I'm going to call this one...

For just about the last three years, A's constant companion was his ninny (read: pacifier). Ninny was second only to night-night (his blanket). A LOVES ninny. He even had his own ninny language when he needed to communicate with us but did not want to bother with taking it out of his mouth. A wanted ninny when he was happy, sad, sick, sleepy, grumpy, sneezy, dopey....sorry, I got carried away. I really should have taken it away from him before now, but I kept putting it off. A's my last biological baby, and mommy has had a hard time letting him grow up too fast.

On Sunday, the unthinkable happened. We "lost" ninny. (Note the quotes.) A went to bed on Sunday night without ninny, and, surprisingly, he didn't cry. He DID however, sing his own personal version of jingle bells for 45 minutes until he fell asleep. (A's version of jingle bells goes like this: Jingle BELLLLLLLLLS Jingle BELLLLLS Jingle in the way! Oh, that is what we do and this is what we saaayyyyyyy!!)Since that day, he's asked for ninny all of two times. I just keep reminding him that ninny is "lost" and I don't know where it is. He accepts this and moves on.

So, I'm calling this one. Our family is officially 100% ninny-free. Except that *I* still have ninny, because I can't get rid of it. It's just "lost" in a great place that hopefully A won't discover! So, goodbye, ninny! We'll miss you. As for night-night, you can stick around. Heck, A can take you to college with him if he wants!

If you stopped by tonight....

If you stopped by our household on any given day, you'd hear a lot of laughter, squealing, and sometimes a little crying. Tonight, however, if you stopped by our house, you would've heard the following:

1. Please go back to the bathroom and put your pants on.

2. Do NOT hit your brother with your underwear.

3. Please do not stand on the arm of the sofa.

4. Jumping on our brother's head is not a good idea.

5. No, touching the dog's bottom is not a choice.

6. Wiping your bottom with fabric softener is not a good choice.

7. We do not spit on our toys.

8. We are not renaming the cat "Tuesday."

9. Yes, everything IS a cycle. Sure, even capri suns, power lines, and trees.

10. No, surprisingly, the Christmas lights are not on yet.

11. Ok, we'll ask daddy if he will be a mommy jaguar for halloween.

12. I'm sorry, we're having spaghetti for dinner. We cannot have meat (roast), hot dogs, cookies, and scrambled eggs.

Not Me! Monday!

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

It is not possible that I let my children stay in PJs all day long this weekend instead of dressing them in adorably cute outfits when I knew my in-laws were coming over. Not me!

I also did not throw away a perfectly good tupperware container when cleaning out the fridge because I was too scared to open it up and discover what sort of weird science experiment we had going on in there. Not Me!

I did not spend a huge amount of time reading Sookie Stackhouse novels this weekend instead of cleaning my house. Not me! I would never, ever, EVER spend my time with such mindless reading when I'm supposed to be reading The Count of Monte Cristo for my book club. Not me!

I did NOT ask for a day and a half off of work so that I could leave my family for a night to go a couple of hours away to see Brad Paisley in concert even though I already saw him this year along with Kenney Chesney and Toby Keith. Not me!

Why Is 4 So Difficult?

Oh, C. I love you so much. You're my sweet, tender-hearted, caring, oh-so-serious boy. You take everything very literally and to heart. You are very smart, too smart for mommy and daddy's own good, I fear. But, why, oh WHY do you have to pitch such fits?

Four years old is proving tough for me. I've probably mentioned it before. It's worth mentioning again. C has taken to tantruming. A lot. Did I mention, a lot? Just this morning he burst into a fit of tears and screaming because he did not want to get out of bed. Wanted pancakes instead of eggs, and did not want to pull the chair up to the counter to "help" prepare breakfast. I'm usually a softie mom, but this morning, after having NO sleep because a certain four year old would not go to sleep, I was tired and cranky, and late. So, this time, I let him scream while I went ahead and made breakfast. His shreiks of "you hurt my feelings!" and "you're being mean to me!" broke my heart. I don't want to be harsh with him, but I have to teach him that you can't live your life throwing tantrums to get things.

We're really struggling with behavior right now, and I'm at a loss on what to do. The time outs don't seem to be working. We've tried losing priviledges or toys when he acts up, but that's not making a dent either. I'm considering trying a "behavior jar" and putting money or some other trinket in it and then taking one away when he acts up. Then, at the end of the week he can have a treat associated with whatever he has left. Hopefully, that will work.

We're also struggling with sleep, still. He doesn't fall asleep on his own. He doesn't stay in his bed. Many many many people say to let him cry it out. I did try that once, but it didn't go well. I suppose that I can try again, but am I going to scar him for life? That sounds so dramatic, but he's so tender-hearted. What to do??? We've tried rewards for falling asleep alone, but he just says he can't do it. The thing is, he CAN, he has done it when visiting my dad.

Right now I feel very lost as a mommy, like I'm not doing it right at all.

Life According to C and A

C: Mommy, I do not want to go to school on Friday.

Me: Why not?

C: It's talk like a pirate day on Friday and my friends will be dressed up like pirates.

Me: Well, that sounds fun! Why don't you want to go?

C: I just don't.

Me: Is there a reason? ARrrrgghh, talking like a pirate is fun, matey!

C: It's just too much fun for me, mommy.


*****

A: I want a pepop! (read: lollipop)

Me: No, you may not have a pepop until you eat your dinner.

A: I want a pepop!

Me: Nope, not until after dinner.

A: I no want dinner.

Me: Ok, you don't have to eat if you're not hungry, but you can't have a pepop.

A: [tantrum] I no want dinner! I want pepop! I gonna take my ninny and run away!

{How is it that my 2 year old knows about running away??}

Later:

C: I want ice cream.

A: NO! You have to eat dinner first!!!

Life According to A.

Me: Did you have a good day at school?

A: I cried at school tomorrow, mommy.

Me: You did? Why did you cry at school?

A: Because. Because I love it!

Vegetarian Chili

I love this veggie chili recipe, so I thought I'd share it! It is so yummy with a dollop of sour cream on top and really filling. Good for you, too! I love all the colors when i'm prepping the veggies. Isn't it pretty?

Ok, I should clarify, it's not totally my recipe, it's adapted from a recipe on the low carb friends website from the South Beach Diet group.

Olive oil
2 yellow onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium zucchini, chunked
1 large red bell pepper
1 large orange bell pepper
1 to 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded, finely minced
1 can of corn, drained
1 can of tomatos w/ zesty green chilis
1 28-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes
1-2 Tbsp Lantana Seasoning
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 1/2 cup cooked white beans (1 15-ounce can, drained and rinsed)
1 1/2 cup cooked kidney beans (1 15-ounce can, drained and rinsed)
Salt and black pepper to taste

Saute the onions in the olive oil for a few minutes until soft, add the garlic and saute another minute or so. Dump in all the veggies, including the canned tomatos and corn. Simmer until the veggies soften. Add the spices and the beans to taste and simmer 20-30 more minutes. Serve with sour cream and fresh cilantro. Yum!