I want to go from the Hotel

We went to Vicksburg for Thanksgiving. Vicksburg, Mississippi that is. Not Michigan. I had our bags packed and ready to go because I checked the weather online and I was prepared. Then I heard from my mom and J that I had packed the wrong things. That 29 degrees would be the high in Vicksburg over Tgiving. So I repacked both the boys and me and stressed about it and worried that we would all be freezing and that our winter wardrobe would not looked pulled together. We got on the road the temp gage in the car never dropped below 63, I don't think. Turns out that both my mom and J didn't realize there was also a Vicksburg, MICHIGAN!!!! Hello!!!!!!!!!!!! I was bugged but got over it.

So we drove and traveled with 2 little boys because my cousins gave me a guilt trip about coming. I am glad we went but it was hell on wheels. For a person with a low grade anxiety that has manifested in her body since the day her first child was born, traveling with 2 babies is a nightmare. Pman cried the whole last hour into Vburg and I told J that I would be drinking when I set foot on Mississippi soil.

"Well, the party doesn't start until 6", he said.
"My party starts as soon as I arrive", I retorted.

W ate yogurt and Hershey kisses, Fritos and tortilla chips and 2 bananas. The whole trip. He freaked out about the dog at lunch yesterday and Pman was overwhelmed by the company so didn't eat at all. He busted his chin once among other things. Last night was probably the worst, with W falling out of his bed (I know he is old enough to be sleeping in a big boy bed at home but he loves his crib) at the hotel at 2am when I heard BADUM BUM BUM and so we were up the rest of the night. This morning he said, "I ready to go from the Ho-tel." He took the words right out of my mouth.

LC, Justin Bobbie and Speidi

Kudos to LC for flat out telling Audrina that Justin Bobbie disgusts her. Audrina drove LC to the breaking point. How many times did she have to say, "No, I did not hook up with Justin Bobbie!" before she believed her?

and Spencer and Heidi. I am done. They're married and I am done. I thought Heidi was slowly coming around to the fact that he is a total jackass loser but I was wrong. This is what I think. Heidi Montag knows that Spencer Pratt is an utter loser but she is a. so scared of being alone and b. feels sorry for him. If she ditches him they both know that he's out of The Hills and she doesn't want to be the one to kick him off the show.

That's all, folks.

Fast eating

I can scarf down a sandwich in 2.5 minutes and I can clean a whole plate faster than you can say jack rabbit. I am a fast eater. It all started when I was a kid. If you didn't eat fast enough in this family you would see a fork coming in from the side and spear the most coveted thing on your plate. So it was survival of the fittest or fattest. Whoever ate fastest wouldn't have to worry about their food being eaten by someone else. My mom learned to eat with one hand around her plate to keep thieving eaters away. She refused to eat fast. She was on the defensive.

It's been a long hard road to learning how to eat slow and savor your food. Even now I finish supper way before J. I have to sit and salivate and try as hard as I can to not go back for seconds.

Last night as I ate dinner with the LB (J was out for work) and realize that the pattern will not be broken and that I would have to go on the defensive like my mom. W wanted to eat dinner at his little table. So I sat him down and then made my omelet and went in to join him at the little table. Pman had already eaten and was crawling around seeing what caught his interest. and then up popped his head at the little table. Then the hand came up and over my plate and the pattern began again. He went to town on my omelet. He stopped eating eggs a few weeks ago but for some reason he seemed interested again. I started eating faster and faster. Trying to get all the bites with the cheese and potatoes (my favorite bites) before he ate it all.

So I tried. I tried to break the pattern. I tried to savor my food. I try to chew my food well and I tried taking deep breaths and relaxing my shoulders. I tried eating like J eats. Slowly. But it's all for naught because the cycle is starting again. Maybe I will try and shift positions. I'll keep trying to eat slowly but keep one hand around my plate like my mom. I'm not sure how it will all turn out. Maybe this was a one time thing but I have a feeling it's not.

