Yummy Time!

So my babysitter told me of this FABULOUS recipe!  Its just one healthy ingredient and it makes ICE CREAM!  Its so easy I'm not even going to write anything.....just follow the pictures that the hubbie thought I was ridiculous for taking! And then ENJOY!!!

So when your little munchkins need a little bribing!  Say..."Do you want some ice cream!?" And BAM!

Serving of fruit and you are SUPER MOM!

Can't forget about this one....

Yes....I know it has been forever and a day since I have blogged. A lot...and I mean a LOT has been happening in my life.  I WILL fill you in, but first I have to tell you a little story.  I could have skipped out on this story, but it does add a nice touch to the chapter I am calling "the devil wears pull ups!"

Lets begin.....
My little man, who is now officially 3 years, 7 months and 1 day old today.  Is now having "quiet time" in his room.   Now with potty training you might say that could be risky.  Leaving a child alone in his or her room for 3 hours.  What do you do!?  Well, I will tell you.  I have a little mini potty sitting in the room.  Next to that said potty I have reading materials, small toys, and even a coloring book with markers.  Its the throne of thrones.  Now how many kids have their own private bathroom...IN their room.  My little guy does.  And lets just say it WORKS!  Everyday THIS magic time is the ONLY time I can get him to sit on the potty and actually go.  Now for the longest time it was only a pee potty.....but recently it became a POO potty.  The hubbie and I were so excited. We took pictures, danced like rock stars, and rewarded with Gavin's favorite dinner.  But then....

First off, have I ever mentioned I had a rebellious streak.  Anyhooo.....the hubbie and I went full force with the potty training.  Only underwear or none at all.  We were on  a mission.  A mission to make things happen, turn a boy into a man...well, maybe turn a baby into a boy. And things were going great!

And then it happened.  We call this accident the "incident". Because there is NO WAY this was an accident.

 After days of having great success I went upstairs to get Gavin up from "quiet time".  I was feeling sluggish because we had been super busy around here and I had no help from the hubbie.  Either he was out of town or finals....whatever.  Baby's daddy was no where in sight!  I open the door and go straight for the potty sitting in the corner.  Ready to give praise to my angel of a son. But to my surprise the potty....it was empty.  Not one drop of pee,  no piddle, no #1. You could have seen your reflection the bowl was sparkling white.  As I am admiring my new hair color I realize.  Hmmm.....why are my feet sticking to the floor? Oh...poor guy he must have an a little accident on the floor.  He made a puddle. Wait for it.....wait for it...............it was no little puddle. The little shit ( I can say that cause he is MY son)  decided he didn't want to use the potty anymore.  And to show me how serious he was, he decided to piss all over the floor.  And when I mean all over....he got every square inch.  In the corners and under the bed (his bed is on wheels) And when I screamed (and I did) he didn't care.  He shrugged it off and went downstairs to get his snack!  Are you kidding me! Are you kidding! I threatened, I punished....not one tear. He stood strong and proud of what he had done. He was taking a stand like Cameron in the film "Ferris Beuller's Day off" and then I realized, I was defeated.

Where are we now at 3 years, 7 months, and 1 day today!?  He is in "quiet time" with the potty and a diaper taped tight. He has given up for now....and frankly so have I.  I have decided that I am going to let his sister train him.  She will figure it out by the age of 2 (she's that type of girl) and he will be 5. I'm done, I am passing the torch and I am officially surrendering. I wish you well Gavin as I wave my white flag. Hope they let you into school because you will NOT be living in my basement!

Coffee (an old post but deserving of a come back!)

