Getting Bella ready for school

Two days ago my daughter Bella and I had our first conference with her Kindergarten teacher. Kind of a soft meeting of the teacher and exploring the class room.  It was a great idea and also the first time I had ever heard of this.

That morning we got up and I scheduled all of the morning routine so we would be on time, clean, hair prefect, and ready to rock n roll.  I have always known this but for the first time I’m actually admitting that I’m not “That Mom” but I am “This Mom” the mom that is constantly in your child’s face fixing her hair cleaning her face off and worried about her getting dirty. Well because I am literally so anal about my daughters hair, please remember I was a hairdresser before a stay at home mom,  I spent half of the morning pleading with her to just sit down and not mess her hair up, my child could care less about this.  She is always hiding under a blanket or climbing under something, playing in the dirt coming out looking like a rag a muffin.  I refuse to leave the house with her looking like this. So the battle begins.  We did manage to make it out of the house clean and with semi perfect hair and believe it or not on time. Our meet and greet went great and I found out Bella would be starting school this week.

I come home with a ton of paper work to go over. I’m reading the student hand book with all of the rules and regulations. It’s at this moment I start to panic. Literally in front of me my daughter is climbing on our gazebo jumping off outside chairs and NOT listening to her dad and me telling her to get down and stop. I then ask her as she’s fluttering all over what are you going to do when your teacher asks you to stop doing what you’re doing? So matter of factly she looks at me and says, "Well I’m just going to do what I want to do." I had just read over the discipline actions that the school takes and now I’m really sweating. My husband and I just look at each other and silently ask, “Really?” From here on out we’re giving her the rules, what you can and can do. And then the scare tactics come out how if you’re not going to listen to your teacher you’re going to have to go to the principal and then mom and dad are going to get a phone call.  She looks at us like she could care less, then my husband proceeds with, if you still can’t listen then you won’t be able to go back.  Probably not the best way to handle this situation but hey we’re new at this and it’s our first born going to school, we’re at least trying.

So now we’ve given her the rules and I look at Bella and ask so what are we going to do at school? She says I don’t know. I pipe right back loud as can be we’re going to LISTEN! So what are we going to do?  LISTEN! And this became the song of the night.

Thursday afternoon was her first day and I’m not going to lie I cried but on our way to school I pulled out, “What are we going to do at school today?” So proudly she sings right back at me, “We’re going to listen!” That right there made my day, whether she did or not well that’s still to be determined. You’ll find out on tomorrow blog post.

2nd grade and it's already an issue

Oh how I wish I had a kid that loved to go to school. The fight with him every day about getting dressed and eating breakfast just so he can make it to school on time is one battle. But the battle of him not wanting to go to school has left me in tears many mornings screaming, yelling and threatening to take his favorite things away. I swear one day he will learn to like to go to school. I tell him it’s his job to go to school and learn but he doesn't like that. I don’t know what to do to make him like school or want to go to school but I can tell ya one thing "He is going to school, come hell or high water he will have his ass there!"

Top ten excuses Landon uses to say he can’t go to school.

10. His legs hurt

9. His knees hurt

8. His back hurt

7. He has a fever

6. His neck hurts

5. His bum bum hurts (from falling skating)

4. Its boring and school is like a half hour long (really a half hour more like 7 hours LOL)

3. His arm hurts

2. He can’t get up.

And the excuse I hear almost every day is…..

1. I have a belly ache and no mom I don’t need to poop.

Do you have a child like this or is my child the only one? I know we all pulled this but I just think it's a little too soon for my 2nd grader.

Our New Addition

Over the weekend my husband and I made a very impromptu decision and we are now the proud owners of a wee little Chihuahua. She’s tiny and sweet and exactly what I wanted.  However two days into being a family with a puppy I’m now asking myself what the hell did we do? I want the puppy don’t get me wrong, it’s just the adjustment process.  I feel like I have a new born all over again without an instruction manual. Thank goodness we have the internet and Google. Seriously I had to Google how to tell a boy from a girl!

My kids are as happy as a pig in shit and want to carry the little thing all over the place. This is freaking me out. I’m on triple duty now. Where’s my son? What’s Bella doing? And oh yea the dog, we have a dog. At any given moment I will find my son trying his hardest to play with the dog only to see that he is choking her or carrying her upside down.  It’s been a very long time since I had a dog let alone a puppy this small and I think it’s only natural that I want to protect her. But I also have to let the kids and the puppy come to terms with each other, what they can do and what they can’t do.  Where the boundaries are and what having a puppy means. Shit I need to come to terms with all of this myself.

The first time my husband looked at me and said it’s your dog you clean it, I was like oh hell no he didn’t just say that.  I bucked up and cleaned what needed to be done, because fact of the matter is that it’s my dog. I asked for it. I have to remind myself and keep reminding the kids that this is a puppy not a baby we don’t need to carry her like a baby or treat her like one. I’ve had a hard enough time raising my two kids so the last thing I need to do is convince my little puppy that she is human.

So this post was a little different than our normal posts but I felt the need to introduce you to the new addition of our family.  I’m sure you’ll be hearing more about her the near future. You already know I have a hard enough time taking a shower with my two kids, now add a puppy to that.  Oh yea I’m sure you’ll be hearing lots more about her.

She still doens't have a name. We're in the process of naming her. She was a Pedro but that was short lived after it was brought to my attention he was a she. For now though, I'm calling her

ChickieBoomBoom

No, that's not a hotdog!

