Insult or compliment?

I went to one of those wholesale clubs today to do some grocery shopping.  I don't mind going during the afternoon for a few reasons.  

First and foremost, I only have to bring one child with me since the other two are in school or for at least 2 more weeks this will be the case.  After that it looks like I'll be doing my shopping at midnight when they're all asleep. Have you ever tried shopping with 3 overly excited boys?

Enough said.  

Another reason I enjoy the afternoon shopping is that there are not too many people out and about which makes it easier to navigate the store especially with a child in tow.  This leaves more room for said child to practice his sprints down the aisles and his swinging from the racks and shelves.  Plus there is less of a crowd to witness my screams and threats attempts at discipline. 

And finally, I love the afternoon shopping time because of all the great free samples down every other aisle.  Heck, my child and I can get a free lunch out of it if I plan it right.  And today's trip was no different.  We sampled some dried cranberries at one station and the next station had these pancakes from an aerosol spray can - creepy and totally lazy concept if you ask me and they didn't even taste very good.  

Then we came to the instant breakfast lady who was handing out some really tasty chocolate milk, which I guess is supposed to be a meal replacement.  Luke and I both really liked it and started to walk off to continue our shopping and free lunch parade.  Well this lady must work off commission because she continued to talk to me and walk towards us rattling off her sales pitch.  Except when she got done telling me about how people use this as a diet supplement to help lose weight.  She paused, reflected for a moment, and then after giving me a full body scan, she completely reversed her sales pitch and was trying to sell me on the idea that I could use it as a weight gain product and benefit from the extra calories.  

What the?  Did I just get insulted or complimented?  Strange way to sell a product.  

Family Photo Shoot

I am so thrilled to have had the opportunity to not only get our family pictures taken this past weekend, but have them done in such professional, high quality.  Check out how awesome these shots are. 

 If you are in the NW Indiana area (or feel like traveling for some wonderful photo memories) you HAVE to check out beth fletcher photography.  She is having an amazing spring sale right now that you don't want to miss.  I can't say enough about how great of an experience this was for our family.  She made it feel like we were on an adventure, not a photo shoot.  The kids cooperated exceptionally well and I know it all had to do with her ability to make it fun for them. 

I highly recommend using Beth's amazing photography skills for your family's next portrait.  The experience was unforgettable as are the lasting pictures.  She captured our life picture perfect!    

Fun times

Ever since we moved into this house almost a year ago the kids have been fascinated with the stairs.  This is the first house out of four that we've lived that wasn't a ranch. The kids feel like we scored a never ending carnival ride with the purchase of this house.  

I've caught them riding the stairs on a twin mattress, cardboard, laundry baskets, winter sleds, sleeping bags, and of course their own bodies.  They just pull on a pair of slippery shorts or pants and they have their own indoor slide - no money or tickets necessary.  That is until one of the rides turns into a trip to the ER.  But fortunately that has not happened - yet.  With 3 boys I am sure it's bound to occur sooner or later.  

It's funny to watch how entertained they can be with a simple house feature like a staircase.  

Kids must be oblivious to rug burn.  

Next time I'll turn the lights on first.

The other night after I had put the kids to bed I sat down to watch some TV.  It was around 10:30 pm and I was hungry, so I decided to cook myself a frozen pizza.  This is not something I normally do, but it sounded good at the time.  I had bought a 3 pack of the Home Run cheese pizzas - they have really good tasting crust even though they are flat and dense looking. 

Not wanting to take any unnecessary steps because I am lazy turn on the lights, I preheated the oven in the dark with the exception of the nightlight built into the refrigerator.  I pulled out the stone and placed the pizza on it.  Once the oven was preheated, in went the pizza.  

When the timer went off I checked on the pizza and thought it looked kind of odd so I let it cook a little longer.  Five minutes later it still looked strange so I thought I had better turn the kitchen light on to see what the problem might be.  

I flipped the light on, went over to the pizza and realized this whole time I had been cooking the pizza up-side-freakin'-down.  I kid you not.  But I wasn't about to let it go to waste.  It still tasted normal but with an extra crispness of cheese.  

UGH!

Keeping up with the big kids.

Only 10 short days ago my baby turned 4 years old.  And look at what he's doing today.  This was entirely his decision.  He came up to me and asked me to take his training wheels off.  I was a little hesitant at first, but agreed to let him try.  There were no crashes, skinned knees or tears.  Just a very brave boy who's growing up too fast.  

I'm so proud of him, but in a way it is bittersweet.  First it's a bike, then next thing you know he'll be driving off in a car.  I don't think I'll ever be ready for that moment.  I'll just take it one milestone at a time.

Back to what I do best.

Or should I say what my boys do best - make me laugh.  And I hope they do the same for you.

And on a side note, I did not win the Tweet contest.  Boo!  But I must say the winner had a very cute entry.  Thanks so much to those of you who voted for me.  You're the best!  

_______________________________________

It was bedtime and I had not yet taken a shower from my workout at the gym earlier that evening.  Needless to say I was stank-ey.  I went in to Luke's room to tuck him in and sat on the side of his bed.  He pulled the covers up to his nose and made a yucky face.  I told him I was sorry that I was stinky.  And he replied, "Just run from your stink.  It'll go away."

_______________________________________

Carson was sitting at the table playing with skateboard people and I walked over to him.  He stopped playing and said, "Look at how big my toes are.  Does that mean I'm getting bigger?"

_______________________________________

I asked Carson what him and Luke were playing.  He said, "We're looking for bad guys."  So I asked, "What are you, the F.B.I?"  Carson looked at me with a funny face and asked, "What is that?  America's Funniest Videos?"

