4th July Craft Tutorials

Every year my family celebrates 4th of July... shocker... I know, but we aren't the hugest holiday people, but for 4th of July it is a big deal because it is a cluster of celebrations for our family. Not only is it 4th of July, but my father's birthday, my grandpa's birthday, my sister's birthday (on the 5th) and my other sister's birthday (on the 8th). So, as you can see, we have a lot to celebrate. But what is really cool about this year, is that.. it is my first year celebrating it with the family since I have been married, WHICH MEANS... that now I get to start help planning and bringing food to the party.

I have been really excited... looking up recipes, homemade crafts, and fun park games, trying to find exciting things to add to our day (well, we will see how many I actually do). I have really wanted my first year helping out to be a good one. So, here are some of the fun decorations and crafts that I have stumbled upon. I am still trying to decide which and how many I will actually do for this weekend.

Here are some fun streamers that kids will have fun at parades and other celebrations with. With just a few strands of ribbon you can create an accessory that looks cool when kids run or dance with it, plus even as an adult... you know you want to twirl with one too!

Want a bike that'll stop traffic? These are some fun decorations and instructions to put fun decorations onto your children's bikes, so they will look more like a parade float than bikers.

If you are REALLY wanting to get into the 4th of July spirit, make these simple chair covers. But what is great about this pattern, is that you can customize the pattern for any holiday occasion.

This craft is great for kids to do or adults, if you are looking to make a wind sock. You can make this patriotic wind sock from an oatmeal box, construction paper, string, and crepe paper streamers.

Want to really get crafty!?!?! Well, here is a wonderfully done banner that was originally made for a "Happy Birthday" banner, but could easily be a 4th of July one. This is one that I have been trying to get my self to do for this weekend.

Here is a fun old-fashion patriotic pinwheel, a real simple-to-make pinwheel for older children. (This craft uses a push-pin, so it may not be suitable for younger children.)

These are just picture perfect lanterns that are probably just as fun to make as they are to look at.

But the truly best website for 4th of July crafts and decorations is the Martha Stewart website. She has lanterns, clothes pins, flags, drink decor, and even homemade patriotic door mats! She has tutorials for them all and beautiful pictures to match. Here is the list of 4th of July crafts she has posted.

So, if any of you happen to do some of these, please let me know, I would love to see them. I bet a lot of these are going to turn out REALLY cute!

Kraft Giveaway

Well everyone, we have three winners out there and here they are...

1. Stephanie from A Little Bit of Sugar & A Whole Lotta Spice

2. Andrea Marley

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3. Ms. Quitecontrary1977 from Now Entering Momville

I hope you all enjoy your free Bagel-fuls. Now, you just need to email me at motherhoodfordummies@hotmail.com so I can get an address to send them to you. Congrats you all!

P.S. This posting for Family Moment Monday is getting sent back till next Monday, I would love to have some amazing excuse of that I was busy saving a burning bus filled with nuns that was heading to crash into a orphanage filled with blind children and that is why I couldn't get my post up and finished.... but um.... yea... not so much. My husband and I maaaaaaay have been over at my sister's house playing Catan and chatting till midnight :) Soooooo...... I may or may not have gotten around to getting my post finished. So, please please forgive me. But I am still going to post Mr. Linky here for all of you out there that have been good enough to do F.F.M.

But I am going to sit down this week and try to get a banner made for F.F.M. and the rules and guidelines all put together; also, a post deadline for me, so all of you out there know when I am going to have Mr. Linky so you can post your links. Always let me know if you have any questions or want to be put on the reminder email list. Thanks!

Blogging Awards

Apparently there is some wonderment going around as too what IS Motherhood For Dummies name!? I have seen a bit of people posting that they don't know it or coming up with nicknames like M for D. I have even been called Michelle a few times, which is my sister over at Scribbit. But my favorite is MFD... which I think sounds kind of cool... makes me feel smart, like I have some kind of Master's degree from some fancy pansy school. So, for all of you out there wondering.... pondering... up at night tossing and turning... okay, maybe none of those, but for people who are curious... I go by Melissa :) So, hello to you all... my name is Melissa :)

Also I have received two fun awards.

