh so good to me... all the time...and all the time....He is good!

I am learning...
to be. To be myself, to be confident when i don't feel it, to be patient, and to be okay that neither myself or the house isn't perfect everyday!

I am creating...

lots of christmas presents!!! And my ledges courtesy of Ana-White.com!

I am going...
to Joanns or Hobby Lobby after work for some paint and modpodge. Ohh the craftings I will craft!

I am hearing...
Toby Mac on Pandora, and the sound of my keyboard as i type.

Around my house...
things are INSANE!! So very thankful people don't just pop over all willy nilly. hot glue gun, modpodge, shelves, fabric scraps, photos, scissors all make the kitchen and dining room look like a FANTASTIC christmas explosion...lol

One of my favorite things...
Coltons laugh (and the sight of his little bitty "big boy" teeth). I had him going pretty good last night after dinner and i almost cried, because the sound was so special, and he looked adorable. I swear if we could bottle childrens laugher and give it away, the world might just be a better place!!

A few plans for my week...
Christmas party, crafting, Christmas concert, family time!

A picture...
A sneak peek of my lil punka-dunk from the fabulous Rachel...

The case for numero dos...

**Disclaimer: We are NOT pregnant and we are NOT trying to be. We be havin' conversations! Got it?
ok, with that out of the way (and with the rumors now flying...geez), let's move on...

I find it funny that people always want to be in on your "next step" in life. You're single and its "when are you going to date". So you date and then it is "so when are you getting engaged?" then "When are you getting married?" then " When are you going to have a baby" and then "When are you going to have baby number 2?" And thats where Alfie and I fall. Into the "When are you going to pop out number 2?" Which when asked, part of me wants to respond with "Mind your own dang business" buuuut since I too have asked the dreaded question to others (a LOT less since having been asked it myself) I usually offer up the "We aren't sure". Although if you ask Alfie, he will give you a specific month (but then again he didn't puke for 21wks so he is far more onboard). Which in my mind begs the question, "When to try for a second?" I can hear you all out there "OMG kimi and Alfie are talking about a second" FALSE...let me remind you, I.AM.A.PLANNER. which means I like to have some sort of timeline for major events and although its doubtful that it will occur as planned, i find comfort in the ability to attempt to plan it. I We, know I want Colty to have a sibling (alfie would be ok, with not having another. But I love having siblings and I wouldnt want Colty to miss out on that sort of relationship). So for all of you parents with 2+ kiddos weigh in please! *No worries Wilson, im not about to take a job and then get knocked up, been there, done that, moving on* Sooo lets hear the pros and cons. For all you wham bam under 18 months apart aka "crazy people" would you do it again?? Or how about those with 3+years between the kiddos? Do you like the spread? Is just the addition of child number 2 crazy enough that timing means nothing? Those with one child, is that the route to go? Only have one and stock up on fun things like boats, convertables, and lake houses?!?! What about those of you who both work? How do you do it?!?! There is something to be said about baby #1 being old enough to say "Mom i'm borrowing the car, be back later" before having baby #2 (jokes jokes, thats farrrr too farrrr apart, i'll settle for him saying "hippopotamus" lol) Annnnd there is the case for bang bang and done, and knowing that i can have my body back FOREVER. So come on...chime in. Give me your best "if i had to do it again" insight. Let me have it!! :)

Favorite Things...

Rain drops on Roses, and whiskers on kittens...
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens...
Brown paper packages tied up with string...
These are a few of my favorite things...

WHEN THE DOG BITES, WHEN THE BEE STINGS....

(i always feel like that part MUST be sung)

whooa...sorry got carried away in my S.O.M memory lane (thats Sound of Music for all you musical rookies). I love the Sound of Music... that maria...boy does she make me laugh :P (haha i know all you fans got that joke)

In the spirit of Maria with a little bit of Oprah splashed in (if i was a good blogger i would put the link to the SNL Oprah "Favorite Things" parady, buuuut im not, so i didn't.....but you can go youtube it. cause its hilarious) these are a few (10, ok, more than a few) of my FAHHHAVORIITEE THHHHIIINNNGGSSS.....

- wearing a nice dark pair of sunglasses...the kind with pratcically black lenses, for the sole reason that I can stare at ppl and they never know it!

- getting dressed up to go somewhere (even if its just church on Sundays)...I live for LOVE it!

- Snuggling with Colton. part of the reason he still sleeps with us, is because i can't bear to miss out on his adorable little snuggles all night. its the most precious thing alive. I practically kiss his little cheeks each time i roll over.

- a good hair day. I instantly feel amazing when i know my hair came together exactly as i hoped. Oh and extra points if the stars have aligned and my outfit rocks and my makeup came out flawless.... ahhh perfection!

- laughing with Alfie.... the things that come out of homeboys mouth...gets me all the time! And oooh when he really gets going! I end up just laughing at him laughing. (the other day he laughed so hard he cried, and i watched in SHOCK, as i have never seen alfie cry...it was like a sighting of a rare creature...)

- that moment in the holiday season where you instantly remember that same feelings from past childhood holidays....nostalgic fuzzies...

-the crispness of fall weather. Love me some sweaters,scarves, jackets and boots!

-pizza, wings and beer.... HELLO FOOTBALL SEASON! **id just like to take this minute to brag that i am currently tied for first place in my fantasy football league! Woo Hoo!

-finding a good blog. i love stumbling onto a new blog! its like finding a nugget of gold! Extra love if they are a frequent blogger and have oodles and oodles of posts to browse!

-quiet. there is something special when the house is quiet. When Colton is sleeping and Alfie is out and its just me. I can listen to music, paint my nails, dance around the house, clean, in blissfull quiet.

How about you?? in the spirit of the holiday season, what are 10 of your favorite things???

Keepin' it Real

Confession: I SOOO do not have it all together.

I was blog stalking reading Ashley's blog the other day(go visit and give the girl a holla *yeah that’s right I be ghetto* and ooo check out her lovely Etsy boutique too...feel free to buy me something pretty while you're at it), anyways, girlie was keeping it real with her struggles and frustrations and it dawned on me how often we think of friends, acquaintances, Facebook friends and bloggers we stalk as having it all or having it perfect and I know I often forget that we are all HUMAN, no one’s lives are perfect and nobody has it all together (Hello just look at the Kardashians, especially poor Kim, girl be trippin' ---yikes again with the ghettoness)

So I thought today I would "Keep it real" and share some of my not so "finer" moments... ya know, so you don't go thinking I’m Ms. Perfect or anything....

- I am messy... pretty, pretty messy, not dirty, just messy. Like sure "everything has a place" but it doesn't always get there at first kind of messy. But on the flip side it will drive. me. crazy. until I clean
- Making BIG decisions freak. me. out. Like the "makes me cry" kind of freak out. I had mild melt downs for every purchase more expensive than my mattress. I’m that big of a wimp.
- Self righteous Christians make me wanna act un-Christ-Like towards them (maybe I’ll just start singing "Jesus take the wheel" anytime I feel the urge to slap them act out....)
- I go on cleaning binges. I could not clean for a while then BAM I will clean the house from top to bottom... usually it’s after an argument (like my girl Emily) or before a big party and usually that will hold me for a while
- I argue with Alfie. He is not perfect, I am not perfect, so bring on the occasional arguments. The important part is that we make up and forgive eachother.
- I am a stresser/worrier. I stress for myself, for Alfie, for Colton, for the random person down the block. It’s a daily bad habit I work to break all the time!
- I go back and forth on loving/hating being a working mom (and all the guilt that comes with it) Some days I can't drop off Colton fast enough, other days it’s tough to walk out the door.
- I am VERY conscious of my weight. Like on any given day I can tell you exactly how much I weigh, today, for example I weigh one hundred and no-way-am-I-putting-that-on-here!... mmmhmm no I do not have a disorder, and no I am not as content with my weight as I should be (thank God i do not have a daughter!! lol)
- We already know I shop at thrift stores since I am so frugal with my clothing
- I am OBSESSED with reality television. I love it...LOVE it. All the drama without being involved...can't get enough.
- I take things far too personally and then dwell on them and read into things FAR too much. "What they didn't try my recipe? OMG they hate me and don't wanna be my friend. I can tell...they don't like me. If they liked me they would have tried it." I’m sure I drive Alfie crazy.
- A messy house makes me feel VERY overwhelmed. *hint hint Alfie* If there is a lot going on and then the house is messy, I will shut down and then freak out (and as we read earlier, I am messy, so you can imagine the freak outs happen a-lot!).
- I hate change with every fiber of my being. i hattttttteeeeee ittttttttt. Might explain why I hold so tightly to things I can control and tend to like things MY way.... which is usually the best way but that’s another post in its self.

