Theme Thursday - Food

Okay so I D-E-S-P-E-R-A-T-E-L-Y need to post a hundred million things so let's see if I can check this one off the list.

Trying this link-up because its my motivation to blog today.

So last Sunday we were back to our regularly scheduled program of crack-o-dawn wake up call (aka Lee coming into the room at 6:14 and saying... ummm... Why are you not out of bed because we are leaving in 16 minutes and you don't have the bags packed, cups ready, girls outfits for church pulled and you are not dressed). Shockingly we made it out the door semi-on-time-ish. With enough time to stop at Brueggers for bagels and cream cheese for post-liturgical hungry tummies aka social hour.

I drove so Lee was responsible for the bagel run. E requested blueberry bagels and cinnamon raisin bagels and cinnamon cream cheese (honey walnut).

We got to church and unloaded our stuff in the hall and breakfast was served for the girls. E did not want the plain bagel I brought from home and wanted blueberry. Its quarter to 8 and not up for controversy before church and this early so blueberry bagel it is - except the blueberry bagels looked kind of dark - too dark for blueberry and too light for pumpernickel (if they even make those) - so what did Papa pick out...

CHOCOLATE BAGELS!!!

No who does not like a good chocolate bagel at 7:45? Well it was a crowd pleaser for me and the girls - I cannot say anyone after church touched them with donuts right next to them so off to the freezer for the chocolate bagel. E has been asking/begging for chocolate bagels all week... Negativo ghostwriter. Maybe a weekend treat : ) 

Also as a secondary food item, you will note the redness on E's forehead. She was a mosquito's snack in between the run from the car to the hall. R suffered a similar fate when we left. 

Sunday Snapshot - Maybe we'll have some nice butterflies in a few weeks

These little guys invaded Papa's parsley and ate it down to nothing. They are on to the sage next I believe - so long as they don't venture onto the patio and get stepped on by R before we can stop her or move them out of her destructive path : )

The caterpillars have added a twist into E's request for the fall soccer team name. She was married to the bumblebees but now the caterpillars have taken center stage. 

Spontaneous Ice Cream Party

To celebrate my passing of the 3 hr glucose test and to get out of the house on this gloomy wet day... Who does not like a trip to the fro-yo bar.

Five Favs - Things E melted down over today and other things

Wrong side of the bed? Can we really chalk up bad behavior to this idea? Ehh... well NO but at least it sounds good. I talking about full blown crying/sobbing/tears here people


1. Umbrella

This was as we were loading up in the van to go to school - sorry, alarm has been set and door is closed. Please try to remember your accessory tomorrow.

2. Cart at HT

We were getting flowers not filling up a shopping cart PLUS I specifically parked on the side of the lot that has the flowers RIGHT AT THE ENTRANCE so we could go fast as possible. We'll get a cart next time

3. Crackers at Swimworld

Sorry you don't need Peanut Butter crackers at Swimworld at 4:45. I'll get you a pack to take for your snack tomorrow and if you don't stop crying about it then I'll take them for snack tomorrow.

4. Jibbe's car being broken down

Seriously? Seriously?

5. Going to visit Mrs Viola

5.1 - Not wanting to go when she woke up from rest - sorry... we are going
5.2 - Crocs not matching her dress - please get another pair of shoes
5.3 - Insert 2, 3 and 4
5.4 - Not wanting to get out of the car
5.5 - Not wanting to go inside - well fine, sit outside and wail - and she did for a good 20 minutes
5.6 - Wanting to leave - okay this is just getting embarrassing
5.7 - Needing to go potty - I asked you if you needed to go BEFORE we left Mrs Viola's
5.8 - Wanting her water bottle in the van - sorry if you actually need to go potty you don't need water
5.9 - Not wanting to leave - ha! like we would get invited back!
5.10 - Wanting dessert - dream on child.

(6.) - Dinner

If you don't want/like pot roast please don't tell me 10 times after I tell you that's what we're having for dinner. To your room....................

If that did not wear you out.... While I did NOT meltdown over this... Seriously people!

Thanks Harris Teeter for the Customer with Child Parking Spots.... Now if you could only enforce it!

