Manic Monday on Thursday

(I'm a little slow these days)

Nothing compares to an Arizona storm.... from dust to monsoon. You will never see or experience anything like it. The sight in the sky and the smell afterward is amazing!

(Thanks to one of my Arizona friends who I stole these pictures from! She has them posted on another website and I live through her Arizona photos when I miss my 'other' home.)

Harbor Love

I'm again in my favorite town. We spent time out at the pool today. My mommy made Sloppy Joes for the kids and a wonderful chop chop salad for us for dinner. She's off at work. All my laundry is done. The house is picked up. The kitchen clean. Puppies are asleep (hers and mine). I have a new Madeleine Wickham (aka Sophie Kinsella) book. I have a glass of very chilled wine (I forgot it in the freezer while hanging out with the kids). A "vase" of yellow tulips is next to me on the end table. "Vase" is a very expensive gorgeous Hall teapot (they have huge sentimental value for me). My favorite candle burning- Gold Canyon Vanilla Ylang. It's scary how a lot of my favorite things are already at my mom's. My mom's house is very warm and cozy and sophisticated and eclectic and homey. She has tons of pictures and a fireplace and big, over sized furniture that is well loved plus tons of books and magazines everywhere. So I have a spot in the middle of all this to read my book and drink my wine. The kids are in bed.

NOW, if only they'd STAY in bed and fall ASLEEP!

Strong Boy

Gracie, Strong Boy, Cameron, Miss Emily Grace

Once known as Jared, he becomes STRONG BOY with the toss of his shirt! With the toss of his shoes, he apparently becomes THE HULK. Mama Strong Boy ruled out turning into THE HULK at the park that day. Strong Boy took it very well. I asked who the Super Hero was when everything came off.... SUPER STRONG BOY! Gotta be the influence of Daddy Strong Boy because if you ask me, it's dripping in testosterone!
It was wonderful to see the STRONG BOY kids and especially Mama Strong Boy! I really needed it- to heck with the kids playing at the park and seeing their friends!

Where was their mother!?!?

In my state of exhaustion yesterday, I spent a good portion of the day on the computer wandering around all my favorite websites. I read blogs, blogs, and more blogs. I read the news. I checked my email. I blogged quite a few times ( I was delirious!). I checked my myspace page (yes, I have one. In my defense, I have friends and relatives all over the U.S. and it's a great outlet to keep in touch with them without a whole lot of energy or time. Those two things are precious to me as selfish as that sounds!).

Our computer is in the family/ living room. My house isn't very big but the FR/LR is the hub. So I'm fairly close to the kids; keeping an eye on them. They wander around playing in the playroom or their rooms or coming to tell me they are hungry.

Let me just clarify that these days don't happen very often. Wandering jammie days are just needed sometimes.

I was keeping a great watch on the kids and spent hardly any time on the computer as you can see by the picture. The red 'x' shows you where I was sitting.

New Face of the Family

This is Gus. 8 week (+ a few days) old Jack Russell puppy. He is the newest addition. So stinkin' cute! I have really lost my mind now ;)

I wish, kid!

So after reading the previous blog, you can only imagine how tired I am, right?

I was just told by my three year old that I needed to go to my room.

"Why do I need to go to my room?" half expecting there to be something that he got into and wasn't suppose to.

"You are crabby!".

SLEPP! (or however it's spelled) ZZZZZZ's

I can officially be deemed INSANE! We got the puppy on Thursday. The same one I showed in pictures in an earlier blog. He's adorable and lovable. The kids are doing a great job with their 'jobs' when it comes to Gus. HOWEVER, it's 6 am and I was woken up to puppy crying. It's been like this since we got him- just various times during the night. I know he's a baby and he doesn't like being baby gated in the kitchen all night (where by the way, he's got anything and everything a puppy could ask for aside from a warm human body). I am soooooooooo tired and just want to sleep until my three year old wakes me up. I don't want to be a new puppy mama during the night time! My neighbor saw me outside at 5:45 am with Gus and chuckled at how cute he was. I said this early he's isn't so cute!

Run Away

(The pictures you are about to view are in the wrong order. I haven't attended my classes yet with my professional photo blogger guru. Thank you for your patience!)

I ran away from home recently and hit the MAC make up counter at Nordie's, lunch and wonderful lemonade drinks at the Olive Garden, and just some general wondering aimlessly with my mom and a girlfriend. So glad I had my camera in hand. Remember when I said in a previous blog that I love photographs (especially of me)? Here's proof :)

My evening was coming to a close. New shirt, new make up.... I felt great! Even if my free day was ending.

My mom modeling scarves and sunglasses. We were being very chic and silly in the middle of Macy's. I highly recommend it!

After my MAC make up make over. It's a fun and inexpensive (FREE!) boost to the self-esteem!


My girlfriend, Lacy and I after both of our make overs- We are two hot mamas! Just a side note is that Lacy was terrified of getting the make over... someone else doing her make up.... and guess what?!?! Her make up was exactly the same as when she walked in!

Right after buying two pairs of shoes (the non-mama kind) at Payless and NOT looking even once at kid's shoes, we headed to Target. We didn't quite know what to do with ourselves without kids hanging onto the cart... can you tell?

