November at Our House

Yes, these are actually the quotes from last month. As you can see, I'm a bit behind.

11/3/14
Mommyism: "Don't talk with your mouth full of food."
L: "Mmmmkay, mmmmm."
This is what the requisite, "Okaaaaay, Mooom" sounds like when a child is still talking with food in his mouth.

11/3/14
M {during dinner}: "This is the best healthy food I've ever had!"
Um, thanks? Also, I guess I should make my chicken & cheese tortellini stew more often.

11/8/14
L: "Can I put on my shoes to hold up my socks?"
I guess so....

11/15/14
Brett: "Why don't you want to take a bath?"
L: "It's too wet."
Yep, that's sort of the point.

11/17/14
Mommyism: "No pole vaulting over the sofa!"
Hmmm, kind of wish I had noted exactly what that meant! I think it involved empty wrapping paper tubes.

11/19/14
L: "What smells so good?
Me: "I'm making bath salts."
L: "Smells delicious, but I'm not going to have any right now."
Me: "Okay, it's not food."
L: "No, I mean on my body."
Aside from entertaining me, it's nice to actually see that this one found one of my recipes to "smell delicious." This is high praise coming from him, regardless of whether or not it was actually edible.

11/23/14
L: "I'm making myself into mail."

Aww, I love when I've got this kind of mail.

11/24/4
L: "Mom, can some people make banana puppets?"
Me: "I don't know. What's a banana puppet?"
L: "It's a banana that's made into a puppet."
Well, I guess I should have known that. But why?

11/30/14
L: "Daddy, do old people -- like you guys -- sometimes have babies?"
I can't help but wonder if I would have been laughing so hard if he had directed this question toward me instead of his daddy.

September at Our House

To anybody who may have been waiting expectantly for more content on this blog, I do apologize for my life getting kind of crazy (even by normal standards)... Anyway, there is some great stuff here that I think you will enjoy!

9/1/14
L {listening to the ducks quacking at the Mill Pond}: "They're saying, 'walnuts.'"
I don't know, but it's cute.

9/1/14
L {on the drive home, it started to sprinkle and quickly turned to hard rain}: "I think the little rain drops told the bigger ones to come!"
Seriously cute!

9/3/14
L: "Mom, are beavers real?"
Okay, this is one of those times when I answer the simple question and then ponder it for a while wondering what he was really asking...

9/8/14
L: "Are teeth the same as bones?"
Me: "Yeah."
L: "So, some of our bones are showing?"
Well, sure, but I never really thought about it.

9/10/14
M: "When do we eat?"
L: "I want to eat Mama."
Me: "What do you mean?"
L: "As meat."
Me: "I'm not meat."
L: "Well, you are made of meat."
Me: "Okay, but we don't eat people."
Yeah, not gonna lie. I never expected to have to tell the children about my anti-cannibalism policy for our household, but there it is.

9/19/14
M: "I wish I could just snap my fingers like in Mary Poppins and my room would be clean... except I don't know how to snap... and it wouldn't work, anyway!"
You and me both, sister! 

9/19/14
Mommyism: "You shouldn't be riding a bike while wearing roller skates."
Another one of those things I never thought I would need to say...

9/21/14
M {windy outside}: "My dress is like a parachute."
Oh, see, that's just clever.

9/21/14
M {during dinner}: "Where do butterflies go when it rains?"
L: "Maybe a bird opens its mouth and 'atens' it and then it stays dry forever."
Kept my mouth shut here, waiting to hear what else he thought, but this seemed to be the end of that particular conversation.

9/22/14
L {during dinner}: "Mommy is the boringest!"
M {quite upset}: "No she's not!"
Cracked me up how vehement she was. Just depends on the day, I suppose.

9/25/14
L {looking at his drink package with a soccer player on it}: "I've never had a black person on this before."
Me: "What?!" {Okay, kind of concerned here!)
L: "Usually they're red or blue..." {Huh?} "But his jersey is black."
Me: "Oh!" {Relief...}

9/25/14
L: "I made up a song. It's called, I Made Up a Song." {proceeds to sing many, many verses, all the same: "I made up a song" -- all performed in a high-pitched sing-song voice}

This doesn't get old.... A little sarcasm for you, folks!

9/25/14
After discovering him pouring Elmer's glue on his monster truck track and then adhering vehicles.
Me: "What are you doing?!"
L: "I wanted them to be sticky and stuff."

Little boys and sticky situations... They just sort of go together.

9/28/14
L: "Ugh! You always ask me to do stuff!" {said to Brett after he asked him to use the bathroom before bed}
The injustice of it all!

9/30/14
L {while pulling into a parking spot at Walmart}: "Hey, there's seagulls in the road. That is not safe for them!"
Me: "Don't worry about them. They'll fly away if a car comes."
L: "I think they are looking for trash."
Yep.

May at Our House

May 1, 2014
M {both kids have doll dresses on their heads}: "We're wearing Mexican hats!"
Well, sure, if you say so, kids.

May 1, 2014
L: "I found Boo Boo Bunny -- and I got hurt!"
Oh, the irony.

May 2, 2014
M: "When birds pull worms out of the ground, they're playing tug-of-war!"
Yep, it's just like that except that it's a war game in which someone ends up dead.

May 2, 2014
M: "You're quite the baker! You should open up a bakery. You could build in on that open grassy patch."
Me: "What grassy patch?"
M: "You know. In town. Across from the gas station."
Now why didn't I think of that?"

May 3, 2014
M {sighing as she sits on Sandy, the penny pony at Meijer}: "I think I'm getting too big for this."
NOOOOOOO! I refuse to let that happen.

May 5, 2014
L {overheard while on the play phone, talking to Daddy}: "Fish latte."
Really hoping he does NOT wind up as a barista. Just sayin'.

May 5, 2014
L {bends his arm}: "These bones can bend. I think they're elastic!"
Yep.

May 5, 2014 
L: "Daddy, are you reading with your eyes?"
Brett: "Yes, I'm reading with my eyes."
M: "Reading with your eyes is eyes is so that little kids don't read stuff they're not supposed to know about. I read my whole entire library book on the bus!"
They've broken our secret code. Now what?

May 6, 2014
L {describing "outside day" at preschool -- the trike course}: "They gave out pink tickets."
Me: "What were the pink tickets for?"
L: "When people went too fast. I pretended it was a race course!"
Me: "Oh, so did you get lots of pink tickets."
L: "No. Nobody saw me!"
Ah, yes, how early they figure this one out.

May 7, 2014
L {on Brett's new car}: "Daddy says I can fit in his trunk!"
He said what now?

May 8, 2014
M {while we were driving on the freeway}: "I don't think we're allowed to go 160."
Brett: "I don't think the van will even go 160."
M: "Then why do the numbers go that high?!"
Indeed.

