One of those days...

I'm sure we all have days wear nothing seems to go right. It started out fine with Maddy getting ready for school right on time and the baby sleeping in until 9am. But then it started with a massive argument with Miss Dee about whether or not pudding was a food group and if she could have it as part of her breakfast (she eventually won and was covered in chocolatey goodness). It then moved onto Ash trying to grab onto the tail of Yoda who was spinning in circles. This resulted in her being knocked off balance and hitting her head on the coffee table. She now has a large bruise on her forehead. Then came naptime.

I don't know what causes 3 yr olds to decide just not to listen, but man can they be persistent in their selective hearing. I decided to let the kids burn off some excess energy playing outside and did get some cute pictures.

She was trying to "read" me my book, lol.

Here's Dee and Ash sitting on the bridge Jay just finished so we can cross the creek and get over to the pig and chicken pens.

Miss Maddy grooming our neighbors goats.

Finally, we had dinner and baths and after huge fits about it being sunny out at bedtime, it is finally peaceful in the house. The rugrats are sleeping, and now its Mommys turn to lay down. Goodnight.

A Little Mommy Crazyness

I'm not trying to whine but my kids can drive me a little bit crazy. After so many sleep deprived mornings that begin well before the suns up and days that end with a bout of insomnia, I tend to find myself getting a little closer to the cracking point. I am pretty much the sole care giver (my husband drives truck and is really only home a few hours per week), and can only take so much "mommy, mommy, mommy".

So I have this wonderful Mom myself who so unselfishly asks to keep my daughters at her house for 24 hours straight (she's a saint isn't she?). I of course jump on that and we exchange children at lunch yesterday.

I came home decided to get some yardwork done by trimming up some of the trees in the creek. I come across several really cool rocks, and guess who I want to run and tell? Maddy, my oldest daughter who is at Nana's. Later that day I built a really cool waterfall, again who do I want to tell? Maddy.

So now its about 4 hours before I get to pick my girls up and I find myself really missing them. How's that for crazy? All I looked forward to all week was a day by myself and yet I can't even make it that far.

Ultimate Blog Party 2009

Wordless Wednesday

What my grandmother told me was true...

When I was younger my paternal grandmother would pick up some of us grandkids and we would go on little adventures. Sometimes she would take all of us to the movies, where she would employ us older kids into helping with the little kids and there million and one potty trips. Sometimes she would take us to the Buffalo Airport (prior to 9/11) to watch the planes take off and land, and to walk the terminal over and over. Our favorite adventure though was one as simple as a playground or park. She would take us kids to Glen Falls to feed the ducks, Island Park to wander around, or many other playgrounds. She would tell me little things from time to time being that I was the second oldest grandchild and someone to talk to. The one thing that always stuck with me was "all this fresh air and running around knocks them out everytime." Well now that I'm a Mom I try to use any wisdom I can find. So when it is a not so frigid day the kids and I are outside for as long as we can brave the cold.

Well when its not so nice out sometimes we need to invent things to do. Sometimes we roll down the hill in the backyard portion of our property.


Sometimes we put on our muck boots and slog through the creek.


Other times we just throw stones.


But in the end what my grandmother said is true...



A little bit of fresh air always knocks them out!

Let me introduce you to all the players

Since I'm going to try and make this an everyday ritual I figure I should introduce you to all the major players in my life. Here it goes:

Jay- The snowman to my bandit, the love of my life, my partner in crime. He is a 32 yr old truck driver whom I started dating in 2004 and married in 2006.

Madison ("Maddy")- My oldest daughter (I guess I should mention only this once that technically she is my step-daughter). She is my girly girl who would spend hours at the mall, doing her hair, painting her nails, etc.

Ashlyn Chevelle ("Ash" or "Miss Chevelle")- My youngest, the princess of the cheese smile, the eater of pinecones, the evil baby, my tomboy.

Kelly (My little sis)- She is my rock, my bestfriend, the person I turn to for all things geeky, my Silent Hill companion, my horror movie buddy, couldn't live my life without her.

Cassidy (The Dee Dee Monster)- She's my niece, my god daughter, my comic relief, the funny one, she can drive me insane and make my heart melt in the same sentence, don't know what I'm going to do when she goes to big girl school and isn't at my house a few days every week.

Mom & Scott (My mom and stepdad)- My support system.

Dad & Karen (My dad & Stepmom)

And last but not least me....

My intro

Well first and foremost I owe everyone a quick into. My name is Shannon (or Shay as my close friends and family call me). I am 27 years old and have recently moved to the country after living in the city of Buffalo, NY for most of my life. I have an awesome husband, Jay, who drives truck for a living. I have been blessed with two daughters, Madison and Ashlyn Chevelle (one through marriage and one through birth), and since the birth of my youngest have been trying out life as a SAHM.

Last week my sister asked me how I went from being a "street rat" to a country girl. I have put a lot of thought into this question and have not really come up with a good answer. I'm guessing the reason I have such a hard time with that question is because I have always felt like a country girl. I have always loved the earth, animals, and everything old fashioned so it wasn't much of a leap for me. We own a small home on close to 10 acres of land about five minutes outside of the village. Right now our homestead consists of a large yard area, a creek, and a large amount of fields and woods on the otherside of the creek. As soon as spring really hits gardens (both vegetable, fruit, and flower) will start being tilled and Jay is in the process of building a chicken coop and pig pen. I guess the final decision to "go country" was made when I was pregnant with Ash. Maddy was at an age where she should have been enjoying playing outside, riding her bike and the likes and I realized that in the neighborhood we lived in it just wasn't possible. I was too afraid of her being caught in the crossfire of a drive by or what the ramifications of her watching people deal drugs all day would cause. So we stayed inside. And then with a new little one on the way it finally sank in that this isn't how I wanted to live. I wanted my children to be able to go outside and explore. To tell me they were walking to a friends house and not to have to worry. I have always tried to let my children to experience life at their own hands without a lot of intervention (unless a safety issue was at hand) and that just wasn't possible. So we made the big move, and I really haven't regretted it for a minute.

Living in the country has been an adjustment for all of us but not as big of one as you would think. Maddy got very lucky and our only neighbor close enough to actually call a "neighbor" has two little girls not much older than her, so she was able to make instant friends. She now comes home from school and asks if after her homework she can go out to play, and I can say YES!!! She is able to play outside with out me watching her like a hawk. She can take the cow tunnel under the road and go to the neighbor girl's farm across the road. She has daily interaction with farm animals and nature in its purest form. My youngest gets to play in the mud and learn how to walk on grass. My niece gets a little break from the suburbs a few days a week and gets to come out. What can I say? I love my new life.