Our Trip to New Hope

Yesterday I mentioned that we were planning on taking the kids on an adventure to take advantage of the beautiful weather. We ended up in New Hope and it was a great time. Unfortunately I didn’t take any pictures of our outing, I suppose I was just to caught up in the moment and enjoying the time too much. I wish that I did get some pictures but it’s whatever, nothing to get upset about.

We took a long walk with Maddox in his stroller and Logan holding a hand. We were there for an hour and walked through the whole town, including peeking over bridges at the ducks, searching for Halloween decorations and peeking in windows at crafts. We didn’t go into any stores because having Logan who likes to grab everything seemed too risky, but that was fine with me. Logan got a lot of exercise, walking for an hour is a lot for him and Maddox was awake the whole time, but didn’t fuss once. I guess our plan was to get lunch here but we filled up on breakfast sandwiches and soft pretzels on the ride so none of us were hungry before we headed home.

It was a long drive — 45 minutes — to walk around, but it was a nice walk, it is a nice town and we had fun without spending money, so that was a big plus. We didn’t make it to the playground in Doylestown, I wasn’t even thinking of it and honestly Logan was pretty tired after the walk, so we will do that trip another time.

Today it will be cooler out — a high of 63 — but it won’t be too cold to leave the house. I don’t know what my plan for the day is just yet. I’d love to take another adventure but I don’t know what we will do. I do know that I need to deep clean the kitchen and make a few phone calls, but that stuff won’t take all day. It’s nice having Aidan here, it’s great that the weather is nice too and we can just enjoy time with the boys and as a family while the big kids are at school. “School.” They have been cutting apparently and honestly it is causing me a lot of stress. I don’t know why they can’t just get their shit together, but that is another post for another day when I feel like dealing with it.

Well, have a nice day and weekend!

Taking Advantage of the Weather

Since Aidan is home from work and the weather is supposed to be nice for one more day we are going to take a little road trip with the kiddos. I am pretty sure we are going to take the drive over to New Hope and walk around the town before going to a big playground in Doylestown. If we don’t go that way we will end up near Glen Mills and at a farm called Linvilla Orchards. Either place will be fun with the kids and a great way to enjoy the last of this nice weather. Tomorrow it will be in the low 60’s, which isn’t freezing but it won’t be as warm as today.

Yesterday I took the boys to the playground and we were there for an hour and a half. Usually Logan burns out at the one hour mark but he was having so much fun with another 2 year old that was there yesterday. They played together the whole time, mostly in the sandbox, while Maddox slept in the stroller. It was a nice time and I am glad that Logan had a nice little boy to play with.

I was planning on making black bean soup tonight but instead have decided to put white chicken chili in the crock pot so I won’t have to fuss with anything when we get home today. It’s funny — I was thinking of making it when I was coming up with my menu then yesterday Aidan suggested I make it soon. We are usually on the same wavelength and even have similar dreams but it always surprises me how similar our brains are. Luckily though his doesn’t shut down all of the time like mine does ;)

Well, that’s all I have for today. I hope you’ll be enjoying the weather and getting outdoors to soak up the sun a little, it really helps a bad mood :)

Plenty to Say

After it being pretty cold here for the past 2 days the temps are going back up into the 70’s for the rest of the week. I’m happy about that.. It’s too early to have the heat on, but it’s been on because it’s dropped below freezing already. Nuts, right? Since it’s going to be warm again I will be taking advantage and getting the kids to the park. Logan has been on a “no home” kick lately and I suppose I can’t blame him. It does get boring around here.

On Sunday we went to my nephew’s 4th birthday party. There were 4 kids there (5 if you count Maddox)  and a lot of adults. Logan had the time of his life. My nephew has ever single toy in the world (well, not every one but pretty dang close) and Logan was in Toy Story heaven. He played the whole time with the toys and had to be forced to eat something. He had a nice time with the other two boys, but they were older so they played together and Logan was mostly by himself, but he didn’t mind. Yesterday he kept saying “Where the peoples? Where’s Zurg? The party. Go back Minions? No home” It was cute the first few times but after a few hours of it I was starting to get annoyed lol

Speaking of Annoying..

Another thing that’s been an annoyance is Maddox and teething. It seems way to early for it to start but apparently it’s not. He is super duper fussy and drooling like mad. He’s also shoving everything in his mouth that he can and having a hard time nursing. When he is given Tylenol he seems to feel much better but I don’t even feel any teeth yet, so I can see he is going to be a fun guy to get through this phase.

