Controlled Crying: Days 1 and 2

I couldn't take it anymore. The No Cry Sleep Solution did not work for us. I just couldn't keep revising and trying and revising and calming and revising...We needed sleep.

For Christmas, Grayson received a seahorse that plays ocean noise and soft lullabies as well as a Fisher Price Precious Planets crib soother. I set them up yesterday afternoon in his crib. In my mind, I set the start date for Monday. I congratulated myself on taking the step to set everything up and marking my date in my mind. Go me...

Fast forward to last night. Bedtime. At 8PM, Grayson and I head to bed for our regular nurse session. He falls asleep, but immediately wakes up and begins to cry when I try and get him settled. I know he is tired. I can see it on his face. I stand. I bounce. I shush. I look at his face. Then, I just made the decision, right then, right there, to do it. We both need it. I kiss his face. I calm him. Then I lay him down, turn on his music, and leave the room.

I am not going to lie, it was hell to sit in the living room and listen to him cry. Every bone in my body wanted to get up and run to him. I wanted to nurse him to sleep and I wanted everything to fine, but I knew he was full, he was dry and he was warm. He had his blanket that smells like me that he loves. So I sat. Ten minutes later, he was still crying and my gut was clenching and I was filled with guilt. Was this really right? Should I go get him? Will my presence make him cry harder? David got up and went to calm him. Ten minutes later, Grayson was fast asleep. After 20 minutes, he was out like a light. He slept peacefully with barely a peep until 8AM this morning.

Tonight, I changed him, put his jammies on and sat with him in a chair in the living room rocking him quietly while David and I watched a show on television with some dim light at a quiet volume. After about 15-20 minutes of nursing, I could tell he was quite sleepy. We got up and I put him in his crib, turned on his music and rubbed his belly. He whimpered a little, but I quietly closed the door. Not even 3 minutes later, his whimpering had stopped and he was fast asleep.

Right now, this is working. Right now, this is what I need to be doing. This morning, after a full nights sleep in his own bed, he seemed so much happier. He took a great nap for the first time since, well, birth. I took a nap with him because, let's face it, I need to catch up on my sleep too. And, David is on Vacation from work, so I might as well take advantage of his being home.

So, here's to hoping that this continues, because I love it so far.

And Then It Was Christmas

Three days ago, my house was under attack. Brightly colored paper, plastic and boxes invaded while three kids laughed and squealed. Ahhhh....Christmas.

On Christmas Eve, we headed over to my SIL's house to spend the evening with them before they headed to her in-law's house on Christmas. We had dinner, we shared laughs and then we opened gifts.

As is the case every year, Ethan ripped into his presents quickly, only hesitating to let someone else take a turn.

As was not the case last year, because he was only two months old, Grayson was interested in a gift. I opened the rest while he chased the dogs.

And Claire? Well, she could care less about opening anything. She played with Makayla's kitchen.

We all received wonderful things. I, myself, got a ceramic baking stone (which I've been wanting for some time now) and a beautiful iron picture frame that I can't wait to hang and add pictures to.

We headed home after a long night and got the kids jammied up and into bed. Then we got ready to put things under the tree.

Our poor tree....

It survived almost daily attacks from two toddler. It was stripped of almost all ornaments and the lights were tugged so much that they were barely hanging on. The star? I don't even know how it got bent over like that. Poor, poor tree.

We popped all the presents under the tree.

Then we headed to bed ourselves to await our early morning wake up call, which came in the form of Ethan bursting into our room and screaming, "Mom! Dad! Wake up! IT'S CHRISTMAS!!!!"

We dragged ourselves out of bed. We changed diapers. We made sure cameras were charged. Then we let the tearing begin. Ethan loved opening his gifts.

Grayson cared more about tugging on his stocking and playing with David's X-Box 360 controller.

Claire? She did not want anything to do with presents. She spent a good 20 minutes staring at the tree.

And then she tried to make a break for the computer to play PBS Kid's, so we hurried and opened her gift from Grandma Meredith and popped in some Wow Wow Wubbzy while we finished gifts.

After about an hour, my living room looked like this.

Ethan decided to try and clean up the mess. I decided to try and let him while I made breakfast. Iron Man and Bumblebee stopped by.

They ate, but they did not help clean up. How rude!

All in all, it was a wonderful Christmas. We all had fun, and we all received wonderful gifts.

I hope your holiday was just as great!

Twas The Night I Was Supposed To Be Baking

Tomorrow is Ethan's last day of school before Christmas break. It's also the day of his class party, which means he comes home hopped up on candy with frosting stuck to his face, and if it's anything like his Halloween party, a cupcake smashed into his papers in his backpack. Yeah, that happened. Visualize it. Now visualize cleaning it.

Tonight was the night I was supposed the be baking cupcakes for 14 sugar crazed 3rd graders and one teacher who I feel very sorry for. Unfortunately, we were hit by a bout of stomach flu thanks to the leader of the pack (cough*daddy*cough) and let's just say, steak doesn't taste great in reverse, and I've cleaned more vomit out of my carpet in the past week than I care to clean up, well, ever. My bout with the flu was yesterday. I was feeling well enough today to go see Ethan's Christmas program and head out to pick up David's remaining gifts (way to steal my money Best Buy) and buy some groceries.

I bought everything I needed to make cupcakes. I got the kids into bed. I got started making the cupcakes until...CRAP...I forgot the oil. Yup. It is now 12:42AM, and I am writing this because I forgot oil. It's pretty much a key component to great cupcake making according to Betty Crocker, and I think she knows her stuff. Her name is written on lots of it. So guess what I get to do? Tomorrow morning, I get to drive Ethan to the store in town and have him pick out what he wants to take for his party at 7:45AM, and then I get to drive him to school. Did I mention I live in a town of just over 1,000 people? Did I also mention that this is the only grocery store for about 20 miles in any direction? No. Do you know what any of this means? If you guessed they are going to take a big chunk of my money because they can and because they can charge whatever they want because they are the only store for 20 miles, you are correct.

