The Flower Maiden

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T19:40:00.000-08:00

This holiday season sure flew by fast. I think I'm still spinning from the whirlwind of the last month. A quick recap of our December, just the highlights . . .

Dance recital - Little Miss Sprout was a marshmallow, a very cute, adorable and charmingly girlie marshmallow. Sprout still LOVES ballet and she loves performing on stage.

Sprout's Sixth Birthday - Six! She's six, and I can't quite wrap my brain around that. For her birthday she wanted to go to zoo lights so we did - we froze our butts off and had a blast. She said this was her best birthday ever! All because I put streamers over the door way of her room and she had to bust her way out. I also hung streamers attached to balloons into the doorway of where here presents were. She's requested that I do this for every birthday now. :) I love that she loved it so much. She got an American Girl doll for her birthday that's she's been drooling over and is completely and totally over the moon with.

Christmas - We had a pretty low key Christmas. My parents came up and we just pretty much hung out at home. Instead of cooking this year we went to a fun little restaurant that was doing a buffet. It was nice to not have to worry about cooking. My house it still in shambles from Christmas, it's the goal this weekend to get everything down and put away.

New Years - Shockingly enough Sprout actually managed to stay up until midnight. Lego and I had trouble, but Sprout was peppy and spry. In fact after midnight she didn't want to go to bed, said she wasn't tired . . . nice try kiddo. lol

Tuesday the Sproutlet heads back to school and she's excited to see her friends again. I'm looking forward to getting everything put away and cleaned up.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and I wish you nothing but happiness in 2012!

Hallelujah!

2011-11-28T17:24:00.001-08:00

I've finished my 2011 NaNoWriMo novel!

I was worried that I wasn't going to finish this year. I pulled things together and managed to write over 12k words in three days time and cross the finish line early. It feels incredible!

I hope all you other NaNoWriMo's out there achieve your goals as well!

I'm off for much needed time with my family and finally getting to bed early tonight.

Time

2011-11-08T16:08:00.000-08:00

I was on my way to pick up Sprout the other day and I saw the prettiest tree. Most of the tree was still a bright vivid green, except for a small section. In this small section the breath of fall had just kissed the tips of the leaves, only outlining their edges in a vibrant fall red. It was so pretty, it made me smile. I wished I could have gotten a picture of it.

With the trees slipping into their autumn finery it won't be long until their branches are bare and we're in the thick of the holiday season. I'm still trying to figure out where this year has gone. In a little over a month my little monkey is turning 6 . . . 6!

I've just barely started thinking of birthday and Christmas presents . . . I haven't even contemplated a birthday party yet. This year has zoomed by like an express train. Could we slow things down a bit, geesh!

My NaNoWriMo is going pretty well. I got myself caught up this morning. My goal is to be far enough ahead that I won't have to worry about meeting word counts over Thanksgiving. We'll have to see how that goes.

I've got to get my little Sprout ready for ballet.

NaNoWriMo 2011

2011-11-01T17:56:00.000-07:00

And the fun begins! NaNoWriMo, or better known as National Novel Writing Month kicked off today. You may remember from last year when I explained it, but just in case you don't, NaNoWriMo is where people, who are crazy like me, take on the task of writing a 50k word novel (or get a 50k word start on their novel) in thirty days. I participated last year and came away with a novel a little over 55K words.

I had so much fun that I'm doing it again. I've actually been looking forward this years NaNo pretty much since last years NaNoWriMo wrapped up. This year I'm not starting a new story like I did last year. Instead I'm adding to the 40K+ WIP that I've been clicking away at since the end of April. I'm hoping to get my story completely finished through NaNoWriMo.

So, to any and all WriMo's out there best of luck!

(I'm also hoping to get my butt around here more . . . This place has been feeling quite abandoned lately! Yikes!)

The Big Day

2011-09-13T22:57:00.000-07:00

This morning I woke up very groggily and realized I had a whopping three hours of sleep (being unable to fall asleep sucks). No wonder my eyes felt like I had shoved sandpaper in them. A split second later I woke up a little more and remembered the reason why I was getting up so miserably early. Kindergarten. Sprout's first day of school! Fighting back tears at the thought I got up and got dressed and got my little munchkin all spruced up and ready to go. I had to keep giving myself pep talks . . . I could get through this!

This morning was misty and cool and Sprout insisted on wearing a sundress. I honestly don't think I'm ever going to willingly get this child out of dresses. Lego and I walked her into her classroom and got her all settled in. Backpack and coat hung up, pinned on her name tag, she signed herself in and easily settled into the routine of the morning. She was a ham and kept giving me silly smiles and posing. It was adorable!

Once the bell rang the teacher told the lingering parents (yes we lingered) it was time to go. Lego quickly kissed Sprout and headed out the door. I kept myself pulled together and kissed her a couple times and gave her a hug, telling her I hoped her day was wonderful! As soon as I got outside the classroom door I could feel the waterworks start to burble up. Lego saw our new neighbors and started chatting with them (their middle daughter is in Sprout's class and has the same name as Sprout), I'm sure I looked abysmally rude, but I kept walking away. I was on the verge of tears and I really didn't want to break out into the ugly cry. You know, the cry that involves a lot of snot, sobbing and struggling to catch your breath. Yeah . . . so not the image I wanted to leave everyone with of me.

Lego quickly caught up with me and we walked back out to the parking lot. Only once we reached the car did I finally allow myself to shed a few tears. This morning was way harder on me than it was on Sprout, and for that I'm grateful. That's the way it should be. She had a fantastic day and is excited to go back tomorrow. She says she loves school and I couldn't be more thrilled. This year is going to be so much fun watching her grow, learn and thrive. My baby is growing up so fast and I am so incredibly proud of the wonderful little girl she is becoming!

I have to add that yes, I miss Sprout like crazy when she's at school, but I was surprised at the amount of things I was able to accomplish in only two and half hours.

So, bring on day two! We're ready!

Reflection

2011-09-11T23:32:00.000-07:00

It's been ten years and I still don't want to share my "where I was, what I was doing" story. I just can't. It's still too raw and too emotional for me. Even after ten years. I can't watch anything on the TV about September 11, 2001, if I do I start crying. Reading people's stories and their experiences makes me break down and sob.

It's hard to believe that it's been so long. I pray for all the families who lost loved ones that day. I can't even begin to imagine what these past ten years have been like for them. I wonder where we'll all be in another ten years.

Open House

2011-09-05T23:12:00.000-07:00

Last week we attended the open house for Sprout's school. We saw her classroom and met her teacher and I must say I feel so much better!

This past spring when I went to register Sprout for school I was lucky and got to meet the kinder teacher and see the classroom, which gave me a good idea of what to expect this fall (what can I say, I like to be prepared). About a week and a half ago I found out that they had both been changed. Which slipped me into instant panic mode, full of those evil "what-if's". The teacher I originally met I liked, she seemed young, but very sweet and I was looking forward to her being Sprout's teacher. When I found out she had been replaced I was more than a little worried. The classroom I originally saw was dark, the windows were very high and everything in it was quite old. I was far from thrilled about it, I was wanting to grab a bucket of white paint and attack it.

What we saw last week was bright and friendly. The kinder room is now in a completely different wing of the school and everything is at the kids level. The windows are much lower, there's lots of natural light, trees right outside the windows and it's colorful. The teacher is more experienced and I've heard a lot of good things about her. I'm so pleased with how everything is turning out.

I'm still struggling with the idea of my little munchkin starting kindergarten, but at least I'm not so worried anymore. I know she's going to have a blast and will be learning so much. The teacher will have two assistants, along with parental involvement and I believe there will be twenty-three students in her class, which I'm pretty pleased about.

I feel like I can finally take a deep breath and now my goal is to not do the ugly cry on her first morning of school!

Two Weeks

2011-08-29T21:26:00.000-07:00

*sigh*

Sprout starts kindergarten in two weeks.

Being a mom who worries is exhausting and hard work!

I had a whole post about my worries and I deleted it . . . I decided I didn't want to run the risk of jinxing anything.

If you have a few moment please say a prayer that Sprout loves kindergarten and makes friends easily . . . also that I breathe a little!

The tides have turned

2011-06-15T23:07:00.000-07:00

Things are on an upswing here. Sprout has been much better behaved and it's been such a nice change. We started doing a couple charts that track her good choices and her naughty choices and it seems to be working thus far.

Summer vacation here has been pretty chilly and even I'm hoping we see some 75 - 80 degree weather. Our garden is doing well, if it were warmer it'd be better, but it is what it is. We've joined a CSA farm this year and so far the harvest bins we've gotten have been super yummy. It's been nice to not have a choice in what we get from the CSA because it's forcing us to branch out and try new recipes. It's getting us out of our cooking rut which has been sorely needed.

Last week we got two things that we'd never used before, bok choy and garlic tops (OMG, so good!). This week we're trying to figure out what to do with turnips . . . never used them before and trying to figure out what to do with them this week. So far it's been a fun adventure!

This weekend along with father's day, Lego and I will be celebrating our 12th wedding anniversary. I'm trying to figure out where the past 12 years have gone! We've been a couple for 14 years and it still feels like yesterday that we first met. We were just kids when we met and fell in love, it's amazing that we still feel like those two kids.

Tomorrow Sprout and I have a busy day so I'm going to go crawl into bed.

Irritation

2011-05-06T21:49:00.001-07:00

My family is driving me bonkers lately. My adorable five-year old has been nothing but sassy, belligerent, defiant and just damn stubborn. She has to argue with me over EVERYTHING! If I were to tell her that her room was painted pink, she'd find some way to contradict me, "No mom, its rose." and it would be said in the most condescending tone humanly possible. You know the tone that says that you're an idiot and you know nothing. Yes, my five-year old has that tone perfected. It's like living with an extremely short teenager.

To top off my week of parenting hell the hubby has come home grumpy and very short-tempered. What a lovely way to go into mother's day weekend. What I really want for mother's day, aside from a Barnes and Noble gift card, is a family that is free of the grumps. I want a daughter who won't argue over the littlest things (let me tell you, kindergarten is looking mighty fine right now) and a husband who isn't going to bite off my head for asking a simple question.

I'm going to bed and praying for better moods for us all tomorrow!

Finally Spring

2011-04-22T16:38:00.000-07:00

Today has been a gorgeous spring day, cold, but gorgeous. It's nice to see the sun and feel it's warmth finally. Flowers and leaves are beginning to sprout up everywhere and it's just so nice to see things coming back to life.

This winter has seemed unbearably long and chillier than normal. The idea of not having to wear coats everywhere and take off a few layers is absolutely delightful. Sprout is overly eager to wear her dresses without leggings and slip into her cute flip-flops. It will be nice to not have to fight with her over what she'll wear since dresses and flip-flops are her ultimate favorite.

Lego is looking forward to the lawn drying out and not sinking up to your knees when you walk on it. We have all our gardening goodies picked out and we're all anxious to start planting, tending and watching our delicious veggies start growing.

We are ready for spring, for warmer weather and dare I say it . . . summer? I know I'll be complaining about the heat once the hottest part of summer gets here, but right this very moment I'm ready for something other than cold and wet.

The Tulip Festival is in the forecast for us hopefully very soon. Maybe I'll even get some nice pictures from that trip.

I survived!

2011-04-18T20:58:00.000-07:00

The auction is over and somehow I survived. It's such a nice sense of freedom to have it done and over with. I can breathe a little easier, spend time with my family, and hopefully dream about something other than the auction. This year was a success, I'm happy to say. We made somewhere in the neighborhood of $1500-$2000 more this year than last year so that's wonderful news for the school.

I'm going to try to be around here more and post more often, I have lots to catch up on and don't even know where to start. See you around soon!

Can I slow down time?

2011-03-17T22:12:00.000-07:00

I signed Sprout up for kindergarten today at our neighborhood school. As I sat across the desk from the secretary I was blown away that my little girl would be starting school this fall. How has the time gone so quickly? She's still my little baby, she's not ready to be in kindergarten, I'm not ready for her to be in kindergarten!

The school I registered her at is not my first choice school. The charter school I was hoping to get her into didn't pan out. Although, if we have a massive plague sweep through town then we'll stand a chance of getting in. Right now she's 24th on the wait list. I'm hoping for the chance to transfer her to a different school in the district that's still close to our house, but honestly, I don't see that panning out either. Our last option, aside from the school I registered her in today is a super pricey private school. It actually looks like a truly fantastic school, but I don't think we'd be able to feasibly swing the huge price tag that is it's tuition. I also hate the fact that it's full day kindergarten.

The school that I registered her at today is a very good school, I've probably said it on here before, but my only problem with this school is the location. It's on the corner of two busy streets and that freaks me out. The one thing I'm happy about is that if nothing else works out, I know she'll do well at this school.

When we went into the school Sprout was in love, the first thing she saw was the playground. Then the colorful paintings on the walls. She got to see the kindergarten classroom and meet the lady who would be her teacher. She said she really liked her and that she was really pretty. So, Sprout seems excited to go there and that's really a huge thing right there.

