Wild Wednesday

I find it funny that I use the same title and label every Wednesday and yet, there is no theme to my Wednesday posts anymore.

Oh well, right? My blog, my rules.

(the closest picture she would get with the Easter bunny at the mall)

Miss Petey is going to be having a birthday in a little over 3 weeks. And this will be her first year of having a friends birthday party---though we have asked that none of the children bring her presents. We just want to give her a special day, doing fun things with her closest friends.

Can I believe my girly is almost 3? No, not really. It seems like she is always having a birthday party! As in, her life really is passing me by so quickly. I promise, it's even quicker than the average mom feels about her children growing up. :)

Remember all of my potty training ordeals with this stubborn little girl? If you don't, go look them up on my blog. It's been ups and downs, months of no accidents and months with 50 accidents.

Well, my girly has recently decided she is ONLY wearing skirts and dresses. So I made her a deal. She must stay dry all day to wear her skirt/dress all day. If she has an accident, she has to wear pants (and underwear) for the rest of the day.

I must say that this has worked for us. She does not always stay dry but she maybe has an accident every week or two.

Who knew that's what it would take? I find this to be a fair trade for us both.

And just in case you havent laughed enough today, here is Spidey at McDonald's today. I had NO idea he was dipping his bologna {we pack lunches and go play at the Mickey D's play place} in my friend's cup of ketchup...until I looked over and saw this. Crazy boy! My kids LOVE to dip. :)

Hope you are having a wonderful Wednesday! We are off to Grandma's to dye eggs and get everything ready for the Easter egg hunt on Saturday.

Wild Wednesday

Have you ever had a moment in your life that you've thought, "Oh, crap! What did I do?"? Like maybe you had tie dyed some shirts red last week and you forgot to wash them separately. And somehow your son's nice white church shirt got mixed in with the red shirts and now it is a pink church shirt.
And then you just wish you could rewind to that morning and separate these shirts from each other before starting a load of laundry.

Well, it's been one of those days for me. It started out crappy---as in, I had to call the DES office and then they told me to come down to the office to talk to a supervisor and when I got there the front office refused to let me see a supervisor so I cried all the way home and then called them back later to explain my situation more and the girl apparently couldnt handle my tone of voice so she transferred me to the supervisor whom I had to leave a 10 minute message for, crying the whole time mind you, and she never returned my call. "sigh" (World's Longest Run-on Sentence Award!).
After that, I had a headache all afternoon from crying all morning and I was loved so much by very wonderful friends and I thought, "Hey, this day is only going to get better." but I was wrong. It was still a stressful afternoon.

But today needed to end on a positive note so I decided to be productive and look at life from a different perspective, just like these silly kids have taught me.

So I finished Petey's notebook purse that I found HERE. Still working on the basketball notebook for Spidey...the Easter bunny will bring these to them in their Easter baskets next month.

And I finally found a good use for this huge pretzel can that Ive been saving (yay for putting away the baby toys that my kids dont play with right now!)

And my last big project today was figuring out a way to keep our wireless router safe. You see, the room we like best for our "play/toy room" is the only room in our house that has hook ups for our wireless router. Hmph. This has created some problems and a few scares when the kids would play with it so when I moved Petey back in to the other room with her brother last night (her bed was covering up the router before), I knew we needed some of these metal box shelves.

I connected those first two boxes backward so they would create a cage for the router but I realized that would still look fun for the kids and they'd want to figure out a way to get to it.

So I stuffed a bunch of pillows in there to hide the router. Perfect!

Then I organized everything in the playroom (which will last until the morning),

and filled the extra boxes with some of their toys. This is the best our play room has ever looked---besides the dirty carpet. Yuck!

And what better way to end the day than to cuddle up with some soft, clean kiddos after bathtime?

Wild Wednesday- Find the positives

I am having a bad day.

The dishes were NOT rinsed out by a certain adult living in my household who shall remain nameless and whom I love even though the dishes are now taking me hours instead of minutes.

I don't feel like eating healthy and I feel angry that said person above can eat whatever he wants while I am stuck eating grass [not literally].

A little girl in our household who shall remain nameless is pushing her mom's buttons over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again (overkill?).

Also, potty training is kicking my butt right now. Little Miss goes back and forth and right now, she doesnt feel like peeing in the potty...and yet she gets angry when I put a diaper on her. I am way too tired for this right now.

A certain little boy in our household who shall remain nameless is clingy, whiney, and doesnt want to eat most of the things his mom puts in front of him.

I miss my sister in China. Miss her every day. She was/is my best sister friend ever and honestly, I think a lot of times that is why I feel so down when things are great. I dont have that sister bond right now. I want it...but I cant get it.

But wait a minute...
Isnt this supposed to be positive Wednesday post?
Why yes, yes it is.

