Today...

I am wearing... flannel pants and a matching shirt that has cocoa puff drool on it.  Gracie was done eating.  I got the leftovers.  It's too cold to care.

I am wondering... if one can actually study too much.  My eyeballs hurt and my brain is turning to mush.  Is there a point when you should stop and just hope for the best?  In less than 24 hours I take my state licensing exam.  Great, I thought about it again and a little bit of pee came out, again.

I am thankful for... my friends.  In collectively choosing to spend more time together our hearts have become knit in a whole new way.  We share each others burdens and have discovered how difficult it was to do life without each other.  I am so thankful for them.

I am overwhelmed by... studying.  Not to be redundant but man, I've had enough.  I just want to be done with the testing.

I am eating... Reese Puffs cereal, plain, no milk.  It's like eating peanut butter cups for breakfast, without the guilt.

I can hear... the Laurie Berkner Band but not the girls.  I just realized I haven't heard them in awhile.  That is never good.

I am going... to pass my test tomorrow.  The power of positive thinking, right?

I am hoping... my friend delivers a real wake-up call to her daughter's school today.  Praying for strength as she begins a new journey.  Being a mom is tough.

Around the house... it was so clean.  I went to my boy Tim's last night (the coffee place, not some strange man) to do some studying.  I came home to a sparkling house thanks to my hero.  Unfortunately, it doesn't take long for the kids to mess it up.  Not to mention upon further investigation the girls were so quiet because they made a mess.  I have a small drawer on my dresser that is filled with random junk.  A few minutes ago Elia ran out of my room apologizing.  There are chunks of deodorant everywhere.  I'm not sure why deodorant is in that drawer.  Also scattered around my bedroom floor is jewelry, a phone charger, bobby pins, a few pens, KY warming massage oil and personal lubricant, cold medicine, ear plugs, a nail file, tea lights, pennies, random puzze pieces, an uno card, hand sanitizer, a rubberband, an earring, band aids, and a picture of Jadon.  I guess I am cleaning the dresser junk drawer next.

One of my favorite things... is Gracie's expanding vocabulary.  Anything I say, she repeats.  My favorite word is "look."  Her lips form a complete "o" shape and she really accentuates the "k" sound. 

Random picture for sharing...

Brothers for Life

All Done

I love when Gracie decides she is either full or done with what she is eating.  She will proclaim, "All Done!" and proceed to spit out the entire contents of her mouth, wherever she is. 

Yesterday, before I could realize what was about to happen, I was covered in chewed up string cheese.  The now mushy, half-baked cheese was all over my shoulder and chest.  She looked at me with a big, fat, smile and said,  "All done!"

Thanks, Gracie.

Battle Lasagna

The boys are picky eaters.  I take full responsibility for this.  Trying to reclaim their palettes has been quite a challenge.  This mom is done being a short order cook, so the battle has been on.

Last week I made lasagna.  OK, I didn't really make lasagna.  I opened a family size box of Stouffer's, put it in my preheated oven, and took it out 2 hours later. 

The boys piled in the house after school that afternoon and immediately questioned what was cooking. 

"Lasagna."  I declared.

Whines, moans, and groans spewed out of their mouths.  The game was on.  I glanced over at the timer, realizing the fight would commence in under an hour. 

The boys went about playing only to pipe up about their hatred of lasagna every few minutes.  They told me that it smells weird and I made a mistake.  Three boys acted like great debaters trying to win the match.  Joey carefully argued all of his points as to why I should not cook such a food.  He had me wanting to throw in the towel before the battle had even started.

My husband walked in the door and I realized he had plans for the night.  He wouldn't even be eating dinner with us.  How could I have made lasagna on a night when I'd be the sole enforcer of the battle.  You idiot!

The timer began to beep.  Boys scattered off hoping I'd forget they lived here.  Soon they saw me put the garlic bread in the oven and got excited.  I reminded them no one would be eating bread until they ate some of the lasagna.  They whined and groaned again in unison.

The table was set and dinner was finally ready.   At that point I wanted to beat them all already.  As I placed the food in front of them they looked at me like I had lobsters crawling out of my ears.  I stood firm and told them they were eating it.

These are some of the comments I heard during the first fifteen minutes of "Battle Lasagna."  Some of these comments are mine.

