Quotable...

I read this quote yesterday and it really stuck with me...

"To have beautiful lips, say beautiful things; to have beautiful eyes, look at people and see the good in them; to stay thin, share meals with someone who is hungry."

~Audrey Hepburn

Getting Away...

 We made the long drive back to the Outer Banks for a week, hoping to get a break from the normal grind.  Unfortunately, since we left on Friday we have seen nothing but rain, rain and MORE rain!  Ugh!  Hopefully, tomorrow will bring some drier weather.  We were able to get outside for a bit today to let the kids run on the beach and even climb the Corolla Lighthouse.  Well, we actually climbed, while carrying the kids...that is a treat let me tell you.

On the drive down, we wanted to treat the kids for being so good.  We told Carter we could eat whatever he wanted for dinner and then asked him what he would like.  He thought about it for about 6 seconds and said, "A BIG plum!!"

A Referee, a Cleaning Lady, a SAHM

The day dawns sunny and bright and both kiddos, despite being completely exhausted last night, no naps yesterday, and later bed times, are up very early.  But that's OK, I tell myself, I can handle it!

Pep talk over, I set out to occupy my kids with some fun indoor activities because it is not even 8 am yet.  But wait...what's that you're saying Carter, you want to...wash the car???  OK, how many kids ask to wash the car before 8 AM, really?  So since it was still rather chilly our compromise was to go out and blow bubbles for a while first, then wash the car.  Other than their odd requests for entertainment, the morning is starting off relatively smoothly.  Both kids even eat breakfast, which is a rare occurrence these days.

But then the fighting starts...and once it starts, that is when the real testing begins.  Is it just me or does anyone else with kids feel like their days are spent yelling, "No!" and "Stop hitting!" and "Please don't fight!" almost constantly?  Whenever I set out on this journey of parenting I knew it'd be tough, I knew there'd be days I wanted to throw in the towel.  I grew up with little brothers so I knew from personal experience that kids do fight...we certainly did plenty.  I guess I just wasn't prepared for how early the fighting would start and how frequently it would occur.  Carter will play by himself for hours if I let him...completely content, totally wrapped up in his own little world.  As soon as Reese enters the scene, however, it's like a full blown war.

"Reese looked at my Legos!"
"But why did you punch her in the head?"
"She was going to TOUCH them!!!"

Oh my heavens, that would be just unthinkable!  I do not say this aloud because really, what's the point?  Just another typical day in Mommy World.

I feel as if the kids are constantly watching me and waiting for even the smallest opportunity to fight, to make messes, and just generally get into trouble.  They always seem to have this sixth sense about when my guard is down...when they can catch me not watching them, when they can do the most damage, or when we are out in public and there is little I can do.

I pick up the phone to call my mom...moments later...SCREAMING from the other room.  Reese yelling, "Carter hit me!  Carter hit me!"  Carter yelling, "Reese hit me, Reese hit me."

Later in the morning at the Farmer's Market...we cruise down the aisles for a few minutes in relative peace...then it comes time to pay.  There are about 30 people in line with a very slow, newbie checker, and the kids go berserk.  Carter was in the big part of the cart and Reese in the seat in the front.  Both are now facing each other totally battling it out.  To make matters worse, the woman behind me seems to be in an even bigger hurry to get out of the store than I am and keeps bumping into my legs with her cart.

Once home, the kids race from one room to the next leaving behind a path of destruction.  There are trucks and diggers, super heroes and baby dolls, legos and books strewn everywhere about the house.

And then my knight in shining armor comes home from work.  He may not literally sweep me off my feet as he enters the  house, but he does sweep the little maniacs out of my path for a few precious minutes of peace while I finish making dinner....a time that I cherish every day.

Just another normal day in the life of any Stay at Home Mom...

This story made me feel better about myself tonight...it's been a CRAZY week here and I needed a little emotional boost.

Savoring Summer...while it lasts!

 We had a fun/busy day today and took advantage of the gorgeous weather to use our Kennywood tickets Derrick got from his work.  (this was the last weekend we could use them, so good timing!)  The kids did great at first and wanted to ride every single ride. Then things went downhill.  Reese got scared on a little airplane ride and after that didn't want to ride anything else for a while.  Then Carter hit a wall too and didn't want to ride anything.  Gee that's super convenient to be at an amusement park with two kids who don't want to ride anything.  But a good lunch of cheese-covered french fries rejuvenated them enough to last another hour.  Thank goodness for french fries.

