Harry Potter Fettish

Ok, well it's not really a fettish, but I have been obsessed with the Harry Potter series lately. Believe it or not, I have had the last 2 books of the series for quite some time (bought both books when they first came out), and I had not read either one. I think I got disillusioned after reading the 5th book the first time around. The 4th book is such a page turner and I got bogged down in some parts of the 5th book. Anyway, I waited so long that I thought I would need to read the 5th book again to make any sense of the 6th and 7th. Then the movie (for the 5th book) came out and I saw that. I guess I could have just gone off the movie, but...

After I had Sasha I was doing a lot of sitting around with a tiny mouth suction-cuped to me and I had some time on my hands. So I decided to re-read the 5th book and finally get to the 6th and 7th, find out what happens in this great saga. Well, I really liked the 5th book the second time around (I think the movie helped some). But I have to say, I have been CRAZY to wait so long to find out the end...I could not put the books down!!! Every spare minute I was reading. I think I read the 6th one in about 3 days, and it took me that long only because my kids were distracting me all the time. (If you can believe that!) :) I was nervous to pick up the 7th because I knew it would be the same way (become a bad mommy for a few days) and I waited about a month or so before I started reading. But then it was just calling to me from my bookshelf and I had to take it down.

I finished it last night. Triumph! Ha ha :) No, I really liked the books, loved how the 7th one is so packed with info, and I have to say that I really like what we learn about Severus Snape. (I'm guessing that I could just say so here, but surely there are other Potter fans out there who have not read the end of the saga....I would hate to spoil it for them.) Anyway, I have just been thinking about Harry all day today and all the crazy things that he went through during that 7th year, so many ups and downs. How in the world will they make the 7th book into a movie and not make it an R rating? I thought there were some fairly scary parts there. Dementors, grave yards, snakes, Lord Voldemort (well, he's just plain scary). It will definately have to be PG-13. I guess I can now say that I truely am a Harry Potter fan, since I have read all the books.

On a completely different note, I am feeling a bit frustrated about my lack of courage when it comes to selling Modbe. For those of you who don't know, I am a fashion consultant for a clothing company called Modbe who sells shirts, skirts, pants, dresses, outerwear, swimwear, and kid clothes (girl's stuff) through their website and their fashion consultants. I have my own website, which was just updated, and it's pretty great. I really like it, especially compared to the last one which was hard to use. I just wish I was a better salesperson. That is something that is not in my nature and I feel so pushy when I am trying to sell it. But I need to get pushy, or else I won't be able to afford to sell it much longer. Boo-hoo, that would be a sad day.


Right now there is a great sale going on online at www.modbeclothing.com/kellybaird, where several items are on sale starting at 25% off up to 75 % off, including the current line of swimwear. It's pretty awesome, actually. I got a shirt for $5, a Motley Crew in Baja Blue. Yeah! I was so excited that they had my size, because the Motley Crew is one of my favorite shirts that Modbe has ever put out and I missed out on getting a blue one last fall (I have a white and a pink and I wish that I had bought all the colors). It's the softest, most comfortable shirt I have ever worn. Anyway, I am thinking about how much I love this company and how much I believe in their product and yet I am not getting that love back from my customer base. All the feedback I ever get is complaints. I am trying to not take it personally because I know that the complaints are about things that are mostly out of my control, but it is hard to hear nonetheless. Why can't everyone see how great it is like I do? Too bad for them, I guess. I'll just have to try and push forward and not worry about those who I leave behind.

Potty Training Help

I need help. Gabby is ready to start potty training but I am at a loss for how to proceed. My M.O. in raising my children has been to find parenting books and/or magazines with advice on how to do something and then try it out. When Gabby was a baby I did nothing without consulting my trusty baby book. Now I am looking at a new hurtle to cross, one I have never looked forward to, and I am in search of a good book to help me along the way. Does anyone have any advice on a good book (for me, not for Gabby) that I could read to help me get the job done? I like things with step-by-step instructions. :)

I saw something online and was also wondering if anyone had heard of this program and how good or bad it is: 3 Day Potty Training (dot com). The reviews I saw online really were positive, but the website asks for all this personal information. I'm not sure if I'm ready for that kind of a commitment. I just thought I'd ask cyberspace what ya'll thought before I dive into it.

