The girl who cried bug!

Mia is so busy and so smart. She is into everything, and by everything I mean not just her toys, things like my wallet, the lids to my pots, post-its, pens anything she can get her hands on! And now that she can climb on the chairs, she can access almost everything. I have quickly learned nothing is safe!

Her vocabulary increases daily, I find I never have trouble communicating with her and understanding her needs. Her new word is bug or buggy! Unfortunately it comes with the same fear of bugs my husband has.  She often yells "A BUG!" then proceeds to do a fake whiny cry.  99.9% of the time there is no bug, sometimes its just a fuzz, but nonetheless she has a flair for the dramatic on the bug front. I find her crying out bug more and more often, I think she is testing me to see if I am paying attention.

The climbing has also increased my fears and confirmed that she has inherited the clumsy gene that my family possesses. One would hope it would be less evident as it is passed down but no such luck.  Yesterday she fell while climbing up the Little Tikes slide and that resulted in hysterics, only to be followed up by her sliding off her little chair down hard onto the pot lids she took into the living room and hurting her butt. And she is a daredevil of course! No fear, she has also been attempting top climb into her booster seat on the kitchen chairs which is higher up, I am telling you I can't let this kid out of my sight!  No wonder I am so tired at the end of the day.

We had a funny moment over the weekend, she started saying a new word that sounded like F#*k and we like oh no really???? But we then determined she was saying Frog! She got these adorable new barrettes with frogs on them. So Mia's frog sounds like the F word!  Note to self: "Oh Frog" will do instead of the former word.

That's the Mia report for now, she totally amazes me, she is so funny and she knows so much. She is starting to put words together, like "read book" and she can point out things in the books and identify them: apple, mouse, dog, bird and so on. I can't believe she is rapidly approaching the age of 2!  Had to include lots of Super Sassy pics!





One final update: She is still pacifier free! It was a little tough in NY as she is not used to sleeping there and it made for a cranky car trip. But we held our ground and I am so happy that she is rid of it!


 xoxo - Mellycup

A girl and her dog.

My amazing girl. I am so thankful for her. Without her this house would feel so empty. Her light and laughter keeps this house alive and full of love.  She also keeps me out of my head most of the day.

I know he has crazy camera eyes, but this is a sweet pic of them. 

I feel bad that she won't really remember Lucky, she says his name when she sees his picture, but how long will that last? Without him here I fear it won't be long before she forgets her furry buddy.  Last week when he was in the hospital, she would always yell "Lucky!" whenever we came into the house, as I would always do to greet our sweet boy. Even though he wasn't there she would yell, but now even that is stopped.  She doesn't look for him or call him, I guess because she is so young and she is used to seeing people and then not seeing them, its the same with Lucky for her.

It's a mixed blessing that she is so young, it helps that she isn't old enough to ask about him or register that he really is gone. I can't get out of my own head, thankfully I don't have her buzzing in there with tons of questions.  She'll never remember life with a dog.  And at this point I have made the decision that I can never have another dog. Everyone says I'll change my mind, but I'm not sure about that.  I said it a long time ago, when Lucky was still here.  I never want to have another dog because I can never love an animal that much, he wasn't just a pet or a dog. He was part of our family, he was my child and I never want to go through this again.

So in advance, sorry Miss Mia, maybe we can get you some fish.  Hard to get too attached there.

I also got the call I was dreading yesterday. His ashes were ready.  When they called and said that, it opened a floodgate of tears. Guy went and picked them up today and its so hard to believe that my baby boy is in the that little box.  Guy asked me what I wanted to do with them and I said open the box and bring him back to life.  Not possible I know.  For now I have placed him on a little table with his picture, some flowers and a flame-less candle. Its the best way for me to visit and honor my boy.  I've also started putting his pictures all over the house, so he is always with me.  I do have him with me now, but not the way I wanted.

xoxo - Mellycup.

She sat down on the floor and said I wish I was stronger...

A new week and I just got back to CT. I was filled with so much anxiety driving home, I knew that when I walked in the door my house would be different.  Everywhere I look I am reminded of my sweet Lucky.  The couch were he would snuggle up in the corner, the place where his water bowl used to sit, the hardwood floor no longer has the familiar clicking sound of his tiny paws always under my feet. I kept tears at bay until I went outside, I looked at my lawn and I imagined him running back and forth like a maniac. One of his favorite things to do and now I'll never get to see that again. Only in my imagination will he be there running like crazy with a happy dog face.

