CHRISTMAS LYRICS... MARK'S VERSION

So it's Christmas time at our house.
The Christmas season officially begins when Santa Clause comes to town at the end of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
NOTHING Christmas related should be done BEFORE that moment.
I actually boycott stores that decorate and promote earlier then that. I'm against Christmas becoming a 1/2 year long sales gimmick. Thanksgiving, Halloween, other holidays in general, deserve their time.
And I LOVE CHRISTMAS, but keep it special.

Anyhow,

Now that it is the season, Christmas music is on at our house 24 hours, 7 days a week.

Mark has some interesting twists on some of the lyrics.

"I'm dreaming, of a white mistress..."

I can't publish most of them.

HOMESTEAD RACES 09

The 1st pic kinda sums it up:

Family & Friends, acting stupid and having a good time.

Papa Rick is a huge NASCAR fan. He drives the motorhome down several days before the races so he can get a good parking spot. It is tailgating to the extreme. He does a turkey fry the day of the big race. People who aren't even going to the race, like me, drive down just for the pre-party.

Thanks to Nikki for taking most of the pictures.

Thanks to Madison for taking most of the video.

Grandma parking only.

HI GAIL!!!

LOOK!! OVER HERE!!! SMILE!!!

Madelyn liked me, if for no other reason but I brought homemade chocolate cookies.

Their cumulative IQ drops over 100 points when they are within a 1 mile radius of each other.

Huh? Ummm... Nothing!

Nothing is going on over here!

... and now that we've covered draft vs. bottle, lets go over bottle vs. can...

ENJOY THE LEFTOVERS

FROM MY FAMILY TO YOURS

Well, I already have family arriving for Thanksgiving and it feels like Thursday is tomorrow.
We are having Thanksgiving in the keys, and I don't really do much computer stuff down there.
So I'd like to take the opportunity now, in case I'm too busy in the days to come, to wish you a happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, from Joey, me & the Grinch.

And with all the cooking, family, game watching and general comotion, please don't forget to take a moment and actually give thanks for all the blessings in your life.

HAPPY TURKEY DAY!

SNORTFEST

Joey likes to snort. Not all the time, not even every time she laughs.

Just some times.

I think she learned it from Aunti Becca.

A BREATH OF FRESH AIR

I knew if I titled it "Jogging" everyone would skip it.

As it is, 1/2 of you stopped reading right there.

But seriously, I love it, and y'all should give it a try.

No Gym workout will ever compare. (Except maybe Sunday morning's step & sculpt class with Rosina.)

You have that old school-Rocky-eye-of-the-tiger feel when you go jogging. No special place, machines or equipment necessary.

It is like a form of mediation for me.

I know a lot of people stick buds in their ears and jam along to an IPOD. I would never do that. First, I'm a girl, and I'd like to hear if some is going to come out of the bushes at me. (I jog with a Doberman & Rottweiler for similar reasons.)

But more importantly, I want to hear, see, smell and generally experience my neighborhood. The breeze, the trees, the dogs barking, the birds chirping... all of that does exist in the real world, not just on TV.

It helps me sleep better. Not just the exercise part, but the clearing my mind part. When you aren't distracted by your music, you think things through. Those people that lay in bed at night thinking of all the things they need to do, sorting out problems, I do that when I'm jogging so my mind is at ease when I go to sleep.

When you start actually going some distance, you concentrate on your breathing. And without the music, you are acutely aware of how much farther you have to go. Nothing is distracting you from that goal, and how effing far away it is. That builds discipline. You tell yourself you are going to go that far, and you do it. And you push that goal back a little farther every day till all of a sudden you are jogging 3 miles. And that self control, that discipline, seeps into other aspects of your life. It will help you choose that healthier snack, when you really want a slice of cherry pie. Skip the bottle of Coke this afternoon. (Well, maybe not skip the coke. I mean, come on, who can resist a glass bottled Coke?)

And if you are a parent, your child will love it. Joey absolutely loves to go jogging. All of her senses experience new and different things. She plays with her doggies, get out of the house. She gets plenty of sunshine and yes...

A breath of fresh air.

WILL WORK FOR FOOD

Maybe I should feed her more.

4 GENERATIONS, PART 2

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MARK!

Well, it was on Sunday, anyways.

I was too busy cooking everything Pumpkin under the sun (Mark's favorite) to post something that day.

His parents and Mom-Mom came over for dinner and I was able to get this 4 generations pic.

WHAT THE DUCK?

Let's play a game.

It's called name that animal!

Cow?

Duck?

Bull? (see horns)

This is one of Joey's bath toys. You are supposed to label and name everything in your child's life to help her learn her words.

So what am I supposed to tell her this animal is?

