Halloween Fun!

Okay, so here is my obligatory Halloween post.  I didn't want to do it, but I can't help myself.  I am overwhelmed by the cuteness.  Plus, I love seeing everyone's Halloween photos, so hopefully other people feel the same way about my photos!

Cookie Monster and Elmo.  

Halloween was awesome.  I was so worried about her costume at first, but I ended up loving it.  I mean, just look at her.  She looked so cute as a furry blue monster and the smile on her face was priceless.  A friend of mine made her some cookies out of felt that she wore on her wrist and feet and those totally tied the costume together.  Too cute!

How cute are the cookies on her socks and wrist?!

The best part about Halloween though was that Myra loved it.  I mean, how could she not?  She got to dress up as her favorite character and go door to door where people told her how cute she looked and gave her candy.  Does it get any better than that?

She had a parade and party at her school today, which was too cute for words.  My parents, Josh, and I were all there, of course, but all that she cared about was the food.  She literally sat there and ate for 30+ minutes.  All of the other kids were finished, but she just kept eating by herself at the table.  Hilarious!  Who can blame her?!  She was probably thinking, "what the hell, Mom?!  You have been feeding me organic berries for the past two years when this stuff exists?!"  Who knows what she will do when she has to eat real food again tomorrow.

Eating with her feet propped up on the table.  Life is good.  :)

Tonight, of course, was trick or treating.  It was so much fun.  First of all, the weather was fantastic.  It was 65 degrees.  I was warm in a light jacket.  Awesome.  Secondly, we have the best neighborhood for trick or treating.  It is one block, we have sidewalks, and the houses are close together.  All of the neighbors sit outside and we get tons of kids.  Josh and I took Myra to a few houses while my parents handed out candy.  She was really shy and didn't like it at first, but after about 4 houses, it clicked for her.  It was like a light went on in her little head and she realized what was happening.

After that, she was hooked.  My mom and I took her around the entire neighborhood.  She just kept saying, "more candy.  more candy."

Halloween is the best!!

It was such a fun day.  Halloween is one of those things that is definitely made better by having kids.

And now...I going to overload you with adorable pictures.  :)

Laughing and enjoying the food

at her party.

Cookie Monster and Elmo.

Staring at Josh in his terrifying mask.

My husband getting ready to scare the neighbors.

Enjoying her first-ever piece of Halloween Candy.

Waiting for trick-or-treating to start!

Great picture of Josh and Myra.

And another great one...this time with PaPou (my dad).

Trick-or-treating!

Moosey and Mommy.  Love this. 

Josh hiding in the bushes.  Pretty damn scary.

Trick-or-treating with YiaYia (my mom).

Tasting her loot with YiaYia and PaPou!

The shopping trip from hell

I hope to never know what hell is like, but I have to imagine that it feels a lot like going to the grocery store with a tired toddler.

Today, after work, Moosey and I had to go to Kroger to pick up a few things for dinner.  The walk into Kroger was fine.  Great, actually.  We were making funny sounds and she was laughing hysterically.  When we got to the cart corral, she opted to sit in the big part of the cart, which was fine since we only needed 3 things.

In the entrance to Kroger was a group of college girls collecting supplies for their mission trip to Ghana.  They were really sweet and Myra enjoyed talking to them.  Sounds great, right?  Well, it was actually the beginning of the end.

I am a sucker for that stuff, so I decided to make a pit stop in the toiletry section to buy stuff for their mission trip.  While I was looking for folic acid, Myra decided that she wanted to stand up.  Being the unreasonable bitch that I am, I told her that we don't stand up in shopping carts.  Being the hard headed toddler that she is, she told me, in no uncertain terms, that we actually do stand up in carts.  I tried the reasonable parent bullshit of counting to 3 and telling her that her choices were to sit down or go in the front of the cart.  Of course, she still refused, so into the front of the cart she went.

Holy hell.  If you happened to be within a 5 mile radius of Kroger this afternoon, I am sure that you heard her screaming.  It wasn't just a little fit.  It was animalistic howling that echoed off of the high ceilings of the store.

