Super Noob:
road

...I'm convinced it's just another stop along the road in the ever unwavering battle we face as moms. Okay, and some dads too. But mostly moms.

Colton is 2 years and 8 months old. He is not potty trained...not even close. To his credit I have not given it much effort. I have been waiting for him to show me signs that he is ready. Sigh. I may be waiting until he is 18 at this rate. He'll go pee when I sit him on the toilet, but has yet to poop there. That he'll do indiscriminatingly most anywhere else. Like last night. In the tub. Of course, I can laugh right out loud about that one since it was daddy who was doing bath time.

Side story about the bath last night. Near the end of bath time, and well after the pooping incident, Addyson was calling Colton Lava Girl. Why? Beyond me. Then, she said something totally unexpected and completely hilarious. It went a bit like this "He's Lava Girl. Colton is Lava Girl. Hey! He's Lava Girl, and that was lava coming out of his butt!" I lost it.

Now, onto Addyson and the potty training thing. She was EASY, and I mean really easy to teach to go on the potty. She was daytime trained by 26 months of age. However, she still required a diaper at night. Now, at 4 years and 2 months, she still wears a diaper at night, and every morning it's wet. I asked her pediatrician if it were possible to actually train her to wet the bed because subconsciously she knows there is a guard there. The answer was a resounding no. But I am wondering if that just isn't true. SO...last night we put her to bed without a diaper. I woke her two hours after she went to bed at 9pm, and she peed in the toilet. Then, she woke two hours after that at 11pm and peed again. During the night there was an accident at 3am, and she woke herself wet at 7 this morning.

I'm okay with that for now. It was night number one. I have no idea how long it's supposed to take, but I am hoping this is the right thing to do. I really don't want her to be school aged and requiring a pull up for bedtime. Sigh. Of course when I ask friends with potty trained kids, they don't have an answer. Their child stopped wetting at night when they trained during the day. Nice.

Onward we go. Trudging through the milestones. Relishing every moment. Pooped in tubs and all.

Shannon

Ahhh, my sentiments exactly.

Head to The Long Road to China for some more black and white beauties.

I have never jumped on the Long Road to China Train...but today seemed as good a day as any. This, of course, is my little Colton. I originally took this in color, and Andy was in it too. Andy despised it of himself. So I cropped in on Colton, changed it to black and white, and upped the contrast a little bit. Much better. Colton is, 90% of the time, just this snuggly.

I'm a mom from the middle of nowhere, South Dakota. Our little town has a population of just over 1,000 now - but when we first moved here, it was still working up from the 900s. Our big family of six didn't quite push the town over the top, but we came close. We moved out here from North Carolina when my youngest wasn't even one year old - now, that was a road trip - so my husband could be near his parents and help keep up the family farm. We also thought it would be a calmer, quieter place to raise a family than the big city of Raleigh.

Our kids had some trouble adjusting at first, but now they love living here and are always begging to visit their grandparents on the farm. Grandma always spoils their dinner with root beer floats and helps them make crafts out of coffee filters or her big jar of colorful buttons. Then there's Grandpa, who gets out the old train set and teaches my son all about golf while the sounds of putts and drives from the TV fill in the background. There are pet cats, cows, and sheep galore, and one friendly dog who greets the kids with slobbery kisses every time they arrive at the farm. It's a great place to grow up, and I'm so glad we decided to give them the opportunity to enjoy it.

Stress and the City

Of course, life isn't always paradise. I left my family back in North Carolina so we could raise our kids in the country, and there were times when I missed Raleigh and the people I had left behind. My mother's age and deteriorating health started to worry me, and sometimes I feel overcome with the desire to move back so I can take care of her. I have brothers in the area, but let's face it - when it comes to care-giving, boys aren't always the best nurses.

One day, I was sitting at home, feeling sorry for myself as I folded the laundry. Always fascinated by "grown-up" activities, my youngest daughter was "helping" me fold the endless heap of clothes that accumulates when you have six people living in one house. My husband came in from work and saw that I wasn't my usual self, so he asked how my day had been. I told him that it had been fine, and he gave me a quizzical look. After a few seconds, he asked what was bothering me if everything was fine. In a moment of overflowing frustration that had been building for weeks, I said, "If you can't figure out how to be sympathetic every once in a while, you'll just have to take me to the funny farm!"

