In the Tiger Den.....

Merry....New...Happy...Christmas...Year......

2012-01-11T19:27:00.003-05:00

They came and went......

We lived....

We laughed....

We missed being in WI this year......

And I totally have been absent from the blog..........

The past year, especially the second half, were a whirlwind of activity and events..........

And, the new year is proving to continue the whirlwind......

So much to update.....so much to say.....

So much wishing there was more time in the day........

(cool...that rhymed....)

Anywho.......

I hope that everyone out there still willing to stop by the Tiger Den (and those that have forgotten us) had the bestest of holidays.........and were able to ring in the joyous new year full of possibilities......

The Tiger Den has experienced a big shift of space......and is about to grow in numbers.......

(but more on all that later!.......).......

Cheers!

MommyParties......Oral-B Stages........

2011-12-17T22:28:00.000-05:00

Thanks to MommyParties and Oral-B Stages for giving me the chance to share some great products!

Oral-B is a trusted name when it comes to toothbrushes and toothpaste.......and I want to make sure that you all know that they have great products for babies, toddlers and children!

When I was looking for a toothbrush and toothpaste for TigerBoy back when he was 1 year old, I saw the Oral-B products.....since I have been using Oral-B toothbrushes myself for many years, it was one of my first choices for my son! TigerGirl has finally gotten up to 4 teeth now, and I'm very glad to be using Oral-B Stages for her....

I am grateful to Oral-B for providing products for me to share with other mommies, and we had a wonderful party!

I made sure to take a picture of the great package I received while I was putting together goodies bags...

All of the mommies and little ones enjoyed the Winnie and Pooh movie and popcorn. I thought it was super cool that they provided some popcorn boxes!

During intermission, it was a great time for the little ones to play some balloon games!

Who doesn't enjoy balloons?

Most all of the mommies had heard or seen Oral-B Stages products in the store, and most of them are much more likely to purchase them now that they have had a chance to check them out first hand.

Some of the little ones were able to try out the toothbrushes first hand as well! Since the party, TigerGirl will point to her toothbrush when she sees it in the bathroom......I would say she loves it!

Please makes sure to check out Oral-B Stages when considering toothpaste and toothbrushes for your little ones.........

Thanks again to Oral-B and MommyParties!
I was provided with the products, but my opinions are purely my own...

Where are we?...........

2011-09-29T15:21:00.000-04:00

We're still around........we're still here..........I haven't had a chance to post anything......

Where does the time go????

Seriously.....

Where does it go?

There is so much that has gone on over this year so far, and I can hardly believe I have a 5 year old TigerBoy and 1 year old TigerGirl..........

I will get it together soon......I promise......

There are definitely big things happening here In the Tiger Den.........which does include the addition of a new blog.........but I haven't even gotten back to sorting out my new quest into Wordpress.......
(in fact, I'm not sure if I remember the password I used......it's been way too long.....way, way too long.....)

More soon......as soon as I can.......

In the Tiger Den has MOVED!.....

2011-07-19T10:31:00.002-04:00

Well, actually....this blog will still remain.....and continue.....

However, The Tiger Family has a new blog, so all the latest and greatest will be over there.

I am very new with the 'new' format, so it will take me a bit of time to get things situated....But, I see no reason to hold up the blogging......

Not that I have been doing a whole lot of blogging lately......er, um.......time has sort of been flying out the door a wee bit too fast......

But alas....with no further ado.....

Check us out over here:

The Tiger Family

The Tiger Cubs on the Fourth.....

2011-07-10T23:13:00.005-04:00

This is TigerBoy 4 years ago on his very first July 4th........

And here is TigerGirl this year, her first July 4th.......

Usually we would be visiting Grandma and Grandpa (since July 4th is Grandpa's birthday)....but we are heading to WI later this year..........

Ready or not, we will be heading on a long road trip.......with 2 kids this year.......

Wordless Wednesday..........Look Mom, No Hands......

2011-07-06T01:20:00.000-04:00

Wordless Wednesday..........Jump......

2011-06-15T09:53:00.000-04:00

So many decisions needed to be made...........

And.....decided they were................

Here's to a grand leap of faith..........

Now........time to jump.....

More on the new situations in the Tiger Den later.....

Somebody is EIGHT months old...........

2011-06-14T21:42:00.005-04:00

TigerGirl is growing so fast......

She is crawling everywhere....and trying to stand up anywhere she can......

I'm trying to get things done.....

2011-06-10T22:52:00.003-04:00

But this is my biggest distraction......

Can hardly believe it's been 8 months......and TigerGirl just doesn't stay put!.....

Wordless Wednesday..........

2011-05-25T17:36:00.000-04:00

Banana Tree.........

For all you would know.....

2011-05-17T22:11:00.003-04:00

We're lost in Washington DC.............

Considering I have not yet come back to continue the story of our trip........

Many apologies......

We had a wonderful trip......and a wonderful time....

And the drive home was fairly easy going......

TigerGirl is on the move......and this is making it even harder to get anything done!.......

More to come......

And speaking of travels, I have a wonderfully cool thing to share with you as soon as I can grab a moment of time......

Tempting fate?......

2011-04-14T22:15:00.003-04:00

Sure.... why not.......

3 adults....

2 young children.....

1 teenager....

....and a 10+ hour drive in a Ford Explorer to Washington DC (area....actually in Maryland at the moment)......

TigerBoy has long since become quite the seasoned traveler......but, TigerGirl has just jumped ahead of that..........she weathered the long drive with smashing style.......

For TigerGirl, there was lots of sleep and not too much fuss........TigerBoy was better than fabulous, though he didn't sleep a wink......Their cokiusin (the teenager) slept most of the trip though!....

We are heading to the biggest Cambodian Temple in the United States tomorrow........in celebration of the last day of the Cambodian New Year.........

The temple is conveniently located rather close to Washington DC, so we will be visiting there for the next few days as well.......Thankfully, the government didn't shut down!....

Time to sleep.......it's been a long drive of a day..........but more later........

Upon taking a picture of TigerBoy....

2011-04-07T08:58:00.003-04:00

With his newest interest.........robots..........(well, Lego Hero Factory robots).....

He still LOVES trucks.......and cars and vans and trains and.....and.....etc....but, I digress...

This is what he said.....

'Agghh...you are destroying the picture'.......

TigerGirl is on the move.......not crawling yet, but she has figured out how to use her arms and legs to propel herself forward on the floor......

The incentive for this movement? TigerBoy's toys, of course...............

Five on Five.....

2011-04-05T17:23:00.001-04:00

Need something new for breakfast? Try Nutella.......

2011-03-28T14:05:00.004-04:00

I had the chance to host a mommie party.......so we could all check out Nutella.......

Have you heard of Nutella?

Have you tried Nutella?

TigerBoy is pretty picky when it comes to meals. He has his favorites, and it is really hard to get him to enjoy new tastes. Thanks to Mommy Parties and Nutella, I was able to share Nutella with a bunch of other mommies.

Nutella has been a favorite in Europe for years, and it is a great way to encourage little ones to eat whole grains and all of the 'healthy' stuff.

One thing I didn't realize is that Nutella is great for people with peanut allergies. It is made with hazelnuts and has no peanuts or any peanut ingredients. How great is that!

All of the mommies loved the Nutella, but anyone who loves chocolate will surely love it.

Please consider Nutella and check out their website here.......Your kids will love it.....and may just ask for the whole grain bread.....

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and Nutella might just help encourage your kids to look forward to that morning meal........

Wordless Wednesday......Faces....

2011-03-16T10:52:00.000-04:00

Whew.....

2011-02-28T18:43:00.002-05:00

My google reader almost surpassed 500........but I caught it just in time.........

twice.....

Oh my.......

I am behind in blogland........and I am trying to catch up......and trying to get some posts up....

I do have some great stuff to share with you!

February is almost over.....we're down to the last hours now. I spent a heap of time listing outgrown clothes on ebay. I did a massive listing spree last year at this time, so I repeated it again this year.

I must say the massive listing spree was easier to do while 6-8 weeks pregnant rather than with a 4 month old!.......

The nice thing about the listing spree was it cleared about 5 tubs worth of stuff out (which is huge in our tight space!).....but it has also given me a chance to see how to get things done with a baby that doesn't like to nap much.......

TigerGirl is just turning 5 months old.......which means I am falling into my last month of FMLA leave from work........and means I need to really get moving it to see if I can figure a way out of going back........I just can't leave my baby girl.......

Lots of thoughts and ideas floating through my head...........More soon!..........

Happy Valentine's Day....

2011-02-14T14:10:00.003-05:00

Seriously......

2011-02-13T16:42:00.002-05:00

As in.......I seriously can't believe it's been almost a month since my last post.....

I did so well in December, but January?.....not so much......

Things have been busy.......TigerGirl is growing like crazy......these moments certainly go so fast!

I'm knee deep in listing things on ebay at the moment......but getting to the end of that, so I hope to be back more often.....soon!.....

And certainly, with pictures......

I hope everyone is doing well...........we're still buried in snow over here........

I can't wait for spring!

Wordless Wednesday..........

2011-01-19T15:07:00.002-05:00

Same Outfit.....Different Day.......

2011-01-18T16:03:00.003-05:00

It's the same outfit....

On the same TigerGirl.....

Doing the same thing.....

The only difference is that she is two months older......she is bigger and has a fluffy cloth diaper bottom.......

Sophie or Hands......

2011-01-13T09:55:00.004-05:00

I gave TigerGirl Sophie to chew on.............

Sophie was a gift to TigerBoy from Grandma......and now TigerGirl is able to enjoy it......

