30 Valentines

So, what did you do on your 30th birthday? It's a milestone, right? Time to do something extravagant...

Here's what I did today:

* Cleaned our sofa & recliner. You know that "easy to clean" microfiber stuff that was all the rage several years ago? Not so "easy to clean" today! After gallons of drool from 3 kids, dried jelly from peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, and spilled juice due to leaky leak-proof sippy cups... it was time for a good cleaning. Not fun, but the results made me smile. Happy birthday to me!

* Vacuumed & spot cleaned our stairs. For the record, I NEVER wanted a two-story house. So, when we both fell in love with this home, Sammy promised he would take care of vacuuming the stairs. Hmmmmm... I went over each inch of each step with the vacuum hose & got in every nook & cranny with the corner tool. Then, I went a bit overboard with the Resolve to finally clean up the spilled chocolate milk & the spilled make-up Sydney got for Christmas. Lots of elbow grease, but they look new again! Happy birthday to me!

* Vacuumed & cleaned the mattress in our upstairs guest bedroom that our dog decided was meant for her. Sammy created a fun treasure hunt for me this morning, which included a clue placed on the mattress. When I found the clue, I had a hard time thinking of anything else but the black dog hair that seemed to cover the entire surface. Disgusting! I made up my mind right then & there to clean the entire mattress before the day was over. I barely made it, but the task is done! Happy birthday, dear Amberly!

* Made red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting for my birthday/Valentine's Day with the kiddos. We spent a good part of this afternoon drowning in multi-colored sprinkles, red & pink icing & heart candies. The kids had a HARD time falling asleep tonight, which I'm sure can be blamed on the massive amounts of sugar coursing through their veins. But, I had fun & they had fun & it was all worth it! Happy birthday to me!

I hope you all had a fun & memorable Valentine's Day! And, just so you don't think my sweet husband is completely in the dog house, he did plan a fun night out for us this weekend. I can't wait!

Grammy Night & More Croup

In honor of the Grammy's airing tonight, here is a little something to celebrate...

Click on this link: Yahoo! Music

Scroll to the bottom of the page.

Near the end, you will see the heading "GRAMMY Listening Party".

Under that section, you can click on the link that says, "Listen to full cd".

It will start playing the Grammy nominees CD for you. And, you can hear the entire album. There are some really good songs on there. I think the first 3 are my favorite:

1. Crazy by Gnarls Barkley
2. Be Without You by Mary J. Blige
3. Put Your Records On by Corinne Bailey Rae

Great songs!

Nicholas is croupy... again! We just put up the nebulizer a week or so ago & it looks like we'll have to pull it back out. Poor guy. It started when the weather turned cold last week. He's had a rough time this winter. We are looking forward to spring, when he can get a break. Of course, that's when mine & Samuel's allergies will kick in! I guess summer is the healthiest season for our family!

I got caught...

This morning, after Sydney visited the restroom, she came out with her sleeper pajamas twisted around & between her legs. She said, "Mommy, I can't get my foot out." (It was hiding somewhere in that tangled mess.) So, I helped her "find" her foot & then held her pajamas out for her to stick her arms in the sleeves. Then, I got up & started walking away. But, before I got too far, she called out, "Mooooooommmm..." I turned just in time to see a smug look across her face. She continued, "you helped me!"

Sure enough! I did & she just had to rub it in!!

Growth Spurt

Samuel must be going through a growth spurt. Typically, he will eat half a sandwich with some chips & fruit for lunch. That's all he's ever wanted. Lately, he has been eating a whole entire sandwich & asking for a second one afterwards. In the morning, 2 waffles have always been plenty for him. Now, in addition to his 2 waffles, he wants 2 slices of toast. He's eating an entire package of Ramen noodles by himself now. Honestly, our pantry looks so empty right now because he is eating everything in sight! This is so unlike him! But, at the same time, I'm a little relieved that he's eating more. I always worried that he wasn't getting enough nutrients & vitamins, because he rarely ate. And, even though my pediatrician assured me that he was growing just fine for his age, I still wished he would eat what I would put on his plate for lunch & dinner. Now, I wish he would just slow down a bit so I can keep up! It's time to start buying 3 loaves of bread at a time!!

