Spooooky

It's a well-known and accepted fact among my family and close personal friends that I am a chicken sh*t. I abhore horror movies. I am pretty much as lame as you can get when it comes to "haunted" things - hayrides, houses, whatever. I bury my face in Mr. MOTH's arm and don't look up until we're out. Period. He teases me that I can't watch a movie unless it's by Disney and rated PG. He's right. However, I love all things fall and Halloween related as long as they don't fall under my definition of "scary" - which is pretty broad. I like mums and leaves; apple cider and hayrides; pumpkins and cornstalks. I DO NOT like skeletons, zombies, gargoyles, and (most especially) vampires. Like I said, I'm a chicken sh*t.

My idea of a perfectly acceptable Halloween decoration:
Because I am trying desperately not to make chicken sh*ts out of my kids, I have not tried to influence their choice of what an acceptable Halloween decoration is. However, I won't spend money on something if it's going to make me skeered. Therefore, Oldest Boy has been saving his chore money to buy what he considers an acceptable Halloween decoration: {SIGH} I surrender. I did draw the line at having it upstairs, though. Instead it lives on the downstairs hall closet and to make it more benign to me and to Youngest Boy (who, unfortunately, has inherited my temperament when it comes to these things) we named it Clifford B. Skeleton. Youngest Boy walks past and gingerly touches it and then reports back: Mommy!! It didn't move when I poked it! Whew!

Paranoia

Recently, Mr. MOTH suggested that I remove all pictures of the kids from the blog. I don't necessarily want to do it, but they are our kids, not my kids, so I most likely will. This will probably take me, oh I dunno, two years, because I have no idea how to go about doing that. Can I delete pictures from an old post without having to re-publish it?

What I really hate is that we live in a world where it's possible that some stranger might actually print pictures of our children out. For malicous intent. I am very careful about not using their names or our location, but I agree with Mr. MOTH that I don't want some dirty old man in Holland hanging Oldest Boy's back-to-school picture up on his wall and then, well, doing what dirty old men do...

A lot of this stems from the fact that we took a workshop called Protecting God's Children which is required if we want to volunteer in Oldest Boy's school. Frankly, even if you're not Catholic but you are a parent, you should take this workshop. The only problem I have with it is that it makes you suspicous of everyone (that, and the fact that we had to take it with a roomful of mostly elderly people who cringe when they hear the word "sex", let alone details about how someone purposely groomed a young child with the intent of sexually abusing them). I feel a lot more informed than I did before I took it and I know a little more about how to explain all of this to the kids. You really can't start too young when it comes to explaining that their body is just that. Theirs.

Part of me, though, wants to believe that it would not happen to us. I mean, there's a total of what, six people who read my blog? Most are family who don't live close or who we don't see often and I wanted to keep them updated on the kids, photos included. I'm torn. Obviously, if it's important to my husband, then it's important to me. He did say to at least consider it. He hasn't forced the issue yet, but I can tell he would like me to do it. Until I figure out where we go from here, I may not post for awhile. Any thoughts/comments would be greatly appreciated.

And now, our quote of the week:

Youngest Boy: Mommy, can I bring up the fence part that ya know, goes to the farm, that’s ya know, in the laundry room, that makes music that’s ya know, behind the laundry door? Can I?

Me: You want to bring the fence upstairs?

Youngest Boy: What fence?

Fashionista

I am NOT a brand-name kind of girl. This mostly comes from growing up in a, uh, less than wealthy home. We could never afford the latest, greatest back-to-school fashions, so I developed a rather thick skin when it came to criticism of my fashion sense. I just don’t care. I buy things that are A) Cheap and B) Make me look good. Preferably, the article will contain both components but I’ve been known to buy something JUST because it’s cheap, even though it’s not all-together flattering or JUST because it makes me look good, even if I have to pay a little more. The particular brand doesn’t interest me. One exception being my wedding dress, which I would have paid a lot more for, but again, it wasn’t about brand, it was about how it made me look and feel. That being said, I have NEVER, in all my years of purse-purchasing adventures (and they are adventures – just ask my good friend Mar), spent more than $30 – tops – on a purse. Ever. And truthfully, $30 is pushing it.

