I Saw Maggie Kissing Santa Claus

Maggie has been talking about sitting on Santa's lap everyday for quite some time. We had planned on going Monday, but she got sick. She was so disappointed. She was so excited this morning when I told her that we were finally going to see him. We waited in line for over an hour. She and Ty were perfect angels! There was one girl left to go in front of us, and that is when Maggie got her first glimpse of Santa. Her eyes lit up and she squealed, "I can see his boots!" When that girl got down, Maggie could hardly contain herself. I was having to hold her back from running and jumping up in his lap.
They talked for a really long time. Then he gave her a kiss. I think she may be in love!

No Dinosaurs Allowed

The other night, we saw this sign taped to Ty's door. When I asked him about it the next morning, he said it means that dinosaurs are not allowed at night. Here you can see Rexy, Ty's favorite stuffed animal, sleeping in his box outside the door. This is the same dinosaur that Ty packs as much stuff for trips as he does for himself (including a blanket, nightlight, books and his own teddy bear).
Each night, I see Ty place Rexy outside the door. I wonder what Rexy did to deserve this?

Potty Training from the Expert

Maggie has not quite figured out how to poo poo on the potty yet. She has only done it one time. Ty has been giving her a few pointers, but this one is my favorite. "OK Maggie, you sit on the potty and push until the poop comes out. Then you wait and wait. Then you show the poop to Mommy or Daddy." PRICELESS

Such a Sweet Boy

I desperately needed a haircut this week. When Ty saw me looking at Fringe's website, he totally freaked out! He said he loved my hair just the way it was. He flipped out when I was calling to make an appointment and kept trying to end the call. At dinner, the night before my appointment, he was in tears over it. He was so anxious the morning before I went. When I pulled into the driveway, he came running out yelling, "Mom, it looks just like you!"

Jon always puts Ty to bed. They read a few books and snuggle until Ty falls asleep. I read books to Maggie and sing a few lullabies before I lay her down in her crib. Last night, Ty joined us in the glider. They were both snuggled up close and I didn't want to ever let them go. Ty told Jon that he wanted me to sing songs to him in bed. Jon told him that he would sing to him. Ty told him, "You don't sing the way Mommy does." Then he told him, "When I fall asleep to Mommy's singing, I hear her songs all night in my dreams." Such a sweet boy!

Eating Organic

I have been reading a lot lately on pesticides in our produce and hormones in our meat. I started buying organic milk when Ty started drinking milk, but I had slacked off the past several months. I decided a few weeks ago that I needed to buy organic milk again, as well as some other foods. So, I hit Kroger (alone) to see what they have to offer. As far as meat products, I bought ground beef, stew beef, chicken breasts, eggs and milk. In the produce department, I bought mini carrots, green peppers and apples. I was a little disappointed in the limited organic produce. I was also wanting to buy organic lettuce and celery, but they didn't have either. So I am going to try Earth Fare today. I haven't been there since we lived in Charleston, so I am excited to see what they have. I know that it's going to cost a little more, but I believe it's worth it for my children's health.

Earning Swagbucks

Click on the above link to join.

I'm sure you have read or heard about your friends earning Swagbucks and getting all kinds of prizes for redeeming them. I joined less than a week ago and already have enough to get a $5 Amazon gift card (only 45 Swagbucks). I have seen so many of my friends doing their Christmas shopping using their Swagbucks, so I had to check it out. All you have to do is click on the link above to sign up (it's free). Install the toolbar, and do all of your web searches through them. For every friend you refer, you will get 100 Swagbucks (they will match dollar for dollar as they earn them). It's that easy! So if you haven't already started earning Swagbucks, join today!

Motoring

I bought this Dora 4 wheeler at a yard sale for $12 last spring. It was worth every penny and then some. Ty likes to pretend it's his ride-on lawn mower. He calls mowing the grass "motoring." He gets out his motoring hat, which looks just like Daddy's mowing hat, and gets busy.
When we lived in Rockvale and it took several hours for Jon to cut the grass, Ty would be out there motoring with him the entire time. It amazes me how long he can ride on this thing! He would yell, "Good job, Daddy! Looks good!" He would take water breaks and act like it was really tiring. It would be better if his 4 wheeler was actually cutting the grass, though. Jon could pass that job onto Ty!

Another Language

Maggie was helping me cut out poocons (coupons) today. Then, we picked up Donald's and had a picwic at the playground before going to the libarry. As she chased after Ty, she yelled, "My tumming, Ty!" (I'm coming) No wonder Grandmar has such a hard time understanding her on the phone! Fortunately, I speak Maggie!

