Leaving On A Jet Plane...Or In A Dodge Grand Caravan

Today was our MOMS Club field trip to the Airport. Aren't we cute??

Gabriel and Elliott showing off their dirty piggies! We got to put our shoes on the luggage belt so the kids could see how stuff goes around and around in circles. They loved it!

The kids were very good, and they listened moderately well. I was pleased with their behavior. And mine, too. As part of our tour we got to go through security. I will never do that again without the aid of another non-kid carrying adult. (Sorry, Dad. I will not be bringing three kids down to see you alone. It just might kill me.) Jennifer took Gabriel and Elliott through with her three kids, but one of the security dudes yelled at Elliott for not taking her shoes off. Pathetic isn't even a word to describe her after that. She was afraid to move. She was afraid of the wand-waving guy, too. She got over it, but was still kind of upset. I realize that the guards are there for a reason. But come on. She's 2. 2!! There is no need for any child in that situation to be yelled at. We weren't flying anywhere, and she's little.

My other issue with security was that they threw away and and all drinks that were not in sippy cups or bottles. Again, I realize that those rules are in place for a reason. But when we go places, we take juice boxes. That way I don't get all kinds of pissed off when a cup gets lost (sippy cips are damned expensive! And of course my kids will only willingly carry one that is emblazoned with Dora or Thomas). Last year when we took this tour, we were able to put all of our bags and strollers in a locked room. This year we carried them all with us (we were also supposed to be able to eat lunch in one of the many pilot's areas - didn't happen). I honestly didn't even think about what forms of liquid were acceptable when I packed lunches. I thought that since we were on a field trip, it wouldn't matter a whole lot. Most of the other Moms there shared my thoughts, and all of their drinks (and yogurts) were thrown out. The throwing out of unopened juice boxes always leads to at least two things: 1) screaming kids, and 2) pissed-off Moms. Oh well. Such is life. Good thing I carry juice boxes in the van at all times.

So, as I said before, the kids were good, and they had a good time. When we were pulling in to the parking lot, a plane took off and Gabriel was so excited. We got out of the van and he asked me very seriously if we were getting on a plane today. I told him I didn't think so, and he asked if we could buy some tickets. Um, no. Not today. He proceeded to tell me that we didn't need Daddy or clothing to fly to see Gram and Gramps. We could just go, call Daddy when we got there, and then go shopping for the stuff we would need. Elliott got all excited at the thought, too, and had to be told that no, we weren't going to Florida today. Ok, she said. But she let me know that when we got home we were calling Gramps to tell him that we needed some tickets. She's awake now (from a very awesome nap), and she's asking for my cell phone.

So, no plane rides today. But we did get to go home in the van - which is still super-exciting for the kids. Why, I don't know. We've had it for months now, but they are still enamored with it.

----------------------------------------------------------
Not to change the subject or anything, but there are a number of items that have been bugging me as of late. So since I am already ruining my kids by blogging (this idiotic notion is one of the said items), I will add them to this post.

1) Elections. I just don't care. And that may make me a very bad American, or some sort of mindless drone, but I don't care. I grew up in a Republican household (headed by a mouthy woman), and I am sick and tired of hearing about the pros and cons of McCain and/or Obama. Sorry, Mom. I just don't care. And don't judge me because I don't care. I will be voting in November, and my vote may or may not make a difference. The reason I don't care right now is that I don't honestly think that either McCain or Obama are going to make the changes that need to me made. I haven't got a clue who can, but I am siding with who I think will make the best of the situation. Again, sorry Mom.

2) Blogging ruining my kids. (This has been bothering me for a long time now.) What? Are you kidding me? How in the world is this ruining my kids? How is my computing taking anything away from my kids? 95% of the time they are napping (or in bed for the night) when I am blogging. The other 5% of the time they are entertaining themselves with books and toys. Why shouldn't I revel in a moment of piece and quiet? How is my use of Facebook having an adverse effect on Gabriel, Elliott, or Janna? Talking to friends that I have had for 26 years is really thoughtless of me. My bad.