And yet –

And yet, I desperately want this carrier bag by RuthMichael, Inc. Oh, my, do I want it. So, Mr. MOTH, if you’re reading and looking for hints for Christmas, consider yourself hinted. Also, any wealthy benefactors looking to toss a bone my way, follow the link. Please, have at it. I am not proud. I do accept charity. And if not, I may just suck it up and get it for myself, because that's the kind of gal I am!

Newest Additions!

No, I'm not talking about our soon-to-be finished basement. We (I) got the boys goldfish! Youngest Boy had to have some bloodwork done, courtesy of the poop issues, and it wasn't pretty. I just feel so bad when they have to go through that. It's a form of torture! Because of this, and because Oldest Boy is having some anxiety issues with school, I decided to spoil them a bit. It cost me less than $20 and we have a tank with a light and filter (only a gallon), a shark accessory, aquarium rocks, water treatment, food, and two goldfish (28 cents each). The pet lady didn't want to sell me the fish. Seriously. She told me to go home and "set up our system" first and then come back in a few days once it's "established". Give me a break. They're 28 cent goldfish!! I explained to the boys that if they go "belly-up" it just means they want to go back to the ocean and we have to flush them (thank you, Nemo). And I also promised we would replace them, possibly with a better model (Oldest Boy wants a black fantail - naturally). They are still alive and kickin', though, so we may end up with another fishbowl for the upgraded fish. It did distract everyone from their woes for awhile, I think, so my evil plan is working. BWAHAHA!

Talk About Long Daze!

We put the kids to bed a bit early on Sunday evening because, in our house, a Steelers vs. Browns game is just not to be missed. The boys were just drifting off when BAM! the power goes out. I was thinking it would be back on in a few minutes, but I was wrong. Luckily, we have a lantern/radio that was fully stocked with fresh batteries and we could at least listen to the game (which is no longer the same without Myron). And we thought this was rough! Little did we know…

The wind was terrifying, really. I have never heard anything like it. I went to bed at halftime but really couldn’t sleep. I need a nightlight. I have a flameless candle (thank you, Aunt Jo and QVC), which saved the day, er, night. I stuck it in the hallway where it could shed some light in all three bedrooms. This would never have worked if it hadn’t been PITCH BLACK, though. All three kids slept fairly well Sunday night.

Monday, the power company changed their tune and told us we would have electric restored by midnight Tuesday. $#@*&!! That’s a long time to go without being able to shower, do laundry, do dishes, or vacuum – especially with three kids! Mr. MOTH stayed home from work Monday and Oldest Boy had a two-hour delay, so our routine was all fouled up, but we managed. We had a total of three trees down (see photos) and more debris than I’ve ever seen. There was no damage to our home, though, which is important. Youngest Boy wanted to know if we could rake the leaves into a pile so he could jump in them! I managed to make a pile that was approximately 3 ½ inches deep and this seemed to appease him. It was tough to get enough without having huge sticks/branches/logs sticking out!

Monday night was not so smooth. I had purchased a few LED touch lights, which the boys LOVED, so that appeased them and made night-night a bit easier. Baby Girl, however, was now in the throes of the Head Cold from Hell and she was MISERABLE! She screamed for over two hours! I was just about to head to the ER, when Mr. MOTH suggested a dose of Tylenol. I literally squirted it in her mouth and she passed out (presumably from exhaustion and not the effects of the drug). Stinker. But you gotta feel bad for her. It’s not easy being sick when things are “normal”, let alone when things are not! Plus, no electric means no humidifier. Poor thing.

