Today... She is my toddler.

Today, my toddler helped me sort all the laundry. She also tried to throw away all her baby brother's clothes.

Today, my toddler helped make her own peanut butter and jelly sandwich. She also tried to dump her juice all over my family room rug.

Today, my toddler kissed her baby brother on the head while he was crying. She also tried to suffocate him with a blanket.

Today, my toddler told me, "I lub you so much mommy. And bubbles, too." She also told me to "cut it out" when I asked her to get off my bed.

Today, my toddler cleaned up her blocks all by herself. She also pulled down the stockings off of the mantle and almost broke her head open.

Today, my toddler learned which was her right and left hands and feet. She also had a complete meltdown over the fact that I wouldn't let her have candy for breakfast.

Today, my toddler changed out of her pj's all by herself. She also hid said pj's somewhere in her room, and I have yet to find them.

Today, my toddler is an angel. She is also the spawn of Satan. But that's all in a day in the life of a toddler and their parent.

They're so precious when they're asleep.

Small Business Saturday is Here!

So, I didn't get to do half of what I wanted to with SBS this year due to all the insanity of getting our home ready for the holidays, taking care of the kids and traveling quite a bit. But that doesn't mean it's any less important. This Saturday, every single one of us have the chance to help make a difference for a small business owner out there, and in turn, the economy. The vast majority of jobs in our country are made up of small businesses, which means most of our friend's and family's livelihoods depend on the health  of small businesses. And they can't do business without customers. Pretty logical progression there.

As you all know, my favorite type of small businesses are ladies working with direct sales companies to bring income directly into their home. These companies now go far beyond just make-up and kitchen supplies; there is literally something for everyone nowadays. Which means you have no excuse for not shopping from one of your friends or family members this year for at least one person on your list.

I've done this many times before, but once again, here are just a few of the benefits of "shopping small."

• Better customer service
• Customizable  gifts for those on your list
• Direct positive affect on a family's income which, at this time of year, is vital. 

So this Saturday, and maybe even on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, shop small. Because you can make a big difference when you shop small.

Here's the list from the Small Business Support tab directly copied and pasted here for easier access. When you order something from any of these ladies, come back here and tell me what you got, so we can encourage more people to "shop small."

Altered to Perfection by Sherry Morales - hand-made, customized journals and vintage party decor
Avon by Ariel Lee 
Creative Memories by Catherine Morrison 
Jamberry Nails by Deanna Sweidel 

Lia Sophia by Ashley Judd
Kittangle by Marilyn Marie - Customized Jewlery
Lindt Chocolate by Monique Saucedo
Mary Kay by Kristen Lila
Missy's Musings by Missy Douthit - Crocheted hats and adorable bows for little girls and mommy's, too!
Purposeful Homemaking by Becky Zale - Healthy Living and Homeschooling blog and store
Scentsy by Missy Douthit
Simply Said Designs by Charity Guidinger

Thirty-One Gifts by Kara Wardell
Trendy Tadpoles by Melissa Borden - Kid's items from clothing to loveys to jewelry and other accessories
Uppercase Living by Kristi Balding
Usborne Books by Kristi Balding

Velata by Missy Douthit

Christmas Cookie Pin-Win

I saw this idea on Pinterest, and since it fit in nicely with my "semi-homemade" baking abilities, I decided to give it a show for my Christmas cookie exchange last week. It turned out marvelously. So marvelously, I'm sharing the recipe with you :)

Candy Cane Christmas Cookies (whew, that's a lot of C's)

1 sugar cookie mix

1 stick of butter

2 eggs

1 packet of candy cane pudding, Jello brand

1 tsp vanilla

Approx. 2 cups of white chocolate chips (I always put a lot since we're big chocolate fans) 

Peppermint pieces

Not my picture, but this is very close to what mine looked like.

Mix together all ingredients except peppermint pieces. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes. While still hot, sprinkle peppermint pieces on top. Eat.

