A Nice Day

My children were angels today. As a matter of fact, Mooner and I were questioning who took our kids and replaced them with these great kids. All four of them were playing quietly with the same toy...may not seem like a big deal, but if you've got kids, especially in the two-three year old range, you know exactly what I'm talking about. I only had to pull Big E off the light fixture twice, although he did manage to make it on top of the kitchen counter. Their new fascination is the itty bitty snails in our flower bed. Bubbie likes to collect them and put them in his Frisbee. He's even tried to convince me that they should live with us. I keep finding them everywhere, especially in the washing machine. They don't look so hot when they come out of the dryer, pardon the pun. They had a little gecko in the house yesterday. Poor thing didn't have a tail left when they finally decided to return it to its family in the garden.

Pods has been devising a plan to have a slumber party with not I, but her Daddy for the last week. She's had her great idea on her mind day and night. Finally, she had a "perfect" day, so Mooner decided she deserved the special "dad" time. You would have thought she had just been given the world by the light in her eyes. Special time with a parent is a rare occurrence around here these days. I had to poke my head in her room to tell her goodnight. There she was sitting on the floor next to her daddy showing him how to put a princess puzzle together. They had already been playing My Little Ponies. They had to stop because Daddy's pony was not following the pony rules. I can't wait to hear all about their fun night in the morning. I know she'll never forget it...and I have a feeling her Daddy will relish it more and more in the years to come.

Mooner finished cutting our bathroom tile and I got it glued down. I know I won't get much sleep tonight because I'll be dreaming of grouting tomorrow...you know how much I love it! :)

Ta-Da !!

The closet is finished!! Yippy! I am SO excited!!! Now I've just got to decide what color to paint the bathroom walls! Something exotic...hmmm.....I'd really like to make it into my own personal spa. My dear friend, Cristy, brought me a new Scentsy candle to go in my "spa" today. Those candles are the most amazing things ever! They warm with a light bulb and smell up the whole house in no time. Then, you can go back later, flip them on and instant fragrance. They are a little expensive, but WELL worth it!

Pods went to her second dance class today. She is very excited about it. The boys, well, they were their typical "boy" selves. Missing diapers, dirty diapers, hanging on the chandelier, destroying the house, making mom question if she has any sanity left. I did have a sort of day of reckoning. Upon waking up, I realized that today was the first day of school for most kids. I had to come to terms with the fact that this homeschooling thing is the real deal and for a moment was a little bit scared. But, I thought, Pods is already ahead of most kindergartners, so don't panic. She's beginning to read and math comes very easy for her. She was very interested in doing her reading lesson which was reassuring. I'm really looking forward to spending time with her and watching her learn. That's it for tonight!

I was in one of my "tornatic" moods today. Those kind of days when you wake up and you're ready to take on the word. Must've been because of the crazy dream I had last night. In the dream, I awoke from a slumber when a light came on in the living room. To my surprise, Pods had gone in the attic, removed the Christmas decorations, and decorated the whole house - tree and all. It was the middle of August. For some reason, I get the feeling this may be one of those dreams that actually comes true one day.

Back to my original story... We went outside and the kids ran around while I got the garage cleaned and organized. Not without sweat and tears, of course. Later, in the afternoon, I worked on rearranging my closet, making myself only own 30 pairs of shoes-which should be a sin in itself, and working on the tile some more. After naptime, we headed upstairs and cleaned up the three pigsty's. We wrapped up the day by playing outside. There's nothing quite like excavating little green army men out of the sandbox. Big E is learning how to swing, so that's his new entertainment. So, that wraps up another weekend at the funny farm.

