Life, as we know it, is over. J has learned how to army crawl. And he is enjoying it a lot. Me, not so much. The big boys definitely do not like it, he is naturally curious of their stuff and has destroyed their creations. He figured crawling out less than a week ago and has already discovered the air vents and promptly figured out how to remove them. It won't be long before I find things in there (one of my cherubs figured out they make a nice toilet while potty training, but I'm not mentioning names).
I have learned that I may not dress him in cute white undershirts or light colored shirts because he picks up a lot of dirt while scooting all over the place. And I just thoroughly cleaned my floors for my house guests. Guess they weren't that clean after all.
Oh, my little J. How time has flown. He's nine months on Thursday, and he's eating real food, crawling and has 6 teeth. I want my teensy 8lb 13oz baby back. I do love him at every stage, but I don't want time to fly. Except when he's chewing on electrical cords and finding legos to put in his mouth. Then I can't wait for him to be 10.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Say Cheese
In preparations for having guests for the weekend, I went to the grocery store today. With all three boys. Something I avoid like the plague. Normally, I wait for Scott to be home and go Sunday afternoon, but I was not afforded that luxury this week. Being the genius that I am, I waited to go till 1:30pm. (long story there, but I was in a frenzy getting stuff done around the house and didn't want to stop). So, normally 1:30 would be a half hour from nap time for 2/3 of the boys. I decided it would be fine. I also wanted to drop off some stuff at the Salvation Army and get gas. Plenty of time I thought, to get back and have naps at 2:30. Ha. I'm sorta astonished at my intellect about now. First thing that went wrong, I get to the gas station and get out to pump my gas only to find that I forgot my entire wallet. So, no BJ's card and no debit card to get gas. Whoops. That's fine. The light isn't actually lit on E yet, so I should be ok.
I get to the grocery store. In my haste to get out the door, I put B in his flip-flops. Another big mistake. Every 5th step he walks out of his flip-flop, and then has a huge fit about it. *Sigh* On top of that, the big boys are fighting on who gets to 'help'. I love it. They're so helpful. Not. I also made the mistake of going to Shop Rite. I used to LOVE me some Shop Rite. I haven't been there in over a year and now I remember why I stopped going. They have great deals there, and I like their produce and meat, however that store is a nightmare. A. Nightmare! They have sooo many stupid standing sale bins that it is a frreakin' obstacle course to get thru there. Even more fun with 3 kids in tow, and fellow idiot shoppers who see me coming and lallygag in the isle and refuse to get out of the way. And its always crowded. Crowded with old people who are lonely and try to talk to the kids, who won't answer them, forcing me to answer their questions. Ah.
I somehow made it through the whole store, only to forget one thing, while managing not to have been that mom screaming expletives at my children (who by-the-way are totally THOSE kids screaming, boogie nosed, horribly behaved kids today--must have been nap time or something).
When I checked out, I spotted a line with no one in it and quickly found out why. The cashier was sooooooooo slowwwwwwww. Like, I could have sworn it was a practical joke, she moved in slow motion. The line next to me had 4 people in it and the last person in that line beat me.
So, I may have forgotten one thing, however my helpers made sure I didn't forget the cheese. When I got home and unpacked the groceries, I found 4 different types of cheese sticks in my stuff. Four bags of completely different cheese sticks (which are the most expensive cheese products. If I could find my camera I'd show you...
There's Jack blend, String Cheese, Sharp Cheddar and Mild cheddar cheese sticks totalling over $20.
I didn't notice the cheese plunder when I was checking out because the boys helped to put it all on the belt...I was trying to hurry things along and was bagging quickly and trying to keep J happy at the same time.
Lessons learned today: No flip flops for B. Leave children at home. Double check the cart before checking out. Leave children at home.
I get to the grocery store. In my haste to get out the door, I put B in his flip-flops. Another big mistake. Every 5th step he walks out of his flip-flop, and then has a huge fit about it. *Sigh* On top of that, the big boys are fighting on who gets to 'help'. I love it. They're so helpful. Not. I also made the mistake of going to Shop Rite. I used to LOVE me some Shop Rite. I haven't been there in over a year and now I remember why I stopped going. They have great deals there, and I like their produce and meat, however that store is a nightmare. A. Nightmare! They have sooo many stupid standing sale bins that it is a frreakin' obstacle course to get thru there. Even more fun with 3 kids in tow, and fellow idiot shoppers who see me coming and lallygag in the isle and refuse to get out of the way. And its always crowded. Crowded with old people who are lonely and try to talk to the kids, who won't answer them, forcing me to answer their questions. Ah.
