Dinner

This is what dinner looks like in the B house:

Don't you sometimes wish you could take off your clothes and fully devour your food? Napkins are so overrated. At least he's practicing with forks and spoons, right?

Tomorrow is going to be busy with Sunday school, church and a church chili cook off that B entered himself in so I decided to do the weekly shopping today.

Here's the menu:

Saturday: Burgers, squash and corn (Yes, it was 53 today and we think it's now summer.)
Sunday: Buffalo Pork Chops and salsa
Monday: Chicken Taco Bowls
Tuesday: Lasagna (made ahead for easiness)
Wednesday: Broccoli Chicken Stir Fry
Thursday: Cornbread and Navy beans
Friday: Parent's night at daycare

Yes, you read that right. Broccoli Chicken Stir Fry again this week. This is one of B's "divorce dishes". Meaning, if we part ways, he gets to keep this recipe. It's his favorite and last week he made it but instead of broccoli (which the store was out of) he used asparagus. It was horrible and he wants to redeem himself. But J ate the asparagus which was a total surprise.

I like trying to use dishes from one night for another night. The salsa with the pork chops on Sunday will be used in the dish for Monday night. And I'll do one better for you. My grocery bill this week for these meals was less than $140. That also included a few household things I needed and the items for the double batch of white chicken chili that B is making tomorrow.

Have a great Saturday night. For those of you in the great state of Georgia, 106.1 does Saturday Night Country Gold and we LOVE it! Makes for a great night for Yahtzee and Scrabble.

Wow. We're lame. Sorry.

-Grandma and Grandpa

Memories

I love going through the pictures on my phone. I always end up coming across a few pictures I had that remind me of some fond memories I had started to forget. 

Take a stroll down memory lane, will you? Don't worry, I'm using the pictures on my phone so it's a very short stroll.

This was from the morning J had his ear tubes put in. He really isn't that upset. He was playing in the car and bumped his mouth on the steering wheel.

Ok, I just heard that.

Maybe he was pretty upset.

Ah. The boat. Have I told you how much I miss warm weather?

I made my laundry room pretty!! I'll never stencil again!

Nope. That isn't J! That's B!! 

Dinner on the boat. There are two restaurants that have socks on the lake so you can float right up. So much fun!

J's first plane ride! He squealed for the first hour and then slept.

Crazy hair after a nap. I LOVE his expression!

Grandma buys him the weirdest toys.

He's a big helper in the kitchen... Shhh. Don't let B see him on the dishwasher door.

I have no clue but I want to squeeze that tiny, sweet, cuddle monster face!

Aw! Can I go wake him up now!!?? I need some snuggle bum love in my life!!

-THAT Mom

TGIT!

I don't know about you but I've been waiting 2 long months for this night. I've been lost every Thursday night because my 2 favorite, new shows haven't been on. Scandal and How To Get Away With Murder (long name, right?) come back tonight!!

IT'S SHONDA NIGHT, PEOPLE! Why are you on the internet reading a lame blog?! Go pour your red wine in your Olivia Pope glass and watch Jake Ballard prance around in his panties!

And I saw this and thought I should share.

-Gladiator

Fun Facts

1. I eat Dove's chocolates for the message inside. Boy can I go through a bag!

24. If I were to be on bed rest, I would demand Golden Girls and Chinese food everyday.

88. I often have arguments with B in my head. I win but he has some compelling arguments.

12. My mom is the strongest person I know. Who else can raise 3 kids alone in her early twenties and then decide 14 years later to do it all again? At least the 4th time she got it right. ;)

13. If she were on bed rest, she would demand MASH and a chocolate chip chocolate pound cake everyday. Oh and milk.

52. For some strange reason, she loves the sound of a slamming porch door. 

10. J has learned how to take off his diaper. God, help us.

13. If given the option to live another day or eat his last bowl of mac and cheese ever, he would totally choose the mac and cheese.

14. The roughest time of the day for us is convincing him he has to put clothes on after a bath. I've tried letting him go without for a little while I always end up cleaning the floor.

