The Recall That Broke The Camel's Back

I am tired, sick and tired of all these recalls. First it's cribs, then it's medicine and now it's formula. Is there anything that is safe out there nowadays for our kids? None of my kids are formula fed, they're past that phase, thank goodness! But there was a time when I supplemented with formula, or straight out formula fed each of my kids. This really bothers me. These are our babies!! There should be higher standards in the making of anything that goes into their tiny bodies. I shudder to think of all the little ones out there right now suffering from belly aches and pains because they were fed formula with insect  bits in it. Just disgusting. If I ever were to have another baby, how could I trust these companies? I would be terrified!! I'm a breastfeeding Mommy. I breastfed each of my littles until they stopped, or I stopped or both. But now, I'd breastfeed the next one till he or she was 1!! I am losing total faith in any company that is making products that goes into my children's mouths. I have a teething 2 year old right now, but I refuse to give her anything unless it's all natural. I can't do chemicals anymore. It's not the worth the risk, and that's sad that I feel this way.

Another issue.......I have wasted so much money on medicine because I had to throw it out. I had some of the products that were on the recall list, some of which I had already used!! You can only imagine how that made me feel. Angry, scared, utterly disappointed in the company. I take my children's health very seriously. I don't just dose up every time one of my kids sneezes. But I'd like to have the option of giving them medicine if need be!! For now, we have the generic in our fridge, just in case. I hope that something is done to enforce stricter guidelines when it comes to making anything that goes into our children's bodies. So far, they are failing. Miserably. Shame on them.

Dreading The Long Winter Months

Just the thought of having to put on more clothes, shoveling snow, driving in the snow and being cooped up all Winter long is giving me hives. I'm trying not to think about it. I've been keeping busy with work, kids, school, the house and other things. Thankfully my husband knows all kinds of ways to keep the kids busy with useless toys.......

I kid!!!! I kid!!!! That last one isn't ours, but I would love to have one. Could come in real handy when the kids are losing their minds from being stuck indoors for days on end. He buys things all the time so there is always something to do. I should be grateful that he's able to keep them busy, but we are running out of room!!! We need a bigger house. I've been looking almost every week in hopes that one catches my eye, but nothing yet. ((sigh)) 'll have to deal with the toys taking over my house.

Contrary To Popular Belief, I Do NOT LIke Being Called A MILF.....

I was only 21 when I gave birth to my oldest, who is almost 15, you do the math. When she started Kindergarten all of her little friends would say..."Raven, your Mom is so nice." Then came elementary school and he friends would say, "Raven your Mom is cool!!" Then came middle school. Everything changed. Once it was everyone had the same opinion, now the opinions differ between the boys and the girls. The girls: "Raven, your Mom is scary. Pretty, but scary!".....the boys: "Raven your Mom is HOT!!! Tell her I said I." -_- There is one boy who kinda takes it a little too far and Raven always has to shut him down. One of his favorite comments is "Hey, Raven...can't wait till you grow up and look like your Mom. So HOT!!" That's when she gets a bit upset and has to tell him to shut his dirty mouth. She hates it. She thinks it's gross and wishes I'd wear a burlap bag and no makeup. LOL!! It's just not "cool" when you're a teenager, you know? I feel the same way. Just knowing that little 12-14 year old boys are checking me out makes my stomach hurt. I joined a parent group that meets twice a month at the high school to talk about issues the kids are having, organize tutoring help and other boring parent things. When I told Raven about it, she asked me to not wear makeup when I go to these meetings, you know, just in case I run into some of her friends. -_- My husband thinks it's great that I'm considered a "MILF". Me, not so much. It's creepy!!!!! Little boys lookin' at you, thinking nasty thoughts. UGH! Now.....when she goes to college, that's a different story!
 

ALMOST Wordless Wednesday......

What's wrong with this picture?.......

Good Bye Summer.....I will Miss You Terribly

With the beginning of the new school year, marks the end of Summer. I'm so very sad to see you leave. I'll my my favorite flip flops.......

I will miss watching my children running around outside in the sunshine......

I will miss watching them play in the dirt until they're covered in mud.......

We will miss the playgrounds and swinging till they're squealing with delight.....

And I'll miss this.......

                                           

And this......

