What's In a Name?

So, today I'm sitting at the kitchen counter cleaning a pineapple while the kids are playing on the swing set. Quinn comes in the house and sees me busy.
"Mommy, picky up me".
"Sorry buddy, Mommy busy."
"Mommy, picky up me peeeeeeeeeeeease."
"Com'ere buddy, you can sit next to me and have some pineapple."
"OK Mommy"
I love the way he says OK. It's the cutest thing to come out of his mouth. He very carefully pronounces each letter, just to let me know it's really okay. Also, if he has a question he says "Go outside, OK?" You can totally tell if he's agreeing or asking by his tone. Very sweet.

Anyway, Quinn comes and starts eating pineapple. Now, he is not a very neat eater yet. So, he's got sticky hands and pineapple juice running down his chin onto his shirt. Oh well. Also, he's having a hard time really chewing the pineapple, so he decides to just suck out the juice then spit the piece back into the bowl. The community bowl that I'm adding pineapple to as I clean it. Hmm. So, I get him his own plate to masticate his pineapple on.

Next Eva comes in. I get her a plate and some pineapple, too. All right, here's the mean mom part of the day. After 10 minutes of solid pineapple eating....I put it back in the fridge. It's almost time for lunch guys, no more pineapple. Yikes. This was not a popular idea. Especially because Quinn has finished his pineapple, but Eva still has a few pieces left.
Quinn:"More apple pine Mommy!"
Eva: "No Quinn, it's pineapple."
Quinn:"MORE APPLE PINE, MOMMY!"
Eva: "Qwwwwwinnnnnnnnn (add slight yodel), it's PINEapple"
Quinn: "APPLE PINE, EVA"

****SMACK*****

Yep, that's right. Quinn smacked Eva right in the face for arguing with him. I know it's wrong, but I had to turn around and laugh a little to myself. Then I cleaned them up and sent them to watch TV while I made lunch.


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I was just getting ready to post this when Eva came in and said "Mommy, I don't have a life." Isn't that what she's supposed to say to me in 10 years??

Happy Father's Day

Yesterday was Father's Day. In preparation for this event I took the kids shopping with me for cards. Eva and Quinn got to pick out a card for John and one for my dad. They were both drawn like moths to a flame to one specific card. It was one of those musical cards AND it had the Simpsons on it. That's right folks, my 2-year old knows his daddy's favorite cartoon. But does John know his 2-year old's favorite cartoon??

Anyway. Sunday morning I kept reminding Eva and Quinn to tell John "Happy Father's Day" as soon as he came downstairs. I knew Eva could do it. I said "Quinn, say Happy Father's Day." To which Quinn dutifully replied "Happy Daddy Day." Close enough. So, here's what actually happened.

I gave the cards to the kids to give to John. Kids bust into room yelling and jumping like monkeys. Eva actually does say Happy Father's Day. Then she adds, "Here's your card, Daddy. It's the Simpsons, and it talks. Can I open it?" Quinn doesn't want to be left out of the action. So he adds, "Here card. Happy birthday Mama day" Yep, read it again. Happy birthday Mama day. Apparently those are the events that have stayed with him. All day long he said that.

I hope all you dad's out there had a wonderful day.

Mommy, interupted

I can't imagine a world with no kids. And by no kids, I mean no kids of my own. Isn't that strange? It wasn't so very long ago that I didn't have kids. I spent the first 24 years of my life without children. Of course, I myself was a child for much of that time.

Anyway, I was sitting on my couch this morning thinking of all the things I could accomplish in a day if my kids weren't here. And then I thought "what would my day be like if I didn't have any kids at all". I absolutely could not imagine it. I can imagine going on vacation without them, or having a day without them, but I can't imagine having my life, but not having them.

I like to think I'd spend my days sewing, running errands, sewing, reading, sewing and so forth. Even the tantalizing idea of showering everyday crossed my mind. Ah yes, those were the days. Isn't that sad? My most precious memories of being single involve showering each and every morning. I know that is the single biggest cliche about motherhood - the not being able to shower thing. But it is so true!!!

Anyway. I do, in fact, have my kids with me all day today. The weather is absolutely gorgeous, so they are out playing on the swings. I should be doing some laundry, but I thought I'd sit down at my computer for just a minute.

As you may have guessed from the above paragraph, I haven't been getting much sewing done lately. This is causing me great frustration. I have a bunch of projects going and I'm motivated about all of them. They're all at a stage where I can see them really coming together if I could just sit down and work at them, uninterrupted. Uninterrupted. Hmm... interesting thought. I wonder how you accomplish that?

