{ Well sometimes you just want to scream }

Ever wanna tuck your tail between your legs and just run for the hills? Or even just out the door and down the street?

I have those days, lest you think that my life is perfect and a tiptoe through the tulips all the time.

Today is a perfect example of one of those....I found myself waking up late, dragging around, slacking on everything that I should be doing.....and those dishes in the background, well they only went in the dishwasher at 5pm. *GASP* Shocking I tell you!

Of course it doesn't help that it was 115 degrees. Gross!

But it's not that I'm lazy, as a matter of fact I hate, well maybe hate is too harsh a word, I strongly dislike a messy house, cause you know, you never can tell if the doorbell will ring and the President will be standing there waiting to come in for coffee....or maybe maybe it's those folks with the big check and the colorful balloons telling me I'm a grand prize winner of a million dollars.

Yep, I dream big don't I?

No, it's just one of those days, we all have them and I don't get them very often but when I do, man alive, I want to slap myself out of it.

To make matters worse, my little one started complaining of ear ache 2 days ago, but he kept running around, not having a fever, not screaming in pain, or pulling at his ears, NOTHING. Just telling me that the outside of his ear hurt, not the inside. I thought at first it may be that he hit his ear or maybe a pimple is growing or something.

The kids had also been swimming last week and I thought maybe a little water got in there, but he didn't really complain.

But last night, he came and slept with mommy because daddy is working the night shift, and he kept me up all night complaining that he couldn't lay on his ear, that it hurts.

This morning it actually looked a little red and a bit swollen on the outside, so I called up the base clinic and of course there were no appointments, and given the option to either wait until tomorrow or get a referral for Urgent Care, I did what any other mother would have done, I told the lady to type her little pretty fingers away and give me the referral.

We took him to the Nextcare Urgent Care close to us and they were very helpful.

We arrived at 2:55pm and by 3:30pm we were walking out with a prescription.

Turns out my little one has Swimmer's ear, not too bad but the beginning of it and his ear canal is inflamed and red which apparently also causes the outer ear to get a little swollen and red. I totally did not know that.

So now he's on Antibiotic/Steroid Drops for the next 7 days. I'm sure he'll be feeling a lot better within the next few days.

With all my pity party attitude earlier, it did feel good to have the doctor say "I'm so glad you made the decision to bring him in right now or this would have gotten a LOT worse".

See, my day wasn't ALL that bad?

Now I'm going to go jump in the bathtub and drown my sorrows, literally, they need to go away cause I don't have the patience for another day of woe is me.

{ Cooking Thursday - July 15 }

Won't you join me and share with us one of your new recipes, or an old family favorite, you can even throw in a recipe for homemade soaps or detergents (just remember to specify).

For the guidelines, you can go here.

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Pizza Cheese Breadsticks

1 Honey Pizza Dough recipe (but add a bit of garlic powder to the dough when making)
Italian Seasoning to taste
Sliced Cheddar Cheese (you can use Shredded too)

Roll the dough out to an oval or rectangle shape then drizzle with olive oil....spread it over the entire surface, sprinkle with Italian Seasoning.

On one half of the pizza lay your cheese slices. I just cut up some from a block of Cheddar cheese I had and as you can see they don't exactly look pretty, but it doesn't matter, they will all melt into a gooey yummy goodness.

Fold over and pinch sides to seal.

Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

{ Those dreaded chargers and cables }

We all have them in our homes, they make everything look cluttered and unkempt and if there's one thing I really don't like, it's the feeling that things look messy even after I've tried my best to tidy up.

I have been putting up with cellphone, nintendo and ipod chargers for far too long and have always been on the lookout for a solution, but until today, nothing had come to me.

Then this morning I was reorganizing my bathroom drawers and cabinets and came across an adorable little box that used to contain bath products. And it hit me like a ton of bricks. YES, this is exactly what I was looking for.

Now you can buy boxes especially made for this, but honestly, not only do I not want to spend the money on them, but they look very officey (I know that's not a word) to me, not welcoming at all in my kitchen.

So here's what I did.

I started by going through my chargers, getting rid of any old ones not needed anymore. Own up, I wanna see those hands raised for those who still have chargers laying around for cellphones that ceased to exist years ago? Come on now, we're all amongst friends here.

Once I got through those, I took the ones we actually do still use, then cut out a small label, wrote who it belongs to on there, like "Sandra's Cellphone", "Jasmine's camera", "Curt's Ipod" etc.

Rolled them up nicely and popped them all into the box.

