Tales of a SAHM

Life in 2012

2012-01-03T09:30:00.003-06:00

Nov 7, 2010 was my last post. Since no one reads this anyway, it doesnt really matter. So lets just say my last post was last week, k?

So now I have no kids at home, no ailing parent to comfort, I am aimlessly wondering what am I to do now? Could I finally finish moving into my house? Could I finally finish those nagging projects I started oh so long ago? Can I finally focus on taking care of myself? Hmmmm. Interesting thoughts.

On that thought, I have been stalking pinterest.com lately. Wow, talk about crack for the soul. I literally spent 3 hours on that site yesterday looking for ideas on making a valentines wreath (I blame my mother in law - back to that in a minute), and I found those and many many more cool things that me, a relatively well educated woman in my (ahem) mid thirties could easily do. I have a few crafty skills. I can do this.... I already made a few cookies from that site. Mostly they were good.

Anyway, back to my mother in law. She is very sweet. In fact, that is why she is to blame for the wreath thing. While she was at my house last fall watching my kids while I was taking care of my Dad, she bought a fall wreath. It was really pretty and looked really nice on my door. So, when Christmas came, I actually made a wreath. No, it wasnt my idea, I totally plagerized it, but it turned out really nice. Made one for my mom and one of her friends too. So now that I have taken my decorations down, I am in need of the next door hanger. I have my standard, no holiday, boring, blah one. But I don't want that one. I am finally feeling not blah, so I believe my front door should reflect that. Strange logic, I know, but that is how I roll.

I found some really cute ideas. Some fabric that look easy to one with felt that looks like it would take a long time... don't know if I am into that. I am still a short attention span kind of girl.

I finally finished a quilt for my mom for Christmas. I thought it was really pretty. I wanted to keep it for myself, but that would be wrong. I have found a pattern for the next one. I have to decide if this one I will keep, or if I will give it to my brother for his wedding. That would be nice of me... wonder if I will be nice. I have like 11 months to be naughty before I have to be nice again.... at least that is how I think it works... Noel may agree... he he.

So, carry on. Maybe I will do this regularly now. I think that it would be cool to give a copy of this blog to my kids one day so that they have proof to give the doctors when they want me committed... he he.

The Move

2010-11-07T20:45:00.002-06:00

Moving stinks. Moving twice stinks more. We just completed our move into our new house. It is really a beautiful house. Way more than I ever thought was possible for us to achieve. But for the Grace of God, we did. I am still excited to see what all He has in store for us here. Should be a wild ride. Has been so far!

But I digress. Like I said, moving stinks. But, it provides you with the age old, irrefutable excuse... " We lost it in the move".

So far we have lost a camera and a Brownie vest that I can think of right now. The rough part is that we don't know we are missing them until we need them. So, it may be years before I know I lost something. The good side is that I can clean my kids rooms... mwah ha ha! Goodwill and NAM are the beneficiaries of all our "losses".

Lauren has been living out of boxes for 6 weeks now. I finally had a sit down with her and explained that if she didn't do it, I was. She replied to me "I don't like it when you clean my room". SUCCESS! So what did she do all day long today???

Yep. 5 empty cardboard boxes down for the count!

The Salvation Army is coming on Tuesday. We have 2 refrigerators, a bookshelf, a dresser, a bike and numerous small items to give them. YAY! We may actually be able to park in our garage soon . SHHH

With all the moving, the hardest part for me is the loss of the neighbors as friends. I am not saying that they are no longer my friends, it is just that you establish a different kind of friendship with your neighbors. It is one of convenience, not necessarily shared interest or something. We will see how they survive. I am confident in one... not so much in many others.

But with the loss of old comes the entry of new. Several neat ladies are my new neighbors. The one next door openly decries Christianity, so we will see what happens there. They no longer scoff when we say we are going to church... so that is good. Lifestyle evangelism will be essential with these folks... it is like they are just waiting for us to fail... too bad they wont understand we all fail.

I digress again.

Looking forward to seeing what my life becomes now. Unemployed, stay at home mom to 2 kids in school. Hm. We shall see. maybe I will take up skydiving. Maybe not.

June 22, 2009

2010-05-06T08:38:00.002-05:00

Yep, that was the last time I posted a blog entry. It is my passion, i guess.. hm.

I have had loads of things to write about, but I forgot every one of them. Oh well. Will try to do better.

The final days of Tyler being at home with me are here. We have exactly 10 more days of preschool. YIKES. Then a long summer and he starts Kinder. I thought that I would be excited about this, but in truth, I believe I will cry like a baby and wander around wondering what I am supposed to do now. So, I am trying to figure that out now. Do I work? Full time? Part time? Volunteer a bunch? ugh.

It is also the final days of the Kersh family living at 14331. We have been here 11 years and the stuff is astronomical. Along with the stuff are memories though. Some good, some bad but all memories. I know we will make new ones in the new house and the kids will barely remember this place when they are old, but this house with all its pimples and rashes will stay in my heart forever. I really really pray that the new owners will love this home as much as we have and will find happiness here. UGH, oh well. We start moving in another week, and close in 2 1/2. HOPEFULLY all the folks we have moved over the past 11 years will lend a helping hand. he he.

What else... pray for me next year. I will be in a new house, without a job, without a kid and not knowing my neighbors. My life will be unrecognizable from the life I lead right now. I am excited to see what God has in store for me. He has to have a grand task, this move has really been way too perfect for Him not to have orchestrated it from the beginning. We shall see, huh?

Facial

2009-06-22T20:14:00.003-05:00

So, my sweet husband bought me a gift card for a massage last year for Mother's Day. Very nice, right? Well it seems as though I had a terrible time finding a good time to go and use it. It expired on May 31, 2009 so on May 29th I went.

Just in the nick of time.

I did decide to have a facial instead of the massage though. So off I went.

Very relaxing. A little bit of pain during the "extractions" but overall very nice and my skin felt oh so smooth afterward.

Now in the meantime, my husband was home alone with the kids. 9 times out of 10 this is no good for the green team (that is me... I am the only one with green eyes, so the blue team - everyone else - tend to team up against me.)

