Whew!

Wow, what a Christmas week! It has been pretty crazy in the Todd family the last week. We had Christmas Eve with my sister, Darci, and her husband, Marcus, and their son, Dreu. It was pretty relaxed and fun, we had Ranch Chicken and Potatoes. Very yummy.

Stockings, anyone? P.S. I didn't tell her to do this.
She came up with this one on her own....

Tanner was over it. Callie was showing off her "Rapunzel" hair extension.

Santa visited us Saturday morning. Callie finally got her Taylor Swift doll, and I can tell you now, a few days later, she plays that song nonstop! But, she loves it. Tanner didn't have a lot of interest in opening presents!

Why did I buy her any other presents??

Saturday morning we packed up and headed to South Sioux for our Christmas! We were planning on staying one night and being back in Omaha the next day. We find out just as we were leaving for Grammy's that Craig's grandma had passed away. The visitation was on Monday, the funeral Tuesday. So, we stayed the couple of extra days. We saw lots of family and friends that we hadn't seen for a while so that was really nice. Opening gifts in a room full of Todd's is... well... chaotic? Can't find the right word. If you are a Todd, or know a Todd, you know what I mean : )

Yummy!

We had Christmas at my mom's and then my dad's on Sunday afternoon. All and all we had a great time and it was an awesome Christmas for the kids!

After the funeral on Tuesday, later that night, we went out to eat with some family at Perkins. We had fun, and it turns out it was Kids Eat Free night so that was an added bonus!! We went to the hotel some family members were staying at to swim afterwards! Then... the scariest moment of my mommy life happened.

Callie was in the pool with her daddy. He was helping a young family member swim and Callie was waiting for him on the stairs. She was on the bottom step and getting excited because daddy was swimming towards her and it was her turn next! She started jumping a little and you know how water kind of carries you... well it carried her off of the stair and right into the pool where she couldn't reach the bottom. I was holding Tanner and sitting in a chair watching her when this happened. (Wearing heels, no less.) I jumped up and ran for the pool, and just as I was about to jump in, Tanner and all, Craig got to her. It really was so scary. I am thankful that we were both paying attention but it's an image I won't soon forget, if ever. Seeing her head under the water and her tiny arms trying to paddle. Ugh. I am glad it ended okay. And I was happy to get her out of the pool. My search for swimming lessons start TODAY.

We had kind of a roller coaster of a holiday.  We had 4 Christmases, one funeral, one near drowning, lots of cookies, lots of kisses, some stress, and lots of fun. Here's to hoping next Christmas is a little less eventful!

Are you REAAAADDDDYYYY?

Christmas is almost here. Now it's actually appropriate timing for some Christmas blogs! Yay! Are you ready yet? Have your shopping and wrapping done? For those of you who do, have you baked? Did your kids sit on Santa's jolly lap? Me... well. As excited as I was a month ago, the excitement hasn't garnered much motivation. Today I am going to finish my shopping. Tonight I am going to start wrapping. I have started making my goodies. But all the progress I made was diminished since Craig was off yesterday. He ate most of the goodies I made. But hey, that's what they are there for, right?

To start my festive weekend, I took Callie and her friend Leah to Village Pointe. It's an outdoor mall here that has a movie theatre. They were playing, "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas." Which is, by the way, one of my favorite holiday movies. If you know me, you know I love a plan and HATE to be late. So I planned to be there at 8:30. Movie began at 9:00. I was expecting a huge line and a ginormous crowd. We got there, parked easily, walked right in, and were the FIRST people in the theatre. We were "those" people. Embarrassing.

When we walked by the concession stand, Callie wanted popcorn. A) She doesn't even like popcorn B) It was 8:30 am who gives their kid popcorn at 8:30 am?

Being the first ones in the theatre we sat there for a while and then a lot of people started filtering in. Complaining that they couldn't get 4 seats together. Glad we came early:) People who sat in front of us had... popcorn. People beside us had... popcorn. The girls wanted..... POPCORN! No way was I going to give up our seats so we could go get popcorn. I gave them a granola bar I had in my purse and it seemed to do the trick.

So a radio personality came out and welcomed us, and then an elf, and then some "Who's" from Whoville. Everything was going awesome. Santa came out. The girls were so excited, their eyes were just sparkling.

The movie started and the Who's kind of danced along with the movie (which was cute, but somewhat annoying. I really just wanted to watch the movie.)

