Bein' the Momma Bear

This week I am going to be a little out of it, because I'm getting things ready for the monsters to go out of state for a month and a half on summer visitation with their father. It's an extremely stressful, heart wrenching time for me. I would like nothing better than to stomp around like the Momma bear I am, and declare "Ain't gonna happen!" But I can't.

I'd love to hear how other custodial parents cope through summer visitation. It never gets easier for me, and I worry the whole time they are gone, for a multitude of very good reasons. 

And then there were four.

On Wednesday of this week, I will experience monster loss. My eldest three monsters will be leaving for six weeks of summer visitation with their father out of state~  #4 has adamantly stated she will be staying home again this summer.

My grieving process starts early, and I am already feeling weepy and a bit lost... knowing that in just a few short days I will be minus nearly half of my monster babies. I will procrastinate in preparations, saving the packing until late Tuesday night... trying unsuccessfully to prolong the inevitable.

Realistically, I know I should be jumping up and down, doing a dance, and scheduling a girls' night out. After all.. it's always five o'clock SOMEWHERE, right?

But... I find myself leaning more towards THIS, than anything else.

I'm not even going to apologize. Yes, I AM that mean. Yes, I DO think that scene is hilarious. I just need to rework it so it's the bio-father getting pegged. No, I do not have any shame. It's good therapy.

Sunday Comics

Some Day

By ihave7monsters | View this Toon at ToonDoo | Create your own Toon

Present Day

Sacred Family Saturday!

Yes, this picture, though not mine, pretty much says it all. We've been working like mad on our landscaping... or the lack thereof...now that Mother Nature has discovered there isn't supposed to be snow in May.  Last night, I had monsterlicious guests over, and because MY monsters were weeding, the monster guest got to weed, too. That's how we roll.

Anyway, I promise I'm still alive, I promise I am going to blog more this coming week. But I'll tell ya.... I'm really wondering if the yard work will EVER end! I DO have a rockin' farmers' tan though...

image by photobucket, of course!

Alef Bet review and giveaway

Everyone give a BIG Monster House welcome to our Bubbe! Read along and follow our conversation, because today is REALLY exciting!

The Momma: Bubbe, you know how Thursdays are review days on the blog? I was thinking, maybe we should have a really great giveaway for adults this week. I really want them to know how very important they are, and how much I am truly inspired by all of them. We've done a lot of things for all the cuddly little monsters out there. I think it's their turn.

Bubbe: That's what makes you The Momma. You know that it's not just the little chamudim who need some good love. Parents need some attention, too!

The Momma: I was thinking about how much we advocate for our monsters, to doctors and insurance reps, teachers and therapists, friends and family, and I thought truly, this giveaway is so appropriate.

Bubbe: I think it's time teach you a new word, Momma. Brachot (with that funny "ch" that's more like a phlegmy "h"). It means "blessings". Brachot can, of course, be blessings from God. But they're just as powerful when they come from friends, loved ones, even strangers. Jews give each other a traditional birthday blessing: "May you live to be 120." Another common one is "osher v'osher" -- you should have great health and wealth. A little blessing from one person to another goes a long, long way.

The Momma: Exactly! Furthermore, as far as I'm concerned, anything that makes a parent feel more empowered in a world where so much is out of their control is a GOOD thing! May I introduce all y'all to Alef Bet Jewelry.

Bubbe: For those who don't know and haven't guessed, Alef Bet is Hebrew for Alphabet, which I think ties in so nicely with LwL's focus on kids.

The Momma: Alef Bet, while offering Jewish jewelry, also offers stunning pieces that anyone, of any religion (or no religion) will love. They have a brand new collection out called the Blessings Collection. The Blessings Collection is a series of three blessings: fortune, health, and protection.

Above is a close look at one of the blessings necklaces from Alef Bet. It's exactly like the one I am wearing now. The pendant is very small, smaller than my (completely chewed up) thumbnail, and I love it! The back of the pendant says "blessing". Whether you are religious or not, (and I am not all that religious) these necklaces will become a favorite piece of jewelry. They are designed in such a way that they can be worn constantly; during sleep, during the day, while showering, etc. I have gotten lots and lots of compliments on mine, and I have not taken it off since receiving it last week.

