The Final Countdown

Sadly for all of you fellow children of the 80’s I’m not talking about the song by the group Europe.

My final countdown is for our children going back to school.    

For the most part we’ve had a pretty okay summer.  The weather has been horrible which has created some challenges and some crabby moods, but we are doing our best to make the most of it.  In the next week or so we are going to squeeze all we can out of the summer days that Mother Nature gives us!  Because…..

In just 10 glorious days two out of our three children will be heading back to school.  Big T will be entering 2^nd Grade and Sweet Pea will be starting Pre-K…which means its time for all of our Back-To-School traditions. 

Truth be told, shipping the kids back to school planning for Back-To-School is really one of my favorite things about this time of year.  Maybe it’s because I remember my mom making it so special for my brother and I and I want to pass that feeling onto my children, or it might just be that I love traditions of any kind.  Either way we have a lot of fun!

The first of our Back To School traditions is of course the clothes shopping.  I take each of the kids out one by one to do our shopping and then we go out to lunch or dinner afterwards, just the two of us.  The conversation is usually about school.  What they are excited about, what they might be a little nervous about, and what they think they may learn this year. 

Both of the boys schools have an open house the day before school starts.  For Big T, it’s a chance to meet his teacher (take pictures) and find his room (take more pictures), re-connect with old friends and have ice cream (take even more pictures).  It’s a ton of fun!  For Sweet Pea, since it is a preschool he basically already knows the teachers but he gets to see his new room (take pictures), and this year…this year his room will have frogs, and turtles, and a snake in it (take more pictures).  To which my son says ‘this is just way cool mom.” (take picture of the biggest grin you’ve seen all year)

When the big day comes, that is when my favorite traditions start.

My husband takes the morning off and we both go into the boys room to say good morning and help them get up for the day.  We take the clothes out of the closet that were picked the night before and lay them on the bed.

Then I start making breakfast.  The boys get whatever breakfast they want for the first day of school which is always…always pancakes, some bacon and a small bowl of blueberries. 

Then my little boys come downstairs looking so grown up…even more so than the previous years and my eyes well with tears.  They don’t see them because, hello? there are pancakes on the table.  Nothing gets in the way of my boys and their Back To School Pancake Breakfast.  And that’s how it should be. 

After breakfast I get to do the proud mommy, I want to capture this moment forever thing.  I get to take pictures of my kids in their brand new clothes by themselves, in their brand new clothes with their backpack on, in their brand new clothes, backpack on, and holding their lunchbox.  I take pictures inside, and (if it isn’t raining) outside.  Then I take a picture of each of them with their daddy.  Then I get my picture taken with them individually.  Then they get pictures taken with each other.

After the boys are completely annoyed with getting their picture taken, it’s time to take them to school and for some reason they are ready, willing, and able to get the heck out of the house and away from the camera.  Go figure!

After the kids have been kissed, hugged, told that they will forever be loved and are where they should be, my husband and I usually go get a coffee together and talk about how our boys have grown up right before our eyes so quickly, and how blessed we are to be their parents.

Later that evening when everyone is home, we make their favorite meal for dinner and talk about the day.  It’s so fun to see them so excited for the start of a new year!  Mommy and Daddy breathe a sigh of relief.  It’s going to be a great year!

Are you as excited about Back To School as I am?  What are your Back To School traditions?

Sunday Sweetness: Backyard Living

Like most homes with children, we have crap toys everywhere.  They are in the bedrooms, the living room, the bathroom (of all places…who plays in there…unless they are bath toys, which these are most definitely not) and especially in the playroom. 

But do you know what gets the most use?  The toys that are in the backyard!

Here in our house we are in the backyard as much as we can be.  I have three boys, I need, really really NEED to get their energy out and it’s not always possible to leave the house and go to a park, or the beach or someplace that will help my older boys expel energy because the baby is still napping, or I have laundry to do, or, or, or. 

So we’ve turned our backyard into kids central!  And do you know what?  Everything gets used!  From the play structure, to the sand box, from the sidewalk chalk, to the construction trucks….everything gets used!  <insert big deep satisfied mommy sigh here>

The boys are perfectly capable of entertaining themselves outside.  But on the weekends, if we are all home together, whenever possible we go outside and have a grand time!

We do bubbles, or draw each others shadows with chalk (my personal favorite). 

In the summer time we swim in the $10 inflatable pool, run through the sprinkler, or slide on the slip n’ slide (okay, the boys do that one while the adults watch…..because running full speed only to flop down on a piece of plastic on the grass is not an adults idea of fun).  There are water balloons, and squirt gun fights.  There are games that mommy and daddy make up just so we can soak the kids so much they look like a wet rat.  We set up a tent in the backyard and do backyard camping. 

We play superheroes and bad guys!  Watch out!

