I'll Never Forget...

I'll never forget....my son's 3rd birthday.

Alex loves trains and gets so excited when he sees The Front Runner while we drive down the highway. We decided the perfect way to celebrate would to ride this train. It was awesome! The look on his face when we pulled into the parking lot and the excitement in his eyes as the horn blew and we traveled down the tracks....I will never forget.

I will never forget....how much my sister loves my kids.

Bobbi doesn't see them very often since she lives in Texas but she never forgets a birthday or a holiday. She sends packages and cards and Mallory is the spitting image of her.

I will never forget...the way Alex loves my sister.

He is not a super affectionate kid. He doesn't give out hugs and kisses freely. When you get one from him you know it is a precious gift and you must cherish it. He freely loves on Bobbi. Both kids constantly call her on their play phones and put up their hand (talk to the hand) if I interrupt their very important phone call.


I will never forget....how much my kid loves Chewtah (Pizza).

Both of my children would eat it everyday for the rest of their lives. They like when we make it at home but they love to go to The Pie and slug down a mug of root beer and play the pinball machine.

I will never forget....how wonderful it felt to be NEAR my sister.

Welcome to the Sisterhood of the Matching Pajama Pants! There was a time, many years ago that Bobbi and I were roommates. Even though we sometimes didn't get along because I am a morning person and she is....not. I will always hold those memories in my heart. She is my best friend and I would do anything for her. My latest scheme is to rent a Uhaul, kidnap her and make her my sister wife. Calvin I'm Kidding....

I will never forget....the gaggle of Red Hat Society ladies on the train.

I know exactly what I will be doing on my 50th birthday...I will be joining the Red Hat Society and I will wear a fabulous red hatbra on my head. I have already purchased a bedazzler and I'm working out a design! Only 11 more years....HOLY SH*T! Only 11 years? Hold Me!




This is post is a part of MamaKat's weekly writing assignment. Go HERE to see the prompts for this week and join in!



Don't forget to enter my giveaway...it ends Monday!

The Gift You Are....

I will always look back on my pregnancy with Alex as being perfect. From the moment I found out I was expecting, I felt a peace and joy that I wasn't expecting. We had lost a pregnancy 7 months before and I was nervous but somehow I knew everything was going to work out.

When I was six weeks pregnant I lost my job. At the time...I thought it was the worst thing that could happen but soon realized it was a tremendous blessing. Being home...allowed me to enjoy each and every day of my pregnancy, plan and make a quilt for my beloved.

The day that we found out we were having a little boy was another fabulous day. I remember Calvin and his Mom holding my hands during the ultrasound and we all cried. And then we went to breakfast at The Village Inn and to Babies R Us to register. Another perfect day....

My Dad helped me paint Alex's room and soon after my Mom came from Dallas to attend my baby shower. I made candles and gave them to all of my friends and family for them to light when I went into labor. The thought of all of those flames burning for me as I brought my first born son into the world made me so happy.

I was born on my due date and my midwife told me that is a rare occurrence. So on April 16th when I started having contractions I thought Alex would arrive early. These off and on non-painful contractions went on for two days...then on the 19th I had them more frequently and once evening came they where coming much faster. I didn't want to miss my favorite show so I waited until after The Amazing Race was over to call my midwife and she said I could come in. We called my Mother-in-law and she met us at the hospital.

When we checked in around 10:30pm, I was only 2 CM dilated and I decided that I still wanted to try to have Alex without drugs but I was so tired from not sleeping well for the last two days and I was dehydrated so around midnight I got the epidural. I was thrilled because it looked like Alex would be born on his due date!

I should have taken this opportunity to get some sleep but we were all too excited! Finally at 2 AM, I fell asleep. The nurse checked me at 4 AM and I was 7 CM, then at 7 AM I was 9 CM...almost 10. I was told my midwife had just arrived and I could start pushing in 30 minutes! And this is where I freaked out! I started feeling sick to my stomach and had horrible heart burn. They gave me Zantac but I threw it up so they gave me a cracker. An hour later that came up too. Maybe I should have had TWO crackers.... I started pushing (which made me even sicker) at 8:30am and after almost 2 hours of pushing....at 10:04am my precious baby boy was born.

Alexander Calvin Weiss III
7 pounds 1 ounce
20 1/4 inches

He was perfect and so adorable and an hour later I was eating the best chicken fried steak ever (the maternity ward had it's own chef) and watching The Young and The Restless! Alex has been the most amazing joy of my life. He is so funny and devious and witty and frustrating. He adapted well to becoming a brother so quickly in his life and is Mallory's best friend. I look at those piercing blue eyes that mirror my own and I melt.

How can he be 3? He is still my baby boy....

Happy Birthday Alex!

Imagine a month of Sundays
Each one a cloudy day
Imagine the moment the sun came shining through
Imagine that ray of sunshine as you

Remember your darkest hour
With dawn still far away
Remember the way that you longed for morning’s light
And think of yourself as a candle in the night

Make believe this is the first day
Everything all brand new
Make believe that the sun is your own lucky star
And then understand the kind of gift you are

The gift you are
like the very first breath of spring
The gift you are
all the joy that love can bring
The gift you are
all of our dreams come true
The gift you are
the gift of you

Because I love to celebrate my children's' birthdays with giveaways...I am giving away the new Yo Gabba Gabba DVD New Friends tomorrow. So be sure to come back and enter to win!

8 Things

I was tagged for a fun Meme by Jen at Harried Mom of Four. I am a lover of lists so this is an assignment I am happy to complete!

