The Things That Make My Day

Today is the last day of Mommycation and it got off to a fantastic start.

I was just waking up and I heard Scott and Angelica about to leave for work/daycare, so I went out to say goodbye. Angelica's face LIT UP when she saw me, and I sat down and asked for a hug.

She screamed "MOMMY!!!" and ran as fast as she could, jumped into my arms so hard she nearly knocked me over, threw her arms around me and gave me the biggest hug and kiss ever.

These are the things that make all those rough moments worth it. Today is going to be a GREAT day!

My Daughter, the Food Pusher

One of the things about Angelica that makes me laugh these days is that she's become a food pusher. Take, for example, this conversation from yesterday morning, when I got her breakfast but was waiting to have mine until after I dropped her off at school. She was eating a waffle.

Angelica: Mommy, you have some orange juice!
Me: I'm going to have some later.
Angelica: No, Mommy, you have some orange juice!
Me: Okay. (I get some orange juice.)
Angelica: You take a sip, Mommy!
Me: Okay, I'll take a sip.
Angelica: You have some waffle, Mommy!
Me: Oh, thank you honey, but I'm going to have some later.
Angelica: (Picks up some waffle off her plate) Here, Mommy! You take a bite!
Me: Thank you so much, you're so good at sharing! (Eats piece of waffle)
Angelica: Here, Mommy! You take another bite! (Hands me another piece)
Me: Oh, thank you so much!
Angelica: You take a little sip, Mommy! (Referring to my orange juice)
Me: (Takes a sip) Mmmm, yummy orange juice!

This went on and on until the food and juice was gone.

We have this type of conversation at nearly every meal and every snack. She'll make a great grandma one day!

Wednesday Morning Freak Out!

This morning, when I went into Angelica's room to get her up and dressed, before she even got out of bed, she held up her hand and said, calm as can be, "Mommy, my finger is stuck."

Attached to her nearly purple finger was a much loved stuffed animal. A string had come loose and wrapped tightly around her finger. Cue Mommy freak out!

Of course, as soon as I freaked out, her calm demeanor went away and SHE freaked out and wouldn't let me touch it. I grabbed a pair of baby nail clippers (the first object I could find to cut the string) and tried to grab her hand but she would NOT give it up. She kept yelling, "NO! Leave my finger ALONE!"

So I grabbed her arm and held it as firmly as I could without hurting her...and then unclenched her fist to cut string. The whole time she is literally sobbing and saying "Thank you, thank you, thank you" over and over again.

Long story short, I freed the finger and it immediately turned normal color again and was fine. Thank goodness. Her losing a finger or toe to something like that has always been one of my biggest fears.

The well-loved stuffed animal was searched for other loose strings and has been given a clean bill of health as well.

Wordless Wednesday: Penguin Snuggles

For more Wordless Wednesday fun, check out The Life of Rylie...and Bryce Too, The Florida Hogans, and Shibley Smiles!

New Design and Other Randomess

Hey, check it out! My new design, courtesy of Laura Jane Designs, is now LIVE! I think it is absolutely beautiful. Laura, you do GREAT WORK!

I honestly don't have a lot to blog about today. I'm on Mommycation, Part 2, except today and tomorrow Scott is on Daddycation Part 1, so we're getting some time to spend together. Alone. At least during the day while Angelica is at daycare. It's funny, before she was born we could find a million things to do together, but today we had a hard time coming up with stuff to do just the two of us. We went to the mall and out to lunch, and to the nerd game store to pick up some Magic the Gathering cards. We also dealt with the debacle that is my car, which broke down...again. Fortunately this time it wasn't a disaster of a breakdown and I have it back in working condition.

In the World of Angelica, things are going great. I'm finding (and Scott agrees) that her tantrums are starting to diminish, which is proving to me that we're at least handling them right. Last night, though, during a tantrum she grew tired of being ignored and yelled, "Mommy, I'm CRYING!" To which I said, "I know sweetheart, I hear you, and when you're done crying, we can talk about it."