I keep telling Guy I don't want to forget him, his bark, his smell, they way it felt to hold him and pet him and Guy keeps telling me I never will, he was in my life for 9 years and made a huge imprint. I find myself wandering around and putting my face deep into the couch cushion trying to find a trace of Lucky smell. I washed and changed the sheets on our bed in New York and I felt like I was washing part of him away. Everything is covered in dog hair and now I fear over time it will disappear and he will really be gone from this house.

I do feel as if I am feeling better everyday but I know that it will take a long time for me to really learn how to live without him. I am not crying as much but I am still getting sidelined with tears. I had an amazing moment yesterday afternoon that I want to take as a sign from Lucky.  I was mowing the lawn in Old Forge and I stopped for a minute, when all of a sudden a black and white butterfly flew right around me and landed on the house, I walked over to it and it flew right to me and landed on my hand. It was only there for a few seconds but as I looked at it, it looked back at me and we made a momentary connection.  I felt like that was Lucky, black and white just like him, telling me he was okay.  I cried at that moment because I knew that butterfly had come to me for a reason. And although I will never be fully comforted, it did grant me a small bit of peace. As I continued to mow the lawn, it appeared again on the other side of the house, once again flew around me and landed on the deck for a few minutes. I just stared at it and thanked it for coming to me, then it flew off high into the sky.

A few people told me my blog was turning into a real tear jerker and I do apologize. This is the best way for me to get my feelings out and help me deal with the sudden loss of Lucky. I am also grateful for all the kind and supportive things people have said.  I promise I will try to get some upbeat material soon.

xoxo - Mellycup

Love and regret.

It been 2 days since my precious boy left this earth and I am not okay. I can function for a while and then I just stop and have this overwhelming surge of pain in my chest. I find myself crying at random moments, sometimes its few seconds and sometimes I go in an uncontrollable sob. Yesterday I found myself walking around the house almost shouting "I want him back, I made a mistake."  I don't want this to be real, and I having a really hard time accepting that this is my reality. Everywhere I look I am reminded of him, he's not laying in his usual place on the couch, I don't have a warm lump under the covers snuggled close to me at night, I'm not constantly tripping over him. I hate this, I have the worst empty feeling right now.

I am trying to be strong and concentrate on Mia and my husband, but I am having such a hard time.  I knew that this was not an easy decision and it would be the most horrible thing Guy and I have ever had to decide. But I seriously had no idea how bad this would be. I can't stop going back to those last moments with him when I looked at his sweet face and knew I would never be with him again. I can't take it back but I want to, I can't stop thinking I made a huge mistake, I am filled with so much guilt and pain.  My heart literally hurts from the immense pain of having him gone. And the fact that Guy and I had to play God and make that decision really makes it more awful.  There was no right choice.  Sure we could have spents thousands and I mean thousands of dollars on top of what we already spent with no guarantee that he would even survive and if he did there were all the after effects that could have effected him the rest of this life.  But what if we had and he hadn't survived or what if we had and he did?  I just don't know and I never will.

I came up the Adirondacks for the weekend to clear my head and get out of my house, hoping that it would ease my pain. But so far I am still in the same boat, upon our arrival last night I saw his Old Forge collar hanging by the door, a flood of tears. When I went to put in in the closet out of sight, I saw his little orange parka, I grabbed it and held it to my face just to try and be close to him.  I never want to forget his smell or the way he felt in my arms. I know I never will, keeping his memory alive is all I have now.

I know that over time I will feel better but I always know I will never fully accept it and that I will always think it was a mistake. My dog was part of my family and although he drove me nuts at times, I loved him so much. I fell in love with him the minute I saw him and he captured a huge part of my heart that will never be replaced. He was my first baby, he taught me to be a mother.

Lucky, I'm sorry if I let you down and I wasn't always a perfect dog mama, I loved you more than I can ever express and you will live on in me forever and the space you held in my heart will be yours always. I love you my sweet sweet boy.

xoxo - mellycup.

Who would have thought forever could be severed by the sharp knife of a short life

To my sweet dog Lucky, you were the best little dog a girl could have. I will love you forever and never forget you. You have a big piece of my heart that can never be replaced.

