Rugrats and Dirty Rugs

On Memorial Day, we had the chance to check out the lake in our area and go swimming. It was relaxing, fun, and we had a great time. Whenever I take the kids to the pool or lake, I like to be ready to walk out the door with as little fuss as possible. I also like to be prepared. This time, I washed all the beach towels, rolled them up, and put them in my beach bag. I also filled it with the arm floaties and sunblock, put it in the laundry room, and there it sat waiting for the day I could just grab it and go. For next time, I'll make sure the shovels and pails are ready to go with it for a fun time in the sand. It's also good to have crackers or some other kind of snack packed as well ready to go whenever you are. You know all that swimming makes for hearty appetites. For parched throats, I like to have a small cooler on hand ready to be filled with ice and water bottles. I like to use my big, strong man to carry it. The day we left for the lake all I had to do was tell the boy...

We are driving home from school one day when I asked Nathanael if he wanted a boy or a girl. He said, "I want a boy." I was surprised because he wanted a girl badly when I was pregnant with Aidan. I asked, "Why?" He said, "Girls are just too different. If we don't have a boy, I won't be proud." Okay, then. I am making breakfast for the boys when out of the blue Caleb says, "Muslims are going to hell." Um....yeah. I wonder where he got that from? A little while ago, Nathanael said, "I can't believe Israel started out with mostly Christians and now it's full of Muslims! How'd that happen?" One day, I had bread dough rising on the kitchen counter. I was distracted making lunch for the boys, but I did notice Nathanael and Caleb lifting the towel, pointing to the dough, and laughing. Justin knew what they were laughing about and came over to me asking if he could play with the "fat belly". We moved all of my hus...

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD Okay, Losties, does anyone else think it is such a shame that they killed off Charlie? It seems like such a waste especially when I think he could have gotten out. My husband finally comes and sits down at the very end of the show and said, "This is after they get off the island." I said to stay out of it and knock it off. No way! They just knew each other before the island because there were indications that Jack's father was still alive. As usual, I was wrong and he was right and I was left scratching my head. I particularly liked Sawyer's comeback after killing that dude. He said, "I didn't believe him." Well, I didn't either. For those crazy AI fans, it was no surprise that Jordin won. Duh. Of course, I was rooting for Blake. Ever since the first season, only two, Kelly and Fantasia, of the contestants that I wanted to win actually won. Clay, Bo, Dautry, and now Blake were my favorites and did they win? Nooooooo. If I wer...

I never have a bandaid when I need one. The boxes that I buy at the store always run out way too fast when we know that we have them. My boys are always bleeding from some part of their body and getting blood all over the bathroom sink while washing up. So, they are always in need of bandaids. I'm cheap, though. I always get the crappy kind that never stick more than two minutes. They don't even hurt the boys when they take them off right away. So much for keeping the dirt and germs away. Well, today I was browsing through my favorite blogs and came upon Rocks In My Dryer. She wrote about another giveaway at 5 Minutes For Mom. Nexcare Bandages is giving away a year's supply (45 boxes) of bandaids....and these aren't just any bandaids. These are the heavy-duty, no dirt's getting past it, kind of bandaids. Waterproof, too. Woo-hoo! I'm so there. So, thought I'd let everyone know and the best part is....you don't have to have a blog to enter....

Ten years ago, there was no problem going to the mall and picking out a very nice maternity outfit for a special occasion. Yesterday, I decided to go and look for one. Things have certainly changed these days. Do they think that women don't get pregnant anymore? That we don't care what we look like? IF I found a maternity section in a store, it was mostly casual clothing. Where were the snazzy pant suits or dresses? I also noticed they were right next to the plus size section. Do they think we are just gaining weight instead of carrying a little person inside us? I ended up doing a lot of walking and finding nothing. Every store I went into, I would stop to ask a salesperson if they had a maternity section. Their eyes would immediately jump to my 14-week-old belly and say, "No," or "A little one." When I got home with my feet yelling at me with curse words thrown in, my husband had a story to tell me. He was sitting at the computer when a mosquito flew aroun...

Caleb has a quirk. He leaves doors open wherever he goes. If anyone in the family wants to know who left the door open, we just have to look at Caleb. There were mornings when we would troop into the garage to get into the van and the sliding door would be standing open. Whenever Caleb is the last one out the door, he leaves the door standing wide open behind him. I always have to remind him to shut doors wherever we go. A couple weeks ago, I went to my 12-week visit with the midwife. I ended up taking all three boys with me and you would have thought I was bringing my dogs into the waiting room. It got decidedly cold in there and none too friendly. I mentally flipped off the secretaries and they got me in and out of there as fast as they could. Fine by me, but I was ordered to go over and get my blood drawn at LabCorp. So, we went over and parked. Feeling harassed about the whole thing, I didn't have my usual attention focused on my children. Again, we got in and out ...

I have learned a new lesson as a mother today. I admit I am not a perfect mom. Others may pride themselves on watching their children like hawks and, therefore, their children never get hurt. I feel guilty when women brag like that because I'm not one of them. I am not a high anxiety mother and I think one day when my sons are adults they will be grateful for that. I am more layed-back and easy-going than some and it certainly shows in the posts I have written in the past. Most of them are filled with mishaps probably because of my lack of attention or foresight. I am getting more ideas on how to organize my home in order to prevent a lot of things from happening only because I am lazy and don't wish to walk around the house all day following my sons throughout their activities. I do spend my share of time with them, but I also believe in letting them have their own play in order to develop their imaginations and learn a certain amount of independence. I also need my o...