Friday, February 27, 2009

Potty Training-Day 3!

I have decided to potty train L. He is 3 in June and tells me all the time that he "hates diapers mommy!" We have been trying to get him to use the potty for a while now and have even bribed him with stickers and pennies for his bank, but nothing seemed to work. We even have 2 different kinds of pottys, but nothing. So after talking to some of my great mommy friends, we put him in big boy underpants and see where it takes us. I started that on Wednesday and today is Friday. He is doing better, but we are still having accidents. Today he hasn't gone pee yet, except for on the floor this morning because we didn't get to him in time. He did get 10 stickers on his board in the bathroom so I went out and got him a prize. But D was flipping out because she wanted to use the potty too. Last night I took her upstairs before bed because she wanted to use it. She peed on it right away and was very proud of herself. So last night after the kids were off to bed, I headed out to Meijer. I picked up 3 packs of big girl undies for D, 1 more pack for L to use as prizes, a package of pull ups for each kids (only for long car rides), and a new potty chair for D (since L freaked when we tried to let her use his). What an expensive trip to the store that was, but counting how much diapers would cost, I'm willing to invest. With L we are on day 3 and with D we are on day 1. Wish me luck!

I have officially gone crazy trying to potty train 2 at the same time!


UPDATE TIME: It is not going well. L was doing great, but now today has not gone on the potty once. He was holding it for hours throughout the day, I would stick him on the potty when I knew he would have to go, and this would result in a meltdown. I would finally let him get up from the potty, only to have him have an accident and not tell me about it. I keep asking him if he needs to go, but he is just stubborn! Now D, she was so not ready. She was showing me all the signs, but when I finally put the big girl undies on she just kept peeing all over the living room, and not telling me that she did. So D is back in a diaper and I'll try again with her in 2 months, and L is in a pull up for now. I'll try again with him in a month. We shall see!

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Contest!

Okay so I follow this great blog called mummy deals that is a local blog telling us about local deals. Well, she has this contest where you when a new line of chemical free products that are being launched in all Meijers stores this week. Check out the line here! Then go to the mummy deals blog and tell her what you would do with the $25 in product! Let me know if you enter the contest. Can't wait to go look for it in stores!

Sunday, February 22, 2009

What to do on a cold snowy weekend??

It has been bitter cold and snowing since Friday night. So what do you do with a 2 1/2 and a 1 1/2 year old when you are couped up in the house all day. Well, you get creative! Saturday, Daddy decided that it would be fun to pull out the large sheets of paper and tape them to the wall for drawing fun. D was very into this! She grabbed a handful of crayons and went with daddy to draw a masterpiece on the wall. L was a bit more reluctant, just like his mommy always was, and stayed at his big boy table. He finally decided after a little bit that daddy and D were having too much fun and joined them. Surprisingly very little crayon got on the wall, and since D was using washable crayons it was an easy clean up. We did head out to Target Saturday night to get out a bit and I picked up a Magic Eraser to clean the rest of it.

Sunday morning we let daddy sleep in, since he let me yesterday and even brought me breakfast in bed, and the boxes full of hats, mittens, scarves, and raincoats were left out in the foyer. The kids found them pretty quickly! They had a blast going through everything and trying on stuff. L put on a fun furry winter hat with a fireman raincoat, and my big winter boots. D put on L's winter boots, and a baseball cap. They were so happy. The only downside, and a small one at that, is that all the stuff in the boxes is now all over the foyer. Easy clean up for an hour of fun!



D was showing off her barrette in her hair. She calls it her haircut. Not sure why.

L at his table coloring

Daddy and D drawing on the wall. They were even standing the same way!

L gets in the act!

Playing dress up and holding hands.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Books, books, and more books

I took the kids to an annual used book sale today in Valparaiso. I have been going to this now for 4 years and the kids have a rather impressive library all for themselves. But even though we have tons of books, I just can't pass up cheap books! The kids books were double in price this year so that was a bummer especially since I didn't know this until I was paying. Yes, they were still only .50 but I would have been more selective had I known. I got 3 very full reusable bag full of books, 2 of which were just kids books, and 1 bag is books for me and a few for friends. I think I'm going to have to go through all our books and host a used book exchange with the mom's group.



14 layers of love!

It was my friend, Jackie's, birthday the day before Valentine's day. I invited her over for dinner on Tuesday to celebrate with dinner, cake, and then out to a movie. For dinner I made a pot roast with root veggies, and for the cake I found this amazing idea! I made a 14 layer cake. It was super easy and extremely yummy! I got it from the Bakerella blog. You should check her stuff out, it all looks oh so good! Here is the recipe and the frosting that I added just like she did, the only thing different was I added sliced fresh strawberries on top. The kids even flipped for this!


The Smith Family's 12-Layer Cake
This recipe, handed down from Art's great-great-grandmother, has taken center stage at many Smith family celebrations. Make it part of your next special occasion!

