Ok, so I'm not really unplugging anything. I'm just taking a facebook hiatus. I don't know about you, but the more time I spend of facebook, the sadder I get. Between the starving children, barbaric ISIS beheadings/general terror, fires, droughts, floods, rapes, murders, crooked politicians, evil monsanto, and various other bummerage, my brain just fizzles after a few minutes of scrolling. My heart just withers in my chest and starts crying, "Just stop. Look away, find something else."
Of course, then there's my little herd of stampeding buffalo that always seem to want my attention right when I've settled in for a nice little social media session. Bless their little hearts. There are times when I have heard their little voices trying to reach me through all the crap that's marinating my soul, "Mama, will you play with me?" Sometimes, I brush them off with a, "Not right now." but on the times when I really listen, I get off the computer and go have a tea party or play super heroes.
Sometimes I forget that I have a serious job to do. On days when the hubby is gone for the week and nothing seems to be going right, I just sink into this wormhole of self-preservation and try to forget that I'm a mother. It's a hard job. Much harder than you ever believe it will be before you have any children. People try to warn you, but every single woman is certain that she will be the one superwoman immune to the hardships of motherdom... and every single woman usually has some kind of meltdown that stems from the realization that she didn't have it as figured out as she thought.
My mother told me over and over and over before I was even married that once I had kids, my life would cease to be about me. I would roll my eyes and nod and agree, and I really thought I understood. Sweet, naive Rachelle.
The year I had two babies in diapers was really hard, possibly the hardest of my life to date. One thing that made it worse was logging onto facebook in search of connections, but all I ended up feeling was isolated. I would look at these unbelievably productive mothers (some of which had more kids than I did!) who posted pictures of delicious-looking dinners, gourmet lunches, elaborately themed birthday parties, and flawless bodies that held no trace of stretch marks, extra pounds, or excess skin. They would humble brag about how their one year old was already potty-trained and learning to read and that their three year old was already swimming and painting masterpieces.
All I could think was: "How do they do it?!" I compared myself to these other mothers and found myself to be extremely wanting. Compared to these mystical miracle workers, I was just a fat, sleep-deprived, scatter-brained, unmotivated, and just plain not good enough schlub. I wish I had turned off facebook back then. It would have helped me significantly.
New mothers don't need to feel like they're in a competition with the world, life is hard enough those first few months. They need support. They need someone to talk to them every day, someone who will let them sob about spilling the 2 oz of pumped breast milk they just spent 30 minutes wrenching out of their boobs. They need someone who will not judge them for their decision to make boxed macaroni and cheese for dinner for the third night in a row because they just don't have the mental stamina for anything beyond that. And they really need someone who will smile and tell them they are doing a great job and promise that it won't last forever.
Anyway, my original point was that social media these days contains so much awful information that you never wanted to know. So much crap that you don't need to know. I already know that the world has been slipping into a downward spiral for years. I understand... really! I just don't want to talk about it anymore. I can't talk about it anymore.
I need to be blissfully ignorant for awhile. I have to raise my kids with care and attention and not have a million things buzzing in the back of my mind all day long... things that are out of my control anyway. It's too easy to forget the importance of the job I'm doing with so much ugliness in the world. It's easy to feel like it won't matter how your kids turn out because we're probably all going to end up blown to bits in a few years anyway. I'm not going to raise my kids in fear of what might happen, though, I'm going to raise them how I feel they should be raised, in spite of the ugliness around them. I'm going to give them what security and happiness I can, while I can, because none of us really know what tomorrow will bring.
And while I'm at it, I'm going to cut myself some slack, too. I am realizing that I don't have to be supermom - at least not all the time - plain ol' "Mama" seems to be just fine with my kids so it's just fine with me, too.
"I yam what I yam and that's all that I yam." Popeye the Sailor Man
Rachelle
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Looking beyond yourself...
"Your children are certainly well behaved." an older gentleman made that comment to me this morning as I was taking all three kids out to breakfast. I could have kissed him.
We do not often get such comments. (usually it's the opposite.) No one has ever come right out and said, "Holy cow, lady, why don't you call super nanny or something?!" but I definitely see the looks we get sometimes. Those looks that let you know someone thinks you're failing at life.
I hate those looks.
I probably used to give those looks before I had any children... (a million years ago, when I was much skinnier and a lot more naive.) Back then, I used to hate the sound of children crying. It straight up annoyed me. I remember one time, my friend, Wendy, and I were talking at work (back when I had a job that didn't involve discussing what color shoes Barbie should wear today or how Buzz Lightyear's laser works) and we heard a baby crying in the store. Wendy made a comment that she always gets sad whenever she hears kids cry and I said something along the lines of, "I think it's annoying." Wendy was a mother and I was not.
