I No Longer Want Normal and Boring.

About three weeks ago, I cried out and begged to be boring, to have a boring life. To be mundane and normal. After bad weather and sickness and a kidney infection and a whole list of things that were unplanned and disrupted my idea of what needed to happen, I was frustrated and just needed normalacy and for life to be calm and quiet.

Then, I got some texts and calls that showed me that life was not going to be "normal" soon.  I had a week between the three kids where I was unable to do much work hours at all. I became frustrated and grumpy. All I wanted was calm and quiet, not more and more insanity. The icing on the cake was that we were throwing my sons birthday party this past weekend. I didn't even want to celebrate. I grew so bitter and angry. Why me? And despite the posts that I had written about self-pity, I felt some of it deep inside me.

We got swept into a life of crazyness, and none of it was our own doing. We didn't create the situation bringing my nephew into our house. We didn't make the kids get sick or make the snow/ice cover the streets, cancelling school. We didn't infect our babysitter. And all of this happened right after I cried out for God to make our life peaceful. We got arguements, grumpiness, sadness, tears, temper tantrums, mean and angry texts and phone calls, screaming matches with my husband, etc.

But, I have been posting about how these things, these times of struggle, bring us closer to God. And then, I just read this:

"The Franciscan priest Richard Rohr points out that Native Americans have a tradition of leaving a blemish in one corner of the rug they are weaving because they believe that's where the spirit enters. I can relate to the rugs. I want desparately for things to go 'how they're supposed to.' Which is another way of saying 'how I want them to,' which is another way of saying 'according to my plan.' And that, as we all know, isn't how it works. But it's in that disappointment, in that confusion, in that pain - the pain that comes from things not going how I wanted them to - that I find the same thing happening, again and again. I come to the end of myself, to the end of my power, the end of my strength, the end of my understanding, only to find in that place of powerlessness a strength and peace that weren't there before. I keep discovering that it's in the blemish that the Spirit enters." [an excerpt from the book Drops Like Stars by Rob Bell]

Ok, so crap. Seriously, in the margin, I wrote, "Holy crap. This is me. This is my life."

I desparately want boring, but I cannot grow with boredom like I can through struggling. It's like that muscle analogy that I posted about earlier this week with the Father Fiction book. (See, it really is surrounding me.) I need to have those places in my life where I am weak, where I am imperfect, where the Holy Spirit can enter into me and my life.

Otherwise, we return to that place where we are bored. Where we were before the affair when we become so "comfortable" that we no longer try, that we give up, that we do not struggle and turn to God and fight our battles, but where we are so numb that we don't move forward.

"If we aren't careful, our success and security and abundance can lead to a certain sort of boredom, a numbing predictability, a paralyzing indifference that comes from being too comfortable...Death by wallpaper and flooring." [Also an excerpt from Drops Like Stars.]

So, I may need to change my prayers and my plea and my cry for my life. I don't want to be boring and dull and comfortable. But, if God feels like He can ease my load a little, I'm okay with that...hehe. But, I need to continually remember to chose to to look at my trials and struggles as opportunity, not punishment.

Sometimes, Believing is Full of Lies.

More posting on Father Fiction by Donald Miller...

"A person who believes he is stupid is worse than a person who is stupid."

Oh...geesh.

The key word is believe.

When you believe that you are stupid, you behave stupidly. When you believe that you are bad, you behave badly. When you never have anyone telling you as a child that you are worthy, you believe that you are unworthy.

I was raised by a mom who was firm in her methods of parenting and one thing that I took from her that I have encorporated into our parenting is this: You never ever tell a child that they are bad, or stupid, or ugly, or anything negative. Their actions may be bad and their attitude may be ugly, but those things can be changed. But when you tell a kid, "You are stupid. You are a bad kid. You are ugly." they internalize those things and use them as defining factors for who they are.

I have told Isa, when she's misbehaving, that her attitude is ugly and needs changed. And, then she changes it. We have told her that she is behaving badly, but then she changes her behavior. After each misbehavior, we talk and confirm that we love her, even when she's being naughty or ornery or anything, we will always love her. You also never ever tell a child that your love is dependent on their behavior.

But, what happens when parenting like this doesn't occur? What happens to the kids who are told that they are bad or ugly or stupid? Or to the kids that assume that because their parents are not around or who do not want them or who just do not parent? The kids often struggle more to find their place as a productive member of society. They believe these things, these negative things about themselves and their lives, and they their actions reflect that. Just look at statistics of dropouts and incarcerated young adults...and look at their home lives.

What beliefs about yourself do you need to change?

Birthday Party Procrastination

Generally, I'm on top of the game. I have birthday parties scheduled a month in advance with an awesome list of to do's and games and even a menu planned way ahead of party day. Then, I spend the week or two before the party preparing the games, buying all the necessary trinkets and candies and food items, packing gift bags, etc.

This time, not so much. I'm feeling similar to a chicken with it's head chopped off.

