Play Dates & Why I Shouldn't Shop With My Kids

Our 3 day weekend started off with a bang. Literally. And that bang was followed by a squeal. The bang was Little Dude's toy laptop meeting his sister's head. And the squeal, well, that was obviously GG. I don't think I have ever jumped out of bed faster!

My theory is that they are still tired from Friday. We had a pool party for Girl Scouts and after that the kids had a play date at a friend's house. This was Little Dude's first ever play date. I must admit I shed a tear. But then I shed another one because I realize that with no kids in the car, I couldn't take advantage of the HOV lane to get the husband from work. And traffic was horrible yesterday!

Today was my turn for a play date. My BFF had to go to the outlet stores because she ran out of time to get what she needed Friday. Of course I was going with her. I had a gift card burning a hole on my pocket! But do you think I could find what I wanted? Of course not. So we window shopped instead, with a detour into Le Gourmet Chef to sample all the goodies! Yum! It felt so nice to spend a few hours away from the house without our kids. But at the same time I was determined to get what I went out for.

When I got back home, I relieved the husband and tortured myself by taking the kids to Target. Apparently Target is the best place to have races and play hide and seek. In between telling the kids to stop running and trying to find which clothes rack they were under, I did manage to find an awesome sundress. Item #1 on my list - check! Didn't find the other stuff I needed so off to Kohls we went.

Yes I like to take my kids to stores to torture myself.

The same games were played at Kohls, but thankfully there weren't as many people there to give me dirty looks.

I searched high and low and finally found where the flip flops were. Damn them for rearranging the store on me! After sorting through the bling and heels, I finally found a pair of plain black ones. Item #2 - check!

I also learned that flip flops make great instruments. Thanks Little Dude for adding to the embarrassment of me looking like the mean mom.

While I drug them to the check out we worked our way to the check out, I found another awesome sundress. Score! I tried a few on and GG helped me pick which color looked best. I looked at the price and realized that, with the rest of my gift card, I would only have to pay a few bucks. Score again!

It is been along time since I have bought something just for me. And although I still can't find a bathing suit I like, I did get 3 other things. I think it was a pretty good day.

Now I have a new dress, freshly painted nails, and some awesome shoes I borrowed from my mom to wear to the Memorial Day picnic we are going to. I must admit, I'm pretty excited!



Until next time....

FF - Kiddie Crack

Yep, you read that right. Friday Follow is back by popular demand. Spread the word, make this viral. Get to know some new people and maybe get to know the ones you already know a little better. Click the button for more details!


If you're visiting me from Follow Friday, welcome to my piece of the net.


Yet again, it's been a crazy week. I tried getting stuff done around the house, and I was somewhat successful, but it's been so hot! A gradual warm-up would have been nice, but we jumped straight to 90 degree weather. I guess that's what I get. Last Fall all I wanted was 1 good winter with a decent snow. I didn't mean 3+ feet from 2 storms only days apart, but that's what we got. All winter I said we better have a hot summer so we can swim all the time. Well, it's been hot and the pools aren't even open yet!



The kids and I pick the husband up from work everyday. I've learned with this heat that it is better for my everyone's sanity if we just turn the AC on in the car. Yesterday I'm glad I did. I learned a valuable lesson and that was it is not wise to take fruit roll-ups for a snack in the car when it's 90 degrees outside.

I tried to avoid looking at other drivers around me but I'm sure they were giving me all kinds of crazy looks. I assume this because I'm sure I looked like a fool holding a fruit roll-up in front of the vent, on full blast mind you. I was trying to harden the stupid snack so I could peel the paper off! Good thing GG pointed out the melt factor early and told Little Dude to have me help him. I reached behind me to grab his snack to discover he already took a bite of his still rolled fruit roll-up. I'm not positive but I think he ate some of the paper. Oops!


While I was holding the roll-ups in front of the AC like an ass, the kids were able to keep themselves occupied with their kiddie crack.

I don't know what is in this stuff but I can't think of any kid in this area that can't get within 100 feet of the convenient store without getting the shakes. They ne-e-e-ed their Bug Juice! I finally got smart and starting saving a few bottles to refill with the less sugary crack-less juice I make at home. Just not this day. It was too damn hot to argue with the boy over juice.


I have a few other stories from the week. There's the one where Little Dude's soccer coach thought he wanted a Dago. Or the one about our truck that we just got rid of. That one's bittersweet.