Now that I am a mother myself, I get it. Although I tend to feel more for the mother (or father) than the screaming child. I know they're most likely trying hard to get a few things done and their kids are just not feeling it, but they have no choice but to soldier on. These days when I hear a kid crying/screaming, my normal impulse seems to be to rush over and give the mother a hug and tell her that everything will be ok. Maybe it's what I'd like to hear when my kids are having a bad day. Maybe it's just because I want them to know that I don't consider them a failure. Or perhaps I just want to acknowledge their struggle so they don't feel isolated and alone... because I've been there. I've had some pretty tough days when I really just want to run away to my own mother and forget the whole thing - I can't - but boy do I want to sometimes.
Which brings me to my main thought today, that compassion seems to get buried a lot these days. People are so consumed with themselves that they forget they aren't the only humans around. They see other people as obstacles in their way... mere inconveniences along their solitary path of selfishness. It's too bad. I can remember a time when people used to talk with one another. They used to share things face-to-face. They used to laugh and have moments together, moments that speed up and slow down time all at once. They used to relate to one another, instead of competing. People just aren't much like that anymore. Instead of going out of their way to encourage or help, they go out of their way to avoid and ignore... and it's hurting us in ways we probably can't even fathom.
I want to encourage all two of my readers to make a connection with someone. Reach out to a stranger or an old friend you haven't talked to in a while. Instead of just grabbing your grocery bags and rushing out to your car, gab a little with your cashier or the person behind you. Ask someone's opinion about a product. Make a comment. Offer encouragement. Offer love. I love being able to stay connected to people on social media as much as the next person, but it's just not enough! I want to hear your voice. I want to touch you! I want to hear your laugh, to see your tears, to FEEL how you're feeling. I want to connect with you...
Tell a mother in a restaurant that her kids are well behaved... it might be the only positive words she's heard in a long time, and it might come at a time when she is desperate for any kind of sign she's doing anything right.
You never know who you will touch and how big of an impact you will make when you put down your phones and just look at the world.
Acknowledge a life outside of your own. Make a connection.
Rachelle
We do not often get such comments. (usually it's the opposite.) No one has ever come right out and said, "Holy cow, lady, why don't you call super nanny or something?!" but I definitely see the looks we get sometimes. Those looks that let you know someone thinks you're failing at life.
I hate those looks.
I probably used to give those looks before I had any children... (a million years ago, when I was much skinnier and a lot more naive.) Back then, I used to hate the sound of children crying. It straight up annoyed me. I remember one time, my friend, Wendy, and I were talking at work (back when I had a job that didn't involve discussing what color shoes Barbie should wear today or how Buzz Lightyear's laser works) and we heard a baby crying in the store. Wendy made a comment that she always gets sad whenever she hears kids cry and I said something along the lines of, "I think it's annoying." Wendy was a mother and I was not.
Now that I am a mother myself, I get it. Although I tend to feel more for the mother (or father) than the screaming child. I know they're most likely trying hard to get a few things done and their kids are just not feeling it, but they have no choice but to soldier on. These days when I hear a kid crying/screaming, my normal impulse seems to be to rush over and give the mother a hug and tell her that everything will be ok. Maybe it's what I'd like to hear when my kids are having a bad day. Maybe it's just because I want them to know that I don't consider them a failure. Or perhaps I just want to acknowledge their struggle so they don't feel isolated and alone... because I've been there. I've had some pretty tough days when I really just want to run away to my own mother and forget the whole thing - I can't - but boy do I want to sometimes.
Which brings me to my main thought today, that compassion seems to get buried a lot these days. People are so consumed with themselves that they forget they aren't the only humans around. They see other people as obstacles in their way... mere inconveniences along their solitary path of selfishness. It's too bad. I can remember a time when people used to talk with one another. They used to share things face-to-face. They used to laugh and have moments together, moments that speed up and slow down time all at once. They used to relate to one another, instead of competing. People just aren't much like that anymore. Instead of going out of their way to encourage or help, they go out of their way to avoid and ignore... and it's hurting us in ways we probably can't even fathom.
I want to encourage all two of my readers to make a connection with someone. Reach out to a stranger or an old friend you haven't talked to in a while. Instead of just grabbing your grocery bags and rushing out to your car, gab a little with your cashier or the person behind you. Ask someone's opinion about a product. Make a comment. Offer encouragement. Offer love. I love being able to stay connected to people on social media as much as the next person, but it's just not enough! I want to hear your voice. I want to touch you! I want to hear your laugh, to see your tears, to FEEL how you're feeling. I want to connect with you...
