It's that time again! As June came to an end, I began to think about what things had made my life better or more fun in the previous three months. Though life has been crazy thus leaving little time for blogging, I'm finally sitting down to share my list.

Here they are, my Favorite Things of 2011, Q2...

1. L. Erickson Double Loop Bow Headband... armed with a giftcard I'd received from my in-laws for Mother's Day, I hit the accessories department of Nordstrom looking for nothing in particular when this adorable, black headband caught my eye. Now, I don't know about you, but I rarely find a headband that fits just right. I'm not sure if my head is uneven or if the headbands are just lopsided, but I have seldom found a headband that I wore more than a couple of times. This one has gotten lots of wear, and I just discovered that it comes in a ton of cool colors! Yes, please! Double-Loop Bow Headband
2. Lysol Dual-Action Disinfecting Wipes... I bought these because I thought they would come in handy for all the little messes that I encounter throughout the day. What I discovered, though, is that they are completely multi-functional. I use them in both the kitchen and bathroom and keep a pack in my car as the abrasive side is perfect for wiping sticky things off leather.  My favorite, randomly discovered use for them though, is as an upholstery and carpet cleaner. These wipes have completely removed stains that have been on my sofa for months and a large spot on the carpet that even a professional cleaning left behind! Lysol Wipes
3. Airbrush Tanning... being a fair-skinned gal, I've tried a wide range of tanning products over the years. (Remember those first generation tan-in-a-bottles that left your skin looking like that of an Oompa Loompa?) I used my share of tanning beds before realizing that the dangers of them far outweighs that 'healthy' glow they produce. I've been fairly pleased with the Mystic Tan type booths but found that they tended to be uneven and to fade quickly. So, in April before attending a wedding in Jamaica (where, I should add I was the only non-African American bridesmaid making my fairness all the more obvious), I stepped into a tanning tent to get airbrushed Toddlers and Tiaras style. I'll admit, standing in the buff just inches from the face of a complete stranger who was armed with an oozie full of beet juice was at first a bit, um, uncomfortable. I was SO happy with the finished product, however, that I returned two more times over the next couple months. I may be the only person to ever begin my Hawaiian vacation more 'tan' than when I ended it! Natural Beetjuice Airbrush Tanning
4. Mrs. Meyer's Honeysuckle Countertop Spray... I've been a big fan of Mrs. Meyer's cleaning products for the past couple of years. Until recently, I had been seriously devoted to the geranium scent, only branching out to basil and lavender when the geranium wasn't available. On a recent Whole Foods adventure (isn't every trip to Whole Foods an adventure?), I found the entire Mrs. Meyer's line to be drastically on sale with additional coupons attached to the bottles.  I decided that at under $2 a bottle, this was the time for me to stock up. I picked up a range of several products including dish soap, hand soap, and countertop spray. The honeysuckle countertop spray has me, literally, looking for reasons to use it. I love the fresh, springy scent it creates in the house, and it may have taken over geranium's spot as my #1. Mrs. Meyer's Honeysuckle Countertop Spray
5. DIRECTV Whole-Home DVR... early in the spring, I decided it was time to get serious (well, as serious as one can get while continuing to eat Oreos for breakfast) about getting in shape. Fortunately, we had invested in an at home elliptical machine late last year, so I didn't have to make too much effort to start a workout regimen. Even with the ease of working out in my own bedroom, without the shows on my DVR list, I never would have made it! I prepped for swimsuit season by elliptical-ing to all the daytime tv I never get to see (The View) and silly reality shows (Pregnant in Heels) I would never take the time to watch otherwise. DIRECTV Whole Home DVR

This list is a tad shorter than Q1's list, but I didn't want to add things that I don't truly love just to have congruent lists. I can only single out one more thing, 5 Hour Energy Shots,  (yes, I know slipping that in is kind-of cheating), and I could not possibly have a list of six items (I'll save that explanation for another day...) 

Lions-n-Tigers-n-Bears, Who Cares?

