A Peek Into My World

Things I like, Things I don't like.....

2010-08-25T12:23:00.002-05:00

I like Blue, I don't like Purple (Growing up Purple was my favorite color, go figure!)

I like Daisies, I don't like Bird of Paradise

I like loose T-shirts, I don't like tight clothes of any kind

I like Cherries, I don't like Blueberries

I like Mustard, I don't like Mayonaise

I like Pasta (of any kind), I don't like Peas

I like Spring & Fall, I don't like Summer

I like to eat my food at room temperature, I don't like steaming hot food

I like cats, I don't like big dogs

I like conservative clothes, I don't like busy, sequined, camo clothes

I like all living animals, I don't like killing (hunting) animals of any kind

I like baby dolls, I don't like Barbies

I like music of all types, I don't like heavy metal & rap

I like thoughtful, generous and helpful people, I don't like selfish & self-centered people

I like children to just "be children", I don't like children be able to wear make-up at 2-11 yrs old

I like Taylor Swift (some), I don't like Miley Cyrus (or Hannah Montana)

I like children with manners, I don't like children that back talk

I like Nautical themes & Old Historical themes, I don't like western & deer themes

I like PBS educational channels, I don't like Disney & Nickelodeon channels

I like Elmo & Curious George, I don't like SpongeBob

I like families with a normal amount of children, I don't like families with a whole county of children. lol....(they'd have to be insane)

I like natural colored hair, I don't like dark hair with blonde streaks

I like Toyota, I don't like Kia or Subaru

I like broccoli, I don't like turnips

I like my dating website name (Daisy, because my mom named me that [From 10 yrs ago]), I don't like anyone else calling me by it

I like my house being clean and anyone in it living helping me with it, I don't like it smashed and no one helping

I like University of Tennessee, I don't like University of Florida

I like Auburn University, I don't like University of Alabama

I like living in Tennessee or Alabama, I don't like Arkansas (sometimes)

I like Phillip Fulmer, I don't like Steve Spurrier & Houston Nutt

I like light blue eyes, I don't like dark blue eyes or green eyes

I like Christmas & Halloween, I don't like St Pattys Day holiday

I like following the rules of any kind, I don't like trying to bend the rules (or anyone that tries)

I like someone working with me, I don't like someone working against me

I like someone respecting me in my home, I don't like someone disrespecting me in my home

I like taking up for my spouse, I don't like my spouse not returning the favor

I like thinking outside the box, I don't like someone else struggling to do so (I know its not their fault)

I like being forgiving and giving 2nd chances, I don't like giving 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th & 7th.....

I like being around people that are going to have my back, I don't like someone trying to sabotage my every move of any kind

I like sushi, I don't like anything fried

I like losing weight & can do it, I don't like someone else saying "they can't" when they can (and there's no medical issue involved)

I like being rational, I don't like people being unrational

I like being strong & unemotional, I don't like people that are emotional, all at the wrong times

I like scrap booking, I don't like oil painting

I like Gap & Tommy H, I don't like Justice (too busy for me)

I like Iphones, I don't like Blackberries phones

I like Rascal Flatts music, I don't like Tim McGraw music

I like surrounding myself with people that arent going to stress me out, I don't like people that are going to do the opposite

I like being a christian, I don't like people descriminating against it

I like the way I was raised, I don't like someone teasing me because of it

I liked having one brother, I don't like even thinking of having a sister

I like that my son is brilliant, I don't like someone else questioning it

I like someone trusting me, I don't like someone else questioning me or going to someone else and questioning me behind my back (when the trust hasnt been broken)

I like being a different person than I was when I was younger, I don't like someone NOT learning from their mistakes

I like short blogs, I don't like long blogs (like this one lol)

On that note, the last thing.....I don't like Drama Queens.

Finding Compassion & Understanding

2010-06-13T18:39:00.002-05:00

I really don't even know how to start this blog entry but it's been weighing on me. For those that do read my blog posts, you know we have a soon to be 4 year old son. He is the light of our life and we love him just as he is and wouldn't ask for anything different. He actually would be a pretty boring child if he was any different. I've always thought that God gave me him for a reason, not someone else. I think God knew we could handle a child like him and even though I wonder Gods decision some days, I trust him and I see now that I am honored to have him as my son!!
When my son was a baby, I did notice different things about him. Behaviors that were a little off and he was high maintance at times. Not financially but in other ways. As he got older, his doctor and I talked about my concerns and we started into a new phase with him. This new phase was the best thing that I had ever done but I still didn't know what was up with him. I started doing research on his behavior and that went on for at least a year or two. I/We still had no idea what was going on but we took him to a specialist to get some feedback. We shared with them how he behaved out in public, (which wasn't always good) and we shared with them all that we knew. We filled out many papers and the visit ended in just under 5 hours. Yes, very long visit and our little man was very tired. We left a little upset that day because we were told different things that were hard to take. At the same time, the specialist were puzzled. He had some behaviors leaning towards Autism but some that leaned towards other things.....Our next step was figuring out how in the world to tell our families. We decided since we were so upset, didn't feel like explaining everything and basically this just was a hard situation for us. We really didn't want allot of people to know, 1. because we really didn't feel like explaining 2. If the specialist were puzzled about what was going on, why should we just tell everyone what it was when it wasn't definite!?!?!?!
The hardest part I think for me is when we'd take our son out whether it be with family or by ourselves finding understanding and compassion when he would act differently. It's extremely hard for me when people glare at us because my son does something different, doesn't speak clearly or just plain out sometimes (they think) isn't behaving correctly. I would think it's even worse when some family members don't understand. All I can think of saying is if you've never walked in someone's shoes, you have no right wondering, judging or jumping to conclusions and just trust that the parents and professionals know what their doing.
I hope those that are out in public and have family members that are different that you find compassion and understanding and if you dont understand, then so what. You don't have to understand but find trust that the parents know what their doing.
We are now in a new stage. Last month we did get a diagnosis and we decided since we knew for sure, we'd start telling friends and family what was going on and what it was....we don't just meet some one and put it right out there but when we're somewhere and he's "misbehaving", we usually ask for patience. Some are really nice and compassionate, only a few have been rude. I feel sorry for them.
In closing, I hope who all reads this knows that disorders in children are growing rapidly. If you see a child that looks different or acts different, please show patience, compassion and understanding. There's no reason to judge the child and their parents. I'm sure who ever is raising the child is doing the best they can with the hard situation that they're in. There's no reason to add to their situation because you have your own hang-ups. I'm sure the world would be a much better (peaceful) place if people found these 3 simple things.

Protective Brinley

2010-01-15T13:13:00.002-06:00

I haven't written in my blog in a while but I've had this entry in my head now for about a month and I decided to type it out finally.