Then the part of the Grinch came on. And then the "real" Grinch came out. And then all h-e-double hockey sticks broke out.

Tears. Tons of tears. Whimpering, screaming, and two little girls crawling up as close as they possibly could to me. A little boy nearby took notice of my two scaredy cats and he decided he should be scared too. Before I know it every child around us is screaming in fear. Again, I just wanted to watch the movie. So the entire movie, these people were acting out. Again, ANNOYING. Even more so now that Callie and Leah are looking everywhere but the movie screen, anxious about the Grinch coming too close to them.

See the FEAR in Callie's eyes??

I finally got them settled down, and we tried to enjoy the rest of the movie. After the movie, we sat on Santa's lap. Well, not we, Callie and Leah did. It was a fun experience all in all.

Do you ever feel a little CRAZY?

Okay, maybe a lot crazy. I do. Really, I'm not joking.

My daughter wants a Taylor Swift doll for Christmas. Not just any Taylor Swift doll, one that sings a song she likes. So, "You Belong With Me," "Our Song," or "Mine." We can only find "Teardrops On My Guitar" and "Love Story." My sister bought the "Love Story" one, just in case we can't find the others. They are out of stock everywhere. I always used to make fun of parents who went crazy over some silly toy for Christmas. That was BEFORE I had children, and BEFORE my daughter asks for it everyday. I am one of those crazy moms looking for this doll. Sending family members to look for this doll. I found it on Ebay but I am NOT willing to pay $40+ on it with shipping. It's 17.99 at Target if they ever get it in stock!

That's not even really a big reason why I feel crazy sometimes. Do other people make you think you are crazy?? My sister, Darci, is trying to convince me that I need to be medicated. I worry a lot. Every car trip, I think we are going to get in an accident, whenever we go to the mall I think about what I would do or where I would hide if someone had a gun, basically I have a fear of me and/or my kids/family ... I can't even say the "d" word. Let's say, going to heaven. On to a lighter note...

My son makes me feel like I am losing my mind sometimes. I KNOW I put him in bed with a pacifier, but it seems like the minute I leave the room, he's crying for one. And he does NOT sleep without it. I look around the bed, in between the bumper (yes, he has a bumper. and it's not even a breathable one, shame on me, move on) and the mattress. Nope. Today I decide to move the crib back b/c my stash of 10+ pacifiers is dwindling and they can't just disappear into thin air. Or can they?



Yup, 4 pacifiers.

 See, I knew I wasn't crazy!?


Well, he was screaming for a pacifier as I ran downstairs to grab the camera and then I just gave him one off the floor, so maybe I am? Or maybe I'm not going to get a "World's Greatest Mom" mug this year. Darn it. I could (and MIGHT!) do an entire blog based on why I lost out on "World's Greatest Mom" a looong time ago!



Don't worry, he was fine people!



Look at them! I feel like they have some secret I don't know about (here comes my paranoia). Like, they are working together to make me do/say insane things and then they laugh about it. It's like they are members of some secret club.

I guess it all depends on your definition of crazy. I don't think "normal" exists. I think that everyone's a little crazy sometimes. Recall my blog on Black Friday? Hello!? But that's what makes life so fun!

The Male Brain

I really just... don't get it. Part of me wishes that I did. Part of me... ignorance is bliss??

I don't want anyone to think that this post is ALL about my husband. It mostly is, but mainly just men in general. Griping to my girlfriends we all seem to say the same thing, right?

Well I decided to do some research. Okay, I googled it. So this is not scientific, but most websites said pretty much the same thing. If I were still in high school literature, I would site my sources. But I don't have to do that now. :)

I found this point interesting...

• Men are able to focus on narrow issues and block out unrelated information and distractions. Women naturally see everyday things from a broader, "big-picture" vantage point.

My translation to this, men block out important issues and get distracted. And by distracted I mean, TURN OFF THE TV WHEN I AM TALKING TO YOU! And girlfriends will tell you, sometimes when you are talking to him you feel like saying, "Okay, what's the last sentence I just said..." JUST to be sure he was listening. If you are me, sometimes you actually say that. For real. And he doesn't always pass...

• Men are able to separate information, stimulus, emotions, relationships, etc. into separate compartments in their brains, while women tend to link everything together.

Agreed. Next.

• It is estimated to be only about 3 pounds, which is usually around 2 percent of your body’s weight. 

Okay this is good news for me! Tomorrow morning when I weigh myself, I will mentally subtract three pounds! Yes!

