Not Doin Nuffin...

Recently overheard "phone call" between Corinne and Daddy:

"Oh Daddy! I'm not doin nuffin. Stop, Daddy! I said I'm not doin NUFFIN! Oh, Daddy. You're so silly... I gotta go now, Daddy. I have some things to do. Bye!"

Apparently he teases her even when he's "talking" through a Mickey Mouse phone...

Because a Wednesday photo post needn't be Wordless...

Rainy days just scream out for art projects, don't they?

"I don't like painting. I just like getting messy."

If you are a grandma or great-aunt and don't want to see your mother's day surprises, then don't go any further on this post....
Aren't those adorable?!? I saw these daffodils on a website and fell in love with the idea. (cardboard and egg cartons!) Now I just need to remember the person who did them first to give her proper credit!!

The Biggest Fishing Metaphor Ever Created.

So, there was this lake. Great spot, lots of fish.

All of the parents and children would gather upon its shore to test the waters and exclaim over the variety of fish they would catch. Some days, the kids would reel in tons of marine life: catfish, turtles, bass, walleye... Some days, they would go home empty-handed, but happy from the fresh air and chance to try new lures.

As people began to notice this lake's abundance of fish, more families would gather together on its sandy banks. Soon, the "good" fishing spots became a bit crowded. Many times, hours would be spent untangling one line from another, unsnagging hooks, and anxiously waiting for a good bite that never came.

Some families moved to new fishing spots. But many found that moving to a new spot wasn't suitable for their footwear. Not all banks are sandy and rock-free, you know!

One mother looked at her children and said,

Read on...

A not-so-manic Monday...

Today has been lovely. I got my kitchen sink sparkling last night and I'll be damned but FlyLady actually had a point... My kitchen is still looking fairly kept up. Even after a day of excessive laundry and homeschooling. I may just have to check their site more regularly...

Speaking of which, um, wow. What a nice day! The boys got good chunks of work done, intelligent questions were asked and some hands-on activities has left me with dirt under my fingernails and a smile on my face as I listen to the very gentle April rain watering our seedlings.

Sadly, my blogging life is going to continue to change. The energy I used to use on my posts is now being spent on lesson-planning and encouraging a 7 year old to write a story. I know that we are in a transition stage and things will slowly settle into a new routine. But in the meantime, I am embarrassed by what I am posting. So goes life.

Monday afternoon and not a care in the world! No homework, no soccer, no plans for the evening. Just a long stretch of time in which to fold laundry, watch some Brothers and Sisters and ponder important questions.

Ahhhh....

~~~~
I did the March of Dimes walk yesterday. Thank you to everyone who donated! I had a good time, despite the weather, chatting with women I hadn't seen for years. This will definitely become a new tradition for me. It felt FABULOUS doing this walk!

You know, 6.2 miles doesn't sound long, when you say you're going on a walk-a-thon. It isn't THAT long, really. Especially when you're taking a leisurely stroll. But when there is a steady downpour, and you are power-walking the entire time? It's a bit long. Add to that the sporadic jogs after a child on a scooter (in the RAIN) and you will end up extremely wet and sore!

But it was worth it. Our team raised over $10,000 itself!! And some donations will continue to trickle in as company matches and late donations get tallied. As with any charity, there is never a time that you CAN'T donate. I highly recommend finding a cause you believe in and doing a walk. Even the smallest amounts make a huge impact.

~~~
I guess I could proofread this, but I am going to check out some fellow bloggers instead. Nothing like living on the edge, right? I hope that today brought you something unexpectedly sweet....

It CAN be easy to be green...

Hey y'all. (No. I'm not Southern, but it sounded appropriate today. Not sure why...)

I'm raising my throbbing head from my pillow to let you all know about a product I recently reviewed. The words may not be nuggets of gold as my stomach AND head are equally battling for my attention, but the products are definitely worth considering.