The aggravation doesn’t stop there though — the office where I have been meeting with my therapist called me the other day to let me know that my therapist no longer works for them. I’ve only met with her twice but now I feel upset that I need to find someone new. They don’t have any openings with their therapists until January and I had a hard enough time setting up something in the first place because I was reluctant. Argh. Figures, right? So. That’s great.

Even better, yet — Regina informed me yesterday that she was fired from her job. She said it was because they were cutting back hours for the season but I think she tried calling out (probably one too many times.) That’s obviously on her but I worry she will become depressed. She has a pretty good lead at the salon she goes to, they are moving locations and said she could work there when they move, but they don’t know when they are moving. I reached out to my BFF to see if she could get her into Ulta, working with her, but they don’t hire under 18. So. That’s great, too.

Better Things to Talk About

I’m back to meal planning and cooking. We have been spending entirely way too much on takeout and are going to stop. Last night I made chicken fingers, corn and mac and cheese. Logan was thrilled, I think it’s his favorite meal. He kept saying, “yay, so excited! delicious!” He’s the best. Tonight I am making Nachos then Wednesday ground beef and pasta, Thursday I’ll make Black Bean soup and Friday French Onion Soup. I don’t know about the weekend but I’ll figure that out. I really enjoy cooking and even though I am not making anything fancy or complicated it feels good to get back into the kitchen nightly with a plan.

The increase in my prescription for Zoloft seems to be working better. I haven’t had a panic attack in 2 days and my mood seems to be on the up and up. That is fantastic. I hope it lasts. I’m still feeling anxious but when don’t I? Hopefully in a few weeks that feeling will go away also.

Well, have a great day everyone and if your where it the weather will be nice for the next few days, enjoy it!

Hair Cut and Halloween Store

Yesterday was pretty uneventful, in the morning I wanted to get the little ones out of the house but didn’t know what to do with them. I wasn’t in the mood for the playground, even though Logan was, so I had to do something entertaining for him. What big fun — I took him for a haircut and then we walked through the Halloween store. It wasn’t very exciting but it served it’s purpose of getting us out of the house. Maddox was a super crank so I had to take him out out his infant seat and carry him the whole time, which proved challenging when Logan knocked over rows and rows of beauty products that were on display at the hair salon. Other than that hiccup things went fairly smoothly.

I’m sure the hairdressers were convinced that Logan was going to be a monster in the chair with the way he was acting after the knocking over of the products. He was sulking and laying on the seats and saying “no haircut.” Once he was bribed with a lollypop he decided to act right and sat still while the hairdresser worked on shaping up his hair. She complimented on how well he was behaving and that made me feel proud.

In the Halloween store Logan got scared of a display they had of decorations. The fake zombies and animated witches actually caused him to cry really hard and loud but as soon as I moved him away, explaining they were fake he was fine. We walked around while he saw a lot of familiar character costumes like the Hulk, Captain America, Spiderman, Sponge Bob, Ninja Turtles, etc. He was fine just looking at everything and didn’t ask for anything. It was great. When I had enough of carrying Maddox who was feeling super heavy I distracted Logan with his lollypop and steered him out of the store.

When we got home he played with play-dough while I fed Maddox. Then it was lunch and nap time and before I knew it the big kids were home from school. They both had work last night so it was pretty quiet in here. Aidan took the little kids upstairs for a little while and I watched some tv before going upstairs to feed Maddox.

My life is super exciting.

Long Weekend and Lots of Activities

It was a long weekend for everyone here and I haven’t had the chance to write on account of sleeping in. On Thursday I got another depo shot and then on Friday Aidan got his vasectomy. I wanted to be sure there’d be no chance of any slip up’s while the vasectomy was working it’s magic over the next few months so I went ahead with the shot. I wish I didn’t have to do it though because it makes me a crazy person for the first six weeks. Can you say mega-bitch? Oh and hot flashes? Anyway, that will all be history soon, just like his sperm. He was brave and suffered a bit so I love him even more now than ever.

In an effort to let him rest as much as he could I made sure to take the little ones out as much as I could. We went to the park a few times, went to another pumpkin patch with the big kids and went out shopping for a fall coat for Logan and then lunch. I also tried to keep them entertained downstairs so Aidan could rest upstairs. He got to play a lot of video games and nap this weekend so I hope the days helped him heal and recharge.

