A beautiful spring morning in April

This morning, I was all ready to go out running, I was even going to do a few errands while I was running past a few businesses with Fischer in the jogging stroller....but-

Snow! Then a bit of sun, then rain, then hail, then rain, then a bit of sun, now clouds.

I am ready for winter to be over! Andy tilled the garden on Saturday, and we are ready to start thinking about spring, planting flowers and vegetables, and new landscaping for the backyard. Andy is on Spring break and has a list a mile long of outdoor projects.

We want sun!

The good news is: the shed people were still able to come today and build our shed! This is seriously a dream come true! I'm not kidding! I've been fantasizing about a shed forever, and now it is here. We are busting at the seams and can really use the storage space. It even has a workbench and a window! Tonight and tomorrow we'll be clearing out, organizing, rearranging, donating and tossing all of the things piled in our storage room, laundry room and garage. The shed will be full by Wednesday, mark my words! Maybe I should take some before and after pictures, so you can fully appreciate my dream-come-true.

April is Autism Awareness Month

(Turn your volume up a little. I'm not sure why the first two frames are not very clear here)

Five for Fighting's charity, "What kind of world do you want?", works like this: everytime you watch this video or one of the many others you donate 49 cents to Autism Speaks. Autism Speaks provides money for Autism research, parent resources and helps to raise awareness. The videos have been made by people who are living with Autism - either a loved one or themselves. You'll learn just a little bit about Autism by watching this video and the many like it. You'll see the beauty in these children, the love in their families, and the desperation we all feel in finding a cure and getting proper funding for important therapies. Some of my very favorite people have Autism, and although they struggle with so much, they still live and love and play and share and give and teach and inspire.

Happy Saturday!

Confessions of a Bad Mom

Fischer has a hard time sleeping through the night. He always has. We've had long phases of good sleeping but many sleepless months. We are having a sleepless YEAR in 2008. He has always gone to bed well - without a fuss and has always napped well- without protest. However, he is really inconsistent with sleeping completely through the night. We are tapped out of ideas.
We've experimented with bedtimes, routines and food.
We've comforted him with songs, cuddles, milk and stories.
We've rocked him.
We've tried to settle him with little to no attention.
We've waited increasingly longer amounts of time before going in.
We've let him cry it out.
We've put him in our bed. (This is what we are doing now because we are ssooooooooo tired.)
We have tried all of these things and so many more - a million times.
Now, we are just getting used to it. We know that he'll go to sleep fairly quickly and we can get a few hours of sleep before he wakes up and the juggling begins.

SO, when he decided a few days ago to put up a fight about going to bed - THERE was absolutely NO WAY we could take it. After a week of having to go back into his room a hundred times to settle him down, fix his blankets, find his binky, adjust his music, give him a drink, give him a toy, sing a song, say another prayer, get him a tissue, turn his fishies on, check his diaper... I had to put an end to it.

He yelled and cried for all of the above along with "Mommy open door", "Daddy, where are you?", "Mommy, come! Mommy, come RIGHT NOW!" etc etc. All the while jiggling the plastic knob that covers his doorknob and finally was able to get out. He walked into my room (I had to hide my face to keep from smiling - because I was a little proud that he outsmarted the plastic doorknob). He asked me to "put blankets on" - which means he wants me to lay him down, and carefully lay each of FIVE special blankets over him. But, I'd already done that six times tonight!
So I said, "NO. You need to go back in your room, get in your bed, and put your own blankets on."

He stared at me.

So, I looked away because, I really just wanted to pull him into my bed and let him cuddle with me.

Then he walked out, went into his room, closed the door, got into his bed and went to SLEEP! Not a peep after that.

I should be celebrating! I won! But, instead I feel so sad and guilty and strange that he wanted me and I refused him, and he had to make himself feel better. I feel really bad. Part of me wants to wake him up and hold him - but that is just weird and a little sick...so, I won't. Plus I'll get to hold him in a few hours when he wakes in the middle of the night, anyway!

This whole motherhood thing is INDESCRIBABLE! Every scenario comes with a million feelings and most of the time they contradict each other! Right now I should be proud of him for listening, following directions, self-soothing, and being independent. Instead, I'm ready to confess to Bad Mothers Anonymous.

The Mascara makes the man!

Every Daddy's worst nightmare! Not only does Fischer know what it is called, he also knows where it goes. He did actually get in on his eyelashes. Mommy is so proud.

Is it different when 2-year-old girls do it?

Stolen idea: shared

In the back of Parents magazine there are always little tips from moms. One mom wrote in saying that to simplify lunchtime she makes a large pot of spaghetti, spoons it into muffin tins, freezes it for about an hour, then puts all of the little noodle nests in one big freezer bag. This gives you a perfect little serving of noodles for your child's lunch. I tried it and it worked fabulously. I just put the little frozen nest in a bowl with a tiny bit of water and nuked it for about 45 seconds (I have a really old microwave - it may not take yours that long). The noodles came out great! I have added to this brilliant idea by pouring my spaghetti sauce into ice cube trays, freezing it for a few hours, then popping them into a big freezer bag too. Then, I can just pull out a cube or two to nuke with the frozen noodles! So easy and quick for good food at a moment's notice. Usually by the time lunch comes around, we are way too hungry to wait for water to boil.

Update: My friend Wanda makes her own tasty meat sauce, so she fills muffin tins with sauce, for freezing to go with her “noodle nests”, rather than the canned stuff that I put in the ice cube trays for Fisch.

