Tribal thread --- Think it's July 26th through....

[Sara Mama]

Are you in (or near) the Twin Cities?

Well, then you have found your tribe! Despite our diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and interests, two things bond us together: living in the coldest state on earth...and the love for our children which warms us. The weekly tribe thread begins anew each saturday. Watch for the new thread on the main Minnesota/Wisconsin board.

Some of the individuals who post here meet weekly. If you are interested in attending a get together, please post your interest on the thread or send any one of us a PM. We welcome with open arms and minds the input of all parents, regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, political view, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability,etc.

Written by Marsupial the great!

[kdmw]

:) Hey mommas! We had fun at the july bday babes' party today! Nygel was so worn out afterwards that he fell asleep in his carseat as soon as we pulled away from the parking lot. Thanks for all who hosted and happy birthday July babies!:jammin

Willowsmama~ It was really nice to finally meet you!:love Your girls are gorgeous! Willow is such a wee little one; and I told Skye that I loved her swimsuit! Congratulations on your pregnancy! (Don't think I ever remembered to post that before:innocent ).

Monkeymom~ You were missed today!! Where are you? Everything okay?
:hearts

Moon~ I am so sorry if you all have to move again.:( I hope it all works out for you guys.:hug

I know I am forgetting so much, but without last week's thread in front of me I am a major space case. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!:rainbow

:dust

:-wool

[mamarsupial]

more like: marsupial the LARGE! :belly

i'm sorry we missed y'all at the july bday bash. yesterday, i emailed devi, symbi, and monkeyma to explain why we wouldn't be there...its sort of a DAAM, so here it goes:

DAAMF: it has been a really hard week for us...mainly for e. she's stopped using diapers (her choice), moved into a big girl bed, is teething, going through some separation anxiety, and now has a cold (maybe reason enough to stay home). this poor kid has been dragged to all sorts of grown up meetings this week (refinancing our car and our house, an api co-leader meeting, etc.) too...and has had to put up with mama being on the phone much too much with other things too. i wish i could set aside our own stuff and celebrate with you in full frolic mode. while i think i can set aside my own stresses for a day, i can't in good conscience bring ella to any event when i know what she needs is some good, solid, quiet time with her mama and papa (and has needed it all week, she just hasn't gotten it).

kdmw - we need to talk more about the driving thing. we refinanced with our insurance agency (they had a no closing fee, low rate promotion thing) and while we were there asked how much it would cost to add me to the insurance. it won't cost anything! there goes my last non-tree-hugger excuse for not driving! i'm going to need advice! cawl me!

[willowsmama]

Oh, that party was fun! Great to see all those who made and missed those that couldn't make it.

kdmw- it was great to meet you too. your kids are sooo cute. TY for the compliment on my girls. Skye was sooo happy a grown up thought her suit was cute....she picked her own and that one washer 2nd choice. The first choice would have sent dh into convulsions..lol

Mamar- Holy buckets!!! Did you give up sleep to get all that done ? With a week like that, I wouldn't have gone either. no apologies necessary. Ella needs her mama, we'll just talk your ear off next time we see you!:D

Warning! Cute munchkin story~

Willow's running around while I'm on the computer, I hear stuff moving around but I'm not tooo worried. Then I hear this 'THUNK' and she starts whining, not a cry but a 'Uh, MOOOOMMMM !!!' whine. I go into the living room see her stuck upside down halfway in her toy box.lol She had moved her munchkin-sized furniture all around to get the footstool next to the toy box so she could get the toys from the bottom, after leaning in at almost HIP:eek level her feet slipped(causing the 'thunk' the footstool popped up) and it occured to her that she was stuck. Then she was all insulted that I laughed.

[jessikate]

Sorry we missed the party. Hope everyone had a great time and played as hard as Nygel did. After being on the overstimulation boat the last 5 or 6 weekends, I decided we needed some quiet time. Plus, after the tetanus shot, I feel like I was hit by a truck. Bleah. We did go to SG for lunch, and it was so quiet. I think H. misses everyone.

Willowsmama - I am :rotflmao at your story. Poor Willow!

Supi - Sounds like a really overwhelming week. I bet everyone will feel better after some family time. I'd say go for learning to drive! If you ever want someone to drive with, I'm open. Can't understand why you didn't learn in high school, though. Doesn't everyone want to learn to drive in Duluth? :D (I hope you understand that I'm joking here. I'd have skipped drivers' ed if it meant learning to drive on those hills!)

Off to figure out what to make for dinner.

[laura163]

Hi! I haven't posted here much but am looking to meet some new mom's in my area!! I live in Hudson, WI - not too far from the cities. I am a SAHM and have been married 11 years to DH.