But I know there's other blogs on Friday. So get reading, get linked, and get to mingling.

Thanks for stopping by!



Until next time....

A Look into My Life

My friend Amy



was tagged with these questions.
I'm going to take her up on this and answer them myself.

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
I do believe I was named after my Great Grandma on my mom's side.


2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
Last Sunday over the finale of Lost. As a side note, I'm still a little ticked off at how it ended.


3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
Most days I do. Sometimes when my writing isn't very neat, I switch pens. For whatever reason it really does make a difference. I've also noticed that I rarely sign my name the same twice!


4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Turkey. Chipped.


5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
Do I really need to answer this one? It's not like I never talk about them or anything. But in case you're new to this place, I have 2 - GG (8) and Little Dude (4).


6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
I would. With the exception of a few days a month where I can be a complete bitch. Any woman out there knows exactly what I'm talking about!!


7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
Who me? No, never!

True story ~ this is how my side of the family copes with tough things. I've learned there are a lot of people out there who seem to find sarcasm offensive, but it works for me.


8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
Yes


9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
Absolutely not!!! I will go on the biggest and faster roller coaster with tons of loops, but bungee jumping, sky diving.... HECK NO!!!!


10. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
If I'm wearing boots, then yes, I have to if I want them off my feet. My tennis shoes I do not untie. And in the summer if I'm not barefoot, I'm wearing flip flops. Obviously you can't untie those!


11. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
Physically, no. Mentally, when I have to be. I don't like to cry in front of other people so I usually put on my big girl pants and suck it up. Once I'm alone I'm a blubbering mess.


12. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Chocolate peanut butter


13. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
How they are dressed and mannerisms. Typically the way someone is dressed will not determine if I like them or not. But if someone comes across as cocky and arrogant, I have my reservations. But I have learned to give people like that a chance. After all, that was my first impression of the husband!


14. RED OR PINK?
Pink. If my mom is reading this, I hope she's sitting because this is coming from a girl who used to wear nothing but dark colors. Pink was like the plague to me back in the day!


15. WHAT IS THE WEATHER LIKE OUTSIDE?
The 3 H's ~ hazy, hot, humid. But after the craptastic winter we endured, this weather is much appreciated!


16. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DRINK?
Coffee. Life would be grand if I could stick a caffeine IV in me every morning!

I also like tea (hot and sweet in the winter, cold and straight in the summer). Oh, an Pepsi. I might need an IV for that, too!


17. WHAT COLOR SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
Black flip flops


18. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
Buffalo chicken penne (thanks again, Shell!). That reminds me, I guess I should go get my Special K Red berries for breakfast!


19. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
The hum of the fish tank filter and Little Dude building a train track around his castle.


20. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Purple Mountain Majesty. The color is pretty, but I really like the name!


21. FAVORITE SMELLS?
Rain, All laundry detergent, and fresh baked chocolate chip cookies


22. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
My mom. She just called to tell me her friend is coming over to get the paperwork for our truck squared away. I'll be sad to see the truck go, but at the same time I can't wait to get it out of here!!!


23. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Just like the question about kids, if you've been here for a bit, you should already know the answer. I bleed black and gold!!! I love, love, love my Pens and Steelers. I cold maybe get back into baseball if the Pirates could figure out how to win. After 17 straight losing seasons, I don't think they know how to anymore.


24. HAIR COLOR?
Reddish. I need to dye my hair again, but I learned last year that chlorine makes it look really bad. Maybe I'll find out what my natural color this year. I honestly have no idea what it is!!


25. EYE COLOR?
Green with flecks of gold and brown. And a brown spot in my left eye.


26. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
No. I used to but contacts for me aren't cheap. Although glasses aren't either since I seem to keep breaking them. Hopefully my new pairs will hold up for a while.


27. FAVORITE FOOD?
Crab legs. I once ate 16 pounds in 10 days while on vacation. I think I was around 13 at the time. I also love pasta and salads.


28. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Either one. It depends on what I'm in the mood for, but I do love me some good scary movies!


29. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
Transformers. It was the only decent thing on tv last night. I tried to watch American Idol but I just couldn't do it.


30. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
My yellow All you need is love Beatles shirt. Hmm... I wonder what the inspiration for my blog title was?m LOL!!


31. SUMMER OR WINTER?
Summer. Up until this past February I didn't mind winter all that much, even though I complained about it constantly. All I said last Fall was that I wanted 1 good snowfall and I'd be happy. The 3 foot Snowmageddon that came in February is NOT what I had in mind!!!


