Don't you love the days when things go right. I'm not talking about those big-we-got-a-new-fill in the blank days. Just the simple days when good things happen and you have the presence of mind to drink it in. I had one of those recently. It started out with a good nap from my little Mite. This is no small miracle, as last weekend he learned how to climb out of the crib. So The Prof and I took an hour out of the afternoon to assemble the "no tools required" netting to contain him. Well, no tools were required, but it would have helped if they labeled the thing with front and back, so we didn't have to do it twice while Jack Be Nimble was busy perfecting his in and out routine. Now that it is together I recognize this as THE baby toy I wanted 4 babies ago, the one I wish my Mom could have had. So now he is napping away. So I got busy with the peaches from the tree in our yard (our house is not without it's perk). Since we don't spray, they get a bit buggy. So many just get skinned and diced up for pies and the freezer. I dunk them in hot water for a couple minutes and then in cool to help get the skins off. Then I made a pie and tucked it in the over. Don't I feel June Cleaverish.

So much so that I want to tackle the garden today. I'm not much of a gardener, flower or vegetable. But my hope is to eventually have a colorful perennial garden. Reality is that my back bed has been ignored in favor of pouring my limited attention to the front bed. Don't even talk to me about our weed Field where others would grow grass. It is so bad it has embarrassed Half Buck since he was 9. Anyway, the garbage can didn't have much in it. So Buck and I hauled it out back and he willingly helped me weed and pick up for half an hour. Two Bits joined in when I offered him the little clipper to dead head the flowers. Of course he cleared a whole big patch down to the ground. But he liked those clippers. After a little more training, he was dead heading the front beds too. So the garbage is filled to the brim, the weeds are less monstrous, Two Bits glasses bill is diminishing and it is time to have some fun now.

I think the best part of it for me was helping Cents learn to Jump Rope. The Prof and I went out with the new rope and Two Bits and Mite. Two Bits jumps like a pro and wants to learn to double dutch. Apparently Grandma Buck used to jump double dutch, but I never saw this. Of course Mite wanted to get into this act with helping twirl the rope, trying to jump. Have you ever seen a toddle try to get airborn? It is so funny. Gravity has a firm grasp on this little tyke, so he wasn't getting much about the rope lying on the ground. Eventually we distracted him enough to let Cents give it a go. Seeing her face shine when she finally got it was so fun. All the songs and chants for jumping rope are struggling to come back. So leave me a comment if you remember some for me.

The Jumbo Gyppy

We had a family reunion recently and had such fun. It was basically just the 11 kids, spouses, and grand kids with my Dad at the park. But it was our park, across the street. Only our park has grown up too and looks nothing like we remembered. I'm telling you it went in for the tummy tuck, the face lift and the nose job. The playground, the pool, the building, the tennis courts had all been completely ripped out and rebuild. Looking back across the street to our house and neighbors the transformations was about as remarkable. I grew up on a cookie cutter street where 8 out of 10 houses were the same. Now they had different porches, siding and windows and didn't match my memories. All but one had been updated. So three things looked the same on that side of the street: The Macks, our birch trees, and the fire hydrants. But it is still sitting across the street from the old homestead. Dad likes to call that the orphanage.

During our cloudy and sprinkling off and on reunion we heard the ice cream truck go by the orphanage and a whole set of stories came out. According to my dad, one day a man asked to park in front of the house and was a bit apologetic about it. To be nice he offered to buy ice cream for the kids. So my dad smiled and said sure. He called into the house and out popped 11 kids who had just been offered free ice cream. Now that is expensive parking. Sister Mary 1 was recalling how the truck used to be a Jumbo Ice cream truck, and my Dad thought it was a gyp. So they became the Jumbo Gyppy in my family. I don't really remember calling it that. But all memories are not shared as the generations move through a big family. As one of the littles, I can remember talking an older sister or brother into treating or talking Mom into opening her mad money purse in the kitchen cabinet to splurge on ice cream. I do remember begging to work with the ice cream man and riding with another friend in the back and fetching the ice cream for half a day or something that approximated an eternity. I was cured of work for quite awhile after that.

I suppose I will share one more Ice Cream Truck story. My kids once heard one coming and began the begging for money. Now with 5 kids, we don't always have a lot of cash to spare. In fact, why do the kids now always have more cash than I do? But this was before all that. So I simply told my little Buck and Half Buck that when the music was playing, they were out of icecream. Horrible I know. Thankfully they've forgotten. But God bless the sister that won't let me live it down : )

Crime and Punishment

I have been blessed with ample opportunities to discipline some kiddos over here lately and the creative juices must be flowing that direction. It is so tricky with these older boys to figure out what would be a consequence that doesn't punish me so much either. Of course I can remember my mom finding work for kids who couldn't get along, and I was usually part of that crowd. So here is a sampling of this weeks crimes and punishments:

