The Breastfeeding Post

This is your fair warning. If the title didn't clue you in, this post is about breastfeeding.

When my daughter was born, the whole breastfeeding thing didn't happen. I had PPD, I had a colicky baby, and any time we tried breastfeeding it was at least 30 minutes of crying, and SB wasn't too thrilled either. After 2 weeks of trying and what felt like failing, my mom said I could give her a bottle - it was like a light bulb lit up. We switched to the bottle and never looked back. It was the best decision I made for both her and me.

When I had a second chance come up with Jay, I really wanted to try harder to breastfeed. I knew I could do it. I was armed with everything under the sun - special foods, vitamins, and gear to help me out. The first week was tough. He got a bottle more than he got me, but before giving up for good, I gave it one last try, and you know what? It worked. My goal: nursing for 3 months.
It worked through supply issues - Fenugreek was a life-saver. It worked through trying to get away for a while - the awesome pump I was gifted was amazing.

Jay was a champion nurser! But, that's right, I said was. At six months old we had two things happen. 1 - teeth. Two beautiful little teeth that like to bite. And, 2 - Jay thought lunch time was play time. Alternating between nursing and playing every two minutes left me, well, exposed. So bottle feeding became easier at that point. I weaned him down, switched to the bottle, and pumped for several weeks so he was still getting the good stuff until we switched him over to all formula.

So the point of this entire post is this: Feed your baby however you see fit. If you want to breastfeed for 3 months, 6 months, or 18 months...do it.And when you decide to stop, stop. It's okay. The earth will not shatter. Your baby will not suffer unduly (as long as he or she takes to the bottle all right, of course). And if you just formula-feed outright because of need or choice, that's awesome too. Formula is awesome!

As long as you are feeding your baby and he or she is growing and thriving, it's all good, however you do it.

What did you do? Chime in and share with me!

Pick Up the Poo

I can only imagine all parents deal with this to some extent - disobedience and lying. I mean, it's normal for a kid to test his or her boundaries, right?

Last week Mac decided to test his. He peed on the stairs. About 5 feet from a bathroom. And about 8 feet from another bathroom. And 9 steps and another 5 feet from another bathroom. Get the picture?

I asked him what was going on. He said he couldn't make it to any of the aforementioned potties.

Me: Oh no! Are your pants wet? (I knew this was not the case)

Mac: No.

Me: So how did you have an accident and not get your pants wet?

Mac: I pulled it out of my pants. (you know, "it," the part that pees)

Me: You had time for that but not to make it to the bathroom?

Mac: No. I just decided to pee on the stairs.

I made him clean it up, of course. But I wanted something else. Because not only did he pee on the stairs, but he lied about it.

So I told him maybe as punishment he needed to go in the yard and pick up the dog poo. I'm thinking I'm pretty smart. The punishment fits the crime and all. Besides - we have a chihuahua, he'd spend 5 minutes out there with a shovel and bucket, find nothing, and be done. I mean really - chihuahua poo is tiny and there's no telling where it might be in our big yard.

But Mac bursts into tears over this.

What on earth? I didn't think it was that bad. It's not against the law to have your kid clean up the poo from your yard, right?

I took his hand and calmly asked why he was crying.

His response: Can I at least use a NAPKIN??? **waaaaa**

I couldn't help myself. I busted out laughing. My poor boy thought I was going to make him pick up poo with his bare hands.
He was not too amused with my laughter, so I had to calm down and reassure him I would never make him touch poo with his bare hands. Then I decided that the mere idea of handling poo napkin-less was enough and let the rest of the punishment slide. 

My poor sweet boy.  I'm still laughing over this one!

Teething Sucks

I mean seriously - teething sucks.

I love the toothless grins Jay gives me. They're sweet and happy. And I nurse him, so I'm happy to keep teeth out of that equation.

But now at 5 months old we're fully into teething. I'm just waiting for those bottom two teeth to pop through. But man, the agony, screaming, crying, restlessness - it is horrible. And Jay isn't too thrilled about it either.

But I guess I'm due for a bad teether. SB and Mac were great teethers - No fuss, no fevers...just some drool and suddenly a tooth.

