Hangin' Tough

I'm still here, I promise.

We just got back from a shortened visit to Seattle.

Cinderella is sick.

Sleeping Beauty is sick. And teething. And, apparently, scared of the dark. Because of this (we think), she barely slept; therefore, Prince Charming and I barely slept.

Prince Charming has fifth disease. Again.

I'm now coming down with something.

It was quite a weekend, let me tell you!

More later. I'm going to bed.

Things I'm Not Yet Ready to Talk About

~How utterly devastated I am that I can't be at my sister's wedding. I so badly wanted to be her matron of honor!

~How I was so looking forward to the big family party this weekend until I heard that certain people were coming.

~How upset I was last night because of the cupcakes I made for Cinderella's preschool.

~How certain words actually crossed my mouth that until last night had simply remained in my head.

~How angry and frustrated and emotional I am over Sleeping Beauty giving up naps. (She's not even two!)

~How I can't manage to stick to or follow through on any plan to finish losing this baby weight and reclaim my body.

~How poor of a housekeeper I am, and how I have completely disappointed my husband many times over this issue.

~How I'm currently interested in becoming a doula some day. (Current interest, not definite interest.)

Praying for Stellan

This little boy and his family desperately covet your prayers right now.
Click on the picture to read his story and updates.
He is in the hands of the Great Physician.
God's will be done.

By 8:45 am

By 6:45 am, all the kids were wide awake. Therefore, so was I.

By 7:00 am, Sleeping Beauty and the Little Prince had had their diapers changed and had clean clothes on; Cinderella was still in her pajamas.

By 7:30 am, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty had eaten breakfast (a bowl of oatmeal and half a doughnut each).

By 7:45 am, the Little Prince had spit up the entire contents of his stomach three times.

By 8:00 am, the Little Prince had spit up again, then nursed. Cinderella finally had her clothes on.

By 8:10 am, the Little Prince had spit up yet again, and had his onesie changed because it was soaked through.

By 8:15 am, the Little Prince had a major blowout.

By 8:30 am, the Little Prince was sitting naked on his changing table after 10 wipes had been used to clean up him and his changing table.

By 8:35 am, the Little Prince was in the bathtub while I fended off help from his sisters.

By 8:45 am, the Little Prince was once again clean and nice-smelling. He nursed well (again) and was as happy as could be.

Until about 9:45 am when he proceeded to spit up once more.

5

Cinderella turned 5 on Sunday.

As much as I was hyperventilating at the thought of my firstborn turning 5, on Sunday I was completely at peace about it.

I realized that I have actually been looking forward to 5 for two years now.















5 means kindergarten, and reading, and adding. 5 means taking responsibility, and making friends, and writing stories. 5 means independence, and understanding, and maturity.















5 means my motherly pride has never been greater.

This year, 5 also meant my mad baking skilz failed me:















I swear this wasn't my fault! The cake was completely cooled.

I think it was the frosting. Cinderella insisted on the party frosting with the little candy bits in it. Obviously, it was a little runny.

I even tried scooping it back up and re-spreading it. That frosting was having nothing to do with that cake.

Oh well. I have another birthday coming up in May to prove I can frost a cake.

For now? I still have 5.

Partying Like It's 2009

Cinderella had her group birthday party this morning.

27 kids. 3 batches of cupcakes. 40+ balloons.

Silly songs. Crowns galore.

Princesses everywhere!

It was a blast!

Only one more day before my little girl "officially" grows up.

*sniff*

Cinderella as, well, Cinderella.

Sleeping Beauty as...only cuteness knows what.

(Like the boots? Yes, I made her take them off before we left the house; don't worry.)

Prince Charming and Sleeping Beauty after a cupcake; well, maybe just after the frosting.

Just Two Days Left

Cinderella turns 5 on Sunday.

Five years old.

Oh.my.goodness!!!

*panicking*

*breathing*

*calming down*

*focusing*

Yes. So, Cinderella turns 5 on Sunday. Tomorrow, is her big birthday party.

Anyone care to guess the theme?

Princess! Duh!

It's a group party with two other girls from church, one whose birthday was earlier this week, and one whose birthday is later next week.

It just didn't make sense to us moms to have 3 birthday parties over 2 weeks, so we joined forces. Besides, they all would have been princess parties, anyway.

My firstborn is turning 5!!! Five, people! 5!!!

*panicking, again*

I only have two more days of her being 4. Two more. That's it. Where have the last five years gone?

Ultimate Blog Party, 2009

Welcome! Thank you for partying with me!

If you stick around long enough (just until the end of this post), I'll have a game for you to play. There will definitely be a winner, and a prize, but we'll talk about this more in just a minute. Let me introduce myself first.






Hi! I'm Hillary, aka H.K., aka Not the Queen.






