Why I Hate Halloween

Most people probably think I'm crazy when I tell them I hate Halloween. It's true and I'll say it again "I hate Halloween." Halloween is an evil, scary holiday. As a mom of young children, I hate the decorations I see in stores and in more and more front yard. The scenes are gruesome and scary. I don't want those things in my children's heads. I also think it's ironic that 364 days a year, we teach our children to not talk to strangers and to NEVER take anything from a stranger, but on the 365th day, it's okay to knock on a neighbor's door (do your really know Mr. Johnson that well?) and ask them to give you candy.

And then there's the candy. Seriously, does a child really need 5 pounds of candy? I know I inherited this part of Halloween from my Mom. She was a dental hygienist. One year, she passed out tooth brushes and tiny tubes of toothpaste. Can you imagine how popular our house was? Instead of trick or treating, my parents would take my brother and I out to dinner and then give us money to spend at Target. I'll have to ask my Mom how much, but in my memory, it was $20 and that was a lot of money in 1979.

I've carried on that tradition with my children. Sometimes we dress up. Today we didn't. My kids have dress up clothing available to them all the time so that's not a big deal. I must admit that I do offer to buy the kids a costume and take them trick or treating, but they know that their candy will go in the trash the second they walk in the door. I also offer dinner and money to buy a toy. We've only had one year where they picked trick or treating at a church's trunk or treat.

Today, after a nice lunch at Ruby Tuesdays (the kids favorite place) we spent 30 minutes wandering around Toys R Us looking for the perfect toy to spending their $15 on. For Caden it was Pokeman, for Jaelyn it was Zoobles and for Allie, what else but Polly Pockets and furniture for her doll house.

So, if you come to my house tonight, know that my porch light will be out. There will be no candy being passed out from my front door. And while your kids are climbing the walls from staying up late eating bags of candy and whining at you for more, my kids will be sleeping soundly in their beds dreaming of playing with their new toys.

The Poor Fish

I told you I can't keep fish alive, right. Why in the world I let the kids get Betas, I don't know, but their fate was sealed the day we brought them home. I know I blogged about Jaelyn's fish, Moe, dieing. He was replaced by a very pretty aqua Beta named Moe the 2nd by me and Acorn by Jaelyn. I just can't call a fish Acorn. Fast forward a few weeks and Allie's fish has been spending a lot of time resting on the bottom of his tank just like Moe the 1st. I told Dan Monday night that I didn't think Duckie was going to make it much longer.

Duckie was fine Tuesday morning, but when Allie came home Tuesday afternoon she screamed when she saw his tank. "Mommy, Duckie is dead." Sure enough, he was on his side floating near the bottom of the tank. Tenderhearted Allie immediately burst into tears. I wanted to say "It's just a fish, get over it" but what I said was "I'm sorry Duckie died. I know that makes you feel sad." Aren't you proud of me? We flushed Duckie down the toilet and cleaned his tank. Then I had to explain to a sad little girl why she couldn't get another fish. I thought Moe's death with just a fishy fluke and that I could somehow keep the rest of the fish alive. Wrong. I am not going to keep buying fish just to kill them. I think that's the definition of insanity....doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results each time.

I'm afraid Chomper is going to be next. He's hanging out at the bottom of his tank like Duckie was. The good news is the kids will have really nice bug boxes next summer!

In the Name of School Spirit

This is Red Ribbon Week at our school. The kids participate in a different activity each day all in the name of "Saying No to Drugs." Today is Mismatch Day because we don't match with drugs. Allie was gung ho about not matching until she got dressed and then my little girly girl just couldn't do it. She changed. Jaelyn went all out with mismatched hair and clothes. Caden tried, but he's a boy and he wears jeans and a shirt every day. All of his clothes match :). He did go to school with 2 different socks and 2 different shoes.

Preparing For Christmas: Step 1

I don't know what's gotten into me, but Christmas will be here in 2 months and I'm getting excited. I've started shopping and have present ideas. I'm most excited about something my parents are doing, but I can't say here because Jaelyn sometimes reads my blog. That's funny to write, but yes, my 8 year old reads what I write.

