Travelling.

Well Today I am waiting on my parents to come pick me up to go back to there house for a week. They live about four hours away in a small town called 100 Mile House. Not much there but it does have some pretty wonderful friends there that I miss and love. I am really excited as I haven't been there in a long while, and I hear they have so much more snow there than we do here in good old Salmon Arm. At the same time I am sad because I know that me and monkey will both miss hubby/daddy very very much. I am extremely excited to be able to go somewhere there is people who can help me out with chasing my little monkey around as it is getting much harder for me to do being as I only have 6 weeks left til my due date and my hip is totally screwed. Yesterday after playing with monkey in the snow for 20 minutes, then walking to the bank and back, my hip was so sore that when I sat down I could not move for over an hour. =/ Makes it very hard to discipline a one year old for pulling the Ziploc baggies out of the cupboard and the decorations off the Christmas tree. Oh well, good thing he is super cute because I can never stay mad at him, and plus he is starting to listen very well when I tell him not to do something because it isn't nice. I have finished most my packing for the trip as we will be up there for a week. I am hoping to be able to visit a few of the wonderful people I haven't seen in forever.

SNOW.... finally!

So sitting here watching all this wonderful snow come down and I have one thing on my mind. Bundling up my little man and finding his sled. :) This is the first winter where he will be able to run around and explore in it. Not to mention how awesome it is that he is feeling better just in time for some real winter fun. Poor little guy had the stomach flu that was going around but is all better now. He is even eating enough to almost make up for the days when he was sick and couldn't eat. Another nice thing is that when it is snowing it means that it is a bit warmer out then it was for the past week so it won't be too cold for the little guy as long as I bundle him up good. :) Man I can't wait to see if he likes the snow.

Christmas.... Oh how expensive you are... lol

I was planning out my Christmas shopping and realized that I had to find a place to hide my hubby's Christmas gifts. Well I decided since the presents are too large to be able to hide any where and too heavy for me to really move them around much by myself I would just wrap them right away. So yesterday I wanted to put up the tree but hubby decided it was time for a new tree because our smaller tree wasn't perfect. I am not one to want to spend money on something we already have but it is nice to have a bigger prettier tree. Though Im still unsure if it is worth $150 for a stupid tree that only gets used once a year lol. We also got some new decorations since we didn't have a lot last year or the year before. Of course while we were out just getting the basics for Christmas hubby spotted a new door rug for the front porch because he did not like our old one, and then also got one for inside the doorway, and also a shoe rack for our shoes (though I was the one who suggested to get that since our shoes were everywhere because our son likes to try and wear them.) Overall not including shopping for presents we spent over 300$ on Christmas stuff and stuff for the house we needed. And have I mentioned my extreme dislike for spending money and shopping? lol. Though after the tree was up and hubby went to work, the neighbours were kind enough to watch my son for me while another friend of mine was kind enough to go with me to the store to buy my hubby's Christmas gifts. I found most of the stuff I needed to and even found some extra stuff for our son. He is so over spoiled this Christmas that I want to cancel Christmas for at least another two years. lol. And by he i mean both my hubby and son because I went a little overboard on their gifts, but couldn't help it. The funny thing is when hubby asks me what I want for Christmas and most of the stuff that comes to mind is stuff for our daughter who is due in January. The only other things I could think of were Dungeons and Dragons books from amazon.ca because they are all on special and I would like my own copies so I don't always have to borrow from every one else. I could not even guess at anything else I want let a lone need, because the only things I think of are things for the kids lol. >.<

The flu bug of some sort....

My poor little man woke up at 3am last night throwing up. I don't know why. Some kind of stomach flu I suppose. All day he hasn't been able to eat or drink anything and when he does he throws it back up within half hour to an hour. I finally got him to sleep for the evening in my bed. If he is not feeling better by morning, or continues to wake up through out the night and throw up a lot then I am thinking I need to take him to the Dr's. Logan went and bought Childrens Gravol, but the package says for 2 and up and I don't want to give it to him unless the Dr. says its OK, or maybe I should call the 811 number and ask them..... =/ I don't like it when my poor baby is this sick, he has never been this sick before. Its also very hard on me because I don't sleep when he is sick because I want to make sure I am there for him when he wakes up or throws up, but I know at the same time I need my rest for the baby in my tummy. If any one has any thoughts on what I can do to help the poor little guy please feel free to speak up.

