Life, Cammie Style

The Big Boy Bed

2009-07-01T20:46:00.006-02:30

So a couple of days ago, we decided it was time to make the leap. Silas has been sleeping quite happily in his crib but...he's two and a half, and a big boy for his age. The crib has been becoming confining and small.

I fought against it for a while and for a few reasons. First being that the crib was just so darned convenient! When he got up in the morning, he couldn't wander the house and destroy things. He was confined to his bed. He didn't seem to mind in the least either. Not even an attempt to climb out.

My other reason is that he's my BABY! Every other time that I've taken down the crib it didn't bother me much because I had another baby that would need it soon or there was one on the way. This time the crib actually left my house. We're donating it to a church yard sale. It just seems so final.

So what did Silas think of his new bed?

Chillin' on the new bed with his cell phone

He seemed pretty happy with it. He wanted his Spiderman blanket on it right away, and ran off to get Turtle and Pooh to sit on it. He played on the bed for the better part of the afternoon.

At bedtime he was a little less sure. He wasn't so happy about being tucked into this foreign bar-less bed. He missed his crib. He cried a little. But one "Time for School, Mouse!" story and lots of hugs and kisses later and he was all ready to say goodnight.

Ahhhhhh all tucked in and cosy!

We went in a while later to check on him, make sure he was okay and still sleeping comfortably...

Just...stopping here for a breather on my way out...

Yes...he somehow ended up on the Cars sofa next to his bed. We tucked him back in and kissed him goodnight once more with no fuss...but he was here again in the morning.

Hopefully he'll get used to the bed soon...I'm still not used to being without a crib...

The List

2009-06-30T10:37:00.003-02:30

Okay so it's been a while...Summer is fabulous and hot and sunny and there are a million things to do while Hayden is at my mom's for a vacation. Since that vacation is quickly sliding to a close, it's high time I get back on my butt and sit with my BRAND NEW LAPTOP!!!! (more on that later) and blog.

I've been following several awesome blogs lately. One of my favorites (perhaps my top favorite) is Becoming Sarah. Sarah is an amazing blogger and never fails to make me laugh. I think my favorite thing about this blog is the blunt honesty about her subject, whatever it may be on a given day. She says all the things that we all think but usually don't say out loud.

Today Sarah has made a list of her pet peeves. As usual, she managed to crack me up...and inspired me to write my own list. So without further adieu, here we have my list.

1. Bill Collectors with no common sense (aka: most of them):
Okay, we all know what ones I'm talking about. The ones that call you about some bill that you supposedly owe that you don't even remember having, then demand that you pay the balance. Now. Immediately. Yesterday, if possible. When you tell them that you get paid in a week and will be glad to pay the balance then, they act like you've just told them that you never plan to pay it and asked them for a loan. No! Now! Today! Okay...how about I make a payment today and then pay the balance when I get paid? NOOOOOOO! NOW!!!!!! ALLL OF ITTTT! *frothing at the mouth over the phone* Really. What is wrong with these people? We've had one collector calling my husband for a bill that we paid six years ago (yes, six) and the company that they claim they're collecting the bill for can't even find record of it...) and even though it's a Canadian company the fellow on the phone affects a Brooklyn accent and acts like a member of the Mafia. Oh please.

2. People who go to the "10 Items or Less" checkout with 25 items or more:
Yes, you want to get out of here ASAP and the other lineups are longer. If everyone took your attitude, this lineup would be just as long as they are. I came in here for a carton of milk. GTFO my express line.

3. People who don't stop at crosswalks:
I am trying to cross the street, legally, with my precious babies and you come careening around a corner like you're in the Indy 500. LEARN TO DRIVE MORON.

4. People who pass me, either on the highway or in a supermarket aisle, then immediately stop or slow down:
If you are not going to go as fast or faster than me, stay behind me. I don't think I need to elaborate on why.

5. Automated phone systems with no option for "speak to a REAL LIFE BREATHING PERSON":
There is nothing worse than making a phone call that should take 10 minutes because you have the smallest and simplest question to ask and end up spending an hour and a half pressing buttons, only to hang up in frustration because you couldn't ask it. Is there a number I can press to wish the person who invented these automated systems can burn in hell? Please?

