A Few Thoughts I've Had Today

Looks like everyone will be wearing dirty clothes tomorrow since we are out of laundry detergent. Hmmmm...I wonder how long we've been out, it's been awhile since I've done laundry.

How can I turn this situation that is clearly my fault back on Ricky to make it look like it's all his fault?

My daughter is one smart cookie. I am so proud and yet scared all at the same time.

(Today, as I was sternly reprimanding Maia and sending her to time-out for hitting her brother, she leaned into me and said "hug mama." Then she proceeded to give me a hug and a kiss and I completely forgot that I was in the midst of punishing her.)

Story of My Life

Here is a recount of our visit to the doctor's office:

9:30 a.m. - After much bribing, threatening, and chaos the kids and I are headed to Maia's 10:15 doctor's appointment

10:00 a.m. - We have checked in and are in the waiting room

10:01 a.m. - The kids are fighting over the same toy and Maia is hitting Noah.

10:07 a.m. - Noah has half way wet his pants and I am running with both kids to the bathroom.

10:08 a.m. - I have lost sight of Maia. I am sure she is probably licking the toilet in the adjacent stall but I can't see her nor get to her as I am helping Noah so I just tell myself that ignorance is bliss.

10:10 a.m. - Back in the waiting room and I smell a nasty smell.

10:11 a.m. - Again, I gather both kids and their jackets and my purse and we head out to the parking lot to change Maia's poop diaper (I left the diaper bag in the car because I figured Maia was done pooping for the day. I was wrong.)

10:13 a.m. - I am sternly warning Noah to "GET OVER HERE NOW" before he gets smashed by a car in the parking lot all while changing Maia's diaper on the front seat of the car.

10:17 a.m. - We are back in the waiting room and Noah is loudly telling me that he wants the baby that just entered the waiting room to "go home." Why? Oh no reason at all...just to embarrass me I guess. That poor baby's mama must think my kid is so mean.

10:20 a.m. - Maia is crying hysterically because the nurse has called us back and she is having memories of her last doctor's visit when she got 4 shots.

10:30 a.m. - The doctor diagnosis her with a sinus infection and mentions she is going to prescribe her antibiotics. Noah begins to cough dramatically and complain that he "doesn't feel good." (He is jealous that Maia is getting medicine. He wants medicine too.)

10:40 a.m. - Maia is on the floor of the pharmacy in the midst of a full on tantrum because I won't buy the Winnie the Pooh gummy vitamins for her. I am wondering if anyone saw me walk in with her and if I could get away with walking away from her and pretending like I don't know her.

10:42 a.m. - Noah informs me very indiscreetly that he has to "go poop really really bad!"

10:48 a.m. - The three of us are in the stall, Noah is sitting on the toilet whining because he doesn't want the automatic toilet to flush by itself, he wants to push the button but I am in the midst of wiping him and so this is a problem. The whining is getting to me, I am freaking out about Maia opening and closing the little trash can door next to the toilet paper and I am about to pass out from the smell in the stall.

10:55 a.m. - Everyone makes it out alive and disinfected although I am a bit frazzled.

10:57 a.m. - Maia is on the floor of the pharmacy again throwing a tantrum over the gummy vitamins and Noah has disappeared.

10:58 a.m. - Our prescription is ready, I have distracted Maia from her tantrum by getting her to give the lady the money and I spot Noah crawling into one of the bottom shelves which is filled with magazines.

11:00 a.m. - My kids are running through the halls of Kaiser as we make our exit while all the people they pass are shooting me dirty looks. I am sure I heard loud cheers as we left the building.

How Taleah Got Her Groove Back

I used to sing. In fact I grew up singing. I was the lead in musicals at my church and school, was a regular part of the Worship team, I even got paid to sing at weddings. Yup, I used to sing. I really enjoyed it too. However, I slowly began to lose my confidence over the years and then developed severe stage fright and just stopped singing altogether...(well besides to my own babies). I decided to hang up my singing shoes as I felt I really wasn't that good at it after all. Maybe I was like one of those American Idol auditioners who think they are amazing and in reality are horrible, maybe this just wasn't my gift. So, for the past three years I've let that part of my life fizzle even though it brought me so much joy.

A couple of weeks ago, as I was planning my work Christmas Party, a few of the staff members came up with this great idea to surprise everyone at the party by doing an impromptu version of "I Say A Little Prayer For You"...you know "My Best Friend's Wedding" style? We wanted to incorporate people who don't normally sing on stage (I work at a church which is why people normally sing on stage!) to keep the element of surprise and to make it funny. Before I knew what was happening, I semi-suggested that I would sing a part of the song. As the plan began to unfold, I was surprised at how not nervous I was. I knew this was not a performance, it was all just for fun, so there really was nothing to be scared about. However, on the night of the party, I could not eat, I felt nauseous, my hands were frozen, and I could not sit still. This was the first time I'd be singing in front of people in over 3 years! I was a mess and I was only going to be singing 3 lines of the song. My husband had no idea that I would be singing because it was a surprise but I think he thought I was crazy because of how fidgety I was!

