tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43515084052883400002024-03-13T13:17:02.619-04:00Waffles for Dinner....Truth, Confessions, and Maybe a Few Good Ideas from a MommyCyndi Mobleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17528430365698996396noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4351508405288340000.post-9056124696811698262013-04-16T21:29:00.000-04:002013-04-16T21:30:32.450-04:00Moving Continued.....I did it! But alas, I didn't record anything. It figures! We made up our mind on a date to list and it was a whirlwind from there! I must admit, however, in spite of the chaos and pain that cleaning my house has caused, it was pleasant to be in a clutter free and clean space! I say was, only because, the last two days have been activity free (no showings) and I was feeling so guilty about neglecting the kids (although they truly loved their baby sitters The Backyardigans!) so we got messy!!!!
I just had to do it! I am committed to getting them places and doing projects again. At least one a week!! The real problem, however, is finding all of those items that I cleverly stored away.. such as the camera!! Ugh!!!Cyndi Mobleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17528430365698996396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4351508405288340000.post-60392744552923916982013-04-05T19:54:00.000-04:002013-04-05T19:54:03.499-04:00snack basketSnack food was everywhere!!! It was literally taking over our cabinets, our pantry, our lives. Solutions: The Snack Basket!! Inside one of our bottom cupboards there are now two baskets; one for the grown up snacks and one for the kids. The kids know which one is theirs and when a snack is needed they are directed to this basket and they may choose one item for a snack. Now, I can still just toss everything in, but it is contained in place!!!Cyndi Mobleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17528430365698996396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4351508405288340000.post-21767573024525672652013-03-02T19:35:00.000-05:002013-03-02T19:35:57.176-05:00Beaches --Turks and Caicos, with the kids(my apologies in advance; I don't know why this won't space properly!)
I always considered writing for a travel magazine, because travelling is truly one of my greatest joys, right up there with crafting, reading, cooking... okay, I have a lot. However, my passion was put on hold after the birth of my children because I really enjoy the "backpacking" sort of experience more than anything. My husband and I once spent two glorious weeks bouncing around Eastern Europe with no particular plan in mind. However, I don't feel like that is realistic with two small children. So, we've made some smaller trips (which I think I will review as well at a later date), but we had our first big adventure this past week to the Beaches Resort at Turks and Caicos. <br />
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I have never considered myself a resort type of person; I don't particularly care for crowds, all you can eat anything, or group activities, so I was a bit leery. However, my husband received some deal through his job and he asked if I wanted to go last minute. I hesitated; I panicked; and finally I said, "OK, Just book it." (I believe I was actually quite perturbed at being pressured and was frustrated that I had to decide while both kids were beckoning me and he was somewhere warm and glorious away from it all!) Well, we were committed.
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We arrived and were treated quite well and of course, seeing Elmo on arrival was too much of a good thing. We were escorted to our room in the Bahama area which was, eh. I've definitely been in much nicer and the four of us in one room was not anything to look forward to (at the time of the vacation the kids were 4 and 2 1/2). Sitting on the patio while they were asleep wasn't that great either. It was tiny and not very comfortable, without a view of anything. The pool in the area was okay. There wasn't a kiddy pool, however. THat made it a little bit labor intensive for us since our kids don't swim yet. But, at least we were in a warm tropical climate in January, right?
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However, we got lucky. One night there were some shenanigans from the room above and our air-conditioner broke. Of course, I complained. So we packed up and they allowed me to "view" the room before we got our new one. It was a suite in the Italian Villa and it was PERFECT. We had a room for the kids and a ground floor sliding glass entry to get to the pool. The pool, by the way was gorgeous!! The kiddy pool was large and shallow, the adult pool was also shallow and had a great swim up bar, and the warm pool... perfect for the slightly colder days. It was also very close to the beach which was nice.
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Okay, the room was good so now it was the perfect vacation, right? Not so fast... the food was the worst! It was horrific. Now, I will admit, I am a food snob in a big way. I have lived in either New York City or Philadelphia most of my life, but... ugh. We did find one half way decent place down by the beach, but that was it. We hired a sitter one night and went out for an adult meal and my husband couldn't even eat his fish; it tasted freezer burnt and just gross. I had scallops that were like small rubber balls.