 I walk into the bathroom to check on my son who is in his first few weeks of potty training. He sees me coming and says in his 2yr old little voice, “You go in you room momma!” I see he needs some privacy and let him be.

A minute or so passes by and I hear from the other side of the door, “Momma there’s a hotdog in da toilet!” I said, “What?” and step in to assist. He looks me straight in the eyes and says again “there a hotdog in there, why there a hotdog in da toilet, mom?”

Now here’s the thing apparently, he hasn’t really noticed what exactly is happening in the bathroom when he goes and he’s not exactly noticed what really comes out.

 

I explain in between chuckles that son you pooped, that is not a hotdog it’s poop. He fires right back “No momma dat is a hotdog in da toilet!” Back and forth, we go with this until I can get him cleaned up. He proudly stands over the bowl still examining his “hotdog”. He stick out his chubby little finger and points down and says “yes momma dat is a hotdog in da toilet” I look at my son just shaking my head. This mom had one final thing to say, “Son Flush!” Shwoooossshhhhh.

 

Every once in awhile I will hear his little voice echoing from behind the bathroom door proudly shouting out, “Dats a big hotdog.” Well I guess having him call it a hotdog is a heck of a lot better than him shouting out, dats a big turd mom!

The Unemployed Hawaiin Twin Daddy

Did I tell you I had two-year-old twins?  Well usually I work a full time job but as of Monday, I’m one of thousands Americans…unemployed.  Oh ya, go to work and find out that the company is downsizing and now your no longer needed.  It really sucks but it’s something you deal with. 

 

That’s a fun phone call…  Hey sweetie, I just got laid off and Ill be home in a few hours, I just have to clean out my office.  I can only imagine the thoughts going through the wife’s head as I tell her this information because my head is spinning round and round.

 

After a few hours I get home and wow, there is the wife and the twins wanting to have a conversation on what the hell were going to do.. Except the kids are have no clue, their two…  my idea of dealing with this is, let’s start drinking… 

 

A few beer later, I try to help the wife understand that well be fine, there’s jobs out there and well figure it out.  However, I’m freaking nervous and now drunk…  to the next day…

 

It’s now like a weekend cause daddy’s home and doing the morning routine.  Of course one of the twins wake up early and the other sleeps late.  Now I have been waking up at 4am for the past for ever but when my son wakes up at 7am, I look at the wife and she is in no shape, she found the vodka last night, so I get up and start the morning.  Pop some aspirins, a tagament, and start some breakfast.  Shortly after the other one wakes up and we have a full blown two year old party at 730am on the day after daddy got laid off and his head is going boom boom.. 

 

It’s now like a typical Saturday but it’s really Tuesday and we make it through the day.  Wednesday the same way except the wife got up early for the kids.  Why do they have to get up so freaking early when you want to sleep in?  Its like they know…  

 

So its now been 3 days and I’ve had 2 job interviews, everything looks like it will be fine but you never know.  I have always been the bread winner bit this week that I’ve had off and watched my wife deal with the twins astonished me.  Stay at home mom… now that’s a job…  I can’t wait to get back to work because dealing with the twins everyday would eventually send me to the funny farm..   I’ll keep you posted on the search for employment…

 

 “Unemployed”hawaiitwindaddy

Tell me that's not what I think it is.

We would like to give a big SHOUT OUT and THANK YOU to our new guest blogger today, Joy. It takes a lot to share some of those Ugly Truth moments and we love you for it!


This one day my best friend and I went out to eat for lunch at Chipotle with my then 3 year old son Shawn.  We had no sooner sat down to eat our food when Shawn said that he needed to use the potty. This is something he did often…it seemed as if he would wait until I just sat down to eat to let me know he needed to go potty and you know there is nothing like wiping your child’s butt just before you eat!  I took him to the restroom and sat him down; he sat there for a moment and then said he was all done. I looked in the toilet and saw nothing there, so I told him to go potty. He again repeated that he was all done. We continued back and forth like this a few more times before I got him dressed and we headed back to the table.  I became engrossed in conversation with my bestie and was enjoying my food when I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Shawn wasn’t eating and was fidgeting and playing a lot. I asked him to please stop playing around and to start eating his lunch. He continued to fidget and at one point I noticed he had his hands up the leg of his pants.  He pulled his hand out of his pant leg, looked at it with a puzzled look on his face, and then proceeded to wipe his finger across his burrito. WTH….I glanced at his burrito that now had a blob of brown on it and then glanced at my best friend with a look like “ oh hell no please tell me that’s not what I think it is” Yep, IT WAS POOP! As we were both gagging, I quickly scooped Shawn up and headed back toward the bathroom. I was holding him out in front of me as to not get any of it on myself.  Just a few steps before that bathroom right in front of a table, more of the poo fell out of his pant leg and onto the floor. I was horrified and so were the people sitting at the table. I quickly changed directions and bolted for the car where I have to admit I sat and cried for a moment. I was soooo embarrassed. Shawn is 12 now and I love to embarrass him with that story whenever I get a chance!

I just wanted to take a shower, is that too much to ask?

