Tambourines!

He had a blast making these!! I got hot glue all over my fingers, but it was worth it.

Help!

We have been having some issues with Evan's eating habits, or lack of as the case is. The problem? I can't get him to eat properly. I know this is common for little guys but my question is when do I back off?

Evan started out as this amazing eater, loved pretty much everything. Fed himself big bites as soon as he could work a spoon. We really thought we had struck child-eating GOLD!! But no. Maybe it was because I was overly proud about it. Some higher power must have thought I was getting cocky. Good eating is a thing of the past.

He doesn't like to eat "breakfast" or "lunch" or "dinner" so I'm learning to not call it anything. He likes "snacks" so I have actually fed him a meal and he only ate because I called it a snack. I swear this child pushes me to my limits and beyond, daily. This only works occasionally though, he isn't one to be fooled.

In the past week I don't think he has eaten more than 2 dinners, 2 lunches and 2 breakfasts. He wasn't feeling well this week but it was with a cold and it normally doesn't affect his eating. He has a couple of bites and that's usually it. Rarely finishes anything. He wants to snack allll day long though. This is where it gets tricky for me and I don't really know what to do. Do I cut out snacks? I am very health conscious when it comes to my kids and they are only offered good food, treats are just that....treats. So when they snack it's good stuff, but should I maybe stop allowing snacks until he starts eating his meals better? My thought is, well at least I'm getting some nutrition into him rather than nothing at all. I'm not sure if I'm right though and I don't know what to do. I fear putting him to bed on an empty stomach and him waking in the might and crying or something, his little belly all grumbling. I guess thats the lesson? Let him go to bed hungry so he figures it out. Ugh. I hate that though.

Help me mommy's!!!!

* I forgot to mention when I first posted this that I am also confused about how long you force them to sit there when they don't eat meals? Do I make him sit there for an hour? For the rest of the night? Not at all? It's hard when you have other things to get done and you have become consumed by trying to get your kid to eat.

Tired.

I have been suffering from some serious insomnia lately. For about 2 months now. I have stopped drinking caffeine after late afternoon. I can't stop drinking it any earlier because I need it. I NEED IT. I don't drink tons of it though, so I don't feel like that's my problem. I have about 4 cups of coffee a day from morning until 4-5:00pm. I have tried sleeping pills, and I was awake all night, I tried 2 sleeping pills and was up all night. I have started taking magnesium because Gavin told me to. He said a lot of people who suffer from insomnia don't have enough magnesium. It's not helping thus far.

I go to bed anywhere from 9-10 because I am so tired by then. If I'm lucky I make it to maybe 3:00 and then I'm awake until usually a few minutes before I'm supposed to wake up so I have to get up. Usually though, I'm awake by 1:00, even midnite. Then I toss all the rest of the night. I have taken to going to the couch sometimes because the change of space helps me get an hour of sleep in. Only sometimes though.

It's really frustrating, and last night I went for coffee with a couple of my besties and regretted it when I was wide awake in bed when I got home. No more caffeine for me on our Monday nights out. I thought I could handle one cup, but I can't. Booo!!

I go to the doctor today, it's a new doctor and it's just a meet and greet but hopefully I can express some of my concerns to her and start making more appointments. This just can't go on much longer. I am sooooo tired :(

Maybe this is a good thing...

I have 2 boys. Plus a hubby. So I have 3 boys. I decided the minute I found out Evan was a boy that there would be no more little babies for my poor little womb. I feel like I would probably have another boy, and not that there is anything wrong with that, I just can't handle more testosterone in my house. I'm really out numbered as it is. Plus let's face it, when boys are little they are more work then little girls. There is such a difference in my nieces and my sons. Night and day.

So because I am surrounded by boys, I often think that I desperately want a girl. So much so that lately we have actually mentioned adopting just so I get my little princess. I have been thinking more about it though and I'm not so sure this would be a good thing. I think I was given 2 boys for a reason. I don't have it in my to raise a girl. I would be so insanely over protective of a girl. How do I know? Simple. I am really protective of my nieces. My stomach twists into knots when they talk about boys. I can't STAND it when they wear make-up and I always beak at them for it. (One of them wears it a lot more then the other so said girl get's beaked at a little more). When one of their shirts slips too low I beak at them to fix it. One of them is wearing a bra.....that she actually needs. Someone pass me a paper bag because I can't breathe!!!!!! Another good sign I'm not ready for a daughter? I was at my sisters house the other weekend and my niece was seated next to me and was "surfing the net". Sisters BF says, "What are you looking at on there? Cute guys?" Well my niece snaps her head back from the computer, looks at me sideways and says "NO!!!!! Auntie would yell at me if I did that!!" Yeah....I would. Now go play with your Barbies and stop this growing up shit. I didn't say that but I wanted too. Instead I just said "Yeah I would!"

So, maybe I should count my blessings. I have been given boys because I would suffer from daily heart attacks if I had a girl.

Forgiveness....

I had a boss when I was a teenager who I loved. I looked up to her. We used to meet all the time for coffee, she used to come to my house. We used to talk on the phone. I always thought the world of her. After I had Evan it got a little harder to keep in touch but we made the effort. Then my mom died. People came out of the woodworks to express their sympathy, except my old boss. She called my sister a few days after it happened when she saw it in the local paper, saying she couldn't find my number and could she please have it. Sister said she was crying and really upset. But she never called.

I don't know her reason. I'm sure she had one. I was really hurt by this snub. I couldn't understand why she wouldn't call. It has now been over 2 years and I haven't spoken to her. At all. I don't know what happened.

Yesterday I went to the grocery store and heard a "Hey!! Tell that kid to slow down." (Evan was hauling ass in front of me). So I turn around to see who has the big balls, and it was her husband and daughter. So I stop and chat with them and find out that her husband has been really sick, and the doctors don't know why. He looked horrible, which was a shock to me because he was such an authority figure in my life. He has lost weight and he speaks kind of slow, his coloring isn't good. He thinks that if they keep forcing tests on him it's going to kill him. His daughter was agreeing and looked so scared. I felt so bad.

I wonder if it's time to let go of my hurt and contact my old boss. I feel like she might need people who love and support her right now. I know a thing or two about sick people and how hard it is to watch. I wonder if what happened when my mom died was that she just didn't know what to say. Then the days/weeks/months and now years have gone by and I bet she feels like shit when she thinks of it but now it's been so long she doesn't know how to apologize. Now her husband is sick and I want to be there for her.

I know where she works, and so sometime soon (when the roads are safer, which is not the case right now) I am going to go in and see her. I know I'll cry. I know she'll cry. I look forward to the wonderful feeling of forgiveness.

Cool dudes.

I personally think they look like they are trying out for an episode of The Sopranos but no, Jayden grew an obsession with Home Alone and kept brushing his and poor Evan's hair back.

Lookey what I've been making!!

We will never order pizza again!! These are stuffed crust too!!

                                        These next 2 we had together when Jayden had a friend over for dinner. Pillsbury dough wrapped hot dogs and potato wedges!!!! Super fun :)