I Knew It!

Last summer, Jay delivered a birthday gift to me from my good friend, Lisa. As I was opening it—and after he had already had his treat after dinner—Josh and I had this little exchange:

"Is today a special day?" he asked.

"Every day is special with you boys," I replied, as if I were answering a trick question.

"No, I mean it's a special day when it's your birthday," he explained.

"Well, today isn't my birthday; my birthday was last month when we were in Chicago."

"But you got a present today, so it's like your birthday and that's a special day," he persisted.

Not knowing exactly where he was going with this, but willing to cede the point, I answered, "Okay, it's a special day."

"Then can I have another treat?"


I knew it was a trick question....

Clouded With a Chance of Extinction

Our bedtime story tonight was Eyewitness Books’ CAT. Quite an informative tome, but not much in the way of a story with a beginning, middle and end; just a bunch of facts.

Anyway, we got to this picture of the Clouded Leopard and the caption said that they live in the forests of Southeast Asia, but are only rarely seen and are in danger of extinction. Having studied dinosaurs extensively and also having developed a definitive explanation for why they became extinct (a meteor hit Earth and covered it with a thick, dark cloud and the sun couldn’t get through, so the dinos died), Josh understands the gravity of extinction.

“Can we get up tomorrow morning and get on a plane to that place where the leopards are to save them?” he asked.

“That’s a long trip and we’d have to do a lot of planning,” I answered. “Besides, the Clouded Leopard is rarely seen; I wouldn’t know where to look.”

Expecting a long, drawn out fight over the necessity of going and the ease with which it could be done, I was quite surprised that he just looked at me and said, “Okay, then can we take a picture of it in the book so I can remember what it looks like when it’s extinct?”

And so I took the picture. And I’m showing it to you. And I hope the Clouded Leopard doesn’t go extinct.

More Trash to Treasure

Over the weekend, a couple of our neighbors had garage sales. Starting at probably 6:30a, Josh bugged Jay to take him across the street to get what he thought was a little doll bed that he could use for his spider rock. Jay declined. By the time we were all dressed for the day, the little bed was gone and Josh didn't let us forget it. Zach, however, was rewarded for his neighborly nosiness with this lovely attachment for a leaf blower…free of charge (thanks, Jeff).

Much later in the day, as we were returning home, we passed the house where the other garage sale was going on and I spied a doll bed. I told Josh to run down and see how much it was. Breathless, he reported back that it was $1. I figured I could hand over a buck to make a spider rock comfy. I may have overpaid, though, because I found out that the bed didn’t have a bottom and we had to make one out of scraps of cardboard.

That danged spider rock has yet to be placed in the bed even though I fixed up a really fancy mattress and bedding….

Hope for the Future

They actually do get along once in a while….

Josh Rides!

And now, Number-Two son has learned to pedal (mostly) on his own. Jay started working with him last Friday and, as of tonight, he’s made great progress.

He’s still not sure he wants to do it, but watching Zach zoom around with ease (other than the getting-on-the-bike part) makes him try. We’re telling him he needs to know how to ride his bike so he can zip around the campground in San Clemente with all the other kids this August. He’s on a mission!

Promises, Promises....

Sometimes it's just nice to have stuff in writing....

Mom's Gift

Mother’s Day is a wonderful concept. It’s a beautiful thing to recognize the contributions of the family’s matriarch. It’s joyous to feel the love of your children and their father through the cards and gifts they give you.

But some gifts are worth more than others. After getting to sleep in, then receiving the handmade and store-bought cards from my guys, Jay took the boys to the golf course for a few hours…without me.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my family. I enjoy being with them. But, sometimes, the thing a mom enjoys most is peace and quiet. I don’t need to go out to breakfast or lunch or dinner. I don’t need fabulous jewels (though I’m always willing to receive them). Nope, I was happy to pick up the house, get the laundry started and read the Sunday Times. But that’s just me and maybe I’m a little strange….

Please is the Word

Do you ever wonder if your kids listen to a thing you say? That's really not a trick question. I know kids have selective hearing ("Please eat your green food." No response. But ask, "Do you want ice cream for every meal today?" and they're at your side before you can put the question mark on your sentence.) And if the TV is on, Josh has absolutely no hearing under the 115-decibel level of a sandblaster (which I have been known to reach at least once a day). But there must be something in the subconscious of a child that allows him to absorb the lessons you're trying to teach...eventually.

The usual response when I ask Josh and Zach to do something.

Often (and I do mean often), I tell the boys that saying "please" over and over again when I've denied an overly ambitious request ("Pleeeeeeeeeeease, can I eat gummies for breakfast."  "Can I pleeeeeeeeeeease sleep with Boingo the Devil Cat?"), doesn't make me change my mind.

I'm trying really hard not to give in when I've already said No to something. All the experts say that it only encourages more whining, begging, pleading, groveling, tearing of hair and gnashing of teeth because kids know you'll eventually give in to the non-stop, high-pitched screech of a pre-schooler. I usually start out denying the request in a calm, reasoned, sing-songy voice, but after the 61st time, I'm yelling back, "STOP SAYING 'PLEASE'!" (which is absurd since I've spent nearly four years getting them to say the darn word without prompting). "SAYING 'PLEASE' OVER AND OVER AGAIN WON'T MAKE ME CHANGE MY MIND!"

So, the other day, Zach was trying to weasel something away from Josh by employing the aforementioned method, when Josh finally turned to him and said, "'Please' doesn't make me change my mind" and he walked away. I nearly broke out in song. My boy listens to his mother; I've been restored. Now if I could just get him to put his rocks and sticks outside without being asked....

Oh, Mexico....

I was talking to Jay on the phone as he made his way home from work when Zach came in asking if I had a backpack for the 64 stuffed animals he wanted to put in it. Sure. Then Josh came in and asked, "Mom, can we go to Mexico?" (Didn't realize they knew it was Cinco de Mayo.)

Once I realized that they wanted the whole family to go to Mexico, I soured on the idea. I thought they were going to run away from home....

Dear Mrs. Mina

For the second time this week, Josh had a hard time with the concept of going to school. Monday he declared that he needed a vacation day. Today, he stated emphatically that he was done with school and that he had learned all he needed to know.

He insisted on writing a note to his teacher to explain his withdrawal from school. “Okay,” I offered helpfully, “I’ll tell you what letters to write.” (I need blog material, you know.) When he gave it to his teacher with a triumphant expression on his face, I was forced to burst his sweet little bubble. I explained that he needed to go to school at least 13 more years and that I’d see him after school. He wasn’t happy….

Trash to Treasure

It all started when Jay would go to a golf tournament and come home with a bag of freebies (fabulous stuff like reusable bags and water bottles and pads of paper). Zach got used to it and Jay had to start to get creative to keep the 'grab bag' full. He wasn't above raiding the trash to find something that might seem like a real treasure.

Tonight, Jay walked in the door from work nearly an hour past his usual time, only to be greeted by Zach wanting to know if Dad had anything for him. Long story short, Jay searched for odds and ends and made Zach a dust mop (he was thrilled!) and Josh's baby chick was made into a rocker chick with the addition of a tiny paper guitar and some rock and roll hair.

God bless the man for his patience. That depleted it, but he was patient when it counted ♥

Enchanting...

We rented a video from the library and Josh was watching it with rapt attention. "Mom," he said, "this is the greatest movie ever; what's it called?"

"Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs."

"Why are the meatballs enchanted?"

"No, Son, 'a chance' of meatballs."

Then we got into a discussion of cliches and idioms and figures of speech and other things I didn't really know how to explain. I should have just told him why the meatballs were enchanted....