1. B is by far the kindest person I know. He was very patient with me after I had J. Thanks, B.

2. If B made the dinner menu, we would live soley off pizza, hotdogs and wonton soup.

84. Even though he's a map maker of the sort, he gets lost in the mall......every......time.

-Tired And Out Of Facts

Work

Work mornings are hard for me. I hit the snooze but about 19.65 times before I ever decide to get up and get moving. Tomorrow morning I have to do it all with J in tow. I thought I might speed up the process and look for some easy hair up-dos. 

......

People on the internet have perfect hair, have you noticed that? No curl, no wave, no stuck-your-finger-in-a-light-socket fly aways. I've been standing in my bathroom for the last 15 minutes trying a "sock bun" and all I have to show is a cut up pair or socks and a whole heads worth of hair on the floor. 

Then I decided to make sure we are ready for the rush tomorrow morning. I can't pack my lunchbox because most of it needs to stay cold and while I was running around, the dryer started screaming again. Of course, the hubby is barely reachable due to crappy internet in Canada but he was able to walk me through fixing it. Two words: grease everywhere. 

I'm done with you, Tuesday. We'll try again next week.

-Frizzy, Greasy, Mess

A Day In The Life

Today was a pretty typical day for us so I thought I'd share just what goes on behind the scenes.

0700- B's phone alarm goes off. I'm still in LaLa Land with Mr. Beckham so I go back to sleep.
0800- I'm up and amazed that J didn't wake me first. I walk into the kitchen to find B in the laundry room fixing my dryer. It has started screaming midway through the cycle. Can you hear it "NOOOO! Not another load of baby clothes!" Sorry, Dryer, I'm just as tired as you are of teeny, tiny shirts and socks...oh the socks. But here's some grease. Now get moving!!!
0830- Still wondering why J isn't up but enjoying being able to drink a cup of coffee. Do you know how many times I drink cold coffee? And don't even get me started on actually being able to finish the whole cup.
0845- My little master calls out. Good bye, warm coffee. Hello, first dirty diaper of the day.
0900- Animal Crackers and milk is an acceptable breakfast, right?
0930- The battle between dog, baby and mom begins.
1000- So, maybe I should actually make something for us to eat. After surveying the fridge, fried SPAM and egg sandwiches it is! Still acceptable, right?
1030- Breakfast is done and we're off and running again. B is traveling today so we need clothes washed, bags packed, itineraries matched up and he still has to take calls while doing all of this.
1045- Just found J sucking on the trashcan lid. No joke. I guess breakfast wasn't acceptable enough.
1100- Dog is banished to the bedroom and J is rounded up to the living room. I seriously get tired of saying "J, don't feed the dog!", "Dog, quit licking him on the face!", "No, Dog, those are J's treats!" and "J, don't pull on her lips like that!".
1115- Is it nap time yet? J has this train toy that is his favorite and I think I've sang the song 1,864 times this morning. I'm even learning to harmonize with it.
1130- B suggests laying J down for his nap now so there's a chance he will wake up before he has to leave later. SOUNDS FABULOUS! So down we go.
1135- I head to the basement to begin working on my lady cave. I fire up the vacuum and begin sucking all of the spider webs off the walls and then it hits me like a ton of bricks. J thinks the vacuum is the Wicked Witch of the West reincarnated and I'm right below his room. I run to the top of the stairs to find..... a screaming baby.
1145- Nap time, take 2.
1145-1315- Whoo hoo! Got the first coat of primer on the walls!

Yes, you can still tell the original colors of the walls but a second coat was expected.

1315- I hear B's big steps on the floor above me and J's little pitter patter running after him. So sweet but I'm going to play dumb and think he's still asleep.

1320- We sit down to a decent lunch before B has to leave.

1350- B's gone so now we can begin our trek to the store before the week gets crazy.

1400- B calls. It goes like this. B: So I have some bad news. Well, actually it isn't bad news. Scratch that. W: WHAT'S THE NEWS!? B: The box I took to the road for the trash guys to get has blown over and there's trash in the yard. W: Well, that is some bad news don't you think because who's going to pick it up?

1405- Picking up trash in our Stone Mountain-esque front yard. 

1420- I've finally made it to the mecca. Hobby Lobby and the next fight begins. J and a buggy. 

1500- Well, that was painful. There was screaming, there were threats of leaving for the beach, there was throwing of things from the buggy onto the floor and then J had his own melt downs too. Why do I subject myself to this?

