Perspective of a Male

I had a glorious time yesterday. I went shopping. And not just any shopping. but dresses, little girls' dresses.

We will be travelling to Oklahoma this weekend for my nephew's First Communion. Since one of my nieces turned 8 a couple of weeks ago, I decided to get her a dress to take up to her - I do not get presents mailed! So I found a darling gingham blue and white sundress, with white ribbon around the waist and embroidered red flowers.

Then I got to thinking, another niece was just born - why don't I get her a sundress? We had sent them a practical gift to the shower, so now I wanted something more fun. I found it - a purple and white gingham sunsuit with darker purple embroidered butterflies.

I now saw all of the darling dresses and thought "well, my last niece will be 8 in August. She will be there when the other girls get their dresses. Let's get her one too!". She prefers pink, so I selected the pink and white gingham with embroidered flowers for her. Such a thrill, shopping in the dainty girls' section!

When I arrived home, I placed my bag before my husband and began excitedly to unload my finds. As I showed him each adorable item, he smiled and replied with his standard "that's nice.".

As I finished, I gushed "I can't wait to give these to the girls. It will be so much fun to see them try each dress on!". I was just giddy!

My dear husband merely replied "I guess everyone has to wear something."

More Mother's Guilt

Brennan was sick for a couple of days this week. Poor little guy! I hate seeing any of the boys so miserable. I knew that he wasn't himself, because he was just so still. I let him lie around with a few comic books, and he didn't move around much. He even went and took a long afternoon nap on Wednesday and Thursday of his own free will.

That is where my guilt starts to creep in. You see, I actuallly had ALL FOUR boys napping together on Wednesday afternoon. I dared to feel a stirring excitement down deep. I caught up on laundry. I even read undisturbed. I took a quiet bath.

I felt so rested Wednesday night that I felt guilty. Guilty because I know that the only reason I got the break was because my poor baby was sick! Oh the shame!

Now everything is back to normal. Brennan is bouncing room to room, dressed as Superman. Nicholas and Philip are bickering over a toy for the fourth time already this morning. But we are all well!

You know what, I'll take it!

Solved: Mystery of the Missing Shorts

Yesterday afternoon, I gave Philip a shirt and pair of shorts to put on. I went into the kitchen and returned to find him struggling mightily with his shirt. After refusing help and eventually righting the shirt into its proper position, Philip headed for the door. "Get your shorts" I reminded him, but he continued out. I took it upon myself to find the shorts and return them to their proper owner.

I looked in the bedroom. And the living room. Front Hall, kitchen bathroom. No pants. I checked the clean clothes drawer, the dirty clothes basket, even outside in the yard. Still none. I could not for the life of me figure out where these shorts had disappeared to - it had to be that goblin that lives in our house, occassionally taking things that I knew were there, just to drive me batty!

Now I could have gone and picked out a different pair of shorts, but that would just mean that two pairs of shorts would later be in the laundry basket for one person/one afternoon. Nope, we weren't going anywhere, so I just let Philip run around in his shirt and pull up the rest of the day. I know, lazy Mom, huh!

As it would have it, Philip fell asleep in his bed last night without undressing, so imagine my surprise this morning when I go to undress him, and what do you suppose I found?

Wrapped around his waist, were the mystery shorts themselves!

Apparently, he had stuck both legs down the same pant leg and pulled them up so high that his "a little big" shirt had covered them completely! For the entire day!

So I guess he was wearing shorts yesterday. Maybe I am not such a bad Mom after all. Boy that had to have been uncomfortable, though!

Have I been drinking that much Dr. Pepper lately?

Philip was looking at a picture book this morning and naming each object shown. When he came to the fruits and vegetables, we started down the list:

"Carrots" ("Yes", I reply)

"Apples" ("Yes" again)

"Bananas" ...

"Dr. Pepper" - I start to reply yes, and then I realize what he said. He was pointing to a nice group of BELL Peppers! I asked him again "what are those?"

"Dr Peppers" he replied.

Maybe I have been feasting a bit much on sodas since Easter Sunday! Time to cut back again! (just a little)

Belated Birthday

I absolutely must post a Happy Belated Birthday post to my very best friend - my dear husband! Colin turned another year on the clock on Saturday. In order that this special day not be lost in the shuffle of baseball games, we went out to lunch with a dear college friend and of course, made cake! Colin has such simple tastes - he requested a yellow cake with chocolate chips and fudge drizzle icing.

Packed complete with time as a family and his gift of "Highlander" TV episodes on DVD, I would have to say we had a great day. Happy Birthday honey - we all love you!

Being Two

This is what you get when a certain 2 year old absolutely insists on dressing himself and will not -in no uncertain terms- let you help him turn his shirt around the right way.

On his way outside - his favorite place to be!

Tantrums

Thanks for the post today Celeste! What a great topic!

