Colored noodles

Every morning before the heat sets in and we have to lock our doors, pull our shades and watch Toy Story for the zillionth time, Big Sis DIVA and Princess Pork Chop get to do a little fun activity outside. This week we had some fun with noodles.

Colored Noodles

I took a package of Ramen Noodles (CHEAP) and cooked them. Then drained them. Added a bit of grapeseed oil and food coloring and stirred them up. I then set them in the fridge overnight. In the morning I pulled the noodles out of the fridge and we headed outside to play. We used utensils from our outdoor kitchen to give it a look. Big Sis DIVA does not like to get her hands dirty, despite all my attempts to get her to, so I settled for tongs and spoon play. Now, Princess Pork Chop has no problem getting dirty and playing with colored spaghetti.

We had a really fun time and discussed colors and bugs and worms and cooking and pretty much every single thought a toddler could come up with.

Big Sis DIVA loved the colored noodles but did not like it when Princess Pork Chop climbed in the bowl. She told me, "not right momma, sisa doesn't go in the bowl." Gotta love my everything has to be in perfect order 2 year old!

Tin can windchime

I love color. I love whimsy. I love things that are a little bit funky. And I LOVE doing activities with my kids. So when I happened upon this lovely little idea, I knew Big Sis DIVA and I had to get to crafting.

Tin Can Wind Chime.

Awesome!

I saved up some veggie cans and tuna fish cans. Cleaned them, sent them through the dishwasher and laid them out to dry. I am a bit of a worrier, so I took black electrical tape and covered the "open" edge of all the cans.

Then I set up the workspace and surprised Big Sis DIVA. We used spray paint for our project.

I allowed her to watch me paint the cans while she played on her swing set. I didn't want her to breathe in the fumes.

After the cans dried, Big Sis DIVA helped me use the hammer to poke holes in the cans (you know this was a riot, right?) and thread wire to hang our cans. Simple. fun. Exciting.

We now have a lovely little colorful funky piece of whimsy hanging on the swing set, a fine choice by Big Sis DIVA, that blows in the wind and makes beautiful sounds. Oh! Wait! We have no wind. It is a summer in Houston! Perhaps in the fall the whimsical tunes will accompany the whimsical appearance of our fun little craft!

The definition of friendship.

When we are tots, friendship is defined by who has the best dessert and is willing to share during lunch. We all know this is a big deal when we are 5! As we grow up, we begin to look a little deeper and our friendships are defined by who gets their drivers license first and who can use the car most often. And then we grow a little more and friendships become defined as who can pass off the fake id and score beer for the next party.

Time continues on and so do friendships. We find ourselves married and friendships begin to take on new definitions yet again. We look more for those cool couples we can hang out with and enjoy a young party style lifestyle and yet be "mature" as we purchase adult things like houses. At first it is young couples who have no children. Then as the womb begins to speak out, we define our friendships by those young couples who have young kids. We surround ourselves with these friends to gain perspective and guidance. We fake our way through kid parties with these friends, definition being friends with cute babies we can spoil.

And then it happens. We ourselves have kids and thus a new definition of friendship is formed.

This is where I am in the great journey of life. My friendships are defined by the simple notion of if I make the guest list to my kids play date friend's birthday parties. It might sound silly or irrational, but it is the truth. At this point in life, your social circle seems to surround your children. It is only natural. Its what happens. We really come full circle on the definition of friendship. Perhaps more dessert sharing should go on in adulthood.

Looking forward to the next stage and definition of friendship as Big Sis DIVA starts preschool in the fall. Any tips?

Midsummer catchup

Are you enjoying your Summer?

We are, here in the Pink Haired House of Chaos. We totally enjoy the sunny 100 plus temperature days that keep us indoors longing for a day of rain, so we can then go outside and play. But that aside, we are having a great summer here. Hence the reason my posts have been so infrequent. Oh and the fact that I have a new baby. Ha!