As everyone did, the past couple of months have been very busy with Thanksgiving, Christmas and the new year. As most families we did the traveling thing to see family and we all had a great time doing so. We as a family travel about 6.5 hours south to see family and to make travel easier on my Dad, we met at my brothers house a few days after Christmas. This meant of course seeing his kids; Brady and Brinley. I always have a great time with them sense all of us seem to click with playing games, playing outside or whatever is planned for that day.
I have talked about my son Caleb on this blog allot and my son now is 3.5 years old. (I can't believe that!) He's getting to where he can play and talk with his cousins and that makes it fun for all of us. During this trip Caleb talked more and more and everyone said they could definitely see a change in him and could understand what he was saying.
During the end of our stay on the last day it was time for my Dad to leave and travel back to his home in Florida. All of us were out on the front porch saying our good byes and my brother and I were telling him to "Be Careful"......well Caleb just like other kids started yelling out "BE CAREFUL!!! BE CAREFUL", but Caleb's "BE CAREFUL" was more like, "BE PEARPUL"........"BE PEARPUL"......all of us started busting out laughing including my Dad whom was already to the street and to his car. I do have to say, we were not laughing AT Caleb, we were laughing because it was cute. This little moment did not sit well with my niece Brinley.
So, I have to explain now how Brinley is in my eyes and probably others that know her really well. She is not like most little girls (and that's OK!). Most girls like dressing up, getting pampered, nail polish, princess themed items etc.....not her! She wrestles with her brother who is 2 years older and believe me, she can hold her own. She is competitive in any sport put before her, she loves to fish with her papa and she can hold and clean a fish like it's nothing, she's determined and she's strong. She also already has a trophy in swimming and I think it's as big as her!
After a week passed by and we were home from traveling, I called my brother to check in and talk. He shared with me that Brinley did not like us "laughing at Caleb". Of course he and my sister-in-law explained that we all weren't laughing "at" Caleb but was laughing because Caleb was cute in saying the words like he did. I told my brother, "You know, if none of us weren't around, we wouldn't even have to worry about Caleb because Brinley would take care of them!"
So as I sit and think today, I am thankful for "Protective Brinley" because I always know she'll have my sons back. ;o)

American Idol Concert - Personal Space Needed

2009-08-25T16:13:00.008-05:00

I haven't written in a while but my sister in law gave me a good idea on an entry so here goes!

American Idol is very popular amongst many people and of course my family watched this year! My sister in law had our favorites and some of my other friends had their favorites as well. During the middle of the competition, tickets went on sale here in Little Rock. My sister in law called and we both at the same time said, "I want to go!" She sent me an email for early buying and I bought the tickets the morning they went on sale. It was amazing how fast they sold and we did get 2 tickets on the floor! We were about 14-16 rows back from the stage and I was happy! Now it was waiting several weeks for the date to come!

Concert day comes and we had made our plans. Eating at Olive Garden (One of my favs!) and on to the concert we went. Dinner was grand and I couldn't wait to see the concert and take some good pictures. We did arrive and there was a line outside and waiting probably 20 minutes before entering which was fine with me. We went straight to the T-Shirt counter to see how much they were ($35 each) and we passed on that price. We love American Idol concerts but that was too steep for us. After that we found our seats and checked out the place. I took the inner seat and she took the seat on the outer. I ended up sitting next to a man. We'll just say he was about 45-50 years old, or at least he looked it to me. As we sat there and was checking out the place, this man starts to talk to me. You also should know these seats give no personal space for anyone which is a little out of my comfort zone. I am a person that needs personal space so this was a little different for me. As he talks to me and starts "leaning" into me while he talks, I get a big breeze of "something" on his breathe. I'm thinking, "Good Lord dude...what have you been doing!?!?!?!" So, I reply to some of what he's saying and continue to talk to my sister in law. This guy wouldn't let up on talking to me and I'm thinking, "I don't mind talking to people but you are leaning on me, talking loudly to me and you stink, I'm not interested!" I didn't know how to tell my sister in law that this guy was acting a little weird so I text her. The text said something like this, "I think this guy is drunkard up"...She smiles and pays more attention I think but he continues to talk to me. Then he says, "IF YOU DON'T WANT ME TO TALK TO YA, JUST TELL ME, I JUST LOVE TO TALK TO EVERYBODY"....I'm just thinking at this point, "I'm not telling you I don't want to talk because I don't want you to react badly to it!"

The concert finally starts and I'm thinking hopefully he'll be busy with listening to the concert and leave me alone. As it started, that's what happened but at the same time, my sister in law found better seats for us. There were several seats where no one showed up so we took those seats away from this guy. I was happy!

As the concert went on we saw most of our favorites and I thought, "Ok, we're through with drunks or high people (whatever he was?) and I can relax".....um....NOT. lol....intermission came and for some reason this same guy comes up through our isle. He gets in my sister in laws face ans says, "Wow, I must have ticked you all off!"...I said, "Oh NO!" and smiled. I have to add, he didn't use the word "ticked"....So, I thought ok he's gone again but he's got to pass back through to get to his seat so we'll meet again once more. Sure enough here he comes down the isle and he either pokes my sister in law or tugs her hair a little. She looks at me and at this point we're laughing so hard. We're like, "What is up with this guy!!?!?!?!"....my sister in law says, "If he touches us again!" Needless to say, the concert started back up and I was anxious to make sure this guy didn't see us again. I saw him and his wife leave (yes he was with his wife lol) and they left a different way...I was glad. As for the concert? It was great!

Weimen Cleaning Products

2009-04-18T22:13:00.003-05:00

I was headed to the grocery today and as usual I had my list in hand and ready to go. I started at the usual spot which is in the back of the store and I make my way back up to the front. I had a long list this time since my husband just had knee surgery and he requested certain things for supper. I was more than happy to pick up things for him but at the same time, I had my own list. One of the things I had to get was a cleaner for my glass top stove. This was a new stove as of 2 years ago when we moved in a new home. I had ran out of cleaner and I was on the hunt for some more! Cleaners are in the back of the store so I knew I was close. When I did get to the right aisle, I searched and searched and when I was in the right area, my eye went straight to "Weimans Glass Top Cleaner"....I was so excited. Not as what you would think but I was touched to see a certain logo and a coalition that they support. It touched me so much that I had a moment there in the aisle and took about 3-5 minutes reading this label over and over. On the label was a pretty good size cancer ribbon. Not breast cancer as you see "everywhere" and on "everything" but a teal ribbon signifying and representing "Ovarian Cancer". This cancer is sentimental to me in more ways than one.

In 2001 my mother was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer and leading up to that time, I knew something was wrong but of course we didn't know what, but "something"....To make a long story short, she lived 3 years with this disease and died in March 2004. I, myself have learned that I am at risk now and I've tried to take the most precaution as possible but there is no detection or test out there for us women. The only thing I've learned is to pay attention to all the symptoms. It really touches me that a huge company as "Weiman" would support this cause. If you come up on this blog entry, PLEASE look into reading about this disease, even if you're a man. Read about it for your mother, your daughter, your sister, your Aunt and your wife. NO ovarian cancer was in my family and we were struck by it. Please don't think you are free from it because of this reason! Also PLEASE look at Weiman's website for some information on the disease.

