What am I here for? I am, in order of occurrence:


Daughter, I am then and always my mother’s daughter. Along with becoming a daughter I became a niece and granddaughter.

Sister, first came Donald, one year and 13 days after my birth…then came the rest.

Friend. I made friends, sure I didn’t keep any, but that’s a part of childhood.

Daughter, again. I know right, isn’t it awesome? I became my Dad’s daughter, and then…

A sister, to a wonderful baby girl, and then the best little brother.

High school student, high school is not to be ignored, aside from family it can be the most influential time in a young person’s life….not that I recall much. :D

A soldier. Becoming and being a soldier was an important decision, and probably the first true decision of my own. I will never regret this choice, and though it ended sourly, I’d go back and do it again in a heartbeat.

Wife. The second decision I made on my own. When I realized that maybe I wanted more then a career in life, but a family to share life with.

Mother, the best thing that’s happened to me. Being a mother to Isaac, and now Kyle, and in the future I can hope for one more. Though the pregnancies proved difficult, the end results were beautiful, happy little boys.

Writer. Ah, I’m not much of a writer, but hell, I’m trying to get there.

Cook, I love to cook, and if you were to come to my home, and I were able to…I’d love to feed you.

Yet, in the end, this all brings me down to, who am I? I am all of these things mentioned above, but when I find time to myself, I happen to feel quite lost. Wondering what in the world I should do, I love time to myself, and if it didn’t feel selfish I’d probably write more since I do personally love to do that. I also love to draw, though over time I’ve realized that if I don’t pick this back up soon I’ll lose it. It’s hard though, if I draw, Isaac will want to as well, but before you say it…it’s not as simple as giving him his own supplies…why would he want to draw on his paper when Mommy’s must be better! I also love editing, but this goes with the other things, I’m starting to find that if it won’t further or improve my RL (real life) then I set it aside in hopes of something else. Like cooking, I like cooking, but I can’t cook all day, that’s just stupid. Obviously a person can not seperate themselves from the titles life gives them, but surely one can be able to sit and atleast narrow it down to one thing for a moment of peace! A moment, where I can do something, without having to worry about every other thing, one way or another.

I don’t know, I suppose I’m rambling on about the fact that I don’t know what to do with myself. I know what to do with all the aforementioned aspects of me, but when it comes to just plain me…I’m clueless beyond repair, well hopefully not beyond. I have a friend, Ren, who is currently helping me think of something. She’s a dear, and maybe we can think of something I can do without further destroying my hands, while managing something I could enjoy and maybe even put to use in life and home.

So, what do you do with yourself, or do you find yourself quite bored with just you and resort to what your list above would be?

What Fall Spice Are You?

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You Are Nutmeg

You are a harmonious and peaceful person. You are surprisingly adaptable and flexible. You are a typical girl or guy next door, but you also have a undying thirst for the exotic. You dream of tropical places, and you have a true appreciation for far away flavors. You are easygoing enough to enjoy a full day on the beach. "Island time" sounds like the perfect time for you.

What Fall Spice Are You?

Blogthings: If Quizzes Are Outlawed, Only Outlaws Will Take Quizzes

Peter, Peter.

This is a short children's story, I suppose, anyway it was a prompt for October, I participated and here it is.

Peter, Peter.

Samantha had just moved to town and quickly became friends with her neighbor Ryan. Ryan walked beside Samantha on the way to her new high school, the autumn air was crisp and the wind blew cool. Samantha could not help but see the cat, the strange wild cat that sat on the porch of an abandoned home. Ryan shrugged his shoulders as he told the town’s story.

“The town calls him Peter.” Ryan settled his back pack on his shoulders and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Some even laugh, and tease him, call him ‘Peter, Peter, pumpkin eater’.”

“Well that’s just stupid, why would they do that?” Leaves traveled across them in an angry swirl, like a mini leaf tornado. Peter continued the story, he told Samantha the same way his mother told him, and his grandmother before her. A tale about Peter, and his wife named Hazel. Hazel was a most beautiful and free-spirited person, the people would say, but no one could make her stay, not even Peter. At some point, he had enough and decided if he couldn’t have his wife then no one could.