From my adult eyes, I saw that the school was pretty old, and that the majority of the stuff in the kinder classroom was old and really dark. A coat of white paint on most of the furniture would go a long way to brighten things up! The teacher did seem to be very nice, it was her first year teaching at the school and she was very excited that I was wanting to help out in the classroom as much as possible. I do like the idea that I'll be able to be at the school and helping out and that I'll stay very involved in Sprout's education, that's extremely important to me.

It's been a long few days and my emotions have been one giant roller-coaster. I can do this . . . I just have to keep repeating that to myself.

Possible Changes

2011-03-15T00:02:00.000-07:00

I'm contemplating moving my blog over to WordPress. I have a blog that I do daily writing prompts over there and I really like it. I'm not sure if I want to try to change it all over though, especially not right now. We'll see I suppose. Whatever I do is going to be put off until after mid-April. Not that I've been posting very actively over here, but I'm guessing it's going to get even more swamped until the silent auction, that I'm in charge of overseeing, is finished.

I'm feeling a little swamped, a smidge frazzled and a lot worn out. Now's the time to start planning for Sprout to start kindergarten in the fall, which I'm a little freaked about . . . okay, a lot freaked about. The school I really want to get her into is a charter school and they run on a lottery system, so it's purely chance on whether or not she gets to go there next year. Tomorrow is the lottery. I'm crossing my fingers and saying a lot of prayers that she'll get in there. I figure if she's meant to go there next year, then it will happen. If not, I have a couple other good schools lined up.

This time change is really doing a number on me. My pillow is softly calling my name, I must go answer . . . night!

Spring

2011-03-01T21:26:00.001-08:00

"To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee,

One clover, and a bee,

And revery.

The revery alone will do

If bees are few."

- Emily Dickinson -

I came across this little quote and enjoyed it so I thought I would share. Everyone in our house is so ready for spring. I'm ready for flowers and warmer weather. I'm ready for the cold and flu season to be over. I'm done with winter. We were supposed to get snow today and we got nothing of any real significance. A winter without at least one good snow is, to me, just a waste of cold weather.

First of Many

2011-02-06T20:52:00.000-08:00

Sprout has her very first loose tooth. I can't believe my baby has a loose tooth! It's one of her lower front teeth and she's very excited and also a little nervous, which is totally understandable. I'm so excited to get some cute pictures of her and her first little toothless grin.

The tooth is very loose and I keep expecting it to fall out any day now, but it keeps hanging in there. I think it's partly because she's afraid so she isn't playing with it much. It reminds me of when I was a little girl and I WOULD NOT pull my teeth out. I waited until they were barely hanging on by a thread and then simply let them fall out on their own. There was one time where my tooth was so loose that it fell out in my spoon after I took a bite of my dinner.

I must admit that I'm super excited to get to play the tooth-fairy role. I haven't decided how much to give her or what exactly the tooth-fairy is going to leave her. She's enjoyed showing all her friends at school and her teacher.

Aside from her getting a little sassy and defiant, I am absolutely loving this age. She's so much fun and truly has a sweet kind heart. She's fun to be around and I love her little sense of humor and all her questions. I'm so lucky to be her mommy. Although, she has certainly been giving Lego a run for his money lately. The two of them seem to be butting heads something awful the past month or so. I think the issue is that they are both beyond stubborn and neither one will back down on a.n.y.t.h.i.n.g! I end up having to go in a diffuse the situation, which is never fun. I'm hoping the two of them will start getting along better soon, cause I'm pretty tired of the whole mess. What I love is that even though they can be super mad at each other they always seem to end the night on a good note and with a hug and a kiss.

Go, go, go!

2011-01-31T21:39:00.000-08:00

I've been on autopilot for the past month seeming to zoom from here to there and everywhere in between. I honestly don't know where the month of January went. I sure hope the rest of this year doesn't speed by in such a blur.

After coming home from our Disneyland trip, which was a very blustery and wet adventure, we were bombarded by Christmas. We haven't seemed to slow down since.

With Sprout's preschool I'm into the thick of planning the school's silent auction and it's quite the job. I'm not the best public speaker by any stretch of the imagination and I got the distinct unpleasure of talking to all the parents in the preschool and trying to explain what's required of them. I managed, albeit very ineloquently, to disperse the information, my cheeks were flaming red once I was finished. At least it's over, well until the next time I have to speak to the school.

Also this month the three of us managed to contract the creeping crud. It's been PhlegmFest 2011 in our house and it's been awful. Sprout and I have the cough that just will not die and we found out today that Lego actually has bronchitis. Luckily, Sprout and I don't have the same symptoms as Lego, praying that we dodge the bronchitis bullet.

I'm hoping the February will be a much slower month, but it's honestly not shaping up that way. Off to try to sleep while I can!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T11:41:00.000-08:00

Hope you all have a wonderfully Merry Christmas!

We are exhausted, but we are home from California. We went to Disneyland for Sprout's fifth birthday and to see everything decked out in Christmas lights. We battled the torrential rains for the first three days, but the last two were pretty darn nice.

Once things calm down I'll come back here and share our adventure with you all. For now, I hope you all enjoy a glass of eggnog, a cozy fire and time spent with your loved ones.

Success

2010-12-03T13:30:00.000-08:00

I finished the NaNoWriMo challenge! 50,000 words in 30 days, whew! I now have stored on my computer a little over 50,000 word novel. It needs drastic revisions and a lot of cleaning up, but at least it's there and it's something I created, something I love and am proud of.

I'm looking forward to next November and taking up the challenge again. Although, I certainly won't stop writing in the mean time.

We're getting into the Christmas swing here. Sprout is anxious to pick out our tree this weekend and I must admit so am I. I love Christmas time, especially now that I have a little one to watch enjoy it. Sprout and I have been busy putting up all our decorations and our little house it certainly starting to look magical.

Also coming up this month is Sprout's dance recital. She and her ballet class are snowflakes and they look absolutely adorably charming. My parents are coming up for the recital, it will be Sprout's first time on stage, I'm very curious to see how she likes it.

Well, the laundry is calling my name. Have a great weekend!

Just in Time for Turkey Day

2010-11-23T22:58:00.000-08:00

I'm sick . . . hacking out a lung, pressure in my chest type of sick. I HATE chest colds, every time I cough, sneeze, anything it makes my chest and throat hurt. We're supposed to go to my parents for the big day, but something tells me we're going to be at home trying to recover from this nastiness. Ugh!

At least I've been able to enjoy the dusting of snow outside my window. A dusting of snow that managed to shut down the school system here. This is something I'll never understand, you can still see grass through the snow, the ground isn't even completely covered and school gets cancelled here. It boggles the mind. Coming from Utah, where they didn't even plan snow days into the schedule and they never called a snow day, even for blizzards, this is so insane. I remember having to go to school on a Saturday because they called a snow day and there weren't any built into the calendar. Granted, it was essentially a sheet of ice under the dusting of snow, but it still seems a little crazy to me.

Hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving and stay healthy!

NaNoWriMo

2010-11-03T21:08:00.000-07:00

So, I may not be around for much of November. I decided in September to jump on the NaNoWriMo insanity bandwagon. For those who don't know NaNoWriMo translates into "National Novel Writing Month". Which is writing a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. ***gulp***

We're on day three and I have nearly 7,000 words. I'm happy with my progress and I'm really enjoying the story I'm writing. I had to set my other work in progress aside, which I'm finding I miss my characters and being in their world. I'm looking forward to picking up where I left off with them, but am also enjoying my new set of characters.

I'll try to pop in occasionally and update my progress and if I've gone crazy in the process or not. I was tempted to do the NaBloPoMo as well this month, but decided not to press my luck . . .

The fun of fall

2010-10-18T21:52:00.000-07:00

I love the fall. It's my favorite season. I love the crisp scent of the leaves, the chill in the air and all the lovely autumnal colors. Then there's the wonderful chilly mornings, seeing your breath on the air and warming your house with a blazing fire.

Best of all, there's pumpkin patches! We've been to the same pumpkin patch twice thus far. Next weekend we're going to venture out and visit a different patch. We're lucky to live in such a fun area that has a plethora of patches to choose from. Have I mentioned this is my favorite time of year? :)

This year for Halloween I was betting that Sprout was going to be Cinderella again. I would have lost money had I actually betted. Sprout has decided to be a white cat . . . pretty simple, easy costume to pull together . . . right? Wrong! We've had one heck of a time trying to find white cat ears and a tail. There are tons of black sets and even black and white sets, but finding solid white is a bit of a challenge. The ones we found, and bought out of desperation, are for an adult so the ears are a little too big for Sprout's little head. I'm trying to figure out a way to make them look smaller. I think when all is said and done she'll look adorable. My mother helped me make a no-sew tutu and it turned out so adorable! I can't wait to get her all dressed up.

Next Friday is her preschool Halloween party and I can't believe it! Where on earth has October gone! We'll be in Disneyland before we know it!

"Accessible" is the word of the day

2010-10-05T21:30:00.000-07:00

As many of you mothers may know, going to the bathroom with children is often times an adventure. It's a challenge to squeeze yourself, your small child, your purse and whatever toy your child may be dragging along for the day into a stall that is too small for yourself alone. Just the sheer fact that these days in a regular stall your knees nearly touch the door once seated is enough to make this task impossible.

This is why in many of the handicap accessible stalls they place the baby changing station as well as the small seat to buckle your child into while you use the facilities. This indicates to me that the handicap accessible stall is intended for the use of mothers with children in tow as well as handicapped persons.

Why am I blogging about this? Yesterday I ran into the meanest, most impatient and rude woman. She just so happened to be using a walker. Sprout and I happened to be in the handicap accessible stall. She was grouchy and pissed off and had no problem letting everyone know it.

As Sprout and I were finishing up I saw her wheels under the door and began to hurry to get us put together and out of there quickly so she could get in there. I heard her give a huff of breath, which is fine. She then starts mouthing off, "I don't know why they think they can use this bathroom." Grumble, grumble, grumble . . . she continues to carry on. I thought she was talking to someone who was with her, but she wasn't. She was complaining just for the sheer pleasure of hearing her own mellifluous voice.

I quickly got us out of the bathroom and was tempted to say something to her. Once she saw me she shut her mouth so I decided to be the bigger person and kept my mouth shut. I can behave like an adult . . . that is until she started complaining again . . . "I don't know why they think they can use this bathroom, it's ridiculous."

I can only tolerate so much. "It's because I have child. In case you haven't noticed there is equipment in there for mothers to use with their children. It's certainly not there for you to use." I called after her. "It's not handicapped reserved, it's handicapped accessible. There's a big difference. A little kindness and patience certainly wouldn't kill you."

I was livid. It not like Sprout and I were in there singing show tunes and blowing bubbles. We quickly did our business and left. I can understand being frustrated, but did she need to be so rude and confrontational? I mean how dare she have to wait like the rest of us occasionally have to.

Will this stop me from using the larger stall in public restrooms? Hell no. If it's available I'll use it. I'm not going to stuff myself, my child and all our paraphernalia into a tiny stall if I don't have to. I've seen mother's that have their children wait outside the stall while they do their business, but that just isn't a feasible option for me. I won't run the risk of my child getting snatched or wandering off just so a handicapped person can always have first dibs on the large stall. Not to mention the kinds of mischief Sprout could get into the few moments I'd be using the restroom.

So, until public places start making stalls larger this mother is going to continue to use the handicapped accessible stalls (that have the changing table and other equipment just to remind you). And as a warning, if I hear any opinions from the other side of the stall door about my being in there, be prepared to hear my opinions on your rudeness.

Happiness is . . .

2010-10-03T23:35:00.000-07:00

Ten things just of the top of my head that make me happy . . .

1- My daughter
2- My hubby
3- Writing
4- Reading a good book
5- My house
6- Nights out with the girls
7- Spending the day at the beach
8- Jane Austen movies
9- A good cup of tea
10- crawling into a bed with fresh sheets and newly shaved legs

Fried!

2010-10-01T22:56:00.000-07:00

I'm exhausted. Sprout and I have been running and going and doing for the past week and I am in desperate need of some relaxation.

My house is still a study in chaos and I have so much work to do around here it's a little mind-boggling. Yet, I lack any motivation to get it done. All I want to do is be a blob on the couch, watch a few movies and maybe work on the story I've been writing. Cooking, ick! Cleaning, ugh! Doing everything I need to, blech!

The last two days of Sprout's preschool I was scheduled to work and I honestly have no clue how Ms. Butterfly does it everyday. The past two days the kids were just crazy busy and loud, which is normal. Not normal was how emotional they all seemed to be. I'm ready for quiet and calmness.

Hopefully, I'll find my motivation somewhere this weekend. Lego would probably be a little irritated if I sat on my butt for the next two days. Not to mention that it's our only free weekend in October so it's really the only time I have to get my household back in order.