Tell a mother in a restaurant that her kids are well behaved... it might be the only positive words she's heard in a long time, and it might come at a time when she is desperate for any kind of sign she's doing anything right.
You never know who you will touch and how big of an impact you will make when you put down your phones and just look at the world.
Acknowledge a life outside of your own. Make a connection.
Rachelle
Saturday, August 16, 2014
Messes of mass destruction...
At this point, I'm almost a little impressed at Colin's ability to sniff out messes of mass destruction. He has a serious gift for it.
A couple nights ago he found my toothpaste while I was making dinner and he smeared it all over my newly washed bedding. (Refer to a week of messes for that story.)
Yesterday morning he found the costco-sized jar of coconut oil in the pantry and dumped the whole thing out on the floor... Are you kidding me, kid?! I just... I can't... daflkjhadsfhwqepoiuhrdkjf! That one nearly destroyed me. I don't cuss, but if I did, the profanities would have been flying that morning.
Other honorable mentions in the mess department include:
Pooping on the floor... (face/palm)
Dumping a whole bag of cocoa puffs onto my bed and crushing them into powder (I was doing dishes for that one)
Empying various water cups out onto the floor in order to splash in them
Dumping a full bowl of rice out onto the table and then flinging the mess in all directions
Ripping off his diaper and peeing on the floor at least four times
Dumping out a whole jar of vitamin c capsules
Emptying a whole shelf of books that I had just organized
Emptying the shoe cubby we had just organized.
I'm pooped. The fact that the hubby is gone for most of the week is just compounding the stress and fatigue I'm feeling. My hair is having a mass exodus from my scalp right now, too, so that's fun.
There is only one bright side of Will working so hard and that is being able to pay all of our bills on time and having some left over to take care of the extras we've been holding off on (oil change, fixing a cracked ipad screen, new pants for Will since his are all worn out, etc.) The extra money is nice... but no amount of money can replace my hubby's presence in our family. We all miss him. Skyla cried herself to sleep the other night because, "I just miss Daddy so much!" It about broke my heart.
I will continue to soldier on, however reluctantly.
Until next time,
Rachelle
A couple nights ago he found my toothpaste while I was making dinner and he smeared it all over my newly washed bedding. (Refer to a week of messes for that story.)
Yesterday morning he found the costco-sized jar of coconut oil in the pantry and dumped the whole thing out on the floor... Are you kidding me, kid?! I just... I can't... daflkjhadsfhwqepoiuhrdkjf! That one nearly destroyed me. I don't cuss, but if I did, the profanities would have been flying that morning.
Other honorable mentions in the mess department include:
Pooping on the floor... (face/palm)
Dumping a whole bag of cocoa puffs onto my bed and crushing them into powder (I was doing dishes for that one)
Empying various water cups out onto the floor in order to splash in them
Dumping a full bowl of rice out onto the table and then flinging the mess in all directions
Ripping off his diaper and peeing on the floor at least four times
Dumping out a whole jar of vitamin c capsules
Emptying a whole shelf of books that I had just organized
Emptying the shoe cubby we had just organized.
I'm pooped. The fact that the hubby is gone for most of the week is just compounding the stress and fatigue I'm feeling. My hair is having a mass exodus from my scalp right now, too, so that's fun.
There is only one bright side of Will working so hard and that is being able to pay all of our bills on time and having some left over to take care of the extras we've been holding off on (oil change, fixing a cracked ipad screen, new pants for Will since his are all worn out, etc.) The extra money is nice... but no amount of money can replace my hubby's presence in our family. We all miss him. Skyla cried herself to sleep the other night because, "I just miss Daddy so much!" It about broke my heart.
I will continue to soldier on, however reluctantly.
Until next time,
Rachelle
Saturday, August 9, 2014
A week of messes...
I don't know how "normal" almost 2 year olds are supposed to act, but mine is outrageously mischievous! The kid literally cannot sit still for longer than 10 seconds! I couldn't possibly name all of the messes Colin has made this week, (not to mention the things he's broken or gotten into) but here are some of the top ones (that I recall, anyway):
He bathed himself in Nutella... literally. Covered from head to toe with liberal blobs on the floor thrown in for good measure.
He bathed himself in iced tea.
He dumped out a full spice jar of ground ginger on my couch and floor.
He took his full bowl of organic cocoa puffs and started throwing them like confetti around the living room/kitchen/dining area.
He dumped a full costco bag of tortilla chips out onto the table.
He emptied all of the soap out of my dish scrubber and onto the floor at least four times.
