Meg's Blog: An E - Vent

Winter weather

2009-12-22T15:57:00.003-06:00

So, here in the midwest, we're all gearing up for another huge winter storm. I heard on the radio we can expect up to 3 inches of sleet before 4-8 inches of snow. Nothing like a good sheet of ice under the snow to make holiday travel a real treat.

We were planning on heading up to Dubuque Christmas Eve for a party and spending the night with my parents. Now, I'm pretty sure we're just going to stay home. I was looking forward to seeing everyone, but now most of my relatives aren't making the trip home anyway. Hopefully we'll be able to get together with my mom and dad and sister's family by Saturday or Sunday.

I am just so looking forward to Christmas this year! I only have one sewing project left to finish. I have everything else wrapped and ready to go. And because of a series of fortunate (for us) events, John is coming home tonight. Originally he wasn't supposed to have tomorrow or Thursday off. And now, we're going to have a really great long weekend all together!!

Planning Christmas on a much tighter budget this year meant I spent a lot more time selecting things for the kids. I wanted to buy very specific items, instead of my typical "lots of stuff" approach. I'm really excited to see what they think on the big day.

Also, I sent out Christmas cards for the first time in three years. Which means that when I went to find my address list, I couldn't find it. Turns out, it's "not lost", it's still "on the old computer". Which is conveniently packed in a rubbermaid tub in the garage. Sigh. So, here's our family Christmas card this year. Sorry if I missed anyone!

Hello Again

2009-12-09T15:33:00.002-06:00

Wow. I can't believe it's really been so long since I've posted anything. But after a few gentle reminders, I've decided to make a stab at keeping up with my blog again.

We're all snowed in today, which means the kids are bouncing off the walls. Quinn and Eva came outside with me to shovel, but after 5 minutes, Quinn said "Mom, I'm sick of the snow." Sigh. "Ok, buddy, let's go in and take off your gear." Ten minutes later, "Mom, can we go back outside to play?" Sigh.

Dex hasn't been outside today because it is VERY cold and windy here (we have a blizzard warning all day). But, he did get a taste of winter weather yesterday when we only had about 2 inches on the ground (we now have about 10). He mostly sat on the sled and let Eva pull him around the yard. Meanwhile I was able to get a jumpstart on the shoveling, so we were all happy :)

I've been doing lots of sewing to get ready for Christmas, and I think I'm almost ready. I only have 5 bathrobes and a doll quilt/bedding set left to go. It may sound like a lot, but I can't believe how much I've already finished! But, I have to say, I'm looking forward to January, so I can get back to my quilting.

How're Things? Fine.

2009-02-13T13:20:00.002-06:00

That about sums up what's been going on around here lately. I get a little blah this time of year. Everything after Christmas is downhill until spring. I guess we all get a bit of cabin fever. It's really hard to entertain the kids all day long in the house. I just can't wait for spring and getting outside and doing fun stuff again.

I have been getting quite a bit of sewing done, though. I made a really cool baby quilt for friends Natalie and Larry who welcomed their first baby, Samuel, to the world on Feb 10. Congratulations! I've heard they're all doing well. I'm not going to post pictures today, because I'm not sure if they've received it in the mail yet.

I've also been mulling over dress patterns because I'm starting on 2 fancy dresses in the near future. I'm making a first communion dress for my niece, Kylie. I'm also making a flower girl dress for Eva. She is going to be in John's cousin's wedding this summer. I am really excited about both of these.

We do have huge baby news, though!!! Quinn is potty trained. Can I get a YAY?!?!?!? We've been 15 months with two in diapers and it's a really great feeling to be down to one. (I bet some of you thought I was going to say I was pregnant, huh? Nope :)

Also Dex is walking and getting into all sorts of mischief. He had a doctor's appointment this week and weighs 24 lbs 13 oz. and is 32 1/2 in. His height is still in the 95%, but he's dropped down to around 50% for his weight. Just a side effect of him being on the go all the time.

Also, Eva is getting pretty good with her "reading" and spelling. She can sound out and write most three and four letter words we throw at her. She is also adding in her head. What a smart little cookie!

So, let's everyone think spring thoughts and maybe we can hurry it up a little bit :)

Dear Santa...

2008-12-13T16:51:00.003-06:00

This is the letter Eva wrote to Santa. Here is the translation, if you're not up the latest in preschool writing styles.

Dear Santa
I would like makeup and a new ballet dress and silver shoes I have been a good girl
Love
Eva

Usually she writes her name really clearly, so I wasn't sure what she wrote there at the bottom. She said, "Mom, I wanted to make my name all PRICKLY." Well done, prickly it is.

I hope you're all enjoying getting ready for Christmas. I'll have more holidays pics/items for you soon!

Tis the Season

2008-11-24T14:53:00.002-06:00

We're sick. All of us. Ugh.

Last Saturday morning Eva came into our room and said she didn't feel well. Moms out there....what does that mean? Yep, she started throwing up about 2 seconds later, before I could even get out of bed. So, she and Quinn had the stomach flu. Then I got sick with a flu. Not the stomach flu, but the other can't move, fever, chills, aches kinda flu. Then John got it.

So, John and I were both sick and trying to spell each other. Then I had to take Dex to the doctor for pink eye and a double ear infection. Today, Eva and Quinn had to head in - pink eye and double ear infections all around.

John thinks he might have walking pneumonia becuase he just isn't getting better and he has a really wet, nasty sounding cough. He called the doctor this morning and they offered to make him an appointment on Wed afternoon. Umm, seriously? I think he needs to come in now. So, he's waiting at a clinic place right now, trying to figure out what is going on.

So, to recap. We're all sick. The good news is the antibiotics should work for the kids before Thanksgiving. We'll have to wait and see what John hears.

In the meantime, here's a cute story. This is as good as it gets when I feel crappy :)
Last weekend when I was sick I decided to take a bath. I added some bath salts to the water. Later, Eva and I were cuddling on the couch and she said "Mom, what's that smell?" It was me. Apparently she didn't like the smell of my bath powder. So, she said "Mom, you smell bad. But you're a good mom!" So, even when I'm sick, I'm a good mom :)

More Pictures

2008-11-12T08:35:00.002-06:00

I'm finally updated with pictures on our website. To see more pics from October/Halloween, Dex's Birthday and our amazing quilt show, check it out.

Or just head to secularpickle.spoon.cx to browse to your heart's content :)

Pictures!

2008-11-08T08:00:00.014-06:00

Well, I've been promising pictures for awhile now. Something is not working quite right with our website - it's not letting me upload pictures right now. As I have no idea how to fix something like that, it's out of my hands. Hopefully things will be ironed out soon. But, because John is sick this weekend, I'm just going to post some pictures here.

So, first off. Halloween. We had the best Halloween weather I can ever remember. Usually it is raining (or snowing), windy, and so cold the kids have to wear their winter coats under their costumes. This year it was 74 degrees on Halloween, and even though it cooled down as the sun went down, it was still wonderful.

Eva borrowed a princess costume from Kylie. John made Quinn a cowboy costume. And Dex wore Quinn's monkey costume from 2 years ago. So, all told we spend $3 on a cowboy hat!! I was really excited about this because Halloween costumes have gotten really expensive. I wanted to make really elaborate costumes for them (cuz that's what I like to do) but with the quilt show I just didn't have time. Bottom line: they looked really cute and got lots of candy.

Ok, second. Dex's Birthday. We had Dex's birthday party Saturday night after the quilt show. Mom and Amber came down to the show, then we all went back to our house for the party. I picked up pizza and we had chocolate birthday cake. I opted to make a cake instead of paying $20 for one at the grocery store. It wasn't anything too fancy, but it sure was tasty!

