PMS is Hazardous To Your Health

Someone should tell my family that (my) PMS is hazardous to their health today. I got up at 6:30 this morning and it took me almost an hour to fix 1 cup of instant coffee. I feel like crap and I feel like I am going crazy. Couple that with a 25 month old that does not want to wear a diaper EVER but yet doesn't want to potty train so he pees all over the house. At the same time, this child bangs his head on the floor when things don't go his way and that is quite often when you are 25 months old. I thought this head banging stage was about to be over. I read somewhere that head banging in toddlers can be a sign of increased intelligence. Well, I'd be happy to give up that extra bit of intelligence if my son would just STOP banging his head. I'm afraid he is going to get a concussion and seriously, when he does this in front of family it makes me look like a bad mother who cannot control her child. But, really, what can I do? He's been doing this since about 13 months. I don't know if he is overstimulated or understimulated ( this can't be possible) or if he is just plain crazy ( sorry, sweetheart but it does seem this way right now) but something's got to give soon.

On to the PMS, it has gotten really really bad for me after my 2nd pregnancy. During this time I feel like I am going crazy, I'm in pain, and I'm a different person ( the hubs can tell immediately...well, not immediately, but a few hours after it looks like a crazy woman has taken over my body and he says I act like his mother or my mother).

I seriously don't know how much more I can take of this PMS stuff. I want it to be over already...but I'm not even 30 yet, and if this is any indication of what menopause will be like, just go ahead and lock me up.

By the way, for those of you who havent been around for the weekend and have possibly been to Blogher, I'll give you a recap of my weekend. I got stung by a wasp and couldn't wear a shoe for a few days. Just go back a few posts. And if your pregnant or wanting to get pregnant, read this book review, ok.
* Also, I've updated my blogroll and those of you who asked to be on it should be there now. This list is getting terribly long so I also cut out a few blogs.

Petite Mommy
ContestForMoms.com

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The Complete Organic Pregnancy: Review

I started reading The Complete Organic Pregnancy a few days ago and before we even go any further, No I’m not pregnant. I was sent this book to review, I liked it, and I want to share what I think about it with all of you.

First off, in all honesty, when I first looked at the title of this book, I thought this was going to be another boring pregnancy book but it turns out that it is exactly the opposite of a boring pregnancy book. It is quite informative in a scary sort of way. This is the must have book if you are pregnant or even thinking about trying to become pregnant soon. I wish this book had been around during my two pregnancies.

This book is not only about eating organic foods during pregnancy; it’s about a whole lifestyle change for your health and for the environment that we live in. The Complete Organic Pregnancy brings up so many issues that I was unaware of until reading the book. This book has even prompted me to think about changing my family’s lifestyle.

One topic from the book that caught my eye and really hit home with me was plastic water bottles so that is the topic I am going to focus on. I’ll be honest and tell all of you that I was completely ignorant about the harm of refilling plastic water bottles. I talked this over with my husband since he is the primary water bottle refiller and he insisted that it couldn’t be true. So I went and looked at one of our various water bottles that he frequently refills and there it was, DO NOT REUSE, and now I’m sold.

I truly cannot believe that I have been so unaware of so many harmful things that this book presents from water bottles, to cooking pans, food, cleaners, cosmetics, and so much more! It truly is frightening!

You need to read this extensively researched book to protect you before, during, and after pregnancy. You can pre-order this book today HERE.

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Cat Draft Stoppers

While the rest of you (not really but it seems that way) are still at blogher, I plan on having a fabulous day of buying draft stoppers or draft blockers or whatever they are called for our doors and fireplace since we got an INSANE electric bill yesterday and this is our first month in this old house.

We were recently informed that this house is potentially older than 100 years old. While that's fine and all, I think that may be a reason for some of the higher electricity costs. I'm already dreading winter because winter means freezing and paying a high electric bill unless these draft stoppers really do work. If so, I'll take one for every season if I can actually find any online that are worth buying. I don't want a bunny, clown, or a cow draft blocker. I want a solid burgundy draft blocker or a cat draft blocker to match the rest of my mismatched cat junk. If anyone knows of any good places to get these at or know of anyone who makes custom draft stoppers let me know. Who would have thought there was a market for custom cat draft stoppers? Um, maybe there isn't?

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What I'm Doing Today

While everyone else is at BlogHer ( or so it seems even though I'm sure [I know] there are 100's of mom bloggers out there not going), I'm rearranging my blogroll, getting ready to go visit family for the weekend, and taking care of a clingy/cranky-again toddler. Sounds like fun doesn't it?

