Guest Post!! 20SB Blog Swap

I met Christy through the 20sb blog swap (20sb is a blogging community for 20 something bloggers that I rarely go to... bu thought a blog swap sounded fun!).

From my stalking of her blog.. Christy sounds like a pretty awesome gal, with some great goals.  I really appreciate her honesty and I am inspired by her desire to better her life before 25- perhaps I should start a 30 before 30 list?.... anyway, here is her guest post, and you can check out mine at her blog: http://twentyfivebeforetwentyfive.blogspot.com/

2010 was a tough year for me. I started the year with a demotion at my job that included increased (that's right increased) responsibilities and  a pretty rough salary adjustment. By February, I was so miserable I tried to quit and after promises that it would get better I changed my mind. March rolled around and things still hadn't gotten better. I started complaining a lot...to my friends, my parents, my boyfriend, everyone who would listen and when they all got sick of listening I started running after work to blow off some steam. I realized that I really enjoyed running and decided to sign up for a 10k. I also decided to start my blog and my list of 25 things to do before I turned 25. That 10k turned into a Half-Marathon and 8 months later, a Full Marathon. In May, I left my job and moved to New York to start my Master's and I love it!

My 25 list has been my saving grace this year. From getting lost into books I've never read to running and trying new things, it's become a huge part of who I am. Almost everything I do is because it's related to something on "my list" and I love that! So as 2011 rolls around, it's time to start making serious moves on my list. I've crossed 3 things off and have a lot of work to go! I'll be 24 in February and my goal for 2011 is to stop putting off some of the things on my list: like making a sand castle or finishing my college scrapbook.

In 2011, I want to run another marathon. I also want to break a 2 hour half marathon. I want to go to all of the ball parks I haven't been to yet and I want to start taking French lessons. I want to swim with the dolphins and go to India. A lot of people have called my list overly ambitious but that's just who I am. I've always been the person that puts too much on my plate but for the first time, I'm not stressed about how much I have to do because I'm having too much fun doing it!

And of course everyone has one of those "Stop Smoke" or "Start Dieting" type resolutions and mine is to Stop Complaining! Since I lived in Boston and was trapped in the cold, cold weather and that miserable job, I feel like all I do is complain. I keep it off my blog but in my personal life and my everyday conversations, I complain a lot and it needs to stop. I've come really close to pushing people away like that and I don't want to lose anyone because of it. So that's the biggest step for me....and working on crossing some more things off my list!

Thanks, Christy!  Wishing you the best for 2011! 

Oh man, I love my girls!

My girls are the BEST THING EVER!!! As busy as my life is- and by busy I mean totally hectic; feel like my brain is a bag of mush; cannot believe how fast time flies when you have two kids...
Let me get back on track to what I was saying... as busy as my life is; I love that my kids are a part of my life, and they bring me so much happiness and fun that it makes it all worth it.
Avery Coy is already 7 months old- unbelievable! She is sitting up, laughing, teething, eating baby food, and is such a happy little chubster. She's not rolling over too often- the doc says probably because she's got around 21 lbs to roll... hee hee
Ali Bananas is totally 2- she's pushing boundaries and figuring out what she can and cannot get away with- but with her smart-as-a-ship mentality it is almost hard to keep a straight face at times: She told me: "don't you tell me no, momma" the other night!  I mean, c'mon now, Miss Bossy Pants! 
She talks like crazy- expanding her vocabulary every day- and she catches on and is so smart and funny: it's amazing watching her brain work. 
She's also potty-trained!!!!!!!!! Going on 2 months now! She doesn't even have accidents during nap time; and only sometimes has some potty in her pull up in the AM after sleeping at night (probably cause she sleeps like a rock).
So yeah, my kids are pretty much amazing. I am so thankful for them every single day- even when they are naughty, I still cannot believe how blessed I am to have them.  They make me understand so much about love and its capacity.  I'll say it again- they make every hour of lost sleep, looooooong days of working then coming home to parent a crazy house, time lost with my husband, brain mush... worth it!

Holy Snow!

North Idaho has been getting CRAZY amounts of snow for this time of year.  We officially broke a record with the snowiest November of all time!  Usually, I hate the snow and everything about it.  This year, I have changed my feelings and I think it is because
 #1 My parents gave us a snow blower for (early) Christmas this year!! And we don't have to slave away every day, twice a day, shoveling our driveway and sidewalk.
#2 Ali loves the snow, and reminds me that it IS fun to play in :)  We haven't gotten to build a snowman yet, as the snow is dry and not very packable- but soon! (I will of course post pictures, as I have not built a snowman in probably 15 years!)

Here is what we're looking at for the next 10 days as far as weather is concerned:

 And this is why I LOVE to live in the GREAT NORTHWEST!  It is simply beautiful... this picture was taken 20 minutes from my house (not by me) - simply gorgeous!

And the winner is....

Congratulations to STACEY!!!! You are the winner of the CSN.com  giveaway !!!!

Can't wait to hear how you like the stroller organizer!  I am thinking this will make the jugglin act a little bit simpler!  Enjoy my dear! You are so deserving!

It's Snowing!

The first snow of the season fell overnight last night! I took this picture as I was driving to work this morning (don't worry, I pulled over!).  It isn't much- but it does mean winter is on the way...

For the first time in a long time, I am actually looking forward to a snowy winter.  I think having Ali to enjoy it with makes a big difference!

Happy Monday!

Don't forget about my giveaway!  Post it on your blog, get extra entries!  You have until Thursday!

Avery Coy is 6 months old!