Dex got some really nice gifts, too. My mom bought him the cutest outfit from Baby Gap. He'll wear it in his one year pics and for Thanksgiving, and maybe for Christmas too. My sister bought a neat bath toy. It has a pump and a water slide. So, it sits on the side of the tub and constantly runs water down the slide. It's been a big hit with all three kids. Grammie sent really cool board books, they're really big and the colors are super bright. I think they're from Target....I'll have to check if they have anymore.

Lastly. Quilt Show. The quilt show was awesome. We had so much fun. I showed four quilts (I did get my mom's done!). We had 209 quilts total, plus 24 antique/special quilts for our bedturning. Considering our guild only has about 25 active members, I think that's quite a showing! There were so many interesting things to look at. I love to get ideas from other people's quilts, especially from those who've been quilting for 20+ years. I'm only showing pics of my quilts. I promise as soon as our secularpickle site is back up and running, I'll post pics of everything.

Quinn's Monkey Quilt

Eva's Garden Quilt - I finished this one in 2006. It has been on her bed for 2 years, and has faded quite a bit :(

Mom's quilt. I quilted this all sitting at my machine - that was really hard because it's a queen size!

Dex's Piggy Quilt. I have a picture of this somewhere else on my blog, but just for good measure...

Psst....It's snowing today :)

I'm A Rock Star

2008-10-28T19:48:00.002-05:00

We listen to a lot of xm radio on our DirecTV. Has anyone noticed that rock star song by Pink is on ALL THE TIME??? I mean, literally, it's on one of the stations we flip through all the freakin' time.

Eva and Quinn love this song! It is so funny. Even if we're in the kitchen, they can hear it in the living room. Suddenly they shout "It's the rock star song" and start dancing and bouncing off the walls. Eva even knows most of the words to the chorus. Quinn just shouts over and over, "I'm rock star. I rock moves"

I do like the song, but they just make it hilarious. Maybe I'll make a fans only video...

Quilt Show

2008-10-27T10:38:00.003-05:00

I am participating in my first quilt show this weekend. I belong to two quilt guilds, this is the show for the Heartland Quilters. This guild is in Manchester and is much, much smaller than the Cedar Rapids guild I belong to. The show will be small, around 215 quilts, I think. We'll also have demos, a bed turning, vendors, a tea room, a country store, and a consignment area.

If you're in the area, please come and see!!!! The show is Sat 9-5 and Sun 10-4. It's held at the Delaware County Fairgrounds in Manchester.

I am showing four quilts. The one I made for Eva, one for Dexter, one for Quinn, and one for my mom. Eva's and Dexter's have been done for awhile, and I've posted pics of them in the past. I just finished Quinn's about a week ago - and I have to say it is so cute! I'm still working on my mom's. And by working I mean sewing every waking second and under crazy amounts of stress because I'm worried it might not get done in time. It's all together, but the quilting part is taking much, much longer than I had planned.

Notice how none of these quilts are mine? That's right. The very first quilt I made (a bright patchwork, which I tied) is the only quilt I've made for myself. In four and a half years of quilting, I've made 16 quilts that I've given as gifts (or to my kids). I think after the holidays, I'll be making something for myself. Back to that later.

Anyway, come to the quilt show if you can. It should be great. If you can't come, check back next week for pictures. For those of you who check our secularpickle site, I know I haven't been doing a very good job of updating lately. Like I said, I've been sewing, sewing, sewing. I'll be updating soon.

Also, Dex's first birthday is this weekend!!!! I can't believe he's one already. So, I should have some fun birthday party pictures next week, too.

Bedtime

2008-10-15T20:04:00.003-05:00

We follow a pretty standard bedtime routine at our house. The kids have a bath, then run around naked shrieking "I'm a naked baby", then we get into our jammies, and read stories. Then in a perfect world they would go to sleep.

In most cases, after stories, they each drink 2 cups of water in 1/2 ounce increments. "Another drink." "I need another drink." "Mom, I'm thirsty." Then Eva needs a new sweet receipt. "This one isn't sweet enough. I need a NEW one. One from your purse." (If you don't know - a glossy store receipt is what Eva uses as a security blanket. She must have a new "sweet" one every night).

Then we sing two songs, usually Lullaby and Rock-a-bye Baby. Then it's time to leave. At this point, Eva usually goes to sleep. She is 4 and she has the bedtime routine down. Quinn is another story altogether.

He usually gets out of bed between two and two hundred times. Usually John stays upstairs and works at his computer and just repeatedly puts him back in bed. Sometimes we put the door lock on, so he can't get out of the room. That's what I've done tonight. Here's what's happening.

"Mommy?
Are you there?
It's me.
Mr. Quinn.
Are you out there?
Please come get me.
I need a drink."

I love that he told me who he was. Hey, it could have been any number of crazies in his room begging me to open the door and bring them some water.

So, I took him some water. Now I can hear him banging on the door. I'll bet any amount of money that he's lying on the floor kicking it. But, I can tell he's winding down because he's telling himself a little story. If I wait 10 minutes, I'll probably find him sleeping on the floor.

If he falls asleep soon, I may actually get some work done tonight! Only two more weeks until quilt show - I'll keep you posted :)

Boys Are Just Different

2008-09-29T16:56:00.002-05:00

Boys are just different. I've said it over and over again. I didn't think that parenting a boy would be any different than parenting a girl. Well, I knew that eventually it would be different. I just didn't think it would be apparent at two years old.

I bought the kids some new shoes for fall. Eva was really excited and had to try them on right away. Then she had to go upstairs and put on a fancy outfit, so she looked all dressed up in her new shoes. She came downstairs and said "Look at me, Daddy ! Don't I look pretty? Mom bought me new shoes." Quinn didn't seem all that interested in looking at his new shoes.

So, the next day it was time to put the new shoes to go to the store. Here's how it went with Quinn:

"THESE AIN'T MINE SHOES!"
"Buddy, these are your new shoes!"
"THESE AIN'T MINE SHOES"
"Look, Mommy bought you new shoes."
"THESE AIN'T MINE SHOES"
"Quinn, your old shoes don't fit. They hurt your toes."
"THESE AIN'T MINE SHOES"

And so it went, on and on, with each round growing a little more hysterical. Screaming, kicking, crying and general fits. How dare I buy him new shoes. Maybe he wants to revive the custom of binding feet. Who knows. Like I said, boys are just different.

2008-09-10T10:30:00.002-05:00

For Sale

One sister for sale!
One sister for sale!
One crying and spying young sister for sale!
I'm really not kidding,
So who'll start the bidding?
Do I hear a dollar?
A nickel?
A penny?
Oh, isn't there, isn't there, isn't there any
One kid who will buy this old sister for sale,
This crying and spying young sister for sale?

Does anyone remember this poem by Shel Silverstein? It was in Where The Sidewalk Ends. That was my favorite book by him. Are you wondering why I'm posting chidren's poetry on my blog? I'm so frustrated with Quinn this morning I was thinking about listing him on Ebay. Certainly someone would bid on him, he's very, very cute. And I wouldn't post any audio. Then I realized it's probably illegal to post children on ebay, although I would be sympathetic with any parent tempted to do so.

As I was amusing myself thinking about the potential listing this poem popped into my head. It just seemed appropriate. Also, it added a bit a humor to my very stressful morning. So, now that I'm had a little laugh I'm feeling a little better. I guess I won't sell him after all.

Would anyone like to rent a two year old boy? Terms are negotiable.

