Carving Time

This is the night that the girls look forward to all year. Or so it seems. We picked our pumpkins last weekend with Aunt Vic. Each and every night the girls asked if it was the night that we could carve them. I hate to do something so messy on a school night, so I just kept putting it off. Well enough waiting was had and the girls wanted to carve NOW. I relented and said we could do it.

They were so happy. A couldn't get enough of the gushy insides while B just wanted to draw the face. I of course had them pull out as many seeds as they could so I could roast them later. I took a video of A saying "disgusting" that i will post tomorrow. It is rather funny. She was so grossed out by the insides yet kept going back for more.

A found a seed stuck to her thumb and even after shaking her hand it did not come off.

Our finished pumpkin.

I placed a flashlight inside instead of a candle. I think B did a pretty good job on the face too. I did do the cutting, but it was her drawing. It was a good time and even Daddy took a turn scooping out the insides.

Broke Her Heart

The sisters in my house have been at each other's necks non stop. They seem to fight about anything. It has come down to me trying to stay out of it as well as teaching each girl how to deal with the other. I have taught A to tell B "I am not listening to you" when B calls her a name or is being mean. I told B last night that if she did not stop picking on her sister than I would treat her the same way. For now that is holding . But this morning was the worst!

A's highlight is to have big sister walk her to her classroom. Now remember A only goes to school twice a week and her room is about 10 feet from B's. So no major sacrifice has to be made. Well B told A she was not going to walk her today. A was not happy, so I did step in and "kindly" told B that she was going to walk her little sister to the room. FINE! I got back. Just as A had a smile on her face one of B's friends came over to her. They continued to walk to class together. UMMMM wait. I thought B was walking A to class you might be saying. Yes, I thought the same thing as did A. B actually let go of A's hand and never looked back as she went off with her buddy. A stood there screaming B's name and crying! It broke my heart. It took all my strength to not grab B by her ponytail and make her walk her little sister to class. I decided I would wait till she gets home instead. :)

A was upset for a few more minutes until we got to her class. Than all was forgotten and the smile reappeared.

It is so hard to see my girls fight and it is even harder to see B become a "mean girl". I want my sweet little girl back!

Our Fun At U of I

I took the girls down to U of I for a weekend of bonding with Aunt Vic. We all had a great time minus the fact that we all stayed in 1 room(double beds) each night. This meant that the girls went to bed late and we went to bed early. I am up for early nights, but cool, hip, young college student Aunt Vic not so much. The girls LOVED being on a college campus and totally enjoyed walking around. We even went down to Eastern Illinois University (where I went) for a bit of time too. B seemed to love it all. It was nice to have her only whine about being hungry. Instead of, tired, bored, AND hungry. We really had a good time and I'm glad we went.

Aunt Vic and her lovebugs.
The only way I saw my girls for the entire weekend. They had so much fun taking photos. I loved the fact that they weren't wasting any film.

So her father, A went right for the remote and the bed. Quite the yawn on her don't you think.
A fun day of pumpkin finding was had. The girls really liked going in the field in search for the "perfect" pumpkin.

Did You Hear Me?

Since Tom is out of town there is no real reason to make dinner, nor go home right away after gymnastics. Like I want to be alone with my girls for this period of time with no hope of daddy walking through the door to relieve me. No, it is better to keep them out and about running small errands with the promise of dinner out at the end.

Where do my girls love to eat? That would be at Potbelly. I too do not mind the place. Plus with no Tom I am so getting a shake! The girls also thought a shake sounded great. I did make them agree that the shake also counted as dessert for the night. After all I am not a totally bad mom.

As I placed the sandwich order I put in my banana shake request and B's Oreo one. I then asked A which kind she wanted. Her reply was "none." I restated the question for I was sure she did not hear me correctly, and again was told that she did not want a shake. I tried to ask her again using different words, but her answer was the same. So I did not order her one. Yet somewhere in the back of my mind I was already playing the next scene out. You know the one. You get to the table and 2 out of the 3 people have shakes. It then dawns on the one without that she is missing something, and she really wants one NOW. But I told myself that since I asked her many times if she wanted one and she replied each and every time "NO" that I would be fine.

As I am standing at the register to pay I overhear the shake maker say that he made a banana AND Oreo shake. To this I quickly stated that I would still take the mistake one and he would just have to make a plain Oreo one. I mean I hate to waste a good shake. You would do the same right? I even joked about having to pay for it since it was "trash". I totally got it for FREE. SCORE!!! It was really good too by the way.

So I have sandwiches in hand, shakes in the other and my cash gone. It is then that A notices 2 shakes and 3 people. She does what you are thinking. "I want a shake too!" I told her that I asked her lots of times and she said no. That goes somewhere right between don't care and not listening. So needless to say I broke down and ordered her a shake. The worst part was that since I had no more cash I actually had to charge a $2.90 shake. So now with 3 shakes we set out for home. Good thing I got that free one.

Trip Complete

Well for as much complaining as I did on Friday, the actual wedding was good. I did rip up my toes with my shoes, but other than that all was good. I had a good time and was able to chat with many family members that I like. The food was good, but most importantly the bar was open all night!

I would not stay at this hotel again either. It was a "club" which had a dress code and all. I was not informed of the dress code when packing so I was not able to eat breakfast or go through the main lobby. I was wearing jeans and they are not allowed. I did however eat in the dining room on Sunday and when I walked in they sat us way in the corner. I got many looks too. But then again I was hungry and was breakfast was almost over.