I walk in the door and I was talking to a friend on the phone.. I wander into my room and my daughter follows me in... "Mommy" (note the disregard that I am talking to someone else) "Mommy - your face looks nice!"

"Thank you sweetheart" then she leaves...

Not five steps out the door - "OK Dad. I told her!"

Nice

Later that day Noel and I were going to finish our fence project we had started the weekend before. I kept telling him to go to the store (read "gently reminding him to go to the store") to get the lumber we needed for the project.

Before he goes, we decide to play a little family style picture Bingo.

I win the first game and Daddy wins the next 4. Sonshine is getting frustrated and simply states "Dad. It is time for you to go to the store."

A family history of poor losers perhaps?

Summer Pool

2009-06-22T19:25:00.006-05:00

So, it is crazy hot this summer, right? Just officially the start of summer yesterday and I am already paying over $200 for electricity... Goodness knows what it will be in Aug... yikes..

So, I was looking at the Sunday paper and saw that Target had their blow up pools on sale... so I got one. Went to Target, got the pool, brought it home.

Little man decided that I was not able to swim in it. I didn't think much about this... just thought he was just talking... you know... cause that is what he does now...

Anyway, when Noel gets home, little man lets him in on the plan... "After dinner, you, me and sister are going to blow up the pool and go swimming."

Noel doesn't really think about it and goes "OK"

I inform him that I was not included in the pool group.

He asked why

"Because she isn't on the box."

(Duh!)

Apparently on the box, there is a girl, a boy and the dad. Thus I was not able to swim in the pool.

Noels thoughts were that the mom was the one taking the picture.

I told him "No.... Mom blew the thing up, so she is over passed out on the grass!"

I love 4 year old logic.

"Pona"

2009-02-15T18:48:00.002-06:00

So my daughter has been playing on the computer alot, right? I have been doing the "proper parenting" thing and checking what she is doing and all that. So, the other day she asks me ...
"Mom. Do we have Microsoft Word?"
Me: "Yes."
Her: "Where is it?"
Me: "Let me show you."

(note the absence of my questioning her about why she wants it - I can figure that out later - gotta love auto save)

A little while later I am reading and I hear her voice from the computer room :

Her: "Mom"
Me: "Yes?"
Her: "How do you spell 'pona'"
Me: "Huh?"
Her: "How do you spell 'pona'?"
(surely I have misheard her. Years of vocabulary words float through my mind... Is she saying 'Pony'? No. 'Pawn'? No. hmmmm

Her: "MOM!"
Me: "Yes?"
Her: "How do you spell 'pona'?"
Me: (i give up) "P-O-N-A"
Her: "thanks!"

I forgot about it.

So today I am listening to her play on the computer.

Her: "Mom! I opened Microsoft Word."
Me: "OK"
Her: "Now I can type. I called it 'Lauren'"

(she actually saved her document and renamed it lauren. I don't know how she knew to do this)

Tonight I get on my computer and notice her document is open....
I read it and what do you suppose it says?

"Once a pona time......"

he he

It is all talk!

2008-04-25T08:09:00.000-05:00

Little man, who isn't so little anymore, is really starting to talk. Except for the incredibly annoying mimics of his sister, he has really picked up some cute words. The other day he said both "Dangerous" and "Ridiculous" without his sister's help. Just out of no where. "Mommy, we cant go swimming in the deep end... that is dangerous"... "Mommy, don't put that on your head... that is ridiculous".

Wha?

Anyway, this is a long way from where he was at Christmastime.... He decided to put a "Y" sound at the end of most every word. "Sister-y... can I have some of your water-y?" I thought that it was cute..... Sister, not so much. Baby girl has actually asked me and darling dear not to call her by her name when little man is around. "Mom (I am mom to her now... not mommy anymore) ..actually more like 'Moooooooom' don't call me by my name. I don't want my brother to use my name (?). I want him to call me 'sister'." Of course, she does not call big man 'brother', so I don't get it. whatever.

Baby girl also picked up this annoying phrase at Christmas too. (gotta love grade school). "Big 'ole" has entered the house! "Mom... can you get me a 'big ole' drink... I am thirsty". Yowsers. Then again, a few months ago, husband and I were in bed on Sat morning fighting the sun from rising (it always seems to though) and baby girl wanted to know what we were going to do that day. "I dunno.. what do you want to do?"

"Let's go to the mall and loiter."

HUH? Really?

"So, darling daughter... what does loiter mean"

"You know... just hang out."

Wow. Chalk a positive up for grade school cause I am 98% certain that I don't use that word in my everyday conversations...

We do still have issues with some words though.

With both of them "ambulance" really gets them tongue tied. It usually ends up "aliens". As in "Mom - listen - can you hear the aliens?"

"No" (as I look to the sky for the UFO I am sure is hovering overhead with their sirens and bells blazing.)

Ever since my mom was in the hospital for a week or so this Spring, now they play "Aliens" and race to the hospital. whatever.

T still has an issue with the "L" sound. He finally got the "L" back in "please". But the "Fl" sound is really tripping him up. So, instead of, "Mommy, my flip flops are on the floor" it is "Mommy, my blip blops are on the bloor". Now, I know I am his mom, but that is WAY CUTE!

Shake it!

2008-04-07T20:41:00.000-05:00

So, it is 3 years and 6 months since the birth of my son. He FINALLY decides that it is time to use the potty on a regular basis (and the angels sing "ALLELUIA")

So, we started tinkling on the potty. Then we started pooping on the potty. (This is nasty... we are using a small potty and what goes in there must be transferred to the big potty - nasty). Now my big boy needed to learn how to stand and use the potty. From the beginning, I told my husband that he would have to be the one to teach him how to do this as I just don't have those parts.

When I came home from school one day and casually mentioned that my son's preschool teachers had started to teach him, my husband was a little peeved. (Apparently this was a right of passage that had been violated) so I told him to get to work.

At a visit to Nana's house, we heard the familiar call " Mama, I need to go potty" which was answered with "NOEL - GO". As my husband chases my son into the bathroom he is trying to remember why this was so important for HIM to teach my son this....

