Just Out of Curiousity Moms...

When is the last time…….


YOU took a bath in your sunken tub, instead of your kids? You got into your car and your music was blaring instead of your kids’?
You ate your entire meal without having to stop and give seconds, pour more milk, or clean up spilled milk?

You watched the morning news instead of Zaboomafoo or Curious George?
You climbed into bed only ONCE before your alarm clock beckoned you in the morning?
Your tape dispenser, stapler, or pens were in the same place you left them the last time you used them?

You sat down and watched a television program without being body-slammed by one, two, three, or four or more children?

You had a telephone conversation without shooing children away or whisper-screaming that you’ll be done in just a second?

Your house stayed clean for more than 20 minutes after the housekeeper has left?
You took an uninterrupted shower while your children were awake?
You went a whole day without being summoned more than five-hundred-sixty-five times?

You ate every bite of your bite-sized chocolate chip cookie?
You were told, “I love you” as many times as you were summoned that same day?
You looked into someone’s eyes and felt such unconditional love?
You were given a sloppy, wet kiss and loved every minute of it?
You were told that you were the best mom, even when you felt like such a failure?

Just out of curiosity…

I’d love to hear your, “When is the last time…”

The Tooth Fairy Returns

As if I didn't have enough experiences on my resume, I've had to add Tooth Fairy?

It is official...Angel's delivery of any word beginning with the letter "S" is temporarily slurred by the loss of both front teeth.

Last night at dinner, she lost the second wobbly tooth, and she is now the proud owner of a window in her mouth!

She does not discriminate who she shares this information with.

Waiters

Waitresses

Fellow shoppers

Fellow restaurant patrons

Friends at school

Strangers at school

Strangers anywhere for that matter!

She's very proud of this new loss!

And I'm thankful that I'll get lots of practice playing tooth fairy, because I'm not very good at it! I don't have the gentle touch for removing the tooth and replacing it with money. I nearly hit the ground last night when I tried to make a speedy escape after I caused Angel to stir!

By the time all the baby teeth in this house have fallen out, I'll be a pro!

A First Fairy Visit

Saturday night was the first of many visits to our home by the tooth fairy. Our "early to do everything" little Angel, has been wiggling her two bottom front teeth for the past week now, and sometime between when she went to bed on Friday night, and when she woke again on Saturday morning, one of them made its' escape.

If one was to look in our windows on Saturday morning, they would have definitely questioned the behavior. We combed through sheets, pillows, carpet, and anything else that was laying around, trying to find the missing tooth. Truly it was like looking for a tic-tac in the midst of a small hurricane!

Because we were unsuccessful in finding the tooth, Angel wrote a letter to the tooth fairy instead.

It read:

"Dear Tooth Fairy, I lost my first tooth. Love, Angel"

She tucked it neatly beneath her pillow and dozed off to dreamland.

Bright and early Sunday morning, she discovered that the tooth fairy had made a visit. A crisp two-dollar bill replaced the letter, and she could not have been more pleased!

It will only be days until we are visited again. Loose tooth number two is only holding on by a thread!

I've Got Claws...

After 4 1/2 years as a mother, I finally experienced that, "Protective Mom anger" with another adult. My claws came out, and if I weren't too busy wiping the sweat from my brow and calming a sobbing child, those claws may have made contact with a grumpy old man face!

This evening I took my crew to sign them up for soccer. Angel, Isaac, and Bella are going to try to follow in their daddy's cleats, and join an organized team. The sign-ups were held in an elementary school classroom with a few musical instruments sitting on the floor below the blackboard.

I had seen some children playing nicely with the instruments earlier, so I didn't think twice about it when Angel and Isaac began to gently play with them also. Within minutes, a man swooped in and YELLED at my children.

"Get out of there! You can't be touching those things. This IS NOT OUR CLASSROOM!"

I was appalled by his actions toward my children. If one didn't know better, by his reaction, one would have thought that my children were beating each other over the head with the instruments.

Mortified, all four of my kids gathered by my side. Seconds later, Angel belted out with screams of extreme embarrassment. In public situations, my kids are generally very well-behaved, and have never been treated in this manner by another adult.