May 9, 2014
L {while watching 101 Dalmatians}: "They think they're Labra-dogs."
He's cute, right? It's not just me.

May 9, 2014
M: "I think that plane is going to crash into the moon."
I wouldn't worry too much about that, dear.

May 9, 2014
M {in the bathroom at Wendy's}: "I love that Grandma is named after a restaurant!"
Well, they do both have red hair...

May 9, 2014
M {8:30 p.m., on the way to Grandma and Grandpa's house}: "Something tells me it's past bedtime."
Me: "Yes, what is that?"
M: "The clock! And the angle of the sun."
Okay, Miss Smartypants...

May 12, 2014
Me: "Why are you going in circles?" {around the dining room table}
L: "I just want to. Actually, I'm going in ovals."
And Mr. Smartypants!

May 14, 2014
Me: "Did you just lick me?! Why are you licking everything?" {as he licks the counter}
L: "Because I want a sucker."
Right. And licking the inside of my wrist will make that happen how exactly?

May 19, 2014
L {brings me a twig}: "Mom, is this a pretzel plant?"
Nope. But wouldn't that be kind of cool?

May 20, 2014
L: "I wish we had a pet butterfly instead of a dog."
There would be less dog doo on my porch...

May 20, 2014
M: "I don't like that my skin is covered with hair."
Sorry. Can't help you there.

May 24, 2014
L {watching lacrosse on TV}: "Are they trying to catch a banana peel?"
This is just plain funny.

May 25, 2014
L {after I returned from the store with goodies for Memorial Day}: "You brought home root beard!"
Yes. For root beard floats. They're delicious.

May 26, 2014
L: "Some of the Unifix cubes have fallen into my milk."
Probably the best part is that he said this so matter-of-factly, like a little man.

April at Our House

4/1/14 {Responses to our April Fools' Dinner}
L: "Tricky meatloaf is yummy!"
L: "I don't want to eat cardboard."
M: "Brown E's... I get it! Good one, Mom!"
That was a fun evening!

4/4/14
Me: "Why are you walking into me?"
L: "I'm playing bumper cars!"
Right. I should have known that.

4/5/14
At her first full-length musical, State Fair (featuring her friend, Maggie!), Mia turned to me at intermission and asked, "Is this halftime?"
And this is my first clue that she spends more than enough time watching sports with Daddy...

4/6/14
M: "I want another pickle for breakfast!"
I don't even know what to say to that. Ew. Just ew.

4/8/14
M {upset}: "They wrote this backward."
Me: "They wrote what backward?"
M {points to "LOVE" on her sweatshirt}: "This."
Me: "Oh. They didn't write it backward. It just looks that way in the mirror because you see the reflection.
Yep.

4/8/14
M: "Do you think fish know how to smile?"
In general? Maybe. At our house? Not so sure... We're having a streak of bad luck with keeping them alive. I didn't mention it here yet, but Orangey died last Friday. This means that we are on our third betta fish in less than five weeks.

Mommyism: "Don't use the baseball bat to hit dog poop!" (4/8/14)
Yes, I am the mother of a boy. This probably should NOT have surprised me.

4/9/14
L {points to dead bird that he found}: "Mom, what kind of bird is that?"
Me: "That's a grackle."
L: "What do grackles do?"
Me: "Well, they fly around and... drop dead in our yard, apparently."
Yeah, I need to get better at answering this type of question.

4/14/14
L {describing the sound of a peacock from the nearby farm}: "It sounds like a animal is saying 'help' or 'ow!'"
I totally get that, although I have always thought they sounded more like big cats.

4/14/14
M: "Uh, Mom... You might need to help Logan. And you'll be surprised when you see him."
This is what I discovered: he was stuck with his feet up in the air, between the arm chair and the wall. Turned out that he had dropped a toy back there and decided to retrieve it head first, but then he didn't know how to get back up. Also, he likes mismatched socks.

{That's my goofy boy.}

4/15/14
L {biting into a black bean}: "Hey, there's a potato in it!"
Well, sure, I totally put a potato in there -- whatever gets you to eat it.

4/15/14
L {trying the taco soup that he initially refused}: "Nummy yummy! When I say, 'nummy yummy' that means really good!"
Thanks for the clarification, but I actually figured that one out on my own.

4/15/14
M {on why she slipped and fell in the kitchen}: "I didn't do it on purpose. It was the floor's fault!"
Obviously.

4/16/14
M {while we were reading Froggy Plays T-Ball}: "It's called home plate because it looks like a house."
I never really thought about it before, but if that's NOT why it's called that, then it really should be!

4/18/14
L {on springtime allergies}: "Sneezing causes snot to come."
Unfortunately, that is true.

4/21/14
M {toweling off her hands after digging in the yard}: "Mud is NOT for us. Mud is for worms."
Thank you for sharing. Now please go inform your brother of this revelation.

4/24/14
Logan overheard me talking to myself and asked, "Why did you call yourself Meg?"
Me: "What should I call myself?"
M {chiming in}: "Mom!"
Yes, as a matter of fact, my name IS Mom.

4/24/14
M {on Brett's choice of the number 3 for his softball jersey}: "You should have picked 1 and then you could be the rock star dad!"
Yeah, why didn't you think of that, Dad?

4/26/14
M {on Brett's use of the new hedge trimmer}: "Wow! Look at that rectangular prism bush!"
Then, pointing to an untrimmed bush, she added, "Can you make that one look like Mickey Mouse?"
I love that she thinks that he magically developed the ability to transform overgrown shrubbery into topiaries. Way to dream big, little girl.

4/27/14
M {dancing around before bedtime}: "I feel like I should do yoga. I don't know why. Wait, what is yoga?"
Wait, she wants to do something but she doesn't know what it means?! Should I be concerned?

4/27/14
L: "Monsters -- when they're dead -- can turn into dirt and grass. And dinosaurs' bones turn to stone. Do dragons have bones?"
Me: "Um, I guess."
L: "So their skeletons turn to stone, too!"
Apparently so. He would be more of the expert on this subject.

4/29/14
L {on why the orange centipede was trying to get away from him}: "Maybe he's playing hide-and-seek!"
Riiiiiiiiight. Or maybe he heard that ours is the house where fish come to die and he decided to get the heck of out Dodge. Either that, or he learned that you were the boy who pulled the curtain rod out of the wall -- and that just can't be good for a bug. It simply cannot be. In other news, he didn't get the memo that dirt is NOT for us.

Homemade Blush Trial #2

A couple weeks ago, I experimented with making my first homemade blush with beet root powder, which had a good outcome. It ran out quicker than expected in part because I gave some away. (Really, I don't mind that because it's always nice when somebody in interested in my kitchen science experiments.) The bigger issue was that I did not it in an air-tight container, as I am always recommending. In fact, I didn't even put a lid on it so there was spillage and moisture invasion.

