Rockstar Mom

I'm not gonna lie, I feel kinda weird doing a post about myself. Taking pictures of myself, really weird. Let's be honest, I'm just not as cute as my girlies are. Anyways, I just discovered something I want to share. I've been Pinterest-ing? it up looking for an easy hairstyle. I don't have gorgeous locks, I have limp, straight, volume-less hair. Its true, and I've accepted it so don't try to tell me otherwise. I've always wanted the "tousled" look, but I just can't get it without perming my hair. This hairstyle I've dubbed "Rockstar Mom" because pretty much you need to stay in your home for this to work. It involves bobby pinning nine little buns into your hair, not particularly attractive. Here is how you can do this look, and you CAN do it, cuz its so super easy.

• Put some form of product in your slightly damp hair, gel, mousse, even plain ol' hairspray, just something.
• Twist each section of hair away from your face and roll it into a bun. It does NOT have to be pretty, just a bun. I have really thin hair so all of my hair fit into nine buns, but if you've got thicker hair you might want to do a few more.
• Secure with a bobby pin
• Walk around your house, make some bread, do a load or two of laundry. Your hair just needs to start drying
  
• After a few hours, take your blow dryer (preferably with a diffuser, but it could work without, I don't know) and blow the buns to speed up the drying (you could do this periodically throughout the day too)
  
• Take the bobby pins out and continue to diffuse your hair.
• Flip your head over while blow drying and wiggle your fingers through the roots to break up the hair.
  
• Whip your head back to maximize the volume, and spray with hairspray.
• VOILE! You're a Rockstar
  

This was the result today, with unwashed hair (no, I do not shower every day. don't judge.), just sprayed with a spray bottle.

This was yesterday (excuse the crazy eyes...), I think it turned out better yesterday right after the shower, after letting my hair air dry almost completely. Lets not talk about my studded top and black leggings to make me feel even MORE like a Rockstar.

I really want someone to try this out and let me know how it turned out for you!

(Maybe you could do this at night, wrap a silk scarf around your head and sleep on it? I'll buy a silk scarf and try it out.)

Side Note: Not that anyone would necessarily
want to, but if you do want to "Pin" this, please
don't. Since my blog is public I don't want it
circulated more than it already is. Thanks!

Thots.

K, I'm going to write this real fast while the chocolate shell on my ice cream is hardening.

Here are a few thoughts I've had. I know you're interested.

• I won't ever NOT be a mother ever again. Weird.
• Even almost four months later, I still find it strange how I only go to the bathroom maybe twice a day. Its still weird not being pregnant.
• Along with that, I still find it strange how I have so much energy. I just got so used to being tired ALL of the time.
  
• I'm glad the thing that I LOVE to do (hair) is something I can do and still do another thing that I LOVE (be a mom). Nice!
• I hate it when Nate gets home late, but if he gets to take Friday off (or come home early) it makes it all worth it.
• Is there anything sweeter than your baby smiling up at you after she's done nursing? Let me answer: No, there is not.
  
• I don't like being paranoid about my downstairs neighbors. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. I'd rather not get after my child for acting her age, thank you very much. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.
  
• I h.e.a.r.t. Craigslist! Post on my findings is coming.
• I also h.e.a.r.t. chocolate shell on brownie ice cream. So I'm going to go eat it and watch Parenthood.

Have a good night!

Bumbo Girl

We never had a Bumbo chair for Rachael, so its been fun taking all of these cute pictures of Whitney sitting up. She has the prettiest smile, and her eyes literally light up when she does. Its easier to see in person than just a picture, but we sure adore this little girl and her sweet personality!

(Can I just give a shout out to Craigslist? Ten bucks for this Bumbo, what a deal!)