When Hazel vanished the town questioned her disappearance. Though some thought she’d run off again, others were certain it was Peter. Rumors were spread across the county but no one could prove, that Peter dug up the garden and laid down his spouse. As time went on the garden grew, and only one pumpkin came to harvest. For years and years, only one pumpkin would grow, and until Peter himself passed away, he would go out to his garden to tend to the pumpkin with care until it was ready. Every year when the pumpkin was ready, he would pull it up and cook it into a pie, every year he would sit there on his porch and eat the entire thing.

Peter grew to be very old before he died, and soon a cat began to sit on his porch. In no time the neighborhood was calling the cat “Peter” and the townspeople avoided the cat and the house. Ten years later, Samantha stood in front of her new school and was bent over laughing.


“That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard.”

“It’s true, someone took one of Peter’s pumpkins about five years ago, they still haven’t woken up from their coma.”

“Well I’m going to prove that it’s not true, you people are funny.”


“Peter, Peter, pumpkin eater, had a wife.” Laughter erupted as she slopped some of the pumpkin goop into a large bowl. “Had a wife and couldn’t keep her.”

The week of Halloween came and the pumpkin sat there bold and bright, when she was done with school Samantha walked past the cat named Peter and snatched up the pumpkin. The cat’s hair rose and he howled as she laughed and ran home. The night before Halloween she sang as she cut into the pumpkin and began making a pie.

When the pie was cooked and cooled she wrapped it up and put a “Do Not Eat” note on the top. She planned to take it to the Halloween party, show them all that their rumors were dumb. The next evening when she walked into the kitchen dressed in her Halloween costume, she stumbled upon her Dad on the kitchen floor. A fork in his hand with a little pumpkin pie remaining, his eyes were open wide but there was nothing. He wouldn’t move and didn’t blink, Samantha was horrified and jumped up off the floor only to see Peter the cat sitting on the kitchen's window ledge.

To this day, Samantha's father still lays in a hospital bed, no one knows why but no one has touched Peter’s pumpkins since.

I hope enjoyed. Enjoy your pies, now, won't ya?

On A New Path

So, you can come with me if you'd like. I'd love some company, it seems to make things easier, in some circumstances to have partners in your endeavors. I want a new life, okay, I love my life but I want a better, happier, healthier one! So here goes the steps, er, plan!

1. Drink more water. I already drink a bit of water, if I ever say "tea" or "drink" it's merely flavored water...but more doesn't hurt.
2. Start excercising. Pulled the Total Gym out and into the living room, must start using it.
3. When it gets a little cooler, go for walks with the boys. Isaac's pretty good at staying with me, just needs to get better about keeping pace...but he's little...so, yeah, it'll be alright.
4. Start writing...more!
5. Play around more, have more fun. I think fun is the key to...everything.
6. Lose weight. Sure this might go with number 2, but it involves more then number 2, and they both seperately affect life.
7. Make a schedule. Need to start at-home learning on a scheduled basis, get everyone into a routine that works for us!
8. Finish the timetable for upcoming holidays. Started planning in August, but need a better foundation.

I had more before the boys and I went on our trip...but now I can't remember them! Oh well, in time I'm sure I'll add more things...until then, this works and is quite enough!

Yellow Cake, From Scratch



Yellow Cake



Ingredients

•2 cups all-purpose flour, stirred before measuring

•1 tablespoon baking powder
•1 teaspoon salt
•1/2 cup butter, softened
•1 1/4 cups sugar
•2 eggs
•3/4 cup milk
•1/2 tablespoon vanilla
Directions
Mix flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. Cream sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl, beating until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add half of the flour mixture then half of the milk. Add vanilla. Mix until blended; add remaining flour and milk and beat until smooth. The batter will be thick. Spread batter in two greased and floured 8-inch layer cake pans or a 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Bake at 350° for 25 to 35 minutes, or until cake springs back when lightly touched near center.

Frost as desired.

In conlcusion, it's delicious, but do not think cream cheese frosting is appropriate for it.



I Love....

I love the good beginning to what looks to be a long week and month.

