Because [Blank] Happens - A Giveaway!

I decided to go to Target on Saturday which is pretty much like agreeing to play chicken across any of the country's major interstates.  I figured if I went early enough I would miss the weekend crowd and still find the shelves well stocked with the staples on my list.

It was kind of like a vacation where the vacation includes no kids, shopping and Starbucks.  Halfway through my trip I got a text from Brian.

"$#!& everywhere."

I knew right away it was Katherine.  She was still sleeping when I left and, be it vaccines, teeth or just an upset stomach, she had been plagued by diarrhea the past few days.

By the time I got home Brian was already on to his next task of the day: raking.  Katherine was all bundled up in her pink fuzzy snowsuit and smiling widely in her stroller.  Brian had already given her a bath, cleaned up the room and put her bedding in the washer.

The only thing left for me to do was to put sheets back on her bed.  And before I did that I decided to wipe down the entire crib because, you know, ick.

I decided to use the Nursery Wipes I received from Earth's Best.  They're chlorine-free and made of all-natural material so I don't have to worry about Katherine ingesting any scary chemicals when she uses the side of her crib as a teething toy.

And, as a major bonus in this particular situation, the wipes have a lovely lavender and lemongrass fragrance.  Because, let me tell you, it smelled ripe in there.  Next, I suggest Earth's Best add to their home care line and use this scent to make air fresheners or candles.  Mmmmm...

A Giveaway!Earth's Best is offering one canister and one travel-pack of their Nursery Wipes to one of my lucky readers. To enter, simple leave a comment on this post.  Deadline to enter is Monday, November 5 at noon (Central Time).

* Earth's Best has provided me with Nursery Wipes to review and to giveaway. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.
* This contest is now closed. The winner is commenter #1!

7 Quick Takes [10.26.12]

1. "I think I'm going to quit my blog."

I tell this to Brian roughly once every couple of months. Things stack up. Life gets overwhelming. And blogging seems like just another to-do on my ever-growing list.

Of course, I haven't quit. And I don't think I ever will. At least not in the near future. But my comments to Brian still illustrate my constant battle with deciding whether to blog or change a diaper. Blog, or make dinner? Blog, or take a nap? Blog, or go to the bathroom? You catch my drift. Life is busy.  And exhausting.

This week Rachel at Testosterhome wrote about quitting her blog and she hit the nail on the head for me. This is exactly how I feel about blogging.

2. In case you didn't hear, we had a pretty big birthday around here this week. Here are some of my favorite photos we took of the day.

Katherine trying to steal a kiss.  Lucy trying to steal a lick of frosting.

3. Celebrating Katherine's first birthday means that I will officially not be having Irish twins.  But it still doesn't stop people from doing a double take when I walk into a room with a huge belly and a baby on my hip.

Just this week a man with a thick Italian accent stopped me at Trader Joe's.  "Are they all yours?" He asked.  "Pretty sure!" I replied.

"God bless you!" He exclaimed and motioned the sign of the cross in front of me.  (I guess all Italians are pope-like?)

He caught me in a moment of having extremely well-behaved children.  So as not to get too egotistical about the whole thing I opted not to explain to him that I had yet another child who was in school at the time.

But just to make sure I didn't get all cocky about how awesome I was at breeding and caring for young children and having the super power of being able to bring them all out in public without making a spectacle of ourselves, there were some major meltdowns by both girls when we got home and they realized they were both long overdue for lunch and naps.  There's always a humbling moment just around the corner, isn't there?

4. If our clinic had a frequent flyer program I would be platinum status.  Just this week I was there on three separate days.  A prenatal, a well child and pre-op physical.

Katherine had four shots and a finger poke.  Poor thing.  I'm not sure who cried harder, her or me.  Then Lucy went in today for her all-clear before surgery in a few weeks.  I also opted to give her the flu shot.  I'm more lax about the flu shot some years but this year I'm making it mandatory for all who live in Casa de Nash.  We can't afford for any severe illness to strike us before surgery and I also want to keep that newborn safe who is set to arrive in just seven weeks.  The flu shot isn't a  sure bet.  Not by a long shot.  But I'll take all the help I can get.  Does your family get flu shots?

