No Clean Teeth for the Birthday Girl

So here it is, the reason I didn't brush my teeth on my birthday.

Ian and I (and Connor too) are driving thru Europe right now and camping. The night before my birthday, I went and brushed my teeth, then came back and handed Ian my toothbrush and toothpaste (yeah, we use each others toothbrushes, but that's not the point of this post) for him to go brush his teeth.

The next morning, I gathered up all my stuff and went to take a shower. When getting ready, I discovered that my toothbrush and toothpaste were missing. So, I decided I would brush my teeth when I got back to the campsite. Well, there was coffee when I got back and I said to myself, I will brush my teeth after my coffee. Of course, one thing led to another and before you know it, we were in the car headed for Disneyland Paris.

All the sudden I felt grime on my teeth, but it was too late. There was no teeth brushing for me. So, I popped a piece of gum in my mouth and got on with enjoying my birthday at Disneyland Paris.

Imagine right here a family picture of Connor meeting Mickey Mouse for the first time...apparently my uber expensive internet in Milan won't allow me to upload pictures to the internet!

Ohmygosh...I'm Getting Old!

I know, I know...it is a fact of life. People get old. We have to mature (otherwise the "cute" things we did when we were young just become obnoxious.) Though, I do figure I have another good many years ahead of me before I truly have to grow up...I figure once I hit 50, I will begin taking responsibility for my actions and learning to plan ahead!

But back to the real reason I am feeling old...

Lately while watching tv, I feel like I keep hearing cuss words. Since when is it okay to cuss on tv? I thought that was illegal or something. Problem is, I have been watching tv shows that are like 5-10 years old. That got me thinking...

TV hasn't changed...I have.

Oh crap! What happened to me?!? I've gotten older. I've had a child. Part of this causes me to notice cussing more than I used to. I guess one can say it is part of growing up (aka: getting older). It really is one of the may ways I realize I have gotten older.

No longer is it "cool" for me to walk around with my bra straps showing (partly because I wear a nursing bra and partly because in hindsight I am not sure if that ever was truly "cool"). Or my stomach for that matter...and that happened before it was ruined thru the miracle of life.

I don't drive as fast as I used to...party because I don't want to hurt myself or others and partly because I don't want my insurance to go up.

I can't go on...all this old stuff is depressing me...maybe it is because my birthday is next week. Maybe it is because I really am oh-so-old. Whatever it is, there is no denying

I am growing up

A Life-Changing Epiphany

This weekend we made a day trip down to Edinburgh to meet up with some friends from the states. It was fun to meet their little girl, introduce Connor to them and just wander around Edinburgh.

After a long day, we rolled back into Aberdeen a little after 1am. Ian and I looked at each other and decided we needed to sleep in at least one day of the weekend (having gotten up at 6:45am on Saturday) and decided it would be Sunday.

Sunday morning, I woke up to the sounds of my little boy. I collected him from his crib and while snugging back into bed with a fully awake child, I looked at the clock and reality set in...I don't think I will be able to sleep in for many a years!

My life is different. My little man LOVES the morning time...me, not so much. But I am adjusting. With a little time to wake up and some coffee under my belt, I manage to be good company for him during this completely new season of my life.

But, I have to admit, seeing Connor's smiling face in the morning makes for a pretty easy reason to get out of bed!

5 Months

Little Man Grimbleby is 5 months old! I have to say, I think the last month has seen the most change for him...

Weight: 15 lbs, 1 oz

Length: 26 inches

Accomplishments:
Can put his pacifier in his mouth...when he can find it!
Smiles at & tries to touch the "baby" in the mirror
Grabs at hair, necklaces and glasses
Tries to drink out of our glasses
Moves around to grab a toy
"Found" his legs & kicks them like mad in the bath
Tries to grab the phone..then puts it in his mouth
Knows what his bed means and starts crying when we get close to it!

Connor seems to have himself in a routine now-a-days. He gets up around 8am, takes a nap at 10am, another nap at 3-4pm, then goes to bed at 8pm. He is back to sleeping well at night and only gets up once to feed after about 8 or 9 hours. He is starting to entertain himself a lot more with his toys and will lay there and play with them while I get things done. Also, he looks at books when I read them to him and tries to touch (well, slaps) the pages. He is almost rolling over from his back to his stomach. He usually gets at least halfway there (sometimes more), then gives up and goes back to his back. His hands and whatever are in them are always in his mouth, so slobber is starting to go everywhere. He LOVES being out of the house and looking around at new things.

Its fun to watch my little man grow, but I am already feeling that it is happening way too fast!

Daddy fed him chocolate when Mommy wasn't looking

The kid sleeps like a crazy man...he likes having his face pressed up against the side of the crib & the other night we found him "cuddling" with his bumper

The Contest of Shopping

Many times, shopping is like a contest to me. I figure I can always find something cheaper than the price I initially see. There are many a ways for me to do this:

• Online shopping...google shows you the cheapest places online.
• Online discount codes...practically everyone has them for at least free shipping and 10% off.
• Sales, sales, sale...practically everything goes on sale...with clothes you can get some really good deals this way.
• Buy secondhand...beware though, sometimes things are selling for too close to their original price, so do your research before you buy secondhand.

