Miscellaneous

I have a variety of totally unrelated thoughts today.

1. A cold front has come to town, leaving the Indian summer behind. I broke out the fashionable, chunky sweaters. Know what? Chunky sweaters make you look CHUNKY.

2. Speaking of chunky, I snuck into the kids' rooms last night in search of Halloween candy. The week before Halloween, I bragged to my friends about how my children do such a fine job of self-regulating with the candy. A week after Halloween, their candy is GONE. Next year, we will have a different system. I take back the bragging and am properly humbled.

3. Yesterday at Walgreens there was a used, negative pregnancy test in the bathroom trash can. It made me wonder if the owner was happy or sad about it. And who takes a pregnancy test in the bathroom at Walgreens? I thought that only happened in the movies.

4. I am going to a party tonight that is supposed to get me in the mood for the holidays. I am excited about having a party, but a little nervous because right now I know only ONE person who will be there, too. I have been promised that I will probably know more people, but still. I am not so good with the small talk with unknown people.

5. At Walmart yesterday I stood behind an older woman wearing sweatpants, thick socks, and flats. She had an index card file filled with coupons and shopped with a calculator. She gave the cashier a fistful of coupons, half of which had either expired or were only good at Target. The cashier was NOT an example of patience. I felt a little bit bad for the lady. I mean, those expiration dates are small.

That is all for now. Happy Saturday!!

Work-for-Me Wednesday--Toys for Christmas

Prior to Christmas 2007, I was on the prowl to find decent toys to give my kids, then age 7 and 5. I was at friend's house and her son was playing with a Leapster. She did not seem like an electronic toy kind of mom, so I asked her about it, and she raved enough about it that I decided to research it for my kids. It passed inspection, and that year both of my children received one for Christmas from their grandparents.



A year later, it is still going strong! The Leapster is a handheld electronic game, made by the Leapfrog people. It comes with two games preloaded on it, and you can buy others to add to the collection. The nice thing about this game is that it really does grow with your child, as you can buy harder games as they get older.



My kids play their Leapsters on a nearly daily basis. Since the games have a educational edge to them, I don't mind them playing a lot. They are easy to learn and big enough for smaller hands to hold.



I've recommended the Leapster to friends, and they all have called later and thanked me for the recommendation. So if your kids fall between the ages of 4 and 8, I highly recommend you look into the Leapster. It is the ONE toy my kids have that has kept their interest for nearly a year. In fact, my daughter has asked for another game for Christmas this year.



For more great toy/gift ideas, visit Rocks in My Dryer.

Halloween fun

I remember going trick-or-treating as a kid, and what exhiliration I felt when my parents decided I was old enough to go out without them. The freedom! The candy! Being with my pals! Dressing up like a hobo or a rock star! It felt so free, so delicious, this feeling of being out AT NIGHT without supervision. If I close my eyes I can imagine being that age again, the smells and the fears and the excitement.

Matt took the kids out last night to do the candy walk, and I stayed behind to hand out treats. I really don't mind that job, because I enjoy seeing all the kids. I have to say my favorites are the older kids, the ones that are bearing down on being almost too old to be out. I think it is because I remember being that age, and I like to look at them and re-live the freedom they are feeling. You can tell they are feeling it--they are happy and carefree, and you can joke around with them and they don't treat you like an over-the-hill granny.

Although, you can tell things are different than when I was a kid (see? over-the-hill grannies talk like this). There were a couple of tween girls walking around the culdesac, with the requisite glittery hair and bad eye makeup job, and they were having a giggly girly conversation as they walked, living the high life. Then, one of their moms must have called on the cell phone. "We're on the circle, MOM (said with a high-and-mighty attitude). We're doing FINE." Big sigh/sneer.

I completely understand why the mom called. I probably will, too, when my kids are old enough to go out by themselves. But I confess I felt a little bit sorry for the girls that their night of freedom was interruped by the call.

The fall from the pedestal is long and hard

Buddy has always been an easy-going sort. When he was a baby, he would smile and laugh and drool at me, and his smile said, "Mama, I will always be yours."

He failed to mention that he would be mine until he turned 5.

People, my baby has a girlfriend.

Buddy was getting ready for school one day and was being kind of quiet. Then he looked at me with big brown eyes and said, "Mama, I haf to tell you somefing. (pause) I have a girlfriend at school."

"Well, what is her name?"

"Jessica." (said the same drawn-out way a person would say "heaven")

"Is she a nice girl? Because it is important that your girlfriend be a nice girl."

"I dunno. She won't talk to me."

"Oh. Huh. Well, then why do you like her?"

(somewhat breathlessly) "She has long shiny hair and butterflies on her backback. They are different colors." swoon swoon

I'm not sure how I feel about this. I asked him if I was still his girlfriend, and he said I could be, but Jessica was, too. I am not really into sharing, I don't think.

Anyone up for a movie?

