Our Week In Pictures Part 1



82 Degrees Outside, Perfect Reason for her to wear her first dress!!





Sleepy Girl



She finally gave in



Kade has discovered a new love for cake








To be precise, stealing mommy's icing...




...And then stealing the whole piece




Beyond worn out after a long playdate




Kyleigh & Brady playing




They were not quite sure why Kade wouldn't sit for the picture.




Not a happy camper.




Kyleigh being the happy baby she is.





Kitty massaging the dog pillow pet.



Kade's Earplugs

Kade's New Earplugs. They fit perfect. We are officially ready for summertime and long days spent in the pool! Hopefully we won't have anymore ear infections.

Disney Movie Rewards

About a year ago, Josh and I went out on a date and decided to go buy Kade some new movies. He had gotten bored with the ones he had and we constantly had to switch movies out over the course of the day. When we got home that night, we opened all the cases and put the DVDs in his DVD wallet (we keep all of our movies in DVD wallets to save space & make it easier to get to several at once).

I noticed that all of his Disney movies had rewards codes inside with details about how to earn free rewards. I figured since it was free and we buy do many Disney movies and shows on DVD it was worth checking into.

First you start by registering at www.disneymovierewards.com. After that, it's as simple as entering all of the codes for Disney movies you have. Even some adult movies by Disney have the codes included.

Since we started using the rewards program, we've managed to get 3 Handy Manny DVDs, The Pacifier, 2 Little Einstein DVDs, Valiant, The Gamr Plan & Home on the Range is currently on its way. They have a wide variety of rewards, down to tours of the disney resorts and it's 100% free.

I wanted to share this with my mommy friends. It only takes a few minutes and your Disney purchases pay back for themselves.

Sickness

Last Sunday, I started having some issues with coughing, sore throat & runny nose.  I made the decision to go to the doctor so i could nip this in the bud before it got too nasty. Both the kids & myself had just gotten over a viral upper respiratory infection just two weeks before.  Needless to say, it's absolutely difficult to be sick and tending to housework, cooking & my two young children. That week was rough.

Before I got a chance to finish my Z-Pack, Kyleigh got a little cough. Nothing much I was overly worried about since she tends to cough when anybody around her coughs to be goofy. The next morning her cough had worsened and Kade started hacking every bit as bad as she was. I managed to get the kids in with the doctor just 2 hours later. I was told that both of them had yet another viral upper respiratory infection. This time I was almost back to myself and figured it would be easier this time. Not the case. This time they were both double-whammied with a bit of a stomach bug as well.

Kyleigh has thrown up several times & Kade only once. My past week and few days have been full of Pedialyte, Pediasure, Triaminic, Motrin, Tylenol. Not to mention a can of Lysol Disinfecting Spray, Lysol Wipes, many baths for everyone (being covered in baby vomit is NOT a pleasant feeling or smell) and loads of laundry.

Our main issue now is using our saline drops, suction bulbs, staying hydrated & trying to convince my two year old to wash his hands and cough inside his shirt to keep his germs to himself. As well as trying to get us all back into the groove of everyone sleeping all night long.

I have my work cut out for me. Hopefully my next post will come from a more-tested & congestion-free lady.

Earplugs & Puppy Dogs

Since Kade's surgery to have his tubes put in, his speech has gotten significantly better!! He is learning so much and actually able to hear what we are saying in order to repeat it. I hate that it took so long for them to figure out what was causing his delays in speaking but nonetheless, it's fixed now.

One thing he has learned is that he loves puppies. He says the word "puppy" with the sweetest, most innocent tone I've ever heard. It absolutely melts my heart to hear him say it. The movie "Marley & Me" has become his favorite. He goes to his DVD case and insists we watch the puppy movie. We watch it at least 3 times a day now. We've also come to the conclusion that we are ready for a dog. We are about to put up a chain link fence and since Kade loves them, why not? Within the next few weeks, that will be a post I'm sure.