Over the weekend, we took her on a train ride (a local mall has a "train" that rides around the lower level) and she LOVED it. It was the second time she went on it. The night before we had told her we'd take her to the train the next day, and when she woke up the next day, the first words out of her mouth were, "We go on a train TODAY!" And literally jumped up and down. When we got to the mall the train wasn't running and she handled it really well...disappointed, but she didn't cry.

After a trip to the Mickey Mouse store and the mall playground, the train was running again and she was SO EXCITED! How do I know? She kept saying, "Mommy, I so EXCITED!" or "Mommy, I so HAPPY!" It was adorable. On the train she kept saying, "It was broken, but now it working again! I ride on the train, chugga choo choo!" It totally made my day.

And that's really it. A few more days of R&R and then back to work with me. Here's hoping that the stretch of bad luck we had is over and done with and good things are coming our way!

McFatty Monday: Quick Steps in the Right Direction!

Dun dun dun DUN! This morning I weighed in at 247. Two more pounds gone! I'd say "see you later" to them, but I sure hope I don't!

Last week I wrote about starting the Couch to 5k program (again) and I'm proud to say that not only did I start it over again last week, despite all the chaos and injury going on (broken down car, Scott's sprained ankle, etc) but I completed it!! Way to go ME!

At the beginning of the year I wrote about wanting to use a fitness program this year that cost as little money as possible on non-necessities (shoes, workout clothes, etc excluded). So far, my grand total for the year is $4.99, as a result of an awesome little app I got for my Blackberry called RoadRunnerGPS. It tracks my runs for me...when I'm done, it shows me distance ran, average speed, calories burned, time, pace, and gives me a map of my run. I can also share it all (sans the map, sorry guys, I don't want anyone stalking me on my run!) on my social networking pages, so you may have seen a couple of tweets about it so far. It's a great little app and definitely worth the $4.99 I spent on it.

Also, I discovered the free Podrunner Intervals First Day to 5K podcast, which follows the C25k program, and it has been a LIFESAVER. I tried to make my own music mix and just count myself how much time to walk/run, and it was really hard to keep accurate. This podcast sets the "mood" by having music set to a certain BPM so you can pace your walk/run, and plays a chime when you switch from walking to running and visa versa. I'm not a big fan of techno music but I must say, it definitely works and since the music is not familiar, I concentrate on my movement more than the music.

My run days are Wednesday, Friday, Sunday, and lately I've been going in the evening because here in Florida we've had a heat index of around 105 every day. It's really necessary to wait until after the sun goes down to do ANY activity outdoors. Even poor Angelica goes on her slide once and says, "Oh no, is too HOT outside."

My only issue was a terrible case of shin splints after my Friday run, which left me to run a little slower yesterday, but after stretching, icing my shins last night and taking some Advil they feel pretty good today.

This week I'm going to try to get the food aspect of my McFatty self-challenge back on track. The chaos lead to some serious dining out last week which is not good at all for any of us.

So that's it for McFatty Monday this week! Hope everyone else had a great week!

(FYI, I know my blog background is gone...I have a new blog design in the works, it may be ready as soon as tonight!)

ETA: New blog design coming tomorrow night!! Hurray!

5 Question Friday

I'm actually doing 5 Question Friday this week! I've been stressed out to the max and have a serious case of "blogger's block" -- I'm tired of writing about how much my kid freaks out and has tantrums or trying to be cute/funny/witty/philosophical so this will have to hold you over until I get inspired!

Fortunately, I'm on "mommycation part 2" next week so hopefully I'll have time to clear my mind and get inspired!



1. What were your school colors?
Navy and Carolina Blue. DPHS Panthers FTW! (Yeah I can't even say that with a straight face. I'm not a "school pride" type of person...I didn't go to pep rallies, I wasn't a cheerleader, didn't participate in extracurricular activities, etc...)

2. What's the best compliment you ever received?
I had a friend in high school who really looked up to me and once told me that I was the "coolest person" she knew. By that, she didn't mean I was "like, totally super cool" (I'm a big nerd!)...but that I always kept a cool head and she could depend on me for advice, and that she admired me.

