Random Picture Challenge

It's time for another random picture challenge. This week we are going to pick the 44th picture in our November 2007 file. My 44th picture is of my cousins kids Miss Molly and Miss Sydney. They were just being silly little girls for the camera while we were celebrating Thanksgiving. Fun little girls!

Ten Months

Wow The Hulk is ten months old! Can you believe that??? I know neither can I. It has just flown by. Somedays it feels like yesterday that I got the call that he was my little guy. I remember that first drive home with him and how nervous and excited I was. How can he be 10 months old? But he is. And what a marvelous 10 month old he is. We took his 10 month pictures today and that was a real adventure. How I photograph other peoples kids with no problems is beyond me. He really gave me a run for my money today. After 271 pictures I ended up with 22 I like. So here are a few pics and few fun The Hulk 10 month old facts....



The Hulk weighs 26 pounds!
He wears 24 months/2T clothes!!!
He does a mean army crawl!



He eats everything except for quick oatmeal. He HATES and I mean HATES the quick oatmeal you microwave that comes in the flavors like Brown Sugar or Peaches and Cream!
He does love millet, old fashioned oats, and brown rice.
The Hulk thinks our dog Lena is the best thing in the world.


He still sleeps through the night going to bed at 6:00 and waking up about 7:00.
He takes a morning nap and an afternoon nap.
He loves bathtime
He likes to read books

Balls are his favorite toy
He won't keep shoes on
He likes to snuggle and wrestle



He says hi and da da and kurwa. I know you think Kurwa isn't a word but it is. It is a polish word!
He loves being outside
And he adores his mama!

What Have You Been Doing?

Okay I have to admit that I haven't been doing what you all think I've been doing. I'm sure you think that I've used all this time off to organize my cabinets, bake bread from scratch and help the needy. Okay I'll be honest I've done a little of that. I have gotten all of The Hulk clothes sorted and shipped out to needy families. I have baked banana bread and pumpkin spice bread. And when all of the plastic cups fell out of the cabinet on my head yesterday I did take the time to sort them and place them back nicely in the cabinet.

But what I have been doing a lot of is puzzles! I love puzzles. Okay honestly it's a love hate relationship that I have with puzzles. I love it when I finish a puzzle. But in the process I get very frustrated. And at least twice in the midst of the puzzle putting together I swear I'm never doing it again. But once it's done I'm thrilled. I love the process of puzzles. I love that you start out with a bunch of random pieces and end up with a finished product. I'm a dork like that.

Puzzles also remind me of my mom. We used to do lots of puzzles together when I was a kid. She was good at puzzles. And when she was sick we all did a lot of puzzles. The crazy aunts and I would spend hours doing puzzles while mom slept. We even had a special "puzzle board" made so we could move the puzzles around and still use the dining room table. So I'm from a family of puzzle dorks. It must be a genetic quality.

So I finished this puzzle up last night. I swore I wouldn't ever do one again. But it came in a pack of five and I can't leave those other four alone and broken. So I put this one away today and started another. Crazy, crazy!!!

Feeding The Hulk

Feeding The Hulk is one of my favorite things to do. When he first came home I loved giving him his bottles. For the first while I was the only one that fed him. It was a bonding thing for me. I was probably a little weird about it. I would only let Heather feed him if I couldn't. And I would always sit in the same chair and sing songs while he ate. Well and I would make up some crazy food that was in the bottle. Sometimes he got mashed potatoes and other times it was blueberry pancakes. It was just nice. Feeding him.

Feeding him is still one of my favorite things but for many other reasons. There is no longer sweet little lullabies being sung. And I don't joke about blueberry pancakes because now he really will eat blueberry pancakes! So no joking allowed. Now he does a lot of his own feeding and he has gotten fairly good at it. He can double fist bananas and slam them down faster than any kid I've ever seen. And mandarin oranges... you better watch out. He will bite ya if you try to take one off of his tray.

One thing that I love about feeding him now is the sound he makes. I swear with every bite I give him he makes this MMMMMM sound. With EVERY bite! It makes me feel like the best millet making sweet potato mashing mom in the world. I love that sound! He is so silly! I also love being able to watch him grow into this independent creature. What a blessing! He still needs me to feed him when a spoon is necessary but it's so cool to watch him take charge and do things himself. I never knew how proud that would make me! Kids rock! And while he is doing well at self feeding we still have a ways to go. Sometimes The Hulk misses his mouth as you can see below...

Photo Fun

I had a fun photo shoot with Caden and Kaylee last week. They are both getting so big! Miss Kaylee was hilarious during the pictures. The entire time she would just say in this little voice cheese. Over and over. It was cracking me up. So here are a few of my favorite shots of them.

