7:18 PM....

and I'm already in bed.  Yep, dinner is put away, kids are in bed, my contacts are out, and my benadryl and melatonin have been ingested.  I'm guessing that I am going to be in dreamland sometime after Happy Endings and before Law & Order: SVU.

There's laundry in the washing machine, but I'm ignoring it.
My family room looks like a tornado (aka the Beast) went through it, and I'm ignoring it.
My counters are dirty, and I'm ignoring it.
The sink is full, and I'm ignoring it.

Why?

Because it's been this kind of day:

Yep, it's official, I'm losing it.

It's been a long couple days.  My frustration level on a scale of 1-10 has been consistently at a 9 over the past couple days.  Cy chose to pee in the wood chips on the playground yesterday, Princess won't stop talking and asking me "Why?", and the Beast is in a throwing stage.  I've gotten pretty good at dodging flying objects like the TV remote, wooden blocks, and remote control cars.  I dragged all three kids to two stores yesterday where they repeatedly asked me for candy and other crap.  Any effort I make to clean up is immediately destroyed by the Beast.  I've been battling a migraine for two days now.  There's a painful bump on the top of my head that actually woke me up in the middle of the night, and I can't even remember hitting my head.  I worked late last night and then got up early this morning to work some more.  I'm tired and just plain done.

So earlier this evening while I was in the kitchen attempting to get dinner started and some muffins made, the Beast came and started pushing on my legs, pulling at my pants, and screaming "Milck".  I got him his milk and then I started to unload the dishwasher.  I noticed my mistake with the milk WHEN I went to put a stack of plates in the REFRIGERATOR.   A STACK OF PLATES IN THE REFRIGERATOR.

Click-Clack.  That was the sound of me punching my time card.  I'm officially off the clock.  I'm going to bed with a positive attitude that tomorrow WILL be better.

Tomorrow I will tackle my messy house.
Tomorrow I will exercise.
Tomorrow my head will FINALLY stop hurting.
Tomorrow Princess will ask "Why?" one less time then she did today.
Tomorrow my son will NOT pee in an inappropriate place.
Tomorrow, the Beast will be nice and obedient and he won't throw anything at my head.

Well, a girl can dream right?

Why?

This kid..

peed in the backyard today.  Not in the grass, or against a tree (we don't have any trees in our backyard yet), but next to the house, in the dirt, basically making a mud pit.  It wasn't a little pee either.  It was A LOT.  I'm dumbfounded.  Speechless.  I know, I know, he's a boy, it's what they do, blah, blah, blah....  BUT this is the same kid who just last year peed off the top of his bunk bed and he didn't just pee in one spot when he did this, oh no, he showered the room with his urine spraying the closet, the wall, the dressers, and the toys.  We screamed talked to him and explained why this behavior is not only unacceptable but disgusting, unsanitary and just plain Ewww.  We talked about appropriate places to pee, um, like, IN THE BATHROOM, and .... oh yeah, IN THE FREAKING BATHROOM!!!!

Now, while I admit that peeing in the backyard isn't quite up to disgusting level of spraying your room with your bodily waste, it's still pretty gross AND completely unnecessary!  Um, hello, you're in the backyard...OF YOUR HOUSE...you know, where YOUR bathroom is located a whole 30 ft away from the spot you just urinated on and that the Beast is now trying to make mud pies out of!

Why, why, why?????

Cy turns 7: Part 1

Cy's birthday ended up being WAY more hectic than I thought it would be.  Not only was it his birthday, but he also had a soccer game AND it was the first day of General Conference (LOVE GC.  It seriously fills my soul and helps me charter the course of my life through the next 6 months until we have it again).  I thought everything would move along pretty smoothly.  I was prepped and prepared for everything, or so I thought....

On Wednesday, Dave had 2 surprise root canals that were started.  They told him he needed to come back on Saturday to finish the job.  His first appointment was scheduled during the soccer game which I was seriously stressing about.  We have to park pretty far away from where the games are held and I was trying to figure out how to pack 3 chairs, an umbrella, an umbrella stand, a diaper bag, 4 water bottles and 3 kids across 2 parking lots and 4 soccer fields BY MYSELF when Dave called to tell me that his appointment had been moved to first thing in the morning.  HALLELUJAH!  The appointment was going to take place during the first session of GC, but I figured that wouldn't be a problem.  I had been very proactive and made Conference Packets for Cy and Princess.  I had printed up pages of Conference Bingo, bought M&M's and Skittles for bingo markers, and bought prizes for the winners.

I imagined a serene enjoyable experience watching conference.  I envisioned Cy and Princess happily playing Bingo and coloring pages out of their packets, the Beast quietly stacking his blocks and playing with his toys while I sat on the couch, folding laundry, absorbing the good Word of God.