Jack is 16 months old and I am pregnant with #2, due 12-28-03. I am still breastfeeding Jack and plan on weaning him and getting in his own bed by September 30th. Hopefully he will go along with my plan!!

Laura

[mamarsupial]

welcome laura! oo oo! i get to use this again:

:greet

i'm mama to ella (26 months - my, how fast they grow!) due with #2 in late sept/early oct. ella self-weaned and is (sort of) in a big girl bed now. i never thought e would give up nursing, so i was surprised (and sad too) when she was finally done. we have more cuddle time now than we did before, to make up for the evolution from nursing. as for the bed, e co-slept from 0-18m, then started nights in her crib...moving in with us at some point each night. we JUST got the big girl bed, and each night its different (some nights i've slept with her, she with us, or her by herself...but most nights its all of the above!). i'd be happy to talk more, if you want! mama@mamarsupial.com

also, we have an ap support group in the twin cities if you're interested: twin cities api (http://www.twincitiesapi.org)

willowsmama - sleep? what's sleep? i'm a preggo with a toddler! :) the other day i was on the phone for too long and found e eating one crayon...and happily feeding most of the others in the box to the dog.

jessikate - i actually know how, i'm just not legal is all. i went through driver's ed in duluth and have had my permit a few times (here, in wisconsin, and in oregon). in my wilder, younger days, i opted for biking (or busing) during the winter. i was even interviewed for an article on crazy winter bikers that ran in the pioneer press and the chicago times. my 15 mins, i guess. now i see winter bikers and think "what? are they nuts!?"

we had a quiet day together...though we missed seeing folks at the party. e slept with us most of the night last night, which helped her mood and mine. we needed some serious cuddle time. this morning we ran a few errands, went out to lunch, came home and napped together...then went and saw "finding nemo". e went to a couple movies (harry potter #1 and #2, actually) when she was very small, but nursed and slept through most of them. this time, she was very excited about the popcorn and snacks...and sat in her papa's lap, transfixed, the whole time. bill and i both got weepy at the end...guess we both needed a little movie catharsis after this week. the only bad thing was it had a few scary parts, so hopefully e doesn't have bad dreams. she fell asleep on the way home. :)

[rgarlough]

Afternoon Ladies!!!! Mason Jeffrey is here!!!! Well, he's technically been here since last Friday night (July 18th)... but we've been a little busy! ;)

Birth story: (at 42+ weeks; EDD 6/30/03)

I went into prelabor after drinking a castor oil cocktail on (last) Tuesday night. The cocktail was terrible!!! But it got my contrax going and I had a whole hour from midnight til 1 am with them every 3 minutes and a minute long. I got into my tub to help me relax cuz I thought I would have a long night ahead of me.

Wednesday, I went in for a Nonstress test to make sure everything was fine. Baby was well, I was well. Backup doc said everything should be in the clear til Saturday (course, I really didn't still want to be pg on Sat...)

The nst showed my contrax were slowing down and over the course of Wednesday and Thursday all the way down to 1 every 15 minutes. Friday morning arrived and I was in tears. I was still resting through the contrax and eating and drinking but my midwives suggested that we go to the hospital.

Jeff and I weren't ready for a trip to the hospital at all! We had to pack and get there for a little pitocin :( We got to the hospital of my choice ;) (at least) and by 3 pm I was on a the smallest drip of pit. By 5 pm, I was complete and ready to push! I had the fastest active labor! And NO DRUGS!!! I loved feeling so powerful during my labor. Transition was interesting to say the least, but it was awesome!

Now for the real challenge, PUSHING! :o My doc is the backup doc of choice for my midwives because she prefers to allow a mother to work to get her baby out for as long as she and the baby can handle it... So... I pushed for over 5 HOURS!!! :eek As it turned out, Mason had his cord wrapped around his neck twice (loosely) and that combined with my years of soccer and running (very muscular ass according to the midwives), resulted in the longest bout of pushing I'd ever care to experience in my life! Apparently, women with very muscular bottoms have a really hard time letting them relax to push. So I got a little tear (first degree, no stitches) and a little skid mark on my perineum.

The doctor was awesome! She let me try and try to push Mason out as long as he recovered from my pushes. Toward the end, both of us were getting very tired (as it was after 10 pm). The doc was having a hard time getting Mason's heart rate to recover from all my pushing and she was ready to cut me! I heard them say with the next push, I'm getting cut and they'd already given me some novacain. Well, I didn't like that and pushed the little man's head out finally! Next, his little body slithered out. It was the coolest feeling every! :p

Mason Jeffrey was out in the world at 10:35 PM on July 18th!!! He had enhaled meconium and mucous and needed some help to get going but within an hour he was in my arms! It was so AWESOME!!! It was not my homebirth. But it was the best possible outcome considering it was a traumatic birth for the little guy.