Half Buck was asked to watch Mite at the library for 5 minutes while I helped Cents and Two Bits choose books. The problem was we had one of his rat pack along. So not cool to watch a baby bro. So they didn't. When I returned in 3 minutes because mommy radar was in high alert, there was no baby bro to be seen. After glancing around we saw all kinds of commotion in between the double doors out of the library and Mite was being shepherded back inside by a librarian. Should I say Media Specialist? Hot Mama, but first to reclaim my escapee. Hmmmm, really want to take that friend right on home, but why punish him. So I let Half Buck know his day was coming. Later I gave him the option of: a week without friends or 2 babysitting gigs without any monetary compensation. Guess what he chose? Boy was it fun to wake him at 7:30 am for his first sitting job : )

I took Buck and Half Buck to Harry Potter 6 this week. I have broken my unwritten rule of you have to read it first. It just isn't happening with my firstborn. I feel this failure keenly. I still hold out hope of a late in life conversion to the love of books, but game systems have come between him and the written word. Alas. The movie was pretty good and pretty long and we found ourselves stopping at past 11 at Meijer. I know this is crazy, but Finish Dish Detergent was Free with coupons and it was the last day of the sale and we had been at the lake all week. It was a now or never kind a deal (Okay, I know you are all thinking I'm nuts, but it was free Finish Detergent and I had 4 coupons: 4 free boxes and you can check out that part of my insanity over at bestbets). So it was a three minute trip for 4 boxes of free detergent and no the boys couldn't go look at legos or game in the electronic section they could stay with me thank you very much. But they didn't. So after 3 minutes I had my rain check (see, I'm not the only one pigging out on free dish detergent!) I am waiting on the bench up front. I'm tired, I packed a cottage worth of stuff this morn before 10. At 10 I switched to the cleaning lady. At noon I took a beach walk with 3 sibs and numerous nieces and nephews using them as slave labor to haul back rocks for my landscaping dreams. After lunch it was time to go back to the real world and home, but I managed to delay it until around 3:30 enjoying one last Shermans ice cream cone on the way. Then I made Little Ceasars Pizza for dinner. It was a long day, but it is the last day of vacation and some of the ice cream money amazingly was unspent. Okay, we charged the pizza. Anyway, that is my list of excuses for paging the boys after waiting 15 minutes at the front of the Meijer. Like there friends will know....at 11:30 at night. Anyway, they were all mad at me!!!! Who took them to the movie, gave them pizza and a week at the beach I might add. So I'm thinking these boys can help me reclaim some coupons from the recycling center....or.....wash the dishes by hand without the item we went into the store with. They chose recycling.

My star in the family fell a bit this week. Two Bits is a happy, easy, compliant, smart boy. I'm so glad because he is in the middle. Now I know Sister Mary 3 and the middle kid in my clan would say: the centerpiece, the cream in the oreo, the meat and cheese in the middle, the best stuff is in the middle. Good point. I love going to this boys parent teacher conferences or as I call them: mutual admiration meetings. But I must confess this boy has a stubborn streak that runs silent and deep. I mean deep. It was his week to load the dishwasher, but he didn't want to. All kinds of excuses, whining, trying to get out of it ensued. All the while his big bro Buck was taking out the garbage as asked, and pulling in the wet towels before the rains as asked. So when he sneaks away when my back is turned, it is off to time out. He is quickly ready to comply now, but now I need a time out. So he can wait til my kitchen chore is done. He asks once more to come out and I tell him this. When I call him out a few later, he humbling comes out and reports: I was angry when you said I couldn't come out of time out so I broke my glasses and threw them in the trash. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now I'm more than a little angry. You'll have to see my earlier post on glasses to know how hard it is to keep these boys in glasses over here. So my reply is: I think you already know you made a bad choice when you are angry. Now I'm angry and I don't want to make a bad choice. So we will talk about this tomorrow (when I'm not seeing red glasses). I imagine he is a bit fearful of what I can come up with by tomorrow, so he keeps coming round to it: I don't even like glasses, I don't need them, do I have to pay, how much. WE WILL TALK ABOUT IT TOMORROW teeth clenched. Well it took me about 3 weeks to get the insurance to agree to replacing them. And he has been earning money around here with weeding and extra chores to chip in. Since they are covered this time, we will tuck it in his college fund and hope he is wearing contacts by then.

No Smiles

My big boys: The Prof, Buck, Half Buck, and Two Bits got treated to Disney for a week by The Prof's parents. Yay for in laws this generous. They love Disney and wanted to share it with all the grandkids. So every couple years they round up a group of "young enough to enjoy it and old enough to walk it" and head off. This year they also took two other 11-year old grandkids. In a couple years it will be Cent's and Mite's turn.

You can tell which kids are ours in these photos by the lack of smiles. I know they had a good time. Every couple days they could be pried away from the fun long enough to talk to me. Especially my 8-year old Two Bits. They would gush about the coaster or the show of the day. Okay, Buck at 14 didn't gush. But he actually had something to talk about. I am grateful in more than one ways to my in-laws!