Mud Wrestling

Let me just say, I had the most fun today that I've had in years. While Eric was away and the kids were napping, I decided to go ahead and grout the tile in the closet. It was like a huge mud pie all over the floor! Forget using a trowel. I just stuck my hands in and went to town. I probably looked like the scene from Ghost where Demi is sitting at the pottery wheel. I started thinking there might actually be something to mud wrestling after all. The thought of me in a skimpy bikini ended that possible career. But then again, I would be covered in mud and no one would see anything? I can hear the kids telling their Sunday school teachers, "Yeah, my mommy puts on her swimsuit and crawls in mud when she goes to work." I'll just stop right there. Anyways, the tile looks wonderful if I may say so myself. I'm pondering what the kids will destroy next. Hum......

The kids had a pretty good day. We met our good friend at Chick-fil-a for lunch. All was well, except with Big E. He was having one of his screaming days. I took him in the bathroom for a little straightening out - if you know what I mean. Unfortunately, it was full of people. We headed to the car and he stopped crying, so I decided to return to the sandwich of which I had taken two bites. When we reached the entrance he started up again. I had forgotten my magical wooden spoon, of course. Eric likes to use a dowel rod in the car because of it's reach ability. That was all I could find. The only thing Big E will respond to is a spoon or dowel. So, I'm walking back into Chick-fil-a with an upset two year old in one hand and a two and a half foot stick in the other. By the looks on people's faces, you would have thought I just walked in with a machine gun or something. I always find it interesting how people get upset if you don't deal with a screaming kid (no one likes to hear it), but then when you dare to discipline, you're made to feel like a child abuser. I never had to spank him, just remind him that it's there in case I needed it. They came home and took a good nap, which is when the grouting took place.

Bubbie can out-talk me, which can make you crazy. As he was saying his prayers tonight, he thanked God for each member of his family and his grandma's. Very sweet.

Now I'm going to dance on my floor and then I'm going to hit the sack because my knees are killing me!

Two Years Together!

We just celebrated the twin's second birthday. It was a bit early, but due to our upcoming plans, we needed to go ahead with it. Grandma Susie and Gabby came up and joined us. Gabby, an aspiring Wilton teacher, created masterpiece cakes again. This was a special year for the grandkids. Each one got a specially made cake of their favorite character. Pods got a beautiful Belle doll cake with Lumiere and Chip included. Bubbie had a recreation of Buzz Lightyear. Cousin J got an adorable Little Mermaid. Big E loves Elmo, so he got a nice big red Elmo cake. Frijole is fascinated with kitty cats, so yes, he got a big kitty cat. He couldn't stop saying, "Meow!" A big thanks to my former cake decorating friend for all the goodies! My mom said she was in Wilton Heaven!

The party went well. Frijole Man was fascinated with his kitty cat and dove right into it. Big E was a bit more reluctant...until he tasted it anyways. He had red icing everywhere. By the time he was through, Frijole looked like he was going to apply for a job as a mall Santa. They had a good time and I'm so happy we're done with birthday parties for the year!!

Weekend Report

What a weekend! The tiling is coming along. I showed Eric how to pick up the pace. I think he was enjoying his get-a-way in the closet. Hopefully, a few more days and this traumatic event will be past us.

Big E has once again surprised us. This is the child who almost made me have a nervous breakdown two months ago because he had almost every symptom of autism. It wasn't even the thought of my child not being "perfect" that got to me. It was the idea that I would have one more "issue" to deal with and I couldn't bear the thought of going through the rest of my life with this. Selfish, I know. Anyways, as soon as I called the doctor, Big E started his metamorphosis. He suddenly wanted to be held and cuddled. He wanted to play in the same room as his siblings. He began trying to get mommy and daddy's attention. His speech began improving, no words, but more sounds. So, the whole self-diagnosed autism thing went out the window. We've been trying to get this kid to say something for forever. All of a sudden, he starts saying "goodbye." Yesterday, out of the blue comes "thank you" and "cookie." He also started singing the Elmo tune! Clear as day. Maybe he's just going to skip this whole baby babble stage and go straight for the two-syllable words. Hope he potty trains this easily!