Anytime we visit an amusement park, it brings me back to the good ol' days of working at Six Flags.  Yes, I was a Six Flags employee back in the day.  I lasted 2 whole weeks there too.  They had me working in the games area which had to be the absolute worst place in the entire park to be. You had to listen to the same cheesy music over and over and over again.  You had to watch people forking out money and more money trying to win those ridiculous, enormous stuffed animals.  But I learned a lot in my 2 weeks there.  I learned why almost everyone there was not from the U.S.  No one in their right mind wants to work at an amusement park trust me!  I met people from all over the world who actually lived there all summer and worked there every day.  My shift was supposed to end when the park closed, which I think was 11 pm.  But I was always there till midnight or 1 am which was why I decided this was not a good idea, driving an additional 45 minutes home afterward on a very dark, back road.  Not to mention I had to do crazy stuff like, "dispose" of the stuffed animals that were broken.  Oh yea did you know what they do with those life-sized stuffed animals when they get a tear in them?  Do you want to know....it's like something out of a slasher movie.  We'd take them into this little shed, back in the woods behind all the games.  There was a big trash bin there, we'd take a razor and slash that thing open like it was soft butter, then dump all the Styrofoam pellets into the trash and then the empty skin.  Another night I was in this weird warehouse-type place with a guy from Hong Kong and a guy from Russia blowing up basketballs that are used as prizes for one of those hoop-shooting games for about 2 hours.  I have no idea how many basketballs we even blew up but it was a LOT.  Shudder...shudder...I might have nightmares tonight just remembering this stuff...

The Big Turtle

Reese contemplates riding the big Turtle Ride...

The Big Turtle before Reese got scared.

They pose so willingly for pictures!

Our trip today involved no scary games though, thank goodness.  When we got home I asked Carter what his favorite ride was.  He said, "The Elephant Ride."  Funny, that was one of the rides he refused to go on today.  Oh well...what can I even say??

















At our friends' Oktoberfest party tonight, Carter insisted on wearing his super hero cape the entire time.  There were a bunch of other kids there and he was running up to everyone, holding up his hand in a "stop" motion and saying, "I am SUPER CARTER!"  It was hilarious.  Then he'd try to tackle a boy who was a good 2 feet and 60 lbs heavier than him, fully confident that he would win.  At one point the wrestling was getting a little crazy with a smaller boy and I was concerned he didn't appreciate Carter trying to tackle him, so I stepped in and asked if he wanted to wrestle.  He just looked at me like I was crazy and said, "I love it!"   OK  maybe I'm becoming one of those helicopter moms...guess I'm just not that into wrestling.

Another little boy kept throwing a football in the yard above us...we were standing at the bottom of a pretty big hill.  He kept asking someone to throw him the ball when it would roll down the hill.  So I threw it up to him...it wasn't a pretty throw but I made it to the top of the hill.  Then another adult came down and the next time the ball came down the hill he threw the kid a nice spiral pass.  The kid yelled down, "Finally an ADULT to throw me the ball."  Was my throwing really that bad???

I made these yummy pretzels to bring to the party tonight.  We bring them every year and the kids LOVE them.  Maybe next year they will be able to help me make them too.  I highly recommend brushing them with a little butter and dipping in cinnamon and sugar...that's my favorite!!

Divine pink

The kids brought home coloring pages from their Bible School class today with the headline, "Who is God?"  I read it to Reese while she was coloring and she replied right away, "God is pink!"

Carter was playing last night and said, "You're a party pooper."  Reese chimed in, "Who's a potty pooper?"

Legos are not for pre-schoolers!

Legos are a nifty little invention.  I mean there are so many colors and shapes...so many possibilities.  Perhaps this is why they are practically irresistible to kids.  Now the larger duplo block version are fine for young ones...I can deal with those.  But if you wanna give yourself a migraine, just give them "real" Legos.    Derrick saved all of his old Legos, which is great because it will cost you an arm and a Lego (I mean leg) to buy even a small kit nowadays.

The concept is awesome...you can build a boat, a house, an airplane, a dump truck out of these little blocks for your kids to play with.  The problem is, when younger kids want to actually play with these creations, pieces break off.  When pieces break off, tears immediately follow.

There is no good way to store Legos.  Or maybe there is and I just don't know it yet.  Aside from putting all the pieces to make a specific object in a bag together, the standard method of storage is to throw them all in a big box together.  This is extremely easy when it comes to cleaning them up, but when you go to build that certain object again...good luck finding what you need.

My kids asked me to build them a house tonight. OK, a house I can do...it's a rectangle right?  Well, it still takes a heck of a long time to make a decent sized house out of those tiny little blocks.  And the problem with anything that takes more than 30 seconds is that my kids' typical way of passing the time when my attention is diverted is to start some kind of fight or wrestling match.  Yep, you are pretty much guaranteed to miss a couple of your kids' birthdays if you attempt to build any kind of intricate Lego creation.  (Maybe I could just glue a couple things together so they never fall apart...is that cheating??)

