Sunday fun

What did we do today (besides my aforementioned shopping trip?)

Well if you were my kids...

You created.....

(yes, that is a chocolate goatee you see in this pic. I believe she had just finished some Hot Chocolate)

........Or maybe you chillaxed

(and again, yes that is the mess that is my living room. I give up on keeping it clean til the kids are in bed)

And you? How was your Sunday?

Ahhh....Now I remember!

Why I don't "sale" shop.

If I need something, I go get it, sale or no sale. Unless of course it's a major purchase.

Case in point, my shopping excursion today. I remembered seeing in the flyers that Zellers was having a sale on their Cherokee brand clothes. 25% off. Cool I thought, Sweeter needs pants stat as all her pants seem to be causing her to show a whole lotta crack. If ya know what I'm sayin'. Not sure if the kid has no bum, or a small waist or what the problem is. And while I think a little peek of Sweeter bum crack is a little cute, truly, it doesn't need to be a perma thing. So I made the decision that jeans/cords/real pants were out, and we needed to invest in some leggings to keep that little bum covered. Anyway...long story short I decided to take advantage of the sale at Zellers and get her some pants. So off I trudged in the snowy-ness to Zellers. Picked her out 4 pairs of leggings. And of course a couple of things for Spud, cause, well I had to, right?

Through the till I go, pay for my purchases, and then I look at the receipt. YOU HAVE SAVED $2.50!!
REEEEALLY? I made an effort to shop a sale and saved a measly freakin' $2.50. Thanks Zellers. Don't know what I would have done without that. I am guessing I didn't read some small print somewhere...but I sure am glad I shopped a sale.

To my dearest Son:

I love you very, very much

But

No matter how many times

You yell "down"

Or how long you scream

We are NOT

going downstairs

to play

at Twelve O' Clock

In the morning.

Whew

It has been a crazy last week and a half. Cody was gone 3 days last week, home for 3 days, and is now gone again until Friday.

I don't know how single parents do it. Wow. This all-by-yourself stuff stinks. Its bad enough when the kids are doing fine, but Spud has been a bit of a crank, as he has been teething (DARN YOU eyeteeth!!!!!!!) and also he seems to be having some tummy issues. More specifically he is having a little trouble going...well you know. Uuuuugh. I have been giving him Prune juice and but he was still having problems today. The sitter said he would hunch over and go "ooooowwwww" and cry. Poor dude. I got some laxative stuff this afternoon, gave some to him...he gags on it....and barfs. Awesome. Just what I needed. I also mixed some in his juice, so here is hoping things improve tomorrow.

Added to that, Sweeter had been lil' Miss Attitude lately too. I got told by the Sitter today that she has been hitting. And therefore teaching the other little girl to hit. Great. I talked to her about it tonight, but I am not sure what else to do. I feel like crud because of it. Like I have the "bad" kid. I know she isn't a bad kid, I just don't know how to get her to express her frustration in other ways. Somebody pleeeeeease tell me this hitting thing is normal. That I am not raising a bully...or I guess be honest and tell me I am raising the bully, but then help me figure out how to change it!!!

Otherwise, things are pretty normal. Bustin' my buns in the evenings trying to keep up with the cleaning, laundry, etc. It appears that next week will be just as busy. I am job shadowing a lady at a Bank Branch in another town, so I will have a much longer drive to work, we will have to do some balancing and figuring to get the kids to and from dayhome.

And that pretty much sums up the last few days here in Vogelville. How has your week been?

Latest photoshoot pics

Sometimes you're the windshield....

Sometimes you're the bug.

Today, my friends, I was sooooo the windshield!

Why you ask?
Well today I:

Worked Full Time (and actually did something besides training courses! WOOT!)

Got Sweeter to Dance Class

Made a stop at the Pet Store to get some "ishy's" (Thats Spud-speak for Fishy's) for the new tank.

Got the kids fed

Set up ishy's in the tank

Bathed two kids

Made applesauce muffins

Unloaded & reloaded the dishwasher

Did a load of laundry

Put 2 kids to bed

All of the above without any help, as Cody is away on a business trip

AND

still had time to blog! It's been a rewarding, productive day.

