Happy Father's day honey!

I am sitting on the couch with my wonderful husband watching the U.S Open and it dawns on me... "hey, it might be a good time to check that blog I used to write". I can't believe there are actually people that still read it! Well, probably just my mom and maybe my mother in-law, hi moms!

It is no secret that life in the Wingfield household has been a little busy. That is due to the birth of our beautiful little Benjamin. He was born on May 28th at 12:57pm after a quick but insane, out of this world, crazy painful labor. I'll save the whole story for another post. But he is here, healthy and wonderful.

Stella is adjusting like any other two year old would. She is very sweet at times and very devious at times. She once decided to give him a little nibble on his foot. OK, let's just be real here, she chomped on his foot and he screamed his head off. A little traumatic but a quick introduction to life with two kids. Siblings. That, I'm sure was just the tip of the ice berg when it comes to brother and sister altercations.

Just like with Stella, Mike stepped up as an all star Dad. We were lucky enough to have him home for two weeks while we bonded with our newest family member. He mostly looked after Stella and gave her all the attention her little heart desired. He is back at work now and I am happy to say we are doing quite well. I have managed to get out with both of the kids on several occasions. I even went shopping, which went surprisingly well. Ben is nursing well and packing on the lbs.

I'll end this post by saying Happy Father's day to my husband. Our kids are so lucky to have you and you have exceeded my hopes and expectations as a father to our children. I love you!!

This roller coaster called parenthood...

It has become very apparent to me that parenthood is all about moments. Each day we wake up with endless possibilities of how the day will go. Most of the time Stella is sweet with intermittent toddler moments throughout the day.

We all know what toddler moments are right? I don't like to use the phrase "terrible two's", I prefer "toddler moment". Feel free to use that if you like, its kinda catchy.

Last Friday night was a perfect example of how life with a child is made up of moments and you need to enjoy the good ones while they last. I mean REALLY soak up those good ones.

So, last Friday we had just gotten home from the grocery store, not one of Stella's favorite things but she does okay. Mike doesn't get home till around 6-6:30 so it is usually up to me to keep Stella busy while I try to get dinner together. Not every night, but many nights this is quite a challenge because she usually ends up attached to my leg whining "mommy, want mommy", and pushing between me and the counter.

On this particular night though she was an absolute angel! She played by herself for at least 30 minutes, she was totally entertained. She didn't even come into the kitchen and whine one time. It was awesome. I even sent Mike a text message to let him know what good little girl he was coming home to. Unfortunately I think that text may have jinxed the good mood because all hell broke loose during dinner.

Stella, my sweet little angel that played so well so that mommy could fix dinner, had the tantrum of all tantrums. There was screaming, tears and timeouts. It was like Satan himself had come and possessed my child. I couldn't believe how we could go from the most pleasant evening to a complete disaster at lightening speed.

Stella is what you would call a strong willed child. A little birdie told me that my father in-law said she didn't stand a chance with who she has for parents. He couldn't be more right. Mike and I aren't exactly easy going people. In fact, before we had heard he said that we said the very same thing ourselves just the day before! I guess it's no secret there are some bold personalities in our family.

Now I just try to be prepared for a day filled with all kinds of moments. Those moments can be sad, funny, scary, irritating, peaceful, stressful or sweet. You just never know. When those good moments occur I will thoroughly enjoy them and then brace myself for the next loop in the roller coaster. Aahhh, so life goes.

Hello Again

Time flies when you are growing a human! I meant to post yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that, and...well you get the picture. I have been buried with overwhelming thoughts of "holy crap, I am going to have TWO kids in just a few short months". I have a to-do list a mile long and the little things I get done during the week aren't that comforting. I need to see some serious progress!

The biggest weight on my shoulders right now is the baby's room. We have been using our third bedroom as an office/guest bedroom/catch-all for anything and everything. There isn't to much to to clear out of there but the problem is finding a place to put it. We don't have a whole lot of storage at our house. I am finally going to nail Mike's butt to the wall and get him to spend an hour working in there with me. I think I will feel better after that.

I am loving the extra hour of daylight and the warmer weather we are having right now. We got out Stella's water table yesterday and she had a blast, she got totally soaked of course. It's not quite warm enough for a bathing suit so we had to strip her down when she was done. I am excited for her to wear this sundress I made her. Yes, that's right I actually sewed a dress! I had my Moms help of course but I did all the sewing myself. It turned out so cute and I'm very proud of myself. I bought more fabric to make another one because it turned out so cute, now if only I could find the time to make it! Hope it's warm and sunny where ever you are!

Random Thought Thursday

Uh oh, today I had pita chips with spicy hummus and a Diet Pepsi for lunch. Could this be an ugly turning point in my pregnancy weight gain?

Where does the saying "green thumb" come from?

Stella's latest thing is to sing in a high pitch voice. There isn't much of a tune but it's pretty much the cutest thing ever. Cutest ever I tell ya!

How do you shave certain areas when you can't see them anymore?