So, see, next time you think: "Darn that Kimi, has her stuff together", you can refer to this post and know that no, no I just do a really good fake out :)

Yum Yum... in my Tum Tum

Confession: Planning meals has saves us A. LOT.

One of my favorite things about Pinterest is its abundance of great ideas. My current favorite being the Menu boards (which I have up in the house and which people question me about). I used to scoff at the idea of planning meals. Because come on, I can't pack one outfit per day for a trip, how in the world would I be able to select one meal each day weeks in advance. So we continued to spend willy nilly on food without really stopping to think about it. Then, as I was looking at our budget I saw how much we were literally throwing away by eating out so often and I was shocked. So I started planning our meals. It started off by planning a few days and then shopping for groceries for those few days. Then a few days turned into a week and then every other week and now I think we plan out almost 3 weeks. And the savings is ridiculous. I haven't sat down to figure the exact number but the fact that we now do groceries once every 3 weeks (occasionally a trip or two for eggs or bread) and that that 1 grocery bill is under $100 tells me momma be doing goooood!!

Alrighty, so remember my love for excel?? Well of course I use that to create a Menu/calendar template! I start with my handy dandy calendar (made in excel) broken down by weeks then days. And I start filling in meals that we like. This usually includes of a taco night once a week, a frozen pizza night once a week and leftovers every Thursday (alfie plays pool that night) oh yeah and lots of chicken, we love chicken!

Then I toss in a night of "easy" pasta (which is almost ALWAYS lasagna, I love (meatless) lasagna, extra points if it has spinach but Alf doesn’t like that so... yeah its usually without spinach.) and a few days of "new" recipe favorites from the last month.

Then I hop back on Pinterest and look for NEW recipes. I usually look for things that are easy or look amazing (yeah I totally judge a book by its cover and recipes by their pictures). Or I browse my friends blogs and get some highly recommended stuff.

Once I have 90% of the calendar filled (Remember I leave Thursdays for leftovers oh yeah and Sunday lunch for eating out and of course I figure in a night of something crazy easy, like soup and salad or soup and sandwiches). I figure out what I need to make each dish versus what I have on hand already and create a shopping list.

And surprise surprise!! We actually stick to it! Now we don't always do the exact meal planned for that day, sometimes we switch around based on what we are feeling and what the day was like. And one thing that has certainly surprised me is that the 3 week planning, will often provide PLENTY of meals beyond 3 weeks. Now I do have to say, I eat anything and Alfie is a simple eater (i.e. homeboy could live off of cereal, nachos or frozen pizzas) so the only real constraint is picking things Colton will eat, which luckily again, is very easy (he takes after his momma).

BUT last night we FINALLY tried a meal that was on our menu for the 2 weeks or so and just haven’t had time to make. But in hind sight was SOOO easy and tasty that I wish we hadn't waited this long to make it! It is originally a Pampered Chef recipe with some fancy name and fancy cheeses but I LoMag-itized it for us (oh and renamed it)...

Easy-Peesy-Cheesy Mexican Chicken Bake

1.5lbs of chicken breasts (about 3 ample breasts...lol id guess they were a C cup)
2 (7oz.) cans of salsa verde (its the green stuff in the Mexican aisle - I used Herdez)
1 (2 cup) bag of Colby Jack cheese
1/2 bag of Authentic Restaurant Style Tortilla Chips
A Taco seasoning packet

Ok, so I am ALL about easy. And this recipe is easy and again passed the Alfie test. Another thumbs up. AND I am sure it can be tweaked for ALL sorts of flavors. I bet you could make it enchillada-esque with beans and corn. Use regular salsa and Mexican or taco flavored cheese! But I am getting ahead of myself....

First, finely chop the chicken and sauté on the stove (if you like onions add those in, if not no worries). Sprinkle taco seasoning to taste. (We did minimal since Colton would be eating this.)
Side note: Do this ahead of time!! Had I thought about it, I would have cooked the chicken the night before, so that all I had to do was combine everything and have had an under 10 min meal! We also thought boiling and shredding the chicken would work better, and then sprinkling on the taco flavor OR boiling it in taco broth (i.e. water with the taco seasoning in it). If you try it let me know!

Next, in a microwave safe dish (I used my white corning ware oval baker) put down a good layer of tortilla chips. Break when necessary, but give it a good bed of chips. Then add in half your chicken and then pour half your salsa verde (or 1 can since you use 2) and sprinkle on half your cheese. Repeat your layers (add more chips, then chicken, then salsa and finally top with your cheese).

Ok on to the hard part: put the cover on and put into the microwave for 5 to 7 minutes (I did 6 minutes and it was perfect). THAT'S IT! Crazy how easy this is!! I love it!

Serve with a dollop of sour cream and enjoy! I was pleasantly surprised with this recipe. Since I am NEVER a fan of soggy chips I was very apprehensive that it would be sloppy mush BUT the chips that turned soggy tasted exactly like a corn tortilla!! (Duh Kimi they are CORN tortilla chips!! sheesh) So I felt like I was eating an authentic enchilada minus the effort. Alfie and I both had seconds...ok thirds! I love that it is soooo easy, that it was done in the microwave, that I can do the work ahead of time AND that you can really tailor this to be what you like. I am looking forward to adding this to the menu again!

Ps. I just had leftovers for lunch and it was STILL amazingly good! Give it a try and let me know what you think!!

Lets go Hunting....Goodwill Hunting

IM BACK!! The blogging vacation is over, and I lived through a birthday, a bachelorette and a wedding. Phew! Let the relaxation begin. Anyways, here is my latest confession....

Confession: I am obsessed with thrift stores.

I kid you not. And not just for home items to revamp. I mean for clothes... for me! When I was unemployed a few years ago, shopping for clothes was pretty much out of the picture. Until I figured out my little shopping secret: Thrift stores. Ya huh! Goodwill, Savers, Plato’s Closet, Garage Sales. No place is off limits. Since then I hadn't dabbled in my thrift store shopping too much, until recently (ok since having Colton and realizing nothing fits like it used to) and now I am mildly addicted.

There is something to be said about getting such steals on clothes. Maybe it’s the cheapy inside me or the thrill of the hunt, but I LOVE searching through the racks to find previously owned gems at a fraction of what it would normally cost. I love it!! And the best part is that people never (until now) know that I love to shop there. Think what you will of me, but I have no problem wearing something owned by someone else (especially when it costs $3.99 and looks brand new or even has the tags on it). Just last week I had been on the hunt for some skinny belts to wear over some cardigans. I checked the mall and was VERY bummed to see places wanted 9.99+ for a tiny little belt. Try again! I knew I could do better than that price. Enter Savers (ahhhhh the heavens open and shined upon me bargains galore) Not only did I grab a black skinny belt for a mere buck ninety nine BUT I also snagged a royal blue cardigan (to wear with that lovely purchased belt for $3.99) AND a skinny braided brown belt(1.99). WHAT WHAT?? I love deals like that!

Then last night stumbled into my old friend Goodwill (it had been a while with the new Savers hogging my attention right around the block). Giving myself a $10 challenge I scoured the racks for a good hour and ended up with 3 lovely nuggets: a camel/brown striped scoop neck sweater (Old Navy), a grey and green striped boyfriend cardigan (Mossimo) and a navy/white (Jcrew) striped top (I love me some stripes, especially under jackets!) and the grand total was.....$10.37 HOLLA. I think I made out great!! And since I am VERY selective when I thrift for myself (especially the tops) to made sure they were in good/new condition (FYI -jeans, dress pants, blazers, jackets also make great thrift store buys) I was quite impressed with my purchases!!

One of the things I have found in my close thrifting adventures, is that searching for classic pieces by well made companies are key. I am still kicking myself over this amazing white blazer from Nine West and was under $10 and looked BRAND NEW, but it was a tad bit snug. Knowing I planned to lose more weight I should have bought it cause it would have fit perfectly now. Drat, oh well, lesson learned. I find it also helps to have brands memorized, so I know when I see Mossimo it’s from Target, Faded Glory from Wal-Mart, Apt. 9 from Kohl’s, and so on and it helps to decipher how good of a deal I am actually getting. $7 from a Mossimo item, not a great deal, since I could probably get it brand new for the same price at the store. But $2.99 now that is something I just might snag. As a personal rule, anything under 5.99 is typically a clothing bargain for me, since the majority of retail stores rarely have much below that. The only "problem" I run into is that it makes regular shopping tricky. I have a hard time spending at normal stores cause I know, "well I am sure I can find something similar in my closet Savers or Goodwill for WAY less" although I guess that’s not really a "problem" to have, now is it?? Lol

Oh and did you know they run deals? That’s right, last night at Goodwill was 50%off anything with a purple ticket (mine were all blue... bummer) Savers does a Monday night 25% off AND has a Savers card similar to a shoppers club card like at Wegmans.


