The Little Things

Sometimes it's the little things that mean so much to Katie. Tonight she helped me make our PB&J sandwiches. She was in charge of the jelly application.

Sure it was hard for me, with my *tiny* perfectionist streak, to watch as jelly was clumped on the bread in a less than tidy manner, but boy was she proud of herself.

She also made her bed today and even though I was just dying to give her comforter a little nudge so the covers would fall into place (so the bed she just made would no longer look like she was still *in* it) I didn't. Instead I stopped, took a deep breath, turned to my beaming 4 year old and said "Great job Katie! Mommy is SO proud of you!"

That earned me a big hug and a sweet "I love you mommy!" which totally outweighs the risk of the twitch I may develop over the next few years of messily made beds and sloppy jelly sandwiches. Right? I'm also hoping that my memories of these sweet moments will sustain me during those teenage years (please don't tell me that this starts when they're six or I may start to well up) when I won't be the "best mommy in the world."

On a different note, I just overheard the intro to "The Golden Girls". I never really liked the show, but for some reason that tune always makes me sing along. I know. Weird.

Anyone else have a song like that?

Soil Bag Plantings - Day 2

They must like their soil... they already look perkier!

Plant a garden... lose your cable

If you read my previous post here, you would see that we were industrious in the extreme this weekend!  Painting, planting our garden, and more painting.  We were tired, but it was a great weekend!

Well, last night at about 8:00, I was adding some finishing touches to Katie's beautiful, (if I do say so myself) new room while John was settling into his chair to play some online poker.

I knew the instant I heard him say "Uh oh," that something was up.  Jake uses this phrase freely and it usually means "look at me, I'm so cute, and you can admire my cuteness and laugh while I grin... and drop this toy on the floor" but when John uses it?  Well, I think the last time I heard JOHN use this phrase was when the toilet was on the fritz about two years ago... so I figured it was a BIG "uh oh."

And it was.  Our internet wasn't connecting.  And the TVs didn't work (and Glee is on tomorrow night)!

As I was on hold with our cable company, John *sort of* mentioned that the wire for the cable and the internet runs from the back corner of our yard to the house...

Underground...

Right under our new garden.

Gah.

What do two veggie plants and a bag of soil equal?

The kids are at the lake this weekend and when that happens, we pull out the ol' mental list of the things we want to get done over two days. Then we usually do the heavy labour on Saturday and recuperate on Sunday.

Our goal this weekend was to paint the wall dad built to make our dining room into a separate room for Katie. Mission accomplished!

But we couldn't just sit back and relax on Sunday... oh no.

Let me set the scene...

Me, hanging out in the recliner. Comfy and in the middle of a movie this morning...

(Cobra-a movie I wouldn't watch with Katie around. I *would* have been watching SyFy if they would have had anything good on... like anything with giant piranhas or super sharks but no. Just some movie with Colin Farrell and REALLY bad hair. So it was Cobra. Hmm. Still bad hair but I guess the SyFy channel made me mad by not showing what it's *kind of* known for, which is SCIENCE FICTION. Does anyone else feel my pain?! No? Oh, well okay.)

Ahem.

...when John said something about going to get tomato plants. I had been wanting to try soil bag gardening for awhile, so I was all for it. John can buy tomatoes and I can get soil and a veggie plant or two!

We kinda overdo sometimes so we left with two tomato plants (different types), two watermelon, two pumpkins, and my veggies: cucumber and pepper.

But we did not buy the apple tree (or the plum tree - that cross pollination stuff sounds tough... and expensive!). No way, Jose. We have to draw the line somewhere. (And considering that our purchases fit neatly in the trunk, alongside the $2 ice skates and the $1 hose holder we picked up at a garage sale on Saturday evening, I think we were the vision of self-control.)

I'll have to finish this another time and I'll include pictures... John's almost done planting all of our... plants and we're heading to dinner as soon as he gets cleaned up. I was finished about 10 minutes after we got home. Another reason I think this soil bag gardening is just right for me!

