Not again!

Maggots all over the kitchen floor!  I swear I clean the house.  It can always be cleaner, but seriously!  Where do these buggers keep coming from?!?

It all started when I realized it was trash night.  I rounded up all the trash from the trash cans in the house and put it in the garage.  Next I pulled out the kitchen trash, Lindsay was trying to help me.  I noticed a strong, foul odor.  Then I saw the movement... lots of movement!  I had the bag tied up, but it must have been to late.  There were maggots in the trash can, on the outside of the bag and now on the floor.  I had to send Lindsay out of the kitchen.

I got the vacuum and chased down one runaway.  I moved the rug on the floor and found lots of his little friends!  Gross!!  All the sudden I was in a horror flick, everywhere I looked there were maggots crawling. My skin is still crawling as I type!  I couldn't move fast enough with the vacuum.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I got all of them.  It was dicey for a bit, but I somehow got control back.  Let's hope I keep it tomorrow... those nasty beasts are going down!

Sorry, no pictures, big disappoint I'm sure.

Black eye?

Lindsay was playing around and being silly while watching her show.  I missed exactly what happened, but she ended up in a heap on the floor crying!  She fake cries sometimes, but not this time.  It was one of those cries where she stopped breathing.  I scooped her up and gave her a big hug.  When she was calmed down I asked her where it hurt, she pointed to her knee.  I thought she hit her face, so this was a surprise but I kissed it better anyway.  As I was wiping off her tears I noticed her right check turning purple!  Lovely.  Bring on some top sirloin!

Look at me please...

Mouthful of candy

Being silly with chocolate

It hurts!

I hope it doesn't get worse tomorrow.  Maybe the 10 minutes she kept ice on it will help.

The best

Busy day!  More like tiring day.  We had an errand to run, so I packed a few more in.  I am beginning to think this is more torturous than good.

Courtney is great!  She just hangs out and lets me know she is hungry.  I hope she stays this easy.  Lindsay has turned into a monster.  She doesn't want to listen.  She seems to have forgotten all of her manners lately.  She pokes Courtney any chance she can; in the car, while she is rolling around on the floor, and even when she is trying to sleep.  Poor Courtney can only scream in retaliation... or so I thought.

This morning Lindsay was being nice and talking to Courtney.  She was making her laugh, it was so cute!  (I really need to get out the video camera for these tender moments, I'm figuring I will need to compile a movie for the girls when they are older and not getting along as well.)  Courtney is getting smarter than Lindsay!  She grabbed Lindsay's bow and wouldn't let go.  Lindsay just screamed for my help, "Courtney has my bow!!  Mommy, Courtney has my bow!  Courtney let go!  MOMMY!!"

I thought this was hysterical and didn't rush into help.  Lindsay finally pulled free and came to me slightly frazzled, hair askew and bow in hand.  "Mommy, Courtney pulled the bow out of my head!"  (Imagine sour puss face and sad/ stern voice.)  I fixed it and told her to keep her head away from Courtney's hands.  Someone choose not to listen and I started hearing screaming again a short time later.  Lindsay better watch out because Courtney is way smarter than her already!!  Luckily she seemed to have learned her lesson and kept her head away from death grip after that.

Lindsay isn't fond of many foods.  She does eat what is made for a meal or what she can get me to share with her, but when Justin is gone I'm horrible at making meals.  Lindsay's gets to choose between her favorite meals: oatmeal with sugar or beans (black or refried) with cheese and sour cream.  This evening it was oatmeal.  Its really like, "SUGAR!!"  I take that as, "Yes mom, I would like oatmeal."

Lindsay has been such a pill today that I just wanted her to eat and go to bed.  As I was unloading the dishwasher and watching her eat, she tells me, "This is really good mom."  I responded, "Why thank you Lindsay!"  She followed up with, "This oatmeal is amazing mommy."  If she continues on with these compliments my head might get really big!  I will keep her in the dark about the difficulty of this fabulous meal and the recipe will remain top secret, I don't want to lose my top position!

It was a nice way to finish the day.  I was not so thrilled with her before dinner.  But after receiving the best oatmeal in town compliment, I think we can start fresh again!  I love that girl!