Oh motivation . . . Where are you?

Tough decisions

2010-09-13T17:43:00.000-07:00

Public school? Private school? Homeschool? I'm so torn between what to do. Sprout will start kindergarten next fall and now is the time for me to start the research and figure out where she's going to be headed next year and what our plan is for school.

Our house is in the boundary of a small school and a good school from the research I've done. My only problem with it is that it's situated on the corner of two busy streets. There is no way Sprout could walk to school even though it's close to home. I've thought about trying to transfer her into a school that's about the same distance away, but tucked into a neighborhood behind our house. It's a bigger school, but it's also one of the best in the city. I'm just not sure if they'll let us transfer, but I think this is my first choice. I'm not going to lie, the escalating incidents of school violence is always something that's in the forefront of my mind. I'm a worrywart mom and it's a little terrifying to think of sending her to a public school and worrying about all the violence and bullying that is plaguing the national school systems.

There's a charter school that I'm interested in, but they run on the lottery system for admissions. A private school that I think would be fantastic, but I'm just not sure I'm willing to pay $730 a month in tuition. For a one-income family, that's would be a bit of a challenge.

Homeschooling is something that I'm very interested in. A few of my friends and acquaintances are homeschoolers and it definitely intrigues me. I'm not sure where to even begin researching it and finding out what homeschooling tools are available in my area, but it's something I need to begin looking into.

In the next month or so I'm hoping to start touring the schools I'm interested in and making a more informed decision on what I think would be the best place for Sprout next fall.

How did you decide what type of education would be best for your kidlet?

Bountiful

2010-09-12T18:15:00.000-07:00

Just a small glimpse into Lego's summer project. I've talked about our garden, but have yet to share pictures so here are just a couple. Our tomatoes have gone crazy are practically exploding off the plant. Lego's office and our neighbors have been enjoying our yummy tomatoes. Anyone need some tomatoes? We've got plenty to share!

Book Review

2010-09-11T16:35:00.001-07:00

Check out my review of Cassandra Clare's new Clockwork Angel over on http://chick-litchick.blogspot.com/

First Day of Preschool 2010

2010-09-08T20:57:00.000-07:00

I actually had to set the alarm clock this morning. Which I hate doing. I'm not a morning person and Sprout usually wakes me up about 7:00 or 7:30, which is too early for me. I'm always wishing she would just sleep in, but she rarely does . . . until today. Of course since today was her first day back at preschool she decides to torture me and actually sleep until I had to wake her up or risk us being late. Can someone tell me why she couldn't have done this yesterday?

School starts at 9:00 and we made it right on time. We took first day of school pictures and she looked darling in her red poppy dress, which one of her friends was wearing as well. She had me stick around for a few minutes and then gave me the okay to go out to the car. She's still uncomfortable with me driving away, and that's fine by me. I don't mind chilling in the car. I'm hopeful that as the year goes on we'll both get more comfortable with my driving away.

I returned to the classroom just in time to see Sprout get the sharing bag, which is the most coveted item in the classroom. She was so excited! She showed me the bag through the door with a impish little grin on her face.

As we walked to the car I asked her how the first day went and she said, "It was awesome!" I'm so glad that she loved it. She was so glad to see Miss Butterfly again and all her friends. It's going to be a good year. How can it be bad, she got sharing on the first day!

Beautiful

2010-09-07T11:43:00.000-07:00

One of the butterflies we raised from a caterpillar. Sprout LOVED watching the life cycle of butterflies. She keeps asking when can we do it again.

Silly Ella

2010-09-06T11:08:00.000-07:00

Once Sprout cleaned out the top floor of her dollhouse Miss Ella decided it would make a perfect perch. Sprout thought this was super silly and funny!

It Begins

2010-08-31T21:43:00.000-07:00

The craziness, that is. This is the week before Sprout goes back to preschool and as a cooperative preschool we have a lot of responsibilities. Yesterday we had the school set up day. Tomorrow I have a training session in the morning and Thursday Sprout has her meeting with Miss Butterfly and that evening is the meeting that I actually have to stand up and speak at. I'm so not ready and definitely not looking forward to it. I'm completing other odds and ends jobs for the school and am looking forward to school starting and getting back into the swing of things.

This fall we are continuing with Sprout's dance classes; seeing as she loves them so much. We are also doing one last class with her old music teacher, which she is very excited about. I'm looking forward to watching her have lots of fun. This will be my last year with her before she starts kindergarten and I plan on savoring every moment! How is she growing up so fast? Does anyone know how to slow down time?

Washer fixed and one new water heater later . . .

2010-08-22T23:38:00.000-07:00

Things are finally back to normal here. Finally! It took three attempts to get our washing machine (which is only six months old) back into non-leaking condition. The tub had a crack in it causing it to leak. The first one they installed also had a leak. The second tub they sent came to us broken, and the third one was finally solid with no leaks!

As the guys were installing the new tub for our washer they noticed a gas smell. It was coming from our water heater . . . Lego was not happy when I called him. Lego made a couple calls and later that day we had a brand new water heater being installed.

It's been a bit of an adventure and I'm glad it's over. Ahh, the joys of being a homeowner.

This past week has been filled with errands and just lots of busy nothingness. Sprout is loving her dance class and is very excited for preschool. Fall is going to be absolutely insane with how busy we will be, but Sprout's going to have a good time. All our back to school shopping is done and we're ready for the big day come September 8th. I'm just so grateful she has another year of preschool . . . I'm so not ready for kindergarten.

Tomorrow is Sprout's last ballet class of the summer. Thankfully she'll start up again in two weeks for the fall session. I love how much she enjoys ballet. She dances all around the house and is learning all these new terms that she likes to try to teach me. I just love watching her so excited about it. When you ask her what she wants to be when she grows up she says she wants to be a ballerina. I've asked her if she wants to have kids and she'll always tell me no . . . she's going to be a ballerina. The other day we were talking and she decided when she grows up she's going to live at home, have me drive her everywhere and be a ballerina. Lego and I got a good chuckle out of that.

Blessed

2010-07-31T23:08:00.000-07:00

You may remember a while back when I wrote about some friend of ours having a baby that was having troubles with seizure activity. The little girl is now four months old and the parents still have no answers. The seizures still continue despite multiple medications.

She was up at the local children's hospital for over a month and they've run out of answers. They are making a trip to the Mayo Clinic in October and also possibly to Denver to see a specialist.

This morning was a pancake feed fundraiser to help with their growing medical expenses. Lego, Sprout and I of course attended and we got to see their beautiful little girl. This morning it took them two and half hours and two doses of her rescue medications to bring her out of her seizure.

I just can't even fathom what they are going through. I look at my little Sprout and I feel so incredibly blessed. Yes, I had a horrible pregnancy and a rough delivery. I came away from my pregnancy a type 2 diabetic, but I'm so grateful the issues were with me, not Sprout.

The medication the baby is on makes her sleep all.the.time. They don't get very much awake time with her. I remember after Sprout was born being such a worrier, I still am. Having your child have seizures for hours upon a time . . . that would scare the daylights out of me. I'm worried about all three of them and are keeping them in my prayers. If you pray would you mind adding them to your prayer list, they can use all prayers they can get.

Traveling

2010-07-24T21:49:00.000-07:00

For our college graduation present my lovely parents gifted us with a trip to England and Scotland. We went over my birthday, which made it very memorable. Lego and I had a blast. We were there for two weeks and it wasn't nearly enough time. We would both love to go back, especially to show everything to Sprout, although she might not like all the historical stuff like I do.

Over the past few years Lego and I have traveled less and less. I'm not entirely sure why. We're wanting to make our way up north soon, but don't know when we'll make it happen.

We're planning on going to Disneyland over Sprout's birthday. She's super excited. We're going to go with my parents. Sprout will turn 5 in Disneyland which will be fun. We're going to be hopefully staying at the Disneyland Hotel. We need to get all our plans finalized soon. My dad is wanting to fly,which I'm not looking forward to.

Lego and I both agree that we need to get out and travel more. Now we just have to figure out who's going to plan it!

Perfectly lovely day!

2010-07-22T23:25:00.000-07:00

Today was an awesome day! Sprout was in such a good mood and so sweet! This morning we had a playdate with a couple of good friends of hers. The mom is very sweet and kind as well. It was nice to get to know her a little better. Sprout and the girls played very well together. I was surprised at how well they played together.

After our playdate we went and met Lego for lunch at this Chinese restaurant that's across the street from his work. I had the yummiest garlic green bean chicken. Sprout was able to get a bowl of noodles without all the veggies that normally come with them. It was lovely to walk over there with Lego and have a fun break together. Lego's office is situated in a lovely little complex with a river running through it.

After lunch we came home and had a major tickle war, let me tell you, she's getting good at tickling. Lots of laughs and fun. We ran a couple errands, picked up a new movie and came home and veged.

Bedtime was simple and after we read books and kissed goodnight I left and peered back in a little while later and she was sitting in bed reading her books over with a flashlight. (I secretly LOVE that! Being such a bookworm myself.)

Great day, perfect day, I love days like this!

Imperfections

2010-07-16T23:05:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been friends with people who are constantly judging you? I have a couple of mommy friend like this, and I honestly don't spend too much time with them, it's just not worth it. The sad thing is that both of the women have little girls who Sprout enjoys playing with.

For example, Mommy #1 . . . know-it-all-mommy. She was constantly judging me because I nursed Sprout for longer than what is currently socially acceptable. How do I know she was judging me? She would give me an almost disgusted look, complete with eye roll. She even came right out and said she didn't think what I was doing was right. That she nursed her daughter for nine months and that was what she deemed appropriate. Then again, this is the woman who has said she thinks she's a perfect mother . . . she actually said this along with constantly doling out advice that isn't asked for . I know I'm not perfect, I just try to be the best mother that I can. I watch her with her kids and she does things that I wouldn't necessarily do, but I do think she's a good mom. We're just different and I can accept her for her differences it would be nice if she could extend the favor. The least she could keep her condescending opinions to herself.

Mommy #2 . . . Hipster mommy. Tall, skinny and perfectly beautiful. Vegetarian, doesn't believe in TV's or movies. Her child has no plastic toys, only wooden and organic (I didn't even realize that toys could be organic until I met her). Homeschooling and daughter only eats organic foods, no dyes and no sugar. I actually think this mom is a fantastic mother. She has a huge amount of patience and is always doing wonderfully creative things with her daughter. The thing is she often makes me feel inadequate because I let Sprout watch Disney movies and because Sprout has had chocolate and plays with plastic toys and her dolls aren't organic and handmade. I don't necessarily feel like she's judging me per se, but she makes comments that give me a feeling of inadequacy. We've had a few play dates and the only ones we've actually followed through with have been at her house. Never ours, she always comes up with an excuse to not make it. Which has led me to believe that it might be because of the fact that I allow plastic toys and Disney Princess merchandise to cross my threshold.

This may sound like I'm ranting and I'm certainly not meaning to. It's just something that's been on my mind for a while. I just don't understand why we as mother's can't support each other instead of tearing each other down or passing judgement. When I see a mother doing something that I disagree with I remind myself that she's trying just as hard as I am to be a good mom (unless of course it's something harmful and dangerous). That what may not work for me, might work for someone else.

I try my hardest to be a good mom and to make the right choices to shape Sprout into a lovely little girl. I know I've made mistakes and had bad mommy moments, but that's what motherhood is about. It's about learning what works for your child and your family and just taking it a day at a time. I am glad that I have supportive mother's around me to pick me up when I'm having a not so good mommy day or to help celebrate my little moments of awesomeness as a mother. All you mom's out there, support each other. It's not a competition.

Alright, I'll hop off my soapbox now.

Anticipation . . .

2010-07-15T23:05:00.000-07:00

Today was busy. Sprout and I ran errands and cleaned the house. We were supposed to have friends over this afternoon, but that fell through. I'm pooped, but my house looks awesome! Which makes me feel good.

Tonight was a yummy BBQ dinner with a new marinade that I just made up on the spot. I think Lego enjoyed it as well. It's nice when we find things new that we both like. Lego's been enjoying BBQ'ing pineapple and is it surprisingly very good!

Tomorrow night I'm having a girl's night out with a couple mommy friends of mine. We're headed to the theater to see Eclipse. I'm excited! The theater is also a restaurant, which has yummy food. I'm looking forward to getting some mommy time!

This weekend is our HUGE art in the park festival and my parents are coming up for it so it will be nice to hang out with them again. It's going to be a busy next few days. Hope you all have wonderful weekends ahead and that you stay cool where ever you're at!

Favorite Things

2010-07-10T23:51:00.000-07:00

Some of my favorite things are:

listening to Sprout as she giggles and squeals while running through the sprinklers.

The sound of Sprout's laughter, period.

Listening to Sprout make up songs and use her imagination.

Reading and getting lost in a seriously good book.

A good cup of tea and chatting with girlfriends.

Cuddling with Lego and watching a movie.

