Being "Green"

I am trying to have a more positive perspective so my new outlook is my kids aren't lazy slackers they are concerned about the environment and are being "green".

1. They don't flush the toilet after every use. I'm sure it isn't laziness it's just them trying to limit water usage. I will just ignore the glaring contradiction of leaving the water running the whole entire time they brush their teeth or wash any dishes.

2. Luke and Ryan want to recycle almost everything--which may be because that is Colin's job to take out and they alternate taking out the regular garbage or they just love our planet.

3. Colin is very meticulous about what is actually something that can be recycled. He will study the object for the triangle symbol. Again maybe because that means less work for him in the end but I will go with he is just extremely dedicated to this cause.

4. They leave their garbage laying around inside the house. I'm sure this is because their deep concern for not overburdening the existing landfills.

5. Some of them don't seem to ever want to change clothes. Gross you say.. well, yeah kind of but think of again the water they are saving by not producing as much laundry.

6. They never want to actually use the cleaners to clean the cabinets or bathroom. They take a rag and just kind of half-heartedly wipe it down. Well imagine my relief when my eyes were opened to the fact they are just protesting the use of chemicals that can damage our planet. That is so much better than the alternate explanation which is they are half jobbers that have absolutely no pride in their work.

Perception=Reality right?

Baths and Candy

This is what happened when I wouldn't let Kristen take a bath the other day. She ran off to pout so I went about my business. Which happened to be laundry that day. I left the lid open while the water was filling so I could run up and get a few more clothes. I came back down and she was submerged in the water of the full machine.














She always will try and find a plan b or c or d to accomplish her "goals". Which later in life will be a great thing but for now her "Inventiveness" is just annoying and frankly exhausting.

We went to a parade the other day and got way to much candy. Colin has his own huge bag he worked hard collecting in the rain. I heard a friend talking to their daughter about donating some of the candy.Knowing how Colin has an unhealthy(in more ways than one) obsession with candy I thought it would be fun to mess with him a little. Yes I know thats probably not in any parenting book but really I have to find entertainment somehow.

So I say to Colin--hey colin how about you donate some of your candy to some kids in the hospital. I see the alarm instantly in his eyes. Then he slowly and cautiously says umm I don't think that's a good idea. "Really", I said why not it may make them happy". Umm no I think it would probably be really bad for them to have it and just may make them more sick....so I think I better just keep it all. Way to take one for the team Colin.In the car today the radio was giving some entertainment report and says something about someone on TV "dropped the F bomb" on this live show. Colin was in the back and says a few minutes later-- so mom did they throw it at someone or just drop it?

Summer in September

As you are aware I have been a great big slacker in the blogging department. I am trying to get caught up with blogging and with housework and with eating better and exercising more. SO naturally I picked to start with blogging. So we will do some review to get back up to date.
In June we went to my mom's in TN for a visit. My kids found some wigs and were having some fun.Ben had fun with Grandma playing blocks.Colin and Ryan were talking about what they want to be when they grow up

Ryan said I want to be an artist and a guy that does puppets. Can you do both? Colin says yeah probably. I want to be an inventor. If I get fired from being an inventor I think I will be an Airforce guy with planes and stuff.

Way to have a back up plan Colin.
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Apparently according to my camera(because there were no pictures on it) we did nothing else until August when my whole family came to visit. It was really great seeing my brother and his family who just got back from their 2 years in Nepal. So we had a full week. Kevin and Mike took the older kids wakeboarding. Fun and painful was what they decided when they were done. My brother said it would have been cheaper to just pay someone to beat us up in the parking lot.
We went to the sprayground for the little people.
We played in the rain.
Then we went to the Aquarium. Highlight was petting the sharks.
Then we went to a great big amusement park that was probably the worst day for me ever. If I would have thought it out I would have realized that strong willed 3 year olds do not like standing in lines quietly and get highly agitated and offended when they are told after they finally get on and ride that they have to get off after the 5 sec. ride and go stand in line again if you want to do it again. So I don't have many pictures but all the other kids loved it. Thanks to my mom and dad for watching Ben so I didn't have to battle two kids.

Superstars

I realize that I don't always post when good things happen so..

We have had some great achievements going on around here---sorry to say it still isn't potty training but these are good too.

Ryan wrote an essay on trees for the Optimist club and they picked 2 out of the whole fourth grade (I think there are about 8 classes) to win a bike!! He has really become quite a good writer he is very descriptive and has humor mingled in. His essay ended with this sentence..."Tree you later." He also has become a great artist. His art piece(again they only chose 2) got chosen to be framed and hung in the hall at his elementary school. Great Job Ryan!!

Luke worked really hard to finish up some merit badges for scouts and he advanced to Star (which is 2 ranks away from Eagle) !! It is not easy doing all the requirements for these ranks. He has a lot of natural ability in scouting and especially anything outdoors. He loves the actual camping and being in nature. He had a big fan club there for him. We all took up 1/2 the audience I think. We are all really proud of his accomplishments.