3. Do you buy cheap or expensive toilet paper?
Publix Greenwise all the way. Cheap and "eco-friendly". I can't stand the super soft kind.

4. Have you ever had a surprise party thrown for you? Or have you had one for someone else?
Not for me, but I threw one for Scott a few years ago. Luckily I managed to pull it off and had a couple of friends and family come by. It was great!

5. What is one material possession that you "can't live without"?
Hands down, my camera. I would have it surgically attached to my arm if I could. I have a 200 gig hard drive and 150 gigs of it is full of JUST photos.

Wordless Wednesday: The one where I gave Angelica lip gloss...

For more Wordless Wednesday fun, check out The Life of Rylie...and Bryce Too, The Florida Hogans, and Shibley Smiles!

It's so hard to be two.

The events of this morning served as a reminder to me that even though it's tough to be a mom, it's also tough to be two.

As I've mentioned, Angelica is a spitfire little girl, full of personality and attitude. (Her favorite thing right now? Telling me I'm being a bad girl when I discipline her. Seriously. Ask the guy stocking the shelves at Publix who cracked up when he heard her yell "NO! YOU'RE A BAD GIRL!" at me in the store over the weekend, after I had told her about eleventybillion times to please stay sitting in the shopping cart.) She does have tender moments though, and she's shown these off over the past few days.

For example, Scott burned his hand while cooking the other day and she saw his burn and immediately ran and got him a bandaid, put it on his hand, and said, "Poor Daddy, all better!" (She says the same thing to his swollen foot.)

This morning was a different kind of tender...the kind that reminds me that under that fiercely independent, thick-skinned exterior, she's still a tiny tot figuring out the world around her. I've had to handle daycare duties in the morning, thanks to Scott's busted ankle, and when I took her to school this morning, I gave her a lollipop on the way out the door. Normally, she finishes them in ten seconds flat and asks for another (and has a tantrum when she doesn't get one, but I digress). Anyway, when we got to school, she was still working on it so she said, "Mommy, lollipop come with us?" Not thinking, I agreed.

Well of course we walk in the door and out to the playground (the kids were all outside playing when we got there) and one of the teachers asks me to take it away because all the kids will want one. So I got to play the mean mommy. (And I should have thought about this issue before I let her take with her FIRST but I guess I didn't.) So she runs away, and I chase her down and we find a garbage can and I ask her to throw it out.

And she stood there, an expression on her face like a millionaire being parted from her wealth, and without a fight, put it in the trash. But she looked HURT. (And seriously, who wouldn't be? If I was dining on a delicious piece of cake and someone just made me throw it away I would be pissed!)

I congratulated her on her bravery (but she still looked as glum as ever) and gave her a hug and kiss goodbye and went on my way. I stopped to talk to a new teacher for a second, my back to Angelica when all of a sudden I heard her yelling. She was trying to get on a tricycle and some bigger kids got too close (she is the 2nd youngest at the school, the others are all age 3 and older)...she thought they were going to take that bike away from her. She and freaked out and bolted for me, so I picked her up and she just started bawling in my shoulder, overwhelmed by the stress of the lollipop being thrown out and the kids invading her space.

Her teacher came over, asked what happened, and reached for her and thankfully, Angelica loves this teacher and agreed to let go of me...but as I kissed her again and said goodbye I heard her calling after me, "No Mommy! Don't go Mommy! I want my Mommy!"

The poor thing, so brave, so independent, so little and lost and trying to find where she fits in the world...it was hard as hell to walk away from her cries (but I was already late!)...but I'm sure it was harder for her to be in that confusing situation, torn between being the big girl she desperately wants to be and the tiny tyke that she is.