By its very nature, having a child in general and being a stay at home mommy in particular thrusts one into a whole other world of activities that the other folks (such as those who enjoy perusing the Sunday newspaper while sitting on their veranda and sipping a latte in peace) simply aren't involved. In an effort to keep our kiddos occupied and our days moving, we  mommies know where the best playgrounds are, what special exhibits are happening at the Children's Museum, and when the pool is the least brat-packed. Additionally, for many a mom, annual memberships to the Aquarium or the Butterfly Pavilion or the Zoo just seem to go with the territory. Not, however, for this mom. Let me not beat around the bush on this one: I don't really like animals. There. I said it. So sue me.
As a child, I attended countless circuses, took more than a couple trips to the zoo, visited a petting farm or two, and made several visits to science museums. As a nanny, I revisited all these same places-except fortunately this time I was getting paid. And, never, as a child nor as an adult, did I really enjoy these experiences. Maybe I am missing the gene that leads one to get all smiley at the sight of a barrage of elephants lining up tail to trunk. Perhaps I am heartless for not oooohing and aaaaahing at the sight of a tiny baby goat being fed by a baby bottle. I do know that as a result of a nearly debilitating phobia of snakes, the idea of entering any sort of indoor facility that may have glass enclosures makes me just plain nauseous. (Why is it that EVERY such facility has to have a snake? What role, exactly, does a boa constrictor have in an aquarium?)
So, when I became a mommy, I decided that I would take my child to the zoo when she was old enough to know what it was and ask to go. This lead me to turn down many 'play dates' with other moms who were getting the most use out of their zoo memberships. I did break down and go to both the Aquarium and the Butterfly Pavilion with the same friend but only because I was too embarrassed to tell her that I don't do that sort of thing.
Being true to my word, as soon as Carter heard about her little friends' zoo trips and asked to go, too, I did what any good mother would do: I had my mom take her. She had a ball; though, in reality, she was definitely the most excited about the cotton candy (as was I since she brought me a souvenir!) Then, about two weeks ago on what was quite possibly the hottest day of the summer to that point, I succumbed to the peer pressure of a favorite new friend (who happened to have free guest passes with her annual membership) and went to the zoo. Additionally, my Charlotte girls were visiting; they thought it sounded fun; and I always strive to be a good hostess.
I wish I could say that the experience of seeing my little one's face mesmerized at the site of flamingos and monkeys changed my opinion of zoos and the like; but, in fact, it did not. While at the zoo, I actually envisioned myself running through the exhibits trampling over people and animals using my double stroller as a bulldozer. When my mommy friend, asked me which path I'd like to take, I answered, 'Whatever's fastest.' I was able to feign enthusiasm when looking at the animals with Carter, but inside all I wanted to do was get to that darn cotton candy and shove it in my mouth while driving home in my air conditioned SUV!
So, should you invite me and my darlings to join you and yours on a trip to an animal-related play-date, don't be offended if I make up a silly excuse to politely decline. I'd love to join you for a stroll around the park or a lunch picnic or a pool day. But, when it comes to lions and tigers and bears, I really just don't care!

Lessons Learned in Paradise

Memorial Day is often considered the official kick-off to summer, and Hubby and I took that kick-off quite seriously by heading to Hawaii over Memorial Day weekend. We spent a week celebrating our fifth wedding anniversary by taking a vacation, sans kiddos, to the Four Seasons on the Big Island . I could blog on and on about what an amazing trip we had, how wonderful it was to travel without children, how refreshing it felt to sleep until our hearts' content each day and nap at random, how splendid the perfect temperatures were, how gorgeous the resort was, and how tasty the food (and beverages) were. But, rather than creating feelings of envy in the minds of my readers, I'll just share with you a few lessons that we learned on the trip.
Lesson # 1... when your server walks up to your breakfast table and says, 'Would you like to try our fresh-squeezed juice of the day? It's a watermelon and apple combination.' What she means is, 'Would you like to pay $16 for two small glasses of juice?'

At breakfast on day one, still blissfully unaware

of the staggering cost of those pretty glasses of juice.

Lesson #2... placing a couple of Ambien that you intend to take before getting on the red-eye flight home in the same bottle as your daily medication is not a good idea. Mistakenly ingesting said-Ambien before embarking on a  40 mile car trip to a full day zip-lining excursion is an even worse idea and may lead your wife to want to murder you as you experience Ambien-induced psychosis. There's a reason you are supposed to go to sleep after taking those things!

