Crazy Daughter turns 4

Crazy Daughter 1 month old
Crazy Daughter today at Burger King

I can't believe she turns four today. She has changed so much and she hasn't. She's still the child overflowing with energy, a non stop energy. So here's to the fun filled years to come, I know that things will always be interesting.

Terrible Tuesday: I can bake, really I can

I signed up to make a dozen cookies for BLT (Bible Lunch Tuesday, where the Chaplains take lunch to JC High School feed them and then they have a Bible Lesson). I got a call on Sunday reminding me, and I would have forgotten had I not had the call. Bad forgetful Rose daughter.

Okay, yesterday I just didn't have the sanity to make the cookies during the day and deal with the kids wanting to "help" make them. So I waited until they were both in bed nearly 8:30 PM. I choose a new recipe I hadn't made before, Marble cookies, with sour cream and melted chocolate, sounded good. Everything is going well, the dough looks good and tastes yummy and I start baking them. The come out goopy, not even remotely done, this is after 25 minutes of baking. I'm disappointed but I can come up with something.

I look around the cupboards and I have everything for the No Bake oatmeal cookies, I use the remaining sugar and follow the directions. Everything looks normal and smells like I remember them. I spoon out the batter on parchment paper and leave to harden overnight.

I get up this morning and find the cookies are goopy, they are not edible , well you could eat them with a bowl and a spoon, I'm not able to even pick them up. At this point you would think I would just leave things alone and say I tried and not bring in my promised cookies. But more than I wanted to fulfill my obligation, I wanted to prove to myself, that I really can bake. I really can.

So I look around, no granulated sugar left, so normal cookies are out of the question let alone I don't have the time to bake them. But I do have a box of cake mix, and so I find a recipe for cake mix oatmeal cookies, calls for only butter, eggs, cake mix, and oatmeal. By this time in the morning it's 7:30 AM and we need to leave to go to PWOC (Protestant Women of the Church) or Bible study. I need to get the kids dressed, myself dressed and I suppose we should eat something for breakfast.

At the end of the morning, I got them done, I didn't have time to try one but at that point I really didn't care what they tasted like, as long as they looked like cookies. I wasn't able to get a shower or eat breakfast for myself, but the kids were dressed, eaten, and we were on our way by 9:00 AM.

I've never had this happen before, where I made two completely different recipes and neither of them turn out. Maybe I was too tired, maybe I missed something in the recipe, who knows. But it will be awhile before I try making cookies again. I'm all baked out for now.

Mission Monday - So you want to know how to give kids a bath...

How to give kids a bath: A Mission Monday

1. “Who wants a bath?” Watch the kids run screaming down the hallway towards the bathroom to see who can get their clothes off the fastest.

2. Run the water, don’t get it too hot or too cold, and add the bubble stuff. What would a bath be without the bubble stuff? Don’t forget to turn the water off, don’t want it too full.

3. Finish undressing Little Man and make Crazy Daughter go potty. Put the kids into the tub and empty the toys from the mesh turtle toy holder.

4. Listen to the squeals of laughter as they play with cups making waterfalls, and crowns of bubbles on their heads.

5. Gather towels, washcloths, brushes and combs, and clothes to change the kids into. Don’t forget underwear and diaper. Place a large blanket in the living room; make sure the couch is clear of clutter for Crazy daughter to wait her turn. Place clothes and brushes nearby to get the kids dressed.

6. Head into the bathroom to wash. Lather the washcloth with soap and start with Little Man, grab his feet and legs, then wash his hands and chest. Make him stand up to get the rest of him. Do the same for Crazy Daughter.

7. Wash hair, lay Little Man down to get hair wet. Listen to his screams of torment as you wet his hair. Lather with shampoo, again listen to his protests, and lay back down to rinse, you would think I am torturing this little guy.

8. Little Man will cry “eyes, eyes” use a hand towel to wipe off his eyes and as Crazy Daughter follows suit, wipe off her eyes.

9. Have Crazy Daughter lay down to get her hair wet, Listen to her cries of pleasure. Sit her up and have the hand towel ready to wipe off “eyes mama, eyes”.

10. Lather with shampoo, use liberally as she has thick and LONG hair, be sure to scrub every inch of hair and scalp. Lay her down to rinse, wipe off eyes again.

11. Time for conditioner; use a fair amount to fend off the tangles that will inevitably come about. Leave in for as long as she will sit there, which isn’t long, rinse.

12. Have Crazy Daughter pull the stopper on the tub, and have the kids pass the toys to be put away in the green mesh turtle.

13. Crazy Daughter is first, get her out of the tub, towel dry hair and wrap towel around body, pick up (this child is heavy) and carry to the living room couch. Listen to screams of abandonment from Little Man, hurry back to him. Get Little Man out of the tub, carry into the living room.

14. Dry off Little Man, he’s shaking but is fighting getting dressed. Puts him arms up in the air and says something to the effect “I’m naked”. Wrestle his clothes on and comb his hair.

