Now Recording

I'm going to make a recording of all the things I need to say to my children each day. I have begun to feel like a broken record.

Put your glasses on.
Where are your glasses?
Stop looking over your patch.
**These three phrases are heard at least 42 dozen times a day in our house.
Get out your pump.
Check your sugar.
Did you dose yourself?
It's 27 carbs....
**These phrases are also said multiple times a day...more than the glasses phrases I would venture to guess!

Some others...
Don't hit your brother.
Get your hands out of there.
Don't touch that.
Stop flipping over the furniture.
Quit jumping on the bed.
Put your sheets and pillowcases back on the bed.
Turn off the TV.
Stop whistling.
Stop yelling.
No you can't have a THIRD Popsicle.
Brush your teeth...with toothpaste...and water...and a toothbrush.
Wash your hands...did you wash your hands...your hands are disgusting.
Stop walking along the top of the couch.
Put that back.
No, you can't go to grandmas and play Wii.
No, we are NEVER buying a Wii...or any video game system for what it's worth.
You can't only eat peanut butter sandwiches...you need other food to live.
No more junk.
Ouch...pick this up...the ouch is from where I've stepped on various Legos, Hot Wheel cars, etc.

Just a few of the things that I say on a daily basis. Makes you wonder why kids think I'm mean...I sure have to tell them no a whole lot!

Interviewing my boys

I interviewed my three boys...there answers are labeled. Funny boys, barely made it through all the questions!

1. What is something mom always says to you?
S - No and sometimes yes.
M - I love you
O - Don't take off your glasses.

2. What makes mom happy?
S - When our room is clean
M - When I listen to you
) - When you tell me I can play trains


3. What makes mom sad?
S - When our room is dirty
M - When we don't clean our room
O - Don't clean up

4. How does your mom make you laugh
S - When we fall on the ground.
M - When we say "cowabunga"...insert fart noise.
O - When I smile.

5. What was your mom like as a child?
S - Clumsy and lovable
M - you played with daddy?!?!
O - Mrs. Fart Pants

6. How old is your mom?
S - 31
M - 31
O - 60 ...I'm four and Roy is four too.

7. How tall is your mom?
S - 28 feet
M - 30 feet tall
O - 60 30 30
**clearly we need to work on heights

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
S - Mowing the lawn
M - Go to the store
O - Fart - so the four year old has farting on the brain.

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
S - Have fun, don't miss us and laugh
M - Miss us...and I miss you!
O - Laugh

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
S - Lawn mowing service
M - Have a lot of money
O - Lawn mowing or swimming

11. What is your mom really good at?
S - Lawn mowing
M - Taking pictures
O -

12. What is your mom not very good at?
S - loving us....sometimes you only tell us "I love you", every few hours.
M - I don't know....
O - Punching.

13. What does your mom do for her job?
S - Take pictures
M - Take Pictures
O - Help daddy

14. What's your mom's favorite food?
S - He refused to answer...his 8 year old attitude kicked in on this question.
M - Hamburgers
O - Eating and drinking...any food. He's so right!


15. What makes you proud of your mom?
S - I don't know.
M - That you might take us to the dollar store
O - Burping...again with the bodily functions

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
S - Jerry - from Tom and Jerry
M - Princess Peach from Mario
O - Catwoman

17. What do you and your mom do together?
S - Lawn mowing
M - Play UNO
O - hold hands and see shooting stars...we do hold hands...the shooting star thing hasn't happened that I recall. It sounds nice though.

18. How are you and your mom the same?
S - We both have feet
M - because when you got to the store I go to the store.
O - He named a bunch of video game characters that we could all play


19. How are you and your mom different?
S - We aren't the same size
M - When you take pictures, we don't go.
O - Swimming...I don't swim in the big pool.

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
S - because you give us hugs and kisses and say you love us.
M - all the time you say you love me.
O - because she gives me cereal

21. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
S - to the store
M - to take pictures.
O - to the Children's Hospital

Things a 4 year old MIGHT....

