Tuesday? Check!

Wow.

Tuesday.

I always knew you were an awful beast, sneaking up on us right after the deluge of Monday, but without the rest of the weekend under our belts.

But this? This was a low blow. And what's worse? You're going to keep coming at us with both guns blazing.

Tuesday has taken on a whole new state of chaos in our life. Tuesday is now known as "Sports Night".

Let me back up a half a click and say this - we limit the kids to one sport per child per season. This is difficult to make them understand, but hey, we've already resolved ourselves to the "mean parent" role. Because one sport per child x 3 children is still 3 sports per season. And nights like tonight prove that is still way more than we can handle.

Our new Tuesday regime looks like this:
*Get Bonnie and Clyde up from nap, change Bonnie into leotard with warm clothes over it and Clyde into his hockey gear.

*Dexter home from school via carpool at 3:45 pm

*Everyone loaded up in the car, ready to pull out at 3:50 pm

*Drive 20ish minutes west of home to the ice rink, where Clyde has hockey lessons at 4:15 pm.

*Have Husband meet us at ice rink prior to 5 pm so someone can leave with Bonnie to drive 35ish minutes east (to the other side of the county) to make gymnastics practice at 6 pm.

*All while the other parent stays at the ice rink to change Clyde out of his hockey gear, get everyone a snack, and then get Dexter in his hockey gear in time to be on the ice at 6:15pm for his hockey team practice.

*All meet back at home somewhere around 8 pm to eat dinner at lightning speed, shower at lightning speed, and get them all into bed at lightning speed (and hopefully, before 9pm, a full hour past the regular bed time)

Yeah, Tuesday. You're a cruel, cruel joke.

There's something spooky in the air......

Let me just start by saying - Halloween? Not my favorite. I vaguely recall enjoying it as a child, but then there was the incident with the candy and the stick from my scarecrow costume..... Well, let's just say, I was thankful to have a big brother.

But, I'm living with four people who really seem to like the holiday, so I've pulled myself up by the bootstraps and joining in. My doors display black feather wreaths, and headstones grace my front porch.

The one thing, though, that I've never liked is carving pumpkins. The ooey, gooey, nasty, sticky innards? The mess? The smell? The need for artistic ability to make something other than triangle eyes? The ability to not try to slice off one's own pinky........oh, there go the childhood memories again.

My kids, though, love them. LOVE THEM. We drive past a pumpkin patch on our way to school, and from August through October, they watch the vines spread and the flowers bloom, eventually turning to big, plump, ripe pumpkins. They argue over which one they're getting. Who's will be the biggest? Who's will be tall and skinny? Who's will be short and round?

We've been remiss this year in getting to the pumpkin patch. We were going to go last week, but alas, I had the death (aka H1N1) and Husband wasn't so hip on taking them by himself.

So instead, we're bombarded with daily conversation of pumpkins.

The latest of which went like this:

Bonnie - You see, Clyde, dere's lotsa kindsa punkins.

Clyde - Yep! Tall ones, short ones, scawey ones....

Bonnie - Yeah, de scawey ones are Jank0-Laters. Dere de glow-up kind..........

"Your stunned silence is veeeeeery reassuring......."

File this under "classic conversations"

Bonnie - Ok Mom! We cleaned up the whole playroom!!

Me - Really? The whole thing?

Bonnie - Yes!!!!

Me - And you put everything away where it belongs?

Bonnie - **insert stunned silence here**

Me - So if I pulled out a tub, I wouldn't find random things all stuck in there?

Bonnie - Well, actually, we didn't.

as she runs back upstairs:

Bonnie - Clyyyyyyyde! We hafta put stuff where it BELONGS

Clyde - Ooooooooooooooooh. Dasa gonna take a little longer..........

Cute Kid-isms from the day

Today has been filled with funny kid-isms. In no particular order:

From Clyde: I spy, wif my wittle grwasses eyes................underpants! (peering through his bottle of water, and with underpants no where in sight.....)

From Bonnie: It's spring, tra la la la la!!!! (upon spying the fountain was on in the school pond)

From Dexter: You mean, I can really, really use my muscles?!?! (when told he could run and play again after his two week surgery recovery)

And lastly, a pair from Bonnie and Clyde upon their reception of gymnastics' trophies (for completing a year of gymnastics):

Clyde - my firstest eber tropie, Mom! In my whole wide life!
Bonnie - I wowked, and I wowked, and I wowked, and look, Mom! I did it! My tropie! I'nna sleep wit it tonight. I DID IT!!