The hands always win out..........

TigerGirl often has various fingers in her mouth........I'd be totally fine if she would settle on sucking her thumb......but so far, she hasn't committed to anything. Sometimes she will try to get both hands in her mouth.........

Wordless Wednesday..........snow and wet clothes.........

2011-01-12T21:21:00.003-05:00

We got lots of snow today..........

LOTS!!!

And for some reason, the dryer stopped functioning properly.....
....just as I had done a full load of the bigger sizes for TigerGirl....
(notice there's not much pink!......I'm just not a fan.......)

I'm so hoping the cloth diapers get dry by tomorrow so I don't run out of clean ones....

On the upside, the Sears guy is coming tomorrow to check out the dryer.....

Ok...

2011-01-10T16:29:00.002-05:00

So......

I kept it together in December here on the blog.........and now I've been MIA again......

Hmm....

I will be back......it's just been hard transitioning back.......I miss WI!

The difference a year makes.......

2011-01-01T21:24:00.002-05:00

When 2010 began, this was TigerBoy.....

And, as 2011 has just begun, here he is now......

Our Tiger Family went from this......
To this........
All in just one year.........

Happy New Year.....

2010-12-31T23:36:00.000-05:00

It's the end of 2010.......

Bring on 2011.......

TigerBoy's Stripes.......

2010-12-30T07:51:00.000-05:00

TigerBoy picked out these clothes.........Pretty snazzy, eh?.........

Wordless Wednesday..........

2010-12-29T19:09:00.002-05:00

TigerBoy said they were all walking.....

Sure enough...they are.....

Notice the one that decided to walk softy and carry a big stick....so to speak....

Picture Proof.........

2010-12-28T18:59:00.000-05:00

This is why I have such a hard time getting anything done.

I often have this little darling in my arms......

I have gotten much better at doing things with one hand......

Our Christmas.......

2010-12-27T12:32:00.000-05:00

Christmas Eve....

Christmas Day....

We had a nice and quiet Christmas.........and the celebration lasted 3 days.....

Christmas Eve was a relaxed day at home......and heading to the church service later in the afternoon. After church was some food and family......

Christmas day was just us.........Grandma and Grandpa and the kiddles......lots of pictures sent to TigerDaddy......

Also plenty of this:
TigerGirl took some of these moments.......

The day after Christmas was a day to spend with my brother and his family......They all came down for a visit.............

Playing catch up.........Christmas.....

2010-12-26T12:28:00.000-05:00

I'm still determined to have a post every day.......

I got a bit backed up, but I'm still going to get them out there..............

We had a wonderful and quiet Christmas here........And I hope everyone out there had a wonderful holiday too!

Man...it's so hard to get anything done with TigerGirl......but I wouldn't trade it for anything!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T21:33:00.003-05:00

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas.........

Christmas Eve.......

2010-12-24T15:20:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas Eve.....

When I want to take his picture........

2010-12-23T15:17:00.000-05:00

.....TigerBoy usually doesn't want me to take his picture.......

Apparently, he's at that age..........

But, the funny this is.....when I'm trying to take pictures of TigerGirl, he's always getting in the way!.........

Wordless Wednesday......Ornaments...

2010-12-22T21:58:00.003-05:00

My grandmother always gave me an ornament each Christmas......so I decided to get a new ornament for the kids each year......

This year's ornaments......

Pictures of TigerBoy.........

2010-12-21T11:52:00.003-05:00

I want to make sure to get TigerBoy on here too.........

And, it just so happens that he's another month old.......and I'm still taking pictures of him with the same quilt......

He likes to make faces and poses....

How did he get so big?

From Midwest to Air Tran......

2010-12-20T11:34:00.000-05:00

The last time we flew was last Christmas...........

And I posted about how horrible the flights were.....

I had flown with Midwest Airlines for more than 4 years. A definite tried and true airline......good prices, comfy seats, fresh baked chocolate cookies......

Well, rest in peace Midwest........they were bought out by Frontier.....and as far as I'm concerned, the airline is gone forever. While they have retained the cookies, nothing else about their flights matches Midwest Airlines.

Over the summer, we ended up driving to Wisconsin, so I didn't need to bother with a flight.....

But, with Christmas coming, it was time to get plane tickets.

I've been flying every 6 months with TigerBoy since he was 2.5 months old, and I have always bought a seat for him, even when I didn't have to.

I just didn't want anyone else beside me, and the idea of holding an infant the entire flight just doesn't seem very practical when you are flying by yourself. Besides, while gate checks are handy, they don't take much concern with they way they handle those strollers and car seats......

When TigerBoy was a baby, he often slept through most or all of the flights, so having him sleep in his seat gave me the freedom to just enjoy the flight.......

Well, there are 3 of us now.......and for better or worse, pretty much the only options for seating is in groups of 3. Again, I don't really want anyone sitting next to us......and so buying a seat for the baby makes that easy. Unfortunately, no airline seems to discount the tickets for infants anymore.........

I considered continuing to fly with the now Frontier airlines. Boston to Milwaukee is only about a 2 hour flight, when it is a direct flight. And, it is a pretty easy going flight with a little one..........Having a connection flight is just annoying, since it ends up taking you half a day (or more) to get there. This leaves few options.........

For this year's flight, I took a 'trip' over to Air Tran's website.......they also have a direct flight....including an early morning flight. I love the early morning flights out to WI. We can get to Logan airport pretty fast and it's easy to just grab the kids in their pjs and go........by the time we get to Milwaukee, we still have a whole day left..........

The only downside to checking out the possibilities of Air Tran is that the return flight is rather late. We won't be getting back to Boston until after 10 pm......since Air Tran only has early and late direct flights..........But I'm totally willing to check it out......

And indeed, we got Air Tran tickets.............tickets for 3 for less than $500.....not too bad......

Our flight here was wonderful......everyone was very helpful.......and one of the flight attendants even came over at the end of the flight and gave TigerBoy a wings pin......and one for TigerGirl.....

We have found our new airline!.......

Pictures from today.....

2010-12-19T22:33:00.001-05:00

Good Night!......

A little bit of Christmas.......

2010-12-18T21:28:00.002-05:00

We are in fact in WI........though I haven't spoke of our journey here yet.......

Today, we had some Christmas with family. Everyone isn't able to come all on the same day, so we'll be seeing people at different times.

One of the things I love most about visiting 'home' is being able to see everyone.......

And though I don't have a lot of time to type right now, I will say that today was a good day......

A day filled with Christmas music, family, good food and fun.......

And I suspect TigerBoy enjoyed the presents too.......in fact, I know he did!

More to come.......

Short.........

2010-12-17T23:12:00.001-05:00

Is what this post is.........

I was just busy wrapping Christmas presents.........

And now it's time for bed......

Good Night!

What I got for Christmas........

2010-12-16T22:33:00.002-05:00

Before we left, I got a Christmas present early............

See in the picture? That's my camera there.........so I didn't take these pictures with my camera, but took them with my cool new toy......

........nope.....it's not a new camera........
Can you guess what I got???

Wordless Wednesday..........Legos......

2010-12-15T07:50:00.000-05:00

The shirt says it all..........

2010-12-14T06:47:00.000-05:00

Well, maybe not all.......We're off to Grandma and Grandpa's...........

They said it couldn't be done......

2010-12-13T23:34:00.003-05:00

Ok....so it was just TigerDaddy that had his doubts........He wasn't convinced that I could pack and make it with one checked bag........

And, thanks to LL Bean for creating such awesome bags.........I am trying out traveling with one of their wheel duffles. I love the print!

Also thanks to my trusty bag weighing thing.......

We're only checking 1 bag at the airport! (since it costs $20 a bag!)

I will, however, be schlepping through the airport with 5 carry ons.....3 plane tickets....2 children......and a car seat and stroller frame.......

TigerBoy will manage 2 of them....his Trunki and his little backpack......I will have my diaper bag and another bag in the stroller basket and the little carry on suitcase......

How can I pack so lightly for 3 of us?.....for 3 weeks?.....

It's actually very easy.....We're going to Grandma and Grandpa's house.....which I have stocked well with toys and things we need when we're there, from dishes to some of my clothes. Basically, the all I need to pack is clothes...... and that doesn't take up too much room, so the rest of the space is used up by Christmas presents and other goodies.......

TigerGirl is about to begin her journey of many travels with her first flight................

I was just under the wire for this post!........And now I should get some sleep, since I've only got about 4 hours before taking a shower......Early morning flight!

It might be a crazy idea......

2010-12-12T21:57:00.003-05:00

But, I'm about to attempt to pack for all 3 of us (me and the 2 little Tigers) with only 1 suitcase.......

Thus, only needing to pay $20 to check the bag......

It might not be possible......but I'm going to try.....

TigerBoy has toys at Grandma and Grandpa's house, so I don't need to pack toys......

I've always taken 2 suitcases......and that was when it was 2 of us......

Now, it's 3.....and I'm going to attempt only 1 suitcase....

I'll let you know how it goes!

Finally keeping up.......

2010-12-11T20:46:00.002-05:00

with something..........

So far, I've been able to keep up with my goal of putting up a post every day in December.

All I can say is that the things you set your mind on have a way of getting done.......

I can't believe that we will be traveling so soon..........not to mention that Christmas will be here very soon as well.......

Did you figure out what the pictures were yesterday?

TigerBoy was doing some fingerpainting......and we have been counting down to the day we go for Grandma and Grandpa's house......I've done it every year with him.....

This year, we made a ring chain with the numbers on them. Since we started it, TigerBoy has gotten better with his numbers!

