let down

I've learned several times that it never is wise to get your hopes up too much that your child will like/love a certain thing. I've gotten really excited about Cameron trying a certain activity, only to find out he could really care less about it. Case in point was with my Cheerio activity poster.

Cameron loves the Cheerio book (I bet most of you have it) where you put the Cheerios in the different circles on the page. Because he has been so into the book, I decided to make my own version. I went through his other books and found pictures I knew he would like. I drew them on a big poster board, with circles he could fill with the cereal.

I was so excited for him to try it. Yes, he participated and seemed to enjoy it a little. But after a few minutes, he was done and preferred his book. Oh well. I'll keep it around and maybe Kendall will like it. :)

coffee

One of the many things I look forward to about my mom's group is the coffee. I don't like coffee AT ALL unless it is with flavored creamer (and a lot of it). In general, when coffee is offered at church or any public function, it is usually just accompanied by plain creamer or the yucky powdered stuff. I'm not complaining because the flavored stuff is pricey. So I've always loved the fact that our group splurges and provides several yummy choices each time we get together. I'm not into the REALLY unique flavors (like pumpkin spice or eggnog). I love anything with vanilla, toffee, or hazelnut.

I don't make coffee at home, but I do enjoy the Cafe International stuff every now and then. It kind of shakes things up a bit between my cups of hot cocoa. :) This is my new favorite flavor. Yum!!

happy saturday!!

Today wasn't very happy. It started out with an early wake up from Cam (5:30) and a yucky night's sleep for both Chris and I. At 7:00, Chris and Cam dropped Kendall and I off at Urgent Care. My trouble with my sinuses had turned into an infection and I was told it wouldn't go away without antibiotics.

We had an event with Cam's school later that morning and I really wanted to go as a family. So I loaded up on Advil and off we went. The event actually went pretty well, however on the way home my Advil started wearing off. Luckily, or so I thought, both kids would go down for naps when we got home, enabling both of us to rest for a while. Not so much. Kendall took her usual 40 minute nap and Cam, despite almost falling asleep on the way there, refused to take a nap. Lovely.

The afternoon was one of those where both Chris and I looked at each other and said, "How on earth are we going to make it to bedtime?". Tonight I was supposed to go to a leadership meeting for my Mom's group. I was really excited about going and hanging out with the other girls, however it quickly became apparent that I wasn't in the condition to go. So I dropped off the dessert I had made and headed home.

Right now we are counting down the last 25 minutes until Cam goes to bed and then we will finally have some down time. Gosh, does it bite to be sick with kids. Gone are the days of lazing around watching movies when we don't feel good. So Saturday, we are NOT sad to see you go.

Sidenote: I must be honest and admit that prior to having my first sinus infection, I thought it was nothing more than a really bad cold. Wow, was I wrong. A sinus infection is one of the most painful things I've ever had. It is night and day different than just a cold.

that time of night

Every evening, typically about a half hour before Kendall goes down, I find myself walking around our loft, holding her and listening to country music. For some reason she is happy when I do this, which is the goal. At this point, she is BEYOND tired due to her bad, terrible, short, sporadic naps.



I usually listen to country because that is what I'm into right now. There are certain songs that, when they come on, put me in such a great mood. Right now I LOVE "Toes" by the Zac Brown Band. Whenever it comes on, I close my eyes and just picture myself on a beach somewhere, sipping a Pina Colada. Ahhh...

I started thinking about other songs that instantly put me in a good mood. Here are a few:

*Love is a Beautiful Thing: Phil Vassar
*Something Like That: Tim McGraw
*My Maria: Brooks and Dunn
*Tainted Love: Soft Cell (not country)

What are your songs?

heaven on a plate

Last night we had my parents and my mom's best friend (who is out visiting from Texas) over for dinner. I served BBQ chicken pizza and No-Bake Chocolate Truffle Pie for dessert. Chris's mom introduced me to it once when we were up for a visit. It is SOO fabulous and one of the richest pies you'll ever taste. I changed the recipe slightly, just using store bought caramel topping instead of making your own. Here is the recipe. It's pretty easy and is sure to wow anyone you serve it to.

*1/2 cup pecan (or any nut) pieces, coarsely chopped
*One pre-made Oreo crust
*1 cup caramel ice cream topping (any brand, but I like Mrs. Richardson's because it is thicker; also, 1 cup is an estimate...basically the more caramel the better)
*1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
*1 cup heavy whipping cream
*3 Tbsp butter

Spread nuts over crust. Pour caramel over nuts. Heat chocolate chips, cream and butter in a saucepan over low heat, stirring until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Pour over caramel layer and refrigerate about 4 hours until set.

on hold again

This past Friday I told Chris, "Tomorrow I'm going to make another go at sleep training. I'm determined". Well, Saturday rolled around and Kendall started running a fever. Now all four of us are sick. So how do you attempt sleep training when your little one is running a fever? You don't. I caved and am back to feeding her way too much at night. I know despite being sick, she doesn't need to eat EVERY 3 HOURS AT NIGHT!!! But I would feel too guilty making her cry for long periods of time when I know she isn't feeling well. It is somewhat discouraging to look back at the journal I kept for Cam and to see how much better of a sleeper he was at this age. But in the grand scheme of life, this is sooo not a big deal and will soon pass. I'm just thankful to have two healthy kids, even if one of them is a stinker during the night.

frugos

Mom...I look just too cute to stay in doors. Shouldn't we go get some frozen yogurt? After all, it is 15% off today for Halloween!



Well, ok, I supposed for the sake of getting you out in your pumpkin outfit...