Noel comes out of the restroom a few minutes later in tears. (laughing ones) He says that after my son went potty, he told him to "Shake it". Now, to older boys and men, this is common knowledge. To a three year old boy who is used to dancing around the house, this is an invitation to cut a rug, so he shakes it. (think "come on baby, lets do the twist").

Wowsers. That was funny.

Update on the binky

2008-02-20T13:17:00.000-06:00

I was reading some of my old posts and came across one talking about Tyler's pacifier. Yes, the pacifier is gone. We had a passy passing ceremony on his 3rd birthday. I am pretty embarrassed that it took that long, but at three, we kicked that habit.
We had his party, opened presents, had cake, everyone left, then it was time. We pulled the trash can up to him. We had been explaining to him for weeks that 3 year olds don't use binkies anymore and that when he turns 3 that he wouldn't have it anymore. He seemed to be on board.
But when the time came, he threw his binky into the trash.... then took it out again. "No, you can't do that. It is time for binky to go bye-bye." "NOOOOO I want my binky".... yep it went on and on for about 30 minutes that night. I just sat on the couch and cried and cried. Why was that so emotional to me? I even went and got it out of the trash, washed it and had it in my hand for when I just couldn't take it anymore.
He finally fell asleep. we went through the same routine for another 2 weeks, but then I guess he forgot about it.
I think that was the last thing that made him truly a baby and since he will be my last, I suppose I was mourning that again. Not sure, maybe I was just hormonal. It sometimes happens that way.

Thinking of this story reminds me of when my daughter gave hers up. (it wasn't a willing thing). She chewed up her last one one night and I couldn't find another one to send with her to mothers day out the next day. her teacher assured me that she would be OK and she was for the most part. (apart from the incessant "I wan ma Binky" in the car and in bed for about 2 weeks).

I remember when we brought my son home from the hospital and we had fresh, new, clean Binkies for him. I remember seeing the look in her eye... like having an open bottle of tequila in front of an alcoholic. I am sure that she took a few drags from the new Binky, but I suppose that she decided that it wasn't all it was cracked up to be so she left them alone. She decided her new mission concerning the Binky was to keep track of it and make sure that it was in her brothers mouth at all times... he was much quieter that way... :)

Sodom and Gomorrah

2007-11-13T23:00:00.000-06:00

Long story.

My daughter loves to read bedtime stories at night... of course she does 1) it is fun to have someone read to you and 2) it delays the inevitable that the lights will be turned off and she will have to go to sleep. (Why did we hate this so much as kids... I would love to go to bed early every night.....)

So, trying to be the well balanced mom that I think I can be, I thought that it would be great to get her a kids Bible with lots of pictures and stories of the Bible. I thought that we could read them together and learn and talk and really enjoy growing up and learning about God together.

So on her Birthday we give her this Bible and a pair of Dora pajamas. Guess which one she liked the best. I did get the obligatory "Oh wow mom... thanks" when she opened the Bible, but then she set it aside and did not pick it back up for weeks. This hurt... you know I wrote a very sweet note in the cover hoping that she would treasure it as much as I treasured giving it to her... NOPE... I think that this comes with her learning empathy which I have been told doesn't come for another couple of years.

OK, so now the real reason for the post.

So when we finally decide to read it at night, she gets about 3 a night. Soon enough she picks out her favorite stories. The one she really focused on was Sodom and Gomorrah. Not sure if it was the pictures of the fires or the picture of Lots wife turning into salt... but she LOVES that story. I think she gets it though....

One day we were travelling down the road to church. There is a McDonalds pretty much across the street from our church which we used to go to before/during/after church activities. I say used to because on this day we looked for the McDonalds and it was no longer there. The only thing that was left was a big pile of rocks.

So my daughter is in the backseat and asks what happened... I say "Looks like it was torn down"

Silence in the back seat.

"I guess Mr. McDonald looked back"

Now tell me the child isn't paying attention.

I was rolling!

So, after weeks waiting and waiting we drive back past this McDonalds. This time it is my son's turn. "Look Mom... Bob Builder"

Huh?

There was a construction crew building the McDonalds back. Bob Builder apparently.

So now it is the McDonalds that Bob Builder Built.

I bet that they didn't know that, huh?

What my kids don't have or do.

2007-09-28T16:52:00.000-05:00

Our kids don't use bar soap. Yes, my kids are clean, but they use shower gel or liquid soap. Even washing their hands, they use liquid soap. I can still almost smell the smell of ivory. You know, I remember using that last little bit... trying to rub soap into nothingness.... I remember carving soap into cool statues... (was I the only one to do that?)... I even put the soap in my drawers as a "sachet". My kids don't even know what dove is and they are really confused why they can't touch the soap I have in their bathroom for visitors... they don't understand that when they rub their eyes, it will burn...ahh the memories.

Our kids don't have to wait to see a picture. They don't even know what a Polaroid is. Even my 2 year old says "Me see it" after I take his picture. I get in big trouble when I don't let him see it. I have a long explanation ahead of me when I take his picture with my Nikon or something. UGH. I wonder if this is why my daughter is such a ham in pictures.....

Our kids don't have plain bandaids. You know, the kind that ripped of every hair you had on your skin and sometimes even the scab itself. What a bunch of pansies. Now they have to have "sensitive" ones or character ones. But you know, it did take me a while to figure out that I would rather spend $5.00 a month on a few boxes on bandaids for my kids to put on then take right off, then to listen to them whine about an "owie" that I can't see.

Our kids don't have under-roos. At least I haven't found them. Yes, there are character underwear, but it just isn't the same, you know?

I don't need you anymore

2007-08-26T23:42:00.000-05:00

So I was enjoying this new found free time that I get two times a week now that my kids are back in school... Really nice. You know almost to the point that I am reciting to myself " Absense makes the heart grow fonder"... Then reality hits.

After school we decided to go out and play in the front yard. I figure.. hey... why the kids are playing, I will get the yard work done, right?

Well I did. No big story there.

