"A is for Antidisestablishmentarianism"

I have two friends with whom I communicate extensively via e-mail. On our most recent marathon e-mail conversation (you know, the kind that has 15 "re:" in the subject line, lol!) I received the following comment from friend Roo:

"I can just see it now, Guinevere, Lance will be 5 years old and you'll be teaching him his alphabet, and it'll be like, "R is for Rhombus."

I won't bore you with the details of how our conversation began as a discussion of where to go out for dinner and ended with unusual shape names, but I thought I'd take it all the way and have some fun.

So here you are. Here is the Alphabet for Advanced Children. (And yes, they are all real words.)

A is for Antidisestablishmentarianism.
B is for Baboonery.
C is for Catatonic.
D is for Diabolical.
E is for Existentialism.
F is for Fortuitous.
G is for Gargantuan.
H is for Hyperthyroidism.
I is for Infinitesimal.
J is for Juxtaposition.
K is for Kleptomaniac.
L is for Lasciviousness.
M is for Malevolent.
N is for Nefarious.
O is for Opulent.
P is for Paradigm.
Q is for Quandary.
R is for Rhombus.
S is for Sadistic.
T is for Tertiary.
U is for Umbillical.
V is for Vivacious.
W is for Whippoorwill.
X is for Xanthochromia (Yes it's a real word.)
Z is for Zanzibar.

Hmm. I hadn't realized that a good portion of my "big-word" vocabulary consisted of words with such negative connotations!! Sadistic. Nefarious. Lasciviousness. Malevolent. Diabolical. LOL! I wonder what a therapist would do with me. (Are you any of you therapists, perchance?)

Evil Vacuum Cleaner!!

My son has decided that the vacuum cleaner is evil and scary.

I don't know where this came from. Only two months ago, he would watch in fascination as I ran the Dirt Devil over the floor. He thought it was the most interesting thing in the world.

Something has changed. Now, when I turn the devil on, he starts screaming. In terror. Real, honest-to-goodness, fear. It's heartbreaking! I can certainly tell a difference between his "I'm cranky and I don't want you to do that" cry and his "Mommy, I'm so scared, PLEASE turn it off!!" cry.

Where did this come from? Has some vacuum trauma occurred that I am unaware of? I certainly doubt it, as I am apparently the only person in the house who knows how to operate a vacuum cleaner. But that's a post for another day.

This morning at 7:00 am (yes, you know you're a mother when you feel the need to vacuum your house at 7 am,) I needed to run the vacuum cleaner because there had already been 3 occurrences of Lance picking up a little bit of something off the carpet and putting it into his mouth. (It's amazing how much garabge comes in on your shoes!! EVEN when you wipe your feet on the mat!) So anyhoo, in an effort to prevent my son from ingesting something that would not be good for him, I tried vacuuming. I thought that if I held him while I vacuumed he might be fine.

Not so much.

Screaming in terror.

Thankfully, Hubby had not yet left for work, so he took Lance back into the bedroom and let him crawl around on our floor while I feverishly vacuumed the rest of the house in 6 1/2 seconds. Well, not really, of course, but Hubby had to be out the door so I couldn't take my time and vacuum nice and slowly like I usually do, to ensure that all the dirt and dust buried deep in the recesses of the carpet gets removed. This quick little vacuum job was only able to lift the visible bits of mess off the floor. Those are the ones I was concerned about anyway! He can't pick up something he can't see now, can he? lol!

I think I got my workout for the day!

Let's hope this fear passes SOON! The last thing I need is yet ANOTHER chore that can only be done while Lance is sleeping. Sigh.

And now, just for a moment, let's all admire the cuteness of my child.

On three now.

One, two, three...

AWWWW!

Weight Loss Challenge: Week 14

YAHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Finally, after a whole month of maintaining my weight, this week I can actually post a LOSS!!!

Not a huge one. Not even a whole pound. I came down a mere .6 pounds from my last report-in.

But still, it's nice to see the numbers going DOWN!!!

