I Bissell my kids.

Do you want to know a secret?

The only way to discipline and to get my kids to sit quietly for a few minutes is to Bissell them.

Yes. I turn the Bissell on and there you have it... 3 minutes of peace.

Do you Bissell your kids?

I wish I could Dyson them but oh well. I can't be picky if it works!


Let the Bisselling begin!

Makes you smile.

This has made my life so much easier.


The past two weeks have been so nice. Don't you love when your baby can hold their own bottle? Love.it.

That little turkey nugget totally makes me smile.
-----------------------------

Look at this nutjob. This was taken after breakfast one morning. Note the syrup in her hair, face, and shirt.


"Mommy, take my picture. Me want to do dis. Ok? Ok, Mommy? Take my picture. Ready? Ok? Ok, Mommy? One, two, free..."

That little wildchild totally makes me smile.

Confession time.

I was supposed to be at a friend's baby shower last weekend.

I didn't go.

I am a terrible friend. I didn't want to be like, "Oh I forgot!" That would be a lie. She knows I wouldn't forget.

So, I sent the following e-mail to her:

I am a terrible friend.

I totally did not come yesterday.

I have had these children for 9 days straight with no break and I'm dying. (side note- Caroline cut her hair this morning. I was so angry. It took a lot not to poke my own eyeballs out.)

We went to G-boro yesterday to get you a gift (yes, I waited until the last minute. I am a terrible friend... remember) and to get Ry a Father's Day gift (yes, I waited until the last minute... I am a terrible wife like that). I took the girls to Chic-fil-a. I saw Jamie. I told her I didn't know if I would go.

They were in rare form yesterday. I had no one to keep them. Mom was at the beach. Ry's parents were in Rocky Mount. Ry was working (like he would have kept them anyway). So, after much deliberation... I decided to skip your shower. I suck as a friend. That is all.

Hailey

PS- If you still want to talk to me, I have your gift AND your breastfeeding apron should be here soon. Call me this week. Thanks.

I just put it all out on the table for her. I felt much better after I addressed the situation.

Don't you wish you had a friend like me? *Wink*Wink*

PS- She was fine with it. Her response? "I wouldn't have come if it weren't my shower." Ha!

Banned from the Splash Pad.

Dear Caroline,

We went to the splash park with friends the other day. You had a fabulous time. We had a fabulous time.

Mommy totally wore her blue string bikini, thinking no other parents would be there that early in the morning. WRONG. I frolicked in the water with you and Em anyway. Showing off the stretch marks and sagging boobs that you girls blessed me with. I just had a pedicure so at least my feet looked fabulous. It was funny to watch the moms on the other side of the splash pad eye me as if I was committing so sort of terrible crime. Like I said, Mama frolicked anyway!

You played with your friends and then decided it was time for snacks. After eating all of Kari's fruit you decided to share Doritos with your friends. You drank your blue juice box. Halfway through snack time, you began crying. You did your usual... cry, get worked up, get hot, cry some more, then vomit. Yes, you decided to work yourself up to the point of spewing vomit everywhere. As if the snotty moms across the splash pad weren't talking about me enough... you had to go vomit. Thanks. Thanks a lot.

Why must you vomit when you get upset? It really is getting old. It is out of control. So from now on when we are out in public, can you please keep your vomit to yourself?

Love Always,
Mom

PS- Blue (juice box) and yellowish/orangish (doritos) clearly makes green. A bright, vomit green.

PPS- I may or may not have yelled dammit at the splash pad. I was all worked up too and I can't remember. I'm pretty sure if the other moms heard me say that, they would damn me to hell.

My Playlist

Megan shared her Summer '09 playlist. I stole borrowed the idea. Here it what I am currently listening to...

1. Got Whatever It Is- Zac Brown Band
It took me forever to figure out that they were saying, "she's got whatever it is". Haha! Finally, I asked Ryan and he told me! Love it! Makes me smile! IF you haven't heard it, listen to it.

2. Boom Boom Pow- Black Eyed Peas
I mean, my Nana loves this song. How can you hear it and not want to dance?

3. People are Crazy- Billy Currington
We love country music in NC. This is one of my new favorites. Any song that talks about God and beer= a hit!

4. Hang- Matchbox 20
This is a Matchbox 20 song that never made the radio. It is fabulous. (Sorry for the poor quality video/audio but I couldn't find a good one on youtube) PS- Something about Rob Thomas is fabulous too! Ha! (Wink wink, Ashlyn!) My SIL loves him!

5. Sweat (The Drip Drop Song)- Filly
Haley told me about this song. I can't stop listening it. It is addictive and makes you want to shake your boo-tay!

