Poop for dinner?

When I read Mama Kat's writing prompts for this week the choice was clear for me:
2.) Share a story of a memorable dinner.

Let me take you back to our Thanksgiving dinner when my now 10 year old was a just-turned-two year old.  I still giggle when I think about it.

Our Thanksgiving dinners tend to be large.  You have our immediate family with a few extended members thrown in and you will never find fewer than 15 people around the table.  Fortunately, most of us are kid loving fanatics, but there are a few committed bachelors in our midst that just don't understand the tot set. 

Thanksgiving dinner is an event that lasts for hours and the food is never ending.  We start our dinners with salad, bread and lasagna.  After we stuff ourselves to the max with the first course, we then serve the turkey, stuffing, and a gazillion types of vegetables.  This particular year there were creamed mushrooms on the table  (or some such thing, I'm not a mushroom fan).  My son kept standing up and pointing at something on the table and I wasn't quite sure what he was saying.  Then I realized, he was saying poop.  He was pointing at the mushrooms and yelling POOP! 

While I laughed so hard, I had tears coming down my cheeks, some of the other folks at the table seemed to have lost their appetite for the mushrooms.



Coffee

Dear Friend,

I wanted to thank you for the coffee we shared the other day.  However, it was so much more than coffee.  It was an opportunity to catch up, vent, and share.  Words and feelings seem to flow so much easier over a cup of coffee. 

I was a little down when we met up but I didn't even realize it until after we parted ways and I felt better.  That is the thing about friends and coffee.  Sometimes you don't even know when you need them.

Lets not let too much time go by before we meet up for coffee again. 

Love,

Where Am I?

Yesterday was such a whirlwind of fun with my SITS day!  I really enjoyed meeting so many new and wonderful people.  However, in all the fun, I forgot to tell you that I was guest posting over at Mom Went Crazy!  Pop on over and read a touching conversation I had with my daughter.  While there, don't forget to snoop around Chantelle's site!

It's My SITS Day!!!

Hold on a minute while I roll out the red carpet.  Who am I rolling out the red carpet for?  My SITStahs of course!  WELCOME!!  I am so excited that you stopped by. 

I'm all aflutter, I don't even know where to begin!  Life in the BAT Cave began on a whim when one night I was watching TV and was appalled at what I was seeing.  It got me to thinking about the lack of quality family television and I felt the need to vent.  I turned to the internet and my blog was born.  I didn't really know what I was getting myself into at the time, I only read a handful of blogs and really didn't know the enormity of the blogosphere.  I've slowly been learning more and more and have met so many wonderful people here in the blog world.  My blog is slowly growing and has become a place where I share snippets from my life. 

At the moment I'm a Stay at Home Mom, not that you'll ever actually find me at home.   I have three wonderful and beautiful kids that keep me busy and on the go.  I met my husband at work and we have been married for eleven years.

My husband frequently wonders if I like people at all.  I guess he has a point, I do tend to have a lot of pet peeves.  But really, I'm not a big ol' cranky puss and I LOVE people.  Like all of you, my SITStahs.

I hope you will stay and visit a while and my door is always open if you'd like to come back!

Sunday Shout Out

Welcome to my Sunday Shout Out where I share posts I've enjoyed this past week. 

First I'd like to share with you a first hand account of the earthquake that rocked Japan in Where Fear Lies.  I have never met Kevin, but I know and adore his sister.  I followed her updates on the wherabouts of her brother and his family and I'm so happy that they are safe.  After you read his post, be sure to visit his website Kevin Kato Endeavors to learn more about his books.  Proceeds from his books will be donated to help the people of Japan. 

Now on to (slightly) lighter reads...

Where do you stand on the topic of organized sports vs. Un-organized Play?  Visit Chrissy at Life as a CEO to see where she stands.

We've all wished for Magic Powers.  Which power would you like the most?