And even the dirty faces.......

 And I will most definitely miss these little creatures......

So as not to depress myself even more I'm going to make a list of everything I am looking forward to this Fall.....

• The foliage
• Not sweating so damn much
• Apple picking
• Baking
• Pumpkin
• Halloween
• Open windows
• Bulky sweaters
• And even more baking
• Thanksgiving with my family
• And of course....Christmas :)

I'm usually more enthusiastic about the Fall this time of year, but I think I'm going to have to be dragged kicking and screaming this time around. ;)

Other People's Kids.......

I've been a Mom for 14 years. I've seen a lot, I've done a lot and I've had my share of mess ups. I'm not perfect, but I am experienced and I'm still learning. And I still don't like other people's kids. So when I see other Moms making mistakes I just shake my head and look the other way. But then there are times when I have to say something. Like when that parent is too busy chatting away with other Moms at the park and not watching her kid who is shoving my kid.

Today was one of those days that started off beautifully. Got up early, made coffee and breakfast, got out the door early and we were the first in line at the school. After Lex washed his hands we proceeded to his classroom door to wait for his teacher to let us in. As we were standing there Moms were walking past with their kids, some were laughing, some were not. But one little boy stood out from the rest. Mainly because he was pulling away from his Mom, yelling at her and he just look like an angry little boy. As they walked past us Lex looked at me and said..."Mom. That boy yelled at me, too." o_O I asked him what happened and he said that they were playing and the little boy got mad at him and yelled at him. The teacher was right there, addressed the issue and made the boy understand that there is no yelling in their school. Everyone must play nice. Wonderful. But think that made me feel better?! Hell no. I was trying very hard not to lose it. The teacher took care of it. Everything was fine. But the thought of someone yelling at my sweet boy just rips me apart. I smiled at him and told him he did the right thing by not yelling back and to let the teachers know if it happens again. Kisses, hugs, see you in a bit and off he went with a smile on his face. I, on the other hand, had to force myself to walk out the door. ((DEEP BREATH))

I decide to take Lo to the park for some playtime and fresh air. It always puts me in a better mood. We get to the park and there are 4 Moms all standing in a tight circle, chatting away, sipping on their D&D's coffee and not watching their kids. This is nothing new. I see it all the time, but this morning I was all wound up and ready to smack someone. So when Lo tries to go down the slide and a little girl stands in her way and won't let her, I kinda got a little pissed off. I gently asked the girl to move so Lo could slide down. She did. Then the girl and her twin sister proceeded to go down right after Lo and ended up kicking her because Lo wasn't all the way down the slide yet. -_- Again, the Moms weren't even watching. I take Lo for a walk to calm myself down, then we go back to the park. Lo wanted to go down the big slide, so off she went. As she got to the top one of the little girls stood right in front of her and started screaming in Lo's face, then shoved her. I lost it. I walk over to the Minivan gang and in a very stern voice said..."Excuse me, would the Mother of the twins please stop yapping and parent your kids please before I lose my patience?! Thank you!" The Mom look mortified. She ran over and took the girls aside and said something to them. Yes, it felt good.

We stayed for a while longer, played, walked and just had a nice time. There was one Mom there apart from the Minivan gang who came up to me and said..."So glad someone said something. Those girls are out of control. The Mom has no clue." Then she walked off. I feel like we live in a society that is afraid to stand up and say something about someone else's child. That is wrong. We need to say something, maybe then that parent will actually parent their child instead of letting him or her run amok! Today just reminded me that I still don't like other people's kids.

Mommy Movie Moment.....

It's no secret that I'm a movie goer. Well, I go when I can, or I get them when they first come to On-Demand. I like to spread the word on movies that I've seen that I really liked or movies I think people might want to wait for the DVD. Now....forget all that "save the best for last" crap. I'm starting with my favorite...

