Secular Confessions

[The10Eels]

I confess I am starting my green smoothies again...

and then I am spending the morning baking -- bacon cheddar chive muffins, and drunk monkey muffins (banana with chocolate chips, coconut and whiskey)

New recipes so I am hoping they turn out well

[daylilies]

They sound really good, Ash...mmm
We were at the mall today and he got a meal that comes with ice cream, but we decided to come back for it just in case he didn't finish his sandwich--well he didn't, and I reminded him that meant no ice cream. I braced myself for the meltdown. He said, "Oh well, maybe next time I will finish my sandwich and then I can have ice cream!"
I was like

[The10Eels]

WOW! wtg Josh!

[Bridget]

Lydia. I could see it going either of those two ways! Thanks for thinking of me guys.
No labor feelings yet. I saw my midwife last night. I feel nothing that makes me feel like it's happening any time soon but I never had any indication that Savana and Kai were coming either until I started to lose my mucous plug and had contractions and they they arrived in the next 48 hours. I am beyond excited though. Going to watch a dvd with the kids today on water births to prepare them a little more

[AmeriBrit]

silverstar, if I find you on Molly's friends list, I'll send you an invite too. Apologies if you already explained this, but how did you come to live in the UK? I lived in Brighton very briefly - about 10 months - but still have some of the bestest friends in the world in London now that I know from that time. It's nice to have pub buddies on that side of the pond (and not having to pay for a hotel is nice I must admit). Do you notice people doing your American accent back at you, and does it sound kind of Southern when they do it?

My husband is English-a Yorkshire lad so that's why we live over here...we met online back in the day of MSN chats, did the long distance thing for awhile (with trips back and forth) and finally decided it was best to stay in one country together...lol..I've been here 8 years now. Oh, and yes, people do try to do an American accent...they either do a horrible southern one or sound like they're trying to do the WI one...very annoying...I hate when people do a southern one specially...I did have one kid tell me when I first moved over here when I was doing some substitute teaching that I sounded like Jenny from Forrest Gump...lol...now people say I sound Irish...funny that.

Any how, yeah, do find me on facebook...I can pm my name through if you want to do it that way!

[Bridget]

I just have to share this story because I'm still giggling about it. I'm afraid it won't be as funny told as it was lived but I'll give it a shot.
Last night I had to travel to madison to see my midwife and after that I had dinner with my dad, brother, and best girlfriend. All of us (except dad) went to the domestic violence charity event in memory of my friend after the dinner. It was at a very, very crowded and very, very loud bar venue. On the drive there we were anticipating how most of the crowd were going to be people from our high school that we hadn't seen in years. There was this one girl in our school who was this very brutish, bullyish, obnoxious girl and she always sort of glommed on to me and assumed we were friends and that would get mad at me for not paying enough attention to her through the years. So anyway, we jokingly made this plan to have the "popcorn" mean that she was in the vicinity and we should all avoid eye contact.
Well, we're there for about 30 minutes and the band is so loud you literally have to yell to speak to the person next to you. I have nowhere to put my belly and am just totally uncomfortable. I say (scream) to my friend, "This band is brain numbingly loud!" and she yells back, "POPCORN".
Total brain fart on my part but at this point I've no recollection of the plan we made in the car.
I'm all, "Huh? The name of the band is Popcorn?" So she screams back "POPCORN" and I'm like okay, whatever I guess that's the name of the band. And I turn my head to the left and am face to face the brutish girl who has her arms out ready to embrace me. It worked out well for everyone because the moment I made eye contact with her is the same moment I realize the hilarity of the situation so I actually looked overjoyed to see her.
We couldn't stop laughing. It reminded me of those times at church when you get a little giggle and you can't make eye contact with anyone or you'll burst out. And of course she stayed with us the entire time we were there.
Then my normally hour drive home took almost 2 hours because of all the snow. I was exhausted.

[missychrissy]

They sound really good, Ash...mmm
We were at the mall today and he got a meal that comes with ice cream, but we decided to come back for it just in case he didn't finish his sandwich--well he didn't, and I reminded him that meant no ice cream. I braced myself for the meltdown. He said, "Oh well, maybe next time I will finish my sandwich and then I can have ice cream!"
I was like

That's awesome!!! wtg Josh!!!

Too funny Bridget! I wish I could have seen that play out!

My realtor is sending me houses that don't have enough space, bedrooms, bathrooms, or garage. We want 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and a garage. No less than that. And not over an hour away from where I work, please and thank you.

[daylilies]

I can totally picture it Bridget, and it's making me giggle so it must have been hilarious in real life.
Today we went to a charity that collects toys and clothes and gives them to needy families, hospitals, foster homes, etc. and it was just amazing. I got an e mail from my minister saying the charity needed help organizing their donations so Josh and I went and helped, and found out we can drop in any time and volunteer. Josh really got into it, figuring out how to sort out the different types of donations.