Through the marvels of modern technology, The Prof sent me photos. Really, isn't this an amaaaaazing machine we're using? How does it work anyway? How is it I can put a line of code for a photo and up it pops on my blog? But they never seem to smile. What is the deal, I asked. Are they really having a good time, are they behaving for Grandma and Grandpa, saying please and thank you, bathing, changing their socks occasionally. All those things Mom looks out for and The Prof replies, "oh, I hadn't thought of that."

I've asked the boys why they don't smile for the camera. It turns out they don't like the way their teeth look. Who knew? We just had our first consult for Buck's braces and took a gander at the payment plan. No I didn't turn shock white at the quote. But it sure felt like I did. We see the other recommended orthodontist in a couple weeks. Sure hope I can find a really good coupon for this. I didn't even think his were in bad shape. Of course I didn't know the little space between Half Buck's teeth bothered him. Like most moms I buy the shoes with room to grow. So a little extra space is a good thing, right? Now Two Bits I know has it coming. His teeth came in a zig zag pattern once those big Chiclets sized teeth appeared. Orthodontists have Game Boys for your kids to play with in the chair!!! So now you know what you are paying for. Anyway, this man who is going to get my lay-new-carpet-remodel-the-basement-and-buy-a-decent-minivan money says I ought to have Half Buck and Two Bits seen as well. Anyone with the top front four teeth can get started.

Yikes, now I'm not smiling either.

Mites Haircut

I just cut Mites hair. Not the little trim of the bangs. Not the clippers. But I did try to put some layers in the back and sides. The Prof thought I was back to giving the bowl cut. It was cute and easy and in style when Buck was little. It looked like a Dorothy Hammill Pixie on Half Buck with all that thick hair. Yep there is the reason to not use real names. I just saide my son looked like Dorothy Hammill. By the time I was cutting Two Bits hair, I went to a clipper very young. I was using it on the big boys anyway. If your worried about my poor boys appearance: Buck and Half Buck gets their's cut professionally. I should say, Buck does, Half Bucks hair is longer than mine.

Anyway, I took Mite out on the deck in a towel after his bath. He sat on my lap with his passy and just let me cut. Yeah, like that is going to happen. Well everything but the sitting did. He was still while I did the back and that was about it. Then I tried to get him to look at the birdie in the yard. Of course the bird didn't feel like sitting still either.

The Music on the Side

I have so much fun seeing what is up in blog world and then adding something to one of my blogs. It is my new toy and it feels like Christmas. So I just added the Play list on the side with a couple songs that make me feel family. Feel free to comment and suggest other songs I should add. And for Dad, just hit the pause button in the middle, if you can even hear it.

The Mighty Mite

I can see where a lot of my current stories are going to be about Mite just now. He has sure been full of antics lately. The Prof has been gone for 9 days to Florida. So I had been running low on steam, high on short tempered. Buck and Half Buck really stepped up and did some sitting, helping, and generally giving me a break. Even Two Bits was good for a half hour of playing with Cents and Mite outside so I could get dinner cooking. But there were still a couple count to 50 moments. I know, isn't it supposed to be to 10? You have 5 and an Irish temper and see if 10 still works for you! Don't judge me, I'm in survival mode this week. The boys deodorant had already been played with. The lego destruction was a day or so ago. The ruined toliet paper roll had been cleaned up. But the rest of the house was strewn with items in the wrong place from Mites destructive tendencies or those teething days when he was, what we Trekkies refer to as, a klingon. I am hard pressed to know which phase I like least: teething Klingon or happy destruction mode. Apparently I forgot to close the door to the office, close the lid to the lap top and barricade the basement. With four unattended I'm going to the potty minutes,  Mite had removed 11 keys from the laptop and was having fun slamming and opening the lid. Now several folks have told me that you actually need a special tool to pry those keys off the board. But my little Mite....he has ten of them! The Prof got home yesterday and went down to view the destruction. Today he managed to get all but one back in working order.

Mite Talks

This baby is a non talker. Actually, up till now, he hasn't known how to speak in English. He has been steadily babbling along in some unknown language. And we think, since he joined us here, that he ought to make an effort to speak English. He has rather thought that he could get around it with crying, whining, pointing, and having these silent little lay at your feet tantrums that really crack me up. The Prof took him to his well check up with the doc last week. He was all kinds of helpful before abandoning me for 8 days to work in sunny Florida, and then going back with the big boys for 7 days after being home 5. This is good for your hubby, letting them try out your job for size. Anyway, Prof was feeling a bit behind the curve as Mite only had about 6 words in his vocab, and he only used them if he was in the right kinda mood (read: not teething and therefore attached to Mom's hip). So we started counting his words and the big kids got in on the act. So he decided to accommodate us and add lots more. Today's word was "tickle" when he wanted me to tickle his feet while wrestling on the jammies.

Four kids to the dentist on two different days this week, zero cavities, one lecture about brushing better for Two Bits, and 3 orthodontist referrals (that is what I get for asking!) Mite got to be pretty comfy and bold around the office. And apparently he wanted his big brother to come and visit him. You see, when Buck has been hybernating in the basement bedroom, we use the heating vents to call him upstairs. It saves me the trip up and down since he can't hear me yell from the top of the stairs. So Mite goes over to the air vent and called big brothers name down the vent. Perhaps Mite thought he could hurry us out of there by getting his big bro. We had a good chuckle over that one.

