Top Ten Most Frustrating Characters Ever

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Not the best scene, but gets my point across.
Stop being so damn stubborn!

1. Scarlett O'hara - Great balls of fire! (See what I did there?) Scarlett. My love. ASHLEY WILKES IS A SCUZBALL. He's not even attractive. Look at Rhett Butler. Just look at him. He's everything a man should be and HE LOVES YOU. Ugh. 
2. Ashley Wilkes - Grow a pair of balls man and tell the woman that you don't love her. Don't lead her on for 1000 pages and completely destroy her one chance at happiness. And stop whining about the damn war, it's over. Get over it. 
3. Daisy Buchanan - The whiniest most annoying character ever. I don't understand at all why Gatsby is in love with her. She has no substance, she's just a beautiful, stupid ball of fluff. 



Someone tagged Kartik in this
on tumblr and I
almost died laughing.

4. Kartik - You should have not have sacrificed yourself the way you did. I understand you felt it was necessary because of love but it wasn't. Now you and Gemma can never be together and I want to cry, so just stop.
5. Anne Boleyn - I understand that she was ambitious and (possibly) in love, but did she have to be so damn rude? Try a little kindness Anne, and maybe people won't be so supportive of your head getting chopped off.  
6. Jane Eyre - Possibly one of my favorite characters of all time, but she's just tedious sometimes. I get it, life sucks, and you are trying to fix it, but really? Running away is going to fix it? Thinking of marrying a guy whose first name is St. John? That's just obnoxious. 
7. Mr. Darcy - I JUST WANT TO KICK YOU. You love her now stop smoldering about and just tell her!! Without the insults please, you are not that wonderful, get over yourself. (Ok, yes you are, but still.) 
8. Everyone in Wuthering Heights - You all know how I feel about this book. Everyone in this book needs to just accept that they are all royally and incestuously disgusting and just move far far away from that moor. 
9. Romeo & Juliet - First of all, you are twelve, you really need to get a hold of your emotions and go to school. Secondly, really Romeo? Really? You can't wait 7 seconds to check and see if she really is dead. You are just going to take someone's word for it. You can't even check to see if she's breathing? Ugh. 
10. Everyone in Twilight - No one in this book has any substance at all. They are just annoying archetypes  who create their own problems and then complain about it. And Bella is just useless. You could've used a cat in her place and it might have been a better story. 

Pin It

Son-day Sunday

This week CJ got to go see Sesame Street Live. He was in awe of the entire performance (review coming soon). He keeps telling me "Nee (Ernie) touch my head!!" He is a total fanboy. He must get that from his mama.

I put a stool in front of the bathroom sink so CJ could see himself when he is brushing his teeth. Tonight he stands up on it, looks in the mirror, and says "Yaya look at handsome Yaya."


For some reason, he has been waking up during the night. He hasn't been calling for us, he just gets up into his chair and sleeps there. No idea why he is doing that, but we keep finding him like this in the morning. Any time we put him in his room, either for a time out or for quiet time (since he won't nap anymore) he seems to fall asleep. This chair is magical.

CJ is currently obsessed with whether or not people like him. So he says "Meow (the cat) not like me. Dabbadoo (the dog) like me. Mama, oo (you) like me?" I told him of course I do, I love him. So now he keeps telling me "Mama like me." Such a goof.


There were two forks in front of me and CJ had one. He pointed at them and said "Mama, we have three forks." Where does he learn this stuff?!


Here's an update on CJ's speech therapy. He still sees the lady once a week. I don't particularly think she is teaching him much, but his speech is improving. Just in the last week, I feel like he has been talking a ton. I think part of it is his excitement about seeing Sesame Street live. He wants to share it with everyone so he won't stop talking about it. A lady came from the local school to talk to us about what will happen when CJ turns three. He will no longer be eligible for early intervention services, so then he would go into the school system. They said that they would do some testing to see if he still needed speech therapy. If he did, he could either go to it twice a week at the school for just a half hour or he could attend the preschool for 3 hours twice a week. It actually sounds like something he would really like. I was worried but the lady alleviated some of my fears about him being labeled special education and about him going to school in general. I feel much better about it now. Chances are he will be starting school the same time I start teaching, so it won't be that big of a deal. Pin It

Things I Found (TIF)

 Toddler Approved Alphabet Sticky Wall
Preschool Work Trays

The Little Rabbit Printables

Helping Children Set Goals

Cures for Cabin Fever

Free Baby Bloomers Pattern

Burp Cloths from Cloth Diapers

Adorable Whale Themed Baby Shower

Eating Healthy Lapbook
DIY Dress Up Costumes and Props
The Little Rabbit Unit
All ABC Alphabet Printables
5 Yummy Valentine's Day Treats for Your Family

25 Winter Books and Crafts
Hand Hand Fingers Thumb Ideas and Crafts - This is CJ's favorite book. One of mine too.
Finnick's Trident - It's sexy.