But man, it sucks. Big time.

First day of School, Part II

So SB started school about 2 weeks ago and it's been pretty smooth sailing so far. The best part has been spending the days with Mac. He's such a cuddly guy and so much fun. I've really enjoyed the one on one time I've had with him.

But yesterday he started school. He's doing an afternoon PreK class at the elementary school. He eagerly grabbed his Angry Birds backpack and his monkey lunchbox and headed off. He gave us the kiss on the hand his teacher required of him and refused my request for a hug because his teacher didn't include hugs in her instructions.

After school he said he played with a boy named Ty, ate all his lunch and that SB came and sat with him while they waited for my mom to pick them up. I'm so glad he enjoyed himself!

Here are a few pics from his big day!

My Initial Thoughts on School

SB has been in school 2 weeks now and I have several observations to make.

First - Whose bright idea was it to have school start at 8am? I mean, we live only 2 miles from school and we still have to get up at the crack of dawn to get SB ready.

Second - I don't like not talking to the teacher every day. I've spent the last 3 years picking my children up from their classroom...often with 10 minute conversations. Last year SB's teacher was one of my best hang-out buddies. I've only talked to the kindergarten teacher in passing. I have to communicate with her via notes in SB's backpack. I know she gets "stars" each day, but I don't know what happened - well without it being seen through the eyes of a 5-year-old.

Third - The pick up line! Arugh, the pick up line! It takes 30 minutes to get through the line. Either I get in line early and sit until school dismisses, or I get there and slowly scoot up in 10 foot increments. Now, this is far more preferable to the bus (who wants their 5 year old on a bus with 12 year olds???), but it's still a pain in the butt.

But I'm loving how SB is already thriving. She's drawing her teachers pictures. She told me the other day one girl was sad because she didn't have anyone to play with and she cheered her up and played with her. I was so proud.
She is very tired after school, but she's trying to adjust to a 6 hour school day as opposed to 3, but she's doing good.

Next week Mac starts his 4K class. He will be going in the afternoon though! Drop off at 11:30 and then pick up the kids together. We'll see how it goes with him! I can't wait!

The Wave of Dismissal - AKA The First Day of School

Round about an hour ago we dropped our eldest off for her first day of school.

Big School. Elementary School. Her first day of Kindergarten.

SB woke up twice last night with jitters. With the assurance that everyone else had jitters as well, she went back to sleep until the oh-so-late time of 6:50 when I forced everyone to get up.

So far I'm not a fan of the whole "school starts at 8" thing.

We all dressed, ate, made sure SB had all her things, and loaded up in the car. The school is only 2 miles from our house, so it's a quick trip, thankfully. I think the drop off line took longer than the trip to school.

With the car parked we all walked in. I was ready. We found her class, where I took a picture of SB with her picture outside the door. And another one at her cubby. She hung her backpack, put on her name tag and walked away.

That was it. No tears. No kiss. Not even a hug. When I called out, "We're leaving," I got a wave of dismissal in return.

A wave of dismissal, y'all. For a kid who woke up twice last night with jitters I was not ready for the wave of dismissal. Marshall said we could go give her a hug, but I didn't want to push it or embarrass her. I let it go.

So no tears were shed - even by me. 

We came home and now Mac is watching the TV show he never gets to watch with his sister around. What will we do until 2:30? It's a new world for both of us!

Cosmetic Procedures on Kids

Last week my beautiful daughter, SB, lost her first tooth. It's all very exciting and she got WAY more than anyone should ever got for a simple tooth - a Merida (from Brave) doll, $4 from my mom and $1 from me (who she knows is the Tooth Fairy).

Why so much for a tooth? Well, she didn't lose it in the conventional way. It was pulled.

You see - about 18 months ago SB had a run-in with a window sill. The window won. And while her mouth and tooth completely healed - one of her front teeth was left permanently blackened from the trauma.

Marshall and I discussed our options and finally decided with kindergarten coming up next month, the tooth needed to go. There was too much potential for teasing - something SB has already dealt with where the tooth is concerned.

