Super Duper Bad

Let me set the scene for you, m'kay.

6:45 - Olivia's wake up time
I tell her, nicely, time to get up. Repeat 4 to 5 times. Then enter the ripping away of covers from her fetal positioned body.

After this wake up call, Olivia is usually a pretty good sport. We have had no issues with the whole "not wanting to go to school" routine at all ---- prior to Christmas break. There were a couple of times she was legitimately sick: fevers, vomitting, etc...

Post Christmas Break - our morning routine:

6:45 - Olivia's wake up time
I tell her, nicely, time to get up. Repeat 4 to 5 times. Then enter the ripping away of covers from her fetal positioned body.
Olivia promptly says "My belly hurts super duper bad".

However, it is really hard to tell if a stomach actually hurts if there are no symptoms. Tell me, is this knowledge in-born in children? Does she know that I have no way of verifying the legitimacy of a stomach ache?

I venture to say this is all probably true. Since school started back up January 4th, I have heard this complaint SEVERAL times in the morning each day of the week. Primarily, on Mondays. Now I have been known to have a "case of the Mondays" myself every now & again. So, I can't really blame a girl for trying.

But this is wearing out my patience. I caved twice, & she has stayed home from school. We have sat her down & told her about the importance of her attending school. We have tried the whole, you are going to miss out on fun. Your friends will miss you if you don't go.

Once she is at school, she is fine. I haven't received even 1 phone call from the school saying she is sick. So I think the getting there is the hardest part for her. Anybody out there have any tips for me???

how does this happen

Would you be able to sleep like this?

as seen...

in our bathroom...
proof that I am the only one who will actually change the toilet paper roll.

and proof that Olivia loves me.

What doesn't everyone write "Mom" with a heart using bendaroos right beside the toilet?

TGIF & The "Winter Blues"

Can I get WOOT WOOT!

I am so unbelievably happy that Friday has finally arrived. Seriously, this week was quite possibly the loooooooongest week of my life ever. I think it is the dreary, damp, foggy, non-sunshiney weather we have had all week. It's absolutely miserable outside. I worry that I may have forgotten what the sun looks like. Everything is wet. I hate that. It has been somewhat foggy all day every day for over a week now. But hey, at least the temperature has gone up enough to start melting some of the snow & ice that accumulated in the recent weeks.

Lets talk for a minute about how weather effects people's moods, shall we. I found this little gem of information on wikipedia.

* Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), also known as winter depression or winter blues, is a mood disorder in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year experience depressive symptoms in the winter or, less frequently, in the summer, spring or autumn, repeatedly, year after year. *

Do we think this is the real deal? I am pretty sure that the love of my life has been suffering from this since we have been married. Every single winter it is the same thing. I think he does have the "winter blues" but his is because he is unable to do some of the things he loves this time of year. There is literally nothing he can do to prep for farming during the winter. I think that really bugs him. He is stuck inside & that really bugs him. He is an outdoor boy. I love him with all of my heart, but he is driving me crazy!!! On the real people, he is unhappy that he cannot be outside fartin around doing all of the things he does all spring summer & fall. Every winter with him drives me farther & farther to brink of insanity.

I have lived in central Illinois my entire life. Jarrett has not, but he has spent over half of his life here. Why do I bring this up, well let me tell you. The man always seems suprised by the weather. Let's face it, it's January in Illinois - the weather is going to suck. It's going to be cold. It's going to snow & get icy. Do we really need to dwell on the fact. Am I fan of said weather? Absolutely not. I would be happy as a clam if the temperature stayed at around 60 - 70 degrees year round. I don't like it too hot, and I don't like it too cold. Does this mean I am going to constantly (pardon my French) piss & moan about winter weather? No... well, definitely not constantly.

Here is our current forecast, courtesy of my favorite meteorologist Greg Trumbold & the lovely staff at WAND TV.
49 tomorrow. 49! I am pretty excited about that. Even though it is going to rain, I will take 45 over 4 or 5 any day of the week! And if we all keep our fingers crossed maybe we will get to see that big yellow thing in the sky some on Tuesday. A girl can hope...