Homemade Fun!

So as usual, I went to the Healthiest Babies Possible group on Tuesday! I love it because it is fun and educational for both myself and my son. This week we learned how to make playdough that is safe for your toddler. (Meaning if they eat it they wont get sick.) It was amazingly simple, fast and can last up to months as long as stored in a ziploc bag or an air tight container. I thought this is so amazing that I will share the recipe they taught us on here.

Simple Homemade Playdough:

1 1/2 cup flour to start (may need to add more by little bits to get the right consistency you desire)
1/2 cup salt
1 pkg Kool-aid or you can use food coloring
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 cup boiling water
2 tbsp. oil

Whisk dry ingredients in bowl.
Mix oil with boiling water in measuring cup. (add food coloring to water if thats what you used.)
Slowly pour liquid ingredients into bowl with dry ingredients and mix.
Knead to desired consitency.
(If you want you can also add essentiol oils such as lavender for scented playdough.)

Keep stored in ziploc bags or air tight containers for longer lasting playdough


I hope some of you enjoy this as much as I did.

Nesting does wonders for the house.....

So these past couple weeks have me going on random cleaning and organizing sprees. Mind you its wonderful for my house but being as I have a bad hip and such it is not so wonderful on my body. It has me so antsy to get things don't that I cant just sit and relax even though I hurt. On the upside I think my house will be fully reorganized and totally clean and sparkly by Christmas. Its amazing how you never truly realize how much stuff you have until you have to move it around or clean it. >.< I have to get hubby to get this old love seat out of our living room, and the old T.V stand out of the kid's room because they just take up space, and I need to get him to find a place to put the other T.V since we never use it but he insists on keeping it because it is a fairly decent T.V. I think I will get him to put it in the basement.

Too much at once!

So lately I have noticed that my wedding date is only 6 months away, so my head has been exploding with thoughts of that mixed with Christmas coming, and new baby coming! It is all quite overwhelming to think about all at once. I have started a wedding checklist and gotten the ball rolling, I have gotten most of the shopping done for my sons Christmas gifts, and I have a fair stockpile of clothes for Layla. Unfortunately there is still so much to do for all three events!
Things I still need to do for Christmas:
-Gifts for Logan, his mom, his dad, his brothers
-Menu plan/ overall Christmas plan (like are we just having a small family thing or are we going to the inlaws)
-Stocking stuffers
-Decorating/ setting up the tree

Things I still need to do before baby gets here:
-Find a crib or bassinet that is affordable for us (very tight budget)
-Stockpile diapers and wipes
-Finish reorganizing the kids room since we only have a 2 bedroom and can't apply to live in a 3 bedroom until after baby is born
-get a baby bath
-try to get N license(might have to wait until spring)

Things I still need to do for the wedding still is way too much to list with out my sanity exploding beyond repair so I will leave that for another day!

Now it is off to bed before I over stress myself.

Discipline.

