There I was, innocently driving down the road today. I had my two youngest with me. I'm not sure what we were talking about, but all of a sudden my third born suddenly became very serious as we stopped for a red light.
"Mommy, you have to be quiet right now. My little butt is very busy organizing it's next poop."
Omg, I was bent over the steering wheel.
I was carrying my sleeping toddler upstairs and I kicked at my daughter's coat which was at the bottom of the stairs. I didn't want to slip on it. Well, I kicked at it, and it got up and ran away.
ACK!
That completely freaked me out! Then I noticed the coat had an orange tail. One of my cats was apparently huddled under the coat trying to keep warm, and then there I come along and kick him. I think I mostly just brushed the coat and scared him. Hopefully.
I'm very sorry Franken Kitty! I didn't know you were there.
He's playing Pokemon and he was calling out cards and stuff to me; I guess I am half-heartedly playing. Well, finally he goes "You lost your HooHoo!" What? Turns out he was trying to say "Hoothoot" and it was coming out "HooHoo." We spent some time trying to get that t on there. LOL
Thanksgiving Divorce
A man in Phoenix calls his son in New York the day before Thanksgiving
and says,"I hate to ruin your day, but I have to tell you that your
mother and I are divorcing; forty-five years of misery is enough.
"Pop, what are you talking about?" the son screams. We can't stand the
sight of each other any longer," the father says. "We're sick of each
other, and I'm sick of talking about this, so you call your sister in
Chicago and tell her."
Frantic, the son calls his sister, who explodes on the phone. "Like
heck they're getting divorced," she shouts, "I'll take care of this,"
She calls Phoenix immediately, and screams at her father, "You are NOT
getting divorced. Don't do a single thing until I get there. I'm
calling my brother back, and we'll both be there tomorrow. Until then, don't
do a thing, DO YOU HEAR ME?" and hangs up.
The old man hangs up his phone and turns to his wife. "Okay," he says,
"they're coming for Thanksgiving and paying their own way."
...is trying to make me old, LOL.
We have had the movie Transformers for over a month now and he has refused to watch it or let anyone else watch it. Why? "Because I can't watch it until I'm EIGHT, Mommy!" What? He has been adamant on this. He hasn't changed his mind. The good news is, next week...we can watch it. Whatever floats his boat, I guess!
Today he tried to give me some kind of attack. The bus came, my daughter and the neighbor got off, and the bus drove away. What? Where was my son?!?!?! I immediately called the school. They called his teacher's room. They did an All Call for him. They didn't find him so they got back on the phone and told me they were calling the buses. There were substitutes so they thought maybe he got on the wrong bus. They came back on the phone line and told me he was safe and sound on the correct bus...he just didn't get off at his stop. My daughter was telling me the same thing while I was on hold. "Mommy, I saw him get in the back of the bus." So I wasn't really freaking out too badly after that first moment of panic. I was impressed that the school found him very fast. I didn't time how long I was on the phone, but it was less than five minutes. There was no hesitation. They went through all the steps and called the bus garage quickly. The response from the bus garage was fast, too. I'm glad they don't take this kind of stuff lightly. Thank you County schools and buses for figuring out what happened quickly! The bus came back and my son came in the house going "I know, Mommy, I know. I'm grounded." Ha! No, he wasn't grounded. I asked him why he didn't get off the bus. He was busy trading Pokemon cards. ::blows out a sigh:: I told him he couldn't sit on the back of the bus anymore. He said he didn't even notice that he missed his stop until they went out onto the main road, but by then...the bus driver had already been contacted by the bus garage and was calling his name to see if he was on the bus. That's just how fast all this happened...the main road is not very far away. This was like a fifteen minute ordeal, tops. Maybe less. So, Kudos to the school and eye roll for my son for not paying attention and giving Mommy an attack.
Huh. And now the UPS man just came and dropped off a can of High Heat Pam. I wonder if I signed up for a free sample or something? LoL I just don't know. I remember signing up for a free sample of something...but this is an entire can of Pam. Hmmm. I'll try it out...
Dining Without Martha Stewart
Martha Stewart will not be dining with us this Thanksgiving. I'm telling you in advance, so don't act surprised. Since Ms. Stewart won't be coming, I've made a few small changes:
1. Our sidewalk will not be lined with homemade, paper bag luminaries. After a trial run, it was decided that no matter how cleverly done, rows of flaming lunch sacks do not have the desired welcoming effect.
