Why Can't They Stay Little Forever?

Last week a few of the ladies in the neighborhood met for dinner. We usually get together at least 2 or 3 times a year and there are normally anywhere from 4 to 10 of us.

It's really a great night out. Most of us don't get out much and it's nice to get an occasional breather from the kids and the hubbys, though most of the conversations seem to revolve around them anyway.

Five of us met at Houlihan's, a new restaurant that opened up locally. After we all ordered our much earned glasses of wine or beer we began talking about our kids. Three of us have children in the 4th grade and we were talking about our concerns with them moving on to the middle school next year.

Our middle school goes from 5th to 8th grade. It's scary to imagine my 10 year old having to interact with a 13 or 14 year old. In school the kids are, of course, separated. However, they do have to "play nice" on the school buses.

I'm not really happy with cutting the chord and letting W. take the bus. I know I have to. I know I need to let go. But God help me if I find out some punk was messing with my boy on the bus. I'm hoping that all of the kids in the neighborhood, and there are a lot of them going to 5th grade next year, stick together.

The subject at dinner then turned to sex education. One of the mom's at the table said that the school nurse would be "bursting the bubble" next year. Huh? The kids are apparently informed that there really isn't a stork, that babies really don't come from watermelon seeds, and that you don't get a baby in your tummy from kissing.

W. will be traumatized! I swear the child has never, EVER even questioned Mr. Schmitty or I on the facts of life. He doesn't seem to even think about it. He still believes in Santa, the Toothy Fairy, and God darned Easter Bunny for crying out loud!

But apparently learning in 5th grade may be a necessity. From what I understand, there is a 6th grade girl who has done got herself knocked up. I shouldn't make fun, but if I don't, I may cry.

And get this. This one will just blow your mind, no pun intended. There is a little game the middle school kids like to play. Never mind Spin The Bottle. Forget about 7 Minutes In Heaven. No, these kids are having Rainbow Parties!

I sat completely clueless. "What is a Rainbow Party?" I asked, feeling quite stupid.

My friend answered, "The girls wear different colored lipstick and take turns performing oral sex on the boys -- leaving a rainbow of colors on the the boys' private parts."

Yup, so glad I asked. I think part of my Baked Potato Soup leaked out of my mouth on to the table.

I'm homeschooling, I swear.

Take This Job And Shove It

Today, I hate being a mom. There I said it. I know some reading this are going to probably crucify me for saying that. Well, go for it, because right now, I don't care.

I love my children. I really and honestly do. But sometimes it is just so freaking hard. Anyone who reads my blog regularly, you know ~ all 5 of you, knows that I adore them and their funny ways. And most days I find them absolutely hilarious. But a lot of times, well, not so much.

You see, along with their humor, they all seem to carry this very strong-willed personality. Everyone has their difficult child. That child, the one that fights you EVERY.STEP.OF.THE.WAY on EVERY.SINGLE.TASK. Well, God blessed me with 3 like that. I always say they will make WONDERFUL adults someday. BUT 3 kids that strong-willed can be a bit exhausting.

W., as you know, got a very rocky start to life. He has always been a very, VERY active child. His impulse control, quite literally, scares the beejeezus out of me at times. He has a tendency to think before he acts and sometimes this leads to him or someone else getting hurt. His cardiologist told me about a year ago that the A.D.H.D. like symptoms seem to be linked to the type of congenital heart defect he had when he was born. So I face, sometimes wondering, "Can he help himself?" Are his meltdowns just part of the birth defect? And let me tell you, the boy CAN meltdown. It is emotionally draining. He can be more challenging to manage than my other two, combined.

T., well he is probably my easiest of the three. I say it's because he has the typical middle child personality. Always the mediator and peacemaker. But he can be a handful too. I think sometimes it's because the oldest and youngest can take so much of the limelight. He's great at antagonizing and arguing, RELENTLESSLY. I think he needs to be heard. He doesn't want his siblings getting all of the attention.

R., ahhhhh, Miss R. My teeny, tiny firecracker. The 4 1/2 year old that still wears 3T clothing. The one that looks so cute and innocent. HA! The one that will ball up her fist and punch you square in the stomach after she runs at you from across the room like a banshee. The one that will attack her brothers with the ferocity of a tiger when provoked. AAAAhhhhh....that one is not going to take squat from anyone. I'll be getting lots of phone calls home from school when she gets there. Secretly, I kind of like that about her, but I'm tired of getting clocked when I tell her, "No more snacks!"

All 3 were in rare form tonight. Actually, they've been in rare form a lot lately. Mr. Schmitty and I were at the end of our ropes. We didn't know whether to use those ropes to tie them to chairs or around our own necks.

So we laid down the law. They lost dessert. They were in bed at 7:30. They have lost all electronic goodies (i.e. TV, Wii, Gameboys, and Computer) until further notice.

They will get them back when they learn a little self-control, respect for us and each other, and they decide to begin working as a family.

This could take a while.

Way Too Much On My Plate!

I have noticed that I have been quite the slacker on my blog as of late. And when I have written here, well basically, it's fluff. I also have not been reading all of my favorite blogs very much. I wonder why my traffic has just about ceased to exist.