1515- The next fighting arena, Walmart. Sorry, no menu. When B isn't here I'm ok channeling my living alone days and eating garlic bread and marinara sauce. Don't worry, Mom, J will eat just fine.

1600- Back in the care and headed home. J is quiet in the back seat. We're at a pivotal point in the day. I can let him fall asleep and make sure he's awake by 6 so he will be tired by at least 8 or I can risk keeping him awake til 7 and he will fall asleep easily. Sometimes mom just needs that second nap time. We decide to forge ahead and stay awake. Fingers crossed.

1700- I'm regretting my no nap decision. But now we're in too far to turn back.

1800- Dinner time!! Finally! Ravioli and fruit it is. I don't think his white tray will ever be white again.

1830- I share my shower with my little red monster. 

1845- We're done with a shower and now the next battle of the day begins.... getting J clothed for bed. The kid loves being naked!

1900- He's fed, bathed, dressed, wrapped in his blanket and sucking on his paci. "You Are My Sunshine" is the song of the night and we're passing the paci back and forth. It's his favorite game to play right before he goes to bed.

1910- He's fast asleep and in his crib. I miss him already.

Unfortunately, this isn't the end of the night. The dishwasher still needs to be unloaded and loaded again, clothes need to be started in the washer and the dryer needs to be sweet talked into cooperating. J's diaper bag needs to be prepped for tomorrow and I still have to talk to B when he lands in snowy Toronto. Then I get to go to bed and start all over again tomorrow. 

To some, this schedule is exhausting. Don't worry, I'm exhausted just reliving it all but to me all of this is mommy hood and I love every minute!

-Mom

Chocolate

Today.... I ran..... FOR CHOCOLATE!!

Check it:

 

Isn't that beautiful? Chocolate fondue should be available at the end of every race. 

You know, there's a race in California that has firefighters give the first few finishers of the race a bracelet from Tiffany's. Goal set!

Still love you, B!

-Tiffany's Bracelet-less

Late

So, yesterday's post about The Varsity didn't post? AND NO ONE TOLD ME?! Seriously, you guys are slacking!

Today is my birthday and I have nothing interesting to post about.

Good night!

-Apparently Disconnected

A Staple

This happened today:

Besides the ridiculous flirty smile, my little man ate at a Georgia staple today. The Varsity. It. Was. Amazing! It's the greasiest food you'll ever subject your GI system to but it's also the best chili dog ever! Can you say "rectum rocket"? 

The best part? He ate it up! Until we had a little blow out incident that lingered up his back resulting in a full wardrobe change on the bathroom. Even worse? He stood stark naked on the changing table with his pants around his ankles and shoes still on and could be seen front and center when the door opened. Poor fella.

Fun fact! Even though my heart belongs to the UGA Bulldogs, a Georgia Tech student is actually the founder of The Varsity. No judgement. Even techies can come up with a few good things every now and then. 

-Still Recovering

The Room

Bare with me, k? I wanted to give you a little update on the craft room but I'm posting a panorama from my phone. This is the hideousness that was once a gym. Terrible! But soon it will be a beautiful woman cave.... I mean, craft room. 

Currently, it isn't much better than the picture. The flooring is torn up and the terrible bench is gone. 

Hope to update with more progress soon.

-Ambitious

The Room

Bare with me, k? I wanted to give you a little update on the craft room but I'm posting a panorama from my phone. This is the hideousness that was once a gym. Terrible! But soon it will be a beautiful woman cave.... I mean, craft room. 

Currently, it isn't much better than the picture. The flooring is torn up and the terrible bench is gone. 

Hope to update with more progress soon.

-Ambitious

Challenge

Do you ever feel like most nights you only share a house with your family members and not an actual conversation? I sure do! So, I'm declaring a tech free night! Well, sort of. It's MOFY night, remember? But starting now, me and B are ditching iPads, iPhones, iPods and iMacs. Basically, anything with a little "i" in front. The best part? I'm challenging you to do the same. One night. That's all. No texts, no YouTubing/Googling how to speak giraffe and no Pinning how to make a ooey, gooey, eat your face off, put the fat pants on Oreo cheesecake with brownie topping. 

One. Night.

Good luck!