My not-so-fresh-face hubby

after his pharmaceutical mishap. 

Lesson #3... despite having never taken a full week's vacation, the week will pass far too quickly. No matter how hard you try to savor each day, each hour, each moment, you will still look up and wonder where the time went. Before you know it, you will be hit in the face with reality. In the real world there are jobs to do, appointments to keep, chores to do, lawns to mow, clothes to wash, and schedules to maintain.

Our final hours in paradise.

So, cherish this time, soak up the memories, but also remember that it is this love that you have for your one and only that created this life that awaits you. A whole summer lies ahead with babies to snuggle, stories to read, games to play, trips to take, and even greater memories to make.

Can Three Positives Equal a Negative?

Saturday evening I started feeling off. I couldn't really pipoint what was wrong, but I just wasn't feeling great. After trying to fall asleep till almost 2 A.M., I gave in to the Coke induced insomnia and got up for a few hours. While I was playing around on the internet (looking up things like "Coco, Ice T's wife" on Wikipedia), I realized there was something familiar about the way I was feeling. I had felt this way before. Twice before, actually. I quickly brushed these thoughts out of my head, took some Benadryl, and crawled back into bed.

On Sunday morning, I woke up (late! thankful to Hubby for getting up with the girls) and noticed that I was still not feeling well. We went to church together as a family and on the way home I swung by the drugstore. I ran in and out without Hubby even asking what I had purchased.

While Lindsay was getting Murphy lunch, I slipped into the bathroom to take this:

That's right; it's a pregnancy test...

I thought I my eyes must be deceiving me when I saw this:

In case you think your eyes are deceiving you,

yes, that's a + sign. 

I went running to the dining room and shoved the stick in my husband's face shouting, "What do you see? WHAT DO YOU SEE? Do you see a plus? IS THAT A PLUS?" Frantic. I was frantic. Realizing I had two more tests from the same box, I ran back to the bathroom and took the other two.

Because you can't tell from the pic,

let me interpret: Positive. Positive. Positive. 

At this point, I went completely ballistic and asked ordered Hubby to head back to the store and pick up more tests, 'those expensive tests that say PREGNANT or NOT PREGNANT' in nice, plain letters. While he was gone for what felt like two weeks, I began to really think about what was going on. I love my children. I love all children. I love the idea of having a large family. I love the idea of actually being pregnant again. I did not, however, like anything about the prospect of having three children under the age of three. My other two pregnancies were planned, very planned. The whole idea of being pregnant on accident has always baffled me. But still, here I was, standing in the middle of my backyard, tilting the sticks back and forth in the sun, and refraining from using profanity in from of my children. Lindsay returned with opened box and unwrapped text in hand, and I quickly took care of business. Three more times.

And, each of these super fancy, digital tests read: NOT PREGNANT. Huh? Hadn't I always heard that you can't get a false positive? Timing wise, it made no sense that any test would not show up positive if indeed I was pregnant. So, after telling Lindsay that I needed to use 'those tests I used when I found out I was pregnant the first two times because I know they're right,' I headed to the store, came home, and immediately took these:

And they were both negative. Hmmmmm.... I tried to put the whole thing out of my mind and laid down to rest for a few minutes. Rest?!?! What was I thinking? Who could rest at a time like this? So, I called a local urgent care to get an 'expert' opinion on what was going on. The nurse I spoke with told me that it was virtually impossible to get a false positive and that I had probably just diluted my urine by drinking excess water to take more tests. She told me to take a test first thing the next morning. 

After talking to her, I tried to move on with the evening as normally as possible. On our way home from small group that night, I ran by the store, again, and picked up another box of tests. (And, yes, we've spent well over $100 on pregnancy tests at this point.) After we got the girls in bed, I got antsy again and decided that I couldn't wait till morning to take another test.

If you're keeping track, 

that's six negative and three positive.

The moment I opened my eyes the next morning, I took another test:

I was completely dumbfounded by the three positive tests from the day before. I gave my OB a call to get her take on it. I felt sure she would tell me that the 7 negative tests trumped the 3 positive ones. (Makes sense, right?) Instead, she told me that there was no way to be sure and that I needed to go have a blood test done to get a definitive result. 

