I need a: How to Care Snails for Dummies Guide

Taylor got a little glass jar full of jelly beans at church this week.

The first thing he asked me was, "Mommy, can I pour these out and use this to catch tadpoles?"

Brilliant!

But, instead, he found a snail and decided it would be his first pet.

Then another, and finally, this afternoon, another.

So now, we have 3 snails, in a jar, on my kitchen counter.

HELP!!!

I'm so mad I could, and might just scream!

   I don't complain about much. Well, maybe I do, but I very rarely take to the web to vent my frustrations. I'll spare you the loud screaming, tantrum that my 2 year old threw when I had to take him into the North MS Pediatrics office in Tupelo this morning because he has been sick for a few days. He had gotten better by yesterday, but we were up with him all last night, hacking up his lung and throwing up at the same time, along with a fever.
   So this morning I whisked all three of my children, some still in their pj's, to the clinic before the early morning sick hours were over.
   Jim had to work out of town this morning and my babysitters were at school. So, Carrie Ann and Taylor really had no choice. Plus, I wanted to rule out that the muck in their eyes wasn't pink eye!
   We got there just in time and I was sooo impressed at how quickly they called us back to a room.
   Of course Andrew had a meltdown at the thought of having to stand on the scale to be weighed and his attitude only spiraled downhill from that point.
   I felt so bad for the staff. I had to weigh Andrew while the nurse held Carrie Ann. He screamed bloody murder.
   Then the nurse took a very light, very quick swab of the front of the inside of his nose. It's the first time any of my children had ever been swabbed, so I thought she did a great job, considering the fit he was throwing.
   While trying to get a swab of his throat, the doctor came in with his laptop, and wiped everything off the counter right into the trash, including the "swab" the nurse had just taken of his nose. I saw the nurse look, like, um...that was my stuff doc. What do you think you are doing.
   I was too busy trying to wrangle my squalling child, and keep a 1 year old off of the floor. The doctor said, I'll come back when he calms down. I didn't blame him!!!!!
   The nurse, reached into the trash can and took the swab with her. Um..........
   Had you been there, without a sinus cold yourself, not sweating and having had brushed your teeth, you would've had the cognitive sense to speak up.
   And honestly, I don't know that I was thinking about it at the time. My mind was too busy.
   When the doctor returned, he tried looking into his ears, listening to his chest, nose and throat, all without much love from Andrew. Andrew would not stop kicking him.
   The doc, rolled back on his little stool and repeated everything that I had told him already, congested, fever, mattery eyes, hacking cough. To him, it sounds just like the flu, but it's too late to give him anything. His ears are fine and we aren't going to do a strep test. No pink eye!  So, he'll probably have fever on and off the rest of weekend. If he starts having trouble breathing or wheezing, bring him back in because he could get pneumonia.
   At this point, I'm stressed to the max because Andrew is still screaming uncontrollably! But I was beginning to get frustrated because I brought him up there, went through this, to get answers. I don't blame the doctor for wanting to get out of there as fast as he could, I would have too, but he's a pediatrician, it's the nature of the job! The doctor stepped out and came back really quickly and stepped just inside the door and said, "Well, the flu swab is negative, but I still think it's the flu. So again, if he starts having trouble breathing, come back, but other than that, it's the nature of the flu. Oh, I forgot your chart, let me go get it."
  When he came back, I was gathering our things, with Carrie Ann in one hand, Andrew was sitting on the floor with his feet against the door. The doctor reached his arm in and put the yellow check out form on my bag and walked away.
   I thought, good grief! Are you serious? Goodbye, good riddens, never come back, please! Whew!!
   I can completely understand the doctor's frustrations, and his eagerness to get us gone, but can you see my frustrations as a mother, who has a sick child and feels the doctor could care less that something is wrong. I expect more than the status quo. I expect doctors to want to know what is wrong, I want them to want to know!!! I want them to find out!!! Rather than say, well it's not this, but I really "think" its this! I want a doctor to be completely satisfied that he fulfilled his role as a children's health care provider!!! Is that too much to ask of the person I am paying to check over the physical well-being of my sick 2 year old????
   I guess what I wanted was for him to want to find out what was wrong with my son as much as I wanted to know what was wrong with my son! That's why I brought him to a doctor.
   Now let's get started on that swab. As I was leaving the office, it hit me, OH MY WORD.... the "negative" swab was the same swab that the doctor swiped into the trash, and the same swab the nurse had retrieved from the trash can, and the same swab that she had brushed just on the inside of the front of his nose!!!!! YES, I'm serious.
   I don't fault her for not getting a better swab, Andrew thought she was trying to kill him and was acting partly in self-defense, the other part, he was just plain mad!
   I was boiling, I wanted to cry. But I was done. And I really didn't know what to do!
   I called my good friend, who is a pediatric nurse, and who has two small kids' that are my kids' ages. She  was appalled. She said a good, swab of the nose, should collect, not mucus, but membranes from the lining of the nose. And usually, when she gets a swab, sometimes the nose might bleed. I told her what happened. The whole dramatic story. Her advice, among other information was: Past behavior will represent future behavior.
   I have left a voicemail for the clinic's manager. In the meantime, I will never, and I absolutely, mean ABSOLUTELY NEVER use the North Mississippi Pediatric Clinic in Tupelo or recommend them to anyone, ever again.
   Is this how I should think, how I should feel? I'm beside myself with anger and dismay. I mean, what do you do in a case like this? Any suggestions?
This isn't the first problem I've has with this same clinic. Twice, I've had to wait longer than 2 hours to have my newborns seen for their 2 week check-up. Most clinics, whisk newborns in and out, as to avoid any illnesses being spread. The most recent, I waited almost an hour to get a breathing treatment for my son who was having chest retractions and wheezing. Then, when I wanted to purchase a nebulizer to use at home, they gave me the biggest most ridiculous fit for wanting to purchase it from a third party, because it was more than $100 cheaper! Then earlier this week, when I called to get an appointment for all three of my children to come in, the lady on the other end of the phone, scolded me for not having the same pediatrician for all three of my children. (Taylor and Andrew have the same, and Carrie Ann has a different one--{she had a tummy issue when she was born, the clinic gave me the doc on call, which I chose to stick with because he knew her from birth and really seemed to care!}) She informed me that was just not right and who ever had scheduled my children's appointments in the past had not made me aware of the "rules" that a family of children should all be seen by the same doctor!!!!! I asked her if she was getting on to me for choosing different doctors. I was then told that I didn't let her finish--that it wasn't my fault, but that they had newer help in the clinic and they had simply made a mistake! So, you mean it's like a sorority and this is my hazing? WHAT????
   I know what different care looks like, I couldn't believe the quality of care Taylor received from his pediatric office when we lived in Northern Virginia. Dr. Baldrate-- I really, really miss you and your office!!!!
   There's not many options in Tupelo when it comes to pediatricians. We stopped using the pediatric clinic after my 2-hour wait for Andrew's 2-week checkup. and began seeing a family practitioner. However, last summer, he and his family left for the mission field and I have yet to find good, quality care for my children.  HELP!!!
   I'll take your recommendations and your suggestions!