Bubbe: You know what I love about this design? It's a perfect "worry bead". When you're needing a little extra strength, you can find this blessing near your heart and hold on tight to it. Poor your worry into it and then let the anxiety go.

The Momma: Here's the REALLY exciting part! You can enter to win one of THREE necklaces! That's right, Alef Bet is giving away a Blessings necklace to THREE lucky people from our lil ole blog! And it gets even better! Literally anyone in the world may enter! Here's how to do it. You MUST do the first, and may do other tasks for more entries.

• Tell me what you like best about the blessings collection from Alef Bet Jewelry
• "Like" Alef Bet Jewelry on facebook, leave a comment on their wall, and tell me that you did
• "Like" Living with Logan on facebook, leave a comment on our wall, and tell me that you did
• Subscribe to Jewish Star Jewelry, Alef Bet's blog, and tell me that you did
• Tell me which piece of jewelry is your favorite, on Alef Bet's official website (mine is this one)
• Tell me who would get the necklace if you win it. Would it be you, or someone else?
• Blog about this giveaway, and provide a link in your comment
• Tweet about this giveaway, and provide the link. Here. I'll make it easy for you! You can copy and paste this one:

I entered to win a blessings necklace from Alef Bet Jewelry on @ihave7monsters blog! You can, too! http://bit.ly/lRnsWU 

 You may tweet once a day, for the length of the giveaway.

• Follow @ihave7monsters on twitter.

Please remember to use a separate comment for EACH task you complete, and to include contact info in every comment you leave. This giveaway will run from today, Thursday,May 26,2011 through Midnight, Thursday, June 2,2011 Mountain Standard Time, at which point comments will be closed.Winners will be announced Friday, June 3,2011 via this blog, Living with Logan on facebook, and @ihave7monsters on twitter, and will have 48 hours to respond, or alternate winners will be chosen.

Winners outside the United States are hereby notified that their necklaces may take up to 12 business days to arrive after the original shipment date. Shipments are not insured. Winners will receive their necklaces directly from Alef Bet Jewelry.

Good luck, everyone!

I was not paid for this review. I received a necklace for review purposes which will not be returned. All opinions in this post are my own or Bubbe's. I was not compensated in any other way!


Photos of necklaces are the property of Alef Bet Jewelry and are used here with permission.

Pardon our dust!

Lots of blog changes coming this week, so I won't be posting much at all. HOWEVER.... y'all stop by on Thursday... because that's review/giveaway day and we have an AWESOME one this week!!!

Image by photobucket, of course!

This is my life..

By ihave7monsters | View this Toon at ToonDoo | Create your own Toon

Costume Discounters review

As some of my readers know, my notorious #5 monster is extremely addicted to all things Transformers. It has surpassed obsession. The child lives and breathes Bumblebee, Optimus Prime, Side Swipe, Brawl, etc. So, when I was contacted by Costume Discounters and asked to do a review, I was happy to accept. #5 has recently outgrown his Bumblebee costume, and was becoming unbearable. The thought of having to wait another four and a half months before I could get another Transformers dress up for him was causing me great stress.

I looked around online quite a bit, but was astounded at the prices being charged for a child's "cheap" costume. In most cases, the costume was extremely thin, pre-printed fabric held together with something sturdy and reliable, like a glue stick. The printing usually looked like a first grader's drawing.  None of the options came with a mask and they were usually priced at upwards of $50. Well. The Momma is cheap, I guess. I want more than that for my money.

Imagine my surprise and delight when I started browsing around the costumes for boys section of Costume Discounters. The selection is extensive. It wasn't a question of whether there would be something I'd like, it was a question of, "How am I going to be able to choose only one?!?"

I know, I know. It's not Halloween, or even close. But for this Momma, being able to replace one beloved costume with another ("Look, babe, this one is way more better! It's from...*whisper* Transformers three !")was priceless. We selected the Transformers 3 Optimus Prime costume in boys size small(4-6). The sizing was just right and true to the sizing chart provided. This is extremely important to me, as my #5 is rather small, and shares clothing with my toddler twins.

The shipping time was short. When we opened the box, I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the costume. Yes, it was a printed pattern. It was also well padded  to create the correct muscular shape of the character when a child wore it, and it came with a plastic face mask. #5 is in heaven.

