Snow DAY

Finally, the kid's prayers were answered. We got our first DUSTING of snow this morning. The boys were on a 2 hour delay from school but I let them stay home all day to enjoy the snow while it lasted.  They had tons of fun. BUT, isn't putting snow gear on kids one of the worst experiences you can live through?   It is so painful getting all five fingers in the right finger tunnels in a pair of gloves.  Pulling on and off snow boots should be an Olympic event.  Plus they become totally helpless when they are all bundled up and inevitably as soon as they are finally ready to venture into the great outdoors, then they have to pee.  Sorry to be so negative but I am still really cold and my snow pants were so tight that I popped a button while bending over to zip a coat. The snap popped off with such force that when it hit the wall I took cover because it sounded like we were being shot at. I am still recovering from the adrenaline rush or the humiliation, not sure which. I should probably just be thankful all my children still have their eyesight.

Balloons!

I feel like I am always trying to simplify my life without any success. Every once in while I am given a nudge to keep trying because it will not only make things simpler but more joyous. Today it was more of a hard shove then a nudge.  I had been thinking about the boy's four day weekend coming up and how I was going to fill every waking moment with activities and outings.

 Then the mailman arrived and we received a package from my mom, AKA Granny. Isn't getting a package so exciting?  Granny told me she was sending it, but she also said that there was nothing too exciting in it.  She couldn't have been more wrong because amidst a lot of cool things, like next year's winter coat for Harley, there were 10 balloons.  My kids had more fun with those 10 balloons than they had on Christmas morning among hundreds of dollars worth of toys.  They played together without fighting.  They used their imagination. First, we played Hot Potato Bomb. Then we rubbed the balloons in our hair until they were so full of static electricity that they could defy gravity.  Harley made me tie three of her balloons together. She said it was a butterfly and that she was the butterfly princess.  The boys drew faces and spaceships on their balloons and then competed to see who could launch their balloon the farthest.  I had so much fun playing with them and remembering that kids don't need a lot to be happy. I think I also realized that maybe adults don't either.

I have to mention that in the package were these super cozy slippers.

And the coolest gloves EVER!!! They are called Plixio and they are only like $3 on Amazon. They look and feel just like normal gloves, but you can text with them.  I love them. Thanks Mom! We love you.

Inaugural Splash

No, we did not fight the crowds to attend yesterday's inauguration.  Instead we went to the pool which was much more fun. Plus there were only about 200 people there instead of 800,000.  Harley was especially excited to show off her brand new swimsuit (TARGET $12).

Favorite Winter Treat

You have to try this stuff STARBUCKS SALTED CARAMEL HOT CHOCOLATE!

You can buy it at Starbucks or now you can buy instant packets at the grocery story.  It is so delicious. Your life may never be the same, just don't forget to top it off with whipped cream.  

When the Tooth Fairy is a Loser!

Ever notice how kids never lose a tooth in the morning when you have all day to think about it and make change.  No, kids inevitably lose their teeth at bedtime when you are exhausted and the only money in the house is hiding in your sofa cushions.  Nash lost his tooth last night and I had every intention of finding that hidden change and carrying it upstairs with me to carefully place under his pillow but I fell asleep on the couch. When I finally went up the stairs in a fog I was no longer thinking about the tooth fairy just my comfy bed.  This morning when he came down carrying his little baggie with the tiny tooth inside I felt terrible. I had to think fast.  "Maybe you just couldn't find it Nash." I said. He replied with, "Even if there is something under my pillow, it doesn't explain why she didn't even take my tooth."  Good point, I thought.  "You stay here and eat this yummy doughnut, while I go look around your bed."  I had to think fast. I couldn't go back downstairs and look for change and even if I did it really wouldn't explain why the tooth wasn't gone. I remembered that he had been asking for two things lately, a Jawa from Star Wars and their transport vehicle, the Sandcrawler. I was formulating a plan, maybe Amazon could save the day. I grabbed a piece of paper and wrote him a quick poem from that failing fairy:

To my dearest Nash

I didn't leave you any cash.

I also left for you your tooth

Which for a fairy is quite uncouth.

What I want you very much to know

Is that I ordered something for you though

The Sandcrawler it is not,

But a Jawa is what you got!

Don't cry or shoot the moon

For it will be here very soon.

Nash if you ever come back and read this blog in 20 years or so, I hope you read this entry and realize how very much your mother loved you and would do anything to make you happy even perpetuate crazy lies about a fairy that orders you toys on Amazon.

