Cleaning your room?

I can't send my 4 year old in to clean his room alone. Nothing gets done. So I usually send one of "the brothers" (that's what he calls them) to help him. 99% of the time the room gets at least semi-cleaned. But there are usually distractions along the way and it takes them a really long time to finish.


These distractions often end in fighting and someone gets in trouble.
But sometimes my kids are just plain weird and it's just too funny to get mad.



Frankly I'm surprised (and grateful) they didn't tie him to the bed and leave him there.
What's a mom to do?

Watching the game...sort of

Last weekend we got together with friends to watch "the big game". Watch is a relative term. Here's what was really going on...

The girls spent the whole time writing (and performing) cheers. They stood right smack dab in front of the TV so they had a captive audience! Mostly they rooted for BYU, but once in a while they blurred the loyalty line and their Dads quickly set them straight.

The little boys (don't tell them I called them little) spent most of the time playing outside or driving cars across the kitchen floor. The noise from the cars was *almost* as loud as the noise from the Dads hollering at the TV.



The big boys, well....who knows what they were doing. Probably playing Wii (in between wrestling matches and picking on brothers).




And here's the whole crowd. Well, most of them anyway. The "biggest" boys apparently didn't want to be in the picture.

(Thanks for the great pictures Sommer!)

Thankful Thursday

1. A sweet, bleary-eyed little boy who wakes up early and climbs in my bed to snuggle, then says, "Hi Mom. What did you dream about?"

2. April Fresh Downey. The only good thing about laundry is the way it smells when it's done!

3. The fact that my husband still has a job....so far.

4. Pumpkin. As in pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin squares, pumpkin cookies...I could go on.

5. Blogging friends. (Thanks for the logo Tiburon.)

Conversation with a 4 year old

4yr old: My hand is getting tired.

mom: Did your hand get tired when you colored on the wall?

4yr old: No

mom: Then it shouldn't get tired while you are scrubbing it off.

4yr old: My hand wants to go to sleep.

mom: Let it rest and use your other hand.

4yr old: Okay! Then if that hand gets tired I will use my feet!

Which he promptly did.

I must be doing something right

This is my Mother's Day plant. You know, the ones they hand to all the women as you walk out the door of the church on Mother's Day. Mine have never lived longer than a week. Well, this one lived for quite a while on my kitchen window sill. Then one day the kids were bored and needed a project. So I told them to take the flower outside and plant it. They did. Smack dab in front of the porch. (This is not unlike the time my 4th grader brought home the giant cabbage plant. But that's another story.)
I believe this is a geranium. A mutant-ninja geranium. The thing won't die! Nearly everything around it is dead and gone. I can't bring myself to kill it. So, it lives.
I guess I should be grateful. Maybe it's a sign that I'm doing something right as a mother. If I wake up one day and my mother's day plant is all brown and wilty I might second-guess my "mom-skills".

Walker Texas Wednesday

When my oldest was only three, he loved to watch "Walker, Texas Ranger" with his Dad. Only according to him it was "walkser tixas ranger". Eventually he grew out of his Chuck phase....I don't think my husband ever will.

So, I bring you WALKER TEXAS WEDNESDAY:



Chuck Norris doesn’t read books. He stares them down until he gets the information he wants.

If you have five dollars and Chuck Norris has five dollars, Chuck Norris has more money than you.

Chuck Norris destroyed the periodic table, because he only recognizes the element of surprise.

When the boogyman goes to sleep every night, he checks his closet for Chuck Norris.

There is no theory of evolution. Just a list of creatures Chuck Norris has allowed to live.

Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits.

Chuck Norris is so fast, he can run around the world and punch himself in the back of the head.

Chuck Norris can slam a revolving door.

Contrary to popular belief, America is not a democracy, it is a Chucktatorship.

Chuck Norris always knows the EXACT location of Carmen SanDiego.

Chuck Norris invented black. In fact, he invented the entire spectrum of visible light. Except pink. Tom Cruise invented pink.

Chuck Norris can set ants on fire with a magnifying glass. At night

Google won't search for Chuck Norris because it knows you don't find Chuck Norris, he finds you.

Some people wear Superman pajamas. Superman wears Chuck Norris pajamas.

When Chuck Norris says "More cowbell", he MEANS it.

Quarantine

Consider yourself warned. There are four of us here with strep throat. I don't know where it came from, but I'm it's latest victim. Holy hizzle it hurts! I've given birth to 5 children....but THIS makes me want to cry. I can't even swallow my own spit. (was that too much information?)



I got one of them there penicillin shots. I don't know if it's helping the strep....it's more like pain displacement. Gives me something else to think about.

So far the youngest three in the family haven't gotten the dreaded "streptococcal bacteria" (miracle of miracles) and I sure hope they don't. Please, just make it go AWAY!

I'm tired. This is why.

This barren wasteland is my family foodstorage... (okay so I DO have some stuff in my kitchen pantry, but not much.)


Yep folks. It's pathetic. I've let it dwindle down to nothingness.

