why oh why?

I have wondered this for about five years and I have yet to figure it out.

How does a child ever get the idea to eat one of their boogers? Really? I mean do they pick and think...mmm, tasty! Children have been doing this for as far as I can tell...forever. Did the practice originate in times of famine and then passed on from generation to generation? It is not something unique to the U.S. I saw a little boy in Chile eating one of these tasty morsels on a bus and once a little tot at a bed and breakfast in Edinburgh and of course my own little ones have tried this delicacy.

On Friday I went to the Thanksgiving festival in the Kindergarten room.  We have the most wonderful teacher for kindergarten. She is the reason we bought our house!  She puts on magnificent productions for every occasion.   There sat Middle Mac, beaming with pride. He belted out each number, his hand actions so big that they precluded his neighbors from doing theirs. Then in the tradition of feasts, he had his own little feast in the middle of a stirring rendition of "Deep and Wide".

Possibilities

After a crazy morning-showers, scriptures, breakfast, teeth brushing, hair combing, clothing decisions, homework gathering, library book searching and book bag hunting, my two little ones and I feel just marvelous as we shut the door behind their older siblings and hear...nothing. It is beautiful. It only lasts a minute though and then my youngest son begins his prattle. "Mom, can I have hot cocoa and read a book and go on a walk and go to the museum and do my workbook and look at my chart and go to the Thomas store and watch movie and go to he park and play in the sandbox...." and so on and so on. I feel just the same way. Three glorious hours of possibilities. I can go to Winco, go pick up that soil at the nursery, bake some bread, return that shelf to Walmart, go to the park, shop for my husbands birthday, go walking, do some laundry, work in the garden, read to the littles, clean the bathrooms, clean out my car....and ao on. I only dream of the day where sew, draw or decorate are back in the running. So there I sit. Making lists as I nurse the baby and the world is my oyster. And then my ADD manifests and i spend the next three hours flitting from thing to thing, stopping occasionaly to play blocks or wipe a bum. All the while getting nothing done, but working up a sweat anyway. Before I know it we are buckling up in the car to pick up middle Mac. My youngest son fights the buckle--"NOT YET...it isn't time yet. PLLLLEASSSE." My sentiments exactly. Now on with the homework, projects, practicing, cooking, baths and bedtime. We will try again tomorrow. Hope springs eternal.

Tahoe

outnumbered!


Beautiful Tahoe! I want to go back already.

(my husband always asks for me not to write about him- he never said anything about pics!)

busy doing what

one of my favorite pieces- because I need a rest and I love Picasso. But mostly because I need some rest.


I have very OBSESSIVE children. My three year old is infatuated with Thomas, red and the letter O. My five year old has thoughts of deconstructing and rebuilding objects instead of important issues like what to wear, eat or flushing for that matter. You can actually see him look at everything in the house with a look that says, "how can I take that apart or what kind of experiment could I conduct on it?" It is very frightening as a mother.

From the time my seven year old was four, he has wanted to be one of two things. That was either a filmmaker or a doctor. I think you can guess which way I tried to nudge him. So naturally, he wanted even more to be a filmmaker. He is mostly obsessed with Star Wars. Funny though because I didn't even let him watch it until he turned six! As he explains, it was in his DNA. He read some of the books, studied the characters and watched "the making of Star Wars" and other documentaries.

Then, one day when his Nana was babysitting, she let him watch Indiana Jones. Oh man! Now it wasn't just Star Wars, it was George Lucas. He even rented a film making series from the library that interviewed him and he would watch it over and over. He writes scripts and had "directed" four short films. He is frustrated though that he hasn't figured out a way to get them into theatres. He would have been a great only child! I guess I just hoped he would move on eventually.

The other morning I was lying in bed, it was after all 5:30. He came in talking, LOUD, as he always does bright and early. Of course asking questions, as he always does bright and early.

"Mom, if George Lucas called you today and asked you to work for Luca Films, would you?"


"No honey, I am a little busy doing something else right these days." I tried to answer without really waking up.

"What?"

I gave no response. Still hoping maybe he would give up and go back to bed. No such luck.

"Oh yeah. Nursing."

Good Friends

One day I was having a particularly hard day. My oldest had been teased at his new school and was missing his old friends, and I was too. I pulled up to my house to find a package in my mailbox. Katy, an old high school friends had sent me a completely unexpected package. If you know me well you know there is nothing in the world I like more than surprises, I love getting them and giving them. I am worse than my kids.

I was so thrilled to find this tiny ensemble! I love it. The blouse might be the cutest little one I have seen. The hairclip is from my sweet friend Karen who made me a bunch to match different outfits.

The funny thing about both these amazing women is they each are mamas to five YOUNG children. They both sew like professionals and do it all. I love reading their blogs, they inspire. I love them and Ruby is far more stylish because of you! Thank you for brightening my life!

Kel- I can't wait until the little shoes you gave her fit! She is getting close. I also regret not having any pics of the darling outfit Aunt Becky and handsome cousin Wyatt sent! We didnt have a camera for awhile. It was from a company called tea clothes that I have always drooled over but never owned! If you havent, check out these darling clothes.

The Great Debate: What to be for Halloween

My favorite hallooween costumes this year can be seen at Marilyn's blog. I wish my Halloween had gone so smoothly!

The week before Halloween we went to a party. The boys wanted to be knights in shining armor protecting the princess from the dragon. They raided a friend's costume box becuase I was still in the processs of making the Star Wars costumes.

First they wanted her to be a pumpkin. I rarely get these two in focus.

This one wanted to be a cowboy.

He came up with a match on fire. Upon anouncing this his dad responded, "of course you are going to be a match, what else?" It fit him perfectly.

Hmm... Big Mac was Black Beard.

Next they changed her outfit to a zebra/bug.

The match costume was complete with a great mask he found at the thrift store. He was "on fire" when he found it.

After all that, she ended up a pea.

Halloween Part #1

The kids decided they wanted to all be veggitales characters. I made many thrift store trips looking for pieces I could use to put together these odd vegetable parts. One day they found an adult Darth Vader mask for dad they changed their mind. Now we would all be Star Wars characters. That was easy enough. We had many pieces, I would be princess Leia, the baby an ewock, Little Mac- Yoda, Middle Mac-a cone trooper Big Mac a Jedi. After working on a little Ewock, assembling my costume Middle Mac pronounced that he knew other people who were going to be Star Wars characters. He wanted none of that. He brainstormed and I think succeeded. I saw no other matches at my door this year. So back to square one. Everyone raided what I owned to put together their perfect costume and I decided we would not try to plan in advance next year. No utterance of Halloween in our house until Oct. 30.

In the spirit of Jayne's keeping it real, I will post what I ended up being. Even though it really grosses me out. I had about ten minutes to get ready before the church party I was I charge of. My Leia costume wasn't finished and I ran out of time so I threw on some "extra flesh" to extend my nose and give me some warts. I really needed an eyebrow pencil but I don't own one. The painted ones were a little much. When my husband came into the bathroom he gave me a look that could wither a rose. "I am not trying to look good," I defended , myself. "Oh, thats good." I should have stuck with Princess Leia.

PS. Jed, I am linking!