My Brute Squad

What's Going On

2009-01-25T06:07:00.003-08:00

I made My Brute Squad an "Invite Only" blog.

Visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus

2008-11-26T12:39:00.001-08:00

Keegan was great. Lochlan was a little mad.

Helping with the Tree...or Not

2008-11-26T06:27:00.000-08:00

12 Days of Christmas

2008-11-25T10:18:00.001-08:00

He Walks!

2008-11-13T19:32:00.000-08:00

Wordless Wednesday: New Nephew

2008-11-11T18:57:00.000-08:00

10 pounds, 11 ounces

Freaky Foto Friday: Haunted Beach House

2008-10-31T01:00:00.000-07:00

Here is the last ghost photo from our stay at the haunted beach house. In the master tub upstairs, where we heard all the banging.

Making Decisions

2008-10-27T18:27:00.000-07:00

Being a mom is hard, when you know every decision effects your child somehow. How much TV? Which Vaccinations? What Extracurricular Activities?

So, let's talk about Keegan. Keegan is OBSESSED with skeletons. He sees them everywhere, not just on Halloween decorations. But logos on stores, cartoons, surfboards ... if there is a skeleton he points at it excitedly saying "Eleton, Eleton!" And yes, he is still carrying that plastic skeleton doll around with him. And he loves Bones the Skeleton from Where's My Mummy.

So the other morning I was putting DVDs away and he say a skeleton on the cover of the DVD Creepshow. "Eleton, TV?" (My smart kid.) I thought it was hilarious he wanted to watch Creepshow and see the skeleton, but I made a decision. No Creepshow for 2.5 year olds.

Fast forward to that night. Kevin was going to put a movie on to watch, Keegan is in the room. I KNEW Kevin was going to choose an action flick. No matter what it wouldn't REALLY be suitable for a toddler. But a toddler was in the room and would see bits of it, so I thought Keegan should like what's on TV too. So I peered over Kevin's shoulder and said, "How about Ghost Rider?"

You know Ghost Rider? Johnny Blaze (Nicholas Cage) turns into a skeleton that is on fire and punishes bad guys and demons. This sounds awful scary, right? But it is a pretty goofy movie. So we show Keegan the cover and he says, "Eleton!" all happy. We put it on and once the fiery Ghost Rider makes an appearance, Keegan decides its time to stop playing, get cozy with mommy on the couch and just keep shouting "Eleton" with glee! And I keep trying to make this a learning moment, like parenting articles tell you to, as I explain:

"The Skeleton is good! He is catching bad guys!"

I know, it's a stretch. But, it was like Keegan already knew that there was nothign really scary about the movie and that the skeleton was good? So I think he has yet another favorite action figure next to the Hulk, Spiderman and He-Man - Johnny Blaze, aka Ghost Rider.

Honestly, it is not exactly Disney or Noggin. And it's not something we watch every day. But the kid really likes it. And he's not violent and he does not act out. He is very mellow and has a weird thing for skeletons.

Freaky Foto Friday: Haunted Beach House

2008-10-24T01:00:00.000-07:00

Another photo in front of the fireplace. I see a shadow of little boy and woman...
I am saving the freakiest photo of our stay for Halloween. LOL.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY: Because I Need More Cute Stories

2008-10-22T01:00:00.000-07:00

How You Know Your Husband is Cheating

2008-10-20T01:00:00.001-07:00

I shouldn't joke. I already told Kevin that I was going to title my post that and he rolled his eyes. I am making a reference to a House, MD episode.

Orange guy: I was playing golf and my cleats got stuck. It hurt a little but I kept playing. The next morning I could barely stand up. … Well, you’re smiling, so I take it that means this isn’t serious. [House pops a couple pills.] What’s that? What are you doing?

House: Painkillers.

Orange guy: Oh, for you. For your leg.

House: No, ’cause they’re yummy. You want one? Make your back feel better. [He hands him one.] Unfortunately, you have a deeper problem. Your wife is having an affair.

Orange guy: What?

House: You’re orange, you moron. It’s one thing for you not to notice, but if your wife hasn’t picked up on the fact that her husband has changed colors, she’s just not paying attention. By the way, do you consume just a ridiculous amount of carrots and megadose vitamins? [Orange guy nods slightly.] Carrots turn you yellow, the niacin turns you red. Find some finger paint and do the math. And get a good lawyer.