I have not been as good with drinking enough water or eating enough fruits and veggies. I will go to the supermarket today and stock up. I love eating fruits and veggies, it's just a matter of keeping them in the house! lol!

Off to go do my Pilates workout! :)

Things I Have Done Today

In case I have a horrible case of memory loss when I get old, I want to place this record of how a day in my life goes.

Sunday, August 12:

2 am. Wake up with screaming baby. Lull him back to sleep. He sleeps for 10 minutes, then wakes up screaming. Repeat process for 1 1/2 hours.

7:00 am. Wake up "for the day" with baby. Hurriedly get dressed to go to church.

8:45 am. Arrive at church. Drop off Lance at nursery. Go to back of sanctuary to rehearse music with band.

10:45 am. Pick up Lance from nursery and drive home.

11:00 am. Lance takes a nap. I take a nap, too.

12:30 pm. Lance wakes up from nap. I wake up, too.

3:30 pm. My dad arrives for a short afternoon visit, en route back to his home after a weekend of scuba diving.

5:30 pm. Hubby and Lance go off to Bible Study. I play hooky and stay home alone.

6:00-9:30 pm. Do Pilates workout DVD. Finish last 4 chapters of novel. Learn two new guitar chords.

10:00pm. Hubby and Lance are home. Hubby goes to grocery store, I feed Lance and put him to bed.


Not a bad day, all in all!

Sisterhood of the Shopping Mommies

There is a sisterhood. A bond between stay-at-home moms and weekend shoppers. Instead of shopping bags, we carry diaper bags. (Sometimes both.)

I was at the mall this week. I was on a mission. I had a very particular task to accomplish. As I looked about me, I realized that I belonged to a sisterhood. A sorority of sorts. We don't have a name and the only "ritual" to initiate one into membership is giving birth.

The Sisterhood of the Shopping Mommies.

We don't need to speak to recognize each other. There is no secret handshake or code word, just the exchanged glances of two women both pushing strollers making way for each other to get through the aisles.

Because of course, the people who design stores don't think about things like strollers when planning the layout of the store.

They certainly don't think about those rare occurences when two women with strollers are trying to get down the same aisle.

So it's up to us. The Shopping Mommies. We have unwritten rules. If the other mommy has more children than you, she gets to go past first. If you're about to have a head-on collision with another stroller, each mommy must keep to the right, creating "lanes" as it were. If a mommy is pushing a newborn in a stroller, carrying an older baby on her back in a wrap and leading a toddler by the hand and then proceeds to drop the item she is looking at, it is YOUR job to pick it up for her and give her a smile of sympathy. Unless, of course, you are also pushing a stroller, have TWO babies on your back and are leading a toddler and a seeing-eye dog. Then the poor gal is on her own.

Also, if you have better gear than the mommy who is in the aisle next to you, don't flaunt it. It's not nice. The size of the diaper bag doesn't matter!! (Of course, if you happen to notice that your gear IS better, it's OK to indulge yourself in a smug little smile when the other mommy isn't looking.)

And for goodness sake, when it's time for the Shopping Mommy to leave the mall and make the trek back to the car, hold the door open for her!!!! I can't tell you how many times I've pushed open a heavy department store door with my foot, pushed the stroller through it and let go, letting it roll a bit so I could get through with my bags, hoping the door wouldn't close on me and separate me from my precious cargo. I also can't tell you how many times I've done this with someone standing nearby with only a purse and a single shopping bag, just staring at me.

Thank God for the Sisterhood.

First Tooth!!

Wednesday, August 8, 2007: Lance's first tooth appeared. It's about time!!!

What to do, what to do???

Having a dilemma of sorts.

Do I take the part-time teaching job I've been offered? Do I leave Lance with babysitters? The ladies I've lined up are wonderful, dear, friends of mine. I feel like I'm imposing on them. "Here, you watch my child so I can go out and earn money." I'm making so little money at the job that to pay them the going rate for babysitting would be more than my salary. (That's so wrong, by the way, that babysitters get paid MORE than teachers!! But I digress. That's a subject for another post!) Perhaps I can take them out to lunch instead of paying them? Hmm, by the time I pay for lunch for each of us each day, I may as well have paid them the going rate for babysitting, so my whole paycheck would go to the restaurants. Why bother with that?