I love the way my children look at each other, and though they are young it’s apparent how much they love one another.
I love the way Kyle holds his blankets or my hands close to his chest in a grip that says he never wants to let go.
I love the way Isaac loves all people. Though it’s sad for him when they go, he enjoys every minute they are here.
I love knowing that I’m appreciated and cared for more then I had realized.
I love that I can actually cook without destroying food, and people love it. Even when a meal has ingredients they truly dislike.
I love the way the boys laugh and giggle.
I love that I must not be the worst Mom…there are much worse and my boys are quite happy.
I love that even when Isaac has gotten into a bit of trouble he knows he can always come to me if he’s hurt.
I love how my baby can sleep, without a worry in the world.
I love that when people leave my home they are happy, and not because they’re happy to get the hell out of here.
I love that my husband loves me, even when I give him hell.
I love that I can sit here with endless things to write that I truly love.
I love that I can sing to my baby, and he doesn’t mind my awful singing abilities *as I sing to baby*

So, what do you love? I mean truly love, not like "I love icecream."

Inspiration. Writing #3

This blog, as indicated in the title is about inspiration. Inspiration can come in many forms, and often many places for writers…if I were asked where mine comes from I’d probably have to shrug my shoulders! My stories are just somewhere with in me, how could I explain that I knew about Scaeras’ and their abilities, where they come from and why. If you are wondering about them as well…I’ll give you some clues at a later time. As a good friend of mine asked:
“Are you laying in bed when your character comes to life or are you inspired by seeing a cloud in the shape of a dick?”
I work on fantasy, urban fantasy for the most part. Have done other genres as well, however urban fantasy is in my heart and knocking around my marbles. I can’t ignore this compulsion. The only way I can explain:
When I started to write Dead Moons, it started off with a male main character, I thought he was it, the main deal. Until, someone stomped on a marble and demanded to be introduced, and there she was. The main character of all main characters, the one that holds all the cards, and she’s a bitch! No, maybe bitch is too harsh.
I can’t say that I’m inspired by things I see, though I admit that music helps in writing, though it’s more for setting the mood for a scene more then anything. If I’m going to write about the death of my main character, which happened by the way, I can’t be listening to “Don’t worry, be happy” or some random pop or new dance music. No I went to (I would like to note, that if you change your audio device (the Equalizer) to “Powerful” it’s more effective)

So for me, music has an impact on my writing process, but not inspiration. In the end, the inspiration ultimately comes from somewhere within me. No I’m not psychotic, but the people in my head want their stories to be told, and I’m happy to oblige. Though it’s not always easy, and I have often wished I could sit and write an outline, and know ahead of time, therefore it can finish in better timing. But to be honest, I think it would be crap in the end. My muse, Ilaria Sophia…has been quite helpful in the past but she’s only a motivator and helps me find the “right words” when I’m fighting the fog.
I would like to add, that I do sometimes, though rarely get inspiration from things around me, or find out about stories at the oddest moments…like while I had been changing my first son’s diaper last year. Bam, there was another…I know, odd.
Where does your inspiration come from? What are your thoughts on inspiration and what do you wish could be different about yours?

Summability, another Writing Post

I read a person's blog recently, something about sum-up your work in one sentence. It was interesting and had wonderful reasoning. I’m not going to get into the why, but I figured I’d try it out. Given the fact that none of my work is completed, the following sentences are based as things currently are.

Dead Moons: She is a high level grim reaper, he is her stalker, they will try to kill each other, save another planet and maybe find their way back to love.

27: Derik has a mission to kill 27, what happens when he finds out the woman he shot is an angel?

Natalie: Two sisters and The Company that wants control of their powers battle it out while they try to find their place in the world.

Okay, well that’s the best I could do at the moment. I suppose if a sentence were compelling enough it would be effective. Why overwhelm a potential with too much information and maybe so much that they decide they don’t want to read it because they “see where it’s going”. Maybe I am viewing this the wrong way, I wish I could find the other person’s blog so I can put it here as a point of reference. So the following questions, if you wish to answer. Would you read the above stories based off the single sentence provided for each? Why (or why not)? What would be your single sentence?

Mystery Monday. Day 1.

So as a family we decided we were going to have a new meal every week. Which inspired "Mystery Monday", every Monday we'll have a new meal. Something we haven't had before, something different. This is the beginning and we are off to a fabulous start!