TigerBoy has recently gotten very interested in wanting to be able to read.....and much more willing to try to write letters. Up until now, he's been much more interested in building and puzzles.......

I hope everyone is having a great weekend so far.........

Cheers......

Ten on Ten......

2010-12-10T09:08:00.004-05:00

10 shots from our morning so far.........

Can you figure them all out?

Pumpkin.......

2010-12-09T22:04:00.002-05:00

I love this time of year for so many, many reasons, but one of them definitely is pumpkin......

I'm not sure if I love pumpkin because I was born in the fall, or that I was born in the fall because I love pumpkin.........either way.......oy.......and yum!

I anxiously awaited the arrival of pumpkin cheesecake at The Cheesecake Factory this year......impatiently, since it doesn't come out until mid October..........

And then, just before Thanksgiving, we finally got a new stove........and thus, now have a working oven! Living in a house of mostly Asians, the only one that has been sad and impaired without an oven is me......German blooded me..........

Well, in light of not exactly wanting to make a pumpkin pie.........I decided to search to see if I could find a recipe for the pumpkin cheesecake like The Cheesecake Factory makes.......

And lo and behold......I found a recipe to try.

Night before Thanksgiving, I really took a look at the recipe and saw something about a springform pan and baking the cheesecake in water..............um........I had picked up a pre-made graham cracker crust to save time and make it easy.......um.......

I started to panic, thinking I might not be able to make it after all.......

So, I did some research online and found that the springform pan basically is just to make it easy to get the cheesecake out, so I could use my pre-made one.........

I just needed to find something big enough to put it in, so I could bake it in a bath of water.......so, I grabbed the big roasting pan for the turkey and got it all in the oven......

The pumpkin cheesecake was absolutely delicious!

And I just made some more tonight......sorry I have no picture to share.......but it's going to be so yummy!

Wordless Wednesday.......the sock....

2010-12-08T06:53:00.000-05:00

A new fashion tread, perhaps?

Wrapping.............We need more tape!.......

2010-12-07T08:45:00.000-05:00

TigerBoy is really getting into wrapping presents this year.........and by presents, I mean his toys and things.......

With Christmas, comes gifts, and he is well aware of wrapping up Christmas presents. We have no shortage of stocked up wrapping paper..........Though, that might not always be true depending on how long this goes on....

A few weeks ago, he just sort of starting wrapping things up himself. He used his little scissors to cut the paper......got pieces of tape from the dispenser.....and just wrapped things up. Most of them aren't really easy things to wrap, but he is doing a pretty good job.........

This is his latest spread.....

And yes....there is a wrapped ball in there.....he did it himself.....

He had a chance to wrap some 'real' presents too........by wrapping up the presents from him TigerGirl to TigerDaddy.......

TigerBoy does use a fair amount of tape......so at one point, he wasn't able to wrap for awhile....not until we went out and bought some more tape!

I love it......and he will be able to wrap his presents for everyone this year!!.......

Happy St Nicholas...........

2010-12-06T20:32:00.003-05:00

As promised.......I have pictures of our Christmas Tree.........

Our Tree......

Surely, that is a balloon in the background, left from TigerBoy's birthday....

Still floating after more than 2 months....

Since TigerBoy was born, we have always spent Christmas in Wisconsin with my family. There was one year the trip was delayed until the beginning of the new year, but basically, Christmas is spent in Wisconsin......

There isn't generally much of a Christmas celebration here, which is partly why we go to WI, but I thought it might be nice to still have some Christmasy traditions here before we go......Part of my reasoning is because TigerDaddy stays home to work.

So, what better way to fit in some Christmas then to celebrate St Nicholas Day.......I'm not sure how many people out there celebrate this tradition. I didn't as a child, though I was aware of it. The liberty I took with it this year was that technically, St Nicholas came a day early to our house..........

TigerBoy woke up and found some gifts under the tree....

.....and some small things in his stocking.....

Another reason for giving him some gifts early (the rest of his gifts will come at Christmas) was to give him something that will hopefully occupy a good amount of time on the airplane during our flight............

Happy St Nicholas Day...........

Real or Fake?.......

2010-12-05T20:46:00.002-05:00

Do you go for real or fake?.......

I'm speaking trees here.......Christmas trees......

While growing up, for as long as I remember having a Christmas tree, it was always a real tree. I loved them......and we were the type of family that got our tree late, keeping it up at least through the first part of January. (the 12 days of Christmas are actually after Christmas.......leading up to 3 Kings Day........)

I remember at least one year we went to go cut down our own tree.........I don't really remember too much about it, other than doing it......and that my Grandma was with us, since she always had a little tree too. Sadly, one of the things I do remember about that year was that my Grandma tripped or something and her nose was bleeding.........not sure why I remember that part........

A long while back, my parents got a fake tree........I wasn't too happy about that at first, though I think I was already out here in Boston at that point......

It seemed important to be die hard real tree people.....for some reason......I've since then come to enjoy that tree.

It doesn't need to be watered......you can leave it up as long as you want and it never sheds any needles.......One of the best things is that any ornament can be hung on it. If necessary, you can always bend and shape the branch just so.......and you don't get pricked while you are putting the ornaments on it.......

But now, there's a different dilemma.......I have my own children now......

I don't mind using a fake tree now, because I have all of the memories of our Christmas trees while I was growing up.....We always spend Christmas in WI. It's one benefit of TigerDaddy being Asian......there's no question of where to go for Christmas, since it's not his holiday.

We have gotten real Christmas trees here.......and it's been fun. But this year, yesterday in fact, we purchased a fake tree.......good deal at Walmart!

And it looks great......I'll show you tomorrow......

TigerBoy loved decorating it......which was the first thing he wanted to do as soon as we got home. It will be our tree year after year for many years to come.......

But, I can't help think of how it will be different for my TigerKids.....growing up with a fake tree.......

......I won't get too hung up on that though.........because, thankfully, Christmas is about so, so much more!...........

These poor little feet.........Breast Milk Jaundice.....

2010-12-04T20:40:00.001-05:00

These poor little heels had so many little pricks........
In general, TigerGirl's entrance into this world went off without much of a hitch.......and things were relatively eventless and smooth, as I had hoped. My recovery this time was even better than last time, and last time was pretty easy.

The only hang up?..........Jaundice......

I will spare the details......only to say that it was a good thing that I had a very easy recovery this time. We were driving to the hospital 4 days straight, a few days after we were discharged, in order for them to prick TigerGirl's heel and check the bilirubin levels.......Eventually, we were able to confirm that it was a case of breast milk jaundice, which means there is something in the breast milk that causes it to take a very long time for the bilirubin to break down. There's no complication or problems per se, it just delays things. Apparently, it tends to be more common in babies of Asian decent.....of which, TigerGirl is half Asian.......

It was hectic......but thankfully, it was nothing serious......and it's still not quite over......

TigerGirl is now 9 weeks old.....and her bilirubin level is finally down to 4.4, which is great, but it's still not low enough.

It was lots of visits to the lab at the hospital and visits to the doctor......we became regulars all around.........

At least her heels have had time to heal........since we had a 4 week break from pricks, and there should hopefully only be one more check.......

It seems so long ago.......

2010-12-03T23:08:00.004-05:00

So long ago that I was waiting..........

Waiting to meet TigerGirl face to face.....

I can hardly imagine life without her, and it seems so far off that we were 3......since 4 seems so much more 'normal'.........more complete......

TigerBoy was late.....almost 2 weeks late. He was also sunny side up and his position was likely what led to him being late. I was in labor for more than 32 hours......eventually, when he just wasn't getting low enough, he was born by c-section.......that was totally the short his birth into this world, but I don't really want to get into details right now.....

With all of what I went through with TigerBoy, I didn't want to end with the same complications with TigerGirl. I really didn't want another c-section and would have loved a VBAC, but ultimately, I wanted her to enter the world smoothly......

My due date came and went, just as with TigerBoy........but this time, there was a (just-in-case) c-section scheduled. I had an appointment on the day before my due date......she had dropped lower, but was still not super low......the c-section was scheduled for the day after my due date....and I was going back and forth in my mind after my appointment whether or not I should go with the c-section or just give it more time..........

It's times like that, moms are so helpful!......The ultimate decision was made due to the fact that she hadn't dropped enough.....and the reason I had the c-section with TigerBoy was because he wasn't dropping down. I finally settled with letting things be as they were seemingly meant to be.......and early in the morning, TigerDaddy and I left for the hospital.

I have to say, a 'scheduled' c-section truly is very different than one that happens after so many hours of labor........For one thing, I walked myself to the operating room, and actually got a look and feel of the room.

The delivery was relatively smooth......and I had very little time away from TigerGirl.

TigerDaddy followed her to the nursery.....and they came back to meet me in the recovery room. I was able to just enjoy her and relax........and breastfeed, of course.

The experience was a dream compared to when TigerBoy was born.......and I soaked it all up.

Unfortunately, I was in a double room for the first night......but thankfully, I got my own room by lunch the next day....with a view of the river too!

Other than a slight issue that I will discuss on a different post, my hospital stay was restful. I enjoyed all of my time with TigerGirl............yet I missed TigerBoy so much.......this was the first and only time I was every away from him.

Yes indeed........the trucks found their way to my room......
TigerDaddy and TigerBoy visited every day......
And we went home from the hospital a tad bit early...........and on my birthday.....so I was able to sleep in my own bed that night of my birthday.....well, as much as I was able to sleep in between feedings...........