I was about to burst into tears because I knew he didn't deserve my anger when I heard the excited voice of my daughter: "Mommy, mommy! Can I come, too?"

Of course, she didn't understand that I was referring to a mental institution, not her grandparents' farm. To her, "funny farm" was a logical name for the place she loved so much. I couldn't help it; I started laughing until tears rolled down my cheeks.

I was a tired mom at the end of the day, and my daughter had just provided the perfect punch line to help me see how petty I was being. Although her words brought laughter, they were also a profound reminder to me that my husband and I had moved to South Dakota for a very good reason. I believe that it's the best environment for raising my children, and I know my mother would want that every bit as much as we do.
My family visits North Carolina once a year, usually at Christmas, and my mom is doing just fine. Every time I start to worry about her, I remember that I'm making the right decision for my whole family by living here and raising my children to love life on the farm.

Bio: Maria Rainier is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at First in Education where she writes about education, online degrees, and what it takes to succeed as a student getting an online associates degree remotely from home. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.

I have recently come across a blog, appropriately named, Blogtrotting. Go check it out if you haven't already. Sign up, and sign into the region in which you live. Then, when it's your turn, you post about your home! When it's not your turn, you can blogtrot all over the world meeting new people, and learning about new places. So for my readers who are not a part of Blogtrotting, go join the fun!

So welcome to the Grand Canyon State (just click the link to see some amazing photographs), state capitol, Phoenix. It is home to one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, and to me ;) Oh, and let's not forget the infamous fight that went down at the OK corral in Tombstone, Az. Yep...the very one which was made into a movie. The very one where Val Kilmer, portraying Doc Holiday, says *insert post title*.

Seeing as how I am not a fan of really long posts, I aim to keep this brief...filling you with some fun trivia about our hellishly hot state. In case you are related to our local scorpion, and you live under a rock, you should know first and foremost that Arizona is hot. H-O-T. I mean 115 degrees for consecutive days and weeks hot. That's pretty much when we hole ourselves up in air condidtioned spaces, fanning ourselves while cabana boys feed us grapes. Well, at least the first part is true.

Winter months are glorious, hovering around a brisk 65-75 degrees. Old timers Snow birds flock to our state in overwhelmingly annoying numbers. They overtake our shopping centers, restaurants and roads...leaving the natives restless and edgy.

We have snakes. All types, but none so well known and smartly feared as the rattlesnake. The Western Diamond Back is perhaps the largest and most intimidating.

As I mentioned above, we have scorpions. The most prevelant is also the most poisonous. It's the Arizona Bark Scorpion. It's sting is rarely fatal, but dangerous none the less.

Roadrunners and coyotes make their way over our property and through our streets on a daily basis. I should clarify that this is not true for all inhabitants of AZ. We happen to live somewhat on the outskirts of town, bringing us closer to all the critters. Javelina also run the streets.

Arizona produces more than 1 million metric tons of lettuce each year. Go have a salad on us!

The Castilian and Burgundian flags of Spain, the Mexican flag, the Confederate flag and the flag of the United States have all flown over the land area that has become Arizona.

In 1926, the Southern Pacific Railroad connected Arizona with the eastern states.

Arizona produces more copper than any other state. This is the reason for the copper star in the center of the Arizona state flag.

The original London Bridge was shipped stone-by-stone and reconstructed in Lake Havasu City.

The world's largest solar telescope is located at Kitts Peak National Observatory in the city of Sells.

Arizona is one of two U.S. states that do not observe Daylight Savings Time (we're such rebels).

Arizona's Valley of the Sun has more golf courses per capita than any other state west of the Mississippi River—2.5 million golfers litter the greens every year.

Saguaro catcti, which can grow as high as a five-story building, are native to Arizona. This one is right in our backyard.

In the words of the great Porky Pig (who, consequently, is not from Arizona), that's all folks!