I found an area right below the plug and that is where I set my box, now when something needs to be charged, we just grab the charger from inside, plug it in, shove the excess cord back in and close the lid. Now mind you, you can always move the cord to the back so that you don't see it, but really, I'm just so thrilled with the outcome that the tiny little bit of cord peeking through doesn't bother me.

It doesn't look perfect, but I would say it's a HUGE improvement from the endless ugly black cords plugged in all over the counters. It's a way to keep them from getting lost too.

And when it's done charging, just unplug, roll it back up and pop it back in the box. Out of sight!

Hope this inspires you to get rid of your charger and cable clutter!

{ Review & Giveaway - Help my baby came without instructions }

ISBN13: 9781573443906
ISBN10: 1573443905

My baby instruction manual gives parents over 100 quick, easy-to-do lists of proven, mom-tested, pediatrician endorsed tips. Included are chapters on eating, sleeping, crying, bathing and a myriad of other subjects. There are no lengthy paragraphs to read, just fast, reliable help when over-stressed parents need it!

Excerpt:

TURNING OFF THOSE TEARS

Babies cry for lots of reasons. They cry when they're tired, hungry, too hot, too cold, over-stimulated, not stimulated enough, wet, soiled, or sometimes just for no reason at all. What makes it difficult, especially if you're new at parenting, is that they can't tell you. If they are tired, they don't act sleepy; they act cranky. If they are wet, they don't point to their diaper; they act cranky. The following tips may help your cranky, crying baby feel better.

Put a receiving blanket into the dryer for a few minutes to get it nice and warm. Swaddle the baby and lay her down in the crib on her side so her back is touching the crib or use a wedge (see Glossary) or a rolled-up receiving blanket. (Note: While babies do come in two genders, my usage of "her" and "she" throughout this book is merely for simplicity.) Babies are accustomed to close quarters and feel secure when they are in small spaces.

• Put the baby into a swing. Get a receiving blanket (again, you may want to warm it up in the dryer first) and pull it up between the baby's cheek and hand so she can touch it and feel the soft fuzziness next to her cheek. This is very comforting. You may want to put another rolled-up receiving blanket against her ear to hold it in place.
• Put the baby into the Exersaucer (see Glossary ) and show her all the fun toys mounted on the tray. If she is almost sitting up by herself, she is old enough to play in this type of toy. You may want to put a rolled up receiving blanket behind her back for more support, especially when she is first starting to play in this toy.
Place the baby on her tummy lengthwise on your knees. Gently rock your legs while rubbing her back or patting her bottom.

Gently stroke the baby's forehead and cheeks with your fingertips as though they were feathers.

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This is another must have book for new parents, it really makes me wish I had a little one of my own where I could apply these new learned tidbits to.

I so vividly remember bringing Jasmine home and having this overwhelming feeling of fear, not knowing what to do and how to do it and just wishing I could have brought the doctors and nurses home with me.

At the time, back in 1999 there were a few books but I never really found them that insightful and helpful, pretty much everything I learned was on a trial and error basis, which is quite a scary thought when you're thinking about a newborn baby in your arms.

Now this book I could have really used. Blythe Lipman puts forward tons of ideas and advice that will leave you feeling confident when taking care of your baby.

With a little imagination, an exercise ball becomes a burping aid (just sit on the ball and bounce Baby in your lap to help loosen up those bubbles), and your clean finger becomes a great way to feed a baby who is still a little intimidated by the spoon. Lipman, who is headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., adds that parents shouldn't have too much trouble inventing ideas on their own. "Sometimes, just thinking about what makes them feel better will help them come up with a tip to help their baby," she says.

The book includes easy to do lists and guides on how to make your home safe for the baby, choosing the perfect preschool, making the holidays easy especially if you're traveling, it even has an adorable diagram showing you how to swaddle your baby.

I mean, I really really find myself wishing I had another baby just to use this book LOL

One of my favorite quotes is right at the end of the book, it says:

Don't forget to take care of yourself. Be proud of who you are as a wife, mother, and as a woman; or as a husband, father, and as a man. Make your heart smile by enjoying each and every minute you spend with your baby.
Life is wonderful!

But alas, I don't, so this is where you come in. I'm going to give away my copy because as much as I love it and as cute and informational as I find it, I really can't put it to practice and I know that a lot of my readers have little babies or grandbabies or know someone who could benefit from this book.


Here's what I want you to do:

• Leave me a comment with a way to contact you.
• Let me know who this book is for.

That's it!

The contest is open to everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, not just the US or Canada because I know I have readers from all over the country and someone out there may just be destined to receive this copy.

I will draw a winner on Friday the 16th. Good Luck!

{ Making me smile }