_______________________________________

Carson was making projects at the kitchen table and asked me, "Mom, can you give me two slices of tape?"

_______________________________________

I overheard a conversation between Carson and Taylor:

Carson: "Did you know this granola bar has 80 calories in it?"

Taylor: "Why should you care?  Eat it anyway."

_______________________________________

Luke and I were at the store and we came to the eggs section.  I asked Luke to help me pick a carton.  He pointed at the brown eggs and said, "How about those chocolate eggs?"

_______________________________________

Luke's word for dandelions is "dandy-lands"

_______________________________________

Carson had a serious look on his face so I asked him if he was feeling okay.  He responded, "I'm just concentrating."

_______________________________________

I took Luke to his 4 year check up.  In the past he has been  great at doctor office visits, but for some reason he decided to freak out and cry the entire time.  After the appointment when we were walking back to the car (and he was still upset) he said, "I don't want to be 4 anymore."

_______________________________________

I asked Luke what kind of present we should get his pre-school teacher for the last day of school.  He replied, "a new vacuum."

_______________________________________

After church I asked Luke what he had learned.  He replied, "Jesus died on the cross for our cousins." I think he meant sins. 

To all you mom's out there.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Finally, a legitimate excuse not to clean.

Doctors orders.  (Would you like his name and number?)

Well, technically I guess I could clean if I was careful, but I am taking my doctors orders seriously.  For the next 2 days there will be no bending over, no stooping and no lying down.

Lying down?!?!?

Yep.  Looks like I won't be getting much if any sleep for the next 48 hours.  No wonder I won't be able to clean. 

I had some particle repositioning therapy (PRT) done today and therefore I must maintain a head position that will guarantee the calcium stones in my ear remain where they were positioned so that they will dissolve away.  Sounds like something from a sci-fi movie.  Who knows, maybe I will start sprouting green antennas from my head and morph into an alien species at midnight.  You never know!

So it looks like the recliner chair and I are going to become good friends for the next few nights.  Maybe I'll get a chance to catch up on some TV shows and movies.  Meanwhile, I'll sit around and look at the clutter and dirty house that surrounds me.  

I think I'm going to need a sedative.   

Blog comic

Here is another great comic from Pickles.  These are my favorite.  And it sounds like something my mom would say.  Plus, she's the one that sent it to me!

Four

Today marks my baby's 4th birthday.  

05-05-05

Pretty sweet date to be born on, wouldn't you say?  Yes, it was sort of planned.  I was past my due date and the doctor wanted to induce me on the 3rd.  I was totally not going for that date (5-3-05)  If any of you are familiar with a certain bank by that name you'd understand.  Especially the fact that I worked at that said bank for 6 years.  I didn't need my son to carry on the mark of my previous employers name.  So I decided on the 5th.  How can you forget that day?  Plus it's Cinco de Mayo - Luke's going to totally thank me when he gets older.  Par-tay!

L - loving and laid back 

U - unique and understanding

K - kindhearted and keen

E -  entertaining and enjoyable

My dear little baby boy Luke.  You are 4 years old today, yet you act so much more mature.  You are years ahead of others your age in regards to your agility and fearless attitude.  But then again, you sort of have to be like that in order to keep up with your two older brothers.  

I love that you are your own person.  You have such a wonderful blend of rough and tumble mixed with compassion and cuddles.  You are so smart and catch on to things very quickly.  You have this amazing ability to to prove your mom and dad wrong with the things you're capable of doing on your own.  

I enjoy seeing your independence grow each day, but still love the baby side of you when you crawl onto my lap and snuggle into my chest.  

You give us so much love and joy my Luke-man.  Enjoy this adventure into the next year of your life my son.  

Happy 4th Birthday Luke!

Taking it easy

As hard as it was to do I ended my blogging streak. 

Total days posting without a break in between: 151 days (5 months)

I started it back in December just as a challenge to myself to see if I could even do one month.  Surprisingly I managed the initial 30 days so I thought, what the heck, I'll try another 30.  And it just kept snowballing until I reached the end of April.

And then I just decided I needed a break.  For no other reason but to step away from the computer.  I think it's a healthy decision.  But going forward I may be a Monday - Friday work week blogger who takes the weekends off.  Not sure, but that's the plan for now.  Don't be surprised if I change my mind.  I figure it's my blog and I can do what I want, right?  

If I've got something funny to share with you then I'll do it.  If I found some new product that I can't keep to myself then I'll share it with you.  

No pressure - that's the name of the game.  I've gotta keep it real and fresh so stay tuned.  Cause other than this post, I've got nuthin' (except a sore elbow from pulling out 6 bushes yesterday!)

I'm a Finalist!

I entered a contest called "Mom's Tweet the Darndest Things" where I submitted short excerpts from things the boys have said in the past that are just too funny.  Well out of the hundreds of entries, one of mine made the top ten!  This is so exciting! 

Now is the time to vote at http://bit.ly/rvdHv and choose this one:  At grocery store with 3 year old son when we passed a guy with a patch over his eye. Son replied, "Mom I just saw a pirate.”

This was from when Taylor was around 3 years old.  My mom took him to Wal-Mart and they passed a guy in the aisle who had a patch over his eye.  Taylor had a look of shock on his face and said to Maga, "I just saw a pirate!"  

Voting is open now and closes at 5pm on Saturday, May 9th with the winner announced the next day on Mother's Day.  How appropriate!  

So go on over and vote and leave me a comment letting me know you voted!  And please spread the word.  Thanks so much!