my new standard

On Wednesday Princess came into the office where I was working, to report that the Beast was taking things off the Christmas tree.  He's been doing this pretty consistently since we put the tree up.  He thinks it's a game, I think it's annoying.  The bottom of our tree is completely naked.

I told Princess, "Listen, he's not on top of the stove and he's not pulling out knives.  Leave him alone, he's fine."

This is my new parenting standard.

No stove...

No knives....

No worries.

sorry

Sorry.

That was a very unplanned and unintended blogging break.

That was a:  sick with a nasty cold, switching sides ALL NIGHT LONG so I could breathe out of at least one nostril, husband leaving town for 3 days to go to Utah for a family wedding, parent/teacher conferences, early release days, start of fall break, start of 8:00 am church and teaching 6 sunbeams all by myself, one day of a 3:00 am wake up call (thank you sinus congestion), a night of uncontrollable crying and frustration thanks to the 3:00 am wake up call and a thwarted nap for the Beast and I, soccer games and practices, dance classes, friends, Wild Kratts, cereal picnics in the park, work and housecleaning blogging break. 

Sigh.

I'm SO glad to have my hubs back and SO glad he doesn't have a job that he has to travel for.

Here are some pictures from my phone of the last few days.

Tomorrow we'll be back with our regularly scheduled programming.

Enjoy!

sick

princess self-portrait.  only her and dave aren't feeling miserable.

the beast had a temp of 101.5 last night and fought us like a tiger when we tried to give him advil.

cy has been feeling cruddy for a few days and when he woke up this morning he had a temp of 102.0.

i went to bed all achy last night, and woke up even achyier (is that even a word?)

i have so much i want to blog about, the rest of cy's birthday, his parent teacher conference, our menu for october (i haven't forgotten tess), my a2z, my top ten can't live withouts, why i blog, greer, the list goes on and on. 

but every time i sit down to write all i can think about is how much my head hurts, where the nearest tissue box is, how tired i am, how much my throat hurts, etc, etc. 

i think i'm going to go and take some nyquil, crawl under the covers, and pass out.

night ya'll

amy, out.

I MISSED Modern Family....

It's been one of those days.  You know the kind I mean.  You run yourself ragged working, taking care of your kids, your home, and your husband (who had a surprise double root canal).  You spend half your day in the car taking kids to school, picking them up, going to Wally World (twice), soccer practice, and a surprise guest presentation for the young women. 

You also help your father with Facebook by hacking into his account and declaring yourself his favorite daughter.  Ya, I'm thoughtful like that.

When I finally got home and snuggled into bed a thought occurred to me that made me sit STRAIGHT UP.  My chest got tight and I couldn't breathe.  I felt this sick sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.
I HAD MISSED MODERN FAMILY!


Ya, I know I can watch it tomorrow online, but I NEVER miss a Wednesday night of Modern Family.

While I'm not exactly proud, I'm also not really ashamed to admit that TV is pretty important to me.  It is what it is.  I have my shows that I love that bring humor, drama, and suspense into my life.  It's my way to wind down after a long busy day.  I know what shows are on what stations, and the times that they come on.  Dave says he never needs to subscribe to the TV guide because he has me.  After the kids are put to bed and we're settled on the couch, he will turn to me and say, "So what's on tonight?"  I list off the shows that are on and we get to watching. 


I have been known to turn down invitations, make appointments, and plan events around my TV schedule.  "Don't you have a DVR?", you may ask, and the answer to that would obviously be NO.  If I had a DVR my life probably wouldn't revolve around TV so much.  Then again, if I had a DVR I could record different shows, while watching my regular shows and have twice the amount of shows to watch.  Whoa.  Overload.  I'm getting giddy at the very thought...Hmm...I'm not sure I could handle a DVR.  Perhaps, it's better that we don't have one. 


Anyhow, back to the point of this post...wait, what was the point of this post?  Oh yeah, it was a pretty crazy day.  So crazy that I even forgot to watch Modern Family although I did catch Law & Order:  SVU so today wasn't a total bust.


Dang, I'm going to have to give up my nap time tomorrow to catch up on Modern Family and the other shows I missed tonight.  Man, the things I have to do to stay on schedule.


Priorities, you know?  Priorities.