Flour Power

Tonight Atley went to his very first friend sleepover.  He was so excited and we weren't sure whether we should celebrate or cry.  We decided to make it a special night for Nash, who is the proverbial middle child. He wanted to play games at home, he is also a home body, and eat his favorite food-homemade fries and hot dogs.  When dinner was done we played a game that I remembered playing as a kid.  You make a mound of flour and place an M&M or something on top. Each person takes turns cutting away the flour with a butter knife. Whoever makes the candy fall has to eat it out of the flour without using his or her hands. WARNING:  It is a little messy!

A Tale of Two Kitties

I promise not to become the crazy cat lady who blogs about her pet, but please forgive me for doing it just this once. It has been several months since we brought home the kitty that hid in a vent for two days before  making her presence known.  She has truly become a part of our family.  Proof in point, Atley needed a family picture for some school project he is working on.  Before school I handed him the picture to put in his backpack.  "This won't work!" he said totally agitated with me.  My reply, "Why? It's a great picture."  He said, "Well, maybe but Lucy is not in it."  Exasperated I said, "Well, Atley we don't have time to take a family picture with our cat this morning."  He burst into tears screaming about how cruel I was and how I didn't love our cat. DRAMA KING!! (By the way I have caught both him and Nash crying during those Sara McLaughlin commercials) Fine, I'll compromise.We snapped a quick picture of the cat and printed it off before rushing out the door.  All I could think about was how I hope this cat is immortal because when it dies my children will be inconsolable and probably in counseling for a decade. But, for a cat she is pretty darn lovable.

  Here a few reasons why we are so attached:

1. She is fat. Fat cats make everyone happy.

2. She is lazy. Lazy is awesome.

3. When Scott snores at night, which he does always. She jumps on our bed and puts her paw over his mouth. I love this because on particularly exhausting nights I have fantasized about putting a pillow over his face, especially when he wakes up the next morning complaining that he hardly slept at all the previous night. Really, because I was there next to you.  Were you just making those noises for fun?

I love you honey and I promise I will never actually murder you.

4. She drinks out of the toilet. So, we don't even have to give her water.

5.  She can turn on the faucet in the bathroom just in case the toilet water isn't too her liking.  

6. She greets us every morning with a meow/purr that actually sounds like "Hello!" in Dutch.

7. She has seen me naked and didn't laugh or turn away in disgust.

8. Nash keeps his drawer open for her to sleep in at night. She loves it there. Granted Nash's shirts have to be de-furred before school every morning, but who doesn't like a kid that comes to class smelling like a feline.

Boys & Girls

Today as I was painting Harley's finger nails I was thinking about how grateful I am to have a little girl.  When I was pregnant with her I told my mom that I didn't really care if she was a girl or a boy and I meant it. I knew it was my last baby and I knew how to deal with boys.  I think I was actually a little afraid of having a girl.  The hair, the accessories, the hormones but I couldn't have been more wrong.  Look at the way she blows on her nails to get them dry.  She is a joy and nothing could be more fun than watching the way her daddy loves her. While a bit of a tom boy she is still fundamentally different than her brothers.  She came to this earth that way.  Just as the boys came to earth, for lack of a better word, boyish.  

At lunchtime I was standing in line at McDonald's ordering her a Happy Meal.  She insisted on the Star Wars toy, so I indicated to the cashier that I wanted a boy toy for her.  The woman behind me made a comment that she was annoyed that McDonald's created gender specific toys-why not just let our kids be who they are going to be.  She went into a tirade about how society pushes girls and boys in specific directions and she found that unacceptable. Miraculously, I kept my mouth shut even though I couldn't disagree with her more.  I feel like society is doing the exact opposite.  Instead of celebrating womanhood and manhood we are degrading it.  Women are considered weak, lazy and codependent if they don't do everything-raise a family, work full time, change the oil, fix the toilet and all of the other stuff that was once considered the man's responsibility. While, men are being dumbed down on television and are portrayed as being of little to know value to women or children other than their DNA contribution at conception.  Look, I am all for equal rights but come on! It is okay that men and women are different. We have different strengths, different abilities that are inherent to our nature.  That has never been more apparent than watching my boys and girl grow up.  The differences between males and females make life easier for both genders. For example, Friday we took Harley to the doctor. I knew she had an ear infection.  While, I was waiting for her prescription to be filled Scott went to Home Depot to get graphite powder for Atley's Pine Wood Derby car. I mentioned to him how glad I was that we were different. He would have never taken Harley to the doctor, probably wouldn't even notice the way she tugged on her ear and I would have never successfully or happily completed a Pine Wood Derby Car. Could we both learn to fill the role the other plays in our family? Of course, but together we do it much better.  My point is, I am glad I have both genders. I am thankful for their differences and while I believe there is value in a boy learning to cook and a girl learning to change a tire I hope they never feel that one task or one gender is more important than the other.