See? Soooo simple, and they were scrumptious. Super easy to whip up for some unannounced Christmas carolers or a family gathering! :)

Facebook Snapshots

The past couple weeks have been kinda crazy here, and I haven't been able to blog nearly as much as I like. I have, however, had the time to write quick statuses on Facebook about the funny and entertaining things that have been going on in our family. So while this may be redundant for all my Facebook friends, it's nice to consolidate all my statuses about our family in one place every once in a while.

11/20/12

Me: "Aria, what does C-A-T spell?"
Aria: "KITTY!"

11/19/12

We have worked really hard to teach Aria to share... unfortunately, she was under the impression that this also applied to her cold. Kylar and I are both partaking in the runny nose.

11/13/12

I hung up candy canes above our staircase for christmas...aria has been trying for a half hour to reach them. Only 4 feet too short lol...

Not on Facebook

Scene: *Mimi holding a screaming baby K*

A: "Mimi, put Ky-Ky in his chair. He fine. Put him there."

Scene: *me blasting choir music and singing along*

A: "Mommy, no singing, please."

Me: "do you want me to turn on the radio?"

A: "Yes please, mommy. No singing, mommy."

K's "wide awake face" that we normally see around 11 each night.

A's artwork from Sunday School. She's so proud of it that it's
now hanging on my refrigerator :)

It's all about balance

I'm not an all-natural and organic mom. I'm not gluten-free, dye free or anything else "free." We watch TV,  and my child loves Elmo, Clifford, Daniel Tiger and Arthur - all TV characters. We don't ban technology in our family; we play with iPhone game apps and the Wii. I don't have homemade meals on the table every night for dinner, and my dishes are not always done. Some days, we wear our pajamas all day long. I'm just not one of "those" moms.

But my child knows her ABC's - not just the song; she can identify all of her letters and words that represent each letter. She can count to 20. She can sing several songs word for word. She can identify almost every "main stream" animal that comes across a page in her books, on TV or in her puzzles. She will spend hours and hours a day reading books. She loves to play with shapes and puzzles and working them all out on her own. She can operate an iPhone better than I can. She absolutely loves being outside and kicking a ball around.

Our life isn't perfect, by any means. As I type this, I can still hear A crying in her room following the most recent temper tantrum. I'm no Pioneer Woman; 90% of my meals are "semi-homemade." But I have learned that it's not what you keep your children from watching, eating or doing. It's the balance you strike in your family. You obviously can't depend on PBS to teach your children everything they need to know in pre-school, but you can watch Sesame Street once a day and count with them, recite and sing the ABC's song, and point out various colors and shapes. You can't expect your children to get all their nutrients and vitamins from processed and fast food, but a happy meal for a special "date night" or a Jr. Frosty after a rough Dr's appointment demonstrates moderation, and teaches them that these things are special treats and not everyday events.

It's all about balance. You have to teach your children that learning is both important and fun, that food is for creating memories with family as well as making "big strong muscles," and that life is more enjoyable when you're not so much worried about what others will think.

One of life's simple pleasures - finding a good spot to read a good book :)

Second Time Around

I had previous blogged about what a good baby K had been, and how he was nothing like his big sister. Well, in the past week or so, that has changed. He still eats really well, and for that I can be thankful for, as A never mastered that trick. Unfortunately, he seems to have developed "the curse" that his siter had to deal with as well - acid reflux. His symptoms are somewhat different than hers, but still typical of babies dealing with AR.

The most astounding and difficult to deal with symptom is the projectile spit-up. I've heard of this kind of spit-up before, and the doctors were always amazed that A didn't have this because her case was so extreme, but I had never experienced this first hand. It's truly amazing how far he can spray the spit-up, and quite disgusting. My all-natural carpet and upholstery cleaner is getting the medal of honor for remarkable courage in the face of insurmountable difficulties. 

