Why do you have a single Oreo in a container on your counter?

So this was the scene on our counter last week (maybe the week before). And to answer the question in short form - it is because my 3 yr old asked me to save her one.

The longer answer is that we had some friends over for lunch one Sunday afternoon - and since we sharpened our hosting skills - we planned for a sweet after lunch. For whatever reason Lee got 2 packs of Oreos from the store. The chocolate on chocolate ones and the Double Stuff regulars - we can debate the ranking of Oreos filling flavors and cookies in another post. ANYWAYS, everyone had their fill of Oreos after lunch and that left the each of the pack about 75% full. As you know, I am pregnant and as you will soon find out, I have about (ehm) no self control when it comes to chocolate - especially A. when I am pregnant and B. when my OB has not put me on weight-gain lockdown.

Needless to say there was a single Oreo left in our house on Wednesday per E's request, "Mamaaaaa, don't eat all the Oreos". I told her I would save her one for dessert and that's what I did.

Lee was less than thrilled with the Oreo devouring situation but he totally brought it upon himself and I blame him completely - because clearly we only needed one pack of Oreos in the first place.

TGI Grandparents

Seriously, seriously? Don't think I can say enough about grandparents because they are pretty darn fantastic. I have a special appreciation for the girls grandparents because A. they have super special relationships with their grandkids - for which I try not to be jealous and B. they are really clutch - especially when I need help.

Grammy will be on girl duty for 12+ hours while I'm gone.

Jibbe will be on call until I get home and helped Lee survive dinner and bath night - which is no small task - especially when E has a crisis/meltdown over her bandaids getting wet and after she screamed for a solid hour on the ride home after dropping me off and would not get out of the car. (No worries, as Papa's nerves were getting repeated dragged over a cheese grater, R was napping)

Some friends/people I know don't have involved grandparents for a number of reasons which are really unimportant - but happens to be a major bummer for all parties involved. I cannot say it enough - I am so grateful that we have grandparents who are close by, actively involved in grandkids lives, and come to the rescue when it comes to childcare - it puts my mind at ease in a way I cannot explain.

Let's hear it for some other really fantastic grandparents that I have heard about of recent:

+ Taking twin grandkids on weeklong vacation - no parents along for the journey : )
+ Taking care of multiple grandkids EVERY SINGLE WEEK DAY...
+ Taking 5, yes FIVE grandkids camping for a week so that new mama and baby numero #6 can have some peaceful bonding time
+ Flying out at a moments notice to help with new baby

What are your my-kids-have-fantastic-grandparents stories?

Siete posts in Siete Days...

As I sit here atop the SkyClub I have been plotting what I should post for the next seven days ever since Jen announced the challenge. My plan was to get my monthly posts done starting from a few months ago where I left off but I ran out of time yesterday and I did not get the pictures uploaded to the computer in time so you'll be stuck with some random musing and ideas that have come to me over the past few days and some posts I have been meaning to make that I pictures for. Here's a plan (rough outline; not making guarantees):

Monday - Where would be be without grandparents? - I've got some recent goodies
Tuesday - Why is there a single Oreo in a container on our counter?
Wednesday - Sometimes I wish I did a load of laundry everyday!
Thursday - A few good finds at the consignment store (and other musings)
Friday - The QTs
Saturday - Maybe a monthly update... or two? Papa is going to have to come through for me on uploading the pics...
Sunday - Happy Birthday Week Papa! (how we celebrated when we did not have kids and what we'll do this year : )


For now I'll try and enjoy my 48 hours to myself - well sans girls that is. I'll not think about how both girls started screaming/teary-eyed in unison when I kissed them when I got dropped off at the airport. I'll be super grateful for supportive hubby, Grammy and Jibbe who are making sure that all is well in my absence.

Overheard - An Addendum to the QTs

{In the car on the way home from school}
E - Mama, I still want to marry Harrison.
Me - You do?
E - Yeah I really do.
Me - Do you think he is the right man for you?
E - He is the right man for me.
Me - Did God show you he was the right man for you?
E - Yes He did.
Me - Oh okay. Don't you think you need to be way big to get married?
E - Yes... I still want to marry Harrison.
Me - Okay
E - I'm the right girl.
Me - You're the right girl for Harrison?
E - Yes I'm the right girl for Harrison.
Me - Okay

+++

{In the kitchen}

Me - Go get your pillows (aka Frosted Mini Wheats)
R - Piiillow, Pillllow, Pilloooow

In case you are looking to really make your day, don't miss these quality conversations!