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What made bad even worse was the service. Yes, there were a lot of people at dinner time, but aren't they supposed to be able to handle this? If you are a "family resort" then you cannot expect people, who are pretty much forced to eat at your poor choices for restaurants, with small children to wait 45 minutes for food. Perhaps if it was excellent I would have been more tolerant, but not so much.
We found one restaurant that we did like; it wasn't great, but it was the best of the bad choices. It was close to the beach and it was in the sand so the kids could play or sit at one of the kid sized picnic tables. We ended up eating all of our meals there. Although, the buffet (gag!) in the French Villa wasn't too bad and it was a prime spot to see the parade and shows at night.
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Speaking of entertainment, there were a lot of add ons that you could do. We tried three of them and in all honesty, that are expensive and not worth the money in my opinion.
1) Breakfast with the characters: It was TOO crowded. Yes, the characters came to each child, but you could experience that if you just hung out at the pool long enough. The food wasn't anything above the ordinary either.
2) Cruise with Abbey and Elmo: Save your money again! Conceptually, it was a great idea. Sailing aboard a beautiful, huge catamaran, while the kiddies have some fun. They didn't even raise the sail when we were on it. We motored out ( I felt sick!) and then back in. There were a couple of games played with to little space and a photo op with each character.
3) Photo shoot by the beach: This was fun, I have to admit. However, our photographer wasn't all that friendly. We had some okay pictures, but nothing better than what I took myself. And, just to get the pictures, I waited almost 1 hour in the photo shop!
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But wait!! They have a kids camp. Okay, I have to admit, I am the wrong person to judge this since my kids are basically home with me and the older one only goes to preschool half a day, but when we walked in and a little kid came sprinting and launched himself over the half wall to escape, I reconsidered. The people working their seemed bored and the one hour we left my kids, I could tell they weren't that happy. This might be because they were too young. The kids at the older camp seemed VERY happy.
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We did utilize a babysitter one night after the kids went to bed and that was REALLY nice! Also, you can rent a wagon instead of lugging your stroller with you. That was something I very much appreciated.
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The shows were actually a lot of fun and so was the parade. The water park was GREAT even for non-swimmers.
So, in a nutshell.... for customer service, I will give this Beaches location 4 stars out of 5. (There were a couple other issues.) For food, I will be generous and give it 1 1/2 stars. For entertainment, I will say 4 stars.
It is a very expensive trip and we were lucky to get a big discount through my husband's job, plus the upgrade, plus we had free airfare. If we had to pay full price, I don't think I would go back.
All in all it was a great vacation. We were relaxed and really enjoyed the amenities.Cyndi Mobleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17528430365698996396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4351508405288340000.post-81963526637413437032013-03-02T19:17:00.001-05:002013-03-02T19:17:22.716-05:00WE ARE MOVING... what now?It is official, we have to move. The exorbitant cost of private education in the city, plus a ridiculous commute to work for my husband is driving us north! I am in a state of panic!! How does one begin?? I truly don't even know. We've done the basics: we've obtained the services of a local real estate agent; we've scouted out the towns and schools we are considering;but now what?? How can I even begin to deal with the mess that is our unorganized life???
Previously, I was going to start my "home happiness project." Well, I did finally find the book and no, I didn't finish reading it, but I think I can apply it (sort of) to my dilemma. I will set a weekly goal and just have to get it done! My goal is to have the house on the market by April 5th. The first Friday of April!!!!
Wish me luck and keep your fingers crossed.
Cyndi Mobleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17528430365698996396noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4351508405288340000.post-48920713492697613432013-02-24T19:03:00.000-05:002013-02-24T19:03:19.891-05:00sock basket and pinningDo you have problems finding socks for your little ones?? We always did. My biggest problem is that I am NOT a sock person. I will wear slippers, UGGS, and various shoes all without socks. Of course, my kids have sort of adopted this mantra as well, but of course, they need them now and again.