Okay, those of you who are gasping in shock can kindly close your mouths now. Haven't you ever told your kids -- or anybody else -- to "do as I say and not as I do?" Glass houses, people.

There, I 'fessed up and you know the real reason why I needed to mix up another batch of blush. In the interest of science, I felt it was important to try at least one more version before making up my mind on the recipe. Since I had tried both the beet root powder and the hibiscus powder for my tinted lip balm experiments, I decided it would be simple enough to make the blush again and substitute hibiscus for the beet root. I kept the proportions the same to get a fair idea of how the two stacked up against each other.

{2-Ingredient Homemade Natural Blush}

Ingredients:

• arrowroot powder (mine is organic)
• hibiscus powder (mine is organic)

Directions:

1. Using a spoon, combine arrowroot powder and hibiscus powder in a small bowl or container. I used 1 teaspoon of hibiscus powder and 1/2 teaspoon of arrowroot powder. You can adjust the proportions to suit your personal preferences. I stored my blush in a container with a lid this time (although I am not certain that my old Altoids tin is actually air-tight enough to prevent moisture from seeping in.)
2. Apply with a makeup brush as you would any loose powder makeup. (Dip brush into the powder, tap off the excess, and gently brush onto the apples of the cheeks, spreading upward along the cheekbone to blend.)

The Results:

The color of the hibiscus is similar to the beet root, but I think the beet root recipe went on smoother and blended better than this second attempt. Also, whenever I have applied the hibiscus version, it seems to fly off the makeup brush and I get it into my nose, which is not something I enjoy. Overall, I preferred my first experiment to this one. (I wouldn't call this a failure, though, since it did produce a usable all-natural blush.) I don't know if it is a coincidence that I liked beet root over hibiscus for both homemade blush and homemade tinted lip gloss, but I am not quite ready to write it off entirely. I plan to make some homemade powder eye shadows in the future and it could still prove to be the perfect ingredient.

A Case of the Mondays

On my to-do list: make a card to go with a baby gift for an upcoming shower. Done, but I have to show you this goof that I almost made. While gathering materials, I came across some cute animal paper, which reminded me of the nursery bedding the mommy-to-be had registered for. I grabbed that and some other girly accessories, including a letter "k," the first initial of the baby. Then I assembled what I thought was a finished card. Once I stopped and actually looked at what I had created, I saw a potential problem...

{See anything wrong with this?}

"Special K Miracle?" Hmmm... possibly the next big thing in breakfast cereals? You get a new baby and then you can magically fit into your pre-baby bikini that same summer! Or not. I don't think Kellogg's will be paying me big bucks for this idea any time soon.

While this wording may have gotten a few chuckles at the baby shower, I really wanted it to be more thoughtful. Needless to say, I removed the "special" tag and replaced it with a more suitable one that read, "cutie pie." Crisis averted, and I am now off to tick more things off my to-do list on this Monday.

Million Dollar Question

Some things in life are a complete mystery. Take, for example, this spot that has suddenly appeared on my kitchen floor. What precisely is it? I'm not sure. Any number of sticky things, I suppose. 

The real question, however, is How did it happen to take the exact form of a question mark? That, folks, is the million dollar question! Unfortunately, the world may never know. It seems that our mystery stain has a pending date -- with my mop. 

House Rules (for Moms of Boys)

I really want to write something, but I am too tired to say much. So, here's an amusing list of things I never thought I'd have to say at any point in my life... None of which, I have ever had to tell my daughter. Please, please tell me that I am not the only one who has said such weird things to her son!

May 4, 2013
"Wow! It's going five different directions. It's like you're a sprinkler."

October 21, 2013
"No somersaults on the sofa!"

November 23, 2013
"You're not allowed on the sofa unless you are wearing clothes."

December 3, 2013
"Don't put your head in the potty."

February 3, 2014
"We don't wipe our nose on the furniture."

February 13, 2014
"Get off the trash can. We don't sit on the trash can."

February 15, 2014
"Don't put the glow stick in Daddy's pants."

What's the Opposite of the Midas Touch?

Today was not my day. The dog threw up on the carpet. Logan peed on the sofa. (Some day, I will tell the story of what a pain it has been to get him fully toilet trained, but that tale will have to wait.) I had a pomegranate catastrophe. (That video I saw a few weeks back in which the guy claimed he had an "easier" way to cut them without having to have your hands in a bowl of icy water... and I thought, must try that. Yeah, let's just say I am glad this worked for him, but it was NOT at all a good idea for me!) Did I mention it was beyond freezing and we were cooped up ALL DAY?

So, obviously, almost all the activities we tried went wrong. I don't know if there is a word for the exact opposite of the Midas Touch, but I think that is what was going on. We couldn't find the bird identification book because I wanted to set up a bird-watching basket, so of course, that would be unavailable. (Although, Mia did make some nice drawings for the cover of our bird watching notebook, so even though we can't tell what we're looking at, at least we're on the right track to having our bird-watching basket...)

I have a brand new roll of finger paint paper somewhere in the house, but it was nowhere to be found. I realized this after I got all the powdered tempera paints mixed up. I had (or attempted to make) four new paint combs (inspired by this). When I got the kids set up to paint on some brown kraft paper, Mia was excited, "Mrs. M. (the art teacher) has some of these!" Almost immediately, though, she was disappointed because my homemade version -- made from two Cool Whip lids -- just wasn't the same. I guess it's one of those "good idea in theory" moments, not a total craft-astrophe, but still it was a let-down. They eventually got the combs to make some scratchy marks in the paint, but it was pretty anticlimactic at that point.

We waited all day -- 8 hours -- for some glue to dry. This was my BIG brilliant idea for the day, the one I was sure would work. I had wanted to do some Styrofoam art prints. Instead of carving out a design like we did before, I thought we could make a relief using glue. Actually, I still think this would have worked. If only the glue hadn't flaked off from the surface of the Styrofoam after it finally dried.

It's a travesty, really. Mia had a cool snowflake design and Logan had some interesting abstract art that would have looked cool with the white paint on blue paper that I had in mind. This is the only one that sort of kind of worked out, although it looks nothing like what we were hoping for. If you squint, you can probably make out the tree and the falling snow, although who can really tell with all that other "snow" all over the sad looking print? This one definitely counts as a craft-astrophe in my book.

{"Christmas Tree" by Mia}

I know what you're probably thinking. Why didn't she just take it easy instead of trying to direct all of the activities for the day? I should probably mention that Netflix was not wanting to stream anything. And, left to their own devices, the kids created a couch cushion/blanket fort, which ordinarily would not be a problem. But once this became a "bounce house" and they were "boinging" down the "slide" repeatedly, I had had enough of that activity. Couldn't I catch a break?!