Tuesday dawned and I realized a crucial mistake on my part. NO COFFEE!!!! The day before, I used the last coffee single in the house (the kind you brew like a tea bag – not exactly fresh ground, but at least it contained caffeine). We had to make an emergency stop at a truck stop on our way home from taking Oldest Boy to school so that I could get my fix. The cashier informed me that people were saying we might not have electric until the FOLLOWING Tuesday. HUH?!?! We called the power company when we got home and they said Friday evening! Double $#@*&!! We decided to pack up and head to my sister-in-law’s place, an hour and fifteen minutes from home. Thankfully, we’re blessed enough to have a place to go (with 2(!) extra bedrooms). Things went as expected there and Wednesday dawned with the belief that we would be spending another night there (at least). Mr. MOTH delivered Oldest Boy to school and returned to our house to check for electric – nope, not yet. He went to work. The younger kids and I picked Oldest Boy up from school and returned home to check for electric – nope, not yet. So, I packed up again and headed out. I had to stop for gas, so I drove out a different direction than I had driven in. I saw power company trucks! Cable company trucks! Bucket trucks! Oh my! I got gas and circled back around. Because I’m not exactly shy, I asked the flag person what the deal was. She couldn’t tell me for certain that we would have power that night. Now we had a dilemma. Do we drive an hour and fifteen minutes to a place that we KNOW has electric or do we risk it? We drove. And just as we were pulling into her plan, I called home…and got the machine. WOOHOO! POWER! BUT, we’re an hour and fifteen minutes away. We ate and high-tailed it back home. Mr. MOTH had gone straight there from work, so at least the lights were on and we knew nothing major was wrong.

The kids did not handle this situation well at all. Oldest Boy is a wreck. All of a sudden, he bawls when we drop him off at school. Every.single.time. I just keep praying that he’ll calm down once things get back to normal. The problem is our “normal” changes daily. We’ll work on it, I guess.

So, we spent approximately $12 in tolls, an extra $100 on groceries (because I couldn’t replace EVERYTHING in the freezer or we would be broke), probably $75 in gas, and $25 on extras – like ice for the coolers, batteries for the flashlights, and new LED lights for the boys’ room. It ain’t cheap, but we’re still better off than the folks in Texas. Count your blessings, right?

The 2 smaller trees. I think that one knocked the other over.

The largest tree. It's actually a split so only half of the tree is down.

A closer look at the biggest tree. BTW, it's still there. I think Mr. MOTH wants a bigger chain saw, so he claims he can't get it down with his. LOL!

This is a large branch that fell. Behind that you can see the shutter falling off of the neighbor's place. The wind was blowing directly at the front of their house.

Durn Hurricane!

No power = No blog. I'm updating quick from my dear Sister-in-law's where we're staying until we have power (MAYBE Friday!). The kids are dealing but confused. At least they can watch TV here!

The Mystery Is Solved!

The next time they tell me that they don't know who left the lights on, I'm going to have to believe them:

PTG

I had my first Parent Teacher Guild meeting last night at Oldest Boy's school. I wasn't exactly sure what to expect, but it was pretty uneventful. They did have a mini open-house before the meeting so I got to speak briefly with his teacher. She's a nice enough lady, although I think we were really spoiled by his preschool teacher. I do, however, really like the teacher's aide. She seems to actually know my son, which is important. The teacher says he's doing well but he still comes up to her once in awhile and buries his face in her hip and says he misses us. (BTW, this made me positive that she was actually talking about my son because he does this to me as well). She explained his "homework" (yes, I said homework) and made sure I understood how things work in general. Like I said, she's nice enough. I think she might just be overwhelmed. Doesn't 31 children in a class seem like a lot? I think they used to do the afternoon/morning Kindergarten thing but since they made it all-day they just shove the same amount of kids into one class. I think he's getting enough attention, though, so it's not a big deal.

And then there's the library situation. After his first trip there, I thought for sure this would be one of his favorite things. We've always read to the kids quite a bit so the prospect of bringing home a new book every week seemed great. Yeah. Not so much. Oldest Boy will not return his book. It's his favorite. He can't take it back. PLEASE, Mommy! So, for the third week in a row, we have an astronaut book that was published in 1985. I kid you not. They mention that "someday" there will be a space station. I can't convince him to try something new. He wants me to search for it and buy it so he can have his own copy. What am I supposed to do about that?!?! Where, exactly, does one find an ancient book about space? I'm off to search e-bay. Drop me a suggestion if you've got one...

**Update: I found it on e-bay. No kidding. This will be my virgin bid on e-bay. Wish me luck!

Do You Remember?