The funny thing is that when I was born, my mom and I left the hospital on her birthday.......and now with my daughter, she and I left the hospital on my birthday........

Thursday Thoughts.........

2010-12-02T17:18:00.002-05:00

I'm thinking of setting a crazy blogging goal.........

What is it?......

Well, since I've been crazy slow and absent in my blogging for way too many months, I'm going to attempt to put up a new post every day this wonderful month of December......

Can I do it?.....

We'll see......

Of course, I've already sort of cheated......please forgive me.......I put up a post for yesterday, dated yesterday, but actually I just put it together today......

There are so many things I have wanted to post, but just didn't get around to......so I'm going to attempt to get some of those things out there this month....... Particularly, what has been going on here in the Tiger Den for the past 2 months since TigerGirl arrived!

Those of you that guessed she was a girl were spot on.........I confess that no matter how much faith I did have in the ultrasound doc.....and he gave us a 99.9% sureness of her being a girl.....no matter that, I still held out just to make sure she was.........

Why is it that when the first is a boy it seems like they all will be boys?.....well, that's what I was feeling anyway......

Cheers!

....and I'll be back again tomorrow..........

Wordless Wednesday...........

2010-12-01T17:07:00.000-05:00

The Culprit......

Happy Thanksgiving........

2010-11-25T23:00:00.005-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wordless Wednesday......Eight Weeks Old......

2010-11-24T19:31:00.003-05:00

I'm not without things to post........just without time to do so..........

Wordless Wednesday..........Where's the Baby?......

2010-11-03T16:32:00.001-04:00

Where's the Baby?

There she is!

Happy Halloween............

2010-11-01T21:31:00.001-04:00

Wordless Wednesday......New Arrival.....

2010-10-06T06:49:00.000-04:00

The newest member of the Tiger Den is here.................

More to come soon!

Sorry to keep you waiting.......but I'm still trying to get back 'online'.........

Today, TigerGirl is 1 week old!

Nothing.......

2010-09-28T17:15:00.002-04:00

As in.....there's nothing much happening.......as far as a new baby tiger......

But, tomorrow is another day.......

Apparently, these little tiger cubs just don't have much desire to leave the womb on their own.......(TigerBoy was almost 2 weeks late!)......

HEXBUG...............

2010-09-23T19:51:00.005-04:00

With many thanks to MomSelect and HEXBUG, we were able to add a lot more fun to TigerBoy's birthday party this year!

The Tiger Den was able to try out some great products and share them with friends and family.....

Generally, I am not so fond of bugs........and actually TigerBoy often shys away from even the smallest, harmless little creatures. I wasn't exactly sure how he would react to this bug product, but we all loved them very much! Even TigerDaddy's skepticism was thwarted when he saw them in action......

Make sure to visit the HEXBUG website. They have lots of great products.........the bugs we were enjoying are the Nano ones. And I have to say I love the size!

Over the weekend, we all set to work building a Hexbug habitat.......

The pieces are easy to put together and are very sturdy and durable. There are countless construction possibilities.........

Once our bug habitat was set up, we piled on some bugs!
TigerBoy enjoyed 'helping' the bugs along........to direct them in certain doorways.....

Our bug habitat found a good location to sit, and TigerBoy still enjoys his 'bug set' pretty much every day!
It's amazing how these little things move.........and how real they look! It's a blast to watch them scurry around......

TigerBoy commented that they were loud.....and indeed, when you have a lot of bugs going around at the same time, it does tend to get a bit noisy. But, it's great fun to watch them all run around.

Later on, after the party, TigerBoy was playing with his bugs.....and he came over and said something about the food store being closed, so they couldn't get in. I followed him back over to the table, and sure enough, one of the white hexagon pieces that he had deemed the food store had all of the doorways closed and the bugs couldn't get inside. Some of them had found their way down a path to that 'store' and were stuck outside! Shortly after, TigerBoy said that it was morning and the store was open.........so he opened all of the doors again.

He also talked about the bugs going to sleep...........at which point, they were turned off and put in 'rooms'.........with the doors closed. I love the way these little Hexbugs stimulated his imagination.............

At one point, one of the bugs went missing....................so beware, they will just take off if you're not careful...........I had no idea where it could be and didn't worry about it. Later on, when things were quiet, I noticed this funny vibrating sound.......and happened to remember that it was probably the lost hexbug. So I followed the sound and sure enough the little guy was stuck behind the TV.............

I am ever grateful for the chance to try these Hexbugs out..................They truly are great fun! Thanks so much to MomSelect and HEXBUG.......The Tiger Den highly recommends them!!!

Stay tuned for the other fun we had at TigerBoy's party..............

Wordless Wednesday......

2010-09-22T16:35:00.000-04:00

Somebody is 4 years old...........

I love Fall............

2010-09-20T11:22:00.002-04:00

Oh, I do so love the Fall............

Apples....
Pumpkins....
Colored Leaves......
My birthday.....
TigerBaby coming.....

This Fall is turning out to be wonderful.........

Dunkin Donuts has apple cider.............Starbucks has Pumpkin Spice........

On Saturday, we headed to the North Shore to pick some apples..........a nice big bag full.........
TigerDaddy was climbing the trees for the best picks.......and TigerBoy was occasionally fussing about the bees that were more interested in the apples on the ground than any of us......

On Sunday morning, I finished all of the cleaning up and organizing...............oh my, it's been a big task, but it's done....................we're officially ready for this TigerBaby to make an appearance.....
(Well, except for the fact that I haven't put the car seat base in the car yet.........or packed a bag for the hospital............)

In the afternoon, we did some celebrating for TigerBoy..........I still can't believe he's turning 4.
He enjoyed the cake and fun.........and I will soon share about our fun trying out Hexbugs!......

In the meantime, I'm still working.........and will work until at least Friday........unless a certain TigerBaby decides otherwise.

After work today, I will be picking up some apple cider so I can make applesauce tonight...........I can't wait!.........

Cheers!

That's where the money went..........

2010-09-14T09:44:00.003-04:00

I'm still here..........in spite of my continuing lack of blogging.............

No baby yet.......and I'm content for the little one to stay in for at least another week........I'm still trying to finish up everything.........

Saturday was an expensive day........oy.........

We headed off to get new tires for the Escape. The tires were so very worn out.......not bad, I guess for 5 years and 55,000 miles.........
Tires for an SUV cost so darn much......but they are worth every penny! The Escape drives like a dream now.........amazing what a difference new tires can make.....

Later that day, we headed off to Babies R Us........TigerBoy's old Eddie Bauer convertible seat in hand.....He has used that seat since he was 6 months old.......
In some ways, it is bittersweet to part with it.....

We left Babies R Us with a new car seat (finally!) for the little one...........and a mini crib as well.

We didn't ever consider a crib for TigerBoy. Due to our tight space, a crib wouldn't have fit anyway.....He started off in a moses basket. Later was sleeping on a futon (surrounded by pillows) on the floor......and eventually, I figured out a solution of a toddler bed in the corner with our bed next to it. He's been sleeping next to me ever since............

Yes, sleeping next to me until now.........due to the new arrangement, his bed was moved on Sunday to the other side of the room. He's still right next to our bed, but over off of the foot end of our bed. The new mini crib will be where his bed was...............

It's been 2 nights now that he's slept on the other side of the room.........and he's done very well. He still feels close by, but yet far away too..........

I'm excited to put up the mini crib.......it will actually be set up sort of as TigerBoy's bed had been configured. We will be putting the crib up as a daybed, and thus open to our bed.......where I am sleeping.

The rooms are coming along.........and my goal is to be finished by this weekend............which means I can soon share the progress with you!...........with pictures......hopefully by sometime next week.......

Also soon to come are some reviews of some great products out there...................
And.......TigerBoy turns 4 next week!

Thursday Thoughts..........Medela.......

2010-09-02T08:17:00.005-04:00

Many of the moms out there have probably heard of Medela.......particularly all of the breastfeeding mommies out there.....

I first came across Medela was while I was pregnant with TigerBoy. I went to an event at Babies R Us somewhere in the middle of the pregnancy.........they had a bunch of tables of products and services, and sure enough, I discovered Medela.......
I love free samples!.........who doesn't?........
I was impressed right away with the quality of Medela's products. The lady at the table asked where I was delivering and told me that my hospital carried Medela's products...........

Sure enough, after TigerBoy was born, and the lactation specialist had one of the hospital pumps wheeled in, she handed me a pack of the parts..........Medela.......

TigerBoy's entrance, and the time following, was not without some complications. I went from being someone who barely spent any time in a hospital to visit anyone, and certainly never needing to go to the hospital for myself, to a whirlwind of activity, tubes, needles, wires, etc, etc......
Thankfully, there was nothing serious, but TigerBoy was kept in the Level 2 nursery for almost all 4 days following my c-section. This, as you can imagine, made it more difficult to get used to nursing and such.........me, being a new mom and all......

And I highly thank the lactation specialist for putting through the paperwork with my doctor to get a breast pump covered by my insurance.
I knew I would be breastfeeding, it was sort of a no-brainer for me while pregnant.......but I never really got into thinking about pumping or even take the time to look into breast pumps.
So, I was able to leave the hospital with a Medela breast pump..........

It was a wonderful thing.

At one point, I did try another breast pump......it was a manual pump........and it was basically a waste of money. The only thing I love about that $30-40 I spent was the cooler bag that came with it. I still have that. But, the pump?...nope.......I ended up buying the Medela manual pump instead, and it worked beautifully. So much for trying to save money with a cheaper pump.........