It's days like this when a mama really appreciates bedtime. So, if you need me, I'll be soaking in a hot bath with some homemade orange bath salts. And, I may also treat myself to some of our Dragonberry Bacardi. I think I've earned it.

"Santa Already Knows What I Want!" (and Other End of the Year Quotes)

Honestly, I crack up whenever I reread the things my kids have said. This month's collection of kids' quotes is pretty darn good, though. Lots of funny memories. And since you may be wondering why I am tapping away at my keyboard while others are out celebrating...

Yes, we're getting crazy up in here for New Year's Eve! We already polished off our bottle of sparkling juice and had a raucous family game night. (I have dubbed myself the Queen of Candy Land.) Kids are now in bed, and I doubt I will be awake long enough to ring in the new year. Good times, good times.

See you all in 2014! I hope it is as wonderful for everyone as 2013 has been for our family.

12/2/13
M {eating Swedish Fish, which she called "sweet fish"}: "I never knew fish could taste that good."

12/3/13
L: "Circle is not a shape. It goes all the way around. It's a letter, like 'o.'"

Is it just me, or does that almost make sense?

12/5/13
M: "I have something to tell you: Doritos taste good dipped in ranch dressing!"
Me: "How did you learn this?"
M: "Turkey taco day!" (party at school before Thanksgiving) "We had some and I tried it."

12/5/13
I was explaining to Mia how things weren't going how I wanted and I was feeling frustrated. She thought for a moment and then replied, "Go to bed early then!"

If only it were that simple... Unfortunately, the mama can't go to bed in the afternoon.

12/8/13
M: "Ouch!"
Me: "What happened?"
M: "The wood hit me on purpose." {scowls and then informs me that she ran into the banister}
Me: "Do you want the boo boo bunny?"
M: "NO!" {scowls} "And I do not like wood."

Truly, it was all I could do to not laugh. She was so serious and so, so mad at that banister.

12/11/13
M: "Our elf is really talented this year!" {Said after seeing the string of gumdrops on the Christmas tree.}

12/14/13
M: "Me and Ritzy just did an Eskimo kiss and one thing -- her nose is very wet!"

I would imagine so, yes.

12/15/13
L {in the church bathroom -- and, of course, we were not alone}: "My penis is getting bigger!"

Really, child, you couldn't save this statement for a more private place? 

12/16/13
L: "Girls only have eyebrows... and cars have eyebrows, too."

I have no idea...

12/16/13
L: "Why are big people -- like Mommy or Daddy -- called giants or robots?"
Me: "I didn't know we were."

I repeat, no idea...

12/19/13
During Logan's preschool Christmas party a high school student sat in Santa's lap to try to convince one of the preschoolers that he was okay. She asked for a brand new car and Logan chimed in with, "I don't think Santa has car parts!"

This sounds plausible to me.

12/19/13
Also during the preschool party, Logan surprised me tremendously by hopping up in Santa's lap and talking to him, asking for a bunch of Hot Wheels stuff (none of which I could really understand, other than the words "Hot Wheels" and "crash!") Naturally, I asked him what he had discussed with Santa and he replied, "I don't feel like telling you. Santa already knows what I want!"

Well, I'm glad you're so tight with the fat man, but toss me a bone, here!

12/22/13
M: "Guess what, Mom? Dad was number one for a level in Candy Crush!"
Me: "Okay. Why are you telling me this?"
M: "I just want you to know everything that Dad does."
Brett: "Well, that's not much..."

Hey, he said it! I'm just repeating it.

12/23/13
Me {Catching Mia performing what I assume is a dance move on a chair at the dining table}: "Let's not do arabesques on the chair." (Note: I am proud of myself for learning some of the lingo.)
M: "I'm not. I'm just stretching."

Technicality, apparently. Future lawyer, this one. For the record, it sure looked like an arabesque to me. Also, we can add this to the list of things I never thought I'd say.

12/24/13
M {While singing "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer"}: "Has Daddy been in history before?"

Not that I am aware of, but time will tell... Perhaps, he will set some sort of world record in Candy Crush.

12/24/13
Mia asked if I had made the paper slips for the Advent calendar and I told her that I did.
Brett: "How come you don't think I made them?"
M: "Because Mama is more creative and into crafts."
Me: "So what is Daddy good at?"
L: "Being mad!"
M: "Playing games and throwing a ball at a woodpecker on the roof."

12/28/13
L {Trooping into our bedroom at 7 am}: "Guys, it's morning and we're going to my cousins' house today! And guess what else?! We're also going to my sister's cousins' house!"

The Three "Crazies" of Christmas

Fact: The holidays make people crazy. Some of it is "good crazy" and some of it is "bad crazy" and the rest of it is just regular ol' "crazy crazy."

This morning, for example, I was leaving the post office, feeling pretty proud of myself. By 9:15, I had started a load of laundry, dropped Mia off at school, started my bread dough to rising, and shipped my two packages and picked up stamps. I was about to joke to Logan that we could now rest on our laurels (which wouldn't have made sense to him, anyway), when it hit me: I had messed up!

I've been making photo calendars for my side of the family for the past three years or so. I operate under the idea that these make nice gifts, so I hope the recipients are in agreement. I thought I was so smart including reminders of all the important stuff like birthdays, anniversaries, special holidays... and then I realized I forgot one very important event for one very important little person. I left off my nephew's birthday, and I am totally feeling like C-R-A-P at the moment.

While he is too young to realize the oversight, I am sure everyone else will notice, especially his parents, my brother and his wife. All I can really say is that I am so, so, so sorry! But that doesn't seem good enough. I know if it was one of my children who was forgotten, I would feel kind of let down. The funny thing is that I remember looking at the month of April while making the calendar, too, and wondering what was tickling the back of my brain that I was forgetting to add. If I had realized this before mailing them I could have at least penned it in and added a sticker or something. It wouldn't have been quite the same, but at least I wouldn't feel like the crummiest aunt on the planet right now. Someday, we will all laugh about this, right?

So now I have mommy guilt, and it's not even for one of my own children! This is a new development, indeed. I think it will be filed under "bad crazy."

Now let's talk about "good crazy." I know the Elf on the Shelf gets a lot of flack, so I don't bring him up unless someone specifically asks me if we have this tradition. The answer is yes, this is our third year, and I love our elf! I think it's a lot of fun, and trust me, I would not continue this tradition if I did NOT like doing it. (You know what they say, if Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy? Well, since our little friend Coconut E. Butterfly -- or Coco for short -- makes this mama happy, he gets to keep on keepin' on.)