15. Drag Crazy Daughter off the couch; pry the towel away from her. Watch her shake and do the “I’m Naked” scream. Dress and then….. Hair

16. For the next five minutes listen to screams of torment, watch real tears roll down her face, while you brush her hair. Wonder for the billionth time “what do you get in your hair?” and anticipate in less than a month the moment of getting her hair cut.

17. Kids are now dressed, clean and watching Where are You Scooby Doo. Head into the bathroom and survey the mess. Pick up the sopping wet bath man and run into the kitchen and into the washer. Head back and wipe the water off the floor.

18. Time to shower yourself, my pj’s are sopping wet and I’m tired from wrestling two kids in a bathtub.


Today's Monday Mission is to write a post in the form of directions. It's fun, try one yourself. You can do it.

Wordless Wednesday

Frantic Cleaning

Why do we alwayse feel the need to have our houses spotless when family visits? For whatever reason, I'm cleaning, really cleaning today and tomorrow. My paretns are driving in from michigan to visit for Thanksgiving. And I'm procrastinating, I really don't like scrubbing, washing, and sorting. I have a list I still need to accomplish before dinnertime tomorrow.

What are everyone's plans for Thanksgiving? We are having Turkey, Green Beans Casserole, Sweet Potato casserole, stuffing, apple Pie (oh yes I still have to make that one) and crab dip. I am so very glad my parents will be here to help cook, that is going to be one huge mess in my tiny kitchen.

And we have a birthday to celebrate this week, Crazy Daughter will be turning 4 on the 29th, but we are celebrating early, while my parents are here. We went to le target for supplies, and the theme for this years party is Tinkerbelle. Tinkerbelle plates, cups, wrapping paper, candles and stickers. Crazy Daughter has been demanding her party every day this week since we purchased the supplies. It was so much easier when they were smaller and didn't have so much invested in the whole thing.

And I should go, my kids are playing in the sink, and are probably drenched by now.

7 Random Things

I was tagged by Dragonfly to do the "seven random things" meme. It was surprisingly difficult to come up with seven things. But once I started writing, I got more than seven. lol

Here are the rules:
1 - Link to the person who tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
2 - Share seven random and/or weird things about yourself.
3 - Tag seven random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
4 - Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Seven Random Things About Me

1. I love to read, and read lots of books. But I would rather buy the book than visit the library. The reason for this is quite simple, I ALWAYS return books late and build up a hefty fine. So rather than pay that fine, I'll buy the book.

2. I love crafty things, sewing, cross stitch, etc. But I am a very poor finisher of those projects. I can name you several right now that have been sitting for years, just waiting to be completed. Little Man's cross stitch birth announcement, a cross stitchfor my mom that just needs to be outlined, pillowcases that was meant for last years Christmas gifts. I tend to be over ambitious.

3. I don't make new friends easily, I think I have some trust issues. But the friends I do have, I keep for a life time. Dragonfly and I have been friends since kindergarten.

4. I love fairy tales, and my most favorite is retold fairy tales. Rose Daughter, my blog name, is also a retold fairy tale of Beauty and the Beast. Not necessarily because of the night in shinning armour, but there's just something about the fantasy and the journey.

5. Places I want to visit, Scotland, Ireland, Greece and I hope to someday take a cruise, with no kids, to someplace warm, with lots of beaches.

6. I have lived in Michigan, Florida, Texas, and currently Kansas. Both Texas and Kansas were places I never dreamed I would live in, both were military posts. But I want to someday move to Tennessee, it's so beautiful there.

7. I like playing video games, not like shooter games, but adventure games. I'm currently going through Ratchet and Clank: Going Commando for the 3rd time. My kids like to watch, and if their daddy were here, they would watch him play. But I'm anxiously awaiting the latest installment of the Ratchet and Clank series, but Big Guy has them in Iraq and selfishly won't send the new PS3 back to America so I can play my game. *sigh* I guess he has more time to kill than I do.

So that's some random wierdness about me. awell I'm not going to tag anyone, I see this has made it's rounds quite a bit. But I would love to see a random comment on the comment section. Or if you haven't done this meme, post one on your blog.

Thanks all for reading

Don't grow up so fast...

Crazy Daughter and I were sitting on the couch yesterday. Let me preface things by saying my kids have this facination with my boobs, Little Man likes to pat them and so does Crazy Daughter who then lifts up her shirt and points to her "boobies".

Okay, so we were sitting on the couch enjoying some alone time, Little Man was sleeping, and she starts point to my "boobies" and then pulled up her shirt.

Crazy Daughter "Mama you have big boobies"

Rose Daughter "Yes, well compared to yours they are bigger" (I'm not overly endouded)

Crazy Daughter "Mama I want big boobies"

Much Laughter from Rose Daughter whose family is on the smaller side of the scale.

Rose Daughter "Sweetie, one day you'll get bigger ones, but don't grow up too fast on me okay."

*sigh* they grow up so fast don't they.

I know there are days when I wish they could be in school so I could have a little break time. But I know I will miss these days of cuddling and sloppy wet kisses.

So I'll sit back and try to type as Little Man is on my lap, trying to show me his toys and enjoy the time as it is.

Mission Monday

Scene: Crazy Daughter and Little Man sitting on the couch watching TV. Rose Daughter at the computer. I change the channel to The Wizard of Oz. It's just begning, the house is in the tornado.

