I love all my boys, but I particularly love staying up late and getting to know the hearts of my teenagers better. I love it every bit as much as I did rocking them to sleep when they were babies. Parents, don’t let your frustrations with all the emotions and attitudes that come with the […]
Give me a stick and a box Or an old bald tire. Give me some rocks and a rope, And a place to make fire. Give me your junk and I’ll make worlds to transpire. I’ll make me a sword and a house, A swing and stone wall. I’ll be both pitcher and batter and […]
I used Grammarly to grammar check this post because I am suffering from Summer-induced Grammnesia. It’s a serious ailment, common to homeschool moms (and maybe any teacher), wherein your ability to find and detect grammatical errors has been temporarily debilitated due to the summer heat and sudden onset of freedom. Speaking of homeschooling, we are […]
We sure do miss our sweet doggy, Bruce. What a gentle friend he was to my boys… and to me over the years. He was an indoor dog which meant he really was part of the family. And even though most of the time he was just lying around the house like a farting, snoring […]
I’m sort of actually misquoting a malapropism once made by my then three year old. He was jumping and spinning circles on my bed when he declared with a pirouette, “I’m a Ballaweiner!” Also known as a Ballerina. Conflicting visions of Oscar Meyer Hotdogs smothered in mustard and onions wearing tutus and toe shoes danced […]
We like to pronounce Yosemite as though we are making a Hooked on Phonics infomercial. Yo Semite. Yo. We went there, yo. Totally dude. Um… check out the butterfly. It’s been forever since we had been to Yosemite…. Since our honeymoon more than 15 years ago which is actually just shy of forever. Funny story that… […]
Today I bought an old ugly dresser with nice bones at the local thrift store. It was just your standard 1970’s wood dresser. I brought it home, sanded the living daylights out of it and painted it a vibrant teal. Yes. You heard me right. Teal. Pictures to come soon. But as I wait for […]
I really want to post about Blissdom and I will. I really will. (promise!) I will post a ton of pictures and spill my everlovin’ guts about the whole experience. But it was so big. So very big. Nothing else seemed to exist for those days outside of the Opryland Hotel. But for some reason […]
When we lived in Canada, we used to go to the mall just in order to get out of the house when it was too cold to go anywhere else. Since moving back home to California, we have only set foot in a mall about maybe 10 times (not including strip malls that include things […]
My hunkahunkaburninlove comes home from Staff Orientation in Arizona at Food for the Hungry tomorrow. Oh, I’m so happy. I’m so happy he’s coming home but I’m so so happy he loves his job. I’m so excited about this organization. I’m very thankful. But I’m still really happy he’s coming home tomorrow. It’s not quite the […]
It had been so long. I can hardly remember our last family hike, something which we used to do quite often, especially when we lived in Calgary. Here we seem to have become so busy with all of life that hiking has sadly managed to slip way down on the list of possible things to […]
My baby is now six. Last night I was recalling with my sister how I felt the day that I gave birth to my fourth baby. My belly, mere moments after birth, for the first time in four deliveries, seemed to know just how to behave and went back to its prior size (not that […]
My oldest child just turned 11 yesterday. It’s hard to believe I’m old enough to be the parent of a pre-teen. Really hard to believe. As in, I don’t think it’s possible. I’m still 23. He received art supplies, as per his request, for his birthday. Paints, brushes, etc. Today he whipped them all out […]
The boys are involved in a local church’s AWANA scripture memory program which they all really love. Each week has some sort of theme. This past week was crazy hair night. While one of my kids was initially reticent about participating (well, actually more negative than mere reticence) I eventually convinced him to “let down […]
Stuck-on sparkles, old elastic metal clips and see-through plastic, Bits of paper, string and glue, little flecks of I-love-you. A stick with arms, some legs, a head, some frizzled hair (just bits of thread) “It’s you!” a finger points in ballyhoo to little marks of I-love-you. Some hearts float ’round about the air A rainbow […]
I have silly boys. They are funny and witty and artistic and creative and all the wonderful (and maddening) things that come along with that kind of personality. They surprise me with their creations. Sometimes I’m floored by the ingenuity. And then other times I just scratch my head and wonder. And then let out […]
It is real, man. It’s a pretty special bond. And it goes both ways. What do you think he’s thinking about here? I can tell you. He wants a sandwich. Dream on Bruce. You wish.