I will never forget your sweet kisses, warm snuggles and cozy cheeto smell. Thank you for being my best friend for the last 9 years.



Rest in peace my sweet sweet boy.






Lucky Lee - 4/1/02 - 6/22/11

Save the drama for your mama.

Oh my poor dog. This has been a rough few days on our family. Lucky was not feeling well Sunday, and seemed to be in a lot pain, so I took him to the emergency vet clinic and after an hour and half they told me he would be there for a few days and I had to tearfully leave my pup behind.  He needed x-rays, blood work, ultrasound and more. They also had to manage his pain, and gave him morphine to help him, it broke my heart to see him like that, when I left him his eyes were glazed over and he was very mellow.  But not in pain, so that was good.

As of Monday the news was not good, they told me he has severe pancreatitis, an inflammation of his pancreas, caused by improper diet. (i.e. eating too much people food - Mia drops everything!) This was causing painful pressure in his stomach as well as vomiting.  My poor thing. He also had a gas bubble in his stomach, and his blood clotting ability was failing due to the stress on his body.  I told them to do whatever was necessary, this was followed by a few calls to tell me the cost increase of my original estimate. (GULP!) At that point I didn't care, I love my dog and would never want to see him in any pain.
He had to have a plasma transfusion yesterday, a 4+ hour process.  Guy and I were able to go visit him in the ICU around dinner time.  He was alert and very happy to see us, he kept trying to climb me, almost begging to come home.  Of course I was in tears snuggling him, it was so hard to see him in that cage, with  iv wires and the cone on his head.  I hated leaving him but knew if I stayed too long it would not be good for him.  I asked them to call me later in the evening to let me know things went well with the transfusion, and they said they would only call if something went wrong. Needless to say I fretted all night about the phone ringing, and woke up relieved. No news is good news right?

When they called me today they said he was doing much better and that he had eaten! Huge improvement, they were considering giving him a feeding tube in his nose, so that is a relief. They also told me if he keeps progressing well we may be able to bring him home tomorrow, pending good results on his blood work.  I was elated at the news!




I can't wait to go see him today, I know I complain about him being a pain sometimes, but he is my baby boy and I miss him like crazy and just want him to be well!! So all the positive messages and prayers have helped and I hope they continue to!

Give your dog and extra hug and kiss today! xoxo - Mellycup.

I knew the love of a father runs deep...

Just a quick blog to say:

Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful Dads out there!  

Especially to my Daddy, I miss you everyday and know you are in heaven watching down over my beautiful family and blessing us each day. I love you always. 

My family in a photo both (mid-80's).

And of course a very Happy Father's Day to my wonderful husband. Mia is so lucky have you in her life. I am so thankful to have you and marvel in the fact that you are such a hands on dad despite your crazy work schedule. She loves you more than you know and I love you with all my heart. 

My 2 loves. 

xoxo - Mellycup

Also Please say a prayer for my Lucky, he is at the vet for pancreatitis and needs positive thoughts! 

No lights, no music...

A huge storm hit Norwalk yesterday and our neighborhood seems to have taken the brunt of it.  Huge lighting and thunder, intense rain and hail. I am so thankful there was no wind!  However a transformer blew up and caught fire around the corner and boom we had no power.  The air was thick with a light gray smoke and electrical burning smells filled the air.  Guy ran outside to make sure our house wasn't on fire or smoldering where the demo work was being done.

We were fine, except our newly dug trench for the garage addition was now a moat, and my pool was almost full to the top with water.  Oh and we had no power! At least it was cool out and so not having AC or fans was not an issue.

Well the power went out at 4pm and by 5:30 there was no sign of it coming back anytime soon. So I ran to the grocery store, picked up a box of mac & cheese to cook on the gas stove for Mia and a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken for Guy and I to have with a salad. Voila dinner was done.  Around 7pm I ran to the end of road and inquired with the police man about when the power would be back on. He said after midnight most likely. Eeek!

Guy, Mia and I played in our dusk-lit living room until just after 8 when we decided to it was time for Mia to go bed.  She had a twilight bath which she enjoyed, got in her pjs, laid right down and went to sleep. I was concerned she would make a scene because she did not have her white noise machine, but she was fine. I was more worried because I had no monitor to watch my little petite!