We escaped the hospital (St Joe's) on Saturday night and headed for the comforts of home. We were greeted by my mom, dad and sis who were in love! My mom and sis were present at the birth but left shortly after to take care of our dogs. Everyone was so amazed that I got through this birth without a c-section! I was told that if I had any other doc, considering Mason's heart tones and the duration of my pushing, that a csec was a guarentee.

Here's Mason Jeffrey's stats:

Weight: 7 pounds 1 ounce *what a tiny little man!
Length: 21.5 inches *and so long!
Head: 13 3/4 inches

As for mom and dad, I'm doing awesome. I had no idea I'd recover so well and quickly. Because of my tear, I do have a bit of soaking and TLC to do but I love the me time. As for dad, he's a very proud papa! He's always there to help out even though he hasn't changed a diaper yet ;) He's still learning how to handle the cloth diapers and since Mason's cord is still on, he's in his preemie size prefolds. So when there's pins, Jeff's no where to be found :p But I'm working on the Snappi with him.

Breastfeeding is going well. My milk's been in for almost a week and even though I have fairly flat nipples, he's been a real trooper. Now I have nips! :) He is so sweet! He smiles already! I'm SO IN LOVE!!!
:love

[browneyedsol]

Welcome Mason! :baby

:sunshine Great news!

Sounds like you handled it all with grace...muscular @ss and all! (LOL...would never be my problem!) ...sorry could not resist!



:hippie

[battymomma]

welcome mason!
congrats annie and jeff!! thanks for sharing your story!

mommas, thanks so much for Sat AM! so glad you all had July babies so we had an excuse for a party and get together. i always feel so wonderful in your company and the feeling lingers!
too bad we'll miss this Sat due to DS' classmate's b-day party...but hope to see some of you Tues aft (PM me if i spaced it and forgot to email you some details...)

gretch--we missed you and M, but am glad you are all ok and just spaced it...

ok, gotta go pay bills, make stationary for my mommy's b-day and then sleep. another week with 12 busy toddlers about to start in less than 11 hours...

[Sara Mama]

Annie - Congratulations!

Welcome Mason!

What a wonderful birth story! I delivered both my babies there, tears and all (don't worry, you'll recover fast -- just do lots of kegels!!!)

I'm so happy all is well! My second, john, will have to meet up with Mason as they are only a month a part!

Other Mamas -- had an AWESOME time on Sat! So good to see and play with you all!

DAAM - ah, we are teaching, james, with the help of his magic horsie and cow to fall asleep on his own. Two really tough nights, but tonight he was so tired he did it...(well more or less!) Who knows what tomorrow will bring.

Oh, I have the best bread recipe that is wonderful for using up potatoes -- ie you roast a bunch for dinner, but don't finish them. So good and really easy and quick to make (as long as you don't mind waiting for it to rise.) James helps me make it -- we just mix it on the counter top and not even in a bowl.

Gotta run, john calls and I'm a milk-leaking-mama!

[jessikate]

Congrats, Rhianna! Who knew that having a muscular hiney could be a problem? :LOL Welcome, Mason! My daughter was also born at St. Joe's. Thought it was a nice place, but hoping for a homebirth next time.

SaraMama - so you're going to tease us with that reference to potato bread and not post more info? :nono I hope to see a post to the recipe thread in the near future! :) I myself have nothing original to post there lately. I will, however, post a couple things when I get the chance and have the book in front of me.

DAAM: Still tired and cranky today. Between the tetanus shot and a certain red-headed visitor who I'd hoped would stay away for many more months, I am still :firedevil Need more chocolate. :D

[susabusa]

Could someone please add me to the email information fo the get-together? I introduced myself last week and would love to meet more moms in the area.

tom_stephanie@msn.com

I also just put a website together. No pics of me yet, but I'm working on it.

www.quinnclairetatum.com

[Sara Mama]

:w Stephanie, you have a gorgeous family!

:w Laura, too!

A bit about me...I am a newly SAHM/WAHM mama to TWO boys (still in shock, two is 980 times more work than 1!) I love to cook and just having redone my kitchen I'm cooking up a storm and my almost 3 year old is going to be chef -- he is so much help. What else, oh I love to sew -- making lots of kids clothes that I sell locally, not that I've had ANY time to do that. I also (WHY NOW with a 6 week year old) do market research/consulting -- a great project was handed to me and I just couldn't refuse...I have a lovely husband and a loud dog and 3 cats that seem to shed constantly!

