Boys

Boys

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Happy Birthday Grandma


There is an angel in heaven named Grandma.
Even though we cannot see you,
We know you are there.
You watch us grow and flourish,
Silently cheering us on.
You hold our hands when we are sad,
And kiss us gently goodnight.
We hear your laughter
Though we have tears,
That contagious sound,
And know you are near.
Good night Grandma,
Hold us tight.



Monday, February 18, 2013

Helping Others

Pink Zebra by Luminessence is sponsoring a fundraiser for Team Amber.  Amber has been diagnosed with Glioblastoma Multiforme Stage Four Brain Cancer. Diagnosed Novmber 2, 2011. Amber is only 17 years old.  Glioblastoma Multiforme is an aggressive tumor in the brain that infiltrates surrounding brain tissue and is the most malignant of brain tumors. Glioblastoma generally has a very poor prognosis, with the average patient surviving just one year after diagnosis.  

I have met Amber and her family and they are truly, a wonderful, fighting family!  Amber and her sister are being raised by a single mother, who had to leave her job to take care of Amber.  I cannot fathom the worries that Amber's mother must experience on a daily basis.  This is just a small token that we can give them, and encourage this family to keep fighting!  Please take a look at the event on Facebook and buy if you can, or to make a monetary donation, visit Team Amber on Facebook.  You can shop Pink Zebra here and enter "Team Amber" as hostess.


Thursday, February 14, 2013

A Mom Outnumbered's Got Sprinkles Giveaway



It's giveaway time!  I am giving away an awesome gift pack sponsored by WildFlower Designs with Nicole and Luminessence!  A WildFlower Designs Tote Bag in Ella Gray, a 3.75 oz jar of Pink Zebra Sprinkles of winner's choice, and a Fleur de Lys Ivory Simmer Pot to one lucky winner!
Don't forget to invite your friends!
Giveaway is open to US Residents only and ends on 2/28/13 at 12:00am CST.


a Rafflecopter giveaway




My Valentine

Today is the official day of love, so it is only fitting that I post about my Valentine.  



Hubby loves and supports me, even when I don't deserve it.  He may tease me about my not-so-edible cooking, but he knows that becoming a SAHM is a big adjustment for me and gives me slack on those "I really hate doing this" tasks.  I love his "Let's do this" quality, even though I might fight it tooth and nail when it comes to projects around the house!  

Rick is the very best daddy I could have asked for, making sure to take time with each of them, recognizing their individuality, even as babies.  All three light up when their Daddy walks through the door and welcome their hugs and kisses, feeling how much Daddy missed them after a day away at work.  



Rick invests in our relationship, taking time to listen, even when I'm not talking out loud.  He is always willing to spend time with me, even if it means sitting on the front room floor for a date-night picnic in our dress clothes.  


We've had our ups and downs but we are each other's best friend, with just enough in common to offset our differences.  We try not to let our stubbornness get in the way, end our arguments with a kiss.  He provides for us, probably cooks and cleans too much for having a wife who stays home all day.  How can I complain, he doesn't watch sports, loves sitting by the fire on a summer night, and he adores me, faults and all.  

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Family Pets


In 2011, at Mother's Day, I decided I wanted a dog.  I didn't just want a dog, I had to have one.  That day.  We visited shelter after shelter, looking for the perfect dog.  Aidan was still in his carrier so he was our test subject.  The older dogs didn't seem to appreciate having a baby in their territory so that wouldn't work. A few puppies tried to eat Aidan's hand, one puppy promptly crouched to pee when he entered the "play" area, that wouldn't work either.  

We were running out of shelters to visit, but I just hadn't found "the one".  We decided to go to the one pet store that I knew sold puppies, only about 20 miles away, just to look.  Yes, I know that pet stores use puppy mills, when I have a thought in my head I am not the most level-headed person by any means.  We arrived at the pet store where they had a room full of caged beauties.  I walked around the room about three times, just not falling in love, when I spied two puppies in a row in the very back, not even a for sale sign on their cage.  That's when I saw her.


The picture doesn't do her justice, with her reddish tint and golden eyes.  Bringing her to the "play area", she was spunky, friendly, and the first dog that didn't either pee or grab Aidan's fingers, she just licked his cheek and looked at him intently.  She was the one!  We were told she was a two month old pure American Pit Bull, but we opted out the paperwork for an extra $100 (yes, pet stores do that, yeesh).  We did find out that she was at least six months and a mix, who wouldn't get too much bigger, but we didn't care.  She belonged with us!


Now she is a young lady, my only female companion in this house of testosterone.  We've had bumps, like her diet of Mr. Potato Head parts, but seeing her playing with the babies, tag, fetch and ball, is priceless!  She has become the protector, now that our older dog is gone, and I swear, she thinks the babies are her brothers!

What pets belong in your family?

Monday, February 11, 2013

Boredom in the life of a Mom

I really was quite desperate before I told the hubby I was bored.  No one is on Facebook.  Already sat on the floor and played with the babies, already picked up the toys in the family room.  The piles of junk on the desk just stare at me, begging for attention.  So starts my list of possibilities.