Is my dog ever going to stop peeing on the carpet?


...Just a few thoughts floating around in my noggin. Not much else goin' on up there.

Veggies galore

This is the future site of our vegetable garden. Mike made these planter beds months ago but then winter set in and we didn't get to plant anything. Now we've had all this gorgeous weather and the garden is pretty much the only topic of conversation in our house, except for Stella of course. Mike is obsessed I tell ya, obsessed! He has the beds plotted out on the computer, every plant has a home.

I'm a little apprehensive about the amount of vegetables he is going to plant. I have images in my mind of counter tops filled with giant zucchinis and onions and Betty Crocker here is supposed to figure out what to do with them all! Mike assures me it will be fine because you don't plant them all at once.

This garden is definitely Mike's baby but I am really excited about it too. I think he wishes I was just as into it as he is but the reality is I've got a toddler and another on the way. I don't see to much time spent frolicking in the garden in my future. Hopefully the baby will like his swing and Stella loves to be outside, then Mike and I can work in the yard.

It should be great though, our own little farmers market! If you have any experience with a vegetable garden and how to make the best use of all these veggies please share!

Dreaded chores

Like many of you I am not a big fan of laundry. I am also not that keen on washing dishes. But the chore I am really learning to despise is grocery shopping. It has become a huge pain in my... you know what.

I try to find the store with the best prices but then they don't have all the items that I need. Am I ever going to be able to shop at just one store? Unfortunately, I am finding the answer to that question is no. I fought it for so long because it is really inconvenient to try and go to multiple stores with a 2 year old. She can only take so much time sitting in a grocery cart. Plus I have to feed her almost the whole time just to keep her happy, not so great for her diet but sometimes you do what works.

I think one of my biggest issues is probably organization. I bought this really cool little organizer for coupons to try and save money. I filled it and have every intention of using it, I really do! I should probably make a better effort to go online for coupons too. I've done it before but it's not a regular "to do" of mine.

I also struggle with planning ahead. I make a list right before I leave for the store and it usually gets me by but I'm sure I can do better. It's more challenging than you'd think though because I have a couple of picky eaters. Mike doesn't think he's picky, but he kinda is. For example, I have to go to Safeway just for the kind of cottage cheese he likes. No other brand in any other store has the right kind, they are ALL disgusting except this one particular brand. I'm not a huge connoisseur of the stuff but that seems a little picky to me.

Sorry to throw you under the bus honey and, yes, I looked up how to spell connoisseur.

Plus, it's really hard to come up with meals for the week that are some what quick, delicious and nutritious. I just can't seem to manage all three all the time. I have to be tricky about the nutritious part because some people have issues with low fat substitutions. Say, ground turkey for example. I won't name any names though.

I must end this continuing saga of me and the grocery shopping. It's time to suck it up and figure something out! I am going to try and balance the pain of having to shop at multiple stores with shopping less. I have never tried to shop for two weeks before but I think it might be time to give it a go. This is going to take some serious preparation and planning on my part. But maybe, just maybe, the trade of not having to shop as often will be worth the extra effort.

I know this might seem a little trivial to gripe about but, hey, this is my life as a SAHM and these are my problems. Potty training, keeping a toddler happy and now grocery shopping. They are right up there with world peace.

Love tank on full

If you've read my blog before you know that I am pretty honest about my little Stella. I know I share a lot of craziness about her because, well, life with her can be a little nuts. She is my little Crunch'n'Munch, the perfect blend of salty and sweet. Although lately it seems as if we have been sitting in the bottom of the box where all the salt has settled. Her behavior has been that of an insane person with her mood all over the place. Many times she has left me speechless, not knowing how to react.

She was sick for a few days and the amount of drool pouring out of her mouth tells me she is probably getting some new teeth. She also wasn't sleeping well and we have been trying to get her rested and back on schedule for about a week.

Basically what I've been dealing with is a child that I am unable to please. I'm sure I could have offered her an ice cream sundae and she would have screamed at me. She likes to answer any question with a scream, it's lovely. Needless to say she has been grumpy and exhausted so therefore Mommy has been grumpy and exhausted. I try to be understanding of her pain and frustration but I have been desperate for the light at the end of this tantrum tunnel.

Today, however, was like opening a fresh box of Crunch'n'Munch. In other words we had a fabulous day. Today she was pleasant, funny and absolutely sweet. She even sang! Stella does not sing. She also went on the swing at the park and Stella hates the swing. What kid hates the swing? Uhh, mine does. But apparently not today!

Even if the cranky and unruly Stella came back tomorrow it wouldn't matter. Today she filled my love tank so full. I feel like I could handle whatever she throws at me. As long as it isn't anything from her diaper, I've had my fill of that. Another thing I realized today is that just because she is acting like an obnoxious, out of control, lunatic, doesn't mean I have to too. Is it bad that I'm just now figuring that out? Don't answer that.

Thank God for today, we needed it. I'm sure it felt just as good to her as it did to me.