Since Ive been in this rut all morning, I've decided to list everything that I am grateful for at this moment.

1. I am grateful for a hard working husband who goes to school every night and comes home tired but is willing to go back again the next night.
2. I am grateful for two healthy, beautiful children.
3. I am grateful for a home...no matter how small or how dirty...it is still a roof over our heads.
4. I am grateful for my mom. For the new clothes for my kids, the lunch dates, the help cleaning my home, the employment, the encouragement and advice...she gives me so much.
5. I am grateful for my dad. For the medical attention, love, support, and the hours of playing with my kids when he should be tired from working all day.
6. I am grateful for my mother in law who sews my daughter dresses and is always thinking of my children...and also my father in law for movie nights with our kids and for always being so willing to play with our kids.
7. I am grateful for my weightloss...though it is slightly stagnant right now and has stayed around 10 lbs, I am still grateful for it.
8. I am grateful for my van...no matter how old or beat up it looks...it is mine and it has powered doors. ha!
9. I am grateful for my library card...as stupid as it sounds, getting new books and movies every week has really helped me.
10. I am somewhat/mostly grateful for screaming children...because it means they are breathing and alive.
11. I am grateful for my blog and the friends I have made through it.
12. I am grateful for friends, park days, and everything that surrounds me in my community.

You see? Through this fog I am in, I have so much to be thankful for. Thanks for listening. And if you get in a rut, write your own thankful list. I promise, it will help.

And that's how Suze sees it.

Wild Wednesday - Finding the Love

I walked into my son's room this morning and the first thing I noticed [besides those adorable chubby cheeks] was the drool on my son's bed.
You see, he drools every night and there is always a small wet spot on his bed in the mornings.
I did not alter this spot in any way before or after taking this picture. He really drooled in the shape of a perfect heart.
I snuggled that boy in my arms for at least 30 minutes before feeding him breakfast. There was no complaint from either party (usually a hungry boy complains and overturns my snuggling decision).
It was the perfect start to a good day.

I truly hope you had a good day too.

And that's how Suze sees it.

Wild Wednesday- Find the positives

Today was a lucky day.
It wasnt hard to find the positives.
I found positives in creating a new yarn wreath for Valentine's day. Boss thinks it needs more hearts---I think it's simple and beautiful. We'll see if I add to it later. I found positives in myself. You'll notice I tried to cover my double chin in this picture with my sweater (actually, you probably didnt notice). But I usually edit all of my pictures and I decided not to touch this one.
Today, this momma went on a diet. Oh please send prayers her way that it works. 40 pounds before July is the end goal, which is 2 pounds a week, and it is highly attainable. This momma just needs to stay motivated and remember the things that matter most in life---which doesnt include food. I am now taking emails/comments/suggestions for healthy meals...Go! :)

I found positives in my diva, sassy daughter. Oh how I love knowing she is mine forever and ever and ever.

Today I found positives in knowing my husband is also mine forever. I've been doing Valentine's surprises for him since last week, all leading up to the big Valentine's day. The one i the picture below says, "Simply glad you're not a couch potato." Other ideas include:

• A spicy food: "You're so hot!"
• Lifesavers: "You're my lifesaver!"
• Crush soda: "I have a crush on you."
• Beef Jerky: "So glad you're not a jerk."
• Hershey's hugs and kisses: "Thought you could use a couple extra hugs and kisses tonight."
• Lays chips: "Let's get laid." (ha...sorry, had to add that one)
• Extra gum: "You are the extra in extraordinary."

Those are just a few examples...I have 2 weeks worth but cant remember all of the ones Ive done so far. Bummer!

And today I found joy in help. My mother asked to take my kids today on a Grandma date so that I could get some house cleaning done. When she came to get them, she surprised me with a Swiffer jet mop, new dish towels, sponges, and a lovely new dust pan with a rubber edge (since my old one was a piece of crap and didnt pick up anything). I was amazed that she would do all of that just for me.

Later that day, I went to work with my siblings and didnt come home until 5:45, right after my husband had left for school. I walked in to a cleaner house than I had left it. He had scrubbed the floors and done another load of dishes for me.

Today I was amazed at the generosity others give to me. I am very loved. I am very lucky. And it's one of the many reasons I love to give to others---because I have been taught well by an excellent mother.

And that's how Suze stays positive.

Wild Wednesday- Find the positives

Today started out good.

Beautiful scenery at the temple.

Beautiful (and handsome) children bundled up.

Beautiful Boo and her beautiful face.

But then my heart turned sour. We went shopping and I made good choices (the not spending any money kind of good choices). But my heart hurt. And trust me, it got worse from here.

I dropped my nephew off at my mom's house and talked with her for a while. There was a huge lump in my throat as I tried to explain my feelings to her. Inadequacy, stress, worry, doubt.