6. Crazy for You- Adele
I wasn't a big fan of Adele until recently. I love this song. Her voice is pretty amazing.

7. All for You- Sister Hazel
This is my go-to summer song. This is summer to me all wrapped up in one great song... I have no idea why. It's just a good song! Ha!

8. Should've Said No- Taylor Swift
Know every word. For some reason this song gets me pumped up. Ha!

9. Heaven- Live
Reminds me of when Ryan and I were dating.

10. Mexico- James Taylor
He could be my luvah.

11. Come Monday- Jimmy Buffett
"I've got my hushpuppies on, I guess I never was meant for glitter rock and roll."

What about you? What's on your playlist right now?

WW- Lesley's house playing with my camera.

"I spy, with my little eye, something that starts with C."

"CORN!"

Trivia: What movie is that from?

This is the view from my parents backyard.

About 4 years ago, Anna and I watched Children of the Corn for the first time. We freaked out when the corn got so tall that you couldn't see over it. We slept together for about 3 months until they cut the corn.

Anna would call me on my cell phone and make me talk to her while she walked across the hall to get to my room. She would even stay on the phone until she got in the bed (like I couldn't see her or hear her). Ha!

Not much has changed in those 4 years... we are still scared of the corn.

She's a dinosaur.

Amy over at Makes Mom Happy brought a little piece of information to my attention:

Megan Fox and Anna have the same thumbs.

Don't believe me? Take a look:


After a little research, I have learned that this is called clubbed thumb or Brachydactyly type D.

Brachydactyly. Huh? I told her she was just part dinosaur and not to worry about it. "Are you serious, Hailey? I'm really part dinosaur?" "Be serious Anna!" "I AM serious. I'm part dinosaur?" "NO ANNA! NO!!!" Haha!

SHOUT OUT TO KRYSTYN: We are totally calling it a thoe. How cute is that?

That's all I have on Anna's thoe. Look out though! Another Anna post is coming tomorrow!

The thumb.

Meet "the thumb".

This is Anna's thumb. Anna is my sister. (She confronted me last night about never being on my blog. Therefore, I promised to write a post about her thumb.)

Her thumb resembles a... umm... toe. Go ahead. Click the picture. Make it bigger. I have never seen such a thumb.

Have you? Does it have a name?

Let's name it!


Go ahead. Look at the pictures one more time and then post a comment with a witty caption or name for that thumb. Anna will get a kick out of this!

And all he wanted was a clean house.

Today is Father's Day.

Last week Caroline asked Ryan what he wanted for Father's Day.

"I want you to help Mommy clean the house."

Done. What an easy gift.

Each day, I have tried to do a chore to help me be ready for today. Yesterday, the house was spotless. Well, minus a load of towels that needed washing and a load of Caroline and Emma's clothes.

Today, my house is a disaster. One person can't keep a house clean when you have a grown-up AND two children working against them.

Anyway, to add to my already crappy day... we were wrapping Ryan's gifts and Caroline cut her hair. Yes. She cut her hair. I didn't know if I wanted to laugh or cry.

Then, I ran out of tape so I had to use medical tape on Ryan's gifts. Yes. Medical tape.

So for Father's Day, Ryan is getting a messy house, two gifts that are wrapped with medical tape, and a chunk of Caroline's hair.



Next year I will know not to go to all this trouble. Especially since all he asked for was a clean house!

FYI: All of this has happened this morning on top of... catching the toaster oven on fire while cooking french toast sticks... searching for wrapping paper only to give up and run to my Mom's house to steal borrow a roll... only to get there and realize that I don't have my key to her house... so I run to the dollar store to grab a roll with two kids still in their PJs. What is even more sad about this morning? We haven't even seen Ryan yet. He left before we woke up to finish laying sod at a house that he is landscaping.

(Don't you wish you lived with us... for just one day?)

CLICK THE PHOTOS TO MAKE THEM LARGER




Ok. I'm off to stuff things into cabinets and drawers before Ryan gets home! Ha!

Ants.

It never fails... in the summer our house is attacked by ants. Goodness, I hate them. They gather in my kitchen sink most of time. We have decided they are looking for water. Anyway, today I had this conversation with Caroline.

"Mommy. Me find ants in da bafroom."

"Oh man. Let me go kill them."

"Me kill dem."

"What? You killed them? How?"

"Wif Daddy toof brush."

Ha! That's what you get for leaving the toilet seat up the other day! Pay back, Daddy. It's called pay.back.

Plasma Car Giveaway!

Meet the PlasmaCar.

Caroline rode this thing all the way around Target the other day! Ha! It is so cute!

Head over to Peanut Butter and Smelly's Dad for your chance to win!

Good luck!

An interview with Caroline.

I love talking to a two year old. You never know what they are going to say!
-------------------------

Caroline, can I interview you?
What?

