Why?? What?? I Don't Get It, At All

~~~Warning: I am about to jump up on my soap box and vent.~~

The other day I went to the grocery store to get out of the house, uh I mean, to get tasty food for my family to eat. I was in the produce department when I first noticed this little family picking up some wonderfully delicious produce. I mean half the cart was full and we were only 30 feet inside the door. They had a very little baby, maybe 3 months old, and dad looked to be a healthy sort of fellow. He was wearing running shoes and actually had on a shirt showing that he had run in a race to a local charity. We shared a friendly hello as we were both looking at the organic spinach selection. Mom also looked to be a fit/healthy type person. Dad actually mentioned in our very short conversation that he was part-time trainer at a local gym. Most of their cart was full of healthy food, mostly organic. We talked of organic food and how we would like a bigger organic market here in our part of the state. We finished our conversation and went about through the store. You know how you go through the store and there is usually one or two people you keep up with, so to speak. I went through the store, basically but not intentionally, with this family.

We reached different check-out lines around the same time and realized in the parking lot that we were actually parked beside one another. As I finished putting my groceries in, I looked over to make sure I wasn't going to get hit and I saw it. I mean I saw IT. There was this health conscience family getting ready to pull out, dad was lighting up a cigarette. I was rather stunned for a moment. I just got in my van and glanced over again and mom waved goodbye, I did the same as I scanned the car for open windows--no open windows. A little baby was about to smoke her next cigarette (you know this wasn't the first time).

I am sorry, but this is just wrong. We all know that cigarettes are bad for in you in about fifty different ways, but it's your choice to smoke them. Your free will allows you to smoke and then suffer the consequences later. It's an entirely different matter if you are subjecting your babies to smoke along with you. Sucking in the poison that is not only health damaging, but addictive!! Your babies aren't making a choice, they just have to do it along with you. IT IS WRONG! I mean they bought organic food, pay for a gym membership, drink water and juice, don't eat red meat, but they choice to smoke?!!?!? They talked about making healthy choices for their baby~nothing that wasn't BPA free, cloth diapers (good choice by-the-way), breastfeeding and so on, but then you close the baby up in a car full of poisonous smoke!!?? Do they believe that all the other good, health conscience decisions they make will prevent the effects from smoking?? Are they in the group that don't believe about second-hand smoke being just as bad for you as lighting it up yourself?? Imagine being eighteen years old and having the lungs of someone who has smoked for eighteen years and you never smoked a single cigarette!! Choices we make don't just affect ourselves.

Whew! Now that I have jumped up on my soap box, opened a can of worms and vented. . . I can go clean my kitchen. Hopefully no one is offended by my words, but what good is a blog if you can't voice your opinion. ~~Smile~~

This Is Why I Request NO RUNNING IN THE HOUSE

One day while mama was hard at work packing boxes, the natives, uh, I mean the children were busy hindering the process.

Here is that story. . .

I was upstairs going through the toy store, more lovingly known as the play room. I was up to my ears in toys and books. Earlier that day I had been packing in the kitchen. I dumped some flour in the kitchen trash out of the canister, because I wasn't about to pack a flour filled canister. It was only about half full and I had another whole bag of flour, so I dumped it. I finished up in the kitchen, took the hooligans and went upstairs.

We had been upstairs quite awhile already and I needed some more trash bags (for toys going in the yard sale) and so I sent Makiah after them. Sam followed her, because you know, there might be an opportunity to harass her along the way. They went downstairs and I heard Makiah say, "look what I found Sam." Famous last words in most cases. See whatever she has, he thinks he needs. I heard her yell "NO" and he yelled back and then I heard running. Then silence and then "oh, look what you did". Little feet began a quick accent up to me. Sam appeared in the door and said, "there's cauliflower on the floor and Kiah did it!". I had no idea what he was talking about. Then Makiah came to the door, a guilty I-hope-you-really-love-me-grin on her face. "Uh, mama, um, there's a problem"--short pause--then in a very fast and determined tone she began again, "and it's all Sam's fault, he was chasing me and we knocked over the trash can when we (RAN AT FULL TILT) through the kitchen and I'm sorry".

Realization as to what the "cauliflower" was. . . the flour I had dumped out.

I headed downstairs to assess the damages and there it was, every last fleck of flour was on the kitchen floor. Makiah had tried to sweep it up and had just kind of smeared it around. Samuel had walked through it, over it, around it and left little foot prints all over the kitchen and then of hall carpet before coming to tell me about the "cauliflower".

I began sweeping. I swept up a pile and then again and again. Leaving a broom path of white dust. UGH!! Finally, I got most of it up and I went for the Clorox mop and got up the rest of it.

This is one of the reasons for no running in the house. And next time I dump some flour, I'll put it in a bag in a bag.

Eggs Anyone???