So my daughter gets thirsty as she always does when we are playing outside. It is like the little girls who instantly have to go potty when they see a public restroom...when my daughter sees the outside fridge (dubbed the "beer fridge" - funny because 95% of the time is has NO beer in it - I digress) she gets thirsty. There are lots of fun things in there like bottled water, soda and juice boxes. YUMMY.

So she chooses a Sunny Delight.

Seeing that this was her drink of choice, I stop what I am doing to watch her tackle the lid. As I have been stopped many times already, I choose not to continue what I am doing, merely to be stopped again, so I wait... and wait... and wait. I finally ask... "Do you need mommy to help you open that?"

I am met with a resounding "No!. I don't need you anymore."

Now, she didn't mean it as hateful or quite to the extent in which I took it of course, but it did hurt... not the "Wow that was rude - Did I teach her that?" hurt.. more the " well if she doesn't need me for that anymore... what am I going to do...."

Fortunately, she answered my unasked question fairly quickly...

"Well, I still need you to tie my shoes - I can't make the loops."

At least I am still useful for something...

Twas the Night before Kindergarten...

2007-08-26T23:19:00.000-05:00

Twas the night before Kindergarten and all through the house, not a creature was stirring... except for Mom who has checked daughter's backpack eight times... has verified her bus number three times, has checked the clothes that she is wearing tomorrow five times and just keeps pacing back and forth in front of the door...

How did this happen? When did she get so big? I know that I have to relinquish some control... I will no longer know everything that she is doing every part of the day... sure I know that her recess is at a certain time, her lunch is at a certain time and other times she is in her classroom... but what is she doing? Is she behaving? I hope so. I guess this is the first true test of the foundation that we have tried to build in her.

I am really going to miss her.. but how excited I am for her... She is just going to THRIVE! It would be like me holding onto a butterfly's cocoon and not letting it hatch to not send her this year. And really.. what would I do with the child this year... I could barely entertain her over the summer months. I really can't wait for her to sit with me and try to read on her own.. how DO they learn that??? I can't wait to hear about her new friends... I am scared that she will be made fun of, but I guess we all have been through that and we all survived... and maybe learned a thing or two in the process.

I have three more years with my son at home. Fortunately (or un- depending on the day) I have almost an extra year with him that I didn't have with my daughter because of their birthdays... I think my son will need a little extra time.. he is pushing three and still thinks that the potty is his enemy...

Once again the words you always hear are ringing in my ears... "Cherish these days.. they grow up so fast". Man I hated hearing that.. not that I thought that it was true.. just that I heard them from everyone it seemed. Looking back with my daughter I believe it. With my son, I still can't picture it. Funny how that is.

I am looking forward to parenting older children... I do love my kids at this age.. they are so fun.. but I can just see it getting better and better as they grow older. I can't wait to become their friend...all in due time I suppose.

Until then, I will just sit here pacing until exhaustion takes over and I crash. I still have to get my son ready for preschool, so I have lots to do tomorrow... thank goodness... I will bring my tissues to the bus stop.

Star Wars

2007-07-31T18:45:00.001-05:00

We had a friend come over on the weekend and he was the oldest of the kids... so when the younger kids were getting ready to go to bed, he asked to watch Star Wars. I told him OK, but after the younger kids went to bed. My daughter overheard this so the next day she is so excited... "Mom! Can we watch 'Star Hores' now?" (Now, say that aloud. I didn't spell it correctly)

"Weh...Weh..., Baby... Wars"

He he

Rain Rain Go Away

2007-07-30T18:33:00.000-05:00

It has been an interesting week. It has finally stopped (or slowed) raining so we are able to do more activities outdoors than we have been in a very long while. So last night I toss some chicken and corn on the grill and the kids are having fun playing outside waiting for the food to be ready. "Can we eat outside?" says the big one. "Ea ou-sigh" says the little one. "Sure," I say... then I blew it... "As long as it doesn't rain"... oops.

So, right as we are pulling the chicken off the grill, it starts to rain.... to their dismay, we eat inside. Now, our kitchen table is right by the window, so when my son sees that it is raining, he starts his mantra.. "Rain, rain go away...come again another day". Ahhh how cute. Of course.. he has been singing this song ALL SUMMER LONG....

The next thing we heard almost brought us to our knees... from our daughter.. in the flattest voice possible, we hear "That song doesn't work". My son just stared....as if you told him that spiderman wasn't a real superhero...

Apparently she had been trying to get the rain gone by using that song and she realized that her efforts were futile... poor girl... it was her job to share the bad news.

Let's go to Hawaii

2007-06-27T17:31:00.000-05:00

My son is 2 and a 1/2. He doesn't really talk well... he tries... but it seems that once again, I have to wear the translator hat when he is trying to tell us something.

Anyway, we took a family vacation this past weekend. We went to a "beautiful" Texas beach close to our home. Unfortunately for us, our ocean view/ocean access condominium had a fantastic view of all the red seaweed that washes up all day long. I don't know if this is a seasonal thing, a fluke thing or a regular thing. We got all the benefits of it though. I will list them here:

1)
2)
3)

Yep, that is about it. (Fortunately, other parts of the island were cleaner, so we did get to experience "beach behavior"... ie. running through the crashing waves, trying to stand through the waves and yes, even eroding the beach below your foot, tushie, or whatever when the water recedes into the ocean.

Anyway, as we are travelling to our destination, we were talking the beach up to our kids. "We get to jump through the waves, build sand castles, run around..."

For some reason, my daughter makes the following declaration "I am going to call the beach 'Hawaii'".

OK.

Sure.

It is REAL close.

So, back to the start of this post... we are back home and I am translating for my son. I hear this... "Wan go hawaii". HUH?

"Wan go hawaii".

OK, so I guess he wants to go back to the beach.

In the meantime, I will just take them to the "Movie Peter"

he he

Accountability

2007-03-20T00:34:00.000-05:00

I just joined a sweet group of ladies in an accountability group. Their job is to hold me accountable to the tasks that I set forth to accomplish. Focused on Christian life, we will cover goals pertaining to Physical, Personal, Spiritual and Emotional well being.

