The Asteroid in the Yard

The other day the twins came running in the house, breathless.

"MOM!  MOM!  Come see the asteroid in the yard!"

Once we started up the hill I had a feeling I knew exactly what the asteroid would be.

I was right.

I had to use the megazoom on my camera to reach it.  And then I had to edit the image and zoom in even more so you could see it. 

It was stuck, way high up in a tree.

Lucky, that tree seems to have stopped it in it's tracks.

A good thing too.  I have a feeling an asteroid like this would really contain some stinging power!

Readers, have you seen any asteroids in your yard lately?

We Got Our Hair Done

I don't get my hair cut very often.  Like twice a year, tops.  It hadn't been cut since last May.  I was feeling really shaggy.  I started trying to get an appointment but every time the appointment rolled around something happened.  My kids got sick.  My stylist's kid got sick.  My stylist got sick.  You get the idea.  It took two months to finally get an appointment that worked.  I decided to go all out and get color done too.  I get so tired of dyeing out the gray myself.

 When Cort got of the bus, he gave me a really strange look.  I thought something was terribly wrong.  He said, "Mom?  Why is your hair black?".  It wasn't really black, but it was much darker than usual.  I said, "Well, I dyed it."  He looked at me curiously.  "Mom?  Can I dye my hair?"  I said, "Well, what color did you want to dye it?".  He surprised me by promptly saying, "Blue!"

Now it just so happened that a few years ago I found a bunch of spray in, wash out hair color on Halloween clearance for 10 cents a can.  I knew it would come in handy one day.  Cort sure was pleased to sport blue hair for an evening.

Readers, have you ever dyed your hair in crazy colors?

The Mom Store

My boys are pretty good about picking up their toys when asked.  Pierce puts away his own laundry, and the twins already know that dirty dishes go in the dishwasher.  But I thought there was room for even more responsibility in our house, and I wanted to find a way to reward them for their help.  I'm always on the lookout for toy sales and had a fairly good stash of items that I had picked up rather cheaply.  I placed them in a Tupperware and told the boys I was opening a Mom Store.   Then I bought a little index card notebook with 3 tabs - one for each boy's name.

Everyday, the boys have opportunities to receive sticker rewards under their name.  Doing tasks like making their beds, helping their brothers, and cleaning up without my asking can earn stickers.  This gives me the chance to award small positive behaviors at any time.  Each sticker is worth 10 points.  Then on Fridays, the Mom Store is open in the evenings.  They can go shopping with their points, or they can save them up for a bigger reward.  They are also allowed to pool their points together to purchase a larger item if they are all in agreement about wanting to do so.

 If they choose to save all of their points and not redeem them on Friday, they get extra stickers, like earning interest.  This will help them realize the value of saving.  The prizes are a variety of points - anywhere from 50 points (for a piece of candy) to 1500 points (for a Spiderman racetrack).  They can see for themselves how many points an item is, because I used yard sale sticker dots to assign the points to each toy.

The boys have really gotten into The Mom Store.  They love looking through all the toys and craft sets on Friday.  And there are even some activities up as rewards - a trip to Sweet Frog with Mom or a visit to Homestead Creamery with Dad.  Because rewards can be activities too.

Now the boys are always eager to clean up when it is time, and I'm loving not having to nag them anymore!  It isn't perfect - but it definitely helps keep them motivated.

Worms For Dinner

When I was a kid, I used to love that book How to Eat Fried Worms.  Maybe it was reading the book multiple times that ignited a little mischief in me the other night.  Pierce said, "Mom!  What's for dinner?" as I worked away at the stove.  "Worms," I casually responded.  Reid, listening in, said in a whiny 3 year old voice, "Mooooooooommm!  WORMS ARE YUCKY!"  And Pierce said, "Mom, we're not REALLY having worms, are we?"  To which I giddily lifted my bowl and said, "Sure we are, look!"

The boys examined this very closely.  When dinner rolled around, they were hesitant to try the spaghetti squash worms, lovingly tossed with parmesan, garlic salt, and a bit of butter.  But then soon enough my twin three year olds were happily declaring, "Mom!  Worms are YUMMY!  I like worms!"  As for me...well....I had to agree! 

The Problem with Bouncy Houses

Let's face it.  Bouncy houses are little kid heaven.  Stick your kid in a bouncy house and walk away and you could come back four hours later to find him still happily jumping and climbing and sliding.