It started when I refused to pick a date for the party. I knew that it had to be somewhere around his birthday, but was more than willing to wait until mid-March if I had to. I am beginning to strongly dislike chaos. But, Jose pushed me to pick a day, so finally, I called the church and asked if tomorrow today was available to use the fellowship hall (we have a large family...and when you add in friends, there is no way everyone would fit in our house. Isa's last birthday had over 50 attendees. Seriously...).

The same day that I reserved the hall, I put up a facebook invite and sent out messages to the invited. Then, I did nothing.

On Wednesday, Teo's actual birthday, Jose struck up the conversation in the car on the way home and asked what the plan was..."What plan?" was my reply. I asked if we could just have people come, eat lunch with us, do the cake and ice cream, open gifts and leave. He told me that I was being lazy.

What games do 2-year-olds play? I don't remember adding games into Isa's parties until at least three. So, in his darling attempt to help, he suggested musical chairs. I retorted that Teo couldn't even get INTO the chairs...so, we agreed to disagree for the time being.

Last night, Jose took Teo to the store and bought the food we needed and didn't already have stocked. Chili dogs, hot dogs, chili, PB&Js, chips, and soda.

Tonight, I finally gave in and agreed to go to the party store, only to find out that their hours Monday - Friday are 9 AM to 5 PM. Seriously? Urg. So, we ended up shopping in a nearby plaza and getting the things for gift bags. And after dropping the kids off to my mom and enjoying a nice dinner just the two of us, we returned home to watch a stupid movie and pack treat bags. Fifty treat bags. Then, when the movie ended, Jose took his place in the kitchen (hehe) and I began to be artsy fartsy. I made a mask for crafts and used my printer to make copies (something that I was extremely grateful for because for Isa's 4th birthday, I hand-drew about 30 monster masks), then painted the board for a game of Pin The Tail.

The craft and the game are on the table, waiting to be taken to the church tomorrow later today after we sleep. Jose has made the PB&Js and is finishing up the cake (photos will come after the party). When we wake up, he will make the rest of the lunch and I am going to beg to run to get a quick haircut. We also need to run somewhere to buy our son his birthday gift (which I have no idea what to buy) and then, we will go to the church and set up everything and just wait for the party to begin.

But for now, I need to write my list of things to do tomorrow, in detail, or else I am sure I will forget:

• Call mom to get hole punch
• Take scissors
• Take crayon box
• Grab yarn
• Take goodie bags, board, tails, mask copies
• Buy gift
• Get haircut (I hope)
• Take all the food
• Grab camera and extra batteries
• Buy forks (everywhere we go, they are sold out of disposable forks...weird!)
• Grab scotch tape
• Buy candles (where do these things go after each birthday?!)
• Pack Isa's stuff (she's going to a slumber party straight from the birthday party)
• Go to church
• Blow up balloons
• Set up games and craft table
• Wait
• Eat
• Have fun
• Spoil my son
• Play games
• Cake
• Open gifts
• Go home and nap

Later ya'll. I need to crash!

My Little Sucker-Upper

When you have a Teo, you need nothing else.

Yesterday, we babysat Miss Kirra (she turned one this week!). Within two minutes of walking in the door and realizing that her mom was going to leave her here, she began to throw a fit. In effort to calm her down, her mommy brought out the little container where she stored her puffs. Miss Kirra was obviously distraught and in her arm flailing, knocked the entire container to the floor, puffs and all. However, have no fear, within ten minutes of knocking them to the floor, the puffs were all gone. Teo ate them. One by one from the floor.

Today, the kids decided to color and do crafts, thus bringing out Isa's craft stuff (a bag and a container full of markers, crayons, stencils, paints, glue, paper, stickers, etc.). They were being fairly quiet so I didn't think much of it. Until Teo puts his hand out to show me his newest "snack"...the watercolor pebbles that he had turned into paint with his saliva. His hands and face were covered with watercolor paint. (Thanks Jill for buying a ton of watercolors, leaving them here, and ensuring that they were nontoxic.)

Flood.

When it rains, it pours. When it pours, it floods. That's basically where my life has gone....flooded.

I can't even put things together enough to write a coherant blog post...there is so much going on in my mind...so, to spare you all, I'm not even going to try.

Here's just an idea of what I will be explaining in detail at some point of time in the future:

• My dad called, but I didn't accept the call. I need to write him a letter.
• My sister-in-law called and we are going to help her out. We need to re-arrange some things in the house.
• Isa woke up this morning with a 102.7 fever and then threw up. She will be home with me tomorrow.
• Our sleep patterns have been shot to hell this weekend. Friday night, we went to sleep at 2 AM. I got woken up at 5 AM by a phone call requiring me to leave. I returned home and went back to sleep around 11 AM and I slept until about 2 PM. Last night, we didn't fall asleep until 4 AM and woke up around 8 AM, but went back to sleep until about 10 AM when Isa finally woke up. We returned to take a nap around 1 PM and slept until about 5 PM. Now, it's 11 PM and I know I need to go to bed. But my brain seems to think differently.
• My son broke a wine glass that I painted for heARTworks, now, I need to redo it. It pretty much rocked too.
• My home needs some loving attention. The dust on my mantel is high enough that you cannot see the original wood color (mostly thanks to all the sanding that Jose did to the house in January). The laundry pile that needs folded is large enough that an elephant would be scared. The craft room's mess could hide small vehicle. Ugh. I need a maid.

