Beautiful Artwork...Must Have...

This amazing piece is by James Browne. I stumbled upon it on another persons blog and just had to save it for my own post so that I can look at it all the time. I will definitely be saving up to buy a nice poster size print of it.

Went on a date!

About once a month my mom is able to offer to come over and sit with the kids. She usually offers to do it at night and I always tell her I prefer daytime so we can spend time outdoors. So yesterday we went out on the boat. As usual we didn't catch a thing! I tried using reverse psychology on the fish "no, don't bite my hook. i don't want to catch a fish..." But alas, it did not work.

The silence was really nice and I got some sun on my skin. It's amazing that while most of the country is freezing, we're able to put on our bathing suits and go out on the boat snorkeling, fishing, surfing, etc.

Now the wait begins until the next time we get to go out together.

Blogging with my 4 yr old

So my daughter and I are Blogging together. You can click on my profile to find her Blog. So far it's been fun but I more or less have to interview her and then type exactly what she says. She starts to lose interest pretty quick but we have fun and it's nice to spend a little computer time together rather than her seeing me on it without her. Hopefully when she's older her Blog will have grown and she'll appreciate me having started it for her.

I recommend you start one with your kid too. Just type what they speak. It's pretty entertaining to read.

A cruel joke...

For those who don't know, I have a daughter who is 4 yrs old and talks non-stop. When she runs out of things to say she makes stuff up, english, spanish, marshian...as long as she's awake she's talking.

So for Christmas someone got her a fake guitar with a microphone and stand. Guess what? Now she's talking non-stop through a speaker! plus she realized that trick where you put the microphone up to the speaker and it makes that awful screeching noise!

I swear, it's enough to drive me insane!

Discount Codes for WAHM Stores

The WAHM Mall has created the Mall Pass. It's a collection of WAHM Stores and their Discount Codes. Simply checkout with the FREE Mall Pass at The WAHM Mall and you will be emailed the Discount Codes for the participating stores. Check it out, it's FREE!

If you are a business owner this is a great way to get FREE Advertising. By contributing your Discount Code to the WAHM Mall you receive a FREE link and listing in the Mall Pass item description. It's a great way to get your business name out there.

No surprises for me...

I guess the concept of keeping a secret and/or keeping something a surprise is a little over my 4 yr olds head. My husband bought me a shiatsu massage chair for Christmas and not two seconds after they walked in she said "Mommy we bought you an exercise chair that massages your back!" lol Luckily my husband didn't hear so I could attempt to pretend that I didn't know. This same scenario has happened with everything we've bought for eachother or family so far, she tells them right away what we bought for them...Oh well, it is kind of cute.

really disturbing

Apparently these panties were being sold in the Juniors Dept. at Wal-Mart...It really is hard to believe that anyone would produce such an item. I wouldn't even want my daughter reading them as she walked down the isle, much less wearing them.

I dream of snow...

It's a real bummer never getting to see snow. But this site SnowDays is really cute and you can design and dedicate your very own snowflake. Check it out!

Cloth Diapers for Low Income Families

If you are interested in using cloth diapers and are afraid you cannot afford the initial investment needed to get started, you should consider applying for assistance with some of the great organizations listed below.

• Miracle Diapers Miracle Diapers has assisted those in need all over the world. They accept donations and put cloth diapers and natural parenting items in the hands of needy mothers.
  
• Lend A Hand Diapers A non-profit organization dedicated to assisting low income families who wish to cloth diaper their children. Our organization also promotes cloth diapers as a mainstream diapering solution by providing the public with accurate information on their ease of use and many financial and ecological benefits.
• Grandma Jacquie's Diaper Barn Seeking to collect donated cloth diapers and accessories and place them in the homes of low-income families in need of assistance.

A Mom's Letter to Santa

(too funny, and so true)


Dear Santa,


I've been a good mom all year. I've fed, cleaned and
cuddled my children on demand, visited the doctor's office
more than my doctor and sold sixty-two cases of candy bars
to raise money to plant a shade tree on the school playground.
I was hoping you could spread my list out over several Christmases,
since I had to write this letter with my son's red crayon, on the
back of a receipt in the laundry room between cycles, and who
knows when I'll find anymore free time in the next 18 years.


Here are my Christmas wishes:


I'd like a pair of legs that don't ache (in any color, except purple,
which I already have) and arms that don't hurt or flap in the breeze,
but are strong enough to pull my screaming child out of the candy
aisle in the grocery store.
I'd also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the seventh
month of my last pregnancy.
If you're hauling big ticket items this year I'd like fingerprint
resistant windows and a radio that only plays adult music, a
television that doesn't broadcast any programs containing talking
animals, and a refrigerator with a secret compartment behind the
crisper where I can hide to talk on the phone.