Since receiving it, #5 has been Optimus Prime every. single. day. He flies. He fights. He rolls around on the floor. He stomps. Know what? His Optimus dress up still looks like it just came out of the package. I will definitely be using Costume Discounters again and again. And if you have a child with an obsession like #5 (like Toy Story, Tinkerbell, Yo Gabba Gabba, and much much more), go and browse around the Costume Discounters site. I can promise you will be impressed. But don't take MY word for it... ask #5!

I was provided a costume of my choice, free of charge, for purposes of this review. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated in any other way.

The Great Barracuda

Clearly, this man has never seen my #6 in action, with very sharp teeth, a hair trigger temper, and a bite to rival no other. Logan and my notorious #5 will have scars to talk about for life.

Any tips for getting a toddler to stop biting? It just started today.

Too much stress/ too little sleep?

This is a throughly unprofessional, not even the tiniest bit scientific, for entertainment purposes only, list of signs you have too much stress. I will neither confirm nor deny whether these things have happened to me, personally. Here we go:

You may be too stressed and too tired if:

1. You burst into tears when you realize you need to do the dishes, and it's already 11pm
2. You stroll down the pillow aisle of a department store, and wonder if you would get caught by store security and/or your children if you climbed into the bins to take a nap
3. The Daddy says he's going to go to bed now, and you make him a bottle 
4. Thoughts of doing the laundry make you break out in hives
5. Your planner is so crammed full of appointments and reminders, you can no longer read the dates
6. You think anything you receive in the mail that is NOT a medical bill is a present
7. You can't remember how many days it's been since you last showered and/or shaved your legs
8. Your toddler has been known to say, " Momma cwanky. Her needs time out!"
9. Your teenage daughter tells you to go to your room and you not only MIND her, but THANK her as well
10. Your only "dates" are the ones on the calendar, and they never mean dinner, movie theaters, night clubs, bars, or concerts
11. You know exactly how much square footage one bottle of Nestle's chocolate syrup will cover completely
12. Your name is Mom, Momma, Mommy, Mother, Mum, Ma, and/or any variation of the aforementioned. 
13. Getting a haircut more than once a year has not happened in at least 5 years
14. You make lists like this and post them to your blog because you can't keep thoughts together long enough to write about it.

If these things have happened to you, all or in part, go to the nearest telephone, call all your friends, get a sitter, and schedule a night out. If you do not do this, the likelihood of spontaneously combusting is very real. And who do you think will get to clean THAT up?

Homer Simpson's work computer animation by photobucket, of course!

The envelope, please!

The winner of the Halcyon Shore DVD giveaway is: littlefluffycat . Please email your shipping information to me at frazzledmomma@livingwithlogan.com . Congratulations!

animation by photobucket, of course!

Celebrating #forDeeds!!

By ihave7monsters | View this Toon at ToonDoo | Create your own Toon

The Mauss family has reached their funding goal for travel, lodging, food, and other expenses for their stay in Ohio while they are receiving their service dog training for two weeks in October! The entire Monster House is elated! #4 thinks we should have a party for Deeds and his family... even though we live rather far away from each other. ( #4 is the one with the long strawberry blond braids)

Y'all... show some love to the Mauss family on their official website, facebook page, or toss 'em a tweet! This was a HUGE undertaking for them, and THEY DID IT!!! The fundraising thermometer will remain on their site, and any funds over and above those needed for their Ohio training trip will be put in Deeds' custodial fund, to be used for ongoing medical bills.

CONGRATULATIONS, y'all! You know I just love ya!

Sunday Comics

By ihave7monsters | View this Toon at ToonDoo | Create your own Toon

So you want to start GFCF...

In the beginning, there was bread and milk, and it was good. Until my Logan came along, had opiate effect to dairy and gluten intolerance, as well as (several) nut, soy, corn, tomato, melon, and egg allergies. Then... bread and milk weren't so good anymore. We have been fortunate to notice a significant change in his attention span, his tolerance level, his sensory issues, etc when we strictly adhere to a GFCFSFEFCF diet.

Because the whole thing was so stressful and overwhelming when we started, I'll share some info with you, to make it a little less traumatic. However, take note. I still have NOT found a decent GFCF bread. They all suck. And they are expensive. Don't waste your time or money. Except for the frozen waffles and rice wraps. Those were yum.

