Ugh! Has this ever happened to you?

Update: I can't believe I left this part out, but yes I did get out of the dress. I took a couple minutes for some deep breathing or as much as I could breathe in a dress like that. And I bent over like I was touching my toes and shimmied it off! Thanks Kristen for reminding me I left that part out!

Did you ever have one of those days? One of those weeks? It's been crazy lately. The kitchen is torn apart for remodel! I have no stove. I either grill, crock pot, or order out. Who knows how long it'll be before my kitchen is put back together.

Half of our living room has kitchen belongings in it such as the refrigerator, unplugged stove, and dining room table! From gutting the kitchen there is fine black coal type dust that has floated all over the rest of the house! Everything is covered in this dust! I'm ready to pull my hair out!

Also, my niece is getting married in 2 days so I've been scrambling all over the area to find last minute outfits for the entire family. I spent the last two days shopping and just when I thought I had it all, I'm going to have to take everything back tomorrow! Ugh!

This is where the funny story comes in:

Yesterday I was in Burlington trying on dresses. I tried on several and nothing seemed to fit!There was one dress that was the type that you have to pull over your head because there is no zipper. Well it was a little snug and for some reason I pulled it over my chest anyway. BIG MISTAKE! I couldn't get it off! I panicked! My muscles spasm and get sore from the fibromyalgia that I have, so my arms were giving out and I was exhausted! I couldn't pull super hard because the main material of the dress was very fragile and would rip!

All of these thoughts were running through my head:

I thought do I try to squeeze into it and walk out to the cash register, explain the situation, and scan myself in this dress and wear it home?

Do I ask some stranger to come in to my dressing room to help free me from the dress that was attacking me?! lol That would be utter humiliation I don't want some stranger seeing me this way! It would be different if I had a super model body, but I don't!

I was about 45 minutes away from home, so I couldn't just call my husband to come and help me! lol

No matter what I tried on the past couple of days, nothing seemed to look right! It was a huge wake up call for me that I need to get in shape! Ever since I had kids I have completely let myself go!

Tonight I went to JcPenney. They had a ton of cute summer dresses. I tried several on. I finally found one that I like. This is what I'll be wearing to the wedding. It's the same dress except mine has a pink bow on it instead of a black one!

So my big lesson through all of this is never go dress shopping alone and NEVER NEVER try on dresses without zippers! ;)

This is sure to make you smile!

Make sure you pause or turn off my music player on the right sidebar to hear this video!

This is Ben and Alex singing Barney's "I Love You" song! They love singing together and call the couch their "stage!" This is one of the times they are actually getting along and not fighting! It is just too cute...I just had to share!

Enjoy!

5 Senses Tag

I thought I would participate in Friend Makin Monday over at Kasey's. It's a 5 senses tag. We are to list 4 things we love, and one thing we dislike, for each category. Here we go:

Smell:

Likes:

1. Lavender: I'm into aromatherapy and this is my all-time favorite essential oil! It's soo relaxing!

2. Coconut/Hawaiian Tropic Suntan Lotion: It reminds me of relaxing in the sun!

3. Johnson and Johnson Baby Lotion: Reminds me of snuggly with my boys when they were babies.

4. The smell of rain on a warm summer night.

Dislike:

Dirty diapers that have been marinating for a few days in the baby diaper pail! Yuck! Thank goodness that emptying it is my husband's job! ;)

Touch:

Likes:

1. The cool feel of sand on my feet.

2. A baby's soft furry little head.

3. Paste...the kind that you dip a stick into that you used back in elementary school! Do they still make that?

4. Silk polyester material that cheap nightgowns are made of. When I was little my mom cut a piece of her nightgown and I used it as a security type blanket. I just loved that material! I called it my "silky!"

Dislike:
Sheeps wool when they're wearing it (it feels kind of dirty and weird).

Taste:

Likes:

1. Hot sauce! You can never have too much hot sauce!

2. Coconut (the flavor-not actual coconut...I don't like the gritty consistency).

3. Sour tasting things like lime and lemon.

4. Coffee!

Dislike: Beer....YUCK!

Sound:

Likes:

1. My boys singing.

2. Piano music.

3. The sound that a rotary telephone makes as you dial it! Reminds me of my grandparent's house. You should see the pink rotary phone that's going to be in my kitchen (gasp)!

