Just had to share a few pics of me and the kids from this Mother’s Day morning at my parents place…

A big smooch for the boy who made me a mama

Schnuggles with my babe

Two of my very favourite people in the world

It was a fantastic day, albeit exhausting. Brunch was a lot of work but delicious and totally worth it. (Recipes are on the way.) I had to have a nap before I could drive the two hours home. Those of you who know me know that I never (never!) nap. I didn’t nap once while pregnant either time, and I didn’t nap when I had newborns. I can’t bear the thought of missing anything. After 20 minutes of shut-eye my headache was gone and we packed up the van to head home. Primo was SO excited to get home to see his Daddy. (So was I!)

The house was clean (which lasted about 7 minutes after we got home), we ordered dinner to be delivered (got ripped off the creamy dill dressing we paid extra for, but other than that it was great and we ate after Primo went to bed so I could relax) and I got DDR for the Wii! I’m so pumped to try it! It was even all wrapped up in actual wrapping paper courtesy of the BG. My Mother’s Day card made me cry (God, I’d better not be pregnant) and now I’m snuggling a sleeping (4 month old today!) baby and we’re about to head to bed.

Life is good.

Happy Mother’s Day!

I’m in the midst of preparing a huge brunch for my mom, mother in law and sister in law (and all of the men except the Big Guy who had to stay home and work). After brunch, we’re driving the two hours home. I’ll be exhausted, but I spent the whole weekend with my mom and kids and it doesn’t get better than that. Unless the BG was here - that would be better.

My mom snuggling the kids last night before bed….

Remind me to share the recipes for the quiche and blueberry french toast we’re having this morning. Mmmmmmm…

Hope you all have a fab day and are sufficiently spoiled!

Tell me what you did today…

We received some samples of Ocean Spray Cranergy energy juice drink from Mom Central. I love cranberry juice and so does Primo so I was excited to try it.

From the Ocean Spray folks:

Do you need a little help to get through your busy day? We sure do, which is why we created Cranergy™, a delicious and naturally energizing juice drink. Cranergy™ is made from our refreshing cranberry juice, which we’ve enhanced with natural energizers like green tea extract and B vitamins. Made with Splenda® brand sweetener, Cranergy™ has only 35 calories per eight-ounce serving, 50 percent fewer calories than other leading energy drinks and traditional sodas. Cranergy™ is a “good for you” kind of energy that helps you get stuff done!

We received both an original “Cranberry Lift” flavour and a “Raspberry Cranberry Lift” flavour.

The Good:
+Green tea extract (Mmm, green tea…) has tons of benefits
+B vitamins
+Vitamin C
+Only 35 calories per eight-ounce serving

The Bad:
-Made with Splenda® brand sweetener (also known as sucralose). Some would think of this as a good thing because it’s 600 times sweeter than sugar so adds no calories in the small quantities in which it’s used. I, on the other hand, debated putting it in the “ugly” category. Anything un-naturally sweet like that can’t be good. Holistic nutritionists consider it highly toxic. Either way, it tastes bad. I couldn’t drink these samples because of the horrible aftertaste. I had a mouthful of each and that’s all I could stand.

The Ugly:
-Nada.

The Verdict:
If you like Splenda, you’ll probably like Cranergy. I know lots of people who love Splenda and use it in everything. This is for them.

I’d much rather some straight juice. If it needs sweetening (which it doesn’t) toss in half a tablespoon of organic sugar and I’m sold. Ditch the fake crap and let’s leave our “food” tasting like the food it’s supposed to be.

I thought for sure I’d have a few minutes to blog while I’m away. I mean, I’ve got two grandmas, two aunties and several friends here, right? Turns out, many of them actually want to talk to me and not just chase my kid around. Harumph.

-We’ve been visiting, eating, swimming, visiting and eating and my time here is more than half gone.

-Primo’s been saying “Daddy’s a’ work!” approximately 8614 times a day to everyone he sees. I think he misses him. He has said it so much that my niece started copying him by the end of tonight.

-Tomorrow morning I’m dropping Primo off at my mother in law’s for a few hours in the morning to play. I hate leaving him anywhere and I just might have an anxiety attack. She’s fabulous and cautious and loves him more than life itself, but I hate not being with my kids. Hate. A lot. I need therapy, I think.

