Saturday, February 23, 2008

Finding Fun

There are a few things that I can really get lost in the joy of doing - website design is one and video editing is another. Hunter wanted to make a movie. I don't know where that idea came from, but I told him that yeah, we could make a movie, but we'd have to do it right. I had him write out a semi-story board (no pictures) and think out a script (no writing). Then we got our "props" in place and our actors ready. Because of the preparations, we had our movie shot in about 5 minutes. Cool. Try that, Hollywood. Of course I did have some actor issues - all three threatened to walk off the set at some point in the shooting (again, it was only 5 minutes). It was a good family time experience and I'm glad we were able to do it. So, I uploaded the video to my computer, sat down with iMovie and put together the following masterpiece. Enjoy.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Ah, Childhood

I don't remember first grade much. I certainly don't remember much of the drama of first grade but I'm sure it was there. No, actually I do remember an incident, but I'm not sure what grade it was in. There was a bickering over the ownership of a pen found in the back of a car and a vow to not be friends forever and ever. Yeah, I think that lasted a few hours then all was fine.

I got a call from Hunter's teacher this afternoon. Apparently, she had received a call or two from Moms whose children had been on the receiving end of a scathing comment from Hunter. The comment was, to one child, "I'm not inviting you to my birthday party because you're weird," and to another one or two kids, "I don't like you so you can't come to my birthday party."

Great. Well, there were two things to deal with to start. One, everyone is weird, kid, some just a little more than others, so just deal with it because someone else out there thinks you are weird...I mean look who you have for parents. And two, your birthday isn't until June. I can't even plan a week out right now, not to mention another four months out. When he finally came clean with who he had said what to, my heart just broke for the precious little one that he called weird. I volunteer in Hunter's class and this kid is highly imaginative and a creative thinker. I like him. He is always so sweet to me and loves to talk. I can imagine he would test his teacher at times (find me a 1st grader who wouldn't), but he is just so cute...much like my sweet boy...when he is being sweet.

So, we made Hunter write apology notes to all the kids that he said ugly things to. He HATES writing, so it was an appropriate punishment on a few different levels.

He and Dad are watching Spongebob together right now, so I think Hunter is over the trauma of the day. Hopefully, by the time the other kids get their "sorry" notes, they will be wondering why they are getting them.

Love those kiddos!

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Everywhere I Step...

Scott and I have decided we could write a song: "Everywhere I step, I step in puke (or tinkle or poop)". Yeah, I know, gross. But for the parents reading this, you know, you've been there, done that and if you haven't, give it time.

Hunter has a virus and started throwing up at 8pm on Tuesday night and was still going into early this morning. He was doing good yesterday afternoon, so it was a set back this morning. His teacher said there were 6 kids out of his class yesterday. I've been doing continuous laundry since Tuesday (I started my usual laundry on Tuesday morning and thanks to this - it hasn't stopped). We've scrubbed our hands so much I'm surprised we still have skin. Hadyn just doesn't get why brother is here and why she can't hug and love on him. I try to keep the house picked up and clean for the most part anyway, but when an illness starts, I disinfect everything! But it still doesn't shake the fact that we could be walking in it! Yuk.

Add to that, Hadyn, at 16 months yesterday, has decided she wants to sit on the potty and likes wearing panties. Cool! Except she has no control and really doesn't mind wearing wet or otherwise yukky panties so she doesn't let us know when she "needs" to sit on the potty, just when she "wants" to sit. And if she gets her way in her true nirvana - total freedom from clothing - her "no different from a dog" ways come out and I'm picking up little piles all the way down the hallway.

Ha! Anyone want to come for a barefoot visit? Yeah, I thought not. Actually my neighbor is renting a carpet cleaner and has offered to share it with us. We'll be clean for a little while anyway. But until then, I'll guess we'll keep working on our hit song.

"I stepped in puke, I stepppppped in puke,
Don't let nobody walk there,
'cause I stepped in puke."

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Jr High Home Ec

Whoo Hoo! I am just so pleased with myself right now. I just had to share with whomever might read this. Hadyn has a lot of shoes - A LOT of shoes. They had been lined up under the futon in her room, but I thought a hanging shoe rack would be nice, but I didn't want to spend the money on one, so I went back to my Jr High Home Ec sewing education and got out the sewing machine and scrap material and made one this afternoon! Here's a shot of it and Missy Bit re-arranging her shoes already! I'll probably have to rethink how to hang it, but for now...
100_1408

Monday, February 11, 2008

Wrong

I hate being wrong, but yes, I can be, and today I am so miffed because I was yet again wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. Scott told me something the other day that he thought was a little weird and in a conversation with a friend, I told her that thing. She was quite justifiably upset by the comment (not that I said it, but where we thought it might have originated from). Scott was shocked that I had passed the comment along and after getting mad at him for questioning me and then thinking (praying) about it, I realized I was wrong. I hate being wrong. But I know that I shouldn't have perpetuated the gossip and to all involved, I apologize and ask forgiveness from my Heavenly Father.

