Mealtime speak... *updated*

Ruby LOVES mealtime... she's very verbal with me about what she wants & isn't shy about asking for anything... ever!
*like mother like daughter*
The following are her words for things she LOVES to eat!
She says them often, but as you can see, they don't don't necessarily look like they should.
Can you guess what's what?

1. Pacle
2. Tose
3. Malk
4. Baannn
5. Ohhhsss
6. Wawul
7. Teeeeeee
8. Peesbarr
9. Bupter
10. Zotto
11. Cooks
12. Brockie
13. Caarrr
14. Chickto
15. Paytoh

GOOD LUCK!


*We don't eat cheetos ever. I don't eat things like that anymore,
( you can't lose 80lbs by eating things like that, period.)
So you'll never find them in my house...
Also, we don't do popcicles, only skinny cow ice cream sandwiches.
(Some of you are amazing at your guesses! Alas, try again!)

Little Women...

... for little Ruby.

One great big classic of a book...

... for one fast growing little girl with a great big curiosity for life!


Someday Ruby, once Momma teaches you how to read,
we'll tackle that one TOGETHER!
(I promise.)

Every night, without fail...

... Ruby insists on hearing THIS book.

It's an extremely sweet story and the bear kinda resembles her 'Bear'.
It definitely doesn't hurt that I make the 'sound effects' for the 'blowing wind' and the 'stormy rain' hitting the rooftop.
*grin*
If you're a sucker for a good Board Book, then I insist you get your tooshie to Barnes & Noble or right here online to Amazon.com and hook your little kidlet up with this destined to become a classic, story of love, bedtime routine, and kisses goodnight.
Ruby & Bear give it 4 'paws' up!
hehehe

And the winner is...

...Katherine Fortunato!!



Congratulations to her on the top winning bid for Elmo TMX!

Hopefully there will be one more very happy child this christmas
because of this fuzzy giggling monster.
*smile*
& FYI: I managed to get one for Ruby JUST IN CASE she decides that she may be curious enough to want one... & if not, it'll be a gift for her cousin Isabella. =)

If laughter is good for the soul...

... then the sound of my daughter's early morning laughter
is hands down, the breakfast of champions!


hehehehe


Breakfast anyone... ?


Actually these belly laughs were courtesy of her favorite new show...

Peep in the Big Wide World


It's on every morning on TLC...


... and it's the ONLY show she'll literally sit for an entire eppisode.


Personally, I think it's the duck, aptly named 'Quack', that she adores the most!

I know he's my personal favorite!
Because truthfully, he's just good solid 'funny' with a capital QUACK!

"Munch..."

Me: "Hey Ruby... you wanna have some lunch baby?"

Ruby: "Mmmm, munch Momma!"

Me: "No Ruby, not 'munch' baby, it's Lunch... LLLLunch... with an 'L'. Can you say Lunch?"

Ruby: "Mmm, munch, munch!"

Me: *laughing* "hee hee, baby you're so funny, can you even TRY to say Lunch? Let's try it..."

Ruby: "NO!"

Me: "Ruby, you know Momma doesn't like when you say 'no' sweetie, it's ok if you want to call it 'munch' but we should at least try to say it correctly. Wanna try again?"

Ruby: "NOOOOOOOOOOOO! NO!"

Me: (trying to hold back serious laughter) "Ok baby, we'll try it another time, ok? Momma loves you!"

Ruby: *giggling* "NO! NO! NO! ... Momma?"

Me: "Yes Ruby?"

Ruby: "mmmmmm Munch! Uhhh Vooo Momma!"

Me: *smiling* " I love you too baby, to China & back..."

Ruby: *giggling* "Chiii" (her word for China)

Me: "Yes baby, Momma loves you all the way to Chiii..."

*Risotto & fish is now being served at the kitchen table...*

A WHAT?@#$%?

Ok, this is a RUBY FIRST my friends!

My daughter who LOVES pants, jeans, t-shirts, going barefoot etc...

... just asked me for 'A DRESS?!##$%#$%' !


Now don't look at me like that Ruby,
you KNOW that you've NEVER ONCE EVER ASKED MOMMA FOR A DRESS!


I was SHOCKED to say the least!


Then she took it one step further & while pointing to her toes said:
"Shoes Momma!"

So at first in very 'cinderella' style, we tried her very first pair of shoes she ever wore in China.
They're cute white leather mary jane's in size 4's.

Eh, not so much baby girl, those shoes are too small.

No sweetie, really... you can't shove your feet into them.
*SHOES MOMMA!*
Baby, let's find a pair that'll fit, ok?
*wanders off to find her Green Keds that Nanna bought her*

Ok so they're not girlie shoes, not so much...