She'll be getting TWO lollipops tonight. :)

McFatty Monday: 248 and Feeling Great

Just as mysteriously as the 3 pounds came on last week, they came right back off. I'm going to assume that something bizarre was going on with my body at last week's weigh-in...especially since this past Wednesday night I came down with some kind of sickness that made me feel like I had been repeatedly hit with a two-by-four by every person in the world. I had a fever of 100+ for four straight days, and today is the first day since Wednesday that I actually feel NORMAL. I have no idea what the sickness was...other than having a sore throat and a fever, I had no other symptoms (and the doctor ruled out strep so that wasn't it either). Regardless, I am back on my feet and glad!

So, along with catching the "whatever it was", I was rendered unable to complete my C25K exercises last week. My routine is Wednesday/Friday/Sunday, so the fever ruled out my being able to complete my runs on W/F. Then, Saturday night we had to make a trip to the ER because my goofy husband decided to jump up and dance around and act like a fool to entertain our daughter...then...tripped over a sippy cup she threw on the floor and sprained his ankle. As a result, Saturday night I got almost no sleep and because he cannot walk, on Sunday, I had to take care of him, entertain Angelica, do the normal Sunday chores we normally team up on, and so on.

This, combined with my stomach not tolerating the antibiotics I'm on for the sickness I had last week, threw off the Monday morning routine so I felt like I had run a marathon before I even made it out the door (late, of course) this morning.

Come Wednesday, I'll be back on the C25K plan and hopefully we'll see good results next week. :)

The ABC Duet

First, Angelica and Scott doing an ABC duet!

(At the end, the "Sackboy" comment is in reference to Little Big Planet, which Angelica enjoys "playing" on the PS3.)

She can (and has been) singing the whole alphabet, but I haven't caught it on film yet. I wouldn't say she gets performance anxiety (the girl is a born performer!) but she is more interested in the camera than performing so it's hard to get her to sit still long enough to sing the whole thing.

As an amendment to last night's attitude post, tonight we were blessed with this conversation:
Angelica: climbing up the front of the pantry
Scott: Angelica, please don't do that.
Angelica: I not doing anything!
Scott: Please get down from there.
Angelica: NO! I not DOING ANYTHING!
Me and Scott: futily trying to stifle our laughter, and failing
Angelica: climbs down Shh! Be QUIET!

Angelica's Awesome Attitude

This conversation happened last night:

Me and Scott: idle chatter
Angelica: (pointer finger to lips) SHHHH!
Me and Scott: look at each other in silence, then laugh
Angelica: (pointer finger to lips) SHHH! I said be QUIET! Okay?

Later that night...

Angelica: HEY SCOTTIE!
Scott: My name is Daddy.
Angelica: No, it's Scottie.
Scott: No, it's Daddy.
Angelica: NO, it's SCOTTIE!
Scott: Can you please call me Daddy?
Angelica: NO! You SCOTTIE!
(Well, at least she was right...that is his name, after all.)

Both of these conversations recurred throughout the night. This was adorable, as opposed to yesterday's FOUR HOUR LONG TANTRUM, in which I was bit, kicked, hit, spit at, and had her deliberately scream as loud as she could in my face. Why? She asked for orange juice and I gave it to her...in the wrong cup! (Oh heavens!)

She's lucky she's cute. :)

Wordless Wednesday: Fun with the new swing set!

For more Wordless Wednesday fun, head on over to The Florida Hogans, The Life of Rylie...and Bryce Too! and Shibley Smiles.

The Workshop

While I was on Mommycation, a friend and I went to a "mommy workshop" together. While it wasn't the intention of the workshop, a lot of it covered how much of ourselves we lose when we become mothers...and how that impacts pretty much every other aspect of our lives.

I am guilty of trying to get on the SuperMom Train. I am learning that this does not work for me. I don't really know anyone that it does work for...and I'm done with trying to convince myself that I have to be SuperMom. The workshop leader asked us to figure out by whose standards we're trying to live and I was surprised as we worked through the exercises how little of my life is lived by my own standards, and how much of my voice I have lost.

The biggest exercise we did was to write down, for each phase of our life (as a single person, as a spouse, and then as a parent), the following:
What do you do for fun?
What do you do that's special just for yourself?
What do you do for others?
What are your hopes and dreams?

