J is for...

...joy!

Go to 4 the Love of Family to check out lots of other alphabitty moments. Catch your kids in special everyday moments.

Wardrobe Wednesday

Scroll down to the next post to see my Wordless Wednesday.
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Just like Daddy.

This photo was a part of a Father's Day present last year.

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

Wordless Wednesday

Driving around my hometown this weekend, I saw this. I can't believe that this is still up after 17 years. I dated Jim for less than a month but his tribute to us is still there.

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

Vocabulary Lesson

Caitlin: I don't want to wear my pretty dress.

Me: Why not?

Caitlin: I want to wear something understated.

Me: OK. What would you like to wear?

Caitlin: I want to wear my understated octopus shirt.

Me: (After giggling) I know your octopus shirt is very understated.

Not Me Monday

My husband has not been having pain in his side/stomach for a month. He was not admitted into the hospital last Monday for dehydration, elevated heart rate, and testing. We were not scared about what could be causing the pain. Dave had not been to 3 doctors in the month leading up to the hospitalization. We were not relieved to find out that he has a bunch of ulcers (too many to count). It was not a relief to discover the cause and discover it is easily treatable.

My in-laws babysat the kids so I could visit Dave in the hospital. I was not embarrassed that they vacuumed my house and cleaned my toaster oven. (In my defense I wasn't expecting visitors.) I wasn't more embarrassed that I couldn't figure out how to put the crumb tray back into the toaster oven.

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 still in the hospital. Hopefully he will be getting out of the hospital soon. Go to her site to see how Stellan is doing.

Weekly Winners

Here are some of the highlights from our week. We took a trip to the aquarium.

We saw some sea lions fighting.

My son decided running up and down the ramps was more exciting than watching the sea lion show.

We saw penguins enjoying the warm weather.

We saw jelly fish swimming gracefully.

We saw the aquarium staff play with the young sea lion through the glass with various kid toys. My kids have the same light up ice cubes.

And the real highlights was Davey successfully peeing and pooping on the potty. It was all his idea too. I'm hoping this continues and is not a fluke. He is not yet 2 years old so I think he is doing pretty well.

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

Wordless Wednesday

Davey took his shirt off before dessert and then sang his ABCs to our guests. Whatta host!

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

Ticked Off Tuesday-You've Got to Be Kidding Me!

Dear Burger King,

Was this really the best idea for kids' meal toy? Do you want us to come back again? Let me tell you the only thing more annoying than a whining child is a whining child holding a megaphone. Please rethink your toy selection or we will be forced to stay home and cook healthier meals. And we know neither of us wants that to happen.

Sincerely,

Secret Mom

PS The toy was thrown away as soon as the whiny child was out of sight.

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As always feel free to vent in the comments about what's ticking you off or leave a link. Happy Tuesday!

Not Me Monday

I did not go jogging for the first time this season. I was not proud that I jogged 4 miles. I also was not totally purple when I finished.

I did not bribe my children with the promise of Easter candy if they ate their dinner. My kids always eat their dinner without fussing and bribery.

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 going to have surgery on Tuesday. Pray for Stellan. Go to her site to see how Stellan is doing.

Weekly Winners

Here is what we did this week. Hope you enjoy.

Sunny Smile.
108/365

Serious Play
107/365

Upside Down Dog
106/365

Happy Day.
105/365

Sunny spring day.
104/365

Easter eggs that were dyed the day after Easter.
103/365

Joy in the little things.
102/365

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

Easter Leftovers

So I finally got around to dyeing the Easter eggs with the kids on Monday . Yup that is right we dyed eggs the day after Easter. They always say better late than never. We tried to dye them on Easter morning but this dog had other ideas and stole the entire carton of hard boiled eggs. Maximus also stole and ate an entire angel food cake the night before. Anyone interested in a slightly trained yellow lab? Anyone?
I'm getting off topic. This post is sponsored by the Parents Bloggers Network and the American Egg Board. They want to know what we do with all those leftover Easter eggs. Our family doesn't eat egg salad which is most people's favorite recipe for Easter egg leftovers. We love salad. So we make a big salad with all the Easter leftovers. We had ham, turkey, and eggs to add to the salad. It may not be very creative but it was delicious.

Skywatch Friday

Yay! I love blue sunny skies!

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

They are literal.

Dave: Caitlin I don't want to see you climbing on the couch.

Caitlin: Go in the other room then.

She sure can be punky.

H is for...

...hats.

Go to 4 the Love of Family to check out lots of other alphabitty moments. Catch your kids in special everyday moments.

Wardrobe Wednesday

Be sure to stroll down to see my Wordless Wednesday post.

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It is the recycled Easter basket bonnet and super hero cape combination. Caitlin is always looking for animals that need rescuing. She thinks she is a Wonder Pet.

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

Wordless Wednesday

Almost hatched.

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

Ticked Off Tuesday-The Back Handed Compliment

The back handed compliment is worse than no compliment. I had a guy friend in high school that couldn't seem to get his foot out of his mouth. He would say things like, "You look really good...TODAY." I'm not sure if he really realized he was insulting you at the same time as giving the compliment till it was too late. He always fumbled a little and tried to clarify what he meant. I tried not to take offense because I really chose to believe that he didn't mean it.

The other week I invited a mom to get to the park with the kids. We were suppose to have a play date but the host canceled due to illness. When I invited her, she asked who else was going. When I told her it was just us, she said that her youngest would be napping. So why did you ask who else was going? Would she have said yes if someone else was going?

So what does the back handed compliment have to do with the park play date situation? I hate feeling paranoid. It feels like high school where I was always second guessing myself. Does he/she really like me? I wish I could just let the little comments go. I wish I could just believe my friend's daughter was napping and it just wasn't that I wasn't good enough to make the trip.

Feel free to comment on this post, share what's ticking you off, and/or leave a link to your ticked off post. Happy Ticked Off Tuesday.

Not Me Monday

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 still in the hospital. Go to her site to see how Stellan is doing.



These are not my kids doing belly flops onto the couch. I did not let them continue to jump so I could take a couple of photos. I did not almost let them continue a little longer so I could get the better camera to capture some better photos.

Weekly Winners

This week is full of everyday moments and luckily lots of outdoors shots thanks to the nice weather. Happy Easter everyone.

Reading in a cozy spot.
101/365

Swinging fun.
100/365

Friends
99/365

More swinging fun.
98/365

I wish I was still this flexible.

97/365

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

Skywatch Friday

This is a dog toy that has been stuck in our tree for months.

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

G is for...

....gymnastics.

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

Wardrobe Wednesday

Princess dress, fancy patten leather shoes, and ski jacket make the perfect combination.

Dresses don't prevent fun rolling in the grass.

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

Wordless Wednesday

Tough life, huh?

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