I hope this gardening thing works. I know that John can grow tomatoes (last time he planted them they were coming out of our ears) but, and don't be shocked here, I'm not known for having a green thumb. This should be fun.
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Katie loves her new hat. (If you like prizes, you should really read this!)

Katie loves to go to Target with me.  And it's not because I buy her things.  Really. 

Except for this time. 

Katie tried on hats and looked so cute that I realized she *needed* one to make her summer wardrobe complete.

She tried on purses and sunglasses too, but I totally put my foot down* and said "No".

* Okay, so I waffled about the purse, which was green and cute and summery and fun, for a few minutes before I really did put my foot down.  I just had to give myself a serious talking to before I put it back.  I mean really, how many purses does one mommy need? 

Ahem.  So, back to Katie... I only bought her a hat for OUTside (and yes, I have to specify - I literally had to hide it from her because it was getting filled up with toys).  It was something she really needed so she didn't need to keep track of sunglesses.  These get lost easily at our house.

Can you guess which hat made it into her wardrobe? 

I'm planning to award a prize (a $10 Target gift card!) for the correct guesser.  Pink or Beige.  Contest details (brief as they are) are listed at the bottom of this post.

In other news:

We also had a recent trip to Menards (after a delicious Applebee's dinner).  Grandma watched the kids while dad and I looked for wood for another project I've had in mind.

Grandma and the kiddos in what might possibly be the only moment of peace she got during the entire trip:

Contest details:

Add a comment with your guess: Pink or Beige by 12:00am CST on May 31st.  I'll post the lucky winner AND the prize on June 1st.

Katie = Mini Dictator

Katie has turned into quite the dictator lately.  She's decided that she can talk to Mommy in a very... ahem... forceful way.  In fact, some responses this week have been:

"Mommy. I. Want. Juice."

At my stare she's added a very quiet "please."

"Mommy, I will do it in 7 minutes!"

After another stare, I get this:

"Mommy, why you starin' at me?  I do it in se-ven minutes!" *

"Wheres my juice?!"

"Mommy, tell me about doctors, sing my song, or tell me the burglar story.  You pick."

"Mommy, I neeeeeed my juice!"

These are just a few of the gems that have slipped out of my sweet 4-year-old girl (over the course of the past 3 evenings).  And I've managed not to laugh at any of them.

I did however almost chuckle when she told me that the small electronic piano (It's about 2 feet tall and she carries it around with her and talks to it.  I know.  Strange.) is named Daisy.  And muttered to herself that "Daisy couldn't carry it because she doesn't have any arms". 

I'm glad she's going to start pre-school soon.  I just don't know if I'll be able to keep her imaginary friends AND any real live friends straight in my mind.  Hopefully none of her live friends will be called Honey, Lola, Zola, Goga, Daisy, or Emmy.

* She's really got a thing for the number 7.  And sometimes she says it in a way that implies "I've told you this a hundered and seven times before... se-ven, seven, se-ven... Okay?  Got it?  Duh."

PS: She wasn't on her way outside.  Her footwear is a fashion statement.
PPS: Juice demands are an ongoing thing for us.  And the funny thing is that she can fill up her sippy with water at any time but chooses to flail about insisting that she is soooo thirsty rather than drink water.
PPPS: She wears that crown ALL of the time.  Maybe *that's* where her dictator-y attitude is coming from!

Presenter Rule #2: Brains shouldn't be projected onto a huge screen. Ever.

I was watching a presentation at work today and one particular slide totally grossed me out. Let's just say that if I ever need to give a presentation, I'll try to imagine the images as they might appear on a 6x10 foot screen.

Because a picture of a BRAIN (including what I think is referred to as the *ahem* brain stem - I'm citing "House" as my source for this info because, well, I like the show AND because I'm sure it's full of real life hospital-y information so I'm sure I had to have seen some brain related stuff at some point) is something I could have passed on seeing right after lunch. It wasn't really that gross at first... but the longer I stared at it (and it was on the screen for at least two minutes) the more I noticed the detail... and the more I noticed the detail the more I wondered if it was a picture of an ACTUAL brain.