Blogging

5 Things I Love About Picmonkey

5 Reasons I Won't Blog Everyday

Recipes
Chicken Enchilada Recipe - I want this now.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Rocky Road Pudding Mousse - I haven't had a good mousse in years. 

Chicken and Broccoli Pie
Chili Cheese Fries - Yummmmmm.

Home
DIY Anchor Statement Wall - I am in love. I want this for my entryway in my dream home.

Frugal Tips to Decorate Your Home

Organize Your Scraptastic Paper - I need to do this, desparately. 

Simple Song Lyrics Painting - I want to put one in every room of the house.

Awesome Spice Storage

Fashion

Dutch Braids - They're the cutest. 

How to Make Felt Hair Bows - Perfect for Valentine's Day.

Nerdery

Best Movie Scientists Ever - Great list.

Life
Car Tips and Tricks - Really useful info.

After Being Raped, I Was Wounded but My Honor Wasn't - Powerful story and message.

Valentine's Day Fonts

Ways to Be Your Spouse's Best Friend

Let's Show Khloe Kardashion Some Love

Great coming out story
Thrift Store Challenge

 

Pin It

Son-day Sunday - CJ in the Tubby

Pin It

Things I Found (3)

Reasons to Breastfeed - In case you need some more. 

30 Rules for Fathers of Sons 

I lied about the fish. - I am completely prepared to do this to CJ as well. 

DIY Baby Bowties - Cuz bowties are cool. 

DIY Cardboard Playhouses

International Children's Digital Library - So many books, so many languages, all free. 

10 Picture Books about Colors

Martin Luther King, Jr Lapbook and Crafts

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Activities

Martin Luther King, Jr Teachings - Important, vital life information.

The Grouchy Lady Book Activities

Recipes

Chicken Fajita Chowder

No Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Bites

Beef Stroganoff Fusilli
Rocky Road Cupcakes in a Cone
30 Super Sweet Oatmeal Recipes
French Toast Cups
Broccoli and Cheese Twice Baked Potatoes
Meatball Pizza
Crock Pot Italian Sloppy Joes
Game Day Buffet - Italian Style

Fashion
French Fishtail Braid

Valentine's Day
20 Sweet Valentine's Day Printables

Life
Running Late is Not OK - This is why I try to be 15 minutes early at all times.
A Love Letter to 30 Rock - I'm gonna miss this show.

Pin It

Wordless Wednesday - CJ's Week

Pin It

Son-day Sunday - Video Edition

CJ and I snuggled into bed and he read me his animal book (Big Board First 100 Animals (First Words)), then he decided to be silly. Pin It

Things I Found (2)

Teaching Children Good Manners - CJ is actually the sweetest when he says thank you mama. 

Winter Fairy Birthday Party - This is gorgeous and precious and I need a baby girl.

SOAR Superhero Program - CJ would love this. 

Animal ABC's

Name Activities for Preschoolers

5 Awesome Valentine's Crafts for Kids
Martin Luther King Jr Activities
Harvard Museum of Natural History Visit - Awesome field trip in Boston.
The Letter Z
10 Great Educational Tools For Children 2-5
The ABC's of Raising Boys

The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe Unit Study 

The ABC's of Learning to Read

Building a Home Library (P-T)

DIY Closet Reading Nook

Goodnight Moon Lapbook Activities

Fun Activities for The Mitten - I love that book.

Food
5 Photos of Pizza - International pizza. Yum.

Skinny Queso Dip - I loooove queso. 

5 Delicious Hot Chocolate Recipes

Life
Women in the Balkans who Choose to Live as Men - It's a really interesting story.
21 Poses for Photographing People
9 Stupid Things Christians Say - Written by a Christian.

5 Famous Landmarks to Visit

Nerdery
10 Most Romantic Moments in Doctor Who - Does it need saying? YES DOCTOR IT DOES.
Gone with the Wind Part 2
10 Best Disney Songs You've Never Heard - I actually have heard most of these, because I am in fact, a huge nerd.