There seems to be a lack of discipline with kids these days. Every where I turn it seems there is the people who have the child throwing excessive tantrums, hitting other kids, throwing stuff, etc. The part that shocks me is that their parents are either not paying attention to them at all, or that the parents don't do anything about it. They just sit there watching their child act like a demon, and say 'Don't do that', or not even bother doing anything at all. When my son hits, or throws stuff, or throws a fit for no reason, he gets a smack on the butt or hand and he is told that it is not acceptable behavior. I understand that sometimes kids don't always listen and can throw tantrums over the stupidest thing, but I also think you should be doing something about it not just sitting there watching your child do these things and letting them be little monsters. If my son starts to throw a tantrum we pick him up and tell him 'That's enough' and even though he will still be upset, scream and cry, he will stop hitting and thrashing while doing it. It is fine for him to be upset about things but it is not acceptable for him to thrash about and cause harm to those around him. Hitting and throwing stuff is call for a time out. I think parents today are to slack on discipline. People seem to have a skewed vision of what discipline is as well. I discipline my son without ever crossing the line. Most the time a firm word, and a time out will work just great and he will listen well. Other times he needs a quick swat on the behind (not enough to hurt but to grab his full attention), and then a time out to go with it. Also explaining to him what it is that is wrong for him to do. I also make sure to never call him 'bad' for anything either, because it can lead children to feel like they are always 'bad' which can cause some serious psychological issues and even depression. I try to always take time to tell him what he was doing that was wrong and tell him why it is wrong. For example, 'Hitting is wrong because it hurts, it's not good to hurt people.' Even though he doesn't fully understand it all yet, he is learning and I am trying to make sure that he will always know why, not just get yelled at without even knowing what he did wrong to get yelled at. Sometimes it is nice because all that I have to say to him when he goes into our cupboards is, "You know better." and he looks at me and puts back whatever he took out and closes them. A lot of the time he usually follows up with coming to me and giving me a hug. :) so cute!

Keeping organized....

So everyday I come across the epic battle between keeping my house organized and my toddler tearing everything out of place every ten minutes. I don't even get a chance to finish putting things away and I turn around and hes got other things out and strewn across the floor. I find myself having to put a lot of the toys away where he can't see them so that he isn't always making a mess, but at the same time want him to be able to access the toys he wants to play with without having to always go grab them for him. So far I have settled with he can play with only the toys I have put in the toy organizer, then rest can be put away for only occasional use, when I actually have the energy to keep up with his constant havoc on my living room. I am also looking into getting a massive case for storing DVD so that we don't always have to worry about him pulling all our movies out whenever we go to the bathroom. Maybe even a secondary one for our video games. =D Now to go through all his clothes to see what actually still fits him and what has gotten too small. As much as its nice to have clothes for him HE HAS WAY TOO MUCH!!!! He has more clothes than me and his father combined! Of course the clothes we have for our daughter is amounting to quite a bit and she isn't even born yet. Lol. I will be going through all of the stuff we have and keeping only the stuff I know we will need and that will be my project for the evening.

The dark side of pregnancy!

Well as amazing it is to be given the gift of life in my belly, there seems to be a darker side. My first pregnancy I had bad round ligament pains and my hip also was hurting for some odd reason. I managed to make it through it without breaking. Round 2: it appears that this time around the ligament pains are a bit worse, as well as the hip pain. My Dr. wants me to get a hip x-ray after the baby is born to make sure its nothing serious. Ive also noticed an extreme amount of pressure on both hips and my pelvic bone this time around that I never experienced with my first. It has been getting to the point where rolling over in bed or trying to sit up in the morning is extremely painful, not too mention how much it hurts to just walk around. It is impossible for me to not walk around being as I have a 14 month old to chase all day, and I also have to walk everywhere since I do not drive. The icing on the cake would be these annoying things called Braxton Hicks contractions..... not normally painful but added with my hip and ligament pains they can be quite debilitating. As I am just over the 30 week mark as of last Tuesday, and still have just over 9 weeks left to go, I am becoming more sore and it is getting harder to keep up with my normal activities, not to mention my son who is at the age where he is getting into EVERYTHING!!!! lol. He recently discovered how to climb onto the chairs in the dining room, and also to climb into his highchair and use it to get onto the bookshelves.... >.< I wish there was some way to make it easier, the only real effective way I have found to make it hurt less is by having a nice warm bath, but then there is the problem of trying to balance myself to get out of the bath with out my hip giving out.... and being as my hubby works evenings it also makes it hard because I can not get his help to do so after monkey goes to bed. I'm starting to wonder if investing into a heating pad might be worth it, but to have something you will only use for a month and a half seems like a bit of a waste to me. Oh well we will see how it goes, I know I will make it through it is just a bit harder this time around.

Dealing with the Cold and Flu season!