It is hard to believe that my sweet baby girl is a 1/2 year old already!  Time is flyyyyinnnnn!  Avery went for her 6 month check-up yesterday- sister is healthy, happy, and HUGE!

Weight:  20.6 lbs
Height: 27.5 inches
The girl is runnin in the 97th percentile for weight and height... which thankfully I'm used to from the precedent that Ali set for her- I guess we just make big babies around my house!

Giveaway Time! Woot Woot Woot!

Alright peeps, here's the deal:  You have 10 days from today's date (November 19th at midnight,) to submit your name for my giveaway. 
You have a choice of three totally random options that I found from the CSN.com family of stores (seriously, this place has everything! madness I tell ya)

Choice #1:

 

This fabulous bucket o crafts!  Check it out and see all the fun stuff packed in this puppy ... I think it's a must have for activities for my toddler, as I am totally not crafty and love to have options at my fingertips.

Choice #2:

This uber,super duper cute bag!  I love, love, love it!  It is kinda teacher bag-ish... hey, I'm a teacher, what can I say? but it is still so cute, and versatile!  I'm so into polka dots right now, and can totally NOT pull them off on an outfit, so "wearing" them on a bag is the perfect solution!

Choice #3:

This super awesome, strap- on stroller organizer (hee hee, I said strap-on)  What I love about it is that you can strap it to an umbrella stroller- genius!  I totally want and need this sucker! 

So, how do you get yourself a  into the drawing for this fabulous giveaway??? Well, my dear reader, you simply need to leave a comment, telling me which choice is the object of your desire, and why!  And give me your email address to contact you!
You can have an additional entry if you post about my giveaway on your blog (leave me a link in the comment), and you can triple your chances if someone from your blog comes to visit, and mentions your name in their comment! 

Your chances are good, as about 3 people read this blog :)
All entries must be received by 11:59 Pacific Time Nov. 19, 2010.

Get ready for it!

CSN has once again contacted me to do another giveaway! I feel so cool!  Be watching with baited breath for a cool kids' toy to be given away to one lucky reader very soon!

... in the meantime, check out some of the awesome kitchen bar stools that I have found on one of CSN's awesome sites! We have been looking at bar stools to replace the crappy ones we have had for 5 years.. it's hard to say no to free shipping!  (seriously, they have about a million products, on a million different websites, and at super good prices)

The problem with communication

I suck at speaking my feelings... and probably writing them to. Which is kinda funny, considering I am an English teacher.
Anyway, every time I try to tell someone how I feel (most the time I'm talking about my husband) I can never articulate what I feel in my heart or think in my mind.  It frustrates me, because I feel like I never really get my point across; like my feelings are trapped in my own mind and heart and I'm the only one who really knows how I feel.

You see, I feel things deep.  I feel pride, pain, sadness, happiness, real deep.  Things affect me, and stay with me, and I think about them a lot. Even things that are not directly related to my life, either. I think I have a soft heart, and I let a lot of things in, and dwell on them. Sometimes this is a good thing, and sometimes it hurts me. a lot.

I feel like this when I try to tell my husband things- when I try to communicate with him my needs or feelings.  Take this morning, for example.  KK was saying he wanted to take our bird dog, Matty, out to hunt this weekend on Saturday.  Poor Matty is so neglected since teh girls have come around, and he has not gotten to hunt the birdies this entire season.  So KK decided he was going to take Matty out to hunt Saturday morning. Good, great, grand. 

Another problem I have is that I have short-term memory loss. Not really, but I forget stuff all the time, unless I write it down.  so I get to school this morning and check my email, and I have an evite reminder of a baby shower this weekend- Saturday- at noon.
So I see KK in the hallway (remember, we teach at the same high school) and I tell him that I forgot about the baby shower.  I apologize, and say he can take Matty before I go, or after I get back, or even on Sunday.  And he says:  so I have the kids all day Saturday then? It's going to rain on Sunday.  And he walks away.
Ok dearest husband, let's not exaggerate so much.  I will be gone from 11:30-2:30 at the most, and Ali's naptime is at 12:00- BIG DEAL!
So now hear I sit, in my classroom, contemplating how to discuss this with him and not say it wrong to make him feel defensive- but tell him that was a jerk thing to say, and that I don't appreciate his rudeness- because I take it personal- and it makes me feel unimportant.

Whew!

So Halloween went over without a hitch! Ali had a B.L.A.S.T with every aspect of Halloween- she loved the excitement of it all and running around the neighborhood with her best buddy Wyatt (who was a very cute Buzz Lightyear) this is a picture I took of the two of them a couple weeks ago- they love each other!

Ali asked me when she got home from daycare yesterday if we could go trick or treating again and was so sad when I explained to her it only happens once a year.. that girl melts my heart I tell ya! It makes me sooo excited for Christmas!

And sweet sweet Avery is just growin like a weed!  Poor little gal is so stinkin happy all the time that we had no idea how very sick she was.  So let me back up here-  Avery has been coughing for the past 2 weeks- same with Ali.  We figured it was just a cold; being it is cold season and it seems like kids have a runny nose all fall and winter long.  We started to get a little worried when Avery's cough would not go away. So after 12 days of hearing her cough- I called the doc and got her  an appointment.  Turns out the poor kid not only is on a nebulizer for breathing treatments- she also has a bacterial infection in her eye, throat, and has a double ear infection! Believe me, I felt like the worst mom ever in the doctor's office... but seriously the girl shows no signs of not feeling like the happiest baby in the world!  She's so sweet- poor thing had to suffer like that before her mean old mommy finally got it together...  thank goodness our almost 6 month old weighs 19 pounds!!!  makes me feel better when she has been turning away her cereal- poor thing- it probably hurt her throat!

