Surrender and Go To Bed!

At bedtime (when the kids are ready on time) we read to them or they can read to themselves or tell each other stories while they are in their beds. Last night, I read to them and tucked them in, the usual ten or so times. When I left them, they were told to stay in their beds and tell stories, sing or talk QUIETLY.

On one of the "re-tucking in and reminding the be quiet times," I ask Ben if he could PLEASE tell his story a little more quietly. He glanced down from his bunk bed with a look of pity at my motherly misunderstanding and lack of vision.

"Mom," he sighed with exasperation, "We are having a war."

"OK, but could you please have your war a little more quietly... it's time for bed."

I guess I failed to see that the hanger in his hand was really a bow and arrow... the bunk bed was a fortress, the tune he was singing at the top of his lungs was his war cry and Connor was the attacking foe. How could he possibly be quiet under the circumstances?

Laundry room surprises

Doing the laundry has its pros and cons.... one of the good things is the rule in my house that whatever money I find when doing the laundry, I get to keep. Unfortunately my grand total is about three cents. (Do you think things will get brighter for me when they get old enough to get a job?)

One of the not so great parts of being the family laundress is that I get all sorts of surprises in the wash.

Don't worry, its just a toy... one of those really squishy, real looking ones. This little guy was staring at me when I went to put the clothes in the dryer. He must have peeped out of a pocket during the wash cycle.

I've been finding more and more surprises in the wash lately. As my boys get to that "putting treasures in their pockets" stage, things have been getting exciting. I'm still waiting for the old classic: a frog to jump out of the the little boys pocket. Ben just discovered that one pair of his shorts has around fifteen pockets. What was I thinking when I bought those!? The last time I pulled them out of the hamper, they were so stuffed with treasures that I think they weighed more than he does.

What is the craziest thing you have been gifted with while doing laundry? Keep it clean please. hee hee.

Accessories and Froof

I am loving all the fun accessories and froof that I have seen on shirts lately. I have been dying to try some. So:

Brooke has these t-shirts...they are OK... but I had some fun dolling one of them up.

I added a tie in the back to fit it to her skinny little waist.

The tulle ruffle at her hip made her squeal. (I wanted to squeal too because I loved the way it turned out). The flower on the side of the collar was a compromise. She informed me very politely that if I sewed to the center front, that she wouldn't ever wear it. I'd made her hair accessory earlier... but it was perfect.

I found these shirts for a dollar so I bought one in every color. She asked if I could do the same thing to the others.... we might need to break it up. What fun froof have you seen lately?

Summer triumph!

My little four-year-old just passed the "swim test!" There are three very fun slides at our pool. But they end in 11 feet of water. So to go on the slides, you have to be able to tread water for 30 seconds and then swim across the pool and back. Then and only then, are you awarded the coveted hot orange bracelet of glory that entitles you to use the slides. (When Brooke earned her's, she wouldn't let me take it off for a week).

Today was the last day of summer swim and the end of our family pass. Brett worked with Ben for a while today and Ben swam his little legs off... and he did it!!!!! The look on his face was priceless. He was so tired and smiling from ear to ear. I don't think he left the slides until they closed two hours later.

I have to admit, I loved the look of surprise on the life guards faces, each time they traded stations and saw this little tiny guy going on the slides.

So, we started out with the oldest being able to doggy paddle and the others knew how to sink. Now They all three can swim and dive well. Madi has learned three strokes and can swim pretty fast. This has been the best summer that I can remember. These may seem like small accomplishments... but we had such a blast doing it. I'm going to miss our care free days.

What's hiding under the bed?

I am one of those horribly mean moms that put their children through the grueling task of clean their own bedrooms. My oldest was breathing hard and looking at me with pitiful eyes after about ten minutes of cleaning her room.

The girls feigned disbelief when I crawled under their bed and shoved all the stuff they'd just "put away" back to their original place on the floor so they could start again.

But Ben was the best... after I asked him if his room was clean:

Ben: Yes, it's clean.

Mom: "Why don't we go and check your room first and then you can play."

Ben: "You don't need to check under the bed."

PAUSE....

Ben: "Actually, could you not check under the bed?"

Hmmmmm

Ironically two

Last week I told my sister-in-law that I seemed to have lucked out with my two-and-a-half-year-old. "I guess we skipped the terrible twos." I told her... Oh the irony!

As soon as we were home from our camping trip, Connor decided to mount a full on attack of any peace and serenity that I might have felt before. Raiding the pantry, fridge and freezer on a regular (every five minutes) basis is a must. Trails of crumbs and sticky substances have more than once led me to the guilty party.

Nothing of edible nature is safe... no matter how high I try to hide it. Tuesday I hosted a brunch and ten minutes before everyone arrived Connor was in the kitchen mutilating the cake and stuffing handfuls in his mouth as fast as he could. I had the intention to scold... but his chipmunk cheeks stuffed full of cake were just too funny. I asked him if he did it. He repentantly said yes. I asked him if it was good. His second "yes" was more enthusiastic and less repentant.

Playing with the toilet offers him endless entertainment. He thinks that everything in the house would benefit from a dip in those shining waters. I guess that is motivation enough to keep the toilets scrubbed and sparkling. I have spent more time following trails of toilet paper and re-rolling them than I care to tell.

He loves to spray his siblings with the spray bottles I use for ironing and doing the kids hair. Unfortunately, sometimes he chases them around spraying other bottles... like hairspray.

Most of his mischief is done when things are a little too quiet. But any of you who are acquainted with my youngest know that he is not the most talkative of the bunch and its hard to tell when he is just being quiet and when he is DOING while being quiet.

While writing this post I have had to stop and RUN to clean up/rescue him or his disasters no less than ten times. Not that any of this will come as a surprise to those of you who have raised or are raising children... and heaven knows that I shouldn't be surprised after doing this three other times. But I guess this "destruction mode" does catch me unaware each time. I mean they change from super-cute, sweet little things to.... well, messy, super-cute little things OVERNIGHT! I have to run... there is another disaster in progress. Hope "my suffering" at least makes you smile. Have a happy day!