I am laughing at myself, though, because three times recently I have wanted to do something that required fishing line, and for some reason, I have no clue where it is. (Okay, the reason is most likely that my craft stash is totally a disaster!) Anyway, you may be interested to know that is is possible to substitute dental floss for fishing line. Resourceful, right? I used the one that Logan had unspooled in the car after our latest trip to the dentist, which I had collected in a bag and saved for "whatever." So, last night I learned that it is pretty quick and simple to make a Superman cape for an elf. The tricky part is getting him to "fly." Now, using dental floss may be what I consider "good crazy," but let me tell you that it worked great! (I plan to share everything that Coco has been up to this year, so look for that post after Christmas. In the mean time, you can also read up on where he was found in 2011 and 2012, photos included.)

Last but not least, I give you "crazy crazy." This is one for the history books and I really wish I had seen it firsthand. Last Friday the preschoolers had a Christmas party during our MOPS meeting, which included decorating sugar cookies. Obviously, there were sprinkles all over the table. Logan is resourceful and a bit nutty (just like his mama), so he stepped back about 5 feet from the table, got a running start, and then slid across the table top with his mouth open and his tongue out, collecting sprinkles all the way! Hearing this story, I was simply too stunned to even be mortified by this behavior. I decided that he was hopped up on sugar, and had spent just enough time with other boys. Luckily, they were all laughing about it. Not that I want to encourage a repeat performance, but I really do wish I could have been there.

I think I have done a good job this year of taking my time and only doing what I can handle for the moment, but sometimes we all get a bit strung up (and being extra hopped up on sugar doesn't help any.) Mia made this beautiful drawing at church yesterday morning, which gave me hope that amid all the Christmas crazy we were teaching our children what Christmas is truly about...

... and then later that morning we caught her with her hands around her brother's neck, yelling that he was an idiot! This confirms my earlier statement.

Fact: The holidays make people crazy. Some of it is "good crazy" and some of it is "bad crazy" and the rest of it is just regular ol' "crazy crazy." Personally, I am hoping for a balance of crazy, with the good outweighing the bad (and just a bit of "crazy crazy" thrown in for good measure). I'm pretty sure that's one Christmas carol that isn't being played, but maybe it should be.

Things My Kids Say

9/3/13
Logan: "I can only do so many things at once." (Yes, he threw that mommyism right back at me. Proof that he does listen to me.)

9/10/13
At the grocery store:
Logan: "Here's your ticket binder."
Me: "I call it my coupon binder."
Logan: "It's your ticket binder."
Me: "Well, I guess you could call it that. It's my ticket to savings."

9/23/13
Logan (helping me with the fall decorations -- finds a cornucopia and puts it on his head): "Look! I found a witch hat!"

9/24/13
Logan (calling to us from the bathroom): "Guys, I've got a surprise for you!" (Please let it be that you made it in the toilet.)

9/26/13
In a hurry to get outdoors, he got frustrated.
Logan: "I don't know which feet they go on."
Me: "It doesn't matter. They're socks."

10/3/13
I let Mia know that there were box tops in her backpack to give to her teacher.
Mia: "How many were there?"
Me: "185."
Mia: "Wow. You can sure count high!" 
(Amazing my 6-year-old -- just one of the many services I provide on a daily basis.)

10/10/13
Me: "Hey, there's a lump on the sofa. it looks comfy. I think I'll sit on it."
{giggles}
And then Logan pops up.
Me: "Hey, I know you. You're the 'Matchbox Car Smuggler.' You caused a ruckus at soccer practice."
Logan: "Just doing my job." (Indeed.)
(True story! He had a TOTAL meltdown during soccer practice that evening because he had smuggled a red Hot Wheels car inside his shin guard, and it had gotten lost on the field. Luckily, Daddy saved the day by systematically scouring the field until it turned up.)

10/15/13
Logan: "Mommy, I don't have enough Hot Wheels for my bath." (Riiiiiiiiiiight.)

10/16/13
After finding a wet spot on the carpet:
Me: "Did you urinate on the floor?"
Logan: "No, I peed in this bag {holds up plastic bag from dentist's office}... but I missed!"
(And why was he was surprised that I wanted to throw the bag away? After emptying it, of course, because his aim wasn't completely off target.)

10/19/13
Mia: "You can find a lot of coins on the ground, but you can't find a lot of dollars." (Yes. Random, but true.)

10/19/13
Mia: "I hope your arms don't get longer."
Me: "Why would my arms get longer?"
Mia: "I don't know, but I hope that they don't get too long because then you would have to bend them funny to drive the car."
(I guess if this is all she is worried about when I am driving, then we are in pretty good shape.)

10/21/13
I put the vacuum in the living room and then started moving chairs out of the dining room (because unfortunately, our dining room is carpeted. I hate this but it came with the house, and it is some day going to be replaced, hopefully with hard wood floors, at least that is my dream). As I am moving chairs, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Logan has moved the vacuum cleaner.
Logan: "Look, Mommy, your vacuum can move all on its own." {grins} "I don't know how it did that!"

10/25/13
Mia (at the dinner table): "I'm drawing a 'W' on my bottom with my finger." (Don't ask me. I literally have no clue.)

10/27/13
Mia thought that Daddy was being unfair to Logan because he was sick and was not allowed to have certain foods. She agreed with Logan when he said that Daddy was mean.
Mia: "Meaner than an 8-armed octopus!" (They are apparently meaner than their 4-armed counterparts, which she insisted exist.)

10/29/13
After noticing that Brett had left his lunch on the counter, I called to ask him if he would like me to stick it in the 'fridge. Mia was a bit concerned by this.
Mia: "He's gonna have to get hot lunch!"

10/29/13
At the park:
Logan: "Look what I found resting!"
I glanced up from my book and saw that he had laid a dead chipmunk in front of me on the picnic table. You may be impressed to know that I only gave a slightly startled "ah!" in response before informing him that it was dead, finding a plastic bag in the van to scoop it up with, putting it in the trash can, and then peeling off his mittens. (Thank goodness he was wearing them!)

10/30/13
The weather was suddenly warmer and the ladybugs had come out from wherever they had been hiding.
Mia: "I don't want that ladybug, Mom. I think it just peed on me!"

10/30/13
Logan (to the babysitter as he handed her the money): "You can buy stuff with that!" (Yep.)

When Exactly Does It Get Easier?

I often hear other moms say that "boys are easier." I usually just nod my head and smile, all the while thinking, Really? What's wrong with my son then? He is NOT easy! Or, more to the point, What's wrong with me?! I must be really messing up this business of parenting a boy... 

I understand what they're saying to some degree. I have a daughter, too, so I have experienced my share of  D-R-A-M-A -- and we are not remotely near the teen years. So, I get it, parenting a teenage girl likely leaves a mama with a few emotional scars that make parenting her son feel like a breeze by comparison.

And, my day of teenage girl drama will come...