Siete QTs - Overheard Edition

--- 1 ---

{Here's to Papa...}


{Lee folding clothes on the kitchen table}

Me - Why didn't you turn my socks the right way out?
Lee - {eye movement}
Me - Seriously, why didn't you turn my socks right way out and put them together?
Lee - Well, you know Chicky... your socks frighten me.

--- 2 ---

{While in the car on the way home...}

E - I have hair on my legs... Mama why do I have hair on my legs?
Me - To keep the bugs away
E - Mary had a little lamb...

{Seriously what is the thought process here}

--- 3 ---

E - I went to ballet camp!
Grammy - And what did you think?
E - Hmmm I was thinking about R.
Grammy - Why were you thinking about R?
E - ...
Grammy - Did you have a good time?
E - I was a brave ballerina!

--- 4 ---

Grammy - Did Mama pick out some good ballet shoes?

E - No the PBS man!

Grammy - The PBS man??

E - THE PBS!

Me - The UPS man

E - THE UPS MAN!

--- 5 ---

E - Mama park outside

Me - Its raining. I am not moving the van.

E - Mama park outside in the rain. I want to use my umbrella!

{Do you see what I am up against? I let her run/walk/frolic in the (empty) parking lot at school - yep I'm always last - with her umbrella without shoes on. The pics are actually from home because you know she had to use her umbrella then too}

--- 6 ---

E - I'm exercising everything out Mama

Me - {Blank stare}

E - I just have to exercise everything out...

If by exercising you mean take all the toys out of the toy box... 

--- 7 ---

Me - Nose
R - Noooooose {sticks finger up nose)
Me - Teeth
R - {Chomping her teeth}
Me - Belly button
R - {Lifts up dress with huge grin}
Me - Eyes
R - Eyyes {points to ears}
Me - Ears
R - {Blank stare}

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

                               

Snuggle Time... Pregnancy Version

Here's to a Life Lately Link-up! {I love snuggling with the girls, together or the whole fam; trying to imagine what snuggle time will look/feel like come late-October}

So E loves to snuggle... some nights. Well I cannot fit very well in her toddler bed on a good night. Now that I have a bump to intrude on snuggling process I told E that the baby and I could not snuggle.

Well quick thinking E grabbed all the essentials. Pillow, Nini, and her Tinkerbell blanket and she was off to the races for a snuggle... in our bed. I may have gotten a raised eyebrow from Lee when he opened the bathroom door to find a solid half of the bed now covered in snuggling materials... but totally could not say no to the cuteness : )

Continued Ballet Success with a Twist

Well since I know that you all are dying for a ballet camp update here goes...

Today E got some 3 on 1 teaching/camping since her ballet class friend was sick (side note ballet camp friend also happens to be Lamaze class buddy!) Small world, no?

E was super cute. She was trying to twirl down the room but she keep twirling in place. The teachers thought it was hilarious and it really was! She had to take a few water breaks and could not keep her hands off her tutu. She is so silly!

So she had a great time. Excellent. Success in this mama's book. 

Then flash forward 15 minutes. E got mail - from the county. Soccer sign up form (and football and softball and baseball but she's too little). Soooo... again E is posed with the question. Ballet or soccer? Both she asks? No, no remind Papa and I. 

E - Soccer better ballet...

Me - Why?

E - ...

Me - Well you have to chose now but you don't have to make a decision yet. 

So how do you really discern/interpret what your 3 yr old is telling you? I think she enjoys both soccer and ballet. I was talking to ballet camp friend's mama about the issue because her daughter is doing Jiu-Jitzu. So how do you know? Do you trust the whims of a 3 yr old? I guess it depends on the kid. There are some 3 yr olds who have a mind of there own - E is one of them. 

Well E does not have to have her mind made up until the end of August.

On the mail issue, do kids still have pen pals? I think E could totally get into coloring and exchanging 'letters' with a pen pal. She loves getting mail!

A Skirt-Filled July

Check out Rosie who had some cute skirt outfits - one for each day of the month! Be impressed : ) 

Anyone who knew me in high school would probably not believe me actually writing this post. For the longest time in high school and well into college I believe I could count for you the number of skirts I owned on a single finger - yes you are reading that correctly.

Flash-forward to when Lee and I met and a subsequent 18 months later started dating - he (among with other friends) gave me a hard time about NEVER wearing skirts. Well would you believe that I SLOWLY started warming up to wearing skirts and dresses while we dated?

It was a process but now in my 2nd trimester of the 3rd pregnancy during the HOT and HUMID summer I have been wearing skirts at least 50% of the time. Why?

