UNEASY is giving away a Wii and the contest is open to anyone in the US or Canada. Go enter!

When we went to the park on Friday I was stricken to realize just how much of a big girl Breanna is becoming. For awhile, she was happy to just let me put my hands under her arms and help her come down the slide, but eventually she had enough of that and wanted to do it herself. I kept one hand a few inches behind her back just in case, but finally I was convinced that she could tackle the slid all by herself and all I needed to do was lift her back up when she was done. While this is awesome because the more she grows the more I see who she is turning into as a person, at the same time I’m wondering what happened to the little baby who couldn’t even sit up this time last year.

I love the giggle at the end.

I’ve been noticing that YouTube really messes with the quality of my videos so I’m trying out Google video – let me know if it works well or if it gives you trouble. If anyone can suggest another video service or some sort of video player I can embed directly here without sacrificing so much quality, I would love to hear about it!

Over in LJ land there’s a meme that I love called the Baker’s Dozen. It takes place on Monday and you recap your entire weekend with twelve bullet points plus one picture. I thought maybe I should bring it over here; if you like it you can play along. No one will take the ball back and tell you to go home if you do it a day or two later.

My weekend can be summed up like this:

1. Friday afternoon was a ridiculously beautiful spring day so the second Breanna’s eyes opened post-nap, I put their jackets on and whisked them off to the park and for a stroll. We were gone for almost two hours and the only reason we came back was I had to pee. It was SO nice to be outside in the fresh air.

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When the Parent Bloggers Network sent out a call for bloggers to review the book Good Night: The sleep doctor’s 4-week program to better sleep and better health, I was one of the ones to jump on it the second it popped up in my inbox. That’s a mother for you, I guess. “Better sleep? More rested? YES PLEASE!”

The book, by sleep doctor, Dr. Michael Breus (who also maintains the Beauty Sleep site and The Insomnia Blog), promises to help solve your sleeping problems. He addresses the most common problems behind sleep troubles: Anxiety/stress/nerves, caffeine, parenting, bed partners, hormones, travel. For me, caffeine has never been an issue because I’m not a big soft drink person and my coffee is limited to two cups a day before lunch. I do have a tea at night, but it never bothered me. However, parenting has certainly cut into my sleep abilities, and although anxiety and stress don’t normally keep me awake, sometimes it prevents me from falling BACK to sleep if I happen to wake up in the middle of the night.

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Even though I’m not much of a shot person any more, I would love to get this special tray that makes frozen shot glasses. That’s just – pardon the obvious pun – cool!

The other day Hayley asked George if he could get her a magic wand. He was going to the dollar store and he didn’t find any magic wands exactly but he did get her a Cinderella pen that lights up and a flashing neon glow stick and she was thrilled.

Yesterday it fell and broke so she was understandably upset. Since it was an accident and not the result of a tantrum, he got her another one and also bought a spare one just in case it happened again.

It turns out that “just in case” worked for another reason because five minutes ago Hayley and Breanna snuck into the bathroom, turned off the light, and started playing. As is often the case with two siblings and one toy, screaming soon ensued as each one wanted to hold the glowing stick. I dug out the spare one, removed the little choking hazard tab and the cord, and I gave that one to Breanna. Problem solved.

After a bit of quiet punctuated only by giggles and occasional shrieks of happiness, I peeked in. They were sitting in the pitch dark room, Breanna in her bouncy seat, Hayley on the floor, both of them waving glowing, flashing sticks around.

All they need is a bit of oompa-oompa music and it would be like a rave in there.

You know what really sucks? When you’re making a delicious spaghetti dinner and you’re really quite hungry and it’s 6:15 pm and the noodles are finally ready, the sauce is perfectly simmered and you’re ready to drain the pasta by holding a lid against the top of the pot…

… and then you glance for a split second over your shoulder to see where your toddler is, your hand slips, and you dump 85% of the pasta directly into the sink. Which wasn’t empty because you were soaking a few things before washing them.

At least I had another bag of pasta.

After watching Sanjaya make a mockery of himself once again on American Idol, I really appreciated the Sanjaya Anthem.

Funniest video I’ve seen in at least 48 hours – Mom My Ride. Thanks again to Kerflop who keeps providing me with entertaining links.

Warning: Do not read this tasty blog unless you’re already full because the recipes and the pictures will make you so hungry if you haven’t eaten yet. All about tasty food for happy kids.