Stay Away...

Well, it happened. I am now sick with the stomach thing that started with everyone last week. Thankfully, I am not too bad, others in the family were much worse off, but still, not fun.

I felt I should update a little though since I had not written all weekend. Here is the update:

*Damian, Justin and Robyn came into town to finish up some wedding details (Damian, best man, Justin and Robyn, getting married) and crashed with us for the weekend (guys, I really hope you don't get sick) It was AWESOME to see them! And super SUPER fun to have all our friends over for a few "lets catch up" parties.

*Buzz finally quit barking Sat. and decided it was much more fun to just dig holes in the yard. Since our yard isn't anything to be impressed with, I really don't care about the holes so long as the barking had stopped. And for taking care of Buzz for the weekend, Joe and Andrea brought us DIAPERS! AWESOME! So, I am thinking I will offer to babysit Buzz more....

*My Little Dude is all over his stomach virus, as is Grandma and Grandpa; however, like I said above, it started hitting me last night....sigh.

**On a side note, I found out that anyone with diarrhea should not have dairy products, as the enzymes that our stomach uses to break down dairy gets flushed out and we have to give it time to build back up after our stomach returns to normal. How did I find this out? Since Little Dude wasn't eating, I got him some PediaSure vitamin/protein drinks. Then he started throwing up. Freaked us all out, so we called the doctor and he told us that the dairy was the reason for the sudden throwing up. Niiiice.

*Dakno is going great and I am learning TONS about optimizing key word searches for blogs and websites-it is super fun to try to figure out creative ways to place key words for search engines to find WITHOUT looking like I am spamming. Kinda like a game really; see how many times and ways I can say "So and So Area Real Estate Information" to get a certain web page or blog to show up when people are looking for "So and So Area Real Estate Information". Might sound boring, but trust me, it is pretty fun to do.

Alright, well it is raining, and I am going to let Eddie back in now, and try to lay down on the floor while Little Dude climbs on me. Normally this is a fun game we play, but today, it will simply be because I have no energy to do anything else for very long.

Follow the Yellow Brick Road...

Well, the weekend has already been an adventure. Buzz finally stopped barking, but now we have a stomach virus going around the house. We thought at first it was food poisoning; however, now Little Dude and I both have it as well.

The only good thing about Little Dude being sick is that he loves to cuddle with me, something he rarely does anymore. So, as much as I hate for his tummy to hurt, I am loving all the cuddle time he is letting me have with him.

Right now in our area, the tree pollen is getting crazy and everything is coated in a lovely yellow. I actually love the color yellow, but when it starts getting carried into the house and carpet, I start to hate it. The pollen is hard to clean! I did find some great cleaner in the auto section of the grocery store called "Tough Stuff" and so far it has gotten ALL KINDS of stains out of my carpets in my car and home, including coffee and yellow pollen!

Now if only I could find something to keep the pollen off the patio...

Dogs Barking

We have a German Shepard, named Eddie. He is an awesome dog, though GINORMOUS, and often clumsy. Bill and I have often wondered if we should get a "friend" for Eddie by taking on another dog. Why? Simply because with Little Dude and Bill traveling for work a lot and now with me pregnant, Eddie does not get all the excersie he would like, nor all the attention he used to get with it was just Bill, him and me.

Today though, I have realized, I DON'T WANT ANOTHER DOG. Why, you ask? Because as of yesterday afternoon we started dog sitting our friend's dog, Buzz, for the weekend. What has Buzz done since being dropped off? BARKED. HOWLED. DUG HOLES! SCRATCHED the DOOR!! and WHINED. NON STOP. The dog wont stop! I have no idea what to do and I am about ready to pull my hair out. What's even better? My neighbor has her little bite sized very yappy poodle outside right now too, and Dolly has decided it is great fun to try to YAP YAP YAP along with Buzz. What is Eddie doing? Laying down in front of the door like he wants to come in-and wants nothing to do with the other dogs.

Also, Buzz has decided that he and Eddie really don't need water outside, because he keeps knocking it over. If it were just Buzz, I'd be like, "Fine, go for a bit without water since you can't figure out how to stay out of it". But, since Eddie is there too, I just can't. So, I am out there every 15 min to turn the water bowl back over and fill it back up with water. And Buzz is soaking wet, then JUMPING on me. I'm really about ready to kill him. The weekend can't be over quickly enough.