Remembering Julie

When my parents divorced I remember thinking: If family doesn't last forever, what the heck does? I didn't see then that my family was not gone, it faltered, it altered, and it went on. One of the surprise blessings that I couldn't see then was my Step Mom and her children and how they would slowly become a part of the bigger clan that is, as my Dad calls it, the whole fam damily. This week we lost one of them. My step brother's wife, Julie. And my heart goes out to Mike and April.

Two and a half years ago I was visiting my Dad in the sunny lands and his car broke. So Julie took pity on Cents and I. She and April took us out for the day. We watched April's soccer game and then we were off for lunch at the mall. I keep thinking about that day. We moms are always watching each other. Not in a bad way, we just learn from each other. I think some of my best parenting is done with an audience, and so is some of my worst. I had met April when she was around 2; she was often at Grandma Happy's house (my Half Buck named her that when he was 2). But this was the most time I'd ever spent with her mom. Since I was new to this mother daughter bonding relationship, this day just stuck in my mind.

Over the course of the day, I learned a bit about her story. At the time April was going to a local christian school. Julie and Mike felt this was the better choice for her for now and joined the church that sponsored the school. Julie shared that she had trusted Christ as her Savior through the teaching and what she learned. I remember thinking: my poor Dad, he just can't get away from us. And I was pleased that God keeps putting people in his path that believe. So I keep praying for him and I shared that with Julie.

Julie just seemed to enjoy her day watching a soccer game, chatting it up with a few other parents on the sidelines. With only one child there was no rushing about to get to the next event as so often happens to me. Could we stop for a slurpee after the game? Sure. I remember how pleased when April asked to get her ears pierced. She confided in me, as April made her earring selection, that she had been waiting for this moment. Because we moms treasure the rites of passage, the moments that won't come again, the days we remember and know our kids will. We want them to be memorable, to share that touchstone. Julie knew it was one of those moments and enjoyed it, and I'm so glad she did. I hope there are more of them tucked in April or her Grandma or Dad's memory because there won't be any more of those rite of passage days for April and Julie to share.

The Station Wagon

I drove by an 1970 something Oldsmobile station wagon today and was sucked back into time. It had the handle on the side, the luggage rack, the whole shebang from our childhood. We had a gray green Impala I think. I need to check with better memories than mine. When our fifth, Mite, was on the way, number one son, Buck, wanted to know where we were going to put him in the minivan! I can remember packing 13 into the station wagon to go to Grandma and Grandpas for the holidays. It went something like this: 3 in the front row with baby on lap, 4 in the middle, 2 (or 3 once that baby graduated from the lap) in the section between middle and the way back and 3 in the way back. Sister Mary 7 and I were the regulars in the middle metal section. If it was a long trip (yep that used to mean 3 hours!) we got to take a pillow to sit on. But for that 45 minute suburb to city drive it meant imprints of the metal on your legs, tingling sensations for the half hour after arrival as the feeling returned. Assorted luggage strapped to the top, fruit baskets at the feet in the way back, windows rolled down all the way, don't cross that line into my space, head counting after rest stops, Paulina, Paulina, where you been so long on the radio memories overwhelmed me.

Someone had to honk to get me moving after the light turned green and that station wagon was on down the road.

Decoration Day

I talked with my Dad today. He is 82 years old and was in the Navy at the end of World War II. Here he is with his 28th and youngest grandchild, my little Mite. He was telling me how Memorial day used to be called Decoration Day. He used to go to the cemetary with Grandma Buck (his Mom; remember, he was Two Bits as a boy) to plant flowers on the family graves on Decoration Day. As a young boy he learned about the "Decoration of Independence" at school and so connected the two days together. I suppose kids have been saying cute things for as long as there have been cute kids. My little Cents has been full of them the past week or so. We were out with our strollers, Mite in the one I was pushing and "Ariel" in her little stroller, when we ran into a mom we know from down the block and her two sons. Cents told the boys she "would really appreciate if they would come and play at my house." So down the block we went together. Cents was chatting it up with the Mom along the way when I heard her answer the question about whether we walk our babies together often with, "I don't ordinarily take my baby for a walk." A few days later we visited the GR Children's Museum and spent some time together in a triangular mirror tunnel. Cents and I had fun counting how many Cents we could see. Then we began counting Moms when Cents said, "lets get out of here, this is disturbing." Honestly, this girl has a better vocabulary than I do. I'm often stuck on: "can you bring me that thingy over there on the, the, ummmm, the table." I'm certain these kids have helped themselves to whatever brains I once had - and they are using them against me! : )