The best part of this fit is that a woman in the egg section looked at her with a sympathetic stare and said, "aww, poor thing."  Yes, she really did.  Are you freakin' kidding me?  Poor thing?  I wanted to punch her in the face (the thought of sitting in a silent jail cell for the night was actually pretty damn tempting at the time), but I refrained because she looked to be about  8 months pregnant.  Plus, her kids were running wild, so I couldn't expect her to understand.

Happier times at Kroger last winter.

By this time, Moosey had calmed down, so I offered her another chance in the back of the cart.  To her credit, she didn't try to stand up again.  The end.  Isn't that a happy ending?  Oh, wait, I forgot, the worst is yet to come.

Because we needed cheese, I made the fatal mistake of turning my head for 5 seconds to grab it from the shelf.  When I turned back to the cart, Myra was staring at me, holding an empty carton of eggs.

Shit.

And, no, Kroger didn't accidentally stock an empty container.  The missing eggs were laying all around Myra's legs in the cart.  Sigh.

Calmly (because she didn't do it on purpose), I picked up the eggs and put them back into the container.  Luckily for me, Myra decided to help by picking up one of the 4 broken ones.  She then proceeded to touch her face with the raw egg on her hand.  And guess who couldn't wipe her hands?  Oh yeah, that would be me because I used the last of my sanitizing wipes wiping goat drool off of her hands at the zoo on Friday.  Oh well.  At least they were organic.

On to the checkout line we went, where the checkout lady clearly thought I was nuts when I told her to bag the eggs separately because several were broken.  She just looked at me, and then said, very slowly, because that is how you speak to people who give you a request like that, "umm...do you want new eggs?"
Me: "no, thank you."
Checkout lady: "so, to be clear, you want the eggs that are broken?"
Me: "yes, that is fine.  It is only 4 eggs."
Checkout lady: "So, you chose a carton with 4 broken eggs?  Did you want broken eggs?"
Me: "no, but I don't have time to go back there.  I need to get home."  Before I rip out my f'in hair.
Checkout lady: "okay, just checking, psycho."  She didn't really say psycho, but I know she thought it.

As we walked outside, I breathed in the fresh air with a sigh of relief.  That is, until Myra decided to try and fling herself out of my arms to walk.  I managed to hold on to her, and the two bags, and put her down by the car, where she proceeded to throw herself on the ground.

I calmly picked her up and tried to put her in her car seat.  Yes, I tried.  Unsuccessfully.  She was screaming, arching her back, kicking her legs, and stiffening her body.  I literally could not get her in the car.  She managed to kick off her car seat cover, spill her milk all over the car floor, and rip my Croakies off of my sunglasses, but I could not get her stubborn little butt in the car.  I tried everything: nice Mom, mean mom, sad mom, crazy mom, but nothing worked.  Finally, about 5 minutes later, I managed to hold her down and get the buckles around her.

I wish that there was a happy ending to this story, but there is not.  I still have a hard-headed toddler and we still have to eat, which means that this story, or something similar, will happen again.  Probably tomorrow.  Honestly, the only ending that I really see happening is that I start getting loaded before going to the store.  Day drinking is a slippery slope, I know, but I see no other way.

Let me know if you have any other suggestions for coping with toddlers in stores.  Please.

It's Okay...Week #3

It's okay...that I tell Moose that things like coffee and Italian hoagies are "yucky."  She believes me and it keeps her from crying over not being able to eat things that are clearly not good for her.

It's okay...that I am in full blown Christmas mode!  For some reason, I woke up on Saturday morning totally in the Christmas spirit.  We even listened to a few Christmas carols.  Josh protested at first, but then I pointed out that we needed to start making Moosey aware of Santa Claus.

Look at this sweet face!  How could 

this not make you look forward to Christmas?!