Anyone else out there enjoy the thrill of the thrifting hunt? I tell you, once you start, and realize the clothing/home/baby gems to be found, you will be kicking yourself for not trying this sooner :)

Yee Haww its a Barnyard Birthday!

Well I made it through Colton's first year all in one piece! And sure we had some occasional oops, like a fall off the couch, a fall (ok, 2 falls off the bed), issues with formula and issues with sleeping. Saturday we celebrated among close friends and family, Coltons Barnyard Birthday! (Photo's courtesy of Christy Roushey)....

We had everyone dressed in their farmers best....

and some got crazy with it.... (Auntie Lor Lor "keepin' it rural" as her shirt says)


We took some family pics before everyone arrived...

Abuelita ('Ita for short) and Colty

Titi Christy, Uncle Ben and Maddicus

Uncle Fer and Titi Susan

I slavvvved away for weeks creating the banners, the menu cards and all the little "1" banners for the cupcakes...

The centerpieces for each table (I made these using pairs of Coltons baby jeans)

Pictures of Colty to decorate the gift table

YUM first taste of the cupcake...

YIKES crazy sugar rush baby!!! he liked it but did a serious gag after a few bites. Dessert over!

Momma's favorite 1 year old!

We had a great time and Colton was showered with gifts from the many friends and family who love him! Happy Birthday Colty! (thats your last party for a long while!)

How Goes it?!

Soooo anyone else hungry?! Cause I sure am! I do great all day, and then under the cover of darkness, my inner food monster comes out and eats everything in sight! Like yesterday, a nice healthy Mexican salad for lunch at Hot Rositas and then a healthy dinner of Rosemary chicken and salad. Side note: have you had the rosemary marinade from Wegmans?! O.M.G. it may be the best chicken marinade I have had in a long time. Shameless plug: Go buy it, RUN to buy it; it was sooo delish on my salad. Drizzle a bit of EVOO and a few squirts of lemon juice as dressing and no joke, that’s all you need. But after eating that I was still kind of hungry, cause an hour later I had cheese and crackers. grrrr. But I shared some with Alfie...kind of. You see, I KNOW Alfie likes cheese and crackers, and we only had 2 sandwich slices of colby jack left, so the fatty/selfish in me decided to wait until I had happily devoured 1 slice by myself, to offer up a piece to him. Shortly after he says,"20 in 10, hand them over". Luckily I had scarfed down half already, so his attempt to score a better portion help my diet failed.

But to be fair, he kind of did it to me too....Last Saturday we had a day of errands that started bright and early, and just as we were packing up to head out Alfie commented on how he when we stopped at Wegmans, he was going to get a Cheese Bialli, because "I ALWAYS get one when I go" BUSTED. You see, he doesn’t come home with any. Which means he buys one and EATS IT IN THE CAR!!? So of course I jumped on it and said "wait, you get one every time?" at this point HE knows that I have connected the dots and he is about to get checked. So of course in disbelief I say" YOU EAT IT IN THE CAR". Now, we literally live like 3 mins from Wegmans, so he would have to devour it in order to finish before he got home. Who does that?? Ok, well I would technically do that to, but that’s beside the point. At least he had the decency to look shameful :) And I GUESS it’s better than bringing that temptation into the house. Right??

But now that I have you hungry, I will share my MOST FAVORITE recipe these days. It is way flavorful and way easy and healthy too!!

Chicken Tortilla Soup :( makes about 6 servings) about 240 calories per serving
1 can of Black beans (with its juice)
1 can of corn (drained) (or 1/2 a frozen bag)
2 chicken breasts
2 cans of rotel diced tomatoes
2 cans of chicken broth (ready to serve)
1 can of water
2 heaping spoonfuls of sofrito (Spanish gold) (since most don't have this dice 1/2 an onion and mince/press 2 or 3 garlic cloves)
1 salsa flavoring packet (I like mild, but you can pick medium if you want a kick)

Ok now for the hard part.... put it in the crock pot...all of it, together. **tip, wait until last to put the chicken in, that way you can taste the broth to see how it flavors for you and give it a good mix.
Cook on low for 8 hours (or I’m sure high for 4) and when it’s done shred the chicken (it will fallllll apart...mmm) It tastes great alone, or even better with a dollop of sour cream (light or fat free.... 20 in 10!!) and some cheese (fat free cheddar) and of course some broken up tortilla chips. If you think about it is wayyy healthy since its chicken, broth, tomatoes, beans and corn.

Alfie gave it a thumbs up, so we know it must be tasty :)

The best part, besides it being so easy is that you can tailor it to what you want. More soupy? Add in more broth. Thick and chunky? Add less water. You can add kidney beans or cilantro, a squirt of lime, more chicken, less chicken, canned salsa... It can really be whatever Tex Mex soup or stew you like! Enjoy!

**FYI Update: my wonderfully longtime (we go back to highschool..yo) friend Emily tried this using frozen chicken and said it worked perfectly!! Just be sure to add an extra half hour or so. Oh yeah and she said it was delish, sooooo easy and made a ton (which it does!!)!**

Phase II: 20 in 10

Confession: I am at it again! In it to win it!

Well I’m back on the boat after falling off for a few weeks. (yes, that’s boat not wagon, apparently the saying is "falling off the wagon", not sure where I got "falling off the boat" from, but I’m chalking it up to being Hispanic...we do boats, not wagons) But anyway, I’m back on the healthy-kick boat. Starting NOW. Perfect timing, since my breakfast was a brownie, a snack sized Snickers and snack sized Twix...perfection...PLUS i have a first birthday, a bachelorette and wedding all within the next 3 weeks. BUT that doesn't mean I can't try, right? Let’s call it practicing for the 2 weeks challenge a bunch of coworkers are doing starting Nov 1st in which we can't eat anything specific things: no bread,pasta,rice,sweets,pop or booze. But I figure, its only 2 weeks, I can be good live on coffee only /not eat for 2 weeks! Right? And there isn’t any real prize other than bragging rights, but it would be nice to say i beat everyone, like a stealth, weight loss machine... a dark horse in the competition, since everyone thinks this one chick will win. I have 10 more pounds I would like to lose. 20 if I want to look like a skeleton, whiiiiich I haven't quite ruled out yet.... I wonder if Skeletor would be a good look for me? I think I could rock the flesh and bones, hollowed out cheeks thing really well! Totally kidding people! I can hear the whispers of "she's got issues" from here!! (I’m sane, I promise).

But anyways, where was I? Oh yes, 10 pound goal. Let’s see, I technically have 2 weeks left to try to accomplish my 40 in 40, but I’m about hmm 20 pounds shy, so that’s prettyyyy doubtful (and way unsafe). So let’s deem this PHASE II: 20 in 10! There are 10 weeks left in the year and by 2012, I’d like to be 20lbs lighter (remeber, so i can look like a Skeleton! CHALLENGE ACCEPTED! Who's with me?! Alrighty now that the goal is out there for all to keep me accountable, I need a plan. Like a "how to achieve the goal" kind of plan. I will use the past 20 pound method, of tracking my food, using my handy dandy notebook phone app: "My fitness tracker", I WILL pick back up with Zumba twice a week starting in November, and I will attempt to start some sort of weight/toning regime. Oh yeah and it would probably help if i stopped stuffing my face with pizza, wings, Chinese food and cookies. Lofty goals?? Not really, I was doing most of them prior to my "summer of slack" but now that the "Fall of Fitness" is upon me (clever, right?!) it’s time to buckle down and DO IT AGAIN…DO IT BETTER! Hopefully there are a few others out there who want in on my "20 in 10" or who want keep me on track and slap my hand when I reach for bad food. Alright, it’s time to do this!! Comment if you want in and we can do it together!:)

I wanna be....

I wanna be....

- a personal shopper
- a zumba instructor
- a hair stylist
- a business owner
- a stay at home mom
- great at my job
- a great wife
- an awesome momma
- a good friend
- a hard worker
- an empathetic listener
- a hilarious blogger
- a good secret keeper
- a fashionista
- a vegetarian
- a makeup artist
- a dreamer
- a fully devoted christian
- a person who forgives
- someone who doesnt hold grudges
- a confidant
- a domestic genius
- a skinny mini
- a runner
- a martha stewart crafter

Ever feel like you have so many things you wanna be but not enough time to pursue them?? What do you want to be??

To Whom it may Concern....

I have a few people I would like to speak to so here we go....