More scoop found on LC and Justin Bobby

In my spare time I am researching the LC shagging with Justin Bobby rumor. So far I have found this article on The Hollywood Gossip. Lauren is denying the rumors and I believe her. Audrina doesn't know what to believe but seems hurt by all of the drama. and I can't help but posting this foul photo of JB (found on The Hollywood Gossip) and Audrina. and why are they fighting over him? (that is if the rumors are true.) A picture is worth a thousand words.

Broken bones

The Little Buddy still won't let us pick him up for any reason. It's probably a good transition into true independence since we still put him in his car seat and booster seat among other things but it's sad that it had to happen this way.

I finally called the doctor after a day and she said that the pain he is having could be due to a broken clavicle. Even though W says his back hurts, she said that toddlers have a hard time localizing pain. In the bath last night I saw how right on she was. His left collar bone was super swollen and when I prodded at it, W winced. So we're off for an x-ray today. I am not sure there is much they can do. They said they may put on some kind of splint to make it more bearable but otherwise it should heal on it's own. Is this crazy that this is the 2nd time in his life that he has broken his collar bone?

Banana Chocolate Breakfast Bars

I'm totally in the Christmas mood. I know, it's not even THanksgiving but I am motivated to get a jump on Christmas and buy all my presents, or most of them before turkey day. I am doing well so far but I am scouring my food blogs for great holiday ideas and find that they are not in the same mode as me. Anyway, I did find this recipe for Banana Chocolate breakfast bars (not that I'm vegan)from Chocolate and Zucchini and think it may be just the thing to sway W from eating the crappy mini blueberry muffins he insists on eating every morning, sans the coconut, of course. I am not a fan of coconut.

The 5 Bite Diet

I never watch The Morning Show. I never really watch tv in the morning but this morning I did. It was too cold to take baby walking or to the park and I didn't need to go to the grocery so I made my coffee and turned on the tv to the 5 Bite Diet. It is the most idiotic thing I have ever heard. The rules are basically that you eat 5 bites of anything at lunch and 5 bites of anything at dinner and drink all the water, diet drinks etc. that you want. and you will lose weight. DUH! Because you are starving yourself. I've always wanted to be a nutritionist and after hearing about this asshole's diet I wish I were so I could be the one to go on tv and criticize him. He even has a book out. If you ask me it's a total scam to make some money. If you are selling anything that makes a person lose weight quickly you are going to make money-even if it were dog doodoo.

If you want to hear more go here and here and here.

I'm worried about the LB. We can barely pick him up without him screaming in pain. It's awful and it was like pulling teeth to get him tell me what hurt. He says it's his back and that's where he keeps pointing but I have no idea what happened. I called the school and they said he had a great day, no falls, no crying, just a whole lot of fun. I noticed it when I went to put him in the swing at the park. He started crying and wouldn't stop..until he saw his cute little friend running to see him. It happened again when I went to lift him into his car seat. Painful crying, not put on crying. There is definitely a difference.

So I thought we would get through the night and see how he is in the morning. I'll keep you posted.

Lauren Conrad and Justin Bobby

LC DID NOT hook up with Justin Bobby. I know it. I know her too well. She has never liked him and I don't think she would ruin her friendship with Audrina over that dirty boy. Yuk.

I wish I knew more. I guess I will just have to wait until next week and it is killing me.

On the Heidi Montag front, I predict that she and Spencer are on their way down a rocky road.

Awards

A few days ago I was given an "award" by another blogger, News from Nola. It's always flattering to know that another blogger is a regular reader of my daily ramblings.

HAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaah!

Oh, Hi! I was just taking a deep breath. We've had a busy week, what with meeting LC (ha! ha!) and all so I am in full TGIF mode. We had many tantrums and challenges, up and downs, laughter and tears so the weekend when J can join us in this journey is much welcomed.

Master P is sleeping and W is at school. I mopped the floors-Pman's sleeves were disgusting yesterday after taking several tours of the house-and I couldn't stand it anymore. His lunch is made, ready and waiting for him to arise from his morning slumber and I am getting some much needed time on the computer. How people who work, have children, keep the house clean and organized and still have fun...do it, I don't know. I admire high energy people like that. I'm not one of them.

