Still Alive

Yes, Iam still alive folks. Just writing a little SOS from my home town of San Diego while on vacation with just Nolan. Spending it at casa "moms" where the room and board are comped.

I am taking lots of pictures and will have many things to share when I return back to a more significantly lesser population of a town. So stay tuned next week :)

Oh How I am Loving This...

WEEK!

The summer youth center is closed until the school year starts up. This means I have a long to do list to accomplish before I start my REAL vacation in San Diego with Nolan.I've enjoyed the peace and quiet of just hearing the radio play as I paint my new check in counter that has been in the works mid summer.

This also means that I've been able to make my own schedule and work my hours around the things I would like to accomplish at how or with others. This has been a benefit due to the fact that the kids daycare is closed Thursday and I don't have to worry about finding emergency coverage (for the win).

But I've also had this weird nagging feeling that I have to rush out the door, or rush through projects around the house. I became so accustomed to the rush rush rush of all the demands I faced daily, that I certainly need some down time to recharge.

This weekend I'll start packing bags for both children. Eliza will go with Mr. G to family camp over next weekend. I even promised him that I would put her outfits in individual ziplock bags so he wouldn't even have to worry about styles or matching (fish and elephants don't match). This will be Nolan's first airplane ride. Both will have flown in utero and by lap.I will enjoy not having to worry about how to entertain a toddler this time around :)

I will fly into JFK in the morning of September 3rd where Mr. G and Eliza will pick me up. I will undoubtedly crash for a few hours and then join all the family and have a birthday dinner with the folks.

Banananananana....Batman Baby!

If you have any fun loving boys in the family, hurry on over to Walmart. They have baby and toddler two piece pajamas for $5.97! I also picked up a Superman. I love having two piece pjs over the sleepers for the fact that you get more length out of them depending on where they put their height. I got this in 18 mo, and it isn't exactly swimming on him either. But I plan on trying to get my money out of these until next spring. Fingers crossed!

Mid-ish Week Confessions

Huzah!

The summer program has ended and I get to resume some of my life back.


Does anyone else have a weakness for the dollar items at Target? They are seriously the best cheap distractions for your toddlers so you can shop in semi peace. Or, great goodies for road trips or flying on a plane with kids.

Mr. G and I earned another parental merit badge today. While eating dinner at Ponderosa (think classic Sizzler), Eliza became quite cuddly with Mr. G. She was acting like she wanted to go to bed. As things were wrapping up, she vomited all her dinner down her front. Hello clearance section for a quick fix so you can ensure you get grocery shopping done.

Mr. G hates it when I spend a few pennies on beating levels on Candy Crush. It has been my mind numbing vice this summer for stress. I mainly will buy extra moves when I've been stuck on a particular hard level and I am one move short.

I have got to get back to my sewing machine.

Baby boy clothes are hard to resist to my surprise. Pajamas especially!

I am a sucker for garage sales and picking up some kids discarded play equipment that still has some life in it. It shocks me what people throw out here in central NY compared to all the places I've lived. Where I live,  you can discard mattresses, couches etc on the curb for trash day at no extra cost. Mr. G just rolls his eyes and grumbles when I tell him about my "road score".

He Can Be Taught!

Here is an older photo from the nanny cam taken awhile back. I had gotten to the point that it was time for Nolan to start spending more sleep time in the crib after the July holiday weekend. Otherwise Nolan had been sleeping right next to my side of the bed in the Rock and Play (best money spent with Eliza) I had given him the benefit of the doubt about truly being hungry and being too young to self soothe. But one night, I finally had enough knowing all that he had ate prior that night and a midnight snack. Prior to things coming down to this parenting practice, I had wondered if CIO would even work due to his stubborn nature to cry for 1.5 hrs with care providers.

In my sleepy state, I went in and out of sleep as he wailed on around 4:30. I think this went on for a hour, but I was too tired to care enough.

At promptly 9 am, he woke up happy.

Since that night, he has slept through the night! Praise be to God for this. It is as if he said to himself, "Welp, I guess she isn't providing room service anymore, might as well use this time to sleep instead."

There must be some sort fed up level you reach that opens up a can of whoop arse on that mommy guilt in order to successfully make it through the CIO idea. After talking with a few parents with older kids, they told me they couldn't let them cry it out and that they still don't sleep through the night at ages 4 and 6.

"Ain't nobody have time for that!"

Mid Week-ish

I am having these horrible nightmares about work. The kids at the center are beyond horrible and as much as I scream at them to stop, nothing seems to work and I end up going AWOL. Yes, things at work have been very hard. We've had an issue with fighting and bullying. My new boss has installed a new no tolerance policy. I sent 3 kids home yesterday because of it. I am on a skeleton crew of volunteers for this ministry and I seem to play firefighter with them and the kids. It is hard, because I can't always be on the front lines. This keeps me away from planning and getting the next few steps ahead all ready to go.

Nolan has recently discovered that he is very upset if we are not holding him....all...the...time! If this behavior continues, I will seriously consider if we are done having kids.

I've been trying to wean myself off of those little containers of drink concentrate (Mio) when I am at work. I've found myself feeling a bit too dependant on them and asking myself why can't I drink just straight water?

In order to try and sell some kid items so I have a little spending money for San Diego, I have found it very tempting to want to spend what I have saved. The hardest and only temptation is this local garage sale sight I like to keep up with. It has been great to sell some of my items, but you'll sometimes find a few kid items that are just a steal! Then of course I will try and ask if they would be willing to donate it to the youth center.

Mr. G and I the other night had a fight over who was suppose to turn off the bedroom light when we both retired for the night. Yes I know, silly.

I have 7 days left of the summer program and I CAN NOT WAIT. I have missed so many fun opportunities with my mommy friends to do things together with the kids. MOPS can't start soon enough.

Stud-Muffin

Here are my favorites from last weeks 6 month shoot. It had been raining buckets earlier in the morning during church and I was a bit crestfallen at the weather. I try and get these suckers done pretty close to the correct mile marker. Otherwise, life just seems to get in the way.

I took these on a Walmart impulse buy. They are these large chair like structure bean bag chairs from Big Joe. Price was 30, but what helped sell it for me was that this had several functions to it and wouldn't be out grown. Not to mention that its an easy clean fabric :)

Clothing for Nolan was simple with plain blue jean suspenders with no shirt.

So serious with Eliza

You can just see those 3 little teeth on the bottom of this smile.

This is probably my favorite as sister had joined us and wanted in on the fun. Poses like these can't be duplicated. Even when one isn't exactly over the moon with the shoot or the set up, just keep shooting and become surprised in post processing.

Because I Like to Be Spoiled

So here is the final results of the JCP photo experience. With having a now 2 year old, the process was MUCH harder than a little more past a year this time.

As you can see with how Mr. G is holding Eliza, you can still see the cover of his phone clenched in her tight hot little hands. Sigh...this is when you have to just let go of expectations and accept the fact that you have a two year old.