Ingredients:
Makes 16–20 servings

  • 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour , sifted
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter , at room temperature
  • 2 1/2 cups sugar
  • 6 large eggs , at room temperature
  • 3 cups milk
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder , preferably Dutch process
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter , cut up
  • 1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • Pecan halves, for garnish
Position racks in the center and bottom third of the oven and preheat to 375°. Lightly butter four 8 1/2- to 9-inch cake pans (you will bake the cakes in three batches) and line the bottoms with rounds of parchment paper. Flour the pans and tap out the excess.

To make the layers, sift together the sifted flour, baking powder and salt. Sift the mixture one more time, and set aside.

Beat the butter and sugar in the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer fitted with the paddle blade on high speed until light in color and texture, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Scrape down the bowl and be sure the mixture is well-blended. On low speed, add the flour in 3 additions, alternating with 2 additions of the milk, beginning and ending with the flour, and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl often with a rubber spatula. Beat in the vanilla. Using a scant cup for each layer, spread the batter evenly in the pans. It will make a thin layer.

Staggering the pans on the racks so they are at least 2 inches from each other and the sides of the oven and not directly over each other, bake the layers until they feel firm when pressed in the centers and are beginning to pull away from the sides of the pans, about 12 minutes. Cool in the pans for 5 minutes. Invert the layers onto cake racks, remove the parchment paper, and cool completely. Wash and prepare the pans. Repeat the procedure until all 12 layers have been baked and cooled.

To make the icing, bring the sugar, cocoa, butter and evaporated milk to a full boil in a large saucepan. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the icing has thickened slightly (it will resemble chocolate syrup but will thicken as it cools), about 3 minutes. Stir in the vanilla. Let the icing cool until thick enough to spread, but still pourable.

Place a layer of cake on a wire rack set over a jelly-roll pan. Spread with a few tablespoons of the icing, letting the excess run down the sides. Stack the remaining cakes, icing each layer. Pour the remaining icing over the top of the cake. If you wish, smooth the icing on the edges to cover the sides. Place pecan halves around the top perimeter of the cake. Let stand until the glaze sets. (The cake is best served the day it is made. To store, cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 1 day.)

Recommended technique: If you buy inexpensive aluminum foil cake pans at the grocery store (they can be saved for another time as well), you will be able to knock out layers in no time. And no washing between baking!


Dark Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature
8 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder ( I used Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa)
1 box (1 lb) confectioner's sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1-3 Tbsp milk
  • Cream the butter and cream cheese with a mixer.
  • Add the cocoa and vanilla.
  • Add the confectioner's sugar in small batches and blend on low until combined. Scrape down sides with each addition.
  • Add 1 tablespoon of milk at a time until you get the consistency you desire.
Here is all the batter, it came almost all the way up to the top of the bowl


I followed Bakerella's idea and put 2/3 cup batter in each pie pan.

The filling, I didn't cook it long enough, but it still was tasty!

Mid-Process (messy, very messy!)

The finished cake!

A shot of the inside

Yes, you can count them there are 14!

Monday, February 16, 2009

Not Hacked

I guess it was a glich in the system that would not let me log in to one account but not the other. Thankfully I was able to log in this morning and I changed my password on the account. All is good, but led to a bad night sleep!

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Hacked

My e-mail may have been hacked. If you recieve any e-mails from me from my address kellyheet, please delete them. I will post on here again when everything is sorted out. Thanks!

My Sweet Valentine's Day

I had a great Valentine's day! Adam got me a tulip plant with 3 bulbs so I can seperate them later and replant. I can have tulips now every valentine's day. And me had the kids sign a card for me. I think it is the first card I have ever "gotten" from the kids, so that was super nice and I will be keeping that! We had plans for dinner that night, but no set plans for the day. It was a decent day for it being Feburary in Indiana, so we decided on a small road trip. We headed out to Valparaiso to see a few old friends that we haven't seen in awhile. First stop, L's oldest friend H. We haven't gotten to see him in a few months (which is forever when you are 2) because mom and dad are going through a divorce and custody trial. Luckily dad had him that day. The kids all had a great time playing with each other and the dads. I got to set back and enjoy all the fun! Then off to Adam's great friend and former boss, Gregg's house. He and his wife, Danielle, were great fun to visit too. The kids had fun begging for food, even though they had been eating all day, and Danielle was happy to oblige! Then it was off to our dinner reservations! White Castle. Now if you aren't familiar with what they do for valentine's day, then let me explain. They close the store to only reservations. They decorate the store with table cloths, candles, flowers, and fun things on the walls. They even have a special menu. This has become a tradition for us for the last 3 years. It started because we had little L, no money, and I wanted it to be a special day, did I mention that I was pregnant with D too! And it was great fun. Now the only problem is that the closest one is and hour and a half away. But it is worth it. I brought coloring books for the kids this year and since they had been eating their way across northern Indiana they only wanted the water they were brought and some fries. So here are pictures from the last 3 years and then some cute ones from this year!