SeaYu is a company that provides eco-friendly cleaning products for pet owners. I gratefully tested out their litter box odor eliminator and, actually? It works. Really well, especially considering the fact that cleaning the litter box in our house is not at the top of our lists of "things to do before they get disgusting." Generally, our laundry room smells less than lovely. After spraying (and cleaning. Yuck.) I found that it didn't cover the scent up but eliminated it. It didn't smell all flowery and sickly sweet. The laundry room simply smelled like, well, AIR.

Browse around their site and check out the other products available. You can use this code CGB2009001 for $2.00 off any product!

Now please excuse me as I need to rest my aching body before the big March of Dimes walkathon tomorrow. Any last minute donations you feel like contributing??

Are you the lucky winner?

The winner for the Gustafer Yellowgold cd/dvd set is.....

.


Congrats! And now, I am off to nap for a bit after a loooong day at the arboretum. Catch you all on Monday...

Peace out.

Thursday fluff

If I thought my house was a disaster before I had all 3 home for school, I was waaaaay off the mark. Between struggling to figure out a way to encourage Evan to just do the simple work I want him to review (found the way: Bribe him with Gum. I am a Geeeeenius!), knocking out a few articles for various other blogs (not always my best. Sigh...) and the addition of soccer into the routine, my poor home has been even more neglected than before.

The floors aren't just a bit sticky: they now crunch.

The laundry isn't a bit behind: it's flowing down the stairs.

The dishes are the lucky ones. I HAVE to wash them if we want to eat. Still, they are soaking in water more than they are sparkling clean.

Urgh.

And my posts are all a bit of fluffy fluff stuff. Wait a sec. The cinnamon rolls are beeping....

YUM.

Yes. This is my post. I apologize. I promise to return eventually with something thought-provoking...

Tomorrow's the music giveaway! Still lots of chances to win!

Not a single complete sentence.

Heading out to a homeschool club in a minute.

Getting by, day by day.

Wishing Patrick and I were on the same schedule.

Missing curling up behind him.

Even missing his snoring....

Don't Feed the Bullies

I hear so often stories from mothers claiming that they "know all about something."

"Let me tell you how to potty-train. I had 3 kids! I know all about that."

"Let me tell you why breast-feeding is horribly painful and difficult and why every woman who claims it is easy for her is LYING. I had 2 kids and we had a terrible time nursing. I know all about it."

"Let me tell you why whatever it is that you're doing differently than I did is wrong. It's wrong because it's not what I did and I feel the need to validate my own experience by proving that your way is incorrect."

I can only live my life. You can only live yours. We cannot profess to completely understand each other's situations, but we can attempt to be supportive and empathetic. Being supportive does not include a condescending attitude. An empathetic person would never negate my emotions simply because they don't fit in with what YOU experienced.

I wish people would think for a few moments before hitting publish. If only more bloggers would picture the faces of the actual people that would be reading their words; Is it their intention to offend? Is it their desire to make someone's day rotten? To hurt their tender, new-mom feelings? If not, then please remember that life never has one absolute answer to any problem. There is no such thing as an "expert" at this parenting gig. If your kids grow up and still love you? Then I consider your parenting experience a success.

If it is their intention to hurt other parents, then I send those bloggers my sympathy. It must be a horrible thing to feel so insecure about your own decisions and life that you need to strike blindly at your fellow human beings. I imagine that people who write as they do are also the ones who felt the need to steal lunch money from the smallest children in the class. They were probably the girls who picked on me for not needing a bra until 7th grade. They were the girls who started rumors about another teenager, simply because they wanted to divert the attention from their own actions...

I won't read you if you're going to be mean and condescending. I encourage all of YOU to do the same.

Don't feed the bullies.

A welcome Saturday...

My daughter's soles of her feet are jet black.

My son has grass stains all over his knees.

There is grass and sand covering my kitchen floor.

There was much screaming and laughing for hours on end in my backyard as dozens of neighborhood children chased and slid and swung and climbed. They even got to play with Patrick as he threw balls from a lawn chair, trying to knock them unconscious with partially deflated bouncy balls.