Hot park

We had a play date at the park today.  It was not the best day to go, too bad I didn't realize that earlier!  Yesterday and today have been roasting hot... sizzling!  The girls and I are ready for a luau and we are the main course.  I hope the news is correct when they said it will be about 20 degrees cooler tomorrow, we need it.

Our lunches were packed, diaper bag, drinks, balls and the stroller.  Last but not least, the camera.  I didn't want to lug around the big camera, thinking the other one would be fine, but I should have.  The big camera takes much clearer shots.  The benefit to the little one is that I get to be included in some of the photos!  I love taking self portraits.  I even got to practice taking pictures of all three of us.  The girls aren't pros yet, they have some skills they need to work on, but one day we will get a good shot of all of us!

No cooperation!

Finished with her close-ups!

Lindsay loves the swings again, so I had to endure the sun and push her.  I couldn't believe how much I sweat from doing that, way more than when I work out.  Totally not cool.  Courtney wasn't digging hanging out in the stroller so she got the experience her first ride in a swing!  I think Lindsay was more excited about this than Courtney was.  That enthusiasm wasn't caught on film though.

Checking out her
surroundings

New relaxation technique

The park visit only lasted about an hour before we bailed.  I really felt like I was cooking, Lindsay was red and Courtney was uncomfortable.  I was amazed at how cool the inside of the house felt at 80 degrees!  Even after the sun went down it was still hot, the temperature didn't get down to the 70's until midnight.  I don't leave the windows open at night so I did turn on the a/c, I couldn't survive in that type of heat all night too.

I've been putting off trying my breast pump.  It broke a couple of months ago and I took it to a relative to see if he could fix it.  He did a good job, but I was nervous that the glue he used wouldn't stay glued.  It was broken either way, but I didn't want to buy a new pump if I didn't have too.  After a few adjustments, I had put the cords on backwards, it was working great!  I didn't want to jinx it, so I was all uptight for the first few minutes.  It kept working great and then after 15 minutes it broke.

Thanks for trying Steve!!  I know you could have fixed it if the motor was designed better.  I appreciate all your time and patience.  I'm looking forward to the new great pump that you and Bradley are working on.  Just please make it quieter than a lawn mower :)  With all the fertile family around there will be plenty of test subjects... I will be your first volunteer!

I've been looking online for a replacement pump and couldn't find any Whittlestones on ebay today, guess I'll keep searching.

Trying to push out of the stroller

I did get one with Courtney's eyes open

Too hot!

HOT!!

In the shade

A little smile, it was fun!

Helper

Thanks to the root canal I was prescribed antibiotics and was rewarded with a yeast infection.  Here's to good health!  I didn't want to physically have to go in and see my doctor, we have seen enough of each other already this year.  After a quick call to the office and some assistance from Kathy, he called in a prescription without seeing me.  My itchy crotch thanks him!

In case I did have to go in to see the doctor I didn't want to drag along two little ones with me, so Grandma came over to help me today.   She brought a whole slew of books for Eric!  I'm sure he will be thrilled (reading is not his favorite).  Lindsay on the otherhand, was really thrilled with the books.  She loves books!!  She set up a shop in the bedroom and previewed all the books for Eric.  I'm sure she will try to claim them as her own when he returns, and he will probably be more than happy to let her have them.  What good siblings, they know how to share.  (def of sharing: when I don't want something anymore I will happily pass it  on to another... still working on this!!)

If I didn't know any better I would think she was actually reading!

Dirty nose from looking out the screen.

Lindsay can be quite the entertainer, she put on a concert for Grandma.  She learned how to turn on the keyboard and many of its features.  She even showed Eric and I some tricks!  The key to working equipment from foreign countries: don't read any directions, punch keys at random and remember what you did.  Lindsay is way to smart for her own good!  She had the piano playing a song and she turned around and beat the drums to the music.  Good show I say, loud though!

While Grandma kept Lindsay occupied, I was able to get some of the house clean without having to worry about what mess Lindsay was making for me.  Grandma isn't fond of TV, so when Lindsay was finished with the books and music they went for a walk.  From the look of Lindsay's outfit you would think it had been showering rain all afternoon.  It was actually 106 and super hot!  I don't know how she didn't melt into her boots while walking around the block.  She happily showed Grandma the little triangles, rectangles and circles in all the driveways.  They were even able to find a few fresh dried up worms!  I don't know why Lindsay has a fascination with these.

starting to walk

Checking on mom

wanting her juice

Finally ready!

