Speechless Sunday

Instagram FUN!

I've been a bit brain dead lately...just really REALLY exhausted.  I'm just not myself.  The universe is trying to tell me something and I know what.  It's to cease my Starbucks job 'cuz looking after my wee lads during the day is enough and going to work another job at night, is just too much!!  I agree and can't wait for the day in September when I can say bye bye to that 'lil green siren.  In case you don't know what the heck I'm talking about...look at the cup your latte came in.  I'll definitely miss my free coffee, but I miss my sanity more.

Having said that, I've decided not to think too much about a post for today and just share some pics I took tonight.  I've been introduced to Instagram and it's so much fun!  So here we go... (and if you're my FB friend, these will be a repeat for you)

Big T & Hubby playing with (what else?) Hot Wheels

Little K and his new dino friend

Dino up close & personal



This one's for you, Big T

Walkin' along the railroad tracks this past spring

Flowers on my table

That was fun.  And now it's off to bed so I can get up at 4:15am to be at work for 5am ...

... which is freakin' insane a lot less fun!

We've Got PEE!

First off, last week was a wild and crazy week of birthday prep and cleaning house for Big T's 5th birthday bash.  So much so that this here blog took a major backseat and I gotta tell ya, I missed it.  I've also got a lot of catch-up reading to do of all my fave blogs.  But I'm back and hopefully won't be away that long again.  (Unless I'm off to somewhere hot and sunny and then it'll be:  "Blog? What blog?" hehe) 

The latest and best news of the past week is Little K can now pee in the potty!! 

One of those pics he'll thank me for when he's older

I'm so proud of my 'lil pooper...or pee-er.  (Hasn't done the other yet.)

I've officially put our pee plan in motion.  Since it's summer (well, not really..weather's crap here) and preschool starts in September, Little K is officially a nudist or "nudie" as he prefers to call himself...at least around the house.  'lil Little K has been set free and big Little K (are you following this?) is loving every minute of it.  Having 'lil Little K out in the open seems to make big Little K pretty happy.  And the two of them have been up to all sorts...the funniest of which was the other night when he stuck 'lil Little K into a dvd disc.  Unfortunately I was at work so I missed it, but Hubby said he nearly fainted from laughing!  His dvd of choice was "Alvin & The Chipmunks".  Not sure if that means he likes the movie or doesn't like it.  Big T also missed out on watching him do it, but luckily for him, Little K did a repeat performance.

Like I said, I'm so proud.

Speechless Sunday

Rockin' My Babies

Okay, so tonight I'm linking up with Shell over at Things I Can't Say.  This is my first ever link-up so hopefully I do it right.  I'm linking up pics of the boys when they were babies...a fun walk down memory lane especially since Big T just turned the big 5!

Here's Big T at just over 2 months old in 2006.  I thought the 'lil tuque was so adorable until he actually became a milk junkie and then I just thought it was all my fault 'cuz I bought that hat.  Just another thing to feel that new-mom guilt over...haha!

Big T has the most beautiful big blue eyes.  Of course I'm a wee bit biased.  You can't read it, but his t-shirt said "Ladies Man" and I wouldn't be a bit surprised if that is exactly what he becomes with those eyes.  But I guess since I'm his mom, my opinion doesn't count.

Aaaah, I love this one of my Little K.  He's about 6 months old here in 2009 and we called him "The Tongue".  Guess we could have also called him the Michelin baby.  If the rolls fit ...

I couldn't resist posting this pic of Little K...it makes me laugh.  Such a chub.

So there you have it...my Rockin' the Baby pics.  Be sure to check out Shell's blog to get your adorable baby picture fix.

Speechless Sunday

GoGos ... NOT the girl band

When I was 16, my older brother took me to my very first concert.  The year was 1983 and we saw the girl band, The Go-Go's.  I loved them!  (Still do actually)  I still remember what I wore...a white mini skirt with pink polkadots, blue tights and I think pink slip-on flats.  I was kind of shy, but I do remember dancing with my bro (must have had floor seats) just like Belinda Carlisle. 

Yah, like, oh my god, still so totally rad.  (ahem)

Fast forward almost 30 years and the words "GoGos" is being mentioned around our home on a daily basis, but this time it's not referring to those rockin' girls of the 80s but to 'lil plastic figures...GoGo Crazy Bones, to be exact. They are all the rage in our house right now.  I have visions of amassing them in the same manner we have with Big T's Hotwheels collection.  (I'm scared)

Here's what I'm talking about:

They're actually pretty cool...and inexpensive. (uh-oh)  You get three gogos in a pack, along with three stickers.  There's also a Collector's album and you know I'm on the hunt for that.  If you're still wondering what the heck these are and what you do with them, you can read more about them here and here. I guess they've been around for a while, but my guys have just discovered them.