5. Yesterday William brought home his school pictures.  I've never laughed so hard in my life.  School pictures are just priceless, aren't they?  For starters his hair is kind of a disaster.  Half of it is combed to the side and the other half is just kind of limply laying there.  And his smile.  If you can even call it that.  He's biting his lip like someone just told him something funny but he's trying to stifle a laugh.  I just can't believe the photographer saw the proof and said, "Yep! That's perfect!"

When I showed the photos to Brian I asked if he thought we should do retakes.  "Absolutely NOT!" He replied.  "We are going to want to remember this for sure!"

And so it remains.  His kindergarten photo forever.

6. Tonight Brian is playing in a band at a local bar for happy hour.  It's a band consisting of him and three of his coworkers.  The ages of the band member range from late 20s to early 60s.  Funny, right?

I take advantage of almost every opportunity I get to tease him about this band.  I feel only a little guilty about this.  The thing is, there's nothing really funny about Brian's musical talent.  The guy is awesome.  I'm the first to admit.  But there is something funny about the band itself.  It feels a little Office Space meets Wild Hogs.  And then there's the fact that Brian, the member who plays all parts except drums, is the father of four young children.  The last time he played in a band was at the on-campus eatery at our college.  All of that was before there was a ring or kids.  We both took it very seriously back then.  I was 100% committed to being his band's roadie.

I grabbed a sitter for tonight so I can go watch him play.  I'm feeling a little silly about the whole thing.  Like, who am I kidding walking in looking like I do?

But don't forget to remind to pick up glow sticks on the way.  Oh, and a package of diapers on the way home.

7. That's it from me!  See more Quick Takes here.

Kate the Great [Is One!]

I can hear you, but I can't see you.  You are in the porch playing with your older sibling's toys.

You crawl over to me at the dining room table.  You are chewing on something in your mouth.  I don't panic.  I even take a second before I go in to fish it out.

I can hear you playing in your crib.  You should be napping.  But you are talking.  Sometimes shrieking.  Sometimes banging on the wall.  I stay put.  I don't go in there to restart the lay-down process.  You are content, sleeping or not, and I don't mess with it.

You've had peanut butter since you were seven months old.  And loved it.

You never used a bottle.  Never drank formula.

You sleep in a drop-side crib.  With bumpers.  And a pillow.  And lots of blankets.

Our staircase has no gate.

Our cabinets have no locks.

I let your five-year-old brother carry you up the stairs so I don't have to.

You don't own a pair of shoes because it's too much extra work to find them, put them on and demand that you keep them on.

On outings you stay put in your stroller.  Enjoying the sights and sounds from your perch.

You are a third child indeed.

Today you are one. But you are still The Baby.

And even though you will technically forfeit that title in a couple of months when your younger sibling is born, I know that instead you will collectively become The Babies. Because I'm just not ready to let go of your babyhood. Not yet.

Everyone who spends time with you agrees you make all other babies look bad because you are just so, so good. Always content. Always smiling. Always happy to just be.

Your favorite toy is the television remote control. Or Lucy's princess piano.

Your favorite possession is a blue Jellycat elephant which you snuggle close every time he is within reach.

Your favorite book is One, Two, Three! by Sandra Boynton.

Your favorite thing to eat is peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on whole wheat bread. And much to my surprise, you don't really have a sweet tooth.

Speaking of teeth, you have four. Two on the bottom since you were six months old and two on the top that cut just days ago.

Your favorite time of day is bathtime.

You are crazy, ridiculously strong. But that petite frame of yours. You should be a gymnast. You hover at the third percentile in all areas of measurement.

You are thisclose to walking. But have yet to utter a single word.

Instead you communicate by waving or blowing kisses. Or giving real kisses. Wet ones. Open mouth with full tongue. You silly goose.

Let's talk about your hair. Is it a burden or an asset? I have yet to decide. It's been a conversation point since the day you were born.

When we say prayers before dinner you clasp your hands together like you've been part of this family forever.

Was there ever a day you weren't here? I can't remember.

Sometimes I want to cry. That's how much I love you.

I still have guilt. When you wake in the middle of the night and the baby in my belly is kicking the baby on my lap. This isn't right, a voice in my head demands.

But somehow it is anyway.

You are an extraordinary piece of our family, my dear, sweet Katherine. No matter your place. No matter the time. No matter the demands of everyone else. You are still a part of me and you are eternally loved.

Happy first birthday, baby girl!

What Morning Looks Like

Today I slept in.  There is no school.  It's a rare break in the Monday through Friday grind.  Three kids and a husband, all with different daily schedules, make for busy mornings.  But for me it usually means the storm before the calm.

