Not Guilty

The kid barely eats rice cereal. I am not responsible for the fact that he's already eaten his first french fry. Proud to be an American. Don't tell my pediatrician...or any of my friends that are good parents. It's amazing how traveling long distances can cloud your judgement.

Thunder Shows

The past few weeks, we've had some incredible weather. Last week, the storms flooded city streets; closing many roads as they were completely impassable. It took us over an hour to get home from a drive that normally takes 5-10 minutes. This picture is one that I caught a few weeks ago. We came home during a torrential storm. Rather than dragging 4 kids through the rain (my garage is not attached) we set up some lawn chairs and enjoyed the shower show.

Fourth of July

Isn't it ironic? I'm better at getting snapshots when Jake isn't there. I think it's that I slack off a lot when he's there to help, in general. On the 3rd, we went to an awesome local parade. It was short (good for me) and the kids got lots of candy (more than just tootsie rolls, good for them). I did miss the Shriners and the motorcycles, mini motorcycles, and mini-cars; but really, I'll get over it.

A Rock in my Negative Bucket

Sometimes, you think you're getting through to your kids. Sometimes, you feel loved and appreciated. Other times...not so much.

The kids were discussing what they want to be when they "grow up". Brooklyn then said, "Mommy, when you were a little girl, you wanted to be an animal doctor, right?" I told her yes. She then said "Oh, but when you decided to be a mom and be nothing."

Guess I better go get to all of the nothing that I have to do today.

Halle Berry's Body -- Not Included

So, last week I did my first open water swim in the big lake, Lake Michigan. I packed dinner and the kids and Jake came along to play on the beach. Jake, to my dismay, snapped a few pictures. As my friend put it so succinctly, "the first time I put on a wetsuit, I thought I would look like Catwoman or something..."
Hey, you too? Didn't work?! Me too!!! Apparently, not all black rubber suits have the power to transform the body of a woman who has had four kids into Halle Berry's. Man, I want a refund. The good news? Swimming in a wetsuit is like cheating...it provides a lot of extra flotation. Swimming is easier and I would have to try to drown. Better yet, I felt so tough. I think the other beach goers that were sunning on the beach and tickling their toes in the waves were surprised to see the mom with her entourage (4 kids, cooler, blanket, towels, bags, stroller, pizza etc) slip into a wetsuit and swim out into the cold, wavy waters.

The Dad Life

I stole this from the blog of a friend. So worth sharing. So funny and so true.

My Offering to the Virus Gods

It's the Fourth of July weekend. We have celebrated the 4th seven years in Wisconsin, this is the second we've spent with sick kids. It's been delightful. Last night, Jake and I partied with Jack until 4:30am. This morning, we were wiped out, and took the kids out to breakfast. Ty puked in the restaurant. Yummy. The upside, we were well enough to go to a parade and fireworks on Saturday. This is my offering to the virus gods. I'm hoping that if we're sick this weekend, we have 'earned' good health next weekend when we vacation to visit Grandmas and Grandpas.

Son of a....Marketer (or two)

In the past, my kids have typically either watched: DVD's and movies and/or on-demand TV. Pros, no commercials. Cons, no commercials. Hey, I love marketing. I record commercials, just to show Jake, because I think they're effective/ineffective (not just because they're funny). Good thing I didn't study oncology or something lethal, because I like to see how marketing affects my kids. Bad mom, I know. Anyway, lately, we're recorded some movies from TV, and I'm not always there to fast forward; we're also watched a bit more live TV. It's interesting, because I think consumer interest groups now limit the amount of childrens' commercials; and when my kids watch TV, most of the products are marketed to ME. Tricky. It's come to bite me back.

My toilet ring was in need of cleaning. Ty told me "Mom, you really need to use Clorox Toilet Wand, because bleach just hides the stains"

Ty told me "Mom, did you know that pizza is low-fat?"

Ty (again) said "Mom, childrens' toothpaste is a rollback. That means it doesn't cost a lot of money".

Gee whiz...I'm in trouble.

Butterfly Kisses

Last Saturday morning, we woke to this. Sunday, the third butterfly emerged. The last one was "born" on Monday. For my kids, it was fun to have a pet for a few weeks. Now we're having to have more serious talks about real pets. For me, it was a truly spiritual experience. It reminded me how amazing the processes of nature and the creations of God truly are. Watching bitty caterpillars change into magnificent butterflies in just two weeks was incredible. I couldn't help but think, "if little caterpillars have follow their divine design and turn into butterflies...perhaps I can do better in my life to improve myself if I depend a bit more on Gods' help." What a great experience!