32. HUGS OR KISSES?
Both


33. CAR OR TRUCK?
As much as I love our little red truck and wish we could afford to fix it up, I'll take the car any day.


34. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
I'm not currently reading anything. Unless you want to count the many childrens books we go through every day.


35. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
Maxine pointing her finger at me and saying "Don't mouse with me!"


36. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?
Again, Transformers.


37. FAVORITE SOUND?
Babies laughing. Not a giggle, but the deep down belly laugh. I also love the sound of a good thunderstorm, especially at night when I'm in bed.


38. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
I can not stand the Stones! Having them play over and over and over while waiting for a concert to start really turned me away from them. I would pick the Beatles over just about any other band anyway.


39. WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO TO NEXT?
I would love to take the kids the Disney World, but we want to wait until Little Dude is a bit older. Until then, I really want to go to the beach, sit in the sand and have the waves splash on my feet while I watch the kids build a sandcastle.


40. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
Amy asked if being a mom counts and I definitely think it does, so I'm using her answer. I also used to be able to tie a cherry stem with my tongue.


41. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
In a hospital



I'm not sure if I'm supposed to tag anyone with these questions, but I'm not big on that anyway. If you want to answer these go right ahead. Let me know so I can pop over and check out your answers.



Until next time....

Lego Chronicles Part 1

Over the past year, Legos have become a big thing in this house. Grandma and Pap still have the big box from the husband's childhood. Last summer they brought it out of hiding in their attic for our midgets to play with. The husband's age decreased by many years as he got down on the floor with them to build all kinds of crazy spaceships and buildings.

Last Christmas, GG's big gift from Grandma and Pap (because I'm surely not crazy enough to buy it) was a Lego house.

GG and the husband talked for months of building this house and last month they finally broke it open.

I'm sure someone saw me tweeting about my lack of interest excitement over this house. You did see, right? I realize I sometimes talk to myself, but please don't make me think I tweet to myself, too! I guess if I do, at least I won't get odd looks from strangers like in the grocery store!

Back to the house...

It turns out this set is actually 3 houses in 1. In other words, you can build 3 different houses with the bricks provided. Let me give you the specs on the house of their choosing...

976 pieces of all shapes, size, and color
2 books of instructions
A total of 103 steps to complete their house

It started with one big green square and a bunch of bags

The foundation, pond, and walkway were the first things to do.

Now which of these bags has the tiny 1x1 flats?
Light or dark grey?

The building schedule is every Wednesday and Saturday night.
After week 1, we can proudly say...

We have a duck!!!

Stay tuned for Part 2 next week!

Until next time....

Helicopters and a Big Black What?!?

I'm sure by now you're wondering what I'm talking about. Well, let me show you...

A black bear was spotted a few miles from my house last Friday. It was shot with a dart, but got away, only to be seen a few more times over the weekend.

Yesterday morning when the boy and I got back from taking the husband and GG where they needed to go, I heard a helicopter. After a few minutes I noticed I still heard it. So we went outside to check things out. 45 minutes that thing circled the skies over our house! I wondered if the bear was close by because I hadn't heard about it being caught yet.

Real quick let me explain my 'hood. It's 1.5 square miles. Not big at all so you're crazy if you think I was going to leave my house! And we're about 10 minutes from downtown. In other words... NOT BEAR COUNTRY!!!!

The explanation of the bear is that it is young. Mama bear just set it free to learn how to live on it's own. It's probably not very dangerous being young, but still, a bear is a bear! I hope they catch it soon!





Until next time....

It's the Little Things

The Mommyologist's post for Mom Sexy today couldn't have come at a better time. She talks about little things we, as moms, can do for ourselves that can make us feel sexy. She brings out a very good point that these things should be for us, not for those around us. I think if you feel good about yourself, the people around you pick up on it.

This past week or so I've been doing little things for me. It started with a trip to the mall to buy Little Dude another Webkinz Jr. We walked through a store and I saw a shirt on one of those creepy, headless mannequins. I took one look at this shirt and said, "Hey! I have that same one at home!" From the time I got this shirt last Christmas I thought it was a dress shirt. Since I don't get dolled up and go out too often, I hadn't worn it yet. The shirt was layered over a t-shirt, left unbuttoned, with the sleeves rolled. It's a plaid shirt on the outside,, but the inside pattern has flowers.

