My crazy unpredictable two year old! (caution graphic story about poo!)

I love her I really do but sometime I just don't get it. Today she was potty training, yeah....well she did great. She peed in the potty and poured it into the big potty and washed her hands all with minimal help from my five year old. Then about twenty minutes later she pooped in the potty without help from anyone, yea!!!! right. Well she didn't wipe her bum, but I was so happy not to be cleaning up chunks of poo from her underwear that I was basically dancing.

She then went potty all by herself about an hour later and afterwards I found her walking around bare bummed. I found her still clean underwear and asked if she wanted help getting it back on. She then proclaimed to me that she wanted to wear a diaper. I was stunned because she has fought me on wearing pull ups at bedtime and at church because she is a big girl. I responded "Don't you want to wear your big girl underwear?"

Apparently that was a big mistake. She started bawling and ran to her room and laid down on her bed....still bare bummed I might add. I went in and asked her what was wrong. She waved an arm at me and said "just go away!". I was saddened and shocked. I mean seriously what had I done to elicit that kind of reaction. I asked if I could lay down next to her and she said "No, just go away!!" So I left the room dumb founded. I came back later and asked if I could lie next to her and read her a story. She reluctantly let me and then just laid there quietly in her bed. I went to go and call somebody....anybody who may have insight into why a two year old may act like this. When I came back she was asleep. I covered up her naked bum with a blanket (said a silent prayer that all the potty trips this morning were enough) turned out the light and came downstairs.

......anyone?

One of the coolest inventions ever!!!

I love food!!! Gotta say though I love carbs more than anything else in the food world of course besides chocolate. I just had to post about the coolest fusion of pasta and vegetables in the whole world. I'd heard that you could make pasta from vegetables....but like I would ever make pasta. That is way too ambitious even for me.

So about a month ago I discovered in the pasta section this awesome new product. I know some people think hiding vegetables in food isn't the best way to teach your kids to eat veggies. For me though I would serve this pasta as a main dish with either a meat and red sauce or even on it's own with a little bit of butter and parmesan cheese. Then I would also serve veggies on the side.

Extra vegetables are never a bad thing, no matter where they come from. In pasta form they are awesome and I find that this pasta tastes just as good as regular pasta. Then again I'm a sucker for healthy food and only eat whole wheat pasta or high fiber pastas in the first place.

The first thing my mother asked when I raved about this was if it cost more than regular pasta. Well I found it was close to the same price as whole wheat pasta, so for me it's just as easy as breathing to find room in my budget for this fun treat.

Try it and let me know what you think. My family isn't very picky and they didn't notice any difference, but I have read reviews that suggest it doesn't taste as good. I think it should be the new craze because children do not eat enough fruits and vegetables to begin with. We should be feeding them to our kids (and ourselves for that matter) in every way shape and form possible.

Well happy eating and if you try this let me know how it goes:-)

You never outgrow a good friend!

I have the best people in the world that I count as friends. Even when I was in High School and Junior High I was blessed with awesome friends. Some of them even still stay in contact with me and we keep each other updated on the goings on in our adult lives.

I know many people claim their friends are the best, but I think I have the market cornered. When we moved to the states when I was thirteen I met some lovely people who helped to ease the horrible transition from rural country life to suburban living. When in High school I was acquainted with several people without whom I could not have survived the terrifying process of growing up.

Then after two years in college and marrying my sweetheart we moved to Florida where I met amazing individuals that enriched my life and taught me many things that have molded the adult and mother I've become.

Then we moved into our lovely little home here. I've met a few people who I've grown very close to and who understand and put into perspective the hardest and darkest trials me and my family have faced in the last three years.

I've grown up alot over the years but I will never outgrow these people who have always been there for me. Thank you all of you who've blessed me and my family with your friendship. Even when I didn't realize I needed you; you were there. I pray that I've been a good friend to all of you and that I will grow to be the kind of person who blesses other's lives.

I hate looking needy!!

This time of the year is the worst to appear like you don't have things together. For example I about died this morning when I saw a pink note on my front door from Clearfield city. Dan was two flippin days late paying that bill and already they posted a big "hey these people don't have enough money" sign on my front door for all my neighbors to see.

