Tornado Kelton

Don't you just hate when you go to someones house with your kids and they break something? I remember the first time it happened; Kelton wasn't yet two and he managed to knock over a ceramic planter and it shattered. GULP!

I offered to buy a new planter for them but they refused my offer saying it was really ok. To this day I still feel a twinge of guilt that my child broke something of someone elses.

Then there was the time that he dropped a glass paperweight through the glass topped coffee table at Dakota's mom's house. I didn't feel the same level of guilt because I wasn't the one who was watching him but still - I felt bad it happened. We replaced the glass top.

And then today....Kelton was trying to bring a toy down from the toy room at the same friends house as breakage #1 when it slipped from his hands and tumbled, loudly, down the entire flight of stairs. I was in shock as I watched the toy cash register hit the floor and I was definitely wishing I was anywhere, like one of the North Padre Island rentals that I've heard about. Anywhere, really. Anywhere but standing there feeling awful that my child might have just broken another child's treasured toy.

Thankfully it all worked out and after examination the toy somehow managed to survive. I'd be really ok if he would stop breaking things that belong to other people. :)

Random Thought

Is it me or do the years seem to be flying by? I noticed today how it was still light outside while I was reading books to the kids before bed and I noticed how things are starting to bloom out. I even saw my first bumble bee (and it was freakin' ginormous!) this afternoon.

I suddenly realized that summer will be here soon. Where did the winter go?

I swear - it's gotten to the point where with each blink another year is gone.

Damn I'm getting old.

First Pass on the Invite

Sheesh! Am I ever out of practice when it comes to scrapping.....I'm not totally loving this but it's what I have so far. I am hoping I can get a better photo of the birthday boy but no promises. Good shots are few and far between these days.

It wasn't what I had in mind but it's what came out....maybe that's ok. I'll let Kelton take a look and see what he says.

If you aren't sure what I'm talking about - keep reading. I did a few posts tonight. :)

So Much To Do

I can't believe how fast the weeks are flying right now. Easter is this coming Sunday and then it is a fast slide to Dakota's and my 13th wedding anniversary, Kelton's birthday and then Dakota's birthday. There are also several other family birthdays thrown in there. March has already been cram-packed with birthdays and there are still more to come. WOW!

I need to get to work on Kelton's birthday invitation. I had thought about taking the easy way out and using Evite but when I asked Kelton if that would be ok he really wanted to have a card with his picture on it "You know Mom - the kind you always make." I can't say no to that. I don't make their cakes so the least I can do it get off my lazy butt and make their invitations. His birthday theme is art and we found a great Crayola cake at a local grocery store. So my job now is to create an invitation that reflects his party theme.

I'm not surprised by his theme choice. If you know one thing about Kelton it is that he LOVES art. All things art related - pens, crayons, paint (oh good heavens especially paint), chalk, colored pencils, papers, stickers, etc. He has a completely abstract style which I love. No coloring in the lines for this kid - oh no! It's bold strokes and lots of color mixing. It's getting his hands into everything and messing around with textures. When he was little he would literally paint his entire body and, if given half the chance, I'm sure he still would.

So I have his party to deal with and figure out and I also want to do something special for Dakota for our anniversary. I have some plans in mind - I need to just carve out the time to begin working on it.

So what the heck am I still doing here? I have no time for blogging - my To Do list is growing my the minute. :) I guess I better get to it. Tick Tock.

Kiss Me, I'm Irish!

Did everyone have a good St. Patrick's Day? I worked in Kelton's classroom this morning and I was amused to see kids and adults alike walking around in green wigs, silly hats and funny t-shirts. The kindergarten room was awash in green and you could tell the kids knew it was a special day. The excitement level in there was amazing.

Sparky the Leprechaun had made a visit to the room over the weekend and not only did he mess up the entire room but he left wrapped pieces of gold (Hersey Kisses) all over the room. The kids had to go about straightening up the room as they looked for their treasures. It was chaos but so much fun to watch. Later in the morning they made "Irish Sundaes" which were baked potatoes with all the fixings. Needless to say, they all had a great time and I think this is a day that Kelton won't soon forget.

I hope you all found some magic of your own today.

Cold Hands

Today I learned that letting my hands get cold is a bad, bad thing. I've been dealing with some pretty intense pins and needles sensation in my hands and feet this weekend but that was small potatoes compared to letting my hands get too cold while I waited at kindergarten pick up today. For some reason, it's gotten cold here. The temps aren't all that impressive as in "Damn! I think it might snow." but it's cold and windy and the windy part makes the cold part seem even colder.