So last week she went to the dentist - Merida in hand - and had her tooth pulled. She was very brave, my sweet girl. She doesn't remember a thing about the extraction, thankfully, and she recovered beautifully.

SB looks so grown up now with a tooth missing. And she was very excited about not being teased anymore - in fact it was the first thing she said when it was done...that no one would point out her black tooth any more.

Was it a vanity move? Yes. Yes it was. I read an article not long ago about a mom catching flack for having her daughter's large ears pinned back for purely cosmetic reasons. But you know what? When your child is being teased and there's a way for you to remove or fix the issue - as a parent, you do it! No matter the cost or berating from others, you do what you can to protect your child.

I looked at SB today and the gap where her tooth used to be and I think we made a wonderful decision for our child. Something that will boost her confidence and brighten her smile. And that makes it all worth it!

Glimpses of My Old Life

Last night our little family trekked to a local restaurant for wings because 3/4 of us LOVE wings. Red is the only resister - she can't stand chicken at all, but that's another post for another day.

The wing place near us is good and in the heart of a college town. This does not deter us at all from going down there on a Friday night because we're usually gone by 8 before any partiers really get boozing.

So last night I'm looking around the place as we ate our scrumptiously fried and dipped wings. A couple was cozy in a back corner, sipping their beers and whispering. Another table had a group of friends laughing as they ordered pitchers and wings.
That could have been us not too long ago. In fact, that was us not too long ago. In the same exact town, on the same exact street we perused as college kids.

Marshall and I in college

And I looked at my little table. A 30-something couple - two kids and one on the way. Not exactly the same situation as those kids barely out of diapers drinking. We were in college 10-14 years ago. We've since gotten married, bought homes, had children. But we're in the same place (geographically), the same college town we fell in love with 14 years ago.

Except now the college kids are younger and younger (we're not getting older - of course not!). I watched a guy I thought should still be sharpening his PSAT pencil pull out his ID and order a Bud.

Don't get me wrong, I love where we live. I mean love it. I would be happy living in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains the rest of my life, and the closer to our college alma mater the better (travel time from home to said wing bar: less than 5 minutes. It's awesome.).

But I realize we are not the kids we were when we arrived. Gone are the fresh faces - Marshall's that couldn't grow a full beard and mine with no worry lines. Gone are the days of sitting around a table with our friends, sharing a pile of onion rings, pitchers of cold drinks, and abundant laughter.

Then I looked at my table. Me, my husband, my kids. Sitting around a table sharing a pile of tater tots, laughing and playing a rousing game of Eye Spy.

The fam

And I realized in that moment I wouldn't trade this life for anything - even my old one. Same town, same place, same me. Same, but different at the same time. It's pretty deep.

Adoption Security or Usurped Feelings?

One of my biggest struggles as a parent right now is making sure my adopted child, Mac, knows that he is and always will be a part of our family. I think this is something all adoptive parents do throughout their child's life, but I guess I feel an extra need to do so now because I'm pregnant.

Right now it's easy - we have one biological child and one adopted child, one girl and one boy, and everything is even-steven. But with the impending arrival of bio-child #2 and boy #2 I wonder if our son will feel usurped in any way.

And yes, people will tell me I'm over-thinking this, and maybe I am. But, regardless, I never want Mac to feel like he's been replaced because we suddenly had "our own" son. I want him to always know he is our own son, even if his DNA is different from ours.

But the question arises how to do that. How do you make a 4-year-old feel secure when he doesn't recognize that his actions are pointing to feeling insecure? (He's been lying, acting out, and other things that tell us he's having a hard time coping with something.)

Right now my only answer is to spend a lot of time with him. I make a point of giving him extra cuddle time. When he misbehaves I'm trying to look at his motives and see what might have prompted his misdeed. Does he need some extra attention? Is he feeling left out of something?
He's very invested in this baby, too. He calls it his baby. He wants to listen to the baby. I hope that by feeling connected to this new baby he will also feel secure in his position as Big Brother.

I've talked to other moms who have adopted and bio children, but I think I have a unique situation in that most families I know adopted then went on to have bio children. Whereas we had a biochild first, then adopted, and are now having another biochild. Still, I am reassured that their adopted child(ren) have not resented their parent's biological offspring or felt like they had lost their position within the family.