"I hate lasagna"
"Why is there so much cheese on it?"
"I am scraping everything off and just eating the noodles."
"Ewe, this is disgusting."
"There are starving kids all over the world that don't even get lasagna!"
"Those kids are lucky!"
"If I was in a band, I'd be eating pizza with my friends right now and having fun.  I would not be sitting here eating this nasty lasagna"
"Why did you even have to make this stuff?  I hate this!"
"She didn't even make, it came out of a box.  We have to eat nasty box lasagna."
"I can't wait until I'm older and do not have to eat this disgusting food."
"If you don't start eating you are all going to bed and you will not eat anything until breakfast."
"Fine.  We like breakfast."
"I'm actually not hungry because I had a big snack at school."
"Look, Gracie loves lasagna."
"Babies eat everything, even stuff that is gross."
"I am satisfied and can make it until breakfast."
"You're the meanest mom ever."

Since Joe was long gone, I gave up.  I sent them out of the kitchen and left their plates on the table.  If they decided they wanted to eat, they would be having cold lasagna.  Gracie is the only one who ate the lasagna.  To be honest, I didn't care for it either. 

Somewhere around 8 o'clock the mom guilt kicked in.  What if they were starving?  They couldn't go all night without eating.  So, I came up with a compromise.  I called them into the kitchen and told them if they ate three bites they could have the garlic bread. 

The three of them dashed to the table.  There was a glimmer of hope.  They simultaneously began to repeat all of the comments they had previously uttered.  You've got to be kidding me? 

They eventually ate their three bites and devoured the garlic bread.  The boys won.  Battle lasagna was defeated.

I know, I stink.

Wordless Wednesday

Our Finale

SERIOUSLY?

I was supposed to take my final exam at 10AM today.  Joe helped me do some last minute studying last night and I felt pretty confident going to bed. 

Unfortunately, at around 10:30 my two year old woke up crying.  Within a minute she was quiet and went back to sleep.  About an hour later she woke up crying again.  I got her out of bed and she sat with us for a few minutes.  I asked her if she wanted to go back to bed and she said yes. 

Elia woke up at least four more times.  I went into her room twice and rubbed her back and both times she calmed down and went right back to sleep.  I figured she had a dream or maybe a belly ache.  It's not the first time one of the girls had woken up throughout the night, so we didn't think much of it.

All I was thinking about was my test and how tired I was going to be.  Of course she picks this night to be a stinker.

Elia woke up crying at 7:30 this morning.  Joe went into their room to get her and Gracie up.  A minute later Joe walks in with holding Elia and says, "What's wrong with her fingers?"

He shows me and this is what I see...

Her middle finger was the worst.  Her whole hand was swollen and blistered.

I freak out and start crying.  My freak out causes Elia to begin freaking out.  I have no idea what is wrong with my poor baby.  How did I not notice this awful sight during the night?  I feel like a terrible mom.  My sweet girl is in pain and now has a fever and I didn't even know how it happened.  We think through yesterday and try to figure out what could have happened but we're clueless.  She didn't get burned.  Could she have stuck her finger in an outlet?  All of our outlets are covered.  Did something happen while she was at Sunday school?  We call the doctor and they tell us to bring her in.  My biggest fear was having to take her back to Children's Hospital again.  I swore we would never go back there with her.

The doctor was unable to tell us what happened.  It's possible she had a cut and touched something that an infected person left bacteria on.  They popped the finger bubbles with a needle and drained the fluid.  I did not watch for fear I would pass out.  Elia took it all like a champ.  The doctor kept telling her how good she was doing and she'd say, "Yeah, I know" while fighting back tears.  They took cultures of the fluid to run tests.

The good news is an antibiotic cream and oral medicine should clear her infection.  Her fever is now gone and her hand is bandaged up.  We have a follow-up appointment tomorrow. 

I did not make it to my exam appointment.  Now I was having anxiety about waiting another whole day to take the test.  I called the proctor and she said I could come in at 1:30.  I rushed to get ready and make it to Williamsville.

I opted to not wear the diaper to the test.  The thought of sitting on it for an hour made me uncomfortable.  I did remember to use the bathroom before I got there.  An hour later and I heard the magic words, "You passed." 

Hallelujah!

Why do horrible things tend to happen on such important days?  I am thankful that my girl is sitting next to me sniffing her blanket and sucking her nuk.  Watching the Wonderpets is a perfectly wonderful way to end this day.  Passing my exam was just an added bonus.

My bandaged beauty.

What a Day

I'm too tired to tell you about it, and it's not even over.  I'll explain tomorrow. 

So instead, go vote for Elia.  She's a finalist in Parents Magazine's photo contest.  I'm pretty sure many people are finalists but hey, you never know.

http://photos.parents.com/category/vote/photo/683380

A Little Bit of Pee Came Out

My course final is tomorrow at 10AM. 