I found the biggest dilemma to be that I always had to run upstairs to their bedroom to retrieve socks and then run back downstairs, rushing, rushing, rushing, as always. So the first thing I did was to eliminate the sock drawer upstairs and throw them all in a pretty basket close to the front door. This of course led to the chaos of matching socks, so I have started pinning them together before they go into the hamper. Now they always have a mate!!Cyndi Mobleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17528430365698996396noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4351508405288340000.post-2369107199444380282012-08-05T23:06:00.000-04:002012-08-05T23:06:40.675-04:00My Happiness Project.... (MIA)Have you checked out <i>The Happiness Project<i></i></i>yet? This book (what I have read thus far) has really made me take a good look at my life! It has brilliant points, and Gretchen (the author) has some wonderful "easy" tips on her blog <a href="http://happiness-project.com/"></a> for getting it together. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqz-wCA-MbDZCYSzv_2hIivZQdTpRPpX32f2xII2eR5hIkmFgYqz5Ttfry_tY2XjSi_C9QQDzOfrhWU_DSj2i__IRAZIXLdpF-eQ_w4tMf_bwbGUhs4X4a4QFsB0oF4Nx3Wuzon0aUu_uR/s1600/511xeIokEmL._SL160_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-dp%252CTopRight%252C12%252C-18_SH30_OU01_AA160_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="160" width="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqz-wCA-MbDZCYSzv_2hIivZQdTpRPpX32f2xII2eR5hIkmFgYqz5Ttfry_tY2XjSi_C9QQDzOfrhWU_DSj2i__IRAZIXLdpF-eQ_w4tMf_bwbGUhs4X4a4QFsB0oF4Nx3Wuzon0aUu_uR/s320/511xeIokEmL._SL160_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-dp%252CTopRight%252C12%252C-18_SH30_OU01_AA160_.jpg" /></a></div> Here's the glitch I have encountered so far: now, you must realize, that this book stresses getting your life together... clearing the clutter.. etc. uhm, well, I lost the book in my clutter. I'm off to a brilliant start, eh? Stay tuned and wish me luck! I know it has to be here somewhere!Cyndi Mobleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17528430365698996396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4351508405288340000.post-30946330618331295212012-01-25T21:42:00.001-05:002012-01-25T21:43:50.614-05:00I love Safe Mama!!!I don't know about you, but the world scares me. Everyday I wish there was some way to keep my little angels (ha, ha, ha, ha.....infinity) safe from all the dangers we learn about daily. With all of the technology we have today, can't someone just invent a bubble to put my two babies in????<br />
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There are SO many concerns I have: lead in Christmas lights, fumes from someone doing work on their house, fires that would cause toxic fumes, insecticides, car exhaust, toxins in toys.... the list goes on and on.<br />
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What is a mom to do???! Well, I turn to the SafeMama blog (see button to the right!). It is a wonderful compilation of safe alternatives to the common toxic products that we use and also an eye opener to some things you may have considered safe, which aren't. <br />
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I believe Kathy to be a saint (although she has admitted to not being one). Please check out her website and remember that every little step we take makes our kids a little safer.Cyndi Mobleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17528430365698996396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4351508405288340000.post-80651596515720563402011-12-31T23:59:00.000-05:002011-12-31T23:59:30.206-05:00"Happy" New Year?It's almost official. 2011 has slipped by and 2012 will arrive in 15 minutes exceptionally uneventfully for me. The good news, however, is that the kids are asleep, I have a warm cup of Yogi Bedtime tea that I'm sipping, and I will be able to see the fireworks from my house at midnight.<br />
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It's interesting how one's concept of a successful New Year's Eve changes as we get older. Well, at least it does for some of us. It started for me very simply: "if I sneak out of my bedroom and make my presence known, will my parents let me stay up until midnight?" Then it became, how many friends did I have sleeping over on New Year's Eve and would they think it was lame that my parents were wearing hats and blowing horns (I still cherish the fact that they did!) And of course,it seems not to long ago, the less I remembered, the better it was. <br />
