Wednesday, November 26, 2008

We're Off!

To the North Pole... well Colorado. We are going to ride the Polar Express on Friday so I will most definitely post pics and the whole story.  We have never been but I am super excited.  The kids are too and we are leaving tomorrow after we have Thanksgiving with my hubbie's family.  Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Jami

Monday, November 24, 2008

That's My Daughter...

So Saturday morning was going great my husband was helping me clean up from a delicious nutritious breakfast of homemade french toast. When all of a sudden we heard a thud followed by a loud scream and then crying.  My daughter had catapulted herself off of the couch and landed on her head.  I looked at the bump and noticed it was sunk in so I called the nurse line.  They told me to take her to the ER so I did.  When we got there they told me it was looking alright and then the doctor noticed that indeed it was sunken in and so he pushed and prodded it and told me it was most likely soft tissue damage but that it could be her skull so she needed a CAT Scan.  I freaked out but didn't let her know.  I knew it was probably nothing but I didn't like the look of that bump and I especially didn't like the doctor telling me it worried him.  My mom came to meet me just in the nick of time because the baby was staring to get hungry and the CAT scan tech told me that because I breastfeed I would not be able to go into the CAT scan room with her.  My mom went with Saylor and panic set in I started to think about my poor baby in a machine that she had to be strapped into and lay perfectly still for (and those of you who know her know that she is not one for sitting or laying still).  My mom however gave me a full report and said she did great!  I was so happy.  My mom said she immediately started shaking from fear when they put her in but after they talked her through it she was amazing.  I was so proud.  I am also happy to report and Thank God that she is fine and just had some soft tissue damage and after resting the rest of the day she was back to her old self again.  I was so amazed by how well she tolerated the whole experience she let them poke and prod her and sat through 4 hours in a little hospital room without complaining once except for the occasional asking to go home and for a drink which my mom brought.  I love that girl and am so thankful that she is okay and although she is and has always been my free spirited child I am glad to be her mother and proud that she is my daughter.  She always keeps me on my toes.
Jami  

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Cute stuff.

Kung Fu Panda was super cute but I thought this was just one of the best  quotes I ever heard: "Yesterday is history, tomorrow's a mystery and today is a gift that is why they call it the present".  

Also I found a super cute holiday site off of the gap site called www.gap.com/merrymixit. It has musicians and actors singing and dancing to holiday songs.  It made me laugh especially John Heder's interpretive dance.  Got me in the Holiday mood or at least a little bit.  I also loved the sweaters and wanted them all.
Enjoy

Monday, November 10, 2008

Wanna Work Out?

If so I found a great one for moms.  I was at a birthday party last night and a fellow mother told me about a group that she had been going to of mothers who work out together 3 times a week.  I tried it this morning and it was great.  The other moms were so nice and the babies and kiddos were adorable.  It was comparable to "Baby Bootcamp" and the best part is- it's free!  It's just moms working out together with our kids and helping each other to get in shape.  Baby Bootcamp was great but at $80 a month I couldn't do it and I am paranoid about leaving my kids at the gym while I work out during the sick season, so this is awesome.  I guess in the summer they go to local parks and work out outside, but for now we are at the mall which is empty and warm.  I am sure I will be sore tomorrow but it's a great way to get in shape and Saylor was even joining in so it kept her active and involved too.  It's Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 9:30.  Hope to see you there.
Jami

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Baby It's Cold Outside.

It was the first really cold day this fall and I was frozen all day.  When I went to pick up Sky at school I did not have a hat on so my ears were hurting from the cold and so were my hands.  Chris volunteered to take me to Target and get me a winter hat so I picked out a super cute black one with buttons on it.  I am not ever a fan of the cold, but if you're gonna be out in it you might as well look cute right?  I put the extra blanket on our bed and the kids in their blanket sleepers which they always look 'a-freakin-dorable' in.  The day my kids are too old to wear them will be a sad one.  I just love the way they look so snugly and cozy and warm-  I just wanna squeeze them.  That is one thing I like about winter and cold- the extra snuggles and hugs I get from my kids and hubby.  I also love the holidays- Thanksgiving (a time for being grateful and thankful for what we have)- Christmas (my favorite time to be with my family and spoil my kids and our many traditions.)  I will definitely be blogging on our many holiday festivities. We have fun stuff planned with our families so keep reading and stay warm.
Jami

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Cars Shows CAN Be Fun!