So, we started by picking a verse that we wanted to memorize. I chose Philippians 4:8-9.
8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

This book was written by Paul and Timothy to the church at Philippi. Paul was a teacher and often punished for preaching the word of God.

I, by no means equate myself to Paul, but in the following regards I am equating our "jobs". (At least mine at the moment)

I came across this passage several years ago in a group Bible study talking about "Conversation Peace". Basically talking about taming your tongue.

It was a memory verse then, but I chose not to memorize it... all those "whatevers"

I came across it again a month or so again at school, then again about a week later at church. I came to the conclusion that I needed to learn it and let it sink in.

I was tasked this year (by my own doing) to teach preschool. I had a sobering moment when I read this verse a month ago.... 9Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Wow... whatever you have learned, received or heard from me.. put into practice.

I am ashamed to admit it, but more times that I care to remember, I lost my cool in that classroom. I am not saying I went over the line, but I do know that not all my responses to the issues in class were true, noble, right, pure, lovely, or admirable. Not even one of the six. So I started thinking... do I want these kids to put these things that I have shown them into practice?

HECK NO!

At least not the "cool lost" moments.

I am not superwoman. I have no intentions on being that either cause it is not achievable. I will lose my cool again. But I will also carry the burden on being an example to my kids from here until the end of the year.

I need help being these things. Being true, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable. I am just so glad that I know where to go to get it. And Hopefully my girls will help.

Natural Children

2006-11-28T17:55:00.000-06:00

Dear God, make me love my child's natural response to life.

This was the "Prayer from a Mother's Heart" in my MOPS email today.

Here I sit...staring at my kids as one is watching a video and the other is testing his boundaries with markers....(sigh). "My child's natural response to life". I don't even have to think about what this means. I know what it means...it means that my daughter doesn't know that she shouldn't bite her toenails... she also doesn't know that she shouldn't eat what she finds in there...(we have since enlightened her on that subject). Those are just natural things...

Natural isn't the same as socially appropriate. This is what I need to remember. Of course your child is going to stick the smallest, shinyist object into the outlet on the wall.... that is what should be. Each hole has a cog to go in it. That is natural. Doors must be closed. Not with as much abandon as my son closes them, but needless to say.... Lights must be turned off. That is natural.

When my daughter cries uncontrollably when her 6 month old cousin is left alone in the living room (we were in the kitchen) because she thinks that we left her and forgot about her... that is natural. It broke my heart... but how pleasing it was to hear that your child's heart broke for another child.

When my son throws a wall-eyed fit when his shoes come untied....that is natural (maybe a hair neurotic, but that is for another time).

It will take specific prayer to love my kids natural responses to life.... I, in my war-torn life that I have led so far, don't understand these simplicities anymore... oh to have the innocence of a child again. But I guess it is my turn to be the parent. Lord, let me enjoy my kids natural responses to life.

It goes so fast

2006-07-16T22:21:00.000-05:00

My daughter and I were invited to a "Mommy and Me Princess Tea" this past Saturday at our church. She was so excited. We went to the Disney Store and bought a new princess dress and found a matching Tiara and necklace. Every day last week she asked me what day it was and when Saturday would come. She was so excited.

Finally Saturday came. We dressed, fixed our hair, and like a teenager on her way to the prom, had the obligatory photo shoot before the big day!

The tea was really neat. She got to paint her nails and wear lipgloss. She made her very own tiara and scepter, complete with glitter. We took more pictures wearing boa's. We mingled with the very popular Cinderella, Belle and Sleeping Beauty. We listened to stories about the prince who came before us and who was preparing a place for us for when we see Him again. We drank from a real life tea cups and She was in charge of pouring all the tea. She was a very big girl.

When I got home I downloaded the pictures from the event and prepared to send them out to family. I spied a picture of her taken last October at Halloween when she dressed as Cinderella...she was just a baby then... now look... she is a little girl.

I always seem to tire just a bit when folks see us in the Grocery Store or just out and about and while the kids are acting cute and behaving....I am inevitably told "Cherish these times.. they go so fast".

And sometimes... mid tissy fit usually... I pray that they will.

Looking back at the change my girl has made in the past 9 months... that is frightening and sad for me. She will never be that little girl in the pictures any more. She is so much more now. She has opinions and can communicate with me. That is good. She has feelings and can share them with me. That is good. Teenage years are getting closer... that is bad.

She is precious to me. I do cherish these days (I still pray that the bad days go faster though) but even the bad days are good when I give her good night kisses.

They do go fast. The time will fly by.

I hate hearing this.

It is so true.

Toddler-ese and Preschooler Mumbo Jumbo

2006-06-05T20:55:00.000-05:00

I thought that it would be funny to post a glossary of terms that are currently or were previously prevalent around our home. This is mainly for my record-keeping (as several folks told me that I needed to put these in my baby books) but I thought that they were funny also:

My Daughter :
Ca-ca - "Sticker" Can get some interesting looks when your daughter says this in public
Cali-Doctor - "Helicopter" No matter how much we try to correct, it will forever be this.
Genius - "Jesus" - can you really argue with that one?
Crab - "Crocodile" - She was never convinced that the large green reptile at Rainforest Cafe was a crocodile... she kept calling it a crab.
Crabodile - "Crocodile" - When we finally convinced her that a crab and a crocodile were two different things, she still insisted that the crocodile was indeed a crabodile.
Chocolate Apple Sauce - "Chocolate Sauce" - Used by her Papa when he gave her ice cream.
Hair cuts -"Hair clip" or ribbon, tie, barrett, etc. Anything used in your hair.
Present -"Swing set" See earlier post. She still refers to it as her present.
Exercises - "YMCA" Mommy goes to "exercises" to work out.
Gave - "Gabe" - Her Cousin. b b b b b
Lobbypop - "Lolly Pop" The kid can pronounce "Spaghetti", yet has issues with this one...

My Son :
Mauk - "milk" Pretty basic
No - "no"
No - "yes"
No - "Can I have a cookie?"
No - "I am tired and need a nap"
JJ - "Any canine...no matter the shape, size or even whether or not it is in fact a dog"
Tank Tu - "Thank you". Yes he actually does say this... it was one of his first words. (mom is blushing)
Peas - "Please" (mommy is blushing again)
Bah - "Ball" or anything remotely shaped like a ball.
Bee - "Binkey" or Pacifier. He says it with such enthusiasm. I am going to have a fight on my hands getting rid of that one...