Here's what a normal morning routine looks like around these parts:

Brian, William and myself get out of bed by 7:00 at the latest.  Half the time Lucy wanders out of bed with William and the other half she chooses to keep snoozing for another 30 minutes or so.  I immediately turn on The Today Show to see if I can catch the morning headlines.

The big kids sit down for breakfast.  They get a sliced banana in a bowl of cold cereal.  Their choices are usually Cheerios, Rice Krispies or Kix.  Every once in a while they get homemade oatmeal with a handful of frozen berries thrown in.  My kids are big breakfast eaters.  They will sometimes have two or three bowls.

While they eat, Brian unloads the dishwasher.  It's his first "I love you" from him to me for the day.  Then either he or I will get started on William's packed lunch.  He always gets a sandwich of some sort, a whole fruit, yogurt and some whole wheat crackers.

After breakfast William goes upstairs and puts on his uniform and brushes his teeth.  I quickly wet his hair down to erase any signs of bed head.  Then he goes back downstairs and gathers his lunch, backpack, shoes and heads to the front door to wait for the patrol line.  At 7:55 he's out the door.

On to Lucy.  I pick out her outfit for the day, usually a dress so I don't have to hear any complaining, and then grab some hair supplies for tackling her mane.

Once she's ready I can focus on myself and my grumbling baby belly.  I pour myself some orange juice, and put milk in my cereal bowl.  As soon as my cereal is on its way to becoming soggy, it never fails that little Katherine wakes up.  I so appreciate the fact that she sleeps in well past 8:00 almost every day, but how does she sense the exact moment I'm sitting down to eat?

I run upstairs and her full smile instantly wipes away any annoyance I may have had.  After a diaper change it's time for her breakfast as well.  She gets a sliced banana and a packet of instant Cream of Wheat.

It is extremely rare for me to buy "instant" anything but because our mornings are so crunched for time, I've made this compromise.  I choose Cream of Wheat because it supplies a lot of vitamins and nutrients for her since she has long ago given up breastmilk and formula.

Recently Earth's Best sent me a box of their Yummy Tummy Instant Oatmeal and when I ran out of Cream of Wheat I gave it a try.  The verdict?  We love it!  It's just as quick and nutritious as Cream of Wheat and Katherine seems to really love it.  I wasn't sure if she would go for the texture of oatmeal over the smooth-ness of Cream of Wheat but she doesn't seem to mind in the least.

The only thing I would add is that the directions state to mix the packet with water but I opt for whole milk instead.  It gives her the extra punch of calcium and fat she needs.

Once Katherine is finished with breakfast she crawls around from here to there exploring whatever toys the big kids have left on the floor.

Brian and Lucy are out the door by 8:45.  Lucy to preschool and Brian to work.

Once they are gone I settle in on the couch with a cup of coffee and indulge in the remainder of The Today Show, which, I think we can all agree, turns into a television version of People magazine after 8:00.

Katherine and I have the quiet, oh so quiet, house to ourselves for the next two and a half hours.  It's a splendid way to begin a day.

*This post was inspired by products I received from Earth's Best.  All opinions are 100% my own.

7 Quick Takes: 10.19.12

1. I was going to start this post about 20 minutes ago but first decided to throw some homemade applesauce on the stove.  I wish you could smell my house right now.  Absolute perfection.  Especially with the glow of the changing leaves outside and the soft pitter patter of rain.  So cozy.

2. Some of you may remember that I mentioned awhile back that our family is undergoing genetic testing after Brian's mom was found to have a heart defect gene.  We got Brian's results back yesterday and he is negative.  Insert huge sigh of relief.  This means none of our four children will be affected.  I wasn't too worried about the results either way but it is nice to be able to scratch "make cardio doctor appointment" off my list of things to do.

However, a negative result for Brian means nothing for the rest of his siblings so we are still on a journey with all of them trying to figure out what all this means while keeping all them in our prayers.

3. Last week Brian and I attended a talk at William's school about the Love & Logic parenting philosophy.  You should know that I don't like parenting books or methods so when I say that this speaker was top quality, I really mean it.  And that's just it, love and logic isn't a method, it's a philosophy applied to all areas of parenting.  The core of the philosophy is allowing natural consequences to occur instead of applying your own made-up non-logical ones.  For example, taking away a favorite toy if a child doesn't stay in bed at night.  Sleep and toys don't really relate to one another so that doesn't make sense.