So normally I am not really a fan of car shows but I do take the kids to some of them for 3 reasons: 1.My dad has 2 corvettes and likes to be in them 2. It gets us out of the house on the weekends and outside and 3. it's free.  My dad was in a car show yesterday at Hooters which was Halloween themed.  It was super fun.  The kids were not only only thrilled to get to wear their costumes again, but they got to trick or treat again!  The cars were all decorated with skeletons, spiders, ghosts and ghouls and one was even the purple people eater.  My dad has never been in this show before so he didn't decorate too much, but some of the cars were totally decked out. As we walked around the kids filled their buckets with candy and looked at all the decorated cars and people in costume.  It was lots of fun and the weather was perfect.  If you have kids I highly recommend you take them next year!  Here are a few pics:
     The kids in their costumes.
One of the funniest things we saw in a car.
Posing by Papa's Vette.
and again.

Fun Filled Halloween!


Strider and his 2 week younger best friend Colin.
All of us at the in laws.
The cutest bee EVER!
The kids tick or treating!

So this year was so much fun for Halloween.  I went to Sky's class Halloween party and left the 2 little ones with my grandma.  I got to his class and helped set up, then the kids all ate pizza and fruit and we played some games and did cupcake decorating and it was good to spend that time with him, I liked helping out and I could tell he thought it was special I was there.
Then I came home and after Saylor's nap I got her all dressed up and made dinner.  We all went out trick or treating in our neighborhood and they were super excited to get candy in their buckets.  Next we all drove over to the in laws and trick or treated up there for a while and headed to our Halloween party.  It was at a friends house and it was mostly young couples with young kids like ours so we had fun and the kids had a blast.  It was a great evening of family fun.  The kids got lots of candy which I am trying to avoid eating, but I am sure some of it will make way into my belly.

Jami

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Things I LOVE... and you might enjoy as well.

In no particular order:
Enjoy.

1.  Imagination Movers-  fun music for kids- they will love it.  We saw them live in Disney last year and they remind me of Barenaked Ladies for kids.  The songs are funny and so cute.


2.  TLC- it's always got something entertaining on and lots of family related shows.  Keeps me entertained.

3.  Jason's Deli - new restaurant in town- so good-organic and muy delicioso.  My kids love it.  It's good prices, yummy food, healthy food, and as close to a "real" deli as they come.  Try it you'll like it.

4.  Lemon Zinger Tea- feels good on my ailing throat and tastes super refreshing.



5.  Pumpkin Spice Latte- Starbucks and yes it is totally worth the $4 plus you'll spend on it.

6.  My breast pump- so great. Medela. Yeah.  Beats the old hand pump by miles.

7.  My new jogging stroller-  Instep Safari.  I won it on eBay for half price, it's brand new, year warranty and it came today.  Andy called it the "Cadillac" of strollers and I am excited to try it out and get my body moving.


8.  California Baby products- they are all natural baby lotions and such.  I love the way they smell and they make my skin and the baby's so soft.

9.  My Halloween costume- made by mother in law.  Red poodle skirt, white shirt, black sweater and red sash for my hair- so cute and I haven't dressed up for a while so it will be fun.  Chris will be a greaser minus the greased hair. I will post pics don't worry.

10.  Dr. Seuss books.  I have always loved them and I love reading them to my kids and they love them too.  They are silly, easy to read and bring back childhood memories.  Great fun.


I am sure there are way more but I must get to bed.  I am sick and tired and have many a Halloween things to attend to tomorrow.  I will post pics soon.


Jami



Wednesday, October 29, 2008

More sick.

I have had a horrible sore throat all day as well as a headache.  The baby is still sick and now Saylor has a fever of 102.  Oh my.  My husbands schedule is all messed up because he got transferred and so I am by myself 2 nights this week.  No fun at all.  I hope her fever and sickness only lasts through tonight and she is all better tomorrow because she has a ballet performance at 10:15.  Wish me luck.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

The Sick Season Has Begun.

