Wordful Wednesday

Sunday afternoon, Noah discovered that at some point Saturday night, or Sunday morning, his fish had died. He was devastated and spent a good hour trying to convince me it was all his fault. And I spent that same amount of time telling him that fish die- and that this one had a good run- a lot of them only live a few months. This was his first pet to die and he is still taking it hard. Just this morning, he came in the kitchen sniffling and said that he went to feed Phineas and remembered he wasn't there.

Noah didn't like the idea of flushing him. He wanted a proper burial. So, we all went outside in the freezing wind on Sunday, I dug a hole and placed the fish inside, covered him up and placed a brick on top. (to keep the wildlife from digging him up- but I told Noah to make it look like a real grave) DJ grabbed two wood scraps and made a cross.

RIP Phineas- faithful fish, loved by Noah.

2010-2012

**I am linking up today with Dumb Mom at parenting BY dummies- Wordful Wednesday

It's Over (this time)

If you have been hanging out with me during my husband's deployment I both thank you for your support and apologize for the spotty and sometimes woe-is-me posts. The moment we were waiting for since the day he left arrived last week. He came home.

We are so excited to have him home and he is off work for two weeks to spend time with us. Thank you for reading and thank you for all your kind and encouraging words! So, until next time....






This post is being linked up with Dumb Mom's Wordful Wednesday at parenting BY dummies.

Fall

I grew up on the gulf coast where we didn't have seasons. It was hot, hotter and football weather (which is jacket weather in southeast Texas, but still short-sleeved weather further north). I once saw a "travel Texas" ad in Texas Monthly that said, "Sure we have winter in Texas! Last year, it was on a Tuesday." I think that about sums it up.

So, when we landed in New Jersey ten years ago, I was plunged right into winter without getting to experience fall first. I hate cold weather and I hate snow. I was miserable. But the following autumn, I was amazed. And right then and there, I fell in love with New Jersey. Don't get me wrong, when winter rolls around, I still have a love/hate relationship with the area, but I can honestly say that three out of the four seasons, I love it here!

Fall is hands down, my favorite! Such beautiful colors!

[Arney's Mount Friends Meeting House (Quakers) near Juliustown, NJ -date on bldg is 1775]

[Kirby's Mill- near Medford, NJ]

**this is being linked to Wordful Wednesday hosted by Dumb Mom at parenting BY dummies.

Wordful Wednesday- Bringing Da Halloween

If you know me, you know when it comes to Halloween, I like to bring it!

It all started innocently enough, when Noah was only 14 months old and we were pondering what costume to get for him for Halloween that would incorporate a stroller since he wasn't walking very well yet. We were strolling through IKEA, as we often did back in those simpler days, and passed a cute little tin garbage can and I off-handedly said, " How cute! We could make Noah Oscar the Grouch and roll him around in that can!" And the lightbulb went off and the wheels started turning.


We took him to the Halloween party at the base indoor pool that year and he won first prize. And that was it... we were bitten by the bug. We had to represent and defend our title.

So, the Halloween when Noah was two, his favorite character was Bob the Builder. So, I set out to make him a costume that was awesome and unlike any Bob the Builder costume you can buy.


So I had to make it more about the accessory than the outfit. He wouldn't put on his hard hat for the picture, so it is sitting on Scoop. But, alas, we did not win the costume contest at the pool this year. And I was out for blood. By golly, I would WIN IT next year.. I mean HE would win it next year. Ahem.... **blushing**

So, when Noah was three, it was just weeks before Halloween and I was feeling the pressure. I had no grand revelations. Nothing was jumping out at me. So, we made a visit to the Halloween store and I saw the cutest little top hat.. and thought of Moneybags from Monopoly, and VOILA!




He won the contest at the pool that year. WOOT!

So, when Noah was four, Zoe had just entered our lives two months earlier. I now had TWO children to worry about. Noah discovered Legos that year and his favorite color was blue.



And Zoe was only two months old, so she had no opinion on what she wore and I needed something that could just BE.


And much to Noah's chagrin, Zoe won the costume contest that year.

The following year, when Noah was five and Zoe was 14 months, Noah was still holding a grudge for losing the costume contest the previous year and insisted on a store-bought Darth Vader costume. I complied.



