nablopomo WIN.

Why hello, November 30th. You came a lot sooner than I thought you would. It doesn't feel like I've covered a whole lotta quality this NaBloPoMo, but at least I made up for it in quantity!

Speaking of something completely different, last night I descended into a sore throat/body aches hole and took a night time cold/flu medicine in the hopes that a good night's sleep would knock it out.  But alas, I awoke at 1 am to Thing 3 throwing up and hotter than blue blazes.  The husband was taking care of everything while I wandered around fetching clean this and that, and then he stayed in with T3 for a few more hours so I could get back to sleep.  Then, he actually went to his early morning bishoping stuff while I stayed in with 2 snotty kids (physically, not mentally) and a T3 who was WAY too active for someone who had been delirious and sick a few hours earlier.  I was hoping for more snuggling with a sick kid, but instead I laid in bed while the Dude periodically came in to jump on me.  So then the hubs stayed for all of church (taught 3rd hour), came home and watched the kids while I slept for a few more hours, made pizza from scratch and who knows what else.  Tender mercies, thy name is HUBS!

So as a parting gift for this year, I'll share a bit of wisdom I gleaned for a parenting mag in a waiting room years ago: When your kids turn into crabs, put them in water!

No matter the time of day, if they are driving you crazy, driving themselves crazy, whatever, playing in the bath will fix it, at least temporarily.  On crazy snow days, we've started out our day in the bath and I've given the kids shaving cream and water guns and let them go at it.  They think it's a day in the tropics if you let them wear their swimsuits in there.  Or I've thrown them in there with as many pots and pans as I care to have to rewash.  Or have them make an entire mountain of bubble snakes.  This pic was today at 5pm when T3 wouldn't stop pestering me for more water when he already had a full cup RIGHT THERE.  This is probably totally common knowledge for everyone else, but I'm so grateful someone had the kindness to state the obvious for people as clueless as me.  

So there you go.  And hey, if you're turning into a crab, throw yourself in some water!  A good bath/shower always perks me up, so it stands to reason it'd be universal.

Thanks for sticking with me!!

git er done

*sits at computer*

thinks:  There's a reason I don't blog every day.  What the heck am I going to write about... we went to a movie yesterday with all 3 kids, I hung out at a mall all afternoon today... I'm bored just thinking about me.

*opens Pinterest*

thinks:  I love this stuff.  I really do.  But there is no way I'm going to that much effort to make a pompom rug.  They sell rugs at stores.

*Thing 3 climbs on top of me*

thinks:  Is he going to try to rip the remaining keys off my laptop?

*opens camera on laptop*

thinks: Hey, this'll distract him!

BAM.  BLOGGING ACCOMPLISHED.

light-seeking

As promised, a post on my dear friend who happens to be prison.  I wrote this back in July but never posted it, and she has now been there almost a year.  It's a heart-wrenching situation that I can't even begin to understand.

During my usual morning chaos, I remembered something I have heard from many readers - they appreciate how I am "real" about life and motherhood.  Which has always confused me, because I don't think I let all the gruesome nitty-gritty out.  If anything I scrub up some of these memories so they're a little less rough.  It makes me wonder what other bloggers are saying if what I'm posting seems neat and tidy to me... 

Anywho, when that thought popped into my head this morning, the next one was - well, let's get REAL then.  There are some things that need to be shared because hiding them in the shadows is dangerous. 

I have a really good friend from college who has a toddler-aged kid.  She's very intelligent, proactive and well-educated.  Seriously, this chick has started her own companies, advocated the heck out of causes she believes in and after getting her degree as the top of one insanely difficult instrument, got a master's in an entirely different field and rose to the top of the ranks in that one too.  She's a go-getter, and that's an understatement. 

So when a few months into motherhood, when she was slammed with one of the worst cases of PPD I've ever seen, she acted.  She was hospitalized more than once, was incredibly involved in finding the right medication, and worked to better the treatment options for PPD in her area.  She mentored more than one friend who she discovered was going through it, and when she found out I was pregnant with Thing 3, she started sending care packages and e.mails to Jared about how to attack the darkness when it came (because it does. and it did.). 