Can I interview you?
Huh?

Talk to you. Can I talk to you?
UH-HUH!

What's my name?
Emma Raegan.

My name is Emma Raegan?
No. You name Hailey-a-phone.
My name Caroline-a-phone.

Starts singing The Itsy Bitsy Spider.

What's my favorite color?
Pink.

What is Mommy's favorite food?
Green beans.

What does Mommy drive?
Jeep.

What color are my eyes?
Pink.
Dances around for a minute.
NO NOT PINK! Brown. NO. GREEN LIKE ME!
Hold on. Me dance. Be right back.

Ok. Are you ready now?
Yes.

Do I have a job?
Yes.

What is my job?
Flowers. 5 flowers.

I have no idea where that came from! Ha!

How old am I?
Pink.

What? I asked how old I was.
Pink.

Caroline. Be serious. How old am I?
Six.

Who is my husband?
Anna.

Anna is my husband?
Yes.

What is my Mom's name?
Day-Day

What is your Dad's name?
Ryan.

What is Mommy's favorite song?
Taylor Swift.
What's your Dad name?
Jay-Bird.
Write that.
Write it right there!!

Ok. Are we done with this interview?
Huh?

Are we done talking?
Yes.

Thanks.
You welcome!

Best friends.

When you're the best of friends
Having so much fun together
You're not even aware, you're such a funny pair
You're the best of friends.

Life's a happy game
You could clown around forever
Neither one of you sees, your natural boundaries
Life's one happy game.

If only the world wouldn't get in the way
If only people would just let you play
They say you're both being fools
You're breaking all the rules
They can't understand, the magic of your wonderland.

When you're the best of friends
Sharing all that you discover
When that moment has passed, will that friendship last?
Who can say? There's a way!
Oh I hope... I hope it never ends
'Cause you're the best of friends.

The Shopping Mama has another giveaway!

Ok, y'all know how I am about giveaways! I love to win stuff!

The Shopping Mama is having a fabulous giveaway!

She is giving away one pair of BabyLegs or BabyLegs Cool.

You know how much I love my BabyLegs!

Go over to her blog for your chance to win!

No post today.

It has been a day.

Playdate/lunch date this morning.

Caroline had a breakdown.

She was tired.

She would not nap.

I cleaned the house a little.

A friend came over.

I tried to watch Tori and Dean and Harper's Island.

Caroline cried so hard that she made herself throw up everywhere.

I gave her two baths today.

It was a day...

From hell.

Someone came to look at my stove. He knows how to fix it but was out of the parts that he needs. Fabulous.

I had to cook on the electric skillet thing again.

We had steak and fresh squash.

Emma slept for about 5 minutes. So, I got to finish my dinner. Amen to that!

Caroline never did nap.

Emma napped for about an hour, total, all day... and that is it.

They were both up until about 9pm.

I'm exhausted.

It has been a day.

Hello luvah boy.

I admitted in my Not Me! Monday post that I was in love.

My new lover?

One word for you: Nutella.


Nutella- "The Original Creamy, Chocolaty Hazelnut Spread."

Also known in my house as Heaven.

"Bring me the jar of Heaven, please."

"Would you like a dollop of Heaven on that?"

I took a picture of the inside of the jar but I am not going to post it. It will be visible proof that I really do eat it with my finger. One whole side of the jar has been wiped clean.

Try it. You will fall in love. This will make you believe in love at first sight!

Delish dinner.

We love cooking fresh food in the summer.

Tonight, we had a wonderful dinner!

On the menu?

Fresh dolphin/mahi-mahi (that was swimming yesterday afternoon... thanks Dad!) topped with a cucumber salsa

New potatoes with fresh red onion

The best part of this meal? I didn't have to use my stove/oven. Remember, it is broken. So, Ryan grilled tonight.

Take a look at this little plate of deliciousness.


The recipe for the cucumber salsa came from Tara over at Jimmy Choos and Tennis Shoes. I just did a little tweaking to make the recipe my own.

The final product looked like this...


Don't let the look fool you. It was delicious! We ate most of it on chips before the fish was ready. We could not stop eating it.

Jealous?

Well, I will share.

Cucumber Salsa

1 large cucumber- skinned and diced

2 tomatoes- diced

2 avocados- skinned and diced

1/2 red onion- diced

handful of fresh cilantro- finely chopped

garlic salt to taste

fresh lemon/lime juice to taste (I used juice from about half of a lemon)

There you have it. It is super yum-o! I would only do one thing differently. Next time, I will chopped a jalapeno for a little spice.

Don't forget the potatoes.

I am a lover of all carbs!

Ryan's parents had given us a bag of new potatoes.

We washed them and diced them.

