Can't Believe Everything You See On TV

I was having a little bit of a lazy morning yesterday (as it IS summer vacation now) so I plopped down on the couch to watch a little TV as I ate my granola and yogurt breakfast. I paused on a channel showing an info-mercial just as Ben and Emily joined me on the couch. It was a very persuasive ad for an electric sweeper. Ben was immediately drawn in. "Mom. Look at that. We should get one of those," he says full of sincerity, then turns back to the screen to absorb more.

A few moments later, "Oooohhhh...it can clean up all sorts of things. I bet it would work good to pick up dog hair." It wasn't long before Emily joined him, "You SHOULD get one of those, Mom," followed by Ben's excited, "You buy one, you get one for FREE!!"

I couldn't resist asking, "So if I get one of those, you guys will clean for me?"

"Yes!" they both assured me.

I found this exchange so humorous that I had to find Paul and fill him in. I was in our room relaying the conversation only a moment before Ben burst in announcing to Paul, "Dad. Mom NEEDS to get the sweeper on TV. It can pick up vegetables and screws! Oh! And it bends, Dad. The handle bends so you can get under the furniture. I bet it would even get under our couch. You only pay $19.99 twice and you get TWO! Two sweepers, two batteries, and two extra small ones. We should get this, Dad." Paul was amused, but not persuaded. He told Ben we wouldn't be calling in to order, and that was the end of it.

Or so I thought. Today, as I was emptying out my bagless vacuum cylinder and shaking out the filter, Ben admonished me that it was too bad I didn't have that sweeper. If I had the sweeper, all I would have to do is push a button to empty it in the trash, and I wouldn't have the dusty job of shaking out the filter. It would be clean and easy with the sweeper. "Too bad you don't have it, Mom."

Yes, too bad indeed!

How To Bring In Summer Vacation

Paul and I were busily ensconced in the new house sealing tile and installing kitchen appliances, on this first official day of summer vacation. Jenna was chilling in the house with us, as she always chooses to do, and Emma and Ben were outside playing. I peeked out the window to check on them and was greeted with a very unexpected view...

Apparently the only way to begin one's summer vacation is with a soothing, backyard, spa-style mud bath! Either that or it's a simple case of math: kids+water+readily available pile of dirt+leisure time=HUGE (fun) MESS!!!

I chuckled and pointed them out to Paul, then went to grab my camera. I couldn't miss this photo opp! I smiled and shook my head as they gleefully covered themselves from head to toe. I didn't have the heart to be upset. I did have the heart, however, to make them wash off outside under the hose!

Happy Father's Day

Each of our three kids proudly presented Paul with their handcrafted gifts for father's day. Emily's was a coaster with a 'D' on it made from fired clay, accompanied by a snazzy shirt and tie card. Jenna's was a laminated page with a poem and lots of pink hand-prints. Ben's was a shrinky-dink style key chain with an original drawing on it and a special father's day questionnaire.

All the gifts were made with love, and were therefore equally special to Paul. One particular piece did stand out in hilarity, however. That piece would be Ben's questionnaire, made even funnier by the fact that his teacher obviously wrote in his answers verbatim. (After all, it required a greater quantity of writing and spelling aptitude than your average kindergartner is able to produce.) I smiled, chuckled, then almost fell to the ground laughing as I read over Paul's shoulder! My personal favorite is the third item down:

The wit that proceeds out of the mouths of babes... or Ben in this case. Priceless!

Happy Father's Day!

Sad State Of Affairs

In the midst of my busy, busy life, I took time out to go with my now 10 year old daughter to pick out some new flip flops for her birthday. (Actually, we were exchanging as the pair I had bought and given to her on her actual birthday didn't fit right.) The troops and I pulled up and unloaded at Fred Meyer. Emily was particularly excited because, not only was she getting her flip flops, but she also had 20+ dollars in birthday money siting cozily in her pocket, just waiting to be spent!