8 Things I am Looking Forward To:
My Sister visiting on Friday from Texas
Girls Night Out with my Sister and Monica
Our trip to Denver in 2 weeks
Seeing David Copperfield in Denver
Eating at Gumbo's in Denver
SPRING!!
Planting our garden
Visiting Farmer's Markets


8 Things I Did Yesterday:
20 minute workout!
Prayed for Maddie's family
Cried A Lot
Scrubbed more diaper creme from carpet
Wrapped hurt knee
Bought a special present for Calvin's Birthday!
Did three loads of laundry
Watched The Biggest Loser

8 Things I Wish I Could Do:
Knit
Run like the wind
Lose weight...
Decorate
Find my Sister a husband
Make more friends
Spend more time with my husband
Go to Paris


8 Shows I Watch:
Grey's Anatomy
Desperate Housewives
Private Practice
Brothers and Sisters
The Young and The Restless
The Housewives of (insert exciting city here)
Big Bang Theory
The Biggest Loser

Now I tag 4 people....

Bobbi at Bobbi in La La Land
Jen at Coconut Belly
Meg at Faith and Gasoline
Gracie at Gracie's World

ALSO...My Little Pony is still not born yet! In case you were wondering....

Time To Say Goodbye....

I will be planting purple tulips this fall....in Maddie's memory. So that I never forget....

Dear Aunt Bobbi....

Hi there...Mallory here. I have taken over the blog for the day to tell you about some correspondence I had with my Auntie Bobbi yesterday. I regularly email her from my personal email account (yes, my Daddy is a geek) and I'm thinking of joining Twitter so that I can be better connected to my peeps.


Dear Aunt Bobbi,

I got into a little bit of trouble today. I wanted a spa day so I could do something about these wrinkles that I have and I thought about how smooth my butt is and it's because Mommy puts this cream on it so I thought it would make a nice moisturizer. That probably wouldn't have been a big deal if I wouldn't have gotten it all over me and Alex and the stairs and my floor and the hallway and some of my clothes. Oh we also painted the dining room window with it too. That will teach Mommy to go take a potty break....

Anyway, I need your help because Mommy is threatening to NEVER shop at Gymboree for me again! She wants to buy my clothes from *shudder* WALMART! I can't wear Wal Mart clothes. What will the other toddlers think? How will I make friends and influence people? You can't let
her do this. You must talk some sense into her.

Thank You Aunt Bobbi....

I love you!

~Mallory

P.S. I am so excited to see you on Friday. Hurry!

This is the email I got back from my Auntie Bobbi...

I understand wanting to use moisturizer for your wrinkles, it's never too early to start. However, you should never waste a good product painting others and windows.

But with that being said, your mommy is being completely unreasonable! No child should have to wear clothes from Walmart, unless they're rednecks or white trash and you my dear are neither or those things.

So, I will have a talk with your mom and convince her that threatening to not shop at Gymboree anymore is a crime against baby fashion.
And I know your mom doesn't want Officer Olson from the fashion police all up in her business!

I love you too,

Aunt Bobbi

My dear Mommy would like you to know that after trying EVERYTHING under the sun to clean the diaper cream from the carpet....the only thing that worked was this cleaner that she just bought last week from a door to door sales woman. It is called Advanage. It is a miracle cleaner!

**Disclaimer**
The kids regularly wear clothing from Wal-Mart and Target but Mamma gets mad when the nice Gymbo outfits get messed up.

Easter 2009 aka Wanna See My Rack?

This shall be an Easter I will not soon forget. Calvin picked his brother up from the airport Friday night so that he could visit us for a long weekend. I flew him out for his birthday (Happy Birthday Robert!) but also so that he could watch the kids for a few hours so that Calvin and I could go to Salt Lake City to have a little date time. When will I learn that I can't have a plan anymore.....

Alex....has been escaping from his cage for a week now. I put him down for a *rest* but not a nap because naps are for babies, and about 30 minutes later he stealthily sneaks down the stairs and scares the hell out of me. After this development, Calvin decided that we needed to purchase a Big Boy Bed and it had to be done while Rob was here so that he could help him. So much for my date.....

Calvin has no concept of time. It might be a side effect of being an engineer....I don't know but the man decided to start building this thing late Saturday afternoon when we had dinner reservations at 5:15pm at Maddox Steak Emporium and then decided to finish it up at 7:30pm when we got home. The poor kids didn't get to bed until after 10 pm and I still had to play Easter Bunny! And guess who won't sleep in his new bed?

Baskets and Eggs were assembled and hidden and I fell into bed....exhausted!

baskets, labor of love...contents from Aunt Bobbi, Us and Grandparents Olson

Children awaken early....and this one, doesn't want to hunt for eggs. Are you kidding me? Once we tell her that they are filled with candy she changes her tune but because she is the baby and lazy as can be....she makes her Daddy carry her basket and she points to the eggs for him to retrieve for her.

Ever seen a Daddy wrapped around a finger?

How lovely...a card and a meal from Grandma and Grandpa....

What's wrong with this carrot?

We bought them each a digital camera to put in their baskets. Mallory will not allow anyone to explain how the dang thing works so now we have 53 pictures of her eye ball.

Alex is a natural! He loves his new toy!

And then we ate Rack of Lamb, Twice Baked Potatoes and Lemon Asparagus Salad. I was filled with joy as I made this meal because I knew that Martha was making the same thing for her guests. It was delicious! I will be posting about this meal on my food blog later. Poor Calvin...I kept asking him if he wanted to see my Rack and then I would whip out my lamb! LOL!