-Tonight after putting Primo to bed I went to visit a friend in the hospital. She’s 17 for a few more weeks so she’s on the pediatric ward. There were so many sick babies in there…it made me feel like throwing up just thinking about it. I take for granted having healthy happy kids, and I shouldn’t. (She’s okay - she has a kidney infection so needs IV antibiotics and will be out Monday.)

-I desperately need to go for a run. I am getting fatter by the minute here.

-My mom is a great cook. We had the most melt-in-your-mouth ribs and rice pilaf tonight. Mmmmmm. My sister in law and I ate until we couldn’t stuff another bite in. Sooooo good. Hence, fatter by the minute.

That’s all I’ve got. It’s after midnight and I’m fading over here. Happy weekend!

We’re in the process of packing up the van from floor to roof, all for a 5 day trip just two hours away to visit the Grandma’s for Mother’s Day. God, kids have a lot of crap. Playpen, suitcases, diaper bag, stroller, tricycle and helmet, toys, books, snacks, gifts, water bottles…and I’m not even bringing the Big Guy or the animals! Good thing, too, or they’d have to ride on the roof.

I’m just taking the kids and I’m sure it will be busy busy busy with visiting friends we don’t get to see very ooften, playing with cousins and grandparents and the usual routine stuff. Time always flies when we go home. I think we’ll be on the road for over half of the weekends between now and the end of summer so I’d better get used to it. Maybe I’ll have nice biceps from lugging all this crap in and out of the house.

I am loving the suggestions in my Skribit box and I hope to have a bit of time to blog while I’m away so keep ‘em coming!

Thanks for your tips on finding the numbers. I’ll check Ebay and watch Kijiji for some. He has enough number toys that I’m not terribly concerned, but he’d like them so if I find them I’ll buy them.

What are your plans for Mother’s Day weekend? (And have you entered to win some cool Mother’s Day technology yet?)

What a gorgeous weekend! The weather here was perfect. Cool mornings, hot afternoons, blue skies…

It was filled with walking dogs, playing in the yard, going for bike rides, drinking margaritas* on the deck with the family. And, of course, the requisite trip to Toys R Us.

As I’ve mentioned before, Primo knows all of his upper and lower case letters and also knows about 20 of the letter sounds. He plays with his Fridge Phonics every day so we wanted to pick up a Word Whammer to step it up a notch. (We also wanted numbers to add to the Fridge Phonics but they didn’t have any and nobody had ever heard of them. We can’t find them online either but we’ve seen them at friends’ houses. Any tips on where to find them?)

Anyway…the kids and I left the Big Guy at home and headed down there to make the purchase. We also bought a ball glove & ball and a foam bat while we were there - I can’t refuse a kid asking for sports equipment! When we got home and tore in to the Word Whammer, it was love at first play. He had a blast, until we started moving letters around. Primo put a “T” in the 3rd place, and the Word Whammer sings “X says ks, X says ks…” Huh? My kid knows his letters, thank goodness, or that would have been really confusing! He just moved it and said “Silly toy!” A little while later, we put a “B” in the first spot and it thought it was an “S.” After a few more such incidences, we took it away and today we’ll be heading back to the store to try again. Hopefully the next one works properly because he really likes it.

We’re also heading to a rally to advocate for provincially funded midwifery services. The BG and the kids and I will be picnicking in the park and enjoying subs and snackies while showing our faces for a good cause.

How was your weekend?

Don’t forget to give me your input and enter my giveaway!

No, that’s not my knees you’re hearing. Well, okay, it might be…

It’s the sound of everybody’s favourite childhood cereal! If not the cereal, then the squares for sure. Am I right?

Mom Central sent out this little ditty on behalf of Kellog’s (who will be sending me rice krispies as a thanks for posting this, fyi, but because I live in freaking Timbuktu I’ll get them in a month or so…)

To help parents and kids embrace childhood, Kellogg’s® Rice Krispies® brand team created the “Childhood Is Calling™: Celebrating Kids Just Being Kids” report. The report offers expert and real-mom insight on the importance of savoring childhood and advice for families to find simple moments of joy and connection. As part of Operation Spark, Childhood is Calling is an educational initiative devoted to providing parents with ways to create meaningful memories with their children.

You can access the full “Childhood Is Calling™: Celebrating Kids Just Being Kids” report, information on the Operation Spark program and tips on how to relish the everyday fun with your kids by visiting www.ChildhoodIsCalling.com. The Web site also provides games, stories and recipes, including great twists to the old favorite Rice Krispies Treats® squares for parents to share with their kids.

