"Mommy! Hug me!"

I am going crazy here.

The Little Man has developed a very sweet, yet very annoying habit. All day, and all night, he yells "Mommy! Hug me!" or "Mommy! Help me!", when he's behind the gate or not getting his way. I am going insane. I am awakened at all hours of the night to have to go and hug him. I've finally started ignoring it at these times, hoping he'll go back to sleep. This works about half the time, the other half he screeches and screams until I go in there. Of course, the rest of the house, maybe even the neighbors, have been awakened by this display of affection towards his mother. It's not a need, it's not a separation anxiety thing either. He never does it when I'm leaving (which isn't often anyway), he's not scared or afraid when I go to him. He's just using this as a manipulative tool to get some extra attention.

Ok, Moms, what would you do??? Your youngest child, who's face you absolutely melt for, wants to do nothing but hug and kiss you all the time, but you know there's an ulterior motive for it.





I'm no dummy, folks. The boy needs no help, nor does he require this extra attention. Mind you, he's got almost all of my attention, all day long, every single day. He's not wanting! I have to laugh much of the time. I have to stifle it when my husband's swearing next to me in bed at 3 AM, thoroughly not amused as "Mommy! Hug me!" cuts through the night air.

He's just jealous. ;)

MY chair!

In our home, we've never really had too many issues with the word "MINE!" Even when the older kids were small, they shared pretty well. The Little Man has no problems with it at all, since he's shared his stuff with my nephew pretty much since birth. It's just the way it's been, so no biggie for him. I'm pretty happy with this harmony...saves a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, for all of us. ;)



This brings us to the only one in our home who thinks they can do whatever they please. She's commandiered everything we own, at some time or another, and she doesn't like to give it up. She's not mean and doesn't hiss, she just holds a grudge for a while afterwards, and YOU KNOW you did something to upset the balance of the universe. Shame on you!



Whilst we were cleaning The Little Man's room, I set his Spongebob chair out in the hallway for a while. This selfish lady sauntered upstairs and decided it was discarded permanently, kind of like when you leave old furniture on the curb. Sweet! So she hopped her furry buns into it and settled down for a long-winter's nap....so she thought. I went to pick the chair up again, not realizing she was in it, and it appeared a bit heavier than before. Hmmmmm. This thing's only made of foam. So I climbed over the gate to see what was the matter, and there she was, in all her splendor. Gotta love her! My favorite part of the photo is Spongebob's expression, which is in no relation to her, but fits quite nicely...."get outta The Little Man's chair, Sweet Pea!"

Throwing the baby out with the...laundry???

I saw this video this morning on CNN.com, and I was horrified. Watch with care...

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2008/01/25/lopez.baby.tossed.with.laundry.wfaa

I was the most disturbed by Huguley Memorial Medical Center, Forth Worth, TX, stated that this lawsuit was QUOTE "not worthy of a lawsuit." Ok, hold on to your seats, everyone, because Mom is about to blow.

I'm sorry, but in what world do they live in that such little regard is held for a human being, that they should be treated much the same as trash? If this were a 5-year-old, or a 45-year-old, or a 95-year-old, would the same reasoning be applied?! I think not. I am absolutely appalled at the audacity of this so-called medical facility, that they would actually make a public statement such as this. In many states, even moving a corpse after death, unless you are a coroner or funeral home personnel, is a criminal offense. So how is it that throwing a deceased child, who didn't even get the joy of spending a single day with his mum and daddy, out with the dirty laundry, and NOT being held accountable for that OK, on any level?!

Kourtney, if you or anyone that knows you should come across this, know that I stand beside you, holding your hand. I have felt your pain, having lost 4 children of my own. I cannot, however, imagine the heartbreak of not knowing if that truly was your Jacob in the casket. I firmly believe that every baby, regardless of how tiny they were when they were lost, deserves every single bit as much respect as someone who's lived and breathed as we do today. It's not right, it's not fair, but if we fight for those who cannot fight for themselves, they will have a voice through us. I do hope you are able to get some semblance of closure through your lawsuit, by making sure safeguards are in place so no one else should have to suffer your fate. My prayers are with you and your family.

