World's Suckiest Mom.

Last night I was cleaning out a cabinet. (Nothing good ever comes from cleaning.) My sweet 4 year old found a scrapbook. A REAL scrapbook. With pictures, trinkets, glue, goodies, stickers, adorable paper, cutouts, and sweet notes....all about her OLDER SISTER.

She ooo'd and awww'd and then said, "Mommy, where's my book like this!?"

I started to sweat. Quick, think fast. I could lie..."honey, there was a fire, a flood, the dog ate it"...but I didn't lie. "Mommy has it started, it's in my closet." She rushed to my closet. Oh I've got it started all right. Her name is written in it.

She ran to her dad. "My book like sissy's isn't started, it only has my name." (I suck.)

My sweet husband tried to bail me out, "Well mom is going to do it, you know when she did your sisters? When you were born. So Lily was almost 3 years old, so see...moms not that far behind with yours." (I don't feel like he's helping me at this point, I can feel the sarcasm. She's broken. I've caused this pain. Then "his help" gets worse.) "Do you want to help mommy do it? Cut the paper and pick things out to go in your book?" Her eyes light up, and she yells, "YES!" GREAT, now I'm behind on this scrapbook, and have a full time project manager to dictate my every movement.

I've GOT to get her 1st year book done, so she'll always have it. They will both have one book that I actually spent time cutting & creating. Then after that, it's printed blogs for me. Someday when my kids feel let down and think they have the suckiest mom in the world that never documented anything in their lives, I'll be able to say..."look girls, look....Mommy blogged, SEE - I do CARE!"

Easy Bake = Pain in my...

...well, you know.

The American Girl doll marketing people are just flat out genius.

Those Play-Doh guys keep coming up with new and inventive ways for us to squish and mold that junk into fun, cool shapes.

Crayola, they're no dummies. Things get old, they just make-up a new color......who doesn't want to color with some jazzberry jam & mango tango!?

But these Easy Bake people are down-right crooked I tell ya, crooked.

Santa brought an Easy Bake oven to our house this year. Santa probably shouldn't get up at 2:40 AM the morning after Thanksgiving and go shop for toys for kids. He makes quick decisions and doesn't take time to think thru what he's doing!

After we searched over town to find the correct 100 watt bulb for the device the stirring and spraying and pouring and scrapping and waiting and asking "is it ready yet?" began.

Oh they were proud. They loved it. Couldn't get enough. I, however, had enough seconds after I opened the box.

The cakes on the box look normal. They look large enough to share with your sister, but they're not. You have to make two cakes. Mixes that cost $6.99 for a kit. Crooked. (Betty Crocker cake mix, Wal-Mart $.97 box. A full cake, enough cake to feed your sister, your neighbor, your neighbors sister, plus some.)

They were slightly thrilled. Lily's eye was twitching with excitement!

Delish. I have never seen Rachel Ray licking the palm of her hand in the middle of her cooking show. We need to continue to work on etiquette, I see.

But, giiiirrrl, you gotta try this cake...it's the bomb. Fo' shizzle! (Yes, I had to look up fo' shizzle in the Urban Dictionary.)

65 years

My Nana & Papa are celebrating 65 years of marriage today. Wow.

Incredible.

3 sons.
5 grandsons.
1 granddaughter. (that's me.)
11 great-grand kids

ALL believers in Christ!


That's a legacy!

We love you Nana & Papa!! (I called my Nana and said, "So, 65 years, you think he's the one?" HA HA She just laughed!) Happy Anniversary you crazy-in-love-kids!

Also...while I'm here and before I forget...we got to do something uber cool (thanks to my Uncle Jim) on Thanksgiving. My Papa (he's 94) got to talk with his sister, my Aunt Re! She lives with her kids in California. Neither of them can make a trip like that anymore to see each other, but thanks to technology they were able to Skype and talk! It was wonderful. I had tears in my eyes watching them look in amazement at each other and talk to one another. It was so sweet and a very special memory.

Ain't technology grand!

The Tooth Fairy is Unpredictable.

FYI: When you lose a tooth in Miss Johnson's 2nd grade class at Charles Haskell Elementary school you get a cool treasure box to store your tooth in.

It's pretty amazing. (My camera was not cooperating.)


This 2nd grader was thrilled. Her tiny tooth was hangin' on for dear life but had to go to make way for that large awkward tooth that is going to cost me thousands to straighten up.
(Also, 2nd graders like anything that go on their wrists. I'm not sure why.)

She left the tooth under a message that read, "My tooth is under this piece of paper!" She's a planner - would hate for the tooth fairy not to realize where the tooth had been placed.

This latest tooth fairy experience sparked new and curious conversations. Like...

• "Is the tooth fairy really a fairy or is it a mommy or daddy?"
• "What does the tooth fairy do with all those teeth?"
• "I think it's weird that he just collects teeth, why does he do that?"
• "How does he know what to pay for each tooth? Sometimes it's $1, $2, $5?"

I have always been baffled by those questions as well sweet girl! On a side note, I was thrilled I found 2 bucks in my wallet that night.

The sweetest part of any "lost tooth" at our house is the tooth fairy pillow! My grandmother made this tooth pillow for me when I was 6 or 7. It has a little pocket and the tooth just slides in! Lily uses it now, and when she's done we will pass it to Addy. It's a sweet memory of a sweet woman! (I know Grandma would be thrilled to know Lily is using it too!)

PS. Anyone know any good orthodontists?

Edible Artwork

Dear Lily & Addy,

I love your artwork. I think it's wonderful.

When your teacher brings yummy macaroni, fruit loops, beans, coffee beans, sprinkles and whatnot, to use as decoration on your artwork it's fun! So fun! I'm glad you love it. BUT when you bring home your yummy artwork please put it up high. Very high. High enough, that you're little puppy can't find it!

He adores yummy artwork too!

For instance, this yummy apple pie artwork that had real sprinkled sugar all over the top of it!

As you can see he literally ate the entire middle right out of the pie! YUM! FYI...dogs that weigh less than 6 pounds shouldn't consume construction paper, sugar and glue. This is the same reason we said it's not good for him to eat Barbie shoes, hair clips, and crayons.

Love,

Mom

Click it, or Ticket!

I think DJ and I can say, without a doubt, that we have successfully drilled into our children's heads the rule that wearing seat belts is a must!

I was driving with the girls yesterday and while stopped at the stop light, we look over and see that the SUV next to us has two little blonde-headed girls jumping around the backseat seat belt-less!

My girls immediately notice the situation, and began to comment...

Lily, "Wow-they're not wearing seat belts, their dad must NOT care about them!"

Addy, "They're going to fly right thru the windshield."

Lily, "And probably, they're going to die."

Addy, "Then, the po-leece man will come - and their daddy will go to jail."

Seat belt safety - CHECK!

Now, back to the parent guide to see what's NEXT on our agenda...

Say what?

Addy brought home a Pre-K homework assignment (what is this world coming to when Pre-K students have homework?) She had to cut out little pictures of words that started with the letter N and glue them in their correct place on the page.

The first was...
Native American. The following conversation transpired....

Lily: Addy, that's a Nate of American.
Me: A what?
Lily: A Nate of American.
Me: A Native American?
Lily: What?
Me: Native American NOT Nate of American.
Lily: Ohhhhh!
Addy: No it's not, it's an astronaut.

Okay stike that comment - maybe they BOTH need homework!