Back to Kade's ears, we've recently had another ear infection. We bought some earplugs from the doctor at Kade's pre-op appointment to keep the water out of his ears. Those obviously didn't do their job. We've also noticed even more drainage since that infection.

So Monday, we went back to Dr. Saccogna. This time to have a set of custom earplugs made. Interesting visit. Having to hold your two year old still for one minute, Kade at that. He chose Clemson purple and orange swirl for his plugs, which made me very proud. We expect the plugs to be in by next week so hopefully we will be DONE with ear infections! Fingers are crossed!

JUST A Mom?? Think Again.

Many people who ask me what i do for a living believe that staying at home with my children means i'm like the typical television housewife.  As much as i LOVE Desperate Housewives & Days of Our Lives, my day is not as easy-breezy. I've often been told how "easy" i have it and yes, i do to an extent.  I wouldn't rather be anywhere in the world than with my children, however, it is a very energy-consuming job.  My father, the most hard-working man I know, admits himself that taking care of a child is much more demanding than having a full-time job.  It's the people who often hassle me about when I'm going to get a "real job" and go to work that bug me.

The best thing you can do for your children is to be at home with them. I worked for three months before Kade was one and it was very difficult on Kade & myself to adjust to after being together for the first 8 months of his life.  Finally, it got to the point where it was actually costing us for me to work, rather than benefitting us.  And now, having two kids in daycare is ridiculous.  Between the $400-600 you have to pay out per child to send them, you have to factor in diapers, pull-ups, wipes, bottles, sippy cups, meals & formula to leave at and send to the school.  Then figure out how much gas you'll be using to take them to and from daily in addition to your drive to work and it's very likely that you won't have much of an income afterwards.  I know not everyone is as lucky as myself to be able to stay at home.  I have a husband whose income provides for a family of four by itself.  Also, i'm not much of spender myself.  I don't need an "allowance" to spend on myself.  We are also budgeting since i am staying at home full-time and am able to do so.  All of our money at the end of the month goes towards our dream home we will hopefully have built and be living in within the next two years.  The fact that we have money left over at the end of the month leaves me with a sense of accomplishment that we have managed to make it through the month, with no struggle, and still have something to show for it. I love my family & i only want the best for all of us.

Back to the "easy" days i have.  My typical day consists of 10-20 trips to the potty with my toddler, changing 15-20 diapers, changing 20+ DVDs and shows, preparing approximately 15 bottles & sippy cups, baths for myself and both kids, several outfit changes per child, laying out many meals & snacks for Kade periodically through the day, cooking supper for my husband to come home to after work and preparing his lunch for the following day, dishes, tending to the cat, planning menus and grocery lists, laundry, sweeping, mopping & vacuuming.

Being a full-time mom is a very rewarding and demanding job, even moreso when you do it for a living.  I am my childrens':: alarm clock when we have appointments or playdates, personal live-in chef, maid, teacher & translator, nurse/boo-boo kisser/band-aid applier, disciplinarian, bodyguard, chauffeur, event coordinator, hairdresser, photographer, personal assistant, snuggle buddy, butt-wiper, and in addition i also bring toys back to life via new batteries. So the next time you assume that a stay-at-home mother/housewife lives the luxurious life of those women portrayed on tv, think again.

...Just another manic Monday....

It has definitely been one of those days where I just wish I had just laid down and cried all day. Friday Kade started having a lot of congestion. At first I had passed it off as the drainage expected as a result of his surgery on Thursday. Then Saturday morning, I woke up with a miserable, burning sore throat. Then Sunday afternoon, Kyleigh decided to join us with a nasty hacking cough.


I decided we all needed a trip to our doctor's office where it was confirmed that all of this nastiness is viral and was passed right through the house, skipping only the cat & my husband. Lucky dog for sure!! Now Kyleigh is struggling to keep anything down and we are all hacking & snot-nosed.


One word to describe my day :: Yucky!!