But what about right now? What about these crazy-busy-can't-keep-up-with-him little boy days when I want to tear my hair out because parenting a boy is NOT easy. It's downright difficult and not at all for wimps. The list of mommyisms, things that I have said to my son and that I would never dream of saying to my daughter, is growing by the day!

• "NO! We don't play catch with a rock!"
• "Stop smooshin' ants and come eat lunch."
• "We don't put our foot in the toilet."
• "No peeing in the tub! No peeing on your sister!!"
• "Hey, Buddy, 10 minutes, and then you've got to get pants on." (Because, you know, I don't want the other people at the bus stop to think I'm a bad mom!)

So, been-there-done-that moms, I know you mean well, but I don't agree that moms of boys hold the monopoly on "easy." While these exchanges with my little man were very different from ones I have had with my daughter, they weren't easier in any way. (Seriously, I have never had to tell her not to pee on her brother or beg her to wear pants outside of the house!) Can we please just agree that boys are different? 

While different has meant more dirt in more places (Some of them very odd -- How do his ears get so dirty?), more noise (Oh.My.Goodness. It's like he has only one volume setting: LOUD!), and more phone calls to poison control, it's not better or worse than the experiences I have had with his sister. The main distinction in the relationships between my kids and me is how we relate to each other. I am starting the believe that the saving grace of boys -- those messy little monsters who swing from the curtains and climb on EVERYTHING -- is just how much they love their mamas.

Take yesterday for instance, I was insanely frustrated because Logan would just not listen to me and he refused to follow any directions. He was begging me to take him "somewhere fun," and I asked him how I could possibly take him anywhere when he wasn't being a good listener. While Mia would have just huffed off, he dealt with this in his mischievously charming fashion. He grabbed my head, turned it toward his face, and then he covered me with tons of sloppy little-boy kisses.

Well, naturally I melted. How could anyone stay mad at the little Don Juan? But still, I have to wonder, When EXACTLY does it get easier?

No-Bake Mac & Cheese

This has to be one of the few foods that actually tastes just as good or better, even when it's re-heated. For that reason alone, every mama should have a decent mac & cheese recipe in her repertoire. I have tried several over the years. In case you are wondering, it was a process to wean my kids off of that nasty stuff in the blue box! So far, this is our favorite, and the main reason why is that the kids don't like the baked versions that involve bread crumbs. (Not sure why considering the little dude is essentially a "carbivore" but whatever...)

I am not complaining, though, since this saves me time and money.

To make our no-bake mac & cheese, I use my personal revisions to this recipe. I omit the Dijon mustard, altogether, for personal taste preference. Also, instead of adding the frozen broccoli to cool down the dish, I serve it steamed on the side. As much as my kids like broccoli and other vegetables, (Really! They do!!) I cannot convince them to eat it mixed in with the mac & cheese.

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces whole wheat elbow noodles (2 cups, or about 1/2 a box if you don't feel like measuring)
• 1 3/4 cups low-fat milk -- divided (Okay, honestly, I often use whole milk because that is what we buy for the kids. This tastes good either way, but the whole milk is richer.)
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• pinch of pepper (The original recipe called for 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper. I use black pepper which is what we always have on hand.)
• 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or Colby-jack, whatever is on hand)
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (The original recipe calls for shredded, but I use grated because we always have it.)

Directions:

1. Boil a large pot of water and cook macaroni noodles according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, simmer 1 1/2 cups milk over medium-high heat. (I use my "green" ceramic frying pan for this.)
3. Whisk the other 1/4 cup milk, flour, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a small bowl to combine, and then add the mixture to the simmering milk. Return to a simmer, stirring constantly for about 2-3 minutes, until the sauce thickens.
4. Remove from heat and stir in cheeses until melted.
5. Drain the pasta and then add the cheese sauce. Over medium-low heat, stir the macaroni and cheese for about 1 more minute, until heated. You can serve this right away, or as I mentioned above, re-heated. Sometimes, if I know we're going to have a hectic evening, I will make it during the day, and then re-heat it at dinner time. It's perfect either way, and my family eats it up.

Photo Thank-You Cards for a Shark-Themed Birthday Party

After making fill-in-the-blank style photo-thank-you cards for the past few birthday parties, I think I have it almost down to a science. The only part that nearly threw me was that when Mia was this age she was able to start helping to personalize the notes by signing her name. Logan, on the other hand, can't write his name and to be honest, I'm not even sure if he knows what letter it starts with! Luckily, I was inspired by my friend Liz who had her son color a homemade shark birthday card, and I realized that Logan could do the same thing for his thank-you cards. (By the way, Liz, I have your card sitting right in front of me, so it's coming soon!)

{Card views from the outside (top) and inside (bottom)}

Materials:

• blue card stock (8 1/2" x 11")
• paper trimmer
• word processing software/printer
• pinking shears
• scrapbooking adheseive (or glue stick)
• markers/crayons/colored pencils
• pen

Directions:

1. At the party, take a picture of each guest. We used the shark photo prop that I had made for this.
2. Have photos printed. Note: My 4" x 6" prints were ordered from Snapfish.
3. To get two cards per piece of card stock, fold a sheet in half, hamburger style. Then, use a paper trimmer to cut along the crease. Now you have two cards. Again, fold each one in half like a hamburger.
4. Check to see that the photo fits inside the card, trimming as needed. Next, use scrapbooking adhesive (or a glue stick) to adhere the photo to the inner left part of the card.
5. While the card is still open, use your pinking shears to cut a "bite" out of the top left corner of the card. Make sure that this won't cut out anybody's face, of course. If desired, use a pen to add the date below the photo.
6. For the fill-in-the-blank thank-you templates, use word processing software like Microsoft Word. Mine is in portrait layout and I was able to fit four per page. I chose to keep this simple, but still fun by including some invented words (or, as I like to call them, "mommyisms.") The wording reads:

Dear ______________________­­­_____,                        

     Thanks for helping me celebrate my                                       

“jawsome” 4^th birthday! Thanks also for                         

the  ____________________________                                           

________________________________                                           

________________________________.                                                 

It’s “fintastically” fun!                                                       

Your friend,                                                                                        

Logan                                                

There was also a photo of a shark that I found online and inserted to the left of Logan's name, but I can't get it to show up here. After printing these out, I trim them to size with my paper trimmer and then use pinking shears to make decorative shark "bites" along the top and bottom edges. Lastly, affix the fill-in-the-blank template to the inside of the card, to the right of the photo. Depending upon the age of the birthday boy (or girl) you can either fill this in or let him (or her) help.

7. For the front of the card, print out simple coloring page shark designs. I can't seem to find the image I used, but just do a search for something like "shark images for coloring." I pasted my image into Microsoft Word and scaled it so that I could fit six per page, in landscape format. Then, I used word art to "Thank You!" below each shark. I trimmed and adhered these to the front of each card and then Logan colored the shark pictures.