I was wrong.

Perhaps, I was being a bit naive.  Perhaps, starting out the day with sugar laden donuts (Cy's breakfast of choice) wasn't the best idea I've ever had. 

You can read what the Beast did during the first session of Conference here.  Cy and Princess weren't much better.  They had spent the half an hour prior to Conference starting, coloring in their coloring books so that by the time Conference actually started they were stir crazy and hyper.  Oh, SO hyper.  The sugar from the donuts had kicked in ten-fold by then.  Add onto that the excitement of Cy's birthday and these two were LITERALLY bouncing off the couch and the walls. 

I solved this problem by breaking out the Conference Packets and the Conference Bingo.  I told the kids they could eat their candy markers once they had won a round of Bingo AND they also got to pick a candy treat out of a grab bag when they won.   What?  You're supposed to fight sugar with sugar, right?!?!  Nothing like the hair of the dog that bit ya...if ya know what I mean.  Conference Bingo was a SUCCESS (except for the parts when the Beast would kick their boards, displacing all of their markers, and take off with the bag full of their candy markers "laughing all the way, ha ha ha!").

In an effort to keep the Beast occupied I gave him his own bag of candy to munch on, but that wasn't good enough.  Oh no.  The Beast had to have whatever the other two had and he had to have it NOW!

After each winning a game of Bingo and picking their prizes the kids wanted to start coloring their Conference Packets.  Cy got right to work and was left alone to color in peace.  Princess was not so lucky.  You see, she had picked a Ring Pop out of the grab bag as her Bingo prize.  The Beast wanted a Ring Pop REALLY bad.  I wouldn't give him one.  I didn't think he needed anymore sugar than what he already had.  When he realized that I wasn't going to budge the Beast followed Princess around screaming at her like a banshee and tormenting her mercilessly.  He kept stealing her crayons, ripping her papers out of her hands, pulling her hair and trying to snatch the Ring Pop right out of her mouth.  She tried to seek safety at the kitchen table to no avail.

She finally finished the Ring Pop and being the "generous" sister that she is, she gave the Beast the plastic part of the Ring Pop.  The Beast was thrilled!  He popped that plastic in his mouth, stopped, ripped it out, looked at it, noticed the candy was gone, gave Princess the dirtiest look an almost 2 year old can muster (he's actually pretty good at the dirty looks.  My sister-in-law Teri recently told Dave, "I'm not too comfortable with the looks that the Beast is giving me."  Ya, he can be pretty intimidating.), threw the plastic part on the floor and then proceeded to scream and cry for the last 20 minutes of Conference. 

So much for absorbing the good Word of God. 

To be continued......



Coming up next in the Cy turns 7 Series:

Lunch, Alarms, and a Present...Oh My!

Cy turns 7: An Intro

This sweet boy turned 7 today.

I have like 30 pictures to post and stories to tell, but Blogger isn't cooperating.

I am exhausted.  It was a long, fun, busy, hard day.  Dave went and had his root canals finished today and then had an alarm call from one of his clubs. We attempted to watch the first session of Saturday General Conference.  ATTEMPTED being the key word.  If it had just been Princess, Cy, and I, it would've been a breeze.  But the Beast, OH the Beast.  He ran around tormenting everyone.  He kept stealing the kids coloring sheets and candy from their Conference Bingo boards.  He would jump on the kids and kick them.  He pulled my hair, screamed at me, started the dishwasher, opened the oven, pushed over the trash can, got on the kitchen table, and ran around smearing chocolate all over the walls.  Ya, I REALLY felt the Spirit during Conference. 

Hopefully I'll be able to get Cy's birthday post up tomorrow.

Goodnight, I'm off to work.  Sweet dreams!

Beans, Beans, The Magical Fruit......

This kid.  This kid cracked me up today.  I made Taco Soup last night.  It was a hit.  Everyone loved it, even the Beast.  The Taco Soup had 3 cans of beans in it.  Cy had 3 helpings.

Today I didn't make dinner.  I offered cereal, sandwiches, or leftovers aka Taco Soup.  All three kids chose Taco Soup.  Cy had 2 helpings.
 
While we were kneeling down getting ready to pray, Cy started farting.  A LOT.  It went on and on and on.  I started laughing, then Princess started laughing, then Cy starting laughing, we couldn't stop.

Cy looked up at me and in between giggles said, "I can't stop farting!"

I was laughing so hard, tears were rolling down my face and I think I peed my pants a little.

I explained to Cy how beans were a magical fruit.  I sang him the song and told him that the Taco Soup had a lot of beans, and that's why he was farting so much.