4. Cuckoo Clocks- another sound that reminds me of my grandparent's house. I actually have one in my home now for the memories!

Dislike: Hearing my 2 year old scream....it's ear piercing!

Sight:

Likes:

1. A clean house.

2. Seeing my boys smile.

3. Richard Gere! Now that's a sight I like to see! What tag isn't complete without a Richard Gere reference! lol

4. Seeing my husband have fun with our boys!

Dislike:

Seeing people make fun of others.

Curious George & Dorothy the Dinosaur Get Married!

My three-year-old Ben comes off with the funniest things sometimes! I thought I would share with you his latest!

Tonight he came to me with his two stuffed animals and he handed me Curious George. He said: "You be Curious George and I'll be Dorothy the Dinosaur." I said: "For what?" And he said: "They're going to marry."

My neice Jenn, who Ben absolutely adores, is getting married in a couple weeks- and Ben must have been hearing all of the wedding talk. So I explained to him a little about the wedding and what to expect. And at the end I took the two stuffed animals and I said: "Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Curious George!" I then made the two animals kiss. Ben thought this was funny and he said: "They're going to get married and all kinds of stuff!" And I asked: "What do you mean- all kinds of stuff?"

And he said: "They're going to have tea parties!"LOL

So I guess in a three-year-olds mind marriage is about tea parties! lol I wish it were that fun and simple!

On another note, Ben is fully potty trained! As you know from my previous post he was only doing #1 in the potty. Well a few days after Easter he got the hang of doing #2! Finally! Wooohoooo!

It makes life a lot easier! He's 38 pounds, and that's a little heavy to be lifting on the changing table several times a day!

One down- one to go!

Have a great night!
-Ruth Ann

Decorating Help Needed!

We have been totally remodeling our home over the past three years! I'm not talking just new flooring or painting...I mean gutting! For example, there were times when I could be standing in the bathroom and look through the floor into our basement which is two floors below!

The upstairs of our home is about 90% completed! Finally!

For three years we have been living in constant clutter and disorganization! I absolutely hate it! The reason we live in such chaos is because while we're remodeling one part of the house, we have it's contents in another area and thus cluttering the liveable areas! My husband is doing all of the work himself (that's the reason that it's taken so long)! His full-time job leaves little time for remodeling.

One great thing about remodeling is being able to totally redesign your home! For example, we had a little room upstairs which was very very tiny. It was what we used as the baby's room. This room is right above our stairs. As we gutted it, we fell in love with the open feeling that it had. It made the room seem so much bigger. As a joke I said it would be cool if we left it open without the front wall. As my husband and I thought about the idea, we decided to do just that! It became our "loft." We put a railing up where the wall would go and it's directly over our staircase. It's a really cool room actually. It's sort of a library/computer room.

I wanted this "loft" to be a place where I could go and relax. The window faces our back yard and looks directly into a huge tree. I love this tree! This tree always has the most beautiful blue jays in it. I decided that I wanted to create a window seat where I could go to unwind, read, and meditate. So my husband built me a window seat. And on either side of the window seat built into the wall are shelves that houses the computer and books. I also bought a cute chaise lounge for in the room and an electric fireplace. It's a great room to escape to, and it's the last room to be completed in our upstairs. I cannot wait, and will share it with you once it's completed!

Anyway, since the whole house has been remodeled it's been bare. It has very few decorations up on the walls. I am in desperate need of decor! I either have it and it's not hung, or I am in the process of making it, which is taking forever! So I figured I would start in my youngest son's room. I want to complete one room at a time, so I'm going to start there.

The inspiration for his room came from this cute comforter bed in a bag set that I found at Walmart. It's from their new "Organic Bedding" line. Check it out...isn't it adorable? And the sheets have little paw prints and acorns on it! Too cute!