• On average women say 7,000 words per day. Men manage just over 2000.

This I also believe. My girlfriends and I have often had the chat of, "I wish he talked to me more, you know?" Girlfriends, you know it's true! And while we sit and chat about it, our word tally just rises!!

• Men use the right part of their amygdala instead of the left like women do, hence he may not remember details of important events as well as a woman can

So you mean this is why whenever someone asks us how old our son is he looks at me like a deer in headlights and then proceeds to argue with me about his age? Hmmm.. wait a minute, would you count birth as a detail of an important event? The day he was born is just a small detail, and I should be thankful that he knows he HAS a son? Or, maybe the important event was s-e-x (sorry still can't say it!) and the detail was his son? I don't know... maybe someone can fill me in?

Or maybe someone could fill me in, because I didn't find this in my research, why men have to be "told" to do things around the house? Really, you just stepped on five toys on your way to the couch. Tripping over them sounds like way more fun than bending all the way over to pick them up!

Enough googling the male brain for me. It just sounded like a male wrote those articles to give men excuses for their behavior! I could go straight to the source and talk to him about it, but men have a thinner cortex, thus they aren't very good at conversation.

All joking aside, I love my husband very much, I am very thankful for him. He's an awesome daddy, (which my research said can make his brain "better" by being a dad) and an awesome person. I love him with my whole heart. I just wish he had a female brain sometimes :)

Ten Guilty Pleasures...

Everyone has them, right? I know I have more than 10, but who am I to take up your entire day reading my blog? I know a lot of these are movies and songs, even the ones I should be embarrassed to love, but hey, that's why they are my guilty pleasures :)

10. This song speaks for itself...



9. Like a high school girl with a crush, I gotta have my lipgloss. I'm slightly addicted to Victoria's Secret lipgloss actually. My two favorite flavors...

8. Televison. It's a true waste of time but I can't help it. I don't watch a lot of reality shows, but there's one that I absolutely love, no matter how dorky it is. Not only am I going to share my favorite dancing couple from all of the seasons, I will share with you my favorite dance that I have ever seen on the show. Gives me chills everytime!



And my NON reality show that I am totally obsessed with. Brothers and Sisters. LOVE love it.

7. Romantic Comedies. For sure. A couple of my favorites would be....

Every morning I wake up, before I put on my makeup,
 I say a little prayer for you!

I hate how I don't hate you,
not even a little bit, not even at all.

A few more guilty pleasures movies of different categories:

6. I love to read fashion blogs. Am I the most fashionable person around, no, not quite. But I love to live vicariously through them and imagine if I had the money (and the body!) to be truly fashionable! Along with fashion blogs, I like fashion magazines!

5. Speaking of magazines, I am sad to admit that one of my guilty pleasures is reading "In Touch" and "Ok!" magazine. Moving on...

4. Goo Goo Dolls. Love every song. Can't help it. My favorite? "Name"



3. Facebook is a guilty pleasure that also borders on addiction. I love to see everyone's photos and status updates. And P.S. I've probably facebook stalked YOU at one point.

2. Let's just save a lot of time and youtube videos and say that anything 90's makes the list. 90's music like Ace of Base, Spicegirls, Train, and so on :)

1. My number one, all time guilty pleasure, I say it LOUD AND PROUD..... (this won't surprise a lot of you!)

When you grow up...

When you grow up, what do you want to be?



Hmm.. I can remember some answers I had when I was little. I wanted to be the President. I wanted to be the first woman President. Actually, me and my childhood friend, were going to take turns being President. I was going to be President for a year, and then she would take over for a year, then I would for a year, and so on. I have no idea how long we thought the Presidency lasted. We decided I would write the speeches, she would deliver them. We didn't talk much about anything else that we thought the President had to do, but we knew we could do it. I went through a period where I wanted to be a housekeeper, because I loved cleaning so much! Hahaha, that's funny. I thought at one point that maybe I should be lawyer, because I used to love arguing my point so much. I've mellowed out some since then. Maybe.

Today, what am I doing? I am a stay-at-home Mommy who has a small daycare in my home, and I can say that I love where I am. I love being able to spend time with my children. I love teaching them new things. I love that we have special friends who come and play with us all day. I love that my husband is so supportive of what I want to do. I am RIGHT where I want to be. What do I want to be when I grow up? Me. Simply put.