She called me one day, thrilled that her doctors had decided to cut back her care because they thought she was improving.  She had attacked this monster like the superwoman she is.  Then I didn't hear from her for a few weeks.  That's not uncommon with our crazy lives, so I didn't worry about it. 

A while later I found out why from a mutual friend on FB.  I don't know enough of the specifics to share details, but I do know that one day the beast reared its ugly head and she didn't have the strength to fight back.  She tried to kill both herself and her son. 

Thankfully, they were discovered in time to get treatment.  Not thankfully, our legal system is backwards, so instead of getting help, she has been in prison for more than 6 months now, awaiting trial. 

I can't put into words how angry this makes me.  How much I want to scream that she is NOT a criminal.  That she is a wonderful, contributing member of our society and what she needs is NOT to be stuck in a cell for 23 hours a day.  I can't even continue ranting on this or I'll work myself up, and that's the last thing I need right now. 

The thing that makes me sick is - but for the grace of God go I.  Any of us. 

Throughout this ordeal, she has embraced her faith.  She has more now than she ever has, and is constantly light-seeking,   Of course, being her, she has worked herself to where she now has a highly coveted work position in the prison with more freedoms.  She does not sit still, ever.  In fact, I am already in awe of how she is planning to help others and advocate for change.

If you'd ever like to send her a note, I know she'd love it.  I send her talks and articles I think she might like.  Any little note would brighten her day.  If you want to, just ask me for the address. :)

thanks giving.

This year's turkey may have been the best turkey I have ever had.  Husband seriously outdid himself - letting it brine overnight in this insanely cool concoction he'd dreamed about, then so.many.herbs.everywhere.  Seriously SO GOOD.  We had an empty nester couple over for dinner and enjoyed not feeling so alone, or having to make the rolls or pies.  I talked to a dear friend who I really need to blog about - she's been in prison for almost a year and it's going to be another interminable wait to even get a trial and any kind of resolution - and I shared this quote with her that has been on my mind lately.  She is an inspiration, finding light in the darkest of places imaginable, and she's moving uphill against horrific obstacles.  I'll give you the whole story tomorrow, I promise.

But the thing is, as we went around the table listing our 3 kernels of thankfulness this year, even though I am still in a grouchy funk, it was hard to narrow it down to just 3.  I loved what our friend said - he was thankful for talents, and for all the people who have different talents from his own.  I don't have any neat and succinct point, but these are all the things swirling around my head today.  I hope you feel good today.  It's uphill, but that's a good direction to be headed in.

GPOYW

Ironically, tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I'm still in a funk. So for GPOYW, I tried to inspire myself by taking gratuitous pictures of my day. Not feeling inspired looking back, though. Just tired. 

SMILE FOR THE CAMERA, DAGNABIT. 

The older kids were sledding at the park so I went all sorting bears on Thing 3. He tried to eat all of them. 

The Dude is heading up the sledding hill. Can you spot the spot?

Made laundry detergent. Whoopee. 

I've never been able to give my kid a bottle and have them feed themselves. With that tiny bit of freedom, they squirt it all over everything they can reach, so I still have to hold Thing 3 when he wants one. 

 At the carwash. Because this is what I do when I need to get out of the house and want my kids restrained. 

Oh, awesome. The sole of my boot ripped off. 

Boot shopping. $&@!!!.

Someone woke up from nap time an hour early. 

Fine. Piano lessons for everyone. 

Dagnabit. WonderGirl's lesson was hijacked. 

Picked up these bad boys at a place with the words "farm and fleet" in the title. I've been trying to find new snowboots for weeks and I hate them all, so I just gave in and bought literally the only pair of snow boots in my size in the entire store.  These boots weigh more than sensible footwear should weigh. 

But something did make me smile today - my dear friend Watoozi posted this on Instagram and I've gone back to laugh at it all day:

cloudy face

My sainted mother called me today and pumped me up big time. Spending all my time with a dysfunctional toddler is really doing a number on my self esteem. If the person you spent the most time with frequently started screaming and clawing at your face like an angry zombie, it would set you on edge too. 

So I was feeling on. Not above the line, but not below. Just on. It's a good, stable place to be. And I've been searching my brains for something positive or just off the  MYKIDSAREPSYCHO topic to blog, but then I had to spend half an hour in a car dealership waiting room. With all 3. It had no door, and was across the hall from some offices and a showroom. I lost my will to live by the 15 minute mark. 

