in his own words

After repeated questioning by me regarding a broken lamp, I found that Slade actually was telling me the truth that he didn't do it. He responded with:

"Mom, I won't tell you lies anymore. I'll just do other bad stuff."

simple thanks

Tonight I am grateful for Sawyer's fresh-out-of-the-bath curls. So cute!



They are a bit more natural than Emma's new curls for Irish, don't you think?

HELP ME!

I could title this post "do you children, part 2" since its just a horrifying continuation of part 1.

Seriously. I don't even know where to begin. Nothing is safe. I can't leave my boys alone apparently. EVER. It is reasonable to expect that you could leave your children playing together in your house for say five minutes without major disaster. Right? Why don't my children follow reason?

They've been getting food (special snacks meant for picnics) out of the storage room. They flushed a juice can down the toilet.

They've been stripping the bed of blankets and sheets and then taking the mattress off the bed. At least this one is just messy not destructive. However, after several times of remaking the bed it is really exhausting.

They've been getting into my makeup and spreading it all over their faces, floor, and my bed. Plus, for a special bonus, they dumped foot powder all over the carpet.

But the culminating disaster came tonight. Check it out.


I've been painting our schoolroom. I had finished up for the night, put everything away, shut the paint can, etc. I went upstairs to change my clothes, go to the bathroom and put away some laundry but stupidly left the door to that room open. In the approximately fifteen minutes that I was gone, they opened the paint can with a screw driver, poured it into a paint tray, put a roller pad on the roller and started painting their room. Needless to say, there was paint all over the carpet, their clothes and dripping down the wall.

Okay. Deep breath. Help me! We do give consequences for this awful behavior but obviously whatever consequences we are giving are not working. What would you do? Is this normal behavior that I'm just going to have to deal with for the next decade or so? I'm exhausted and I don't know what to do. So please share your best advice. I seriously need it!

happy happy birthday (times two)

This weekend was all about birthdays at our house.

I celebrated mine on the 13th. Dave gave me the best birthday present ever--time alone. He took half day on Thursday and all day on Friday off. I painted a wall in our schoolroom. I went to Enrichment Night to sing in a musical number, enjoy a delicious dinner, and talk with friends. I came home that night to cheesecake and the gift of one of my favorite movies, Pride and Prejudice.

On Friday I went to lunch with my sisters in law at Olive Garden. I went to Target. I went to the library. Alone. It was wonderful!

That night Dave and I took Emma out to dinner at Chuck-a-rama (although Golden Corral is her favorite) and then to see my sister and nephews in Savior of the World at the Conference Center Theater.

Emma turned 9 on the 15th. We went and got haircuts in the morning and then came home to open presents. In the afternoon I took her and three friends to get ice cream and then see High School Musical 3. I forgot my camera! Ugh!

Keri and family, plus Colin and his girl came over tonight to celebrate with me, Emma and my nephew Josh whose birthday will be on Tuesday. There was lots of yummy food including more cheesecake and Keri came bearing gifts!

So Happy Birthday to me and Emma. It was happy indeed.

do your children?

When you are practicing violin with your daughter, do your children:

--get into the nail polish in your bathroom and spread it all over the wall, floor, counter and themselves?

--take nearly every sharp knife in your kitchen and go stab them into the snowman in the backyard?


When you are upstairs, working on the computer after you think they're in bed, do your children:

--find the ink pads in the stash of scrapbooking stuff you've been moving from one room to another and spread it all over the closet doors and their legs?

After you've cleaned up, lectured and put your children back in bed, do they:

--break off the "child-proof" doorknob from the guest room?

--find a bottle of body wash and put it in their hair and carpet and then put a glob on each piece of children's artwork hanging in the hall so they watch it drip off onto the carpet?

--take all the lids off the markers in the closet and throw them on their floor?

--find paint in the closet and try to play with it but get disappointed when its all dried out?

--climb up on who knows what to get to the very highest shelf of the closet, get out your brother's cologne he left months ago and spray enough cologne all over that you can smell it upstairs?

Do they? Mine do.

rewind and review

My feelings about Halloween haven't really changed from last year. I did try to embrace it a little more though. I made mummy bread.

I took my kids to a homeschool Halloween party and hosted another one for Activity Days.

I bought costumes for the boys and too much candy.

Emma decided to wear my Little Red costume that my mom made for Into the Woods my senior year.

I sent them out trick-or-treating with their dad.

I gave out candy at our house instead of hiding in the back with the lights off. In fact, I even enjoyed the evening because I stood across the street and talked with my neighbor. I left our candy bowl on the porch and just hollered across the street to the trick-or-treaters to take one. I was so glad it was such a warm night.

I still really don't like Halloween though! I am happy to move into November and the rest of the holiday season.

Today we woke up to snow and a new president-elect. Two reasons to be sad! My kids are happy though. Emma rushed through her schoolwork and chores so she could go outside early. The boys all joined her and they made snowmen in the backyard. Emma and Slade then shoveled the driveway for me. I think they are crazy for wanting to be outside but it sure makes for a nice quiet house.