While cleaning up from dinner....we suddenly realized that the children were silent. You know what this means. TROUBLE! A short while before we had told the kids...No More Candy. They decided to take matters into their own hands and stole one of the baskets off from the counter and were devouring as much candy as they could before being discovered! Unfortunately, many of the eggs contained Hershey Kisses and Mallory isn't skilled at tin foil removal and ended up eating much tin. I'm sure it will all come out fine....

My Sister's horse still hasn't had My Little Pony yet....run over and place your bet to win a Starbucks Gift Card!

Best Day Ever! *UPDATED*

I woke up with a migraine yesterday and I don't know if the pain was the reason but I was feeling all sorry for myself and I was lonely. But the sun was shining and it was promising to be warm so that made me feel a little better.

Then around 10:30am I received a couple comments from Amy in Ohio on my Connie Diaries posts. I didn't read them right away because I was fixing a snack for the kids but when I finally did...my face flushed and my heart started to race!

She told me that JEN LANCASTER sent her.

For a moment, I was stunned. Jen Lancaster...my favorite author of all time? Why would she....oh wait. OH MY HECK! I raced to Jen's blog and well...you go see for yourself. I'll wait.

**********************************************

So...I was all excited and I emailed my sister and everyone I know and told them to go look and it was like being on Oprah except better because I was still in my pajamas. I watched my statcounter all day and saw people from all over the world visiting my little blog. I gained some new friends and a few people commented and I didn't feel lonely anymore. It was a great day! Seriously, it was the most excitement this stay at home mom as had in a long time!

EDITED: Today's 80 picture at Jennsylvania shows a 80's wedding. Go look at the picture here. And then check out this picture from my first wedding. Bobbi was my lucky bridesmaid/flowergirl/gum smacker in the wedding.



Speaking of Oprah. Did you watch her show yesterday? She was supposedly revealing all the secrets of being a Mommy. There are secrets? The show was entertaining because most of the talk was about how horrific being a mother is. Even though I have a bad day here and there, for the most part I love being a Mom and being home with the kids. And I have to tell you that I don't think I would EVER pee in one of my kids diapers. I thought it was interesting that she had some Mommy Bloggers on but never mentioned that they were bloggers. Is that a dirty word when it is paired with MOMMY?

Please head over to my friend Monica's new blog and sign up to win a beautiful necklace! Today is the last day so hurry!

I am Mommy...Hear Me Cry!

My fellow Mommies.....I come to you today in the midst of a Mid Life Crisis. It would seem that the circumstances of the last few years are beginning to catch up with me and I have no choice but to seek professional help.

Giving birth to 2 adorable children in less than eleven months, being a stay at home mom whilst raising these children and the amount of wine, chocolate, coffee and french fries that is required to survive the last three years has taken it's toll on my poor wrinkled, flabby 38- year old body.

I hold it together most of the time but there are times when my husband walks in the door after a long day to find one kid screaming, one kid crying and me crumbled in the corner... rocking and whispering to myself *help is coming help is coming*.

On top of all of that, we have the issue of my health. It's not good people. I've been overweight for a long time and I know that this is my last chance to tackle this problem before I hit the big 4-0 and menopause sets in and everything starts to go down hill fast. I have this reoccurring dream....I am slim and fit and I'm running along a beautiful road with mountains all around me, the wind is blowing through my hair and I feel so free! I long to be fit and healthy...and to run!

It has come down to a couple of choices.....continue on this path of mass destruction and obtain a prescription for Xanax. Or take control of my life FINALLY and make some serious changes that will not only benefit me, but also my family.

One path lands me as a guest on Dr Phil, the other on Oprah.

I know from experience and watching The Biggest Loser that real success in losing weight and being healthy requires that you not only work hard through diet and exercise but that you work on the inside. I know that I want to be the best Wife and Mother I can be only way for me to do that is to have my head on straight.

My sister is a massage therapist in Dallas and she has taught me the benefits of massage and relaxation on a mother. Decreased anxiety (so I don't need Xanax), better sleep quality, more energy, increased concentration and less fatigue. All of these things are important in the life of a mother of two small children who spend all day fighting and crying and yanking on my pant leg.

Which brings me to the reason for this post....as part of my extreme makeover I am entering a contest to be the Sego Lily Mind Body Spa's official blogger. I want this chance to be an example of how Mothers need to take care of themselves so that they can better take care of their families. I strongly believe that regular spa treatments should be mandatory for all women but especially for those of us that stay at home day after day caring for small children.

Here are some of the items from Sego Lily's Spa Menu that I think would be beneficial.

Detoxifying Seaweed Wrap....for elimination of toxins.
Native American Body Balancer...healing synergy helps to purify and cleans the body.
Herbal Cellulite Treatment....reveals a firmer, more textured skin.
Soothing Soak...precious refuge from daily stressors.
Rocky Mountain Stone Massage...promotes sense of well-being, comfort and healing.
Signature Facial...care for your skin so that when the kids suck the life out of you it doesn't show on your face.
Indulgence Pedicure....who doesn't love pretty feet?
Bikini wax....feel more confident while wearing a swim suit.

If a mother is well rested, has ample energy and is experiencing the healing benefits of bodywork then she will in turn be able to do her job better and the children will ultimately reap the rewards. I want a better life for me and my family. I want to thrive!

Ladies....we are the heart of our homes. We teach, comfort, discipline, love, nurture and fight for our families. Isn't time that we do the same thing for ourselves?

My plan for the coming year is to become a student of healthy living. I want to go with the mind, body and spirit route....because South Beach and Weight Watchers haven't done squat for me. You can follow my progress at Fat Mommy to Hot Mommy...my new blog venture!

The Choices We Make...

Three years ago yesterday I was 8 months pregnant with Alex and just 3 weeks away from my due date. I had just finished eating my lunch in the kitchen when I heard the front door open....it was Calvin.