I AM: The Motherhood Version

I was introduced to scrapbooking when my eldest was 10 months old.  I instantly became hooked and have created many albums over the years.  When I was pregnant with my third child I had the idea to create an album of myself.  I call it Pieces of Me and have created pages to represent all the different facets of myself.  I have also created a list of the top 25 things I'd like to achieve in my lifetime and as I complete them I create a new scrapbook layout.  Among these pages is an updated version of the I AM poem.

I am a wife and a mother.
I wonder what my children will be like when they grow.
I hear boisterous sounds of a toddler.
I see things through the eyes of my children.
I want my children to grow up happy.
I am a wife and a mother.

I pretend to be tigers, choo-choo trains, and aliens.
I feel loved.
I touch the lives of my family.
I worry about keeping my family safe.
I cry when my family hurts.
I am a wife and a mother.

I understand I cannot change people.
I say take time for yourself, you'll be better for it.
I dream of traveling with Michael when our children are grown.
I try to make my family happy.
I hope my children grow up feeling secure and loved.
I am a wife and a mother.

Written January 27, 2004,  on my 28th birthday
mom to 2 very young sons and pregnant with my 3rd child who was born 9 days after this was written

Be sure to visit yesterday's post to see my teenage version!  It is amazing how much things change in 15 years.

I AM

When I was in the eighth grade, my Language Arts teacher had us write a poem entitled I AM... We had to create a sentence that we felt described ourselves, summed up who we were, and each stanza started or ended with this sentence.   We were provided the beginning of each sentence which went like this:

I am
I wonder
I hear
I see
I want
I am

I pretend
I feel
I touch
I worry
I cry
I am

I understand
I say
I dream
I try
I hope
I am

When we turned in our poem, our teacher made a copy of it.  She had us fill out an envelope with our mailing address and in our senior year of high school she mailed us a copy.  She wanted us to look at it and see if we had changed in those 4 years.

This was my teenage version:

I Am...

I am a teenager who loves to play the flute and shop.
I wonder what I will see in the future as my pretty blue eyes stare into space.
I hear the sounds of my flute floating through the air when I become a famous flutist.
I see myself coming off stage after my concert on the flute.
I want to travel around the world with my flute.
I am a teenager who loves to play the flute and shop.

I pretend I am a famous flutist. 
I feel the pressure of performing.
I touch the silver keys and the pages of music.
I worry if I will ever become good enough to go on world tours.
I cry when a loved one gets hurt.
I am a teenager who loves to play the flute and shop.

I understand that my daddy will never let me grow up.
I say shop till you drop.
I dream on day I'm rich enough to stop window shopping.
I hope that eventually my daddy will let me grow up.
I am a teenager who loved to play the flute and shop.

Written December 1989

Lets just say that I did NOT go on to Juliard and become a famous musician.  In fact, It has been a very long time since I have even touched my flute.  My son began playing the saxophone this year and I have discovered that I have lost the ability to even get a note out of my instruments and I can no longer read sheet music.  Oh how far we fall. 

Be sure to come back tomorrow to see the version of this poem that I wrote when I was a young mother.

Cutting the Cord

My 10 year old son came home after school the other day and asked if he could meet his friend at the basketball courts at the school to play for a little while.  It was a beautiful day, the first spring-like day we've had.  So of course I wanted him to get outside and play.  I just didn't want to go sit at the basketball courts. 

My husband suggested he walk over there by himself.  I began to get uneasy and started questioning his suggestion.  I reminded him that the world isn't what it was when he was a kid.  I pointed out that our son doesn't always contain the largest amount of common sense.  I asked him if he really thought it was a good idea. 

He told me I needed to cut the cord.

After I told him he was sleeping on the couch that night we went back to the business at hand.  I told him that if our son was abducted it would be him that I would blame and never forgive. 

He told me the cord needed to be cut sometime, why not try it now. 

My husband gave our son a watch, we set his curfew and I made sure he had his inhaler in his pocket.   I quizzed him on stranger danger.  After giving me his 10 year old "get a grip, mom " look, he grabbed his basketball and headed out the door as I was saying that for the record, I was not on board with this.

