The Games of the First Momlympiad

i can accomplish many, many things with only one hand. the other hand is now holding a baby. i was wondering how many moms have noticed what they're able to do one handed?

i shall heretofore create the Momlympics. the first event of the first momlympiad will be one-handed stuff. perhaps the one-handed relay, the one-handed slalom? i haven't thought of what i'll term the new game...that'll come later, tater.

so...here's what will qualify you for a medal in the one-handed event...feel free to add a task to the appropriate medal (limit it to stuff you've actually done)...altho...i maintain my right as creator of the momlympiad to edit your addition...

All events to be performed while holding a screaming, hungry, sleepy, and/or wet baby (oh...and the "child" to which I refer is not the child in your arms...it's one of your other chilluns):

Bronze Medal

giving another child a bath

pouring a cup of milk

wiping the counters

emptying the dishwasher

swiffering

Silver Medal

making a sandwich

kneading dough

folding laundry

changing a poopy pullup w/o spillage

Gold Medal

buttoning a child's shirt

making a bed

dressing yourself

putting on a child's socks

more later...that's all i could think of for now.

to sum:

1. should the momlympiad be a summer or winter game? perhaps neither...how about spring?

2. instead of medals, i think i'll hand out spa treatments and massages

3. 5...5 total hours slept in the last 24...zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Chester is Here!

Edward Joseph Daniel

January 17, 2011 10:49 AM

8 pounds 1 ounce

20 1/2 inches long

William has decided that his name is Eddie Joe. Stephanie has not decided what his name is. Bennett calls him EJ and Meredith refers to him as the "new baby". Grandma Pam has decided that his name will remain Chester.

In summary:

1. Yes, we have a name.

2. No, we don't have a name.

3. I have three chilluns. THREE!!! Whoot!

Law of Somethingoranother

here's what i've noticed...

my floors stay pretty clean (considering the toddlerage wandering around my casa)...UNTIL i sweep and mop the floors. suddenly, juice goes flying. have you noticed how it's never water that gets spilled? it's always a beverage with 3 cups of sugar in it. OR i drop something...like a whisk i used to whip up a lucious pan sauce. the coils boy-yoing-yoing all over spewing the saucy goodness on counters, cabinets, and floors alike.

life lesson? everything can and does spill just after a thorough cleaning

also...there is never a tub pooping incident until the day i clean the tub. that day was today. m has been doing an excellent job with potty training. she's even 2ing. she 2ed this afternoon...by herself no less! just as i was gloating about my potty training skills... i left the room for approximately 2 minutes only to return to a tub full of poop, bathtoys, washcloths and a meredith. so much for that cleaning. after fishing out the poop and the meredith, i filled the tub with nasa-hot water and bleach.

life lesson? pride cometh before the fall.

and, of course, a summary:

1. i should stop serving anything but water after cleaning the floors

2. i should go out to eat after cleaning the floors

3. i should ax william to bathe the potty trainee

Steph's Rules for FB

Rule #1 Please learn the diff between your and you're

Rule #2 If it's supposed to be a secret, don't post it on your status report

Rule #3 If you cuss on your status reports or posts more than a couple of times, I'll hide you...or delete you...that would make you sad

Rule #4 If your trying to tell someone off just give them a call. Don't make me suffer through your tirade

Rule #5 If you caught what I did in Rule #4 then I'll give you a high five

Rule #6 Please respect my FB minimalism...I don't farm, play Farkle, or collect treasure...I do love Jesus...but do not have to click "like" to prove it...

Rule #7 Please do not use pictures of body parts or tattoos as your profile pic...especially if I only vaguely remember you from high school or if your tats are ugly

Rule #8 Please don't write a novel in your status report. You'll know if it's too long if you have to use the "see more" option. I prefer Reader's Digest to War and Peace

Rule #9 Two, To, Too...See Rule #1

Rule #10 Their, There, They're...courtesy AHK

33 Bottles of Beer on the Wall

so...i turned 33 on monday. when i was younger, birthdays were a big deal. not so much anymore. they're just another ordinary day. i don't feel 33. i still feel 23! i guess that's good...

we've had a busy couple of weeks and it's not going to let up soon. we had a great easter. the in-laws and w's came over for dinner and egg hunting. fun was had by all.

b update: i had a conference with b's teacher yesterday. we're both so proud of him. he has really matured in the last several months. she says when he first started pre-k, he played by himself. now he interacts with the other kids. she said that he can be loud and squirmy but considering how he was earlier...loud and squirmy is a great improvement! he is really enjoying tee ball. last year he really held onto our pant's leg...now he runs right out to join the other players. he's doing a much better job of being "baseball ready"...no more building dirt towers or picking flowers! we're working with him on his batting and running. his catching is really going well. he is such a pleasant person to be around. i am excited to see him growing up. excited and sad! we're about 80% firm on our decision to send him to rg for kinder. i'm having a hard time relinquishing several things - him! and the control i have had over his education. need i remind you, dear readers, that he is one smart cookie...thank you very much. but i know that public school (at least for the first couple of years) will be more about social development than educational development. i look forward to seeing him excited about going to school.