http://www.weiman.com/news/nocc.php

Proud Mommy

2009-01-07T21:16:00.002-06:00

I had the most exciting thing happen today and I became so proud afterwards. I am going to take everyone that reads this back to 3 months ago.
3 months ago my 2 year old would not talk. He only said a few words and his doctor (and I most of all) became increasingly worried. I told my husband, maybe there's something wrong? Everyone kept on telling me, "He'll talk when he's ready" and I wouldn't listen. I started researching and trying to figure out the best way to get him to learn and teach him the best way I knew how. With talking to his doctor and the research, we started some major one on one "training". I would basically through our times together get in his face and say letters very loudly and over and over again. I started reading more and more to him and started changing some of my habits with him. I no longer gave him what he wanted through him grunting to me or with him taking me to where he wanted. I would simply say, "What do you want, tell me." He still doesn't "say" what he wants but something does come out of his mouth and that's a start. I praise him when "anything" comes out since he responses to praise. This has seemed to work and now he knows, "Hey, Mommy likes it when I talk!"
His Daddy started reading several books to him at night and that started being their time together. Then his daddy would change him into his PJ's and put him to bed. We have gotten him on a schedule and it seems to work well for us. His daddy one night came to me and said, "Did you hear that?" I did not hear but he told me that he had repeated a few words back to him in a book. We knew then, that we were ok and Caleb was ok too.
Through months of this strict schedule, reading to him all the time and doing educational activities with him, he is saying words like crazy now. One of the things I wanted Caleb to do is learn, "Please, Thank you, Ma'am and Sir". These are important not just to us but to other people as well. We have started saying these things to him after he hands us things. I figured if we give him respect, he will learn eventually.
So, I go back to today. Caleb and I went to the doctor today and as we went in, the doctor came up to us and started talking to us. She ask if he could have some M&M's and I told her yes. She handed Caleb the M&M's and he replied, "Thank you." My jaw dropped! This is something he had said to me when I have told him to say it. This is not something he had done all on his own. She replied saying, "You're Welcome"....I told her I couldn't believe he had said Thank you!
I was so proud that he was learning and listening! I told my husband tonight, "I'm not worried anymore, I think he's going to be OK!"

Oh The Joys Of A Son!

2008-10-16T12:14:00.006-05:00

I have another story that isn't funny but in a couple of years we will look back and laugh. This past week all of us has been feeling under the weather with a cold. Caleb had it last week and of course it's going through the whole family now. With this being said, my husband Mark stayed home yesterday and didn't try to go into work. He felt terrible and all 3 of us were home all day. I took the couch and Mark took the bed and we pretty much laid around all day. During lunch we were up a little and Caleb stayed around playing in his room or in the living room where I was most of the day. When we were up, I was sitting on the couch and Mark went to the bedroom and into the bathroom. We most of the time think that if Caleb isn't around the other is watching since he is in close proximity. I didn't hear Mark or Caleb for a while and I yelled to Mark, "Do you have Caleb?" I never heard anything so I head towards the bedroom. At this time, I go into the bathroom and Caleb's face is bright red and his eyes are swollen. Mark starts running towards me and says, "START THE BATH!" I screamed, "What's going on?" We start the bath water and there was a smell like you wouldn't believe. My eyes start watering from the fumes. I immediately run water all over Caleb's face and since my eyes were watering, I couldn't imagine what this was doing to him. Mark and I both were washing him down since this stuff was ALL over his body. After washing his hair, this substance would not come out of his hair. It was nap time and I decided to put him down after washing his body several times and washing his hair twice.

During nap time I text my friend Tracy and Caleb's Aunt Melanie. They both have children and I knew maybe they could tell me what to look for and what else to do for Caleb. Tracy said to be safe, call poison control and Melanie said that if he woke up with blood shot eyes and crust in his eyes, take him to the doctor. I monitored him all through his nap which was about 2 hours and Mark woke him up early to check on his eyes. We had planned to take him to the doctor but poison control told me what to look for and his eyes were fine and not even red. The redness of his face and swollen areas were gone. We felt like everything was fine and I decided to let it go and just check his eyes for a couple of days. This morning Caleb woke up and was great. It's a school day and his eyes were fine. His face was fine and he acted like he was ready for the day. This little guy is tough!

So, I didn't mention what he got into! It's very VERY rare that we leave this substance out since it will make your skin tingle and opens your sinuses for better breathing. Caleb had found Mark's Vicks Vapor Rub on the night stand from the night before. (Since he had a bad cold Mark had used it during the night and didn't get back up to put it away which is understandable since he felt so bad.) So, Caleb found it, opened it and used 1/2 the jar to put on himself EVERYWHERE and other places as well! Caleb had this all over his hair, all over the sheets, all over his best friend (Elmo), all over the pillows and some on the night stand. This stuff was a major smell in the bedroom and since Elmo had it rubbed all over him, I had to figure out how to clean him as well.... Elmo is now in the washing machine and for some reason we still have this lingering smell of Vicks in the bedroom. I'm sure after a while it will be gone but at this point I feel like throwing the whole jar of Vicks out in the trash!

Veggie Tales

2008-09-28T21:01:00.004-05:00

I must say it was been a funny month for us. I usually go to a local children's consignment sale the end of the summer and I was so happy to find a bunch of movies at a cheap price. Some were new, some were not but the rule is, you can't sell if it doesn't work. When we got home we started watching the movies and have continued through the month. These movies were the Veggie Tales. There is one 30 minute movie that my son just loves. He loves music of all types but I think he really likes when Bob and Larry sing because their voice is so high. I have attached a song that plays during one of the movies. My son is glued to the TV when this song is playing. I've realized that Bob and Larry are pretty corny! What corny humor these vegetables have but I guess it works since the movies are still around.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGaDjSXhB8s

Teaching Old-Fashioned Values in a Modern World

2008-08-25T13:46:00.004-05:00

One of the things that I have really enjoyed since I've had a child is a certain reading material called "Parents" magazine. I think there are good articles in this magazine and is a great self help in different stages in your parenting. I just received my magazine this past week and was looking through as my son took a nap. I came up on a article that was so great. I started looking back at how my mother use to parent and teach me all along my childhood. This article was about Old Fashioned Values and it reminded me so much of how I grew up. At the time as a child, I thought it was harsh but now that I am a mother I see that these values are understandable now.

The article writes like this:
There's no doubt that children are becoming more disrespectful at a young age. And the reason is, well duh: With smart mouthed cartoon characters, obnoxious reality shows and constant cell phone interruptions, it's crystal clear that society has become ruder and it's rubbing off on families. Some moms and dads are settling for behavior that's barely acceptable rather than holding their kids to a higher standards they grew up with. For instance, their happy if their kid doesn't roll his eyes when he meets someone new rather than expecting him/her to greet the person nicely.
Given all the outside influences, it may seem practically impossible to instill good, old fashioned values in a young child. While the wagging finger or scare tactics your parents may have used probably won't work, these modern approaches from leading experts will. Try them and your kids will get noticed - for their good manners.