I don’t buy rice krispies, but I’m sure going to enjoy the free box with some of the recipes from that site! Snoop around - there’s some really cool stuff!

We received a full copy of Norton 360 from Symantec and Mom Central to try out. The Big Guy planned to write this himself since he’s the real techie around here but he didn’t have time so here’s the joint effort…

Norton 360 Version 2.0 provides all-in-one protection for up to up to three PCs by verifying trusted Web sites, blocking fake ones, and securely managing user names and passwords so you can safely shop, bank, or browse online. Norton 360 V2.0 also helps keep your PCs running at peak performance and protects your data by making it easy to automatically back up and restore files locally or to a secured online storage service.

So, what’s new and improved in V2.0?

* Industry-Leading Layered Security helps protect you against advanced threats through a combination of definitions and heuristic and behavioral technologies give you confidence that your PC is secure.
* Network Monitoring protects your home network against unauthorized access by detecting whether your connected wireless network is secure or not secure, providing you with a visual picture of your network and each device that is connected to it and let’s you view the security status of the Norton protected computers on the network.
* Backup provides for new backup destinations including HD-DVD and Blu-Ray disc and iPods, while continuing to support the widest range of mapped and networked storage drives and an included 2GB of online storage, providing more options for backup than any other product in its class.
* Registry Cleaner helps optimize performance by removing unneeded Windows registry files to help keep your computer healthier and running more efficiently.
* Phishing Protection for Firefox: Phishing Protection guards online attempts to steal your personal information using real-time analytics to identify and block fraudulent web sites, and now supports both the Firefox and Internet Explorer browsers.
* Diagnostic Report provides a convenient system snapshot for easier troubleshooting and problem diagnosis of any PC issue by collecting detailed system information including operating system, installed applications, startup applications, hardware configuration, and more and delivers it to you in a viewable, printable format that you can save or email to whomever you go to for help.
* Fast, Easy Access to Settings and Tasks means that although Norton 360 does all the work for you automatically and quietly in the background, you can choose to do things manually such as run a scan, modify a backup job, query status, check for the latest updates, or just do some cleanup and optimization.

The Good:
+All of the above.
+Great features.
+Easy to install and use - pretty much dummy proof.

The Bad:
-It eats up a lot of memory and the computer slows down quite a bit while running it. Not so bad if you have a top notch machine, but if you don’t this could be an issue for you - particularly if you use other demanding programs. Like Photoshop, for example.

The Ugly:
Nada. It’s pretty darn impressive for only $79.99.

The Verdict:
Other than being a system hog, Norton 360 V2.0 is a really versatile and useful program.

See, over in the right sidebar, the little widget asing what you’d like to read here? It’s a cool thing I stumbled across called Skribit, with which YOU can tell ME what you want me to write about. Give me a topic, ask me a question…anything!

And it’s not just because I can’t think of anything to write about.

Nope, not at all.

Give it a shot and let’s see how it works! Just click on the “What would you like to read…” at the top of the widget and let those ideas fly.

I received a box of Frosted Flakes Gold from Mom Central/Kellogg’s. The BG was so excited when he came home and saw them - apparently he was allowed sugar cereal as a child and these brought back good memories.

As always, before feeding them to Primo I read the the ingredient listing and was disappointed again. So much unnecessary crap. However, I let him taste a few dry pieces and he liked them.

The BG had a bowl for breakfast and said that, while they’re good, they aren’t as good as the old fashioned ones (which are even less healthy so I suppose that’s why they were good when he was eight.)

The Good:
+No saturated fats
+No trans fats
+No cholesterol
+Some fiber
+First ingredient = whole grain corn

The Bad:
-Second ingredient = sugar

The Ugly:
-High fructose corn syrup
-BHT as a preservative - a well known carcinogen.

The Verdict:
-Do you think they’ll keep sending me stuff if I keep telling you the truth about it?
-If all of us spread the word of moms about what we want, do you think they’ll listen? I do!
-Does it really matter if it tastes good when it’s contributing to cancer and heart attacks?
-Do people really call this breakfast? No wonder so many kids in our schools have trouble learning.
-As usual, a slightly better alternative to the original (other than the taste, according to the Big Guy) but I recommend you spend your money on unprocessed foods for your family. Preferably organic.