Saving the world - please, take a minute and read on

I want to do my part where I can, but there is a lot I cannot do. I don't have an inordinate amount of time or money and that is why I am always looking for ways to contribute that are simple and very possible. I just figure that there are people out there who are in my same boat, so I share my finds. I like things like ripple and the breast cancer site, where all you have to do is click and you are giving someone clean water, food, money, education or a mammogram. I like freerice because just by playing a game for a minute or two I can give someone a full tummy to sleep with at night. I try to do my part by recycling, changing out my light bulbs, and by conserving water and electricity because I cannot afford to buy only green and organic products. I have Fischer in disposable diapers, so I have to do my part where I can to even out our impact on the planet.
I joined Team in Training to try to get myself healthier and help others at the same time. There is so much money needed to fund research for blood cancers, I can't give enough money, but I can help fund raise - and then together we can give more. It is incredible to hear that the gains they have made in research have had such an amazing affect on the survival rate for people with these cancers. So many of the people who lost the fight 20 years ago might be here today if we had had that research. I know many grateful people who thank God everyday for the people who have contributed to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. It has meant their life or the life of a loved one.

Last night I was reading toddlerplanet, Whymommy is battling Inflammatory Breast Cancer and is hopefully going to be cancer free soon. She has endured months of chemotherapy, a double mastectomy, and now radiation. She often posts such honest and informative details about her fight. People periodically ask her what they can do to help a friend who has cancer and she has many ideas. Last night, however, she linked us all over to Kate who has an answer. Give blood. You don't know who you are helping and it may even be yourself, one day, you can do it. After reading her post, I was so ashamed that I have used all of the ridiculous excuses and have NEVER given blood. I immediately clicked over to the Red Cross and made an appointment for next Thursday. If Kate doesn't convince you, maybe the stories about the recipients will. I am going to make giving blood a regular part of my life. How odd that it never occurred to me that donations are the ONLY way people can get the lifesaving blood that they need. There is no substitute, no artificial blood, or pig blood or anything else. At the bottom of the homepage for the Red Cross there is a counter letting you know how many people have needed blood, just since you have been on their site. It took my breath away!
If you are still reading this very long post and you make an appointment to donate blood, let me know. Let's inspire each other. In fact, I will send you a little present after you give. Email me: fisforfischer at gmail dot com anyday anytime as long as this blog shall live and I will thank you for doing your part to inspire me and others to give of ourselves.

Books for today

I Stink by Kate and Jim McMullen is a really great garbage truck book. Fischer's good friend and fellow garbage truck lover gave it to him for his birthday. Fisch loves it, especially when Andy reads it in his gruff garbagey voice! We've been reading this one quite often along with I'm Dirty, by the same author. We picked it up at the library and it is quite exciting - if you are into backhoes!

King Bidgood's in the Bathtub by Audrey and Don Wood is an old favorite that I'd forgotten about until my sister-in-law blogged about it recently. My brother LOVED this book when he was little and I LOVED reading it to him. Fischer and I borrowed the BIG BOOK version of it from the library...and now he LOVES it too! He always tells me that it is "Uncle Matt's favorite book". It is about a king who loves the tub so much (I can totally relate) that he won't get out and actually ends up enticing the queen, the knight, the duke and the court to get in with him! Fischer likes to recite all of the repetitive parts. The illustrations are fabulous and the book is quite funny. I read it with a seven-year-old yesterday and he like it too!

We love Audrey and Don's work. We've also recently been enjoying The Big Hungry Bear. It is a bout a little mouse who picks a strawberry and is trying to hide it from the "big hungry bear". I love the expressions on the mouse's face.

Z is for Zamboni by Matt Napier is a hockey alphabet book. As I mentioned yesterday, Fisch is really interested in hockey! He loves to label all of the hockey things in each picture. The first time I pulled this book off the shelf for him was just after he and I had watched Andy play hockey. I thought he'd totally dig it because he loved the game so much. He really wasn't interested (this happens a lot on the first read-through of a new book with him). We thought he may be too young for it, but then I pulled it out a second time and just labeled the pictures with him and connected it to Daddy. Now he loves it and we read it almost every night. He still begs to have the Stanley cup and also to drive a Zamboni. "Fischer drive Zamboni, clean up ice?"

This guy works out at the Little Gym

So, this guy comes walking into our Little Gym class this morning with his daughter and wife - too cute. I had no idea that I was in the presence of fame until Jenny

and her family had an "OMG" moment. I kind of felt bad for the guy, in a room full of little kiddos (and some oblivious mommies) who had no idea of his greatness! Anyway, by default, Fischer and I are practically famous now too. We're totally inviting his little girl to our next birthday party! Ha!

My Dad asked if Deron was going to take Fisch aside and give him private lessons. I'm afraid that at this point in time, Fisch has his sites set on winning the Stanley Cup. He saw it in one of his books and has now started begging for it. "Please Daddy! Fischer have Stanley Cup!" Uh, I know that it has to be Andy's wildest dream-come true for Fisch to bring that home one day!

Basically, Fischer likes everything that Daddy likes. Except the other day when he was holding Andy's bag of chips from lunch, Fischer says "bag, pain in butt!"