And then we smelled it. And after we smelled it, we saw it. Twenty minutes before I had to be at the dentist's office with Petey, her brother had pooped ALL up his back and even down his legs too. It doesnt stop there. As I grabbed him to take him to her bathtub, my mom yelled, "Dont worry, I'll clean up the walls." What? So I stripped him down and put him in the bath. And realized we had no extra clothes for him. My mom searched and found some 3T size shorts that she quickly sewed to make them fit his waist (they looked hilarious). She also found a shirt that was to be saved for his 2nd birthday (size 24mo and also huge on him) and threw that on him.

And then Petey walked in and said, "Mom, are you gonna clean the poop off my pants and shoes from Bubba's bum?" What?!! Yeah...it was seriously everywhere. As in, I went back out there and it was smeared on my Mom's good living room pillows and on her carpet. Ugh! Luckily, my mom had some pink pants that fit her and her socks were clean.
So we went to the dentist appt with one kid that had HUGOGINORMOUS clothes on and another kid that was just in socks. Yeah we looked like a pretty sad case.

But my kids were happy and getting along. I couldnt hardly complain about that.

And now to find the positives:

I am so lucky to have a mom that listens to me and helps me out when I need her. I am thankful that for some reason, she always has new clothes for my kids stored in her closet, waiting for a day like today (well, actually, waiting for their birthdays but oh well).

I am thankful to have a husband that is working hard in school so that someday I wont have to be scared about not paying our bills.

I am so thankful for kids who love each other and play well together.

I am thankful that Petey was brave for the dentist and that she has super healthy teeth.

And I'm thankful that the waffles I made for dinner tasted really yummy. I love it when my dinners turn out well.

And that's how Suze stays positive.

Wild Wednesday- Find the positives

You are in luck.
Today, I have more than one negative to positive story.

But first, let's start off with some proof from my "How Do I" post a few weeks ago. Remember how I said Petey doesnt grow very fast?Proof! This is my girl in size 6 month pants. Yeah they are too short but they are not too tight anywhere.

So back to my goal---turning my negative day into a positive day.
It all started when Petey woke up crying again last night. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I do not like my kids sleeping in my bed. I don't like it for my own comfort but I also don't like it because of the habits it teaches kids.
See? She ended up in our bed. Because I was too exhausted to fight with her.
But this morning I woke up and I had forgotten she was sleeping next to me. I was immediately grateful that this ear infection happened while we are staying at my parent's house. Their king size bed made sleep still possible when we brought our sick girl into the bed with us.


So later in the day, I took all of the kids outside. I snapped a lot of pictures and we had a lot of fun.
I set my phone and camera on the top of my car and went on playing with the kids.
Then my sister invited us to go to a park by her house so I loaded the kids up and drove away.

Are you connecting the problem yet?

I didn't remember that my phone AND camera were on my car until we got to the park.
By the time we got home, I put the kids down for naps and started walking the cul-de-sac trying to find my camera, while calling my cell phone from the home phone.
A neighbor had picked up my cell phone OUT OF THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET and had it at their house waiting for me.
I asked some neighbor girls if they had seen my camera and even though they hadnt, they all hopped on their bikes and searched the street for it.
And they found it.
Someone had run over it and when they handed it to me, it was in two pieces.
I cried. I was heartbroken. And then I checked my sd card. It was safe! My recent photos were saved!
And then a dear friend found out what had happened and offered me a free digital camera that she doesnt use.
So obviously this turned out positive.
I'm so glad I didn't lose this picture.

Or this sweet picture of George sharing the basketball with Spidey. So sweet.

Today turned out ok. It wasnt the best of days but we turned it into something positive. That's what matters most.

And that's how Suze sees it.

Wild Wednesday- Find the positives

Yesterday was just one of those days. Boss started school this week and I wanted to just be happy that it meant closer to our end goal. Instead, I chose to sulk for a while that we were losing him for a few months...and moreso that he'll now have to take summer school to get his associates degree. And the other non-open-book crap that we've been dealing with this semester of school.
You see? Arent you proud? My husband would be. I don't actually say everything about our lives on this blog---some things are actually meant to be private. Go me! ha!
Anyway, it was just one of those mornings. By lunch time, I had to snap out of it. So I forced myself to get off my rear end and do something with my kids. I gave Petey a couple of suggestions and she chose the best on of them all.
We made a thank you card for her Boss!
We started by getting all of our supplies out. The usually glue, paper, crayons, and some weird felt heart ribbon that she insisted on using.

She even asked if Spidey could help her color the card. She told me later that daddy would know where Spidey had colored because it was "fast green colorings"...which means, Spidey scribbles fast, therefore, her describing his coloring as fast.

Petey applying the felt red hearts.

And we finished by adding some candy in it for Boss. Yum!