The next day I pulled this shirt out of my closet, found my favorite tank top and capris and put the whole thing together. I also decided to pull out my make-up. I have so much make-up because I rarely wear it. I usually end up throwing a lot of it away because it's too old for me to feel comfortable wearing. I've had a bad experience with older make-up so I'm more cautious now. Anyway, I figure I have it so why not wear it. Recently I got some eye shadow from a friend that has 12 colors in it. So many decisions, but I finally went with purple. I pulled out my lip gloss, which I am slowly becoming addicted to and threw some of that on. I even added a necklace and some silver bracelets. My jewelry, with the exception of my wedding rings, is like my make-up ~ I have so much but rarely wear it.

Just ignore the crap on the floor.
I'm waiting for the husband to bag his stuff to donate
so I can get it all out of the house in one trip

Along with the eye shadow assortment that I bought from a friend, I also bought some new nail polish - Cheery Red. I painted my toes. This is nothing new. I refuse to wear flip flops unless my feet look nice so my toes are always painted, but they needed redone.

I think I just wanted a good excuse
to show off my favorite tattoo!

Since I started this looking nice thing, I've been keeping up with it. Well, for the most part. This humidity is a killer for my hair so I'm still sporting the ever constant ponytail. Baby steps, right?!

Until next time....

A Day I Will Always Remember

February 8, 1996


A day I will always remember


I remember suffering through yet another day in Trig and Pre-calc. Back then I rocked at math so it wasn't the class itself. It was Brank the Tank. I swear he was drunk most of the time, just going through the motions to get the class done with.

I had the option from my mom to stay home from school that day. I knew I should but I just could not sit there waiting. If I went to school my mind would be forced to think of other things.

And then it happened. Tony appeared in the doorway of the classroom. It was his turn for office duty, something that a student could opt to do instead of wasting away in study hall. He had a look about him and I just knew he was there for me. He walked in, handed the little yellow slip of paper to the teacher who then looked at me and said it would have to wait.

Our eyes met. I knew what had happened. I would not wait. It didn't matter that there were only 5 more minutes left in class. I would not wait. I stood up and walked out. A very bold move coming from a rather introverted girl.

I walked down the hall with Tony. Did it happen is what I asked. All he could do was shake his head. The bell rang as we walked. Students spilled out of classrooms. A few friends passed us in the hall. One look and they knew.

February 8, 1996, 4 days shy of turning 17, is the day my dad passed away.

The emotions one deals with at such a time are difficult ones. Add to what I felt at the time to be a rocky relationship made them even harder. My dad and I were both stubborn. When we would get going, there was the potential for a lot of yelling within the walls of our house. The last conversation I recall having with him was one with voices raised. It was trivial, but in my 16 year old eyes, I did not see it as such. I do believe it was yet another go around about not wanting me to hang around with a certain friend. One who wore black, fishnet stockings, and GASP, turned me on to 90210.

Many years have passed and I am now finally at peace. The guilt is gone. For many years I was mad that we couldn't have just one more talk. But I realize now that those exchanges, even if escalated, were out of love and the need to protect.



Until next time....

No Dude to be Found

Go vote for the Umbel kids @ parenting BY dummies Photo Contest! Please and thank you!

************************************************

It really hit me the other day - Little Dude is officially too old for naps. He was in day care until he was 3 and he took naps there at their scheduled times. When he turned 3 is when I quit my job. For a while we had nap time. He would lay down by 1 pm and would sleep until I woke him up to get GG from school by 3. Then his story time was changed from 10 am to 1 pm. No more nap! But he would end up sleeping in the car on the way to get the husband from work.

I've noticed lately that he no longer does that. At first you could tell this lack of extra sleep affected his mood. He was one cranky kid come dinner time. But I've learned the hard way that it is not wise to let your kids nap that late in the day.

I guess he is 4 1/2 and will start Kindergarten in the fall. He's just too old for naps.

Most days at least.

As I mentioned yesterday, GG was helping my cousin at her Gold Award ceremony for Girl Scouts last Sunday. When she was ready, I went to my Aunt and Uncle's house to pick her up. Little Dude threw a ginormous fit because I wouldn't take him with me. It would just be quicker if I went alone.

I returned to my in-laws to hear that Little Dude had fell asleep on the floor. I walked into the house expecting to see him crashed out on the floor. No Dude to be seen! Thinking maybe someone carried him upstairs to Grandma's bed, I mosied on up to her room. No Dude to be seen! I checked the other bedroom - no Dude to be seen!