I'm pretty sure that I jinxed myself last week when I stated that I really want a boring life. When I can think straight, I'll fill in some missing pieces...if you pray, please just shoot out some little prayers for our little family. Thank you.

Confessions of a Real Life Mommy #14, 15, & 16

#14. I cannot wait until spring. Not because of the weather, but because Isa is outgrowing her pants and I need her to be able to wear flood pants capri pants without raising questions because I don't want to buy new jeans.

#15. Last Sunday, Jose and I slept in. Isa and Teo woke up and went downstairs to watch a movie. Isa made them cereal and they were quiet. When we began to get ready for church, we figured out why they were so well behaved. There was a trail of Hershey Kiss wrappers that stretched from the foyer (where a bag was located in Isa's backpack from her Valentine's Party at school) all the way through the living room, dining room and kitchen. I believe they ate at least half a bag. I secretly laughed a lot. And deep down, I was still very thankful for being able to sleep past 8 AM.

#16. Also on Sunday, less than an hour of finding out about the Hershey Kiss raid, we grabbed fast food for breakfast on the way to church. Not thinking, Jose ordered three diet sodas. Yes, after our kids ate half a bag of chocolate, we gave them soda. At least it was diet, right? [It was just a rough morning all the way around!]

Confessions of a Real Life Mommy #7, 8, 9, & 10

#7. Isa has a drawer under her bed that is broken. Instead of fixing it, we just emptied it, pushed it in, and told her not to use it.

#8. Teo would rather wear his potty seat around his head than use it. I'd rather not fight with him about it until he starts using it, so it's a common accessory.

#9. The first thing we taught our kids once they could walk was to throw their own diapers away. It just makes sense.

#10. I don't think that either of my kids has worn matching socks in over 4 months. See Confession #3 for more info.

We Don't Really DO Valentine's Day, But...

For us, Valentine's Day is rarely a big deal. The only year that it really was anything special was 2005. That is the year when Jose bought me a beautiful ring in January to propose, but it was back ordered and whatnot, so as of Valentine's Day, it still hadn't arrived. However, on Valentine's Day, we went to the clinic and it was confirmed that we were about to be parents.

So, this year, I've not thought much about it. We don't do gifts or flowers or candies or much at all. However, since Isa's now in school, I realized that they have a card exchange tomorrow. And, so Jose came by and dropped off Valentine stuff for her class before running out again to help his sister move tonight. So, he will be coming home to this:

I guess I may be convinced to do a little something for future years, but it may always be construction paper and string...

Prisoner In Teo's Room

Sometimes, plans that are not well thought out backfire. Sometimes, I fail to create well thought out plans. Today, one of those backfired.

Teo's door knob to his door fell off. The screw came out. But it was right when he began his nightly battle against sleep, so it worked out well because he would slam his door in anger, and then be unable to escape to play. (We have never once closed the door, but wait for him to close it himself.)

We have strategically placed the knob in the linen closet so that we can then open the door from the hallway once he falls asleep. And, Isa even knows where the knob is and how to use it to open the door.

There have been a couple of instances when we have had other children over to play and the door gets closed, but it's always been a quick fix and the benefits have been greater than the downfalls...until today.

This morning, while getting the kids ready, I went into Teo's room to grab a diaper and his pants. Isa followed me in, talking about socks or something. Then Teo came in also. I told him to lay down to change his diaper, but he didn't want to, so he yelled, "NO!" and turned around and slammed the door...

...with the only three people in the house in the room with no doorknob...

...with no cell phone...

...with no tools or utensils or toys that I could use to maneuver through the door mechanism to open it...

...with Isa freaking out that we would be locked in the room until Daddy came home around 4 PM.

However, mama didn't go to college for nothing. I learned a little something, even if it was just a little extra problem solving skills. I was able to remove the doorknob of Teo's closet and use it to open the door, with the help of Isa pulling the door open from the bottom since it opens inwards into the room.

Within moments we were free! Whew. I was scared that the three of us would be trapped in the bedroom for eight hours with no food, no coffee, and no bathroom...and that I would have ended up in a padded room with a straight jacket.

My Son....My Personal Pain in the Butt

See this lil' guy...? He has been my personal pain in the butt since before he was born. And he has definately set it as his personal standard...

When I was pregnant, I had gestational diabetes. When they induced me about two weeks early, I figured it would be cake. I mean, seriously, I had my daughter without any pain meds, so the second one is easier, right? Wrong. This kid's mission has been to be a booger in my behind.

I demanded an epidural after just a few hours of being in labor. I attributed it to being exhausted from the rough pregnancy. However, it was more than that. His entire labor was more than that [but that's a different story for a different day]. When he finally was ready to grace this world with his presence, the first words I remember out of my petite Asian doctor's mouth was, "Oh! He's sunny side up!"

