So, the boys (ages 9,9,8) are sitting in the backseat of the minivan (of course, what did you think I drove?) punching and poking and pulling at each other on the short ride to soccer practice.
One of them says: "Come on guys, Mom said no more punching each other in the nuts!"
And another says: "I know but why can't we punch each other in the nuts?"
Someone else says: "Yeah, mom, what's in there that can get hurt?"
And I say after realizing this could go in many different directions depending on how I handle it: "Stuff," I handily come up with, glancing in the rearview mirror to see how this will be taken.
"But what kinda stuff. What are they for," comes a voice from the back.
"Stuff for when you grow up and want to have kids," I throw out there and take a right turn toward the school.
"WE HAVE KIDS IN THERE!" Boo exclaims.
This is no kidding funny stuff for the blog, I think immediately.
"No, you don't have kids in there."
"But what is it then?" he queries.
Stick to the facts reporter, I tell myself.
"It's liquid guys, ok. Let's just move on now."
To which the Bean, always good for a grand statement, holds up a finger in the air and declares : "I know that's the reason why the human body is 98 percent liquid water."
Post Script: The funniest thing to me is that this similar conversation happened to my friend Jill and her three boys back in Michigan a few years ago. But those boys reasoned that two nuts meant two kids. She had to laugh wondering if they thought a friend of ours with five kids at the time, had a whole bunch of them!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Summer Musings
What I learned on my summer vacation...
It is not wise to eat a FiberOne Oat & Chocolate Bar before spending the day at the beach.
I like the silly, freakish cartoon called Chowder on the Cartoon Network. Something about it cracks me up. Try it, you'll like it. Either that or I'm mad from too much summertime tv.
Spray-on sunscreen is awesome, however, between four kids it lasts one trip to the pool. Back to the old slather-it-on-while-the-kids-squirm-and-whine-"that's-enough-mom"
til-they-look-like-a-wet-ghost stuff.
Wet beach towels create lots of laundry. (see previous blog on laundry situation.)
And the phrases "Stop annoying me," "Mom, I'm bored," and "Do I have to..." never go out of style.
It is not wise to eat a FiberOne Oat & Chocolate Bar before spending the day at the beach.
I like the silly, freakish cartoon called Chowder on the Cartoon Network. Something about it cracks me up. Try it, you'll like it. Either that or I'm mad from too much summertime tv.
Spray-on sunscreen is awesome, however, between four kids it lasts one trip to the pool. Back to the old slather-it-on-while-the-kids-squirm-and-whine-"that's-enough-mom"
til-they-look-like-a-wet-ghost stuff.
Wet beach towels create lots of laundry. (see previous blog on laundry situation.)
And the phrases "Stop annoying me," "Mom, I'm bored," and "Do I have to..." never go out of style.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Feeling a Little Shaggy Lately
Those of you with kids will understand when I say the end of the school year has me running around like a dog chasing its tail. All the end of the year parties are approaching, sports are frenetically wrapping up and I spend more time shuttling kids to and fro many appointments.
But I guess I didn't realize how discombobulated I'd become until one night, last week I took the dogs medicine.
Yes, you heard right. Took it. Took it out of the bottle, got distracted on my way to shove it into her mouth and do that stroke the neck until it goes down thing. Took and got myself a glass of water, popped it in my mouth and swallowed. At which point, my eyes must have bugged out of my head in surprise, like those cartoon people.
"Omigod," I said to The Man who is sitting at the computer working. "I just swallowed the dog's medicine."
He turned around in resignation of my stupidity. "I have no words," was all he could say.
Of course, I started laughing/crying with the true understanding that I must have really lost my mind this time. And I get online to ask the all-knowledgeable Google what I should do.
Do you know that when I typed in "I accidentally swallowed my dog's medicine" there were actually three other people who had done so? Okay, it's not a large group but I am proud to be part of such a rarity.
We determined that I should be fine, afterall it was only a small amount of thyroid medicine - perhaps I could use a dose - and if turned into the shaggy dog by the next morning we would know we were wrong.
On the medical information on bottle it says "Keep away from small children."