Sitting down to dinner with my little family and each of us going through our favorite part of the day.

Beach trips! Nothing better than toes in the sand and finding seashells.

Having one of the cats cuddle with me while I'm relaxing.

Crawling into bed after a long day and easily falling asleep.

Watching Sprout's face light up as she gives a gift.

The cards that Sprout makes for Lego and I.

My little girl and my handsome hubby.

Harvesting things from our garden and using them to feed our family.

Blistering Hot

2010-07-09T19:07:00.000-07:00

Today was a jumble of appointments that had Sprout and I hopping in and out of the sweltering heat. I cannot wait for summer to be over. It's been riding right at 99-100 degrees for the past four days and I'm so over it.

I'm wanting to escape to a nice cool beach instead of working up a sweat just walking from the backdoor to the garden. I'm anxious for fall, cooler weather, jeans, sweaters . . . ahhh. I'm such a weenie when it comes to the heat, but at least I fully admit it.

Our garden is thriving in this heat, which is the only upside. If the heat hangs on much longer we'll have tomatoes soon. We've been picking the strawberries and the lettuce. Still have yet to harvest any of our cucumbers, beans, peas, potatoes, tomatoes or corn, but it's just around the corner.

Hope you all stay cool and are enjoying this heat much more than I am.

Whine, whine, whiney, whine, whine!

2010-07-07T23:59:00.000-07:00

I know I'm not alone, I've talked to other moms of four year olds. It makes me feel a little better to know that I'm not the only mom who is so sick and tired of the whining.

Sprout has been so whiney since she turned four. It's grating! I can usually handle it for a little while, but by the end of the day when she's whining over not being able to use her pink fork for dinner I'm so done. I'm counting down the minutes until bed time at this point.

It's the age, I know it, but it seems lately that Sprout is getting more sassy and defiant as well as whiney. I'm hoping that once five rolls around she'll come back around, but four has been t.o.u.g.h.

It's interesting cause she seems to have a few really good days then a really bad day. Lego and I are just trying to stay consistent and not let her get away with being sassy/whiney/defiant. I am tired though. Very, very tired.

I'm off to finally crawl into bed and pray for a good day tomorrow and wishing it would be cooler, summer is officially here.

July? Really?

2010-07-03T18:03:00.000-07:00

Where on earth did June go? It's a little bizarre that this weekend is the 4th of July weekend. This year has just flown by, we're over half way to 2011. When did time speed up?

We've been keeping busy with little everyday things. Lego and I celebrated our 11th anniversary. It's hard to believe that we've been married that long. We spent our anniversary with our little monkey at the movie theater. We watched Toy Story 3, it was fantastic. Sprout really enjoyed it, I cried. We all had fun.

Sprout went to the dentist last week and it was the first time she really let them do anything. The first two times we went she would barely let them look in her mouth. This time she let them do the full cleaning. I was so proud of her. It was very cute cause she was beyond proud of herself as well.

My mom just spent the last week up here and we had fun running around and hanging out. We celebrated her birthday on the 30th and she and I went to a showing of Eclipse while Lego and Sprout had fun at home. Eclipse was really good. I think it was probably the best of the three movies. I'm planning on seeing it again with a couple girlfriends in the next two weeks.

Let's see, our garden is growing well, despite have a much cooler than normal summer thus far. Heat is on it's way and I'm dreading it. It's been so nice to have it cooler. I think the hottest we've gotten has been barely over 80, but mostly we've been in the mid-70s. This type of summer I can handle.

This week is sure to be a busy week. We have a guy coming to fix our new washer . . . we had a puddle in the laundry room after running a cleaning cycle. Playdate, hopefully. I get to see my chiropractor, which I am very much looking forward to. I also get to meet my new endocrinologist, which should be interesting; my last one moved away.

Well, I'm off. The little Sprout is summoning me. I hope you all have a very wonderful and safe weekend. Enjoy the fireworks!

Excited!

2010-06-09T21:52:00.000-07:00

This Sunday the new season of True Blood is starting on HBO and I'm beyond excited. I love the Sookie Stackhouse book series and actually just finished the newest book in the series "Dead in the Family", which was pretty good.

This may be lame to devote a blog post to this, but I have been waiting for this series to restart for such a long time. True Blood is actually the reason we got HBO in the first place. It's an addiction really, what can I say?

I will say that since the television show doesn't follow the books, it was a little confusing reading the newest book. It was a struggle to remember what happened in the books vs. what happened on the TV show. I do enjoy that to TV show doesn't follow the books and adds their own twists and elements of surprise.

Can't wait to see what happens Sunday night! If you haven't seen the show, you really should.

Still around . . .

2010-06-06T14:20:00.000-07:00

Now that preschool is out for the summer I've been on a bit of an internet moratorium. Sure I'll get on to check my facebook and other small tasks, but it has been so nice to be disconnected.

For mother's day I got a Nook e-reader and I LOVE it! Most of my extra time lately has been devoted to reading. I absolutely love how easy it is to order books with my Nook, makes me wonder why I didn't get one sooner! I thought I'd miss the sensation of a real book and flipping through the pages, but nope. I don't even really notice a difference. Other than the fact that as soon as I'm done with a book I don't have to run to the store to get the next book in the series, I just order it on my Nook and I have it in less then a minute ready to read. I absolutely love it! It's quickly becoming one of my favorite things!

Sprout is having fun picking all the flowers in our yard. She is constantly bringing me bouquets and is desperate for it to be summer. She and Lego have been having fun working in our garden and hopefully we'll get a little sun soon and our garden will start doing better.

Four Years

2010-05-12T13:31:00.000-07:00

This May is the four year anniversary of when I started blogging. I don't post as often as I should, but I'm pleasantly surprised that I'm still chugging along with it. So Happy Anniversary to this blog.

This week Sprout's preschool has a field trip on a riverboat. We get to go on an hour long boat ride and I'm excited to see all the kidlings enjoy themselves.

Our friends with the new baby girl who's been having seizures are now up at a children's hospital and they are trying to find a way to be able to bring her home and have a handle on her seizures. Things are starting to look up and we're praying that they will be able to bring her home this week.

Last night I had a board meeting for Sprout's preschool. It was may last meeting as secretary and first meeting as the incoming fundraising parent. It's going to be an interesting year and I have a feeling I'm going to be pretty busy. I received all the fundraising stuff in a box stuffed with papers and a unorganized binder. I sat down when I got home and got everything moderately organized and got rid of all the garbage and crap that we didn't need. It now fits into one binder.

Lego is currently very obsessed with his garden, and rightly so. He's put in so much work and I think we're going to have an amazing garden this year . . . if the bugs leave things alone. Right now Lego is waging war against the slugs, who seem to have taken a liking to my lemon cucumbers. It's still a little chilly here too. We think last week one of the nights may have gotten a little too cold for the lettuce. We'll see what we get as the summer progresses.

That was certainly a mish-mash of a post.

Color test . . .

2010-05-01T18:12:00.001-07:00

Tulip Landscape

I'm attempting to see if using flickr keeps the colors rich and doesn't fade them out like blogger does.

Tulip Festival 2010

2010-05-01T18:09:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to the tulip festival and it was beautiful! We went a little later in the season and there weren't as many buds and more were on their last leg, but they were still lovely.

Lego actually took an afternoon off from work so we could avoid the crowds and boy oh boy, did that make a difference from last year. So nice not to have to wait in line for over an hour just trying to make it into the parking lot.

Sprout had fun and is still in the phase of not letting me take many pictures of her. She'll hold still but won't look at me or when she looks at me her face is distorted as she's trying to be silly. I did manage to get a couple nice pictures eventually.

It ended up being a lovely day, a little cloudy, warm and no rain. The fields weren't muddy either, which was really nice.

Here's a few of the photos I took. I don't know why but when I uploaded them here the colors seemed to bleach out of them . . . anyone know how to avoid this, now they look like crap . . .

Winding Down

2010-04-28T14:54:00.000-07:00

Preschool is coming to an end, we only have six classes left. I must say I am looking forward to being on summer break, but Sprout is going to miss seeing her friends. Thankfully there will be park days this summer and hopefully we can plan some play dates with some of her closer friends.

Sprout got a little of my cold and has been coughing. She woke up Monday morning screaming that her ear and throat hurt so we decided to skip preschool on Thursday and I'm glad we did. She's gotten some nice down time and seems to be almost back to normal.

Other than school winding down there's not much going on here. The house is nice and clean, finally . . . it was a disaster after my feeling not too hot for a couple weeks. It's nice to have things clean and put away with only minimal pick at the end of the day.

Lego is taking off tomorrow and Friday, says he needs a mental health day. So it will be nice to have him around. We don't do huge vacations so it's nice for him to take a couple days here and there.

Friday we have Sprout's 4 year well-child-visit. I always look forward to see how much she's grown. I'm fairly certain that she won't need shots this time either, so that's a bonus.

Our painting project is going pretty good. The master bedroom and bath are almost entirely done. Lego still needs to paint the baseboards, doors and closet doors, but the walls and trim are done. He's just started to move onto the hallway and has all the trim and baseboards painted now onto the walls. It's going to be so nice to have a fresh coat of paint and new colors.

Our friends who had the baby girl with the brain hemorrhage are still in the NICU and have been there for a month now. The poor little one has been having continuous seizures and they are having troubles finding a way to effectively control them. I can't imagine what they are going through. It's things like this that really make you realize how incredibly blessed you are. We are keeping them in our prayers and they could certainly use all the prayers they can get.

Tonight we're doing leftovers and Lego and I have a movie date after the munchkin goes to bed.

I can breathe . . .

2010-04-20T16:33:00.000-07:00

What a relief! I'm finally feeling human again. It took a good week and a half to start feeling better. My throat is no longer on fire and that's a wonderful feeling. It's still a smidge scratchy and I still have a minor cough, but it's a drastic improvement.

Last weekend we had the silent auction for Sprout's preschool. I did a lot of helping with the event and it was fun. Next year I'm on the board again as the fundraising chairperson. So, planning this huge shindig will be my job. I'm equally nervous and excited about it.

My parents came up here and babysat Sprout while Lego and I went to the auction. We walked away with a certificate for summer dance classes for the munchkin and a beautiful quilt with all the kids handprints. I'm so thrilled with what we got.

We only have a few weeks left of preschool until summer vacation so we're beginning to wind down for the year and Sprout is not looking forward to not going to school over the summer. The good thing is that next year I'll still be working in the classroom, but Sprout will be going to school three days a week instead of two, which she's excited about.

Now, I must go figure what to cook for dinner.

My amazing hubby

2010-04-13T14:55:00.000-07:00

I usually don't ask Lego to stay home from work unless I'm in serious pain or nearly unconscious. Sprout and I usually manage with the help of lots of movies and just laying low.

Last night I started to feel worse and I told Lego that there was just no way I was going to be able to do preschool today. Well, this morning Lego surprised me by decided to stay home and take Sprout to preschool and just give me a chance to rest and get better. It was a delightful surprise.

This morning I got to sleep in and I've been taking it pretty easy today, which has been nice. I still feel like crap, but hopefully it'll be gone soon. Thankfully, my board meeting got cancelled tonight and I have tomorrow to try to get over this gunk. It's nasty crud.

Thanks to my handsome hubby for taking care of me and our little Sprout. Love you sweetie!

cough, cough, sneeze, sniffle, hack

2010-04-12T23:18:00.000-07:00

Ugh, I'm miserable. My throat feels red and raw. My nose alternates between runny faucet and feeling like it's stuffed with cement. To top it off, my ears are plugged, ringing and hurt every time I swallow . . . both of them. I wish I could just crawl into bed and stay there, but my sweet little four year old wants to play and have fun. So, that's what we did today, we watched movies, played dolls, whipped out the tinker toys and made some pretty cool pictures.

Tomorrow I'm hoping to wake up and feel much better. We have preschool and I would hate for Sprout to miss it. Right now though, it's not looking too good that we'll be there. I'm hoping and praying that Sprout doesn't get this gunk.

Soft and Green

2010-04-08T21:38:00.000-07:00

This picture looks so soft. We have this growing in the yard as well as lambs ear and I love to pick a piece and play with it in my fingers as I'm watching Sprout play around and wear herself out.

She should be worn out tonight, but she's back in the bed talking and singing to herself. For her preschool today we had a field trip to the Humane Society. She found a cat that she fell in love with, pet a baby rat, and feed a dog treat to a big dog. She didn't want to touch the rabbit though.

After seeing all her friends and the animals we ran and grabbed lunch at Panda Express. I love their string bean chicken and Sprout likes their pot stickers. Then it was shopping at the mall and a local used bookstore. Sprout came away with a few summer outfits (I had to redeem some coupons that gave me 50% off at an awesome kids store) and some new books. I love how this kid loves to read. Right now she's big into the Berenstain Bears (which I loved as a child), Fancy Nancy books, Pinkalicious and numerous others. We actually picked up a Where's Waldo? book the other night. Lego found it and was feeling quite nostalgic and decided to bring it home. Sprout has been enjoying finding everything.