Do I need to work now, anyway? What is my motivation? We've been living on hubby's salary just fine, what's another year going to matter? In another year, Lance can go into preschool too. He could go to the preschool I teach in, which would be free!

A little extra money would be helpful, sure, but at what expense? I have the rest of my life to work, but Lance will only be a baby for a little while longer. Teaching jobs will ALWAYS be available.

I've been praying and praying, and I just keep going back and forth about whether or not this is God's will for me. If it was God's will, wouldn't I know it deep down inside? I usually do. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I was supposed to marry my husband. I knew that it was God's will for me to continue in a church music ministry that I was *very* frustrated with for awhile. My flesh wanted to quit, but I knew God put me there, so I stayed, and now I'm grateful for that. When God called me to go to Tanzania on a mission trip, there was no going back and forth. It was clear what I was supposed to do.

This job? Not so clear. One day I think it's a great idea. The next day, not so much. Would this job be fun? Oh yeah. I'd have a great time! Am I just trying to "run away" from my responsibilities as a mother? If I was honest with myself, yes, a little bit. How heavenly would it be for a few hours a day to not be "mommy." A few hours without diapers and spit-up. But then, I'll be teaching 2, 3, and 4 year olds. I'll be "mommy" to a whole class full of kids.

Shouldn't I spend my time raising MY son and not somebody else's??? When he's old enough for school, then I can go and raise other people's children.

I need to make a decision soon. The preschool director would need time to find somebody else if I don't take it.

School starts in 3 weeks. I would be putting her in a horrible position if I backed out on her now. But what is more important? Her convenience, or that I do what I am supposed to do??????

Oh, the confusion.

Weight Loss Challenge: Week 12

It's been several weeks since I've reported in.

Well, I'm back in the game now. This was a crazy month, with hubby being out of the country and me being out of town as well.

Isn't it crazy how EASY it is to get out of good habits??

Well, I'm happy to report that while I have not lost any weight since my last weigh-in, neither have I gained. All right! That means I don't have to re-lose any pounds this time!

To help myself get back on track, I have planned out meals to cook for the week, and I purchased a Pilates DVD that I had previously borrowed from the library and really enjoyed.

Starting weight: 157
Last reported weight: 153
Today's weight: 153

It's slow going, but I refuse to give up!!!

And I Danced Him To Sleep

Lance was so sleepy. The eyes were drooping, mouth opening wide in gigantic baby-yawns, and he was squirming in that way sleepy babies have. Too awake to settle down, too sleepy to settle down. You know the stuff.

I rocked him. It didn't work.

I bounced him on my knee. It didn't work.

I put him in his crib and turned on his lullabye CD. Didn't work.

I lifted him out of the crib, held him close, and started to dance him to sleep. We swayed together in the middle of the nursery to the beautiful music of...my singing voice. :) We sang "Hushabye Mountain" from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, "Stay Awake" from Mary Poppins, "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" from Cinderella, and "There's Always Tomorrow" from Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer.

Am I the only woman in the world who takes her lullabyes from children's movies? I've only got a couple that come from actual music artists, and even those were given to me from friends.

But I digress.

It was so sweet, dancing my small boy to sleep. Sleep has been a bit of an issue around here lately, what with Hubby being gone (he's back now, yay!) and working late nights and band practice and bible study. The little guy has had a hard time getting back on his routine.

Hubby was working late so it was once again up to me to get him to sleep. This is usually a challenge for me, since it's usually Hubby who puts Lance to sleep, so that's what he's used to. I had gotten quite depressed and down on myself, thinking that I was a bad mother because I couldn't get my baby to sleep. After all, oughtn't a mother to be able to get her child to sleep? I was dreading the next hour or so, knowing that it would take me that long. I was surprised.

The little guy was sleepy.

And I danced him to sleep.