m update: well, well, well. what can i say about m? she and i have our sweet moments...where she's cuddling, laughing...but...we also have our "i'm gonna scratch your eyes out if you don't give me what i want" moments. who knew that having a girl would be so difficult? she's very outgoing. afraid of nothing...especially throwing huge tantrums in public. last nite we went to dq for a blizzard...when it was time to go she threw a horrible fit! screaming, throwing herself onto the greasy floor...the whole nine yards! totally unashamed that chica. maria says that her espanol is coming along nicely. she is begining to sing the alphabet song and twinkle, twinkle. i hope to catch it on camera soon.

w update: contest is over! his symphonic band made 122 and 121...the honor band made 121, 111...yay! the rest of the school year is downhill. he played golf with his dad yesterday. he came home and told me about every single hole/stroke. i was riveted indeed.

well...lots of other things are going on. most i cannot blab about...b/c after all...one can never be totally honest on a blog, right? no one decent, anyway...

in summary:

1. 33...ho-hum.

2. contest is over...whew!

3. if you don't have anything nice to say, don't post a blog

March Madness

...it's been spring break this week. much was accomplished (except for re-caulking our tub...sigh)...we power washed all the concrete surfaces (which were quite slippery when humid and/or wet), put up a new fence...not to mention a multitude of cleaning chores - the blinds, the baseboards, cleaning out all closets, the windows inside and out, changing out the kids clothes for summer and bigger sizes, clean and wipe out all the kitchen cabinets, wash all the light fixtures, steam vac the beds, carpets, wash and air the pillows and comforters...you get the picture...i've been on a frenzied cleaning rampage of epic proportions.

so...may we get back to the power washer? i LOVED using it. i never expected to find this task so exciting...but just seeing all that crap powered away by that little stream was exhilarating! william kept trying to "take over" but i stood firm. our driveway, sidewalk, and patio are sparkling and i am contemplating an excuse to take a trip to the hardware store to rent that puppy again....

on wednesday, b and w were supposed to go camping with rw and bw...but alas...b awoke at 1:30AM wednesday puking...alot. anyway...m had runny poo all the next day (and i'm talking about the kind of runny poo that gets everywhere...we spent most of the day running bath water for her...i even threw away some pants.)...we've promised b that we will plan another camping trip soon.

b celebrated his 5th birthday on friday the 12th. i've noticed that he has gotten taller recently...he has also developed quite the snippy personality...and...he has started to lie. at first i didn't think he really understood what he was doing or comprehending what a lie was...UNTIL we were having boca burgers...he was halfway done and he asked for dessert...well...we told him that he would have to eat some more of his burger. in no time his plate was clean. so we said "great! dessert all around"...then w gets up to get something and sees that b had dropped most of what was left of his burger on the floor. i could tell by the look on his face that he knew exactly what he was doing...EGADS.

m has begun the pacifier rehab program...no more pacifiers during the day...only during nap and bedtime...it's been a loud day around here... she has also recently learned to count to 10 and she can id all the letters of the alphabet except Q and W...she loves her brother and follows him everywhere! i looked on several days ago as they were playing together to see b put his arm around her and say "i love you. you're my best friend"...ooooweeee do i love those two!

tomorrow i play bells for the installation of the new methodist superintendent...should be fun...maybe they'll feed us...

and so...in summation:
1. spring cleaning done...whoot!
2. b is 5? no way!
3. pacifier detox sucks!

Long Time, No Blog

so it's been a while, eh?

here are my excuses:

#1 MEDICAL

it's been a busy couple of weeks at the daniel casa. m began puking on a monday nite...then b got it tuesday nite...me wednesday nite (i mean i was really sick. moaning sick. just horrific...i digress) then finally w on friday nite. that was over then the next monday m woke up screaming her head off - turns out she had strep throat. so...antibiotic for 10 days (her first) and now she's back to her old self. b has some strange rash on his bum...he's had one there before and it turned out to be staph. it took us almost 3 months (that's right...months) to get rid of it. this rash doesn't look like that one. he's been a real butt scratcher the last couple of days. it is so funny to see him lying on his belly with his pants pulled down to his knees waiting for one of us to rub cortisone on his bum!!! hahahahaha! i've had a sore throat and wretched headache since friday. you know what i'm thinking right? well...i'm better today thank goodness so hopefully it's just sinus drainage and not strep. homey ain't got time for no strep.

#2 BUSY DAYS

i'm so excited about the number of students i have...eight! it does make for super busy afternoons tho. last wednesday was ash wednesday so we rushed after lessons to make it to the service. tmea was a couple of weeks ago. i got a set of bass bars for the church. they add so much to the ensemble. the kids were really excited to see and play them. i hope that v.w. can recover from the pricetag!

#3 MESSY HOUSE

i cannot stay on top of this housework! perhaps it is b/c i stay home or b/c i have two kids but i don't remember the house being this messy when it was just me, w, and b. i've got to become more disciplined in picking things up the night before. i hate cleaning up today's mess tomorrow.

#4 HELLO! I HAVE TWO SMALL CHILDREN!

you know i had to throw that one in.

so that's about it. had j and p over for dinner. they helped w decide where to put our new fruit trees - plum and lime. i'm excited about the spring planting season.

so...in summation:

#1 you know what they say excuses are like, right?
#2 butt rashes are inconvenient butt funny
#3 clean up, clean up everybody everywhere...