Cry Baby

Zack and Ben have the same conversation every day in the car pick up line at Eric and Mark's school. It goes a little something like this, though often the roles are reversed.

Z: Baby Cry Baby
B: You think I'm cryin'?
Z: You cryin' a hundred times now!"
B: Be quiet Zack.*

Always the same words. Often, they'll go through the dialogue, only to repeat it immediately with the speakers changing places. It's almost like a skit they are performing. Or, I guess rehearsing due to the repetitiveness involved.

It has evolved from something much more annoying...


Z: Baby Cry Baby
B: Wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, MOMMMMMMMMYYYYY, Zack called me a baby cry baby. **

I pretty much ignore this whole interaction since it occurs so many times in the 20 minutes we sit in the car line.*** I try to read my book and feign disinterest, only intervening when it escalates into full fledged screaming or saying things I don't approve of (see footnotes.)

* Ok fine, usually it's Shut UP Zack, which is totally NOT okay with me. When I hear that going on I'll interject a "boys we don't talk like that, use nice words please." Which let me tell you, that is just stupid because it does absolutely nothing.

** I'm a really bad person and find it increasingly hard not to say "Well, you ARE crying aren't you?" Luckily this new version, as I said, is more of a comedy act than a true sibling altercation so most of the time there is no actual crying involved.

*** I have to admit that if this had been the older boys I would have been much more inclined to try to figure out exactly how exactly to stop this atrocious behavior. Now, I just want to read my book people, and at least they are talking to each other.

From the past 1

I literally just clicked on 2009, then randomly chose the month of April. I saw this post and knew it must be the first From the Past installment. Will there be future installments? Who knows.

Copied and pasted version. I really love this little story because it's something I would have vaguely remembered but not in such detail. And it totally captures Mark's creativity. I kind of miss the super spy stage.

Super Spy Mark

Mark is a super spy. Make no mistake, he's not pretending to be a super spy. He really is! It's very exciting! " Today Mark is getting rocket shoes and a helping hand." He has found another super spy at school that he gets his gadgets from and teaching all the tricks any super spy needs to know.Some things you will find interesting about super spies...

1. Super spies do not do chores.

2. Super spies have powers

.3. He *might* "rocket home" from school in his rocket shoes tomorrow. (Must remember to tell my friend who picks the boys up.)

4. Super spies have many gadgets. Mark's gadgets include an invisible Ipod, power, invisible lasers. That's all he has so far, but he plans to get many many more gadgets.

5. Super spies also read over my shoulder while I'm blogging this and inform me of typos. This must mean they are really very smart!

Apparently, this topic is hot hot hot at kindergarten. I did inform Super Spy Mark that he needs to talk about this at recess or other free time, and not while his teacher is teaching. I'm pretty sure Super Spies have to learn about reading and math too.

* sentence that is quoted came straight from Mark's mouth, thought I should give him credit for that line.
*Zack is now telling me that he too is a super spy. He has flying power.
*Also we really must find a way around item 1. Because, no.
*I keep adding to this post because, frankly I find this hilarious. Although I have moments of wondering if he in fact is going to get to school today and NOT get rocket shoes & be very disappointed. He said something to the affect of I hope S really gives me my rocket shoes today. Also, this morning he was asking me everyones shoe sizes. So, I tried to gently tell him that the rocket shoes might be "Invisible" like his Ipod, and he said quite seriously. "Mom, you know the Ipod IS real."
So, not sure what to make of this except to find it so extremely funny.

The Only GOOD Thing About Spam

In 3 (ish) years of blogging, I've not really had a problem with spam. Until recently that is.

There is the lovely Asian Character spam, wherein if you click the link of the commenter's name, you may be routed to something you really don't want to see. (Trust me, don't click it.) Then there's the lengthy paragraphs having nothing to do with the post, or anything else for that matter. Usually containing a link which I refuse to click. And then there are the "anonymous" posts telling me how GREAT my blog is. These too, often contain a link. Although, sometimes they don't, but the way they are worded it is clearly spam. Maybe these are the remedial spammers I don't know.