Remember, all produce is allowed on GFCF, unless your child has allergies to certain items. We go organic, and we garden, because Logan has so many allergies, I just feel more comfortable knowing what goes into every jam, bottled fruit, frozen and fresh veggie.

All meats are allowed.. that is,WHOLE meats. I'm not talking processed hot dogs, bologna, sausages, salami, etc. I'm talking cuts of beef, chicken, fish, pork, etc. We are anal about our meat because so much is corn fed, and that affects Logan's allergies, as well. Lucky us.

Rice is your friend on this diet, as are potatoes. Noodles are BAD, unless you get the gluten free variety. And, you can. I do it frequently. Okay, I think that's enough for lesson one. Want to know more? Tell me in the comment section what confuses you the most, what you want to know, etc.

Here are a gaboodle of sites that will make your quest a little easier, too. Many of these companies will supply your local health food stores. You won't have to order online. I have tried some things from all of them.  Each description is a link direct to the company's website, so you won't have to just take my word for it. Just click, and you'll be able to do your own assessment.



Enjoy Life: "Top 8" allergen free products




Turtle Mountain: coconut based dairy products such as SoDelicious milk and yogurts.




Yummy Earth: organic candy~ nut free, corn syrup free, free of chemical colors and artificial flavors




Betty Crocker: gluten free cookie and cake mixes. NOT egg, dairy, and corn free.




Purity Farms: Ghee butter; certified organic, salt free,kosher, lactose and casein free, no GMO's, no transfatty acids




Earth Balance: original natural buttery spread, Soy, gluten, and dairy free. NOT corn free.




Namaste foods: mixes for cookies, cakes, pastas, muffins,pancakes and waffles that are wheat, gluten, soy, corn, potato, dairy, casein, tree nut and peanut free. Also sugar free products available.




Bob's Red Mill: gluten free flours, mixes, thickeners, and yeasts




Ian's: "fun foods" such as chicken nuggets and fish sticks. allergen free, with a "match allergen criteria" option that makes choosing appropriate fun foods for your child a snap!




Dr. Lucy's: Cookies free of gluten, milk, eggs, peanuts, or tree nuts. Also available at Starbucks, Whole Foods, and several grocery stores (listed on website).




Kinnikinnick: gluten free breads, cookies, and mixes. Shop carefully. Mixes are gluten, dairy and casein free, but some call for eggs and or/milk in the preparation instructions. Available at Whole Foods, and online orders for the US and Canada.




Honest Kids: juice pouches. Organic, low sugar, fruit flavored juices without corn syrup, and half the sugar of other drink pouches. From the makers of Honest Tea.




Apple and Eve: 100% pure juices, in family size, and Sesame Street character juice boxes for little ones.




Tinkyada: rice pastas. Wheat, gluten, corn, egg, dairy, casein, meat, soy, nut, and peanut free.

Attack of the Killer Caterpillars

Logan has developed a phobia in the last month or so. He absolutely cannot tolerate bugs of any kind. He will start stomping and crying and shriek "Scary bug! Scary bug!" over and over and over until it is annihilated. The bug, no matter the variety, must be squished into oblivion~ preferably with guts splattered everywhere- before he will calm down.

No matter what we try, the child freaks out. Although, the bug you see above made him laugh. He said it was a "Siwwy bug" and in fact kept getting out of bed at nap time to see said "Siwwy bug". Well. Of course he did. Now watch, the child will be completely over his phobia because I found a bug animation for my blog post. (Yeah... right.)

Anyhow.. back to the story... Our back yard has been over run this Spring by creepy little caterpillars. Every night there are literally hundreds of these nasty things all over the sidewalk out  back of the house. Come morning, birds from miles around come over for a breakfast buffet. Thinking they are fleeing to safety, the idiot worms shake it on over to the sidewalk, where Logan eagerly waits, ready to spew worm guts all over heck with his tiny, sandaled foot, screaming, stomping and shrieking about the scary bugs, as if the things were 11 feet long and trying to take over the Earth. Yick. It doesn't help that Notorious #5 shrieks "Death to the Callapidders!" every time HE sees one, either. (stomp, stomp, stompitty stomp) However, try to remove Logan from the scary bugs and save his life? Not a good plan. He has full blown melt downs if he sees a bug and is not allowed to massacre it. Which is worse? Letting the child shriek and scream because there are bugs, or making the child shriek and scream because you won't let him turn the bugs into little wet spots on the pavement?