Growing like Weeds!

When I called my good friend Amanda of Reflections by Amanda Smith to schedule our yearly family pictures, the scenario in the above photo is exactly what I had in mind. 

I wanted to post it right over there to the right, just to show you what everyday life really does look like in the Brown household. 

I'm usually holding Carrie Ann, Taylor is always tugging me in a different direction and Andrew, he's usually being drug along, with his 'I hear you, but I'm not listening' attitude!

This little girl, who turned 9 months old yesterday, is still wearing 3-6 month old clothes and on this particular day, was all smiles and full of character!

This train track runs right through downtown Summit, Mississippi, where Amanda's studio is located. These two handsome guys could NOT wait to play on it. 

All I could do was cringe at how dirty those baby blue pants of Taylor's were getting.

If you look closely, you can see how they looked by the final pictured...UGH!!!!

BUT...

Taylor's Bebbi had this stuff...

And after a few washes and one treatment with Grandma's Secret Spot Remover...those pants don't have a trace of the railroad track anywhere on them! (You can get this at Hobby Lobby or Hancock Fabrics)

Her daddy makes her smile so big! 

This little stud muffin turned 2 this past July, and wouldn't crack a smile the entire morning. We had talked about it for weeks, he is used to having his picture taken by me all the time. He was just bound and determined to not let us get a single peep at those pearly whites. 

You always wonder what went into a photo session to get some pretty amazing results. This not only epitomizes this day, but pretty much everyday.

Amanda was dying to use some new props for her time with Carrie Ann. My typed words wouldn't do these next few photographs justice...

Amanda, thanks for all your hard work. You definitely have an eye for the perfect shot and never cease to amaze me with your skill and talent! Keep up the great job!

Coming Clean

     Where in the world have I been? Because I sure haven't been camped out at my Lemonade Stand in quite some time!
     Mostly I've been playing on the floor with my 3 precious children! We celebrated Andrew's 2nd birthday in July and this month we have already celebrated Carrie Ann turning a half a year old and soon, haha, very soon, Taylor will be turning the big 4!!! Oh my word, I can't believe it! My babies are growing up and I feel like this time is so fleeting.
     When I look back at this time, 12 years from now, when Taylor is getting his driver's license, Andrew is growing hair in weird places and Carrie Ann begins rolling her eyes at me, I'm going to miss all the "controlled" chaos.
     It's days like today, when a simple trip to Lowe's leaves me wondering if my child would be okay after drinking the water from water falls in the garden center, that I want to remember the day as fun, easy. I don't want to miss a thing. I won't regret not turning my computer on for an entire month, spending every summer night letting my boys stay up late watching movies, or sitting on the couch with my husband til midnight watching detective shows.
    We've changed our routine, mixed things up a bit. The old one wasn't working out too well for me. The kids and I joined a gym. GASP! Yes, I actually exercised everyday this week! I might've broken a sweat once or twice, too!
     I've spent a lot of time in a little nook in my bedroom, in a place the boys have yet to look for me! Pouring out my thoughts, anxious ones at that, desires, prayers, cries and joys into a prayer journal. It's all muddled up in my head right now. Getting it down on paper makes things a little more clear. It's where I can come clean with my Lord, open His Word and saturate it with my tears-sad ones because I'm a mess, and grateful ones-because His promises are forever. He is merciful. I don't have to carry this heavy load. He sees each tear that falls and He is my strength.
   Needless to say, I've had a rough run of it these last few months. But I've remained on my knees. Stayed focused on the task I've been given. Tried to fight a good fight, even if Barney is singing in the background while I'm doing it! My house is clean, 3 burritos are wrapped snuggly in their beds, an unfinished craft needs finishing, the DVR is paused and 3 loads of laundry await my precise hand!
   I'll be back. Until then, enjoy these two songs I've been listening to lately by JJ Heller.

My ending isn't the same...

     Somebody stole my journal and totally re-wrote this song! However, the ending isn't the same as my story!

Mommy, he's pooping!