I realize that as a SAHM I am judged by how much I do with and for my kids. And the people doing the judging are typically other SAHMs. That being said, I don't need to defend myself - I know I'm a good Mom. While I don't have my kids' days planned down to the last waking minute, I do all kinds of fun things with them. I don't have them enrolled in countless classes because I think it's better for them to be kids while they're still kids. Shouldn't they wait until they're in their 40s to be burnt out?

I don't know about the other Moms out there, but my main mode of communication is email. It's damned near impossible to talk on the phone with three exuberant toddlers running/crawling all over the place. I also use blogging as a means of staying in touch - my family and friends can read about our daily lives. Every single blog I read is penned by a SAHM. With the exception of a few family members, almost all of my "friends" on MySpace and Facebook (yes, I am a 13th grader) are SAHMs. Ladies - I hope you all realize that you are ruining your kiddos, too.

The reason I blog is so that my friends and family can get a glimpse of my life. My imperfect life. I don't pretend things are better than they are. I don't pretend that my kids are infallible. I don't pretend to be something I'm not, and I am the first person to admit my short-comings. I am not posting because I have some sort of deluded sense of self-importance. I blog because I can. Because it relieves stress. Because there have got to be other people out there dealing with the same struggles I am facing. What's wrong with finding new friends? Isn't that a good thing? I joined MOMS Club so I could get to know other Moms in my situation. Did I harm my kids by doing that? Social networking (be it for personal or professional reasons, be it in person or online) is a good thing for me. I don't deserve to be judged for it.

3) Cellphones. I hate them. Really. I have one, and I use it. But I hate myself every time I pick it up. I hate having to deal with the rudeness of people using the things in my presence. I hate it when people are talking loudly on them in stores and restaurants. It makes me insane. I want to create some sort of hand-held cellphone-heat-seeking missile launcher. The missiles would somehow hit the annoying person's phone and destroy it (of course without causing harm to the dolt holding it).

I also hate the carelessness with which some people Jon treat their phones. Putting them through the washing machine isn't a good thing. How do you not remember that it's in your pocket? It's not that small. And how do you keep forgetting that you have to go buy a new one? Like now?

4) Capri Pants. I have hated capri pants forever. And yet I wear them (though in my defense, I only have one pair of them, and they are super-cute). I think the main reason I hate them is because there must be some sort of unwritten law that if you are a Mom you have to wear them. Today's airport trip was a solid confirmation of that notion. Of the 7 Moms there, 6 of them were wearing capri pants. I was one of them.

5) Vera Bradley, Barbie, Little People, Disney Music, and Fiber One Oats and Strawberries w/Almond bars. I realize that I shouldn't be annoyed with you (it's not your fault), but why do you have to be so damned addicting?

Weekly Weigh-In!!

I lost another 4.2 pounds this week! That makes a total of 14.4 pounds. I'm so proud of myself! This loss is also making me think about the ridiculous amounts of garbage I was ingesting before I started Weight Watchers. I'm not at all hungry, so I realize now that I was simply eating because I was bored.

My MIL and FIL are still here, and it has been a GREAT weekend!! Jon and his Dad are stripping a desk I pulled out of the trash, and it is turning out to be lovely. I'll post before and after pics when it's done. The kids have been amazingly well-behaved, too. I can't complain at all!! Well, I can complain (I can always find something to complain about), but it would be unwarranted!! And now I have to get back to socializing. I guess blogging is probably considered bad manners when you have guests. Hope you all had a great weekend, too!!

School Daze

I hated going back to school - especially during the Elementary and middle school years. Hated it. Hated it with the passion of a thousands hates. I loved the back-to-school shopping for clothes and shoes, backpacks and notebooks, make-up and hair stuff. But the actual, physical act of going to school on the first day was horrible. I would seriously stand outside with my brothers crying because I didn't want to go. All of the pictures of first days from 2nd grade through 6th grade are filled with my tear-stained face and red-rimmed eyes. Of course I was dressed awesomely (I can remember my first-day-of-school-outfit for almost all of my school years - my favorite being my 5th grade outfit of denim paper-bag-waisted mini skirt [meaning the waist folded over like a paper bag], peach crop-top, peach ankle socks with ruffles, snakeskin Aigner loafers, and snakeskin Aigner purse. I was very nattily clad!!), and my backpack was always filled with my new carefully chosen supplies. But I hated it. In 9th grade, I even gave myself an ulcer dreading going back to school (the horrid Geometry class and teacher didn't help matters much).