He emptied the soap container from the bathroom out all over the bathroom floor/wall in the hallway at least three times.
He dumped the old coffee grounds out onto the counter and started eating them.
He rips off his diapers within a minute of me putting them on him, unless I use duct tape!
He dumped cereal on the scanner part of the copier and slammed the top down to crush them into powder.
He emptied an almost full bottle of vinegar cleaner by spraying it all over kingdom come.
He dumped out 2 cups of baking soda on the carpet.
He ruined my computer keyboard.
He broke the wires on the blu ray player cord so it only places if you get it pressed in just so.
He got a dvd stuck in the blu ray player so Daddy had to take the whole thing apart to get it out (this was after I tried unsuccessfully for an hour to get it out with tweezers and a spatula... which only resulted in a broken dvd)
And the pièce de résistance: He got a jar of black bean sauce out of the fridge and dumped the whole thing out on the kitchen floor. I was relieved it had been limited to one area so I quickly cleaned it up and went about trying to get my washer to work. About 15 minutes later, I walked into my bedroom to retrieve a diaper and discovered that the black bean sauce was on my walls, my floor, and my bedding.
All of that was just a week's worth of the havoc this child has wreaked.
Lord, how long is this stage of bustling destruction going to last?! I am only 30, but I already feel like I'm too old for this. The absolute cherry on top though is that since Will is working out of town, 100% of the messes are all mine to clean up; no breaks, no time off for good behavior... It's all me, all day. I don't know how the military spouses and single parents do it! It's just awful.
Sorry for the grumpy subject matter, I hope to have more positive feelings and thoughts to share with you later. But until then, good luck to me and anyone in my position!
Rachelle
He bathed himself in Nutella... literally. Covered from head to toe with liberal blobs on the floor thrown in for good measure.
He bathed himself in iced tea.
He dumped out a full spice jar of ground ginger on my couch and floor.
He took his full bowl of organic cocoa puffs and started throwing them like confetti around the living room/kitchen/dining area.
He dumped a full costco bag of tortilla chips out onto the table.
He emptied all of the soap out of my dish scrubber and onto the floor at least four times.
He emptied the soap container from the bathroom out all over the bathroom floor/wall in the hallway at least three times.
He dumped the old coffee grounds out onto the counter and started eating them.
He rips off his diapers within a minute of me putting them on him, unless I use duct tape!
He dumped cereal on the scanner part of the copier and slammed the top down to crush them into powder.
He emptied an almost full bottle of vinegar cleaner by spraying it all over kingdom come.
He dumped out 2 cups of baking soda on the carpet.
He ruined my computer keyboard.
He broke the wires on the blu ray player cord so it only places if you get it pressed in just so.
He got a dvd stuck in the blu ray player so Daddy had to take the whole thing apart to get it out (this was after I tried unsuccessfully for an hour to get it out with tweezers and a spatula... which only resulted in a broken dvd)
And the pièce de résistance: He got a jar of black bean sauce out of the fridge and dumped the whole thing out on the kitchen floor. I was relieved it had been limited to one area so I quickly cleaned it up and went about trying to get my washer to work. About 15 minutes later, I walked into my bedroom to retrieve a diaper and discovered that the black bean sauce was on my walls, my floor, and my bedding.
All of that was just a week's worth of the havoc this child has wreaked.
Lord, how long is this stage of bustling destruction going to last?! I am only 30, but I already feel like I'm too old for this. The absolute cherry on top though is that since Will is working out of town, 100% of the messes are all mine to clean up; no breaks, no time off for good behavior... It's all me, all day. I don't know how the military spouses and single parents do it! It's just awful.
Sorry for the grumpy subject matter, I hope to have more positive feelings and thoughts to share with you later. But until then, good luck to me and anyone in my position!
Rachelle
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Kidisms...
Kids truly do say the darndest things. I'm going to share with you my favorite pronunciations, hilarious comments, and precious observations from those sweet children of mine, because I can, and because a lot of these are just pure comedic gold. If you're ever in a foul mood, mosy on over here and read a couple of these kidisms and I bet you'll be giggling in no time.
General hilarity:
Skyla to Uncle Jeff: "I'm the majesty!" (She said this while turning her nose up at him and walking away. She was 3. I'm in trouble.)
Levi to me: "I have poop in my butt!" (I appreciate your honesty, son.)
Skyla to me: "Mommy! You scared me right out of the tar!" (She meant to say you scared the tar out of me, but we like her version better. We all still say it to this day.)