    We've reached one of the many hard parts of parenting a pre-schooler. Where certain moments warrant some very careful parenting. I think it's one of those instincts that are natural in little kids, like blinking and sucking---TATTLING.
     Nobody likes a tattle-tale. I think it is sooooo annoying. Constantly it's, mommy, Andrew took my car. Mommy, he stole my cookie. It doesn't matter who it is or what it is. Mommy, daddy won't let me wear my football helmet to Church. Mommy, so and so pushed me. Mommy, mommy, mommy... It's hard to know whether or not the situation should be a teachable moment, especially if you did not witness the accused perpetrator of the wrongful act.
     Sometimes you see the actual shove. Do I say, Andrew, we don't push, that's not nice. Or do I say, Taylor, we don't tattle. Where do you find the balance? They are only 3 and 1 so I can't expect them to work all their problems out on their own, but a little lesson in conflict resolution can go a long way.
     Then, there are those situations where you wish your 3 year old would tattle. Like when the 1 year old is pouring out ANOTHER box of Panko bread crumbs on that blasted dry-clean only rug. Or when he's getting into the pantry for the fifth time, headed right for my flour. You really wish you heard that little whiny--mommy then!
     For instance...like tonight...Mommy, Andrew's pooping! Andrew's pooping! Andrew's pooping! I was in the kitchen, bathing Carrie Ann. It was hardly audible from there. Couldn't make it out very clearly, until the third time he screamed it. Jim was giving the boys a bath in our big bathtub. I think he was right there, but was taking care of some other business. I definitely couldn't leave what I was doing. I heard Jim taking control right away, telling them to stand here, stand there, do this...Obviously Taylor was telling the truth.
     That was one of those moments where being the tattle-tale was a good thing. We praised Taylor for telling us. Not that Jim wouldn't have noticed in the next few seconds anyway. But, we were proud of him.
    This parenting stuff can catch you off guard sometimes. So tell me, how do you teach your child the difference between good and bad tattling?

It's our choice, not theirs

     It's a sad, unhappy day in Santa Clara County, California. If you haven't heard by now, some crazy people have banned McDonald's Happy Meals from some McDonald's menus until they can offer healthier options.....you can read the full story {here}
    It's something that I always said my kids would NEVER do...recognize the famous golden arches and scream with delight for a Happy Meal!  Forget that plan I devised many moons ago. Yah...Taylor can spot those things a mile away!    
     I can't actually remember the first time I ever actually fed Taylor something from McDonald's, but I know it was in the last year, possibly, last July when we drove home from Illinois and stopped there for breakfast. The boys had eggs, orange juice, pancakes. I'm pretty sure Jim and I had something very similar as well.
    The next time the boys entered a McDonald's was 4 months ago, in January. I discovered the McDonald's amazing Playplace in the restaurant here in West Tupelo. It's inside the restaurant, but the tables and boothes are completely separated from the rest of the fast food joint. Not only is it so totally child-proof, there's a bathroom off to the side and inside, it has an itty bitty potty next to the adult one....You have no idea what this means unless you have a little potty-trainer!!! We like it because we don't have to constantly apologize to other patrons for spoiling their meal when my child throws an apple slice across to their table!
     Back to my point....We are fairly healthy eaters. Well, Jim and the kids are...Carrie Ann is a milk-aholic, and I don't eat veggies, but I cook healthy meals and we stay away from greasy and fried foods, except Chick-fil-A and that's usually no more than once a week, if that much. We have a salad with every supper, try for non-sugary, sometimes organic cereal and fruit for breakfast. I have cut out processed meat and never buy white bread. I use ground turkey for everything that calls for ground beef {we do love beef though, ground turkey is just way less expensive and we aren't red meat aficionados so we can't tell the difference anyway} We make up for the unhealthy parts of our meals by staying active. We don't live sedentary lifestyles, who can with 3 little kids. Jim runs and lift weights and I, well...I do what our foremothers did...I do laundry, prepare 2 meals a day, pick up after my kids constantly, just about everyday lug all 3 gabinos around our neighborhood , I sweep and mop our floors, load the dishwasher, usually don't sit down until 8 o'clock at night. And my kids...they make up for it too, they are up at 7 a.m. and down in bed no later than 8 at night. They take at least a 2 hour nap in the afternoon, but are constantly on the move the other 10 hours. If you've met my two boys, you know I'm not exaggerating!
      So when we {that's me, my children's mom, and Jim, their dad} choose to eat at a fast food restaurant, it's one we know offers healthy options for our kids. We extend the choices we make at home, right into that checkout line. A typical Happy Meal for my kids might include the 4 piece mcnugget or plain hamburger, the apple slices {I keep the caramel dipping sauce to use in recipes at home}, the jug of white milk or the 100% juice apple juice box and I get the yogurt parfaits in lieu of the ice cream to have for dessert.
    I have two solutions to the issue of kids eating poorly. 1.  Educate parents on making healthy choices. They are the ones placing the orders. My kid might kick and scream for a Dr. Pepper like mommy, but ultimately, I am the one the cashier is listening to. And 2nd...if government officials want to make a point about businesses offering healthy options, they should require grocery stores to remove all the candy and high calorie snack choices they have stocked at every single checkout line in America! Seriously! I'm not kidding.

     You know, they stock these aisles with the same mindset as they use to stock the cereal aisle....all the sweet, enticing sugary stuff is along the bottom. Perfect line of site for my little people. I got smart...get the cart with the up-high race car, so they can't put their grubby little paws all over the buckets of sugar. Oh no, these marketers got smarter...we'll put it up high too!

     We'll make all this sugar and lard a "point of sale" item...It's sold the minute you lay eyes on it! It's awful. You can choose what drive-thru you go thru, and for now my kids can't read, so they don't know that this restaurant offers french fries and ice cream and Big Macs, but I can't avoid the checkout lane.
     In the end, it doesn't matter what the restaurant or grocery store checkout lane offers, it's what I, as the parent, decides to offer my child. Don't be scared to tell your child "no," especially if it means nurturing healthy eating habits that they will one day take over themselves.

A day in the life...

