It is 47 degrees outside and raining on this lovely July day. Tatton has started a new game to deal with this unfortunate weather. He is utterly butchering every song he can think of and encouraging his siblings to scream off-key mutilated lyrics as well. Some noteworthy lines:
"Cowboy- take me away- buffalo don't care what I say-"
"R-E-S-P-E-C-T! Makes me all tingly!"
"Who say? Who say? I can't be Superman? I say, I say, I'll fly if I say I can!"
"I am Iron Man! I am not aluminum!"
"Warden threw a party at the county jail! Show & tell makes me want to yell!"
"Carry on my way, my son! Carry me until I'm done..."
"I'm every woman- it's all in me.... grown local naturally-"
"Oh, Baby, Baby- How was I supposed to know? Don't hit me, Baby, 'til I shine!"
It's WAY more funny (although headache inducing) in person. Kinda one of those you had to be there sorta things.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Ahhh- sweet accomplishment
So, I am so proud to say that I actually got a lot done today. I mean, stuff that shows & that counts for something. Case in point: my car is clean. Shocking, sweet victory. I was so excited when I accomplished that this morning that I was trying to come up with an excuse to go through random drive-thrus. Bank? Fast food? Hmmm.... where can I show this off? It still has a vague smell like penicillin so I definitely need to shampoo it, but it is sparkly. :-) The sad thing is that my kids are super excited about this. What kind of mother has her kids nagging her to clean the car? My poor children! Tatton kept reminding me how much damage something as small as a tissue box can do when projectile. (Darn Myth Busters!) "Mommmm- All this clutter is SO dangerous. What's gonna happen to us if you slam on the brakes with these books in the car?" Yes, son....
We sold Brooke's slide bed tonight and so I've been deep cleaning her room to prepare for her "more mature makeover". That's what she is calling it. She was throwing a royal fit about selling her bed, although she never used it and it took up so much space that we couldn't fit much else in there. I told her that we needed to sell it to make room for a new big girl room now that she is 6 and "so mature." (Hey, she fell for it.) I think I've created a monster though, because now she's all into surfing the web for new bedding & stuff. We found out Pottery Barn has an interactive build-a-bed option and she's spent hours trying to figure out which sheets compliment her favorite quilts. Which by the way... I think are ugly. Can you believe my daughter is only six and we're already butting heads over our conflicting tastes? It kind of cracks me up.
And in other news.... Brooke's surgery is Tuesday. I'm actually really excited for it. I'm sure she'll feel (and look) so much better. I'm glad that Kyla talked me into calling a different doctor & that he was able to get her in so much sooner. Her original appointment just for the initial consultation wasn't until August 21st and here she is able to get the surgery done on August 5th (at a better hospital I might add.) Hopefully she comes through it as well as we expect since the fair starts the next day and I'd really hate to miss it... Only downfall of this new surgery date.
Lane's soccer has started already. I'm so mean. I think it's hilarious that his coach has them practicing so hard. Lane tried to tell me that he couldn't go to practice tonight because his legs were still too sore from yesterday's two hours of drills. The more he whined the more excited I was to send him out there to run his butt off. I promised him a protein shake when he gets home to help his sore muscles get buff. LOL He doesn't realize it's WAY better than the military school I've been threatening them. ;-)
We sold Brooke's slide bed tonight and so I've been deep cleaning her room to prepare for her "more mature makeover". That's what she is calling it. She was throwing a royal fit about selling her bed, although she never used it and it took up so much space that we couldn't fit much else in there. I told her that we needed to sell it to make room for a new big girl room now that she is 6 and "so mature." (Hey, she fell for it.) I think I've created a monster though, because now she's all into surfing the web for new bedding & stuff. We found out Pottery Barn has an interactive build-a-bed option and she's spent hours trying to figure out which sheets compliment her favorite quilts. Which by the way... I think are ugly. Can you believe my daughter is only six and we're already butting heads over our conflicting tastes? It kind of cracks me up.
And in other news.... Brooke's surgery is Tuesday. I'm actually really excited for it. I'm sure she'll feel (and look) so much better. I'm glad that Kyla talked me into calling a different doctor & that he was able to get her in so much sooner. Her original appointment just for the initial consultation wasn't until August 21st and here she is able to get the surgery done on August 5th (at a better hospital I might add.) Hopefully she comes through it as well as we expect since the fair starts the next day and I'd really hate to miss it... Only downfall of this new surgery date.
