Hey, Momtionary, where ya been?

I know I said I was going to be back more often, but I kind of...well, things fell apart.  Here's a few things you missed.

~Little Viking starts kindergarten this coming year.  He will have just turned six before the start of school.  We didn't put him in this year because the maturity wasn't there.  However, he does know all his colors/shapes/numbers and all that Kindergarten stuff, in addition to being able to read a little bit and does simple addition and subtraction in his head.  Unfortunately, most of what he's learning right now isn't touched on until 1st grade, so he'll likely be bored out of his skull in Kindergarten.  I should probably apologize to his teacher in advance, although honestly, I don't know that I care to.  I'm still mad about going through a long stretch of dealing with nonsense from Philosopher Child's teachers who were sure there was something wrong with him.  That changed after his IQ was tested and he was found to be...well...ok, he's a genius.  And geniuses, my friends, are always odd ducks.

~The washing machine broke.  We had to go get a new one and ended up buying a model with good reviews that plays music at the end of each cycle.  Did you catch that?  The washing machine freaking sings to me.  Darn right it does.

~I had an epic falling out with a family member that caused a lot of pain.  However, since it wasn't the first time this person has behaved this way towards me, I've decided that with forgiveness and prayer to just let it go.

~I've been journaling like crazy.

~I've been making major efforts to get my headaches and anxiety under control.  I have good days and bad days.

~Husband and I have been gardening like crazy.  We've had a good sized garden for the past 3 growing seasons.  Fortunately, we have a spring growing season AND a fall growing season here.  Currently out there is a huge variety of salad greens, a ton of tomatoes, some peppers, white and brown onions, a few variety of carrots, beets, broccoli, herbs, and...huh.  I know I'm forgetting something.  Anyway, there's a ton of veggies out there.

~I'm on the board of the school PTO, but I won't be staying there next year.  Too much drama and I don't agree with some of their decisions.  Unfortunately, I can't do anything about it other than step down, which I'll be doing.

And that's what I've been up to.

27 followers!

Little things excite me. Like knowing someone out there actually reads my nonsense. So let me say a great big thank you to my followers! In the past week or so I've gained an extra 12 people, which is the fastest the Mom-tionary has grown ever. You all encourage me to write more.

The other day, when my numbers had jumped to 25, I sat discussing my bewildered excitement to Husband.

"Twenty-five! Twenty-five followers!" I said.

"Twenty-six," he corrected.

"No, twenty-five," I said, and wondered why he was arguing with me.

"Twenty-six," he insisted. "Not everyone who reads is a follower."

Aww...

Then he advised me that I should post more often.

"Sometimes nothing funny happens," I said. Do you want to read about me washing towels or how I am almost out of bread? Didn't think so.

"Well, something funny is about to happen," he said, and called my attention to the Boys, who were using a chair in a way that I'm pretty sure is not recommended by the manufacturer. Of course I had to put a stop to it. I don't really want to do a post about spending the night in the emergency room. I've already done that. Not that fun.

Prayers for Stellan

Many of you out in the blogosphere know about baby Stellan and his family. If you don't, let me tell you he's had a long and hard battle with heart problems. In the past few days, he's gotten worse. For those of you who pray, prayers for his recovery, strength and comfort for his family, and wisdom for his care givers would be greatly appreciated.

You can see his story here: http://www.mycharmingkids.net/

Thank you.

I'm going with it

I've decided to go with the new names I've picked out. From now on, Monkey Son #1 will be Philosopher Child, and Monkey Son #2 will be Viking Toddler. Pardon me if I sometimes forget and use the Monkey names in a fit of mindless creativity.

Did I mention that yesterday Viking Toddler stole a large toy pirate ship from his brother? Oh, yeah. That pretty much solidified it. That, and he loves the ocean.

Have you ever seen Lyle the Kindly Viking? It's a VeggieTales episode in which a group of vikings go off raiding and pillaging and whatnot. After Lyle receives his share of the loot, he sneaks off to return his share to the monks that the vikings had just robbed.

In my view, Philosopher Child is the one sneaking off to return his share to the monks. Viking Toddler is the one demanding a flat screen TV from them.

I'm contemplating a change...

