Public Service Announcement: 4 year old with digital camera = DANGER!

So here you finally have the post I planned that got postponed on Tuesday.

As he is walking downstairs I hear G excitedly say:

"Mommy! You. have. GOT. to. see. this!"



He continues walking into the kitchen, where I am, while saying this. He is also rather dramatic {as usual} and at the end of each word the palms of his hands are facing away from his body as if he were ordering someone to STOP!

In his hands he has his digital camera. He received it as a gift for Christmas. He thrusts the camera toward me. His laughter causes his arms to wiggle, making it difficult for me to focus on the image he finds to be so amusing.

After trying for a few moments I was unable to focus on the wiggling image, so finally I held the camera in my own hands. It's at this moment that I too burst into laughter

at

the

sight

of

this

image:

Isn't he a beautiful Princess?!

So after seeing this I became worried about other possible images that may have been captured. To say the least I was not disappointed. G's pictures continued to maintain my laughter!

Poor Brent must have really done something to get on G's bad side!

Here we have some of G's favorite buddies arranged neatly.

Didn't Pooh Bear pose so nicely for this one?

I'll leave you with my personal favorite.

At least he knows who the real Princess is in this house!

I also came across this gem as well.

That's my little performer himself!

I would like to conclued this with a warning: 

BE SURE TO MONITOR CHILDREN WITH CAMERAS!

You never know what may be documented.

Love/Hate Link Up

I love when my children have fun riding their bikes!

I hate when they get hurt.

I love going to the fair!

*check out the name of the boat!

I hate spending an arm and a leg to enjoy the fair.

I love when my mom comes to visit!

I hate having to attend workshops while she's here.

I love the ice cream my boys make!

I hate waiting to eat the ice cream.

I'm linking up with Noel today.

How I spent $180.00 in under 3 hours

Wow, it's been a long couple of days. I originally had another post planned, but then life happened and that post is being put on the back burner for now.

Sunday night Brent and B went for a bike ride while I fed Baby M. They returned shortly after the ride began because B fell off of his bike. As Brent carried him into the house B seemed to be very calm, which I thought was slightly odd.

Brent cleaned him up and they both changed clothes.  B scraped his nose, chin, and knee.  He had a fat lip and chipped one of his teeth. The kid has 2 adult teeth and of course he would have to chip 1 of the 2 adult teeth!

After everyone was cleaned up, calmed down, and fed we were sitting on the porch, as we do some evenings.  We discovered through conversation that something seemed to be off with B. His memory appeared to have some gaps. For example, he wasn't able to recall that we had been at the pool earlier in the day. He also didn't remember how a new chair (G bought it from a garage sale on Saturday) made its way onto the porch.

Now, sometimes B likes to play the 'I forgot game' so it was tricky trying to distinguish between his playing and reality. Eventually, I called the pediatricians office. They encouraged me to watch for vomiting, dizziness, and headaches. B did not complain about any of these symptoms. I had B sleep on the floor in our room for the night just to be sure he didn't vomit during the night.

On Monday morning he woke up and seemed to be himself. I noticed that he was limping a little so I asked him why he was walking funny. He told me it was because he had a scratch on his knee. I paused for a few moments trying to see if he would elaborate about the scratch or not.  He went on to tell me that he had a scratch on his chin, lip, and nose.



Finally, I said, "You fell off of your bike yesterday. Do you remember this?" He said, "Oh that's where I got all of these scratches from then." I became worried at this point because it was very obvious that he had no clue where the scratches came from.

Again, I called the pediatricians office. I was encouraged to take him to the ER. Brent met us at home and all 5 of us traveled to the ER. Before leaving I did manage to pack snacks, drinks, and toys. Brent, G, and Baby M stayed in the waiting room. B and I went to another waiting room and were eventually taken to a small room to . . . wait.

After reading 2 books, playing both War and Go Fish 2 times, and playing 1 round of a picture game we were on our way. The ER doctor agreed that he had a pretty nasty fall, but explained that having him go through a head scan would expose him to radiation and could cause damage to his corneas. Basically, the bad outweighed the good. He also told us that some short term memory loss after a head injury is normal. B may not remember the injury, ever. Other missing pieces of information such as his birthday and the months of the year should return. If they don't I'm to contact the doctor again.

