In trouble

I am in trouble.

Potentially serious trouble.

You see, Friday was my sister's birthday.

My one and only sister. My beloved, best friend.

Beloved Auntie and The Wee One.

Why on Earth has there been no birthday post yet, Melissa?

Well, you see - she was supposed to come up on Sunday for our annual Memorial Day BBQ, and I thought I would take some photos of her and her wonderful children in order to craft a really memorable post.

Unfortunately, she couldn't make it.

So now, my birthday post is not only embarrassingly late, but severely lacking in the "see, these wonderful photos certainly make up for the belatedness" department.

Alas, I'll carry on.

Ten Things I Learned From My Big Sister:

* How to cook. Chicken Marsala, Homemade Mac'n'cheese, Bread. If I make it well, it's more than likely she makes it better.

* There is no perfect purse. But there is a perfect purse for any given situation.

* Always drive a stick-shift. Because it makes you awesome-r that's why.

* It's okay to be right. Even if that makes someone else wrong.  You see, my sister is right, a lot. You would think that would make her annoying, but it doesn't. It just makes her smart.

* When you are trying to pick your baby sister up from the train station, and you can't seem to pick her out of the crowd, instead of stopping the car and looking for her, just drive slowly and ask her to, "Jump up and down." Because she is your baby sister, and she'll do whatever you say, she will indeed begin to obediently hop in the midst of a sea of fellow commuters.

*  Read everything.

* Watch PBS. It makes you smarter.

* Parenting is not an endeavor to be undertaken lightly. Do your homework. Stick to your guns. Listen to opinions but make up your own mind. Don't do what's popular, do what's right for your child.
And she does make some lovely children...

The Littles.

Big sister to the Littles, with the Wee One.

* Trust no one. Except your sister. http://www.snopes.com/

* Sometimes life is hard. And unfair. Do the right thing. Even if there are easier paths to take.

Sharing a quiet moment with her oldest on her wedding day.

Oh Happy Birthday, Big Sis.

You are my inspiration. My strength. My role model.

You are who I want to be when I grow up.

I cannot wait to be old and cranky in a nursing home with you.

I have been told that my standards are too high. How could they not be, when I have been looking up to you my whole life?

Rock on, Sistah-friend.

Happy Birthday.



Friday Moments

Friday Moments with Soule Mama again today (Did you know she had her baby? Go and see!)

If you have a moment or two to share, please, please leave a comment with a link.

And if you have a moment for blog-browsing - please go check out my friend Tonya - she just became her own domain! Drop her a comment of congratulations and encouragement.

The sun came out this week - and boy were we happy to see it!

"Look, Bud - the sun!"
"Ooooh!"

Though there were still some occasional showers and the Minister of Measurement had to keep close tabs on their size.

"Dis pud-dew is fwee inches wide."

Keeping track of all those measurements can be quite exhausting, though.

Sometimes you just gotta take a rest.

Finally, in order to get some nutrition into my "let's go outside!" twosome, we adopted a buffet-style approach.

Success! Healthy food intake accomplished!

I hope your week was filled with some good moments, as well.

Happy Friday and I hope there are some BBQ plans in your future this weekend.

Thank you, as always for stopping by, and thank you, thank you for your comments - they make my day.

Ice cream

We took the kids for ice cream yesterday.

The Big Boy learned an important life lesson.

He swallowed a too-big bite and started to rub his forehead.

"I have ice cream in my head."

He had no trouble polishing off his cone, despite the ice cream headache.

The Wee One was like a machine, he polished off his own cone, then began to bounce between Hubs and I.

"Share sum?"

The joy of watching their ice-cream bliss is only slightly marred by the somewhat amphetamine-like effect it has on them.

Post-ice cream they are a bit like flaming ping-pong balls of destruction.

I suppose all good things come with a price, no?

5/25

hey guys,

the natives are restless today - be back tomorrow

xoxox

Bravery

Yesterday, I was standing at the kitchen counter, chopping onions for the crock pot when my cat made a bizarre "Ya-rowl" sound and came bolting out of the basement - claws scrabbling madly on the wood floor.

I didn't pay her too much attention because she often bolts, terrified, out of the basement after she has used the litter box.

A moment later she let out yet another of those "Rowl!" sounds and I turned to see her scrabbling madly out from behind the open basement door.

Concerned, I approached the door, expecting to see a large bug or a toy lodged somewhere unreachable by kitty paws.

I noticed a small black mass, about the size of a bar of soap, on the floor by the door.

I stopped dead in my tracks.

Mouse?

It wasn't moving.

I glanced down at my hand and discovered I was still holding the large kitchen knife.

