Lessons Learned

Here's what I know now, that I didn't know before:

Teething is the root of all evil. (Kiddo has tooth number 3, officially, as of today, and was fussy a good portion of the weekend. His tongue also has weird spots, and his appetite today was very poor. We temporarily lost the teething jell - but it showed up this morning as I was doing laundry. Go figure.)

Another way to say "corn dog": pig in a puppy. (Courtesy of a street sign- I think it's akin to pigs in a blanket, but like a pig in a hush-puppy shortened, maybe?)

North Carolina is a bit "hick." As heard over the radio at a fast food restaurant: "Come guess the weight of the pig in the freezer!" (At a maytag sale)

The Pine Knoll Shores Aquarium is a step up from the first North Carolina Aquarium we visited - it even had an Octopus!

Ocean waves are scary. Really scary. (Kiddo didn't like the water - luckily, he eventually levelled out. It only took a bucket of some salt water and a pacifier!)

Always keep the camera battery charged. (Of course it would run out the one weekend we opted to go to the beach with Kiddo for the first time! Luckily, I did capture a pic or two on the cell phone!)

Email reminders actually work!

Sunshine is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. Vitamin D is good!

Lessons learned on "your" time are better than lessons learned on "company" time!

My memory has already begun to fade from the day - as I am sure there were many more lessons that I have already forgotten!

Love: A day with my boys in the sunshine. I think it's a dose of heaven!
Hope: This week goes by quickly - but with a Sept 1 big deadline, I am sure it will!
Do: Enjoy the late days of summer (or is that lazy days?)..

Sunshine!

I got my dose of Vitamin D and friends today - which was lots of fun! Some studying, some crafts, a movie, and lunch. What a day!

What wasn't fun? Kiddo has some more teeth that seem to be on their way, which means a bit of fussiness.

I love the sunshine.
I hope the Beach tomorrow doesn't leave me with a sunburn!
I do need to get in some more study time this evening...

Potty Parity

I don't often post about work. However, this week I was particularly tickled by a phrase my manager used: Potty Parity. We were talking about having 4 stalls in the women's restroom vs 2 stalls in the men's restroom, since over 80% of my office is female.

For some reason, the phrase cracked me up. I'm still laughing just to think about it!

Most phrases using "potty" aren't exactly "good." Although there is potty mouth, which I guess is descriptive, but not exactly "bad." How can you be "exactly" good if you aren't good, or "exactly" bad if you aren't bad?

I'm confused now.

What is the blog today about? Who took over my head? Do you hear the voices, too?

You're welcome for the "glance" inside. Hopefully your thoughts organize themselves better than min!

Love: Coherent thoughts, unlike those above.
Hope: The evening is relatively uneventful.
Do: Need to figure out what we're up to this evening!

Practical

I am finally getting around to posting a watermelon coma - in case you've never seen a watermelon coma, I'm quite sure this is what they look like. :)

The thought for today, however, is about being practical. You see, I'm not one to throw out/pour out water from "old" water bottles. Why can't it be re-frigerated and consumed? I don't get throwing away water.

The other night, I made dinner for the family. Nachos with guacamole. I asked my DH if he knew why that was the meal I decided on. I was amazed- he correctly answered, "because you needed to use the avocado- they were getting old."

Yes, I tend to be quite practical. Not always, or about everything - it's just a tendency and it certainly doesn't apply to all aspects of my life. I do find, though, with a kiddo around, it's just easier.

At a cul-de-sac picnic the other evening, at least two neighbors pulled pine needles out of Mark's mouth. I didn't bother. I figured with the dirt, ceiling crumbs, and dog treats, it rounded out a nutritious day of snacks. Okay, really that's only partly true. If I know it has chemicals in it and could be dangerous (like ceiling crumbs), I do try and take it away a little quicker.

But - at the end of the day- my kid is going to eat dirt. And bugs. And that's just part of being a kid.

Love: The recent "silly snacking" that Kiddo has been doing.
Hope: Hand to mouth doesn't last forever!
Do: Have to get the wee one to bed- even though he had another 6pm nap!

Daycare...

... isn't closing! Whew!

Today I went to a parent meeting at the "new" center. The last time we had a "parent meeting" (at the old daycare), it was because they were closing.

It's a little odd, admittedly, to go to a "parent" meeting for an infant. Perhaps I'll get used to it? I heard a story about a little boy whose girl friend moved to a new classroom. We talked about teachers, and how you are supposed to wash your hands for two full minutes.

The joys of daycare/preschool are endless, I'm sure!

On another note, Sunday night we had a picnic with the neighbors - since school starts this week. Good luck to all the kiddos! I love fresh starts and new beginnings! I hope all the kiddos have a good first week.

As for a "do" - I'll resort to my usual.... off I go to study!

Smokin' watermelon..

Kiddo loves his watermelon. He had some for a snack today, and I snapped a bunch of pictures that I will eventually get around to posting. His little cheeks were like chipmunks, and he kept shoving it in! I even tried to cut small pieces so he wouldn't eat it too fast, but it was really fun and silly to watch. Sometimes, when he doesn't like something, he accidentally (on purpose) throws it over the side of the high chair for Katie to enjoy. Not watermelon! He makes sure that he gets as much in his mouth as possible.

