It's been crazy, he's been home less than a month now and it's hard to readjust our lives again. He's not used to being near small children whose attention needs suck the lifeblood out of you (he's asked me at least six times if we can't just send them to school, lol). I'm not used to having to run my decisions by anyone else before acting on them. Plus I have to share my car with him, gone are the days where I woke up and decided we'd be going to the beach or lake right then and there. The kids are not used to him anymore and it shows. Ducky is afraid of his daddy and will only go to him/allow him to touch him under very VERY controlled situations. The Kid is very afraid that daddy is going to leave again. Every time that The Hubby leaves to the store or to work, The Kid starts crying because daddy left again and he won't see him again. He has been going to work (on a modified schedule) while they finish all the redeployment paperwork. Thankfully though, his leave starts tomorrow and we'll be going on a family vacation. Hopefully spending a month traveling in Cali and Tijuana with daddy 24/7 will be enough to get the boys to become more comfortable with the fact that daddy is here to stay.

The plan is for us to leave on the first plane that goes to Cali (free flights, but it can be a pain to get there) and then hitting up a few of the touristy attractions. Since Tijuana is just a short drive away we'll be going there for the day as well. Never been to Mexico before so I'm excited and looking forward to it. Although we won't be staying in Mexico overnight due to The Hubby's unnatural fear of being stabbed to death by a Mexican gang member (stems from his having gone on a missions trip to a part of Mexico that has more gangs and murderers than normal people).

This stuff is fun. I get to be sent to a five star hotel to spend a few days lounging around, get free books, money for food, win prizes, and get free daycare. All I have to do? Send my husband to a warzone for a measly year. Not too shabby (yeah, right). We had fun, we did the five love languages, the five love languages for children, and even watched (and got the book for) the laugh your way into a better marriage seminar. Too too funny, I definitely recommend it to all married couples. And to top it all off, I got two copies of the Love Dare book (the one that the movie Fireproof is based on). All signs and rumors are pointing to The Hubby's unit coming back a month early but like I told him, until he's on a plane home I'm not believing anything. After all, this is the same Army that moved up his deployment date via text message. The kidlets and I spent quite a few hours at the kiddie pool. I'm happy to report that The Kid is almost swimming. I'm even sadder to report that that child swims better than I do.

But back to the midget room. They gave us a darn midget room, literally. The bathroom counters were about two inches higher than my kneecaps. The bathtub was ye high (about eight inches tall) so there was no danger or fear of Ducky drowning in the tub accidentally. That's seriously one of my biggest fears, that and being chased by zombies. The toilet, oh my God the toilet. Let's just say that when I sat down on it, my knees were touching my ears. But my two year old was able to stand next to the toilet and pee comfortably. And when we were jumping on the beds my head kept hitting the ceiling. Darn midget room.

But since the kids were having so much fun with a room that was just their size, I didn't call the front desk to get a different room. Darn motherly instincts, I suffer for three days so that they can have fun.

Ewwww!
I was cooking and was slicing some garlic cloves when wouldn't you know it, Ducky reached in my plate and grabbed one of them and ate it!! ewww. He ate the entire thing. I thought for sure he'd spit it out as soon as he tasted the frozen clove but not. Like a true Sourpatch child, he would not allow himself to waste anything edible. I was icked out and proud at the same time.



on runing away.

The Kid woke up two nights ago and came running into my room as usual. He didn't find his daddy on the bed and was surprised. He screamed out Mommy! Daddy run away!! The Hubby was in the living room at the time. It was super funny the way he said it.

This is it! My very last day of working here. I leave with a bittersweet heart. On one part, there are some awesome people that I've gotten to know (M, A, J, M, E, R) and there are also those whose name shall go unmentioned. I will miss seeing and talking to my girls here but I won't miss the office mama drama and all that it entails (and I'm mostly looking at the local crazies, i.e. S). This is also my very last day with real internet access. Probably by the time I get home, the pc AND tv will have been unhooked in anticipation of the movers. I still have SO MUCH to do it's not even funny. I have about two loads of laundry left (mostly diapers) and have to buy more almond milk for Ducky since his princess tummy won't tolerate anything but.