My dad was teasing Skyla with something and Skyla - trying very hard to be polite - put her little hand on his knee and looked into his eyes and said very seriously, "Grandpa, will you please stop being a boof?" (We all died laughing)
Skyla to Grandma: "Grandma, I feel so dramatic!"
Levi randomly throughout the year: "Ok, this is getting adicalous!" (Oh my heart!)
Skyla to me: "Mommy! Daddy won't let us enjoy Christmas!" (Will was getting the Christmas ornaments organized so we could decorate the tree and the kids were having a hard time being patient.)
Skyla to Grandpa (and anyone else who would listen): And me, and Daddy, and Levi, and Mommy are going back to Washington, but Grandpa will stay here with his grumpis wife." (I guess Mom and Dad were bickering about something beforehand and Skyla sympathized with Dad, lol.)
Levi to everyone, all the time: "No! I don't wanna do it anymore!" (This is a famous one in my family, my siblings quote it all the time whenever they're having a bad day.)
Skyla, playing with her new kitchen set from Grandpa Tim and Grandma Diane: "And for dinner, I will have fresh chicken... and a nice flag." (I guess she hadn't gone grocery shopping yet ;) She's the greatest.)
Skyla, randomly one day: "I'm gonna call Levi "Chuck" now." (Ok...)
Levi to Daddy while pointing to his rear: "Daddy, my butt lives here!" (Yes, my children sometimes say "butt" to my parent's horror.)
Skyla to me: "Mommy, you are the most beautiful mommy a mommy could ever have." (I think she meant a girl could have, but it warmed my heart nonetheless)
Whenever I corrected Levi's grammar or pronunciation he would say: "Oh, sorry about that." (He was only about 3 or so, it was precious)
I was lying on the floor and flipping the kids over with my legs and I stopped, saying that I was all out of juice (energy) so Skyla ran to the kitchen, got her juice cup off the counter and brought it to me, saying: "Here Mama, I found some juice for you!"
We were at the zoo, outside a goat pen in the petting zoo and Levi was reading his zoo map when a goat approached him and took a bite out of the map. Levi's face was devastated! He could not believe what had just happened! He looked up at me, confused and irate and said, "Mommy! That naughty goat ate my map!" (I couldn't help laughing at the poor little guy, he was just incensed at the nerve of that "naughty" goat. I hope I never forget that.)
Skyla, talking about some chocolate confection I made: "Mama, I really want to try one of those chocolate things because they're like music running through your lips when you taste them." (She was 5. I take no credit for her colorful descriptions.)
Levi had been wearing one of Skyla's bright pink purses around all day and was taking it with him for naptime, I asked him, "Why are you wearing Skyla's purse to bed, buddy?" and he replied, very seriously, "This is a hunting purse. I need it to hunt pumas." (I'm not sure why my kids refer to Mountain Lions as pumas, but I find it hilarious... almost as hilarious as a 4 year old with a bright pink hunting purse.)
Skyla, randomly one day: "I call my uncles "Unclestiltskin" and "Uncle Peanut"." (You do?)
Skyla was having a hard time being patient one day, waiting for lunch and she'd asked me about 30 times if we were making rice (and waving the box in my face) and finally, in exasperation I said if she asked for rice again she would have to go to her room. She was quiet for a minute and then came up to me and said, "Ok, after I eat my apple are you going to make me that thing I got out of the pantry?" (Very creative, Skyla.)
Skyla after getting herself a glass of water and taking a big sip: "This water is tasty! Water is better than koolaid." (I'm not gonna lie, I was a proud mommy)
We were planning a visit to Idaho and I was explaining to the kids that they needed to have an adult with them whenever they played outside because there was a mountain lion in the area and it would think they were a tasty snack. Levi put his hand on his hip and said, "I will shoot the mountain lions with my little gun." (He was referring to his little pop gun. I told him that I appreciated his bravery, but he still had to have an adult with him when he went outside, lol.)
Skyla to me: "Mommy, when we visit heaven, will God play fun games with us?" (I don't know, baby girl, I guess we'll find out.)
Levi to me, very enthusiastically: "The flower boofted with green leaves!" (I'm still not sure what he was talking about, but I find his description hilarious!)
Skyla was helping Aunt Poppy wash her car and got very soapy: "I'm so soapy I look like a car!" then she giggled and said, "Vroom, vroom!"
Me, trying to get Levi dressed and being met with much resistance: "What, you just want to be naked like a savage?" I asked, and he looked confused and insulted and said, "No, I don't want to be a naked cabbage." (Guffaw!)