Bawoo, hoh-se, and zoo

Friday September 16 was a GREAT day. It was the day after Nate's tax deadline and they have this awesome thing called "Flex Fridays." That's when you can take Friday off if you've already worked your 40 hours and there are no more deadlines. Sweet! So we decided to do something fun as a family. We we wanted to go to the Santa Ana Zoo and we were out of the house by 11. We headed to Costco, then decided to wait to go to the Zoo at two so we could get half price. To kill time, we headed to the Orange County Great Park or something like that... Its pretty cool, they have this HUGE orange balloon that takes you 400 feet high and a Carousel. Both for FREE! Who doesn't love that? Rachael LOVED the carousel, I HATED taking her off of it (a fit was pitched), and we all loved the balloon ride. We left at one to head for the Zoo, and ended up waiting 30 minutes to get in cheaper. It was fun, nothing too fantastic. The big exhibit was the Anteaters. The female had a baby in April so it was fun to see the baby riding on her back. They do that for ten months, I think. I'm glad my kids don't do that... That whole day (and every day since) Rachael has been asking for "Bawoo, hoh-se, and zoo." She has also been asking for "Gwah, Pah, and Zee" (Grandma, grandpa, and Lindsey. Good thing we get to see them all this coming weekend, YAY!) I love family outings and I'm excited to find more family favorite places!How cute are my girls?? Pretty darn, right?

Noisy

So, apparently, we're noisy. Our downstairs neighbor just came up to request that we control our three year old a little better. Ok, she didn't say it like that, but it was clearly implied. She had a rough day today, and Rachael has already woken her four month old baby up twice today.
I'm really not MAD, and not super annoyed, just bugged. And I also understand where she is coming from, but all I can say is this: What would you like me to do? She's three.
It is a known fact to mothers of toddlers, they get wound up when bedtime starts to roll around. Trust me, downstairs neighbor, no one wants her to be calm more than me, but at around 7, after she's passed her crazy tantrum throwing time of the day, she gets hyper. It doesn't help that daddy comes home at that time and she wants to play with him, and I want to let her play with him. She said that she realizes that in about two years she'll have to deal with her kid being crazy, but still... she doesn't understand what it takes to control an uncontrollable child. And its only going to get worse as Whitney becomes mobile.
I have two suggestions: 1: purchase a noisemaker 2: move to a place where you won't be inconvenienced by other people's obnoxious children.
It was Nate who answered the door (I'm still in my jammies with mascara half way down my face and bra-less... My current appearance would not have helped her bad day.) and he basically told her that we'll do our best. I love him. He totally gets me, and is nicer than me. And we really will try, but we didn't promise anything. We currently have Primary songs playing, hoping to calm the crazies inside of Rachael down.
Someday we'll have our own place where our children can run wild without annoying anyone but me. Someday... But for now we'll just have to tough out this year lease we've got and next time move to a floor level apartment so we can deal with other people's noise, not them dealing with ours.

It also didn't help that Rachael has been
crazy running around in just her panties.
We're so white trash.

Advice?

Ok, I need some advice. I don't usually ask for advice, in fact, I want the onesie that says, "My mom doesn't want your advice" for my babies to wear because I HATE getting advice from strangers when they clearly don't know my situation OR how I'm trying to raise my kids. (ie: Grumpy lady in Church who told me to take my NOT screaming toddler out of Sacrament Meeting. We, as her parents, have decided to not remove our children from S.M. with the slightest noise because that teaches them that if they make noise, they get to leave church. No no no. So, if you don't like the loud children in the back [because we showed up late and didn't get a comfy seat because we have um, CHILDREN. And we're not the only ones...] why don't you go sit on the front row so you can enjoy the meeting??) ANYWAYS! Basically, I don't love advice, I'd rather find my own path. But now I need it, because I'm an ignoramus when it comes to the P.T.

POTTY TRAINING
dun... dun... dun...

Ugh, bane of my existence. We've tried P.T. three, count 'em THREE, times before now, all with no success and a LOT of frustration. But apparently she's ready and doing a great job! (I hope I didn't just jinx it, cuz I really do believe in jinxing since I've had kids) She goes most of the day going #1 and #2 in the potty, unless we go out, and with occasional "I"m going to stand right beside the toilet and pee on this toy, just to see what happens." Yeah, good stuff. My question is, when can I trust her to go out in public w/o a diaper/pull up? We went for a walk the other day and didn't even make it across the street before she #2'd her panties. She even "tried" right before we walked out the door. Ugh.

Side note: they say to not get after your
kids when they have an accident.
That.
Is.
Hard.

So basically, all you mommies who have endured this potty training adventure, what should she be doing when I can trust her to not have an accident when we're not at home? I'm thinking maybe 3 days accident free? Also, how do I get her to not be so scared of the public toilets?

