Shouted at a Resturaunt

"Grandma, I just went through your crotch!"

We were finished eating and what better fun than to play under the table and crawl under a chair and between your grandmother's legs. 

Let's Talk Baby Products

If I could only choose three baby items, this would be my list:

1. A comfortable baby carrier. I love wearing my babies. It keeps them close, is easy on the arms and makes getting things done easier. I have tried several different carriers and have a few favorites. The best carrier for brand new babies, for me anyway, is an Angelpack mei tai. For babies six months and older I like to use a Babyhawk mei tai. When Maeve was a toddler, I use my Ergo a lot, but I have since sold it because I have fallen in love with mei tais. I have been told to try a carrier made by a local mom at Wallypop, but her store is closed for now and I can't link to a picture or description. Anyway, if I am picking only one carrier, it's the Babyhawk brand mei tai...at least until I try a new one. 

2. A stroller. I adore strollers. The funniest part about that statement though is that I love baby wearing so much that don't even use a stroller until the kid is at least six months or older. I've tried a whole slew of strollers (at one time I had eight) and my favorite so far out of ones that I have owned is a Quinny Buzz. The seat is reversible and made of a memory foam type of material. The stroller unfolds by itself and it has a one handed push which is important to me because I almost always only have one hand or finger free. I use a double stroller for walks and I love it because it has an optional third seat and riding board so it could potentially hold four kids. Not like I'm planning ahead or anything. The next stroller on my radar is a Musty 4Rider because you can get a fun seat for it. Finn would love the fun seat and I would love containing him in public if only for a moment. And, if you are falling out of your seat looking at those stroller prices, rest assured that I have never paid full price for any of my strollers. I am cheap and love bargains. 

3. The third baby product that I love using and shopping for is cloth diapers. I have used cloth for almost four years now and think they are wonderful. I have moments every now and again when I have no desire to do any more laundry, but all in all, cloth is great. I have tried many different types of diapers and my favorites are called pocket diapers. They have a waterproof outer, microfleece inner and can be stuff with whatever you want to make them absorbent. Cloth diapers are my next sewing endeavor and I'm excited about it. My favorite diaper is no longer made so I made a pattern from one I own and can now make as many as I want for not too much money. 

As a side note, car seats are fun to shop for too, but boring to use so they were not included in my list. 

Eeek!

Some people are not phased by a mouse scurrying across their dining room floor. 

I am not one of those people. 

I had to be brave, but it wasn't without a lot of screaming. 

In the end, my trusty black lab took care of the mouse. It took her 45 minutes of chasing, pointing and corning, but she killed it. And, much to my surprise, she didn't eat it or bring it to me. 

Like every other once living thing smaller than the dog, we are storing the dead mouse in a canning jar with the lid screwed on very tightly. 

Johnny Be Good

This is Finn's spot. He spends the better part of his day standing in front of the stereo playing Johnny Be Good over and over. We've probably listened to that song over 100 times in the past few days. 

Advent Calender

I've always wanted an Advent Calender and thought the kids would have fun with it. Well, they did have fun for about two seconds until they lost all of the little pieces. 

Bunny Ladybug Princess Maeve

She posed for this picture. I think she looks like a bad ass. 

Tease

I just made super cute (and functional) cloth diaper, but the picture will have to wait until after Christmas. 

A Moment of Silence

Winter is not my favorite season.

There are, however, a few moments when I am grateful for snow. 

The best, most peaceful and serene moments happen just after a big snow. School has been cancelled for the day, people haven't yet left for work and everything outside is silent. Completely silent. But if you stand outside for a minute you can hear bits of snow dropping from roof tops or tree branches creaking under the weight of the new fallen snow. 

To me, that is beauty.

Behold, the Ghetto Tree

Homemade ornaments. Rainbow lights. And it leans a little to the right.

Isn't she beautiful?

Can't a Girl Poop?

Yes, I wrote "poop". 

Prior to children, pooping was a relaxing act. I took my time. I got caught up with my latest magazines. It was a generally peaceful experience and left me feeling better.

Fast forward to today. I sat down and heard Maeve screaming. The dog was eating something that belonged to her so I got up to inspect. Dog licked my butt cheeck. Gross. 

Sat back down only to have Finnegan come into the bathroom and shove a huge wad of toilet paper into his mouth. I had to get up to take it out and then kicked him out of the bathroom. I shut the door and sat down again.

Both Finnegan and Maeve came into the bathroom. The dog joined them and got stuck behind the bathtub in an effort to eat soap. I was happy to leave the dog there until I was finished with my business, but the children were very concerned. They tried to pull her out, they turned on the shower (not sure what that was going to accomplish) and Finn decided to go in after her. 

To prevent my son from getting stuck, I got up again, moved Finn, lifted the dog out from behind the tub and kicked everyone out of the bathroom. I was smart that time though and turned the tv on to give myself a few moments of peace. 

Overheard

Mathew: Did you cut Finn's hair?

Me: Yeah, does it look bad?

Mathew: Well, I noticed didn't I?