Mark has decided we won't label it as an animal, we will give it a name. Just like C.J. & Cassie are C.J & Cassie, not "doggy".

Mark says the duck-cow-bull-dike's name is Lola.

After the song. (If you don't know the song, again, your pop culture IQ is non sufficient and click on the name to hear the song.)

** If you like the Kinks, this song particular, or a good live song, follow this link instead of the above one. This one has a long intro, but is much better I think. Lola Live.

KAKI'S TOWER OF TROUBLE

Precious Angels or a Tower of Trouble?

I guess it depends on the day.

Kaki loves them just the same!

HAPPY VETERAN'S DAY

I called my father and my grandpa Higgins today and told them thank you.
Thank you for serving our country.
Have you called the vets in your life and thanked them?
It matters.

I may not support our country's political & military leader's decisions, but I do support our troops. There is a difference. I think that is a lesson our country learned from the aftermath of Vietnam.

VISITING THOSE WHO HAVE GONE.

When we were in Ohio we went and visited Grandma & Grandpa Craven's graves and Aunt Dode's.

Joey got to say Hi.

You know, this is the same cemetery that my Grandma Higgins used to live across the street from. When she & Grandpa got married, they took over the upstairs of that house and her parents continued to live downstairs. She had Uncle Jim, my mom, and Aunt Aym (aka: Amy, Mya) while they lived there. Amy was about 2 or 3 when the house on Benner Dr was completed and they moved out to Novelty.

She told me that she used to push the stroller through the cemetery. It really is just like a park, if you don't let it creep you out. And the girls (my mom & Amy) would take the ribbons from the flowers and put them in their hair.

For those of you who don't know, Aunt Dode (Florence Craven) married Bob Hope's brother, Ivor. So, she is buried in the Hope section.

Uncle Bill & Cousin Craig are buried near Grandma & Grandpa Craven.

Uncle Bill was in the Army.

Thank you, on this veteran's day.

VACUUM SCHMACUUM

Joey has conquered her fear of the vacuum cleaner.

When she was real little, she could sleep through it.
But then, around 6 months or so, she became very afraid of the vacuum cleaner.

I would try prepping all the rooms so that I could zip through it very quickly... nope.
I tried prepping, vacuuming & putting everything back one room at a time... nope.
I tried placing her in one room... and then running into the the other and vacuuming as quickly as I could before she would come and get me... nope.

And she would come and get me. As scared as she was of the vacuum, she wanted me more. Even though I was right next to the thing, she would come over so that she could pull up on me and scream till I picked her up.

So vacuuming was done while holding Joey or when Mark was home to hold her.

I know that most kids go through this, and there are probably a 1000 different stories on how to fix this, but here is what worked for us.

• Leave the vacuum out. Don't put it away in some closet. Let her get used to seeing it, round up the courage to touch it, explore it... all while it is sitting all nice and quiet like. It won't seem so scary then.


• Hold the baby while you vacuum. She isn't going to learn anything when she is THAT frantic. If you hold her, she knows she is safe, and she can maybe start to see that the vacuum isn't eating Mommy and maybe it won't eat her.


• Have your husband sit with her on the floor while you vacuum. She is closer to it, not protected way up high in someone's arms, but still feels secure.


• When you turn off the vacuum, put her in your lap right next to it. Pet the vacuum and say "good vacuum." Smile and look happy. Turn it on for a 1/2 second so she hears the noise. Pet the vacuum again. Repeat until she feels comfortable enough to touch it. Stop if she is still freaking out.

Today, she chased it around the room while I vacuumed. She would sit in front it's path, just to see what it would do. She smiled and clapped.

The vacuum is now a toy to her, not a monster that will eat her.

10 points for Mom & Dad.

4 GENERATIONS

DIAPER WARNING

WARNING!

If your kid is still in diapers, DON'T FEED HER CORN!

Remember, you are the one who has to change that diaper.

THE HOTDOG DANCE

Joey LOVES Miska Muska. That is what she thinks Mickey Mouse's name is, because those are the magic words he says to make the clubhouse appear.

Here she is, with help from her cousins, Madison & Austin, trying her darndest to do the hotdog dance.

STAY-AT-HOME PARENT CORPORATE LADDER

What does it mean to be a stay-at-home parent?

Well, obviously it means a lot of different things for different parents.

But I think of it as my job. Yes, it is the most fun job you can have in the world, but it is also the most demanding, if you are a Type A who sets high standards for yourself.


We know in the business world, that every person doesn't give their full 100% to their job. That is why some people work in data entry their whole loves while others work their way up the corporate ladder.


Here is my stay-at-home parent / business world comparison:

Data Entry/ Janitor / Laborer - As a stay-at-home parent, you are at this bottom level if they only thing you are accomplishing is caring for your child. That includes basic feeding, changing, washing, providing mental and physical stimulation (playing) and most importantly, love. Any person who is new to a job or parenthood is expected to have an adjustment period, but then excel beyond.