I had my blood drawn at about 11:30 AM Monday morning and then began the waiting game. (tick tock) During this period, my emotions ranged from anxiety to fear to eager anticipation. (tick tock) I began to think more logistically in terms of what a positive result would mean for our family. (tick tock) We'd need a new car, after all. (tick tock) At 4:35 PM Tuesday, I got the phone call from the doctor with the test results... I AM NOT PREGNANT! She was as baffled by the positive tests as I had been and said that I must have gotten a 'faulty box.' 

Curious as to what a 'faulty box' looks like?

Note it boasts being over 99% accurate!

So, here I sit, 48 hours after that call: happy with the results yet feeling more and more sure that our family may not be quite complete. When we'll be adding another bambino to our brood, I can't say; but I do know what pregnancy test I won't be turning to when that time comes!

If You Give a Mommy a Minute

One of my favorite parts of any day is sharing bedtime snuggles and stories with my girls. We've made stories a part of the bedtime routine since Carter was a babe, and Murphy girl has just started joining in on the fun. Some of my favorite children's books are the If You Give a... series by Laura Numeroff. Pookie can finish every line, and I can totally relate to these poor ADD-ridden animals' frequent distractibility!

Please enjoy my homage to mommies everywhere...

If you give a mommy a minute, she'll decide that she should use it to clean up dog poop.
When she goes to get a trash bag for the poop collecting, she'll discover that the battery packages are taking up too much space in the drawer, so she'll repackage the batteries into ziplock baggies.
As she's putting up the batteries, she'll remember that the flashlight needs new batteries; so she'll begin searching for it.
While she's looking for the flashlight, she'll come across a coupon for a kid's clothing website and realize that she needs to order some clothes before the coupon expires.
When she's browsing the clothing selection, she'll wonder if her little princess has a skirt to match the Patchwork Applique T-shirt, in Bubblegum, with Chicken. So, she'll go into her daughter's room to evaluate summer skirt options.

When looking through the closet, she'll realize that she's not sure what still fits her growing girl. So, she'll beg her three year old to participate in a fashion show.
When the fashion show is complete, she will go into the kitchen and get her angel three gumdrops as a treat for trying on the clothes without any too much whining.
While in the kitchen, she will notice that pancakes from breakfast are still on her daughter's tray, and she'll begin to clean.
As she's scrubbing the sticky, syrupy, mess, she'll remember that she has actually not eaten a bite of food all day; so she'll begin rummaging through the pantry and quickly scarf down a handful of cheddar bunnies and two Double-Stuffed Oreos.

When she's finished eating her "lunch," she will realize that she is parched as she has not had a drop of any non-caffeinated beverage in three days. She'll quickly gulp an entire bottle of Dasani water.
After drinking the water, she'll realize that she has not used the restroom since 3 AM when she was awakened by the dogs' barking. She'll sneak past her daughter, who is now engrossed in trying to scrape the gumdrops from her molars, and dash to the bathroom.
During her precious alone time, she'll glance at the shower and remember that some grown-ups actually take showers every day; so she decides to take one.
When she finishes up her luxurious four minute shower, she'll hear her baby whimpering on the monitor and realize that nap time is over a bit early today.
She'll quickly towel dry herself, slick her hair back in a wet pony tail, throw on some semi-clean clothes from the closet floor, and run upstairs lest the soft crying turns to wailing.
When she gets upstairs to pick up her littlest love, she'll discover that the nap time was cut short because of a ginormous poop, and she'll begin to change her darling's diaper.
As she wipes the poop from between her daughter's shoulder blades, she'll be reminded of the dog poop that is still lying in the hot sun of the backyard.
And, chances are, if she remembers the dog poop, she'll probably need to find a trash bag to put it in...

It's kind of sad that my little ditty both begins and ends with poop, but I feel sure that most any mommy out there can relate. Many days do begin and end with poop, whether literal or figurative. This Mommy business may not be the most glamorous job in the world (or on this block), but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Happy Mother's Day! 