I am the first to admit that I am a protective mama. I hand out popsicles to the neighborhood kids and then eavesdrop on them to see what they are up to. I volunteer in the classroom not because I necessarily want to be helpful, but I want to see what the kids in the class are like. I refuse to buy clothes that are too "mature" for my daughter. I make sure my son wears his helmet when he rides his bike. Bug spray, sunscreen, triple bacterial ointment, bandaids, gauze, aspirin and tylenol--all in the medicine cabinet, ready to go.

One area of "protection" that is becoming more important to me is the area of the media and what my kids are exposed to. To be honest, there are not that many movies OR television shows I am comfortable with them watching, especially now that they are getting too old for Dora and the like. And, I really don't want to have to watch a bunch of movies ahead of time to make sure they are appropriate. Who has time for that?

So, I rely on Plugged In, a ministry of Focus on the Family, which screens most current movies and lets me know which ones are ok for my kiddos. Their reviews are VERY thorough, and can even spoil the big plot twists, but I appreciate them because I know exactly what my children will be watching. They even count the swear words (BTW, swear words=no rental for my kids). It has even helped my husband and me determine if we want to watch a particular movie, because we know we don't want to condone certain behaviors.

So, it works for me--a great way to review movies WITHOUT having to watch them!

For more great tips, visit Rocks in My Dryer.

Let's get the heck out of Dodge!

We've haven't done a ton of traveling with our kids, but the traveling we have done has taught us a lot. And since Antique Mommy is hosting the Terrific Travel Tips! carnival, I thought I'd join in.

So here are my pearls of wisdom:

1. If you are flying, make sure you give yourself plenty of time. I have taken the two kids by myself to visit family in Texas. If there is one thing that stresses me out, it is feeling rushed to get to the gate, feed them something, and make the million visits to the potty before boarding. If I've given myself plenty of time, the stress level is definitely reduced.

2. Make sure the kids have shoes they can get on and off by themselves--this is good for both car trips and plane trips.

3. Color Wonder products--these wonderful markers only mark on special color wonder paper. Excellent! We save these for trips only, because they are a little pricey, but worth their weight in gold knowing they are not marking up your car's upholstery.

4. Lollipops or sippy cups are needed to make sure the kids don't scream in pain when the pressure in their ears get to them. Gum works, too, if they are old enough.


Traveling can be a lot of fun if you have the right attitude! Just remember, you'll get there eventually!

For more great traveling tips, visit Antique Mommy.

Getting a word from your daughter

Over the weekend, I went into Pookie's room to tuck her in for the night, when I saw this on her dresser:

This is the verse "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2"Honor your father and mother"—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3"that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth."

I asked her why she had written this down, and she told me Matt had helped her look it up ("I had to look in the table of continents, Mom!"), because she needed some help being good.

She has a study Bible for kids, and apparently there is a page in it called "How can the Bible help you?", where it lists different Bible verses that address different problems. The Ephesians reference came under the "problems with your parents" heading. I had gotten a flu shot on Friday, and by Friday night my arm was pretty sore and I guess I was a little cranky. She mistook my crankiness as me being upset with her, and decided to go to the Word to figure things out.

Matt told me she was a little disappointed once she actually FOUND the verse, what with all of the obeying and everything. I think she was expecting some more concrete advice, like "make mama a card and everything will be better" which is what she ended up doing.

I'm thrilled she turns to the Bible for help; I'm a little, uh, verklempt that she felt she had "problems with her parents." I totally thought we had at least 2 more years before hit that stage!

And they called it puppy love

When I was growing up, we had a black lab mix named Buffy. Considering she flunked out of obedience school, she was actually a pretty smart dog and fit in well with the family. She didn't chew up the sofa or dig up the rosebushes; she came when she was called and peed outside. A good family dog.


Nevertheless, when it was time for Buffy to go on to her eternal reward, my parents were not so heartbroken that they rushed out to get a new dog. No, if they were asked "when does life begin?" they would answer "when the kids leave home and the dog dies."


And their life began. Going and coming as they pleased, no kennel visits to coordinate or nails to trim or baths to give or vet visits to pay for. No dog hair to sweep up and no worries about what they would step on in the yard. What a great life!


Then, my sister got a little maltese puppy named Chloe. She is a white little fluffball with hair bows and pink sequin collars, and my mom was concerned that when my sister went to work, the neighbors at my sister's apartment complex would be bothered with all the puppy whining that was sure to go on. So, perhaps, Chloe should come stay at HER house while my sister was at work. Just for a few weeks, you see, until Chloe got used to her new home.



That was 5 months ago. The doggy daycare business is still in full swing. Yesterday, Chloe got spayed. My mom picked her up at the vet this morning and has spent the day rocking her and petting her and loving on her, and my dad has spent his day at work researching canine pain relief on the internet. These are the people that would not let the beloved Buffy walk on their new wood floors. Now they have the beloved Chloe following them all over the house, calling her sweet nothings and fixing her hair.




Can you blame them? Just look at those little puppy eyes!







Good thing she was spayed today. Can you imagine what would happen with doggy grandchildren?!?