It's okay...that Moose didn't want to put on her coat this morning (and I didn't make her) because it would have meant taking the cookies out of her hands.  The cookies that she ate for breakfast.  To be fair, she also ate a half pint of raspberries AND they were gluten free, organic, peanut butter cookies, so they were full of protein.  ;)

Its okay...that, after a particularly hard day, I tell Josh that I have to go to the bathroom (and I really do), but I then go upstairs to use the bathroom connected to my bedroom and I sit there for a good 10 minutes just to soak in the peace and quiet.

It's okay...that Josh now knows my secret.  He is a good husband, so he will still allow me that escape.  Besides, how can you be upset with someone who is so desperate for solace that they find it in a semi-clean bathroom?!

It's okay...that my sweet Moose wants to live amongst the ducks at the duck pond.  At least she loves nature and animals.

Hanging out with her new family.

It's okay...that I had to go buy a new outfit because we are going home this weekend and will be going out with friends and family downtown.  Sadly, nothing in my Mommy closet fits the bill of "nighttime in a city."  The upside is that, thanks to a 30% off coupon at Kohl's, I actually have some awesome new clothes!

Linking this up with Kera at Nugget on a Budget: It's Okay!

A Scream in the Night

A few weeks ago, in the middle of the night, Moosey woke up screaming.  This is completely out of character for her, so I ran into her room to see what was wrong.  She was heaving with sobs by this point, so I picked her up and held her and rocked her until her she calmed down a bit.  I then asked her what was wrong.  Looking pitiful and still hiccuping from crying so hard, she looked at me, tears still staining her cheeks, and said, "necklace."

I just looked at her, totally dumbfounded, and simply said, "what?" although in my head, it sounded a lot more like WTF.

She looked at me, again, this time totally calm, and said, "Myra necklace please."

Yes.  She woke us at 3am, screaming and crying because she wanted an f'in necklace.  Are you kidding me?

I just looked at her, wanting to cry myself now, and said, "it is time for night-night.  We can have a necklace in the morning."  Of course, because she is a toddler, this was not satisfactory to her, so we were up, in heavy negotiations, for the next two hours.

Sigh.

Rockin' her necklaces!  Please excuse the 

background.  It was sheet changing day. 

Everyone warns you that newborn babies don't sleep, but what no one tells you is this: once you have kids, sleep is never again guaranteed.  My sweet little Moose started sleeping through the night at 6.5 weeks old and by through the night, I mean 12 hours at a time.  (I know, you hate me.  I don't blame you.  I am realistic though.  I know that it was just dumb luck and that I should count my blessings.  Trust me, I do).

Even with her being a good sleeper though, a full night's sleep is never a guarantee.  Sometimes she wakes up because she isn't feeling well or because she has a bad dream.  Sometimes she is thirsty.  And sometimes she just wants some accessories.  Is that too stinkin' much to ask?

Nothing is sweeter than a sleeping baby.  

Sunshine Award: 21 Questions!

Okay, so my blogging life is way more exciting than my real life, which consists of things like laundry, cleaning toilets, and changing diapers.  In my real life, those mundane tasks are just expected from me, but in my blogging life, I get awards for doing something I like.  So awesome.

This time, I was lucky enough to be nominated for the Sunshine Award by both Lanaya at Raising-Reagan and Amber at Chaos and Crackers!  How cool is that?  If you have not checked out their blogs already, you are totally missing out, so get over there now!

I am going to be a rebel today and change the award rules a bit.  You are supposed to list 11 random facts about yourself and then answer the questions that your nominee asked you, but since I have two sets of questions, I am just going to skip the facts.  Doing all of it would be overkill because, let's face it, I am not all that interesting.  Plus, this works out to be 21 questions, which is kind of fun.  :)

So, without further ado, here goes!

1. Mountain hideaway or beach house?

If I could be greedy, both.  Mountain house in the winter, that has ski in/ski out access and a hot tub, and a beach house in the summer.  A girl can dream, right?!  

2. Computer or television?

Computer.  I have an unhealthy addiction to the Internet.  It is a combination of online shopping, blogging, and social media stalking.  Truth be told though, I am glad I don't have to choose because I also like TV.  

