Birthdays

Tis the season... for lots of celebrations! Lil Rev turned 6 this month and we threw him a Magical birthday hosting our 1st "kid" party at our house. I didn't know what to expect as i invited his entire Kindergarten class, cousins and friends too, and i am happy to report it was a complete success! The kids loved the Magic Hat activity where they all decorated their top hats and the main event included a Magician who manifested a real bird and rabbit in our home. Popcorn, treats, cake and fun magical party favors left all the kids, and parents, happy party goers. Hosting the party was a lot of fun, and lots of work too... SO next year i think a party at a bounce house place or a pizza parlor will have to happen.

A few weeks before the Magical birthday - we started off the birthday celebrations with my birthday in which i threw myself a Sweet 16 ~ Twice As Nice party ;) Complete with a music play list of the top 100 hits from when i was 16 years old. Let me tell you, it was quite a blast from the past... Macarena, Come on Ride the Train, Keith Sweat, LL Cool J, Tu Pac. The play list was rockin!! My sis and soul sista even traveled over 600 miles to celebrate with me and made it that much more special! I also started a new business adventure as an Independent Distributor for a great jewelry company. My Premier jewelry show for my birthday, the great ladies in my life and a baby announcement made my birthday weekend complete.

Symptoms

OK, I may be the only woman in time to actually be excited about nausea. I have had this underlying feeling of ICKY for a few days now but I experienced full fledged nausea when I went to the grocery store. Upon entering, there was an overwhelming smell of plastic and raw meat... disgusting! After gagging a few times and trying to regain my composure i hurried through the store with my nose buried in my shirt, eyes watering almost to the point of not being able to navigate my way and TRYING to just get through the errand. ... let the pregnancy games begin!

PREGNANT

It's official!!! I've earned my pregnancy card and have been promoted to Saintly Status! We took the test today (ok 3 tests) and each turned + within 5 seconds. We told Lil Rev the exciting news and he was as precious as can be! one of those times i WISH i had recorded. He was so excited, gave me several hugs and then asked "Mommy, is it going to be hard to take care of 2 kids?" how thoughtful! haha! He randomly thinks of the sweetest things to prepare for the new baby... "i will have to keep my room clean and get rid of all the small toys so the baby doesn't choke on them. I will teach the baby Spanish, Sign Language and how to swim without floaties". Every morning he taps my belly and says "hi baby". We are all very excited! I called Kaiser to see a doctor ASAP but they denied me! they said i have to waaaaaaaaaaaaait a couple more weeks to see the OBGYN (unless there are problems of course). So i scheduled my appointment and have been in a foggy daydreaming state ever since... how can i concentrate on anything else besides nursery design and nesting needs?! thanks for joining our journey, RevilleVille is growing!!!

Appreciation

 After hubby took a swan dive off the roof, so many of our family and friends really rallied together and were such a support to us! Even the offer to help was greatly appreciated. Our neighbor blew the leaves in our front year. Our other neighbor took our trash out and in that week (something JR does, which i could have easily done but it was a great help). Mother in law watched Lil Rev, came to the emergency room the day of the accident and stayed with me at the hospital during hubby's surgery. Our friend took Lil Rev trick or treating on the glorious surgery day - aka Halloween. Friends came by to check out our hearing/air system, father in law drove the 2 hrs drive to visit hubby, and on and on and on. It was heart warming to have so much support  so i  was inspired to give everyone a little sweet token of appreciation. I searched and found this great recipe for pumpkin spice oatmeal cookies, and after a few personal touches i made dozens and dozens of cookies for everyone. I had seen a great idea on Pinterest (gasp, i know - rare!) for making personal goodie bags so i bought cellophane bags, personalized each thank you card,  and handed them out to our loved ones. They were all well received and this will not be the last time for these little goodie bags!

Thank Goodness for Health Insurance!

