A way to add your 2 cents...

I know that most of us are in a tight spot right now. But if you can spare a dollar or 2 (or more) for a newly divorced mom of 2 who is really suffering (financially and emotionally), please head over to my long-time blogging friend's blog. Gwen of Gwendomamma could really use the boost from the blogosphere...

Can you add your spare Paypal change to help out?

Damnit, I don't WANT to change the number on my "about me" age!

I just realized that I am, apparently, still 33. According to my Blogger About Me profile I am, anyways. And I don't see that I will be updating that discrepancy any time soon... So YAY for procrastination! I am 33 again!

And now for something completely different...

Am I the only one who tortures their children for videos to use online?

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Come on. It's not that bad. It wasn't even raining or ANYthing. Just a few mosquitoes and maybe a couple of zombies. And is it torture if they're laughing?

FINALLY a real bed!

So, my daughter is almost 5 and still doesn't have a "big girl" bed. Granted, she's not in a CRIB, obviously, but we haven't had the chance to upgrade her to the twin bed that her 43 inches deserves. I was THRILLED when CSNStores offered me the chance to review their site again with a $100 gift code towards any purchase we wanted. Of COURSE we wanted to use it towards a new mattress!! CSNStores.com has, as you probably already know, almost everything you could ever want to purchase. Everything from dining room sets to twin sized mattresses, with reasonable (or free!) shipping costs. I was even able to easily use my Paypal account last time!

I am so happy that we will finally be able to use my brass bed from my childhood for my own daughter...


CSN Stores is reimbursing me with a $100 gift certificate for their store for writing this post, but has in no way influenced my opinion about their site.

I just wanted a smoothie, damnit

"Aaaaeeeiiieeee!! EvAN! That's MY seat!!"

"Evan, as a personal favor to me, could you please, please PLEASE let her sit there? I know she's tired and whiny, but I just want to get through these banana smoothies without a fight. Please?"

Evan relented with a huff and a sigh but Justin's indignation would not be so silent.

"I hate that! I hate that she always gets her way! That is SO unfair!"

"Justin, this is not about you..."

"She ALWAYS gets her way. She just has to whine a little and you let her do whatever she wants!"

"That is not true. And when you were 4, you whined just as much as she did and we had to work our lives around it, too. Now that you're older..."

"It's NOT FAIR."

"Life isn't fair!"

"You ALWAYS SAY THAT!"

"That's because it's ALWAYS true!"

"Arrggghh!! Just, just... NEVER MIND. You just don't understand!"

"Wrong, kiddo. I DO understand. I too had a little sister who whined when she was 4 and I too had a mother who just wanted to get through a meal without an argument. I had to give in and give up and it wasn't 'fair' but LIFE ISN'T FAIR."

"You already said that!"

"That's because it's ALWAYS true! You know what isn't fair? It isn't fair that there are kids who can't argue over who gets to sit at the special chair for their banana smoothies because they don't HAVE chairs or the money to buy a banana smoothie. It's not fair that children are homeless and starving. It's not fair that there are children in homes without love or attention. It's not fair that you have a family that loves and cares for you but there are millions and millions of kids who don't even know what a loving family LOOKS like. LIFE ISN'T FAIR. Being able to argue over a chair is a privilege that I am grateful you guys are allowed. But it isn't asking too much of you guys to occasionally let your little sister sit in the chair after a loooong weekend. She is so tired that she slept on the freaking piano bench, kid. Now drink your smoothie and let me make my own in peace, PLEASE?"

And the skies opened and the angels sang their praises of grace and he was quiet and all was right with the world. And I drank my banana smoothie in peace as I typed this post.

Praise be.

2 hours on the piano bench and NO I didn't even consider waking her up.

Drowning...

Drowning in papers, books and curriculum...
Drowning in crayon wrappers, National Geographics, and pencil shavings...

Trying to get rid of the 2009-10 stuff to make room for the 10-11 stuff and not being able to fit it all into the space we have!! Ugh. Pecking away at it, but I may be underneath the mess for a few more days.

In the meantime, I am really excited to look through this jewelry site and pick out something pretty to review! What do you think about this collection? Two Tone Gold Everlon Love Knot

Pretty, right?

Annnnndddd... I have to go back to cleaning. Which isn't nearly as exciting as diamonds and gold, but it's my reality right now. :) Could be worse, right?

A day at Navy Pier

I cried at a cartoon.
I did. There aren't many cartoons that make me cry*, but Toy Story 3 made me BAWL. What with the leaving for college and saying goodbye and ceaseless marching on of time and such... Oy.