If you have little ones that are as mischievous as mine I’m sure you’ve probably had that moment that the shower you just couldn’t wait any longer to take was the worst mistake you’ve made all day. I’ve had my son come into the bathroom while I was washing my face in the shower, all foamed up with my face wash. He snuck his chubby little hand behind the curtain and turn the water to scalding hot! Try opening your eyes to scalding water and soap, reaching for the shower nob, all while you’re trying not to fall out. Not a good combination I tell ya. I never know if today’s shower is going to be the one that sends me over the edge. I mean come on; all we really want to do is hop in and scrub our asses. Is that really too much to ask for?

Apparently it is. Like any normal day I check to make sure all the locks are locked, no one can get outside, I give the speech do not answer the door for anyone. I even ask are you guys going to be ok for a few minutes so momma can take a shower and as usual I get the yes mom. I put on a show that they will both agree on and try and throw out a snack. I’m not asking for an hour just a few minutes in the shower. I leave the bathroom door open so I can listen for any crying or major noise. You’d think I’ve got it covered but nope that’s not the case.

I come out of the shower to find my children have soaked themselves with my spray bottle. Now the spray bottle in general is a no no in my house, it’s used for haircuts and haircuts only. It always leads to bad news. So here I am scolding away for getting it out and soaking each other. I send both kids to their room and turn around to find that they have drenched our big screen TV. Really kids, I don’t think too much or too hard on this because I’m on the edge barely hanging on.  I get a towel out and the cleaning cloth. I soak up all the water, clean the screen, and find that there is water that has leaked into the cracks of the TV.  I shut it off and try and soak up as much water as I can. Punishment handed down is no TV the rest of the day.

I turn the TV back on about 2 hours later, picture is fine. Thank God, dad would have flipped out. I mean it’s a 55in flat screen that is only 5 months old. The damn thing is brand new. All is fine, dad comes home and I’ve forgotten to tell him. We’re chatting away talking about the day and I look over to find directly in the center of the TV is and 8in bar running from the top to the bottom of the screen and what are these popping sounds coming out of it? Oh no, now I’ve got to spill it. So I tell Nathan what happened. My husband gets up to turn the TV on the stand only to find water pouring out of the bottom. Really I just wanted to take a shower, and this is what I get for doing so.

Now we’re playing TV repair man, it’s on the floor and we’ve taken apart the back to soak up any remaining water.  My son who is the one who gave our TV a nice soaking thinks this is the funniest thing around. All while I’m thinking to myself please damn it don’t be broke.  The damn thing sits for hours turned off. My daughter is distraught because Nate broke the TV, Nathan is pissed that they had access to a spray bottle, Nate is saying no daddy momma broke it, and all I can say is I just wanted to take a shower.

Needless to say after it sitting for almost a full day, it did dry out and BAM the TV is working again no bar running though. Hallelujah because I was beginning to wonder how the hell am I going to get through a day without cartoons? I can tell ya it took a lot of willing it to work and luck was on my side.  I don’t like using the TV as a baby sitter but lets all be honest here, our TV’s play a huge role in our households and without it what do you do? Wait don’t answer that!

Do you have an infamous shower story too? Spill it!

R U That Mom?

Organized sports

For the last 3 years my son has been in flag football and he LOVES it. This past spring he wanted to play baseball so we signed him up. He loved that as well. He has been playing flag football long enough that I now know all the rules and how the game is supposed to be played. I can’t say the same for baseball, but I’m learning those rules too.

One of my best friends has had her kids in tackle football and she is “THAT MOM!” By “That Mom” I mean the one that is on the side lines yelling at her kids, the coaches and the refs. If she sees something that is not right or her kid doesn’t make the right play, she is all over them. I give her a hard time about it and tell her, “Quit being that mom!”

However Landon had his first football game this last Saturday and Curt called me out saying I was becoming “THAT MOM.” You see the other team didn’t have their shirts tucked in like the rules clearly state and our team was having a hard time pulling their flags because they were pulling their shirts instead of the flags. So since I know for a fact this is a rule I said “Hey coach, why are the other team’s shirts not tucked in? Our boys are grabbing their shirts instead of the flags!” He didn’t realize this and wasn’t aware so he said he would talk to the ref as soon as the play was over. You’re damn right if they want to have rules they better play by them and follow them! My kids gotta do so and your kid should too!

We bought Landon new cleats last season and if your kids play sports you know they are pretty darn expensive, I bought them big hoping they would last. After practice Landon would get in the car and kick his cleats off complaining his feet were really hurting. Ok so it’s probably time to buy the kid new cleats, they didn’t last and we need them soon. I tell Landon let’s just get through your game on Saturday and then we’ll get you new cleats.  

 Saturday’s game, he comes off the field to us saying his feet were really hurting again. I tell him, “You will be fine for the rest of the game get in there and make us proud! We will buy you new cleats this week.”

After the game he came over and sat down on the grass and said again, “Mom my feet are really hurting!” I said ok take off your cleats just leave your socks on, the cement will be hot. Well he didn’t listen and took his socks off. To my surprise I see on each foot he has a blister about the size of a nickel, all red and angry looking. Boy did I feel like crap! My poor kid, I was being “That Mom” again and making him play through the pain in cleats that were too small.  

Needless to say my son is sporting a brand spanking new pair of cleats, with a little room to grow. And I will repeat “Get out there and make us proud buddy, but really let me know if something’s hurting!”   OMG I think I am that MOM!

Do your kids play organized sports? Do you know “THAT MOM” or are you her? Tell us your story!