We investigate bugs nature and look at the weeds flowers blooming.

We play sports…boy oh boy do we play sports.  We have mini games of soccer, basketball, and baseball going on all year round if it is dry outside.  Then there is Frisbee, and tag, and whatever random sports the boys make up at that moment! 

There are swinging, monkey bars, and sliding competitions.

There is sandcastle building, construction sites managing, and tree climbing.

The fun doesn’t stop when the sun goes down.  If the weather is dry, there is fire pit sitting, marshmallow roasting, constellation learning, and star gazing. 

So although our house is our home, it’s where we sleep, eat and find comfort.  We do all our living outside! 

What activities take place in your backyard?

What Would Make My Life As A Busy Mom Easier?

Oh I’m so glad you asked. Pull up a chair, can I get you a cup of coffee? Martini? Wine? How long do you have?

There are a TON of products out there that are designed specifically to help busy moms out. Now I haven’t tried them all (that could change anytime, oh makers of fun things), and I’m sure some of them--if not a majority of them--rock.

But until I’m able to do so, I thought I would make a list of things that I thought of in my completely exhausted state over the last eight years that would help me, a busy mom of three boys out. Here they are:

1)  We’ve all heard of the Roomba®, and the Scooba®. They are lovely little robotic devices that help you clean your carpeted and hardwood floors. I don’t have one, but I’ve heard they are fabulous! But as a busy mom with three children and a dog, I was thinking (while walking with a shovel in my hands in the back yard) that someone needs to invent a Poopba. Something that will automatically go around your yard and pick up your dog’s piles so that you don’t have to do it. I mean, I wipe enough rear ends during the day, picking up more bathroom messes that are in the grass my kids play in is not something I like to do.

2)  I already discussed this next item here a bit. But when the wise wonderful people who made washing machines and dryers were in their creative thinking process of design, why oh WHY did they not also think of making a Folder? A machine that folds your laundry for you! It would be a complete time saver, and I guarantee that every household would have one.

3)  Okay this next thing might be a tad of a stretch, and probably comes from 8 years of doing this one activity non-stop…but would it be so hard to invite something that makes changing a diaper easier and cleaner? I don’t know what it would be (that’s what the creative inventors are for) but for some reason, my mind goes right to The Jetsons cartoon.

4)  Now this idea came to me in the wee small hours of the morning as I was walking through the house to get a drink of water. What in the world would make me think of anything besides getting my water and going back to bed? LEGOS! Those itty bitty little pain in my rear wonderful creative toys that bring so much joy to my boys’ lives and really help ignite their imaginations…that’s what. There should be a product out there specifically designed to corral Legos that end up on the floor into one area. A Lego magnet, oh what I wouldn’t give for a Lego magnet. Now before you even ask…yes I do have my children pick up their Legos in the evening. But some are so tiny that they go unnoticed by everyone in the house until they are stabbing you in the foot while walking in the middle of the night, in the dark. So a Lego magnet is a must!

5)   This last idea is something near and dear to my heart. Something that I’ve been dreaming about for a long time! It’s something that would put a smile on my face and a bounce in my step. It would have my eyes twinkling like a little girl on Christmas morning! What in the world could have that much power? Starbucks delivery!!! Enough said!

This is only a handful of the crazy wonderful, help-a-mommy-out ideas that I have had. Stay tuned for more sometime soon!

What invention or service would you like to see on the market that would help you out?

Loud…Louder…Loudest!

There are certain sounds that make a mother’s heart soar.  The sound of her baby gulping in satisfaction as he drinks his milk and then sighs as he drifts off to sleep.  The sound of her baby’s first coo, first babble, and first word.

Nothing is sweeter to a mother’s ear than when she hears her child say “Mommy you’re the best mommy in the whole world” or “Mommy I love you to Jupiter and back.” 

A mother revels in the sound of her children using good manners at the table, and having respect when talking to adults. 

Her heart swells as she hears the laughter coming from another room as her children play nicely together.  As they discover new things that tickle their funny bone even if it has to do with bodily functions. Or even if they are just watching something funny on the TV.  Laughter is good.

What is not good…what can send a mother over the ever loving edge is the fighting, the constant bickering, the never ending “BUT MOOOOMMMM!!” or “I’m NOT going to” or “NO WAY!” when asked something as simple as “please go brush your teeth.” 

It’s not just the sassy back talk or the outright defiance, but it is the volume in which these comments are made.  The sheer volume that is created in this house is enough to make my teeth ache. 

I don’t know, maybe it’s because the start of school is just around corner, or maybe it’s because I’ve had three solid months of listening to boys fight over things from toys to socks…yes I said it, my boys have fought over socks!!  But I’m at the end of my rope, and my ears are paying the price.   