Especially public tantrums. No matter how seasoned a mother, tantrums shoot to the top of the list of what will drive any normally mild-mannered mom into insanity in an instant. Yesterday at our Homeschool group field day, I just about had a tantrum of my own to match my 4 year old's that he was having.

He was tired. We had a busy week already, and then yesterday hit it into overdrive. We had field day at 3pm, with the 4 year old's t-ball game at 6pm. Why any Mom would think that all of this activity is acceptable for such a young child is beyond me, but I think that I just wanted him to follow through with his commitments to his baseball team and participate in the once a year field day (in addition to letting the 6 year old join in the fun). Bad idea, I know.

Nevertheless, I attempted it. I also reaped the consequences last night. Halfway through field day, Nicholas lost it. He was pushing, screaming, slapping at me. I growled at him under baited breath. I held on to his arm tight so that he would have to stay with me. And I felt utterly humiliated as I imagined how others thought "what a horrible child" (Of course, I just assume this is what they were all thinking).

We ended up skipping the t-ball game (which was cancelled anyhow - Yea!) and went home to settle down. After my own cool down and Nicholas's own talk with Dad, everything was fine. I realized of course that my own flaring temper definitely did not help the situation. I also know that it is my own pride which leads to my inappropriate reactions to these public tantrums. I am so worried about everyone else looking at me with the "Tut, tut BAD MOTHER!" eyes that I completely overreact to the child's public display. I become a child myself.

Time to fess up, and try better next time. I just need to let go of these nagging assumptions that everyone is judging me. Because chances are, they probably are not. And even if they are, so what! I cannot let what other's might think of me interfere with me being the Mom that my kids need me to be!

What we did today

Building projects


Nicholas with his "Larry Cave"


Brennan with his "Fortress of Solitude"

To buy versus to rent

Most movies can be rented when the mood strikes for a particular flick. Most adults want to see a film a couple of times and then that's that. Children, however, are different. Children get in a rut and watch the same movie over and over and over. Children are the reason that sometimes owning the movie is defintely more worthwhile.


This conversation is a perfect case-in-point:

Brennan: Where's the Charlotte's Web movie?

Me: Dad had to take it back to Blockbuster. We only borrowed it.

Brennan: I don't like Blockbuster. They keep taking movies that we are still watching!

Filed under "Lessons in Sharing"

And with that...

...a pleasant good night to ya all!

So Much Excitement

It is hard to believe that so much can happen in just a few days! Friday morning I had my wisdom teeth out (over at last!) and was recovering quite nicely when I came down with a sinus cold. The timing was just impeccable. I am now fighting some TMJ pain, from either the extraction and/or the cold.

But enough complaining - I will live! The great news is that Saturday my newest niece came into this world - Peyton LeaAnne! Congrats to my brother and his wife and their family - such a beautiful little girl! She is in a level two nursery, as she was born at 36 weeks and the lungs seemed to be slightly immature, but she is doing well and now I think most of the supervision is just a precaution.

My husband has the final go ahead to present his thesis - we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. We are looking forward to pure jubilation upon its completion. It will be so nice to have my dear husband back home again on a regular basis. And I am sure that he will appreciate the more leisurely pace as well.

Amidst the weekend of sickness, I was able to read Danielle's new book. God knew when this book should land on my doorstep, because by the end of Saturday I was desperately looking at the train wreck which would be my house. Yet thanks to the wise advice from her book, Danielle was able to convince me to let it all go and just get well. I am now looking at a livable house, but even more importantly I am living with a contented family. Life is good!

Our newest member

Nicholas received a Curious George stuffed animal for Christmas. Now Nicholas has loved the stories for years, even before the movie came out (which we also had to go see). So when he received this George (and even more books), I knew that George would become an important part of our lives. But...


I really didn't know it would become this intense. George goes everywhere with us. For now this is fine. Our only ground rule is that he stays in the car when we are out. Nicholas has been okay with this for the most part, although we have caught him twice trying to sneak George into Mass!

It will be interesting if we need that seat for another PERSON - Nicholas is adamant that George be buckled. Safety first!

Next American Idol

After we caught tonight's episode, I found Philip in the living room, doing his best impression of Blake (and attempting to sing "Need to Know").
Hollywood, here we come!

Happy Easter!

Scenes from our wondrous weekend

Jonathan dressed and ready to go


Nicholas displays our lovely eggs


Coloring eggs is a messy project


Brennan works intently

Letting Go of Perfection

Whenever a holiday rolls around, I love to have little, memorable activities to do with the boys. After all, it was all of those special treats baked, songs sung, and decorating that I remember so lovingly from my own childhood. I also am a believer in (attempting) to let Easter "keep up" with Christmas, as Christ dying and rising for each of us is just as special as is His birth.

So today I set out to color Easter eggs with the boys, read a few special stories (The First Easter Bunny and The Three Trees), and make these Resurrection cookies that were posted on Amy's site. Now I had been given this recipe when I taught at our parish school (pre-children) but had managed to lose it over the years. Now that I had it again, this would be the year to try it.