My husband is STILL HOME and not working every waking hour of every single day....

My hand is holding a wine cooler and the night breeze is still drifting through my open window.

Today? Today has been GOOD....

A brief blurb

I am so tired. Too tired to post again. Read my other blog to see why I'm so beat....

Right now? I am uploading a few pics of Easter and calling it quits for the computer. Our next 24 hours are so busy, it's ridiculous. Here's a rough timeline:

It is now 4:00 pm.

At 5:45 Justin has soccer pictures. We don't have the form to fill out or the shirt yet, so guess whose family needs to be super early?

Right after that, we need to go to the shoe store to get Justin's soccer shoes because guess who grew out of his shoes that were supposed to last 2 seasons?

At 7:00 is the Cub Scout Raingutter Regatta. A bunch of boys blow their pine boats down raingutters. It is wet and we will be tired...

At 8:30 am is Justin's first soccer game. No, he hasn't attended a practice yet. Why? Because we didn't hear about them until too late. So he is playing without practice... Great!

I will need to leave early to take Evan to his soccer pictures at 9:30 am. We will then rush back to Justin's field, pick him up and then head to a different park for Evan's first game at 10:45.

We will then zip home to spend a few minutes with Daddy who will be waking up around noon to take clients out for real estate all afternoon. He's also showing houses all Sunday, too. (basically, he's working every single day...)

Somewhere in all of that, we need to eat. And pee. I just pulled muffins out of the oven because I couldn't think of anything else that would keep but be filling that EVERYone likes to eat!


Dude. I think I need a nap after just typing that!

They don't look too tired on Easter morning, do they?Awwwww.... Nice Easter picture!


Hmmmm. Still a nice kid shot, but that dang van's in the background....
This was the best one of her. Seriously.

Running cousins and dog. It was a beautiful Easter....

Sheeeoooottt. I need a nap. I apologize for the crummy writing and editing which is NON existent. Must. Put. Feet. Up.

Surprises, surprises....

Hey, did you know that kids will actually get mad at you for saying "let's go to the park after Corinne's dance class!" Did you know that?

I will never take them to her class again without first shoving huge breakfasts down their throats.
Hunger and my boys do not meld well. And the day from there on out was a huge battle. I'm thinking I was supposed to learn from this. The lesson?

Relax.

Let go.

And Feed Your Children.

There was much head banging and tears today. I simply can't speak about their (or my) behavior any more. Tomorrow WILL be a better day. And thinking of my neighbor who is flat on her back after having complications from an epidural makes me think that my day wasn't so bad after all...

2 am. Party in my room.

I am exhausted.

More than exhausted, I'm completely wiped out. Yet another sleepless night.

Why was I awake?

Did a child have a nightmare?

Was I having a hard time relaxing without Patrick at home?

Was my old friend, Insomnia, returning for an unplanned visit?

No, no, and No. I awoke at about 1:30 am in Justin's bed after having fallen asleep reading Gregor the Overlander to him. Muttering to myself, I tried to quietly roll out of his bed to head to my own when a sudden pain gripped my abdomen. Trying to keep the groaning to a minimum, I stumbled to my bathroom, thinking that the stomach pains were from falling asleep with jeans on before using the restroom.

When this was not the case, and the crampy pains didn't abide, I sorted through my peanut butter brain to figure out what day of the month this was... No... I shouldn't be having cramps right now... What was this?

Instantly, my mind zeroed in on the one possibility that ALWAYS rushes to its front whenever an unexplained stomach issue arises; I must have new tumors on my ovaries. I MUST. That could be the only cause for this tightness that wasn't here yesterday!

Let me tell you, 2 am is NOT the time to be alone with an achy gut, and visions of a painful surgery and recovery, unable to fall back asleep. I continued upon this path of "oh no! I don't want surgery again!" for quite some time. (Surgery and anesthesia freak me out more than I care to admit.) And what if this time, they weren't benign? It really was pitiful...