Honestly, I don't know why I do this to myself. Last year I was up until 3AM making cupcakes for his class party. Maybe it's just Christmas. Somehow I always sign up for or get assigned Christmas treats. Maybe Valentine's day would be better. Or, maybe Halloween. When I make Grayson's birthday cake, I can make Ethan's class treats. How long do they do class parties anyways? Isn't he getting to the age where it's lame to bring mom made sweets? He's 8, so I have hope, right?

And now, I need sleep before I go cry over the loss of $20.

Writer's Workshop: It All Ended With A Twizzler To The Throat

Another fabulous Thursday, which means another Writer's Workshop. By now, you should know what to do.

Today I chose the prompt, A Fist Fight.

I have a younger brother named Justin. He is now 25. We're going to travel back in time to when I am 16 and he is 14. I am spending a few weeks at my grandparents house, which is usually what I do in the summer. Justing lives with my grandparents. My cousin, Danielle, is with me. We were pretty much joined at the hip when I was with my grandparents.

My brother had a HUGE bedroom. Since I was only there for short visits, I had a tiny room. My brother had a TV and a stereo and a DVD player and was just a short walk through the living room and into the kitchen, so my cousin and I used to camp out in his room and use his stuff.

One night after a trip to blockbuster, we arrived ready to stake our claim on his territory, armed with popcorn, Twizzler's and other junk crap and a few movies ready for the watching. Justin looked through our movies, making stupid comments. Danielle headed into the kitchen to use the microwave and make our popcorn so we could begin our junk fest. Justin kept making stupid comments about our movie choices. This is when I made the decision to kick him in the shin. He kicked me in the shin. I kicked him the the shin. He kicked me in the shin. I punched him in the thigh. He punched me in the shoulder. We were wrestling around on the floor when my cousin came in. She stepped over us and picked a movie, because this kind of thing was not abnormal. We were always punching or kicking each other in some way. What happened next was abnormal.

I picked up the bag of Twizzlers and hit him over the head with them, causing the seam to rip and Twizzlers to spill out onto the blanket that Danielle and I had set up for our junk fest. I opened my mouth to shout a victorious "HAHA!" because the Twizzler spill should signify my win. I guess Justin didn't get the memo, because he grabbed a Twizzler and stabbed me in the throat with it. And I'm not talking the neck. He actually managed to get it into my mouth and stab me in the back of the throat with the Twizzler. I gagged. We all stopped, Danielle mid popcorn to mouth. I tasted a little blood. Then I slapped Justin in the face, called him an a-hole and all was normal again.

We watched movies and ate junk like nothing ever happened. Good times.

Now I'm Going To Give You Stuff::Paperspring StickyStock Calendar Giveaway

I've professed my love for Paperspring to you twice. Once here and then again here. Why did I tell you twice? Because I love them THAT much. So you want to know a little more about the company and why I love them so much?

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Are you sold? Good, because here's the best part!

Paperspring has graciously offered to give one of you, my readers, a Stickystock calendar to call your own!

Now, I LOVE their sticky stock products. Whenever I order, I always make sure a few stickystock pictures are in my cart.

What's Stickystock? Stickystock is a convenient way to put up a calendar or picture without the use of magnets, tacks, tape..etc..Just stick it you your fridge, cabinet, wall, mirror....Anywhere that is convenient for you! Check out this video from Paperspring that shows you what it's all about.

So, what do you have to do to win?

Mandatory Entry: You must be a public follower of my blog and leave a comment letting me know you are.

Extras (Please leave a separate comment for each!):

1) Head to Paperspring and let me know what you're favorite product is.

2) Head to Paperspring and let me know which calendar you'd choose.

3) Follow Paperspring on twitter.

4) Tweet this giveaway with a link to Paperspring and this blog. (No daily tweets please.)

There you go. Five ways to enter. The rules?

Please make sure you're e-mail is visible in your profile. If it is not, please leave it in your comments. If I can't contact you, you can't win!

Giveaway is open to US residents only. Winner will be chosen Sunday, December 18, 2010 at 11:00PM CDT. Winner will be chosen by radom.org and e-mailed. Winner will have 24 hours to respond before another winner is chosen. Good luck!

And, just so you know, I was not compensated for this post in any way. The views and opinions expressed in this post are honest and my own. Paperspring is providing the prize of one Stickystock calendar.

Coming To You Live From A Space Heated Bedroom

Did you catch the news this morning? There was a major storm in my neck of the woods. A snowstorm to be exact. And man, did this thing make its presence known. We got almost 2 feet of snow. Want to see some photos?

8:30AM. The fog in the photo is actually snow falling.

12:30PM. Still snowing.

2:30PM. Still snowing, and this is when it really started to pick up with wind blowing the mess everywhere.

At around 4:30PM, I noticed the house was getting a little chilly. I walked over to the thermostat to turn it up a bit for a little while. I moved the dial. Nothing. I moved it back. Nothing. I turned it off, and it clicked off. I turned it on. Nothing. Crap. That only means on thing. The pilot light went out. That means I get to try and light it. Double crap.

At 6PM, David called me after work, and I asked him how to light the pilot. He told me, and I got to work. Now my hands are super tiny. Like, really, I have freakishly small hands and feet for a 27 year old woman. A couple of years ago when I attended my cousin's Bat Mitzvah in Arizona, I forgot my dress shoes. I borrowed a pair from my then 11 year old cousin. They fit perfectly.

Anyways, the fireplace matches we have on hand were not going to do it with my small hands, so I spent my evening doing this

So I could make mega match.

Then I started trying to light the pilot. The sign telling me that it wanted to burn my face off made it that much more fun.

I think the bubbles under it are a glimpse into a burned face future. I took the warning seriously.

I got bored (see also, frustrated) when several of my attempts failed and took my last picture of the snowfall that night. It was worse than the 2:3o picture.

After 2 1/2 hours of trying to light the pilot, I gave up. It never did light. David got home from work and called his BIL who told him that we probably had too much snow on our roof covering our chimney and that the wind was blowing so much that it would just keep going out whenever we lit it. Perfect. It was supposed to be -4 last night. So, we all snuggled up in our bed with the one space heater we own. Us, two kids (Ethan is with his aunt for the weekend) and a dog. We slept rather uncomfortably thanks to Grayson rolling all over the bed.