I love the idea of taking the theme all the way through the party and wrapping it up with a thank-you card. Adding photos is a little something extras that makes for fun souvenirs. These cards were not difficult to make, (once I did the advanced planning and creation of the shark photo prop!) and they were perfectly personalized to the theme of Logan's "jawsome" 4th birthday party. For more themed party thank-you card ideas, see my previous posts about the Care Bears party thank-yous and the Cars-themed party thank-yous and the Fancy Nancy party thank-yous.

Mommy Holds It All Together (Barely)

I try to not write negative posts because really, who wants to read it? But then, I occasionally think, well, maybe people would like to hear the honest-to-goodness not-so-great stuff and not just the "highlight reel" that I typically broadcast. So, let's be honest here. This week has been loooooooooong and difficult.

Being a mom is really hard. Moms hold the entire family together. When I say "family" I mean the schedules for all children and pets PLUS household (and sometimes yard) maintenance. Of course, the mom also has to keep track of Daddy's schedule (and while this mommy thankfully does NOT need to do all the scheduling for her husband, I do at least need to know his meetings and appointments and have them noted on the master "MOM" calendar), in order to keep the family machine well-oiled and in working order. That is not counting anything that moms need (or want!) to do for themselves. Obviously this is a tall order, and even those of us who have you all relatively fooled by our exterior presentation don't really have it all together.

While I have tried to put a positive spin on some of the more challenging curve balls that life has catapulted my way, there are not too many silver linings that I can find at the end of this crazy week.

Let's start with my refrigerator, which had some crazy electrical or mechanical or whatever mishap that caused the light bulbs to remain on. All. The. Time. At first, this was just annoying. What's with the burning smell in the 'fridge? Then, when the cover actually melted and fell off, it became more obvious what caused the burning smell. However, we decided to just live with it. Who cares if there is no cover over the light bulbs, right? 

Wrong! Whatever underlying problem that caused the melting/burning/cover destruction continued until the point at which the refrigerator overheated and it actually cooked all the food! Yes, I spent Monday afternoon tossing out the contents of the refrigerator: milk, eggs, butter, cheese, yogurt -- all very questionable. Meat? Obviously not a good idea to keep. Condiments? Who knew if they were even safe. I erred on the side of caution and pitched it all.

Now, the silver lining here was that my refrigerator was very empty, which was convenient for giving it a thorough cleaning, likely the best cleaning it has ever seen since I became a mom. And, at least it happened on the day before trash day.

The bad news was all of the phone calls that I have had to make to try to get the darn thing fixed. I won't bore you with the details, but I had to make multiple calls to both the manufacturer and the repair company because ... honestly, I don't know why. These people must not have mothers manning the phones! If they did, questions would get answered accurately and promptly, and repeat phone calls would not be needed.

Tuesday was not too terrible by comparison. Mia was stressed out over school picture day, mainly because she did not want her photo to be taken by a "stranger." I didn't really know how to fix this one other than helping her get her hair right. A stranger? Maybe that was why she had such a weird look on her face for her kindergarten picture? It should be interesting to see how this year's school portrait turns out.

The following morning got off to a frustrating start. Things did not go as planned when Logan and I went in to help out at the elementary school. (Well, I went to help. He went with matchbox cars, crayons, and a coloring book.) Essentially, someone had finished a task that was meant to be done as a group, presumably because she thought that this was helpful. For some of us (okay, just for me, the one who showed up to help with the Little Man in tow -- after I had checked and received confirmation that this would be okay) this was not particularly helpful as he was ready to "play at the school" while Mommy worked. In four-year-old world, this meant a meltdown had to occur in the hallway, while classes were in session. Ugh! Plus, I had to come up with a plan B that was satisfactory him. This mainly included the playground (which we could not stay at for long, because like I said, classes were in session) and a consolation prize: a Dum Dum sucker. (Good thing I usually carry those!)

Thursday was quite educational. I would like to thank my husband for being the person to successfully collect the dog's urine sample, which was needed for her vet appointment. As you may have guessed, this was not a routine visit; it was a special appointment that I'd scheduled since she was urinating in the house. It turned out the be a urinary tract infection, which I was not even aware that dogs could get. Our previous dog, a cocker spaniel, never had any UTIs, but now I have learned that they are fairly common in bichon frises.

So, the good news, is that this is easy to take care of -- just assuming I can get her to swallow the antibiotics. I haven't found any partially chews tablets since yesterday morning, so I think we are okay, but have you ever tried to get a dog to take pills? I swear they have some sort of spring in the back of the throat to eject whatever is not immediately recognized as "food."

And the bad news? Well, naturally I feel guilty. (This had to come up at some point in this long venting post, right?) Yep. Guilty. She was peeing all over the place, little amounts, big amounts, all times of day and night, no rhyme or reason really, for about 3 months. And I was completely clueless that she was in pain. I actually thought she was mad at us for switching her food as we were trying out different grain free formulas to try to help her with her skin allergies (another breed tendency that I was aware of). Poor baby. I had even begun to wonder if she and Logan were conspiring against me. (That's a whole different story, but let's just say that potty training is VERY challenging with this child!)

Of course, that was not the end of the big to-dos. We also had to get through soccer photos. (This meant more irrational worrying about photos being taken by a stranger... and more anxiety about getting her hair just so!) Meanwhile, Mia has been complaining of pain in her legs for the past few days, so she was not all the happy to have to go to soccer practice in the first place. We have determined that this must be "growing pains" since she can't pinpoint a particular area and it seems to be pretty constant. Fortunately, she seemed more comfortable after a dose of pink children's ibuprofen.

We got through the photos, and the soccer practice, despite everyone being T-I-R-E-D. After practice, Logan's coach asked me if I could bring the snack for the game on Saturday morning. I wish she had asked sooner because I had already went to Kroger and Walmart this week and I don't really want one more thing on my plate! So, of course, I said I would. (Mom guilt. It'll get ya every time.) I turned to Brett and asked him to remind me to pick up a snack in the morning. In typical fashion he immediately replied, "Don't forget to buy a snack tomorrow."

Um, thanks, not what I had in mind. Then I told him, "Thanks for being the glue that holds this family together." The coach laughed, and said, "Ahhhh, sarcasm. I know it well." I told her, "I learned from the best!" So, truly, he shouldn't be surprised when I throw it back at him.

So, this morning we made the all-important trip to Walmart to buy soccer snacks. (And furnace filters, except they didn't have the size we needed. At least I don't think they did. That aisle was a bigger disaster than my life at present so who can tell?) In going from the furnace filter aisle to the snacks, I had to cross the desert of clearance clothing, and obviously I had to stop and look for things for the kids.