I Need Beast Insurance

I let the Beast out of my site for under a minute.  Less. Than. Sixty. Seconds.  And this is what he was able to pull off:

Have I ever told you how bad my eyesight is?  Seriously, I'm like 3 points away from being legally blind and collecting disability.  OK, so maybe it's not that bad, but for those of you who know vision lingo my right eye is at 12.something and my left eye is following along at 11.75 or something ridiculous like that.  I CANNOT function without contacts or glasses.  It is simply not an option.  I can't drive, do the dishes, the laundry, cook, or even read a book.  If you ever catch me trying to read one last email before bed on my phone without my glasses, you will find me with one eye closed (so I don't go cross-eyed and start seeing double) and my nose pressed against the screen.  It's pretty pathetic. 

The other downside to the broken glasses, beside their absolute necessity is the expense.  Being this blind ain't cheap folks.  It costs lots of money to be this near-sighted.  I think if Dave knew how much money he would've ended up dropping on eye care, he might of washed his hands of me.  But hey, he has a fake tooth that I'm sure one day will cost us a load in dental care.  We can't all be perfect. 

So, for now, until I figure out the repair/replacement of my ritzy glasses I will be sporting the taped look a la Harry Potter, except off to the side instead of in the middle.  Oh, where is Hermione Granger and her perfect spells and crafty wand when you need her?

Oh, and he also drew on the back of my shirt with a purple crayon.


Thanks Beast, thanks a lot.

one of THOSE days

woke up with a headache AND a pinched nerve in my lower back

doused myself in FILTHY dish water while trying to do the dishes

had to crawl to the couch at least THREE times so i could stand up after sitting on the floor

the beast fell off a kitchen chair onto the hard tile.....TWICE

princess spilled milk all over the floor AFTER i was done mopping

the beast got on the top bunk bed and when I tried to get him down, he started to run, tripped and SMACKED his head on the rail

got everyone home from school only to find out cy FORGOT his homework at school.....trip number 3 to the school....check

the beast insisted on feeding himself some yogurt....i'm still trying to figure out how to get it off the CEILING

i found toothpaste SMEARED all over the wall and floor

the beast shoved so many goldfish in his mouth that he CHOKED on them

princess SCREAMED like she had broke her leg because cy beat her to the dirty clothes hamper

the beast SCREECHED at me all day long, i'm pretty sure it's punishment for leaving him to go to Greer

weighed in 3 lbs HEAVIER than i was pre-Greer (damn you Molly Butler Carrot Cake)

lost my TEMPER with dave, cy, beast, cy, princess, beast, princess, cy, and dave (in that order)

dave came home to find me curled on the couch in the FETAL position singing "all I want for christmas is my two front teeth"

cy PRAYED that tomorrow would be better and that mommy would be nicer

i AMENED that prayer twice

it was one of THOSE days

My View From The Lou

I'm back from a glorious trip to Greer, AZ.  It was rainy and cold.  There was thunder and lightening.  Dave and I watched movies (The Adjustment Bureau and Source Code, both highly recommend), ate deliciously yummy and fattening food, and spent the majority of our time listening to the rain while, ahem, snuggling in our hotel room. 

A post documenting our trip is forthcoming.

In the meantime, enjoy my view from The Lou.

It seems like no matter what I do; lock the door, yell, scream, bar it with a chair, somehow these little minions always find a way to break in when I am trying to use the facilities.

I did make an important discovery.  The Beast is terrified of cotton balls.  You see, his favorite past time while I am, ahem, incapacitated, is to investigate and destroy everything that he can get his grubby little hands on.  He found a bag of cotton balls and dumped them all over the floor in front of the door.  He kept wanting to leave the bathroom, but he wouldn't get near the cotton balls.  Cy came in to pick them up and then as a joke, just as the Beast was making his escape, put some back on the floor.  Do you see the look of pure terror on his face?  Shame on Cy, but I have to admit, it was pretty funny and he totally got what he deserved. 
 

I've never seen a 20 month old that can hold a grudge like the Beast.  Cy kept trying to say sorry and the Beast wasn't having any of it!

Yes, these pictures were taken with my phone.

Yes, they were taken while I was using the facilities. 

Yes, I use my phone while I'm on The Lou.

What?

You know you do it too!

Washing Your Mouth Out With Soap

Apparently, soap is NOT a good snack. 

The Beast had already has his bath for the night, but decided he wasn't quite clean enough.  So, when I was making dinner he jumped in the shower with Princess.  While in the shower, he decided to really scrub all of his nooks and crevices (including his mouth) with a buddy bar, aka soap.  When I saw him covered in sudsy bubbles I thought, "Ahh...how cute!"  Then when I saw him making yucky faces and trying to get the soap out of his mouth with his already soapy hands, I thought, like any good mom would, "Picture Time!". 