I continued to sit there with my husband and give him the third degree about our decision.  So many "what ifs" ran through my head.  My husband made very valid points about why this was a good idea but I was having a hard time hearing them and taking them to heart. 

Then I began to rationalize.  If he was going to go hang out at the school without an adult, right after school is the time to do it.  There is an after school program there and on such a nice day they were likely to be outside.  I knew there would be janitors in the school and probably even a few lingering teachers so if something happened, at least there would be someone around that they could go to.

A few minutes after I began calming down the front door opened.  I was surprised to see my son already.  He said the watch said 5:15 (which was the time we told him to leave the courts) and it wouldn't change so he figured he better get home.  The watch was my husbands and it got stuck on the alarm mode, it was really much earlier than he needed to be home.  He was trying to be responsible and get home on time. I went from being a neurotic mess to I found myself feeling bad that he had very little time with his friend.  Then the unimaginable happened; I found myself apologizing to him for not being able to stay longer.

I still don't know if I was 100% comfortable with this whole situation but it did make me realize that at some point I need to start letting go.  I need for him (and all of them) to be able to experience things on their own without me hovering over them.  But taking those first steps are just so hard!

Do you have any experience letting go?  If so, do you have any advice for me?

Sunday Shout Out

Welcome to my Sunday Shout Out where I post some of my favorite posts I've stumbled across in my blog reading. 

I LOVE this post An Open Letter to Stupid People.  I realize it isn't a post from this past week, but cut a girl a break.  I'm behind in my reading. 

Ettiquette Schmetiquette goes right along with an older post of mine What's In a Name?

Sorry I don't have a longer list to share...I'm a bit behind in my blog reading! 

Do women ever move beyond high school?

When I was younger I used to think that once I got out of high school life would be better.  People would be less judgemental, they would be supportive and it would be easier to get along.  Apparently I was wrong.

What I have learned is, women don't support each other, we tear each other down. 

We nag, we belittle, we compare, we insult.  We back stab, we gossip, and at times we even bully.

I wish I could say it was only one little corner of womanhood.  But it is not. 

By trade I am a Registered Nurse.  This is a profession known for "eating their young".  That is a nice thing to be proud of, right?  And I wish it were just a saying however I can tell you first hand that it is lived out almost every day.  When I was in nursing school I had veteran nurses ask me if I was sure I wanted to finish school and go into this profession.  When I worked as a nurses aide while still in school I was encouraged to stay at that level.  When I was a new nurse, instead of being supported and welcomed, I was thrown to the wolves.  Nurses set other nurses up for failure at times, and they are always quick to call you on your mistakes or "weaknesses".  Rather than than encourage you they beat you down.  And it becomes very draining.  (before I get bombarded by other nurses saying this isn't true...I'm glad if you never experienced that.  However, I think you are probably the minority.)   Did I just blow your angels of mercy image of nurses?

As a mom I thought I had found a new "club".  Mom's can connect on the basic level of being a mom.  However, once again I was wrong.  While I have made some very wonderful friendships with other moms, I have seen first hand some of the ugliness.  So many moms feel a sense of competition.  Rather than being happy for someone else's child taking their first steps it becomes a comparison; "well my little angel took HIS first steps a whole month before your little one".  And it doesn't stop with baby milestones.

I have encountered first hand the contempt of another mother who is a working mom and was jealous of the fact that I was able to stay at home.  I wrote a post about this particular experience in Mommy Wars and was angered most that she made her judgement without even knowing any of my circumstances.  I am tired of this kind of judgement.  It doesn't matter if you work or stay home.  We all work hard and we all love our kids.  Simple as that.

Don't even get me started on what happens in the PTO.  I could probably dedicate a whole blog on those interactions. 