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Today, I am content. My husband has to work early in the morning, so we are in. However, my girls got dressed up in their finest party wear (Hanna Andersson's Semi-annual sale!!! Gotta love $90+ dresses for $20!!), bedazzled themselves in their jewels, wore their New Years tiaras, and pushed their baby dolls in strollers over to an early party. It was an intimate gathering. The conversation was lively, everyone was in a great mood, including the kids and we had a really nice time.<br />
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Later, after a little nap for Daddy and the two year old, we went to see the 6PM fireworks that Philadelphia puts on. I used to mock the city for having fireworks on New Year's Eve at such a ridiculous time. But now, I have to say, "I GET IT!!" The music was a bit loud down on by the river, but it wasn't crowded, something I truly appreciate about Philadelphia, and the girls loved it as they tooted their little horns!<br />
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I'm content, I'm happy, and I hope I'm ready for all of the challenges the New Year presents. It's two minutes until midnight. I must warm my cup and prepare for the light show. Or... maybe, I'll just go to bed. :-)<br />
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HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!Cyndi Mobleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17528430365698996396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4351508405288340000.post-33882086213361604242011-12-01T21:25:00.000-05:002011-12-01T21:25:57.910-05:00IDEA TUESDAY (okay, it's Friday... it's a mom thing, right???!!)Well, I haven't posted in a LONG time. Sue me. My kids are exhausting. My husband's job and degree work are a drain... HOWEVER...!! I got rid of cable!! How freeing! Now I have time for everything... LOL...<br />
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Anyway, when both of my daughters were one they were infatuated with lids. They would sit and take them off... and then put them back on. Take them off.... and then put them back on.... and on and on. If your kids do this too, I'm sure like me, the vast array of lids and containers scattered throughout the house drove you crazy. And OF COURSE, lids were always lost. So what did I do??? I attached the lids. It's SO simple and yet such an elusive idea. <br />
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Here is a picture of one I did.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRSfe1bawg8Q7QjjT6YaHuv2i73KGEYRCoOuLbUDQFyxeMSe8oRrsLFsyLRWamiMchnXPPlTRTkkm74lfDpJi8Fn1RbuuE-95SQ_QomkxmMfOHj0DGMOxFpy-BzuE3VzXPs2DLOBcjpaFa/s1600/IMG_0490.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRSfe1bawg8Q7QjjT6YaHuv2i73KGEYRCoOuLbUDQFyxeMSe8oRrsLFsyLRWamiMchnXPPlTRTkkm74lfDpJi8Fn1RbuuE-95SQ_QomkxmMfOHj0DGMOxFpy-BzuE3VzXPs2DLOBcjpaFa/s320/IMG_0490.JPG" /></a></div>I simply put a small hole in the container (we call these "squishy things" for lack of a better name), attached a small length of yarn, and tied it around the lid. <br />
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This entertained, and still does when they come across it, my daughters for many hours. It's great in a car ride too, until one drops it of course! :-)Cyndi Mobleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17528430365698996396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4351508405288340000.post-85830682163725566252011-12-01T21:05:00.002-05:002012-08-05T23:11:16.716-04:00Books your Toddler and Preschooler will LOVE!!!My daughters are 2, (almost 1/2) and just 4. Here are some books that they love and that I enjoy reading:<br />
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1. <i><b>Boo Hoo Bird</b><b></b></i>, by Jeremy Tankard--- <br />
I bought this book on a whim without looking at it too much and was pleasantly surprised by how quickly my daughters fell in love with it! The story is simple, a bird gets "bonked" on the head with a ball and all of his animal friends try to make him feel better. They try bandaids, cookies, and kisses, and nothing seems to work until.... I don't want to spoil the ending.<br />
The illustrations are entertaining. Most importantly, I ENJOY reading this one!!!!!<br />
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2. <b>Making the Moose out of Life<i></i></b> by Nicholas Oldland -- <br />
Again, I bought this book on a whim at the same time as <i>Boo Hoo <b></b></i><b>Bird.<i></i></b> The story is adorable and hits home with me, a middle aged mother of two! Here's the gist: our hero, the Moose, does not partake of all the great opportunities that life has to offer and he is not sure what life is all about. However, one day, after getting bonked on the head by a golf ball (do you detect a theme?) he gets on a sailboat and is stranded on a desserted island where he meets a turtle named Tuesday and learns more about enjoying life. My girls LOVED this book and honestly, so did I!