So if you have any enemies who have young children, my suggestion is, just buy the kids some Legos.  It can be an anonymous gift you just leave on their front doorstep.  Innocent...seemingly thoughtful....NOT!!!  Little do they know the torment that will result the minute those Legos come out of the box.  Little do they know their kids will be demanding they build them 100 different combinations of an airplane using 100 Lego pieces.  And if you really don't like this person (and are fabulously wealthy) you can buy one of the really big Lego kits with 1,000,000 pieces in it!  Wow, now that's akin to torture.  Just imagine how their living room floor will look, covered in those little tiny Legos.  And have you ever stepped on a Lego with bare feet.  Oh it just makes my toes curl thinking of it.

Legos...they aren't for kids!

"Waffs"

Big carrot picked from our garden

 Well, as always, our weekend went WAYYYY too fast.  I am sad to think in only a few hours it'll be back to the grind again...as if it weren't always "the grind" around here with the two crazy kiddos.  

We made great progress on the basement yesterday and I am now very excited to announce that it is a usable playroom!  The kids are so excited...the just want to play down there now!!  I'll post some pix once it's 100% done but it looks awesome and it will be so nice to banish all the toys from our Family Room down there once and for all.  (big sigh of relief)

So what else is new...let's see.  Reese is really into singing the nursery rhymes now.  Well, both kids are, but it's hilarious listening to her because she mixes them all together into one long song...something like this.






"Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
Humpty Dumpty fell off the wall,
He bumped his head and went to bed
and couldn't get up in the morning,
Do you know the muffin man, the muffin man, the muffin man,
ABCDEFG,
Life is but a dream."

She was doing this on the way into church this morning and Derrick and I were trying to hold back our laughs.  She stopped mid-sentence and said, "Why you waffing at me???"  Sorry Reese...just couldn't help it.

On the way home from church we asked the kids if they wanted to go hiking today.  When they both said yes, Derrick asked where they wanted to go and Reese yelled, "To the hiking place!!!"  Very good, Reese.  We did take them both hiking on a very strenuous trail (considering we were carrying them both in backpacks.  Part of the way back up a very long, steep hill, Carter said, "I'm really getting a good workout."  Had to laugh at that one...well, half laugh half gasping for air really.

DIY Friday

I've seen some cool ideas for DIY projects lately as I'm trying to catch up on the stack of magazines that have been building up in my basement all summer.  Wanted to share some of the best ones to hopefully inspire myself to make a few before I forget about them.

This DIY website has some great ideas.  I like the sandals she embellished if you scroll down the page a little.  Also loving this bracelet...I'm sure it's more involved than she describes to make, but I still may give it a try for something different.

Back to our Super Hero Craze...may make these capes for party favors too due to the easy-factor.  Now I just need to raid Derrick's closet for old t-shirts.  I mean...I better go buy some t-shirts so I can get started.  wink wink...

These fabric flowers looked fairly involved, but Oh So Cute.  May try to make a few to adorn some of Reese's plainer t-shirts.

These bathtub crayons were on my radar also...although I'm not sure where to buy the glycerin soap they mention.

For all the kids' artwork that piles up around the house and is hard to throw away, here is an awesome idea to repurpose some paintings!!

Now that our basement is ALMOST FINISHED (can you even believe that...so exciting!!!) I am thinking of ways to decorate.  I thought a cute pennant might brighten it up for the kids' play area and found this one and this one (Love this blog!!!) to start for ideas....

For some mealtime inspiration...some dishes I tried (with success) this week were:

Spinach Basil Pesto...great to add to leftover pasta or for a super easy meal.
Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs...finger-lickin' good!

Share your project ideas with me too...always love a good project!!!

Unplugged

I turned on the TV a little before noon to watch the weather.  The Doctors show was on and they were talking about the importance of relationships to your health.  They were emphasizing the importance of making "real" contact with people and not just using Facebook as your primary source of interaction.  I was thinking about this after I shut off the TV...wow has it really come to that point?  That doctors have to take time to tell us to walk away from the computer screen and schedule an outing with a friend so we can chat face to face...or pick up the phone and actually call someone you haven't spoken to in a while?  What does this mean for the future...for our kids' generation and beyond?  It makes me so sad to think relationships have come to this.  I saw an advertisement the other day for a smart phone with a Facebook button on it that lights up every time you take a picture...so you can share every picture you take on Facebook instantly.  I know that is cool and all but I think it's really easy to get caught up in all the technology and fail to really connect meaningfully with anyone.  In an attempt to reach out to as many "friends" as possible, we neglect opportunities to connect to the friends who mean the most to us.