I got "You Rock" award from a sweetie named Wendi over at Because Wendi Said So, so I guess I rock... because she said so :) She always seems to have something sweet and fun to say about her life. Always sharing bits and pieces with all of us. Thanks Wendi

I received this award from from Amanda at Lifelong Playdate. If that title alone doesn't melt your heart, I don't know what will. She constantly has fun picture of her beautiful family, especially her GORGEOUS little girl, which always seems to be having some good old fun (especially with Glade plug-ins)

However, in receiving this award there are some rules. You must.....
1. Chose 5 blogs that you consider deserving of this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also contribute to the blogging community, no matter what language.
2. Each award has to have the name of the author and a link to his/her blog to be visited by everyone.
3. Each award winner has to show the award and put the name of and link to the blog that presented her/him with the award.
4. The award winner and one who has given the prize has to show the link of Arte Y Pico blog so everyone will know the origin of this award.
5. To show these rules.

So I would like to pass this award too..

1. Mrs. Mogul at Mrs. Mogul. She has such a fun wit to her, always great stories, helps feed my pop culture need, and can laugh at anything!

2. Tranny Head from Law School Sucks And So Do Lawyers. Her attitude will crack you up, with either stories about the odds things that have happened to her (like Mommy and Me music class) or her hysterical view on things.

3. Jennifer from If You're Happy And You Know It. I just recently discovered Jennifer and what can I say?... She has already impacted me because she is just as sweet as can be. She is someone that really makes me love blogging! Plus, it is always fun to read what her son think about nose hairs and boogies.

4. Heidi from Viking Conquest. I'm sure she has many awards, but still... I want this one to go to her. Her and her family were living in Norway for almost a year, with posts and stories all about their amazing travels and adventures. Now she is currently trying to re-entry their Canadian lifestyle, still filling their lives with fun and entertaining situations :)

5. Andria from Hot Sommers Mama. One of my friends that I grew up with here, in Alaska. She is one of the happiest, bubbliest, sweetest people you could ever meet. And just by looking at the pictures on her blog, you can tell her darling boys are the same! She is a lifelong Alaskan who has moved down to Yuma, Arizona; where the heat rivals death valley. So, if you are looking for some cute stories, sweet pictures, or some yummy recipes give her a click :)

Bagel-fuls Free Giveaway

Okay, today is the day! Do you even know what day it is? Well, today is....

THE KRAFT BAGEL-FUL GIVEAWAY!
Are you all as excited as I am? Good. Because I am excited to get these free Bagel-ful vouchers away to three lucky people.... THREE! So here are the rules,

1. To enter, simply leave a comment.
2. You need to be a U.S. resident (Sorry, but the vouchers are only good in the USA)
3. You need to enter no later than Saturday, June 28th by midnight (Alaska Central)

So there you go :) I will be picking the winners on Sunday and post them that evening. And if you are scratching your head right now thinking, "Wait! What are bagel-fuls", then pop over here, for images and the review of these tasty delights.

Etsy Necklaces Galore!

How many of you out there like to shop? I love to shop, but unfortunately I have picky taste and am fairly cheap. So, as you can tell, my selection is usually limited when it come to scavenging through the malls. It has especially been hard since moving back to Alaska and Alaska is definitely lacking in the outlet mall area, but I have found something to fill my void!

My sister told me about the Etsy website. I don't know how many of you out there already know about it, but I am glad that I finally do. I love it for all of the cute crafts, blankets, decorations, clothing and anything else that you could possibly think of, because really, there is everything there! But mainly, I have been having a mad love affair with the jewelery section in Etsy. Besides having thousands of pieces of wonderful and creative jewelery to look at, a lot of them are at a reasonable price or so gorgeous you wouldn't mind forking out the doe!

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So, I have looked through Etsy and found some amazing cute finds for you all. Some are great for price and some are great for beauty. Whether you are in the market to buy or to simply covet and drool like I, but here are some real treasures.