I put them in a tinfoil packet with red onion, McCormick Broiled Steak Seasoning Salt, dots of butter, and about half of a cup of my secret ingredient... Kraft Roasted Red Pepper Italian with Parmesan dressing. Yum-o!

We put them on the grill and cooked them for about an hour and a half, flipping the packet over once during that cook time.

Hope you enjoy! If you try either recipe, let me know what you think!

Not Me! Monday.

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I did not plan on switching rooms with Caroline this weekend. Meaning, I want Caroline and Emma to move into my room and I am going to move our stuff into Caroline's room.

I did not sit around all weekend instead.

Caroline is not calling everyone a "damnass" which means dumbass.

"Come on lady. Move!" Caroline chimed in, "MOVE DAMNASS!"
"CAROLINE WHERE ARE YOU?" "I'm fine, damnass!"

I do not blame my husband AND myself for this. We both say it. I can't deny it.

I am not ignoring her.

Do you remember when she did not say bullship all of the time. That passed so maybe this will too.

My freaking stove/oven is not broken.

I did not whip up my super secret french toast recipe this morning... and dip my first piece of bread... and throw it on the frying pan... only to find that the pan was not hot. Neither was the burner. Fabulous. To add to the fabulous-ness I didn't get my freaking french toast.

I did not feed my children blueberries instead.

I did not find my favorite wine in the most unlikely of places. SCORE! It was only $9.34. Double score!

I am not using my microwave with no turntable thing. My plates/bowls are still turning. You just have to balance your plate/bowl on the center turning knob type thing and TA-DA... it turns.

I did not make my washing machine smoke this week. Nope, not me.

I did not have a conversation with myself that went a little something like this:
"I may have overloaded that washer."
"Hummmm. Should I go check? Nope. Baby is screaming. I'll check on it later. It will be fine."
Few minutes later...
"What smells like smoke? What/who is on fire?"
Walk into my kitchen. Smoke everywhere. Open laundry room door. Smoke billows out. Look at washer. It is smoking.
"Holy... what do I do now? I totally have to wash those clothes before the hubs gets home. He has no panties. He is going to be ticked."

I did not forget to turn it to an extra large load. I most definitely did not wash an extra large load on small load. WHAT? FYI when you do this... your washer will smoke.

When the hubs got home, he did not ask if I had washed his clothes.

I did not look at him and say, "Well... technically... yes." "What does that mean?" he asked. "Ummm... well... I had a malfunction. Well, really the washer had a malfunction. It started smoking... and I don't mean it start smoking cigarettes. There was billowing smoke that took over the whole laundry room and kitchen."

He did not respond by just looking at me. He did not just stare. Whatev.

I did not admit that I had a new lover in my life. I am not writing a post about my new love affair.

Do not act excited at all. DO NOT!

The Shopping Mama's giveaway!

I love a good giveaway!

Meet The Shopping Mama!

Win a $30 shopping spree at Sophie's Chic Boutique!

They have a ton of cute stuff!

Go check it out at The Shopping Mama's blog for your chance to win!

Good luck!

Evian Bouvier Lafone.

That is what I always wanted to name my little girl. Well, minus the Lafone. I didn't know Ryan until I was 15. Anyway, Evian Bouvier.

We did not use Evian and we did not use Bouvier.

But, man, I love Bouvier.

It sounds so... classy. (Maybe Jackie O made it sound that way?!)

"Come here, Bouvier."

"Stop that, Bouvier."

Ryan would not let up (I wouldn't settle for Frances or Fiona either) so my children have normal names.

Anyway, for Caroline's first Christmas she got a fish. (I mentioned him in yesterday's post.)

Being that she was not even 6 months old yet, we will say that I got a fish.

I decided to name him Bouvier.

I fed him.

I watched him swim.

I thought he had a good life.

That is... until he turned suicidal.

I decided to clean his hand-painted TV fish tank one day.

I wanted to give him some fresh water.

As I poured him from his TV into a cup, he jumped.

He did not land on the bathroom counter. Nope. He fell to the floor. The tile floor. He flopped around. I snatched him up and threw him in water. He swam around for a few minutes. Once back in the tank... he just floated.

Maybe he will live, I thought.

How about... nope he didn't.

Dead.

Gone.

Thank God Caroline was only 6 months old and doesn't remember me killing her first pet.

Tragic.

Rest in peace my sweet Bouvier. Your name was beautiful. We will remember you forever.

Especially since I want to name my next pet Bouvier too. {grin}

Thursday randoms.

- Caroline stumped her toe. It was dramatic. I have no idea where she gets it from.