Now. Look at this wonderful picture of me my husband took. (I look bad. It was late-ish. We took the kids to this after-hours thing at the Aquarium). My husband walked in front of me and behind me. He took this picture. You think he would have noticed there was something wrong with my V-Neck blouse.

You say: But, Erin, you are not wearing a V-neck blouse.
I say: Uh, yes I am.

Look at the picture again. Doesn't the collar look funny? It's BACKWARDS! OMG! I walked around in public with my V-Neck Blouse on BACKWARDS!

Uhm. I have no more words. Thank you.

Freaky Foto Friday: Haunted Beach House

2008-10-17T01:00:00.000-07:00

Last Friday I shared a picture from the haunted beach house in front of the fire place. Here is one of the staircase.

How Not to Tell Your Husband You're Pregnant

2008-10-14T08:45:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Kevin would think I would announce being pregnant on blogger first. Haha. No - I am NOT pregnant. But he went to visit the Mom Buzz and saw my post about pregnancy tests. His first thought was, "Erin's pregnant?" After a moment of panic, he realized I was talking about how we trusted First Response as our choice of pregnancy tests.

But now I am thinking... a little wickedly. I think if I WERE to become pregnant again in the future I will announce it here first. Don't get too excited, it wont be any time soon! But it will be a sure-fire way of knowing Kevin reads my blog. Mwa-ha-ha.

Freaky Foto Friday

2008-10-10T01:00:00.000-07:00

Last week Keegan, Lochlan, Kevin and I went to Nema and Baboo's beach house. Now, last time we were there we heard funny noises and banging coming from upstairs. We told Nema and Baboo, but no one believed us. Here is some photo proof the house is haunted! You see it??? (More to come...)

Keegan's New Lovey: No Skin On But He Doesn't Care!

2008-10-09T01:00:00.000-07:00

Nema gave me (Keegan) a plastic skeleton to hang up as a Halloween Decoration, since we are too po' to buy our own. Funny enough, the kid adopted it as his new buddy and won't let me hang it up. Here Keeg is playing and SWIMMING with Skeleton.

Why Did the Shark Have to Die

2008-10-06T01:00:00.000-07:00

Karen, Ryan and the kids recently went to Universal Studios. I'll have to get her to send me some photos. *hint*hint* Anyways, they rode Jaws. There really isn't too much a five and three year old can do ride-wise at Universal - Jaws is one of the few attractions both kids could go on. And Skyler really wanted to see the shark, although Lucas ... not-so-much. They tried tricking Lucas into thinking it was only a "boat ride". But he points at the ride on the map with Jaws peeking out of the water and says, "No, it's a shark ride!" But Skyler got her way, and they rode the "boat ride".

If you've been on Jaws you know what happens. Jaws chases the boat, there are explosions, gun shots, lots of heat and fire and then Jaws is killed. At the end of the ride the kids get off and Lucas is quite upset, crying on Ryan about the scary shark. Then Skyler, the instigator who wanted to GO on the ride goes to her daddy too and starts crying. Karen and Ryan are confused. They know why Lucas is crying, but why Skyler? So Ryan asks Skyler why she is upset and she wails:

"But why did the shark have to die???!!!!"

LMAO.

He Get's His Good Looks From His Dad

2008-10-03T01:00:00.000-07:00

So I went to Ace Hardware with Keegan and Lochlan the other day. A much-older employee, maybe in his 70s or so, came up to us and started chatting with the boys. How can you blame him, they are darn cute. Then he says to Keegan, "You must get your good looks from your dad."

Uhm...

I think my jaw dropped. Am I that ugly? Did I just not realize how awful I look? What has motherhood done to me? After a few more minutes chatting with Keegan he then says, "Ah, but your mom isn't so bad either."

Okay, that is not making me feel much better. So I finish browsing at Ace, walk across the street back to the car, load Lochlan in his car seat, then I reach for Keegan.

Keegan is wearing a shirt that says:

I Get My Good Looks From My Dad

So here I was, walking through Ace for half an hour devastated that an old man seemed to think I was a hideous ogre, and that Keegan's cute genes came from his daddy. When the man was simply remarking on Keegan's shirt! And I am the one who put the shirt ON Keegan that morning. Hello, Mommy Brain!

So all you parents, beware! Toddler shirts with funny comments might just make you feel inadequate for a minute ...or 30.

Faux Sea Turtle Tracks

2008-09-30T16:03:00.001-07:00

FYI: When your baby crawls around the sand like this, the tracks he leaves behind resemble a sea turtle's.