I decided to apply a little love and logic yesterday when I told the kids that we were going to have a movie night.  I rented Madagascar 3 from Redbox.  I told them I really hoped that we would have time to watch it before it was bedtime.  They, of course, asked what I meant about having time.  And I told them that before Dad and I watch TV at night we first have to tidy up the house so I hoped that they were able to clean up the toy areas in our house in time to watch the movie.  And then that was it.  I didn't care if they cleaned up or not.  But they certainly cared if they had enough time to watch their movie.  The movie wasn't a reward.  It was already there for the taking.  They just had to make sure they had the time to watch it.

It really is such a relief to be able to rid myself of the nagging and the threats and just put the ball 100% in their court.  There are still a lot of things we need to figure out as they relate to our household and the ages and expectations of our kids but so far it's been a pretty smooth process.

4. The reason we were able to have a movie night last night is because the kids are off of school through Monday.  At first I was nervous about having three days off and falling back into my chaotic summer ways but then I realized that this was time for me to enjoy too.  No more did I experience that then yesterday when I woke to see the clock read 8:00 and the house still quiet.  We all slept in.  It was bliss.  But come Tuesday I'll be ready to get back to the grind again.  It's just a nice little breather for all of us.

5. I'm taking place in a week-long credit card study which pays very handsomely.  At first I wasn't sure if the money was worth it because there is quite an extensive personal journal that I have to complete before the study concludes with an in-home interview next Thursday.  The journal includes hypothetical questions about myself, a few personal photographs and some magazine image collages.  I dove into it yesterday and I'm actually finding it quite fun.  Brian and I are having great conversations coming up with the three people, dead or alive, that I would like to have in my personal posse.  Or the three words that best describe what I want my money to do for me.  Or if I had a magic wand, what is a life problem I would love to solve.  Very thought-provoking.  And I get paid for it!  Yay!

6. We took the big kids to see the live production of Beauty & the Beast on Wednesday night and they did really well!  I wasn't too sure about Lucy Girl.  She isn't a lover of television like William is so I thought she might get bored.  She did get a bit antsy during some of the dialogue parts, just as many of the other kids and even adults in the theater did, but she was on the edge of her seat during the musical numbers.  And since the musical numbers make up 90% of the show that meant she was captivated for most of it.  I'll never forget the look on her face during the opening number of a movie she's watched countless times when she realized it was real people on the stage.  Priceless.  Great memory-maker for our family.

7.  A couple of weeks ago, in a moment of hormonal weakness, I made on online purchase for maternity clothes.  This makes no sense.  I have less than two months to go and am uncertain if I'll ever be pregnant again.  Total waste of money.  And yet, maybe not.  Because I just needed something new to get me excited to get dressed in the morning.  I admitted my wasteful purchase to Brian and he gave me not one iota of grief.  "Good for you!" He said, possibly just relieving his own guilt for being at least half of the reason I'm in this situation for the fourth time in six years to begin with.

One of the items I bought was a pair of over-the-belly black leggings.  Ladies, if you are pregnant or planning to be, I can't recommend these very affordable leggings enough.  They are more comfortable than any other maternity pants I own.  I've been pairing them with tunics and tall black boots.  But you could also wear them with a longer sweater and a pair of comfortable ballet flats.  The money is worth the comfort and joy of getting dressed.  I recommend!

Home Sweet Home Life

Brian and I got in a mini getaway this weekend at a Northern Minnesotan resort on his company's dime.  It was a 'thank you' and also a 'team building' event with spouses included.  But mostly there was just a lot of drinking (for some of us, ahem) and good food and lots of laughter.  It was a lot of fun.

Brian's mom came to stay with the kids and I'm once again reminded how lucky we are to have not one, but two grandmas who are willing to step into my shoes whenever there is a need.  And while the weekend was fun, I did miss the kids.  Especially my Baby Katherine who is working overtime to push through some new teeth and thus in need of some extra mama time.

If you remember, this trip came right on the heels of our Boston trip so it didn't have quite the allure that it probably should have.  I felt my whole body relax when I got home.  Even as I piled five loads of laundry into the washer.  This was our last overnight trip, save for a quick Thanksgiving jaunt, between now and the new year.  Even world-traveler Brian will be home with us albeit a little bummed that, with a prudent mind, he turned down a business trip to Germany in November.