So after waiting for 2 1/2 hours, forking out $150.00 for the co-pay, and $30.00 for a new helmet (the old helmet had a chunk taken out of it during the fall) we all went home to rest! These kids should come with some kind of warranty or owner’s manual or something!

Do You know?

Do you know when I say, that's fine

       It's really not


Do you know when I say, please, that's enough

       I need you to stop and listen to my words


Do you know that I don't want to argue with you
  
      When I do it's because I am exploding with frustration


Do you know that when I do explode at you

        I spend days apologizing to you in my head


Do you know when I say, I've had enough

      I'm falling apart inside

Do you know when you don't share in my excitement
 
      I feel guilty for being happy


Do you know that I hide things from you

      It's easier to hide than to hear your disapproval 


Do you know I long to have the relationship with you that I see others have

       I feel so alone


Do you know that I don't understand why you are so excited about the accomplishments of others

       It's like mine are never enough for you


Do you know when you repeatedly tell stories of mistakes I made in the past
   
       Inside, I break a little each time


Do you know that each time you're late

      I feel as if I'm not your priority


Do you know when you laugh at my reactions and responses

      It's tells me that you don't value me or my thoughts


Do you know why I don't ask you for help

      You think your way is the only way and I'm wrong if I don't agree


Do you know that we don't always have to agree

       I still respect you and your opinion
      

Do you know that I want to fix things
  
     I just don't know how

Zoo, Where Are You? - Read. Learn. Explore Link up

Zoo, Where Are You? written by Ann McGovern

It is about a little boy named, Josh, who doesn't have a zoo near his town.  He decides he is going to make a zoo of his own.  He grabs a few essentials and heads out to look around his neighborhood for animals to create a zoo of his own.

As he searches for his zoo he imagines types of animals that he can find in specific locations.  When he actually arrives at the locations he doesn't find animals, but he does find other 'treasures'.  He brings the treasures home to share with his mom.  They discuss his, beautiful junk, and he sets out to find more.  

At the end of the story he comes to the conclusion that despite the fact that he wasn't able to find animals for his zoo, he created a different type of zoo.  He created a zoo full of junk.  Josh determined his zoo full of junk to be better  than any zoo with animals because he doesn't have to cage the zoo, feed or water it, or keep it happy.  He can just look at it and enjoy it.

This was one of my favorite books to read as a child.  As you can tell from the cover it has seen its better days.  My mom got it from a library sale when they were getting rid of old books.  I used to LOVE reading it over and over with her.  Reading it with my boy and recalling how much I enjoyed the book made our reading time even more special.

After reading the story B, G, Baby M, and I set out to make a zoo of our own!

First, we made Wild Animal Catching Bags

We used white paper sacks and foam stickers to decorate them.  G was very excited to do this project (he's 4) and put quite a few stickers on the bag.  B (he's 6), on the other hand, was content to simply write his name on the bag and call it a day.  He did write his first, middle, and last names, so at least he was working on his hand writing!

*You could also use markers, crayons, and glue small items onto the bags.  I offered these items to the boys, but they didn't want to use them.  I think they were ready to get outside.

Next, we grabbed our Wild Animal Catching Bags and set out on a walk (#2 on our activity list) in search of our Zoo

As we searched we sang, Zoo, Zoo, Where Are You Zoo, just as Josh did in the story.

Along our search we came to the pond first.  We found some geese.  B and G didn't think it would be a very good idea to put geese in the bags so we just stopped to look at them.

On the way back up the hill B found a pine cone to put in his bag.

As we continued G found some flowers that he really liked.  He was pretty bummed when I explained that he couldn't put the whole flower in the bag.  Luckily, my suggestion of a petal from the ground seemed to appease him!

I'm certain that the entire neighborhood heard the excitement in G's voice as he exclaimed "Look Mommy!  I found a wishing flower!"  If you couldn't tell, he LOVES flowers, especially dandelions, or dam lions, as he says.

After we finished collecting our things we headed home.  Once we got home we dumped out our collections of junk and shared them.

