Dairy In Your Diet

In an attempt to get my son to eat better, I have been sneaking a string cheese into his lunch every day.  Every day he brings home the lunch and all that's left in there is part of that string cheese.  The PB&J is gone, the cookies gone, the chips gone.  I don't ask for much people, just please eat that cheese.  Let's try to get some dairy into your diet.

I bring it up to him this morning (and yes as he was eating goldfish crackers for his breakfast).

"Logan, why can't you eat your cheese.  I want you to get some dairy in your diet.  I don't ask for much, but I ask you to eat this teeny tiny thing"

"Mom, I don't know why you are so worried (as he is pointing to the package of his goldfish).  Look this says it's made with real cheese.  I don't need to eat my cheese stick."

Why do I bother!?

When I was a Kid....

When I was a kid....

How many times have you caught yourself saying that exact phrase to your kids?  When I was a kid, I had to walk 10 miles up hill in the snow to school everyday.  When I was a kid, I only ate out once a year on my birthday.  When I was a kid I had to deliver papers in a blizzard.

This happens often in my house.  These are my husbands famous words. 

Lasnight we took the kids out for ice cream.  They do this so often that in my mind it's not really even a treat anymore.  They expect it. 

I said to Chris, "Babe were you so mistreated as a kid that you never got any ice cream?" 

In his most pathetic voice..."When I was a kid, my Mom mashed up ice and called it ice cream."

Even the kids thought this was hysterical.  You poor tortured man, you were so mistreated.  Yeah right!

In a way I agree with him...we wouldn't dare make our kids trudge to school in a blizzard, and going out to eat only for your birthday?  Forget about it!

What do you find yourself doing for your kids that your parents never did for you?

A New Era

The era of baby toys and power wheels has come to an end at my house.  Sad but also extremely exciting. 

We sold the mustang power wheel last night to a nice couple.  My kids haven't rode in the car in 2 years and it was time to part ways.  Logan couldn't squish himself in the seat if he tried...we'll I suppose if he had his knees in his throat it might work. 

Even though we are moving on to big kid toys, I find myself feeling a little sentimental about those old toys.  You remember when you sold the baby crib?  You're excited to move on to the big kid bed, but yet disappointed that your baby is growing up so fast.

To make myself feel better, I was searching the Internet for a cool replacement toy.  And I found this, the CycoCycle!  I even tested it out at the local toy store....and let me tell you this has F-U-N all over it. 

What are your favorite ride-on toys for the 6-10 year range?

Bad Doggie Tuesdays

I've decided to dedicate a portion of this blog to Crosley.  He is one of my kids after all.  For now we'll call them "Bad Doggie Tuesday's".  Now now, calm down.  He does have some good moments but at the moment they are limited.  Some day I really hope to call these "Good Doggie Tuesday's."  I hope and I pray.  Dear readers, how about you hope and pray with me.  It may help.

I know I've introduced Crosley on this blog before and I've showed you some adorable pictures of him.  So for our first feature, let me tell you a little more about him.

Crosley is a Goldendoodle - part Poodle, part Golden Retriever.  For those of you who are dying to know his papa was the Poodle and his mama was the Golden Retriever. 

He is 1.5 years old.

His hair is very curly and a gorgeous white color - he gets this from his papa.

He weighs 90 pounds and is very tall.

He eats like a pig.  He even sneaks into his food container.  (Yes, he can lift the lid with his head and sneak the food out.  Here is a picture to prove it.)

He does not shed.  (OK maybe a teeny tiny bit, but I have a Golden Retriever as well and trust me, this dog does not shed.)

He poops in the middle of the driveway because a 1/2 acre of grass is not nearly enough.

He pees on my ornamental grasses and they are all dying.

He sits on your lap because he thinks he's a lap dog.

He loves when you sing Happy Birthday to him.  He sings along.  So we sing this often in my house.

He has a plastic bone that he treats like gold.  All other toys forget about it - they are doomed.

He is not invited to play in the neighbors yard anymore because he dug up all their newly planted trees. 

He is very hyper. On a scale of 1-10 he is a 30.  The vet says so and I believe her. 