We happened to have a spare bag of ice in the freezer so by 8:30pm I took all my major perishables, milk, chicken, and yogurt and threw it in the cooler for good measure.  Then Guy and I sat by candle light drinking beers, eating chocolate yum nuts (A MUST TRY!) and chatting, it was nice. We were in bed by 10pm.

I woke up at 1am, still in the complete dark, so much for midnight. Guy got up at 4am, still no power, well about 5 minutes after that we heard the buzz of everything click back on!  Yay for power. Only 12 hours not too bad.

And this morning its beautiful and sunny! Hopefully all this rain water will dry up soon.

xoxo - Mellycup

Goodbye Pacifier - the update.

Day 2

Nap time was a  breeze, she laid down with no fuss and slept for two and a half hours. This made me hopefully for the evening. No such luck. Again she cried and sobbed at bedtime, I went in after 20 minutes and picked her up to rock her. She scowled at me for 10 minutes before falling asleep. (So heartbreaking).  She cried at 11:30pm for about 30 seconds then immediately went back to sleep. As the hours ticked on I though YES! She is doing great. Well 3:30am rolled around and the crying started, I let her go from 15 minutes before going in there and then I ended up holding a restless Mia for 1 hour, I laid her back down at 4:30. She then cried for 25 minutes before Guy went in there, then I took over in the chair and by 5:30 she was in a light sleep, but when I moved her eyes popped open. Taking her to our bed didn't work either so she's has basically be up since 3:30 with a few cat naps in there. Me I am exhausted! Last night was not successful. We'll see how day 3 goes.

Day 3

Well she fell asleep for 20 minutes in the car this morning while we were out running errands. So that cat nap helped her get through the morning melt down free. SCORE!  Nap time was a challenge today because we started demolition on our garage and its on the side of the house where Mia's room is. I first attempted to put her to sleep in her pack and play upstairs on the other side of the house. But that was a no go, she cried and cried and then I caught her trying to escape! I assume if she had her pacifier she would have fallen asleep no issues. But the pack and play is no longer safe for Mia! Well I laid her down in her bed a few minutes before they were just finishing up for a lunch break, so she fell asleep. I cranked up her white noise machine and stuck a loud fan outside the door for extra muffling sounds. And by golly she slept for a hour and half. No complaints here.  And let me tell you it was all kinds of loud for a good hour of that nap!

Bedtime was the same as the previous 2 nights, a flood of tears.  We put her to bed later then usual and hoped it would help.  I tried to rock her after 10 minutes of crying and all she wanted to do was chat with me, so Guy and I laid her back down and after 10-15 minutes of crying she fell asleep! And she slept through the night until 6:50am!!!!! She did wake up and cry a few times for like 20 seconds then went right back down.  It was a much needed night of sleep in our house.

Not sure if this means we are over the hump. But we will see how day 4 goes.

Day 4

Mia went down for her nap with a tiny bit of tears but fell asleep and slept for over 2 hours with loud house jolting noise right outside her window. Here Guy and I are creeping around trying to not to make the floors creak and she is sleeping through that!

Bedtime was the same as the previous night, except it was just under 15 minutes of crying and she fell asleep, slept all night without a peep. She woke up around 6:30am - but it was thundering out, so I think that was to blame. I am hoping she will start sleeping later again soon.

All in all I think we are over the worst of it and as of day 5 I am not worried about how going forward will be. She really did great, much better then I expected! I am very proud to say we are OFFICIALLY A PACIFIER FREE HOUSE!!

xoxo - Mellycup

Mac and Cheese

I am supposed to be washing my dishes and taking a shower and a few other things but I decided to blog instead. Slacker!  Last night was a night of little sleep in our house (see previous blog entry) so I had a lot of time to think of new blog topics.

My dog - have I talked much about my dog? Not sure. Lucky is my dog, he is a 14 lb Rat Terrier, 9 years old, tri-colored and very sweet. In fact it was 9 years ago today that I saw that cute tiny pup in the window at the pet store and my heart was his and we took him home.  Yes I know the whole puppy mill thing - but hey people I rescued him from that hell.  All dogs need homes, and besides I was 23 years old what did I know!?  And how could anyone resist that cutie boy???