<b>BOOKS NOT TO AVOID!!!</b>
1) <i>Martha Speaks</i> I bought this book last year for my 3 year old and 2 year old after returning from vacation. We had gone to Martha's Vineyard and each one of them brought back a little black dog; of course, their names were Martha. Hence, I thought the book would be cute. STOP RIGHT THERE. Lesson learned: read the book first. Aside from the use of the word "shut up," which I think is atrocious to begin with, there is a cat burglar in the book. My girls have been obsessed with cat burglars since! "Mommy, where do cat burglars live?" "Mommy, what do cat burglars do?" "Mommy, what do they steal?" Arrrrgh!! Avoid the headache and steer clear until they are much older!!!!Cyndi Mobleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17528430365698996396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4351508405288340000.post-47695801399417644832010-09-13T21:10:00.001-04:002010-09-14T11:01:44.200-04:00Too much information....I'm tired -- just plain exhausted. Why? It's because of stress!!! I stress myself out over every little thing I read about. For example, my most recent series of panic attacks and tears were over food dyes. For the last 15 years or so, I have done my best to avoid all food dyes, artificial flavorings and preservatives. Most people scoffed my efforts since my choices were not common place at the time. I persevered and believed I was doing the right thing.<br />
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Well.... don't question my intelligence when you hear this one. Instead, my levels of trust should be under consideration. As I mentioned previously, I read the labels on everything. Well, when my prescription prenatal vitamins didn't come with an ingredient list, I didn't go out of my way to get one. I googled the name of the vitamin and came across one on line that had the same name and the ingredients were great. <br />
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Hmmm... maybe I should have stopped to ask myself WHY THE HELL THE PILLS WERE YELLOW!!! Or the ones before that were blue!! Well, it was because of food dyes in the pills. Who the hell would do such a thing to a pregnant woman??!?!? I understand that the pharmacists need them to be identifiable, but seriously.. do we need twenty different brands? Can't they do it with something other than petroleum based chemicals???<br />
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I am the sort of person who just cannot let go. If there are any minute problems with my daughters in the future, I will blame myself first and foremost. Then I will blame the idiot doctors that prescribed them and then the ridiculous pharmaceutical companies.<br />
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Thanks for listening. I feel a little bit better.Cyndi Mobleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17528430365698996396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4351508405288340000.post-58532469232048785772010-07-06T21:56:00.000-04:002010-07-06T21:56:40.942-04:00HELLO IDEA TUESDAYS!!!!I am far from "super mom." In fact, what would you call the opposite? "Just making it mom?" (Jumamo!) That's me -- a true Jumamo! Well, even your run of the mill Jumamo has a good idea every once in a while!!! <br />
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Teething -- every mom's favorite childhood rite of passage; what does this Jumamo do? Feed her baby organic wild blueberries!! They're small enough that they do not pose a choking hazard; they are super cold and super healthy!!!! Both of my daughters devour them and not just when teething!! Give it a shot!! WARNING: They are super messy and stain!!!!Cyndi Mobleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17528430365698996396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4351508405288340000.post-34829429855048943042010-06-21T23:55:00.000-04:002010-06-21T23:55:23.893-04:00Apologies for my absence....Since I only have one follower to date, I will make my excuses brief. Every opportunity that I have had, I have been escaping. Escaping from what, you may ask... my beautiful girls, my wonderful husband? No. From the unremarkable path I have chosen. <br />
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Prior to my current situation, I traveled the world and impressed people with stories of my adventures and the skills I possessed. Now, I try to keep the house clean (which I have had NO success with), keep my girls healthy and happy, and to survive each day. My poor husband is along for the ride. I haven't slept more than 3 hours in a row but once in about 14 months and it's taken its toll on me I have to admit.<br />
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My escape has been TV and occasionally a fantastic book. Something to look forward to when the angels lay their little heads down to slumber. I hate television and I've never understood the people who watched the popular shows with religious fervor. Now I am one of them. I watched 5 episodes of Gray's Anatomy today (they were DVRd of course!) and I feel like a pathetic loser. But there is something nice about escaping into someone else's perception of the world and living even a little bit vicariously through said show.<br />