This morning, David attempted to shovel us out. He started by the stairs so our dog could have a place to do his business.

And then he slowly shoveled a path to our cars.

We have a good 2 1/2 to 3 feet of snow in our yard and in our driveway. David is slowly trying to shovel our driveway clear, with hot chocolate breaks every now and then. His BIL came over and helped us clear the snow off the roof so we won't freeze tonight. The heater is trying to warm the place up as I type. I, however, am still seeking refuge in the warm bedroom with my sidekick, Grayson. Two homies just chillin'.

No Cry Sleep Solution Days...Wait, Am I Still Keeping Track?

The No Cry Sleep Solution and I officially broke up. I'm sorry Elizabeth Pantley, but your method was not for us. I'm tired. In the book, it says, "If after 10 days, you see no results, take a break, go over your plan and start again." Ummm....NO! I don't have days upon days upon days to keep this up. My body is tired. My head is tired. I AM JUST PLAIN TIRED!!!

Now, we would have started out adventure is controlled crying this week, but Claire was nice enough to share her cold with Grayson, so until his stuffy nose is clear and his cough is gone, we're back to nursing to sleep. However, this gives me extra time to sleep with one of his favorite blankies to make it smell like me, and to try and find that Rainforest Crib Soother from Fisher Price that I want so bad. Then, the adventure begins, and I'm hoping beyond all hope that it works because I think my brain my actually implode soon.

You're probably thinking, "Chantel, can it really be that bad?" Yes, it can. Grayson cries ALL DAY LONG. ALL DAY!!! No, that is not an exaggeration. It is 100% factual. He stops crying when David plays Halo, and it's usually only a 45 minute break. On weekends when David is working, it doesn't stop. Last weekend, it was so bad, that I started to cry. Then, I just had to put him down and walk away. I didn't know what else to do to comfort him. He ended up crying himself to sleep on the living room floor. And then I cried even harder because I didn't know how to comfort my baby and he fell asleep on the living room floor, crying.

I also can't get any housework done because he is so clingy. I can put him in a hip carry in my sling, but I've found it to be quite difficult to bend and pick things up off the floor with him in it. By the time he is in bed for the night, and I am just too damn tired to care that the toy box threw up on my living room floor and that the dishes need to be done. I need an hour to unwind with some time for me (which is how this post was born) and then I get to go to bed before the wake up, lay down cycle starts.

We both need sleep. And mine starts now. Good night.

No Cry Sleep Solution Days 2-5 = MISERABLE FAIL

We started the No Cry Sleep Solution 5 days ago. The routine has pretty much been the same, except Grayson only gets a bath every other day. My kids have super sensitive skin, and a bath everyday is just too much for their skin to handle. On the days he doesn't get a bath, we do a massage and quiet playtime in the dimly lit room. What's quiet playtime? Maybe a song of Itsy Bitsy Spider or something else that is quiet with small hand gestures. Not too exciting.

On day two, we did the massage routine. Then it was time for him to eat. I offered him the breast, and braced myself for teeth. To my surprise, there were no teeth. He did not bite me. Maybe he was less resistant to change. He quietly nursed. He fell asleep. I held him close and rocked for a few minutes, and then I stood and swayed and shushed and swayed and shushed (did I mention I swayed?) my way to the crib. I quietly lowered him. His whole body relaxed into the mattress. My brain screamed, "OMG!!!! He's asleep in the cr...." WAAAAHHH!!! I picked him up and tried swaying and shushing some more. It didn't work. He ended up nursing to sleep. Days 3-5 are much of the same, only without the staying asleep in the crib and with a bath or two thrown into the mix.

I'm supposed to do this for 5 more days and record my progress. If it hasn't worked by day 10, I need to revise my plan and try it for 10 more days. To be honest, I'm pretty much burnt out on the No Cry Sleep Solution already. There is cry in this solution, and I am definitely not getting more sleep. In fact, I am pretty damn exhausted still, and I feel like I'm getting less sleep. He's waking up more at night, and I'm so tired walking from one end of the house to the other to feed him when he cries over the monitor that some nights, I haven't even made it back to my bed to sleep. I end up falling asleep sitting up in the arm chair or on the couch. I see no light at the end of this tunnel.

So, I've made a decision. If in 5 days this thing is not working, we are going to try the Ferber method. I've requested the book 'Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems' from the library. I'm going to use the money my grandmother sends for his Christmas present to buy him the Rainforest Crib Soother so he has some calm sounds and a night light, and a toy he can turn on and off on his own in the crib.

Am I excited to try the controlled cry? No. Then again, I've never had to do it before. Ethan and Claire were both easy sleepers. There was a period that we lived with my MIL for awhile, and he liked to fall asleep watching Animal Planet with her or watching Winnie the Pooh with me. I was fine with it. When he fell asleep, I tucked him into his bed, and he'd be there for the rest of the night. He did go through a period though where he would wake up at 2 or 3 in the morning and climb back into bed with grandma. Claire however, always loved sleeping in her own bed. She doesn't like being in bed with other people. She prefers her own space to roll around and sleep. All I've ever had to do with her was make sure she had some music, some water and that she was covered up, and she'd go to sleep quietly on her own.

So, here I am, getting ready to do it for the first time. I think I'm ready though. I'm tired, and something has to give. I think if he's full and drowsy and I lay him down awake, things will be fine. It might take awhile, but I'm sure they'll be fine.

Right?

Writer's Workshop: It's Like Back To the Future, Only Not Really

It's Writer's Workshop time. Head on over to MamaKat's and link 'em up! Try it, you'll like it!

Today I chose the prompt If you could relive any moment in your life, what moment would you choose? Write about it. Here goes!

I think I'd like to relive my 18th birthday. It was pretty much the worst birthday I've ever had. Why? Well, here's the story.

