Not Me Monday!

It's been a long time since I participated but like a million others in cyberspace, I will join in today for the opportunity to win some Lisa Leonard love!  Not for myself though, I would love to gift a necklace to a woman who recently lost her newborn son.

I have NOT been neglegent in bathing my childrent this summer.  Playing in the pool and at the Sprinkler park are definitely NOT substitutes for bathing and I would NOT let them go days without bathing because "well, we are going to the pool tomorrow."

The baby did not reach into the toilet to touch her sister's poop the other day.  NOT on my watch.

My 6-year-old did not begin to question me on how baby's are made, NOT my daughter.  She's much too young for that.  I did NOT finally avoid the discussion by saying, "you are 6, you don't need to know all of that."

And, to not leave out the 3-year-old, I did NOT have to get out of the van the other day to spank said child, because she did NOT chuck a toy at me, simply because I refused her the CD she wanted to listen to.  My children have control of their tempers.

And this folks, has been another installment in NOT ME Mondays.

You're welcome.

This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

Not Me!

It's been so long since I participated in this blog carnival.  It hasn't been for lack of material though, usually lack of time.

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

So, without further ado, may I share with you what I haven't been doing lately?

I did not scrape what appeared to be a dried booger off the floor as I was cleaning it.  Any sneezing individual in my home would use a Kleenex.  They would not just let their snot fly.

I did not find myself coordinating a wedding recently.  I don't have experience in this area and wouldn't try to undertake such a task, even if the original coordinator found herself in the hospital.

I did not say to my children "who needs to poop, because I smell a poopy fart?"  Gracie did not respond by raising her hand and saying "I had a poopy fart."  We are much classier than that.

And lastly, I have not over-indulged in sweets and Diet Coke these last few weeks.  I have more self-control than that and I am applying the lessons I learned during my months of fasting Diet Coke and my month of not eating sugary treats.

Yup, pretty typical "not me" stuff going on in our circus on a regular basis.

Not Me Monday: the celebrity version

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

It's been a few weeks since I have participated in this blog carnival, but now is as good a time as ever to jump back in!

This week, I certainly did not eat more than my fair share of baked goods, while we had a storm that lasted days, a rare occurrence here in Sunny So Cal.  I did not finish off half a loaf of beer bread on my own, as well as polish off lots of cookie dough batter and freshly baked cookies.  Not me!

I was not right twice this week, about two of my daughters needing antibiotics.  The doctors I saw did not seem a bit incredulous that a parent knew when to bring their sick children in.

In the midst of a chaotic week of sick children, I did not find myself at the fine establishment of 7-11, purchasing bananas and macaroni and cheese.  I would never buy fruit at a convenience store.  Not me.

I am not considering myself a Z-list Celebrity (not even good enough to make the D-list) because I tweeted about Carrie Underwood & Jillian Michaels, and then got this reply. 

Adding to my Z-list, or maybe pushing it to X-list Celebrity status, MckMama's new friend from the cruise, was not on my floor as a freshman when I was a Resident Assistant.  I did not connect with her on Facebook recently, and then just a few weeks later see her in a photo MckMama tweeted from the MckCruise, and then see reference to her and her husband (who she was dating while in college) on MckMama's blog.  And I'm not shameless enough to blog about my tiny thread of a connection to her.  (And if we're not being shameless, she was in the room next to me, and just as sweet as can be.)


And in closing today, while bathing my toddler and baby,  I did not find myself telling my almost 3-year old to "please don't put that spoon in the baby's crack."  And at lunch with friends this weekend I did not tell same toddler , "please stop yelling nipples" and "please stop yelling that your nipples are bigger." Nope, not me.  My children are well behaved and would never speak with such inappropriate language.  And of course I do not find myself stifling laughter whenever I have to say things of this nature.

Not me!

Not Me Monday!

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

It's been a few weeks, but I actually have time to share what I haven't been up to recently.  I am sharp as a tack and have great balance in my life.

I did not affix stamps to 20 envelopes, only to realize I had put them in the left corner, not the right one.
I then did not spend extra time peeling the stamps off, and then taping them in the correct position.
My mind is ALWAYS on what I'm doing and I wouldn't be that distracted.
[unfortunately, to tell the truth, I can't even tell you what my mind was on or why I was so distracted]

I have not found a new love in a Tuscan Bread by Trader Joe's and I did not eat four pieces of it tonight, as my dinner.  I eat very balanced meals and wouldn't eat a meal of only simple carbohydrates.