Eek! I thought, What the hell are you going to do with that? and I hurriedly dropped it on the cutting board.

I turned again to face the small black thing on the floor.

It still hadn't moved.

I approached it slowly, warily.

If that thing moves I am going to shriek and run. Good plan.

With only a few feet between myself and my unknown visitor, I noticed that it did not appear to have a head, or a tail.

Nor was it really black, but perhaps more like navy blue.

It was a balled up pair of socks, stolen from the laundry basket by a very, very  naughty kitty.

Vitamin D!

Oh, guys. The sun came out this weekend.

Mostly I just stood around with my face upturned, soaking it up. UV rays bedamned.

It was awesome.

"Dat?"
"That is a hose, Bud. It's what you use when it isn't raining for 12 straight days."

We even ate sunshiney food, so great was our delight in blue skies and warm temperatures.

"Mr. Happy" best shirt ever.

We thought deep thoughts.

He's wicked smaht.

And once he was done thinking, he tested his hypotheses regarding gravity.

"Cah down dare."

I hope there was some sunshine in your weekend, too.

Friday Moments

Friday Moments with Soule Mama again today.

A few weeks ago my husband chastised me for not following Soule Mama's rules (one photo, no words). Alas, I am unable to hold myself to Amanda's standards - but I play along anyway.

This week, we dodged a lot of raindrops.

Unfortunately, this does not make for the most equisite of photos.

But, we'll make do.

This week we learned that dirt sticks tenatiously to wet hands.

"Git off."

We enjoyed every down-pour-free moment, wet bums bedamned.

Umm, wee one? Not the best spot for slide-viewing.

And we perfected the art of stripping off wet clothes and shoes before entering the house.

And you know that naked legs are simply hilarious.

So there's our soggy week.

To be followed, mostly likely, by a soggy weekend.

Hope there's sunshine in your neck of the woods!

Happy Friday!!

Rainy days

This long stretch of rain is a wee bit tiresome for our little family.

I know I have made the comparison between my beloved children and golden retrievers before, and I am going to remind you of that comparison now.

These lovely boys ideally need at least 1-2 hours of outdoor play every day in order to maintain their sanity.

As you can imagine, they're getting a little bit, pent up.

Allow me to demonstrate.

Sunshiny days spent running around outside = not only happy children

Yay!

But also = unpaid labor!

Hey Bud, you missed a spot.

Rainy days, on the other hand = restless, irritable children or

Soggy children.

"Hey Bud, you want to put your hood on?"
"No."

On the upside, they do smell significantly less yucky than wet dogs.

At least most of the time.

Happy Thursday!

A return to baseline

I have spent the last two days at a nursing conference on electronic fetal monitoring.

It has been awesome.

Oh geeky bliss.

There were graphs. Flowcharts. Citations. The latest in nursing research and evidence based practice.

My inner nerd was just eating it up.

Never mind the fact that it was two whole days where I got to sit in a chair, drink tea, and eat catered lunches.

But, all good things must come to an end.

Goodbye sitting, catered lunches, and intellectual stimulation - hello ten-day rainy stretch, pilfering goldfish from the snack bag and Dora.

We're not throwing in the towel yet though, we are acting like it's spring - even though mother nature seems to think spring = 50 degrees and drizzle.

Nature walk.

And nothing says spring like a trip to the local creamery, yes?

Sharing is overrated.

While we're waiting for sunny days to head our way again, we'll be busy puddle splashing and digging through the arts and crafts bin.

What have you been up to?

We're back!

Sorry for our absence last week - Blogger was having some issues.

But, I have some seriously good stuff to share this morning.

Prepare yourself.

This weekend we took a road trip to visit some beloved friends who have just recently brought the cutest baby ever into the world.

Oh, be still my heart.

There were baby feet.

Inside baby socks.

There were sweet, sleeping baby breaths.

Yes, those cheeks are as soft and kissable as you are imagining.

Big sister showed the Big Boy and the Wee One how this older sibling business is really done.

Oh sweet baby yawns.

And in the midst of all the oooh-ing and aaaah-ing over my newest favorite little baby girl - the big kids were playing, bonding, and fighting in a way that is so timeless.

I was reminded of my own noisy childhood memories - adults talking and laughing while my cousins and I ran amok.

The kids table.

Oh it was just so great. 

My friend is so beautiful - all post-partum glowy and in love. A lovely sight to see.

The lucky Daddy is already holding the baby with one arm while managing the needs of Big Sister. It happens so fast - suddenly you can juggle two children - suddenly your heart expands farther than you ever thought it could. Just like that.

What a beautiful thing to witness - the growth of a family.