We found new flip flops and browsed a bit to see if there was anything Emily wanted to buy with her money. Ben and Jenna waited patiently through the jewelery section and looked longingly in the toy isles. To their credit, they had good attitudes the whole time. My oh so grown up Emily recognized this, and feeling benevolent (as she had the good fortune to be the recent birthday girl) gave a quarter to Jenna to ride the train and two quarters to Ben to spend at the machines on the way out. We finalized our purchases, and made our way to the exit. Jenna grinned from ear to ear during her train ride! Ben bought a gumball with his first quarter, and the second quarter bestowed upon him...a rock.

Now, maybe I am just a critical and hardened adult...but a rock? That seems like a sad state of affairs when you are a child anticipating your prize and you are rewarded with a small... well, pebble really. True, it is smooth and colorful, but I'd rather find that treasure in nature. For free. Not that the normal prizes are anything to write home about. They are usually played with for a day or two, forgotten, and then quietly thrown away by mom :) Be that as it may...I would have been sorely disappointed as a child.

Ben, however, took it in stride. "What did ya get, Ben?" I asked him. "A rock," he replied. "A rock???" I questioned. "Yeah. I think it's a special rock 'cause this paper says it's from another country. I think it's rare," he answers, and he pops it in his pocket. He accepts his 'rare' pebble from another country as his prize. He was just happy to have a quarter to spend!

Busy, Busy

I feel like I am neglecting my poor little blog. Life has kept me running lately. In my heart, however, I am blogging about funny things my kids have said or about how I've been driving around town with a full-fledged porcelain toilet in the back of my car for days now! (nope, I'm not a super prepared mom, ready for whenever nature should call - nor am I turning my nose up to the honeybucket. We are just busy and don't quite know where to unload the car of the new toilet and various plumbing supplies. In a matter of days we can unload and install them in the new house...but in the meantime? Recent life experience tells me my Honda is the storage facility of choice!) Whew! That was a bunny trail...

ANYWAY, as much as I may be blogging in my head, my reality has been full of children, construction, really neglected house work, meetings, t-ball, an insanely fast growing two-acre lawn, and a new little fuzzball that is adorable but must be watched at all times! Yeah, it's a little crazy around here, but I can also see that many of these things are but a short season. Come fall my life will be vastly different. The house will be done, the puppy will be older and wiser, and it sounds like we may have all three kids going for a full day of school. Whatever will I do with myself??? (snickering quietly) I have a sneaking feeling I'll find something to do!

A Little Chocolate

Our family has just been incomplete since we lost Hardy. We knew we had a chocolate gap in our hearts that needed to be filled! Ben excitedly marked this on the calendar for today:

He's right. We did get a dog today. A new little chocolatey man to love :) And here he is...

He's just a little guy, so we will have our work cut out for us. That's okay, though. We're already smitten!

A Brief Interlude

I interrupt my normal blog to present this brief interlude in honor of the hot, muggy day - to the tune of "Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone." (Yes...I know...a very complex and mature song choice)

Oh why, oh why did my air conditioning break?
Oh why will it not work for me?
I am sweaty and sticky, uncomfortable and hot
Oh why will it not work for me?

MEMO

Date: June 1, 2009

To: Myself

From: Myself

Subject: Getting Dressed

___________________________________________

When getting myself dressed to go to my son's T-ball game, or any other place out in public, I must always remember to put my clothes on properly. Arriving at said T-ball game and realizing that I have put my shirt on inside out is not acceptable. It does not matter if it has been a jam-packed, busy day. I have been dressing myself for approx 28 years. I am too old for this nonsense! It flusters a person to no end to reach back, feel their tag sticking out, and realize it cannot be tucked back in because the stitched side is out. Promptly covering my mistake with a sweatshirt and then nonchalantly walking to the bathroom to turn my shirt right side out resolves the issue with minimal notice, however please note that this sort of mistake should be averted at all costs in the future.