A. I don't like maternity pants/jeans a whole lot. I have one pair of jeans that I wear to the pool store twice a week because I am not risking getting chlorine on my one jean maternity skirt that is FANTASTIC.

B. Skirts seem to be easier to adjust and don't slip down as easy as some of the pants.

C. It is really hot and the last thing I need is my legs wrapped up in heavy material

D. I have one maternity dress that is summer-ish. I will wear it. Though I am not a huge fan of maternity dresses especially as pregnancy progresses because there is no end to the preggo-tummy. At least with skirts you get some definition of the protruding tummy.

E. I am pretty sure that if I do buy a maternity skirt that I will be about to wear it when I am not pregnant. That is the case with most of my skirts. The jean skirt - not so much - but most of the other yes. So, it is a good buy. I have not bought any maternity clothes okay one maternity skirt from here. It was majorly on sale and it will probably be the only maternity thing I buy during this pregnancy (if I can help it).

F. Don't be fooled if you come to my house or see me outside with the girls I'll likely be in shorts and a t-shirt.

This is by far my favorite skirt EVER.

I know I have used this pic 1000 times but I have not uploaded any pics from our normal camera in a while... I shall work on that!

Brave Ballerina!

Today was a million times better than yesterday! We got there early enough to 1. Use the potty 2. Look at last years class pics and see all the beautiful costumes 3. Look in the secret window and not be afraid.

They were super cute to watch and with a happy attitude after it was good knowing the effort was worth it

Pregnancy Insomnia is for the Birds

The past two nights I have been up/in a semi-awake state for 2+ hours in the middle of the night. It drives me crazy. Is too late to do anything like read or cross stitch so I just lay awake. I move to the couch so I don't bother Lee too much. Two nights in a row is ROUGH!

I have been wanting/needing/dying/nesting to clean our bathroom both mornings this week and I have every intention of doing it but when I'm up from 12:45 to past 3 - not a chance am I going to roll out of bed at 5.

I am convinced (if its not already scientifically proven) that this pregnancy insomnia is to help mamas get ready for caring for an infant at all hours of the night and then testing our functionality for the day with the intermittent sleep from the previous night. Let's just say when there is a baby involved it makes the being up a few hours at night WORTH IT.

For now, its just annoying.

On tap for functionality testing: getting out of the house, confession, work, lunch, playing on the swing set, ballet camp, dinner, bath night, clean bathroom

Goals for making it through - get bathroom done during rest time, take E to ballet camp without R (my head was swirling with ballet/activity questions in the wee hours of the morning so I really want to give it a fair chance)

Discovery to be made - Lee has some crazy water spots in his closet - which happen to be above the upstairs sink. Will we be replumbing the entire upstairs? I am kind of hoping so because these leaks are annoying.

Ballet Camp Clam

Remember how E was obsessing over ballet camp? Yeah, me too. Well she was all about it until 5 minutes into camp. PS - There was only one other little girl there - whose mom happened to be in our Lamaze class - yeah that was awhile ago.

In the car... on the way

Sparkles

So E clammed up for about 15 minutes because she could not see me - there is a looking window so I was watching all this play out. She was teary-eyed and one of the teachers tried to get her to stand on the X or do the step but E would have NONE of it.

I was going to go in and have a chat with her but this helicopter mom did not go in until summoned - so I felt less helicopter-mom-ish : )

She was totally fine once I was in there - with R and the other mom. They were super cute. Both girls finished great.

 I told E in the car that she had camp again tomorrow which she was not particularly thrilled about... so we will finish out this camp but who knows if we'll be dancing in the fall. I think she'll feel a bit more comfortable tomorrow and I'll show her the window that I can see her through. - Not trying to start anything that will cause controversy trying to break.

Maybe she was out of her zone. Maybe she really doesn't enjoy it. Maybe she wanted to get home and play on the playset. I really don't have a clue.

What I do know is I am not going to beg her to do dance in the fall because it is far too expensive.. Seriously probably $55 a month. She has best like something that is $55 a month! Heck soccer was $30 - and don't think I have not looked, but fall soccer is $40 FOR THE SEASON.

So in conclusion, E will finish out the week at ballet camp even if I have to beg/make her go. Option will remain open until I have to pay for the first class in September... Will support whatever activity but honestly won't be sorely disappointed if ballet lasts a week.

R carried the noodle around and kept an eye on things!

And I'm supposed to keep my kids off this how?

Nap time is up in t-minus 20 minutes and the 'playground workers' are not done yet... This is an issue

And the Winner is...

Bethany at Before, During and After won the Keep Calm and Latch On Giveaway.

This is what she picked for her little guy.

Don't forget to find the Big Latch On event closest to you!