 But inevitably, there is the germ factor.  Moms across the world will nod their head wisely if you ask if their kid ever got the nastiest-virus-ever about 48 hours after an inflatable exposure.  You can use the hand sanitizer all you want afterwards, but they're still going to be covered in germs.  Really, kids should just wear biohazard suits prior to taking off their shoes and socks to go in the bouncy house.

 

It's also problematic when your oldest child gets to go on the bouncy house, but your younger 3 year old twins aren't quite big enough.  So you relent and let them go, not wanting them to be in therapy for your "favoritism" in their adult years.  And about 2 seconds later one of them will get kicked in the head by his brother and require rescuing. 

And then the other 3 year old will stay perched up on top of the huge slide for ages, blocking all the other kids and refusing to slide down.  So you'll drag yourself through all those holes and cubbies and up the slide, to hold his hand coming down, because that's the sort of parent you are.  You are also a parent now totally covered with germs.  And the minute you start putting shoes back on the brothers, that same child will sneak off into the bouncy house again only to perch up top and refuse to come down the slide.  Again.  This time, you'll send older brother in with instructions to "give him a good push" so you can catch him at the bottom.  Because maybe you're not as great a parent as you thought you were and all those bouncy house screams have gone to your head.

And then that 3 year old?  Well he'll have a massive tantrum of rage all the way to the car, bitterly in anguish over his removal from his bouncy house fun.  That therapy I mentioned above?  Yeah, he'll probably need it anyway.

And that, my friends, is the problem with bouncy houses.  Just in my humble, and of course completely unbiased opinion.

This post was written over a week ago, and scheduled for today.  I thought about postponing it a bit in light of what happened on Friday - or even editing it.  However, I decided to let it stand as is.  Because part of parenting well for me is being able to laugh at my own mistakes, and at the daily ups and downs of parenting itself.  But believe me when I say that my thoughts are with the families and their losses in Connecticutt.  My hope is that when there are other troubled teens out there who are isolated and considering a destructive path -- then they would receive the effective help and intervention from someone who cares before another tragedy occurs. 

Mommy Works A Little Magic

Recently the library was hosting a free magic show for kids, so the boys and I piled in the car and headed over.  We sat in the back (always handy with 3 young boys in case of the need for a quick exit) and settled in for the show.  It was packed - the room was full of kids and adults.  There must've been at least 100 people there.  The magician really worked the crowd, pumping the kids up and getting them all excited.

He had already pulled several kids from the audience as volunteers when he decided he needed an adult.  Now why exactly he decided to call on the unassuming, introverted adult with her hands most definitely in her lap, not raised, is beyond me.  I thought myself well-hidden in the back of the room.  Somehow, my plan failed and he called me up anyhow.  I'm a good sport, though, so I went up to the front of the room. 

Speaking in front of large groups of people is not my favorite thing on earth, but I can and will do so if called upon.  I was thankful not to have issues with public speaking or anything like that.  While the magician was building up suspense, and talking to the audience, I saw Pierce waving his hand madly, trying to speak, "UM....".  I kept catching his eye, giving him the finger to the lips hush sign, and shaking my head no.  Several times we went through this and finally the librarian, who we know well from story hour, went over and sat with him.  I know Pierce, and I realized what he needed to say so badly.  He wanted everyone to know it was his mom up there with the magician.  He could barely stand not being able to announce it.  But finally he calmed down to watch.

The magician had me put on a commercial for a bottle of Dad's root beer.  Now I am not a performer.  In fact, the year I took drama I was in one of the worst plays ever.  I stink at acting.  But I good-naturedly told the audience why they should drink Dad's root beer, in a matter of seconds. 

Then the magician wrapped the bottle in a piece of newspaper. He asked if I had a belly ache, to which I responded no.  He took the bottle, wrapped in newspaper, and pushed it through my stomach.  I watched it go in, but felt nothing.  Then he grabbed it from my back and pulled it out.  Fascinating!  I have no idea how he pulled this off, but I was impressed.

And so were my boys.  The whole way home, they jabbered on and on about how the magician put the bottle through mommy's tummy.  And I realized, suddenly, that they were proud of me.  Proud that it was their mom that got chosen to go up with the magician (after all, Pierce had wanted everyone to know) and excited that he'd used my stomach to put the root beer through.  I know that the future will hold days that the boys won't want to be around me, or that I will embarrass them.  So for that moment, for that day, I relished the idea that they were happy to call me their mom, and to let the world know about it.  Indeed, it was a day when I felt the joy of parenting magic.

This post linked with Pour Your Heart Out at Things I Can't Say.

Room For Sale

"Hey Pierce.  How come there's a sign that says For Sale by your room?"