Yeah---I used permanent marker and it bled through. And so did the glue. Oh well. Boss loved it.
We put it on his pillow since he comes home from school so darn late and this morning, first thing he did when he woke up was called Petey into the room and thanked her for the beautiful card.

She was proud.

I was happier.

Win-win-win.

And that's how Suze stays positive.

Wild Wednesday

Thank you, 21 followers, for being so good to me. It seems like I've been getting one new follower each day and it makes me happy to know that you like reading what I write.

Today's Wild Wednesday revolves around a little girl this blog calls Petey.

She is wild. All of the time. Except the 12 hours she sleeps at night. Well, sometimes even during those 12 hours. :)

Last night, our special girl got to sleep in her special new bed...as she calls it.

It's her same ol' bed (used to be her same ol' crib) but with a twist.A bed rail!

Because 2 nights ago, she fell out of her bed and was afraid to go back to sleep in it.

And maybe I'm not nice but I don't like my kids sleeping in my bed for many reasons. The main reason being that I hardly get ANY sleep!

Last night was the test...and her precious bed rail passed!

Dear Petey's bed rail,

Thank you for keeping our little girl in her OWN bed all night long.

Sincerely, Petey's no longer exhausted mother.

Have a great day today! We are off to the park and this afternoon, I think a walk around the temple is calling our name.

And that's how Suze sees it.

Wild Wednesday

Just in case you were wondering, I've given up on my link posts but I will continue to blog on Wild Wednesday. Maybe someday when I have more than 15 followers, the link posts can start back up. Oh well. :)

Today my baby girl is sick. Sick as sick can be. Fevers of 105. Puss bubbles in her throat (tmi?). Oh she is miserable. And her brother is still on breathing treatments.
Yeah it's a great day for our family.

But seriously, wasn't she an adorable angel?

And even though our kids are sick, I am so thankful for life today.

I am thankful that Christmas is in a couple of days and I had decided that Spidey's Christmas just wouldn't be as cool as his sister's (not that I need to be comparing) and then Santa Clause decided he had something else up his sleeve for our boy. My aunt contacted a bunch of us cousins about an awesome car rug she was giving away for free and I emailed her back right away and snatched it up for my son.

Thanks, Santa. You sure know how to make a mom's job easier.

And Spidey is going to love it.

I also asked Petey if she wanted Santa to bring her a baby doll or Tinkerbell dress ups for Christmas (since I had to swing her vote for one of those 2 things). The past couple of days, she was stuck on the Tinkerbell dress ups and then last night she said, "Mom, Santa is going to bring me Tinkerbell dress ups AND a baby doll."

Smart cookie, that Petey. Good thing she is getting both presents anyway...guess I'll put Santa's name on both of them. :)

Hope everyone is having a very thankful Wednesday.

Wild Wednesday

Happy linky Wednesday! I've been up since 5am...and I normally get up around 9am.

All thanks to this little guy. Because he had a dirty diaper and was screaming his head off at 5am.
After changing him, I realized he had woken up another special someone who was wide awake. So I brought her to my bed.

Ten minutes later, I heard more screaming from Spidey. I went in to find he had pooped again. What?! So I changed him again, put him back to bed and he fell asleep again.

But guess who was still awake?

And guess who's daddy has finals today and needed sleep?

So we left the bed, came out to the couch and then just decided to go grocery shopping. One kid is easier than two...even at 5am.

Boy, am I exhausted...and it's 8:30 in the morning. But like every other Wednesday post, I am choosing to find the good in this.

Positives:

• At least I can be grateful that my kids are normally super sleepers and sometimes sleep in until 10 or 11.
• At least when Petey was up, she was full of smiles and hasnt been hard to deal with all morning.
• At least one of them went back to sleep.
• At least I have kids...this is a big one. Throughout all of the things that go on in our world, infertility, child loss, etc, I am grateful to have healthy and happy children.

I am so grateful for my children...even on days that they wake me up at 5am. That surely isnt something to complain about.

And now it's your turn. Link up with a positive post of your own...about anything. You guys realize I will keep putting these link posts up and someday someone will link up with me. ;)

Happy Wednesday!

Wild Wednesday

My house is a mess...and I've been cleaning for what seems like 2 whole days now.

There are piles of papers on my couch (see above picture), 3 baskets of laundry to fold, dishes in the sink, crumbs taking over my floor, and none of the bedrooms are clean.

Everything is a mess. And I am tired of cleaning.

And yet, I am grateful for these messes. Because they represent the life I live. They represent my beautiful children, my busy husband, and myself.

And when the house is clean, it represents my hard work.

So today I am grateful for messy children and husbands.

Today is a link up post and IT IS EASY. Link up to a positive post of your own. It could be about anything happy in your life. You will have the rest of this week to link up with your own positive post. I cant wait to read what you write about!

And that's how Suze sees it.