What the heck are "Icktions"?

Ethan came out of his bedroom this afternoon and out of nowhere says "Mom, I'm scared of the little icktions in my room." The what? He must be saying something else. I spent the next 10 minutes of this conversation trying to figure out what he was really talking about.

Me: "The what? The itches?"
Ethan: "No,not the itches, the icktions."
Me: "The icktions?"
Ethan: "Ya. the icktions"
Me: "Why are you scared of them?"
Ethan (in his deepest voice): "Because they are very bad"
Me: "Why are they bad?"
Ethan: "Because they are bad because they make a scary noise."
Me: "What kind of noise?"
Ethan demonstrates a clicking sound on a toy.
Me: "That's not a scary noise"
Ethan: "Yes, it is. The icktions fly around and make a scary noise and the power goes out."
Me: "The power goes out?"
Ethan: "Ya, the power goes out."
Me: "Can you show them to me?"
I follow Ethan into his room
Me: "Where are the icktions? Show Mommy"
Ethan points to his comforter on his bed.
Ethan: "See? They are right there and they fly up and around on the track"
Ethan draws the track through the air
Ethan: "And they go down down down into the dark hole."
Ethan follows the track under his bed.
I have him explain this to me 2 more times, each with the same story.
Me: "Wow, interesting."
Ethan: "Ya"
Ethan proceeds to leave his room to go play.

And that's all I've heard of the fearsome icktions since. What an imagination...

Reason enough to get out of Pace, FL (aka Southern AL)

I was driving home tonight from dinner at a friend's house when I saw a sign outside an office that read "Sarah Palin's Glasses Sold Here!". Umm, ya, I don't belong here...

This one's for Amber...

Ethan was sitting naked (post-bath) on the sofa the other night while I got Salla into bed. When I came into the living room he smiled at me and said "Look Mom, my penis is an airplane!". Made me think of Tate's Taco quote:)

The Proud Wife

I'm sitting here tonight wondering how I feel such mixed emotions about my husband's career. I'm so proud of him for being dedicated, hard working, responsible, and so good at his job. Last week we found out he ranked #2 in the squadron for the fiscal year out of over 50 instructor pilots. That's amazing! I'm so proud...but wait. They rank them based on flight hours. So out of over 50 other guys, he was at work the most? That's not cool! Why couldn't he fall somewhere nicely in the middle and give me a few extra hours a week with him home? So now I'm a little ticked that he's so good at his job! This is supposed to be our "shore" tour. I'm supposed to see him more now than I did in Whidbey. Between him being such a great pilot and such a dedicated student (did I mention he's taking classes for his MBA at UWF too?) I'm feeling short changed. But those qualities that make him so good at his job are the same ones that make him a great husband and a great father and are the reason I married him in the first place. So let me just grit my teeth and say "Good job, honey! I'm so proud of you!" because I truly am...

Why I'm drinking alone tonight...

It figures. My husband left this morning for a cross country to Cincinnati. (For those none-military ladies, a cross country is a voluntary trip where an instructor pilot and student fly out of the area to get hours and practice in other parts of the country and, of course, to have a fun vacation full of great food, fun bars, and lots of beer, or so I hear. Oh, and don't forget SLEEPING IN.) So he left and my kids get sick. I'm talking diarrhea/vomit sick. Salla, was no surprise. I've been changing poopy diapers on the hour for the last 2 days. She's handling it pretty well, except for the ferocious diaper rash which I've resorted to giving her meds for the pain. Ethan seemed great! He was fine at school and didn't nap, as usual, had a snack and played this afternoon. By the end of dinner I was wiping his bottom and, eventually dodging vomit in the garage as I tried to get them into the double stroller for a soothing walk around the block. After what seemed like hours of bathing, diapering, reading, nursing, brushing teeth, etc...both kids are finally in bed. What do I get to do? Go outside and clean up the garage. So, yes, I'm having a beer. I might even have 2...

A Few of my Favorite Things...

I've decided to put up yet another post that offers no real insight into my life as Mom. This post, however, does shed some light on my life as Leah. Sometimes I forget that I can be me and not just Mommy! Recently I was inspired in the shower, my (almost) daily sanctuary, to let all my girl friends in on what I think are some the best pamper-me products out there. All Must Try's!

1. Schick Slim Twin Razors

I love these because they have this little button on the top when you push it, all the hair and dead skin gets pushed out from under the blade. They last a couple uses longer than most disposable razors and they are cheap!!

2. GlyMed Plus Gentle Facial Wash & Photo-Age

Environmental Protection Gel SPF 15

This facial wash is amazing. My skin feels so clean but not ever tight after washing it. It removes all my makeup and leaves no residue. The lotion is very light weight but my face never feels dry. I have an array of skin issues (sensitive, dry spots, oily spots, break outs!) and I've never had an adverse reaction to it. While on the pricey side, you need much at each use. I reorder about 3 times a year. I order mine online at http://www.ariva.com/glymed.html

3. Kerastase Nutritive Bain Satin 2 Complete Nutrition Shampoo & Nutritive Lait Vital Proteine (conditioner)

All I can say is, this is true daily pampering for your hair. I tried this line out way back in 1999 when I worked at a salon in college. In almost 10 years, I've never found any other product that made my hair look and feel as beautiful (believe me, I've tried!). It's expensive and harder to find (of course you can find it online), but it's a really great way to treat yourself and it will last a few months.

4. Body shop Exfoliating Skin Towel
I was surprised at how well this thing worked! It was an impulse buy one day at the mall with some sort of promotion. The first thing I loved was how easy it is to exfoliate my back! It was like a really really great back scratch (which I Loooooove). Then, I shaved my legs after using it and it was the smoothest shave ever! It really does an amazing job of sloughing off those dead skin cells and leaving soft, smooth skin behind.

5. Dove Sensitive Skin Body wash (soap free!)

I put this on the list, not because it does an exceptional cleansing job and has a fantastic scent, but because it's inexpensive and treats my sensitive skin really well. I still come out feeling clean and refreshed with no irritations!

Thanks for letting me share!

Just because