Happy Halloweeny!

Guess what we did tonight? One of my least favorite things...carving pumpkins! I love holidays and I'm usually an eager beaver to prep Thanksgiving, visit Santa, hide Easter Eggs and decorate the house in a festive manner but carving pumpkins just plain ol' sucks in my opinion. The last few years this has been my husband's "thing." I was a designated picture taker and just got to sit back and enjoy them sifting through the stringy pumpkin guts while my hands were cleaner than a freshly swiffered floor. Let's just say that this year I was not so lucky. The hubster is working hard and won't be back home until Halloween day so I had to suck it up, put on my game face and pretend that this was the FUNNEST. THING. EVER. for my kiddo. It started well, I figured out how to use the self-timer on my camera so that we would have a few pics and we goofed off a bit before we butchered those pumpkins. Once we cut them open and started to get dirty things got a bit more interesting. He was not a fan of getting his hands all yucky (at least I know he's mine) but I told him that he had to help me if we were going to light them tonight. Reluctantly, I got another 2-3 minutes out of him and then it started. What started, you ask? The gagging. Seriously, this kid started gagging from the pumpkin guts and actually upchucked in the "guts" bowl. Can you believe that? I was dumbfounded! Needless to say I did not force him to help me carve the rest of the pumpkins and I was stuck to do all the dirty work while he played doctor's office with his stuffed animals. Fun night, huh. And here is all my hard work! If you can correctly guess the pictures below you get an A+ in preschool programming. Happy Halloween!

Pirate Peas

My son can be a picky eater, barely eats vegetables without a battle, doesn't eat french fries (sometimes I wonder if he's really mine) and steers away from most foods that are crunchy. I'm always on the lookout for ways to make meal times less confrontational and more fun around my house both in an effort to keep my sanity and to provide good nutrition. I have to pat myself on the back because I had BIG victory last night and it was so awesome that I can't bear to keep it to myself. Here is what you need to get your kid to actually eat something green that's not a gummy bear.

Pirate themed cupcake liners and toppers

that I bought at Joanne's Fabrics for 2.99

Peas

Put the peas inside the cupcake liner and place on the plate with the rest of dinner and voila you've got Pirate Peas! Use the cupcake topper to pierce the peas and pop them in your mouth. Super easy to do and I had absolutely NO complaints about eating peas! He even asked for more. In my mind I wondered who was this little pea eatin' boy and what has he done with my son. Then I served up seconds.

Toddler Talk

Today we ran errands from early morning until late this afternoon. We hit up shoe stores, toy stores, clothes stores, lunch and then finished it up with a trip to the the "crap" store. Yes, you heard me right, The Crap Store. My son believes we went to the crap store and if you ask him what we bought, he would reply "crap" (I'm pretty sure my husband would agree with him about that!) It's aisles and aisles of "craps", big ones, small ones, expensive ones, and of course you can't forget the bargain bins. Now don't get your panties all in a bunch, take a deep breath and calm down before the freakidoos start sending me emails about how I shouldn't let my kid swear. While he said did indeed say the "crap" store, we really went to the CRAFT store! Gotta love toddler talk!

Excuse Me While I Step on My Soap Box

I try to stay non confrontational on this blog because I really just want it to be a fun place for me to post my tidbits of life so that my friends, family, and bloggy buddies can enjoy coming back time and time again. Now I don't intend for this topic to become a nasty debate but I would like to welcome all comments, whether or not you agree with me.

TLC, What are you doing?

Unless you've been hiding under a rock I'm pretty sure that you've all heard the Jon and Kate plus 8 drama, don't even get me started on that...I could go on forever! But in watching a few of their shows I can see a trend developing.....family conflict. I like to watch Little People, Big World but it seems they are taking a page of the J&k+8 book. In the season opener and the following episode divorce was openly discussed and both parents didn't know which path they would follow now that the kids were getting older. Not to mention during the commercial breaks there were advertisements for another one of their series, American Choppers, showcasing some type of family problem that was going to tear them apart. Now I've never watched the show, so I'm not sure if it was an exaggeration or not but enough is enough! I'm not opposed to divorce, if that is what is best for your family, fly at it. Nor am I immune to the idea that a family conflict can split the seams on an already rocky relationship resulting in an unfortunate outcome. But allowing a television company to profit off a private part of your life especially when you have kids is shameless.

And shame on TLC! The Learning Channel, or so they say, has neglected to teach me anything except how not to screw up interpersonal relationships. Remember the fun, family friendly Trading Spaces, I seriously LOVED that show.... those were the good ol' days.