I gathered all of the materials. The boys were eagerly engaged. They each took multiple turns beating the bag of nuts with the spoon. We then put the vinegar in the bowl - all boys agreed it smelled terrible. So far, so good.

We then began to separate the eggs. I let each boy take a turn holding my magnificent egg separator - it's fool proof! - and each would get to separate 1 egg, as the recipe called for three. Brennan went, followed by Nicholas. Then Philip eagerly seized the separator and held it oh so carefully while I poured the egg white through into the bowl. Just as the last of the white hit the bowl, I went to grab the tool from Philip and he flipped it.

The egg yolk slid into the bowl, spilling throughout the mixture upon impact.

Well, I tried to get the yolk out, but to no avail. The slightest bit remained, and my hope for perfect little meringues was dashed. The boys were enjoying it, however, so I plowed right along.

Next we added the salt. Each boy tasted his pinch and then threw another pinch into our mix. I then went to grab the cup of sugar from the opposite counter. And here was my next mistake - I momentarily left the boys with the other ingredients next to the bowl. As I turned back around, Philip had dumped a hefty mound of salt into the bowl. I dished as much of it out as I could, but I knew that our cookies would no longer taste as they should.

Ever the masochist, I went on still, and we began the beating with the mixer. For twenty minutes we beat, but to no avail. We would not get the stiff mounds that were supposed to form. Too much yolk. Way too much salt! But don't you think for a moment that this time was wasted. That twenty minutes was well spent as Brennan broke up egg shells that Nicholas would try to eat, and Philip and Nicholas would then argue over who gets the ever enchanting wooden spoon next so that they may "practice" being a soldier and beat the other boy. All of this while I stood helplessly mixing, hoping that peaks might form.

Finally we gave up, put our mounds on wax paper (forgot to add our nuts), and placed them in the oven. I put the boys to bed.

Deep down, I know our cookies will not be picture perfect in the morning. They may not resemble anything at all! But I look at the pile of salt on the table, the crumpled egg shells on the floor, and the boys asleep in their beds, and I know that I achieved my main purpose - a memory was made. A pleasant one.

As I tucked Brennan in bed tonight he reminded me "Tomorrow is Easter. Jesus will rise from the dead!".

So true. And the fact that he is focused on that above all else makes everything tonight all worthwhile.

Wrong Again

For lunch today, Philip asked for a "turkey butter" sandwich. Now I figured that he wanted either a turkey OR a peanut butter sandwich, but wasn't sure which one. I began to ask him over and over, holding out both the packet of turkey and the jar of peanut butter. He grabbed both.

So I gave up and just started to pull out turkey meat. At this, he said "No!" and put the peanut butter jar in my hand with a very emphatic "turkey butter!".

My problem is that I just don't do well with 50/50 chances. Give me a good 1 in 4 or 1 in 5 chance any day!

Yes, it was!

Yesterday was my birthday. Birthdays tend to lose their excitement the older you get. Not that I care too much about being one year older, but that the magic just doesn't seem to be there as it was when you are a child.

Birthdays in my family were huge. I would wake up, and Dad would always be the very first to kiss me on the cheek and start singing Happy Birthday to me, even if it was a little off tune. Dad is the morning person in our family. He would then make me a special pancake breakfast. Mom and Dad always had a balloon bouquet sent to me at school - nothing seemed to be so special than to receive flowers or balloons while in class!

Mom always made whatever I wanted for dinner. I remember one birthday in particular that I wanted Won Tons and Stir Fry - quite the preparation heavy meal! But Mom didn't say a word. Despite the fact that she had just completed a 12 hour shift as a nurse, she made my special meal for me. I have never forgotten that!

My birthdays are still joyous. But it is now time for me to serve my family in the way that my parents served me. It is my place now to make each of our family members birthdays' true celebrations, just as my parents once did. So yesterday, I set to work, even though it was my birthday that we were celebrating. We had a special dinner. We made cake (the one question the boys ask right after "who's birthday is next?" is "what will the cake be?").

And I truly loved every minute of it. I loved celebrating with my family. For me, now as an adult, that is more than excitement enough!

More Birthday Moments

Oh, and while making dinner yesterday, I placed the cake layers on a rack to cool. I then turned back to the orange chicken.

Moments later, I heard a fairly emphatic HMMMM! I turned to see Philip munching on chocolate cake. A nice, 2 year old sized fistful of cake was noticeably absent from one of the layers.

Lesson learned - if you sneak in your pre-taste in the cutest way possible, Mom will not scold, but will instead make it into a blog entry. And all will be forgiven!

From the "I never did this with my oldest" Files

Yes, this would be Jonathan, our resident 10 month old, devouring a (very small) piece of my Chocolate Cream Cake that we made for my birthday. It just didn't seem fair to leave him out of the fun!


And he sure seemed to enjoy it! Parenting experts everywhere will be up in arms over this one! Jonathan sure is lucky to be number 4!