Wouldn't you like

Wouldn't you like to donate $1.00 and to finding a cure for cancer and be entered to win

a coach purse

$25.00 certificate to Starbucks

a blog Makeover by Krizzy Designs

Orglamix Mineral Makeup

Passion Moon Potions Body Care Products

plus so MUCH MORE!!!

All you have to do is click this button and support the Blog for a CURE!!!

words that are taboo

We all know what curse words are but what about those other words - those words that aren't "bad" but you don't want your kids to say anyway.

Yesterday at Curriculum Night, I was talking to another Mom who had been informed by the teacher that her son told a girl "He had to go piss." She was mortified that her second grader used the word PISS.

Of course this came only hours after I read Mrs. Fish's blog about her son being in trouble for using the word STUPID.

In our house we have a few words that I do not allow at all - stupid, idiot, crap. And instead of curse words I've been known to say things like
"Oh Snap" and "You're full of poodookie dust"

And yesterday when I was asked what those eight nubs were on the dog - I said they were her boobs. Because if I had responded with nipples or breasts, rolls of laughter would have been emitted and the educational experience would have been lost. I know I don't teach the proper words - but really I live in a house full of boys.

What words are used in your house?

You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance. ~ Franklin P. Jones

A Cure

We are all looking for a cure - a cure for the common cold, a cure to too much laundry - but this week Who Knew?Reviews is hosting the first Annual Blog for a Cure. A new way to use social media to raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, while making new connections and broadening our social media network.

Blood cancers are an aggressive and stealthy enemy. They can and will strike people of all ages, health status, ethnicity, and sex unless we rally together and support the research that is needed to treat and prevent them. Who Knew? organized this campaign in honor of a dear family member and fellow young mom who has recently been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and is now fighting for her life.
I KNOW each and every one of us can say we know someone who has been affected by these devastating, indiscriminate diseases. Together, we can use our most accessible resource, the internet, to help fight the battle.It’s pretty simple:

Head over to Who Knew? Reviews, and click on the button to donate $1.00 to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. If you can donate more, please do so, but the minimum to participate is $1.00.This will earn you one entry into each giveaway that you comment on. If you would like more entries for a particular item, each extra dollar will earn an additional entry.
Then, sign in to Mr. Linky which will be active on the blog at midnight, Sept. 25th. Cruise the list of other participants, visiting a minimum of 5 blogs.
Click “follow” when you get to those blogs. For each new blog follower that you get, return the “follow”. Feel free to visit and follow each and every other participant that signs in to Mr. Linky- think how many new followers you will receive!
Feel free to check back all week long to meet new bloggers, and gain new followers!

Today, post something about the Blog For A Cure Blog Party on your own blog, including the link: http://whoknewreviews.blogspot.com/2009/09/blog-for-cure-starts-today.html. Feel free to copy and paste this text, and encourage all of your blog readers to do the same.
If you do not care to gain followers for your blog, you can still will prizes by donating a dollar, and commenting on the prize posts that you want to win.
If you do not want to donate, you can still help by blogging, tweeting, and posting on Facebook about this event, to help us spread the word and raise as much money as possible.
Just imagine what a difference we could all make, if we all just donated ONE dollar. Just think about it.
And of course, there will be prizes! Every hour throughout the day on September 28th, Who Knew? will post a new giveaway on Who Knew? Reviews. There will also be a prize for the person who refers the most participants. When you get to the main link-up post, leave a comment on the with the name of the blogger who told you about the blog party. The blogger who refers the most participants will receive a special, personalized gift from Stephie Mc Designs.

Favorite Fall Activities

Multiples and More is hosting the question of the week



What is your favorite fall activity?

Well I have lots of favorites:
I love taking the boys to the fair - but I already wrote about that. I guess my next favorite activity would be Halloween. I love the decor, the costumes, the sweets, fixing Halloween dinner, and making Jack O Lanterns.


Jack O Lanterns are probably the hardest thing I do. See somewhere along the way I let my kids choose their design for their pumpkins and being a good mother I would make whatever they asked for.

The first year they got to choose, it was the Batman symbol and Superman symbol - not too hard. The next year it was spiderman. Not a spiderman symbol, but a spiderman FACE - do you have any idea how hard that is. That was the year I decided I was going to draw the line and make them go back to simple jack o lanterns. Whoever thought giving your kids what they want was wrong. Whoever thought encouraging creative expression was a good thing was wrong.

So in 2007 we went for something simple! And there I was in my kitchen carving the symbol for Wolverine and Power Rangers (fyi: I don't even let them watch power rangers, but that is what Tyler wanted to be for Halloween).