I Went Away on Vacation...

2008-09-28T13:37:00.003-07:00

I went away on vacation and all I did was play with dead fish.

If Keegan was going to write a paper on his vacation, that is what he might say. Although, that's not ALL he did. That's just what he did for 30 minutes or so during our second day at Nema and Baboo's beach house.

While we were there we met a great couple who was fishing on the beach. I had already chatted with them once about what they were catching, their bait, and how wonderful the beach and city was. So, Keegan felt comfortable enough to approach them again and look in their bait bucket. I followed and pointed out the dead mullet. Of course, he is a curious toddler and wanted to HOLD the dead mullet. I tried to dissuade him, but he was pretty adamant about touching it. So the woman said she didn't mind him touching it. I figured it was no worse then handling the dead fish at Sea World, the ones you feed to the seals and dolphins.

So he pulls a mullet out and talks to it. Next he makes it swim in the bait water. Ewww. Then he pulls a second mullet out and they start kissing. "Muah." Then I hear a little conversation going, with the word "Nemo" thrown in every now and then. Now Keegan does say "fish", but certain fish he calls "Nemo". Not really sure why some are "Nemo" and others are simply "fish", but that is how it is at our house.

So next the gentleman catches a fish and reels it in. He shows Keegan, but the fish is too small so he throws it back. Keegan thinks it is a FABULOUS idea and tries to throw the dead mullet in the water, too. Now Kevin, the lady and I thought it was hilarious, but I think when your toddler tries setting frozen dead bait free in the ocean its time to say good-bye to the nice folk and move on.

Still, who knew you could have so much fun playing with dead fish?

Fun Foto Friday: My Hulk Fan

2008-09-26T01:00:00.001-07:00

My Beast!

2008-09-25T01:00:00.000-07:00

When you have two kids of the same gender, I think you can't help but compare more. Because if they are a boy and a girl, you can always atrribute the differences to gender. But I have two very different boys. Keeg was my mellow baby and a very easy-going toddler. He is still a toddler with toddler tendencies (climbing, screeching, running). But overall, easy. Lochlan is my mover and shaker. Crawling at 7 months. Pulling up came shortly after. Very social. Keegan is about details. Lochlan is a big-picture kinda guy.

Finally, Keegan is a slow and steady grower. He is around the 10th percentile for height and weight. Lochlan is a BEAST. Here are his stats from his 9 month appointment!
22.13 pounds (80th percentile)
30 inches (93rd percentile)
His head is 17.75" - which is 48th percentile. His head is average. Which is good. He'll always find a hat that fits.

Let's compare with Keegan. Keegan wasn't 30" until he was 16 months old. He was 28.5" at 9 months. Their weight is close. Keegan was almost 22 pounds at 9 months. That makes for a very chubby Keegan when he was that age. Lochlan is a little leaner, but solid.

I really look forward to watching them grow and seeing how they each define their own identity through the years.

Is it Delivery? No! It's DiGiournio!

2008-09-23T01:00:00.000-07:00

It was late, around 7:30 pm. The kids and I already had dinner. Keegan and I ate pizza, while Lochlan had something more baby-appropriate. I put the kids in the bath, where they were happily splashing. Kevin comes home from work, grabs a slice of pizza and wanders over to the bathroom to watch the boys play in the water. When Lochlan sees Kevin with the slice of pizza, he pulls himself up excitedly and tries to catapult over the edge of the tub. I help him out and he quickly crawls to Kevin and pulls himself on his leg, bawling. Is it "Daddy" he wants? Noooo... it's his PIZZA. Kevin gives him a piece of sausage, which we have done before, but NO! That is not what Lochlan wants, as he ignores it and continues to cry. So Kevin gives him a chunk of pizza and Lochlan happily munches away. Eight months old. Two teeth. Eating pizza.

Fabulous Foto Friday

2008-09-19T04:16:00.000-07:00

Okay - not so funny. But very fabulous photo of a frog on my Plumeria.

Live Wire

2008-09-18T06:46:00.000-07:00

"He is a Live Wire," says the librarian. She is talking about Keegan, as he just undid the 5 point harness that was "restraining" him in the double Combi stroller. Actually, it was more of a Houdini move. He managed to pull both arms out of the shoulder restraints. Then he took his shoes off and pulled his legs out of the lap restraints as he scooted up the back of the stroller.