-Withdrawing Already

Menu

I completely forgot to post my dinner menu like I said I would. J went to the grandparent's house Sunday night so we had a date night which pushed my grocery shopping to yesterday. You follow? 

Date night was great. Unbroken was the movie chosen and Waffle House was the dinner option. "Date Night" standards are lowered when you have kids. 

Ok. On to the menu.

Monday: pizza

Tuesday: spaghetti

Wednesday: Speedy chicken stir fry

Thursday: baked potato

Friday: chicken enchiladas (we didn't have it last week)

Saturday: MY BIRTHDAY!!! So, B's treat!

That's all! Happy Tuesday.

-W

I Need Heat!

The sun was out in Georgia today and you would have thought it was 80 degrees outside. People were outside in shorts and t-shirts. Calm it down, people. We're all tired of the cold dreary weather but we can't get overly excited every time the sun comes out. If this is the way we act now, what will we do when it is 90 outside? You can't take off clothing for every 10 degrees the temperature rises.

But I have to admit, even though I wasn't in shorts, I was dreaming of warmer, sunnier and beachy-er weather. "Beach" being the key word. I'm so anxious to get on a beach, I actually glanced in the bathing suit's direction while shopping with B a few nights ago.

Maybe I'm not helping myself any but let's dare to look at some temperatures of the beachy areas I have my eye on.

Siesta Key- 75 is the high for Wednesday
Key West- 79 is the high for Friday
Honolulu- 80 tomorrow

Can't you just feel the warm air and salty breeze? Margarita in hand, toes in the sand, David Beckham giving me a back rub..... wait..... I think I've drifted from dream beach to beach dream.

B, on the other hand, is traveling to Canada next week. Let's have a good laugh and take a peek at the temps he will be facing.

Toronto- high of 17 and low of 10 for next Monday while he's there.
Ottawa- a high of 12 and a low of 0 next Tuesday. Much better than the low of -4 on Monday.

Ha! Good luck, B!

-Mrs. Beckham

Womb Hair

So... you probably guessed the "something big" in our house yesterday. Yep, J got a hair cut. This is how the conversation went down:

W: I talked to the pediatrician and they say to leave him rear facing until he's two. (A win for me)

B: Fine. Either we turn him around or we cut his hair.

.....

W: Deal.

Do you know the emotions that go along with cutting your first baby's hair?! I'm sure by kid #5 we won't care anymore but this is the first. We are setting the bar with him and let me tell you, our track record is to set it low. We contemplated going to a local barber that cuts B's hair and then I remembered that here recently, people haven't been very patient taking care of J. Then we discussed going to a local barber in my home town that cut my hair at one time, has always cut my dad's hair and has cut B's a few times but that's a little bit of a drive for a Saturday morning. So, B made the ultimate decision to cut it himself. That conversation went a little like this:

B: I'll just do it myself.

W: Are you for serious?! You can't even cut a straight line in your beard!

B: I'll Google it. We'll be fine.

So, with a year's supply of coffee in our system, we headed to the bathroom. He's so persuasive.

Oh yeah, his highchair doubled as a barber chair.

I was worried we wouldn't get past the part of spraying his hair with a water bottle. Somehow we made it and started throwing things in his lap to keep him happy.

The first cuts were made and I thought I'd be a little more emotional. After all, this is his "womb hair".

Toward the end of the first half, we had to give him his toothbrush to keep him happy. Thank goodness the kid likes to brush his teeth.

He started getting fussy and we couldn't finish in one sitting. He laid down for a nap and then we started again in the garage when he woke up.

This time he was way more cooperative. But his hair wasn't wet so, you guessed it, there was hair all over the place. Including himself.

Babies go through phases of being able to do tricks. This is one of J's. 

"Say cheese!"

I could eat him up!

We finished with a shake down and headed to the mexican restaurant for lunch.... with hair stuck to his shirt.

And there you have it! The very first hair cut. Even though I highly doubted B in the beginning, he did a great job in the end. No surprise there. He's pretty much a perfectionist and does everything right the first time around. 

Maybe the next first hair cut will be a little easier.

-Overly Emotional Over Hair

Something Big

Something big happened in the B house. Here are 2 clues:

We've spent the evening with family and it's pretty late so for tonight, this is all you get!