Ok, ok, enough whining. If I didn't have kids, I'd probably have some other demanding, time-consuming job that didn't allow me to go to the bathroom with the door closed. What? No? You ARE allowed to close the bathroom door at most adult jobs? Hmm...maybe I should reconsider my options.

I Love My Dog

I was on the phone with my sister the other day. I said something like, "Grrr, Clementine has eaten half my deck!" And Amber (not really a dog person) asked me if I regretted getting Clem. It made me think for a moment. But the answer is Absolutely Not.

Here are the reasons I love my dog.
1. She gives me peace of mind when the kids are outside. Right now Eva and Quinn are playing in their sandbox. I am in the kitchen. I am right next to a window watching them, and they're only about 10 feet away. But I still don't like them to be alone outside. Clementine is a great deterrent to anyone who doesn't belong in our yard.

2. She keeps the bed warm. John has instituted a ironclad "no dog on the bed" policy. But, when he leaves for work very early, she comes up and sleeps with me. Even if she lying on the covers, she still keeps the bed nice and warm.

3. She thinks she's Nana. When the kids are upset she tries to comfort them. This morning Dex was on the floor crying and Clem walked up and started licking his head. When that didn't work, she curled up next to him. He did stop crying - granted he shoved her ear in his mouth.

4. She's a teething toy we won't lose.

5. She has (some) table manners. Today Quinn was walking around the living room with a cookie. Clementine came up and tried to sniff it. Quinn said "No Clem!" and punched her in the nose. She sat down and left him alone. Now, it took Quinn about 15 minutes to desiccate this cookie and Clem didn't snatch it from him. I think that's impressive, even if she did drool all over my couch.

6. She'll give me a great reason to get new furniture every few years.

7. She is very photogenic. At least 80% of the time I'm trying to take pictures of my kids, they won't look at the camera. Clementine loves to get her picture taken :)

8. She's a great vacuum. Enough said.

9. She's introduced me to more of my neighbors. Before this winter, we knew 2 of our neighbors. But, because Clementine was able to jump over the fence this winter, we had dozens of our neighbors ringing our doorbell. She's very social, and she felt the need to visit with every dog in town.

10. She loves us. And she's always happy to see us, even if I only went outside to the mailbox and back.

Now my dog is far from perfect. She has, in fact, chewed up my deck, some shoes, countless toys, one cabinet, and my favorite rug. To my sister this is more than enough reason to never, ever have a dog. But, her puppyhood is passing and she's chewing much less these days. Yes, she does dig giant holes in my yard. Yes, she does slobber when she drinks. And yes, it does really really hurt if she steps on your foot. But how can you look at this dog and not love her?

Garage Sales

So, my sister and I are having a garage sale this weekend. We both have some assorted baby items to sell, some clothes our kids have grown out of, and some miscellaneous household items. It really doesn't sound like that much.

Well, that's not exactly true. See, we've both decided (or in my case, John has decided) that we're not going to have any more kids. So, let's start getting rid of the baby things. Swing - check, travel swing - check, old swing - check, bassinet - check, baby papasan - check, play mat - check, toys, toys, toys - check, 12 rubbermade tub of baby clothes - check. Just for the record, have you any idea how many 0-3 month sleepers fit in one of those tubs? No, well neither do I, but let's just say a lot.

I could go on and on, but I'm sure you're already bored. I just can't believe how much baby stuff we have. How much stuff do you really need to have a baby? Dex is only 6 months old, so we're only selling newborn things. We're keeping our saucer, bumbo seat, crib, changing table, highchair, baby bath, and stroller. I guess we'll have to have another sale next year!

Whew! Garage sales are a lot of work. I am hoping that I make a little bit of money, though. I'm putting it in my personal quilting fund. I have been sewing quite a bit lately. I will post some pictures soon of things that I'm working on.

Adventures of a Wonderful Weekend

This has been a truly wonderful weekend. We didn't have to go anywhere or do anything. I didn't run any errands. We didn't drive to Dubuque. Yesterday was gorgeous outside so we all walked to the park. The kids played and John and I enjoyed the beautiful day. Then I did some sewing. We all had dinner together. John and I watched a movie together after the kids went to bed.

I'm sure this all sounds very boring and mundane to some. But to me it was heaven. Lately, we have been so very, very busy. Every weekend we've had an unacheivable to-do list. I've been driving back and forth to Dubuque a lot lately. It was just so nice to stay home and relax.

