Just Rambling...

I should be folding the laundry on my bed, but instead I'm choosing to blog. The boys upstairs are playing nicely and being cute and this isn't always the case at my house. I don't really have anything interesting to talk about and James has again downloaded all the pics to his laptop and erased them from the memory card so I can't even post cool pics.:P

But I want to blog, so I'm gonna!!!

1) I'm not really great at leaving my own return comments after people ask questions or pay compliments. I guess that I assume people won't return to see what is said after the fact. But I always check back, so maybe you do to. I'll try to get better at this.

Until then, thanks to those who left comments about my over-protective tendencies. I really needed, nope -- wanted, a few friends to back me up on that one, and help me feel that I wasn't crazy. I know that I'm dancin' to a different tune than most when it comes to my approach at mommyhood. And while "different" has never been something that I was afraid of, sometimes it still feels good to know that your not alone in something. So a big thanks to all you other neurotic mommies.

2) A note about vanity...
We had a dinner and program at church Saturday night and I wanted to look cute. Still frustrated with the wardrobe in my closet and they way all of my tops were either bursting at the buttons or stretching to fit over these milk jugs of mine, I chose to pump a bottle and wear a cute black dress that is sliming, fat-roll hiding, and impossible to nurse in. Is that vain or what! The baby was a little bit fussy all night long, and he showed little interest in the bottle. I haven't really trained him to take a bottle, because he's been such a good nurser. So, we both spent the evening being frustrated -- all because I wanted to be cute.


3) Silly fun & Crazy ideas that actually work...
So, I haven't been able to post pictures from this event because the laptop and I haven't been in the same place long enough, but I still want to share the fun.

Labor Day weekend was fantastically crazy and silly. I convinced my friend Jenn that our families needed to spend the weekend together even though we couldn't afford to rent the farm house in Carthage for the weekend like we had previously planned. So, we packed up our pillows, put on our jammies and headed over to the Wehrmeisters' place. The kids played and watched the Gnome-Mobile, while us grown-ups (if we can be considered such) played games and ate junk food. We made countless childish remarks and laughed at ourselves and each other until early in the morning. We then took the whole crowd of 4 adults and 7 children out for breakfast. The kids enjoyed funny-faced pancakes and we continued to giggle over the best breakfast gravy in town. We then enjoyed a pool-side picnic and one last chance to splash before the pool closed for the season.

The fun took a brief pause Saturday night because we weren't confident in our abilities to get us all to church on time. But activities quickly resumed after church at our house, where we again played games and cracked up over my inability to use the phrase, "that's what she said" properly. At least two of us suffered from bladder control issues while laughing so hard it hurt. The kids were adorable in their sleeping bags littered with popcorn and we consumed mass quantities of peanut butter m&Ms (the world's most perfect treat). The next morning we giggled as Adam sneaked into bed with James to surprise him. Of course, Emily was standing by making sure not to miss this photo op. We were just absolutely silly the whole weekend long.

It really felt so good to laugh that much. I know that many were puzzled when they learned of our grown-up slumber parties. But it was fabulous fun and we absolutely are gonna do this again!

4) My next crazy idea...
The kid swap for cleaning. Here's how it will work... I will drop my kiddos off with Jenn on a Friday night. They'll stay and play until dinnertime Saturday. This way James & I can wake up and get going on the house right away. We will clean top to bottom and even be able to indulge in major projects like cleaning out closets or even the garage (dun dun dunnnn) without little ones running into the street or making messes in one room while we clean another. Then, we'll return the favor and give Jenn a chance to clean her place. The very thought of a house that has all the rooms clean at the same time, makes me giddy.

5) A new discovery...
Steve Songs. You may have seen him on PBS in the morning. He writes really funny songs for kids. Danny and I just cracked up when we heard the pirate song. "Yo ho ho and a bottle juice!" Check him out at stevesongs.com Make sure you take a listen to Bees Knees, Fast Monkey, and Elephant Hide and Seek. How can you not love a guy who sings about cheese!


That's all for now.
Stay tuned for more craziness that works.