On my 18th birthday, my boyfriend at the time came to pick me up in his very old, very beat up truck. He was taking me to see my friend, Kelly, whom I hadn't seen in quite some time and wanted to give me a gift. Her car was in the shop, so she couldn't make it to me to deliver it. The boyfriend kindly offered to give me a ride to her. You'd think I would have known this was a bad idea because A) I'd ridden in this truck many times over the course of our 2 year relationship and B) This truck had a reputation for being temperamental. However, I put on my dress, packed my jeans and t-shirt for our plans later that evening in a bag and we headed out the door.

About 10 miles from my home, the truck started to chug. It started to smell a little like burning and we ended up pulling into a field next to an abandoned building to take a look. He crawled under the truck, let out an expletive or 5 and crawled back out. "The fuel lines clogged," he said as he wiped hibs hands on his jeans. He called his cousin. No biggie. We'll be out of here soon. Fast forward THREE HOURS. There we are, the hot Arizona sun making it's way down. His cousin pulls in. Another hour later, I am in tears and on the verge of total mental breakdown when the truck finally roars to life, better than before, and we hop in to head to Kelly's. We get there, we say our hello's, we giggle as girl's do and then boyfriend and I head out the door to our next location, to meet up with some friends for a bonfire.

We stop at a gas station on the way. As he's filling up, I change into my jeans and t-shirt in bathroom. We climb back in, and head to our destination. We've got a truck bed full of pallets ripe for the burning. We to where we are going. We hop out. He, his cousin and a few other friends start pulling pallets down while his sister and I joke around and talk. They get a fire going. The friends say, "Hey, we got some beer and some wine coolers, do you all want some?" My friend grabs one. She opens it and takes a sip and hands it to me. I take a small swallow, and hand it back. As soon as my fingers leave the bottle, the cops show up. They decide to give me, my friend and my boyfriend breathalyzer tests. Of course, since I just swallowed my mouthful, I blow pretty high. I get a ticket for minor consumption. This is not my finest hour.

Boyfriend takes me home. Sigh.

Would I change something if I relived it? Now that I look back on it, being stuck in that field for 4 hours wasn't that bad. It was kind of funny. It was a beautiful March day. It was warm and the sunset was just amazing. Sure it wasn't a birthday dream come true, but it was OK I guess. Would I change our car? No. The truck was OK. Even if it was temperamental sometimes.

Secondly, I would not have tried my friend's drink. I had to pay $120 for that little ditty and it was not cool. That money deserved a special place in my pocket and then in the cash register of whatever store I visited.

No Cry Sleep Solution Day 1= FAIL!

Last night was the night. It was the night we started the No Cry Sleep Solution. It did not go quite as planned. Why? Claire woke up with a fever and the barking cough that can only mean one thing, croup. However, it was pretty awful because at about 7:30-7:45 she coughed, and a huge ball of mucus got stuck in her throat. She gagged and ended up throwing up a bunch of mucus and saliva. So, to the doctor we went. She wasn't very happy about it. The doctor had to hold her across my lap and her own lap to look in her throat. When Claire sat up, her shoe got stuck and came off in the doctor's pocket, without the doctor of myself realizing. Five minutes later the doctor came back and fished it out of her pocket and handed it to me, saying it was the funniest thing that had ever happened to her. We got a prescription for two steroid pills to crush up into some pudding to help her lungs and bring the swelling down in her throat.

We headed to the pharmacy. Now, this pharmacy is really, really old and there is an ice cream shop attached to it. Claire wanted to sit in the ice cream shop while we waited for her medication. We sat. A woman who worked in the pharmacy came in, looked at Claire and said, "You look like you could use a cookie precious" and bought her a chocolate chip cookie. It was so kind, and I thanked her profusely. Claire piped up and said thank you as the woman was walking out of the store with her coffee. These random acts of kindness are what make me love living in a small town. Claire did deserve a special treat after her very rough morning.

After we got home, and she had her medication, she was feeling much better. Our day progressed normally. Then bedtime came. She went to bed quietly with a humidifier running. Then it was time for Grayson to get started on his routine.

We quietly put on pajamas. We sang a few songs. I turned on some soft music and some soft light. Then I got comfortable so I could nurse him, only this time we weren't lying down so he could nurse to sleep. We sat up so I could rock with him. I rocked him, rubbing his back for a bit. He looked around and seemed to be confused. After 5 minutes of rocking, I offered him the breast. That's when he bit me. Apparently, Grayson is not a fan of change. After biting me two more times, he finally settled into nursing, and his eyes slowly closed and he drifted off to sleep. I did the gently pull off. I pulled him off and quickly popped my finger under his chin. He stayed asleep. I quietly got up, patting his tush and swaying and lightly set him down in the crib. he immediately woke up as soon as he touched the mattress and started to cry. We tried again, and the same thing happened. I decided better to put him to sleep than to keep doing this until he got his second wind and was up even later. I nursed him to sleep.

Tonight we begin Day 2.

A Lesson In Sleep

Grayson is still not sleeping well. Which makes me one very tired mommy. So, I'm going to try a gentle sleep method route. What is it? The No Cry Sleep Solution. Come on Elizabeth Pantley, show me what you've got!

To be honest, after reading the book, I'm not at all excited about charting sleep habits for ten days. Charting what? Yeah, sleep habits. For 10 days, you record your baby's sleep habits, and then you adjust accordingly until your baby sleeps through the night. Whatever gets me some sleep though, right? I mean, this waking up 3 or more times a night still is just not cutting it for me anymore. I am exhausted. I am so tired that I actually slept through him crying. I heard him over the monitor, but my brain interpreted it as a dream, and I slept. His crying turned to giggles and he was entertaining himself when I was finally able to get my body to sluggishly move and trip it's way to his room to nurse him.

So, come Tuesday, we're hopefully on our way to long nights of precious sleep. I'm ready. I'm more than ready. I need sleep. I feel constantly tired and am getting frequent headaches throughout the day as a result of little to no sleep. We're starting on Tuesday because David doesn't work Tuesday through Friday, so while I quietly (HAHAHA!!!) start Grayson on a bedtime routine, David can play with Claire and put her to bed. I can figure out a way to get it to work for us on the nights that David is working.