I was shocked to see him because he worked in South Denver and never came home for lunch. He informed me that he had just been let go from his job. A job that he had held for 7 years. It was so unexpected and I was so scared.

Yesterday, I spent the day in fear that it was going to happen again. Calvin's company was laying people off and we didn't know how it was going to go. I spent the morning praying, eating poptarts and sending messages back and forth with my friend Monica while we waited for word from our husbands. It was torture! Finally, we both heard the good news that their jobs were safe...for now. Later, I found out that Calvin was on the list but a supervisor that believes in him, fought for him and his job was saved. I ran to twitter and stated my relief and thanked Baby Jesus. Jesus (on twitter) responded and said 'you're welcome'! LOL! Did you know Jesus was on twitter?


Calvin and I had just been talking the other day about how important the choices we make are. Of course it's impossible to know all the time, which ones will be bad and which one's we will live to regret but making an informed decision is crucial.

I still question if moving to Utah was a good choice. At the time, there didn't seem like we had any choice....Calvin had been without a job for 5 months and we were pregnant again. We had to do what was right for our family.

And I guess really...that's the only choice there is to make. We are determined to give our kids a great life....a life that is better than what we had. We work together to make their days special and their lives happy. We are teaching them while looking for their strengths and interests and encouraging them. And someday we will motivate them to follow their dreams....no matter what they may be. They will leave home and if we did our job correctly they will succeed and have families of their own.

There is an old joke about having children so that there is someone to care for you in your old age. I'm convinced that is why Calvin married me, he wanted a young wife to change his diapers! Many of the choices we make as a couple are to ensure that we are never a burden on Alex and Mallory. It is bewildering to me when people make poor decisions and then expect to be bailed out. But that is the kind of atmosphere we live in now days isn't it? Do whatever the hell you want and someone will rescue you.....

At the end of the day, it's all about the choices we make and how we take responsibility for them.

Do you Knit?

As a lover of lists....I have a list of things I would like to do. There are many things on this list and some of them may never be done but I like to look at the list and dream....

One thing that has been on my list for years is:

Learn to Knit

Every time I visit Etsy and see the beautiful scarfs, hats and sweaters and I get all excited and think about knitting. But I never do anything about it. Mostly because I have so many other activities that I do (quilting, stamping, gardening, cooking and blogging) and I think a part of me thinks I won't be able to get the hang of it and I will get frustrated with myself and feel stupid (ie...Mod Podge disaster of 2009).

But I just saw something this morning that has made me want to knit. I can feel the fire beginning to burn in my belly....the passion has arrived. I Will Learn To Knit.

It started HERE.

I have a love of Anthropologie Sweaters but they are very expensive. I've always thought it would be so amazing to be able to knit these beautiful things for myself!


Then I found myself HERE. Isn't it beautiful...and she give directions on how to make the sweater!

Do you knit? How do you get started? Can I learn from a book or should I find a class?

Toddler Talk and other Tidbits

This morning Alex was mad at me because I took away his beloved pacifier. He was MAT! As I got him dressed I asked him some questions.

Me: Are we going to have a good day today?

Alex: No

Me: Why not?

Alex: Daddy sick!

Me: What's wrong with Daddy?

Alex: Daddy go crazy.

Me: Well, duh!

~~

After breakfast I was playing with the kids on the floor and Mallory picked up this little toy figurine and said...Daddy and Mally and then she kissed it.

~~

The kids are really into the Thomas and Friends show on PBS right now and we were watching one of them that featured Percy (he is the green one) and they keep saying his name over and over and Mallory is saying it every time the TV does but she can't say it quite right...she says P*ssy!


In other fabulous breaking news....Bethenny Frankel from The Real Housewives of New York City is following me on twitter! She is my favorite person on reality TV. I have loved her since she was on Martha Stewart's Apprentice show. I love her brash personality and I just discovered she has a new book out called Naturally Thin!

photo credit

Did you watch In The Motherhood last night? I have to say....I was disappointed. It wasn't as funny as I thought it was going to be and there was only one husband present and he was only in one scene. If they were trying to represent real moms....I think they missed the mark. I will watch it again....to give it another chance, I hope it gets better!

Rocky Mountain High

You can go back to your childhood for one day. What day and age do you choose?

When I was 10 years old my Dad got his pilot's license and I was his very first passenger. From that point on...I was obsessed with airplanes and flying. I spent every available moment at the airport with my Dad and we went to many air shows.

The summer of 1981, we attended the Weld County Air Show in my hometown of Greeley Colorado and my Dad bought two raffle tickets for a chance to ride in the Coors Lear Jet. We waited around in the sweltering July heat, waiting for the crotchety old men running the show to start calling out the winners. I sat against the wall of the terminal in the shade and I held my orange ticket in my sweaty palm, occasionally opening my hand and stealing a peak at my numbers. They called the first five set of numbers and I felt dejected. There was only one seat left and I just knew it wasn't going to be me.

As they began calling the numbers for the that last seat and I noticed that mine were matching up, I began to get excited! Oh my goodness! Dad! Those are my numbers! I won! I ran up to show them my ticket and they escorted me to a waiting area. My Dad had to sign some forms relieving Coors of all liability should something happen during the flight and then they let me inside.

The jet was like a long tube with tan leather seats. I took the last empty captain's chair and sat nervously waiting for something to happen. I was the only kid and the adults were chatting amongst themselves. Finally, one of them talked to me and asked me if I wanted a beer from the built in cooler. I was so nervous that I didn't even respond....I just thought he was stupid for asking me that.