Jessikate -- will post recipe soon! But am too wiped out tonight. We are teaching james to fall asleep by himself at night and it is rough....

Helen - LOVED the story!

Somebody posted about cosleeping / weaning before their 2nd child comes along -- It's tough. As much as I love nursing my first, I so wish I had weaned him when I first got pregnant and didn't allow him to migrate from his bed back to ours, because it's been really tough. Of course that is just hind site and my experience because before the babe (john) was born it all seemed right, but this is the toughest phase of parenting I've ever experienced...Hope that helps.

Moon - what's the story on staying or going?


hugs to all.
Sara

Edited for spelling...unfortunately the grammar is still bad and I'm too tired to make it "make sense!"

[battymomma]

stephanie--sent you an email re: tomorrow afternoon, if that is what you meant. if you wanted info about our Sat AM get togethers, PM...

ok, that is all for now, just jumped on quick to see if anybody needed more clarification about tomorrow afternoon. hope to see some of you there!

later...

[becca29]

Welcome Mason!!!!!

Willowsmama, congratulations to you too!!!!

Wow, this month is flying!!!! Just got finished with a week visit with my Grandparents, which was fun. They had a blast with O, and now my mom is coming up for a week!! I'm so excited, I know we'll have a blast, although this means another Sat that I can make it to SG. Oh well, I'll get back there eventually!:p

I've gotta run and get a few things cleaned up while O is asleep.

Have an awesome week everybody!!!!

[battymomma]

elm creek meeters--thanks for coming up here! we had a great afternoon and it was so good to see all the families playing in the sand and surf! we missed all ya'll that couldn't make it and hope to see your beloved faces soon!

snow--hope i didn't throw you when i made that left before 81... that is a quicker way for us to get home...

i am pretty sure we WON"T be camping, as my dear friend/clara's godmom is coming out that weekend, spur-of-the-moment trip.

won't be at SG either, due to a b-day party for DS's classmate. but some of the new "faces" here have expressed interest, so keep your eyes open for them!

ok, off to shower and bed...todders to chase and push around (in a stroller) tomorrow!

[smeta]

Hi mommas!

I'm still around, but haven't had much time to get on the boards lately. I've been going to bed earlier! Seeing that it's 10:23, this will be short!

Bummed I missed the July b-day bash on Sat. We had a bridal shower to go to - it was soo boring too:( - would've rather partied w/ you all.

Congrats Rhianna!!!

Sara Mama - I appreciate hearing your 'nursing 2' comments! I am starting to freak out about tandem nursing now that my due date is sneaking up. I am completely irritated w/ nursing Cora, and I'm considering weaning her by separation. I always thought that I'd let her wean naturally, gradually, on her own schedule, but I really feel it is time for us to be done. I'm not sure if she's ready to quit and just needs a big nudge, but if we do it and she seems very upset and like she still really needs it, I would go back to letting her nurse. It's not like there's a milk supply issue right now or anything!

Glad you all had fun at the beach today!

A H.S. friend of mine is coming over tomorrow to help me cook meals to freeze! Anyone have any good ideas for freezable meals?

Good night!

[browneyedsol]

Batty wrote: ..."toddlers to chase and push around (in a stroller) tomorrow!"

:LOL Yep, sure, Batty! WE know who's the BOSS! :nod :raz
:wink

Smeta...I don't cook much. Really, I don't. Boxes of frozen food like us a lot as do the foods at the co-op deli...LOL. I know many mamas here have advice on how to cook'n freeze though! The one thing I do is organic veggie chili with lots of garlic and onion and big chunks of carrot and zucchini...very nourishing and relatively easy as it all goes into the "big pot". YUM.

Oh and one other thought is to buy some organic pre-made pasta sauces and "elaborate". I just did this recently...added some onions and some collard greens and zucchini to already flavorful sauce...froze the rest and it was great later (You are prolly more talented than I though...hehe).

Nursing: Don't beat yourself up if it is time to be done! You have done a great job and you are an awesome mama! :thumb

:hippie

[Sara Mama]

Smeta - glad my comments helped. I love my first son, but I am so tired of nursing him, which is a totally new feeling. He really doesn't nurse much, so it's not that big a deal and I am very careful not to let him know how I feel. But at the same time I talk about how other "big guys" don't nurse anymore.

As for how to wean, well I have no idea! But I bet a weekend alone with your husband might be pretty wonderful before your next bundle of love arrives! -- Wishing I did that!

As for meals, you might want to make a meal plan for a couple of weeks and just plan on easy meals and having all the components as "finished" as possible so prep time is low.