The 10 Ugly Truths of Krystal

10. The only thing in my house that is organized is my dish towel drawer. I’m horrible with clutter and organization.  Anything I reorganized seems to have two little sets of hands that know just how to scatter that crap all over.  Each towel is folded and in its proper place. I reorganize this on a daily basis, it really is the only thing I have complete control over.

9. I will not leave the house without my daughters hair perfectly styled and both of my kids in clean, matching, unstained clothes. Unfortunately my daughter has been growing her bangs out and it’s made for some interesting hair dos but we’re almost on track.

8. I don’t have all my shit together but I just keep putting one foot in front of the other and I’ll eventually get there.  My entire house is never clean all at once and at any given moment there are at least two rooms that are always a complete disaster. I put my kids first and will clean later!

7. I cuss like a sailor…. I try very hard not to use foul language around my kids but it’s inevitable that phone rings and out comes a 20 spot for the “Swar Jar”

6. I’m not a size 2, nor do I care to be. …enough said!

5. I’m a huge procrastinator; I always wait until the last minute. But in my defense I work exceptionally well under presser.

 

4. I’m an extremely emotional person and a little over sensitive. I get my feelings hurt very easy. I really wish I was one of the few that actually just said eff it!

3. I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.  A high school counselor smashed my dreams and told me I should think of a better option. I really wanted to be a history teacher! I’ve gone to school 3 different times and I’m thinking about going back again. I love my kids but this stay at home gig is wearing on me!

2. I will let my kiddos eat French fries and soda with their happy meals. My kids consider this a treat; it’s not something that they eat often. I’m a firm believer in moderation and once in a while is fine by me!

And the big Numero Uno Ugly truth Of Me:

1.  I’m a little bit redneck, a whole lot country, a splash of white trash, a dab of sophistication, a few drops of brown pride, and a pinch of ghetto fabulous. You’ll never know what to expect from me.  

I’m a pretty nice normal mom just like any of you. I have a past that is in the past for a reason, a future that I look forward to, and a present that I’m just trying to survive.

10 Ugly Truths about me… Billie

10. I am just like my own mom. Even down to the way she raised me, I raise my son the same way she raised me. (Not that, that’s a bad thing I love you Momma!)

9. My step dad is my dad; I don’t even acknowledge my sperm donor.

8. I laugh when people get hurt…. Yes, even my own son!

7. I suffer from a severe anxiety disorder… I have it under control almost all the time now. Thank god for medicine and therapist!

6. I never dreamed of having a big fancy wedding, nor did I ever think I would get married. Maybe that’s why I have been with my boyfriend for 7 and half years and we are still not married, and do not plan on getting married.

5. I think I am one of the funniest people I know!

4. I never wanted to be a mom, but now that I am I wouldn’t change it for the world

3. I dislike people that are fake, one uppers, or know it all’s. Be real, you don’t need to keep up with the Jones, and gosh darn it you don’t know everything so shut your damn mouth!

2. I hate my day job! I wish I could be a full time blogger. This is where my heart is.

Can we get a drum roll please……. And the number 1 Ugly truth about me is…..

1. I hardly ever finish anything I start. I have a baby book that probably only has the first 6 months of my sons life wrote in it. I have 3 scrapbooks that are all partially done. I try and start diet and exercise programs but those seem to fail me too. It’s hard to do finish things when you have a full time work schedule and kids at home full time. I could make a list of things I have started and never finished but I don’t want to bore you with that. I have good intentions to do things and I just never seem to finish anything I start.

It’s ok to fail as a parent it’s hard. Get back up and put that smile on your face and keep and going. Parenting is probably one of the hardest things in life you have to do! Keep your head up. We all have ugly truths about being parents. These are things we can either dwell on or just shake our heads and laugh about. I try and just laugh these things off.

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't this my bed?

OK so waking up in my house you are liable to find one if not both of our kids in our bed. I don't know how this has happened, well yes I do. I should say we allowed our daughter when she was very small to come in and sleep with us, I was nursing and it just seemed easier for both of us that way. But not something we wanted forever.  She soon began hopping out of her crib so we moved her into a toddler bed. She would make her way to our room and we'd find her in our bed, no harm no foul. She came in while we were asleep and we would find her between us when we woke up. Hey in our eyes it was better than her running all over the house unattended. We did find her a few times stripped down to her birthday suit in the refrigerator, apparently she liked her midnight snack in the buff, it kept the crumbs from sticking to her jammies.

We had got her back into her bed, easy peasy. She wasn't fighting it and we kept up the old put her back to bed when she came in. Everything was great, for a while. Just when we thought we had claimed our bed back that’s when little Mister Nater Po Tater came into our lives. At the time we were not equipped with enough bedrooms unless my husband and I moved down into the basement, which was not happening. So Bella and Nate began bunking together, first night not a problem. Second night that 2am feeding sure enough had our little girl back in the middle of our bed. I'd like to say that we were the stickler parents that marched her right back but I'm sorry at 1,2,3 in the morning I was not about to fight with her to get her back to sleep and the last thing I wanted was for her to wake up her brother ,whom I had just got back to sleep! This momma needed sleep. So we just snuggled up. Now for those parents out there reading this my best advice to give you is NEVER EVER LET YOUR KIDS SLEEP IN YOUR BED! I know it’s tempting but it leads to restless nights, blankets being stolen, kicks to the face and ribs, and you can forget about intimacy!