Another inspiration for the animal themed room are these alphabet flashcards that I found in the scrapbook section of Michaels Craft Store. Each card is approximately 5x7 and they feature the animals from A-Z! If you are interested in purchasing the cards for yourself they are $6.99 and are made by K & Company. They are a little pricey, but remember to use your 40% off coupon!
I bought two sets. I wanted one set for decorating and the other for learning! The back of these cards have facts about the animal on them, which makes them extra cool! Here are a couple of my favorite cards:I figured that these cards would be soo cute if they were each hung in 5x7 frames. What I originally planned was to buy 26 cheap frames and spray paint them different bold colors and group them on the wall as a collage. But the more I thought about it, 26 is ALOT and would take up the entire wall most likely! Not to mention the cost of 26 frames. But I still love the idea of the bold frames and these prints on the wall. What do you think? Is 26 is that too many?

I did think of framing possibly my favorite 10 or so and hanging them on the wall around a large letter "A" for Alex? Wouldn't that be cute? I even thought about using the letters to spell Alex and framing just those. What do you think I should do with these cards? Any ideas?

I'm also planning to use my Cricut machine to make a framed sign of his name. I have the "Zooballoo" cartridge and planned on using it to create a sign for on his wall or door.

I also wanted to paint some whimsical animals on canvases to go with the comforter and alphabet cards. I wasn't sure exactly what I was going to paint until I was lying in bed last night. I decided to paint the exact animals that are on his comforter. I figured this way they would go together and make everything look uniformed. What do you think about that?

I love whimsical things and love bright colors. I really wanted to make his room pop! He absolutely loves his new comforter and actually looks forward to going to bed at night now!

What kind of things do you think would look cute in an animal themed room?

Wow...not sure if I can handle this!

It looks like we will probably be giving away our new puppy Dixie! I am so broken up about it! She is the first puppy that we had since we had children, and we didn't realize how much it would impact our lives! With two toddlers our life is chaotic enough, what were we thinking bringing a puppy into our home?! I feel like a horrible person, but she's just not working out with our family. I've always thought that Golden Retrievers were laid back (we had two of them) but Dixie is extremely wild! I think that besides her being a puppy, the kids probably get her way too excited!

Benjamin asked the other day if we could give her away. He said that he's tired of being scratched, and tired of her chewing his toys! Alex was scratched the other day right under his eye and it bled. I know she's just a puppy, but I think our kids right now are too young to have such a big dog around. Especially one who is always biting at them, scratching them, and jumping up on them.

I want her to go to a good home. No one really wants her because she's already 4 months old. At least nobody wants to pay much for her. I think she would be better off with another family. I cannot give her the time that she needs and deserves at this point in her life. I just feel soo badly about giving her away! If she were a person she wouldn't be given away like this and that's what makes it soo hard. I know she's just a dog, but she is so special and amazing that I feel like a terrible mom and dog owner to do this. What do you think?

I'm just soo stressed out being a stay at home mom with the kids, but this is a much added stress. As I'm writing this I am crying, I will probably have to make the decision tomorrow and it's just too hard for me to do. So if I'm not online for a couple of days you'll know why.

-Ruth Ann

Happy Easter!

Just wanted to wish everyone a fantastic Easter! Hope everyone is safe, happy and healthy!
I unfortunately am still sick! I'm starting a third round of antibiotics so hopefully this type will work! I'm tired of being sick! Friday, Benjamin awoke at 2 a.m. with an earache. We took him to the doctor and decided to take his little brother too. It turns out that they both have ear infections! Ben's infection is a little more progressed and Alex's just started! So we're all not feeling too well this Holiday! At least my husband is healthy and can take care of us all!

The above photo is the photo I gave away to friends and family for Easter! My husband says they look like "deranged Easter Bunnies" a quote from the Christmas Story movie! I actually had someone else say the same thing!

I wanted to do the photo shoot outside, but because I was sick and the weather was crappy- I did the shoot inside.

Here are some outtakes from the photo shoot!

The following two photos- they were laying down, I took the photo from above! In this photo it looks like Alex is praying for me to stop taking soo many photos! lol
Have a wonderful Easter!

Hugs,
Ruth Ann

Interview With A Three-Year-Old

This past week I decided to interview my oldest son Benjamin. At three-years-old he has a wonderful personality full of imagination and humor! I really got a kick out of what he had to say, so I thought I'd share it with you!