I am a very big fan of Medela's Micro-Steam bags. They were fabulous for sterilizing breast pump parts, bottles, etc........I used their lanolin, and never had problems with cracking or anything.......
The Medela Quick Clean wipes were so handy to have for the time I tried to keep pumping even after I had gone back to work..........
And the Pump and Save breastmilk bags were so easy to use.........

With a big thanks to both MomSelect and Medela, I was able to share these great products with a bunch of other mommies.....

I received many of Medela's great products and a bunch of sample packs to send along with a group of 10 other mommies who are also expecting babies this month.
The breast pump I used 4 years ago was passed on to my sister-in-law a few years ago when she had her second baby.......and I am ever so grateful to MomSelect and Medela for the new breast pump I received with the other products.........Even without this opportunity, I really can't say enough about how much I love Medela's products........

All of the mommies who participated were already familiar with Medela. Only one of the mommies was having her first baby, though not all of the other mommies used or knew about Medela with their first baby.

Almost all of the mommies have or have used or will be using Medela's breast pump......and at least half of the them have used other pumps with not such good results. Most of the mommies with other children at least tried breastfeeding, but only a few were fully successful throughout the first year........

What seems like a universal thing with breastfeeding is to stick to it. Many of the mommies gave up early with their first out of struggles, but I much more determined to stick to it this time.
Make sure to seek out help if things aren't going well..........Lactation specialists can be a big help, and please take the time to check out Medela's website for other information and help.

The biggest concern some mommies seem to have in anticipation of breastfeeding is that they won't be able to do it.........and about pumping when going back to work. I recommend finding as much support as you can.........
I struggled with pumping, and thus only was able to get a little over 4 months of breastfeeding with TigerBoy...since I was back at work right around then.

It's very difficult when you are a first time mom........and I feel so much better and more confident already this time. I think that confidence comes from just having already been there...and knowing what I want for my baby and having the confidence to follow through.......

I still can't believe that this new TigerBaby will be here some time in the next 4 weeks.....but that's another story........

Thanks again to MomSelect and Medela for this wonderful opportunity!
I could not have been more pleased and honored to share Medela with everyone............

Wordless Wednesday......300th Post........What do you think?....

2010-08-25T15:27:00.002-04:00

I can't believe I've just hit 300 posts.............

Take a guess.........

Is this another TigerBoy or a TigerGirl???

I'd love to give a prize chosen from those who guess correctly, but there's not a lot of people around leaving comments.....(which I totally understand, since I don't get much of a chance to comment a whole lot myself!....)
But...........if I get lots and lots of comments below, I just might..........

Tuesday Talk About.....CSN Stores.......Review......

2010-08-24T08:41:00.003-04:00

This is so very long overdue..........
Which is exactly what I hope this TigerBaby is not!............. (overdue, that is..)

I was given the chance to do a review for CSN Stores, and I'm so happy to share it with you. If you haven't already checked out CSNStores.com, please do. Whatever it is you might be looking for, they have a store for it! It's truly the best of one stop shopping...........And they accept PayPal, which I love!

Far too many months ago, we got a box in the mail.........TigerBoy has come to enjoy seeing boxes as much as I do. Usually the only boxes that arrive are things I have ordered, but this time it was something I was excited to let TigerBoy enjoy.....

I have had my eye on the Bilibo play shell for a very long time......always curious to get one and try it out. Well, I have to give many thanks to CSN Stores for giving me the chance to check it out!

TigerBoy had fun figuring out what he could do with it...........

The thing I love, love, love about this toy is that it is so adaptable and sparks so much imagination. You can use it for so many different things.

We got an orange one, but it also comes in other colors..........and CSN Stores carries them here......
TigerBoy even took some time to look through the booklet that came with the play shell.....

Thanks again to CSN Stores..............and I know you will smile as much as TigerBoy when you check out their stores.

Wordless Wednesday......

2010-08-18T20:45:00.000-04:00

Our Saturday in Pictures...........

2010-08-15T18:31:00.004-04:00

Can you guess where we went and what we did???

Wordless Wednesday......

2010-08-11T20:48:00.002-04:00

It's hot again............

2010-08-10T07:02:00.003-04:00

The kind of hot when the house never cools off at night.......because, the temperature never went down.....

The kind of hot when even though you take shower in the early morning and the water feels good, you are covered in sweat before you leave the bathroom....

The kind of hot that wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't so darn humid......It's the high humidity that really does me in........particularly now......

The kind of hot that means even though the air conditioner is set on 65 degrees or less, it never seems to be able to reach that temperature.........

Thankfully, where I work is right by the water......so there was a wonderful breeze as I walked across the parking lot.......

But unfortunately, the temperature in the office is very poorly regulated, so as I sit in my cube, it's way too hot.........and that breeze is a distant memory........

(sigh).......

With all the best intentions........

2010-08-09T08:23:00.002-04:00

I have tried to not drop out of the blog-o-sphere...........

But oy.......it's been too long.....
I still don't have the pictures off of the camera from our road trip home........nor have I sorted through the pictures I did get off the camera of our time at Grandma and Grandpa's house.....

In fact, I've hardly even touched the camera since we've been back. This is likely one of those months with very few shots.....

The list of things I haven't done is long........and I could go on and on........
But, I will say that there is quite a bit that I have done.....

I'm in full swing of Living with Less!.........I have been sorting through everything.......every little piece of everything we have in our little space.......

Mostly, I feel like I'm moving piles around.....and being more than 7 months pregnant doesn't help........Since I don't quite have the stamina I usually do for all of this rearranging and organizing.

Speaking of the pregnancy.......it's going so well........I can hardly complain. The worst thing is the heat. Mostly the humidity. Thank goodness for our air conditioner.
TigerDaddy and TigerBoy are snug sleeping with blankets, while I haven't used one in months!

I can hardly believe how fast the time is going by..........in fact it's pretty much down to the last 7 weeks.........

I have sorted baby clothes and things, but am still not to the washing and arranging of anything baby yet.........but, maybe by the end of the week.........
Collecting things for the past 3 years has paid off. I practically have enough clothes for this little one for about 2 years!..........boy or girl..........

Speaking of which........we do know what this little one is.........but I have yet to share it on this blog........The ultrasound doc was 99.9% sure about what he saw.........and we saw as well.......

I have some cool stuff coming up to share with you........I just need to find the time to do so!
I have a great review to share with you (that is so long overdue) from CSN Stores.....

And I also have some other great things to share with you..........

And...........I'm thinking about doing a little contest/giveaway in regard to whether this little one is a boy or girl...........What do you all think?

I know it's still summer and everyone hasn't quite gotten back into the swing of things.....and I certainly haven't been doing so well getting posts up here lately!
But, if there's anyone out there checking by, please take the time to drop a little comment saying hi, just to let me know if you're there...........(I know people don't always leave comments.........me included........I have been keeping up with everyone's blog, but haven't had much time for comments..............)

If anyone out there is interested in a giveaway, let me know.................I'm also coming close to getting 300 posts........so I'd love to celebrate with all of you........

Just give a shout out!.........

Wordless Wednesday......

2010-07-21T21:02:00.000-04:00

Tuesday Night Thoughts........

2010-07-20T20:41:00.002-04:00

In spite of not finishing our travel details..........and in spite of it being more than a week since we arrived back at home.......

We are home......

We arrived in one piece (well, there were 3 of us, so maybe that is 3 pieces....).....and I would still love to share about some of our fabulous vacation, and will see if I can get that together..........

In any case.......

Tomorrow, TigerBoy will be just 2 months away from turning 4 years old.

I look at him every day and wonder how he got to be so big......where did the last 4 years go?

This also means that it is just over 2 months until this TigerBaby is due to arrive.......

The time is getting shorter, and though I have finally been able to find more energy lately, my time is even shorter.

There is so much left to get ready before the little one arrives......

Oh, so very much organizing and sorting and oh my......

I am knee deep in piles, yet there is progress being made.......

Little by little, more will be getting done every day.

I completed a rather extensive reorganization and decluttering last fall......And I have decided to take this all one step further........

Living with Less.....

I can't wait to be able to share the before and after pictures......Well, you can basically see the before by looking up last year's project.....but the after pictures this time will truly be amazing.....

Stay tuned......

It goes too fast...........

2010-07-09T22:35:00.001-04:00

We have been enjoying a visit with my family..........

And I enjoy seeing them and going 'home' about every 6 months.....

But it always goes by too fast......

Alas, we headed out this morning for our drive back to Boston.....saying goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa and Wisconsin.....

Believe it or not, this evening in our hotel, I was finally able to find a moment to clear pictures from my camera.........so you can see how far we travelled today....

We saw lots of these.....

And even quite a lot of these....

I spent some time keeping myself busy trying to capture the tandem rigs with 3 trailers, since they aren't quite as common as the 2 trailer ones.....

We didn't quite make it halfway, since we didn't start out super early this morning.......However, we are rather close to the halfway point.....

And also had a much easier time finding a hotel this time. We decided to check on a place earlier in the day, when we could tell how far we would get.......We are about 20 minutes away from Cleveland this time.....
TigerBoy has become a rather fabulous and seasoned traveller......With 7 plane trips under his belt already, starting at about 2.5 months old......he couldn't have been better today.

He seems to have caught on to the concept of a long (really long) road trip......and I didn't even get the DVD player out until the very end.....just after we had stopped to book a room and only had a little over 1.5 hours left to get there......

Both of the boys are asleep......and I suppose it's about time for me to do the same......tomorrow is another long bit of driving....

Happy Fourth.........Vacation Mode......