                                                                                                                               

So what did we do, we moved. Everyone has their own room, no excuses. Our daughter is back in her bed and now our son is crawling out of his crib. Looks like its time for the toddler bed, but that just gave him more free access. Well we fixed his escaping by using a child door lock on the inside of his door. Problem solved, I'm not kidding when I say it’s a scary thing having a toddler running a muck in the house all while you are asleep. But be advised little ones are very smart and that handle that goes over the door will only last so long, yes they will learn how to use it or break it off.

Our son seen when he was small that sissy got to sleep in our bed. So can you guess who we have sleeping between us now? You got it, that little tater bug. On some mornings you can find both of my kiddos in my bed. Having just one in our bed is hard enough but when you add both of them you can find this mom sleeping on the couch or in someone’s bed. This is a nightmare that my husband and I have created because once you start it’s hard to stop. And once it becomes a norm for your kiddo it’s not easy to get them back into their own bed. So as I said before unless you don't mind an overcrowded bed, waking up with no blankets or pillow, and the occasional kick to the face or back, because they never just sleep they have to kick and rotate and move all over the bed. Never allow your little ones to get too comfy in your bed, because you may just lose it to them!

I had no clue that Nate was in my bed this morning until he popped his head up and said, "Where my daddy at, I'm hungry!" Ugh I look at the clock 6:50. Really we're up already? You bettcha. Now if Nate is in his room he will stay in there and play until he hears movement in the house. The first peep he hears though, he's going to kick that bedroom door like he's fighting for his life. I don't know what’s worse waking up to where my daddy at or him kicking his door. At least when I open the door he's happy to see me for a second before he wants his daddy and food.

Good Morning everyone! How many of you wake with a little one who has taken over your bed? Hard to believe that a toddler can take over a king size bed but I'm here to tell you they can and they will!

Guest Blogging

To all of our viewers out there who have been stopping in to check out our blog we want to introduce and invite you to participate in something new we are going to start doing though the weekends. We want you to share some of your ugly truth of motherhood moments. Saturday and Sunday we are welcoming in guest blogging. We have a few guest bloggers lined up already but we would like to hear from you as well. If you have a story that just needs to be told we would like to encourage you to share it with all of us! We want to bring our followers some variety to the blog. So if you have a sad, funny, crazy, outrageous, but most of all truthful story that you would like to share please email us at:

Theuglytruthofmotherhood@yahoo.com

We look forward to hearing from you and reading your post, and as always you can keep anonymous or you can sign your name. It’s all up to you!

Thanks,

Billie and Krystal

The importance of child stranger danger by Billie

Ok so most of you have read my post about me being a paranoid mom. Well, let me tell you what happened to me yesterday on my way home from picking my son up from school.

I get home from picking Landon up from school and check his backpack.  He forgot his homework binder at school. So like a responsible mom, I decide that we will head our behinds right back to school and get that binder. He thinks he’s being cute and by not bringing it home on the first night of homework maybe he could get away with it. But oh no, Mommy isn’t playing that game!  Opp’s getting off the subject.

So we are on our way back to his school and I see this little girl (if I had to guess I would say 5 maybe 6) walking all by herself down our main street in our community. Now I see little kids walking to and from school on a daily basis but usually they have someone else around their same age with them. You know the buddy system. But I always think to myself what the hell are these parents thinking letting their little kids walk home by themselves.  Yesterday was no different. But this little one was all by herself, no one with her. We continue to the school and on the way home I see the same little girl walking back toward the school. Now mind you I live in the valley of the sun and we had an extreme heat warning this day, and when they say extreme out here it’s freaking HOT! The day’s high here was 115 degrees.

I see the little girl walking back toward the school and it looked as if she had been crying.  I had passed her and thought I should go back and see if she is ok. I thought about it for a second and in the back of my mind I thought, "If I pull over and start talking to this little girl walking is someone going to think I am trying to prey on this little child?” But my mommy instincts told me to just go make sure she was ok. So I did and this little girl was beat red and crying hysterically. I asked her if she was ok and she said that she missed her mom and dad and couldn’t remember how to get home. The poor thing didn’t have any water. I hesitated to ask her if she wanted me to take her back to school or to her house. But I did. I asked her one time and she got in the car with me. She did not hesitate.

This scared me to the point that I was sick. These are the kind of kids that people prey on. She was so scared, lost, and hot; probably so exhausted that she would have taken a ride from anyone. Maybe it was a good thing Landon left his binder at school, if not who knows what would have happened to that little girl. We don’t live in a bad neighborhood at all, but that doesn’t mean anything. There are predators out there searching for kids.

Come to find out this little girl is the same exact age as my son and in the same grade as him. My question is who lets there 2^nd grader walk home all by them self, without knowing how to get home? And why the hell didn’t they teach their child about stranger danger?

When I got her to the school the receptionist called the girls dad and you will not believe what the dad told her. “She has to walk home; her mother and I are both working.” Seriously jackass she just told you that a stranger picked your kid up because she was lost and couldn’t find her way home and you still want her to walk home? Some people amaze me. I couldn’t be angrier at this girl’s dad. Why even have kids if you could care less about them. I understand people have to work however there is after school care and other options other than risking your child getting lost and or kidnapped.
Parents who are always aware of the schedules of their children are helping to keep them safe. It’s a wise idea for children to call their parents once they reach a destination, like a friend’s house. If parents stay in contact with their children they can better monitor where they are and what they are doing. Parents who teach their children about strangers and staying safe are giving their kids the tools to deal with uncertain, potentially dangerous situations.