The only good thing (besides the fact that I can just delete those annoying things) is that mostly they are on old posts, and I have it set to moderate comments on posts longer than two weeks (thank to my smart friend Shanna for letting me know I could do that!) So, not only do I ignore them before they ever get to the blog, I have been reading some of my older posts (some of them a LOT older.) From the times when I used to actually blog regularly. It's fun to go back and do that, except I don't do it very often.

I'm finding some of the older posts quite humorous. Reading about stuff that I have completely forgotten about, and just laughing hysterically at the antics my little ones pull. So, maybe I'll dig up some of them and link you. Or with as inconsistent as I am with blogging lately, maybe not... but as in many things in life I try to look for the positive.. and if you have to find something positive about SPAM, then that's about all there is!

Quiet Does Not =Being Good

When it comes to kids, quiet is not synonymous with behaving. I fall prey to this error more than I'd like to admit. Which is ridiculous because I should know by now, that in the preschool set especially, quiet= mischief.

Thankfully, I was listening in spite of myself. Zack and Ben were playing in the front room and I happened to overhear, "It's going to be a really wet ride."

Huh... wonder what they mean... fish tank ... (my thoughts aren't always in complete sentences. Should they be?)

I ran in and sure enough they had the lid off the fish tank. And the car they had been playing with was floating toward the top.

Sorry fish. I'm truly sorry.

Must.Stop.Doing.This

I must confess it makes me irritable when people say "You'll miss this phase someday." Usually because it makes me feel guilty for complaining about something annoying one of the kids have done. Also because sometimes I just want to say "REALLY? Am I?? Because something inside me can't believe I'm going to miss my child Houdini-ing his way out of the shopping cart seatbelt no matter how tight I get it. I don't think I'll miss tantrum after tantrum and meltdown after meltdown.

I do understand the sentiment of the phrase, because there are definitely parts of this stage that I will miss. And I feel like I have a pretty good handle on taking the bad with the good, and keeping things in perspective. So, sometimes, if I just need to vent about some kind of insanity the kids have done, the last thing I want to hear is "you'll miss this someday."

That said, I've been daydreaming lately about next school year. Dropping three kids off all at one time at one school just thrills my soul. Because as much as I adore everything about Zack being in preschool... he's learning so much, he loves his teachers and friends, I get three hours a day with just ONE kid at home (and usually he naps!)... the current drop off/pickup schedule is a little draining. Yesterday, once I finished that daydream I skipped ahead one more year to when Ben will be in preschool, and even with the crazy schedule of dropping off and picking up, I will be alone during the day for the first time in almost 8 years. And how nice it will be to be able to go volunteer in school, or eat lunch with the kids any time I want. How I could exercise during the day without worrying someone will do something ridiculous. How my house might stay clean for just a while (you know, until the kids come home.)

Then I snapped back to reality, and thought "slow down girl!!" I need to slow down a little and enjoy the time I have with the little guys before they head off to school. I can't help but look forward to those days, but I need to not be in such a hurry to get there. Because, I kind of suspect I'll miss them.

Raised by Wolves?

My youngest is a bit of a wild child. He's the one who has caused me grief by escaping the house (when he wasn't even two yet), he's hid from me in the playroom toybox, in the pantry. He likes to dump the dirt out of my patio planters. He's just one of those always into things kids that keep their Mommies on their toes.

Recently, he's adopted a behavior that has me puzzled. He jumps like a frog. Only instead of saying "ribbit" he's a puppy and his leaps are impressive in both height and distance. I've never seen a kid jump like that.

So, raised by wolves is clearly a joke, but I do wonder about this wild side of his.

Coming Home

Kevin and I went on a vacation just us this last week. It was amazing, and surreal, and to be perfectly honest, just something we needed. We are so thankful that we were able to go.

Coming home was a little overwhelming. I was so excited to see the kids and then shortly after it was back to normal.

Today was the first day back to school and I almost felt like I didn't know what to do anymore. It was my first day taking them since December 22nd. I muddled through and at the end of the day I feel like Mommy again.

And, while the break was incredible, that feeling was the best!

I plan to blog about my trip... but it all feels overwhelming, so it will come a little at a time.