Tomorrow, we will staying at home and having a pajama day. I think we're going to make some brownie cupcakes (Sprout's always thrilled when she gets to cook) and I'm going to catch up on some cleaning.

All clear

2010-04-06T22:29:00.000-07:00

Sprout ended up not having a black eye, thank goodness. It stayed red and puffy until Saturday morning then she started to look more normal. By Easter Sunday her eye looked completely fine. However, she was beyond whiny and cranky and I didn't bother pulling out my camera Hopefully she'll cooperate later in the week and let me dress her all up again and snap some cute pictures.

This weekend was super busy. My parents were visiting and of course all the Easter excitement. Sprout didn't get near enough sleep this weekend and was running on empty most of the time making her a major grouch. Thankfully, she slept in this morning and was in a fairly decent mood today.

I don't know what it is, maybe there's something in the air but Sprout has been more whiny than normal. I must say it's driving me batty. I talked to some moms at the preschool and they're dealing with the same thing. Something is either going around or those kids are getting together during class and plotting ways to irritate their parents.

Now that Sprout is finally asleep I'm going to go crawl into bed myself. Night all!

Round these parts . . .

2010-04-01T23:30:00.000-07:00

Miss Sprout may have her first black eye . . . just in time for her Easter pictures. Today at preschool she took a shovel full of sand straight to her face. Luckily, I got there early since it was her turn to do sharing (basically show-and-tell) and was able to get her cleaned up and calmed down.

I was in the classroom waiting for the kids to come back in from the playground and I heard a kid start screaming. My first thought was, wow another kiddo with an ear-piercing octave like Sprout. About a second later I realized that it was indeed my Sprout. I went over to the window to see if I could see anything and I couldn't so I began to quickly head outside as her teacher, Ms. Butterfly was carrying her in.

Her eyes were covering with sand, she couldn't open them. There was sand in her nostrils, in her mouth and in her hair. Ms. Butterfly assured me that it was an accident. I had to reign in my mother bear instinct (I will admit that I wanted to take down a little four-year-old for a fleeting second). I finally got her cleaned up and calmed down but the rest of day her left eye has progressively gotten more red under her eye and on her eyelid and she keeps telling me her eye hurts. I'm wondering if she actually got a shovel in her face as well as the sand. After preschool the afternoon was also just one giant whinefest . . . which I can't really blame her if she was hurting, but let's just say I was looking forward to bedtime tonight.

I'm hoping that she wakes up in the morning and her eye looks better and isn't hurting anymore (and the whininess is back in control). If it's still hurting we're going to call the pediatrician. I'm just envisioning the sand having scratched her eye . . .

This week has also been a very odd week around here. It started with our good friends having their little girl. We went to the hospital and got to visit. Absolutely adorable and so tiny, hard to believe that Sprout was once that size. Middle of the week we got news that some of our other good friends are divorcing, which totally blew me out of the water. So not expecting it. Then today, we found out that the little baby girl we visited at the hospital has a hemorrhage on her left frontal lobe of her brain and has been having seizures. She's right now on anti-seizure medication that seems to be keeping the seizures at bay, but any prayers for this little miracle would be so greatly appreciated.

This is what has been going on round these parts. Have a great weekend and a Happy Easter!

Fresh

2010-03-21T23:00:00.000-07:00

I’m parked underneath a blooming cherry blossom tree where a fluffy, stocky little bumblebee is dancing between the flowers happily buzzing and collecting his pollen.

I love spring. I love the flowers starting to push up from the ground and the green sheen that is starting to show up all around us here.

I hated losing that hour of sleep this past weekend, but I definitely enjoyed the extra hour of light we are getting in the evening. Lego is happy that he is able to get some yard work done after getting off work.

We have our garden mostly ready. The rows are staked off and the dirt is neatly allotted to its mounds. Lego has to get the supports up for the beans to grow on and we’re all set. I think this coming week we’ll plant some of the vegetables that can tolerate the cooler temperatures. After Easter we’ll start adding in more of the less hearty vegetables.

This morning as we were leaving church Sprout asked me, “Mom, what did you think of church?” I told her that I thought it was pretty good. I then turned the question around and asked her what she thought. She told me, “Actually,” this is her new word that she says all the time . . . “I thought it was pretty boring.” I couldn’t help but laugh at her honesty and the fact that the gentleman in sitting in front of us let out a few snores through the sermon as well.

Hope you all had a weekend as wonderfully delightful as we did.

Spout's Pick

2010-03-20T18:55:00.000-07:00

Today was such a beautiful and lovely day. We ran some errands and had lunch, just a good day all around. Sprout and I even wore flip flops, it was a nice taste of spring before the rainy weather heads back this way.

While we were out we ran to the nursery to pick up some strawberry plants and a few other goodies for our garden. Sprout picked out this pretty little cyclamen plant. She debated on getting a ranunculus or maybe even a pretty purple pansy, but the pink cyclamen won out. She's been carrying it around the house and is trying to convince the cat to smell it.

Bedtime is coming soon and I'm hoping that after a busy fun day our little Sproutlet will fall asleep easily.

Ahhh, Spring Break . . .

2010-03-18T15:38:00.000-07:00

Today was our last day of preschool, not that we made it, before spring break. I am beyond ready for some time off.

Last night Sprout decided it was the perfect time to wake up for the day at 3:00 AM. She finally fell back to sleep around 5:30 AM. There was no way I was going to wake her up for preschool. We were both exhausted.

This next week we have no plans and I'm so glad. We've been running non-stop for the past three weeks and we're well overdue for a break. I'm feeling so worn down. I'm looking forward to staying home and vegging a lot this week. I think I'm also fighting some gunk off. My throat has been hurting and I can see little white spots in the back of my throat . . . not good. I'm hoping taking it easy for the next little while will help me get better. If not, it's off to the doctor.

Sprout is anxious for some warmer weather. She keeps asking me when we can pull out her swimming pool. Today she's been running around in a sundress and her flip flops. Thankfully, today was a pretty nice day. The sun was shinning and it even warmed up a bit.

Lego has been working on getting our garden area ready for planting. He's been out there turning the soil and we are all looking forward to all the fresh fruits and vegetables we'll be getting this summer. Sprout's looking most forward to the strawberries and I'm anxious for the lemon cucumbers and the little orange tomatoes.

Not sure when we will actually plant the garden. We'll probably have another cold snap so I think we'll hold off a little while longer.

Things on my mind . . .

2010-03-10T13:52:00.000-08:00

I’m lucky. I really am, I have a wonderful hubby an amazing daughter and the opportunity to stay home and raise my child. Things are tight; we don’t always get to do the things we would like to do or have the things we want to have, but the sacrifice is very worth it. I just know that I wouldn’t be able to handle not being with Sprout all day, it would make me more of a worrisome mess than I already am.

With Lego bringing in our income I at times feel like I could be doing more, contributing more and have been searching for a long time for a way to bring in some of my own money. The only catch is it needs to be something I can do from home, preferably in the evenings when the kidlet is fast asleep snugly in her bed. I haven’t found it yet, but I’m still searching. I feel like it might be fruitless and a waste of time, but I search nevertheless.

Lately I have been really getting back into writing, not that you could tell from my blog. I used to write a lot of little stories in high school and through college. I never really shared them with anyone, not even Lego. They’re just for me and for fun, to get some of the thoughts and ideas out of my brain. After Sprout was born I didn’t have time to do anything but keep that miraculous little life alive and thriving. Now that she’s a little older I’m finding I have time to do things that I once used to enjoy. This week I have put a small piece of my writing up for critique at a critique board I joined and I’m nervous. I don’t know why, it’s not like I’m ever going to meet these people, but just putting myself out there for the first time is hard.

I’ve also pulled my camera out and have been taking more photos. Sprout and I have a deal. She can make all the funny faces she wants, just no running from me. How it started, I don’t know, but whenever I would pull out my camera Sprout automatically thought that meant a game of chase was starting. Aggravating? Yes! All my shots end up totally blurry with a little pink streak dashing through the frame. I’m hoping to get some nice shots of the monkey and get back into the habit of taking pictures more regularly.

Tonight I have another chiropractor appointment and I'm looking forward to it. I'm surprised by how much better my shoulder has been feeling. It's nice to not be so achey. Yes, it still feels stiff, but I don't feel the need to constantly rub it. It is pretty creepy when he pops my neck, but it feels very nice!

Projects, Painting and Chiropractors

2010-02-28T20:18:00.000-08:00

I know it's been a while, but I haven't really had much to say. We've been busy working on updating our bathroom and painting. It's nice to have fresh new colors on the walls and no more of the horrible green that was on them. We still have a long way to go, but at least we've made a good start.

I've been having problems with my shoulder for probably about 6-7 years. Breaking it last February certainly didn't help it either. I've gone to my doctor and seen a physical therapist, but nether has been able to do much for it. So I decided to try something new . . . This last week I went to the chiropractor for the first time and it went well. He adjusted my back a bit and he popped my neck, which was actually kinda creepy but felt good. I go back again on Wednesday. I'm hoping he can help with my shoulder, we'll see.

Sprout is doing well. Sassy as ever. Lately she's been going through a testing phase and telling us, "I wanna do what I wanna do." Complete with eye rolls. Yeah . . . it's just a riot. I swear she's not four, she's fourteen. I'm not looking forward to all the time outs that will be in her future, but if it gets her back to the sweet and respectful Sprout, I'm ready to do it.

We're keeping super busy with her preschool and she still LOVES it. I must be crazy cause I've signed up to be on the board again and agreed to be the parent who does the fundraising job. Which means that I'm going to have to plan a quite substantial silent auction. I'm a little lot nervous about it. I am confident that I can manage it as long as I have adequate help though.

Lego is good, considering all the painting he's been doing. He's looking forward to getting out and working in our garden and it's so nice to see all the stores start to carry their gardening starts and seeds. Sprout is also very much looking forward to gardening. This year I'm hoping to do a herb garden this year in addition to vegetable garden.

Our SUV is in the shop until Monday so we've all been schlepping around in our little compact car and it's definitely cramped. I'm not looking forward to the $400 bill that picking the SUV up will mean. Why do cars have to be so expensive?

The Dress

2010-02-11T21:50:00.000-08:00

Sprout is ready for summer. When my mom was staying with us we of course did some shopping. We found an adorable little pink summer dress that Sprout fell in love with. I figured I could pair it with a little sweater and some leggings and she would be fine wearing it now and then once summer was here it'd be an adorable little sleeveless dress.

While she's at preschool or out and about she'll wear it with the leggings and the sweater, but as soon as we get home it's like we're going to the beach. The sweater gets ripped off along with the socks, shoes and leggings and they're thrown willy-nilly on her path to her bedroom. On goes the pink flip flops and jewelry and she's ready for the sun. If only we had some sun. I'm surprised she hasn't gotten a cold with how chilly it's been here. Luckily we've made a deal that she alternates between the flip flops and some fuzzy slippers. I can also sneak a pink sweater on her and she pretends she's taking her animals for a walk.

I'm wondering if I shouldn't try to get another one of these dresses, she was very distraught when I finally made her take it off after wearing it for two days (one day to preschool then the next day around the house) and told her it needed to be washed. Maybe she'll let me veer away from the pink . . . probably not.

Projects

2010-02-04T17:34:00.000-08:00

This weekend I've talked Lego into starting some projects that I've been wanting to do around the house. We're going to start re-painting with some new colors as I can't take the colors I picked 3 months postpartum. We're also going to revamp our armoire which should be lots of fun! I'm excited to give a fresh clean feel to the house. Lego made me promise that it would be us painting and not just him painting. He hates painting, which is why I helped last time. I agreed that it would be us, and by us I mean Lego, Sprout and I.

It's going to be nice to have a weekend at home working on the house. Today was Sprout's preschool and I worked in the room. It was a pretty easy day, which was nice. Sprout was insistent that the snack we bring was carrots, baby corn with ranch dip and Pirate Booty. It was quite popular with the kidlings. Although, Pirate Booty always is . . . they ate two full bags today and even wanted more. After school Sprout and I got lunch at a 50s diner that she loves and ran a quick errand.

I am tired and looking forward to bed time. I still haven't figured out what to cook for dinner so I need to get on top of that. At least I have the chicken thawed.

A pleasant way to pass the time . . .

2010-02-03T19:54:00.000-08:00

Today Sprout and I stayed home and watched movies, played games and just relaxed. I didn't manage to get the house vacuumed, but I did strip all the beds and get the sheets washed. It was so nice to not have to do my hair and make up or get dressed. In all honesty, I haven't even showered yet today! Although, I will be before getting into my clean sheets tonight!