I've heard the Elmo Potty Time DVD is good too. I thought about getting that. There is a long wait list at my library for that one. Must be good. Who doesn't love Elmo, right?

Running to exhaustion

I wanted to post this picture because I thought it was so funny. I got my hair cut and colored on June 11th, right before our Utah trip. The appointment went a little long and I got home right around Gabby's bedtime. When I came in the house she was crashed out on the couch. I just started laughing. Little kids can sleep anywhere if they are tired enough! Ha ha! I picked her up and took her to her bed. She slept the whole night. She must have run herself into the ground to be that tired. As memory serves, I believe she did not take a nap that day either, so that would add to the exhaustion. She's a cute kid.

Sasha's New Milestone

Sasha and I were having some tummy time today and she rolled over from her tummy to her back! Yeah! Proud Mommy here has to share it with the world. :) Sometimes I feel like I am not paying enough attention to her or helping her along in her development, so to see something as cool as this makes me feel a little better. Glad to know that kids can still grow and develop like they should without my 100% attention to their every detail. I still feel like I am only raising Gabby some days, as she is now so verbal and demanding of my attention. Sasha will be there soon enough, I'm sure.

A 4th of July Ventura Weekend

We went to Ventura for the weekend while my mom was in town. Here are a few pics of our outings:

Gabby and Nana in front of some pretty flowers at the old mission in Ventura. There was a mass in progress at the time so we didn't go in. Gabby and her silly poses. Already working the camera!

The mission again, with the three pretty ladies! :O)

We walked out on the Ventura Pier. It was built in 1872 and used to be a wharf, where goods were shipped to and from Ventura. Now people just fish from it and walk out for the view. Again, Gabby exercising her right at goofy poses.

Happy Family!

At the end of the pier we saw a guy catch a little shark. It was cool to see for a minute, but I couldn't stand there and watch too long. They were debating about whether or not they should keep it or throw it back.

When we were walking back we saw the guy gutting it at the fish washing station. At least it wasn't for nothing. Being there made me realize that I really don't have the stomach for fishing.

My mom took this picture of Sasha in the car. Precious little one! She is such a good traveler. We have been blessed with two really good babies who are great to travel with! Good thing. They wouldn't make it in this family otherwise! :)

The Post-Vacation Let-Down

We've all experienced it. You go on an exciting vacation. Something new and different. Exciting new experiences awaiting you and you have a great time. Sometimes you make new friends. Sometimes you see old friends. Whatever the situation you are always excited to go. And then you have to come home. Home seems so boring after you have been away and you inevitably feel a huge disappointment once there. I'm pretty sure that my 2-year-old was experiencing that post-vacay let-down today, as she was driving me CRAZY!!! All day long demanding my attention, crying, being the drama queen that she is (thanks Aunt Cami for that inherited trait!).

Gabby had her first time-out today. I gave Sasha a bath this morning and when I was getting her dressed and putting on the lotion Gabby informed me that she would like some lotion too. I asked her if it was for her or for Sasha, as she likes to smear it all over her sister and I was not in the mood to deal with that today. But she said that she wanted it for herself. So I gave her a little dab on her right hand. Normally I give her a small dab on each hand, but this time I didn't. Well, she immediately began to complain. I told her to use what I had given her and I would give her some more in a minute, as I was temporarily occupied smearing lotion all over her sister. The words had barely left my lips when Gabby's tears sprang to life. I asked her to stop crying and told her I would give her some more (crying has become her tatic for asking for things, I am trying to not give in to this as I am sure it will just encourage more crying). Please stop crying. More crying. Crying turned into screaming. Screaming turned into screaming and crying. "I want it! It's mines! I want lotions!" Talking to her was not working. By this time we were in the living room so I took her to the kitchen, put her on a kitchen chair and set a timer for 2 minutes. Told her to stay on the chair until the buzzer rang. She immediately got off and went to the living room, still crying. I carried her back to the kitchen chair and started the timer over. Don't get off the chair! She got off again, with only about 30 seconds left. Back on the chair. One more minute on the timer. Less crying. Now she's watching the timer, watching me, trying to put her feet on the floor, see how much she can get away with. The timer rings. No more crying. Now the talk.