It was at this time that I heard the nocturnal sounds, so familiar to my household:

thud

creeeeeaakkk....

pit, pit, pit, pit, pit

screeaaakkkk....

"mommmmmeeeee....yawn...."

After this mini-concert reminded me that I needed to get some oil for my squeaky bed, her little feet and hands instantly wrapped themselves around my back, arms, and tummy.

"Yeowch!"

At that moment, I realized, it wasn't just my stomach that hurt from her overexuberant hug; it was my back. And my arms, now that I thought about it...

In fact, my whole body ached!

Hmmmm....

What could it be?!?

Not the ovarian cysts, but something worse?

An unexplained disorder?

And then, an epiphany. A 2 am epiphany that I wasn't riddled with random tumors or weird diseases!

No.

I was sore and achy by my own doing....

That'll teach me for trying to outdo my kids in sit-ups, push-ups, jumping jacks and arm curls!



No, I didn't do hundreds of each activity. It's just that I haven't done ANY of those exercises in years... I? Am Old.

Don't forget to enter my giveaway for the cd/dvd set. It's really worth the click!

A welcome surprise....

Ok. I know I just did a giveaway. And this blog is NOT all about the giveaways, but I have a new one that I want ALL of you to comment for. Because this one is truly unique!

I was recently asked to review a cd/dvd combination of children's music. I almost declined, as I have reviewed music recently, and honestly? As much as I liked the last one, I didn't think I could handle any more cuteness of singing muppets and marching tunes. Grudgingly, I clicked on the sample link for Gustafer Yellowgold....



Amazing.

The pictures are interesting in their own right, but the music? The music is... emotional.

This isn't "Children's Music." It's music for the FAMILY. It's something parents will actually ENJOY with or without the kids in the car. The rhythms and mellow music were phenomenal!(Patrick commented that it sounds like a mixture of Radiohead and The Beatles...) It's not often you hear of music for the entire family that isn't Christian based. This was definitely a refreshing surprise from this spiritual-but-not-religious Mom.

I was SO incredibly bummed that Corinne and I couldn't attend their show at Schuba's Tavern in May. But I HIGHLY encourage you all to listen to their site, sample their music, and consider bringing the kids for a fun concert. If you aren't Chicagoans (so sad, you poor thing...), enter this giveaway for a cd/dvd set of their latest album, Mellow Fever. If you aren't lucky enough to win it, it's definitely worth the cost for this family friendly music.

You know the rules for entry:

1. Comment!
2. Comment again after you've posted on your own site about the giveaway.
3. Comment AGAIN if you subscribe!

My entourage and I will draw the winning names on Friday, April 24.

This is not good....

I ran our old pack n play over to my neighbor's house today. They just had baby #6 and needed somewhere safe from little hands to protect the youngest one.

I tiptoed upstairs (while her toddlers ran ahead, YELLING) to see the newest neighbor...

Sigh...

Why do they have to smell so delicious? Why must a newborn sigh sweet little breaths of innocence? Those delicate sounds...

I came home and called Patrick:

"I held the new baby..."

"Don't get any crazy ideas."

"But he's so sweet! Don't you want to come home and smell him?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure.... Lucky for you, any time you want to hold a little baby, he's right behind us."


I was not very pleased with this grumpy reply.

I made my face all frownish.*

Spoilsport.


*Anyone know the children's series to which I am referring?

I guess I could look past the blood-sucking, too, if he was as Godlike as she claims he is....

My apologies, but the phenomenon that is Twilight has sucked me in. (HA. Great analogy. I kill myself.) (HA again...) Even after hearing mixed reviews, claiming that it was a bit childish and indulgent, I am still enjoying it. (then again, I never have been a literary snob...)

I need coffee.

(And also for just ONE of my husband's clients to make a decision on a house. JUST ONE!! It's a pretty sad day when the thought of a big chunk of change has you drooling over the bills you could pay off...)