Valentine's Day 2007 (L is 8 months old and I'm 7 months pregnant)


Valentine's Day 2008 (D is 8 months old, and L is 20 months old)

Valentine's Day 2009 (D is 20 months old and L is 2 1/2 years old)

I think this is the best daddy daughter shot we have.


A cute mommy son shot

L eating the only fry he had the whole night

D being silly for daddy

This is the face she makes when we tell her to smile

We did get to visit my dad after dinner too since we were so close. We actually played a joke on him. More on that later!

I love seeing these pictures from the last 3 years because how many times do you take a picture on the same day every year for 3 years. And how many of you have kids the same age in each?

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Why I hate winter in Northern Indiana!

It was 60 degrees this week, the snow had all melted, and I was able to see the sun again. And then this morning we woke up to snow. Again.

I know that this is what to expect here in northern indiana, but I was still hoping that the good weather would last a little longer.

What. A. Tease.

Friday, February 13, 2009

kids valentine's party and current pictures

Yesterday afternoon I hosted a kids Valentine's day party at my house for my mom's group that I am a part of. It was tons of fun after my children stopped having their tantrums! For some reason L and D both decided that they weren't going to be happy at the start of the party. I was trying to diffuse the situation but every time I did something to stop the whining it started something else. It got so bad that I actually put them up in their room with the door closed so they could scream themselves out. I went back in after just a min. or two and had a talk with them. I told them if they couldn't be good then they would have to stay in their room during the party. Well, that did it. So down we came and had tons of great snacks that the other moms brought. I had sippy cups for the kids to decorate, coloring sheets, brown paper bags to decorate, cookies to decorate (which didn't happen), and valentine's to exchange. Not to mention all the playing and visiting to do. Overall we had 6 moms and 9 kids including my own. It was crazy but fun. I did decorate the house the night before too. I had fun doing it. I cut small hearts out of construction paper and taped those up on the walls. I had large foam hearts that I made into conversation hearts and taped those up. And I melted crayon shavings in wax paper, cut them into hearts, and hung them in the windows with yarn. I was very happy with how it looked.

And then my good friend Sarah insisted that Adam and I needed a night out and offered to watch the kids. She is a life saver! She has 2 kids of her own and my kids are obsessed with hers. Adam and I went to dinner at a jazz club here downtown. It was fantastic! The service was great, the food was unbelievable, and the drinks were delicious! Overall a great date night. And after thinking about it, the last time we had a date night out of the house was in July for our anniversary. So it was totally time for one.

I've added pictures from the other day of the kids. They have been acting cute when not having tantrums!



I took this picture of L for the Grandparents valentine's cards

Super Cheese!

Mommy and daughter at the party

L freaking out at the party

Miss D trying to build

L giving the stare down to his tower.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

A weird side note

I don't know why everytime I go into a McDonalds, the creepiest guy there has to talk to me. The last time this guy who I swear looked like a child molester, was waiting next to me for our food. He leans over, pokes my arm with his elbow and asks, "Since we are both waiting here together, do you want to go skinny dipping?" I was utterly grossed out, so much so that I couldn't even think of something to say. But luckily the lady behind the counter had my food ready to go. And then today I sat down at the counter (think bar stools at a counter) to scarf down a quick McDouble, caramel sundae, and small root beer and this guy on the other end says Hi. And then asks how I'm doing, I say I'm eating, and then he just stares at me. The entire time I ate. The place was packed so there were no other places to sit, and I would have eaten in my car but I was parked right in front of the door which is right next to the counter. So I ate very quickly. He then looks over at these 2 little boys playing and starts to speak spanish to them. I don't think they even spoke spanish! It was just all a little too weird for me!

An update on the sickness

I know that you have probably been wondering what has been happening over here with L and being sick. Well after a puke free 48 hours again, he had another relapse. I called Adam home from work and we took him to immediate care again, since that was the first place we had gone. The dr. at immediate care was very nice, and very sorry that he couldn't really help us. He figured that he was going to need an IV, blood tests, and X-ray and they don't have the capabilities to do that there. So off to the ER we went. We waited for 4 solid hours before they brought us back to see a dr. The kids did so good waiting in the lobby for that long. They get us back there and they decide that they need to run blood tests, a urine sample, an IV, and x-rays. L is such a trooper! He did great, even peeing in the cup (and overflowing it!) that they gave us. He isn't potty trained and we have a hard time getting him to sit on the potty so we were all very excited to see that he did it. They pumped half an IV bag into his little body, he also drank a cup of water and 2 cups of juice. He started to look so much better right away with the IV. Thank goodness! All the test results came back just fine. The dr. came and told us that they still have no idea what was causing the random puking. Great, back to where we started. They did think that after the first big session that he was just too dehydrated that we just couldn't catch up and that was what was causing the vomiting. I don't know if I buy that, but we will run with it. They told us that he should be fine now. I guess we will just have to see tomorrow at around 4, which unfortunately is when I have a party set up in our house. We have gone around disinfecting everything today, and have even thrown away the tooth brushes (it was time for new ones anyway!). I kinda wanted to take a picture of my poor little guy with all the stuff hooked up, but didn't want to turn on my phone. Now if I can just get him to poop, we should be all set. I'm a little worried because he hasn't had a poop now for 6 days. He claims his belly hurts and has been passing gas all day, so hopefully in the morning he will poop! I"ve been giving him a little prune juice to try and help. Cross your fingers for us!