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HOWEVER, I watched my little girl enjoy a chocolate cupcake today with blue frosting and yellow goldfish on it (all natural from Whole Foods of course!) and she was happy. And you know what, I was happy. Her sweet little smile and the innocence of her pale little face surrounded by the cutest blond curls, made me smile. My life is anything but mundane! I created two beautiful children (my hubby helped a little) and I get to watch them discover the world each and every day. There is an escape right in front of me and I plan to try and see the world through their eyes every day I can.Cyndi Mobleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17528430365698996396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4351508405288340000.post-81315529169292048802010-01-07T14:43:00.000-05:002010-01-07T14:43:37.189-05:00More than one....Okay, maybe Forrest Gump's Mama said it first, but your kids are like a box of chocolates... I love them all, but the dark chocolate... well, I like those better, but I'll eat the milk chocolate too. And then there are the fillings.... caramel, they're okay, but give me something fudgey on the inside and I'm in heaven. But then of course, the chocolate I like can depend on my mood as well. Some days I'm happy to have a caramel filling and other days, I'm happy with something a little bit more exotic.<br />
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I love both of my girls. They are definitely dark chocolate for me, but I have to be honest... I love one just a little bit more. They are both wonderful and totally different, but if I had to pick a favorite, one of them definitely lightens my heart a little bit more. Does that make me a bad mom or just human? <br />
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Why is it I feel this way? Is it a personality thing? Maybe their ages and what I hope are temporary temperaments. I think that this truly has to be it. After all, there are some days I feel like hanging out with a particular friend and other days I'd prefer someone else. Some days I realize that my husband is amazing, but other days the sight of him makes me cringe. (Sorry honey! These are very rare!)<br />
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I'm an only child, so I never had to contend with a sibling, nor can I ask my mom if I was her favorite. She was stuck with me!! Poor woman. I've never asked the question of parents. I never wanted them to have to admit what I'm telling you, but I wonder if more people out there feel the same way. <br />
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Can you tell? One of my girls is being an angel today and one is being a royal pain in the tush!!Cyndi Mobleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17528430365698996396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4351508405288340000.post-50348511438677146422009-12-27T16:34:00.003-05:002009-12-27T16:42:09.950-05:00Starbucks Saves the DayMy hubby came home yesterday, napped and had to leave again today. I'm just loving the holidays!!! At least today was a relatively beautiful day, so I packed the girls up and headed out!!! Destination, Starbucks! If the baby is not going to sleep while I'm staying away from caffeine, I might as well indulge at least one of my vices!!<br /><br />And oh, the joy!!! Just to hold the warm cup with anticipation felt great! It is amazing what a little caffeine will do for one's mood!! Temper tantrum while leaving the playground... nothing to worry about, the poor darling is just tired. Husband is gone.... well someone has to make the money!! Baby won't sleep... Heck, I'll sleep when she goes off to college (or will i????!!).<br /><br />Thank you Starbucks and your gingerbread latte!! ( I actually didn't care for the fake gingerbread taste, but I still gulped it down VERY quickly!!!! )Cyndi Mobleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17528430365698996396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4351508405288340000.post-17105068270648366072009-12-27T15:35:00.003-05:002009-12-28T21:32:10.654-05:00THE BLURTERYou know the mom I'm talking about . You are at the playground, enjoying the outdoors and the prospect of your children burning some energy. And then you see her -- pushing her stroller with a determined walk, slightly disheveled, and looking slightly frazzled. She appears to be looking for something and maybe a little sad all at once. She unstraps her children from the confines of the stroller and then she searches. What for? For the approachable, unsuspecting mom or dad from which to gain some adult conversation. "Your child is adorable?" blah, blah, blah... "How old is your child?" blah, blah, blah. And then of course, to be polite you reciprocate the standard playground questions. That's when she strikes!! You have opened yourselves up for attack!!!.. "Well..." she begins. And then she goes on and on about sleepless nights, traveling husbands, growth spurts of children.... Wait!!! That mom is me!!! <br /><br />Yes, I to sometimes gush to some unsuspecting soul. On and on I'll go with hardly a polite pause. What is the motivation of the blurter you ask? Perhaps maybe a word of consolation or assurance that she is not the worst mommy in the world for feeding her daughter frozen waffles for dinner (guilty!)<br /><br />No. I am not always this pathetic, but I have my moments. Don't we all? (Please say yes!) <br /><br />To all those recipients of a mommy's blurting moments, be patient. For there are those who have, and those who will. I speak from experience.Cyndi Mobleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17528430365698996396noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4351508405288340000.post-24435152702475977272009-12-25T23:06:00.008-05:002011-12-02T22:13:35.083-05:00Holiday FunHere is one of the fun things I did with my two year old. It took a lot longer to dry than advertised, but with a little TLC it turned out pretty nice.<br />
