End of the School Year for Luc

He is so ready for the summer!

Rule:
Have a great summer!

All Things Slimy

By now, you have all heard the story about Luc wanting to be a paleontologist when he grows up and how he wants to have a real live T-Rex live in our backyard. Well, I think he might consider another career, a herpetologist. This kid loves all things that creep me out: snakes, alligators, turtles, and frogs. He begs me to buy him little rubber creatures from every store we enter and pretty soon I know will be out numbered because Beck has a passion for slimy little pets, too.

Yesterday, when loading the dishwasher, I nearly had a heart attack because there was a tiny rubber snake shoved into the detergent dispenser. I screamed and of course, Luc thought it was the funniest thing EVER. I will get him back.

I know that this summer will be the summer that Luc will force me into catching one of our pet snakes out of our rock wall. Yes, forced with the continuous banter, “Please, please, please, just one. I want to hold it, please. I will leave it on the porch. I have a jar. Mom, Mom, MOM, PLEASE. Are you scared?”

I am sure I will cave. Now I am off to research how to catch a snake properly. I wonder if I could do it with a pair of long grill tongs.

Rule:
Help them explore their passions.

Self Expression

Rule:
Provide paper!

Treasures

We just returned home from a great weekend at the Cold House. We enjoyed gardening, seaglunking, lacrosse, and long walks. The weather was beautiful! The pictures below are of our sea glass finds. Beck was impressed with his piece and I found a wine bottle dimple.



More stories to follow this post….Right now, I am off to lacrosse practice.

Rule:
Share your treasures.

Water Management

This past Friday, the weather was fantastic and the little boys played with the water hose in the backyard all day. They had a blast and my lawn received a needed watering.

If you could have heard the laughter and shrills of delight, you would have thought that we had an Olympic size pool hidden behind the fence.





Nope, no pool!

We just had a water hose, a made in China plastic slide, lots of imagination and a magic Houdini water bucket. Yes, Luc managed an escape!

Rule:
Let them water the grass.

Cooper is 8!

Happy Birthday to my precious handsome oldest little boy, Cooper.

I hope you have a great weekend at the college lacrosse championships with your dad. We are going to miss you guys! Learn some tricks. Play hard! Brush your teeth. Don’t eat too much junk food. Stay hydrated. Don’t stay up too late. Wear sunscreen and a hat. Take care of your Dad.

I love your stinkin’ guts, Coop and I hope you had a fabulous birthday.

Love your Mom, who only nags because she loves you.

Rule:
Let them bond, even if it kills you.

Things That Happen While I Cook

Mutiny and Torture…

Watch carefully, Beck is making the pirates walk the plank and Luc in trying desperately to get information out of one extremely stretchy dinosaur.



Again, I promise, I have no idea where they learn such things!

Rule:
Watch them play.

Summarized

Click to enlarge.

Rule:
Think about what defines you, your family, you blog, your job, etc...

Go to: Wordle

Do As I Say, Not As I Do

Poor Cooper, lately he has been testing the authority waters and he is so not winning. Believe me, I do not back down. EVER!

I will not be telling you guys what Cooper said, but let’s just say it was a very bad word. I guess I will need to start censoring the little bad words that I slip from time to time, or maybe I could start using the good ole’ phrase, "Do as I say, not as I do."


Rule:
Repeat after me, “I will not say bad words.”

It's A Beautiful Day In the Hood

The boys and I walk Cooper to piano lessons every Monday and during his lesson, we enjoy exploring the hood. An exploring journey through our neighborhood wild and rowdy boy style is very fun but oh so very exhausting.

The boys love blowing dandelions, collecting sticks, looking for insects on every single tree we pass, dropping sand into the street drainage system, and watching ants at work. I do love our walks, I really do! BUT, I am so tired of having to yell, “Get off the neighbors porch, get out of the middle of the road, don’t put sticks in your mouth, slow down you are going to fall, get out of the middle of the road, get on the sidewalk, get out of the middle of the road, GET. OUT. OF. THE. ROAD."

I know that all of the people in our neighborhood hear us coming and going and I am sure they wonder how I stay somewhat sane. If they only knew…!

I guess it is time again for me to break out the waiver. You have never read the waiver? What, click here!

Click photo to enlarge.

Rule:
Explore your hood!

Incredible Artist

Yesterday, my two little Incredibles, Baby Incredible and Increda Boy, decided to recycle their paper plates after lunch. They worked very, very hard and used up most of their incredible artistic talent; I was left with an incredible mess!


Rule:
Let them be incredible.

Stating the Obvious

After picking up Luc from school today, the boys and I walk through the door and Luc throws down his jacket and sends his crocs flying. I immediately ask him to hang his jacket on his hook and to put his shoes in his basket. To this request and with his hands in the air as if he is stating the obvious, he replies, “It is not Mother’s Day today.”

LIKE DUH!

I laughed and then I told him that he was right, it is not Mother's Day, but if he wanted me to stay in contact with Santa and the Easter Bunny this year, he had better put his things where they belong. You should have seen how fast he moved and while he was putting his belongings in their proper place, he turned to me and said, “Do you really have their cell phone number?”