In much the same fashion, I did not down several pieces of fudge at 8am this morning.  Even if I found one of my favorite homemade desserts in our employee lounge, I certainly wouldn't indulge so early.   I also did not squirrel a few more pieces away for tomorrow.  I am also not completely mortified, actually admitting to this act.

It has not been over two weeks since I last exercised.  I am not afraid at all, of a few holiday pounds.  After all, I have wonderful eating habits and the exercise counteracts any little mishaps.  I am not at all disappointed in the lack of exercise I've had this entire year.  I did not completely underestimate the impact a third child would have on my activity.

I did not strike a deal with hubs, which allowed me to use my Christmas bonus for entirely selfish purposes and I am not anxiously awaiting the arrival of this.  I do not think it's impractical at all being that my baby is close to a year.
[And no, I didn't pay the price you see on that page.  They had a sale last week.  I'm not saying it was cheap though.  Just steeply discounted!]

In a very poor attempt to draw the attention off of these soul-baring confessions, I leave you with a moment I am so proud of in my daughter's life.

This morning at church, my oldest daughter, an avid Bronco fan like her father (just to spite me, I think) did not tell a jersey-wearing Charger fan that she "wouldn't talk to her because of that shirt" and then she did not proceed to do her rendition of The Jerk dance, while singing the song ("You're a jerk, You're a jerk, You're a jerk").  I raise my children far better than that.  Miss Rose's move is here around 17-18 seconds in.  If you're wondering, she can show you the "Hip Hop Turkey" too, which I'm really not sure is an actual move, but she apparently learned it at school.  But her dancing is a whole post in itself.

I'm proud people, oh so proud.  Of myself and my offspring. 

Not Me Monday!

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.


For some reason, I just don't feel right posting a Not Me Monday! when MckMama is unable to post her own.  So it's been a few weeks.  But I've gotten smart and keep a draft with "not me" items in Blogger.  Or maybe I'm dumb for keeping track of how dumb I sometimes am!

We love baked goods at our house.  But, in order to save our waistlines, we usually enjoy a treat for a night or two and then I attempt to give away whatever is left.  A few weeks ago I made a cake for small group and then brought the rest to a baby shower the next day.

Upon returning home from said shower with my empty cake pan, I did not proceed to scrape the pan clean of all moist crumbs and leftover icing.  Not me.  I have WAY more self-control than that.

[on a sidenote...imagine my surprise when I saw The Pioneer Woman making MY favorite cake recipe on a talk show recently.  Make one for yourself.  I dare you.  See if you scrape the pan too.]

Although I protested becoming a minivan mom, I do not immensely enjoy the automatic sliding doors.  And I would never try to open or close the front doors with the remote.  And I have never walked almost into the house or work,  with one of said doors open, because the remote "didn't" close it.  Nope, not me!

Even though babies are notorious for losing shoes, and one had just come off in the car, I did not put said shoe back on the baby for a trip into Target with her in the Beco.  And I did not notice a missing shoe when we returned to the car.  Which I couldn't go back in to find.  Because I was probably already late to pick up Miss Rose from school.  [but yes, I went back the next day and they had it.  Phew.  I love these shoes.]  Not me.  I am practical and punctual.  Always.

On mommy days* Gracie never talks me into staying in her footie pajamas to drop Miss Rose off.  And if she did, I would never put shoes on over the pj's, in order to walk Miss Rose in.  And if I did, I would certainly never snap a photo of it.  Nope, not me.

*mommy days: days mommy gets to do mommy things with her children.  Let me tell you, heartbreaking when the 2yr old gleefully says "today is a MOMMY DAY" and I have to say no dear, not today.

I also would never allow my child to drink milk that's been sitting out for an hour or two.  I have never found Gracie drinking her morning milk sippie, at say, 10:30am.  Nope, not me.  Bean would definately pull my mom-card if that was the case.  Mr. "Lifetime Food Card Handler" who never allows raw poultry to touch anything in the kitchen and douses his body in 409 when he deems necessary.  I always put unfinished sippies in the fridge and they are never about the house. 

Not Me!!

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

Oh yes, it's that time again.  That day that you read about others mishaps and think, I don't do those kind of things.  But when you really start to think about it...you realize you are just a prone to not do things as anyone else.

So what have I not been up to this week?