I just thought about walking in to take the test, and a little bit of pee came out.  That's not good.

I have not taken an exam of any kind since high school.  That was over 10 years ago.  I've got my sharpened number 2 pencils, an eraser, and my calculator ready.  I've got Post-Its on my mirror telling me I can do it.  Can I really do it?  All I can think about is the possibility of peeing my pants when the proctor hands me my test.  Maybe I will wear an adult diaper, just in case.

The Prep Before the Pamper

Today I am going to the spa for the works!  The day is paid by a gift certificate I won at our schools Holiday Auction and my husband covering the rest.  I am very excited.  It's been almost two years since I have been to the spa for anything.  I resolved to do it more this year so what better time than January to start. 

Today I will be getting a 75 minute deluxe facial, a 60 minute massage, a 75 minute pedicure, and a 45 minute manicure.  A few of my girlfriends will also be there and we'll be lunching together.  Whoopie.  I feel relaxed just typing this. 

Before I could enjoy all this day has to offer, I had to prep last night for the pampering.  Most of you know what I'm talking about. 

Last night I shaved, I pre-pedicured my feet, slothed my skin with a body scrub, removed my nail polish, and gave myself a mini facial.  It was actually pretty relaxing, minus the boys fighting over the Toy Story toys.  It's not like we don't have a hundred or anything.  The fighting me reminded me of why I must go to the spa.  It's quiet there.

I got into my bed feeling ready for my spa day.  I also thought it was completely ridiculous how much time I spent just to prepare for someone doing the exact same thing tomorrow.  OK, not the exact same thing. I'm certain they will be much more meticulous.  It's just one of those things you have to do.  You don't go to the dentist without brushing your teeth or the gyno without trimming your hair.  It's just polite.  Right? 

Hopefully my hard work will be appreciated today.

Do you prep before you pamper?

How Date Night Evolves

I'm thinking back to when Joe and I first started dating.  Man, that was a long time ago.  When you first begin dating, it's all so new and beautiful.  You go to beautiful places, you spend time making yourself beautiful, you affectionately stare at your beautiful man.  I remember our first "big" date.  It was my birthday and Joe was taking me on a surprise adventure.  I love surprises.  I remember being so excited and nervous.  He told me to dress nice.  I went out and bought a new dress for the occasion.  I did my hair, painted my nails, shaved my legs, and even duck taped my boobs.  I hadn't realized my dress would not accommodate any of my bras.  My dear friend helped me tape my boobs into that dress.  We both went above and beyond for our date.  Joe took me to the Skylon Tower in Niagara Falls.  We had an amazing dinner enjoying the breathtaking view of the Falls.  It was beautiful.

And then...comes....baby(ies).

Date nights would never be the same.  They weren't for us anyway.  They evolve into something not so glamorous.  When we had an infant at home we were usually exhausted on date night.  We'd go out to dinner and sleepily talk about the baby, of course.  I know I did not take as much care in getting ready as I did before baby.  I wonder if I even had makeup on or non-elastic pants for that matter.  I probably smelled like baby puke and maybe even had puke on me.  Poor Joe. 

We still did date night though.  We have to.  We need to.  We always will.  As our kids get older and all of them sleep through the night, we are still tired.  We continue to frequent the same restaurants.  What's annoying about this is every single time we are out to dinner without kids, they sit us next to the most obnoxious kid in the restaurant.  Nice.  Sometimes we go to the movies after.  I'm lucky to stay awake for the whole thing  We finish nearly every date with a trip to the grocery store for milk or something.  How romantic.  

Sure date night changes, but it's still beautiful.  It's a wonderful feeling to not have to worry about what to wear, if you have a zit on your face, or if you haven't shaved.  I am trying to be more sexy lately.  I mean, my poor husband didn't marry a frumpy girl.  Now that I have more rest I think it's only fair to spice things back up.  No more elastic pants, no more ponytail, lots more shaving.  He deserves it.  Date nights are a time to focus on us.  We rekindle the love.  We forget about stupid arguments and anything else on our minds and simply enjoy each other.  It's priceless, no matter how boring the date is.

As our survey showed, it seems most of us do the same things on date night.  You go to dinner, the movies, and grocery stores.  A couple of you have used date night for sex, you go girls.  But it seems the majority of us have fallen into a rut.  I'm not saying all this stuff is bad, but for me, I want more excitement.  Joe always plans an overnight or day date a few times a year.  I don't want to save the good stuff for a few times a year.  So, what can we do.  I'm going to try to think of more creative dates.  Since Joe is always the one planning the good stuff, I am going to try to plan some good stuff. 