I went to bed last night at 12:30am, woke up to a screaming ( belly ache & teething) toddler at 2:30am and stayed up with him until 5:15am. The five year old woke me up at 9am to watch cartoons and here I am almost 3 hours later and I've not even managed to finish my first cup of coffee. It's going to be a LOOOOONNNGGGG day!

Oh, and I forgot to mention that my wasp sting swelling has finally gone away. I'm actually able to wear a shoe today but it's itching so bad that it's painful.

I think I'll go lie down and watch tv for the rest of the day now ( yeah, only in my dreams)...

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More about My Two Boys

This is a mom blog and with this being a mom blog you would think I would talk more about the kids like in a journal sort of way to serve as a reminder of the way they were when they were younger because I'm certainly not the scrapbook type although I have taken enough pictures to fill up thousands of those things.

Anyway, to get to a point ,if there even is one, I don't talk that much about my boys and probably haven't mentioned their major likes and dislikes and personality styles so go over HERE today if you are just curious about any of that. I know it's not much but it's all I got for now.

Oh and you should be able to comment by next week, I think...

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I'll Make This Short & Sweet

There are currently some "issues" with my blog and a few other sites of mine. I'm sorry for the downtime. There will be even more downtime this weekend as we switch to a new server.

I'm not in a good mood today. See BELOW.

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Wasp Sting

Let me just start off by saying that I can barely walk today and no shoe will fit on my big fat foot.

Yesterday evening I was outside cleaning up some toys around the yard when some INTENSE labor-like (yeah it really seemed that bad at the time) pain hit me.

Anyway,I looked down to see a wasp on my foot and it had stung me twice. I know you are laughing at me thinking can she be serious? Is she really comparing a wasp sting to labor? She must be out of her mind. But I am serious. That thing HURT.I felt like screaming, cussing, and crying but I kept my cool because I didn't want to scare my two boys and my niece.

I had recently read in a woman's magazine to put an onion on a sting so I did and it seemed like it took some immediate pain away for about a second and then it started swelling. It looked worse last night but now the swelling is going up my ankle which is weird since I got bit near my big toe.

I've googled wasp stings and it looks like I'm NOT going to die since I didn't die within the first hour. LOL. But I am in PAIN. Apparently, I'm having a mild reaction.

That sting brought back some childhood memories of being stung but I think this sting was the worst one yet. So tell me some of your bee/wasp/spider/other biting thing horror stories to make me feel better and to feel less like an idiot since I am being such a big baby over this.

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You Can Find Me Somewhere Else

If you follow my blog then you know I have been debating on whether to take on another blogging job or not.

Well, I finally decided that yes I would take the opportunity for experience and because I thought it would be fun.

So now you can find me over HERE too a few days per week. The writing will be a little different and you will finally find out my kids real names (a little scary)

Anyway, I hope you will check it out. Let me know what you think, ok?

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Big Brother All Stars

So yeah I'm one of those reality tv fanatics that get obsessed with Big Brother every summer. I honestly don't know why I like it so much but I just do.

I'm sorry to disappoint and bore all of you non-reality tv fans with my talk of reality tv but anyway...

So to all the moms who watch Big Brother All Stars leave a comment and let me know I'm not the only one wasting an hour and watching this show who primarly only casts perfect looking crazy people.

Right now my faves are Dr. Will and James. How can you not like these two guys? Who's your faves at this point?

Anyone care to catch me up on what happened last night?

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Random Mommy Confessions

Some stuff I've just got to get out and think about.

1.) We are STILL co-sleeping. Although I do believe in and support co-sleeping, I didnt think I would be doing it when my son was 5 1/2 years old. I need some good advice on this because I have tried everything. This is not good for me, this is not good for them and it's not good for my marriage.

2.) I feel terribly guilty if I tell the boys that I am busy and can't play with them right at that moment. I feel even worse when they get upset over me not playing at the exact moment that they asked me too. I know so many of you have expressed feeling this way too but the guilt is still there. Alot of times I feel the need to overprotect my kids and do everything they want to make up for my childhood. This is not healthy.

3.) I have shouted at my kids after being frustrated from a thousand times of telling them "No!" or "Stop doing that!" or whatever else it may be. I know its not effective and its not good and I feel terrible about it but I have done it. I try not to do it at all but sometimes that's all I can do with 2 strong willed children. I don't mean that I do this every day but it has happened.

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Week In Photos...