And now I've stepped off of my soap box and I'm opening it up to others. What to do you think of TLC's programming and the way they are handling everything?

Cloudy with a Chance of Showers

Overheard the other day while leaving Barnes and Noble.

Me- "Hurry up and hop in your car seat. Mommy wants to get home fast, I have to go potty really bad."

Little Man- "I'll hurry Mommy, I don't want you to make pee pee puddles in the parking lot."

Man, that would have been a sight! That one gave me a little chuckle and just in case you wondered, I did make it home in time. :)

Playtime at the Pumpkin Patch

October equals Pumpkin Patches in my book. One of my favorite things to do is go pumpkin hunting! I don't know if pumpkin patches have just become more of an adventure is the last 25 years but I don' t remember doing half of the fun things that these kiddos get to do today. Pumpkin picking, corn mazes, pony rides, pumpkin sling shots, 40 ft slides, petting zoo, and my Little Man's fave, the hay ride. And of course, who could resist bringing the camera along for the ride. Unfortunately, I only brought my zoom lens so I kept having to back up and tag behind so that I could actually get everyone in the picture hence no shots of said hay rides, petting zoo and pony rides. I was just too darn close!

Working hard at finding "the perfect pumpkin"

What's Halloween without using a slingshot to launch mini pumpkins at old parked cars just to win a free soda?! $8.00 in mini-pumpkins, 10 minutes of a smashing good time and we win a "free"soda.Here's Daddy picking up one BIG pumpkin! He said it had to be close to 100 lbs.
Here's Little Man following in his Daddy's footsteps trying to pick up the same 100lb pumpkinIt's a very rare occasion when all three of us get in one picture but some nice gal offered to take a family pic for us.

Open Letter to Mr. AssHat

Dear Mr. AssHat,

Yes, I am talking to you, the old man who had to open his big mouth as Safeway today! Today while I was paying for my pumpkin spice latte at the Starbucks counter (my very first one of the season, yuummmm!) it took every ounce in my being to not cuss you out after you're smart ass comment.

Yes, my son was holding onto the side of the cart when he probably shouldn't have. And yes, he did fall and hit the cement floors, and yes, the cart did land on top of him causing a flow of waterworks that were well earned (hell, I would cry too) but by no means is it ok for you to say, as you're walking by that "that's why you shouldn't let your kids hang on carts!" You're a real class act buddy! I have a screaming child, I'm trying to figure out if he's actually injured anywhere, a sweet bystander is helping me pick up the cart and put all my belongings back in my purse and that is the best you could do. Lucky for you, I was a bit preoccupied with a very upset child or I would have read you the riot act. Good thing my husband wasn't with us or it could have been pretty ugly for you. You know what, I even looked for you throughout the store just so that I could personally cuss you out but you made your way through the aisles unnoticed. I hope one day when you fall (you're old buddy, so it's gonna happen soon) someone looks down at you and mutters an unkind comment and then walks away and doesn't attempt to help you up. The older generation often complains about young people but you, sir, take the cake for being RUDE!

Sincerely,

One Pissed Off Mommy

P.S. On a positive note, the sweet bystander who I later found out was a mother of two, was an absolute angel and even took one of the flowers out of the arrangement she just bought to give to my son. She told him it would make him happy....she was right! He loved that flower! So a big thank you to the flower lady. And the wonderful workers at the Starbucks counter made him a sample size pumpkin creme drink with whipped cream. I think the whipped cream sealed the deal and we we're on our way to a pleasant shopping trip.

Fall Frolickers

Oh, how I love fall! As a native Californian, where there really is only 1 season, I have fallen in love with the Pacific Northwest. An abundance of colors surround you at every turn. The sound of leaves crunching under your feet, piles of red and yellows to run and jump in. For me, it's truly heaven on earth, my favorite season. And I hope that my blue eyed boy will grow to enjoy it as much as I do.

Pretending to be

airplanes powered by large leaves

Hey Mom,

Peek-A-Boo

I see you!

galloping through yards of yellows I think it's safe to say
WE BOTH LOVE FALL!

Trust me, You'll LOVE this

I can't take credit for this neat little tip, that would have to go to Shelley, but once I finally gave it a shot... I fell in LOVE!