In 2008, I gave up. By the time my children were 6 they knew Mommy could do anything. I didn't want to burst their bubble - given time, they will start to realize how much Mommy doesn't know. I want my SuperMom status to last as long as possible. So for Halloween we had one original design by Nathaniel with his initials- 1yr old Bradley got the word BOO, and one fire breathing dragon for Tyler.

I wonder what this year will bring.

funky foods

So my Little Man seems to be the point of conversation this week. That child and his eating habits will be the death of me yet.

Luckily I was induced a week before my due date with him. He weighed 9lbs 4 oz at birth (and no I did NOT have a c-section). After having 2 5lb babies I believed I had a 2 month old on my hands. From day one he could drink 8 oz in 2 minutes flat.

These days - his eating has become a little more hazardous. Being 2 has given him a mind of his own and apparently he is not afraid to use it. If allowed, he would eat bananas and cheese all day long.

Being the "you'll eat more than that" parents that we are, I fixed him some cereal the other day. Before I could add the milk to his life, one of the twins yelled and I had to go see what the problem was.

When I came back, I found Little Man eating this.

Apparently - if milk tastes good on cereal - chocolate syrup (half a bottle) tastes better.

Cheers!

As a child my family's menu consisted of two choices: take it or leave it. ~Buddy Hackett

a 2 yr old ADDICT

Am I a bad Mommy if my 2 yr old is addicted to coffee?

Not the "pulease caffee" kind.

The kind of addict that will stand screaming in front of the coffee pot if there is none made before he wakes up. "CAFFEE! CAFFEE! CAFFEE!"

Really my husband triggered this addiction. He allowed our son to drink from his coffee cup on occasion. And now - my 2 year old must have no less than 2 cups of coffee before he starts his day.
Before watching his favorite movie, before changing of the diaper, before morning kisses, before anything - he must have his coffee. Otherwise this screaming - or high pitched hurt dolphin squeal - erupts from his throat. The squeal alone is enough to send you running for the hills - but then the stomping of the left foot will cause you to double over in laughter. Laughter is not allowed before coffee. Eventually the squeal will turn into something audible although still at very high decibels. Quickly you find a cup and poor the coffee - careful to let him SEE the coffee going into the cup - otherwise he won't believe you put it in there. Quickly add milk, quickly give it to the screaming, crying, dying child who apparently needs his coffee to act normal.

And I thought my addictions were bad.

(disclaimer: caffee consists of 1 oz of coffee, 1/2 tsp sugar, 10 oz milk)

What got you hooked?

Specifically what book got you hooked? That is what the First Book Campaign is all about. First book wants to know what got you hooked, and if you tell them - they will donate 50,000 books to the state of your choice.

"Past winners include Oklahoma in 2007 and Kentucky in 2008,

with each state receiving 50,000 new books for children in need."

All you have to do is go to their website and vote for the state of your choice by September 30, 2009. You don't have to say which book got you hooked, but they are keeping track and will announce which books were the best "hookers." (disclaimer: I just wanted to share this website because it is a great cause and I want North Carolina to get 50,000 books - no one gave me anything to do this)

Books for Kids

For me it was The Polar Express. The pictures seemed to come alive and the words made me feel like I was on the train going to the north pole. This was the first time I realized books could take me places. Nathaniel's favorite book as a young one was The Very Hungry Caterpillar. He loved to have me read it over and over. Tyler was a big fan of Where the Wild Things Are. I guess some books never go out of style. These days they are reading every book they can get their hands on.

What book got you hooked?

"The Polar Express is about faith, and the power of imagination to sustain faith. It's also about the desire to reside in a world where magic can happen, the kind of world we all believed in as children, but one that disappears as we grow older." ~Chris Van Allsburg

meet me at the fair...

Here in small town NC - we still have the county fair, complete with rides, pig races, petting zoos and blue ribbons for the best pie. Every September, just after school starts, the county fair graces us with its presence for a whole 10 days. I can smell the funnel cakes and cotton candy before we even get out of the car.

This year I decided to surprise the twins and not tell them where we were going. Daddy was going to stay home with Bradley (who is not quite old enough to "enjoy" the fair) and the twins and I would go brave the rides. As I started to round them up to go, the questions began.

"Where are we going? I won't tell Tyler."

"Please tell me where we are going, I won't tell Nathaniel."

"Someplace Special"

"Puuulease tell me"

"Someplace Fun"

"McDonald's?"

"More Fun, some place you haven't been in a year!"