Speaking of him, he got whatever it is that I have. Poor baby woke up eleventeen times last night and nursed nonstop. Woke up with a face crusted with snot (looked like those children you see in walmart). The poor The Kid also is getting whatever it is that I have as well, I heard him coughing several times during the night. He slept in the air mattress in his room since their beds have already been dismantled. Poor thing, he tried crawling to my room sometime during the night. I found him asleep on the floor. Half his body was in my room and the other half in the hallway. And the little snitch also pulled the stopper on the air mattress. When I went to wake him up this morning (I'd put him back on the bed when I found him), the mattress was completely squoshed and the stopper had been taken off.

cross your fingers for me, The Hubby finally got the amended orders and will be trying to get our tickets on the same flight as his. Hopefully they'll still have seats available. And I'm going to go all out and not use 'sposies during the transition. I'd briefly considering using disposable diapers until we're in our own house in HI, but I'm going to try and not do it. I will use the laundromat in town until we leave, making sure all the dipes are nice and clean the day before. I don't think I'll have a problem using cloth on the plane. FBs are very good at holding things in, but just in case I will put a fleece cover over them. I will, however, make The Kid wear a pullup on at least the first leg of the trip. Last thing I want is to find out the altitude gives this child the runs. Until I can post again:

Hele me kahau 'oli

I'm phirsty

That's what The Kid told me yesterday with such a straight face I couldn't help but laughing.

Last week I was on the PC and hear:

MoOOOm! Come on let's help me clean my bum. Me first and you second.


Kids do say the darndest things.

Is how I spent half my day yesterday. Apparently, they're supposed to clear me and the kidlets from having any and all sorts of diseases/mental issues before allowing us to travel. I loved the question from the social worker:


Do you have any undiagnosed mental health issues?


Now let's take a minute here and think. How would I know if I have a mental health issue if it's undiagnosed? Was I supposed to ask Dr. Google? Are mentally ill people supposed to admit that they're ill if they don't know? I know that I'm different and semy crunchy and that I have an issue with pixie sticks, but other than that, no. I got a bit freaked out when they mentioned vaccines. The Dr. lady said: I see here that Ducky is up to date in his vaxes and that The Kid is the same as well. I just nodded and smiled. It was more than obvious that she'd never even looked at their files (which were in front of her) because if she had, she'd know that Ducky's never gotten a vax and that The Kid is lacking some too. Either way, I got out of having to explain to people why I chose to keep my children chemical free. I'd rather have my children's insides chicken embryo free, not to mention phermaldehyde and aluminum. Crazy people, the good thing is that we passed the screening

We've been battling a nasty bug that keeps passing from kid to kid to mom like a bad joke. But I think that we're finally overcoming it. It's what The Kid did last night that made my heart skip a beat. He asked to sleep on my bed when it was bedtime and since he wasn't fully well I let him. Imagine my surprise when I went to bed myself about three hours later to find him still awake. He gave me a big hug and said "mamma, you're the best!" and fell asleep on my arms.

Doesn't that melt your heart?

The Kid, you have started skool and you have a love/hate relationship with it. On Monday, your first day, you cried on and off for the entire two hours that you were there. Tuesday, you didn't cry as much. Only in the morning but were extremely happy when I picked you up. You had a very good day that day. Yesterday you had a good day too. Although when I told you that you were going to skool you started to cry and said "no shhkowl mommy, no shhkowl". But when I told you that skool was fun you started to laugh and tell me all about their puzzles, and slides, and your friends.


You're an odd kid, but I love you.

So, here it is, either late or early, The Kid's update. I hope that he doesn't get mad at me when he's older and sees all the updates that Duckie has and the few that he has.

The Kid, you are two and a half and a wonder to be around. You can:
dress yourself (for the most part. You still need a bit of help but you're getting there)
are an expert in putting your shoes on in the wrong foot, lol.
Know your ABC's in both english and spanish as well as your numbers in both languages.
Know your shapes, colors, numbers (some numbers, depending on the font that they're printed).
Are about to start skool, you are very excited about this one.
Your vocabulary is expanding more and more each day.
You can do a flip and almost a cartwheel. You're working on both a headstand and walking on your hands. Either of the two is giving me more gray hairs than I can manage.
You love creating with your hands.
You miss daddy a lot, but we look at your book everyday which is filled with pictures of daddy.
If it's high up/dangerous/toxic, you want to do it. I've resigned myself to the fact that you're a daredevil and nothing I do will change it.
You absolutely love to draw, and your drawings are too cute.

Have turned into such a polite little boy. I have no idea where my baby went to, you say please, thank you, sorry, and expect the same courtesy to be given to you. Although I'm getting tired of apologizing to you for your getting hit on the table/floor/chair. It's not my fault you fell, not sure why I have to say I'm sorry.

you know what? we haven't really had a tantrum episode. The few times that we've been out and about and you've misbehaved it could be directly traced back to being overdue for a nap or just woke up from a nap. Either I've been doing a good job disciplining you or I've been getting better in scheduling outings at the best of times for you. I'm leaning towards the latter, you know, in case it comes back to bite me in the butt.