Of course you do. Everyone remembers where they were at the exact minute they heard about the horrific stories of 9/11. I’ll be able to tell not only my children, but their children, and God-willing, their children’s children because it’s so firmly etched into my mind that time will surely not take it away. My question is this: How do you explain to your children why it’s such a strong memory? How much do they need to know and when? I put a flag pin on Oldest Boy’s shirt today (and prayed the whole time that I wasn’t violating the dress code, although I would have done it anyhow). I was somewhat prepared for him to question me as to why he was wearing it but he didn’t seem to notice. I have my America t-shirt on and I’ll also wear a flag pin to my PTG meeting tonight (YIKES! PTG! When did I become a “parent” instead of a “mommy”?!?!). Patriotism sometimes seems to be a thing of the past – a thing that peaked in my lifetime 7 years ago today. May the Good Lord bless those families who suffered a loss. And may He also bless our country. We can surely use it.

If you feel the need to DO something, visit Burgh Baby. She’s donating the revenues from this month to the Flight 93 memorial. And today she’s featuring a ton of fantastic photos from the memorial site.

Timeline of Events - The Head Cold Olympics

Timeline of events:

Last night, for the first time in a long time, Mr. MOTH went to bed before me. This never happens, but he had to be up earlier than normal for work. I am usually up at 6AM (OK, 6:15) so that I can be showered and ready to go before the kids are all up. The plan was still for me to get up before him and I was to take Oldest Boy to school. Let’s just say things didn’t go as planned:

9:45PM – Mr. MOTH goes to bed
10:00PM – I check on Oldest Boy – who now has a bad head cold – and he’s semi-awake and having an incoherent conversation with me. Something about needing more. More what? Who knows?
10:10PM – Oldest Boy is asleep and I crawl into bed. For the first time in a long time, I have trouble falling asleep, but I manage.
11:00PM – Baby Girl wakes up. She’s also having an incoherent conversation but it’s not with me. She keeps saying, “Cup. Cup.” in her tiny Baby Girl voice. I can tell she’s going to be awake for awhile and I don’t want to make her scream and wake the boys, so I bring her into our bed. Mr. MOTH always suggests this, but last night he found out why I almost never do it.
11:03PM – Baby Girl kicks me in the shoulder.
11:07PM – Baby Girl rolls over and smacks me in the mouth
11:12PM – Baby Girl kicks anything and everything – including Mr. MOTH
11:20PM – “Cup. Cup.” – which, of course, is now out of water.
11:21PM – Cup is now filled after Mr. MOTH rolled over to hold her while I got out of bed to take care of it.
11:25PM – Oldest Boy wakes up coughing and needs his mommy. I go to take care of him and Baby Girl stays in our bed with Mr. MOTH and whimpers, “Money. Money. Money.” until I return 5 minutes later.
11:32PM – Mr. MOTH rolls over to see if Baby Girl is asleep and she sneezes in his face. I am giddy with sleep deprivation and I laugh my butt off. He is not as amused.
11:44PM – Baby Girl continues with the kicking, rolling, whimpering, etc. until 12:35AM when I take her to her crib. I lay on the floor with her until she’s fast asleep.
1:00AM – I creep, ninja-style, back to my bed. {SIGH} Sleep seems imminent.
1:10AM – Youngest Boy comes in and thinks he’s going to crawl in bed with us. I thwart his attempt and haul his tiny butt back to his bed. I hate Halloween decorations that scare my boy. “But Mommy, the skeleton came out of the cage!” I rub his back until he calms down and drifts off.
5:12AM – Oldest Boy is up coughing. Again. Cart him back to bed and try to calm him down.
5:30AM – I am back in my own bed. Asleep.
6:00AM – The alarm goes off and I consider wiring it with an explosive device and tossing it. Instead, I reset it and tell Mr. MOTH I am NOT getting up. He says, “I know.”
6:30AM – Mr. MOTH gets up. Bless his heart.
7:00AM – Mr. MOTH fires up the blender to make his protein drink, just like he does every morning. Wakes ALL 3 KIDS! My day has officially begun. And I haven’t showered yet. {SIGH}

The Fever Continues...