Or maybe I'm just a wimp. :) I don't think that's it though because Miss "I'm Not Cold and Don't Even Think About Trying To Make Me Wear A Coat" happily put on her jacket while I waited for Kelton. Normally I just carry her jacket to and from the car so that other people don't think I'm a terrible parent for not putting a jacket on my toddler. I've been carrying her jacket daily since October and I can count on one hand how many times she allowed it to be placed on her body. Seriously.

Anyway...the point to this no point rambling is when my hands and feet are already going nutty with nerve-crap (I'm pretty sure that's a medical term *grin*) coldness makes it a bazillion times worse. It literally felt like a fire storm of pain in my hands. Warm water made it worse so my only course of action was to change into soft, warm cuddly clothes and pile on my fluffy warm blanket and try to warm up. I swear it took about an hour, and a double dose of Motrin *and* Tylenol, for my hands to settle down. They finally returned to their non-frozen painful state a few hours later but they are still bugging the heck out of me. At least it isn't so painful I want to cry - more like I want to throw things and have a tantrum because I hate this...so...I guess that's something.

I think I will dig out my winter gloves and keep them handy until the weather changes again.

March 17th

I'll be back sometime later to write a real post but I wanted to say Happy St. Patrick's Day to everyone! May the luck of the Irish be with you!

A Creative Day for the Boy

Just another fun filled afternoon. :)

The PlayDoh spider. (and yes, all our PlayDoh is about the same color. Clearly they need some new stuff. :) ) This is the first time he has actually made a "real" something. Very, very proud moment!

I'm not sure why but he thought sticking a pencil in the spider was a good idea. :) But just look at that smile!
Later we moved on to building marshmallow and toothpick bridges. He saw Curious George make one on today's episode so.... :) Kaylen was working on her own version but since she was "without clothes" I didn't take any photos of her. I'm sure you understand.

Such a happy boy!!

Feeling Sorry for Myself (for lack of a better title)

They say that you never really appreciate your mother until you have children of your own. Before kids, I didn't understand that *at all* but now, almost 6 years into the parenthood journey, I do. Only, my mom isn't around to share in that revelation.

Today is one of those days when I miss my mom. Really miss my mom. Why is today any different? I have no clue. Maybe because of a visiting mom/grandmother at the house were playgroup was held today. Or maybe because the conversation of moms came up (moms babysitting their grandchildren, etc.). I don't know why - all I know is I'm feeling very sad about not having a mom in my life.

I don't miss the mom I had that past few years, because of her illness she really wasn't "my mom" anymore and truthfully, she hadn't been the mom I am missing for many, many, many years. Probably most of my adult life. Does that makes any sense? Her illness started a long, long time ago and while we didn't have a name for it, it was clear she wasn't the mom she probably could have been. I don't mean that in a mean way - it certainly wasn't her fault.

What I mean to say, and can't quite articulate is I miss the mom who must have held me after I was born. The mom who would have moved mountains to make the world a safe place for her children. The mom who held my hands as I took my first steps, who helped me blow out my first candles and walked me to kindergarten. The mom who went to bat for me when necessary, read me stories and tucked me into bed. The mom who must have been proud of me just because I was her child. I miss the mom who would ask me about my day. Who would listen to my problems (when I shared them with her....). I even miss the mom who made me do a chapter of math each and every summer morning one year so that I would do better in math the next year at school. I miss the mom who made us pick apples, peel apples and help make jams and jellies and applesauce. I miss the mom who loved me as fiercely as I love my own kids and who would understand all the things I face daily with my kids. All the worries, frustrations and downright scary stuff that comes when you have kids to tend to, support and help grow into adults.

I miss a mom who would have answers or at the very least would say "I get it. I understand. I've been there and it is going to be ok. I'll be here always to help you however I can. No matter what."

I miss having the security of a mom.

Not for a single second do I think it wouldn't be complicated and messy and probably not at all like I imagine it might have been. I think all mother/daughter relationships can be but sometimes I ache so much for the mother I never had and the missed opportunity to ever have it.

Something else that I've discovered over the 10 months she has been gone is that parents, even if they aren't well and aren't the parents you need them to be, still offer a measure of security against the world, small as it might be. I think I am missing that "mom security".

I have so many questions I would like to ask her. Being a mom is hard. Being a grown up is really hard. And I wish I could talk with her about it.

"Make Over Me!"

Kaylen has been begging Kelton to "make her over" with the child friendly make up we have for the past few days and today he finally agreed. The boy got into full character, too, by calling himself "Bob Fabulous" which completely cracked me up. He even had to stop working on Kaylen for a few minutes to tend to other customers. LOL! I thought for sure that at any moment he was going to ask me to look into small business phone systems for his "Make Over Studio".