Cheeseburger Pie. It's as simple as it sounds, and delicious. It took me by surprise, as I was mixing some ingredients in a bowl my mind went "ew, what am I doing?" However, the end result is worth it, my toddler (almost three years old) even grabbed his plate and went to the kitchen for seconds! Here you go:

Cheeseburger Pie.

Ingredients:

1 can crescent rolls
1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped dill pickle slices

2 Tablespoons ketchup

1 teaspoon prepared mustard
2 Tablespoons flour
2 Tablespoons dill pickle juice
2 Tablespoons milk

2 cups shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 375F. In skillet brown meat thoroughly and then drain well. While the meat is cooking chop up the pickles and onion; press the unraveled crescent rolls into the bottom of an 8-9 inch pie pan. After the meat is done and drained, mix in the pickles, onions, ketchup and mustard. Helpful tip: Measure out the flour first and place it in a cup, this way you don't have to worry about cleaning out your measuring spoon before using it on something like flour. Do it before, then do the liquid measurements. Trust me, it's the best way!

Sprinkle the mix with flour, then add the pickle juice and milk. Mix it well and let it sit on the stove until it's thick and bubbles. If it doesn't don't fret, when the mix is quite thick, it'll be ready and you don't want it to stick to the pan much. Once you remove it, mix in 1 cup of the shredded cheese, pour it into the pan and place in the oven for 15 minutes. Once it's done and cooked, the edges should be lightly to golden brown, remove from the oven. Set it up on the counter or stove and sprinkle with cheese! As you wait for it to cool enough to be able to eat it, the cheese will melt. Dig in. This meal goes great with: Baked beans, Fries, Sweet Potatoe Fries, or any other simple side dish you'd have with cheeseburgers. Just don't overdo it with the sides, this meal is filling! Also, I would like to stay that this blend of tastes was magnificent. Caught me by surprise, the way the different aspects of the dish helped each other balance. I could go on, but you can see for yourself if you try it!

The result!

Game Day Food, Part 1a

There will be atleast 4 parts to this recipe collection. As you probably gathered from the title this collection is all about Sunday game days. You want the game experience to be the best it can, from your team winning (even if you and your significant others are rivals) to your recipes winning the losers back. I tease, I have no idea who'll win, but the point is you want it to be great and enjoyable. One of the great ways to help it be that way is to have food, no food means empty stomachs (or overly filled with booze stomachs...let's not get into where that leads), empty stomachs causes bad things, and bad things means a bad over all experience. Content stomachs mean happy people, happy people mean "Your team cheated that was b*llsh*t, pass me those damn cookies!" Again, I tease...or do I? Any way, these recipes aren't just for game time, any gathering time will do (sleep over parties, general parties/barbeques, holidays or even sitting down watching a movie).

Part 1. Pre-Game.

Philly Pepper Jelly Dip (Yvette Boudreaux)
Ingredients:
1- 8 oz Package Philly Cream Cheese (softened)
1- Small jar pepper jelly (mild or spicy-depends on you)
Sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
Pecans (chopped)-(if you like nuts!)
1- Box Town House Crackers
Directions:
Spread your softened Philly evenly on a round platter. Completely cover the platter, leaving only approx. 1/2 in. round the edges open. Take the pepper jelly and stir around inside the jar to break the consistencey. Then spread on top of Philly. You can do both of these things using the bottom side of a spoon. Top the pepper jelly with the shredded sharp cheddar (or mild if you prefer). (Sometimes I use the 4 cheese blend, it's just whatever your preference). Sprinkle with chopped pecans (again if you like nuts). Use a cheese spredder, or butter knife to spread onto crackers and umm---enjoy!

Seasoned Crackers (Yvette Boudreaux)
Ingredients:
1- Bag of Oyster Crackers 8-10oz (10-12oz)
1- teaspoon Dill Weed
1- teaspoon Lemon Pepper
1- teaspoon Garlic Powder
1- Packet Ranch Original Dip mix
1/2- cup of vegetable oil
Directions:
First pour your oyster crackers into a large zip lock baggie. Get a small bowl and pou vegetable oil in. Add the dill weed, lemon pepper, garlic powder and ranch mix to oil. Mix really well. (Wisk) Once it is well blended, pour the mixture into the zip lock bag of crackers. Shake around until all the crackers are covered. Leave in bag and set in frig for 30 minutes. Ready for snacking!!