Baby Girl now has the fever. Not much time to post due to fever = clingy daughter. I also had to miss my MOPS (Mother's Of PreSchoolers) group's open house. I was undecided about whether or not I was going to go back. I had to quit last year because Oldest Boy's Preschool schedule just wouldn't allow for it. This year, I think I can do it. It's always nice to be around other women once in awhile. It's really rough on my kids because they're not used to being around strangers, but they end up benefiting in the end, I think.

I did manage to upload a few pictures of Baby Girl with her hair in a ponytail for the first time:Is she cute or what?

Cake Balls

My parents come to visit the kids every Sunday. I use this time (free babysitting!) to do one of two things: Nothing or Everything. When the kids have been sick or teething, I do nothing. If everyone is relatively healthy and I've gotten the prescribed amount of sleep, I do Everything. Yesterday, I did Everything.

I like to cook, so I usually try something a little bit more elaborate when my parents are here. It's just easier when there are a couple of extra pairs of hands and eyes to help keep the munchkins safe and out of my hair. Yesterday I made my now-famous lasagna, fresh-baked Italian bread from scratch (although I cheat and use the bread machine for the dough), and an absolutely wonderful little confection called Cake Balls. I know, who names something that tastes so wonderful something so goofy? I can't say the name without snickering. Yep, I'm sooo mature. Anyhow, these things are absolutely sinful. They are super easy to make, although they do take some time, but they may be my new favorite thing. You basically bake a cake-mix cake, mix the finished cake with a can of icing, roll them into balls and dip them in chocolate. YUUUUMMMMYYYYY! The number of combinations are infinite. Here's the recipe. You gotta try it. REALLY. And then let me know how they worked and what your favorite was. I used yellow cake, milk chocolate icing and chocolate coating. Mr. MOTH says they tasted like a Ho-Ho! Delish! I can't WAIT to try other flavors! I'm such a dork.

On another note, the fever that Oldest Boy had and that I was blaming on his getting his 6-year molars, was for real. Youngest Boy has it now and I'm just waiting for a report from our playdate pal that her son has it, too. It's surely just a matter of time before Baby Girl gets it. Oldest Boy now has the sniffles, which concerns me because Youngest Boy was diagnosed with asthma last year (technically, the specialist calls it "virally-induced lower respiratory disease", which just means he only has asthma when he's got a cold). I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he does not need breathing treatments and steroids because he hates it. With all of the pooping issues we've got going on right now, I don't think it would be fair to have to put him through breathing treatments every four hours as well. Here's hoping (and praying).

Totally Unspectacular! That's ME!

Fishsticks and Fireflies tagged me for a meme a couple of days ago, and I wanted to oblige. Basically, you have to list 6 unspectacular things about yourself. If only. Frankly, I could write a novel about my unspectacular quirks, but I’ll keep it to 6 for the sake of the game…

1. I can type 100+ words a minute. This is really freakishly fast, but it did manage to earn me some money while I was in college (and it helped out my friends a time or two as well, because they would literally dictate to me while I was typing, thus saving them the grief of having to actually write the paper – that’s how fast I type. As fast as most people can make stuff up.)

2. I am an infomercial junkie. This is sad but true. I don’t (usually) buy the stuff I see, but it’s the first thing I turn on in the morning. I really like those ones for exercise equipment (like this - which I want - and this – which we have) and I’m also contemplating a photo printer like this. I don’t know what it is. I mean, sure, I watch QVC, but I rarely buy anything (sorry Dustin). I just have to watch and see what’s NEW! IMPROVED! BONUS! YOU TOO CAN LOOK LIKE THIS! BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE!

3. I am an absolutely awful homemaker by nature. I had to be completely taught how to take care of our home. Thank the good Lord for Flylady! My poor husband had to work AND take care of the housework until I found her. I honestly don’t know why he stuck around. I guess love really is blind.

4. I love sleep. I mean really, really love it. I need something like 8 hours or more a night and if I don’t get it, it’s not a pretty picture. This most likely explains my caffeine addiction. Also, I can fall asleep in just under 5 seconds. Thanks, Dad!