Minus One

2008-09-04T08:40:00.004-05:00

Today is Eva's first day of preschool. Kind of. Last year she went to preschool at Rockwell for 2 1/2 hours, two days a week. This year she goes from 8:00 - 3:30. Doesn't that sound like a long day for a four year old? She is still only going two days a week, but this year she is riding on the school bus. It felt very weird to put her on the bus and watch her drive away without me.

Normally we'll walk her up to the elementary school to get on the bus. It's nice because the school is just around the corner from our house. Of course, this morning it was pouring down rain. So, we drove up instead.

She, of course, was super excited. She didn't really seem nervous, but she was a little quiet this morning when we were getting ready. Quinn, on the other hand, is ticked. He screamed, cried, and generally had a giant fit when he realized that he wasn't going on the bus with Eva. I'm not sure if he's that attached to his big sister, or if he just wanted to ride on a bus. Probably a combination of both.

The house seems quiet this morning, though. It's not that Eva is that noisy or anything. It just feels different when any of my kids are not here. I hope she has a great day, though!! I'm really excited to pick her up this afternoon and hear all about it.

It other news, I finally painted my kitchen. John and I estimate that this house hasn't been painted in about 15 years. We are basing that on when the previous owners did a lot of restoration and such. The walls are dirty and gross. We have been slowly painting one room at a time.

I made some news curtains. I think they turned out pretty cute. They are pretty country looking, which is not normally my aesthetic. But, this house is kinda old-fashioned and country looking, so overall it looks nice. It's just a relief to get rid of the horrid lace valences that were hanging in there. Lace is definitely not my thing. (I do still have lace curtains in my living room :( Hopefully they'll be coming down soon. The previous owners must have had a real affinity for very old-fashioned lace curtains. They were in the kitchen , dining room, living room, hallway, bathroom, and the extra bedroom. Yikes!!!

Anyway, I'm pretty happy with the kitchen so far. I'm going to buy or make some new rugs and hang a pretty shelf that I can hang my aprons on. It's coming along. One room at a time :)

Texas review

2008-08-21T13:26:00.003-05:00

So, we've been home from Texas for over a week and I still haven't written a thing about it. I keep meaning to sit down and write a nice, long description of all the things we did and how much fun we had. But I just haven't had the time (or the inclination).

So, I'll do this briefly. We saw lots of family and friends that we haven't seen in a long, long time. We had one spectacular night out with friends at The Melting Pot. We had a fun party for Micah's graduation (Congrats Micah!!) and John's 30th birthday (a little early). And mostly we just hung out and relaxed- which is really my favorite part of vacation.

I had the opportunity to do lots and lots of sewing, because John's family is awesome. They spent our whole vacation taking care of and entertaining my kids and I sewed and relaxed and slept in (at least a few days:). I made a quilt top for John's grandma and I've brought it home to quilt it for her. I also got about half way on a quilting project I brought from home.

That's our vacation in a nutshell. The kids were awesome in the car and we had a really wonderful time. I have lots of good pictures, so check out my website to see them.

To save myself some time, I'll just include one of all of us. Our family, John's mom, his brothers Ben and Micah, and his sister Randa. It's a pretty good picture of all of us :)

Happy 4th of July

2008-07-04T10:02:00.006-05:00

Happy 4th of July, everyone! I hope you all have a great, relaxing weekend full of wonderful weather.

Last night we met my sister and her family in Dyersville to see some fireworks. It wasn't until we got there that we realized they were charging admission and there were no carry-ins into the seating area. Umm, seriously? Here we come tromping with our coolers and 50 bags of snack food. So I'm thinking, this is total crap. It's like $3 for a hot dog. I thought fireworks were free!!!

So, we all sat at a picnic table outside the seating area and ate our prepacked dinner (Jimmy John's for John & I; PB&J for the kids). Then we sneakily (and apparently, illegally), stuffed some juiceboxes and cokes into the basket of Dex's stroller with a couple ice packs and covered it with a blanket. Then John took the cooler back to the car. Luckily, I had all my snacks in the diaper bag. I figured once it got nice and busy no one would be patrolling for a contraband juicebox.

We claimed our space with blankets and chairs and our red wagon and then went to play. The reason we like to go to Dyersville is they set up a big field with kids' stuff. They had lots of bounce houses and inflatable slides and a rock climbing wall and all sorts of cool stuff. I think it really helps to have something fun to do while you wait for it to get dark. I can't imagine trying to keep 6 kids entertained on a blanket for like 4 hours.

We had such a great time! The kids loved all the toys. There were some long lines, but the older kids were pretty patient. Quinn however, does not get the concept of a line. He kept running to the front and diving in, whether it was his turn or not. Several times John had to run after him and grab him by the ankle and pull him out! It was pretty funny. He was obviously having a very good time.

After all the rides we went back to our blanket and waited. We fed the kids snacks to keep them reasonable quiet. They had some music playing and it was nice to just sit and relax.

The fireworks were really good this year. They were set to music (my favorite part. They even had a few new types that I've never seen before. Eva laid in my lap and sucked her thumb quietly, just watching. Quinn laid across my chest and kept shouting "another" after every single one. It was hilarious. I think of all the kids he enjoyed them the most. Dex sat in John's lap and just stared at the sky. I was so surprised that we didn't cry because we were really close and things were pretty loud.

Needless to say, we are all a little tired today after such a busy evening.

Weekend Review

2008-06-30T09:43:00.005-05:00

We had a pretty busy weekend. My friend Allison and her husband Tim stopped by on Friday to see me and the kiddos. They have never been to my house. We had a really nice visit and I gave them a quilt that I made for their first baby, due in September. The quilt was really fun to work on. I chose colors from their nursery theme and made a curved nine-patch design.

The second picture is of the back of the quilt. The picture did not turn out as well as I had hoped, but you can see the quilting design that I used. I used my new machine to do some free motion quilting, which was very challenging!! I think I need more practice, practice, practice.

Saturday we headed up to Dubuque and visited my Grandma. My aunt Tam and my aunt and uncle from Minnesota were there and we got to see their little girl, Anna. She was one on Valentine's Day and is a real cutie! I forget to take my camera in though, so no pics.

After that we headed to my sister's house and just kinda hung out. We had a great dinner and the kids ran around until they were wiped out.

Sunday was my nephew Matthew's first birthday party. We had fried chicken (yum).

We also had a Sponge Bob (is that one word?) cake, which Matthew demolished.

Overall a very good, but busy weekend.

BTW - I finally figured out how to upload pics. Pretty cool, huh?

What's In a Name?

2008-06-24T12:11:00.002-05:00

So, today I'm sitting at the kitchen counter cleaning a pineapple while the kids are playing on the swing set. Quinn comes in the house and sees me busy.
"Mommy, picky up me".
"Sorry buddy, Mommy busy."
"Mommy, picky up me peeeeeeeeeeeease."
"Com'ere buddy, you can sit next to me and have some pineapple."
"OK Mommy"
I love the way he says OK. It's the cutest thing to come out of his mouth. He very carefully pronounces each letter, just to let me know it's really okay. Also, if he has a question he says "Go outside, OK?" You can totally tell if he's agreeing or asking by his tone. Very sweet.

Anyway, Quinn comes and starts eating pineapple. Now, he is not a very neat eater yet. So, he's got sticky hands and pineapple juice running down his chin onto his shirt. Oh well. Also, he's having a hard time really chewing the pineapple, so he decides to just suck out the juice then spit the piece back into the bowl. The community bowl that I'm adding pineapple to as I clean it. Hmm. So, I get him his own plate to masticate his pineapple on.