More Freebies!

Next week, I will have a birthday lunch for FREE!! And, by now, you all know how much I LOVE free stuff!!

I will first stop at Sonny Bryan's BBQ restaurant for an entirely FREE meal. And, as much as I love freebies, I LOVE Sonny Bryan's even more!! Yummmmm!! You can visit their website & if you sign up to receive e-mail offers from them, they will send you a free meal just for registering. I registered a couple of years ago & I hardly ever receive mail from them. Mainly on at Thanksgiving, Christmas & my free meal on my birthday. It's a great deal & a great meal!

Then, I'll be heading to Baskin-Robbins for my free ice cream cone! Same deal there... you can sign up for their "Birthday Club" to receive a free cone on your birthday. And, you can sign up your kids, also. It's fun & free!

Enjoy!

Wade Phillips, Anna Nicole & More

Well, the Cowboys hired a new head coach. Wade Phillips will lead the team next season. Now, I know next to nothing about football & coaching, so this comment may not hold any weight at all... but, why is it that the Cowboys always hire old, white men? Tom Landry... Jimmy Johnson... Barry Switzer... Dave Campo... Bill Parcells... now Wade Phillips ?!?! Sammy reminds me that Tom Landry wasn't old when he started coaching, so I guess he doesn't count. But, come on! What about the others?? Let's expand our horizons a bit.

I am so sad about Anna Nicole Smith's death. Not necessarily because of her, but because she left behind her 5-month-old daughter. I feel so sorry for this poor, innocent baby that will never know her mother (which, in this instance, may be a good thing) and does not even know who to call "daddy". I just hope & pray that someone will raise & love that baby the way every child deserves to be treated.

The other evening, on the way home from Bible Class, Samuel was telling me about what he learned. He told me all about his lesson & when I thought he was done, I started checking the message that was left on my cell phone. As I was listening to the message on my phone, Samuel was trying to talk to me again. I obviously wasn't paying much attention to him, because I finally heard him loudly say, "One, two, three... Look at me!" He was a bit perturbed! This must be something one of his teachers either at school or church say to the class. Later, in that same conversation, we got to talking about heaven. The kids ask lots & lots of questions about heaven. They are intrigued about this awesome place "up in the sky". Sydney asked Samuel how we get to heaven. And, this was his response: "When you get old, you take lots of medicine & then you die & go to heaven." Well, I guess that's one way.

We have been desperately trying to instill some independence in Sydney lately. However, if you heard this struggle, you'd think we had been trying to cut her arms off! She's quite the drama queen! I have "babied" her for way too long & it's really coming back to bite me now. So, Sammy & I both sat down & explained to her that we would no longer be dressing her or wiping her bottom when she uses the potty. (Now, in my defense, I used to let her wipe herself, until she got a urinary tract infection... most likely from not wiping properly. So, after that incident, I took over & never let her learn to do the right way.) The first few days were TERRIBLE! She screamed because we wouldn't put her panties on... we wouldn't fasten her shoes for her... we wouldn't do this... we wouldn't do that. It was ridiculous!! Then, all of a sudden, she finally realized that all the screaming in the world wasn't going to make us do what she wanted. So, she just decided to do it herself. And, it is so wonderful!! She doesn't call me to the bathroom anymore. At bedtime, we pick out her clothes for the next morning & when she wakes up, she puts on all her clothes... all by herself! It has made school mornings MUCH easier! We've actually been on time this last week, which is a huge accomplishment for us. Kindergarten, here we come!

And, last, but not least, a big congratulations to my friend, Becky, on the birth of her new son. A new adventure begins!