I certainly did not plan to go to bed early each night, only to look up and find that it was already past 10pm or closing in on 11pm.  Not me.  I never get distracted by the computer or television.

After completing a half marathon last Sunday, which I certainly have not neglected to blog about yet, there is no way that I haven't exercised all week.  Not me.  I wouldn't be so remiss in neglecting to prioritize exercise, just because I don't have a race coming up.

I did not finish off the cookies this morning, deciding that it was actually a self-sacrificial move, so that my dear point-counting hubby wouldn't be tempted to cheat tonight.  It was not several (which is more than a few) that I fnished off.  That would be glutinous.

Clearly, I've been taking wonderful care of myself and these types of things are not why I find myself sick again; the second time in as many months, which is double my typical annual rate. 

So, what have you not been up to?

Not Me Monday at my NEW location!

Welcome to my new location :)  Hope you will follow me using Google!






Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

We all have those moments we aren't so proud of, the moments we wish we could rewind and rewrite.  Personally though, I find them rather amusing and entertaining.  Bean and I enjoy laughing at most of these moments.

Our life is a circus, or at least it feels that way.  And this Mama Beana and Daddy Bean just shake our heads and laugh at our three little Beans and the acts they create.  More later this week on Our Three Bean Circus.

But for now, may I entertain you with a few things that most certainly would not take place in this Three Bean Circus.

I do NOT sometimes take my iPhone into the bathroom with me to "check something" while I take care of business, and by business, I don't mean that kind of business, I mean simply urinating.  I do NOT usually find myself still sitting on the throne 10 minutes later, when child comes seeking me.  Nope, not me.  That's unsanitary, and just plain silly.

While we're speaking of urination, few days ago, when asked if Gracie was potty-trained, she did NOT proceed to pee on the cement a mere nanosecond after I answered in the affirmative.  And it wasn't a small accident--as in oops, a little leaked out.  It was like Niagra Falls.  She IS pottytrained and does NOT have some animal instinct that causes her to urinate outside an average of once a week.  Not my child.

Just tonight, after giving Miss Rose a stack of magazines to search for "sight words" for her homework project, she did NOT point out to me a page picturing naked breasts at various stages of breast cancer and single mastectomies.  I did NOT give my child the "Breast Cancer Issue" of Self Magazine.  Nope, not me.  I am more careful than that.

And finally, after having a discussion on how some kids say bad words (ie older neighborhood boys) Miss Rose did NOT give Bean the double bird, as a demonstration of something else they had taught her.  Nope, not in this house.  (needless to say, the boys are banished from our yard for quite some time!)

Yes folks, it's real.  THIS is our Three Bean Circus.

Stay tuned for more!

Not Me

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I have not been using a small Dora brush from the 99cent store on my children daily because I've yet to replace a broken hairbrush.

I do not regularly postpone bathing my children, knowing they are going in the pool or the beach or sprinklers the following day and will definately require a bath after that.

I was not laughing like crazy the other night when I was trying to help Gracie potty, when Miss Rose slipped in the shower and almost fell out of the tub, and then Gracie was urinating as I was pulling her panties down. I did not say "sweet Jesus" only to hear Gracie mimic me.

It's not me who's been waking twice a night again, with a baby, who doesn't want to sleep more than an 4-5hr stretch.

And it's not my 6.5 month old baby, who still isn't eating solids because every attempt at cereal has resulted in vomit.

We eat healthy around these parts, and avoid fast food. So, if you're wondering you did NOT see me this past Saturday, in the Target food court, feeding my children hot dogs and icee's for lunch which I munched on an Italian sausage. Most certainly not.

Not Me! Monday on Tuesday

I wrote most of this blog in preparation for Monday, but I ran out of time to finish it. But I wouldn't post a Not Me! blog on Tuesday. Nope, not me!

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

Here's our weekly opportunity to bare our souls, confess our blunders and come clean with our shortcuts in life and mommyhood.

I certainly have NOT been bemoaning the static number on the scale, while still indulging in almost nightly desserts. Not me, I always stick to my diet.

My shoulders and back are NOT sunburnt from an outing with my kids. While I coat my children carefully with plenty of sunscreen, I would NOT forget to coat myself.

Even though my 5.5month old is showing some signs of being ready to start solids, I am NOT avoiding it because it will add one more thing to my already full life. I would NOT decide that nursing more is easier and try to hold off on that cereal a few more weeks.

