Another great Friday!! Social Parade and other friday follows!

We LOVE Fridays!

Who doesn't?

The weeks seem to be flying by so quickly and summer is slowly disappearing right in front of our eyes!  Of course, I'm excited time is flying because my mini vacation is nearing in the beginning of August, but soon we'll be trading in our bathing suits and vacations/daycations for early mornings with our kids, getting them to school, fighting over homework... Ahh, the joys.  I actually like the downtime of summer.  Though I'm not too fond of the heat wave we have been having -- I've never been a huge fan of the heat.

Fridays in bloggy land are great days.  They're days that we get to read some new blogs and meet some new people!  Not to mention possibly gain some new readers and reach your blog out to people who wouldn't have known it if it wasn't for Friday Follow, Social Parade, Fucked up Friday Follow and all of the other great blog hops!  

My name is Krissy and I'm a writer, blogger, artist, single mommy and super woman!!  I multi task, have eyes in the back of my head, and can flip pancakes at the same time that I'm getting my youngest daughter out of mischief!  Damn, I really need a cape and to wear my underwear on the outside of my tights... I also need a super kick ass logo on the front of my super woman leotards...

As a single mom of two rebellious girls who love to push their limits and try to stay up later and later each night, I hardly get any sleep.  Why, I'm super woman!  I can definitely run on only two hours of sleep!  Well, sometimes.  There are days you can walk into my house and well, not be able to walk in without treading through a flood of toys.  Those are the days that I just give up.  Honestly, I do try to keep up with the storm that we call hurricane Olivia and Alayna, but I'm sure every mom gives up after cleaning one room 9 times in one day.  

We have a 6 year old Teacup Yorkie with infertility problems and paranoia.  No, I'm 100% serious about this.  Pixi is my little furbaby and I love her to death.  I must love her to clean up her pee pees and poo poos multiple times daily.  Because of her paranoia of outside and paranoia of doing her business out there, I disinfect the floor daily.  Lysol, Pine Sol and other disinfectants are definitely frequented in our house.  (I was told by our vet that her paranoia is normal.  Are you serious? My dog is afraid of pissing and shitting outside? Excuse my language.)  

If I come off as a bitch sometimes, that's because I'm dieting.  Yes, I'm currently a recovering fat girl who lost almost 30lbs since this round of dieting and almost 70lbs overall.  I'm trying to find my inner skinny girl that I know is there.  I used to hide behind my weight and walk around without any confidence.  Screw that.  If people don't like me, it's their loss.  I've finally started doing something for ME and even though I may get bitchy when I get cravings and have to deny myself, I'm very happy that I am gaining the will power and accomplishing my goals one pound at a time.  

Reading new blogs and meeting new people are two things that I love to do.  Definitely do leave your mark in my comments and I'll visit you back! :)  I'm definitely an insomniac sometimes, so reading blogs = something to keep me busy when I can't sleep!

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A Bachelorette post, better late than never!

If I was going to do a Bachelorette post, I should have done it late Monday night or yesterday, right?  Things went so crazy I didn't get a chance to.  I will post about the Bachelorette in just one second because I want to, but let me explain why the hell I'm posting about it now...pretty much on Thursday morning! (And I know you guys don't care, but I want to explain anyway.)

I slept for a total of 1 hour on Monday night/Tuesday morning.  I had to wake up at Midnight to get ready to go to NYC.  Why do you ask?  Because my friend and I stupidly planned to get to NYC at 2 am to wait in line for standby tickets to "The View" on Tuesday.  Now, usually we wouldn't go that early, we'd get there by 4 and usually it wouldn't be a stupid idea because we'd totally get in.  I say we're stupid because we were going to see Clay Aiken.  We KNEW Bret Michaels was going to be there and didn't think anything of it.  In fact, when we got there at 2 am, we were actually the 7th and 8th people online.  I guess they also didn't realize how absurdly popular Bret Michaels is either...

Needless to say... we didn't get in.   No standbys got in and they actually had to turn away ticket holders. *smack*  How stupid could we be to realize that if Bret Michaels, who has a large fanbase and Clay Aiken, who also has a large fan base, were going to be there -- we wouldn't really have a chance.  And I couldn't even say I had fun waiting... Well, I did until about 9 am.