From the time I started this blog, I've referred to my boys as Monkey Son #1 and Monkey Son #2. I call them both monkey at home, especially when they are being, well, monkeys. The problem with this is approach is, for one, I'm worried that this may be confusing to readers. And for another, I end up getting them confused. At times I type the wrong number for one of them, totally confusing the story.

So, here's my proposition, and I think it fits.

Change Monkey Son #1 to Philosopher Child. Too hippyish? I came up with this because he is always trying to figure out the ways of the world and asking really deep and hard to answer questions, like, "Did God build our house?" He is also really into explaining to me the way he thinks things should work.

Change Monkey Son #2 to Viking Toddler. This little guy has some true characteristics of his Danish heritage, from the red hair to his athletic ability. He also plots how to raid his brother's playthings and take back the plunder for himself. I have to credit husband for the name, as I once heard him refer to our little one as "Viking Baby."

So what do you all think? Good change or keep things the way they are?

Happy 4th!

Good morning, everyone, and Happy 4th of July! I hope everyone has a fantastic day and has the day off of work.

We've been trying to figure out what to do with our day, but unfortunately what we can do is limited by crowds and some insane mosquitoes. Just walking outside right now is an invitation for the local insect population and their three hundred closest friends to make you a three course meal.

That being said, so far we're spending the morning by watching 1776. If you've never seen it, it's quite good. A sort of musical comedy/drama about how the Declaration of Independence came about, following rather snotty John Adams, lovelorn but brilliant Thomas Jefferson, and the ever (in)sane Ben Franklin.

And now to figure out whether we'll go see fireworks, go to the zoo, go to the beach, or do nothing at all.

Happy Fathers Day!

I hope all of you remember to thank the special men in your life today, whether they are your actual father, father figure, father of your children, or eventually-will-be father of your children.

I want to thank Husband for being a wonderful husband to me and an excellent father to our children. The original version of this post had a big list of all the things I appreciate about him, but I didn't want to embarrass him.

Instead, I'll simply say thank you, Husband. I love you. Happy Fathers Day.

A Note from Kristina

So, here's something I've been thinking about for some time. I refer to my boys as Monkey Son #1 and Monkey Son #2. Is this hard to follow as you read? Should I change their nicknames so that they are completely different?

What do you think?

One of my favorite businesses in the whold wide world...

...is having a fantastic giveaway!

Heather over at Mom4life.com ( a mom-owned and ran company specializing in pregnancy, baby, parenting, and especially-for-mommy items) is having a great giveaway this month. It's easy and free to enter and you can find out the details by going here.

Even if the prizes don't interest you, take a look around her site anyway. She's got some fantastic products that are all mom-invented, great customer service, and fast shipping. And I'm not just saying that to get an entry in the contest. :) I've actually bought items from her before.

A Note from Kristina

I never really liked the look of 3-columned blogs. I prefer the 2-column approach. But...it seems my right side is getting longer and longer and more jumbled. What do you all think? Switch to 3-column or remain at 2?

It's a party!

I'm a little late for this, getting in just under the wire, but I'm participating in 5 Minutes for Mom's Ultimate Blog Party!

This is my first blog party. For those of you who don't know, this is a way to get exposure for your blog, win and/or donate prizes, and get to know others. So here it is, my party post! I'm using it to tell a little about me and the Mom-tionary.

My name is Kristina, and I'm a stay-at-home mom to two little crazy monkey boys who keep me going and going. Recently my mother-in-law said, "I forget how busy they are!" Oh, yes. Busy is a good and polite word for it.

Anyway, I earned a Bachelors in English in hopes of becoming a professional writer some day. Seeing a book I wrote on the shelves of the nearest bookstore is still a hope that I have. In the meantime, the Mom-tionary is my oh-so-convenient and fun creative outlet.

The point of the Mom-tionary is to make up words and phrases to describe situations that we see as parents and caregivers that the English language just doesn't cover yet.

I look forward to reading about other participators in the Ultimate Blog Party!