(once a tomboy, always a tomboy)

BUT THEY ARE FUN!

And absolutely made for DANCING!

Dancing & JUMPING!

GO RUBY GO!!

*honestly, never in a million years did I think I'd hear my daughter ask for a dress,
I'm still sitting here in shock*
hee hee

But for the record, she makes that dress look cute!
Tomboy sneakers & all!
hehehehe

Good Times...

... so today was just another normal day in the 'Ruby Cate' house.
Twins came promptly at 7:15am, had a 'textbook' day as far as childcare, games, books, puzzles, meals, diaper changes, naps, etc...

Fastforward to tonight around 5ish-
Ruby & I set out to get a few things at the grocery store.
Nothing big, essentials to make my pasta fagioli, fresh veggies & sundried tomato sausage to dice/chop & freeze in individual ziploc bags for future use when Risotto is calling my name.
No big deal right?
Not so much...

Upon arriving home to one very empty house, I realized that I now had about a dozen bags full of heavy groceries, one very hungry toddler, one extreemly loved Bear, one new 'board book' purchased during our shopping excursion, one purse, one kid size sippy, one momma size sippy, a heavy set of keys & a partridge in a freakin pear tree!

I digress...

So, since I am always fairly prepared for shit like this, I immediately pick up my cell phone to dial Ruby's babysitter down the street to see if she can just come lend a hand with miss Cheeks so I can get our goods into the house sans difficulty.
Well, it was a brilliant idea, had she been home where she should've been rather than AT THE BEACH WITH FRIENDS!
*sigh*
Ok, on to plan B: used cell phone again to call my sweet neighbors from across the street. Jason & April are a-damn-dorable & they both adore Ruby.
Ring... (c'mon, please be home) ring... (omg you've got to be kidding me!) ring...
*click* Hello?
Oh my GOD you're home! *dig it*
So Jason & April are more than happy to come over & occupy miss Ruby Rubes while I bring in the bags... and even mister cutie pie Jason helps me with a few himself!
*I love my neighbors!*
So, you're thinking " big deal Amy, you got people to help you, doesn't sound like much of a challenge to me..."
*patience is a virtue*

So, once saying a big fat THANK YOU to Jason & April, we head upstairs & Ruby shuts the door for Momma and in the house we are... groceries, tired looking 'Bear' & all.
I get Ruby settled in with her blankets, Bear & a sippy & her newest favorite show PEEP and the Big Wide World and off into the kitchen I go to prepare tonight's dinner & dice peppers, onions, baby bella mushrooms, garlic, sausage etc... for the freezer.
Ruby's happy, I'm in my 'element' and all's right with my world...
...all's right until I hear,
"Uhoh, Momma?... Momma?!"
*cries*


I run to her side only to be bowled over by a smell unlike any other.
Dead fish covering rotten skunk carcas sprinkled with worms WOULD'VE SMELT BETTER THAN WHAT I ENDURED MY FRIENDS!
I immediately pick up my daughter only to feel that her toosh seems a bit 'damp'.
*I use 'damp' because to call it a soupy mess would just be gross, wouldn't it?*

I run her into the bedroom & slowly, AND I DO MEAN S-L-O-W-L-Y take her clothes off one layer at a time.
If there was such a thing as a shitsprayer bottler, imagine if you will someone holding my child hostage until EVERY INCH OF HER ADORABLE LITTLE SELF was COVERED AND THEN dress her & wait to see how challenging the removal of said outfit will be.



FUN WITH A CAPITAL 'F' MY FRIENDS!
*psst, I'm lying!*
There's NOTHING FUN about a good old fashioned
ASS-PLOSION!
HOLY DISGUSTING BATMAN!




So, literally, and I do mean LITERALLY, 32,000 WIPES *give or take a few* & LOTS OF STRATEGICLY PLANNED HAND MANEUVERS LATER, my child is not only CLEAN but she's stark nekkid as there wasn't one stitch of clothing salvagable.
GOOD LORD!
She's lucky I love her, that's all I'm saying.

All's well that ends well yes?
I mean after all, I did manage to not only get the pasta figioli finished but I put all the groceries away, made my 4 batches of frozen 'risotto' fixin's for future use, dressed my child & then fed her dinner, emptied & reloaded the dishwasher, made the twins breakfast for the morning & got their sippies ready, got my water in my kettle & my tea/sugar in my teapot all ready for the boiling water come morning.
Christ knows I HAVE to have my pot of 'get-the-hell-up' or I'm useless & three small children will be left to flounder & bounce around like fish out of water.
*that would be bad*
Now, I'm beat, exhausted, wiped out, drained...
... just plain tired.
Ugh.
All I can say is:
T G T F!
(thank goodness TOMORROW'S FRIDAY!)
G'night!