At 9 am we walked to Starbucks because the peasant standbys can't wait with the royal ticket holders.  We had to come back at 9:45.  I ordered a yummy Caramel Frap and while I was sitting there with my friend, minding my own business, I started to get these terrible pains.  Everything hurt.  My back, my chest, my side.  Now, I've had this before and it was either 1. Appendix pain radiating or 2. Gallbladder pain that happens about twice a year for me.  Wishful thinking for me, it was the latter.  However, I couldn't breathe, I couldn't talk, I was doubled over in pain.  My friend, God bless her, was so nice and so helpful.  I texted her to get me some apple juice and she did.  I sipped that as we walked back to the studio and it did get better at some points, then started painfully starting up again.  Honestly, I was thankful when they told us we didn't get in at that point.  I was back and forth in so much pain, my friend had to drive me home.  I went back to NYC later that day and picked up my car when I felt better.  Honestly, I was in pain from 9 am until about 3 pm.  It was terrible.  When I got home I was doubled over in bed with the pain.  

That's my excuse for not making a Bachelorette post sooner. Ha!

As I'm sure everyone agrees, Kirk had no chance after the hometown date.  The second his creepy-ass father asked Ali to "go to his basement" (which is a pretty creepy statement in general!!) he was doomed to lose this.  I don't care how hot the guy is, if he had a father that sort of reminded me of a serial killer and had dead animals in his basement which he stuffed and hung on the wall,(Or in technical terms - Taxidermy...)  I would never date him.  As the old saying goes, you don't just marry someone, you marry their families too.  I'd be a fucking lunatic if I married into a taxidermy family..and ones that kept dead animals AND Popsicles in the same freezer... ("Just in case they get hungry!" -- Are you FOR REAL, crazy man!?)

Between Roberto and Chris, I would really choose Chris as the favorite for the hometown dates.  Roberto is hot and sexy and looks damn good in a baseball uniform, but I get the feeling his family doesn't think Ali's good enough for him.  I'm not sure if Ali picked up on it because Roberto is just so damn hot (did I mention he's sexy?) but I'm sure it's pretty obvious by the way they were acting.  They seem to put Roberto up on this high pedestal.  Of course, his family is sweet and loving, but I just don't get the feeling that they think she's good enough.

Now, with Chris's family, it's pretty much the perfect storybook fantasy with the happily ever after and cute little house with the picket fence.  From the first moment of their hometown date, you could see that they had an even deeper connection than before.  Hell, if he doesn't win I'LL move to Cape Cod, find him and marry him... lol  (I'm not kidding either. Don't put it past me!!)  I definitely think he has a chance.  

Frank...oh Frank...what to do with you...  How can anyone stand a man who needs constant reassurance?!  That would piss me off and he'd be out of my life faster than he'd know what hit him.  I'm not exactly sure why she keeps him around, but I can only think it's some kind of ABC initiated garbage because of the "twist" in next week's episode. (They've been promoting the "heartbreak" for weeks now, c'mon Frank...just say you're leaving already.  Because you're just an insecure bastard who needs a woman who can reassure you that she loves you every fucking minute!!)  And to think...I actually liked him... (But then again, I liked & believed Justin too....It's never a good thing when I'm attracted to someone! They're usually jerks or liars.)  

What's even worse...is I think Ali is on the same wavelength as Frank and doesn't know what HER feelings are either.  It's scary, especially this far into the episode... Pretty soon there will be two men proposing to her and she's gonna have to pick one... At least we hope she is going to.  She better not flake out!

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Monday Miscellany - Musings galore!

1. Beach Time!

Yesterday myself, my mom, my best friend and the kids went down the Jersey Shore.  (No, not THAT Jersey Shore.) I work with Amusement Advantage and I had free vouchers to go Point Pleasant Beach, so we got to go to the Beach, Boardwalk, Aquarium and Gold Course for absolutely free! It was very fun and exciting to even go in my new car.  We were all excited, actually.  Going in a car that we know won't break down is the greatest part! Ha!  

We had a great time.  My friend and I really wanted to go in the ocean, but the tide was so rough and there were so many rip tides that we couldn't go farther than maybe knee deep water.  It was fun, though.  My kids were afraid of the ocean since the waves were big, so they just put their feet in a little and played with my mom on the sand.  Olivia took a few minutes to get used to the sand.  She was pretty scared of it! lol

Needless to say, we had an awesome time.  The only problem was that we got sunburnt!  I want to post all of the pictures I have -- I'll do that tomorrow. :) I'll post just one right now.

