Conversations with my Kids

I don't know why I'm shocked anymore when random stuff comes out of my kids' mouths.  I should be used to it by now, but some of them just take the cake.

Son:  Mom!  Do you want to look at my poop?
Me:  No, just wipe, flush and wash your hands.
Son:  But Mom it's huge!  You should see it!
Me: No thank you.
Son:  It's like three large poops!  Come see!
Me:  No thanks!  Just wipe, flush, and wash your hands.
Son: (grumbling) Ok.

Me:  You probably need a haircut.
Son:  No.  I don't want a haircut.
Me:  Why?  Just a little trim would be ok.
Son:  Because I want to look like Thor!

Son:  Mom, girls don't have penises.
Me:  That's right.
Son:  What do girls have?
Me:  Girls have a vagina. (At this point, I figured it's just better to give him the anatomically correct name.)
Son:  Yeah.  But penises are way cooler!
Me:  Sure....

Son:  Carp
Me:  Yes, carp is a word.  How do you spell it?
Son:  C. R. A. P.  Crap.
Me:  No, you can't use that word.
Son:  But it's a word!
Me: No, use carp.
Son:  Crap.
Me: No, carp.
Son:  Fine....

And, on a side note, how do you not laugh when your husband tells you he had to put a stop to a 'sword fight' in the shower between two little boys.  Seriously!  This is my crazy life, and I love it!

Just because it's Friday, here are a few of pictures.

Being 'Super Mom' is a Farce

There is no such thing as being 'Super Mom'.

It's a farce told to all of us mothers to make us feel bad about something or other we are lacking in our lives.

It's sad but true.  No one can do everything.  Everyone has to sacrifice something.

I've been a mom now for going on 6 years.  I have friends who work and friends who stay at home.  I hear all kinds of stuff they wish they could do different or better.

The common theme I hear from all of my working mom friends is "I wish I could have more time with my kids.  I'm away from them all day, and I really wish I could just spend more time with them."  That is their sacrifice, time with their kids.  I've constantly heard about the guilt they feel when they drop them off at daycare to head into work.  These women give 100% at work, then come home and give 100% at home.  It's hard.

What did I sacrifice by staying at home?  I sacrificed my career.  No more climbing the corporate ladder for me. And the guilt of not monetarily contributing to the household income.  If or when I choose to go back to work, I'll be starting from square one, competing against young college grads who are driven, competitive, and don't have families.  I sacrifice my personal/alone time.  It's sad to say, but I've locked myself in the bathroom just to get a moment alone.  And still, the door gets knocked on, and I see little fingers under the door trying to get to me.  Dealing with the guilt of wanting just a moment to yourself, but thinking it must be selfish to feel this way.  I give 100% at home from the time I get up to them time I crash at night.  It's hard.

No one has it all together.  There is guilt on both sides of the fence.  I think we all need to realize this and stop saying the grass is greener on the other side.

No one is super mom, and if anyone ever claims to be, I say they deserved to be punched in the throat.  Everyone has to sacrifice something.  Whether it be time, sanity, cleanliness, but something has to give.

I'd love to have a clean household all the time, but it doesn't happen.  I would rather build a puzzle with my kids or help out with school homework.  I'm sure you can relate.

My idea of a vacation is spending time with my husband away from the kids.  If you've had a two year old attached to your leg 12 hours a day, everyday for 2 years, you might feel the same way.  A working mom's idea of a vacation probably is spending time with their family away from everyday life.  They can enjoy themselves and their family.  So what if our ideas are different?  It doesn't make them wrong.  If I had to spend everyday away from my kids, my vacation would include bringing them with me somewhere too.

No matter how many articles you read about Motherhood, what they always fail to say is no one's 'Super Mom'.  We all make sacrifices in order to the best for our kids.  We are all just flying by the seat of our pants trying to do what we feel is right.  So keep on doing what you are doing Moms!  No one is perfect.  I know I'm not!

Had a Rough Week... Me too

Or week in my case.

It has been a rough week.  It's what I call a Craptastic Week.  Yes, I made up that word.