The 3-D glasses that hid my tear-stained face saved me because the last 30 minutes of that movie just about killed me. Flashes of my own life in 7 years from now were way too close for comfort. My mother-in-law was sitting 2 chairs down and had just as hard of a time with it as I did. We were both grateful for the lengthy credits with the much-needed comic relief to allow us to get our snifflings under control.Waiting for the Shoreline water taxi to Navy Pier with Grandma.

I do wish that the day care wasn't portrayed as quite such a prison sentence for toys. I have a bad feeling that there will be some sad children at their day care centers after watching Toy Story 3... It had some interesting lessons behind it, of course. Treat others with respect, life is all about moving on, loyalty to someone doesn't mean you should completely sacrifice yourself, etc.

Overall, well done, Disney and Pixar**. Another fabulous addition to the family classic line-up and one that I will gladly collect on dvd!
The green dot and blue dot are my sons. I rode this just moments before with them and actually got nauseous. When did I get so old that a swing ride makes me ILL?!?

Too short for the swings and had to make do with the merry-go-round and mini-drop rides. She looks really broken up about it, doesn't she?You can never go wrong with Haagen Dazs on a warm day at the Pier...

*ok, that's a pure lie. There are tons*** of cartoons that make me cry, but I sound like a baby when I say that.

** Then again, I doubt my children will ever want to throw away any toy EVER AGAIN. So maybe I might have a smidgen of a bone to pick with you...

*** Meet the Robinson's, Tarzan, Bolt... I could go on and on...

43 inches..

43 inches is just tall enough to use your head to boost Mommy's bust line up.

43 inches is just tall enough to reach the faucet on the kitchen sink.

43 inches is juuuuust tall enough to sneak the ice cream from the top shelf.

43 inches is also tall enough to go on the water slides by yourself.


Corinne decided to try out the body slides at the water park yesterday. Up we went, full of smiles.

"I'll wait for you at the bottom!" I assured her. She shivered and nodded and stared at me.

The smile on her face as she splashed into 42 inches of water was priceless. She doggy-paddled her heart out to the stairs and squealed "AGAIN!"

And thus began the next 2 hours of fun at the water park. Up the stairs and down the slide. Rinse and repeat and repeat and repeat and rePEAT.

After a trip to the snack stand, she dragged me back to the body slides.

"Ok," I said, "but I'm not getting back in the water. You'll have to go down by yourself."

"Oooookaaaaay..." I could see the wheels turning in her brain; Would this be fun or scary? Should she really do this?

Naturally the answer was YES. Yes, of course she did it. And when she splashed down in the pool, all by herself, and "swam" to the stairs, her face was dripping with water and bursting with pride.

"AGAIN!"

Over and over and over, she slid down that slide. Her swimming isn't that strong, but she IS only 4, after all. So I made sure to always walk beside her on the edge, just in case.

When she shot out of the slide and went under without coming up, I was in that pool in a heartbeat. Less than 2 seconds and I had her on the edge, wide-eyed and coughing.

"You ok, baby? Take some breaths."

The lifeguard (who was only 2 seconds behind me) and I sized her up. She was fine, but a little shaken. Being stuck under the water with such a strong current is scary! I grabbed my towel, figuring we would need to relax a bit when she declared that she was going back up again!

"You sure?" I asked as she ran back to the stairs.

"Yep!"

That's my girl. My strong and beautiful 4 year old girl.

43 inches of pure courage.

Halfway there...

Despite what I may say, I really do enjoy scout camp. I DO. Swear to God. Hanging out with my kids and watching them interact with other boys doing boy stuff like shooting arrows and making milk jugs into masks is awesome and I look forward to it every year.

But.

(You know I had to have a big one of those, right?)

But, but, but: Exhaustion doesn't adequately describe my body's status. Between the hiking and head-counting and standing and sitting and SUNBURN after 4 hours at the water park, my poor little body is wiped out. I feel so... elderly.

Best part of the water park, hands down, is trying to comprehend the people who just don't seem to realize how they look in their bathing suits. I honestly believe that there is nothing wrong with a woman's stomach after having children. (well, except for my own which seems to have more wavy lines than a topical map of the Boundary Waters). I ALSO honestly believe that the rest of the world doesn't need to be shown how miraculous your body was by having your belly and rear not-so-daintily crammed into a string bikini meant for a 16 year old girl. Do they not realize that this only makes them LESS attractive? Trying to hold onto your youth (and dream of your former girlish figure) is the fastest way to appear OLDER than you are!

