Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Redefining Date Night

For the past year or so, Tyler and I have been on a pretty tight budget as we prepare to buy a house in the near future. Because of the budget, our date nights have been a little scarce. The cost of a babysitter, the meal, and the movie all add up pretty quick. So, these past few months we have decided to redefine the date night.

We are fortunate as a family to have schedules that are pretty flexible. Ty is home most afternoons and I am back at the house by 11:50 a.m. The rest of the day is free and clear. Lauren is in school and does not get off the bus until 4:50 p.m. So I thought, why not have date nights during the day when we are home anyway? So we did. Once a week we will go out to lunch and enjoy some time together. Last Friday, we went to lunch and took Rugby to the dog park. We just sat outside in the nice weather and talked. There were no crowds to fight, no babysitter to pay, and no rush to get back.

There are still times when we will go out for the evening, but now the pressure is off and we can be more spontaneous. I definitely know that this is not a normal situation for everyone. I do not take that for granted. We are going to take advantage of it for as long as we can. If something changes, then we will get creative again. For now, I love the afternoons...

Friday, January 23, 2009

Worst Purchase Ever

Very rarely do I get sucked into a product that I see on TV. I am usually prepared for the tricks advertisements use to separate people and their money. Well, my streak has ended. I bought the dumbest product ever made.

NOTE: If you have this product and use it without any problems, don't take this personally.

I bought the PediPaws from Bed, Bath, and Beyond. It is supposed to file your dogs nails down without hurting the quick of the nail. Seeing as though we don't take Rugby to get groomed, (ironically, to save money) I thought this purchase would help his fifteen inch nails get under control.

In the commercials, all the pets seemed to like it. They didn't tell me they were all drugged up on doggie Valium. Rugby freaked out and nearly took my eye out with his dagger claw. Not at all like the commercial, I must add. No one lost an eye there! At one point, Ty was holding him down while I got to try one nail. As it was going I started to smell something burning. Yup, it was the friction of the nail on the grinder inside the PediPaw. I nearly melted my dog's nail or burnt down my house. Neither is a good option and not sure which one would have happened first if I had continued.

Needless to say, the PediPaw is on the top of my microwave. I don't have the heart to throw it away. I will least look at it for the next six months to get my money's worth.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Got It!


Those of you who are regular readers might remember that I caught my child reading a magazine on the potty, buck naked. Well, I caught her doing it again and this time my camera was charged. Enjoy!

Friday, January 16, 2009

The Results Are In

I've had a great response to the great chili debate. Thank you all for participating, it was fun! Now for the results. I would like to take this time to share the outcome in the most gracious manner I can:

Nanny, Nanny, Poo-poo, Mom! I won!!

There were seven responses in total and five of you said that it IS the chili powder that makes a chili NOT the beans. All the responses were valid and everyone made good points. After all is said and done, I think it comes down to a matter of preference.

Good effort, Mom. You can call a re-match anytime you like.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

The Great Debate

I am asking for some help today from all of you. I was talking to my mother last night and got into a small debate. Now we need you to help find the right answer. I made chili the other day and was telling my mom about it. I came up in conversation that I didn't use beans in my chili. That's where the debate began.

I say that chili is chili because you put chili powder in to make it.

My mother says chili is not chili unless you have beans in it.

So I ask, what makes chili, chili? Is it the beans or the chili powder that actually qualifies the meal as a chili?

You are going to decide the winner of this debate. Please respond with you opinion and I will be glad to declare myself...oooops, I mean, declare the winner after I hear what you think. Thanks for playing along!

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Too Cute


OK, so this post has nothing to do with my daughter. I apologize in advance. Ty received these cookies from his company the other day. They were so cute, I had to show you. My favorite part is the tiny Tommy Hilfiger logo on the shirts. Since I knew that cookies don't last long in this house, I took a picture before I ate them. It's a good thing I did, too. The blue jeans, red purse, and white shirt are already gone! I have no will power! At least they taste as good as they look.