In other Grayson news, ever since his 12 month well check, he just hasn't been his normal, happy, little self. He's been pretty crabby really. There's a total of 2 hours in the day when he doesn't care that I am not holding him. The rest of the time he's crying and following me wherever I go. It makes it quite difficult to get things done. I'm not quite sure why he's like this now. He was quite content before to be alone with his toys while I did dishes or swept the floor. I'm sure he'll be fine though.

And now, I'm off to sleep.

Writer's Workshop: How Not To Have A Great First Date

It's Writer's Workshop Day! Writer's Workshop is brought to you by Mama Kat. It's also Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. I hope you are all having a fabulous time with family and/or friends!

Today's I chose the prompt Forget about Thanksgiving, tell us about that time you fell down! Let's go!

I am 16. It's June. I am living with my aunt and uncle and their 2.5 children for the summer. My aunt was pregnant, hence the .5. Before I had come to live with my aunt for the summer, I started dating a new guy. He was cute and funny and I wanted him to come and meet my family.

So, one very hot Arizona June night, he comes to my aunt and uncle's home for dinner to meet them, and then to take me out to a movie. It's going to be our first, official date. About an hour and a half before he shows up, I frantically start getting ready. I sit in front of my full sized mirror in my room with my then 5 year old cousin, Molly, asking me about a million questions about my boyfriend and what a boyfriend is and how come teenagers have boyfriends and....While doing my hair. My aunt floats in and out of the room insisting I wear make-up. I am not a make-up kinda gal, but I appease her, and splash a little on my face.

I realize I have about 10 minutes left to get ready. My aunt floats back into the room and helps me find a cute outfit for my date. I get changed, spritz myself with my favorite raspberry scented body spray, put on some lotion check myself in the mirror. I look great. I pull on my socks. This will be my undoing.

I hear the doorbell ring and my brain starts screaming, "Oh no!! OMG..Oh he's here!" I crawl next to the stairs and I hear him exchanging hello's and small talk with my aunt and uncle. They call me down. I stand up and start walking down the stairs, trying to look cute. And then, it happens. My sock slides on one of the steps, and in the most non-cute way ever, I fall the rest of the way down the stairs on my back. All the way to the bottom. I stood up, brushing hair out of my face and trying to salvage the little bit of pride I had left.

I looked up to see everyone stifling giggles. Then I said, "Well, just in case you didn't catch it, that was me, falling down the stairs. Is the pizza here yet?"

Now I'm Going To Tell You Where To Shop:: Overstock.com

Oh, the holidays. The visiting family. The pie. The turkey. The ham. Cooking and eating way too much. Laughing and catching up. It's super fun.

And then, there's the shopping. Me? I am not a huge fan of holiday shopping. I don't like going out into the hustle and bustle with three kids in tow. What makes it even worse is the fact that there is snow on the ground and the temp is hanging out at around 0*. Nope. No thanks. Not happening.

That's where online shopping comes in handy. I can sit comfortably in my pajamas (and yes, I do do that) and take my time leisurely strolling the "aisles" after my kids have gone to sleep or are happily lost in the world of Imagination Movers or Barney.

Right now you're probably all leaning forward with anticipation and saying, "Who, Chantel? Who do you shop with?" Well, I'll tell you one place that I have shopped in years past, overstock.com. Never heard of overstock.com? They are a fabulous online retailer offering everything from baby items to home goods to electronics and so much more! What's better than that? How about $3 shipping no matter what or how much you order!

Need a new Bed? Overstock has you covered! Remodeling your bathroom and need a new Bathroom Vanity? Look no further! Drooling over the digital camera of your dreams (much like myself) but not thrilled with the price tag? Overstock offers them at an excellent price!

Overstock also has a countdown to Black Friday. The deals aren't visible yet, but get that mouse finger ready for some rapid fire on what I'm sure are going to be fabulous deals. Headed out on Black Friday? They also have Cyber Monday waiting for you!

Want to save even more. Overstock.com has generously offered my readers a 10% discount on their entire purchase. Just enter code 121728 at checkout. Want free shipping on electronics? Overstock.com has offered my readers free shipping on any electronics purchase. Just enter code 202234 at checkout! I know, you're all anxious to get spending, so have at it. Happy shopping!

And, just so you know all the ideas and opinions expressed are my own. No monetary compensation was received for doing this post, however, I was provided with a discount code.

It Was A Gerber Houseparty Kinda Day!

Guess what I did on Saturday? I had a party. My SIL supplied her friends because, even after 4 years of being here in Wisconsin, I don't know many other mom's. She also supplied her house.

So, what was my party for? Gerber! A few months ago, I came across a website called House Party in a magazine. Out of sheer curiosity, I signed up to see what it was all about. I also liked them on Facebook. About a month and a half later, I saw a Facebook update from them saying they were having a Gerber Generation Party. I though, "What the heck? I'll sign up." I went to the website (www.houseparty.com) and applied. I got a survey a few weeks later. I took he survey. Then, I waited. I waited. And then I waited some more.

After all the waiting, I got an e-mail saying I was a FINALIST. Gerber wanted ME to throw a party. YES PLEASE!

I quickly called my SIL and told her all about it. She got very excited and she and her husband generously offered me their home and use of their friends. I sent out e-mails immediately. Then I anxiously awaited the arrival of November 20th.

A few days before my party, I got two huge boxes, both weighing about 50lbs each of Gerber products. What was in the boxes? Well, take a look!

Those bags are PACKED to the GILLS. The bags contained two four packs of yogurt, a cereal bar, three smart sips and a two pack of stage two smart nourish organic baby food along with nutritional information, a breastfeeding guide and a few coupons. The few bags I didn't pack, I set out on the counter with a sign that had a breastfeeding resources on it, this way if someone didn't want to dig through their own bag, they could pick and choose from things on the counter to give a try.

There were enough products in the box for 16 people to take home! Gerber was also generous enough to supply us with plates, napkins and cups for 16 people! I didn't have that many people at my party, so my SIL took the extra bags to give to a few people at work.