Don't even get me started on the men's trunks that ride at their cracks because their bellies push them down or the indecency of a man flaunting breasts larger than an A cup. Tie up the shorts and put on a shirt, fellas! I am not faulting you for being overweight. NOT AT ALL. But please try to have a little pride in your bathing attire. If not for yourself, than for my eyes; For the children's eyes, and For the LOVE OF GOD!

2 more days of camp. Gotta remember the sunscreen...

Sillybandz...

Originally posted at the former Chicago Moms Blog on June 16 2010

Sillybands taught me a lesson on when to step in and when to step back...

Anyone with a child from the ages of 3-12 knows EXACTLY what Sillybandz are. On the off chance that you haven't been sucked into the latest fad of the year; briefly explained, they are little rubber bands that kids wear on their wrists. When removed, these colorful bracelets snap into an assortment of cool shapes. It's uncommon to see a group of children without bands covering their forearms in my town. Really, they're an adorable fad and I was happy to buy a couple of packets for my children to share. They divided up 2 packs of 20 between all 3 and each had several to wear and trade with their friends. My sons were mildly interested in them, but it was my 4 year old daughter who gleefully raced into our yard as soon as we got home to flaunt her precious bracelets. Each time she dashed back inside, she sported a different assortment from her many trades with the neighborhood girls.

"Remember," I cautioned, "only trade 1 for 1. Don't be taken advantage of!"

"Ok, Mommy! I'll be careful!" and off she went...

By day two, the 9 bracelets she had started off with were down to 7.

"Where'd they go?" I asked. "Did you give some to the kids who didn't have any?"

"No, I traded them with Missy*. She said I had to give her 2 for this one because it's RARE!"

I sighed and reminded her that she now had only 7. "If you keep trading 2 for 1, you'll end up with only one!" She swore up and down that she would take better care of this uncommon privilege I had allotted her. (My family is one that has suffered the joys of the wonderful economic status that is all too common. The $4 I spent on the bands was definitely a well-thought-out decision).

Another day passed. As she was getting ready for bed, I saw her wrist with only 2 bracelets on it. I am not proud of the way that I reacted. I actually YELLED at my 4 year old for trading away all of her precious rubber bands. My initial response was (and still is) anger at the fact that my child was taken advantage of. Her desire to be included in the trading and bartering of the older kids resulted in a nearly empty wrist that I refuse to purchase more bracelets for. I vented my anger to my husband and he voiced what my first plan of action had been, "Why not just call her mom and ask for them back?"

Sigh... I could. I could easily call my neighbor and explain how her daughter's collection (which is already well over 200 bracelets!) had recently grown. It would be simple and my own anger would be assuaged.

BUT. But this is a life lesson that I believe is extremely important. While it is admirable to be generous with your belongings and to share with your friends, you can become an easy target for those who covet your goodies. There is a difference between giving a precious bracelet to a child who doesn't have any and having an older friend that you trust convincing you that the piece of rubber SHE has is more valuable than the piece of rubber YOU have. I know that learning this lesson at 4 may just save her some grief in her teen or adult years. And, if she has to get ripped off by a loved one, I'd rather she get gypped out of $.60 of rubber bands.

*Not her real name

Not too proud to use my kids to garner the popular vote. Not too proud at all...

Where am I? I'm at scout camp all week. We're climbing up hills and picking up trash and learning silly songs and shooting bows and bb guns. I am truly earning my Mommy award this week! Maybe these pics of my oddballs will prompt you into feeling sorry for me and voting at the ParentsPicks awards so that I can get to the top 5?!? Only a few days left to vote!!

Anyone know what her shirt says? Anyone? I could use a little help here!

Soccer gear and a clown nose. Why? Because he knows his dad despises clowns. Sweet kid, really.
Jamming on the piano. Singing some 80's ballad and making me swoon...

Musings on aging...

I was driving in Patrick's car last night (which has a working stereo!), listening to the radio and rocking out quite happily. I glanced down at the display to see which channel I was listening to and was disturbed to see the station's description; When did the Violent Femmes and Nirvana become "classic rock?" Hmmm? I mean, REALLY? Classic Rock is stuff that my parents grew up with, not the music that I love! After all, those songs were on when I was in high school and high school was ONLY.... oh. Wait. Yeah... 16 years ago.

Damn.

It's quite alarming to realize that I can distinctly remember what life was like over 2 decades ago (and further). It was also a bit disturbing to digest the reality that the 16 year old I was talking to a few weeks ago was born while I was graduating. I mean... Damn. I am NOT an old chick! Except that, well, I guess I am...

Sigh...

