The Passion’s Back! July 31, 2007

 

The Passion Flower that is!

 

Sweet, Sweet Success! July 30, 2007

They made it! Today was the first day of Vacation Bible School; and the boys turned 3 just in time!!! They also had to be potty trained to attend. We fooled the teachers today, now if we can just get by 4 more days! They are almost totally trained.

We had 3 whole hours to ourselves and I felt no pressure to “hurry up”. I had a HOT breakfast and shared it with NO one. My non-fat, no-foam, vanilla latte was perfect. I drank it without wearing a drop. AND, I wandered through Target for an entire hour without saying “don’t touch” (I caught myself mid-scold when I realized I don’t have any redheaded children).

The best part of the morning: Mrs. G invited them back tomorrow!!!! The next best part: It cost me nothing!

Kennel Rage July 27, 2007

I am a wife (and have been for 11+ years).

I am a mother to 3 young children (6 and 3 x 2).

I take “mothering” seriously and did not enter into it lightly.

“Mothering” IS my full-time job.

My children are (usually) polite, well-spoken (even if they occasionally swear), kind, thoughtful, smart, and funny (Violet tells a mean knock-knock joke).

My children also whine, cry, wake in the night, insist on taking a king sized quilt to the mall, spill juice, and sometimes demand pancakes for dinner.

My husband works hard.

We dream of good schools, music lessons, runs in the park, and family vacations.

We are intentional parents.

We have good days and not so good days (read my other posts).

We are a family trying to build character and teach/learn life lessons on a daily basis.

So, when I hear people referring to me as a “breeder” I feel rather irritated. Any animal can breed. I am certainly better than the neighborhood stray cat. Aren’t I?

How do you feel when you hear this- parents and non-parents?

NOTE:

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source breed·er (brē’dər) Pronunciation Key
n.

1. A person who breeds animals or plants.
2. An animal kept to produce offspring.
3. Offensive Slang A heterosexual person.

Could It Be Tourette’s Syndrome? July 25, 2007

“CRAP!”

“DAMN IT”

“CRAPDAMNIT”

(I know where he heard “crap”. I say it hourly. The “damn it” part…not in my repertoire.)

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My! July 24, 2007

Ok, so we didn’t see the lions and tigers, Oh My. We were at the Oregon Zoo for about 4 hours and I think we saw less than half of the animals. The weather was perfect, the company pleasant, and the animals boys well behaved.

For a (very) brief moment, we had Violet convinced we were really eating elephant ears. The boys didn’t care what we were eating as long as it had sugar on it!

Lessons From Gramma July 22, 2007

Super Gramma (as Violet likes to call her) prides herself on having “taught” all of the kids to chew gum. The first three (Violet and her 2 cousins) were quick studies. The last two (Herbie and Bigweld) usually end up swallowing the gum or playing a game they like to call “sticky gum”. You can imagine the rules in that game!

When Violet has gum and wants to eat a quick bite of something else, Super Gramma tells her to put the gum “in her cheek”. Trying only to follow Gramma’s directions, Herbie takes his gum out of his mouth and puts it “on” his cheek. It can be rather difficult to keep from laughing when he has a large wad of pink double bubble on the side of his serious little face.

Child for Hire July 21, 2007

Yesterday was a very productive day! We got a lot done. In fact, my neighbor even commented that the day looked like it would never end. Here is what we did:

1. Bigweld decided that the cats would like cereal, so he dumped out the entire bag of cat food and mixed it with a gallon of water. Let me tell you, wet cat food STINKS.

2. I cleaned up the above mentioned mess.

3. Bigweld emptied the gas can on the shed floor and his brother.

4. I cleaned up the above mentioned mess.

5. The boys each had 2 baths. After the second, they emptied the tub of their toys, shoes, swimsuits, and lots of water.

6. I cleaned up the above mentioned mess.

7. Bigweld gave himself a drastic haircut. He is currently sporting a nice “come-over”. Now I know why Herbie was chanting “off to the barber’s chair”.

8. I cleaned up the above mentioned mess.

9. Bigweld had 3 pt (potty training) accidents.

10. I cleaned up the above mentioned mess.

Now that I have a list, it looks like Bigweld and I were the only productive members of the household. I could be wrong, but I don’t think I would survive all 3 of my children being this helpful at once.

“Have cake, Mama?” July 19, 2007

Today is the boys’ 3rd birthday!

Let’s just let that soak in for a minute.

They are finally 3 years old.

I honestly did not think we would survive this long with twins. I know that sounds stupid, but I really had my doubts.

Now that they’re asleep for the night, I can safely sit here and think about what a blessing they are to our family. I am truly honored to be their mama. I am looking forward to the next 3 years with great anticipation, expectation, and adoration.

Happy Birthday, Boys! I love you both dearly.

How To Read Between The Whines… July 17, 2007

“Last Week”- this refers to any moment in time prior to this very moment.

“Toilet with pipes”- aka “the water toilet”. For some reason we must distinguish between the training toilet and the real McCoy.

“I need to burp my buns”- this screams “run me to the nearest toilet with pipes” or pay the consequences.

“I want some-ping else”- Only Bigweld uses this. It means, he’s hungry and I’m not offering what he wants. Unfortunately, he can’t name what he wants.

“Water on my cereal”- “Please serve my cereal with cold milk, mama” would just be too easy to say.

“Ka-chow”- aka Cars Pull-Ups.

“I not Herbie”- means “I really am Herbie, but I don’t want to be in trouble.”

Life Follows Me Everywhere I Go July 17, 2007

I am sitting in Sunriver wondering when a vacation with children will actually feel like a real vacation.

Violet is thrilled to have the top bunk and unlimited cartoons in “her” room. Bigweld wants to go home to our cats. Herbie wants to clog up all three toilets. The Pilot is probably counting down the time left until his next trip; and I am just hoping for a nap.