Nobody

Ty and Maggie are really playing well together these days. I love to watch them and listen to their conversations. They played outside in the backyard while I was cooking dinner for 45 minutes. I couldn't believe there was no crying or tattling. But he got mad at her the other day, and was yelling, "NOBODY!" And she responded, "YES BUDDY!" This made him furious! They continued to yell nobody, yes buddy back and forth until I had to separate them. I had to laugh (and share)!

Not Me! Monday!

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

It's been a few weeks since my last Not Me! Monday, so I decided to make myself do one this week.

When I was a teacher, I used to feel so sorry for the kids who were playing on the playground without jackets. I imagined their parents too busy to even notice that they were sending their children off to freeze for 30 minutes while watching the other children playing and having fun...WARM! I am not that parent. I did not send my children to school on Friday without jackets. Ty's teacher did not ask him if his mommy sent a jacket when he told her that he was cold. Only non-caring parents do that, and that's not me!

I didn't wear the same clothes two days in a row twice last week that looked identical. Jon did not question me on Wednesday if I was still wearing the same outfit from Monday. I had just taken a shower, and it was different - the one from Monday/Tuesday was a gray College of Charleston shirt with black capri sweatpants. The outfit on Wednesday/Thursday was a gray College of Charleston alumni shirt with black yoga pants. Totally different outfits! And I definitely did not wear the shirts to sleep in! Nope, not me!

I did not wake up during the night to find myself sleeping on a magazine that I read two nights earlier. And I did not wake up a few hours later because I rolled over on a pen that Ty had used several days earlier. When I woke up the next morning, I did not find two shirts and a sweatshirt on top of the comforter, exactly where I had not laid them two nights earlier.

Kleenex 101

Whenever we get home from the grocery store, Ty and Maggie are eager to help. Several weeks ago, I gave them the task of refilling the tissue holders in each of the 3 bathrooms. They were gone a LONG time. This is what it looked like.

Each holder was stuffed with individual tissues that they had pulled out of the box. I guess I needed to show them how to place the holder on top of the box of Kleenex before I asked them to do the task.

Last week, I bought some backup Kleenex in preparation for the cold and flu season. I asked Ty to place one box under the sink in each bathroom. He was gone a LONG time. When I went looking for him, I found a torn open box of Kleenex on the floor.
Oh no, not again! When I walked into my bathroom, I found this under the sink.

And when I walked into their bathroom, I found this.

I guess when I think about it, you open a box to get a product out. That's all he was doing, right? I had to reteach Kleenex 101. I'm assuming that Kleenex 101 will be taught again next month, but this time it will be before I hand him the Kleenex, not after.

The Halloween Stand

Ty is a busy boy and always has a new idea. So I didn't think much when he asked me to write "Halloween" on this picture. But he had me intrigued when I saw him set up on the sidewalk like this.
He told me that he was having a Halloween Stand to sell some Halloween items he didn't want anymore. The upside down dump truck was the table holding a "witch's" broom and 2 Halloween frisbees. When I asked him how much he was selling each item for, he said that the broom was $4 and the frisbees were $6! He held up the sign when people drove by or rode by on bikes. He was VERY disappointed when no one stopped to buy anything. He had me change the sign to say "It's Halloween Selling Day" hoping that would help his sales. Although people slowed down to take a closer look, unfortunately, there were no takers.

Cherish These Days

When I actually stop to take a moment, I realize how fast they are growing. I want to remember some of the funny moments that they share together.

Ty was helping Maggie clean up the terrible mess she had made with the Lite Brite. He was doing a great job, while she was throwing the pegs at him. He kept yelling at her, "God says be nice, Maggie!" It was priceless.

Maggie asked where Daddy was today. Ty said, "He's at work." Maggie asked, "At the hospital?" Ty responded, "Yes. He's trolling. He's trolling the money."

Whenever Ty and I pick up Maggie from MDO, Ty says in the sweetest voice, "How was your day, Moo?" He also asks Jon about his day when he gets home. He'll even ask him what he's working on. He genuinely cares!

Maggie has a hard time listening to other children crying, whether it's a classmate, a baby at the grocery store or her big brother. She is so sympathetic! Her teacher told me she cried for 20 minutes when a new girl started in her class and was crying for her mom. But she really has a hard time when Ty is upset. She comes to tell me about it. Then she tries to find out what's wrong with him and comfort him, if possible.