Having children in my home everyday really is a blessing. It's a rollercoaster sometimes, but fun. If you knew me when I was younger, you would think that I would never open my home to germs and boogers and vomit, right? Dirty diapers? No sweetie, not unless I am wearing rubber gloves. Now it doesn't bother me. Is it really bad that when I see Callie pick her nose, I secretly hope she DOES eat the booger so it's not on my furniture? Probably.  And if you just gagged in your mouth from reading that, don't worry, I was in your shoes once. But that's my point. Why do we have to decide "what" we want to be? And when do we have to decide by? Is there a "decide by date?"

Callie and her Papa

I actually ask my daughter frequently what she would like to be when she grows up. The answer I get the most? "A Princess!" She's also told me that when she gets older she wants to marry her Papa and wear a beautiful white dress. If she can find a man as good as her Papa, I hope she does marry him! I just asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up again, "Taylor Swift. Or like the girl who sings the only exception. (Paramore) And I will sing it. And my dad will be the drummer. And you will sing it with me. Not my Daddy. He's the drummer." Haha, oh Callie. Something tells me she could be an entertainer when she grows up!

Think about what you want to be when you grow up? I've always thought of it as a job. What career do I want to have. Now try thinking about who you want to be when you grow up? Is it the person you are today? Do you think you will want to be "that" in 5 or 10 years?

Let me count the ways...

How much do I love Black Friday?? Let me count the ways!

I am actually not being sarcastic this time. I really do love Black Friday! I have only participated for the last two years, and man, I was totally missing out. I don't know why I didn't do this before. I think in order to love Black Friday as much as I do, you have to have a few things:

1. People to share the fun with. Take friends or family members with you. This will come in handy for a few reasons.
a) Someone to hold your spot in line while you go shop and vice versa. Cuts your "standing in line time" in half.

b) Someone to laugh with. Really. There's some pretty funny things that happen, which I will discuss in detail later!

c) Second opinions. If you are as indecisive as I am, you will need help saying "NO!" Just because it's on sale, doesn't mean you need to buy it. EXCEPT the Handy Can Opener from Menards. I really have never been more excited to open a can in my life. And let me tell you, for under $4, it was everything I could have hoped for and MORE! I even talked my mother in law into buying one. I am sure she is just as happy with her purchase.

2. A good attitude. This is a MUST. No one likes a cranky shopper. You have to have a sense of humor, smile on your face, and lots and lots of patience. If you are in a hurry, don't bother shopping on Black Friday.

3. Most Black Friday shoppers would say that you have to have a "plan." I disagree. I think you should have some things in mind but if you go in there with an agenda, you will get let down. Sometimes stores don't have what you need. It's okay. Set your expectations low and you will not be disappointed.

4. Take your camera. And if you are kind of shy like me, take a photographer with you. Enter, my sister in law, Caity. I am not a person who likes to ruffle feathers, and as much as I say I don't, I DO care what people think about me. I don't have the guts to snap photos of the pure awesomeness Black Friday has to offer. Think peopleofwalmart.com, only it's right in front of you at EVERY store. Thanks, Caity, for not giving a crap what people think, therefore enhancing my blog!

We woke up at 3:30 am to go shopping. We got to the mall and let me tell you, I was impressed before we even parked. There was a guy sleeping outside of Staples. ONE guy. He had a camping chair and was completely covered by a blanket. Head and all. Wish I had a picture. Totally awesome. I bet he got what he wanted :)

We started at Old Navy. Nothing too crazy there. I got a few deals and was happy about that. The line wasn't terrible and the employee who helped me was friendly.