CENTURION::
Why? I'll give you one good reason........Michael Fassbender! I think he is incredibly talented and he is fantastic in this movie! The movie is set during the war between Roman soldiers and Pict tribesmen during the 2nd century Roman conquest of Britain. Bloody as all Hell, but well shot and the story line is great! See it. :D

DATE NIGHT::
Kevin and I had wanted so badly to see this movie when it first came out, but, as all you parents know, date nights are far and few between when you have kids. So we waited for until it was out in on-demand. This movie was hilarious!!! I think Tina Fey and Steve Carell made that movie! It was funny with those two starring in it, anyone else, eh, I don't think it would have been as good. :)

DESPICABLE ME::
I took my son on a Mommy & Son date too see this and we both loved it! It was cute, sweet, funny and not too long. :) Lex laughed out loud a lot, which is a sure sign that it's a good movie. He has particular taste. ;)

DORIAN GRAY::
I was actually pleasantly surprised by how good this movie was. It was a bit long, but it was bearable because it was done so well. I love Colin Firth. He's excellent in everything he does! And I was surprised that Ben Barnes was actually pretty good. And so darn cute! ;)

SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD::
This movie was excellent! Maybe it's because I love Michael Cera, or maybe it's because I like weird movies, but I just really enjoyed this one! It was funky, funny and sweet. I'm sad it didn't do better. :( We even got to meet the director, Edgar Wright, Michael Cera, Anna Kendrick and Jason Schwartzman. Here's my teenager, Raven, with them all......

 So those are the movies I've seen and I loved. I won't bog down this post with the ones I hated. It's all about the love. :)

Mommy's Obsession....

Ok. Confession time. I am a just bit obsessed with True Blood. I've read all the books and when I found out HBO was going to be making a show from the books, I was excited, to say the least. I've never missed an episode and sometimes I watch them more than once. I know, I know......pathetic. I just can't help myself! Now, my husband works for a very popular radio station in Boston and with that comes some very nice perks. One of them being meeting stars if and when they come to town. Last year I was very lucky to meet Rutina Wesley who plays Tara and Nelsan Ellis who plays LaFayette, when they came to Boston promoting the show.

That was great! I love them both. :) This year my husband called me to tell me that HBO was sending Rutina Wesley and Joe Manganiello, he's Alcide Herveaux on the show. I could not believe my luck!! I love him on True Blood!! He plays Alcide perfectly. And he is ridiculously hot. Seriously. Kevin was out of town, but he fixed it so me and a friend could be the first in line to meet them. I didn't feel to comfortable taking Lola with me into Boston to do this. I didn't to be "that Mom". You know what I'm talking about. Kevin assured me that it was fine, everyone knew I was coming and that I'd have Lola with me. EXCELLENT! I took my friend Benise with me because she loves the show, too. Let me just say that I am so glad I went. It's not easy to stun me to silence, but when I walked up to that table I could barely remember who I was. Joe was unbelievably gorgeous and so very nice. I completely forgot Rutina, or anyone else for that matter, was there. LOL!! I felt so bad afterwards that I barely said two words to her. Not my fault! Now, when it came time to take the picture I was trying really hard to hold Lola in a way that wasn't killing my arms, tough since I had been holding her for over an hour!! Of course, Dana (she works with my husband and obviously has a loud mouth. LOL!!) yells out.."Stop trying to hide that baby!!" I honestly was not trying to hide her, I was barely able to get down in between them in a position that didn't look like I was a hunchback or somethin' like that. Here's that embarrassing photo......

Yes, they were, indeed, laughing at me. -_- Just look how massive that man is!! But I managed to get in there, but I was laughing so hard and struggling to hold Lola up, I look like crap. Posting it anyway!

Lola looks good. :) My friend took these pictures and she said she was so busy looking at him that I'm lucky I'm in the picture at all. HAH! Thanks, Benise. -_- I was able to snap a few sneaky pictures and well, here they are. Ladies, you're welcome....

He caught me taking this picture. heheheee

-drools-

6 A.M.

Although I am not a fan of getting up early, there is just something about the beginning of the school year that gets me all excited. I'm all gung ho about it for a month or so, then I slow down. Then comes Halloween and I'm all wound up again!! Then comes nooooooovemmmmberrrrrrrrrrrrrr.......and I slow down again. Not my favorite month, if you couldn't tell. The beginning of the school year is filled with excitement! The kids are excited to meet new friends, learn new things and I'm excited to get back into a routine. Our Summer has been wonderful. Filled with lots of activities, day trips, relaxing/lazy days and just plain having fun. I'm going to be sad to see it gone. I'm not ready for the Fall yet. I'm usually very excited at this point, but not this year. Maybe that will change once the kids are in school. We'll see. For now I'm going to enjoy all the new things happening in my life and my children's lives. I'm a Mom of a highschooler now!! And my son is going to be starting preschool! Completely unbelievable. :) I feel like I'm experiencing two very important phases of my children's lives at the same time. My son is beginning his journey, and my daughter is beginning the end of hers.