We're also dealing with nightly screaming sessions and extreme fussiness during the day. It makes my heart hurt to see my baby in pain, and I'm hoping I can get him into the Dr soon to get him some relief. That's another long story, though, brought to you by your not-so-friendly insurance company red tape. Anyways.... today hasn't been too bad, and I'm thanking my lucky stars. I've actually gotten some laundry done today - only one load actually got done my my usual laundry day, which is Tuesday. I'm also not insane yet, which is a huge accomplishment, considering what I had to deal with yesterday.

Since I dealt with this on such an extreme level with A-bug, I feel somewhat prepared for this and better understand how to help my little one. But it's still very difficult, and I really hope we won't have to deal with it on the same level as we did with A. It was a long and stressful battle the first time around. I don't have the luxury of insanity now - I have another little terror to take care of this time around. 

This is the face of Acid Reflux. :(

Making Me Laugh

There are few people who can make me laugh like A can. Seriously, such a funny little human being. I have no idea where she gets this outrageously funny personality, but we're never bored at our house! Here are some of the funny things she's done and said over the past few days.

My mother recently sent over a box of cookie cutters after cleaning out her kitchen. Being incredibly busy with a fussy baby and a house that looked like it had been hit by Sandy, I hadn't had time to go through them yet... but A found time. They're now her new favorite things to play with. The cutest thing? She calls them "cookie dutters." :)

K has had some serious issues with colic or acid reflux recently, which means we spend a lot of time burping him so as to keep him from spitting up as much (for the record, it's not working.) Now, whenever I'm holing him, A-bug walks up and starts patting him on the back saying, "Burp, Ky-Ky! Burp!" She even tries to burp her stuffed Abby and Elmo. So far, no luck, but she's not giving up anytime soon. I also love when she sees he's awake and says, "you're awake, baby boy!" Our little imitator....

As her vocabulary grows, A starts saying complete sentences. My favorite thing ever is when she sits next to K's bouncy seat where he chills out during the day, and just strikes up a conversation with him. "Hey, baby Ky-Ky! How doin'? Get good sleeps? I lub you!" It's adorable. This morning at breakfast, after I gave her her usual blueberry yogurt, she says, "Mmmm, I luuuuub blueberries, mama. Do you?" and then proceeded to take a massive bite of blueberry yogurt lol. She just cracks me up.

The other day when I was nursing K, I noticed something on his head. When I started rubbing it, I noticed it was dried yogurt from A had kissed him after breakfast and gotten yogurt on his head. It all makes both my heart and my face smile. I love my kiddos, and I love the ever entertaining dialogue that goes on in our house. I can't wait until K joins the conversation... if he ever gets the time to get a word in ;)

Time for Small Business Saturday!

It's November, and those of you who have followed the blog since this time last year know that November means Small Business Saturday is coming up. As you all know, I'm a HUUUUGE proponent of Small Businesses, especially those businesses run by moms trying to help out their family. This year, I'm even more all about it since our family's financial future is slightly up in the air. I know we're definitely not the only ones, which is why I like to push EVERYONE to check out direct sales and other mom businesses this Christmas season for your Christmas list.

You all know the benefits of shopping small - helping the economy as well as a real middle class family (not some nameless, faceless corporation), better customer service, many times better products, more customizable options, and often times better prices. Why wouldn't you check them out? :)

There truly is a product for everyone out there now, not just the women on your list. Many companies have products for men and kids now, so you can "shop small" for everyone on your list :) You all know about my "Small Business Support" tab at the top of my page, and I'll hopefully be adding even more options to that list as the season goes on. I encourage everyone to go there and find a company that they're interested in ordering from and connecting with one of those ladies. I'll be highlighting a few of those ladies as the month goes on, and writing up summaries of their products and services. If there's a company in particular you've been wanting to hear more about, let me know, and I'll check it out for you!

I also encourage everyone to check out the Small Business Saturday Facebook page for more info and to add your name to the Small Business movement :)