Happy Halloweenie!

A better day- part 1

Please excuse my o-so-vague prayer from Friday. I have had a lot going on emotionally, and it was too much for me to write down.  Thankfully, things are better today...
 I volunteer and a young mom support group at my church,every other Monday.  We used to be a teen mom support group, but as our teen moms are growing and still wanting to come to the meetings, we had to change our title.  One of the moms that comes to the group, I will call her B, was also a student at the high school where I teach (she graduated last spring). B has a baby girl, C, who is 3 months old.  C's dad is totally not involved, and B's parents are currently estranged and not helping at all.  Anyway,  I had a current student come to me and report that B was partying too much, not living anywhere permanent, and leaving C at random people's houses.  The student's rendition was that B left C at a "crack-head's" house, and when B finally went to pick her up, they hadn't changed her diaper at all and her legs were total diaper rash.
So I of course call B right away, ask her where she is at, and arrange to pick her up after school.  I know from experience that teenagers tend to exaggerate, and I wanted to see for myself before making a call to child services. 
I am happy to report that the student's story was totally blown out of proportion.  B is living with a family in town (white-trash, somewhat irresponsible, but at least a permanent place that she has a room for her and baby).  When I picked her up, C was totally under dressed for the weather, and had a soaked diaper, but no diaper rash and was happy and "normal".... B is totally partying, but justifies it in the fact that the family she is living with tells her she is 19, have fun!  My opinion differs in that: when you get knocked up, you gotta own up to your decisions, and make a sacrifice.. which I nicely told B... who knows if she was listening.

Why my heart breaks is because that sweet, petite little baby girl is not being loved the way I wish she was.  I do not think her diaper is changed as often as I would change it, and I do not think she is being fed as often as I would feed her (she is not starving, but probably not getting enough feedings for her age).  I don't think she has a stable environment; a warm, cuddly bed to sleep in; and a mom who is smart enough to figure all this out on her own.  B is trying her best, but it isn't the best. It is the best for a dingy 19 year old girl who loves her baby, but also is a selfish 19 year old who cannot prioritize.  THAT is what breaks my heart. It breaks my heart because she is not the only dumb teenage mom who is putting herself before her baby, and not seeing anything wrong with it.  I see 80 teenage kids every single day who were raised the same way. And while they survive, and some turn out to be functioning members of society, it still breaks my heart. children deserve better than that.  That is why my heart hurts.

and because my husband is somewhat clueless, but I'll save that post for tomorrow...

My Prayer for Today

Dear God,

Please be near to me. Please relieve the emotional burdens that I am carrying on my heart as of late.  Please help me to draw from your strength and look to you for guidance and understanding.  Please help me release my emotions and not feel so burdened.  And please help those that my heart hurts for.

I love you and I thank you for never leaving my side. 

Amen

Alive- but busy as all get out!

I'm still here! And the Jelli family is alive and trucking- happy and healthy! Although both girls are currently suffering from terrible colds...

Work's still kicking my butt; but after 6 weeks of being back, I finally feel like I'm gaining back control!

So, until I get a few more minutes to sit here and type... here's some pictures of the girls and their happen ins as of late!

Ali Bananas is as cute as ever. (And the girl loves herself some stickers!) She is so smart and articulate- she makes me laugh every single moment I am with her! We are so lucky to have as sweet a girl as her.. the terrible twos are pretty good, thus far!

And my Sweet Baby Avery is getting so very big!  She is already 5 1/2 months old- crazy!  She is eating rice cereal twice a day like a champ, and is finally sleeping through the night- woot woot!  We love her so very very much.. and her chubby lil self!

... so back to my life as a full-time teacher and mom!  Holy Crap, it's a whirlwind! 

What Teacher's Make

Over.(it). whelmed

I feel like I cannot get my head around my life these days.  Work is draining and overwhelming and I have not been ahead of lesson planning and grading since day 1.  So I work my butt off all day at work, and then I go home and do the same.  There are dishes and laundry and toys and lunches to be made and bottles to be made and and and... it goes on and on.
So I am feeling... tired/stressed/sad/tired/annoyed/helpless.

I just want it all to slow down! I want to feel like, when I leave my job at the end of the day, that  I accomplished something. I don't want to feel tired every time I come to work and see my desk littered with papers and totally unorganized. Being unorganized totally stresses me out.
I want to feel like I have energy when I get home to get simple tasks completed.  I want to feel like I hug and love my girls enough to fill my heart back up. 
I don't want to feel like life is passing me by and the things I enjoyed for my own personal, selfish reasons can be a part of my life again. 
And I want my almost 5 month old to sleep through the night already!
And I want a back rub, cause my upper back totally hurts.

Empty-Head

Holy Crap, I'm busy!  I know I've said this before, and you can be sure I will say it again, but working full time and raising two babies is a helkofalotta work!

I'm dead tired every day, which puzzles me because I'm sure I am getting a sufficient amount of sleep (hell- what does that even mean anymore!?)  So, I'm going to write this post in bullet points cause it's all I've got the energy for anyway!