When.....did this black muck that used to remind me of liquid tar become my favorite tasty treat!
When I brought to life a little boy named Gavin....THAT is the precise moment! I could never touch the stuff before....I always feared it would destroy my beautiful set of pearly whites that my parents spent so much $$ on! Damage my all natural body, (even though shots of tequilla were acceptable) Or the fear that I would one day be one of "those people" who couldn't start their day without it!
The day has come! I Am An ADDICT! This tasty treat is very understanding to your needs, its almost as if it loves you back......is it hot outside!? put it on ice! had a bad morning!?! slip some baileys in it....the kids will never notice! It is the perfect reason to get friends together......and its the best way to keep a girl regular! What more could I ask for!
So YES......I am officially announcing that I, Jami Nicole am an organic, fair trade, vanilla cafe latte with skim milk ADDICT! And damn proud of it!! I am now raising my mug of yummy goodness and toasting to what helps me wake up to the Fabulous woman that I need to be! Cheers!

To be a fly on my wall...

At this exact moment BOTH of my little adorable children are crying.  Not "I'm hurt", not "I'm hungry", not "Oops, I crapped my pants".  They are BOTH crying because they want to cry. Gav woke up in a HORRIBLE mood from a last minute nap on the couch (which is NEVER good, even though it IS cute!) This crying has been going on for 30mins...no joke.  But then Tilly must have gotten jealous that her brother was taking up too much air space and had to be heard.  I am just in such shock about the ridiculousness of the situation that I decided to blog.  I am sitting on the love seat while Gavin is on the sofa and Tilly is in her bouncy seat.  We are snug as bugs in the living room, watching some Dora, and they are STILL CRYING.  I sit here and ignore...I mean try to ignore.....Oh MY GOSH!!!!! I am about to lose my mind.  And I am sure some of you are asking, "where is that fabulous hubbie of yours!?" Well he decided that he would be a sweetie and run to the store for me.....yeah no!  He made out like a bandit.  I just texted him saying, "run for the hills...save your freedom while you still can..."

I am taking one for the team, that is for sure. By the way...still crying!!! Has anyone ever put their children to bed at 5:30!?!  Cause did I mention that they are STILL crying.... and now the dog is barking....PERFECT!  The hub is going to come home to find his wife in the bathroom closet with a bottle of wine......I got to make sure I don't forget my corkscrew.....gotta run!

Blech......

I am having a great day with my little nuggets.  They are being cute in every way possible.  Funny faces, funny jokes, and funny laughs!

Big brother STILL doesnt really care for little sis.  He is very protective of her in front of others....but behind closed doors...well you can say we know how he really feels.  She is like a new stuffed animal....it's there, but doesnt mean you have to cuddle with it!:)

Well here it goes....my afternoon.  Little girl needs a new outfit.  The one she had on looked as if she jumped into a lake it was so full of slober dober.  Plus, little miss is a very ticklish little one.  Even removing the onsie makes her laugh.  Mom (aka ME) decides to keep her laughing.  Starts to think..."Hey maybe big brother wants to help make sissy laugh too!?" Big brother comes over and now we are a family (who actually seem to like eachother) playing and laughing together!  Huge step for us!  The feeling makes this mom's heart skip a beat.......

Giggle, Choke, choke....BLECH!!!  Baby gets so excited she projectile BARFS in mommys face. (reminder: baby is now eating green beans and sweet potatoes) I look over at brother...who looks at me.  3 year old starts to gag. As he leaves the room in fear I realize that the special moment left with him.

This is my life....and surprisingly I think back to this afternoon and smile.  I just made a memory with my munchkins I dont think I could ever forget.  And knowing what I now know about life..... I wouldn't want it any other way.  I know a little boy who is 10 years old, who at this moment is fighting for his life.  I can't help to think about his loving mother and how she is probably playing over and over in her mind  these crazy chaotic moments that we moms tend to have.

So right now...... BARF IS GOOD!

TIP: How to feel FABULOUS!!!

 Alright...I totally believe in inner confidence, a strong self esteem, and the "who gives a shit!" approach to life.  But I also believe that anyone can have an off day.  So what do you do!?  My example:  a stay at home mom.  Still not happy with her weight, feeling out of the "party it up" scene and the fact that going out clothes are very much lacking in her closet.