Friday, February 6, 2009

The sickness!

Yes, that's right, the evil sickness has taken over my house for the last 2 1/2 weeks. I'm not just talking about a cold either. At least, that was how it all started. We all got a really bad cold, and poor L got it worse than anyone. That lasted about a week and a half, and we were all better for maybe 2 days. Then Superbowl Sunday night, L started puking! That night I think it was somewhere around 5 times, then twice in the morning, and 3 at night. I took him to immediate care after making an appointment with his regular Dr. for the next day. They told me that if he gets worse to go ahead and go to the immediate care. So we did, and they told me it was the 24 hour stomach flu, to give him 1 tsp of water every 15 min, and that he should be getting better. The next morning, no puke, and we took him to his regular Dr. to check his dehydration. All was fine that day and the next until 4p.m. That's when D climbed up in my lap, started to whine (which isn't unusual) and just let loose. It was her turn, the only problem was that it was on the couch. Yuck! Just after I finish cleaning hers up, I call Adam to let him know, and while I'm waiting for him to pick up, there goes L. And his sprayed. Double Yuck! I start to clean him up and he goes again. I am getting really sick and tired of all the puke. It had been a full 48 hours since L did it the last time. So yesterday and today we great until they woke up from naps. And yes, L let loose again. Almost a full 48 hours again! I really don't get this! I have disinfected everything. Why does this kid keep doing this to me? We have decided to take him to the ER tonight when Adam gets home from work. There goes celebrating a belated Elmo birthday. I even made a white cake and poked in raspberry jello and homemade butter cream to help. That was how much I thought we were over this. Now I have to start the slow water intake all over again! Ugh!!

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

My significant other

My significant other :

Answer and post your own so I can learn more about you and your significant other! :)

What are your middle names?
Lynne and Lawrence

How long have you been together?
Almost 8 years.

How long did you know each other before you started dating?
2 months

Who asked who out?
It was him

How old were each of you when you met?
I was 21 and he was 22

How old are each of you now?
I'm 29 and he is almost 30

How tall are each of you?
I'm almost 5'5'' and he is I think 6'0'

Whose siblings do/did you see the most?
His, there are more of them

Do you have any children together?
yes, 2

What about pets?
A cat, Milo and 4 fish

Did you go to the same school?
nope, I went to Purdue Calumet, and he went to Valparaiso University

Are you from the same hometown?
No

Who is the smartest?
He is!

Who is the most sensitive?
I so am!

Where do you eat out most as a couple?
our house, with 2 kids you can't go out

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
San Fran on our honeymoon

Who has the worst temper?
He totally does, and is the first to admit it

Who does/did the cooking?
I do, but he enjoys it to

Who is more social?
He is

Who is the neat-freak?
we both are in our own ways

Who hogs the bed?
him and the cat

Who wakes up earlier?
we wake up at the same time, the kids wake us up

Who has the bigger family?
He does by far!

How do you spend the holidays?
we split it up between all the families

Who is more jealous?
me

Do you have little pet names for each other?
just honey really

How long did it take to get serious?
right away, but he didn't call me his girlfriend for 3 months, I was his "special lady friend"

Who eats more?
depends, in one sitting then it's him, throughout the day then me

Who sings better?
neither

Who’s older?
He is

Who does the dishes?
we take turns

Who snores?
He does

Who’s better with the computer?
He is...by far!

Who drives when you are together?
We take turns

Who is the first to admit when they're wrong?
neither really

Who kissed who first?
I did but we won't get into that story, right honey!

Who has more tattoos?
neither of us has any, but we both want one

Who eats more sweets?
Sadly...me

Are you two still a couple?
Always and forever!

Boy am I tired!

Lunch is made, kids are napping, dishes are done, laundry is washed, meat and potatoes are thawing for dinner, cake made for dessert, correspondence done, and onto folding and putting away laundry. I'm beat!

I promise to post a few more posts today. I notice my husband has been checking back everyday to see what I write. I have a fun story about L and puke but I'll leave that for later.

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