Anyway, my first step when I start thinking about Christmas is always the same...cleaning out! We have an over abundance of stuff. You know how it gets, you have broken toys, mismatched parts, and cheap happy toys all thrown in with the good toys. You have toys the kids loved 2 years ago that they haven't touched in 18 months. Well, yesterday afternoon, I decided it would be a good time to clean out.

Caden parted with the most and did a very awesome job. He has dinosaurs, Planet Heroes, trains and cars that he NEVER plays with. As a matter of fact, they've been sitting in a closet for at least 9 months. I pulled everything out of the closet and let him look at the huge pile. He let go of half of his cars, half of his dinosaurs and maybe a fourth of his Planet Heroes. The trains and train mat, he kept, but if they don't get played with soon, I know a 2 year old who would love them. I told him to begin with he didn't have to get rid of anything if he really didn't want to, but that we needed the room for new toys and that there are boys and girls out there that have no toys. I sounded like Mark from Clean House as I was talking to him and it worked.

Jaelyn went through her stuffed animals and found 3-4 that she doesn't really care about. Allie parted with a few dolls, but really most of her toys are Pollies and they stay pretty well contained in Polly World. We did go through and clean out the ripped and messed up clothing and try to match the shoes. I bet she started out with 50 unmatched shoes and we ended with about 10 pairs. I'll take the blame because I show no mercy to Polly shoes when I'm vacuuming :p.

Overall, I'm really happy with what they did. Now what should I do with my empty tubs? My collection is growing with each room or closet I clean out.

Here's our playroom after the purging. The trains are the only toys in storage. Everything else fits in here!

Oh and I was impressed with Dan. See the top 2 shelves of books at the end of the room. They are Dan's and he said he'd be willing to get rid of them since he'll never read them again. Wahoo...It's taken almost 15 years, but slowly and surely, I'm converting him from his pack rat tendencies!

Night and Day

Dan's home! Praise God! That was a long 2 weeks mainly because he has been home for so many months without a TDY somewhere. We forgot how to function without him. Today was great and it wasn't because the kids were great. They had their good moments. We had fun at Caden's soccer game...where he made an awesome save at his goal. Jaelyn and Allie both helped me do some toy cleaning out. They all had fun with Dan out geocaching while I cleaned the basement carpet - AGAIN. Have I shared about Zoe? My memory is failing me. Anyway, we've also had our bad moments like when Jaelyn ate all of Allie's M&Ms out of her trail mix and then refused to apologize. 20+ minutes of screaming later...There was also a little issue at bedtime. The biggest difference is I didn't have to manage it alone. Dan was there to intervene when I couldn't deal with the irrationality of the tantrum any longer or when Caden needed something after we said good night. I don't think I yelled once today and I'm not sure that could be said for any recent day. Not only is Dan great at helping with the kids, he does a good job of taking care of me. He helped get the carpet cleaner from Lowes and carried it down to the basement for me. He even brought me home a bunch of tiny cokes after geocaching because I complain when he brings big huge bottles. He knew I needed a little caffeine pick me up.

I probably don't say this enough, but I have an awesome husband and I like it when the Army keeps him home!

Surgery in Allie's Future

I'm a little freaked out right now. I just got off the phone with Allie's pediatrician. Allie's sleep study showed moderate to significant airway obstructive apnea. It's significant enough that it's raising her CO2 levels. We are being referred to a pediatric ENT to have her adenoids and/or tonsils out. I know it's a very common surgery, but I'm a little upset about the thought of my child having surgery. I'm not sure yet how long it'll take to get in to see the doctor or how long before we can schedule the surgery. I'll update more when I know more.

