divaquest

Chaotic

You know your life is busy when you get to work, reach up to touch your ears (for some reason, maybe the chaotic Gods telling you that you've made a boo-boo) and realize that you are wearing 2 different earrings... and your boss laughs at you and says "I bet you have another pair just like 'em at home."

In other news, I've talked my mother into starting a business and moving to Austin, so life is about to get CR-azy.  Oh, neither of us will leave our current jobs for awhile but there is still much to do, lots of planning, name picking, market research, brainstorming, business plan writing, tax learning... I am a little over-whelmed.

Bisous

Bisous, I lost your email address, will you email me at work?  Do you still have that email?

If not, can you email me bjd4162@yahoo.com - your email address, I want to pick your brain about something.

Come to Jesus, Again

I don't know if you've been reading my blog long enough to remember the come to Jesus lady that tried to sell me organic cleaning product that you can drink... here's the original post, which I think is an amusing read.

Well....

Yesterday evening I am getting the baby out of the car, getting Savanna out of the car, walking them into the garage when a young man approaches me with cleaning product.  He immediately goes into his spill and begins cleaning the rust off the concrete.  I am actually impressed, just as I was when the lady got the deer blood out of whatever it was... He cleans my car window and demonstrates that it is now streak-resistant.  He cleans my wheel-well demonstrating that it is now break-dust resistant.  All the while, Savanna whines if I walk any closer to the guy, but if I stay in the garage - she's OK.  She doesn't like this dude at all, but he keeps talking and I'm not mean enough to say "look, IDIOT, do you SEE THESE KIDS????  Am I not BUSY ENOUGH?"

I say "OK, how much?"  $99.00 for the kit - well, I'm not paying that for cleaning product even though it will last 2 years.  "How much am I willing to pay?"  My answer is $20.  OK, he'll mix me a bottle for $20 - I can do that because he is a good sales-dude even though I know he's lying about 90% of what is coming out of his mouth.  But, wait "do I have a bottle?"  Are you kidding me, I have to find my own bottle because he's obviously going to pocket the money since he's doing a work-around... No bottle, and I am not willing to dump out my windex so that he can use that bottle - couldn't there be some type of chemical reaction or something I ask him??? But you know, he says "nah."  I sent him on his way despite the proceeds going to the victims of the Virginia Tech shootings. (cough, cough).

He was good, but not as good as the Come to Jesus woman a few years ago.  Selling the product as a "miracle" does better, but not good enough to sell me I guess.  I know, say it out-loud "you bitch!"  I know that's what he was thinking!

Toddler Shopping Lessons

My husband repeatedly says "I'm never taking her out again" in regards to Savanna, yet he does - and it is a repeat.  He lets her roam freely, she will not mind because she's excited about all the stuff there is to get into, he gets mad, she gets mad - they both cry, I am miserable.

So, here are my tricks.  I had a successful 5 hours of shopping "with" an 18 month old yesterday.  You think losing weight is an accomplishment?  No.  Shopping 5 hours with a toddler is an accomplishment.

1)  A big, comfy stroller that lays back is a must - when she gets tired, she can lay back.  The umbrella kind doesn't work well for naps. And unfortunately when they get big, you don't get the easy in/easy out car-seat that fits into the stroller option, which was great for sleeping babies.

2) Do "NOT" let her out for a taste of freedom and expect her to get back in. This will be a "total" disaster.

3) Strap her in. Since she is bigger, I've been foregoing the strapping in - but I see the straps as more of a straight-jacket-keep-your-ass-in-place- instead-of-trying-to-weasel-out thing instead of a safety feature. Well, it's a safety feature for mom's sanity.

4) Either bring a set of toys to alternate, or find things in the store to hand her so that she can fumble with them.  Food works great, unless you are worried about a trail of food leading right up to your stroller.  This isn't a concern in grocery stores though.

5) Use the special 900 lb. toddler shopping carts, not only are they a great workout - seriously, toddlers seem to like them better.  I pushed this GIGANTIC bus-like cart that is made for 2 kids around Target yesterday and although there were some crash incidents because that fucker doesn't take right turns well and I felt like I needed a "beep, beep, beep" sound whenever I "backed up" - it worked very well for Savanna.  Whenever you run into something just chuckle and say "oh, sorry, this thing is like pushing a bus".  Most people will find it amusing unless you run into some snob with a little bitty baby in a little bitty baby car-seat who hasn't been down the toddler shopping road trip yet.

6) In a grocery store, let her pick out an apple.  She'll eat it the entire trip.

7) Find a musical Santa and let her push the buttons.  Alternating that with the apple will get you a good 2 hours of hassle-free shopping - well, minus the annoying repeated sound of hip-hop Santa.

Ok, that's all I got.

Men!

An email conversation (in jest) with my hubby:

Me: Sheri was bragging on how much you help and how good you are with the girls.  Next time you'll have to show her your bad side.

Him: Don't think you realize it because you are so used to it. I can show you what most Dad's do at this age if you would like!!

Me: I do realize it, I wouldn't have married a slack-ass person because I am not a slave and I married an adult. Most men must not realize they are adults and/or parents.

Him: No, that is not it. Most men can't relate to children at a young age, expect dinner on the table when they get home, don't help take care of the house, etc.

Me: What would they do if they lived alone? Starve or live in piles of shit?  So... you are agreeing that most men are idiots?

Him:  Hmmmm!