I’m sitting here at the park watching my boys play. Jumping, leaping, climbing, and pretty much doing anything that they think worth the risk of failure and injury. Play is work for them. It is learning. They are playing at what is a good risk and what is a bad risk. I once had a […]
Emphasis on NUT. Cause my kids are nuts. But their my nuts. And I love ’em. This is a soldier. Private Ryan? I don’t know really. Someone brave and rugged though. And looking shell-shocked. My Motley Crew This is what happened when I said, “Get in character!!” This is Igor. This is my little Rescue […]
You know, there is nothing like exposing your kids to all of the right t.v. and movie characters throughout the generations. You know, like Wallace and Beaver Cleaver, Gilligan and the gang, The Brady fam, The Jetsons and their Hanna-Barbara ilk. Nothing will give kids a strong sense of television and movie history and a […]
Just a super friendly reminder… just an über gentle nudge… from your three year old pals everywhere…. school is very… very… very serious. Especially when you’re three and working on quadratic equations and honing a fine tuned understanding of Einstein’s theory of relativity. It’s a very serious business. Do not trifle with the studiousness of […]
Last year we bought the kids some goggles for their swimming lessons. My two little ones love wearing their goggles even when they’re not swimming. I just can’t help but laugh… especially at my three year old… who also dresses himself. His ensembles plus the goggles are enough to make any eyes bug out. And […]
NEVER NEVER NEVER WALK UP THE STAIRS WHILE PICKING YOUR NOSE!!! You never “nose” what can happen. If only my baby could say in his best Seinfeld voice, “It wasn’t a pick! It was a scratch!!!” This popular dual thumb-sucking and nose-picking maneuver is what got him into trouble in the first place. An addict […]
As you may know sometimes I like bragging on my kids on this here website. It’s a mother’s prerogative. It’s the beauty of owning a blog. It’s totally shameless. And I’m about to do it again. Not too long ago we had some dear friends staying with us. Among them were four boys. Among those […]
And I don’t mean that in a sinister way… like someone would if they said it right before they were about to tell you something really bad. I just mean the party is over. And it was fun while it lasted. There were decorations… A pony ride… (Yes, I made that hobby horse… that explains […]
My baby is three today. How does that happen? You can expect me to ask that every year until he’s 40 I think. By then I may have clued in that he’s pretty much going to keep getting older and bigger and more independent every day no matter how long I insist on referring to […]
I love my big boys. They make me proud.
Last night as I was tucking my boys into bed this conversation took place: Two year old: Mommy, (grabbing my face and squishing my cheeks between his two little hands) you’re my BEEEEEEST Fwend. And my Daddy…. he’s my best fwend too. Me: Awww… you are so sweet. Two year old: Yes, I AM sweet […]
I love taking fall portraits of my boys. The intense colors of the season just call my camera’s name. “Hello….” They call. They sing to me. They beckon like as unto the Hills calling Fraulein Maria. And Fraulein Maria and I just can’t say no to the talking trees and leaves and the laughing breezes. […]
Hi, my name is Nan and I have a hyperactive child. Here he is. Oh wait a minute… that’s a kind of dated picture. Here he is… I love this child dearly. But this child is not fond of sitting at a desk. He’s not fond of having to look at books because it […]
But I don’t mean it in a bad way. Don’t you love it when people say things that are really rude and then suffix it with this self-protective sheath of “But I don’t mean it in a bad way.” Or when they are about to say something totally insulting and decide to prefix it with, […]
Tonight I made a really fabulous dinner. It was sort of a mix between this and this with a couple of extra twists. The twists were big enough though that it really seemed like quite a different dish from both of those though. In fact, it was so different that I it might not be […]
Update!! (((sigh))) Much better…
Where does the time go? How is it that this child is almost three years old? When did that happen? I thought I just had him? I thought he was just nursing and sleeping next to me in my bed. I thought I was just bringing him home from the hospital when he was ten […]
So he’s not a baby. I get that. But dangit, he’ll always be my baby so get used to me calling him that. Okay? Good, got that out of the way. Okay, so my baby is the most verbose of all of my children at this age. Truthfully all of my children have been very […]
I actually won something. I never win. But I can’t say that anymore because I actually won something. Okay, so the truth is that the blogosphere has given better odds of winning really cool stuff to losers people like me who rarely if ever win things in the real world. And it’s great because whenever […]
Recent boyisms include, but are not limited to, the following: I had to take my two year old into the dressing room while I tried something on recently. I did my best to not be entirely and 100% visible to him but he managed to pop up and turn around in his stroller and have […]
I have to ask you other mothers and fathers this question. Do your children make up songs that include lots of made up words? And do these songs sometimes surprise you with the accidental and occasional F-bombs or other shocking words? My four year old, who as usual will remain nameless, is my singer. He […]
It must be hardwired into them. Killing things is generally not something we tend to encourage around our house. You know, besides things like germs and giant helicopters mosquitoes and houseflies whenever possible, we really try to avoid killing things. Last year when we discovered we had a few four legged boarders of the rodent […]
My littlest man loves boxing. It’s his favorite game to play on the Wii and it’s one of his favorite things to do with his Daddy lately. (His other favorite is cuddling.) Call me selfish but I really don’t want my kids being in any sport that has a likely potential to cause facial disfigurement […]
Whenever we go out we inevitably get asked one of two questions, but usually both, at least 14 times per hour. The first question being, “Are they all yours?” and the second one being, “Are they all boys?” and the third one being, “Are there any twins?” and the fourth one being “How far apart […]
A boy’s work is never done.