The Old Fashioned Rule:
{ 1 } Don't interrupt adults in the middle of a conversation.
You're trying to talk to a friend and your kid screams over and over again: "Mommy Mommy Mommy MOMMY!" is there anything more exasperating? Young kids not only have little impulse control and patience, but they also translate your inattention as "Mommy being taken away from me; I need to get her back"
TEACH IT TODAY:
We inadvertently feed the problem by telling our children to say 'excuse me' as if that's the magic word. "They say excuse me and we go ahead and answer them. Well, that's still interruption." A better way: Explain what's expected up front: "I'm talking to Mrs. Jones right now. I'm going to be talking for a few minutes, and I don't want to be interrupted." If your child is waiting quietly, stop to tell him/her how much you appreciate it and that you're almost done. If he/she's not, hold up a finger as a signal to wait. If he/she keeps on, no matter how hard it is to tolerate - don't give in or she'll learn that badgering eventually does work to get your attention. Most importantly, hold up your end of the bargain and in a few minutes tend to her needs: "Now it's your turn, thank you for waiting"
{ 2 } Say "Thank you" without being prodded.
Your kids probably get a lot of gifts and treats. Why can't they learn to say thank you automatically? "When parents remind their kids in front of a person who gave the gift, the acknowledgement seems so insincere.
TEACH IT TODAY:
Reword your reminders. Instead of asking your kid to say thank you say, "It's the right time to show how much you appreciate your gift." Then kids aren't repeating your words and get used to giving the acknowledgement on their own.
Also get your child in the habit of helping you write thank-you notes. Toddlers can draw a picture; preschoolers may be able to print their name or the first letter of it. How much they can do isn't important, the point is to re-enforce that it's polite to thank someone for a gift.

{ 3 } Greet Adults with "Hello" and a proper name.
When most kids do say something to welcome an adult, they look at the ground and mumble or ignore.
TEACH IT TODAY:
Role-play it at home. Pretend you're Aunt Sally or your child's teacher and have him practice saying hello to you. Encourage him to smile or wave and clearly and pleasantly greet the person. If he's reluctant to look up, challenge him to find the color of her eyes. Once he feels comfortable with the process around the house, chances are he'll try it out in public. But it'll work better if you let it be his idea rather than yours.

{ 4 } Hold the door.
Many kids barge through a door, barely noticing the person who opened it or worse still, whether it's going to slam in someones face. They don't automatically think that they should get the door; you have to explain to them that it's the kind thing to do.
TEACH IT TODAY:
Practice at every opportunity. Once introduced to the concept, young kids love to hold doors because they feel like big strong helpers doing a very important job. Start at home: "Mommy's carrying a lot of groceries. Who can hold the door for me?" At the store or at school, where doors may be heavy for a young child to hold on their own, ask them to help you: "Here comes Mrs. Roberts and Brian. Let's hold the door for them because that's the polite thing to do." Begin very low-key and then one day - because you're not requiring it or demanding it - you'll be amazed to hear your child say, "Mommy, I can do it myself."

{ 5 } If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. (My personal favorite!)
Young kids learn from watching TV today that it's okay - even sometimes funny - when people say rude things to each other. Add that to the fact that a young child's sense of empathy isn't fully developed, and it's a recipe for a humiliating situation.
TEACH IT TODAY:
First, resist watching inappropriate TV shows - or, at least, discuss the problem behavior with your child. For instance say, "Do you think that was mean of Simon to talk to the singer like that?" Then let your child know what she says has the power to hurt the feelings of another kid or adult. See whether she can recall an example of a time when her feelings were hurt so that you can be sure she grasps the concept. It's also worth making up scenarios and asking her whether the person in the story said a good or bad thing. The more concrete you can make it for her, the better she'd understand it.

{ 6 } Give up your seat.
It usually doesn't cross a young kids mind that giving up a seat to an older person on the train or at a party is the polite thing to do. The chances he'll actually do it are even slimmer.
TEACH IT TODAY:
Lead by example. The next time you're riding a crowded bus or train, ask your child to sit with you. Say: "Would you come sit here on my lap so this nice man can have a seat? I think he would really appreciate it." The more often children see you do it, the more liable they are to come up with the idea themselves.

Interesting Fact:
Lose the Excuses!
"He didn't have his nap today"...."She's just hungry"....."He doesn't usually act like this"
It's incredibly tempting to make excuses for your child when he behaves rudely in public. "When you do this, children get the message that they don't have to answer for their behavior because their parents have done it for them. Instead, apologize for the inappropriate behavior. That sends the message "I did something wrong that Mommy and Daddy have to say they're sorry about it to others."

Where Are Caleb's Missing Toys?

2008-07-30T14:25:00.006-05:00

This week has been filled with laughter with my son Caleb. I think we laughed often but I'm compelled to write about the things that have happened lately. I also think certain things he is doing is a typical toddler.

This week I have been trying to work with Caleb on putting his toys up and because we don't have a toy chest yet, most of his toys are put in his room in different locations or in the living room in different places. Of course I don't keep a close eye on him because we both are trying hard to accomplish putting everything up. We had done this for a couple of days and we were playing with one of his favorite toys one day. This is a "Discovery Toys" Activity Block. On each side of this block there are shapes and you have to match the shapes to the opening shape in the block. Caleb loves to do this. There was one shape missing and we started looking and looking. Of course Caleb didn't know what was going on and he just wanted the shape right then and there. I looked through all his toys in every place I knew to look and no green shape showed up. I gave up and thought it would show up at some point. I hoped.

A couple of days past and I really had forgotten about the shape that he was needing. Caleb does go from toy to toy and sometimes doesn't play with the same toys every single day. This day we were playing with his new bowling set. You place the bowling pins on a small place mat and then you take the ball and basically play. Just like us adults would do. During this, the pins were all there but one. Once again, a part of a toy is missing. I looked and looked again for this missing pin and nothing showed up.

At this point I'm thinking, where his is hiding spot? I'm laughing now because how do you think like a toddler and figure out what they are doing? There's is no telling where he has these missing items.

It so happened that I was in the kitchen fixing supper and I opened the drawers that hold our dishcloths and towels. Of course I don't use a new cloth/towel every single day so I had not looked in a drawer in the kitchen. Guess what, there in one drawer was the missing green shape and in the other was the missing bowling pin!

I have come to the conclusion that there is no telling where missing toys could be! We have other things missing and I'm guessing they will show up sometime and in the most interesting places! :o)

Why Cell phones matter at different points in your life!

2008-07-17T22:38:00.003-05:00

I just remembered something that happened to me the first of this year and I had to sit down and write it down.

The first of the year my husband and I had planned a trip to Tennessee where our last visit would take place at my childhood home. We had planned to meet my brother and both of us decided to get a U-haul truck to haul back some personal items of ours and of my mothers.

When we got back to Arkansas, we had to return the U-haul the next day which was on a Sunday and we were so tired from traveling all day, we skipped church. Near 12:00 noon we had just started moving around and decided to take the truck back. This was at a place where I had never been. The drop off location was in North Little Rock.

So we headed out to the location. I was in our own personal car and my husband in the U-haul truck. After we started and 5 minutes from our house, I realized I had left my cell phone and at this point I thought, "oh, I don't think I'll need it" (Key phrase here)

During our trip the U-haul truck got off the interstate and pulled into the McCain Mall parking lot. I'm following and thinking, "What is he doing? This is not the drop off location, surely!" So we both park but I decide to pull around and drive up to the window so I could talk to my husband. I drove up and put my window down and the man looks at me like I'm crazy. It was not my husband. I was totally caught off guard. I said, "I'm sorry, I thought you were my husband...do you know where the U-haul drop off location is?" He replied, "No ma'am, I don't, I'm taking this truck to someone from a town near by."

I drove off with confusion and many things were going through my head. This man not only wasn't my husband, he was black. Anyone that knows me, knows that I am married to a caucasian man. How could I not see what was going on? I had laser surgery on my eyes years ago and have they gotten that bad? I didn't know to either laugh this off, or to think I had gone crazy.