2010-07-06T22:36:00.003-04:00

And yes I know it's actually the 6th.......and hours away from being the 7th.........

Full Vacation Mode is what I've been in..........

Plenty of short trips......family visits........lots of pictures......(which are still on the camera!)....

In fact today was the first day so far that I didn't leave the house for one minute......I made sure of it. I would have been happy to go outside, but it was much cooler inside!......and it was nice to just relax........

I can't believe we'll be heading back to Boston in just a few days......

It always goes too fast.......

I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July........it's always been a family day for me.......mostly because it happens to be my dad's birthday. This is actually why I usually try to get home around the 4th on our summer visit....so we can be here for Grandpa's birthday.

When I was a child, the 4th of July was all about spending the day at the park in town.......it's a small town Fireman's Park.......

My home town has one of the last remaining working carousels......(well, except for the fact that it's temporarily not working....due to the floods a few years ago, it had to be relocated in the park and hasn't been fixed yet)......

My dad used to run the carousel all day on the 4th......his uncle did it before him.......and I got to ride all day long, whenever there was a free horse!......

My grandmother's helped out with the pie and ice cream sales........and there were lots of wonderful food and game stands to visit.....pony rides and dunk tanks and all of that fun fair stuff.........

The fireworks at night were always a great show.......though, I was not at all fond of the loud bangs and booms.......I usually sat in the ticket booth with my hands over my ears......

Times do change........the activities at the park are nothing like when I was growing up. I haven't been there for years and years.........but, it isn't even close the like it was before........

I'm ok with that......I have all of the memories to enjoy......

This year, we took Grandpa to see Toy Story 3.........and we all enjoyed it!

TigerBoy was all excited to go to the movies and eat popcorn.......

It was a good day........

Road Trip.......Hanging in the Wind........

2010-07-01T09:03:00.002-04:00

Hanging in the wind is what I've been doing to the blog-o-sphere out there........

So sorry to be MIA......

Day Two of our Road Trip travels continued without so much as a hitch.........

(and indeed, there wasn't anything 'hitched' on the Escape.........hee hee...)

I spent the night at the hotel going back and forth between the 2 beds.....TigerBoy was on one of them. And I didn't want him too close to the edge, so as to chance him falling off!.... that meant that it wasn't too fun for me to stay sleeping next to him......So I tried to sleep over by TigerDaddy.........which was fine until I had to go back over to TigerBoy.....

In any case, the two of them slept very well......me? I slept well enough.....

In fact, in the morning, TigerBoy popped up and said something about Yew Nork.......(which is what he had been calling New York...).......

We got ready....got everything packed up......had some of the complimentary breakfast....and headed out......with about 7 hours of driving left to go......

The only slight hang-up was an almost freak thunderstorm that passed through. Luckily, I had talked to my mom a while before we hit the storm.....it had blown through WI earlier, and she was able to see that it was moving our direction and also moving rather fast. We basically were in line to pass right through it. Thankfully, since we knew that, it wasn't so bad. However, it was definitely a downpour. The kind of downpour that means you can hardly see anything in front of you.......we were slowed down to crawling.....It only lasted a few minutes, and then we just had rain for a while.....The lightning that we could see before the heavy rain was rather cool.........

We stopped for lunch just North of Chicago in the 'something or other' Oasis......I don't remember the name, but it is one that is over the highway. So, we enjoyed some lunch while watching the traffic below.......

We arrived at 'home' about 4:15.......and fought off mosquitos getting into the house......

I decided that my parents have guardian mosquitos here......They guard the house from everyone...including the occupants!.....

TigerBoy came in the house, and it seemed like he had been here all along........As soon as he got in, he went to the coat closet to take off his shoes......and then bee-lined his way to the living room...(where the toys are!) I have stocked Grandma and Grandpa's house with toys so we never have to bring any......and I've never had to rotate toys, since he has a different set of toys here and home.....

The first thing he said was, 'My kitchen is gone.'......My dad had brought out my old kitchen the last time we were here, and hadn't yet brought it out again.......

We settled in easily, and I can hardly believe that so many days have already passed by.........

I suspect that the Road Trip back will be even easier, since TigerBoy is likely to now understand what it means to have to drive so long......

And I will try to get some pictures up soon.......as well as update about our adventures here.....

Road Trip..........Holy Toledo.......

2010-06-26T22:48:00.003-04:00

Except we are not there yet..........

Toledo that is........

However, we're not too far off either!.....

Friday afternoon and night was filled with packing........I'm very used to packing for a trip to WI by flight..........I'm out of practice to pack for a road trip.......but I found it quite a bit easier!.....

No weighing suitcases to make sure they are under 50 lbs.......no being careful about what is in the carry on bags.......no trying to get everything that would be helpful while on board, but yet trying to take as little as possible.......

The car was packed, except for us and the coolers before my head hit the pillow.......

Then.....

Early, early Saturday morning........we were out of the house by about 4:45 am.......TigerBoy was awake......and we were on the highway by 5:00......

TigerBoy spent the whole trip out of Massachusetts watching all of the trucks. More tankers and tandem rigs than I think I've ever seen before!......

The hardest part about the drive to WI is New York................driving from Mass through upstate New York is long.........looooonnnngggggg.............more than 6.5 hours long......

Getting to the end of New York was definitely a happy point, because it meant we were almost half way......

TigerBoy is used to traveling......however, this is the first and very longest trip we've taken. And at 3.5 years old he just cannot grasp what it means to drive for 2 days to get to Grandma and Grandpa's house....... particularly since it usually is only a 2 hour flight!

In spite of it all, TigerBoy was great........there were some fussy times toward the end of the day......and as I am about to say, the later part of today's driving was a bit stressful, but TigerBoy was wonderful!.......

We had planned to find somewhere to spend the night, taking the drive in 2 days........and I had planned to get as far as we could, definitely more than halfway.......But since I wasn't sure how far we'd be able to get, we didn't book a hotel ahead of time.....

This was maybe not the best idea.......for we faced an awful lot of 'we're full' responses......No room at the inn.......not any of them......

And this was the news just as we had passed through Cleveland......and it was after 7:00 pm.......

After attempting to use the AAA Tour Book, making some calls....and also stopping at a few exits.......after all seemed almost lost........I called my mom......

Just happened to catch her as they were about to head out of the house........just in time to catch her so she could go online to help us find something available.

Here we are, driving on I-80, unsure of even what town/city to try, and needing to find something as the clock ticked later and later........but now I had my mom on the phone armed with the internet......

As I was staring at the map......and talking to my mom.......I was considering what decision to make. And I was thinking that it was looking like I was going to have to tough it out and drive the rest of the way without stopping anywhere.

I was considering what would be the best of a difficult moment.....whether to keep trying to find a room, knowing it could get very late before we actually could find something...knowing TigerBoy was likely to just get more restless and cranky.......and harder for him to fall asleep no matter where we found a room......

Or whether to just tuck TigerBoy in for sleeping in the car.....and tuck TigerDaddy in the passenger seat, since he had been driving all day (I drove the first few hours and he had been driving the rest of the day......).....and knowing that I was going to have to try to make it another 8 hours......hoping to make it to WI by 3 or 4 in the morning.....

Even without being 6 months pregnant, that wouldn't have been easy!.........But I was ready to do it.......if that was what our only option was, I was ready to take it on......

But then.... call it what you want........a blessing......luck......divine intervention.......the universe providing......

My mom found a Comfort Inn that had a room available.......and while trying to find a phone number, I found the local number for it in the Tour Book.........

I was now juggling maps, the tour book, 2 cell phones (both being used!)....all the while TigerDaddy was driving.....having been talking to my mom, but now also talking to someone at Comfort Inn.........searching for a credit card.....a pen......

Whew.......a room.....

And wouldn't you know it...... I had asked the lady for directions from I-80, just flying on pure faith that we would be able to find this place, and she had mentioned getting off at exit 118.....and just as I had hung up with her, the next exit was 118.....

Off the highway......and into the relief of a break from the road......

Whew..........

Now, it's gotten rather late, so I'm just about off to sleep......Both the little one and the big one are long since asleep.......(however the littlest one has been rather active tonight!).....

But I am feeling much more cool and relaxed....having rinsed off the day's travel with a quick shower........

I am also happy.... tomorrow is much shorter driving day.......if you can relate to 8-9 hours being short!.........

Good night......and to be continued tomorrow..........

Five Question Friday..........

2010-06-25T08:58:00.003-04:00

2 weeks in a row.............wow............

At least I think it was..........

Here goes.......

1. Do you know how to play a musical instrument?

Of course!..........I am a musician, after all............I can play just about any instrument with a bit of time........

However, my instruments are piano, flute, saxophone.............African drum.......I love my djembe.....

And TigerBoy is well on his way..........he isn't always driving his trucks on the piano, but sometimes enjoys playing it as well. And, of course, he's got a basket of instruments........

2. What is your pet peeve while driving?

I'm a big believer in giving way when you don't have the right of way!...........I get so annoyed with people who don't follow the rules of the road.......like in rotaries and such........And there are lots of them here!

I also don't understand people who fail to use their indicators!.........If you want to turn, put on your signal!!!..........

3. Would you rather have a housekeeper or unlimited spa services?

I guess I would go with the spa services.............As much as I like the idea of not having to clean, I also like including the kids in these things.......cleaning and laundry are things that can so easily be learned early on.......

Besides, who couldn't use a good massage every so often?

4. Is there a song that you hear that will take you back to the moment, like a junior high or high school dance?

Oh Mickey..........it makes me remember roller skating at the rink............back before rollerblades were invented!...........