Next Eva comes in. I get her a plate and some pineapple, too. All right, here's the mean mom part of the day. After 10 minutes of solid pineapple eating....I put it back in the fridge. It's almost time for lunch guys, no more pineapple. Yikes. This was not a popular idea. Especially because Quinn has finished his pineapple, but Eva still has a few pieces left.
Quinn:"More apple pine Mommy!"
Eva: "No Quinn, it's pineapple."
Quinn:"MORE APPLE PINE, MOMMY!"
Eva: "Qwwwwwinnnnnnnnn (add slight yodel), it's PINEapple"
Quinn: "APPLE PINE, EVA"

****SMACK*****

Yep, that's right. Quinn smacked Eva right in the face for arguing with him. I know it's wrong, but I had to turn around and laugh a little to myself. Then I cleaned them up and sent them to watch TV while I made lunch.

-------------------------------------------------------

I was just getting ready to post this when Eva came in and said "Mommy, I don't have a life." Isn't that what she's supposed to say to me in 10 years??

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-16T22:57:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was Father's Day. In preparation for this event I took the kids shopping with me for cards. Eva and Quinn got to pick out a card for John and one for my dad. They were both drawn like moths to a flame to one specific card. It was one of those musical cards AND it had the Simpsons on it. That's right folks, my 2-year old knows his daddy's favorite cartoon. But does John know his 2-year old's favorite cartoon??

Anyway. Sunday morning I kept reminding Eva and Quinn to tell John "Happy Father's Day" as soon as he came downstairs. I knew Eva could do it. I said "Quinn, say Happy Father's Day." To which Quinn dutifully replied "Happy Daddy Day." Close enough. So, here's what actually happened.

I gave the cards to the kids to give to John. Kids bust into room yelling and jumping like monkeys. Eva actually does say Happy Father's Day. Then she adds, "Here's your card, Daddy. It's the Simpsons, and it talks. Can I open it?" Quinn doesn't want to be left out of the action. So he adds, "Here card. Happy birthday Mama day" Yep, read it again. Happy birthday Mama day. Apparently those are the events that have stayed with him. All day long he said that.

I hope all you dad's out there had a wonderful day.

Mommy, interupted

2008-06-10T13:03:00.003-05:00

I can't imagine a world with no kids. And by no kids, I mean no kids of my own. Isn't that strange? It wasn't so very long ago that I didn't have kids. I spent the first 24 years of my life without children. Of course, I myself was a child for much of that time.

Anyway, I was sitting on my couch this morning thinking of all the things I could accomplish in a day if my kids weren't here. And then I thought "what would my day be like if I didn't have any kids at all". I absolutely could not imagine it. I can imagine going on vacation without them, or having a day without them, but I can't imagine having my life, but not having them.

I like to think I'd spend my days sewing, running errands, sewing, reading, sewing and so forth. Even the tantalizing idea of showering everyday crossed my mind. Ah yes, those were the days. Isn't that sad? My most precious memories of being single involve showering each and every morning. I know that is the single biggest cliche about motherhood - the not being able to shower thing. But it is so true!!!

Anyway. I do, in fact, have my kids with me all day today. The weather is absolutely gorgeous, so they are out playing on the swings. I should be doing some laundry, but I thought I'd sit down at my computer for just a minute.

As you may have guessed from the above paragraph, I haven't been getting much sewing done lately. This is causing me great frustration. I have a bunch of projects going and I'm motivated about all of them. They're all at a stage where I can see them really coming together if I could just sit down and work at them, uninterrupted. Uninterrupted. Hmm... interesting thought. I wonder how you accomplish that?

Ok, ok, enough whining. If I didn't have kids, I'd probably have some other demanding, time-consuming job that didn't allow me to go to the bathroom with the door closed. What? No? You ARE allowed to close the bathroom door at most adult jobs? Hmm...maybe I should reconsider my options.

I Love My Dog

2008-05-19T11:31:00.004-05:00

I was on the phone with my sister the other day. I said something like, "Grrr, Clementine has eaten half my deck!" And Amber (not really a dog person) asked me if I regretted getting Clem. It made me think for a moment. But the answer is Absolutely Not.

Here are the reasons I love my dog.
1. She gives me peace of mind when the kids are outside. Right now Eva and Quinn are playing in their sandbox. I am in the kitchen. I am right next to a window watching them, and they're only about 10 feet away. But I still don't like them to be alone outside. Clementine is a great deterrent to anyone who doesn't belong in our yard.

2. She keeps the bed warm. John has instituted a ironclad "no dog on the bed" policy. But, when he leaves for work very early, she comes up and sleeps with me. Even if she lying on the covers, she still keeps the bed nice and warm.

3. She thinks she's Nana. When the kids are upset she tries to comfort them. This morning Dex was on the floor crying and Clem walked up and started licking his head. When that didn't work, she curled up next to him. He did stop crying - granted he shoved her ear in his mouth.

4. She's a teething toy we won't lose.

5. She has (some) table manners. Today Quinn was walking around the living room with a cookie. Clementine came up and tried to sniff it. Quinn said "No Clem!" and punched her in the nose. She sat down and left him alone. Now, it took Quinn about 15 minutes to desiccate this cookie and Clem didn't snatch it from him. I think that's impressive, even if she did drool all over my couch.

6. She'll give me a great reason to get new furniture every few years.

7. She is very photogenic. At least 80% of the time I'm trying to take pictures of my kids, they won't look at the camera. Clementine loves to get her picture taken :)

8. She's a great vacuum. Enough said.

9. She's introduced me to more of my neighbors. Before this winter, we knew 2 of our neighbors. But, because Clementine was able to jump over the fence this winter, we had dozens of our neighbors ringing our doorbell. She's very social, and she felt the need to visit with every dog in town.

10. She loves us. And she's always happy to see us, even if I only went outside to the mailbox and back.

Now my dog is far from perfect. She has, in fact, chewed up my deck, some shoes, countless toys, one cabinet, and my favorite rug. To my sister this is more than enough reason to never, ever have a dog. But, her puppyhood is passing and she's chewing much less these days. Yes, she does dig giant holes in my yard. Yes, she does slobber when she drinks. And yes, it does really really hurt if she steps on your foot. But how can you look at this dog and not love her?

Garage Sales

2008-05-01T16:34:00.003-05:00

So, my sister and I are having a garage sale this weekend. We both have some assorted baby items to sell, some clothes our kids have grown out of, and some miscellaneous household items. It really doesn't sound like that much.

Well, that's not exactly true. See, we've both decided (or in my case, John has decided) that we're not going to have any more kids. So, let's start getting rid of the baby things. Swing - check, travel swing - check, old swing - check, bassinet - check, baby papasan - check, play mat - check, toys, toys, toys - check, 12 rubbermade tub of baby clothes - check. Just for the record, have you any idea how many 0-3 month sleepers fit in one of those tubs? No, well neither do I, but let's just say a lot.

I could go on and on, but I'm sure you're already bored. I just can't believe how much baby stuff we have. How much stuff do you really need to have a baby? Dex is only 6 months old, so we're only selling newborn things. We're keeping our saucer, bumbo seat, crib, changing table, highchair, baby bath, and stroller. I guess we'll have to have another sale next year!

Whew! Garage sales are a lot of work. I am hoping that I make a little bit of money, though. I'm putting it in my personal quilting fund. I have been sewing quite a bit lately. I will post some pictures soon of things that I'm working on.