5. I have no interest in genealogy. My husband did a huge family history for his family and it was really fascinating. There was not a lot that was known about his grandfather, so finding out anything was pretty cool. And the fact that our last name wouldn’t be what it is if they hadn’t changed it from something that sounds totally Polish. But my family history? It’s pretty much been shoved in my face from day 1. Mr. MOTH didn’t really know his grandparents all that well. Half of mine are STILL alive and I wouldn’t be the person I am today without all of them. I grew up not only having my aunts and uncles involved in my every day life, but also having all of my GREAT aunts and uncles there. It was nuts! And fantastic.

6. I used to watch Oprah religiously. Used to. Then she started all of this Eckhart Tolle A New Earth crap and I gave up. I know she claims to be a Christian, but anyone who can tout an author who calls Jesus Christ a “religious teacher” instead of oh, I dunno, the SON OF GOD will just never convince me that they’re a Christian. I find it hypocritical. If I could just watch one frickin’ episode without having this awakening crap shoved down my throat, I probably would. But really. And then to be told that if I don’t “get it”, I’m just not ready. Puh-lease. They need to get over themselves. They are NOT God’s gift to the world. (See above mentioned Jesus Christ).

OK. I guess that about covers it. There are oh so many more, but we’ll stop there. I think I need to tag a couple of others, so here we go. And remember, you don't have to do it. I won't be offended in the least. Beanski, Burgh Baby, and Jennifer. Have at it. I love to hear about the mommy sometimes instead of the kiddos!

Absent

Oldest Boy is home from school today. He had a fever of 102 last night and, although he's not acting very ill this morning, I decided to keep him home just in case. When I picked him up yesterday I could tell he had been crying and from what I could get out of him he didn't feel well and he wanted me. Poor little guy. And he's so sweet! When I went to hug him while he was resting on the couch he said, "NO! I don't want to give you my cold!" I held him anyway.

I know all of the pros and cons of staying home vs. working (and using daycare). I don't judge one way or the other, whatever you choose. But if you're looking for another reason to consider daycare? Kids who are in daycare get sick more often. This may seem like a bad thing...until they hit school-age. I knew it was coming, but seriously. We didn't even make it past the second week! I guess we'll just work on building up the immunity of the younger two...

*Note: If you're curious about the poo situation, I missed my, uh, golden opportunity last night and now I have to wait for him to produce more. And then I have to figure out how to take 3 children to the hospital lab to have it tested. In under an hour. Or I have to store it IN MY FRIDGE. Damn.

When the Poopin' Gets Tough...

Youngest Boy got to go to the doctor this morning for his appointment with the gastroenterologist (from now on, Dr. Maria). Mostly, she doesn't seem too concerned but, as expected, there will be some testing. I came home with a "hat" for the potty, several vials to fill, a prescription for the lab work and several pairs of non-latex gloves. {SIGH} This is the fun part about having kids...

I have been through this stool sampling process before with Oldest Boy (a nightmare that had nothing to do with the sampling process and everything to do with the %$#@ technician who was rude and completely incompetent and managed to have him BEND HIS ARM ON THE NEEDLE DURING THE BLOODDRAW AND BLAMED ME FOR IT!!!). Needless to say, I'm not looking forward to it. It's not exactly that I have a complete aversion to poo, but this is going to take more than one attempt. I mean, the boy has the squirts. I have to be fast. And patient. And sneaky. The kid is a stealth pooper. Half of the time, I don't even know he's in there unless, by some miracle, I hear the door close. Or he feels like announcing it in his little voice, "I have to go POOP!" This is a challenge, but I'm equally as sneaky.

When Oldest Boy was going through his testing, I took some pictures of him in various spots around the yard. Youngest Boy just happened to see these photos on Saturday and asked why I didn't have any of him up in the tree or in front of "the weeds". So, here you go. A comparison, if you will:

Oldest Boy in the tree at age 2 1/2.

Youngest Boy in the tree at age 3 1/2

Oldest Boy again, appropriately wearing a Poop Happens shirt.

Youngest Boy again.

And finally, my favorite photo (maybe ever) of Youngest Boy behind our enormous (6 feet tall!) oak.