Odd Weekend

It has been one strange weekend at our house. The Hulk has changed so much in the last week and a half. It's really weird! It's like this huge developmental explosion. He is moving so much more which means he is into everything and checking it all out. So he has this boost of self confidence like he can do anything and everything. But then it's almost like he scares himself if that makes any sense.

Earlier this week he was a little fish in the bathtub. He was loving his toys. He was crawling all over the tub and splashing around and loving it. Then last night I go to put him in the tub and he flipped out! I mean really freaked out. He was hysterical. Sobbing and grabbing at me and trying to get out of the tub. It was the quickest bath in the history of the world I do believe.

And usually he kinda crawls around and plays with his toys and then does a check in. I call it check in but what happens is I sit on the floor and fold laundry or whatever and he crawls around and plays. Then about every 10-15 minutes he comes back to me to snuggle or play or interact and then goes and does his own thing again. But today he just couldn't be alone. Any and every time I left the room for even a second he would just sob. Real tears and the whole bit. I don't know why?

I get the feeling that the explosion may be overwhelming him some. He wants to do more things but I think he just doesn't understand it all. Or maybe I'm totally reading to much into this and he is just having a rough couple days. We all have bad days right...

So parents... weigh in... what do you think the deal is. He just turned 10 months old so could it be developmental??? Or what?

Clickin Mama

Random Picture Challenge

Brittany is hosting the random picture challenge again! Wahoo! I love this challenge. It's fun to find old pictures.

So this week you pick the 30th picture from your August 2007 folder. Here is my pic.



This picture is of my best friend Darby's niece. I was babysitting Kaylee and Caden that day and we had lots of fun playing outside. Kaylee had this little purse she carried with her everywhere and she kept putting the gravel rocks from my driveway in it. It was cracking me up so I snapped some pics.

Clickin Mama

Crib Recall

It seems my little boy has been sleeping in an unsafe crib. Parts of his crib are being recalled. Actually parts of lots of cribs are being recalled. So if you a Storkcraft brand crib made between the years of May 2000-November 2008 and purchased between the dates of May 2000 and January 2009 here is the info I have on the recall. The cribs being recalled are listed below. I have the name listed first and then the item number and the upc number. You can find out what crib you have by lifting up the mattress and looking on the instruction panel.

HEATHER STAGES CRIB
2616496
5692707605
CAMBRIDGE CRIB
2690221
89105000200
HEATHER STAGES CRIB
2668013
5692707605
SANDRA CRIB
2623336
5692707652
SANDRA CRIB
2623343
5692707716
DEB 2IN1 CRB BK
2626238
5692707631
CAMBRIDGE CRIB
2635851
89105000200
HEATHER STAGES CRIB
2640387
5692707605
LAURN CRB ESPR
2641556
5692707674
ALLISON STAGES CRIB
2648641
5692707670
HTHR STG 4IN1 CRB
2659437
5692707678
HTHR STG 4IN1 CRB
2659654
5692707778
LENNOX STAGES CRIB
2661527
5692707522
ASPEN STAGES-NATURAL
2667438
5692707361
ASPEN STAGES-COGNAC
2667445
5692707362
ASPEN STAGES-CHERRY
2667452
5692707364
ASPEN STAGES-OAK
2667460
5692707383
ROCHESTER CRIB-CH
2667501
5692707482
ROCHESTER CRIB-NAT
2667508
5692707485
ASPEN STAGES-WHITE
2667515
5692707486
ARIEL CRIB-WHITE
2667543
5692707599
ARIEL CRIB-COGNAC
2667550
5692707601
LAUREN CRIB CHERRY
2667914
5692707714
LAUREN CRIB COGNAC
2667922
5692707715
ROCHESTER STGS BLACK
2667929
5692707804
4IN1 CRIB CHRY
2681389
5692707692
4IN1 CRIB CGNC
2681402
5692707693
4IN1 CRIB OAK
2681409
5692707677
ROCHESTER CRIB - ESP
2689137
5692707752
ASPEN CRIB - ESP
2689144
5692707753

The Hulk has the Aspen crib in Cherry which is obviously on the list. So all you have to do if your crib is on the list is go to www.storkcraft.com and fill out their contact email requesting a recall kit. They will ship it to you in a couple days.

Clickin Mama

Making Baby Food 101

Okay okay crazy baby food making moms! I'll give another little baby food making lesson. If someone would have asked me 2 years ago if I would ever post on my blog about making baby food I would have laughed at them! Seriously in a million years I never would have thought that anyone would ask me about making baby food. I can hardly cook for myself. But you all keep emailing me so I'll keep posting tidbits if it helps you.