Do you have any ideas or suggestions.  What awesome dates have you been on?  What do I need to try?  Let's have some banging date nights.  Nothing crazy like the movie "Date Night."  Don't even get me started on that one.  If you haven't seen "Date Night" though, rent it.  It's funny, if you're into that kind of humor.

Leave me your ideas, suggestions, best date stories, as a comment below.  Here's to Date Nights!

I'll close with a couple of funny pictures of Joe and I.  They are from my sister-in-laws wedding at the Botanical Gardens.  We both got all gussied up for the event.  Joe looked hot.  I have a crazed look in my eyes like I am going to jump him.  It's followed up with the famous Titanic pose.  Joe loved that.  Don't let his face fool you.  That was a fun date.  The last one was from my birthday.  We went to the Garden Place Hotel overnight.  Fun.

Oh No! My Butt!

I am going to subtitle these blogs "Memorable Happenings at the Pasinski Home."  This conversation went on between Elia and Gracie.  I was in the kitchen cleaning up when Elia began squealing.  Yes, I meant squealing.  We did not have to use the term, squealing, when it was just three boys.  Whoa momma, someone should warn you about the squealing, shrieking, and screaming when you have a girl.  Phew.  This is what I heard.

"Oh No!  My Butt!  My butt, my butt, my butt!  No!  Oh man, my butt!"  Elia squeals. 

Great, I am thinking.  What is wrong with the girl's butt.  Please don't let there be blood, I pray.  I walk to the doorway to see what is going on without disturbing what is taking place.

"Mom, help me!  Gracie broke all these butts!  All of the butts are broke!  I can't put the butts back on. Gracie broke all the Potato butts!" she continues to squeal as she summons me to help her.

I stay in the doorway so she doesn't see me.  This is funny.  There are Mr. Potato Head pieces all over the floor.  We have hundreds of Mr. Potato Head potatoes and accessories.  Every single potato is missing their butt.  You know, the flap that holds the extra pieces.  The piece that carefully holds the cheese doodles in case he gets hungry, an extra pair of shoes and the angry eyes, just in case.  (Toy Story, people.)  So, scattered around the floor are the Potato Heads, helpless, and buttless.  Elia is now trying to put their butts back on.  Gracie is chewing on some Potato Head handcuffs while watching Elia fix her mess.

"Gracie you broke the butts.  Oh man, I can't fix their butts.  Mommy, Gracie broke their butts!" she continues while concentrating so hard to repair the damage.  At this point she is begging for me to come help. 

I enter the room at this point and ask her what happened.  I already know, but I want to hear her say it again.

She firmly tells me, "Gracie broke all of these Potato Head butts.  She broke all these butts and I can't fix them.  Can you fix their butts, Mommy?"

Mom to the rescue.  I begin to put the butts back on about twenty Mr. Potato Heads.  As I am doing this she is now shrieking with excitement.

"Yay, Mommy!  You fixed the butts.  Yay!  Good job, Mommy.  You did it.  Fix this one.  Good job!  Yay, Mommy!" she is very happy.

Gracie gets excited because she sees Elia's excited.  I am now excited because I am master repair women of butts and have saved my daughter's playtime.  It's amazing how such random silliness makes being a mom so worth it.  I am the master.

Before I resume my kitchen clean-up I hear Elia sternly say, "Gracie, don't break anymore butts."

Wordless Wednesday

He Found It

My husband found my cell phone.  Are you kidding me?  This is the man that stands in front of the fridge for twenty minutes looking for the mustard.  The mustard in the bright yellow container that is impossible to miss.  This man will then come ask me where the mustard is.  I'll sarcastically snap back and say that it's in the shower.  After he looks in the shower, kidding, I will tell him it's in the fridge and to look harder.  He will go back and stand in front of the fridge and stare blankly into space.  I will go over to the fridge mumbling about his inability to find anything, and grab the mustard from the shelf.  Then I will call him some kind of name and slam the fridge.

This same theory goes for clothing, children's items, pens, and anything else that is staring him in the face while he is searching.  How I love my husband, really I do. 

I swear the only reason he found it was because he was searching behind my back in order to make me look like the irresponsible one who can't find anything.  How annoying.  He found the phone under the laundry basket in my room.  Or did he?  I think one of the kids brought it to him and he planted it there only to reveal to me that he is my hero. 