And then, plot on a pie chart how much of your time is spent on each of those areas. For me, the biggest change was the time I spent doing things for others, and the focus of my hopes and dreams. As a single person, I was able to spend more time doing things just for me, and my hopes and dreams were focused on what I wanted to do with my life. As a mom, almost all of my time is spent doing things for my family and the sake of keeping the house clean, and my hopes and dreams are tied up in what I want for my daughter to have as she grows up and becomes an adult. By the time I got to "mom", I put question marks down for what I do for fun, and what I do special for myself. I couldn't think of anything.

As you can imagine (and as you might be experiencing yourself) -- this can lead to a very stressed out SuperMom. And that's just not good for anyone. It's not good for you, not good for your partner, and not good for your children.

That's why in my previous post, when I said to take a mommycation if you can -- and to not feel guilty about it. The workshop leader gave this analogy: When you're on an airplane, and they're giving you the safety instructions, what do they tell you about the oxygen masks? Put yours on first, then help your children. Why? If you're suffocating, you won't be able to help your kids.

That applies to real life, too. I know when I'm tired/burned out/exhausted/haven't had a break in a long time, I'm drained. It makes it hard to play with Angelica. It gives me a short fuse. I get aches and pains and headaches and then I feel stretched so thin, like something is just going to collapse. And I'm lucky to have a husband who is an active parent (when he's not at work).

I guess my point is that one of the biggest things I got out of the workshop is that when you become a mom, it's easy to lose yourself in that role and forget about who you are outside of it. It's okay to let go. If you're finding yourself rarely taking a break to take care of yourself, it's okay to take a "mommycation" or hire a babysitter or pursue interests that aren't directly related to being a parent. It keeps you sane, happy, and able to be a better parent in the long run.

McFatty Monday: A Return from Mommycation

251, even. A three pound gain.

I have no idea what happened. Last week, I was on what I have dubbed "Mommycation". After months of spending time working, taking care of Angelica pretty much solo, taking care of the house solo, and not getting a break pretty much ever, I took advantage of the fact that my PTO is about to expire and took a mommycation. Scott worked. Angelica went to daycare. I spent four days doing nothing but what I wanted to do. It was every bit as wonderful as you might imagine it was, too.

I started the mommycation with a very long to-do list, comprised of responsibilities that got neglected because I was so busy for so long, as well as fun things that I wanted to do just for me. (See Eclipse in the theater? Alone? Yes!) I'm happy to say that I got almost everything on that list crossed off, so it's certainly not like I spent those four days sitting around eating junk food and watching television.

One of the things on my to-do list was to figure out what to do as far as exercise. I had pursued the 30 Day Shred for awhile, and while I loved it at first, I grew to hate it. HATE it. Not because I wasn't able to do it, not because it was too hard, but because it was boring. So as part of the soul-searching I did, I realized that one thing I have always wanted to do is become a runner. I have a very good friend who always inspired me with her running ability (and I'm so sorry I never told you, I'm so bad at that!). I had always believed (thanks to negative self-talk) that I couldn't run. Well, a workshop I attended while on mommycation (more on that in another post) changed the way I think about things, and so I cast aside that self doubt.

So, last Tuesday, I started the Couch to 5K program.

I may have alluded to this once before, but in my pre-mommy days, I tried to do this program but I over-did it. Instead of following the 3 day a week routine prescribed by the program, I tried to do it every single day and wound up getting hurt...and then trying to "run" a 5K while hurt and coming in last place (and taking almost two hours to complete it). This time around, I'm older and wiser and abiding by the program (which says to not over-do it!) and while it's ridiculously challenging, I am loving every minute of it...and hoping to get a second chance at running a 5k in September (and not taking two hours to complete it).

But that's why I'm so shocked about the gain. For the most part, over the vacation I ate healthy and worked out and still somehow managed to gain three pounds. How does that even happen? It's not premenstrual bloat. I feel like I've been drinking enough water, so it's not water retention.