He didn't believe me.  Then he tooted his way to bed.

I love that kid.


*My recipe for Taco Soup, in case you are in need of some magical fruit in your life.

1 lb ground beef (I use 93% lean)
2 cans black beans w/liquid
1 can light or dark kidney beans w/liquid
1 can corn w/liquid
2 cans diced tomatoes w/liquid
1 can diced green chilies
Taco seasoning
Dried Minced Onions

Cook up the ground beef, throw in about half a minced onion or if you're lazy tired used dried minced onions.
While meat is cooking, open up beans, corn, tomatoes, and chilies and dump everything in crockpot or pot.
Add cooked meat.
Add taco seasoning, and more onion to taste.
Turn on high until soup is heated through, or simmer on the stove till heated through.
Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado, and tortilla chips.

Yum!  Oh, and buy some air freshener, you're gonna need it.

This post is linked up at:

Just The Mention Of It......

This was sent home with Cy the other day.  I immediately checked every one's hair, and made Dave check mine.  I have checked every body's hair everyday since.  We're all clear, but....

ugh....

I CAN'T STOP ITCHING.

What is it about the just the mention of lice that suddenly makes your head itch?

Makes me want to never wash our hair again.  (Lice actually prefer clean hair.  Go figure?!?!  As it turns out, the dirtier your hair, the less likely the lice are going to want to suck on your scalp.)

Blah.

I hate this part of having school age kids.

*Lillie over at Lillie's Blog  wrote about her experience with lice here.  It's kinda of funny....but only because it wasn't me, you know?

Education....Bergeson Style

Learning to read, one flush at a time.

Land of the Lost: Mesa Style

Cy loves dinosaurs.

We happen to have a museum in Mesa that has a whole section devoted to dinosaurs.

It's a little pricey.

We're on a pretty tight budget.

It's free the first Sunday of every month from 12-4, until the end of the year.

So, guess what we did last Sunday? (judge if you want, I don't care)

We made our oldest son's wildest dreams come true, and he LOVED. EVERY. MINUTE. OF. IT.

Greeted by the skeleton of a Prehistoric Mammoth

He saw this skeleton across the room and said, "Oh, my FAVORITE!  Mom, it's a Triceratops!"

Cy made sure to educate us on almost every dinosaur we saw.  He informed us which ones ate plants and which ones ate meat.  He also gave us his professional opinion on which dino he thought would win in a fight with another dino.

On the third level, looking down.

The Beast begging to get out of the stroller.  He DID NOT get his wish.  Can you even imagine what would've happened had I unleashed the Beast in that museum?  Oy!

Just kickin' it in the Universe.

I'm a star baby!

Serving time in the original Mesa jail.  How much do you think it would cost to have this installed in my house?  Just asking.....

Crawling through a lava tube.

Look at the joy on that kid's face!  He was in HEAVEN!

Afterwards we headed over to our good friends Stacy and Derek's house.  They live on the east side, we live on the west side.  The times are few and far between that we are able to get together.  In the last two months we've been able to get together 3 times and though I can't speak for Stacy, well, actually I can because I know we are on the same page, getting together this often has been a wake up call.  Derek and Dave are best friends from childhood.  Dave and I got married in August of 2002 and Stacy and Derek got married in November of 2002.  Stacy and I clicked almost immediately and we've been close friends ever since.  We have a blast when we are together AND our kids LOVE each other.  They are all around the same age and totally entertain each other.  I wish I would've taken some pictures, but I didn't.  However, if I had, you would've have seen this little guy

running around with his pants on backwards and doing flips on, off, and around the couch.  You also would have seen this dude

running the show and using the Force to conquer Wipeout on the Kinect.  Finally, you would have seen these two beautiful people

winning at Deal Monopoly (Way to go Derek!) and making me laugh til I about peed my pants!

Overall, it was a fabulous day on the east side and totally worth the late night, grumpy kids(the following morning), and the dead battery.  Til the 27th S&D, til the 27th.  Oh and let's hurry up and plan that cabin trip.  I'm itching to hang out with you guys for longer than a few hours!

*All pictures stolen borrowed from Stacy's blog.  Thanks Stacy! 

This school thing is going to kill me.

 
Today was the first "official" day of school.  Yesterday was just kindergarten orientation.  That makes two days in a row that I've been up at 6:45am.  6:45.  AM.  This sucks.  I am so freaking tired I can hardly see straight enough to write this blog. 