After lunch today, I decided to make cookies with the kids. I looked in the cabinet. Hmm, no chocolate chips. Oooh, we'll make brown sugar pecan cookies, one of my favorites. We get the brown sugar measured out. Whoops, no butter. Think...should I use margarine instead? No, I really prefer to use real butter when I bake. "Hey honey? You busy? Can you run to the gas station and buy some butter, please?" So, of course, John jumps in his car and heads out for butter. Meanwhile, I chop the pecans. I grab my canister to measure out the flour. Whoops, no flour. I can't even remember using all the flour. Usually I'm really good about keeping track of things like that. So, I meet John on the deck. "Hey honey? Could you go back? We're out of flour, too." Of course, being John, he hands me the butter and turns right around and heads back out to get us some flour.

I go back in the house and add the butter to the brown sugar. Mix well. Eva is helping me with the electric mixer and Quinn is sitting on the counter begging for a taste. Literally begging, "Taste please, taste please" Over and over again, louder and louder until I give him a taste just so his mouth is full and he's quiet for a moment. Ok, the sugar and butter are mixed. Let's add the eggs. Go to fridge, OH MY GOD. I'm out of eggs, too? I don't remember using any of these things. Do we have elves? Do we have a family of borrowers living in our cellar? If so, they are getting a little bold. So, when John walks into the kitchen with a small bag of flour and I don't smile he wants to know what's wrong. And of course, I have to tell him that, although I was in the mood to make cookies, I don't actually have any of the ingrediants.

My perfect, wonderful hubby went back to the store for the third time and brought home 2 dozen eggs (just so we don't run out again tomorrow). Now, the cookies are still warm and they are wonderful. Just like my weekend.

And if you want to know a little secret, I can tell you what made the cookie thing even more funny. Yesterday, I decided to sprinkle baking soda on my carpet before I vacuumed. And I used all the baking soda. Last night, after dinner John asked me what I wanted to do. I said, let's take a walk. Then I had a brain wave. Let's walk up the gas station to buy some more baking soda, so I can make cookies with the kids tomorrow. So, in total four trips out for our cookies today. Oh well, at least we didn't have anything else to do:)

The Inventor of the Telephone

I do not care what history says. Alexander Graham Bell did not invent the telephone. At least, not as an adult. Perhaps he invented it as a child, and had to wait until he was an adult for anyone to take him seriously. I firmly believe that a child invented the telephone as a way to wreak havoc in their home. It's scientifically proven that a child can make a bigger mess in less time if the parent of that child is on the telephone I do my own research in my "spare time").

Today while I was on the phone my children completely trashed their toy room. Fine, it's their room and it's filled with their stuff. Eva felt the need to take every single thing out of her toy box to find a dress for her doll. Of course, this dress was at the very bottom of the box. So now that floor is covered in all the small toys and things that we don't really have a place for.

As I was putting some laundry in the dryer (still on the phone), I hear them in the living room. Wait, I just finished picking up in there. Yep, it no longer resembles the room I left not two minutes ago. I had a laundry basket full of toys that needed to be put away in the toy room, they've dumped the whole thing out on the floor. Are they playing with these toys? Nope. They're playing aliens with the laundry basket on their heads. Imaginative? Yes. Irksome. Definitely. I grab another laundry basket and put the toys back in it. I even put it in the toy room this time.

Suddenly I hear Clementine tearing around on the deck like a crazy dog. That's kinda weird. Hmm. I walk through the kitchen to the back door and hear a faint giggling. Oh crap! Yep, Quinn's outside running around on the deck with Clementine. Of course, he's only wearing his diaper. This is to ensure that our neighbors believe we are complete white trash and can't bother to get our children dressed to go outside to play. (We do actually have neighbors like this. Their boys are always running around outside in various states of undress.)

So, I guess it's time to get off the phone. Now it may sound like I was on the phone for an hour and totally ignoring my children. But actually I was only on the phone for 4 minutes and 23 seconds (I have a nifty little timer on my phone). As I'm trying to wrestle Quinn into his clothes, the phone rings again. It's a telemarketer . I'm on for less than a minute. But in that time Quinn has dug through my purse, stuck his grubby little fingers in my favorite lipstick and smeared it all over himself and one of my windows.

What are my dear children doing right now, you might ask. They are sitting right next to me, having a snack. Eating string cheese and acting like angels. Of course, I'm not on the phone :)