Today I have a doctors appointment and I’m going to ask for a stronger dosage of the Zoloft. It’s working a little but not enough. Tomorrow I think Regina and I are going to take the little boys downtown via train and have lunch at the Reading Terminal. I also want to look for this bakery that has a cake Aidan keeps talking about. He doesn’t like cake in general but he keeps talking about this particular one. We’ll see if I can find it. He deserves a cake after getting his balls snipped I think. ;)

Other than my appointment today the rest of the week is open, so that feels nice. Next week will be busier, we have a few appointments so I’ll take the break where I can get it. I’m going to try heading over to the Y with the littles this week. Maddox is officially old enough to be in the child care section.

3 months, man time goes so fast! It feel like just yesterday I was still pregnant and super uncomfortable, or like he was a newborn. He has a really great personality and not only is he very playful but he is also very curious. He wants to know about everything going on around him. He plays with us already and cracks us up with his little growls and squeals. He is a super happy little boy but gets really cranky when his reflux is bad. And it’s bad. I have to change his clothes no less than 3 times a day because he soaks them with puke. I don’t know how he is gaining weight, but he is. The doctor told us it would get worse before it gets better and that 3-5 months would be the peak. Hopefully it will be down hill soon. Reflux is a very messy and annoying thing. Poor guy. He is happy despite it though and I think that’s great.

Well, have a great day and a nice week :)

 

 

There’s a Chef in My Kitchen!

Logan is 2 years and 4 months old now and really such an awesome little boy. He loves helping and learning new things so lately I have been having him help me prepare food in the kitchen. We have a little step ladder that he stands on next to me at the counter or we sit at the dining room table and work.

So far he has helped me make lemon bars, chicken tortilla soup, egg salad, sandwiches, meatballs, and french toast. For the helping I’ve had him add ingredients, mix, spread condiments, and assemble. He does really well and enjoys the processes.

I don’t remember how old my bigger kids were when I first introduced them to cooking and baking but I believe they were pretty young, too, probably just not this young. My daughter has been baking for as long as I can remember and does a great job at it. I think introducing them to the kitchen at a young age is a great way to create memories and share my love of cooking and baking with them. I hope they will all love it as much as I do when they are adults.

Okay.. This is him eating, not cooking, but food is food right?

I read an article earlier this week about when to start kids in the kitchen, beginning with the age group 3-5. I was happy to realize we are already ahead of the game! While Logan doesn’t crack eggs or measure the ingredients yet he pretends to and is happy just doing the tasks I give to him. When he gets a little older and more comfortable with what we do I’ll teach him those skills. A big and unexpected plus I noticed last night was that while we were making meatballs the process was also helping him practice math and numbers. It was thrilling to hear him tell me the correct amount of cheese pieces we needed to add to the meat when asked “We have two how, many more do we need?”

It can be a little nerve wracking at first having a little helper who wants to be involved but I think just relaxing and enjoying the moment really makes it much easier. There will be messes and mistakes and sometimes a possible melt down or two but getting calmly through those moments are also teaching experiences. No need to freak out if salt gets dumped all over the floor, just explain about being careful. No need to worry if the ingredients aren’t measured correctly, it’s all learning coordination for them. I think making a big deal about how delicious the food tastes is important too, it builds confidence and encourages them to eat foods they might not normally try.

Have you introduced your kids to the kitchen at a young age? What were (are) your experiences?

Autumn Adventure

Yesterday’s pumpkin picking adventure was interesting. I loaded the boys up into the car pretty early and we took the 45 minute drive up to Doylestown to visit a farm called Hellerick’s Family Farm. When we first pulled up I was a little confused, the website made it appear to be a huge farm with a ton of activities but that is not what it looked like. It kind of felt like I was pulling into someones (big) back yard with things for sale. I wouldn’t say that the website lied but let’s just say whoever did their website really did a great job and made the farm more impressive than it actually is.

The people were really nice and chatty and while I waited for my friend and her son to get there Logan checked out the pumpkins in a small area below the activities. Once my friend arrived we walked up a hill to a nice sized playground. Unfortunately there were thousands of gnats swarming all over so it was really hard to see and very annoying. The boys had fun climbing on the slides and little tractors but we’re also getting aggravated with the bugs. We decided quickly to walk up a hill to try getting away from them and saw the animal section.