The truth is if it were just the one note I'd probably be able to get over it, but earlier in November I went to hear my daughter sing at her school only to be told (at the door I might add) that it was three dollars a person to get in. It wasn't that we didn't have the money, I just hadn't been told they would charge me to hear my kindergartener sing. Well a number of neighbors also send their kids to this school and of course a family saw us fumbling around not having any money and I hate that piteous look that you never know if it means they think you just are too poor to pay.

Dan and I have more than enough resources at the moment. Not that we're swimming in money but besides our house and school we have no debt and we make enough to pay our bills and attend our childs Christmas concert. Yes we are frugal and I try not to spend more than neccessary on....well everything. But that is why we are doing ok. I just hate the thought that my friends and neighbors may think we are poor...especially around Christmas time.

I guess I'm sensitive about it because I have been there. Growing up we were poor, at least by the monetary standards set up by the state. My mom was horrified when Christmas presents were dropped off at our house one particularly tight year. I didn't quite understand why because I knew we didn't have enough money to buy any presents that year. Now I get it! The thought that someone thinks you don't have enough or can't take care of your family is humiliating.

Most people should know that just because Dan and I are cheap doesn't make us poor. Yes I have been complaining about the thought of buying a van and how much we don't have the money for this next step in our life. But when I say that I'm only saying we don't have enough money up front to buy a van, so that we don't have a car payment. We just have to put a little less in savings and we could afford a car payment, but we are just too cheap to face that reality right now.

The only reason Dan was late paying a bill in the first place is because he is taking over a full course load this semester (his last). And I have been struggling to keep things together myself. Being six months pregnant and trying to keep the house running by myself and trying to adjust to a half day kindergartener has been a real challenge. Add to that my sister having a baby, numerous other extended family emergencies and needs I've barely kept my head above water. Then you add responsibilities for church and things have gotten out of control.

And now right when Dan's school is pretty much done and he would be free to start really helping me....he gets the news that he is going on a trip next week.

I needed to complain about life, just for a second. But truly we are soooo blessed. We have everything monetary that we need, and then Dan and I have each other and are blissfully happy in our marriage. Our children are healthy, happy and wonderful all around. And Dan is employed...how wonderful is that. The fact that he has a steady job and it can pay the bills and pay for a nice Christmas is almost more than I could ask for.

So I guess I'm saying don't worry about me....it may have been a stressful, crazy, insanely busy and tear jerking month, but November is over and now we are hopefully going to start recovering from it.

Extremely lucky, blessed...or whatever word fits

When I was my youngest daughter's age I lived in a small cozy house. Me and my (at the time) three other siblings shared a bedroom. My two elder brothers slept in a bunkbed and then there was a twin that me and my sister shared. This room was not meant to be a bedroom it was actually more of a pantry. With the bunk bed and twin in there there was maybe a two foot squared space left.

As my parents added three more children to our little home in Horsefly B.C. my dad built an addition so that there were two more bedrooms. We never had that much, in fact I can remember the few times in my young life where I got new clothes or shoes instead of hand-me-downs.

I bring this up because I was looking at my little girls room last night. They have a store bought bunk bed (ours were always homemade), they have two beautiful dressers, a dollhouse book shelf and a real dollhouse with all the attachements. Under their bed are bins of toys. In their closet are close to ten dress up princess dresses. Along with several more bins of toys. In our basement they have a play kitchen. They have a trampoline in the backyard along with their swingset and sandbox.

Now I don't want to diminish what I had growing up. My dad built a treehouse in a grove of trees near our house. He made a basketball court and we had a horse that we could ride whenever we liked. We had an awesome sandbox and in the wintertime my dad flooded the pond to make a homemade ice rink we got to skate on.

I was incredibly blessed growing up and I had alot of things many people never have. But I can't help but look at my lovely house that has enough room for my family and a craft room for me. And I can't help but look at the dollhouse my children have and think how incredibly lucky and blessed they are.

Growing up I always had what I needed and an outdoor wonderland to play in. But my children are so lucky to have what they have too. I know what is important and both me in my childhood and my children in theirs have what is most important, a family that loves them.