?

Issues with blogger this morning...

Back tomorrow with Friday moments.

xo

Quickie

Hey Guys,

Chaos is reigning at my house today so here's a quickie post.

I cashed in a Christmas gift from two years ago this week and had my house cleaned by professionals.

Coming home to a clean house was akin to a religious experience for me. I nearly cried.

For a few glorious hours this house was immaculate.

Then the Wee One had oatmeal and that was the end of that.

Here's a photo of all the random stuff they found while vacuuming under the furniture.

Allow me to repeat: Vacuuming under the furniture.

And here is an extremely funny, though sadly and inexplicably blurry photo of my beloved Wee One, watching Handy Manny with plumber's butt.

I took 40 pictures trying to capture this bum
crack, and they are all blurry.

I'll be back again with a real post soon. Perhaps even tomorrow!

xo

Ups and Downs

Three-year-olds are such strange little creatures.

My Big Boy is generally sweet, he loves understanding the rules, and loves doing things "just right."

Except when he doesn't.

Sometimes he deliberately breaks the rules. Testing to see what will happen.

What's a mama to do?

Though I understand this is a completely normal part of his development, sometimes I feel like I'm in a scene from "Invasion of the Body Snatchers."

Yesterday he heaved a big, giant rock at his wee brother. Caught him in the arm and made him cry.

The mama bear inside me bared her teeth and started to get up, and it was challenging to rein her in.

Calm.

Consistent.

I know, I  know. Consistently reinforce the rules. Don't let him push your buttons.

A few minutes after the rock, he threw a bucket at the Wee One. Then he dumped a shovel-full of sand on his head. Then he threw a golf ball at me, and I (somehow miraculously) managed to duck and avoid catching it in the forehead.

Grinding teeth.

Calm.

Deep breaths.

Consistent.

This is hard. It's relentless and grating. Tiresome.

It is a battle of wills and to be honest - his is stronger than mine.

Nonetheless, I can't let him win.

I have to trudge along through this developmental phase with him, working just as hard (perhaps harder) than he is.

You know what the kicker is? He'll emerge from this period of struggle like a phoenix - a young boy with a deeper understanding of himself and a new found sense of self control. I, on the other hand, will emerge like the Velveteen Rabbit, with all my fur rubbed off, whiskers pulled out, and all lumpy and misshapen.

Sometimes motherhood is like last weekend - all flowers and treats. Unfortunately, at other times - it ain't so pretty, yes?

Till next year

Good morning.

I hope you had a great weekend, and that those of you who are mama's got showered with love and treats.

I want to hear all about it! Comment it up and tell me what you did for mother's day. I'd love to know.

Me?

Well, I got myself a 12$ manicure. Sweet deal, I know!

Then someone brought me flowers.

"Dan-dee- yi-yun"

I treated myself to an iced coffee.

"Share some?" he says.

I indulged in two new rugs for the playroom.

Managed to score a matching set from Bldg 19!

I received some lovely, thoughtful plant-life.

Pink - chosen by the Big Boy.
"Blew" chosen by the Wee One.

Then we spent a few sweaty moments working in the spring sun.

"You want to dig it wight hee-yah."

Then of course, we gently hand-watered the new arrivals. And everything else in the yard.

"I waterin' da stump."

Don't be hatin' on my dolphin-shaped watering can.

There was Chinese food. And french toast. And ice cream. And Corona's with lime. It was all good.

Now your turn - do tell.

Friday Moments

Friday moments with Soule Mama again today - if you have a moment or two to share - please leave a comment with a link.

I've been really busy lately - I've got a lot of balls in the air. The good news is - the end is in sight for a few of the biggest projects I've been working through. Another week or two of craziness and then life should be settling down again.

My to-do list is looming, my mind always racing around trying to keep everything organized - but my children, my little zen-masters - they always seem to grab my attention and say, "Hey Mama - remember what's really important?"

Oh yeah, to live and to laugh. To focus on them. They teach me so much, these little dudes of mine. If only, I could remind myself to follow their example.

Find a way to enjoy what you've got. Not everything needs to be "fixed."

Somewhat deflated balls are just as fun as fully inflated ones - see?

Take time for meaningful conversation.

Mama, let's talk. This May fly situation has
gotten completely out of hand.

Don't forget to rest. Wherever the mood strikes you.

Cleanliness is overrated.

If you're too busy - you'll miss those incredibly lovely, incredibly rare moments.

Dear Lord, they are SHARING. Did ya SEE that??

Happy Friday gang. 

Now go and honor all the mothers in your life.