In real people terms, that means that he decided to be born face up instead of the normal face down. So what's the big deal? That means that the back of his skull rubbed down each and every one of my vertibrae as he traveled the birth canal. Fun.

So, now, he continues to hold his standard of pain-in-the-buttness high. Today is a perfect example.

This is a photo taken by our amazing neighbor, Deanna.

This afternoon, we had a playdate...about five or so other kids came to join Teo in lunch, playing and just having fun. After about ten complaints of Teo hitting them, one other boy requested to play the wii. No problem. I had him choose a game to play and I turned on the tv and the wii. Hit eject. Grinding noise, but nothing comes out. Hit eject again. Still nothing. So, I try to insert the disk for the game he wanted to play...but it won't go in. I look closer. I disconnect the wii and hold it upside down.

Out falls about five coins.

I shake it. Out comes about three more.

So, I hook it back up but there is still something blocking the disk from ejecting, so I wait for my husband to come home. He takes it apart and lo and behold, about four more coins.

That was more than enough of a pain in the buttness for me today. But, obviously not for Mateo...

So, around nine, Jose puts him to bed. Of course, I didn't expect him to sleep, but he was quiet, so I left him to do his own thing and wear down. Then, I heard plastic, like a grocery bag rustling...so I snuck upstairs to see what he was doing. There he stood in the mess that he had created.

He had pulled all the toilet paper that he could reach out of our stockpile. He also pulled out everything else he could grab. And shredded about two rolls of toilet paper that were strung across the hallway.

I put him back into bed. Cleaned the hall. And haven't heard him moving around since...hopefully.

He is lucky that he is so darn cute...

A Day in the Life...of Me.

This morning, as usual, the kids were up before the sun. Nothing new there. And, as usual, the kids had a good number of squabbles, arguements, and screming fits. Teo bit Isa, hit Isa, and I'm sure that if he was able to tattle too, we would hear what she did to him. At one point, she came into the room to tell us that Teo had dumped the cereal on the kitchen floor and we figured it couldn't be that bad because every morning, she pours a bowl of cereal. However, once we got up and around for the day, and stepped into the kitchen, we realized that it wasn't a bowl that he dumped out. It was an entire container of Fruity Pebbles, at least a box worth. And it was all over the floor, every inch of the kitchen tile was covered.

So, of course, we cleaned it up. Then, I clipped coupons for our trip to the store really quick and we headed out for breakfast.

At the restaurant, we had amazing food, but recieved not so amazing backtalk from my daughter. I was planning to go to the O.W.L. meeting with my ladies, but decided against it in fear that my hubby would go insane if left on his own with both of our kids today. After a small blowout or two as we finished eating and paying at the restaurant, we headed to Meijer.

Our shopping trip went well enough for our first coupon adventure in a long time. In all honesty, with our stockpile, we haven't really done much grocery shopping at all in the past month, aside from the staples and fresh foods. The carts filled up slowly and we headed to check out. Jose went in one aisle with his cart and I went into the other with mine. My cashier was amazing, fast, and awesome. When I was done, I let Isa go ride the penny pony and saw Jose still checking out. He looked furious. He was furious.

When we got home, he told me that the cashier was rude and wouldn't take half of his coupons for no good reason. She even went so far as to lean over and speak to the person in line behind him as he was loading the cart. He overheard her say something snippy about not understanding why people would use coupons when they are on EBT (food stamps) anyways.

So, he went back to face her and pay, paid in cash and said loudly, "I'm not on food stamps," before walking away. The only thing she had to base her opinion on was his appearance, and my husband does not dress down (like I do often!).

Either way, he calmed down, and we made leftovers for lunch as I cleaned out the refridgerator to make room for our food. We ate and then left the kids to watch a movie while we cut some fresh fruit to keep at hand in the fridge. All went well enough. I cut the entire watermelon and Jose packed it into a couple containers, eating it as he went along. Isa was assisting with the eating process. Both of them jokingly told me a few different times to not cut my fingers off. "Of course not," I replied.

Then, I began to cut the melon, but before I could get the first piece cut apart, the knife slipped, causing me to knick the back of my ring finger and slice down the flesh of my thumb. I dropped the knife, laughing at the irony, and turned to run the faucet over the blood. I told Jose to get me two bandaids and Isa, once realizing what happened, began her crazy dramatics of running in circles and screaming.

We got me bandaged up and it's no big deal, but afterwards, Jose turned to me and called me crazy, because it caused me to laugh and all he could do was not freak out with seeing a flap of my thumb hanging there. I pretty much cut it from the top of my nail to the base of my nail...fortunately, with pressure, the skin went back into place and the bleeding stopped.

So, now, we are having quiet time, which is good because I needed a break from all the excitement...and the day isn't even over yet!

[Edit:

After typing the above post, Isa came down from her "quiet time" and I decided to lie on the couch with her and snuggle. The snuggles were short lived as she soon hopped up, wanting to color, so I decided to treat myself to a nap, as she could entertain herself and Teo was upstairs napping, and Jose was too, as was evident from the snoring that vibrated through the living room ceiling, right about where he would be lying should he fall asleep on Teo's floor.