This time around lets talk about fiber! Yes fiber! Fiber is our friend and fiber is your baby's friend. Why do baby's need fiber you ask. Well they need it to make the poop better. It helps keep them regular and it helps keep it soft. And trust me I never knew how important that was till I had a kid. Not soft poop causes problems. It causes screaming baby poop rock problems. But I'm off track. Babies just need fiber. So we need to give it to them! Here are some of my favorite fiber friendly baby foods.

Pears

Hello pears. Pears have lots of fiber! And pears are frequently on sale at my grocery store. So we have lots of pears around here. Pears are easy to make for babies. All you do is peel and core the pear and bake it in the oven in water for about 25 minutes. Then you mash it up and serve it to baby. Freeze the rest using the ice cube trays. A side tip for ya. Pears tend to be pretty runny so I mix the pears in with a thicker food so it is a better consistency. Sweet potatoes are thicker in consistency. So a sweet pot/pear mix is wonderful!

Pumpkin

Okay pumpkin is a very fiber friendly food. Pumpkin has 5 grams of fiber in 1/2 cup! That's great! And I can't believe I'm admitting this but I just give The Hulk the Libby's canned pure pumpkin. Do not give your baby the pumpkin pie mix! Make sure it say PURE pumpkin! I get a can and make the cubes out of that. Seriously, it's a steal at $1.18 a can. And the kid loves it! Mix in a little bit of cinnamon or ginger to spice things up.

Flax Seed

I add flax seed to all of The Hulk' food. I just have a shaker of it and for each bowl of food at every meal he gets a few shakes. Flax seed is a great source of fiber. It also does other good things but I'm mainly focused on fiber around here. So use the flax seed. It does lots of good stuff!

Just a few warnings. If your child eats very little fiber right now I would not recommend giving him a pear, pumpkin, and flax seed combo. That could case stomach pains, or a poop explosion, or constipation. Slowly add more fiber to your baby's diet. A good rule of thumb is that a child needs their age plus 5 grams of fiber a day. So if you have a one year old they need 6 grams of fiber. If you have a 3 year old they need 8 grams of fiber.

Let me know what other questions you have about baby food. If I don't know the answer I'll find it for ya!

Happy feeding!

Clickin Mama

Where Are You From?

Okay my wonderful little stat counter tells me all kinds of things. It tells me what time people visit my blog. It tells me where people came from. It even tells me what words led you here. But what it doesn't tell me is who you are. So come on folks. Leave me some comments and tell me who you are and where you are from. Here are some things I'm dying to know.

Who reads my blog from Howard Kansas? I can't think of anyone I know in Howard. So if you live in Howard and you are reading this post leave a comment and let me know who ya are. I'd love to visit your blog too!

And someone from Cambridge Mass is reading my blog too. I'd love to know how close Cambridge is to Boston... And have you ever been to Harvard? I visited the Harvard campus once and fell in love. It's beautiful!

So leave me some comments folks and fill me in on who you are. Tell me some crazy detail about your city or town. Maybe I can make a Where's The Reader post out of your comments. I'd love to be able to share with everyone so crazy facts about the places you live.

Fill me in!

Clickin Mama

Boys Will Be Boys

This weekend I did a photo session with a really fun family. They had two boys and two girls. And those boys were all boy! I just had a blast getting pictures of them. Their parents really wanted them to "be good" and "cooperate" but I love the silliness of boys. I love the way they do their own thing. And I love capturing the real boy rather than the on their best behavior boy. So these are my favorite pictures from the shoot. I'm guessing their folks won't order any of these but I think they are adorable!






Clickin Mama

Something Special

Here are the pics that I took of Heather and Doug this weekend. I think Heather just looks beautiful! I see so much of my mom in her. The older Heather gets the more mom comes out in her. Something about the eyes... and the mouth... oh and for sure those hands. So here is my beautiful sister in all her glory...

Where's The Hulk

This week The Hulk started crawling. Well I don't know that you can say it's crawling. He kinda drags himself around. It's like a soldier crawl. He pulls himself forward with his arms. But seriously he is very fast at it! It's crazy! So a new adventure is beginning.

Since this is a new skill. About 3 days old now I under estimated his abilities. So this morning I went to bathroom at the back of the house. When I left him he was in the living room playing with his toys. When I came back about 4 minutes later he was gone! I couldn't find him. I had a moment of panic where I thought I was gonna throw up. Where's The Hulk, where's The Hulk, WHERE THE HELL IS THE HULK!!! I was screaming his name as I went room to room. And nothing!