Not to bore you with all the gory details of sickness but tonight my son came in and handed me these handy little symptom lists which he wrote up in order to help me identify various common family ailments. Who needs Google or advice nurses when you have this sort of thing at your fingertips? […]
Boys like mud. And when snow melts there’s plenty to be had. And boys don’t seem to care if they forget to wash it all off the minute they come inside. They don’t seem to mind that crispy, crusty feeling. I don’t get it. But it’s very boyish of them isn’t it? I realize his […]
That’s what the high was for today and we couldn’t have been happier. We decided that we had to commemorate the gorgeous weather by donning shorts (or capris in my case) and going on a family hike to our favorite natural place in our city, Fish Creek Park, Canada’s largest urban park according to Alberta […]
My oldest boy turns 8 today. We all went swimming at a local aquatic centre this morning for his birthday celebration. Tonight we are eating tacos and then birthday cake. I can’t believe this child is 8 years old. I don’t know how that happened so fast. He knows how proud I am of him. […]
One activity that I find so important in nurturing a love of reading in my children is reading aloud to them. I admit, we are not as constant in this area as I wish we were. We vacillate between voraciously consuming books together to the opposite extreme of not reading aloud for several weeks. Whenever […]
So I’m a very sensitive sleeper. I have sleep issues. Lots of them. Frankly, I am a weirdo when it comes to sleep. From night time teeth grinding to very vivid dreams that I can I recall with clarity and torture my husband with in the morning to recurring night terrors (actually a sleep disorder) […]
I love it that when my boys go out to play, in their minds they are going out to work. They have business plans. Entrepreneurial dreams and visions. They have a chain of command and they are constantly reviewing the progress made on the many projects they have going on at any time. I am […]
Brothers will never fail to surprise me. How they can go from throwing clumps of dirt at each other because they are mad that “he was digging in my mud pit!!” to showing the sweetest affection, I’ll never know. I’m sure I was never ever so volitile in my affections, ever in my life. Never. […]
is not mine. It’s pretty though isn’t it? I love how shiny it is. The piano. It’s a wonderful, amazing, beautiful instrument. I should know. I took lessons for five years as a child, which I’m sure you realize is not enough to warrant me saying, “I should know” about it. I’m lucky if I […]
You know how I posted about little boys and their guns the other day? Remember how I told you that my two year old has a definite flair for the dramatic? Well… I didn’t think you quite got my meaning. I thought maybe you were doubtful as to just how much of an actor he […]
Ha ha. Just kidding. This isn’t a political post. (Well… it isn’t meant to be anyways.) I read somewhere that boys needed to have play guns and that if they don’t have play guns they will turn just about anything into a play gun. I can’t remember which book it was but we’ll just blame […]
Last night somewhere around midnight the Pastor and I decided that we needed to rearrange the house. Really. We moved parts of the family room to the living room and parts of the living room to the kitchen and family room and parts of the family room to a bedroom. And we are all much […]
You never know what you’re going to get. Sometimes they wake up cheerful and sunny. They smile and sing and say you are pretty. Other times they appear to have been run over by a freight train and look at you like you were the engineer that caused the wreckage that is their sad sorry […]
They do. Oh, do they ever. And their mothers take pictures of it.
