An offer you can't refuse!

Well, it's finally finished and I'm going live with it!

Yes, the Thriving Babies e-book is ready for purchase at: http://www.ThrivingBabies.com

I have taken part in a little writing competition and if I manage to sell one ebook by the end of July -- I get a free trip to NYC!

I set up some marketing campaigns yesterday, but no bites yet.

Then Andrew said, "Did you post it on your blog?"

To which I sheepishly replied, "I hadn't thought of that!"

So, here it is. Your chance to get the e-book for half off the cover price before it goes up in August AND you can help me make good on a bet.

Thanks for helping me tip the odds in my favor,
Rebecca
http://www.ThrivingBabies.com

House Husband

I've been enjoying being the house-husband this week as Rebecca has been working to finish her e-book. Arianna and I had a good morning mowing the lawn, cleaning up the house, vacuuming, sweeping and mopping the floors. She is such a good helper. She loves to pitch in!

We took a few breaks from work to dance a little. One of her favorite books right now is called "Barn Dance." It's about a scarecrow and a bunch of farm animals that gather together one night for a square dance in the barn.

Well, Arianna thought she was something dancing. While she was dancing she said she was doing the "wagon-wheel, barnyard style." Then she danced a "horsey-do" (Arianna's very own version of a dosi-do). It's so cute to see her romp around the floor.

We also took a break to swim in the lake. Arianna has become a little fish -- she refuses to get out of the water when everyone else is tired, and our toes have turned into prunes. She wants to continually practice her "puppy-paddle."

She's way more work than a puppy, but she's a lot more fun too (and she doesn't chew on my slippers). I think she's a keeper!

Andrew

Sick and Tired

Well, Arianna turned two last week and this week she spiked her first fever. She's been teetering around 101 and 102 for the past few days. This morning, she slept until 10 a.m. and then refused to take a nap in the afternoon, which left me feeling a bit frazzled. She has been getting easily frustrated -- saying she wants water and then throwing a fit because she changed her mind and wants milk and then throwing a fit when I give her some, proclaiming she wants water too.

I try to be patient, because I know she is sick. She has also been taking 3 hour naps, which helps a lot. But today, no nap. No other visible signs of illness except the fever and the crankiness. Whatever it is, I hope it passes quickly. I can't handle anymore of these no nap days!

The birthday party was awesome, by the way. We had 7 little ones running around going on a little "safari hunt" and they each received a visor to decorate with animal stickers, as well as a goodie bag with bubbles, animal crackers, gummi bears, a stretchy snake, a power ball and an expanding foam animal. Can you guess what our theme was? Arianna LOVED having her friends over and asked for them on the following day. She got really great books and clothes and she behaved like a good little hostess the entire day.

She still doesn't like to be sung to or blow out candles, but other than that, it was all good. My neighbor even said it was the best birthday party for a two-year-old she has ever seen. (Okay, I did get a little teacherly at the beginning -- I had everyone introduce themselves and put names on visors, so we all knew each other, and then I read some animal books and led our guests in a few choice animal songs and finger plays. I TRIED to contain myself and not direct the entire party, but it was tough!)

I think the directed activities at the beginning helped the kids interact with each other, so they all felt pretty comfortable playing informally later. I felt rather foolish leading the adults in the songs and rhymes, but everyone was good-natured about it. Ring Around the Rosy with impromptu animal verses was a big hit, as was the safari hunt and the rocking horse Marnie gave Arianna. The lake had turned over, so we couldn't play in the water because it was freezing.

I like planning parties (this is the seventh one I've planned, to date) and would love to write a little ebook about my favorite themes and activities for children and adults. Ahem, after I finish my baby carrier ebook first, that is.

Sorry the posts are so infrequent, but I am taking two online classes right now and am a little pressed for time. Gotta' love doing homework when you're in your thirties! At least I don't have to GRADE it.

Rebecca

P.S. Happy 65th Birthday to Andrew's Dad, Walker!
Hugs and kisses and best wishes on your special day!

We're baaack!

What a wonderful trip we had to Florida! The real estate conference was excellent; I learned so much about investing, finances, taxes, legalities, what paperwork to use, how to protect your assets and how to craft a good deal. Knowledge truly is power. Even if we never invest in real estate again, this information will easily pay for itself when we sell and buy our own houses in the future.

Andrew's mom was kind enough to watch Arianna for the ENTIRE weekend, while we attended the event together. She did the same thing last year, when we went to the Entrepreneur's conference in Orlando. She stayed with us in the hotel and we came up during breaks to check in. I don't know of many folks who are able (and willing) to just step into our parenting shoes like that -- what a special gift we were given!