Now onto me. I blame Jarrett for passing along some of his "winter blues" to me. I admit that I have been in somewhat of a funk lately. For example, I took down the Christmas decor on New Years Day, and since then my house feels empty & bare. But at the same time, it feels way to small for our family. It is driving me insane. I spend a lot of time thinking about how to improve our house or how to change things around to give us the best use of the space we do have. I see my "winter blues" as a productive thing. I am trying to make the best of what we have. I guess having all of us be shut up in the house all the time makes our little 2 bedroom house a little bit claustrophobic for me. But I am making the best of it. I am rearranging & sorting & getting rid of things we don't need.

Anybody else feeling the "winter blues"? Or is it just within the confines of the Totten house?

Somebody call A&E...

...because I think I need an Intervention!

I cannot stop watching or reading anything about Jersey Shore.

What is wrong with me??? I am not some little teeny-bopper any more. I am a 28 year old woman who has been married for over 7 years & a mother of 2 children. I don't enjoy the "club scene". Heck, I have never even been on the "club scene". (Unless of course the Clinton Eagles Club counts. Which I doubt it does.) I didn't even know that "creep" could be used as a verb or what it even meant until I started my little addiction to the show. I just can't stop myself.

I catch myself saying things like "GTL Baby, GTL". Which for non-Jersey Shore fans who are not well versed in Guido speak, stands for Gym Tanning Laundry. This is Mike 'The Situation' & Pauly D's daily routine. And I love all of the fist pumping action when they go out to the clubs. It's hilarious!

Part of me cannot believe I am acutally admitting this, but I even feel somewhat of a special connection to these kids because I have actually been to Seaside Heights on the Jersey Shore. (Jarrett & I went there once when we were dating. Of course, we didn't hit the club scene at all. We have never been that exciting!) But I have found myself actually considering a trip to New Jersey with one of my BFF's Erin because she is as equally obsessed with the show as I am.

The season finale is tonight. And immediately following the finale is The Reunion Special. I LOVE THOSE!!! I can't wait for all of the drama to be revisited. I am a little bit sad that it is going to be over. But God bless the people at MTV for running re-run after re-run after re-run of the show.

That is all for now.

eczema sucks itches

Tis the season for eczema...or so I am told. And my poor little girl has it...bad!

(Warning: This may not be real interesting reading. I just want to put it all down here so I can go back & look at this once she is better.)

Rachel's eczema is out of control. I hate it. And I know she hates it. I even took her to the Dr yesterday morning hoping they would refer her to a dermatologist that could maybe give her some relief. However, they want to try a few more "at home" treatments before they go the prescription steroid route. Since they don't know what truly causes eczema, its really just a crap-shoot on how to treat. What we need to do is make her comfortable. And at the time being, I can safely say, she isn't all that comfortable. At least, that is the sum of what I got out of the appointment yesterday. I feel pulled in 2 directions about this.


#1) I want to be her advocate in this. After all, I am the one putting creams/lotions/ointments/salves on her raw scratched up legs every single day. I am the one who gives her a bath only to have her scream & say "no Mama" repeatedly. I want the Dr's to just "fix" her. I don't want her to continue to have this problem every single year. I want her to have that soft, smooth baby skin again. But now it's all rough & tough. Sometimes it doesn't even feel like skin, it feels like shoe leather. I know she is in pain & I know it really really bothers her. I want it to just go away. I want to tell the Drs "I think we have tried it all (even though I know we haven't literally tried it all) can you just give us something to make it stop altogether."

#2) I want to trust the Dr's judgement. They have gone to medical school & all. I have not. They have treated several patients in their careers. I have not. They think "at home" treatment by changing soaps/creams etc...will make this more managable. I just want it to go away.

In a nutshell, here is the game plan:

* Concoct our own cream by mixing Aquaphor ointment & Aveeno lotion. This needs to be applied 10 times a day.

* Luke-warm baths for no longer than 10 minutes at a time & only every other day. As soon as she is out of the bath, pat dry & immediately apply the cream. Use a soap substitute; put this powdery stuff on her before the bath & only have her in there long enough to get the stuff lathered up & rinsed off. Wash her hair in the sink so the shampoo doesn't cause more irritation. (ummm...not so sure if this will work on a squirmy little 2 year old, but I will give it a go.)

* Avoid clothes that will make her too hot or warm because that will cause a "flare up".

* Use Hydrocortisone cream 1 time a day (already tried that & it made it worse).

* Keep her fingernails trimmed diligently. This I have been doing for some time & I will definitely keep up with that.