On the potty note...knew you couldn't get through the day without one of these stories...we had an adventure last night. Bubbie was playing in the bath upstairs. I had run downstairs to quickly check email. That always gets me in trouble! Next thing I see is a little naked boy with a big ol' belly standing next to me shivering. He said, "Mommy!! You've got to come see this! It's in the bathtub and it's disgusting!" Unfortunately, I knew exactly what this meant from prior experience. So I asked him if there was a poopy in the tub. He replied with a firm, "Yesth there is a poopy in der." I asked him who put it there and he told me that Big E must have done it. Poor Big E! He had been in the bed for at least fifteen minutes. Guess he's going to be the kid who gets blamed for everything. Anyways, we got it cleaned up. Bubbie apologized for the next thirty minutes. That wrapped our weekend.

A Day of Praise

I love it when it rains all night long! I love the calming sound while sleeping. Too bad my kids don't. Pods awoke as soon as the rain started pouring. I convinced her there was no thundering or lightening, so it was safe to return to her bed. Bubbie was wide awake at six o'clock. Since we haven't had rain for over a month, I told him go read a book, play with his toys, or something. Just let me sleep. Suddenly, the light in the kitchen came on and the fridge opened. I didn't budge. I could have cared less about what he was about to destroy. I just wanted to enjoy my cozy bed and listen to the rain fall. He was able to entertain himself for about twenty minutes. Luckily for me, Bubbie requested "Dad's Famous Pancakes," that only Dad can make. So, I got to lay in bed a little longer.

What a beautiful day it turned out to be! After rest time, we went outside and enjoyed the fall-like weather! My pretty flowers were awake and reaching towards the sky. They had been quite crunchy looking only the night before. If you've even been in my backyard, you know I love roses. I think it must come from my great-grandma who will be 102 in October. She used to have the most beautiful rose bushes. They had huge blooms, usually four to five inches in diameter and all different colors. In fact, she loved roses so much, that when she was moved to a nursing home, she planted them outside her window and near the entry way. She was in charge of tending to them. When we would visit her as kids, she would always let me pick any rose I wanted. She would cut it off and let me take it home. So, I guess that's where my love for roses came from. Anyways, they looked so beautiful and healthy today!

The kids had a great time playing outside. Pods figured out how to fill up water balloons, so she filled while Bubbie brought them to me to tie. Then, he would hand them off to Frijole or Big E. Big E quickly discovered what to do with them. Frijole, on the other hand, thought you should nibble on them and drink the water that would squirt out. It was fun!

I'm off to work on the tile. Hoping to get my bathroom back by next week!

Bathroom Make-Over Day Four

We've got about 3 rows of tile down!! Yippy Skippy! It's straight and actually looks good. Eric did a great job and worked really hard to day. He may start doing this on the side...just kidding. Well, he may have to after we go on vacation, to pay for the vacation. Anyways, we're starting to see progress and hope!

On another note, I had a ton of fun having all my girlfriends over last night!! I want to do that more often. Wine, chocolate, and chatty women...what in the world is more fun than that? I plan on doing it again real soon. Maybe we'll have some rockin' eighties music at the next one! We can dance on my new tile. Woo Hoo!

Bathroom Make-Over Day Three

My hands are literally shaking as I type this. Have you ever used your hands so much that they shake? Well, here's the update. We've pulled out all the carpet and smelly pad. We, mostly Eric, chipped away the little bit of tile that was already in there. Eric filled in the nail holes today and picked up our "toscano" tile. We keep laughing that we're creating our own "little Italy." Our bedroom is consumed with everything that was in our bathroom and most of the closet. I never realized how many shoes I have. It's ridiculous!

In the past two days, we have also hung a new light fixture in the kitchen. Yippy! Been waiting eight years for that! We managed to get half the lawn mowed. The kids are running around like wild crazy people.

Now we need to patch a hole where E pulled a shelf off the wall and clean the house for tomorrow's party...aahhh!