DEAR PEOPLE OF ROCKY MOUNT WHO APPARENTLY CANNOT READ:

THIS SIGN INDICATES THAT YOU MAY PARK IN THIS SPOT IF YOU HAVE A CHILD OR HERE'S A ZINGER - CHILDREN. IF YOU DON'T HAVE A CHILD(REN) OR ARE NOT PREGNANT AND 'WITH CHILD', DON'T PARK IN THESE RESERVED PARKING SPOTS. I WILL STARE YOU DOWN, YEAH, STARE YOU DOWN AS I WALK MY 29-WEEK PREGNANT SELF, CARRYING MY 18-MONTH OLD AND MY PURCHASES, WHILE CLINGING TO THE ARM OF MY 3 YR OLD. 

Here's the kicker folks, when I pulled in there was a couple who did not have kids with them walking to their car that was parked in that spot and when I came out there was a woman who also did not meet the 'having a child standard' who was walking in. 

Okay... done. I'm better. It's all out of my system. Going to cross stitch.

3 hr Glucose Test

I don't always drink the foul, over sugary drink but when I do - I drink the orange one - except when the lab is out of it.

Thumbs down.

Sunday Snapshot - 14 hours in St. Louis

Well we made it from the Mount to St. Louis and back to the Mount in a mere 27 hours. We were sans kids thanks to Jibbe - well we were sans our kids. Our friends have six kids so there many kids around. No problems on the flights. Everything at the church went well. Our godson was a master at going through diapers... I think his mama had one left BEFORE he had been baptized! After S screamed through a good part of the baptism, he was super tired from his sacrament filled evening and slept the rest of the Liturgy and reception. We had a great time seeing our friends, we were fortunate to be chauffeured around St. Louis, and we are glad to be back. 

S about to be baptized!

Bringing him into church

Checking out the candle

First time communicant 

Family + Priest + Godparents

Godmother + The Godfather + Priest

Kinda makes me very excited about baby number #3 coming. All of S's brothers and sisters were SO SO SO excited and I am excited to see the girls with their new sibling

Seven QTs - Slinkies, Lollipops and more!

--- 1 ---

{Here's to Papa and our regularly scheduled program}


{While catching up on this blogpost}


Lee - You make me sound like a dictator
Me - You are
Lee - You have just as much interest in the grass, Chicky
Me - ...
Lee - Scam?
Me - ...
Lee - You are a nut!

--- 2 ---

{R prancing/dancing/ not quite running up and down the hallway}

R - Goggles!!! Gogles... Goggles!!!

Me - R, that is a slinky

R - Goggles? Goggles! Gogles!!!!!!

{Clearly we have some work to do in the identification department and yes E had her goggles but R had E's slinky}

--- 3 ---

{E while eating her treat from school}

E - Mama what color is my sucker
Me - {Immediate eye glare}
E - Lollipop! Lollipop... What color is it?

A. I CANNOT STAND sucker being used for lollipop. It makes me cringe EVERY SINGLE TIME. Don't know why but it does AND people/adults/kids refer to lollipops as suckers and I can deal with the insane Southern draw that the girls are getting but I am making it my missions to keep that word for that sugary treat OUT of their vocabulary. {No offense to people who use it either now... just saying}

B. Kinda drives me crazy that the girls {slash all the kids} get candy after school every day - if there was good behavior of course. I raised the bar a bit for E and if she goes to timeout at all she is not supposed to get candy - the school rule is 3 trips to timeout. But anyway, AND E must eat her lunch - fruit included to actually get to pick a piece of candy? Am I being too militant? Nah... Not a bit!

--- 4 ---

Which leads to this gem...

{While eating pita and Tummus for lunch}

E - But Mama I can-NOT eat it
Me - That's fine you just do not get your treat
E - But Mama it does not have good flavors!!!

Right... Hand her the pepper grinder. Pretend to shake the salt over it and hold firm on the no treat... Pita and tummus = G-O-N-E

--- 5 ---

{While we are I am rushing to get their shoes on and bags loaded and alarm set and out the door}

Pretend its not happening and it will go away... NOT!

E - How does the baby come out of your tummy?