With my hands in the air as if I was stating the obvious, I said, "Sure do!"

Rule:
Every now and then, it is Ok to fib.

One Afternoon

Click grid to enlarge.

Woody Dot Com

We all know Beck loves Buzz just like his big brother Luc, but did you also know that he loves Woody, too? Yes, the video below will show his love for Woody and will demonstrated his advanced computer dialect.



Rule:
Google their favorite things!

Counting

I am feeling quite blessed today, blessed that I am a mom to three wonderful little boys. They make being a mom challenging, but so much damn fun; there is never a dull moment. They each possess a unique way to get on my nerves but tug at my heart at the same time. I love them so very, very much. Yes, I am indeed blessed!

Photo was taken this morning after they took me to breakfast!

Rule:
Count your blessings.

A Little Boy's Dream

My boys think I am the coolest Mom in the world; I caught them a baby toad!

Click the grids to enlarge the photos.







Rule:
Catch em' a toad!

Translations

I know that Beck is hard to understand so I will provide a translated script for you:

Beck: SCREAMS and GIGGLES…

Beck: Mumma hit da wall ooohhhh = Mom I hit the wall.

Beck: Dubba, yahitdawallgen = Cooper, will you hit the wall again?

Beck: Laughs!

Cooper: Do you want to do that again?

Beck: Haaaa = yes

Mom: Don’t hit the fence.

Beck: screams

Cooper: he likes it.

Beck: doitgen = Do it again.

Cooper: Do it again?

Beck: screams and giggles.

Rule:
Do it again and again and again!

Book Worm

When my little book worm is not literally climbing the walls he loves to relax on his belly and read.

Yes, I am aware that he is not reading educational literature that teaches numbers or letters or how to speak Spanish or French.

Yes, I am aware that he is only looking at the pictures and making up stories in his head.

Yes, I am aware that his potty seat is in the kitchen/library and that I should probably sterilize it.

BUT

Are you aware that he is quiet and not climbing on my counters or stuffing paper coupons into my toaster? Yes, I am so proud!

Rule:
Be proud.

Prepared

Luc received a paleontologist kit from Santa this past Christmas that featured a dig your own dinosaur fossil; you excavate the fossil and then put it together like a model. The kit also included a glow in the dark T-Rex model, tools, goggle and some sort of grow your own dinosaur.

Because the kit was very messy, we decided not to open it but to save it until we could get outside and do it on the back porch. This week we reopened the kit. It is one of the best babysitting tools ever. Luc worked on this block of dinosaur fossil laden plaster for over an hour and we still have many more hours to go. I am thinking of purchasing several more of these, hell I might just buy as many as I can find, because I know they will come in handy on rainy days this summer.

Rule:
Stock up and be prepared.

I Have a Buzz

Beck has decided that he wants to be a space ranger when he grows up and he has taken ownership of Luc’s Buzz Light Year costume. I think it is very, very cute. The only drawback is that I get unwarranted comments at the grocery store and these comments tend to make me a well, how do I say it, a sarcastic bitch.

Judgmental Shopper #1: “Oh, someone must be stubborn?”

Me: “No, he is actually just independent and advanced for his age and likes to dress himself. I would never stifle his creativity and make him change.”

Critical Shopper #2: “Oh isn’t it just easier to let them do and wear what they want.”

Me: “Well, to tell you the truth, I was in my bitch, I mean witch costume this morning and he wanted to be just like his Mommy. Too bad, I spilled milk all over my outfit and had to take it off. I just love playing dress up with him; he has the best imagination.”

Negative Shopper #3: “Did someone get their way this morning?”

Me: “Yes, he got his way this morning. I really enjoy spoiling the hell out of my children. I think the more you let them have their way, the better they turn out to be.”

I could go on and on and on but I think you get the idea.

Actually, I do not mind the comments from the older more mature ladies in the store; they are so sweet and think Beck is a cutie. They mean no harm and only want to make conversation. The people that tend to piss me off with their comments are the perfectly dressed well-rested manicured people who are pushing around their one and only well behaved sparkly clean smiling child in the shopping cart while they recite Baa Baa Black Sheep in a foreign language (you know that type)…yeah those women really piss me off. However, I admit that I do so love flinging my sarcastic tone right back at them.

Rule:
Smile and give it right back!

First

Tonight Cooper played for the first time in a full lacrosse uniform. I got a little teary eyed watching him with his Daddy. Dave is one of the coaches and I am not sure who is the proudest – Cooper or Dave.

The game tonight was only a scrimmage but we do have a real game tomorrow. I am looking forward to watching Cooper and his Daddy for the next six weeks; it makes my heart smile to see both of them so happy.

To be honest, I did not get to see much of anything because during most of the game, I was pulling Beck off the fence. He is a monkey and yes, I tried to bribe him - the M&M's did not work but the gatorade did keep Luc very close to me. Looks like my babysitter will be making tons of money over the next two months. I just hope she knows how to speak monkey.

Rule:
Document!