I just finished most of the paperwork to enroll The Kid in skool. He starts on 8/4 and is just so excited! He's going to this montessori academy. I took a tour of the skool on Friday and saw the different classrooms. Their four year olds are already doing long division! And reading! Although I'm sure that The Kid's favorite thing will be a toss up between the slides, gymnastics class, and lunch/snack time. Pretty sure that naptime will be his most hated subject. I'm so proud of him! He's going to do great in skool and the fact that we can now afford(not really, it'll be a tight fit but it's a sacrifice worth making) to send him to this great place makes me happy. If I can't stay home with my kiddos and teach them stuff, I might as well find a skool that will teach them the same way that I would. He's going to be having math, science, social studies, practical life, and reading classes in addition to gymnnastics (not sure about dance) and whatever else they throw in.

It's going to work out great. He'll be there from 9-3pm, I'll drop him off and pick him up at the sitter's and she'll take him to and from skool. I don't have to switch my schedule around, the sitter gets rid of him for 6 hours a day, and Duckie gets to have personal one on one time with the sitter and her family. See, everybody wins.

It will hopefully serve as a distraction for him what with daddy being gone and all. Maybe then he'll stop picking on his baby brother.

could love a poopy face like this.

The Kid is also cutting one of his molars.






How much longer will it be until all their teeth are in? I seriously thought that he'd been finished teething, gr. At least he can tell me when/where it hurts. The Hubbster called, they only allow them to call for a maximum of three minutes on Sundays so we couldn't talk much. Also, The Kid is majorly missing his daddy. Since The Hubby has insomnia, he'll sometimes sleep in the couch and I've caught the poor The Kid sneaking off to the couch in the middle of the night looking for daddy. :(

He's gone and am all alone in the house with the kidlets. Keep trying to make myself be busy so that I don't have to miss him. It sucks big fat monkey butt cuz I already got used to him being around all the time and now I have to get unused to it. I won't hear from him for the next few weeks cuz they like to keep their newbies sequestered for awhile. After that, we'll be able to talk to him on Sundays until he finishes up Basic. I so wish that we could pack up and move with him to his class after that but it's not financially feasible.

I am making a list of all the things that I want to get done around the house to keep me busy:
rug- the edge where it ends and the tile starts was ripped by the previous tenants and because The Hubby was going to retile the entire area he never got around to fixing it. I know exactly how to fix that problem and will be heading over to Home Depot this weekend to fix it. Wish me luck cuz I've never drilled through concrete nor sawed metal before. Am planning on using womanly wiles to get the Home Depot workers to cut the metal for me.

kidlets room have to figure some sort of storage space in there. Plus have to fit Ducky's crib in there as well

backyard since The Hubby used to do all his work in the backyard and was dumb enough to throw nails and broken glass all over it, The Kid could never play in it. Am going to separate an area just for him, comb through it for any nails/glass/sharp object, and then will throw one of those plastickey outdoor rug thingies on it in case I missed something. Will be second on list as I will then be able to let him out to play while I cook/clean/sleep.

laundry room he has a million things in here that he will never use. I will go over everything and throw away what's not needed. Get some organization in there as well.

computer/rumpus room Since he's gone, I can move things around and put them where they should be and gasp! get an actual computer table instead of a big long table that takes up half the room. Seriously, this has caused more fights than leaving the toilet seat up. Concurrent to that, I will be installing Microsoft Word AND Excel in the computer. He is mortal enemies with these two programs and forced me to go to the library and do my homework because he wouldn't install it. He thinks that WordPerfect is just fine and that "teachers have to understand it." Umn.. no, they fail you if you don't submit your work in the format required.

Am sure the list will get bigger as I think of more things that have not gotten done around the house.



In other news, Ducky would.not.sleep last night. I'm sure that he caught wind of Diana's sleepless teething night and decided that it was high time he did that as well. He was screaming horribly and was so tired and sleepy but just couldn't stop crying. I could see why some people shake their babies, because it was so bad that all I wanted was for him to stop crying. If I'd been told at that point that shaking him would've made him stop, I would've done it too. The desperation, sadness, tiredness, all combined with the fact that now am all alone with the kidlets kinda got to me. Thankfully the most harmful thing I did to him was give him Tylenol but even that didn't work. He finally fell asleep exhausted around 5:30am. Just in time for the alarm to ring.

There's a big decision to be made in the sour household. Something that will affect the lives of ourselves and those who we hold near and dear to us. It's not divorce, so don't worry about that. I can't say anything concrete to you internets yet, but as soon as I have clearance, I will.

In the other hand, The Kid has been dressing himself of late. It's kinda cute to see all the funky combinations that he comes up with (green and blue shirt with red pants. one black, one elmo shoe) but he has to learn somehow.