In high school, going back was completely different. I wanted to go back. I couldn't wait to go back to school. I'm sure it had a lot to do with the fact that I was more mature (well, kind of). But it was mostly because a) my friends and I were just so cool and cute, b) I was popular (and did I mention cute?), and c) I had a "hot", popular boyfriend. I was especially thrilled to go back for my Senior year. And the outfit? Denim mini-jumper, white capped-sleeved baby-tee (remember those??), black and white platform flip-flops, and a blue GAP backpack. HOT!! Senior year was also the year for a change in undergarments. Bras could only have underwires (and sometimes pads, though large-busted me really didn't need them), and I'm not ashamed to admit that I wore the hell out of thong and bikini undies (underwear shopping was only eclipsed by shoe shopping). Such was life as a wedgie-picking senior in high-school.

Now that I have preschool-age kids, I obviously can't wait for school to start!! It can't start soon enough - and please believe me when I say September seems like an eternity away. Gabriel and Elliott both start school next month (Gabey on the 4th and Elliott on the 16th), and I can't wait!! Neither can they! We have already started the back-to-school preparations. Both kids have "new" backpacks - Gabe's is a GAP sling ($2 at a yard sale) and Elliott's is Bloomsburg University Jansport backpack ($1 at a yard sale). Everyone is my family (Mom, Dad, brothers, and myself) are alumni of BU, so we think the bag The Girl's bag is very cool!! Next week we are going to to the clothes shopping. First stop will be the underwear/sock aisle. Both kids want new undies - Gabe wants boxers and Elliott wants Princess panties. They are both desperate for socks, too. Then we're off to the Children's Place. Each kids has been promised a new outfit for their first official day of school this year. Gabriel is dying to wear jeans (why, I don't know), and Elliott wants a new 'kirt. Shoes are next, but we may wait til it gets a little colder for those. When the time comes, I will post pics of my kiddos dressed in their b-t-s finest!!

This week's Blog Blast is brought to you courtesy of my little brain and the Parent Bloggers Network. PBN and Hanes have joined together to promote a wedgie-free start to school. Hanes has started a Comfort Rewards program, so make sure you check out their site!!

Shopping Fool!!

I love eBay. Well, that's not entirely true. I usually loathe it, but this week it has been good to me. I have done some early Christmas shopping, and I am so thrilled with what I've purchased.

Elliott is starting to love Barbie. Totally my fault, too. I swore that I wasn't going to turn my daughters into me. I was addicted to Barbie. I had more than one little girl needed. And I had tons of accessories - not just clothes and shoes, either. I had 4 campers, an airplane, 2 boats, 3 cars, horses, bikes, 4 houses - you name it, I probably had it. The reason I was able to have so much stuff was that almost all of it was purchased at flea markets. Every weekend, my antique-dealing parents would take us flea-marketing. Back in the day my Mom would leave us in the car with some sort of newly acquired treasure. Mine was always something for Barbie. And I played with the stuff for hours. I continued to play with the stuff til I was about 13. But, she loves her doll, and I am actually very content to give her more. I found the plans for a house yesterday on eBay. It's nothing more than a glorified bookshelf, but it's perfect. Jon is going to make it for her, and I am going to decorate it. That's her Christmas. And I think she is going to love it!! She's getting a few other small things (like her first Barbie car!!), but I am really excited at the thought of this house. Now I'm looking for furnishings... any suggestions??

I also found books for her yesterday. I love Dare Wright, and her book, "The Lonely Doll" is one of Elliott's favorites. I bought her 2 more of the books for $2 each! They are so cute! I'm watching 2 more. I also bought a bunch of Eloise Wilkin-illustrated Little Golden Books. I already have my copies (and my Mom's) of them, but I want to make sure each of the girls has their own set. I love Golden Books, and the ones illustrated by E.W. are my favorites.

I bought some Vera Bradley, too. No, not for me. Honestly! Ok, so I might get to keep one of the little gifties that I bought, but I really did buy them for my step-mom and MIL. They are going to love them, too. I also did a little shopping for my Mom, but since she reads this I can't divulge any other info about that.