"Uhm, yah," I respond. As he then wriggles under the lap bar and goes running down an aisle, sans shoes to make the pitter patter of his size 6 wide feet even more silent. At least he was quiet. Considering she saw that my son just took off in a massive library, I was wondering why she was taking her time handing me the books I was trying to check out.

"At least he enjoys the library," she continues.

"Yup," I say. "He loves it here."

Honestly, it's an awesome new library. When we first visited it a few weeks ago, Keegan was so well-behaved, taking in the wide selection and massive amount of space. But now he treats it like a second home, as he braves every aisle with just a brief look back to make sure I am following. And the librarians are pretty cool, letting kids be kids as long as they aren't too disruptive.

As I follow him, making sure he stays out of trouble I start to wonder. I always thought of Keegan as my mellow kid. But maybe I just have to own up to the fact I have a very active little boy on my hands. How should I handle it. Do I let him have his independence and explore, or do I curtail this lil' bit of insanity. But the truth is, I love his personality. Yes, he keeps me on my toes. But you should always handle live wire with care.

You Know that Giddy Feeling?

2008-09-17T15:38:00.000-07:00

It's not just when you meet your true love. Well, maybe it is. But in this case I must have a few true loves. Because one of the best things about being a mom is when I get that giddy feeling just hugging and loving on my little ones. Goodness, my boys are perfect. They just fill my heart with fluffy ol' love.

Hot Mama!

2008-09-16T17:38:00.000-07:00

What can I say? Sometimes you just got it... a fever that is. It happens to the best of us - even moms. Keegan was sick on Thursday, with fevers climbing to over 103 degrees. Followed by Lochlan on Saturday night through Sunday with a fever ranging to the 101's. Followed by their dear, exhausted mother, with a fever ranging in the one-oh-twos. Now, when I worked out of the house I remember that if I was going to get sick, it would inevitably come Friday night and I would be ill all weekend and get better just in time to go to work on Monday. But now that I stay home with the kiddos, it seems to work the other way. Rather than getting sick on the weekends, when my husband is home to help, I get sick on Monday when he is busy with client meetings, catching up on work and earning the paycheck we use to survive.

So, you may ask how Monday went with me having a fever. Uhm, I think it was probably similar to Lord of the Flies or something. Maybe that is too brutal, but it was definitely a return to basic needs and survival. Pretty much I dragged my body around and laid down by the boys while my toddler and baby played. Now, normally I say having a mobile 8 month old is HARD. But in this case, it did help since he pretty much entertained himself and used me as a jungle gym. Also, is it just coincidence that I leave him to fend for himself (under adult supervision) for a day - and now he can STAND on his own??? So, a little independence definitely leads to an evolution of milestones on Lochlan's part! Haha! Well, the boys better not get too used to it, because this mama is on the mend, with a low grade fever (99's) and I expect by tomorrow we'll be wheeling around the neighborhood to make up for being cooped up in the house.

Funny Foto Friday! #3

2008-09-12T11:37:00.001-07:00

How can you not love this face? Kissy kissy!

R.E.M. S.L.E.E.P. Find Out What It Means to Me

2008-09-11T12:12:00.000-07:00

Sing along!

R.E.M. S.L.E.E.P. Find Out What It Means to Me.
R.E.M. S.L.E.E.P. Need some soon you see.

Oh, a little sleep.
Yah Baby, I wanna little sleep.
Now I get tired, but I keep tryin'.
Runnin' out of energy, and I ain't lyin'.
Yes, sleep. All I need is R.E.M. sleep.

Okay, a bad mockery of R.E.S.P.E.C.T. by Arethra Franklin. But that song hit me at around 3 am last night. And I dedicate it to my little monster - Lochlan.

Now, I theorize that a lack of sleep is taking a toll on me. Do you know HOW important REM is?

1. Memories are consolidated during REM. No REM = uh...you know...when you can't remember squat. What's the word? Uhm...yah, forgetful. Makes you forgetful.

2. REM sleep is necessary for proper central nervous system development. Deprivation can result in behavioral problems, permanent sleep disruption and decreased brain mass. So you wonder why I am a little cranky?

3. REM sleep loss leads to several behavioral and physiological abnormalities. By the way, have you met my sister Flo? (You know, the blue fish from Finding Nemo that thinks she has a twin sister but it really is her reflection. Honestly, it takes the fun out of it if I have to explain EVERY joke.)