So, all that to say "ick."
*end
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When it's not all hearts and flowers... Or "The kids are out to get meeeeeee!"

Tonight was a rough night. I think the kids planned the whole "let's gang up on mom... but we'll wait till after dinner so she THINKS it's going to be a night like any other night until WHAM ZONG KABAM! We'll hitt'er with a symphony of cries, whines, and screeches." Yep. I think that's what happened tonight.

Now I don't really know if they planned it like this... but these kids are smart so I totally wouldn't put it past them.

Needless to say, I was super happy when they fell asleep and I *may* have turned off the TV (and every. single. light. in the house) to hasten the whole falling asleep process. Sometimes a good nights sleep is like a reboot for the body.

Did I ever tell you about the time...

Did I ever tell you about the time... Jake ran to the sliding door with his hands up (a la "stop in the name of the law") expecting to crash into the screen door... but the screen door was open so he just fell face first onto the kitchen floor?

That one still makes me laugh.  *I'm reading this over again before I hit post and I'm laughing all over again!*

Did I ever tell you about the time... Katie kept saying "Stop!  In the name of the law" and would pull a pretend ticket book out of her non-existant hip pocket so she could write me a pretend ticket when I started to laugh.  And I laughed harder when she glared at me.  So she wrote me another ticket and another and another.  I finally got my laughter under control and she took off with a very stern look.

Did I ever tell you about the time... I decided to use the salad dressing shaker* to mix up gravy?  If you plan to do this, make sure you're not mixing hot liquid in a sealed plastic container.  It made a big mess, and...  ouch.  Same goes for pancake mix... even if it's not warm.

I mean, if you want to have an excuse to clean cabinets, countertops, and kids, then seal it tight.  If not, leave it a little bit open so air can escape.  Because one small mess can turn into multiple messes.  (I can usually hold one kid back with one hand while wiping the mess up with the other hand BUT once kid #2 comes into the area, kid #1 wants to roam free too.  This means I usually clean up the original mess and then a bunch of foot-shaped messes because kids like to walk in stuff they know mommy will have fun cleaning up.  And kids also like to walk on a freshly wiped floor.  And sometimes I'm not great about picking up all of the water.  And sometimes kids aren't great with balance.  And sometimes water is slippery and kids fall and bump their heads on the floor.  And there are tears and cuddles and hugs and quiet time with mommy.  And then they're fine and we're back to the circus that is our lives.

Ah, my kids.  I love these two goofballs.

Just yesterday I was telling Katie that she could not grow up any more.  I wanted her to forever stay 4 years old.  She disagreed because God made her to grow up and be a mommy some day.  But added that I could still call her "Gooberbutt."  (I started calling her gooberbutt when she was a baby.  It kinda stuck and to this day I use it.  And she answers to it.  Everywhere... even when it slipped out at Target. And yes, I know it's weird but I can't help using it.)

Jake doesn't really have a nickname.  I mean, I call him Jakeybakey but that's just because nothing else ever seemed "right."

And I think sometimes I used most of my creativity on Katie (first child) and by the time Jake came along, everything had been done before.  The fact that she realized that the gooberbutt thing was special to me made my heart a little mushy.

I made up a lullabye for Katie, and reused it for Jake by substituting his name for hers.  It works great, unless she hears me singing it to him and demands that I sing "her" song.  In which case I just sing it with her name and hope he doesn't notice.

We painted her room pink with hanging butterflies.  Jake had to share her room and his blue sheets and blanket don't quite "go" with the decor.

Katie got brand name diapers, wipes, and formula and I washed her clothes in Dreft till she was 2. Jake gets Kirkland everything and his stuff goes in the wash like everyone elses.

Sometimes I feel like Jakey gets the shaft.  But then I realize that he's such a lucky boy to have a big sister that loves him as much as Katie loves him.  (Also, I'm a little more relaxed with his adventurous side than I would have been if he had been first.  He's lucky I don't make him wear a helmet and pad his clothes with bubble wrap.  He's that crazy.)