While I was off fetching the camera, the soap proved too much for the Beast and he promptly threw up in the bathtub.  Did that stop me from at least trying to get one picture in before I came to his rescue?  You bet it didn't!  Hey, these moments are what memories are made of.  When he gets older I'm going to tell this story to his friends, girlfriends, and eventually his wife.  Inevitably, as he wises up, he will probably point out that I let him wallow in vomit all for the sake of one lousy, blurry picture.  You know what I say to that?

Damn straight.

That's what good mom's are made of!

FYI:  Damn is part of the "holy trinity" of words that my mom would utter on an frequent occasional basis.  Thus, making it a perfectly acceptable word for mom's to use. 

better mom

I figured out something about myself yesterday.  I'm a better mom with this in my system

Judge me if you want, but it's true what the ad says.  Dr. Pepper does give me more...energy.  Yesterday, I was cleaning the kitchen and the bathroom, and dancing around with the Beast.  Sweat was pouring off of me, and it felt good.  I felt happy. 

Happiness in a bottle/can/cup, that's what DP is.

My favorite right now, a 44 ouncer from Circle K, filled to the brim with ice then half regular DP and half diet DP.  Ahhh....heaven. 

The Beast is screaming at me while I type this, I think Circle K is calling my name.

Later....

Best Laid Plans......

"Best laid plans of mice and men often go awry." 

-Robert Burns      

Coloring, everything is a canvas.

I told myself that I was going to blog every day this week.  I found an empty notebook, wrote down all my blog post ideas, and then scheduled a new blog for every day with weekends off.

I started off the week GREAT!  I posted on Monday about some yummy stromboli's that I came up with and then...nothing.

Getting wet

Sure I could blame it on not having any extra time (because I don't), but the truth is that with school being out, I have LOVED not being on a schedule.  So much so, that I couldn't even convince myself to follow the schedule that I set for myself.

I don't have to leave the house, if I don't want to!  I never knew how good that would feel until I spent a good portion of the last nine months picking up, dropping off, and picking up again. 

Drying off

We've been playing, reading books, getting wet, eating, coloring, and playing some more.  I got my kids some comprehensive curriculum books and they've been loving doing "homework". 

We could have been having MORE fun except for the fact that on Monday night, Cy decided it would be interesting to stand on his bed (he sleeps on the top bunk) and pee over the side.  ALL OVER THE ROOM!  Ya, there were some pretty severe punishments, for that little stunt.  No friends, no movies, and no Xoom or Ipod for a week.

Eating.  Carrots and Ketchup, yum!

Sigh....

Me, well I've been enjoying my unscheduled life by exercising, reading, playing with my kids, watching SYTYCD, and OBVIOUSLY not blogging! 

But, I'm back! 

Hopefully......

 

i want to be a better mom

I just finished watching Stephanie Nielson of the NieNieDialogues on 20/20.  For those of you who don't know, Stephanie is a survivor of a horrific airplane crash that happened in August of 2008.  She is the mother of 4 beautiful children.  My eyes filled with tears as I watched her struggle to simply become a mom again.  Everyday tasks like bathing her children, cooking dinner, and picking up her kids were impossible for her to do after the crash.  These are all things that I take for granted.  Watching her share her story and her desire to just to be able to care for her family again really struck a chord with me.

It was a reminder to slow down, take everything in, and live in the moment.  We never know when we will be thrown a curve ball, and life as we know it will change forever.

I want to play more games with Princess, take Cy on more walks (when the weather isn't a bazillion degrees hot), and tickle the Beast more.  I want to relish the everyday and let slide the little things that really don't matter.  I want to laugh more and smile always.  I want to experience joy while making dinner, and take the time to let Princess help.

In short I want to be a better mom.

I am a mom and there is nothing else that I would rather be.  Sometimes, though, I need a reminder about what an amazing privilege it is to be a mom and not to take it for granted.

Thank you Stephanie Nielson.  Thank you for your blog.  Thank you for sharing your story and inspiring me to find joy in the everyday.   

Scenes From A Sunday: Pukefest 2011

Yesterday was no ordinary Sunday.  We decided to have a rockin' puke party!  What you didn't get the invite?  Oh, I'm so sorry you missed out.  Here's a copy of the invite and some pictures of our FANTABULOUS time.

You're Invited to Attend Pukefest 2011!

When:  May 15, 2011

Where:  My house in Hotter than Hades, AZ

Why:  Because let's face it, who doesn't enjoy a good pukefest every now and then!

Refreshments will be served (gatorade and crackers).  Also it is BYOB (bring your own bowl) and CUYODM (clean up your own damn mess), so make sure you come prepared!