I'm pretty sure it should have the disclaimer : "And from run-ragged crazy moms!"
But I guess I didn't realize how discombobulated I'd become until one night, last week I took the dogs medicine.
Yes, you heard right. Took it. Took it out of the bottle, got distracted on my way to shove it into her mouth and do that stroke the neck until it goes down thing. Took and got myself a glass of water, popped it in my mouth and swallowed. At which point, my eyes must have bugged out of my head in surprise, like those cartoon people.
"Omigod," I said to The Man who is sitting at the computer working. "I just swallowed the dog's medicine."
He turned around in resignation of my stupidity. "I have no words," was all he could say.
Of course, I started laughing/crying with the true understanding that I must have really lost my mind this time. And I get online to ask the all-knowledgeable Google what I should do.
Do you know that when I typed in "I accidentally swallowed my dog's medicine" there were actually three other people who had done so? Okay, it's not a large group but I am proud to be part of such a rarity.
We determined that I should be fine, afterall it was only a small amount of thyroid medicine - perhaps I could use a dose - and if turned into the shaggy dog by the next morning we would know we were wrong.
On the medical information on bottle it says "Keep away from small children."
I'm pretty sure it should have the disclaimer : "And from run-ragged crazy moms!"
Everybody's a Critic
So the Moos (age 5) walks into my room the other day and stops to look at a small painting of the Arizona Landscape. It was the mediocre result of an afternoon course in Scottsdale I took last year.
"Hmmmm," she says, her head slightly cocked. "Did you paint that?"
"Yep," I reply.
"Yeah, that's what I thought," she explains. "It doesn't look like a professional painting."
"Hmmmm," she says, her head slightly cocked. "Did you paint that?"
"Yep," I reply.
"Yeah, that's what I thought," she explains. "It doesn't look like a professional painting."
Friday, May 16, 2008
My genes fit!
Well, those "jeans" too but just barely since I ate half a bag of those awesome Archway Molasses cookies with the frosting on top. But I digress...
I've found that the Bean and his twin love to write just like me! Of course, I'm impressed because I'm the parent. But I think you would be, too. Below is a poem the Bean , age 9, wrote after a poet visited his class for awhile. He was given a rock, I think his was quartz, and told to write about it. His teacher entered it into a national poetry contest. This kid is finding his niche!
An Icy World
When I look real hard,
a world forms and I see blizzards,
with their never-ending cries
When I look real hard,
A world forms and I see houses of crystal,
with their cold-eyed people
When I look real hard,
a world forms and I see people,
working happily at crystal farms
When I look real hard,
a world forms and I see a sun
spreading crystal heat on the people
When I look real hard,
a world forms and I see crystal waterfalls
with crystal fish who live there
And I am there,
crystal fishing,
having a happy time.
I've found that the Bean and his twin love to write just like me! Of course, I'm impressed because I'm the parent. But I think you would be, too. Below is a poem the Bean , age 9, wrote after a poet visited his class for awhile. He was given a rock, I think his was quartz, and told to write about it. His teacher entered it into a national poetry contest. This kid is finding his niche!
An Icy World
When I look real hard,
a world forms and I see blizzards,
with their never-ending cries
When I look real hard,
A world forms and I see houses of crystal,
with their cold-eyed people
When I look real hard,
a world forms and I see people,
working happily at crystal farms
When I look real hard,
a world forms and I see a sun
spreading crystal heat on the people
When I look real hard,
a world forms and I see crystal waterfalls
with crystal fish who live there
And I am there,
crystal fishing,
having a happy time.
Not airing my dirty laundry
Alrighty, haven't been back to the laundromat since.... I know many of you are not surprised in the least.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Airing my dirty laundry
So, I did it.
The mountain of laundry rising from my laundry room floor became so daunting this week I piled it in the car and went to the Laundromat.
Actually, I’ve thought of it here and there. In fact, one of my friends with lots of kids said it was quite an efficient way to get it all done. And now that I’ve got soccer uniforms and dirt stained clothes from outside play to add to the mix it made sense.
What sealed the deal was an article my husband gave me. It was really a piece about work-life and how to challenge yourself to meet goals by thinking of how one challenge can check off many boxes.
