Autumn in Tucson

Oct 032009

Ahhh… Autumn. My favorite time of the year.

Well, it was when I lived in Upstate New York. Here in Southern Arizona, there’s not much of an “Autumn,” per se. It‘s more like “let’s wait for the temps to drop under 100, then in a month or so we might see a few yellow trees.”

To be honest, I’ve been pretty jealous of all of the “Fall posts” popping up in my reader lately.

I miss picking apples and walking around looking at beautiful colored leaves, collecting acorns, and all of the fun craft fairs that are going on during this time of year. But what I really miss the most is the smell of burning leaves. That smell ranks right up there with freshly cut grass from the lawnmower and fresh lilac trees.

Anyway… got a little sidetracked… sorry.

Today we went up to Mt. Lemmon for Oktoberfest, a german festival that reminded me of the festivals that I used to go to with my grandparents when I was little. It was fun to watch the chicken dance (totally thought Jack would get up and do it, but he refused. I know he wanted to.) and listen to the german band that was playing. The kids went up on the ski lift with Dad and Aunt Jen, and they were so excited to be there. It was wonderful wearing jeans and sweatshirts and seeing our breath for the first time in a year. It was a great day.

The best part for me, though? The leaves. Beautiful red and orange trees. Not many, but enough. I was good and didn’t burn any leaves, but the thought did cross my mind.

I could bring them home, get a metal bucket, and burn a few to see if they smell the same…

The second best part was looking through the pictures that I took today. Here they are:

Jen_Boys Aunt Jen with the boys

Mom_Boys Mom and the boys

Jen_Lift Aunt Jen and Jack on their way down from the ski lift ride

steve_Mike Michael and Dad on their way down… notice anything missing?

Yup, a shoe. Michael lost a shoe on the way up the mountain.

I think it’s kind of funny that he didn’t take the other shoe off… just to be safe.

When they got to the bottom, Dad saved the day by hiking back up the hill (in his flip flops) to find the missing shoe. After receiving a little help from passers-by up above, it was found!

Shoe

Happy October, everyone!

Oh, and in case you’re wondering… less than 2 days until we leave for our Cancun vacation… where the weather forecast for the week is:

Momday: Thunderstorms

Tuesday: Thunderstorms

Wednesday: Thunderstorms

Thursday: Thunderstorms

Friday: Yup, you guessed it… more thunderstorms.

But that’s ok. Because I’ll bet that a “bad” week at the beach is better than a good week in the “real world.”

Right?

What I Learned This Week - Fall Break edition

Sep 292009

The boys and I are off for 3 weeks! Yes, you heard that right. While most of you out there in the bloggy world were in the middle of your wonderful fun-filled summer, we were back at school here in our year-round school district. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. Starting in July means that we get 3 weeks off at the end of September. Completely worth it, in my book.

Anyway, with Aunt Jen (a.k.a. The Amazing Babysitter and SIL) on the horizon and our “Mom and Dad only” Cancun trip just a few days after that, we have had a busy start to break. And boy, have I learned a lot so far.

Without further delay:

What did I learn this week?

1. You can clean the house a week before Aunt Jen comes (meaning, it is possible), but it will be messy again the next day. Might as well wait until the last minute to try that one again.

2. It is possible to get through dentist appointments for both kids and Mom in one day… if you have 2 ipod touches to keep the kids (and almost the whole dental office staff) busy. I bet next week, all the hygienists will have one.

3. You can brush and floss several times a day between dentist visits, but when it is time to get your teeth cleaned the dentist will only focus on the new teeth that you have cracked since your last visit… which will lead you to obsess about how much money it will cost to get said teeth repaired before the next visit.

4. Driving down a small two-lane road in back of a pick-up truck whose owners decided to play Jenga with their belongings is a very. stressful. experience. But it will make the kids laugh a little.

5. No matter how stressed out you are, when your 5 year-old yells from the back seat “Mom, that’s the Cox digibal cable car!,” you will be super-proud to be his Mom, and not stressed out anymore.