The doors were locked the dog didn't bark so I knew he was in the house but nothing. And then I heard it. The Hulk laughs. Little The Hulk laughs. And then the Da Da Da's started. Seriously kid that guy isn't gonna save ya! But I still couldn't see him. So I got down on the floor and started crawling around myself. And there in the kitchen I saw him. I have corner benches in my kitchen. There is a little bittie nook where the two benches meet that he somehow crawled into. I don't know how he fit in the opening. Because to get him out I had to lift the benches up and move them and take a piece off. But he managed to get in there.

And then the rest of today he continued to go under the benches. He never went back in the little part again but several times he crawled under the benches and just played under there. I guess it's like a little cave. The first time I didn't take a picture because I was so scared from the The Hulk hunt. So he's not in the really weird part but I did get a pic of him just chilling in the kitchen. In the pictures if you look to the left of where he is at you can see the nook he got into this morning. Silly kid!




Clickin Mama

Not Me Monday

Wahooooo! Another round of free therapy heading my way!MckMama is hosting this great carnival. Gotta love the Not Me's. Since I'm oh so perfect in every way there is no way I did any of this stuff. Nope Not Me!!!!

I did NOT eat yummy yummy pizza tonight when I'm supposed to be watching what I eat. I wouldn't eat something like that. It makes my blood sugar go through the roof so it for sure wasn't me.

I did NOT put my baby in a laundry basket and drag him around the living room like it was a sled. Nope! And I most certainly did NOT think about using that basket as a containment toy for when I need to go to the bathroom. And I definitely did Not find it incredibly funny that he used that basket as a toy for 30 minutes and then got himself trapped in it several times.




I did NOT scream a curse word in front of the baby because he did NOT bite my arm hard enough to make it bleed. Nope NOT me and for sure Not him. The Hulk would NOT be biting like crazy now. I also would NOT be begging for advice from the rest of you on how to get him to NOT bite me. Since he doesn't bite I don't need advice. So don't give me any. NO NO NO advice for me. I'm NOT at all worried that I have a 10 month old Dracula on my hands.

I did NOT flirt with the FedEx man again this week. I do NOT find him deliciously handsome at all. I do NOT have a fantasy that he one day sweeps me off my feet and we ride away in his truck and live happily ever after. NEVER!

And I most definitely did NOT totally wipe out at the post office this week. That did not happen to me for the second time in my life. No one ran into me and knocked me down and made my packages fly every where. Nope that didn't happen to me!

So what did you NOT do this week???

Clickin Mama

Sacrifices

We all have to make sacrifices when money is tight. Since the cash flow isn't really flowing we have all had to give a few things up. I don't get my daily Diet Dr. Pepper with Vanilla from Sonic anymore, I don't eat out, I quit buying magazines, I'm cutting coupons and buying all groceries on sale, and I've given up the male escorts. Like I said we all must make sacrifices.

The Hulk has even made a few sacrifices but he doesn't really know it. He no longer gets a new book every time we are at a store. We use the library more. He also isn't getting new clothes like he used too. I use second hand stores and eBay more and more. I have found some adorable stuff for him for next to nothing! Mad props to the Once Upon A Child People! And he is no longer allowed to go to the strip club. Throwing away money on girls just isn't acceptable.

So while we are all making some sacrifices our poor dog Lena is really giving up a lot! This poor dog no longer gets tons of scooby snacks! Those things are pricey. She doesn't even get the name brand dog food anymore. She didn't even get any new toys for Christmas. But the worst part is that she hasn't been to the groomer in I don't know how long. I just can't bring myself to spend the $36 for a dog haircut when I don't even have the money to get my own hair done. She won't let me trim it so you can't even hardly see her eyes anymore. So her is poor Lena girl in all her sacrificing glory. What a sad looking little dog she is.....



Clickin Mama

Randon Picture Challenge

Yeah Brittany is doing another random picture challenge. So for this week the picture is from the January folder and it's the 8th picture. Which means we get this photo!!!!



This photo was actually taken on Christmas day but I didn't upload it until January. This photo is of The Hulk trying out the Retro Riding Rocket that Monte and Cathy got him for Christmas. His legs aren't quite long enough for it yet but I have a feeling that in a few more months he is going to be a rocket riding fool.

Join the challenge. It's always fun!

Clickin Mama

Hot Chocolate

Yummy! Hot Chocolate is one of my very favorite things. I just love it. For some reason it is a total comfort for me. When I was a kid I always knew as I ran home freezing from the bus stop that my mom would have hot chocolate waiting for me. And sure enough she never let me down. Every once in awhile she would switch it up and have apple cider but almost every day it was hot chocolate. I loved that!

