Why me?

If you know me well, you know that I detest basements. I also detest the dark, scary movies, being scared, haunted houses and things that go bump in the night.

(I am, however, completely intrigued by 'real' ghosts and totally believe in and like them. This is props to you, Buzzy.)

So imagine me being brave enough to go into our basement yesterday to retrieve something from the storage room and seeing this as I descended down the stairs:

I screamed and immediately went into 'Kung-Fu' attack mode. I was a mother bear ready to defend and protect her cubs. (All that taekwondo I took when I was 6 came rushing back to me.)

I reluctantly turned the corner to face the intruder and found this:

To my darling son, Evan-

Grounded for a month?

No dessert for a year?

Scrubbing toilets until you're 12?

I'll think of a punishment that will scare you as much as you scared me.

Trust me.

Love,

Mom

Why we stand...

If you ask us the last time we sat down to eat breakfast, Derek and I will tell you it was in December of '07. All four boys in the loving care of family, we headed to Napa for 3 blissful days. (I know, I know....I've told this story one hundred times, but it never seems to get old.) Our last and final baby was only 6 months old and it was time for Mommy and Daddy re energize. I distinctly remember the meals we shared even more so than the winery tours themselves. Sitting quietly together, the only noise we heard was the music playing softly through the restaurant speakers overhead. We didn't even glance at the kiddie menu. We had no need to rearrange the salt & pepper shakers, sugar packets, utensils, coffee cups, water glasses, candles or flowers that graced our table. For there was no one there to dismantle them. Our food arrived and we ate....while it was still hot. No one needed more juice, help cutting their pancakes, or a chaperoned trip to the potty. Derek and I talked....with each other. And we repeated this for 3 lovely mornings in a row.

Things have changed somewhat since then. Breakfast is loud. Mornings are chaotic. They sit down and eat while it's still hot. We prefer to stand and eat cold cereal. There will be several spills, a few arguments, and assistance may be needed in the potty a time or two. Standing makes sense. Perhaps the most important reason we stand, is to protect the most valuable souvenir we acquired while in Napa.

He's a keeper.

Today...

Today I may very well lose my mind.

Because today,

-My 5 year old was too busy making his Christmas list to go potty. He peed all over the bathroom rug. Today I am washing rugs.

-I've chased Logan down 10 times. Sometimes he has scissors, other times he has an entire bag of candy. Today he does not need more sugar.

-Wes is so far off his normal schedule that it is conflicting with my normal daily routine. Today I am doing my best to go with the flow.

-I am anxiety ridden about piles of bills and empty wallets. Today I am thinking of ways to bring in extra $ (suggestions?).

-I forced my kids to go outside and enjoy the beautiful Colorado sunshine. I locked the door behind them. Today I am hoping that one day they'll thank me.

-My house looks like a tornado hit. Every room has been swirled into a disaster zone. Today I'm doing my best to un-swirl.

-Two of my boys are jumping from opposite ends of the couch and colliding mid-air. Today I am praying for no stitches.

-Only 7 more days of school and my boys will all be home for a 3 week fall break. Today we are counting down the days.

-My daily surroundings are loud, chaotic, messy and demanding. Today (and all days) there is no place I'd rather be.

Mr. Information

So there I sat, on the dinning room floor, folding clothes. In walked Jack.

"Hey mom." He said. "When hot air mixes with cold air, it forms a tornado. We don't want that to happen, do we mom?"

Twas not the mismatched socks I held in my hand that had me speechless, but the words of my 3 year old son.

May your weekend be tornado-free.

Sickness sucks.

Hi. It's me, Wes.

I'm sick. I have a fever of 104 degrees. Two days ago, I was standing on my own and taking my first steps. Today I can barely muster up enough energy to crawl. I woke up every 45 minutes last night....just to make sure mom and dad weren't sleeping too deeply. My brothers are worried about me and keep making weird faces at me while sticking their fingers up their noses. I am not amused. Has anyone in this house ever heard of the term PERSONAL SPACE?

Today mom gave me a bath ALL BY MYSELF! That hasn't happened since.....since.....crap, I don't think I've EVER had the privilege of bathing alone. My brothers were gazing over the edge of the tub with jealousy and admiration. I just looked at them and stuck my finger in my nose. It was blissful.

Mom is her usual OCD self and is checking my temperature every 15 minutes. She purchased an APP for me on her iPhone called 'Phony Phone' which is the only thing that currently interests me. Food? Yuck. Milk? No thank you. I'm doing my best to take small bites and sips here and there so my parents don't freak out and take me to the ER. The swine flu is coming and the ER is the LAST place I want to be.

Mom did catch me crawling into the dishwasher this morning as she tried to clean up the breakfast tornado my big brothers created.

This afternoon, she found me opening the bathroom door and stepping softly inside to play in the potty for a while.

Slowly but surely, I'll be back to my normal self. Thanks for listening.

Love,

Wes

By now...I should know.

One of my favorite things, is to do crafty projects with my boys. We like to paint, glue, cut, color & create. By now, I know to cover the table with a tablecloth. By now, I know to roll up their sleeves. By now, I know that no matter how hard I try, someone will paint their hands.

So you'd think that by now, I'd know NOT TO ANSWER THE PHONE when my children are crafting.

Because if I walk away for one millasecond, I'll come back to the kitchen and find this-

And this-

And possibly, this-

Obviously, I've got a lot to learn....

Betcha Didn't Know...

Did you know I spend a fair amount of time hunting for insects? It pleases my children and keeps them busy for hours....OK, minutes on end. I'm great at finding roly poly's, moths and a cricket here or there. When I do, I'm a hero for the next hour.

However, when I find something like this, I'm hero for the entire day.

(Gloves are a must when handling a Praying Mantis. They tend to pinch and bite if you tick them off.)

We played with our friend for a while and them released him into our flowers to dine on all of the naughty bugs. Thanks little guy....you made my day.