Soon they closed the door and the jet began to move! I stared out the window and was shocked at how quickly the runway was disappearing as we left the ground and blasted into the sky. I had only been in my Dad's little Cessna 152....this was amazing!

The ride lasted about 20 minutes, heading west to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and back. In my head, I was singing my favorite John Denver song while shaking like a leaf from the exhilaration and the freakin air conditioning....and I felt like the coolest/luckiest/happiest girl in the world!

This post is part of Mama Kat's Weekly Writing Assignment. Click here to see the prompts, pick one and join in!

Livestock & The City

I live on a really nice street. All of the houses were built in the last 10 years and they are all well kept and very lovely. The weird thing is that this street is built into an older neighborhood of homes that were built in the 1970's so the houses behind us are much older and about $100,000 cheaper.

What a difference $100,000 makes!

Last fall the house behind us went on the market. For several months, it sat empty and finally in December I noticed some activity over there...Someone was moving in! The reason that I notice this house so much is because the view from my kitchen window and backyard deck, is the back of this house. I can't help but see it every single day as I go about my business.

Right away I noticed two LARGE dogs. They looked like greyhounds but furrier and bulkier. Their howl (which was often) sounded like a siren. It woke the children from their nap on a regular basis. I worried that they could be able to jump the fence and eat my kids. I wish I had pictures of these dogs to show you.....

A few days later...I saw a Rabbit cage. Oh, how nice I thought...the new people have a rabbit. I still didn't see any *people* just animals. Then in early January the hay/straw bales arrived.

click on the pictures to make them bigger...

A ton of bales were stacked up against their house, covered with plastic and then wood pallets and steel fence gates holding it all together. And more rabbits.


My husband's family used to raise Rabbits for show and he informed me that they smell. Oh great, I thought...we get to smell Rabbits all summer.

Finally I saw the residents of the house, a woman and her daughter. We shall call them MA and Daisy May from this point forward. Even they wear surgical masks when handling the rabbits. Are these little buggers toxic?

And now...I notice that they have three little strange looking dogs that are inside the house. Instead of letting them outside in the yard to potty...she just lets them out onto the deck which she has covered in plastic.


I'm pretty sure that we are not zoned for livestock so I'm not sure how she is getting away with this. I just hate looking at this everyday! Plus...what is she is holding the Easter Bunny hostage? Shouldn't I alert the authorities?

What would you do? Should I call the city and report her? Should I just close my blinds and pretend this mess isn't there? I think I'll call Martha and ask her what she would do.....

Gentlemen...Start Your Engines!

Hello everyone! It's me Alex. I'm guest blogging for Mommy today because she has an ailment called Spring Fever. I keep catching her reading seed catalogs in the bathroom and sneaking outside to sniff dirt.

I wanted to tell you about something really cool that my Grandpa Bob got to do on Saturday. He is a big NASCAR fan and whenever he is here we watch a race together because he likes cars as much as I do. He has even been to races at the Texas Motor Speedway two years in a row.

Saturday, my Grandpa got to drive a NASCAR car!

Grandpa Bob drove the SHELL car and drove 10 laps at 150 mph with 10 other cars. He said that it was really really fun and one of the coolest things he has ever done which is pretty amazing because my Grandpa is a flight instructor and he used to jump out of perfectly good airplanes for fun. Doesn't he look cool in his suit?

I'm practicing driving my matchbox cars Grandpa so you can take me for a drive when I'm old enough!

Here's a joke: What does NASCAR stand for?

Non
Athletic
Sport
Created
Around
Rednecks


P.S. Mom says don't forget that In The Motherhood starts on Thursday.

Whatcha Gonna Do?

I was supposed to write a post about Optimism today but I couldn't come up with anything. I was reminded of this story this week when I heard a certain song. You know how that is...you hear a song and it takes you right back to the place you were when you first heard it.

In 1996, I lived in a low rent apartment complex where many college students lived. I made friends with several of my neighbors and we spent many a night sitting out in the grass between the buildings grilling on our little hibachis, drinking beer and talking.

I made fast friends with two young ladies and one warm spring night they decided to have a party and they invited me. I was quite excited because I had never been to a college party since I had gotten married and went to work right after high school.

I tried to wear my hippest outfit which I'm sure was not hip at all because I was a 25 year old divorcee and I worked in an auto parts store. I think I probably did a shot before leaving my apartment to quell my nerves.

I arrived fashionably late and walked in to find the one bedroom apartment completely packed with very old teenagers. The kitchen table was shoved against the wall and contained all kinds of party food. Chips, dip and cookies and in the center of the little kitchen where the table used to be was a keg of beer.

I made my way through the crowd to my friends and they were pretty much already wasted. I couldn't understand a word they were saying and you couldn't hear yourself think anyway because of the noise.

Seeing as I didn't know anyone else and they ALL seemed to know each other I decided to grab a plastic cup of beer, sit down in front of the stereo and play DJ. I had just started to shuffle through the CD's when there was a knock on the door.

Enter Officer Gilman.

There had been a noise complaint and he wanted us to quiet down. If he had to come back there was going to be trouble! I giggled to myself.....I was the oldest person at this party and now the cops had shown up.

We quieted down for a little while and slowly the noise level increased. I continued to play songs and the kids were really liking what I was playing. Cool Beans! I had a song all picked out to play the next time Officer Gilman knocked because I just knew he was going to be back.

There was a knock at the door! The kids all quieted down and I cued the music....



The door was opened just as the song started and Officer Gilman became very angry! He shot daggers from his eyes at me all the way across the room...yelling for me to shut the music off!

Officer Gilman was not happy. He instructed my friends to break up their party immediately or they were going to get a ticket.