My sainted mother had assured me it wasn't my fault that my toddlers turn into psycho howler monkeys, but the common factor in all of them is that they spend almost their entire waking hours with me. That can't be a coincidence. 

One thing raising WonderGirl has taught me is that I can't take credit for their awesomeness. But I just can't do the opposite and not take credit for their faults. 

And now, a palate cleanser. 

Check out more of these here.  It's perfection.

I'm not gonna lie - today did not have a lot of win. Actually, we went to a turkey bingo thing at the library and lost, kind of. The things we used to cover the bingo cards were candy corns, and every time we lost, the kids ate them until we were playing with candy stumps. 

But then there was the rest of the day... sometimes I am able to see the army of therapists and doctors that keep my kids going as a good thing. Sometimes. 

Also, it snowed. Blarg. 

phoning it in

Dani is traveling with a baby, Jane just gave birth, and they are both doing a better job of blogging than me, who has not left the city limits here in at least a week. I'm literally phoning it in. Laying in bed here, typing this out with my thumb on my phone while spooning my snoozing husband. Sad. 

I do have valid excuses - even though I did end up taking a nap today. But a house full of family all weekend, plus nursery this morning zapped all my energy. Yesterday afternoon I felt like I'd been clicked over the head with a sleepy stick, but there wasn't time to rest. We had to stake out our seats for the Holly Jolly Light Parade in downtown ClownTown. 

We all wore snow pants even though the blessed temps were in the 40s, but it came in handy because the ground was wet. SMRT. 

It's just utter small town gloriousness. There's nothing cuter. And marching bands wearing Chrismas lights!!  So previous!

We played Charades while we were waiting. Some if the kids were surprisingly good. They got my Frozen clue in .3 nanoseconds. 

It's all about the kids - we took a MAZILLION pics if them, but I wanted to be sure it was documented that we grownups were there and had survived. 

WE ARE WARRIORS. 

Alex went out last night and surprised us l with donuts this morning. Best uncle ever. 

And completely unrelated, to ifhtroom the hubs and I were practicing a music number for the ward Christmas party and I lamented a lack of bass players in our ward, when the husband decided WonderGirl could probably play the part cuz it was all open strings, so he grabbed her an acoustic bass and she totally figured it out.  Nutty. Eat THAT, Suzuki-hating MOC. Don't ask me to elaborate...

And I'm going to sign off before I start typing gibberish. Happy Sunday!!

So tired Dani visited and has a freaking cute baby and I am so tired amen 

just in case

The next time you talk to someone who is worrying about something with their child and says they think it's their fault, even though it isn't and couldn't possibly be - don't tell them they're wrong.  Yes, they're wrong, but there is nothing that will take away the guilt that comes from the idea that you could have prevented something that makes life more difficult for your child.

Instead, just tell them all the things that are right in their life.  That's really the only thing that can save them from trying to put blame somewhere and being completely overwhelmed.  Help them remember all the glorious blessings they have that make the reality they live in livable.  I was reminded today that I have a few big problems to deal with as a mother, and a thousand blessings to help.

Don't minimize their trial, because it is theirs, and it's larger than you can possibly imagine - just agree, and then try to find the light for them.  Or just hug them.  Because life really is wonderful.

space filler

I'm about to have a house full of babies and adults and angry toddlers and I'm trying to de-crud-ify the house and this morning a family of 5 kids showed up for violin lessons and I forgot I was teaching them violin so my morning of cleaning was shot but then they cleaned up the downstairs so that was super handy but still it's a whole lotta houseguests so blogging is taking backseat today so can we all just take a moment and laugh our heads off at the picture because HOLY SNAP I love it.

Happy Thursday!!

GPOYW

GPOYW - The Look You Get When Your Daughter Inexplicably Starts Playing Techno Versions Of The Dora The Explorer Theme Song on Spotify - edition.

not bad

So Thing 3 is a total thorn in the poor Dude's side - well, all if ours, lately. It's just what I've learned is the nature of toddlers. They are cuter than babies and more terrifying than banshees. It's just the nature of it all. WonderGirl survived the Dude, so she gets it, but the Dude is getting the full brunt of it. He has moments where he genuinely works at kindness, but it doesn't come naturally. I'm cool with that - the fact that he's willing to work is a mammoth feat and I'll take it!  