It's Friday so I figured I would just post some photos from my week since I haven't been very intereting to read this week and today isn't going to be any better.

So here ya go.

This is the crazy squirrel in our front yard.




Here are the boys playing on their slipnslide



A view from my home office window



If anyone has any insight on my previous body language post feel free to share.

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Body Language is Simple

If you think about it, body language is the most powerful form of human communication. The look in your eye, the way you are standing, or other body cues can tell someone else how you are feeling.

Couples and best friends can use body language to essentially read each other's minds. You know, how all you have to do is give THAT certain look to your husband and everything goes your way IMMEDIATELY. That's what I'm talking about.

Well, to make a long story short, the hubs has no sense of body language. I can read his but he cannot for the life of him read mine. We have been married for nearly 8 years and this man STILL does not get me when I'm looking at him a certain way or if I kick him in the foot under the table. Or whatever body language I may be using at the time. The man seriously has no clue. What is up with that? Is he ignoring me on purpose? Does he really not "get it"? He says he has no clue what I mean when I am doing these things but after a few years of telling him in private what I mean or if I give him THAT look then he just has to know. Doesn't he?

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We Were Like Tom Cruise In War of The Worlds

After the first cloud to ground lightening bolt struck, my five year old son and I ran frantically out of the truck onto our front porch. The crack of thunder afterwards was so loud that it scared the hubs into staying inside the truck a few more minutes in hopes that he would avoid being hit by lightening.

After we were all inside, I look out the window to see people walking around outside like nothing was happening. I felt like my family and I were acting out a scene from War of The Worlds (you know, that part where the lightening starts striking everywhere and Tom Cruise looks all crazy) because we clearly looked crazy to these people around us. Maybe they were crazy for not caring whether the lightening struck them or not. I don't really know. But severe thunderstorms get me everytime.


Anyway, got any crazy/funny experiences to share or do you just wanna tell me about the crazy weather in your neck of the woods or even feel free to tell me that yeah we are crazy for acting like that?

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Toddler Like Coffee

PROOF:



Yeah, Yeah, and Yeah. I know, I'm a bad mommy for giving my toddler coffee ( especially since it was loaded with sugary caffiene and served up in a spongebob cup) BUT, he likes it.

So, what's your bad mommy thing? Come on, don't be afraid to share...

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Do your husband's know you blog?

Being the computer geek that my husband is, of course he knows that I blog and he even reads it on occassion. But he has never actually commented on it that I know of.

Anyway, the topic of blogging had come up because I wanted his input on a "blogging job" I had been offered and in the course of our conversation he was like, " I don't get why all of you blog. I really just don't get it and why would someone pay you to do it? " I tried explaining it but whatever.

Then he went on to say something to the effect that most of what he has read from blogs was complaining and griping and putting down husbands. He was like we ( referring to himself and other husbands) don't put you all down and talk about what we don't like about you out in public so why do you? And that, folks, made me think. He's ACTUALLY right. Anytime my husband ever mentions my name to his friends or colleagues or in a forum or anywhere, he ALWAYS has something AMAZING to say about me. He makes me out to be the hottest most special woman and mom in the entire world. Seriously. And, he means it. Except for the time he told his forum members that I was a bad cook. But I can get over that. You can't really compare being a bad cook to being a bad lover now can you? And, no I'm not referring to the hubs as a bad lover. I'm just using that as an example.

Well, anyhow, he knows that I rarely discuss those kinds of topics and now you know why. LOL. (Um, because he reads it).

Then the hubs went on to say that women would complain no matter what and he even went as far to say that if a woman had the chance to sleep with Matthew McConaughey ( Yum! Hot!) that she would end up complaining about him after a few weeks because that's just the way a woman is. I couldn't stop laughing at this point.

So, I'm just wondering what your husband's think of you blogging? Do they know you blog? What if they blogged about you?

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Do I Really Have To Play All Day?

I love playing with my two boys but sometimes I am busy or sometimes I just need a break for me. Along with being a full time stay at home mom, I also work at home full time. It is hard to say the least. Most other Moms and my family think I have it easy because I get to stay at home and the others think that working at home is all fun. Well, for the most part my work is fun but there is some seriously boring parts too. Working at home is also very time consuming.

I am just wondering if I have to play with my boys all day. Do you play all day with your kids? If you don't play all day, do you feel guilty? I will admit that I do have some guilt when I tell my oldest wait a minute for the hundredth time while I finish up some work on the computer. Am I the only one?