Those who know me might already have discovered I have the ability to take on many tasks at once without really accomplishing any of them on a given day. Thus my problem with laundry. I start a load in the morning. Head downstairs, notice the dishwasher needs unloading. Start that, then the dog needs outside. Coming back in I see the kids have a school form to fill out, go to look for a pen, nearly trip over the open dishwasher, finish unloading, kick it closed, hear dog barking, let her back in, feel the need to check email head to the computer… and so on and so on you get the idea. I totally forget about the laundry until I go upstairs later that night to put the kids to bed.
Taking stock is part of the program this aforementioned article addressed and after really looking at my inability to focus on the task at hand (incidentally, this is what made me a great journalist- the ability to jump from task to task and finish by a deadline) I realized I had to change my enviroment. And if I went to the Laundromat, I could sit and focus on something else – my writing. Thank goodness for laptops!
So after mustering the courage to try this plan (another point of the article is trying something with the understanding it might not work) I headed to the strip mall laundry in the next town.
As I drag the first load in the door I gracefully say “So, um, how does this all work now? Haven’t been to one since college,” to the attendant at the front of the place. Luckily there’s no one else in there to witness my panache, as I start loading up the 50 pounder followed by the 40 pounder of whites and the 30 pounder next to it. Seriously, more than 100 pounds of laundry? On a Tuesday? And I still have a load in the washer and dryer at home.
But here’s the really cool thing. It’s been less than an hour and I’ve watched all my hundred pounds of laundry whirl around in soapy water, then whir dry and now I’ve finished a blog post. Now all I have to do it fold it, load it back in and put it away. How’s that for efficient!
Well, it would be except that it's now five days later that I actually find the time again to post this blog and if you look upstairs.... a nicely folded basket of laundry is still sitting in the hall waiting patiently to be put away. C'est la vie!
The mountain of laundry rising from my laundry room floor became so daunting this week I piled it in the car and went to the Laundromat.
Actually, I’ve thought of it here and there. In fact, one of my friends with lots of kids said it was quite an efficient way to get it all done. And now that I’ve got soccer uniforms and dirt stained clothes from outside play to add to the mix it made sense.
What sealed the deal was an article my husband gave me. It was really a piece about work-life and how to challenge yourself to meet goals by thinking of how one challenge can check off many boxes.
Those who know me might already have discovered I have the ability to take on many tasks at once without really accomplishing any of them on a given day. Thus my problem with laundry. I start a load in the morning. Head downstairs, notice the dishwasher needs unloading. Start that, then the dog needs outside. Coming back in I see the kids have a school form to fill out, go to look for a pen, nearly trip over the open dishwasher, finish unloading, kick it closed, hear dog barking, let her back in, feel the need to check email head to the computer… and so on and so on you get the idea. I totally forget about the laundry until I go upstairs later that night to put the kids to bed.
Taking stock is part of the program this aforementioned article addressed and after really looking at my inability to focus on the task at hand (incidentally, this is what made me a great journalist- the ability to jump from task to task and finish by a deadline) I realized I had to change my enviroment. And if I went to the Laundromat, I could sit and focus on something else – my writing. Thank goodness for laptops!
So after mustering the courage to try this plan (another point of the article is trying something with the understanding it might not work) I headed to the strip mall laundry in the next town.
As I drag the first load in the door I gracefully say “So, um, how does this all work now? Haven’t been to one since college,” to the attendant at the front of the place. Luckily there’s no one else in there to witness my panache, as I start loading up the 50 pounder followed by the 40 pounder of whites and the 30 pounder next to it. Seriously, more than 100 pounds of laundry? On a Tuesday? And I still have a load in the washer and dryer at home.
But here’s the really cool thing. It’s been less than an hour and I’ve watched all my hundred pounds of laundry whirl around in soapy water, then whir dry and now I’ve finished a blog post. Now all I have to do it fold it, load it back in and put it away. How’s that for efficient!
Well, it would be except that it's now five days later that I actually find the time again to post this blog and if you look upstairs.... a nicely folded basket of laundry is still sitting in the hall waiting patiently to be put away. C'est la vie!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