I guess we'll see how things turn out on the scale next week.

About mommycation, by the way -- if you have a chance do to it, do it and do not feel guilty about it even for a second. I feel like I'm back at the top of my game and able to be effective in all of the various roles I have to play (especially the mommy role).

Weekend Review: WordWorld

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Welcome to the Weekend Review with Angelica's Awesome Adventures, The Life of Rylie...and Bryce too! and The Florida Hogans! We would love for you to link up your reviews at the bottom and let everyone know about your favorite products! Reviews with giveaways are awesome too!

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If you don't believe kids can learn from TV, stop reading here!

If you do, then read on.

For Angelica's birthday, her aunt Tarah bought her a WordWorld video. We hadn't watched it before, but I had seen books and toys at Target so I had a general idea of what it was. I also knew that a Department of Education funded study showed that WordWorld did increase early reading skills. Since Angelica is so gung-ho for Dora, Diego, Mickey Mouse, and other action-packed characters (which, believe it or not, she did learn from as well -- who do you think taught her to count to nine in Spanish?), I was really hoping that this slightly more educational viewing material would appeal to her.

And it did. Oh boy, did it. Her favorite character is Duck, and I cannot tell you how many times a day she wants to watch "Duck video!" or dances and hums the theme song and then yells, "I'M A DUCK VIDEO!"

The basic premise of the show is that the characters live in a world where everything is made up of the letters that spell them. The characters are animated words...for example, if you look at Duck's body, it spells Duck. Not only that, but a lot of times the characters, when building a word, will sound it out, so it demonstrates phonics at the same time. This is kind of the same premise you see in daycares and preschools, where the items in the classroom will be labeled (for example, a chair is labeled, "chair"). I read a study in college (I minored in psychology, part of it having to do with the psychology of childhood education) that showed this was an effective way of promoting literacy, but I cannot find it online.

Now, I don't want to call it "reading", but sometimes, when Angelica sees the words "Duck" or "Book", she knows what they are. Not every single time, but sometimes. Could be coincidence, but she sure does get excited when it happens. I particularly enjoy this, because I'm running out of things to challenge her mind...she's got counting, alphabet, colors, shapes, and sizes all perfected...so the only thing I can do is encourage (but not push) reading.

If you're open to letting your child watch television, I would recommend introducing them to WordWorld! Even if they don't directly "learn" from it, it's still a really cute cartoon.


Disclaimer: This opinion is my own. I am writing this review without the request of the company. They have not contacted me in any way, did not provide me with the product, nor did they compensate me for my time. The above Amazon link is an affiliate link.

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Open Door Policy

The last two nights have been quite interesting! Apparently, the night before last, Angelica woke up and figured out how to use the doorknob. Our bedroom is directly across the hall from hers, so we were awoken by the screeching of feedback over the baby monitor. Scott got up and saw her standing in the hallway...at 4:30 AM. In his half-asleep fog, he made the mistake of saying..."Do you want to come sleep in our bed?"

At 6 AM, she finally fell back asleep. In the meantime, he slept, while she squirmed, pulled my hair, talked to me, and every time I almost fell back asleep, either pulled my eyes open or pulled my mouth open and stuck her hand in. (Why? No clue.)

Thinking it was a one time thing, I was confident I would get a better night's sleep last night, when lo and behold...4:30 AM, monitor feedback goes off again, and before either of us can get up, she's vaulting herself up and over the side of the bed.

"Hi Mommy!" she says to me.
"Hi baby, let's snuggle and sleep!"

Of course, she only wants to be next to ME. She has been the definitive Mommy's Girl lately, probably since Scott worked so much over the past few months, and she saw him so little. So she snuggled in tight to me, pushing me as close to the edge of the bed as she could...and again, every time I almost fell asleep, she'd talk, pull my hair, pull open my eyes, or stick her hand in my mouth. Sometimes she'd start to drift off, snuggled up next to me and patting my arm, but it wouldn't last long.