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Pregnant Body

I was reading a post over at blogging baby on the subjective beauty of pregnancy and that article got me to thinking. Who really likes being pregnant?

Although I love the outcome of being pregnant (my two beautiful boys obviously) and I think it is a miracle, I HATED being pregnant. I hated the way I felt physically and emotionally and I hated the way I looked. Pregnancy was not good to me. I couldn't wait for it to be over and to this day I am terrified of getting pregnant again. I just don't think I want to experience a pregnant body one more time.

So, tell me, LOVED or HATED being pregnant?

*When I find a pregnancy pic, I'll post it.

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Potluck Post...

I've spent the last 20 minutes reading over at True Wife Confessions. I just found this site/blog a few days ago and I am addicted. If you haven't been there you should go and read, read, and read some more. Here is a taste of what you will read.

"Confession #111: Your best friend hit on me, pretty hard. I was strangely flattered and offended at the same time."

"Confession #142: Dude, when you use the master bathroom with the door open without the fan on and your stench bubbles the paint on the walls? That's just disgusting. So when you emerge from your nightly shit and start to rub on me and breathe all heavy in my ear? I turn you down because you made our room reek and romance is the last thing on my mind, not because of the ailment du jour I pretend to have. A word or two of advice. Shut the door, turn on the fan, and Oust spray. You might get more action that way."

Since I've spent my time there this morning, I didn't have time to come up with a good post for today so I'll leave you with some cute pics of my boys in their backyard AGAIN. Did I mention how much they are loving it?




*Oh, and make sure you go and nominate yourself or another mommy for this week's top toddler mom blog over at the Toddler blog. We need nominations!

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What Makes You Like A Mom Blog?

Being a mom blogger and a mom website owner for the past few years has given me the incredible opportunity to connect with moms from all around the world. It has shown me that I can actually be friends with females. I have never had any trouble being friends with males. ( Hello? Psychologist? Help? )

Growing up I had lots of girl friends but as I got into my late teen years I had less friends because I didn't fit in and I didn't conform. I was always told that I didn't need anyone and I was taught to be very independent even if it meant no friends. Being taught that along with how I was brought up made me very insecure.

When I went off to college, I had several acquaintances but I really wanted a true friendship. The people I called my friends were people I would talk to, meet up with and have lunch with but we didn't really connect beyond that. For about one year I felt like I had finally made a real true friendship but after college we both moved away.

As the years have gone by, I have had several acquaintances and still do but no real best friend except for my husband but sometimes a woman needs another woman to talk to and sometimes you need someone to complain to about your husband. My family (mostly my younger sister and my MIL) has been graced with my complaining and talking when no one else was there to listen.

To be honest, I have had ample opportunity to make friends with other moms and my husband's friends wives but for someone reason the connection just hasn't been there and I don't want to fake a friendship for the sake of just having a friendship.

Anyway, the Internet has been a lifesaver for me. I finally feel like I have true friends even if it isn't real life friends. But if you think about it, it is a real friendship and a real relationship because we are real and only separated by a computer and distance.

Since I've been a mom blogger for a while, I've noticed some things happening. I've noticed that bloggers pick and choose other bloggers over others and many out there form groups. I'm not sure if this is knowingly or unknowingly but this does exist and I am sure I am guilty of this too.

What I want to know is, what makes you connect with and/or identify with another mom blogger? What makes you like them? What turns you off? Is it random?

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* Go check out our top mom blogger of the week over at the Toddler Blog.

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Finally In Our New Home

We are finally in our new home. We have tons of unpacking to do so we aren't quite settled. I may be back to a normal routine by Monday. Maybe.

Here is a photo of the boys in their new backyard. They are loving it!

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When Will You Stop Blogging?

I started blogging in 2004 and I'm just starting to really enjoy blogging. It's a place for me to share my thoughts and to get support from moms all around the world. Blogging is my way to connect with other moms that are like me in some way. It's a way for me to feel like I am in touch with the real world outside of my home with 2 young boys.

Lately I have been thinking about the end of blogging and I have so many questions running through my mind. When do we stop blogging? When will you stop blogging? Is there a certain time frame for a blog? How many topics can you really talk about without boring people to tears?

Right now blogging is good. It's still sort of new. We are all finding out how we can connect with other like-minded people/moms and I think that is just great.

But I know that blogging is sort of like a fad and it will eventually come to an end. Atleast I think it will. Or your blogging will end because your kids will grow up. Or maybe your blog or my blog will just evolve into something else.

Who knows?

Yeah, some of my brilliant pointless rambling going on again...

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