I have three boys...that means I'm on my third, four year old, male. You'd think one would have the hang of it by now...not so much. O, he's a unique kid. Totally different than his older brothers. He reminds me a lot of myself. He's really laid back and kind of goes with the flow. He isn't picky about food - If I eat it, he will too. The child has no fear. None. He's a monkey.

He has recently acquired a skill. A funny one. A painful one for me though. He has learned, with one jump, to land on my shoulders. It's really funny at first...by the 57th time he's done it, it's painful.

The child is unable to sit still ever. He jumps on the furniture...all the time. He climbs over everything. He jumps and spins and flips constantly. I think he may need to join gymnastics.

I have seen the child actually hanging from the handle of the Walmart cart...upside down. I turned to grab something off the cart and found him hanging upside down from the handle by his legs. Yep...that's my kid.

Just this week, we had our first incident with the EMS...ever. I left the gas can out in the driveway. O decided it would be a good idea to use the hose to fill the gas can with water....this resulted in a SCREAMING four year old, a panicked mother and a house that stunk like gas for 24 hours.

To make a long story short, he is fine. His eyes suffered no damage. My heart didn't fare as well!

Last night, he announced to his daddy...."You shouldn't put Tinker Toys in your pants". Good advice.

He's recently started telling us...I missed you! This phrase of course melts our heart!
This child is on the go. I'm going to have to tie him up.

Camping Do's and Donts

Do cover yourself in MICHIGAN tattoos before you leave. It is imperative that you make your uncle who is a huge STATE fan, angry...at least according to my sons who covered themselves in U of M tats. I drew the line at tats on the forehead.
Do pack bug spray.

Don't bother to spray yourself with it because the mutant mosquito's we have this year are immune to it...even the kind with enough DEET to kill an elephant.

Do take the camper with the air conditioning...

Don't let your kids leave the door open all the time.

Do scream incessantly to "SHUT THE DOOR" to the kids while your camping...

Do feel like your parents for repeating the above a dozen and a half times an hour.

Don't let you four year old take himself to the bathroom in your RV...he will use a full roll of regular toilet paper...and that's bad. My nephew experienced this first hand.

Do let your kids go four wheeling with their uncles, daddy and cousins.

Don't be surprised when they come back covered in mud.

Don't be shocked when you have to wash your hair three times before the smell of the camp fire comes out of it.

Do enjoy sitting by a roaring fire with family and friends at night.

Don't leave a half eaten cake in a box on the picnic table...unless you purposely want the raccoons to eat it.

Do let your kids stay up WAY to late eating junk, drinking pop and playing with their cousins.

Don't be surprised when they still wake up early.

Do let your children have a Pepsi and a Popsicle for breakfast.

Don't deny it when they tell other people that you allowed this to take place.

Don't assume your feet will EVER be clean while your camping.

Don't wash egg leftovers down the sink.

Do take a shower in a campground shower...just so you can experience the smell/feel of well water.

Do take your portable DVD player.

Don't pay attention to people who say.."that's really roughing it".

Do pack several extra changes of clothes...not just for you children but for yourself.

Do not be surprised when you get home when you four year old still wants Pepsi and Popsicles for breakfast.

Do not assume when you see what appears to be a lovely campground pool, that it's actually a "lovely" pool. Do be shocked when you step on the ground of the pool and find it's uneven and clearly put over an area of cement that has been uneven, broken, cement.

Do sign up for the "speel", that gives you 14 free days of camping.

Do not be shocked when the 45 minute talk goes for 2.5 hours.

Do NOT buy the package....it's a scam.

Do enjoy yourself and your family.