However, I am sure tomorrow, I just might be the bug.

Big Boy

Why do...

ALL office chairs have to be crap?

Seriously, every stinkin' office chair that I have had the "pleasure" of parking my butt in for 8 hours a day have been crud.

And the one that I now call "mine" is no exception. My back HURTS. Badly. And its making me CRANKY. Is it too much to ask from employers that they fork out some dough on quality chairs? I am almost tempted to go by my own rock star quality chair to save my back. And Butt. And sanity. Anyone wanna donate to the Shannon Needs A Chair Fund? I would be happy to take donations! Heck, I would even be happy to hear your tips for making a cruddy chair at least semi comfortable.

1st Week Recap

The first week is over. It has actually been really, really good. The kids adjusted better than I thought. By Friday, Spudder was just whining a bit when I left him. And, no suprise, Miss Sweeter has adjusted with absolutely no problems.

As for me, it has been good. Really good. I am pretty sure I am suffering from information overload, and my eyes are sore from staring at a computer screen so much (hence why blogging has not happened this week), but other than that, it was great. I am really enjoying being back out in the work world, among adults, and using my brain again. And I am very much enjoying the time I spend with my kids in the evening. It has only been a week, of course, but so far, I am not regreting my choice one little bit.

The next couple of weeks could prove a little difficult, as Cody is gone Wednesday, Thursday, Friday this coming week, and then Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday the next week. Blech. I am sure we will all make it through, it's just kinda bad timing, considering we are all adjusting to this new normal.

Banana's

That's is one BiiiiiiiG Banana!

We did it!

We hae all made it through the dreaded FIRST DAY.

And we are fine as I knew we would be. It's just tough the first day. Spud did amazingly well. He was pretty upset when Daddy dropped him off this morning, he held his arms up and said "my daddy". I was heartbroken, and I didn't even see it. But, he got over it, and when Cody dropped off Sweeter after playschool, he only got upset for a minute, so that's progress. He napped great, and went down without a fuss! I was impressed.

Sweeter and the Sitter's little girl, get along pretty well. I drove by the house after lunch (Ya, I know a little stalkerish...but I just wanted a glance...and besides it really is on my way to work) and I saw the girls playing outside :) Apparently Sweeter had a couple meltdowns when the other girl (who I will call T) wouldn't play with Sweeter because she wasn't sharing. Which is good. She needs to learn to share, so I am pumped we've got some "learning moments" going on.

As for me, work was good. It felt great to get out among adults again, and Cody and I even managed to meet for lunch. It was nice to see him outside the house!

So thats the 1st day. Better than I had hoped...we shall see what tomorrow brings!

Well, folks, this is it

Tomorrow is the BIG day.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, its off to work I go.

I am nervous. Super nervous. But more so for my kids, than me. Which is silly. There is nothing I can do to make this easier on them. They will be fine. Its not as if I can stop everything and run pick them up if need be tomorrow. (Unless its an emergency, of course. I am not that devoted to work....in case you were wondering) I cant wait to see them at the end of the day tomorrow. Cannot wait.

As for being worried about my job, I am not really nervous, perhaps I am naieve (is that how you even spell that word? I can't figure out how to spell check on this!), or maybe I am just in denial, but I am sure my day will be ok. Overwhelming? Yes. But the good news is I have done this before. Working in a bank isn't anything new to me, so I hope it will all come back relatively quickly.

So, please, keep your fingers crossed. Mostly that my kids dont have a supreme freak out tomorrow. Okay, lets be honest that one of my kids doesn't have a freakout. I won't name names, but if you need a hint, it's the small boy one.

Will update tomorrow hopefully, if I am not to busy dreading the fact that I have to do it all over again the next day :)

Siggy

Check it out! I got me a siggy. Dont tell anyone it took me nearly an hour to figure out how to do it, thats embarrassing.

Look at her go!

Skating that is. We took Sweeter skating for the 1st time ever this morning. She loooved it! Her and her Daddy had a blast! (And I think her Daddy is pretty pumped that she liked it so they can go together lots!)

