with splenda and apple juice?

Last week, I was reading an article that claimed there was no such thing as "pregnancy" or "mommy" brain. Apparently, there is no evidence to suggest that during pregnancy (or the 18 years after) women become more prone to forgetting things.

As a mother of three, I would have to disagree. I forget things nearly everyday. Fortunately up to this point, I've never forgotten a child. That would be bad. Sure, I've forgotten to buckle their seat belts, but I've never actually forgotten one of them.

This morning, I proved that this so called "scientific study" was completely inaccurate. You see, I was making myself a well-deserved cup of coffee when I showed the classic symptoms of a brain fart. I had just been thinking to myself, "Oh, I should get the girls some apple juice." Then I opened the fridge, grabbed the milk and poured it into my coffee. About 10 seconds later, when I realized that my coffee was not getting any lighter, I actually looked at my hand. And what was I holding? That's right. The apple juice. Irish cream coffee with a scoop of splenda and a splash of apple juice ... DELICIOUS!

accidental obsession ...

So, we all know about my little obsession with cupcakes. A certain cupcake store in particular. In fact, I usually pass up other cupcakes. It's really just this place I am obsessed with. They are so good. Knock your socks off good. "Yes, I'll run that extra five miles just to eat them" good.

Up until now, I thought my kids could take them or leave them. Sometimes, 99% of their cupcakes got thrown away. Other days, every crumb was inhaled. But today was different. Today, my kids asked for them.

We were leaving the pool this morning when Doodle turned to me and said, "I want to go to the cupcake store!" How could I refuse? Not only did she ask me to take her to my favorite place, but she knew we were in the vicinity (we were less than half a mile away). I couldn't even lie and tell her that it was too far out of the way. She had me trapped. I had no choice.

(Wait, now that I think about it. I don't think she even knows where our house is located, but she gets within a mile of the cupcake store and it's like a flippin' siren is going off ... huh?)

Anyway, we got our cupcakes. But before we left, Dizzle grabbed a postcard off the counter with a cupcake on it (not some drawing, a photo of one of their cupcakes). Once we got in the car she proved her love for this tasty confection as well. She asked, "Mom, can I hang this picture in my room so that I can dream about these cupcakes?" LOVE IT!

So, basically I have three cupcakeaholics (counting myself, of course) living in my home. I think we need to move. Soon. To somewhere with no baked goods.

big sister ...

You know those BrainQuest books? Those books that are designed to build grade level appropriate skills? Well, we have one. It's the Pre-K level geared towards four and five-year olds.

This afternoon, Dizzle and I were going through the book and she was completing the tasks before I could even read the instructions. Realizing that we probably need to move to the next grade level, I said to her, "Wow, Dizzle. When did you get so smart?" And do you know what she said?

"Big sisters just know these things."

Really, Dizzle? Big sisters just know.

Well, they do say that wisdom comes with age. And apparently that age is four.

fluke ...

Remember that deathly oatmeal vomit I spoke of? Well, I am beginning to believe it was a total fluke. I pressed my luck and fed Dilly oatmeal on Saturday and today and what happened?

NOTHING.

No puke. No rash. Nothing. Don't get me wrong, I'm psyched that my kid can eat oats. But really, what the heck was going on with all that projectile vomiting?

wild oats ...

Let me just start by saying that up until this point none of my kids have had any food allergies. Well, unless you count that Dizzle swears up and down that she can't eat anything green, thus eliminating 90% of the world's vegetables. But, seriously, we have been fortunate enough to not have to worry about what the girls have been eating.

Until now. You see, back on vacation, Dilly had what I thought was a bout of food poisoning. A case of tainted formula. She threw up pretty much non-stop for 20 minutes. In an aquarium. A "Eco-friendly" aquarium, without paper towels on site. Let's just say it was rough. I assumed that she was sick from the formula which had been stored in our fridge when the power had gone out. It made total sense and seeing that she didn't get sick again, it was obvious I was right.

But then came yesterday. A seemingly normal day. Until nap time, when I found Dilly laying in a puddle of vomit. Laughing. It was an odd picture. She clearly wasn't ill, but at some point in the two hours she was in her crib, she had thrown up. At first I didn't think much of it. But then I connected the dots. I asked myself, "What was the same about today and the last time she spewed bodily fluids everywhere?" The answer: OATMEAL.

The morning she got sick on vacation she ate it and guess what was on the menu for breakfast yesterday (for the first time since vacation, might I add) ... It got me thinking that maybe something else is going on here. Could Dilly be allergic to oat?

So, I called the doctor and the nurse thought I might be right and suggested that I not feed it to her again (for at least a year) and that I mention it to the doctor at Dilly's next checkup. Easy peasy, right? Wrong! Because the more I thought about it (and the possibility of life without oats) the more uneasy I got. I needed to know. NOW! So, I decided to feed her oatmeal again, and risk getting vomit all over the place. And I did. At lunch today. A full three hours ago. And we're still good. Hopefully, it will stay that way. Because vomit is SO.NOT.FUN.

baby names ...

So, a bunch of our friends have recently had or are about to have new babies. This recent population boom has peaked Dizzle's interest and she has been asking what seems like a million questions about babies. Yesterday, she asked me, "What happens if you have three babies in your belly." I told her that if you had three babies in your belly, you are about to be really busy. She thought that was a totally suitable answer. So did I.

But of all the questions she has asked and the conversations we've had, my favorite had to be this one:

Dizzle: "When I am a mommy, what will my babies' names be?"

Me: "Well, Dizzle. Their names will be whatever you want them to be."

Dizzle: "I want you to pick."

Me: "I can't. That's not my choice. It's yours. I got to choose the names for my babies. I picked your name and Doodle's name and Dilly's name. Make sense? So, what do you want to name your babies?"

Dizzle: (without hesitation) "Flower Girl and Spiderman"

What great names Dizzle! How did you ever come up with them? I can't hardly wait to be the proud grandmother to Flower Girl and Spiderman.

creepy ...

I just heard Dizzle talking to Doodle and what she said cracked me up.

"Let's get out of here. This place is really creeping me out!"

Really, Dizzle. Your own house is, "really creeping you out?" Which part? The dust balls? The huge pile of recyclables? The splattering of oatmeal on the front of the dishwasher?

You know what kid? It's kind of creeping me out too. But, unless we get a maid or I get a few hours alone, it's going to be creeping you out for a while.