Samuel is a beautifully imaginative child. He is creative and very curious. I am trying to keep this as positive as possible.

That is why my fridge wears seat belts.

Anyway, this morning after Hub left for work, I sat down to important work on the computer--morning email.

Samuel is scadattling (a word Hubs created) around being busy. Then the living room is quiet. It should have occurred to me then, but it didn't. I apparently don't learn lessons easily.

I kept reading. I know, now you are really questioning my mothering abilities.

He came up beside me and said "Mama, I crackin".

I asked him what he meant and he said, "Come, I show you". Fear begins to creep up into my throat. You know, it's about the same as the feeling you get in your mouth before vomitting.

I walked into my kitchen and what do you think I came upon.

Six cracked eggs and he knelt down to begin on the other six. How did I miss this?? Oh, I was also on the phone, on hold, waiting for some customer service rep that never came. Oh, I never called them back.

Sorry, off track. Hubs had never locked the fridge after his OJ this morning. I thought of leaving it for him, but decided against it.

Needless to say, I was not a happy mama. After yesterday I looked around the kitchen, wondering if I should cry or laugh.

Then this thought popped into my head. . . . . "Am I being punked? Is Candid Camera here waiting for me to melt down on camera?"

Fortunately the rest of the day was boring, compared to what has become the normal around here.

You've Got to Be Kidding

I am cleaning. In my pj's. Is there any other way to clean??

I am trying to get my kitchen back in order from my impromtu hiatus of cleaning due to a myriad of ailments in the last four days.

Samuel had been, well, quite frankly, a stinker all day and I am trying to get something accomplished when I hear a knock on the front door. Being the lightening fast child that he is, he went to the door and opened it. Makiah then happily exclaimed, "it's the maintenance man".

I am trying to think of why they would be at my door when I am in my pj's. Of course they didn't expect me to be in my pj's, it was ya know, three in the afternoon.

Then I remember, the pest control people are coming today. My living room looked like a hurricane had gone through. The kids had just taken all the cushions off and were building a maze. There were three baskets of clean clothes waiting to be folded, sitting in the living room also. Today of all days.

I, peeking around the fridge, ask them to wait just a minute. I ran and got my skirt, threw it on and grabbed a shirt that wasn't dirty (from cleaning) and put it on. I then calmly went and let them in. By now they already think I'm crazy.

We walked into the kitchen just as Samuel was ripping open a package of instant pumpkin pudding, that was supposed to be used for my dessert for the Harvest Party tomorrow night.

He was covered in dry pudding powder from head to toe. Smiling like he had just won a million dollars, he proudly announced, "I open it".

Yes son, and open it you did. Then sensing that he was about to be in trouble ran from the kitchen, spreading pumpkin pudding powder all over. Even left cute, little, fat foot prints across my freshly swept floor.

At that moment, I think I heard a stifled snicker coming from the pest man and maintenance man. I was afraid to make eye contact. See I was still trying to explain why my house was a mess and he just wanted to escape from my craziness as fast as he could.

I wanted to too, but I had to stay and clean up the pudding.

So, as soon as Hubs walked in the door I showed him the food I had somehow managed to make, threw a bottle at him and ran out the door as fast as I could. I headed for the country and the Pampered Chef party. At that point it could have been a welcome home party for a convicted murderer and I would have went.

I went, ate delicious food, bought a baster, went to the grocery store (to replace the pudding) and then back home.

I had a wonderful time at the party, sans kids. It was great to laugh, talk, eat and cook with friends.

When I got home, I talked to Hubs for a minute and then out of the blue both boys began to cry. I picked them both up, Makiah asked me to sing them to sleep and I did. Holding both boys I thought of my day and all the chaos---and all the joy.

I thought about the picture Samuel drew that morning that actually had eyes, nose and mouth. It looked like a face. First picture that I knew what it was. I thought about Makiah telling me I was a great mama. I thought about Daniel's gummy grins.

I thought about how nice it was to be away for awhile--and then how wonderful it was to be back home.

Where Do I Live Again??

We had hurricane force winds here today. I live in the Mid-West?? It was terrifying.

I was out driving in it. Stupid.

To my credit I didn't realize how severe it was. I was trying to get to church. Stupid.

It is a very long and painful story. I'll spare you the details.

I am at my parent's right now, getting my internet fix, because I have no electricity at my house, therefore no computer.

I may be gone for a couple of days.

I'll probably develop a twitch from being away from my computer for too long.

Memory, Bible Man and Shoes

I can't say there hasn't been anything going on, because there is always something going on, I just haven't been able to compile them into an actual thought of blogworthiness. Course that last comment insinuates that all my other posts are blogworthy, and well, that's debatable.

Scary part is that when something happens, I think, "that would be blog material", and then I promptly forget what is was that happened. I truly believe the part of my brain that contains memory is shrinking. I am too young for this.

