One of Those Days


Ever have one of those days where you wish you could sit around, eating peanut butter and honey sandwiches and watching reruns of Full House? One perpetual day of the after school routine from junior high. I think that would fix me right up.

Art



Cara (her name is on the picture, so what's the point) brought this picture of our house home from school. At first I thought she had drawn the deck attached to it but I was corrected, "No. That is our messy garage." I got a total kick out of the garage drawing. First, there is my car (the blue thing with wheels) then J's tools and workbench, next is the double stroller and something she crossed out. My favorite part is how she drew the bike trailer hanging on the wall beside my car, which is exactly where it lives 98% of the year. Her teacher must have thought she was nuts.

Apparently, she spent most of her "detail" on the garage, because our house isn't even brown!

Ah, Summer. And Grass. Stains.

"Why Nancy buy us this dog? He crazy!!!" -Gilly

Some people have to use Photoshop to achieve this psychedelic green color. Not us. We come by it naturally. I mean, very naturally. Truman, I don't think that this is what they mean by "Clean Green."

[sigh]

Laying 'Em To Rest

If there was ever any doubt - which there really wasn't - whether or not this blog fell into the "mommy blogger" category, they will be laid to rest in one fell swoop with this here post. As far as I can tell, if your blog covers the antics of your children, displays numerous pictures of them, comments on the facets of motherhood and discusses the topics of pooping, teething and the culinary disasters of toddlerhood as easily as one might report the weather, its a mommy blog.

I was walking out of the spa on April 25 after having received 4 1/2 hours of treatments for my upcoming birthday when my cell phone rang. Now, you have to understand, I wasn't in mommy mode for once. (And I really mean for once.) There was a little voice on the other side saying something, but it wasn't quite registering because of my spa coma. "Mommy! Mommy! I did it! I POOPED on the toilet! I need to have a poop party!"

"What? A poop party?"

Oh yes. A poop party. At some point we started promising Gilly a poop party if she would just go on the toilet. This plea was grounded in desperation, mind you. The desperation of two people who, for the last 6 years, have had exactly 2 months off from purchasing and changing diapers. By my calculation we have spent nearly $4500 in diapers and Pull-ups in those 6 years. Yes, my friends, we are practically drooling at the prospect of not having to do diaper duty.

So, what is a poop party? By Gilly's definition it consists of three important elements 1) balloons 2) brownies and 3) cupcakes. Which, of course, I should not come home without as it may critically impede our pooping progress.

I was standing in the check-out line at Hy-Vee with my bounty when an elderly gentleman looked over and smiled at me."Well, someone is having a birthday." If he only knew.

2am Empathy...Or Not So Much

C: Daddy! [sniff sniff] I had a bad dream.
J: Well, its over now, so go back to bed.
C: But, daddy, it was so scary. Can I lay with you for a few minutes?
J: No. Because if you get in bed then I will have to scoot over and I will be uncomfortable. So just go back to bed.

M: C, get over here, your father has lost his mind or is talking in his sleep.

Birthday Cha Cha Cha


You had better believe I am watching this on every birthday for the rest of my life!


BirthdayChaChaCha from mtoney on Vimeo.

Blog Bahs

Apparently, I am not the only one suffering from this epidemic right now as my friend, Kelly, has coined a term. Its just that every time I start blogging someone says, "Mom, come quick! There is a big monster with shiny eyes. Get on the boat. Hurry, mom, before he gets you!" or someone walks up with a flashlight saying, "I need to check your ears for cavities." or " Mom, do you have any paper and tape because Gilly broke her funny bone." And that was just the last 10 minutes.

I have had a great "birthday weekend." J worked today so nothing much happened, but we went out to dinner this weekend and he gave me an entire 4 hours at the spa on Friday afternoon. He also got an awesome dress and new sandals for me to wear to dinner. Unfortunately, it was about 32 degrees outside so-oo...I wore something else. But I got a raincheck on that dinner date!

C plopped her gifts on top of me before I had a chance to open my eyes this morning. She had made me a beautiful card and gave me a stuffed elephant. I know its something she really likes because she actually bought it for herself from the Target Dollar Spot about a month ago. "Happy Birthday, Mommy, cha cha cha!"

A few phone calls from my sisters, some flowers from J's parents and I think there should be a birthday cake involved later today... all in all, a pretty great Golden Birthday.