  • Vacuum the front room
  • Put Christmas stuff away
  • Put laundry away
  • Write a blog post
Not that any of those crossed off items are done, those are possibilities of things I don't want to do.  So here I am.  Is it possible for a mommy of 3 babies to get bored?  Apparently so.  Shopping would be wonderful, even online shopping!  

36-bottle Deluxe Style Wine Rack

Some chocolate from Velata
(incidentally, I'm having an online party on Facebook)

Small Micro-Cooker from Pampered Chef

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2
(oooooh, yeah)

Instead, I'm doing this:



Friday, February 8, 2013

Where have all the naps gone?

When I had Aidan in 2010, at 34, never having been lucky enough to be a SAHM for the older boys, did I have it easy!  Granted, I didn't know it at the time.  Every second was spent on the baby.  I didn't know how to cook and clean (which was good because neither were a stong suit).  Holding the baby, playing with the baby, taking pictures of the baby, and NAPPING with the baby.  Oh, how I treasured those naps!  Cell was turned off, we would nap anywhere, the bed, the couch, I think it might have happened on the floor a few times.  

Along comes Gavin in 2011, and a slightly bigger home.  Aidan finally had his own room, while Gavin slept in our room, both still waking up several times in the night.  We started with a housekeeper once a month, but I was soon able to wash the floors on my own, keep the kitchen clean with Rick's help.  I had a laundry schedule (and face it, having a part time nanny to watch them a few hours a week so I could get things done didn't hurt either).  Aidan was still on two naps a day, Gavin, being a preemie, slept all the time, so I was still getting one good nap in a day.

And now there's three.  Isaac was born in 2012 and we've moved again.  Aidan fights tooth and nail to avoid  his half hour rest time.  Gavin has quickly gone from two naps to one, and Isaac finds it humorous to have awake time during the others' short quiet times.  And guess what?  Now that I've proven I can get some housework done, I'm expected to tidy every day, sans nanny!   I've even made the mistake of cooking a few times, not without the question of it being edible, but suddenly I'm super mommy, with expectations of cleaning without a nap at all!  

Ladies, here is where the warning comes in.  If you must create a family planning binder, do NOT show it to the hubby!  Where you can have entire conversations completely one-sided while the TV drowns out your voice, they will actually memorize your chore chart and come home expecting your list to be complete for the day.  When the newness of the chore chart has worn off, they will remind you of what chores were scheduled for that day.  

And naps?  While I am lucky that, for the first time in 3 years, I am able to sleep all the way through the night, naps are a treasured gift that need to be earned from a loving spouse.  I am currently owed 5 sleep-in days.  Yes, I am keeping track.  I was owed 6, but I cashed one in a few weekends ago while having a bout of stomach flu.  I will just look forward to napping when I am old and grey and no one can stop me!


Thursday, February 7, 2013

TGIF Blog Hop 2/7-2/14 (Free ad space op) (Reposted from Funny PostPartum Lady)



Welcome back to the TGIF Blog HOP!!!
Brought to you by
Overworked Supermom 
and
Funny Postpartum Lady 

 
TGIF Blog Hop is a great way to gain new
followers and bring more traffic to your blog.
It's also a great way to meet other bloggers and 

get great tips, ideas, and read cool blog posts.
There are just a few simple rules for our Blog Hop. 
Repost the Blog Hop on your Blog to bring in more traffic. You can grab the code at the bottom of the page from Linky Tools.
I will be giving out free ad space to one blogger. I will choose from bloggers that repost this Blog Hop on their own Blog.
I will contact you via email over the weekend. Ad space will go on my Blog and MothersHelpingOthers.org
Each week we will post a new linky! Contact me at Funnypregnantlady@aol.com if you're interesting in cohosting a Blog Hop! 

Code for  button:

<a href="http://funnypregnantlady.blogspot.com">
<img src="http://akaywebdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/button_edited-1.png"  /></a>


Thankful Thursday

Today, it's only fitting that for Thankful Thursday I post about my mom on her birthday.  She passed in 2007 and I still think about her every day.  She knew how to be a MOM rather than a best friend, and still the first person I would go to for anything, good or bad.  She loved my boys more than anything and it breaks my heart that she couldn't meet my younger three.  Here are a few pictures of my beautiful mom:







Monday, February 4, 2013

Getting Around



I've been told (numerous times), to be successful in Direct Sales you must know social media.  With the restrictions on Facebook (and limited viewing by fans), I've been learning my way around Twitter.  I'm getting used to the # and the @.  I don't like that there are posts from profiles that I don't "follow" on my home page, but I have found it quite enjoyable!  It moves a little fast for my turtle-paced brain, and I find myself constantly looking for the "like" button.  I've been having trouble thinking of more witty things to reply to tweets other than, "lol".  I'm wondering if I'm getting a little old to learn new things, but it is a necessary evil, and pretty much my only means of socialization other than "diappees", "babas" and "night night".  Google+ is where I draw the line, I can't navigate my way passed the home screen and have NO desire to figure it out!

What social meadia are you on?  Follow me on Twitter @nicoleshome