Anyway, I am off to read about Bella and her ability to completely give herself over to a guy. Even if that guy isn't HUMAN. Ah, to be young and able to obsess, again...

Tell me I'm not the only adult to find this book more interesting than I'd planned....

Good thing you can't catch colds through the internet...

Please forgive the ratty hair and crusty noses. Just be glad I remembered that today is even Thursday! Evan is feeling the sickness, too, but Justin and Corinne are getting better. So... Yay!

(please ignore the pile of unmatched socks in the background. I hate laundry...)

Congrats to the winners! Please email me the name and address you'd like the meal certificates mailed to. And don't worry; the company will be doing the mailing. We won't be passing on our sicko germs...

Enjoy!

Waiting for the last one to succomb...

My day?

Yeah. Lots of fun over here.

Fevers and runny noses in addition to upset tummies and headaches.

Good stuff.

1993.... Really?

Spring break is off to a roaring start. We went to a really casual homeschool club meetup. (Evan's first time). There was another new family that was going to be pulling their first grader to homeschool in 2nd grade which was nice. Another newbie to converse with. We discussed how PETRIFYING it is to "break the rules" and not send your kids to school...

We then jetted home to say hi to Daddy and then head off to a Cub Scout Go See It at a radio station. The parents were very interested, but the boys? Not so much. I thought it was cool to see a radio personality that was on Z95 from my high school days. Now he's doing Classic Rock. Which is cool, except for the fact that "Classic Rock" includes bands like Metallica, which, Really? Metallica is Classic, now?

I feel old.

You know what else makes me feel old? The fact that on tonight's American Idol, the contestants will be performing a song from the year they were born. Wanna know when Allison was born?

1993.

Yeah. Digest THAT number for a few minutes....

I would have been singing with my best friend on the way to a party in the boonies. We would have been rockin out to Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Depeche Mode. (I just had to call her to figure out that last band name. I am not a genius at remembering band names!) (Now she feels old, too...)

Don't forget to enter my Sweet Tomatoes giveaway!!

Aren't springs bad for your back, anyway?

Spring break! Whoot! I thought by homeschooling, I would be able to avoid these long stretches of unstructured time? Anyway, giving the kids a "break", before we get used to 3 at home All. The. Time. (Yes, I do believe I AM insane, thanks for asking...).

First up on our spring break agenda? Fighting the snow, yes SNOW, we got last night. The snow that knocked out my satellite so I don't have any of my Sunday night shows recorded. (Yes, I did swear quite a bit. But I don't feel quite as comfortable ripping off a good cuss right now, because some of my family reads these blogs now. Which is fine, but it's one thing to write a big ole 4 letter word and have someone read it months later. It's another thing to curse online at 9 am and see my husband's aunt at 11 after she may have read it.) So. BIG OLE CURSE WORD AT THE SCREWED UP WEATHER. @$#@$

Whew. I feel better now.

Sadly, we will be fighting the snow to get to Patrick's grandma's apartment for a visit. She has not been doing well, and we are hoping that she will qualify for the assisted living transfer instead of having to go to the nursing home. :( Aging really sucks...

Speaking of sucky things, did you hear about the the earthquake in Italy? Oh my God... Horrible... I hope they find more survivors instead of adding to the death toll...

If you don't want to follow the depressing link, try reading Jen's new advice column. Is there anyone here who DOESN'T read the Bloggess? Go. Read. She makes me weep, her words are so off the wall...

Killing her with kindness

There are certain conversations that make you leap from your toasty warm bed and race downstairs. One of them begins with:

"Do you know what Evan made for Corinne for breakfast? He spread sour cream on a piece of bread, sprinkled cinnamon on it, and called it a cinnamon roll!"

I replied that he must have meant BUTTER on the bread, because that's one of Evan's favorite creations. To which Patrick insisted,

"No, I'm pretty sure it was sour cream. It was white!"

