How Much Longer?

I absolutely will not make this blog political in anyway. It's about my family and keeping those we love updated on our lives. However, when is the daggone election going to be OVER? It really is an historic event, and if you don't already have plans to vote in it, make them. It's more than a right, it's a priviledge. One that should not be taken lightly but should be done with all of the confidence you can glean from making an informed decision. Try to make your decision based on your conscience, and I doubt you'll go wrong. There are plenty of informative websites out there that truly just state the facts (which is really more than either candidate seems to be doing at this point). Read them. Do the research. Pray about it. And then vote. It really shouldn't be a choice, it should be required.

And I just want to say this: If you are voting for someone simply because they are black, that is just as bad as NOT voting for them because they are black. And if you are voting for someone simply because they are a woman, that is just as bad as NOT voting for them because they are a woman. I'd like to believe that our country is better than that. Unfortunately, it's not. Here's hoping that I don't have to move to Canada on November 5th.

Pumpkin Carving 2008

Let me start by saying that if this post tends to ramble a bit, you'll have to forgive me. Baby Girl was awake from 1 AM until 4:30 AM. Yes, that's right, three and a half hours. {SIGH}

Last night was pumpkin carving night in our household. The boys (mostly Oldest Boy) have been begging Mr. MOTH to carve the pumpkins since we bought them last Wednesday. Oldest Boy drew his design out that night and has been carrying it around and showing it to anyone old enough to use a knife, just in case.

My job is to clean the pumpkins, inside and out, and Mr. MOTH does the actual carving. It's not that I can't do it, it's just that I'm a tad accident prone and we both know that putting a sharp knife in my hands is not in the best interest of anyone. Fake blood is OK on Halloween. MY blood, not so much.

The boys don't really remember doing this before. For some reason, last year we never carved the pumpkins, so this was going to be a new experience for them. I carefully cut the top open and pulled the "lid" off and they both peered inside. And froze. I don't think it was exactly what they were expecting. I stuck my hand in to pull the yuck out and Oldest Boy said, "*gasp* And you're not a bit afraid!" Score! I finally impressed them with my bravery! Needless to say, they weren't much help in the cleaning out of the pumpkins...

They turned out well, if I do say so myself:

And, because you'd be hard-pressed to identify them in their get-ups even if you know them, a photo of Darth Vader and Jango Fett (Tinkerbell is a little harder to disguise - plus she hates her costume - so you'll have to wait on that one):

Terrible Twos!

You know, I actually forgot how much fun it is to have an (almost) two year old! What with all the whining and screaming and tantrums (and that's just me), it's been INSANE! Honestly, I have a much easier time dealing with the contradictions that are a two-year-old when compared with the constant power struggle that exists with a three-year-old. But sometimes...

I forgot what it's like to have someone stand next to you in the morning while you're trying to prepare breakfast for 5 people and say, "Mommy, hold you! Mommy, Hold You! MOMMY!!! HOLD YOU!!!!" Then, you pick her up and she says, "NO!" and wants down. Then you give her breakfast...NO! Then you change her diaper (luckily, I've gotten pretty good at changing a wet one while the child is standing - something I'm quite proud of, thankyouverymuch) while she screams, "STOP! STOP!" like you're sawing off her leg with a dull knife. I forgot about the drama - when you take away a no-no and she throw herself on the ground with her little head in her hands and sobs, "oh, no."

I also forgot some of the fun. She can say three-syllable words - like strawberry and dinosaur and umbrella. And the cute way she says some words just a little bit wrong (my favorite right now - pooky - for spooky). She can parrot back book after book, although she can't seem to grasp the different colors yet.

And then there are the two-year-old girl things that I've never experienced before. Like pigtails. And tights. And Tinkerbell costumes.

You know, this mommy thing really is all it's cracked up to be. If I could just find a good set of earplugs...

One Proud Mama

On Wednesday, Oldest Boy got in the space shuttle after school and said, "Jacob is going to bring me a dollar tomorrow!" Now, Jacob is his best friend. They've been buds since the beginning and it's too cute. They write notes back and forth and make each other little gifts. But, the dollar thing bothered me, so I asked why. "Because we both want a Smencil. And they each cost $1, so he's going to bring me $1. Wrong. I explained that if he wanted something that costs money, he should simply let me know and we would either say yes or no. You should NOT ask your best bud for funds. And? If you're wondering what a Smencil is, it's a "gourmet-scented pencil".

So Thursday morning I sent him to school with $2. His instructions were: If Jacob brings you a dollar, then you can each get two Smencils. If Jacob brings only $1 for himself, he can get his own and you can get one for yourself and maybe buy one for someone else who doesn't have one. If Jacob brings no money, you should buy yourself one and buy Jacob one.

This seemed like a lot for my little 5-year-old to process, so we went over it a couple of times. He came home with (drum roll please): ONE Smencil. YEAH! He bought himself one and he bought one for his best bud. I couldn't be more proud! He did the right thing without me standing there making him do it!!! Maybe I'm not a complete failure at this mommy thing after all! And in case you're wondering, they both got chocolate flavor which smells like chocolate-flavored poo. Not worth $1, but it's for a good cause. I wasn't going to complain. I am raising a sweet, sweet boy.