Anyways, so if I am moody or cranky, I just need some sleep. We're running on 8 months of interrupted REM. Not good for my singing.

I Will Not Brag...

2008-09-10T18:05:00.001-07:00

Because if I brag, it will stop. I learned my lesson with Lochlan. I was all excited that he slept through the night for a week before our 3 month visit to the pediatrician. I told my online chat board. I told my family. I told my friends. And you know what, for the past 5 months I've been getting up on average once a night. Sometimes twice - or more. And sometimes he throws me a bone and let's me have a night of not getting up, but the whole time I am listening to him coo LOUDLY for an hour in his bedroom before going back to sleep. But more often than not, my 20 plus pound kid is waking up for a feeding in the middle of the night between 2 and 4 am.

That said, I am just informing y'all that Keegan has been dry at night for 11 days or so. Exciting, yes? Ages ago he would wake up dry, but that stopped and I never really forced the issue because he is so small, I figure his bladder is equally as small. And how can you expect a teeny person like Keegan to hold pee for 11 hours? But he has been consistently dry. Of course, I am helping the kid out. Once I realized he was trying hard to be dry at night I now take him to go potty right before bed. So he runs around sans pants for an hour after bath time. Then he goes potty one more time. Then bed. Then he wakes me up in the morning and the first thing we do, once he literally drags mommy out of bed (remember - I am up with Lochlan at some ungodly hour so I am exhausted) he goes potty. And then he is usually dry all day.

Well, I am thinking if he can keep this up for the rest of the year I'll switch him to underwear for bed. Eek. Isn't that exciting?

Anyways. I am not bragging. If someone happens to read this and wants to give Keegan some kudos, then go ahead. But this post was merely informational. :tiny cheer for Keegan:

Daddy Day and the Dinosaurs.

2008-09-08T04:46:00.001-07:00

I guess you can say that Keegan is my wingman. Over the past 27 months I definitely notice aspects of his personality that are similar to mine. Demanding. Particular about what he wants. Wants things immediately. Or is that all toddlers? Wait a second... do I actually have the personality of a toddler? Teehee. Seriously now, his personality is similar to mine, down to what he says and how he says it. But he does hang out with me A LOT. And it shows because everything is, "Mommy, Mommy, MOM-MEE!!!" Even if Kevin is inches away from him and I am across the house, he will call me. So it is a good idea to implement Daddy Day.

It started with Busch Gardens. Kevin has a pass and I don't. So rather than me buying a pass and Lochlan going to an amusement park that he can't do anything at - Kevin and Keegan went alone and had a blast. More recently, I was attending a baby shower for my friend Nicole. (Hi, Nicole! Had a blast!) I took Lochlan with me, since he is pretty portable at 8 months old. But Keegan would have been a toddler terror and Kevin would have been bored, so Keegan and Kevin teamed up for another edition of Daddy Day. They went to MOSI for the Dinosaur exhibit and afterwards they went to see Wall-E in the theater.

Funny thing... Kevin says Keegan is super quiet and whispers rather than talks when they hang out just in a twosome. And anyone who has seen me with my boys knows that Keegan is LOUD LOUD LOUD. And Kevin thinks when Keegan is with both him and me, that he is "normal". I don't know, has anyone else ever experienced this? Where the toddler almost has multiple personalities depending on who he hangs out with?

Anyways, Daddy Day was a success, as always. And I think Kevin is looking forward to chilling with just Keegan again. And I look forward to just hanging with just Lochlan, too. Sometimes its tough being the little brother and having to share attention. But when it is just him and Mommy he gets held the whole time and double the kisses.

Funny Foto Friday

2008-09-05T04:34:00.001-07:00

Just a normal day at our house.

Boo!

2008-09-03T05:52:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when I am out with my boys, I wonder do we scare non-parents and/or soon-to-be parents? Like when Lochlan is screeching at levels that heavy metal listeners would complain about and Keegan is ... well...a little boy.

For example, this is a normal day shopping at my local grocery store. Keegan sits in the toddler seat. Lochlan sits in the infant seat. We get a free cookie from the bakery. (Thank you, Publix!) This distracts Keegan until aisle three. Then he asks for a new cookie.

"Cookie?" he asks inquiringly.

I spend aisle three telling him that he only gets one cookie per supermarket visit, but mommy will make cookies tonight.

Aisle 4, he is out of the cart and walking next to me. Lochlan is eating my coupons.