Big T just had his 5th birthday so needless to say he received "a few".  I'm thinking I should wear my flip-flops around the house from now on to prevent any unwanted Gogo injuries.  Yeeeeouch!

Super Hero Wannabe

Last night when I was at work, a customer, upon learning my age, that I had two young boys and was also working nights, called me her hero.  Hahaha...that was nice.  I think I'll let her continue to think I'm some sort of super woman.  (Little does she know...)

Let's Make A Deal

So I'm pretty sure in my past life I was Monty Hall.  I know that doesn't really make any sense considering he is still alive, but you get my drift, I'm sure.

Either that or I am raising some future attorneys the likes of which any legal system has never seen 'cuz, man, my 'lil dudes are fierce negotiators, especially Big T, though I have a feeling Little K is right on his heels.

You know how "they" say (don'tcha just hate "they"?) parents shouldn't use bribery to get their kids to do something?  Generally I agree with this and it sounds so good (in theory), but if you're like me, there are just too many times when I'd much rather say:

"Look, eat this and you can have "A"... OR ...

"Pick up your toys off the floor and you can have "B" ... OR ...

"LET ME GO TO THE BATHROOM BY MYSELF AND YOU CAN HAVE A WHOLE LOTTA "C" !!  (This one definitely deserved to be in all caps)

Wouldn't our home the world be a better, more peaceful place with everyone being mutually satisfied in this way?

I know, I know, we don't want our kids only to do things (especially nice things) just because they're going to get something in return.  We want to raise respectful, thoughtful, caring children who don't think only of themselves and what they can get.  We want them to do things because they love and respect us and because we're their mommy who they cherish above all others.  (And they do, right?)

But wouldn't it be great?  And isn't it in a way teaching fairness?  Trading and making deals was the way the world once worked, am I right?  Is that one too many questions?

Rather than call it "bribery", I prefer to call it negotiation.

The definition of negotiation is:

"the act or practice of each side giving up something in order to reach an agreement."

The definition of bribe is:

"something given or promised in order to improperly influence a person's conduct or decision."

Hmmmm, yeah, I'm going with negotiation.  Makes me sound like a better parent.  And we as parents might as well brush up on our negotiation skills 'cuz if your kids are anything like mine (and I'm convinced they're all pretty much the same) they are highly skilled at this fine art of getting what they want.  They're already like mini-lawyers.  Perhaps they've attended some sort of kiddie lawschool that I'm unaware of?  I guess it's just ingrained in them, kind of like when you're on the phone.  There they are, playing ever so nicely and quietly until you get on the phone and then all of a sudden they're hanging off your leg screaming that they need you "NOW, MOM"!!  It's just part of their make-up.  I'm not sure they can even help it.

Big T is getting better and better at making a deal.  He comes up with them all on his own now saying things like: 

"Okay, if I eat one more piece of cantaloupe then I can have some candy, deal?  Deal?  DEAL?" ... OR ...

"If I pick up this toy, then we can go to the beach, deal?  Deal?  DEAL?"

He always ends it with the word "deal" a few times.  And depending on my mood or state of exhaustion, he makes the deal.  I'm not consistent (surprise!)

All I know is always being the heavy is no fun.  And in a wierd way, I'm kind of proud of his slick negotiating skills.  He knows what he wants and he figures out a way to go get it.  Not always successful, but he never gives up and that's a good thing.

Shut-Me-Ups

I don't really know much about how my Mom dealt with me and my brothers when we were young.  Being a mom myself and knowing how I feel and what I go through...all the ups and downs of a day in the life with young children...only makes me surmise that she went through and felt pretty much the same things as me.  Most of us do, afterall.  I've said it before and I'll say it again...motherhood is so universal!  That's a main reason I enjoy doing this blog so much and connecting with other "Mommy" bloggers, reading their blogs and hearing their stories.  It's fascinating to me.

But, as usual, I digress.  Hey, have you noticed how consistent I am in that regard?  hehe.  I'll have to change my blog name...uh, no.