The volume that is generated in my house of three boys is enough to break the sound barrier several times over.  I kid you not, the windows vibrate!  You can only imagine what it does to my ears.  Doesn’t matter if it is fighting or just some good ol’ rambunctious playing, it seems that as the summer has rolled on the volume has been turned up to MAX like on a stereo knob of a 1980’s boom box.  Big T and Sweet Pea can be right next to each other playing and they are yelling at each other, or the simulated car noises they are making are that of what you would find at a Monster Truck rally.

It’s INSANE!

Then of course if I want to get their attention I have to take my volume up to concert deafening levels just to get their head to turn in my direction.  Ohhh, I should really get a microphone to save my voice.  Sorry, random idea for survival gear for next summer.  Anyway, all the while the baby is chiming in with a scream here and a yell there as if to tell his brothers to knock it off.  He’s like his mama and doesn’t like all the noise in the house. 

I’d send them outside but then I would for sure have a house that is constantly being egged by the neighbors because really, who wants to listen to all the noise my boys can make?  I can’t subject my neighbors to that!

*sigh*

I know one thing; my boys should get a commission from our local wineries.  After all the noise this summer, I have definitely contributed to their spike in sales!! 

I try to remember that one day, most likely sooner than I’d like, the house will be quiet and I won’t know what to do with myself.  I will be begging for the loud eyelid twitching noise to come back.  That the moment the house goes quiet is the moment my children are grown. 

So I’ll take the window vibrating, boom box blaring noise and deal with it, and just pray that I make it to the start of school without losing some of my hearing in the process.

How do you keep your kids volume at a manageable level in your home?

Saving the WOOO-OLD!

My Sweet Pea is 5.  Since the day he was born I knew he was bound for great things, but what mother doesn’t think that of her children?  He has always been a sensitive, loving little guy.  If someone is hurt, he feels bad even if he didn’t cause the pain.  If someone is angry he tries to defuse the situation with the best techniques that his 5 year old abilities will allow.  If someone feels bad he comes to the rescue with hugs and kisses and talks about love and will not stop until you have a smile on your face.  If someone is in trouble, he straps on the superhero costume of his choice and comes to the rescue.  If there is no time for the costume…he decides he is STILL the superhero, but in disguise.

Sweet Pea has an imagination that rivals Marvel and DC Comics.  There is not a day that goes by where he doesn’t don a superhero costume to try and save me, his brothers, his dog, or his home from the bad guys.  I am blessed to regularly have Superman, Batman, Spiderman, and Ironman in my home.  Don’t you wish you were me?  I’ve got connections.

They all have their rolls to play.  If there is some sort of perceived or imaginative danger outside, then it is definitely Superman because he can fly!  Spiderman comes in as a close second because of his swinging-off-his-web ability which makes him able to travel fast.  If the bad guys have invaded our home then it is Ironman all the way, and let me just tell you…you don’t want to mess with Ironman.  Dude, he has the gloves!  If the danger is while we are on the road, its Batman because who wouldn’t want their minivan to turn into the Bat Mobile?    

His imagination isn’t just limited to Superheroes either. No, it spans far and wide.  If he is watching a cartoon, he makes it a point to tell me he is the lead character in that cartoon.  “I’m Jake,” “I’m Thomas,” “I’m Super Why.”   If he is watching the movie Cars™ he is ALWAYS Lighting McQueen and somehow I get the task of being Mac.  Fitting since I cart him around everywhere anyway.  When asked why he wants to be these characters the response is always “because they are good guys, and they’re COOL.”   If he is outside and decides that a Superhero doesn’t fit the job, with a bucket and stick he immediately becomes a Knight in Shining Armor.  With goggles and a sunny day he is a scuba diver saving people who don’t know how to swim. 

His imagination is endless.  I marvel at his ideas and love watching him play them out.  So when he comes down the stairs or out of the playroom dressed as the superhero of his choice stating “Mommy…I’m going to save the WOOOO-OLD from all the bad guys…they better watch out.” I think to myself, yes you are my dear Sweet Pea, and could you please hurry, the WOOO-OLD could sure use some saving by someone who has a kind, caring, heart of gold just like you do. 

What is your favorite aspect of your children’s imagination?

It's Starting

The awkwardness, the silliness, the “I have no idea how to act when I’m around them so I’m just going to act like a doofus” behavior.

Where has the time gone? He’s 8, only 8, and it’s starting. I’ve seen the slow progression of transition, from not paying any mind, to actually starting to notice. The “oh they are just other kids” to the “sure they are kids, but they are different than I am”.

It’s the realization that girls really are a bit different than boys. And I think the curiosity of it all has dropped his IQ by a few points….at least!