Skyla, while watching Ice Age: Continental Drift: "Hey, look! She made a stink rainbow!" (It was during the part where the grandma sloth falls into the ocean and pollutes the water with her dirty fur)
Levi, randomly: "Ohhh! Dubbadear!" (He was quoting Piglet from Winnie the Pooh.)
Skyla, praying: "...And Jesus, please hide your word in our hearts and don't let Satan find it and take it out of our hearts..." (I don't think I've ever heard a 5 year old sound so wise.)
Creative pronunciations:
Moke (Milk)
Sai-you (I'm sorry)
Jagwater (Jaguar)
Grola bars (Granola bars)
Oafameal (oatmeal)
Wilburt (Charlotte's Web)
Dickey Mouse (Mickey Mouse)
Ladies and Junglemen! (Gentlemen)
Thank you really much. (very much)
Homework shoes. (slippers... Skyla calls them that because I wear them while I'm doing chores.)
Tinker bells (Jingle bells)
I try to write them down as they say them, but there have been a few that slipped away. I hope you all will document your own kidisms, too, they will love reading them years from now and you will enjoy continuous laughter from the memories. Childhood is so fleeting, we have to grab what we can before it's gone.
Rachelle
General hilarity:
Skyla to Uncle Jeff: "I'm the majesty!" (She said this while turning her nose up at him and walking away. She was 3. I'm in trouble.)
Levi to me: "I have poop in my butt!" (I appreciate your honesty, son.)
Skyla to me: "Mommy! You scared me right out of the tar!" (She meant to say you scared the tar out of me, but we like her version better. We all still say it to this day.)
My dad was teasing Skyla with something and Skyla - trying very hard to be polite - put her little hand on his knee and looked into his eyes and said very seriously, "Grandpa, will you please stop being a boof?" (We all died laughing)
Skyla to Grandma: "Grandma, I feel so dramatic!"
Levi randomly throughout the year: "Ok, this is getting adicalous!" (Oh my heart!)
Skyla to me: "Mommy! Daddy won't let us enjoy Christmas!" (Will was getting the Christmas ornaments organized so we could decorate the tree and the kids were having a hard time being patient.)
Skyla to Grandpa (and anyone else who would listen): And me, and Daddy, and Levi, and Mommy are going back to Washington, but Grandpa will stay here with his grumpis wife." (I guess Mom and Dad were bickering about something beforehand and Skyla sympathized with Dad, lol.)
Levi to everyone, all the time: "No! I don't wanna do it anymore!" (This is a famous one in my family, my siblings quote it all the time whenever they're having a bad day.)
Skyla, playing with her new kitchen set from Grandpa Tim and Grandma Diane: "And for dinner, I will have fresh chicken... and a nice flag." (I guess she hadn't gone grocery shopping yet ;) She's the greatest.)
Skyla, randomly one day: "I'm gonna call Levi "Chuck" now." (Ok...)
Levi to Daddy while pointing to his rear: "Daddy, my butt lives here!" (Yes, my children sometimes say "butt" to my parent's horror.)
Skyla to me: "Mommy, you are the most beautiful mommy a mommy could ever have." (I think she meant a girl could have, but it warmed my heart nonetheless)
Whenever I corrected Levi's grammar or pronunciation he would say: "Oh, sorry about that." (He was only about 3 or so, it was precious)
I was lying on the floor and flipping the kids over with my legs and I stopped, saying that I was all out of juice (energy) so Skyla ran to the kitchen, got her juice cup off the counter and brought it to me, saying: "Here Mama, I found some juice for you!"
We were at the zoo, outside a goat pen in the petting zoo and Levi was reading his zoo map when a goat approached him and took a bite out of the map. Levi's face was devastated! He could not believe what had just happened! He looked up at me, confused and irate and said, "Mommy! That naughty goat ate my map!" (I couldn't help laughing at the poor little guy, he was just incensed at the nerve of that "naughty" goat. I hope I never forget that.)
Skyla, talking about some chocolate confection I made: "Mama, I really want to try one of those chocolate things because they're like music running through your lips when you taste them." (She was 5. I take no credit for her colorful descriptions.)
Levi had been wearing one of Skyla's bright pink purses around all day and was taking it with him for naptime, I asked him, "Why are you wearing Skyla's purse to bed, buddy?" and he replied, very seriously, "This is a hunting purse. I need it to hunt pumas." (I'm not sure why my kids refer to Mountain Lions as pumas, but I find it hilarious... almost as hilarious as a 4 year old with a bright pink hunting purse.)
Skyla, randomly one day: "I call my uncles "Unclestiltskin" and "Uncle Peanut"." (You do?)