I've decided to make an effort to bring out my camera more often as it's been quite a while since I've used it. I used to take pictures every day, but lately I'm lucky if I use it once a month. I know that I'm going to regret not using it more, but Sprout hasn't been the most willing of subjects for the past few months and I find myself getting frustrated because I can't get her to stop running away from me or making silly faces. Now, I love seeing pictures of her silly faces, but I would occasionally like to see what her normal face looks like too. So, I'm going to try to pull out my camera at least three times a week and post some pictures on here more as well.

Well, I'm off to give the monkey her bath then bed. I'm working in her classroom tomorrow, just found out tonight actually so I need some good sleep to deal with 15 little monkeys!

Feeling Worn Out!

2010-02-02T19:24:00.000-08:00

These past two weeks Sprout and I have been running non-stop, at least it seems so. My mom was here all last week and we were crazy busy! Tomorrow we are finally staying home and doing nothing. I'm immensely looking forward to it. I get to clean and put things back where they belong, change the sheets on the bed and even . . . vacuum! I'm thrilled! Sprout is glad to be able to stay home tomorrow and have a pajama day. Lately when we're running errands she'll ask me, "can we go home now?"

This past weekend we went to the Aquarium with grandma and grandpa. We ran around in the pouring rain from building to building getting drenched. I brought my camera with me, but I didn't pull it out once . . . how horrible am I? Honestly, it was a toss up of not wanting it to get wet and me just being lazy. I was so tired once Saturday rolled around that I'm amazed I was actually able to make it through the day.

I've started a new book, but I've read about 10 pages and haven't had a chance to pick it back up again. I'm so glad that things are finally slowing down again. Tonight we're having frozen pizzas, wife of the year that I am forgot to take anything out to thaw. Then Sprout's going to bed early as she woke up at 6AM and is fading quickly tonight. The highlight is going to be watching the new episode of LOST. So excited!

Wasn't expecting that . . .

2010-02-01T20:20:00.000-08:00

Last Friday I went to the ophthalmologist for my annual eye exam with my posse in tow . . . Sprout, Grandma and Grandpa. I knew I would be getting my eyes dilated (I have to do it every year instead of every other year) and I wanted someone to drive me home. I would also need someone to watch Sprout while I was in the exam room. So, everyone ended up going with me because mom didn't want to drive my car and I wanted her to be there to help me pick out new frames.

They seemed to be running late and I didn't get back to the exam room until twenty minutes after my scheduled appointment time. My parents were way more annoyed that I was. My ophthalmologist is such a nice guy I didn't really mind waiting . . . didn't have anywhere else to be anyway.

Once back in the exam room they did some of the standard tests and I asked if they were going to do the puff of air in my eyes and I was told that they no longer perform that test, as it's has a high inaccuracy rate. Instead they put yellow eye drops in my eyes, yes it turned my eyes yellow, then brought a lit-tube-type-thingy super close and tickled my eyelashes. It was so much better than the puff of air, I hated that stupid test.

After my eyes were dilated they sent me back to the waiting room to get fully dilated then did the exam. I am pleased to report that my eyes are perfectly healthy! In fact,my vision has improved . . . my vision is now 20/15. The ophthalmologist told me that 20/15 was the goal of people who get Lasik. I no longer really need glasses. He did say that I might want them for night driving, but that I really don't need them. To say the least that made my day.

This week I am planning on going to the DMV to contest the vision portion of the exam and see if I can get the "needs glasses" off my license. I'm also looking forward to buying sunglasses off the rack. I didn't know that your eyesight could improve on its own, you learn something new everyday I suppose.

An A-Z about me . . .

2010-01-26T00:04:00.000-08:00

I saw this over at my friend Misti's Blog and I thought I'd follow suit. It's been a while since I've done something of this nature and I really don't have anything very interesting to blog about.

A – Age: 30
B – Bed size: King
C – Chore you hate: Folding the laundry
D – Dog’s name: Don’t have a dog, but I have two cats!
E – Essential “start your day” item: Get Sprout on the potty, then myself.
F – Favorite color: Pink
G – Gold or Silver: Silver
H – Height: 5′9″
I – Instruments you play(ed): Flute and piccolo.
J – Job title: Stay at home mom
K – Kid(s): Sprout
M – Mom’s name: Currently mostly Grandma
N – Nicknames: Aside from mom, momma and mommy? Hmm, lovebug, pumpkin, sweetie.
O – Overnight hospital stay other than childbirth: After leaving the hospital after Sprout's birth I was taken back into the hospital because I began to hemorrhage. Also, had a few overnight stays when I was pregnant with Sprout.
P – Pet Peeve: When people don't use their blinker or when people chew with their mouths open . . . eww!
Q – Quote from a movie: "Beginning's are scary and endings are usually sad, but it's the middle that counts the most."
R – Right- or left-handed: Right.
S – Siblings: Nope
T – Time you wake up: Depends on the day . . . usually when Sprout gets up.
U - Underwear: Is this a question?
V – Vegetable you dislike: I like most veggies, but I'm not particularly fond of peppers.
W – Ways you drink your coffee: Don't drink coffee, I'm a tea sort of girl.
X-rays you’ve had: Let's see . . . Foot, hand, shoulder . . . I think that's it.
Y – Yummy food you make: Balsamic chicken with asparagus, chicken enchiladas, spaghetti and meatballs
Z – Zoo favorite : We love the zoo train and the polar bears.

Ray of Sunshine

2010-01-22T11:35:00.000-08:00

We saw the sun! Can you believe it! After weeks of rain the sun peered out from the gray rain clouds and it was delightful! It was like spring. Such a welcome ray of light!

Can you imagine how other people in my neck of the woods must feel? I love the rain and the cool cloudy weather. That's when I'm the most happy and content. If I'm to the point where I'm happy to see the sun people who loathe the rain and gloomy days must be about ready to rip their hair out!

The sun only lasted for an afternoon the other day, today it was back to rain and drizzle. It was nice to see and it seemed to recharge my batteries. Very welcome break in the bleak days of winter.

This coming week my mom will be up here and will stay for the week. Even though dad's retired he's staying home to work on his long list of home improvement projects. The main reason why mom's coming up is because I have my annual eye exam where they dilate your eyes and you can't drive afterwards. Plus, I want her opinion on some new frames. I'm excited to get new glasses, I don't know why, but I love picking out new frames.

I'm a glasses girl, I don't do contacts. I've tried twice and neither time was pretty. The first time was at the W@l M@rt optical center where I'm almost passed out in their teeny tiny room. Apparently, I have an issue with putting things in my eye - think Rachel on Friends. Second time was a few years ago and the lady who helped me, bless her heart, was so patient and it took me forever, but I managed to get them in. I wore them for a short time and I hated them; they were irritating and I just wanted to rub my eyes and get them out. So, it's glasses for me. I'm lucky in that my prescription isn't that strong and I don't need to wear them in the house, really only when I'm driving. Lego is thinking about getting contacts this next go round. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about that. I love him in glasses, I think he's sexy in glasses. We'll see how he likes sticking them in his eyes.

Tidying Up

2010-01-18T19:02:00.000-08:00

We've spent the weekend relaxing and trying to straighten things up around here. Lego is in the midsts of working on the garage and taking a load to Goodwill and I sorted out our kitchen and pantry.

It feels so nice to not have things tumble out of the cabinets and to actually have some room to put things. I had been meaning to tackle the project over Christmas break, but never got around to it. We also have all the laundry washed and Lego's gotten his clothes and the towels folded and put away, I need to do Sprout and mine tomorrow.

We even managed to find a little bit of time to go outside today and blow some bubbles before the rain came back. We've been getting nothing but rain here, well . . . and some wind. It was so nice today when the rain slowed and we got outside without getting drenched.

Tonight, after Sprout goes to bed, I will be finishing up with the kitchen and getting that sparkling then a quick pick up of all the waywardly discarded toys and the house will be doing quite nice.

Tomorrow we're off to preschool. Miss Butterfly won't be there tomorrow as her daughter is having her twins (boys I believe). Hopefully, we'll make it to class; Sprout has been coughing a bit more at night lately . . . please don't let the croup be coming back . . . We'll see what tonight has in store for us.

Night all!

Sniffles

2010-01-16T14:56:00.000-08:00

Sprout has had the sniffles the past couple days, but thankfully she's been doing better. After a week of running around, errands and appointments we're having a nice relaxing day at home. Playing the Wii and attempting to get motivated to clean.

Yesterday Ella got spayed. She came home with instructions to relax for a week and no playing . . . um yeah . . . no one told her apparently. She still wants to play and be a frisky little kitten, but we are trying to keep her calm.

I'm thinking tomorrow we'll head out somewhere fun after church. Lego has a three day weekend so hopefully we'll get something done around the house as well.

Princess Cinderella Cupcake

2010-01-13T20:12:00.000-08:00

I was able to snap a quick picture of Ella the other night when Sprout was holding her. I'm hoping I'll remember to get some better pictures of her soon.

Brilliant Idea!

2010-01-13T19:50:00.000-08:00

For a while now my mom has been harassing me to get my flu shots. Everyone in the family has had both of them, except me. My mother was very concerned, she's a worrier by nature. Every time I would see her or talk to her on the phone, which is everyday, she'd bring up the subject. Unfortunately, I had the-cold-that-would-not-die for almost three months so I was unable to get vaccinated. When I felt better I tried to get them, but everywhere I called was out and didn't know when they would get more.

Today I finally managed to get both the seasonal and the H1N1 shots, which my mother informs me might rebound in the spring. So, now I'm set, aside from the sore arms. I do feel slightly better having the shots, but mainly because it will help set my mother's fears at ease.

I took Sprout with me and she didn't want to watch them give me shots so she hid her eyes, but she gave me Baby Chloe to make sure I'd be alright. After the shots were done, we decided to go get ice cream. After Sprout gets any shots we always grab a treat and we figured it was only fair to get a treat after mommy got two shots.

We stopped by Dairy Queen and got our goodies and sat and chatted. I love hanging out with my little girl, she's so much fun.

Well, tomorrow is a preschool day so I must wrangle my little monkey into bed now.

Weekend Recap

2010-01-10T18:59:00.000-08:00

This has certainly been a busy weekend. Last night I came home and melted into my bed. So, here's what went down . . .

Friday - Mom and dad got here in the afternoon. Mom, Sprout and I went and rounded up all the party paraphernalia, which we did across town. We rushed back to my hair stylist for my appointment and got my hair cut. Then home, dinner, made the party favors and then crawled into bed.

Saturday - Party day! Lego and my dad picked up the cake and got a few more things for the bags. Everyone dressed piled into the car and we got some lunch before we picked up the balloons then off to the kids museum type place for the party to set up. Guest arrived and they had a blast! They did a butterfly magnet craft and had some cake and ice cream. We then gave them their goodie bags to put all their loot from the pinata. The pinata was prettty cool. It was Cinderella and it wasn't one you have to bash with a stick. The kids each got to choose a string from the bottom to pull and one magical string popped the bottom open, releasing all the candy. It was a fun day and Sprout has a blast with her friends. After playing outside on the play structure we headed home.

Mom and I went to see "Leap Year" at a very cool theater that serves dinner. It was a lot of fun and it was a pretty cute movie.

Sunday - This morning was a big morning. We adopted a kitten. She's 3 months old and black and white, she's adorable! Sprout has decided to name her . . . Princess Cinderella Cupcake. We will call her Ella for short. I'm going to take some pictures of her tonight or tomorrow. Sprout is in love with her and is so excited, so are Lego and I.

Tomorrow is going to be a veg day and cleaning up after our whirlwind weekend.

Check it out!

2010-01-07T14:31:00.000-08:00

I've created a new blog for posting reviews of the books I read. Let me know what you think!

The Chick-Lit Chick

Life's a little hectic right now

2010-01-07T14:21:00.000-08:00

Saturday is Sprout's birthday bash and I have so much to do for it. There will be 11 kids there, so far, still waiting to hear from two families. I need to get stuff for both boy and girl party favor bags and make them, pick up the cake, get ice cream, order balloons, get decorations, get a Pinata (maybe), and plates and such. Whew! I have to do this all tomorrow (along with getting my haircut, which is beyond overdue!) and I'm hoping my parents can make it up to help me out, but they are both just getting over a nasty cold. I hope they feel well enough cause if they don't they won't be able to make it and Sprout would be very disappointed.

For my dad's first week of retirement he's spent it feeling crummy with a sore throat. I don't know how he does it, but even though he was sick he's been working outside on the house. The man simply can't sit still, he's practically a machine! Mom's had the same gunk and she's been down for the count. Even when I talk to her she sounds horrible, almost as if her tongue is swollen. I certainly don't want what they've got seeing as we've just gotten over all the crap we've had. Praying they start feeling better soon and get back to good health. It's amazing how hard this winter has been health-wise for nearly everyone we know.

Sprout and I are off to another appointment so I must skedattle. Hopefully, I'll find time to post tomorrow!

Ahhh . . .

2010-01-06T21:51:00.000-08:00

I can breathe a sigh of relief. Whew, that feels good!

