Wednesday, May 16, 2012

The pioneers did without it, so can we!

We have a van. It has all kinds of fun things that the little white car didn't have. But we have had the van for about a year, so you would THINK that the newness and excitement of all these things would have worn off by now. NOT SO.

Our van has automatic passenger doors. They are a favorite "toy" of the children. I can't stand it. If you will recall, not too long ago, the boy got hurt by the car door. Though that was through no fault of his own.


Well, yesterday, they were at it again. We were leaving to go to the dance studio. The boy got in the car and pushed the button before the girl could get in and said,"Hurry!", hoping she would jump in real fast before it closed. She did not get in. Then I had to run in to the house to grab one more thing. When I came out the boy was crying and out of the car, while the girl was getting her seat belt on inside the car. When asked what happened I was told that the door shut and the handle hit him in the head. He had a little bump.

That was it! I had had enough. I flipped the switch so that they could not use the automatic doors any more. I told them that until they could show me that they could listen and not use the doors as toys they would have to open and close they doors by hand.

Now I tell you all of this so that I can tell you the REAL {2 second} story I wanted to tell in the fist place..........
Today we had to run some errands after gymnastics.
When we got to our destination, and were getting out of the car, the girl says, "Mom, I almost forgot and pushed the button. But then I remembered and used my hands instead!"
"Oh good!", was my reply.
Then she continued, "Now I know how the pioneers must have felt!"

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Cartoons

I remember when I was a kid I LOVED cartoons. And I felt like we never got them. My mom just didn't get them. It wasn't in the budget probably. But it felt like a HUGE treat if we ever got them.
Well, my little boy also LOVES cartoons. And every time we go to the store he asks if we can get some. Occasionally I say yes. Because I remember how it was.
ps- it took me a while to figure out what the boy was even asking for :)

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Exhausting

Yesterday was another busy Saturday. It was full of fun and friends. The kids had a big day.
At the end of the day, as the children were (supposed to be) getting into bed, the husband and I were talking.
The boy came into the room and said, "I heard what you just said."
"You did?" I asked.
"Yep. You said me and {sister} are EXHAUSTING."
It's true.
But what I said was, they were exhaustED.
Big difference.
But probly not to a 5 year old.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Singular, Plural

When the boys got home from the fathers and sons camp out the boy was telling me all about the fun things they did. He was so excited to tell me that he got to eat a twik. They each got a twik. And it was so yummy! I didn't quite understand what he was talking about, so I looked at the husband for clarification. The husband said that they each ate a twix.
OHHHH.


Singular: Twik          Plural: Twix

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Glad

Today, I am SO glad that tomorrow I am going to the Chiropractor.



(And also, I like the quote I just put at the top of my side bar. It's the epitome of what I am trying to accomplish with this blog....find something good in every day. No matter how cruddy the day was.)

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Oh boy {or} a small triumph

I saw an epic battle coming on.
They always do, when little people are tired.
And so I was prepared. I hoped.
The girl had asked if they could watch "a special Sunday movie".
She wanted to watch Little House on the Prairie.
The boy did not.
And so he flipped.
I gave him some choices of what he could do.
But he MAY NOT go into the other room and yell at his sister to watch another movie.
Which he immediately did.
Which caused the mother to go tell him he may take a nap.
Which he did not want to do.
And we battled it out for a bit.
Which resulted in him falling asleep after not too long.
And I was able to sit down and breathe a sigh of relief.
Because through the whole thing I remained calm.
I did not raise my voice once.
I did not loose my cool.
I did not give in to his tantrum.
I simply loved him.
And it worked.
At least for me.
I'm not sure how he felt about it though.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Because I'm brilliant

Seriously. I am THE most brilliant parent ever.
The girl, in bed, yells out for me.
Exasperated by it being the MILLIONTH time tonight, I simply told her to go to bed.
I did not see what she needed.
After about 15 minutes, I have a change of heart and go to her room to see what she needs.
Only to WAKE HER UP!
OOPS!
And what did she need?
To tell me that she couldn't get to sleep.
Only a brilliant parent {like me} could be that successful.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

NOT the same

Hansel and Gretel

Handsom
Griddle









   
      and













It's just not the same thing. No matter how hard you try!
My children watched Hoodwinked Too last night. I have not watched it, but I understand that Hansel and Gretel are in it. And they become giant children. And at one point in the movie they say some thing to the effect of.......
G: You're Hansel
H: And you're Gretel
H&G: And we're evil, and something that rhymes with evil.