So at this wonderful time of year I find myself asking is the Flu shot worth it? Hubby and I got our flu shots in the spring when the H1N1 vaccine first came out because monkey was much too young to get it, but now he is old enough but I'm wondering if I should get his shot and if I need to get it again even though it hasn't been a full year. Monkey has his second horrible cold, I find myself using an endless supply of tissues and wipes to clean up the little booger face. Thankfully the Hyland's C-plus cold tablets are helping. Its nice to be able to find a homeopathic remedy for kids due to not only the fact that you can't find any cold medicine for kids under two, but also the fact that you shouldn't let your children become over dependent on using medicine for every tiny little thing. I know a few people who are quick to run to the medicine cabinet at the slightest sign of the sniffles, or ache and pain. I really do not want my son to be like that because then, like me he will end up being pretty much immune to their beneficial effects. I also plan on picking up some more oil of oregano for myself as a way to fight of cold and flu season. It has so many other uses too. You can kill infections in you teeth/ gums,and it works for infected cuts (even ingrown toenails). The one thing I wish I could have but know its not good for pregnant is chamomile tea. It would be nice to have some sleepy tea, but til then I will have to settle for a nice lavender milk bath.

Teething baby!

So my 14 month old son has been teething a lot. Up until recently we had these amazing teething tables by Hyland's we were using. Unfortunately there were too many parents automatically giving kids the highest dose and a lot not even following the directions at all and overdosing their children, so now the product has been recalled leaving a lot of us totally stumped as to something to help our little guys out without resorting to pain medication. I heard from a lady at the Lift The Lip program here that she uses an amber teething necklace, which I thought was very interesting but was a bit skeptical. After two days of him screaming and being so sick because of his teeth I finally decided I needed to try it. Well he has had it on since yesterday afternoon and although it is not an instantaneous result, it seems to be working amazingly. He has stopped screaming, his fever has gone down, and he is in a generally better mood. I know he is still teething and it does bother him, but the only thing he seems to need to make it through so far is that necklace, something to chew on, and some snuggles. :)

People are confusing.

So I have come to understand through out my 24 years of life that no matter how much you think you know someone, they are are quite capable of surprising you. Unfortunately for a lot of these people its not in a good way. I know my view on the world and on people is totally jaded and pessimistic, but hey, it keeps me a lot saner than I would be if I didn't protect myself from all the emotional catastrophes people seem to enjoy inflicting on others for whatever personal gain it gives them. Why is it that no matter how many years a person has on them they never seem to fully mature beyond the high school way of thinking that you need to make fun of others and beat them into an emotional pulp just to feel better about themselves. If I wanted your opinion I would honestly ask you 'What do you think?" but I didn't ask so therefor keep your negativity to yourself because frankly I don't care and it will honestly just make me very angry. Trust me, I am not a very nice person when I am angry. You want to point out my flaws, look at your own first then try to tell me how mine are worse, you cant because no person is better than anyone else when it comes right down to it. If you think you are better than anyone else then get the hell off of your high horse and look at the reality around you. I do understand that some people seem less pulled together, but that just means that the things you see aren't their strong point and that you need to look closer to see the things they are good at because everyone has one thing that they can do better than you can. I can't help but feeling that no matter how good of a friend you think you have, they will always pass you up for what they think is better, which just goes to show people are fickle. I pride myself on being opinionated and quirky, and completely honest with people, but I also know when to keep my mouth shut to avoid unnecessary conflict, especially if your rude comment you have to say could potentially offend some one else. Just because your opinion differs from mine don't tell me my opinion is wrong. My taste in clothing, music, jokes, movies, etc... They are mine, O never asked them to be yours, so if you want to tell me how these choices are dumb, lame, stupid, wrong, etc...... STFU!!!! I do not care, I respect your bad taste in stuff because, hey it is not my problem so why should i care. If you see something you do not like that is just a matter of opinion and not causing any harm or breaking any laws and I haven't asked for your opinion, then for the love of God and all that is Holy Keep your thoughts to yourself!!!!!!!!