• I am sooo over getting up at night to feed Avery.  KK was helping me every other night- and by helping I mean creating more headache for me.  Bless his heart, he would faithfully do his night-time bottle feeding every other night... but for some reason, Avery would not fall back to sleep after eating from him, and I would end up having to take over and rock her back to sleep- which completely defeated the purpose of sharing this chore.  So now I am on night duty, every night, by choice. I would rather get up and feed her for 30 minutes vs. have to spend 45 minutes on top of feeding her the bottle to get her settled back into bed.  That clever baby must know her Daddy is NOT a middle of the night person... but don't worry, people. I negotiated him putting both girls to bed in exchange for me getting up in the middle of the night to feed :)
• So my question is: When is Avery going to stop requiring a bottle at night? I am sure by now Ali was snoozing all night long.. and the doc said when she stops sucking down every drop she is ready- but we haven't gotten there yet.
• We have started Avery on rice cereal- and by started I mean that I force-feed the poor child a couple of runny spoonfuls, only to have her gag and spit it all back out. Her tongue movement is getting better- but I am getting the hint she does not enjoy the stuff- so what do I do now? My first child sucked everything down that was put in front of her- so I am at a loss!
• Ali has recently acquired a love of calling everyone by their first name. Case in Point: the other night, on her way to bed, I told her to "give Daddy a mooch"... she turned around and said: "Wuv You, Kris!" ...and Monday, when I walked into her classroom at school to pick her up she looked right at me and said" Oh hi, Kelli. How are you today?"  I mean seriously! The kid is 2 !
• Although my bullet list does contain a good amount of complaining, I really am content in my life. I enjoy my job because I get a chance to see my friends, be an adult, connect with my students, and be on a schedule, which I so need. I also love the time with my children- and working has caused me to prioritize my time with them vs. slaving around the house. 

So, to conclude, I am a happy lady, just a very tired one. I also feel like my brain is floating around above my body, just outta my reach to grab it and instill some sense of reality...Ok... that's all I got. Time to go pour myself another cup of coffee! 

Guest Post! ...Bilingual Learning

Emily Patterson, of Primrose Indiana child care schools, contacted me for a guest posting.  As a former Spanish teacher, and a bi linguist myself,  I truly do believe in the power of bilingual education. 

Early Childhood Education – The Best Time For Bilingual Learning


Of course, nobody knows what the future will hold – but if current trends continue, your child will grow up to enter a workforce in which the competition for decent-paying jobs will be nothing short of cut-throat. Despite the calls for greater co-operation and "interdependence," human nature being what it is, it's a good bet that the economy of the the future will operate according to the Law of the Jungle. It goes without saying that a good education is one of the best ways to prepare that child for survival in that economic jungle of the future.

The Bilingual Future

One of the future trends that has become certain is the existence of a diverse, global society. Nowhere is this more true than in the United States. Almost from the beginning, the U.S. has been a land of immigrants, and while the "melting pot" has been an interesting theory, it has not happened in practice. On the contrary, most major U.S. population centers have become more of an ethnic and linguistic checkerboard; Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese and Chinese speakers represent some of the fastest-growing segments of the immigrant U.S. population.

In addition, with the rise of China, English may very well lose its preeminence as the international language of business; at best, it will have to share that top status with Mandarin in decades to come.

Getting Ready

Traditional wisdom has been to start teaching a second language in middle school, or even high school. Yet numerous research studies clearly demonstrate that the optimal period in a child's life for multilingual education is during the preschool years – at exactly the same time they are learning their first language. Yes, it is possible to learn a second and third language later in life, but it is more difficult, because that neurological "window of opportunity" – when the brain is most malleable – has passed.

According to Dr. Fred Genessee, Professor of Psychology at McGill University in Montreal, it's as easy for young children to learn two or three languages as it is for them to learn one. He's not alone; educators throughout the world (in countries that often have two or even three official languages) have understood this for decades.

The way a child learns a second language is by actually speaking it in a total immersion environment. You may recall an episode of the animated series The Simpsons in which young Bart gets trapped on a farm in France – and by the end of the episode, finds he's actually speaking the language. While this was a fictional scenario, the phenomenon is real; anyone who has taken young children abroad to stay with relatives in a foreign country for any length of time has observed this happening.

Enrollment in a preschool program that offers immersion in other languages is the best way to get your child started. This investment will make him/her much more competitive in the job market later on.



Co-written by Emily Patterson and Kathleen Thomas:
Emily and Kathleen are Communications Coordinators for the network of Zionsville child care facilities belonging to the AdvancED® accredited family of Primrose Indiana child care schools. Primrose Schools are located in 16 states throughout the U.S. and are dedicated to delivering progressive, early childhood, Balanced Learning® curriculum throughout their preschools.

A short story

One day, long, long ago, there lived a beautiful woman who did not whine, nag or bitch.

(That would be me...)

...But that was a long time ago and it was just that one day.

The End

The girls

Oh man, I love them.

I'm all about squeezing a penny!

I wanted to share this nice little tidbit of money-saving advice I found in my email inbox today....
Easy ways to save $$ at the grocery store

She's been bitten!

My poor, sweet Ali Bananas! ANOTHER biter has revealed herself in Ali's classroom at school... and Ali is once again the chosen target! She must taste super delicious :)

Poor gal... I feel so bad that her dad and I think, while tragic, it is pretty funny that another little girl decided to chomp on Ali's forehead. I mean, c'mon! who wants to bite a boney forehead? Why not try for a juicy arm or leg?  And poor Ali wears her hair in the Pebbles' Pony every day because of her funny grow out- so of course we can't cover up that terrible comp mark! Thankfully, the biter did not break the skin, so we are not worried about scaring :)

....and we are happy to report that the bite has not prevented Ali from her favorite past-time.... bottomless cooking!