The foods and drinks were a big hit with all the kids. Claire enjoyed the smart sips.

Grayson was a fan of the yogurt.

All in all, it was a super fun day. I got to hang out with some other moms and the kids got to try lots of yummy Gerber foods! Want to know more about Gerber? Head on over to their website for lots of nutrition information and coupons.

Want to throw your own party? Visit House Party for more details!

When Your Day At The Portrait Studio Goes Horribly, Horribly Wrong

Last night I took the kids in to Target for pictures. Grayson is now one, and we need to get his first birthday pictures taken. I had them scheduled for the week after his birthday, but Claire got the pukes, so it just didn't happen. I rescheduled for last night.

As I'm rushing out the door, I think, "Oh crap, I'm gonna be late." I put everyone in car seats, and away we go. Oddly enough, we make it with just 5 minutes to spare. I check in and am told, "The other appointment ahead of you is just about finished." OK, I'm in no rush. I need to get the kids checked and cleaned up anyways. I then tell them that I want only pictures of Grayson alone since they are his birthday pictures, and the rest are to be of them together. Then I take off coats. I brush Claire's hair and fix her headband. I feed Grayson snacks. I think, "Wow, this is taking a little long." Why? Because it is. The appointment ahead of me has now gone 5 minutes over my appointment time. And, just to clarify, Target Portraits only schedules a ten minute session during the holiday. My appointment is now a 5 minute session. The door opens, a name is called and the woman behind the counter runs into the room and the door is closed. I feel my stress level rising.

Another 10 minutes pass. Ethan starts to complain that he is hungry. Claire is furiously trying to get me to take her headband out. Grayson has lost all interest in snacks. It is now 15 minutes over my appointment time. I do everything I can to make everyone happy. It isn't working. The door opens, and a family of 5 walks out along with two photographers. I look at my three, and I glance at the clock. My appointment was 20 minutes ago. My stress level rises.

The photographer leads us into the room. She takes out a ball for Grayson. I set Grayson down and the door is closed behind us. Claire picks up the ball, and hands it to Grayson. The photographer picks up her camera, sits on the floor and it begins. Grayson starts to cry. Now, this is usually where the photographer does something to make him laugh. It does not happen. His face turns beet red, and he screams. The photographer sits there, camera in lap, doing nothing. The door opens, and another photographer comes in and sits with the first one. They begin to chat. Grayson is still screaming. Claire looks upset, because whenever Grayson cries, Claire cries out of worry. The photographers carry on their conversations. Grayson lays on his back on the floor and wails. The photographer picks up her camera and starts taking pictures of him, tear streaked and red and saying, "Oh, these are great. Isn't he cute?" Um...No, he's not cute. He's angry, and I am too.

Not even 5 minutes after this mess starts, one of the photographers heads out the door while the other one suggests I hold Grayson in my lap while she takes a photo. I am not keen on this idea because my sweater says CARDINALS is red. She tells me she can focus on the gray. I'm OK with this, so I set him in my lap. He does not stop crying, and she does not focus on the gray. You can see the lettering all over my shirt. The other photographer comes in and says my session is over because they have another appointment waiting. It's has been 6 minutes. I am livid.

They try to get me to order pictures. I refuse. They all look terrible. I am ready to cry. Seriously. When I reach my boiling point, I cry. I am on the brink of my boiling point. They again try to make me order. I again refuse. She puts the worst picture on a Christmas card background and tells me it's cute. I just stare at her. She reschedules my appointment.

I don't know what to do now. If I knew a private photographer who was Target priced affordable had a comfortable studio setting that they could capture natural pictures of my children in, I'd make an appointment. However, I don't, and I have a coupon. So, I'm stuck with Target and the portrait session from hell. Hopefully next time I go in, they have a different photographer.

Now I'm Going To Tell You What To Buy:: Paperspring Review

Alright, so a few months ago, I did a review of Paperspring products here. I'm not gonna lie, I LOVE this company. I LOVE their products. I LOVE their customer service. It is everything I look for in a stationary store.

Recently I was asked to do a review of their holiday cards. Yes. I would love to.

Now, in my head, I imagine my holiday card being something fabulous, with my kids running in the snow, or smiling at me with their big grins and wide eyes, and then I realize I have three kids who are, in no way, capable of taking a picture that looks decent if they are in front of my lens, and are barely capable of taking a decent picture in front of a professional lens. That dream quickly died and I instead decided to go the three separate photo look. You want to know what card I would have chosen if I had been able to get them all in one picture?

It's simple and it's fun and I love it. It would have looked great....sigh....

So, I chose something that worked better for me. Now, I have an aunt and an uncle who are Jewish, and I really don't like sending them things that say, 'Merry Christmas'. I like to choose cards that say 'Happy Holidays'. The nice thing about Paperspring? They have Hanukkah cards. So, if you are Jewish and want to send cards to family and friends who are also Jewish, you have options. I love that. I always have such a hard time trying to find them a card. I, however, did not order any Hanukkah cards because I only have one family in my family who happens to be Jewish.

So, now you're wondering, "What happened when you ordered? What did you get?" I'll tell you.

I placed my order, and I patiently waited. And waited. And waited some more, and then one day, I got this:

I was THRILLED. And, look how securely they wrapped it. It was wrapped in a pretty ribbon and in bubble wrap to prevent them from being knocked around and getting bent corners.

And, I also saw this again:

That is the personal note from the person who packed and shipped my package. I really cannot even keep telling how much I love this feature. It shows how much Paperspring cares about their customers and how much they put behind their products. It's fabulous.

And then, I finally opened my card, and Ooohd and Aaahhed over them. They are perfect. I cannot wait to send them out.

Now, Paperspring also has a new, fun feature called Paperlinks. What's Paperlinks you ask? Let's say you create a baby announcement. You have several great pictures, but can only choose one. Paperlinks is a fun, new way to share the rest of those pictures. You add Paperlinks to your card and a scan code shows up on the back of the card. The code looks like this:

When your family gets it, they simply use a FREE app, called Paperlinks, on their smartphone to scan the code, and they are taken to a special site with the rest of those pictures. It's fun, safe and free! This app is only available for the iPhone at the moment, but Paperspring is hoping to bring it to the android market soon.