I did my best yesteday. I applied said cream at least 4 times yesterday. And I gave Day Care a supply to be slathered on after each diaper changing. However, I feel like I may have set her back some. I put her in her flannel jammies to sleep. It was cold last night & I felt chilly in our house. But, I think she got too hot in the night because she woke up crying & scratching like crazy. (Note to self: don't put her in flannel jammies to sleep.)

So, we will continue Rachel's battle with eczema. And I want to be able to say "I have full confidence this is going to do the trick" but I am cynical. We did however get some good news. Most eczema in babies/toddlers will go away with time. Most out grow it by the time they are 5 or 6. I will keep my fingers crossed.

Carrot-licious

No school yesterday for MLK Day. And I love the day care because they always plan fun activities for school age kids when they are off school. As of Friday last week, there was a flyer that simply said "Field Trip & Activities Planned for Monday, Jan 18th". Nothing too specific, but Olivia was super excited anyway. She always has a blast, they have gone bowling before & always go eat somewhere. So she was pretty stoked about the day.

I had to work late night (til 6:15) so when I got home around 7:00 I was really looking forward to hearing about her day. First of all, I have to say how much fun it is to go home to my 2 girls at night. They had already had dinner; Daddy cooked Happy Meals. And they were so genuinely excited to see me. I could hear the squeals of excitement when I was walking up the porch. I get inside & I was immediately hugged, kissed, & jumped on. I. LOVE. IT. Makes me smile every single day!

This is our conversation last night...

me: What did you guys end up doing today?

Olivia: We went to Grandfather's Pizza. It was soooo yummy!

me: Oh you mean Godfather's Pizza.

Olivia: No it's Grandfather's. I remember because I asked Ernie "who's grandpa works here?"

Jarrett to me: I tried correcting her 3 times too. She says Grandfather's

me: So the pizza was good? What kind did you have?

Olivia: It was so awesome. I got to put carrots on my pizza from the salad bar. I made it carrot-licious.

me: laughing, laughing, laughing. Carrots huh?

Olivia: Carrots are nutritious & pizza makes them spicey. Mama Mia!

SHE. IS. CRAZY.

Mama's Day Out

Refreshed {sigh}

That is what I am hoping to come out of today feeling like...refreshed.

I know I am going to be. I have to make time for myself. I have to start taking care of myself. I need to do this to clear my head & step back. Although, I am no longer a fan of Kate Gosselin, I will quote her anyways "it makes you a better mommy".

Today my bestie Laura, Nina, & I are going for pedicures & lunch. It will be so relaxing. Adult conversation on the weekend, what a rare treat! We are going to bid our farewell's to Nina since she is moving to Indiana at the end of the month.

But I have a sparking little tinge of guilt about taking time away from my kiddos on the weekends when I am already away from them so much during the week. But, I know it is for my own sanity. And it will be super fun!

morning fail

"Hey, how did the morning go?"

That is what my husband asks me every morning on my drive to work.

Today, the answer "not so good."

I set my alarm for a 5:30 wake up call, every day. I must have been half asleep when I did this last night because it went off at 6:30. [FAIL]

I am showered, dressed, & ready to start my day by the time I wake Olivia up at 6:45. Thanks to my delayed awakening today, I didn't get out of the shower until close to 6:45. [FAIL]

I keep my calm, and try not to make the mornings stressful for anyone. But today I was a frantic lunatic "Olivia get up, we slept late!" "You cannot miss the bus!" "Get your clothes on!" [FAIL]

Olivia was up & ready in time for the bus. However, the bit of a warm-ish weather melted some of the snow on her path to the bus. But it refroze over night. So she slipped & busted her hind-end on the ice while walking to get on the bus. She cried...a lot. I carried her to the bus & basically had to pry her little hands from around my neck & put her on the first step to the bus. She walked to her seat with her head down. Sat in her seat & waved at me with the most pitiful sad face with tears still streaming down her face.

Yes, so all in all, NOT. A. GOOD. MORNING.

Seven Things

My friend Ramee at Raising Redheads tagged me in this fun little game.

Here's the deal, I have to list 7 things about myself & then tag 7 of my bloggy friends & ask that they do the same.