Monday, January 12, 2009

Like Father, Like Daughter

Lauren has this thing of running around naked when we get her changed into her jammies. She actually runs in a circle yelling "make-ed, make-ed" while patting her belly. It is quite entertaining to see. Two nights ago, it went from entertaining to down-right hilarious.

Lauren was running her normal circles when she stopped and took off down the hall in her birthday suit. I was expecting her to return and continue her ritual, but she never came back. In fact it was really quiet. Not a good sign. I went to go investigate when I saw the bathroom light on. I peeked around the corner to see my daughter bare naked on the potty reading one of Tyler's magazines! She had the magazine open on her naked lap flipping through the pages as if there were some good articles that she wanted to read.

No, I didn't take a picture. The camera was dead. If she does it again, I'll try to capture it on film.

I guess I should move a small basket of books in there for her. Sports Illustrated is a little over her head.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Christmas Festivus



Thought I would post a couple of pictures from the trip home. The first picture is of Lauren and her three cousins, (in order of age) Lily, Corban, and Chloe. Also, in the picture is Lauren's great-grandma, Dot. The other picture is of one of Lauren's presents. It was a vet's outfit that included a puppy and all the medical equipment a vet would need. She didn't take it off the whole time. Thanks Kelly, for sending these for me!

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Web Cam

One of my Christmas presents this year from my parents was a web cam. They gave my sister-in-law one, too. I finally set it up last night and gave it a try. Surprisingly, it was a lot easier to use than I thought. It plugs right into my USB port on the side of my laptop and is very small and compact. The picture is very clear and the sound is good. I didn't know what to expect, but I am pleasantly surprised.

Lauren got on the web cam with me and talked with her cousins in PA for about 20 minutes. Really, she just made faces at them and giggled. She had a blast seeing them on the computer and was so excited. She even cried when we ended the conversation.

Now that she is getting older, it is important to me that we stay connected to family so that Lauren knows her cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. I know this web cam is going to help us remain close. Now, I just need Ty's side of the family to get a web cam. Then the family circle will be complete (Hint, hint, Jason).

Monday, January 5, 2009

Sick-o

The trip to PA was a fun-filled, action-packed couple of weeks. Except for the sicknesses. Someone in my family gets sick every time we go up north. It is usually me and I usually end up in the Urgent Care at least once. This time it was Lauren.

A couple days before the squirrel decided to make his debut, Lauren caught some sort of bug. No fever, no warning signs. She just cried for a minute and began to throw up. She started at 4 am and did not stop until 2 pm. At first is was every 20 minutes and tapered off to every hour. It was so bad that Lauren and Ty just slept on the bathroom floor. The scariest part was when she threw up so hard that she just collapsed on the floor from being so weak. Her legs gave out and she just kinda slipped down to the ground. By the time that happened she had been throwing up for 10 straight hours, so I guess her little body had enough.

After the 10 hours, she was right back to normal without any other signs of sickness. I really do not like when little ones get sick. They can never tell you what's wrong and you feel so helpless. I hope this is the last big sickness for a while. I don't think I can handle another one like that.

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Attacked

So here's the story....

I was taking Lauren up to bed last night, when I was subject to a surprise attack. I went to move the pillow and lay Lauren down, when I felt and saw a set of legs run over my shoulder and up the drapes. After my heart started again, I looked at the drapes and saw a set of big eyes staring back at me. I promptly left the room praying that the furry thing locking eyes with me was not going to claw my eyes out.

After closer inspection, there was a squirrel that got into my mother in laws house and decided that the bed I was sleeping in was a good place to hang out. My marine corps husband wouldn't go into the room until his mom was with him. I was the one with claw marks in my shoulder, but whatever.

Long story short, my mother in law and husband brushed the squirrel into a big pot and let him free. Shortly after, my mother in law was going around putting mesh on every vent. Hopefully, there will be no visitors in my bed tonight...