Skyla was having a hard time being patient one day, waiting for lunch and she'd asked me about 30 times if we were making rice (and waving the box in my face) and finally, in exasperation I said if she asked for rice again she would have to go to her room. She was quiet for a minute and then came up to me and said, "Ok, after I eat my apple are you going to make me that thing I got out of the pantry?" (Very creative, Skyla.)
Skyla after getting herself a glass of water and taking a big sip: "This water is tasty! Water is better than koolaid." (I'm not gonna lie, I was a proud mommy)
We were planning a visit to Idaho and I was explaining to the kids that they needed to have an adult with them whenever they played outside because there was a mountain lion in the area and it would think they were a tasty snack. Levi put his hand on his hip and said, "I will shoot the mountain lions with my little gun." (He was referring to his little pop gun. I told him that I appreciated his bravery, but he still had to have an adult with him when he went outside, lol.)
Skyla to me: "Mommy, when we visit heaven, will God play fun games with us?" (I don't know, baby girl, I guess we'll find out.)
Levi to me, very enthusiastically: "The flower boofted with green leaves!" (I'm still not sure what he was talking about, but I find his description hilarious!)
Skyla was helping Aunt Poppy wash her car and got very soapy: "I'm so soapy I look like a car!" then she giggled and said, "Vroom, vroom!"
Me, trying to get Levi dressed and being met with much resistance: "What, you just want to be naked like a savage?" I asked, and he looked confused and insulted and said, "No, I don't want to be a naked cabbage." (Guffaw!)
Skyla, while watching Ice Age: Continental Drift: "Hey, look! She made a stink rainbow!" (It was during the part where the grandma sloth falls into the ocean and pollutes the water with her dirty fur)
Levi, randomly: "Ohhh! Dubbadear!" (He was quoting Piglet from Winnie the Pooh.)
Skyla, praying: "...And Jesus, please hide your word in our hearts and don't let Satan find it and take it out of our hearts..." (I don't think I've ever heard a 5 year old sound so wise.)
Creative pronunciations:
Moke (Milk)
Sai-you (I'm sorry)
Jagwater (Jaguar)
Grola bars (Granola bars)
Oafameal (oatmeal)
Wilburt (Charlotte's Web)
Dickey Mouse (Mickey Mouse)
Ladies and Junglemen! (Gentlemen)
Thank you really much. (very much)
Homework shoes. (slippers... Skyla calls them that because I wear them while I'm doing chores.)
Tinker bells (Jingle bells)
I try to write them down as they say them, but there have been a few that slipped away. I hope you all will document your own kidisms, too, they will love reading them years from now and you will enjoy continuous laughter from the memories. Childhood is so fleeting, we have to grab what we can before it's gone.
Rachelle
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
A simple compliment...
Alright. So my hubby is an iron-worker. Yup, he's the guy who puts in all the rebar bones of the buildings you work in, the bridges you drive across, the water tanks that store your water (unless you're blessed with a well - totes jelly if that's the case) and various other structures I can't think of right now. In all my life, I have never met a man who works harder than my husband. And that's not a biased opinion, by the way - everyone who knows him would say the same thing. He's had Foremen fight over him numerous times because they all knew he would do the job right the first time and in record time. It is one of his best qualities and something I greatly respect in him.
Sorry, I had to gush a little. :)
Anyway, because ironworking can be unpredictable, there are certain stretches of time where the only work available is hours and hours away. We're heading into one of those long, lonely stretches right now and I've gone into survival mode.
(To all you single/military parents out there: How do you do it?! Y'all deserve a medal, in my opinion, 'cause taking care of three little ones by yourself is no joke.)
It's like when you're wounded and your body channels all your blood to your vital organs and you lose feeling in your outer extremities. Ok, that's a little dramatic, but that's how I feel when Will is working out of town, like I'm just holding my breath until Sunday. I had to facetime with my mother last night just to be able to see another adult. You can only talk about Disney movies, snake stories, one's opinion on ballerinas, and favorite bedtime stories for so long before it starts to wear on you. It's times like these that I am so grateful that I have a husband. And that he's a good one, too! Not a selfish deadbeat who doesn't care about me or our kids.
When he said goodnight to me Sunday before he left, he hugged and kissed me and said, "I love you. You have been such a good friend to me." Of course, I joked that I rather thought we were more than that at this point, but the compliment really touched me. Anyone who knows us will attest to the fact that our marriage/relationship has been one heck of ride (most of those people probably didn't think we'd make it this far, either.) I can't say that I blame them, it took a lot of pain to come to this current state of love and friendship. But it means the world to me that somehow, even after all of the negatives, Will considers me his friend. I know, I know, usually being "friend-zoned" is a very bad thing in a relationship, but in my circumstances it's beautiful. It took a lot more work to be friends in this marriage than lovers, that's for sure. To be a good friend to Will, you have to be reliable, honest, flexible and trustworthy, so really, he paid me several compliments in one. Double prizes!