 

So my Lucky,  he is very territorial, loves me more than anything and isn't crazy about sharing me with Mia or Guy. Needless to say he was none to thrilled in November 2009 when we brought Miss Mia home. He tolerates her but tries to avoid her most days, unless she has food. He is also a dog snob, he does not get along with other dogs, first off because of his size most dogs think he is food, he hops around so quickly and this can get him into trouble. He also tries to avoid other dogs for the most part, but when in a dog situation he gets overly excitedly and  jumps all over their heads and tempts them as bait.  He also has allergies, so he gets custom food, and anything he eats that is out of sorts turns him bright pink and I have to break out the children's chewable benadryl. If you have a dog with food allergies, I can tell you more about that if you ask!

Now as he is getting older he has taken up barking more then he used to and this drives my husband crazy, and me as well when Mia is sleeping. As you know sleep is precious in my house. And lately as Mia drops more and more food - he eats more and more things he is not supposed to be having. Goldfish crackers are like crack to him and he will do anything to steal them from Mia, even when he gets scolded repeatedly. You know what they say, you can't teach an old dog new tricks.  If he sniffs a goldfish cracker out in a hard to reach place, he will lay on the floor air digging and crying until someone will retrieve it for him. Its ridiculous.

All this eating the wrong food leads to Mac & Cheese status, the title of today's blog.  By end of day he is usually on a licking bender and will spend endless amounts of time licking his paws, tail, etc.  Usually this commences at night in our bed. (Yes he sleeps in our bed, he started it as a cute 3 lb puppy, but now we can't seem to kick him out).  The licking can drive you crazy, because it sounds like a you are stirring a pot of Mac & Cheese - does anyone know what I am talking about?  Well nightly he gets yelled at and will stop, but then you will awaken at random hours of the night to the sound of creamy cheesy macaroni be stirred. Not to mention his breath stinks! (I brush his teeth, but it doesn't help - I think dog breath is just bad period!)  I have no solution, my husband and I complain every night to each other and we try to figure out a Lucky solution with no such luck.

First off I feel bad kicking him out and making him sleep alone, after all its been 9 years! He is my snuggle puppy. And when we do leave him downstairs, he is fine until about 1 or 2 am when he starts barking and is ready to come to bed.  Oh how bad can it be, 1 small dog in a king size bed?  Well he takes over, stretches out, climbs under the covers, on top of the covers and even puts his head on the pillow! This in addition to the licking.  So I guess we just have to suck it up and enjoy our quirky little dog, after all he was my first baby and I spoiled him rotten!

xoxo - Mellycup.

Me and Mariah go back like babies and pacifiers...

Tomorrow Mia will be 19 months old - or  1 and a half plus one 1 month. One month closer to the age of 2!  My baby is a little girl!  So many changes to come as we approach 2 and beyond....potty training, big girl bed, pre-preschool.  So here we are with the battle of the pacifier or chupa as we call in our house.  Mia only has it in her crib for naps and sleeping at night. At no other time does she use it, but I know that its time to go. Some kids have one for a long time, and they say it will really only do teeth/oral damage as you approach ages 3 and 4. My pediatrician has been telling me it has to go since Mia was 10 months old, and here we are almost a year later and she still has it. I am not a good listener obviously, but we have our 19 month check up next week and I do not want to face that dreaded question and subsequent lecture about how hard it will be the longer I wait.

So I am facing a dreaded few days of No More Chupa for big girls training. I took 2 pacifiers and cut the tips on them so they do not work anymore.   At nap time today (DAY 1) I put her in the crib as usual, told her that her chupas were broken and that was all she was getting.  Well I didn't even get a peep out of her,  I watched her on the monitor, play with them, switch them back and forth, before she just laid down and went to sleep.  Success I thought!  Well it only lasted about an hour before she was up hysterically sobbing, I let her cry for 10 minutes and she laid back down. BUT she popped up crying after 2 minutes and cried for 10 more before I went and got her.  Both broken chupas on the floor.  Naptime was over for today.

Needless to day I am not anxious about this evening, but I am going to be strong and not give in. Yes I hate seeing Mia upset, but in a few days I am praying we'll be through it and she will forget what a chupa is!  So a short nap today might work in my favor for sleep tonight. Send Mia some calm vibes! And me some stay sane vibes!

