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http://theheartoflifeblog.wordpress.com/

It looks great over there, you'll like it! 

"beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee"

Thats what my kids scream when they see my sister. Makes my heart happy. Mostly because it means I get to go pee without an audience. 

Not really. 

Well, yes really.

And sometimes she cooks dinner while I get to snuggle my niece.

How did I get so lucky!?

saving butterflies

This was the scene at our house yesterday afternoon:

The Bun was checking on his "buh-fye" every five minutes. The butterfly we found on the sidewalk during our walk earlier that day. The butterfly that rode perched precariously on the Bun's knee all the way home. The butterfly that listened to my sweet, sweet son tell it not to be scared because we were saving him.

I have to admit I walked a little slower and listened a little harder to soak up every tender word the Bun whispered to his new friend. I almost melted when he put his fat little hands around it to keep the broken-winged insect from blowing away in the wind, even though he himself was completely terrified of the helpless bug. And when he started talking about the orange flowers at our house that we could let the butterfly live in (endless episodes of The Cat in The Hat has taught him that much) I almost cried at his sweet compassion.

When we got home, in a fit of "I will do everything possible to save this butterfly for my son" we put honey on a cotton-ball and stuck it in the flowers with the injured little guy. I almost fell flat on my face when his little tongue unfurled and he started drinking the gooey syrup. I was practically a hero to the Bun too.

"MAMA! Buh-fye eat bhu-fye food!" Mama!"
"Wow, I see. Thats pretty cool, huh?"
"Buh-fye food, Mama. Buh-fye eat food den go home, Mama?"
"Maybe he will go home when he is done eating Buddy. I don't know"

The butterfly didn't go home, and instead settled down to sleep for the night. In the morning he was still there, alive and unable to fly. So we fed him some more, both of us watching with rapt attention as he stuck his little tongue out again. I might have been imagining it, but the little guy seemed almost grateful.

He lived for another day, being checked on by his new best friend and drinking honey. I will never forget how absolutely heartbreaking it was when I found him "sleeping" the next morning - and how guilty I felt for making him stay out in the cold all night. After a quick parent meeting, Hubs carefully removed the lifeless bug from the bushes, and we told the Bun that his butterfly probably went back to visit its family while he was asleep.

And the Bun, being as innocent and precious as two and a half year olds can be, said:

"Dak's buh-fye doe home? See buh-fye Mama? Tell Mama scare, den Dak save buh-fye? Dak feed buh-fye, den buh-fye no scare no more, awwright Mama?"

Seriously, click on this picture to check out both the butterfly's tongue and his poor little broken wing :(
I have way to much emotion invested in this bug. 

And with that, I might just have to go get a "I brake for butterflies" bumper sticker yall :) 

candy corn shortbread cookies

I am obsessed with candy corn. I obtained four bags of it at Rite Aid this week. They paid me $1 to bring it home after coupons/+UPs, it was financially responsible, OK!?.

Anyways, I brought a bag to my parent's house when we got everyone together for dinner one night, you know, so we could share.

And then, I opened a bag at home to use for "potty training treats" . . . have I mentioned that I am OK with the Bun's insistence that EVERYONE get a treat for their #1 and #2 accomplishments? Right.

(I should probably mention the fact that we are not actually potty training at this point, its more like shameless bribery in an attempt to get the Bun interested in NOT pooping in his diaper)

THEN. I brought some to my sisters house for Ladies Fellowship Night to, you know, share some more. I have one bag left. Lord help me. Or come visit so I have an excuse a reason to open it :)

Anyways, my love of all things yellow, orange and addictingly white tipped lead to the following deliciousness:

It was SO easy. And, as my sister so eloquently stated "They are so freaking CUTE!". Seriously. They are.  Easy and Cute :) Just like the real thing!  

What I used:

Candy Corn Short Bread Cookies
Your favorite shortbread cookie recipie
Food coloring
White Candy Quick
Yellow Sprinkles

First, I used Ina Garten's recipe found here. Except I substituted a cup of cornstarch for a cup of flour. To make them more flaky/crumbly. At least that's what I told myself when I ran out of flour. Whatever.

Then, I separated the dough in three equal balls, adding food coloring to two of them. Orange and yellow. It was hard to mix in, and my dough got extra kneaded - which I think it bad for shortbread dough. But its the price I paid for adorable little tri-colored triangles.

After that, I layered the dough in a bread pan lined with plastic wrap in three equal layers (orange in the middle, people!) and put it in the freezer for thirty minutes.

Then I cleaned up the explosion in the kitchen resulting from a too small bowl and an aggressive hand mixer fiasco and put Poopa down for a nap.

When the dough was chilled, I cut in into slices, and then triangles - being sure to add yellow sprinkles to the correct end.

Bake for 18 minutes at 340°. You have to watch them really carefully or then will get too brown. Candy corns do NOT have brown tips, yall. So watch them carefully. Do not walk away and get on Pinterest to look at painting pumpkins to look like candy corn, OK? 

Anyhoo. 

After they are baked and cooled, dip the white end in your melted candy quick. Call your sister freaking out about whether you have to refridgerate said candy quick to get it to set back up. (You do not. You just have to turn on the air conditioning because your house is 79°. Whoops.)

Then, make a cup of coffee, put six on a plate and hide the rest. Because, and I quote, "These things are like crack!". 

Enjoy!