Party like it's 1999......makes me think of high school dances........and being back when 1999 was still off in the future..............

5. What song best represents your life right now?

Say.............I love that song..........doesn't that just 'say' it all?..........

Packing.............

2010-06-24T07:59:00.005-04:00

I should get to packing soon...........but haven't done it yet..........

I will pack tomorrow after work.........

About every 6 months since TigerBoy was born, he and I flew off to WI to visit my family......
Christmas and summer........

And now as we get to this summer's trip, we are driving instead of taking to the skies.......
I appreciate this partly due to my very miserable last flight at Christmas.........
And am also happy to avoid the full body scanners they might have finished putting in at Logan.......

I'm actually looking forward to a good road trip...........of course, we'll see how much I'm enjoying it 10 hours in.............that being only half way!...........

In any case.....I'm so used to packing for the air.........that it's strangely odd to think about packing for the car......

I'm finding it much easier........even though I haven't started yet..........
But for one thing, I won't have to weigh the suitcases to make sure they are under 50 lbs......and I can just put all of TigerBoy's activities in the very cool storage thing I recently put in next to his seat....

Ok............tomorrow it is............Packing day............

Where are the pictures Wednesday........

2010-06-23T08:14:00.003-04:00

Where?........

Still on my camera..........

and not yet on the computer........

But I do have some Father's Day pictures..........We had a good day.......
TigerDaddy is not a big holiday person.......being Asian, and having not grown up with all of our holidays, he is actually happiest to not bother celebrating them........

He does make expections for me.......and TigerBoy........

But for a day like Father's Day, he doesn't want anything.............
So, I gave him the best 'gift' for such a day as Father's Day......

What was it?

A haircut for TigerBoy!...........indeed that was the perfect 'gift'..........
Not only that, but TigerDaddy was there too, so he got a chance to see how TigerBoy sits in the chair and doesn't fuss a bit..........it's the first time since our haircut breakthrough that TigerDaddy was able to see how good TigerBoy is.........

Next on the agenda........

Packing up the car!........we're about to head out for a road trip to WI...........20 hours.......
We're leaving early, early AM on Saturday.........
I'll let you know how it goes!

Five Question Friday..........

2010-06-18T10:22:00.002-04:00

It's been awhile since I joined in..............so I thought I would take the opportunity today!

1. What is your favorite thing about summertime?

Oh......warm weather and cool breezes........(not too hot or too humid!!!).......Homemade lemonade.........being outside........and just the free summer feeling.......

2. What is your ideal retirement location (if money didn't matter)?

Most likely anywhere close to the ocean.........I would love, love, love to spend time in New Zealand..........

3. Do you live in the same town you grew up in?

Nope!.........and not in the town I was born in either............I was born in Maine.........grew up in WI about 20 minutes East of Madison.........small, small sleepy town........

And now, since coming out here for grad school about 13 years ago, I'm living just North of Boston..........
I think being born close to the ocean had quite the affect on me........I just love it!.......so I feel so at home out here.........in spite of missing my family. However, I visit WI 2 times a year.....

4. What nervous habit did you have as a child that you kicked to the curb before becoming an adult?

I didn't really have any nervous habits..........I really don't know........

5. What is the most embarrassing thing that happened to you while on the job?

Another one I'm not so sure about...........

Wordless Wednesday.........3 years ago today......

2010-06-16T05:22:00.000-04:00

I was just thinking.........

2010-06-14T07:59:00.003-04:00

that it might be safe to pack the snow boots away............

Usually, I keep all of the winter things within easy grasp well past the last chance of snow. I just don't want to take the chance that puttting them away before April will encourage a freak snowstorm..............

Afterall, this is New England..........

But, as I came upstairs with a load of laundry yesterday, I happened to glance at TigerBoy's winter boots............and thought it might be safe now to pack them away......

However.......at this point, I guess I might as well leave them out, since it might not be all that long before they are needed again.........................hee hee..........

That is, of course, as long as TigerBoy's foot will still fit in them.

I've found that one advantage of having a rather tall 3.5 year old, with a foot size well beyond his years, is that he doesn't go through shoes very fast.....and it has slowed way down even more....

In fact, he's still wearing size 13 (yes, that's 1 and 3.....13!)........and can still wear the shoes he moved into back in Dec.......(six months in the same size!!!)

The biggest bonus is that I overestimated on last summer's sandal size (13).........but decided to just hang on to them and buy another pair of the correct (smaller) size 11..........

And hey, wouldn't you know, he's wearing them this summer!............

Ok.....The Thunderstorms.....

2010-06-06T16:30:00.003-04:00

are getting to be a bit much.......

Seriously......there's been more thunderstorms in the past week or so than I can even remember to count.....

I do like a good thunderstorm......but I think we've had our fill for awhile.....

And I really don't want to get soaked again like last week.....

Here are some shots of the current thunderstorm.....

And yes indeed, these pictures are from about 10 minutes ago and I got them right off the camera to post here........

I guess with the absolutely beautiful weather we had for 3 days last weekend, we can hardly complain about a rainy weekend.............

And while listening to the storm the other night, I thought about how fascinating the thunder is.......I suppose it is the musician in me that finds those thunderous sounds so fascinating!....

The very biggest booms are not to my liking......the kind that seem to literally crack the sky.....but, on the other side, there is the grumbling sort of rumbling that happens while the storm has almost passed on.....far, far away.......

And so there you are......our rainy New England weekend.........

Wordful Wednesday.....

2010-06-02T11:18:00.002-04:00

Meaning there are only words.............no pictures..........

(Pictures are still on the camera.....and haven't made it to my computer.......)

I love Monday holidays.........
Why?
Because coming back to work on Tuesday feels like Monday.........but it's actually Tuesday....and then the week is just about half over.......

Yesterday we had thunderstorms..........they started the night before..........all night long....
I appreciated the fact that the tremendous rain finally cleaned all of the pollen off of the car!....

However, I didn't appreciate the shower yesterday walking across the parking lot to the car.......
We're talking soaked........not sure why I bothered to carry the umbrella, since it didn't seem to make a difference.......
I was soaked to the bone.......from top to bottom......
When I got home, I had to change everything, even down to the underwear...........oy......

Thank goodness I didn't have anywhere that I had to stop on the way home!.......

Happy Friday!......and a winner........

2010-05-28T08:42:00.002-04:00

Congrats to our winner of the Seventh Generation products:
Jana

And for those of you that took a guess about how many hazardous chemical products are in the average American home.........
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, there are 63!
(can you believe that?........wow......)

Hope everyone enjoys the long weekend.........

And hopefully I'll find a moment to update some pictures or at least about what's been going on around the Tiger Den...........

Go Green: Seventh Generation........and Giveaway....

2010-05-24T06:56:00.000-04:00

I had the pleasure to try out a set of Seventh Generation cleaning products.......
And, I have to admit, I've seen this product for so long......passed it by at Whole Foods many times......but haven't gone ahead to buy some yet.......

So, when the opportunity came up to try Seventh Generation products, I couldn't have been happier......

The disinfectants contain thymol (from the herb thyme), and can be used on hard surfaces, including highchairs, and especially for toys! In this time of H1N1 and other such germs, having safe cleaning products and disinfectants is so important.

One Saturday morning, there was a box dropped off at the door.........TigerBoy and I excitedly opened it up and found this........
TigerBoy, being a typical little person, was all excited to try out these Seventh Generation products........so we got right to some cleaning.
Without much thought, I was so happy to be able to just hand the spray bottle over to TigerBoy, knowing it was not full of harmful chemicals.......

One thing you will notice right away about these products is the smell.........It is a free from chemicals sort of smell........a nice herb/essential oil sort of smell......(so great, considering the small cleaning sidekick to the pregnant mommie!)....

We sprayed some and TigerBoy wiped some..........

I didn't get any pictures of it, but after cleaning the table TigerBoy and I headed off to clean the bathroom...........

I loved the cleaning caddy, which is made from recycled plastic, but it didn't hold the cleaning products for too long...........(see below)........

And all of you, my fellow blog readers have a chance to try out these fabulous products as well!

I'm sorry for my lack of blogging lately, and surely know that sometimes we all keep up on reading, but don't necessarily comment...............but today is the day to come out of the blogwork and comment!.......

WIN:

There is a Seventh Generation disinfectant kit for one of you! This includes the Multisurface Spray, Bathroom Cleaner and Disinfecting wipes.........

Time is short, so enter fast!....This giveaway ends May 27th..........

And spread the word, I'd like at least 15 comments to choose a winner...........All you need to do to enter is leave one comment here telling me how you keep your family safe from chemicals.

For an extra chance, in the same comment, take a guess as to how many hazardous chemical products you think are in the average American home.......

While you're waiting to find out if you won, check out Seventh Generation's website here........and you can even find a coupon there!

(and make sure I have a way to contact you if you win..........and make sure to respond fast!)

Thank you to MyBlogSpark and Seventh Generation for this opportunity.....and providing the gift pack........The views expressed about these products are my own.......

Wordless Wednesday.........

2010-05-19T21:00:00.001-04:00

Fourteen Fotos For Friday......

2010-05-14T15:41:00.011-04:00

Today is for catching up with some photos........

1. TigerBoy and his lego people.....(the duplo ones)....

2. TigerBoy has taken to taking care of th baby doll......

3. It was time for a nap.....for both of them!...

(All TigerBoy's doing....he hasn't taken naps for more than a year!....)

4. TigerBoy loves coloring with the Color Wonder markers....

he's actually colored through 4 books so far......