Me - Ummm.... get your umbrella

E - Mama how does the baby come out of your tummy?

Me - .... {Errrr pretend she is not asking this question and maybe she'll drop it}

E - How does the baby come out of your tummy?

Me - Not easily, E.

E - Oh, not easily? Baby comes out not easily R...

--- 6 ---

So for any of you who were semi-interested in our trip to Church on Tuesday for the Transfiguration... during the witching hour nonetheless... We made. How? 

A. We got there early - duh... Lee/FDJ - whatever... has to be there early to help prep things for Liturgy. 
B. We sat outside before and ate graham crackers and bananas and filled tummies with milk - don't be scandalized they are just kids. We even shared a few graham crackers with a friend whose parents also braved the witching hour
C - I went in with INSANELY low expectations. Why? I asked Lee if he could help with the girls during the vespers part... Negative ghostwriter {awesome!} AND he gave the homily which means no set of arms there {grrr... but he kept it short and to the point and I think I even heard most of it} 
D - I took a laisse-faire approach... mostly. E was contained mostly to our chairs and she sat and occasionally sang {because that's good church behavior on any day of the week. If she got distracted or 'needed' something from the back I just let it go. R was shoe and sockless within 5 minutes of the start of vespers. I had to scoot the dead cockroach out of her grasp and tried to ignore the fact that it along with all the our dirt-tell-lees on the floor were lurking. R walked around and crawled and was mostly contained to the back part of church and was for the most part quiet. The only things that did not fly were screaming and distractive walking in front of the iconostasis {don't know what I'm talking about? click here for a pic that is not actually our church but you get the point or here for a description}. 

When it was all said and done it was one of the less stressful church experiences I have had in a while. There was behavior I was not crazy about and would like to 'nip in the bud' on Sundays BUT for a holy day at witching hour Liturgy, no bad people. Not bad. 

So then there is dinner... {Eye roll} Being an hour from home does have its drawbacks and getting out at 6:45 pm and having no access to the church hall due to a scheduled function is a bummer. We tried Jimmy Johns back in June, Lee was less than impressed. Panera is right up the road so we were off to the races... Then thanks to my handy-dandy I'm-smarter-than-you phone we discovered there is a Jasons Deli just as close! If you have not been to Jason's you are missing out! There salad bar is pretty darn great and their sandwiches are super tasty. Well I won't bore you with the details of dinner but it was not an embarrassing "Let's get out of here experience", E only patronized the potties twice {gag!}, and they have free ice cream. 

R was way skeptical at first and I literally had to open her mouth to get her to try the ice cream but then she was sold!

I love endings like that to situations that totally stress me out before they happen.

Oh and the 1 hr long car ride home was a noisy, I'm-on-a-sugar-high one BUT the girls earned it.

--- 7 ---

I have been pondering posts to make in the next few weeks. I have a few cooking.

++ Monthly recaps starting from who knows when (mainly because I love looking back on them and when I don't post them I cannot do that)
++ 30 things, 3 years post (Kate did one and I kind of like being accountable to a list)
++ Name that 3 yr old soccer team (E already has her mind made up but technically I have total veto power IF I help coach - note: NOT COACH... not trying to have a baby out on the soccer field)

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

                               

Five Favs - Those Awkward Pregnancy Questions

Who does not love a good question when you are in your final weeks months of pregnancy? {With my sarcastic follow up questions/commentary that did not actually happen but happened in my head}

1. Looks like you've had enough fertilization? 


Errr... yeah not going there again so for the deets on that go here.

2. You do know how this happens, right? 


Ummm... yes doctor I think we got that... but thanks for checking.

3. Was this a planned pregnancy?


Right on nurse. Well... we're sitting here now so why is this important? Is this going in my file?

4. So you have what... about a month left? 


Oh no... kind of older-ish man who asked me the EXACT same question last week. Actually I have three months left. Do I look that big?

5. Is this your last one?

Well... hopefully not. Does it matter? Why are you asking me this? I don't know, should it be? I don't put you on the spot and ask you why you have X number of kids so why are your reciprocating such weirdness?