So, I'm driving wondering at this point, what do I do, where do I go? I decided to head back home and maybe my husband sees me? I come up on Sam's wholesale club and I see my husband parked in the parking lot. I figured he thought I would have to come through the area and see him. Well, he was right. I drove up and said, "I'm sorry, I don't know what I'm doing!" My husband knods his head and gives one of those chuckles.....so the U-haul location was right next door to Sam's and we dropped off the truck. On the way home, I told my husband what happened and we both laughed and laughed. He also said that he had at one point lost me on the interstate too. He had been trying to call my cell phone and of course I wasn't answering.

I think I've learned, next time we take a truck back, I'll make sure I have a cell phone with me no matter what!

Crazy me!

Who are you Darla?

2008-07-01T22:46:00.002-05:00

So, tonight it's around 10:45 p.m. and I was thinking about something that happened last week about this time. At this time at night I check my emails, get on facebook and check my messages and play my word game I like and then go to bed. Last week, I was doing this and I heard one of our phones go off. It wasn't a normal ring, just a small beeping or now a days, a fancy beep. At this point, I knew it wasn't my phone because I had never heard the beep before. Mark has a more updated phone and I figured it was his phone. Sometimes he's so tired at night that he doesn't realize that the battery is low. I figured this was the case so I went trying to find his charger. I found his charger and opened his phone to see if in fact it was his phone and to see if it was close to being dead.

To my surprise, you all will never believe what happened next. I was floored. A picture popped up immediately of a girl naked. This picture was totally nasty and the title of the text was "Kisses". I don't want to get into graphics, but what part of her body that she did have, I saw it all. Everyone was asleep in my house and at this point I thought, "Who in the world is this". I looked at the phone number and did not know the number. It was out of state. I went on the internet to see where this call was made and it was made from the state of Texas. A state that Mark has not been to in about a year. So, I called this young lady, (notice I said "young" and I'll get to that in a minute) as I'm waiting for an answer, I am getting more mad by the minute. No one answered and I got a voice mail. I don't want to tell her full name but she gave the full name on her voice mail. Her first name was Darla. I figured I'd leave a message telling her to give me a call but her voice mail was full. I hung up and thought, "Why is her voice mail full....hmm...I wonder!"

So, I thought and thought of how I could get her to answer me and the answer came to me. What do you see teenagers doing when you see them with a phone? Texting! So, Mark has texting on his phone and I tried to figure out this perfect skill that these teens love. I don't text myself so this was a ten minute try for one text. I was determined! I finally figured it out and I text her the message, "Who are you?" She replied within a minute and said, "What? You don't know who I am from my picture? Who are you?" I said, "I live in Arkansas, the name is Mark", she wrote back, "Ouch, I sent it to the wrong person"....

So, at this point I am livid. I have a nasty nude picture of a teenager on my husbands phone and I am mad because of two reasons.

1) This is a teenager probably around 18/19 years old and what in the world is she thinking taking a picture of herself nude?
2) Why would you send a picture like that at all in the first place AND to a phone that just happened to be my husbands phone?

I decide to text her back and let her know that I am not happy. My next message read, "Watch your digits, I am married and this is my husbands phone, I am not happy!" She then text me back and said, "I'm so sorry, so sorry, please erase before he sees"....I text her back and said, "I don't want to see your picture again or get a text from you ever again."

I didn't hear from "Darla" again but I was so mad. What in the world are teens doing in this day and age? Is it just this one teenage girl or is this the thing to do now? Where were her parents and where have they been so far? Does she not think that it's possible that her boyfriend would accidently show that picture of her to someone? I hope that her mistake was a lesson but I doubt it. I figured she resent the picture and made sure her number was correct. I can only say now, It's sad. I feel for the girl because I guess "maybe" she hasn't had the best influence in her life.

I can only say this and ponder about our own child. I hope I am a great influence and pay attention when needed to my child so that when he's older he doesn't seek out other avenues such as drugs, alcohol, porn etc. And the greatest thing I learned from my own parents is pray pray for your kids.

Migraines gone Bye Bye

2008-06-19T12:52:00.003-05:00

I had to share what I great experience I have had since last year. Pretty much my whole life I have dealt with headaches and migraines. My migraines got more severe in my opinion after High School. In 1993-94, I had several fender benders and one wreck that jolted me pretty well on Stone Drive of Tennessee where I lived at the time. I didn't think anything about it because I felt ok at the time. I don't know if this was the start of my problems, but it was the only explanation to my neck problems. I never really complained about it because I just figured my discomfort and headaches were normal.

As the years went by, my migraines got worse and sometimes I couldn't get out of bed or sit up in bed at all. Any sounds made me sick to my stomach, light made me have severe nausea and trying to eat was a battle. As the years went by with these monthly migraines, the longer it took for me to get over them. Sometimes, a week was the shortest. I even had a scan of my brain to see if there was anything there and nothing.

My Dad had migraines when I was little and had taken medication for them for years so I just figured it had been passed on down to me. Oh the joy of the word "Hereditary"!

When I got married November 3, 2001...my husband Mark noticed at night it was a constant battle at bed time. I never could get comfortable enough to settle down. All pillows didn't work for my head and neck. I would find a perfect pillow and would take with me everywhere on vacations and all long trips. Sometimes at night I was in pain as well which would lead to a non sleeping night. The next day was major because I would be so tired.

For a long time Mark would say, "Go to the doctor, Go to the doctor"...I would reply, "I don't want medication, I just don't want to get hooked on something. I'll just deal with it!"

Last year in the Fall I was in Searcy Arkansas with my mother in law at a community event and I came up on a booth that was set up by a center called "Upper Cervical Center"....I thought, "Hmmm, wonder what that's about?" My mother in law of course dug right in asking questions and they had a machine that they placed on your neck (spine) and checked your placement. The doctor did it on me (free) and basically said I needed some care. (Which DUH! I could have told anyone that!) I told him a little of my back ground and the doctor talked me into coming in the next week. I went in to my appointment and was given about a 30 minutes class on how the upper cervical works and the care was very clear. I love anatomy and so it was right in my league of understanding. I understood that I was totally out of whack and needed some adjustments to my neck. I figured what could it hurt? No medications are being placed in front of my face and insurance covers it? I'd be crazy not to try it out.

So, now it's been about 9 months and during those months I have had several adjustments to my neck and as the adjustments were done, my neck would stay in place longer and longer. I haven't had an adjustment now in about (maybe) 2 months. So that means the care is working. I do feel much better and I've only had two very light, slight headaches. Nothing big and I think it might have been something else to cause the headaches, like time to eat or maybe even stress. No migraines at all and I sleep better at night and no aggression towards pillows that never work. I don't take my pillow everywhere anymore either.

This is just my experience with this care. I have heard that there are very few doctors that do this type of care. I was just lucky that one was fairly close to me. I really feel that this care is worth trying if you have migraines or any type of medical problems that you think you need help with at all. ABC did a special not too long ago about this type of care that was great. They said on the segment that it can help with other things too, such as Hypertension. In my opinion? Who wants to get up in the morning and take a bunch of pills? I don't!

For more information on anatomy go to http://www.webmd.com/ and type, "upper cervical". You could also go to http://www.google.com/ and type in upper cervical and you may find a diagram to explain.