I somehow made it through the whole store, only to forget one thing, while managing not to have been that mom screaming expletives at my children (who by-the-way are totally THOSE kids screaming, boogie nosed, horribly behaved kids today--must have been nap time or something).
When I checked out, I spotted a line with no one in it and quickly found out why. The cashier was sooooooooo slowwwwwwww. Like, I could have sworn it was a practical joke, she moved in slow motion. The line next to me had 4 people in it and the last person in that line beat me.
So, I may have forgotten one thing, however my helpers made sure I didn't forget the cheese. When I got home and unpacked the groceries, I found 4 different types of cheese sticks in my stuff. Four bags of completely different cheese sticks (which are the most expensive cheese products. If I could find my camera I'd show you...
There's Jack blend, String Cheese, Sharp Cheddar and Mild cheddar cheese sticks totalling over $20.
I didn't notice the cheese plunder when I was checking out because the boys helped to put it all on the belt...I was trying to hurry things along and was bagging quickly and trying to keep J happy at the same time.
Lessons learned today: No flip flops for B. Leave children at home. Double check the cart before checking out. Leave children at home.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Today's Forecast
Dude, I just saw the forecast for the rest of the week. "Plentiful sunshine, hot and humid for the next 3 days." Friday is supposed to hit 103 with a heat index of 110. Yuck.
Translation: T.V. watching a plenty.
I will try to channel Donna Reed and get creative, but me doubts it will happen. I also have house guests coming tomorrow night for the weekend, and need to clean, clean, clean. But you can't clean for guests until approximately 10 minutes before they arrive, becuase if you clean before hand, there will not be any evidence that you cleaned by the time they arrived.
Translation: T.V. watching a plenty.
I will try to channel Donna Reed and get creative, but me doubts it will happen. I also have house guests coming tomorrow night for the weekend, and need to clean, clean, clean. But you can't clean for guests until approximately 10 minutes before they arrive, becuase if you clean before hand, there will not be any evidence that you cleaned by the time they arrived.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Oh, its Monday.
My wagon is draggin. I'm tired and cranky. Uninspired and blah. So what is one to do after a week of awesomeness that is VBS? An excursion. Plan and simple, I like road trips. I like road trips because everyone is strapped in a car seat and can't touch one another, there's no fighting and I don't have to supervise, just drive. So that's what I did this morning. I went looking for this state park Scott and I once found that was by a river's edge, shady and picturesque and I have never seen another soul there before. Well, I didn't find the park, but I had two hours of peace and quiet in the car, stopped for ice cream and relaxed a little. Now we're home and have the rest of the afternoon to find what kind of trouble we can get into next.
J is in a funk, getting over a cold and teething at the same time. He hasn't slept well in a couple nights, so neither have I. He's also in a stage of trying to crawl, so ALL he wants to do is be on his belly on the floor kicking around and getting pissed when he gets no where. Its constant whining coming from him, and its a bit much for me to deal with. The car ride was especially nice to have a quiet J.
What to do next? Its only 2pm. I could go for another drive....
J is in a funk, getting over a cold and teething at the same time. He hasn't slept well in a couple nights, so neither have I. He's also in a stage of trying to crawl, so ALL he wants to do is be on his belly on the floor kicking around and getting pissed when he gets no where. Its constant whining coming from him, and its a bit much for me to deal with. The car ride was especially nice to have a quiet J.
What to do next? Its only 2pm. I could go for another drive....
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Day 4 of VBS
Today was the fourth day of VBS and I have to say, I still am enjoying myself. It is interesting to note that attendance was down today. I saw it coming though. Lots of the kids had meltdowns for no reason yesterday. I'm sure its difficult for some of the kids who aren't used to go go going, in the heat and just the shear so much fun factor, to make it a whole week. B is hanging in there, but he is so beat by noon. He is enjoying himself, but I see him being carried around by his teachers and when I picked him up today, he was half asleep on one leader's shoulder.