This is where things started to go downhill fast. Logan saw a shirt that he liked. It was several sizes too large for him and he had a hard time understanding why I wouldn't buy it for him. He tried to convince me, saying, "We can put in in my grow-into bin!" "Yes, we can," I agreed, "but it doesn't make sense to buy a size 8." So, we went around to the other side to look at the smaller clothes, which is about when he decided that it was okay to climb out of the cart. I didn't want him to, and a big hissy fit ensued. After some struggle, I got him back in the cart (not before being embarrassed in front of the other mom whose kid was not having a tantrum) and we made our way over to the grocery section to buy animal crackers.

Logan had another fit in the cracker aisle, and I don't even remember what this one was about. He wanted something and I wouldn't buy it for him, no doubt. I was very glad to leave Walmart.

Now, this is the point when I clearly lost my mind. Against my better judgment, I decided we should stop at the new resale shop in town to look for pants and sweatshirts for Logan. I knew he really needed fall/winter wardrobe items and I had not been able to find them at garage sales or consignment shops because boys wear their clothes! Amazingly, we found several sweatshirts that would work, and I had him help me narrow it down to one pull-over fleece, one hoodie, and a regular sweatshirt. He was even helpful enough to try on most of the jeans I found for him. They were all much too big in the waist, which is the ongoing problem we have, so I just got him the sweatshirts, but as I was ready to pay, he was not about to leave without the wooden excavator toy that he had found.

I tried everything in my repertoire:

• "Say bye-bye to the toy, and we'll come see it another time." (Heck yeah, I found clothes that fit him! We would definitely be back.)
• "Why don't we start a Christmas list when we get home? I'm sure Santa will be happy to know that you like that toy." (Yes, Santa is always happy to have ideas in plenty of time to find good deals.)
• "I don't have enough money to buy the toy. Sorry." (I'm kind of worried about everything else that is costing me money this week, especially the 'fridge and the dog's vet bill.)
• "When you put the toy down and we're out of the store, then you can have a Dum Dum sucker!" (What do you mean you don't want a sucker?! That usually works.)
• "You don't have enough money for this either, but why don't we save up and come back when you have enough?" (Please, please....)
• "Do you want me to call Daddy?" (I was running out of rational thoughts, and really, there is no rationalizing with a four-year-old. He might be able to help!)
• "Okay, you can offer her your dollar and see what she says." (Not surprisingly, this didn't work.)
• "Well, you've left me no choice. I have to yank it out of your hand and run!" (I know the owner understands what I am going through, but still, this is so embarrassing! And, of course, another customer would show up while I am in the midst of this...)

I managed to get out of that shop with only the items I had paid for, but not without several minutes of power-struggle. In fact, he was hitting me as we were heading out the door, so the other ladies may have heard me saying those age-old words, "No. We don't hit. Hitting hurts, and we don't hit..." By the time we got back to the van, Logan was so upset that I couldn't get him buckled into his car seat. We sat for a few minutes while he calmed down, but then I realized that he had taken off his shorts and underwear. Well, this was a first! 

On the way home, I had to pull over because he had managed to pull the box of animal crackers out of my shopping bag using his feet! (That's pretty clever, I've got to hand it to him!) Then, he had gotten a package out of the box and was trying to figure out how to open it when I noticed this in the mirror. Wow!

Despite it all, the tears, the yelling, the utter weirdness -- (Really? He took his underwear off to show me just how angry he was?) -- I am holding the family together this week. While I came close to losing it, I have managed not to let them "see me sweat,". (I finally get that expression now, because believe me, I was sweating after the resale shop incident.) Yes, this mama is the glue that holds her family together --
with a mixture of bubble gum flavored ibuprofen, hair elastics, and Dum Dum suckers --the tools of the trade, apparently.

Leaving on a Jet Plane...

Awhile back, I read this post, written by a college friend, Katie, who essentially laughs about her "first-world problem" of deciding to whether or not to create a play room for her girls. This came to mind again when it became time to finally pack for the upcoming vacation. (Tropical island! No kids! Eeeeeeeee!)

The "first-world problem" that I had? Not knowing which shoes to pack! I know, I know, this is really not that BIG of a deal, but I was trying to limit myself, and there were just soooooo many choices. And that was when I was mainly limiting it to sandals and cute flats. That is why I am borrowing Katie's term "first-world problem," because it is totally apt here.

Here are some of the options that I considered (which is not even my inclusive shoe wardrobe, which now that I think about it, signifies that I am not as low-maintenance as I previously thought. That, or it's just easier to find shoes that fit than it is to find clothing, so I'm more likely to treat myself to shoes.) I laid them all out on top of the bed to see what might work, but it was still overwhelming. (Also, it's not a particularly good idea to put shoes on top of your bedspread, unless, of course, you don't mind getting it kind of dirty.)

Feeling stumped, I texted my mom asking for suggestions. Her response was that I needed sandals, beach shoes, and walking shoes. I already knew what I needed I told her, but how to choose which ones I wanted was the issue. No problem she tells me, just choose the ones that "go with everything." Um.... which ones would those be? If I had shoes that went with everything, would I "need" so many pairs?

This meant that I had to do a "fashion show," trying on all of my sundresses and cute shorts and tops, modeling them with each of the possible footwear options. (Brett was definitely not complaining about this.) While doing that, I also had to keep a mental tally of how many outfits would go best with each particular pair of shoes. In the end, I went with the black Crocs (bottom, middle) which are my new beach shoes, as I really, really HATE flip flops and would not even consider wearing those. The sneakers were also an essential for the rainforest. Brett insisted that I had to bring what he called the "sexy" shoes which are the black gladiator style wedges (bottom, second from left). And then, the basic sandals made the cut: the black ones (bottom, left) and the brown ones (bottom, right).

I seriously debated bringing the cobalt blue sandals (bottom, second from right) because I LOVE that color. However, they only went with one dress and one pair of shorts so they weren't the most practical choice. And then there were the woven green ballet flats (top, right) that I kept coming back to. They are super cute and I was really tempted, but again, they only went with a couple of things. Brett almost convinced me to pack them because I clearly wanted to SO badly, but I practiced some restraint here. As it was, five pairs of shoes seemed like plenty for a seven-day trip. (I'm sure most of the smart travelers who tell you how to pack one back only will tell you I am out of my mind for packing this many pairs in the first place, but this was tough stuff, and I am not joking when I say the hardest packing decision I made! It was easier to pack both my kids' stuff for a week at "Camp Grandma" that it was to decide which shoes to pack.)

So, folks, I'm leaving on a jet plane, and it's gonna be awesome! I can't wait to share some truly amazing memories -- when we return from our tropical paradise. In the meantime, don't look for any new posts for a bit. I'll on a beach drinking something with a little umbrella.