We have been running around town introducing Princess Pork Chop to the play date circuit. And Big Sis DIVA has been honing in her crafting skills and learning how to make masterpieces. I have snapped all sorts of pictures and hope to share these fun activities with you in the coming days. If for nothing else than to show off my beautiful kids and their beautiful smiles as we live day by day!

Thanks for popping in and stay tuned!!

Princess Pork Chop

Critter2 has earned herself an official nickname in our home. She is now affectionately known to those who love her dearly as Princess Pork Chop. Someday, I am pretty sure she will hate me for allowing this name to come about, but I can not help it. It is cute. It fits her and I like it.

And lets not mention she is a bit "porky". We went for the 2 month checkup. you know the yucky one with the first round of shots. BOOOOOO! But aside from those horrible few moments we discovered that Princess Pork Chop has doubled her birth weight in 2 short months, weighing in at 10.2 pounds. She is now 4 inches longer/taller whatever we call it at this point. She is developmentally and physically soaring and showing no signs of trouble from her early birth.

She is amazing cute with her fluffy little legs and chunky little cheeks. I could sit and smooch her all day. She has started to coo and this is really cute. Big Sis DIVA was not a coo'er, so I find this development thrilling. Princess Pork Chop has also stolen my heart as she has started smiling real smiles, in response to my voice and face. Ahhhh. Melts a momma's heart I tell ya.

Big Sis DIVA is still enjoying her baby sister and so far no attempts to throw her out in the trash have been uncovered! So we will continue on with these two cute babes and live and love life!

We had a Date Night!

View of Kemah from the Cruise

I have 2 kids. It takes me 4 hours to get out the door, just to drive a letter to the mailbox and back. I forget when the last time I showered was. With all this going on you can imagine that finding time for a date night gets dropped to the bottom of the list and long forgotten. Well, not anymore!

Princess Pork chop, living it up

H4L and I broke down and had a semi date night. By semi, I mean we sent Big Sis DIVA off to grandma's and we loaded up Princess Pork Chop (whom we knew in womb as Critter2), and headed down to Kemah to embark on a fabulous Murder Mystery dinner Cruise. You see, it might have been 4 years ago that we had an actual date night, and it is possible it may be another 4 years before wee have another one, so we felt we should do it big and RIGHT since we had a chance.

Handsome H4L striking blog poses for me! :)

We were honored to participate in the murder mystery dinner plot among the most accommodating and lovely cruise boat provided by Star Fleet Yachts. From the moment we arrived we found nothing but an adoring staff, enter the beautiful Princess Pork Chop, who provided us with anything and everything we needed to fill our bellies and quench our thirst as well as guide us through the experience with great ease.

Once aboard we were shown our assigned table and greeted our fellow shipmates. We sat down and the entertainment began. I enjoyed the way the cast and crew casually integrated the murder mystery plot into our dinner, enabling a smooth transition for both. AND H4L was even part of the show playing a mobster! Ain't he a doll???

H4L acting all mobster, he is on the left!

Our fellow shipmates were a riot and we had a blast laughing and working our way through the murder mystery show. We dined on some absolutely delicious dinner and watched the sun set in the distance over the water. Princess Pork Chop fit right in to the fun family centered dinner cruise and yet we also felt like grownups and enjoyed our "Date night".

Clearly, this momma needed a DATE NIGHT!

If you are looking for a fun evening out, with your hubbs, or kids if need be :), I would highly recommend looking in to the Star Fleet Yachts dinner cruises. The fabulous Murder Mystery dinner cruise H4L and I attended is not the only offering. Star Fleet has a wide variety of cruise options to fit any appetite. Everything from Murder mystery to Firework spectacular, your dinner cruise wish can be granted. It really is a wonderful night out. We had a grand time and we look forward to going back again, alone and with both girls!