10 Reasons Why I Have Not Been Good At Blogging This Week

1. Hubby was out of the country, leaving me and Lance alone for a week and a half.

2. I spent a good portion of that week and a half at my parent's house, and their internet was on the fritz each time I tried to get online and blog.

3. Lance decided that since Daddy wasn't home to put him to sleep at night that he would just cry. And cry. A lot. And once he fell asleep every night, he would wake up. Multiple times. Just to see if Daddy was home yet.

4. Daddy wasn't home yet.

5. Hubby arrived home on Sunday afternoon. Yay! Daddy put Lance to sleep and all was well with the world again.

6. On Monday (today,) Hubby had to stay at work late because the computers decided to crash. 20 of them. At the same time. And he had to rebuild them. As I type this, he is still rebuilding them. (11:30 p.m.)

7. So once again, Lance was waiting for Daddy to come home to put him to sleep. The little guy is so confused. When he gets confused, he gets loud and just won't go to sleep. Until he is so exhausted that he literally has to scream himself to sleep.

8. Now it's late and Daddy still isn't home. Mommy is exhausted. She wants to read all her friend's blogs but she's just too tired.

9. Mommy isn't mad at Daddy because it's not Daddy's fault that his grandfather passed away and he had to go out of the country, and it's not Daddy's fault that the computers broke tonight, and it's not Daddy's fault that Lance only likes Daddy to put him to sleep.

10. But Mommy IS mad. She just doesn't know who or what to be mad at.

So that's why she hasn't been great at blogging this past week.

It's a Good Thing I'm Not Afraid of Spiders...

...because last night as I was walking through the house turning out the lights, there was a brown spider on the wall right behind the switch for the lamp. It was the last lamp of the night. All the other lights were out. Lance was asleep, I had finally gotten the kitchen in some semblance of cleanliness and put his toys away and was eagerly heading to bed. As I switched off the last lamp in the dining room on my way to the bedroom, there it was.

A little brown spider. He was just a little guy, not even an inch long.

(Remember, I'm home by myself because hubby is out of the country attending his grandfather's funeral. It's just me and Lance. No strong protector man to kill spiders and get things off the top shelf for me.)

And I remembered.

I was in high school. In the hallway outside of the band room. Band kids were wandering around in various stages of undress, some with uniforms half on and half off, hats hanging down their back, undershirts and boxers poking out, instruments casually tossed about in an effort to GET THE HECK OUT OF THE HOT BAND ROOM AND OUT FOR BURGERS after the football game.

There was a teeny, tiny, barely visible spider.

Clarinet player Tiffany saw it. She shrieked. The sea of band kids in various stages of undress parted, allowing her a clear path to run to the door and out of the building.

And I laughed.

I laughed a lot.

It was just a little spider. This girl was freaking out. It was ridiculous.

Then last night, a similar spider was on my wall. I remembered Tiffany and smiled, grateful that I'm not afraid of spiders.

Popsicles and Planes

Wow. I haven't written a *real* blog post in a long time.

I wish I could say that I've been busy doing exciting and adventurous things, like parasailing or going for hot air balloon rides.

But I haven't. I've just been busy being a mom. Can I hear an amen??

* * * * * * *

I just love it when little things make me happy.

Last night, I shared a popsicle with Lance. It was so wonderful! Hubby was sitting on the couch, watching TV and eating popsicles. Lance was playing on the floor, watching intently. So, Hubby let him have a taste. The little guy just LOVED it! After Hubby took it out of Lance's mouth, Lance looked Hubby straight in the eye, and very plainly instructed him to give the popsicle back. He did this by opening his mouth wide open, looking very much like a baby bird awaiting a worm from it's mother.

I was literally rolling on the floor laughing at this. There Lance was, sitting on Hubby's lap, and though his communication was entirely non-verbal, we both plainly knew what he wanted. So, Hubby decided to let me feed Lance the rest of the popsicle and he went and got another one.