I live in Washington State, have been a SAHM for 2 years now, and was a teacher (though I didn't have my certificate). I am currently working on getting my certification in math education. I am a math nerd and a grammar snob. I love to make cards, cook/bake, and camp. I went to an all-girls' school in high school, then on to WWU to major in Sociology and minor in French.

Was that random enough for you?

This is my family.



Prince Charming. Not the most dashing picture, but he's hunky, trust me.










Cinderella. She's a cheese. She turns 5 on Sunday.












Sleeping Beauty. She is the biggest goof, and not very photogenic at times. That's her brother's hat on her head. Sleeping Beauty will be 2 in May.









The Little Prince. He is my big chunk-of-love. He was 10 pounds 11 ounces when he was born. He'll be 4 months old at the end of the month.





Well, shall we play a game now?

This is an extended version of Two Truths and a Lie. Each section (in the block quotes) has two truths and one lie. If you've read my blog before, some of these are gimmes. But, since my blog is teeny tiny, I'm not too worried about that, and neither should you be.

If you want to play along, just leave your guesses in the comments section. Let me know which one of each group you think is the lie.

That's it!

For the prize, well, I mentioned above that I like to make cards. I will make the winner an entire year's worth of cards. Holidays, birthdays, anniversary, etc.

How does that sound?

Are you ready to play? Okay. Here we go!


Starting with dentistry and orthodonture:

I had braces twice.

I've never had a cavity.

I wore my retainer in college.

Moving on to travel:

I have never been to Mexico.

I won a trip to Disneyland.

I went to the Caribbean for my honeymoon.

Heading into haircare:

I have never colored my hair.

I have never permed my hair.

I have never plucked my eyebrows.

Detouring towards education:

I have taught English.

I have taught music.

I have taught science.

And ending with musicality:

I have taken singing lessons.

I have taken piano lessons.

I have taken guitar lessons.

Okay! That's it! If you want to know the answers, check back in at the end of the party. I'll get a hold of the winner when the blog party is over, so make sure I have a way to contact you if you don't have a blog.

I hope you've enjoyed your visit here! Come back again sometime; I love to entertain!

Party Hearty!

Oh! And the prizes! These are my faves: USC 58, 41, 28, 76, USC 11, USC 45, USC 16, 106, 71, USC 2, 75, 19, 21, 22, 75, 122, and 65.

The Extraordinary Whipped Nine Tails

Hee Hee! Go here to make your own superhero for free.
Then, if you want to see more, go here and check out the comments.

Wordless Wednesday--Father and Son

(The burp cloth was made by the very talented Kailani.)

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For more Wordless Wednesday, visit 5 Minutes for Mom, or PMKU.

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Also, I'm pretty crafty. Go here if you're interested in something handmade by me.

Starting the Day Out Right

This morning's breakfast, brought to you by a patron saint, Dr. Seuss, and generic Eggo's:


Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Aloha Friday #73

I haven't traveled much.

Heck, I don't even get out of the house much.

The farthest away from home I've even been is to Jamaica for a mission trip while in college (how I officially met Prince Charming), and St. John, USVI, for our honeymoon (I know! Score!).

Considering I live in Washington State, these two trips were quite far away from home. But, excepting two visits to the East Coast, that's it for me and long-distance traveling.

So, my question for you is this:

What's the farthest away from home that you've ever been?

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For more questions you know you're just dying to answer, visit An Island Life.

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Also, for a great chance to win something handmade by moi, go here.

First Five

I've seen this around Facebook, but officially stole it from Twinmommy.

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This is open to anyone who reads my blog!

The first FIVE people to respond to this post will get something made by little ol' me!

I get to chose what it is, and make it just for YOU!

However, this offer does have some restrictions and limitations.

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make (although I'm hoping you do!).

2. What I create will be original and just for you.

3. It will be done this year (before December 31, 2009!)

4. You have no clue what it's going to be (but it will be handmade).

There is one little catch. You must re-post this on YOUR blog or Facebook, or wherever, and make the same offer to the first 5 people who respond on your entry, thereby continuing the fun.

The first 5 people to leave a comment telling me they will be posting this will win a special something made by me.

Be sure to post a picture of your handmade prize when you get it! And maybe some linky love, too.

I'm really quite crafty, when I choose to be. I'm also a pretty good cook, if I do say so myself. Just a little incentive...

When Momma Gets Sick

When momma gets sick, the world NEEDS TO STOP MOVING!

There can't be any diapers to change, kids to put to sleep, food to be prepared, or laundry to be folded.

There needs to be a constant cycle of movies in the DVD player, a sippy cup that will replenish its own milk, and a maid.

There needs to be no fighting, whining, talking, attention-seeking, or accidents.

When momma gets sick? You all had better clear out!