Aisle 5, Keegan is putting boxes of brownies in my cart. I remove them. Lochlan is eating my checkbook.

Aisle 6, Keegan puts 5 bottles of ketchup in the cart. I remove them. I eye Lochlan suspiciously as my keys are now missing.

Aisle 7, speaking of missing... where is Keegan? Head down Aisle 8. There he is, turning the corner to go back Aisle 7.

"Don't you move, Keegan," I say.

A mom with two kids and an adorable pregnant belly laughs and says, "Like THAT will happen." It sounds snottier than it was. It was more like she got a kick out of it not being her kids.

We move back down Aisle 8, him doing a toddler run. I race him with the huge cart, catch him, stick him in his seat as he arches his back and says, "No, Mommy, no!" Another woman, shopping sans kids, laughs.

Aisle 9 to infinity (how many aisles ARE IN Publix?) he complains and whines, "Mommy Mommy Mommy..." I see the ready-bake cookies, grab a chilled roll of cookie dough and hand it to Keegan. He bops Lochlan with it.

We get to the check out. I take 1/2 digested coupons out of Lochlan's mouth. I remove the soggy remains of my checkbook and decide to use my debit card instead.

Keegan wants to push the green button as I pay. I swipe my debit card. He pushes the green button. Everyone is happy. I put my debit card away. The cashier says,"Uh, he hit cancel... you have to swipe again."

"KEEGAN!"

And the cashier says, "Terrible Twos, eh?"

I say, "It's not terrible. Just keeps me busy."

It's not THAT scary, is it? Or am I just used to this by now? Like by caring for them from infanthood, it is such a gradual process of them becoming scary little monsters that I am somehow immune. Like Dr. Frankenstein, I think my creations are beautiful and wonderful. They just cause havoc and mayhem from time to time. Mwa-ha-ha.

Please Don't Feed the T-Rex

2008-09-01T08:28:00.001-07:00

Well, over the weekend we went to an old Florida Attraction called Dinosaur World. Now, tell me - what could two adult Floridians possibly be thinking, going to an outside attraction in AUGUST? Needless to say, it was pretty hot. But overall, it was a great experience for Keegan and Lochlan. It boasts over 150 life size dinosaur statues. Some are small, about the size of Keegan. Others were HUGE, like the mighty T-Rex, towering over Kevin and the kids as I took pictures.

Keegan's vocabulary is expanding, but at Dinosaur World he simply said, "Wow!" as he ran around to look at the different, terrible lizards.

One thing that surprised me was that you didn't just see statues of dinosaurs standing around. There was some carnage, too, as herbivores were attacked by carnivores. And a few carnivores were gored by herbivores protecting their nests. But Keegan walked right on by.

There are picnic spots, both by the playground and in a faux cave system where you can eat a packed lunch. There is no place to buy food there, so bring a cooler! And you can also feed some koi. Just beware the prehistoric koi. (I'm serious).

Good to know: I don't know if this is an annual promotion, but they gave us free passes to come back to the park in December for coming in August. I can't wait to go back when it is cooler and there are less bugs!

And just remember, please don't feed the T-Rex!

Teething Troubles!

2008-08-29T19:24:00.000-07:00

Without a doubt, my little one is suffering from teething. He is so desperate that he chews flip flops, crocs, sneakers and oh-so dangerous toys that are choking hazards and not made for baby chompers. I bought these awesome rubber chew toys made of organic rubber and food-safe paint, and although they are soothing on his gums he is still in discomfort. But now there is a chance I might be able to get my hands on an amber teething necklace! So many of the girls on my chatboard, www.babytalkbio.com/community, have bought and used these necklaces for their children and they rave about them. You can see a review at this awesome blog called Ohana Mama that features great give-aways for moms and kids. And currently they are sponsoring a give-away for an amber necklace from Inspired By Finn.

This is how the necklace works.

They are made of Baltic amber beads that when placed against the skin and allowed to warm up release natural oils that are supposed to help soothe the teething pain.

The necklaces come in varying lengths, colors and bead styles. And they aren't just for teething! They can soothe joint pains and head aches!

So, visit Ohana Mama to find out how you can win one of these awesome necklaces!

Funny Foto Friday!

2008-08-29T04:31:00.000-07:00

Lochlan gnawing on Kevin's stubble. That's why we needed the teethers...

I Thought I Ordered Pepperoni on this Pizza?

