My Black Friday

Okay, I know you were all waiting for my next blog..... yeah....
Well, I just thought I'd let you know that I am in fact alive. In fact, it is my computer that is 'walking toward the light', on 'death row', and saying it's final goodbyes. In fact, that is one thing we are looking for this black Friday. A new computer.

Let me recap the last few weeks of computer usage:

Turn computer on.
30 minutes later the wallpaper appears but the internet is still considering opening up.
10 minutes later the hourglass for the internet goes away.
20 minutes later I wake up on the couch with the computer on my lap and notice that AOL is 'up'.
I enter a web address.
BIG mistake. You can't actually USE the internet.
1.5 hours later you have been on two pages.
UGH!!!
10 minutes later you realize it is not worth it and give up. AGAIN.

So in this tight economy of reusing and fixing, we are taking the plunge to PURCHASE. I hope. Soon. I miss you. I miss my email. I miss the cyberworld.

Around the table

We all know how important it is for a family to have dinner together. It helps kids in life with social skills, solving problems, better school scores....etc, etc.

What you never know though, is who exactly is going to show up for your family dinner. Last night we had:

A sick two year old girl

Tinkerbell

And the 'invisible man'

(Our two year old was actually under the weather, our four year old was dressed as Tinkerbell, and our 6 yr old kept diving his head under the table telling us he was the invisible man!)

Dinner with four young kids is NEVER dull. .... and our fourth kid wasn't even at the table last night! She was napping. Sheesh! :)

Life right now...

Okay - I need to start a therapy blog. I'm sure that one would be written on almost daily. A place to vent without bumming out the world around you - you know???

Maybe you have no idea what I'm talking about.

I actually have had a ton of perfect topics to blog about. Funny stuff. Crazy stuff. Cute stuff. But.... alas, I haven't been on here much lately. The computer that is. Life just happens sometimes. The internet isn't the all and all - shocking news huh?? :)

Right now.... today.... at this moment however.... life isn't happening. I'm blogging to say that I'm here. I'm alive, but ... in my mind, barely. Have you ever just felt super disconnected from life and reality? Like you're in some home-bound bubble?? Like the world is stopped, or possibly in slow motion? That everyone has a 'life' except maybe you??

Maybe I need to go shopping. Get out of the house. Go out to eat with hubby or girlfriends.

Maybe it is the cloud-covered day with a semi-lit house and the fact I feel I have been inside this house for EVER with small children. This is the danger of being a stay at home mom. Feeling like the 'real' world is ceasing to exist. Hope I'm not bumming you out here. Hope to post something more life-like soon.

For now, I need to get ready to take the kids to the park on this mostly warm November day. Gonna head out into the 'real' world.... this will have to do for now.... :) Shopping and eating with girlfriends will have to wait a bit longer....Ta-Ta!

Be the Boss

We now have a potty-trained two year old! Just this month - so the lifestyle is fairly new. She has been working on this for months - and one day early October informed me she wanted to wear panties. Just like that. I was wary of poop in cotton panties, but she was ready. No accidents. (yea!)

Skip to this last Saturday. We had a soccer game for our 6 year old son at 11:30. So, our little 'Avi' went potty before we left the house at 11:00. We went to the game, which ended at 12:30 and decided to head out of town about 50 miles to a local farm where you can pick apples/pumpkins, etc.

So, we ran by the local grocery store to pick up snacks and do a potty run. Avi went potty at the store again - oh, and did I mention she is in panties - not a pull up.

We get to the farm and ride the 'hay ride tractor' out to the pumpkin patch. We are walking around in the heat for what seems like FOR EVER for my six year old to find the perfect pumpkin. (too bad 90% of them are old and already rotting. This makes the search 90% longer)

Avi announces in the middle of the pumpkin patch she has to poop. We scramble and take her to the outhouse in the field. No show. The poop went a-hiding.

We leave the farm - eventually - and start to make the drive home. We are 50 miles from home and in the middle of freaking NO WHERE when she screeches from the back seat in all urgency that she has to go potty! We push the speed limit and beg her to hold it - telling her that is what 'big girls' do. (There is not even a shoulder of the two lane highway to pull over on)

This scenario repeats for the next half hour as we seem to creep towards civilization and public restrooms. She is constantly teetering between an urgent, frantic "I gotta poop", and a strong, "I will go at home".

Suddenly, our six year old, who sits in the back row of the minivan with her, says quite emphatically "Be the boss of your poop Avi!"

Needless to say, me and hubby burst with laughter. Be the boss of your poop. Funniest thing I have heard in a long, long time.

FYI- she did make it until we got home. I have NEVER seen a two year old pee that long - the poop came about 5 minutes later. I think it just wanted to make sure we were home. You never realize when you become a parent what an important part of your life poop becomes! Just - whatever you do - be the boss!

Just say "yes"

My two year daughter loves it when I say yes - to anything. What kid doesn't???

The problem is, she thinks "I'll think about it", "Maybe", and "We'll see" are all difinitive YES answers also.

If I say one of the alternate responses, I get an emphatic and high-pitched "Dank you, dank you, dank you Mommy!!" She assumes that the good fate is sealed.

Ha! I love her enthusiasim - but I feel bad when the "Well see" turns out to be a "no". She helps me to think about my answers though, and to make sure I follow through and keep my word. That is what kids really love!

Ugh! I'm a wuss...

Okay - I could actually write a thesis on this topic - but it is a blog. Therefore, all of my reasoning and beliefs and research will not be included. That being said: I did a dumb thing today.

I used to be the woman to go to the doctor and get kids vaccinated because that is what American women DO. Not anymore. So... my first two kids had all their shots. My second two kids have had "some". (and even those I wish I would've had more 'balls' to tell the Dr. 'no'.)

Anyway.... my four year old - one who had all her shots as a baby - had her 4 year old check up today. She 'needed' her Hep B shot - and future Kindergarten shots. I said no to the kindergarten shots today, but somehow - and this part gets fuzzy - I allowed her to get the Hep B.

This is most annoying to me, because - I think the Heb B shot is useless for babies and children. It was originally made for druggies and prostitutes......
Our babies and 4 year olds just don't need this particular shot. And I gave it.

This is my loathing and venting for the day...... agree or not I feel I did a dumb thing, and I'm mad I wussed out at telling the Dr. 'no'.

Whatta book!!

My four year old and I were looking at a Richard Scarry word book the other day. She was on the zoo page and was pointing out various animals....
Then she flipped the page to a farm page and pointed to the cow and said "cow". At that VERY moment, my stomach growled a funny sound.


"Mom!! Did you hear that? Did you hear the cow 'moo'???" She asked me so very excitedly??
"What a cool book!!"

She was bummed the other animals wouldn't make sounds - I didn't have the heart to tell her mommy's tummy was just hungry.