- I dropped the glass turn plate thing in the microwave (whatever it is called) on the kitchen for. It shattered into a million pieces. I thought it was going to cut my foot/leg off. I yelled son of a bitch SOB really loud. Being from the South it sounded more like son of a beech, though. I swept the floor twice! (Hopefully, SOB will not be Emma's first words because she looked at me like I was a nutcase when I yelled.)

- Caroline stepped on a piece of broken glass anyway. She cut her foot. I found the piece of glass. There was blood. That means, that there was dramatic crying and rolling in the floor.

- Caroline has not napped in two days.

- When she does nap, she doesn't go to bed until after 11:30pm.

- When she doesn't nap, she has a meltdown about 7:00pm. Then I give her a bath and she falls asleep immediately afterwards.

- We have decided that the meltdown is much easier to deal with than fighting her at night.

- I had my own meltdown today because of my lack of organization and space in this house. Ugh!

- Caroline calls noodles, new-news. What? I'm serious. We worked with her on saying nooDLes. She didn't get it. After five minutes or so, we gave up.

- I love Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood. I didn't like Tori at first but now I really do. I also totally want to read her books.

- Speaking of books, I am still reading Eclipse. Yes, I start like a month ago. BC (before children) I would have had that book read in less than 2 days. I don't have time to tinkle, much less read. On my off time (when family sleeps) I have to watch my DVR'd shows.

- RHONJ makes me laugh. I love Tuesday nights. I am a sucker for reality TV.

- I am moving furniture this weekend so tomorrow will probably be my last post until Monday.

- No worries. Not Me! Monday will be up bright and early Monday morning.

My super secret pasta salad ingredient.

This is one of Ryan's favorite things to eat.

It is super easy to make.

Cucumber, tomato, onion, and basil. All fresh out of the garden. Not our garden, of course. I can't even keep a fish alive (that is another post all together) much less vegetable plants.

Ryan requests pasta salad at least 4 times a week.

He eats it at every meal. This morning, he had a big bowl of pasta salad and two pieces of sausage for breakfast yesterday morning. This morning it was just a big bowl of pasta salad all by itself. Weirdo really eats it at every meal!

Throw grilled chicken on top for a full meal. It is delicious. Ryan has even put steak in his. That wasn't my favorite but what man doesn't love steak?

My secret ingredient? Kraft Roasted Red Pepper Italian with Parmesan dressing. Oh my gosh! So delish.

I am a sauce/dressing snob. This is the only bottled dressing I love! Try it!

Wordless Wednesday: Yum-O!

Can you name all of the ingredients in my pasta salad? There aren't many so it is not very hard.

This is a summertime staple at my house.

Happy guessing!

Reminds me of the time I whipped my nipples out.

I do not dream very often.

The other night, I had a nightmare.

A freaking nightmare that sent me into a panic.

I was dreaming that I was asleep in my bed.

We have a big (king size), comfy (1000 thread count sheets), soft (memory foam), bed. I love it.

Anyway, I dreamed that Ryan got in bed with his shoes on!

I flipped. I mean I was kicking and screaming. I was extremely angry.

I can't stand for my sheets to feel dirty. I don't even like for the sheets to be wrinkled. I am that freak that will actually make her bed before she gets in it. My house might be a disaster but rarely do I leave the bed unmade.

ANYWAY...

So, I dream he is in my bed with his shoes on. I'm talking muddy, nasty shoes.

I try to push him off the bed.

No, really. I was REALLY pushing him off of the bed.

I woke up in a sweat, still pushing him. He was yelling, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?! WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?"

I've never done anything crazy like that in my sleep. It was kind of embarrassing.

Last time I did something crazy like that, I was all jacked up on magnesium sulfate and I literally whipped my boobs out and made my friend watch my breast pump suck my nipples in and out. I was mortified when she told me.

Please tell me you have done something crazy embarrassing.

Prepared post of pictures, people. (Like the alliteration?)

Rain remembers rainbows.



Toddler, tiny infant, tutus, tea parties, total chaos.


Big baby blues (gorgeous green tint)


Crazy Caroline's costume carnival.


Small sibling sitting so sweet.

Not Me! Monday.

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I did not have a date with the hubs Friday night.

I did not fall while walking down the sidewalk.

If I did, I would not have posted about it. Nope, not me!

I did not flip out Saturday night when Caroline came to me and threw up. She did not tell me that she ate a pepperoni. A pepperoni? We did not have pork chops for dinner! Where the heck did a pepperoni come from? I did not start to panic. We did not find a Cascade tablet laying in the middle of the kitchen floor, busted.

Caroline did not try to eat the Cascade dishwashing tablet. She did not get a little bit in her mouth. Like I said, it did not make her throw up.... on my living room carpet. Yum.

I did not stress myself out over it. She is not fine. Thank goodness! I did not drink two glasses of wine when the whole ordeal was over.