2. Back To School Event

Life of an Artsy Mom will have an official announcement soon.  Starting the end of August beginning of September, (date TBA) we will be having a Back to School event!! We have many companies that are going to be doing Giveaways with us that are perfect for Back To School!!  We're very excited to be doing this and we're even more excited that this is our first event!  We're currently working on a design for the button for you all to put on your page to spread the word about the Back to School event!!  We're also looking for some guest writers who would like to contribute any articles of their own about Back to School.  Any tips? Tricks? Recipes for lunches or after school snacks? If you want to be a guest writer, please e-mail us HERE. 

3. Paycheck to Paycheck

Do you know what sucks? Living paycheck to paycheck.  I absolutely hate the one week where ALL the bills come due at once and we're at that in between before we get a check.  So today was that day for us.  $10 in my wallet, had to scrounge through everything in my house, all my old purses to find some change, found some old lottery tickets that were $1 winners and had some video games we never used.  This happens every time the bills come due.  For some reason, they all come due on the same week! ha.  Our luck!!  We came through, however.  We had $10 in change that I went to Coinstar with, I got $10 for some old video games and a few dollars in lottery tickets. Just enough for dinner and gas in my car for tomorrow.  I'll get my check tomorrow, which is great, so it's grocery shopping day tomorrow! Does anyone else go through this at one time or another?  Sometimes I feel like we're all alone in our scrounging for money.

4. Potty Training 

I'm currently going through potty training with Olivia.  She has wanted to do it for quite a while and she HAS been trying.  I have to give her credit where credit is due.  However she needs to be more consistent.  There are times she forgets and just goes in her underpants, so I really have to get on asking her every half hour if she has to go and getting her trained.  She wants to and tries very hard.  She gets discouraged every time she almost goes but misses the potty.  I know she's ready.  I just have to put my all into it. I will get started on that!  It's just so difficult to do!

5. Bachelorette 

I'm now rooting for Frank, but I have a bad feeling about him right now.  Next in line for my support is Roberto. ha!  I'm watching it right now and hopefully Frank won't let me down! (Though I doubt I'm right.) 

6. Uh Oh - Coach?! 

Yesterday I found out that there is a COACH OUTLET around here!  It's about an hour away but from what I hear, it's VERY worth going.  Purses for just $100 and under?! Oh yeah.  They take coupons? Even better!!  I think I'm going to have to make a special trip there soon! :D

7. Fresh Brewed Tea

I hate fresh brewed tea!!  I cannot stand it...AT ALL!!  My mom made some tonight and I really have to load it with sugar or I can't stomach the taste.  I guess maybe I'm just weird, but I also can't have sweet tea.  It's just disgusting! lol

8. The View

Tomorrow I am going to see The View and I am very excited to just get out for a few hours and be with some friends. :) I'm hoping to find street parking in NYC just like I did the last time I went to The View.

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I wanna be a Toys R Us Mom!

This whole weekend, starting yesterday, was a grand opening of a new Toys R Us/Babies R Us in NJ.  It was 45 minutes away, but since I now have a good car and since I saw all that was happening there, we decided to take a little ride.  We found out that Barbie, Wow Wow Wubbzy, Martha Speaks and Geoffrey were gonna be there...  Alayna was so excited to meet them all!!  Unfortunately, Olivia had to go to her dad's this weekend and couldn't come with us!  

The first one we met when we walked in the door was Princess Barbie.  Alayna was so extremely excited and starstruck.  "That's THE Barbie!!!" she said to me when we walked in.  She was a little hesitant to go up because she said that Barbie is so much prettier than her and she couldn't believe she was going to meet THE Barbie. lol  But she did.  She also gave Barbie a picture that she made for her.  Alayna was beaming and couldn't wait to see the pictures.  That picture was printed off ASAP and is now hanging in her room.

 

Next, as we were walking through the aisles looking for things to purchase (OF COURSE, they have to give you this coupon that's a "surprise" coupon.  You don't know how much it is until you go to the register.  Lovely...but it makes you want to buy stuff...!!) We find Geoffrey the Giraffe.  Now, Alayna has always been a little frightened but extremely interested in Geoffrey.  Short story -- When Alayna was 2 months old, we were at Babies R Us buying some things and a modeling scout from Toys R Us comes up to us and asks if we want Alayna to be in a baby fashion show.  We accepted and it was a very exciting experience for us all.  However, Geoffrey was there...and Alayna screamed her little 2 month old head off.  The same almost happened today...when she's 4... lol  Of course, she wanted a picture but said that Mommy had to be in the picture with her... SO I was....