Basically, as soon as I started to fall asleep, screaming begin as Teo woke up and then before I could fall back asleep, Jose and Teo were in the living room with us. Teo wanted snuggles, so I agreed. Again, short lived, but perfect timing because my mom called to say that she was taking my niece to a store really quick and would be at my house to get my kids. We quickly made them chicken nuggets and gave them some string cheese for dinner, and packed them up to go.

As soon as they were out the door, we decided to treat ourselves to a dinner out. Jose chose the Chinese buffet, not my favorite, but it was quite good tonight. We ate and then returned home to decide what to do.

We decided (Well, Jose decided and I agreed kinda) to work on the house. On New Years Eve, Jose began the project of stripping all the paint and sanding the trim in the dining room. This includes two door frames and a wall to wall built in shelf that stretches floor to ceiling. When we moved in, the trim was a light pink color (yes, you read that right) and in our rush to make our house livable, we painted it dark brown. After three or so years here, however, life has taken its toll and there were knicks everywhere that has pink showing through the brown (this is an occurance in our living room as well, which I'm afraid may be next). I agreed that it was a good project to do, at the time, but now, I am just ready for it to be done. There is plastic draped everywhere, including hanging in the doorway and from the ceiling where the living room and dining room connect.

So, I agreed to help. He showed me how to use the heat gun and the five-in-one (scraper thingie) to remove the paint from the baseboards. Easy enough. I did about four feet worth while he used the sander, then I asked him to trade. My thumb hurt from holding the scraper. So, we switched and I sanded while he scraped. My arm jiggled and jiggled, but after quite awhile, I was ready to have the feeling back, so I asked to switch back. I began to melt and scrape again. Then, I bumped my scraping hand against the heat gun. And watched as a nice pink spot appeared on my skin. But, I continued to work. After a minute or two, the pain really got to me, so I got the aloe and applied it to the burn. Just my luck, eh?

Soon after, I begged Jose to stop working for the night so we could hang out and watch a movie, which is what we are doing now. Thank goodness today is nearly over and there is limited time for things to go wrong...lol!

:End Edit]

Reasons I Love My Kids...

When we were getting ready to leave for church today, my daughter tripped over nothing. Then, my son tripped over the (empty) potty chair. Then my daughter tripped over the exact same potty chair less than two minutes later.

The way Teo looks when he just wakes up and lays on the couch in a diaper and t-shirt, legs crossed, just like a miniature man. His chunky lil' naked thighs are the best.

The fact that Isa started crying hysterically before dinner when she was told by Daddy, "No, you cannot eat the bag of marshmallows." And that she then came to me, crying, expecting me to tell her it was okay to eat marshmallows even though dinner was being made.

That my husband just scolded Teo. "Stop only eating spoonfuls of ketchup." He was serious.

The way that my house is always a disaster, even when we cleaned an hour before, and the tornados are 1 and 5 years old. This includes the Cheerios that are dumped all over my daughter's floor, the monkey that can never be found at bedtime, the little painful toys that I step on six hundred times per day, and the endless clothes that may or may not be dirty that are on the floor and thrown in the hallway.

That my favorite part of watching America's Funniest Videos is NOT the videos. It is sitting here, watching Teo watch AFV...he laughs hysterically at all the videos, even though I'm fairly certain he has no idea why he's laughing.

Listening to Isa as she reads to me. Since starting Kindergarten, she has learned so many new words by memory and can sound out most other ones. It makes bedtime stories a blast as I am constantly surprised by her ability to read.

The words that Teo says. Although they are not the best pronunciation, we know and he knows what he is saying. Favorites include "Ee-ha" (Isa), "Dedo" (Teo), "Boooop" (Poop), "Biper" (Diaper), "Eeeee" (Eat), "Ninner" (Dinner), "Mer" (More), and "Deedoo" (Love you).

Watching Isa and Teo play "Just Dance" on the Wii. Isa plays with a wiimote and everything, but we just give Teo an old tv remote to hold and he shakes it, just like the avatar on the television.

Co-Sleeping with Mr. Jibber Jabber

I have never been an advocate for or against co-sleeping. When it was necessary for me to get two hours of sleep with newborns, I co-slept. For my son, what that meant was that every night since birth for at least three months, I slept on my back with him laying on my chest until he eventually figured it out. Actually, until we figured it out, meaning a way to "trick" him into sleeping, which resulted in many nights of him sleeping in a car seat. Don't judge me. I had a LOT to deal with at that time.

Anyways, the carseat thing was a means to begin the process of self-soothing and allowing him to sleep on his own. As soon as he was sleeping flat on a mattress insead of in the carseat, he was moved to his crib in his own room. (Isa slept in her crib in our living room from the time we brought her home. We had a 1 bedroom apartment, so the living room became her oasis.) I do not think there is need to keep my kids in the room with me while I sleep. I also do not judge those who do. I know myself to know that I would fret and freak out about every peep and squeak made when they are next to me, so as soon as they are sleeping well on their own, they are in a separate room.