Why? Because she's done with you! She's done being a mom; done being a taxi driver; done being a chef, a laundress, a doctor, a mediator. She's even done being a blogger (*shudder*).

When momma gets sick? Unfortunately, nothing changes.

When momma gets sick? Things keep right on moving at the same pace as before. Children and house still need attending to. (Well, the house may get a bit more ignored than usual; okay, who am I kidding: the kids get a bit ignored, too.)

When momma gets sick? She needs to get better, IMMEDIATELY!!!

Wordless Wednesday--Practice Makes Perfect

Practice...


...makes perfect.

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For more Wordless Wednesday, check out 5 Minutes for Mom.

When Tragedy Strikes

On Sunday, our pastor dropped a bombshell.

The niece/cousin of one of the families in our church went for a jog Saturday and never returned home. The authorities issued an Amber alert. Later, they saw a man exiting the woods with the girl's iPod and watch. Early Sunday morning, they found her body.

She was 13.

She was an only child.

Our pastor said her family had fallen away from church in recent years. Because of what was happening, they began to pray again on Saturday.

The question our pastor posed to us was this: Will they still be praying today (Sunday)?

When tragedy strikes, what do you do? Whom do you turn to?

You pray. You weep, you mourn, you rage, you blame, you shut down, you grieve, you disbelieve, you turn inward, you question. And you pray.

You turn to God. He's the only one with the answers, the only one who fully understands, the only one who can fully comfort. He may choose not to answer, but He will always understand and comfort.

The family in my church is praying; they are turning to God. I hope the girl's parents will, too.

Sure, it's easy for me to say; I've never been through a tragedy. I can't comprehend the emotions and thoughts associated with a tragedy. I know what I should do, and whom I should turn to.

But will I?

Will they?

Will you?

By George, I Think She's Got It!

I have mentioned before Cinderella's love/hate relationship with swimming: she loves water; she hates putting her head in it.

That last part has finally changed.

For the past five weeks, Cinderella has been taking swimming lessons at the newer indoor pool at the high school. These lessons are so much better organized than the ones over the summer. There are fewer kids per class, the pool is deeper, and there is more wall space.

Cinderella has gotten so much more one-on-one time with her instructor. She has been forced to either stay on the wall or trust her instructor, since she can't touch bottom. The kids can finally all spread out on the wall, meaning the instructor actually has an eye on all of them at one time.

It's been wonderful! I'm not sure we'll ever do swim lessons at the Aquatic Center again, once Sleeping Beauty and the Little Prince are older (the Aquatic Center is the only place to do a parent-child class to introduce kids to the water).

The best part? Cinderella is finally comfortable enough to put her head under the water! Yes! She did it! She does it often! She even does it without being asked!

Yay!

Of course, she'll only do it with goggles on, but I don't blame her one bit. She's got my sensitive eyes. (Fortunately, she doesn't seem to have my propensity for green swimmers hair. Yet.)

She'll "swim" out to her teacher, too. Sort of. She mostly flails around and sinks, then has the instructor "save" her. Poor thing can't float! At all.

She'll even jump into the water from the edge of the pool. Well, she'll jump as long as she can twist in the air and grab the wall immediately. Still, I'm not complaining. It's way more than she was willing to do last summer.

Cinderella, you go, girl!

He/Him/His

I have a son (a son, a son).

He's a boy (a boy, a boy).

He's a he (a he, a he).

He's a him (a him, a him).

His things are his (his, his).

Is this terrible of me? Sometimes, in my mind, I forget the Little Prince is a boy. I find myself thinking she/her/hers.

I KNOW he's a boy. He LOOKS like a boy.

But sometimes? I slip. I think I'm just conditioned with the she/her/hers. I have been, after all, a mom to girls for the past 5 years.

I hope this gets better soon. He's three months old already, and I'm still having issues.

(he/him/his) (he/him/his) (he/him/his)

May I Get a Set of Dentures for My Four-Year-Old, Please?

We just got back from Cinderella's dentist appointment about an hour ago, and OH MY GOSH, PEOPLE!!!! Her mouth is a mess!

We've always known our kids would need braces. I had braces. Prince Charming had braces. Shoot, I've even had jaw surgery.

Cinderella is not even 5 yet, and she's already lost 2 teeth on the bottom. The dentist said she'll probably lose another 2 teeth on the bottom within 6 months to a year.

Her baby teeth are so crowded that her new, permanent teeth are already coming in way more crooked than mine ever were.

The only positive thing the girl has going for her teeth is that she is actually missing her entire second set of bicuspids. They've never formed. Seriously, this is a blessing.

After seeing the x-rays, I wouldn't be surprised if Cinderella lost 2 baby teeth for each permanent tooth that comes in. Her mouth is just that bad. Her big teeth are so big, and her baby teeth are so small.

Poor kid!

Guess we'd better start saving for the orthodontist soon.