And I'm such a lucky mom to have them both as my babies. 

Gooberbutt and Jakeybakey, Mommy loves you!

* Hey, if you want to use the salad dressing shaker more than once a year, give it to the kids (minus the little lid - that's gotta be a choking hazard right up there with batteries) and let them entertain themselves with the running water from the kitchen sink for an hour or so while you look at mail or tidy up.  This really works!  They might even wash dishes (or each other!) if you provide soap and a washcloth...

Miss Katie goes to School

It's official!  I enrolled Katie in pre-school this morning. 

YAY!

I just need to pick up the application form and fill it out, get the immunizations and a form signed by her doc, and pay the fee. 

Okay, so maybe it's not "official" official yet.  But Katie has been added to "the list" and I can't wait to tell her!

I think she'll be thrilled.

And all of the things made of paper at our house will breathe a sigh of relief.  Let's have a moment of silence to honor the memory of the stationery and $1 bill massacred in the Great Scissor Debacle of 2009.

...

So pre-school will be a good thing.  If anything, it might teach her to cut *inside* of the lines.  Maybe if she had cut within the lines in '09, we could have saved George (he's still overwrought and just in pieces over this whole situation).

(Get it, "in pieces"?!  *grin*)

Link to YouTube video. Watch at your own risk. Oh, and do not drink anything while you watch. (Consider this a PSA. You'll thank me for it.)

Sienfeld on "Halloween Candy"

This made me laugh A LOT.  And if I laughed so hard water came out my nose*, I'm pretty sure others might too.

*Which I totally would have done if I had been drinking water at the time.  But I wasn't so instead I laughed really hard, with my mouth closed, which resulted in a "pfffftttt" sound from deep in my throat.  Loudly.  And now my throat hurts and I keep chuckling.  Hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

Katie and Jacob play together (as directed by Katie)

What's happened to my kids?!

They are playing together... nicely!

Katie is the ringleader. She's orchestrated a sit down dinner for her and Jake and a fun climb onto the top of our paper towel pack from Costco.

And did I mention that they are playing TOGETHER?!

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This little piggy...

I got a great deal on 10 lbs of pork.

Now we're not usually big pork eaters but tonight we cooked up three ribs, six pork chops, and a huge pork roast.

I've packed some for lunches and froze some for a later week, you know, when we're not so sick of pork.
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Target steals more of my hard earned money (otherwise titled: I shouldn't shop at Target while waiting for prescriptions... twice)

Katie talking to Jake: Jake! Go away! This is not your planet!

Katie to mommy: Mommy, someone just visited me! Someone with a name "Je" and someone with a name "Ga". I was puzzled till I remembered we had talked about who else but Jesus and God a lot today. This was a conversation that took place on the potty and she talked for a long time... I could hear her in there chatting away!

After her conversation with God and before we headed to Target (the first time) Katie asked if I knew when she was going to die.

I told her that only God knows that and she said we should ask him to tell us. I told her that it wasn't for us to know. She was okay to leave it at that because we were heading to ... TARGET!!!

I heart Target. I especially heart Target when I can wander the aisles alone... sigh... but *this* time I brought both of the kids and picked up prescriptions and did some shopping (because its not possible to go to Target and NOT shop!) and headed home. The kids were great. The excellent behavior could have been attributed to the candy sample lady who was giving away Lindor truffles and mint chocolate AND possibly to Jake falling asleep in the cart but wither way, yay!

So, great trip.

Only to find once we got home that they forgot to include TWO prescriptions. So I went back with Katie and bought her a hat for at the lake and bought myself some new jeans. Both things I did NOT need!
But both are super cute!

(Oh, and we picked up the prescriptions too.)

We had a visit from George and Rose and their ADORABLE puppies (Yorkies)

And then John and I cooked up roughly 10 pounds of pork.

But *that* is another post.