I remember Kelton being this age and how he, too, loved to paint his face. That's what he called it "paint my face". I'm not sure where Kaylen came up with "Make Over" (clearly two separate words for her as opposed to makeover) but I have a hunch it came from an episode of Ruby and Max.

Ah - these are the days.... :)

How Dirty Is Your Kitchen Floor?

See that? That is the pile of yuck that I swept from my kitchen floor tonight. Now before you start thinking "Geez...you'd think she could sweep more often than every six months!" let me tell you that this is the second sweeping of the day. I swept and mopped before taking Kelton to school this morning and then again after dinner. And remember, I swept and mopped three times yesterday - the last time being right after dinner.

Oh yes indeed - all this loveliness is brought to you courtesy of Maddie (with a little help from Jordan who must follow her outside a bazillion times a day). It would get this bad at the end of each day when Jaxon was with us, too. Jaxon would go in and out and in and out (and lay around on the grass getting dusty and filled with grime) many times a day but since Jaxon's been gone, the yuck factor for sweeping had been dramatically reduced.

Maddie loves to go outside and when out there, she plays hard. Really hard. And all that dirt and grime comes in with her. So, so, so much fun. NOT. :)

Can you imagine though if I put off sweeping for a couple of days? I'm thin king you would have to use some Cat 5 cable to tie around your waist as you tried to make your way through the mess. Kind of like Hansel and Gretel and their bread crumbs. :)

I can't complain too much though - Maddie is a real sweetheart and she is really growing on me. Not like mold either....as in I become more fond of her as the hours pass. Right now she is curled up on her doggie bed right behind my chair and it does feel right to have her here. And Jordan - oh my gosh! He is loving life so much right now. I haven't seen him this happy is a long, long time. That makes it all worth it. Well - that and hearing Kelton say "I love you sweet Maddie. You're the best dog int he world." when he said goodnight to her tonight. *happy sigh*

Remember my post a few days back.....

...on colon cleanser? Has anyone else noticed a huge increase in not only emails regarding these products but the amount of displays seen in stores? Holy moly! I seriously had no idea this was such a "thing" right now but I am seeing end-cap displays at stores all over town filled with colon cleansing products.

I'm amazed....and well, honestly, a bit disturbed as well. I mean really - do I really need to worry about cleaning one more thing?

I'm just saying.....

And yet - I guess if it's something that makes you feel healthier, then go for it. I think I'm respectfully take a pass for now. :)

Day One: 2 dogs, 3 cats and 2 kids

Lions and tigers and bears - oh my!

Sorry - I just couldn't help it. It's been that kind of day. Actually, all things considered, the day has gone very well. It started out with a bang about 4 minutes after Dakota walked out the door at 6:00 this morning when I heard from the far end of the house the prancing and pawing of eight tiny hoofs. And I don't mean reindeer. Oh no - I mean Jordan and Maddie having a free for all play time. This might have been ok except that our 11 year old dalmatian isn't as steady on his feet as he likes to pretend *and* is under doctor's orders to have a few calm days to let injuries to his knee (long standing arthritis aggravated by rough housing) and tail (sprain) heal a bit. Clearly the pain meds they put him on yesterday seem to be working wonders because all day today I had to work at keeping him low key. Not easy to do, I might add, when he so desperately wants to play with Maddie.

I got up and separated them before someone got hurt. And so started my day. To my credit, Jordan only got hurt (as in yelping and unable to stand for a few minutes) once (Hey! I can't be everywhere. I had to get the kids their lunch which meant I had to take my eyes off the previously quiet dogs for a few minutes.). He got rolled in the yard one time but he seemed none the worse for wear - not counting the mud covered fur. :) He did jump right back up - which I was relieved to see.

It's going to be difficult to get Maddie to learn that she can't be that rough with our little old man. And it will be equally difficult to get Jordan to learn that he is no longer the pup he clearly thinks he is.

Mostly though, it was a really good day. When Maddie would show signs of wanting to play I'd get her in the yard and throw tennis balls for her (man that dog can run! So much for a decent lawn this year......) until she refused to run. Then we'd head back inside and hang out. Tonight is better than the past two nights - she seems to be getting the routine of quiet time after bath and bed for the kids.

The kids played with her some today but not nearly to the extent they have been. They both love her and are having fun with her but today they were pretty much back to their own routines. Which is good - it gives everyone a chance to settle in and gives Maddie a more clear picture of reality in her new house.