I'm not as cool as Josh's mom.  She let just dump his junk on the kitchen table.  I made my boys dump their junk on paper towel.  I have to be honest I wasn't really thrilled with having all of that on the table that we eat on.  Oh well, they loved it and that's what's important!

Last week we read and did activities with Pig Kahuna.  Check it out for more reading fun activities.

I'm linking up to Read.Explore.Learn today with Deirdre.

Outside Things

It's Summer time so we must go outside!  Here are some simple outside activities we have done:

#  19 Water Bottle Spray Art




I mixed food coloring and water together in a spray bottle that I picked up at The Dollar Spot at Target. 

We spray painted on some paper with the mixture.

#  25 Water Flowers

These watering cans were another good Dollar Spot find!  I just realized that a lot of this post seems to be about Target . . . hmmm does this mean I go there too often?                              

B is able to reach the hanging plants on the porch with the help of a stool . . .                

G waters the plants in front of the porch where he is able to easily reach them . . .                    

Baby M loves to watch her big brothers!

# 5 Blowing Bubbles

                                                              

Blowing bubbles is one of those activities that has so many options.  For example : You could blow the bubbles and then . . .                                                                   

run after them and try to catch them or pop them

  

Or try to have a contest to see who can make the biggest bubble                                                      

Or dance and chase the bubbles with a teddy bear

  

Or laugh at your brothers for being so silly    and . . .

                                                             

chew on your toes!

Memories Captured Link Up : This I Promise You

36 weeks pregnant, 2 weeks before Baby M was born

While you've only been here for 6 short months, we've got this bond, you and I.  We have this closeness that's hard to describe.  It just seems as if you know what I'm thinking.

Even from within, you were able to read my mind. You knew when I worried about you. You found your own way to communicate with me. Your gentle kicks always told me you were just fine and to stop worrying.

Well Baby Girl, I can promise many things to you as we travel along our journey, but not to worry well that just comes with the Mommy territory.

1 month old

Each day I see you grow before my eyes. I can hardly believe how quickly you have changed.  As you grow your needs will change. Even when I struggle with your growth I will put my own feelings aside and be there for you, this I promise you.

 2 months old

I will treasure each smile we share as we continue with our journey together.  I will smile with you often and listen to you always, this I promise you.

3 months old

With each passing day you're learning more and more.  I will celebrate your triumphs and comfort you in your disappointment, this I promise you.

4 months old

Sometimes you may struggle to make the correct decisions.  I will help you to learn from your mistakes and not continue to remind you of them, this I promise you.

5 months old

I'll be the first in line to pat you on the back when you accomplish your goals.  Some may take a little longer than others, but I'll help you to be patient, this I promise you.

6 months old

When you're confused along the way, I'll listen to your worries and help to guide you, this I promise you.

Keep growing and being healthy little girl.  I look forward to seeing who you will become, just don't be in too much of a hurry.

Mommy Loves you!

I'm linking with  Alison and Galit today.

Summer Activity List Check off

I began the summer all excited to spend time with my kids.  I was looking forward to not following a schedule or needing to be somewhere at a specific time.  I loved the thought of not waking up at 4:30 or having paper work to complete.

Last week I began to get down on myself a little, because, well to put it honestly, things were just not going as I imagined.  For some crazy unexplainable reason I thought I would be able to do all of these fun things with my kids, have a little me time, take naps here and there, and maintain the cleanliness of my home. 

Ok, ok, you all can stop laughing at me now . . . I know I'm nuts.  I tend to bite off more than I can chew, frequently!  I think I do this for a few reasons.  First of all, during the school year I often feel as if I have to put my family on the side burner, in order to maintain things in my classroom.  Second of all, I feel as if I have to justify being home so I need to do some kind of 'work'.

Well this week I decided to throw caution to the wind and say the heck with what I'm 'supposed' to be doing.  I'm going to do what my kids and I want to do!  We have done some of the things on the list, but not as much as I thought we would have done by now (beginning week 4 of summer break).  I mean we did create this list of tasks to accomplish throughout the summer.  It was created so that I would hold myself accountable for accomplishing tasks and to provide my kids with some kind of fun over the summer.

So here we go with items to check off of our Summer Activity List:

Item #30:  Dance to the Radio

I really wish I would have had my phone or the video camera within reach for this one.  It was too funny watching G shake his booty to Radio Disney as he danced in front of the fan.

