Can't Talk...

It stopped raining Sunday and the sun started to shine on Monday. Do you get that? It has been BRIGHT and BEAUTIFUL for a record 4 days! That's the better part of a WEEK! And we have been outside EVERY SINGLE DAY. And there has been LITTLE TO NO TELEVISION viewed. And I'm only on the computer long enough to HARVEST MY CROPS. And thus have totally blew the whole I'LL SHOW YOU MY REAL LIFE CROPS because I'm too busy weeding them versus talking about them.

Not to mention Jer has come down with the FLU and is currently on his DEATH BED. Though, he seems to somehow still be alive. He was actually AWAKE and INTERACTING with us for the better part of today. Progress, no?

AND! Just to let you all know, the whole cry it out thing with Lydia has taken an unexpected turn. While she "sleeps through the night" now, with no problems, she also now sees the hours of 5 and 6 in the morning to be her waking hours. Most of the time I can give her a bottle and change her butt simultaneously while she's still lying in her crib. And when she's finished eating I snatch the bottle and dirty diaper and run like mad out of her room hoping she doesn't notice. She plays for for a bit and usually, but not always, goes back to sleep after some time. Though that leaves me wide awake in the process.

Kyra's new thing to learn is how to stay her little ass in bed when she gets up in the morning and to quit waking up the entire house. We'll see how that goes.

Until then, here's a picture of one of the green pepper plants:

I even went out IN THE RAIN to get this picture last Friday. Just for YOU. I had the best of intentions, things just went south with Kyra for a few days before the sun made every thing better. And now it's going to start raining again for another week. That guarantees I'll be back to my old, yakking about nothing important, self.

Don't get too excited, now.

5 Questions, 5 Answers

Today we're playing 5 Questions with Erica of The Four Apostles.

1). You find out you've just won an award for "Most Dramatic Actress" (yay you!). What was the movie and what was your role?

It would certainly be for my portrayal of MOMMY IS PSYCHO WHEN SHE DOESN'T GET HER 8 HOURS OF SLEEP. That's right, 8. Jer? The navy has done a WONDERFUL job at teaching him that he can survive and help pull a family back together on a mere 3 hours of rest. Me? I need 8 or else the drama will be fierce. And not to mention I'd be completely useless.


2). How do you really envision a battle between Superman and Batman going down?

Um, wow, that's a hard one. I'm envisioning this to be a battle of Who's the Better Dresser? Being that Superman wears his underwear on the outside of his tights, um, I'd have to go with Batman wins. I mean, he has the big muscle-y protective contraption strapped around his chest and a butler. There's nothing more fashionable then fake muscles and your very own butler.

3). If I was to say, "Alicia at age 15", what would you say to that?

Wouldn't do it again in a million years. Even if you paid me a ba-jillion dollars. I choose to forget as much as possible between the ages of 13-19. Those years, well, they sucked. And not JUST because I was a dramatic teenager. They sucked that bad.

4). It's the Big Dance and your hairspray isn't your regular hairspray at all, but instead your bitchy, self absorbed neighbour girl has swapped it out with sparkly mousse! What EVER do you do?!

I'd wear that sparkly mousse with such style and class I'd make ALL the bitches wanna be me! Or I'd beat the crap out of that delicate flower of a neighbor girl and take my hair spray back. Depends on what mood I'm in at the time, I guess.

5). What is your favourite jungle animal?

Hippos. Think about it. They get to lounge in the water ALL. DAY. Ah. Makes me jealous. How'd they get so damn lucky in the lounging around department?

*****

Tomorrow we'll take a look at my real life garden, per Chick With Sticks request. She is, apparenly, shocked that I'd cheat on FarmTown with my own, non virtual, garden.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

It's been raining here for the better part of six weeks. I was completely unaware that in moving to the Artic Tundra, we might as well be moving to Seattle, Washington.

Thanks to all the rain, Kyra has become atrocious. Most days leave Jer and myself shaking our heads with the thought of "where did our perfect child go?" And then we remember, oh ya, it's raining and she, too, has cabin fever. So we breathe deeply, count to ten over and over again and try to understand that what she needs is something to do, something to keep her mind occupied. We try to focus REALLY hard on not chucking her skinny ass out of her 15 foot high window into the cold rain outside.

And Lydia. Whoo, boy! This teething thing is something fierce with her. Kyra was never like this. She'd pop a tooth in over night that you'd never know was there. But Lydia? I think she might have a pack of wild hyenas gnawing at her chubby thighs for all the screaming and crying she does. I've taken to frequently wearing her around the house in my Beco carrier again. (Have I told you guys lately how much I LOVE that thing? Because I do. I love it a lot.) Some days it's the only way to save my sanity while trying not to off both of my beautiful children.

We're muddling through this, though. With Kyra we've managed to find a TON of school related things, from flash cards to work books and maps, in Target's dollar bin. She is thrilled to have them. The whole way home she was rummaging through a box of insect flash cards, quizzing Jer and myself on each bug in the pictures. These new things should last her, oh, about a week of playing by herself.