However, when my children were saying it today, it went more like this..........
The Girl: You're Handsom
The Boy: And you're Griddle
Both: And we're evil, and something the rhymes with evil.

It's just not the same.
But I had a good laugh listening to it.
(the girl even had the accent going!)

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Happy or Sad?

This may sound a bit sad to you, because I have been a bit down the last few days {let's call it hormones, OK?}, but it really is the happiest thing I can think of for today........
We made it through another week to another paycheck without starving or getting kicked out of our house.
That is good news.

** disclaimer for this post: money is usually tight, but we are never afraid we are going to starve, and we weren't planning on getting kicked out of our house at the moment. I am just down, so I am trying to remind myself that there is always something to be thankful for.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

My cute bike revisited

I just had to share another picture of my cute bike. I got her a cute basket and made a cute liner to go in it. It turned out pretty good I think. The children and I went for a long bike ride the other night and I got to utilize the basket. It worked wonderfully. And, of course, the girl's bike got a flat tire....again. We simply CAN NOT go on a bike ride without someone coming home with a flat. It's so exasperating! But the handy husband always fixes them for us, and that's happy. What an amazing guy.

Monday, April 9, 2012

Misspelled





The children are SO into Harry Potter right now. Almost all of our conversations at the dinner table revolve around this subject lately. They love to tell the husband and me all about the things they are learning from this magical series. 
Today's revelation? 
Hagrid was misspelled from Hogwarts. 
Just thought you might like to know as well.

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Easter Memories

We enjoyed our 2nd annual Easter Brunch today. We had a yummy breakfast and then proceeded to the green belt for an easter egg hunt and some games. The children LOVE it. And it's always fun to watch them enjoy themselves so much.









Tuesday, April 3, 2012

My fave

For about the last 6 hours the TV has been on. I don't usually watch so much tv. But, this evening while making dinner, the husband took the children to the park, so I turned on the TV. And I turned to TCM. And what to my wondering eyes should appear- DORIS DAY movies. OK- so YES I own most of them, and YES I've seen most of them. But she happens to be my favorite. So I have to watch them again. And again. And again.

So while making dinner, and after dinner, and after scriptures, and after getting the children into bed, the tv has been tuned into Doris Day. Apparently she is the star of the month on TCM. I think that's what I heard. The children watched some of one of the movies with me. They loved it too. YAY! They make me so proud.

And I have accomplished so much while watching the movies I love so much. But it is now after midnight, and I should be going to bed. But another one just started. OH MAN! Its so hard to turn it off.....even if I've seen it so many times already.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Invisibility or Disability?


I guess it all depends on who you are, but at OUR house we have been informed (by the children of course) that Harry Potter got his "disability cloak". Glad to have that cleared up! But really, when you come to think of it, what more would you expect from a series that has Malfboy in it!? (which is the correct pronunciation of Malfoy in case you were wondering)

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Girl Trapped

After church today the boy told me that there is a new girl in his Primary class. And then says, "Now I'm even more girl trapped!" Poor boy is the only boy in his class of at least 5 little people. And 2 teachers....who are both female as well.

The light bulb went on......
Could this POSSIBLY be the reason why he doesn't want to go to church lately!!??!

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Gaming

We recently got a couple of games for the Wii that the children might like to play. We got Tangled for the girl and Harry Potter legos for the boy. They love playing them.

Yesterday the boy was playing his HP Legos game and he was fighting the ogre in the bathroom. I was in the other room doing something and I hear, "Oh yeah? Take that! Who's cryin' now!?" (you have to hit the ogre over the head with some lego block or something) I laughed.

Today he was doing something ABCmouse.com and he said a sentence that ended in "apparently".