Then,I focused my attention on Zoe. Turns out, the few months prior, she finally started growing hair and it was red!! So, I went with it.


Zoe won the costume contest again at the pool party.

The following year, Noah was still bitter about Zoe winning the contest two years in a row and a little angry at himself for taking himself out of the running the previous year by going with a store-bought costume. I had already decided I wanted Zoe to be a scarecrow and I wanted him to be a crow. He refused. That is, until I found an article on Halloween decorations and showed him a "scary Halloween raven" and convinced him to be a raven. ( to be confused with a crow by everyone else, but that was what I wanted... shhhh.. don't tell him)




The bases had recently merged into one super joint base and we learned that the pool Halloween party had lost its funding, so we attended my husband's squadron party. Zoe won. Noah was mad.

So, this year, Noah has stepped up the competition, but, alas we have no costume contest to attend. The pool will not be funded again this year and my husband's new squadron has their kids' party on a Thursday afternoon at 4pm rather than a Saturday like his previous squadron. Zoe has a soccer game that Thursday afternoon and Noah doesn't even get home from school until 4:05, so we will not be attending the squadron party.

As for the specifics. I got off easy this year. My husband is making Noah's costume ( which is AWESOME and will have to be revealed in a later post because it is not yet finished) and my mother made Zoe's costume. I decided what I wanted Zoe to be and when my mother was visiting in August for Zoe's birthday, we went to pick out a pattern for a dress that looked like I envisioned in my mind. I already had the hat (from THIS prank) and bought the tights.





Now, if I could just find some strawberry-scented body spray to make her smell....

**this post is being linked to Wordful Wednesday hosted by Dumb Mom and is also being linked and entered in Dumb Mom's Happily (un)Haunted Photo Contest ( see how I still found a way to enter a Halloween costume contest? It's a sickness, really.)

**and apparently, when I blog past midnight, I use the word "so" a lot. I could easily just edit this and clean it up. However, I cringe when I read it, so I'm leaving it as is to remind myself if I do happen to blog past midnight, to save it and proofread in the morning BEFORE I publish.

The Dark Side of Motherhood- Raising a Girl with Confidence

Jennifer from Momma Made it Look Easy has been writing a series on her blog regarding moxie. It's a very serious subject that hits home for me. I am the mother of a daughter and I want her to grow up to be a strong, confident woman. Jennifer opens the discussion on how to raise a girl/woman like that primarily focusing on setting a good example for our daughters to follow. You can read one of her moxie posts (which includes links to her other ones) here. I strongly suggest you read them. I'll wait.

You back? Great! Moving on...

I think this is something we all struggle with. We want our children to understand boundaries and know their limits. We want them to understand when it is not okay to cross the line, but we don't want to break their spirit in the process and render them unable to take action when action is needed.

If you've been reading my blog for more than two posts, you know my daughter is full of strong-will. And attitude. Right now, it irks me to no end. It tires me and sometimes I think SHE is breaking MY spirit! I have to remember that I am the adult and I have to make her understand who is in charge here and what her boundaries are WITHOUT making her think she always needs to back down when challenged. It's a fine line.

I think what I am trying to say is that I want her to grow up feeling absolutely beautiful (enough to dress like a princess if she likes), yet strong and independent enough to protect herself and her domain (or her side of the galaxy- whichever may apply).

Like this:

When this, umm, Princess Vader? Lady Dark Lord? Queen Sith? appeared in my kitchen, I knew she totally had it.

And I think I want to borrow some of it.

** I am also linking this post with Dumb Mom's Mom Tip Tuesday- my tip? The yin and the yang- how to balance the masculine and the feminine. Okay.. it's a stretch, but she's understanding like that... so if you don't like it, then my tip is to first leave me a comment, and then go away with your critical self.

Can You See Me Now?

It's that time of year! Soccer season. Noah got his uniform on Saturday ( just before his first game) and I was blinded by the glow factor. As we pulled up to the fields, I saw all the other kids running around in their adorable little red, orange, blue or yellow uniforms and then I saw my son was the green team. Not the normal, crayon box green team... the Nickelodeon slime, nuclear meltdown green team.