Will keep you posted - xoxo - Mellycup

**UPDATE** - She was not cooperative at bedtime, she cried for almost an hour. We took the broken pacifiers out as we think it may have made her more mad. I finally went in and picked her up just before 9pm, she immediately started to close her eyes. She was so tired and was just fighting so hard.  She fell asleep in my arms, no pacifier and I laid her down. She awoke crying at 12:30 and after 10 minutes I went in and picked her up and she fell asleep in my arms, I laid her back down and she slept until 6am.  So needless to say she didn't get as much rest as she normally does, but it was successful in that we didn't use a pacifier at all! She also did not wake up as much as I had feared and anticipated. 1 day down, how many to go???

But its in the middle of the night!

When Mia wakes up in the middle of the night its always fuel for a mini-fight for Guy and I.  She sleeps through the night almost every night but every now and then she does wake up. This makes me extremely irritable, I love sleep and when you are used to it, being up in the middle of the night sucks.  When she was younger and up all the time, I was used to the sleep deprivation and being up and down all night did not bother me, now it does.  But I function in the middle of the night, I can see perfectly well in the dark, and I have pretty good mental clarity, I'm like a mama bat or wolverine or something. Guy on the other hand is useless at night in the dark, first off he can't see anything and for some reason his eyes do not adjust, then when I ask him for something, usually some Tylenol for Mia is takes him like 5-7 minutes to move around the dark house and function. Which further irritates me.  He is like a blind newborn animal searching for its mother.

This almost always causes a spat, I get annoyed with him and snap because he is not doing things at my pace, yes I am clearly not Mary Sunshine at 3am! My main goal is get Mia calmed down and asleep and get back to bed! Most mornings, all is forgiven and I always apologize for my irrational middle of the night crankiness.

It must be a mother thing, women learn how to function in the dark, at all hours. Let's face it most women are the ones who are up with their babies at night. Its not like a man can breastfeed a newborn at 2am or 4am.  Hence we learn how to be a 24/7 functioning machine. I guess that will always be the way and I will have to accept the Guy does not function in the middle of the night and I do. In all fairness his does have his A game on for work 12+ hours a day.  

Happy sleep!  xoxo - Mellycup.

Who knows where my blog title came from????

Guess I can't see the harm in working and being a mama...

Wow today it supposed to be the first really hot day of the year - in the 90's! It seems early for Connecticut, but I can never remember when Summer really sets in.  I am definitely taking a dip in the pool later.

It's nap time for Mia which means its mommy free time. Or today, its write this blog entry, call and make appointments for my real estate showings this afternoon, send out some bills, follow up on emails, check the pool chemicals and straighten up the house time. Some days I blow it all off and just sit by the pool, but today seems so hot and I actually have to work this afternoon so I am staying indoors where its cool and I won't need to take a 2nd shower.

I just reread what I wrote and and am scolding myself - I wrote "I actually have to work" - wait a minute....I work everyday! Shame on me for saying that. Being a stay at home mom is challenging and I don't care who tells you its not. I know people complain that they have to go work and are envious of people who stay at home, but here is the thing, I am not going to lie and say its great 100% of the time. Being with your child (children) 24/7 is wonderful but it can sometimes drive you nuts. We all have bad days and so do our kids and some days I look at the clock and its only 9:30am and Mia is already whining and being cranky.  Thank goodness for naps!

People that go to work everyday obviously enjoy every single moment with their kids because they get that break, they have a chance to get dressed, go to work, get away from their kids and socialize with other adults. Well for the most part I guess, unless you are a teacher or work with extremely immature people.  Stay at home moms socialize with other moms (Super thankful for that) and their kids, which is great, but the conversation is limited.  And I know there are people out there who hate getting dressed for work, but me I like dressing up, love putting make up on, looking put together. Most days I am rocking a t-shirt and jeans, that usually has milk or juice spilled on it and is covered in dog hair.

So today I am taking leave from my full time mom job and working my other job as a Real Estate Agent.  Which I have to say is a great job because I have tons of flexibility with my schedule. Now please all of you want to be stay at home moms DO NOT run out and pursue your real estate license. This is not the market for it. For it to be a big money making job you have to work all the time and be a real estate machine. I work part time and I am happy when I put together a deal, but this is not our only source of income. I have been a Realtor for 5 years and in that short amount of time I have seen good markets, slow markets and bad markets which we are in now.  Everyone is chomping at the bit to make that sale, get the client, close any deal. Not a great time for a career change, trust me everyone and their mother is a Realtor these days!