Also, why is it that we call babies and toddlers' tantrums "cute" and "adorable" and then, when we age and become elderly, we suddenly become "cute" and "adorable" again? I don't think I've ever heard of a woman who was between the ages of 30-60 being called cute. But when we hit 70 or 80, and still have strong opinions on life and how we want things, people smile indulgently and pat us on our heads and shuffle us off, commenting on how high-spirited we are... That's freaking scary! Don't call me a "firecracker" if I'm waving my cane at your head and complaining about the consistency of my Jell-O. That'll only ensure that you get smacked with it!

On that note, I have to shower and dress and get my troops to do the same thing so that we can attend a graduation party for a cousin who can't possibly have just graduated high school, given that he was honestly born only a few years ago...

Blow me Away...

When I contemplate the day that I will never again walk in on a battle between knights and native Americans in my bathroom, a wistful sigh cannot be helped...
When I realize that the days are numbered for silly games like Who Can Remain Over the Newly-Turned-On Air Conditioner the Longest, I simply have to shake my head in sadness...When I recognize that the time will arrive, all too quickly, when my fashionista won't easily pair orange and purple as an appropriate ensemble for rain dancing, my heart can't help but clutch a bit...
When I see the evidence of time's passage in their faces, it blows me away. Absolutely blows me away...

Note to self: Remember the sunscreen

I was given free admission for my family this weekend to Raging Waves in Yorkville Illinois. Despite the temp being in the mid-low 70's and the wind that whipped with gusto across the plains, we had a blast!



We arrived early and were the first ones into the enormous wave pool. Just moments later, Corinne turned around and ran straight back to me; "It's FREEZING!"

She quickly got over her shivers when we found the squirting structure and kiddie slides. No fear.

And I am SO glad that I brought swim shirts for each of them. They dried off really quickly to keep them warmer. Also, since I am a brilliant mother who forgot that just because you aren't HOT doesn't mean you won't get BURNED, each of us was sporting some red epidermis that evening. Parenting FAIL.
My fish. Or shark. Whichever is more adept at being in any water at any time. He even rode the wedgie making speed slide! At 49", Evan was big enough for all of the water slides. What a great surprise for him!

He also spent hours in the wave pool. As in, hours and hours and hours...
Only picture of my eldest who was NOT amused that the wind was frigid and the water chilly. He did go in the lazy river 2 or 3 times and on the big family slide with all of us once. THAT was a blast! And it was Corinne's favorite activity. "We did it all together, Mommy! As a family!" It was my favorite too. I liked it even better than the Cyclone (one of those big old bowl things that shoots you around and makes your stomach drop).

I do wish that water parks weren't so dang expensive, though. The price for my family to get in on a regular day would have been about $140 at the gate.* Wow. I mean, I know that it is comparable to a day at Noah's Ark in WI, Six Flags in Gurnee, or Magic Waters in Rockford. And I know that we saved a load of money on gas by having it so close to home, but it's just a big chunk of change for our family right now. I do appreciate the fact that the park allows you to exit and re-enter very easily so that you can have lunch outside the park and then come back for more. Had we been paying our own way, that is the route we would have taken. Also, pay attention for coupons and package deals to save money.

That said, if you are looking for a fun activity, close to home this summer, Raging Waves is absolutely a blast. And it's CLEAN, too!

*If you are a family of 4 or more, you can purchase the Summer Family Fun package for $124 which includes 4 all day admissions, 4 tube rentals and 4 meal tickets. A fabulous deal but it's available online ONLY though, so plan ahead!!

Hey, see that Nickelodeon button over there? To the right and at the top? Yeah, that one. Why don't you click on it and then vote for yours truly at the Parents Picks awards? Here, to save you time, you don't even need to scroll upwards... Every day's a new chance to vote!

My gift to you

"Why do we even come to these games?" I asked Patrick as we watched Justin's soccer game in the steady but warm drizzle this morning. Justin had played about 10 minutes out of the 45 minutes we had watched. I knew that the coach was offering for him to go in, but we saw our son shaking his head and talking (in depth) to his coach.

"He probably has a million reasons about why playing in the rain isn't good for him," I grimly stated. I know my eldest isn't known for being a huge athlete, but he really loves to play soccer, and it's great exercise! AND, he insists that he likes it! So why does he refuse to work harder? The other boys were huffing and puffing with red faces and sweaty hair, and their team finally won , 3 to 1.

I peeled the sleeping and quickly overheating 4 year old from my lap and we packed up to go home. Patrick carried Corinne and I followed behind with the boys. I kept my mouth shut, knowing that a discussion regarding his performance (or refusal thereof) would just begin an argument in public. And that is never a road I willingly take when there is a perfectly fine and private argument location in the van.