Look at this face. Does this look like the face of a person who is thinking about the state of the global economy? Does this? Maybe not. But he really is. He is wondering if Pampers stocks are going to plummet because of the recession. He is worried about his 401K. He is actually not […]
Third children are the best. They are happy, cheerful, helpful, adorable, outgoing, shy at the right times, funny and intelligent. They really are all that. I got to spend a little bit of time with my third child today and we had a blast looking out the window at the crazy swirly snow. And who […]
Children grow so fast. It makes the mother’s heart go pitter pat doesn’t it? It sometimes even draws a tear. Or two. One day they are just little kids… And before you know it they are big. Real big. Super tall long legged strangers. And husbands… well, they go the other way I guess… You […]
Nan
So we’ve had a few discussions about human reproduction lately with the older two boys using science books from the library. We’ve had some really great conversations. Not at all “scary.” In fact we take joy in teaching them about these things, knowing that we are teaching them that sex is not only a really […]
This morning came too early. My eyes found themselves being rubbed out of their closed state after a short night of Unisom induced slumber. My eyes were forced out of bed by two yelling and laughing scratchy little voices. My eyes bumbled their way to the bathroom and then stumbled down to big white rectangle […]
I seem to have forgotten to mention how the big gift went over with the kids. First, I have to say that I was really proud of the kids because though they had very few gifts to open, they didn’t complain. In fact, our gift opening time lasted about ten minutes at the most. It […]
You will now witness for yourself what kind of malarky will ensue when you let boys do any silly thing they want to in front of a video camera. (Pay no attention to the background mess… we cleaned it after making the video. Mostly.) Now you have seen and know for yourself what I live […]
That’s the stuffy nosed version of, “Merry Christmas! Pass the Nyquil!” just in case you aren’t a licensed interpreter for Sickese. I woke up with a head cold this morning. I sound like that girl on Sesame Street back in the Seventies…. remember the one who sat on the big couch and always talked about […]
And I’ve made up a new little jingle in honor of this… ummm… tradition… Nan
It seems that I gave birth to a poet. A sentimental one at that. This shouldn’t be terribly surprising. His father is a poet. His mother is a poet. His grandmother is a poet. His Great Great Grandmother was a poet. But still, can you try to imagine my amazement when I discovered in my […]
Today we went on our first sledding expedition of the season. It’s been bitterly cold this week with highs hanging right around the minus teens (C) but with wind chill it feels quite a bit cooler. Needless to say we don’t do a whole lot of playing out in this weather. Minus 10 Celsius is […]
Just try taking Christmas pictures with four boys and a dog. I’m betting some of you have. I’m sure success will come eventually. I just took about 10 pictures (granted I just decided at random — didn’t even make sure their clothes or faces were clean…) and I think only one of them is remotely […]
Don’t you love it when you overhear your kids playing and they say something terribly cute? My three younger boys were playing trains and cars while my oldest was just delving into his first multiplication lesson (which he is loving by the way!) The children of course were making the cars and trains talk to […]
Recently I’ve been reading Beverly Cleary books aloud to my boys. They are really enjoying them. We’ve been going back and forth between Henry Huggins books and Ramona books. So far we’ve read Henry Huggins, Henry and Ribsy, Ramona the Pest, Beezus and Ramona, Henry and Beezus and now we are reading Henry and the […]
Is it really possible? I don’t know for sure and I sure as heck am not holding my breath but today was the first day (knock on particle board) that nobody felt truly awful. I mean, everyone still has stuffy heads and runny noses and coughs but by golly, we felt somewhat human. Tonight we […]
So today my three year old broke out in hives that migrated from his lower back (just after breakfast) to his torso, chest and head (where they currently still remain.) I’m pretty sure I’ve figured out what it is (Acute Urticaria) but goodness, does the madness never end?! (We did take him in to a […]
I’m sorry but toys are the bane of my existence! Not all toys… just the many that pretty much go unplayed with except for the odd time that they are dragged out of a box and left strewn across the house. So much of it is just JUNK. I can’t stand the clutter. Who bought […]
According to my boys. I was commanded heartily emplored to take a picture of these things. The most amazing things in the world. It’s awfully lucky I had a camera with me to document these amazing finds. Otherwise the world would never know and surely our systems of government would fall, our spleens would all […]
I like faces. I particularly like these faces though. I guess I’m sorta partial to them. A person tends to feel that way about people that she birthed. Ya know? You tend to feel that way, no matter how much they drive you crazy sometimes, because once upon a pregnancy you dreamed what these faces […]