Ty is at a point now that he wants to include Maggie in a lot of his activities. They came out of the garage the other day riding the Dora 4 wheeler together! I was shocked! He lets her play with his Batcave and other Batman toys. He did get upset yesterday when she came to tell me that she had put Robin and Penguin to sleep. He said, "They don't sleep, they work!"

At the Crack of Dawn

Maggie is now removing all of her clothing, including her diaper, every time I turn my back... literally.She just prefers to be naked.

She is doing this from the time she wakes up until she gets in the bath at night.

No matter how many times I redress her, she still ends up like this. And if she isn't having any accidents, is it really that bad????

Whoopee Cushion Fun

I was cleaning out Sarah Catherine's dresser and found an old, probably never been used whoopee cushion. It had been a long rainy week. Jon was working Saturday morning and driving to Chattanooga on Sunday. Would the kids be entertained with this simple toy? Let's just say that they spent several hours on Saturday and Sunday having more fun than I had seen in awhile.
Ty would squeeze it or sit on it. (Nothing happened when Maggie sat on it!)

Then he would say, "Excuse me!" Maggie would respond each time without fail, "Shoo wee! Stinky, stinky!"

What had I done?! I was so worried that they would go to preschool on Monday imitating all the fun they had at home over the weekend. The whoopee cushion has been put away...at least for now.

More Hot Sauce, Pease!

I know that it's hard to believe that a little girl so cute and so sweet could be so cheeky. Oh is she cheeky!

Several weeks ago, a few different friends on Facebook had posted that they had used a dab of hot sauce on the tongue as punishment for talking back. Every person that commented said how great it worked. So, I decided to start threatening Ty with this. The threats really worked! Unfortunately, Maggie was paying attention. When I told her to go to timeout for misbehaving, she said she wanted hot sauce. I hadn't planned on using it on her, but what the heck! I put a dab on my finger, then put my finger on her tongue. I cringed as I waited for the screaming and crying. I was shocked to hear, "Ummy! More hot sauce, pease?" She continued to beg for more for about 5 minutes. I could have died! What 2 year old thinks straight hot sauce is yummy? Needless to say, the hot sauce has never been used as a threat again.

Pop Goes the Weasel

The "Weasel" was the greatest gift idea for a creative boy like Ty. You may call it an easel, but Ty calls it a weasel. Here he is the night it was set up in the playroom, painting the first of many masterpieces. The next morning is when my week started off with a bang.

Maggie woke up to see the weasel set up with paints and an assortment of paintbrushes. She was told not to ever touch it. While I was getting breakfast ready, I realized how quiet Maggie was. I go into the playroom to find her, the dry erase board of the weasel and the floor COVERED in thick red and yellow paint. WHAT A MESS, I wish I had taken a picture, but I was in a state of shock and didn't think of that at the time. After spending 20 minutes cleaning the mess up, I realized that the wood around the weasel was now stained red, and Maggie's legs were now stained yellow. Her pajamas and socks were no longer pink.

That afternoon, I decided to move the weasel to Ty's room, where the door can be closed off from the destructive little sister. I got it all set up after rearranging some furniture, and all I had left to bring up was the paint. Ty had taken the lids off the no-spill cups and put the jumbo paintbrushes inside. This made it a little more difficult for me to carry them. As I get into his room, The blue paint and brush fly across the room and land on the off-white carpet, leaving a trail about 2.5-3 feet long. WHAT A MESS, I wish I had taken a picture, but I was in a state of shock and didn't think of that at the time. After 20 minutes of scrubbing with cleaner, I decided that the stain could not be removed. Washable? I think not!

Despite all this, Ty is still eager to paint his masterpieces. He just has to do it with his door closed or when Maggie is sleeping.

"Did You Know That I Speak Horse?"

While we were out today, we drove past a horse stable with lots of horses in the pasture. I pointed it out to the kids. Ty responded, "Mom, did you know that I speak horse?" I said, "No, I didn't know that!" He said, "Neigh!" I said, "Wow! That's amazing! How did you learn that?" He answered in a serious tone, "With LOTS of practice." I love his sense of humor.

Boo Boo Kisser

Are you a boo boo kisser? When your child gets hurt, do you kiss it and make it all better? Well, Maggie is also a boo boo kisser. Here she is telling me that she fell down and has a boo boo.

And here she is kissing it.

Remarkably, it works!

Not Me! Monday!

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was started by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone have been doing this week. (For some reason, I was unable to insert the "Not Me!" logo into this post.)

