Cyber issues

So after attending a cyberbullying and cyber safety training recently I think I am ready to shut the doors on hollandbabymama. It didn't turn out the way I intended and I think my eyes have been opened wide as to what kind of sick stuff people are into. All along I have wanted to protect the identity of my family and be free to say what I want, but I don't think I can have both. So hopefully I can find some way to archive some of the stuff about the kids, because one day they might be interested in how I felt about motherhood when they were so young.

Local news

Since C's first birthday party we've been frequenting Montello Meat Market on the south side for all our special event meats. Burgers, brats, etc. They are super friendly and genuinely nice people. Their meat is incredible and their commitment to providing Hollanders "real" food and sustainable local consumerism is awesome. On our recent visit for brats it was a family affair but I was kind of distracted and accidentally left C is the car even though he said he wanted to some in with me. Daddy left Bieber alone in the car long enough to escort C into the butcher shop and I was flustered to say the least. Also along that day was Auntie Whiz who was as distracted as I was with the amazing variety of brats to choose from. She was also in awe of their Disney World Grand Marshal certificate hanging up by the cash register and had to trade ideas with Tony and Tina about how we might someday be selected for that honor. We threw in some Michigan made pierogies in our basket so we weren't just walking out with 16 brats. And the finale at the meat store is the giant jar of smarties that Tony always asks if Cnote would like something out of! Auntie Whiz took all the meat home while Daddy and the boys and I continued on our way down town for haircuts at Salon Cheveaux. Poor B, cries his eyes out like we are savagely beating him the entire time he is getting his hair cut and it is awful. C on the other hand sits like a champ and just can't wait until it is time to drink some lemonade and maybe eat a piece of candy when he's done. So that part of the excursion was not as fun, but needed. The kids aged like a year a piece with their short new cuts. Bieber especially looks a lot older. Psst...please stop growing you are both perfect right where you are!
Last stop of the weekend was Cranes orchard for the pumpkin patch picking. We had two measly pumpkins survive the icky squash bugs that hit our garden this year. Gross. So we definitely had to go buy pumpkins for Halloween. We all got "cute", charged up the camera, and headed out to the patch. Daddy and C did lots of hunting for the perfect pumpkins, while Auntie Whiz and I tried to coral B who wanted to wander all over. I think this annual trip is one of my favorite things we do. Wish we had a better camera so our shots would look more profesh, but oh well.

Collective sigh please

School starts for real tomorrow. Up until last week it was all voluntary, followed by 3 days of pd and a lovely weekend. Daddy and Cnote met up with Grandma and Grandpa at the Kalamazoo Air Zoo for a totally cool adventure while B went to daycare and mom cleaned. Why is I spend my "days off" cleaning the house? Shouldn't I be thoroughly enjoying wine-o-clock somewhere, or reading a book on the beach? Or combining both activities...

Aunti Whiz and Uncle Tom came for the weekend and arrived right as we were putting C to bed, which was nice for him to see her. He actually still went to bed pretty well must have been the twenty minute nap in the car home from Kalamazoo that did him in. On the nap note, B chose to skip his morning nap twice this weekend. I've been wondering if it is time to pull it but wanted to wait until we are into the swing of thing with back to work. Both times he tried to zonk out around 11ish so clearly he's not able to make it until 12:30 without a little crankiness seeping through. We'll see. Growns up had fun with bonfires, margaritas and fireworks Saturday night. Both children were up bright and early Sunday while we waited for the coffee to kick in.

Monday turned out to be a nice slightly chilly day with Daddy and C taking off with Murph for a morning hike on the trails while mommy and B vacuumed and clean. Hmmm noticing a theme here. The whole fam tried to go out to brunch but our restaurant was closed and we ended up at McDonalds. Oh well, led up to a nice cloudy gray which makes great napping weather which is always appreciated.

Hoping I can sleep tonight but already feeling jittery and it's only 7:00. So long summer.

Summer Sickies

Hand-foot-mouth a virus that begins with a fever and turns into a red blotchy rash and both of my kids got it after their first two days back at daycare last week. They don't have any in their mouths but the sores can also appear there. Awesome return to work for me already pulling a sick day this week when B came down with the fever too. But they're fine if not a little unsightly because of the blotches on their hands and feet. Hard to believe that there is no treatment other than tylenol for the fever, and yet no vaccine to prevent it. The nurse I spoke with said it was going around Holland right now big time. On top of it Bieber's 4 eye teeth are coming in so sleep is something that only comes in 30-90 minute stretches. I was literally in rocking him every 2 hours last night. Daddy took his turn at 5:30 this morning and never came back to bed before it was time to get ready for work. So looks like we will lay low again this weekend to make sure we aren't out infecting others with our germs.

Roomba!

B is officially on the move. He took his first steps at 13 months, and then really took the next month to get the whole walking thing down. We often find him wandering aimlessly usually with a shoe in his hand looking a little bit like a confused mental patient. Daddy has coined the phrase Roomba after the automatic vacuums that just go from room to room cleaning your carpets. May I mention that I would love to have one of these gadgets? I'm sure that the dog would just go ape shit and attack it while we were out, but I know people who have had them with two massive dogs and their house was impeccable. Not a dog hair to be found. A new trick Boots has learned is to pick up objects and throw them down the stairwell over, under or through the baby gate. If you can't find something like your shoe, the remote or a sippy cup it is a likely place to check.

Feels like summer is winding down. First trip into school yesterday....not ready.

Shit my kids ruined

I often watch a few minutes of Rachel Ray at 2:00 before Bdizzle gets up from his nap. Recently she had a book featured, Shit My Kid Ruined. The author has a website and I had read about the book in a parenting mag anyway. Not more than a few days later after a few too quiet minutes I walked into C-notes bathroom to discover that B had put a bunch of toys and bath crayons in the toilet which did contain pee as C never flushes without tons of prompting and reminders. I snapped a picture but alas, the camera is never charged and ready for me to transfer it when I actually have a minute to write about it. So one day, it'll make a great piece. Check out the website or book if you need a pick me up shitmykidruined

Summertime, time to kick back and unwind

Swim lessons begin tomorrow. We go every day for two weeks at 11:00. Word on the street is that one of our neighbors will also be there with her two boys. Hoping that this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship! We've been prepping C for being independent and being with the big kids because Bieber and I will be with the babies doing the mom/tot class at the same time. Lately when he has to try something new he's been pulling this shy act and not wanting to do it. Haircuts last week were one of these times. The first time we went to this place he climbed right up and it was no big deal and B and I sat in the chair next to him and they both got their hair cut simultaneously. 2nd time we had to cajole him, try to bribe him with a sucker, then finally just had to pull out the serious/mean mommy voice put B down, lift C up and make him get in the chair. On this visit I made the mistake of dressing them up like cute little dudes only to be disappointed that they were both covered with hair despite wearing the capes. Oh well, fleeting but still cute. Next week our kindermusik classes begin as well. Each boy gets to go with mommy while the other one will stay home with a baby sitter. I think it will be good pre-school like practice for C, and Boots will just love to get his groove on. The boy has some serious rhythm and especially likes when daddy puts on classic R & B. For C Note it was always the Honky Tonk Country channel so its amusing to see the difference in their musical taste. With Boots' dark latin features I think he's gonna be a hit with the ladies.