Don't you just hate it when the little measuring cup from the laundry soap gets all icky and gooey? Here's a solution...throw it in the wash machine! Easy enough, right! When I first read this tip I thought that is a weird one, but one day when my little cup was oh.so.nasty I gave it a try and sure enough it came out spic and span. I've now become obsessed about the cleanliness of the measuring cup and throw it in on the last load of every day so that when I go to bed I know it's clean. I know, I'm weirdo!

Give it a try, trust me you won't be sorry!

Sound the Alarms: WordFULL Wednesday

In an effort of to coordinate Wordless Wednesday with Fire Prevention Week both in the states and here on my blog I present to you My Little Fireman.

This was his first year trick or treating but as we all know kids catch on pretty quick when candy is being tossed in their bucket. I can't believe it's almost been a year since this picture was taken! And here we go on this crazy ride we call the Holiday Season. Halloween comes and then it's a full speed ahead until after the new year when life finally starts to slow down. The days might seem long but the years are sure going by so fast.

For more Wordless Wednesdays check out 5 minutes for Mom and Seven Clown Circus.

If you'd like to catch up on my previous fire prevention posts look HERE and HERE and check back throughout the week to educate ourselves and our loved ones on fire safety.

Fire Safety Week: Smoke Detectors

In reading articles and researching statistics in prep for Fire Safety Week it is absolutely amazing to me about how simple most of the prevention methods are, yet people still overlook them. So today we'll be discussing smoke alarms, a very simple, inexpensive device that can save you or someone you love's life.

You would think that if someone didn't know that smoke detectors save lives than they must be living under a rock but apparently I'm wrong because you would be surprised at this statistic, between 2003-2007 40% of house fire deaths occurred in homes without a smoke detector. That is CRAZY! People are losing their lives because they didn't have a $9.99 basic alarm installed. So if you don't have a smoke detector installed please head to your local Wal-Mart or Target and buy the one that suits your family's specific needs and budget.

For those of us that already have a smoke detector it's now our job to make sure they are working properly 100%.

• Test them monthly. What are some ways to remember to test the alarm? Here are some ideas, test on the 1st of the month, when your mortgage is due, on the number of your kid's birthday, hell, you could even test on day 1 of your period (probably not a good idea if your preggo or post-menopausal.)


• Change the batteries yearly, pick a holiday and make it part of your family's traditions to switch out those batteries. Halloween is fast approaching, why don't you play trick or treat with your smoke detector?


• Here is a biggie, change the entire alarm every 10 years. Often times it is the elderly who have alarms that are pass the 10 year mark so check with your parents, neighbors, and friends to see if they need help updating their smoke detectors.


• Lastly, if you have an internal wired alarm don't forget to test it and make sure it's in working order but it still needs to be switched out after 10 years.

For different types of smoke detectors and where is the best place to position them please visit the National Fire Protection Association.

Fire Safety Week: Burn Prevention

October 4-10th is Fire Safety Week across the states and I thought that I would take this opportunity to raise a little fire safety throughout the week. Today's focus is going to be on burn prevention. While some of these tips may seem like common knowledge, many people are still unaware and adults and children are still getting injured.

• Keep hot foods/liquids away from the edge of a table or counter top. We all know that curious children will pull on whatever is there and become a burn victim.


• Have a 3 ft "kid free" zone around the stove. My son knows that he has to stand behind a certain spot if I'm opening the oven or working with food on the stove.


• NEVER hold a child/baby in your arms while preparing hot food or drinking hot liquid. I see this one all the time! How many moms have you seen drink coffee while wearing their infants in a sling or carrier? Too many! Accidents happen and hot coffee spilled on an infant's head could be extremely dangerous. I know that these moms are not deliberately putting their children at risk but we all need to share this info and educate each other.


• Teach children about things that are hot. While we usually do this for food, stoves, and other kitchen appliances we often forget about hair dryers, curling irons, and heaters. We used the sign for hot and taught our son way before he could speak about what was hot and what was cool.


• Set the thermostat on your water heater to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. It will be hot enough to take hot showers, dishes etc. but will reduce the amount of burn damage if a child accidentally turns on the hot water.

While these are only a few tips I am curious as to what tips or tricks you use around the house to teach your kids about fire/burn safety? Take a few minutes today and go over some age appropriate points with your kids. You won't be sorry.

An Apple A Day

Simple. Delicious. Quick. Kid Favorite.

Red Apples-Peeled. Sliced.

Sprinkle of Ground CinnamonHeat them up in one of these with a bit of water until soft. Voila.

Yummy. Sweet. Healthy. Dessert