**Star Fleet Yachts provided me with the opportunity to cruise their line at no charge. My experience and my thoughts are that of my own and honest and not persuaded by the company.**

H4L got a new gig

Things have been a changing in the Pink Haired House of Chaos recently. I think all my readers are well aware that we have added extra chaos to the home with the much anticipated arrival of Critter2! YAY. And we are now down a gallbladder. Hooray. I have never been so glad to have an organ yanked from my body, not that I do this kind of thing often. I am down 16 pounds since Critter2 arrived, which is amazing considering I only gained 4 total throughout the pregnancy.

A super big change came in early May, but I couldn't share the news publicly. But now I can! H4L has changed careers. He took a leap and landed himself in a super fun and exciting career with trains. Yep folks, Pink Haired Momma is now the hot wife of a train conductor! Well, a train conductor in training.

H4L, poor dude, has to under go 6 grueling months of rigorous training. He studies constantly when he is home and has the most odd ball working hours. But the money is amazing and the benefits are even better, so it is all worth it. And I personally just find it super awesome to be a conductors wife. Makes H4L just that much more sexy! LOL He is 1 month in and showing great promise as a super star student of the conductor "School".

So from here on out I am sure I will be entertaining you with great stories from the life of a Pink Haired train conductors wife!

Blueberry picking 2011

We visited the Chmielewski Blueberry farm this last weekend. A local organic farm that allows you to pick your own. This is our second year going and I have every intention of continuing to visit each year, if not another couple of times this year. I love fresh blueberries. I will not lie though, this year the pickins are a little less impressive than last year. However, we are in the middle of a massive drought and sporting 100 plus temps daily, so I am not surprised. And although the berries may be slightly smaller this year they are not lacking in taste by any means. Absolutely delicious. Oh and after a morning of picking, I had one toddler who crashed out for a 4 hour nap! SCORE 10 extra points for the Chmielewski blueberry farm!

The Berry fields

"Pop" and I loaded up on fresh berries

Grandma taught me how to pick them berries

La La La, picking berries, picking berries

I can reach!

Got one 1 mom, YUUUUM!

And Critter2, of course, snuggled in her Moby, enjoyed picking blueberries!

Facebook accountability

I hear a lot of moms talk about how Facebook is incredibly addictive and has ruined their parenting skills, one status update at a time. How they need to take a break and "unplug" for weeks at a time to decompress from the tight grip of a social media hold. I understand what they are saying to an extent but I do not fully agree with them. Yes, facebook is addictive. Yes, we have grown as a society to rely upon social media in place of face to face contact. Yes all of this does have its downside. But that IS our way of life now. This is how we communicate as a society. This is our world. And we don't have to just be glued to the computer or phones all day. There can be a happy medium. We can be status update obsessed and still lead productive and healthy lives with our children.

I personally have found facebook to aid in parenting. How, you might ask. Well, all of my friends and family are on facebook. From my childhood friend that I have known since I was a mere few months old to my grandmother to my old boss. Everyone that has crossed my life path is somehow or someway active in social media. My main source of contact to those I know is via the internet and social media outlets. It makes life easy to be able to communicate this way. And not only easy, it can be instant and up to the minute for those googly family eyes who want to see the youngest generation of our family in active bloom.

I utilize facebook to communicate to those I love across the world about my life and the life of my children. I upload pictures, talk about the happenings of potty training and other absurd things that occur during the day. I rattle off status updates about craft projects or dinner plans or ideas I have for myself and my family. I tell tales of the latest spot to hit with my mommy group or the few and far between Hot date night spots I hit with my husband. My status updates are basically a quick outline of my life and how it is playing out at any given moment.

In return my friends and family on facebook hold me accountable to the things I post. If I state that Big Sis DIVA will be marble painting this afternoon, someone WILL comment on my wall and ask how it went. If I spill the beans on what I plan to serve at dinner, someone will wander over to my husbands wall or mine and ask how dinner was. If I really like a new website or product or really despise the like, I share it with my friends and family via facebook. Instantly they too can know that those new cookies are disgusting but that ugly show feels fabulous while chasing toddler for 3 hours at the park of my tired sore momma feet.