Since it's Memorial Day, let me tell you a new story I learned about my Dad and his time in the Navy. He chose to graduate early so that he could enlist before being drafted. By the end of the war, they were drafting by the 18th birthday, so some schools arranged for summer school and early graduation so that they could go to war with their diploma completed. Following in his big brothers' footsteps (that would be the original Buck and Half Buck), he chose the Navy. After some time aboard a ship and some testing, the Navy sent him to U of M for training in engineering. That is where he was when Truman dropped the bombs that ended the war. He has always been thankful, as he feels this saved his life. After the war, he returned to U of M to finish a degree, and served in the Naval Reserve. It wasn't until recently that he was able to tell this story, as it was deemed classified. Basically he was sent to language school at nights as a reserve to learn Russian and codebreaking (there is probably some technical term for this, but you would need to get it from Cents). After several months, his day job needed to send him out of state for a few months, so he checked in with his superior officer and recieved permission to miss his training and take the assignment out of state, with the understanding that he would continue training when he returned. Upon his return, he simply couldn't find the class or the instructor. It appears they were called up to active duty while he was away!!! And that is how my Dad didn't become a more active part of the Cold War! This was just fascinating to me because of the "what ifs" it entailed: if he had been called up to active duty, he wouldn't have been around to meet my Mom....and then all eleven of us wouldn't have been around! Those of us raised on movies like Back to the Future can spot these turning point moments where our life could have gone elsewhere, but didn't. I could have been fading away right out of the photo to be replaced by some resonably sized family. But he met my mom, had 11 children, giving Mary 5 a Russian nickname, and being really interested when my hubby and I went to spend a year in Russia when our own little Buck was a year old. He even gave me some books to help us out. But he never told us of his time studying Russian. It was only two years ago, when he looked into his military record and found that the this informations was no longer classified, that he passed the story on to me. Memorial Day 2009

Vocabulary

Ran into a neighbor Mom of 5, Shauna, today and while the little ones played, we commiserated! Feeds my soul, those sentence finishing moments. It is always fun to see what someone else notices about your kids. Okay, it isn't always fun. I could see the lack of manners at the cottage with Cents and Mite this past Saturday. My baby walks and eats, he doesn't sit. I'm ashamed of my parenting. None of the others got away with that! And Cents was swift to avoid obeying street safety, avoid picking up toys; but she sure didn't avoid sneaking cookies. I don't think it bugged Sister Mary 1 too much, but it bugged me. My failure too. But today was different. We ran into Shauna and boys a block from home so Cents invited some little boys over by saying she would really appreciate it if they came and played with her. Then I could hear her telling Shauna that we occasionally take walks. But I don't think I would have noticed her stellar vocab if not for the Shauna noticing! We just need each other, don't we. Sometimes we can't see things without someone else providing focus. Plus she found my Cents when she went on a little walk of her own when I was pregnant. She took her in and called me. We didn't know she was missing. How does a neighbor from 2 blocks away remember my last name anyway? It took me 3 years to remember her first name. I guess that means Cents has a better vocabulary than I do. From May of 2009

I Want My Mommy

Little Mite doesn't like me to leave him. At 18 months, he may leave me, but not the other way around. Although he doesn't say it, I know quite well that his cry is saying: I want my Mommy. I know the feeling.


She flew up to Heaven on the wings of angels
By the clouds and stars and passed where no one sees
And she walks with Jesus and her loved ones waiting
And I know she's smiling saying Don't worry 'bout me

That's from an Alan Jackson song that makes me cry every time I hear it. Mom's day is still - I might cry for any reason - hard for me. Yep, chocked up during the Mom song video at church this morning. If you haven't seen this one, it really isn't a tear jerker, but it is really funny.

My Mom has been gone for 16 and a half years. Sometimes I think people think the pain should have faded. It has some. Today, just today, I look at it another way: she has been gone 20 grandchildren, including a funeral for one of them and the adoption of another....she has been gone for 4 daughters' weddings and one son's as well....she has been gone for one of their divorces (well, so there is a good side)....she has missed first houses and job changes and firings and illnesses. She isn't there to consult about a recipe, the chickenpox, marriage, teething, sulky teens. And today is the day that I allow myself to have a big old pity party about it.

Since I made my serious entry into a big family with the surprise pregnancy of little Mite the same year I turned 40, I've really felt her absence. There are just not loads of people who have 5 or more, who have children in 3 to 4 different schools, who are simply inundated with laundry loads of socks alone. I was sincerely freaked out when we realized our 5th was on the way. He was quite a shock to us. I felt just like you would expect an expectant mom of 4 when the income consists of one part time job per adult with a 3-bedroom ranch and mortgage and the big 4-0 looming. It took us 5 months 'til we told even family, and I was seriously waiting for them to take me to task. Instead my sisters, the Marys, were thrilled and excited. "Terrific?" I said, "It's terrifying!" "Because we are getting a little older?" asked Sister Mary 1, who is 10 years ahead of me. Crying by now, "Because there are so many of them." I just wanted my Mom. Suddenly I could see her face throughout my childhood and I knew what she was feeling: overwhelmed, tired, hormonal, chained to family, wondering when this season would end or get easier.