If you are an adoptive and bio parent - what did you do to help your adopted child feel more secure in your family? Your feedback is appreciated!

Ice Cream, I Scream

Hello bloggers! How are you? Good, good. Hot, isn't it? At least here in the South East it's hot. More like a low and slow boil.

But - I have the magic answer that has solved everything since we were kids... Ice cream.

And if that's not enough. Here's a stack of Oreo's, just in case...

I love to blog about my family. I'm called Momma by two - my redheaded SB whom I birthed in a not too traumatic experience, and my funny Mac whom my husband and I adopted in a very traumatic way. I'm currently pregnant with our third child, a still-unnamed boy, whom we will meet come September.

Mi familia: SB, Me, Marshall & Mac

Baby Boy at 27 weeks

I am so glad you stopped by! Please take a look at my favorite posts linked here.

And please, please read my God-given testimony here.

Otherwise look around, grab a scoop of your favorite flavor, and sit back! Thanks for visiting!

Surgery & Faith

A week ago my niece had her second brain surgery in less than 2 years.

Madison has an optic glioma tumor and while it was not cancerous, it was dangerous.

In October 2010, Madison had about 75% of the tumor removed. While scared, she said she knew God would bring her through the surgery - and He did! We were all so relieved.

Then came the word that a second surgery would be needed. There were many tears and prayers over this second surgery. Why did she have to go through this again? She is only 15 years old - wasn't one brain surgery enough?
But again, Madison knew her God would pull her through. She told me on the phone a little before her surgery that she knew God had a purpose for her going through this. She knew God would pull her through so she could give him the glory. And while she did break down in tears sometimes, she has held up and been one of the strongest individuals I know - teen or adult.

So last Thursday she endured another 8 hour surgery that might have taken her eyesight. Friday morning she woke up and could recognize everyone in the room. She could see! And despite a row of staples in her head, she was in great spirits and recovered in amazing time. So amazing, in fact, her surgeon sent her home Sunday.

All I can do is shake my head and say, "Thank you, Lord." I don't know another teenager who would have been so brave. I don't know another adult who would have been so brave. Madison's faith not only kept her positive and led to a quick recovery - but it also showed her non-believing Uncle that God has a hand in every life. He said afterward he could see how God was working in her life.

I have loved Madison from the day she was born. I have prayed for that child for 15 years. And I am so awed and proud of the strong Christian girl she has become. I hope she carries her faith and her testimony everywhere she goes...

My First Job

It seems that recently the topic of jobs has come up. The kids ask me what my job is. I tell them they are my job. They seem to think that's silly.

So I told them about my first real job. I was a wench.

No, you didn't misread that. I was a wench. At the age of 15.

Yes, this is me at age 15. I was so cute.

Throughout high school I worked at a little place called Medieval Times. You know - knights jousting, horses whinnying, pretty girls with slits up to there in their skirts. I was one of the pretty girls.
I worked as a photo wench - taking and selling pictures of our guests with the royalty. Then I went to the less glamorous job of cash control (selling tickets).

But it was the best job. I had a plethora of cute teen and twenty-something guys flirting with me. I got to wear an awesome costume to work. I could even speak with a British accent (and people asked where I was from!). I actually had a few people ask me for autographs. And I got paid to do it.

I made some amazing friends, and had several experiences that affected my life - mostly positive, some negative.

Since that time I've been a restaurant hostess, a day-care provider, a reporter, a photographer, and now a mom. And while being a mom is the biggest trip ever - being a wench at Medieval Times runs a close second. I loved that job.

Dial Tone

When were in Disney World two months ago (wow, 2 months ago?), we stayed in a really nice condo-ish place. Like most rentals, it was fully furnished, complete with in-house telephones.

One day, while we were having a rare moment of down time, SB picked up the telephone in her room. She came running to me, "Mommy! Mommy! There's something wrong with the phone!"

I went over to it and took the receiver from her and put it to my ear. Nothing out of the ordinary. I asked her what the problem was.

"Don't you hear that noise? What is that noise?"