Back to my Mom and her life with us when we were young.  Unfortunately these days she has dementia and so isn't able to enlighten me about how she dealt with or coped with motherhood.  She's forever making comments when I visit her with my boys that she doesn't know how I do it and I must be so tired, etc.  She doesn't know how I do it?  She is a mom of 2 boys, 1 sweet girl, 1 dog and, at various times, 3 hamsters, 1 mouse, 1 turtle and 1 king snake that was found slithering across our front lawn.  When she and my Dad divorced, she packed up said 2 boys, 1 darling girl and 1 dog (minus the hamsters, the mouse, the turtle and the snake this time) and drove from California to Canada twice!  (a story for another time)  She also had to work full time to support us as my Dad didn't help much, if at all.  It's all relative, but compared to that, I've got it easy. 

There is one thing in particular, though, that I remember my Mom doing (other than the time she walked out of the house, frustrated with us kids because we wouldn't calm down at lunch.  My brother laughing so hard that milk shot out his nose must have been her last straw) and that is having with her at all times something she called "Shut-Me-Ups".  I've adopted this term for my own use as a parent.

Basically a shut-me-up is anything that, when given to your whining, crying, non-stop bickering kids, shuts them up!  Sounds good, am I right?  Kept in your purse, diaper bag, the glove compartment of your car, even your pocket, and pulled out at just the right moment can give almost instant relief not only to that ornery child, but to the weary mom or dad as well.

Now, every kid is different.  You may need to do some experimenting to find what shut-me-up works best for your child.  With my kids, it's a fruit leather, juice, chips, cheesies...all that stuff you try your best to limit.   I pull out the big guns - ie: lollipops - for those extra special occasions like the time I lost my cell phone and had to take them to the cell phone shop with me to get a new one.  Oh, wait...it was licorice that was the life safer that day.

But I've got to say, as with most things, shut-me-ups come with a warning.  USE WITH CAUTION.  They are only a temporary solution.  You have to time it right, otherwise they will backfire.  As in the case of my cell phone store adventure, at first the novelty of the mall "car" stroller was enough...then it was the model cell phones...but then it got hairy so I whipped out my shut-me-up of choice.  It worked for a bit until the salesperson got another phone call...(couldn't she see I had kids that were about to explode?)  So the boys got a few more shut-me-ups than I had planned.  And in my nervous energy and wanting not to give up the whole bag of licorice, I had a couple...or three..or - ah, whose counting? 

The real warning is if you do choose candy as your shut-me-up of choice, be prepared for the aftermath...the dreaded sugar high.  And I know I don't need to say anything further on that except this:  You've been warned.

So to my Mom I'll say this:  Thanks, Mom, for giving me such a powerful parenting tool.  You're one smart cookie...(Mental note:  Add cookies to shut-me-up arsenal) 

I guess this should've been a Mother's Day post.  Better late than never, I guess.  Hmmm, the more I type the words "Shut-Me-Ups", the more I think I should trademark them.  But don't worry, you can use them for free...for now.

Love them groovy glasses!

Check out the cigarette...perhaps this is how she coped.

Speechless Sunday

Just Call Me Sucker

It's official.  I've lost my mind.

 I've done something that I can't believe...yet I can believe I did it.  It's just like me to do something like this.  It's so horrible, I don't know if I can write about it.  But I figure I better try because it may just help someone out there who might be on the verge of doing what I just did and I can possibly stop them.

So here it is...

A girlfriend from work, who has a 15-year-old boy, is moving and so told me I could come over and take some toys that he no longer wanted.  It all sounded so innocent.  I'd go over, find a game or two, maybe a stuffy, and that would be it.

But it wasn't it.

It wasn't at all.

He had some toys all right.  Toys I knew Big T especially would like. 

I couldn't resist so I brought them home.  (I'm such an enabler)  And now my house looks like this:



I brought about 400 - maybe 500 - more Hotwheels into our house.  I know, I know...what was I thinking? I was thinking, "WOW, we'll never have to buy a Hotwheel again!" and "I won't give them to him all at once." and "OMG, I hit the motherload!"

So my plan was to give a couple to him at a time, like if he did something above and beyond (for him anyways)...like clean his room without being asked a million times, watch his attitude, tone, etc., poo in the potty... 

And then...he saw the box.  Dangit, Hubby, I told you that wasn't a good enough hiding spot.  That's right, I'm passing the buck.

Oh well, no regrets (well, not really).  What's done is done.  And my son is so happy and the look on his face upon finding the motherload was worth it...I think.