I just can't relate to the advice or experiences of the Mom of 2 very well....except as a distant memory of when I thought I had this job in hand. (In fact, all I can often do is smile indulgently and hope they fare better than I.) I need someone who knows they are in waaaaaay over their head and has thrashed their way to shore and can throw me a line. Okay, okay, I know it is our personal ocean to survive, but I would just feel good knowing that they lived to tell the tale. I sometimes think my Mom didn't live to tell the tale. She died when her baby was 21. She didn't get all those perks of watching us all really take flight in our adult lives. She didn't get to enjoy her years of rapidly increasing intelligence in her kids' eyes. And she sure did earn it. From Mothers Day 2009

Babysitting Blues

Well, I am finding that you get what you pay for with a babysitter. I used to pay the neighbor girls to come and sit my kids. I would come home to a tidy kitchen or perhaps a folded load of laundry. But my boys got big enough to sit and I even paid for that babysitting class for both of them. I figured they might actually listen to someone else warn them of all the things Mite could choke on. So at least once a week Buck, with an assist from Half Buck, watches 2 or 3 of our kids. My favorite little getaway is currently: piano lessons. I know, did you guys actually think we went out on a date or something? Yeah, my free sitting miles are long gone before I use my teen for an actual outing. Anyway, I just get to sit by myself for half an hour reading in the car or browsing the dollar store. Bliss gets simpler as the years go by. Well after one rainy read in the van, we return to be greeted by Mite at the door. Yes the littlest one is the happiest to see me (a close second is the sitter, but for entirely different reasons). So up he comes to my arms in his little short set. I love seeing those chubby knees again. He is cold and wet and Half Buck proudly says they have been playing in the rain. It was Mites' idea of course. Yes, I well remember leaving the 17 month old in charge of things when I left!

After talking to the boys I leave them in charge yet again for a 2 hour meeting I have to go to. This is even a paid gig and Buck is in charge of bed time. He is so prompt to get them to bed so he can get back to gaming. All seems well when I return and I cough up the money. When Mite awakes in the morn, uh, well, he smells bad. Not poopy, but yuck just the same. So I go to change him and find he is still wearing his snap onsie tee from the day before and the diaper has exceeded its 23 pound capacity. Buck is, at this point, running really late to school. Gaming of course. And up too late watching a movie with dad. I make him come and change this awful diaper anyway. Then it is off to school. Later I find that Mite has moved the sand box trucks into the house. I can't believe I paid for this sitting. How do you get a refund from a 14 year old? From April 2009

About My Age

I just had a cousin turn 30 and it got me thinking about last year (alright, alright, two years ago, when my oldest Sister Mary 1 turned 50 just a few months before my 40Th. I was at her cottage (which also belongs to Sister Mary 2 and perhaps their hubby's too) with all the sisters for a weekend and we were chatting on the deck. It is such a treat for the 7 of us to be together. I was looking for the right time to tell them that little Mite was on the way and thinking they were all going to be as shocked as me. They were the first people we were going to tell about the baby and I was wondering what the more outspoken ones might say about a fifth at 40 when the careers are on there umpteenth speed bump. I mean, if I think it is absolutely crazy and stupid to have a surprise like this, what are they all thinking? And I was dreading my 40Th. Anyway, I asked her what she thought of her age and which birthday was hard for her. She said that 30 was a bit hard, 40 didn't bother her and 50 seemed pretty good. Her kids are raised, she has a little money in her pocket, retirement isn't too soon, but they can envision it. She is really enjoying and I was so happy for her. And I thought: I want to be 50, I want to just skip ahead to that feeling of having gotten somewhere or gotten something finished or feel the freedom she is enjoying. And then I did the math: At 50 I will have children who are 23, 20, 17, 13, and 10. I don't think I will be quite where she is now. I would like to be a young mom of 30 again and have some of that energy and enthusiasm back. By the way, they were all thrilled about the baby, way more than I was at the time. They thought it was terrific and I busted out crying and said it was terrifying. Sister Mary 1, the birthday girl, asked me if it was because we were getting a little older. My reply was because there were so many of them!!!! So for my 40Th I got bifocals and a baby. I certainly don't think I will be bored this decade : ) From April 2009

Road Trip

The best laid plans fall apart when you are trying to stuff 5 kids in a 7 passenger minivan for a 2 1/2 hour drive!!!! We were going to leave for my brother, Luke's (yep going with Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John for my four brothers. It seems to fit with all the Marys)in Ann Arbor right after church at 11. Ran 15 minutes over. Of course we ran everyone to the bathroom before we left. Add 10 minutes. Lost track of 2 kids in the lobby at least 3 times and we ended up pulling out at 11:40. Ugh. At least we have enough gas to get us there. Did you check the oil last night? Add the oil. Can I get a Slurpee? Left the gas station at Noon and made it all the way to the other side of GR before the first potty stop!!! How many gallons of water were served in the 4 year old class anyway? One more potty stop on the drive there. So instead of arriving at 1:30 we got there at something like 2:45.