     I thought I'd sit and unload on the laptop as I passed through the house. For the second night in a row, Carrie Ann slept through the night! She slept from 8 last night until 5:30 this morning. She's 11 weeks old now, I think. I thought I was supposed to feel more rested, like a new woman. I don't. I know they say you can't "make up" sleep, but it sure would help these nice lines beneath my eyes!
     As I sat and fed CA on the couch this morning, the older boy emerged from the playroom with black marks all over his forehead, "Mommy, can we go on a safari?" Two seconds later, the youngest boy came following him in his shadow...holding a tube of $6 mascara, black brown marks all over his shirt, hands and face. LOVELY! Where in the world did he get that? Well, I know where he got it, but HOW and WHEN, and what else is striped now? What do you do? She's got a great latch, great flow. The little guy heads for my bedroom. As soon I could unlatch the little darling I get to my bedroom just in time to find my nice white down comforter decorated with the little guy's grasping hand. Once again, LOVELY.
     Later, I locked myself in the bathroom to fill out our census form. They've sent us two because we obviously didn't have filling out the first one on the top of our priority list. It's pretty personal. Name, age, address, phone number...of everyone. There are enough blanks for 12 occupants of a household. I wonder what the Duggars do in that case? I have an extra form if they need it!
     On to bills. During snack time I called the hospital billing office to inquire about the note on the bottom of the bill I received from them for Carrie Ann's and my delivery and boarding, etc.  It stated that if you paid within 2 weeks you could receive 10% off. Woohoo...Because I am so prompt and not a procrastinator at all...I called, hoping that they wouldn't notice that yesterday was day 14! I heard the lady, Stephanie, calculating and crunching, pushing buttons on a calculator. I heard, minus 15.....She gave me my total...then said, "and you saved $262.44...WHAT??!.!!! I wasn't even going to ask about the 10% off, I'll take 15!!! Woohoo!!!!!  This made the mascara mishap seem much smaller!
     Then to run errands for the daddy. I quickly loaded the boys and we listened to Barney sing along all the way to the post office and right on over to the bakery for some Sweet Treats!!! My friend Kasey is on bed rest while she is pregnant with her little girl. She has 3 boys and has 19 weeks left in her pregnancy. She starts having contractions every time she gets up and moves around. This particular bakery is Kasey's favorite, I know it would make me smile if I wasn't even allowed to GO SHOPPING!!!  After ALL the work we've done this morning and all the money we've saved, I could definitely afford these calories of my own, so I got us some sweets too!
     Now, I'm headed to Barnes & Noble to find a parenting book on how to get your 3 year old to stop asking SO MANY QUESTIONS.

Yay for Mother's Day Out!

     I don't know how to relax. I just realized that as I was sitting on the couch feeding the baby this morning. I'll elaborate a little. Here goes: First of all, I nurse Carrie Ann, one part because it's good for her, one part because it's cheap, one part because I'm lazy-so it's a cop out...Andrew's dirty diaper needs changing--hun {that's Jim} can you change it...gotta feed the baby! And the rest--best weight loss program on the planet, though I haven't seen the best results from it yet.

    Anyhoot, back to my point. It's Monday night and almost 1 a.m. on Tuesday morning. This Monday was absolutely WONDERFUL. What a blessing! What a treat! Thank you Lord! I don't want it to end! Nobody likes Mondays, but I have come to love them. For the past 3 weeks I have been taking the boys to Mother's Day Out at our church on Monday mornings so I could do whatever mother's are supposed to do "Out." I tend to over analyze some things and choosing to use this "ministry" that my church offers is one of them! I struggled with taking Taylor to MDO. I had a lot of outside voices saying, he needs to get out, you need some you time, you need time alone with Andrew. It came from both sides, in both directions. I felt guilty that I even felt that I needed a mother's day out...God gave me this child, I should be able to take care of him. God equipped me to handle two little boys, by gollie, I should be able to do it.

    When I did take him to MDO, I usually spent the time shopping and spending money. So, financially, that didn't work out too well for the budget. I missed him like crazy. I couldn't stand being at the house without Taylor...it was too quiet, too still. So I quit taking him.

     This time around, same voices, same speech--you really should take the boys to Mother's Day Out. This time around- I need it!!!  I've never understood why they actually floated the idea of Mother's Day Out as a ministry, except for the fact that we do have some unchurched people who bring their children. That's enough said. But how is it a ministry to the mothers who are churched. Well, let me tell you how!