 

 

 

 

Well, RevilleVille can confidently report we have been accident free for over a year... until now. I received a call from hubby stating he had fallen off the roof and broken his arm, followed by a prompt hang up. While rushing to leave work, i called the neighbors whom did not answer. I then called 911 not knowing the extent of his injuries. Let me tell you, that was the longest 20min drive home with my mind wandering to dark places,  hoping it was JUST a broken arm. When i arrived home, a fire truck was here and the firemen were in our home tending to Hubby. Shortly there after, the ambulance arrived and wisped him away to the hospital. Hubby was grateful for the temporary Morphine relief from his excruciating pain. I picked up Lil Rev from school and we spent the evening in the hospital. After xrays and an examination it was concluded that he broke his arm and would need surgery.
Sidenote: while in the emergency room i had reminded Hubby, in kid code, about our experience while pregnant with Lil Rev. Hubby had developed Plantar Fasciitis and i have many memories throughout my pregnancy of ME rubbing HIS feet due to his condition. I told Hubby his swan dive off the roof may have sealed the deal with our conceiving attempts as i would have to care for him now and history does repeat itself... we may be back in the hospital in 9 months. Big Ears Lil Rev picked up on the return visit comment and continued to ask why we would be back at the hospital in 9 months. I answered "with a follow up appointment for the Dr. to see Daddy's arm" = explanation diverted! We shall see...
Surgery was scheduled in 7 days so Hubby had to bear the pain (even though he was prescribed major pain meds), iced and elevated his arm and was as bored and uncomfortable as ever waiting in anticipating for his very first surgery from breaking his very 1st bone. I quickly became Nurse Wifey tending to his every need, tracking his frequent medication administration while Super Mom cared for Lil Rev. Unfortunately Mama Maid disappeared to compensate for this ordeal, which i am still trying to catch up. Surgery went well and Hubby went back to work less than a week after surgery. The surgery cost us $20. I even requested the intake nurse to repeat that total upon administration... it just sounded so good! Thank goodness for health insurance!



F'CKN

The other night i heard Lil Rev say "where's my F'CKN shoes?"
I asked him what he said and he repeated his sentence... then the following conversation took place (oh these convos!):
Me: well actually that's a very bad word
LR: what? F'CKN?
Me: yes. it's a really bad word. we don't say that word.
LR: what does F'CKN mean?
Me: well it means something worse that "stupid, hate and shut up" (the only bad words he knows thus far).
LR: what happens if i say F'CKN at school?
Me: 1st, stop saying it! you don't say bad words at school, you can get in trouble.
LR: will i get sent to the office if i say F'CKN?
Me: maybe, and there will be consequences at home too. stop saying it. there are other words you can say instead.
LR: F'CKN sounds funny. F'CKN is a funny word. 

Grow One Out

A conversation with Lil Rev in the car:
"Mommy, i want a baby brother or sister"
Me: I'll talk to Daddy about it
LR: ok, if he says yes will you grow one out?
Me: we'll have to see
LR: how do babies come out anyways?
Me: well it's quite magical. (HOPING this convo ends soon!)
LR: how mommy?
Me: when the baby has grown enough and is ready to be born, mommies go to the hospital and the doctors help babies be born.
LR: how?
Me: well doctors cut mommies tummy with a scalpel to take the baby out. That's one way babies can be born.
LR: did that happen to you?
Me: yes (referring to my 1st pregnancy over 10yrs ago that resulted in an open adoption- which i have not told Lil Rev about before... Yet)
LR: is that how i was hatched?
Me: no
LR: are you someone else's Mommy?
Me: yes
LR: oh. How was i hatched?
Me: well, when you get older I'll tell you all about it. It's a little hard for a 5 year old to understand. (truth is it's hard for MOMMY to explain to a 5 year old)
LR: when I'm 6 will you tell me?
Me: we'll see
LR: ok
I bet this will be his 1st business of order on his 6th birthday!! I have a couple months to prepare for this...

 

Symptoms

I never would have imagined that i'd be looking forward to those 1st indicators of pregnancy; nausea, achy boobies, exhaustion BUT WHERE ARE YOU tell tale signs? I'm awaiting your arrival with open arms and look forward to all those symptoms and side effects of the miracle of creating a baby. Thus far, nada! ok well i DID pull a muscle in my back last week (unrelated to the baby making process) and have had pretty severe back pains but that of course is not any indicator whatsoever. AND i have had some cramping here and there which could be 3 things. 1) the egg is attaching to the uterine wall and my body is in beginning phases of preparing for this incredible journey. 2) my egg is passing through my Fallopian tube getting ready to be released. 3) my mind is playing tricks on me.
I'm embracing option #1 :)

Loophole

 

TOKEN SYSTEM

Earn tokens for good behavior at school and at home to cash in on the weekends for extra privileges, such as "electronic time" (a movie, time to play his favorite Wii games, computer games), living room camp out, a pick from the treasure chest & anything else we can think of to help motivate our Lil Spirited and Spunky boy.
 

