Brooke Blogs This

The past two days we have been snowed in (well, snowed in for Tennessee) and I have been amazed: by my daughter. At six years old, Shiloh still prefers NPT (channel 8 around here) programming to the Disney Channel.  She would rather watch "The Cat in the Hat" than "Jessi".  She would rather watch "Word Girl" or "Super Why" than "Austin and Alley" or "I Didn't Do It".  If you had asked me a week ago, I would have said those programs were beneath her. That she was too old for such programming.  Hmmmm, maybe not.  Maybe, I'm the one pushing her to grow up. What is more, she actually prefers to NOT watch TV.   What? She would much rather be working a puzzle, drawing, baking or playing make believe.  Electronics really are a last resort for her.  Hmmmmmm. These past two days are really making me re-evaluate my parenting with her.  Obviously she is not a mini-ME.  She does not have the same passion for movies an...

Getting Shiloh out at daycare this morning: Shiloh points to the vehicle next to us and says: "I am gonna buy that truck." Me: "You like that truck?" Shiloh: "Yeah." Me: "Why do you like that truck?" Shiloh: "It goes vroom vroom like a motorcylce!" Me: "Oh, you like motorcylces too?" Shiloh vigurously nods her head. =)

When I go so long with out writing, it's hard to know exactly what to write about. Hopefully, one day, I'll be able to post as often as I'd like. But for now, that is just not possible. On the plus side, some things are finally starting to come together for us. Jeremy bought a motorcylce, and the whole family is looking forward to some rides. I think it will be a great family leisure activity (even though we can't all be on at once)and will also give me and Jeremy something to do just as a couple every now and then as well. Trust me, that is some well needed and wanted time. Even with the purchase of the motorcycle, money just doesn't seem as tight here lately. I think we finally have a manageable budget. Baseball is back in full swing for Zachary, and he really seems to love his coach and team this year. They played 5 games in 24 hours this past weekend and won every single one of them. Not just won, they blew the other teams away. Zachary got several good h...

Call it being busy, call it the winter blues, I just haven't felt like blogging lately. But that doesn't mean I haven't thought about it, or you! I have a HUGE coupon project in the works, that will be much like my Coupon Mania post in early 2010, only MUCH MUCH bigger. =) With that being said, I've thought about moving my couponing/money saving posts to their own blog and just using this blog for personal posts. What do you think? Are you interested in just one or the other and rather have them seperated? Or is it easier to get all my info and thoughts in one place? Leave a Comment letting me know! As for an update on our lives: October We had Zachary for fall break and generally had a good time. Football season came to an end. Shiloh loved trick or treating this year, I still think we have halloween candy at the house! November We had friends over to celebrate my 29th birthday. I have decided I have to make the most of this last year before I enter my 30's....

I have been meaning to write for a while. I have planned posts, but never got around to actually writing them. I had planned to write a post about coupons. I have become a bit of a coupon nut. I had planned to write about my first bike ride since I was twelve, and how sore and out of shape I have apparently become. I had planned to write about how my sweet, innocent two year old is now throwing tantrums about everything, including that Mommy isn't holding the sippy cup exactly right! I had planned to write how suddenly my toddler refuses to sleep, especially in her own bed. And about my hours of research and theories, just incase there are any other parents out there who are experiencing a similar situation. However, after about three hours of sleep (since that is all my sweet and innocent toddler thinks she needs these days), realizing that I am way behind at work and I just CANNOT catch up, and just finding out the me and my hubby will each be loosing part of our life insurance,...

I remember picking out that special perfect book for my baby and promising to write religiously in it. I had heard other stories of mom's who never finished the baby book, but that was always with their second child...this was MY FIRST..and at times had never thought I would even have her. I would write. Then, last night I had an epiphany...I had not written in my daughters baby book in well over six months. Wow...so much had happened in the 15-21 month stage. So in the last six months what have I missed writing? A couple of teeth, graduating to a toddler bed, her first hair cut (given by daddy), and last night...her first somersault! I've thought about making an online album, at least then I wouldn't have to actually get pictures developed, but I also couldn't attach those sweet little keepsakes...like a clipping of her hair from her first hair cut. Who am I kidding, I wouldn't have the time for an online baby book either..Unless...UNLESS...IT UPDATED STRAIGHT FROM...

I have been a bad bad blogger. I haven't written in well over a week now and therefor do not know which cute story to share. I could share Zachary's wisdom of the difference between a girlfriend and a girl friend.... Or his wisdom of "thin as a peice of glass"... Or how proud he was after he changed his first tire. I could share the story as I sat nervously watching Shiloh suck on her first peice of hard candy.... Or how cute it was when I asked her to pick out a toy to take and she instead started puting all of her toys back in the toy box. I could share stories of how to heal a doll from my three year old neice... Or the fact that she would rather dance with someone watching. There have been so many good times these past couple of weeks, looking back I realize how blessed I have been. I think sometimes we focus on the negative, on everything that goes wrong in life...and we try to learn from it. This week I am choosing to do the opposit. I am focusing on the good ...

How do I know my 20 month old is full blow terrible twos? Because I had this conversation this morning with my daughters daycare teacher: Me: "Sorry, I didn't make it to the store last night, Shiloh wasn't having a good night." Teacher: "Does Shiloh throw fits at home?" Me: "Yeah, She is getting in the rest of her two year molars" Teacher: "Well Yesterday she was playing with my name badge and I had to ask her to quit and she started screaming and then she was standing in the chair and I told her to get down and she went ballistic." I did not really know how to respond at that point. I was secretly hoping she had not started throwing things at daycare like she did at home, when she was told "No". I was secretly hoping she was not full blown back talking with "No I do it." I was secretly hoping that we would somehow skip the terrible two's, but my daughter and the word ballistic in the same sentence? I think the ...

This morning, I innocently planned to replace my daughters summer back up clothes with winter back up clothes at daycare. When I got her bin down at daycare this morning, I saw it. The LAST emergency paci. Three months ago, my daughter gave up her paci cold turkey. Looking back I really think I was more dependent upon it than her. My daughter loved her paci and it went everywhere with us. In 17 months, we had only lost one pacifier. I dreaded taking her pacifier away. I imagined days of screaming and weeks of not sleeping. The first day was a little rough, with her whining for it from time to time, but we made it. It helped to have my husband there, because when one of us thought about giving in, we reminded each other how long we HAD made it, and stayed strong. I tried to distract her with gold fish crackers, sippy cups and her favorite toys and books and we made it through the day. Getting her to sleep that night was rough. She just would not stay in her toddler bed and kept crying...

WARNING: YOU MAY NOT WANT TO READ THIS POST WHILE EATING... My daughter has been sick since Thursday, running a high fever. Luckily its just an ear infection and not the flu. However early Sunday morning (and I stress Early, well before 8AM) my dogs started barking and woke Shiloh up. Since I was not ready to get up, and she didn't look like she was ready to face the world either, I took her into my room and laid back down with her. I was in a light doze, and she seemed to go in and out of dozing with some wiggling in between. After one wiggling bout, she started whining and I opened my eyes just wide enough to see her holding her hand in the air. Now at 19 months old, we are heavily following the "I hurt it, so mommy kisses it and its all better" philosophy. I naturally assumed the hand or finger had been pinched, rolled on, or otherwise "hurt" and needed a mommy kiss so we could both go back to sleep. I kissed it, and that is when I realized...THERE WAS ...