20 Miles

This past Saturday was my last really long run before the marathon. I ran 20 miles... it was a bit of a roller coaster of events. The first 30 minutes, I was pretty miserable. The doctor had put a heel lift in my right shoe to help my torn right calf muscle. I felt a bit like the princess and the pea, because I couldn't stop thinking about it. My left calf was cramping and my right foot was bruising and all of it seemed due to this small piece of foam under my insole. I kept stopping to stretch and walk to try to make everything feel better. Finally, I took out the lift and everything began to go smoothly. I was even able to catch up to my team! I don't run quite as fast as them, but was able to catch up to them periodically at the water stops. I felt really good until mile 17 when my stomach became very upset. There were no bathrooms between me and the 20 mile mark, so I had to keep going. I walked those last three miles, because I was soooo sick. So, I'm trying to make some small changes that will hopefully make it so this doesn't happen on race day. The same tummy trouble occurred for me during my last marathon (it hit at mile 20). Here are my ideas... if you have experience in this area, please help!

• First of all, I am going to make sure to stop during the race to use the bathroom, somewhere between mile 10 and 15 (whether I have to go or not).
• Second, I am going to take a GU every hour and a half rather than every hour.
• Third, I'm going to incorporate some sort of food, like a cracker, so that my stomach doesn't get so queasy with the Gu, Gatorade, water, and nerves.

Randomness

• I forgot to tell you that I did have fun with all of the kids yesterday, I was just ready for bed!
• Our upstairs has all hard floors (read easy to clean) except for one room with carpet. This is the room that the dog chose to throw up in 3 times last night. Yuck. Apparently, the whiffle balls she ate yesterday didn't sit well.
• I'm going to run 20 miles tomorrow. This will be the longest run I do before the marathon. Wish me luck - I'll need it. My calf muscle is feeling better, but I definitely have not put it to the test.
• We went to the zoo on Wednesday with MamaBetsy, and Fischer is still talking about all of the different kinds of poop we saw (giraffe, bear, zebra, etc).
• It turns out that drinking an enormous iced mocha right before bed doesn't help you sleep - no matter how tired you are. I'm REALLY sleepy today.
• Fischer has only slept all the way through the night 3 times this month. Help.
• About Easter, we had a lovely weekend. Sheila planned a fabulous Easter egg hunt for Fischer and his buddy. It was really cute. Fisch looked great in his green sweater vest (which MamaBarb swears he picked out on his own). We had breakfast with MamaBarb and Grandpa. Unfortunately we missed church because Fisch was up all night - and we were all exhausted. The Easter bunny brought Fischer a tee-ball set.
• In case you were wondering, MamaBetsy and MamaBarb are the names that Fisch has given his grandmothers. We are not a multiple mother family. (Not that there is anything wrong with that!)
• Wanda has been in town all week and Sheila and I have been loving it! It is so fun for the three of us to spend time together. We've been BFFs since middle school!
• That's not an apparition above Fischer's head in the first picture...the sun is just reflecting off my sweet boy's head.

Boys Boys Boys

I don't know how people have multiple boys... boys are exhausting! I had a houseful of boys today and just watching them play and listening to their conversations...all I can say is YIKES! I have definitely had a glimpse into the future. I thought Fischer was "all boy" now... but give him 2-4 more years and LOOK OUT! I'm going to bed... I am oh-so very tired. KUDOS to you moms who do this all of the time! You deserve a medal!

PS Look at these boys (my dad and uncles) tell me those twins don't look exactly like Fisch!

Earth Hour

Hey, I just found out about this event where millions of people around the world are joining together to make a statement about climate change by turning their lights off for an hour. It's called Earth Hour and I just signed-up to participate-I thought it might be something you'd want to sign up for too. Earth Hour is on March 29 from 8 - 9 p.m. local time, and it looks like it's going to be really big. So far 25 cities around the world are taking part, including Atlanta, Chicago, Phoenix and San Francisco in the U.S. Sign up for Earth Hour by visiting www.earthhour.org/sign-up and join the movement with me. And remember - Lights Out on March 29! My city is not on the list, but our house will be dark!

24 days to go

I have 24 days till the Salt Lake Marathon! I can't believe it, I'm kind of freaking out! I currently have a muscle tear in my calf, and am trying to nurse it back to health. I'm going to run 20 miles on Saturday and I hope that my leg holds up! Thanks for all of your support and donations to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

(ah hem... Matt...)

Haunted by a rubber duck

Poor Kaia has been tormented all day by a possessed, quacking duck in the bathtub. She was introduced to the duck this morning (an Easter gift from MamaBarb). I put it in the water and it flashed LED lights and quacked (very disturbing, according to Kaia), Fisch loved it. Well apparently, the duck wasn't meant for water, because now it has malfunctioned and hasn't stopped quacking all day (now it is a low watery drowning duck quack). Apparently, Kaia seems to be taking the whole thing personally and feels taunted by the duck. She has been wining and grumbling and checking on it every chance she gets. She seems quite frightened by it. Maybe it is possessed! You'd think as a good dog-mom, that I'd throw the thing away... but alas...no... I was hoping it'd dry out and work normally again. I'll let you know if she has nightmares about it.

The digestive system

As Fischer drank a glass of milk tonight before bed he reported where the milk was going:
"I thirsty, in the mouth, down the throat, in the tummy, in the leg, in the pee pee". Now you know.

Bean-no

"Fischer, are you going to eat your beans?' asked Mommy.
"No. Waste 'em" said Fischer as he dropped them into a glass of milk.

Just clicking around: art

Scott Wade's Dirty Car Art - that is a dirty back windshield you are looking at! Talk about finding inspiration in everything!

I thought these sites were worth looking at for a few minutes, you might too.