One thing I do know about this weekend is that I won't be sleeping in both days. I got so much guff about that post that I am not bitching online about it again. Ok-I take that back. After that last post W got sick and was waking up in the middle of the night. Who woke up with him? Me. and I still didn't get to sleep in. I dare you to say that I shouldn't have slept in that morning after.

If you know of anyone looking to hire a short order cook send them my way. I have a wealth of experience. I know I acquired this skill on my own and W has just adapted pretty well to the situation but I am sick of it. and I know that you are not supposed to fight about food. If you do you are setting them up for major food issues. I agree somewhat but at what point does a mom say enough is enough. I don't expect W to eat every single bite of what I put in front of him but there has got to be a way to get him to try new foods. Because my point is that I know he would like most things if he would just at least try them. Everything he eats takes a major effort to cook. He won't eat sandwiches and he won't eat what we eat so I am now making 3 different suppers. I guess I could make Pman eat what W eats but I don't really want P just eating grilled cheese, crackers or yogurt. So 3 dinners it is.

And I am really am a "short" order cook. First of all, I'm really short - 5'2". Second of all when I ask W what he wants for supper or lunch he says nothing and then 5 minutes before bedtime he starts asking for chicken nuggets or a grilled cheese. Drives me bananas.

The past 2 nights he has gone to bed hungry because of this issue and I have stopped letting him go to town on a bag of goldfish. It makes my night pretty miserable. I feel terrible about it and maybe after a few nights I will give in but for now it's my only option.

I have yet to find a viable solution. I welcome all of yours.

Clutter Control

Did anyone else see Oprah yesterday? It was all about clutter. I watched it last night while waiting for Top Chef and I was so inspired. They made it look easier than it is-clearing out clutter-but I made the effort-I got up and dejunked the toy basket in the den. We did it in half an hour. This morning I started the overwhelming task of organizing our office. My goal was to have it finished first in July and then October and now here we are in the middle of November. Getting started is the hardest part.

While in my cleaning frenzy I have to stop every few minutes to procrastinate (checking email, facebook, daily blogs) and I added Absolutely Beautiful Things to my blog roll. She's a designer in Australia- a world away from New Orleans and I always enjoy reading her blog. I just always forget the name so I finally added it to my list.

Back to organizing!

Lauren Conrad:Star of The Hills

J and I got a wild hair last night and got a babysitter at the last minute. We got snazzied up and took off downtown for a few drinks at the bar at Emeril's. The Best Margarita in Town! Anyway, after a few ritas we decided to eat and luckily scored a table at the last minute. It was only Tuesday. We were laughing and flirting and then....guess who walked in....dressed to the nines, looking fabulous with a super hot date? LC. For those of you out of the loop-it was Lauren Conrad from The Hills. OMG! I was so excited I could barely contain myself. AND they sat them right next to us. I was feeling pretty bold after 2 margaritas and a few glasses of wine so I went over and said hello, introduced myself. She was so so so nice. We finished dinner at the same time and they invited us to go back and party with them at their hotel (can't tell you where because I don't want any trouble). OMG! We called the sitter, asked her if it was ok if we were late and whooped it up big with LC and her date (can't tell you who it was). We danced, we drank Champagne, we chatted and exchanged emails! Needless to say I am very hungover. It was a hard morning to say the least but well worth it. She was in N.O. doing a promotion for her clothes line. and to top it off she is going to send me one of her dresses! I still feel like I am dreaming. That's because I am dreaming. I wish our life was even that mildly exciting.

We actually went to W's soccer practice, cooked stirfry, dealt with a tantrum over what he wanted to eat, gave both boys baths and then put them to bed. Then we watched Big Fat Loser and 90210 and then went to bed. Snooze.

I chopped through my fingernail and nail bed last night when I was chopping an onion. I pride myself on my knife skills but I guess that's being a little cocky considering I butchered my finger. Still makes my knees week when I think about it. I haven't looked at it since last night. My thumb throbbed all night. I am really worried I am going to lose my fingernail.

