Silence

During the week, I'm one busy mom. I know many moms say that. I'd say that between all of us going to school or work, I see the kids for about three solid hours per day. I get to see See a little more since I pick her up from daycare after school/work, but mostly it's averages to about three measly hours per day.

So tonight, I decided it was "let's go out to eat because Mommy doesn't feel like cooking and we can sit and enjoy a nice family meal together," complete with a smiley face. Husband chose Golden Chick, and we loaded the van up with children and headed over. (Side note: I am not sure how Golden Chick gets their chicken cooked, but moist. Crunchy, not soggy. And their rolls... Oh. Em. Gee. Their rolls.)

We learned quickly that someone fed See some sort of stimulant because she was completely cray-cray on the drive over. She wasn't much better when we got to the restaurant, either. About thirty minutes of us saying, "Eat your dinner. Eat your dinner. Stop doing that and eat your dinner. RAWR.... EAT YOUR RAZZIN' FRAZZIN' DINNER! Stop kicking the table. Ouch, that was my leg! Quit drinking all your juice or you will not be able to eat dinner. No, you can't have more juice. QUIT BOTHERING HER AND EAT!!!!" and we decided to get the heck out of there. My eye is starting to twitch by this point, and I have no hair left above my right ear because I've pulled it all out from frustration.

We load up in the car, and I lean over and tell Husband, "We're driving across the street and getting some Starbucks coffee. I need a Pumpkin Spice Latte, stat, or I'm going to maim someone."

"You got it, babycakes."

Children, from the back seat, chime in with, "Mom we want a cake pop mom we want a juice box mom we want a cookie mom we want a rice krispy mom we...."

"MOM WANTS TO KNOW IF YOU CAN NOT TALK FOR TEN MINUTES. Ten. That's all I want. TEN. MINUTES. PLEASE."

"Okay!"

Silence. Is. Golden.

We get on the road to head over to 'bucks, and Husband and I are chatting about something. We wait at a stop light for a little while. After arriving at Starbucks, ordering drinks and buying more Pumpkin Spice Via (oh, yes. It exists. And it's freaking amazing. You're welcome!) and commanding children to "sit down, stop kicking that man, no you can't have chocolate milk, do you think I am insane, stop annoying her, SIT DOWN ON YOUR BUTT IN THAT CHAIR AND DO. NOT. MOVE." we finally leave the store.

Blah blah blah blah all the way home. ALL THE WAY home. I'm serious, non-stop talking. My ears are bleeding and I am crying. Somehow we got on the subject of Ess and her friend at Husband's work, named She (not her real name, promise!) Since they are six-and-seven-years-old, they fight about silly things and don't talk to one another for a few hours off and on. So I say, "Are we still talking?" Referring to Ess and She's relationship.

Silence.

So I stop and think... why is she not answering? "Oh, I didn't mean that to sound mean... I meant to ask if you and She were *really* talking still. Not that we were playing the Not Talking game again."

"Oh! Yes, we're still blah blah blah blah blahbbity blah....."

I should have just enjoyed the misunderstanding. Let this be a lesson to all the parents out there.

As A Button

When I picked my youngest up from daycare this afternoon, I was pulled aside by one of her teachers. As it does with any parent who has "been pulled aside" before, panic stikes the very depths of your heart. "Oh dear Lord, what has this child done now, and how much do I owe to fix it...??"

Teacher #1: So, your daughter is quite the charmer. I'm pretty sure she has every little boy in this classroom wrapped around her little finger.
Me: <blank stare>
Teacher #2: Oh, yeah. She will ask them to get her something or give her the toy they are playing with, and they do it. WE can't get them to do anything. They love it when she comes to school, and say, "See is here!! HI, SEE!!!" It's an interesting dynamic!

Seriously, was not ready for that one. 

Fashion Zombie

My oldest child is a complete Fashion Zombie. She has never cared what she was wearing, and now that she is getting older I feel like I have the responsibility to at least show her things should probably at least match. This has been a constant struggle, too. I mean, let's at least coordinate with what the weather will be like.

I should start this post with a confession. I am not a fashion hound either. I seriously do not care, and am pretty much a pants-and-tee person. I love yoga pants, and various t-shirts, including my husbands'. However, I do try to make them not look completely ridiculous together. Which is why all my pants are black. Heh.

After eating breakfast, I told the oldest child to go get dressed because her and her father were going to go to Lowe's Build & Grow in a few minutes. She does as I ask, and comes out in long black leggings and a long-sleeve t-shirt.

I remind you we live in southern Texas, and it will be 90-degrees today, as it has been for the past few days now.

"You should probably go change clothes, that outfit will be a little hot today."

"Ugh! Okay."