     In previous weeks I have dropped the boys off around 9ish and Carrrie Ann and I have run a million errands that I just haven't been able to do with all three, i.e. grocery shopping, doctor's appointments, clothes shopping, Hobby Lobby, etc. Yesterday I contemplated the necessity of them going this morning. I knew it was going to be a beautiful day and I hated to waste it by not having them here to enjoy it. I didn't have any plans or pressing errands that needed to be completed, so I decided, they'd go, and I'd go grocery shopping, then I'd tackle my housework and laundry! Oh, how easy that will be without stopping every other minute to put out a toddler-sized fire! I'd be super-wife...surely score some points with the hubby if he came home to a sparkling house and clean underwear!
      When I drove away from the house at 8:40 this morning, the washer, dryer and dishwasher were going. As the garage door came down, I prayed that God would protect my house from burning down.
     Somehow, not having kids with you in the grocery store doesn't really make you anymore faster. I seem to have more time to stroll, actually look through coupons, sale papers, compare labels and prices. Plus minus the meltdowns, potty breaks, snacks-----same time people!
     By the time I got the groceries in the house along with the 5 week old sleeping beauty, it's time for her to eat again. So as I sat on the couch, feeding the girl, all the windows open, nice breeze flowing through, I realized, this isn't going to go as fast as I had thought. I didn't factor in feedings when I over analyzed my to-do list! If I counted up the time right, I'd have to feed Carrie Ann like 2 times before I had to be back to pick up the boys. That leaves me with hardly any time to get everything done in the house that I wanted to get done.
    She finally got full, poople and fell asleep and I went to work! I had my Casting Crowns: Until the Whole World Hears cd on repeat. It was great. I was working on a time frame. I still had fine tooth cleaning to do after all our tummy issues over the last week. Six loads of laundry to tackle {I super sort everything}. Working against a sleeping baby is different than working against the clock. You just never know!
    When it was feeding time again, I sat, and finally, relaxed! I turned the music down really low. It was so quiet outside. It was beautiful. I love spring! I could sit, feed my little girl, talk to her, and brush her hair...without a certain toddler climbing on us, snatching and grabbing at the hairbrush. It was precious. Had to hold back tears. Then I realized, this is okay. It's okay Candise. It's okay to relax. It's okay for someone else to entertain your kids today. It's really okay. If they were home, they'd have to be inside with me right now while I feed Carrie Ann, not outside playing, enjoying the beautiful day God blessed us with.
     This is why Mother's Day Out is a ministry! It's helping me get my bearings back. Teaching me to once again, to slow down, take it one minute at a time, enjoy the preciousness that you hold. Enjoy the quietness. Enjoy the time you are getting to spend with the Lord.
    I sat here on the couch, praying, thanking God for my church family, for the ladies who love on my kids when I feel like I am just give out, for the ladies who lead and teach the Bible studies. Thankful for the blessing of Mother's Day Out. When I picked up the boys, I was rejuvinated. It felt great. I was in a good mood!
    It's not about not being able to take care of your kids or needing a break from them {well, maybe}. But sometimes a little breathing space, a little privacy in the bathroom. Some extra time alone with God without interruption. A chance to focus, a chance to complete a task without having to step away--I think that gives us task-oriented folks a sense of peace and accomplishment. So, hats off to those of you who serve through programs like MDO... God Blesses You!

Finally, I blog again!

     Yes, finally! I put a cake in the oven {for Jim, hehehe}, sat down to nurse the baby, the Daddy put the Middle Child down for bed, and played with Bigger Boy, while nursing...looked over at the Daddy, told him I missed My Lemonade Stand...funny---he said he noticed today I hadn't gotten to blog in week!
     The baby fell asleep while nursing, the oven beeped-cake is done. Yum, Nana's Apple Cake smells sooo good. Put sleeping baby in swing, put Bigger Boy down for bed, convince him he doesn't need a lamp to sleep. I return to the living room and I push the power button on my computer. Wow, haven't done that in a while. The Daddy retrieves the cake from the oven. I get all the dressings out for the cake- roast some pecans, cool whip, make some caramel topping, stuff like that.
     That little stinker of a Baby is awake and screaming...OH MY WORD... She has sucked me dry so I made her a bottle. I picked her up to find she had pooped. Upon further inspection, I see that her diaper failed and she's gonna need a sponge bath! Once cleaned, she drinks her bottle, burps and I hand her off to Daddy. I return to the kitchen to find my cool whip had melted on the cake...
    Melted, schmelted! That stuff was good! Wouldn't you know it, as soon as I picked up my computer, typed the word "Finally," and that Baby Girl would start suckling on her daddy's chest...OH MY WORD....I do remember something about a growth spurt around 2 and a half weeks...
     So, if you are wondering how it's going...well, my vacancy from the blogosphere should explain it all. This is it! It's going great! I'm being mommy and wife with very few distractions and very short to-do lists. I've been busy, to say the least, but it's been a good busy. So as I type this out, I have figured out how to rig this Baby Girl up on the left side at the same time...yes, I know...ever the multi-tasker!
     This Baby Girl has been my best nurser, which is great for so many reasons. One, being the best, most natural weight loss plan God ever designed!!! Only problem...all the desserts people keep bringing us! {Don't stop bringing them, oh no...I'm just sayin' is all} 

My Demise

Thanks Lori!

Oh Happy Day!

     My 19-month old, Andrew, just wimpered, he's waking up from his nap, early no less, and my milk let down! Oh, I do love my babies! Ca..razy!
     My mind is fadunkled {I made that word up} today.  God has blessed me immeasurably over my life and especially more so over the last 2 weeks. I gave birth to our third child 10 days ago. That's 3 in 3 1/2 years. Jim and I have decided that now, with three, we are certified nutcases parents...not that one doesn't make you a parent, but now we feel like pros! {Who are we kidding...we're a circus act about to make it to the big top!} We'd like to be done having babies, but we all know Who's really in control of that.
     My friends here in Tupelo, and those from afar-via email/facebook, have gone above and beyond blessing our socks off with their love, generosity and cooking! It looks like Reynolds wrap threw up in our fridge! No lie! I haven't had to crack a pan since I came home from the hospital...except Jim did make me breakfast in bed for my birthday on Sunday. They've come to visit, sit with me, play with my kids {they just want to hold the baby, I know how they are!} remind me that the world still exists even though I am too chicken to leave my house! It's been so great and so wonderful. I can't thank them enough! You girls know who you are! {Cris, Deanna, Tammy, Sandy, Anna, Jennifer, Bebbie, Rebecca, Martha...and the list continues!}
     With new chapters, new changes get to occur. This spring Jim and I will be in the middle of some 180 degree changes in our life, we'll celebrate our 5 year anniversary, new professions, new roles...and me...I've got a new plan! I'm going to slow down.
     I thought Jim was going to spit his chocolate pie out of his mouth last night when I told him that I have loved not getting out, not having any plans, no demands of things to do {this coming from a very task-oriented person}  If bedrest and pregnancy didn't keep me down...being strung out on pain meds {not really, but I was last night}, no sleep and nursing around the clock will! Because I've sat still, my house has been cleaner, Jim says I'm nicer {??}, I've gotten to play on the floor with my boys, concentrate on nursing more.      
     I've made new goals...daily goals...
Like...today I will shower; tomorrow I will empty the trash; I'll do only one load of laundry a day; vaccuum the floors today. So far, it's felt great to mark off on my to-do list...even if there was only ONE thing on it!