Why We Do It

I’m relatively new to the blogging world. But, as a newcomer, I’ve made a few observations. There seem to be three reasons why people blog: To be newsy – about themselves or their families; To be entertaining – as in repressed writers or mommy-types who would like to BE writers or used to be writers or are writers; and to blog. Let’s start with reason number 1:

To be newsy – these blogs are some of the best, both on the entertaining level and in such that they give you someone to identify with. New mommy? You can find a blog about that. Recently divorced? You can find a blog about that. Are you a sleep deprived ninja daddy? There's a blog about that. Had part of your brain removed because it was too big? Yep, you can even find a blog about that, too. Exercise. Politics. Religion. Sports. You name it, there’s a blog about it. This is mostly where my blog falls. I got hooked into the blogging world by a distant relative (my husband’s nephew’s wife, or my sister-in-law’s daughter-in-law, however you want to say it) and her blog is mostly newsy and entertaining. And she takes fantabulous photos (although her favorite subject is adorable and it would be hard to take a bad picture of her), so she’s probably going to end up costing me money (I wanna do that. Whine. Whine.). But my format is just a little more, uh, blunt. Also, I currently have more kids so I have a little more (OK, a lot more) craziness to write about. (She’s catching up, though:)). Seriously, if you’re reading this and you just recently gave birth to identical triplets, there’s a blog about that…

To be entertaining – This is a tough one, I’ve discovered, because not everyone has the same idea of what “entertaining” is. I generally like to either laugh or cry. I like the stronger emotions. I don’t really enjoy things that make me think too much, because, frankly, my brain just can’t take it right now. Maybe someday. Hopefully soon. But right now it’s full of things like, “Does my boy need a special diet to help his poo?” And, “How much coffee is really too much?” There’s no room for that existential stuff. But I still read it. It entertains on a superficial level (and on another level as well, if you have time to think).

To blog – This one irritates the hell out of me. If you’re writing a blog and you have nothing to write about, don’t bother. Blogging about blogging is just, well, stupid (*gasp* - Mommy, you said a bad word!). But it is. Stupid, I mean. Who wants to hear about how long it took you to blog? Or the other blogging methods or conferences or whatever. Stop the madness! If you’re going to entertain me, then go right ahead and blog. If you’ve got a unique situation, type away. But if you’re going to tell me how long you’ve been “blogging” or what “blogging” is like, keep it to yourself. Sheesh.

This was all just a way to make known that I’ve added links to my (many) favorite blogs. Some that will entertain, some that will inform, but none about blogging. Click away!

Toddler-ease

Baby Girl's language skills have all but exploded! She pretty much repeats everything you say (good and bad). Last week, the boys were arguing over who got to go first (it doesn't really matter what), and they were both screaching, "ME! ME!!" while patting their chests. Baby Girl wanted in on the action and she mimicked them exactly saying, "ME! ME!" while patting her chest! Too funny! As an added bonus, the boys were so astonished by this that they quit arguing to laugh!

She finally says Mommy (pronounced money, but still) and occasionally I'm still Daddy (or at least Daddy-money). She says olive (all-luv), sleeping (seepin'), gentle (shentle), chocolate(shokit), please (pee), sorry (sore-dee dad dee), and pasta (paw staw). She pronounces everything else pretty acurately. One thing I've always done is to make sure I don't repeat things incorrectly back to the kids. In my opinion, that's why a lot of kids talk "baby talk" for so long. All of our children speak very clearly for their age. Then again, maybe I'm just lucky.

She even has a few sentences:
"I FAST!" - spoken while booking down the hallway at top speed
"You kay, daddy?" - asked after hearing him swear - see previous post
"Where daddy? He seepin'? He work? Where go?" - asked whenever she doesn't see him for more than 2.5 seconds after waking up.

She can count to 20 (although after 13, they all sound exactly the same until 20 and after 20 she says, "Ready not here come!") and she seems to know the ABC song, although it's not exactly clear.

And she sings. A lot. And she also tells me NOT to sing (I know, I know, but aren't your kids supposed to enjoy your singing even if you can't carry a tune?).

All in all, she's a typical toddler. I am so relieved after worrying for all of those months that I was going to have to make Mr. MOTH build a wheelchair ramp up the front porch because I thought she was NEVER going to walk...Worry really is pointless. Most things are just out of our control.