I do not have a fly problem in our new home. After lots of research, I did not go to Home Depot and buy a Fly Trap. Even though the Fly Trap is for using outdoors, I definitely did not place it on top of the refrigerator. And 10 minutes later, I did not smell the most horrible odor I had ever smelled! It did not smell like a garbage bag full of shrimp and fish that was caught three weeks ago. And when I went into the kitchen to remove the Fly Trap, there is no way that it had spilled out all over the top of my refrigerator, down the sides, into all the cracks and crevices and all over the floor. Since this didn't actually happen, it did not ruin all of valuable day-to-day items all over the side of the refrigerator - calendar, checkbook, bills to be paid, envelopes (you get the picture?)... I did not spend the rest of that day and next trying to remove the foulest stench I have ever smelled in my life from my home and my body. Nope. Not me!

Ty did not ask me on the way to school today why I was wearing my "Y" shirt again. I did not avoid the question by asking him, "Why? Don't you like it?" I definitely did not tell him that I had slept in the shirt last night because that would be just gross!

The Dog Ate My Homework!

Ty came home today with homework. Although it isn't due back at school for another week, he wanted to do it as soon as we got home. With my help, he was to create a "Me" doll. So, we went through my sewing scraps and he picked out the fabric for the clothes. He colored the skin and his blue crocs with crayons. The hardest part was the hair. We decided to use spaghetti. I let him glue the spaghetti on, along with brown button eyes, a macaroni nose and a rigatoni mouth. What a masterpiece! We spent most of the afternoon working on it, and we were quite proud of the end result. We laid it on the coffee table to dry, and I went in the kitchen to cook dinner. Several minutes later, Ty was crying and screaming, "Winnie is eating my doll!" Can I write a note to his teacher that the dog ate his homework?!

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

So, I got this idea from my sister-in-law Diana who has the funniest posts on Mondays. But, I think this week my son deserves the spotlight.

My very modest and shy son most certainly did not walk out of the bathroom in his preschool classroom with only his shirt on and his shoes, socks, shorts and underwear in his arms. And he did not do this every time he went to the bathroom since school started. And he definitely did not announce to the class, "I gotta go poo poo, I gotta go poo poo!" all the way to the bathroom. Nope, not my child. And this same son did not make a confession to me while sitting in only his shirt on the bathroom floor. He did not admit to me that he wipes his bottom on the bath mat after he goes potty. No way, not my child.

The Fly Catcher

Ty's Halloween costume arrived a couple of days ago. I am hoping that it will last until Halloween!

While I was making lunch yesterday, a pesky fly was trying to get a bite. Ty disappeared, and I kept calling him to come eat his lunch. He came running into the kitchen dressed as Spiderman. As most of you probably know, spiders eat flies. Spiderman had come to save the day and get rid of the fly for us. What a guy!

Pick Your Battles

I have been letting Ty pick out his own clothes and dress himself for quite a while now. But what am I supposed to do when he wants to wear this to school? He says they match because there is green and blue in the shorts. I told them matching isn't all about the colors but also about patterns. Oh well, I decided long ago that this is a battle I choose not to fight. So what if the teachers and other parents think I have no style!

First of Many Posts...Hopefully!

I am so blessed to have a two year old and three year old at home that bring me so much joy. But, like all children, they're not perfect, as much as they try to fool the outside world. For example, Maggie has been going to Mother's Day Out for 3 weeks now, and her teachers think she is the sweetest little girl. Well, the honeymoon is over. When Ty and I picked her up from the playground on Monday, I could tell that something was wrong. When I asked Ms. Pam how the day went, she said that Maggie was beating up on everyone in the class! Maggie - the youngest and definitely smallest child in the class was beating up on everyone? I told her that she has finally met the real Maggie. The whole way home, Ty was lecturing Maggie about hitting . He asked me if I had a notebook, so I told him that he could have one when we got home. He sat Maggie in a chair and continued the lecture. "Why did you hit your friends?" "Because I'm naughty." Mommy, how do you spell naughty?" He then told her that you don't hit your friends. He told me to write on the page "Don't hit friends or Ty." Next, he told her that we don't hit at school or home and he told me to write that, too. He told her that they won't be her friends if she keeps hitting them. He tore the page out and put it on the refrigerator. I find it truly amazing that Ty was able to completely take care of this problem all by himself. I reiterated what he said and told her that she will go to time out whenever she hits Ty or her friends. So far, she has not hit him - Thank you, Ty!