    Well, now both of my boys are standing in front of me squalling, with eyes full of tears...I have no idea what they are crying about...don't think they do either...so guess I gotta go save the world!

bye-bye Crib, love Andrew

     Carrie Ann will be here shortly and she'll need a place to sleep, so Andrew had to say goodbye to his crib and hello to the Big Boy Bed!!! It was sad as I folded and put away the blue sheets for what may very well be the very last time ever, tear.
     I documented the transition in preparation to tell you all about it, but it only took us one night!!! Andrew will be 18 months next week so he is moving a month before Taylor did, but he is a better sleeper than T was and he isn't as restless at bedtime either. I'm not a fan of bed rails for my own reasons, I don't want to have to teach them to sleep without a boundary twice. I want to teach them to learn the boundaries from the beginning, to see what it's like to get too close to the edge and also, what it's like to fall off so they try not to fall off the bed. That doesn't work for everyone, but it's worked for us, twice!
     We don't make a big deal of it, just very impromptu, hey tonight we're gonna try the big boy bed...

The first night, after he finally fell asleep 15 minutes after being put down, he had rolled to the side.

I moved him back to middle and checked on him later and he was still there. I put pillows around him in the beginning to help him know where the edges are.

This is the way we found him when he awoke the first morning after his first night in the big boy bed!

This is the way we found him after his nap on the second day!

Lovely hair son!!!

Our big boy seems to be alright...he's only fallen off a few times! But as you can see from these following pics, it hasn't hurt him a bit!!!

Trying to wake his brother up from his nap so he can annoy him!!!

CA is 30 weeks....only 10 more weeks!

     Carrie Ann & I had our 30 week checkup today. In the last two weeks I've gained 5 lbs. According to the Dr.'s office, that's a total of 15...yah, we'll go with that! hehehehe  All seems to be in order. With the exception of  pain due to my 'variscosities' as Dr. T puts it, this has been a relatively fast and uneventful pregnancy. Let's pray it stays this way! I am getting more and more excited about this precious little girl arriving every day! I thought I might share this little pic with you that my friend took today. This is only the 3rd pregnancy profile pic I have taken in all 3 pregnancies. You can consider yourself blessed! haha! Can you tell how low this girl is! Because of this I walk like a crippled penguin!  She weighs about 3 lbs....hmmm...about the size of my Thanksgiving Cornish Hens....

Mom-Up

     His words made me bawl. I had thought the same thing earlier, I thought I was being so selfish when I said it to myseslf, it just sounded different when he said it.  Two young, newlywed couples have recently moved onto our street, we can see one out our front door and the other out our living room window. They come and go, freely it seems. As I came through the foyer this evening, I glanced outside to see the lights on across the street. I wonder what they are up to tonight?  They are a constant reminder of Friday nights when Jim & I were just married, we went to Walmart...that's when we did our grocery shopping. We did everything together. We didn't do anything, but we were always doing nothing together. I can't remember much about those days, except quiet Sunday afternoons and peaceful meals. So this evening, in the midst of the usual dinner table chaos, as I stood at the counter peeling cucumbers, a plate flies, there's a pond of milk on the table and chewed chicken is making its way out of someone's mouth onto my once clean floor. Jim, coming to the rescue with the Swiffer and a towel, says to me, remember what it  was like when it was just us? I tried to hide the stream of tears that began to roll down my cheeks. He heard me sniffle, he wrapped his arms around me. A few moments later he reminded us both that we just have to laugh at some stuff and this supper was one of them!

      I saw a recent FB post of a friend that said "Mom-Up."  I find that very useful for me right now. We think, I'll get it together and grow up when I get married, then we say that once we are married-we'll settle down once we have kids. We think it's an automatic switch that just turns on-click- you're selfless....and you have "mommed-up"  But that is so far from the truth. For someone that is very selfish, I have got a lot of momming up to do. It's a process, an embarrassing one at times. A repititous request I have of the Lord in the mornings before my feet hit the floor is that I would see the shortcomings I have as a mom and that I would have wisdom to correct them-and in the process my kids are not scarred for life as a result of them! I do all the things I said pre-children that I would never do. I forget I even have kids sometimes. I get so wrapped up in myself and what I am doing or the conversation and don't even realize my child has his head stuck in the vending machine- (hypothetically speaking)! I love my little boys more than you could imagine, there's no doubt about that, but there comes a time, when I have to get over myself and mom-up! I don't have the mommy instincts that people like, Michelle Duggar have, or Jim's mom and sisters even. Gentleness, patience and caring words do not come easy for me. I came from a tough love kind of family and that's all I know. I have a lot to learn. A long way to go. I need to work harder at it. My friend and I had a conversation about this same thing this very week. She admitted she didn't have the mommy instinct either. It was great, well not great, but I realized I wasn't alone! We're both on this difficult journey of momming-up together.

     I think it's a good thing that I can't really recall the quietness Jim & I had before our boys arrived in our lives. Maybe it was too quiet.  I just hope and pray that we can be godly examples to our new neighbors and friends. Allowing them to see that there's good and bad, the journey isn't easy at times. But that having a family, chaotic as it may sound through our windows at dinner time, is an absolute joy and one of the greatest blessings in the world.

An old glass of lemonade...for a day when you think you've had a bad day!