Gobbles

2006-05-28T23:30:00.000-05:00

Some of you have read this one before, but I wanted to post it for posterity.

So, my daughter started her swim lessons tonight. She cracked me up.. she was quite gung ho getting into the water and pretty much stayed that way the entire time. Now, she is in a group with 2 other boys and they both had goggles... so, of course, we needed a pair too....

(On a side note, she is so funny when she is kicking with the kick board... she is grinning ear to ear... I pray that she doesn't go under cause she would drink every ounce of that pool water...I am taking my camera tomorrow and will send a picture of that soon).

So, I told her that we would go to Target to see if we could get some "gobbles".... it took several slow enunciations before she got it right....

Her heart was set on Ariel goggles...(where does this come from?)

We get to Target, search the pool aisle... but only find pink ones.... they weren't ariel, but according to my girl, they will do.

In a last ditch effort, mommy decided to head down another aisle where my daughter, with her insane detecting eyes... spots none other than ARIEL GOBBLES!

So, being the hero that I am (ha) I bought them for her and listened to an incessant "Can you open these? Can you open these? Can you open these?" in the car on the ride home.

When I was putting her to bed, she said that she was going to wear them... I thought...Sure, but goggles aren't fun to wear in bed, so surely she just meant on her head or arm or something.....

WRONG AGAIN MOMMY!

Why you shouldn't feed raisins to a toddler

2006-05-28T20:58:00.000-05:00

A wise man once proved the following law of physics: what goes up, must come down. All of my years in the college of Engineering also taught me that what goes in, must come out... simple mass balance.

These are proven facts and non-negotiable.

What I didn't know was that what goes in ... sometimes comes out exactly as it went in. Case in point... give a toddler a raisin.... ha!

So one morning, my husband had a doctors appointment first thing, so he was here when the kids got up. So, I sent him to get my son up... he is really cute in the morning....He is cute all day actually... but especially so fresh off a good nights sleep.

Next thing I hear is "Oh-My-Gaw! Hon, you have GOT to see this".

This can't be good news. He is already walking...so that couldn't be it. He isn't running out of the room, so he hasn't learned to climb out of the bed...Can't think of any other amazing trick that he can accomplish in his 2x3 foot prison, so I brace myself and head upstairs.

Take a moment to picture (for lack of a better analogy) the aisle of a wedding that has been gently adorned with rose petals to guide the bride to the altar in the most gentle and caring way....Now turn the rose petals to raisins and the aisle to a nursery.

That is what greeted us that fine morning.

My son was a very busy boy.

Then I was a very busy mommy.

No more raisins for him.

Ballerina Girl

2006-04-27T20:25:00.000-05:00

Little girls are so funny. My daughter and her daddy go on daddy daughter dates once a month. No mommy, no brother. I think that it is good for several reasons: it gives my husband a chance to hang out with her and bond and it gives my daughter a chance to see how she should be treated by men. (This will come into play later when she starts dating... in about 30 years or so...)

Anyway, my husband took my daughter to Build a bear to make a stuffed animal. That was interesting apparently. After initially wanting to name her new beagle "chowder" she decided on "Ballerina". Then dressed the beagle up in none other than a hello kitty shirt, pink skirt and of course the dog had to have hello kitty panties. (sigh).

When they got home I asked her what the dog's name was and she told me "Ballerina". OK. Random, (or so I thought). Cute.

A few weeks later, my daughter was given a box of dress-up shoes. In it were a pair of ballet slippers that lace up the calf. So, we wore those non stop around the house until Mommy "misplaced" them. (She wanted them laced up her calf... since mommy isn't a professional or even amateur dancer, I winged it and laced the ribbons up.... but according to Newton, what goes up must come down, so about every 15 minutes or so, I was relacing these things.... hard to get stuff done that way.)

When we went to Target, my daughter would always want to look at the "big girl" clothes... which meant the ballet section.... Her favorite line would be "I can wear that!"

The last straw was when she came down in her swimsuit and a dressup frilly skirt and those ballet shoes and started to dance for me.

(BIG GONG). Why don't we sign up for Ballet lessons??? Duh mommy!

So she starts next month. It is a trial version over the summer, so we will see how it goes. But last night at her swimming lesson, she saw lots of little girls who were getting ready for their recitals and were dressed in their cute outfits.... up from below my daughter speaks up..."Mommy... I can wear that!"

That was just vomit

2006-04-27T17:15:00.000-05:00

You now how sometimes you feel like you are so overwhelmed that your standards seem to fall?
I was walking through my house today looking at the catastrophe that is my living room and I was noticing the stains on the carpet that my wonderful animal had placed on it just yesterday. I was thinking to myself..."Wow.. that spot is hardly visible...but that was just vomit"

"Just Vomit". This makes me chuckle to think about it. That is kindof like saying "it is just $39" or " It just takes 15 minutes" (which we all know in preschooler time is a LIFETIME). "Just fill in the blank" implies that there is something else... much worse. In this case it was diarrhea. Yes... that is much worse.... not necessarily the act (Whoa nelly, where am I going here) but the cleaning up.

So, I have become a connoisseur of fine carpet cleaners. I know what hype to believe and know what not to. I guess I can put that on my resume one day when I go back to work.

I can just see the interview: "Yes, I was a programmer for 5 years and have an engineering degree... oh and by the way, don't bother with Resolve... it just doesn't work... I would stick to Incredible or the Kroger brand... they really work."

It is funny the stuff that you learn when you become a mom. I know stuff now that I never knew that I didn't know. I know that children lick carpet (thus the journey to discover the best carpet cleaner). I know that circumcisions can heal over (YIKES). I know that the preferred method of nail trimming is by teeth... even toe nails. ICK. I know that if you tell your daughter that there are scissors in her nose that she will still continue to pick it, but she will also start to tell you that there are scissors in her nose.