With both kids, we switched them from cribs to toddler beds early on. Isa was probably 2 or so when we made the switch. Teo was barely one. He loved going into Isa's room to lay (and play and jump and fall off of) her toddler bed, so when her feet began to hang off the edge and we got her a twin bed, we saw no reason to wait to make the switch. And, I believe it was a good choice. He adjusted well and he adjusted quickly. His room was already very baby proofed, and in case you didn't notice, Teo is twice the size of a kid his age (then and now). So the change to a toddler bed last spring was a success.

However, when we made the change, we also implemented the use of a baby gate in his doorway during naptime and night night time. He never climbs it or kicks it down (although he definately could if he just thought about it). The gate was not just to keep him in his room, but to protect him from the nearby stairs and from the dangerous small toys in the neighboring bedroom and more. But, since then, he has mastered going up and down the stairs, he has grown knowledgeable on where sissy's room is and where mommy and daddy's room is. And Isa has began to take it as her task to release him from his gated prison. So, as soon as he was awake, the gate came down, whether mommy or daddy knew or not. (I am sure this is a secret agreement amongst them, as their early morning routine includes playing quietly in Isa's bedroom, watching a video and eating whatever Isa has gotten for their breakfast, whether Mommy or Daddy are awake or not.) So, in the past week, the gate has slowly but surely become an option, not a necessity.

Last night, around 3:30 AM, I was waken from a deep sleep by wiggling and a tiny voice just talking and talking next to me in my bed. I have no idea what baby talk jibberish was being said, nor am I sure what all the movement was about. I have no clue how long he had been there. But, there he was, my lil' Teo...chatting away, wiggling to his hearts content, sandwiched between Jose and I in our bed. He seemed to be oblivious to the fact that Mom and Dad were not listening nor paying attention. That we were deep asleep. So, slowly, as I began to wake up, I talked softly with him and we spent about 15 minutes of chitter chatter, before I tried to awake Daddy to return Teo to his bed. I love his words. As I'm trying to shake Jose, all I hear is "DaDa. Nigh Nigh. BaBa. DADA!"

I am sure that this too will run its course and there will be a point where I get frustrated by this (I know this for a fact because the five year old little girl that we find in our bed causes me literal backaches with how she takes over the mattress), but right now, it makes me smile.

This Evening...

...I got to go out to dinner with my family, and although my kids had moments of acting horrible, I enjoyed it.
...Teo put his pants on all by himself and although they were backwards, he was so proud and it was so cute. I enjoyed it.
...my husband took initiative to take me out sans kids, and although it didn't go as planned, I enjoyed it.
...Jose and I went to Starbucks and he enjoyed his coffee and we had a real discussion about real things. I enjoyed it.
...we went shopping after coffee and although we spent too much, we bought 3 wii games, including Just Dance 2 (which ROCKS!) and clothes for the kids. My favorites: matching skeleton hoodies that will be worn year round, no worries! I enjoyed it.
...we walked and held hands in the cold. I enjoyed it.
...we returned home to see Isa asleep in Jamie's arms and realized (again) that blood doesn't make a family. I enjoyed it.
...although he was playing his shoot 'em up game, Jose changed disks and we Just Danced for over an hour! I laughed a lot and I enjoyed it.
...Jose went to bed and I stayed up alone to paint a mummy for our youth group. I got time to think and do something relaxing that I love. I enjoyed it.

Today was a good day. :)

Isa's Circus

I wanted to post pix of Isa's birthday, better late than never. And I didn't get many photos. It's a tough job to run the party AND take photos. :( It was a blast however! I can't believe my baby girl is FIVE!!!

Friday night, Isa was allowed to invite two friends over. Introducing Tressa and Nessa. They had a blast: hide and seek, ordering pizza, playing Just Dance on the wii, making cookies, watching a movie and eating popcorn and apples, they went to bed easily. Sadly, when they went to bed, Mommy and Daddy were just getting started: making food and baking and decorating the cake...

The party started at noon. We had lunch, then games, before doing cake and presents. Isa loved her cake and was so excited (as is any child) about gifts!

I can't believe she's five...does it get easier to deal with them getting older?

Any Guesses?

So, does anyone wanna guess why I'm lightheaded?

Wanna guess why my bathroom smells like this combination of citrus, mint, and bleach?

Anybody wanna take a gander at why I just went through two toothbrushes and a rag?

Wanna take a stab at it? Come'n.....

Okay, so let's take a guess at how the large bright blue spots got onto the new (less than a year old) tiling? Wanna guess why they were permanent and are STILL not coming up entirely after a intense cleaning session of 409, rinse, bleach, rinse, and toothpaste, rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat?

Yea, I don't know either...

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Saves the Day

My day was long and mentally tiring. It was great. I loved it. The conversations, the thoughts. I really had a great day. But it made me tired. So, I listened to Ingred Michaelson on the ride home. LOUD. Enough said.