I am way off topic now.  That always happens. So its 1:30pm, I am dressed up and ready to go show some listings this afternoon, have some adult conversation and hopefully put a deal together! And then I can come home and take my sweet girl swimming on this hot day. Sounds like a busy afternoon.

Stay cool - and never say stay at home moms don't work - it really annoys us!

xoxo - Mellycup

All the way to the end of the world...

Yesterday was our 7 year Wedding Anniversary - 7 years!  Where does it go? Well lets see in the past 7 years since we got married:

- we remodeled the kitchen
- we put in a pool
- I learned to drive 5 speed
- I quit my job
- we started a business
- we closed the business
- we bought a house in Old Forge
- I gained weight
- I grew out my hair
- we redid my bathroom
- I got pregnant
- we had a amazing daughter

Plus we did a ton of snowmobiling, traveled to see family & friends, went to concerts, partied with friends, drank lots of wine, said goodbye to some very special people, and had a million other moments, some filled with laughter and joy others with sadness and tears.

But here we are 7 years, in the grand scheme of things its such a small amount of time, but I am happy to say that I have had the honor and privilege to share it all with my best friend, my husband. He is my life, and 7 years ago when I held his hand and walked down that aisle I knew it was forever, I also knew there would be hard times but that there would be many good times as well. And I look forward to spending the rest of my life married to this amazing man who has made me into the person I am today.  We were 17 when we started dating and here we are at 32, grown adults, not just 2 teenagers with a dream to stay together forever.

Now we are not just Mr. & Mrs. we are a family, together we created this beautiful baby girl, who lights up our days! She is the best thing to ever happen to us!

2009 - the day after Mia was born.

Would I change anything? Never, I've learned and grown from him and I know he has from me too. I know we have our moments when we drive each other crazy, but at the end of the day we can smile and be thankful we have each other.

Happy Anniversary my love - if you reading this.

xoxo - Mellycup.

We just wanna make the world dance, forget about the price tag

8:15pm on Saturday night and after I finish this blog I am getting into bed, reading some catalogs and going to sleep. Miss Mia just had a bath and is in her bed and now I am ready to follow suit. Its been a long day.   Up at 5:30am - 1 hour of P90X, then showered, loaded my cooler and went to my moms all day for a Tag Sale.

Have you every had a tag sale - NOT my favorite thing, but the allure of easy money and not just giving away my unwanted treasures is tempting.  So for the last few months I cleaned out my laundry room, 3rd floor closet, and attic, plus I found a few things from my basement and I came up with a truck load of stuff.  You know, those martini glasses from Pier 1 that I never use and don't match anything,  old frames, stuffed animals that have been sitting in a rubbermaid tote for the last 5+ years, my old comforter and bedroom curtains, all useless to me but possibly good for someone else.

Well today was the day, there were 6 families in 2 driveways and it was madness, we had so much stuff.  Someone of it worth taking any amount of money offered and some worth haggling on the prices. Which by the way annoys me a little, I mean I am selling stuff dirt cheap - you really have to offer me $1 for something with a $5 price???? Especially at 8:30am when we have only be open for a half hour.  Catch me after 1pm when I am looking to make a quick deal so I don't have to lug any of it home!  But I guess thats the game, and in the end I was willing to part with anything that came with a reasonable offer.  Let's face it, anything I didn't sell is going straight to the Good Will. Even though my mom is trying to get me to have a tag sale at my house, claiming I get more traffic. But sorry mom, no way, my limit is 1 tag sale every 4-5 years!

At the end of the day I walked away with an exciting $128.50 - worth 8 hours of sitting in the hot sun, arguing over prices and being away from Mia for the day?  I'm not so sure.  (I didn't bring Mia because it would have been too chaotic, so she spent they day with my Aunt Paula). I also had 3 boxes of things left that will be donated, I did leave a few things on the curb with a big FREE sign. I was desperate by 4:30pm.  I can't say it was all bad I did have some laughs though, my sister is always good for that. She had a keyboard for sale and it played music, so I sat at it, and she put a concert piece on and I pretended to play, it was very convincing for the first song, we even considered putting a tip jar out. We also enjoyed the microphone on her karaoke machine, she pretending to be an auctioneer, me, I just yelled at people to make us an offer on everything, except the blue necklace which my aunt was firm at $5!

So here it is 8:30 now and I am off to bed. Tomorrow afternoon my husband comes home from his motorcycle weekend trip and its our anniversary so maybe we will have a nice quiet dinner just the 2 of us after Mia goes to bed.