1. Home = blue tokens: Can earn them by abiding by RevilleVille expectations... especially good behavior. Ex: morning chore with good manners, 1st time listening, being respectful, help set dinner table, good manners at dinner, pick up & put away toys,  shower/brush teeth while practicing those listening skills.
 

2. School = RED  tokens: Since Lil Rev is having a really difficult time conforming to school expectations (& slowing down to listen, be LESS impulsive, etc.) we partnered with his teacher to incorporate our token system as a reward for good behavior at school. BUT school tokens are RED & can only be used for electronic time & special adventures (biggest motivators right now).

So last week was another difficult week and although he probably didn't deserve ANY red tokens we wanted to keep him hopeful & motivated and s t r e t c h e d to have him "earn" red tokens. Upon using his red tokens to play Mario Galaxy Wii game (his favorite this month) he decided to look for a loophole. After BEGGING to earn more red tokens at home by doing extra chores and promising good behavior "forever", i took this opportunity to remind him about the natural consequences of his behavior and choices at school, reiterated how he can earn red tokens and gave him a pep talk about a "fresh new start on Monday filled with many opportunities to make good choices, listen to the teacher and follow directions".  He silently walked into his room and several minutes later came out with "red tokens" he made all by himself. Colored and cut with TLC.
 

 Sorry honey, nice try and what a great job you did coloring and cutting but loophole denied!!!
 

Lesson Learned!

I would like to share a great piece of advice that i learned the hard way the other day...

When starting a boot camp (or any rigorous/strenuous activity)- DON'T give it 100% the first day!

I Love Mongolian BBQ...

                 ... And fortunes too!!

 I save most of mine and have used them to decorate things such as vision boards, frames and mirrors! This was my fortune today while having lunch with some friends from work...

ZOO

Hubby went on  a backpacking trip with his best buds this Holiday weekend so after cleaning the
house i decided to take Lil Rev on an adventure to our city zoo. 1st things 1st... check out that map! I bestowed upon him full navigational rights the entire time at the zoo. He was in charge of leading the way, checking the map to find animals he wanted to visit next and he took great pride in this responsibility (we had to stop and check the map very often). We had a great time and even checked out the Giraffe Encounter for our 1st time... where you can pay $3 to feed giraffes some leafy greens. Lil Rev loved the experience,  as I did too. It was a wonderful mommy/son date!

Blue Moon

 

 

I'm the first to find reasons to celebrate random occasions in our lives... and today seemed PERFECT! It's the 2nd full moon in 1 month, which is refereed to as "Blue Moon". Couldn't think of a better way to celebrate a PAYday, FRIday before a THREE day weekend, which happens to be a BLUE MOON!

Cheers, i'll drink to that!

This School Stuff is Exhausting

1st full week of Kindergarten wiped out Lil Rev! I drop off our boy just before school starts and Hubby picks him up from his after school program after work. When i got home around 6pm, this is what i found:

I love EVERYTHING about this picture!

 

I asked Hubby what happened and he told me that Lil Rev brought his toys out, set himself up in the couch pillows was playing while hubby was making dinner then all of a sudden there was silence. Hubby checked on him and found him snoring right in the middle of his play zone. I love how Lil Rev set up his lap top, brought some of his favorite books out and even started building a Trio dealo! Can't help but smile every time i look at this picture, i love that boy! 

. PERIOD . The Blessed Curse

After a ladies trip to the bathroom, my friend comes out of the stall with a big smile of her face, gives me a big high-five and says "you know that time when you're waiting for your period to start, in the dating scene / not in a monogamous relationship and LATE on your period? WELL, that's this moment and i just started - thank goodness!" HIGH-FIVE! After a mini-celebration i started thinking about the blessed curse of the . period . As she is looking forward to the monthly non-pregnant indicator, i will soon be anxiously awaiting NOT to start. Of course every woman wishes they didn't have their period every month as it can be an uncomfortable, messy, cramping, exhausting, irritating nuisance... but when trying to reproduce - one REALLY doesn't want it to show up! It took me years to fully appreciate this monthly cycle and i am so grateful that i am a woman and have this gift to bare children. It's such a blessing i never take for granted. It's the blessed curse. The curse of having to deal with it EVERY MONTH and the blessing of the purpose. So . period .  I hope to NOT see you in the very near future!