-W

New Ped

Something very tricky has happened in my blogger world... AND NO ONE ALERTED ME!!!! How dare you! That's ok, I'll forgive you. See, I logged in this morning and realized that there were no posts showing up between the 12th and 15th. I knew that wasn't right because this is probably the only thing I've stuck to this long besides my marriage and there are some questionable days there. When looking over everything, I realized those posts were made from my phone and for some reason didn't get posted due to limited internet connection. So, as a gift, you're getting 3 posts in one day, 2 of which were written on Tuesday and Wednesday. Sorry for the loss but you have to get better about calling me out on not doing a daily post.

Ok. On to the new pediatrician. So it was great. I was able to sleep in (sort of) and slowly eat our breakfast. With the last pediatrician, we had to be out the door about 45 minutes before we were due in the office. On a map they weren't that far away but when you factored in traffic and red lights, it took much longer to get there. We were supposed to be at the new office at 10:30 and we left at 10:20 with a few minutes to spare! We were waiting in the waiting room and when the nurse came out to take us back, J instantly ran to her with open arms! I was so thrilled.... then we met the doctor. I think he's the head of the practice and is about ready to retire. He wasn't the friendliest but I know people have their days.

He started out his assessment with the usual head to toe look over and then we started talking about J's development. He told me that this is a vital age to begin introducing various foods to him, which we do, and then said "He needs to be eating vegetables and fruits so he's used to them when he's older. You know, he needs to eat things that are grown on a farm. Not all this junk food people feed their kids." Yes, grandpa, he eats a fruit and vegetable with lunch and dinner.

Then he needed to check out J's little J. I use cloth diapers and have loved them! It's one of the decisions that I've been happiest with when it comes to J. I absentmindedly chose a snap closure diaper and as he was trying to put the diaper back together he said "Ugh. I don't know how to work these new things." I told him I would take care of it and to not worry. Seriously, I felt like my granddad was checking him out and if you know him then you know that wouldn't be a wise decision.

We finished the visit with a lovely shot in the thigh and headed home. It wouldn't be until 5 that evening, while I was cooking dinner, that J would suddenly remember he had a shot and scream bloody murder. Good times all around!

All in all the visit was good. Even though I will probably find a younger doctor in the group next time, J checked out well. He had a little wax build up in his left ear so cross your fingers for no infection. He's measuring just like his dad; slim and tall. He's in the 65% for his height (above average) but 44% (below average) for his weight. Not surprising because he hasn't gained weight since he was 6 months old. And for some reason, he kept pinching his chest after I took his shirt off. Weirdo.

Oh and THE SUN CAME OUT TODAY!!!!

Don't ask on the socks. I felt like he needed to keep them on.

-Exhausted

Wednesday!!!!

There aren't too many shows I'm addicted to..... HA! That's a total lie. I'm addicted to all shows but Wednesday nights are particular special because of ABC's lineup. We call it MOFY night in the B house. MOFY for Modern Family but it's so much more than that. 

It begins with The Middle which, I think, every family can relate to. I mean, come on, they're washing their dishes in the shower because the sink fell through the counter. Don't lie. We've all been there.

Then it's the Goldbergs. I may not have had a childhood in the 8o's but there were things that definitely poured over into mine. Like the outfits my mom dressed me in. I should definitely find a picture of my sister in her glasses from that era. I'll get back to you on that one.

Finally, it's Modern Family. That's just an hour full of laughs. A gay couple adopting an Asian girl? Fabulous! 

Also, what's up with the "stink bugs" this year? They're all over our house and I think one hitched a ride to work with me a few days ago. I was sitting in the break room eating my breakfast and one flew out of my lunch bag. Weird right? I was worried at first but now it's just an experiment to see how long he can live in there. For the record, he's still there.

-Bug Transporter

Just Another Day

Unfortunately, I don't have anything interesting or fun to talk about today. As if my dinner menu yesterday was at all interesting and if it was, you're a true wifey.

J is staying with the grandparents tonight and instead of eating dinner at home we decided to meet for dinner. Don't worry, no partying here. I'll eat way too much, take a shower and still be in bed with my book by 9:30. What a life I lead.