I hear her shuffling around in her room, hangers sliding around, drawers opening and closing, the rustling of clothes being taken off and put on. Then she comes out with hot pink soccer shorts and a short sleeve purple shirt. These things do not remotely go together.

"I'll go get you a shirt that goes with those shorts, that purple one doesn't even *have* any pink in it."

"Uggghhh! Fiiine."

So I find her a pink shirt, she brushes her hair and teeth and goes with Dad to Lowe's. They come home, we all do our thing for a while, and a few hours later I am studying in the office while Dad plays a computer game and she comes in to watch Dad for a while. As she is leaving she's fiddling with her shirt, and I notice a little embellished flower on her shorts. On her butt. The flower that is supposed to be on the front pocket. The one that is now on her backside.

She's had her shorts on backward all day.

I wish I could say this is an uncommon occurrence with her, but oftentimes her dress is on backward, her shirt is on backward, her shorts (which is new to the category!)... I should be grateful she gets her jeans on right. But really?? Doesn't it feel weird to have your shorts on backward??

Punky Brewster... this is my
daughter's soul personified.

She has little friends in class that always come to school with perfectly fixed hair, matching bows, shoes that go with that outfit, etc. My daughter doesn't care if she is wearing a blue skirt with a yellow shirt and pink Crocs. She's doing good if she remembers to brush her hair in the morning let alone do something with it.

My youngest daughter... that is a very different animal. That little one always wants a dress (though she isn't picky which one) and wants ponytails all the time. She's going to be the bathroom hog, I can see it now. Fortunately my older daughter won't care, they shouldn't fight over it.

And there I go, using the "S" word, again. I guess time will tell.

EDIT: Her dad just told me that there was an outfit BEFORE the first long sleeve/black leggings combo, which was before I came out of the bedroom after getting up for the day.

Brace yourselves. It was red leggings. Purple tie-dye socks she made herself. Hot pink long-sleeve shirt (that made it to Round #2 where I came in).

This is our future, people. She's smart, just not fashion-savvy. Our first woman president will have the brains of Einstein but the fashion sense of a blind man (double whammy!)

OMG, Orcytolagus Cuniculus!!

Wow, two months between posts. I wish I could say that is some kind of record for me.

Truth is, I have had very little time to write and frankly, it's impeding on my creative outlet. You wouldn't like me when I am impeded, things turn ugly rather quickly.

We had a good, family-fun Easter this past weekend. The girls hunted for eggs in the backyard, they received a few new toys, and a lovely gift from my mother-in-law. I say "lovely" in the loosest possible sense of the word, mostly because it's a whistle. Two of them. One green, one yellow. Both fill with water and spit out as they blow on it.

It's okay, Sandy. They are going to mysteriously find their way back into your suitcase when you visit. Jus' sayin'. ;-)

We didn't do Creepy Easter Bunny pictures this year. I had in years past but every time a friend posts one of their kids on Facebook, I'm a little weirded out. Santa doesn't bother me, but a grown man dressed like a bunny is a bit disconcerting. I realize the bunny can be a woman, but let's face it... that's just telling yourself it's okay to dress like a giant oryctolagus cuniculus in public (Go ahead, click it. Educate yourself.)

Some day, when I get a litte less bogged down in various assignments, I will keep up better. For now, it is what it is. ;-)

They Say the Darndest Things! No, really!

Several funnies from the past few days, from the mouths of the children.

* * * * *

Normally I wear a pair of jeans/yoga pants with a t-shirt to school. I'm not a fashion forward person, I really couldn't care less. But I decided today to grab a nice top that has been in my closet for a few months, unworn. 

I'd finished getting ready for class, and came out to the kitchen to make my coffee and find some sort of breakfast. My oldest daughter (whom I will remind you is 6.5 years old) says to me, "Whooaaaa, mom! I like your shirt! Are you going on a date?!"

As long as that date's name is College, we're good. I've been so busy I can hardly remember what "a date" is other than a month and it's corresponding numerical representation. And *that* is stretching it.

* * * * *

Big... Ernie??

I was in the pediatrician's office with my youngest (3 years old) because she has a nasty cough. Like, ugly. Like, you feel really bad because the poor girl's entire body tenses up when she barks. But it's a dry cough, nothing productive about it at all.

So we're waiting our turn, and she brings me this Sesame Street book with Big Bird on the front. We used to watch a lot of Sesame Street, though not as much anymore because we're all crazy busy.

So I ask her, while pointing to Big Bird, "Who is that?"

Her: Ernie!!

Me: No, what kind of animal is that?

Her: A bird!

Me: Right! His name is Big _____...

Her: Big.......... ERNIE!

* * * * *

The youngest child has been home most of the week with a cough (see above mention of ped's office), and Daddy's been staying home with her while I go to school. His job is wonderful and understanding like that. We love them immensely.