Kelton couldn't wait to show off "his" new dog so I brought up my laptop and printed off pictures today so that he could take them to school. He even took in one of him with Jordan which I thought was very sweet. He didn't want Jordan to think he didn't love him, too. :)

I haven't seen much of the cats since Friday night. Dallas appears to be the bravest of the three and she has gone face to face with Maddie. Andi runs for cover as soon as she catches sight of Maddie... and Lucy...well.....I briefly saw her for about 5 seconds last night after we gated Maddie in to Dakota's side of the bed (we've decided to keep her contained at night for a while to give the cats a chance to adjust...not to mention eat and use the litter box). I miss the cats though so I hope everyone adjusts sooner rather than later. I know they are out at night (Andi and Dallas even slept on the bed for a while last night) but I miss seeing them.

Oh yeah - and kitchen floor mopping, for those keeping count, stands at three for the day. No matter how well I think I am wiping Maddie's feet she still manages to track in a lot of mud. Ugh! I'm thinking we're going to have to run the carpet cleaner this weekend, too. Oh joy.

All in all though - it was a better day than I feared it might be. Thankfully.

All Aboard the Crazy Train!

I swear to you that I need to have family t-shirts printed up that say "All Aboard the Crazy Train!" because this family is certifiable.

It wasn't me this time though so I'm feeling pretty smug about that. Oh no - this time it was Dakota who lost her ever-lovin' mind. She brought home a new dog. Well - she didn't so much bring it home as moved ahead with adoption plans. The foster family drove the dog 4 plus hours to deliver her to our house (which was actually pretty darn amazing!).

Back story, anyone?

A month or so ago Dakota started "looking" at what type of dog she would like to have and she narrowed it down to a boxer. I was not on board with this, mind you. I was no where near ready to get another dog. And a boxer? Seriously? When she started narrowing the playing field down to specific dogs, we had a heart to heart and I asked that she not move ahead until she was out of school for the summer because a new dog would be one more added stress to my already over-stressed and over-whelming life and besides, I'm not the dog person per se, she is. I thought it was only right that she was home more to help out and make the transition easier for all of us. She agreed to wait.

Fast forward to last weekend when I opened my email to find photos and the story of "the perfect dog for our family". It was clear that Dakota had already fallen in love with this dog and was well on her way of bringing her home.

Some deep breathing and a few futile "I thought we agreed to wait" 's. followed by "I didn't expect to find this one. I was just seeing what was out there." followed by more heavy sighing and deep breathing...............and we have a new dog. We should have named her "Mid-Semester Crisis" *grin* but we didn't...so without further ado.....

Introducing Maddie:

A 3 year old boxer mix who is an amazing ball of energy inside the body of a very tender and sweet pup. The kids love, love, love her and she loves them right back. Jordan adores her and the cats are learning to tolerate her.

I will admit, she is very, very sweet and well behaved and I love that she is so great with the kids and that they are loving her and enjoying playing fetch and frisbee.

And of course we need photos of our Jordan, too. :)

Tired dogs hanging out with Kaylen.

So - ready or not, we are back to two dogs. She is a sweetheart, that's for sure and so far, it's going well. Now if I can just find my groove and set up a new routine that works for everyone we'll be doing ok. :)

Sunday Ads

I love the Sunday paper. There is just something exciting about seeing all the inserts with all the things on same for the week. Maybe it's just all the possibilities. When it comes right down to it, nice times out of ten, they all go into the recycling bin but once in a while I find something that we were planning to get anyway that is now on sale. On sale. I love those words. :)

Target ads, Fred Meyer ads and the Kohls coupons are my favorites to flip through. I think I thumb through them a couple times each just to make sure I'm not missing anything.

Oh yeah - I love the Sunday ads. :)

Is it just me?

It is just me or do children seem to enjoy making complete disaster areas out of formerly clean bathroom counter I don't know what it is about my two but it seems as if I barely toss the cleaning rag into the washing machine before the sink area is a mess of spilled toothpaste, discarded drinking cups and puddles of water. Sometimes I wonder why I even bother. *sigh*

Lucky Charms for Dinner

What does it mean when you eat a bowl of Lucky Charms for dinner after you put the kids to bed? Does it mean you just couldn't stand the thought of eating chicken nuggets (again!) or that maybe you are just too lazy to come up with something, anything, to feed yourself? Maybe it's a combo of both. Whatever the reason, I just finished my so-called dinner.