Sales / Skilled laborer - For the stay-at-home parent, this includes caring for your child, grocery shopping and cooking dinner. By cooking dinner I mean more then warming up a can of vegetables and a ready-from-the-store chicken.

Mid Management / Crew Foreman- For the stay-at-home parent, all of the above + a decently clean house. This is about as far up the ladder as many employees go. Likewise, this is about as far up the ladder as most stay-at-home parents make it. With pre-k kids at home, cleaning the house while they are awake can be very trying on both the parent and child. Takes a lot of practice to be able to have the house clean without the aid of the other spouse.

Upper management - For the stay-at-home parent, all of the above + being a good spouse and having a social life. If you can make time to get out, go on a date, go on family outings, see friends, then you are doing really good.


CEO - For the stay-at-home parent, all of the above + getting in shape, taking on a hobby (scrapbooking), finding a way to make additional income, volunteering... Basically being 2 people at once. A great parent, and a great, well rounded individual as well.

I think people should always try to be the best that they can be (not just in the army). I'm certainly not at the CEO level, but I'm trying. My progress is uneven, but I'm making strong advancements in all areas of my life.

• Joey is so ahead in all those books that tell you what your child might be doing by a certain age that I have to read chapters ahead.


• I keep a clean house, though in honesty, Mark still helps sometimes. But that would be a whole separate post to talk about what a truely awesome father and husband Mark is.
• I do all the errands, grocery shopping and cooking. And everyone knows that we eat well. No Stoffers in this house. Tonight's menu is Nigerian beef curry.


• I am almost to pre-baby weight and have no plans on stopping. My goal is to lose another 20 pounds. Anything after that would be vanity.


• I find time to work for my parents from home, doing calling and computer work. Bringing in that extra income helps make our lives more comfortable.


• I keep in touch with family and make sure they see Joey. We've been to Ohio twice, and she is only 9 1/2 months. She sees her grandparents and Mom-mom at least once a week. I mail out pictures and video of Joey, keep up with the blog and have started a family history project on ANCESTRY.COM.


• I am very active in YELP, go out to events, spend time with friends and down in the keys. Joey was in the ocean before she was a month old.

I know it sounds like I'm bragging.

But I actually get teased for trying too hard. For trying to do too many things at once.

"Why can't you just relax?"

"You don't have to do half of what you do."

First, I'm proud at what I've accomplished. Of our child, my good marriage, our home , my weight lose, my great friends... everything. And I know I'm blessed and am very thankful for my family and all my blessings.

Second, I'm a Craven.
I have a need, a pull, a calling, to be the best that I can be.
When I set a goal and accomplish it, it makes me so happy.

I could never live a half-ass life.
Work hard, play hard & die trying.

Live a life worth living.

JOEY IS WALKING!!!

1ST STEP!!!

Joey took her first step about an hour ago.

Okay, so lets clarify.

She's not walking yet. I use volleyball rules for a lot of things: It has to go over the net 3 times to count. In other words: she isn't walking till she has taken 3 consecutive unassisted steps.

She was standing, took a step forward, and then continued to stand for a good while before deciding to sit down. Her hands were up the entire time, and the whole event was unassisted.
I have verified my claim with the grandma committee and they agree this is a first step.

Now, she has taken steps towards a wall when she knew she was about to lean on it, but this was different.

So now lets see how long before we have walking.
Then how long before she will do for the cameras.

PLAY TIME

I can't believe I'm still posting Ohio pics when I've been back for more then 2 weeks.

I just took so many and have been so busy since I got back.

Joey and I went to visit cousin Amy and little Vaughn.

Amy & I may look different, but our kids have those same poppin' blue eyes!

Vaughn was so talkative!

Joey had never played with a younger baby before, only older. She started to suck her fingers (something she only does when going to bed) and crawled right into Amy's lap.

Preview of how she'll act with a little brother?

SHARING

Joey was eating a snack and mommy was cleaning the kitchen.
Her morning snack before nap is usually cheese, crackers & juice.
I came over and asked her for a piece.

Joey likes to share her food.
But she REALLY likes Ritz crackers.
You could actually see her thinking, making a decision.

She decided to put the cracker in her mouth instead.
But then, after nibbling on it for a bit, she changed her mind.
She then inserted the wet, drool filled, partially nibbled cracker in Mommy's mouth.

Of course I smiled and ate it. And told her she was a good girl for sharing.

Dude, you haven't lived till you've had pre-chewed Ritz cracker.

Good Stuff.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Joey was Minnie Mouse. She like her costume.

She was MOSTLY cooperative all night.