I finally asked where the heck he was. He was sleeping on the floor of Grandma's room in the one foot space between the side of their bed and the wall!

I wish I would have had my camera! It never occurred to me to have my MIL take his picture. Oh well! But I do have pictures of odd places he has slept in the past...

On a mountain of clothes
Don't worry!
I've since caught up on that chore
Somewhat

He has also fallen asleep while eating in a high chair. And standing up with his head resting on his bed.

I guess when he's tired, he'll sleep where ever he can!

Have your kids ever fell asleep in odd places?


Until next time....

Mission Monkey Day

Please stop over and visit Daffy @ Batcrap Crazy. I personally do not know her, but I do know her and her family are going through a very difficult time and my heart goes out to them. Please click the button below to give her the love and support that I know can come from bloggers. Thank you!

******************************

Hello blog-world! I am participating in what's known around the world as Mission Monkey day! What is Mission Monkey you ask? Well, there's this blogger friend of ours known as Pixie Momma, aka Michelle. Michelle has a little girl, or Monkey as she's known by who was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma. To learn more about it, click here. Monkey is a sweet little 16 month old girl. She doesn't deserve this. Nobody deserves this.

But the good news is that Monkey only has Stage 1 (low risk). The bad news is the medical bills are mounting and the Physical Therapy (starts today) isn't covered by insurance. Michelle is using the donated money to offset medical bills. She will donate and unused portion to another family dealing with the same issue.

This is why the blogging universe is banning together like never before to rally around Michelle and Monkey to provide support. In addition to further entice you to lend your hand, and donate to the cause, we have over 50 items that have been donated. Many bloggers are hosting these fabulous giveaways and all you need to win one of these items is just one raffle ticket.

Donation pages:
Princess of Sarcasm
The One and Only Oka
SupahMommy
Jenn B Says #1
Jenn B Says #2
Amber
Two Little Monkeys
Mommy's Nest
Chief's Hiding From the Kids
Jenny
Jana


You may donate any amount of money via PayPal as it's linked directly to Michelle's bank account. However, in order to be a part of the raffle, this is how that's going to go. If you donate the following, you get the subsequent number of entries:

• $10 - 2 entries
• $20 - 5 entries
• $30 - 10 entries
• $40 - 15 entries
• $50 - 20 entries
• $75 - 35 entries
• $100 - 50 entries
• $200 - 125 entries

The raffles for each item will start on or around July 1st.

Click on monkey to donate...please help!

If you are donating money via PayPal, I need to know who it's coming from. For example, look at the first picture below. The link takes to you this screen. Press the plus sign and then indicate your blog name/blog email address so I can track you accordingly.

And, here's the thing: this could be any of our kids. Thank you for your time and thank you for your donation.

There are also a few other things going on to celebrate Mission Monkey please visit them all!

Twitter party!
More info can be found here - CASH PRIZES!!!!!!

Kerri over at Kerri's Klutter is donating $1 for each and every linkup she receives for her weekly meme, Comment Love Letters. In addition, Adrienne is matching Kerri's donation dollar for dollar! Go and link up and support Mission Monkey!

ZGirl and Travis are participating in a weight loss challenge and they are asking for your sponsorship. Please visit them and lend your support!

Jenn over at BabyStepsInHighHeels has a challenge where she's going to donate $1 for every comment/new follower from now until the end of May. Please visit her!

Until next time....

Silver and GoldOr Maybe Just Gold

Go vote for the Umbel kids @ parenting BY dummies Photo Contest! Please and thank you!

************************************************

Last Sunday GG had the honor of helping in her cousin's Gold ceremony.



The Gold Award is the highest award a Girl Scout can receive. A girl, either as an individual or with her troop, must do a special project in order to receive this award. My cousin, with the help of her troop, made 2 quilts that would be mailed to wounded soldiers.

My cousin was asked if she had a sibling or cousin in scouts who would like to help with the ceremony. Her sisters are both older and GG is the cousin who lives the closest.



I dropped GG off Sunday morning. It takes about a half hour to get to their house and then it would take another half hour to get to the hotel they needed to go to. Poor girl spends so much time in the car anymore it's ridiculous! But Sunday - it was worth it!