I have been a bad blogger lately. But a better human being. So I’m not going to bother flogging myself for my lack of posting here. Sometimes I do just have to take a few steps away from the computer in order to distance myself a bit from everything in it! So that’s where I’ve […]
The Pastor has recently become determined, thanks to finding a handy little book on the subject for only $1 at the library, that he and the boys need to begin letterboxing. And there’s not a moment to waste. They hope to head out on their first adventure tomorrow. I am not the letterboxing head honcho […]
We decided to go out for a mid-morning jaunt today. We needed to pick up a few items for various art and hobby related projects. Imagine our co-mingled feelings (mine, displeasure – the Pastor and the children’s pure excitement) when we found that this was happening: Yuck. Ick. Blargh. Don’t get me wrong. I like […]
The Pastor is the best Dad. Tonight was a “wrastling” night. On wrastling nights we move the coffee table and everyone pretty much tries to take each other down. Dad is the centerpiece of the whole affair. Usually there are a few knocked heads and a couple of tears shed but most of the time […]
Whoo Doggy! It’s been a good week for this crazed maniacal tooth yanker! (((rubs hands together with glee)))) Mister Mister’s second wobbly tooth had to come out today. Not only do I really like giving those little sucker’s the old heave ho, I really can’t stand looking at a tooth that hangs onto the gums […]
This morning I woke up to the sounds of my boys talking, laughing, playing and interspersed with these sounds were the sounds of fighting. I heard someone throw a punch. This was followed by someone throwing an insult. This was followed by my three year old shouting, “You guys are mean-o’s. Next Summer you used […]
Goodness but that sounds like the title to a book. I think it would be about a little deaf girl who loved to sit in her Grandmother’s butterfly garden. She would spend much of her time there and her family worried that she could become a taciturn recluse if she continued on in this manner. […]
I love three year old songs. I love how tuneless and endless they are. I love how the three year old’s thoughts can come out so unrhymingly poetic. The one I just heard was, “I like heaven becaaaauuuaaause there’s no puking in heaeaeaeaveeeeen. And not hachooing. And no sneezing. And no coughing. And no crying. […]
Remember how, a couple of days ago, I mentioned how much I love Fall, except that it reminds me how close winter is… and then I tacked on, “who knows, it could snow tomorrow…” Well… yesterday we had our first snow. Can you believe it? Crazy. Thankfully it melted almost before it hit the ground. […]
This week has been one of those weeks that, were it to be printed on a piece of graph paper, looks mostly like a trough. I realize the waves are perpetual and that there are as many peaks as there are troughs but this has definitely been a trough week. It culminated in a family […]
I think this might only happen in a houseful of Star Wars crazed boybarians… where there just so happens to be a travel neck pillow lying about. You can only laugh when your “baby” comes up to you, looking like this: and says, “I Kee A-dala.” (You may not “get” this if you are not […]
You just know that I think you’re cutewhen you run around in your birthday suit. I know what it means, you realizewhen you get that twinkle in your eyes.Somehow you know I come undonewhen you wake up chattering and laughing with the sun. Deep down I’m sure you’re aware that you’re my lastwhen you give […]
Woofy is almost a family member here. As you might guess, he is of the canine variety. However, he is stuffed with fluff and beans rather than kibble. For each of our children we bought a stuffed animal who would welcome them to their crib when they slept in it for the first time. Here […]
That was the sound of one of my most humiliating parenting moments. Trying to be as cultured as humanly possible the six of us spent a couple of hours meandering through Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. It is just beautiful there. We walked through the Botanical Gardens. And I took some pictures of the […]
I mean. Don’t you? Doesn’t everybody feel this way once in a while? (If you wonder about the mascara, it was running because I was crying laughing.) And who among us doesn’t feel all stuffed up and like a vise is squeezing our brains so that they are about to squirt out our ears? I […]
If I didn’t already know how rewarding this was I would have a really hard time pressing on! My second son is just now beginning to learn to read. It is just barely beginning to take hold in his mind but he is still at the point where he will forget what the the letter […]
Someone would really rather sleep in a pile of books than in his big boy bed… (Don’t worry, there is still lots of apron stuff below this post!) :^D Nan
My son, 7, was told to write a story from the perspective of a horse who happens to meet a boy. He is reading C.S. Lewis’ The Horse and His Boy right now and rather than assign him to some boring copy work I decided to assign some creative writing. Normally this child calls writing […]