She also met Martha from the PBS show Martha Speaks.  That show is actually really cute, but I didn't know it was that well known.  We just found it one day while watching PBS kids in the afternoon! lol

LAST BUT NOT LEAST....when Alayna saw this one she nearly peed her pants excited. (I'm not even kidding.  This was right up there with meeting Barbie.)  We saw Wow Wow Wubbzy while we were walking to the register.  Alayna was so excited to be meeting someone she watches on TV multiple times a day!  She told Wubbzy (him? her?) that she collects his/her DVDs...which is very true.  She has every one of them. 

Our coupon wasn't much, just 15% off, but at least it's some savings.  Alayna was excited to get a Zhu Zhu pets lunch box and back pack for school in September. :)  *tear*  I can't believe my little baby is already getting ready to go to school.  It's really unbelievable!

We finished off the day by a nice trip to Arbys.  (Mommy's favorite fast food place!)

Tomorrow, we're headed to the shore!  We can't wait. Olivia should be home by 8:30 am and then we're heading to pick one of my friend's up and on our way! The girls are so excited.

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MY NEW CAR, Social Parade and other Friday Follows!!

WELCOME to Friday Follow here at Life of an Artsy Mom!!  I'm so glad to have all of you here, the new followers and the old!  

1. What is one food you could eat everyday? I absolutely love buffalo wings and french fries.  They're definitely my weakness, especially when I'm on a diet!  I always crave them.  I'm one of those people who can't have their buffalo wings mild either.  I need them spicy. :)  My fries...well, I don't like to make them at home because they're just not the same!  McDonalds fries are just delish as are Burger King.  Wendys fries are on the bottom of my list! (Sorry Wendys lovers!!)  Of course, right now since I'm on a diet I can only dream of eating that stuff....

2. Are you working in the career you thought you would be when you were 18?  Not at all.  If you told me when I was 18 that in a year and a half I'd have a daughter and 4 years later have two girls I'd say you were crazy!!  When I was 18, I wanted to be a web designer for a large company.  Right now I am currently unemployed, so that really wasn't what I was planning, but life takes different paths than you plan and expect.  It's so difficult in our economy to get ANY jobs around here, but I am looking and I will get something eventually.  I would love to start something that can end up being a career for me and not just a job.  Things happen when they're meant to.

3. What is something that you wish you would have done when you were younger and you didn't?  I learned early on that life is too short to have regrets.  I believe it.  That said, I don't regret anything that I did or didn't do.  If I had to answer this question,  I wish I would have went to the public High School around here and not the private.  I think it would have opened a lot of paths for me and I also think it would have made me a stronger person.  I was picked on so much at my little private all girls High School it lowered my self esteem greatly.  Constantly, I'd change myself to try to fit in and I felt I had to because my class was a class of 50 girls.  If I had gone to the public HS, I would have had a class of about 1,000 and wouldn't have even had to change myself because I would have known I couldn't have pleased every one of those thousand people.  Though, I do believe HS made me stronger in the end because I did have to deal with all of the bullying and criticism. 

4. What color are your kitchen walls? Cream colored wallpaper with blue country stars.  We also have a border that's country apples in a basket.  It's adorable and I wish I had the money to completely accessorize my kitchen to match the wallpaper because I'm in love with it!!

5. Do you remember what your very first favorite song was?  I DO!!!! TLC, "Waterfalls" and Alanis Morsette, "Ironic".  I had two... :)  

Now, I have to brag...I must.  Previously I had posted about possibly getting a new car.  I needed one so badly as my old Subaru Forester was a 2001 and it needed a lot of work.  The car wasn't worth the $2,000 it would have cost to fix the brakes, shocks, struts, body damage, wheels, fan belt, etc...  The car was a mess and deemed, by my mechanic, too dangerous to even drive.  He said every time I drove my car, I was putting my life in my hands.

Being a single mom, money is extremely tight and I had absolutely no budget for a new car.  My only hope was selling mine and my moms and buying a new car straight out with whatever we got for ours.  Financing is not an option with the student loans I am still paying off.  I took my car to a few "cash for your car" places to see who would give me the most, and between my car and my moms, we got $7,000.  (Not bad for two cars that were a little older.)  