• http://www.tamarastaples.com/ Under her "personal" category, check out "The Fairest Fowl" collection and the "Tools of the Trade" collection.
• http://www.dirtycarart.com/gallery/index.htm I love the photos of the art going through the stages of being rained on.
• http://sblom.com/mailbox/ I think the second photo has to make the mailman uncomfortable everyday!
• http://www.younggalleryphoto.com/photography/brandt/brandt.html Just gorgeous, they are so different from the usual colorful African animal photos.

He's Alive!

Not a Dolly fan? Just close your eyes and listen.

Quality Control

Fischer and I have been experimenting with some new products to try and style Mommy's new do! I seem to be a bit style-challenged. I'm sure you haven't noticed.

Happy Easter!

Words from Wanda

Children's Library-

My kiddos LOVE books and we have many of them. Two problems I was encountering was: too many books all over the floor and having so many books we did not even know what we had. Therefore, I created "Book Bins" I categorized some of the books by author and others by subject (whatever works for you is great), I gave each bin a face plate and wrote what was in the bin and had my husband draw pictures to correlate with the words. You might be wondering, what has come of all of this.

1. Less books on the floor
2. A greater appreciation for the books we have
3. A chance for the kids to read all the books we have.

How do they get to read them all? At night I give my sons (ages 5 and 3) ten minutes of quiet reading time. I allow them to "check out" a bin of books. Some rules I have are: they can not have the same bin two nights in a row and they have to be responsible for putting the books back in the bin when I come in to shut the lights off. I find it nice to know what books we have and I find myself reading my kids a more diverse collection of books than I did when the books were not organized. The boys enjoy "checking out" different bins each night and I enjoy the organization.

-Wanda

Randomness

• Fischer just got his first hockey stick and is sooo excited about learning to play. Andy told him that he'd teach him to ice skate this summer. (I haven't found any peewee leagues for under age four).
• Fischer pooped in the bathtub with Mommy this morning, fabulous!
• Rice cakes are now "too yucky".
• No running for a week + 12 miles of hills on Saturday = major pain and injury - YIKES
• I'm going to send in an audition tape for Fischer to possibly be in a Signing Time video. He'd be so totally famous! His best little boy-buddy is trying out too. Wish them luck!
• Fischer held a tiny 2 month-old baby bear on Sunday and had his picture taken, (I'll hook up my scanner later and post it) with Grandpa and MamaBarb.
• Why haven't I ever bought a Magic Eraser before? These things are AMAZING! Fischer walked all around the house pointing out all of the places that he has drawn: floors, walls, doors, the printer, etc. I cleaned it all off with absolutely NO elbow grease. PS - I have seen the email about the magic eraser dangers, so don't worry - I didn't let him touch it.

Tampon Easter Bunny

I have been feeling pretty low and quite crabby lately, and wasn't going to post anything until I could be more upbeat... but then I saw this! Are you kidding me???!!! This comes from a creative little site called Tampon Crafts (for any time of the month). Seriously??!!! They have all kinds of how-tos for making everything from holiday decorations to jewelry to toupees! Not for the faint of heart, but check out the bleeding heart earrings and the tampon shooter! I am sorry to post something so disgusting, but I couldn't help but laugh out loud when I saw it! PLEASE let me know if you decide to make this bunny with your little ones - send me pictures! Maybe this is more of a private craft. It could be therapeutic, just looking at it made me feel better!

Inspiration on Sunday

I'm not feeling too inspired today, but I think it is important for me to focus, pray, and GET inspired. You know, you always hear people talking about seeing God in everything, or in the little things, or something. Usually when I think of that, I think of seeing God in flowers, trees, rainbows, mountains... and being thankful for nature.

However, I'd like to share the kinds of things that my tiny son thinks of when he is thanking God each night. He thanks God for his day, his friends and his family (I think that is part of his script), but then he takes a minute before continuing.

He thanks God for Mommy and Daddy, Sophie and Kaia (the dogs), and usually his grandparents.

But then he almost always thanks God for his very best friend and her family, each by name. Then he'll take another minute to think again.

This time, it is all of the little things that start to pour out (sometimes, just one or two, but often the list goes on). He thanks God for lotion, pillows, peek-a-boo, balls, icicles, tow trucks, boys, motorcycles, trains, blankets, his bed, tortillas, milk, dog food, buttons, zippers, and so many more.

Thinking about life without those things, makes me grateful that I have Fischer to remind me of all of the little things that God gives to us.

Save the World On Saturday

Join me in showing support for World Water Day.

"The world water crisis is one of the largest public health issues of our time. Nearly 1.1 billion people (roughly 20% of the world’s population) lack access to safe drinking water. The lack of clean, safe drinking water is estimated to kill almost 4,500 children per day. In fact, out of the 2.2 million unsafe drinking water deaths in 2004, 90% were children under the age of five. Water is essential to the treatment of diseases, something especially critical for children."

Check out the website, learn about the water crisis, find out how you can help.

Books for a week

Tails by Matthew Van Fleet is a fun book with lots of textures and moving parts. It includes all kinds of animals with tails: everything from alligators and pigs to tamarins and pangolins. We like it because it is interactive and it uses some really great words (spiny, frisky, clingy, stumpy, swishing, etc.).

Put Me in the Zoo by Robert Lopshire was one of Andy's favorite childhood books. he loves to read it to Fischer. Andy's dad sent a stuffed animal from the book to Fisch before he was even born. It was really thoughtful, the animal sits on a shelf next to Andy's old Curious George doll in Fischer's room.
Bigger by Daniel Kirk is a book I received at a literacy conference years ago. It follows a little boy as he grows bigger from womb to school-aged. I think Fischer really likes it because he can relate! Andy doesn't like it, I think he is creeped out by the womb illustrations in the beginning.
Love You Forever by Robert Munsch and Sheila McGraw is one of those beautiful stories about the love between a mother and a son. I was QUITE shocked to find that there is a large group of people who think this book is creepy and that the mother is a stalker! My husband is one of those people! Whatever, I think it is very sentimental and it makes me tear up every time I read it to Fisch.

