Wordless Wednesday: Easter

 

I survived Spring Break!

Why is this such a big deal?

Normally, my spring break coincides with my kids'.  And my husband's.  

Not this year.  

This year I was off one week, the kids were off another, and my husband was off a third.  

Bloodly everlasting hell.

Not only did I have to work while all 4 kids were off, my sitter had spring break that week too.  

So she decided to spend it on a Mexican cruise, not watching my kids.  

And it was the beginning of testing "season" for my work - the single most stressful month of the year.  

So I was terrified, to put it mildly. 

But I decided to rock it.  

So we were bussssssssssssssssssssssssy.

Monkey Zoo anyone?

We saw the Easter Bunny.

We watched Frozen entirely too many times.

And we played entirely too many video games.

We went to a bounce house.

We dyed Easter eggs.

We broke Easter eggs.

We read... a lot.

We built forts.

And we spent a lot of time at McDonald's. 

And I managed to help get 100 students tested, coordinate rally points for the transfer of computers to the next testing sites, teach a college class, train a teacher, put together a presentation on Internet safety, and plan and host Easter dinner.

And now, I am going to have a bottle glass of wine and take a nap that lasts for about a week. 

Mom Court of Law

My husband and I found this the other night... laundry detergent.  All over the kids' bathroom.

I immediately began the mom inquisition.  You know the one: "We won't be mad if you tell us the truth.  But if you lie to us, we will be very, very angry and WE. WILL. KNOW.  And then you will be in bigger trouble."

My children's arguments:

Girlie 
She's thinking very hard.  "Well, maybe I did it.  I don't remember.  Maybe when I brushed my teeth?  No, I used your bathroom.  Maybe I was sleepwalking?"

Verdict - Case dismissed.  Once I realized she was trying to claim credit for it so I would be happy to know who made the mess, I realized she was innocent. 

Boyo 
He's not making eye contact and staring at a spot over my left shoulder.  "I didn't do it.  It wasn't me."

Verdict - very suspicious.  Very, very suspicious.  Probably guilty.

KK
She starts grinning at me and throws her arms up in the air: "I do it!"

Verdict - mental incompetence - she had no clue what was going on. 

Husband
"Oh, I may have knocked it over when I was fixing the dryer."  

Wordless Wednesday: KK and Merida... I mean Ariel.

When we got to Ariel and I said, "Who is this?" KK shouted out "Merida!"

Insults Overheard At Our House

~
"You STUPID AT-AT!"
(my son was taken to task for using the word stupid.)

~
"YOU BIG BABY!"
(Please note -- this was shouted at the baby)

~
"You BIG BELUGA!"
(I had no idea... and then I heard Donald Duck say it on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse)

~
"You POOPIE HEAD!"
(my daughter was taken to task for potty talk)

~
"You are a dirty rotten SITH!"
(my husband was pretty proud of Girlie for shouting that one out.)

~
"Toilet user!"
(No idea)


~
"SWIPER!  YOU BAD SWIPER! AW MAN!"
(Dora, for those of you who are fortunate enough to not know that.)

~
"You live in a garbage can!"
(Thanks, Sesame Street)

~
"Mo-om!  Boyo's a TOY BREAKER!"
(Doc McStuffins)

~
"You're ANAKIN WHEN HE'S BAD!"
(my husband was pretty proud of Boyo for that one.)

~
"Oh, yeah! Well, you eat your veg-et-ables!"
(huh.  That's new.) 

To Save Our Friendship

I learned a few important things the other day:

1. Bullying starts in first grade, apparently.
2. First grade girls are vicious.
3. Girlie can handle it with aplomb.

I was picking up carpool when her teacher flagged me down.  I immediately did the parent thought process, "Uh oh, what happened?  What did she do?  Wait, she is the one who never has behavioral problems.  Was there a spelling test?  A math test?  Did I forget her lunch?  If she was hurt, the school would have called, right?"

These, and a thousand other thoughts that were a lot worse, went running quickly through my head.  And then everything stopped as her teacher explained what had actually happened.