Written September 4, 2009, re-posted

     It was just one of those mornings. You know, one of those that you wish you could just crawl up in God's lap and let Him put the hair back in that you have pulled out!
     I have nothing in life to complain about, so I am sharing this with you comically, because I know I am not alone!
     I awoke to Jim asking me to come HELP! Andrew had gagged on his snot and he needed me. I whisked Andrew away to the bathroom for a bath while Jim cleaned up the kitchen. All is great. Jim is out the door, but uh oh...I forgot his lunch. Then it began....I sat at the table to write a quick grocery list, obviously we needed some cough medicine, lysol, and germ-X. We were out of everything...I had to go.     
     I got sick while making this list and while I was in my lavatory, Taylor brought me the kitchen scissors, said he couldn't find his. I sent him back to the kitchen to put all the tops on his markers. He quickly returns naked...he has to go potty. Are you serious? Okay...I'm still sick, you just have to wait. I emerge from my room, finding him in his bathroom and Andrew, the 1 year old, clutching a soaked piece of construciton paper....Where in the world did this come from....Taylor--I don't know. I chunk it. Okay....As I am gathering my coupons from the kitchen table, getting my bag ready, Taylor comes smiling impishly saying, Mommy, I fixed all your coupons....What he should have said was, Mommy, I strew all 100 of your coupons all over your bed, doesn't it look nice? He got sent to time out...but this 3 year old didn't go to the right time out...he went to the living room chair, climbed up the tv cabinet and got Mr. Potato Head and his 42 pieces down and poured them out on the entire floor (This is a not only a no-no because if has 42 stinkin' pieces, but the small parts are too small for Andrew...). As I am cleaning up the coupons, I come to find Taylor's new mess, then I hear Andrew...he's playing in a potty somewhere...ahh...there he is in the front bathroom and what in the world are you sitting in...the bathroom and mudroom floor are covered, with what I am hoping, but I am not naive, is just potty water! Not only that, some inovative kid in my house has taken all the white caps off the bolts that cover your bolts that hold your toilet to the ground and put them in an empty wipe box and Andrew has decided that's the best toy to play with at the time. Taylor couldn't tell me what kind of water it was....Andrew...back to the bath!
     I sop up the floor with paper towels, then get the Swiffer mop with the antibacterial spray. As I am mopping, I smell throw up....OH MY GOODNESS....this is the same mop pad Jim used this morning to clean up throw up!!!! LOVELY!!!!!!!!! Sick Again.....So I just sprayed bleach on everything and mopped it up with a clean pad!
     So then, I'm ready to go...Taylor now in the proper time out chair...in my room...except he has gotten onto the top of my dresser and destroyed a picture frame and crumpled 2 family portraits nearby that were awaiting frames....To the car and not a word.....I even packed my paddle with me today...I was ready for whatever.
     I got in the car and just laughed...This all happened within a span of 20 minutes! I called Jim...I needed him....It was a legitimate reason for him to leave work...unlike the time there was a giant millipede in the garage...Andrew and I are sick and Taylor is well....a 3 year old!....He didn't answer, I think he knew not to!
     As I drive to the grocery store...I realize...Candise...this isn't the way to the grocery store, this is the complete opposite direction....Turning around, I am praying that I just don't lose it in the grocery store and burst into tears in the produce aisle.
     I didn't know whether to cry or to just laugh...at a red light, I just sat in silence and prayed and asked God to help me hold it together.
     God has given me a great sense of humor, I think just so I can laugh at mornings like these and not get so uptight! I hope your day started off a little less eventful as mine!!!

To be a fly on our bathroom wall in the mornings!

Our precious Taylor turned 3 in August and he amazes us everyday with his knowledge and wit! He challenges us with his high-impact energy and zeal, but at the end of the day, we miss him when he goes to bed and can't wait to see him when the morning is new! Enjoy these snipits from our life with a spunky 3 year old!

If I hear the word football one more time I am going to scream! Taylor-But mommy, I love football. ~~SCREAM~~  Taylor bursts into tears and latches onto his daddy's leg. Jim just looks at me wide-eyed with his toothbrush in his mouth, like, what did you do to the poor kid? Well, at least Andrew thought it was funny. But I was serious. All I have heard this weekend is football, football, football. Taylor woke up with the sun on Sunday morning and I heard him in the living room playing football with his 2 Mr. Potato heads, Okay Gavin, Carson, Addie, Tyler-get on the field. We're going to get bad muddy. I rolled over and covered my head with the pillow-you have got to be kidding me! It's like 6 a.m. and the first thing I hear is football! When the tears stopped and the hyperventilating was over, Taylor asked me if I was going to get time-out for screaming at him. Jim laughed. Uh, no, I'm not, I really am tired of hearing it. I turned to Jim and exclaimed that the Lord definitely knew that I needed this little girl and that she is going to have nothing to do with football but I was going to dowse her with pink and all we were ever going to talk about were dancing and tutus! He bent down to Taylor's level and said, you tell mommy, uhuh, we are going to have Carrie Ann playing every sport we do! Taylor just laughed and said YAH!
***
Taylor interrupted our nap on Sunday afternoon by crawling up into the middle of our bed and burroughing himself deep beneath the covers. When he emerged  I asked him if he was excited he was going to have a baby sister soon. He smiled, reached for my cell phone and proceeded to call someone. I asked him who he was calling. He said he was calling to ask for a brother, not a sister!
***
Yesterday afternoon I as I was leaving Taylor's room from scolding him for playing during his naptime, he stuck his head out from under the covers and in a whining, very crying voice asked, Mommy? Who let the dawgs out? 
***
Taylor asked me if his papaw was old. He's 78 so I had no problem saying, yes Taylor, he is old. Am I old mommy? No Taylor, you're not. So I'm new?
***
Going to the potty one day and Taylor says, Mommy, my poo-poo lives inside me. It's in my bum!
***
Taylor, who is the coach of the Green Wave? Tebow. No, Tebow plays for Florida. What about Coach Casey, does he coach the Green Wave? No the Packers. Jim, you have got some explaining to do for your son!

