It is all talk!

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!

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

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

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.

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

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...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.