This beautiful triple strand turquoise necklace is just amazing and this stone look, looks great when I see it on women. With a lovely color and nicely put together, it is priced at a $29.00. I have always wanted to get a necklace like this, but find them usually over priced, which then makes me nervous to buy it... cause what if I end up changing my mind and not wanting it? But who wouldn't want this!?!
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Here is one with a more earthier feel, which I like. It has a simple look, but surrounded in lovely colored stones. I am also a sucker for the longer necklaces, they can really spice up any outfit. This Long Glass Wood Necklace is priced at $20.00

What a cute sweet necklace, isn't it!? I can just imagine how wonderful this would look with a simple white fitted tee. I love bright happy looking accessories like this one here. It even has a fun name, Cotton Candy Pearl Neckalce! How could wearing something that sweet not keep you smiling? It is listed at $34.00 and is one that I have had my eye on.
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Jade, what a breathtaking stone. It has such a nice look and sleek feel. This necklace has a elegant simplicity to it, that is mesmerizing. For it being meager, it really holds a powerful punch! I love the silver chain and the cut of the stone. This Jaded Necklace will only cost you $22.00, which is a small price to look that good!

I am not much of a locket person, but I do like the idea of something special in/on the jewelery, which is why I was so excited when I saw these personalized necklaces. For $14 to $31 dollars, you can get a necklace or bracelet with you husband's, children's, or any loved ones name on it; you can even get birthstones added. They come rectangle shaped or circle, with stones or without, dates or name... truly a bit of choices. I am not a fan of the chain, but it wouldn't take much to get a simple chain. I have seen this type of jewelery on Etsy several places, so if this one doesn't do it for you, you might want to take a took around :)
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I am a sucker for red... I will admit it. But how can you look at something really deep red and not think, "Lady in reeeeeeed, is dancing with me.... cheek to cheek." I don't think it is humanly possible. So, to help calm your red passion I found this wonderfully Red Coral and Jade Necklace and if, heaven for bid, you are not a red fan, she has one made of a light Turquoise and Jasper. The Red Coral is selling for $29 and the Turquoise and Jasper is selling for $31. How can you pick between them?
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This one is a little more bling bling without going over board. I am usually not a fan of gold, but this Autumn Star-Gold Vermeil Leaf Necklace is an exception for me. I don't know if it is the delicateness of the necklace, the attention to the leaf, or the gold dusted charm that is hanging next to the leaf that has me wanting it, but I love it. Plus, I am always looking for a piece of clothing or accessories that is more outside of what I normally buy. This piece is listed at $42, it is a bit more than what I would pay for a necklace but I have not seen a lot of necklaces these days like that.

A chic Blue Opal Long Layered Necklace is something I think I need.... really I do! Well, that is what I need to convince my husband. These lovely stones are connected with a antiqued brass chain, which gives it a nice touch. I love that is has blue, green, creme, and brown all in this piece, because it gives it more personality and makes it more fun to match with outfits. And don't forget the added bonus of only paying $18 for think fun necklace.

Okay, this one doesn't really fall into the cheap area that I love so much, but LOOK AT IT! I love it. I love the color, the chain, the fun shape of the stones.... well, actually I LOOOOOVE the fun shape of the stones. Unfortunately, this sacred necklace costs a powerful $135, but if I had money.... ohh.... it would be mine, Yes.... it would be mine :) The creator of this necklace, Elizabeth Ann Wright-Clark, has an amazing store called MamaBetsy, which is just filled with many fun pieces of jewelery. But this Island Girl Necklace is what I truly want.

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This is a sweet simple necklace, plus I love the tropical starfish look. Any jewelery that can look great with a laid back outfit with jeans, is something I like. If that is your thing too, than you might want to see if you have $38 laying around to buy this Shinning Starfish Necklace.

If you can't tell by now, I kind of like the bead look. So here is another necklace, but sadly a little out of my price range for accessories, but please... someone out there... let me live through you... someone needs to buy this so it can be enjoyed by someone :) So if anyone out there is looking for a Carnelian and Amazonite Necklace and has $49, then.... there you go :)

Hopefully something here will tickle your fancy and you will be able to enjoy the Etsy website like I have... so happy hunting and happy shopping!

Kraft Bagel-fuls

WFMW

I find it very important that everyone eats 3 meals a day, especially breakfast, but in this house the hubby is always skipping out on breakfast and it drives me crazy. So, basically he sleeps all night, gets ready and runs out the door, then he doesn't come home till 1 in the afternoon for lunch... so great,.... he has now gone over 12 hours with no food! Seriously, how is that okay?! What I find really crazy about this, is it isn't just my husband. I see many friends, family members, and children that run out the door with no breakfast. I just want to run after them throwing scrambled eggs at them hoping that they will eat whatever sticks to them. But for every problem, there is a solution and those have been... Bagel-fuls.