So when I saw Thing 3 crawl up and over the Dude this morning, I expected fireworks. But.... miracle of miracles, this happened!!  

There may have even been a cuddle or two!!  AH-MAZING!!!!!  I don't expect a repeat or even civility any time soon, but it was long enough for pictorial evidence - and that's all I need for future brainwashing. "Hey Dude!  Remember how much you loooove Thing 3?  I do, seeeeee???"

And THAT is how you parent.  

blendship

I have amazing friends. Like, I don't deserve these people. at. all.  I was cleaning out a cabinet a a found this sweet gem a bestie gave me a good 13 years ago:

A mini fondue kit??  Perfection. These people have terrible taste in besties, but awesome taste in gifts. 

Last week I was having a bummer of a time, and one night - a friend who had no idea of my bummer-itude, stopped by and dropped off a tin of homemade cookies and this insanely awesome and sweet card:

These women have actual lives, children, jobs, clean houses, and still manage to make my day. Heck, I can't manage anything besides the kids.  I'm just in awe. 

So this morning, another friend - who also has dropped off treats and sweet thoughts, has left parties to come console me, dragged me out of the house for GNOs, listened to me rant and built me up repeatedly- called me up in a panic and cancelled our morning plans so she could take care of a sick child. 

Now of all times, I thought, THIS is a time I can finally pay it forward. I'm seriously horrible at gift giving, but I had a free morning and some spare cards and gift bags, so I wrote a note, and slipped it in a bag with the most thoughtful gift I could think of - my last Hostess cupcake. I wrangled Thing 3 into the car and....

My car key was gone. This is the last one we have for that car because I lost the last one. I'd just had it, too. I was all ready to be a good human, and instead I spent the rest of the morning crawling my house with a flashlight, terrified of have to actually clean it to find the key (by the way, I lost the other one in the house and it's still here somewhere... so there was a chance this one was lost foreverrrrrrrr.)

I found it a few hours later, but by that time her crisis had been averted and Thing 3 had gone down for a nap.  Dagnabit.  Just once, I could have done it.  I knew where she was and what she likes. Oh, for the love of a freakin' van key.  I left it by her house later when I was picking up the kids, but someday I hope I can be there at the moment - even the teensiest bit  - as much as my friends have been for me.

No joke, guys - thanks for friend-slumming it with me!!!

nothing to see here, folks

I have been on pins and needles since 5am, waiting for any news about Jane and Tarzan's Cheeta - and he joined us here on earth this morning before 9am, and holy moley, the pictures that i've been texted and then have been forward between all the family members are A-FREAKING-DORABLE.  I'm sure she'll blog them soon so I will wait and let her unveil all the goodness, but that baby has LEGS!!  Like, cute, full legs!  Mine always came out with little like frog legs and eventually filled in enough to look like a human.  Ugh, and the pictures of my big brother and his baby boy have turned me into a blubbering mess.  There is nothing more beautiful than that. 

But if you click on over to her blog, you'll find a post today about a cool dinner she cooked a few days ago.  Yes, in preparation for Cheeta being born, not only did she nest her house, but she pre-wrote entries to pop up every day so she won't miss a NaBloPoMo day.

Jane just won blogging, people.  When I told the husband that, he asked me when the last time I'd blogged from an actual computer and not on my phone while I'm laying in bed and falling asleep (if you look at the last entry, that gibberish at the end is actually something I typed while I was asleep.  I don't know when I hit publish, but I did!)  So I checked - and the last time I blogged responsibly and computer-ally, it was November 7th.  9 days ago.

But not today!  I'm on the laptop while the husband is off bishop-ing and the kids are watching an Old Testament cartoon.

Of course now... I have nothing to say....

Alright, when in doubt, spout out a few random opinions on things. 

Country music.  NO.  NO.

I hate terra cotta pottery.  It makes my skin crawl.

I used to throw a handful of shredded cheese on a George Foreman grill ('memba those??) and cook it until it was all crispy.  I called it a cheese waffle.  It was magical.