Crazy Daughter: Mama change the channel.

Rose Daughter: No sweetie, just watch, you'll like it.

Whining ensues, Crazy Daughter starts throwing a temper tantrum.

Rose Daughter tries to reason with her, nothing will work.

TV: House lands in OZ, Dorothy walks out the door into a Technicolor World.

Crazy Daughter: Mama, it's beautiful.

Little Man: OHHHH

The rest of the evening is spent in front of the TV, the kids intently watching The Wizard of Oz.

Peace and quiet is beautiful

This Monday Mission is hosted by Painted Maypole, we had to write a post int he form of a script or dialog. This all happened last night, neither had seen The Wizard of Oz and it was very special to see their reactions to such a beloved movie.

Things that wake me up at 3:30 AM

1. Crazy Daughter patting me on the arm, "water Mama, Water".
2. Crazy Daughter falling askeep on MY pillow while I go get the water.
3. Crazy Daughter not willing to MOVE so I can lay down on MY pillow.
4. Having to go find another pillow so I can lay down in MY bed and go to sleep.
5. Little Man then kicking me because Crazy Daughter is crowding him. (he was already in bed with me)

And that was my night. Tossing and turning trying not to squish someone. I believe we finally all fell asleep around 4AM, but I am not sure how soundly we all slept. Little Man is still teething, which was why he was in bed with me, I can't wait for it to end.

It's 8:20 AM, and I could use a nap.

Thanks for all your suggestions, I did set them in front of the TV, I put in Peter Pan. But it calmed them down for a bit. And I made a cup of tea for me, it was a bit relaxing.

The kids are in the bath, I'm sure there is a lake in my bathroom now. *sigh* Will the cleaning never end.

Give Me Sanity

An hour, that is all I ask, just an hour of peace and quiet. Little Man is teething, and when he's teething his is not happy and needs mama all day, every hour of the day, every minute of the day. I want my happy boy back.

Crazy Girl is being her normal, energetic, crazy, stubborn self. Hugging the dog until she gets mad and starts to growl, dumping the basket of toys in the living room. Finding Halloween candy who know where, she doesn't need more sugar.

I guess it's been a long week, busy and lots of runing around and I'm just tired of caring for others needs all day long. My stomach is quaesy, I have a headache, and I'm tired.

ok, enough of my pity party.

I will have a break tomorrow evening, our FODS (family of deployed soldiers) group at church is meeting so we'll have two hours without kids to sit and talk about grown up things. I just wish it were tonight.

What do you do when your sanity stars to leave you? I could really use the suggestions today.

Dreams of the Future

I got the inspiration for this post from Dragonfly from this post.

I commented on Dragonfly's post that the smell of Lilac was my favorite scent. It brings to mind pictures of a spring day, sitting on the porch (if we had one), kids playing in the grass, wind gently blowing and the lilac's in bloom.

And I started thinking about what I want for the future. Big Guy is getting out of the military in 2010 so it is on the horizon. But I want to live in a house, to own a house again. To be able to paint the walls any color I want and not have to repaint when we leave. I want to have a porch, have lots of comfortable seating to sit outside, to have company over.

I imagine living in the the country, well sort of country, just not in a subdivision where my neighbor is two feet away and close enough to a town of good size. Oh and be near a book store, an actual book store. I want lots of trees, I want to plant lilac trees and have them bloom. I want the kids to be in school and I want to get a part time job. To be able to participate at their school but have a job to fill my need to do something.

And I want my husband to be home, to come home every night and really be in the kids lives. To have the whole family involved in a church, really involved and volunteer our time there. I want to be happy and secure.

Quite a few wants, lol. It's been in my imagination lately, dreaming of what my house would look like. And who knows, maybe someday we will own a house again, settle down somewhere where our kids can make life-long friends. Dreaming give me hope and we all need hope.

What do you dream for your future? Write and let me know.

I'm An Army Wife & I Can't Do it All

Tuesday at PWOC the topic of asking for help was brought up. How many times have you done this. A child in your arms, the other holding your hand, a diaper bag, purse and book bag slung over your shoulder. You have a plate of cookies in the hand holding the baby and you are trying to open the door with your foot. And someone asks you if you need any help.

"No, No, I've got everything under control. I can get it."

I know I am guilty of saying this, quite a lot in face. It seems us military spouses (and maybe other mommies out there, I'm just drawing from personal experience) are always saying this. We are Army Wives, I can take them to school, all theire sports, clean the house, cook, go to work and still be sane at the end of the day. We, I, feel the need to make sure things are going well here so my husband won't have to worry about things here, he can concentrate on his job over there.

We need to remember, and this definately includes me, that we can't, do it all. God make us to be in control over our entire world. Honestly most times when I try to control things, I make it worse in the end.

It's been humbling these past couple of months, learning to give up that control and to ask for help. There are people out there that care for us and are just waiting for us to ask. And maybe, their giving is God's blessing in their lives.

"Yes, thank you, I do need help with that door."

And you think you have messy hair...

Caption: Of course I blow dry it, do you think it gets this way naturally?