...by the Lucky Chinese Tag

Erin over at The Mother Load tagged me. I have to now tell you my answers in each of the categories, then tag 8 new people.
8 TV Shows I Watch: (I have to say that if I could, I would watch all of these shows. I don't. I have watched them all, and like them all, but never watch them all)
-Grey's Anantomy
-Private Practice
-The Bachelor
-House
-Law and Order SVU
-Property Virgins
-House Hunters
-Dora the Explorer...defeated sigh

8 Favorite Places to Eat and Drink:
-Sushi Den (Dever, CO).
-Chipotle
-Chuys
-Les Rendezvous
-Binkley's
-Paradise Bakery
-PF Chang's
-Morton's Steakhouse

8 Things I Look Forward To:
-Bed time for the kids
-Going to the bathroom in peace
-Saturdays
-My photography class
-Being able to wear all of my clothes
-Completing P90X
-Having a wildly successful blog
-Someday having a clean and orderly house...again.

8 Things That Happened Yesterday:
-We had Chinese for dinner
-I took the kids to the park (I felt too warm in my long sleeved shirt)
-I wiped butts 6 times (none of which were my own)
-I made protein pancakes for breakfast
-P90X Plyometrics kicked my booty
-I went crazy
-I came back briefly
-Just to be sent straight there again

8 Things I Love About Winter:
-It's not 115 degrees outside
-Jeans
-Warm drinks
-Did I mention it's not so hot?
-Taking the kids to the park and having them not get 3rd degree burns from the slides/swings
-No swimsuits for a while
-Heatwaves are non existent on the roads (sensing a trend here)
-Sleeping comfortably

8 Things on My Wish List:
-A maid
-The ability to eat whatever I want and not gain an ounce
-Winning the lottery
-A new house
-Well behaved children
-More patience
-The Super Nanny
-My trip to Russia

8 Things I'm Passionate About:
-My children
-My husband
-My parents and brother
-Breastfeeding
-Photography
-Reading
-Blogging/writing
-Cooking

8 Words/Phrases I Use Often:
-What the hell's wrong with you?
-Stop hitting him/her
-No!
-Are you kidding me?
-Why don't you listen?
-Please stop it!
-You don't talk that way to Mommy
-Can I get a break?

8 Things I've Learned From the Past:
-You can't change it
-It's made me who I am today
-There are things I regret not doing
-Friends come and go, a few stay forever
-Nothing matters more than the ones you love
-My mother was right, I had one just like me
-It takes time to be comfortable and confident with who you are
-Fish food doesn't taste good...not even a little

8 Things I Currently Want/Need:
-Canon EF 85 mm L series lens
-A massage
-The new Lady Antebellum CD
-More free time
-A date night
-A girls' night
-Vacation
-To meet my newest little nephew

8 People I'd Like to Tag:
Tamara at The (Un)Experienced Mom
Elizabeth at Confessions of a Working Mom
Shandal at My Life in 3D
Michele at Finding Trinity
Cop Mama
Nicole at A New Normal
Heidi at From 3 to 5
Maven at A Fabulously Good Life

Recently I started a discussion about texting and driving in my community (speaking of, if you have yet to join, come on over and do it now...such a great place to share/receive insights on everything). It seems that the majority of people who responded all agree that texting while driving is a major no no. I concur.

According to a 2007 national survey of 1,000 16- and 17-year-old drivers by AAA, 46 percent admit to texting while driving. A study by Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD) and Liberty Mutual Insurance Group showed that:

• Text messaging is the largest distraction for teenagers while driving
• Text messaging behind the wheel is as dangerous as driving drunk
• 37% of the 900 teenagers in the study sent and received text messages while driving, even though they found it "very distracting"

Nothing is so important that it would take precedent over the safety of my children, myself, and other drivers on the road. The sheer audacity required to believe that one is capable of managing both tasks simultaneously astounds me. While I trust myself and my driving, there are thousands of others sharing the roads with me, and I have to trust that they are being safe as well. If I am averting my attention to a text, then it stands to reason, that many others are as well. That makes for a lot of distraction on the road. A lot of near misses, and almosts, and OMG's. Sometimes...it makes for an irrevocably devestating impact. I couldn't bare it if I were the cause or the effect in the latter. Could you?