Spud and I were there too, of course. Spud seemed a little disappointed that his boots didn't morph magically into skates like his Sisters did (She wore Bob Skates), but he had a good time shuffling across the ice none the less. I even put my skates on for a bit too. Its been a loooong time, and I was less than graceful.

We ran to the store after and grabbed Sweeter a helmet. The bike helmet did the trick for today, but seeing as she enjoyed it, we needed something a little better. She looks awfully cute in it, too.

By the end of our time on the ice, she was going the whole length without falling! I was pretty proud!

Spud and the Cookie

They are home

I picked up my kids at about 1:00pm today. They did pretty well. The Spud had a fairly major meltdown for about 15 minutes after I left. I called there to check, and I could hear him screaming. Apparently he was walking around carrying his boots calling for me. Heartbreaking.

The good news is, he was distracted by a train set. He ate a good lunch. And he had no more fits the rest of the morning. The first couple weeks are gonna be rough on the little dude, but I think after that we will be OK.

As for Sweeter, of course, she did awesome. Of course. She just thrives on playing with other kids. I guess there was a couple times where she was finding sharing hard, but thats average for her age. I think she will do good.

Just a girl

But not just any girl. Thats my girl!

No kids

I don't have my kids here with me this morning.

I dropped them off at Dayhome for a morning today.

It's very quiet.

And I miss them.

Boy Vs. Noodle

We had Stir-fry and Noodles for supper tonight.

A war was waged in my kitchen.

It was Boy Vs. Noodle

The Noodles Won.

Conversations with Sweeter -- Part 2

Just today:

Me: Sweeter! WHAT are you doing? (As she is standing on the open dishwasher door)

Sweeter: I was trying to be a Muskateer. (In a tone that could only mean "DUH" )

I was not impressed with her standing on the dishwasher door. I, however, was impressed with her imagination :)

Why...

Do vacation days absolutely fly by, while a regular week crawls?

I guess technically, I am not on vacation, since I dont really start til Monday, but I consider it vacay, since it is my last week of "freedom".

I cannot believe tommorrow is Thursday! Seriously, where did Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday go???

Maybe its because we have been pretty busy. Monday was Sweeter's first day of Playschool since the Holiday's. Spud and I hung out while she was gone, visited Daddy at work, ran by the Library. Just hangin'. It was fun!

Tuesday, we hung out for the morning, then went to the Community Centre in town to play in the arena. They throw a bunch of balls out in the arena, and let the kids run wild! The kids love it, and it gets us all out of the house, and allows them to burn off some excess energy. After we were done there, we met Papa for lunch, and then went home for Spudder to have a nap. He must of been tired, as he passed out for 3 hours! Unheard of!

Today, we hit the Pool for Parent & Tot swim, the kids loved it!! So did I, however, I sooooo could have done without seeing the old men in Speedos who were there for Lane Swim. *shudder* Speedos ought to be banned for all. Sweeter also had her first dance class of the New Year today. She sure loves her dance class!

As for tomorrow, I don't really have much planned. Who knows, we seem to keep busy, anyway.

Friday, the kids are supposed to go to their new Dayhome for most of the day, so they can get used to it. I have a pedicure booked while they are there. I feel selfish booking it, but I have had the gift card for it since LAST Christmas (as in 2008!) So I thought this was a great opportunity to use it. That said...I kinda feel like I should cancel the whole thing, as in the dayhome and the pedicure. After all, it is my last day, just the 3 of us. And really, will having them go to the Dayhome for one day before they go Full Time really make a difference ???? Probably not. Guess I will have to decide tomorrow.

I haven't really been taking any pics lately either...maybe that will be tomorrow's project!

These are the days

I am love, love, loving these last few days that I have off work with just me and my Monkeys....

I am wishing that this time could be permanent.

Unfortunatley, while love may feed the soul, it will not fill my babies tummies.

So, to work I will go.

But the happiness I have felt the last couple days has reaffirmed how unhappy I was running the day home.

I was with my kids, but I wasn't with them. Not like I am when its just the three (or 4 of us if Daddy's home)

At least they will get my full attention in the evenings after work, instead of the tired-of-kids grump I was after the other kids left.