Fisher Price Cars, Trucks, Planes, and Trains Lift the Flap by Nancy Rindone has "over 40 fun flaps to lift"! I think the title and the flaps say it all! This was another one of Wanda's boys' favorites and Fischer has joined the fan club!

I Went Walking by Sue Williams and Julie Vivias is one of those repetitive and predictable books. The child goes for a walk and meets many colorful animals. The illustrations are awesome and so is the rhythm. (By the way "rhythm" is a really good word to play hangman with because it doesn't have any vowels.)

Go, Dog. Go by P.D. Eastman was one of Fischer's first truly-favorite books. Wanda gave it to him because both of her boys had loved it so much. We used to read this to him at least 20 times a day - and it is a LONG book! Anyway, I was thinking about it today and realized that it is lost somewhere. It'll be fun to reintroduce it to him since he has gone a few months without it. PS Do you realize that P.D. Eastman is not Dr. Seuss? For some reason I had decided they were the same person. P.D. was one of Seuss' proteges.

Five Silly Monkeys by Steve Haskamp is a slight spin-off of the original. The pictures are cute and little ones like to touch the little plastic monkey heads. Fisch loves this rhyme and ALWAYS acts it out by jumping from the coffee table onto the couch! This was a really great shower gift, it came in a little set of 3 with a book about sheep and one about ladybugs - all good counting books. (BTW we don't have the hand puppet shown in the picture above - but it sure looks like fun!)

Words from Wanda

My expert-mom friend "Inca" who I am changing to "Wanda" shared this little story with me and I think it will be good words to read for any of you who are mommies of little ones. Sometimes we are all too hard on ourselves. (This story came from a mailing from MOPS - we'll talk about MOPS another day). After you read it, let me know your thoughts.

I think my life began with waking up and loving mother’s face. (George Eliot)

Where’s Mom in the Fun?
Mary Beth Lagerborg, Author of Dwelling
I can remember where I sat in my bedroom to play dolls when I was a child. On the cool wooden floor under the windows I had a little “house” set up, and stored my Nancy Ann doll’s wardrobe in a little trunk that would hold her too. Some of the outfits were purchased from a local hobby store – $1.00 each plus tax. I remember the amount because I used to save up for them. Other outfits I “sewed” from scraps of material. When possible I coerced my little brother to play with his Freddy doll. What are your favorite childhood memories of playing at home? Stop and think about it before you answer the following question: Was your mother in that picture? Based upon answers I’ve heard from other moms, probably not. It’s easy to think that we have to continually engineer our children’s fun. We kick ourselves because we don’t stop often enough to participate in (ensure?) it. But sometimes less is more. We can set the stage for fun (pull out some dress-up clothes, hand a toddler a hose running at a trickle, pull out a couple of books a child hasn’t seen for awhile), and let the child’s imagination run its course. And when we are playing with our kids, as of course we need and want to do sometimes, the best play often comes when we’re sharing with our child something that’s also fun for us. We’re more fun when we’re having fun too!

Prayer From a Mother's Heart
Dear God, develop my child’s imagination.

Rainy Day Slug by Mary Palenick Colborn is a fitting choice for this rainy evening. Fisch likes this book, he seems to be drawn in by the bright illustrations. The writing is a little lame, but Fischer loves to follow the slug as it sneaks into the house and slimes its way along to the cheek of a sleeping boy! EEEWWW!

Book of the day

There's a Mouse About the House by Richard Fowler is a really fun book. It comes with a flat little mouse that you can slide through all of the pages as he sneaks in and out of the rooms looking for food. It is really cute and makes if fun for Fisch to follow along in the story. One really good thing, is that on the back of the book is a pattern for making a new mouse in case you lose yours. VERY GOOD, as our mouse disappears and reappears (usually under the couch) all of the time!

Randomness

• I have found 3 new non-sweet things my little picky-eater will eat. Laughing Cow cheese, edamame, and rice cakes. He is starting to put more new foods into his mouth and chew them, just not swallow. They all come back out - gross!
• Fischer did start saying I love you after I posted about the "no I love you". He must have read my blog!
• I think I may make my "Book of the day" be a weekly book list instead.
• I'll be starting a new feature where I highlight incredible mom tips from my incredible mom-friend, "Inca". She'll be the Dr. Phil to my Oprah! Next week get excited for her incredible book organization tips!
• Tonight I found a website that lists computer games to play with your baby/toddler. I know that any screen-time "may damage their brain", but tonight it was a good change from the norm for everybody. http://www.babygamer.com/
• Fischer, Andy and I have been HUGE fans of Signing Time, today I saw a video of a 17 month old who is READING and the parents attribute it in part to Signing Time! And they say TV rots your brains!?!
• We are the proud parents of a child who now says "shoot", "holy cow", and "holy crap"! Oh, and tonight when Andy asked for another goodnight kiss, Fischer said he'd had "plenty kisses".
• I'm getting my haircut tomorrow. It should be a total transformation! Have you seen those bumper stickers that say "I'm a beautician not a magician"? Well, I NEED the magician!