Can't Decide

Why do I have the worst time making decisions? Put 2 candy bars in front of me and I have no trouble, but when it comes to decisions that involve other people or spending a lot of money, I can't do it. What if I decide wrong? What if I change my mind? I'm camera shopping. I love to take pictures and would love to get better at it. I've coveted friends' DSLRs for years (that's digital single-lens reflex camera). Dan gave me the go ahead to buy a new camera in July. The money is sitting in the bank, but I can't make a decision. I narrowed it down to 2, a Nikon D5000 and a Cannon Rebel T1i. Caden and I went to Best Buy last night to play with them and instead of making a decision, I have another Nikon added to my list (the new D3100 that was just released). I think when Dan gets home, I'm going to make him decide for me. That way, if I don't like the camera, it's not my fault. What do you think? :p

Just a Few More Days

We are surviving. Dan will be home in a couple of nights and I've been trying to keep us busy until then. Friday night was by far my favorite activity and I am so mad at myself that I don't have pictures. Stay tuned on Saturday. Chris and Angie were the first friends we made when we moved here. They have a daughter that is a year older than Jaelyn. It was a perfect fit, but as with all military friendships, eventually one of you will move away. They moved a year and a half ago. Angie and their 18 month old daughter are staying with her sister south of Baltimore and they drove up on Friday night to have dinner with us. Jaelyn used her homework chance card (I'll explain in another post) and picked Ruby Tuesdays. We had the best dinner. It was so good to see Angie and little Lanie. I don't normally like babies (infertility ruined so many things for me), but Lanie cracked me up.

I've made this week double allowance week in the hopes of getting the kids to behave nicely, get along and do their chores. Jaelyn has had several tantrums and Allie has been huffy. I don't like snotty, huffy Allie. I like sweet, lovable Allie. Caden even seems off. I think we just need Daddy home. After having Dan home for so long, we have forgotten how to function when he's gone.

Quote of the Day

We've started working on our Christmas lists. I've taken the kids twice to the toy department to wander around and get some ideas. On the way home from window shopping at Target tonight, Jaelyn started asking me questions about Santa Claus. "Can Santa really make a Scrabble game or does he have to buy it at the store?" I'm not telling out right lies, but I'm not telling the truth either. I asked Jaelyn what she thought. She said "I'm going to have to check out a non-fiction book from the library to see if Santa makes all his toys or if he buys some." Isn't that awesome?! I'm hoping she'll forget about her search though because she's not going to find any books about a fictional Santa Claus in the non-fiction section.

A Trip to the Farm

The kids are out of school and Brownies had a cluster event at Huber's Farm today. We've been to MANY of the farms around here, but never this one so we were excited to see what they had to offer. We got there a little early and had time to wander around their curb stand and jump in their bounce house.

After that, we loaded up for the hay ride with all of our friends. They do a Haunted Woods and took us past their nasty, scary looking displays. All the moms were in agreement that we could have done without that.

Our first stop was the string bean (green and purple) and radish patch. They let us pick as much as we wanted.

After the radishes, we got to stop and pick sweet potatoes, arugula, cilantro and basil before stopping at the pumpkin patch.

Jaelyn had trouble getting her pumpkin off the vine.

Allie had the most trouble picking a pumpkin. She's the same way in the toy aisle. She didn't want to make a mistake and pick the wrong one.

This was truly a wonderful field trip. We had a great time picking the vegetables. BTW, Jaelyn gives radishes a thumbs up. Caden actually tried one, but spit it right into the trash can. I can't wait to make a sweet potato casserole.

The Power of an Allowance

They're a pillow.

They're a pet.

They're Pillow Pets.

The kids have been begging for pillow pets for a couple years. Whoever came up with the marketing strategy for this stuffed animal was a genius. Now that we've started letting the kids earn an allowance, they are in control. They've been saving their allowance and with the help of a donation by Grandmother, pillow pets were purchased from Mommy's lay-away closet today! Oh the joy and happiness that is being experienced at this moment. If only I could bottle it and give it to Jaelyn at bedtime!