Goodnight -xoxo - Mellycup.

Cry me a river...

I believe we are rapidly approaching the terrible 2's and Mia is just past 1 and half!  Am I in trouble or what?  Mia has learned now to throw a tantrum of sorts, its kind of sad, kind of funny and kind of frustrating. Frustrating on the days when we have multiple tantrums.  Right now its just a whiny cry, which she will follow me around doing, she hasn't resorted to throwing herself on the floor or anything....yet. But its intense like you did something really mean to her!

Top 3 reasons Mia will now have a tantrum:

1) We have to come inside from playing outside, endless sobbing. Why are you so mean mommy!?!

2) She has climbed up to my laptop, or some other not safe place and gets told NO! Get down.  Whaaaaa. Mom you are ruining all my fun!

3) Someone leaves,  Daddy, Auntie LaLa, Rachel (Rashasha) or Julie (Jugee). More sobbing, ughh I am stuck with you mommy!

 Just about to be yelled at "Get down!" followed by the fake water works!  See reason #2.

How do you deal with it? I'm not sure what to do, I don't want her to be a bratty kid.  I know I cannot let her get her way. So most days I just ignore it and tell her to calm down, everything is fine and after a few minutes, she is onto the next thing. NBD (no big deal). But some days its 10+ minutes of this horrible whiny cry, these days I usually have to bribe her with her juice cup, some goldfish crackers or Jack's Big Music show. But hey it works and I don't cave on letting her have her way. She's got to learn who the queen bee is in this house.

Even though we are entering the independent phase, I like that she is grown up, she really is a little girl now. Expressive, smart, she communicates very well and its rare that I feel like I don't know what she wants or needs. Babies change so fast and before you know it they develop amazing personalties and become little people! And all in all Mia is amazing, she is my best little friend, my love and amazement for her grows everyday.  Sometimes I look at her and I still can't believe that she grew in my belly and I gave birth to her. I know I am going to blink and is going to be off to kindergarten.  (Don't cry little mama, don't cry!)

Be sure to enjoy every moment, the good, the bad and the whiny!  xoxo - Mellycup

I love girls, girls, girls, girls I do adore....

I now know that I definitely want another girl when I have another baby.  Little girls seem to be much calmer than rambunctious little boys. I know I will be cursing myself for saying this 12 years down the road when we hit the teenage drama years, but for now I like pink, frilly, sweet girls. 

Where is this coming from? Well I have been feeling this way for a while, I have 2 nieces and of course my own daughter, so in my immediate family, we know girls. If I had a boy I think I would be so freaked - running, jumping, dirt, boy parts! I don't even know how to deal with that whole diaper situation! 

And today it was confirmed.  I was at the Little Gym with Mia and we were tyring out a class for the next age group up. (19 months to 3 years) So being on the cusp of 19 months she was one of the littles in the class. Well we didn't even get into the room and some older boy shoved Mia down onto the floor.  The poor thing had no idea what happened, started crying and I scooped her up and listened to the other mom's apology all the while thinking, "Lady, teach this kid some manners!".  Whatever I let it go, its bound to happen. So off we go into class, Mia is having a great time running around and playing. All the kids are doing the parachute activity when BAM all of sudden bully kid shoves Mia down again. 2 times really!?!  More apologies from the mother and now I am thinking: "Lady, stop socializing and watch your aggressive kid like a hawk. This was  my protective mother bear moment for the rest of class I guided Mia away from the aggressive child and kept a 2 foot radius from her at all times.

Is it just me? It that how all 2 year old boys are?  Am I overreacting?  I don't know, its my first time dealing with anyone being mean to my innocent baby girl for no reason.  And I know I will have to become less sensitive over time, but for now it broke my heart a little.  I know I will never be able to fully protect her from the bully on the playground, or the mean girl who talks behind her back or the boy who breaks her tender young heart for the first time. These are all bumps we are going to face in a long road from childhood to adolescence and even into adulthood.

And so right now I am thinking that I don't want a little boy because they are wild, they tend to be more aggressive and controlling, but then as I read this over I realize having a little girl is just as hard because its not now that I have to worry but it is down the road. 

I know I will be genuinely happy be it a boy or a girl when I do have another baby, but for now I am sticking to the Girls Team! 

xoxo - Mellycup.