Stubborn!

Please! Anyone!! Tell me how to deal with a 3 1/2 year old who thinks he is the boss! HelP me! I cannot stand watching him try to take matters into his own hands any longer! It's making me crazy! Within the last 5 minutes I've had to send A to his room for taking cereal from his little brother and telling him he's, "Not allowed to eat this, E. You hafta eat your dinner!" And then after his first incarceration and a few minutes of freedom, he decides to take some garbage from his brother because he's, "Not allowed to play with trash! Put it in the garbage." Where he once again puts the item above his head and runs around with it, so his brother can follow behind him screaming in protest. AND he doesn't even put this trash in the GARBAGE himself. Bah!

It's soooo annoying. What a simple concept. Don't tell your brother what to do, quite bossing him around and your life will be easier. The weight of trying to be mommy will be lifted off your 3 1/2 year old shoulders and you can go back to being a kid. I'll stop putting you in timeout and I'll stop imprisoning you in your room.... oh, and I'll stop stealing your toys as punishment as well.

Seriously, does anyone out there have tactics that work with a bossy know it all child? No, I don't want to know about books I can read. Lets be honest here, I'll have the good intention to read it, but between all the kiddy fights I have to stop and my own things getting in the way, I'll not read a book.

E versus the butt cream. Part II

Do you remember this?? yeah? Well... it happened again. I'm not sure what E's obsession is with butt cream, but he just can't seem to get enough of it!

I mean, really?! REALLY????     Uuuuuuughhh! 

Do any of you have ANY idea how long it takes for this stuff to get out of their hair! I'd rather he had lice! Or bubble gum in his hair over this stuff!

I made a video that I can't put on here (not by choice. It just won't let me), but he has the cutest most mournful 'sorry' face you've EVER seen! On a positive note, for all of you hair gel obsessed out there. This is by far, the most fantastical stuff you could use to keep your hair in literally any position you wished. Your head will look white, it will take days and days of showering to get it out and you'll smell like a baby's bum! BUT hehe, that might be worth it to you.

 I couldn't decide if Daddy M was going to put me in the picture or not. So I just smiled and leaned away. :)

 A wanted to get in on some of the fun. He'll never pass up a moment to smile for the camera.

 They're lucky they're so cute sometimes! Because if anyone else did this. I would not be thrilled in the least. I mean, I wasn't in this situation, but it made it a lot less horrible when I had E's cute little sad face looking up at me. Just check out the first picture and tell me how you can be angry with that.

 Goodnight everyone! I hope your evening was a lot less cream filled than ours was... unless it's edible cream.... like from a donut!

*Get your mind out of the gutter!*

They are smarter than we think they are

A few days ago, I had the spectacular chance to actually get out of the house! I know, it's a miracle. The boys and I went to. . . wait for it. . . the Karl's Junior play place! It's right by our house and whaddaya know, it's free!! Being the great person that I am though, I did buy some fries to pay for their services. I learned something new that day about E.

He's devious in ways I did not even know. He's come to new levels of deviousness! He's the master at teasing and quite frankly, with the parent's he has, I'm not all that surprised.

We came in to the restaurant. Ordered some fries and a milkshake and proceeded to the play place. I have this creeping feeling that half you mothers reading this are grimacing at the fact that I even let my kids play on such a dirty thing. BUT I really don't care. I played on them as a child. I loved it. I was happy. I do not have any negative life altering moments that regard play places. And I don't see the point of sheltering my kids from germs to protect them, call me evil, but I feel like building their immune system and having fun while doing it, is a productive day! oh yeah.... if you're grossed out by the fact that I let them play in a play place, you might not want to read on, because its gets nastier.

A ran in and started to play first! E was more interested in the food that had just been delivered to us. He sat and ate with me for a little while until he saw his brother playing with some new friends he made and decided he wanted to join. E is just a bit too small to actually climb up the play set "stairs" that they have, so he had a bit of help from me. I had chosen the best seat in the area- or the only seats really. It gave me the perfect view of my kids while they were up there playing. After about 20 minutes of play time, I look up to see E sitting contentedly above my head drinking something. . . Shocked I stood up and like a good mother I looked up and yelled at him. "E! Put that down!! What are you doing!? Put it down, that's yucky! Gross!" He looks down at me with the curious expression on his face, pulls the straw out of his mouth and then slowly raises it back up while staring me down. "E! Right now! Put it down! Gross!!" He stops again, looks at 'his' drink and then back at me, tilting his head slightly to the side he replies in his high pitched innocent tone, "No. Nooooo, " while slowly shaking his head back and forth.