My Doctor:

Upper Cervical Center
Dr. & Dr. Crabtree (J.R. & Tonya)
Searcy Arkansas
501-279-2009

Challenges You Don't See Coming

2008-05-13T22:49:00.005-05:00

As most parents do during an upcoming birthday, you start to wonder what to get your child. Our son Caleb will turn 2 in June and I have thought and thought of the best gift for him. He loves the outdoors and I tried to think of something he could use for a while not just for several months and then it be thrown away or sold at a yard sale.

During the Spring, I looked at different sale papers and one Sunday the best gift for him showed up. A swing set! As I looked at the Toys R Us sale paper, I found the perfect swing set/playcenter. It was quite expensive but was on sale for about $200.00 off. The next couple of days I go to Toys R Us to get it and they are already sold out. I talked with the lady there in the department and she said to check back. The next week I see the same playcenter for sale and I go again on a different day. Again, all sold out. I loved this playcenter and thought it also had decent reviews from other parents. My luck was running out because the next week, this playcenter was not on sale anymore. I was disappointed.

As the weeks went on I told my husband Mark, I really think we should look into a playcenter since Caleb loves to be outside. Of course he agreed and we looked and looked every Sunday for the right one for him.

About 3 weeks ago, Mark comes and gets me on a Sunday and shows me a sale paper. He said he had looked at a playcenter and he really like it. I looked it over and it was half of what we were going to pay at Toys R Us. We looked at the reviews on the internet and they were all 5 stars. I told Mark, there's no way we would get it because I don't have any luck with these types of things. I called the store to see if they had any in stock and she said they had some but she didn't know how long they'd be there. I had Mark go immediately to go buy the center so we would for sure get it. I liked it too and loved that it was cedar.

Last week came and my husband and I hadn't even touched the playcenter or started putting it together. We read instructions and there was a huge book that came with it. There are 3 boxes and nothing labeled. We were overwhelmed. Because I am the organizer between the two of us, I wanted to label each and every board and screw. I felt we would know the name of everything and maybe it would go much easier. The reviews read to also label everything. So we took a Friday afternoon, 2 weeks ago and started our labeling. BOY! What a job. We also had Caleb running around in our open "unfenced" back yard just running around everywhere. I can't even tell you how many boards needed to be labeled. We had labels starting at A's to Z's and AA to ZZ. It took us a whole afternoon just to label. Every board seemed to be a different length and width so the labeling had to be right. That afternoon was done and we had been outside most of the day. We thought we try again the next day.

It was Saturday and I told my husband I wanted this playcenter put together by Caleb's birthday party so all the kids that came could play on it. He agreed. He started on it the next day and got half of it up. My husband is an all around Mr Fixit so I thought this would go together quite fast and easily. Not! Myself and Caleb came outside to see if he needed help and some times he did need help with holding a board in place just in time to get a screw in but after that and a while, Caleb was crawling under the center and danger came into play. Caleb also loves to help but his help sometimes isn't the greatest. He thought taking the labeling stickers off the boards were helping! This was a hard thing with a child outside! Caleb and I went back inside since it was hard to get things done. Mark had worked from about 10 a.m. to noon and took about an hour break for lunch, then he went back out from about 1 p.m. and worked until about 6:30. The center still wasn't completed. He had put everything together correctly except for maybe two boards. He'd have to go back and undo certain boards and rescrew to make it fit right. This was a challenging task!

Needless to say, it's still not put together all the way but is getting there. It will be done by next month by my deadline. We just can't wait to get it done and completed for Caleb to play with and other children as well. I know during the party it will be perfect!

Word of advice; if you get a playcenter for your child? Just know that it takes several days and someone that knows what their doing!

My Rewarding Game

2008-04-30T22:53:00.000-05:00

I just have to tell my recent find that my sister in law shared with me. It may not be so recent now but I say recent because I've been involved for about 4-5 months.

I was talking to my sister in law at some point during one of our visits and she had said she had gotten different things free at her grocery store. I really didn't pay much attention at first since sometimes you do get things free from booths that might be set up and samples are given out. (Like at Sam's)

During a second visit together she said something again about getting things free. She said she had gotten several bottles of Excedrin free. I finally ask how was that possible? She shared with me her grocery game. I really didn't know what to expect and I didn't know what in the world it was, so she showed me what it was all about and how it all works.

I have now done my own grocery game and I can't tell you what deals I have gotten and how much it really has changed our refrigerator/freezer!!

Listen close because this is the truth!

Last year when we would go to the grocery, we were spending about $150.00 each time at the grocery. Let's just say $150.00 every two weeks. This included milk, bread, yogurt, baby wipes, diapers etc. things that a normal family would get at a trip to the grocery. Do the math with me.

$150.00 every two weeks = $300.00 a month (without grocery game)

Now, this is just approximate because sometimes it would be less.

Right now and the last 3 months, my grocery bill has been cut 50% to 60% !!!

The month of April, I went to the grocery x 2 and got my normal things again. I spent $60.00 the first time and last week I spend $60.00.

$60.00 + $60.00 = $120.00

During all this time over the course of 5 months, the objective of the game is stockpiling. At first I did pay the same amount BUT I had much more groceries. You basically buy ONLY the things on sale at the grocery AND you double and triple coupons from your Sunday paper.

We even went to Sam's and bought a freezer and it is already packed full. It was full within 3 months.

My grocery store near by available for me to use is Kroger and Walgreens. I picked Kroger as my main store. I called Kroger and ask them if they excepted double coupons and they said yes. To make this game work the best get two coupons for the same item.

To get double coupons without paying for another Sunday paper, ask a family member, neighbor or friend if they use their coupons. If they say no or yes, ask them if you can borrow them or have them. The way I get mine is my mother in law doesn't shop anywhere but Walmart and she goes through her coupons and then gives them to me. Most coupons that she uses I don't use so it works out great. It's a possibility friends and family of yours will be the same and there's no loss either way.

I will also say, I spend about 35 minutes getting this all ready for the grocery store trip but I promise it is worth it.

This is the link http://www.thegrocerygame.com/

When you go into the link, there are different links and at first you want to read about what the grocery game is and how it works, there are different things you can click on and read all about the game before signing up.

These are the things I have gotten free with my game:

Sara Lee - Chocolate Silk Pie
Sara Lee - Apple Crumb Pie x 2
Marie Callendar's - Blueberry Pie
French's Mustard x 4
Dorito's x 3
Baby Wipes x 2

This is just to give you an idea of what you can get for free. I'm sure there is more but I can't remember them right now. Every grocery store is different of course too. I could list all the things that I have gotten for about .10 - .50 cents BUT the list would be very long!

And for the men reading this! This is of interested to you! We also know that gasoline is very high right now. With using Kroger, they give out Kroger cards. When you shop at Kroger and you spend a certain amount each month, you get .10 cents OFF of your gasoline. You have to go to a participating Kroger with the pumps. We now always get .10 cents off when we fill up.

I promise if you take the time to do this grocery game and follow the instructions to a tee, you will see the rewards that you get after only 1 month.

You also can refer friends etc. If you all end up trying this game, add lauriecmerg@yahoo.com
to your referring friend.

I hope you enjoy the game as much as we have!