[missychrissy]

What a great thing for Josh to participate in. I how they like to help at this age. Conner was all into moving his big toys into our master bathroom for the carpet cleaners. Rich finally got around to moving the stuff back today while I was shopping and he helped him as well.

Bobbie's bf is being a douche again and he's broken up with her yet again because she did/said something he didn't like and now she's giving us the silent treatment.

[daylilies]

I was thrilled when I called beforehand and she said he was welcome. I want to do more volunteer work and involve Josh in it but I know he has a short attention span, and she didn't mind us being there only an hour or so.

[The10Eels]

I confess the muffins turned out mighty tasty!!!

[daylilies]

Yay! they sounded so good.

[missychrissy]

I'm posting from my Blackberry!

And now I want muffins.

[Bridget]

Josh is a sweetheart!
See, Kate. Your efforts are totally paying off. It takes such a long time to see results at that age but they come eventually!

[daylilies]

I know! I told DH the story about the ice cream at the mall and he said "Our son?" LOL
He just painted the capital letters from A to N almost by himself. He even did K without even asking how, which I was surprised at since it's not a letter he commonly writes. Then he ran out of space and stopped and said, "I'll finish tomorrow when it dries!"

[missychrissy]

Sydney and Conner made plaster rocks and decorated them. Conner's is a dinosaur footprint and Sydney's is decorated with butterflies.

[daylilies]

That's cool! Do you have a recipe for the plaster rocks? Sounds like something Josh would enjoy.

[missychrissy]

Sydney had a Walmart gift card, so she bought this: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Just-My-St...s-Kit/13057103 You have to use more water than the instructions call for, and if you want a special shape you have to buy the mold separately. I wish I'd known it didn't come with many because I would have bought her more gems to use too. But it was fun and Conner really loves his dinosaur footprint!!

[stash]

Bridget, any signs of labor yet? I am stalking you despite being offline mostly...

[Bridget]

Nothing yet! Waiting patiently.
Thanks for stalking!

I did a sewing project with Savana and Kai yesterday where we made these little gnomes and then lit a candle for them to sit by and sang some songs. It's from Savana's new kindergarten curriculum book. Well when I turned around for a second, Kai dropped a piece of felt into the candle. I sternly told him we never ever drop anything into a candle. I said that's the kind of thing that makes a fire spread and that's how houses start on fire.
He looked at me really wide eyed, looked at the candle, back and me, and then said, "Can I go outside please?" , Poor little guy thought the house was about to burn down.

[AbbeysMom]

Bridget.


I confess: There's a bird in the chimney! WTF do I do?!

ETA: DH says "let it die then collect it out of the flu".

[daylilies]

I don't know what to do about the bird.
I confess I just saw Black Swan. OMG. So much more disturbing than I realized.

[3andMe]

Bridget.


I confess: There's a bird in the chimney! WTF do I do?!

ETA: DH says "let it die then collect it out of the flu".

Can you take one piece of paper and burn it in the fireplace and smoke it out? It's not stuck in there, right? Just trying to build a home? A little temporary unpleasant smoke rising from your fireplace without heat might make it want to escape. If it's stuck, that's another story. I'd call a fireplace guy.

[missychrissy]

If it's a fireplace, you can leave it open and leave a window open (closing the room off to the rest of the house) and it'll eventually fly out on its own. You don't need to 'do' anything other than give it an escape route.

[AbbeysMom]

I made a lot of noise and it flew out. I thought it might be stuck, but maybe fear coaxed it out. thanks ladies!

[stash]

Two words, Bridget. Squat. A lot. Okay, three. And serious nipple stimulation. Put me into labor with Gus over a weekend, I swear.

[Cosmosmom]

I don't know what to do about the bird.
I confess I just saw Black Swan. OMG. So much more disturbing than I realized.

Did you like it though? My sister saw it a few weeks ago and thought it was pretty fantastic.

[Bridget]

Two words, Bridget. Squat. A lot. Okay, three. And serious nipple stimulation. Put me into labor with Gus over a weekend, I swear.

Sweet! I need to see if my breastpump works anyway!
Did I tell you guys the awesome news that I got from the girl I hired to be my sub? She is part of a program offered by a new stimulus package for our state that offers job training for people in the system. So they paid for all of the training she needs to be an entry level child care provider AND since they are looking at this job as her "on the job training", they're going to pay 1/2 her wages for an entire month! I'm glad I kept the faith that everything was going to work out. I mean, technically I'm still paying her almost the same as I was going to but this way she's making a decent wage so I don't feel bad putting some extra responsibility on her and off me for the time that she is here.

[missychrissy]

That's great Bridget! And good for her too.

[3andMe]

Bridget, that is wonderful news!!!

Exercise and nipple stimulation and sex did nothing for me, I have to say. Any time. I mean, for bringing on labor.