But on the flip side, I'm planning a trip to Vegas where I will probably still eat too much, take a shower and be in bed with a book by 9:30. I'm just in a different time zone. That doesn't mean the routine has to stop. 

Here's your J fix for the day. 

-W

Thoughts

1.) A weird noise came from the bathroom again last night and then our driveway alarm went off on its own. I couldn't sleep.

D.) J sees a new pediatrician tomorrow. I'm kind of nervous for him. Well, I'm nervous for myself. I get weird meeting new doctors. My OB actually said one time, "Relax, I won't bite" because a rash had broken out on my chest from nervousness. 

f10.) The dog stinks. I'll pay anyone $5 and dinner if you come and bathe her.

K.) Where do the sock mates go? Do they get to the dryer and state "I hate this heat! I want somethin' better!"? 

16.) Another $5 for anyone who can name that movie.

I.) My Vegas trip is getting closer by the day and I can't wait to set J in B's lap and say "Bye, suckers!". 

73.) B actually compared me to Beverly Goldberg earlier today. Still trying to decide what I think about that one. 

e.) I want my car horn to play a song. I think the Golden Girls theme song would be great. Can you imagine laying on the horn in traffic and "Thank you for being a friend" coming out instead? 

And thank you for being a friend and listening to my random thoughts. 

-Vicky (clue for 16)

Menu

Sundays are a pretty relaxing day in the B house. Yes, I do realize this is Monday and I'm posting about Sunday but I had a good idea today and it wasn't going to go without notice.

365 days worth of posts are hard to do and a big commitment. I've decided to make things easier, some days would be designated as certain posts. Sundays will be one of them.

I only go to the grocery store once a week and that day is Sunday. I've found grocery shopping to be kind of therapeutic. Lame, I know but it's one time a week that I can be by myself and still give back to my family. To make the once a week shopping work, I make a menu. I've decided to start sharing my menu with you. My sister and I have always said we were going to share our weekly menus so that we can get some ideas from each other. Ok, M, you're up!

Here's what our week looks like:

Sunday: Pasta "Fazool"
Monday: Chili Dogs
Tuesday: Chili (B's treat)
Wednesday: Chicken Enchiladas (I make this up as I go)
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Grilled/Smoked Salmon, Green Beans and Squash (B's treat again)

I usually sit down with 3 things when I make my menu. First, my schedule. The days that I work I tend to choose an easier meal so B can quickly make it when he gets home with J. Next, the weather app. I don't want to choose to grill something when it is supposed to be rainy and cold outside. Friday is grilled salmon and it's supposed to be 58 and sunny that day. Sunday was soup and it was in the 40's with rain. The tool I use is my iPad. I'm always looking for new recipes to try out.

This method keeps my grocery bill low and keeps me out of the store each day.

Not the most interesting post but can you blame me? I just spent the last 12 hours with hormonal moms and gassy babies.

-The Missing Golden Girl Cast Member

Rainy Days and Meltdowns

This post would have had so much more of an impact if I had been able to post it earlier as planned but J had other plans for today. Homeboy has been going through a full fledge meltdown for the last two days. Not sure what his deal is but things need to change, quick. He's been waking up at 3 a.m. every night. B also thinks our house is haunted because, in his defense, some pretty weird noises are occurring around our house. If he ever puts the pieces together that J is waking up during the "Devil's hour" and we can't find the source of the noises, we will have a exorcism taking place instead of a craft room overhaul.

Today was cold and dreary here in God's Country which caused us to lounge around and nap. Yes, I know I could have posted during that time instead of napping but I have a 14 month old screaming at 3 a.m., remember? Days like these make me want to do 3 things, take naps, read and watch Golden Girls. Two of which I did.

I found this link a few days ago showing a list of books that will be made into movies this year. Last year I found a similar list and read the books that looked appealing and I really enjoyed what I found. It actually made me read from authors and genres I had never considered. Towards the end of my reading, I read Gillian Flynn's Dark Places and was instantly hooked. If you've never read her books, I highly recommend giving her a try. Well, if you are ok with twisted and gory. Hope you find something you like!

Happy reading!

-W

More Dancing

Here's that video I promised yesterday.

I'm thinking I'm going to keep this prized possession hidden until a certain Mickey lovin' baby graduates from high school.