Fitness, soon

I am joining a gym Nov. 26th.  Why not now?  Because I know that this week and next I will be too busy to go and then I'll hear shit from hubby because I've been known to not necessarily utilize the gym the way I should - but you know, that was during pregnancy and stuff.  I know, procastination - sorta.  That or a goal? 

It all starts Nov. 26th - the eating plan, the working out.  I'm going for a simple goal of getting to the gym 4x a week.  Twice at lunch, and then on Saturday and Sunday while hubby keeps (gasp) BOTH GIRLS ALONE.  He did it yesterday and was so smitten with himself, he said "it was a piece of cake, I did loads of laundry, marinated dinner, folded and put up clothes - why can't you get anything done?"  Me:  "Well... because I HOLD the baby constantly because I love her more than you do!" But Savanna also took like a 3 or 4 hour nap which is unheard of!  Other than that, she wants to run her fingers through my hair all day long.  She'll reach her arm out from across the room and fiddle her fingers as if to say "hair, hair, mommy - I want - I NEED your hair!"  It's sweet.  I digress...

I've got 6 lbs before I'm at pre-preggars weight, and then maybe need to lose 8 to 10 more.  I'm not so much concerned about weight as I am getting de-flabbed.  Ugh.  I am now 36, I wonder how the de-flabbing of Divaquest will go.  Typically I gain muscle quickly...  I was a little powerhouse in college.  Doesn't everyone say that?  "Oh, in college, I was a hardbody.  I was hot" and then we think that we can be that way again even though our bodies don't handle fat metobolism in the same way as we age - it is a HUGE BATTLE to fight flab.  Well, I still feel young!  And I'm the crazy mom who goes to pick up her toddler and starts dancing as I enter the room, so see - that's young, right?

Double, Double Ear Infections

Guess.  Can you guess what I am about to write????

Well...

Amber got VERY cranky last Thursday night.  This is a kid who is RARELY cranky.  My aunt thought she had bad gas, because we've had a few nights of cranky gas but when I held her I 100% recognized that head twist - that was the head twist symbolic of an ear infection.  I knew immediately.  Next day I took her to the dr and I told him that she has an ear infection.  Also, I have told him 3 times that I thought she had reflux - not the kind where they barf everywhere, the kind where they swallow it back down and gurgle.  So... he looks in her ears and says "oh... you are good.  When mom's diagnose their kids to me I usually think 'um, ok', but you were dead on - DOUBLE ear infection".  Then he goes into "I think she has reflux" and I'm all like "you think fucking so?  I've mentioned that 4 times."  In his defense, I didn't "press" the reflux issue and I was going to mention it at her 2 month appointment and ask for medication at that time.  I've been down this road before, I consider myself a non-doctor expert and next time I am trusting my instincts.

Now for Savanna - she got REALLY fussy yesterday and her fever spiked suddenly.  I saw drainage out her right ear the night before and told hubby "I think she has an ear infection", she has also been tossing around in bed - we took her to the weekend clinic, and guess what?  Ear infection.  It is her first one in 4 months since her adenoids were out, and we are going into the 'sick' season so who knows how this will go... God.  Will Amber be a repeat of Savanna?  So far = yes.  Ear infections and reflux, but at least this time, I've been there and know what to expect and what to look for.

But we have great kids, they are both very good at handling pain.  Poor babies.  So we have antibiotics coming out our asses, literally, at home - and we've got to remember to keep them straight between the kids.

Listen mom's... if your kid isn't sleeping well, has a cough and a runny nose, especially if they are tossing their heads from side to side and you feel like something could possibly be wrong - take them in.  To me the classic sign of an ear infection is the tossing of the head, it is a very distinct side to side motion like they are trying to jerk their ears off their head.

I need to get Amber's damn announcement out, but one of them is always sick and I want a photo of both of them.  Maybe we'll just do a Christmas card...

I'm at work full-time and teary eyed.  Daddy is home with the babies, and my aunt is here for 2 more days.  Amber was coo'ing up a storm and Savanna was dancing to her videos.  I miss them.  Waaaa!!!

Bleck

Sooo.... yesterday kinda sucked because I took Amber to daycare for a few hours since I go back to work next week.  I cried on & off while she was there and checked up on her once, she does fine, I'm the mess.  I managed to really "clean" downstairs and today I'll work on upstairs - that's what mommies do in their free time - clean shit up.  I am making a spa date next week though!  Since pregnancy I've developed splotchy skin and I want that gone, can't decide if I should do a peel or microdermabrasion at this spa or just go to the dermatologist.  I'm thinking I can live with the splotchiness a little while longer, but I cannot live without a really long, really good massage from head to toe and a pedicure, so that's probably where my gift card money is going.

Savanna has "The Croup", I don't know if you call it just "croup" but I call it "The Croup" because she coughs her little ass off and it makes me sad.  They just give steriods for mild cases... I think every kid in daycare is passing it around, and not many of them have gone to the dr., which TOTALLY pisses me off.  There are good and bad things about daycare.  Some days I want to be a stay at home mom, other days I don't - but one thing is for sure, Savanna is advanced and is learning lots and lots of stuff that I don't think she'd learn at home.  Watching other kids teaches your kids mucho - again, good & bad though!

Here is my little clown, this last minute costume purchase at a Halloween Superstore proved worthy when the pickings were slim because mommy didn't give much thought to Halloween this year.  Every one would stop and point her out, one woman asked "WHERE did you get that costume?"

And here is the baby... growing fast.