One of THOSE mornings

Just once, I would like to be able to get out the door in the morning and to my planned destination without saying "It has been one of THOSE mornings!" I don't give myself enough time to get Fisch and I ready, I run around like a chicken with my head cut off getting us both fed, cleaned, dressed and grabbing all of our stuff. I don't even take the time to do my hair, at the last minute I usually remember to feed the dogs... all the while I'm blaming everyone -namely Fischer and the dogs- for making us late! As soon as I think we are ready and we're about to jump in the car, I realize that Fisch is missing a sock and shoe now, or that I can't find my keys or cell phone, or Fisch thinks I need earings or a coat or...or... always a few last minute things. AAAAAHHHHH! I know I'm not the only one with this problem... it just seems that I'm the only one still flustered by the time we arrive wherever we were going! It is not even like we sleep in and so there is not actually enough time. We are always up by 6:15, there is plenty of time... I just waste it! I think the answer to my problem is called: a morning routine and organization! Well, actually, we have a routine: wake up and then spend the next couple of hours laying around in Mommy's bed eating breakfast, reading books, playing games and watching TV.

Book of the day

The Everything Book

By, Denise Fleming

I originally bought this book after re-reading Jim Trelease's Read-Aloud Handbook, looking for good books for babies. It definitely has a little of everything in it - foods, colors, shapes, letters, feelings, numbers etc. I wasn't a big fan of the artwork, but Fischer really liked it and still does. He also likes Fleming's Barnyard Banter.

Pain in the neck

This afternoon, Fischer was in his car seat complaining that his seat belt was too tight and that his neck hurt. Then he says:

"Neck is killing me!"

I couldn't help but laugh because of my recent trapezius injury. I must have said that statement for 2 weeks straight! BUT, that was a few weeks ago AND he never said it until now! It just goes to show you that they hear everything, and they log it away to use at just the right moment. Anyway, then in true-to-Fischer form he scolds his neck:

"Neck, DO NOT killing me!"

Book of the day

Garbage Trucks

by, Terri Degezelle

For those of you who didn't know, Fischer is obsessed with garbage trucks. We have checked out a plethora of garbage truck books and videos from the library. He LOVES them! These are informational books and videos - not cartoons - and he is glued to them! He likes to watch videos of garbage trucks picking up cans and dumpsters on You Tube. He has two giant garbage truck toys (one side-loader and one rear-loader) and a miniature one that he can take wherever he goes! I'm serious, the guy loves his "garby f*cks".

Book of the day

If You Give a Pig a Pancake

Written by, Laura Numeroff Illustrated by, Felicia Bond

I love Laura Numeroff's books. I loved them when I was a teacher, but now I love them because they remind me of Fischer! These fun stories illustrate what life is like with Fisch! He loves the "piggie pancake book". I have yet to introduce him to the rest of our collection, but they are all fun. Look for "If you give a mouse a cookie", "If you give a moose a muffin" and "If you take a mouse to the movies". She also has some good books to give as gifts like "What Grandmas do best", "What Aunts do best", etc. They are cute because when you flip the book over, it tells the story again about Grandpas or Uncles, etc.

Popsicle boy

You know your mom is a nut when she makes you and your friend strip to your diapers and eat popsicles in the bathtub! She has a fear of stains - not dirt and dog hair, just stains!

Inspiration on Sunday

Do It For Me
"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for Me." Matthew 25:40
- - - - - - - - Devotional Thought For The Day - - - - - - -
Someone in need is in front of you. Your resources are limited. You are tired. It's not your fault. It's their problem. You care, but not enough. Someone else will help them.
The King identifies them: "these brothers of mine." You know the King, the Lord Jesus, your Savior! "It is Me," He says! "I am here needing your help, your support, your encouragement." "Do it for Me," He gently urges us.
Think about Jesus when you don't care enough. If it were Him, you would find the resources, the energy. You wouldn't think about fault. You would simply do it, because of what He has done for you! See Jesus, and do it.
- - - - - - - - - Prayer For The Day - - - - - - - -
O Lord Jesus, often I think of You as being in heaven, far from the blood, sweat, and tears of this earthly life. Remind me that You are here always, in all around me. Help me love You, as You have loved me. Amen.

This devotion is from soulstrength.com.

Let's talk about my 18 miles

I ran 18 miles today and it was FABULOUS! I'm not kidding. I ran it in under 4 hours - which is really good for me - AND I was able to keep up with my teammates (speedy little Liz and Kristy) until maybe the last 2 miles. That is HUGE for me! Another fabulous thing is that I feel great. I took a not-so-fun ice bath and am feeling really good, tired, but good! Usually I'm limping around by now because my knee is killing me, but not today!

OK, here is the ONE crummy part: chafing! I have been rubbed raw in areas that are no fun to be rubbed raw in! Please DO NOT picture this in your mind! I wore the same clothes I usually do my long runs in, but today they definitely malfunctioned! I should have used Sport Shield before the run. So now I am hobbling around the house like I just got off a horse! Too much information, I know - I just need to complain. I tried to entertain Fischer for an hour on my bed with books and games so that I wouldn't have to move! After he went to bed, I sat down with a bowl of cereal (dinner of champions), and proceeded to spill it on myself. I was NOT about to get up, so I sat there for 5 minutes (as the milk soaked through my shirt) trying to direct Sophie (my dog) to bring me the towel on the end table. Her vocabulary is apparently pretty poor (I'll have to get her set up on an IEP to work on it)... She was looking everywhere but the end table. She did bring it to me, but the poor thing must have momnesia too because she used to be able to open the fridge and bring Andy a beer!