Well, on an upside, Rocks in my Dryer has some instructions on making baby burp cloths! Cool Beans! Esp since this baby is a boy too! I have not been able to get into the baby shopping since we have everything saved from Little Dude...but I could splurge and make burp cloths! I'm not a good sewer, but it looks easy enough and it will be something to do while the dogs are barking. In fact, getting out to the fabric shop will be awesome. I might even drive with the radio off, just for the piece and quiet. IN FACT, I think I will go to the fabric shop on the far side of town just for the time it will take me away from the house. Awesome! The day is looking better already...

Beach Baby Safety

Ahhhh, summer is in the air. Yes, I know it is only spring, really, but in my hometown of Raleigh, NC it is in the 70's (F) and the weather is PERFECT for starting to plan our summer beach trip!

Sadly though, I am the only person in my family (out of Bill's and my sides) that does not EVER tan. All I do is burn. So, I have to be super SUPER careful to keep the sunscreen slathered on and the hats on my head. Most people are rather surprised to learn that my mother is Mexican and Native American, because of how lilly white I am no matter how much I am in the sun. Yes, I was blessed with all the Irish Leprechaun genes. Very Short, Very white, and red/brown hair. Nice.

Anyways, now that Bill and I are parents, and by next summer will have two little dude's to keep safe from the sun, we have already been checking out some of the baby products for sun protection. One of my favorites is this Beach Tent from Target. It has ventilation so it doesn't become a cooker inside, and with the sides made the way they are, there is little wind resistance, meaning you won't have to go chasing after it. Also, the floor keeps all your stuff pretty sand-free and you can add weight (like your cooler) to the floor to also fight the chances of it flying away like a kite. Very Nice.

I have also found THIS awesome baby sling that I am simply going to have to save up and buy as it would be perfect for shallow wading with the new baby and keep my hands free to hold back my toddler from trying to take on the waves!

I also really love sunscreen on a stick, and it is made in SPF 50, PABA free at Walgreens Pharmacy. I don't know what the real term for it is; however, for a squiggly child that is ready to play, it is super hard to get faces good and covered with liquid sunscreen. It looks like a chap stick, and works great for getting Little Dude's face slathered in sun protection. Even better, I don't have to interrupt his playing (heaven forbid!) to put more on; I simply go sit next to him and roll it everywhere I think he needs a touch up and viola! No extra rubbing in or disturbances from me; he is free to continue digging to China.

If you want to check out more beach baby safety, check out the Crystal Coast Blog, a blog all about the beautiful beach areas of my state. Our beaches of choice are Emerald Isle (that is where Bill and I got engaged!)and Topsail, and you can learn a lot about vacation homes, investment homes and general fun beach life info at Crystal Coast Blog.

Easy Clean Poster Paint Recipe

It is another Works for Me Wednesday! Yay!

As you may not know, I have been a daycare provider for babies-toddlers and preschool ages 4-5, so I have a few tricks up my sleeves to share! Here is one of my favoirite, cost effecitive, easy clean, paint recipes:

Detergent Poster Paint

You will need:
small jars or plastic containers
1 tablespoon clear liquid detergent per container
2 teaspoons powdered tempera paint per container

In each small container, mix together 1 tablespoon liquid detergent and 2 teaspoons powered tempera paint. This recipe makes enough for one painting session.

For even every young toddlers and older babies (those that can sit up), this recipe is great AND EASY TO WASH OUT OF CLOTHES!!! Children usually love feeling different textures, and the intorduction to new textures is a GREAT sensory learning experience for kids of all ages.

I would undress the younger kids down to diapers, and the older kids I would request the day before that they being some old clothes to school along with wearing one of my kid oil cloth aprons while painting to keep the clean up as easy as possible. However, it never failed someone would get paint on someone else, on me, or the carpet.

This recipe has always been super easy for me to get out of my clothes, even after drying and staining all day long at the preschool before I could even think about washing it out. FANTASTIC! Also it is great because you can just make the amount you need, instead of storing jars and jars of different colors of wet paint just waiting to dry out or tip over.