The Room Formerly Known as Blue

I would be remiss if I didn't start out this post with a complaint. It's been an ingoing complaint. The people who owned our house before us were idiots to the nth degree. They did so many stupid things in the name of home improvement. I discovered a new example when I was painting our storage/guest room (AKA the Blue room - can you guess what color it was???). The seams at the corners of the walls and at the ceiling have always driven me batty. Nothing is smooth. There are bumps and ridges. I decided long ago the only way to fix it was to paint the walls and the ceiling the same color to hide the imperfections. I've moaned about the fact that they didn't spend 10 minutes sanding to get everything smooth. Well, I now know why they didn't sand. They used silicone caulk to seal the sheet rock seams. You can't sand caulk. And I'm not talking a good caulk job. This is a messy horrible caulk job. These people loved caulk. They used it everywhere. Remember the hours I spent scraping silicone caulk out of my grout lines before I could regrout my bathroom. Arrghhhh...


OK, thanks for letting me get that out. I spent 2 days working and painting. Want to see???




I used the good, neutral Cottage White that's in our hallway. The ceiling was a bear to paint because there are 50 can lights (that might be a slight exageration). It took 2 coats of primer and 2 coats of paint to cover. The room feels huge and is ready to stage if we ever get orders. Oh, and it's also ready for visitors. Hint hint!


Next up...the basement bathroom which has messy, non-paintable (I know that because there's paint cracked ontop of it) silicone caulk everywhere! I'm giving myself a week to rest and then I'll be spending days scraping caulk before I can begin painting. The bathroom will also be cottage white, walls and ceiling, to hide all the imperfections.

Congratulations GUC

Just a little shout out to let someone special know they've finally figured out comments on my blog! Way to go and I'm enjoying hearing from you!

Flying Away on a Jet-Pack?

At least that's what Danny said he was wishing he had yesterday. He made it safely to his final destination and the kids and I survived day 1. The first few days of a TDY are the hardest to adjust to and then it'll be smooth sailing for a couple weeks. Jae threw one long tantrum yesterday afternoon and then woke up before dawn and woke the rest of us up with her. I sent Crabby, Cranky and Sleepy off to school for their teachers to deal with them.

Today I am starting my basement project. Today's job is to clean out the storage/guest room and get 2 coats of primer on the wall. I'm going from a medium blue to creamy walls and ceiling to try and hide the imperfections. The previous owners of our house really did not know what they were doing when it came to finishing a basement. Not that I could do any better, but I at least know my limitations and would hire professionals.

Our Latest Tooth Fairy Visit

Saturday was a big day for Caden. He's had a loose tooth for a while and he decided to let Dan try to pull it. Have I mentioned how good Daddy is about getting teeth out? Within a few seconds, I heard squeals and screams and yells of "blood." The tooth left a big hole, but just a few days later, I can see the new tooth poking it's little tip through. The tooth fairy came Saturday night and left Caden a dollar for the tooth and a quarter bonus since he let someone pull it out.

The Last Room

Here are pictures of our computer room. Caden's new armoir housed all the things you see in this picture. When we moved it, we had to find something new...yea Ikea. It's not totally sorted out yet, but I am really happy with our new storage solution. The kids seem to be playing games and putting together puzzles more because they can see everything.

There was a bookcase on this wall that housed the overflowing books, papers and games. We didn't need something as big; so I pulled this small bookcase out of my closet where it was collecting dust. I also painted the frames on 2 of Caden's Mickey Mouse prints and hung them in the computer room. Mickey always makes me smile.

I went over my budge for the 3 rooms by about $65, but in my defense, Ikea raised the prices on the bunk bed and storage unit. I'm really happy with how everything turned out. I'm probably asking for orders by doing it....keep your fingers crossed for me, okay?

In this Room Strong The Force Is

I am in love with Caden's Star Wars room. I think it's totally awesome, if I do say so myself. Thank you to Dan and my mom who donated items.

First the before...Caden's had the same basic decor since he was born. While very cute, we were ready for more "big boy" and less "baby boy."

The after...

We took out the old, antique dresser and replaced it with an armoir that used to house our TV. Having a dresser that wasn't as deep allowed us to rearrange Caden's furniture. I also painted his name black and replaced his bedding and curtains.
We added the shelf from Ikea to hold Dan's Mr. Potato Head collection. I didn't think he was going to share his toys, but he did. Yea Dan! Caden picked out his new pictures all by himself.

The big Master Yoda on the wall is my favorite feature. He is very cool and removable so I'm hopeful we can take him with us when we leave.