After we were done there, we stood in line at Gordman's. We wanted to be one of the first 300 people in, so we would get a bag. These bags guaranteed 25% off anything you could put in the bag, except doorbusters. So, we were standing in line at about 4:40 and they opened at 5:00. The line was not terrible, but it sure was cold outside. And then it happened.... I witnessed something else completely ridiculous. I saw a few moms with babies standing in line. Babies! It was so cold. SO COLD. I would never take my babies out in that weather and at that hour to stand in line. I felt bad for them. SO, we finally get in the store and we JUST made the 300 people cut off. I think there were about 7 bags left by the time we got inside. Whew! It was a close one. We head straight for a keyboard my daughter has wanted (and I am aware that I will most likely regret this purchase. If you want to get me something for Christmas, may I suggest earplugs?). So we shop for a bit then decide one of us should stand in line. We take turns shopping and standing in line. I was lucky b/c an employee was handing out chocolates when it was my turn to stand with the cart! It was great snack for 5:30 am. I was standing behind a couple of teenagers who probably could have made it on "16 and Pregnant" only the show would need to be named, "15 with Toddlers." The conversation literally went from a mean teacher at school, to lack of sleep due to the kids (they each had one with them!), to lack of sleep due to boyfriends coming over, to.... I can't even type it... s-e-x stuff. I really wasn't trying to eavesdrop. They were loudly going on about their boyfriends and other private matters. I couldn't help but notice their necks covered in hickeys. It was not a lovely mental picture. Oh, and the toddlers were wide awake. Hearing their mommies talking about this. Ugh. It was MY TURN TO SHOP! Yay. Couldn't wait to get away from those girls! So we finally make it up to check out. I have to say, Gordman's was very organized. My cashier was very friendly and it was a great experience, minus hearing the s-e-x talk.

After Gordman's we hit Gap Outlet. That was fun. I found a few great deals for ME. I wish I could say I crossed a bunch of people off of my list. I did buy my husband a "don't-be-mad-at-me-for-spending-so-much-money" gift. And it was on sale :) The line was not long and again, the employees were friendly.

Then it was time for some Starbuck's (you guessed it... hot chocolate!). Starbuck's is great, but it was very hard to drink. Not because it was too hot or not sweet enough, it was because my mother in law was driving a stick shift. Now, if you haven't been in the car with my mother in law driving a stick shift, let me give you some advice... DO NOT try to drink HOT CHOCOLATE. It will hurt.

After Starbuck's and some minor burns, we headed to Menards. Yes, Menards. My mother in law had some things she wanted to get there. I thought, how bad could it be? Who goes to Menards? Men don't shop on Black Friday?? OH... MY... GOSH. I was so wrong. It was the busiest store we'd been in all day. Literally. And that's when I decided it was time to whip out the camera. Pictures are supposed to be worth a thousand words... but I am telling you, this was just something you had to see in person.

It was really busy in there. Absolutely no carts available. I saw people pushing around garbage cans, but this was my personal favorite. Really. This really happened.

This is a sled if you can't tell. Nice.



It's a cage on wheels! Why not throw the kids on the cart? P.S. Caity this lady looks like she could kill you. Just sayin'



Black Friday is not just for us sinners! Maybe the Nuns wanted a Handy Can Opener?

I must give the Menards crew credit. They were really selling their items. I mean, walking around the store selling them. And people bought it. They were going through the lines and people were just throwing more and more on their cart. Genius. And it takes guts to scream, "Sausage for sale" in the middle of a crowded store. With a nametag on. Any bets that's not his real name?

"Who wants to cuddle?" were his exact words...

After our eventful Menard's trip we went to our last stop.... Target. Keep in mind it's about 10:30 and I am getting a little sleepy! There wasn't anything too outrageous.... a comforter sitting outside the door that someone left from "camping out" the night before. It was still busy, but very easy to tell who had been shopping since midnight and who slept in! (We were probably in the tired looking group!) I was after a Taylor Swift doll for my daughter. She is a little more than obsessed. They were out. I wasn't too surprised. So I am still on the hunt.

Maybe they bought a new comforter on sale?

All in all I had a great time. If you haven't tried it, you should! But remember the 4 things I suggested. Thanks to Nate for taking care of my kiddos. Also, a special thanks to my photographer, Caity Todd, and to my mother in law for driving us around in her dangermobile. I was a little scared for my life a few times, have minor whiplash, and still can't feel my tongue, but man, was it fun!

Thanksgiving? Maybe...

Maybe I should try to turn off my Christmas Brain and focus on Thanksgiving? So, there's the age old question, "What are you thankful for...." The answer: "Everything." I am. There are a million blogs out there this week about what people are thankful for. Part of me didn't want to do the cliche blog... A picture is worth a thousand words, so here is what I am thankful for....

I am SO thankful for my children. They are my entire world. My life would really be pretty meaningless without them. Callie, as sassy as she can be, is so smart, and SUCH a great big sister. Callie has taught me so much about what's really important in my life. She's taught me to be patient, she's taught me to laugh, and not sweat the small stuff, which is a work in progress. She is such a cuddle bear :)  There's nothing better in the world than hearing, "Mommy, I love you!"  Tanner has the biggest smile I have ever seen and the most amazing big, blue eyes. He smiles with his soul. Something just pours out of that little guy when he smiles. It literally brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it. I love my children more than I could ever have imagined loving another person. It's unexplainable.