On A Scale From 1 to 10

Since there is too much to cover from the last few days, I will scale the events accordingly.

Visit from SIL, BIL, Niece, and Nephew - 6/10

While it is always nice to see my husband's family, it is also nice when they leave. I love my niece ("A" is 5) and nephew ("C" is almost 3), but they are very annoying. And since I have three of my own annoying kids, the addition of two more (that are related, and therefore exactly the same as my hosers) is very tiring. "A" sang the entire time she was here (the same annoying song sung in her little falsetto opera-like voice - it almost killed me), and "C" whined most of the time he was here. I was also suffering from a nasty case of PMS, so everything bothered me. Obviously there were good parts of the weekend - the zoo was fun, the kids really do play well together, and I enjoy the company of my BIL and SIL. That being said, I wasn't sad to see them go. And I'm sure they weren't upset about leaving!

Trip to the Corning Museum of Glass - 4/10

I realize that taking three little kids to a museum filled with glass isn't going to be ideal. But SIL wanted to go, and we had nothing better to do. The hour and a half trip there was great. The kids sang and napped. Upon entering the museum, Elliott went nuts. It was like someone flipped a switch in her. She threw tantrums, screamed, cried, kicked - it was embarrassing and it pissed me right off. I spent the next 2 hours walking through the museum with a whining, thumb-sucking PITA. I got to see parts of the place that I didn't think would be possible (a total plus in my book), but I wasn't really enjoying myself (a big downer). Gabriel? He had a blast!! And he was so good! He got to "make glass" (he got to sandblast his own jar). Janna was very good, too. Until Elliott pinched her face so hard that it drew blood. Elliott, Janna, and I left shortly thereafter (meaning we sat in the van for 40 minutes waiting for everyone else to be ready to go).

Elliott's Pottying - 0/10

For some reason, the weekend was a step in the very wrong direction for Elliott's ability to use the potty. She is fully potty-trained. She knows it. I know it. Everyone knows it. She has been for the past few months. Please don't misunderstand me. I realize that there will be the occasional accident. And I'm OK with that. But three times in one day is no accident. Saturday she peed her pants because she was too busy playing with the light switch in the bathroom. Yesterday she peed her pants again. Once again, she was messing around instead of peeing. She also pooped her pants twice in the afternoon. Her reason? She felt like it. The Girl hasn't pooped in her pants for at least 6 months now. She was yelled at, and then put in the tub. There was no playing for the rest of the day. And the outfits she pooped in were cleaned and put away - to be worn next by Janna.

The Functioning of DSL - 3/10

I am sick and tired of paying for a service that never works. I think I call Frontier at least twice a week, and until this evening nothing is ever done about the problems we are having with the DSL. I need the internet. It's not something I just like to use. I need it. I have to have it. And when it doesn't work, I am less than pleasant. After all of my calling and bitching, a Dude finally came to the house. And he fixed it!! He gets a 10/10!! The problem was in the line (not my house), and the guy was super nice about explaining all of the technical stuff. I can now get my night-time fix!!

My Weight Loss - 10.2/10

Go me!! I am so thrilled with myself! I have lost a total of 10.2 pounds!

First Day of School - 10/10

In just a few short weeks, school will start. I now know how my mother felt all summer. She would sigh and wonder aloud when school would begin. I never understood how she could possibly not want us around. My kids are still little, but I can't wait to ship them off. Gabe starts on September 4th. Elliott starts on the 16th. Just typing those words makes me a little giddy!!

Upcoming Visit of MIL and FIL - ??/10

Jon's parents are due to arrive Friday. The kids can't wait! I think Jon's excited, too. I'm not quite sure how I feel about this yet. We just had company, and we're going home for a long Labor Day weekend in two weeks. We have no time to ourselves for the rest of the summer. I know that we are able to do stuff in the evenings as a family, but the kids are on a schedule. And deviating from the schedule doesn't work well. They get cranky. Then I get really cranky. I know that we will have a nice time with "Mom and Dad", but I am already feeling stressed.

Backyard of Death

Animals beware. My yard is a death trap.