Saturday Ducky decided that he'd roll over from his back to his tummy for the first time. No biggie, it's supposed to be a milestone and all. he did it a total of 4 different times and each time it scared the poop out of him. Poor baby, it took me over an hour each time to calm him down long enough to be able to put him down again and he had to go on and turn.


Kids are so silly. In other news, this morning I found The Kid sleeping on top of a pillow in the living room(top half was on pillow, bum in the air) clutching a cup. When I touched him to pick him up, he turned to me smiling and said: I's stuck mommy!

I was preparing dinner last night and had the chillums chillin' in the living room. There's a partial wall that separates the kitchen from the living room and the pantry is in the hallway across the kitchen. Ducky was practicing his crawling (He kinda regressed a bit there because the sitter would leave him all day in either the bassinet or the vibrating chair. and he kinda forgot what he was doing. thankfully I put a stop to that and she's now letting him chill in the floor to do his baby stuff)

I heard Ducky grunting and thought that maybe he'd pushed the toy that I gave him away from him and was trying to get it. I went to the pantry to get something and heard The Kid say "look mommy, look!" I kinda saw what he was doing out of the corner of my eye and turned back to the kitchen. About .2 seconds later a lightbulb turned on in my head and I doubled back to the living room. What do you think I saw internets? Guess, just go ahead and guess......




THE KID WAS SITTING ON TOP OF DUCKY that's what. Not pretending, full on sitting on top of the baby. and bouncing. sitting and bouncing like my baby was some sort of horse of some sort. Ducky was looking up at me with a what's going on up there type of look. the Of course I calmly removed janked The Kid off his brother screaming telling him that we do not ride on the baby. Ducky was fine. At least, I hope he's fine.

Did you have to fight your husband to get him to show your boy how to pee like a man? Cuz seriously, I'm thisclose to growing my own manparts and showing The Kid how it's done. Somehow, after four years of marriage The Hubby has grown prude and doesn't want to show his manparts to The Kid.


is all I'm saying....

and I dragged the boys with me. puking, coughing, fever. It sucks big time because all I felt like doing is crawl under a rock and die, I mean sleep but I had take care of the boys too. All The Kid wanted to eat was sweet peas, blueberries and juice. Three days of that, I don't even have to go into what his output was.

But, we're on the mend now. In fact, The Kid is feeling so much better now that saturday he finally managed to do a full on front flip. It's a little project he's been working on for a few months now. You know, in the edge of the bed or on top of the couch. Just enough danger to give me a mild heart attack. Well, saturday he graduated from doing just a tumble, to a full on flip. At two point five years old. What the heck??!

at least he's feeling better; although I do fear that I will end up with a full heart attack next.

The setting:
Saturday afternoon. I'm cooking in the kitchen, The Hubby is watching TV and the offspring is playing in the living room.

All of a sudden, I hear a huge wail. I look at the baby and it's not him, it's the other one. He's pointing to his mouth and crying. I ask The Hubby to take care of it as I'm up to my elbows in assorted raw chicken parts. He goes over to him and stares at him. Then I hear: stop crying what's going on? sourpatch I don't know what's going, on he won't tell me. And then he goes and sits back down. I call to The Kid while cleaning my hands. He gets to me and first thing I do is notice that he has a piece of ham in his hand. I open his mouth and there's another piece of ham in there (don't ask how or where he got it, it's still a mystery). It didn't take a rocket scientist to see that he'd gotten some ham stuck between his teeth and didn't know how to get it out. As soon as I pushed the bit of ham from between his two front teeth he went happily over to his toys to play some more.


Now if someone can assure me that he won't get salmonella again, I'll be fine. :P

so.. my poor The Kid, he's the one that's borne the brunt of my monster. It's as if a switch was hit inside of me where the baby could do no wrong and The Kid could do nothing right. And then I'd blow up, big time. I'll even admit it, I hit him in anger a couple of times before I got help. It was that which made me realize how wrong I was and how much help I truly needed. I smacked his butt and leg so hard because he had a small accident (we'd been potty training him before the baby was born) that when I sat him in the potty immediately after I noticed that I'd left a red welt on his leg. Oh God how I lost it then. But the worse was yet to come. He started telling me that he was sorry for what he did. Do you know how horrible it is to hear your child apologize to you for something that YOU did wrong? I just dropped down on my knees and started hugging my poor confused boy; kissing him and apologizing to him. I just thank God that it didn't get worse than that and that I'm getting the help I need. One day at a time is the most anyone can ask of me and that's how am doing it.

I've been making sure that The Kid gets the appreciation that he deserves and paying lots of attention to him. I just hope that I didn't scar him for life or that I jeopardized his relationship with his baby brother because of it seeing as how I turned into a monster after the baby came.