He keeps coming up with the funniest things to say.

Funny kid.

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Flat

I got a new bike. (have I mentioned that before?) And I love her! She's a beaut. And I rode her a grand total of 2 times before I got a flat tire. But oh those rides with my children were lovely! And then she sat on the back porch for about 1 week until the husband brought her inside to fix her.  And he found a thorn in her tire. And then she sat for about another week in the middle of the family room missing a tire, while the husband hunted for a new tube with a standard post on it. (Did you know they made different kinds?) She probably felt naked with only one tire on.

So toady we FINALLY went on another outing with the children. It was a lovely day here. And we were determined to enjoy it, the children and I. And so we set off on our jaunt. The girl on her purple Mongoose, and the boy on his Spiderman. Did you know both of my children can ride without training wheels? They can. Once the girl learned how (which only took a couple days worth of practice), the boy was determined to do it too (it took him slightly longer than a couple days). And we are so proud of our two big children that can be so free and independent. It's fun going for bike rides with them! Now if only the husband would get with the program and get a bike too. But he has no desire. I think we will continue to work on him ;) .

On with the story- So as we rode around the neighborhood today, the boy asked if we could ride to the park. Why not. So off we set. The girl was complaining of being tired, which is so unlike her. She is usually WAAAAY out in front and I have to tell her to stop and wait for the rest of us. About half way to the park, which is not very far from our house- less than half a mile in fact, I noticed that the girl's back tire was a little flat. So we went on to the park and the children rode around for about 5 minutes before they dropped their bikes and played on the playground for about 30 seconds. At which time 2 cars pulled up and out hopped a bunch of little kids. To which the boy promptly informs me that he is ready to go. The girl says that's fine with her too, and we get on our bikes to head back home. This is when I notice that the back tire on that darn Mongoose is COMPLETELY flat and the front tire is going flat too! NO WONDER SHE WAS SO TIRED! Poor girl was having to work twice as hard just to keep up with us!

The girl ended up walking her bike the whole way home, except for the brief episode where I tried pumping her while I held on to her bike and pulled it along too. I got about half way down our street like this, before I lost balance and we all fell. That was a great time, with the boy out in front, oblivious of the struggles going on behind him. And not caring much either, as he has just graduated to his bigger bike and was loving the ability to ride just as well as the rest of us.

ANYWAY- in spite of the DOUBLE flats, we had a lovely ride. And the husband has the situation under control. Hopefully the Mongoose will be back up and running soon so we can enjoy more of this beautiful weather before it disappears into the dreaded months of death. Then who would even consider going out!

But for now it's lovely.

And here is my cutie patootie bike- complete with bell. Alas she still needs a name. I'm thinking Daphne. I love her. But this is not her good side. She cuter from the other side. And she still needs a basket on front. This picture was taken the day she got her flat. And I'm pretty sure this location is where she picked up that nasty thorn.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

A tale about.....Ash Wednesday

I am not Catholic, or Methodist, or Anglican, or any other religion that celebrates Ash Wednesday. I am, however, a Christian. Yet, I never knew what Ash Wednesday was......until today.

The girl announced to me yesterday that her calendar says that "tomorrow is Ash Wednesday." In my ignorance I asked her if she was on the correct  month. I assumed that it had something to do with Easter, so I decided that she has the wrong month since Easter is still too far away.

But this morning, she brings me her calendar and shows it to me. Sure enough- Ash Wednesday. I asked the husband, the fount of all wisdom at our house, what exactly it celebrated. The girl was all excited about a "holiday". I couldn't tell her what it was. The husband wasn't sure either.

So I looked it up....and understood every word. Told the husband, and made him "translate" it so the children could understand. (I'm not very good at simplifying explanations) The girl was a little less interested in the "holiday" then, and a little more interested in her video game. Funny.

But hey, we all learned something new at our house today.
And maybe I'll think of SOMETHING that I can give up for the next 40 days.....cause giving up food just isn't an option.