I was hoping to hold out at least a few more weeks on the whole sick thing, but it started last Sunday with Saylor she woke up coughing late Sunday night and all last week she was in sick mode.  Then this Saturday Sky woke up feeling horrible with a fever of 102 so we stayed in all day and by night time his fever spiked to 103 and would not budge.  I started to get worried because it was bedtime and I didn't want to put him to bed with such a high fever so I stuck him in a luke warm tub and it went down. Phew!  Both the kids slept in until 8:30 which is late for them and they both seemed fine all day with the exception of a little cough so I sent Sky to school on Monday.  However I have been feeling myself fighting off something  for at least a few days now and it has made me so tired and achy.  I am not in the mood to be sick especially with all of the fun Halloween things we have planned so I hope I am almost over whatever it is.  And now the baby has been extremely crabby since yesterday, last night he was coughing and was super stuffy.  He has been pretty sleepy all day so hopefully his goes away as quickly as Sky's did.  Pray for me and the kids.  I hope this is one of the only times we are all sick for the season.  I hate sick season!!!

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Organic cooking for busy moms and whoever else.

So I have always tried to cook mostly organic for my family and have always tried if not organic to cook healthy, but more often than not it takes time and lots of effort and it has definitely always ruled out meals like mac and cheese- unless it was homemade and hamburger helper was a definite NO.  My husband has asked me since I met him to make him hamburger helper and I had the box in my cart once but couldn't bring myself to buy it after a quick reading of the hodgepodge of ingredients.  YUCK.  I happened to be at Whole Foods the other day and found organic hamburger helper made by Annie's.  They looked great and were fairly inexpensive so I thought I'll give it a whirl.  The beef stroganoff was super tasty and the husband and kids even gave it the seal of approval and it beat making it from scratch.  So since then we have also tried the Cheesy Lasagna and when made with organic beef not only is it super tasty, but easy to make, healthy and only one dish!!!  I also love Annie's white shells with cheese and Alfredo with broccoli.  Try them they are most delicious and yummy. 
I also made a great Turkey Italian Meatloaf the other night that was super good email me if you want the recipe.  Chris even admitted to liking it and he hates meatloaf.
Thought I'd share some of my motherly secrets for other mothers.
Jami

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Hair...

I got my hair cut the shortest it has ever been ever and I am still a little freaked out by it, but I am sure I will get used to it. 
Here's a pic:
I guess change is always hard especially for me, but it always feels good to do something for my self.  I got a gift certificate as a baby shower gift to Aveda and I decided why not try something new.  I had a picture up of a hairstyle I liked for at least 6 months and finally decided to do it.  I loved getting my head, neck and shoulders massaged and their products always smell so great... although they should at those prices, but Chris took the little kids and went on errands so I actually just got to relax and enjoy myself.  
Jami    



Friday, October 17, 2008

My Head Might Very Well Explode !!!!

My daughter although adorable decided this week that she would act completely whiney and downright naughty.  She has been throwing fits that would impress even the most seasoned of mothers and screaming for just about everything under the sun.  Yesterday she started as soon as she woke up and by 3:00 after her nap she was in full fit throwing swing.  She got super mad at me because I told her we could only read 2 books (instead of 3) because we had to pick brother up at school and this completely set her off.  She started screaming then and did not stop until 4:15- pretty impressive right?  So I tried being nice, ignoring her, spanking her, putting her in her room but nothing and I mean nothing would stop her.  Finally when she was finished she came to me and started watching TV like nothing had ever happened.  Crazy.  It was a long day the baby would not go to sleep-as usual and in my attempt to get my daughter in the car amidst her screams and the stares from parents at my son's school I smashed my finger in the car door-OUCH and I felt like having a melt down of my own.  It was so much noise and confusion.  I really and truly thought my head might explode.  By bedtime I was so spent I had my husband put the older kids to bed and I watched TV and tried to wind down- it took me a while and then boom I was out.  Needless to say I need some non-mommy time.  I am going out with a friend for "girl time" tomorrow and although I am nervous about leaving the baby I know I need to get away at least for and hour or so.  I'll update on my evening.  I am going to bed early.
Jami

Monday, October 13, 2008

Sleeping Soundly-so far.

So it has been a few days since we moved my daughter into the bottom bunk of my son's room and so far it has been great.  Target had pink polka dot sheets for her and green polka dots for him and they were so happy and excited I thought they would never go to sleep, but after going over a few rules about no talking or jumping on the bed or waking each other up they fell asleep and have been doing well since.  I still have work to do on moving the baby but he will probably stay in our room for at least another month or so.
Jami

Friday, October 10, 2008

Not so much.