Here it goes! Some of these are going to be a repeat, but that's ok with me :)

#1 - I am a not the best driver in the world. And living with a man who drives for his profession, I get reminded of that pretty often. I can't drive in reverse any farther than backing out of a parking place, and even then it's questionable. Driving straight & what not is ok.

#2 - I can't remember the last time that I wasn't at least a little bit tired. I wake up tired, I am tired throughout the day, I get home from work tired. But what do I do, stay up late each night to try to get the house in order, or just to watch TV uninterrupted.

#3 - I do not like mashed potatoes made from real potatoes. It's all I can do to muscle them down at my Mom's or my Mother-in-Law's. But I ♥ instant mashed potatoes! I ♥ any other way you can make potatoes too. It's weird, but my husband & kids will never eat real mashed potatoes that I have made because I will never make them.

#4 - I may have a slight hoarding problem. I keep everything, literally ev.er.y.thing! It's bad, and I have now come to see that I may have a problem. Just yesterday, I threw out my old bookbag from Jr High that I was holding on to for, well for I don't know why. Maybe I was hoping that my navy blue canvas Spree bag would come back into style & the girls could use it. Who knows...

#5 - I have an unhealthy addiction to Facebook. I swore that I wouldn't get sucked into Facebook when it first came out. But, I always give in to peer pressure, it's one of my weaknesses. I check Facebook all the time, literally any time I have a free second. And it's a good thing that I don't have access to it at work, because I would be in trouble.

#6 - Contrary to what my lovely new header says, I. HATE. WINTER. I hate being cold all the time, I hate having to bundle the kids up, I hate driving in the snow/ice/all wintery conditions. I hate that my furnace has been running practically non stop since the first part of December. It can't end soon enough.

#7 - I have a serious crafting addiction. And I actually told Jarrett we need a bigger house because I need to have a "craft only room". It would be wonderful to be able to have all of my stuff laid out & a perfect place for me to do my thang. But, alas I will have to deal with cramming all of my stuff back in boxes & shoving them in my hall closet/junk cabinet/underwear drawer. I have craft stuff everywhere I can think of that I know the girls won't be able to find.

Now onto my bloggy friends that I am tagging. You guys better do it...I will be checking.

1) Laura @ And Baby Makes Three...

2) Sarah @ The Brownies

3) Hilary @ The Life of Hilary

4) Ashley @ Finding Out Who I Am

5) Wendy @ The Short Story

6) Jessica @ Baby Eli ♥

7) Amber @ Wy-Guy & Emme Lu

Enjoy!!!

SNOW

Looks like we could be in for quite the winter storm tonight. The forecast is calling for 5 to 7 inches of snow overnight. And the best part, severe wind gusts tomorrow & Friday. Which means blowing & drifting snow. That will be awesome! (that's sarcasm folks) Lets add this to the snow that is still present & that will be about 10 inches of snow. More awesomeness.

I guess snow isn't really that bad. After all, it is because of snow that I was able to take these pictures on New Years Day. The kids went sledding at my Grandma & Grandpa's even though the temperature was only 4 or 5 degrees. But that didn't stop them from having loads & loads of fun in the half hour they were outside.

My Grandma even got in the action, she took lil Andrew sledding down the hill (see picture #3). Frankly, I think Jarrett had more fun than the kids. He must have gone down the hill 30 times. I even went once, and I took Olivia out when she was walking up the hill in the process. ha!

Dear Rachel,

Thank you for letting me come out of the bathroom to find you like this. Mommy definitely needed this today.
And I am sorry for the horrible sleep line that was on your face for a good 2 hours following you waking from your nap in the high chair.

XOXO,
Mama

Goin To The Show

Today we had a great day! Daddy had to work, so we made the best of it. The girls & I went to the movies. We saw Alvin & The Chipmunks...The Squeakquel. It was really cute. And Olivia loved it! Rachel would have loved it more if it was only 45 minutes long.

This is sad, but this is only Olivia's 4 time in a movie theater. She was so excited. And I think I embarrassed her though, you be the judge. During the previews, I was laughing at one that was funny she shushed me & said "nobody else is laughing Mom". Really, at 5??? I thought she would save something like that until 11 or 12. But oh well, it was funny.

Happy New Year!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

(I scheduled this ahead of time, because I am busy rockin in the new year with the Chase Nipples!)

I hope everyone has a very happy & healthy new year! Welcome to 2010!