Entertainment is also provided in the form of Netflix and possible projectile vomiting, but only if you're really lucky and the moment is JUST RIGHT.

FYI:  If it's coming out the other end you are still welcome to come, however please keep in mind that bathroom space is limited and that we have a first come, first served policy.

And now....scenes from the party!

Jealous?  Don't worry, I'm sure we'll be having another party sooner rather than later.  When you have kids that you have to constantly remind to wash their hands after going to the bathroom and a toddler who thinks everything is edible, pukefests are bound to happen.  Next time I will make sure you get the invite. 

No need to thank me.  Your welcome!

Scenes From A Sunday: Mother's Day Edition

Happy Mother's Day to me!  Luckily, this is not how my Mother's Day started, just how it ended.

The Beast had had enough of Mommy being the center of attention.

Yummy breakfast, great company, and PRESENTS!  Great way to start the day, if you ask me!

Dave and the kids made me breakfast.  Cy brought me a plate with a piece of toast on it that was smeared with about an inch of butter (he was in charge of buttering the toast).  10 minutes later he brought me one slice of bacon that he called steak.  I thought I was going to get my breakfast piece by piece and then Dave allowed me to come to the table.

Bacon.....yum!

The breakfast was fabulous and the presents weren't too bad either!  Princess was even willing to share her 3 Musketeers bar with me, but only share it, I couldn't have it all too myself.

After church everyone joined me for nap time on my bed.

Nap time with my new toy, a Ipod speaker dock that changes color.

After nap time we headed out to Grandma's house for a Mother's Day feast prepared by my sister-in-law Karen.  Karen makes it a point to not only spoil her mom on Mother's Day, but all of her sister's and me too.  The table's were beautifully set, the food lovingly prepared, and Karen wouldn't allow me to lift one finger.  It was FANTASTIC.  All the food was scrumptious but my favorite was the dessert...surprise, surprise.  Karen did Strawberry Shortcake with this to-die-for whipped cream.  She got the recipe by none other than Ms. Paula Dean.  I'm sure you can imagine how low-fat, and low-calorie it WAS NOT!  But boy was it delicious.   So good in fact that I helped myself to it twice.  YUM!

Gathered around the table.

Remnants of Karen's yummy Mother's Day meal.

Overall, it was a wonderful Mother's Day.  I am so grateful for the opportunity that I have to be a mom.  It's not always easy, but it's always worth it.  I am also very grateful for the examples of motherhood that I have in my life: my mom, my mother-in-law, my sister's, my sister-in-law's, and my friends.  You are all amazing mom's!  Happy Mother's Day!

Tonight

Tonight.

I wish every night could be like tonight.

We danced our way through chore time.

Dave came home early from work (well, early for him).

We ate banana chocolate chip pancakes with whip cream and syrup.  Bacon, sausage, and eggs were also on the menu.

We watched Wipeout.

Cy and I started playing a game of catch which quickly turned into a rousing game of dodgeball.  Princess, Dave, and the Beast all joined in on the game.

I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe.

Everyone went to bed without a fight (well, the Beast put up a little fight).

I am exhausted with joy.

I took no pictures, except for the ones in my head.

It was....

Perfect.

Sugar Sick

What is it about being sick that makes me crave sugar and other food that is in no way good for me?  I have another stupid cold and so far today I've eaten 3 oatmeal raisin cookies,

drank a large Dr. Pepper (from McDonald's),

 and ate a large french fry (also from McDonald's).

I consider myself a pretty healthy eater, but when I'm sick all my good habits go out the window.  I want/need sugar.  The good ole' refined stuff.

Broccoli, apples, bananas, carrots, water......BAD.

Sugar, cookies, cake, hamburgers, soda, french fries........GOOD.

I know it should be the complete opposite but the body wants what the body wants and right now my body wants chocolate.

Mmm....chocolate.

*all images courtesy of Google Images.

Chores

Chores are a big part of life at our house.  Every day around 4:30 we stop what we're doing and everyone chips in to help pick up and clean the house so it can be presentable before Daddy gets home.  Sometimes the chores are done cheerfully.  Sometimes, like today, not so much.  But either way the jobs get done and that's all I really care about!

I made up the chores one day on the spot when I took a look around the house and noticed all the things that needed to be done.  I got tired of having to do it all myself so I figured out the things my kids could do and then I made encouraged them to do it.

Here's the chores that they have right now. 

Cy & Princess:  Clean their room, pick up the floors in the kitchen, family room, dining room, put away their clothes on laundry day, and brush my hair.