1st Day of Kindergarten

Lil Rev started Kindergarten!! I took the day off from work for his 1st day of school with the anticipation of being an emotional wreck considering this big milestone in his life. Surprisingly i held it together, teared up a little while he lined up, and he did an amazing job transitioning into this brand new adventure! Although i do have to say i was a bit sad throughout the day while i cleaned the entire house, finished laundry and was fortunate enough to pick him up right after school (where the tears welled up again) I got a glimpse of what it would be like to be a stay at home mom - so so productive! Lil Rev had great things to say about his 1st experiences of K and the 1st lesson plan was incredible... The Love Light. We are very impressed with his new teacher and happy that the school has a dress code / uniform policy also restricting any media / characters on backpacks, lunchboxes, shoes, etc. But ultimately i am thrilled that the school incorporates Rosetta Stone language program into the curriculum. Hubby and i have taught Lil Rev English, Spanish and ASL from birth as it is very important to us to expose him to other languages and diverse experiences during this optimal window of development. I have spearheaded this endeavor and we been very successful in teaching Lil Rev what i know (and continually learn thanks to Google translate) thus far.  But unfortunately i am not fluent (yet) and i have plateaued... therefore Lil Rev has too. Let me tell you, after years of searching and research there are not many educational institutions that incorporate other languages into daily instruction (which is why we paid premiums $ for his Montessori preschool). So... so far, so great!  We couldn't be happier with our choice of schools for our boy and are excited to get involved!

 

                  

                                                    

 

VACATION

A week filled with lots of swimming (Lil Rev "officially" learned this summer), work on my Mom's house, went to our friend's beautiful wedding, played at the beach, brunch with family & friends and an incredible sunset! It's always a whirlwind of fun when we visit my hometown... San Diego!

Road Trip Adventures

Driving back home on a 600 mile road trip, what adventures do we have the pleasure of experiencing? FLAT TIRE. Well let me preface this by saying we braved the 9hr drive down in the middle of the night, Lil Rev slept the entire time and it was an uneventful drive, thankfully! The trip home is a different story as we left at 11am and by noon we already had a flat tire... well the flat tire followed a forgetful morning leaving the hotel: about 20 minutes from leaving the hotel Lil Rev yells from the back seat "SCOOOOOBY!! Oh no, he's at the hotel!" Upon conferring with hubby about packing, seeing, loading up our boy's beloved stuffed animal, Scooby Doo, we confirmed our distraught boy was right. So we turned around, called the front desk, got another key and low and behold Scooby was tucked into bed, under Lil Rev's favorite Mickey Mouse blanket, under the comforter. Ok, crisis diverted! After breakfast we hopped in our truck & about 1 hr into the trip we hear it... "thug thunk thug thunk" and then smoke starts spewing from the back tire. Hubby pulls over and starts the tire changing process (while i take pictures, haha.)

Shortly thereafter, a guy comes up to us offering help. He works for the Freeway Service Patrol & was very happy to help. Great service, great attitude and helped the process go twice as fast! Thanks Freeway Service Patrol. 8ish more hours to go, sitting in crappy LA traffic and i'm keeping my fingers crossed that there are no more RevilleVille Road Trip Adventures to report...

Anything odd about this picture?

Yes, i noticed something too... WHY is the pregnancy test under lock down? I've been out of the test purchasing market for 6 years now (and last time was such an unexpected blur) but i really don't get it!! Are there really that many people desperate enough to STEAL A PREGNANCY TEST? Whoa, makes me a little sad thinking about how many of those procreating thieving role models whose tests turn up positive. Well nonetheless, my purchase made for a great conversation starter while checking out!! I really should buy these at Costco... wonder if they're caged up under lock & key there.

That's Awkward

During our annual camping trip (aka Conception Kick Off Party this year) i always meet my Mother In Law (we'll call her "JJ") at  the end of the week to drop of our boy with her for the weekend so we can celebrate my Hubby's birthday / adult Shenanigans with our friends.

SIDENOTE:  Our meeting place is about 1 hr away from her and i, in the mountains, winding down into town and Lil Rev usually gets car sick. Luckily, he only threw up ONCE this trip and we were prepared with a "Burp Bucket" JJ got us after a few previous episodes in the past! Poor little guy. Even with Dramamine and meal considerations before the trip, the windies got to him.