It's been rough on my kids too.  We put them to bed last night at 7.  Princess is always up around 6:20 (thank goodness for ipods.)  But Cy, he likes his sleep.  Last year we put him in afternoon kinder for just that reason.  Poor kid.  I tried to wake him up at 6:50.  No go.  So I went back in at 7 and he finally opened his eyes to a very fine slit and looked at me in disgust.  I was like, "Sorry kid, it's the law, you've got to get up!"  So he arose and shuffled to the kitchen table.  I put a nice big bowl of cinnamon toast crunch in front of him and then left to go get dressed.  When I came back he was just staring at his food.  He hadn't moved an inch! 

Great.  My kid is a zombie in the morning.  Who knew?  I snapped him out of it, yelled asked him to start eating and moved my attention over to Princess. 

I put a bowl of cheerios in front of her at 6:45.  She finished eating at 7:15.  A half an hour.....30 freaking minutes.....to eat a bowl of cereal?  Are you serious???  Yes, she's always been a slow eater, but we've never really been on such a time crunch before.  Arghhh!  I yell ask her to hurry up then I go brush my teeth, when I come back little Princess is NOWHERE to be found.  Guess where she was.  Just guess!

In bed!  IN FREAKING BED!  She told me she was still tired.  I just started laughing.  I mean really what else could you do at that point?!?!

I'm sure eventually we'll get the hang of it and they'll learn their new morning routine, but in the meantime this school thing is seriously going to kill me!

Still half-asleep, and starting 1st grade.  

Cy, new shoes; new backpack; old uniform from last year.  Like I said in my last post I buy clothes for my kids with room to grow.  Yes, his uniforms were a little big on him last year, and we may have had to roll the waistband on his shorts so they could fit, but who cares!  They fit him great now and I get two years worth of uniforms for the price of one!

Taking her sweet time with a siesta or two, and starting kindergarten.

Princess, new backpack; new uniform; old shoes.  Yep, those are her shoes from last year.  Why get her new ones when her old ones still fit????  Actually, these are hand-me-downs from my sister Yvette. I'm nothing if not practical!

Here's to the start of a new school year!  May it be a great one filled with learning, fun, and lots and lots of caffeine!

Linen Protection

Thank you Lego Star Wars Police guy.  Thank you for riding in like a knight on your white horse to protect our linen closet.  What would our toiletries and towels do without you?

Mud

Last week we had a few days of cool weather, which is actually kind of shocking for Hotter than Hades, Arizona.  When Cy got home from school I forced the kids outside to enjoy the beautiful weather before it ended and the hell that is summer sets in.  The kids asked if they could use the hose to put water in the dirt and make some mud to play in.  I bit back all of my OCD cleanliness tendencies and let them have at it and I am so glad I did.  They had a blast.

Too Much Like Me

Another way we're both alike, except in a good way.  We both love to play in the rain!

Princess and Cy were cleaning their room.  They were arguing of course, because that's what brothers' and sisters' do.  I could hear their muffled voices through the door.  I wasn't sure what the argument was about,  probably the fact that Princess likes to sit and play with toys when she is supposed to be cleaning.  She thinks that as long as she is in the proximity of where the cleaning is taking place, then she is cleaning.

Cy starts screeching at Princess, "THIS IS NOT OKAY! YOU NEED TO HELP ME CLEAN!  I AM NOT HAPPY WITH YOU!"  I go charging in there and start screeching at Cy, "THIS IS NOT OKAY!  YOU DO NOT YELL AT PRINCESS LIKE THAT!  I AM NOT HAPPY WITH YOU!  NOW, STOP ARGUING AND FINISH CLEANING YOUR ROOM!"

As I left their room in a huff, it hit me. Cy was me.  I was Cy.  He was frustrated with his sister and so he, in his frustration, resorted to doing what he had learned.....from me.  That is exactly what I do when I get frustrated with my kids.  I ask them nicely only so many times and then I start to raise my voice a few octaves until, in fear, they finally listen to what I am telling them to do.  Obviously, this isn't the best parenting method.  I never said that I was the best parent.  But, man, when you see your bad behavior mimicked by your six year old......it's rough.

Definitely makes me want to be a better parent, so that when I say my son is too much like me, it won't necessarily be a bad thing.

Making Friends

Cy's "friend"

Cy announced "I made a friend!"  I turned around to see what he was talking about, and this is what I saw.  A "friend" made out of newspapers.  Notice the legs, arms, and the face with black hair taped to the "body" of his "friend".  Perhaps I should be scheduling more playdates than I do.  Hmm....

Now I ask you, is this cute and creative, or sad and a little desperate?  Input?   I'm going to go with cute and creative.  Because, let's face it, that is one cute newspaper "friend"!   Now, I'm off to schedule a plethora of playdates so that my son can enjoy a happy and normal childhood instead of playing with newspaper "friends".