Janice tagged me for the four things meme so let’s see if I can come up with anything you don’t already know. I’ve done this meme before, but I’m pretty sure it disappeared in the great Jesus-freak debacle of 2007.

Four Jobs I’ve Held

* Lifeguard (Janice too!)
* Fitness Instructor
* McDonalds Flunkie. (Shut up.)
* Shoe salesperson. (Again with the shut up.)

Four Movies I Could Watch Over and Over

* Sorry, watching movies over and over drives me crazy.
* I can’t sit for two hours to watch a movie once, let alone a second time.
* When I watch a movie, I scrapbook, blog, sort pictures, fold laundry or do other busy work.
* If I didn’t, I’d eat.

Four Places I Have Lived

* A place named after a large horned animal’s body part.
* A Canadian military base
* A city with a very ugly and huge landmark along the Trans Canada highway.
* A very windy city with lots of mormons in it.

Four TV Shows I Like
* LOST (another ditto to Janice)
* The Office
* Heroes
* Jericho - best show on TV and cancelled again!

Four Favorite Foods

* Fresh fruit - pineapple, raspberries, strawberries, oranges, kiwi…
* Dairy - cheese, ice cream, fresh whipping cream
* Anything my mom cooks
* Organic beef tenderloin steak with all the trimmings

Four Places I would Rather Be

* I actually love being right where I am!
* But if I had to pick…as long as I had my whole family with me…
* On a beach, playing in the sand, maybe in PEI?
* Anywhere that someone else did the cleaning and cooking!

Anything in there a surprise to you?

It’s the weekend! Yay! We, for once, have absolutely nothing planned. It’s going to be very nice. Hopefully some walks, a little yard work and a lot of play time. Enjoy, everyone!

I swear, this is not turning into a review blog! There are just some products that don’t fit the bill over there and if I still want to tell you about them this is my only avenue.

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What do you think of when you hear the name Clorox?

Bleach, right?

A highly toxic and carcinogenic substance that many people still have in their homes. That makes me sad, but it makes me angry when those homes also have children in them. Particularly when vinegar does the same thing and you can eat it without calling poison control.

Thankfully, one of the most popular providers of household bleach has come out with a healthier alternative in the Clorox Green Works series of products. The line include five products that claim to be at least 99% natural and made form ingredients derived from coconuts, corn and lemon oil. The company, however, is not 100% transparent with their ingredient list so I couldn’t confirm this. If you click on the links below for each product, you can see that they do include and ingredient list but it’s the same list for each product and doesn’t contain colours that are obviously in there or reveal what the other 1% is. I emailed the publicist that sent me the samples and she was fantastic - she sent a complete ingredient listing and some additional information:

All of the Green Works cleaners are 99 per cent natural, with the remaining 1 per cent coming from added colour, fragrance, and preservatives.

Research showed that consumers prefer coloured product because it reinforced efficacy and was easier to find on a store shelf and currently, there are no stable natural colorants available. Clorox is currently working with its suppliers to develop natural alternatives in order to convert as soon as one is available.

The preservative is important for keeping the formula stable and preventing micro-organisms like bacteria from growing in the cleaner. For example, if you make your own cleaner by combining lemon juice and water, bacteria will grow over time.

Here’s the full Green Works Ingredient List:

Green Works Natural All-Purpose Cleaner (99.93 percent natural): Filtered water, coconut-based cleaning agent (nonionic surfactant;alkyl polyglucoside), corn-based ethanol, glycerine, essential lemon oil, biodegradable preservative, blue and yellow colourant

Green Works Natural Dilutable Cleaner (99.20 percent natural): Filtered water, coconut-based cleaning agents (anionic and nonionic surfactants; alkyl polyglucoside, cocodimethyl amine oxide and sodium dodecyl sulfate), corn-based ethanol, natural alkalinity builders for enhanced performance (potassium citrate and potassium carbonate), fragrance with essential lemon oil, blue and yellow colourant

Green Works Natural Toilet Bowl Cleaner (99.99 percent natural): Filtered water, coconut-based cleaning agent (nonionic surfactant;alkyl polyglucoside), citric acid, lactic acid, essential lemon oil, natural thickener (xanthan gum), blue and yellow colorant

Green Works Natural Glass & Surface Cleaner (99.84 percent natural): Filtered water, coconut-based cleaning agent (nonionic surfactant;alkyl polyglucoside), soda ash, corn-based ethanol, glycerine, and fragrance with essential lemon oil