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http://video.about.com/familycrafts/Christmas-Magic-Ornaments.htm<br />
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PS The hyperlink is not working for me, so cut and paste into your browser.Cyndi Mobleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17528430365698996396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4351508405288340000.post-14110109623647668832009-12-25T22:32:00.000-05:002009-12-25T22:46:04.963-05:00Bed Time JoysPrior to having my children, I based all my knowledge of motherhood on what I saw on television or in the movies. Bedtime is always portrayed as a beautiful conclusion to a day. The parent gazes lovingly at their child as she falls asleep like a little angel. These are the lies Hollywood portrays in order to get the general public to reproduce.<div><br /></div><div>Bedtime for me is a joyous occasion because I get to dump the kids into bed and have a few moments of mommy-time before I commence with the daily clean up. I watch the clock from the end of nap time, counting the hours until bedtime. And then, when it is time to begin the journey upstairs that will result in my downtime, I am joyous!! My oldest daughter must pick up on my excitement because she always seems a little spastic during our bedtime ritual. </div><div><br /></div><div>First, I plop her in the bathtub wondering how short I can make the experience without any whining. And then I quickly dress her for bedtime and have her pick out two books. (It used to be three, but somehow she has not noticed that one has gone by the wayside!) And then quickly into bed, covers, music, a pat on the back and I am out the door quicker than she can say, "mommy!" I am not really heartless; I'm just tired. On nights when my husband is home, I don't rush as much; I let her relax a bit. But there is nothing like the feeling of closing her door knowing I should have a little bit of time to myself. That is, if the baby will cooperate!!! Can someone please explain to my baby that it is poor baby etiquette to wake up every single hour??!?!? </div><div><br /></div><div>Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!</div>Cyndi Mobleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17528430365698996396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4351508405288340000.post-47599742516597989482009-12-25T00:31:00.000-05:002009-12-25T22:31:46.231-05:00Holiday Mommy<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"> \Welcome to my blog. Is that how one begins? To date, I am not a blog follower, so I am not sure if this is the proper way to begin. However, since I am a woman with little time and of little patience for the nitty gritty of things, I figured I would just jump right in and hope for the best. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><br />I prefer not to disclose the intimate details of my life so that I can have some freedom to air my mommy tales without judgement from those who may know me. Here is what you need to know about me: </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;font-size:13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;">I am a mom of two living in a major metropolitan area;</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;">My children are less than two years apart (yes, this was on purpose!);</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;">I am in my late thirties;</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;">I have a pretty intense part time job, however I am on extended maternity leave;</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;">I have a wonderful husband who travels frequently for work (if you are clever, you realize that is why I am on my computer on Christmas eve!)</span></li></ul><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Why blog you ask? Well, why not? While I am supposed to be bonding with my beautiful baby girl as I nurse her, wondering how one could possibly eat a zillion times in one day, I have numerous thoughts that flood my head on mommy-hood. Some of these I will discuss in my mommy circles, but some... well, even though I have a hard time controlling myself most times, I shouldn't say everything that I think. Right?</span><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;font-size:13px;">Enough with the introduction....</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><br />Santa came to visit our children yesterday since we knew my husband would more than likely be out of town today and tomorrow. And of course, it was joyous to witness my two year old's indoctrination to the greed that comes with Christmas. But truly, this tired mommy would have been happy to watch it on the video camera after the fact if I just could have snoozed a little bit longer. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;font-size:13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;font-size:13px;">No, I am not a completely heartless woman. I'm just tired. Yes, I know, every mommy is tired, but we're all entitled to whine a bit, right?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;font-size:13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;font-size:13px;">Anyway, I did do lots of fun holiday stuff with the kids and enjoyed it. But oh... the cries of two!!! Just what I wanted for Christmas! I will continue tomorrow!!!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;font-size:13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;font-size:13px;">Thanks for reading! </span></span></div>Cyndi Mobleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17528430365698996396noreply@blogger.com0