The first day of School- and 4 month check up

So yesterday was the first day of school, and my first official day back as a teacher with 2 young children at home.  Needless to say, the before-school routine and first day of went over without a hitch.
....and here's where I become an idiot.  So the 1st day was over, and I'm sitting in my friend's classroom, feeling like an awesome teacher because we are going to create this great teaching unit for The Secret Life of Bees.  So we get all that stuff figured out, get our game plan... and I walk out the door at 3:32 to pick up my sweet girlies. And then I suddenly remember that I am a genius and have Avery's 4 month check-up scheduled for today, the 1st day of me officially returning to work, at 3:50. So I panic, drive like a maniac across town to get them, and call the doctor's office. They tell me that I have until 3:59 until they will drop our appointment, and to reschedule would be 3 weeks out. I don't want to wait three weeks to bring these girls to the doctor, especially considering that we go every 2 months anyway... so I call the daycare in a panic, inform them that I am an idiot, and ask to please have the girls ready to go for me to swoop them up.
So my daycare is awesome, and the girls are ready and waiting for me to frantically strap them in the car and try to not drive too fast across the other side of town to the doctor's office.
Needless to say, we made it with 2 minutes to spare... with me telling Ali to hurry! hurry! run ! run! across the parking lot, whilst holding a screaming 4 month old who was woken up from a nap to be slammed into her car seat and is none too happy about it.  Oh yeah, and I was dropping all of our belongings all over the waiting room, whilst sternly telling my 2 year old to get out of the rocker boat and come into to the doctor's office... all the while explaining to the nurse that I look like a crazy parent right now, but I'm not really one! ha! I fooled her!

But anyway, my doctor got a good laugh out of it and I'm happy to say that Avery is happy, healthy, huge, and all vaccinated for another 2 months of her sweet little life.

At 4 months Avery:  weighs 16lbs 2.5 oz (95th percentile) and is 26 inches long (97th percentile). I have no idea where these big babies come from!  But I do love me some healthy children :)

Back to School, Back to School

Tomorrow is my first day back at work since May 5th.  I've got mixed feelings about working again.  Part of me is ready to get back into the schedule; ready to feel like I have a purpose every day; and ready to not feel like all that I do is slave away around the house, just to start the cycle over again each day.  I really like working- I like the people I work with, and I like that teaching high school proves to be a job that gives you something new every day to experience.
But I am very sad about being away from my girls all day.  This summer was a blast- Ali was super fun and we got to experience a ton of fun stuff with her. Plus, I enjoyed how spontaneous we were as a family: never living on a schedule, just coming up with activities and doing whatever we felt like for the day.  Avery is getting to be so much fun and so full of life; I am sad that someone else gets to cuddle and love her for 8 hours a day that isn't me... but we do love our daycare so much and if my girls have to be somewhere away from us, I am thankful we have a loving, fun environment to send them to.
I am also feeling mixed emotions because today, instead of doing something super fun as a family to signify the end of our summer, I am slaving away at my house- trying to get all laundry cleaned, all toilets sparkling, and all floors vacuumed. Oh, and take care of my husband, who has bulging disks in his back; and while I do feel so sorry for him because of the pain he is in, I am secretly willing him to get better ASAP so that I don't have to not only clean up my house, and take care of my children, but also wait on him hand and foot.  I am soo not good at sympathy- I really hope he gets over this soon!
I am going to try to spend the afternoon soaking in my beautiful children... and doing a little relaxing... just a little anxious to see what it's like to work full time and get two kids ready every day- ahhh!

I hate potty training!

Dearest Alison,

Why o Why have you decided you are over potty training? After weeks of doing great and going to the bathroom in the proper receptacle, you have decided that peeing and pooping on the toilet is not for you. You now go either in your pull-up or panties, and sit on the potty with nothing happening.  The ratio of pee in the pants to pee in the toilet is too embarrassing to post.  I just don't get it? Why did you quit going on the toilet? And what do I do now? Do I put you back in diapers? Or keep pushing forward?

I still love ya,  Your (frustrated) Momma

It's Her Birthday!

August 19, 2008...We were so anxious to meet you! And we had no idea what you had in store for us...

We fell in love with our beautiful baby the moment you were born!

Your first year brought so many changes and went by so fast!

AMAZING that you are 2 years old already! 

Happy, Happy Birthday to my Beautiful Alison Elizabeth.  You are wonderful and perfect and bring so much joy to our lives every single day.  You are a gift from God and a little piece of heaven.  You are my heart beating outside of my body. I want to squeeze you and mooch you every moment of every day, because I love you that much.  You are so smart, so funny, and so full of life. You are my reason. You have taught me so much about seeing the world in so many colors. I love pretending with you, playing with you, dancing with you, singing with you, marching with you, and just being around you. You brighten my life more then you will ever, ever know.  I have had the best 2 years of my life raising you... I soak up every day and I look forward to watching you become even more amazing then you already are!  

For your birthday I give you everything- and you deserve it all! 