Last night I got a call from my doctor herself. She was concerned about my eye and wanted me to get in and see my ophthalmologist ASAP. It freaked me out that she was very concerned, so I called the eye clinic this morning and they got me in this afternoon. My ophthalmologist also just so happens to be the brother to my dentist, whom I adore. They are both fantastic doctors and so nice and friendly. He looked at my eye and said that there was a difference in size, but it was only a .5mm difference and that my eye looked fine and was responding well to light. Whew! I feel so much better. I know I worry too much and stress over the little things, but I just can't help it.

Sprout was an angel today at my appointment. She was dancing in the waiting area and making everyone smile. I had a lot of people tell me she was just darling. I most emphatically agree, I'm a very lucky mommy!

This morning the bed technician came and checked out our new mattress. I don't remember if I've mentioned this or not but, the new mattress they brought right after Thanksgiving is getting a rut just like the first mattress we got. The technician, who was the same as the last time, came and checked it out and agreed that it's rutting again. I still think it's the box spring, but he doesn't think so. Really? What is the likelihood that we'd get two mattresses in a row that rut in the exact same place? I don't think so. This is a Sealy mattress, I was under the impression that this was a good brand. The tech is thinking they may just replace everything and see how that works. Which I hope will be the case. I'm betting that if they just send a third mattress our way it will develop the same rut as the other two.

Well, tonight's a school night so I should hop off to bed or I'll be regretting it in the morning. Night all!

Pupils

2010-01-05T16:27:00.000-08:00

Something strange happened to me the other afternoon. I was putting on my mascara, I had a dental appointment to go to, as I was looking in the mirror I noticed that one of my pupils was slightly larger than the other. After freaking out on the inside, tried to stay calm on outside for Sprout, I called Lego and he said he was on his way home and we would figure it out from there.

I called my endocrinologist, as she is the one who has prescribed all my medications, I am thinking that since I have lost some weight I may need to lower the dosage of medicine I am taking. She returned the phone call with a message that I couldn't understand. Her assistant apparently had trouble forming a coherent sentence.

This morning, since my pupil was still slightly larger than the other, I decided to call my primary care physician and my ophthalmologist to see what I should do. I'm still waiting to hear back from my primary doctor but the ophthalmologist got back to me quickly as said it should be fine. Some difference is ok and since my vision isn't blurry and I don't have headache I don't need to worry.

I'm still a little weirded out by it. It's not that noticeable and it still reacts to light, but it's unnerving. Hopefully, it will go away and be nothing serious. This may sound silly, but any prayers would be appreciated, I'm a worrier and the power of prayer always make me feel better.

39 Years

2010-01-04T13:37:00.000-08:00

My dad has retired after 39 years with his current employer. He also retired a few years ago from the Navy reserves after 25 years. December 31st was the last day he officially worked, but he officially retired on January 2nd.

It's strange to think that my parents are both retired. Dad cleaned out his office and said his goodbyes and is now free to do as he pleases. When he told me what everyone did for him and him saying his goodbyes it almost made me cry.

My parents are looking forward to traveling more and be able to visit whenever they want to. They are planning on moving closer to us which will be nice. They are coming up this Friday to help me get things ready for Sprout's party on Saturday. I jokingly asked dad if he thought he'd be able to get out of work early on Friday. He chuckled, telling me there was a very good chance that he could manage something.

Congratulations to one of the hardest working men I've ever known! Love you dad!

Sprout Update

2010-01-03T18:37:00.000-08:00

I meant to add this to the last post but spaced it. Sprout is starting to feel a little better now that her meds have kicked in. I'm hoping that after a couple more doses that she'll be feeling like herself again.

Merry Christmas . . . finally!

2010-01-03T17:34:00.000-08:00

The weekend after Thanksgiving my parents and the three of us ventured into Lowe's. We saw the same front loading washer and dryer that they have for half off. That's when my parents decided that if we wanted a front loading washer dryer pair they would get them for us and consider them our Christmas present for this year. Lego and I were thrilled, to put it mildly.

The original delivery date was set for December 11th. I was shocked it would get here that soon since they were back ordered. Lowe's called the day before the scheduled delivery date and said they didn't have any. They changed the date to December 27th or 28th . . . nothing. January 3rd, maybe? Nope, Lego finally called and talked to the guy that had worked with us and they didn't know when they were going to get anymore in. We ended up being bumped up to the newer model for the same price as the original set we picked out. It has a few more cycles than the other ones and the buttons are silver instead of white, but it's essentially the same machine.

It was delivered this afternoon and installed. We haven't used it yet as Lego is trying to scoot it over so that we can open the detergent drawer without having to open the door. The doorknob on the door to the garage won't allow the drawer to completely open. Lego is in the laundry room trying to get the dryer vent situated and, I think, is getting a tad frustrated.

I'm excited to use it! Thanks mom and dad for an awesome Christmas present!

Wii and the pediatrician

2010-01-02T14:04:00.000-08:00

We're addicted. Sprout loves it . . . it such a fun thing for us all to do together. Today we're just relaxing together and having fun.

Sprout and I just got back from a trip to the pediatrician, she has another urinary tract infection. The doctor told me something that I didn't know before and that I hope helps us, cause UTI's are miserable! He told us that when she's on the potty she has to have her feet on a stool in order to fully void the bladder. Apparently, when your feet are dangling you're flexing your muscles and it doesn't allow the bladder to completely empty . . . which is bad and causes UTI's. So, we're going to start using her stool again and hope that this clears things up.

Well, I must rush off and swing by the pharmacy and pick her medication, then back home to play games with the family.

Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T15:02:00.000-08:00

2009 will be over in a few short hours and we'll be ushering in 2010. Hopefully, this new year will be a better year for us all. 2009 really wasn't all that spectacular and it was a tough year for many. Maybe 2010 will see our economy begin to turn around and families will no longer have to struggle so hard just to make ends meet, at least that's my prayer.

In our little family we have a new year's tradition of chinese food every New Year's Eve. So this year we're going to go to a yummy chinese restaurant then off to a small get together with a lady in Lego's office. We'll be home well before midnight, if we take Sprout out too late we're worried she'll turn into a pumpkin. We'll have lots of little things to nibble on at home, drink our sparkling cider and watch the ball drop. Low key, but perfect for us.

I hope you all have a wonderful time ringing in 2010 and praying that this year will be wonderful for all of us! Happy New Year!

New Year's Resolutions

2009-12-30T14:36:00.000-08:00

As this year draws to a close I'm prompted to think about what I want to accomplish next year, what my resolutions are. So I thought I would list out my New Year's resolutions here.

1. Continue to lose weight and make healthier choices. Doing pretty good so far. A little side note . . . totally out of character for me, I hardly touched the Christmas fudge and cookies I made this year, go me!

2. Continue to love, cherish and educate Sprout and always be there for her.

3. Be a better wife to Lego. I need to make more time for him and focus on us as much as I focus on Sprout. It's hard to balance and at times I'm better than others and I've noticed lately that I've been a little lax when it comes to Lego.

4. Getting more education. I've always been interested in graphic design and I'm planning on getting some education. I would love to attend an on campus program, but that's just not an option for me so I'm looking into an online training program that I'm very interested in and I'm hoping to start it this year.

5. Go on a family vacation. We haven't been on a vacation in a long time. Yes, we've been on short trips to the beach but not an actual vacation.

Just a Dusting

2009-12-29T14:19:00.000-08:00

There is nothing quite like watching it snow. It's peaceful, beautiful and almost magical as you watch it cover the ground. Today we are getting our first snow of the year. It's just a light dusting, but it still is lovely.

Sprout and I are watching the Parent Trap (the old one with Haley Mills) and we can look out the window and see the big fluffy flakes fall off and on. Sprout is desperate to go out and play in it, she wants to build a snowman. Sadly, I don't think the snowman will happen, there just isn't enough snow. I hope this snow continues and doesn't turn into freezing rain as predicted.

I love the snow!

Digging out.

2009-12-28T15:13:00.000-08:00

So all the Christmas decorations are down here. It's a little sad to not see the house festooned in all it's holiday glory, but it's also nice to get rid of the clutter. The tree is still up and will stay up until New Years. Sprout keeps telling me how much she misses the decorations and that she wants them to stay up.

Sprout's toys are slowly finding themselves placed into their new homes. A lot of them are staying out in plain sight because there is no more room in her bedroom. I need to go in and purge all her old toys. The trouble with purging is that Sprout has a memory like an elephant. It may not be for three to six months, but she'll remember every toy that I got rid of and cry and get upset that her toy is gone. At that moment it becomes her favorite toy . . . EVER! She usually gets over it quickly, but I hate having to go through it.

I would love to have a playroom for Sprout, but unfortunately our house is too small. I can't wait until we get to move into a bigger house, but that's a ways away. It's nice to dream though! Lego would like a house on some acreage, I want a nice large kitchen and more space, especially storage space. Maybe in a few years we can make it happen.

Alright, I'm going to drag myself off the computer and pick up where I left off . . . but the house is looking better!

The aftermath . . .

2009-12-27T11:10:00.000-08:00

Our house is still littered with toys in practically ever nook and cranny. I'm still trying to find homes for all our new additions. This is going to be a challenge I can tell.

Today my goal is to round up all the Christmas decorations and get them ready to go back up into the attic. The tree will stay until New Years, but I am ready to get my house back to normal.

Lego and I stayed up late last night playing Zelda and it was very reminiscent of college. Thankfully we got to sleep in a bit this morning. As we're sitting here eating breakfast Lego and Sprout are playing Hungry, Hungry Hippos . . . it's quite loud . . .

Off to try to restore normalcy to this house, wish me luck!

Christmas Recap

2009-12-26T22:58:00.000-08:00

Today my parents went home and the three of us spent the day playing our new Wii. I have a feeling this may turn out to be a major time sucker, but it sure is fun!

Sprout had a fantastic Christmas. She spent all day opening her gifts and playing thoroughly with each one. She opened her last present just before bed. Santa brought her what she had been asking for, a Tinkerbell Cafe. She was very thrilled.

Lego got some shirts, some Legos (from Sprout) and various other things. I mainly got clothes and itunes cards. Our big family present was a Wii and accessories. I was a good Christmas.

Lego and I made Christmas dinner this year and it turned out very nice. It was nice to cook what we like and how we like.

Now the trick is to figure out where to put everything.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T12:08:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to you and yours. Wishing you a wonderful Christmas and may you feel the wonder of the season.

Christmas Eve 2009

2009-12-24T11:49:00.000-08:00

Tired and late . . . bullets this evening I think.

Christmas service at church, very nice.
Mexican for dinner, yum!
Presents opened.
Santa's Cookies and milk put out.
Reindeer carrots on the front porch.
One super excited little girl finally asleep.
Presents arranged under the tree.
Very tired mommy, daddy and grandma ready for bed.

Sprout has been tracking Santa all day today thanks to NORAD and has had such a wonderful time watching the videos and seeing where he's at. I'm excited to see her reaction in then morning. Christmas is so much more fun and magical when you have little kids.

Night all! Hope you had a wonderful Christmas Eve and that tomorrow is filled with lots of love and laughter!

Just a little crazy

2009-12-23T23:48:00.000-08:00

Today us girls (my mom, Sprout and I) braved the insane shoppers and ventured out into the world. We grabbed some lunch and did some lite shopping. Sprout was a little pill and tired and cranky, but somehow we all survived.

After Lego got off work mom and I dropped Sprout off at home with Lego and went to the grocery store to get stuff for Christmas dinner. It was a mad house and everything was just over-picked and there were people everywhere and shoving in front of you, it was wild!

I'm glad today is over and tomorrow is Christmas eve. We're planning on going to service and coming home and doing gifts. Sprout is insanely excited for Santa to come and I'm pretty excited for her too!

Off to bed, it's way too late!

4 Years

2009-12-22T12:12:00.000-08:00

My Darling Sprout,

You are now four years old. Where has the time gone? You are an amazing little girl and I love you more than anything in the world. I feel so blessed and proud to be your mommy.

You are the most polite and kind child and I am constantly get compliments on your manners and how nicely behaved you are. You're very cautious and don't like loud noises. You hang back until you are sure that whatever it is you're doing is safe then you jump right in. When you think something will be loud you plug your ears, especially when someone is blowing up a balloon.

You love preschool! You absolutely adore your teacher and all your friends at school. You tend to want to play with the girls mostly but you will play with the boys as well. You like getting your job at school and playing outside. Arts and crafts are your favorite things to do and glitter is most definitely perfect on any project in large quantities. For Christmas Miss Butterfly had you all make ornaments by taking a pine cone and putting glitter on it. I went in to pick you up and the glittered pine cones were all laying on a tray drying. There was one pine cone that was drenched in gold glitter and I knew that it was yours. I checked the tag and sure enough I was right.

At home you love to draw and paint and are always wanting to make cards for grandma and grandpa. You can draw really well. You like to draw flowers and the family. You draw all of our faces and it's so awesome that we can make out what it is you're drawing; you are quite the artist. We're getting big on games too. Candyland, Chutes and Ladder, Connect Four are all fun but now you're interested in card games. Go Fish is a favorite and Uno is up there too.