6. The dog will jump on top of the coffee table to steal a nail file or two.

7. I will never learn to stop leaving my nail files on top of the coffee table for the dog.

8. The week before a vacation, it is impossible to not repeat this to myself (silently) daily “7 more days to Cancun… 6 more days to Cancun…”

9. I am not above getting my kids to behave in Target by bribing them with a “Double Chocolatly Chip Frappuccino” from Starbucks. Split in two, of course – not that that really matters. Come on. I had to use the dressing room!

10. Michael will be instantly “un-jealous” of Jack getting to stay home and run errands with me while Michael is at school the first day that Michael gets to stay home and run errands with Jack and I.

11. Last but definitely not least, it’s totally worth making your kids brush and floss every day when you hear the dentist say “No cavities for either of them – they have beautiful teeth.”

10sm-overview

6 more days to Cancun… 6 more days to Cancun…

The Million Dollar Question

Sep 152009

Just the other day I was thinking to myself “The boys are getting older… I hope they never stop doing things to make me laugh. I would have nothing to blog about!” Maybe I should have knocked on wood, because this week the hits just keep on coming…

Warning: There may be TMI here in this post, but you’ll get over it. I promise.

2 boys. I have 2 boys. I am outnumbered in my house 3 to 1. Do you know what that always meant to me? It meant that I wouldn’t have to have “the talk” with the boys. Because that’s what Dad is for. Right?

Wrong.

I have purposefully been a little bit “shady” with my answers to the boys about how they got here. Is it the right thing to do? Probably not. I’m a smart girl. I know better. We taught the boys to call their “parts” a penis. We don’t have them say weiner, Walter, or dooper (uh hmmm…. Mom).

But when I had a 4 year-old (Michael) asking where his new baby brother (Jack) came from, I swear it was SO much easier to look into those little eyes and say “the doctor cut him out of Mommy’s belly.” It was the truth. And Michael never asked where he came from, so I was answering the question that was directed at me. That was my way of not having to say “Yes, Michael, Jack was cut out of my belly, but you came out of my… well, you know… ” I just don’t think he needed to hear that.

Which is how I got myself into this here situation.

Fast forward five years. Sitting at the dinner table. Just me and the boys. Eating.

Michael: “Mom, the doctor cut Jack out of your belly, right?”

Mom: “Yup.”

Michael: “Don’t all babies get cut out of their Mom’s belly? Some of the boys at school say that… ummm… babies come from… you know… what we have… down there… but on a girl. What’s that called?”

*Quick break to mention that we have a very strict NO INAPPROPRIATE WORDS AT THE DINNER TABLE rule. After a recent crazy meal where I couldn’t control my boys, penis was added to the list.*

Mom: trying not to choke “A vagina.”

Jack: “Agina? That’s a funny word.”

Michael: “Ewww. So sometimes babies come out of there? How? Why?”

Mom: “Most babies come out of there. The human body is an amazing thing, and that’s just how it works.”

very proud of myself at this point

Michael: “But we got cut out of your belly, right?

Mom: “Yes, Jack was cut out of my belly.” (which has been my standard answer for the last 5 years, even though I am an adult and Ishouldtellthewholetruth)

Michael: “Jack was? But… me? Did I come out of your…”

Mom: “Yes.”

Michael: yelling at this point “Gross! That’s not fair! Jack got cut out of you and I came out of your…”

Jack: “Hahahahahahahahahaha….Michael!”

Michael: “Mom, REALLY?”

That’s about when I had to leave the room, ashamed, because I let my 9 year-old son believe that all babies were born via c-section because it was SO much easier than explaining the “old-fashioned way” hysterically laughing with water coming out of my nose and listening to Jack tease Michael because of the inferior way that he came into this world.

What have I done to my poor children?

A moment of parental reflection sigh

Sep 142009

I just posted to this blog. But since the blog postings are highly dictated by the behavior of my boys, I am now posting again.

I put my computer away for the night and started making dinner for Michael, who leaves for swim practice soon. While I was cleaning up the dinner mess and watching the boys eat, I asked Michael if he had any project ideas for the upcoming science fair.

The conversation went like this:

Mom: “Do you have any idea what you’re going to do for the science fair?”

Michael: “Well, no… since you can’t hurt your brother.”

Mom: Turns from the kitchen sink to hear him better, because he did NOT say what she thought he just said. “What!?”

