Ticked Off Tuesday-People who don't parent their kids.

People who don't take the time or energy to parent their children is ticking me off this Tuesday. I get that parenting is tiring. I make it to the kids' bedtime and I pretty much crash too. Being tired is not a good excuse to not do your job though.

I recently supervised/taught a birthday party at the gymnastics club I work. During the party, two different young boys spit on the floor. First, can I say gross? Second, the parents of these two boys were right there and did not say a thing to address this act. I told them that that was not acceptable behavior and they would have to wait in the lobby if it happened again. I personally would be mortified if a child of mine did such a thing.

Another time I felt I needed to step in and parent someone else's child was at Chuck E. Cheese. First of all I think that that place is parent hell. We also went on a school break. I should have known better. The place was packed. There were several occasions where I watched bigger kids push my almost 2 year old out of the way. I felt like an old cranky lady yelling at kids to watch out or wait their turn. I just wonder what their parents were doing. They definitely were not watching the kids or caring how they behaved.

What is ticking you off this Tuesday? Feel free to share in the comments or leave a link.

Not Me Monday-The kid edition

MckMama is our host at My Charming Kids . Usually I would tell you to go there check out what other things people did not do at Not Me Monday but her little boy is really sick. She probably won't post a Not Me Post but stop by to see how Stellan in doing and pray for him.
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My daughter did not take two small round cherry candies and put them on her chest and say they look like nipples. I also did not laugh at this. I also did not really wish I had my camera. That would send the wrong message.

My son has not discovered a fun raspberry spitting game to play in the car. He does not cover himself in saliva before we get to our destination 50% of the time. He is also not pinching his tongue and then laughing hysterically. No, not my son. He wouldn't be that gross.

Weekly Winners

Don't forget to go to Sarcastic Mom for more weekly winners.

86/365
Spring has finally sprung!

85/365
My little rock star.

84/365
Loves climbing.

Skywatch Friday

Dreaming of warmer days.
Cape Cod-September 2008

Go to Skywatch Friday to see skies from all around the world.

E is for...

elephants...

...and elephant impressions.

83/365
Go to 4 the Love of Family to check out lots of other alphabitty moments.
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If you are here for the Ultimate Blog Party, click here to get to my blog party post.

Wardrobe Wednesday

Forgive the bad photography. I had to take a shot of this little girl at the playground for Wardrobe Wednesday. (I didn't want you to the little girl's face since I don't know her.) How could I not take a shot at the sweet pink feathered hat? Sometimes I'm jealous of the cool things kids get to wear. When you are 7 years old a pink feathered hat is cool and perfectly acceptable but try wearing that same hat at 34 years old and people will think you are nuts.

Head over to see how all the cool kids are dressing at Heathen Family Revival.

Wordless Wednesday

If you are here for the Ultimate Blog Party, click here to get to my blog party post.

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81/365
What is better than a kid enjoying her veggies?

Check out 5 Minutes for Mom and Wordless Wednesday for more wordless photos.

Ticked Off Tuesday-Sleep or Lack of It

If you are here for the Ultimate Blog Party, click here to get to my blog party post.

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The dreaded 5 minute nap has returned twice this week. It just baffles me. I drove home from the Kid's Museum for the last ten minutes with the windows open letting that 35 degree wind hit Davey's face while I sang him Old McDonald and pulled his leg. He still feel asleep then refused to nap anymore. Well that is he refused to nap until dinnertime. He feel asleep in his high chair for 25 minutes.

82/365

Other sleep issue that irks me is the kids never sleep in late on the same day. By late I mean pass 6 am. The kids alternate days. Isn't that nice! They don't want me to get out of practice.

I know that these are fairly minor sleep issues but if I didn't have anything to complain about it just wouldn't be Ticked Off Tuesday. Feel free to share what is ticking you off in the comment or leave a link.

Not Me Monday

If you are here for the Ultimate Blog Party, click here to get to my blog party post.

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I did not take Davey and Caitlin to gymnastics open gym (After Davey had already been to gymnastics and Caitlin had been to preschool.) I did not encourage them to run around like crazy. They did not have a great time. Well until it was time to go and then they did not both melt down into overtired piles of mush. I would know that would not be a good idea.

I did not forget all the other not-me moments this week. My brain is not like Swiss cheese lately.

Go to My Charming Kids to check out what other things people did not do at Not Me Monday.