To be continued...

5 Month Old Toenails...

There are just some things as new parents that Jim and I had to learn on our own. Like, you have to cut your baby's toenails, preferrably before they are 5 months old! We were given lots of books and parenting advice out the wazoo, but never, ever were we told we needed to cut his toenails. Who knew? I mean, we knew to cover him quickly when his weewee was exposed, to put a hat on in the cold, no peanut butter for the first year. What to Expect the First Year never mentions toenails!!!! It was a cool day and we had taken a stroll down on the National Mall in D.C. and for some reason I had Taylor's socks off and realized his toenails were so long they were curling down over his toes! Can you picture it! OH MY WORD. I couldn't find a way quick enough to blame this on Jim-but I mean, after all, he is supposed to be the leader of this family! J/K. You try clipping 5 month old toenails on a 5 month old-it isn't easy! So all you mamas and poppsies out there who are withholding advice from new parents for fear of information overload, just remember, sometimes the most basic principles of grooming a baby are lost in all the wash! (Picture of Taylor in December 06- 5 Months Old!)

Potty Training tip #46 - bowl fresheners

Have you seen those commercials for the Scrubbing Bubbles-Toilet Cleaning Gel? While visiting a friend's house recently, I was amazed at how good those things made her bathroom smell. So when our budget allowed, I got me some! Don't know how well they clean, but they sure do entertain Taylor while he is on and- off the potty! As with all little boys, when teaching them to keep their weewee pointed toward the water, an object always helps! Oh yah...he wants to shoot the little green cleaning thing! And you ask, what do you mean, entertains him while he is off the potty? Well...our Sunday afternoon nap was interrupted by Taylor needing to go potty- so we sent him into our bathroom. He's big enough to go on his own and if he goes poopy, he usually calls us, telling us he is finished. We kept hearing him in there, sounded like a plunger...we don't own a plunger..hmmm...what in the world is that sound... I run into the bathroom to find a 3 year old bare bum sticking up in the air. His other end was completely down in the potty! He's talking, it's all echoey and muddled...Taylor, what in the world are you doing? He pops up, Hey mommy, maybe I'm just smelling the air freshener! OH MY WORD. Pertinent lesson I never thought I'd have to teach my child-We don't put our head down into the toilet! Why not mommy? Because it's just gross-go ask your daddy!

Mother of the Year-not quite

It happened. The thing every parent dreads and prays never happens. We let Andrew wander off in a crowded area. It was the classic I thought you had him scenario. All fingers aside, Andrew wasn't with either of us. Panic mode on the inside. Hold back the tears, keep it together on the outside. Then the horrible thoughts flood your mind-What kind of mama are you? You are supposed to be watching him. He is a precious gift-how irresponsible. You are off in your own little world, once again, not paying attention to the the moving world around you. How can you be so selfish to think about yourself in a time like this. Then you pray those prayers you thought you'd never have to pray- Oh Lord, You know exactly where he is, keep him safe. Please bring him back to us. Do I listen to the announcer to call for the parents of an adorable little boy who was found, do I scream out to everyone, HAS ANYONE SEEN A LITTLE BOY, THIS TALL? What was he wearing? Keep those tears back, don't lose it now. Where is he? And again, I owe my life to Martha Ann! She found him! Thank You Lord!!! He wasn't far away, but in a crowd that size, for a 1 year old, it was miles! We regrouped, I had to break the tension. So I raised my hand and shamefully accepted my award for the Mother of the Year Award!

Successes, Failures & Hope-a little bit of it all

     Somedays you feel successful as a mom and wife, other days you feel like a complete failure. It's all relative, what success is. To me, if I've loved on my kids all day and given them the attention they deserve,  and so fervently desire, then I feel I was a successful mommy that day. If my husband has to get the bread and peanut butter out of the pantry after supper, I feel like a failure, I'm supposed to feed the man! Failure is when I have spent more time on the tasks of being wife and mommy than fulfilling the actual duty. It's a fine balance that I'm not sure I will ever achieve, but by golly, I'm gonna try!
     Often, naptime comes and I ask myself, whoa, did I even say one positive thing to Taylor today? Did I work with Andrew on his words? Is there something Jim has been asking me to do that has slipped my mind? I think it's important to evaluate yourself, assess the need for change, the need to hug your kids more, look for areas of improvement!
     Other days, like today, I was able to start my day off the right way-Praising the Giver of Life before my feet even hit the ground! Not that being able to do this means you will have a successful day, I can testify to that, but it definitely puts you in the right mindset, you've made contact with the Father. Made Him your first priority. That is key!

     I knew today was successful when both my boys were so tired they made absolutely no fuss when they went down for their naps. Whew! I haven't had a shower, just sat down since...7:30ish, still have my glasses on and the living room looks like the storm that is brewing out west has already come and gone! But, I sit in amazement, Taylor got some t.v. time-the only time he will actually sit still and give his voice a rest, so it's important for him and me! Andrew got his morning nap, both boys got some much needed Vitamin D outside, there were veggies at lunch and best of all...there weren't any spankings today! When I couldn't play one more round of soccer with Taylor I decided they'd probably like a bath...and I could sit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

     So it's 3:30, my precious darlings are napping, are squeaky clean, supper for 2 families is warming on the stove and not a single dirty dish needs to be washed! Now I consider that a successful day. Come tomorrow, when I have company coming, grocery shopping and extra cooking to do, well, that might just be another story! Praise the Lord for His mercies that are new each day!

Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. “ The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “ Therefore I hope in Him!” Lamentations 3:22-24 NKJV