Umm.. yeah. They named their team The Green Machine and I am pretty sure I declared at some point that I had never seen a more brightly colored uniform in all my life.

Well this is what I get for making such a dramatic statement- because, early this week when we showed up to Zoe's practice, THIS was waiting for us.



I stand corrected. And they need a team name. Any ideas?

This is being linked to Wordful Wednesday which Dumb Mom is now hosting at Parenting By Dummies.

Summer 2010- The (Very) Abridged Edition

With only one and a half weeks left until school starts, I find it time to reflect on our summer. And while we've done loads of awesome things and two small trips, in all reality, the entire summer and all the events contained within it can be summarized in three words.

"hot", "sweaty"

and "cantankerous"

How was your summer?

Across the Pond

Today, DumbMom over at Parenting by Dummies, is hosting Old School Photo Friday. So, I started digging through some old photos and found this one:

That's me circa 1999 in Wales. Betws-y-Coed, Snowdonia to be exact. My husband was stationed in England from 1996-2000. We were married in 1998 and I joined him in England from 1998-2000. It was an awesome experience! I would love to go back! We visited so many wonderful places- all of which I would love to visit again.

My most vivid memory of Wales was while driving through a village, and elderly woman with a cane flagged us down. We stopped and she asked us for a ride to church. We agreed and she immediately informed me there was no way she was climbing in the back seat of our little English car and banished me to the backseat. I obliged and she climbed in.

Once in the car, she informed us that church was the next village over. We were heading that way anyway, so we drove where she requested. When we arrived at the church, she got out of the car, left her cane in it and went inside to see if her friends were there. They were not, so she requested we take her somewhere else. We drove her around for forty-five minutes from church to church and village to village each time with her leaving her cane in our car so that we couldn't leave her. Finally, hysterical with laughter, at yet, ANOTHER church, DJ and were hurriedly trying to discuss what to do before she came back. We decided to just leave and she could get another ride if she needed it. I worried about her cane, so he quickly threw her cane on the little walk right in front of the church and we sped away, laughing hysterically and certain all the other villagers were laughing at the stupid tourists that gave a ride to the village nut.

So.. if you find a lost elderly woman in Wales...

...OR if you hear about the time the Americans kidnapped the Welsh lady...

...well, you haven't seen us. Alright?

**Disclaimer: My husband wants me to add this disclaimer because he is afraid this sounds too mean-spirited. The villages in Wales (England too) are all very close together and when we left her, she was within 5 miles of where we picked her up. We didn't just dump an old woman off in the middle of the countryside. She was sharp as a tack and had all her wits about her. It was clear after the fourth stop, that she was just using us as a taxi cab to go from place to place and we had to get on our way. We don't normally pick up hitchhikers, but as we were driving through the village, she literally stepped in front of our car to flag us down. We had to stop to keep from hitting her and when she asked for a ride to church, we didn't see any harm in it. Europe is not like America. I think I'm done now. Carry on.

Moving Forward

I am not having anymore children. In all reality, I don't really WANT anymore children, but I must admit, my womb aches when I see tiny babies. They are always cute in the daytime. It's the nighttime my kids/babies have trouble with.

So, yeah. No more babies. I am ready to move on to a world without diapers ( we are so close, I can feel it) and having to pack an enormous bag everywhere I go. I am ready to have children that aren't quite so needy all the time. It's nice when they gain a little independence.

Yes, no more babies.

But, it is on those days when I am sorting through all my (gazillion) files of pictures on my hard drive and I come across photos like this:

(Noah@ 14 months)

...that my ovaries lurch, throwing off the cobwebs and perch, ready to spring into action.

But, then, I run across things like this:

(Noah throwing a fit at 23 months while his parents laughed and recorded it)

...and this:





(Zoe during the Epic Sleep Battle of Fall '09- the banging noise is her kicking her door, the video was shot at 3:30 am and the short version of the entire story is that she learned to crawl out of her crib, chaos ensued, and it took me NINE WEEKS- almost on my own, my husband was away six weeks- to get her to sleep through the night again!)


And yes, no more babies.




*If you would like to catch up on the sleep battle, you can read about it here ,here, here and the gripping finale, here.


** Also, I am linking up today with Dumb Mom's Old School Friday and Friday Follow.