In the thermos: It is snowing here today. Yes, folks. S-N-O-W-I-N-G. And it is “really comin‘ down” as my husband likes to say every time he looks out the window. Fortunately the ground is warm enough that I don’t really think much of it is going to stick. It’s just barely cold enough to snow […]
At dinner we were talking about maiden names. My 5 year old started the conversation. “Mom, your last name wasn’t always D____ was it? Not until you married Daddy right?” “That’s right.” “And Dad, Grandma’s last name wasn’t always D____ until… she married Grandpa right?” “You’re right! Her last name was _______ before that. And […]
That’s right everyone! It’s SOCCER season! Perhaps for some of you Texans and Californians, it’s been soccer season for a while already. But here in the Frozen North soccer season is just now starting because the fields are (usually) not covered with snow anymore in mid-April. (I’m not holding my breath though.) As of Saturday […]
That’s right. I still have young boys asking me out on dates. I do look young but c’mon! For heaven’s sake, I am married, people! When will kids these days realize that many people these days look younger with every candle they add to their birthday cakes? I mean Christie Brinkly is 52 for Pete’s […]
~Sitting at the dinner table a three year old boy stares hard at his mother’s face.~ Suddenly he whispers, with mystery and wonder in his saucer-like eyes, “Mommy, you have brains in your eyes!” (We had just read through a section of a library book about the human body. We were reading about veins and […]
Nan
I’m sorry to be blogging my life away today but my second child just said something that had to be recorded before I forgot it and I figured it would give you a kick too. While sitting on the floor back to back with his big brother he said, “Hey, let’s play octopus!” He started […]
AKA. Where does he get this stuff?! I posted this on my homeschooling message board (WTM) because I figure other classical homeschoolers would probably appreciate it. But I’m still sort of reeling at how cool this is so I’m just gonna post it for the world here too… after all, this is my “refrigerator of […]
The world has officially been turned upside down. Check outside your windows. Pigs are likely flying. Take a gander towards the pastureland. The cows are coming home. Flip through the channels until you land on an Operatic performance. The fat lady is probably singing. Last week when my parents and teenage brothers were in town […]
Sometimes kids say things that hold more depth and meaning than I think they even know. The other night while riding in our car our seven year old had been quietly contemplating something for a few moments and then suddenly said this, “People all over the world are plussing and people all over the world […]
Yesterday afternoon we were watching the news with the kids and our extended family who are visiting from California. The kids were talking about the upcoming soccer season and what team they would be playing on. The little one will be on a team that is sponsored in part by Tim Horton’s Doughnuts and Coffee. […]
This was a conversation this evening with my three year old (aka. Mr. 13 Shirts). I asked him what he thought. His scratchy voiced answer came matter of factly; “Well… we better take the Suburban of course. Because… it’s a long long way. (long pause) Or walking. But it’s very far to walk.” Nan
Last night everyone was getting ready for bed while Dad, exhausted from a long but enjoyable day, decided to collapse in his recliner in front of the television. He happened upon a Rick Steves tour. Rick Steves is the picture of nerdiness but we love him. Not in the we-want-to-move-in-with-him sort of way. I just […]
I’m exhausted. I had severe insomnia last night (not an uncommon problem unfortunately as some of you know) and I didn’t sleep until 2:30 a.m. So needless to say I am feeling a bit fuzzy around the edges today. As I was beginning to move about the kitchen in hopes of getting something started for […]
I’m so excited! It came in the mail today. The kids have been devouring (or making us read many times in succession) library books about space, stars and planets. And spiders. And bees. They are especially fond of the planets known as the gas giants, for obvious reasons. They are, after all, little boys. They […]
That goes in the category of things you never thought you’d say. Oh yeah, I heard similar phrases an awful lot (like, um… every day for 5 years straight) but it was about the piano. Something I never asked to play. Something I was never in love with the idea of. Something I pretty much […]
This post has nothing to do with money actually. Have you heard the phrase, “That’s money!” My husband uses this phrase a lot now for some reason. It pretty much can be used interchangeably to mean, “That’s awesome” or “That’s priceless.” Two nights ago I sent my oldest son downstairs after he had gotten ready […]
Oh yes we do, we do.We have names for people like you. We have names for people like you.Like Ham Loaf, and Cheese Head and Cheek Monkey. The world has summarily been warned.They know your type.You little rascally varmintout to make us laugh and shake our heads,out to find an adventure. Every morning you wake […]
I was making pancakes for dinner tonight. The children smelled the goods and came thundering down the stairs like a small stampede of water buffalo. My three year old with surprised superiority in his voice declared to his brothers, “I was right! Her’s making pancakes!” Feeling very teachery I decided to correct his very cute […]