I put a No Doubt CD on and then I slinked out of the apartment and back to my own....giggling all the way.

Times Are Tough...

Times are really tough right now, people are losing their jobs, the president is bailing out companies that can still afford to give their top people bonuses and Jay Cutler is mad at his new head couch.

Mothers are a resilient bunch and when times get tough we get to work...we work hard to make sure that our families are taken care of and that the paycheck Daddy brings home goes further than it did last week. We cut coupons and shop sales and Ebay. Some Mommies will go back to work and some will try to find something to do from home.

There are lots of things that Moms can do from home. Take in more children to watch, transcription and data entry, phone sex operator, or some kind of sewing project.....

Since I am an excellent sewer...I decided that this would be the way I would help take care of my family. I have found a product that I think is just going to FLY off my shevles and will make my family rich! Now I just need a little help. I hosted a casting call the other day for a model to be the spokesmodel for my product. Three ladies showed up....can you help me pick the right person for this job?

From left to right: Debbie, Sally & June.

They Say It's Your Birthday!

It didn't take me long to be excited about having another baby but also scared out of my mind. A few weeks after I found out I was expecting, Calving accepted a job in Utah so we packed up and moved. We lived in a hotel for 3 long weeks.

The next 5 and a half months would go by in a flash. Before I knew it, I was 36 weeks pregnant and I was in so much pain I could barely walk. I didn't realize just how hard it is a for a body of advanced maternal age (35) to be pregnant for 17 months....almost in a row. I felt like an elephant!


At my 36 week appointment, I told my doctor that Mallory was coming that week and he laughed at me. He didn't know about my special *gift* and I didn't know if I could make it another 3 weeks. I was also really worried that I would be giving birth in the hallway of the hospital because there was a baby boom going on in Ogden. Every week there were 50-60 births announced in the paper. I was told that there had been lots of camping going on the summer before....

On the morning of March 15th, I awoke with horrible pain in my back and pelvis and I was sick to my stomach. I felt dizzy and like I was going to throw up. I coughed and peed my pants! (this is a common occurrence when I am pregnant) I laid on the couch wondering how I was going to take care of Alex in this condition and started thinking about when I had peed my pants earlier and wondered if my water had broken. I called my doctor's office and they told me to come to the hospital. I called Calvin and told him to come home...but we had a problem. We didn't have anyone to watch Alex...my mother in law was planning to come from Denver closer to my due date but this was too early. Amazingly, a co-worker of his agreed to watch Alex overnight! Never mind that we barely knew these people....

We arrived at the hospital around 11am and I was tested and hooked up to monitors. It turned out that I had indeed peed my pants and not broken water but I had a fever and my heart was racing. They decided to monitor me.

At 3:30pm, someone came in and told me that I had an infection in my uterus and I was going to be induced. Three different people came in to install an IV but I was so dehydrated that no one could find a vein. Finally, an Anesthesiologist came and rescued me from my fate as a human pin cushion.

They started Pitocin at 6:30 pm.....I was 2 CM dilated. Calvin finally showed up after dropping Alex off at Tracey and Brian's house and we watched TV. I tried like crazy to watch Ugly Betty but the contractions were kicking my ass. At 7:50pm...I got my epidural. I was sitting there joking around with the Nurse and the Anesthesiologist and then he stuck me with the needle and everything started to go black. The epidural caused my already low blood pressure to plummet even further and they spent the next 30 minutes trying to bring everything back to normal. I could hear Grey's Anatomy starting on the TV and I was irritated that I was going to miss it! Calvin would tell me later that I was in and out of consciousness....while I thought I was awake. Needless to say, this little turn of events scared the hell out of him.

Mallory's heart rate increased so they upped my Pitocin to speed things along but I stalled at 4CM. At 2:30am they broke my water and then I stalled at 6CM. At 5AM a new nurse (that I hated) came on and I asked her to check me but she wouldn't. I had not been checked since 3:30am and I was sure that I had progressed because my epidural had been wearing off and I could feel some of the contractions. No matter how much I insisted...she refused.

At 6:30am, she finally decided to check me and she yelled 'Oh no! You are 10 CM and your baby is in the birth canal!' There was a flurry of activity while they called my doctor and prepared the room for Mallory's arrival. And then she told me to HOLD MY LEGS TOGETHER because she could see Mallory's head. At this point, if my baby wouldn't have shot out of my vajayjay...I would have kicked her in the freakin head!

Finally....my doctor walked in the door and sat down between my legs.....then he noticed the camera that Calvin was holding and said he had one just like it and they decided that this would be the perfect time to discuss the pros and cons of the Nikon. I tried my best to bring them back to attention by informing them that I was having a baby and that my poor little girl had been sitting in my birth canal for 30 minutes!

I pushed 5 times and she was out! They laid her on my stomach and even though she was crying her head off and covered in white goo....I knew she was the most beautiful baby I had seen in at least a year.

Mallory Tressa Weiss was born at 7:09 am on March 16th , she was 6 lbs 10 oz and
19 inches long.

When they took her to be examined they discovered that her glucose levels and body temp were low so she spent 6 hours in NICU....and then the next 24 hours she had to have her foot pricked constantly to test her blood sugar levels. Her poor little feet where covered in little round band aids when we took her home.

At 1:30pm, they finally brought her back to me and she didn't want to breast feed. They had given her formula and she was rejecting my nipple. I can't tell you how vexed I was that she spent her first 6 hours away from me sucking on an artificial nipple!

Further testing revealed that she was extremely jaundiced and would require a bili blanket for 7 days. So, again...I was discouraged from breast feeding because formula helps the toxins leave the body faster. I was so sad....