 

I really could go on and on for days. But if you have a positive impact on my kids' lives, I AM THANKFUL FOR YOU!!!! We love you. I am so thankful that my children have you in their lives. THANK YOU!!!

Christmas Brain

Is it just me? This year I can't get Christmas out of my head. I think about it constantly. (You can tell  by all of my Christmas/Snow blogs!) And I don't mean that I am stressing about it. I am just thinking about it. Thinking about decorating, baking with my neighbor and her adorable daughter (my neighbor doesn't bake, I invited her over to bake with me) and Callie- I even got Callie this cute little Santa apron from Target!

 I'm thinking about wrapping presents, giving presents, putting up lights..... it never ends. I am watching "Elf" and "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and I am even turning Christmas music on. Which is really strange because working at Hy-Vee all of the years that I have, I had grown to hate Christmas music because it's all I heard from November to basically January. I have taken out some decorations. My wreath, a miniature nativity set, and I even hung up our "How many days 'til Christmas" Tree... but I can't start crossing days off because the numbers don't go up that high. Could that be a sign that I should have waited?

Maybe I am "jumping the gun" a bit, but I can't help it. It's keeping me up at night. I lay in bed thinking about what we will do, and remembering what we have done in the past. Callie (and now Tanner!) makes our Christmas season so special. Having kids totally does change your life in so many ways. Here's a look through "Christmas Past" or at least since we had Callie :)

Christmas 2007 with our chunky monkey!! Isn't she a adorable?? Of course she is!

Christmas 2008 with our "big girl." She didn't quite know what was going on but I think she liked it!!

Christmas 2009 with a very pregnant mommy and a beautiful little Callie. I was seven and a half months pregnant with our little Tanner Nanner!!

Christmas 2010 will be awesome. I know it will. I cannot wait (obviously!). So until then, you can bet that I'm daydreaming about it. And I bet I'm not the only one!

Really?? A mini-rant

I am a generally happy person, but there are a few things that get under my skin....

At my daughter's last Dr.'s appointment, I noticed a very odd sign during a trip to the ladies room. It said "Please Remember To Flush Toilet" and it had a picture of a person flushing the toilet. Really? Is it that bad that we need a sign to help remind us. It really kind of annoyed me. Instead of taking the time to print a sign, why not just flush the toilet? I don't get it. Maybe it's just me. Another bathroom sign I find a tad annoying is the "Please Wash Hands" sign. People that don't wash their hands are a) disgusting and b) NOT going to change their minds about it because the department of health told them to. We've all seen these people. They go to the bathroom then rush out. Some of them do a fake little 2 second "rinse," I think to avoid embarrassment. Lady, I noticed you didn't use soap. You aren't fooling anyone.

I love how Subway has signs that say, "Please end your conversation before approaching" or "no cellphones." There is nothing more annoying than listening to one end of another person's cellphone conversation. I am with you, Subway! I work part time, very, very part time, at a local store and I cannot stand when people are on their phones while you are trying to help them. To me, it's a pretty selfish thing. And some of the converstations I'm hearing are outrageous. I was in the store with my daughter the other day and this guy was using the WORST language while he was blabbing away on his cellphone. I mean, really. I honestly thought about tapping him on the shoulder and telling him to clean up his language. This isn't a bar, it's a grocery store! 

I am not really an animal person. I don't have pets, don't really intend to. So why is there always dog poo in my yard???? Is it MY job to clean up your dog's poop? My house backs up to a walking trail, and I know I need to get a fence, but my lack of fence doesn't mean that I should clean up your dog's poo. I want to thank all of you who walk your dogs with a little doggie doo doo bag and pick up your dog's lovelies. Thank you. And to those of you who let your dog poop in my yard, watch out. I might just drop my son's dirty diapers off in your backyard. If your dogs are like your children, as most people with pets believe, do you let your children poop in other people's yards? Come on now...

Something that really gets me, and it's a small thing, but I can't help it.... when a cashier hands you back your bills with a pile of change on top. Then you try to use your bills as a funnel to get your change in your zippered wallet. That's tough. Almost always drop change on the ground. But, if you get the change first, then the bills........... life is easier.

I know there are bigger problems in the world. So will I ever REALLY confront anyone on these little annoyances, probably not. But once again, I can pretend :)

Dance, Dance!