T minus 40 hours..................

Not that I'm counting, but in T minus 40 hours, I will be in a car bound for a warmer, less stressful, sandier locale.

And hopefully, sometime between now and then, I'll have my act together and get everything packed.

Oh, and Lands' End? Yeah, this size EIGHT rashguard isn't going to be much help on Bonnie unless it was intended to be a dress. Thanks, for that.

Vacations aren't for sissies......

Seriously. Going somewhere for spring break sounded like a GRAND plan. Especially back in August, when we decided that, newly constrained by Dexter's school schedule, we would be ready to get outta dodge come spring.

And really, it ** does** sound like a great idea. A week of no plans, beach, warm weather! What's not to love??

Except the whole getting ready for the trip? Yeah, that part? Notsomuch. I love to travel. And we'll have a great time when we get there.

I'm just rusty on the packing.

Cut me some slack! It's the first time we've gone anywhere since AUGUST. AUGUST, people!! Do you realize that we haven't set foot in a hotel in nearly SEVEN months?!?! That might be a new family record. Seven months. My kids, when asked what they're doing for spring break, shout "We goind to a OTEL!!!! Oh, and dere bill be sand dere, too."

But first, little ones, Mommy must pack. But never you fear, I will power on.

I may be rusty, but I'm no sissy!!!

I'm declaring Winter '08-'09 to be D.O.N.E.

Don't tell mother nature, but THIS mother has declared winter to be over.

(Ok - side note? Facebook makes me talk about myself in the third person. It's a disease.)

So, with spring break blissfully on the horizon, and the forecast this week looking decidedly NOT cold (ok, so morning lows of 30* might be pushing it, but I'll call it brisk. Brisk sounds uplifting! Cold? Cold is depressing....) - ANYWAY - anyway, I've decided winter is over.

Hats, mittens, coats, scarves, you name it. All have been washed and successfully put away. Replaced with raincoats, fleece jackets, and all accouterments spring.

Now, about those fleece footed jammies.........

Well, it was SUPPOSED to be PJ Day

I had the grandest of intentions. Well, actually, it was the lack of grand intentions that made it so grand.

A day where, despite all the alluring things to do, Bonnie, Clyde, and I would stay in our PJs all day and not leave the house.

Except, that I felt the need to shower.

And then, Bonnie decided it was "wear a fancy skirt" day.

And then, Clyde decided to see how many outfits he could put on in one day before Mommy lost her cool. (Answer? Three.)

And the icing on the cake? "Wear a Fancy Skirt" day also meant "Bonnie has bare legs" day, which, in her twisted mind led to "I like to draw faces all over my legs with Mommy's Pen" day.

34 more days. And then they won't be 3 any longer. Not that I'm counting.

20 questions, 3 year old style

Sometimes, the train of thought of a 3 year old is just too much to follow!

Today, in the span of 15 minutes, from Clyde:

Why are there lines? (the grout in the time)
Why are these ones black? (again, tile)
Why are there leaves here? (the nap of the bathroom rug, not leaves at all)
What is this brush for? (makeup brush)
Why is that necklace hanging there? (on my vanity)
Why is those socks grey?
Where did you buy my frog socks?
Why is [Bonnie] still sleeping?
Why is it raining?
Why does the clouds move?
Did God blow all that wind?
When is Halloween?
Did you buy me my red power rangers costume?
Why can't it be my birthday now?
Can I watch Mary Poppins?
Why can't Mary Poppins live here?
Can I fly with an umbrella?
Why is Cooper furry? (dog)
Why don't I have fur?
What's for lunch?
Where is it? (lunch)
Can I eat lunch in here (my bathroom)?

why why why!!!! So many questions. Sometimes I wonder if my responses are really even necessary......

Conversations with a 3 year old....

.......or why my brain can no longer process regular speech.

The following occurred today at approximately 11:30am, while driving home from gymnastics.

Bonnie - Mom, what's after gymnastics?
Me - We're going home to have lunch.
B - What's for lunch?
M - Grilled Cheese
B - And then what?
M - Nap
B - Can I play Play-Doh?
M - Yes you may, but not until after we pick up Dexter from school, after nap.