1. What is something mom always says to you?
No!
2. What makes mom happy?
When I make funny faces.
3. What makes mom sad?
Breaking Cups. (I guess I must have broken a cup at one point in time and he thought it upset me).
4. How does mom make you laugh?
Smiles.
5. What was your mom like as a child?
Like Rory the Racing Car. (It's one of his favorite cartoons)
6. How old is your mom?
89! (And I thought I looked young for my age)! lol
7. How tall is your mom?
This tall (he held his hands apart as a measurement). I asked how big is that? And he said "that's big!"
8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Projects. (He's referring to the craft projects we do daily).
9. What does mom do when you're not around?
Sewing.
10. If you mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
Driving Cars.
11. What is mom really good at?
Making apples. (It was a craft project we did last week).
12. What is mom not very good at?
Making bunnies. (It was a cotton ball craft project we did last week. I thought it was cute, but apprently he did not)! lol
13. What does you mom do for her job?
Gas cars up.
14. What is mom's favorite food?
Sandwich.
15. What makes you proud of your mom?
Driving cars. (Like most men, he's car obsessed)!
16. How do you know mom loves you?
Gives me kisses and hugs!

Too cute! Make sure you get the chance to interview a little one! It'll really make your day!

Hugs,
Ruth Ann

Potty Training-FINALLY!

Warning!!!!! This post will be about the Joys of Potty Training. I will be talking about many potty issues, so please do not be offended!

I forgot to mention in my lengthy post yesterday that we've been busy with potty training the last couple of weeks! FINALLY! Ben will be 4-years-old on July 31st...I was beginning to lose hope! I thought he'd be graduating from High School in diapers! But I am one who doesn't believe in pushing him. That was alot of the advice that we got from others. Every child is different, so I waited it out. We tried and tried, he just was never ready. I was never pushy about it, we just talked about it often.

There was one day a few months ago that he said he wanted to wear "big boy" underwear. Well we let him wear them and told him that he needed to get us if he had to use the bathroom. Anyway I was right there watching him and all of a sudden he said: "I have to use the potty." I looked and by this time he had already gone! It was like he didn't realize that he had to go until after he had gone! Anyway we put another pair of underwear on him and this continued several times that day until he got frustrated and asked to be back in diapers. I felt then that he just wasn't ready. He's a smart boy and if he was ready he would be the one to know.

So he wanted to try again about 2 weeks ago. This time we told him he could wear "big boy" pull-ups. Well it worked! He had an accident free first day! It was so exciting, and he was so proud! The second day was a disappointment, he had several accidents but that was due to his laziness. He didn't want to stop playing to use the bathroom, but that has finally passed! He has even conquered standing up to go, which was exciting especially since public restrooms are usually dirty.

The only issue we are having is going #2! For several days when he started potty training, he didn't have a bowel movement. Well when he finally had one it was in his pull-up. And this has continued for over a week! We've tried everything! We tried taking away his privileges like his computer games and cartoons. But nothing so far has worked and we have been consistent with the punishments. But I don't like punishing him over it because I don't want him to regress back into diapers. Today I was so frustrated because I have been so sick and my patience was running out. I wanted so badly to stick a diaper back on him, but like I said I don't think that's a good idea. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I can do?

I thought about the book called "Everyone Poops!" But it was sold out at Barnes and Noble. I did however find the following book called "Where's the Poop?"But this book didn't really help like I thought it would! Believe me I am desperate, especially when I'm buying children's books about "poop!" So any advice would be greatly appreciated!

The sticker chart at the top of this post is a really cool system that I found at Dollar General for $2.00! It's a coloring book with a potty poster inside and a fold out poster like the one pictured about that you can put stickers on each time they go! It really helped with his pottying success! It also came with 100 stickers! As you can see Week 1 was such a hit! This past week (Week 2) he's been pottying by himself alot and can't reach the chart...plus, the sticker novelty has worn off too! So every once in awhile you'll see a sticker, but he's done so well this past week- it should be filled up as well! Maybe I need to make a special "Poop Sticker Chart?" I don't know I need something...I'm running out of ideas! But I'll keep you updated!

Oh, and I did promise a special "Potty Party" after he has completed Potty Training. This is a pizza party for a couple of relatives. From the beginning he's know about this party as well as a gift that he gets to pick out himself....still no pooping success! Maybe I need to revisit the store where he seen the fireman outfit that he wants!?

Hugs,

Ruth Ann

I'm Finally Back!