Once we got there we saw that the animals were a bunny, 2 chickens, 2 sheep and 2 goats. There were signs posted not to touch or feed the animals.  I was disappointed that it wasn’t a petting area because I though Logan would really enjoy that. The boys didn’t know the difference but my best friend and I were kind of upset that it was pretty lame. And that we were still being attacked by swarms of gnats.

After about a half an hour the gnats went away and we headed towards the hayride. The boys loved it and even Maddox had a good time. After the hayride they played with pumpkins, rolling them down a long slide a few times. We decided there wasn’t anything left to explore so we headed out. On the way out of the exit Logan wanted a little pumpkin so I got it for him. He loves the pumpkin and fell asleep holding it in his car seat. Honestly — it was a fun outing (though not impressive) for the boys and that was the point of the trip.

On Sunday we are taking a family trip to Linvilla Orchards. We’ve been there a few times and that place is impressive. I’ll get some bigger pumpkins there and Logan will have another pumpkin adventure.

 

 

 

Pumpkin Picking Today

Today my best friend and I are taking the kids to a pumpkin patch in Doylestown. It will be the third time I’ve been to the area in about 6 weeks and I am excited to be going. I love this area and when I win the lottery it will be a contender of places I will move, too. Heh. Really though that’s the only way we could afford to move there.

It’s going to be nice out weather-wise and I think Logan and my best friends son who is just a few weeks younger will have a blast. There are activities for them to do and of course picking out a pumpkin. It’ll be nice for me and Melisa to hang out, too. I hope Maddox will be okay, he was cranky as hell yesterday and we think he is starting to teethe. It seems early but anything is possible.

Well I hear babies waking up and I need to shower before they are awake, awake. Have a great day :)

Hello Fall!

Things have been pretty busy here this week, actually this whole month now that I think about it, but it’s been good for everyone. Everyone that is except for Marshal, who has been sick since the beginning of school with a long-standing head cold.

Male Drama Sickness

Marshal’s had it with the sickness and is really starting to lose his cool, having daily melt downs about his symptoms. It’s been *super* fun hearing him yell and curse and throwing tantrums about wanting to die. I can understand the frustration but the dramatics are really.. Dramatic.. and annoying. Sigh.

Besides him, the rest of the house is doing well and keeping busy enjoying the weather and change of season.

New Season New Attitudes

Aidan has been looking for a new job because he is bored of his. He’s been at his current job for about two years and has grown increasingly frustrated with the office politics and lack of creativity he can use. Interviews have been keeping him on the phone and scratching his head as to how to fit them all in. He’s in a great field and is lucky to have so many options!

Regina has been busy with school and work and seems happier this year than any other. I caught her doing homework the other day and almost had a heart attack. I’m really happy for her and glad she is finally learning about things she likes. I only wish she was in the tech school last year, but that’s water under the bridge. We will figure out the rest of her schooling so she can get her license as a hair dresser next year. Aside from the tech school she is starting to get involved with a lot of senior activities and I only hope that it continues. We were talking about looking for a prom dress the other day. I’m really excited for her :)

As for me — I’ve been taking the little boys out to enjoy the weather at the playground this week. Even tho Maddox just sleeps, Logan more than makes up for it being active when we are at the playground. I also took Logan to the mini golf course at Regina’s work last night. He didn’t understand the concept but it was nice to have him do something new and spend time with him without Maddox distracting me.

It’s been a fun week and good for them (and me especially) to get out of the house.

Short and Sweet

My parents came over for a visit yesterday and that was nice. It wasn’t a long visit but long enough for them to see the little ones before I had to put Logan down for his nap. They brought him a couple of construction trucks and he played with them and my dad for most of the visit.

We don’t get to see my parents very often, so it was nice to catch up and good for them to see the little kids while they are still adorable :) Marshal seemed hurt that they didn’t stay to see him after school but the traffic from Philly to NJ gets really bad in the afternoon so they left around 1:30pm. I’ll have to take all of the kids down for a visit one of these weekends.

Lock Down

This weekend the Pope is in town and they are being crazy with the road closures and everything else. The city is basically shut down to vehicles and they are warning that the outskirts will probably be a mess. We were trying to leave the area for the weekend just to avoid it all but instead we are just staying here. Aidan thinks we will be able to visit his parents but I am not trying to sit in stand still traffic so we will play it by ear. Also I really, really want to paint this living room and move on!

Well, that’s all I have for today. I’ll leave you with a video of Logan on the swings the other day just because his laughter is adorable and contagious! Have a great Friday everyone :)

Brotherly Love