Green Works Natural Bathroom Cleaner (99.05 percent natural): Filtered water, coconut-based cleaning agent (nonionic surfactant;alkyl polyglucoside), glycolic acid (hydroxyacetic acid), and essential lemon oil

I tried all five products and they work really well. They don’t smell overly chemically, which is a nice change from commercial cleaners. (As far as I can remember, anyway. It’s been a long time since I’ve used anything but vinegar and baking soda.) They certainly weren’t gentle on my skin, however. They were nothing like bleach, but as someone who doesn’t clean with rubber gloves these cleaners did a number on me and are listed as an “Irritant” on the bottle. I’m not sure which ingredients are irritants, but there’s something in there that I’m not a fan of.

The Good:
+They’re 99% natural and are working toward 100%.
+The ingredients come from renewable resources.
+They’re biodegradable.
+They’re free of petrochemicals.
+They work.

The Bad:
-The other 1%. Why is colourant necessary? People seriously want that?
-They don’t have a disinfecting product yet (but are “evaluating natural disinfecting ingredients” and hope to add one soon.) (Hello! VINEGAR! THYMOL! You have millions of dollars. I have ten. I shouldn’t have to tell you that.)

The Ugly:
-Whatever irritated my hands.

The Verdict:
I’ll still be using vinegar, but for those of you who spend money on commercial cleaning products I would recommend, at the very least, switching to the Clorox Green Works series. It’s the least you can do for the earth and our children.

The Giveaway:
I’ve got a gift package to give away to one reader! You could win a full sized bottle of all five of the Clorox Green Works products packaged in a reusable shopping bag and a galvanized steel bucket.

To enter, just leave a comment on this post. I’ll leave it open for a week.

Actually, there were many. He sat and snuggled me more today than he has in a month. He reserves most of his snuggles for his beloved Daddy. I even got snuggle time with both kids at once several times today, and a couple of family snuggle times, too! (During one of which I was inspired, as you can see, to take a crappy family picture with the point-and-shoot turned back on us.) lIt was a great day for all of us!

We spent the morning with a friend and hit the chiropractor, Beaners for a haircut (forgot my camera…aargh…but that might be good because he sat in a pink car for his haircut!) and Costco (where I go broke weekly). We came home for lunch and a quick play in the yard before nap time. (Yes, he’s napping again! And sleeping at night! Knock on wood…).

(I really love parentheses. And apparently they must be italicized. Who knew?)

At nap, we do a mini-version of the nighttime singing routine I wrote about here where I just sing the ABC’s, one other song of his choice and do our regular “I love you SOOOOOOO (big squeeze) much” routine which, like everything else, he makes me repeat four hundred-ish times.
Me: I love you SOOOOOOO much, my best boy.

Primo: More Iluhyousomuch.

Me: I love you SOOOOOOO much, my favourite boy.

Primo: More Iluhyousomuch.

Me: I love you SOOOOOOO much, my kind boy.

Primo: More Iluhyousomuch.

Me: I love you SOOOOOOO much, my thoughtful boy.

Primo: More Iluhyousomuch.

Me: I love you SOOOOOOO much, my helpful boy.

Primo: More Iluhyousomuch.

Me: I love you SOOOOOOO much, my generous boy.

Primo: More Iluhyousomuch.

Me: I love you SOOOOOOO much, my intelligent boy.

Primo: More Iluhyousomuch.

Me: I love you SOOOOOOO much, my amazing boy.

Primo: More Iluhyousomuch.

Me: I love you SOOOOOOO much, my awesome boy.

Primo: More Iluhyousomuch.

Me: I love you SOOOOOOO much, my cool boy.

Primo: More Iluhyousomuch.

Me: I love you SOOOOOOO much, my great-big-brother boy.

Primo: More Iluhyousomuch.

Me: I love you SOOOOOOO much, my athletic boy.

Primo: More Iluhyousomuch.

Me: I love you SOOOOOOO much, my smart boy.

Primo: More Iluhyousomuch.

Me: I love you SOOOOOOO much, my handsome boy.

Primo: More Iluhyousomuch.

Me: I love you SOOOOOOO much, my wonderful boy.

Primo: More Iluhyousomuch.

Me: I love you SOOOOOOO much, my Primo.

Primo: Iluhyousomuch, my Mommy. (Big Squeeze)

God, I love being a mom.

Primo and Bella received a copy of That Baby CD and That Baby DVD courtesy of the company and MotherTalk.