Hi everyone! I'm finally back from what has been one hectic month! I don't even know where to begin! Let's see... it's been crazy because I have two toddlers...not to mention that one is going through the wonderful "terrible twos!" And yes, I'm being sarcastic..there's nothing wonderful about them!

A couple weeks ago I was in the bathroom when my two-year-old (Alex) came up to me and said: "I sorry Mommy!" I said: "What did you do?!!!!" He grabbed me by the hand and took me downstairs only to find a half dozen eggs broken throughout the kitchen and dining room! He emptied the entire carton! Thank goodness there was only 6 eggs left!

Then a few weeks ago I came down with a horrible ear infection. After about four days, when I started feeling better, I stopped taking the antibiotics. Well it's back with a vengeance! I started getting extremely sick this past Friday and went to the doctor on Saturday and the ear infection has returned, along with bronchitis and a sinus infection! This past weekend was horrible! I do not remember feeling soo sick in my life! I had a high fever, I had chills, I threw up! And it lasted for days! I still feel really sick today, but at least my fever has gone away! It was so bad that I told my husband that I would go through childbirth all over again than to be this sick! It was horrible! I was very fortunate, he took care of me and took two days off of work. He watched the kids since I remained in bed for two days, and cleaned the house! He totally took care of me!

Lets see...last week Dixie started Puppy Training Classes. She is also going through the "terrible twos" if there is such a thing for puppies! She doesn't listen, and she's is getting gigantic! I think she's part dinosaur or moose! Anyway, the day before training I had to take her to the vet. I feed her several hours before the trip but that didn't matter. She threw up all over the floor in the back seat area of my van!!!! And I'm not talking about just a little either...and in five places!!!! On the way back Ben started yelling: "Dixie...please don't throw up on my side!" LOL

I was laughing hysterically, it was just one of those moments! So apparently Dixie now gets car sick! It figures, she never throws up when she travels with my husband! lol I think I'll just drive his car next time!

So her puppy class came and I decided to only feed her very early in the morning and when her class came that night she wouldn't get sick. Well you know what? She got sick anyway! But I kept her in her crate with a throwaway pad inside for easy cleanup! Does anyone have any suggestions about what I should do? I will be making this trip with her once a week for a couple months. It's about a half hour trip each way.

Oh, and today she ate my new cell phone! I have a cute little LG-NV and now 1/4 of it is chewed up! I swear she knew what she was doing, and did this just to make me mad! lol

She always destroys everything! She ate my phone charger, she ate about 100 pacifiers and hundreds of toys! But my phone of all things she left usable! It's like hey if you're going to eat it, eat all of it, so I can get a new one. But now I have to carry around a chewed up usable cell phone. It's very stylish! lol And also, she pulled a box of Kleenex off the table today and pulled them out one by one and chewed them up!

My kids have been one main reason I haven't been blogging lately. I decided to give homeschooling a try (at least for preschool). And we're learning alphabet recognition among many other things right now. It's really neat to be out and about and my son will notice a letter he is familiar with on signs. It's exciting to know that I'm teaching him things and he's loving it! But we're seriously thinking about homeschooling him in the future as well, but that's another post!

So that's been my month wrapped up in a few paragraphs! lol

I also wanted to share with you a photo of the wonderful package I received in the mail from my swap partner Tangee. I was in Lori's for the Love of Birds Swap. I was partnered with a very creative lady, Tangee from A Sparkly Messy Life. Look at all the wonderful goodies she sent me.
A very vibrant colorful tote on the left (which is my absolute favorite), a shabby Easter Bunny holding a glitter egg, a French flour sack, a barn star, a couple shabby chic decor books, a Love photo frame, potpourri, a stuffed bunny, a shabby iron bird, and some beautiful jewelry! Thank you soo much Tangee, it was great swapping with you!
And one more shout out to my BBF (best blogging friend) Kristin over at "The Goat" who sent me a letter that was in my mail today! It was such a sweet surprise, and really made my day! Thank you Kristin! You are so creative and I am so glad that we met through blogging! Well everyone I should get some sleep it's almost 1:00 am! I just wanted to catch everyone up on my life, and I will catch up reading my favorite blogs soon and I'll start posting again! Thanks for your patience!

Hugs, Ruth Ann