It’s innocent to be sure because he hasn’t made the connection yet that boys really DO like girls. He’s just starting to realize that girls are different. I’ve personally witnessed a few (I don’t know if you would call them crushes, this mom certainly isn’t ready for that), girls that have caught his eye for one reason or another and his behavior changes immediately…and not for the better. He watches them like a hawk, wanting to interact, waiting for his moment to enter into a conversation, and then once he gets chance he turns into a kid I’ve never seen before.

My eight year old, who spoke his first word at 6 months and hasn’t stopped since, is now babbling, and making up words when he is around girls. He can’t put a sentence together for the life of him. So his “go to” secondary response is babbling followed by doing some kind of strange tribal-like dance as he walks away from them. Oh and if that doesn’t spike the girls interest enough to make her follow him (because who wouldn’t want to follow a babbling tribal boy?) he will come back and start talking like he knows everything about everything. Boasting about the simplest things like how many soccer balls he has (not even going to let my mind go to what Mr. Sigmund Freud would think), or how high he can swing on the swing. How far he can hit a baseball, and if all else fails he starts bragging about what his parents can do.

I never understood why boys acted so WEIRD around girls when I was little. I couldn’t figure out how they could be having normal conversations about toys, sports and only God knows what else when they are in a group to themselves but then you throw a girl into the mix, or even if a girl just walks by, and their minds immediately turn to mush.

Now that I’m a mom to boys, do you know what? I STILL don’t have a clue as to why they act like a doofus around girls. My first guess is that it is nerves. What they have to be nervous about at the tender age of 8, I have no clue, but they are. Couple the feeling of nervousness with the need to show off for some odd reason and you’ve got your child looking like some male bird squawking and doing a silly dance flapping its wings just to get the female bird to notice them. While that technique may work on bird, it sure makes girls go…HUH??

Being the mom I try to tell him to just be himself, not to get nervous, be confident that he is a great kid with a lot to contribute to a conversation, to which his response is “I’m NOT nervous…geeeeesh MOM” so there again I’m confused. If he isn’t nervous and trying to prove something then what is he? Cute, that’s exactly what he is!

As a child I thought what boys did to get girls attention was annoying, rude and obnoxious. As a mom, I think it’s adorable and fun to watch. I also find myself wishing I knew I had that kind of power when I was a little girl. Oh the fun I would have had with the babbling, wing flapping boys that roamed the playground back in the day!!

Whatever it is, it’s fun to watch, and I take notes to make sure I recall these moments when he and his lovely wife come over for dinner one evening.

What do you think makes a boy’s behavior change when they are around girls?

Mourning You

Today's post is being linked up with Shell 's at Things I Can't Say Pour Your Heart Out meme.  I love the idea of having a safe place to express whatever is in your heart.



It started out as a little girl’s dream, a vision of what her life would be when she grew up.  It was in the map that she had set out for her life, a line that she would follow.  And although the map led her to exactly where she wanted to be--where she needed to be--you were missing when she got there. 

She waited patiently, dreaming of how it would be when you would arrive.  Dreaming of what you would look like, what you would sound like, what the relationship would be like.  Would you have blonde hair that turned light brown with age just like she did?  Or would you have your daddy’s dark brown hair from the beginning?  Would you have large expressive eyes that with just one look could see what you were thinking and feeling?  Would there be the special, undeniable bond just like she had with her mother?  Would you follow her around hanging on her every word like she did?  Would you find yourself wanting to be just like her?  Would you sit in the bathroom as she got ready to go out for a night on the town watching her getting ready and being amazed at how beautiful she was?  Would she be able to teach you all the things that she was taught without forgetting anything?

As she waited and wondered, time passed, life happened, and a beautiful family was created.  A family that she was extremely thankful for, proud of, and one that brought tears of joy to her eyes every time she looked at them.  She beamed, watching her children play and grow.  She knew they were meant to be hers and she was meant to be theirs.  That the whole family was right where they were meant to be, together, happy….and most importantly loved unconditionally.  Yet there was something missing, something unfulfilled…you hadn’t arrived. 

As time went on, the little girl now a grown woman started to realize that you would never arrive.  It was a hard reality that she had a difficult time coming to terms with.  Something that she always thought would happen appeared never to be.

There was never to be baby dolls throughout the house….mourning you.

There was never to be a dance recital to attend…..mourning you.

There was never to be pink anything….mourning you. 

There was never to be a princess-themed birthday party…..mourning you.

There was never to be ears being pierced or nails to be painted…..mourning you.

There was never to be prom dresses to pick out together….mourning you.

There was never to be a wedding with you in a beautiful gown…mourning you.

There was never to be a day where she witnessed you giving birth to your own children and finally realizing what a wonderful gift life and love is……mourning you.

I am that little girl turned grown woman and you....you my love are the daughter that I will never have and I mourn you a little bit (or sometimes so much it hurts) every single day.