I know Arianna enjoyed getting to know her Mema better, too. When we went back to Mema's house after the conference, we were delighted to find that she had childproofed her house for Arianna. All of the things she cared about were placed out of reach, but she thoughtfully left out a few little animal statues and tons of children's books, so Arianna could feel completely at home at Mema's (and we did too because we didn't have to rush around constantly telling her not to touch this or that).

Mema really welcomed us into her home and as a result, she got to see Arianna at her best -- giving her hugs and kisses, curling up with her and a favorite book, playing spontaneous games of peek-a-boo, watching her heartily tuck in to food that you bought and prepared just for her, and of course, being woken up to a happy toddler throwing the sheets off of her ready for another day of fun together!

I think Arianna's favorite part of the whole trip was going to the ocean. When Mema asked us if we wanted to go to the zoo or the ocean again, Arianna made her wishes clear by decisively stating, "The ocean!" Arianna is a true water person (and sign) like her parents! (Mema loves the water too; I don't know many grandmas who can body surf like she can.) Arianna also enjoyed getting to know her cousins, Isaiah and Emerson, and her Aunt Khadijah. Mema bought an ice cream cake for Arianna's birthday (she turns 2 tomorrow) and we all celebrated together.

I was thinking about having a zoo themed party for her birthday. We are going to celebrate Saturday or Sunday, I'm still not sure yet. It doesn't really matter though, because we always have fun when we get together with family and friends!

Thank you for such a wonderful visit, Mema!

Hugs,
Rebecca, Andrew and Arianna

Off we go!

Into the wild blue yonder...

We're heading to Florida tomorrow to visit Mema and attend a real estate conference. I hear there's a hurricane brewing for Saturday. Yee-haw. The last time we went to Florida, we were stranded there for 2 days because of Hurricane Jeanne. Mema told us to stop bringing those darned hurricanes with us!

I have been crazy busy with two online courses I am taking right now. They are absolutely wonderful and I am learning so much, but everything else is on the back burner (blogging included). Sorry.

Here's one little tidbit I can share with you: When asked what Daddy does at work, Arianna says, "He hugs kids and gives them cough drops so they feel better." Andrew is an NP and says he wishes it was that easy!

See you next week, when we return from our latest adventure,
Rebecca

The Week in Retrospective

I have a lot to catch up on, so here's a quick summary:

We celebrated Andrew's birthday last weekend.

Monday, we went to see Stosh's Kid's Karaoke in Parma
and Arianna was thrilled that she got a star stamp. We also had
her portrait taken for her 2nd birthday, so expect to see the pics of that soon.

Tuesday and Wednesday were work days with swim breaks.

Thursday night, the entire infrastructure of my bedroom closet collapsed. All my clothes are in a heap on the closet floor and I don't even want to know how much it will cost to get it fixed.

Friday, Andrew got another real estate deal, my sewing machine broke in the middle of a project and Arianna jammed two CDs into our computer. I tried to fix the sewing machine, but the bobbin doesn't spin properly and broke two of my sewing needles. Drat.

I did find an iMac help guide online which clued me into the manual eject button to the right of the disc slot. I stuck a paperclip in the hole, as directed, after I shut the machine down and nothing happened. Apparently this protocol only works when there is one disc jammed inside the machine. My Google search revealed that toddlers are notorious for seeing how many discs can actually be shoved into that skinny slot, but no one had any helpful advice.

So, here's what I did. I took a large paper clip and straightened it out. I made a small hook on one end with a pair of pliers and a large hook that went in the opposite direction for me to hold. I measured how far I needed to insert the paperclip before I would hit the hole in the center of the CD. I put the paperclip in the slot and turned it when I thought I reached the center of the CD and tried to hook it and gently pull it out. It took a few minutes, but I managed to get both CDs out that way. The CDs were scratched, but the player seems to be working just fine. I need to test out my CD burner to make sure that's okay, but I was relieved that we wouldn't have to PAY to take it to the shop. Money is too precious these days.

Lesson learned: Don't leave more than one CD near the computer and/or tape up the CD slot when not in use. Or better yet, just tape your toddler's hands behind her back so she can't break anything else!! Ha ha, just kidding.

Rebecca

P.S. When I told my mom about Arianna's mishap, she had the nerve to say, "Oh, the little cutie." She redeemed herself by telling me I could use her sewing machine until she needed it again and that she'd pay to have mine fixed. What a mom!