And when the sheet in the co-sleeper needs changing, I would NOT just flip it around so that the dirty (slobber, spit-up infested) portion is at her feet. Nope. NOT me.

My sweet husband is NOT currently wii bowling right now, practicing, because a bunch of kids almost beat him last night! He did NOT just say to me, "I refuse to let those kids beat me."

Although my two-year-old has been potty-training since Memorial Day weekend, I did NOT just buy her first actual panties. Which means she has NOT been going commando since then. And I did NOT recently find a photo that proves the point. Nope, not me.

So, what's NOT new with you?

Not Me! Monday

Confession is good for the soul, and none of us is perfect! This is a great opportunity to share those moments you're not so proud of and the ones you can't help but laugh at.

I haven't played along in a few weeks and I'm sure I've wracked up more Not Me! moments than I will be able to recall.

I did not notice this afternoon that there was pee in the potty chair (which sits in our living room because the bathroom is so small)--even though I'm fairly sure it hadn't been used since the morning. Nope. No pee sitting out for hours. Not at my house.

Bean did not encourage me to just for the bean and cheese burrito on Saturday afternoon, in spite of Lily's intolerance for dairy. And it wasn't Bean who left the house at 5:50am the next morning for a bottle of Mylicon. We are much smarter than that.

Speaking of Lily, she's bathed quite often, if you were wondering. I do not question on a weekly basis, when she had her last bath, because it's never been long enough that I would forget.

And no, that was not me, waiting for 10+ minutes in the Starbucks drive-thru, while my kiddos and nephew were entertained by the minivan dvd player that I insist I don't use very often. I did not pay for my doctored up caffeine with $3 secretly borrowed from Miss Rose's stash. I would never be that desparate.

I am a very honest and responsible shopper. I did not leave Target with an unpaid item in my 2yr old's lap. It had been a long and successful trip, so instead of risking meltdowns, I did not decide just to bring the tag back later this week and pay for the item. Nope, not me.

I'm quite curteous and would not annoy my followers on Twitter my adding #moonfruit to my tweets in order to win a new Macbook Pro. That would be rude!

I did not win the Celebrity Bump Bag from Modern Mom by submitting their favorite advice for new and expecting moms. I am not anxiously watching for the UPS or FEDEX driver to make a delivery to my house sometime soon.

So, what's not been going on in your house this week? Write your own blog and then link up here.

Not Me! Monday

Ready to 'fess up to the not so perfect things we do every day as parents? I find it particularly refreshing and quite amusing to think back on my week and what I didn't do. Click on the photo above to visit MckMama's site to read her list this week and everyone who is linking up.

Last week I did not finish a Diet Coke at 9:30pm at night, because I'm giving it up (again) tomorrow. Not me! And I will not be the one having difficulty sleeping tonight either. I also did not just eat several cookies for the same reason.

I do not check my in my rear-view mirror at least once a week to be sure I didn't forget the baby. There's no way the thought would even cross my mind, that I might have forgotten to load her in.

I am not currently salivating over a few baby carriers that are uber-expensive. Not me. I'm a thrifty mama. Not this one. Or this one.

I certainly don't alternate between calling Gracie one of the "big girls" and one of the "babies." That would contribute to some sort of middle child syndrome.

I definately did not nurse Lily post-mud run with stubborn flecks of dirt still stuck to me and certain parts important to her.

I did not pour the pee from the potty chair into the sink because I was so tired at the end of the day. Not me!

Not Me Monday: Potty Training Edition

Click on the button above to find all about how you can participate in "Not Me" Monday and read other entries.

I prepared this blog last week, but Not Me Mondays was on break for Memorial Day.

I did not decide to start potty-training my 2 year old this weekend. Because I am not tired of buying and changing diapers for two children each day.

And said two year old has not been bare-bottomed most of the weekend in my house, and the car, and the stroller. I did not have a brief argument with Bean about whether or not to diaper her for lunch at Rubios. I was not arguing for her just sitting on a waterproof mat. Bean was not the one who won the argument and she did not end up diapered.

I was not Tweeting about pottytraining, including photos of my kid on the potty chair, even though my boss/pastor gets my Tweets instantly.

I did not bring the potty chair with us in the van and it was not me who was dumping the (just liquid) contents of a potty chair in the bushes of two different parking lots in the city.