This year JJ wanted to meet in the Saloon, sounds great to me! She walked in with a "present" under her shirt and upon delivering it to me, it's an EPT test... PERFECT! Obviously we shared with her, and most of our family and friends, this next chapter in our lives. SO, with that being said, we laughed and giggled about this present, i told her i'd give it to Hubby for his birthday from her, and then i promptly ordered a drink. I had an incredible Bloody Mary (the memory of it is making my mouth water as i type about it) and i was told is known as the "Georgetown Happy Meal", i concur. After enjoying the Happy Meal, and some free wine tasting, the bartender was clearing it away and saw the EPT test. The look on his face was priceless and then he says "well, that's awkward!" We all laughed so hard! EPT test has already, prematurely, been put to good use as we have taken 1 test and i'm tempted to take another... geeze. i just want to know! This pending "Saintly Status" is really getting in the way of my social libation time.

Pee On A Stick!

Love the blogging app... blogging in the moment is fabulous! So hubby wants me to pee on the stick already! Right now @ 10:30pm. IT'S BEEN A WEEK. Pretty cute he's that excited... or wait. Maybe he just wants "a break" from his conceiving duties ;) Either way he's digging out the EPT tests to read all about it. Upon reading up on it he says "99.9% accurate the day of your expected period. Well that's a long time to wait!!! Then we have to wait 9 months to meet {him}? Wish we could go to the baby store!" And so the anticipation begins...

"In Bed"

                    
                    My fortune from lunch today

TMI... Together Mixing Ingredients

Mixing those ingredients... in planning to bake the bun. When we decided to get into the business of baking, we had decided just to go for it, we consulted with the Master Chef and then jumped right in hoping to be blessed with a sweet, healthy delicacy... whatever it may be. Of course there are 2 brands of buns that can be created by this process. Considering we already have baked 1 perfect lil bun, i think the other brand would be a marvelous addition to RevilleVille, but either way i will be completely satisfied. Well last night hubby and i decided we would "seal the deal" considering we were at the end of the baking time frame for this cycle of our bake-athon. I decided to look into recipes on how to bake a particular kind of bun. After a couple minutes of scientific research Googling the internet looking for picture recipes, i only discovered too much reading which was getting in the way of our baking session, almost turned the oven off. So i put those trusty recipes down and we proceeded to put 1 more ingredient into the oven to bake that bun. 4.75 minutes later, after all the mixing was done,  i looked into those recipes again and according to these scientific methods, we discovered we were attempting to bake the brand that is already dominating RevilleVille... go figure! Although the Chinese Calendar says otherwise. Depending on how everything pans out this month, we may have another shot to work on that recipe during our bake-athon next month ;)

Baby Store

Hubby and i have not talked to Lil Rev about our plan to expand RevilleVille, nor has he mentioned it. A couple months ago while we were shopping i brought up the subject to Lil Rev "So, what would you think about having a baby brother or sister?" His immediate rapid fire response was "Will the baby grow in your tummy? How does the baby get there? How will the baby come out?" Mother panic moment right here - i did not expect those questions and i certainly did not have ANY clue on how to go about answering them at this time so... I changed the subject as fast as you can imagine and have never brought it up again. Well tonight while tucking in my sweet boy he asked:

Lil Rev "Is there a baby store real in the world?"
Me "A baby store? Hmmmm... what do u think?" (my go to question when i'm trying to figure out what to say + i love hearing his thought process & rational)
Lil Rev "No. I don't know. "
Me "Well no, there are no baby stores. Why do you ask?"
Lil Rev "Awww man! Because i want to go to the baby store & get a baby!"

We had a great convo about what a wonderful big brother he would be. He said he wants a baby sister. Then changed his mind to wanting a baby brother. We talked about teaching a little baby everything and then Lil Rev asked (with a big smirk on his face) "what will happen if i'm not nice to the baby?" We talked briefly about that, i finished tucking him in and walked out of the room with my heart filled with happiness. I just hope that was his Bro-ternal instincts are kicking in and he senses baby on the way!

Making A Baby...

 ... it's a pretty fun process!!! Kicked off our Conception Party last week and why do i ALREADY have heart burn and feel exhausted? which actually presented itself a couple weeks ago before we even attempted this next chapter in our life. The power of suggestion. The other day i was snippy at hubby and he says "oh great! just can't WAIT for those pregnancy hormones to kick in!" HA! Well at least he's preparing himself already, that's a good man. We shall now wait and see :)

We reserve our right to bear lethal arms...