I'm thinking of easy stuff like:
pasta and red sauce
Annies Mac & Cheese with chopped up broccoli
good vegetable soup with cheese & crackers
frozen buritos with salsa and a salad
grilled cheese sandwiches and a salad
lots of fresh fruit that's easy to eat (grapes vs a watermelon that needs to be chopped and seeded).

Also, since the tribe is wonderful at offering help and assistance, you might get some specific committments from mamas now -- And don't feel badly about asking for that! Everyone wants to help, but doesn't necessarily know what to do! IE. Ask for mama's to bring a meal your 3rd day postpartum, your 4th etc AND to find back ups if they can't make it (we all are mamas after all and kid meltdowns do happen!)

Take care and rest up!

[mamarsupial]

should have posted yesterday, but i didn't get a chance - yesterday morning nostrow's water broke. not sure what is going on now, but as soon as i get some news, i will try and get online to post.

[moongloe]

hey~

i forgot to get the new thread. duh.

i had to zip through 20 posts, so i remember nada.

all is well here. there's been no news on the job front, so i'm gonna assume we're staying put.
ds is having some emotional/behavioral issues due to ng's tantrums and agressiveness. last night he and dh had boys' night and i was told that ds cried when they talked about how ng behaves. sigh. then today my sweet passive child said 'mama she hit me and if she hits me again i'm gonna hit her'. my heart is so sad at that.
on a positive note...ds is getting really good at listening to tunes and copying them on his guitar! it amazes me. he said he'll only take lessons from me, so i can't take him to a teacher. i don't play, so i might have to learn. any tips from those who can play?

gotta run. i will pay better attention to the posts to follow.
~peace and love, moon :dust :rainbow

[Sara Mama]

Originally posted by moongloe
all is well here. there's been no news on the job front, so i'm gonna assume we're staying put...ds is having some emotional/behavioral issues due to ng's tantrums and agressiveness.

Well if you move, then you won't have to deal with ng will you? Something to consider...:)

[mommajuicer]

I'm ready to jump in here. I've been lurking for a while.
I have met a few of you before. But I'm trying to figure out who everyone is. Where is this "SG" place and what time do you guys meet?
see everyone soon
elaine

[mamarsupial]

:greet hey elaine! (mamajuicer!)

[mamarsupial]

:hearts CALGON, TAKE ME AWAY! :hearts

kind of looks like someone surrounded by bubbles? sorta? so, the last couple weeks have been hard, but yesterday was nice and mellow...finally! nap time was hard, but then we had a good playgroup and a nice family dinnner. e slept through the night in her big girl bed, woke up dry, etc. i slept really well (considering the frequent late night trips to the bathroom) dh had some snuggle time this morning. i got to shower by myself for the first time in weeks. dh made crepes with strawberries and whipped cream. i was counting the blessings in my life, UNTIL...

:tsk i picked up my library bag and found it was covered in cat pee! lifting the bag off the floor, not realizing yet its condition, pee was sent everywhere - all over me, the floor. (temporary moment to acknowlegde how much PEE we have to deal with as mothers...especially if we have pets. god bless dh for having good bladder control!) anyway, our male cat, otto, has a history of exhibiting his anger with us by peeing on our stuff (he does have his standards though...it has to be something fabric of ours, and it has to be in the front hallway). i threatened to send him back to feline rescue, among other things, and locked him in the basement. since i am not prone to loosing my temper, all of this upset e quite a bit (i was really mad) and dh (since otto is his favorite).

we all went upstairs to clean up, and i had JUST finished emailing cattrane asking for help with our psycho kitty issues when, CRASH! e did a flying leap off the end of her big girl bed, landing backwards on her dollhouse. dh was watching her, but he said it happened so quickly he couldn't do anything. poor baby. she has a huge scrape up her back. :crying

i know these things pale in comparison to the woes of many...but darnit, i needed to share my pee and boo boo filled morning! thanks for listening.

[jessikate]

:hug Supi and e :hug

Nothing new to report here. Blah.

OH! Welcome to nostrow's new babe! Alright, KJ - you're next!