Sick, Sick, Sick

So I had my 10 year high school reunion on Friday. I was the V.P. of the Senior Class back in 2000, and that means that unfortunately I am party of the "committee" (meaning me and 2 other people who kinda helped) that gets to plan our reunions. Fun times, but not really- I despise party planning. Needless to say, all of the time it took me to find over 150 addresses, create an invitation, stuff envelopes, address envelopes, answer tons of dumb questions, find a place to host our event etc. etc. Was TOTALLY not worth it to have only about 35 people (plus spouses) show up.  Annoyed. That is what I am.
 Not to mention the weekend was totally hectic.  So I have been driving around a 2003 Toyota Camry since 2004. Love the car, just not so happy that all of my two babies' worth of crap hardly fits in it, forget trying to get groceries or visit, say, Target.  So I casually listed the Camry on craigslist last month. No calls, nothing, so I let it go. Then, the day of the reunion, when my husband is gone golfing, someone calls and wants to see it.  I say, sure, it's 1:30 and I don't have to be at the reunion to set up until 5- come on over. And the potential buyer shows up at 4:00. Awesome. And they end up buying the car, so it was worth it, but hectic, being as I not only had to clean out 6 years of not only my crap but all of my children's various crap-things from the car... and I now did not have a car to drive down-so had to call a neighbor and leave my babysitter thinking I was a crazy person running around like my hair was on fire.
That was the first car of the crazy train.  So we do the reunion thing- it sucks, nobody shows up, we had to ask the band to stop playing cause they suck so bad... and the hubs and I (he met me there from a golf tourney) end up getting home around 11:00. Sweet! I'm excited to get a good night's sleep before having to wake up and feed sweet Avery at 4AM.... so I'm laying in bed at around 1:00, and Miss Ali decides she is going to have a bad dream and desperately need to sleep with us, love it. And Avery is fussy so she is now in the bed too, double awesome.  Fast forward to 2:00AM, I still have yet to fall asleep, and my tummy is feeling a little off. I get up to go downstairs for some Pepto... and I end up sprinting to the bathroom to up-chuck. And this continued all.night.long- comin outta both ends, people!  Not to mention, KK has got it too, and we are tandem puking whilst our 2 year old stands in bewilderment as to what is going on.  24 stomach flus can eat it!
We survived the weekend, I woke up feeling better yesterday and totally disinfected my house. Got up this morning excited to take Ali to school for a bit and have some time to myself... and she pukes in the parking lot of daycare. Awesome.  We get home, I get Ali all settled on the couch with some Yo Gabba Gabba, go to feed Avery, and she pukes all over me. Double Awesome. And KK is out taking someone fishing today. Sweet!  Love it!
At least at this point I feel like I've seen it all, and I'm not phased. Plus, I just love the smell of baby puke.

Baby Sign Language

Baby sign language saved us a lot of tears before Ali could speak and articulate to us what she wanted... plus I think it actually helped speed up her language development!  Our neighbor's son, who is 2 and still not talking that great, uses his signs all the time to let us, and his best bud Ali, know what he needs. Thank the lord for Ali's daycare, who got her, and me, started on the signing process. We unfortunately did not start signing with her until she was a year old.. I wish we would have started sooner!
I was recently contacted by Misty Weaver, the Chief Editor at www.babysignlanguage.com and asked if I would like to host a guest post on baby sign language.  Being that I totally dig baby sign language, used it with Ali, and plan to teach it to Avery in the near future, I was totally down!   This article gives a great starting point for starting the process with your own babies!

Tips For Beginning To Start Signing With Your Baby 

Baby signing is a great early activity for mom and baby to do together. Because Mom (or Dad) will need to learn the signs first, it doesn’t matter if your baby is young when you first start signing. What is important is to be consistent, repeat the signs as much as possible, and to practice, practice, practice!

When Should I Start?
The sooner you start signing with your baby the sooner he will begin to sign back. You can start at any time, even from birth. If you have an older baby you can still begin to sign with him at any time. 
What Is The Best Way To Start?
The key for beginners is to pick a few simple signs, such as Mommy, Daddy, and Milk, and then concentrate on repeating these signs over and over. Repetition is important, and so is choosing signs which are interesting to your baby. Food is always a good place to start, as most babies are interested in food! Whenever you use the sign also say the word clearly, with good eye-contact.
When Will My Baby Start Signing Back To Me?
The key is to be patient and don’t expect your baby to start signing immediately. You should encourage all his efforts, even if you don’t recognize the sign your baby is trying to make. Any effort is worth encouraging. Most babies need about two months of exposure and repetition of a sign before they can begin to use it themselves. So, if you start signing with your baby when she is three months old, she will most likely be using one of your favorite signs by the age of five to six months. 
How Do You Increase Their Signing Vocabulary?
When your baby has mastered his first few signs you can to introduce some new ones. It’s a good idea to stick to groups of similar objects when introducing something new, for example food signs or colors. Remember to make it fun and repeat, repeat, repeat. Encourage your baby’s efforts at making the signs. Only introduce a few new signs at a time, and continue with these for around two months.
Do I Need To Go To A  Baby Sign Language Class?
This depends on your preference and where you live. If there is a class nearby, and you enjoy it, then classes can be a great way to learn. Good baby signing classes follow the advice given above – making the classes fun, repeating the signs over and over, and building a foundation of simple signs before moving on to new ones. They will also encourage the efforts of the babies and the moms! If you can’t find a local class don’t worry – there are loads of resources online for you to try at home. Have fun, repeat and encourage – these are the beginner’s steps to success no matter how young your baby. 

This guest post is brought especially to you by your friends at the Baby Sign Language site. Check out our Baby Sign Language Dictionary with a ton of new signs to learn.

I suck at Fat Tuesday!

Well, I pretty much suck at being on a diet... and at exercising.  I have not been doing my Jillian Micheals' DVD, but I have been keeping busy chasing my children and walking with my friend Andrea twice a week (she does spinning with her neighbor the other days of the week...I'm blaming her for my exercising downfalls).  And I guess I don't really sit around my house much- I'm pretty much obsessive compulsive about always being busy, so that's a plus.

Here's my problem: I'm just too tired and/or want to spend my "free time" doing other things!  I really need to motivate myself again to get back on track. But it's really hard, especially when I pretty much devote every moment of my day to picking up after not only my children, but my messy husband as well.  