I can't wait until he is looking for something again or asks where the toilet paper is.  Which by the way is in the same place it has been since we got married, the linen closet.

Searching for my Cell

My cell phone is lost.  The battery is dead.  Of course it is.  Luckily, there are only a million and four places my cell phone could be.  I have spent the last half hour searching for it.  I've scoured dresser drawers, crevices of bedrooms, and all of the closets.  Nothing.  I checked under beds, in the bathroom, in all of the kitchen cupboards.  Still nothing.  Moving on, I looked in all twenty-seven toy bins scattered throughout the house.  Not in any of them either.  So far my hunting has revealed a bottle of sunscreen, the missing Jessie doll including her hat, my brown nail polish, 2 nuks, a library book, a bunch of baby socks that the cat thinks are mice, a sippy cup of rotten juice, and a dirty q-tip.

This is the first time that I've lost my phone and the battery has been dead.  It's rather annoying.  A friend was supposed to call in the morning to let me know if she'd be visiting.  Now I had to rely on facebook to hopefully get the message to her regarding the status of my phone.  It's occasions like this when I wish I hadn't cancelled my land line. 

The last time I remember seeing my cell phone was when I was changing Gracie's diaper.  She was holding it while I attacked her diaper full of poop with fourteen wipes.  I went to go question the subject.  Upon my approach I noticed chunks of blue things falling out of Grace's mouth in a stream of drool.  Closer inspection determined she had eaten a baby blue crayon.  Blue speckles were all over her shirt and her teeth were coated in the blue wax.  Gross.  She had no information to lead me to my phone.

Next, I questioned Elia.  "Where is mommy's phone?" I asked.

"I don't know.  You can't find your phone mommy?  Does Gracie have your phone?  Daddy has your phone at work," she insisted.

No help from the 2 year old either.  I give up, for now.  I am certain my phone is in the most random place ever.  My guess is it will turn up on the washing machine, in the vegetable drawer of the fridge, or in the linen closet under the towels I put away yesterday.  I'm off to check those places now.  

I'll let you know when the search is over.  Where is the most random place you have found your cell phone?  Seriously, tell me.  Maybe mine is there too.

Wordless Wednesday

Poll Results...Resolutions

Losing weight is our winner, which I discovered while scarfing down a tuna & tomato sandwich.  I'm already thinking about what I will have for my lunchtime dessert.  I wonder if there will ever be a year, when I too, do not desire to lose weight.  Why is it so difficult?  Who am I kidding, I know why.  Food is so very good and exercise is so very not.  Everyone and their mother has the best advice, the miracle diets, the perfect pills.  It's all bogus.  It takes eating healthy and working out.  Ugh. 

The next three choices were all too close to call.  Getting organized, stop yelling, and getting out of debt were all high on your radar for 2011.  Organization makes life, especially with kids, so much easier.  My question, how do you keep things organized when you have kids?  I like to think I am pretty organized.  I'd like to think if it was just me I'd be super organized.  No matter how organized I am, the kids do a great job of wreaking havoc on the organization.  Let's face it, they don't care if their superheroes, toy story figures, and Lego's are all mixed together, so why do I?  There are some battles I am not willing to fight.  As for the stuff I can control, I do try to make things work.  The boys school stuff is carefully sorted.  All art supplies are in lovely Rubbermaid containers.  Baby items are stored carefully in the girl's room.  My pantry cupboards are neatly in order.  My next house will have a pantry.  I am sure much more can be done, but I am happy with my state of affairs for now.  What are you striving to organize?

I clicked the "stop yelling" box.  I shared my thoughts on that in a previous post.  I'm trying here.  Some days are good, some days not so good.  The important thing is, I'm trying.  Props to me and those of you who are also hoping to turn the volume down in your house.  How's it going so far?

Ah, getting out of debt.  It's a great resolution.  Staying out of debt is what needs to follow.  My husband handles our budget.  The bills come out on auto-pay and whatever is left is all there is to pay for food, entertainment, and any other extras.  It works for us.  What are your plans to help you get out of debt?  How are you tackling it?  Anyone have any advice for those that are struggling?

Finally, there were a few of you that wanted to learn something new.  I love this.  Learning things keep us young, fresh, exciting.  I've been inspired.  I want to learn something.  Now to decide what?  So many choices.  Why don't you tell me what you want to learn and maybe it will challenge me.  Don't say anything crazy like mountain climbing or deep sea diving.  I can't handle that.