2. Once inside, our guests will note that the entry hall is not decorated with the swags of Indian corn and fall foliage I had planned to make. Instead, I've gotten the kids involved in the decorating by having them track in colorful autumn leaves from the front yard. The mud was their idea.
3. The dining table will not be covered with expensive linens, fancy China, or crystal goblets. If possible, we will use dishes that match and everyone will get a fork. Since this IS Thanksgiving, we will refrain from using the plastic Peter Rabbit plate and the Santa napkins from last Christmas.
4. Our centerpiece will not be the tower of fresh fruit and flowers that I promised. Instead we will be displaying a hedgehog-like decoration hand-crafted from the finest construction paper. The artist assures me it is a turkey.
5. We will be dining fashionably late. The children will entertain you while you wait. I'm sure they will be happy to share every choice comment I have made regarding Thanksgiving, pilgrims and the turkey hotline. Please remember that most of these comments were made at 5:00 a.m. Upon discovering that the turkey was still hard enough to cut diamonds. As accompaniment to the children's recital, I will play a recording of tribal drumming. If the children should mention that I don't own a recording of tribal drumming, or that tribal drumming sounds suspiciously like a frozen turkey in a clothes dryer, ignore them. They are lying.
6. We toyed with the idea of ringing a dainty silver bell to announce the start o f our feast. In the end, we chose to keep our traditional method. We've also decided against a formal seating arrangement. When the smoke alarm sounds, please gather around the table and sit where you like. In the spirit of harmony, we will ask the children to sit at a separate table ... In a separate room ... Next door.
7. Now, I know you have all seen pictures of one person carving a turkey in front of a crowd of appreciative onlookers. This will not be happening at our dinner. For safety reasons, the turkey will be carved in a private ceremony. I stress "private" meaning: Do not, under any circumstances, enter the kitchen to laugh at me. Do not send small, unsuspecting children to check on my progress. I have an electric knife. The turkey is unarmed. It stands to reason that I will eventually win. When I do, we will eat.
8. I would like to take this opportunity to remind my young diners that "passing the rolls" is not a football play. Nor is it a request to bean your sister in the head with warm tasty bread.
9. Oh, and one reminder for the adults: For the duration of the meal, and especially while in the presence of young diners, we will refer to the giblet gravy by its lesser-known name: Cheese Sauce. If a young diner questions you regarding the origins or type of Cheese Sauce, plead ignorance. Cheese Sauce stains.
10. Before I forget, there is one last change. Instead of offering a choice among 12 different scrumptious desserts, we will be serving the traditional pumpkin pie, garnished with whipped cream and small fingerprints. You will still have a choice; take it or leave it!
I decided to have the children make just one feather every year. I dated/will date them either on the front or back; whichever each child decides. This way, we will be able to see how the children have grown creatively and also we will be able to watch their small motor skills grow. There is a picture of the two that are finished this year so far. I have pictures of the first page that I will send to you, dear Hubby! You will find them amusing.
My children's school is an awesome school. I will never deny it. No matter how many problems we have with some issues...the school in general is a wonderful school. Most of the issues we have are with brand new teachers or getting through red tape that the County strings up.
The school called me today and asked me to come in. They had a huge box and bag of canned foods for my family. And a gift certificate to get a Turkey. I am just so overwhelmed. This is such great blessing. The kids and I are set for food for a while, now. And we will have a turkey to eat on for a week. :-) I wish shipping cans wasn't so expensive, there are some people I would love to share this with. Maybe I can use some of the grocery money I don't have to spend now to spread the gift around a little.
My canned goods cabinet was Mother Hubbard's Cubbard, and now look at it. Hmm, OK, maybe I should have organized it as I was putting it away! lol
I knew it was coming. My oldest has declared that there is no such thing as Santa. And worse yet...he only promised not to tell about the tooth fairy, (which he has told), he is telling the younger kids there is no Santa. I hope we can get through enough years so that my youngest can experience at least one Christmas while believing in Santa...