And now, addicts, this is the point at which you offer brilliant suggestions to the Momma to help Logan overcome his fear. Truthfully? Logan saw a ladybug the other day and I thought he was going to have a heart attack. Help? Please?

Oh! Hey....I could give the boy a fly swatter and a bee keepers' helmet with the netting tent thing for his birthday in June. Yeah, you're right. That's just tacky. What about hip waders?

images and animations by photobucket, of course!

Monday #forDeeds

Oh, this is getting SO exciting! The Mauss family is getting SO close to their goal of $6000 to cover the costs of travel, food, and lodging during their two week training course in Ohio for Deeds' service dog! As of the date of this writing (forgive me for doing this late Friday night.. I'm hoping the numbers are even better by the time this posts), there is only $631 left to go! That. Is. Breathtaking!!!

Photo copyrighted to Bobbie Mauss, used with permission

Here's Deeds at the Tulip Festival recently, with his trusty blanky, enjoying lots of gorgeous flowers.YOU can help the Mauss family reach their goal  in their ongoing quest to get Deeds his much needed and specially trained autism service dog, in a variety of ways. Check it out!

1. Donate directly to Deeds' custodial fund, in any amount you like
2. Purchase a Krispy Kreme card, good for 10 purchases of buy a dozen, get a dozen free
3. Purchase from their Zazzle Shop and be astounded by the talent of The Animated Woman. You can even purchase a gift certificate if you are giving a gift, so the recipient can choose their own item!!

Excitement is in the air! There is so little left to raise. What will you do to help Deeds get his dog?

Sunday Comics

By ihave7monsters | View this Toon at ToonDoo | Create your own Toon

So, because I know all you mothers out there will NEVER tire of hearing "Thanks, Mom!" or "I love you, Mom!", and getting gifts is never, ever a bad thing, here's one from me to you. Happy Mothers Day, all you amazing women!!

Animation by photobucket, of course! The comic is mine, ALL MINE!

Sacred Family Saturday!

What will you be doing with YOUR family?

The Monster House will be doing something along these lines:

Mowing the front lawn

Tilling the garden

Improving my lovely farmers' tan

Image and animations by photobucket, of COURSE!

Night and Day

Dear Monsterlettes, whom I love extremely:
Here is a little lesson, with pictures, because you can't read yet.

This is night.

It's dark, and there are no people out playing around or laughing or singing silly songs. They are all in bed. Sleeping. Like good little monsters. There are stars. 

This is day

Notice how it is much brighter out, and you can see colors and clouds and trees? Okay. When you can see colors and clouds and trees? It's okay to laugh and play and sing silly songs. Preferably after 9am. Monsters are permitted to engage in all manner of silliness and loud banshee shrieks during the day.

What? What's that you say? You two are only almost three,  hardly more than babies, and this is making no sense at all to you? Oh. Right. Okay. Let's try this then.

Night:

Day

Okay. Make sense now? Good. Let's remember this at say, 730 tonight, instead of midnight or later. Thanks.

Much love and kisses,
The Momma

pictures and collages by photobucket, of course!

Halcyon Shore review and #GIVEAWAY!

Happy Thursday, addicts! As you know, Thursdays are review days, and this week I have a really excellent one!

This image copyrighted to David Tillman and may NOT be used without permission

I was contacted by Lynn with Halcyon Shore to review a DVD of music, synchronized with colors and movement. The really awesome thing about this DVD, however, is that it is NOT full of kid songs. No songs about Old MacDonald's farm, little piggies or cows jumping over the moon. It's purely instrumental, none of it nursery songs. That was the first thing that made me fall in love with this DVD. I can handle having it played over and over again without wanting to beat something with my computer mouse.

Secondly, this is better than any Baby Einstein DVD I've ever used. My almost three year old twins sit mesmerized, for the entire 35 minutes the DVD plays. I can actually take a shower while it's on, and not worry that the house will be a shambles by the time I get dressed. This is an amazing feat, since one monsterlette is a BIG sensory seeker, and one is very much a non-seeker. Both of them sit quietly, and if they get up, it's only to move with the music.