Tickle Me 'ITALIAN'...

... Ok so here's the deal, through the magic of one of my best friends on the planet, I have in my possession, the following:


If you don't know who this little guy is, then perhaps you're just like me & living under a rock?!
LOL


I didn't know at all until my friend told me about him.
Now I can't say how I have one but I do... I usually have all the 'hook up's' courtesy of my Italian side but this time, it's due to my Southern side!
*grin*




Now, since Ruby isn't much of a fan of this red fuzzy guy, I figured I would just list him on ebay, make some mom's day & quite possibly her christmas as I guess these little guys are nearly impossible to come by and whatever money I make from the sale, goes into our 'ITALIAN TRIP FUND' for next June.




I haven't been to Italy in nearly 15 years... & Ruby has yet to set foot on her Nonno's soil. That is going to change this June, we're going for two weeks HOWEVER, I have to scrimp & save like a crazy person, which basically means we don't get out as much as we'd like unless it's something free. (ie: walks to the library, playing in the back yard, etc...)


But then I thought, eh... why ebay? Why not list him here? I have plenty of readers ALL with children/children on the way SO, rather than ebay, he's being listed HERE just for YOU !
All my faithful R.I.H.O.T. readers get first dibs.
I'm going to just leave it up to you all, that is if anyone's interested in him at all.


Leave me your 'bid' amount in the comments section & by weeks end, whoever has the highest bid, wins. And just like in true ebay fashion I have a COUNTDOWN TO ELMO ticker factory icon at the bottom of the blog. Bidding ends as of midnight on Sunday.
Winner to be announced first thing Monday Morning!
Oh, and if you'd rather your bid be private?

e-mail me instead!

I'll just update the comments section with an amount only
& that way, the bidders identity won't be revealed!
Ooooh this is going to be FUN!
LET THE BIDDING BEGIN!
(and if nobody should be interested in him, that's ok too cuz I can always just go back to my original plan of posting him on ebay... they're going for $150 & up!)
I don't know about you all, but that would make a nice chunk of change
to add to my Italian fund, plus it'll make me happy knowing that not everyone on the planet gets to bid on him like on ebay, but it's an event privvy only to my readers, my friends!
WOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

Ruby's Book Club...

... will have online *monthly meetings* with anyone interested in joining!

Standard Bookclub Rules according to Miss Ruby:

-Must either love to read or at least be willing to make yourself LOOK like you love it...

-Must have a fabulously toasty chair to plunk down into with this month's book selection as chozen by miss RUBY...

-Must not be afraid to be 'different' and chill 'in your own way' ...
( it's OK to break the rules on occasion... Momma said so!)


(I'm pretty sure that's not how one would assume a toddler relaxes in her chair, but it seems to work for Miss Ruby Roo...)
-Always have an ice water sippy handy for those thirsty reading moments...
-Always bring a friend or two...
(note her new friend DUCK in the backround on Momma's ottoman...)


And last but not least,

-FOR GOD SAKES, ALWAYS ENJOY YOURSELF!

The Devil in the White City...

Book club selection for September,
& so far, I'm LOVING it!

And in the immortal words of Ross Geller...

"... I just grabbed a spoon."


*smile*

'Stealth-Aunt'

Ok, so my Aunt Allegra (Ruby's Nanna T) is staying downstairs at my parents place while they're whoopin' it up in ITALY! (jealous like you CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE!) And truth be told, I like that she's there because honestly, if I were to have an MS attack, it's just not the smartest thing in the world to be in such a big house & be the only adult with a child in tow. So far so good & I'm probably going to be just fine as I usually am, HOWEVER, can't hurt to be safe right? So, why 'stealth-aunt' as the title to this post? Let me explain...

My aunt is fun & loud, just like me, she's KNOWN whenever she's in a room, or a house, or within ten feet or so of you, just like me. LOL So if she's loud & boisterious WHY IS IT that literally, I look outside my apartment & one minute her car's there & the next, *POOF* it's gone!?!@?!! Seriously, keep in mind that the driveway is HUGE, it's easy to hear ANYONE start a car from ANYWHERE in my cozy little apartment because I always have every window open, even if it's just a crack. HOW IS THIS WOMAN DISSAPPEARING WITHOUT ME SO MUCH AS HEARING HER START THE ENGINE?

Oh, and the car, if I showed it to you you'd say;
" Now come'on Amy, you're trying to tell me you didn't hear THAT CAR leaving?"

Yes, that's what I'm telling you.