Cy:  Clean off the table, and wipe it down.  Wipe down the bathroom sink. (they can't seem to brush their teeth without getting toothpaste all over the counter.)

Princess:  Sweep the kitchen floor

Beast:  Mess up everything that Princess and Cy are trying to do.

Chore Time at Our Casa!

The Beast even likes to get in on the action!

Princess picking up toys.  First on the list.

Cy wiping down the table.

Princess sweeping and the Beast waiting to walk through her pile.

Cy putting away clothes.

Cy helping Princess finish so they could eat dinner and watch a movie.

Had both kids brush my hair.  The Beast isn't allowed to brush my hair.  The brush is a serious weapon in his hands.  Have added this to the chore list starting today.  What?!?  You know you're just jealous!

Where I'm thinking about putting a chore chart.  I need it to be cute because it's going to be out in the open.  But, it also has to sturdy and Beast proof.  I'm still working on it.

The Beast helping unload the dishwasher.  Ya, we start 'em pretty young. 

 

Faking It

Sorry for the crappy quality, obviously this picture was scanned. I'm the little one on the left.  How do you like those fuchsia pants, and too small for me sweatshirt?  What a great combo!

I'm sick.  When you're a mom being sick sucks.  I remember back in my younger days I used to enjoy being sick.  Being sick meant sleeping all day long, no school, and sympathy from family and friends.  I used to fake being sick to get out of going to school.  I loved school, don't get me wrong, but there were times I hated the kids I went to school with.  In elementary school I had glasses.  I was taller than everyone else.  I was considered one of the smart kids, a teacher's pet.  In the decade of Guess Jeans and LA Gear I wore hand-me-downs, homemade bell bottoms, and LA Gear wannabe's from Payless ShoeSource.  In short, I was a nerd.  Kids can be cruel when you don't fit in and when you don't wear the right clothes and shoes.  So school wasn't always my favorite place to be.

Yet another great example of my nerd status.  I'm sure these clothes were all hand-me-downs from the pretty sister in the striped shirt.  So, we can safely guess that they were at least a decade out of style.  Also, how do you like the coke bottle glasses that TINTED IN THE SUN.  Yes, you read that right my glasses were also sunglasses.  Yep, I was that cool!

Enter:  Faking Sick

Being the youngest of 6 kids it was really hard, if not impossible, to get away with faking sick.  My parents had pretty much seen and heard it all before.  If you were claiming that your stomach hurt, then you'd better have the vomit and/or diarrhea to prove it.  Headaches were not a reason to stay home.  You didn't get to stay home if you had the common cold.  They just sent you to school with a pocket full of toilet paper (the poor man's tissue) and Luden's throat drops (the only redeeming thing about having to go to school with a cold).  Your temperature had to be over 100 if you even expected my parents to look at the thermometer.

I remember well an incident when I was trying to convince my parents that I really was sick.  My stomach was hurting, but I wasn't throwing up and I had no fever.  It was a given that my parents wouldn't believe me if I told them I had a stomachache because I had no symptoms to prove it.  Now, before you think my parents uncaring and callous people, in their defense I really did cry wolf a lot and like the boy in the story, no one believed me when I was telling the truth.  Anyhow, back to the story.  I remember watching TV and seeing a kid hold a thermometer over a light bulb in order to fake a fever.  In desperation I put the thermometer, one of those old school glass ones that were filled with mercury, over the light bulb.  I swear that I held it there forever (it was probably more like 2 minutes) and when I checked it, it was only up 1 degree.  Well, I needed to speed up the process before my parents caught me so I went straight to the greatest source of heat in the house.  The gas stove.  I turned on one of the burners, waited for the flames to ignite, then I put that mercury filled thermometer right into the fire.

Do you know what happens to a mercury filled thermometer when you put it in fire?  Ya, it blows up. My mom heard the pop and came running.  There I was, with a broken thermometer in my hand and tears rolling down my face.  As she took in the scene I saw a smile start to form on her face.  Then she started laughing.  Through my gasping sobs I tried to explain to her that I really didn't feel good and I didn't think she would believe me because I didn't have a fever.  She turned off the burner, took the thermometer out of my hand and gathered me in a gentle hug.  She assured me that she loved me and that she believed me when I was telling her that my stomach hurt.

My accident with the thermometer has gone down in the family history books.  I am past the days of faking sick to try to get out of things.  You can't fake sick and get out of being a mother.  Sick or not, my kids still need to be fed, taken to school, and loved.  In short they need ME.  So, now instead of relishing in the sickness, I dread it.  It's no fun being sick when you're a mom.  No fun at all!

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.