Evening Excitement

We have just a smidge of cabin fever after spending so many consecutive days in the house. We often rely on Steve to keep everyone entertained between dinner and the boys' bedtime. It's really a very small amount of time, but seems much longer when you factor in all the whining, fussing, tantrums and sibling rivalry. Anyway, Steve made Luke a mask because we are in the scary monster phase these days. Luke ran through the house yelling "roar!" then giggling hysterically. That's my kind of monster. In an effort to be fair, because I'm in the let's-make everything-equal-for-both-boys phase, we took an amusing picture of Andy, too. His hair is so long, but he is too sick to go to the barber. Steve quickly fashioned a mohawk for this photo op.

This Is Not in My Contract

We said goodbye to to the vomiting virus on Thursday.
Then immediately welcomed 2 colds, one for me and one for Andy.
How does one go from vomiting to catching a cold, all in the same week?
As I'm cleaning up messes and wiping noses (including my own), I find myself muttering, "this is so not fair!"
I was attempting to read the sports page this morning before Steve went to work. The Mariners are searching feverishly for a star pitcher to add to their line-up. What if motherhood was like professional athletics? We could negotiate salaries and sick days, vacation time, no-trade clauses...
I don't really want that, because I know that isn't how this deal works. I am well aware that I signed on for the whole package.
Unfortunately, that includes scrubbing the remnants of bodily fluids from all sorts of obscure locations. That was definitely NOT in my contract.

Sometimes...

You gotta laugh to keep from cryin'. The vomiting virus has come to town, attacking indescriminately. I was the lucky winner at our house. I was feeling a smidge better this morning and the weather is beautiful, so I thought perhaps a road trip to grandma and papa's would be just the thing. I haven't eaten much, so clearly my calorie deficit was effecting my ability to think clearly. The fact that I barely had the energy to load the car was my first warning sign. Luke's pasty white skin should have been the second sign, but I hastily ignored the warnings and off we went. Luke kept squirming and whining for quite awhile until finally he launched his breakfast all over the car. I wasn't really prepared for that. It's about 35 degrees this morning, but I pulled into the nearest parking lot (Target) and proceeded to undress the poor little guy. He was totally grossed out and very upset. Andy watched the whole thing in total silence...probably his first experience with projectile vomiting. It left me a little speechless, too. I can honestly say that this is one of those times when I had no idea what to do next. I changed Luke's clothes and then waffled between calling my sister to come and rescue me versus going in to Target to buy a new car seat. Those didn't seem like viable options, so I called my mom, instead. She gave me some much-needed sympathy and suggested we head back home.
We made it home safely but with much weeping. The events of the morning have carried over into the afternoon. Luke vomiting, Andy staring in disbelief, me cleaning up the mess. Rinse and repeat. Sigh.
If anyone has any good hints for removing vomit from car seat straps and buckles, I am all ears.

Food Fight

Before I was a parent, I often observed other people's children refusing to eat the food on their plates. I can remember sitting at the table for an eternity as a kid, refusing to eat my pork chop. And my lima beans. Probably anything green, to be perfectly honest. I am a picky eater, particularly if there are vegetables involved. Well, I think God has a sense of humor (and he also answers prayer) because I'm thinking my parents prayed that I would get what I deserved.
I deserve a picky eater and I got one. I've read books, watched talk shows, consulted other parents, posted questions on internet bulletin boards, blah, blah, blah...
I'm not sure why I fight this battle, because it seems to be an endless, uphill fight. The results (a clean plate) are rarely achieved and I'm generally much grumpier than before the meal was served.
I started reading Cloud and Townsend's Boundaries With Kids because I've come to the conclusion that my boundaries are often, well, "mushy". I find it difficult to be consistent, which doesn't bode well for the little people around here. In an effort to make the boundaries more precise, I threatened Luke with "nothing else to eat until lunch" if he didn't eat his breakfast. It's the same toast we serve every morning, but today he refused to eat it. To add to my frustration, none of my tactics were effective. He still went out the door without eating anything and I felt anything but victorious. Sometimes I step back and really think about the events of my day and wonder, "How did I get here?"

Three Cheers for the Golden Arches!

I know, I know...the caloric intake from french fries and chicken nuggets is quite alarming. However, there are days when I simply crave the combination of Diet Coke and french fries. Of course, I have indoctrinated my first born as he requests "nuggets and french fries" frequently. However, I didn't think Andy would touch it, since it doesn't come pureed in a glass jar. However, he gladly accepted a tray full of cheerios with a side of fries. He nibbled on the end and said, "Mmm." Such a funny boy.