Here are some tips to keep your kids safe from strangers:

1. Kids must never accept candy or other gifts from strangers.
2. Do not get into a stranger’s car or go anywhere with him or her.
3. Kids should find a police officer or go into a store to ask for help from the manager if a stranger is following them.
4. Never answer a stranger’s questions even if they seem nice.
5. Kids should never go up to a stranger’s car.
6. Kids should never tell a person on the telephone that they are home alone.
7. Kids should never answer the door for someone they do not know.

Here is the website I found these tips on; there is more information if you are interested in learning more.

http://www.usalarmcompanies.com/stranger-danger/

A peanut allergy is not the end of the world!

Finding out my daughter had a peanut allergy at the age of 18 months was what I'll call just a real shocker. Actually I was quite devastated.  Before I could even process the information that was being given to me, all I could think about was all of the things she would never be able to have. I was heartbroken for her. I had read all the books that said to wait until a year old to introduce peanuts and I waited even longer but the facts were that I had a daughter that had a peanut allergy.

I had been giving my daughter peanut butter crackers and PBnJ sandwiches for about 2 months before any signs had popped up. One afternoon she was running around after lunch and I noticed a bump on her lip. I didn't think anything of it. She was teething and chewing on everything. I thought she may have bopped her lip on something, easily explainable. I never even gave it a second thought. A day or so later my husband fed her lunch while I was out. He called me to ask what my thoughts were on lunch for her, and I just riddled off a PBnJ. Easy enough and I knew she wouldn't fight lunch for him. Within a half an hour my husband is calling me back, “I think we have a problem. Our daughter has broken out in hives all over her mouth!” My husband is telling me he thinks she's allergic to peanut butter. I say no way, she loves peanut butter she's been eating it for months, no way she's fine! I asked where she was when he seen the hives, thinking to myself maybe she got into something else, only to find out she had been sitting in her high chair. I leave my husband with the famous words, “We'll discuss it when I get home!” As if there's anything to really discuss about an allergy like that. Not something I could have just willed away! But my daughter was breathing regularly and there were no other symptoms.

I get home as soon as I can. I burst through the front door. “Where is she at?” She's sitting in her highchair as happy as can be because momma just popped up from nowhere and she’s having a snack. Immediately I'm examining her face, I see no bumps no red marks nothing. I look at my husband and pull the ole you’re joking with me right? And as serious as he can be says no. I didn’t want to believe him. I wanted to give her more peanut butter just to see for myself. I wasn't willing to take his diagnosis. Thankfully my husband stopped me because the truth of the matter was that my daughter did have a peanut allergy and that exposure could have been the one to potentially send her to the hospital.

After an allergy test and meeting with an allergist we found out that each exposure can be different. What initially gave her a bump on her lip quickly became hives all over her mouth and who knows what another exposure could have been. I had a mountain of paperwork in my hand, a prescription for an epi pen and to be quite honest I was pissed. Not only had our lives been changed by becoming parents but now everything was going to change again. I look back now and think how selfish I was but I was scared. I just kept thinking of the things that she was going to miss out on, how much more difficult going to school was going to be for her, and what I felt like she was going to be cheated out of. Not to mention I was now going to have to read and check every single ingredient list for everything that was going to be bought or given to my daughter.

Having a child with any kind of an allergy can be difficult. You have to educate the people around you and educate your children. My daughter at 5 will come to me with anything that has been given to her to ask if it has peanuts in it. Something you could say we drilled into her was that you have this allergy, it can make you very sick, and you always need to come to an adult/mom/dad to find out if it has peanuts in it. You have to trust that the people who are around you are going to remember this when you visit or there is a birthday party or any kind of a gathering where food is involved. A food allergy is difficult but its manageable you just have to adjust your way of thinking about it. Not once has my daughter felt she's missed out on anything but school is just around the corner and with that brings holiday parties and much more that involves candy and food. But we're good and we'll handle whatever comes our way with a smile and a question. “Does that have peanuts in it?”

It's not for everybody, but it is for us!

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly Truth Of Breastfeeding

Well it’s no secret to anyone who knows me that I did breastfeed my daughter. I had decided early on in my pregnancy that this was going to be my only option. I wanted to give her all of the health benefits as well as save some money. My mother in law was a huge part in my decision, I won't say that she pressured me but I did feel pressure from her to do it. But not just from her but from the people around me. My own mom was not a supporter of this and had different views as to my choice. Some women just don't understand the want to breastfeed and view it in a different light. However I wasn't going to let this change my decision. So it was set I was going to be a nursing mom.

I'd like to say that everything was wonderful and it was easy from the get go but I'd be telling you one huge ass lie. Breastfeeding is hard and it can be painful if not done properly. Yes it’s a bonding experience and all that blah blah blah. But what they don't tell you is it just might not work at first. It didn't with my daughter and me, for three weeks I spent countless hours pumping away. I pumped and had to supplement with formula here and there. I wasn't going to give up until I tried every trick in the book and I’m not kidding when I say a breastfeeding guide sat on my coffee table for the first 6 months of my daughter’s life. I felt like a failure, it wasn't working for me; it took a full 7 days before my milk even came in. At the time it was a nightmare. I had people all over telling me that Bella had nipple confusion and well maybe she did maybe she didn't, but I could pump or use formula in any bottle with any nipple and she would eat. It took me three weeks to get Bella to latch on, most people really would have given up before this but I was bound and determined that I would try and do everything I possibly could to nurse her. If I wasn’t able to do it I wanted everyone around me knowing damn well I tried everything!