Adventures of a Wonderful Weekend

2008-04-06T13:43:00.002-05:00

This has been a truly wonderful weekend. We didn't have to go anywhere or do anything. I didn't run any errands. We didn't drive to Dubuque. Yesterday was gorgeous outside so we all walked to the park. The kids played and John and I enjoyed the beautiful day. Then I did some sewing. We all had dinner together. John and I watched a movie together after the kids went to bed.

I'm sure this all sounds very boring and mundane to some. But to me it was heaven. Lately, we have been so very, very busy. Every weekend we've had an unacheivable to-do list. I've been driving back and forth to Dubuque a lot lately. It was just so nice to stay home and relax.

After lunch today, I decided to make cookies with the kids. I looked in the cabinet. Hmm, no chocolate chips. Oooh, we'll make brown sugar pecan cookies, one of my favorites. We get the brown sugar measured out. Whoops, no butter. Think...should I use margarine instead? No, I really prefer to use real butter when I bake. "Hey honey? You busy? Can you run to the gas station and buy some butter, please?" So, of course, John jumps in his car and heads out for butter. Meanwhile, I chop the pecans. I grab my canister to measure out the flour. Whoops, no flour. I can't even remember using all the flour. Usually I'm really good about keeping track of things like that. So, I meet John on the deck. "Hey honey? Could you go back? We're out of flour, too." Of course, being John, he hands me the butter and turns right around and heads back out to get us some flour.

I go back in the house and add the butter to the brown sugar. Mix well. Eva is helping me with the electric mixer and Quinn is sitting on the counter begging for a taste. Literally begging, "Taste please, taste please" Over and over again, louder and louder until I give him a taste just so his mouth is full and he's quiet for a moment. Ok, the sugar and butter are mixed. Let's add the eggs. Go to fridge, OH MY GOD. I'm out of eggs, too? I don't remember using any of these things. Do we have elves? Do we have a family of borrowers living in our cellar? If so, they are getting a little bold. So, when John walks into the kitchen with a small bag of flour and I don't smile he wants to know what's wrong. And of course, I have to tell him that, although I was in the mood to make cookies, I don't actually have any of the ingrediants.

My perfect, wonderful hubby went back to the store for the third time and brought home 2 dozen eggs (just so we don't run out again tomorrow). Now, the cookies are still warm and they are wonderful. Just like my weekend.

And if you want to know a little secret, I can tell you what made the cookie thing even more funny. Yesterday, I decided to sprinkle baking soda on my carpet before I vacuumed. And I used all the baking soda. Last night, after dinner John asked me what I wanted to do. I said, let's take a walk. Then I had a brain wave. Let's walk up the gas station to buy some more baking soda, so I can make cookies with the kids tomorrow. So, in total four trips out for our cookies today. Oh well, at least we didn't have anything else to do:)

The Inventor of the Telephone

2008-04-03T11:39:00.001-05:00

I do not care what history says. Alexander Graham Bell did not invent the telephone. At least, not as an adult. Perhaps he invented it as a child, and had to wait until he was an adult for anyone to take him seriously. I firmly believe that a child invented the telephone as a way to wreak havoc in their home. It's scientifically proven that a child can make a bigger mess in less time if the parent of that child is on the telephone I do my own research in my "spare time").

Today while I was on the phone my children completely trashed their toy room. Fine, it's their room and it's filled with their stuff. Eva felt the need to take every single thing out of her toy box to find a dress for her doll. Of course, this dress was at the very bottom of the box. So now that floor is covered in all the small toys and things that we don't really have a place for.

As I was putting some laundry in the dryer (still on the phone), I hear them in the living room. Wait, I just finished picking up in there. Yep, it no longer resembles the room I left not two minutes ago. I had a laundry basket full of toys that needed to be put away in the toy room, they've dumped the whole thing out on the floor. Are they playing with these toys? Nope. They're playing aliens with the laundry basket on their heads. Imaginative? Yes. Irksome. Definitely. I grab another laundry basket and put the toys back in it. I even put it in the toy room this time.

Suddenly I hear Clementine tearing around on the deck like a crazy dog. That's kinda weird. Hmm. I walk through the kitchen to the back door and hear a faint giggling. Oh crap! Yep, Quinn's outside running around on the deck with Clementine. Of course, he's only wearing his diaper. This is to ensure that our neighbors believe we are complete white trash and can't bother to get our children dressed to go outside to play. (We do actually have neighbors like this. Their boys are always running around outside in various states of undress.)

So, I guess it's time to get off the phone. Now it may sound like I was on the phone for an hour and totally ignoring my children. But actually I was only on the phone for 4 minutes and 23 seconds (I have a nifty little timer on my phone). As I'm trying to wrestle Quinn into his clothes, the phone rings again. It's a telemarketer . I'm on for less than a minute. But in that time Quinn has dug through my purse, stuck his grubby little fingers in my favorite lipstick and smeared it all over himself and one of my windows.

What are my dear children doing right now, you might ask. They are sitting right next to me, having a snack. Eating string cheese and acting like angels. Of course, I'm not on the phone :)

Cheese anyone?

2008-03-31T11:27:00.002-05:00

It started gradually. A little bit here, a little bit there. More today than yesterday. It kind of snuck up on me. And this morning it hit me full in the face. Quinn has become a full time whiner. At this very moment he is lying on the kitchen floor screaming, crying and just generally making an awful racket. I think he is upset because I am doing some prep stuff for dinner tonight. Apparently, he wants candy, and I'm the meanest mom in the world. No candy before lunch time.

So, I just let him lie on the floor and have his fit. If I don't pay any attention to him, he'll stop. That's what everyone says. Well, I did tune him out for a while, then tuned back in and he's still screaming. So far, he's been crying for 22 minutes. Grrrr.

In other news, Eva is the most clever little girl in the world :) Yesterday, she was lying on the floor and Dex was sitting near her waist in a little seat. She said "Mama, will you come lay on the floor?" I thought she was wanting to cuddle, so I laid down next to her. Nope, she told me to lay on the other side of Dex and lay just like her. Then she informed me that we were making a letter H. How smart is that? Or does that mean she'll grow up to be a cheerleader? Hmm.. either way, I was impressed.

Here's a tricky thing. Quinn quit crying and went into the living room. Now it's WAY too quiet. Do I check on him, or just let him be?

Ok, because I usually err on the side of caution, I went to check it out. No problems. He was lying on the couch chewing on Clem's tail. Clem is sleeping and doesn't seem to mind. Things change so much. I never would have let Eva put something like a dog's tail in her mouth. I wonder what I'll let Dex do. Probably anything he wants so long as he's not screaming at me or trying to climb me like a tree.

I just cannot wait for the weather to clear up so we can get outside to play. I never thought I would so sick of my own house. It's gotta be soon, right?

Happy Easter!

2008-03-25T15:00:00.002-05:00

Happy Easter! I hope everyone had a great day. We went to my parent's house and had a great meal. The kids were surprisingly good when you take into account the mass quantities of sugar they had consumed. I made all the kids' outfits and they turned out pretty cute. Three little suits complete with bowties for the boys and three little dresses for the princesses. I'm still having some trouble inserting pictures, but check them out if you're interested. Here's one of me and the kiddos. The girls. And one of all six kids.

Now that Easter is officially over and it's getting a little bit warmer, it's time for the most dreaded of all springtime rituals. Yes, ladies, you know what I mean. It's time to buy a new swimsuit. The last swimsuit I bought was for my honeymoon. While it was a one piece, it's not exactly designed to have children hanging off of me at the pool. So, I need to find something a bit more family friendly. Ick. Ick. Ick. I hate shopping for swimsuits. I think it is the only type of shopping I don't enjoy.