Dear People-who-sit-in-the-left-lane,
MOVE OVER. There are 2 other lanes that you can sit in and go 55, preferably the one farthest to the right. You are not the police, so there for don't think you are "doing me a favor" by forcing me to stick to the 55 speed limit. How about you do yourself a favor and move on over.

Dear Bicycle riders,
*sigh* Stay off the road. FOR REAL. Unless you are legit and semi pro, stay off the main roads with your tight spandexy tops and thigh hugging spandexy shorts. Oh and to the lady out for her afternoon bike ride with her dang little basket on the front handles swerving all into the road, one day someone is going to hit you and it will be all your fault...just saying.

Dear New Boyz Band,
I don't appreciate your song saying "I look better with the lights off", even if you do precede that statement by making sure "I don't take it the wrong way", it still bugs me. Because I for sure, don't want someone to tell me that I look better when they can't see me, or when I am in low lighting, or when I am out of focus, or when they have one eye shut and squinting with the other.

Dear Old people and Stay-at-home-ers or It’s-my-vacation-day people,
Stay out of my work commute! The roads between the hours of 7:30 - 9 and 4 -6 are mine!! You can have the rest of the day on the roads. I already have to deal with those dang busses and slow moving truckers. Your "I’m not rushing to get to work" speed is noticeable and your I’m not used to the traffic frequent braking is doing a number on my gas tank and pissing everybody else who is driving off! So enjoy an extra cup of coffee and give us a few hours before leaving the house.

Dear Old people at work,
I get I am YEARS younger than you but referring to me as "young lady" comes off sounding age-ist. If you want I can refer to you as gramps, or Old Man River, or Sir to keep things even. And while you’re at it, quit talking about retirement. I get it, you have one foot out the door, but keep in mind that the other foot is pretty close to the grave...so there. Plus, I am tired of listening to how FARRR away from retirement I am. Yeah, I know I’m gonna be working for the next 30 years!

Dear Kimi,
Freakin’ finish planning Colton's birthday, would ya!? Its only 2 weeks away. Time. Is. Ticking. Oh yeah and get them pictures printed and up, the fireplace painted and the floral room straightened up too while you’re at it! Don't forget to hang the mirror and the calendar, and go ahead and paint the fireplace room too when you get a second!

Dear Ladies,
Sometimes looking good means suffering a bit. To look nice is not always comfortable. So deal with it.

To the old man who flicked me off the other day,
I was in MY lane pulling up to the stop light. YOU were cutting into my lane. I so did not deserve that knobby arthritic attempt at a flick off. You were in the wrong, not me. PLUS you car wasnt anything special...just sayin'

And finally…
To Sonos, of the Sing-off,
You deserved to go home after that horrendous Jackson 5 slaughtering of "I want you back". Nobody messes with that song and gets to make it to the next level... so Adios!! You deserved to go home.

Baby-versary: and cousin makes two...

So last night I had the pleasure of watching my niece Madelyn. For the first time, EVER. That’s right. In almost a year’s time at 10 months, this is the first time I watched her. Crazy, right?? Or as Christy said its CAH-RAZZZY. On Thursdays it is Alfie’s pool league night, so I pulled a solito (little solo en espanol) and watched 2 babies for the evening. It’s interesting to see the personality differences between Madelyn and Colton, at such a young age. Colton is more the "risk taker" and Maddie the more cautious thinker. I can easily imagine Colton to say "Come on Madds try pulling Nelly's tail" and Madelyn responding with "Are you suuuuure that’s a good idea?? Seems kind of risky." Colton doesn't mind bigger crowds, while Maddie is not a fan. And my favorite thing about Maddie, is she is a lovie!! That girl gives hugs and likes to cuddle and be on your lap, while Colton is "huh? Cuddle what?? Mommm I’m playing!!" lol It’s too funny.

So yesterday, I picked up the babies and as we headed home, we stopped by WCS to see Uncle Fer and watch a WCS soccer game. As the team scored the final goal before halftime and the crowd went wild, little Miss Maddicus also went wild, like meltdown type wild, with some serious tears. The well meaning cheering fans had scared Madds. Poor girl. Luckily a well timed snack of Cheerios quickly ended the cry session and with Uncle Fer's help we packed up and headed home. I had briefly figured out how I would bring two babies into the house. But was hoping I was home early enough to have alfie there and he could help. And YES, bullet dodged! He was home and grabbed Colton while I snagged Madelyn. She wasn't too sure of Uncle Alfie at first but she warmed up soon enough. Enter Nelly. Nelly is our mildly crazed cat. We often say we should have named her Kevin, since she is the cat version of Kevin from the office... crazy weird, not all there and hilarious (so we made it her honorary middle name). But anyways, she enjoyed Nelly from a distance but when Nelly would come near, she would grab onto me and climb up me. And then there was Colty...pointing and touching Nelly, looking at Maddie as if to say "Look at my cat! Look! Look how fun he is." But Maddie had a "run in" with Nells when I had stepped away, as Maddie was looking at a book, next thing she knew Nelly was standing beside her. Madelyn FROZE. I'd never seen her so still. Almost as if to say, maybe if I don't move, she won’t know I am here. And it seemed to work, because Nelly moved on by and Maddie BOOKED it towards Colty. It was a funny baby moment. After that Nelly pretty much stayed away, and Maddie enjoyed the new books and new toys that Colton showed off shared. Getting dinner for 2 babies and only 1 highchair was kind of tricky, but Colton was nice about going through my purse showing Maddie the ropes when I put him down in the kitchen. And after a quick heat up of grilled cheese sans crust, all cut into bite size pieces, Madds went into the highchair and Colton on my lap. Dinner = Success. Maddie devoured my meal, I’m chalking it up to my excellent culinary skills (and not the fact that she is like me and will eat and enjoy anything!). Colton on the other hand is a slooooow eater. So we shared some of Colton’s sandwich with Maddie, who had finished hers. I placed them with their bottles in the family room watching Veggie Tales together while I got my grub on. Holla. Hot dogs and beans! Ya ya Franks and beans, whatever. I love them long time... so good lol. I’m pretty sure I ate half the can and 2 hot dogs. WHAT. Me so hungry! Momma be awful when it comes to self control. (I’m obese at heart....or maybe at stomach?). After that it was smooth sailing. I tried leaving the TV on but Madds is a television LOVER, so she got a bit distracted from playing, so we fixed that and left it off. And before long, Ms. Sickly Christy showed up (lookin like she dropped 10lbs! Shoulda had her cough on me, I could use a case of acute bronchitis to help these last 10lbs come off.) Colton did his best showing off of his new walking skills and teetered around the foyer, then busted out a "here's lookin at you kid" gun finger point that had Titi and Maddie chuckling as they headed out the door. and with a quick nighttime bottle, Colton was asleep in minutes and I got my Barnyard birthday craft on, followed by another viewing of the Yellow Jackets on the Singoff, ok 2 viewings, and one MAY or may not have been dancing around the living room to the second run through....just saying. I may have had to burn off that sandwich and chips one May or may not have downed during the first viewing (told ya, completely obese at heart). For those keeping track, yes you saw that right, thats 2 FULL meals in under 2 hours for 1 person. So sad....Then it was off to bed for me! Thank the Lord it is Friday!!

Baby-versary: A day in the life...

6am: alarm goes off. I hit it and go back to sleep. Snuggle farther into the sheets until...

7am: Oh boy! I now have a few minutes to get myself ready before Colton wakes up and Alfie and I have to rush around to finish getting dressed while doing damage control on a little wanderer who likes to get into EVERYTHING! By now its...

7:30am: and I am tossing a jacket on Colty, grabbing my lunch and making sure I have my glasses and phone before heading to the car to drop Colton off at Abuelita’s.

7:40am: Arrive at 'itas and finally take a few seconds to breathe while mom says good morning to her favorite little man. Miss Lizzy is there too and we all chat and wait for Maddicus to arrive, if she isn’t already there.

7:50am Say my goodbyes to my mister mister and give kisses to him and Madelyn as they hungrily eat their breakfast.

7:51- 8:30am MORNING COMMUTE. Depending on the day and the traffic i take multiple routes to get me out to Rochester Tech Park. Some mornings I jam to secular radio, others I worship to KLOVE or mix cds.

8:30 -4:30pm WORK WORK pinterest WORK WORK facebook WORK WORK; I have the most adorable pictures of Colton at my desk...8 to be exact. It helps the day pass when I can glance to my right and see his little face.

4:40pm: Out the door and headed to the car. I skip lunch and eat at my desk while working, so I can leave those 30 mins earlier. And while i love knowing that when I leave I am heading home, it’s the afternoon commute often feels the longest.