So now I'm trying to decide if I should soothe my problem with neosporin or Fischer's buttpaste! Let me know if you have experience in this area (not the actual affected area - but on the subject of chafing).

You can thank me for sparing you a picture of the affected area!

Save the World On Saturday

I can't go another day without talking about Team in Training. I have had the pleasure of being part of this exceptional organization over the past 4 or 5 months. Here is how it works:

1. You decide that you'd like to try training for an endurance event - like a marathon, half marathon, triathlon, cycle tour...etc.


2. You feel like you'd like to do your event for a charity.


3. You sign up for Team in Training (TNT) to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS).


4. You meet a bunch of fabulous new friends and coaches who help you train for your event.


5. You raise money for LLS.


6. You come away with the satisfaction of completing a major athletic event, having helped raise money to cure blood cancers, and some really great new friends.


7. Sound fabulous? It is! I DEFINITELY recommend it!

I have thoroughly enjoyed this experience. I have already raised over $2000 and today, I RAN EIGHTEEN MILES! I am training for the Salt Lake Marathon. It is on April 19th. If you'd like to do something like this, click the TNT link above. Let me assure you that I was not in any shape or form an athlete prior to this, and honestly do not have the shape or form of an athlete now! However, I am strong, the human body is amazing, the cause is worthy, and I CAN DO THIS!

If you would not like to joint just yet, it took me 2 years to make the decision, but you'd still like to do your part...click here. You can go to my fundraising page and join my friends, family and other people's friends and family and make a donation. All of the money goes to research for the cure of blood cancers and for patient stipends. Thank you.

Usually, I try to save the world with very little time or money, but this one is worth it!

Book of the day

Gossie

By Olivier Dunrea

"Gossie is a gosling, a small yellow gosling who likes to wear bright red boots everyday!" We love this little goose! Simple and sweet, a definite family favorite. I think all 3 of us can recite the entire book by heart!

Raising Kids Who Care

I just found a fabulous website, http://www.parentingbookmark.com/, for parents of infants on up! It is full of articles and information. I just read and interesting article called "Ten Tips to Help Your Toddler Develop Social Skills" by Dr. Laura Markham. It said that forcing your toddler to share, actually delays the development of sharing skills! What?! Obviously, I have a few things to learn. They really cover all aspects of parenting. Check it out.

Book of the day

No, David!

by, David Shannon

David Shannon has written a series of David books and Fischer LOVES them all. Shannon has modeled this naughty little boy after himself. Let me just say that I can sympathize with his mother! Personally, I think that the character's appearance is a little creepy, but Fischer can't get enough of him!

What was I just going to blog about?

Ok, I have THE worst memory ever. I'm really NOT being dramatic, you can ask anyone who knows me and has had to rely on me to remember ANYTHING! I have a real problem. I have spent a lot of money on memory improvement books, notebooks, calendars, fancy gadget phones, - you name it. I need this tattoo from Fred and Friends! I always write myself a note, but if the note isn't in front of me, I forget that I wrote one!
I do worry about the whole memory thing, but I recently read an article from USA Today called "Babies can cause 'momnesia'". I found the link on goodyblog, it made me feel a little bit better. The article was mostly about moms of new babies, but in the comments section my problem was validated, many moms feel that they are still having trouble once their kids get older. It seems that momnesia stems from a number of things: sleep deprivation, hyper-vigilence, thinking of too many things at once, etc.
Of course, Andy thinks that I need to be going to bed earlier and exercising my brain with research, new skills and Sudoku, to keep my memory on track. What does he know? Now that I have a word for it, I'm perfectly happy buying my to-do tattoo and telling everyone about my newly self-diagnosed 'momnesia". You have to cut me some slack if I have an ACTUAL disorder!
So, if you've been complaining about your Jell-O brain, scatter-brain, flakiness, flightiness, or as my friend Liz calls it: Dora Brain; feel free to jump on board the momnesia wagon. Maybe we can start a support group.

Book of the day

Walter the Farting Dog

Written by William Kotzwinkle and Glenn Murray Illustrated by Audrey Colman

Fisch doesn't know this book yet, but I love it! I first read it to my class when I taught special education. I was a little worried about the "fart" word and thought that they might get carried away... so I waited til the last day of summer school to read it. My assistants and I were laughing, it was really funny! My students, most of whom have autism, did not laugh at all! It was like they found the subject matter to be so completely normal, that it didn't strike them as funny. Everybody passes gas, so what is so funny about a dog doing it? How wonderful not to worry about what other people are thinking (I mean, that is the only reason why gas is embarrassing and funny)!

Now on the other hand, when I taught "typical" second-graders, they were shocked and appalled that their teacher would say "fart" in class, let alone that it would be printed in a book! They were rolling...and they DID get carried away with the sound effects!

The reason I like this book so much is:

• First of all, it reminds me of my own chubby gassy Kaia (part German Shepherd, part tic - little head big body)



• Second of all, it really reaches those boys that aren't really into books or reading. They WANT to hear more books like this, and if you can get them listening to stories, you can get them reading!



• Last of all, the part about other people blaming the dog for their own gas - is priceless. At our house of course, we don't ever have gas... not even our yellow lab, Sophie, ever lets one slip... but poor Kaia - man, she has a REAL problem!
  

PS If Andy ever read this blog, which he doesn't, he'd die! He RARELY speaks on the subject of gas and definitely NEVER uses the "f" word!

Book of the day

It Looked Like Spilt Milk

By Charles G. Shaw

We love the simple text and pictures in this book. Predictable and repetitive - our favorite! The story is about clouds and the different shapes they look like in the sky. When it gets a little warmer, it will be fun to lay out on the grass and look at the clouds with Fisch. How fun to think that this will be a new and novel experience for him!