Besides the roasting weather it was a good afternoon.  Steaming the kitchen floor was absolute torture, but completely necessary.  I am super sweaty, but my feet don't stick to the floor!  Thanks for your help Grandma!

Water rings

My mom was here in April for Courtney's birth.  I don't think I thanked her enough for all of her hard work.  She jumped right in and was very helpful around the house where ever she was needed.

She was great about getting the dishes washed, which is not an easy feat when Justin cooks!  He likes to use all the pots and pans... sometimes twice in the same evening!  Don't get me wrong, his meals are great, but I sure did enjoy them more since I didn't have dish duty!  Towards the end of her visit I had to help her with the dishes or she wouldn't have ever moved away from the sink, it was an all day affair.  The only benefit was that she could watch TV while washing dishes and as long as Lindsay wasn't watching a show, she got to choose what she wanted to watch!  (Lindsay has since learned that we take turns watching shows.)

Lindsay was friends with my mom the night she came to town, but things quickly turned south the next day.  My mom thinks its because she came home from the hospital (the following evening) with Justin and I was no where to be found.  I don't know if Lindsay put those two things together, but she sure was a lot more leery of my mother after that.  It took a few days, and some computer time, for Lindsay to be friends with her again.  Its amazing that the power of the internet and building bonds with grandchildren go hand in hand!

My mom wasn't fond of all the cartoon movies Lindsay watched, especially when some of them were repeated the same day :)  Lindsay doesn't get to watch TV all day everyday now, but when a new baby came home I was totally ok with putting her in front of the TV.  Anything that could keep her occupied for more than a few minutes and away from the baby was a plus!  Courtney has since learned to pull hair (or grab on tightly to whatever is in reach), so Lindsay hasn't been getting as close to her recently.

The toughest job my mom had was getting rid of the hard water rings in our toilets... I know Justin really appreciated that!  She told me to get a pumice stone and she could rub them right out.  I was concerned that there would a rough ring around the toilet where she had scrubbed, so I wasn't to sure about this idea.  I was mostly concerned that if the toilet was ruined in the "cleaning" process Justin wouldn't let my  mom come over again!  Luckily it all worked out well.  The toilets looked fantastic!  Justin even put his hand in the toilet to make sure there wasn't any damage done.

So the whole reason I started writing this post was because I was scrubbing hard water out of the toilet today and it was hard!!  I don't recall it taking my mom so long to do and she had more build up to scrub off than I did.  I tell you, that woman is amazing!  She cleaned my toilet in record time, got rid of the horrid hard water ring and made Justin smile.  Thank you mom!  I don't think there are enough thank you's for all of the things you did the week you were here, but this is a good starting off point!

Thank you, thank you, thank you and I love you!!

More Fiber Please

We are always trying to make sure we get a well rounded diet.  I'm sure I get plenty of "extras" like butter,  sugar and all the good stuff I'm supposed to limit.  So to hopefully balance that Justin and I have been juicing.

A big favorite is carrot juice.  I always throw in an apple and whatever else in the fridge looks like it needs to be eaten.  I read recently that carrots are not the best veggies for your eyes, spinach is... Popeye shouldn't have been squinting all these years!  I got a big bag of spinach while we were at Costco the other day.  I figured we could juice some, have a salad, etc.  Vegetables aren't my favorite, or maybe it's really cooking and chewing that aren't my favorite.  I do like vegetables.

Anyway, I thought this would be a good way to get the benefits of spinach without actually having to eat spinach.  I was told by my aunt that I was getting some of the good stuff and the rest was left in the pulp, namely fiber.  Honestly, I was happy to get any benefit and not have to physically eat all that spinach.  I put lots of spinach in the juice, way more than I would normally eat... who needs fiber anyway?!

This conversation brought on a whole new dilemma for me.  I started to look up online what I could do with juicer pulp.  There were all kinds of ideas!  I could add it to soups, stuffing, dry it and use it as a salad topper, put it in the garden or freeze it for use later.  These were all good ideas, but it isn't really warm enough for soups yet and I didn't want to get a stock pile going in the freezer.  Then I found some recipes for muffins, cookies and cakes!  This was way more up my alley!  I know using the pulp is supposed to be promoting health and all, but I am adding fiber so it should still count.  It is way better for me to eat healthier baked goods with added fiber than regular ones without.  And I'm going to eat baked goods one way or another!