5:15pm: Arrive at Abuelita's and get big smiles from my bubba dukes... and a few growls and smiles from Maddicus! We usually hang around there chatting and playing with the kiddos until about

6pm: which is when we head home to see Daddy! Its pretty sad that someone who carried Colton for 9 months and lived with her face in the toilet for the first 5 doesn’t get even close to the smile that Alfie gets from Colton. I usually make dinner while Colton and Alfie watch tv play. And then sit down to eat by

6:30pm: NOM NOM NOM

7pm: A bit more playing, some book reading, lots of hugs and kisses, and again more playing. Until we start the bed time routine at

7:30 if it is a bath night or

7:45 if no bath. We grab Colty’s pacifier and lovie snuggle blanket and a bottle and cuddle on the couch as he finishes his snack, gets tired and get lots of kisses! Then its off to bed by

8pm: and onto cleaning up for momma! Dishes get done, toys get picked up, and laundry gets folded. Crafts get worked on, shows DVR'd from a prior day get watched and pending parties get planned and organized. And any home projects get worked on too. A little bit of facebooking and a little bit of pinning happens also. And then finally by

10 (or 11pm these days) I head off to bed, to do it all again in a few hours! :)

Nothing special, just a day in the life of us :)

Baby-versary: It's a boys life

Everytime i read that i think "This is a mannnnns world" like that song by whomever jazzy sings it. But anyways. I grew up as the middle child of 3. All of which are girls so way to get thrown a curve ball when I end up having a little boy. WHAT DO I KNOW ABOUT LITTLE BOYS?!? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I don't know about what they like to play with, i don't know what they like to do for fun or what is "cool" to them. I don't even know much about their uhh anatomy issues. So you can imagine my panic when I found out i was going to have a boy and not a girl (although luckily i don't have to deal with the hoochie-clothing issue...have fun with that one Christy...muahahaha). But it is so neat to watch the differences is a little boy and a little girl. Maddie and Colton are 3 weeks apart and spend 5 out of 7 days together. So to see Maddicus have a natural LOVE for books and Colton wanting to rip pages out of those books is crazyyyy! Maddie likes to sit and play with the barnyard animals, colton wants to throw them. Colty LOVES trucks and cars and Maddie can't be bothered. I am mentally preparing myself for the bumps and bruises that will come from a boy who likes to get into things and the random animals he may bring me (although we will teach that snakes are naughty, very very naughty to bring ANYWHERE near the house or near mommy). And being the BIG reader that i am, I will always continue to encourage book reading and discourage tv watching (although with Alfie being a huge tv fan, that may be problematic). I am not sure what potty training will be like, although you can BET i will insist on hand washing (far too many guys don't and thats gross to me). On a different note, I secretly hope Colty is a chatterbox. I will probably not enjoy it at some point, but there is nothing cuter than a little kid with a lot to say, and not afraid to say it, especially to mommy (plus that is such a sweet little relationship). Susan was VERY much a chatterbox growing up (she still is... she gets that from mom...it takes them a LONG time to tell a story).

Sidenote: Colty and I were dancing in the family room the other day to our usual Venga Boys song that I hum and then we slowed it down and i told him we could practice our mother/son dance. At that point i had to stop because we KNOW i am a sappy mess and overthinking that dance would have led to tears and i have how many years before i need to tackle that?! quite a lot!

But anways, raising a boy has been such a difference for me and so far from what I personally know having had all sisters. Its been interesting with lots of "OHHH, I see" moments (especially around diaper changes) that I can only imagine how many more similar moments I will have in the future!

Baby-versary: What I wish I had known....

So in honor of having an almost 1 year old, I am deeming this week Baby-versary, and will post baby themed posts all week! Sounds fun, doesn't it?! Ok, on to today’s post....

What I wish I had known....
There is a LOT to becoming a parent that people don't always tell you. So here are my "WOW, wish I had known that" thoughts:

-No matter how hard you try, you will resort to talking like a baby. Diapy, and boogies, nigh night and punkin, naughty and num nums. None of which are real words, but are infant mutated baby speak, that you use and if you aren't careful will use it often around adults and even *gasp* at work.

- You will live (and function) on a few hours of sleep. Those first few weeks/months alfie and I maintained an OUTRAGEOUS sleep schedule of me sleeping 10-3am and then him sleeping 3-8am and going to work. I'm not sure how we both functioned on that schedule but thanks to our good friends Coffee and Mt. Dew we managed. And not much changes as they sleep through the night. They still occasionally wake and act crazy, or diverge from any sleep schedule and because the precious naps are now "catch up time" for adults, you can pretty much say Adios to any naptime for momma or daddy.

-You realize that a 20 min hot shower is worth its weight in GOLD. Not so much now, but back when he was little and he ran the schedule, and was practically attached at the nip hip. A long shower was un heard of, and when it occurred it was like a 20 minute vacation. Oo throw in a shave of the legs, and a chance to blow dry your hair and WOW it’s like a vacation AND spa day all rolled into one! Ahh the simple things.

-You find out that Baby makes the schedule. Yeah it’s nice to go out and about and do stuff and take your baby but the consequence of skipping a good quality nap, makes not only Colton grumpy and miserable but makes Momma miserable for having to deal with a grumpy baby. And OH don't even think about shifting bedtime (we tried and what resulted was a CRAZY child, who thought midnight was a cool time to play)

-You get used to being pooped/peed/spit up on/ having baby food dripped on you, picking out boogies. No outfit is exempt or no outing too special. An occasional spit up on a nice shirt or a blowout explosion in the diaper that spills onto a great skirt. Yeah they have no bias, everything is fair game. There have been many times I get to work only to find spit up residue or stuck on food, somewhere on my clothing.

-Leaving the house without a bazillion bags is unheard of. Before it was me and a purse. Now it is me and a purse and a diaper bag and a snack bag or a bottle bag filled with meals and formula. Oh and toys, car seat toys, rattley toys, teething toys and 1 maybe 4 2 spare outfits. Because God forbid YOU have that screaming child that people stare at wondering why the parents can't shut them up and why the parents are SOO unprepared! (and no, I can NOT carry a purse, I tried, but it’s my one item that makes me feel like a woman, so I drag it everywhere)

-Babies aren't as frail as I thought. Yeah they are tiny but they were just yanked and pulled and squarshed to get into this world. They aren't gonna break. It took me a while to realize this, and while I still and not a fan of ppl jostling Colton too much, the fact that he is ALL smiles and giggles when they do, makes me a lot less nervous.

-Stay in the moment. I honestly don't recall much of those first few weeks. They are just a hodge-podge of short memories. I wish I had written more down and taken more pictures, so I would remember it all. (I did journal through it so it’s not ALL a complete loss). I also have to catch myself from saying "i can't wait until Colty can do ___" . I don't want to rush his growing up process, but rather enjoy the age he is now.

-New stuff for babies are WAYYY overrated. New toys, new clothes, new gadgets. Baby stuff’s turnover rate is so high that the price of getting something new or asking for something new isn’t worth it. Give me gently used toys, or clothes and I am set. $1 for a onesie? Yes please. $.50 toys? Heck yeah! My child plays with a COASTER a freakin COASTER and loves it! He will shake a bottle with pennies in it for hours and get the biggest kick out of it. SO momma will NOT be paying for some new sparkly gadget when he really doesn't need it.

-Loud people become your enemy. Never wake a sleeping baby (and if you do I will kill you) is how most parents feel. So there is nothing worse than loud people who remain loud regardless of if your child is asleep or awake. Because the feeling that comes across your body when that loud person shouts and your entire being freezes in terror and then you hear that dreaded cry from upstairs and all you REALLY want to do is say to that loud person "ARE YOU FREAKIN KIDDING ME, YOU KNEW HE WAS ASLEEP!! GO.FIX.THIS." is nothing short of primal.

-Dining out with babies is a thing of the past. We tried taking Colty out to Aja Noodle one time....FAILURE. Screaming child + glaring looks from other diners = "uhh can you make that order to-go?" Yeah we got our meal and got the heck out of there. (I wouldn't have been surprised one bit, if they had applauded us as we walked out the door). It was awful. And since then, it will take an act of God to get me to take him to a restaurant. No. Thank you.

More than just a Poo-Venure

Confession: I occasionally bath with my baby.