Now as an adult I am a little bit of a hot chocolate snob. I really like flavored hot chocolates. The raspberry chocolate and the mint chocolate. YUM YUM YUM! I'm a bit picky about the brand. The swiss miss packet works every once in awhile but I'm more of a gourmet hot chocolate girl now.

And you would think the cup wouldn't matter. But oh it does! See some mugs just are big enough. There is nothing worse than trying to mix up your hot chocolate and having some of it spill over the side. Oh no that just doesn't work for me. So I've been on the hunt for a huge wonderful hot chocolate mug. I used to have one years ago but it got broken. And I wasn't having much luck. But my bestest friend Darby hooked me up with a super hot chocolate mug for Christmas! Check out my new delicious beverage holder. It got a good work out today.



Drink up and Enjoy Friends!

Clickin Mama

Sickly The Hulk

Oh this poor little The Hulk baby. He just doesn't feel good. We made the trip to the ER last night in the freezing cold and I'm not sure it was necessary. He seemed a lot worse at home but sure enough when we got there he perked up some. He does have an ear and upper respitory infection though so at least it wasn't a totally wasted midnight excursion.

We would have been home a lot sooner but the doctor couldn't seem to figure out what dosage of medicine to prescribe for him. He kept saying how big The Hulk is and that he was the biggest kid he had ever seen. He and the nurse debated for a good 30 minutes before he finally gave us a prescription. Needless to say all of his confusion didn't leave me real confident. So I double checked the dose with the pharmacist and Darby before I gave it to The Hulk. I didn't want to over medicate the poor kid.

Darby saved us this morning and came and watched The Hulk this morning so I could go get his meds filled. I didn't want to drag him out again when he doesn't feel well. So she came and played nurse. Wait she really is a nurse... So she came and loved on him while I did the dreaded Wal-mart run. Thanks Darby!

So now The Hulk is all medicined up and resting. He actually has done his seal bark cough in a good 30 minutes. Praise God! I hate that cough! I am gonna pick up the house some and then I might have to steal and afternoon nap with the little guy this afternoon. This mommy is tired!

Co Sleeping

You know back when I was a perfect mother. You remember that time. It was before I had a kid. Yes that was a wonderful time. I had wonderful plans. One of my plans back then was to have a family bed. Yes co sleeping was on my list of things to do. In all of my pre adoption classes they talked about how wonderful it was for attachment and bonding. Indeed that would be our family. All cozy and warm in our family bed. Bonded and happy sleeping in attached bliss.....

Ugh not so much. This just doesn't work for us. I think The Hulk and I both are a little to selfish with our sleeping to make this work. From the time he was born he made it clear he is a solo sleeper. He wants to be alone. He likes for you to lay him in his bed and leave him the heck alone! And seriously when I try to have him sleep with me I'm a mess. There is no sleeping. There is a little boy kicking me in the ribs, clawing at my face, turning in circles and keeping me up all night. I don't feel blissful and happy. I'm tired and grumpy!

Last night I tried to put him in bed with me. He was doing this weird coughing thing that made me think he was choking to death. So I got him out of his bed and put him in mine so he would be close and I could make sure he was okay. Well he was okay. I was awake all night so I know he was fine. He was a twisting, turning little bed hog. I have a big bed and I got a little sliver of it because he just inches over and over and pushes me out.

So the whole family bed doesn't work for us and I'm okay with that. I would rather we both be well rested. So what parenting technique have you had to reevaluate since you've had kids?

Baby Whatcha Reading

My little guy loves to read. Well he loves to be have me read to him! He also loves to play with his books and look at the pictures. In all honesty he spends more time playing and looking at books than he does any other toys. And I LOVE that! I always enjoyed reading with my mom and I still enjoy reading to this day. I hope and pray that this is just the beginning of a long love affair with reading for The Hulk!

So whatcha reading baby boy?

Right now Sandra Boynton books are a huge hit at our house. We have several of her books. And they never get old. What I love about her books is that they are actually kinda funny. I don't get bored reading them to him over and over again. And the illustrations are great. So The Hulk and I both recommend them for your kids or as gifts for kids!

The Hulk has three baskets filled with books that are accessible to him pretty much all the time. He loves to dump them out and sort through his books. He stacks them, he bangs them together, he turns the pages, and sometimes he even eats them. But boy does he love his books!

Do you have any kids books to recommend? What book did you love as a kid?