Both of my children, were not up until 12 am this morning. Ugh! I did not seriously think about putting them in the car and driving them around. Thank goodness, Ry did not come to the rescue and help me. He did not take Caroline so that I could get Em to sleep.
------------------------------

This is a short Not Me! Monday.

I am tired and I cannot think.

I'll post again soon.

I also have pictures to post.

I will post them sometime today!

Long road ahead.

"Caroline stop."

"Caroline, don't scream."

"Caroline, I am going to count to three."

"Caroline, this is your warning."

"Caroline, don't pull your sister."

"Caroline, just leave Em alone!"

"Caroline, we are not going outside right now. STOP ASKING!"

Then she says, "Me not like you anymore."

We have a long 15 years ahead of us then, chick.

Nursing Cover giveaway!

Go check out Jo at The A-Priori Mommy for your chance to win a Bebe au Lait nursing cover!

This is a great giveaway!

I know a lot of you are preggers or still nursing so go enter yourself!

You're welcome!

Our date night was trippin'.

Being at home by myself with 2 children all day every day is... challenging.

I insist on one date night every weekend. The past couple of weekends, we haven't gotten those date nights. We have been busy and so have our babysitters (also known as KK/Jay and Grandmom/Papa). We haven't had time for dates.

Our date last night was extremely overdue!

I was so excited. I knew exactly where I wanted to eat, exactly what I wanted to drink, exactly where I wanted to seat... OH, and I knew exactly what I wanted to wear.

I dropped the kids off.

I came home and picked Ryan up (he takes an extremely long time to get ready).

We were on our way.

We went to a cute little Italian restaurant called Pupetta's. Just typing the name makes me mouth water. Ha!

We sat in the bar area because the atmosphere is great. The bar is beautiful... well, actually the whole building is beautiful.

Anyway, I ordered the famous Michelangelo. It is my absolute favorite drink in the whole world! It is Three Olives Watermelon Vodka, pink lemonade and cranberry juice. Talk about delish! I drank it in about two gulps.

I ordered my usual baked spaghetti and of course, ate a basketful of bread.

By the end of the meal, I was stuffed.

We boxed up our leftovers and decided it was time to leave.

I was looking all cute in my William Rast jeans and Jessica Simpson really HIGH heels. Cute until the spill. No, I didn't spill food on myself.

Picture this...

Cute girl chatting away at her husband, walking down a sidewalk, food in hand. They've been out on a fabulous date. In the middle of a sentence, she steps on a crack in the sidewalk, falls (I mean like completely falls... on all fours), and somewhat lands in a tree.

The husband just keeps walking. He gets in the car. Cranks it up. There was no laugh. No, "Oh my gawd, Hailey! Are you ok?" There was nothing. NOTHING! Jerkface.

I yelled when I got in the car. Well, I laughed and yelled because that is just like me. Tripping and falling.

Bright side of the story... I didn't spill our leftovers!

I have got skills, my friends. Mad skills!

PS- Be sure to click on the shoes link above to see just how tall these shoes were. I was almost as tall as Ry! Not to mention they were super cute!

"That" family.

Today I realized something.

We might be "that" family.

Oh, you know the ones.

Caroline had on her Halloween costume. She was reading a Christmas book. She had on Easter egg socks. Her hair resemble a squirrels nest and her face was disgusting. Her feet may or may not have been the color of soot.

What?

Sound like a redneck much?

I couldn't help but wonder... If someone saw this, would they think I wore wife beaters with rust stains, went barefoot, wore pink sponge curlers 95% of the time, smoked Marlboro Reds, ate Cheetos, drank Natural Light, and could burp my ABCs all while standing in my front yard with Christmas lights still up, with a naked baby on my hip, cussing really loud at Ryan?

After that thought crossed my mind, I was overwhelmed. I hid the Christmas book and the Easter socks. I made Caroline take off her costume and dressed her like a normal person. I fixed her hair, brushed her teeth, and washed her face. Oh... and we scrubbed her feet.

I felt much better. Much, much better. (It's possible that Caroline did too.)

Six-billion-year-old star: Part Three.

Did you miss the first two posts.

Post number one was about me.

Post number two was about Ultraviolet radiation.

This post, post number three, is about sunscreen.
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Ever wonder what SPF really means?

Let's talk about it.

SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor. It is a measure of a sunscreen's ability to prevent UVB from damaging the skin.

There are many SPFs to choose from.

What is best for you?

I'll let you decide once I tell you what I learned about SPF.

Let's say it takes you 30 minutes to start getting red out in the sun. If using an SPF 15, it will take you 15 times longer to get red. Meaning it will take you about 7.5 hours.