I am certain I am coming across like I am on a high horse, and believe me, I'm not. As I've said, I have done it so many times I couldn't even count. Then I saw this video that was made in the UK, and it started me really thinking about it. Who the heck am I? I'm not impervious to the ramifications of dangerous driving. My children are not indestructible, and I am guessing that yours aren't either. Why on earth do I do this? No more. Not for me. I won't be so bold as to say that I will save a life by making this vow, but I know I won't be one who takes a life by not making it. What about you?

I had asked whether someone would step up and give some tutorials on Photoshop Elements. Kelly from Letters from the Loony Bin agreed. I am ever thankful for the expertise she has offered, and this post is entirely her work. If she helps you out even a tiny bit...please go give her a big kiss. Or you could simply say "thank you."

Photoshop 411

Layers and Other Basic Operations

Mamma recently asked in her BlogFrog Community whether someone would be willing to put together a Photoshop tutorial, and I was happy and excited to oblige. This tutorial should be helpful across the board; no matter if you are using Photoshop Elements, Photoshop CS3 or CS4. Just for the record I am using Photoshop CS3.

Layers are without a doubt the single most important feature of Photoshop, so important that they have their own layers palette in the lower right hand corner of the screen. Layers also have their own menu at the top of the screen. You can add layers, delete layers, duplicate layers, add effects to layers, and other infinite possibilities that I can’t even wrap my mind around. To put it simply, layers are objects (photos, shapes, text, brushstrokes) stacked one on top of another.
Let’s get started by opening a new document. Under the file menu select New .

OK , your screen should look like this.

A box will pop up for you to choose the dimensions of your document. For our purposes here today I have chosen a standard 8.5x11 size. Note: My resolution is set to a very high 600. It is not necessary to create all documents with this high of a resolution, 200 to 300 in adequate in most situations, but that is just how I roll!

After choosing your document size and clicking

To the right is layers palette, which you will begin to see is indispensable. At the top is the layers menu. I will admit that I don’t use the layers menu too often. I am more likely to use keyboard shortcuts and the commands on the layers palette to accomplish the same tasks that are available under the layers menu. The background layer is automatically added upon creation of your document.

Now let’s add a photo to the document. Under the file menu select Place and select the photo you wish to use in the document.

As you can see in the layers palette a new layer, your photo, has been added and is highlighted because it is the active layer. Use the handlebars to resize you photo as desired.

How about some text? Why not?! Click on the T button on the left hand tool bar to create a text box. Drag box to desired size and type in text. Again a layer has been added to the layer palette. f x button on the bottom of the layers palette, choose drop shadow and click OK.

The document now has a background layer and two other layers. I am a slave to layer effects, so let’s add a drop shadow to our text layer. Make sure your text layer is highlighted and click on the

The order that your layers are listed on your layers palette is important. Whatever layer listed first, is the top layer and so on. Look what happens when I switch around my text layer and photo layer. A layer also is not active if it is not highlighted, meaning it can’t be moved or modified. To activate a layer simply click on it in the layers palette.

Which I’ll now switch back because it wouldn’t make any sense to keep it that way!

There you have it, the 411 on Photoshop layers. I am from the school that believes every element in your design should have it’s own layer. It makes for much easier modification down the road. Too many layers? Never! Once you learn to use them, you’ll see that layers are your friends!

Thank you Kelly for such an informative post! I can't wait to give it a try. Kelly has mentioned that she will be doing some more tutorials in the future, so be sure to head her way and check out her blog.

I am assuming since you are reading further, you haven't reached that point yet. I'm grateful for that! I am absolutely sweet on my readers, and to all those who have recently joined me...a big fat KISS and a heartfelt thank you! Moving on...Thanks to Keely for once again, providing us all with the perfect Sunday post. I now look forward to it each week. If you haven't played along, you should. Oh, and Keely...I might have a question or two for ya for next time if you are open to suggestions.

1. If you were stranded on a desert island and could pick one person to be stranded with you..Who would you pick? Family members not included.
Okay, this one is going to sound morbid, and maybe a little weird. But it won't be the first time I have seemed a little weird. I had a best male friend when I was younger, and when we were twenty he passed away. Now before you go saying things like "I'm sorry, etc. I am not trying to elcit that sort of response. It's been 14 years since it happened. Anyway, since this is an imaginary question, and since I can choose whomever I want, I would choose him. He was a carpenter by trade so it would be no time before we were living in Swiss Family Robinson Style.