The Tempera paint and some really great, sturdy paint jars you can get at Michaels Crafts and though the jars are a little pricey, for the fact they are so hard to knock over and stackable, they are well worth the extra money. Besides, you will save a lot buying the tempera powder colors as apposed to getting new Crayola paint all the time.

Keep in mind the age of your child, younger ones need thicker paint and brushes, and you can thicken this recipe up by adding a little cornstarch (melt it in some hot water first, like you would for gravy, and then, of course, don't let you kid paint until it has cooled).

Not all kids love sensory experiences, like painting, the first time (or even five) that they try it. However, keep trying, and perhaps, if you have been undressing the child for the painting session, try keeping old clothes on, or even just putting one of your husbands old t shirts over him/her because part of what may be upsetting your child is being cold. If your child still doesn't like it, keep trying to make it fun by getting in there and painting yourself, but certainly don't make your child do the project if they are super upset, just put it away for another day and try again, or move on to another sensory activity, like playing in a sensory box.

Well, that is what Works for Me! Head on over to Rocks in my Dryer for other great tips!

Where is the bathroom?

For Easter, we had a lot of family coming and going and staying with us, which was super fun! But, with all the people, it made Bill and me realize that two bathrooms get filled up quickly, and often!

Someday, Bill and I would like to have 4 children, perhaps more, but 4 seems like a really good number (that number will fill my van while still having room for Bill, Eddie, and me). Though, of course, I have reserved the right to change my mind at any given point, since I am the one pushing them out of my tiny body. Anyways, seeing how busy the bathrooms were over the weekend made us realize: We need to add a bathroom asap.

We have two boys (one due in July!). But having the groups of people over made us realize that with 4 children and their friends and our friends and family, our two little bathrooms will be constantly in use. Esp. at holidays. And the lines for showers will last all morning.

So, we have added another task to the list of home "to-do's", which we had finally gotten down to just a few small items too! Start work on the downstairs bathroom, just as soon as the deck is done.

And now I must go, as Little Dude is calling for water....again.....

Easter pictures and JR kidneys

Hi, Everyone! We are happy to say that JR looks great! SUPER YAY! His kidneys are still large; however, my Dr. is not at all worried as they are still smaller than the size where he would worry and there is nothing wrong with the tubing to the kidneys, so there are no obstructions or anything causing them to not be functioning at birth. GREAT NEWS! I am so very relieved and happy to have the great news. We will still be checking the kidneys again later in my pregnancy and probably through ultrasound after he is born just to ensure everything still looks good, but otherwise, the Dr. wasn't worried. YAY!!!

So, as for the Easter egg hunt Friday-Little Dude was SO EXCITED he dropped his basket and started running around laughing as soon as the announcer said the kids could start finding eggs.

The Town of Clayton put out 6,000 eggs for each age group, 3 and under and 4 and up. We were, of course, in the 3 and under age group. Little Dude had so much fun just running around and watching the other kids! Once I showed him with one egg how to put them in his basket, he was transformed into a Competitive Easter Egg Grabber! He was so super smiley and having such a great time! When we got home I counted his eggs-16!! That is super good for a little guy that didn't even start grabbing eggs until late in the game!! Also good for me, as they all had candy in them so I benefited in eating the caramel and chocolate. Yay!

Easter weekend was wonderful, our family and dear friends came by to visit, and Bill cooked the best ham ever! We had tons of fun after dinner letting Little Dude dye eggs. I think we had as much fun watching him dye the eggs as he did putting eggs in the cups! His little eyes just filled with wonder at the dye tablets in the vinegar and then they got even bigger when he realized that 1)he could stand in a chair and 2)he could shove eggs in a cup and 3)he could mush the eggs in the cup!!and 4)the eggs changed color!!!!!! I don't even know how to describe his excitement, and the pictures really don't do the event justice, but you'll just have to see for yourself.


Here is Little Dude running around; this is after he has discovered the fun of putting the eggs in his Easter basket.

Here is Little Dude putting eggs in his basket while scanning the grass for the next egg to grab.

Here he is dying eggs-he had such a blast! This would be a great rainy day activity, though notice there are no clothes on him...

More Easter Egg dying fun-he was amazed with the colored dye!

Our family