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The next two recipes will be sweet ones compared to these, and that's why I split them up like this. When I'm able I'll add pictures, or if you make any of these or have ideas/recipes of your own you'd like to share people message me or comment! Go *insert your team here*! :D

Less is…less? (Writing)

I’m working on my newest WIP, 27, trying to find “the balance”. There are many different things that need to be balanced in writing, but what plagues me most is descriptive writing. In Dead Moons I was quite descriptive but some say that it can actually hurt being too descriptive. It’s hard to know if I am too descriptive. In 27, I’ve been trying to be overly descriptive but I’ve found that I don’t care for it as much. Less description leads to, well, less on many elements. One, I’m thinking that it’s not enough to place a reader in the situation and story. Two, I am starting to hate it, even I can’t place myself in the story. One thing I realized is that my son Isaac is a big help! I sit here with him in my lap and read the story to him, this gives me a clarity for the story that I don’t get from merely reading it in silence. As I do this I realize the points that don’t abode well for the story and what needs more description or change. I still need to find a balance with my new useful tool, surely I could read it aloud to myself, but that just sucks! Plain in simple, sucks.
Maybe I shouldn’t be too concerned with some of these aspects when I’ve barely begun this book, but finding this balance as fast as possible I think is crucial. If I can find the balance then the rest will be a breeze and I won’t waste time concentrating on such things, it will also make editing later better…

“A Mother’s Tear.”

“A Mother’s Tear.”
By Calixus Koffey


By Calixus Koffey


A mother’s joy turns to fear,
Her brave young man wipes her tear.

“Don’t worry Mom, I’ll be fine”
She tries to smile at his usual line.
His pack he shoulders and he joins the crowd,
off to war, to make her proud.
“I love you baby and please be safe”
He waves and smiles at her call from his place.
The plane is full and her heart stutters,
“Cause I won’t be there to help.” She quietly mutters.
She watches as the big jet slowly rises
wondering what will be his surprises.
Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan,
Our brave young men and women go to do what they can.

A few encouraging words from me and you,
are all these people expect as their due.
As a mother that has sent two men to war,
I have to silently wonder what it was all for.
We have lost so many brave souls over there
And yet with all the horrors, the rest of the world does not care.
America is strong and can handle the fight,
We will just watch the struggle on the news tonight.
I hope that our children will understand that it is for their own future
That my child and yours have been shot at, ridiculed and tortured.
The next time you see a young man or young woman dressed in their fatigues
Give them a smile and a thanks if you please.
They have given a piece of their soul
Trying to make our world once more whole.

9 Years Later.

I don’t think I’ll discuss the details of this day, nine years ago much, perhaps another time. I do, however, have two poems to share though and a music play list I put together. The music videos are on the right hand side, containing videos for and of military members and their family, from past wars through today’s war. There are 41 videos on the list, including a few at the end that are Cadences from the military. Feel free to listen and go through them as you read my blog or do anything you want.

9/11/01. I was sitting in English class that morning, in a town outside Buffalo, when they turned on the classroom television. It was horrifying, devastating, the day had barely started before it was stopped. No longer were we working on school materials, all eyes were on the television and all was quiet. I was in tenth grade at the time, and it changed everything for me. Sure I might have looked into joining the military anyway but events from then on made it certain. At the time my husband, Jacob, was still in military training, and it drastically altered his military career in ways he could never have foreseen.

I decided that it would be best to put up my poem and then a separate blog for my friends poem.

Here it goes:
Blood and tears I would spill

As graveyards, comrades fill.
What they did was not for naught.
They paid for the lessons, we
Should be taught.
When battles are fought,

And wars are won.
I find myself distraught,
If I had not been broken.
I would have stood by their side,
Protected their back.
They might not have died,
I would have brought them
Home from Iraq.
I have to remind myself:
To sit in pity is shameful,
To honor their memory is
Respectful.

The New Car

So the search has been on, since our Ford Tauras was going to hell. I feel safe in saying this now, and didn't want to offend the car before. If you're nice to your car, it'll be nice to you. However, cars are like some old people, you can be as nice as you want to them but sometimes they'll turn into cranky rude jerks without a warning!
So, we've been on the hunt and now it's over. A new black beauty, better then any car I've ever had is sitting outside drying from the earlier rain. I can't wait any longer, here it is:
Car Gallery
I can hear the ooohs and aahs, admit it, it's beautiful! It's mine, back off. Hahahaha!

