Spiderman

We are friends with Spiderman, didn't you know?

Just kidding...he came to town to talk about being a "Buddy, not a Bully" in April, I think, for Child Abuse Prevention Month. I have neglected writing this post since then because it is a very touchy subject. There were many parents who seemed a little put off by Spidey talking about very sensitive subjects such as abuse and what to do. Of course dealing with bullies their own age is tough, but the lines there are more clear cut than abuse by a trusted adult. I think Spidey did a great job explaining to kids about physical, emotional and sexual abuse, but he only opened the door for an ongoing conversation between parents and children.

Spidey says...say "NO...GO...TELL" Simple thing for kids to remember.

I have been spending a lot of time in waiting rooms lately and have read quite a few magazine articles. One thing I read that has really stuck in my head is about kidnapping. It said something like most kidnappings are done by someone the child knows(I am assuming vaguely knows.) What the magazine recommended you teach your child to do is always tell someone they have to ask their mom before they go anywhere, no matter who it is or where. I had this conversation with Son yesterday(after seeing something on tv.) I used myself as an example and said that Mommy and Daddy always let each other know where we are going for safety so we know the other one is ok, he needs to as well. Even if he sees a school friend when we are at the park and they need to go to the bathroom, he should ask Mommy first so that I know where he is and that he is ok. Son is very into superheroes and has been saying things like when he gets older he will fight the strangers and things like that. I am still straightening that one out, but he is aware of the danger of strangers. He has known about not talking to strangers for a long time. I think that part of things is drilled into kids' heads, but how do you teach them not to trust someone they may kind of know? Or think they know well? This scares me so badly that I have to find a way to protect my children. I don't want them scared of everyone and everything, but I don't want them to be victims. So I am going to talk about these ugly things with them in an effort to educate and protect them. Thank goodness I have Spiderman on my side!

Just for you...and a request

I have been reorganizing lately. My house, my blogs, my life. I need structure. And less clutter. Simpler life=easier to keep up with? Maybe? So now you have categories on both this and my recipe blog to click on. But please don't ask me how long it takes to reorganize. A detail-oriented person such as myself cannot rest until every detail is finished, so it is a painstaking process at times. Hint:Part of my non-New Years Resolution. But now that my crafting buttons are organized by style, color, and size...(just kidding) life can go on.
So now, what was that silly post about the panties? Click "silly" and there you have it. You're welcome.

But now...I have a request. I have been rethinking my goals lately. What should I be when I grow up? I have been thinking about writing a book. My original plan for my life was to marry my Handsome Prince and teach Private Music lessons, so I majored in Music in college. But I don't think I really am destined in my heart to be a teacher. Now I still could teach lessons, but I was thinking about going back to school to be a school psychologist. Then I could still be off summer vacation and holidays with my kids, but don't have to be a teacher. And I would make more money, which is obviously a factor. Or I could become a famous musician. What do you think I should do? I love being a stay at home mom, and am committed to being one until both my children are in school. That is my goal, first and foremost. But I am a planner, and I want to start planning for what I want to be when I grow up, too. Big problem: I am indecisive.

Happy lunchtime...

Hi Honey,
Hope you're having a great day! I am excited for the plans tonight, I hope you get a chance to relax a bit. Thanks for climbing up on the roof yesterday, I can really feel the difference today. I appreciate you so much and everything you do. It was so nice giggling and teasing with you last night, we should turn in that early more often. Love you more than a cheese sandwich.

Hi, Honey!

I am a horrible texter. If I have ever sent you a text message, you probably already knew that. Between my run-on sentences, colorful adjectives, and my stubborn refusal to learn the language( b4, 2nite, etc.) my texts usually get broken up into 2 or 3 if I don't catch it first. If I do catch it first, I have to then edit down to 160 characters, which is torture for a detail-loving girl like me. So texters beware....
I like to send an occasional sweet surprise text to my sweet husband wishing him a safe trip to or from work(it's a long one) or just to have a great day as his beautiful and loving, sweet wife pines for him at home. Unfortunately, I have a tendency to wax poetic, and there is only so much I can do with a mere 160 characters. And "I love you" can be as exciting as a cheese sandwich when it is repeated exactly the same day after day after day...(did you see that movie?)
So I know that my husband reads my blog. Some of my posts are geared for him especially to lift him up a little on his lunch break(or so the romantic in me hopes)So this part is for you, Luis: This is what I would send as a text if I wasn't limited by space.
Thanks for being such a hard worker. I missed you this morning when you left exxxtra early, but I know it is for me and the kids that you are working so hard. I am grateful you have a job to go to! You provide so well for us, and all by yourself. That is a very difficult thing to do, especially in this day and age. I look forward to being more of a contributor in that area, but thanks for bringing home the bacon! I can't wait to see you tonight and will cook you whatever you want and spoil you rotten because you deserve it. I think of you constantly and hope you are having a great day! I love you more than a cheese sandwich. The end.
PS I hope you are eating a healthy lunch. The end for real this time.