.........pause.........

B - Mom, are we going to school now?



**sigh**

And this, my friends, is why I'm no longer capable of having a normal conversation. My brain is constantly trying to stay one step ahead of the circular (and frequently misguided) logic I'm bombarded with on an hourly basis. I can no longer say something clearly the first time, apparently, because I'm forced to repeat the same conversation ad nauseam. This frequently leads to sighs of exasperation by one or more parties involved.

Other topics that seem to follow this same pattern include, but are not limited to:
1. Clyde's demand of a red power ranger costume for Halloween (8 months away)
2. The pumpkin patch that is sometimes covered in snow but not always and why pumpkins don't grow year round.
3. The daily list - what is today, what are we doing today.
4. Can I have snack? (usually occurring approximately 5 minutes after the completion of a meal)
5. Why is this drive taking so long? (on the daily drive to pick up Dexter from school. All 15 minutes of it)
6. What is the name of this song? (we listen to Radio Disney. They play the same 8 songs all day long. And yet? It's asked every.single.time.)
7. Do we have to take a bath/shower today?
8. What's for dinner?/I don't like this/I want something else (aka - Mommy is NOT a short order cook)

Have I mentioned that I'm anxious to get the "year of 3" behind us? Two months from tomorrow. Two long looooong months.

In other more pleasant news, Husband returned home from Phoenix yesterday, much to the delight of the household. And apparently? He brought the sun with him. Yay!!!

Bummer.

Dexter announced, on the way home from school today:

"Mom, did you know there's only six weeks 'til summer? The grasshog saw his shadow. It's a bummer........."

Yeah, buddy, it is a bummer. Especially when you realize, six weeks from now, you're still two months away from summer, little man.

And that, my friends, explains EVERYTHING.........

It's been, shall we say, a little rough around here lately. Clyde has a cold (which for him means nebulizer IMMEDIATELY to even have a chance of avoiding pneumonia), Dexter's been on school cancellation and/or 2 hour delay most of the week (meaning our schedule? Totally out of whack), and Bonnie has been beyond fragile (aka - sobbing at the drop of a hat).

I'm racking it all up to screwed up schedules and thus, being extra tired (so much so, in fact, that bedtime has been moved back half an hour WITHOUT argument from the littles).

Tonight, after yet another rousing round of I.will.NOT.eat.this.vile.substance.for.dinner.and.you.can't.make.me!!!!! (because, you know, flank steak IS punishment in it's most cruel and unusual form....), followed by "bathtime is now only tolerable if the puppet washcloth is involved", Bonnie offered an interesting perspective. As we were recapping the day, talking about what our favorite parts of the day were (me? getting my car back - wahoo!!), and planning out tomorrow, she offers this:

"Mom, I cand't fink aboudt dat wite now. My brwain haz furr on it."

Alrighty, then.

What is it about Friday?

What is it about Friday that both elates and stresses? The joy of the unplanned weekend. The opportunity of the unplanned weekend. The openness of the unplanned weekend. Good things, right?

And yet, it stresses me out a little bit to not know exactly what I'm going to be doing this weekend.

Apparently, I have passed on this over-planning gene to my kids - every moment, they want to know what's next, and then? What's after what's next?

I need to learn to enjoy the moment more. If I can, maybe they can, too.

"There is no time like the present for postponing what you ought to be doing....."

This seems fitting for me lately - though I must admit, I'm not purposely postponing things, it just seems to always happen that way.

I'm not sure, but I'd be willing to wager that I've secretly been enrolled in an undergroup time warp experiment where I really only have about 2 hours per day instead of the generally accepted 24. I'm not sure the point of it, except possibly to see how much a harried mother of 3 can possibly cram into the shortest amount of time, all the while trying to gauge at what point the stress and exhaustion catches up to her LOL!

So, suffice it to say, things have been busy around these parts. Not with anything earth shattering, but rather, daily life.

Dexter has hockey twice a week, Bonnie and Clyde, gymnastics twice a week. As hockey ends, basketball will begin, and Clyde is dying to start skating soon, as well as play soccer.

Add in the mundane mom tasks - PTO meetings, volunteering at school, menu planning, grocery shopping, laundry.....life has been a bit like "Groundhog Day" lately. I'm not sure, but I may be stuck in Gobbler's Knob!