Tonight was "Parents Watch" night at my 3 year old daughter's dance class. So we are getting ready, and I am getting Callie and her friend, Leah, ready for dance. They are about all dressed and I say, "Leah, you have your leotard?" She says yes. I say, "Callie, do you have your leotard?" and Leah says, "No, I have a LEAH-Tard, Callie has a Callie-tard." haha omg I almost died laughing. What a clever girl! So off we go to dance! I wasn't sure what to expect for Parents Watch night, since this is my first child and our first dance class. It was about what I expected, glad I brought my camera b/c everyone there had that and/or video recording! It was so much fun. We had a great time watching her and all of the little 3 year olds show off their moves!!

Isn't she just precious :) I know she is! She loved being in the spotlight and I can't wait for her first recital! After dance, we decided to go to Burger King to eat and so Callie could play. ::Don't judge me for letting her eat BK, she orders mac n cheese w/ apple fries and milk. Not the worst thing on the menu. And P.S. San Francisco, she doesn't even really know a toy comes with the meal. SO if everyone follows your lead and doesn't give a toy in an unhealthy happy meal, we won't be too sad about it :) We always give her the toy way later in the day, if we give it to her at all. The last thing I need is one more toy to store. Afterwards, of course we had to visit the playland!!! And by we I didn't mean Callie and Tanner.... take a guess...

My big kid husband, Craig. Is it sad that every time we go to one of these places, I fear us getting kicked out? There are serious "cons" about your husband acting like child, but there are also several benefits. Especially for our kids!! 

Listen, I know these places are gross and full of germs. But if I have to pump a few drops of hand sanitizer in her tiny little palms to see this huge smile on her face... bring on the germs!!!!!!!!

Do you want to read my blog?

I actually just told my husband that I have a blog. He's a little "behind the times" or should we say, socially unavailable. He doesn't do facebook, he did make a page but there were "too many buttons" and he didn't know what to do (Keep in mind he's not even 30 yet), so he has only logged on once. Today I said, "So honey, I started a blog." (A few minutes of silence... waiting for him to make fun of me) "Honey, did you hear me? I started a blog, do you know what that is?" Craig then said, "I guess. It's when you put stuff on the internet." Uhm.. yeah okay. "Do you want to read my blog?" Craig said, "I mean, I will if you want me to." Not exactly the answer I was expecting... but okay. He'll ask to read it soon, right? I cozy up to him the next time he's on the laptop. Nothing. Waiting, waiting, still nothing. He's looking at peopleofwalmart.com. That's probably a lot more funny, I'll give him that. Finally the suspense was killing me and I said, "Craig are you excited? I am going to show you my blog!!" He def was not excited. But he played along. He read... no smiles or even a little chuckle. I don't claim to be really funny, but come on! I was sitting right there. So, I asked him, "Is my blog boring?" and he finally smirked. "Kind of," he said. And then I can't help but wonder... if he had a blog, what would it be like? I imagine it would start something like this:

"My name is Craig. I have a wife and 2 kids. They are Callie and Tanner. She's three and he's, um, 10 months. Yup 10 months. I work at Hy-Vee."

Nothing funny. He's a share-only-the-facts kind of guy. And what gives him the right to "knock" my blog? It's like voting, if you don't vote you can't complain. If you don't blog, you can't criticize!

I told my mom I was writing a blog, she's excited. My sister Darci, a little underwhelmed, not gonna lie. I told Callie about it (my 3 year old) and she was confused. Which is fine. She compared it to texting, which I thought was pretty accurate.  I thought about telling my dad, but he doesn't even have voicemail set up on his phone yet. He can't text. He does know what facebook is though, surprisingly enough! But I am pretty confident he isn't familiar with the blogosphere. So I guess for now the only one excited about my blog is me and my mom and a handful of friends. I guess there's nowhere to go but up!

'Tis the Season

'Tis the season for shopping and hot chocolate (from Starbuck's if you want the best!) Check! Check! I did almost all of my shopping yesterday. It's a good feeling to be almost done. I never really know how much is "too much" for the kids; I really don't want to raise spoiled children, but I get so excited about buying them gifts! When I buy something, I can already see the look in Callie's eyes as she opens it. She gets so excited and just can't wait for me to get it out of the box so she can play with it. And all of us parents know, getting a toy out of the box is easier said than done. What's the point of 55 twisties securing a 1 pound Barbie to a cardboard box? I don't get it...