Thats gotta be better than no happy Mommy time at all!

Not Me Monday!

Welcome to another round of Not Me Monday, here at Vogelville. Where I get to admit the things I did NOT do this week. Because I am perfect....right? Right???

Please be sure to head over to mckmama.com to see what my fellow Not Me Monday-ers have been up too...errr not been up too!

My children have not been allowed to eat Doritos for breakfast this week. Or Popcorn Twists. I am always on top of their nutrition, and of course, junk food such as those mentioned, is not allowed in our house. (and if I did allow them to eat Doritos, I certainly didn't think that one small boy looked super cute with a very orange face!)

I did not taken a nap pretty much daily over the last week. Nor did it feel fantastic. Okay...it did. I think afternoon naps should be mandatory for everyone!

Have a great Monday everyone!

1 week

In one weeks time:

I will be spending my last night at home before I become a working Mama.

I know, I know, I am sure that you are tired of hearing about me going back to work. But right now, obviously it is heavy on my mind.

The more I think about it, the more excited I am getting about going back to work, and having a "purpose". Of course, I know that raising my kids, and watching others is/was a job, and hugely important, but it sorta felt like I didn't do anything...does that make any sense? Maybe, more so, it was that it felt like I didn't do anything for me. I love being my kids mom, don't get me wrong, but it is so easy to lose yourself in the day to day grind of raising them. I am excited to be able to be a Mom, and yet be able to go to a job, interact with adults, do my work and feel like I have accomplished something at the end of the day. I am looking forward to taking those hours while I am at work, and focus on being Shannon. After work, believe me, I will be so excited to go pick up my kids, and be their Mom. As cliche as it sounds, I really do think in this case, "abscence makes the heart grow fonder" and my time away from my 2 little monkey's will allow me to not only be me, but to appreciate the time I do have with them, and ensure that our time is quality time.

Of course, there is absolutely no way that this will be the perfect solution, and I know there will be days where I will feel pulled in a thousand directions, where I will regret the decision I have made, but given the choices that I have, this is the best one. All of us will be fine. And I am not the only Mom who works full time.

Somethings are gonna have to give though....so...if you come and visit us here in Vogelville, do not be alarmed...our house will not be clean.

Conversations with Sweeter

Me: I love you, Kayla, your my bestest girl

Sweeter: Where'd you buy me Mom?

Me: What?

Sweeter: Where'd you buy me Mom? At the People store? And you could only pick one girl?

Me: Awww. No, Sweetie, you grew in my tummy.

Sweeter: I don't fit in your tummy! I'm too biiiiig!

Me: Right, but when you were a tiny baby, you fit there.

Sweeter: Mom, maybe you just have to grow a bit bigger, and I will fit in your tummy.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Sweeter: Daddy, what is the day after boxing day called?

Cody: Nothing, it's just a regular day.

(Sweeter contemplates this for a minute.....)

Sweeter: No it's not Daddy, its Hopscotch Day!!!!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sweeter: Mommy, I grew in your tummy. And then when I got too big, then you spit me out.

Goodbye 2009...Hello 2010!!!

Hard to believe that another year has come and gone.

2009 was good to us here in Vogelville, a year full of watching our kids grow, and making memories. We all made it through, healthy and happy. Our Sweeter had her first day of school, and fell in love with her dance class. Spud started walking, and talking, and now we can't stop him! We made it through Spud's surgery, and Sweeter has amazed us daily with her growing independence and personality. Cody and I celebrated our 4th anniversary, and we took our first family holiday as a family of four.

What will 2010 hold for us? Changes are coming our way, as I will begin work again in a week, and the kids will go to a new dayhome. I am nervous about the change, about being able to balance being a great Mom, Wife, and employee. But as I have said before, I am sure that in the end this will be a good change.

The rest of the year is wide open, and I am so excited to see where it takes us. I cant wait to watch my kids grow, change, and become themselves. I wish for nothing more than to be able to see 2010 come and go with my family by my side, happy and healthy. The rest is just icing on the cake.

Happy 2010!