I have learned so so many things... and my oldest is just 4!

Death and Taxes

2006-01-20T13:30:00.000-06:00

I am a fairly laid back person, but I have this innate desire to file my taxes as soon as humanly possible.. which to me means as soon as the banks and the employer send me W2's and 1099's. On about Jan 3rd this year, I went ahead and started my return based on my husbands last paycheck and a few peices of random paperwork I had laying around. I set the framework. Based upon my calculations, we were slated to get quite a nice return.
Then reality steps in.
The stock we sold wasn't taxed. Down went the return.
The salary I thought we made was actually a hair larger. Down went the return.
The items I donated weren't quite the dollar value that I thought they would be...(who wouldn't pay $25 for a 15 year old T-shirt???) Down Down Down.

I probably shouldn't do this to myself (and my husband... I IM him the play by play too...one minute we are planning a cruise vacation, then I IM back and we are down to a camping trip...in the backyard.)

I talked to my accountant neighbor and she said that due to changes to some tax laws I won't recieve all my 1099 forms until mid March. UGH. (It is actually the 20th today and I am still waiting). Wouldn't it be nice if the IRS gave us the same grace period....you didn't get all your paperwork until 45 days late, so you have untul June 1 to turn in your stuff....)

never works that way, does it.

I think maybe in my 4th life, I may be a tax person. I love this stuff. I know, I am certifiable.

The First BodySlam

2005-11-08T21:52:00.000-06:00

You all know that when you have your second child, it is inevitable that the first child will push, pull, steal, and do who-knows-what-else when Mommy isn't looking in order to make sure that baby sibling knows who's been around the boat more.

And all Moms secretly wait anxiously for the day when the baby sibling figures out that he just isn't going to take it anymore.

Well... that time has come!

This weekend, my mom took my daughter for the weekend. So Noel and I spent the weekend smoking a brisket and just having some good old-fashioned bonding time with my son.

When my daughter came home, she was suffering from post-Mimi-hyperactivity-disorder. (All parents with grandparents who spoil know what I am talking about). She was everywhere... bouncing, singing, playing, yelling.

In the midst of this celebration, she laid on the floor.... and that is when he took his shot.

From nowhere, my son slyly walks up to my daughter and ... whammo! Lands right on top of her... BODYSLAM!

I couldn't help but just laugh and laugh and laugh. The proper response from a good mom would probably have been "Now son, please get off your sister... it is not nice to pile drive her like that"

My actual response was more like "Woooo Hooo! You go Son! What a big boy!" Which translated to toddler-ese meant "Oooohh... I did something great... look at my mommy react... I need to do this more often!"

Fortunately, my son suffers from short attention span (anyone remember ten-second-Tom from 50 First Dates???) And he is easily swayed by the offer of food.

So a few seconds post body slam, my son was up and wandering around again...Moments of hilarity.. then... over.

I can't wait until Round 2.

I will explain the consequences of these actions at a later time....maybe.

The Present

2005-11-01T16:22:00.000-06:00

So, Noel and I decided that we would like to have a swingset in our backyard for the kiddos to play on so the older one isn't confined to the house during the younger one's nap time and vice versa. We really approached this in a very scientific matter... we listed our needs:

1) we need 2 swings - to avoid the drama
2) we need a fully enclosed loft area... if provided - minimizes the trips to the ER, hopefully
3) we need a slide

Fairly simple, right? So we were off on a mission.

We started at Sams... Great set there. Priced as expected. Roof looks a bit cheesy, but could be replaced and the set as whole looked really cool to play on. OK Check. Remember that.

Next was Costco... they had a set made by Rainbow, who everyone knows makes a really great playset. But they also love their playsets... ($$$) . Costco had one for the same price as sams... really cool. But the problem with this one was that we would have to order it and that would cost an additional $500 for shipping... (800 pounds of lumber... of course it costs that much)

Next we thought... Hey, we will build our own from scratch.... went to Lowes and Home Depot. Cute plans for the sets... but it dawned on us there... we would have to cut all of the lumber then stain it....ummm..... maybe not.

So, after about 2 weeks of research, we decided on the Sam's set. Unfortunately, the weekend we decided that we would build it (we had made arrangements for our 3 year old to be at her Mimi's house) was about a week too late for the set at Sams. they were sold out and wouldn't have more until after Christmas. Bummer. back to the drawing board.

Anyway - long story short... (like it is really going to get shorter...) Noel found out that Rainbow sells a kit that sells for about the same as the Sams package. So we went out there and bought it. We were chatting with the salesman about the construction... Noel and I figured it would take about 8 hours or so to construct... the salesman says... "Three hours.." GREAT! that is fabulous...we will have it done by the time our daughter gets home that night.

Three hours... HA! The bag for the screws was larger than my pillowcase...

Three hours....

That night (about 12:30am.... after the time change) we had the fort built. That is all... No monkey bars, no rockwall,....

then things got interesting... we wanted to keep this as a suprise for our daughter, so we had to hide all the construction items (lumber, screws, the BIG YELLOW SLIDE) and had to hide Daddy all day Sunday so he could finish.

Sunday came and went.

After the kids went to bed Sunday night, I went back out to help with setting the monkey bars and all...

We decided that after all was said and done, it took us about 16 hours to do a "Three hour" project.

We are still recovering. Fortunately, we are still happily married, didn't pull any muscles and shed only a little bit of blood.

Monday morning, the set was complete and we suprised our daughter with it. She LOVED IT and still refers to it as her "present".

I really hope Christmas assembly is much faster.

Jesus Flag

2005-08-19T11:12:00.000-05:00

Lauren goes through these stages where she will just suddenly come up to you and want hugs and kisses. Fine with me. Soon will come a day when she won't want them as much anymore... that will be sad. But in the meantime, I relish in these days.
Anyway, she came up to me and wanted hugs and kisses. So, I obliged.
Then, strangely, but not really cause she is a silly little girl, she wanted to kiss my shirt. No, this isn't like the pope and his ring, I am just wearing the ever so elusive and stylish 2005 Old Navy flag shirt.
I asked her if she knew what was on my shirt. (fortunately, I had no spit up on me this morning). She said "Flag". ( I will spare you the actual annunciation she gave, since she still works with the letter "L".)
I asked her if she knew who's flag it was. She looked me square in the eye and said "Jesus's".