He has chewed up 3 pieces of furniture, lots of socks, 5 pairs of shoes, and a pair of drapes.

He is a gorgeous, sweet, annoying, hair pulling aggravating dog that we love.  I think.  We are definitely trying our best.  But he is part of our family.  For better or worse.

Bringing Back Art Nights

Tuesday evenings at my house were always art nights.  Somehow life has got in the way and this hasn't been a priority for us.  I've been searching for some art projects that I think my kids would love. 

Of course Martha never fails.  Check out these terrific projects for kids.

Spending this time with the kids was always such a good time and sparked awesome conversations.  Let's make a goal to do more art nights or game nights, shall we?

PS - these are a couple of our projects from past art nights.

Farting Contest

I'm warning all you dear readers, if you don't fart - then stop reading this now.  If you don't think farting is funny - then we must have a talk.  I'm immature, I can't help myself - I think it's funny.  Always have, always will.  And you thought I wouldn't share little bits of me on this blog now did ya?


Over the weekend we had a chili cook off at our swim club.  Good times people, good times.  Our chili was fantastic. Our key ingredients.....delicious chorizo, spices, ground beef, tomatoes, green peppers, onions and BEANS.  Lots and lots of beans.  We all know that beans are the magical fruit...the more you eat the more you - well you know how it goes.


We secretly joked the swim club would be more like a jacuzzi the day after the cook off.  Ok ok, enough with the fart jokes.


So come Sunday we had a number of errands to run.  Church, lunch, purchase a new bike for Logan, install a mailbox yadda yadda yadda.  We would complete our errand, jump in the car and dash off to the next.  Except the car ride on Sunday was one filled with loud noises and stinky smells.  Thank you chili - thank you. 


(Also in case you were wondering, I will not disclose names to protect the identity of the culprit)


So you can imagine:
 eat lunch, jump in car, pffffft, roll windows down
purchase new bike, jump in car, pfffft, roll windows down


This went on for so long my son finally says "If there was a family farting contest, you would win.  And I don't just mean you would win 1st place, you would win 1st, 2nd and 3rd."


He's always so insightful.


Do you love the picture?  I do too...this was a photo op I created for our chili cook off booth.  The instructions can be found here.

Kid Damage

Have you ever thought about all the stuff in your house, car, life that our kids have ruined?  I actually try not to think about it.  It makes me feel better to be in denial. 

I feel a little better when I look at this. 

Check it out here.  It will certainly make your day and life seem not so bad after all.  Now only if I can find one of these dedicated to the Shit my dog ruined. 

The Dog Ate It

So is it only me or do your kids have 1 million stuffed animals in their closets?  I have been secretly praying when the day would come that my kids would be tired of playing with little stuffed elephants and pink bunnies.  Well dammit that day just wasn't coming so I did what all you mothers wish you could do but are too sweet to actually do it.  I bagged them all up when they weren't looking and donated them. 

I know, I know, shoot me.  I'm a terrible, rotten, horrible person.

However, a certain someone, a terrible someone (my husband) saw the hidden donated bags and immediately starts pulling stuffed bunnies back out.

WHOA!  Stop right there buddy. 

"I just want to give some of these to Crosley."  "The poor guy needs some new toys."

Seriously, we steal from our kids to give to the dog?  REALLY?  OK that's a totally separate issue, we'll discuss that at some other time.


Chris proceeds to give the dog Morgan's Hello Kitty last night.  He thinks he's played it smart.  No, she'll never notice her gynormous Helly Kitty doll laying in Crosley's bed.  Nooooo, never.

Fast forward to this morning...Crosley is licking, hugging & pulling on his new toy.  He's in heaven.  Morgan is standing staring down in shock at what she sees.  The tears are flooding, the screams are multiplying.

"Daddy, I want my KITTY BACK!  Take it away from Crosley." says Morgan.

"Boo, he's just loving on it.  He just wants to give it a hug."

Logan thinks it's appropriate to share his wisdom with us and says, "Yeah right Dad...He's only going to hug it after he's eaten kitty's eyes out and ripped it's head off.  Morgan, say goodbye to kitty."

Thanks Logan...Thanks Chris.  I suppose I need to find the nearest Hello Kitty store.