Wii Fit

I have the Wii Fit and I really enjoy it. I'm a hula hoop champion and I've even gotten the step aerobics figured out. That is a quite a feat considering what a klutz I am. I'm digging the Wii but I don't use it near enough. I have a problem sticking with it. Image that. I'm thinking that my problem with sticking with exercise is directly correlated to the fat sticking to my butt. Hmmmmmmmm

So I'm trying really hard to make myself stick with it. And it doesn't even have to be the Wii. I'm really trying to stick with 30 minutes of exercise a day. No matter what else is going on I just need to do it. So any tips for staying motivated. Any really great ideas or things you are doing that seem to help you.... I'm struggling to stay focused and with it. Any suggestions?

Background

I've had a couple of people ask me about my new blog background and where I got it. I found this great site called The Cutest Blog on the Block and that's where I got this background templete. I just love the site. There are all kinds of backgrounds to choose from and they are FREE! Yes FREE! I was able to find quite a few that I liked so I'm guessing I will be changing things up more often now. Not only are the backgrounds free but you can customize them by changing the colors, fonts, etc. And they also provide you with all the code and directions for installing it. They make it so easy to end up with a really cute blog. So visit, create, and decorate your blog!

Clickin Mama

Wordless Wednesday- Fountain Fun

Ann Coulter

I swore I wasn't going to do this post. I started thinking about it weeks ago when Ann Coulter's new book came out and I swore I wouldn't do it. I didn't want her to get any more attention for her horrible views. But I just can't keep quiet now. She has pushed me over the edge. So I must do it. I must comment in defense of all of us single mothers out there. Because Ann you are so very mistaken.

If you don't know yet Ann Coulter is a very conservative often incredibly abrasive author. Her newest book is titled Guilty! Liberal Victims and Their Assault on America. In this book Ann makes some pretty outrageous claims. Some of her quotes are as follows.

• "Single motherhood is a recipe to create criminals, strippers, rapists, and murderers."
• "Single motherhood is like a farm team for future criminals and social outcasts."
• "Look at any societal problem, and it is a problem of single motherhood."
• "Single mothers pose an endless attack on the nuclear family."

Wow I had no idea that we single mothers were destroying society in such a way. I'm so busy making baby food, reading to my baby, going on walks, visiting art museums with him, teaching him sign language, and praying with him that I didn't have time to schedule his rapist class or murder 101.

Between the doctor's appointments, play dates, picture taking, owie kissing, bath giving, attachment parenting hoopla I missed out on my day to attack the nuclear family. I guess I didn't double check the schedule that all the other single mom's sent out. You know we are like a crazy little cult. We have secret single mother's destroy the world meetings. Don't you wish you could come. Unfortunately we haven't had one lately. We are so busy raising children that sometimes that interferes with our destructive side. It's hard to ride across America destroying values and spreading strippers about, even with your baby in a sling.

Oh Ann you are so mistaken in your claims that we are liberal victims and that our children are victims. We aren't victims we are the lucky ones. We are the incredibly blessed mothers of children that we love tremendously. We are some of the hardest working, god fearing woman you would ever meet. We are selfless and giving. We are strong and bold. We are the woman that can haul babies and bags, fix plumbing and put together toys. We are the woman that revel in our children and thank God we can be called mothers. See Ann being a mother is a blessing whether you are single or married and we never forget that.

And our children. Oh don't get me started on our children. We have some of the most amazing children there are. They are kind and creative. Loving and funny. They are open to the idea that all families are different and they are okay with that. They know that they are loved and understand that we will do anything for them. They play sports, go to church, excel in school, and one of them even grew up to be our president elect. Yes Obama's mama didn't do so bad as a single mom now did she. We aren't victims Ann, maybe you are though....

If only you were a little kinder we would have let you into our club.

Clickin Mama

Around The House

Just some things that can be found around our house....



Yep one huge can of formula! There would be one unhappy guy if this wasn't around. It's a huge can but seriously we go through it in about 13 days. Expensive baby!



Rubber Ducky you're the one! You make bath time so much fun! Rubber Ducky I'm awfully fond of you! I'm a huge rubber duck fan. Always have been. And now The Hulk has a ton of rubber ducks. This is just one of probably a dozen that you could find throughout our house.



This is one of my light stands. Couldn't make it without my lights. They get hotter than Africa but I love them!



My friend Darby got this for me years ago. I love it! I don't know how clear the picture will be but it's a quote by Abe Lincoln that says "All that I am or hope to be I owe to my mother". So very true. Love it!



And this crazy balloon is hanging out in our living room. 2 months ago my Grandpa was in the hospital and I took him this balloon. He took it home with him from the hospital and when we went to visit him at his house The Hulk laughed at the balloon and thought it was pretty funny. So Grandma and Grandpa insisted we bring it home. This balloon will never die. I can't believe how long it's held the air. Crazy!