I tried to keep my composure, but it was just too funny! I had to look down and then try to act serious again. I looked up at him again, trying my best to look stern, and again told him, "Put it down." Before I even started to say the words I was laughing. *Not a good idea if you're really trying to get your child to stop drinking some mysterious liquid in someone else's cup and you really don't want to climb up to retrieve him.*

Encouraged by my stifled laughter, E repeats his little "No. Nooo." charade for me again and starts guzzling--through a straw-- the rest of the drink. By now I am so grossed out and aware that he knows I am not going to climb up there to get him, that I just sit down and watch him drink the rest of it while he stares at me in evil two year old triumph. And of course to rub it in a little, he takes the lid off the drink and eats the ice chips! WHICH I am fairly certain some slipped out of his hands a few times before they made it to his mouth.

I am going to blame this personality trait on his Dad. Because I was an obedient child and would never have done something so heinous! That was my sister, M.

"Your Blackberry or Your Wife"

This is something I am fairly certain that every family has to deal with in our world, er, America today; technology. It's is literally everywhere! Unless of course you live in the backwoods of Oregon in a shanty hut and use candles for light. Ironically, I am using my technology to remind some of you that we need to take a breather. We need to step back and get away from all of our gadgets. I found an article this morning that I found intriguing. Especially this part.

10 Signs Your Devices Are Hurting Your Relationships: 1. You can't get through a meal without emailing, texting or talking on the phone. 2. You look at more than one screen at a time, checking email while watching television, for example.  *I do that... usually a little game while I watch a show* 3. You regularly email or text, other than for something urgent, while your partner or another family member is with you. 4. You sleep with your phone near you, and you check your email or texts while in bed. 5. You log onto your computer while in bed. *guilty yet again.* 6. You have had an argument with a loved one about your use of technology. *oh boy...* 7. You text or email while driving. I don't do this, it's against the law... 8. You no longer go outside for fun. 9. You never turn off your phone. 10. When you spend time with your family -- a meal, a drive, hanging out -- each person is looking at a different screen. well it looks like I need to make some technology changes. What about you? And now, onto the more fun part of blog posts. The pictures!

Sorry, I don't have cooler pictures. We're not up to much around here. We all have cabin fever and are going a bit crazy. I really do hate the snow sometimes. I don't mind it in small doses. Or maybe I wouldn't mind it, if it didn't make me feel trapped in my own home- that could also be because of the one car that we have and my NON desire to WALK to get to places. Either way, life is going on. A is in primary now, which is SO exciting! For those of you completely confused by what primary is: it's a church program for children 3-12. Each Sunday A will now go to primary, while poor E stays in nursery (18mo-3) class. Actually, I'm not feeling all that bad for E, seeing as he gets to play for two hours during church! 


Daddy M has started school, he's taking one class this semester while I am home, studying for my CNA state exams! And then it's job hunting for me. I am so thrilled to be working again, but some days I am struck with this panicked feeling of worry about doing my job right, worrying about the hours, and worrying about how my mood might change by working again. I need to stop over thinking things! 


Now, you, whoever you are. Turn off your computer, your TV, give me your iPod, and go read a book!

My New Love

I never believed in love at first sight....

until I met you.

You came in a box. Covered in Styrofoam. Tucked under my Christmas Tree. It was destiny!

*AAAAHHHHAAA aaaAAAHHH* (angelic singing)

Maybe it was that glowing white porcelain mixer. Or your shimmering chrome bowl figure. Or maybe it was just meant to be. All I know is, I was hooked. 

 We are clearly made for each other. A match made in kitchen heaven! We are Ren and Stimpy, Bert and Ernie, Hot milk and Chocolate, Peanut butter and Jelly! No one can separate us!

We took our first journey together and made something beautiful.

 Fluffy, sexy, brownie mix!

I can tell already that we'll be friends forever. Hug, hug. Kiss, kiss. Big huge, big kiss, little kiss.

My Vacation in Pictures!

 Plus of course, a few extras! Most of you have seen at least some of our Christmas pictures. But it would be against my nature not to share them with everyone who reads this blog!

The day before I went to Oregon, it snowed about 14 inches outside. 

 Ava still played in the snow with her frisbees. :)

The Children's Museum!

Happy not wordy blog post! Happy New Year and Happy life to everyone! It's good to be alive!