This is an extremely busy time of year for me. I am on the PTA committee at my son's school for planning our yearly Chance Auction Dinner. It's a huge fundraiser and a lot of work. For the past couple of years I have designed the invitations for the event. That alone ~ tons of work. I create the design to coincide with that year's theme and then I must put together about 500 invitations and response cards. I also help with the actual soliciting of the prizes. I contact hundreds of merchants online and pretty much beg plead ask for their help in donating.

I also was suckered roped stuck entrusted with the job of putting together our program for the night. It is a journal that breaks down all of the baskets and the prizes included in each one. It also has ads from local and not so local merchants. Now keep in mind, those merchants need to be called and I need to again beg plead ask for their help in donating. Not my forte. I feel like I trip over my own tongue. I can handle the online stuff, but talking to someone, like FOR REAL?! EEK!

But I'm doing it, so YAY! for me.

This year my W. will be leaving the elementary school. He's off next year to the INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL! The horror of that, well that will be another post. I am a co-chair for the 4th Grade Celebration Party. I am working with 3 other 4th grade moms to organize the all day party at the end of the year for the kids. We go to a local park and have food, music, games, and fun, Fun, FUN!

I guess I have been dubbed the school's, ummm..."Creative One", so I am designing the t-shirts for the kids. We also surveyed the kids and asked them to tell us their favorite songs. I am then going to create a music CD for them. Their class picture will be the case insert.

Can I tell you about the songs? Holy Crap! I think some parents need to start paying attention to what their kids listen to! I'm pretty up on current music. I like ALL kinds. When I saw their list, I didn't recognize a lot of the choices. Thank goodness for the internet. I Googled the lyrics and was floored! The most popular song was called "Low". Here are a few excerpts, keep in mind these are 10 year olds. "She turned around and gave that big booty a smack", "So sexual, she was flexible", "Work the pole, I got the bank roll", "Imma say that I prefer them no clothes", "Shawty what I gotta do to get you home My jeans full of gwap And they ready for Shones Cadillacs Maybachs for the sexy grown Patrone on the rocks that'll make you moan" (I don't even know what the hell that last one even means!), "That's what I told her, her legs on my shoulder", "She ready for Rover, I couldn't control her".

Okay, Okay, I gotta stop. I think you got the drift. And that was only half of the song.

So so so WRONG! 10 year olds listening and LOVING that song. Parents need to get a grip.

Please, don't get me started!

Breathe, breathe.

As you can all see, I have been quite busy. I've also been painting my kid's rooms! I'll post pics when that is finally accomplished.

One more thing. Here comes the shameless begging pleading request ~ if any of you have your own business and would like to contribute to our event, please contact me for more info. You can donate a service, merchandise, or you can even place an ad in the journal promoting your business. I would truly appreciate it!

Thanks so much!!

I normally hate the stuff....

...But it's snowing, it's friday, and SCHOOL IS CLOSED!
It's our first REAL snowfall all year!
I'm going out to build me a snowman with pecs, abs, and all....well not all, this is a kid-friendly neighborhood, you know!

No Words To Describe...

...exactly how cool this is. You just have to watch it for yourself.

The Truth, The Whole Truth, And Nothing But The Truth

Boy this mono is knocking me for a loop. I just woke up, it's almost 9 am, and I feel like I need a nap. I'm just exhausted all of the time. I can't afford that right now. This is the busiest time of year for me. Besides just being a mom, a wife, and owning my own business, I have a TON of things I'm involved with at W.'s school. And when I say TON, I mean a TON! So I need to get better, and fast!

Anywho....thank you all for commenting on my last post. Your thoughts of well wishes were so sweet! I also want to thank you for asking some questions, as I said, my blogging material is very limited right now. So let's get crackin'.

1. The first questions come from my friend at The Fritz Facts.

"How did you come up with your characters for your doodlekids?"

I began my business designing all sorts of different note cards. I kept thinking I wanted to add some sort of signature character to my line. One day, on a rare occasion that my daughter let me put her hair up, I gave her piggytails (as she calls them). She looked adorable. I began sketching and alas the character with the piggytails was born. The light bulb went off and I began changing the hairstyles, etc. Before I knew it I had a bunch of designs. I added them to my collection and they became my best seller. I then decided to just concentrate on my Doodle Kids® and started their own website.

"If you could devout more time to any one thing what would it be?"

I can only pick one? Wow, that's hard. I need more time for EVERYTHING it seems. Right now I think if I could get a little extra time, I would take some for myself. Moms know that we are usually the last person we take care of. I would like to lose weight and get healthier. I would like to be able to find the time to work at that more than I am able to right now.

2. Laura at Lunatic Fringe, the lovely lady I stole this idea from, asked me this next set.

"When did you have your "Mommy Momment" the moment when you suddenly realized yep, you are a mom!"