"Pepaw's?" (they were there last month)

"More FUN! You really want to go!"

"Puuleaassse tell me, it'll be a secret, I won't tell Tyler!"

"Someplace fun and a little scary"

"THE FAIR!"

"you just told Tyler"

In unison, "WE'RE GOING TO THE FAIR!"

Cash in hand (the fair doesn't take debit cards), we headed out the door. After parking near enough that we could make a mad dash for the entrance, we went about buying our entrance tickets and then wristbands. Wristbands are the only way to go - otherwise you spend more money that you ever wanted to think about. This year I even splurged and bought my own wristband so I could ride some of the rides with them. First up, the maze house, where the whole first floor is a maze made out of glass walls. Tyler made fun of me for walking with my hands out in front of me, but my face didn't get plastered into the glass. Some of the rides I skipped, I chose to keep my lunch inside my stomache. I have no clue how I rode all those spinney upside down spinney rides as a kid. Kids must have stomaches of steel and sometime after 20 they turn to mush.

We were about halfway around the loop when I spotted the swings, now this was a ride I could handle! A nice cool breeze, and some relaxation on a hot September day. We got in line and I explained to the twins how to latch themselves in. They kept asking me how we wouldn't hit each other, and I tried to explain the outward force of the swings. Tried being the key word. As we got up and moving I attempted to relax. But then I looked up and saw where the chains connected to the top of the ride, then I looked down and quickly calculated how far out I would project if the chain snapped. Instantly I realized I wasn't holding on tight enough. Trying to breathe through the rest of the ride, I couldn't stop looking at where I would fall, and how the grass would be better than on top of the funnel cake cart.

Luckily it was over as quickly as it began, and I was DONE! We moved on to something simplier, the slide. This was more my style. Although it wasn't long before the twins found a ride that they loved so much they rode 10 times straight.

How is it that I love roller coasters but don't trust the rides at the fair? How is it that I let my kids continue to ride, because I believe rides are safe enough for them, but I was done for the day? Is there anything you let your kids do that you won't?

"Meet me at the Fair
Don't tell me the lights are shining
Anyplace but there"

Meet Me in St. Louis ~ Andrew Sterling

sayings

I've been collecting some of my favorite sayings from around our house. Some were one time lines that had me double over in laughter. Others were things so true that they have turned into normal language.

• "poop slide": as in I asked T2 how he was doing in the bathroom and he replied, "Mommy, I've got the poop slides!" We still use this one.
• "beans": the twins called change (quarters, dimes, nickels, pennies) beans for years. I always thought it made sense.
• "The best kind of fun, is nonstop fun" Said while hoping mommy wouldn't make them go home and go to bed.
• "let's go to the rocks, cars, or bars" T1 said this to T2 one day while we were outside and Dear Hubby  and I both said "What?" Apparently the rocks, cars, or bars on the front steps are very warm and good places to dry off after the pool.
• "Can I stand in the corner again?" said by T1 who had just been released from his first and last time out in a corner.
• "Do you have issues? I've got tissues!" from our stand up comic.
• "selfish hairball" this is what T1 calls T2to make him really mad.
• "huh" ok- so not so funny, but you must hear it come out of Little Man - the two year olds mouth - when we ask him to do something.

If we would listen to our kids, we'd discover that they are largely self-explanatory. ~Robert Brault

I'm BAAAACK!

No I didn't fall off the face of the earth.
Although it kind of felt like it. I've been taking care of a sick one and catching up at work.

What was interesting was taking him to the doctor on Tuesday and finding this big bold sign. (no I wasn't thinking straight enough to get a pic).

IF YOU HAVE A FEVER AND COUGH

PLEASE REQUEST A FACE MASK FROM THE RECEPTIONIST.

And these people were not playing. Since we had a high fever and no real cough (I didn't really think he had the flu - he just had to see the doc) I opted out of the face mask. We went into the SICK side waiting room and were the only ones in there for a minute. Then comes the really sick people, by droves, all with their children wearing face masks - which of course were adult size and didn't fit. This one girl couldn't get hers to stay on at all - it kept sliding down below her child and she would attempt to fix it, poor girl was only 3 or 4. I mostly enjoyed watching a Mom scold her sick child for not wearing it properly. I am so glad we opted for the no face mask - b/c I would have been doing the same thing. These people they were all freaked out, trying to sit as far apart from each other as possible.

I wanted to laugh, but refrained. Instead I explained to my son if he didn't behave he was going to have to wear one too. These people were freaking out. The only part of the flu I'm scared of is the being grounded for 7 days, b/c then we would all be grounded and I do believe if all 5 of us were stuck together without reprieve for more than 2 days one of us would truly lose it.