And as the World's Most Dedicated, Loving, Hurt, Sad, Angry, Determined Mom, I wish everyone else out there to know the following:

If you or anyone you know should ever suffer the horrible tragedy of miscarriage or stillbirth, you have every right do what you wish with your child's body. Treat them as you would any other family member, and call a funeral home. Let the hospital staff know, in writing, before any procedures are done if possible. The hospital MUST release the remains if your baby dies during pregnancy. Even if it's an early loss and you've had a D&C, a small, sweet box can be quite healing. Every funeral home can assist you with this, and it's usually around $50 or so. Some will even do it for free. If you choose not to take your child's remains, any loss, even up to 39w, is treated as medical waste and sent for incineration. A deplorable thought, I know, but I say this so that you may change your mind with how you handle things. Respect your child, take care of them, even though you couldn't hold them in your arms and cuddle them, do this one last thing for them. If you suffer a stillbirth, take the time to hold your child, cuddle them and kiss them. Let your family do the same, even siblings if you think they can understand what's happening. Don't let the hospital staff steamroll you in either case, for any reason. Know your legal rights, and when in doubt, make them prove it to you.

The pain of loss of a child cannot be put into words. The pain added by those who disrespect their very existence is uncalled for and just plain unimaginable. It still exists everywhere. I am embarrassed for and ashamed of Huguley Hospital, and all others just like them. Only empowering ourselves will stop this sort of abuse from happening. At our most vulnerable points in our lives as mothers, we should be treated with the utmost care, but yet the very fact that we are mothers is questioned and ripped away from us. Where is the care in that?

A swashbuckling we will go

The Big Man has been into Pirates of the Caribbean for some time now. I have no issue with this, as it's all in good fun really. Plus, I think having lots of Johnny Depp around the house is always a good thing! ;) I gave him a POTC birthday party (again) this year, with all his pals at the bowling alley. He's a great bowler, so he wanted to have his party there (again) this year...more so to show off, me thinks. I don't fault him for that! LOL

I always use a little bit of creativity when it comes to the kids' birthday parties. I try to find something interesting, something no one else would have at their party, and this year, I found scratch cards on eBay. They were Jack Sparrow (*le sigh*), and if you scratched off the treasure, you won a special prize. We gave away 3 metal lunchboxes. Everyone got their regular goody bags, so no one was left out, but they all enjoyed these scratch cards too. Gotta get 'em gambling early on, I guess. They had fun, no one pouted because they didn't win, so I think it went over well. I suppose I will be asked for them again next year, so maybe I should stock up. He also had a POTC cake, which I made for him, as requested. Here's how that turned out...

I also have another POTC fan in my house too now. The Little Man wanders around saying "ARRRGH!", trying to close one eye but it ends up being both. He's getting better at it though! He has learned a number of pirate-ology too, like what certain things are for- the compass, eye patch, spyglass- and what good pirate would be without his trusty cutlass...

I've come close to actually requiring an eye patch, for medical reasons, on more than one occasion lately. His control is improving though, along with his one-eyed sneer. The Little Man is also a pro at looting, as you can clearly see from this photo. He loots everyone room, usually in search of treasure, which translates loosely to chocolate of some sort. He pulls everything out of drawers in The Big Man's room, which upsets The Big Man, but delights The Little Man. He's pretty good at cleaning up after himself, when prompted, so I don't get too worked up over the initial mess. That's more than I can say for The Big Man! The Little Man also sits in the backseat of the van when traveling, shouting various pirate phrases, which is better than some of the obscenities that come from the front seat. His shouting drowns out mine, so I don't bother him....shush, Mommy! :)

Oh, no, you don't!