This morning Brian bought me a cinnamon latte from the coffee shop because we ran out of coffee filters for a home brew.  And last night we ordered take 'n' bake pizza.  And the night before that we had pancakes for dinner.  These are all epic fails in my book.  I need to get my game back together.

Being home doesn't mean life is any slower but it is easier, isn't it?  The laundry stays caught up.  The cupboards and frig stay stocked.  And I can better wrap my head around the week's schedule from the comfort of my own home when everything is in it's proper order.  And of course, nothing beats a night in your own bed or getting ready in your own bathroom.

October and November are quite full for us.  Tomorrow we are bringing the big kids to the live production of the Beauty & The Beast musical.  I'm so excited!

Next week someone in our house is turning one!  Whaaaaaaaaaat?!  I know.  Where did the time go?

We have birthday parties and dinner dates and Halloween and doctor's appointments and at least one person in our family has an upcoming performance for a new band he's a part of.  Because really, what his life's resume needed was just one more extracurricular activity.

We have a ton of fall clean-up to-dos (Question: Do Southerners do fall clean-up?) and even more before-baby-comes to-dos.

And then there's Lucy's big surgery in the middle of November that I keep conveniently pushing to the back of my mind because of everything else that needs to happen.  I do know that this is probably a good thing.  Keeping my mind occupied so that I don't go to that place of what-if.

This is life at Casa de Nash.  I'm so happy to be home.

Oliver's Labels: Product Review & Giveaway!

I'm really excited about this review because I love products that are both practical and of high quality.  Oliver's Labels fits the bill in both categories.

In preparation for William's first day of kindergarten, one of the requirements the teachers listed was labeling everything the children bring to school.  Shirts, sweatshirts, shoes, backpacks, lunch boxes, water bottles, you name it.

Of course, a good old-fashioned Sharpie could get the job done but why be so boring when there's something easier, clearer and maybe even longer lasting?

Earlier this fall I partnered up with Oliver's Labels and their product did not disappoint.  I received their preschool package ($33.99) in the mail which consists of 20 original labels, 14 shoe labels and 35 clothing labels.  The package also includes one large bag tag but I opted to swap that out for three mini bag tags.  This type of package customization is a unique feature of Oliver's Labels as compared to other label competitors.

As soon as I received my package I quickly applied the clothing labels to all of William's uniform pieces since those are the clothing articles most in jeopardy of getting mixed up with another student.  Next I tackled all the items in his lunchbox.  After more than a week of use the thing that surprised me the most about Oliver's Labels is how well they hold up after multiple washings.  The labels on his clothing and food containers still look like I just applied them.

When you use Oliver's Labels you have the option to add their Found-it™ feature.  In addition to your child's name you can choose to add a 9-digit Found-it™ code to each label.  When the "finder" goes to oliverslabels.com and enters in the code, Oliver's Labels directs the item back to your address.  Genuis, right?

A Giveaway!
Oliver's Labels is offering a free Preschool Package to one of my readers! To enter the contest, simply submit a comment. Make sure to include your email address where indicated so I can contact you if you win. Deadline to enter is Friday, October 19 at Noon Central Time. Good luck!

*Oliver's Labels provided me with labels for review purposes and also for a giveaway. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

*This contest is now closed.  The winner is Maria!

Helping to Help Themselves

This weekend I found out how to make Brian really, really riled up.  I told him that a boy who has been bothering William off and on since his first year of preschool beat up on him during Friday morning recess.  Ripped his shirt, pants and scratched his face.

When William got home from school the recess altercation wasn't the first thing on his mind.  It wasn't even the second, third or fourth thing he cared to talk about.  I only knew about it because I had received a phone call from his teacher.  Oh the joys of schoolyard play!

I know the term "bullying" seems to be the buzz word of the moment and it gets thrown around a little too loosely, in my opinion.  This was not a case of bullying.  This little boy who hurt William has some serious social skills deficiencies.  In reality he really likes William.  He wants to be his friend and he wants to play with him.  But his way of getting William's attention is throwing him to the ground or pushing him off the playground equipment.

The real problem is that William is too social for his own good.  He wants to be friends with everyone.  And when there is one person who he doesn't like, he doesn't know how to get away from them.  He doesn't know how to stand up for himself and demand that he deserves better.  Or to be left alone entirely.  He ends up being passive.

