Happy Halloween! - Miss Elaine-ous Monday

Our house is already full of candy.

I thought the Halloween carnival on Friday night at the kids' pre-school would be fun.  And it was.  But there was a "trunk or treat" in the parking lot and the kids loaded up!

Good thing I can hand it out tomorrow night...

And the kids already tried out their costumes.

I scored B's at Dollar General for $10 and he thinks it is "awesome"!

G's came from the local kids re-sale shop and is a tad small but it works.

And K is "Dorothy" from the Wizard of Oz.  That dress is handmade and came from a local estate sale.  I quite love it.

And.  AND!!!!!!

She kept the pony-tails in her hair the entire night.

Miracle of miracles.

Anyway, they are all excited for actual Halloween night.  I think K even figured out the wear-the-costume-and-get-the-candy connection and she's completely down with that plan!  She's particularly fond of the dum-dums.

Good.  More chocolate for me. :)


And Hey!


It's Miss Elaine-ous Monday! 

Remember, ANY "miss elaine-ous" post will do, something from your archives or something brand new! :) 

Do you have a post that meant a lot to you but wasn't read by as many folks as you'd hoped? Or one that has great pictures and you want more people to see them? Or do you just have one that you really want to share!?

I'll also choose a random post from those who link up to feature on The Miss Elaine-ous Life Facebook page (please "Like" if you have not already) so even more folks will see a new post every week! Grab the button and link up!








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If you do not post the button, please still link back to my blog, even if you just put a little blurb at the end of you post such as "It's Monday and I'm being "Miss Elaine-ous" over at The Miss Elaine-ous Life!" - Thanks!! Oh and extra bonus points to anyone who puts a tweet out there, that would be awesome too!

Do You Have a Favorite?

I was watching a daytime talk show the other day (this rarely happens, by the way...) and Kelly Ripa and her husband were on, talking about their kids and life, etc.  At one point Rachel Ray asked them if they have a favorite child and they said yes but they would never tell who.  But then Kelly did say the child’s name and said it was okay to tell because they were all at school and wouldn't hear them.  This was all said in good humor and lightness and then her husband (Mark, I think?) said it was because this child was the nicest to them (him and Kelly) and the audience laughed, as did I.

But for some reason the phrase “favorite child” really got me thinking.

I presume all parents have a kid they “favor” over others at times.  We are only human after all.  But I know, at least in my case anyway, it changes as the children also change, grow and develop.  I’m sure many of you know what I mean.

I didn’t only think about my own parenting situation but that of my parents’ as well.  Do they each have a favorite?  And if so, who did they settle on now that we are all out of the house and have our own kids? Do the grandchildren now play a part in their favoritism as well?  I wonder.

I do not believe either of my parents would claim a favorite but just from our own personal family dynamic I can probably venture a guess.  Is it me?  Perhaps.  Does it really matter to me? 

Nope.

There are a couple of other good candidates and I know they love us all unconditionally and for our own individuality and so that is good enough for me.

Of course these thoughts bring me back around and I think about my three children and who might I favor at any given time, or any given hour, for that matter!  One day it could be the child who sported the cutest smile while I was taking their picture or the one that listened well.  The next day it could be the kid that did not wake me up during the night or ate all their dinner without complaint.

Or you know, the one that told me I looked pretty that day. J

What I’m trying to say is that of course I do not have a favorite child overall but that doesn’t mean there are not days where one of them might be more on my good side.

I just hope they know that I love them all so much no matter what, just like I know my parents do their children.

yes, I am milkin' the pumpkin patch pics for all they're worth. thankyouverymuch

So, do you have a favorite?  Go ahead and spill.  I promise I won’t tell...

She'll thank me later. Or something like that.

So, I decided yesterday morning that the paci has to go.  Except for when she sleeps.

Baby steps.

That means K has been sporting this face quite a bit, usually with tears included.  Though I'm happy that I can see her cute little mouth now, in all the photos I take.

But today was REALLY hard at one point.  I was about to start crying too.  Or give her the dang pacifier.

I'm not so sure about this tough love thing but I really feel like it's time.

Hold me.

A Buggin' Good Time! - #HEXBUGHalloween

Last Friday we had some friends over for a fun Halloween party that included some pretty awesome kiddo "swag".  Not to mention the kids got to wear their costumes and eat treats. So, it was a total "win win."