Kraft is selling a fluffy bagel that's comes with Philadelphia cream cheese filling. Okay, I know what some of you are thinking, "Not another prepackaged no-bake food." That is what I thought when I first heard of these. Personally, I kind of get tired and irritated with all the no bake foods... like the cereal breakfast bar; its a bar made out of cereal bits and what claims to be a solid milk filling, um... can we all say ewwww! Lets just say, if you don't have time for a sit down breakfast, I am more of a yogurt and fruit person.
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When we first got them, I was expecting them to be alright, probably not great, and lacking in the cream cheese area, but I was surprised. They were fairly tasty and had just the RIGHT amount of cream cheese filling. With flavors coming in Original Plain, Strawberry, Cinnamon & Brown Sugar, Chive and Whole Grain, you are bound to find a flavor you like.... I was a HUGE fan of the Cinnamon, and Hubby ate his weight in Strawberry.

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So, the husband likes, which is great, because now I find him yelling from the kitchen on his way out the door, "Honey... where are the Bagel-fuls?"... he is actually searching for breakfast! Curtis can now eat a healthy quick breakfast most mornings by grabbing a Bagel-ful and a piece of fruit and he is good to go. But besides being good for a quick alternative breakfast, they are great for me because I have sworn off bagels. I know! What crazy person would swear off that heavenly-goodness? Well, ever since I have been trying to loose the baby weight I have been paying more attention to foods that might be shady in their healthly appearance.... one of them those bagels. I love bagels, but unfortunately, depending on what kind and how much cream you put on, you are looking at a bagel being any where from 500 to 800 calories and a good chunk of that is coming from fat! So, I have said good-bye to my bagels and shmear, until Bagel-fuls. Now I can have a bagel that is already proportioned so it doesn't need anymore cream cheese... I can now get my bagel fix and never eat more than 200 calories.

Whether you are looking for some proportioned snack or a fix for a quick breakfast, you might want to give these a try. They are located in the frozen breakfast aisle and can sell from anywhere to $2.40-ish to $2.89-ish. You can find more information on the Kraft website.

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P.S. I will be hosting a Bagel-ful giveaway and three lucky people will win FREE BAGEL-FULS! So check back on Friday for rules and a chance to win!

Unique Baby Onesies

If you all haven't noticed, I have been kind of getting into embroidery. Ever since I made those old fashion dish towels I have been trying to find more and more things I can stitch... and apparently, since my husband isn't up for me stitching hearts on his underwear, I have had to find other items to spruce up.

So, since I am always looking for new baby items to make, gifts I can give away, and looking for new embroidery projects.... I figured, "Hey! Why not mix all three?". So, I have gone and made myself some sweet applique baby onesies. They are super cute for your kids, wonderful gifts to give to new mommies, and a fun easy project. All you need is....

Baby onesies

Several different fabric patterns

Heat N Bond Fusible Fabric 'light weight'(They will have this behind the counter at Joanne's)

Pins

Needle

Embroidery thread

Embroidery hoop

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First, find a template or draw a character that you want to sew on, I chose to draw a sheep. Once drawn, cut out the image so you can use it as your pattern. Make sure to cut out all layers; like for my sheep I needed to cut out the body, plus the legs and face. You may draw two copies of your image if that helps.

Now that you have an idea of how big the character will be, lay it out on the fabric and the Heat N Bond to get an idea of how much you will be needing. Cut out an area from the fabric and Heat N Bond that will be enough for the sheep/item. Now, follow the Heat N Bond instructions and iron the fabric and Bond together, leaving the plastic peeling layer on the back.

Once it is cooled and the fabric/bond are sealed together, you can cut out your pattern. When they are all cut out, place them where you would like them on the onesie. When you are satisfied, peel the plastic covers off the back of the Heat N Bond and stick them to the onesie. Now that everything is in place, follow the instructions on the Heat N Bond and iron the whole image onto the onesie. Now you have your character completely sealed to the shirt.

This is where you take your hoop and start to stitch around the sheep to give it a nice applique look. I used a different color thread for the body than I did with the head and legs, to help give it more color. I use a simple up and down stitch for the edging and when you are done with that... you are finished. Now you have your self a pretty darn cute, one of a kind onesie!

P.S. I am also making matching booties with the left over fabric, if you would like that also, you can find the template and pattern for those here.