Unfortunately, tonight, she didn't fully go back to sleep. She was pretty cranky on the way out the door to daycare so I imagine they're having fun dealing with that.

Luckily, I'm on Mommycation right now, so both days, after Scott dropped her off to daycare and went to work I went back to sleep.

I'm thinking if I don't institute some sort of rule about nighttime, I'll have to expect a lot of these early morning wake up calls. I'm so torn, because I absolutely love being able to snuggle and be with her for a few extra hours in the morning...but I also really, really need adequate sleep!

Wordless Wednesday: The definition of joy

For more Wordless Wednesday fun, head on over to The Florida Hogans, The Life of Rylie...and Bryce Too! and Shibley Smiles.

4th of July Fireworks Recap

On the 4th of July, we went to the fireworks at Central Winds Park, which we look forward to every year...except last year and the year before, when they were cancelled. This year, it was pouring rain when we left to take the shuttle to the fireworks! We sat in the car and debated whether or not to go, but ultimately bit the bullet and went, chairs and umbrella in hand.

Because of the rain, I left my camera at home and came armed only with my Blackberry camera. But I did catch a priceless picture of Angelica waiting for fireworks...

...in the rain.

Yes, she ran around and got soaking wet from head to toe. That's my girl!

About a half an hour after this picture was taken, the rain started to let up, so we walked over to the actual park for some fun. She ran around like a...well...like a toddler. We ate some "carnival food" (fried chicken, chili cheese fries for them, cheese pizza for me) and followed that up with an awesome funnel cake. Angelica insisted on singing "Happy Birthday" because that's what she does when there's cake. She also kept saying, "I wanna go in a deep dark cave!" I'm still not quite sure what she meant by that...

Around 9:15 the fireworks started and at first I was surprised! In the minutes leading up to the fireworks display starting, I told her that the fireworks would be loud, and go "Boom!" So when they started, Angelica sat on my lap and cheered and said, "Ooh, pretty!" and yelled "Boom! Boom!"

And then...

I saw her face drop. She made that pouty face where I can just look at her and know she's about to start crying. I gave her a second and she just kept looking sadder, and getting quieter.

"Are you okay sweetie?" I said to her.

And then the sobbing started.

"I'm scared, Mommy! I'm scared!" she cried and she whipped herself around and buried her face in my chest (dumping a bottle of water ALL OVER ME in the process, but what did I care? Comforting my baby was way more important and I was already soaked from the rain).

So I snuggled her and rocked her, I covered her exposed ear with my hand and she covered her eyes with her "wubby" and I rocked her back and forth. And when I paused for a moment, she rocked herself to remind me to keep rocking her.

It was so much like our first Fourth of July, when she was 6 weeks old and we were at a friend's party, and they had fireworks, and I stayed back by the house and snuggled her tiny little body so she wouldn't be scared...and covered her ear with my hand. Except this time, she wasn't so tiny. I was sad that she was so scared but also reminded that even though she's a "kid" now, she's still very much my little baby and it warmed my heart.

Of course, when the fireworks were over and I asked her if they scared her, she said in her most cheerful voice, "No, I NOT scared!" (But when I asked if she liked the fireworks, she shook her head no.)

Maybe next year, fireworks will not be as frightening. :)

Five Year Anniversary!

Taking a break from the normal Monday-ness (McFatty Monday and Monday Meal Planning) because today is our five year anniversary! Five years ago today I married my best friend and the love of my life, and it's been the greatest adventure I could have ever imagined.

Scott -- If you read this (and you might not, since you're working today), thanks for making this last half-decade the best ever! I've loved growing together with you as friends, as partners, and as parents. Watching the way you are with our daughter reassures me every day that I chose the right man to spend my life with. Angelica is blessed to have a father who is so loving and involved in everything she does, and I'm so lucky to have a husband who is my 50/50 partner in all aspects of our relationship and our role as parents. I'm also so lucky that even after five years of marriage (and almost ten years together) I still get butterflies in my stomach when someone mentions your name or when I see you come up in my email list or caller ID.  I could not ask for more.