Need more convincing? My older monsters, ages 5 through 17, have gotten sucked in to this DVD at least once each. I frequently find them in the nursery now, completely absorbed in the music and watching the ever changing shapes and colors.  Want to know more? Click HERE . I am so impressed with this DVD, created by a music teacher of 21 years and her husband, I gave one to the special education teacher at our elementary school. Turns out, children learn better, and become more focused, when this DVD is on in the classroom.

 I also leave this DVD playing all night in the nursery. I'm trying to get away from playing classic Disney videos all night, because we're at the point where the twins will stay awake, because they want to watch the movie. A wonderful side effect occurred when I switched. My twins, BOTH of them, started sleeping through the night. Why is this so wonderful? Logan hasn't slept through the night since we went off cycle for Clonidine. Now he does. EVERY night. For the last two nights, his brother has, too...and that is unheard of.

PLEASE NOTE: these are my personal experiences and opinions, and should not be substituted for the advice and care of a physician.

And now... the fun part! Lynn is giving a DVD to one lucky winner from this blog! YAY! I just know you'll love it as much as I do. Here's how to enter.

You MUST do the first,  and may complete others for more entries.  Only ONE entry per comment will be counted, so please use separate comments if you've completed more than one task. Remember to always include some form of contact information so I can tell you if you're the winner!


This giveaway will run from Thursday, May 5,2011 through midnight, Thursday, May 12,2011. Comments will be closed at that time, and the winner of the DVD will be announced via this blog, Living with Logan on facebook, and @ihave7monsters twitter on Friday, May 13, 2011. The winner will then have 48 hours in which to contact me with shipping information. If the original winner has not contacted me within 48 hours, another winner will be selected from existing comments.

1. "Like" Halcyon Shore on facebook and/or follow @halcyonshore on twitter, comment that you do, and provide your user name for verification. (1 entry, each)
2. Tweet about this giveaway, tell me you did, and provide the link. You may do this twice a day. (1 entry per tweet,  each time you provide a new link)
3. Visit the official Halcyon Shore website and tell me what you like most about it. ( 1 entry)
4. Leave a comment on Halcyon Shore's facebook wall and tell me that you did, including user name (1 entry)
5. Blog about this giveaway, tell me that you did, and provide a link (5 entries)

Good luck everyone! I just know you're going to LOVE this DVD as much as our family does!!

I was not compensated for this review, other than being given the item to review, free of charge. All opinions and experiences are solely my own and should not be substituted for the care and advice of a medical professional. NEVER stop giving medications to a child unless under the advice of a physician. 

Belated post #forDeeds

Greetings, addicts! I am embarrassed to be posting late for Deeds. I have excuses, and they are good ones, but... I won't offer any. Instead, let's get right down to business. The latest and greatest in fund raising efforts for Deeds is an original art auction on eBay, which can be found by clicking HERE . The bids are still ridiculously low for these original paintings, and by bidding on them, you are helping the Mauss family get ever closer to their goal for expenses related to travel, lodging, and food while they are in Ohio for their autism dog training. New to this story? You can visit the official Dog 4 Deeds website, find @dog4deeds on twitter, and browse the A Dog 4 Deeds page on facebook. Want to know more about the organization they are getting their service dog from? Visit 4 Paws for Ability HERE.

Please do your part to help the Mauss family by donating, blogging, tweeting and using the #forDeeds hashtag, and/or by posting to your facebook wall. This is such a worthy cause, to get an autism service dog for little Deeds, who is a runner and does not answer to his name. This dog will also be trained to alert the family to impending seizures for Deeds, a phenomenal thing that never, ever fails to amaze me. The family has already raised the $13,000 necessary for the dog, and they have raised just over $4,000 of the $6,000 they needed for flights, lodging, food, and other expenses during their two week stay in Ohio. There is so little left, let's help them get to their goal. It only takes a few seconds to tweet, and not much longer than that to post to facebook. Leave messages of encouragement on their facebook wall, mention them in a tweet, just take the time to say " Have a good day". It's so little, and means so much.

Picture by Photobucket, of course!

Sunday Comics

By ihave7monsters | View this Toon at ToonDoo | Create your own Toon