The party was centered around the HEXBUG nano bugs - little mirco robotic bugs that my boys are now crazy for.  When I was selected to host a party through Mom Select, I was so excited since the one bug I brought back from BlogHer '11 was a total hit at our house!  I let the boys know we were having a Halloween-themed party at our house but I didn't show them the goodies until the night before.  And then the afternoon of the party they were totally pumped!

Like I said, there were treats...

 Spider Pops

Monster cupcakes

I also made Mummy Dogs that I forgot about in the oven and they were a tad, how shall I say it, "crispy", so no picture.  But we still ate most of them! :)

And every kiddo got to go home with a treat bag too, including a mummified "Zombie" hexbug! And two families even left with a habitat set that was included in the party pack.  Talk about some happy kids!

During the party the kids and parents set up the glow-in-the dark (sorry not dark pics) track and had a blast playing for quite a while.  Because most of the kids at this party were fairly young we didn't do any games but we set up multiple tracks and the kids went to town!  Even K ran around with hers the entire party and she loves her nano that she calls "Mah Bug!"

 We also made marshmallow Mummies. :)

Plus we had a super cute little bug of our own running around.  Doesn't my friend's daughter make the cutest bee?

Then the kids headed outside to enjoy the weather and my little ones decided the Hexbugs should come out with us too!

K and her bug. :)

After the party my friends texted and emailed thanking me so much for the party and for the wonderful party favors.  I was so happy to share these fun toys with them.  

*Thanks so much to Mom Select, Mommy Parties and HEXBUG for the supplies for the #HEXBUGHalloween party.  All opinions and photos here are my own. 

Those Moments (i heart faces)

Our memories as mothers can be somewhat selective at times.  We try to remember the best of times.  The smiles and laughter at the zoo as the monkeys swing and entertain.  Or the deep sigh we take while our child peacefully sleeps with his or her head on our lap, as we stroke their soft locks.

Maybe the evening they say "Momma, this is THE best dinner you've ever made" or the time when they read their first sentence, even if it is with trepidation.

Sometimes it's little bitty moments that turn into really huge ones in our hearts. Sort of like the one that this  photograph represents for me. It jogs the memory of my soul, giving me pause.

I still remember this day so clearly.  The boys did not have pre-school and the weather outside was gorgeous and overcast with perfect temps.  We took to the driveway with every color of sidewalk chalk, that ended up all over Little G.

I could have gotten upset at his messiness but it would have been pointless since it just added another layer on top of the remnants of lunch, both on his face and shirt.  So instead I chose to smile and laugh and take his picture.

We drew flowers and our names, rainbows and scribbles.  My bum was sore by the time we got up from the cement.

I think we finally went in when someone had to go potty or needed a snack. It could have been me.

It was one of those moments that I'll always remember.  It was perfect.

i heart faces

You Gotta Have Friends - Miss Elaine-ous Monday

There are times when I still wonder what we are doing here.  You know, living in this particular town, away from our families and most of the people and things we knew for years.

But then we have a "little" Halloween party (more on that later this week) and I see my kids with their friends and I realize how so very blessed I am to have my friends here too and then I know EXACTLY what we are doing here.

It feels good.

It's gonna really stink when we leave someday.

I tear up just thinking about it.

But for now, I am just going to soak up every minute I am able to spend with these awesome people, and their children, at this time in my life.

Yep, sure am.

Have YOU ever had a pirate, 2 Batmen, Spider Man, Optimus Prime, a Mario Brother, a professional football player AND Darth Vader in YOUR backyard all at the same time?  Yeah........... I didn't think so... 

Some of my wonderful friends.  And yes, I am the only "witch" in the picture. 

You caught me being "Miss Elaine-ous" again...  It's Miss Elaine-ous Monday!

Remember, ANY "miss elaine-ous" post will do, something from your archives or something brand new! :) 

Do you have a post that meant a lot to you but wasn't read by as many folks as you'd hoped? Or one that has great pictures and you want more people to see them? Or do you just have one that you really want to share!?

I'll also choose a random post from those who link up to feature on The Miss Elaine-ous Life Facebook page (please "Like" if you have not already) so even more folks will see a new post every week! Grab the button and link up!

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If you do not post the button, please still link back to my blog, even if you just put a little blurb at the end of you post such as "It's Monday and I'm being "Miss Elaine-ous" over at The Miss Elaine-ous Life!" - Thanks!! Oh and extra bonus points to anyone who puts a tweet out there, that would be awesome too!