6. Oven Mitts that don't operate properly:
Ow

7. Parents who give into their children because they yelled and threw a tantrum in a public place:
Validating their behavior much? My kids know that all they're going to get if they yell and scream and kick in a public place is a trip home and a nice nap. Perhaps even a spanking.

8. Children's shows that make kids "Say it louder!":
Not designed with parents in mind is all I can say.

I have more...so many more...but I think I'll leave the rest for another day.

Check out Sarah's blog! She's awesome and amazing and all other things like that. I check her blog religiously about 4 times a day.

The Best Daddy in the World

2009-06-22T15:07:00.003-02:30

I have never met anyone that loves his kids more than Val. He adores them. He's never too dignified to get on the floor and play with Transformers and Lego. Being a kid at heart, the boys relate to him and love him more than anything.

From the moment he came into my life and took James into his arms and heart, I knew that he was the man I would love for the rest of my life. He's a fantastic husband and incredible father. I should have written this yesterday but I was too busy spending time with him.

I love you honey, and Happy (belated) Father's Day from me and your boys.

And They Called it...Puppy Love...

2009-06-09T13:15:00.002-02:30

Silas and my sister's dog, Meca.

Joanie's Butterfly

2009-06-04T12:59:00.006-02:30

And left to kiss the cheek of Mother Nature

Nobody here can be denied such things

Make the ladies you love, come honey

No butterfly should be denied it's wings

(Joanie's Butterfly - Aerosmith)

Okay, so I said I wouldn't tell you my real name. I lied. Though I mostly go by Cam, my real name is indeed Joanie. Yes, like Joanie loves Chachi. That kind of Joanie.

This post is twofold (I guess threefold if you count the name part) about what makes me who I am. First of all, I am a huge fan of Aerosmith. I have been since I was a little girl, and the fact that they have a song with my name in the title just thrills me beyond compare. At some point, Steven Tyler sang MY name into a microphone for the world to hear. *dies* I don't think they have ever belted out a tune that I didn't enjoy to the fullest.

The fact that the song is Joanie's Butterfly makes it even better because you see I adore butterflies. For the longest time my favorite accessory was a butterfly hair clip, but since it went out of fashion I had to find a new way to carry my butterflies with me...

So I tattooed a butterfly on my skin. Yes, this is my lower back. As my friend Megan likes to say, it's my "tramp stamp". No, it's not colored. Maybe that also will tell you a bit about my personality. I intended originally to have it colored pink and blue, but decided to leave it completely black. Some things are just too good in their original form to be overdone.

It was so dark that I could hardly see

It smelled so sweet, you know who and Joanie

So many butterflies one could not see

What Makes Me...Cam.

2009-05-29T20:35:00.006-02:30

For my next few posts (unless something remarkable and exciting happens...yeah right) I'm going to explain to everyone what makes me who I am. The places, people and things I love and some of the ones I love less.

I figure I'll start with what makes me "Cam". As you might have guessed (and a lot of you already knew all too well), my real name (real meaning the name on my birth certificate) is not Cam. Nor is it Cameron or Camryn or any variation thereof. What that name on my birth certificate is I will not be sharing here for various reasons, but the most glaring of those reasons is that I'm comfortable with being called Cam. After all, it's what some of my dearest friends have called me for years.

On my wedding anniversary some 2 and a half-ish years ago, my husband introduced me to a whole new world. A world known as Azeroth. Yes, that's right, we started to play World of Warcraft.

I tried out a few characters but ultimately settled on a human priestess because I could make her look like me!!! (Thunder Thighs and all!!!)

I promptly named her...Camelot.

For the next year, this was my identity. As the mother of a then-2 year old and a newborn, I didn't get out much in the real world, but I was free to roam the wilderness and cities of Azeroth at my leisure. I met interesting people from all over the world, some of whom became my lifelong friends and others who I haven't heard from since. The one thing these people all had in common is that, to them, I was "Cam".

After about a year of playing Camelot, I got bored. I decided it was time to try something completely new, but no other games appealed to me and I still wasn't able to get out and socialize due to a very strict budget and lack of friends in this town. Instead, I decided to play the other side of the field for a while.