So, we're two weeks into the new year.  I hope you are all sticking to your resolutions.  If not, get some support and find a friend to help you.  Don't be so hard on yourself.

New poll is up.  "What did you do on your last date night?"

Me, a Morning Person?

No joke, I think I may be a morning person again.  Prior to the birth of my first child, I was definitely a morning person.  Most times I didn't even need an alarm clock to get me out of my soft, warm, and wonderful bed.  Not only did I happily wake up, the amount of sleep I needed to function was only around six hours.  Sure, I realize I was about ten years younger, more physically active, and had a much more carefree lifestyle.  I understand with kids comes sleep deprivation, a shift in your diet, (I often eat scraps of what the kids eat), and a gazillion other things that come with parenthood.

Since the boys started school I try to be up by 7 o'clock.  Many times I drag myself out of bed at 8 o'clock and play drill sergeant.  I get them off to school and then manage the girls and the house.  Yada, yada, yada.  By the end of the day I am usually exhausted and cannot wait to plop in bed to unwind.  We are fortunate that the kids are all asleep by 8:30 at the latest.  My husband and I look forward to this time.  It's our time.  We can talk without being interrupted.  We can lie in bed without being bounced on.  We can do other things without someone barging in.

For the past few months we have watched a movie, or something football related, every single night.  While I completely enjoy this, it has kept me up much later than I normally like to stay awake.  I know, I sound like an old fart here.  It hurt a little to even type that.  I am too young to be an old fart.  What's next, four o'clock dinners, no coffee after lunch, posturepedic shoes?  Help!  I need more sleep, especially now that I am waking up earlier.

The last couple of months I have been meeting friends at 5AM.  I know it sounds crazy.  As I mentioned before, I decided on this because keeping up with friends becomes increasingly harder as lives get busier.  Sure, there are the play date meet ups.  Unfortunately, most of the time children are yelling, crawling on my lap to get my attention, or filled with the noises of the obnoxious toys they are playing with.  It's hard to have any sort of meaningful conversation.  Any babysitters are reserved for husband time or special outings with some of the kids.  This lead me to 5AM. 

I will admit, it was hard at first.  The hardest part is hearing the alarm.  "No, it can't be time already.  I just fell asleep.  I don't even have to pee yet." I think.

Once I stand to my feet, I'm good.  I get to spend time with friends minus the kids.  It's rejuvenating.  We laugh, we cry.   OK, we don't cry, but it's great.  When I get home I am in such a great mood.  I feel like I can take on the world, or just manage to get the kids on the bus without yelling.  I'll take it.  A wise man once said, if mom's happy, everyone's happy, right. 

Recently I added studying to my early morning outings.  I am need to take my Real Estate exam and it's impossible to study at home.  So, I set my alarm again for 5AM and head over to Timmy's to sip my coffee and study.  I pop in my earplugs and get to work.  If I don't wear the earplugs I will not get anything accomplished because I people watch and eavesdrop.  I can't help it. 

After my exam I think I may even continue to have coffee at Timmy Ho's.  Maybe I'll read.  Maybe I will listen to my Ipod.  Maybe I will people watch.  That's weird, I know.

I think I am rediscovering myself through these mornings alone.  I've remembered a little bit who I am other than mom and wife.  Obviously, they are most treasured "titles" but as I am approaching 30, this new outlook has been swell.  Me, a morning person again, who would have thought?

Today...

I am wearing...  a nice shirt and scarf paired with flannel pj bottoms.  I ventured out at 6am to Tim Horton's to do some studying.  Once I entered through the front door I immediately went to my room to swap my jeans for my flannel pants.  My poor husband.  I call it the "Mom Syndrome" which may just be my syndrome.  If I'm in the house I want my elastic pants.  It doesn't matter what kind, as long as they are comfy.  My husband often comments how nice I look when I leave the house and how frumpy I look when I get home.  It's just not comfortable to clean and take care of kids in my jeans.  I tell Joe to embrace my frump's.  Still, I feel kind of bad for him.

I am wondering...  if Elia has an ear infection.  She told me her ear hurts.  Blasted!