And also here is a little interesting tid bit of info:
In the Republic of Ireland, Ash Wednesday is National No Smoking Day. The date was chosen because quitting smoking ties in with giving up luxury for Lent. In the United Kingdom, No Smoking Day was held for the first time on Ash Wednesday 1984, but is now fixed as the second Wednesday in March.

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Technology

 A couple of weeks ago I was at my parent's house. Dad was telling me that he just changed their cell phone plan and do I think mom could get the hang of texting? OF COURSE was my swift reply....especially if she had keyboard. To which he promptly pulled out his old cell phone WITH keyboard, saying all he had to do was tot put her SIM card in it. Cool.

Fast forward to 30 minutes ago (about 11:00PM), when my phone tells me I have a message. IT'S FROM MOM!  SO cool! She's using this business! Way to go mom! I read the message, which says, "What is don't care is order sight online" HUH??? Darn auto correct! I figured out what it meant (all on my own) and I started typing my reply. I am about to send it when I get another message asking if I am there. And just a moment later my phone rings. It was mom. 

I chuckled. She hadn't gotten my reply. But we did figure out her predicament, had a nice little conversation, and then said, "See ya tomorrow!" (at book club yay!)

I'm so proud of mom for taking a crack at this new-fangled technology jazz. And I think she's doing pretty good! And it made me smile to get my first (and second) text from mom. Cute mom!

Monday, January 30, 2012

Amazing

Here is an amazing fact I learned yesterday:
You DON'T die if you don't get on your computer for 1 whole day!

I went the whole day yesterday without so much as even looking at my computer. I thought about it a couple times. But didn't even glance it's way. Better yet- I didn't turn it on, and I'm still alive to tell the tale!!!

Moral of the story- it is possible to have a pleasant day without the aid of an electronic device.
....I guess it also helps to have a good book to read.

Saturday, January 28, 2012

In a timely manner

So I am speaking in church tomorrow. Not the husband and me, just me. While this does not make it to my list of most happy occasions, it's ok. But the happy part is this- 9:40pm Saturday night and I have finished preparing that talk. I am now able to sit at my computer...or even better- READ, with a free conscience!

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Coloring

Every once in a while don't you still think it's fun to bust out a picture and crayons and color away?
I do.
And it's a good thing I'm feeling that way right now, because I have been doing a whole heck of a lot of that right now!
I was cleaning out my hall closet.
Where I keep all of my crafting/sewing/scrapbooking/jewelry-making/etc stuff, and I found a book of file folder games.
And the boy saw it.
And asked about it.
And so I started coloring again, so I can finish them, so he can use them.
They are all learning games, so I am motivated. Because it will give him something to do (and learn) while I am doing school with his sister.
Only these days I am not using crayons (yuck)
I have pulled out the big guns- MARKERS & colored pencils...the expensive scrapbooking ones.
And I am excited to finish....but not really, because then I have to start cutting them out. :P
But they will be great when they are COMPLETELY finished.
And that's fun.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Zumba

I went to a Zumba class tonight. It was SO fun. There were only 4 of us there. I have already decided that I am going to go every week. Finding a fun and affordable way to work out will surely help me on my way to getting in shape and getting healthier. Now all I need is that bike I want so I can go riding around with my kids.

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Silly Sisters

Because if you can't act like a total nerd with your sisters, who can you act that way with!!?
We had a fun time sewing these capes yesterday.....and trying them on afterward....and there were 4 others we did as well (not pictured). After sewing for 6 hours we got a little loopy. And EVERYTHING was funny. The kind of funny where you laugh so hard you get a great ab workout.  It was one of the funnest afternoons spent with family in a long time. Just wish the other sisters could have joined us.
Thanks for a fun afternoon, and all the laughs, sistas! Lets do it again soon....minus the sewing :D



the Pointy Hood Posse



Sunday, January 1, 2012

HAPPY New Year

2012!
Already!
WOW!
2011 went by so fast.
I am looking forward to this year.
REALLY looking forward to it.
I can already feel it's greatness.

I already set my goal for the year.
That's right. I said GOAL.
Singular.
Where is it written that you have to have a list full?
And this year I won't.
And it's going to be great!

SO-
Here's to a  VERY Happy 2012!!!