"My room's for sale"

"Really?  Where are you going to live if it sells?"
"It's only for sale for a little while."

"Okay, well you might want to clean it up before you put it on the market."

Disclosure:  Should you be interested in my 5 year old's room, you should know that it currently, still, has no power.  Maybe we'll get lucky today?

St. Patrick's Day Flopped Muffin Tin Monday

Sometimes my Muffin Tin Monday posts are all cute and awesome in my head.  I get all excited and just know I'm going to create something wonderful for my child.  And then I actually make them and...well....they don't turn out.  But food is food and I guess (hope) that Pierce isn't too disappointed when he opens up his lunch to find some strange alien creation that was supposed to be a four leaf clover in the grass.

Uh huh.  So for Pierce's "St. Patrick's Day" lunch he had an egg that most definitely DID NOT look like a four leaf clover in roasted seaweed that most definitely DID NOT resemble a field of grass.  Strawberries in a heart cup, a mint Yoplait yogurt parfait, and a mini cheese sandwich that DID NOT resemble white clover.  He did eat it all except the roasted seaweed.

Can you say MOM FAIL?

For more successful and way cuter lunch ideas for kids, check out Muffin Tin Mom.

The Bet

I guess this is one of those posts where I own up to less than stellar parenting skills.  Because I'm pretty sure teaching your 5 year old to bet ranks pretty high on the whole "Parenting Don'ts" list.  But yeah, Pierce and I have a bet, and I'm pretty confident I'm going to win this one.  If I don't....well....I'll be eating snow.

The bet is that if we get 12 inches of snow sometime this winter I'll be serving the family snow ice cream....for dinner.  I'm feeling pretty smug though.  Virginia doesn't get that much snow very often.  Plus, the highly scientific methods of wooly caterpillar analysis (how much black does he have in the middle?) and the Farmer's Almanac are both predicting a mild winter for my region.  In addition, I watched my squirrels packing away nuts for the winter.  Their stash isn't all that impressive...

Go ahead and root for the cute 5 year old to win.  You know you want to.  It won't hurt my feelings.  Much.  Please don't let it snow, please don't let it snow, please don't let it snow....

Check out my giveaway for $25 gift cards to Maggiano's - there will be 3 winners here!

Thank You Rolling Stones for this Life Lesson

The other day the boys and I ran into the craft store A.C. Moore to pick up some velcro to make reusable sandwich bags (yes, the same velcro I later lost).  Pierce is well-versed in the concept that we do not buy toys every time (or even every 3rd or 4th time) we go into a store.  In fact, we rarely buy toys at all.  However, the last time we went to A.C. Moore, I let him and his brothers pick out a $1 craft as part of our Summer Bucket List.  So maybe Pierce was expecting something as a result.

I gave him my usual talk.  About having so many toys at home, and about toys costing money and trying to be careful with the money we spend.  Usually this works just fine.  But this time Pierce continued to question, "But why?"

I paused for a moment.  And listened.  And then I said, "Do you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
"That song."
"What song?"
"The song, coming over the speakers."

Pierce paused and listened to the background music.
"What's it saying?"
"They're singing You Can't Always Get What You Want which means that they're telling you that you can't get a toy this time"
Pierce listened to the Rolling Stones a minute more.  And he didn't say anything else about getting a toy.
Thank you, Rolling Stones, for this teaching moment.  I hope that stores across the land will play your song every time I enter their doors.  I promise, I will never grow tired of the lyrics.

Picture from Google

When the Mad Banana Shows Up in Your Lunch - Muffin Tin Monday

Sometimes Mom has a bad day.  Sometimes the twins are sick and fussing all morning.  Sometimes it's hard just pulling lunch together without someone crying and tugging on legs.  Sometimes Mom has been up for hours during the night holding sobbing toddlers, trying to comfort them to no avail.  And sometimes, as a result, you get a mad banana in your lunch.  Complete with horns.  He is accompanied by a big pickle, a corn dog, chips (a rarity), skewers of fruit, and some mustard for dipping.

This post is linked to Muffin Tin Monday which you can find HERE.

Have you entered my giveaway yet for environmentally friendly green cleaning products?

Herman, Equal Opportunity Garden Gnome

Herman lives in our yard.  He is an equal opportunity garden gnome.  You see, he supports little boys who are nice about sharing and being loving towards their brothers.

When Pierce has been extra kind to his brothers, Herman will sometimes have a little gift at his feet.

To show his approval.

A little glow stick, a bubble wand, a sheet of stickers.