We HAVE GOT to leave by 7 at the latest - it is a school night. Surely Mite and Cents will sleep on the drive home anyway. It shouldn't be too bad. At ten to seven I have all the stuff I know we brought in the house by the door. Time for the violin concert...and the piano concert...and finishing the latest board game. Did you get the leftovers from the fridge... extra trips out of the car into the bathroom for the kids who forgot...borrow 2 video games and a board game...and on it goes. Mom, where did you put my candy, my gum, my pen, my video for the car? And off we go at 7:45. That's okay, the roads should be clear at this time of night and we can just set the cruise and get home. Nope backed up about an hour out of Lansing so we spent an extra 45 minutes getting round on the scenic route. I think I will invite Luke and family to our house next Easter. From Easter 2009

The Cell Phone

I can remember being just amazed when the neighboring toddler would play with an old cellphone his parents didn't use any more. My Sister Mary 1 tells me the technology or computer ability in those things surpasses the big giants of 25 years ago. But this was 3 years ago, when I didn't have a cell. So this babe was playing with something I couldn't afford for myself. Now I'm pretty sure that most every ones 5Th grader has a cell and it is nicer than my little $10 tracphone. But I'm happy just to have a cell. And since I can't even load a picture on face book, what would I do with a camera on my phone? The Prof began with the same little phone and then upgraded to the very hip $25 camera tracphone. And no, he doesn't know how to download the pictures either. Soooooo, now there is this little phone, just like Mommy's for Mite to play with. Yep, he has his own cell. The other kids even refer to it as his. Although, Cents occasionally likes to make a call on it. I even find myself charging the thing so that it makes all sounds and lights up for him. He is playing with it now, alternating talking on the cell and the teddy bear of about the same size. It isn't active and he can't swallow it, and it bought me the few minutes to write this.

It got me thinking about the old rotary dial phone in the hallway that was heavier than a one year old (yep, pretty much measure all weights in comparison to lugging Mite around). There I sat for the whole world to hear, or at least Mom, anything I needed to say. It is where I did my math homework (that explains that lack of skill). The little phone table is where we stored the booster seats of long ago: the phone books. It was conveniently in reach of the pantry, but that was as far as you could possibly stretch that cord. Now our phone gets lost several times a day. Half Buck leaves it in places like his bed, the driveway, under the couch. Then it is accessible for Mite to dial up, well, who knows where he is dialing when he starts pushing those buttons. From April 2009

Tupperware

Okay, Half Buck is about to turn 11. I can tell, because he is suddenly treating me like I am extremely stupid. When anyone who really knows me knows the kids simply stole most my brain cells while inutero and are using them against me. But I do know my Tupperware. Sister Mary 5 even complimented me on it. She's the one whose hubby wants to bury her in Tupperware since she owns so much of it. She has the good stuff. You know me, I have the generics, the butter tubs, and the still surviving after 19 years of use stuff. Quite a hodgepodge. So, anyway, Half Buck is supposed to be putting away the food and clearing the table. This is a race against time (read: Mite). You must do this chore before he is set free from the highchair or the clean up need increases by factor of 10. So I want him to do it, but I want it done right... the first time... with no extra plastic to wash because the chicken didn't fit. Which means I'm being hover mom. No really, I'm just hear to teach and assist, he is almost 11, he can do this. But that lid is not going to fit. Yeah it will.....no, it won't, yeah it will. Okay, well, anyway, I don't think that container is big enough, yeah it is....no, it isn't, yeah it is. You get the idea and I'm sure you probably know who was right (unless you are 11). More dishes (that's okay, it is Buck's night for that chore). But my problem is: I know I can't download a song to his mp3 and I don't even know what music is cool. I accept that I don't know how boys are wearing their hair. I apparently have no idea what kind of coat is needed on any given day. I don't even feel confident helping with math homework. But I know my Tupperware! Can we credit me a high score on this one drawer in the kitchen or must my child think I'm an idiot in every facet of life as we head into the tweens - again. When face book comes out with a Tupper quiz, I will kick butt (Sister Mary 5 is the only one who can beat me I'm sure, if we can get her on face book). From April 2009

The Hiccups

Yesterday at lunch I cracked open a soda and quickly got the hiccups. They were the loud and sort of peainful kind. Mite apparently got the imitation hiccups right afterward. He kept making the same exact sounds as he sat in the highchair. Then Cents got a bit concerned about me. She was afraid I was "puke sick" as she calls it. She doesn't like puke sick. I know, who does. Then I did my cure: took a deep breath, plugged my nose, did a deep knee bend, tucked my head and just stayed there till I felt I was going pass out if I didn't take a breath. It works, really. But of course I had to do it several times, so I could stop and try to explain it all to Cents. But then the hiccup game was done. How can he make that exact sound and only have a vocabulary of Mama, no, and uhoh? Go figure.