Brian's papa bear undies got in a knot.  He's tired of this badly-behaved kid and his constant harassment on William.  He may have called him a few names.  He may have threatened physical punishment.  Thankfully, all of this was in the privacy of our own home and out of William's earshot.

After I pulled Brian out of his testosterone-induced rant, I explained that this was probably just going to be one of many recess incidents to come.  It comes with the territory of having kids in school.  Instead of planning our retaliation, it was probably better to coach William on how he could help himself in these types of situations.  Even in the most minor of situations, I'm all about teaching my kids how they can help themselves because, frankly, I'm not growing another pair of hands any time soon.

Sunday came and I got a call from the mom of one of William's buddies who was involved in the scuffle.  He who got in trouble for helping William by pushing the offender off.  Then Monday morning came and I get yet another call from the Assistant Principal checking in and sorting out facts and making sure everything was OK on our end and letting me know what is being done to prevent this in the future.  But mostly she just called to offer her sympathy.

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd be getting a call from the Assistant Principal (who has 850 other students to tend to) just one month into the school year.

Am I crazy for thinking this is much ado about nothing?  It seems to have turned into quite the mess.  I do feel bad that William was involved on the receiving end of a physical assault but I also know that this is just another one of life's lessons.  There are mean people out there.  There are people out there who behave badly.  There are parents out there who do next to nothing when their children act out.  I can't do anything about those people.  I can either teach my kid how to be a victim or I can teach him how to pick himself back up and carry on with the self respect and dignity he deserves.

Labeling starts early.  And I really think that if I got myself all in a huff about this and tried to save him, he would come out the other end looking and feeling like Caillou.  Also known as a wuss for those who aren't in the PBS know.  So instead, Brian and I took him aside.  We taught him how to stand up tall.  Put his hands on his hips.  How to use an angry voice.  How to let bad friends know he didn't like the way they played.  He giggled at first but he got it once Brian told him to use the same voice we use when we're upset by something he's done.  He totally understood that analogy!

Most of all we tried to get it through his head that there's no reason he has to take this kind of harassment sitting down.  He's better than this.  He has a lot of friends.  No one is allowed to treat him like that.  No one.

And sometimes, even in real bullying situations, that's all kids need.  Just a grown-up to affirm that what's happening isn't OK and the go-ahead to stand up and help themselves.

On Fall and Football

I have to take just a moment to brag about where I live because, wow, St. Paul is so awesome in the fall.  The tree canopy is so breathtaking I find myself becoming a distracted driver as I navigate the side streets.

This weekend is the annual Twin Cities Marathon.  Mile 22 or so runs a few blocks from our house.  They say it's one of the most beautiful urban marathons in the country.  And this photo tells you why.

Those are the kiddos with their "collection bags." I told them they needed to collect at least one yellow, one orange and one red leaf plus anything else they thought looked interesting. Then we all came back to the house and they shared their findings on the patio. It was my genius idea to get them busy so that we could enjoy the (potentially) last 70-degree day of the year.

When I showed Brian that last picture his only comment, straight-faced, was, "He's got to do a better job of protecting the football."  I know the two whole guys that read my blog will find that funny.

Speaking of football, William is in a little camp through the high school that is affiliated with his elementary school.  His first practice was last Saturday and it was awesome.  Way more cool than I could have ever predicted.  Afterward William came home and was obsessed with playing football and running drills in the backyard.  Unfortunately, dad was out of town for the weekend and this pregnant mama wasn't about to get anywhere near bending her belly over to hike a ball.  Football is a tough sport to practice alone.  He's praying for a baby brother.

One of the coaches for his football camp is a senior at the high school and is a top recruit in the nation going to Notre Dame next year.  After practice he signed autographs and took pictures with the kids.  Brian almost pooped his pants when I told him he took a photo with William.

The football camp was definitely a highlight to a weekend littered with naughty little children. **Sigh**  Dad's been away too much in the last couple of weeks and their behavior shows it.  They both did something so naughty on Friday night that they have been grounded from treats for a whole week.  Boy do they feel that one!  Especially Miss Sweet Tooth Lucy.  Let's just say I think it has been cemented into both their brains now and forever that pens are for paper only.  Ugh!

That's about it from Casa del Nash.  What's happening in your neck of the woods?  Has fall arrived?  Do you love it or are you already missing the long summer days?