Birthday celebrations for the dieter

Matt has been on a quest for the last several months to lose weight, and even though I love him no matter what the scale says, I've tried to be supportive and not bring too much junk/candy/cheetos into the house. It's healthier, anyway, and I guess it's been working, because he has now lost about 40 pounds. Go him.

Except that this past weekend was his birthday. While he would have been happy to munch on rice cakes and drink water to celebrate, I knew the kids were expecting CAKE. And how do you make a cake without fat/calories/butter/anything good? I had a dilemna.

Fortunately, I am a genius. I took out my box of chocolate cake mix, whipped it up and proceeded to make 76 miniature cupcakes. You could eat 1 cupcake with 1 big bite, or two bites if people are watching and you're trying to be tasteful. I frosted about 12, stuck in the birthday candles, and put the rest in the freezer for hard times (and apparently, times are hard because about half of them are gone now. oops).

So, it worked for me--making itty bitty cupcakes so that the birthday boy could have a taste of cake without falling off the Weight Watchers wagon.

Aren't they cute?









For more great tips, visit Works for Me Wednesday.

I heart the backseat conversations

On the way home from school today:

Buddy: We had a birthday party today. It was Maddy's birthday!
Pookie: We had a birthday party, too!
Buddy: Whose birthday was it?
Pookie: Isabella's. We ate doughnuts.
Buddy: Oh, we had cookies with icing.

(Pause)

Buddy: Hey, I had an Isabella in my class last year. I wonder if it's the same girl in your class?
(Neither of them realizing that this is impossible)
Pookie: I don't know. Maybe it is.
Buddy: Well, what kind of hair does your Isabella have? Is it curly?
Pookie: Yep.
Buddy (getting a little bit excited): oooh, well, what color is it? Mine was kind of lightish.
Pookie: Well, mine has DARK curly hair.

(Pause)

Buddy: Well, maybe she colored it.

The Great Ice Cream Dilemna

A few weeks ago we were at Pookie's soccer practice. When it was over, I got it in my head that it would be fun to take the kids to get some ice cream. So I suggested it to them, and of course they hooped and hollered and in general agreed with the idea.

"Okay, so where should we go? Lion's Choice?" I said, thinking that would be the easiest and cheapest route.

"Oh, yeah, Lion's Choice, I LOVE Lion's Choice!" said Buddy.

"No, I think we should go to Culver's" said Pookie.

So I told them they would have to work out where we went, and as long as they could come to an agreement, the ice cream deal was still on. I listened to them bicker a little bit in the back seat, then go to the old standby of rock-paper scissors. Buddy won, and immediately Pookie started a very quiet meltdown of crying silently and pouting.

There is nothing that I can't stand more then whining and pouting. It is like nails on a chalkboard to me. I was about to rescind the offer of ice cream when Buddy took a deep breath and announced, "Well, I won, and I choose to go to (dramatic pause) CULVERS!!"

I was puzzled. He was the one pulling for Lion's Choice. So I asked him why he changed his mind.

"Well, I don't like to see Pookie cry."

My heart melted at this little boy showing compassion to his big sister. I looked in the rearview mirror and saw him smiling at her, as if to say, see, isn't it all better now? As if their roles had switched, and he was now the big brother.

I pointed the car in the direction of Culver's, all the while wondering if I should address the pouting, or would that lessen Buddy's offer? So I just made up some generic little mommy speech about how nice Buddy was being and Pookie would have to remember this the next time she won the high-stakes game of rock-paper-scissors. Blah blah blah.

I still wonder about it, though.

Shaking down the money tree

Yesterday I was gone most of the day. The morning was spent at bible study (a Beth Moore study, Breaking Free), the afternoon at my friend J's house planning the upcoming mom's group meeting. There was a brief 5 minute run home to let the dog out, and of course getting the kids to and from school, but otherwise I was gone from about 8:15 to 4.

When I got home, there was a mesage on the machine from another second-grade mom, asking if we are planning on attending the upcoming silent auction that the PSO is sponsoring. The auction is an event the school has every year, where first they ask you for either a donation of items they can auction or cash money so they can purchase items to auction. Then you buy a ticket to get into the auction. Then you get the privilege of bidding for items you have either donated or helped purchase. A person could easily say goodbye to $100 for a $25 item by the time the night is through.

Um, no thank you. I certainly appreciate what the PSO does for the school, and I guess the auction has been successful in the past, otherwise why continue? But have y'all seen the news? The economy has tanked, and spending a bucket of money for stuff I don't need is not high up on the list of priorities right now. I really doubt it's high up on anyone's list, but whatever. I wish them well.

Well. Glad I got that off my chest. Now I need to call this lady back and regretfully decline the invitation. Wish me luck!

A beginning

So after much thought and deliberation, and after reading some other really great blogs, I've decided to start one of my own. I really don't know what I'm doing, but I figure to learn as a I go. And lucky you, my very fortunate reader(s) (hi mom!), you get to take the journey with me.

So here goes. Won't this be fun? Thanks for coming with me!!