Does anyone have the flu yet - or are any of you paranoid?

9/11 - the ways we remember

I believe this morning 8 years ago is etched in my brain. My hubby (well we weren't married yet then) and I were sleeping peacefully (you know the kind of sleep you got before children) when his Mom called and told him to turn on the television. We weren't up yet, had no idea that a plane had hit the first tower.

We went into the living room and turned on the TV. The images of the planes hitting the towers are etched into my brain, along with the sound of fear in the anchor's voice.

We all know how it goes after that, we all sat transfixed next to a television or radio, hearing the planes hit, towers fall, the pentagon (we went through a few hours of hell personally as my uncle was in the pentagon and it was a long time before he was able to call home), the final plane crash. And here we are years later after going on with our lives - we got married, had children (some in honor of 9/11) bought houses, moved on with our lives.

Today we need to remember those who died on that day, those who die in battle, and those who are fighting so that we can go on with our lives. Without them, our lives as we know it would not be possible.

Today - take a minute to read another blog - another memory - another news story about 9/11 and then go say thank you to someone who is fighting for our freedom.

Remembering 9/11 my own way

9/11.. I will Remember

I won't Forget

DON'T make your BED!!

HA! I was reading along in the SITS featured blogger today, the AntiSupermom. (I am loving her blog by the way which is why I was continuing to read along). And came across her post about little white lies - this is what I found:

Don't Make Your BED!!! I was so thrilled, there is scientific proof why you should not make your bed. Now I am supposed to be a good southern belle and always have every bed in my house made. But that NEVER happens (ok maybe if we have company coming). What is the point in making a bed that is just going to be messed up again in a few hours? I have never seen the point. Who cares if the blankets are in one big mess, straighten them out before you get in it, or after as I tend to do. It is one less thing to do every day and I like it that way. BUT I was always sorta ashamed of my little habit - UNTIL

I read this:
"Research suggests that while an unmade bed may look scruffy it is also unappealing to house dust mites thought to cause asthma and other allergies.
A Kingston University study discovered the bugs cannot survive in the warm, dry conditions found in an unmade bed."
Read the whole article and study on BBC News Here!

See I'm not making it up and I'm not ever making my bed! I prefer a bug free bed thanks! (maybe that's why when I crawled into my parents bed as a child I always thought it was itchy - they have too many bugs)

No one ever died from sleeping in an unmade bed. I have known mothers who remake the bed after their children do it because there is wrinkle in the spread or the blanket is on crooked. This is sick. ~ Erma Bombeck

Sick Days

I should've taken a sick day today, but considering all I wanted was the peace and quiet of the office this morning I chose not to.
It sounds awful I know. But really, I spent all weekend with my sick children, and of course, now I have it, but really my office is more peaceful than my house right now.
Of course the kids are no longer sick.

It all started on Thursday evening, I was on my way to practice (I coach) and my hubby called to tell me T1 had a fever. By the time I'd gotten home the school system had called to say that the pig flu (swine flu) was going around. We figured if T1 had it, T2 had it too and there was no sense sending T2 to school to spread it around. So they both stayed home on Friday.
Ty2 was fine - T1wasn't even that bad off.
Until Saturday - T1 had a 101.5 fever all day and a cough to kill. T2 was upset that he couldn't play with his brother and kept asking for something to do. At one point I asked him - "What would you do if you weren't a twin and didn't always have someone to play with? What do you think your friends do?" He was stunned into silence. His poor little 7 year old brain couldn't imagine not having a twin. So Dear Hubby took him away from the house just to give him something to do. T1 laid on the couch pretty much all day.
Sunday came - T1's fever was down, but T2 now had the crud. And poor little Little Man was cranky. So we spent ALL day sunday in our pjs watching movies. (well I read a book while T2's head rested in my lap).
Monday - everyone was better (except for a few coughs here and there), so much for the pig flu. I went to washing. All the sheets, clothes, door handles, etc to rid them from our sickness. I was thrilled that I didn't catch that mess.
Tuesday - I wake up exhausted, over sleep, and have a horrible cough.

The only thing more needy than a sick child, is a sick husband.

And the winners are

And the winners are
#5
BoufMom9 said...
Coming over from Multiples & More...
LOVE your give-away! These books both sound fantastic!
I've been making the rounds to all of the give-aways and have been finding lots of great blog. The Foster Family has a beautiful looking blog :)

#10
Annie said...
I have a givieaway on my blog and is # 50 (Mr. Linky)

I think you would like to participate


You have 48 hours to respond to the post or email. Thanks everyone for a great blog party!