So every year we take our children to the glowdeo at the balloon fiesta.  I have never paid for parking simply because by the time you wait in line to get to the lot you could have already parked and walked in which is what we always end up doing.  We park about a block away and walk into the park and save ourselves the $10.00 and the annoyance of to listening to overexcited kids asking why it's taking so long.  Normally aside from a little bit of traffic on the way this has always been a pleasurable experience.  This year however-not so much.
We left our house at about 6:00 the traffic was as always irritating but for some reason when you got near the park they directed you in the complete opposite direction and made you do some weird u-turn thing and wait in more traffic.  I think I can say that it was not just us that were annoyed by this, because about 45 minutes into waiting to go the complete opposite way of the park we gave up and found a parking lot and turned into it along with about 50 other cars.  We took our chances and walked which took us about 35 minutes just to get to the entrance.  By the time we got in it was just about dark and the balloons had already started to glow.  The kids were super excited and it was as always neat to look at.  The glow lasted about 25 minutes and then all the balloons deflated immediately.  GRRR!! All that for 25 minutes.  I fed the baby as quickly as I could and we headed to the exit but there were soooooo many people (who were most offended by us trying to steer a stroller through the crowd) that it took us another 15 minutes to get to the exit.  The fireworks started as we were walking out and the kids got to watch them as we hauled it back to the car.  We got home at about 9:15 and put 3 tired kids to bed-over 3 hours of time just for about 25-30 minutes of glowdeo. I was thoroughly disappointed and my husband and I agreed that we may skip out on the whole thing next year.  

Sorry for the rant
Jami

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

The BIG Move...

So as if right now the baby is sleeping in our room in a cradle by the bed, my daughter has her own room-she sleeps in a toddler bed which is her crib turned into a bed, and my son has his own room complete with bunk beds.  We had originally thought when we had the new baby that we would let him share a room with my daughter, but now that we thought about it, we feel that the baby should have his own room at least for a while.  
We have decided that the 2 oldest will share the bunk beds and the baby will have his own room.  I am a little nervous about the move, but I think it will just take some time for everyone (including me) to adjust.  We are planning on doing the big move this Saturday night to see how it goes and let them get nice and adjusted before we move the baby out of our room.  We are going to get a girly sheet set for the bottom bunk that will now be occupied by my daughter and a new boy sheet set for my son so they can each have their own bed and feel like it is their own space.  I hope all goes well- my children are so routined which is great most of the time but it is always hard on me when there are major changes such as this.  So wish me luck on the whole move and I will update on whether or not I live through it.  
Jami


My kids!!!


Saturday, October 4, 2008

Double Stroller- ASAP

I am in need of a double stroller preferably a Graco just because I know my car seat will fit onto it.  I want to start walking for exercise and the stroller I have now (the sit and stand) is great but my 2 year old keeps jumping off and she has to face backwards and being 2 she needs to be in a seat facing forward especially if I am going to be walking at a faster pace.  I went to the Mother of Twins sale and they had a few but they were either too expensive or not what I am looking for.  If you know anyone who is selling one or want to get rid of one I would love to buy it or take it off your hands.  Please email me if you do.
Thanks
Jami

Allergies

I know it sounds kooky but I had zero allergies before my kids were born and it seems that with each of them my allergies have gotten progressively worse.  I had a cat growing up in my parents house and never seemed to have a problem and definitely never had seasonal allergies and now they are in full swing.  Every time I visit my in-laws (who have a billion and one cats and counting)  I get red itchy eyes, scratchy throat, runny nose and the whole works and it is not fun at all.  I hadn't ever noticed that any of my children were affected in the same way as I am until today...
We went to the in-laws to visit with some family that was in town and my son was crawling around playing with his cousin and the next thing I knew his eyes were red as beets and almost completely swollen shut.  He sounded like he had a cold and looked awful.  I immediately reacted and took him to the nearest store and gave him Benadryl which seemed to help a little.  He has already had 2 doses and his eyes are still super swollen.  YIKES!  I guess that rules out the possibility of us ever owning a cat.  

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Cranky Baby-Cranky Mommy.