3. What is your dream job and why?

I know this sounds cheesy, but at this point in my life, my current job couldn't be better.  I work part time and am able to choose my own hours.  On the days that I work, I bring my daughter with me.  It seriously could not be more perfect.  I am very lucky.

Off to work / school with Mommy!

4. WordPress or Blogger.

Blogger.  It came up first on my google search (obviously) when I went to start my blog.

5. Describe a difficult time in your life.  How did you overcome it.

Moving to Blacksburg.  I seriously cried everyday for at least the first 6 months.  I couldn't believe how small and isolated it was and I was really homesick.  I got over it by putting on my big girl panties and getting over it.  :)  Although it may not be my first choice of a place to live, we have a great life here.  I love my part time job (see #3), we have a nice house, access to amazing outdoor activities, and we have met some great people.  Life is good.

6. If you could have dinner with someone, dead or alive, who would it be?

My deceased grandparents.  I would love to see them again.

7. Are you a dog or cat person?

Dogs.  They are so much more loyal and loving than cats.

My sweet and handsome firstborn. 

8. Have you or would you ever go skydiving?

Hmmm...don't know.  I have always thought that I would enjoy it, but I have a feeling that I would wimp out once it got to the point of actually jumping out of a plane.  Think about it: jumping out of a plane?!

9. What is your love language?

I am the one who buys nice gifts and does nice things for people.

10. Describe your personal style.

 Busy mom combined with boring 30-some woman.  Haha!  It is either yoga pants and a tank top or jeans, a solid colored shirt (maybe stripes if I am feeling saucy), and flip flops.  Uggs in the winter.  I am so boring.

Exhibiting a little more style than usual

while on an adults-only vacation to Napa in August.

11. If you could be any superhero, who would it be?

I am totally lame and know nothing about superheroes.  Maybe Catwoman.  Halle Berry played her, right?  So that means she is hot.

12. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

When I was younger, I would have said something exotic like Hawaii, but now that I am old and practical, I would say Charlotte, NC or Charlottesville, Va.  In addition to apparently being obsessed with all things "Charlotte" they are two places that we have visited that have everything that we could want or need, while still being relatively close to family and friends.

13. What is your favorite television show?

Homeland.  If you have not seen it, you are seriously missing out.  Amazing.  I pretty much love anything that HBO and Showtime put out though.

14. What is your favorite thing to 'pin' on Pinterest?

Currently, Sesame Street birthday party ideas.  I told you, I am lame.

15. Do you believe in love at first sight?

No.  Lust, passion, and all of that other stuff, but love takes time.  And patience.  Lots of patience.

16. Favorite Fall Flavor: Apple or Pumpkin.

Man, that is a close call.  I would say pumpkin, but I also love apple.  I love everything fall.

Someone else loves pumpkin!

17. Which one of your teachers had the most impact on your life?
My 8th grade English teacher.  He was the one who really solidified my love of writing.  He also pushed me to overcome my shyness, especially in terms of public speaking.

18. When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I had quite a few phases.  For awhile I wanted to be a hairdresser, then it changed into wanting to be a realtor.  For most of my childhood though, I wanted to be a teacher, which is what I "grew up" to be.

19. How much time do you spend each day working on your blog?

Too much.  Probably a few hours.  It has taken the place of a lot of online shopping though, so it has been a good financial move for me.

20. Do you play any sports? 

I grew up playing tennis, but don't have time for that these days.  I jog, but it is solely to stay in shape.  There is little enjoyment in it.

21. What is the one thing that has surprised you the most about being a parent?

I would have to say the range and depth of emotions.  Everyone tells you that you just cannot believe how much you will love your child, and that is true, but there are so many more emotions that you just aren't prepared for.  Some are good, like the absolute joy and pride you feel towards your child, but some are scary, like how much you worry.  Along with the deep loves also comes deep frustration.  I have faced some of the most difficult times since becoming a mother, but it is amazing how quickly you forget the frustration.  Is it a crazy ride.

This sweet, sweet faces brings me so much joy.