Beauty
Valentine's Date Hair
DIY Jewelry Holder

Home
Preserving Memories with Elegant Frames
Using Bright Yellow Paint in the Home

I'm in the kitchen singing and this conversation occurs.
CJ - Mama not sing.
Me - But I'm a good singer.
CJ - Mama not good sing.
Me - But I like to sing.
CJ - CJ not like mama sing.

Truth hurts man.

Adolescent elephants throw themselves on the ground when they are upset.
Elephant tantrums are cuter than baby tantrums.

Pin It

Military Spouses and MyCAA

When you are in the military, there are a lot of programs to help you go to school. There aren't as many programs to help your spouse. That's where a new company, MyCAA, that is all about helping military spouses pay for tuition.

There are a lot of myths going around about what MyCAA can and cannot do, so they came up with a free ebook called Top 5 MyCaa Myths for military spouses. It tells you what funding the MyCAA can and cannot cover. It also looks at the some of the reasons that spouses don't take advantage of this opportunity. It also helps you figure out whether or not you are eligible.

It covers important things, like whether using MyCAA will use your spouse's GI bill. This is a big fear, never want to mess with the hubby's or wife's GI bill. A second big issue is people just assume that they won't qualify. Don't assume, check and make sure. Free school is good! People worry that their school isn't covered so they don't even check. Again, don't assume! They worry that applying is too difficult, so they don't bother. Uhmmm... if there is free money, your butt needs to fill out the paperwork. Finally, people worry that they'll have to pay it back if they fail a class. If all of these worry you, just check out the ebook! That is all you have to do.

So if you are a military spouse looking to go back to school this year, make sure you take advantage of everything MyCAA has to offer. Don't let this opportunity for free tuition pass you by. You deserve to go to school, you deserve to get a good job, and you deserve to get financial aid to do so!

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are mine and are true. 

Pin It

Wordless Wednesday

Pin It

Etsy Spotlight - Crocheted Hat Review

Are you obsessed with Etsy like I am? I just want to buy all the things. My favorite things to buy on etsy are cute handmade toys and clothes for CJ. Two months ago, from the blog Mommie Again, I won a crocheted hat of my choice from Naturally Sweet Surprises. Since CJ was then (and still is) in the midst of his dinosaur obsession, I chose the dinosaur hat. I loved it so much, and Amy, the maker was so nice, that I decided to do a review of the hat. Amy was super excited and then offered to do a giveaway to go along with the review.

The hat is big enough to fit both CJ and I, so we share it. The yarn is very thick and warm. It is cotton and 100% machine-washable, which is very important. I am in awe of Amy's crochet skills. I asked her if I could ask her a few questions about her methods and her shop, so here's my little mini-interview.

One of my favorite products you have is the super adorable Very Hungry Caterpillar set. So besides books, where else do you get your inspiration? 
When I first started (about a year and 1/2 ago), I found some designers who I absolutely loved and would purchase their designs.  They are still some of my favorites and my best sellers.  Now I've begun to do my own designs and much of what I do is based on my children.  For instance, my 4 yr old loves Lightning McQueen and begged me for a McQueen hat for Christmas.  So I designed a hat for him to wear.  (which I need to get listed!)   I made hats for all of my kids, nephews and niece for Christmas this year based on their personalities and some of them will end up in my store.   My passion is for babies but as my kids get older, I find myself branching out into items for young ladies and boys (and that's why I launched my new Couture shop)

Do you make the products in advance or do you make them after their ordered?
For the most part, all of my production is done after an order has been placed.  Recently I began doing vendor fairs and craft boutiques for the holiday season and needed to have a lot of product on-hand.  What didn't sell I've been using for giveaways on my Facebook Fan page or selling in my RTS album on my FB page.

How long does it take for you to make the products, for example, CJ's dinosaur hat.
It depends on the item.  Cocoons or items with detailed design (like the caterpillar) take longer.  Special order items (i.e. a reindeer I just completed) that I've not made before and need to design also take longer.  But in general a hat takes 2-3 hours and a set 3-4 hours.  Cocoon sets approx 7 hours.  The hat part is always the easiest...it's whatever goes on it to give it the personality that takes longer. 

When did you start your business? How did it come about? 
I began crocheting when I was in Jr High back in the 80's.  However it wasn't very fashionable for a young girl to knit and crochet so after high school I stopped.  When I moved overseas to Korea after college I saw that women made absolutely gorgeous crochet items that didn't resemble any of the "granny" style of America.  I began to copy them and crocheted bags for myself and friends.  Once I returned to America, and had two babies, I started to look for patterns that were modern and that's how I fell into doing items for babies.  A photographer friend asked me to make her a diaper cover, then another friend asked me to make her baby's Halloween hat and it just took off from there.  On Dec 27th, 2011, after a year of collecting photos from different photographers, I was ready to launch my shop.  I've since launched a second shop and quit my part-time job to do this full-time from home and be with my kids.  Crochet is my hobby that has become my livelihood.