A Sad Day in Mommydom

Early this morning with the house still quiet, I sat in the sunroom and consciously nursed my baby girl for the last time. I say consciously because when I woke up this morning, I decided that today would be the day that I would officially stop breastfeeding. As I gazed down at my precious Murphy, I thought back to the last six months of our nursing journey.
A few days before Murphy was born, I told a friend that I was more scared of nursing than the epidural, c-section, or surgical recovery that laid ahead. I had a less than pleasant experience attempting to breastfeed Carter, and I was terrified of the immense pain and guilt that I was sure would be a part nursing my newborn. When Murphy was two days old, a nurse in my hospital room asked me if I was enjoying breastfeeding. With hot tears streaming down my face and postpartum hormones raging, I stoically replied, "I hate it." She softly suggested that I give up nursing, but in my mind, that wasn't an option I cared to entertain.

Admiring my new little love 

as she dozed with her tummy nice and full.

A week later, I sat on my back patio with a girlfriend who asked me how nursing was going. I calmly said, "It's going well, but I won't be doing it for long." At that point, each feeding session lasted at least an hour which was quite a challenge given that I often had a two year old climbing on my head while I tried to feed the baby. Additionally, though not as severe as it was with Carter, breastfeeding still hurt. A LOT. I randomly discovered that biting down on popsicles while feeding Murphy helped to relieve the pain, and during the first few weeks after she was born, I easily consumed over 50 popsicles.
At Murphy's two week check-up, I asked the pediatrician her thoughts on how long I should continue nursing. She said, "Do you not like it?" Again, I plainly said, "No." She suggested that I give myself the goal of two months and to take it day by day. When I left her office that day, I did decide that I would try my best to keep it up for two months. Over those two months, I had talks with many girlfriends who offered lots of tips and encouragement. (I learned that the excruciating feeling comparable to lightning shooting through my chest was actually a good thing and meant that I had plenty of milk for baby girl.) Nursing sessions began to last 15-20 minutes as Murphy was able to stay awake longer and became a much more efficient eater.
Those two months came and went, and I actually stopped dreading nursing sessions. It was easy to leave the house with only a diaper in my purse; no need to pack bottles, formula, bibs, etc... Middle of the night feeding was such a breeze, as I could just reach over to Murphy's Moses basket, pick her up, and feed her; no stumbling through the dark house into the kitchen to make a bottle. By the time Murphy turned three months old, not only did I not dread nursing I actually began to enjoy it which is something I honestly never thought could have happened.
As time continued to pass, I was mindful of the fact that my hubby and I would be traveling to Jamaica for a dear friend's wedding just after Murphy's six month birthday. In preparation for being away from the babe, I began working with her to take a bottle. She had absolutely no interest in a bottle, so I had to go as far as to conduct what I coined as 'Bottle Boot Camp' which entailed me leaving her with a sitter all day with only the bottle as her food option. She used this opportunity to display her strongest resolve and refused to eat for almost ten hours. Fortunately, on the first day of our trip, she finally conceded and began to drink both breast milk and formula from bottles in my absence.

Happy with my Hubby at the rehearsal dinner

in Jamaica... between pumpings!

During the trip, I carried both a double electric pump and a manual hand pump with me on the plane. I pumped in airport bathrooms, airplane bathrooms, our fancy schmancy villa, and a random room at the wedding reception. I pumped. And pumped. And pumped; all in an effort to maintain my milk supply so that I could seamlessly continue nursing when I returned home. Despite my best efforts, my milk supply dropped. And dropped. And dropped. By the Monday night when we returned to Denver, I was scarcely able to pump 1/2 an ounce of breastmilk.

When Murphy girl woke up on Tuesday morning, I went upstairs to get her up and feed her. I was so thrilled at how she immediately turned to me to nurse her, despite the fact that I had been gone for five days. However, she only nursed for a couple minutes and then began to cry. Reluctant and sad, I walked downstairs, made her a bottle of formula, and watched as she gulped down seven ounces. Yesterday was a tough day; I nearly burst into tears just selecting which formula I should buy at Costco, and I did cry when my husband fed her a bottle at bedtime. This was the first night, ever, that I had not nursed her before laying her down for the night.
So, this is why I made a conscious decision this morning to nurse Murphy one last time today. I wanted to feel like I was making this choice, rather than having my body make it for me. Of course, I was only able to feed her for about five minutes, but I used that time to deliberately enjoy the experience. I whispered to my sweet angel how much I had loved our special bonding time, and that I would so greatly miss it. I told her that it was my love for her that lead me to push few those first few difficult months, and I thanked her for helping me to realize my own strength.