Speaking of cooking....
The premiere of Season 5 Top Chef starts on Wednesday. So set your DVR's for the season.

NOLA Restaurant News

It's kind of been the talk of our food conversations lately-the menu at Lilette. For a creature of habit like me, I don't mind that the menu never changes because I always get the same thing. I know a good thing when I see it but Uncle RaRa and a few others have mentioned that they really wish the menu at Lilette would change-just to mix things up a bit.

Well, good news food lovers, it has, according to Appetites!

I. for one. am very excited about the changes to the Hangar steak sides. I love love love gnocchi if they are made well. and Lilette;s are almost as good as John Besh's. Well, actually, better than, since the last time I went to August. His gnocchi has gone down in my book. It really pains me to say it, but it's the truth. and Lilette is my front runner.

I've been so busy that I haven't uploaded photos in forever but I have good ones to share.

Roses from our overgrown garden



W reading the paper. He's taken to 'reading' the newspaper every morning at breakfast. At first he just opened and closed it, now he's really looking at the pictures, trying to find W's and P's.


and Pman loves opening and closing doors. Here he closed us out of the house

All this posting about Obama and I haven't participated. I don't know enough about politics to write intelligently about it. I know who I voted for and why I voted for him. I was terribly hopeless after the election but I received an email from a friend, William Vanderbloemen. It's called a Devo (short for devotional) and he is an inspirational writer. It's very relevant and made me feel better. Here it is. Oh, and you can sign up for his Devo's below. Hopefully the link works.

November 7, 2008

About Tuesday Night....

Dear dEvo Family,

The initial sounds of Tuesday night are over, but the echoes will be heard for ages.

I know that politics and religion don't mix. That is why I never write about the two together. I know that some of you will be angry that I would write about our election. But this week supersedes politics and is worth reflection.

For a moment, put aside your political preferences and think about what America witnessed Tuesday night.

Not too long ago, Rosa Parks was sent to jail for her election not to sit in the back of the bus. Tuesday, we elected a black man to the driver's seat of our country and the free world. I hope that you can feel at least one goose bump. I sure did.

Why? Because for a moment, we were able to believe that all things are possible in our country.

Debates and challenges will come soon enough. But today, we can enjoy a moment of hope. Let me encourage you to do two things.

First, pray for President-elect Obama. He is our new leader and God would have us do no less. Pray for his family. For his leadership. For his ability to govern us through a difficult time.

Even more importantly, pray that God use this week's hope to remind you of your eternal Hope in Christ. Presidents come and go. Nations rise and fall. But there is a hope that comes from a well deeper than one election and one moment in time. There is a hope that whose source is One who was here before all else, and will be with you until the end.

Maybe the doctor has said there is no cure for you. Christ the healer will be your hope. Maybe the world says you cannot climb out of the pit you are in. He will be the hope that lifts you out. He is hope for relationships that seem doomed. Hope for those beaten down. Hope for those who think they are at the end of the line.

And when you and I have breathed our last, even when time finally falls exhausted at the gates of Glory, His hope will only be beginning.

Remember this week and the possibilities it has shown us. And let this week point you toward a hope that springs eternal.

Hopeful,

William

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“dEvo’s” are an electronic devotional written by Rev. William Vanderbloemen. These messages are received in over 40 states and multiple countries. Feel free to forward to your friends. Join our growing list by signing up to receive devos at www.williamv.tv. It’s free. It’s private. And it’s a great way to spread positive spiritual advice to your friends and family.

Rainy Day in New Orleans

No school again for the LB so when I woke up this morning and it was raining I wanted to pull my hair out. At 8am I quickly got him dressed (Pman went in his pj's-hey redneck) and took off for the park because I knew we would be stuck inside the rest of the day.

