Skywatch Friday

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

Then and Now Thursday

Welcome to the Then and Now blog carnival. This meme is a chance to look back at how life has changed over the years. Hope you'll join us. Click here for more info on this meme.


Then: Halloween 1996?

Blacked out to protect the innocent.

Halloween use to be the biggest party day of the year. It was a chance to get dressed up in fun (and sometimes slutty) costumes. My friend A. and I decided it would be fun to dress up as hookers for Halloween. Let's just say the "walk of shame" the next day is a little more shameful in this getup.

Now-ish: This is Caitlin last Halloween.
Halloweens are a lot more innocent now. They still involve fun costumes. There is a lot more candy and far less beer. I'm glad I have my "wild" days to look back on and I'm loving innocent days.

Please share how things are different Then and Now. Click here for more info on this meme. Remember you do not need photos to participate. Be sure to visit other participants' posts and leave some comment love.

Wardrobe Wednesday

I love Caitlin's outfit for Wacky Wednesday at her pre-school.Head over to see how all the cool kids are dressing at Heathen Family Revival.

Ticked Off Tuesday List

• I am ticked that I see the dog that attacked Maximus being walked by my house everyday.
• I am ticked that I am too scared to walk Maximus.
• I am ticked that I sleep well only every other night. Two nights in a row would be bliss.
• I am ticked that I am tired.
• I am ticked that I can't seem to stick with sensible eating(...but I'm rocking the running workouts.)
• I am ticked that there is a Car toy stuck somewhere in my messy car that talks every time I take a turn.
  

I Heart Faces-Halloween & Pets

This week's theme is Halloween dress up. I love this shot of Caitlin from her first Halloween.

I'm entering this shot of Maximus in his superdog gear for fun.

Be sure to go to www.iheartfaces.com to check out all the other beautiful faces.

Eccentric Man

I've been asked by Carma to explain some of my husband, Dave's eccentricities. So I'm making a short list for you of some of the little quirks he has.

He thinks he is a turtle. Just kidding. He does like to play though.

• When we have a computer hard drive die, Dave will smash it. Then boil it. Then freeze it in ice. Then bury it. Yes, I said he buries the hard drive. He is very concerned about info being stolen.
• Dave has a similar method to clean contact cases. He boils the cases and then stores them in the freezer. He is very concerned about eye germs.
• Don't forget his method of cleaning sippy cups. I guess he has some issues with cleaning stuff.
  
• He loves Shakespeare. He quotes lines at least once a day. He has a bust of Shakespeare that sits on our entertainment center.

• Dave loves the Patriots. He insists that the he and the kids wear their Brady jersey on game days. If they do not, he fears they will lose the game.

Sorry Tom, the kids were not in their jerseys for the Broncos and the Jets.

I love Dave and all his little quirks. This might have to be a continuing segment so I can fully explain all his eccentricities.

Weekly Winners

I can't believe I haven't taken any new photos this week. I did edit these shots to make them creepy in honor of Halloween. Hope you like them. Be sure to go to Sarcastic Mom to check out more weekly winners.

Ghost in the Hand

Vampire Child

Click to enlarge to see the "treat" on Maximus's tongue.

Ghostly Girl

Skywatch Friday

Nice blue skies at the pumpkin patch.

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

Then and Now Thursday

Welcome to the Then and Now blog carnival. This meme is a chance to look back at how life has changed over the years. Hope you'll join us. Click here for more info on this meme.

Then: This was our first trip to the pumpkin patch. Caitlin was only 4 1/2 months old. Funny we never went until we had her. We use to just buy one at the grocery store.

Now: We continue to enjoy the fun of the pumpkin patch. We spend way more at the orchard than at the grocery store but we also make great memories. I'm glad we started this tradition.
Please share how things are different Then and Now. Click here for more info on this meme. Remember you do not need photos to participate. Be sure to visit other participants' posts and leave some comment love.

Wordless Wednesday

I spookified this shot of Caitlin on Picnik. I think she looks sorta creepy. And I don't know why Blogger insists on underlining this.

Check out 5 Minutes for Mom, Ordinary and Awesome, Momspective, and Wordless Wednesday for more wordless photos.

Ticked Off Tuesday-Say Farewell Caillou

Alright, I know I've complained about this awful show before. I felt guilty and let Davey and Caitlin watch it again. After a week of watching Caillou, Caitlin tells me she does not like the crusts on her sandwiches. She has always eaten them. She learned from an episode of Caillou that the crusts are "yucky." Caillou seems to have renewed her fear of the dark after another episode. The final straw was when I went to pump gas. Caitlin wanted to get out of the car to "help" me pump gas like Caillou's dad. The chances of me unbuckling her car seat and letting her stand with me to pump gas are nonexistent. Pumping gas is one of the few moments of solitude I get during the day. I am not giving it up because Caillou's crazy dad let's him do it. Caillou is a bad influence. Caillou is no longer broadcast on my cable network. At least that is the story I'm telling Caitlin and I'm sticking with it.
P.S. When I was searching for images of Caillou, I found some really funny but really disturbing parodies on YouTube. They were too disturbing to post here. They are some people who hate Caillou way more than I do.

The Play Date

Should I call and leave a message to invite her over? Maybe I'll call when I know she is out. I'm such a wimp. Here she is. Ok be brave I think. Ok I spit it out. Would you and your kid like to come for a play date? She says sure but she'll have to check her schedule. I feel good that I was so "brave" and wait for her call.