I think everyone knows how much I love taking pictures, so lets take a look back at my two babies when they were babies......

Raven.....

Lex.....

Making Progress......

Very slowly, but surely, we are making progress.....

She is no longer fighting me when I try to put them on her.............

She actually has no problem wearing them, playing, running or climbing when she wears her AFO's.......

And that makes me, and her, very, very happy.......

I Don't Let My Babies Cry It Out.........I DON'T!

When I first got pregnant 15 years ago I swore I would never let my baby cry it out at night. I wouldn't. And I didn't. Then came Lex, and again I swore to never let him cry it out either. Same thing with him, I never did even though he wasn't the best sleeper. I would get up when he needed me. Then came Lola. I didn't even have to say the words....she was the perfect sleeper from day one! Perfect! She fell asleep on her own, in her own bed and never once made a sound. :) It was wonderful. She got older and we still never had any problems. Then something happened about 2 months ago. I started noticing that she was waking up crying at 3 a.m. every night. I would have to go down, change her and sometimes I'd even have to give her a bottle to soothe her when I wasn't enough. Then last month it got worse. Bedtime became a nightmare. Not just for me, but for her as well. She would scream, fight, try to get out of her crib, scream some more......it was horrible. And it hasn't gotten any better.

I figured that she was starting to go through something, the fear phase. All children go through it, but what the heck do I with her? I've been going in to get her and letting her fall asleep on the couch next to me. I know, I know....BAD idea!! You don't have to tell me just how bad of an idea that is. But I can't help it. She never complains, she hardly cries unless she needs something or is hurt, she's so sweet and so cute and I don't let my babies cry it out! I don't! But, I did. And guess what? She's alive, and she's fine. It kills me to do it, it really does, but that is my only choice. She cries for maybe 5 minutes, but in those 5 minutes I have to bite my lip to keep from running to her. I'm hoping this won't last long. I hate listening to her cry. If for some reason this doesn't stop, and she throws these fits at bedtime, I plan on buying a rocker/glider so I can rock her to sleep. Kevin thinks that's a bad idea. Hmph! This coming from a guy who still lays with our son till he falls asleep. Hypocrite. I honestly don't care what anyone thinks, if this continues or gets worse, I will do what I need to do to make her happy again.

Wordless Wednesday.....

Why Do I Agree To Do These Things?!

My friend hired me to photograph her In-Laws 50th anniversary. Now I'm wishing I hadn't said yes. I have this thing where I lose all confidence in myself when asked to do things like this. Yes, I can take some pretty damn good pictures. Yes, I have an awesome camera. But am I good enough to be photographing such an event? I don't think so. She wants me to do it because A.) She loves my pictures and B.) I'm MUCH cheaper than anyone else. LOL!! Sad, but true. She wants me to have some cards made up to pass out at the party. It's gonna be a huge event. They have a huge family. Old Italian, lots of kids, that sorta thing. So here I am, I haven't even learned all there is to learn about my camera and I'm already hiring myself out. Ugh. I did read an article where one photographer said...."You can't "learn" to be a good photographer. Sometimes just shooting, shooting and shooting is the best way to teach yourself". I'm taking this as a challenge.......try and make this good so people will want more. I've started learning about lenses, my camera, the various settings and what will work best with this party. Tricky part? It's both inside and outside. Lots of flash. I'm not a fan of flash. I'll be heading down to the camera store to rent a few lenses for the night and see what they think would be best as far as flash goes. Ugh....this is work! LOL!!

Preparing Myself For Preparing School Lunches.....