Surviving 5pm Vespers and Liturgy

Hopefully we can survive vespers and Liturgy for the Transfiguration starting with filling up empty tummies with bananas, graham crackers, and milk!

Behind the Scenes - Afternoon Popsicles

Popsicles in the afternoon is awesome. I think it was the quietest 10 minutes of outside time that we have had in a while. PLUS the girls think it is great and fun and as an added BONUS I don't have to worry about them climbing up and down the brick steps every 2.5 seconds while I {try to} relax in my rocking chair. 

Oh and don't forget our water cups... please. 

HOWEVER the behind the scenes part of this scenario is that the popsicles came out at 5:15 and dinner was served maybe 30-45 minutes later and let me tell you how little food was consumed... The popsicles were just little frozen Hawaiian Punch drinks that the boys up the street gave us (and I did not want to give them that much sugary sweetness in one sitting, so the popsicles were a good diffuser). 

Lesson learned - popsicles earlier rather than later in order to have an empty dinner plate

Yeah... that was bad! But its just one of those kinda days!

Breakfast with E

E's new favorite breakfast - strawberry pillows (aka Frosted Mini Wheats), Cherrios and Rice Chex - mixed up into one cereal bowl full of mush.

Gag! 

Then slurp down the 'strawberry' milk... Lee reports that it taste like Strawberry NesQuik. Again, even if I was not pregnant... would not be partaking in such preschooler friendly delicacies. 

{Note I said preschooler? Crazy, no? I guess that would accurately describe the 3-5 age group... AHHHHHHH} 

Lipstick in the hot car? no problem!

Just when you thought the Cool Box in the Honda Odyssey could not get anymore cooler or practical... Use number 12890234... chilling a tube of warm lipstick because you and your hubby are going on a date and you forgot it was 50 million degrees outside and your lipstick was not immune to the effects of the raging internal heat of the car

I could totally be a Honda spokesman... and to think I was not a fan of driving a minivan a year ago. Now the number one minivan advocate!

p,h,f,r - The Results are in...

Pretty

Pretty darn excited about Lee's birthday date night. If the rain holds off we might even make it to a baseball game. If not, we'll probably continue our discussion of a book that I am reading (gasp!) and really into. It is not often he and I can discuss things that we're reading because A. he reads stuff that is miles over my head and B. I read so very little - it is kind of disgusting. BUT with this book I have a new-found topic of interest and have 2 books lined up to read after this!


Happy

We got a call last night from some friends, who happened to be the witnesses at our wedding, asking us to be the godparents for baby numero 6! Who was born about two weeks ago. In order to squeak in a trip before the 30 week mark we {frantically} scrambled to get tickets and coverage of the girls. My vote was to take them and Lee's vote was a "Oh no, no, no, no, no" so you can guess who won out - only because Jibbe is overly brave/helpful/great and volunteered to watch both! So pics from the bon voyage to St. Louis will be forthcoming.

Funny

The Keep Calm and Latch on shirts came in the other day. And they are adorable. But seriously I looked at them (both 0-3 months) and thought to myself 'these things are tiny! there has got to be a mistake'. And then it dawned on me just how tiny all the newborn clothes are. I think I got a "Hello Mom, get-with-the-program kick" from the baby after that one - which I totally deserved : )

Real

Real? How about real-ly?!?!?! Okay so the glucose test which I made a massive deal about with my dr and he conceded to give me the cocktail to drink an hour before coming. Tuesday was D-day for the test and I followed the rules and did not cheat (by not drinking the whole thing or anything like that). Well Tuesday afternoon. No call. Wednesday... No call. Thursday 1 pm... I think I started the by answering the phone "We are not really having this conversation, right"... WRONG. Failed that 1 hr test for the THIRD TIME! So its off to the 3 hr job. The nurse must have felt bad for me because I asked that it be in two weeks - when my next appt is so I am not driving to Wil-town three weeks in a row. It's a darn good thing I like my dr and trust him because seriously? Seriously? I have been dubbed his 'delinquent patient' since I was sipping coffee through my post glucose test appt. I guess the binge on M&Ms and Reeses Pieces better end. Lee is going to have to hide all the chocolate sweets on me.