Dream

I had one weird dream last night. I dreamed about my mom. She has been dead for 2 1/2 years now and I this is only the 2nd dream I've had with her in it. I always want to dream of her but very rarely do. So last night it finally happened.

In my dream I had laid down with The Hulk and we were napping. When we woke up I walked out of my room and down the hall. I turned into the kitchen and there my mom was. Just standing at the kitchen sink doing dishes. I instantly started to yell at her in my dream and started crying. I yelled at her for being away and letting me think she was dead. But the whole time I was yelling at her I was also crying because I was glad to see her.

She just looked at me like I was nuts. And she said to me, "Oh Clickin Mama, just quit it. Don't you know I didn't want to leave you." And then I was awake. And I was crying for real. My pillow was soaked with tears. So then I spent the other half of the night awake trying to analyze my dream. And I can't figure out why I didn't say more to her in my dream. Why I didn't hug her or hand her The Hulk. Or tell her I loved her. How can a dream mess with your head so much. Dreaming of her was supposed to help me feel better but instead I feel like it was my chance to see her and I screwed it up. So stupid! Our minds play horrible tricks on us don't they!

Clickin Mama

Not Me Monday

It's time for another round of Not Me fun!

I did NOT put The Hulk' pants on backwards and then when I realized it leave them that way. It's Not at all difficult to dress a rolling wild 9 month old. So I would never take a short cut and save time by just waiting till the next diaper change.

I did NOT play the Nintendo Wii for 2 hours when I should have been doing homework or housework or something productive.

I did NOT let The Hulk sleep in his clothes two nights in a row because it was just easier than changing him into PJ's. Again The Hulk is NOT at all difficult to change. He would never roll away from me, fight me, kick at me, or laugh like crazy when his naked baby butt is rolling all over the house. Nope not my sweet baby.

I did NOT misplace my car keys and have to search the entire house for them. And I did NOT find them in the toy box. I would NOT put keys in the toy box.

I also did NOT leave a gallon of milk sitting on the counter overnight. I wouldn't be wasteful like that.

What did you NOT do this week? Have fun with the rest of us and visit MckMama to find links to other Not Me participants.

Clickin Mama

Victory Gardens

I had never heard of Victory Gardens until recently. Actually my step mom Cricket mentioned them while we were in Texas. I knew they were popular during WW II but didn't know much else. Then when I was at school today I saw a flyer up that is for a workshop on creating a victory garden. So now my curiousity got the best of me and I had to do some googling.

It seems that while Victory Gardens were a hit in the past they are making a big come back. Revive The Victory Garden is a pretty informative site all about the history of the victory garden. It also provides a lot of information about how to create a Victory Garden and the benefits of it.

Basically the point of a victory garden is to produce the fruit, vegetables, and herbs that you and your neighbors consume. By doing this you reduce the cost of produce. You also reduce the environmental damage caused by hauling produce. There are other benefits like knowing how your food was produced and connecting with your neighbors, etc. But overall the victory garden is just another cool way to go green.

So I'm thinking I may have to try it out. The Hulk will be walking by the time summer comes around so we will be outside a lot anyway. We might as well grown our own food right.... Maybe we could get a couple of our neighbors to play along....

Random Picture Challenge

Brittany had a fun idea for a random picture challenge. The challenge is to go into your picture files from the month of May and select picture number 21 in the file to post on your blog. It's interesting to see what random pic you get. This is my 21st picture in the May file.



It's a picture from the night of Darby's pinning ceremony when she graduated from nursing school. It was actually right after she got done crossing the stage. Caden and Chris had given her flowers and they stopped in the aisle for a quick photo op.

Whatcha Reading Now Updated

Okay last night I totally couldn't sleep. So it's really shocking I know but I finished New Moon! Now I'm on to number three. Eclipse and I are making friends today. I do have to say that New Moon didn't impress me near as much as Twilight. I don't want to spoil it for people that haven't read it yet but there is someone important missing through a great deal of New Moon and that bothered me. So not as good. Still good but not squeal and giggle and wanna call all my 8th grade friends kind of good.

Now my favorite character in Twilight was Edward. How can you not love beautiful Edward. Seriously if I ran into a vampire and he was like Edward I would just beg him to bite me. I love me some Edward! Could they have made him sound any hotter in the book.

But in New Moon I was loving me some Jacob Black. It just goes to show that I always fall for the bad boys. Something about the dark side of Jacob got me. He seemed a little naughty and a little nice. I couldn't decide if I loved him or hated him. Which means that I must love him! So bye bye Edward hello Jacob! I wonder who I'm gonna be loving on in Eclipse.....