We ran into a friend with a dog. W of course freaked and Pman nearly jumped out of my arms to get to him. It's crazy how different their personalities are. Anyway, it started to drizzle so we came home. P took his nap. I was going over several different possibilities for the day and they all seemed like such a hassle in the rain

1. Lakeside (so I could run some errands)
2. Children's Museum (blah, paying to park, getting them in strollers, walking in the rain)
3. Monkey Room (never been so still kind of reticent and not too sure what to be excited about). 4. Parenting Center

I settled on the Parenting Center in my mind. Then W said, "I want to go to Whole Food." Is this pitiful or what? I almost succumbed because I thought how easy it is to go there when it is raining with 2 kids. But I didn't.

The Parenting Center was great. I know I have had my moments of PC bashing in the past but W hadn't been in so long so it was all new to him. Pman cannot get enough and I get to sit and sit and sit and talk to other parents if I want to. Oddly enough there were twin 3 year olds so I didn't feel like we were invading baby turf. So that's my tip for a rainy day. If your kids are under 4 don't forget about it. and rumor has it it will be moving soon to a better and bigger place WITH a lot of parking.

Welcome

I have to give a welcome home to L after having her babies. Yes, babIES. They are finally here, the C twins and I cannot wait to meet them in all their identical glory. Welcome to the world, girls!

Boy, today has been a day. Everything was a struggle. Don't get me wrong it could have been worse but it just felt like I was going uphill the whole day.

I won't get into why or how I got so tired. But the fighting to get Pman dressed, to change his diaper, to keep him occupied at the grocery, to get him to stop crying after a 20 minute nap was just part of it. By the time we all got home from W's soccer practice I thought I was going to cry. J mentionned that I seemed frazzled and that I was. Like I said, it's nothing I can explain just a day in the life. I love what I do, being a mom, but somedays after a sleepless night I am just done. Today was one of those days. At 5:30 I couldn't see straight and I could't imagine fighting one last time with Master P to get him ready for bed. and then just when you think you'll never reach the other side of that really big hill.....

I went to get Pman ready for bed and miraculously he was relatively cooperative. We sat down in the glider in the darkened room to sing our songs and say our prayers and I hear W from the bathroom saying to his dad, "I have to go sing with Mama and Pman" So he came in and crawled up on the chair with us and we sang. I kissed them both during You Are My Sunshine and W leaned over to kiss Pman. Then Pman leaned in for a kiss from me and then for another one from W and he said, "Ki". He nuzzled into my shoulder and then into W's and we all were huddled together in one glorious hug. The song was done and W said goodnight and ran off to J for his "nigh nigh routine". I will go up a steep hill any time if I get that on the other side.

J's been getting on me about sleeping in both days of the weekends. A long time ago we used to alternate days so that each of us had a day but that all changed when Master P came along and the sweet hubby that he is decided to get up both days to help me through my little post partum spell. He did decide this. We never really went back to how it was before. I mean, can you really go back? I don't think so but he has decided it is a must. There are several reasons that I think we shouldn't go back. I've listed them below not only so I can garner support from other moms but so J doesn't think I am just a selfish boob.

1. I don't sleep well at night. I can't remember the last time I slept straight through the night. I can go to sleep on a dime but I usually start waking up every hour starting at midnight or 2am. By the time 4 o'clock rolls around I am so utterly exhausted that my best sleep comes after that but then it is interrupted by awakening babies.

2. I have to take care of two little fellas and myself 24 hours, 7 days a week and if I am not well-rested our days do not run smoothly and I am not the Super Mom that I want to be.

3. J doesn't physically need as much sleep as I do. He can pull all nighters working and still have the energy to be productive the next day. I on the other hand cannot function without sleep. I think in my whole educational career I pulled 2 all nighters. One was in highschool and one in college and I prayed to die the next day.

3. I find this to be the most important reason for me sleeping in on the weekends. J can spend quality time alone with the boys. While they love, love, love J and get giddy when he comes home at night if I am around they cannot focus their full attention on their father who loves them so much. They really do love their special time with him. Example: I got up with them this morning and W asked, "Where daddy?".
"Daddy's sleeping because he is tired from working hard all week." I did say that. I promise.
W's conclusion, "We have to go wake up Daddy."

So read the facts. Decide who's side you are on and pass a comment on over here. I would love to hear it and I am sure J would too.