Party Going On

In case you haven't heard the news - there is a PARTY going on.
A blog party that is - and it is full of giveaways - over 50 to choose from. The party info is on the Multiples and More site - click the button below for a list full of giveaways.

A few of my favorite giveaways are

• the one here - DUH
• twice the love is giving away a scrapbook package
• Multiples and More is giving away a stroller
• Our life with Multiples has two books by Jane Green
• Canterbury Tales is giving a Twins 101 book
• Multiples and More is giving away a gift certificate to Eco Store
• Three Times the Giggles is giving away a blog Makeover

Very First GIVEAWAY: 2 books - ends 9/7/09

Books are one of my favorite things. I can easily get addicted to a book where nothing else matters and everyone and everything else gets neglected. Books are my escape and my children are learning to love them as well (although Bradley thinks all books are coloring books). So in honor of Multiples and More's End of Summer blog party I am giving away books. Two books to be exact. These are my own books that I've read and are now ready to be passed along.

On Borrowed Wings by Chandra Prasad

I loved this book so much I went in search of a second book that continued the story. I didn't find one, but my hope is that one day Chandra will continue the story and continue to inspire us all!

Whistling in the Dark by Lesley Kagen

This too is a great book by a wonderful author. She keeps the mystery going and the pages turning as you are transformed into another time.

Both books are about the struggles of women, although very different and hopefully none of us have to endure either struggle. Fabulous books and now you are wondering how you can have one.

First say hello, introduce yourself and that is your first entry. Easy Smeasy.

Additional Entries are available. For each additional entry leave one additional comment, putting them all on one comment will only earn you one entry.

~Follow the Link above and find another awesome blog at the party to comment on - come back here and tell me about it, being sure to leave the link where you commented (1 entry)~
~If you had your choice, tell me which book you would want (if both entrants want the same book, it will be a draw) ~

~ Follow me - and leave a comment that you do ~

~ Follow me on twitter - and leave a comment that you do ~

~Tweet about this giveaway (3x per day limit), then leave a comment with the link ~
~ Blog about this giveaway, then leave a comment with the link ~

That's all folks, be sure to leave your email address if it is not in your profile or if you are posting anonomyous. Contest was going to end on Saturday - but I'm lazy on the weekends, so lets go for ending at 8am EST on Monday September 7th.

"Something like that wasn't supposed to happen on Vliet Street. But like Daddy always said... things can happen when you least expect them. Things that can change your whole life. How right he was." ~Whistling in the Dark, Lesley Kagen

"I didn't say she was wrong, that she couldn't know what would happen. I'd learned that from the quarry." ~On Borrowed Wings, Chandra Prasad

Tea at the Ritz

Disclaimer: If you're not southern, you won't understand. If you drink "UN"sweet tea, you still won't understand.


Now I don't know what yankees drink, or even those people way out in California, but down here, in the south, we drink sweet tea.

I drink coffee on the way to work, then tea, more tea, maybe a pepsi, then my favorite part of getting home (right after I hug everyone) is enjoying a glass of tea. I drink tea with dinner, I drink tea while watching TV. We drink a lot of tea in my house. (now I do make the boys drink more milk) We even quit making a gallon of tea at a time. We make 2 gallons. Yes- in my fridge you will find 2 gallon jugs of tea.

And when we go out, we are particular about what kind of tea we will drink in a restaurant. Instant tea is NOT it. Brewed, lipton or luzianne and that is it. There is a great debate among southerners which is best. Personally I am a lipton girl, which is all we buy at home. But out in public as long as it is brewed I'm happy. And don't put baking soda in it! If you steep it correctly it won't be bitter.

I remember my first trip up north. I was in the 9th grade and it was when Snapple first came out. We were in Boston and there were barrels of free Snapple on every corner. We kept trying different flavors (kiwi-strawberry is still my fav) to see how they tasted. While walking downtown, we came across a barrel of tea flavored Snapple, I had to have one, figuring I would finally get a taste of tea that I hadn't had the whole trip. I took one sip and gagged - then proceeded to spit it all over the sidewalk in front of the Ritz-Carlton. Passerby's gasped. I didn't care, that sh**stuff was gross. It wasn't even tea - it was like weird crap flavored water. It was the first time in my life I felt bad for yankee's, no wonder they're ornery, all they have is crap water to drink.

I understand that some people think we're nuts - but what do you drink? Soda? As if that is better for you.

You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me. ~C.S. Lewis