I am not a good patient because I hate hospitals but this place was the worst. I ran out of giant mesh panties and pads and it took an hour to bring me more, I was not given pain meds until I asked for them and then when my doctor was checking me out before being discharged...I found out they were supposed to be giving me antibiotics for my infection but they had not! I threatened to escape if they did not release me and let me take my baby home. They made us stay over night and then let us go Saturday after they forced me to eat some of their god awful food and a piece of pie.

And then I went grocery shopping.

I was filling my prescription and the pharmacist asked me when I gave birth...and then gave me a hard time for already doing my grocery shopping when I had just given birth the day before. I explained that I had a house guest arriving and I had meals to prepare....it's what Martha Stewart would do.

Mallory was such an easy baby and once she arrived we couldn't figure out how we lived without her.

Thank Heaven...for Little Girls!

There was a time, not so very long ago that I didn't think I was going to be a Mother. From the time I was a little girl, I knew that my heart's true desire was to be a Mom and at the age of 33 it still hadn't happened for me. I could think of nothing in the world I wanted more....

Of course, once I stop looking for love... it found me. And after one heartbreaking miscarriage I finally gave birth to a baby boy. Life was so good! I was in love....I adored taking care of Alex and we fell into an easy routine.

Then, 10 weeks after I gave birth....I found myself staring at two lines on a pregnancy test! I was devastated! How could this be happening? Alex was a baby, my husband was unemployed and my breast milk was drying up from the hormones. I thought this must be the worst thing to ever happen....how would we manage?

I blamed myself. I tend to pray for stuff I don't need and I had asked the lord to please give me TWO children before I got too old. I figured menopause must be right around the corner if God had to bless me with two pregnancies in under one year.

I had company. You know Britney did the same thing....two kids in one year. We all know how that turned out. I was determined not to go Bat Shit Crazy...so I did what I always do...I sucked it up and looked at the bright side. Our Theme Song....



I decided that I was giving Alex a gift. A sibling that would be his bestest little friend....a playmate, a partner in crime....A Sister!

My girl just hours after her birth...

Just look at her! Isn't she the most precious thing you have ever seen? I was instantly in love and thought my heart would just burst from this wonderful gift. The gift of life! Babies that smell so good and are truly miracles......

Looking back on the last two years....I can't believe what an amazing blessing this little girl is. Instead of being overwhelmed by having two babies...I thrived! She was such an easy baby and Alex took to her so well. She was so eager to do what brother was doing that she is way ahead in verbal skills....it has often felt like I have twins and I forget that she is 10.5 months younger. Our family would not be complete without her....

She is sweet and mischievous, beautiful and rambunctious, thoughtful and sneaky. And every night when I rock her to sleep....I say to her, I love you Moo and she looks up at me with those big blue eyes and she says....

Yeah, that's nice.

Come back here on Monday for Mallory's Birthday Party Extravaganza!

A Rock and A Hard Place

Tell about a time you hurt somebody that still bothers you to this day.

There have been a few times in my life when I have had a best friend that I felt was like a sister to me. I met Denise because the man I was dating was working for her husband's construction company. We immediately clicked and for the next 10 years she would be the person I looked to for friendship, comfort, fun and advice. She would end up standing up for me when I married my ex-husband and she was there when it all fell apart.

Late one night, as I often did...I went to a bar looking for my ex-husband and I found Denise's Jeep in the parking lot. I parked behind it and went up to the window....but she wasn't the one inside. It was her husband and he was with another woman. I panicked, got back in my truck and left.

The next day, I was told by my husband that I was forbidden from telling Denise what I saw. Her husband had threatened his job and we couldn't afford for him to lose it. I felt terrible each time I saw or talked to her and wanted so desperately to tell her what I knew. And each time I saw HIM, he would leer at me because he knew that I wouldn't expose his dirty little secret.

For months....this went on. Keeping this from my friend was tearing me up inside....and I didn't know how I could go on with this information in my heart. Denise's husband didn't make it any easier for me. He treated her badly and finally he did something that allowed me to break my silence.

He hit her.

I couldn't stand by any longer and I told her the whole story! I was so conflicted because Denise had two small children with this man and she was going to forgive him....but once I told her the truth she made a decision to leave.

I have always felt so badly that I hurt my friend by withholding this information, that I didn't protect her and that she had to endure months more abuse from this man. It taught me to always listen to my gut. If it feels wrong...it usually is.

The good news is that Denise went on to marry a wonderful man and have a beautiful daughter with him.



This post is part of Mama Kat's Weekly Writing Assignment. Click here to see the prompts, pick one and join in! Click here to see what everyone picked.

Coming to a Mall Near You....

I like to hang out on the couch. I like to sit and watch TV, or read and I love watching movies from my couch. But I think when I order this item....I have officially spend way too much time on my couch. I'm thinking once you are comfortably situated with your couch dress...you don't get up much. Is there a potty under there too? I think I might accidently dip part of this in the toilet while trying to do my business. And my home has stairs. I think this is just an accident waiting to happen....

The Call of the Wild

I found something fun that I want to participate in! Mama Kat does a weekly writing assignment! How fun is that? Here are the prompts....

1.) Write a limerick.

2.) Normal is...

3.) Describe a memorable camping experience.

4.) What's the best thing that has happened this week?

5.) Did you have a childhood hideout? Where? Describe it.

6.) Words that hurt me.

*****************

When I was a teenager we did a lot of camping. Around this time...my family became friends with a wilderness survival expert and I was forced to spend two nights in the woods in a shelter that we made out of sticks and I became violently ill from eating wild mushrooms. I believe that was our last camping experience because there were three of us(me, Bobbi and Mom) and one of him and we put our collective feet down. But that isn't my most memorable experience...OH NO....today I shall tell you about peeing in the woods.