I found a couple I like online, but I can't imagine buying something like that without trying it on first. On the other hand, maybe that's a good idea. I won't try it on until 5 minutes before I leave for the pool and I'll have no choice but to wear it. Regardless of how it looks. And I can guarantee it won't look pretty. Maybe I'll start a new trend of wearing a complete wetsuit to the pool. Who'll join me??

In much better shopping news, my sister and I went shopping in Madison yesterday. We weren't super impressed with the malls there, but we did find a few good stores. I only bought a few things, but it was great to have a day with my sister without all the kiddos running around. We had lunch at PF Chang's and tried gelatto from a stand in the mall. What a treat!

Interestingly enough, my sister and I both noted that the new styles this spring seem to have a very familiar feel. They are all made like maternity clothes! Everything is loose, flowy, and completely without fit. Ugh! I just got rid of all my maternity clothes. I think I've been pregnant for too much of the past four years to enjoy this new trend. But, congratulations must to extended to friends Allison and Tim who are expecting their first baby this fall. She'll look extra trendy with this new style of clothes.

The Realities of Keeping House

2008-03-07T10:43:00.002-06:00

John's mom is coming to visit. She will be here one week from today. That means that I need to do a bit more cleaning than just my typical damage control. It is my understanding that some people have clean homes all the time. Maybe you are one of those people. I am not. And here is why...

This morning I set out to do a bit of cleaning and organizing in the kids' rooms. I put Dex on the floor for some tummy time and had Eva and Quinn playing on the floor with blocks. I open one dresser drawer to take out some clothes Dex has grown out of. Oh, shoot, where should I put these? Oh, ok, there is an empty tub downstairs. "Guys, Mom will be right back." I run downstairs, grab my tub and come back upstairs. I mean, I immediately come back upstairs. Shoot. Dex has fallen asleep and Quinn is trying to burp him (repeatedly slapping him on the back).

No problem. Put Dex in bed and close the door. "OK guys, Dex is napping, let's go play in your room instead." Open their pajama drawer and sort through some old pjs of Quinn's. I put these in a pile for my nephew and look around. Where is Quinn? I hear giggling in the bathroom, this is not a good sign. I go to look and Quinn has emptied half a bottle of baby shampoo into the bathtub. "Come on buddy, let's go find Eva." I take Quinn back down the hall and hear Clem downstairs whining at the door. Right. Dog. Has she been fed today? I go downstairs and let Clem out.

Back upstairs about two minutes later I hear more giggling from the bathroom. Shoot. Eva and Quinn are both in the bath (without water) and are gliding around in the soap (apparently soap with no water equals ice skating in tub). Grrr. Allrighty. Get everyone undressed and fill tub with water (no sense wasting good soap, we're on a budget here!) All right, kids in bath, I will casually do a bit of straightening in their room and check on them every other minute. Miraculously I do get through 3 drawers and have piles of stuff to be given away. Yay.

Time to pull kiddos out of the bath. I get Quinn's diaper on. "Moooooooooooommmmmy" It's Eva... stuck under her bed. As I pull her out she brings an old shopping bag with her. "look mom, my snow pants." Yay, she has found her snowpants from two years ago and decides they are the perfect thing to wear today. Fine. Snowpants it is, we're not going anywhere today. Here comes Quinn, streaking. "Quinn, where is your diaper, buddy?" To which he replies "ucky poopy" Oh SH*#. I go in my room and sure enough, there is a diaper on the floor right next to a pile of poop. Yep, why clean out dresser drawers when I could be cleaning poop off my carpet?

To sum up. In three hours I have taken a dozen articles of clothing out of a dresser and put them in a tub.

Right now Eva and Quinn are playing "dress-up". This is their favorite game. They have at least a dozen outfits approved for this game. Fairy dresses and old Halloween outfits, oversized hats and plastic jewelry. It is all in their toy box where they can get at it easily. Are they playing with these clothes? Of course not. Eva has the tub I was using, she scooted it across the floor and is standing on it. She is busy pulling everything out of her closet.

I guess I've got to go. Anyone know a good cleaning service?

Who Reads This Blog?

2008-02-29T20:54:00.000-06:00

Well, it seems that there are people who actually read this blog. I have to say I'm very surprised, especially since I haven't been posting much of anything lately. In my last post, I included a link to a quilt I made. That picture has had quite a few more hits than any other on my website - thanks for reading! I'm still waiting for the next exciting phase of someone leaving me a comment :)

Things here have been pretty quiet. I'm so ready for spring though. Anyone else? Buehler? The snow is so high it's only a few inches from the top of our fence, much to Clementine's delight. She hops over whenever she pleases and takes a tour of the neighborhood. Lucky for her, lots of our neighbors keep their dogs outside. She's made new friends all over the block.

Quinn is becoming quite the chatterbox these days. He tries to copy everything Eva says, which is very, very cute. We've even taught him to say "Out, please" when he wants out of his highchair. Somehow, it comes off a little less well-mannered when he's screaming "outpleaseoutpleaseoutpleaseoutplease" at the top of his voice and waving sticky hands in the air.

In other vocab news... this is a conversation I overheard the other day.
Eva : Daddy, what the hell are you doing?
John: I'm making pancakes. (Pause). Wait, what? Sweetie that's not a very nice thing to say.
You should say 'what the hizzy'.

Meanwhile I'm upstairs thinking, what!? that's not any better. I don't want my three year old going to preschool and saying 'what the hizzy'. OMG. Oh well, I'll give him partial credit for telling her it wasn't very nice. I'll work on the other phrase when he's not home.

Here's looking forward to a great weekend. Cheers!

Pressed for Time

2008-02-12T11:39:00.000-06:00

Well, it's been quite awhile again since I've posted anything. This year seems to be just flying by. Instead of a New Year's Resolution (which I never stick to), I decided to start a new habit in February. I found this website - flylady.com. It helps with cleaning and organizing your house. Of course it doesn't actually do the cleaning and organizing - that would be awesome - but it does give good tips and tasks to accomplish each day. I find I don't mind cleaning as much when I only have to do a few things each day. Naturally this makes sense. Naturally I have never thought of this approach before. I was more of the 'wait until the house is so messy you have to clear a path to get to the bathroom' before I would clean.

Now that my house is a bit cleaner I don't feel so guilty about doing the things I want to do. Like sewing. And sewing. And maybe a bit of sewing thrown in there for good measure. I have been getting things done left and right, and I've promised myself not to start any more quilting projects until I've finished all the ones I'm in the middle of. So far, so good. I've finished two things and I have two more well under way. I even finished my first machine quilted project, Dexter's quilt, check it out http://secularpickle.spoon.cx/gallery/album46/IMG_1012.

So, yesterday while Quinn and Dex were both napping, I decided to get a little work done. I was cutting some fabric at my kitchen table and Eva was sitting there playing with her sticker book. Suddenly, she hopped up and said "Mom, I've got to show you something" To which I replied, "Ok, just a minute". Eva: "Moooom, I don't have all the time in the world."

Hmmm, I don't think I've ever used this particular phrase with my kids, where would she have heard this? Ahhh....maybe something I've said to John? Yes, that would make sense. Let 's just say sometimes my husband can be a bit...pokey. Yes, that's a good description. I thought I had things in hand because I don't swear around my children and I say please and thank you when I ask them to do something. I guess I need to be a bit more censored when I'm ordering...uh, I mean asking John to help me with something around the house.

Hopefully, there'll be more soon. I just heard Eva tell Quinn it was time to make puppy soup, I think that's my cue.