When I get home from VBS, I still am feeling so chipper and like super mom. Its really odd. I thought it was the steroids I am on, but I talked to another mom who, like me has some issues enjoying being home with her kids all the time, and she was experiancing the same phenomenon as me. We both had a thought that maybe we should go back to work. But I think its cause I know this is only a week that is making it so much fun. Whatever this phenomenon is due to, I'm enjoying it. I'm enjoying my kids and my mom duties and Scott has noticed that I'm generally happy. I'll take it as a gift from God. Thank you!
I love the set up of our VBS, it works really well. It does seem though that as the week progresses and the kids get familiar with everything, that it gets a little more chaotic. The kids are comfortable and think they own the place and get a little 'rammy', dart away from you from time to time and start making farty noises when innapropriate. (if the is an APPROPRIATE time for a fart noise).
I pray that this week was fruitful in the hearts of the little guys I'm with. Its hard to know what makes an impression on them and if anything is sinking in. Q comes home talking about what he learned, even B does come up with a random tid-bit of his lesson. Anyway...hope tomorrow is as fun. Praying that more and more kids can come to know Jesus and have some fun!
When I get home from VBS, I still am feeling so chipper and like super mom. Its really odd. I thought it was the steroids I am on, but I talked to another mom who, like me has some issues enjoying being home with her kids all the time, and she was experiancing the same phenomenon as me. We both had a thought that maybe we should go back to work. But I think its cause I know this is only a week that is making it so much fun. Whatever this phenomenon is due to, I'm enjoying it. I'm enjoying my kids and my mom duties and Scott has noticed that I'm generally happy. I'll take it as a gift from God. Thank you!
I love the set up of our VBS, it works really well. It does seem though that as the week progresses and the kids get familiar with everything, that it gets a little more chaotic. The kids are comfortable and think they own the place and get a little 'rammy', dart away from you from time to time and start making farty noises when innapropriate. (if the is an APPROPRIATE time for a fart noise).
I pray that this week was fruitful in the hearts of the little guys I'm with. Its hard to know what makes an impression on them and if anything is sinking in. Q comes home talking about what he learned, even B does come up with a random tid-bit of his lesson. Anyway...hope tomorrow is as fun. Praying that more and more kids can come to know Jesus and have some fun!
Monday, July 11, 2011
Day 1 of VBS
Today was my first day helping at VBS at church. I was sorta well, dreading it. I had avoided it in the past, but decided it was time to just suck it up, step up and help. How surprised was I to find that I actually enjoyed myself today. A lot. I'm helping with the kindergarten class (which Q is in), and they're still cute and not "fresh" little buggers. Its really interesting to get them talking and see what they talk about. One kid versed me in "surfs up" the movie, another one talked on end about cars. There were two 'outsiders' in our group of 44 kindergartens that kept to themselves, which makes me want to figure them out all the more.
Another thing that delighted me was to see the teenagers from our church helping out. They were completely engaged with the kids, helping to get them motivated and feel apart of the group if they were new. They didn't sit around talking to each other and were extremely helpful. They did a lot to whittle away the stereotype of teenagers that I hold in my heart. You know that stereotype of teens that think they know so much more than adults, and couldn't be bothered to help, which constantly roll their eyes at you. These teens today, were different. And I'm so proud of them. I want to call their mother's individually to tell them how great their teens are, but I won't. That wouldn't be cool.
On a side note. I returned home from VBS in the BEST mood. Like a, -something is wrong with me, why am I so chipper?-mood. Is it carry over from a good morning at VBS, the change of pace, or the steroids I'm on for a bee sting?
Another thing that delighted me was to see the teenagers from our church helping out. They were completely engaged with the kids, helping to get them motivated and feel apart of the group if they were new. They didn't sit around talking to each other and were extremely helpful. They did a lot to whittle away the stereotype of teenagers that I hold in my heart. You know that stereotype of teens that think they know so much more than adults, and couldn't be bothered to help, which constantly roll their eyes at you. These teens today, were different. And I'm so proud of them. I want to call their mother's individually to tell them how great their teens are, but I won't. That wouldn't be cool.
