May 24, 2013  •  In Aerin, Claire, Motherhood, Parenting, Personal

Friday PicDump, 05.24.2013

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I haven’t been able to take too much pictures this week because I have a nagging cold. Not the fever-aching-gawd-kill-me-now kind, but the annoying type that makes me cough like I have a 2-pack-a-day habit and go through half a box of tissues a day from all the snot that comes oozing down my nose.
So aside from the first two pictures, these were all dug up from my camera’s memory banks. I think the oldest is about a couple of months old.
Claire has been obsessed with our growth chart lately. Every day, several times a day, she will…

Apr 7, 2013  •  In Aerin, Claire, Parenting, Personal

The OCD Nut vs. Mini-Godzilla

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Claire has a careful, meticulous personality that borders on being OCD. When she notices a speck of dirt anywhere, she will point it out to me. When there is a wet spot on the floor, she will wipe it up. And just recently, she has started to come to me with her teeny weeny hangnails, asking to have them clipped off.
Even when she plays, she is organizing and arranging just so. Her methods do not always make sense to us, but they do in her head and she tends to FREAK OUT if her format is disturbed.
An example of…

Mar 3, 2013  •  In Parenting, Personal, Relationships

Only When It’s Gone…

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Last year, I had an unfortunate accident which led to a herniated disc in my neck. I obviously could not take care of both girls by myself with the injury and its corresponding treatments; I ended up staying at my parents’ in the suburbs for almost 2 months so that they and my sister could help me on my road to recovery.
Once I recuperated  I remember returning home to a cold, dark place that — for a lack of a better word — was a complete pigsty. J sheepishly confessed, “I didn’t realize just how much work you do around…

Feb 28, 2013  •  In Baby, Funny, Parenting, Personal, Toys, Web

More Painful Than Stepping on LEGOs

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The internet has a tendency to dramatize certain mundane life events, wouldn’t you say?  And if you’re reading this, it probably means that you’re familiar with the trends and memes of the popular web which also leads me to believe you’ve heard of the “stepping on a LEGO piece while barefoot” mania.
(source)
Yes, stepping on LEGO pieces hurt like a mofo. But over the 2+ years of my being a parent, I can say that I have found something even more painful to step on when you’re barefoot…
And I know that others with young kids in the house will nod…

Feb 16, 2013  •  In Claire, Geek, Motherhood, Parenting, Personal

That Moment When…

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We both knew it would happen one day. We just didn’t think it would be so soon.
Yesterday, at 28 months old, our Claire Emmanuelle outsmarted us.
Okay, not exactly “outsmart” in the veritable definition of the word. ( out·smart : to get the better of; especially : outwit )  More accurately, she performed a mental feat which surpassed that of us, her parents.
Please allow me to explain.
Last week I received an Amazon credit from Ebates and decided to spend it on some new toys for the girls. (Why isn’t everyone on Ebates? You get cash back for shopping online. No, seriously.…