On the practical side, I could use a talking doll that says, "Yes,
Mommy" to boost my parental confidence, along with two kids
who don't fight and three pairs of jeans that will zip all the way
up without the use of power tools.
I could also use a recording of Tibetan monks chanting "Don't eat in
the living room" and "Take your hands off your brother," because my
voice seems to be just out of my children's hearing range and can
only be heard by the dog.
If it's too late to find any of these products, I'd settle for enough
time to brush my teeth and comb my hair in the same morning, or the
luxury of eating food warmer than room temperature without it
being served in a Styrofoam container.
If you don't mind, I could also use a few Christmas miracles to
brighten the holiday season. Would it be too much trouble to
declare ketchup a vegetable? It will clear my conscience immensely.
It would be helpful if you could coerce my children to help around
the house without demanding payment as if they were the bosses
of an organized crime family.


Well, Santa, the buzzer on the dryer is calling and my son saw my
feet under the laundry room door. I think he wants his crayon
back. Have a safe trip and remember to leave your wet boots by the door
and come in and dry off so you don't catch cold.
Help yourself to cookies on the table but don't eat too many or leave
crumbs on the carpet.


Yours Always,


MOM...


P.S. One more thing...you can cancel all my requests if you can keep
my children young enough to believe in Santa.

I sleep at the foot of my own bed :(

I have actually gotten quite used to it and find a little comfort in feeling six little feet along my body as I sleep. I am not sure if there is really any other way for a parent and three kids to co-sleep in a king size bed. If you have any suggestions I sure would love to hear them.

One day I hope the boys and Guinnevere will be able to find comfort in sleeping with each other, but for now we cherish their company and attachment to sleeping by our sides.

Christmas last year, 2006

Just came across this pic of the kids last year. They have grown so much. I'm not even sure that their Santa hats will fit again this year. I'll take a current pic and post it as soon as I can.

Nursing two little men

Many thoughts enter my head while nursing my two sons at the same time. When they were younger tandem nursing was uncomfortable, they had to be held to the breast and there never seemed to be that perfect position. Now that they are older, I am able to nurse them together comfortably and I look forward to our bedtime nursing session. I watch as they touch each others faces, feel each others ears and eyes, and I think about what impact there might be on a man who had been nursed as a baby and toddler. I tell myself I should Google it sometime, maybe I will today.

Last month in Mothering Magazine there was a great poem. Here it is...

the raspberry boys 

The nipple huge in the baby's mouth,
like a well gummed butt of an old cigar,
the baby's hands squeeze the flesh,
he pulls off every few seconds to smile
at his mother or turn to see what else
is out here. And then one brother blew
huge raspberries on the baby's belly,
the baby pulled off again, guffawing,
then the other brother blew raspberries
into the air, there being no more room
on the belly, that worked just as well,
child laughter squeaky as old pumps,
young spittle covering the scene,
then, for encore, the holy valve closed
a second late and the baby's face
was sprayed with warm milk, more laughter,
the raspberry boys waving their hands
to feel the spray as if it were a first snow,
boys who lost their privileges at their
mother's breasts not long ago,
though they remember none of it as they
won't even remember this by tomorrow,
and so I take it down for them.

Peter Waldor 

Suck My Lolly

Well, what do you think? I absolutely adore this new template and cannot believe I found such a cool site with such cool free and affordable templates. Suck My Lolly has the coolest selection, I only wish I had found her site sooner, before I wasted all my time looking at generic templates.

Oh, and I changed my Blog name. Just wanted to make it more general in nature, not just about my business and announcements.

The WAHM Mall

Recently the opportunity arose for myself and three other amazing WAHM's to invest co-operatively in a website that was for sale. The site is The WAHM Mall. If you would have seen it the day we bought it, you'd know that pretty much the only thing we haven't changed is the name!

Katie owner of KT Naturals Mineral MakeUp, Kayli owner of Nekkie Blankie, Kayla owner of Kayla's Cloth Kits, and yours truly, all have our hearts and minds set on becoming the ultimate online resource for new and existing WAHM's. We provide affordable, creative marketing and exposure for WAHM run businesses and we are developing our Forums where we hope WAHM's from around the world will congregate, connect, share, and learn from eachother.

Stop in and say Hi!

Cloth Diaper News

I have been a contributing writer for the Cloth Diaper News and I must say I am having so much fun. I tell everyone I feel like a real reporter. If you are a part of cloth diapering community, a retailer, customer, etc. then you should think about either becoming a contributing writer or guest writer. Here's the link about becoming a writer. It's very easy and articles can be as simple as announcing the release of a new product, a promotion, a press release, or a topic of your choice. The perks are that you gain more exposure for yourself and your business, if you have one, by including links in your byline.

Give it a try! It's fun.