On the other hand, however, I am still to this day disappointed that there isn't a "Santa." As in the jolly man in the red suit who comes in the middle of the night. I still secretly get up early on Christmas morning hoping to see that Santa had come...and I always go back to bed disappointed and feeling more than a little foolish.
So, I guess I don't want to do as awesome of a job as my parents did when they convinced me there was a Santa. I mean...it's basically a lie...I am telling Jacob my definition of Santa, though, so hopefully he can carry that over.
In my MOPS group, one of the Mommies suggested making turkey shaped books with enough pages until your child turns 18ish. All you do is each year at Thanksgiving time, ask your child what she/he is thankful for and write it down. Let the child write it down if she/he is old enough. They can also draw a picture. Be sure to write the date on the page. Save the book until your child has their own children or reaches that age where they care about that kind of stuff. You can look back in the book and see how your child has changed over the years. It's just a cute little sentimental project/tradition. I decided to make my children each one. Here is what I have so far. This weekend I will have them add the tail feathers themselves. I had some foam stuff lying around so I decided to use it for the cover instead of construction paper. I figured it would be a little sturdier.
My daughters first tooth has been loose forever, but she wouldn't let me yank it out. It finally just fell out tonight while she was wiggling it with her tongue in bed. She's very proud and wrote a note for the tooth fairy to come tomorrow. She wants to show her tooth to her friends! LoL.
...my daughter's teacher called. The phone call didn't do me that much good, however. So it's on to plan B. I'm going through my parental rights. I still have to go through the doctor, too. See if Insurance can help me out. I just have to make myself push through the system for her. That's all there is to it.
I know I have drudged on this topic over and over. I am trying very hard to keep calm these days. My daughter isn't doing so hot in First Grade. I would love to tell you exactly how she is doing, except her teacher keeps blowing me off. She asked that we have a phone conference for parent conferences instead of me coming in because I didn't have child care for my children. Well, twice she set a date and a time to call me. Twice she "forgot." Twice she didn't apologize or tell me what is up. She told my daughter that she forgot. Swell, huh? I have a letter from her summer speech therapists recommending she receive extra speech therapy. I really need the Teacher's support, too, though. I really feel that my daughter can benefit from an hour of one on one therapy every week. Right now she gets 20 to 40 minutes a week with two or three other children. I really wish her Teacher would fulfill her commitment to call me so I can talk about my daughter's progress in her class and how/if her speech is affecting her. I don't want to go full blazes into the school demanding this and demanding that without all of the facts. I am trying to keep from blazing into the school to give my daughter's teacher a peace of my mind. I mean...by "forgetting" and not even telling me she seems to be blowing me off; therefore sending the message my daughter isn't that important to her. I'm trying to give her the benefit of the doubt, but I also have to be my daughter's voice in this. Please help me. Positive thoughts, strength to gather my manners and handle this in a diplomatic fashion. Thanks.
Today was, that is. I worked today and the boys pretty much just played. They didn't really want me to interrupt them too much. Even my son's therapy went well. One child slept, the other played with moon sand, and of course, my son was receiving his therapy with his therapists and me. I can really see my son struggling with sounds. It's almost painful to watch. He can say /d/ and /b/ and /m/. We are working on /p/ and /t/. Sometimes he can say them, but other times you can see him struggling so much. Words that start with /b/ are so clear. If the words starts with the other sounds, his words come out distorted. I know I just have to keep on working with him every single day.
The other children are all doing OK. My oldest was having a very serene day. I didn't want to rock his boat. We all just kind of glided through the day and landed in bed at the propertime. They are all sleeping soundly. I think I have everything ready for tomorrow. I get some Mommy time tomorrow. I'm so excited. I look forward to this day every month. I even get to eat a hot breakfast that I don't have to cook. :-)
Just random stuff I found interesting:
"Overweight women who ate two eggs for breakfast for eight weeks as part of a low-fat diet lost 65 percent more weight than those who chose bagels. They also experienced an astonishing 83 percent greater reduction in waist size, say researchers at Louisiana State University's Pennington Biomedical Research Center."
"Right-handed? Use your left hand to brush your teeth or vice versa. "This improves brain signaling, which helps prevent age-related memory loss," says Frederic Vagnini, MD, coauthor of Count Down Your Age."