Yeah I've got her latching on things are great right? Nope!  I had her latching on wrong and it was the most painful thing I've ever had to sit though. Bella was in the middle of a growth spurt she was attached to me most of the day. Nipples were cracked and I had to curl my toes every time she fed just to control the pain. But you know what? I kept looking for information and trying new tactics and eventually I got things to work pain free but I was afraid to leave the house. (OK so since we're being honest here from about 18 to 22 I flashed my boobs everywhere but now that I was a mom and several years older I didn't want anyone to see them or me) I was embarrassed. It took me a long time to overcome this and feel comfortable nursing around other people. I was one who covered up. I didn't want people looking at me feeling uncomfortable and I wanted to feel comfortable.

It took me some time but what began as a nightmare soon became that wonderful bonding experience I had been hearing about. I gave myself a time limit of a year and I made the year mark. I actually continued to nurse her until she was a little over a year and a half. I'm very proud of myself for never giving up and fighting every step of the way to figure out a way to make this work for my daughter and myself.

 I had given her all of the health benefits of nursing. However my daughter does have food allergies, she is allergic to peanuts, has season allergies, highly allergic to cats and dogs, and allergic to Timothy Grass. At one point after finding out about her peanut allergy I did question myself. What the hell was the point of nursing if my daughter ended up with allergies after all? The point was that it was a wonderful experience, I had to fight for it and all though she has a food allergy I don't regret my decision at all!

It’s not a choice for everyone, but that’s the glory of it. It’s a choice that we as women can choose for ourselves. You should never be made to feel uncomfortable or wrong for choosing what works best for you and your child. So you formula feed great, you breastfeed good, as long as you’re feeding your child that's really what should matter. I now know that if I had reached out for help instead of being embarrassed things wouldn't have been so hard. There are agencies out there exactly for this, you can demand a lactation specialist, you can ask for help!

Do you know someone who is planning to nurse or having trouble with it? Share this with her. The more you know about making this commitment the better you'll be prepared when things aren’t working just right.  

Billie on breastfeeding

I think breastfeeding is a wonderful thing. However for me it wasn’t an option. For one I knew I was going to be a single mom and feedings would be the one time I could have a few minutes to myself to shower or go to the store without a baby in tow. I knew that as soon as my doctor (if not sooner) released me to go back to work I had to go because I had no form of income coming in. Also I didn’t think I would really like a baby attached to me all the time. I had a lot of different reason as to why breast feeding wasn’t a good choice for me and my son. However this has been a huge public topic so I decided I would blog about this issue.

So for me from the day I found out I was pregnant I knew my son was going to be a formula fed baby. Is there anything wrong with that? Nope, I don’t think there is anything wrong with formula feeding your babies. But other mothers out there do think a little differently. I didn’t even try to get my son to breastfeed.  He is as healthy if not healthier then my friends or family members that breastfed their kids. Has my son been sick? Of course what kid doesn’t get sick? He doesn’t suffer from food allergies or any serious illnesses; overall he is one healthy 7 year old boy. It was the right choice for me and my son.

I can see the benefits of breast feeding; first and foremost the cost of formula is tremendous. Then you have the bonding between mother and child. Also the health benefits that come along with breastfeeding.

I was never really pressured by anyone to breastfeed. I think it should be the mother and if the father is around, their sole decision only. So needless to say I decided that breastfeeding wasn’t for me. I did love my snuggle time with my son, when he was feeding out of his bottle, and I think my son and I have a great bond!

Do you think I am wrong for not giving breast feeding a chance?

Stay tuned tomorrow. Krystal will be here posting her story on the good, the bad, and ugly truth of breastfeeding.

Down and Out!

This past week we had the stomach flu ravage our house. It started with one kid and quickly moved on to the rest of the family. My husband comes home from work to take care of us only to come down with it himself. By this point it had pretty much ran through our kids and they were on the mend, its mom and dad that are down for the count. What do you do when you’re sick, can barely make it off the couch, yet you have two little ones you have to take care of?

Well in our case I would have loved to call someone to help with the kids or take them for the day, but that was a no go. Anyone who could or would help is 2 and a half hours away. We have no saving grace. Our kids are running the house, yep that’s right a 5yr old and a 3yr old. It’s a free for all. But really what are you supposed to do? My husband and I took turns napping in our bed and we tried to monitor the best we could from under a blanket on the couch with our eyes half closed. My husband was in charge of lunch and I got dinner, if it wasn’t easy you didn't need to eat it today!As far as nutrition that was out the door too. As long as they were eating something it really didn't matter what it was. Food was food, and we were sick!

My pantry became a free for all, we wore our jammies all day, and if you couldn’t get it yourself then you really didn't need it. My shag carpet was covered in munched and crunched Cheez-Its and there were stickers stuck everywhere. Every blanket and pillow in my house was in the living room and there were ramen noodles from one end of the house to the other. As much as I really did care, I didn't have it in me to bother with it. Just step over what you can and I'll clean it later.