Urgh. I need some :coffee

[moongloe]

hey mamas~

welcome to the newbies!

supi...yikes what a day!!! is e ok?

sara...i gave tentative notice last night. if all goes well through august then i'll stick with it, if not, then i'm done. that would have been good on the 'moving pro' column, but i just don't wanna move there (read that last one in a whiny voice).

as usual, i'm in a huge rush. i'll try to get online tonight and post properly.
~peace and love, moon :dust :rainbow

[mamarsupial]

thanks moon and jessikate. our morning has gotten better...apart from e falling down some stairs later in the morning, but she recovered quickly. just a day of bumps and bruises i guess...but she's pretty tough. a cuddle and a few kisses usually repair the damage, in her mind at least. anyway, she had a good day otherwise...and is napping in her big girl bed right now. :love

oh, and shocker - :eek - dh's bday was this week. his dad and step-mom sent him his b-day gift and some stuff for the new babe...ORGANIC stuff, from maggie's organics! a crib sheet, onzie, bib, and hat. organic. i'm in shock. touched and happy, but in shock. besides my two brothers, the rest of our families think we're batty for buying organic...so it was a big surprise.

moon - hope things are better with you too. the other day e started saying the word 'stupid' 'stupid hat' 'stupid picture' etc. umm...where did she learn that!? not fun when our kids start doing or saying things that shock us (like threatening to hit back).

smeta - we'll bring ya food! i meant to mention that today, but i forgot. we're known for either bringing over some pizza...or cooking you something with greens...but we've also brought folks thai or other things...so just let me know what and when.

[willowsmama]

nostrow- Congrats on the new babes arrival!

Mamar- Ouch!hope e is doing all right.

Well, I'm sitting here watching W streak around naked and thinking' i really hope she doesn't smash her fingers AGAIN in the drawer.....and please, please,please don't take ALL your clothes out again W' Little stinker is way stronger then she looks, smashed my fingers while I was saving hers:rolleyes: My thanks was getting yelled at in 'baby' for not letting the drawer slam.

Now that Idon't feel like I'm going to part ways with everything I eat, i'm tired all the time. ggrr. I just need to make it past the 1st tri then I'll feel better. I've been trying to get some projects done. hahaha the jammies for s are still gathering dust while i finally I'm finishing the doll that part of a trade for some new diapers.

W has given up naps.:eek This is not good for her or me! She gets waay crabby sans nap and I need the break and possible nap time myself. She was taking 1 nap a day but it was 4(count that again people!) hours long! Yesterday she slept for 10mins. then took a hour nap at 5! She slept for maybe 30mins. so far today..........i miss my sleepy babe.

[browneyedsol]

Mamarsupi, Sorry about the morning! You looked lovely and calm as usual. Hurray on the organic stuff! My mother (bio) started buying stuff from Peapods on her credit card for the boys. I'm still not over the shock. Very grateful though! Oh, and cattrane is such a pet Goddess, I'm sure she will have advice. She just helped me figure out my Fisk has a disease (but not a life threatening or contagious one...which I was so relieved to know)! :thumb

Moon, look online for 'You Can Teach Yourself Guitar' type titles. I've seen a few and have one (not that it was successful for me... but maybe for you). I still have a guitar I don't know how to play!
So sorry about ng. I hope matters are remedied soon! :hug

Welcome nostrow babe! :)

Okay, "home work" calls...off to do to do to do...

:laundry :inthet

:hippie

[Sara Mama]

Kat - am so proud of you giving notice!:lady :Bow :clap :clap

Nostrow - congratulations! Hope to meet you and your family sometime soon!:sticky

:greet Elaine! Some of us do get together in real life on a regular basis. Just PM someone if you are interested. And Welcome!

And Supi - :demon :O :demon You should hear me when our dog sneaks down the basement and peas on the dirty laundry (or anything...) And poor little E, james must have run into the dining room table 4 times today, plus the kitchen sink (really!) plus just about everything else. Hope you are all feeling better. :hug

Helen - naps, ugh. We are skipping them now, james is wiped by 5 pm, but he's also asleep around 8 pm instead of 10, so his parents are much happier! Plus I'm not fighting with him to take a nap anymore...of course if :sleep in the car, well then I just lay him down when we get home.

DAAM - DH got home early today, so I had the opportunity to cook something yummy vs. the vegie burgers I was gonna throw on the grill! Yeah!

[willowsmama]

Can I ask you guys a question? Ok honestly, this is a vent- feel free to scroll on past.

I SAH and dh makes all the money. I do all the housework, cooking , laundry, errands, banking ect. He does nothing, literally. I even handle the LAWN( I am allergic to the outside in the summer) I garden and fix stuff around the house. I also handle all S's schoolstuff and anything for W. I can't remember the last time dh had to run to the store for anything. In order to get all of this and oh, maybe still be a MOM( my most important job) I have been gettting like maybe 5 hrs. of sleep a night. Why you ask? No my house shouldn't be condemed.....my dh's habits should be taken out and shot! I cleaned W's room( also computer room) 3 days ago. All should still be pretty clean...HA. Dh has come in here and left pop bottles/cans, dirty shirts and socks, ice cream sandwich wrappers and fantasty football stuff EVERYWHERE!!! I could cry:crying This is always what happens, I clean, he destroys then says everything that's not put away is mine or my fault. He can look me in the eye and say ' I put everything I take out away, you should try that!' I know this sounds really flippin' petty but it's driving me nuts. I like a clean house but I miss sleep. I'd go on strike but the mess would drive me to the funny farm, plus dh can/would ignore it. Yup, i have talked to him and asked for help.....one more smarta@@@ reply outta him and he might need medical attention.