In July 1980 something, my Dad came home from an Alaskan fishing trip a few days early and he had the wonderful idea that we should go camping in the Rocky Mountains. In true teenage fashion... I'm sure I threw a fit and I'm sure I sulked and pouted. During the night, I woke up and had to go 'potty'. We were in a camp ground but I had no intention of searching for the potty house in the pitch dark so I was going to just squat outside the tent. I got out of my sleeping bag and started to pull my sweat pants on when a wild animal screamed just outside of the tent. My heart stopped and I took my sweatpants off....since I had just pissed myself. My Dad, who apparently was awake...started laughing at me and asked if I needed to go to the bathroom. I informed him that I no longer needed to go thankyouverymuch.

After this...my Dad joked that my idea of roughing it was staying at a hotel that didn't have room service!

I MAT

I had a lovely post prepared for you today with adorable pictures of my daughter Mallory who will be turning 2 years old in a few days. She is just so darling and saying so many funny things. Last week, she got feelings. I have nicknamed her Sybil because in a moments notice she gets MAT (she means mad) and sighs heavily and sulks off. We don't know what causes it or how long it will last but she is MAT and don't talk to me.

I have to tell you...I have not been very careful with how I present my family on the internet. People talk all the time about how careful you need to be...about not showing pictures of the front of the house and of your children, and using fake names. I have taken some of those precautions but I guess I just thought I was immune from it.

I recently had to distance myself from a online message board that I have been a part of for two years. There was a woman there that I became very close to and I would say we became great friends. As will happen in a group of 40 ladies, I became more close with some the gals than others and she didn't like that. Then...she got a blog and began to copy everything I did. They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery....and it felt like that at first but then when she started following my commenters home to their blogs and commenting there it started to feel weird. I felt like she was following me all around the internet! You might be thinking...that's not so bad, we all comment on each other's blogs. Well. I also have Statcounter and I discovered she was visiting my blogs 16-20 times a day. I had to do something before she threw my puppy out the window. There is slightly more to the story but I will leave it at that.

Now, I feel nervous about posting pictures of my children and sharing too much. I am not the kind of person that censors herself and I don't want to start now. What you see here is exactly who I am. I don't want to stop being myself because blogging is such a wonderful outlet for me. Stay at home mom's are sometimes so isolated and this makes me feel like I have a connection with real people.

The reason that I'm telling you about this is because I want you to be careful. I never in a million years though this person would end up being this way. And it makes me MAT that I have this fear in my heart right now.

Be careful out there.....

The Year Ahead...March

“March is the month of expectation, the things we do not know. ”
– Emily Dickinson

Plugging right along here. I am baffled that it is March 1st already. My children are growing like weeds and I'm getting older every single day. March has always represented hope for me. I've always lived where winter is a major season. This is the month when slowly the temps start to creep up and then all of a sudden one day....you see tulips and daffodils popping their heads up through the earth.

Do you remember me telling you that a little storm cloud follows me around? It is becoming quite obvious to me that this is true. For the second winter in a row, my little town which sits up against the mountains and is 45 miles from SLC has gotten tons of snow. And the little mountain pass behind my house...had it's first avalanche since January 1997! The road was closed for a week! Do you think it is a coincidence that I have lived here for two years?

Here is a quote from my local newspaper last week:

It snowed so much, it took the guy who measures the snow three hours to dig out his driveway, and he lives in Layton.

It snowed so much, even the ski resorts were having trouble handling it.

It snowed so much, the amount of new water in the snow on top of Ben Lomond is blowing the minds of those same snow-measuring people, so much so they're skiing up today just to see for themselves.

I'm experiencing a bit of a conflict over my desire to live a fuller life. I've always fought an uphill battle with wet blanket syndrome* but many of my thoughts and ideas are meeting resistance. I have always been a glass half full/plan for the future/passionate person and it is sometimes really hard to deal with a spouse that won't plan more than a month out at a time and doesn't share your excitement for things.

On to my goals for the month of March!

Reading: I finished The Yoga Mamas and I'm now reading Bitter is the New Black by Jen Lancaster. I love this book so much! I have been laughing and calling my sister to read excerpts to her. She needs to hurry and get a copy of her own! Goal: To finish Bitter and start Bright Lights, Big Ass

Weight Loss: I only lost 2 of the 4 pounds that I wanted to lose by the end of February. Goal: lose 5 pounds. I will do this by eating smaller portions and drinking Slim Fast.

Cooking: Still trying new recipes and I have submitted my application for The Daring Bakers. Goal: more new recipes

Garden: I bought my notebook! Now, I am going to start ordering lettuce seeds to plant. I am going to plant lettuce in a planter on the patio. I also need to plant my tulip bulbs in containers and put them in the garage to be forced. Goal: Order seeds and draw out landscape in notebook.

Whoopie: I did not meet my goal for February and this is another goal that I am going to abandon. Calvin decided to give up sex for lent and we aren't even Catholic..... GOAL ABANDONED

Me Time: This is a new addition....and against the wishes of my husband....I will be doing something for myself at least twice a month. Even if I have to get a babysitter. Goal: see another movie, plan a couple play dates and find something else exciting to do.

*Wet Blanket Syndrome ~
when someone disregards your thoughts, ideas and dreams with their negative attitude.

In the comments...please tell me your goals for March! And if you don't have any...make ONE now! Don't make me come find you.....

Visit The Inspired Room for more ideas on how to make your life better...and more beautiful!