Hotdog Dance

J watches Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and at the end of the show, the characters sing the Hotdog Song. It's hilarious but no matter where in the house J is, he always comes running when the song comes on. I'm posting from my phone tonight and I'm not sure how to add a video. I promise to post his Hotdog Dance tomorrow. 

But for tonight, I have some crocheting to do and some "Thank You Notes" to write. ;)

Happy Friday!

-W

Sweet Somethings

I just wanted to take a minute and share a sweet moment I walked in on after Jack's bath.

No, there's nothing extraordinary about this picture. To some it may look like B is trying to wash dishes and J is bugging him. 

But in reality, it shows how much patience B has for little J. What you don't hear are the car noises both of them are making. 

We may not ever "strike it rich", have a house in the Hamptons or own fancy cars and I'm ok with that as long as I get these tender moments with the men in my life.

-Totally Blessed

Crafts!!

It's cold today. I'm talkin' you couldn't convince me to leave if you offered a shopping spree at Hobby Lobby cold. Which is why it is good I went a few days ago and stocked up on some new craft projects.

First let me explain that I have a craft room downstairs in the dungeon. Well, it's sort of a craft room. It actually looks like a Crayola box threw up on my walls. Seriously. One wall is green, one pink, another yellow and finally, purple. Apparently those colors are motivational in a home gym which is what the room once was but it's nauseating in a craft room. Oh and did I add that there are gigantic mirrors on every wall? Some walls have 2! I'm over it so I decided a few weeks ago that I'm going to begin my own personal remodeling project.

I've moved everything to the middle of the room and the room actually looks worse than it did when I started. BUT, while I was pinning a ton of ideas on my craft room board on Pinterest (face it, this project will never get finished because I've got my perfect craft room on my Pinterest board) I found a clock that I had to make. You know, so I can tell time in the dungeon because I have no windows. Really, this room is hideous.

Isn't that just the cutest thing you've ever seen!? I'm pretty sure the buttons are all off and it probably won't ever give me the accurate time but let's face it, it will really be there for the wow factor. "Wow, W, you're great at sewing buttons." 

-Button Master

Babies

Babies are in bloom on our unit at work. Ok, yes. I work on a postpartum unit so babies are everywhere but I'm talking the staff. We've always had 2 nurses pregnant at one time but this time we have 3! And they're all due in 3 consecutive months! My baby lovin' heart can't take all of this excitement.

But, on the flip side, all of these babies keep me from wanting to bring one into my life again for a little while. I love my little guy but I enjoy my sleep and nights vegging out in front of the t.v. watching Chrisley Knows Best, anything Gypsy related and The Middle.

But a friend forwarded this little gem and my uterus begins to ache.

Seriously, it quivers a little.

-Achy

"Health"

I ate healthy today. I had an actual breakfast, sensible snack and a salad with feta cheese, strawberries and raspberry vinegarette. So what happened? I failed to include a protein with lunch so when I came home I had 3 handfuls of Reece's Pieces, 2 slices of cheese, 2 slices of ham, a hot ham and cheese sandwich, tomato soup and a glass of wine. The plus side? I walked 11,000 steps today. That balances out, right?

Cheers!

-W

P.s. The post about bathrooms was posted on January 4. I edited one typo and it retimed it for this morning. So, still going strong. All 5 days. 

Soap Box

Let's talk about public bathrooms and not the usual "why do they never have toilet paper, locks and napkins" talk. No. I want to talk about public bathrooms and the absence of changing tables. How is it that we are now in the year 2015 and I must change J's diaper on the sink counter? Don't worry, I've never resorted to the floor. But I have set him on the floor because there was nothing else I could do. Does management seriously think I can hold a squirmy 6 month old and wipe myself at the same time?! I'm not a man!!!

On our recent get away, I had the "privilege" of visiting many restrooms. Most of which didn't have a changing table. So I had to bare his tiny hiney to the bathroom world and received some pretty disgusted stares along the way. Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is the biggest airport in this country and there is not a single changing table in the entire facility!!! All 1,276 terminals. So maybe it isn't that big but I'm pretty close. Nor is there a family restroom! What am I to do when J realizes he isn't sporting girl parts like mom and wants to use the big boy bathroom. Heck freakin' no! That kid can kiss any chance of being independent goodbye!

