Be still, my beating heart - I am IN LOVE!!

During the past 7 years of which I have been dressing girls I have many times heard the statements made by parents of boys, "It's a good thing God didn't give me girls or I would be broke!" or some similar statement. It's statements making the point that 1) girls clothes are expensive 2) boys clothes are cheaper 3) boys clothes are boring/girls clothes are more fun 4) it's easy not to overspend on boys 4) girls require more. I will agree that there is slight truth to #4. Girls definitely need more accessories as in bows, shoes, tights, etc. which ultimately does increase the cost of an outfit. But I just can't see where boys clothes are not as fun to buy as girls. But I have a fallen in love with little boys clothes. I know it's because it's new for me and it's so different than shopping for the girls. Also, Nathan has not yet reached the point where we are 80% khaki shorts and polo shirts. I do dread those days and actually hope they never park themselves on my doorstep. I have found myself with some new loves and I'm finding it a little hard to control my pocketbook when it comes to these darling duds. How could you not love cuties dressed like this:



(By the way, Nathan has on this outfit today and he is officially WAY cuter than this model! Of course I am a little biased. )












The first ones are from Boden, to which I am terribly addicted. Ordered some things for myself and the girls and the boy for the first time this winter, but only the items for the boy worked out. And they've been working out ever since. I also love boys clothes from Zutano and Tea, but it's Boden that has captured my heart. Thank goodness those clothes run through large sizes so I can continue to nurse my addiction for a while. Seriously, someone should have warned me that having a boy can break the bank too!

Stuck in the Middle With You

I had plans today. Plans that included a trip to Old Navy, making a meatloaf for dinner, more laundry, ironing, an episode of the Gilmore Girls (those last 3 items go together), and working on a Mother's Day project for my mom. Guess what I am doing instead of those fun things? Holding a sweet baby boy who is in a whole lotta pain from....constipation. (Hence the title of the blog. Clever, don't you think?) So, this has been going on for a week now. I thought last week's episode was a one time thing, but when the red faced grunting started again last night, I realized some things are going to have to change. 3 kids and I've yet to face this problem. Poor little guy just sticks his rear in the air and buries his head down and screams like a girl. Then he cries and only wants to be held. We've tried the usual - no rice, cheese or bananas, more juice and water, prunes, etc. A call to the dr.'s office hasn't turned up any other remedies. Part of the issue is that the boy just loves to eat. He turns his nose up at baby food or anything that requires him to be spoon fed. He would rather eat chicken and cheese, cheerios and pasta. Today, I am adding a few teaspoons of fiber to his bottles and hoping that this too, shall pass. Pun totally intended. Seriously though, if you are sitting on some tried and true home remedy for infant constipation, I would appreciate the tips! I've got a list to get finished!

I couldn't bring myself to take a picture of the little guy in pain, so instead here's a recent pic before he started wishing that Drano was multi-purpose and non-toxic.

Dear producers/directors/actors/cast of New Moon:

The following is a simple visual lesson in how to take a beloved book series and make it into a respectable, delightful movie:



Now let's take a look once again at Twilight:



Wait for the right budget, the right actors and the right screenwriters and learn how to take your time instead of cranking out junk overnight just to make a quick buck. Sigh, is it too much to hope that New Moon will be decent?

Ain't nothing wrong with being country!

Well, there has been a whole lot of country-ness going on round these parts! (This is my attempt at sounding like an official cowgirl. Not very effective.) It all began with my oldest and her love of reading. Would this be a perfect spot to brag that she received an award last week at her school for reading the most books of a lower grade student? Ever. In the school's history. That would be over 200 this school year. Now this would be a simple task if she was reading Dr. Suess or Flat Stanley every night. But not my little overachiever. She has been reading Charlotte's Web, Nancy Drew mysteries, Ramona and other Judy Blume greats, and her most recent favorite series - Little House on the Prairie. My mom bought her the first book for Valentine's Day and she's been reading about Ma, Pa and little Laura ever since. She has even been moved to tears over Pa having to move the family across state lines to Missouri. She has expressed her love for a fiddle and wishes that we could have nights listening to her own "Pa" tell stories that ended with a little fiddle music. Miley Cyrus - be gone from this house, Mackenzie has new love! It has thrilled me and I am planning to rent the tv series for her to watch once she has read the books.