(She still won't use her words to tell me she has to go, she usually just runs in and does it. But when we're in public she doesn't know what to do and can't tell me. Maybe that's the main problem. Ok, that is most definitely the main problem.)

On a happier note, Whitney woke up dry this morning. Not joking. I seriously think Whitney is going to be ready to be potty trained before she's 18 months old. She hates having a wet/dirty diaper, where Rachael is completely content to sit in her own filth all day long.

Chit Chat

Adorable

I freaking love this kid. She is such an angel.

Get Over It

So lately I've been thinking about things I've done wrong when raising my kids. Ok, not wrong, just things I wish I would have done that I didn't do. There is a LOT. But here are some things I need to get over, and not just about kids, about life.

• That I didn't blog thru my first pregnancy/Rachael's first three months of life.
• That I haven't kept track of every single paper from the Pediatrician stating the girl's stats. I don't know how big Rachael was when she was two months old, and that makes me sad.
• That I haven't taken pictures of my girls in the same outfits. Some, but not too much...
• That I don't have any coordinating furniture. Our life has just been crazy, and this is the first time ever that we've had a steady income, therefore we have a crazy mixture of furniture/decor.
• That I can't go back in time and do all of the DANG cute ideas I see on pinterest.
• That we don't have a second car... This is a BIG one to get over.
• That Rachael loves Mickey Mouse more than she loves to read. Believe me, I've tried to read to her in the middle of the day, she wants none of it. Only bedtime.
• That Rachael isn't in school anymore, therefore I don't get a break in the morning... Also a big one.

How do I keep myself from beating myself up over these things? The guilt that comes with motherhood is RIDICULOUS!

Three Years and Three Months

In my completely unbiased opinion, I have the most gorgeous girls in. the. world.

Rachael at three years old

Whitney at three months old.
(What?? Where did the time go?)

I really love getting these pictures taken. I love the simplicity of them. Don't get me wrong, I love the girly girl ruffles and bows, but for these milestone pictures, I just like to keep it simple so you can see the child, not just their outfit or the huge bow on their head. There is nothing cuter than a genuine smile, so I try to keep these low key.

Ducks and Just Plain Sweet

On Sunday evening we went to a nearby lake and fed the ducks and geese. Rachael LOVED it! I was kind of in panic mode because she was getting so close to the edge of the water, but we all came out completely dry. This will definitely be something we do often.

And here is my sweet little angel baby. I'm so thankful to have such a good baby. She loves her big sister so much and smiles whenever she sees her. Or if Whitney is crying, then Rach pitches a fit, Whitney will stop crying until Rachael has gotten it out. Seriously, if babies are patient, Whitney is definitely a patient baby. I love her more and more each day!

The girls went to the doctor today. Rachael is just over 39 inches tall (90th percentile) and just under 39 pounds (95th percentile). Whitney is just over 25 inches (97th percentile) and weighs 14.8 pounds (97th percentile) and her head is 41 1/2 cm (I think 85th percentile). They're both tall, evenly proportioned, healthy girls! Man, oh man, it is SO sad watching your baby getting shots. Rachael didn't need any shots, just the flu nose mist and a toe prick to check her iron, but Whitney needed FOUR shots, plus one orally. The saddest part about it was she was giving the nurse a huge smile right when the needle went in. :( She hasn't been too grumpy today with her sore little legs, just not napping so good, which I can understand.
Rachael has her last day of pre-preschool tomorrow. In just these three weeks she's been going to class she's improved SO much! She's using a few two word sentences, like thank you (dit doo), and been trying to say more words. Don't hurt me for saying this, but I secretly hope she doesn't get any better because she still really needs to get into this district program. Hopefully I still ride my bike even though I won't have to go pick her up anymore. Trips to the park I suppose...

What Would Your Sign Say?

My wonderful sister-in-law, Heidi, shared this link on her blog. You should really read this. It says that its long, but its not too bad. So, my friends, look away from Pintrest for five minutes and read this article! Truly inspiring.


I'm really trying to think of what my sign would say... I'll share it with you when I think of it. This one she's wearing gets pretty close though...