When I arrived, I was greeted by a very rambunctious duo. It should have been my warning for the night.

In the next hour, I stripped my son down to his diaper because he likes to play with the chocolate syrup, started a load of laundry because his chocolate covered clothes transferred mess to my clothes when he decided to jump on me, had to deal with a million mini freakout tantrums, got my coupon binders ran over by a high chair, pulled a Suduku book out of the toilet, got headbutted in the face, had kids jumping all over me, and much more!
So, finally, I submitted to powers stronger than me and permitted the tv to turn on. Within seconds, both kids were silent, sitting on the couch, entranced by Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. It was pretty awesome.

I'm not sure if I should be joyous or sad that they are so enamored by that movie... I love it. I love that they love it. They would rather watch musicals and things like that than stupid cartoons like Spongebob. But still, they do love the tv and that is kinda a bummer.

Often I wonder what other families do about tv and movie rules. Is there an amount of time set per day? How do you keep track? Is it a reward kinda thing? Hmmm....

My unintentional week.

This week, intentional time has been few and far between. Actually, anything intentional has possibly flewn out the window. Since the start of the week, we have been nothing but schedule changes, inconsistancies, and floops. What? You don't know what a floop is? Me either. It just sounds about right.

Monday's major event was registering Isa for school. She is official. Kindergarten starts in a couple weeks. Teachers are Ms. Smith and Sra. Frabel. We have a teacher conference next week to meet the teacher. I have already met Sra. Frabel and am not her largest fan, but maybe she will show me that she's a better teacher than my first impression. She's the one who evaluated Isa for early admission.

Monday also marked the end to our first 12 week series of 24/7 Dad. It was bittersweet. There were three guys who completed the course and through it all, we all grew fairly close. Now, to know that we will not be meeting once a week, was hard. But it was wonderful to hear them give their thoughts and opinions of how the class has affected their lives.

Tuesday was one of my days home with the kids. They simply drove me crazy. It was a very hot and muggy day. And with our lack of central air, it was difficult to keep the house cool enough for us not to go insane. The kids got the vibe, I'm sure, because they were extra nerve wrecking with their arguements and misbehavings. I survived. Barely. And when Jose got home, he helped Isa clean her room.

The agreement was if she cleaned her room, we could go to Chuck E. Cheese. I believe Jose saw the need for Chuck E. Cheese to calm my nerves and to cool us all down, so he cleaned with her to make it happen. We skipped the church softball game (which was their first win) and met my sister at Chuck E. Cheese, for a night of fun, food and cool air. When we returned home, both kids easily went to bed and my wits were restored.

Tuesday also marked the day when the neighbor, John, came knocking on my door, asking if we knew anyone who could use a couch, free. I had just taken Teo out of the bath, so I was slightly distracted by his naked butt running around the foyer as I spoke to John, so I just told him I'd check around. When I texted Jose, he reminded me that WE need a new couch. So, I went next door and asked if we could have it. By the end of the day, we got a new couch and a new recliner for our living room. The old chair returned to its lair in the basement and the couch is in the dining room waiting for a new home.

Wednesday was another work day. Meetings, meetings, meetings was the jist of it. Good meetings though. During the few moments that I was home, I recieved another knock at the door which led to the neighbor giving us a cabinet thing (like for an entry area), a chalk board, a large glass mirror, and a built in bar area (for the basement). Last night, we got it all downstairs and I believe I sweated about ten pounds of water off.

Today (Thursday) has also been very random.  The kids woke me up kinda early, so after breakfast, I allowed cartoons and play. Teo did basically every single thing he could have to get in trouble. Every time he was sent to timeout, he was giggling. So, by 9:45, he was sent up for a nap (usually, he goes down at 10). Now, at 11:45, he is still awake. Screaming. Throwing things. He is simply fighting sleep and his desire for independence and stubborn struggle has worn me down. I went up to calm him down about a half hour ago, and he ended up sitting in bed, giving milk from his sippy cup to each of his stuffed friends in his bed. Afterwards, he would lick them. (I have NO idea!) I have gotten to the point where it is now a battle of willpower, so I will not give in and let him out of his room without a nap. He is so tired. When I was up there, he kept rubbing his eyes, laying down and relaxing for a split second before he realized he was at ease, then tensing back up and starting to scream and cry again. The silence is lasting a little longer and longer each time now, so soon, he will be asleep, I hope.

Isa and I have dentist appointments at 2 PM. McKenzie and Scott with be babysitting Teo here for the short amount of time that we will be gone. I pray that he becomes a normal kid by then. I'll let you know...

Yes, Miss Isa, There are Genetic Abnormalities...

Isa kept complaining of an ouchie in her mouth. Sunday morning, she even demanded a bandaid for the inside of her mouth. I had to tell her "no" through my laughter.

I assumed that she bit her cheek or something. Never assume. We all know what that means.

Sunday night, Jose was going to poke her in the mouth and tease her about the gap in her teeth and when he went to do so, noticed that there was something protruding from the top of her mouth right behind her two front teeth.

That's right ladies and gentlemen, that there is a tooth.