You all were right about the teething tablets for Lydie Kate. We've been alternately shoving those into her fat cheeks and dosing her up with Tylenol, too. One or the other works okay for a while, but alternating them both seems to be our best bet. When one wears off, oh!, she won't hesitate to let you know.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, I don't have a lot to say. Unless you want to hear me bitch about my WONDERFUL children being absolutely HORRID thanks to an ass load of rain and a couple of teeth.

Funny, those curve balls life throws your way.

Can you all think of something you'd rather hear me talk about? At this moment, I've got nothing.

We're In For It

I found Lydia testing out her new trick in her crib today. And I think we just might need to start baby proofing the house.

We're on to you Half Pint.

Not even your toxic drool that has seemed INCREASE overnight is going to stop us from baby proofing all the fun stuff you want to play.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go harvest my crops on FarmTown.

What? Did you think I was going to say something like install baby gates or outlet covers?

She's Not Topless, Per Se, She's Getting Dressed

For those of you who always comment on how L-O-N-G Kyra's hair is, this one's for you.

It's Official- Teeth

I'm calling it for official this time.

Symptoms:
Cranky as all get-out.
Loose stool.
Occasional rash on either girl parts or bottom.
Chomps on anything and everything that comes into her mouth.
Random feeling of warmness but not quite fever worthy.

Symptoms we're lacking:
Extra drool.
Red swollen gums.
Chapped chubby-cheeks.

What we're doing for her:
Letting her live. (with all the excess screaming, this mark is worth noting)
Giving her Tylenol in this handy device. (without it, she spits out anything that does not come through a bottle nipple, food included)
Letting her live.
Giving her anything short of sandpaper to shove in her pie hole.
Letting her live.

Any suggestions you may have? Speak now or forever hold your peace.

The Many Faces of Lydie Kate

The Seriously? Are you going to take another damned picture of me? Know you that flash is going to make me go blind one of these days...
The Ohh! Look! Shiny object at 3 o'clock!

The Fine, fine. If I smile will you be done, now?

My favorite, the I thought you said there would only be one more picture? That's IT. NO MORE. I'M DONE!

And, lastly, the Fall asleep mid cry.

At least we have more smiles then we did in February. Right? Progress is good...

It's Official

I'm on Facebook and I'm lost. Technology just isn't my thing. I feel as if I'm posing as a sheep to find out what is so damned exciting that everyone is walking off the same cliff, together.

Apparently you guys were quite convincing, though. I've managed to find the only two people who commented they weren't all that into Facbook, um, updating their thoughts and actions on FACEBOOK.

What's the world coming to?

Go From Strawberries to Jam and Shortcake For Dessert

First, you must go out and pick the goods strait from the fields. Because, lets face it, if the strawberries are bought in the store and were shipped in from the opposite side of the country, or, ANOTHER country all together, they probably weren't at their peak of ripeness and just wont do. Find a few minions

and promise them they'll get ice cream when the jobs finished.

This way, it won't be any trouble getting them to do your dirty work. Now, on to the kitchen.

Next, tell the female minion to go find her RED apron so the strawberry stains will just blend in to the fabric color. You'll need this person to do the physical, dirty work to make the jam.

She'll be required to do things such as mash the strawberries,

And whisk in all the other ingredients over an open flame. This not only keeps YOU from having to stand over a hot pot, but teaches the female minion how to cook safely if she doesn't want to catch on fire.

Once YOU fill all the jars because, lets face it, the female minion will try to stick her finger in ever one of them to "taste test" the jam if she is allowed to fill the jars and we already fed the minion ice cream, she doesn't need any more food right now unless we'd like her to eat us out of house and home.

Once the jars are properly canned and sealed, you've now made yourself 16 jars of strawberry jam.

But don't put those jars away, yet!

Make certain the female minion does a through check of the seal and durability of the jar. Better if the jar isn't sealed properly that it leaks out on her and not you. And now, your strawberry jam making day is complete!

Next on the agenda with the left over strawberries? SHORTCAKE!

Make yourself a great big bowl of strawberry shortcake. Mmmmm....

And then watch how your underpaid, overworked, female minion steals your bowl and eats it right in front of you.

Watch how she taunts you by licking the whip cream you so carefully spooned on top of the berries.

Watch how when she's done with that spoon full

She'll go back for more. MUCH MORE.

And she'll clear that great big old heap into her pie hole with no complications.

Easy peasy.

And watch how your female minion finishes off the entire bowl in front of you and doesn't even offer you a single bite to share. Isn't she just a doll.

***Oh, and what's up with you guys? I ask you about Facebook and you're all WOO-HOO! FACEBOOK ROCKS! I ask you about making homemade jam and you're all *crickets*. Now I see what you guys do all day, and it doesn't involve kitchen utensils in the slightest.***

Crazy Few Days

It's been a crazy few days, between the Cry It Out nights, the do I or don't I Facebook, and then to top it all off, the ever bitter but still loved Nanny has been teetering between life and death since Friday and, yesterday, finally succumb to death.