Running the numbers

Number of minutes spent hunting May Flies: 35

Number of May Flies killed: 0

Number of pounds I have lost since adopting new weight-loss plan: 0.8

Weight loss plan summary:
* Do not change diet in any legitimate fashion. (check!)
* Attempt to eat less of the kids' snack bag (fail)
* Eat daily apple instead of pilfering from the kids snack bag (1/2 check - successful addition of apple to diet, while otherwise unable to stay away from goldfish)
* Stay out of the Easter candy (epic fail)

Number of hours of sleep last night: 5
Total hours in bed: 6
Total hours spent coughing: 1

Number of ice coffees consumed this week: 2 (though, one was homemade)

Number of minutes spent sitting with the Big Boy in the bathroom yesterday: 45
Number of successful pees/poops on the potty: 0

Number of minutes spent pondering exponentially expanding to-do list: 200
To-do's accomplished: 3

Number of times I said, "Oh sh*t" in front of the Wee One: 1
Number of times he repeated it: 15

Number of vegetables consumed by either child yesterday: 0

Number of extraordinary mothers I wish to honor with a thoughtful, heartfelt gift this weekend: 7
Number of gifts purchased: 0

Number of bowls of cereal spilled on the floor by the Big Boy this morning: 1
Number of swears uttered by mama: 0 (success!)

What are your stats today?

Despite the May Flies

Seriously, what is up with the May Flies?

They are so swarm-y and annoying.

One minute I am standing there, minding the children and enjoying the lovely sunshine, and the next I am in the middle of a swarm of two hundred wee black flies.

They fly around so crazily and erratically,  bonking off my forehead, getting caught in my hair, and flying straight into my eyes or nose. It's awful!

They are not deterred by Off and their flight patterns are so drunkenly random they are nearly impossible to swat.

Today I spent twenty minutes trying to see how many I could kill.

Number of May Flies killed: 1.

I did, however, manage to teach the Wee One to say, "Get 'em! Get dose May fwies!" and clap his fat little baby hands menacingly.

A peace offering to the May Flies: graham bunnies.
Fail.

One good thing about the pesky little buggers is that they don't swarm the kids as often as they swarm me (larger food source? Or am I smellier than the boys?).

Note the lack of a buzzing mass of kamikaze, blood-sucking gnats.  

Despite my current fruitless battle against the May Flies, I do have some good tidings to share.

1) My Pilates teaching certificate arrived!

Guess I passed the test!

2) I have relatives who make maple syrup, and they shared some with us! This stuff is so good - it doesn't even require the presence of a waffle.

I think takes about a hundred million gallons of sap
to make a tablespoon of real maple syrup.

When you are troubled by a hoarde of pesky, bite-y, fly-straight-into-your-freakin-eye, vermin you must count your blessings, or else you'll find yourself contemplating the use of an AK-47 as "pest control."

What's bugging you? Or making you happy? Do tell.

Shout-outs

I have some shout-outs to give today.

* This post was inspired by my recent experience using Care.com. I had a very good experience using this website. So, if you are in the market for a babysitter, elder-care provider, or dog walker - I recommend giving this site a chance. Definitely worth the money.

* Here's a shout-out to a boy who won't let a little thing like height hamper his ability to shoot some hoops.

If you can't reach - climb.

* Here's to raiding the sack of left-over Easter candy in the pantry. No one has to know.

* Then there's the fact that I might, possibly, potentially - be done being sick.  No, really. This time I mean it.

* Here's to finding alternate uses for household items.

Bowl as headwear.

* Gotta give props to children who find their own way in life. Would you like a teething toy for those erupting eye-teeth, wee one?  No.

This plastic straw suits me just fine.

*  I'd also like to extend a shout-out of gratitude to whoever is a natural predator of the may fly. Die, mayflies, die.

* And finally here's one for the men and women of our armed forces, and their friends and families. I know there is no victory without sacrifice. Thank you.

Weekending

Hey Guys,

How was your weekend?

In our neck of the woods  -  we did a little yard work.

Everything goes faster with a little help.

Despite the balmy weather, we played a rousing game of driveway hockey.

Who needs ice?

The Big Boy chased his puck around, scoring goals, passing, and perfecting his mean slapshot, until he collapsed in fatigue.

Interference!

We had a wonderful visit with dear friends, filled with fun and laughs. It was just another ordinary weekend - but when I think back on it - I remember the extraordinary moments - the cute baby moments, the funny big kid moments, those blessed post-bedtime adult conversation moments.

Sure there were poopy diapers and screaming tantrums, the floors are sticky and in desperate need of a scrubbing. The cat keeps puking up pollen. It ain't always pretty here. But I'll take it.

What did you do with yourself this weekend?