A reminder

The second half of January is always a challenge for me. The joy of Christmas fades quickly and my resolutions become just a few more items on the to-do list. Mix in 17 consecutive days of rain and that's a recipe for one grumpy, discontent mama. I'm slowly learning that my attitude carries over to the whole household. The hand that rocks the cradle really does rule the world...at least my little corner of the world. But God has a way of getting our attention sometimes and I think He just may have served up an attitude adjustment this week. While I was wrestling Luke to the ground so he could go to pre-school fully-clothed, Andy was dumping toys all over the house and my attitude was headed south in a hurry. Of course, the phone rang and everybody knows that children misbehave as soon as the phone goes to mama's ear. I think it's programmed into their DNA: phone rings...mama distracted...slug your brother. But, I digress...
The caller is a friend of mine, who just received a cancer diagnosis. I could barely see past my own frustrations of the early morning hours to even comprehend what she was saying. Somehow the background noise faded and I was able to find the words to pray with her. The scenario is frightening, but hopeful. The cancer is in the early stages, but the doctor is optimistic that he can remove all of it very soon.
I have felt convicted about my attitude ever since. I would like to tell you that I changed my way of thinking right there when I hung up the phone. In reality, it has taken me a couple of days to truly recognize that we have SO MUCH to be thankful for. We have our health, our material needs are met, our extended families are doing well, the boys are way more than we could have hoped for. Feeling content is difficult in this world of excess. I can almost always find something to covet. But this week I received a reminder that I have it pretty good.

Oy, Vay...A Snow Day

Much to my surprise, there was snow in our yard once again. That's 2 mornings in a row, quite a treat for us. Luke gets so excited and Steve delays his departure for work because the roads are always a bit icy in the early morning. However, it never occurred to me to check the school schedule. We had Luke all psyched up to go back to preschool today. It was supposed to be our first day back after the Christmas hiatus. Thankfully, I commandeered the television (normally we are watching Playhouse Disney) and checked out the morning news. God bless the Channel 4 news man, who cheerfully reminded us to watch for school delays and closures.

Sure enough, no morning preschool. At first I thought this would be a blessing, but it wasn't long before the boys were provoking one another and I was heading for another cup of coffee. Ugh. The sun came out by mid-morning and Luke said, "hey, the sun's out to melt the snow, now I can go!" He was so disappointed when I told him there wouldn't be any preschool at all today.
Like any good mother would, I loaded up the boys and the dog into the minivan, tucked my coupons into my wallet and headed for Walgreens. Luke is clearly my son, here he is clutching his new truck and a cold beverage. There's nothing like a little retail therapy to cheer a girl (or boy) up.

"S" as in "Super!"

So my next task of mommyhood is to teach Luke his letters. The mommy mafia tells me that Leap Frog's Letter Factory is the way to go. So I trotted off to Target and made said DVD my own. The mommies weren't kidding. It's fantastic! If you don't know the Leap Frog mantra, it goes something like, "A says, "ah", A says, "ah", every letter makes a sound, A says, "ah!" Repeat ad nauseum until it is ingrained in their little brains and your child has learned all 26 letters. We have watched it at least 10 times and I think we've only owned it since Tuesday. Now, please don't pass any judgement, bloggy friends, about the high rate of DVD watching this implies. This is western Washington, people. Only the dog and the daddy are going outside right now and only because they have to. It is nasty. Rain. Blowing sideways. All day long.
My little fellas remain snug as bugs in rugs, learning their letters. Race to your nearest big box store and purchase the Letter Factory. It is SUPER!

Happy New Year!

Ah, the promise of a new year. I always feel so optimistic on January 1st...so many aspirations and to-do lists percolating in my noggin. I enjoy the Christmas season, but I'm also eager to get back to the business of regular life. One of my first fetishes of the new year is organization. I'm fairly organized to begin with, but I totally buy into the post-holiday marketing and start purchasing various lidded containers. The colored lids just make me feel so happy. In fact, I just returned from the happy store (some call it Target) with containers to organize my Christmas ornaments. It's a good thing the actual Container Store is a long way away, or we would be eating lots of beans and rice (while admiring all of our shiny new containers).
The next aspiration? I would like to take more pictures in 2008. Looking back over the last 12 months, there were weeks when I didn't touch the camera. I feel a bit melancholy when I find gaps in the photo album. Even though I lived it, I still feel like I missed out a little bit because the boys change so quickly.
Speaking of boys, the ones that live here are hungry. Imagine that. Happy new year, friends.