5. He has also taken a great liking to coloring in coloring books....

6. Usually you tie up your horse, but I guess TigerBoy thought it was more important to tie up the 'car' (suitcase) to the horse......

7. Hair is getting long.....

8. After the haircut....

9. What the sausages looked like after TigerBoy was done eating......

10. Sometimes even in the bright daylight you need to read with a flashlight.....apparently...

11. TigerBoy outside....

12. Ready to go out on a raining Saturday.....

13. Duck boots.....

14. How does your garden grow?........

Happy Friday!

Coming Soon......Review from CSN Online Stores.....

2010-05-14T07:25:00.004-04:00

CSN is a great group on online stores..........They have everything you need!
I had the pleasure to review one of their products last year, and I'm so happy to be able to share them with you again.

CSN is truly one of those one stop shopping places.......They have over 200 online stores........
Are you looking to remodel your bathroom? Or looking for accessories?
Check out Bathroom Vanities, and I bet you will find what you need..........

In preparing for the baby, well and just because it's long overdo, our bathroom definitely needs some work. Our bathroom is small, and I love how you can choose to search through their products by size......Something like this would be great for us!

And remember I said they have practically everything you need...........With the new baby coming, it would be my dream to get this.......

Stay tuned for the upcoming review........and check out CSN stores while you're waiting!

Thirteen Things This Thursday....

2010-05-13T12:09:00.005-04:00

Let me try to catch up on some news around the Tiger Den..........

1. The water main break we resolved quickly. We were able to get some free cases of water from the city on Monday, and the water was back on by Tuesday..........

2. We had such hot weather last week.......and I was realizing that I probably should switch the flannel sheets back to cotton.......But wouldn't you know it, I did change the sheets back to cotton.....and now this week has been cold............oy........

3. The haircut......
TigerBoy's hair was starting to look like a mop top, so it was definitely time to take him for a haircut.......In the past, this has not be an easy feat...though it did start getting better. Well, I'm happy to report that it was practically flawless................Not one wimper, cry or fuss......

4. I would like to get pictures of TigerBoy in his clean cut hair, and other things as well....but Blogger takes so long to load pictures with our DSL, it makes it hard............what with my limited computer time lately......

5. I probably shouldn't say anything, for fear that it won't last, but I might finally be getting at least a little bit of energy back........and it's about time! I can actually still function for a while after TigerBoy falls asleep!........

6. Along with the picture delays, I have a great review/giveaway to post........some great green cleaning products!

7. And along the lines of a review, I have the chance to highlight CSN Stores with a review.....more on that later.....but feel free to check out their 200+ stores!

8. Ford......I grew up in WI......and we always laughed about Ford......my parents have always driving Cheverolet.......I certainly never thought I'd ever be driving a Ford......
But, TigerDaddy loves Ford cars........and I have to say that I've come to love them too.
According to TigerBoy, the Escape is Mommy's car.......and the Focus is Daddy's car.......

9. Speaking of Ford.......our little Focus was running fine, but 1o years old........and also a hatchback and hard to manage with a new little addition coming.........
So a few weeks ago, we traded it in for a brand new Focus......sedan style with 4 doors this time! We got a great deal..........and it's a nice little car......

10. Along with the new and more family friendly car, and now that TigerBoy is getting close to high back booster age, we picked up a booster seat for him to keep in TigerDaddy's car......
His seat in the Escape is his regular 5 point harness, where he usually rides, but it's nice to have an extra seat for short trips in the Focus.......
I will be able to keep TigerBoy in the 5 point harness until the fall/winter coats come out......he's so tall that there's almost no room left for him to fit.......In fact, now that I think about it, his height and weight are practically the same number.............

11. TigerBoy is on the late side of potty training........Had I been home with him, I suspect it would have happened long before now, but situations as they are, it was one thing I never wanted to push.............
He has come around to a strong interest in it, which I picked up on and ran with..............And he's doing great! He actually has been waking up dry almost every night for longer than I can remember.........I'm so happy to see him wearing underwear.......of course it makes his pants that much more likely to fall down without the extra padding!........

12. Yesterday, I had the 20 week ultrasound.........It has been the only ultrasound so far........and it was so great to see the little one.........Everything is looking good.........TigerBoy came with us, but didn't pay much attention to the screen.....he was more interested in sitting right next to me, while I was laying there........

13. I will try to post photos tomorrow..............Let's hope the internet is cooperating tonight!........and I can stay awake.........

Cheers

Wordless Wednesday.........

2010-05-12T21:02:00.001-04:00

Happy Mother's Day........

2010-05-09T20:59:00.003-04:00

To all of the mommies out in the blog-o-sphere...........

I hope your day today was fabulous.......

Or, if it was like mine.....it makes you remember and appreciate your role as mommy.....

Which is not always easy......

(It wasn't the best of days....and it wasn't the worst of days...........)

But, best of all......enjoy and cherish your little ones (however 'big' they may be now!...)......

Cheers!

Water.............

2010-05-03T08:09:00.003-04:00

Something we take for granted..............

Something not everyone thinks to stock up on.........

Something we're not able to drink at the moment...........

Over the weekend, there was a major (and I mean major) water main break that affected over 2 million people in Boston and surrounding cities..............
We are some of that 2 million.........

Thankfully we have a water dispensor........and had just picked up a few more bottles Saturday morning. However, it's too bad we had no idea that by that night the news would be talking all about this water main break and telling us to start boiling water.........
The stores were swarmed with people grabbing cases of bottled water........in some places the police had to get involved.......

We spend the whole of Saturday oblivious to all of this...........until we watched it on the 11:00 news.......

Yesterday was hot..........hot, hot, humid hot. Which doesn't make it easier when water is limited.....

Safe for bathing.........but not safe for drinking........This still makes me curious why it's ok to wash myself off, but not ok to drink. Those two things don't seem to be too different.......
However, I hate to give up a shower a day.........so I just go for it.......

Brushing teeth with a bottle of water isn't a big deal.......but it is an adjustment........Many times I turned on the faucet out of habit, only to then turn it back off and dump water from the bottle......

This sort of thing is not a big deal..........but it does make you realize how lucky we are to have clean water with the flip of a faucet knob..........
So many people out there do not have that luxury........

The good news is that in the early wee hours of the am, it seems as though they finished the repair...............And now they just need to test it out.........
There may be an end in sight..........

But the lesson included is to make sure you have some emergency supplies.........and not just water.........you never know when this sort of thing can happen...........

Wordless Wednesday.........

2010-04-28T05:45:00.000-04:00

Better late than never....

2010-04-25T15:22:00.003-04:00

I had intended to post about this almost a week ago......

But, between Blogger taking forever to load a picture and other sidetracks.....this is practically old news...

Better than no news, I suppose....

Last weekend, we went to the temple for the Cambodian New Year.......

Here's TigerBoy all dressed up in his 'fancy' clothes....

He is not fond of 'fancy' clothes, but looks darn cute in them....

(The best part about his 'fancy' clothes is that each piece was found on clearance.....)

The weekend went much too fast....as they usually do.....

But last weekend was great, because Monday was Patriot's Day..........

That means holiday and no work for us!

Also means the Boston Marathon.....and the reenactments in Lexington....

We had an easy going day.....which went by nice and slowly.....

Watched the marathon on TV.....the women gave a great finish, with about 3 seconds different between first and second place...the second place runner almost caught up from quite far back.....The winner was from Ethiopia......

The male winner was from Kenya..(usually is!....They've got great runners....) And many kudos to him for not only beating his own record, he set a new Boston record.......

What I love most about the Kenyan winners is that they take the money they win back to Africa to buy farms and such..........a great way to spread the wealth......

Later in the day we took a trip out for a bit.........

TigerBoy was dressed in the hat and sweater made by Grandma!

The outing ended up at the mall........where they have a fabulous used book store.......I love that place......

All of the children's books are $1.29 each......For $16, we carried home 12 books, some new and practically new, and many about trucks!.......

Almost half of the books were read at the food court after enjoying an ice cream sundae.......

(Did you know that ice cream sundaes were invented in Wisconsin??????)

In which I attempt to explain.....

2010-04-16T15:34:00.003-04:00

My great lack of blogging so far during 2010............

The main reason is because the Tiger Den is expecting a new Tiger later this year.........

As you may have guessed, from recent pictures of TigerBoy, he indeed is going to be a big brother!

The new arrival is due at the end of September........a week after TigerBoy turns 4! Which means, I'm 16 weeks pregnant.........

I certainly am trying to be more regular with the blog, but time is short lately.......Since going back to work full time, I have less time.....particularly since I focus all of my time on TigerBoy when I get home from work........and even though he goes to bed by 8:00-8:30, I have lost all of my evening time due to great tiredness!............

I have some reviews coming up....one that includes a giveaway for all of you...........
Also, in preparation for another Tiger, I have some rearranging and careful organizing for our small space........I will definitely try to keep things updated here.......

In February, I spent all month clearing lots of outgrown clothes out by listing everything on Ebay.......One of my current tasks is to clear out and clean up the big piles in the basement......It's not going very fast, but I'm trying to get more motivated!.....

I started going through baby clothes that I had put away from TigerBoy and pulled out a big pile that I will send to my mom.........This summer, I'm hoping that we will have some time to make a quilt out of TigerBoy's baby clothes..........We will be driving to WI at the end of June for 2 weeks.......

The Cambodian New Year has just passed, and we will be heading to the temple tomorrow morning. I will do my best to post some pictures of TigerBoy in his 'fancy' clothes.......he is not very fond of 'fancy' clothes..........The button down shirts get to him the most!.......

Cheers.........