Muffins were the chosen winners this round.  Most of the recipes called for carrot pulp, I figured the spinach would just add more nutrients.  If they were really bad I didn't have to eat them and could chalk it up to a "don't do that again" lesson.  The batter looked really good until I added the pulp.  The spinach made it green and funky looking.  After they were cooked I was definitely leery, it smelled like hot spinach and looked even worse!  Totally not appealing.

Lindsay was excited to try the muffins.  I figured she would make a great guinea pig :)  She is pretty good about saying if she likes something or not.  She tasted one and smiled at me, this made me feel like I could try them safely.  They were actually pretty good!  Granted I waited for them to cool off so I didn't have such a strong spinach aroma.  Next time I will separate my pulp, no more baked spinach goods.  The spinach will be saved for soups and spaghetti sauce where it will blend in better!

Sick day

At the counter doing work

Eric has been sick the past few days.  He woke up on Sunday morning with a fever and hasn't been able to get rid of it.  He seems to do really well then it spikes again, you can almost watch it happen.  Eric is fine, then he looks tired, pretty soon he can't pick himself up off the couch/ chair/ floor.  I'm so glad for medicine that helps him feel better!

Since Eric missed school on Monday and today, I have been picking up his assignments.  He hasn't been real thrilled about this.  He was trying to talk me into letting him go to school this morning even though the thermometer said 101.  He feels like he is punished for staying home from school because he has to do extra homework!  I tried telling him he was doing an entire day of schoolwork in a few hours, this didn't seem to help.  According to him, he was being punished.  Maybe one day he will realize it wasn't all torture... or not :)

Courtney will tell you another story about torture.  She feels she is tortured when she is put on the floor, I think she is doing really well holding her head up!  I think interpretation is key here.

Oh yes!

The party hat made it to church.  I tried to hide it a few times before we left but Lindsay kept finding it.  It wasn't worth a battle!  She ended up taking it off not long after we got into church.  What can I say, she takes after her dad... stubborn!

1st party!

Lindsay is growing up way too fast!  Today she went to her first birthday party, it was for a little boy in nursery.   Before we left the house I had to have a chat with her about the present.  I wanted to make sure she understood it wasn't her present and she didn't get to open it.   This was a whole new experience for her, so I was hoping she would go with the flow and join in on all the fun.

Lindsay hold the present.

Say CHEESE!!

We arrived late.  (Let's face it I'm not the most on time person, but I'm working on it.)  The kids had just broke open the pinata!  Not the best way for Lindsay to join in, she likes to hang out first and get comfortable.  I didn't give her the chance, we jumped in and got some candy!  She recognized a couple of the kids from church and warmed up a bit.  Since it was a cowboy party (think Toy Story), they had to round up their animals!  There were little plastic animals scattered all over the lawn.  I didn't think Lindsay would go for this, but she really liked the animals and got quite a few for her farm (collection).

While the hot dogs were cooking Lindsay got to play catch up on the activity she missed.  She got to color and put cool barn and animal stickers on her paper.  She was also given a red cowgirl hat that she loved and wouldn't take off!  Some of the other girls colored with her, they had a good time.  I was so glad to see that Lindsay kind of welcomed the friendship.  She doesn't always appreciate when others try to play with her... something we are working on.

The playhouse is under the tree

View over the back fence

The house we were at was awesome!  Let me clarify, the yard was awesome, I didn't go in the house. We have a cute backyard, but it isn't big enough to play in.  This yard had a dog run, play house, jungle gym, garden and plenty of extra space.  Not to mention a fantastic view, it backed up to a field with vineyards.  We totally need a yard like this!  I was texting Justin pictures the whole time.  Lindsay's favorite part were the real animals that came up to the back fence.  There was a cow and two donkeys. We were told there are other animals come by regularly, but we were happy with these visitors today.

We ended the day with some cupcakes and a capri-sun.  Lindsay was having so much fun I couldn't get her to leave.  I already had a baby in my hands, so another mom helped me to the car.  If it wasn't for her I would still be there :) Thank you!!

The whole party group

Lindsay with cow in background

I think I might be brave enough to have a kid party for Lindsay's 3rd birthday, just not in my tiny backyard.