Nakey Baby

It is getting to be an adventure to see what state Mite is in when I return from piano lessons! This week was the group hour lesson. I suppose I could go home for this one, but the Keegstra Dollar store beckoned me. I got out of there with only 2 bucks spent (a small miracle!). I didn't have much left after 23 bucks on Walgreens clearance the other day : ) Anyway, Cents and Mite opened the door when the garage door opened. Mite had on just his diaper. I left him fully clothed! But I guess a full diaper change was in order, or should I say in odor!

Buck turns 14

14 is 13 with experience.
14 is less moody than 12.
14 is 5 plus inches taller than 11.
14 has more movies you don't want them to see than 10.
14 is contacts wanted instead of glasses at 9.
14 is Mom's not cool like at 8.
14 is double of 7, but seems 7 minuites later.
14 is reading way less than at 6.
14 is finishing jr. high instead of beginning school at 5.
14 is a decade after 4!
14 is wii and surfing the net instead of sesame street's how many is 3.
14 is 2 years away from driving, instead of 2 driving me nuts.
14 is my 1st baby growing up 1 more year at a time.

Take Two

Thanks to some girlfriends and a game night I learned this game. It is basically using scrabble tiles to make your own crossword. Each time someone has used all their letters, they say take two and everyone has to take two tiles. And on you build. I thought I would introduce this game to The Prof and the family. I love a new game that The Prof hasn't learned yet. This gives me the advantage for about 2 rounds after which I will never win against him again. (there is more than one reason I'm calling him The Prof on the blogs) But I thought the speed of this game would keep me in a bit longer. After a few rounds we introduced the kids to the game and suprisingly Buck will play a few rounds. This is so huge to us. Buck does not like playing games. But he has sat down with us twice now without twisting his arm to play!!!!!! Thanks again girls. Pleasant time with a teen, now that is priceless. Okay, here is the funny. Buck wants to use alternative spellings, made up words, and text typing (is there a word for that?) You know lol, rotflol, pos. So the last round we played any word you could justify at the end you could use. Of course he used WTF - to which my husband replied - what is that? Watch The French? And they wouldn't accept my word QF. I tried to say that Mite says this all the time. They wouldn't believe me.

A Little Snack

Two Bits and I came back from piano lessons to find Mite wandering the house chewing on a raw potato. Buck, our most affordable and therefore favorite sitter, thought this amusing and reported that Mite found the potato in Two Bits and Half Buck's room. Hmmmmmm. Should I be worried about:

a) Mites' taste in snacks
b) Bucks' lack of concern
c) current food storage system
d) ever leaving the house without the babe again
e) all of the above

I'm Not Even Dirty

Cents didn't want to take her bath tonight and miss playing with her cousins. She informed me she wasn't even dirty. I reminded her it had been awhile since we washed her hair. So she agreed to take a bath "but we are only going to wash the parts that are dirty." I washed a few others as well.

My Mom used to throw a bunch of us in the tub at the same time. We Four Littles did just about everything together. Then my brother, John would get his turn alone. I can still here the refrains of my Dad yelling things like, "Use soap this time!" up the staircase. In those moments, when your parents come on over and possess you, I've found myself quoting this line to a boy or two of mine. And at the dinner table, I can hear the echo of, "your paws are like the paws of an animal."

On what day did we become our parents? Why did no one warn us, why didn't we listen, why didn't we run??? I can remember the first moment I felt I had become my Mother. And fittingly for this bath story it does involve water. When Buck was about 2 year old, we were in Russia. My friend Galya invited us to go to her Mother's dacha. Before you think of some nice cabin or get away this is not what this was. This was an over 100 year old cabin on an island in Lake Onega. Anyone we knew lucky enough to have a dacha used as much of it as possible to grow food for the winter. Any free summer days were spent working this mini farm and then relaxing a bit. You know relaxing while you haul and boil your own water, use an outhouse, chop lumber for the old woodstove kinda relaxing. Anyway, we get on this little boat that can hold about 4 people, a couple bags of supplies, and apparently no life vests! Half way across the lake the motor dies. Yep, that is when I knew that I'd become my Mother. I was just overcome by the worry of carring for this little foolish guy who would have climbed overboard just to go exploring. They got the engine going again and we had a wonderful dacha day.

Glasses

There should be an award for Mothers of Boys with glasses!!!!! And I win it! Two Bits lost his a week and a half ago, so we reordered on Tues. Then The Prof was back of Wed. with an eye infection. I went back on Thurs. when The Prof's glasses broke (of course, since he can't wear his contacts for a week). On Friday, Half Buck lost his glasses. Why they were found in the middle of his blankets remains an unexplained mystery. And on Saturday, the lost Two Bits pair were found.

Top that and I'll buy you a fru fru coffee!!!

Nicoderm

Two Bits and I were waiting in line for some medication at Meijer and there end cap at pharm pick up is Nicoderm. So Two Bits is busy reading that it is basically a gum in different flavors and could he have the mint please. After an explaination of what Nicoderm is for and how smoking is yucky and bad for you, he decides if he ever needs it, he is still going for the mint flavor. Glad he has his recovery plan in place already.