So, all in all, I am still a huge fan of Paperspring. They are still a great, ecofriendly company, just like they were 3 months ago. They are still offering wonderful customer service. And all orders ship FREE!!! So, head to Paperspring now and get your shop on!

And, just so you know, I was provided with these products for review. This in no way changed my opinions of these products. All opinions are honest and my own.

Writer's Workshop: Oh Crap....

Writer's Workshop. Super fun. Check it out Homies. Mama Kat's waiting!

Today I chose the prompt Describe A Moment When You Ignored Your Intuition. What Happened.

Let's go back in time. Let's go back in time 16 years. I am 11. I am in the sixth grade. It is a Saturday night and I'm finishing up my vocabulary homework while sitting on my grandma's bed and watching TV in her room.

Anyways, I happened to notice tampons in my grandma's bathroom when I went to grab some kleenex from under her bathroom sink. I was curious. So I took one, and decided that I wanted to inspect it. I quickly concealed one and I ran into my bathroom. I slammed the door, took the tampon out of the wrapper and stared at it. How the hell does this thing work? What do you do with it? All these thoughts rushed through my mind as I took it out of the cardboard tube and looked at it. And then I heard my grandma walking into her bathroom, and I panicked.

Now, my gut told me not to do this. My head screamed, "NO!!!" But I think my heart was pounding so loud that it drowned those things out and I quickly threw the tampon, cardboard applicator, wrapper and all into the toilet and flushed. The water went down, and then the toilet gave a gurgle and water started to rise. And rise. And rise. Then it splashed over the sides. I screamed. My grandma came running. I opened the door. She looked at the floor. She looked at the toilet. She looked at me. I confessed to everything in one breath.

Surprisingly, she wasn't mad. She actually found it quite amusing. Who didn't find it amusing? The other 3 apartments who had to have their water shut off so that the plumbers and maintenance men could fix my little problem. You see, I clogged the toilet so bad, that it backed up water in the rest of the units in our quad. Who knew a tampon could do that, right?

Now, I've learned my lesson. One: Listen to your gut before you flush weird stuff down the toilet. Two: Do not flush tampons under any circumstances. Three: Your grandma thinks weird crap is funny.

And Then The Illness Spread....

Claire had the pukes for two days. It was not fun. What was fun though?

Grayson went for his one year well check. I mentioned the shots part in my list of things I learned. He's also 29 inches long and 20lbs 11oz. He is still the smallest of all three babies. Ethan and Claire were both well over 25lbs by now. They were big babies. Their heads could not be compared to other children on the pediatric chart, which was made apparent by the fact that almost none of their clothes fit over their heads. Grayson is different. He is still fitting in 9-12 months clothes with all of his clothes fitting over his head easily. It's quite odd to not have to struggle to fit shirts over his head and wonder if his pants are going to fall off when I pick him up. His visit was perfect.

And then, two days later, he started to cry. He followed me around crying saying, "Mama Mama Mama". He was happily playing with toys by himself for at least two hours every morning. He actually got upset if I interrupted playtime. I knew something was wrong. So, Monday morning while David was at work, Clarie, Grayson and I bundled up and took a walk to the clinic. The clinic in our town is very small since our town is very small. There is one doctor. There are 4 rooms. There is one lab tech, one nurse and one receptionist. Very tiny. I think Grayson made everyone want to leave. See, Grayson is not a fan of any type of table he has to lay on. They told me they wanted to weigh him. I told them he had just been weighed less than a week ago and he was 20lbs. They said they still needed to weigh him. I reluctantly undressed him and set him on the scale they had in the hall. He immediately began screaming, and did not stop screaming until we were on our way out the door after the doctor diagnosed him with an ear infection. He has now finished day one of his antibiotics. Nine days to go.

And now, Ethan has a fever. He came home from school saying his head hurt and he was so very tired. He wanted to take a nap. Then he started to complain that he was cold, even though it was quite warm out today, and in our home. I felt his head, and he was warm, and progressively got warmer throughout the night. He had a dose of Motrin and was sent off to bed with a much loved puke bowl. Hopefully the contents of his stomach stay there...In his stomach.

Here's to a long week of the yucks in our house. Woo hoo!

A Few Things I've Learned This Week

1) Banana's are not fun to watch a 2 year old vomit. Neither is Trix. Let's just add in any type of food consumed by a toddler.

2) After seeing your 2 year old vomit, you learn what the signs are and have the puke bowl ready. She will learn to love the puke bowl and carry it everywhere and read to it.

3) Vomit is not a fun thing to wear first thing in the morning.

4) Taking your 1 year old in for shots automatically makes them crawl after you while wailing and calling, "mama mama mama" when they would previously play happily with all of their new birthday presents alone.

5) Robots are not a fun thing to build for an 8 year olds school project. And, not matter how many time you tell him it won't because he's just pretending, you're 8 year old will still ask you if the robot can take out the trash for him when he is done building it.

6) Halloween candy lasts for a much shorter period of time when being shared by an 8 year old, a 2 year old and a 28 year old. Yes, David is eating the candy. It's been less than a week, and it's almost gone. I think I need to make a clearance candy run to replenish the stash.

7) It NEVER stops being exciting when your baby does something for the first time. Grayson has finally figured out that he can keep pulling himself up on things. It's only a matter of time before I'm chasing him and Claire down.

8) After everyone's in bed, and it's quiet, I have a minute where I miss all the action, and then I watch and episode of Ghost Hunter's or whatever else I have stored on the DVR.

Halloween Parade

I'm taking part in the SITS Halloween linky. Three days of Halloween fun. There is also a freaking fabulous prize. Want to see?

That, my friends, is a Cannon Rebel T2i. That is my dream camera. Isn't she beautiful? I want her.

Today the topic is Halloween Parade. Create a post showing what your kids (or yourself) were for Halloween.