SO, either I'm going DEAF in my 30's OR, the woman is a secret stealth bomber on a mission to make me feel like I'm losing my mind!
Guess what Leggy... IT'S WORKING!
hehehe

Seriously maybe all these years of listening to myself talk, and talk, and talk, and talk-
has ruined my hearing.
It's possible...
... I'm sorry, what was that?

Men In Trees... *updated*

" The truest thing I know about relationships is that sometimes we don't know anything at all.
You can't always get the one you want and sometimes the one you get may not be the right one at all... but if you have hope, the universe has a funny way of showing you exactly what you need.
The challenge is to let yourself be alone until the right one shows up...
but you can't hide either.
Heartbreak sucks...
but not having heartbreak sucks more.
The answers aren't in a lecture or a book but maybe if you get yourself happy, you'll find the right one.
I believe this because against all odds, I'm still an optimist.
That's the thing about love...
if it were that easy, everyone would have it.

*More Men in Trees...*

So I guess there's no easy way to move on from a relationship.
You can't flip a switch and suddenly be over it,
because the road really is full of hidden pot holes.
You can try staying in the relationship...
You can stay home and dream of the perfect unobtainable one...
But in the end, it just takes time and some Alaskan tap water
and the help of a town full of good men.
Thanks for sleeping with me Elmo."

Ok, who'se brave enough to attempt this?

L'approvazione, questa è uscita dall'ordinario per me, TUTTAVIA, ho desiderato inviare qualcosa aromatizzare sul blog una punta! Sono curioso quant0 di voi REALMENTE tenteranno di provare & calcolare fuori che cosa ho scritto, piuttosto che commento giusto su come non potete capirli… CAPPISH? Con la persona che può leggere il questo & calcolare fuori che cosa dice, i PUNTI ENORMI di INDENNITÀ e forse sorpresa trasmessa personalmente dal RUBY lei stessa! Hee Hee, BUONA FORTUNA! Ed a quelli di voi che REALMENTE PARLANO ITALIANO (sì Rina, questo li significa…) non rovinare la sorpresa per il resto di noi che devono calcolare fuori un senso tradurre questo testo con l'uso dei loro calcolatori & dei loro cervelli! hee di hee Ciò dovrebbe essere DIVERTIMENTO per dire il minimi!

CIAO!

Happy Birthday to you...

... Happy Birthday to You,
Happy Birthday Dear
RUBY!
Happy Birthday Toooo Youuuu!!!
*clapping*
YEAH!



hehehe only my kid is full of herself enough to start applauding BEFORE the song ends but just immediately AFTER hearing her NAME!
*grin* hehehe

That's my girl!

Ruby tell Uncle Steve... GO! GO! GO!

If it says the video is no longer available... be patient, because it IS available, HOWEVER I literally just uploaded it... SO, it takes a little while for it to be fully functional via the blog. Come back in a few minutes & click on it again, should be just fine. =) (& to Uncle Steve who was SO patient with constantly playing his cell phone over and over and over and OVER and OVER some more for my bossy little 'GO!' girl... Thanks! ) *smile*

Ok, so you wanna see some pictures huh?

Nice, so uh... Momma, are ALL those little cakes for me AND Bear?

*shhh, Bear, don't tell her that you can't eat cuz you don't have a mouth!
Just go with it!*


C'mon Isabella... let's bust a move!


PUZZLES?!? I LOVE PUZZLES!!!
Hmmm a book that makes noises? THANKS UNCLE ADAM!
*psst, Momma's gonna kill you now*


Enjoying showing off my loot with my good friend Abi!


Presents schmesents, WHO NEEDS EM when I have this GREAT BOTTLE CAP!
hee hee

Hanging with my Uncle Elvis!
*I have a BIG CRUSH on this man... shh don't tell Auntie Jen!*

The 411 on my kewl cupcake tower...

This little number is called: The Wilton Cupcakes N'More Dessert Stand & here are a few places it can be found at:

WILTON STORE ONLINE

BED BATH & BEYOND

Now obviously it's cheaper to try & find it at Bed Bath & Beyond... truth be told I found mine at A.C. Moore. (craft store here in my neck of the woods) I think I paid $40. for mine but literally the following weekend it went on sale for $19.99. So it's just the luck of the draw I suppose.

Not sure if there's an A.C. Moore near you?
CLICK HERE to find out WHERE one IS in your neck of the woods!

Tower-O-Cupcakes!

Mmmm... is it 3:00pm yet?
hehehe

And don't think for a second that this is how I'm going to transport these puppies outside, NO WAY NO HOW! I've got a tupperware cake/cupcake taker for that... observe:


hehehe Ruby's very excited about her party but she did recently whisper to me:
"Momma... Gen?"
*tears*
HOW CUTE IS THAT?!@?@?@