Apparently, there have been bullying incidents happening in the class among the girls.  Enough to the point where the teacher has been making a point to address it with the class on a regular basis, and teach them how to not be a bully and how to make nice choices. 

He said that while he was on the playground, he noticed a little girl starting to bully Girlie.  Concerned that Girlie wouldn't know how to handle the situation, he headed over to intervene.  He came to a halt though, when he heard what Girlie said in response to the bullying.

"Well, I'm going to walk away now.  You are hurting my feelings, and to save our friendship I need to take a break from you." 

And then Girlie walked passed her teacher and went to play with a different group of girls. 

At lunch, the teacher noticed Girlie and the girl who had said mean things earlier sitting together.  So he asked Girlie what had happened earlier. 

Girlie said, "I told her how I felt.  She said she was sorry.  We took a break and now we are friends again." 

Her teacher told me that he had never seen a first grader act that way before.  And he was really proud of her for it. 

So am I. 

Wordless Wednesday: Remembering My Friend

Songs

My kids love to sing... and their versions amuse me to no end...

~ "Don we now, our gap apparel... Fa lalalalalala la la..."

~ "It's a small world, apple roll!"

~ "Ring around the rosies, pocket ful of posies, Ashlyn, Ashlyn, we all fall down!"

~ "Winkle Winkle wittle star, how I wonder what you ate..."

~"A B C D E F G H I J KK L M N O S Q R S T U S W S Y S Z Now I now my ABC time time sing with ME!" 

~ "Everything is awesome.  Everything is cool when you are living the seam......... Everything is awesome.  Everything is good when you are part of the seam!" 

Dinner At Our House

Last week, a friend of mine said, "We just love you and your family! We want to have you over for dinner one night!" 

And I immediately flashed to dinner the night before...

... everything was going fine until we finished saying Grace.  We had no sooner said "Amen" before mayhem broke out.

My one year old threw her fork on the floor and began digging into her dinner with her hands.

My two year old deserted the table to chase the dog, screaming, "Who's my good dog?!  I love you! Who's my pal?!"

My five year old started poking his sister in the ribs with his fork.  My husband took his fork away.  My son grinned and began licking his plate.

My six year old opened negotiations with "I only have to eat 5 bites, right?"  I said 15.  She countered with 7.  I went down to 12.  She countered with 10.  I agreed.  

My husband stared at his plate and shoveled food in his mouth. 

My one year old threw her applesauce against the wall and said, "Uh-oh.  It spill."

My two year old spilled her water on the dog.

My five year old split open his green beans and pulled out the seeds, telling me we needed to plant them. 

My six year old shoved every bite she took in my face saying, "This is bite number _____, okay, Mommy?  Do you see it?"

My husband continued eating, not making eye contact with anyone.

My one year began quietly choking on bread.  I fished it out of her mouth while threatening my two year old with a high chair if she didn't sit down.

My two year old screamed, "NO HIGH CHAIR!" at the top of her lungs and threw her fork at me.  She was sent to the penalty box while my husband dug the second high chair out of the garage.

My five year old began eating ketchup with his tomato slices.  

My six year old informed me that she does not like baked potatoes and she knows she doesn't like them so she doesn't see why she should have to eat them if she knows she doesn't like them and it's not fair that she has to eat food she doesn't like if she knows she doesn't like it.  

My husband opened his second beer and continued to eat.  

My right eye began twitching.  I threatened everyone with no dessert.  

Peace reigned long enough for me to ask what everyone's favorite part of today was.  

My six year old said the monkey bars.

My five year old said recess.

My two year old said, "Going potty and getting chocolate coin!"

My one year old screamed "POOPOO!" at the top of her lungs.

My six year old asked to be excused.  

My five year old began teasing the two year old that she was trapped in the high chair. 

My two year old began screaming and throwing food at the five year old. 

My one year old began shrieking to "GET DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!" 

...... so I thanked my friend for her offer and said we would have a night free in 5 years. 

Wordless Wednesday: Pretty sure this big girl ate my baby