Happy Independence Day!

The 4th of July is an exciting day for our family...not only is it the day before Scott and I celebrate our anniversary, it's also the day that Angelica smiled for the first time, two years ago. Lucky for me, I was able to catch this magic moment on camera...

Then there was this from last year (doesn't she look cute in red white and blue?)...

And now...Angelica on July 4, 2010:

My how far she has come :)

Hope everyone has a safe and happy 4th of July! 

Saturday Fun at Monkey Joe's

We just got back from a FANTASTIC trip to Monkey Joe's, this time just the three of us. We did run into a couple of ladies from Angelica's first daycare, and some kids she used to know (but sadly no longer recognizes...it's been almost a year since we took her out of there!) Anyway, since I don't have a lot of time (though Angelica's napping and I'm still sick, so I'm not pushing myself to do chores today)...here's a few snapshots of our awesome fun!

Weekend Review: Method Baby Wash, Lotion and Bubble Bath

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Welcome to the Weekend Review with Angelica's Awesome Adventures, The Life of Rylie...and Bryce too! and The Florida Hogans! We would love for you to link up your reviews at the bottom and let everyone know about your favorite products! Reviews with giveaways are awesome too!

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Sensitive skin runs in my family, as I mentioned in my post about Burt's Bees Naturally Nourising Body Lotion. Johnson & Johnson's products dried Angelica's skin out, as did store brands, Aveeno, and even the Burt's Bees baby wash. In search of something that wouldn't have that effect, and wanting to stick with a more natural product, I decided to give Method's baby products a try.

First of all, the more natural body care products tend to be more expensive. This had kept me from trying California Baby and Weleda, which were both recommended to me. At about $4.99 each (give or take a dollar depending on the product and the store -- I buy them at Target), the Method products were significantly more affordable.

So far, the products we've used are:
Fuzzy Peach 3-in-1 Shampoo
Squeeky Green Rice Milk & Mallow Body Lotion
Squeeky Green Rice Milk & Mallow Bubbly Bath
Squeeky Green Rice Milk & Mallow Hair + Body Wash

First of all, the cup that comes with the Hair + Body Wash is a lifesaver. It's got a little hole cut in the side of it that you can pour the water through so it comes out slow and gentle. Great for my daughter, who is terrified of having her hair rinsed.

Second, all four products smell great! The fuzzy peach product smells like a real peach!

Finally, and most importantly, they work! Her skin is no longer dried, cracked and itchy. It's soft and smooth, just like a baby's skin should be!

The one and only complaint I have is with the bubbly bath. I know it's probably due to the fact that there are no sudsing agents added to the formula, but it doesn't foam up nearly as much as the Dora the Explorer bubble bath we used to buy. It's really a minor issue since we only used bubble bath for awhile to get Angelica over being tired of the bath...and since she's not anymore, we don't need to use it anymore.

Other than that, I recommend Method baby to anyone who has a child with sensitive skin. They also make adult products (I use their Water Flower body wash), cleaning products (I normally use Seventh Generation but the Method glass cleaner is awesome) and laundry products (I use their Fresh Air laundry detergent and it works well and smells nice!)

Disclaimer: This opinion is my own. I am writing this review without the request of the company. They have not contacted me in any way, did not provide me with the product, nor did they compensate me for my time.

Do you have a product you would like to let everyone know about? Link it up below! Please link to the actual product review and not your blog’s main page. Thank you for joining us!

This is what I felt like doing last night (but didn't)

I'm still sick, and lacking inspiration today, so I'll just share a few cute photos from yesterday evening. I picked up Angelica from daycare and she was a little more subdued than usual. It looked dark and gloomy, like rain outside, so we stayed indoors and watched Dora the Explorer on TV.

Suddenly, it got very quiet...

I looked over at Angelica, and I saw this...

After I snapped the above picture, she opened one eye, rolled over, and did this:

She woke up about 15 minutes later when Scott tried to move her to her bed.

She must have had a really great day at school!