Lane's soccer has started already. I'm so mean. I think it's hilarious that his coach has them practicing so hard. Lane tried to tell me that he couldn't go to practice tonight because his legs were still too sore from yesterday's two hours of drills. The more he whined the more excited I was to send him out there to run his butt off. I promised him a protein shake when he gets home to help his sore muscles get buff. LOL He doesn't realize it's WAY better than the military school I've been threatening them. ;-)
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Back To School Fever
I am officially ready for fall. I LOVE fall. The other day I was walking over to clean the park bathrooms and the air had a certain cold, crisp smell that reminded me of back to school excitement and trips to the pumpkin farm. I felt a brief moment of happiness. Moments of happiness have been few and far between lately. I strongly believe that happiness is a choice, but apparently lately I haven't had the will power to choose that particular mindset. I feel like this summer break has gone on forever (all 6 weeks of it- only 5 more to go! LOL)
I'm drawn to the bins of glue sticks and crayons lining the crowded aisles at Walmart. I keep fantasizing about dressing my kiddos up and taking their pictures as they trod off to their first day of school. Sounds like HEAVEN! Which is so funny. I was way more excited for summer break than they were back in June. I must have short term memory loss. How had I forgotten the way my crew has the ability to turn my house into a science lab? They don't handle boredom well and let's just say the ways they entertain themselves aren't always contructive. Basically, at this point in our life someone is always bored no matter how hard I try to keep them busy. My kids have such different personalities and interests that you really can't please everyone at the same time. I feel like that crazy tour guide with a nervous eye twitch that talks too fast and snaps at the tourists who innocently ask questions. Maybe I should move to France where it's socially acceptable to be snotty to people. Bonus- I wouldn't have to shave!
Anyway.... back from my mental vacation... I simply miss liking summer. I miss being young and carefree, not noticing how sticky popsicles and lemonade make kitchen floors, being able to eat cotton candy and snowcones without feeling guilty about calories.... ahhh- those were the days. Now, I need to invest in some ear plugs to soften the deafening whines and tattling and I desperately wish that tall grass and dandelions would become a hot new trend in lawn care.
I think my biggest motivator for my fall fantasies is this sneaking suspicion that once my kids are in school I'll have a "partner" in the form of the school system. Not to be one of those parents that expects the school to basically raise their kids, but this summer I've been dutifully encouraging reading and trying to sneak math games into our daily lives and well... I'm burnt out. If I never see another multiplication table that's fine by me. I feel so frumpy and boring.... dentist appointments, making sure people get enough veggies and dairy, the repetitive head counts to make sure I haven't lost anybody.... it gets to ya, you know? The other day it occured to me that in September they will have a whole staff of people who will be making sure they're safe and educated and it nearly brought tears of joy to my eyes. Hallelujah for school lunches! To think that I can send my kids off to school with a good breakfast in their bellies and not have to use my kitchen until after school! If my kitchen could smile I'm sure it would.
I think my biggest motivator for my fall fantasies is this sneaking suspicion that once my kids are in school I'll have a "partner" in the form of the school system. Not to be one of those parents that expects the school to basically raise their kids, but this summer I've been dutifully encouraging reading and trying to sneak math games into our daily lives and well... I'm burnt out. If I never see another multiplication table that's fine by me. I feel so frumpy and boring.... dentist appointments, making sure people get enough veggies and dairy, the repetitive head counts to make sure I haven't lost anybody.... it gets to ya, you know? The other day it occured to me that in September they will have a whole staff of people who will be making sure they're safe and educated and it nearly brought tears of joy to my eyes. Hallelujah for school lunches! To think that I can send my kids off to school with a good breakfast in their bellies and not have to use my kitchen until after school! If my kitchen could smile I'm sure it would.
Maybe if I weren't such a spazz about parenting it would be different. I know there are mothers out there who don't have anxiety attacks about reading levels. Oh- to be one of them... When my kids were little (5, 3, 1, and newborn) I had this same feeling that I have now. Desperation. Panic. Exhaustion. I just thought it would go away. I spent that crazy toddler years part of my life telling my self "this too shall pass- this too shall pass" and honestly, it did. My kids don't lodge random objects up their noses anymore. It's been years since we've had to snake a toilet to retrieve legos and hot wheels cars. Heck, they can even help out around the house now. What am I whining about?
I hear you never stop worrying about your kids though. I suppose maybe my excitement for fall is just a way of breaking this enormous job up into manageable chunks. Come to think of it, taking parenting one season at a time is an improvement on my old one day at a time philosophy. I guess things are getting better! For now, I'm gonna keep reading the Sunday paper's back to school coupons for encouragement. A good price on erasers should buy me one of those brief moments of happiness.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)