2. Do you read celebrity gossip?
Once upon a time I did. These days I'm not interested, and probably more than that, I don't have time. Occasionally, something will catch my eye in the checkout line, and I am lured as if it were a siren song. Other than those times, no...I don't.

3. Favorite show you're waching this season?
Does Grey's Anatomy count? There hasn't been a new episode in a looong time, but I love that show. If it doesn't count, then sadly and with much shame, I will say the Bachelor.

4. How tall are you?
I'm 5'7". I would love to be 5'8". I think it's the perfect height. Gracefully tall.

5. What was the last book you read?
Brother Odd by Dean Koontz. I am suffering reading through Odd Hours currently. I like Koontz, but am not a huge fan of these books. Why, then am reading the whole series? That's just how I roll. Once I begin a book, I have to finish it...no matter how horrid. I should say, these books aren't horrid, I just don't like them much.

6. Flats or heels?
Middle of the road I guess. I don't wear flats, but my heels are not neck breakers. I have always been athletic, and still am, but when it comes to the sort of coordination required to don some fabulously high heels, I just aint got it!

7. If you had to choose one natural disaser to go through, what would you choose..Earthquake, Tornado, or Hurricane?
Can I cheat and say none of the above? Oh, okay. Then I guess I would say earthquake. But only so long as I am just visiting wherever it was happening, and I survive. On a sidenote, I used to think I would like to be on a plane that was going down, but pulls through at the last minute. Not sure what I was thinking, because now there is no way in hell I would want to experience that.

8. Thong, panties, or (gasp) granny panties?
I wore panties (though not my granny's) forever. Like until I was about 25. Then I finally came around. I used to say "I spend so much time digging my drawers outta my behind, why would I wear something designed to sit up my arse." Then, I tried them...and they were torture (come on, don't say they weren't for you too). But...after getting used to it, there was no going back. All I wear now.

What about you? Want to play along? Copy and paste the questions in your own post, answer them and link up to Keely. It's fun! Since I so adore comments, you can feel free to leave me some as well ;)

Happy Sunday,

Having my son when my daughter was just 18 months old meant I would definitely need a double stroller. I researched endlessly for a week or so before settling on the Duo Glider by Graco (this is not a sponsored post in any way). I had read great things about it, and it was comparable in price to many other good ones. After searching online for the best deal, I bought it on Amazon. Couldn't wait to have it come in.

About a week later, the stroller arrived. Woo hoo! I had Andy put it together right away. Now, all I needed was my little boy to make his debut. He did, and it wasn't long before I got to test drive the new wheels. So I loaded the kids in and set out for a walk in the neighborhood.

At first, all was well. We were on a long road, and Addyson was loving having baby Colton with her. Then came the first corner. Ugh! I hadn't worked out in a while, and it took some real muscle to get that thing to turn. Hmmm...I was hoping it was just the road. Maybe it would work better on a smoother surface. Nope.

This stroller has accompanied us on countless walks, trips to the park, the zoo, and even a trip to New Orleans. Each and every time we got that bad boy out, I would complain to Andy "this stroller is a piece of S*&T! It is so hard to maneuver!" I'll be darned if I was going to spend any more money to get another one though. So we learned to live with it.

Today, 15 months later...something happened. I was at the mall with my two babes when another mother walked by and I noticed she had the same stroller. Feeling bold, I asked her if she had trouble turning hers and explained that mine turned about as well as the Titanic. Nope, she's never had any trouble. She even demonstrated how freely hers spins, and I looked on with envy.

Then, giving my stoller a once over, she gave me a tip that would change my strollering experience for the better from here on out. Now, dear friends, I pass this tip on to you! If you have this stroller and you are having the same trouble I always had before this stroller angel freed me...I give you this: check the front wheels to see if they're locked. Um, yeah. That's it. My husband and I are both college graduates (he a graduate from Westpoint), not to mention the fact that his degree was in engineering, no less. Yet here we've been for the past 15 months, struggling with the demon stroller, whose wheels were all the while...locked. Genius.