Road Rage!

Five days a week I drive exactly 25 miles each way to pick Oldest Boy up from school. 20 of those miles are on an interstate. Through all of this recent highway driving, I've noticed that some (most) people don't know proper driving etiquette. Here, some rules by The Mommy:

Rule #1: Lane change. If you are going to switch from one lane to another, please use your turn signal. If you're unfamiliar with the concept, as most are, it's simple to find. Look at your steering wheel. To the left of the steering wheel, there's a little stick-like protrusion. Push it UP if you're moving right. Push it DOWN if you're moving left. And FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY if it stays on, TURN IT OFF!!

Rule #2: Speed maintenance. This is directly related to Rule #1. If you pass me and then pull directly in front of me (of course, without signalling), and then SLOW DOWN, do not be surprised when I return the favor. And if any poor soul should ever do this while Mr. MOTH is driving, beware! He usually attempts to run the offending driver off of the road.

Rule #3: Merging. When a vehicle is attempting to merge onto the highway, please move over into the other lane if you are able. This is just common courtesy. You simply check the lane next to you, signal, and MOVE. Simple, no? Then why in the heck can't people figure this out?!?!

Rule #4: Yield. A yield sign? Is NOT a stop sign!! If there is no traffic, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO STOP!!! sheesh. (By the way, Dad, those last two were for you *wink*)

Rule #5: Diabled vehicle etiquette. If your vehicle should become disabled while on the highway, please pull to the side of the road. Simply putting on your hazard lights is not enough. AND, if your vehicle happens to be an RV, do not (and this is important) pull over, set up the little awning on the side, open up your lawn chairs and pop the top on a cold one. This causes an undue amount of rubber-necking, presumably by people who want a good look at what a redneck looks like. I don't know why, as most people in this neck of the woods need only to look in the mirror to see one!

Rule #6: Tunnels. While I do not experience this particular phenomenon on my trip every day, I've seen it often enough to mention it here. A tunnel does not require that you SLAM ON YOUR BRAKES! There is no boogeyman waiting inside. It's not really even dark in there. There's nothing to be afraid of. MAINTAIN SPEED!

And now a special note to the state Department of Transportation: Why, pray tell, is it necessary to have traffic merge approximately 2 tenths of a mile before an exit, my exit? So I have to merge and then immediately exit. This makes no sense! Common sense, people! USE IT!

That's all I've got for now, but since I'll be making this drive frequently, I have a feeling I'll be adding to it.

MOPS

I went back to my MOPS (Mothers Of PreSchoolers) group yesterday. HOLY COW! This group has approximately TRIPLED in size since I left. I was unable to attend last year because of a scheduling conflict with Oldest Boy's preschool. For the same reason, I won't be able to attend next year, either, but I felt it was important for Baby Girl to experience the same pain and anxiety that I put her brothers through, so off we went!

Unlike my very first meeting, where I felt like I was sending Oldest Boy off to military school, when, in fact, I was merely leaving him with a group of capable grandmotherly-type women, yesterday I had no qualms about leaving both Youngest Boy and Baby Girl while I went off to drink coffee and make a craft with grown-ups! It is like good wine for the soul. It relaxes and changes your perscpective like nothing else can. That's not to say it's perfect, but it is good!

When there's something that I would like to do or volunteer for that might be tricky with 2-3 kids in tow, Mr. MOTH is famous for telling me, "Dear, you have 3 small children. You can't do it all!" This cracks me up when it has something to do with MOPS, because every.single.woman.there has at least 1 small child (some as many as 5!). This is where I got my mantra of "Other people can do it, so can I!" Seeing other women actually doing it makes it all the more realistic! Our speaker yesterday happened to be one of the founding moms of this particular group and I got that full-circle feeling. The cycle will continue, long after I'm done with the preschool years.

Both kids were pretty well-behaved. Youngest Boy stayed in his "class" the whole time and Baby Girl made it over an hour before they had to come and get me. That's something of a record for my kids, so I'm not complaining! Hopefully we'll have a repeat performance in two weeks at our next meeting...

Love

Today Mr. MOTH and I have been married for 7 years. In that seven years, we have gotten married, built a house together, and had three spectacular children. We have fought, laughed, dreamed, made-up, worshiped and cried together. We've watched his mother's mental health decline to a place where I could no longer take care of her, and then made one of the hardest decisions we've had to face as a couple - moving her out of our home.

Our relationship waxes and wanes as I think all married couples' do. Sometimes we need each other desperately and sometimes it's as if we really don't think we need each other at all. But we do. Our lives are intricately intertwined through love and commitment - both to each other and to our young family. We cannot fail because that would mean failing them, something neither of us could live with.

On this day, I simply want to thank him - my husband - for never failing me. I love you.