Heart-shaped Cake!

The Heart Shaped Cake.

Ingredients
1 Box of Cake Mix, I used Butter Cake
1 Container of Frosting or Make Your Own
-I made my own…
Butter frosting
1 Cup Butter
1 Box Jello Mix (I used Cherry)
2-3 Cups Confectioner Sugar
2-3 Tablespoons Milk

You need two pans, one square 9x9 pan and one 9 inch circle pan. Preheat and prepare batter according to the directions on the box. Then pour it into the pans. Let them cool completely and then transfer. The longest parts of this is almost 15 inches, so what you put the cake on will have to be able to hold it. Place the square centered in front of you so it’s setting like a diamond. Cut the circle cake in half, place one half, the straight side on one of the top edges of the square cake. Do the same with the other half of the circle.

Isaac decided to rush into tasting it.

 If my written directions suck very bad, it’s obvious in the image. If you don’t split the cake batter evenly like I had, you can level the higher cake with a long straight blade. I suggest that when the cake is set that you “dirty ice” it, spread a thin layer of icing across the cake and set in the fridge to harden for about 20 minutes. Then spread on your nice smooth, clean frosting. I don’t honestly suggest anyone use my frosting yet, I’m still experimenting with it.
 
I personally think that it would have been better if I actually had frosting, and if I made it into a layered cake. It's awesome even still!

Food Journal Entry 1

I’ve been trying to search for new recipes, but within certain personal hopes or requirements. One, it would be best if they were cheaper. Two they need to at least sound/seem appeasing. Three, it needed to be easy to make, I don’t mean easy as in a beginners level, it just needs to be practical and not out of my kitchens capabilities. Lately I’ve been trying to put together the perfect grocery list. The kind of grocery list that is both very effective, cheap and produces great meals. I realized quickly that the best way to accomplish this by main ingredients and so on. Last week for example, I cooked a pork loin one night in the slow cooker (awesome), there was at least half of it left. The next night I mixed it up to make BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, and the following night was a baked meal with it. Point is: $12 three nights of meals plus lunch. Damn straight. I’ve found that I love cooking and finding recipes. I look forward to my “cook one new meal a week” days. This just started a little while ago but I love it and have been successful.

This week I will share my new Pizza Burger recipe. It’s simple as hell and tastes great, serve it with a salad and it’s a meal everyone can love!

Pizza Burgers (wish the picture was better)

Ingredients:
-Frozen pre-shaped burgers
-Jar of Spaghetti Sauce
-Box of Texas Toast
-Shredded Mozzarella Mix (of choice)
-Onion

Directions
Cook the burgers as directed on the package, if you use a grill cook the toast on the grill as well (it makes it even better). Heat up the spaghetti sauce while you cook. Slice up the onion. When it’s all done, stack the burger on the toast, spoon some sauce over it, place on the onion slices, sprinkle with cheese and set the top slice of toast!

You can also do things like: mushroom, peppers or whatever you think of or desire. It’s pizza/spaghetti/burger delight! You likely won’t need all of the sauce, burgers, toast and so forth. This is one of those great things to do when you want a list of different meals with similar ingredients. Pizza burgers, spaghetti (just buy noodles, you already have sauce), normal burgers (get a package of buns) and so forth. Personally I would separate normal burgers from pizza burgers by a few days so you don’t hear “Oh, again?”

First Family Post

Kyle is now two months old, things have been flying by faster then even I thought it would. Time flew with amazing speed when it was Isaac, it’s even worse this time. My hands are full, it’s pretty safe to say maybe they tend to be overflowing, keeping up with the daily aspects of the apartment on top of taking care of the boys is, well, difficult. Difficult and most times frustrating, Isaac has been a little punk about things, he’ll dump out his toy box through out the day, he’ll make a mess of anything he can get a hand on. Folding laundry is a nightmare, I fold some clothes, he tosses them or jumps in a pile of them. Yesterday alone, I was at the bed folding laundry, with a sigh of relief I thought I was done…I was wrong! Only once did he grab a pile of folded laundry and mess them up, but that was not all (channeling Seuss, oh no that was not all). He managed to escape with clothes, I found them after my sweet but premature relief. No big deal right? Well when you spend most of your day cleaning up after a toddler, it’s tiring. A room is never truly finished since he’s always close behind. Or maybe I’m the one that’s behind, I have to admit it is increasingly hard to keep track of who is ahead in the game.

