What's Up Wednesday

Some internet friends that I don't actually know in person are hosting a "What's Up Wednesday" party together so I figured I'd link up because... my Wednesday has been perfectly mundane so I know you're all dying to hear about it.

WHAT I'M EATING:

Cool Ranch Doritos currently (don't judge).... Grocery day is almost here so tonight we're eating a bunch of stuff put in a crock pot and then baked into Southwestern Egg Rolls. I LOVE recipes like this that don't have to be precise. I can add and take away based on leftovers, frozen foods and canned items I have and it still taste great! Tonight, I added chicken that I needed to cook. It was delish... and didn't look a thing like the picture in the recipe.

Pinterest pictures lie.

What I'm looking forward to:

We're going snow tubing for the 9th anniversary of my 21st birthday on Feb. 27th.  My actual birthday is Feb 23rd but ever since my sister and I moved out and became big girls, my parents have crazy busy social lives so we moved it back a few days. It reminds me of the Toyota Venza commercial. I'm in bed by 9pm and they're at concerts at the Biltmore House in Asheville and having wine with friends on pontoon boats at sunset. I want to be them when I grow up. I'm really looking forward to a day of snow tubing with the kids!

What I'm loving:

Toddler clothes... as usual! Matilda Jane's new pink roses big ruffles may be my favorite pair of pants Avery has ever owned! 

She could have gotten away with murder yesterday in those pants.... thankfully, the only crime committed was that she and Parker self served themselves ice cream cones at 9:15am while I was at the dentist and my husband was on a conference call watching them. I couldn't even be mad... I probably would have done the same thing if I were them. Opportunistic little boogers. 

What we've been up to:

We finally have a contract on our house! So what I HAVEN'T been doing is obsessively cleaning! We spent the majority of the weekend finalizing new house plans and making excessively too many trips to Lowes. During the week, the kids and I are into a pretty good groove of school, planned activities, play dates and general housework and I'm loving not having as many "showing request." It's a HUGE weight off my shoulders! 

We usually do our stalking from the comforts of our minivan parked up the street because...hello.. DVD player!

What I'm dreading: 

I'm not dreading packing since we're doing it progressively, but I AM dreading cleaning the house in between moving out and closing. Last time we moved my mom did it because she's AWESOME.... and because I pulled the cancer card. Those cleaning solutions can't be good for me ;) This time, I'm going to beg my husband to hire a cleaning crew.... or hope Oprah sends me one.

What I'm working on:

I'm working on a wreath for Avery's room in the new house. Every closet door needs a wreath, right?! It's taking me FOREVER because I ran out of materials and it's meticulous but I really like how it's turning out. 

Her new room will be navy, pink, mint and gray with silver metallic accents. I'm pretty excited about it! Ask me the color scheme for the rest of the house..... Yeah, I haven't a clue.

What I'm excited about:

Parker's birthday party! He has been planning his party since March 22nd of last year. 

Last year's party was a hit!

Parker is just like his daddy. Nothing gets him too excited and nothing gets him too down. They're both very even keeled so when Parker gets REALLY excited about something, I am too. I've spent the last 2 days planning his Spiderman party and I think it will be everything he's asked for... even if I've had to jump through hoops like a circus lion to make it happen. How many phone calls does it take to plan a fairly simple Spiderman party? For me, the answer has been 14. Between the location, cake lady, neighborhood HOA and finding someone to dress as Spiderman, do a magic show and twist balloons, this party has been no easy feat.

 What I'm watching:

Currently, I'm keeping up with Pretty Little Liars (seriously though, who is A?!), Scandal, The Blacklist and Revenge. The last 3 are hands down the best shows on television and you can't convince me otherwise.  I didn't watch the last season of Parenthood so I'm playing catch up now on the iPad laying in bed at night before I fall asleep. Don't we all want to be a Braverman? 

Daniel and I both love "period shows" like Rome, Spartacus, Downton Abbey, The White Queen, and The Tutors. We recently put on "Reign" and I'm hooked... Daniel not so much. I did a quick Google search and just realized it airs on the "CW" which may be why Daniel called it quits after 2 episodes. It's basically a teenage version of "The Tutors"...except with the French Henry, not the English one... and amazing costumes.

 What I'm listening to:

 Overwhelmed by Big Daddy Weave is on repeat at my house right now.

What am I annoyed by:

Realtors.  Does that need an explanation?

 What am I hoping for:

 One good snow day then spring. High 60's - High 70's for the month of March, April and May. Is that too much to ask?

What am I wearing today:

My winter mom uniform! Eggplant sweatshirt tunic, olive green cable knit leggings and dark brown boots. I wear some combination of sweatshirt tunics, leggings and boots at least 5 times a week. It's like wearing pajamas but socially more acceptable.

What else is new:

I'm appliance shopping for a new refrigerator and washer & dryer. I'm pretty excited about gifting my current ones to the new owners of our house. Do any of you LOVE your fridge or washer & dryer?! There are SOOOO many to choose from!