I believe in things happening that are meant to be because I got off the highway due to traffic about a week ago.  I never do that and usually wait on the highway, but I just didn't feel like it that day.  I wanted to go locally.  As I was driving down the street, I saw a car for sale.  It was gorgeous and exactly the car I wanted.  I took the number down and gave the owner a call.  He wanted $4,500 for the car and said it was in excellent condition, he just needed to sell it because his father passed away and it was his car.  

So.... I introduce you to...

The new love of my life.  That is a bad pic.  I actually took this pic about two weeks ago when I saw the car for sale for the first time. lol I wanted to show my mom, so I snapped the pic out my window.  I still have to get a good picture of my car.  It's a 2006 Chevy Equinox.  I. AM. IN. LOVE.  

It's in excellent condition, just a few scratches on the console. (Which I can deal with!)  It runs amazing and is bigger than my car, which is what I was looking for.  It can fit the car seats as well as another person in the back and is more than roomy.  I LOVE IT.  The only problem with it was the amplifier for the radio wasn't working and the CD player itself was jammed.  Not a problem!!  The keyless entry remote was broken as well.  Oh well, that's a luxury, not a necessity.  As long as the car runs... :)

Today, I ended up in Best Buy buying this lovely little thing...

A brand new Sony stereo for my car.  It was on sale for $84.99 and installation was so cheap.  They had it done for me in about an hour.  (THANKS WILL FROM BEST BUY!!)  I had money left over from what I got for my car, so I decided to just splurge.  After all, we are taking a ride down the shore on Sunday and my kids always need to listen to Imagination Movers. lol No joke.

That's my lovely car getting it's stereo installed. :)  I love this car.  It only has 70,000 miles on it.  Who am I to complain??  All I want to do is drive now and my mom and the kids want to go for rides.  I can't blame them!  This thing is amazing.

I don't know how the hell I was lucky enough to snag this car for $4,500, but I did and I'm so happy.  It looks expensive (ha!) and is the car I wanted for a long time now.  

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Wordless Wednesday - Central Park

A short while ago I went to Central Park with one of my friends and took some beautiful pictures.  I just think I actually did very well! :)

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Monday Miscellany - A bunch of random musings for this week.

ONE}

I can't believe my luck.  My 4 year old is obsessed with that stupid Christmas movie ELF.  Buddy is one of her imaginary friends now and she constantly watches it.  Yes, even in the dead of summer.  I was reading different articles online today and what do I see?  That on Nov. 2nd ELF is going to become a BROADWAY MUSICAL...  We're 20 minutes from Manhattan so there's really no excuse I can give not to take her...  Maybe she'll be over the phase within 7 months... Yeah right.  Wishful thinking, right? Ha!

TWO}

Domestic isn't even the word for me lately!!  I made low fat/low cal orange buns this morning.  They were so delicious I could barely stand it.  Everyone else thought so too.  Between yesterday and today I think I cooked enough for an entire small country. ha!  I'm in a huge cooking phase and I'm not complaining.  I actually am enjoying it too and of course, I have tons of recipes to post here!

THREE}

Tomorrow I go to look at my car.  Of course, it's not my car yet.  I'm still driving my Subaru, but not for long.  My car is honestly too dangerous to drive.  Brakes are shot, shocks and struts are shot, fan belt is shot, something with the wheels.  My car has lasted me a long time and I tried to make it last longer, but unfortunately it just can't make it anymore.  *pats car*  I'm gonna miss it, but I'm looking at this awesome Chevy Equinox that is very decently priced and just sitting there waiting for me.  The guy said he'll work on a good price with me.  Let's hope.  We only will have the money after we cash in my car and my mom's. Wish me luck!!

FOUR}

I made the decision ... I'm going  back to the gym.  I'm going to Bally's on a month free trial.  I'm excited that I can attend the classes and work out as much as I want.  I feel like it's going to help me along a lot on my goals.  I just wasn't liking my local gym. (Planet Fitness)  I've been to Bally's before, when I was going to college, and I liked everyone there.  I actually can't wait to go work out.

FIVE}

This year I didn't get to see fireworks.  I had been doing a quick job when they were in our town and besides, Alayna had strep.  Our town is directly across the skyline from Manhattan, so we CAN see the Macy's fireworks.  I took a quick drive myself to our waterside last night to see them.  Unfortunately, so many people were there it wasn't even worth staying... but I did see a good portion of the Macy's fireworks. :)  I decided just to go to Wendys, get Frostys and go home. 