Yeah - the dial tone. She had no idea what a dial tone is.

It's amazing the things we had that our kids will never know. And the things we never had that they know nothing different.

We didn't have cell phones, iPads or even home computers when I was 5.
And my children will never know dial tones, dot-matrix printers or typewriter ribbon.

What a difference 25 years make!

The Warning Signs of Growing Up

Occasionally things happen that make me realize *I* am the grown up. It's kind of baffling, because last time I checked, I was still 22 years old and newly married. And snickering at adolescent jokes. Okay, I still snicker at adolescent jokes.

But I have grown up! I still don't understand how this happened. I have two children who call me Mommy, and one more on the way! I have been married 8.5 years. I am a homeowner.

Listen, folks, don't let this sneak up on you. There are warning signs! You may not be able to prevent it, but you can prepare for it!

Allison's Signs Of Growing Up:

• Your mail consists mainly of people and companies demanding you pay them money. These are called bills. If you don't pay them, they are allowed to harass you day and night. And they will.
• You decide to buy a house, but then end up with a mortgage. It will take you 15-30 years to pay for a house you'll be ready to move out of in 5 years.
• People call you Ma'am (or Sir). It's especially bad when the person calling you Ma'am is in their 20s and you realize you are older than they are.
• You think about your high school or college days and think it was just last year when in reality it was 10-15 years ago. You really are that old!
• Grocery shopping is a necessity and you always take a list because God forbid you forget the toilet paper.
• Having to leave the house after 7pm for said toilet paper is a nightmare because you're already in your PJs. And you wonder why so many other people are out so late at night.
• The perfect night is no longer binge drinking and hooking up with a hottie, but curling up on the couch with a pint of Ben & Jerry's and a quiet movie.
• You are talking to your children the same way your parents talked to you. You say things like, "Because I said so!" It's scary, y'all!

So listen, if any of this is happening - don't panic! It will be okay! Just relax and let nature take its course. I promise it won't hurt - much.

(cute video about growing up. made by Vincent Lui)

Registering for School

This week I get to register my adorable 8 pound baby for kindergarten.
Except she's 5 and weighs 50 pounds and she's NOT A BABY ANYMORE!!!

I have been anticipating this day for years. I get to send her to school all day long! So exciting! I can write more, I can spend one-on-one time with Mac (and now, apparently, the one who will be arriving around that time, too). I can get stuff done.

Except now that actual registration is upon us, I'm panicking. I'm not ready to send my sweet little baby out into the world. Kids are cruel. And she won't be with her bestest preschool friends anymore.

I really thought I would be living it up with SB going to Kindy. But I'm not. At least not right now. The best thing about the kids' preschool is that I know all the moms, I know the director, I know what they do. And elementary school is the beginning of my not knowing her every move. I'm so glad she's growing up, but I'm mourning over the little girl she's growing out of.

Maybe it's just hormones talking. And I'm sure by August, when school starts, I'll be shoving her out the door. Maybe.

Big Surprise! You don't want to miss this one!

God is full of surprises - big and small. And this one is big. Well, technically it's still pretty small - but it's growing every day.

That's right, folks, we're having a baby.
I'll give you a minute for the shock to wear off.

I know I said I would not be having any more biological children, and I promise I didn't think I was. But my plans are not the same as God's plans. And since His plans are always perfect, we'll go with His.

This little one should be making a grand entrance right at the start of football season (woe to have a football season baby).

So stay tuned in for all the latest on Baby3!

I'll be the Judge of That

In case you missed it before on my blog, I'm a Christian. (If you missed it - there you go)
And I hope I have adequately conveyed here that I am not a perfect person. I make mistakes - big and small.
So there you have it - imperfect Christian.
Something else I try not to do - judge people based on outward appearance, life choices or anything else. But I know I do, at times, judge people because we're all imperfect humans and that's what we do. Don't deny it, you know you do too.