What's up with you?

The Case of the Non Existent Chicken Pox

Let me just start off by saying "WOW!" You guys are incredible! I wrote a spurt of the moment soapbox post yesterday about life choices and the risk of cancer for World Cancer Day. You guys read it, "liked it," "shared it" and encouraged this mama in the process! I was blown away by the support and I can't thank you enough for that. 

I spent last night attempting to watch the most recent Pretty Little Liars episode (I'm leaning towards Toby, Mike or MAYBE even Aria being A, thoughts? Why is this SO hard to figure out?!). I say attempting because Avery is battling us BIG TIME about going to bed again. This has been a struggle since she was, I dunno... 6 weeks old?! If it's not one thing it's another. She's hungry. She needs water. She needs a book. She's afraid of the dark. Her fish is swimming too loudly (Hattie, her beta, must only be vocal at night) Her doll needs me. She's afraid of monsters. She hears noises outside. She needs to go potty. She needs clean sheets.  She needs to brush her teeth again. Her baby doll needs to brush her teeth. Her baby doll needs a pull up. She needs to make sure we're in bed..... We thought we had heard it all.

...UNTIL....

Avery has now diagnosed herself with chicken pox. Thanks Doc McStuffins.

Don't you see all those chicken pox?! Yeah. Me either.

The last 3 nights she says she's covered in red bumps, they're itchy and she has a case of the chicken pox. She will even scratch herself. Did you know that the cure for chicken pox is that you can't go to sleep?! My 3 year old told me so, so obviously it's true.

We have tried baths, lotions, giving her "medicine" (her nightly vitamin), talking to her about it like she's a tiny adult, looking up pictures of chicken pox and comparing her non-poxy skin and even time out for being dramatic and not listening. 2-3 hours for the last 3 nights have been dedicated to convincing my child that she does not, in fact, have chicken pox. I'm not gonna lie, it's a little bit cute. I know this will pass so I'm laughing about it behind her back but by hour 2.... mama's gonna need you to go to sleep. 

We finally resorted to calling "Dr Smolen's nurse, Susan" AKA my sister, Kelly, in Brooklyn who advised her to put on some lotion and sleep it off. It worked the first night but these darn chicken pox flair back up at 7:30pm the next night. It's that the craziest thing?! Thankfully, nurse Susan works late.

Once Avery falls asleep, she'll sleep until 9:30am which continues the late night cycle so today, I woke her up at 7:30. She's a sleepy, cranky, pill today that I've had to dress extra cute with a big bow to tolerate. I've seriously considering shipping her to anyone's house that will keep her alive for the day but I'm gonna tough it out and try an earlier bed time tonight. I'm pretty sure the mini bundt cakes and cupcakes on today's list of things to make will turn that scowl upside down ;)

I tell you this for a few reasons. 1. Because it is ridiculously cute and hilarious.    2. It is equally annoying and exhausting     3. I want to remember these days and her imagination     4. HELP!!!

Has anyone ever successfully broken a pattern of increasingly imaginative excuses? Do I want to break the pattern of excuses? Do I just secretly enjoy this precious time with her being young and adorable? I vaguely remember Parker having a hard time going to sleep but never with this much dramatic flair. Now, I could tell him at 4pm to go sleep on a bath mat and he would. They're just different kids. Motherhood can be so conflicting!

Am I the only one battling night time excuses? Commiserate with me... or encourage me... or give me your phone number and become a fake night nurse... Nurse Susan isn't as available on the weekends. 

 ......................................................................................................................................

On a totally unrelated note, I'm hosting a Matilda Jane party at my house tomorrow, Friday the 6th at 6pm-the bundt cakes and wine run out. I'd love for you to come! Absolutely no pressure to buy anything! Grab your kids and come over for a night of juice boxes and cupcakes for the kids and wine and bundt cakes for the ladies.  Email me at tlcarr7@yahoo.com for more information. If you can't make the party, you can still order through my trunk keeper. I've linked the new line here. Let me know if you see anything you'd like to order! 

Midweek Confessions!

Time for some midweek confessing! I'm linking up with E today from E, myself and I.

1. I want a minivan SO badly! Like so badly that its embarrassing. I have a great SUV. It's paid for. Kid friendly. Has 115K on it but it's a Toyota so that's only like half it's lifespan... and I feel guilty for wanting a new car when I have a perfectly fine one. Maybe if it were a gift I wouldn't feel so bad. Anyone want to give me a Honda Odyssey or a Toyota Sienna? It would be rude of me to turn it down.

2. Tonight my husband was supposed to work so I already made plans with the DVR to watch Pretty Little Liars and do some sewing. I know I was supposed to be excited when his work project got canceled and now we get to "spend time together tonight".... but I'm disappointed about pushing back "my date with myself" until TBA....

