A special weekend - and week

We celebrated a special theme this weekend in our house.

Nobody was allowed to say anything to or about anyone that wasn't nice.

No matter what happened or how they did it or why they did (or didn't) do it.  If my kids wanted to tattle they had to do it in a complimentary way.  If they didn't think something was fair they had to tell us without insulting or offending the other person.  And honestly, it was wonderful!  EVERYONE stuck to it all weekend long.  And it was kinda funny listening to them come up with an acceptable way to tell us about a situation.

In fact, it went so well I decided to continue it on throughout this week, too.  However, when I announced at dinner that we had a theme for this week I received an overwhelming chorus of "NO!!!!!!!" Sadly, we live in a dictatorship, so their protests fell upon deaf (literally, haha!) ears!

Oh, well - I've come to the realization that I prefer forced and fake kindness to flat out sabotage and dislike any day.

I will NEVER do that!

I am the worst mom ever.

My daughter, however will be the BEST mom ever. She has informed me that she will NEVER force her children to make good grades, feed and walk their dog or clean out the guinea pig cage. EVER. Especially all by themselves because walking the dog can be so confusing!

I - of course - want to be as supportive as possible when it comes to my kids. So I told her that I couldn't wait until she was a mom, and that I would be sure to remind her of this when she is one. Of course, I was completely shocked when - instead of being thankful to have such an encouraging mom - she turned around and stomped tearfully from the room.

I get the sense that my daughters behavior is punishment for my overuse of italics and explanation marks. Mostly because her life is lived in italics and explanation marks!!!

Excuse me, but you seem to have a boomerang stuck in your pants

This morning when Carl was dropping the kids off at school Noah wouldn't walk away from the car and shut the door. The teacher on duty was getting aggravated, and the people in their cars behind Carl were getting frustrated, too. "Noah, go - now!" Carl told him. Noah just stood there looking completely panicked and messing with the back of his pants. "You can fix your pants inside Noah, now go!" Finally Noah got back in the car and asked Daddy to help. He had a circular boomerang (they open and close when you throw them) that he had stuck down the back of his pants and underwear to hide it from his brother and sister, and every time he tried to pull it out it would just expand and snag on his underwear and jeans. Carl was finally able to get it out, but it was so funny he couldn't stop laughing most of the way home. He said Noah had this look on his face like, "I am going to have to go into school with a boomerang in my underwear or get in trouble with dad." Apparently he decided he would rather face dad than his peers. Good thing - it would have been really hard to sit all day with a boomerang in his britches!

A funny thing happened on the way to music....

Okay, so actually it wasn't very funny at all. At least, not in the haha that's funny way. After my yoga class this morning I had a voice mail from the school nurse asking me to please call her so she could talk to me about Nathanael. He's been coughing a lot lately, so I assumed that was what was wrong. When I talked to her she informed me that everything was fine, but she wanted me to know that Nathanael had passed out during music class. And then she said that she really thought I should bring him in to see the doctor because he was very, very pale. Her definition of 'fine' and my definition of 'fine' are, apparently, VERY different. So, we went and saw the doctor. Nathanael has been coughing for the last few weeks - even while on his allergy medications - but hasn't had a fever or a green 'nose' so we assumed he didn't have an infection and just kept trucking along. After listening to his lungs my beloved doctor told me that Nathanael has walking pneumonia. And he passed out because he is so sick. He is, however, not contagious, so he can still go to school as long as he doesn't participate in any activities that could make him cough (running, climbing, etc.). Nathanael is thrilled because he has perfect attendance so he doesn't want to stay home. Mommy, however, is not thrilled. I want him to stay home for the next couple of days and get well! Or at least go for a half day and then come home and rest. I mean - sleep is the quickest way to feel better! Nathanael wants to go, I want him to stay home - daddy get's to be the tie breaker. Nathanael tried to point out to me that Dr Ramsay said it was ok, but I told him that Dr Ramsay's not a part of this family, so he doesn't get a vote. Anyway, I'm pretty sure that I feel like the world's worst mom for not knowing this was what was wrong with my baby. Of course, Dr Ramsay said that he's seen tons of kids with coughs recently, and all of them were fine. It's unusual for them to be as sick as he is. Naturally that just made me feel SO much better. So, we are going to lie down and take a nap. Him so he will feel better, me so that my migraine will go away!