Sproing!! I was out of bed like a flash, picturing the mess he must have made with the DIP I made with cream cheese for today's birthday party.

Thankfully, he didn't use the Tastefully Simple Key Lime spread. (YUM)

Unfortunately, he managed to actually FIND sour cream in the fridge. This is an undesirable situation not because sour cream and cinnamon is gross, but because I couldn't remember the last time I had BOUGHT sour cream!!

For what it's worth, Corinne loved it.

And, Awwwww! What a nice brother, to make breakfast for his baby sister!

Let's just hope she doesn't get food poisoning from his kindness....



Check out my pictures at the homeschool blog when you get a chance.

Nah nah nah nah nah nah, we're gonna have a GOOD TIME....

Ok now, that really stinks. It's my BIRTHDAY, folks, and nobody has signed up for my giveaway?? Is this a personal slight?

Come now. If you love me, leave a little comment love. It may be the only birthday present I get this year!

~~~~

33 years young. Ah, alliteration. I love it. (But not in names. Hence, the reason why none of my kids could have some of the names I REALLY liked as they start with B.) (No offense to those of you who LIKE alliteration in names. I'm sure your own choice is lovely. I just couldn't fathom it for my kids.) (How many times is TOO many times to use parentheses in one sentence? You'd think I would know that....) (I'm not drunk. I swear.)

It's 7 am and my husband JUST pulled into the driveway. I have to scoot so I can do the kiss and hug before he goes to bed.

(I need to stay in here a minute. Patrick just pulled Justin into the kitchen for a "secret"...)

On that note, did you see ER's final episode? Did you say THANK THE LORD as I did? I loved that show, but holy balls, it had gotten so dang repetitive! Did you think that it would have really sucked to have been on the show for the past 5 or 6 years only to have the guys from the first few seasons come BACK and steal your limelight? I thought that that kind of sucked. It was neat and all to see their characters, but not for 4-5 minutes as a "catch-up". That show needed to end. Too many storylines that never got finished. Too much unfinished business. Too much emphasis on the patients when all I wanted was a juicier doctor character to get interested in.

Anyway. That's my 6 minute blabber while they wrap something upstairs. I hope it's shellfish. Really. I would love me some crab or lobster....

Ready for something tasty?

Sweet Tomatoes and Souplantation are celebrating the springtime and want you to join them! Two readers can win a free meal at any of their locations (check it out to see if there is a location near you). Each meal would include fresh tossed salads, made from scratch soups, hot pastas and muffins warm from the oven (Beverage not included). It's making me hungry, just typing this!

So comment away! Check out their site and look through their menus, because this is not a giveaway you want to miss out on!! (menu listed is for the Aurora, IL location. Make sure you look at the restaurant you would be visiting, as their menu may vary).

We will pick the 2 lucky winners on Thursday, April 9th.

* One comment per person, please. You can earn 2 extra entries by writing about this on your blog or by subscribing to Just Another Mommy Blog. Please note it in the comments!!

No April Fools...

You know, we are all fooled into thinking that granite is so hard, it's impenetrable.

We look at the sky and believe that it's protective shield will never falter.

We all look at the earth and KNOW that it's violently moving underneath our feet, but the motions are (for most of us) unnoticeable. This gives us the illusion that "our" world won't ever shake and quake. That the earthquakes, ozone holes, and shattered granite floors could never happen to US...

So when you experience that first tremor, the fear you feel isn't so much from the unmovable which is now moving. It's from the knowledge that there ARE no guarantees on this living, breathing planet. And that if the dirt beneath your feet can shift so easily today, it can happen again, and again, and again...

Being a grown-up can really suck, you know? I could really use a good blankie and my mommy to brush my hair. Instead, I am serving my SEVEN year old his birthday pancakes and pretending everything's ok... I am also wishing for that false feeling of anonymity that the internet used to offer me.

If you want to read something that's NOT fraught with metaphors, check out my article at Root & Sprout's April issue.