Murphy Girl today...

her sweet eyes are my comfort.

Now for the Non-Things

After my last post, I got to thinking... if folks I don't actually know in real life take a peek at my bloggity blog, they may think that I care an awful lot about material things. And, though I really do enjoy coming across new stuff that makes my life a tad easier or a bit more fun, my most beloved things aren't really things at all. They are the non-tangibles that make my life a life.

Here you have my Favorite Non-Thing, Things, of 2011, Q1...

1. Girl Talks... now and again, a girl just needs another girl... to vent to, to laugh with, and to take walks down memory lane and make predictions about the future. In the early months of this year, I've had many chances to do just that with girlfriends old and new.  I sat in a bookstore and caught up with my best friend from high shchool while our kids ran wild and ransacked the store. I enjoyed an afternoon chat on the back porch of my best friend from college while our kids had a ball just getting to know each other. I sat by a cozy fireplace in Beaver Creek catching up with an expectant first time mom from Dallas and giving her my best tips for the months that lie ahead. From phone calls across the country to visits in my own backyard to a booth at Chick-fil-a, I have loved time spent with all the great gals in my life!
2. Laughing at/with Pookie... I get it. Every parent thinks his/her kid is funny. But, in my case, I think that my child is the funniest human being on the face of the planet. She makes me laugh. Every. Single. Day. Of course, there are far too many hilarious quips to share, but two in particular do stand out. Mommy: "Carter, I need to talk to you about why you were naughty to Daddy in the bathtub last night." Carter: "I don't want to talk about it. I won't do it again. I'm sorry," followed by a BIG hug and kiss. The kid is learning brevity, and that's something I can appreciate! On one of our first warm days this season, Pooks was playing out in the backyard when she realized that she needed to go potty. She ran inside, got her froggy potty, and carried it to the backyard. She sat down on it, and then promptly asked me for "a little privacy." The idea that she wanted privacy despite being in the middle of the backyard completely cracked me up. 
3. Loving on My Littlest Love... my Murphy Girl is what you might call a 'lap baby'. What can I say; the kid wants to be held! Every now and again, it does get difficult when I'm trying to do something, like make dinner or use the bathroom for example, but overall I just love having a snuggle bunny for a baby! There is no greater feeling than when she takes a pause from nursing to look up at me with her bright eyes, sweet smile, and precious little squeal. On hectic days, I try to remember that plenty of times lie ahead in which she will not want to be cuddled in Mommy's arms. Murphy melts my heart in an indescribable way!
4. Grown-up Time with My Honey... despite the fact that we have two dogs, two small children, and one busy life, Hubby and I manage to get a fair amount of alone time in. We escaped to the mountains for a weekend (Murphy Girl did tag along, but having just one kiddo in the backseat feels like a real treat!), tried out a couple new restaurants (Fruition was delish!), and snuck in a weekday lunch date. Without question, celebrating our five year wedding anniversary on March 25 was the sweetest thing! As a present for my hubby, I made a 'mix tape' of all of the songs that remind me of 'us'. Putting it together was such a beautiful, nostalgic trip down memory lane. (As an aside, I-tunes makes such a gesture much easier than it was circa 1993!)
5. This... since my first entry on New Year's Eve, blogging has become such a wonderful, creative outlet for me. I enjoy thinking about my next blog, mapping it out, and then getting my thoughts into print. I have always enjoyed writing, and it feels so good to be doing it again. I also like the fact that I have cut myself a little slack by trying not to obsess about perfect grammar or even consider what others will think of what they are reading. As I hoped it would be, I love that The Salad Days is mine. All mine. 

Without a doubt, my Favorite Non-Thing, Things provide me with an infinite amount of joy and fulfillment that no thing ever could.