"Use short, fat glasses for water and tall, skinny ones for drinks that are less healthy. Researchers found you'll drink more with the former and less with the latter. Try portion-controlled plates too. Eating off of them, overweight diabetics lost about 6 pounds in as many months, reports the Archives of Internal Medicine. We like the EZ Weight Plate because, well, it's easy. Each has four compartments with measurements inside ($19.95, www.ezweightplate.com)."
"Stand When Getting Dressed. Sounds too simple to make a difference, but forcing your body to balance while you put on your pants or skirt strengthens your reflexes and core muscles. "This will protect against falls and broken bones, particularly as you get older," says Sherry Marts, PhD, vice president of scientific affairs at the Society for Women's Health Research in Washington, D.C."
All taken from Fitnessmagazine website.
From Parent Dish
Curvy Moms have smarter kids? <DIV class=post id=1037113 _extended="true">
I'm not so sure I like the outcome of this article, because I'm a bit of a beanpole, but I take solace in the fact that I was a lot fleshier before I became pregnant with Nolan than I am now (this is called the Stressy McStresserson Dorito and coffee diet, for anyone who's interested, and it's neither healthy nor recommended) Because apparently curvier women have smarter children.I won't go into full details, but we as a family have so much going on these days. We spent the entire day running and busy and I am sitting here with one eye shut because I can't keep it open. You would think I would be smart enough to just go to bed. But I need to release my thoughts so they don't float around my head and keep me awake.
We started Soccer today. Luckily my two oldest are on the same team so I don't have to go back and fourth three separate times. We still have choir, we still have Church. The kids want to drop choir, but I am teaching them about commitments and how important it is to keep them once you make them. I don't force them into joining activities, but I won't just let them drop out of activities after they already promised to participate. KWIM?
I'm also trying to get the children involved in the community and helping others. We cooked dinner for another family this past week, and we created gifts for Operation Christmas Child. I'm sure there will be other events this Holiday season that we can help out with. We are hand making a lot of gifts this year, also, for friends, family, and teachers.
I'm still working. I love it. I am not sure I can ever go back to not brining in some money for the family. I am really, really enjoying it and I love helping out. I don't feel so useless anymore. I'm looking into becoming licensed and doing after school care. In two years I will only have one child going half day to school, so I can get back into the world of working outside of the home. It would be nice if I can find a job within the school system so we could all have the same days off. Who knows how things will work out.
The weather is much more fall like. I am really enjoying it. It gets a little chilly at nights, so I have the heat set low so that it will kick on only at night.
My oldest is doing awesome in school. He is testing above grade level. He has anger issues at school as well as at home, and I am working with is doctor on that one. I'm still waiting to hear from my daughter's teacher. We seem to be having a communication gap as large as the Grand Canyon. I might have to put on my assertive hat and call the principal.
Things are going well.
Last Update: 9:25 am |
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Reported by: John Matarese
If you have young children or grandchildren... all the recent recalls of lead tainted toys may have your head spinning by now. It's all too much. So what if I told you there was an easy way to make sure that your kids have a safe and lead free holiday season? Julie Shramm worries about her son's exposure to lead. He plays with Thomas trains made in China...Some of which have now been recalled for lead paint contamination. "He puts his hands in him mouth, " she tells me. "He's had the trains in his mouth!" So Julie, like a growing number of moms, is searching for worry free toys this year. Try Independent Toy Stores Enter Miles Altman, who owns an independent toy store.... King Arthur's Court Toys in Oakley. He says so many parents are looking for lead-free toys, he's made a list of toys made in the USA or Europe. Tops on that list: Playmobil. "Playmobil is made primarily in Germany," he says. "This is the best selling line in the store." He says parents are scooping up Playmobil castles, airports, and figurines aimed at the 4 to 9 year old set. Also seeing a resurgence in popularity: Lego, with its Star Wars, Mars Mission, and other themes for pre teens...all made in Europe. He says "Lego is European...Denmark is the home of Lego. Plus, their toys are solid color,not painted plastic." For puzzles, Altman says Ravensberger is becoming a top seller. "Ravensberger is a German company...with safe paints," he says. "They have to meet tougher European standards, and make some of the best puzzles we've ever seen." Ditto German made trucks from Bruder. Altman is now also stocking wood blocks and wood trains from companies like "Plan Toys"...which are colored with safe food dyes, not paint. For babies, he's suggests a European brand called Haba. For toddlers: Euro made Kettler tricycles. American-made Toys But you'd prefer some red, white, and blue? Consider the old standard, Slinky! Also:
Those are just some of many toys still made in the USA. Websites featuring American Made Toys
You'll find lots more at these websites: "US made toys.com" and "Still made in USA.com." (CLICK ABOVE) Red-White-and-Blue toys from China?