Happy 4th!

I'm spending this evening in the comforts of my house with my neighbor's two year old blond pixie. We're watching Wonder Pets and eating Pringles. I started on my new book~This Charming Man by Marian Keyes. It's a brand new release in the U.S. Much more exciting than being outside in the noise. The merriment I enjoy, not the noise. If ALL fireworks could be silent.... it would be a dream come true for me. I spent my childhood being taken to firework displays where I would be curled up in my mom's lap crying and wanting to go home. My parents tried so hard to help me through my misery. It hasn't gotten much better over the years, well.... less crying.

The least amount of crying I did was the year that a guy friend of mine and I sat on my mom's roof and watched the display there. The high school was right behind her house so we had a prime viewing spot. I cuddled and comforted my little step brother and sister who were up there with us. I think that helped me keep my mind off the noise.

The 4th is Jim's FAVORITE holiday of all holidays! He spent a ton on fireworks this year and every year seems to buy more and more. The first year we spent together, him and some friends blew up a hibachi grill with fireworks. I left and went home! LOL Our children are chips off the ol' block. They love the BAM! and BOOM! of it all. I'm glad they all have a common interest while the mama stays put. And the best part of it all is that, the way we spend the 4th, makes these the best 4th of July's of my whole life!

Naps

Like most people that have email addresses, I recieve my fair share of forwards. They are a pet peeve of mine. They are either chain letters telling me that I have one hour and six people to send it to or else I will have bad luck for ten years or jokes that are too long which I don't have time to read (I'm the parent of small children!) or they aren't funny when I do take the time to read them. I noticed a forward in my inbox this afternoon from my mom. After I got done cursing her for sending it to me, I read it and laughed out loud! I had to share it!


"An older, tired-looking dog wandered into my yard; I
could tell from his collar and well-fed belly that he had a
home and was well taken care of.

He calmly came over to me, I gave him a few pats
on his head; he then followed me into my house, slowly walked
down the hall, curled up in the corner and fell asleep.

An hour later, he went to the door, and I let him out.

The next day he was back, greeted me in my yard,
walked inside and resumed his spot in the hall and again slept for about
an hour. This continued off and on for several weeks.

Curious I pinned a note to his collar: 'I would like to find out
who the owner of this wonderful sweet dog is and ask if
you are aware that almost every afternoon your dog comes to my house
for a nap.'

The next day he arrived for his nap, with a
different note pinned to his collar: 'He lives in a home with 6 children, 2
under the age of 3 -he's trying to catch up on his sleep. Can I come with him tomorrow?"

Ain't that the truth!?

Thunderstorms

Jim took this picture from our yard last night. Pretty amazing sight especially being in Washington where thunderstorms don't happen very often.

However, apparently the tooth fairy doesn't fly in these weather conditions because the wood nymph found her tooth still under her pillow this morning.

Advice

As a daughter, I have gone through various stages of thinking on my mother's intelligence. My mom started out knowing everything. She knew all the answers to all my toughest questions or at least did a great job thinking on the spot (the apple doesn't fall far from the tree!). She built tight ropes in the backyard, airbrushed motorcycle tanks in the kitchen, made letter pancakes in just about any shape a four year old could come up with, and did a wicked Grover impression.

Then, I hit puberty and those dreaded teen age years. My mom became one of the dumbest people on the face of the earth. I did numerous eye rolls. I was so sassy toward her that had she been the type to shove soap in her child's mouth we could have personally funded the Dial Cooperation. My mom believed in manual labor as punishment- she had her own window washers and tub scrubbers in my sister and I. Even in my early twenties I still doubted her in any piece of advice she gave me.

And then....... (drum roll, please!) I had children! The first time my baby girl needed a diaper change... 'tar' filled I might add, I called and apologized profusely to my mom. She is one of the smartest women I know! I just want to add in this that not only is my mom Nursing Supervisor of a major nearby hospital (meaning she's in charge of the whole damn thing) working 12 hours on nights but she has also recently gone back to school to get her Master's degree in Nursing with an emphasis in Teaching and has raised a village of children- some born from her body and some born in her heart.

When I became a parent, my mom gave me two pieces of advice..... 1) Sleep when the baby sleeps. The dishes will still be there tomorrow. 2) If ever your child tells you bend down and close your eyes, don't! (A small boy wanted to know if a nose would wiggle back and forth after being hit like in the cartoons) The injuries you receive 'accidentally' by a well meaning child will hurt the very most!

5:30 A.M. ~ I laid in bed this morning next to a beautiful three year old little boy. I watched him sleep. He is perfect. His eyes, his lips, his nose. He is so peaceful. His 'silky' security blanket (aka a pair of my satin jammie pants) under his arm and his 'sucky' fingers in his mouth. I remembered my mother's advice... sleep when the baby sleeps. I was willing myself back to sleep repeating this mantra. My eyes closed. Then in my son's efforts to get comfortable and once again with my eyes closed, I got head butted in the nose. I have never had anything hurt so bad in my entire life! I succeeded at not yelling or crying so as not to wake my child. Sleep when the baby sleeps.

See, my mother is the smartest woman I know.