'Tis the season for baking! Haven't started that yet (come on, it's not even Thanksgiving!) But I can't wait to make goodies to take to my neighbors and friends. Callie loves to "bake" with me and we have so much fun. Can't wait for Tanner to be able to help next year! And then I hope I am teaching her to give by trotting around in the snow handing out plates to neighbors. And that we don't have to buy our neighbors fancy presents, we can make them, and it's the thought that counts.

'Tis the season for decorating. Also a favorite of mine and Callie's. Craig thinks it's a waste of money. I think he's a grinch. :)  We will TRY to wait to put up the tree until after Thanksgiving. TRY. But my sister put her tree up and now Callie is asking to put up ours. And truth be told, I can't wait!

'Tis the season for helping. Or so I thought. But I am not sure people know how to accept help anymore. For example, I was grocery shopping yesterday (while enjoying my huge hot chocolate from... you guessed it, Starbucks!) and a little girl fell and banged her head very hard on the grocery cart. She immediately started crying and I noticed a huge red mark on her poor little nose. She got really worked up and starting vomitting. I went up to the mother and I asked if I could go get an ice pack for the little girl. She looked at me like I was bothering her. Everyone else was just walking by staring. She said, "no she's getting sick we just need to go." I offered my help again, "well is there anything i can do to help you get to the check out or make her smile?" and I got "no I think we are just going to leave." I would have held this poor baby so her mom could get out, a little puke doesn't scare me. And I have encountered this type of thing before when I have tried to help people. I have just gotten, "No we're fine." And I have been in a situation a time or two with my children in a store where a helpful hand would have been... welll... helpful. Maybe it's annoying to people? Maybe the mother thinks I am judging when I try to help? I don't know. But if I am in the same situation, I hope someone would be there to help me!!

'Tis the season for family! (And free babysitters!) I am so thankful that I was able to get almost all of my shopping done with just me and my husband. Thanks to his sister Caity for babysitting. My sister Darci babysits for me a lot as well. And we babysit for them. And not just for the free babysitting, but for being a real part of my children's lives. My husband and I both aren't super duper close with our aunts and uncles. But I know that with most of the kids' they are forming an unbreakable bond. They are so involved in Callie and Tanner's lives. Almost on a daily basis. They come to Christmas programs, dance recitals (soon!), and Halloween, and all of the holidays. I know that these children can never fail. They have so many people around them helping them, loving them, guiding them. They are so incredibly lucky. And so are we, as their parents. I know if anything ever happened to us, my children would be loved no matter what. That's a great feeling!!

Let it SNOW!

Maybe I am crazy. Some would say, "Maybe?" especially my husband. And probably my sister. Anyway, I love the snow and I am so happy to see my neighborhood covered in the white stuff! Callie, my three old, has already noticed that our first snow of the season is melting. She cries, "mommy, make it stop! I want the snow to stay! Is it going to come back?" "Yes, dear, it will be back!"

 There's something about Winter that I love. It's probably a combination of Christmas, family, baking (well, a form of it anyway), presents, shopping, Holiday music, Holiday movies (Elf, anyone?), and Santa! I love driving and seeing snowmen in front yards, Christmas lights, kids sledding down the hill in our backyard, and I have to admit, as mean as it is, it's kind of funny to watch cars get stuck on my street. Don't worry, our car is almost always, wait, always one of those. It's not the stuck cars so much as it is the people coming to help. I love to see strangers (neighbors, they shouldn't be strangers, but.... some of them are) helping one another. I see people come out of their garages with snow shovels. Multiple people. And then I holler to my husband, "Craig, someone needs help!" and he's not quite as happy to help sometimes, but I always talk him into it. We've been stuck. People helped. People come out and helped within minutes. I love that. I wish we were more like that year round. I love getting all bundled up, taking Callie out to play, sledding, and coming in and warming up on the couch after. I have so many great memories of snow on the farm I grew up on. Besides all of the times I drove off the road into the ditch. And I mean, some deep ditches. But I remember my dad tying a sled to the back of the truck (sounds dangerous but he was very careful) and pulling us around in the fields. It was so much fun. SO MUCH FUN!  We had a three-wheeler and we rode that around, with or without sleds. We would dig tunnels in the ditches, and my dad would push snow into a huge pile and that would be the BEST. A very huge pile. We'd slide down it, tackle each other, and play King of the Mountain. Ahh... the memories... :)