This may sound silly, but I am in a bit of a panic about packing Lex's school lunches. First off, he hates just about anything. Secondly, he hates just about anything. So what do I do? Well, for starters I drive myself  nutty about the whole thing, then I sit down and search the internet for ideas. Thank GAWD for the internet!! And Twitter. Thank you, Twitter. I follow a lot of wonderful Mommies and websites that help me with the things I need. Today Parents Connect posted on a link on their Twitter page to AlphaMom's site where she wrote about Bento Box Basics for Back-to-School. I let out a huge sigh of relief! HUGE!! It gave me some wonderful ideas. My brain is on overload with wonderful, healthy school lunch ideas. Then I went in search of a Bento Box. I found this one....
















And this one at Pottery Barn.....

Both are really cute, right? We bought him a SpongeBob lunch box already, so I'll have to find one that fits in that. I'm so excited!!! I haven't made a school lunch in years! This is gonna be fun. :)

My Sweetest Lola.....

Waiting on her Daddy......

Preparing For School

Summer is coming to an end and we are about to go into full "GET READY FOR SCHOOL" mode. We've been doing this for 10 years now. ((sigh)) I always dread it, the getting back into a routine. Raven is much easier than she used to be. She actually said "Mom, please don't get up. I'm not a baby anymore" -_- Whatever, Teenager. Whaaaaatever!! I do anyways. ;) But now I will have two children in school! TWO! Lex will be going to pre-school on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays 9-1. :D He has got to get into a routine. We have been always been very laid back about our routine. Not anymore. So prepare him for his school days I've come up with this schedule.....

• Bedtime: 8:00 p.m. Sharp!
• 
  
• Wake up: 7:00 a.m.
• 
  
• Get dressed, eat breakfast, brush teeth, if time allows I'll let him watch one cartoon of choice
• 
  
• Wake Lola: 8:00 a.m.
• 
  
• Get her dressed, feed her, brush her teeth 
• 
  
• Out the door: 8:45 a.m.

It take 7 minutes to get to his school. Yes, I timed it. So that leaves plenty of time to get in the car, drive to the school, get out of the car and in the door. WHEW!!!! Once Winter is here  -_- and it's snows -_- I'll push the schedule back by 20 minutes to make sure we have enough time.

Now, you make think that scheduling is the only thing we have to prepare for. It's not. I have to go out and buy a bin. A bin for all that art work my son will be bringing home. I still have Raven's, somewhere. It's insane the amount of stuff they bring home! I could never bring myself to throw any away. Not until the 1st grade at least. LOL!!

This is all so very exciting! All he talks about is school. All the time! He can't wait. I just hope that he's just as thrilled about it when he gets there and Mommy and Daddy can't stay. I'm sure he'll be fine. :) I'm actually more worried about my husband. 100 bucks says he breaks down and cries.

What We've Been Doing All Summer......

Playing........

Having fun.....

Smiling.......

Meeting Henry The Octopus.......

And refusing to leave Henry!!!......

As you can see, there are no pictures of our teenager. She's too cool to hang with her family at Six Flags.

Patience Is NOT One Of My Virtues.....

I am known for being the one who rushes everyone around, hates waiting in lines and I'll read the ending of a book first before even starting it. Why? Because I am inpatient!! So you can imagine just how frustrating these last few weeks of waiting have been....the wait for my cherry tomatoes to first plant, bloom, sprout and ripen. The moment is almost here!!! I am proud to announce that we have cherry tomatoes! WOOT WOOT!! Here they are early last week......

I bought this plant just for this recipe. Roasted Cherry Tomatoes with Olives & Bowties. YUMMM!! I love Weelicious. She has some of the yummiest recipes. Although, I would like to know how she stays so damn skinny. I mean, really?! LOL!! Anyway. Here's the recipe in case you don't want to click on the links...

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes & Olives on Bowties (Serves 4)

1 Pint Cherry Tomatoes

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 Tsp Fresh Thyme, chopped or 1/4 Dried Thyme

1 Clove Garlic, minced

1/2 Tsp Salt

1/3 Cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved

8 oz Farfalle (Bowtie) Pasta (about 1/2 a bag or box)

1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Toss the first 5 ingredients together on a sheet tray to coat the tomatoes.

3. Bake for 25 minutes or until tomatoes are starting to burst.

4. While the tomatoes are baking, cook the pasta in salted water according to the package directions.

5. Combine the tomatoes, pasta, olives and cheese and toss to combine.

6. Serve.

Mmmmm........I cannot wait!!