But that's all going to change. (Note to our ward RS Pres: don't worry, we're fine...I'm just a slacker.)

Albertson's is having a really great sale right now. It started this morning at precisely 6 o'clock. So guess who pulled into Albertson's parking lot at 6:10...(AM!) Yeah, I did. I *heart* saving money! (I *heart* spending it too. Just not on groceries.) It's a rush! So, to celebrate my newfound obsession hobby I'm posting pictures of what I did while I should have been sleeping for my family and my peace of mind. (Don't worry. I won't do this to you every week. I'm just so excited!)

These groceries total $268.32

I spent only $65.12

That means I SAVED $203.20 Wahoo!

If you live in Utah and want to know how I did it click here.
ps You also might need this code: g84rcm
pss They should pay me for that advertisement.
psss I need a nap now.
pssst ha! just seein' if you're listening.

Aftermath

If I have a pumpkin or two (or ten) left over after Halloween....


This is what I like to do!

Halloween pictures...better late than never.

Every little boy needs the chance to go out into a field a pick his very own pumpkin.


Why not pick LOTS of pumpkins


Then be sure to ask "the brothers" to help you scoop them out and carve them.


Happy Halloween!

Was That My Out-Loud Voice?

Dinosaurs are generally pretty hungry.

Just think of all the free time we’ll have when you two are unemployed.

Is anyone bleeding? Choking? Dying? Is Ed McMahon standing on the porch with a check for 2 million dollars?……..then it can wait until I get out of the shower!

Don’t flick. This is a “no-flick” zone.

What do you wanna bet he forgot to set his clock back and that’s why he just flew out of bed in a panic? …..It gives me just a little joy.

It’s a BANANA-RAMA!

If you are going to mop the floor with that crazy hat on and your pants up around your ears, I’m going to have to take a picture of you and put it on my blog.

“Says she loves me…can’t live without me.”

“No” does not mean keep asking, or ask again in a whiney voice!

Put on your warm thoughts kids! We’re going outside!

And last but not least...Out of the mouths of babes…

A boxing kangaroo. Now THAT’S talent! (said by 6 year old)

It's YOUR freedom. It's YOUR country. It's YOUR duty.

It's a privilege and a responsibility

Need more info?

www.canivote.org

Happy Halloween

Just a little Halloween wish for you! (...that I totally stole from Angie over at Leaping Thru Life. Thanks Angie!)

Thibis ibis my bobbum libip!

Bill Cosby

Click here to see what I did this morning. I've never had a filling before and now I am the proud owner of FOUR!!! Yes, I said four. And there are more to come.

I don't even know if this link works. Smart people get a neat little YouTube window with the video right there. Will someone who knows how to do this please help me? I didn't used to think I was dumb....I'm reconsidering.

Absent

I have been absent from the posting scene for a few days. I got nothin' to say. I'm going to the dentist tomorrow....maybe I'll blog about that.

Breakfast - The Meal of Champions

The photo above shows my plate from a breakfast buffet last July. I got to choose everything I wanted and I DIDN'T have to cook OR clean up! I was so excited that I took a picture. (by the way, that coffee cup up in the left hand corner? not mine. it belonged to the lady next to me. juice for me, thanks.) I also took a picture of my favorite dessert at that same hotel. Good food makes me giddy. (I don't get out much.)

I saw this question in a recent post on Mom to the Screaming Masses
And now I'm asking you because I'm curious:

If you could have anything for breakfast, anything at all that you wanted without fear of gaining weight, raising your cholesterol, or - let's be honest - having to COOK said meal, what would it be?

Belgian waffles, light and crispy with soft centers, piled high with sweetened strawberries or blueberries and fluffy whipped cream?

Eggs Benedict, covered in sunny yellow, buttery rich Hollandaise sauce. with a side of asparagus tips?

Bacon, crisped exactly so, with browned buttered toast and fluffy scrambled eggs?

French toast, gleaming golden brown, with real maple syrup filling in the cracks of the bread and running down the sides?

Now, what did you really have?

Your opinion please...

I'm in the market for a new camera. (I like to pretend that I can afford one.) I want something a little more advanced than my good old point-and-shoot Sony. I want to stay with digital, but nothing too difficult. My boys play a lot of sports. (Maybe you've noticed.) I want to take "action-shots" that aren't blurry. I want to zoom in a little closer so I can actully see which kid is mine.

Do you have a favorite brand/model/flavor? What's your favorite thing about it? What's your least favorite thing about it? What should I be looking for? Your comments are appreciated. (I need to figure all of this out before I mail my letter to Santa.)

Wordless Wednesday

Treehouse Museum

Over UEA Weekend we took a little fieldtrip to the Treehouse Museum. I only took the 3 youngest kids because for some reason #1 & #2 aren't really into make-believe. Hmmmm.... We had lots of fun and I spent most of the time just trying to keep up with them! There are lots of fun things to do there:

You can make dinner.


Sit in the Oval Office


Paint a picture.


Er... I mean, a masterpiece.