Dear Friends & Family,

I am writing this post to apologize. I have neglected this blog frightfully over the last couple of months and I am truly sorry. I have somehow gotten lost in between viola lessons, PTO responsibilities, little boys haircuts and giant piles of laundry that threaten to multiply and destroy my home. I want to write. I would LOVE to write. And honestly, I have a LOT to say. I could tell you about Noah getting "beat up" at school because he's handsome (okay, that's a good story - I may have to revisit this one) or about Nathanael having his very first crush on a little girl who told him he should blow his nose more. Or about Carlye's viola, our excitement about homeschool next year and the joys of having a pre-teen girl. I could even talk endlessly about Carl's jobs, books I've been reading, projects I've started, my garden, and the joys of being the room mom in a class where no one else is willing to help. Okay, that's not totally fair, there are a couple of moms who help :). However, I couldn't decide if I should share these stories with you while I was cooking breakfast (gluten free) and getting the kids ready to go in the morning, working on the new Blessings in a Backpack program at their school (so cool) or while I folded the laundry. I even considered attempting it while I cooked dinner (a gluten free and a regular one), helped pack lunches or even while I was grocery shopping, but I was unable to balance my lap top on the shopping cart. I really thought about typing them up after the kids went to bed, but then I decided that taking a bath and shaving my legs would be WAY more fun. So there you have it. Emmaline's been to the vet, Noah has the new (short) Justin Bieber hair cut and I got glasses. Nathanael has developed plans to create a smart car and wants to start training with engineers when he turns 14 and Carlye emailed Shannon Hale asking her to donate books to her book club. One day, I'll tell you about all of those things too. I'd do it right now, but I haven't checked Pinterest in a couple of days, so............

Sea World

This week has been the kids Spring Break, and one of the things that we did to celebrate as a family was go to Sea World. We haven't been in several years, so it was really fun to go! Here's some of our pictures:

Ingenuity

This morning, while my husband and I were trying to sleep, World War III broke out in our house. It all started because Carlye had one of her friends spend the night Friday night. The girls decided that they wanted some "girl time" this morning and went up into Carl's office to watch TV. When Noah tried to join them they locked the door and refused to let him in. Noah started screaming and banging on the door. After a few moments of thought, though, he decided to raid Daddy's tool box, and then - using all of the screwdrivers - remove the doorknob. When Nathanael saw what Noah had done his world of black and white proceeded to cave in around him. He started screaming and yelling at Noah, who was screaming and yelling at the girls, who were screaming and yelling back. It was a lovely way to start our Saturday. When I finally entered the living room I saw a screwdriver on the floor in front of the staircase, a kitchen chair upstairs in front of the office door, a door knob on the floor with another screwdriver lying next to it, and not a child to be found. I'm gathering from the testimonies that we received afterwards that they were all hiding. I understand that we all have to wake up at 6 during the week, but why is it that only the adults are tired on Saturday and the children still want to wake up early? I mean, don't they need more sleep then we do? And so goes our lives as parents.......

My doctor's appointment

Sooooo, I had my yearly check up on Tuesday.

I found out that I have over 50% hearing loss in my left ear - and yes, this is new. I noticed a few months ago that I didn't hear Noah when he was sleep walking, and until Carl got up to put him back into his bed I didn't even wake up! Of course, this seriously worried me, and then I realized that if I'm sleeping on my right side I can't hear anything! Doctor checked it, and I was SO proud that I heard the quiet tones - until they pointed out that those were the LOUD tones (does 40 decibels sound right? it was 40 something, or maybe 50 - and I even missed one of those!). So, I have to go see an audiologist. Today I have an ear infection in my good ear, and it has me really scared. I don't want to lose hearing in both of them! Of course, now when I tell my kids I can't hear them they say it's because I'm deaf, NOT because they are mumbling. If I have to get a hearing aid, though, I'm going to get a really cool looking one.

Without giving you too much information, there were some other concerns as well. Nothing that I would deem serious, more of just an inconvenience. I am now taking iron, and a women's multi vitamin (although Popi always told me that vitamins were just an expensive way to go to the bathroom - does he still think that?) - and they are discussing doing a colonoscopy (yuck) and some kind of procedure where they scald the inside of my uterus (they weren't willing to do this while there was still a possibility of having baby #4, but now that there isn't he's considering it again.) I can't say that I'm necessarily a fan of either, so I'm praying my beloved Dr decides they aren't necessary after he gets my blood work back.

Still LOVING spin class and yoga. My back feels better than ever, and my clothes are starting to fit me again. I don't do scales because I think they are rude, but I can tell that I'm getting back in shape and I've begun losing the fat on my thighs and tummy and toning muscle. Sadly, my arms still jiggle - as my beloved children so lovingly pointed out. I'm so thankful to have finally found something I can do with my 'bad' back, though. And I do enjoy spin as much as running. I may not be able to do a marathon, but maybe I can do a century sometime! However, if the substitute teacher from spin class this morning becomes the regular instructor I may not survive until the end of the month. Let me just say, that looks can be VERY deceiving! When I saw him this morning I thought that class was going to be easy. I think it was part of his ploy to torture all of us. He started out with a musical tribute to the Monkees in honor of Davy Jones, and then slowly tortured us until our legs turned to jelly, my stomach was cramping continuously, and so much sweat had poured off my face that my little tiny bottle of water was unable to rehydrate me. I barely made it to my car and then I just sat there wondering why I had just done what I did on purpose. And paid for it to boot!

And yes, I'm going back on Monday.

I'm enjoying my garden as well. My gladiolas and lantana are coming back and my tulips are blooming. For the first time since I started my garden 3 years ago my plants are returning to my garden. It's such a great feeling! Yay for Spring!