I like this explanation too. I found it on the Skin Cancer Foundation website.

"SPF 15 blocks approximately 93 percent of all incoming UVB rays. SPF 30 blocks 97 percent; and SPF 50 blocks 99 percent."

Since SPF only blocks UVB rays, what should we do about the UVA rays? Remember, UVA rays penetrate through TWO layers of skin versus UVB which only penetrates the top layer.

Well, there is something called a broad-spectrum sunscreen.

This type of sunscreen protects against UVA and UVB rays.

I use Ocean Potion Anti-Aging Broad Spectrum sunblock lotion with a SPF 30. It smells absolutely delicious. I love it. It is reasonably priced especially compared to some of the other broad-spectrum suncreens.

I also use Ocean Potion Face Potion for my face. It is made with zinc oxide which is also a broad-spectrum sunscreen by itself.

It is a complete sun blocking system. AND NO, it DOESN'T leave white all over your face. If rubs in and you can't tell you have anything on your face! Ha!

Zinc oxide does not irritate the skin either. The diaper rash creams you use, are mostly made up of zinc oxide! That in itself is proof that it does not irritate the skin.

How about your baby? How do you protect them?

Babies under 6 months of age should get very little sun exposure.

When exposed, babies should be properly shielded from the sun.

The AAP issued a new recommendation a few years ago which stated that "when adequate clothing and shade are not available, parents can apply a minimal amount of sunscreen to small areas, such as the infant's face and the back of the hands."

Remember though these two very important reasons for not overusing sunscreen in young babies:

1. Infants a high body surface to volume ratio. What this means is that proportionately babies have more skin for the size body as compared to an adult. Obviously, sunscreens are made of chemicals. On the older child and adult, the chemical exposure is relatively minimal because the body surface ratio is smaller than a baby. Therefore, babies get a higher "dose" of sunscreen than older children and adults. While this exposure would most likely not cause any problems, the likelihood of an adverse reaction is greater.

2. Babies have a mildly impaired mechanism to keep cool by sweating. In addition, they have a greater risk of becoming dehydrated due to heat. Sunscreen can somewhat impair effective cooling by perspiration, so placing too much of it on an infant could be detrimental.
(Found at Parenting iVillage)

I also want to mention how to properly use sunscreen.

First, apply your sunscreen 30 minutes before sun exposure.

Then, reapply every two hours.

Typically you should use about 1 oz. of sunscreen per application. 1 oz. is about as much as a shot glass.
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Sources:
Parenting iVillage
Skin Cancer Foundation
Your Baby Today

FuzziBunz.

Dee over at Two of a Kind, Working on a Full House is having a fabulous giveaway!

Here is your chance to try FuzziBunz or add to your collection.

Head over for your chance to win three FuzziBunz One Size Pocket Diapers. They retail for $18.95 a piece.

Great giveaway, huh?

Click here to take you to Dee's blog for your chance to win!

OMG!

EDITED: I'm working on my HTML code to make a three column layout. So far, I have found a code that works but my buttons don't fit. If anyone has a HTML code for a three column layout for minima in blogger.. and you want to share... help a girlfirnd out. I NEED help! Ha!

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UNDER CONSTRUCTION!

I've lost all of my damn buttons.

I can't figure a few things out. This is a work in progress.

Six-billion-year-old star: Part Two.

Day number two of my talk about the sun and skin cancer awareness.

Did you miss yesterday's post?

Read it here.
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Before, there was a lot I did not know about the sun.

I am going to break it down like an elementary school teacher for you.

Ready?

To better understand how to protect yourself, you need to know about the actual sun.

The sun produces ultraviolet radiation.

There are three types of ultraviolet rays.

First, we have UVA.

UVA rays make up 95% of the ultraviolet radiation that reaches the Earth.

UVA is known as the "tanning ray" and the "skin-aging" ray.

Next, is UVB.

UVB rays are responsible for skin reddening/sunburn.

UVB rays peak time is April-October from 10am to 4 pm. Love how those times are when we are always at the pool or beach?

UVC rays are extremely toxic. They are also known as germicidal ultraviolet rays. They are carcinogenic to humans and are thankfully filtered out by the ozone layer. Makes you want to look out for the ozone layer now, huh?

Ok, so do you have all that?

Now, I'm going to talk about them (UVA and UVB) all together. We will not talk about UVC since (thank God) we do not come into contact with them.

Here we go... again.

UVA and UVB both penetrate your skin.

You have three layers of skin.

The epidermis is on top.

Followed by the dermis, in the middle.

Then you have the hypodermis/subcutaneous layer on the bottom.


UVA rays penetrate more deeply than UVB. UVA rays actually penetrate your epidermis and dermis leading to more/deeper damage.

(Remember, UVA is the "tanning" ray.)