Then it came, my cue to sing, I remember feeling like if I was a character on a movie or something and this was the climactic moment, the moment where I needed to prove to myself that I could do this. I stood up, hammed up my part (completely shocking my husband) and sang like if I had nothing to lose.I actually had a lot of fun and decided that if nothing else, at least I had fun and I didn't choke.

However, God brought me more than that. He brought me validation! I don't think I realized how much I missed singing. I forgot how much joy it brought me. I had just resigned myself to the fact that I would never sing again because it really wasn't my gifting. Since that party, I've been on cloud 9. I feel like a part of me that was missing is back and it feels good. It's amazing to me how well God knows each one of us and how He knows what we need even though we don't know we need it.

I've still got insecurity and stage fright to conquer, but I am on my way!

"Only One Got Run Over"

I absolutely love my brother Kelsey. He is a gem, one in a million. Every time I need help with my kids, I can always count on him to come through for me, in fact he watches them every Tuesday night so that Ricky and I can go to our Bible study group. I don't know of many 23 year old guys that who choose to spend their evenings watching a 2 1/2 and a 1 1/2 year old. **Side Note: Girls, he is a catch!

Today, he actually watched my babies all day and again at night so that I could go to my Staff Christmas Party. Here was our conversation as he was leaving this evening...

Me: Thanks Kels, soooo much for watching my kids all day!

Kelsey: Yup! No problem. All day and only one of them got run over.

Me: (Speechless)

Turns out that Noah ran over Maia with his power wheels Jeep... Oh well. She lived... and Kelsey is still wonderful! Thanks Kels!

You Can't Hurry a 2 Year Old

I recently discovered that you can't hurry a 2 year old when he is trying to "take care of business." Recently while eating at "The Fire Restaurant" (Wabi Sabis), Noah informed me that he had to go poop right as our food was being served. Knowing that this is usually a long process, I decided to try to encourage a speedy delivery of the deposit while in the bathroom with him...

Me: Buddy, I need you to hurry up because mommy doesn't want her food to get cold.

Noah: Okay, it's coming.

waiting waiting waiting

Noah: It's not coming.

Me: (Knowing that I'll end up in the bathroom again in two minutes if I let him get up) Well, just relax and sit for a minute.

waiting waiting waiting

Noah: This one flushes by itself mommy?

Me: No, this toilet does not flush by itself. (Getting really impatient) Do you still have to poop? Noah: Yeah.

Me: Well hurry up buddy. Everyone's going to be done eating by the time you go poop!

Noah: Kay.

Noah: The fire is not scary mommy?

Me: No the fire is not scary Noah.

waiting waiting waiting

Noah: Something is bah-dering me back here.

Me: It's just the seat cover. You're fine. Daddy and Maia are going to be done eating and leave without us if you don't hurry! Concentrate on going poop so we can go eat.

He begins to pee

Noah: (Matter of factly) First the pee pee comes then the poop.

He grunts and tries to push

Noah: The poop doesn't want to come out. I don't have to go. We try again later. Your food's cold mommy?

Our food was cold, my husband thought we'd fallen in the toilet and were lost forever, and the server gave us weird looks and rightly so, we'd been in the bathroom for about 15 minutes.

The Worst Santa Picture Ever

I believe that this picture has to go down in history as one of the worst pictures with Santa ever taken! Noah looks like he is high from the smell of reindeer poop and Maia looks like I've just placed her in the lap of a murderer. Good thing this picture was free. Poor Santa!

The Black Hole of Black Friday

Hello my name is Taleah and I am a shopaholic... and I totally blame Black Friday. Last week I did some research online to see what kind of deals really happened on Black Friday. I wanted to know if all the chaos and lack of sleep was really worth it. I soon discovered that the price cuts were quite substantial. However, upon more research, I discovered the deals were available online starting at 12 midnight. So, I stayed awake and then attempted to get all my coveted items online to avoid the crowds and mayhem of Friday morning. However, the Kohls internet site was so jammed that it kept kicking me off and I almost punched my computer. So, I got a couple hours of sleep and then joined the crowds at 4 a.m. I waited in the check out line for an hour and almost passed out but it was totally worth it. As I moved up in the line I kept seeing all these items at incredibly low prices all around the store. If I had gone with a shopping partner I definitely would have bought all of those unnecessary items only because they were on sale! I was too scared that the vicious shoppers would not save my spot in line though so I let those great deals pass me up on my way up to the check out stand. Since I am still a rookie, I only had the energy to hit up one store before I headed home to get back to sleep. But, I did send my husband back out later to take advantage of the deals.
My shopping did not stop there. I had gotten a taste of the thrill of a deal and I just wanted more. As I continued to look online,I found that there were 2 or 3 day sales that continued into Saturday, which I happily took advantage of. Then, I heard about a thing called Cyber Monday! From Friday to Monday of last week all I kept saying was, "Wow, babe. Look at THIS deal! These boots were normally $100.00 on sale for $39.99! I have to get them. That is just too good a deal to pass up!" Ricky thinks I now have a problem but I disagree. I mean helloooooo it's on sale! I know that I spent $25.00 but I saved $15! I try to tell him that if we can't afford gas this month, we will just ride our bikes which has two benefits: we'll be "green" and in shape. And if we cannot afford food because of my excessive sale shopping, then we will just ride our bikes to my parent's house everyday and beg for food. See, I've got it all figured out!