Picture Perfect

2007-11-30T19:17:00.000-06:00

It's that time of year, time for baking cookies, building snowmen, wrapping gifts, and getting pictures taken. Ah yes, the ever anticipated event of getting your kids all dressed up and then taking them to get their photos taken. All the while threatening them with their lives if they get wrinkled or rumpled or mess up their hair.

When Eva was a baby I loved getting her picture taken. I would get her all dolled up and we would traipse off to the mall. The most difficult part was deciding what to order as one picture was cuter than the last. Then Quinn was born, and Eva was 2. Ok, things got a little trickier, but not too bad. Eva was still very accommodating and Quinn was too little to do much.

Life has certainly progressed. I'm sorry to say, but pictures are no longer easy, and certainly not fun. Of course these days the stress starts days, often weeks before the blessed event. I have to decide on outfits. Formal? Dressy? Casual? Somewhere in between? Should they match? Color coordinated? Should there be a theme? This is where John loses interest and tells me I'm crazy. This does not usually help.

This year I actually had a fairly easy time finding the right outfits - coordinating, but no theme. We even made it to Sears without any serious mishaps. Eva was an angel, and Dexter slept through almost the whole thing. Then there's Quinn. Now, in his defense, he's only 19 months. That's a hard age to simultaneously stand still, look at one thing, and smile.

The photographer was EXTREMELY patient with us. It took us well over an hour (we were scheduled for 15 minutes). The result? We have the most beautiful picture of all three looking straight at the camera and smiling (well, Dex isn't smiling, but he looks quite content). You can't even tell that Quinn was smiling for exactly the one quarter of a second and then promptly flung himself over backwards and started to scream. Doesn't matter though, I have a fantastic picture this year for Christmas cards :)

And Baby Makes ... 5

2007-11-29T11:56:00.000-06:00

Well, it's been awhile. I know one of my last posts was how I was starting to feel pregnant - I am most definitely not feeling pregnant anymore! If anyone missed my blog, just count yourselves lucky that you missed the end of my pregnancy. I'll just say I wasn't in such a pleasant mood and spare you all the moody, hormonal, painful details.

On a much brighter note, we now have another beautiful baby boy. Dexter Elliot was born on November 2. I really thought that having another baby would be really really difficult. So far, everything has been great. Yes, we're back to midnite feedings and explosive diapers and searching under the couch/bed or inside Quinn's shoes (a very popular hiding spot :) for binkys. But, it still hasn't been so much of a change. I guess I'm just really used to having my living room filled with swings, bouncy seats, toys, books, blankets, burp cloths and all other sorts of kid and baby paraphernalia.

Both Eva and Quinn have been really great. Eva pretends everything is her baby. One afternoon while I was cleaning up in our bedroom, I looked inside the bassinet and saw a large butternut squash wrapped up in a blanket:

Me: Eva, what's this?
Eva: It's my baby.
Me: What's your baby's name?
Eva: Mooooom....it's my babynut.
Me: Ahh, of course. It's your babynut. Well, do you think your babynut would rather sleep in the kitchen with the other vegetables, I mean babies.
Eva: No. He has to sleep in his bed. (Pause) Mom, you're too loud, you'll wake my babynut.

Babynut went everywhere with Eva for about a week. Then John cooked her. I guess that's the reality of having a baby vegetable.

Well, this post is kinda short, but it's lunch time at my house. I truly believe lunch time to be the worst time of day. Who thought of having a meal so close after snack time (so no one's hungry) and so near to nap time (so everyone's whiny). I promise to start updating this much more regularly, so check back. Also, if you prefer the picture book style of checking in on our lives check our website : secularpickle.spoon.cx

Flowers for Mother's Day

2007-05-13T16:35:00.000-05:00

I have had a really wonderful Mother's Day weekend. Yesterday we went to my Grandma's house for a picnic/family get-together. My aunt from Virginia was there, as well as my aunt and uncle from Minnesota with their new baby. Plus all the folk from Dubuque and surrounding area. We had perfect weather for the day. The kids got to run around in the yard and we grilled hamburgers and brauts. Yum.

This morning John went out and bought donuts (that's my kinda surprise). Then we spent most of the afternoon working outside. John dug and tilled a vegetable garden and I planted some hanging baskets with geraniums, petunias, and something that looks like Gerbera Daisies, but aren't. We also repotted John's ficus tree. It was still in the same pot as when he got it as a highschool graduation gift. Needless to say, it needed a new home!

It really has been a lovely weekend. I love to get out and do yardwork (so much better than housework). I hope all you mom's out there also had a great weekend!

On a sidenote - anyone reading this who has any great suggestions for baby names, feel free to send those along. John and I are coming up kinda blank this time around :)

Feeling pregnant

2007-05-11T23:19:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm finally starting to really feel pregnant....most of the time. It's so funny because when I first found out I was pregnant with Eva it was all I could think about. Every thing I did, ate, wore, just everything seemed related to my pregnancy.

Baby 2: When I was pregnant with Quinn, it felt very much the same. John and I had been planning to get pregnant and I was really excited to be pregnant again. I started thinking about all the new baby stuff I would get and started shopping for maternity clothes right away. I just got really involved in all the fun pregnancy stuff.

Baby 3: First of all, I was SHOCKED when I discovered I was pregnant again. I think that has a lot to do with it. For those of you who don't know, I got the positive test result when John was in Germany. I had taken 5 tests in 6 days and finally the blue line appears (oh, so faint) and I was like, "Oh, you've got to be F%#$ing kidding me" Oops, probably shouldn't have said that out loud.

So, I had to deal with a shock and of course, the dreaded fatigue. I get so tired when I'm pregnant I can barely function. Having Eva and Quinn compound this problem significantly. Not only do I have to get out of bed, I also have to be alert and watchful and playful and fun.... Are you kidding me?

But now, both the shock and the tiredness have passed (most of it, anyway). And once again, I'm excited about being pregnant. It took me a little longer this time, but I think I'm in the swing of things now. I'm about 3 1/2 months and just starting to show a little bit. This is the best part!! I get to wear all my super cute, trendy maternity clothes and I'm not yet as big as a house. For those of you who missed my previous pregnancies - yes, I got HUGE. Oh well, that's part of the deal.

This week I made 3 new tops and a dress. I'm super excited. I love to sew and I love maternity clothes - what could be better ?!? Plus now I have all these fantastic new shoes to go with my stuff. Yay me!

Enough about maternity clothes. I am really looking forward to this weekend. I love Mother's Day (but I really think it ought to last all weekend long). John and I have some fun things planned and I'm looking forward to some gorgeous weather. Happy Mother's Day to all you mom's out there! I hope we all get some pampering this weekend.

Shoes

2007-05-09T09:31:00.000-05:00

I love shoes. I know this is not anything particularly unique for a woman of my age. In fact, I probably don't really have very many pairs of shoes compared to most. But, I do love shoes.

It occurred to me this weekend that for the past several years, I have bought nothing but flip-flops for the summer. Flip-flops are comfy and easy to wear, also cheap and disposable. But, when I wanted to wear some real summer sandals I noticed I didn't have any. Not one single pair. Hmm....This must be remedied.

I took the kids to my mom's yesterday and went to get my haircut (adorable haircut :) Then I went to Younkers. I only sometimes like Younkers, they don't generally have a huge selection of shoes, but I was close and thought I'd give it a try. Jackpot! Everything was cute, but nothing was on sale. I tried about at least 20 pairs. I bought six. Now, 1 pair is a more fall/winter type shoe - but it was on the clearance rack. Everything else was a summer sandal or flat. Woo hoo. I have shoes.