The only pictures I had of Lisa, Beth, and Ellen were later at my house playing ring around the rosie with Kristen.

Colin turned 7 and lost his first 2 teeth. He is very proud. He said "mom do I look really cute without those teeth" and then gave me a very cheesy grin. Of course I reply you are always cute to me Colin.Kristen as you know has been very slow in the talking department. Very physical but not so verbal--that is with real words. She did say her 1st sentence a little while back. Unfortunately it was this which was said very loudly--repeatedly--"I DON'T LIKE IT, I DON'T LIKE BED, I DON'T LIKE IT!! NEVER NEVER NEVER, NO BED.
Ben well he just says No all the time for everything and still says Mom in a most annoying almost mooing like manner. He has discovered a love for matchbox cars and outdoors. Every few minutes he just goes to the door and bangs and cries to get out. Sadly I have found I have very few pictures of Ben. I guess I can't give my mom anymore flack about there not hardly being any pictures of me because I was the last one.

Laundry Party

I finally found a way to stay on top of my laundry.
We have a laundry/American Idol "party" every tues. It goes like this if I let them stay up and watch they have to fold all the towels and their clothes while they watch. During commercials they run up and put them away--IN THE RIGHT PLACE--and get back in time before it comes on. So I just wash and wash throughout the week and then bust it all out that night and we sort and we fold. The Mt. Laundry is intimidating at first but it goes by quick and we are always done with time to spare before American Idol is over.
Ben never makes it very long he still has to go to bed because he is just to counter productive. He just knocks everyones piles over. Which makes Colin almost have a nervous breakdown.
Kristen on the other hand is just way to busy to be bothered with folding or bed. She thinks she is a SuperStar! She usually bows after each performance. Like every diva she has unreasonable demands and will not cooperate for the photo ops I had in mind. So this is the best I could get.


I don't know what I'm going to do when the season's over. I'll have to come up with a new plan or be drowned in laundry.

Diary of a Mess cleaning/clothes changing mom

I don't know what is going on this week but the messes are in great bounty which then in turn makes the laundry ridiculous. Ben and Kristen have both averaged 3-4 outfits a day. Sometimes it's purely innocent things that happened but then the others not so innocent.......

Mon.- found Ben completely coated in butter-pants, shoes, hair, and face. It got tricky picking him up because he was so slippery. The crazy thing is I'm cleaning up a few dishes and hear him giggling while Ryan played the piano. I thought he liked the music--no apparently just the delight of being lathered in lard.













Tues.-Kristen was a bit hungry I guess because I found her with the peanut butter jar and the jelly jar. I guess she is concerned about carbs because she had no bread--she just was sticking her hand in both jars and licking it. The jelly ended up on the carpet, TV, and all over her of course.

Wed.- Ben was feeling kind of crafty I guess because I found a tube of glitter spread all over my bathroom floor. Then Kristen had a push pop and the whole idea of "pushing" it up was just beyond her I guess because she just let it melt down her arm and of course onto the carpet. She just stared at it baffled. COME ON!! if you can scale the boxes in the basement to open the freezer and find it hidden than surely you could push the little tiny stick up to get more ice cream.

Thurs.-This must have been makeover day. I found her covered in mascara--kind of like body paint. It must have been good quality because even in the shower it wasn't coming off. I went to get some more serious soap come back and she is sitting in the bottom of the shower as the water poured around her reading this nice hardback space book Kevin left in the bathroom. I said What are you DOING!! She looks up so innocent as says Oh hi mom, I reading go away.

This next one didn't technically happen this week but I put them in the bath and then hurried to vacuum up the explosion of popcorn kernels that was covering my floor from a snack gone bad. I come back up the stairs and smell a familiar smell of clean mint as I am trying to figure out how I know this smell I look and see Kristen covered in toothpaste and smearing it all over Ben's body like soap. I started rinsing them off but then stopped to take the picture. So this isn't really an accurate picture so just imagine that on their shoulders all over their bodies. The water was a lovely shade of blue. The cruel irony was that as i was cleaning the bathroom up they helped themselves to some crackers on the floor that I just paid a very high price to get vacuumed and they got crumbs all over the floor.


These were just the highlights there were many more messes that were much more typical but annoying nonetheless. I'm scared to think what is in store tomorrow. I guess I just can't get dressed or go to the bathroom---I guess I better stop drinking now... and maybe sleep in some clothes. On a more positive note-- at least none of it had to do with any bodily fluids or functions this time.

Talent ?!

Ryan was in his talent show at school at came up with a pogo stick routine. He was great and it was the only act like it. The quality of video isn't great and it's cut off at the end when he did the disco fingers while jumping but you can get the idea

Kevin showed his gingerbread talent again with this:















Kevin made this St. Patrick's day gingerbread house for his Irish Captain at work and it was really cool. Then we helped Luke make a gingerbread castle for a project at school.
His teacher called him Betty Crocker and his partner Mr. Pillsbury.