It's these spur of the moment unplanned events that are often the most enjoyable.  He is so random and ALWAYS performing!  There are often time when we are trying to 'calm' his inner diva.  Today he had the perfect opportunity to shine.

Item # 10 Play in the pool in the yard

Ok so B and G may have dragged out like every toy from the garage to play in the pool, but whateva.  They had fun.  B thought he was pretty cool when he figured out how to scoop up water into the noodle and the squirt it out by blowing on the other end.  He's my thinker.  He's always trying to invent new things.

He also used his new found trick to cool himself off.

Like a good brother he taught his little brother how to squirt the water, too.

They made a new discovery today.  Not only does water make the color of sidewalk chalk darker, but it makes it the puddles of water colorful! 

How cool is that? They were simply playing and having a discussion and came to a conclusion about what water can do. Wow, wonder what science standards that meets?! (Sorry for the teacher sarcasm there. I just couldn't resist!)

                                                   *Added bonus = Mommy got some sun too!


I'm looking forward to some more check offs tomorrow!

Father's Day FAIL

For the most part I'd describe myself as a fairly organized person.  Some (Brent) may even  refer to me as OCD, but I don't think I'd go that far.

I had been planning Brent's Father's Day present for awhile.  I decided that we would buy him an ice cream maker, some of those cool freezer mugs (to replace the old ones), and Baby M would make him a stepping stone to match the stepping stones both B and G made previously.  On Sunday morning we would bring him breakfast in bed.  For lunch we could go downtown to the canal and have a picnic lunch.  Finally, for dinner we would let him choose where he wanted to eat.

When I began my search, in May, for the ice cream maker I came across several at Walmart.  I thought they would go on sale closer to Father's Day.  I really should know better.  You would think that I would just buy something when I see it considering previous bad luck that I have experienced.

As for the freezer mugs, well I thought I could get those anywhere.  I mean when we bought the old ones (8 years ago) it seemed as if everywhere we shopped had them.  So I thought no big deal.  I'll just pick them up when we're out somewhere and even let B and G choose them.

Finally, the stepping stone, which I was going to make for the grandpas too, that was just pure laziness on my end.  I knew we had some materials left from when I had made them before, but I wasn't sure which materials we still had.  The thought of taking all 3 kids to a craft store on my own to purchase the materials seemed so tiring (I know terrible wife move here)!

Here's how it all went down:

Friday night I told Brent I was going grocery shopping (which I really was doing).  After going to 4 stores I was not able to find an ice cream maker or the freezer mugs!  At this point I began to panic.  It's Friday night I thought to myself . . . you don't have time to whip much together, not to mention it's the weekend and he's not at work, he's home!

As we were going to bed Friday night Brent and I were talking about what we were going to do to get out of the house on Saturday.  The roof on our house had hail damage so it was being replaced Saturday.  The repairmen were to begin at 6:30.  So out of nowhere my mouth just started talking.  Without realizing what I was saying I said: "well we wanted to get you an ice cream maker, but your terrible wife didn't get off her lazy rear-end until tonight and after 4 stores I gave up.  I was thinking maybe you'd like to pick out the one you want anyway."

On Saturday we all got up early.  It's a little difficult to sleep when there's pounding above your head.  Brent did pick out his ice cream maker and we got him some mugs too.  The kids didn't get naps and we went to bed late.  Everyone slept in on Sunday morning.

It was nice to sleep in, but this kind of messed up the breakfast in bed plan.  We moved onto Plan B, let Daddy choose where he wants to eat breakfast.  With a little help from B, Brent chose Dunkin' Donuts.  After breakfast Brent suggested going to the pool (so much for the canal downtown). 

Brent did choose where we ate dinner (Yay!  We stuck to one part of the plan).  He chose BJ's Brew House.  My order was messed up and we had to wait an extremely long time (like everyone was able to finish their dinner) for my meal to come.  It was just an accident and the manager made it right.

Brent and the boys finished the evening by making ice cream together!

While things didn't go quite as planned, we did spend time together and enjoy our time as a family.  In the end that's the most important thing.

Happy Father's Day!