Reading To Children

Family Moment Monday

With living in Alaska my family went camping a lot, I mean, A LOT! They were great times filled with playing games in the camper, dad making pancakes in the morning, picking wild blueberries, and the best of all... mom reading to us out loud.

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Mom would go to the library before every camping trip, pick out a few children's books and would read them to us while we were driving, fishing, by the fire, and even while we were in our sleeping bags laying around at their feet. She would literally have to beg us to let her stop reading because her voice would be getting too hoarsed. Most free moments we had, we would ask her to read more. It is a fond memory that all us children have from our camping trips; plus, my love of reading came because she read so much to us.

This tradition has passed on to some of us in the family as well. My brother and his wife read the Harry Potter books aloud and got me hooked on them because of that. It became such a fun time for us read the Harry Potter books, that we made it a tradition. We even waited to read each book till we were all together and could read them aloud with one another... we even each had our own favorite character that we loved to play. I loved my sister-in-laws version of Dobby and I think I did a pretty good Umbridge... if I do say so my self. :)

So, for a family tradition that you can start is reading together as a family. Find out what books have gotten good reviews, pick some out from your local library, and curl up as a family to read. You don't have to go out camping to do this; pop some popcorn and grab some good blankets, if you have a fire pit, maybe make some s'mores while you read. What is wonderful, is that you can truly do this anywhere with your wonderful family, plus you are helping to encourage your kids to read, which is also nice.

If you are looking for some good children's books, I have a list that I have posted, click here if you would like to see. Does anyone have any great suggesting for good family books?

Mr. Linky below if for people who are participating in Family Moment Monday, if you would like to receive an email and be reminded of Family Moment Monday than contact me and I will send you a reminder email. motherhoodfordummies@hotmail.com

High School Pregnancy Pact

I was getting ready to sit down and right a nice post; something just sweet and cute for mommies Well, I was, until I saw this headline....

"Teen ‘pregnancy pact’ has 17 girls expecting"

No, joke! That is for real! I couldn't believe the headline when I saw it, so of course, I clicked on the title to read the full story. I was hoping to be reassured that it couldn't be what it looked like, but unfortunately it was everything that it seemed.

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A group of girls at a high school in Massachusetts all made a pact to get pregnant and raise their little babies together. As of now, they know that there are at least 17 young girls that successfully got pregnant, many of them 16 years old or younger.

WHAT THE CRAP!? Apparently these high school Twinkies think raising babies is all strolling through the park and dress up... maybe they should read my freak out post from yesterday.

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But unfortunately these girls hold stupidity to a new level, because.... since they were looking to get pregnant not all of them had boyfriends or a guy in the school that were so willing to jump into parenthood... SOOOOOO... some of them ran off and found 20-something year old guys or even in some situations, HOMELESS MEN, to knock them up!

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The whole story to me is sad and sickening with these girls doing something stupid and taking a huge gamble with the future lives of these babies, but one of the most infuriating issues with this situation is that the article then proceeds to talk about the Principal not returning calls, the school wasn't handing out condoms, and that the school hasn't decided what they will do with the students.
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When did birth control and sex become a school issue! What happened to their parents? Where are the adults in these girls lives? Why it is a Principal's job to keep 2,000 students from making bad personal choices? Is anybody else out there wondering why the media, parents, and officials are putting the fault and blame on the schools?

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I know and understand that parents can't always be with the children and that if kids want to get into trouble they can, but to have 17 girls choose and want to get pregnant and to think that is a GOOD idea, is just mind blowing. Why are the girls even having sex.... there is something sad in thinking these girls are more practised in the bed than behind the wheel of a car.

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I don't want to prejudge... I am sure that maybe some of these girls could be going through a hard time and are lashing out. I don't know these girls and I don't know why they are choosing this for themselves and their babies. I don't know if they have lost a family member or their parents are in the middle of a divorce or they even see stars like Jamie-Lynn Spears making pregnancy look fun and hip. But I still wonder how soooo many of those girls could make such a sad choice for themselves and such a selfish one.

So my questions is, are you as infuriated as I am? Do you feel like it is the school's fault and if it is the schools fault, do you think they should have more control/disciplinary action over the students behavior? If it is the parents fault, do you think they are not teaching their kids right? Do you feel parents do not spend enough time talking with their children or leading by example?