  So what does she do to make herself FABULOUS.  To be as confident as she once was pre children...or hell.... pre period. This is hypothetical...certianly not me last month on my trip to Chicago. :)

 Well a lot of people turn to shoes.  Yes, shoes are a wonderful thing.  But have you ever thought about WHY shoes are so popular!? If you have ever been chubby you'll already know the answer.....it is because no matter WHAT dress size you wear you can ALWAYS fit into a hot pair of shoes.  You can hide yourself in a three quarter length plain black shirt, jeans, and hot shoes. Boooom! Your feeling sassy and ready for a night out on the town! But what if you now have the mentality that, "oh...the kids have grown out of their clothes. And with me staying at home and not contributing.....I better not buy those"!?! Booo.....and totally SUCKS! Yes, I said SUCKS!

  I have your answer....FAKE EYELASHES!!!! $7 at MAC and the best mood lifter since prescription drugs! They are easy to apply, cheap, and an instant sassifier (I like to make up words!)  Your eyes look like you haven't been up all night changing pee pee sheets, but in a satin eye mask with your lover in a fluffy california king sized bed! YES!!!   Life is good again!  Now go...GO! Head to your local makeup guru and have them hook you up!  Date night has NEVER been better!

Recap.....

Can I fill you in with a couple of paragraphs....shall we see!?!

Potty training....the hubbie gave up on the big boy undies about 15minutes after I started giving him the silent treatment.  When he realized he was all alone in our house of chaos....he caved.  Smart man.  I knew there was a reason that we have stayed together so long! But anyhoo.  I am officially a horrible "potty trainer"  I have always felt that I could be good at anything that I wanted.  With hard work and dedication we can all find our talents.  Big fat NO on this.....I am now willing to pay a service to do this horid, smelly, and annoying thing for me! Any recommendations!?

I also went on a mini vacation with the hubbie, a great friend from D.C. and the "gang"  they know who they are.  We went for a long weekend in Chicago.  Spa time, shopping, dinners, drinks, and we even squeezed in a Bulls game ( I was super excited about that one)  What could go wrong!?  Oh...maybe realizing that I can't seem to stay awake past 10:30pm, or sleep in after 7:30am, or that I now think that hot and sexy 5inch heals are impractical, or was it the designer jeans that I couldnt pay attention too, because I couldn't keep my eyes off the flubbery, my baby is 4 months old, muffin top! But my favorite was sitting at the trendy little bar, with my favorite little trendy drink, in my trendy outfit, with my freshly facialed face and gorgeous fake eyelashes when I realized that my hubbie and I were the only ones in a huge group that were a "hubbie and I" and THEN realized I was the only one with a hubbie, AND a kid...oh wait TWO kids....and a dog, mortgage, and probably the only one contemplating "do we send the kids to public or private preschool!"
I am now a different person.  Actually I am the same person.  I'm just hiding behind my responsiblity. (now I'm sitting here pondering the meaning of life.....)

Anyhoo.....quote from the day.
"What in the HELL is THAT!?!" 
Any guesses....oh yeah, the little boy nugget!  Which means I am out for Mother of the Year! Damn it!:)

Since the hubbie never reads this anyway.....

I am so ANNOYED!  Have I not been mentioning that I am trying to potty train little man!?  I have been worrying about this since he turned 3 and has showed no signs of interest.  (so almost 6 months now!) I have gotten him to pee in the potty, but I have NOT gotten him to go poo. Sorry, there is no other way to say that.....#2 always seemed really weird to me... Anyhoo.
The hubbie is home today.  Its one of the first days in a while that he has been home with only a bit of homework to do.  So how does he decide to spend it.  Well since he "got up with Tilly at 3:30 I haven't been able to go back to sleep" (which means give her a pacifier, not like she needed a diaper change and fed, but whatever.)  He did homework, made coffee, made the babys bottle, made breakfast, made phone calls, and then decided that the kids need to get out, "I think I'm going to take them for a walk" When I said this an hour earlier, "hey, since it looks like rain, lets skip the park and just take the kids for a walk!"  But now I guess its his idea and his deal! AHHHHHHHHH!
But just about 15 mins ago he low balled me.....he decided that TODAY he was going to potty train Gavin. Cause didn't you know, it only takes a day!  Not even asking my opinion, not even asking what I've been doing with him.  The guy that doesn't even make him pee before getting in the tub decided to force my son into undies.  Gavin comes downstairs upset......you could tell he's not into it. Well...he can clean up the undies, and HE can take him potty every 15 mins.  If he thinks he can do it. By ALL means.....DO IT!

