Haiku Friday: Monkey Socks (not sock monkeys)

tell me what sound does

a monkey make ooo ahh ahh

ahh ahh ahh ahh ahh

show me monkey toes

little socks with monkeys on

the toes and the back

can't find larger pair

too adorable to not have

oh what will I do

Last spring I found an adorable pair of cute little monkey slipper socks at Target. Then it got warm, and we forgot about them. I found them again this fall, and M has already perfected her monkey noise, and she stares at her feet and makes monkey noises every time she wears them. But they are small, and won't fit her through the winter. We've been searching for other similar slippers with no luck. They must have been fleeting seasonal items. I'm hoping the upcoming holiday season means that I can find a replacement for when these no longer fit, but I'm getting discouraged.

As for animal noises, we've added monkey, cow, I think a duck, sometimes sheep, and a growl/roar for bears/lions/tigers that comes out like her saying "Owwww". I want to capture as much of this as I can, so I don't forget how cute it is. I think I may need it when she's a teenager.

For more awesome haiku, go see Christina over at A Mommy Story

Let the vacation prep continue...

Still focused on trying to get ready for vacation here. Including tying up loose ends at work. Having a moderately pointless class (they all seem to be pitches for their books) today didn't help matters much. However, I was able to clear up some Target shopping. Got M a harness thinking we could use that for our trip. However, the monkey scares the crap out of her. Oh well, we try again later. Guess we'll have to just let her run wild.

I have made my lists, and started piling clothing to be packed, while trying to figure out just what food to bring with for the train and subsequent days. Have to make sure we have healthy snack options.

I may get a post ready to to auto post while I am gone (parking lot rage anyone?), but if I don't, I'll be back next Thursday. However, one last post tomorrow for Haiku Friday. If you haven't already seen Haiku Friday, head over to A Mommy Story tomorrow to check it out. Definitely worth it.

There's three grand in my mouth.

Before I write about my nervous breakdown in a Target parking lot, I figured I should write about my tooth drama.

To write about my tooth drama, I should write about my first dentist. So, here is goes.

My first dentist was a crazy old many with horrible breath. His name was Dr. Stanley, I think. He was my dad's dentist. My dad's crazy, and he like this guy, that should have been the first sign of trouble. His solution to my buck teeth was for me to spend time every day pushing them back in place. The way he showed me what the drill did was to drill a little hole in my finger. He also didn't know what laughing gas was. The first time I saw a pediatric dentist, I'm pretty sure that I skipped and swore up and down that I would be good if I could go back there.

When I was 11, I was in a bike accident. The short story is that I hit the ground with my face and slid. I was out of town at my aunt's graduation from college, and had to go to the local ER where I waited for hours for the local oral surgeon to show up and sew my bottom lip back on. I also broke off most of my front teeth. (bye bye buck teeth) The consensus was that I was lucky to escape without a broken jaw or wrists (I did try to stop myself) They sealed my teeth because I had exposed nerves, and sent me home with major pain killers.

At home I went back to school, two weeks before it let out, and then spent my summer out of the sun, trying to keep the scar that was my face from discoloring. I was so proud I could talk without moving my lips (immobilized), and that I got to eat refried beans and milk shakes, that I honestly don't remember being teased much, but I know I was. My teacher suggested that I not be in school for fear of scaring the other students with my hideousness (I am sure she spun it as being for my own good, but she was a bitch so I know better).

Over the course of the summer the soft tissue issues healed (I still have to explain why my bottom lip looks funny to any dentist/hygienist who sees me), and I had many dentist appointments. First to do root canals after my teeth started to die, and then to rebuild them with composite. Crowns would be done before graduation, since my mouth wasn't done growing.

Other than the composite teeth (one slightly discolored to match the tooth that got the root canal too late), the only other visible scar I had was a bluish mark on my upper lip from lacerations that healed oddly. Those scars have since healed, but it took me 16 years to get the crowns. My parents could never afford them, and I finally saved up enough before I got married. I had the composite build ups break off a few times and get rebuilt, even better than before.

I know that the visible scars that stayed (the teeth and upper lip) had an effect on me. I know that kids teased me, even if I can't remember the specifics. I never thought that they would stay with me this much. I thought I was over it. Until two weeks ago, I was sure that I was.

The prospect of having to spend any time publicly without a front tooth, especially with a discolored stub of remaining tooth, left me a mess. Especially when it looked like the recementing measures taken (the next to last step before major surgery for an implant) would not actually work and I would be left with issues before vacation. I have had multiple panic attack/break downs. Of course, there is other stress in my life, but this seems to be the major trigger. The thing that had made it hard to keep my shit together.

So, before I write about the parking lot drama, just know, my shit, so not together.

*I went in today to have them look at it again, and it was determined it is very solidly in place, I just needed some adjustments since it doesn't fit as well as it once did. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted. We shall see. Chicago dogs, here I come.

This used to be a snack free zone.

As someone who has battled her weight all of her adult life, I have learned that snacks are my downfall. So, much to my husband's chagrin, we don't really have many snacks in the house.

Except, toddlers need snacks. If you don't feed them regularly, you get the monster toddler instead. So, we've had to start stocking up on the snacks again. Here is a list of the snacks in the house. I'm taking suggestions for other toddler friendly ones since I'm feeling uninspired.

Cheese - Ok, so I never quit having cheese in the house, now there is just more. M won't drink milk, so the lucky girl gets cheese with most meals.

Whole Grain Goldfish - I realize whole grain doesn't mean unprocessed, but since the all natural alternatives are also as hard as can be, this was a compromise.

Barbara's Organic O's

Annie's Organic Bunny Love - a very lightly sweet answer to O's type cereals, pretty tasty

Raisins - We're having issue with these cause they're poisonous to the dog

Whole grain breakfast/snack bars - I found a few varieties at the coop that are lower sugar than the mainstream ones.


Husband is pretty happy, since some of these he likes too. However, I still feel like I'm missing something. Maybe I can see if I can find these locally.

This post was written for Parent Bloggers Network as an entry for a contest sponsored by Brothers-All-Natural. If you write a post by well, today, you can be entered to win 250 bucks in groceries, and you know, that is a lot of snacks.