The joy about shopping is that you don't have to pay a thing to go into stores. That means you can play with the latest gadgets to your heart's content, figure out exactly which one you want, then go shopping for it.

Lately, this is what I have been doing with stuff for Connor's. After my late night diaper inspiration, I began shopping around for cloth diapers for him. I discovered they were going for just as much on ebay as in the stores. This got me thinking, if I bought them in bulk, I would already be saving 10%...so if I used a couple and ended up not liking them, I could resell them on ebay without losing a dime. However, I also found a 10% off coupon and free shipping (I have a HUGE thing against paying for shipping). In the end, I saved about 18% off the retail price per diaper...and things like name brand cloth diapers go for the same price everywhere.

Next up, Connor's highchair. Connor seemed to be getting to the point that he is ready to set up. So first, I cleaned off the table (aka: Ian's desk) and rearranged the living room so we could actually sit at the table. Then, I did a little research and found the highchair I wanted...even the print I wanted. Then I scowered online "stores" (ebay, gumtree...I think that is only a UK thing) until I found one I wanted, in the condition I wanted it, at the price I wanted to pay. I ended up saving 75% off the original price and it looks brand new.


I could go on and on forever about this stuff...but you get the point...never just impulse buy something...not just because you probably won't like what you bought later, but because you can save yourself some mulah!

Wordless Wednesday

How can I resist those eyes?!?

I Love Homosexuals. Does that mean I am going to Hell?

Please note: Even for the sake of this article, I myself cannot use the word "fag". I find it highly offensive. Also, know that I had to take two days to cool off before writing this blog...I was going mental at first and didn't think anyone wanted to read that much of a rant! Now, without further ado...

This weekend while visiting friends we watched a documentary on the BBC called The Most Hated Family in America. It is about the Westboro Baptist Church. Honestly, up until this point in my life, I had never heard of these people. I do recall a while back hearing about people picketing soldiers funerals and thinking to myself, "bastards", but that is all...I didn't realize it was a supposed "church" doing the picketing and I also did not realize the reason for the pickets.

This entire "church's" belief is based around homosexuals. It appears we are all going to hell because we are either homosexuals, homosexual enablers or homosexual lovers. Oh yes, and according to them, God hates homosexuals. These people believe they are the only people going to heaven and if there was another church out there teaching the "truth", they would have heard about it. They believe if you are killed (really thru anything...warfare, car accident, etc.) it means God has struck you down and you went to hell. Honestly, I have never heard anything more absurd or upsetting in my life. While watching this documentry, my insides were churing and I was getting so angry.

After having a couple days to ponder, I have figured out what disturbs me the most about this:

1. They use their children at their pickets. It isn't them teaching their children their beliefs that bothers me (after all, America is a nation with freedom of religion) and it isn't taking their children to the picktes that bothers me either. It is putting highly offensive posters in their childrens hands, posters their children don't even understand, and having them parade them around. I really feel like this shouldn't be allowed. No child should be allowed/subjected to anything of the sort until they themselves understand what they are holding in their hands (i.e.: signs that read "God hates Fags" or "Antichrist Obama"). During the documentry, they ask some of the children (we are talking kids 6 and 7 years old) what the signs mean, they didn't even know.

2. They are disrespectful. America isn't about everyone having the same beliefs. It isn't even about agreeing with each other. But, it is about having respect for other beliefs. And, I think picketing soldiers funerals, soldiers who are protecting you, for no reason other than their hatred of the American flag (yeah, apparently the American flag is super bad) and homosexuals is absolutely absurd and should not be allowed. A funeral is not a place to be disrespectful. Pick any other place, but allow these families to grieve in peace.

3. Their ignorance. I don't know if I have ever seen a more ignorant and self centered group of people. They don't even want to help others or convert them to their religion. They just want to be disrespectful and in people's faces. And, they don't have real reasons for doing this. As soon as they are questioned on anything, they get angry and rude. The reason? They don't actually have answers for why they believe what they believe.

I think the igonrance is the worst part. One of the ladies laughed about the documentary host going to hell. I don't even know how that is funny. And if you believe in heaven and hell, I don't know how you could find that funny in the least bit.

I realize that this church is a dieing church... it is small, it's old crazy leader is frail and people think they are crazy. But still, it is the fact that they are so blatently rude to others that gets to me. I don't know how people have been able to stand what they are doing. It shows there are much "bigger" people out there than me because if these crazies showed up at one of my family members funerals, I would not be keeping my cool.

Oh and the angrier people get at them, the more they think they are doing what is right...go figure! If you have some spare time...and want to get pissed off...it really is interesting checking out these people. Here are some links for your viewing pleasure:

• Westboro Baptist Church website
• Fred Phelps - leader's Wikipedia
  
• You Tube videos of their demonstrations
• Patriot Guard Riders - A group of bikers that tries to block protesters at soldiers funerals

I could go on and on about everything that bothers me, but I won't. I know you don't want to read twenty pages about it. But, I thought you would like to know about these crazies and get just as worked up as I did!