So we did. I held Lance and we took turns licking the popsicle. (I'm sure some of you think that is gross. Of all the bodily fluids that a mother and baby share, I seriously doubt that the saliva exchanged in the sharing of a popsicle is in any way significant.) It was so sweet!!

I discovered something else, too. Popsicles are great for teething babies. I'm going to find some of the 100% fruit bars to keep for him. He can't choke on the popsicle because even if he manages to "gum" off a little piece, it'll melt before causing any harm. Maybe some discomfort, but he won't choke, and he seems to love the coldness of it.

* * * * *

Hubby is currently on a plane. Over the Atlantic Ocean. His grandfather passed away yesterday morning, and he is on his way to South Africa for the funeral now. (Hubby is from South Africa. He came to the US in 2001 and hasn't been back to see his family until now.) While the reason for his trip is sad, he is very happy to go see everyone. I wish Lance and I could go with him, but we don't have a passport for Lance. Isn't it just ridiculous that babies need to have a passport??!! Seriously, what kind of security threat is a 7-month old????? I'm glad I don't work for the government.

It'll just be Lance and me for the next week and a half. Well, not totally. I'll be going to spend a week with my parents and sister. This will be the first time Hubby and I have been apart since Lance was born. I'm glad this didn't happen sooner, because in those early days I could barely get through the day on my own and I eagerly watched the clock until Hubby arrived home. He couldn't dare work late, let alone be away overnight! Now I know that I can handle Lance by myself, but it'll be a little creepy to be alone in the apartment.

Please pray for safe travel for Hubby, and also protection while he is in South Africa. I hear that the crime is getting much worse, and Hubby's mom's house was recently broken into. I'm a little nervous with him being over there, but it *is* his home country and I know he can handle himself. I just hate the thought that if something were to happen, I'm half a world away! So pray for me, too, please!

* * * * * *

Tomorrow is party time!! Woohoo!!!! Damselfly had the brilliant idea of hosting a "swap party" in which the attendees bring items from their home that they no longer want. It'll be like a big yard sale but everything's free. Isn't that a great idea? I'm bringing some clothes that will no longer fit me, a set of candle holders that don't match my home's decor, some very tacky plastic Christmas plates, and some earrings that I can't wear. (Because I don't have pierced ears. Because apparently my body is allergic to earrings. Because this is the second time I have attempted to have pierced ears, and both times the infection never went away and the darn things just grew back.) Hopefully I will return home with some treasures!!

Have a great night everyone!

Note To Self

Sorry this is going to be a short post- just making a quick note to myself so I won't forget.

Thursday, July 5th, evening: Lance crawls for the first time!!

Friday, July 6th, late afternoon: Lance stands up in his playpen.

Hang on, it's gonna be a wild ride!

Terrific Tuesday

OK, I've got quite a few things to write about on this Tuesday. Let's begin!

* * * * * * * *

Weight Loss Challenge: Week 8

I lost a pound this week!! ALL RIGHT!! However, you'll notice that my weight has actually gone UP since last week. Well, it went up, but went down again, so although I have a net gain for the week, I successfully lost one pound from my highest weight of the week until this morning. I refuse to be disappointed that my weight is higher than last week. Instead, I choose to congratulate myself on losing that pound! (I wonder just how many times I've lost that particular pound? Is it just me, or is this whole weight-loss thing a gigantic game of "two steps forward, one step back?") I'm choosing to look at the positive side of things! I would image those four pina coladas from last weekend contributed to the gain, but then Saturday, Sunday, and Monday I worked extra hard and took that pound right off again. So here are the numbers thus far:

Starting weight: 157
Last week: 152.6
Today: 153

Here's hoping for better self control this week!

* * * * * * * *

I am honored to be the recipient of the Rockin' Girl Blogger award! Thanks, Damselfly!

Hm. Who can I pass this on to?

1. Jessica at Don't Give Him Crackers! She rocks because she gives great tips for things like saving money at CVS and Target without sounding like she's writing an advertisement for them!