Why would I ask forgiveness for such a seemingly trivial little thing? Well, in the Bible, the book of Romans -chapter 1 talks about the sins of the human race and how God feels about it. One verse actually lists sins:

Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, fighting, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. (Romans 1:29 NLT)

I was shocked when I first read this list. Gossip is listed along with murder??? So, yeah, when I realized what I had done, I asked to be forgiven.

I glad that I live with the Grace of God in my life that for the many, many, many times I am wrong, I know that I can be forgiven when I ask!!

Friday, February 8, 2008

Shots Pt2 (Differences)

More differences from my kids. Last night, Hadyn came toddling into the kitchen with not one, but two baby dolls in her arms and with the "babies" milk bottle in hand. I snapped a picture of her and she looked like the tired, worn out little mother with two small kiddos to care for. Yeah, sister, we all feel your pain. She sat down on the floor and started trying to give the babies their bottle. But once she saw her own milk bottle, all bets were off for the "babies". They were casually tossed aside for a more important purpose. So, I picked up the babies and the plastic bottle and set them down in the living room. Then Missy Bit's attention went back to the babies. She strapped on a purse that was close by, picked up one baby, the plastic baby bottle, was working on trying to pick up the other baby all the while with Hadyn's own bottle gripped tightly in her mouth.

Yeah, I recognize this move. I load up like a pack mule to get out of the house or the car and can do it, too! Scott, on the other hand will get out of the car and hand everything to me and tell me he'll get Hadyn out if I can carry all of this for him. Sweetheart, I, and nearly every other woman on the face of this planet, can not only carry all of "this" but we can get the baby out of the car, and fumble to find the right key and open the door all without dropping a thing.

But I see where it starts. I will ask Hunter to pick up his toys scattered through the living room and he will pick up one thing at a time and complain about how much he has to pick up.

It's a good thing God made us women so different or we might not ever get anything done around here.

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Home Remedies

Have you gotten those emails that talk about how it's amazing any of us actually survived our childhood? You know, things like riding in the back of the pickup truck, not wearing seat-belts in the car, no call-waiting, no texting, no internet, having to actually go to a movie instead of renting it or having it delivered or getting it on your computer, and on and on. Well, I am actually shocked that I survived my Dad's home cold remedies.

My Mom will tell me about Daddy giving me an "elixir" for a chest cough that I have a vague memory of. His mix, like many mixes of the time, was whiskey with honey and lemon. According to my Mom, she called that mix off when I would fake my cough. Hey!

But the other mix, well, that one should have been reported to the authorities. Only at that time, the authorities were probably choking their kids with the same junk. I'm still not sure what it was or why he thought it was a remedy. On those long, cold nights when the deep heavy whooping chest cough would keep everyone up all night, the kitchen light would flip on, the heavy trod of Daddy feet would come through and I knew I was in for it. In would come the spoon full of sugar (NOT the Mary Poppins kind) with a couple of drops of what he called "coal oil". I'm still not sure what "coal oil" is, but it came from a oil lamp and smelled and tasted like I think gasoline would. The only "remedy" that would bring was for me to bury my head under as many pillows as I could to stifle the cough as to not have to go through that horrible tasting stuff again.

Man, what happened to the whiskey?

Shots

My kids are so different from each other - as are most kids, I suppose. However, I have seen some kids and look at their parents and wonder how those parents got those kids! No, I can look at my completely-different-from-each-other kids and know exactly where they get their little personality traits. Hunter and Hadyn are a perfect blend of Mom and Dad...from their looks to their attitudes to their little quirks. I'm sure at some point, something that is not us will show up in them, but for now....

Hunter has the inability to "shut up" when it is really needed. Most who know us would think that comes from me. Sorry to disappoint, but no, that is his Daddy all over. I will talk about something tangible. Scott will babble, sing-song over non-sense, and crack himself up at nothing at times when it is really not needed...or wanted. I called him on it one morning and told him that he got on to Hunter the night before for the same thing. He said he was just thinking that and how he does it all the time, so of course Hunter would do it!

Hadyn is stubborn. Oh, so is Hunter, but Hadyn...whoo. My stubbornness can usually overpower Hunter's, but I've got to rethink my approach with this little girl before she gets any older. We took Hadyn for her 15 month checkup a few weeks ago. Hunter was out of school, so he came along, too. When it came time for the shots, I thought Hunter was going to pass out. This is my drama king. When he gets a shot, or a scratch, or looked at ugly, he flies apart as if the world was ending right now! Missy Bit, on the other hand, tumbled off the sidewalk onto the driveway one day, got up to her feet and looked around at everyone as if to say, "it's all cool, baby, I'm cool." So when it was time for her shot, she looked at me, screamed out in pain, then the screamed turned to out & out hacked off!! Again, I could hear in that scream, "#@&%!!! YOU JUST WAIT, NURSE LADY, I'LL GET YOU!!" Then with an offer of her juice cup, we were happy again. Hunter was still on the bench nearly hyperventilating.

Hunter is my talker. He's going to be a Pastor or something like that. Hadyn is a warrior. A stubborn hard-headed fighter.
Yup. Those are my babies!