I added every Star Wars detail I could find. These were happy meal toys from last year.

I bought the Yoda lights last year at Christmas time. After drilling a new hole in their backs, it just took a little clear thread to hang them perfectly from his curtain rod.

The Girls' New Room

The last week has been busy. I started the week by staining the new bunks purple. Tuesday was my big work day. I spent a couple hours taking apart their old bunk beds, which btw, got an awesome new home along with Caden's dresser.

And then several more assembling their new bunk beds. I am proud to say I did it all by myself.

I've spent the rest of the week shopping for new comforters, curtains and pictures.

And yes, I like to color coordinate when I'm ironing. Don't you?

Dan had Friday off so I put him to work putting together storage cubes.

Allie loves her room. She came home to see the flowers on her wall one day and immediately said "you planted me a garden." I did and I did it without getting any dirt under my fingernails.

I might have gotten a little carried away with the wall art stickers. They are very addicting.


I wanted the girls to have similar but different comforters. I love what I found.

Sorry you have to turn your head sideways to watch this one. I always forget when I use my phone for videos.

Dan did much worse...you are going to need to stand on your head for this one. Maybe some one knows how to rotate them with your iphone??? :p

I have to alter Caden's new curtains and get them hung hopefully, today; so his pictures will be coming soon!

Allie's Sleep Study

Allie has snored, cried out and had basically what I would call restless sleep for as long as I can remember. When I talked with her pediatrician about ADHD, we also talked about her sleep and Dr. K ordered a sleep study. This was way back in April...6 months later, Allie finally got her sleep study. I went with her last night to a Children's Hospital in Baltimore where we spent the night. They hooked her up to all kinds of wires and tubes. She had goop all in her hair to keep the ones on her head in place. Allie was a big girl and only complained when they put the "antenna" and cannula on her nose.

I'm not quite sure how she managed to sleep like that, but it only took about 20 minutes for her to fall asleep. I was awake a lot longer and probably slept in 30 minute stretches the rest of the night. We woke up around 5:30 to get disconnected and go home. The sleep technicians couldn't tell me any of the results. We'll have to wait to see our pediatrician. Throughout the whole night, I kept thinking about how thankful I was that it was Allie who has the restless sleep over Jaelyn. Can you imagine what she would have been like with the whining and crying if it had been her?

I Hope They Sleep

I put the girls new bunk beds up today (all by myself, which means I also took down their old bunk beds all by myself). Allie is going to be turned a different direction and she's higher than she used to be. Jaelyn is way higher than their old bunks. Caden's still adjusting to sleeping in his new room with his bed turned a different way. 3 adjusting to new surroundings...could cause issues! I sure hope they sleep.

Caden's Yoda and pictures should be here this week and the girls' new bedding next week. As soon as I see it in person, I can get them new curtains, artwork and a lamp (pink just isn't going to match). This is so much fun!

Energizer Bunny Again

It feels so good to be back to normal. For the last 3 weeks, I've honestly just wanted to lay on the couch and do nothing. It's nice to have energy again. Poor Dan, though...not so happy this weekend because I put his muscles to work. On Saturday, I started on Caden's room, we moved his old dresser out and moved an armoir from the computer room up the stairs (that was interesting). We spent way too much money at Ikea buying the girls' new bunk beds and a new storage unit to replace the armoir in the computer room. I have the computer room almost put back together and Caden's room is just about finished. Dan has to bring home his Star Wars Mr. Potato Heads to fill a shelf and I'm waiting on 3 things I ordered online. Last night, I stained the pine bunk bed purple. I need to put 1 coat of poly on it today before it can be assembled. The girls' new bedding won't be here till next week. It's so fun to finally be doing this. I've wanted to redecorate for a while, but we've thought we were going to move in the next 6 months for the last 2 years. I'm tired of waiting. It's funny, we've never lived anywhere long enough that I wanted to redecorate. We've always packed up and moved (2 1/2 years in one house was our old record). I'll share pictures when I'm all done!

And Danny, thank you for all of your help. I know you would have rather been doing something else.