I am thankful for...  Joey, who we affectionately call "Gabby Mick Gabbster."  That child likes to talk.  This morning, he was in full on gabbing mode.  He talked to me about all of the following; the way a cricket sounds in TV show when it's really quiet, his interest in making a badge for the lanyard he bought at the bookstore, what I was going to put in the clay pot he made for me in art class, how he looked like Elvis after he sprayed down his hair, his interest in Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, what we were going to do this weekend, why his Spongebob Chia Pet was still hairless, how much he loves Elia, in what order he was going to eat his lunch, how excited he was to guess his teacher's middle name, his disturbance that he could not find his new green pencil with the smiley face eraser, and how he could not do the squats on EA Active for the Wii, probably because he was too short to have them register.  Really, no joke.  He is a ball of questions and information.  I am thankful for Gabby Mick Gabbster, even when his diarrhea of the mouth makes me crazy.

I am overwhelmed by...  the amount of toys in this house.  We cleared out before Christmas only to accumulate just as many toys.  I did scale down my shopping this year, but not enough.  Even the girls have too many toys.  It's ridiculous.  I've given up putting any toys away until the evening.  The kids have been up for 2 hours and the floors are already covered with everything from puzzle pieces to Lego's to baby dolls.  Oh well.

I am eating...  nothing.  Seriously.

I can hear...  the water being filtered in the fish tank.  This may be a first.  The boys just got on the bus though so it's not that crazy.  And...it's gone.  Gracie is now pounding on a cat keyboard that obnoxiously "Meows" when you press the keys.  I wonder who the genius was that thought of that one.

I can't get enough of...  stir fry.  This is probably because I am not eating so it is reminding me of the yummy stir fry in my fridge.  Joe made a huge batch of it so I have been eating it at every meal.  It's good.

I am going...  to watch the Colts lay the smack down on the Jet's tomorrow night.  I have been utterly excited to watch this game all week.  Yippee.

I am hoping...  to take a nap today.  I am going to force myself not to watch the DVR'ed episode of Grey's Anatomy from last night and take a nap.  This is going to be hard for me.  Grey's has been off since around the end of November.  I'm dying to see what's going on with Christina.  I'm curious to see what transpires between Callie and Arizona.  Will McSteamy and Little Grey get back together?  Can Meredith and McDreamy really be so happy?  Plus, I'd love to see Teddy get killed off or something.  She drives me nuts.  Darn it.  All this wondering will surely end up with me watching instead of napping.  Grey's is my guilty pleasure.

Around the house... The Christmas decorations and the Christmas tree (real) are all still up.  The season is too short.  I am rebelling about taking everything down.  The boys have already convinced me to leave up the lights in their room.  I'm sure we'll tackle it all this weekend.  Boo.

One of my favorite things...  Elia sucking her Nuk and sniffing her blanket.  Sometimes she inserts part of the blanket into the top of the Nuk, so she can do this hands free.  It's completely adorable.  I don't care if she's two.  I'm not taking the Nuk away yet no matter what anyone says.  She will not lose her teeth or die.

Random picture for sharing...  Elia sucking her nuk and sniffing her blanket, hands free.  I told you it was completely adorable.

You Don't Want to Know.

It's the end of the night and the boys are getting ready for bed.  They are doing their last minute teeth brushing, water sipping, and using the toilet.  I am in my bed.  Then, I hear the following,

Bathroom door opens.

Jadon screams, "Ewe!" in a high pitched, screaming, disgusted, voice.

Joey, "It was a mistake!  Go get the paper towels!"

Jadon, "Oh my gosh.  How did you do that!"

Joey, "I don't know.  Just go get the paper towels."

Jadon runs out and slams the bathroom door shut.

Joe opens the bathroom door.

"Joey!" yells Joe.

Joe continues, "What in the world did you do?  How did you make such a mess?"

Joey explains, "I don't know it was an accident."

"Don't touch me.  Don't touch anything.  It's all over your hands.  Don't touch your face.  Ah, now it's on your face!"  Joe yells anxiously.

Christian is yelling from his bed, "What are you doing?  What happened?"

Lots of bantering back and forth continues for about five minutes.

Jadon says, "Joey, you are disgusting!"

"Wash your hands and face with a lot of soap and hot water, for a long time." Joe demands.

Joe enters the bedroom and tells me, "Your son is gross."

And so completes another day in the Pasinski household.

A Little Creepy and a Lot of Fun

This blogging thing is new to me.  I've been a little overly obsessed with reading all I can about it.  It's amazing how many people are blogging about anything and everything, especially moms. 

Google has this feature called "Google Analytics" which lets you analyize all of your website's traffic.  It's a little creepy.  This program will tell you how many people view your website, how they found it, where they are from, and all kinds of other creepy stuff.  It even tells you what they are wearing while they view.  I'm joking, I hope.