The boys have been great though, they adore each other, Kyle is always full of smiles and a little babbling, and if you wonder where Isaac is chances are he’s where the water is or with Kyle. As I was cleaning out the couches the other day, I heard behind me Kyle happily cooing, the reason: Isaac climbed up into the playpen to sit with Kyle. Not too unusual, this happens from time to time, he’ll go and lay or sit there either on his own or to be with Kyle. This time he was sitting there changing Kyle’s diaper, and Kyle was loving every moment of it, of course he needed help with this, he couldn’t manage to hold the baby’s feet up and slide the diaper under at the same time, but he did an amazing job of everything else. As time goes on I notice how much Isaac wants to help out and do things with and for Kyle, he’ll give him his paci (but the toddler that he is, he does take it as well), he’s fascinated when it’s bath time, which led to his birth bear’s first “bath” (I haz pictures!), he’ll pick out clothes for the baby (but again, toddler that he is, he loves taking his socks away) and much more.

The Result of The Bear's First Bath

That poor teddy bear though, I was getting Kyle swaddled into a blanket after we dressed, we had just given him a bath and Isaac had sat there quietly watching the whole process (one of those moments I wished I knew what he was thinking at the time), Kyle loves baths as much as Isaac so we prolonged the process for further enjoyment! While I was massaging, dressing and swaddling the baby…Isaac was sitting on the bathroom counter soaking, washing and rinsing his favorite bear. He probably walks into the dining to join us, a soaking wet bear wrapped with a blanket, snug in his arms.

It was so cute, he was so happy with his job well done, his bear smelled awesome though it needed a cycle in the dryer as soon as Isaac moved onto other toddler shenanigans, but it also brought forth a whole new level of fear. Is it possible that my little boy is a little too smart and wants to be too helpful? This 34 month old wants to change diapers (so long as they aren’t dirty), carry and hold the baby, dress and undress him, give him toys and now he has an interest in the bathing process! Safe to say, more locks are on the way and Kyle is rarely out of sight, there is no way I want to take a chance with a toddler that can be overly helpful. He doesn’t mean harm, but it doesn’t mean that harm can’t come from it.

Kisses and Fun Times!

Kyle is quite interactive and has started “smile talking”, he really likes when we three sing “If you’re happy and you know it…”, he loves having his hands clapped together, and his arms/legs and feet moved around. Moments like those even get Isaac to calm down, if only for moments, and he tries to play along as well.

I wish I could just get him talk. But that’s a discussion for another day, or maybe never.

So this is my first true family entry, there will also be writing ones and I’ve been thinking about having a recipe section. Share recipes with you, only the ones I’ve personally tried and recommend, if I don’t like it there’s no way I’d try to give you the impression that it’s good! Maybe there will even be pictures, even now I have great recipes to share. So excited and I don’t even know who “you” are.

So here it goes, my first blog post. Let me first start with saying that the word “blog” is atrocious, or I think so, and this is about what I think so it’s from here on out nixed. Here forth “blog” will be journal or diary, or some other variation that doesn’t suit a twelve year old. Moving on, I’m 24 years old, this September I’ll be married for five years to Jacob, and I have two adorable boys. Isaac, my first son, is 33 months old and it’s been noted that he has the hair of a cherub. He does, he’s a very handsome and a trouble-making toddler. Kyle, my little sunshine is 6 weeks old, he is adorable and sweet-tempered.

So I’m a mama, it’s my fulltime, 24/7 job, but on the side I also write! So there will be journal entries about writing as well, I will also be participating in Teaser Tuesday, this is what the writing community does on their blogs, forums and other sites, I’ll put up a post with a piece of my writing. This teaser will be of one of my main stories/novels or sometimes a poem I have written. I hope I don’t bore you too much with my incessant ramblings and odd thoughts and whatever nonsense I put up here. I look forward to this new venture and want to take you with me into the land of unknown mama-ness, writer-ness and craziness!