So, first thing Monday morning, we call the dentist. The lady never asks questions about why I want my daughter seen, but sets up an appoingment for 10:40 AM. We go. The dental hygenist was nice and quirky. When explaining the tooth, she shrugged it off saying that it happened all the time that kids' permanent teeth fail to push out the baby teeth. Usually, it's on the bottom, she said. Usually, the kid is a couple years older, she stated. Then she saw the tooth. Oh, boy, was she intrigued. Doesn't look like a permanent tooth, she said. She discussed the statistical analysis of the possibilities. She prepped for an x-ray. Isa just sat there, calm as a cucumber, listening to the chatter and piping in when necessary.

As I predicted, the x-ray showed five teeth: two permanent teeth still embedded, two baby teeth, and an extra. (Turn your head or the computer screen sideways to properly view the x-ray.) The dentist came in and referred us to a pediatric dentist who specializes in kid's teeth and procedures on kids.

I called and explained the situation. They managed to squeeze us in a couple hours after the phone call at 1:30 PM. I dropped off Jose and Isa at the dentist (because we were running late, as always), then I ran Teo to the babysitter's house, and returned to the dentist. Jose was glad when I arrived because he didn't know how to fill out half of the paperwork. Ha!

Shortly after I got there, they took Isa back to take a look and we finished up paperwork. Then, they called us back to show us x-rays and what they planned to do. Isa was cool as an freezer on a hot day. They said that we could return to the waiting room while they did the procedure and they'd let us know when she'd be ready. She could care less if we stayed or if we went. She seriously had no fear about what was going on.

About twenty minutes later, they called us back again to pay the half up front and to get our daughter. She was a little loopy from the laughing gas and her upper mouth was super numb, causing her top lip to stick way out (like the reverse of a pout). They gave us the tooth in this tiny purple treasure chest and we were on our way.

To me, the tooth looked huge! She looked a little rough, but when I asked her if she wanted to run around with us or if she wanted to go to the babysitter's, she opted to go with Cindy, so we dropped her off. Drugged. Numbed. And missing a tooth that most people never have. :)

The dentist said to just watch it. Kids don't get dry socket, he said, so nothing to be too concerned about.

Now, some interesting facts for you all:

• 
  
  The extra tooth that Isa had is called a Mesioden. 
• 
  
  The disease of having extra teeth is called Hyperdontia and is genetic. When I was in second grade, I had to have my two front teeth removed as well as a mesioden and was toothless for well over a year. My mom also confirmed that she too had an extra tooth.
• 
  
  Approximately 2% of the population has at least one extra tooth.
• 
  
  The occurrance of extra teeth is more prevelant in males than females.

So...there's something for you to chew on....

(Haha! I crack myself up!)

Don't tell my legs, my achy breaky legs...

...that, deep down, secretly, I enjoyed the run that I took this morning with Merri and Jason. It wasn't much, but was killer to me. One way, I'm estimating between half a mile to a full mile. That means going and coming back we ran (I cheated and did some walking, but not much) between a mile or two. Wow. Ugh. I haven't ran like that since college, so over five years...I know I'm going to feel it in the morning. Ha! But, if possible, I will do it again next week. Maybe even twice. Lol. Here I am, overweight and a smoker, trying to run. I continuously told Merri that I A) was going to die and B) hated her. Obviously I didn't die and really, I love her. It was the burning in my legs talking, I swear.

After that, we went swimming. It was an awesome way to cool off and, although I didn't do much like laps, it was fun to have all the kids in there, splashing and playing away. Then, did a lot of just hanging around while Jason had a dentist appointment. Ate lunch, put the little ones down for nap (Teo sleeps in Thadius' big boy bed when he needs a nap there; it's so cute!) and once Jason got back, we went to the zoo for another hour or so of walking.

In all honesty, the part that was the worst was the sweltering heat. When I called time and temp around five, it was 91 degrees out. Uck.

Now, we are just hanging out in the storm. Jose's watching some Asian man cooking on PBS and Teo is in bed. Isa's spending the night at her friend Nessa's house.

Here is the day in pics:

This is how I found Teo this morning. Sometime in the middle of the night, he removed his diaper and then went back to sleep in the nude. It's cute now, but I hope he doesn't continue this into his teens. Haha!

Isa and Thadius at the zoo. :)

Teo at the zoo, up close and personal with the donkey. It was cool until the donkey started gnawing on our stroller. Bad donkey. Strollers are not food.

I was watching Teo as he got a cookie box off the table, got a cookie out, and then sat down at the table alone just like a big boy. He looks so tiny though, sitting there eating his cookie. I think this may easily be one of my favorite pix.

Jose, Teo and I went to Golden Corral for dinner after Isa went to a sleepover at Nessa's house. The first picture is classic Teo face. I love it. This is his "baby bird mouth" that I adore. He makes it when he's waiting for you to feed him. So cute. The second pic is just tired baby boy leaning on daddy's arm while eating. Sometimes, it's such a rough life...

And that is all. Good night world. Hope your weekend is stellar! :)