It's been an off day for me. For the past three days I've been having a rough time with the symptoms of the syrinx (fluid filled cyst in my spinal cord) which means my nerves are shot - in more ways than one. It feels like my entire nervous system has been on hyper-drive and it has been a bit challenging. I noticed last night there was a decrease in the numbness, tingling, pins, needles and heightened anxiety which was a welcome relief. This morning though - I could barely stand the thought of getting myself up and out of bed. I was completely exhausted and just wanted to sleep - or at least stay in bed with my eyes closed.

I managed to stay under the covers until 7:30 when I had no choice but to get up and get things moving along so that Kelton could get to school on time. But wow - was I not wanting to.

This afternoon, once the kids had been fed and occupied (meaning Kelton was playing a computer game and Kaylen was watching Curious George. Yes I know - great parenting in action) I curled up on my bed and stayed there - dozing on and off. I didn't completely ignore them - I was up several times to handle disagreements, work out compromises, get snacks and anything else they needed. But after each thing I would go back and curl up again. I just wanted to sleep.

A couple times I could hear Kelton helping Kaylen with things. They even worked on an art project together (which I helped set up and later clean up). It was nice to have him helping and planning and directing. Maybe we can think of this afternoon as his succession plan. Learning, step by step, how to succeed in taking on the role as a big kid who can help out more.

A few times I even heard him say "No, let's not bother Mommy. She's resting. Let me see if I can do it." So sweet. :)

Today was so not like me. All I can think is that I am just completely exhausted for the constant activity of my nerves (and by extension, all the tweaking muscles).

Here's hoping for good quality sleep tonight with a lot less (dare I hope for none?) nerve activity.

Soon To Be Birthday Boy

My baby will be turning six soon. Six. SIX? SIX! That seems like an unbelievably large number. All the fingers on one hand plus one from the other hand. No way. I remember when he turned two and, when asked his age, he would hold up both index fingers and say "Two!" It was freakin' adorable. And now he will be turning six.

Family are beginning to email and call asking for gift ideas. The ideas I have for him are, in reality, too young - I fail to see him as the big kid he is clearly becoming. There is a lot of truth behind the line "No matter how old you get, you will always be my baby."

We were out today and he kept seeing things he wanted; Moon Sand (I vetoed that for now but said we could look at it for a summer *outside* activity), The 101 Dalmatian DVD, a new T-Ball set (the one he got when he turned three has been through three rough years so he could definitely use a new one now that he is interested in learning to play) and of course a new swimming pool.

The other day he informed me that he wanted to learn to play golf. Yes, golf. He asked if one of his uncle's could teach him to play and I responded that I didn't think any of his uncle's play golf....boy was he disappointed! I wasn't too surprised today when he gravitated over to the "real" sports row and started checking out golf clubs. I won't be too surprised if Cleveland golf clubs end up on his wish list. :) I did talk with him about miniature golf so maybe we'll take a birthday trip to one at our mall and see how it goes.

I guess in the next week or so I really need to talk with him and narrow down his wish list. I think I'm in denial though....SIX? Really? Wow.

Random Vent

Not all that long ago my inbox was under siege with emails about Vi*agra and whatnot. Lately though, as in the past week, I have received no less than 5 emails a day about colon cleanse. Now this is something new to me. Seriously? I had no idea it was such a popular thing or that so many people want to share their experiences. I'm not saying sharing is bad but I wouldn't mind a decrease in the frequency of the emails.

I'm just not sure I want to go there. I mean, I'm sure it must be a great things if that's what you want to do but ummm.....not so much for me.

I have heard it is all the rage in Hollywood though. :)

Time Changes Everything

It's early this year but the time change is coming! Remember to set your clocks ahead one hour before you go to bed Saturday night.

Personally speaking, in our house the time change begins to take place Friday afternoon that way we all have a couple days to make the shift before Monday hits. One day just never seems like enough time to adjust - it never did. Dakota and I would start shifting time early years before we had kids schedules to factor in.

I don't so much enjoy the whole "springing forward" thing. Truth is, now that I am *ahem* getting older, I'm not enjoying either time change (I used to really love falling back an hour). What's the point in modern society anyway? And what would happen if we all just said "No. This is ridiculous."?

Springing ahead just means one hour less of mattress time and I just don't enjoy that. I get precious little sleep as it is and it just seems cruel to take more away.

But no one really asked me what I thought of the whole thing, did they? I know all the moms of young kids can relate though.....trying to get your kids to adjust to going to bed an hour earlier is NOT easy. Truth is, it is downright frustrating. I've got a good routine in place right now and it's about to be turned on its head. Grrrrrrr.

Happy Almost Spring Ahead Day, everyone.