Swimming, Scouting, & Sickness

Sorry, I have been missing lately. Our life seems to be one long string of sickness. We have spent a lot of time lounging around doing this.

 So, when we finally do feel good we try to make the most of it.  First, the boys have started swimming each week.  I love to swim in the dreary winter months. I get to sit on the bleachers at a warm pool and pretend that it is summer outside.  Harley has had an ear infection so she hasn't started swimming, but she loves watching her bros. Actually, who am I kidding. Harley is not swimming because Harley swimming means mom has to don a bathing suit and what with my winter layer of fat, I am going to hold off on that. 

The most exciting thing in our life over the past week was Atley's first Pine Wood Derby. How am I old enough to have a little cub scout?  He and his dad worked really hard on his car, Blue Lighting.

Race day was pretty intense. He won some, he lost some and was overall very happy with his car's performance.

 Blue Lightning in lane 2!

I am a sucker for a man in uniform.

What Did You Do Today?

When I pick up the boys at the bus stop, Atley, without fail, asks "What did you do today mom?"  When Scott gets home from work we ask each other, "What did you do today?"  Most days I don't have too many interesting things to say and sometimes when I go to bed at night thoroughly exhausted and spent, I ask myself, "What did you do today Melisa?"  Sometimes it can get a little discouraging.  The to-do lists are long and there is almost always one or two things that did not get finished or even started.  Plus, you ever notice that lurking around every negative thought is that supermom with the PhD who has the perfect kids, the perfectly clean house, with the supermodel body that doesn't require sleep. Yeah, there she is smiling her recently whitened toothy smile making you feel like a total failure. I hate that girl. But, never mind her this is about me. This year my only resolution is to be more positive about my contribution and the first way I am going to do that is not worry about what I do not accomplish or what other people accomplish, but count all the things that I do.  So, tonight I am not going to stress about the e-mail I forgot to send Nash's teacher, or how dirty the walls on either side of the basement stairs are, or even that closet where the cat food spilled. I am going to think about how I cleaned three toilets, made 3 meals for 5 people and a batch of cookies, washed 3 loads of laundry and even put 2 of those loads away.  I helped Atley with his homework and watched Nash write his birthday thank you cards while supervising Harley's latest masterpiece. I talked to my mom on the phone and even had time to play memory with the boys. No it isn't anything fantastic but I think we would all be a little happier if we looked at what we actually achieved in the course of a day rather than what we didn't.

Christmas Day 2012

It is over and now I am ready for summer. No need to stay cold and gray.  Christmas is over let's just move on. No need for the kids to go back to school in a few days. Oh, how I wish.  Instead we have at least 3 probably 4 months of yucky weather and homework tears. Okay, sorry I am being  a Debbie Downer.  Christmas was very quiet this year. Our Christmas Dinner with friends had to be canceled because we were all so sick. We did manage to meet to swap food so that we each at least had a complete meal.  We stayed in our pajamas all day and worked on LEGO sets and a 3D puzzle Atley received, skyped with my family, watched It's a Wonderful Life and tried to rest.  Thank goodness Harley, who almost always manages to be the only healthy one at our house, won't remember how lame we were. The kids-wait let me rephrase that- Atley woke up at 5:45 and then woke up everyone else.  Santa brought the boys Legos and books. Harley got a balance bike and a bouncy puppy from Santa. Other gifts included a hot wheels track, Baby Alive who ate and pooped all afternoon, dress up shoes, video games, playdough, a Doodle Bear and of course every kids favorite clothes.

 

 

Christmas Eve 2012

We spent most of Christmas Eve driving home from New York City and feeling deathly ill. Unfortunately, for Scott and I this will be the Christmas we remember as being the sickest we have ever felt.  The kids were sick too but seemed to handle it better than us.  We are all still feeling pretty horrible three days later and since the doctor says it is JUST the flu, we have no choice but to tough it out.  

Christmas Eve the kids got to open one present-their pajamas, a game, and a Christmas book.  We mustered enough energy to read the book, play one round of the game and snap a few pictures before collapsing into our beds heavily medicated.