In the same way that many parents go on and on about how facebook eats up all their time, how they sit around just playing on facebook and forgetting they have children, I can go on and on about how find it a useful tool for me. I find it keeps me in check. I use it to get myself out of bed and to make sure I do not drift off to couchland. If I status update something, I follow through, so that my family and friends around the globe can read and see in pictures the smiles on my kids face as I do all I can to be the best mom I can be. I make sure that if I state marble painting is on the agenda for my kids then by days end there are pictures of masterpieces made by Big Sis DIVA and a smile to accompany it hitting the facebook stream, in response to my earlier status updates, for those on my friends list to gawk at.

I enjoy sharing little tidbits throughout the day with folks and engaging in simple and fun conversations. Sometimes these conversations are the only adult contact I might have for the day and it is welcomed. I don't live on the computer or phone either. I simply update my status and check in throughout the day while my kids are occupied or when I find a quiet 30 seconds alone. And in that 30 seconds I am able to "Talk" to an adult, regroup as a mom and move on to the next engaging toddler filled fun that I promised my kids via a Facebook status. So, in that respect I love Facebook and its addictive properties.

Case of the missing Dinner plate 2

****Well! It is quite obvious momma's with newborns should not be allowed to blog late at night all alone. It seems I managed to write a post and get it published, only to stumble around my keyboard and delete it moments later. Several comments were made to the disappearing post, so please forgive me. I have retrieved the deleted post and am I hoping round 2 works out better!***

My parents have enjoyed telling me many a stories about myself, over and over, about what wonderful behavior I displayed as a child, obviously it wasn't the greatest. A certain little tale hits home with me now as I parent my own children.

Apparently, I was playing with the knobs on the stove. I was twisting and turning them on and off and had been instructed, told, and disciplined many a time on this already, that it was a NO-NO. On this particular occasion, I have been told, that my dad told me quite stern, "I do not want your hands touching this stove again!". A few moments later my parents were once again interrupted by the obnoxious noise of me turning the knobs on the stove. However, as they braced to beat my butt they discovered little old toddler me turning the knobs with my ELBOWS, not my hands. I was following their instructions. My hands were not touching that stove!

Now as I have my own toddler, I encounter these moments...more so than I would like to admit to my parents. But it is moments like these that break the frustration of parenting and allow for a good ol' belly laugh and reminder of the innocence of our obnoxious children and a minute to pour that next glass of wine.

This week, Big Sis DIVA provoked one such moment. It was dinner time. I made some delicious homemade cookies for us to snack upon after we finished dinner. Big Sis DIVA spied these "cook cook's" as she calls them, and the rest is history. I informed Big Sis DIVA that after her dinner was "GONE" she could have a "Cook Cook". I had no idea she would take me literally.

She basically took her dinner plate and hid it. When i turned around and saw the plate missing from the table I inquired about the issue. Here is what went down: (it's about 1 1/2 minutes long FYI)

Due Date

Today is Critter2's official due date. But, instead of me waddling about miserable with a giant belly and cankles, I am instead holding my sweet little baby girl who turns exactly 1 month old today. AND she is finally big enough to wear her special outfit we had made for her to wear home from the hospital!

And on a funny note, Big Sis DIVA has a matching dress, but has already grown out of it this last month. LOL

Playing cool

It is barely June, and we are sweating like mad here in our part of the world. It is incredibly hot outside. So much so that park play anytime after, oh 8am, is pretty much out of the question. Especially with tiny Critter2 right now. So what is one to do with a 2.5 year old Big Sis DIVA during the many hours of indoor summer torture?

Frozen learning snack

For me, momma?

Learning that hot water melts ice

Cold momma! But FUN!

Ice games! This morning Big Sis DIVA and I had a grand time during Critter2's nap. We learned that ice is COLD. And that it melts into "wa-wa" and that sometimes yummy fruit is hidden inside. We touched the ice, tasted the ice, smelled the ice, listened to the ice melting when warm water was poured on it and looked at it. All 5 senses were invoked in this little snack time play. Yes, I made snack time into playtime and learning time. A cool little experiment with Big SIS DIVA, that although was not physically stimulating, was incredibly mentally stimulating.