Then for dinner, we smoked the house up! DH made some AWESOME cajun trout - - and I imagine our house will continue smelling like a campfire for a few days!

Enjoy 2 posts for today - as such, I don't feel obligated to provide my typical Love/Hope/Do ending for this one!

The inevitable..

It was bound to happen sooner or later. Then this morning, as I was attempting to get baby-dog to come inside...

Mark was eating dog treats on the back porch.

He figured out how to open the container, and had one in his mouth and three more at the ready!

These are the hard kind, too. I pulled the "remains" out of his mouth (so he didn't choke on the rest), and he smelled like dog for the rest of the morning (well, at least until I changed his clothes shortly thereafter).

It made for a somewhat humorous morning, though!

Love: The silliness of my boy eating dog treats. He couldn't have been THAT hungry!
Hope: He doesn't "accidentally" get into something worse! Good thing we have kid-proofed at least most of the cabinets that involve poison types of things.
Do: hope that when Mark is bigger, he is more successful than I am at getting the dogs to come back inside the house!

Bad Jokes

It's no secret - I'm a fan of bad jokes.

For instance - in case you missed my facebook status update - The Energizer Bunny arrested; charged with battery.

In a training at work this week, the instructor started a joke with "There is a new rule at the pearly gates- you get into heaven by the amount of drama surrounding your death."

The rest of the joke was funny, but just that line alone made me laugh. I still laugh thinking about it - - maybe because drama has been so defining in my life!

I like jokes about interrupting cows and pirates (Arrgh), but mostly I enjoy "punny" jokes.

So - - what's your best punny joke?

Love: Jokes - - especially the bad ones!
Hope: I get some new ones!
Do: Have to get back to "my" reality, and put the laptop away, and study. Maybe after a few games..

Unintentionally Tired...

I've always liked Monday - even though hardly nobody likes monday's! And today was a particularly productive Monday, for some reason. Two loads of laundry plus putting away 6+ loads, dinner and unloading the dishwasher - I think I did more chores than I did all weekend long! I washed the sheets and the comforter (though I still need to make the bed).

What does that make me? tired.

Love: Productive days - whether they are mondays or fridays or weekends or anything in between!

Hope: I can focus on studying for a bit..

Do: Get a break from chores tomorrow, maybe?

Biased

I'll admit it- I'm biased. Mark's a cute kid.



We went to the Marbles Children's Museum today. For some reason, I was actually a bit disappointed relative to the museum in Fort Worth. I think once Mark's a little older, I will appreciate it a lot more! Many of the items he was just a too little to participate in! After all, he's still learning to walk!




He was in the play area with two other babies - and they were fat and ugly. Most of the kids in daycare are cute, or at least charming. These two girls at the museum.. Well.. Let me just say I hope they grow into their looks!

Hope: You enjoy today's pictures!
Love: Doing fun stuff with Kiddo
Do: Continue studying. More of the same - although I am now half way through!

flight

Kiddo has taken flight! That is, yesterday he climbed his first set of stairs. The whole stinkin' flight!

That comes along with more cruising, and this week, lots of waving bye-bye!

I'll try to get a picture soon to add!

Love: more development
Hope: cough goes away
Do: get some rest this weekend!

Uncle!

I finally cried Uncle, and went to the doctor. Kiddo gave me his cold, and I've been coughing now for over a week! Daytime isn't so bad, but I need my sleep! The last few nights, I've slept in a different room so I could at least partially be sitting up (and so DH could get some sleep!)

Hopefully the 3 prescription meds will make things better, at least for a while.

Kiddo had a friend visit on Saturday, and I have some new pictures I need to post! Soon, hopefully!

Love: Health
Hope: A good night's rest
Do: Want to quit coughing, soon.

Chores

Other than DH and I, only Katie has chores.

Her chore is to clean the kitchen. Generally, she does a good job- and often, she doesn't share with her friend-in-crime, Kobe.

We even have proof.



Love: That Kiddo and Katie get along well.
Hope: Katie doesn't get tired of tail-pulling!
Do: Need to clean the highchair today. Katie does her best.. but leaves dog spit.

Oops!

I've mentioned my lack of patience, right?

I hate it - HATE IT - when Mark drops his sippy cup when he is sitting in the high chair. How many times a day do I have to pick up his cup? Is it really necessary that it drop to the floor between EVERY bite? When will he figure this simple thing out?



Love: Sippy cups that stay on the table!
Hope: This too is another phase that ends soon!
Do: Get more sippy cups with handles!

Sharing

The kiddo has to learn about sharing. When to share, when not to share. Colds/Germs are on the "do not share" list; unfortunately, kiddo has given this mess to me and his papa.

I am so thankful to have a wonderful DH who watches Kiddo - - I went on my first overnight trip away from the kiddo, and I enjoyed it!

Lately, "patience" hasn't been easy to find. Maybe I should start doing some yoga again...

Do: Yoga
Love: A helpful hubby
Hope: The cough/sickly junk evaporates from our house soon!