So, I've been checking my stats a little too much.  Come on, it's fun.  My friend was volunteering in Tanzania.  I kept getting hits to my website from there.  I sent her an email asking if she was my viewer from Tanzania.  She replied, "I have been reading.  How do you know that?  That's creepy."  It was creepy.

On to the fun part.  As I mentioned, Google will tell me how people found my website.  This is fun.  Say you want to ask a question like, "Why does Tim Horton's coffee make me poop?"  You enter it into a search engine; Yahoo, Google, Bing, and somewhere on one of the options is my site, http://www.poopinacandle.com/.  The searcher clicks on it and finds me.  Then, Google Analytics tells me someone found my site by asking, "Why does Tim Horton's coffee make me poop?"  Really, that is how someone found it.

Here are my other favorite "searches" that have lead people to my site:
"Can I reheat my Tim Horton's with the lid on?"
"Sleep Earplugs"
"Can I leave my earplugs in all day?"
"Should I reheat my Tim Horton's more than once?"
"Pyloric Stenosis"
"Do people poop in candles?"
"Yankee Candle poop"
"Timmy Ho's"
"Pyloric Stenosis Scar"
"How much Tim Horton's coffee will make me poop?"
"Earplug poop"

I'm looking forward to more creepy data.  Bwaaahaahaa.

It's a New Year!

Happy New Year, friends!  Hello, 2011.  What do you have in store for me?  What do I want to do with you? 

Every year we shout, "Happy New Year!" and begin to consider our New Year's Resolutions.  Here are the top ten resolutions, as recorded by Time Magazine:

1. Lose Weight and Get fit
2. Quit Smoking
3. Learn Something New
4. Get out of Debt and Save Money
5. Spend More Time with Family
6. Travel to Knew Places
7. Be Less Stressed/Stop Yelling
8. Volunteer More
9. Eat Healthier
10. De-Clutter and Get Organized

I've resolved to do them all at one point or another.  I'm all in favor of setting goals.  I think the New Year is a great time to resolve to be a better you.  Resolutions should only consist of realistic goals.  Even if it's just one.  Otherwise, we will completely stress ourselves out.  By the end of the month we will throw the stupid list out the window and overindulge in all the things we decided to quit!  That's just dumb. 

This year I am going to resolve to stop yelling!  It's not on Time's Top Ten List, but it's at the top of mine! 

I don't yell all of the time.  I do yell enough to know I need to stop.  With five kids the volume in our house is sometimes a lot of times turned to high.  Many times it results in me yelling (which makes no sense at all) to get them to turn the volume down.  I hate this.

This seems like an achievable goal for me.  I will admit it will be hard during the winter.  With the windows shut, I am not afraid to unleash the beast because the neighbors won't hear me.

Now what to do instead of yelling?  I'll probably go back to the old time out chair.  As the boys have gotten older, I stopped doing this.  I know they won't want to sit for 5, 6, and 8 minutes, respectively.  On bad days, they may have to sit there half the night.  Maybe that will work.  I think I may implement this first and see how it goes.  Don't fail me now, Supernanny.  Now since I've put it up there feel free to keep me in check, friends.

What are your New Year's Resolutions.  What are you going to do to reach your goals?  I see some of the non-lame are voting.  Let me know what you think.

PS.  Fatty, (me) will resume the healthy eating again, too.  I thoroughly enjoyed eating until I puked these past two months.  I will miss cookies and chocolate and pepsi.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! The Winner Is...

JENN GREUTMAN!  She wins because I actually laughed out loud when this picture popped open on my screen.  This is Jenn's three year old, Asher.  Since he was born they "lovingly" called him, "Little Old Man Baby."  One day he put his grandpa's glasses on and, voila.  The "Little Old Man 3 Year Old."  Congrats Jenn, for being our first ever Poop In A Candle contest winner!  As promised, you will get your very own Apple Cinnamon Yankee candle for your child to poop in.  Or not.

Our runner up is Rachel Stahl!  This is Rachel's son, Logan, peeing in a diaper box.  Rachel tried the "let him go free" potty training method.  This is how Logan responded.  Just look at those cowboy boots.  You'll get a prize too, because even though it's gross, it's oh so adorable.

There were so many cute photos it was hard to choose.  Here are some honorable mentions.

Muddy Boys, Erin Paolercio

Tessa doesn't measure up!, Heather Reichmuth

Morning Mayhem, Sandy Arcadipane

This was fun.  We'll be doing more contests in the future.  For those of you who missed out...You snooze you lose.  Thanks for participating.  We'll talk Resolutions tomorrow.