P.S. ALWAYS keep your coupons. I have coupons from January. You want to put them in numeric order and if you are really into the game, you can put them in folders and date the folders.

What would you do if a stranger needed you?

2008-04-17T21:57:00.000-05:00

I must say, this past week I can't get something off my mind.

My main question is what would you do if a stranger needed you?

This past Sunday I made my weekly trip to Kroger for a an hour of shopping. During this time I do take my time since Mark and Caleb are at home napping. I usually get my Kroger sale papers out and go through the isle as I make sure I don't miss a good sale. I made my way through the store and was about half way through the isles and my shopping. I was located in the middle of the store, turned to make my way down the isle and there was a man with his back to me. All I saw was his back but I did notice he was in a wheel chair. I had my eye on a specific item to get and it just happened to be where he was sitting. I made sure I didn't stare and I decided not to look at him but rather continue my shopping near by. I didn't want to stare and make it obvious that I saw his newly amputated leg, his bald head and really pale skin. It was obvious that he was in a place where he could not do his shopping in a normal way. I was looking at the sale paper and minding my own business. I don't know what I was reading because I had this man on my mind. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw this man looking at the top shelf. I thought, "There is no way he can reach it.....no way." At this point he has stared at the spot for quite some time. I didn't know whether to intervene and help or let him conquer his wants and needs all on his own. Finally he went for the top shelve of Blueberry Muffins as he's trying to stretch as far up as he could. He struggles and struggles and I just couldn't stand there and do nothing so, I said, "Sir, may I help you in any way?" At this point, he is still struggling and I go for the box. Just as I get to him, he gets the box that he was wanting. He said, "No, I need to do this...I usually can do this." I respected his determination but felt so bad to just stand there and not help him. I would have like to have gone through the whole store to help him but his answer told me several things. He rolled off as we're still in the isle together and I watched him roll off as he's trying to maneuver his chair correctly. I noticed on the back of the wheelchair it said, "Baptist Health". (That's the hospital in Little Rock) I still stood in the isle and had tears come to my eyes. See, if you know my family and what's happened, this man and his disabilities hits close to home. For one, he looked like he had gone through some type of chemotherapy. He was pale, had no hair and was really thin. This mean't he probably had cancer of some type. Second, he had been in some type of accident which his leg had to be amputated? And Third, he was a soldier? These are the only things I could think of that happened but now that I'm home, I don't know why I'm analyzing.

With all this being said, I was over come with emotion. I thought, I know the horror that you've been going through Mister if it is/was cancer since my mother had cancer for three years, had chemotherapy and had challenges every day. If it was an accident, I kind of know the challenges you have faced Mister, because my cousin has a newly amputated leg. And if it's because you're a soldier, I have no idea Mister, because you have been fighting for my country overseas and I am just an innocent US citizen that surely hasn't gone through what you have and seen.

I had to make my way to the bathroom and get myself together and I thought, What if he was a soldier? I actually came up on a wounded soldier,.......unbelievable. At this point, I go back out and I'm interested in seeing where this man has gone. I looked and looked for him and he was no where to be found.

In a way it was a blessing that he couldn't be found since this man had humbled me so much. I just wish I would have said more to him or made sure he had help on the rest of his shopping journey.

So, my question again, what would you do if a stranger needed you?

Our Past Year

2008-04-11T14:13:00.000-05:00

The past couple of days, I’ve started reflecting on the past year and the things that have happened in our lives.

Last year at this time, we were packing boxes, moving boxes, signing contracts, getting together friends for help and changing our address. It was a busy time and we couldn’t wait to move out of a second level apartment!

All though our new house didn’t have some things we really wanted including location, it was "a" house and our first house!

As we moved in, we made a huge list of things we wanted to do to the house including guttering, privacy fence in the back yard, painting inside the house and landscaping in the front. Those are the major things that we wanted to accomplish. None of them have been done but we think the fence will be up within the next month before Caleb’s birthday. (June)
With this being said, I think we would have had half of our list done, but things seem to pop up with extended family and funds that were saved for the list end up being used else where. We’ve had to put our list on the back burner and so because of that, we haven’t been in the best of moods when the list comes up.

Today I was thinking about the list and thought "it’s just a list!" We have time to finish our goals. No need to be in a raw mood because our list isn’t completed. Some people don’t even have a list because they can’t afford to do these things. Some don’t even have a home! We are blessed in more ways than one.

On the other hand some of you know that lately we have had some terrible storm/tornado weather. Yesterday was a bad one coming through my area. Last week as well there was a terrible tornado that ripped through the state. Last weeks didn't seem to bother us at our home. Yesterday bad weather came through and I never really realized how things could be messed up just in minutes. We are ok but the weather sure was a little scary.
I talked with my good friend Amanda whom I talk to about every two weeks. She shared with me that during last weeks tornado, a tree had fallen on their house. She lives about 25 minutes away from me and the weather was worse where her home is located. She also shared that everything is/was ok, her and her family are just fine. Thank the Lord!

Through all of my thinking today, I have come to the conclusion that we truly are blessed and am so glad that we were protected in every way through all this weather. No trees on our house, No flooding in our area and the tornado missed our house by about 1 mile! Even though I want to accomplish more of the list within a year's period, I hope the next year in our home turns out to be as great as last year.

Our Recent Pictures

2008-04-09T01:17:00.001-05:00

"My" Top Ten reasons I know I have a Toddler

2008-04-08T12:52:00.000-05:00

1. You get locked out of the house

2. You start introducing their little potty and they use it as a small toy box

3. They play hide and go seek and you really can’t find them

4. They learn to open the front door and run out like they’ve done the best thing ever

5. They bust out in "song" and it’s totally off key and none of it makes any sense

6. You rough house and you end up being the one hurt

7. None of your meals are a hot meals

8. You and your spouse share a kiss and they are in the middle of you pushing you apart

9. While using the bathroom you have a "friend" sitting on your lap

10. When you think you have time alone while showering...The curtain comes abruptly open and you have someone joining you.

Bonus:
11. They learn to take their diaper off and love to streak through the house.

This is just my experience with my own toddler! I decided to write all of them down since some of them are so funny. Feel free to add your own, these are (so far) my most recent experiences!

1 1/2 Hour Crying Fit

2008-04-08T12:42:00.000-05:00

Previously Written on April 20, 2007

Oh my word! I didn't realize that a 10 month old could throw a fit like my son did last night! It started out around supper time and he had already ate. I gave him some juice and after that it started getting worse and worse. My husband said, "He might have a dirty diaper." So he goes and checks. Nothing. So at this point after 15 minutes of crying, it's trying to use process of elimination. Fun fun....

I go down my list in my mind and thought it could be:

1. His teeth are hurting (He's been getting his fourth tooth in)
2. He's sleepy (Didn't have a good nap earlier in the day)
3. He's been scratched or bumped and it's hurt him
4. I don't have a clue, lol

I knew it couldn't be:

1. Dirty diaper (because my husband checked that)
2. Hunger or Thirsty (Because we just got done with both)

So through all these listed. I check his teeth and give him Tylenol. I lay down with him to see if maybe that might comfort him and he will fall asleep. I check for bumps or scratches on his body. Through all of that, after 30 minutes, he's still crying. (No tears) >:o/ I lay with him for another few minutes and at this point I'm stressed! I took him back into the play area and sit him down. I thought, "Maybe I just need to ignore him, if we don't pay any attention to him, maybe he'll realize that we aren't paying attention to his fit." Wrong! Didn't work, still continued to cried forever. I was wishing at this point that his vocabulary was bigger than, Ma ma, Da Da and Patty Cake.
After an hour and a half and I was fed up with hearing screaming I thought, "I'm just going to change his diaper and put him in his crib." So as I was changing his diaper...Well...hmm.....he's got a dirty! Not a big dirty, but just enough to set him off for over an hour. So after that I lay him down and what do you know.....he's asleep in less than 3 minutes!