Side note: I'm getting real tired of reading blogs that have become gigantic advertisements for products. If you find a great product, sure, share it with us, but come on! I read blogs for the wit and brilliance of my fellow mothers. I want to read their stories and share in their experiences. I want to glean from the wisdom and mistakes of others, and know that I'm not alone in this journey called Motherhood! If I want a product review, I'll go to ePinions.com

Wow. I went totally off-topic there. Oh well, it's my blog and I can digress if I want to! hee hee!

2. Anne at Life in the Ketchup Bottle. How can you NOT rock if you live in a ketchup bottle??!! (Anne, I saw a t-shirt the other day and thought of you...it was a red shirt and said, "I put ketchup on my ketchup." LOL!)

3. Susan at Learning For A Lifetime. She is a teacher, and all teachers rock. Well, not all of them, I've had some pretty bad ones, but being in training to become a teacher and the experiences I have gained from my field studies have given me a MUCH greater appreciation of all my teachers, even the bad ones. Anyway, Susan writes about a plethora of things including her faith, her family, and she always is reading a good book that she's happy to share with us!

This is a caveat to my earlier "I don't like product review blogs." One of the FEW exceptions to this is book reviews. Susan often shares books she has read, and since the title of her blog is "learning for a lifetime," book reviews fit in with her "theme."

4. Horseymama at A Day in the Life of a Stay At Home Mom. She's a real-life friend of mine, and she just rocks!

5. Kelli at Holding the Mirror Up To My Soul. This gal was blogging within DAYS of having her little baby! I was impressed. It took me a couple of months to get back into the swing of things! Her little guy is four months old now. You rock, Kelli!


Those of you who have won the award, please find the "Rockin Girl Blogger" button on my sidebar. It's not a functioning button because the day I received the award from Damselfly, I had a devil of a time trying to snag the code to post it, so I did what any honest person would do. I right-clicked the image on her blog, saved it to my computer, and then posted it as a picture. Since I don't have the code, I can't provide it to you, but I'm happy to let you "lift" your award from my sidebar! (There are a lot of people who have this award already, if you find the code from somewhere else, you could snag it there, too!)

Crouching Mama, Sleeping Baby

It's official.

I'm loony.

Nuts.

Desperate, perhaps.

Yesterday, while settling my precious young man-child to sleep in his crib, POP open his eyes went! I quickly dropped to all fours by the side of his crib thinking that maybe just maybe he wouldn't see me and would go back to sleep.

There on the floor I hovered, breathing as silently as I could and trying very hard not to shift my weight not even by an ounce lest the floor creak beneath me.

I felt like I was in a scene from Mission Impossible. I heard the theme music in my head as stealthily I remained in my crouched down pose.

Crouching Mama, Sleeping Baby.

It was yet another episode of Baby Recon. I find myself doing this frequently.

Breathlessly I remained, awaiting the telltale sign of a sleeping baby: silence in the room. As I heard his tiny body settle in amongst the crib linens, I let out a slow, long, breath. Sleep had come.

I didn't dare stand up and risk awaking the small babe. I crawled across the room, down on my hands and knees, and gingerly pressed the "on" button on the baby monitor. Once safely outside the nursery, I slowly stood up and pulled the door shut.

Oh, sweet relief.

Do you like pina coladas? And going out in the rain...

*Warning: if you are against drinking, you may find this post offensive. I don't want to alienate anyone. Proceed with caution!*


I had a great night last night.

A great night.

Want to know why?

Pina coladas.

My husband is a champion pina colada maker. Nothing better to help an exhausted mommy unwind then one or two (or 4...yikes!) pina coladas.

We had friends C and K over for dinner last night along with their two daughters A and A. (We'll call them A1 and A2 so as not to be confusing.) We had a feast planned! A delicious appetizer of chili-cheese dip and chips, followed by steak and chicken on the grill, corn on the cob, salad, and double-baked potatos. The perfect summer meal.

And pina coladas.

C and I sipped them right when they arrived. We sipped some more while the men went outside to do manly BBQ-ish things at the grill. (That sounds dirty. Tee hee!) We sipped them with dinner, and we sipped them after dinner.