Michael: “The teacher said that you can’t hurt your little brother doing your project, so I don’t know what I want to do now. I was going to do an experiment.”

Mom: *cringing* “What experiment were you doing to do?”

Michael: “I was going to see what electrical shock hurt him the most. I wasn’t going to hurt him real bad.”

Mom: “You wouldn’t like it if I did an experiment to see what electrical shock hurt you the most, would you?”

Michael: “Well, no…”

Mom: “Can you think of another project to do for the science fair?”

Michael: “Well, no. I mean, If I thought about it I probably could.”

Please, please tell me that someone has a similar story…

*I should probably mention that Michael refuses to hurt insects that are in our house. So no, I am not worried that he is serious about hurting anyone, but he is probably curious about electric shocks because of the electricity kit he has been playing with lately.*

Weekend wrap-up

Sep 142009

How was your Sunday? Ours was pretty busy… Here’s a picture recap:

Michael had his first swim meet yesterday. It’s kind of hard to get pictures of him swimming, so you’ll have to settle for my funny moment of the day.

Unbeknownst to me, it’s common practice for young swimmers to have their races written on their arms… so they (and the coaches) know who is supposed to be where at what time.

So, this:

#48 50 FLY H1 L3

would translate to this:

Race number 48, 50 m. butterfly stroke, Heat 1, Lane 3. Easy, huh?

I about lost it when a Mom on our team wrote this on her son’s arm:

arm

If you can’t see it, it says #50 25 Breast…

I turned around and said “Did you just write breast on your 8 year-old’s arm?” because occasionally I act like a 14 year-old boy.

It’s funny until I have to write it on Michael’s during the next meet, right?

After the swim meet, I scurried off to a baby shower for a dear friend. No pictures, sorry.

When I got home, though, I was treated to this:

sky and this:

football and this:

Jack_bird

A perfect evening to be outside enjoying the cool (91 degrees!) weather.

That picture is of Jack telling me all about the dead bird that he found in the road .

Did you know that it crunched under the wheel of his scooter? He told me so.

Grandparents Day 2009

Sep 122009

Our boys are lucky.

Really lucky.

They have Grandparents spanning from one side of the country to the other, and a few in between. I recently asked them about all of their Grandparents (with includes their Grandparents, Great-Grandparents, and “adopted” Grandparents) and this is what they had to say:

Mom: “What is your favorite thing about ______? What makes them so special?”

(In geographical order, from farthest away to closest)…

Grandma Teetsie (Terri)

Jack: “She talks to us on the phone.”

Michael: “She writes to me on facebook and e-mails me.”

Papa (Grandpa Al)

Jack: “We can go fishing with him.”

Michael: “He takes us fishing.”

Grandma Dawn

Jack: “She makes us orange juice… the fresh kind”

Michael: “She makes us root beer floats.”

Grandpa Mike

Jack: “He can do magic!”

Michael: “He takes us in the pool.”

Great-Grandma Ludlum

Jack: “I like to play pool at her house.”

Michael: “I love to play with all the legos at her house!”

Grandma Sharon

Jack: “We pet her doggie (Watson).”

Michael: “She writes XOXOXO on all of our cards.”

Grandpa Ralph

Jack: “He has a ponytail.”

Michael: “He goes swimming with us.”

Pauline

Jack: “She lets me have candy when she babysits.”

Michael: “She tells me that I have to go to school to get smarter than the teacher.”

Rick

Jack: “He plays Wii with us”

Michael: “He chases me with his motorcycle.”

So, Grandparents… Thank you for giving our boys so much love and making them feel like they’re the only 5 and 9 year-olds in the world. We love you.

Grandparents_Day_09

Tucson's Most Wanted: Kid's Edition

Sep 042009

Three young boys were alleged to have urinated in public at approximately 3:05 p.m. last Thursday, August 27th.

It was reported that the boys stopped in a “desert-like empty lot” and relieved themselves. When asked why, the boys responded “We had to pee.”

Parents all around struggled to keep a straight face while explaining to the children why it is not ok for 9 and 10 year-old boys to pee on the side of the road… especially when their houses (and working toilets) are less than 1/8 mile away.

Evidence:

Exhibit 1-A

Exhibit 1-B

The children confessed. Without being asked.