(And remember, I love comments.)

~~~~~~~
As per the rules, here my top three prizes with hyperlinks, and then the rest of my picks:

Top 3: USC 58 Retro Apron
132 (no USC in front) Complete Potty Training Starter Kit from Baby Signs
14 (no USC in front) Products by Andrea Hatfield, Scentsy Consultant

And the rest: 51, 103, 37, 19, 21, 22, 20, 118, and USC 15.

2 Week Break

Hello, everyone! Starting tomorrow, I will not be blogging for 2 weeks. If you know me personally, you know why this is. And no, it has nothing to do with Lent, in case you were wondering.

Enjoy your pre-spring, and I will be blogging again in 2 weeks.

New Widget

I've added a label widget to the sidebar. Over the past several days, I've been redoing the labels of the posts to make them more compact and easier to navigate. Originally, the number of labels was huge. Now with this widget, you can see the list of labels and find exactly what you want to read about.

A note from Kristina

So today, Husband and I were watching Martha Stewart. Neither of us are huge fans, but occasionally I can gleam something useful. No doubt others get more use out of her tips, but some things I just don't have the time or funds for...

Anyway, a little sneak peak about the next show came on and announced that the topic will be blogs. I'm a bit interested for obvious reasons. Husband, however, was not so amused.

"I hate blogs," he said.

I looked at him.

"What?" he asked.

I continued to look at him.

"What?...Oh."

"I'll have you know I have eight followers," I announced proudly, like I just received the Nobel Prize in literature.

What's even better is as of this post, I don't have eight. Somewhere in the last few days, I gained two. Now I have TEN! I couldn't be happier. Unless, of course, I had twenty.

So, let me just say thank you, thank you, thank you to those who have clicked the follower button. It only encourages me to write more.

Christmas Layout

I've loaded a layout for Christmas, but I'm not sure if I love it. I'll leave it up until Christmas unless you all don't like it, at which point I'll change to the old style.

New Widget

I've added the Follower widget to the right side. Now it is easier to follow the Mom-tionary!

A Quick Word from Kristina

I've decided it's time for a change. I'll be playing with the layouts for the next day or two, trying to find something I really like. That's why the background changed today, and may change again. Feel free to give me feedback.

2 Quick Notes, in All Seriousness: Note 1

Just a quick break from the Mom-tionary to ask you a question: does your child know what to do if he/she gets lost? Taken? Merely separated from you in a crowd or store?

I'm going to tell you what I do. I'm not saying that you have to do what I do, but please have some sort of talk with your children.

First off, I've told Monkey Son #1 to never, EVER go with a stranger. Not if they offer him candy. Not if they want him to help them find a lost puppy. Do.not.go. If they try to take him, kick, scratch, fight, bite, and scream until he gets away.

Second, I've told him that if he were to get lost, stay put. Look around and see if he can find a police officer, but don't wander off and look. Only move his head. If he doesn't see one, find a lady and tell her you are lost.

Third, I've taught him what I call the address song. I use the tune "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." So for example,

Twinkle, twinkle little star
John Doe lives at 555

How I wonder what you are.
Any Street, Anytown.

Then I repeat the tune again, saying, "His mommy's phone is..." followed by my 10-digit cell number.

None of us want to talk about this. It's a scary thing to think about for a parent or child. But what does my heart good is to see Monkey Son #1 really remembering this. The other day, we were at Target, when Husband and Monkey Son #2 got separated from Monkey Son #1 and I.

"We lost Daddy," I said.

Monkey Son #1 quickly replied, "I don't see a police officer, so find a lady."

Cyber Tag: I'm it!

Cyber Tag: noun. An internet game of tag that causes those who have been tagged to do something. Not to be confused with chain mail.

So Jessica over at Banana Peel tagged me. From what I understand, I must now share 6 things about myself that no one else from my blog community knows.

1. My younger sister and I can have heated debates and not be angry with each other ten minutes later.

2. When I was 3 or 4 years old, I had a nightmare that my mother stabbed my younger sister. It was so vivid that I remember it to this day.

3. I have a scar on my right knee from when I was a child. I wanted to see if you could sit down and ride a scooter like you could on a skateboard. Turns out you can't.

4. It's been my dream for a very long time to be a professional writer, but before that I wanted to be an archaeologist. That ended when my high school guidance counselor told me that was a bad idea because I would not be able to afford the schools that offered archeology.

5. The area around my sink is rarely clean, but I am working on that. Really, I am.

6. In our house, Husband does the cooking. He is really good at it and I can't stand raw meat.

I will now tag:
Erika at Rocky Mountain High
Toni at Utahdesertrunner's Weblog
Noella at A Prince and Princess