UVB rays only damage the superficial layer... the top layer... the epidermis.

If those rays can get through your skin, remember that both rays can get through clouds. So, even on a cloudy day... you can get burned/tanned.

Also know that UVB rays bounce back by 80%. These rays can bounce off of snow, ice, sand, and water. This means you are getting hit TWICE.

I'm sure you are overwhelmed with information right now but let me tell you two more things.

First, I found out that tans aren't as pretty as they appear. It seems nice to be tan/dark. It makes you look pretty.

Well, tanning is actually your skins way of protecting itself.

UVA rays cause damage to your skins DNA. Therefore, your skin darkens to prevent further damage.

Didn't know that did you? Me either and I thought it was very interesting.

Also, tanning beds let off UVA rays.

Remember these are the rays that penetrate your epidermis and dermis.

In a tanning bed, you are exposed to 12 times the UVA rays than that of the sun. Can you see why tanning beds dramatically increase your risk of cancer? Don't ever let anyone tell you that a tanning bed is just like the sun. WHATEV!

Ok, I hope you guys understood all of that.

Tomorrow, I will be talking about sunscreen! Get ready! I'm excited.

Six-billion-year-old star.

We call this star the Sun.

A few months ago, I told you guys about two spots on my shoulder.

I wanted them checked and removed before going on our cruise in March.

It had been exactly 17 months since my last yearly full body check.

I was suppose to go back in October 2008 but with Emma being born in September, I couldn't make it. I had too much on my plate at the time and never made my appointment.

After calling and begging, they worked me in. It's good to know people that work in a doctors office with a two month wait time.

I hate going to these appointments. I start sweating when I pull into the parking lot. I try to lie to myself, "I am so ready for my facial treatment. Dr. J is going to make me look just like Jamie Pressly." Who am I kidding? It doesn't work. I am a wreck by the time I actually get to the window to check-in.

This visit was no different. I looked like I had been swimming by the time I made it back to the room. I had to apologize to Dr. J for my over abundance of sweat. He laughed.

Long story short... he took off the two spots on my shoulder and found another on my back.

They were exactly what I thought they were... basal cell carcinomas.

Sounds scary, right? He found 3 and in only 17 months?!

Basal cell carcinomas are the most common form of skin cancer. They are commonly found on the face, ears, neck, scalp, shoulders, and back... places with maximum sun exposure. Seldom does it spread, or metastasize.

I was lucky. I caught two of mine early and Dr. J caught the one on my back early.

He just took a razor blade and cut them off.

My reason is bringing this up? The month of May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month. May is over, you say? Why, yes. Today is the first day of June. I meant to write this post all month and didn't think about it until today. Which got me thinking... every month should be skin cancer awareness month.

Get ready my friends. For the next few days, you will be seeing posts about different facts I have learned in my short 24 years. We need to educate ourselves AND our children.

Some of this stuff is interesting! Think of it as a learning experience!

I'm in heaven... Handbag Heaven.

My giveaway addiction is overwhelming.

It may be just as overwhelming as my infomercial addiction.

Here we go...

Baby Loving Mama, Emilie, is having a fabulous giveaway!

You could win ANY handbag from Handbag Heaven. Just looking around their store, I'm in heaven.

Please head over to Baby Loving Mama for your chance to win.

Not Me! Monday.

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I did not watch the MTV Movie Awards last night.

I did not regret it.

I was not terrible.

Look at this hot mess.


Converse All-Stars... really? I did not own a pink pair of those in 1987 when I was two.

Anyway, that hot mess of a girl most definitely did not DROP her popcorn award.

Cameron Diaz did not have to go save it AND then have to hand the hot mess a piece of the award that broke off.

I did not think to myself... "idiot."

I also did not tweet about the whole situation on twitter. What? Not me!

If I did tweet, I would not say this.

I did not drool a little over this hunk of a guy...


Hello, hotness.

I did not think to myself, "Why does Kristen Stewart (aka hot mess) get to kiss this beautiful guy?" Life is unfair sometimes. Ha.

I am not done talking about Twilight characters. I will not talk about my children now.

Caroline did not stump her toe last night.

She was not dramatic at all over the whole situation.

She did not cry for at least 30 minutes.

She did not want her Daddy.

She did not yell, "I want my Daddy! I want my Daddy!" one-hundred million times... WHILE he was holding her.

He did not say, "CAROLINE! I AM YOUR DADDY!" Obviously, she never got that memo.

Caroline and Em did not just sit on the floor together and play for about 20. That's a long time for Em.

I do not have to hold Em 90% of the day.

I do not miss the days of tee-teeing alone.

I am not writing a series of posts about the sun and sun exposure. I will not post them throughout the week.