The Offenders:

Suspect #1: Found in his kitchen

Wanted

Suspect #2, still on the run.

Suspect #3, found eating a snack.

These individuals are not considered dangerous, and have served their time.

They fully understand the consequence of their actions, and assure us that it will not happen again.

We hope.

Oops. (Week 4 of 52)

Sep 042009

52WeeksButton

Yes, I know it’s Friday. And yes, I know that I was supposed to post a picture yesterday (you know, being Thursday and all). So, bare with me. It’s been a crazy week.

I am posting one of my favorites. Michael and I during “Mom and Michael day” this summer.

New one next week, Mom… promise.

sc000de4de

I tried to do a Wordless Wednesday post...

Sep 012009

Yup. I tried. But there’s just too much cuteness going on here to not say anything about it. Sorry the clip is so long (just under 3 minutes) but to be honest, it may not be long enough for me. I haven’t stopped laughing yet.

I think I might need a disclaimer or two here…

*Most of this video was taken on a Friday night, before chore day. The state of the playroom was not known to me. Don’t look at it. Look at Jack. Because he’s the REAL star here.

*I don’t know what was up with Jack’s pants in the first part of the video. Sorry for all the grabbing and such. It was too cute to not post.

*I do not let my kids watch MTV. Or VH1. Or Dancing With The Stars. I don’t know where in the world Jack learned his moves. To be honest, I think it might have something to do with big brother who refuses to get in front of the camera.

*If anyone mentions this to Jack, he’ll never let Michael take another video… So if you like watching them, shhhhhh…..

Click HERE to watch “dancing Jack” in action…

Kids doing laundry? Works for me!

Aug 252009

Do you know what day I love around here? Saturday.

Isn’t Saturday everyone’s chore day? I can remember Saturday mornings when I was little…

(cue harp… taking me back to when I was 15…)

The sound of the vacuum at the foot of my bed with my Mom yelling “You’re not up yet? Well, I am. And I’m vacuuming already! You should get up and help me clean!”

Just kidding. Kinda. Love you, Mom.

Anyway… chore day. Saturday. On Saturdays, I get help!

Yay! Says the peanut gallery in my head!

Even though the help is usually in the form of two tattling boys (Jack’s not cleaning, Michael’s being mean, etc.), it’s help. And I am grateful.

The boys do mirrors, floors, counters, and lately, laundry. Yup. From putting the wash in the washer to putting the clothes away in their drawers.

Help with the laundry is my favorite because the first time they did it, Michael said “Mom, we should stop changing our clothes so much because then we wouldn’t have to fold all these clothes.”

Hallelujah, Michael! (Yes, I had to google the spelling)

The boys couldn’t do laundry for the longest time because Michael couldn’t reach the laundry detergent. Excuse the exploitation of the 9 year-old for a second while I make my point:

Laundry_reach

And to be honest, even if he could reach it way up there, I didn’t need him spilling it. Have you ever had to clean spilled laundry detergent? Not fun.

Believe me when I tell you that doing their own laundry just isn’t the same when they can’t put their own detergent in the washer and dryer sheets in the dryer. Because then it’s ME doing the laundry and THEM folding it.

Recently I found these. 3-in-1 laundry sheets. Detergent, fabric softener, and anti-static “stuff” all in one. Michael can reach them and I don’t have to worry about him making a mess and spilling anything. He sticks one in the washer, then transfers all the clothes AND THE SHEET into the dryer.

Laundry

The amazing part? The people at Purex don’t market this stuff to parents! I have yet to see a commercial or magazine ad that says “Hey, Mom… If you want your kid to do laundry for you, buy these!”

Personally I think it’s a great marketing strategy, but there’s obviously a reason why I am a speech therapist and not a marketing guru.

If you click here, there’s a coupon for $1 off your purchase of these amazing little things. They retail for under $6 a box, and there are 24 sheets in a box.

Try them, and let me know what you think!

For more Works-For-Me-Wednesday ideas, go to We Are THAT Family.

Older Entries

Autumn in Tucson

What I Learned This Week - Fall Break edition

The Million Dollar Question

A moment of parental reflection sigh

Weekend wrap-up