Now, on with the country life. I have been mulling around the idea of a garden lately. Mostly because my very creative sister-in-law had herself a cute little garden for the past few years where she would make us a fresh salad using ingredients she just picked out of her own backyard. Since last year, her family has moved and the garden has disappeared with it. However, we have also moved and guess what came with our new home? Almost an acre of land. All kinds of room to plant great things that my kiddos will love. Tomatos, squash, cucumbers, basil, rosemary... Ok, the squash and herbs are for me. Marty has been all aboard this project because there is not a man around that loves a fresh grown tomoto more than him! I only mentioned it twice, and suddenly there he was, buying dirt and setting out railroad ties. I am still waiting on our last freeze before I officially plant anything. Once I see some sprouts, I will post some pictures so that you an enjoy this forage into uncharted territory for the Shell family.

Just yesterday, Avery was filling me in on her latest animal love. Cows. Yep, those are her new favorite animals, she informed me. Since we have not seen a cow or spoken of cows recently (I don't think the Chick-fil-a cow counts), I'm not sure where the love for cows has come. I very quickly asked her if she would like to be a cow for Halloween. I am always looking for something besides a princess and thought this would be a nice change. I was just starting to picture a cute little black and white cow pattern on her face when she informed me that no, she would not be a cow for Halloween. She had already decided what she would be and that was a "farm wife". Now, since she has not ever been on a farm, I thought I should clarify. What exactly was a farm wife? She informed me very seriously that a farm wife was the lady on the farm that wears the long dresses and takes care of the family. Hmmmm, sounds a lot like Laura from the Little House to me!

So, between the books, the garden, and the farm wife revelation, the big city has definitely taken a back seat around here. And I couldn't be more thrilled! So thrilled that I decided to carry the country themed week even further and bought my husband and I a treat. Tickets to a country music show. One of our favorite country music shows. A country music show that we have already seen twice before. But this time, it's THIRD ROW, BABY!!!! I can't wait for this song up close and personal. Kenny Chesney, Miranda Lambert and Lady Antebellum and a night away with no kids for the first time in 18 months. Wow. Just. Can't. Wait.

That's all the country I got, ya'll. Take care and maybe I'll catch ya down yonder.

The armpit of Arkansas

We just finished our week of Spring Break around here and we cram packed it with some fun times! We took 2 days to drive to New Orleans and let Marty do a little work in south Arkansas along the way. Now if you've never been to south Arkansas, there is not much there to make your skirt fly up. Some of it is downright scary. I had an hour or two to find something to do with the kids in Camden, AR and luckily I came across this gem of a park that was canopied (is that a word?) in pine trees and shade. PICTURE TIME! The girls had a great time playing in the park and I had a great time shooting pictures of the kids. The conditions were great and I took some really nice shots. It's funny because the girls were in travel clothes and I hadn't even really fixed their hair that day since we left home at the crack of dawn. Still, they looked great - like the natural little beauties that they are. I guess sometimes you don't need fancy clothes and hairbows to have pretty girls. Nathan had so much fun being outside. He is just starting to explore the outside world and still wants to put everything in his mouth. He was fascinated with some sticks and leaves and tasted them all. Thank goodness for Photoshop so I could edit out all the bits of brown leaf bits on his face! More to come on our wonderful trip, but for now, I will leave you with some of the best from Camden - armpit of Arkansas.

what's going on

here's a snippet of my world today:
laundry
ironing
playing with the boy
bills
calendar
balancing checkbook
Hannah Montana
playtime with the hermit crabs
making spaghetti and turkey meatballs (shhh, don't tell my family it's turkey)
praying for Stellan
Lost
errands - post office, cleaners, pharmacy
dance class
soccer practice
bathe kids
clean up
REST!!!

Got to run - blogging was NOT on the list!

Flying Solo

Recently, I have discovered what life would be like as a single mom. And let me tell you - it stinks! Marty has been out of town for the past 8 days with a back to back ski trip to Colorado and a business trip to Washington D.C. If I'm trying to look on the positive side, it's nice to be off schedule and do fun things with the kids like have pancakes for dinner and buy new pets (like the 2 hermit crabs that were adopted into the family this week.) But I really miss the adult interaction. This time of the day (4:30) is the worst because I am waiting for someone to come home that never arrives. There is no one with whom to share my day and tell all of my funny stories. My sister popped in for the weekend to help out with the kids and a soccer tournament. Thank goodness for some quality sister time and some sushi takeout!

In my boredom, I have been struck with the experimental cooking bug and have cooked this yummy pasta and this yummy salad. Delicious! They will definitely be going into my recipe rotation. Tonight the cooking streak ends with pizza and American Idol. Marty arrives home tomorrow, so we will make the most of the last girl's night. Oh yeah, can't forget about the little man. Here's a picture, just because he's so darn cute.