Has my cheese slipped the cracker for expecting dh to pick up after himself? Would he spontanously combust if he helped around the house ever once in a while? Or is it merely time for Plan b, to send him back to his mother with a note saying he's broken and request a refund.

I miss sleep. But I miss my hubby not being an evil weenie even more. i know if keep this pace up, i'm gonna crash and when I do it's gonna be messy.

[moongloe]

hey mamas~

will...they are pigs pigs pigs. i will never understand why a grown man cannot put things away yet get upset when his own son's playroom is a sty. do what i do...collect his crap each morning when he's left for work and dump it in a heap in his closet.

sara...really? your dog 'peas'? that is talent. lol

brown...suppose i need a darn guitar too. ugh. the boy and his dreams. why can't he want to be a dustologist? we have tons of dust for him to study. it's all free and i wouldn't have to learn a thing.

daam...reading a book called 'becoming the parent you want to be'. so far i really like it.

~peace and love, moon :dust :rainbow

[dnr3301]

I have this fanasty of hiring someone to do all the stuff I do and then sending the bill to my husband, just to show him that it is worth something. And I am not the best housekeeper, mess doesn't bother me that much, filth does. I keep it sanitary and safe, but let the mess get a bit much sometimes. Leaving wrappers and pop cans would send me over the deep end.

Would he listen if you wrote down what you did all day one day? Write it down everytime you have to stop "momming" to pick up after him, then add up the time and show it to him.

My h and I mad ethe agreement when we decided that I would stay home that I was staying home to be a mom, not to be a live in housekeeper. We still try to share the housework, not that that is always the way it goes down.

Good luck. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect help. We have a responsibilty to teach our children better than that.

[Sara Mama]

Yup Moon, little green peas everywhere!!! :toilet

Helen! I am there with you. My Dh simply cannot do more than one thing at the same time...ie go UP STAIRS and CARRY SOMETHING...or remember to put the wash in the dryer (granted he does help a lot).

But my biggest peeve is leaving stuff out. It is such a pain to pick up stuff when you are carrying an infant and corraling a toddler...Finally the other day, he'd left tools, dirty socks, and the newspaper plastic bag (how hard is it to put it in the garbage...) on or near the dining room table. So I put all those items at his place setting to see if he would notice them...after THREE DAYS he didn't, so I finally pushed them his way and said "these are yours" and walked away...

Men just don't think...I give james a bath, I put the toys away, empty the tub, redo the shower curtain etc (95%) of the time AND still get james in his jammies, teeth brushed etc. so whomever takes the next shower doesn't have to "clean up" -- does my DH? Not a chance! Even when I ask him about it...

Okay my comiserating is not helping, but this will.

I picked the most irritating thing (can't remember what it was now and he's stopped doing it!) and one night after work during a very calm moment, I told him (without ANY emotion) that behavior X bothered me because it caused me a lot of extra work that was difficult while holding a baby etc and could he please stop doing it... He countered with, "But I do this nice thing for you everyday" I agreed, and said "Thank you" but that that nice thing didn't make the extra work he was causing me go away..." He agreed!

[mamarsupial]

don't hate me - but my dh is pretty good. the only major things are leaving bottle caps around in silly places and the fact that he's only cleaned a bathroom 2 or 3 times in the 5 years we've lived together.

one of the reasons he's so cool is that i hit a serious breaking point when e was about 2 months old. it was dh's bday. totally martha'd myself to death: cleaning the house until is was spotless, made home made ginger ale, baked an angel food cake at 5am to avoid the july heat, and cooked a huge spread for his friends and family. after we had finished eating, e needed to nurse, so i went in the house with her. dh's step-mom and his bro's (now ex) gf brought in dishes from the back yard and started washing them. we don't have a dishwasher. after e was done nursing, i quickly went to the kitchen and said "oh, please leave some for me! you're our guests. i already feel guilty!" the (now ex) gf made a snide comment about we hadn't helped with dishes the last time we'd been over at their house "you should feel guilty..."
:jaw :jaw :jaw

she was right. we hadn't helped. we had a fussy newborn and had to get home. they have no kids, but what they DO have is a dishwasher! grrr. no major riddle as to why she's now an EX gf. anyway, dh was SOOOO mad that ever since he discourages me from trying to do too much. sometimes its frustrating, because if neither of us do anything, stuff doesn't get done...but at least he doesn't get on my back if the house is a little messy. we each do what we can. a couple weeks ago, he cleaned the bathroom. its better than getting roses and chocolates, i'm tellin' ya!