I have heard nothing but good things about these, so was eager to check them out for myself. As most of you know, my kids are not allowed to watch TV yet (except hockey, because…duh, we’re Canadian) so DVD’s are our only option for that type of entertainment/digital babysitting.

The company is everything you’d want in a place to spend your money. They manufacture using recyclable materials, have a “no questions asked” return policy and even offer free replacement of “discs that get scratched, fingerprinted or smeared with peanut butter.” They say “We have kids too. We know how it is.” It doesn’t get any better than that.

That Baby CD and That Baby DVD were created by a mom and dad, Lisi and Rob Wolf, in Mercer Island, Washington. They also own OyBaby, a brand made especially for Jewish babies and kids.

Honestly, Primo didn’t like the DVD the first several times I put it on. Every time I tried to play it for him, he said “Turn it off. Watch ABC’s.” (He’s completely addicted to this movie and that’s why he’s known all of his upper and lower case letters since he was 18 months old.) That said, I actually really liked it and I have a feeling Bella will too when she’s old enough to watch it. Even Primo will likely come around when he’s tired of Meet The Letters. That will happen, right? Please?

It really is a good DVD. Don’t listen to him.

Edited to add: I tried again on Friday, the day after writing this post, and he loved it. Watched the whole thing, danced along with it and wanted to watch it again after. Yay! We now have an alternative to Meet The Letters!

The CD, however, was a completely different story. He loved it, I loved it, Bella loved it (well, she smiled while it played…) and even the Big Guy didn’t hate it. From him, that’s good. The tunes are awesome of the stick-in-your-head variety and they’re great for all ages.

Enter the coupon code “MotherTalk” when purchasing and save 20% on your entire order! From now until May 18th, all orders using the coupon code “MotherTalk” will be entered in a drawing to win a new iPod nano.

I shamelessly thieved the husband meme from Chelle in desperation…

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How long did you date? Just about 3 years. We met in September 01, moved in together in February 02, got engaged December 02 and got married in July 04.

How old is he? 33. I’m 32, but I always forget.

Who eats more? Him, most of the time. I have portion control issues, though.

Who said “I love you” first? He did. Actually, what he said was “Would you think I was a freak if I told you I think I love you?” I didn’t. Not at all. I loved him already too.

Who is taller? Him. Tall, hot, and smart. I lucked in.

Who sings better? We’re both very not good, but we sing anyway. We serenade our kids in unison at bed time every day. Poor little darlings.

Who is smarter? Him, but don’t tell him I said that.

Whose temper is worse? Me. He doesn’t have a temper at all. He balances me out nicely.

Who does the laundry? I do. He occasionally puts it away but can’t fold to save his life.

Who does the dishes? We both do, but I do it more. Since I cook, he’s supposed to clean but he’s been slacking.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? He does.

Who pays the bills? He does, for the most part.

Who cooks dinner? I do. He can’t cook AT ALL, but he rocks the barbecue. (As long as I prepare all of the accompaniments!) Actually, he’s very intelligent and could totally cook if he had any desire too. He really hates it, so I do it.

Who drives when you are together? I drive my van. On the rare occasion we leave the house without the kids, we take his (sports)car and he drives.

Who is more stubborn? Me. Totally me. It’s genetic.

Who kissed who first? He kissed me. I think? BG - want to comment on that one?

Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Neither of us. Usually if we realize we’re wrong we just pretend that the other person misunderstood us and we were right all along. It’s pretty funny.

Whose parents do you see the most? Mine, because they are able to come see us quite often. But we see his a lot too. Everyone’s only 2 hours away.

Who proposed? He did, right before we were leaving to head home for Christmas, 10 months after we moved in together. We were still in school, but he figured if they could do it while they were in school, we could too. He sold his RRSPs to buy my ring.

Who is more sensitive? Me, but he’s a big softie too. I just cry a lot.

Who has more friends? He has the lifelong kind. I have a few of those, but lots of the ‘probably wouldn’t see each other if our kids didn’t play together’ kind. My good friends are really really good. Amazing, really.

Who has more siblings? We both have one. I have a brother and he has a sister.

Who wears the pants in the family? Ummm…we both have our areas.

The Big Guy is an awesome friend, an awesome husband and an awesome father. I loooooove him a lot and I know I’m incredibly lucky to know him and to be married to him. When my mom met him, she said something like “Oh, thank GOD!”