But I also like to think that I don't base my reactions to people on any prejudice I have on my part. If you live with your non-married partner, if you've had an abortion, if you have any number of non-ear parts pierced, if you home school - I don't care. It will not affect how I feel about YOU as a person or if I choose to add you into my inner circle of friends. I will love you regardless. (and for the record, I don't necessarily find any of those things listed as "bad" in any way, they just aren't my choice, as getting tattoos or vaccinating children might not be yours)
That is how Jesus instructed us to live.

So when someone openly and blatantly judges others I have a hard time with that. And when someone makes those judgements public in front of my children, you better bet I will make my opinion of your actions known. Yes, that means I will judge the judger and I don't want to do that! And if you can't amend your way in front of me and my children, they we may have to excuse ourselves from your presence.

So please, especially if you claim to be a Christian, please do not openly judge people and air your opinions. Especially in front of me and my children. And especially if you know you're passing judgement on me.

It is only up to my God to judge me - don't we have enough issues already without judging one another?

Cut Up Your Credit Cards

A long, long time ago, I was a naive 19 year old college student who wanted to go on vacation but had no money for said vacation. So I got a credit card. It was free money, right? Pay over time, right?

That "free" vacation wound up costing me my dignity.

//getting onto soapbox

Because I had to pay it back - plus 18%. I don't remember how much that vacation was, but let's just say $500. I paid an additional $90 for that vacation over the course of a year. More if it took longer to pay off.
Over the years, my credit was increased. And I got an additional Department Store card for "emergencies." But then Department Store upgraded me (to commercial card) and I could then use the card at more locations than just Department Store.
Then we got married and had a baby. Baby things counted as emergencies, right? And the credit card was convenient.
Then the company my husband worked for went bottom up with 2 days notice. He started his own company. We used the credit cards to survive for a few months.

Over the past 12 years, I have gotten completely out of debt once six years ago - about $5,000.
Only to rack it back up again within two years' time.

We have not spent money on those cards in over THREE YEARS. But we are still paying. We have a very nice payment plan set up for the stupid 19 year old me card, that was a primary mode of survival 4 years ago when the company Marshall worked for failed. That is very manageable and everything is going to the principle. That company has worked very hard to work with us, and I am so grateful.

But our other card - the emergency one that then went commercial - did not work with us.

So, I will be completely honest, I stopped paying it. We had Mac's legal bills, household bills, and no money. And all the credit cards were maxed out. So I stopped paying when they wouldn't lower payments or accept a principle-only payment plan.
They got nasty, I got nasty.
Finally, they had a lawyer threaten me. They probably would have spent twice what I owed suing me. And didn't they realize I didn't have the money in the first place? If I didn't have it, I didn't have it.

But suddenly we came into an amount of money that would cover the bill.

I called the attorney in charge of my case, who had send the letter demanding the full payment. I cried - I mean cried - paying that debt.

I called Marshall when it was done and sobbed to him. He asked why I was crying and I said it was because I felt so stupid for falling into the credit card trap in the first place. I felt stupid for not paying anything on it (he reassured me we had nothing to pay and had tried to work something out with them).

And when I hung up the phone I literally went prostate and cried my eyes out. I cried from sadness over parting with the money that could have been used on more useful things for us. I cried from the exhaustion that dealing with a debt causes.
And I cried from relief that finally I could be done with this nasty blemish in my life.

Then, in the midst of my tears, I began praising God. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," I called out. God, through the hand of generosity, had lifted my burden. We still have a roof over our heads, we still have food to eat. We are still going to Disney (why did we not pay this off first? We should have. I admit that.). I walked around the house for 15 minutes with my hands in the air whispering "Thank you," to the Lord.
So grateful!

With credit cards, you pay so much more than the money you initially "borrow." So much more. We paid about 1.5 times that amount (so $500 becomes $750+), and some people wind up paying twice as much! You pay in your emotional well being. You pay in your relationship with your spouse and children. Having debt hang over you eats away at you.

People, cut up your credit cards and pay them off! We are now credit card debt free aside from one card we have an easy payment plan (all going toward the principle) for. I feel such a weight off my shoulders. I don't feel like I have to watch my back anymore.

Credit cards are evil. Pure and simple. And if you can't live off your own income - reduce what you are spending and get rid of the cards!