I rolled Horde.

Venit was my character's (a blood elf warlock) name, but as I am by nature a person that needs to reach out to people, I had become quite well-known on our realm forums, everyone STILL called me Cam. It had stuck. So much so that Val (and no, that's not HIS real name either) sometimes would slip up and call me Cam at home.

Now I don't play Venit anymore, I went back to the priest class as well as a "Cam" name (Camdyn) but remained horde as a blood elf. But it's become rather comfortable, this identity. I think I'll keep it. It gives me a warm feeling inside when I get a phone call from a "WoW-friend" or talk to them on voice chat and hear them call me Cam.

Some people make fun of gamers. They stereotype us as either fat forty year old virgins who live in their mother's basement with a pile of twinkie wrappers next to our computers, (I'm NOT fat, I'm not even thirty, I have my own apartment and it's Rice Krispy Square wrappers THANK YOU VERY MUCH!) or acne-prone socially retarded teenagers who talk with a lisp because of their braces. This is not the case. The different people who play this game would astound you. I have met stay at home moms and successful physicians both in this world we call Warcraft. It made a social network for me that I couldn't have brought myself to make without it. The friends that I have made in this game have encouraged me to better myself, to never settle for less, and to test my limitations.

So to know who I am, you must know that even though the gloss has worn off this game for me, the people keep me going back and the world known as "Azeroth" is in my life to stay for as long as Blizzard Entertainment lets me play in it.

To My World of Warcraft Friends....

2009-05-19T10:36:00.003-02:30

Somebunnie loves you!!!!

More to come later. <3

The Crazy Continues...

2009-05-12T22:23:00.005-02:30

With deciding to do kitchen inventory and clean out my cupboards! I only got one cupboard done before deciding to finish tomorrow...but holy crap. Where did some of this stuff COME FROM? I'm sure I didn't buy all those canned tomatoes since we don't even eat them...

Yeah, yeah...I know...Kraft Dinner. *gag* Auntie Dale would be so horrified...

Okay, this one has me baffled. 10 cans of salmon?! We don't even like canned salmon so I know we didn't buy it...

And the finished product! A clean and organized cupboard!!! Job well done, I'll get at my baking cupboard tomorrow. Now THERE'S a chore and a half.

Baking Day!!!

2009-05-12T17:45:00.010-02:30

So today was a busy day of yummies here! I don't remember if I posted that my mother's day present was a breadmaker, but it was...and today I decided to try it out!

Isn't it PRETTY?! It has all kinds of settings and stuff like that, but since it was my first time trying it out...I decided to go with the simplistic white loaf.

TA-DA! My first ever loaf of breadmaker bread!!!!!!

But I didn't stop there. Oh no! I decided that since I was on a roll, I must also make blueberry muffins!!!

Val's absolute favorite!!!

But...why stop there, right? I have this new recipe for Pineapple Squares that I have been DYING to try out and Silas was quite eager to help me!

Because Mommy cannot SURVIVE without some help from Silas! He even helped me press the base into the pan.

Don't you wish that YOU had a kitchen helper that looked this awesome?!?!? How could you RESIST?!

And the finished...Wait a minute! Weren't there a DOZEN muffins??? VAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

From Me and Mine to You and Yours...

2009-05-10T19:26:00.008-02:30

Have a wonderful Mother's Day!

I spent the day with my mother and my boys and it was a fantastic day. I'm so glad to be able to be close to my mom. I hear about friends of mine that have gone for months or years without speaking to their mother and I can't imagine it. My mom is closer to me than anyone else.

So for all of you moms and moms-to-be out there, I hope you have a wonderful Mother's Day and are waited on like a queen!

For the rest of you...

CALL YOUR MOTHER!!!!!!

The Eye of the...Listener?

2009-05-05T09:11:00.004-02:30

I have often wondered if there are other people who see the world as I do.

The saying is "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder", but I see the world in sound. Now if you're wondering, I am not blind. With the help of my glasses I see the world the same as anyone else. However, I am affected much more by sound than by sight, and the world is infinitely more beautiful to me if the sounds surrounding me are beautiful.