And PLEASE make sure to visit some other linkers too! Thanks! :-)

Snippets

"STOOOOPID!!!!"

That's what my 2-year old was running around saying over and OVER tonight before I left for church choir practice. Her older brother (the younger, older brother, that is) was also liberally using that word and so she decided that it was her new favorite one.

She's like a little echo.  AND a broken record.

Duly noted.


We got a new television for the bedroom the other day and the boys decided that the big box was their new "clubhouse".  As I chopped onions and tomatoes and squeezed lime juice to make guacamole they played outside.  In a cardboard box.  And K kicked the soccer ball and later tried so hard to pedal a trike. I watched them out the kitchen windows that look over the driveway.  I love that it's cool enough for them to play outside again.


I put some extra Halloween decorations out today since we are having a little Halloween party here on Friday, with a few friends.  I wonder what my husband thinks about me spending his hard-earned money on fake spider webs and plastic bat rings.


I need to clean our shower.


I watch a lot of HGTV, despite the fact that regular shows on the main networks are on again.  I'm a wee bit addicted.  The Property Brothers look like animated Disney characters to me.  I can't decide if that's a good thing or not.


Anybody want to trade an Achilles tendon with me?  I got a bum one.


Tim and I have planned a long weekend to NYC the week before Christmas.  I've always wanted to go there at the holidays.  And no, the kids are not coming.  And yes, we ARE seeing "Wicked" on Broadway. Is it mid-December yet???



I'm thinking of asking some of my local friends if they will let me take pics of their kids or their entire family to get some more experience photographing other people besides my kids.  And for FREE.  Would you let me take your family's picture if you lived near me?

Probably not after seeing this, huh?

I don't know... I kinda like it...

If you have not already you can see "better" pics from our pumpkin "patch" outing HERE.

Pumpkins & Chickens & Toothless Grins. Oh My!

Since the kids were out of school on Monday for Fall break we made two trips to the "pumpkin patch" (a.k.a. local Methodist church that sells pumpkins for mission fundraisers) on Monday.

Or I guess you could say one interrupted trip - with a visit to Target in between.

This is what happens when you forget the SD card in your laptop at home and Target is a MUCH closer trip than your house.

:)

It was touch-and-go there for a bit when I realized the card was not in there as I went to take a picture of my boys on the tractor/hay ride that just circles the open field by the church.  When I told G that we had to get back in the car just to run a quick errand he lost his sh... I mean, was not happy, and it took some convincing and promises of treats later to get him in the car.  Which I can't remember now if I ever made good on that promise.

Anyway, here's some pics that I took with my new, WAY on sale (Bonus!) SD card. It was HOT while we were there, probably around 80 degrees, and the sun was relentless. Of course a cool front got here today.  OF COURSE.

The kids liked the farm animals and I liked the shade their shelter provided. :) 

Little G was all about the "turkeys" that I tried to convince him were chickens.  Because well, they were.

And The B Man LOVED petting the bunny! 

This is what you get when your 7 year-old takes a pic for ya and the toddler does NOT 

want to sit on your lap.  Just FYI. 

Thanks to these loves for putting up with my SD card forgetting self...   They're awesome like that. 

Happy Fall Y'all! 

First Thing in the Morning

The alarm goes off.

The light through the window confirms another new day.

I slowly emerge from my warm, morning cocoon of blankets, a free arm, now chilled.

I am suddenly aware of the morning’s news stories and the extra warmth on my right side, in the form of a child, nestled up against me.

On my left I can sense the faded cologne scent of the man I love.

We wake and whisper for a few moments as the little person next to me rustles.

We say “good morning” and I kiss his stubbly cheek.

I wrap my arm around his chest, wishing we could stay in bed all day; I’m so cozy and full of love for him.

He asks when our next getaway alone will be and I smirk, saying today would be good.

We daydream about trips to exotic places, busy cities, snowy mountains, sans kids.

Our daydreams are quickly interrupted when the little person opens his eyes and mumbles for breakfast, always his first words.

I protest by burrowing closer to my love and taking in this moment of closeness that I know has to end soon. I close my eyes, finding myself lost in time.

Somehow I’m in a beautiful lodge, high in the mountains, snow falling outside, a warm fire blazing. I begin to doze again…

But in the next moment I open them with a little boy in my face and reality sets in.

I stretch my tired muscles, place one last kiss on the lips of my sweetheart and reluctantly rise as I head for the coffee maker…