Good Ol Fashioned Hamburgers

Who makes your favorite hamburger?  Mine happens to be from a local spot here in Cincinnati - forget about those fast food burgers and give me a Terry's burger any day.  My kids on the other hand have been faithful McDonald's followers since they first knew what a hamburger was.  That was until recently...

Logan decided he wanted a Wendy's burger.  And to be honest, I think they make a pretty mean sandwich.  So last Friday I ordered him a single - plain, no ketchup, fries and a frosty. 

Logan plowed through the frosty, even managing to dip his fries in the ice cream but the hamburger remained relatively untouched.

I asked him what was wrong with his food.

"Mom, this hamburger is not good at all."  There is definitely something wrong with it."  I actually was a little worried maybe the meat was bad so I took a taste test.  Hamburger was fine, perhaps a bit dry but when you ask for a plain burger on a bun what do you expect.  I told Logan as much.

He says, "That's not it Mom.  I read the sign and it said Old Fashioned Hamburgers.  They really need to start getting some new burgers."

Wow and who thinks kids don't pay attention to advertising?

Children's Embarrassment

What was the magic age when your child was embarrassed about the things like where they get dressed, if they have food on their face or even where they go to the bathroom?

I just realized this morning, Logan's magic age is 8.  The other morning I got his clothes out for him and was sitting on the bed talking to him.  I fully expected him to get dressed but he just sat there. 
Finally he says, "Mom I need you to leave so I can get dressed."  "I need my privacy please"

Then this morning we were a little early for summer camp, so we picked him up a doughnut to eat.  He was so worried about where he was going to eat it that we finally agreed to let him eat it in the car.  Then he kept asking, "Mom do I have chocolate on my face?"  "Mom, did I get all the chocolate off my face...I don't want to go in there with a dirty face."

I'm excited to see him becoming more and more independent but it does make me a little sad :(

Then I look at this little lady with a mess on her face, and everything is right in the world.

Outer Banks Photo Journey

If you haven't been to the Outer Banks in North Carolina, it's definitely worth a visit. 

Photos by Kim Kaas and Instagram

And hands down my favorite quote of the trip:

"Touch my cake, and I'll squash you like a bug."

Do not mess with a 5 year old girl and her chocolate.

Home Sweet Home

Photo by Oh Happy Day

Dear readers I'm so glad to be home.  My family spent a wonderful week on the beach, but nothing beats my bed and my own bathroom. 

But.....that doesn't mean I'm not already planning my next getaway and what would be better than winning a trip to Paris sponsored by Oh Happy Day?!?

Jordan, I already have my bags packed.  Thank you for an amazing blog and an even more amazing giveaway!

Kiss This

The kids were in the midst of their daily torture session.  Poking, pulling, grabbing...and even some kisses. 


Morgan is kissing Logan or at least attempting to give him some sisterly smooches. 


He turns around, sticks his rear end in her face and smartly says,


"If you want to kiss something, kiss this!"


Apparently kisses from your sister when you're 8 is a no no.

Conversations at the Vets Office

To prepare for our upcoming trip we needed to make a quick stop at the vet for a few doggie shots.  I expected it to go rather smoothly ( who am I kidding? 2 adults, 2 kids, and 2 dogs in a 5x5 room waiting for 30 minutes.  Good times people....Good times)

While I was talking to the doctor I never expected to hear what I heard:

"Mr. Cocky is going to spank you."

"Howdy Partner."

"Please don't kick me in the weiner."

"I do believe I'm going to fart on you now."

I just know the vet didn't hear all that...right?!  Nah...definitely not. 

Differences Between Siblings

It just amazes me how two people that come from the same parents can be so very incredibly different.  How can it be...tell me please?!


I have a boy and a girl so there are some obvious differences...but others...make me want to go hmmmm?


One has brown hair and hazel eyes, the other is blond hair and blue eyed


One loves homework, the other hates it


One loves to listen, the other loves to argue


One loves to give hugs and kisses, the other would rather stick to high fives


One back talks, one sweet talks


One is outgoing, the other one is painfully shy


The list could go on and on, but at least the one thing they have in common is they love each other.  What more could a mother ask for?