Last Saturday, I woke up sounding like a chain smoker.  I was hacking, coughing, and my voice sounded as though someone took a sandblaster to my vocal cords.  Then, Jackson ended up getting sick in the afternoon.  He and I were pretty miserable Saturday.  On Sunday, Jackson was feeling much better.  I, on the other hand, still sounded horrible.

Tuesday night, after giving the kids a bath, Andrew and I heard a constant static noise.  At first we thought it was one of the kids' toys.  It sounded like a train running or one of the walkie talkies was left on.  After realizing the noise was coming from the attic, Andrew went to go check it out to find our hot water heater spewing from the bolt on top.  And it wouldn't turn off, even after he released the pressure valve and turned the hot water heater off.  It still kept on coming.  It wasn't a little either.  This was a strong constant flow.  Andrew eventually had to turn the water off the house in order to avoid a flood.  My dad came over to see if he could help repair it, but it was a goner.  Both our water heaters kicked the bucket after 16 years.  Wednesday, we had a plumber come over and replace both hot water heaters.  The plumber couldn't even believe how much water was spewing from the heater when he turned the water back on.  It was a long day.  The plumbers didn't even finish it all, and they left our house just before 7pm.  They had to come back Thursday to finish it up, but they at least left us with hot water.  It seriously hurt our pocket book, but it had to be done.  We needed water in the house.

Recently, Andrew and I have been in a turf war (for lack of better words) with the home builders behind us.  According to our deed and title, our property ends at the barb wire fence in the back.  The home builder is claiming it ends 3-4 feet in front of the fence on our side.  We've been fighting them for a couple of week about putting a fence up.  Our title company has lawyers on the issue, but the home builder decided to put the fence up anyway before everything is figured out.  Needless to say, Andrew and I are not happy about it.  Plus if our deed and title are wrong, we are both beyond angry.  We are hoping to have something figured out soon, but with lawyers involved, you never know.  Anyway, I now have a fence in our backyard where I didn't want a fence.  Please pray for us in this regard because this is not something we wanted to deal with this year.

On top of all this, I've been sick all week.  My voice is slowly starting to get better.  Today is the first day where I sound almost normal.  I've been hacking up a lung every morning to the point where I really do feel like I will cough up a lung at any moment.

Yes, it's been a craptastic, rough week.  I will be having a glass (or three) of wine tonight.

Printing Our Memories

Prints, paper books, and film.

All these small things seem to have fallen to the wayside with technology.  Basically everyone shoots with some form of digital camera.  Although the demand for actual books is still there, many people (myself included) now read e-books on some sort of electronic devices.  It's had to find film for an old camera.  And although it's fairly easy to get prints made of our digital pictures, many of us fail to do this.  We just have pictures sitting on our computer, and most will never been seen as prints.

This is a travesty to ourselves and our kids.

My parents have photo album after photo album of pictures from my childhood.  Actual printed 4x6 photographs stuffed lovingly in plastic contained in a 3 ring binder.  I love being able to look at those pictures.  They are memories of good times I remember, good times I've forgotten, and times I can't remember because I was too young.  They are my life and childhood wrapped up in photographs.

These photos show how much I've grown and changed throughout the years.  They show the horrible fashion trends (and sometimes good ones).  They show different hair styles and cuts (the good and the very, very bad).  They show my sports, schools, and hobbies.  I love them!  And my kids love looking at them.

And it pains me to say, my kids do not have the same thing.  I have a baby photo book of each of my kids.  It catalogs their first days, but that's it.  I have no printed photographs of the random play times we had, my 'helpers' when I baked, the arts and crafts we made, swim lessons, sports, first days of school, etc.

I have the digital copies of all of the photos on my computer, but no actual printed pictures.

And this is sad.

My kids have no memories to look back on in albums.  They don't have pictures to flip through and remember all the fun times with Mom and Dad.  I can't whip out and album and say, "Look, I think Cassidy looks like (insert child's name) when he was that age."  I don't have any of that because all of my memories and still shots of their childhood are sitting on a hard drive.

I am making a change this year (and have actually started this change!).  I am making photo albums of all the stuff our family has done throughout the years.  A book for ever year.  And I am going to be more diligent about printing photos.