So he is working on his computer in the office, and she is sitting in my office chair, watching Toy Story 3 on my computer.

Her: "Daddy, I have to go pee, kay. You... pause that. Okay? And when I come back, you start it again. Kay?"

Dad: ....

Her: Kay!

Really?! What not-even-three-year-old knows these words?? It, uh... must be all that War and Peace we're reading her at night before bed. Yeah.

* * * * *

It is The Youngest's birthday tomorrow, she will be a whopping OH-THREE. I can't believe it's been that long. I really enjoying being pregnant with her - I guess maybe because we knew she'd be the last one. And maybe a little because it wasn't in the dead of summertime like with The Oldest. Talk about being a bloated mess. Oof.

Anyway, I still remember that last day so clearly. She's such a wonderful kiddo, we really are blessed to have her in our lives. Sure, she can drive us freaking insane. Sure, she is really cute and continually gets away with things she shouldn't. But we luvs her anyway.

Shortly after coming home from the hospital.
Born February 10, 2009 at 1:20 a.m. Boy, that was a loooong day.
Though once real contractions hit, I only labored for like 4 hours,
pushed for  maybe 30 minutes. She was 8 lbs, 6.6 oz.

First birthday!

Second birthday!

Third birthday to come! Stay tuned!

Bwaiiiiiiinnsssssss

Baby cow needs some braaaiiiiinnnssss!! Oh wait,
he has some... sticking out the top of his head...

Tonight for bed, The Youngest chose Big Red Barn, written by Margaret Wise Brown. It's a very cute book that talks about different farm animals and how they behave when people aren't looking, etc - it's very cute and kind of educational. Yay, go Super Mom!

So we flip to the section that is inside the barn, like chickens and cows. When we run across the page with the cows lowing... aww, Mommy cow and Baby cow, so cute. So I ask Youngest, "What kind of animal is that?

"It's a cow! Mooooooo! An' dat's da mommy and dat's the baby. Baby's bwain is sticking out!"

*screeeech*

"What?"

She points to the curly hair on top of the baby cow's head and proceeds to argue with me that THAT is most certainly NOT hair. That is brains, and that is all there is to it. Sheesh, Mom. Where did YOU take anatomy?!

She turns three on February 10th. I can't wait to see what else I am explaining wrong!

Life, Cubed

This is not MY rental, mine is a purplish-brown color.

So since my mom's accident I have been driving a rental car, a Nissan Cube. It... um, well it's cute. It looks cute, but I dislike driving it. I think for normal "going to the store" kinds of driving it'd be fine, but for highway driving... well, it pretty much sucks.

When it was sitting in the rental car lot, I thought, "Oh, now that looks fun to drive!" and I was completely right. After getting used to how much it looks like a super duper small bus and how there is very little of what I call "cradling" by the interior, it's a snazzy drive. But the majority of my driving is highway, going at speeds of 65-70 MPH to school and back.

Who here thinks a box is aerodynamic? There better not be any hands up.

I fight with the darn thing the entire time. Forty minutes or so down to school, forty minutes or so back. The thought never occurred to me when renting it. But I'd be outright ticked if I'd bought that car. I'm not a "drifter" that floats around inside their lane. I'm pretty static. Holy cow, I'm surprised I haven't gotten pulled over because a cop thought I was drunk floating around the lane like I do. You know when it's really windy out and the wind pushes your car in gusts to the side and you have to correct for it? That is what this car does all the time. No bueno.

So we still don't have much information on the status of the Escape yet. The last call we'd had to the repair shop was that they were waiting for the electronic specialist (the person who handles the sensitive airbag electronics, etc.) to get their estimate to them. Part of me wants them to just total it, given the issues I had with my last front-end accident. Sure, the repairs LOOKED like there had never been an issue, but it never ran the same. Then on the other hand, it was paid off and had no payments... so nice.

So now, just the waiting game.

School is going well, I suppose. I'm overloaded with homework and I have no idea what I am doing in one of my classes (which is another story...) but overall things are going okay. I need to find some sort of solution for a new desk though. Generally I sit at the dining room table on the non-padded dining chairs. I noticed yesterday that my tail bone hurts - which I am sure is old age. I mean, it's these chairs. Yes, the chairs.

But good news! I won my first scholarship ever!! I am so excited, I rarely apply for them because I fall into that "middle class" category where we make more than peanuts but I'm not wealthy enough to pay out of pocket for all these classes, etc. And to add daycare for Kiddo #2 in, the gas of driving to Mars and back every day, etc. it's getting expensive.

I know, I know... "first world problem."

Anyway, I was not feeling very confident about it. I've never won one before, why start now?? But the emailed rolled in yesterday when I was at my lunch break. Now I just have to accept, write a letter of thanks, and attend a recipient dinner. I might have to apply for more of those, it's kind of exhilarating! ;-)