Did you notice that listed above under "5. Recheck diaper" isn't there? Can we say, A lesson learned? I will definitely be rechecking diapers from now on! Whew.......

Time for a "Big Boy" bed?

2008-04-07T23:30:00.000-05:00

Previously Written on February 29, 2008

So, two months ago we were at my brother’s house and through all the busy schedules, all the kids were wearing down. Caleb especially since he was the youngest. His naps were off and he was getting fussy as the week went on. Mark went and put him in Brady’s room. (His cousin) Now Brady’s bed is a normal single bed and is perfect for his age. As for Caleb, not so much. Mark came in and told me he had put Caleb down in Brady’s bed. I was like, "Oh no...he’ll fall off." As the hour went on and checked on Caleb I worried that he’d fall off. He never moved that whole time all most like he knew that he would fall off. At home, he’s all over the crib. He moves everywhere and he never stays in the same spot.
This gave me the idea that maybe in a couple of months, he’d be ready for us to take the front of his crib off and it would be a toddler bed, he is a toddler or all most past that stage now.
So, I go to a consignment sale a couple of weeks ago and I found a bed rail perfect for his toddler bed . The price was low on it and so I bought it. So, yesterday, I take most of the day and go through his winter clothes and put them up since some he can’t wear now. I get Spring clothes out and, rearrange his room a bit. The front of his crib comes off and the guard rail goes up. Caleb seemed excited and he climbs right in bed. He continues to climb in and out of bed and even lays in the bed for about 10 minutes.
So, when Mark came home, I told him what we’d done for the day and not much was said from him. I don’t know what he was thinking but nothing was said anymore about anything.
So, last night at Caleb’s regular time of bedtime, he goes down no problem . Later .. about two hours of him being asleep, I hear knocking in his room. I go in and he’s laying up against the bed rail. The bed rail was still in place but Caleb was basically laying a bit on it so it was looking like it was going to come out on him. So, I moved Caleb back closer to the center of the bed and leave the room. Two more hours go by and I go in and keep on doing the same thing....moving him back away from the bed rail. I thought, "He’s going to have to learn that he can’t lay right on the rail or he’ll fall out when the rail comes off".
At midnight, I go on to bed because I’m about dead tired . I lay down and I’m all most asleep. I hear a big bump/bang. I’m like, What in the world now? I go into Caleb’s room and he’s standing in the middle of his room. The bed rail is in the floor and the matress is in the floor too. lol....He comes running to me and looks like he’s terrified. He isnt’ crying, just a look of surprise on his face. I fix his bed back with the rail and I go back out. I stand at his door and watch without being noticed. I thought, "He’ll either go to sleep or he’ll be up for a while since he was scared." I watched for about 30 minutes and he continued to kick the rail. I thought, "That’s what he did, he’s already learned that he can kick the rail hard and move it." So, I go back to bed and thought I’ll just try and listen for him. So, about 10 minutes pass by and I hear him talking to himself and he goes on and on and on. I thought, "Geez, it’s 1 a.m.!" He’s a good sleeper and he knew the difference in his bed AND he knows he might fall out...maybe this has kept him up....?
I thought, I’ll just lay him with me for a while and after he’s back asleep, I’ll put him in back in his bed. NOT! He gets up after I THOUGHT he was asleep and is running around the house lol....That went on about 10 minutes and I thought, "I got to get that rail down and put back up the front of his crib. So that’s what I did, I put him back in bed and 5 minutes after I put him in his bed, he’s asleep!

STUPID ME! I thought he was ready....lol....I guess he needs to be older? Who knows....

Surprised, but why am I?

2008-04-07T23:25:00.000-05:00

Previously Written on January 11, 2008

Well, I must say we had an eventful day today. We had plans to go out to eat for lunch and this morning I got up and gave Caleb a bath and then planned for me to get ready afterwards. I had finished giving him a bath and usually I can put an Elmo movie in and he's good to go. He usually sits on the couch for an hour and doesn't move. During this time, it's a perfect time for me to get ready without interuption. Needless to say...lol....today was different.
I had taken my shower and was putting on my makeup. Caleb came into our bathroom and was doing what he normally does. He usually bangs the bathroom cabinets below, open and close, open and close and then he'll get tired of it and will move on into another room. I was continuing to put make up on and got a call from my sister in law Melanie. I put her on speaker and we talked while I finished. During this time Caleb came in several times playing with the cabinets. As we were in the conversation I looked down to check on Caleb. Well, I had a surprise! Caleb was naked. Diaper gone and no where to be found near by lol....I said, "Oh my gosh CALEB!" I told Melanie what was up and got off the phone. Caleb then starts running through the house like it's a big joke. I was yelling, "You come back here, where's your diaper!?!" Freaked out because I had no idea if I was going to see puddles, I ran into his room to get a diaper. Caleb runs to the couch laughing and I put a diaper on quickly. He really didn't care that I put a diaper back on him but I didn't think he'd mind since he'd never took his diaper off before. SO! To be safe now, he will not be running around with just a diaper on anymore. Shorts or pants will go on him immediately after bath time. I thought I was being careful not to get his clothes dirty before leaving for lunch.....thankfully, no puddles and no stinky all over my floor....

Oh, and dirty pee pee diaper was found in the middle of the living room floor LOL....

Locked out of the house!

2008-04-07T23:14:00.000-05:00

Previously written October, 2007

I had the craziest thing happen to me last week and I just can't get it off my mind. I'm not at the point where it's funny yet but I'm sure that will come at some point.
My family recycles and we have three different recycle bins outside in our garage. Usually all through the day I set things that should go out near the garage door on the counter and then later in the day, I'll go out to the garage and put everything up. It was probably about 1 p.m. and I was getting ready to put my son down for a nap. We had just got done eating lunch and so I thought I'd go ahead and throw away everything outside. So, I got all my water bottles, plastic trays and newspaper and headed outside to the garage. I'm putting everything up in their appropriate bins and I hear a slam. I look up and the garage door had been slammed shut. I immediately run to the door and it's locked. Of course I go into a panic looking inside the window at my son running around in the kitchen. I knew we were at a new home and we had not placed a key outside so I was basically locked out with two more hours before my husabnd came home. I was standing there going, "what to I do? Oh God....HELP ME!!" I pushed the garage door to open and it's rising. I start running to the front of the house (as I'm praying to God) and I'm hoping that I didn't lock the front door from watering the flowers earlier that morning. I knew it was a long shot because I always lock doors. I got to the front door, look into the front door window and see my son watching TV.

Wanna know what happened next? Well, you figured it...I'm here inside writing this and updating, so I got in. The front door wasn't locked as I have religiously do always. Thank you God for being on my side!