Weekly Winners- photos 74-80

If you are here for the Ultimate Blog Party, click here to get to my blog party post.
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I haven't been feeling very inspired lately. I'm going to work on that this week. Here are some ordinary shots from the week. Don't forget to go to Sarcastic Mom for more inspired weekly winners.

Photo 80

My cute girl

Photo 79

Sticker fun.

Photo 78
Relaxing at open gym

Photo 77
She really likes bright colors.

Photo 76
Caitlin's first fluoride treatment at the dentist.

Photo 75
Happy Sliding.

Photo 74

Not great in quality but the first robin is a wonderful sight.

Party Time!

Hello. Welcome to the Ultimate Blog Party. Come on in. There will be cake in fun shapes and the best cookies everah,

dancing mermaids,

there will be music (thanks to the fridge DJ) and when the kids go to bed there will lots of adult beverages.


Let me introduce you to my family. My husband Dave and I were college sweet hearts. I feel very lucky that I found him so early. He is a great dad and husband. However he has his quirks, like this and that. Still the teenage girls flirt with him. I do too.

That is Dave on the left.

My daughter Caitlin is almost 4. She can be such a sweet girl and such a terror the next. She challenges my sanity each day. I love her more than I thought possible. She loves a party and being silly.

My son Davey is almost 2 years old. He is full of energy and spirit. He challenges my child proofing skills each day. He gets in trouble that Caitlin never even attempted. I love watching him explore the world.

Maximus is our wonderful yellow Labrador retriever. He will be 8 years old in June. He has been a challenge at times but I can't imagine his warm 100lbs. body sleeping at my feet. He is super gentle with the kids and loves a party. Just look at him rocking the hulu skirt.

And there is me. I'm Vicky, a stay at home mom, part time gymnastics coach, former middle school teacher, wife, amateur photographer, exercise enthusiast, and blogger. I hope that you enjoy the party and come back to visit soon.

There are so many cool prizes to be won at this year’s Ultimate Blog Party, but my top three picks would be:

• $100 gift certificate to either Pedal Cars and Retro or A Rocking Horse To Love from 5 Minutes for Mom

• $50 gift certificate to Target Stores from Agoosa

• Blog makeover fromBusy Mama Blog Design
  

And if my top three picks are already chosen, I’d love any of the following (in order of preference):58, 22, 49, 106, 118, 19, 50 or anything else related to young children since I have an almost 2 year old and an almost 4 year old. Gift cards are also great. I love shopping.

Becoming More Natural

When I was pregnant my husband insisted that he clean the bathroom, so that I would not be exposed to any harsh chemicals. It only makes sense that once the kids were born that we change how we clean so that we don't expose them to any harmful chemicals. We have started to clean more with vinegar and water. It is an excellent cleaner and an added bonus is the kitchen smells like Easter eggs.

Besides changing cleaners, I try to use clothe towels more often. It saves the paper and money. I also try to think about what errands I need to do using the car and plan them out so I'm making less trips and using less gas. I unplug appliances I am not using. It saves electricity and again more money. I'm finding a lot of the green tips also save money. I think everyone can use that now.

Over time these changes are becoming more natural to our family. After all they are a better and more natural solution.

This post was written for Parent Bloggers Network as part of a sweepstakes sponsored by Nature's Source.

Skywatch Friday and Friday 5

I was so excited that I had my camera when I saw this sunset. Someone posted a similar shot recently for Skywatch Friday. I wish I remembered what the effect is called. If you click to enlarge you can see two little arches of rainbows on each side of the sun. I only had a little point and shot camera so it is not as clear as I hoped.

Go to Skywatch Friday to see skies from all around the world.
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Friday 5-The food addition

1. My favorite food is pasta. I would eat it everyday if I didn't worry about weight.

2. I'm addicted to Diet Barq's root beer. If we run out I have to go out to get more.

3. I'm not sure what you are suppose to do with the watery stuff on the top of yogurt. Are you suppose to mix it in or pour it out? Either way it is just gross. For the record I pour it out.

4. My favorite flavor ice cream is cake batter light from Cold Stone Creamery. Their sweet treat cupcakes look incredible. They look so good I probably won't try them. Sometimes it is better to not know what you are missing. Coldstone is too temptingly close to where I live.