We had a really rough beginning with W. He was born with a congenital heart defect. He had open heart surgery when he was only 5 days old. I was scared to death. Holding him while he was attached to wires and tubes completely did me in. I was a lot different 10 years ago. A mouse, really. Very quiet and not one to speak up. I knew I was a mom when one day the doctors came in and in doing their rounds they spoke about my son's case. They talked in front of me as though I weren't there. Normally I would have let something like this go, but something in me woke up. I gained my voice, the voice for my son. I looked at them and said, "Now, again, explain that to ME and in terms I can understand." I had a child now I needed to protect and care for. It was a turning point for me, I never saw that mouse again.

"What part of your no-kids life do you miss the most?"

I sometimes miss not being able to be spontaneous. It's not easy just picking up and going when you have kids. Everything has to be planned.

3. Jamie at BlondeMom Blog wants to know:

"When did you start turning your doodling into a business?"

It was by accident about 3 years ago. I needed a birthday card so I decided to make one. The card got a lot of compliments. I thought, hmmmm....I've always loved to draw and maybe I can make some money with this. It's such a stress reliever for me to draw and I love creating. The money isn't flying in yet but I am very proud of what I have accomplished. Just the mere fact that I am sticking with it makes me feel great.

4. Here is a great question from Slackermommy.

"Do you have any regrets about your life?"

I think everyone has some. There are definitely things I would like to go back and change. But I guess those mistakes made me who I am today. I didn't have an easy childhood, my father was very abusive. I do regret not standing up for myself, but even more so I regret letting his abuse continue to haunt me even after I was no longer a child. I am a very strong person but it took me a long time to let that strong person out.

5. Daydreamer at Candid Yammering asked me this:

"What's your favorite 'comfort food'?"

It depends on the time of the month!! I love popcorn, in all it's salty goodness. And if it's getting close to Aunt Flo visiting, well add me some chocolate in the form of Tollhouse Pie! YUM!

6. The wonderful Maria at Just Eat Your Cupcake wants me to reminisce.

"What was your best friend's name in high school and why were you friends?"

I actually had 4 best friends. We all stuck together throughout high school. We all seemed to drift between each other in closeness at different points and times, but for the most part the 5 of us were very close. Tami, Dana, Bev, and Jackie were all in my wedding. We went through so many ups and downs. So much fun and so much sadness. We've all moved on with our lives and periodically will cross paths. I am still close to Dana, mostly. Though they are not a big part of my life anymore, I will always love them.

7. The almost a mommy again, Valerie at Adventures In Parenting inquires:

"What is the one thing you would do over again to make it right?"

I would go to school after graduating high school. I don't know if it would necessarily be college, but I would have liked to have gone to art school. I didn't have the confidence back then to do it myself, I wish I would have.

8. Momo Fali's has a very fun question!

"What was your grossest Mommy moment?"

I'm sure if I really think back I have a thousand gross Mommy moments! One that stands out has to be the time T. was only about a year old. I put him and W. in the bathtub together. I remember washing W. and all of a sudden he started yelling, "EWWWWWW!!" I looked over at T. and see that he had pooped in the tub. It was also not exactly solid. It got all over him and his brother. Needless to say, bath time was not FUN time that day!

9. And last but certainly not least, Leigh at General Ramblings wants to know:

"Where do you get your ideas for post?"

Lately, I steal them! LOL Seriously, they usually just come to me. My kids are such a great source of entertainment for me. Usually it just takes a few minutes with them to come up with some great material!

Thanks everyone for helping me out. I hope you enjoyed my answers. If not...to heck with you! Just kidding, I love you all!

Go Ahead - Ask Me, I Dare You!

Okay, maybe I shouldn't have said I Dare You. I know how some of you can think. All minds in the gutter and whatnot. I may be in for it, me thinks.

I got this idea from Laura at Lunatic Fringe. She just celebrated her 100th post (YEAH LAURA!) and she asked her readers to post some questions and then she answered 100. Considering I missed my 100th post - my Lord I missed my Blogaversary (I'm so bad at this blogging thing), I decided I would steal borrow her idea. I hope that's okay Laura!

Plus, quite honestly, I've been as sick as a dog for over a week. The doc thinks I may have mono. Blogging material is very hard to come by right now. I haven't had much of a life other than lying on the couch or bed and flipping through tv channels. I need you all to get my brain working again. Throw some questions at me, get my gears going before I turn to mush!

Bloggy Giveaways Carnival Winners!

Hi everyone, sorry this is coming at you so very late. I'm a sick, sorry mess right now. This is the first I've gotten my almost dead body out of bed in a week. But you aren't reading this to hear me whine. I'll do that at another time. Ohhh and that rhymed!

The great Carnival of '08 ~ that's why you're here! What another fantastic turnout. Shannon at Bloggy Giveaways is really a doll for always sponsoring these giveaways. They are so much fun.

I used a random number generator 3 times and I have my winners. Lisa (#67), Susan (#5), and Sara (#17)! Congratulations ladies, you each have won a $25.00 gift certificate to the Doodle Kids® Stationery Store. I will be emailing each of you tomorrow with the details.

Thank you all who entered. I hope you had fun!

Now, I'm going to go crawl back into bed....that just about did me in. Sorry if any of this post sounds odd, I really don't know what I'm typing!