And there you have it.
It is amazing what you can learn from your child. Things that you thought that you knew. But you forget the basics.

The Real Monet

2005-07-08T14:53:00.000-05:00

I was always decent at art. My macrame and clay handprints were always the envy of the other 5th graders. But never in my wildest imagination would I think that I would be held to the highest standard of artistry.
Since I had Lauren, I have become the QUEEN of drawing. I do snowmen, cats, bears ... I even learned how to draw Minnie Mouse. But, the absolute best thing I do is Veggie Tales. Apparently, my husband isn't any good at Veggies... Mommy is the one to draw Bob, Larry, Junior, Mommy and Daddy Asparagus and the Gourds too.
Whenever there is a crayon and a blank peice of paper, Bob must be drawn first.
It is nice to know that I am absolutely the best at something.... at least in my daughters eyes. It is a big boost to my spirit.
Maybe someday I will post some of my "art".
In the meantime, it will just be for my girl.

Projectile Vomiting

2005-05-18T17:26:00.000-05:00

Projectile Vomiting. I had never heard this terminology until I had my first child and was flipping through my Dr. Spock book during her naptime one afternoon. "Ha ha. That's funny. Seriously, that only happens in the movies"

Little did I know.

I was reminded of this early this week when after feeding my son his bottle, I received what we can call "the fountain of Enfamil".

Fortunately, my husband was still home so he could answer my scream of "AGHHHHHHHHHH" with a hand towel. (You know you are a real mom when your kid is vomiting... into your cupped hands. :) )

But you know, little kids are so "hearty" I guess you can say. Tyler spit up his entire 6 oz then smiled. "All better", I am sure he was thinking.

This makes me think of Jeff Foxworthy... You may be a redneck if...
In my MOPS group, we take time to share mom stories... "Real Moms..."

I once shared the following: "Real moms... use their t-shirt to wipe their kids nose when a Kleenex isn't available."

You can get real sentimental about this... "Real moms give up buying themselves things, so they can provide for their families", but most moms do that and that isn't really funny.

These should be things that you are afraid to admit, but are pleasantly surprised when you aren't the only one who does this. "Real moms lick off their baby's pacifier then give it back after it falls on the ground in Walmart".

I love those real mom moments. They do still freak my husband out sometimes... but he just doesn't get it... he isn't a mom.

Sleep

2005-04-03T15:17:00.000-05:00

I went on a women's retreat this past weekend. I initially was very excited about this for a very strange reason. According to Lynda-Logic, "Retreat" was synonymous with "Get 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep". (Just to clarify, my son is sleeping through the night, but he hasn't yet learned to stick the paci back into his mouth AND we still haven't trained the dog to let herself out to go potty. There is nothing better than being woken up at 3am to "pant-pant-pant")

Isn't that sad? Looking forward to sleep...not the content or the girls I was going with, but the sleep. (BTW, the retreat was EXCELLENT!) I will share some of my thoughts on that at another time.

Anyway, in all my foolishness, I neglected to remember that I was going on a ladies retreat with LADIES!!! Ladies = Talking. So my 8 hours turned into 5 hours. But it was uninterrupted. And I wouldn't trade the time I spent chatting with my roommates or the other ladies for 3 more hours of sleep.

To top it off, when I got home Saturday, I had to deal with the depressing fact that Daylight Savings Time was starting. YIKES! I really hate it when my sleep is taken from me. Sleeping, Showering, Naptime. Gotta love those.

Little Girls

2005-03-23T13:17:00.000-06:00

Little girls crack me up. A year or so ago, a girlfriend of mine asked me if my daughter liked to change her clothes several times a day. I looked at her confused and replied "No. Why, does yours?" Sure enough, she told me that her daughter liked to change her clothes at least 3-4 times a day. Hmm, just think of the laundry.

So lately, my daughter has adopted this behavior. Most of the time it is driven by this deep need to wear her minnie mouse shirt whenever she sees it. If it is in her laundry, she will pull it out, then put it on. Day after day after day. If it is in a stack of folded laundry...instant "Want Minnie Mouse".

But it doesn't stop there. Just today, she was playing in her room. She went in wearing one outfit, came out dressed for bed (although she had her pull up on over her pajama bottoms), went back in and came out in a different outfit. She seemed satisfied with the third outfit, at least for the time being. It isn't even naptime yet.

But what a little personality she has. I can't figure out if she is going to be a tomboy or a girly girl. It is one one day and the other the next. Doesn't matter to me though... she is MY girl!

Favorite Time of Day

2005-03-22T10:20:00.000-06:00

You gotta love naptime. 1 1/2 - 2 hours of peace and quiet. Sometimes I feel guilty for enjoying it so much, but then my 2 year old wakes up and it is non-stop once again. Toss the 5 month on in and it is a sprint for the rest of the day. Today my oldest is at MDO. Gotta love MDO. Good for her, good for me. My youngest is sleeping now and so I get to catch up on my email and take surveys...someday I will win that promised "$500". Sure.

Got an email from a friend this morning about my neighbor. She has lymphoma. She also has 2 kids and a husband. Her youngest and my oldest are 2 months apart. She is WAY TO YOUNG to have to endure what she is going through right now. Anyway, she is currently in ICU. She had to be resuscitated last night. Lord, if it be your will, save her! If not, comfort and prepare her family. Fortunately, she is blessed with extended family that is nearby and willing to help as well as numerous family friends who would give their right arms for them.

Thinking of her makes me give thanks for what I have. 15 extra pounds. But I am healthy. A messy house, but I am home to play with my children. Lots of laundry, but I am here to fold it and bury my kids in it...

Opening Day

2005-03-21T21:05:00.000-06:00

So I thought that I would just share some of my stay at home mom stories with anyone who cares to read them.... Mainly grandparents I am sure, but those others that come across these pages, I hope that you enjoy these silly stories.