Clickin Mama

Whatcha Reading Now

Now I'm on to New Moon! Not quite as good as the first book in the series but still wonderfully fun. With each turn of the page I feel like a teenage girl again! Amazing how that works. I'll probably finish it up in the next couple of days and then I'll be on to book three. Have you all finished the series or what book are you on? And who is your favorite character?

Clickin Mama

What Is It?

What in the world is that? Do you know? Do you have a guess? I can't wait to hear what you think it is! Okay so no guesses? How about I tell you where I found it. Maybe that would help. It was in the garbage disposal! Yes, yes in the garbage disposal. So it didn't always look like that. In fact it used to be straight. Not bent in that crazy fashion. So now do you know what it is?

It's a baby spoon!

Green Beans for Baby

I've had a couple people email me about how I make The Hulk' baby food. It's so easy and it saves so much money! Tonight I made him green beans and broccoli and it took me about 35 minutes start to finish. And that is for about a one month supply of green beans and about a 2 1/2 week supply of broccoli. So simple! So to help those of you out that are just getting started with the baby food I'll walk ya through the easy baby green beans...

1. I wash the green beans and snip the ends. I also usually break them in half depending on their size.

2. Steam the grean beens for about 10-12 minutes. I just check them off and on and poke them with a fork to tell when they are done.

They usually look something like this when they are done.



3. I let them cool for about 10 minutes and then I put them in a bowl to mash them. I use a potato masher to squish them up. I used to put them through the food processor but The Hulk is big enough now to have thicker food. He likes to use those teeth.



4. After they are mashed I spoon them into the ice cube trays. Cover the trays with aluminum foil and freeze overnight.



5. The next day you pop them out of the trays and put them in a Ziploc FREEZER baby. It must be a freezer bag, not a storage bag! They can be frozen for about 6 weeks.

6. To serve just put the cubes in a bowl and microwave until thawed.

Now each tray makes 16 cubes. 2 cubes is the equivilent of a size 2 jar of baby food. So each tray equals 8 jars of food. Each jar of food is about .88. So if you bought the green beans you would spend $7.04 before tax. This time when I bought fresh green beans I paid $1.02 for the beans I bought. So that is a savings of $6.02. And that is just on the green beans for this month. If you think about all the other food I make I probably save close to $75.00 a month by making my own food. And it is so much healthier than the jar food.

So good luck with your baby food making. Of course if you have any other questions email me or leave a comment. I'd be happy to help you.

Wordless Wednesday- Cousins

Baby Girl?

At Wal-Mart the photo lab gal and I had quite a conversation today. I was filling out a copyright release and our conversation went something like this.... The portions that are marked DA stand for the dumb ass lab gal. She was a real rocket scientist!

DA: Do you have a copyright release?

Me: I took the photos?

DA: Well I need a copyright release.

Me: I filled out the photographer form last month, you should have it on file.

DA: I do have it.

Me: Okay then I need my pictures.

DA: Well we need one that identifies the pictures you are picking up today of the baby girl.

Me: (I look at The Hulk in the cart) Well the pictures are actually of my son but I can fill a new one out.

DA: (hands me the form) Okay just fill that out and put baby girl in the description.

Me: He is a boy not a girl.

DA: Okay right

(As I fill out the form The Hulk is babbling and carrying on in the cart)

DA to The Hulk: Your such a pretty little girl. What a cute smile.

Me: He is a boy, his name is The Hulk. And here is the form.

DA: Oh well you didn't put baby girl in the description you put baby boy.

Me: Okay do you have the right pictures. Can I see them. Because the pictures I ordered are of my son not of a girl.

DA: Sure here they are, she is so cute.

I look at the pictures and this is the picture I ordered and picked up! Is this a little girl? I think not!

Me: Okay that is my son not a baby girl. Can I have the pictures.

She hands me the pictures and takes the form. Then comes the real kicker!

DA: Are they twins?

Me: What?

DA: Are your son and that baby girl twins?

Me: IT"S THE SAME BABY! He is The Hulk, he is a boy. He is here in real life laughing at you because he is already smarter than you. He is the same baby that is in the pictures and he is still a boy here today.

By that point I just walked off. I didn't wait for a response. What an idiot! Here is a picture of The Hulk from today wearing the exact same thing he was wearing while we were at the store. I think he looks pretty boyish.



It's not like I had his hair in pigtails or something. I only do that at home. I would never take him out like this....



Heck he isn't even a big fan of his pigtails and pink hair ties at home. He is always trying to get away from me. Dang boys!



Clickin Mama