I told you blogging is for venting....and slipping liquor in your coffee is for the denial that the venting worked! Ha!  happy Tuesday everyone! Let you know by the end of the day when Gavin is officially potty trained!

I did a bad thing....

(P.S. This is NOT a recent picutre!)

  So I have been working with the Gav man....well on everything.  Potty training is the big one...and attitude adjustment is the other.  FRUSTRATING is all I can say.  The potty training is going, but slow and steady...but that means we will win the race!? Right!? Yeah if the race ends in 5th grade!  Anyhoo.....

  I still have to change his morning diaper and lately he has started to resist it.  I think its the terrible 3 thing OR I just have a bratty child.  Not sure yet....but I'll let you know.  And actually as I am contemplating this I think it could all have started around baby sisters appearance. Hmmm....I'll have to do some detective work!

  Basically the thing is this...I understand that he is testing his boundaries, I understand that I put UP a lot of boundaries, what I dont understand is why he has to WHINE  everytime he hits the brick wall (aka mommy)

  So the bad thing......I am negotiating with the 3 year old on WHY he needs to get his cute little behind up the stairs so I can change his rank smelling morning diaper.  He doesn't WANT too.  I say "Fine, then you lose your TV privledges for the morning" and he replies in the most annoying whining voice "I DO WANT to come upstairs and change my diaper!"  Well Hell...then come up and change your damn diaper...is what I was thinking.  But instead of keeping my mouth shut I added "Quit acting like a whiney little girl who cries all the time!" He replies.." I'm NOT a GIRL I'm a BOY!" then continues to cry......

 Morale of the story...I am EVIL.  First off I am so "I am woman here me ROAR!" its shocking that those words even came OUT of my mouth....but second.  I can't believe I just made fun of my kid....to his FACE!  I'm like a bully...but a bully of little kids!  Thats even worse.  I just get so damn frustrated.  When you know that you have a smart and independent little stud of a son like I do!:) Then it makes it worse when they are NOT behaving to their potential.  Ahhh....so I guess I have to cool down and apologize.  THIS is what makes parenting hard.  You have to have patience, respect for your little nuggets, and plenty of booze on hand! Its tough! And now realizing I have a sweet little baby who will have to go thru the same lovely stages as her brother.....God help us all!

These dang POUNDS!!!

After I had Gavin in 2006 I never really felt FABULOUS! I had a little run in with post partum....and I decided to stay home rather then going back to work.....and in my (lets be honest) BOREDOM I found a love for cooking and baking. I gained 32 lbs with Gavin...lost 25lbs in the first 2 months...then gained it all back by the time he was 1. Let me tell you, I am so proud! Ha! It took until he was 2 and a half to lose just that depression weight! I got preggo with Tilly with an extra 10lbs on then before.  Luckily I only gained 25lbs with her. But  this baby weight...no way in HELL am I letting it hang around! I am not going to let myself go there again. I have more confidence and lets face it, a better hormonal balance this time around!

 I can now honestly say I have COMPLETLY lost ALL of the baby weight.  30 lbs as of today!  And now working on the rest.  My goal is 20-25lbs more!  If I can accomplish this, then I will be smaller then I was at my wedding! I just want to feel like Jami...and her two kids.  Not whoa! Jami looks like she has HAD two kids!  And you're probably thinking why is she posting this.  I guess its to make myself accountable.  If I put this goal out in the big wide world of the internet that means that someone will know and be watching.  Lets see how this goes!  Wish me LUCK! And you KNOW that I will keep you posted!