I'm afraid my kids are supposed to do athletic-y things, but I have no idea where to start, what to expect out of them or what to try.  I did basketball and soccer with the Dude and WonderGirl, and they were not things they wished to repeat.  But just because I'm a lazy bum doesn't mean they should be.

I used to LIVE on the phone.  Now, I talk to my mom, and on rare occasion, I answer when one of my besties calls, but that's about it.  I'm trying, but somehow I turned into an introvert.  Don't laugh, it's true.  Maybe we all go through intro/extro phases in our lives.  It's hard to carry on a conversation when you can't hear the other person.

I like ice in my water glass, NOT the roads.  I forgot that now that it's winter and the roads are always moist, I have to drive the speed limit.  I've been swerving all over the road since the snow hit Friday.  Thank heavens none of the other 8 people who live here were on the road.

Nursery is officially the best calling in the church.  For me.  Right now.  I'd actually totally love to go back to Primary music, but this works too.  Less prep, more snacking.  And one of the kids who hates everything sat on my lap for a snuggle today!  Winning!

I am still afraid of alligators under my bed.

Thing 3 is screaming his head off, so I'm going to go.  But see, a post before 10pm today!!  It's a miracle!!

YAY FOR JANE AND TARZAN!!!!!!!!!!!!

YOU GUYS.  JANE IS IN LABOR. I REPEAT, JANE IS HAVING A HUMAN RIGHT NOW!!!!

Jane and my brother Tarzan have been married for 13 fabulous years, and now it's a party of 3 with Cheeta!!!!!  Guys, she's so level headed and pragmatic, and she's taken all of this in serious stride. Luckily, Tarzan and I are a lot more hysterical, because I think this occasion calls for some serious hysterics. I hope he's totally freaking out right now!  I totally would be but I'm typing this in bed and the husband is asleep but still snuggling me -and he's a light sleeper, so I have to be still. But still!!!!  THIS IS FREAKING AWESOME!!!!!!

I was going to try and pontificate and be less mopey, but I can't do anything justice given the present news. Today deserves fireworks!!!  Instead, I'll offer up these two miracles:  

All of the sudden, this boy who was unable to hold a pencil last year, has developed the muscles and confidence to start writing. Just trying to write his name would send him over the edge because his hands didn't have the dexterity or strength.  Yesterday I saw him writing on his own and tried to act calm, but then I saw he was writing a comic!!  I asked him to tell me the story before he forgot so I could write it in and  cherish this moment foreverandeverandeverandevereverever.  

He's used up so much paper in the last 24 hours é, but my practical, non- wasting side has taken a vacay and hysterical me is having a field day. The Dude CANZ!!

I woke up yesterday sobbing and just laid in the floor, totally overwhelmed by the task of raising him. But then, these things happen. He is so, so special. 

I can do this. At least he has style!

Good luck atarzanvwbf kavtx

what language do they speak?

(I'm posting in bed from my phone and can't embed the vid. I'll do it in the morning like a nice blogger.)

http://youtu.be/phvLZ2WJORo

We took this almost a year ago at it cracks me up for the entire 9 minutes and 41 seconds every. time. He'd been binge watching Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman and was on a game show host kick. 

It's a good reminder for me today. To remember that the Dude makes like worth living. We moved to Wisconsin for him, I'm sure of it. We're here right now for him, too. Sometimes, like this morning, I'm so overwhelmed by the idea of raising him that I can hardly breathe. I mean, the idea of raising a human period is terrifying, let alone 3 wacky outliers. The internets are forever, so I haven't documented all we're going through with all 3 out of respect to my mother, who is justifiably horrified at my lack of privacy. But oh... we've been SO blessed, I shouldn't complain. But it IS hard, mostly just being the one in charge of making life-altering decisions for them. They don't fit a single mold, and they haven't been forced to, either, which is super awesome. But life gets more complicated, and I have to prepare them for that.... but holy snap, how?? 

Tomorrow I'll be super wacky. That's not an excuse give you, like ugh, I'll post something better - I promise. It's a promise to me to force me out if my quasi Quasimodo-style isolation. I SHALL BE INTETESTING, ANON. 

i hate lists

While I was going through today, I kept composing rants in my head that I would blog later. Enough things were so annoying that they are the kind of things that desperately need sympathy. Blog sympathy. (You guys rock, FYI.)