Ethan wanted to be something "scary". I disagreed. This was Claire's first year trick or treating, and of all people to be scared of, I really didn't think it should be her brother. I insisted he be something a little less scary. There was some "Awww man" and "But" thrown around, but we finally were able to get him to choose something simple and not too scary.

Meet Ghost Face. Yes, the guy from Scream.

Then there was Claire. We knew it would be chilly, so we wanted to find her something on the warm side. We thought a nice, long princess dress would be perfect because she could wear pants underneath it. We set out to find one. We found Cinderella. Unfortunately, Claire found Minnie Mouse, and once she saw it, she refused to be anything else. We kept showing her other options, and she kept saying, "No. Minnie." We had to some pants that matched to go under it to keep her warm. Hey, Minnie does wear pink, so it works....Right? She also ended up wearing her coat over it since it was chilly. It was blue.

And, just a note about this costume. If you want your daughter to be Minnie, you should find a costume with elastic sleeves. The sleeves on this costume were fitted and so tight on Claire that her little arms were red and sore looking. It's a good thing she wore it to a party a few days before hand so I could see that. I had to cut slits in the sleeves next to the seam so she would be comfortable in her costume. The costume was a 2T and fit perfectly everywhere but the arms.

Grayson was an alien from Toy Story. He didn't trick or treat, but he looked darn cute!

He was bundled warmly inside the weather protector in the stroller to keep the wind out of his face. Claire joined him once or twice. She fell asleep after 45 minutes of walking. Grayson, however, was wide awake the ENTIRE time.

Ethan finished Claire's trick or treating.

All in all, Halloween was a great night for all kids, and a great birthday for Grayson!

Dear Grayson

Dear Grayson,

Today you turned one. In the past year you've gone from this:

To this:

You're gray eyes turned to a big sparkling blue. You never lost any of your hair you were born with, and it still sticks up right in the front just like it did in the hospital. You started crawling at 10 months. That's two months later than your brother or sister! You give great, big belly laughs for lots of things, especially when daddy pretends to be a doggy and chases you barking through the house. You have 10 teeth. And you are still the smallest baby out of all three of you. You swim in size 12 month clothes and are closer to a 9 month size. That's OK though, you'll grow soon enough!

People always ask, "Who was the best baby?" The answer is easy. Ethan was the easiest baby, but the worse sleeper. Claire was the hardest baby, but is still the best sleeper. You landed right in the middle. You hate sleep, especially naps. You are the only one that cared about teething. You are the only one who thinks mommy rocks the world. And you're right, I do. Ethan and Claire were all about daddy. Claire still is.

Yesterday you had your very first birthday party. I worked hard to make it something special for you. I made decorations:

We ordered a pumpkin patch cake:

You opened tons of presents:

And you got messy in cake!

Tonight, after a long day of having fun with all your fabulous new toys, we took your brother and sister Trick Or Treating. You dressed as an alien from Toy Story.

As you can see, you didn't like the hat part of the costume, but you were darn cute!

Now, you are sleeping peacefully, and I am sad and happy all in one. You had an incredible birthday, and I'm so happy. I'm also sad, because it was the last first birthday I'll ever get to plan. Now I'm excited. I can't wait to see what year two brings to you.

I love you baby boy,

Mommy

Creepy, Crawly Creations

I'm taking part in the SITS Halloween linky. Three days of Halloween fun. There is also a freaking fabulous prize. Want to see?

That, my friends, is a Cannon Rebel T2i. That is my dream camera. Isn't she beautiful? I want her.

Today the topic is Creepy, Crawly Creations. Post about crafts that you made for the holiday.

Now, we all know I've been getting my craft on. Grayson's party was yesterday, and I had my hands glued (literally and figuratively) to everything craft related.

I made this fabulous banner.

It turned out pretty great I think. David, of course, was a butt about telling me it looked good until the last minute. He likes to be indifferent and watch me get frustrated until the last minute. I really don't know why I keep asking him for his creative opinions.

I made these hats.

The bottoms are crooked and they aren't perfect by any means. I mean really...They are not perfect. The bottoms really are pretty crappy looking. But, I think the kids enjoyed them, as made evident here.

I also made the favor bags, which are nothing special. A brown paper lunch sack, a bit of paper and a pumpkin on the front and a bit of ribbon and VOILA...Favor bags filled with sugar and fun!

I really enjoyed getting crafty for this party. Sure it got stressful at times, but I really LOVED it. I think I'm going to keep doing things like this. Practice makes perfect, right?

Ghosts Of Halloween Past

I'm taking part in the SITS Halloween linky. Three days of Halloween fun. There is also a freaking fabulous prize. Want to see?

That, my friends, is a Cannon Rebel T2i. That is my dream camera. Isn't she beautiful? I want her.

Today the topic is Ghosts of Halloween Past. Create a post that includes a picture that describes a memorable Halloween. I think we all know where this is going.

Just last year, I had the most memorable Halloween in my life. Why? Because I got to meet the newest man in my life.

For some reason, I just knew he was going to be a Halloween baby. On the 30th, my labor started. I waited as long as possible before heading to the hospital. Once there I looked at my belly and said, "Just 7 more hours baby. Just 7 more hours." He swirled in reply. David and I sat in anticipation. We finally came up with two names we both could agree on, since we had no idea Grayson was a boy yet. We watched the clock and my contractions, taking bets on when he would be born. At midnight, I was told it was time to deliver. Guess who won those bets?

At 1:35AM, Grayson made his very loud entrance in to the world as David proudly announced that he was a boy, and added, "In your face!" since I was so sure he was a girl. Then they laid him on my chest, were he calmed and we studied each other. Here he was, the Halloween baby I knew we'd have.

At 10AM that same morning, I got a visit from my own personal Ghostbuster, who was all too excited to tell his new brother the stories of his Ghostbusting adventures.

And from a timid little sister, who wanted nothing but to hang onto her mommy and not share her.

I spent Halloween quietly snuggled up in my hospital bed with my newest addition to our family. It was the best Halloween, and the most memorable for me.