So for some unknown reason my baby decided yesterday that he would not sleep at all-all day.  He was so exhausted and yet maybe slept a total of 1 hour all day long.  By about 2:00 in the afternoon he was overtired and inconsolable.  I was bouncing him, feeding him, rocking him, walking him, and he just seemed to get even more and more upset.  I was working so hard to get him to sleep I was sweating in a tank top with the air conditioner going.  I felt terrible for him and for myself, but I kept on trying new things.  I finally got him to sleep about 5:00 and he slept for about 20 minutes and proceeded to cry all over again.  After my dinner of cold cuts and macaroni and cheese because that is all I had the time and energy for, I was overtired myself.  My husband helped out by bathing the other kids and getting them ready for bed and reading to them.  I finally got the baby undressed and put his little hiney in the tub with Johnson's Bedtime Bath and he relaxed enough to stop crying.  I let him sit in the tub for a while and when I got him out I put him in his jammies fed him a little more and he started to doze off.  By 8:00 all my kids were in bed so my husband and I finished folding the laundry, I made my kindergartner's lunch and we settled down around 9:00 to watch "Iron Man".  I was so excited to finally be able to relax and the movie looked great...  I woke up around 1:00 in the morning thinking "oh great I slept through the whole movie" and little did I know my husband had fallen asleep too.  I guess we'll be watching it tonight instead.  I guess moms and dads need their rest as much as the kids.  It was definitely a trying day, but today is a new day and is going fine so far.  I just hope that was a one  time no sleeping day because I was exhausted.

My daughter, the baby and I went to the library story time with friends and then to lunch and I can only pray this afternoon goes as smoothly.  
Jami

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Count Your Blessings


"When you're worried and cannot sleep count your blessings instead of sheep and you'll fall asleep counting your blessings"- Rosemary Clooney

This is a great quote from a great movie- White Christmas.  If you haven't seen it, you should especially around Christmas it will totally put you in the Christmas Spirit, although it seems way to early to be thinking about Christmas, I like that quote and so I thought I would share it with others.

I can hardly believe it is almost October.  My children have already decided on their costumes and luckily my mother in law is a seamstress and sews their costumes every year so I don't get stuck at the store picking through polyester costumes that are way overpriced and don't fit very well.  My son was totally excited about the new movie Speed Racer and so he says he wants to be Speed for Halloween.  I am not too sure what this costume will entail, but I will leave it to the mother in law to decide.  My 2 year old is obsessed with Mickey and Minnie and was Minnie for her birthday so she already has the entire costume.  It is a really cute dress and ears so I just need to buy some tights and shoes.  I am not sure what the baby will be or if I will dress him up, but he has a Halloween shirt and a sleep and play with skeleton bones on it that will work.  

We will most likely decorate for Halloween next weekend and go to the local pumpkin patch in a few weeks.  Which is always super fun.  It is always great to watch how excited my kids get when  we bust out the decorations and start decorating.  It also brings me back to when I was a kid growing up and I remember how special these times were to me.  My mom always tried to make things fun and special and I can only hope that my kids will think back on these times and feel the same way I do.  

Jami







Saturday, September 27, 2008

mom of 3


My name is Jami I am a 26 year old mom of 3.  I have a 5 year old boy,a 2 year old girl and my newest addition a 7 week old boy.  
I always knew I wanted to be a mom and I definitely think it is the hardest and yet most rewarding job I have done and will ever do.  I take this job very seriously and have recently become what some may call "over-organized".  I am starting this blog mainly for my own sanity and also hopefully to give other moms a place to go for advice and to know that there are other stay at home moms like them.  
A little about me.  Other than a mother.  I am a wife, a daughter, a sister, a college graduate and a former preschool teacher.  I try to look at every day as another chance to do my best and I try very hard to find joy in the little things in life.  It is easy to get stuck when you have the same job all day everyday without any one thanking you or giving you pats on the back for a job well done, but I find that sitting back and watching the way my children interact with each other and with others I catch glimpses of my teachings and it makes me feel like I am getting something right.
I will be blogging while my kids are napping and have appropriately labeled my blogspot -whiletheynap.  I hope you will enjoy reading my blogs and will mostly be blogging about the trials and tribulations of raising 3 adorable children with 3 completely different personalities and taking as well as giving advice for and from other mothers.  I am always up for a good chat  some good advice or just comparing notes.
Until next time.
Jami