Simpsonized

Because I have nothing better to do with myself. HA! HA!

I think Tim came out the best. What do you think?

C'mon, you know you want to Simpsonize yourself. Just do it. It might be a total waste of time but at least you'll get a good laugh.

7 Random Facts You Probably Didn't Want To Know...

So Courtney tagged me over the phone over a week ago and I'm just sitting down to give you these fabulous, juicy, you know you can't wait to read 'em, facts about myself.

Ready?

1) I met my husband when I was working at the college bookstore. I was a manager and he a student worker. Scandalous right? Not really - it was God's plan. But still, it was a shocker for almost everyone working there. We were married 10 months later.

2)Not only have a I been a college bookstore manager, I've also been a gift store decorator, bartender, an art teacher for migrant workers, an early childhood education specialist and I am currently a lia sophia jewelry advisor. I've never been one to stick to one thing. Call it a weakness??? No, I call it my hidden free spirit.

3)I think I currently have toe nail fungus - Can you say EEEWWWW!!!! Anyone have any natural remedies for such an atrocity??? (It may just be staining from my nail polish, but I have a "worse case scenario" thinking problem too.)

4) When I was a child I had a recurring nightmare that aliens would come in their spaceship to take away the new diamond & emerald necklace/ring set my parents had just given to me. Then in my dream, my parents would ask me where my jewelry was (because I was suppose to take very good care of it) and they would not believe my story when I told them about the spaceship. I had this dream over and over and over. Can we get Freudian on this one???

5) I nurse my babies until they decide to wean. Some think it's gross, I think it's one of the most wonderful and natural experiences a mother can have. Samuel weaned at 29 months and it was smooth as butter. If anyone has any questions about toddler nursing, I'd be happy to chat by email.

6) I have finally gotten over the need to have my bra and underwear match. It took, oh, almost 31 years. It didn't require therapy, just having children.

7)When I was in high school, I totally sported the "Forehead, Five Head" hairdo. I was a pro at getting those bangs a mile high with some Stiff Stuff Hairspray (another marvel of the eighties). I grew up in Long Island folks - big hair was an absolute MUST!

And just to make it worth your while for reading this meme all the way through I present to you a teenage portrait of me as a high school junior...

Now, I'm going to tag just 3 people who I'd like to know something random about:
1) Vic
2) Sarah
3) Mel

A Day in Your Life

I'm certain I am borderline OCD! I am an orderly person. I like a plan. I thrive on a schedule. It keeps me from getting all kooky within my head. I must know where the day is heading and what is to be accomplished.

However, I am...flexible!! Yes, I can safely deviate from the plan ONLY if there IS a plan. (Does anyone get what I mean or am I lost in my own neurosis?) When there is no plan, then I begin to spin on my heals and nothing gets done. I lose focus, get confused, forget things. It's as if I enter some type of void that sucks my entire day into it and it is gone for good!

Anyway, I've been thinking a lot about how to schedule my day so that it is a win/win for me and the kids. And I've been thinking about you and how you schedule your day. How do your order the events of your day from mothering, cooking, cleaning, devotions, banking, shopping, working, blogging, playing, sleeping, etc.

And how do you fit your kids schedules into your plan? What are they doing while you are doing the above mentioned list of things? What types of activities do you use to keep them occupied? Do you play with your kids? How often? How much screen time do you permit?

Would you share your best advice about balancing your schedule and your kids schedules so that everyone benefits? Would you be willing to give me a description of a "day in the life" of you?

I'll share mine with you too. Just not tonight. Maybe tomorrow.

Almost Wordless Wednesday

What do you get when you put together a phone charger, a noise reducing headset and a creative three year old?

Samuel's version of hands free!

Meet QB

Funny nick names just happen. Sometimes they don't even make sense. But they are oh so cute. Sometimes they have their season and then they are gone; but this one seems to be sticking around!

Tim started calling Gabrielle Queen Bee. She may only be the princess, but she sure does think she's the queen. She always wants it her way and on her terms. She is quite particular and vocal! So the name stuck and slowly it evolved to QB. We probably call her QB half of the time. I think it's kind of cute. But someday I'll have to tell her, ever so gently, who the queen really is!

Now, this one is not so cute but she brought this one on herself. Gabrielle makes this funny screeching sound that resembles the the Nazgul from Lord of the Rings. She likes to make this sound first thing when she wakes up at 3am. It somehow always makes me laugh even when I'm beyond tired. And so sometimes she's our Little Nazgul.

Samuel gets in on the nick naming action too. He calls her Gabrielle Goo! Appropriate for a 3 year old I think. I'm sure she'll grow to love it.

Do you have any favorite nicknames for your kiddos that you'd like to share? I'd love to hear them.

Living up to the name and a question for you!

So here I am..totally living up to the "not so daily" name.

We've had something like the plague hit our house. OK, so that's an exaggeration. We've been sick here with some ugly little virus. Snotty noses, LOTS of coughing, sore throats, etc. for about 2 weeks. Tim is the only one who remained healthy... so far! I think I've got bronchitis. Ick!!!

Samuel has been sick 3 times in the past month. This is so bizarre since he's been the healthiest baby and toddler. I think it's because he now has a little 3 year old social life. And he's taken on the very bad happy of chewing on his fingers when he's having a rough go of it. Germs live on fingers, ya know!!!

Question: Do you give your kids any supplements/nutritional boosts, other than a multi-vitamin, to help during cold and flu season?

Just wondering...

if it's OK to eat an entire box of Bunny Grahams for lunch?

Wordless Wednesday

On second thought...

maybe we shouldn't find her a new home.

Yes, those are clothes pins...take a closer look.

What cat would let you do this to her? I think she's just so desperate for attention. Or maybe she's trying to redeem herself for scratching the heck out of Amanda while babysitting a few weeks ago. Whatever the reason, it's pretty funny.

See her other silly cat tricks here.

A little lower

Daddy, please push me from the front.

OK, Samuel.

Thanks Daddy.
Daddy, don’t push me so high. Push me a little bit lower.

Alright Samuel, how’s that?

That’s good Daddy. Thank you for obeying me.

Be Free!

I don't know about you but we have a ton of plastic in our house: sippy cups, Nalgene bottles, children's plates, utensils, to-go-coffee mugs, Ziploc and Glad storage containers, teethers.

Plastic, plastic, plastic!!! I've got it pouring out of my cabinets.

I'm sure you all know that it's a big NO, NO to microwave food in plastic containers. But what about everyday use? Children's products? I put together some info for you to help keep your family safe from BAD plastics!

WHAT IS BPA?
Polycarbonate plastic is made using bisphenol-a (BPA), an industrial chemical used in the manufacture of over 90% of major baby bottle and sippy cup brands. Environmental scientists have labeled BPA as an endocrine disruptor. Studies show that the unstable BPA bond will allow the chemical to leach into food or beverages in contact with the plastic during normal, everyday use.

It is suspected of modifying our reproductive health and raising cancer risks. It can affect behavior, the prostate gland and mammary glands, as well as onset of puberty.

HOW TO AVOID BPA:
-Do not heat food in any plastic container.
-Plastic #1,2,4 and 5 are considered safe for food storage/usage.
-Avoid canned products (lining may contain BPA)
-Use stainless steel travel mugs
-Skip plastic wraps

VISIT THE FOLLOWING LINKS:
How to find safer sippy cups
How to find safer baby bottles
How to find safer teethers
How to find safer pacifiers

Wordless Wednesday (Photos from a few weeks ago)