The good news:  I am eating pretty well, staying off the junk,  and I have this little accountability of Fat Tuesday to thank for it- so THANKS, TAYLOR!  I think I weigh pretty much the same ( I haven't weighed myself since last week) and am happy to say that I can fit into all of my old, not-pregnant clothes again, save one pair of Seven jeans that have always been a little tight.  I know that once I start back teaching I will do better with diet- I find myself eating sometimes during nap time just because I'm not busy doing other things. I just wish I could find the motivation to walk or do my DVD the days I'm not walking with Andrea. I am just so tired!  I need to start taking my vitamins again.

...and now for a little tip on how I suffice my sweet tooth: put Dove Chocolates in the freezer, and only have 1 or 2 after dinner. I suck them down until they are gone ( I never chew), and I really relish them (I get the dark chocolate ones). This really works for me, and I never go back for more!  (seriously I should weigh 100lbs with how good I am at self-perseverance... there's something wrong with this picture!).

Avery Coy is 3 months old!

AMAZING is the word I use to describe my beautiful baby girl !  It is also the word I use to describe how fast 3 months have gone by... and at the same time, I couldn't imagine life without her!

She is so happy and such a snuggly buggly.  She is so content with life, and loves giving (and receiving) kisses! We are so thankful for you, Miss Avery Toots! And soaking up every second of your sweet sweet life!

Bleh

I just feel crappy today- I have been really since KK got home from his trip to California. I feel blah and I also I feel like at any moment I could blow my top.
Here is a bulleted list of why:

• I am constantly cleaning up clutter in this house. Why does NO ONE know how to put away shoes, toys, books, empty pop cans, newspapers, etc???
• My in-laws are so annoying, and so is the way my husband deals with them. I am so sick of my mother-in-law and that fact that things will never change or get better with her infringing on our boundaries as a household AND my father-in-law has decided to visit us the week of Ali's birthday, but has yet to tell us exactly when and my damn husband will not nail him down on the date.
• My husband sucks. Well, not really, but he just is kinda selfish and really thinks it is OK for me to handle all the daily responsibilities with the girls and not try to help out. He never offers to get up and feed Avery, and he acts put out when I ask him to do stupid small things like give someone a bath or rock someone or make someone a snack
• Ali is at daycare today, and KK is gone. He said he would be gone an hour at the most, and we are now going on two. Why lie? I wish I could go lolly-gag around town and do whatever I want, but I constantly have one or more children  that need my constant care and attention. I don't even really care that he isn't here- I'm just mad that he leaves me here with the baby and thinks that it is my life's dream sit at home all day long by myself
• I just cannot seem to get a hold of myself as the person that I used to be. I am so tired and busy all the time and always have a list of things that I want to get done but can never muster up the energy or desire to do them. I wonder when my head will clear up so I can think straight again? I wonder if I will ever feel truly ahead of the game?
• I wish I could tell my husband how I feel and have him understand. I wish he had a little bit of woman juice running in his veins so he could get it for once and not look at me like I am speaking Chinese

Fat Tuesday

I am participating in a little weight loss accountability with one of my online / real-life friends named Taylor. She even has a cool button for it, which I seem to be too stupid to figure out, so you will have to visit her blog to see it for yourself ...but anyways..here is the low down on  how Operation Loose Baby Fat is going:

• I have lost 2 lbs this week!
• I have done my 30 Day Shred DVD 6 out of 7 days
• I am eating well (thanks to my husband's low carb diet)
• I feel pretty darn good about my progress
• My stomach is still saggie and covered in stretch marks (damn it)

But I must admit; diet and exercise is super hard to concentrate on when you have 2 children under the age of 2 at home (as is concentrating on anything in general). The eating part has been pretty easy, mostly because I don't have time to eat  and because KK is back on his low-carb diet and I tend to be a follower when it comes to what we eat around here as I am not the main chef.  I admit, however, to sharing 2 fudgesicles with Ali and eating some of her Pirate's Bootie- which if you don't know what that is - is white cheddar puffies from Costco- her "chippies" so yummy!
And today I am not planning on doing my DVD as Ali was up from midnight to 4 AM wide awake and ready to play (?). So I am choosing to nap instead.
But I will leave you with the super easy and pretty good for you Chicken Teriyaki Lettuce Wraps we had for dinner last night:
1. Slice thin and marinate 2 chicken breasts in Yoshida's for 4 hrs, then grill um and cube um
2. Toast some water chestnuts and cashews in olive oil on the stove
3. Peel off lettuce leaves from a big ole head of lettuce
4. Throw in some snap peas, and eat um up!
(as you can see from that recipe, I am NOT, I repeat NOT a cook)

Operation Get Rid of the baby fat

I am on Day 3 of "loose the baby fat so I can fit into my clothes again challenge"! I am keeping myself accountable by participation in Taylor's Torturous Tuesday (soon to be renamed).
So here are my goals:

1. Use my 30 Day Shred DVD at least 5 days a week (I am going to do 7 days for the first week and then try to incorporate more cardio when my hubs gets back from California)
2. Try to stay away from junk food: i.e. ice cream and crackers and all that jazz. I am not much of a dieter, but I do think it is important to stay away from meaningless calories, so that is my goal.
3.  I weighed myself this morning, and oddly enough I am 3lbs lighter then I was before getting pregnant. My conclusion is that everything has shifted, and my biggest concern is to get rid of the belly flap that is left over from having a ginormous 9lb baby in my stomach
4. I would like to be comfortably wearing my regular clothing by the time we head back to work in September.