The day before the play date arrives. I haven't gotten a call. I guess she really didn't want to hang out. I'm glad I didn't tell Caitlin about the play date. Wait. The phone rings at 7 pm. Its her. She is sorry that she hadn't called sooner but she still wants to comer over. Yay! Now it is time to tidy up. She's a mom. She'll understand if things are not totally clean.

When she arrives she asks if she should stay or go. Um, I planned on you staying but whatever you would like I say. She stays. When do kids start play dates without parents? This is the first time I'm talking to this mom and meeting this kid. The kids play together. Caitlin has her shy moments. I chat with the mom. Things seem to be going well. Then I find out she use to own a cleaning business. I guess she probably did notice the kitchen floor needed washing.

I wish setting up play dates for the kids was less like dating. Just like when I was dating, I get all nervous about the asking. I dress up (ie good jeans and dressy T-shirt). We make somewhat awkward small talk. I want to impress the other mom. I hope she'll like me. I hope she'll "ask me out."

Weekly Winners

We did some fun fall stuff this past week. I love pumpkin picking. Be sure to go to Sarcastic Mom to check out more weekly winners.

All prettied up.

Checking out the man!

These little piggies.

Little swan.

The fam.

Its a stickup.

Skywatch Friday

It is October 15 and it is snowing here. It is too early for this.

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

Then and Now Thursday

Welcome to the Then and Now blog carnival. This meme is a chance to look back at how life has changed over the years. Hope you'll join us. Click here for more info on this meme.

Then: 4 year ago
We just had Caitlin. I barely remember those sleepless nights. The witching hours (4-8pm) seem so long ago. I'm glad those memories aren't very clear anymore. Funny how quickly you forget things. When friends ask when my kids made certain milestones I often don't remember. Thank goodness for blogs and baby books. I was pretty lucky that Caitlin started sleeping through the night relatively early. What I do remember was how hard everything seemed at the time. I remember how hard it was to get her to stop crying between 4-8pm. I also remember how sweet she could be. I remember watching her sleep to make sure she was breathing. I remember every new gurgle and discovery being so exciting. She had us wrapped around her little fingers.

Now:
Now we have two. The second child seemed easier. Maybe it was because we had done all the baby stuff once before. Maybe he had an easier temperament. Probably a little of each. Life is totally different again. Sometimes the kids fight. Sometimes like in this shot, they play together and are so sweet. I hope the fighting memories fade and times like these are what I remember.

Please share how things are different Then and Now. Click here for more info on this meme. Remember you do not need photos to participate. Be sure to visit other participants' posts and leave some comment love.

Wordless Wednesday

This is how I kept track of my laps last week. I used my kids counting flip book. Time to get a sports watch.

My jogging partner.

Check out 5 Minutes for Mom, Ordinary and Awesome, Momspective, and Wordless Wednesday for more wordless photos.

Ticked Off Tuesday with a Poll

So my husband and I have a disagreement about washing the kids sippy cups. He believes everything needs soaking in order to get it clean. He likes to leave them soaking for hours. He leaves the cups filled with soapy water on the counter where they get spilled over almost daily. He thinks if he fills the cups up with water he has started to wash them. I think otherwise. I believe that if I wash the cups thoroughly with soap and water that they will be clean. So my question is do you soak your sippy cups? Am I skipping a necessary step in keeping cups and dishes clean? Please leave a comment about how you wash cups/dishes. Thanks for helping with this issue.Feel free to vent in the comments or leave a link about what is ticking you off.

I Heart Faces-Excited!

This week's theme is "Excited." I think this shot captured this well. We were at a kids museum. Caitlin rearranged the tubes on the wall so the ball would go through a hole. She succeeded here.
Be sure to go to www.iheartfaces.com to /check out all the other beautiful faces.

Weekly Winners

Here are some photos straight out of the camera from today. Be sure to go to Sarcastic Mom to check out more weekly winners.

Hello Mr. Ducky.

Hoppy.

Happy flower has seen better days.

Skywatch Friday

This is the view of where I jog. It is a typical New England prep school. The pretty view make the jog a little easier.

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

Wordless Wednesday

This bird was just hanging out on our neighbor's fence. Click to enlarge. I think it is a hawk.

Check out 5 Minutes for Mom, Ordinary and Awesome, Momspective, and Wordless Wednesday for more wordless photos.

Ticked Off Tuesday

Little girls clothes are ticking me off. Why do they make clothes for 4 years look like teenage clothing? Do 4 year old need low rise jeans? Why do I see her butt crack every time she bends to pick something up? Speaking of bending why are the same size jeans in the same brand way tighter than her khaki pants? I wish they made roomy jeans for little girls. I think I'm going to buy some boy jeans and sew on embellishments to make them girlie. Once little girls are out of toddler sizes, it is a lot harder to find sweet age appropriate clothes.

This is Beyonce's clothing line. She not only is dressing the girls in tight jeans but they also get to wear high heals.

Love Is is the creator of these organic jeans. Like many brands the girls jeans are way tighter than the boys.

OK I'm done venting. Is something ticking you off? Feel free to vent in the comments or leave a link.

Not Me Monday

This is not my dining room. I did not ignore this mess to go jogging. That would be totally irresponsible. But I could go jogging because this is not my mess.It is time for Not Me Monday. It is a time to admit to somethings you might want to forget. MckMama is our host at My Charming Kids . Go over there to see what other people are not doing this week too.

Weekly Winners

We had some fun finger painting in the bathtub this week. These are my favorites. Be sure to go to Sarcastic Mom to check out more weekly winners.