Me: "How do we ask for things? Crying is not a good way to ask for things. How do you ask for lotion?"

Gabby: "Please!"

Me: "Good. Give me a hug. I love you. Please don't cry when you want something."

Well, that was the jist of it anyway. Then we went on, as if the incident had never happened. But then she only took a 40 minute nap (at least she took one. I shouldn't complain). We had to go to Bakersfield this afternoon. The whole way there I hear this:

"Mommy I hungry. Mommy I want my movie. Mommy look at me! Mommy watch this! Mommy, look Jasmine!"

UGGH!!! Just watch your movie and leave me alone for a minute! She finally settles down. We go to the bank. We are meeting with bank personelle (is that how you spell it? well you know what I mean). She sits on Daddy's lap. She sits on my lap. She plays with the pin keypad. She plays with everything on the desk. She is crawling all over me, all over Daddy. She finds a new fast-food straw in the diaper bag. Paper everywhere. She is on the floor, under the chair, behind the cubicle shouting "Mommy, look at me! Mommy I see you! Daddy I see you!"

Finally it's time to leave. Yeah. We're hungry. Go to a restaurant. "Mommy I want pizza (pronounced pizta)." This retaurant doesn't have pizza (that wasn't annoying, just so cute so I thought I'd throw it in there). We order our food, Gabby is coloring on the kid's menu. Thank goodness for crayons. A moment's rest. Then Gabby starts to stand up and look over the partition at all the other patrons. One family in particular has captured her attention and she seems to not be able to sit down for anything. We have to tell her to sit down. Repeatedly.

Nana calls just as our salads are coming. During the course of our conversation I am reminded of something that I was annoyed with the day before. After I hang up I start complaining about it to Jay when Sasha wakes up and demands her dinner. So I am trying to eat and feed her at the same time in a skinny booth with not much room between me and the table. Gabby is eating off of our salads and having some bread. Still standing up to stare at the neighboring family. However, now she has added the crawling under the table routine. Over to my side, back over to her side, back under to sit by my legs and peer across the aisle, back to her side to eat her dinner. Spilling her dinner all over the seat because she is being silly with her utinsels. Crawling on Daddy. Announcing that she is done when we have just started eating. Back under the table again. Now she has switched sides and is sitting next to me eating her dinner. Wiping her hands on my clothes (or trying to). Back under the table to go look at Sasha. Back under to sit next to me. "I'm done!" Taking her shoes off. Back under the table. UGGHH!! Can we leave?!?! Sasha is crying now because she didn't get enough to eat. I'm going to the car.

Finally we are able to leave that horrible restaurant experience. We get on the road, our 45 minute drive home. Five minutes into it I hear from the back seat "Mommy, I hungry." Too bad!! You should have eaten more than 5 bites of your dinner. Thirty seconds later "Mommy I hungry." I just ignore her. Twenty seconds later "Daddy I hungry." Wow, this is going to be a long car ride. But then she gets distracted by her movie and suddenly we are home. I am anxious to get her in bed as she is really driving me crazy.

It doesn't stop. All up to bedtime she is jumping on both of us or demanding our attention. I am sure that this is just her way of dealing with a deplorable lack of attention after almost a solid month of people paying attention to her all the time. (Three week vacation in Utah with relatives and then Nana came and stayed at our house for about 5 days). Maybe all toddlers are like this, but mine has not been up until now. Today I needed Sasha to be a toddler too so I could have a moment's peace.