That leads me to the other rant. What about family bathrooms? I use to think they were kind of weird but now that I have a little person in tow, I think it's brilliant! You never realize how small stalls are until you cram yourself, a baby (squrimy, remember?), a diaper bag the size of Texas and a stroller that you can never figure out how to fold into said stall with you. So, you do the unthinkable. You use the handicap stall only to walk out and find that the local retirement home has decided to go on a field trip and all 75+ members of the 80 and older group are all waiting on that stall. Talk about embarrassing! 

One last thing. I promise. A mall outside Atlanta has these amazing little seats that you sit your hellion on and strap them down while you talk to men about horses. They then fold back up into the wall and off you go. How amazing! 

I'm just saying. If advertisements are trying to appeal to the "moms", then maybe they should take some time and start with where we spend a majority of our day. The bathroom.

-W

Bonnie, We're Home

The poor dog was so excited to see us come through the door. Then the kid came in and you could literally see her face sink. It's a love hate relationship with those two. He feeds her chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese, peas, etc off his tray but she has a bubble that he ignores.

We're back home and in our own beds. Don't get me wrong, I loved our vacation but that first night in your own room is pretty special. Yep, in our room and ready to begin our detox. We were looking forward to all of the fabulous seafood we would eat but now I'm ready to get back to normal. I'll have a water with that lemon, please!

One last random thought before I leave you. It's raining. And cold. The perfect setup for a Downton Abbey binge before the new season begins tomorrow night!!!  

Ok, I'm done. 

-W

Day 2

I'm going to fail at this. I just know it. It's only day 2 and I'm already slacking. My excuse? Family vacation. 

We took J to the beach today. Here's how that went...

First he napped.

Then he played with sticks.

He wanted to take his shoes off. Just his shoes... He promised.

This time, his stick friend persuaded him to sit down. 

Ok. So maybe there was some crawling involved too.

Then he face planted. Glad I packed extra clothes!

-W

New Year, New Trips

This is how my day started:

B: you don't have to get up. It's your day off. Sleep in.

Me: nah. I've got coffee ready in the kitchen.

.......

Me: and two nights stay in a hotel in St. Simons for your birthday! 

That's right. Tomorrow is B's birthday and to celebrate, I surprised him with two nights mini vacation on an "island". This is very unlike me. I wouldn't say I'm a planner but going on trips last minute sometimes makes me a nervous wreck. But at least I knew what was going on. 

So after the news sank in to B, we were up and packing. The ride down was pretty good. We stumbled upon a community from B's childhood and decided to take a walk down memory lane. It's always neat to see where your significant other called home. 

We then stopped at a McDonald's (we were desperate) and had a quick bite. There I learned that J definitely needs a hair cut because not only did the server at the counter think he was a "little fat girl", but a little Spanish boy around 3 years old thought he was also a girl and decided to try and kiss him. Weird things go on in South Georgia.

We made it to our destination, where it is drizzling, and we're currently sitting in bed, drinking beer, eating snacks and watching the college football playoffs all while being awkwardly stared at from J in his crib. It's like having a parent with you. 

Story developing....

It's also New Year's Day. The day where, while nursing a hangover, people vow to "do what they said they'd do last year". Sure. We all know how this goes. You make a resolution to do something like, learn to speak zebra. So you jump in head first doing your research, surround yourself with influential people and after a full 24 hours, give up and vow to clean your toilet once a week instead. Which you also fail at.

This year is different. I have a resolution that will blow you away. Ready?

.......

My New Year's Resolution is to.....

Blog every single day. 

Wait while I have a panic attack. This is big, peeps. See, I secretly vowed this last year and you see how that went. I am promising to speak to an online community EVERY.  SINGLE. DAY. I don't even talk to B that much! Feel privileged, friends, I just put you above he hubby. Good thing our relationship doesn't need that kind of communication... Wait, that's a blog for another day and I have 364 more of these bad boys to go. 

Here's to a new year of hope and possibly a new year of failures. I better go be a mom. My "sleeping" J just yelled out "uh oh" and laughed.

I leave you with an Irish blessing:

Health and long life to you, land without rent to you, a child every year to you, and death in Old Ireland.

Who knows but it's a nice thought, right?

-W