But watch out: Some American sounding toys are made primarily in China, including:
You can find the country of origin by checking the box or label. Julie Shramm says its worth it. "You don't want to put your child at risk...You want the best thing for your children." It's important to remember that not all toys from China are bad....and not all toys from China contain lead paint. Because of all the scrutiny, Chinese made toys may soon be safer than other products. But this year, you may want to follow the other other concerned parents...So you have a lead free holiday, and you Don't Waste your Money. I'm John Matarese.
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This week has been so exciting and busy, I forgot to write about something beautiful that happened to us. We were driving along the street than runs parallel to ours at sunset. There was something in the road, so I braked and came to a stop. It was two young deer. They were crossing the road in my housing addition. They were so beautiful. I usually see them on the highway or a narrow country road where I can't pause to appreciate them. But here on these roads, I had time to stop and let the kids admire them and watch how their tails came up when they ran and see how graceful they were. The kids really got a kick out of those two deer.
I do realize that at the same time, it is sad. We (humans) have encroached so much on their habitat that they have come into the housing additions. Even one such as my own that is over 40 years old. The land all around us is quickly and recently being developed, so now they have nowhere to go. I've been spotting deer that have been hit by cars in very unexpected places lately. Like right in front of a super WalMart on a super busy and commercialized road. :-(
Hopefully the deer we spotted will stay away from that road. They are safe enough back here with us. As long as people pay attention when driving....
A little boy returned from the grocery store with his mom. While his mom put away the groceries, the little boy opened his box of animal crackers and spread them all over the kitchen table.
"What are you doing?" asked his mom.
"The box says you shouldn't eat them if the seal is broken," said the little boy. "I'm looking for the seal."
I kept going back and forth from the living room to the door today looking for the bus. It was late. Finally, my oldest shouts "I think I hear the bus!" and he runs to the door and sure enough, there is the bus; the other people at our stop already on and the doors shut. So my son starts waving for the bus driver to wait and the bus driver waves back and starts driving away. LOL I guess he thought Jacob was just waving...you would think he would realize the little boy wearing a coat and back pack wanted on....especially since he picks them up every morning.
I ended up sending the kids out the door to see if the driver would stop, and he did. Whew. My youngest was still snoozing and I didn't want to wake him to take the others to school. He ended snoozing until almost 10 A.M.!
I never even heard the bus. Usually I hear the brakes and the air pressure thing when he stops. I never heard a thing this time!
~Bus in stealth mode...
My oldest just lost his second front top tooth tonight. He was very excited. He came downstairs from bed and we took pictures and washed the tooth. I then sent him back up to bed so the Tooth Fairy could come. Five minutes later he came down and said "Mommy, tell me the truth. Are you the one leaving me the money?" I paused for a beat and asked a leading question. "Why do you think I am leaving the money?" "Just tell me if you are, Mommy." I couldn't lie to him. I told him I was. I also told him not to tell his brothers and sister because they haven't lost any teeth yet nor experienced the fun of the tooth fairy. He said OK, so I hope he can let them enjoy it.
I knew this day was coming. He has mentioned there not being a Tooth Fairy, nor Easter Bunny, nor Santa several times. He told me his friends at school told him they aren't real. That they are just "our parents." I usually just listened and smiled and told him to believe in what he felt was real. I'm sure he will be figuring out the Santa part soon. He's just so young! My parents had me believing into Santa Claus until...well..now! I still believe in Santa. Maybe not the jolly guy in the red suit, but I do believe that "Santa Claus" lives in the hearts of many people. In my eyes, "Santa Claus" is more of a feeling than an actual person flying around in a sleigh guided by eight reindeer, (nine if you believe the song), with some crazy elves working for him.
~"Santa Claus" is the love and kindness that comes from the heart and works its way into the world. ~