And then we enjoyed snack! FUN!

Backyard Picasso with potatoes

Last week I shared with you our beginnings of our backyard oasis. We started in the artists corner by building ourselves fabulous little chalkboard for summer chalk play. We also built us two Easels to get out creative juices flowing through painting. We snuck outside, in the heat no less, to get some Picasso time in. Big Sis DIVA had a blast. And I discovered muffin tins make a great paint palette for toddlers.

I took a couple of potatoes and made "stamps". We had a triangle, circle, heart, and square (ummm those were chosen because I could sketch them in then tater easy HA!). We started inside learning about the cool shapes in the taters. Then, like magic, Big SIS DIVA discovered how to "Stamp" and away we went painting. Before long we moved on outside to the artists corner and complete out masterpiece.

Losing an organ

I think you fabulous readers will recall my wonderful tale of a rotten gallbladder discovery. And if not, feel free to jump over HERE and read about my naked ambulance ride as this discovery came about. It is no secret that Critter2's pregnancy was horrible to my body. High blood pressure, migraines, barfing and GALLBLADDER attacks.

Ummmm Hello!!! Is it not enough that pregnant women barf their guts up, swell into giant bubbles of fat, and then go through horrendous 36 hours of labor (oh wait that is just me!). Nope, not enough. It seems that there is a trigger of sorts with the hormone surges of pregnancy that allow the gallbladder to kick into overdrive and start flailing about sending its pregnant host into severe pains. And the super cool factor in this is you are PREGNANT. The only cure is surgery to remove the nasty little organ, and that usually doesn't happen until post delivery. AWESOME. So pregnant momma's everywhere with this problem can then add severe abdominal/back pain that is nearly unbearable to the fun list of pregnancy ouchies. And if you are like me, and not wanting to add and "extra" chemicals to your unborn, you will suffer through for months with no pain meds. Dumb perhaps, but a personal choice. Dumb. But I did it. She better do great things in life! Kidding.

Now here we are 3 weeks post my delivery of Critter2. I have been trying to hit 6 weeks post, so that my body has time to heal from birth and then I can attack it again with surgery, but it is not going to happen. Last weekend I had an 8 1/2 hour gallbladder attack. Followed by another attack when I was ALONE and driving with my 2 daughters the following day. And several more this week. There attacks are coming with heightened frequency and pain levels. I have reached my breaking point. I can not make it through the pain anymore. It IS unbearable.

So, I chatted up the docs and we have my surgery on the calendar 3 weeks early. THIS WEDNESDAY! Hooray! I can not wait. I am so looking forward to ripping this nasty little organ out of my body and living pain free again while eating yummy fatty fat foods (on occasion of course).

I was concerned about having surgery and breastfeeding. Will Critter2 be okay not have boob for a while? Will she continue to nurse? Will she be effected by the anesthesia or post surgery pain meds? All of this has been weighing on my mind. But in all reality I can not survive the pain anymore so if Critter2 refuses the boob post surgery then so be it. I have to do this to be a healthy mom for her.

But, that being said, I did some research and asked some Dr folk about the issues I have. The surgery is short and sweet only an hour or so and is outpatient. I can nurse Critter2 right up until I get ready to go under. Some people say I can nurse in recovery. I'm not really down with that, momma needs to enjoy the free drug ride for a good 10 or 20. :) But I definitely will be able to nurse later in the day. The anesthesia will be adjusted because I am a breast feeding momma and the post surgery meds will also be adjusted to work with breastfeeding. I also am consulting with my pediatrician to verify all this information. AND I am pumping like a fool to have a nice supply of "grub" for Critter2 while I am out of commission.

So there it is. I am getting the gallbladder out and should be able to continue boob juicing my tiny tot without any complications. Hot Diggity Dog!! Literally, soon I may be able to eat a yummy hot dog!