99 pictures

 Son had his uncle J and cousin B over for a couple nights' sleepover and Son went crazy with the camera the first night. Boys will be boys. I deleted all the ones of the ceiling, the floor, Son's foot, etc. and here are some of the ones I came up with:

That is not my child.
Look, Mom, photographic evidence that J brushed his teeth before bed... And B flossed...

It was a long weekend, but I am, as always, focusing on the positives. Someday I will look back and laugh about the time my bedroom window got broken by a football, but for now...silly pictures. Son loves his dear cousin and uncle so much, as you can tell.

And I am going to heaven for sure... just look at the halo around my head.

Happy Summer!

Son got a Hulk Slip-n-Slide for Christmas last year. He saw it in the store and was excited, it was on super-duper clearance(being 6 months out of season) so we slipped it under the tree for him. And the waiting commenced.

He has been ever so patient for a hot enough(and not too busy) day to finally set it up.

Today...was the day.

Hello, my name is Daughter. My mother has not yet combed my hair today, but I am still rockin' it for the camera!

Down a peg(or two)

I love taking my kids to the grocery store.
I usually pack a mini box of raisins, today it was fruit snacks, for them and let them ooh and aah as we shop. We stop to look at the lobsters and say hello on our way...I love it. Today Son lost his fruit snacks by the time we got to the carts. For once the store was not out of the car carts, so we loaded up into a red one and headed oh so patiently back to the car to retrieve them. As we walked I thought smugly to myself what a brave and patient mom I was, what other mom on earth actually looks forward to a trip to the grocery store with their kids? What a nice day....

The fruit snacks were not in the car.

Panic ensued. A search party was assembled. It failed miserably.

Patient still...then the climbing started(the seatbelts on the red car were broken) and the screaming resumed in the middle of the produce aisle while Daddy called on the cell. Great.
Eventually we got settled down enough to get the rest of our list and get to the checkout, where a couple of us came down with a bad case of the octopus grab-hands. This can be deadly, people. Serious. I think one of us gritted her teeth so hard she may have damaged a filling in her effort to maintain composure. The employees felt so sorry for us that they didn't even ask if we wanted help to our car, they just took the cart and went. That, right there, is my instant punishment for patting myself on the back for my mothering skills. By the way, in case you read my slightly smug money post a couple posts ago, I went a little over budget this trip, too. I'm blaming it on the kids. Ah, heck, it's probably my punishment for that post, too. Don't panic, L, it wasn't by much :).

Already? She's Two? But She's So Little...

I don't consider myself much of a procrastinator, but when there is a huge event and tons of pictures from it to be sorted through, I must confess I did procrastinate this one.

Daughter's birthday party.

I am a big fan of psychoanalyzing myself. I think maybe I was putting this one off because I don't want to acknowledge how old she is getting. Even if she's not getting too much bigger. Or maybe I'm just in denial about being a procrastinator.

She looooves the grape lip gloss. Oh yeah. She had to apply a grape sized amount to her lips and cheek area(or until the pot was empty, whichever came first.)Son helped blow out the candles. Mother Nature did too. She actually helped them be very difficult to light as well.
I made this cake for her with my own two hands. I am not a particularly talented cake decorator, and I don't have the right(or quality) utensils for the job, so it was much more difficult and time consuming than it should have been. But it is important to me that I do these homemade special things for my kids. They can look back and see the slightly imperfect cake that Mommy made, but it was made with love. And I think that was probably the only thing holding this cake together. Love. I don't have much energy these days, making this cake felt like maybe running a marathon, but it was the one special thing I wanted to do for her that I hope she will remember forever. Let's get real, though. She's two. So we took lots of pictures.