On a side note. I returned home from VBS in the BEST mood. Like a, -something is wrong with me, why am I so chipper?-mood. Is it carry over from a good morning at VBS, the change of pace, or the steroids I'm on for a bee sting?
Friday, July 8, 2011
Summertime: Part Deux
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about it only being 3 days into summer and how things weren't going so well. Now that we are 3 weeks into it, I haven't killed anyone yet, and dare I say things are going okay. I haven't exactly followed a schedule or routine like I sorta wanted to. Not that I am a schedule person, but I found that if we have a routine going, things go a little better. Everyone sorta knows what to expect and it works. Like, Q likes to get on the computer and would ask me 24/7 if he could play. Well, I made it part of the routine during the school year that he could only get on after rest time and after homework was done. It worked beautifully, he stopped asking me all the time to play on the computer and all was well. Well, try as I might, I couldn't come up with a routine cause we don't have anywhere to be consistently during the summer, so we are playing it loosey goosey and I'm surviving. Instead, it goes like this.
Kids get up and play, eat, play, eat some more, maybe go out somewhere, rest (most of the time fight nap time), eat, play, bed.
One of the things I really want for my kids is to have fun unstructured time during the summer. Like I did when I nearly burnt down the shed and went missing all day till meal times. I also wanted for them to use their imaginations and create things.
I'm so delighted that they are doing this on their own. So far this summer, they have created awesome monster truck ramps out of left over fence posts (Scott did not appreciate this for some reason), played in the dirt building more monster truck arenas, sidewalk chalk obstacle courses in the driveway, and very intricate train track set ups. They have also built monster truck car washes and kites and other stuff with some junk around the house. And I have to say, that only once did I offer the suggestion as to what to do, all the other times its been Q that has thought up his inventions. I love that.
They do fight. Which gets on my nerves pretty quickly. But its been less frequent and I love watching their friendship in action. The big boys are best friends and its sweet. I do notice that if we have a play date over, things go downhill very quickly, so I don't do them often. In fact, we've only had 1 in the 3 weeks we've been home. I'd be happy never to do them again, but that wouldn't be very social would it?
Next week is KidzKamp at church and I'm sure it will be a struggle to get everyone (including Scott) out of the house that early. Its harder when we all have to be somewhere in the morning, Scott and I fight over the bathroom. I have reluctantly volunteered to help out at KidzKamp this year. I don't know why I agreed to help, I don't know how it will go and feel bad for J being in child care from 9-12:30 everyday. But its one week. I can do almost anything for a week. Unless it involves giving up carbohydrates. I can do this for a week. I hope.
Kids get up and play, eat, play, eat some more, maybe go out somewhere, rest (most of the time fight nap time), eat, play, bed.
One of the things I really want for my kids is to have fun unstructured time during the summer. Like I did when I nearly burnt down the shed and went missing all day till meal times. I also wanted for them to use their imaginations and create things.
I'm so delighted that they are doing this on their own. So far this summer, they have created awesome monster truck ramps out of left over fence posts (Scott did not appreciate this for some reason), played in the dirt building more monster truck arenas, sidewalk chalk obstacle courses in the driveway, and very intricate train track set ups. They have also built monster truck car washes and kites and other stuff with some junk around the house. And I have to say, that only once did I offer the suggestion as to what to do, all the other times its been Q that has thought up his inventions. I love that.
They do fight. Which gets on my nerves pretty quickly. But its been less frequent and I love watching their friendship in action. The big boys are best friends and its sweet. I do notice that if we have a play date over, things go downhill very quickly, so I don't do them often. In fact, we've only had 1 in the 3 weeks we've been home. I'd be happy never to do them again, but that wouldn't be very social would it?
Next week is KidzKamp at church and I'm sure it will be a struggle to get everyone (including Scott) out of the house that early. Its harder when we all have to be somewhere in the morning, Scott and I fight over the bathroom. I have reluctantly volunteered to help out at KidzKamp this year. I don't know why I agreed to help, I don't know how it will go and feel bad for J being in child care from 9-12:30 everyday. But its one week. I can do almost anything for a week. Unless it involves giving up carbohydrates. I can do this for a week. I hope.
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