I want my kids to be able to grab a photo album and look back on their childhood.  Not have to sit in front of a computer to do it.  I want the hard printed pictures.  Will it take up extra space?  Yes.  Will it cost money to print?  Yes.  Will it be worth it?  Definitely!

I challenge you to think about all the pictures you have sitting on your hard drive and phone.  And if you're like me and haven't printed any of them, do it.  Print your photographs.  Give your kids their memories in a tangible item they'll cherish forever.  It'll be worth it in the end, and your kids will forever love you for it.

And just because I can, here are a couple pictures I scanned from my childhood. (Sorry Matt, but you're in these too!)

January at the Gym

I am all for people getting in shape and taking care of their bodies.  I believe living a healthy lifestyle is very important and should be a priority for everyone.  With that said, I hate going to the gym in January.

All of the people that have made New Year's resolutions to get in shape or lose weight or be healthy make it painful to go the gym in January.  Most are going to end up wasting money on a gym membership they buy in January, use for 3 weeks, then never use again.  According to the IHRSA, International Health, Racquetball, & Sportsclub Association, 80% of gym memberships bought in January go unused.  That means only 20% of people who are crowding the gym right now will continue to go.  Honestly, that's abysmal, but that is a whole other discussion.

I walked into the gym last night and every single one of the treadmills was in use.  The last week of December, only 1/3 of those treadmills were being used.  The dumbbell area was crowded with people waiting to get a bench.  Before January, I could usually spot three benches open at a time.

And it's not as though I go at peak times.  I never go at peak times.  This was at 8pm.

So for all of you people that have decided to live a healthly lifestyle or lose weight or for whatever reason buy a gym membership, I have some helpful advice for you.

1)  If you don't know, ask.  Most people will answer a question, and the employees are there to help you.  Instead of wandering around lost or not knowing how to work a machine properly, ask someone.

2)  If you haven't stepped foot in a gym or fitness center in awhile, I highly recommend getting a personal trainer for a few sessions.  These are people whose job it is to get you in shape.  Most specialize in some area of fitness.  Trainers will show you how to work machines and techniques safely and correctly.  Better to learn how to do things right from the get go.

3)  Please don't walk around naked in the locker rooms.  No one wants to see that, and there are changing stalls now.

4)  Lock up your belongings.  As much as wish you could trust everyone, you can't.  Buy a $5 Masterlock and lock up your stuff.

5)  Finally, if you can rough it out through January into February, you'll see a dramatic drop in numbers.  The gym will become normal again, so tough it out with the rest of us.

As for me, I'll have to put up with the gym being crazy crowded and meat heads thinking they can do 135lb dumbbell curls for a bit longer.  I'm just hoping no one gets hurt.

Happy 2015!

Happy New Year!

 

It is officially the year Marty McFly went into the future with flying cars, hover boards, people wearing their clothes inside, and people being able to rehydrate food.  For those of you who know exactly what I'm talking about, yes, we really are that old.

 

As the new year starts, I'm giving my writing a dust off.  I'm going to attempt to write 8-10 blog posts every month.  Not just pictures, but actual writing.  We'll see if I have time, but I'm definitely going to attempt it.

 

Our New Year was rung in on a sleepy side.  Andrew and I put all the kids down at their normal bedtime because I was not about to attempt the side effects of not enough sleep.  I'm pretty sure all my kids are going through a growth spurt anyway.  They've all been sleeping late and eating a lot of food.  Instead of putting ourselves through the whininess that would inevitably come with sleep deprived children, they were all in bed at 7:30pm.  I made it until 10:15, then I was in an exhausted sleep coma.  I'm pretty sure Andrew wasn't too far behind me.

 

See, Andrew has been sick since right after Christmas.  I've been taking care of all the kids and a sick husband by myself.  I didn't want to have anyone come over because I didn't want to spread the germs around.  I'm nice like that!  He only started to feel better yesterday, so I'm worn down and dragging ass.  I think I could sleep for a solid 12 hours if the kids would let me.

 

I'm hoping everyone has a Happy New Year!  Although there are a lot of challenges ahead, we will continue to stuck together and face them as a family.  Happy 2015!