SIX}

It's been so fucking hot here.  100 degrees has been the highest, and that's been the majority of the day.  Right now, it's almost 7pm and it's 91 degrees.  How can ANYONE handle the heat?  We've had scattered "brown outs" around here and actually our living room power doesn't work as well as my daughter's room power.  I guess we're sleeping in my room tonight until the power starts to work in those two rooms.  How weird that only those rooms don't work!

SEVEN}

I'm so incredibly restless.  I'm tired, I'm bored, I don't want to sleep, I don't know if I want to go out anywhere. Haha! I don't even know what I want to eat!!  So I'm just a big useless blob of crank today.  (Although, so is everyone else.  It's the damn weather.)  I'll write a full entry later... right now I just have to go to the store to find food.  Someone get me up and push me out the frikkin door!!

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Caillou, that bald 5 year old!

My 2½ year old is OBSESSED with Caillou and don't get me wrong, I like the show too!  She carries around her little Caillou doll and story book everywhere! (And I mean everywhere.)  She has actually been begging me to get her a Caillou DVD but I can't seem to find a decent priced one, haha. But I digress...  My 4½ year old asked me tonight the apparently very  popular question, "Mommy, why is Caillou bald if he is 5 years old."  I've been wondering it for a while, but never really cared too much to find out.  I'd usually forget about the question soon after I thought of it.  Tonight, since Alayna asked, I decided to do a google search.  I was surprised to see just how many people wondered the same thing and actually asked about it on many different sites!!  Of course, many sites were just people bashing on the poor bald 4 year old, but I actually found a pretty good answer from this site. (Which actually covers a few questions about Caillou.) As well as answers the question, why is Caillou bald. This is the answer the publishing company gives:

Caillou stands for all children. He doesn't have curly blond hair, a carrot-top, brown hair, glasses, or ethnic features, because he represents all children. We wanted to make Caillou universal so every child could identify with him. And they do! Caillou's baldness may make him different, but we hope it's helping children understand that being different isn't just okay, it's normal.

I think that is a great answer and think it's a great concept as well. There are many kids who are different in many ways.  Appearance wise, we may be black, white, aisan or hispanic.  Some kids might have blonde hair, black hair, brown hair or red hair.  Eye color is different.  There may be tall kids, short kids, chubby kids, skinny kids and so on.  It's great for children to have a positive role model teaching them that being different is OK and it's what makes us an individual.  Especially in a world where kids grow up to be very critical teens who may bully or gang up on someone who is different, it's very imperative that kids learn at a young age that no one is the same as another.  Hell, I was made fun of growing up for being the chubby, geeky kid with glasses and not so hip clothes.  I wouldn't want my kids growing up being bullied or being the one who bullies others.  

Caillou also has many different friends, an African American friend, an Indian friend (what's the correct terminology for that?)  A hispanic friend, an Asian friend...  Caillou is open to having friends from every race and ethnicity.  Again, a very positive message to children.  I grew up in a very racist family and I remember having many fights with my family about those who were different.  I'm a very open minded individual and never believed in racism, as they did.  (To show you how racist they were, I dated a hispanic/italian guy in High School and one day when he came to my house with flowers and I wasn't home, they chased him away and threatened him to never come back to my home... Which ruined that relationship and hurt me very badly.)  I want to raise my girls with an open mind to be accepting to everyone, and that's just what I am doing.  Caillou helps a lot.  

So that little bald headed 5 year old, as odd as it may seem, actually is a great message to all children.  Parents seem to have a very varying opinion of him and the show itself, but mine is a very positive one. 

What do you and your children think of Caillou?

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Cranberry Apple Turkey Burgers with Summer Squash Salad

Cranberry Apple Turkey Burger

• 1 medium thin slice of green apple
• 1\2 celery stalk, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp fresh salsa (or chopped onion)
• 1 garlic and red pepper seasoning (or you can use poultry seasoning)
• Dash of salt
• Dash of pepper
• Ground turkey patty
• 2 toasted slices of 40 calorie wheat bread
• 3 tbsp whole cranberry sauce
• Slice of fat free sharp cheddar cheese

1. In a bowl, combine the turkey, salsa/onions, celery, seasoning, salt and pepper. Form into a patty.
2. Spray a pan or grill pan with Pam Olive Oil spray. Add the turkey patty and cook until done.
3. Add the cheese and cover until melted.
4. On the toasted bread, put a slice of apple, the turkey patty, top with cranberry sauce and you're done! 