Is that weird? My sister seems to think so. Oh well if it is. Anyways, we call it "Bath time with Mommy" and since he was a weee little lad, we would occasionally do this. I will never forget the first time, he had to have been under 3 months old (since we were still at 290) and I filled the tub nice and high with warm water and held him so he could float on his back and move his legs... HE LOVED IT! He was all smiles and a happy baby! Well, I believe our Bath time with Mommy has now come to an end. *sigh* He has noticed my lady lumps, the gals up top, my voluptuous mountains, my tatas. I always knew that with him being a baby I could get away with BTWM but once he realized he was a boy and I a girl, things would need to change. And while we are not THERE yet, we are close. So anyways, the other night I thought, hey it’s been a while since BTWM, so I grabbed Mr. Colty and headed upstairs. I grabbed my towel and a pair of clean jammies for him and headed into the bathroom. We stopped and did our traditional look-in-the-mirror-and-make-faces/smile and then proceeded to get ready for the bath. I turned on the water and pulled the plug to let the tub fill up, pushed in his toys from the edge of the tub, then proceeded to get C undressed. Usually we sit on the edge of the tub and I wait for the water to heat up and I undo his diaper then pick him up by his armpits as the diaper falls to the ground and then I set him into the tub. Such was the same, although midair I noticed a funny smell, and as I stood him up in the tub I thought to check the diaper that had fallen to the floor....dang it...POOP! and as I looked back into the tub, Colty had poop ALL over his booty. In panic mode, I tried to keep him standing so I could empty out all his toys so they wouldn’t get poo-water in them and I grabbed the shower head and hosed him off, praying the chunks would go down the drain without help *if you know what I mean*. Luckily they did and as I sprayed his little tushy and the surrounding tub, I noticed his washcloth had dropped into the water and GAG ME he had it in his mouth! I grabbed it and tossed it into the sink, to put into his laundry after the bath. Once the tub had been drained and the little Poo-monster rinsed clear of any clingers, we proceeded to enjoy our BTWM. Now one woulda thought that was my sign.... That the heavens were telling me not to get in the tub, but nope nope momma pressed on. And in I went. We played with his toys, lining them up on the edge of the tub and pushing them into the water, spraying him with the shower head and showing him how to catch that water in him mouth. It was mid bath time that I caught him looking at me, and I don't mean my eyes (try somethingsss below my eyes, but above my belly button, if ya know what I mean). Like he was LOOKING. Then with one little baby finger he reached out and poke poke poke. I chose to ignore it, and distract him with his toys, but again with the LOOKING. Another brave reach over and poke. Followed by a quick full hand grab, where if he could talk, I’m sure he'd have said "HONK HONK" ...Bath time over. Lesson learned. One could argue he takes after his daddy, but that would be WAY TMI, so we will just leave it alone. Lol
I guess I should have know this would be coming, especially since he has found his "little boy parts" and are fascinated it them. Well, I guess fascinated wouldn’t be the right word, more like a bit of shock and awe. Usually he is playing with a bath toy and looks down, and "hey what’s this" poke.poke. then moves on. (Sometimes there is an extra poke in there, but I usually redirect him if there is, ya know the whole "if you shake it more than twice you’re playin' with it" would apply in this case, but if you poke it more than twice... well, you get the idea. Oh well, the end of BTWM, the end of an era, means the beginning of having a big boy and no longer a baby (I heard sad music and saw a photo montage of the past year in my head as I wrote that, I’m not dramatic, what?).

Alrighty, well Happy Friday!

Mmm its called a fantasy...

... League. Yeah i know all you perves, thought i was gonna write about some fantasy... try again.

Confession: I am doing Fantasy Football this year.

First time ever. I can't take the credit for the idea, since I actually snagged it from someone else I know (shout out to Valissa for planting the idea seed). I enjoy football, and I thought what better way to become invested in players and the game, than to actually have a reason to watch more than the Eagles games. Unfortunately I joined my league last minute (2 days before the draft) so I didn't have time to do any much research on players, which I would have done and which would have been fun. So i kind of had to just wing it. Because this was all kind of spur of the moment the draft process was a bit crazy, but never the less managed to be fun (even if putting Colton to bed made me miss 1 or 2 rounds). Now i would like to say that I did all my picking based on good player knowledge, but remember, I didn't do any research, which means I picked as a girl. Which pretty much is code for picking who is cute *gasp* and whose names I recognize *cringe* and who play for the Eagles. I know, I know, its shameful and probably the reason why guys may prefer ladies to steer clear of their beloved game, BUT if a bit of eye candy makes it so your lady doesn't complain about having football on tv all day Sunday and Monday, and she ACTUALLY starts paying attention id say it is more than worth it! And hey, even if you have to point out one or two other guys she may enjoy oogling for 3hrs, just to solidify the ability to watch a game or two, id say DO IT!

Anyways, my M.I.L put together a league consisting of a bunch people and the usual Foot-Ballers (HA totally just gave our football group a name...would have been a cute league name.... yeah i know who says cute in reference to a fantasy league) who get together regularaly to watch the Eagles/Bills/Vikings games. Now i can't take FULL credit, on my fabulous week 2 win (week one was a bye) because Alfie did show me the ropes and how to check if players are injured, and how to move people onto/off of my fantasy bench etc. BUT my top scorer QB was ALL my pick (Tom Brady is dreamy) and I most certainly got a lot of flak for my pick on a understudy back up QB- Tony Romo (again, quite the looker). And with some additional help from Josh on a few other picks, I ended up with a thumbs up from Alfie on my team. Had i planned it better, you can BET i would have had a pow wow with my brother-in-law Ben, an AVID fantasy league player, to help me put together an even BETTER roster. Ahhh next year....

Sidenote: We had quite a humorous 10 minute diversion from the game on Sunday night as the guys helped us girls pick out good looking Quarterbacks to drool over. My front runner was Matt Leinart....sweet sassy what a dreamboat! I don't recall who Meg or Robin decided on (Robin was an avid Favre lover) but it certainly was a fun intermission.

Now don't go thinking I am some lame-o who is ONLY watching for the hottie man bodies. I actually do enjoy the games and actually have been learning terminology, rules AND players, which makes me (and im sure Alfie) quite proud.

So how about you? Any other ladies out there rockin a fantasy team for the love of the game, their hubbys or any other crazy reason??

Just another day at the Office...

So it’s one thing to chose the person to see every day, but it’s another thing to pretty much get stuck with someone every day. Such is the difference between being married and going to work. Being married, I CHOSE to life my life out for better or worse with Alfie going to work I don't really get a say who I spend my 40+ hours with, which means it can lead to some fun times (if your coworkers are rad) or some dreadful times (if your peeps are sucky). For me I have a bit of both id say about 80/20 for the fun/sucky ratio, there may or may not be a fly in the fun ointment at work. Same person that I yikes, got in trouble.

BUT regardless of if I enjoy or don't enjoy my direct coworkers, I share a building with other people that I DO NOT work with but still share an area with. Which can be cause for crappiness....So this little story happened a bit ago. Alfie and I had ordered pizza one night and with the delicious leftovers I wrapped them up and took them to work the following day. Now normally I toss my lunch into a Wegmans bag to put in the fridge at work, but on that day I just had the 2 slices in a Ziploc. I got to work and placed my pieces (they were fresh looking pepperoni and mushroom slices...my favorite) on the middle rack with a small thing of carrots I had also brought in a Ziploc beside it. Noon came and went as did 1pm (which is when the cafeteria closes) and I finally wandered over to grab my lunch. I opened the door and didn’t readily see my slices. Hmmm no biggie, it probably got shuffled around as people took their lunches out. So I hunkered down to search for it. I found my carrots tossed to the side but no pizza. after 5 mins of frantically looking, I came to the conclusion that some jerk ate my lunch. COME ON! I was soooo looking forward to it. Then to make matters worse on the top shelf were these 2 ratty looking freezer burned slices that I can only imagine the Pizza thief left me, which of course I did not eat, cause that would be just nasty. But it made me think... who does that? Just because it’s in the communal fridge does not make it open to all. Oh and this is just the beginning. There are the people who like to bring NASTY smelling food for lunch and turn the entire building into a stink bomb in the form of "lets re-heat last night’s fish dinner today at work" and you pretty much pray that you don't leave work reeking of fish. I’m sorry but last time I checked, I didn't okay you to rape my nostrils with your awful smelling food. Thanks a lot.

What kind of people are in your office? Do any of these folks sound familiar....?

Mr. Social - We ALL know him. He is the guy who knows everyone, busts everyone’s balls, has ALL the good gossip and can't keep a secret to save their life. They spend a good chunk of their morning hopping from cubicle to cubicle, finding out what the good word is and what’s new. They are ALWAYS up for a good time via happy hour or lunch out and even better, they are usually the one with the creepy "I think I am hot stuff" Facebook profile.

Ms. Sour Puss- Yeah she is the Debbie Downer of the group. The one who nothing is ever quite good enough. "What there are free cookies and cake two cubes down??" "Oh well I am diabetic, I can't eat that" WAAA. WAA She is the one who usually takes a fun afternoon and turns it into a rainy blah day. And you try very hard to avoid so she doesn't poo all over your pleasant day.