3. Avery LOVES shoes which works out nicely because now that her feet have FINALLY grown out of 6-9 month shoes (which as a side note are SO hard to find for a child who walks!) I have gone baby shoe buying crazy! :) Think polka dots, bow, fun colors! Oh the fun shoes out there for little girls!!!

4. Recently, I've started ebaying some of Parker's clothes (that make it past one season on a 3 year old boy) and lots of Avery's clothes. It has become such a fun game for me! It's funny to see what people start bidding wars over and what people completely pass over. If you want to check out what I have listed, I'm taylorlwise on ebay. I usually list in groups of 10-12 items because it's time consuming to post items! If you have an "Avery" or know of one, you can score some great monogrammed stuff right now! :)

5. Last night at prayer time, Parker thanked Jesus for "Super Why." Amen, Parker... Amen.

Parker with his great grandmother's newspaper reader. He was SO intrigued with how big everything was!

6. I don't watch a ton of TV but I am a very faithful follower of a few shows. Army Wives is almost over FOR GOOD and I may slide into a slight depression until Modern Family comes back on to distract me from my Sunday night loss. 

7. It's almost football season! I am more excited about dressing my kids in "spirit wear" than I am about the actual games.

8. I'm STILL nursing... Avery is 15 months old... I thought weaning would be easier.... heck, I even went out of town for 3 1/2 days and we started right back where we left off within 5 minutes of me being home. Sometimes I'm SOOO over it.... particularly when she self serves in public (yes that happens... almost daily) and other times, I'm still glad we're doing it. She's my baby... she's tiny... and I'm a sucker for this face.

Avery with her great grandfather

Confession #9 should be the condition of my kitchen but as opposed to confessing it's disarray, I think I'll just go clean it! To the bookclub dishwasher! (super why fans.. did you catch that?!)

Swingin'

Confession: I didn't shower today. I. Am. Gross.

Avery slept terribly last night so I was slow moving this morning! My new couch was supposed to be delivered today but it was damaged so they have to order another one. I was told it would take 8 weeks and after no sleep and sobbing my way through the army wives season premier, that was NOT the solution I wanted to hear! After a call to the manager, we settled on the floor display being delivered Friday and using that until the new one comes in. Certainly NOT a big problem in the big picture but definitely an annoyance! Side note: is anyone else as excited as I am about army wives being back on?! And while we're on a tv hiatus, does anyone watch pretty little liars? I LOVE it! Who is A?! I've suspected just about every character on the show!

I accomplished a lot of sewing projects today while Avery took a 3 hour nap! Can I get an amen?! I'm do excited to gift these goodies to a very deserving mama to be this weekend!

After naps and WAY too much time on the iPad for Parker, we headed to mail some goodies, to Harris teeter for nuggets, blueberries and "mommy juice" and headed to the park! Is there a better way to end the day than watching the kids play on the playground while drinking a little mommy juice with girlfriends?

To Glee or Not To Glee?

Picture this. There's a largely pregnant girl sitting... no propped up awkwardly... on the couch with her feet up. She has a bowl of coffee ice cream with sprinkles, rainbow of course, and her maternity jeans unbuttoned and she's a little ashamed of that. Her left foot is getting a Charlie Horse within the minute the previous one lets up and her baby is apparently trying to escape or is taking cardio funk inside of me. I'm betting by now, you've guessed that's me.

I have nothing of merit to discuss tonight other than the fact that I need to be sewing but instead I'm watching Pretty Little Liars and Glee until Daniel is done talking to "George Michael" from India (I'm lovin' the "American name" this dude picked!) Pretty Little Liars was, as usual, awesome and my teenage guilty pleasure (although I feel like it's better suited for people in their 20's)! Glee, on the other hand, I'm struggling with!

I can't decide if I'm being a prude or if my feelings that this show has recently made a point to idolize teen sex/drinking... A LOT...  is wrong. I love the songs and many of the story lines but tonight's episode is killing me! Morally, I know right from wrong when it comes to these topics Biblically so I guess there's my answer, right? So then why do I find this show entertaining and continue to watch it?! If I cut out every show that included teen sex/drinking that would basically leave me 19 Kids and Counting and PBS. Half of the Disney channel and Nickelodeon shows would even be out. Don't even think about ABC Family! Ideally, I wish Glee could still sing and dance to fun songs without making Christianity look uncool (grilled cheesus), promote teaching teens to be sexy and idealize teen drinking. Is that too much to ask?! Then I wouldn't have this moral struggle to DVR or not to DVR!

I've been watching MUCH less TV since I've started sewing and I'm loving it! I feel better about what I'm doing with my time, more productive and definitely less filled with trashy facts about reality TV starts! I've basically wrangled my weekly TV viewing habits (excluding Barney and Thomas) to just Pretty Little Liars, Glee, CSI, Bones, the Office and Parks and Rec. WOW. That's still a lot when you write it down.

So, am I being a prude or do I have a valid moral dilemma here?