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

Except for the fact that the Bun still counts "one, two, four, five, six, eight, nine, ten, fourteen, eighteen!" we've had a blast learning about numbers this week. We practice throwing a balled up sock at each number, reciting the name and/or color and get a lot of couch bouncing in too. The best part is that its a game where I get to sit in the chair and let him do all the work. Score one for the lazy Mom :)

And in case you are wondering, why, yes! I did print the numbers the correct color :) Because the number two is always green, at least to me :)

afternoon entertainment

"Why yes, sometimes I do sit in my inflatable pool and play with baby dolls"

too much to do

I promise I am not expecting. But I am nesting like crazy. Let us blame the arrival of Fall, shall we? And when I start thinking of my get 'er done list - this is what happens in my brain:

I need a $129.00 shower caddy STAT. 

And a baby gate, shoes for my (now WALKING!) baby girl, and shelves added in the pantry to accommodate the mess that is Hub's tools/the dog food:

There are stacks of boxes in our bedroom containing the kids too small clothes that need to head to my parents house until further notice (thanks, Mom and Dad!):

I need to create shelves in the kids room to display their adorable silver treasure boxes, piggy-banks and snow globe collection:

I want a canvas print to hang over the ugly electrical box door in the hallway. 

I have visions of proclaiming "happiness is homemade" in vinyl graphic text on the soffit in the kitchen:

And I MUST have the patio furniture cushions spray-bleached so when I finally get to hanging my Christmas lights up in the deck joists above (it doesn't look as tacky as it sounds in my head, think starry sky and paper lanterns) so we can have a fun back porch to enjoy, you know, Fall things:

The Pinterest inspired chevron painted pumpkins are calling my name, yall :) 

And the kids car seats need to be detoxified vacuumed out so that small animals do not start taking refuge in the abundant supply of Goldfish, Cheerios and raisins crammed into their depths. 

Which reminds me, we need to get another car seat for Poopa - she is getting too big to fit into her uh, infant carrier. Which actually means we need two, one for Daddy's car too.

Which also reminds me we need to get a van. 

And I need another cup of coffee!

hey good lookin'

We were out running errands last week. After a quick shopping trip I maneuvered my cart to the check out aisle, loaded with Poopa in the front seat and the Bun "driving" in the basket. At the register, the cashier looked us over and exclaimed,

"Are those your children!? They are beautiful"
"Thanks" I replied, feeling proud of myself for dressing them in fairly decent outfits that morning.
"And you" she went on "do not look like the mother of two - you look too good!"

She went on about how it must be so nice to have children so young and still keep my shape and stay in style - - much to my obvious disbelief at her assumptions. The only "shape" I have starts with "out of". . . and my "style" is clean-ish clothes.

However, her unexpected affirmation was much appreciated as it was high praise for shorts and t-shirt and so I thanked her again. Its not often I feel like a competent mother, much less a cute Mom.

Feeling good, I loaded the kids into the car and headed off to meet Hubs at school for lunch.

On our way, we sat at a light waiting to turn left. A car drove up beside us and, I kid you not, the driver rolled down her window, leaned over and yelled:

"Hey, I like your hair!" Its way cute!" complete with twirly hand motions around her own head in case I couldn't hear her.

WHAT? This never happens. Who yells at a stranger to say "Hey, your hair is cute!"? Besides, I thought, if I could only tell her that the reason it was tied up with a scarf was because the last time I washed it was three days ago and I had forgot to use conditioner.

"Thanks!" I yelled back before the light turned green and the random giver of compliments drove off leaving me feeling even nicer than before.

Maybe, I thought, maybe I am getting the hang of this Mom-of-two-children thing.

That was, of course, until I got home and realized that I only had one leg shaved, and my underwear was on inside out.

Obviously my "cute Mom" routine needs work.

the things this kid says

"MAMA!"
"Yes?"
"Aah-pah-juz!"
" . . . wait, what?"
"Aah-pah-juz!"
"Say it one more time, buddy, I don't know what you're saying"
"MAMA! Aap-pah-juz!"

I have no idea what he is talking about, and he obviously thinks if he says it louder I'll understand.

"A pair of shoes?"
"No."
"Apple juice?"
"Aap-pah-juz, Mama."

"OK" I say, and switch tactics, "What color is it?"

He looks around for a minute, and his eyes settle on the horzion out the window...

"Bue?"
"Blue? Aa-pah-juz is blue?"
"No!"
"Well, where is it? Where do we keep aa-pah-juz?"

This makes him think too, and I finally hope we're getting somewhere.

Until he replies:

"Dak's room"
"We keep the aa-pah-juz in your room?"
"NO Mama! Aa-pah-juz!"

The conversation goes on for days, and every night his Dad and I quiz him about whatever aa-pah-juz is. A dinosaur from Dinosaur Train? The name of a weird animal of Wild Kratts? Something you saw outside? No, no, no. Twenty questions with a toddler makes for some fun dinner conversation.

"Aah-pah-juz!"

It took us a week to figure out he was saying "apologize". He wanted us to apologize every time we raised our voice to ask him to do something. We don't yell at him, but occasionally we break out the "stern warning tone", like so:

"Hey Bud, get your shoes on"
"In two mints, Mama" (his current favorite stall tactic)
"Jack, not two minutes. You need to do it right now, we're about to go out the door"
"Help Dak, Mama" (he is fully capable of putting his shoes on himself and he knows it. Another stall tactic)
"You can do it buddy, go ahead"
"Wats tiny bit besbol firs, Mama?" (the most adorable of his stall tactics, and one that usually works on Daddy at bedtime)
"No. We are not watching baseball right now. Put your shoes on"

He is still dawdling around so I switch to the "Mom Voice".

  "Jack, I asked you to put your shoes on, right now"

                           . . . "MAMA. Aa-pah-juz!"

my little knight in shining armor

Actually, he was being a Jamestown Settler, but who's counting :-) ?