Here in the blogosphere, it is very varied.  There are wonderfully supportive women out there that would give you a virtual pat on the back and hug with a thoughtful comment and they would be just as happy to give you a helpful hint about blogging.  However, there is also the flip side of the trolls who just like to berate people for their opinions and pass judgement by leaving very hurtful comments.  All I can say, is how dare they!  People's blogs are personal extensions of themselves.  Everyone uses them in different manners and for different purposes but it is theirs.  They have the right to express their opinions openly and honestly without fear of being torn apart. 

As women, we need to take a second look at our interactions with other women.  It can be as simple as following the simple rule of "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."  We can disagree with each other as long as we agree to disagree in a respectful manner.  I welcome open dialogue both in person and online.  I don't expect you to agree with everything I say and that is okay.  As long as you treat me with respect.

I'm not perfect.  I have many flaws.  But I am who I am.  If you don't like who I am, we can agree to disagree and move on.

I've taken the pledge. Have you?

Baby Shock

I'd like you all to welcome my guest today:

I’m Chantelle from Mom Went Crazy. I’m excited to be here guest posting at Life In the Bat Cave. I have a husband, Mike and two daughters. Emma is three and Sophie is six months old. And I have a secret:


I wish I’d had my second baby first.

I know that sounds strange, but it’s so true.

When Mike and I brought Emma home from the hospital we got a huge shock, as most new parents do. My shock wasn’t non-stop crying, jaundice, or tar-like poopy diapers. No, my shock was that my baby was perfect.

She never cried. She napped on schedule from day one. She nursed perfectly. She was always happy except for two days when she got her bottom front teeth one after the other. She fell asleep easily with the help of her trusty pacifier. She only had one diaper rash in her infancy.

What are all the other moms talking about? I thought to myself. This is easy. I guess people just love to complain.

Then, Sophie came into our lives.

Her birth was amazing. It was completely opposite to what I had last time: doctors, epidural, huge tear. This time I had a natural birth with midwives and felt amazing afterwards, which was good because I had a 31 month old to care for.

Little did I know I was in for the shock of my life.

Sophie had bad gas for the first six weeks of her life. From six o’clock until bed time she would fuss and whine. She needed a pacifier to fall asleep, but couldn’t keep it in her mouth. It’s almost like she chews it with her tongue so it keeps slipping out. She can’t be laid down and trusted to fall asleep on her own. She needs to be rocked and settled down at just the right time or she’ll wake up and we have to start bedtime all over again.

She is on no schedule to speak of. Sometimes her naps are two hours long, other times they are twenty minutes. Sometimes the naps happen at 9am, other times not until 11. Sometimes nursing her will make her fall asleep, other times, it’s rocking and her soother that does the trick. Even her nursing patterns are strange. Sometimes she will nurse every three hours, other times she needs to eat after an hour and a half.

I wish Sophie would have been born first. Before my first baby I was prepared for anything. I had dreamed up this crying bundle that would take months to settle down. After my first easy going child, I expected the second to be the same. I cried with Emma only once, when she was 16 months old. I’ve cried over Sophie at least five times that I can remember.

I felt like a failure as a mother. I couldn’t comfort her. I didn’t know what she wanted. Sometimes I still feel like I don’t.

How can two children from the same womb be so completely different? Yet how can I love them exactly the same?

One Closet at a Time

Last year when the kids went back to school I made a list of all the projects I wanted to accomplish around the house.  Let me just tell you that a lot of closets were on that list.  I've really just wanted to move from room to room through the house and purge and organize.  Well, someone should have reminded me that I'm me.  I can't look at such a list and not be overwhelmed.  And when I'm overwhelmed I tend to ignore the task at hand and move on to something else.  A year later and I hadn't started one thing on that list.

However, I am proud to announce...2 down.  

My boys room is cleaned out and organized.  We put new floors down in there and their room looks better than I've ever seen it in the 12 years I've lived in this house.  Once the new furniture is delivered in a few weeks that is one project that is completely done.