You're still a picky eater and would happily live on hot dogs if only mommy would let you. You like to redecorate the house and I often find things in odd places. The Christmas tree has been a true delight for you and the bottom half of the tree has been redecorated numerous times. You also will take the ornaments off the tree and hang them on your toys, in the living room on the candles, in your bedroom and lots of other odd places. I have to go around a couple times a week and pick them all back up and put them back on the tree.

You love music and dancing; anytime music is playing your tush is shaking and your bopping to the beat. Often I'll hear you in the house breaking into a song and I absolutely adore hearing the songs you make up, they are so cute.

Cats are your favorite animal and all your stuffed cats have to be on your bed. They all have a variation of the name Chloe . . . Baby Chloe, Fluffy Chloe, Mommy Chloe, Daddy Chloe . . . you get the idea. No other animal is allowed on the bed, cats only. Baby Chloe is still your lovey and we have to have her to go to sleep. Of course our real kitty, Chloe is still your favorite cat of all and you love to play with her, luckily she is such a sweet cat and will pretty much let you do anything you want to her. You are also wanting to get a kitten. You've decided that you're going to name your new kitten Cinderella Princess Cupcake. We're hoping to find a sweet kitten for us next year.

You love, love, love the princesses and Cinderella is your all time favorite. Today for your birthday we're going to see "The Princess and the Frog" and you are so excited. I'm looking forward to seeing if you like it. For Halloween your were Cinderella and you looked beyond lovely. You had so much fun being Cinderella and twirling in the dress.

Pink is the only color to be right now. You are happiest when you are decked out in pink from head to toe. You tell me you're a crayon when your all pink. My favorite color is pink as well, but you tell me that pink can't be my favorite color cause it's yours. You've changed my favorite color for me, to purple.

You still scream like a banshee when you're upset or mad and can reach the octaves that only opera singers can reach. Lately, you've been pushing your boundaries and testing what your limits are. I have a feeling that more time outs are in the future until you realize that no, you can't get away with whatever it is you're attempting to do.

Well, my sweet little peach I am so excited to see what the next year will bring for you and how you will grow and change. Four is going to be a fun age and I can't wait!

Last minute efforts

2009-12-21T13:03:00.000-08:00

Today I'm off to do the last minute cleaning details. My mom called last night to tell me she had a fever so they might not be coming up tonight unless she's feeling better. We certainly don't need to get any more sickness, but I would hate for them to miss Sprout's birthday.

So, straighten the guest bedroom dishes . . . pick up. I'll be glad when everything is done.

Four years ago I was in the hospital being induced. I actually was admitted late at night on the 17th cause my blood pressure was so high and ended up staying until the 26th.

Alright, sorry this is so short, but I have to get off and go clean!

Cleaning, wrapping and baking . . . oh my!

2009-12-20T15:50:00.000-08:00

Today I've spent predominately cleaning the house in preparation for my parents arrival tomorrow evening. It's looking pretty good. Lego gets to vacuum and clean up the piles on his desk and we're almost done.

Sprout and I wrapped Lego's presents and now they are resting peacefully under the tree where hopefully Sprout will leave them alone for the next few days. There are a few under there for her and she keeps asking me if we can open them now.

Right now I'm banned from the kitchen and practically locked in the bedroom while Lego and Sprout wrap my presents. After they're finished I'm planning on making my last batch of fudge and maybe we'll tackle Santa's cookies tonight too.

Done!

2009-12-19T23:59:00.000-08:00

I am done shopping! Now I just need to wrap it all . . . although Lego got a good start on that tonight. I am a horrible wrapper and Lego always does such a nice job and gets all fancy with making cool folds in the paper.

We went for a walk this afternoon and it was warm . . . it felt like spring. I don't want a warm Christmas, I want snow. I look at what the east coast is getting and I am jealous!

Off to bed!

Baking Time!

2009-12-18T20:08:00.000-08:00

I spent most of the day in the kitchen today. Sprout and I were able to spend the day at home and get a lot of little things done. I still have a lot to do before Monday, when my parents get here, but we've made a start.

Sprout helped me make our crinkle top chocolate cookies, she rolled them in the powdered sugar and only licked her fingers a dozen or so times. It's a good thing these are just for family! It was so cute watching her make them and enjoy herself so much. We also made one batch of fudge, which she helped me unwrap the chocolate squares. We have one more batch to make, but we didn't quite get around to it today.

After my baking session I turned to cooking mode and made dinner. Simple, chicken, red potatoes, and the most delicious green beans I've ever made. Yummy and healthy dinner. Tomorrow, I think we'll tackle the last batch of fudge and clean, clean, clean! I do still need to grab two more gifts for Lego and Sprout's Christmas pajamas, but that's pretty much it. Christmas cards are sent and I have a pile of wrapping to do. Aghh! Is Christmas really only 7 days away!

Alone

2009-12-17T20:34:00.000-08:00

I'm home alone. This rarely happens. Lego and Sprout are out getting my Christmas present. I miss them. I'm spending my time home alone vegging out and not cleaning . . . which is what I should be doing. Off to go watch something on TV.

How odd . . .

2009-12-16T21:18:00.000-08:00

This afternoon I took Sprout to the dentist and that was an interesting experience. She hopped up in the chair and was doing great until the dental hygienist laid the chair back and tried to start cleaning her teeth, which Sprout selected cookie dough as her flavor of choice . . . blech! Once she was ready to actually start Sprout was done. So we decided to just have the dentist take a peek at her teeth, but she didn't want to let him. He's done it in the past with no problems, but today she was clinging to me like she thought he was going to remove all her teeth. Finally after he left another hygienist came over and flattered her into finally letting the dentist come over and take a peek. Her teeth look great, but he asked us to continue to brush her teeth well and add flossing so that he doesn't have to do a filling on her, that would be rough. I do think I'm going to look into another dentist, he seemed a bit impatient with her and I think that's odd in a pediatric dentist. We'll see.

After her dental appointment we headed over to the grocery store to pick up the fruit platter that I signed up to bring to her Christmas party at preschool tomorrow. After we picked up our fruit platter (I would have made one myself, but every food item has to be store bought and in it's original container unopened.) we ventured over to the bakery to grab Sprout her free kids cookie. We're over there and an older gentleman approaches the bakery and says, "hi." I thought he was talking to someone at the bakery so I continued walking after Sprout had her cookie in hand. He continues to say, "hey, I want to talk to you!" So I turn around to see if he was talking to me and he was. He came closer to us and said, "I want to give your daughter a dollar [it was one of those new gold dollar coins] for being such a good girl." The smell of alcohol was just rolling off of him. So, my thought was to be very polite and try to escape quickly. I reached my hand out and thanked him, he snatched his hand back and told me that he wanted to give it to Sprout. So, I very cautiously let him, but I was ready to take him down should he try anything. Sprout thanked him very nicely and then we wished each other a Merry Christmas and we were on our way. As we walked away Sprout said, "that was weird."

It was weird. People normally don't just approach us like that. It's unnerving when they do, especially when I can smell alcohol. It put me on my guard all through the store and out to my car. It's sad that I took the situation that way, but you just can't be too careful. In reality he was probably a kind man who was trying to spread the holiday cheer, but you just never know. We were polite to him but my momma bear was poking her head out ready to rumble should the need arise. Such is the world we live in I guess.

In other news, I love antibiotics. :)

Just perfect!

2009-12-15T16:31:00.000-08:00

I'm destined for another course of antibiotics, yipee! I've been so fortunate as to get a bladder infection. I don't feel well, I'm tired and now I'm grumpy. I guess it's my turn since Lego had his grumpy day not too long ago. I just want to take my medicine crawl into bed and wake up tomorrow feeling normal.

We had to skip preschool this morning and I feel so bad, but I just couldn't leave the house . . . I hate bladder infections. Grrrrrr.

I'm going to take my grumpy butt to the kitchen and get a cookie . . . chocolate is always the answer, right?

Relaxing day

2009-12-14T16:52:00.000-08:00

Sprout and I had no where to be today and it was so nice. We stayed home and just cuddled, watched movies, played with toys and just had fun together. We've been running like crazy lately so it was nice to not have to go out of our cozy little home.

The house is also relatively clean, just small pick ups to do. I'm hoping it stays that way since my parents are going to be coming up Monday night to be here in time for Sprout's 4th birthday.

If you ask our little Sprout what she wants for Christmas she'll tell you a Tinkerbell Cafe. She saw it in the pamphlet that came inside the new Tinkerbell movie and has wanted it ever since she laid her eyes on it. So we found it and bought it and put it up in the attic until Christmas. The other day Lego was putting up all the boxes from our Christmas decorations back in the attic and had his ladder out and Sprout decides she want to climb up and look into the attic. Neither of us saw a problem with this (I'm still wondering what we were thinking). So Lego's on one side of the ladder and Sprout climbs up the other side while I'm spotting her on the ground. She gets up to the top and peers into the attic and catches a glimpse of the Tinkerbell Cafe. She says "Oooooh! Look! It's a Tinkerbell Cafe!" She was beyond excited. Lego and I look at each other, both clearly thinking, "awww, crap!"

What on earth were we thinking? We still don't know. We explained to Sprout that mommies and daddies help Santa at Christmas time and while we'd love to give it to her right now, we can't. We have to wait until Christmas to open it, or Santa would be disappointed cause Daddy and I promised him we wouldn't give it to her until Christmas. Surprisingly enough, she was perfectly fine with the explanation, thank goodness!

I'm hoping we can make it to Christmas without her discovering any of her other gifts.

Grumpy, Grumpy, Grumpy

2009-12-13T22:15:00.001-08:00

Lego is a grumpy gus tonight . . . I'm cutting out and going to bed early. Hoping he wakes up in a better mood. Sheesh! Night all!

Out with the girlies!

2009-12-12T23:32:00.000-08:00

Tonight I was fortunate enough to get to go out with a couple of good girlfriends to a yummy restaurant and get some mommy time. I had salmon with steamed vegetables and the most delicious rolls with honey butter. Sprout LOVES the rolls at this place; in fact, she calls it "the roll place". I've certainly been a very lucky mommy lately. Last weekend I went to the movies with a girlfriend and this weekend dinner. I'm definitely feeling refreshed and recharged! I went such a long time without getting out and now twice in a two week period, I almost don't know what to do with myself!

This afternoon we went to the holiday market and surprisingly didn't find much that interested us. Although, there was a kitten there that I was so tempted to adopt. Yes, we're thinking about getting a second cat, Sprout wants a kitten (so do I). However, we're not quite ready to bring one home yet.

It's been a very calm day . . . other than the fact that Sprout is still awake at nearly 11:30 at night. She had a nap today and this is what happens anytime we let her nap. I always say NEVER again! But, the next time she falls asleep and looks so sweet and innocent, I just can't bring myself to wake her up. I'm hoping she falls asleep soon, I'm tired and want to go to bed!

Tomorrow, we have church and then we're coming home to veg and make some cookies!

Night all!

Naughty, Naughty

2009-12-11T23:59:00.000-08:00

Today I read a book cover to cover . . . which is why I stayed up until 3 AM. Now I'm tired and going to bed.

The Flower Maiden

Happy New Year!

Hallelujah!

Time

NaNoWriMo 2011

The Big Day

Reflection

Open House

Two Weeks

The tides have turned

Irritation

Finally Spring

I survived!

Can I slow down time?

Possible Changes

Spring

First of Many

Go, go, go!

Merry Christmas!

Success

Just in Time for Turkey Day

NaNoWriMo

The fun of fall

"Accessible" is the word of the day

Happiness is . . .

Fried!

Tough decisions

Bountiful

Book Review

First Day of Preschool 2010

Beautiful

Silly Ella

It Begins

Washer fixed and one new water heater later . . .

Blessed

Traveling

Perfectly lovely day!

Imperfections

Anticipation . . .

Favorite Things

Blistering Hot

Whine, whine, whiney, whine, whine!

July? Really?

Excited!

Still around . . .

Four Years

Color test . . .

Tulip Festival 2010

Winding Down

I can breathe . . .

My amazing hubby

**cough, cough, sneeze, sniffle, hack**

Soft and Green

All clear

Round these parts . . .

Fresh

Spout's Pick

Ahhh, Spring Break . . .

Things on my mind . . .

Projects, Painting and Chiropractors

The Dress

Projects

A pleasant way to pass the time . . .

Feeling Worn Out!

Wasn't expecting that . . .

An A-Z about me . . .

Ray of Sunshine

Tidying Up

Sniffles

Princess Cinderella Cupcake

Brilliant Idea!

Weekend Recap

Check it out!

Life's a little hectic right now

Ahhh . . .

Pupils

39 Years

Sprout Update

Merry Christmas . . . finally!

Wii and the pediatrician

cough, cough, sneeze, sniffle, hack