GG practiced her role before the ceremony with and when it was time for the ceremony, GG was the leader of the flag ceremony. Because she also had to lead the closing ceremony, she was one of the first to eat her lunch. That meant she had time for not 1, but 2 ice cream sundaes. Complete with hot fudge and sprinkles from what I hear!

She brought home a program from the ceremony. Her name is not it in, but she cannot wait to show her troop and tell them all about it. I really hope this experience made an impact on her and someday she, too, will try for her Gold Award.









Until next time....

Lingerie and Corn

T~Please go back & re-read last week's Post-its :)

I guess you want the whole story now.

Oh, I suppose I can share. Hopefully I can do it justice - that night was priceless!


Back when I was at SRU, my BFF was away at Boot Camp. We couldn't talk on the phone so I wrote. A lot. Not as much as her mom, but a lot!

One night a group of us decide to check out a party with the wrestlers. The main reason we wanted to go was to see the freshmen wrestlers who HAD to wear lingerie. Initiation.

Honestly I don't remember if we had anything to drink. But since I don't remember, I very well could be wrong. Anyway, there we were, having a grand ole time hanging with friends and making fun of the wrestlers when

BAM BAM BAM

Someone looks out the front door. There's the cops. Crap!

There's a mad rush to the back door. Now we're no dummies - we followed the crowd. Like sheep. Baaa

We were NOT about to get busted for anything so we thought it was a good idea to walk back to the dorms. Again, I may or may not have been drinking. My judgement most likely was might have been a little fuzzy. Instead of taking the main roads where we could be seen and possibly busted, we thought it would be wise to walk through the fields to get back.

Remember... possible fuzzy judgement!

We walked and walked and walked. I have honestly never seen so much corn. And I have since driven through the state of Ohio - they have a lot of corn, too!

Apparently up around SRU, the way to mark off your territory was with fences.

Are you picturing pretty white picked fences? Or even brown, worn wood fences? Ya, you're wrong. Try barbed wire fences. Sprinkle in a few electric fences, too. WTH kinda farmers are these people?!?

We climbed quite a few barbed wire fences and had the cuts and bruises to show. We mingled with the cows. Mooo. I do believe there were some ponds we had to navigate around. Quack

Finally, 3 hours later, bruised and exhausted, we reach the campus. We finally meet up with the rest of the crew who were worried sick about us. You know what they have to say about our trek through all that damn corn...




All the cops said was to turn the music down.






Please go vote for the Umbel kids @ parenting BY dummies Photo Contest! Thanks!

Until next time....

Our New Arrival

Last Thursday was a rough one! I had a major mom fail day and I crushed my son's heart. Stomped it into tiny little bits. I cried, too.

I'm sure there's lots of other parents out there who are familiar with the Webkinz craze. Thank goodness it has passed and we don't need to buy new animals all the friggin time! Well, for the most part that's true.

Last year, Webkinz released a Jr. line for ages 3 - 6. Little Dude loves playing games on the computer like his big sis, but unfortunately he can't play the same games as her. Webkinz Jr. was perfect for him. The animals were a little more than I expected to pay, but in the end we knew it was the right decision to buy him one.

Meet monkey
aka Brownie Biscuit


Don't ask about the name.
To this day I have no clue how
Little Dude came up with it!

Just like the regular Webkinz, you can play all you want for a year. When you buy new animals or accessories, it renews your membership. Unlike Webkinz, I didn't see a place where you were told the day your membership expires. I found this out 3 days after the fact.

Little Dude brought Brownie Biscuit into the room and asked to play. In his mind, he can only play when the monkey is sitting right next to him. It's actually quite cute! He went off the put away some toys while I logged him in and, BAM! Denied! I tried explaining what had happened, but he wanted nothing to do with it. Little Dude hid under a blanket so I couldn't see him cry for almost a half an hour. That's where I started to cry.

Doing some research I learned that you could buy blocks of points and use those points towards a virtual animal. The last thing we need in this house is another stuffed animal! I checked out the price to buy enough points and did the math. This is when I realized that it was cheaper to go ahead an just buy another animal. So off to the mall we went.

I would like you to meet Tanner
Brown Biscuit was supposed to be his name
But I talked Little Dude out of it.
Where does he come up with these names?!?

I continued to research after we got home and learned that if your membership lapses, you have 6 months to renew it without losing any other pets. Thank the stars for that!!!

We now have a happy little boy who has been playing his favorite games since the new arrival. Tanner is already starting to look just as loved as Brownie Biscuit!

Until next time....