There is a pine tree at the very end of my wee-little yard. There are at least 5 different varieties of nesting birds (that's all I can ever count before the kids start requiring me to parent them) that call the tree "home". Underneath said tree is a baby bird graveyard. Some sort of predator is attacking the freshly hatched birdies. My guess is that it's either the pretty little black cat that is wandering around the neighborhood (I've seen her climb trees taller than my house to attack crows) or a bigger, nasty species of bird living in the tree. At any rate, it's sad.

The Big Kids were playing in the yard when they made the grisly discovery of a still moving featherless baby bird. The thought it was a frog. So I grabbed my camera to take a picture of the neat froggy. (My kids love the "Froggy" books by Johnathan London, so any time we see frogs we have to take pics.) When I got there, I realized that it was no frog. And it broke my heart a little to tell them what it really was. After they stared at the bird for a while, they found another one. One that they had accidentally run over with a Tonka truck. I thought they were going to cry. They thought they were in trouble. Again, my heart started to ache. So I sat them down and tried to explain to them as best I could that sometimes things die. It's not always fair, but that's just the way life is. I also explained that they weren't in trouble for running over the other baby bird. It was an accident, and those happen sometimes. Gabriel quickly got over his sadness, but he wants to know why the birdie fell and where its Mommy is. Elliott is still asking why the poor baby bird is hurted. She keeps going over to the tree to see if she can help. She asked me to please put the bird back in her nest while she was napping. She thinks the baby is lonely. I promised that I would do my best.

The other death trap in my yard is a large purple bucket for the outside toys. It's been gathering water for the entire summer (Jon never bothered to drill holes in the bottom of it - though he was told approximately 254,00 times). I noticed a few weeks ago that something in the yard was giving off a very foul odor. I thought it was probably a dead chippie - they live under the back steps. I kept asking Jon to find out what it was. Today while we were playing, I smelled the bad smell again. So I looked all around, and I discovered that it was the bucket. I figured that it was probably just the stagnant water. I started bailing water out of the bucket so I could move it to dump it in the field (it was over half full of water and toys and therefore very heavy). I got a few murky bucket-loads out and I realized that there was something yucky at the bottom. After the water cleared, I could see that my original hunch was right. It was a dead chippie. It drowned. Gross. I almost puked. The kids were grossed out, too. While I pretty much hate chipmunks (they are annoying, they eat all of the bird seed I put out, and they climb my screen door), I don't want them to drown in a bucket full of kid toys. It ruins the toys. Now I have to throw most of the stuff away (the bucket was filled with squirt guns, extra sand box toys, and kick balls).

Bye-Bye Ball-pit!

Last week, the ball-pit looked like this:

Today, the ball-pit looks like this:

The reason for the dead ball-pit?

Obviously I realize that kittens (with very sharp claws and teeth) and blow-up toys don't mix. But I didn't think she would be capable of destroying the entire ball-pit. Sides and all. I also realize that in the above picture Kuzco is sleeping with three of my favorite Vera bags. Grrrrrrr.

Two Steps In the Right Direction!

I realize it's only Tuesday (and that yesterday was all kinds of hell), but if the rest of the week is as nice as today was/is I will be content. Everyone had a great day.

Jon usually has a good day. He has so much patience, and very little annoys him (except stupidity and malapropisms). He loves his job and comes home happy every evening. His day was better than usual in that he 1) got to "share" leftovers with his entire office (Last night I made waaaaaay too much stuffed zucchini.), and for some reason he loves showing off what he gets to eat at night; and 2) he is working on a project that he loves. He also has his yearly evaluation this week, so he's also excited about that.

I try to have a good day every day. I wake up optimistic, but usually before the coffee has had a chance to kick in all of my energy (and patience) is used up. It doesn't do me any good to bitch - such is the life of a stay-at-home-mom. But I'm trying to make the best of it, and one of the things I am doing is to make ME feel better. Jennifer and I started Weight Watchers last week, and I have already lost over 6 pounds! I know it might not sound like much to be excited about, but I am thrilled. I don't have lofty or unattainable weight loss goals - I just want to be able to show my girls that you can be proud of being a plus-size woman (and show Gabriel that you never treat a bigger woman with anything other than respect, something my brothers never learned). Just knowing that I am making a healthy life change makes my days a little brighter.