//off soapbox

For more info about going debt free, we recommend doing Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University Class. It is rough, but well worth it and we are on our way to financial peace and a better life for us and our kids. Our first steps were/are paying off the cards and eliminating excess spending like satellite/cable and the home phone.

Welcome!!! Have Some Ice Cream!!

Oh, thank goodness you're here! I was having a hard time keeping the ice cream away from the kids! I saved it just for you.
In case you haven't heard, it's my SITS Feature Day!

It's like a birthday, only better because I get comments. But the double-fun is that my birthday (yep - the 3rd anniversary of my 29th birthday!) is on Christmas Day, so we can celebrate BOTH!
Two scoops for everyone!

If you're new to A Few Sprinkles Short of a Sundae or not, it doesn't matter, I have ICE CREAM! Just don't touch my sprinkles! I'm already short.

For those of you NOT used to my sarcasm and superfluous use of exclamation marks (!!!!), I'm Allison. I'm a Christian woman, wife and mother - both biological and adoptive. I'm an avid adoption blogger and I also strive to let other moms out there know that they are not alone in this vast world of motherhood and all the twists and turns our busy lives provide.

This is me, wild hair and all!!

And yes, that is a halo above my head! Actually, I took this pic of myself at Bloggy Boot Camp Atlanta and I had the hardest time trying to hide that darn halo. Just ask my Tribe Members - I bet they saw it!

This is my family:

 

We are made up of two crazy trombone players who met when we were 13 years old, started dating at 17, and got married at 22! We have a biological daughter, SB, and an adopted son, Mac. We also have two heaven-bound children whom I cannot wait to see one day seated at the feet of Jesus.

Now, to find out more about who *I* am, check my about me page, and please please check out My Testimony about trusting God! These both include abridged versions of our story regarding infertility, miscarriage, giving birth and fighting tooth and nail to adopt.
And if you just want to know what the best posts are, I have a tab for that, too. See The Posts You Don't Want to Miss!

Oh, you want to know why I'm A Few Sprinkles Short of a Sundae? Good question. You see, way back in 2006 I started a blog about my pregnancy. Then it evolved into talking about my baby and our quest to adopt through foster care. And then we went into the fight of our lives to keep our son both with us and safe, so that blog came down and this one - which is slightly more anonymous - came up. I called it "Mommy's Scoop." And from the scoop came being "A Few Sprinkles Short of a Sundae," to indicate that I don't have all the answers.

There is so much more that I want to say, but I'll stop here and let you explore! I hope you enjoy your stay and have another scoop of ice cream!


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Priva-what?

All moms know what I'm talking about.

Privacy.

When you have small children, this word simply disappears from your vocabulary and your existence as a whole. Nothing is private anymore. Nothing.

Just tonight I had been playing with the kids when I excused myself to the loo (you know, the loo. Powder room? Potty? Toilet?). But my newly minted 5-year-old did not like the idea of my going alone. She grabbed my hand, "Mommy! Please! Don't leave!"

Um. I'm going going to the bathroom.

But she clung to my hand, kissing it and being very loving. Now, has she been 2 or maybe 3 I would have just left the door open. But we are working very hard these days on PRIVACY.

Potty time = alone time. Please, God, I need some alone time!

I'm trying to establish privacy for myself and also for the kids. Daddy has no problem with this because while I'm fending off an attack he can quickly use the bathroom, shower and get dressed. Alone. Sometimes I hate him. (In a loving way, of course.)

I'm trying to get the kids to close the door when they use the bathroom. This is especially important at Mimi's house where there are about 172 people walking through the house at any given moment and I don't want Granddaddy or Uncle Marcus or cousin Matthew's strange new friend walking by as they're having their constitutional. 

Now that the kids are getting a little older, everyone can use the bathroom on their own and therefore nobody needs to accompany anyone else for this...job. Except that my children are so very close that they invite each other in to just chit-chat and shoot the breeze while sitting upon the throne.
I'm glad they're best of friends, but really. This has got to stop.

Do you have any advice for weaning the kids off of bathroom bonding?

(I had to add this because it was hilarious. This is how I envision my children right now. I hope they're not still doing then when Mac has a goatee...)