But eventually there were SO many things that it became a little ridiculous and the rants in my head became more and more dark. So I'm going to let those deeper, more detailed rants float off into the land of forgotten thoughts, and instead, clear my soul with a random list of Things I Hate, inspired by today. 

I hate gloves. Boots. Snow pants. Hats. Shoes. Socks. Scarves. And being responsible for humans who are supposed to be responsible for having all these things on their persons by 7:30am. 

I hate the doctor I always get when I need an appointment ASAP.  There's a reason she's always available. Every blasted time she explains in great detail what's going on, and then tells me to wait-and-see. I DID wait-and-see and it didn't get better so that's why I paid a copay to see you and get the right drugs to make my face stop itching. BLARGGG. 

I hate going to the pharmacy to pick up said drugs you had to beg for. We're not hurting financially at all, but it feels like everything goes towards maintaining my body and fixing stuff I broke. Like the garage door I rammed into. The only key fob to the van that I lost. The growing number of pills I take to ensure I can stay a functioning member of society. If I wasn't such a loose cannon, we could have gone to Fiji several times, or at least used the savings to buy our own island. 

I hate taking my adorable toddler ANYWHERE. He was in rare form at the doctor's office. He screamed so loudly while I was wrestling him at the check-in counter, all the receptionists gave me hairy eyeballs. They may have said something too, but thankfully he had rendered me temporarily deaf. 

I HATE VOMIT. 

I hate irony. After carpet cleaning on multiple floors and a lengthy bath to clean up the vomit-y toddler, I took exactly 5 seconds too long to chase after the nekid toddler, who was so blasted happy to be running around nekid and free. I just paused... it was so nice to see happiness. And juuuuuust as I grabbed him to get him dressed, he peed in the doorway of my bedroom. Carpet cleaning take 2. 

I hate living with a mind that is constantly full of angry static. Mental illness is very time consuming. I refuse to give in, but it's dang exhausting, like walking through rubber cement. 

I hate that sometimes my life feels like brief interludes between doctor's appointments. 

I do NOT hate having a husband who is so in tune with you, he brings home dinner and chocolates, and most importantly, a smile. 

I do not hate blogging, so that's nice. It makes November quite tolerable. 

Now, a few pictures to remind me that life     is still good. 

WH explaining what snow is to Thing 3. 

I handed him a bowl with dry cereal this morning, and he took it without saying a word - walked to the utensil drawer and reached up blindly until he felt a spoon, took both to the table, climbed up into a chair, then looked up at me pleased as punch and said "Thank you!" For a kid that doesn't know my name, that's pretty freaking adorable. 

I was cleaning out the cupboards today and it turns out I have more fondue forks than I have shoes. That's saying something. It's saying I NEEDS A PARTY, YO. 

GPOYW - old skool

GPOYW - I Wear My Sunglasses At Night On The Kitchen Counter -edition. 

Back before selfies had a name, we old timey bloggers had Gratuitous Picture Of Yourself Wednesday. I think I'm going to bring that back starting today (because I'm a lazy blogger too and this covers the mid-week slump nicely) - which is kind of ironic, since the last thing I have wanted all day was to catch a glimpse of my ugly mug in the mirror, let a picture. 

I was trying to find some angle in the kitchen to get a shot that was misleading and made me look not haggard and crazytown, but I couldn't. So I laid down on the counter and tried to breathe. Thing 3 came by and howled at me, and I realized this was the best representation of my day this far, so I held up my phone and snap. History made. 

A bit back, I started taking a med for anxiety that worked pretty well. I was free of some of that constant panic and tightness, but I also had some massive headaches. They got so bad the doc had me go off of them to see if it was the medicine's fault, which it was. So a few days ago, the headaches finally stopped! And today the crippling &@%!! anxiety came back!  I am conscious of the situation this time - like, I realize this is a chemical thing that can be treated, and it's NOT all the wacky crud my brain keeps throwing at me as possible reasons for why I suddenly want to dig a hole and then stay in it indefinitely.   But ugh. Yay today?

And then tonight, I realized why my face has been breaking out to weird lately. I have eczema!  On my face!  Oh joy!  So now I'm totally panicked, really depressed AND I am so disgusted at the sight of myself that I'm am looking up eczema remedies and burkas on the internets. 