It was not my two year old who told me several times regarding potty training "that's yucky" and "that's gross."

Nope, that wasn't my daughter, trying to diaper herself with baby sister's diapers because she was tired of being bare-bottomed. She did not tell me this evening, "Mama, I need clothes."

In defense of all the things I did not do, it was not my daughter who only had one accident all of Saturday--save a few hour period we were at a birthday party and she was diapered.

I am not going to continue doing these same things, hoping for more success.

A Venture into Potty-training!

So we ventured into potty-training a little more than a week ago. I was inspired by my neighbors who recently potty-trained their daughter who is about 6 weeks younger than Gracie using this 3-day Diaperless program.

I had to make a few alterations because following the program 100% was not realistic for us. I'm pleased with the results so far and thought I'd share my experiences and adjustments.

The basic premise of this program is that the toddler goes diaper-free for three days, during which you stay home and encourage peeing by lots of liquids.

I will admit, going diaper-free is a bit easier with a girl than it might be with a boy. I put Gracie in dresses, so she does have some coverage and doesn't feel completely naked. She learned pretty quickly to hold the dress up to pee.

The first few days we stayed home quite a bit. Gracie definately had accidents the first several hours, but also some successes. By the end of the first day she was peeing on the potty the majority of the time. The second day was almost completely accident free.

The potty chair is in the living room and when she is resistant to sitting still, we watch a little TV or read a book and almost always sing a "potty song" (usually Twinkle Twinkle Little Star) to encourage her to sit long enough to pee. There are other suggestions in the article that we use also.

The program encourages bare-bottomed outings, bringing the potty chair along in the car. I have done this some, but usually I'm out by myself with the kids--and managing an infant, a bare-bottomed toddler, potty chair and 5yr old just isn't feasible. (I know I am brave and try a lot, but that's not one thing I'll do!)

Gracie has been in diapers most of the time when we are away from home. However, we always use the potty right before and after each trip and sometimes her diaper stays dry. She has surprised us by having a dry diaper after some of her naps and even a few mornings.

At this point, Gracie is almost accident free while we are at home--even though she's in a diaper for outings. The next step is having her in knit pants or shorts (no panties or pull-ups underneath) at home and learning to stay dry. Last night she was in knit pants for about 4 hours (including at a restaurant) and she stayed dry. Whoo-hoo!!

This has been a great program for us to use and we are progressing quickly. I'm hoping that by the end of this week Gracie will be in bottoms and staying dry--even when we aren't home. She did adjust to being bare-bottomed, but it hasn't been her favorite.

Stay tuned tomorrow for a Potty-training Not Me! Monday blog and laugh at some of our funnier moments!

Not Me! Monday

I've enjoyed readings entries in this blog carnival and decided it's finally time for me to join in.

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

There are plenty of things I did not do this week.

I most certainly did not consider using a #1-2 diaper on my 2yr old instead of the #4 she normally wears because she was poopy and I didn't find her diaper on first pass in the diaper bag. Lucky for her (and me I'm sure) I found one on second pass.

I did not discontinue applying the antibiotic cream to Lily's eyes after just a few days simply because I forgot--and her pink eye had cleared up.

That realization did not hit this weekend because her pink eye did not return. And after re-starting the ointment, after two applications, I did not forget the next two, again. Not me.

While out shopping, and waiting in a 20min line at Nordstrom Rack, I did not just decide to nurse Lily in line.

Even though Lily had a horrendous reaction to the last dairy I had several weeks ago, I did not decide to experiment just one more time (she's three months now, so she could have outgrown the sensitivity) because a non-fat, extra hot, decaf caramel macchiato was calling my name. I did not pay the price with extra fussiness and an increase in projectile vomit.

I did not bribe my 5yr old several times with offers of treats and movies in the car this week. I certainly don't do that weekly. My children love to comply and I don't need to bribe them.

Bean did not have to restrain himself from laughter when Miss Rose was throwing a huge fit because we made her come inside from wrestling matches with the neighbor boys where she was about to wrestle a boy who was her "greatest challenge."

I did not check our online credit card statement for a work-related charge, only to see that Bean had ordered me a cake from my favorite bakery ever. I am not enjoying the last piece of cake as I blog.

And in conclusion, I definately did not get an iphone for mother's day. That would be an extravagant expense and Bean did not decide to spoil me with it anyways.

Nope, not me.

(Pretty good for my first try at this, huh?)