I caught someone trying to steal my thunder this week! Forget it, Jane. You will however get my kudos, for your amazing amount of parental fortitude in a weary teen-run world. Everyone should check this out....


http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/01/09/mean.mom.ap/

I love when parents stand up and say "No" to their kids. When the rules are broken, there are consequences, even and especially in the real world! Contrary to popular belief these days, we "mean parents" are truly prepping our kids for what it's like out there. I don't think a cop's going to be so easy-going if he or she happened to stumble upon a bottle of alcohol under the passenger seat, after stopping the kid for a slight weave after midnight or a broken tail light, and finding a nervous bunch of teens in the car, possibly with something to hide and giving him or her probable cause to search it. I know his mom did the right thing in taking the car away because had a cop found it under a suspicious set of circumstances, in the real world, they'd have taken the car...and his freedom, at least for a while. Had THAT have happened, I bet Mom would have let him stew for a bit before heading down with the bail money. I would, but I'm mean like that! ;)


I hope this also gives parents everywhere a wake-up call as to what's up with who their kids are hanging out with too. AGAIN! As if some of the most recent news hasn't been enough already. I'd hope that not only will my kids use the common sense God gave them to abstain from underage drinking, but they'll also choose friends who'll do the same. If they are 19 and have friends who are 21, I'd hope they'd offer to pick them up from a bar if necessary but not to go along. I also hope they'd use that same sense to NOT have alcohol in their car- ever - no matter how old they are. That is why God invented the trunk.

"B" Celebrities

I was reading today about Jessica and Jerry Seinfeld, and how they're being sued by Missy Chase Lapine, another author whose book bears the same subject Jessica decided to write about this last year....getting your kids to eat their vegetables.


Here's a thought, Jessica: Stop being so ridiculous and pretending that you own the idea of sneaking veggies into your kids food! My mom used to grate carrots and put them into the meatloaf, trying desperately to be the wiser, so that we girls would eat better. And we actually LIKED vegetables too! I remember loving them as a kids, and I love them now. I would rather have veggies than most any other food, other than fruit, so I suppose my dear old mom did something right there- and without a book too. *GASP!*


Here another thought to all you moms (and dads) out there you don't want to traumatize your kids, and feel the need to buy Ms Lapine's or (God forbid) Mrs Seinfeld's books: Start your kids on vegetables as infants and keep it going their whole lives! You are the parents- don't take "no" for an answer. I am The World's Meanest Mom and I make my kids eat vegetables...so there! Granted, I don't make them eat all different kinds of veggies, but they eat what they like. Baby carrots, fresh or steamed broccoli and cauliflower, cucumbers, asparagus, whatever they want, I get it and they eat it. I don't see the fight, or the reason to fight, I guess.


I always laugh when I see parenting magazines with their kid-friendly recipes, with cut-out shapes of animals in sandwiches and disguised foods and such. What a load of...um, fertilizer. I have too much else to do with my time, like clean up after their most recent toy tornado in the living room, than to carefully arrange a lion out of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich without crusts, some raisins, and a handful of julienned carrots. I would rather spend my time preparing TWO meals, theirs and my own, so that I may sit down and have lunch with them and enjoy our time together, instead of taking a half-hour to kid myself that they won't figure out the lion's mane is really vegetables. Duh.

I, for one, will not be wasting my hard-earned money on any silly musings on how to get my kids to eat more vegetables. If I want them to eat more, I'll serve more- problem solved! I hope that this lawsuit ends in favor of Ms Lapine. Jerry Seinfeld appears to have slandered her enough for her to win, hands down. Jerry- you're not funny at all. Let's set a beautiful example for our kids of how "not" to act like grown-ups too. Even on the playground, the littlest kids can play nice and play fair.

Crappy New Year!

Yes, Crappy New Year to everyone! It's a crappy day because we are on holiday, and The Little Man is coming down with something. I'm sure he picked it up at Christmas, but we'll have to wait and see what develops when we get home.

The DIVA's being her usual difficult self, and I am at the end of my rope with it. She's been fighting with her cousin since we've been here (4 days), on and off, and it's making us crazy. There's no need, she's just trying to cause a fuss and make trouble. I can see there's been no resolutions on her list. Crappy New Year.

The Big Man is busy helping Grandma with a puzzle and playing his beloved PSP much of our time here. He's had a rough few weeks as well, not doing as he's told and fighting with me about everything. Today, it's been another day of not listening. Crappy New Year.

I have resigned myself to assisting the smallest one with his illness, packing up our stuff in the van, and getting home so we can all try to relax. Maybe I'll try and recoup some of the day, so it's not a totally Crappy New Year.