The man with whom I was speaking to before this incident took place, tried to assure me that everything was okay. In my mind, it was far from okay. I informed him that there was absolutely no reason for this man to be so rude to my kids. I then turned to the man directly and informed him that there was no reason to be so rude. For Pete's sake...I'm trying to involve my already reluctant child to be involved in recreational sports, and this man goes and behaves this way.

I questioned the personnel that were in the vicinity to be sure that this man was not a coach. I let them know that if he was, I would not be signing the check allowing my kids to join this club.

While he moseyed around pointing out what had happened, I tried to reconcile the situation in my head. It was not the fact that he reprimanded my children, rather, it was the manner in which he reprimanded. A simple, "Hey kids! This isn't our classroom so could you please leave the things alone?" would have been a much more appropriate redirection.

I've had to tell myself all night that it wasn't directly aimed at my kids. Any other kid that would have been playing there would have been subjected to his crass outburst.

If nothing else, I learned that there is an assertive bone in my body!

Look what I am protecting...

The Sneaky One

Even her brother and sisters have labeled her, "The Sneaky One," and they could not have got it more right! Yesterday Annie and Angel were playing swim school together, pulling every cotton-pickin' bathing suit out of the drawers. I informed them that this must stop, because I am not a fan of doing laundry, nor a fan of folding itty-bitty, teeny-weeny bikinis into perfect little bundles and returning them to their rightful place.

As if I would not hear her as she was standing just inches from my chair, she very sneakily tried to convince her older sister that, indeed, they could still play the game.

"Come on Angel. We can go in my room behind the bed and Mom won't even see us!"

Had I not been right there to talk some sense into them, Annie may have very well coerced her big sister into disobeying her mother!

Little Sneak!!!

Then this morning, while I was packing their lunch with yummy dried apples, I shooed them away from the snack like sea gulls, informing them that they could eat them with their lunch at school.

I have no idea how it happened, but somewhere between dowsing their waffles with maple syrup, and cutting them into one-inch square bite-sized pieces, 2 pieces of apples out of one of the bags mysteriously disappeared. I never even left the kitchen! I had only occupied an area of about 2 square feet, and the bags of apples shared that same space.

I looked over at my four little monsters angels, quietly consuming their breakfast and inquired, "Who on earth stole the apples?"

Without a second thought, Bella retorted, "The Sneaky One took the apples."

Giggles erupted from the belly that consumed the missing apples and she couldn't have been more proud of her accomplishment!

Oh doctor, I think I'm in trouble!

Never Say "Never"

The last time I boasted, "I've never....." I ended up with the most painful cold sore on my upper lip. That's what I get for bragging to my friend who had frequent cold sore outbreaks.

I swore that I would never again make that statement.

And then I did.

This past weekend.

Not once.

But twice.

At Bella's t-ball game last Saturday, I was boasting to the grandma of one of Bella's teammates, that none of my children have ever cut their hair. Oh, I was so proud to state that my children are avid scissor users but they are much more interested in cutting paper into 500 little pieces than chopping away at their hair.
NEVER.....Say "never!"

The other day while my back was turned to my little artists, one decided it was time to do the unthinkable. My most feisty, risk-taker, large-and-in-charge, YOUNGEST CHILD, set scissors to hair and closed the handles.

Have you ever tried to keep a straight face when all the muscles in your face are willing you to do otherwise?

I caved....I laughed....I couldn't contain myself when Annie looked at me and declared, "I wanted that part of my hair shorter, Mom!" She lopped her little pony-tail right off.

The good news is, her hair is so disastrous fine and uneven anyways, one would never notice that it is 3 inches shorter on the top of her head.

And by this time I should have already learned my lesson.

A few weeks prior, I was boasting about the fact that Angel rarely gets sick when the others do.

Oh yah....

In the past month and a half Angel has been struck with an ear infection, followed by a urinary tract infection due to the antibiotic from the ear infection, another ear infection, the flu, followed a week and a half later by another flu bug!

I'll NEVER, say "NEVER" again!!!