Bathroom Makeover..Day One

Our first mistake was thinking we could take the troops to Lowe's to pick out tile for our bathroom. The second mistake was actually doing it. Everyone was cranky and fussy, so we got back in the car and headed home. Everyone was fed, changed, and sent to bed for a mandatory nap. They slept for about two and a half hours and seemed much better after a little shut eye.

So, let's try again. We headed for the orange store and hyped up the "car" carts that they have for the kids to ride in. That lasted for about five minutes. We started to look at tile and the kids started snacking. When I moved Big E's cart, his goldfish were literally swimming in a pond of water. He had spilt his cup and added some fishes. Being a good citizen, I looked for some wipes in the diaper bag. Of all the times to forget them...why now? So, I just went ahead and scooped them up, put them back in a zip lock baggy, and looked around for something to wipe this yucky stuff off my hand with. Luckily, there was a table cloth nearby. It was set up for a $10,000 free homemaker give-a-way. So, I signed up and wiped my hands on the back corner while no one was looking. I'm going to win it...just wait and see!

Bubba was having a melt-down, so he and Dad got to take a trip the car. Meanwhile, the other three and I trucked around the store. Everyone stares at us....look at that poor woman with two baskets full of kids. When it's all six, they scoot over to the side and watch like we're a parade coming through the store. Then you hear all the ladies say, "Aw, look it's twins. No wait, are they twins? They certainly don't look alike!" I just tell them that the boys have different dads and let them figure it out.

We finally found some tile. After the kids went to bed, we ripped out the carpet which now smelled like a boy's locker room...or at least that's how Anita described it to me. :) I took out my tension on the small amount of tile that was around the toilet. It really felt good to demolish something! We'll keep you posted on our tiling adventure!

Big E's Ark

These are true stories and yes, my life seems to revolve around the "p" word. This one will make you never want to visit my house again.

Remember that "poopie" odor that I was smelling last night and was all over my shorts, well I found out where it was coming from. Evidently one of my sweet little poochies was mad at me for leaving yesterday and decided to leave me a little surprise at the top of the stairs. It was dark when I took the kids up and I had shoes on, so I didn't notice anything unusual, besides that odor that I'm always smelling. Well, this morning I went upstairs to get my little men and I found a smooshed surprise. Great way to start the day. I opened the boy's door and found Frijole Man in his usual naked attire. Big E, however was sitting in the bed playing with some brown stuff. It was all over his foot, legs, and bed. I took him and scrubbed him up and then went back for the carpet. After scrubbing for awhile, I went down to do the morning line up diaper changing routine. I got the babies changed and then called for Bubbie. He came running into the room shouting, "Mommy, you won't believe it! I've got the biggest poopie ever! It's disgusting!" I wanted to crawl in a hole. So I spent the rest of the morning disinfecting carpet and kids. Can't wait to see tomorrow's diaper surprise, since the Big E was eating neon pink play-do at his Gabby's last night.

But wait, it gets better! After all of that, I decided to sit down and calm down for a moment. I was checking something on the computer when I noticed I hadn't heard from the Double Trouble Team for a few minutes. As I walked toward my bedroom, I heard that terrible sound of water running....similar to Niagara Falls. I found the two in a lake in our bathroom. They had pulled both sink stoppers shut and had the water on full blast. Of course, I had to document this moment with a picture, but I did shut the water off first. Water was everywhere. Underneath the sink was about 1 in. and everything was drenched. Drawers were full of water. I threw down towels and tried to get all of the wood dry. Well, sixteen drenched towels later and spending hours sucking up water with our wonderful steam vacuum, I think we got a lot of it up. Now I am trying to convince my dear hubby that we have to pull up the carpet and put some tile down.

If you're wondering about my children, they are still on the earth with us. I am seriously considering posting them on Craig's List. Two for one deal. Go ahead and report me now. Prison's not such a bad place to be. They cook your meals, give you a clean bed, T.V., exercise time. I would adjust.