Since we extended the floors into the hallway, I had to remove all the contents from the bottom of the linen closet for the installation.  I'm proud to say that instead of just shoving everything back in, I purged and organized that closet as well.  By doing so, I found a gold mine of things that were on the store list!  I won't have to buy my kids toothpaste or shampoo for many months all because I unearthed them in the mess.  I think I'll take that as a lesson learned...being better organized can save me money. 

Two closets down....many more to go.

Project Time

I'm feeling overwhelmed and it is because I have project schizophrenia.  My husband accuses me of starting a gazillion projects at once and never finishing any of them.  And I hate to admit it but he is right.  (please, I beg of you, don't tell him I just admitted he is right!)

A year (or maybe more!) ago we decided to purchase my boys bunk beds to free up some space in their room.  That led to me wanting to get the room painted before the furniture came.  I purchased a floor model so that only gave me a few days.  I work backwards like that.  However, I've never really "finished" their room.  I never finished purging the closet and giving them the organization I had dreamed of.  Their room is a cluttered mess and has many items in it that are just no longer used.

So, guess what?  I found myself in the furniture store again and purchased a new chest for their room.  This will help with some of the clothing storage issues we have in their.  I decided to use this as the motivation to finally get in their room and do some cleaning.  While I was working in their room I was looking at their carpet which is old and ugly.  I decided we should put in some laminate flooring which will also help with my son's allergies. 

However, I wanted to get the floor in before the furniture is delivered.  And then because I don't want to be accused of never finishing a project, I wanted to order blinds which has been on the dockett for years now.  But I couldn't just order flooring and blinds for the boys room....oh no, that would have been too simple.  The floor is extending out to the hall way and the blinds are going in all of our bedrooms.

Have you ever heard me say I'm not much of a housekeeper?  I'm a bit of a clutter bug?  Well, I now have people who need access to floors and windows and I'm feeling a bit stressed trying to get the cleaning done.  I've been frantically tossing and organizing.

Then throw in a sick kid and another one who has decided to develop asthma and I'm now juggling a ton of doctor appointments in addition to the contractor appoinments.  Since this is taking priority and my time...let the stuffing and hiding phase begin.  The first contractor will be here this afternoon!

Can someone teach me how to do these things in order?   Like clean and organize and THEN embark on the projects?? 

Moose Juice for Dr. Seuss

Today is Dr. Seuss' birthday and in this house, that is worth celebrating!  You can't celebrate Dr. Seuss in any old way, you know.  So we pulled out  Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook and rustled up some Moose Juice for dessert.

Ingredients for Moose Juice:
3/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup orange sherbet
1/2 banana, sliced
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon whipped cream

Directions for Moose Juice:
1.  Combine the orange juice, sherbet, banana and vanilla extract in a blender.  Puree until smooth.

2.  Pour into a glass and top with the whipped cream.

Makes one serving.  We quadrupled the recipe. 

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

Don't forget to enter these giveaways I'm hosting:

KIDStrong Sports Drink

CSN $30 gift code

Boob Envy

I have boob envy.  But I'm not envious of your boobs or her boobs, I'm envious of my former boobs. 

I was recently looking through some scrapbooks with my kids showing them our honeymoon.  Instead of looking at the beautiful sites of Hawaii all I could focus on were my boobs.  They were nice.  They were full and didn't even require the pushiest of push up bras.  I was even looking at some pics from when my oldest was a mere babe.  Even though I was nursing, they were still nice.

Fast forward 11 years and 3 kids that I've nursed later and all I've got are two deflated balloons hanging on the front of me.  Not even a push up bra does much for them these days. 

I've always sworn I'd never have plastic surgery.  Breast enhancements are for the vain.  I've had enough non-elective surgeries that it has scared me away from wanting to willingly go under the knife in the name of beauty.  However, looking back on the pictures of my former boobs, well, I miss them.  And even though my husband won't admit it, I'm sure he misses them too.  A lift, a little enchancement, it isn't so bad, is it?  I'm not talking Dolly Parton here, I'm just talking about restoring their former glory. 

What are you envious of?