To start things off, the whole Cry It Out has been going quite well! Day 2 she cried for a half hour solid and then the next half bitched for a few seconds before loudly sucking her thumb before she fell back asleep. Day 3 she cried for 15 minutes before the bitching and sucking that lasted another 15 minutes. Day 4 she slept through the night. Yea! And day 5, last night, another 15 minutes of crying 10 minutes of bitching/sucking. So, it's going well! I'm pleased and am hoping that by this time next week we'll have fully accomplished sleeping through the night EVERY night.

Next, boy oh boy are there some serious Facebook users out there! I never knew it had such a cult like following. And the farming game? I've read about it numerous times over at Chic with Sticks, but good golly, are you guys a dedicated following. I'm still a little up in the air about jumping in that barrel of fun, mostly because of the days I've had as of late, but man, you guys are convincing.

And finally, Nanny. I wrote about her once here. (click on the word "here," I know it's not highlighted, but I can't figure out how to do so) Anyway, she suffered from COPD and has finally left us for a better life in Heaven. I've been back and forth about whether or not I should go down there to say my goodbye's and I totally set myself up for being stuck here without realizing it.

Friday night, before I knew what was going on, I transferred nearly all of our money out of the checking account and into various other accounts, a transaction that I knew wouldn't go through and be available until Tuesday morning. I do such things so we don't spend excess money over the days Jer is off. So, basically while we have money, we were essentially broke until today.

Then there is the question of flying or driving. Flying would take 5 hours of my day and cost an ass load of money because it's so short notice. Driving would take 2 days and cost me my sanity. And either option, I'd be doing it alone with both the girls in tow.

I learned my lesson driving to the Land of the Country Bumpkin with Jeremy's help. I would rather fly.

BUT! I have this Gogo Kidz Travelmate that I use with Kyra when flying. (by the way, HIGHLY recommend anyone coughing up the money for one of these things. TOTALLY worth it's weight in gold.) The thing is, I only have one. If I fly I will need a rental car, thus I will also need car seats and while rental companies have them available, I don't trust a car seat that I did not buy and assemble in my own home. So. I would need another one of the Gogo attachments. They're sold in Babies R Us stores but when we called to make sure they have them in OUR store, um, they don't.

So. Can't fly. Won't drive. Will have to say our good bye's from our bedside as we pray. Hopefully she'll hear us.

Now. To end this, we have 9 pounds of strawberries sitting on my table. We had plans of making jam out of them with my mother's recipe, but my mother is dealing with funeral arrangements at the moment.... so... um.... so any of you have a good recipe to share? What about your mother or grandmother? Come, on! Doesn't anyone in your family make homemade jams?

Where's That Bandwagon?

Okay. So I jumped on the bandwagon. For like, half a second.

I've been harassed enough about how much "cooler" Facebook is then MySpace. So I joined, just to see how cool it is, and then I quit. Honestly, I'm lost. I don't know one single thing to do to get myself going and I'm really not certain I care all that much anyway. But that still leaves the curiosity of what I might be missing.

Sooo... How many of you are Facebook users and what exactly am I missing?

Cry It Out- Night 1

There I was, with grandiose plans of how I was going to survive the night of crying to come...

And she sleeps through the night.

Think she reads my blog?

Cry It Out

It's safe to say, when Kyra decided to sleep through the night at 6 weeks and consistently by 8 weeks, Jer and I knew we were lucky parents. Spoiled was an understatement.

Lydia first slept through the night at 4 weeks and has randomly had spurts of sleeping through the night. The longest being 6 days in a row. But for the last month she's been up at least once and usually twice a night and I'm the only one getting up with her. To put it mildly, I'm exhausted. So exhausted that a few nights ago I had an urge (an urrrge, people, not a fleeting, joking comment to lighten the situation) to shake her and scream WOULD YOU JUST FUCKING SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT ALREADY! and that scared me. Sleep deprivation does some strange shit to a Mama.

Tonight we're going to explore the Cry It Out method. I'm certain it's going to be rough. I have no doubt we'll probably spend more time crying then sleeping (because Lydia is a stubborn little termite like that), but I'm hoping we'll make some kind of progress and tomorrow night might be just a smidgen better.

I'm an optimist, so I think even my bull headed daughter will figure out pretty quickly that if she's in the bed for good, she might as well shut her pretty little mouth. And I'm exhausted, which makes me desperate to try anything.

So I'm going with it. Wish me luck. I'm gonna need it, that I hold no doubt.

Feel'n the Love

This is what you get when, yesterday afternoon, BOTH girls decided to boycott their naps.

This is also what you get when, this afternoon, BOTH girls decide to take very long naps. At the same time, no less!

Besides, my brain is still a little squishy from the mental drain that was television last night.

Dumber By the Minute

I am currently watching I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here!

I think my IQ might be dropping by the minute. Why can't there be anything better to watch on television tonight?

Though, now that I've channel surfed, CW's Ditched or Hitched isn't any better.

One Picture Says It All

Last night, after the girls were tucked in bed, snug as a bug in a rug style, I wandered through our living room and had to capture this scene on film. This is my life. This is OUR life.

Every day there are dirty shoes mixed in with Lydia's chew toys and one of Kyra's thousands of books within arms reach. I love my life, my family and our mess.