We made it to the van and loaded up. The family got buckled in while I put our chairs into the back. I turned around to find Justin's coach beside me.

"I feel really bad that he didn't play more," he began, "but every time I asked him, he said he didn't feel like playing or didn't have any energy. He's really improving on his skills..." he kindly listed all the ways that Justin has improved this season. I thanked him and climbed into the van where I parroted back the compliments.

"Why don't you push yourself just a little bit?" we asked. "You'll never get any better if you don't work past the hurdles of exercise!"

"My legs are too heavy today!"

???

Yes. His legs. Too heavy. Sigh... Patrick and I shook our heads and did a splendid job of not berating him too much. We only threatened a leeeeetle bit if he didn't apply himself at the games the way he does at practice. And then we let it drop because Corinne was spiking a fever and the house was a disaster and Patrick had some real estate business to take care of.

As I was bustling around the house, alternatively stroking the sweaty forehead of my sleeping 4 year old and scrubbing toilets (I did! I cleaned toilets AND showers. AND vacuumed on my hands and knees because the belt broke in my vacuum! I was a regular little homemaker, I was...) I noticed that the house had gotten quite quiet... Hmmmm...

There was Justin on the rocking chair; red-faced, listless eyes, and drooping over the armrest.

Damn. He was sick. He was beginning a fever and we were ragging on him about energy and attitude.

You may commence with feeling better about your own parenting skills in comparison to ours. This is my gift to you.

De nada.

(Oh pleasepleaseplease let them all be healthy for tomorrow's excursion to Raging Waves in Yorkville! We get to go for a review and I think it might be frowned upon if I were to drag 3 sickly children along, just for the free lunch...)

I dream of Babies...

I awoke with my hands on my stomach, looking for the phantom baby that my overactive brain conjured up during the wee hours of this morning's sleep. No baby. Despite the highly detailed, unnecessarily specific dream that plagued me last night; No baby. Just an empty womb and no chances of ever reliving that miracle again...

Not that I want another baby*, but to be cursed with the ability to vividly recall one's dreams isn't always a blessing. Sometimes, I'd just like to wake up without any knowledge of what went on in my brain during the night. Occasionally, I'd enjoy a blank slate. Just blackness from 10 pm to 7 am, please. That sounds like absolute bliss...

Instead, my lot is to remember everything; Every zombie and vampire that chases me through graveyards. Every detail of every maze I get lost within. Every natural disaster that occurs, leaving me frantically grasping for my children's hands as a twister/earthquake/flood tries to pull them from my reach.

Nothing like a good night's sleep.

Is it any wonder that when I actually DO dream of good things, I get royally pissed off? I mean, dreaming about a hurricane sucks. But waking UP and finding out that everyone is alive and that you still have a home makes me count my blessings and breathe a sigh of relief. What do you think my reaction will be when I awaken to find out that we DIDN'T win the lottery and our finances HAVEN'T been eliminated by a pile of stocks and bonds that we "forgot" about? Where is the payoff when I wake from having a sweet dream about a baby that will never exist? When I can physically feel a child in my arms and look into its eyes and fall in love, it doesn't matter that this child was only a dream; I still ache for it...



* I do. I always will.

Yo

Well, the school year is officially over. Which is kind of funny since we homeschool and I plan on them all still doing reading and math over the summer, and there is a science kit that requires outdoor ventilation that we want to work on and we have a geography fair next week and, and... Well. Let's just say that the transition to summer from homeschooling is just a touch less noticeable than when you attend a traditional school. We've kind of eased into summer, anyway.

I digress.

If you've noticed my absence, it's because I've been absent! It's true. The internet isn't as lustrous for me, right now. It happens to the best of us. It's especially noticeable for me when I actually WANT to go online and one of my kids is using the internet connection for the freaking XBox Live so I have to WAIT. Which SUCKS. And then the post is gone from my head and my desire to sit in front of a warm computer disappears alongside the ice water in my glass. It also doesn't help that I've been engrossed in book after book this past month, so any free time I DO have is spent trying to control the level of filth which we seemed to be living within. (It's a bit more manageable right now, but that can change at any given moment.)

Good Lord. The natives are getting restless and we need to go grocery shopping. Even now, with my few moments online, I am being pulled away.

Sigh. It's temporary. I know this. The ebb and flow of the internet has been a part of my life long enough that it's not really a surprise. But I do miss venting and recording on my little corner here...

Hey, I've got a giveaway without any entries!! Check it out!