...and traps to lawfully kill any intruders, including you, you beast of a rat!!! So thankful i have my own personal exterminator or else i would be besides myself. We enjoy many perks of living on 1/3 acre with a beautiful creek that runs through our property, but RATS are not one of them. Luckily we don't have a big problem... well let me take that back. That monstrous rat IS BIG but no issues yet. My hubby has tried several things and through his trials, errors and successes i have deducted that those rodents are geniuses!! I guess it's survival if the fittest / smartest instinct that kicks in as they learn how to get around various traps and NOT to go for the food luring them on the other side of a Super Sticky thingamabobber BUT hubby out smarted them with a Supreme Super Sonic Zapping Condo of a trap. And day 2 has brought us 2 dead rats! Woohoo! Victory in Revilleville

There's an app for that

Testing testing 1 2 3... Just downloaded the Blogger App! Blogging on the go, what a concept! If there is 1 thing i would ask myself "how did i enjoy life without it" i would answer APPS!! Well behind the internet, beer and smartphones (in that order)! It's incredible how many apps are free, functional and can be so incredibly useful... or not. Making my success with keeping up with RevilleVille news that much more enjoyable.

I Don't Appreciate Your Non-Enthusiasm

This is it... the official step to start this baby making fiesta = IUD removal. I have been working closely with my Obstetrician to prepare for this big day. This was one of the e-mails i had sent her in May "...This may sound silly but we have a special annual trip we take every July and would like to kick off our "Conception Party" there July 16 - July 22. So, when would be the best time to remove the IUD to try to get prime ovulation during that time?" Well according to her calculations the last week in June, mid-week would be ideal. So here i am, Wednesday, June 27th at Kaiser, glowing and wanting to shout from the elevator doors "I'm GETTING MY IUD REMOVED". It took all my might not tell everyone i passed my exciting news. Once i was checked in the Dr. Assistant called me into the room and asked the reason for my appointment; FINALLY i can legitimately tell someone without sounding crazy. So i told her. She then proceeded to ask what birth control method i will be using. Ok, another reason to proclaim this exciting adventure i am about to embark on. Not a smile, no congrats, no excitement, nothing. Ok, well she's young, i'm sure that the Nurse Practitioner will express a different sentiment. So the NP comes in and i tell her my regular OB is not in the office this week so i'm seeing her today and informed her about the above e-mail interaction suggesting i get the IUD removed today. She asked if i will be seeing an infertility doctor to get on infertility drugs; WHAT?!?! that was a heart stopping PARTY FOUL... NO, NO, NO! Just want to be ovulating a specific week, if at all possible. She responds "oh, well prime ovulation is a term used for couples who are infertile. STOP SAYING THAT NEAR MY OVARIES LADY! JUST STOP! I really don't appreciate your non-enthusiasm

Annual Camping Trip

In preparing for our annual camping trip, i was reminiscing about last year's camping adventures:

CAMPING: Our family enjoys an annual week camping trip up in the mountains of El Dorado National Forest and always have an incredible time. Vacations can either be jammed packed with sights to see, agendas to keep and experiences to experience; or they can be relaxing and refreshing with a slowed down pace spent together next to some water. My ultimate favorite past time is to sun-bathe / stock up on my Vitamin D. Kayaking, swimming, exloring, 4 wheeling, fishing and splashing in the water are some of our favorite things to do at the lake. Camping is our favorite way use our vacation time. My husband has been camping there with friends since high school and we have taken our boy every year thus far and plan to keep the annual tradition alive throughout our life. This year we borrowed my father in law’s 26’ motor-home and “roughed it” right next to the beautiful Loon Lake. Let me tell you, that may have been a toxic decision as I don’t think I can go back to tent camping. Initially I was only excited about the bathroom and thought the motor-home was “a little too much, I’m not going to use the shower & only limited use of the other appliances” but who was I kidding? It was perfect, comfy, convenient and I’m now officially spoiled!