I have flown to Philly many times with the kids and I swear this flight without them was WAY shorter than with them. I have no idea how the time could be different, but alone with just my husband it was quick. It was nice to close my eyes and not have to open them till we landed. There was no "I need..., I want..." I did kinda miss the DVD player, but I survived. Even the babies on our flights were placed far away from me. Just the way I like it.

The girls were happy to have us home. Their weekend with Grandma and Grandpa was fun filled. They sure have the magic, for A took naps! She has not napped for me in months, but all weekend slept for them. I am totally trying naps today.

Good to be home.

It's A Wedding

My husband's nephew is getting married this weekend for the second time. The wedding is in Philly. This means a weekend trip/get away. We decided to leave the girls at home with my parents for a weekend of fun with Grandma and Grandpa. They were super excited. I have to say I was not. Not because I didn't want to leave my girls, but because I have a feeling that this weekend away will not be so great. In the past I have had my girls with me at these events and I end up mommy-ing the entire time. This time I'm pretty sure I will be all alone.

It is currently 4:00 and I am alone in the hotel room. Why? Oh that would be because I was not invited to the bridal tea and my husband is out at the near by pub with the boys watching the Philly game. He will be drinking till the rehearsal (he is in the wedding party) then perhaps he will swing by the room to pick me up for the rehearsal dinner. I am not holding my breath. He could very well forget. I do not plan to be ready when he gets here either. I know totally passive aggressive, but it will make me feel better. Tomorrow he has plans too before the wedding photos at 12:00. Yeah...lots of alone time for me.

I do not mind the alone time per say, but it kinda sucks. We could have saved the money and left me at home, like I wanted. My husband swore that he would not leave me alone, since he has done it the last 2 weddings, but again let me say I am alone.

On the positive side I have been able to browse ebay for the girl's presents and am blogging without interruptions. I only wish the hotel had a bath. It is an old hotel so only stand up shower. Can this trip get any worse? I sure hope not.

Apple Picking 2008

I had it all planned out. We would wait to go apple picking on a day that B did not have school. Last year it was easier with her 1/2 days for Kindergarten. Not so much in first grade. Lucky for us school was out Monday due to the teacher institute day. I knew this was the perfect day. Most schools would be in session so the orchard would be empty. Plus it is a little late in the season so not so many people once again.

Oh my plan totally worked! The place was empty and we even had our own private hay ride out to the orchard. We were the only ones amongst the trees. It was so fun. The girls really got into picking apples this year. I too had a hard time walking past an apple and not picking it. I also had a hard time not eating tons of these fresh yummy apples. I think I managed to eat 4. They were so good! b was all over using her backpack to carry apples. In fact she had a pretty full bag.

Daddy and his girls

I know there is an apple in here somewhere.

A little higher, Daddy!

Look at all my apples!

Oh! This is soooo good

We ended up grabbing a few more than our bag allowed, but since we didn't know that, nor did they check, we are heavy in the apples now. I guess it is time for me to bring out the "what to do with apples" list again. Any suggestions?

Botanic Garden Fun

On Saturday we went to the Chicago Botanic Gardens to check out their HUGE (200-400lbs)pumpkins. A and I noticed these pumpkins last week when we went for our class. I could not believe how big they were. In fact it was hard to talk about them without swearing. I managed however. :)

We had some time to kill (before B had a party to attend) and it was a nice sunny day, so out we went. We all had a pretty fun time. We only stayed for about 2 hours (if that long), but it was good. The girls loved running through the little hay maze, and using their free magnifying glasses to explore. I liked going to a place that I am a member of that I really don't frequent. I will have to say that I will be back with the girls soon. It was good for A to have open run time.

Uncle Marty came along too.

I also love the fact that due to the changing season, the gardens all change too. It was fun to find different veggies in the garden and to see the fall colors beginning to appear. I know next time it will be different too. The Botanic Garden is really a hidden gem in my mind.

Who Knew? Dangers With Tagless

I recently found out about this while reading a blog that I don't read daily. I was so shocked. I had no idea. What bothers me the most is that most of my girl's clothes come from Carter's or Oshgosh. I thought I was all for the tagless shirts, but now not so much. Why was this not in the news or the paper? Even Goodyblog didn't post anything yet. I am sure glad I came across it.

Apparently, the tagless tags can be made from two materials - one, a phthalate-containing PVC, and the other, a “solventborne polyurethane that is post cured via a catalyst,” and may include formaldehyde. If the labels are not sealed properly, the chemicals can leach and harm children’s skin. After their initial investigation, Z Recs believes the tags are not limited to Carter’s, but Circo (from Target) and Gerber as well. The Carter’s clothing seems to come from their Fall 2007 line, but now the investigation is broadening into 2008 clothing.
“If your child gets a rash or lesion, call Carter’s at 888-782-9548. Then call the CPSC to report the problem at their hotline number: 800-638-2772. Then email us photos and some information so that we can reference it when dealing with Carter’s and the CPSC and reporting accurately on this issue.”

I know there are many of us moms who would try anything and everything if our little one came down with a weird rash or worse. I think a tagless tag would be one of the last things I would think about. Now it will be one of the first!