Mr. You can't frazzle Me - he is the guy that nothing EVER gets too. "What there is a HUGE deadline tomorrow 9am??" "Yeah yeah ill get to it, no worries, i'll come in at 8 and pound that out." He is usually the one to cut corners and just get by. I’m guessing he was the stoner in high school and college. Ever the laid back guy.

Mr. Corporate Intern - They are the youngsters you kind of wanna punch in the face, cause they come in and throw around lame corporate phrases like synergy and diversification and have no idea what they are talking about but walk around with the biggest chip on their shoulder like they are the shizz. They wanna climb the corporate ladder and get to the top floor with the corner office, and is way way obnoxious.

Miss Corporate Intern - Not the friendliest of office folk. She is usually dressed like a skankasaurous and reallllly doesn’t do much around the office other than look cute and get hit on by dirty old men (but primarily by Mr. Social). Also known as Ms Giggles, since she pretty much laughs at anything as she flirtatiously touches the jokesters arm.

Mr. Jesus Freak - Usually some sort of religious base that is VERY vocal about judging people and telling them how their life is wrong and how they are going to hell. Pretty much gives any sort of a Christian a bad name and people generally avoid for fear of long winded awkward conversation about salvation. (So sad, that how the office Christian is usually seen)

Mrs. I love my 10 Cats - She is the weird lady. ya know the one who brings the same meal to lunch every day and put pictures up in her cubicle of her kittens and bunnies. She talks about Mr. Whiskers like he is her son and her evening usually revolves around Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune. Smells heavily of some musky perfume, rocks killer orthopedic sneakers or the ever awful popular Crocs. Usually a slow stroller that you DON'T want to be caught behind if you are rushing to get to the ladies room.

Ms. Menopausal - Gotta love her. You can easily find her by the tell tale fan at her cubicle desk pointed right at her while she wears sleeveless and fans herself (while everyone else is in sweaters). She is often the Man Hater, burned once in her past by some ex-husband and is great at shootin the breeze and bustin balls with Mr. Social. Has a great raspy smokers laugh and enjoys a good strong scotch the end of the day.

LOL And for those who wonder, yes, most of those are based on real people, and No I do not fall into ANY of those categories :P ...Do you??

Reflections....

So today i was feeling reflective. And sometimes when I do that i pick a random date and read the posts from those days. Today i picked my first trimester ones. And no matter how many times i read them, they still take me back and make me cry. Now i will put a disclaimer on this. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Colton, and i would go through the exact situation again, if it meant having him here. But boy did i struggle! i STRUGGLED my first weeks of pregnancy because of my morning sickness (i abbreviate it to MS in the posts). This was one of the toughest things i went through, and I tossed back and forth over "publishing" my journals from that time to my blog. I ultimately did, obviously, for a few reasons... I wanted to be true and honest, i wanted to remember what exactly it was like and if at all possible i wanted to help someone else who may be in the same position. I also did not change or revise what i wrote from that time. I posted it as i wrote it with the exception of taking out the F-bombs and other swear words (mommas not perfect).

With that, lets take it back, back to February of 2010.....

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

MMM MMM Giiiirl You too old!

A friend of mine let’s call her Shaniqua (LOL - ya like that? person-whose-name-isn't-really-Shaniqua?) shared this story with me...

Shaniqua was at a WORK party (Luau themed) and a co-worker, let’s call her Croc-y (you'll understand why, later) showed up at the party. Shaniqua said Croc-y was dressed in the luau theme but missing 1 MAJOR necessary article of clothing. Any guesses?? No? It was: a bra. That’s right A. BRA. Really NO BRA?!?!?!?!?! to a work event?!?!?! Risky! or should I say risqué...lol. Who does that?! In addition to the coral bra-less deep v sundress outfit thingy, Croc-y was ALSO rockin' (Haha Crocodile rock...) coral crocs!! CORAL CROCS! I didn't even know they made those, which probably means they shouldn't have made them. But Shaniqua confirmed that yes they do, and yes homegirl did! Tisk tisk (I am anti crocs anyways, but that’s me). Apparently Croc-y is known around the office for wearing her Crocs in every color! Who does that?! I guess now she can be known for something else....Ms. I-didn't-wear-a-bra-to-a-work-event. I get if you have tick tacs/mosquito bites that going without a lady lump-holder is probably fine and unnoticeable but anything bigger than that MOST DEFINITELY needs a support system. And anyone over the age of puberty shoulllllld sport some kind of tata holder. But I’m sure some people of the breastfully unblessed camp would say that’s untrue and i guess they would probably know more about that than this Mountain-liscious momma.

But anyways, this little story made me think...What is age appropriate? Is letting the gals hang free age appropriate? Can grammie go free just as much as some 15 year old? Or maybe in this instance its size related! How long can one shop in the "juniors" department? Can any age wear the "current trends" both in hair and clothing? Just like Simon from American Idol ALWAYS complained when young contestants sang old people songs, so do I complain when old people wear young people clothes and vice versa. So to help you determine if "mmm mmm Giiiirl You too OLD", here are myy top 5 rules….

You know you too old when:
- The trend you wore once makes its way back again. Ex those of us who rocked side ponytails in the 80's, scrunchies, fanny packs (sweet Lord, I actually saw Target trying to sell "cute" versions. It’s a lie, there is NO cute way to wear a freakin fanny pack!!) STAY AWAY from them now!
- You try an outfit on and make sure it doesn’t give you camel toe. The fact alone that you A. know what camel toe is and B. you check for it, means you are too old to wear that outfit (cause it probably will give you C.T.)
- If you have no idea who Snookie is and where she is from, you have no biznass wearing her beloved poof.
- You think crocs are an acceptable form of shoe, it’s not. Its sooo not. (Unless you are in the medical field or a small child...lol...again my opinion, I hate them)
- And finally, if you read these and ACTUALLY thought to abide by them, you are too old, because young people could care less what anyone says :)

Happy Tuesday!

Cookies, coffee, and crafting OH MY!

So last night I attended a fun night of coffee and crafting at Bethany’s house. HOLY INSPIRED. No joke. Not only was i inspired to do more crafting (specifically sewing) BUT i was inspired to put up more pictures in my house. HUH? Let me explain. For those who don't know, Bethany is an AMAZING photographer. She helped with my wedding pictures and did my maternity photo shoot (I was GINORMOUS and feeling ugly, and she made the pictures come out far from that!). So I knew her house would have lots of pictures but I didn't realize what an impact that had. Not only is her home gorgeous (very Pottery barn-esque) but the priorities in her life are on clear display! And I.LOVE.IT. It totally that lets you know how important, loved and valued her husband and two boys are to her. I walked into her house thinking "She LOVES her family" and I left thinking "i want visitors to my home to feel the same way", so thanks Bethany for the great inspiration. Now on to printing, framing and hanging pictures of my priorities :)

Anyways, it was such a great night of meeting new people, chatting with current friends, and watching ladies of all ages work on fun crafts! Now my "craft" wasn't so much A craft as it was working MY craft...lol I curled Christy’s hair. Haha. Since I LOVE doing hair this is ALWAYS fun for me and since I don't usually have the time and right atmosphere this was perfect! But I did get my hair curled by Christy AND the chance to try out some Pinterest styles on one of B's good friends. THENNNN to add the caramel syrup to the sundae (not a stupid cherry cause i HATE cherries..gag me. LOVE caramel though) SOhl (I like calling her by her blog name, it’s so clever it makes me chuckle, so in my mind sometimes I refer to her as Sohl...betcha didn't know that 'eh Sarah) brought me my phone case...aka My Phone home...lol or Phone dress or Phone sleeper...No, my PHONE SNUGGIE!! that’s sooo what I’m calling it. Anyway, the snuggie is AWESOME! It made tossing it in my purse and finding my phone SO MUCH easier and a lot less riskier if I drop it. I am lame-o and didn't bring my camera, BUT Bethany had hers so pop over and check it out.

Side note: We were told to come in comfy clothes (you don't have to ask mama twice!) and I did, so pardon the "Jammer" shorts and my sport-tastic E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES shirt. Comfortable was the name of the game, so no judgment, k?

And Sarah made some awesomely easy magnets that I am definitely going to try. Keep checking her blog for the tutorial.

It was funny sitting around the table, looking around and feeling very much like I was back in the "little house on the prairie" days and the ever popular "quilting circles" (although technically my minority status back in the day MAYY have had me watching through the back window instead of sitting at the table). Overall it was a very fun night and I look forward to more coffee and crafting nights in the future!!

"AHHHH FREAK OUT!"

