Say what?

Parenting is a crap-shoot.  You just don't know what will happen from day to day.  And the second you think you have it figured out...it changes.  Something I can always count on though is laughter.  Whether I'm laughing at my kids, them at me, together, or at something one of us said I know it will be there on a daily basis.  Thank goodness for that, because parenting is hard work!

Here are just a few funnies I can remember:

Noelle telling my Dad, "Mind your own business Grandpa!"  

He had asked her to stop pestering her brother.

Said by me just last week, "Lily, stop rubbing your sandwich on your belly button."  

The kid is obsessed with her belly button, but that was taking it a little far.

A couple weekends ago we were attending a fairy gardening class.  The instructor was naming 

off berries and you were supposed to raise your hand if you liked them.  I didn't, even though I 

like raspberries.  Noelle turned to me with wide, piercing eyes and sternly says, 

"Moommmeee, raise your hand.  You like raspberries."  You would have thought I was 

embarrassing her.

I can't seem to think of any about Adam right now.  Usually his are because he says a wrong word or misunderstands what a word means.

What is the funniest thing you or your kids have said lately?

This post was inspired by the novel Dad Is Fat by comedian Jim Gaffigan who riffs on his adventures co-parenting 5 kids in a two bedroom Manhattan apartment. Join From Left to Write on April 22 as we discuss Dad Is Fat. As a member, I received a copy of the book for review purposes.

Reasons Lily is Crying

It has come to my attention that Lily is very serious about dessert.  Seriously, in going though my Instagram feed I came across these 3 pictures of Lily crying.  They are all over dessert and were all taken since November.

She ate all the creme from the middle of her Oreo and I wouldn't give her another one.

She finished all her ice cream and knows we won't give her seconds.

She REALLY wanted more ice cream...again.

This post was inspired by the novel Reasons My Kid Is Crying by Greg Pembroke who captures frustrating yet hilarious parenting moments through perfectly captioned photos of unhappy kids. Join From Left to Write on April 15 as we discuss Reasons My Kid Is Crying. As a member, I received a copy of the book for review purposes.

*This book is awesomely hilarious.  Your entire family will enjoy it, including the kids.  I highly recommend you get a copy for your family to enjoy.*

...then comes baby in a baby carriage.

Justin and Charlotte sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes baby in a baby carriage!  Yup, that's how it went.  Except it wasn't THAT easy for us.  Adam, our first was an 18 month process.  We ended up at the Endocrinologist's office and had lots of tests done on us.  I was diagnosed with PCOS and put on Metformin to regulate my cycles.  3 months later we were pregnant with Adam!  That first pregnancy was a breeze!  I swear that had we not been actively trying I never would have known I was pregnant until I started showing, or he started moving around.  LOL!

Adam Ronnie was born in April 2004 at 8 1/2 pounds.

Getting pregnant the second time around was actually easy.  I don't even know how long since it wasn't a big deal.  I don't think I went back on Metformin, but I honestly don't recall.  This second pregnancy was awful for me.  I had a little nausea, but so long as I ate very, very frequently it wasn't too bad.  I was working FT Nanny hours (50+ hours a week) taking care of 2 two year old boys and an infant.  My body would hold up all day, but the minute I walked in the door at night I would practically collapse.  The worst though were the varicose veins.  Yeah, NOT in my legs.  No, No, No.  For the last 3 months of the pregnancy, or so, it seriously felt like I had just given birth, vaginally.  It was not fun.  The girl never moved up!  She stayed low the whole pregnancy.  Thank goodness her birth was completely uneventful and downright fast.  :)

Noelle Justin was born in January 2007 and was my tiniest at just 6 1/2 pounds.

When we finally got around to wanting a third child it was once again not easy.  Metformin wasn't helping this time.  We decided to try an actual fertility clinic, but ended up canceling the initial appointment.  I figured that we had two children and maybe that's all we needed.  It seemed like the money could be better spent elsewhere.  Well, wouldn't you know we ended up pregnant a few months later!  15 months after we had started trying.  Even though I was working FT throughout the pregnancy I wasn't working as many weekday hours and they weren't nearly as tiring.  I was only caring for 1 baby and he was super easy going and happy.  I was still tired from the pregnancy and taking care of my other two children though.  I can remember coming home from work many times and falling asleep on the couch while life went on around me.  Baby #3 had to be induced due to gestational diabetes.  Her labor was my hardest and the only one I asked for an epidural during.  I technically got that epidural, but she "dropped" when I sat up for it and then was born within minutes.  

Lillian (Lily) Fae was born in February 2012 at 7 1/2 pounds.

Adam, Lily, and Noelle - January 2014.

This post was inspired by the novel  The Opposite of Maybe by Maddie Dawson. At the age of 44, Rosie finds herself suddenly single and pregnant. She tries to hide in her grandmother’s home, but meets two men that will change her life forever. Join From Left to Write on April 8 as we discuss The Opposite of Maybe. 

As a member, I received a copy of the book for review purposes.

*I really enjoyed this book. It was a little slow to start, but once Rosie moves into her Grandmother's house the story really took off for me. It was an enjoyable book that was easy to read. I would LOVE to know your thoughts if you decide to pick it up!*

Homemade No Bake Chewy Granola Bars

 YUMMY!!

For about a month now I have been using this recipe to home make granola bars instead of spending a ton of money on prepackaged ones.  They are fairly easy to make and allow you to put whatever you like in them.  I found the recipe on Pinterest linked back to My Kitchen Escapades.  She has the recipe listed at the link so I won't bother writing it out here.  I also have it pinned under both "food" and "Pinterest Ideas I have used/done IRL".  The only thing I changed up is I use 1/2 agave and 1/2 honey.  The pure honey was WAY too sweet for us.  Only agave didn't hold the bars together very well.

I did take some pictures of the process though, just so you can see how easy it is.

The ingredients, minus the add ins.

First you combine the dry ingredients.  Oats, crispy rice cereal, coconut.

Melt butter, add honey, brown sugar, salt, and vanilla.  Boil.

Pour over dry ingredients and mix.

Add in your add-ins!  If using chocolate you want to let the mixture cool just a few minutes first.  Tonight I made a pan of mini semi-sweet morsels/chocolate covered raisins for the kids AND a pan of Almond Joy candies for J and I.  This pic is of the "Adult" ones.

Press into a 9x13 pan.  I spread it with my spatula and then use a piece of wax paper and my hands to really press it together.  You want it nice and packed so they don't fall apart when you cut them into bars.  Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Loosen and dump on a cutting board.  This makes it a lot easier to cut evenly.  Just go slow.

We used a pizza cutter tonight to cut them.  We went with 3 rows of five and I think the size turned out perfect.

Baggie up in order to grab quickly when packing lunch/snacks for the day.

Let me know what you think if you try out this recipe!  And a HUGE thanks to Carole Jones for this amazing recipe!