This burger is 320 calories :)

 Summer Squash Succotash

• One small yellow squash
• 2 tbsp red bell pepper finely chopped
• 2 tbsp chopped onion
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 1\2 tbsp butter
• 1\2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1\2 tbsp EVOO
• Dash of salt
• Dash of pepper

1. Cut the squash into quarters (length wise) and those into slices.
2. Add water to a sauce pan filling about 2\3 full and bring to rolling boil.
3. Add the squash, pepper and onion.  Cover and reduce to lower heat.  Let that cook about 8-10 minutes or until the squash is fork tender.
4. Drain the vegetables and put in a bowl
5. Add the basil, butter, EVOO, salt, pepper, lemon juice and toss until the butter is melted.

About 2\3 cup is 61 calories. :)

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It's Friday! Yay! :)

I feel like I've been so absent from Friday Follow!!  Well, I have.  Alayna has been sick with strep for the past week and I'm a little frustrated at my pediatrician.  The pediatrician refuses to give any antibiotics.  I'm no physician but I used to get strep five times a year for 15 years. (No joke.)  I was given antibiotics every single time.  I'm just being told to give her Tylenol.  Doesn't that seem off to you??  I'm worried that Alayna is gonna turn out like me with being prone to strep.  I finally got my tonsils out when I was 15.  My pediatrician (related to Alayna's) never believed in tonsillectomys.  I just feel like mother's know best, and I believe that's 100% true.  

I remember reading a post about mother's intuition on Theta Mom's blog.  There were many follow up blogs to it because it's a great subject and it's true.  It was very interesting reading the stories of how mothers were right over doctors or over teachers and so on.  I have a great story of mother's intuition as well.

Alayna was born prematurely.  Surprisingly, she weighed 8lbs 7oz. (At almost 35 weeks - Yes, my dates were right.)  She ended up in the NICU for quite a while because she had some normal problems that many preemies have, despite her weight and length.  Her main problems were digestive issues and feeding problems.  She wasn't born with the sucking reflex and therefore had to be fed through a gastro tube.  She would not take a bottle no matter what, and I was assured that it was something she just hadn't developed since she was premature, but it could be learned.  She said sucking is an involuntary action for babies, however it has to be developed.  It felt like an eternity that Alayna had the gastro tube, especially to a mother driving 45 minutes each way per day to go to the hospital to be with her daughter.  They kept trying the bottle, wanting her to get the hang of it and sometimes she did, sometimes she didn't.  

When Alayna started to learn how to suck on a bottle, she would take a few small ounces of formula and then throw it all up...violently.  This led to the gastro tube being put back in because she would throw up everything she had taken in.  Even so, for me, the smallest amount that she drank from a bottle was cause to celebrate.  

This continued to happen for a long time and her weight started to go down.  They could not figure out what was wrong with her.  Me, being the determined person I was, went online and began to research.  The next day before I went to the hospital, I went to Babies R Us and bought everything that I had read about to try.  I was hesitant that the NICU wouldn't allow me to try, but we had this one amazing nurse Carol who was very caring and understood my feelings.  She let me try what I wanted to.  

The new formula I had brought in and the new bottles semi worked.  She didn't throw up as much formula as she had used to, but it was still cause for concern because in order for her to leave the NICU, her body weight had to be over a certain amount and consistent for two days straight.  She had to stop throwing it up and the hospital had no idea what the hell was going on.  Which frustrated me even more.  Isn't a neonatologist supposed to be knowledgeable? Aren't they supposed to know everything?  I had many emotional ups and downs there.  I would burst into tears, I would scream at the neonatologist.  All of which are very common in the NICU because of the pressure the moms are under.  

One day after doing research I came up with something that sounded just like what my daughter was going through.  I printed everything out and took it to the nurse Carol.  There was a covering neonatologist there that day and she listened to me very intently.  The article was about infant reflux in premature babies.  She thought it couldn't hurt to give it a try, so she ordered many GI tests for Alayna.  Turns out, I was right.  She had severe reflux.  Once they put her on Pepcid and started giving her a lactose free formula, the throwing up stopped, the constant crying stopped and she was my happy little baby.  Almost two months after she was born, she came home.  I owe all of that to mother's intuition.  If I hadn't stepped in and did my research, God only knows how long Alayna would have been in the hospital.  

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