If you ask Gabriel, I'm sure he would tell you that he has a great day every day. If you ask me, he gets a little worse every day. But since I want to think positively, I will say that today was the first day that Gabriel was able to nap with his door open. He has this weird fear/annoyance/anger towards our kitten. He f.r.e.a.k.s. out when she is near his room. Since he decided that Sunday was a good day to peel the paint off of his walls (he literally picked at a section of the paint and peeled it off the wall - what possesses a 4- year old to do this??), we decided that he was no longer allowed to have his door shut while sleeping. He managed to take a 2 hour nap this afternoon, and I am so proud. Not proud of the behavior that took place after the nap, but proud.

Elliott has taken the antics that got a 2.5-year old Gabriel in trouble to a new level. She is an animal. Today she was an animal that eats - like an animal! She ate three helpings of dinner this evening (grilled chicken, broccoli florets, salad, and scalloped potatoes). This is huge for her. Most days she eats little to nothing. Jon and I were all kinds of proud and amazed that she ate as much as she did. She ate more than I did!!

Janna literally took her 2 steps today! She was holding on to my leg this morning and cruising in circles around me. She let go, and took 2 steps all by herself. Then she stood up, and did it again! She took another one this evening for Jennifer. Obviously I am thrilled that she is trying to walk, but I'm not sure if want her walking. It's been so nice not having her completely mobile (her siblings were both walking at 9.5 months), but I guess she has to grow up at some point. Sigh.

I'm going out for my nightly walk with Jennifer now. I hope you all had a great Tuesday!

It's 6:10 - Wanna know where my kids are?

Didja guess yet? Yep. They are on their way to bed. Last night, Erin posted about her kids being in bed by 7:15. I loved her post, and I'd say that 3 out of 7 nights a week are like that at my house. Tonight is an exception. But only in the fact that it's now 6:16pm, and my kids are getting ready for bed. They will be in their actual beds well before 7:15.

Why? Well, let's see. First would be the lack of decent naps. Which is directly responsible for the series of melt-downs that plagued the entire afternoon/evening. Said lack of naps mystifies me. The Big Kids and I spent the morning on the top of a boat. In the sun. Fresh air billowing all around us. Fresh air + sunshine = awesome naps. Not today. Gabriel came out of his room at least 5 times before 2:30 (they went to bed at 1). Then he spent an hour and a half playing loudly in his room. I would have been worried that he was going to wake the girls up, but since they were already awake, I didn't really care. Elliott? I'm not entirely sure she slept at all. Janna? No nap there either. In her defense, she took a huge morning nap with Nana. Still, she could have at least tried to sleep for a little while. In fact, she screamed for most of the 3 hours she was in her bed.

I NEED nap-time. It's not just something that I like. It's an absolute necessity in this house. I realize that Gabriel is getting older, and at some point (probably in the very near future), he will outgrow the napping stage. I will cry. Like a baby.

In my mind, Elliott still has a few napping years left. I'm sure if you asked her, she would disagree. Totally. She seems to be able to function on very little day-time sleep. She will willingly go up to bed, but she refuses to actually sleep. Until about 3pm or so, and then it's very hard to roust her. And of course then she doesn't want to go to bed at bed-time. You don't even want to get me started on the night-time terror that is Elliott's bed-time.

And Janna? Well, Peanut likes her morning nap. She's just not sure about the afternoon one. But if I don't lay her down around 9:45am, then she's a cranky-crankerton for the rest of the morning.

The problem with the nap-time anarchy isn't simply that I like to have some down-time. It's that the kids are actually tired. Gabriel will tell me that he is "exhausted...just so exhausted". Elliott will do the same. And then neither of them will actually nap. Which means that the evening ends like tonight's did. With Mommy screaming and frustrated, wanting to sell said children on eBay. Daddy readying his spanking hands with his patience gone. Gabriel shrieking that he isn't eating, sleeping, pottying, showering, brushing his teeth ever again. Elliott mimicking Gabriel. And Janna throwing her own mini-tantrum.

It is now 6:43. My kids are all in bed. Quietly. At least for the moment. But since I have a Board Meeting, I don't care if they get loud. I won't be here!!