You know we all have moments like this and whether you’re a single parent or a married couple you do what you have to do to get through the day. It’s not always pretty but not to worry no one is knocking with the worst parent of the year award! And in the event that they do, you don't have to answer it!

Guest blogger #2

I'd like to introduce our guest blogger of the day. We will call her crazygrandmawhocares. This is not our typical posting and a little out of our league but its something that she feels very strongly against and about. We've given her a forum to spread something that little of us know about. If you are interested in learning more on this subject feel free to google it. We are not here to start a debate of any sorts. We asked for guest blogging and are thankful for those who are choosing to participate. With that being said here's crazygrandmawhocares

Hi Everyone! I just want to say, how proud I am, my daughter-in-law is such an inspiration. Creating a blog is not easy. I am excited to see what people write and I myself write. I believe we all have creativity within us and sometimes we put that on the back burner, because well our main excuse is "I'm too busy, I'll do it later." I am glad that Krystal and her friend decided to do this.

When my children were little around 35 years ago, I was into the natural and organic movement. I still am but in a different way. I felt it was important to feed my children fresh vegetables and if I could raise them, more the better. I still grow my own vegetables and even raise them from seed and give the plants away to family and friends. I get great satisfaction from growing and eating from my own garden.

Now, I want to share something really important. Our country is in the middle of a terrible drought in the Midwest and even into the East. It seems it's the worst drought in 60 years. Water is our live force. Without it we cannot live. Our food sources are at stake.

It seems that back when Bush and Cheney were in charge of our country, Cheney got together with the Energy Commission and big oil companies (behind closed doors) and decided that "fracking" would be the way to go to decrease our dependency on foreign oil. If you don't know what "fracking" is, let me tell you. Fracking is pumping millions of gallons of water and lots of chemicals into the ground to release the natural gas in our earth. I guess our country has a lot of natural gas, but it's hard to get. The problem with this is that they need a lot of water and chemicals to pump down into the earth to release the natural gas.

This "fracking" is causing 34 states in our country to the point that our acquifer is not being polluted and starved for water. The news only says we are in a drought, but I believe that "fracking" is causing a major problem. The people who were sold this bill of goods, were told that it wouldn't hurt anything. They were told that they would pump water down below the acquifer and that it wouldn't have any affect. Wells have been polluted and are toxic throughout these 34 states. Truth is, they didn't tell these poor farmers the truth. Truth is this is destroying our land, our cattle, our crops and our drinking water. Shame on them!

The reason that I bring this up is that you need to contact your Senators and House of Representatives and tell them that water is more precious than natural gas. Without water we cannot survive. Currently there are no regulations to oversee this dangerous problem. We need to change this, but without your support, it won't get done. It will only get worse. Help stop this by contacting the people in charge of our country.

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No, my daddy do it!

My son, Nate, is two weeks away from being 3 years old. He is an awesome little man who we are so proud to call our own. He did not come to us the traditional way but that is another story for another day. Now you all know that I am a stay at home mom. I have been with my children more than any other person on this planet. There is not a moment that has gone by that I have missed with our daughter and only three major events that I have ever missed with my son. I am committed to this stay at home gig, it's hard but it’s my job. I am primarily the disciplinarian in my house just because I do spent the most time with my kids. My husband works full time and lately a lot of over time. So when he comes home he's a little more lenient on things than I am. He will give warning after warning but he's bad about following through. My kiddos have caught on to this. I use timeouts, taking things away, no cartoons, and yes there is the occasional spanking for extreme behavior. Not something that happens very often in our house but I'd be lying if I said we didn't spank but I'm not here to debate spanking over time outs. I’m here to tell the truth!

So here is my dilemma. My son is in awe of his daddy. He is a hands down daddy’s boy! From the moment my husband sets foot in our door I cannot do anything for my son. He will have a melt down over me getting him a drink instead of his daddy and heavens forbid I have to wipe a butt. I constantly hear daddy will do it. If we are in the grocery store and my husband is there I cannot touch the cart. Now in certain situations you can say he's being a complete brat and we're giving into him by allowing him to control the situation. I will stand my ground with him and so will my husband but it just seems sometimes to do no good. And really I can only bear to hear I no like you momma so many times before the water works turn on and I hid in my bathroom to let it out so no one can see. Our kids can be mean and not even understand what they are saying. My husband has started really stepping up with his behavior, making sure he follows through, and enforcing the statements you don't talk to your mom like that and you need to say you’re sorry to her.

I let him out of his room in the morning and greet him with a good morning hug and kiss, he comes running out of his door "Where my daddy at?" Some days it’s not so bad and others it seems to set the tone for the day. He will drop to the floor crying for his dad. I try to comfort him but there are just times I have to walk away. He can be very hurtful and I know he doesn't understand what he is saying I mean come on he's not even 3 yet. But when you have your son look at you and say I NO like you momma and look right at his dad and say I lub you daddy, it does have a way of getting to you. I've pulled back my discipline with him and am trying different tactics hoping to see some improvement. It's touch and go, it all depends on the day. Saturday, Sunday, and Monday are our toughest days. My little nugget gets used to having dad home and then Monday hits and he is pissed that dad is at work. Hey to be honest I'm pissed that dad is at work too but it’s the way it is.

I'm frustrated but I'm not giving up. Do you have a daddy’s boy like I do? Know of another little man like mine? I want to hear about it please. I know I'm not alone in this journey; there are others out there too. I'm just open enough to ask how do you handle it.