Ten Events on an Average Day

10. Removing Big E before he could destroy the fireplace.

9. Finding marker stains on Pod's new comforter which had been washed the day before.

8. Changing Bubbie's diaper the day after he snuck and devoured 1/2 a pan of Brownies. Made me want to make some more, let me tell ya.

7. Removing Bid E from the kitchen light fixture.

6. Not being able to move because a little girl wanted mommy to show her how to do a handstand and cart-wheels...which mom was determined to do since she could in her younger, more agile days.

5. Removing the phone from Big E's hands...not as easy as it sounds...that kid can haul it!

4. Catching Bubbie sneaking up the stairs after robbing the gum from my purse.

3. Scrubbing smooshed bananas off my newly mopped floor.

2. Watching a watermelon fly down the stairs and crash into the wall and splitting in two.

1. Realizing that the "poop' smell was coming from myself and finding it on my shoes and shorts and having no idea where it came from....or how long I'd been wearing it.

These are just some of the things I can remember. Anita, I want you to know that I was thinking about what to write for you. I went ahead and did it tonight. Otherwise, I would have been up all night thinking about it. Good Night!

She'll Never See Us

A shower was finally in my future at 10:45 this morning. I intentionally did not let the kids watch T.V. all morning so it would be exciting long enough for me to at least wash the important parts. As soon as I was drenched, the Big E wandered in, followed by his cohort in crime, Frijole Man. I started to scrub faster. Big E climbed up on the step-stool and began to apply toothpaste to his brush. Then, he decided to go ahead and climb in the sink. At this point, I was moving so fast that I'm really suprised that I didn't shave the skin right off my legs. Then began the migration across the bathroom counter, exploring everything along the way. By the time I got out of the shower, they had moved all the way across. They had discovered that Eric's allergy medicine bottle make great maraca's. So much for a relaxing shower. Gotta run and clean up the Big E's smooshed banana mess....

See Me Read

Today, Pods and I were trudging through her reading lesson. She really didn't want to do it. We finally got to the last section. She sounded out the letters and read her first sentence, "See me read." It was so exciting to see the joy on her face when she realized that she had read a real sentence! Homeschooling is definitly a hard job, but being able to share these "first" moments with your child is an incredible experience for both of us!

Milk Does a Body How??

I had a nice surprise waiting for me inside my car today. When I opened the door, a foul odor filled the garage. That's when it hit me that three days earlier, I had forgotten to come back and clean up the spilled chocolate milk in the back seat. With these 100' days, there's not much that smells much worse, except Roto-Virus. So, I had to tackle vacuuming all of the goldfish, fries, and chunks of chicken nuggets out of every crack. During this time, the Big E was pushing every button to see what it did. He especially likes to push the buttons that open and close the passenger doors. It's great to get my legs smashed over and over. When the button pushing got boring, he moved on to eating the mummified fast food. Yummy! Afterwards, I got my new carpet cleaner out and went to work on the milk stains. Of course, once you start you might as well do the whole car. By this time, Frijole Man had figured out that he must be missing something, so he joined his partner in crime. Now, we had the blinker going, trunk opened, hazards on, and a few other bells going off. I finally got the van cleaned and am hoping that atrocious smell disappears. The twins are now sleeping peacefully.

My Honeymooner

Do you ever have those moments when you look at your better half and just realize how blessed you are? For no special reason, you are overcome with joy and realize how important that person is to you. I was working on the second child in process of the bathing assembly line, when I threw myself across the bed and closed my eyes while they played. When I opened my eyes, our wedding picture was the first thing I saw. I remembered how precious that day was to us. Then, I started thinking about how much we've grown together over the last eight years. I cannot imagine my life without my Honeymooner and am so glad he chose to spend his with me. He's my knight and I can't wait to see what the future holds for us together.

All my Men & I

We've been trying to stay cool all summer! Water Boys!