Yes, folks. That’s right. You are looking at the modern day refrigerator. At least in my home it serves partly as a refrigerator. You see, we somehow joined the ranks of stainless steel appliance snobs when we moved into our new home that came fully equipped, including all the appliances. Besides the fact that they […]
My husband really ought not be allowed out of town. Whenever he does, all hell breaks loose. The last TWO times he left I sprained my ankle. This time I have people projectile vomiting… and other yucky substances exiting the body involving another oraface. So far I have wiped up poop off of a high […]
Last night in the car my 3 year old used the word “penis” a few times. I could not hear much other than that word. I have no idea what the context was but I do know that there was giggling involved (in case you wondered, yes boys do giggle). I did not immediately respond […]
I’ll tell you what happens. They go nuts. They turn into bonafide freaks. I was pleasantly surprised by some of their pictures as I scrolled through the 115 photos that they took in the 15 minutes that they had their hot little hands on my little old camera (not the new one you gave me […]
Last night during dinner the door bell rang and a little tip-toeing (how do you really spell “toeing”??) proved my theory that it was a sales person to be correct. We decided to not answer the door and let in the -15 degree air that we do our best to keep from ever entering the […]
This is one of those, “You know you are homeschoolers when…” posts. On Sunday evening we had some friends over to watch the Superbowl (which I didn’t really watch for longer than 15 minutes anyways). A few of us ladies were sitting at the table as were a few of my children. My five year […]
Oh what a beautiful day! Well, actually not. It is cloudy and dreary but thankfully here in Alberta that means it’s going to be a nice balmy +4 degrees Celsius! The clearer the sky, the colder it is. So as much as I like a sunny day, I’ll take a cloudy warm day over a […]
with a certain little chap in my household who goes by he moniker, of Mr. 13 Shirts. Of late Mr. 13 Shirts has become quite combative with his brothers. He is third in line. What should I expect. I expect a lot of things but I didn’t expect him to begin defending himself (or in […]
Everyone in our family, except for my purty little self, has the same barber. His name is Daddy. The job used to be mine but I didn’t like being called “the barber” and there’s something that reminds me of my sweet Grandma when I hear the words, “my hairdresser” so the job shifted from being […]
Have you ever gone through a pink phase? I imagine that most girls have, somewhere around fourth or fifth grade. Depending on the era you grew up in the pink phase may have been baby pink, Barbie pink, Barbie and the Rockers Pink, magenta… But am I right or just stupid in assuming that most […]
My three year old little guy has told us that he wants to be a doctor when he grows up. This jives well with the fact that his two favorite toys in the past several months have come from a now disemboweled and dismembered doctor’s kit that he received for his 2nd birthday. When he […]
So I’m busy making Ree’s Famous Cinnamon Rolls right now but I decide to go up and check on the baby in his new big boy bed. He happily sits up and smiles at me when I pop my head in the room. All is well. From next door my four year old says in […]
AKA. Someone has taken my children (or most of them) **sigh** It’s a beautiful sound really, silence is. One that I am frighteningly unfamiliar with. Perhaps the rapture has happened. There are enough empty clothes lying around that I could be convinced, except that my husband who is also enjoying the perfect bliss of solitude […]
Last night while tucking my two big boys in bed, my four year old said, “Mom. You didn’t want anymore boys in the house so that’s why you got a girl dog right?” I said, “I LOVE my boys but I did want a girl dog…. I’ve always had boy dogs in the past and […]
Really. Sometimes you just want to bust your buttons thinking to yourself, “I birthed this person. I raised this wonder of human potential. I taught him everything he knows. Think of the future of this great big bundle of potentiality!!” Seriously. Sometimes you just want to run outside of your house and wave down every […]
My three year old is extremely concerned about his Father growing up into a Grandpa. So worried is he about this phenomena that he has decided he doesn’t even want to turn four next year. We have heard him share his concerns about Daddy becoming a Grandpa on more than one ocassion, usually though, when […]
Do you know how gross it is when someone indavertantly steps in human poo and then walks about the house for a few minutes before realizing it? On a related note, may I ask you all a question? How does someone who has been potty trained for almost 3 1/2 months suddenly become UNpotty trained? […]
This is what shall becometh of thee if thou dost venture to impress gum into thy scalp. Behold! Heed the warnings of thy mother, who with great pain, didst give birth unto thee. Harken unto her words when she pleadeth with thee to never put chewing gum into thy lovely locks. If thou dost findest […]
