Author: Melissa

Colin: touches book on bookshelf
Me: "Colin, don't touch Daddy's books."
Colin: touches the next book "Yeah, yeah?"
Me: "No."
Colin: touches the next book "Yeah, yeah?"
Me: "No."
Colin: touches the next book "Yeah, yeah?"
Me: "No."
Colin: touches the next book "Yeah, yeah?"
Me: "No."
Colin: touches the next book "Yeah, yeah?"
Me: "No."

SIGH.

I did not get enough sleep to deal with conversations like this today! Did I tell you that my Husband decided that we were going to start getting up earlier this week? As in "still dark" earlier? Wasn't that just too sweet of him? UGH! I know we needed to get up earlier, but actually doing it is a whole different ball game….. I lack self discipline in this area. I love sleep. I am nodding off even after two cups of coffee.

If you see me in the pick-up line after school asleep at the wheel, just honk at me, 'kay?

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Hallmark giveaway ends tomorrow!

Colin is gifted. (I know lots of parents say this about their kids, but its actually true in his case.)

He knows – somehow – the exact second I fall asleep at night. Because that's precisely when he wakes up screaming at the top of his lungs. And then he screams some more.  Then he quiets down. And I fall back asleep. Then he screams some more. And – lucky me – he only wants Mama. Not Daddy. How sweet.

He eventually falls asleep (usually around 1-ish). Because he needs to rest up for his new hobby of waking up at 5:30 in the morning.

I am beyond coffee-tired. I need a double espresso. Or possibly an IV. Is there some sort of caffeine-patch I could wear? I would totally buy that.

Every week for awhile now, I've been posting a weekly recipe idea that I've tried and can wholeheartedly recommend to you!   Girlymama's weekly Try This posts have been so popular that others have begun joining in with their own "Try This" posts. I've gotten some terrific recipes from them and I'm always on the look out for more!
So we're going to "Try This" together and help each other get our of our menu planning ruts and add some new dishes to our repertoire!  

Girlymama will start hosting a monthly carnival, I hope you will consider playing along THIS TUESDAY, September 15th, when I host my first ever Try This carnival! Here’s the deal.  My goal is for this to be fun and easy way to pick up some new ideas! I'm only doing one a month for now, because we're all super busy and I want to keep it special!  

This month's theme: VEGETARIAN MEALS
No cucumber sandwiches here, please. I'm talking hearty, filling, YUMMY meals that just happen to be vegetarian. You know, meals that you can serve to your husband without him asking "Where's the beef?" (Does that just happen in my  house?) The more research I do, the more I'm convinced that adding vegetarian meals to our diet is better for our health, better for the environment and better for our budget! So let's share our favorites!!!

Then here’s what you do:
1. Anytime on Tuesday, share a recipe that goes along with this month's theme.
2. Within that post, please mention Try This: Spice Up Your Kitchen carnival and link to the carnival post. Feel free to display my button, the code can be found on my sidebar on the left.   
3. Then link up with the Mr. Linky form on my carnival post. Please only link if you have written a Try This post and please link directly to your carnival post, not the main page of your blog. (Email me if you’re not sure about this.)
4. Try to visit the other participants and see what great dishes they've shared!  And comment, comment, comment! Share if you're planning on trying that recipe, share how it went, share some of your own tips!

If you have any questions, leave a comment! (More detailed rules can be found here.)

Start cooking and we'll see you on Tuesday! If you have any suggestions for future themes, leave them in the comments! (I'm thinking holiday dishes, hapy hour, slow cooker meals, brunch & breakfast, christmas cookies…)

Look what they sent me in the mail:

Its so cute and teeny, teeny tiny!! UGH! I'm only human!!! Come on!

Are we the only ones who are positively hemorrhaging money lately? Seriously, we blew our August budget out of the water. Big time. I know we had back-to-school shopping and vacation and whatnot, but jeez. Time to crack down.
So we're done spending money. Food and diapers and that's about it for the time being. I will not set one toe in Ann Taylor Loft. I mean it.
And, naturally, Husband's 'check engine' light is on. Yipee.

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I have a great giveaway going on on my review blog – Hallmark is sending two lucky Girlymama readers a whole big bundle of cards from Hallmark's Edge of Motherhood and their new line of encouragement cards for kids!! Go enter!

And how would you like to win a luxury
front load washer and dryer from Electrolux in Turquoise Sky and help fight ovarian cancer at the came time? Go find out how!

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Colin is at the adorable stage where he thinks if he closes his eyes, I can't see him.

"Colin, what are you doing?"
(squeezes eyes shut)

"Colin, come here!"
(squeezes eyes shut)

Its really hard not to laugh.

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Check out Jo-Lynne's interview at Mom Central!!

Ellie has long, long hair that almost reaches her waist. She loves her long hair and she always has. She's let me give her occasional trims, but never wants her hair to be cut. She wears it in a braid almost every day.

Sunday evening, she came up to me and asked me to cut her hair. Short.

Its hardly a coincidence after what happened last week with her hair getting pulled by a bully.

Just when I thought she was doing great dealing with the after effects of the bullying, she came out with this. She wants to cut her long, gorgeous hair, because of that awful, mean bully.  She is willing to do something as this drastic to avoid being a target.

I feel like we've crossed a line. What else? What now? Is this just the beginning? I'm trying to turn this into a valuable lesson for her. But inside I'm just breaking for her. 

This bully has stolen something from her. And I want it back.

I want to pull her off the bus and drive her to school every day. I've even had the thought of homeschooling cross my mind. This is serious.

I'm feeling so overwhelmed about this. I found some great tips on dealing with the after-effects of trauma in kids in this article. I want her to know she is safe, to address her feelings and fears. And I'm trying to deal with my own feelings and fears as well.