Take Steven Tyler for example.

Not exactly an attractive man...his eyes are a bit small when you compare them to his HUGE mouth. But when this man opens that mouth, beautiful sounds come out. Which makes him so beautiful to me that even Brad Pitt just can't compare.

Recently Andrea Bocelli has become the music of choice in our household. Silas is fascinated whenever we play his music and will just sit with his fingers in his mouth, listening in amazement to the beautiful sounds that this man can make, with seemingly little effort.

Knowing that Mr. Bocelli has been blind since a young age, it's made me wonder if perhaps he "sees" his world as I do. If he is more attracted to beautiful sounds as most people are attracted to beautiful sights. Our favorite performance of his thus far is his "Time to Say Goodbye" duet with Sarah Brightman, and as we all know this woman has a voice of such loveliness that it is not to be compared with others, as well as a beautiful face. I wonder if when he pictures her, he sees her as she is because of the sheer beauty of her voice.

Andrea Bocelli's voice wraps me up like a blanket and gives me a feeling of warmth unlike anything else I've ever heard. I think his voice sounds the way that love feels.

On that note, I'll leave you with my favorite Andrea Bocelli duet with Sarah Brightman. For today, it's "Time To Say Goodbye".

PS: And if you're wondering, Silas is the only child in my house who appreciates culture apparently. The entire time that I'm playing Italian opera...Hayden is driving me crazy to play "Inside the Fire" by Disturbed. Gonna have to work on that one...

A Good Weekend

2009-04-27T18:23:00.006-02:30

What a beautiful weekend! The sun was shining, the temperatures were warm and inviting...time for a trip to the mall!

We walked for 45 minutes to our local mall. Hayden skipped along beside us and Silas enjoyed the jaunt from the comfort of his stroller. It was so warm that we discarded our sweaters before we even left our street.

It was an uneventful but profitable trip. Both Hayden and I scored new shoes. He got a nice pair of Dr. Scholl's and I got a pair of Sugi's. I preferred the black and pink pair, but they weren't there in my size. :(

We had dinner at McDonalds (again, not my pick!) and had ice cream for dessert. Silas ate his in the stroller on the way home. After bathtime everyone tumbled into bed, happy and tired!

Today Val was back to work so the kids and I had the day to ourselves. I baked blueberry buttermilk muffins and an Apple Pie-in-a-Hurry, cleaned the kitchen and had a visit with our kids' nurse. Silas was on par with his development, if not a little ahead, so we were pretty pleased with that.

They have grown up so much, it's hard to believe it...Seems like just yesterday they were just babies. Now they're not even close to being babies, they're little boys.

Here's hoping tomorrow is as productive as today...and here's knowing I'll sleep well tonight!

I Can't Believe It

2009-04-25T12:29:00.002-02:30

Okay, like most moms of small kids, I have a terrible time getting Hayden (age 4) to eat. Silas (age 2) would probably eat old socks if he could dip them in ketchup, but Hayden is a bit more finicky. So yesterday when I decided to make something new for dinner I fully expected to have to bust out a can of Spaghetti-O's in order to get Hayden to actually eat dinner.

Not so.

Chicken and Broccoli Divan is actually something that he likes that is good for him. Shocking! Now if only I can find more recipes that can take green vegetables and other healthy food and twist it in a way that he will eat it. In light of the fact that it was absolutely delicious, I will share this recipe with you. I found it on a Campbell's Soup can, but altered it slightly (as I am wont to do) with great success.

Chicken and Broccoli Divan

2 cups cooked chicken, cubed
4 cups cooked broccoli
1 can Campbells low-fat cream of broccoli soup
1/3 cup 2% milk
Shredded cheese (I used a 4 cheese blend of mozzarella, monterey jack, cheddar and colby)
3 tbsp dry bread crumbs
1 tbsp melted margarine

Put the chicken and veggies in the bottom of a casserole dish or shallow baking dish. Stir in the soup and the milk. Sprinkle with cheese, as much as your family prefers. We like LOTS of cheese. Mix the bread crumbs with the margarine and then sprinkle over top. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes.

Quick, easy and delicious. There wasn't any left over!