It seems that we are beginning a winter time tradition here in our family. Every Monday night our local Olympic Oval has a skate for free night if you just bring a non-perishable food item to donate. (how’d you like that? Doesn’t everyone have a local Olympic Oval? Hee hee.) Tonight was our second time […]
You all know of the “terrible twos” of course right? We’ve always said that whoever coined the term never actually had a three year old. In our experience the threes are about 10 times worse than the twos. We could call them the “thorny threes.” We have, however been experiencing the not commonly mentioned “fanged […]
Today I wrote a cover letter and printed part of my manuscript, addressed a big envelope and a return envelope to send to Highlights for Children magazine. Who knows what will happen with that but at least it’s a start and a try right? Unfortunately I can’t send it yet as I have to get […]
Things you never want to hear little boys say:“Hey, those undies you have on. Those were mine from yesterday. That’s my stain.” “Are couches expensive?” “Yes. Why?” “Oops.” “Who tooted? Something stinks.” “Ummm. The baby.” “The baby’s not here Mom.” “Oh. Yeah.” Things people might hear while talking to a busy Mom on the phone: […]
Every once in a while I just have to show off my crew! Nan
Yesterday evening we were all in the family room watching a t.v. show together when there was a very loud slam that came from the bathroom. The baby about jumped out of his exersaucer and commenced screaming. I raised my voice a trifle to ask who made the ungodly noise. My four year old said, […]
I know I have mentioned before about my 6 year old son’s fascination with automobiles. He loves drawing them, coming up with new designs and concepts for both interiors and exteriors, making up new names, discussing engine models and series types. He and my husband have conversations that I don’t understand at all. A few […]
I blogged my son’s first ever “essay” or “journal entry” the other day. I have not once told him to do this but apparently he very much likes to write. He also likes approval as he brings these to me and forces me (not much of an arm twisting required there) to read them. Today […]
My six year old is following in the family writing tradition. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before but my Mom is a writer as was her Mother to some degree, as was my Great Grandmother. Grandma Mulligan was a poet. My son just came to me with a piece of paper that shows […]
It seems that there are a considerable number of actual similarities to being an Oil Rig Engineer to being a Mom of 4 boys. But as per my friend Erin who is a real live Engineer we share much more than we may have before thought was possible. Click here to read about her findings. […]
I was sitting in a hospital bed trying to eat breakfast. I had just given birth to our fourth little boy. He had arrived 5 weeks early weighing a whopping 5 pounds 12 ounces and measuring 17 1/2 inches long. Littlest Man arrived after 2 months of bedrest and preterm labor, 12 hours of “early […]
Being computerless has sucked my creative genious lately. I am left with little but my children’s hysterical quotes. Here are one or two. Yesterday morning we were awoken to the sounds of our children peering out the window and exclaiming, “SNOW!! It’s SNOWING!!!” Followed of course by a myriad of plans involving snow including but […]
Let’s spend a moment of silence right now to honor our dear friend, Peanut butter. Peanut butter. We love you. We adore you. We worship… (okay… I guess I’m going too far there). We are gathered here today to pay homage to our friend, Peanut Butter. What can peanut butter not do? It can be […]
I have written a book. Yes. I your little furry blue (oops… that would be Grover)… your little blogging pal have written a book. This book was not published (yet). This book was saved in the precarious cocoon of a hard drive. I have written a book. Do you want to know of a sentence […]
being green. So I hear. But I wouldn’t know anything about that since I’m about as pasty white as they come. What’s really not easy is giving a very busy (almost) one year old boy a hair cut. Yup. I did it. I gave the little guy a trim. He looks so cute!! It’s amazing […]
Last night while watching the local news we were informed of a public notice. Fines will soon be increasing for the crime of public urination and defecation. While watching the report, I wondered out loud to my husband if these fines would apply to desperate children as even my own boys had to make use […]
No. Not me. I’m definitely right of center. We’ll just subtitle this post: Potty Training 101 My almost three year old who is currently potty training and actually experiencing marked success just executed one of his slightly less than successful attempts just left of center. You see, when it comes to poop, right on the […]
Yes, I am. I am told very frequently that I am a brave woman for having four boys. I get that at least once a week when we hit the grocery store. Now, I get this when my husband is accompanying us. You can imagine the looks of awe and the double takes when I […]
You may have noticed. I love words. I’m a logophile. Actually my whole family loves words. I knew I married the right man when I first heard him blurt out a word completely juxtaposed. Entirely out of syntax. I loved him for it. I don’t even remember what it was but I remember saying, “What?” […]