Well, whoever is to blame, the parents not paying enough attention, children being too spoiled these days, or schools talking too much about sex, I simply hope that these girls' parents try to help their daughters make the right choice for these babies. I am biased for adoption because my husband is adopted. His birth mother and father were high school sweethearts that got pregnant in school; they were even great students, track runners, and in love, but they still gave Curtis up. I have talked with Curtis several times about this and asked him if he ever felt abandoned or "given up" and his answered surprised me. He informed me that he is thankful every day that his birth mom and dad gave him up, that they cared enough about him to do that for him. He said he has never felt abandonment, nothing but love, both from his birth parents and from his adoptive parents. So what ever is best for these babies, to be raised by the birth mom or to be given to a couple longing for a child... I hope that everything will work out.

Why Is Blogging Last On My List?

Well, today was one of THOSE days. Where I had a million things to do and not enough time. As soon as I was done with one thing.... BAM, I would realize that I had two more... then I would get those done and four more things would pop up. I just kept picturing Cinderella and all the mice singing, "You can do it, you can do it,... you can do it Cinderellie"So here are my 13 reason why I didn't get my blogging done sooner.
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Lucy Freaking Out

Freak out.... yes... I said it. Don't let all those cute pics of her smiling and grinning fool you, she isn't afraid to get cranky. Her big thing right now is to throw herself backwards. She knows how to sit up, but will throw herself back so I have to walk over and pick her up. Yea... not so fun.

Dishes
I think our dishes have been hiding and breeding. They are like rabbits, hiding and multiplying all over the place. Lets just say I have been tempted to spray lighter fluid all over the sink and just light it up.

Gifts

A girl from our church just gave birth a little while ago and I have had her gift sitting in my living room for a while now. I keep meaning to finish it, but I get distracted. So, today was the day I was going to put a big dent in it.... well, I will just say... that was NOT successful.

Lucy Freaking Out

Oh yea, she did it again. I believe this time was that she couldn't reach her star snacks. I placed a pile in front of her, I thought within reaching distant, but I guess there was one that was not, and it did not bode well with her.

Gardening

I have been working on a beautiful garden these last few months. Planting, watering, lovin' and grooming. I have gotten my little seeds to grow into beautiful plants. I have even started to move them outside and get them ready. I have jalapenos, tomatoes, blackberries, peppers, and strawberries. I have been so excited for them, well until they all started wilting and falling! I mean... just over night they went on hunger strike and are sickly looking. I ended up spending a nice chunk of the day trying to read up on them, moving them to the good parts of the yard, and more grooming.

Working Out

Okay, I guess I didn't have to do this one, but it has been a week and a half since I went running and if I didn't force myself to do it, when was I going to do it?

Lucy Freaking Out

Dropped binky, dropped Little People, dropped ducky, dropped stars, and dropped ball. She doesn't like her stuff dropping apparently.

Mowing

This took forever... well, maybe because I haven't mowed the lawn yet this summer. I know, I know... I am awful, but the grass hasn't been toooooo long and I just haven't had the time. But finally tonight I got out there, coated myself in bug repellent, and mowed! I mean, seriously, I mowed, trimmed, cut hedges, washed driveway, raked under the bushes, and weed-whacked. I feel exhausted, sore, and tired, but it looks GRRRRREAT!

Vacuuming

Lucy has been eating her star snacks, which I love and so does she, but I find them EVERY WHERE! I am constantly crunching stars under my feet into the carpet.... sooo.... I send almost every day vacuuming up a meteor shower of stars. And the hard part about that is, Lucy hates the vacuum. Which brings me too...

Lucy Freaking Out

Not a fan of the vacuum. It may come from the fact that she may have gotten part of her little hand sucked up in the extension tube when, um... someone.... was cleaning the stairs...... maybe.

Calender

I tried to sit down today and plan to see when we have time for.... camping trips, the cabin, date nights, family nights, people in town, fun activities, doctor appointments, marathons, and city shows. This summer is looking to be really packed and if I don't make time for some stuff now, I am afraid most of it will never happen.

and the day ended with....

Lucy Freaking Out

I guess not looking at her will get her angry too. I will just have to build myself some side view mirrors so I can constatly be giving her the eye contact she apparently HAS TO HAVE. :) Ohhhhhh the joys of motherhood :) But even with all the screaming... how could I be mad at sweet Lucy.