[Sara Mama]

Good for you Marsupial! Actually, my dh is pretty dang wonderful...but does leave stuff laying around,...but does a mean job on all our wood floors!!!

You have to pick your battles,

[moongloe]

no no no no nnoooooooooooooooooooo!

i will NOT let this perfectly fun man bashing turn into a poopie sappy i love man and why fest!!!!!!!!

men are pigs. if you don't agree, then don't play.

[Sara Mama]

Oink, oink, oink

[cattrane]

mamar :crying

your email isn't working for me - usually i send my replies to myself, too, just in case, but last night it was late so i didn't think of it and lost a super LONG post.

i'm sorry! i'll try to re-reply, via pm here as well i think, tomorrow evening if that's ok

in the meantime it does sound more behavioral than medical at this point given his past history/symptoms, getting stuff up off the floor sounds like a great plan, i'd try nature's miracle on the spots instead of bleach, and try placing a litterbox with an old t-shirt or towel or rag in it (i.e. cloth since he's preferring that substrate at the moment) over the spots he's frequented the most, gradually moving them/it back to the proper spot in the basement (over a week or so) - i'd stick with feline pine in one box in the normal location while you try to get O back to the correct spot/texture. i personally think it's most likely to be due to your coming bebe and had a zillion thoughts and ideas for you that i promptly erased (i would love to blame it on a server or two but DANG i can't believe i didn't save a copy!!)

alrighty, 'night

DAAM - ds cut his hair short, the inspiration likely our 20-yr-old neighbor Q who is the newest recipient of all things drawn and painted....who knew our doors had the perfect gap at the bottom to be a perpetual mailbox? that's what they get for complaining about lack of decoration/furniture :D

[TrishLynne]

My DH is an absolute GEM. IF I am working (which means that he's home alone with the kids while I'm at work). During times that I am not working (maternity leave etc.), he quickly becomes an ass "what've you been doing all day, the house is a mess" etc. Funny how those comments come to a SCREECHING halt when HE is home alone with the kids and...gasp....guess what, the house is a mess! :eek :love :D :rolleyes:

P.S. What does DAAM mean?

[browneyedsol]

:LOL Yay! I can play! Well, I cannot play the same deck, but I will tell you that my ex almost dh (phew, get a couple points there), Fish's dad, sent me over the edge the other day. I had stopped reacting to his trigger trippers a loooong time ago, so this was a surprise to me that I had somehow slipped and even let him in. He said I had no right to complain about any of his behaviors (you know, like things bordering abuse and neglect) because he was a better person than I am. I laughed a low maniacal laugh at first and asked him to explain this. He actually made the effort. He said to me that *he* was an upstanding citizen...unlike me...a woman without a country (LOL). His contributing to the country and society made him of greater value...so unfair that he is being forced to pay child support because I am a lazy b&$#@...who is sitting on my @ss and doing nothing all day except dreaming philosophical crap and chatting online.

No, I didn't marry GWB, but ya'd think.

All this from a man who, when we lived together, would disappear for weeks and bring no paycheck...and had a habit of sleeping with a self destructive alcoholic woman who slept with anything. Do I win yet!??

Do you need more? I am laughing again now, but I cried the other day at the lack of humanity in a man I was actually capable of loving once. What the HE**!?

I dunno what to tell ya, but I did eventually kick a couple men out my door and enlist authorities when they didn't stay out. I didn't send them anywhere but they did both go back to thier mothers. I don't have a refund, but it is worth it for me anyhoo.

BUT I bet you are all counting your blessings now, so maybe I put it all into perspective?

Yep...it all makes me want to completely cross over. :kitty

Okay, bash on... :p

:hippie

[Sara Mama]

YES JESS, but we love you. There are good ones out there.

[browneyedsol]

Oh, and by the way...

:greet TrishLynne!

:wave Cross post! ...and what a way to get to know me...TMI! :eek

:hippie

[browneyedsol]

Is this what IMing is like? :D \

Thanks Saramama! You are also loved! :love

[browneyedsol]

OH!

DAAM: Daily All About Me

:thumb

[Sara Mama]

No dear, you're not in Kansas anymore, this is a lovefest.

[browneyedsol]

New thread mamas! PHEW! Where did that can o' worms creep out! :D

Hey cattrane, just now saw you up there...:love