Curious George hit me!

The strangest thing happened this morning. For no apparent reason, Curious George hit me! Thankfully, Fischer quickly whisked him off to Time Out and made sure that we set the timer for 2 minutes. Afterward, George received a lecture on hitting.

Kid swap!

Can I just tell you that I love that one of my best friends (we'll call her Sheila) has a daughter the same age as Fischer. This is so fabulous because the two kids play well together, learn about and practice sharing together and are starting to converse with each other! BUT the very best part, is that Sheila and I try to swap kids every week. I'll take her daughter to my house to play with Fisch all day, and then later in the week she takes Fisch to play all day! It is FABULOUS! It is a real sanity saver for everyone involved. Here are just a few of the benefits:

1. The moms get a day to ourselves, to do whatever we need/want.
   
2. The kids get to play with their best friend and their friend's toys.
   
3. I get to have a really close relationship with her daughter and she gets to have the same with Fisch. Which means, that is another adult that he can go to if he ever needs help and cannot tell me or Andy. Awesome.
   
4. The kids get a break from their own nagging mom. Their own mom's gross food and their own boring toys.
   
5. There are tons of reasons why this is good, I definitely recommend a regular child swap!

Book of the day

Skippyjon Jones

by Judy Schachner

OK, this is not one of Fischer's favorites yet, but Andy and I think it is really funny. It is about a Siamese cat who thinks he's a Chihuahua. He goes around pretending that he is "el skipito" a hero who tries to save his friends from "banditos". It is best if you try to use your best Cheech and Chong impersonation to read it. It is actually a series, but I haven't had the chance to read the others yet. The recommended age is 4 and up.

Book of the day

The Napping House

Written by Audrey Wood and Illustrated by Don Wood

This husband and wife duo have created some of the most beautiful books. The Napping House has really charming illustrations and a repetitive and predictable text. A definite "must read" at our house. Fischer likes to guess who is going to get on the bed next, and loves reciting the last sentence of each page.

No I love you.

So this weekend Fischer said for the first time "I love you". He has been saying "I you" for months! So you can imagine how heart warming it would be to hear all three words! If only they weren't preceded by "no". Talk about breaking my heart! I say, "Fischer, can I have a kiss?" and he responds with "NO I love you". Then proceeds to repeat it over and over. I know that I'm an adult and that shouldn't hurt my feelings, but OUCH!

The "NO" stage has come in with the age of TWO, I guess. He is now saying:

"no listening" when I ask him to do something

"no eat Fischer's food" if we take a taste to show him how great it is

"DO NOT pour water on Fischer's head" to wash out the shampoo.

"no kissin' " when we want a goodnight kiss or when we want him to kiss his grandmas goodbye

A new stage, how wonderful. At least he can also recognize when he does something wrong:

He'll color on the walls and then say "Do not draw walls" "not good, draw paper!".

After confessing to throwing my garage door opener out the window, he said "Naughty Fischer".

We have to listen carefully to him when he is playing by himself, if we hear "DO NOT, NOT good, naughty, time out, etc" we know we better rush over to see what he is up to!

Book of the day

Thomas and Friends: Look and Find

by S.I. International

Fischer LOVES look and find books. It all started with an old copy of Uncle Matt's Where's Waldo book. Fischer gets a huge kick out of finding Waldo (although, now he has memorized where Waldo is on every page). The Thomas book was a Valentine present from my mom. It is great because it has pictures of all of the things to find on each page. Then there is a list of more things to find in the back. It is easier than Waldo because of the size of the pictures. Waldo has a list in the back too, but it is a little too tough for Fischer right now. These books are great for endless conversations about the pictures and good for concentration. Fischer really studies the pictures when he is looking for something specific. He also loves labeling all of the items in the picture that he finds interesting...making it a good vocabulary activity too! Of course, you can find Look and Find books in all of your favorite characters. Oh, and don't forget the I Spy books!

So this is what Mommy does during naptime!

Save the World On Saturday

Unscrewamerica.org is a campaign to educate the world about replacing your old incandescent lightbulbs with CFL or LED lights. The site is kindof funky, but is FULL of information on the different kind of lightbulbs and the benefits for using them. Besides saving you money, and saving energy, they can help to save the planet. Now, how hard is it to change a light bulb, really? Becuase the bulbs are a bit expensive (although they last about 7 years), we buy a few a month. We are replacing all of our light bulbs, slowly. All of the lights that we use the most have been switched. FYI, the CFL lightbulbs are not very bright for overhead lighting use (like one or two in a fixture to light the whole room). They are better for directional light, like lamps and canned lighting and such. Anyway, check out the sight for info. I didn't realize that CFL bulbs have mercury in them and cannot be thrown away. There are directions for what to do if you break one.

Book of the Day

Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See?

By Mill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle

We LOVE Eric Carle books at our house. We have a bunch! At this age, Fischer's favorites are Panda Bear, Panda Bear; Brown Bear, Brown Bear; Polar Bear, Polar Bear; and my personal favorite: The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

If you are an Eric Carle fan, or are interested in his books, I just watched a wonderful 3 minute video interview with him on Amazon. I have not yet read his new (August 2007) Baby Bear book, but you can bet I will have bought it before the weekend is over!

Also, on March 12, the Eric Carle birthday party kit is coming out. You can pre-order it now for a discount.

Wow, you'd think I was some kind of Amazon sales person. I'm not, I just love good deals on books.