SIDE NOTE: Well it’s that time again. Time to rename the blog. It started as "Confessions of a Newlywed", stayed that way until I got pregnant, then it was "Confessions of a New Momma", but as the year is coming to a close and Colton’s first birthday party is upon us, I’m thinking it may be time for a new name. I thought, since Snatty is now engaged to Blue Eyes (yes that is for realz my nicknames for them) and that Christy and I are jumping in and helping to planning the wedding, it might be fitting to call it "Confessions of a Wedding Planner"…. Alfie suggested "Life with 2 Alfie’s" (go figure) and I thought of "Confessions of a Working Momma"(since I am the lone full time worker in my circle of momma friends). Not sure which way I will go, but suggestions are always welcome!

Anyways, on to today’s tidbit....

Confession: Nelly sometimes freaks me out.

Nelly is my super crazy catdog (she is a cat but with dog like tendencies). And in my defense I have a wayyy over active imagination. So combine a spazzy cat with an imagination that has seen farrrr too many movies and read farrrr to many fictional books and you get someone who is freaked out (mildly) with their own cat. Example: Last night I was headed into the guest bath aka "Colton’s bathroom" to clean up after his bath and as I exited, I caught in my peripheral an object just standing in the doorway to Colton’s room. I look over and it’s Nelly. Watching me. Just standing. Like she had been watching me go about my business. She didn't hiss, or even move, and maybe that’s why it made it creepy, but we locked eyes and for a fleeting second I envisioned her lunging through the air hissing and attacking me in the jugular and clawing my face up. Highly unlikely, but with Nelly, one can never be 100% sure. Anyways, with a "what a freakin' creeper" comment, I headed back downstairs. Nelly is like that. If she was a person, she would be that weirdo creeper that kinda skeeves you out, cause she pops up randomly, stares, lingers, then moves on. And yes I know that’s a cat for you, quiet, stealthy but randomly everywhere. Our hallway meeting is not the first, but rather one of many lurking moments and made me flash back to my irrational fear or wolves and deer attacks.

Sigh. I know, I’m weird. And I am not sure why, but growing up I always had a fear that I would walk out of my bedroom and come face to face with a wolf. Teeth bared and ready for attack. And then I made the mistake of watching "Lady in the Water" and it pretttttty much solidified the possibility of any fear I had about wolves popping up randomly and attacking me. (It mayy or may not be a fact that I booked it into the house after seeing that movie in the theater...avoiding the grass of course and not looking behind me so as to not be paralyzed by making eye contact with their red eyes leering at your in the grass... or whatever theory the movie claimed…BUUUT I won't confirm or deny that fact, you will just have to wonder….) AND at our old woods surrounded house "290" as we call it, I always feared a deer attack. (yeah I know out of all the animals, that most likely lived there, I worried about freakin deer) Mostly stemming from the fact that they were everywhere and had the greatest probability of being rabid and wanting to attack me. But still, I usually did a quick glance around for deer shadows and then booked it into the house. One would think I should have been more worried about a creeper IN the house since we left the house unlocked (situation has since been rectified, and all doors locked at Shanlee) I tell you, I don't know where these crazy fears come from but they do make me nervous. Maybe it’s more a fear of the dark than a fear of certain animals? Who knows? But I DO know I have a very photographic memory so making the mistake and watching, hmm lets sayyyy, "The Haunting" television show, was probably NOT a smart thing to do, since now those exorcist-like images are now forever burned into my mind’s eye and make being home alone kindaaaa freaky. Or watching Jeepers Creepers and having to trek from Marion to Webster on late dark nights on old back roads when Alfie and I were dating, secreting expecting the Jeepers Creepers guy to appear standing in the middle of the road and attack me for my eyes. See what i mean!! CRAZYYYYY!! Where do these thoughts come from! I tell ya! It’s that freakin' dang over active imagination! Gets me every time! But I was like this since little, and when I would have nightmares. Mom would always come in, pray for me and quote part of I John 4:4 “Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.” And to this day, I still quote that anytime I get freaked out !

Anyone else have random "why does this make me nervous" moments?

Come on! Lets go on a Poo-venture!

Sometimes as a parent you run into situations where you stop and think “how is this happening?” Yesterday was one. It came in the form of a poo adventure. Aka a Poo-venture!LOL clever, right?! It had been a while since Colton did a nasty poo-up-the-back-scramble-to-get-him-into-a-shower-to-clean-up kind of poo and yesterday was the day he decided to spring one on us. Now Alfie and I have two different theories when it comes to changing poopy diapers. I am of the "Let’s change him ASAP" and Alfie is more the "ehhh we need to make sure he is done, let’s give him a few minutes" Now both methods have their pros and cons, but i will find that Alfie’s is a bit more dangerous as it allows for over the diaper spillage. But anyways, back to the story. So Colton was fed and happily playing on the carpet scooting around, standing and then sitting and every which way. We noticed he had a poopy diaper and i told Alfie he better get on that (odd, but he almost never puts up a fight about changing Colton's diaper...neither of us do). Well doesn't he lay him down on the carpet...mistake #1. I gave him "the look", the one that says "we have a mat for this, so he DOESNT poo stain the carpet", grabbed the changing mat and set it out. As Alfie transferred Colty from the floor to the mat he noticed there may have been poo spillage. So instead of changing the diaper (to minimize the spillage up the back) he went checking his shirt for poop, since he had just held him. I franticly kindly reminded him he better hurry up or its gonna spill up C's back. And guess.who.was.right. ME!! Yep doesn’t he go to do a back check and it was ALLLLLL up his back. I notified Alfie I would go run the bath since it was definitely worthy of one, and from upstairs i hear "AWWWW MANNNN!! BUDDYYY!!! COME ON!!! REALLLY?! NOOOOO!" lol Oh Boy! Mama to the rescue. As i descended the stairs, trying to hide my chuckle, and wondering what in the world happened, i got a very unexpected response..."He put his elbow in the poop" LOL not quite sure how THAT happens but such is life with two Alfie’s :). With a big sigh (and praying he doesn’t pee the entire time) I grabbed under Colty’s arms and whisked him up the stairs and into the bathroom (sans diaper-risky, i know, and still wearing a poopy onesie) and attempted to rinse a poo-ed onesie enough to get it over his head without chunks in his hair. It was Nasty. I touched poop. It was all over and smelled. It was yuck. It’s a good thing he is the cutest baby alive (right up there with Madelyn) with a super happy temperament :) He makes cleaning up poop, not that awful! The things we do for our children 'eh?

Update: Crib Sleeping

Update: Crib sleeping is going AMAZING!

And with that i probably just shot myself in the foot. But anyways to update, since i just KNOW you have been on the edge of your seat anxiously wondering how Mr. Colton is doing in his crib. I am happy to report that he is doing splendid! With the exception of one night where I woke up to find him laying beside me (hmmm thanks Alf) things have gone far better than Maddicus-expected :)

Whats our trick? Wearing the poor sucker out. Instead of going down at 7 or even 7:30. We keep him up until about 8/8:30 at the MOST and usually try to give him a "snacker" (thats Alfie speak for 4oz bottle). Pair that with a lil christian radio ("more music KLOVE...kkkkkllllllooooovvvvveeee" lol ), his lovie blankey, paci and baby be strugggggling to keep his eyes open. Most often by the time i walk out of the room all crying has stopped and he is on his way to dream land. And everytime I expect a freak out and this to be the night that our ease of cribbing will be broken. Maybe this will FINALLY be an area of ease for Colty. Lord knows our adventures in feeding have not been the case.

Enter the "Chronicles of Milk".

Seeing as this momma is a lactite and daddy be rockin the acquired lactited-ness, it is no surprise that Mr. C would also struggle with milk based formula. We realized this when he would spit up A LOT after every bottle when he was a baby and finally at 3 months the doctor said we needed to switch. So we said farewell to the $19.99 GIANT container of BJ's brand formula and hello to the pricier Wegmans Gentlease. Bring on the gas. He seemed to struggle with gas and be extra fussy on this, so adios Gentlease and Hola to Soy. Soy brought on severe constipation and was our last attempt before the Financial Raping that is Similac Alimentum which is what he is on now. Down fall is that for the ittty bitty container is a whopping $25 a week. Luckily, it worked great. As C got older and started eating more food and less strictly formula, we wondered if mayyyybe it was time to try Milk based formula again. And at his 9 month appointment broached the topic with the pediatrician and they said lets give it a try. Glory A Dios! And so far so good! No tummy aches, not spitting up. He seems to be doing really well on! Our wallet is breathing a sigh of relief. Because you KNOW we were hoarding that other stuff like crack gold. But such are the new adventures in parenting we all enjoy.