Before we knew it, C and I had each "sipped" 4 pina coladas. Our hubbies, quite brilliantly, remained sober in order that the children wouldn't go unsupervised. Such good men! Such presence of mind! (Lance was asleep by this time and A1 was starting to drift off. I don't want anyone to think we were getting trashed and not paying attention to the kids!)

This is unusual behavior for both of us. Our husbands were quite happy to let us get ourselves dizzy. Such great men they are! There we were, the two of us sipping pina coladas and giggling like schoolgirls.

I won't lie. We enjoyed it.

This morning though? Not so hot. Not horrible, but not so hot.

Do I have a point to this post? Just to say that every once in awhile, it's great to unwind, let your hair down, and relax. And if you're going to drink 4 pina coladas, you might as well do it with your friends from church!!

Suggestions, Tips, and Ideas Welcome!

Good morning!

As I mentioned before, Lance has learned to sit up.

Yesterday, I discovered that not only can he pull himself to a sitting position, but when he is placed in his crib, he can pull himself to a kneeling position, pulling up on the crib rails. There was silence in the nursery, I was sure the little guy was asleep. Nope! He was grinning at something in the room as he gingerly peeked over the side of the crib, up on his knees.

So how do we teach the little guy to get himself to sleep in his crib if he just starts playing?

Should I instead be grateful that I can put him in there and he can entertain himself for awhile, giving me a few minutes of peace and quiet?

Is it just a novelty and something he'll stop doing after awhile?

Usually, when he gets sleepy I can put him in his crib, he'll fuss for a few minutes, but then drift off to sleep. Now, instead of fussing, he sits up and starts playing with his teddy bear mobile.

What new and interesting challenges motherhood constantly presents! Just when I think I've finally got something figured out and begin to settle into a little bit of normalcy, Lance learns how to do something new which throws everything off! I'm glad that he's learning to do new things, I just wish he would wait for his mama to catch up!

Things That Make Me Happy (and a contest!)

I've been reflecting on things that make me happy. It's easy to get caught up in mommy-hood, and when you're a very tired mommy, sometimes it's also easy to overlook the happy things. So here is my list of things that make me happy.

1. Spending the afternoon at the swimming pool with friends
2. Brownies
3. Bear hugs from my husband
4. My son's giggle
5. The soft fragrance of my scented candle, and getting lost in thought as I gaze into the flame of the burning wick.
6. Reruns of favorite TV shows
7. Getting my carpet cleaned. For free. (We renewed our apartment lease for another year, getting us free carpet cleaning! Bonus!!)
8. Enjoying an evening of a clutter-free home because it's all stashed away in the closets because I had to move everything off the carpets so they could get cleaned. For free.
9. Did I mention my free carpet cleaning?
10. Oh! Also free shoes! A friend bought a pair of shoes that she ended up not liking and gave them to me.
11. Free stuff is great.

Speaking of free stuff, here's info to a contest I've just entered. Enjoy!

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Wow, it seems that contests and giveaways are abounding in the world of Mommy-Bloggerhood.

I don't enter them often, but this one sounded good to me! A Solarveil Ring Sling which is made of a fabric that keeps the mama (and baby!) cool in the sun and protects from harmful UVA and UVB rays. Who wouldn't want one of these?

To enter the contest, go visit Steph.

To view the sling being given away, go check out KimzKreations.

I've been carrying Lancelot in a pouch sling that I just adore, but I have to admit I'm getting a little bored with it, and in this south Florida summer heat, it's just about unbearable to carry him in it. This sling sounds like a great solution to both problems!

Weight Loss Challenge: Week 7

YAHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

I lost most of the weight I put on the last two weeks! Go me!!

Starting: 157
Last week: 154.2
Today: 152.6

Total loss: 4.4 pounds!!!

Something New

Lance did something new today!

From lying down, on his back, he sat himself up without help from us. (Well, we held his feet down, but he used his own strength to get himself sitting up!)

Funny how things like this get us moms excited. :) Happy Sunday!