My thoughts are all over the place (big surprise) but I think all I'm trying to say is that I am one lucky lady and that little comment has been tucked away, ready to keep me going when the days are long and hard to take. I hope you all will be able to find a friend in your spouse, too.
Until next time,
Rachelle
Sorry, I had to gush a little. :)
Anyway, because ironworking can be unpredictable, there are certain stretches of time where the only work available is hours and hours away. We're heading into one of those long, lonely stretches right now and I've gone into survival mode.
(To all you single/military parents out there: How do you do it?! Y'all deserve a medal, in my opinion, 'cause taking care of three little ones by yourself is no joke.)
It's like when you're wounded and your body channels all your blood to your vital organs and you lose feeling in your outer extremities. Ok, that's a little dramatic, but that's how I feel when Will is working out of town, like I'm just holding my breath until Sunday. I had to facetime with my mother last night just to be able to see another adult. You can only talk about Disney movies, snake stories, one's opinion on ballerinas, and favorite bedtime stories for so long before it starts to wear on you. It's times like these that I am so grateful that I have a husband. And that he's a good one, too! Not a selfish deadbeat who doesn't care about me or our kids.
When he said goodnight to me Sunday before he left, he hugged and kissed me and said, "I love you. You have been such a good friend to me." Of course, I joked that I rather thought we were more than that at this point, but the compliment really touched me. Anyone who knows us will attest to the fact that our marriage/relationship has been one heck of ride (most of those people probably didn't think we'd make it this far, either.) I can't say that I blame them, it took a lot of pain to come to this current state of love and friendship. But it means the world to me that somehow, even after all of the negatives, Will considers me his friend. I know, I know, usually being "friend-zoned" is a very bad thing in a relationship, but in my circumstances it's beautiful. It took a lot more work to be friends in this marriage than lovers, that's for sure. To be a good friend to Will, you have to be reliable, honest, flexible and trustworthy, so really, he paid me several compliments in one. Double prizes!
My thoughts are all over the place (big surprise) but I think all I'm trying to say is that I am one lucky lady and that little comment has been tucked away, ready to keep me going when the days are long and hard to take. I hope you all will be able to find a friend in your spouse, too.
Until next time,
Rachelle
Sunday, August 3, 2014
Dear downstairs neighbors...
I want to start this letter off by saying I am sorry. I am sorry that my three rambunctious children feel the need to leap off of furniture at 7am when you are trying to sleep. I am sorry that they sound like a herd of buffalo migrating through the Grand Tetons. I am sorry that no matter how many times my husband and I say the words, "Don't jump off the couch!" Or "Stop thumping!" my kids forget them within five minutes. We explain to each one of them on a daily basis that it is important to be courteous and mindful of you, but it is hard for them to remember such things when there are rivers of lava to be crossed, giant precipices to be leapt over, and fierce beasts to slay. I am sorry that you have the misfortune of living downstairs. I have been the downstairs neighbor myself many years ago and I remember the frustrations that came with it. You have born it well for almost two years.
I do not know how much longer either of us will live here, but I hope it's not terribly long. I hope you will be able to find a nice place somewhere without crazy children ruining your beauty sleep and I hope I can find a home with a backyard where I can send my kids to burn off energy safely and without disturbing anyone. Being kids in an apartment is hard, they want to run and jump and be wild. I take them to the park, to the zoo, to the mall, on bike rides and with me shopping, but we can only be gone for so long. I try to tire them out while we're away so it will be easier for you, but these tiny humans' super human energy never seems to to diminish! I'm at my wits' end.
I know there are many letters out there addressed to people like me, people who are viewed as public enemy number one. People who I feel are sometimes misunderstood. I know many people think I should be able to control my children... and all I can say to that is if you have any brilliant suggestions beyond the daily lectures and punishments we already administer, then be my guest. Contrary to popular belief, I do not enjoy it when my kids act out or practically cave your ceiling in from their constant rough housing. I am embarrassed. I panic when I think that all it will take is you complaining to the manager a few times before we get a little notice suggesting it's time to move on... and at this point, that would mean being homeless, as we currently don't have the funds necessary to buy or rent another house.
So dear neighbor, I beg of you, please continue to be patient. Please try to see it from my side and don't think for one moment that I'm not worried about you every single day. I promise you that I am doing my best.
Sincerely,
Rachelle
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