Herman knows when little boys have been good.

Just like Santa Clause.

Only year round.

So watch your back and be nice to your siblings ;-)

The Mystical Unibaby

The unibaby is a mythological creature, often revered for it's single magical horn.  While historically a popular medium for literary imaginations, folk music, and the theatre, the unibaby has rarely been seen in the wild.

Earliest sitings of the unibaby took place during the 5th century.  Aristotle once made mention of two one horned animals, either of which may have been the elusive unibaby.

Recently, comprehensive evidence during the siting of a unibaby in the mountainous region of southwestern Virginia was compiled in the above taken pictures.

Although the unibaby is often regarded as an imaginative animal, the evidence suggests otherwise.

Are these fabulous creatures, the magnificent unibabies, making a comeback?

Stay tuned to the comprehensive database of credible unibaby sitings to find out more.

If YOU have a recent siting of the rare unibaby in the United States, Canada, or any other country, please report it to our team of archivists, scientists, and investigators now!

On a side note, Happy Birthday to Cat Cat and happy 10 months to the twins!  :-)

April Fool's Day

I just couldn't resist playing a little trick on Pierce this morning for breakfast.

These teeny bacon and eggs are made from white chocolate chips, tootsie rolls, and yellow jelly beans.

Want to try it?  Check out Family Fun Magazine.

Hmmmm.  Now that's some tasty bacon!

Silly Mom!  That's not bacon and eggs!

Meanwhile, the twins were up to their own tricks.

I'm leaning over to keep Reid away.

I know he wants my pacifier.

It only looks like we're being cute and holding hands.

No way!  You can't have it Reid!

Heh Heh.  He can't reach me now.

Someone please tell me why with three boys I have a pink pacifier in my house?

ARGsessed with Pirates!

I grew up in a family obsessed with pirates.  We devour pirate literature, pirate movies, pirate sight seeing.  We have books about how to speak pirate.  We get one another pirate birthday cards.  We're goofy that way.  And so, remember dinosaur day, the day that started my whole blog?  Well, I declared yesterday Pirate Day.  My family would be proud ;-)

My brother, Taylor, got this pirate ship for Pierce as an early gift.  I think Pierce was one?  We are serious about starting our pirate training early.

I confess that Pierce has no fewer than FOUR pirate themed shirts.  This, when all he ever wants to wear is pjs.






<-----------Please note that Elmo is part pirate too.





I confess that I had pirate goodies stashed away for a rainy snowy day. 

The Pirate Adventure book I got for $2.00 on Barnes and Noble's 75% off clearance!

We used some black and white felt to make our own pirate flag.  I hope Paul didn't actually need this PVC I found in the basement for something else.

No kid would really be a pirate without a treasure chest full of booty.  This is a hand-me-down from my brother, John. 

Testing out the spy glass. 

Map in a bottle.

We built our pirate adventure (cute book!) and watched Muppet Treasure Island (which Pierce couldn't really get into...I guess he's a little young still). 

Reid worked on his mad pirate skills.  Yes, even the twins have a little pirate playmat.  They love it.  It makes crunchy noises when you play with the people and fish.  And the alligator is a puppet.  Ahoy!

Scooter did his best to find his sea legs.  All four of them.

And we made our own pirate map.  We drew on a piece of white construction paper and colored it in.  Then we wet a tea bag and rubbed it over the surface to make it look old.  After that we roughed it up a bit. 

I'm pretending I'm really in Key West instead of snowed in for the third day in a row.  Can't you tell?   ARG!  I would walk the plank just to get out of this house ;-)

Bad Jokes, and Reid caught without any tomatoes.

Do you see?  Do you see what I have to put up with?  I mean how BAD was that joke?  And Cort is telling jokes all day long.  Plus, he hogs the exersaucer AND he is always rolling on top of me during floor time.  Do you think I like being rolled on?  Plus, JUST LOOK at this stupid monkey hat.  Who designs this stuff?  Now excuse me while I go use the Jumperoo before Cort wakes up. 

Sometimes I think it's better to just bite my lip.

Hey Reid!

Knock Knock

Who's There?

Figs

Figs Who?

Figs me a bottle of milk, before I starve in my Bumbo!

The Empire Strikes Back

Alert all commands:  calculate every possible destination along their last known trajectory. 

Size matters not...look at me.  Judge me by size, do you?

What?  You think I care that I don't have some stupid Star Wars costume?  WRONG!   If you didn't notice, I AM Obaby-Wan Cortnobi.  And I am going to take over the galaxy.