Then, when I got back to my mom's I saw a flyer from Kohl's - they're having a shoe extravaganza today. Hmm.... more shoes? I'm going this afternoon to look at their selection. I have firmly told myself that if I find some shoes on sale I will buy them - but then I have to take back a few pair from yesterday. So, we'll see how that goes. Returning shoes is not really my thing.

Let's Play Pretend

2007-04-26T13:50:00.000-05:00

My favorite anecdotes about Eva are the things I hear her pretending to do: Here's a great example

Eva: I'm Cinderella and you're Bob (to Clementine)

Clementine: (Skeptical Look)

Eva: Let's go, Bob

Clementine: (Stands up, looks ready to go)

Cinderella grabs Bob by the collar and starts leading her through the house

Me: Eva, what are you doing?

Eva: I'm not Eva (belligerently), I'm Cinderella, and this is Bob (points to dog). And, we're going on an adventure.

They happily scamper off and I can't follow because I'm feeding Mr. Quinn lunch. On any given day, Eva spends play time reading to stuffed animals, putting them to bed, and reminding the rest of the house to be quiet because her babies are sleeping.

I guarantee that funniest parts of my day are watching Eva play pretend. The things she says are unbelievably funny to me. Especially since we got Clementine. To Eva, Clementine is a very large stuffed animal that can walk. Cool! She pushes, pulls, drags, and sometimes tries to ride Clementine all over the house, trying to get her involved in all her imaginings. Unbelievably, at only 6 months Clem is already calm enough to take whatever Eva can dish out. I think they are truly the best of friends.

Holidays, Holidays

2007-04-24T15:25:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm back to a typical daily routine. The last week or so have been very busy for us. Of course, last Monday was my birthday. Quinn's 1st birthday was Friday, my mother-in-law's birthday was Saturday and John and I's anniversary was Monday. Whew!

Ellen flew in on Wednesday. We all had a really great visit. We took the kids to the zoo (check out some pics at secularpickle.spoon.cx) on Saturday. The weather was perfect, if a little warm. I got a bit sunburned and felt wonderful for not looking so pasty :) Eva cracked us all up by saying hello to all the animals personally. "Hello, Mr. Mountain Goat". Even Quinn seemed pretty interested in the animals he could see from his stroller. I think he liked the bear the best, he kept watching the bear pace back and forth in his cage.

On Sunday, we had a small birthday party for Quinn (again, go look at some pictures:). He ended up with quite a pile of loot. He seems quite happy with his new toys. Also, everyone commented about how quickly he inhaled his birthday cupcake. It was there...and then it was gone. He beat Eva by several minutes, which made us all laugh.

The other exciting thing we did this week was Ellen and I made a quilt. Well, started a quilt. We got the whole top pieced together. She is going to take it home and hand quilt it for and grandbaby of a friend. I have to say, it turned out just adorable. Also, I had so much fun quilting with someone. I generally sew by myself, as I don't have any friends or family who are interested in quilting. I would say overall, we did a pretty great job. We she's all done with the quilting I'll get a picture and put it up on the website.

Well, this is more a catch up kinda of post, I suppose. Now that John has told his mom I'm pregnant, I think everyone knows. So, I'm 11 weeks and counting. I have no idea why, but I strongly suspect I'm having another boy. Does anyone else have an opinion? I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Congratulations.......It's Quadruplets

2007-04-17T07:39:00.000-05:00

I was on the phone yesterday with my sister-in-law, Randa. She called to ask me a couple questions about buying some baby gifts for some relatives on her husband's side of the family. Apparently they are having quadruplets! Even more amazing than quadruplets (which is pretty freaking amazing), is that they were not using any fertility treatments. They just luckily ended up pregnant with 2 sets of twins.

I must admit, I feel very humbled, not to mention a bit embarrassed about my last post. How on earth can I possibly complain about lack of sleep? These parents probably will not get a solid night of sleep for many, many years to come.

In any event, I wish them the best of luck and happiness with their new family:)

In more personal news, yesterday was my birthday. We had a pretty calm day. The weather was gorgeous, so the kids and I played outside quite a bit. John brought me home BLT pizza (my favorite) for dinner and he bought me a DDR pad and game. We tried it out last night after the kids were in bed. It was so fun. I've only tried it once before, so I wasn't very good. But, I do think (or fervently hope) that I'll get better with a little practice. John is very, very good. I know he hasn't played for a couple years, and he still was dancing circles around me. Go John!

Sleep anyone?

2007-04-14T09:54:00.000-05:00

As the parent of a new baby, you don't expect to get much sleep. You're ready for the midnight, 3 am, and 6 am feedings. You know there will be nights of walking floors and humming into tiny ears. As a parent, I handled all of this. I knew what was expected of me and I rose to the occasion.

Once we made it through the sleepless nights with Quinn, we thought we were home free. What people don't tell you is.....it's very likely you'll get less sleep with a young child than with a baby in the house. Eva has become a monster of the night. I have never slept so badly in my life. And I can't help but think that every parent of a colicky baby is thinking "Ha, now it's your turn."

See, Eva was a perfect baby. She rarely cried, slept extremely well, and was just a pleasure to be around. Many, many people told me she was the best baby they had ever seen. Then I became pregnant with Mr. Quinn. Everyone told me that this time I'd get a "real baby". And still, my luck held out. He cried a bit more, slept a bit less, but was still fairly easy to cuddle and soothe to sleep.

For the last nine months, Eva has gotten out of her bed every single night for a little trip down the hall. She wanders into our room begging to sleep with us, for a glass of water, because she's lost her duck/giraffe/zebra (insert favorite stuffed animal here). When we exhausted every single thing we could think of to get her to stay in her bed, we turned to the experts. Yep, the internet. I've read posts and forums and every parenting website out there all guarenteeing success. Nope. Nope. Nope.

I have lost all hope of getting her to stay in bed. We have tried rewards (nothing works like bribery:) , punishments, incentives. We have tried the stick-to-your-guns approach and the cajoling, pleading, begging approach. We are completely out of ideas.

I always thought once your kids starting sleeping through the night you were home free. To date, this has been my biggest misconception about parenting. It's EVERY NIGHT. For NINE MONTHS. And the best part is, she only wants Mommy. Daddy simply will not do in this case. It must be Mommy or we have a tantraum of such epic proportions that suddenly we have two awake screaming children on our hands.

I certainly think this qualifies as my rant for the day. I'm sure there are those out there who can sympathize with me. And I'm sure there are those who are secretly laughing at me, thinking "of course kids don't sleep, you schmuck" All I can count on are the words of John's mom, she said, "Megan, I'm sure she won't go off to college still sleeping in your bed." True. But how many nights are between here and there?

My New Blog

2007-04-13T14:03:00.000-05:00

Hello all! I've decided to join the millions of people who feel the need to publish private and intimate details of their life on the internet. Ye who look for juicy gossip be warned..... this blog will probably be mostly comprised of family anecdotes. It seems like a good way to keep family and friends in the loop with what John, I and the little ones are up to.

Of course, as the title suggests, it may also serve as my personal vent. Expect rants about family, weather, pregnancy, kids, or anything else that may irk me on any given day.

In a matter of acknowledgement, I need to send out a special thanks to John who helped me create this weblog (I'm easily confused by technology). He suggested many titles, none of which we chose, including - Meg's Steak House and Mustache Waxery. Ah, yes, the humor of my husband. Since all who may be reading this know John, I really feel no need to explain.

That seems to be a suitable introduction. There will be more later.....just as soon as I figure out what one is really supposed to write about in a blog with an intended audience of family and friends. (I.E. can't complain too much about hubby - his family will probably read this too :)