Eight is enough

Eight. That's old enough. My oldest blessing is eight. The child I begged God for. We prayed and tried and prayed and tried some more! Finally, our little miracle was on his way. I often think back to the DAYS, yes, DAYS of S's labor. Induction was certainly NOT the way to go with him. After all was said and done our, not to little, blessing was born and after a few small issues was in our arms and healthy!
The time has flown by. I blinked and he was walking, I blinked again and he was starting school. I blinked once more and eight years have gone by! I think I'm done blinking for fear that the next time I do he'll be moving out and getting married!
S is such a sensitive boy. There are times when I desperately want to foster this trait in him and times when I want to yell, "SUCK IT UP" or "SPARE ME THE DRAMA SON...Your NOT a girl". I refrain from yelling either of those things...barely.
He is also a passionate boy. Everything is said with passion and drive. He does little half heartedly. He is always incredibly animated. His stories are full of hand motions and facial expressions.
He has developed a love for all things sports. He often will turn off cartoons to watch a game or monster trucks. HE love history and learning about new things. He's been seen watching the history channel or shows about how engines are made.
He is such a bright boy. He reads far above his grade level and does very well in school. He has lots of friends and is a sweet boy to others...except his brothers. All bets are off with them!
S continues to struggle with anxiety. I hate that for him. He tends to obsess about things...weather, money, people...anything. He has to know the plan for each day and wants to know how it will all play out. He needs details. LOTS OF DETAILS.
He's lost four baby teeth and HATES when they fall out. His grown up teeth are typically right behind the ones that fall out. We've not yet had that big toothless grin! I especially love his front tooth...his adult tooth that I affectionately refer to his "Chiclet tooth". It's far too big for his mouth and doesn't match any of his other teeth. It tends too look like he's stuck a piece of "Chiclet gum" right in front!
S has a tender heart and a love for the Lord. He professed Christ last summer...he's actually done this a few times. He's asked a few times about baptism, but we would like to wait until he can also explain it to us a bit more. We continue to pray that he will follow Him and become a man of God.
S is a cuddler. He's always up for a hug. He doesn't think he's too big to sit on my lap or hold my hand. I love that about him. I'm thankful that he's yet to seem embarresed by me!
S LOVES music. He sings along with almost any song he knows...and even a few he doesn't know all the words too! He doesn't know it yet, but his wish for an electric guitar is about to come true...thanks to his grandma!
I am so thankful for this little man. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't thank the Lord for His answered prayer.

Strange Kroger Shopping Lady

While picking up some more overpriced food for our new healthy lifestyle, I heard a voice say: "Do you really?". An audible voice. Not one in my head. A real live voice.
I continue to look at my peanuts, checking carbs (for Max's diabetes), protein and calorie count for Matt and I, and am just about to place them in the cart when I here: "Do you really?", even louder.
I look up to see a woman standing next to me and looking right at me. I politely asked her, "Are you talking to me?" and the following conversation takes place:

Lady: "Yes, I'm talking to you. Do you really"?
**I look at her, at my jar of peanuts, back at her and dumbfoundedly answer:
"Do I really what....need these peanuts....yeah I kind of do."
Lady: "No, love your husband" "Do you really love your husband"?
WHAT?!?! I look down to realize I'm wearing my shirt that says I LOVE MY HUSBAND across the front.
I quickly answered that yes, I do in fact love my husband very much and that he's a great guy. She looked at me, turned and walked towards the wine aisle saying nothing else.
Alrighty then strange Kroger shopping lady.

It's Summer

I know because:
*My bathtub is regularly coated in dirt and sand now.
*I have counted swimming and playing in the hose as a "shower" on more than one occasion.
*Their is always a grass trail from the backdoor to the refrigerator and the bathroom.
*I have found wet underwear on my porch on more than one occasion...I've actually had to ask "Whose underwear are these and who isn't wearing any?", more than once.
*My children have had freeze pops before 10am more than once.
*I've found cups in the fort of the swing set"
*We are ALL covered in more mosquito bites than we have skin.
*I regularly brush dirt and sand off my kids sheets.
*Our boys now ask why they have to go to bed when it's still light out.
*I hear "CAN WE PLAY IN THE WATER", before my eyes even open in the morning.
*There is constantly a pile of wet swimsuits in my bathtub and no towels in my closet.
*My children have gone outside in their jammies to play.
*We have had to search more than once for shoes in the yard.
*I've had many instances of shrieking children because bees are chasing them...yes, I have boys...don't ask.