2008-08-28T08:30:00.000-07:00

My picky eater amazes me. Honestly, there is not too much Keegan will eat. I joke that he thrives off air. I am lucky if I can get him to eat three meals a day, plus a snack. And what he craves one day - for example blueberries - he then will ignore for months afterwards. But right now we are on a pizza kick. Wait, let me correct that. We are on a pepperoni pizza kick. No...that doesn't sound right either. Oh, we are on a PEPPERONI kick. How is it that a picky eater likes spicy pepperoni?

But it is pretty cute. He'll ask for it breakfast, noon and night. "Pizza," he asks inquiringly. At first I would tell him we only have pizza on Friday evenings, when I would pick up a pepperoni hot-n-ready pizza for $5 from Little Caesars. I would pick all the pepperoni off of it and give it to him, along with one diced up slice. My poor husband and I have only been eating cheese pizza! But then I got smart, and I started buying turkey pepperoni in a package from the grocery store. He finishes it by Friday, and then I pick up a pizza and another package of extra pepperoni. My spicy, picky little boy.

Now, here is the cute story of the day. Yesterday Keegan asked for pizza, and I actually had a frozen one in the freezer. So I took out the package of pepperoni and the frozen pizza and asked which one he wanted. He held onto the frozen box and said, "Pizza!" So I said, ok! Let me cook it. But wouldn't you know, that bugger went straight to his chair to sit, thinking I could just pop it out of the box and serve him. He even pointed at the pizza in the box and knowingly said, "HOT!" No, baby, wishful thinking! It's cold and will need 30 minutes to cook.

By the way, after I cooked it he only ate the pepperoni.

Pie

2008-08-27T09:21:00.000-07:00

Lochlan is teething. His first teeth popped through at seven months. And to satisfy his sore gums he likes to chew rubber-like substances. Mostly sneakers, flip flops and crocs. He will also chew these glow-in-the-dark, small, made in China, choking hazard aliens his brother owns. None of those items are something I want in my son's mouth, yet he wouldn't chew traditional teethers. So, I did some research and searched online for alien teethers. I thought something about the shape of their oblong heads made them irresistable. I didn't find what I was looking for, but I did find alien-like teethers called Chan Pie Gnon. They are actually supposed to be mushrooms. And, unlike the alien toys, I can be sure these are safe for Lochlan. They use all natural rubber (phthalate-free) and food quality paint. So, of the threesome I ordered blue Chan who has a nipple-like head and pink Pie, who has knobs like a giraffe on her head. They didn't have yellow Gnon available, who has a ring on his head. These mushroom teethers have big eyes, cute freckles and they SQUEAK. They sound like the birds from the Pixar short For the Birds.

So far, he seems to enjoy these guys. Keegan loves them too, especially bouncing them off of Lochlan's head. Thank god they are made of really soft, flexible rubber.

Lochlan with Pie. Pie and Chan both came from www.babysproutnaturals.com.

A Hulk Fan Was Born

2008-08-26T17:06:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know, Keegan is quite a fan of The Hulk. It all started with a green T-shirt that his Titi and Tio bought him for Easter. He knew it had The Hulk on it and he would request it when I was getting him dressed in the mornings. He would say, "Hulk?"

Soon after, Kevin went to the bookstore and bought Keegan this great first reader book about The Hulk. It starts off with, "My name is Bruce Banner. A few years ago I was a scientist. I worked on many different experiments. One day something terrible happened. I was working with gamma radiation..." Well, I am sure you know the rest of THAT story. But the point it, Keegan learned that The Hulk wasn't just a monster. He was actually Bruce Banner. And he would point at the picture and say so sweetly, "Bewce Banna".

Now, here is the REAL story of how Kevin is tied around Keeg's teeny fingers. Kevin brought Keegan to the GOH to buy eggs. While there, Keeg pointed down an aisle and said, "Bewce Banna." Kevin says, "Where?" Keeg points again and says, "Bewce Banna". So Kevin follows in that direction where there is a myriad of Hulk dolls and Keegan is all excited saying "Hulk - Bewce Banna - Hulk - Bewce Banna." And then he says the MAGIC words.

"Hulk, please."

So that is how we have become the owner of a Made in China Hulk action figure, that you can pop Bewce Banna - I mean Bruce Banner - in.

So, it all started with A T-shirt. Haha. Thanks, Titi.

TTFN

Erin Tales

PS: We are guessing Keegan's NEXT words will be either gamma radiation or The Abomination.

Bruce Banner on Display.