I use Facebook and rely heavily on email for communication since my kids always seem to go berserk when I'm on the phone.  But I want to make a concerted effort and be more intentional about keeping up with people I care about...I want to set a good example for my kids.  Sometimes the best way to brighten someone's day (even your own) isn't done with the click of a button (unless it means turning off the phone or computer) but by walking across the street and knocking on a neighbor's door to say hello.

Seriously???

Seriously....has anyone else seen the commercials for Bimbo Bread lately? (you can YouTube it if you haven't)  It's troubling.  I mean REALLY could they not find a more ridiculous name for a bread company?  I understand it's probably someone's last name or something legitimate and I know it's pronounced "Beembo" (as is stated on the website).  But BIMBO...they even spell it out in the commercial B-I-M-B-O.  Yea, that's what I want my kids running around spelling.  It came on last night while we were watching a few minutes of TV and the room fell completely silent (which NEVER happens in my home).  They were absolutely mesmerized by the fluffy white bear dancing around the screen peddling this amazing bread.  Well, I can tell you one thing...there ain't gonna be no Bimbo Bread in my house!

Seriously...there are some things you just never imagine yourself saying.  Like today, "Carter, will you PLEASE just eat your hot dog.  If you will just eat your hot dog I'll give you a cookie too.  Maybe even 2 cookies!!!  Please just eat it?!"  OK I threw in the part about the cookies but I was actually thinking it...can you even believe that?   I mean, as if a hot dog wasn't bad enough...  Carter goes into full-blown meltdown when he's tired and hungry...which both occurred at the same time today when we were out for a couple hours and missed lunch.  At that point I will sacrifice all my convictions to put an end to the crying....almost...

Seriously...way back when, in the days of just 1 child when I still read parenting books, (ha!) I remember reading each month as Carter grew older how he was supposed to cry less and less and less.  I think they put this in there to make you feel better...to make you think there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  Well, let me just wipe that sorry little glimmer of hope off the table for you.  What they DON'T tell you is that the crying is merely replaced by something far more sinister.....WHINING!!!  Oh, if I had only known how incredibly difficult it is to listen to a whining child day in and day out.  Not only to they whine, but the way they whine is in this intelligible high-pitched voice...so you don't actually understand what they are saying or whining about...

Seriously...when does the "Why" stage end?  Wait, maybe this is like the baby crying thing and I don't want to really know or I will go to bed crying myself to sleep tonight.  I can now with amazing accuracy predict in my head almost exactly when I will hear the "Whys" coming.  And they are getting better and better...I find myself defaulting to "I don't know" so much now...and I feel bad about it...sort of...no not really.  Like today.

C: "Why do batteries go dead?"
S: "Well, batteries just don't last forever."
C: "But why don't batteries last forever?"
S: "Uhhhhh, well I don't know."

Or some other good ones:  "Why do we breath air?"  "Why do we need money?"  "Why am I growing and growing?"  "What do snakes, lions, alligators, hippos, pandas, giraffes, bears, flamingos, gnus...(you fill in the blank) eat?"

SERIOUSLY!!!!

The Urinator, The Barfomaniac, and Poopalicious

Yep, you read that right.  Today was a day for unpleasant bodily functions, and if you don't believe me, just ask Derrick, because he was my eye witness to the madness.  Carter woke up this morning just absolutely drenched.  We are desperately trying to get at least one of our kids completely out of diapers.  Reese is totally unwilling to oblige with any kind of potty usage at this point which is totally frustrating.  So we thought we'd try to keep Carter in underwear all night.  Well, it works about 80% of the time...there has to be strict limitation on night time fluid consumption....the slightest variance means certain doom.  Today was that day...we've done 2 or 3 loads of laundry for the last two days and I was really looking forward to a laundry-free day today.  But that didn't happen, no sir!

So I decided, this being the second day of truly depressing weather, I'd take the kids to the library.  When I announced we were leaving, it was all tears and screaming.  You'd think I'd told them I was taking them to get all their teeth pulled or something.  Just a minute down the road I thought I'd forgotten to throw in the bag with the books we needed to return.  I asked Carter, "Are the books back there on the floor."  And he replied, "Yes, they are right here on the floor."  Why do I believe a 3-year-old?  We got there and...no books!  Sigh...  But, we did make it there, that's something, right?  Both kids of course had meltdowns at the library which is always real fun.  Carter had another meltdown on the way home when we stopped to run into Sam's and I wouldn't let him take several of his library books into the store with him.