Yay Wednesday!

remembrance day

The kids get really excited about holidays.  I'm glad school is willing to remind them so they'll remind me.  So WonderGirl was kind enough to make this for me 11-11 today:

Beautiful, no?

But then as we were going out the door, the usual chaos got even more chaotic and some missing snowboots drove us all over the edge.  (ugh.  just the fact that they were needed was enough to send me to the crazy bin).  After I dropped everyone off, I wished there was some way to let WG know how much she was loved, no matter where she'd left both her boots AND her gym shoes.  I'd hate all that squawking to ruin her day, and I wouldn't see her until dinner time.  Providence shined on me when I saw her homework folder sitting on the counter...  so I I found a card, wrote her a few jokes and told her how much I love her, slipped it inside and dropped it off with the secretary at her school.

Tender mercies.  

life according to my iphone

No excuses. It's Monday (okay, that's the only one). Without further ado, random pictures from my phone. 

Heaven is obtained by mothers willing to push their kids on the swings in November. 

. 

Ugh. The natural light IT BURNS.

I found WonderGirl reading 1st Corinthians to her stuffies this morning. PARENTING WIN. 

The morning rush sometimes allows a shower. I've been using the stopwatch on my phone to inspire me to speed it up - and I think I can break this record too.   Some people run, I speed shower. We all need a hobby. 

I texted Dani for skin care advice this morning and sent her a picture as a reference. Keeping a straight face for that was actually painful, so this was my follow up. 

This is how I show love to my husband - fresh homemade bread and Brie after the kids go down. And I show my superior taste buds by adding the raspberry jam. 

Remember what I said yesterday about Saturdays being difficult days to post?  Let's just add Sibday to that list. Yes, in blogging while laying in bed, half asleep, but my commitment is there despite my big thumbs and exhaustion-related spejlinf errorss. 

My excuse for today - I got to church half an hour early with 3 fully dressed small humans in tow.  2 hours as a nursery leader then home and then diviner with a failyvçh of  xxxfjj106$!'cddddy. HIIGHH

Update: I totally fell asleep while typing this, then woke up slightly before midnight and pressed the publish button. Ha!  Made it!  I was trying to type that after the nursery stint, we had a family of 10 over for dinner, and then Thing 3 puked all over him during bedtime.  I need a Sunday to recover from my Sunday.  

S. A. TUR. DAY. NIGHT.

Saturdays are hard days for posting. Kids are home, husbands are home, and home is always a wreck so it kind of doesn't stop. Yay weekends. 

So instead of a substantial post, a few tidbits from my day. 

My sewing machine is being weird. 

I convinced the Dude to eat an apple. 

I also kind of convinced him that we're poor so he'd stop asking to have dinner at a restaurant. In his defense, I feel the same when I see my cooking. 

He's been riffling through the house for loose change. 

My snow boots are cracked and old, but I can't find any new ones that don't make me look like a lumberjack or cost $200. I have to wear them every day for the next 4 months so I'd rather them not look awful but where are decent boots hiding, huh??  My last pair was from Target 5 years ago didn't look awful.   Why are the internets failing me??

I WENT TO SEE A HIGH SCHOOL PLAY TONIGHT. SAINTHOOD HAS BEEN ACHIEVED. 

a day in time

We've got a good file system for our pictures, starting right after we used gift cards that we got as wedding gifts to buy our first camera together - 5 megapixels, ooooo.    So I was thinking about what I might find in the archives on this date, et cetera.  So here it is - November 7th, 2006:

WonderBaby then....

....and WonderGirl November 7, 2014

I love cameras.  And husbands who are smart enough to file this stuff right.  If it was up to me I'd still have everything gathered by what hair color I'd had at the time.  The highlight one would be huge, but there would still be the blue period, the red adventure, the purple that turned to green, and my current whattheheckisthat color.

PS I've been freaking out lately because we are almost halfway through her elementary years.  I was just thinking, didn't we just start this last year??  Oh yeah, WE DID.  I'm feeling robbed.  Moving up a grade means one less year at home.  With me.  9 years from now, expect a full and complete nervous breakdown over here.