What is your favorite book? What is your favorite children's book?   
My favorite children's book is the easiest to answer.  Goodnight Moon.  I've loved that since I was a child, it was my first book to buy when my daughter was born and I still love reading it to this day.   For myself, I don't have one specific book that I read over and over and call my favorite, other than the Bible.  Reading has always been my passion and the only hobby (other than crochet) that I have.  My favorite genres are mysteries and "chick lit".  I love Christian books as well as secular.  My favorite authors are: Terri Blackstock, Janet Evanovich, Kristin Billerbeck and Robin Jones Gunn.  Now that I have a Kindle I go through 3x the number of books that I used to and I love having my books with me everywhere I go!

Because she is an absolute sweetheart, Amy is now doing a giveaway here. You can win any product from Natural Sweet Surprises under $25. To enter, just go to etsy shop, then come back and leave a comment letting me know which you would choose. Extra entry for liking Naturally Sweet Surprises facebook page.  

Good luck! Pin It

Son-day Sunday

Just a few silly little CJ-isms.

1. I lay CJ down to change his diaper. The following occurs:

CJ - Mama ani-ize my ass.
Me - Uhmm, what?
CJ - An-ize my ass.

I realized he was trying to say "Sanitize my crevasse." because Dada and I quote Stewie Griffin saying that whenever we wipe his butt.

2. CJ is sitting on the couch with the dog. He turns to her, wraps his arms around, smooches her face and says "I uv oo dabbadoo." I almost cried.

3. CJ got a lot of clothes from his 4 year old cousin Zachie. Anytime he puts some of them on, he makes me take a picture and send it to Zachie. So I put some new warm pajamas on him, and he says Zachie! Then he jumps on the couch and poses like this:

4. Over the holidays, CJ kept referring to a Santa hat as a Grinch (or Inch as he calls him) hat. Whenever he posed for a Christmas picture he would give a Grinch smile. He thinks the Grinch is the mascot of Christmas and Santa is just Elf's pal. Pin It

Things I Found (1)

Welcome to the first Things I Found of 2013. I'm trying to think of a new name for this weekly roundup, so let me know if you have any ideas. I'm also going to change the format a bit. I'm going to have 3 main categories, which will be (unsurprisingly) babies, books, and beyond. Then under those categories, I'll have subcategories. 

Her Future Fat Thighs - A mom's talk with her daughter about weight. 

Baby Names for Kanye and Kim - I think they'll name their kid Luxurious or Diamond. Oooh or Karat, so it fits the ridiculous K thing.
Superhero Party Inspiration - I want to do CJ's room in superhero too.

Favorite Early Learning Activities of 2012

Life Lessons for Kids from the Cat

Adorable Cupcake Ideas for Kids

What I Want You to Know about Fostering

Snowflake Activities
Fun Snow Day Activities for Kids
Break Cabin Fever from A to Z - She is doing a post for each letter of the alphabet. So far she's done activities for a - d. Check them out.
Pirate Activities

Winter Books and Activities for Preschool and Kindergarten

11 Books to Read in Kindergarten

Children's Books About India
56 Books for Reluctant High School Readers

MLK and Civil Rights Ideas for Upper Elementary

Home

Tour of the HGTV Dream Home - I loved last year's in Vermont more, but this one is still awesome.
Filled Lantern Decorations - Since our house is supposed to have a nautical sort of theme, we have a ton of lanterns.

DIY Farmhouse Table - Love it.
Valentine's Day Inspiration

Recipes

Open-faced Tuna Fish with Avocado - Yum!

Homemade Granola Bars
Homemade Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese - My ultimate comfort food.

Life

How to Achieve your New Year's Resolutions - I didn't make any, except to not yell, but if you did and need help, here you go. 

To Do in Thailand - So jealous that they are taking their kiddos to Thailand.

Thoughts on the first half of Gone with the Wind - AKA greatest movie ever. 

You can get sued for using someone's pictures on your blog - So scary.

Sexual Assault Victims are NOT ASKING FOR IT - Disgusting story. Makes me hate people.

Never Stop Learning Inspiration

She needs to get her act together.

My life.

 

 

Yes please.

Pin It