So there ya have it. And now an update on the 30 Day Shred:  My legs feel like jelly, and I can hardly walk down the stairs and sit on the toilet.  Which makes me realize how pathetic I am because, even though the dvd is a challenge, it should not have this huge of an effect on me. I am still on level one (there are three levels) and I kinda feel like a wuss. But nevertheless, I am sticking with it and pushing through the pain. Jillian says that on days 5,6,7 you should begin to feel your endurance going up, and I am so looking forward to that point. Cause I'm one sore mother!  And I think I am about to get more sore, because I bought myself some 3 lb weights at Wal Mart yesterday and used those in place of the 1lb soup cans I had used the past 2 days. So tomorrow my shoulders and arms should be burning just as badly as my legs (this is awesome when you are carting around 2 kids!) 

Alrighty, I am off to shower away the slime of sweat that comes from being out of shape... but I will leave you with an exciting highlight of my potty training saga.... Miss Ali pooped on the potty yesterday!!! And she alerted me to the fact that she needed to go! Woot Woot Ali!!!  (this morning, however, she poop-ploded into her pull-up at daycare and had to have a change of clothes)- 1 step forward, 2 steps back...

Jelli's World super exciting updates- not really

Here's a little update on what has been happenin' in Little Jelli's World:

• Potty Training Update:  My stairs smell like urine and Ali is still peeing in the potty- but only when I ask her if she needs to go.  The good news is that, even though she never initiates her bathroom trips, she must be holding it because we have not had many accidents... other than the mysterious urine smell on the stairs...
• besides yesterday.... Ali woke up Saturday night around 2 AM with a high fever and was very restless. I took her to Urgent Care around 10 when her temp got up to 101.9 - turns out she has Tonsillitis... she ran a fever all day yesterday- refused to eat and use the potty. So therefore, she spent the day in a diaper

• Today I am happy to report that today she is feeling much better- no more fever- and is eating again.. oh and is back to using the potty!  We are still trying to encourage pooping in the toilet; which for some reason she does not find necessary to do. She has pooped in her panties 3 times, and outside so many times I can't count. This baffles me.
• KK is out of town for the week: he is in Irvine, CA at Concordia University taking a week-long class for the Master's Degree in Athletic Administration that he is working on.  While I am so proud of him for getting another Master's Degree, the back of my mind worries that we will end up with all this student loan debt (we both are still paying on our previous Master's Degrees in Educational Administration) and there will be no job to compensate.  You see, we live in a relatively small community - and in our immediate area they are only 6 or so high schools- leaving the job pool in a pretty political area of Idaho quite small. KK has lived here his entire life, and has some mixed politics surrounding him because of all his experience in the coaching world. Without going on and on about this random point that I am writing about- I will leave it at : small town politics are ridiculously idiotic and immature. I'm just hoping enough people do like him, since he is a phenomenal coach, awesome teacher and just a great guy, that he would be in the running for a job if said job did open up. I, for one, would not be opposed to moving somewhere for a job, but I think for KK that is out of the question (even though he claims it is not- he's a small town boy at heart).
• Avery Coy is the sweetest baby in the whole world. She is a talker! She loves to smile and coo and hang out- she is pretty content all the time. She's also starting to use those neck muscles a ton to hold her head up- and she tries to pick up her head when I talk to her to get juuust a little closer! She prefers to sleep on her side and her tummy- and will somehow get herself over even if I lay her on her back- so funny! She's only getting up to eat once a night at 3:00 AM- and has been for the past month or so- which is awesome for me cause I gotta have my sleep! I just love her so very much and I think I squeeze her too much cause I can't get enough of my sweet Baby #2!

• I just completed the 1st day of Jillian Micheals' 30 Day Shred DVD and I am proud to say that, even though I am a lard and totally out of shape, I did not die or give up or even cheat. I am going to try super duper hard to keep it up for the full 30 days- I need to get the baby fat belly flab gone before my 10 yr reunion in 3 weeks! Plus, I don't want the red pant line on my tummy anymore from my shorts being too dang tight !  ...But this DVD is a great workout- and it only takes 20 minutes to do, which is totally realistic for me and makes it that much easier to stick to.  I admit, I wanted to punch Jillian in the face throughout the workout, cause she just bugs me anyway, but I am really excited and ready to get into a workout routine that works for a busy momma's life.  Hopefully this will encourage me to eat a little better...cause I do love my food!

So yeah and stuff... we're keeping pretty busy here and enjoying the 90 plus degree weather. Gonna head to my Mom and Dad's house to swim (they live on a river) once Ali Bananas wakes from her slumber!

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Poop on the Ground

 Day 2 of Potty Training ended better then it started.  By the time nap time rolled around, we had not made it to the toilet once to tinkle- had slipped twice (Ali, not me) in our own pee puddle and had pooped on the driveway and front porch, smeared it all over our cute pink sandals, and had to be hosed off by a mean mommie who didn't care if the water was cold or not.
I was about ready to quit at that point, but I buckled down, hosed off my almost-2-year-old, put her in a pull-up and sent her to nap time.  The afternoon was muuuuuch better, with NO accidents and only 1 poop in the backyard before bed time.  I think she is catching on as far as peeing in the potty goes- poop is a whole other issue.  I find it so sad that I don't really care as long as she poops outside. I just want to get pee down at this point- small steps people.

So far today- she has had no accidents! We went to the park to play and she wore a pull-up. She did pee while at the park, both in the potty and the pull-up... so I'm not sure if she is really getting it as this point but I feel like I am committed enough to continue the routine at home (i.e. naked bootie and potty every 15 minutes)and use pull-ups when we are away from the safety of home. I figure that I am home on summer vacation- so why not? If she pees in the pull-up, I'm not going to be a quitter.  She is young, and I really do think she will catch on eventually... and I really hope she catches on! I'm too stubborn to stop now!