Samuel has a new super hero to pretend to be, BibleMan.  He used to say he was SpiderMan (never even seen a spiderman cartoon or anything).  A young man at our church could jump and put one foot on each wall and he would say, "Just like Spiderman".  So Samuel would stand on, well, anything high off the ground and say "I spidaman".  Well at the local Christian I-get-into-trouble-coming-in-here-because-I-want-all-I-see bookstore, I picked up a BibleMan DVD on sale.  Samuel loves it.  He watches it everyday.  There is very little that he will sit and watch and this is one of the DVD's he doesn't move during.  At it's completion, he runs around and says he's BibleMan.  Yesterday, he decided to take that one step further.  He climbed up on the couch, and then onto the arm of said couch.  I came out of the kitchen just in time to see him raise is hands and say "I can fly, I BibleMan"!!!  And he leapt off the couch.   Just so you know, BibleMan doesn't fly in the show, this is the Samuel version.

Makiah got to spend the day with grandma on Saturday and of course they went running around shopping and just had fun.  Well, grandma went to Payless and when she had found what she wanted she asked Makiah if she wanted to look for some new shoes.  Now, Makiah never turns down shoes.  She loves to get shoes.  She told my mom, "No, I have enough right now."  What???!!?  She never turns down shoes.  I usually have to sedate her to get her around Wal-Mart without going to the shoe section and begging for yet another pair of "I have to have them, they are so cute shoes."  Now I don't buy her shoes every trip to the store, but that doesn't stop her from asking (begging).  I think the heat was gettin' to her that day.  When she wakes from the trance she is in, she is going to be sorely disappointed that she said no.  I still don't think she realized what she did.

Well, now that you all are properly updated, I think I'll head to the kitchen and tackle those dishes and scrub counters.  Exciting huh?  

Oh Can Opener, Oh Can Opener

Okay, I want to know what I have done to offend that wonderful little gadget known as the can opener. A few months back when we moved here, somehow our can opener didn't tag along. So I toddled off to Wal-Mart and purchased me a new one. Now being the smart shopper that I am, I purchased the lesser of the two options of can openers and thought "What't the difference, might as well save a couple of bucks?"

Continent with my purchase I came home and that evening while preparing dinner I used the new can opener, and it performed it's job well. The next day however, things changed. The can opener would no longer open cans. It made terrible growling noises and wouldn't turn. Unfazed I packaged it back up and toddled back to Wal-Mart for an exchange. Though I believed that one was just defective, I upgraded, splurged and bought the next one up (the only other option).

Believing that everything would be fine, I took it out and for dinner that night I went to use the new, more expensive can opener. . . . . .it didn't work, at all. *humph*

Very frustrated I returned to Wal-Mart and decided that there was no way I could go wrong with a manual can opener. I purchased it and for three months it has done it's job every time it was called upon, until this week.

It started making a weird scraping noise and not going around, and then it would, so I blew it off. Blame the can, or as my husband would say, blame the operator (oh, yes it worked for him).

Then yesterday it quit working all together, even for hubby. The little wheels go around but they don't cut and they don't turn the can. *humph*humph*

Who burns out a manual can opener??

I think I'll switch to frozen veggies.

Please Keep All Body Fluids to thyself, PLEASE!

Disclaimer: Don't read immediately upon finishing breakfast. Discusses bodily functions and fluid as only a mommy can.

Okay, so we go to church last night and I was ready to leave in the first 30 minutes. Daniel was screaming when we got there, so I pulled out a bottle and fed him and of course he ate like he hadn't been fed in 4 days. While he was eating Samuel pooped in his diaper, so the Superdaddy brought him to me and said he'd switch with me (of course he would). So I take Sam and we go to put on another pull-up. In the process of changing him he wiggled so much that he got poop on his shorts and shirt, I have a very talented son. So I rinsed out that little section on the waistband of his shorts and the spot on his shirt so that I wouldn't have to go all the way home. Note to self: resume carrying an extra outfit for Sam. I return to the sanctuary and retrieve my infant and finish the feeding. Upon completion of food Daniel promptly filled his pants too (it was a very poopy evening). So I quickly grabbed the diaper bag and headed downstairs to the changing table. As I am changing him he begins to grunt and I knew he was going to go again, so I grabbed the clean diaper and stuck it under him and promptly pooped on my hand and got a spot on his pj's. ~Sigh~ I wiped my hand and finished the change of diaper and now clothes too. During this process Daniel spit up and I didn't realize how much until I got upstairs and his hair was stuck to his head on on side. ~Another sigh~ I cleaned his hair with a wipe and while I was cleaning hair he spit up all down the front of my off white shirt, making it look like I had spit up on myself. We had only been there a half hour and I was ready to go.

Just had to share. Sorry if it was TMI!!