Saturdays

You'd think Saturdays would be days we all loved. And to some extent, we do. Daddy is home. The day takes on a different feel. But for a couple of kids who are accustomed to a certain flow of their days, Saturdays can often throw them for a loop. Add to the mix that they aren't feeling well and bam! You get today. Two whiny kids. Two frustrated parents. Not a lot accomplished. Including a decent blog post.

Little Man's Random Quote of the Day

[Mommy] "Hey! Please don't cough on my cheesecake!"
[Little Man] "I will because I'm rude!"

Mommy's Random Quote of the Day

"God bless you all the way to Amsterdam!"

Free!

After 96 hours of being held prisoner cooped up in the house, I got to go out tonight. With a friend. To a restaurant. It was fantastic. And the cheesecake was the icing on the cake. Here's the difference between dining with kids, and without:

With kids: Fumble with highchair and booster seat while giving apologetic looks to everyone around us.
Without kids: Sit down at table and begin looking at menu.

With kids: Try to determine which ridiculously overpriced meal will be acceptable to fussy toddler.
Without kids: Choose food you can eat slowly, with both hands all to yourself.

With kids: Entertain children until food arrives.
Without kids: Actually finish a conversation and begin another one!

With kids: Cut food into tiny pieces, beg them to eat more, kick self for spending so much on mac & cheese they won't eat.
Without kids: Eat entire meal without having to share with anyone else.

With kids: Baby's cranky - time to go.
Without kids: I guess we should pay the bill now...but let's finish this conversation first.

With kids: Get everyone into carseats and head home.
Without kids: Talk for another hour about all the things not talked about over dinner.

With kids: Put kids to bed and fall onto couch, exhausted.
Without kids: Come home to kids already in bed and feel totally rejuvenated.

I should definitely do this more often!

Today I Opted for Brain Damage

We've been sick for days. I think I slept an hour straight last night. There's nothing worse than watching your baby struggle for a decent breath and knowing you can't do a thing about it.

I've been in the house since Sunday night. My head hurts. My body aches. I'm hot - then freezing - and back. Daddy is totally fine of course.

When Baby Girl went down for her morning nap today, I immediately turned to my Little Man and asked if he wanted to watch Sesame Street. The suggestion was met with much excitement. It was 10:30 - perfect. The Elmo segment. Quick half hour nap should do it. I had on a sweatshirt zipped all the way up - hood covering most of my face - and mummified myself in blankets.

Next thing I knew it was almost noon and we were watching Word World. Oops. "Time to turn the TV off!" I sang. No response. I'm not sure he even flinched. "Hello! Let's turn this off now Buddy!" Nothing.

Great.

So, today's question of the day was - which is more important? Mommy feeling rested and healthy, or avoiding irreversible brain damage? Today the choice was way too easy.

Useless Information

My son can tell you the names of all of Sir Topham Hatt's trains. He can glance at a picture and know exactly which one it is. Edward. Percy. Toby. Sir Handel. Skarloey. This boggles my mind. I have to study the pictures and still sometimes get it wrong! It's bizarre to me - but of course, totally fits in with his little world.

I, on the other hand, seem to have collected so much useless information over time, that my brain is jam-packed and can't handle having anything else put in there! I know lyrics to songs that haven't been on the radio in 15 years (or more). I know why pelicans turn pink. I can recognize the stench smell of ladybugs from a mile 10 feet away. I remember the phone number of my best friend from second grade.

I don't remember where I put the pacifier. I couldn't tell you what I did with that sticky note. I have gone to the store for 5 items and forgotten 2 of them by the time I get there. I walk from one room to the next and don't remember what I went in there for. I'll be in the shower and suddenly can't recall if I've already shampooed my hair! It's terrible!

How do I empty my brain of all the useless stuff so there's room for the important stuff? My brain is a sieve. I need to drain the junk, then plug up the holes and start again! Goodbye Tiffany lyrics, hello kids' social security numbers!

Hide and Seek

My husband has story after story about playing outside. Night games, baseball, trick-or-treating - he did it all. My stories include never climbing a tree, and the summer my parents had to kick me out of the house so I'd go out and play (I was too busy reading!). It seems odd then, that we recently picked up a new family activity that sends us deep into the woods and parks all around us.

It's called Letterboxing. You may be familiar with Geocaching - this is somewhat similar. Basically, letterboxers go out, hide small containers in all kinds of crazy places, then leave clues so others can find them. Inside the container is a stamp (often hand-made) and a logbook. When you find a letterbox, you stamp your own personal stamp into the logbook, then use the box's stamp to record your find in your own logbook.

It's been a blast. We began on Father's Day with a series called "The Island of Sodor." Our Little Man loved it. Well, as soon as he was reassured there were no tigers in the woods he loved it! We've been to all kinds of places we never would have otherwise. We even wound up in a cemetery and stumbled upon hubby's grandparents' grave site! How can you beat it? It's free - except for the cost of a stamp, some ink, and a journal/logbook. It's part treasure hunt, part secret detective!

Traditional letterboxes are only one of several kinds of boxes. Virtual letterboxes are another kind. Here's today's challenge. The first person to correctly gain this letterbox wins! Have fun!

If you're interested in learning more about letterboxing, be sure to check out

www.atlastquest.com and www.letterboxing.org

for more information! There are FAQs, tips, rules, and more!

There's No Place Like Home...?

The day we returned home from the hospital after having our son, there was a message on our answering machine. Our landlord was selling the house. Eight days postpartum, we had strangers trampling through our apartment, past our sleeping infant. It was awful.

We searched high and low for another apartment. We literally looked at a dozen apartments or more, but nothing fit. Rent was too high, there was lead paint in the walls, cats were not allowed...there was always a reason why it didn't work out.

Only one door remained open. My mother-in-law continued to ask us to move into the house she rented - and we continued to say no. I told numerous people that I would rather live in my car than move into that home. It wasn't the house itself. I had never even seen it! It was just that I couldn't imagine paying rent to my M-I-L and, let's be honest, live so close to her!

Three years later, I can tell you that it's not gotten much easier. We moved into this house when our Little Man was just 4 months old. I knew it was the right decision, even though I had only seen photos of the place I would call home. I figured God must have big plans in store - but clearly this could only be a stepping stone to something - anything! - else, right?

When I got pregnant again, I told my husband we were "not supposed to have a baby here!" How could it be possible we've now been here for over 3 years? Guess it was a bigger stepping stone than I once thought.

I hate having people over the house. In fact, if you've been in my house, you're one of only a handful. I've put so little of myself into my home. Since the beginning, it's never felt like "mine." It doesn't belong to me, I can't do what I want with it (no matter what hubby says!). It can be stifling at times.

We've begun looking at houses for sale. It's an exciting, although definitely scary, prospect. For the first time, we'd be able to make all the decisions. If we wanted a brick red room with peach polka dots, we could do it! I mean, we never would, but we could! I get almost dizzy with excitement just thinking about it.

My living room doesn't even have curtains! What would we do with a place that was really ours?
Curtains are just a beginning. Ultimately, my dream is to have a place that I feel comfortable in - a place I feel comfortable inviting others into, because it's an expression of who I am, and who our family is. Someday, I hope to feel free enough to say - drop by anytime! - and really, truly mean it. I want a place we can all call "home."

Don't forget to check out Dawn's blog -

another one crazy enough to attempt 30 posts in 30 days!