5. I didn't drink tea till I was pregnant with my son. Now I love it. I have 2 cups almost everyday. I always drink decaf. I don't handle decaf well. If I have a regular diet coke with dinner I have trouble sleeping that night.

D is for...

...dog

Go to 4 the Love of Family to check out lots of other alphabitty moments.

Wordless Wednesday

I went to the archives for this shot. This is Caitlin dreaming at the lake last summer.

Check out 5 Minutes for Mom and Wordless Wednesday for more wordless photos.

Wardrobe Wednesday

This is what happens when Daddy gets Davey ready for bed.

Head over to see how all the cool kids are dressing at Heathen Family Revival.

Not Me Monday-Locked In

My son did not lock himself in his bedroom when I was helping my daughter in the bathroom. I did not panic when I realized he was locked in. I really did not realize that his door could lock. I did not call my husband at work to try to figure out how to break him out. The lock was really not a simple push a nail into the whole and it unlocks. I did not unscrew the doorknob and then break the lock. I did not start to cry when I looked through the whole in the door to see my son lying on his belly covering his ears crying. It did not take a couple of minutes to break him out. I did not think about taking a photo of him through the door hole for Not Me Monday.

73/365

Go to My Charming Kids to check out what other things people did not do at Not Me Monday.

Weekly Winners

Here are my favorites for the week. Don't forget to go to Sarcastic Mom for more weekly winners.

Flying High

Careful Steps

Joy

More joy. Syrup!

Bed Time Woes

By the time the kids' bedtime rolls around, I'm exhausted. I finally get both kids in bed and as I sit down to crash on the couch, Caitlin comes bounding down the hallway. I ask why she is out of bed. She has a long list of reasons to get out of bed. Here are some of the best:

• You forgot to tuck in my stuffed animals.
• I'm too hot.
• I'm too cold.
• I'm not tired.
• You forgot to leave the light on.
  
• I need an extra hug.
• I can't sleep. (said after 45 seconds in bed)

The best excuse would be I fell out of bed but she seems to sleep through that one.

Caitlin will try anything to not go to sleep. She really feels like she is missing out on a party when she sleeps. My husband and I have tried to explain that we lie on the couch like slugs then go to sleep ourselves.

Generally if we tuck the stuffed animals in, give her a hug, instruct her to close her eyes and think of pleasant things, and turn the hall light on, she is asleep within minutes. Now if we could only skip the second and sometimes third trips to tuck her in.

This post was written for Parent Bloggers Network as part of a sweepstakes sponsored by Sylvania maker of the PalPODzzz portable nightlights.

Photos 71 and 72

71/365
There was a weird amount of seagulls flying around at W*lmart the other day. By the time I go my camera out, a lot had flown away but you get the idea.

72/365
Thanks to a 5:30 am wake up this morning, Davey fell asleep while having his lunch.

Skywatch Friday and Friday 5

Go to Skywatch Friday to see skies from all around the world.

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Here's the Friday 5.

1. I worked as a real estate agent for a couple of years. I once went to a house showing in a really "bad" neighborhood. (As agents we were not suppose to describe neighborhood as good or bad but trust me it was bad.) After I showed the couple this multi-family house. They wanted to put an offer in on it. Yay! As we are getting ready to leave, a tenant in the house shot at someone on the street. It was really scary and surreal. The most surreal part of it was the couple still put in an offer on the house, it was accepted, and I had to go back there several more times. The agent selling the house wouldn't even go there.

2. My favorite color is blue. You can tell when you see my house. Our kitchen, dining room, and office are all painted various shades of blue. We probably would have painted more blue if it didn't seem weird.

3. I never had a pet growing up. My mom didn't want to take care of anything else. She offered to get us fish but they didn't appeal to me at all. After I got back from my honeymoon, my husband and I got a yellow lab pup that week. I love Maximus but now I understand why my mom didn't want a dog.

4. When I was pregnant I craved red meat. It is weird because I don't really like it much normally. I had sloppy joes once a week when I was pregnant with Caitlin. I haven't had them since.

5. Maximus seems to know I was pregnant before I knew. I used to walk him before work. Suddenly he got very protective. He wouldn't walk if anyone was near us. He would stop and sit and stare at them till they were out of sight.

C is for...

My daughter calls her stuffed animals characters. These are some of her favorite characters.

My son loves playing with his cars.

70/365
Go to 4 the Love of Family to keep out lots of other alphabitty moments.