HIGHLIGHTS: playing all day! It’s quite magical to experience nature (and life for that matter) through the eyes of a child. Things are so spectacular and exciting to youngens. He lead me to “the great valley” while searching for the “perfect fighting stick” to keep me safe and “fight all the bears”. He was on the lookout for lizards and overturned their sacred havens just to try to poke them with a stick (and then promptly yelled and jumped away). Camping with children can be fun, exhausting and also scary at times. My boy is now pretending to be “Spider-Man” and was climbing up and jumping off boulders, jumping from rock to rock, which was a constant reminder for me to let him grow, explore live and learn. Interesting concept for a mother, considering our natural instincts is to protect our children and keep them safe BUT allowing them to test their skills, develop new abilities and strengthen their confidence is a part of growing up (hoping this growing process does not include broken bones and MORE trips to the ER resulting in stitches). Some activities we do with our boy to keep busy during those (sometimes) loooooooooooooong camping days are play games, such as : I spy, scavenger hunt, marbles, and my boy’s favorite is “cover yourself with dirt then wipe it off with a stick”, he did this for about an hour. We took him for his first 4 wheeling ride on part of the infamous Rubicon trial. Best part about that experience is that HE FEEL ASLEEP! Like a little bobblehead in his car seat I had to climb in the back seat and hold his little head his back…it was hilarious!   

HUMILATION: What's a family adventure without a little parent humiliation? I have to say the most humiliating part of the camping trip was when our boy continued to push limits, test boundaries and we had to discipline him. Back story = we use the time-out method which usually works these days, but in the past our SPIRITED independent boy had given us a run for our money, rarely responded to set consequences and required us to test various methods for about 2 years, which also included spanking. We are not completely opposed to it but learned that it is not effective for our family. WELL upon putting him on time out (on his chair away from the camping fun) he continued to prod and push so I threatened him “if you continue, you will be in big trouble”. He then starts screaming and yelling “don’t spank me! No mommy please don’t spank me!” which echoed throughout the entire campground. Well, maybe spanking was more effective that we had given it credit.

Daddy Day 2012

Wishing all those deserving daddies a wonderful day today! Here is a a Father's Day tribute to the best Daddy that i have the pleasure to share my life with. Thank you for all the fun, love and patience!

Life Lesson #1

While playing Legos with Lil Rev this weekend celebrating his last day of preschool, I gave him his 1^st life lesson. Of course that’s our job as parents; teach our children good values and morals, how to be independent, strong, intelligent, creative, positive contributors to society. We’ve been doing it all along with daily lessons, such as “Don’t pick your nose. Don’t eat it. Don’t point at people and say things about others that may hurt their feelings. Listen to and respect adults. Share. Be nice to your friends. The Golden Rule.  Flatulence Etiquette 101…” and on and on and on.  

This Sunday full of playing, cleaning, errands and movies, Lil Rev was playing Legos while I was cleaning up. Right in the middle of doing laundry I hear a shrieking, whining little voice coming from the living room “Moooooooommy!!! I need you. Can you come here please?  I need your help!” I encouraged him to keep trying and figure it out as I was right in the middle of switching a load of laundry.  He requested help for the next few minutes as I hear him shuffling through all his Legos in his tray looking for a specific piece (he has probably 500 pieces that make for some great creating and frustrating searching). As i finish up and head over to help him he excitedly yells “YESSSSS!!! I found it! It was so tricky to find but I kept looking and finally found it!!!” I couldn't pass up this moment so Life Lesson #1 was created… the perfect time to attentively teach my son about the bigger things in life. 

Life Lesson #1 = When you feel frustrated, or like you want to give up; keep going, keep trying,  because you can always figure it out. You can do it!

I sat him in my lap, made sure his ‘listening ears’ were turned on (which he promptly simulated turning up of the volume of his ears) then I explained this 1^st Life Lesson and related to this specific experience he just overcame. “If you keep trying, have some focus, concentration and patience you can always figure it out. You were searching for a piece, became really frustrated and started whining for help, BUT you kept at it and found the piece you were looking for all by yourself! Sometimes you may need to take a break, think about it differently or even try again later… but you can always do it!"

Parenthood Job Description

A little summary about Parenthood that was e-mailed to me years ago

~ author unknown (but brilliant)

POSITION:
Mom, Mommy, Mama, Ma / Dad, Daddy, Dada, Pa, Pop

JOB DESCRIPTION:
Long term, team players needed for challenging permanent work in an often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organize skills and will be willing to workers variable house, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities! Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• The rest of your life.
• Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily, until someone needs $5.
• Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly.
• Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf. Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysterious sluggish toilets and stuck zippers.
• Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects.
• Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks.
• Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, and embarrassment the next.
• Must handle assembly and product safety testing on half a million cheap, plastic toys and battery operated devices.
• Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.
• Must assume final complete accountability for the quality of the end product.
• Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and daily janitorial work throughout the facility.

ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION:
NONE.
Your job is to remain in the same position for decades, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE:
None required unfortunately. On-the job trainings offered on a continual exhausting basis.

WAGES AND COMPENSATION:
Get this… YOU PAY THEM!!! While offering frequent raises and bonuses.
A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent. When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest thing is about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

BENEFITS:
While no health or dental, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered; this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth, unconditional love, and free hugs and kisses for life if you play your cards right.

NO RETIREMENT BENEFITS EVER.

{WAIT... WHAT WERE WE SIGNING UP FOR AGAIN? THERE ALSO WAS NO MENTION ABOUT ALLLLLL THAT LAUNDRY...}

Let's Flip a Coin

What a big decision to expand a family, have another baby, get pregnant AGAIN, abstain from caffeine/alcohol (and other vices) for what may seem like an eternity. After several months of debating we have decided! Last year we talked a lot about it; yes? no? maybe so? Luckily we were both on the same page "absolutely YES and absolutely NO!" ... must have been in the Book of Indecisions. In the fall Hubby even put the subject "off limits" until the New Year... guess what was my topic of discussion after our champagne toast and New Year's kiss at 12:01am? i did not feel my biological clock ticking but i continued to watch my son grow and grow and grow. It got to the point where we were going to flip a coin to decide whether or not to have another one. There are so many factors that contribute to the big decision and my biggest concern is TIME with our family. As my husband and I both have rewarding full-time careers, i cringed at the idea of bringing another miracle into our world to pay someone else to spend 50+ hours a week with them. The money is not an issue for us, although a minor consideration, it is the heart-break i have had to deal with already in raising our only son; and continue to grapple with it from time to time. We had the fortunate situation to work our schedules to keep Lil-Rev out of daycare for the 1st year of his life. Then it was off to this "facility" where he was mixed and mingled with dozens of other kids from 8a - 6p. It is still difficult for me on some days but he loves to socialize, has learned invaluable skills through his daycare experiences and i continue to remind myself about all the advantages he has from his fabulous childhood this far. Lil-Rev is 5 now and we have decided... it's baby making time! He is so independent now, we have had 5 wonderful years to dedicate to him, spoil and love him (after business hours of course) and perhaps subconsciously i had been waiting for him to be able to effectively wipe his own butt, which i imagine will be a great skill to have with a newborn around! A couple months ago my husband texted me "...BTW get your IUD removed and let's see what happens"! My response?... "FYI that IS NOT a BTW type of text!" and so it began. I felt like the nesting and excitement instantly kicked in (with a side of fright and panic shortly thereafter). Made my appointments and actually called in the day before the big IUD removal day to confirm everyone was on the same page (1st time i ever have followed up about a Dr. appointment). Click on link for post about that Doct's appointment = I Don't Appreciate Your Non-Enthuasisum

Here it is... another blog

If you know me, you may know that i have been "blogging" for years... "blogging-ish" is probably a better description. I have used blogging as a journal, for inspirational writing, as an aid to process plans and events in my life, etc. I get excited about a new idea for a blog, start it, post a couple (or not) then that's that. Well here's another one BUT the difference is that this is one that i will continually have something to add because it's about my family, my life. So i have this 5 year old little boy who is the funniest little guy i have ever met (unbiased of course)! He says the most random, hilarious things that makes my husband and i crack up everyday. As any parent out there, or caregiver who has the pleasure of spending time with children, you know what i'm talking about. The innocence of a child's brain trying to connect various pieces in their world by asking copious amounts of questions and behaving in such an immature, childish manner... gotta love them! It seems like everyday i have a "hilarious" story to tell a co-worker about what my boy did (yeah, i'm one of those moms). After we all laugh about this or that they say "you really need to write that one down". Thank goodness for Facebook, which thus far has been my "mommy journal" keeping track of all those precious, embarassing and funny moments that parenthood can bring. Through daily comedy bits from our 5 year old and pending miracles on the horizon, we wanted to share with our family and friends (and visitors too) the antics, challenges and exhilirating adventures happening in RevilleVille. With planning to expand our family, i have expanded my forum: so here it is... another blog! and a recent artpiece from my lil guy, we'll call him Lil-Rev:

One morning Lil-Rev woke up wanting to make me a "decoration". He got out his crayones, hole puncher, asked for string and then after a few minutes he had me close my eyes and presented me with this. I asked what it was and he said "it's a picture of you and me and you're wearing your Chi-Chi Covers"! Well at least we both have big smiles :D