Once we were home the kids scattered their 30 new library books all over the floor.  I was trying to get them to eat lunch (unsuccessfully) when Carter announced...the cat just barfed all over the library books.  Yea...no joke. Derrick took one for the team on this one...it was a mess.  Thank goodness for laminated books.  I know...so not cool.

Reese meanwhile was hiding in a corner, as she now often does to do her business.  It is so frustrating.  Her training potty is now sitting in the middle of our family room to provide a little extra encouragement for her to use it.  I mean you can't walk through the room without practically tripping over it.  We ask her every 15 minutes if she needs to go.  Leave the room and 30 seconds later its, "I pooped...clean my butt.  Need a new dipey."  She has also nicknamed herself  "poopalicious."  I guess we've been reading too many Pinkalicious books.  Sick twist on a cute name...I know...I know.  We don't have a zoo membership anymore because we live in our own personal zoo.

Tonight Derrick was singing to the kids while they played outside in the rain.  Reese came in and said to me, "Sing, "Life is But."  I'm thinking, "Life is Butt?!?!"  what the heck kinda songs are they singing.  But it was "Row, row, row your Boat" she wanted...life is but a dream...get it?  Pretty cute.

Never a dull moment!

Super Hero craze...

 I made Carter a pair of the cute super hero arm cuffs (the ones I linked to the other day) last night.  He hasn't taken them off since (except to play in the water at the Science Center this morning!)  Yup he wore them to bed last night and had them on all day today.  I told him last night that he was Super Hero Carter since he had on his cape and the cuffs.  He said to me, "Mama, I'm not a real super hero.  I just look like one 'cause I'm wearing my cape."  Well, that set the record straight.  Thanks Carter...so cute!

He's also officially vetoed my Halloween costume idea.  I wanted them to be Thing 1 and Thing 2 and found all sorts of cute ideas for making the costumes.  But no...now he wants to be a super hero.  Fortunately, he's OK with being the home made variety rather than a certain specific hero.  So I need to either come up with a new costume idea for Reese or I guess I could fill in as Thing 2??? Probably not!!

 The cuffs did turn out really cute and he likes that I glued different colored buttons inside the flap that each have a different "super power."

We picked the largest sunflower from the garden yesterday and I had to get a picture with Reese to show how large it really is.  It is quite amazing!  We'll definitely be planting these again next year...the kids really enjoyed watching them grow and grow and grow...

Phases

I love the phases kids go through.  You think you know what they like and then BAM! like a thief in the night they are onto something new.  It's funny really...and rather amazing how they gravitate toward certain things at certain ages.  Carter's first phase was diggers and trucks.  Any truck-related item was a hit...big trucks, little trucks, garbage trucks, monster trucks, diggers, dump trucks....then he liked mostly Firetrucks.  He could never be surrounded by enough firetrucks and always carried at least one truck with him at all times.  He went through a short dinosaur phase, a Lightning McQueen/Cars phase, and a long Toy Story phase which has now apparently ended as he enters the Super Hero phase.  Reese's first phase was probably stuffed animals, then books, then it was her baby dolls.  She's still into dolls but now also into clothes, shoes and hair barrettes.   You don't try to get them into these phases...heck no, it's a pain in the neck when they suddenly decide all the toys you got them to accommodate one interest are not longer interesting!

So since Carter's newest phase is super heroes, it appears that will be the theme of his birthday party this year.   He has already changed the theme of his birthday party about 5 times...it was first Buzz Lightyear, then Batman, the Flash, Spiderman, Ironman....and now I think I've just convinced him we'll have a "Super Hero Party" and incorporate all the super heroes so he doesn't feel like anyone is left out.    I found this quick super hero cuff project and these masks I may use for party favors.  And who can't resist super hero lollipops!?!?! (I know, I know his birthday is in November...but I need to get crackin' on this stuff early!!)

Future Tennis Pro?

 After visiting with his cousins the other day, Carter has suddenly taken a real interest in tennis.  Can't say that I mind this one bit as tennis used to be my game of choice.  Hopefully once he's old enough to really play I'll still be able to find my racket under all the dust and cobwebs.

Every night this week, Carter's been asking to "play tennis" in the yard after dinner.  This involves Derrick pitching a variety of different balls at him and him swinging wildly at them.  He is actually pretty good too!

 Reese is content to watch his crazy antics from a distance...thank goodness.  That child doesn't need to go anywhere near a racket yet!

At bedtime tonight, Carter said to Derrick about 5 times "I love you a lot."  Which came out as, "I wuv you a wot."  Heartmelting...