Slacker Mom's Menu

I love to cook.  I also love to eat yummy food.  I don't have much time to spend in the kitchen so I have been trying to streamline my meal making efforts.  My plan is to keep a record of my recipes on my new and exciting blog...Slacker Mom's Menu.  Let me know what you think!

Phobia.....

After looking at the pics of Z I felt the need to blog about not just his propensity towards grouchiness but one of his little quirks. He has an ingrained and intense phobia.

  

Of stickers.  

I first became aware of his fear during a co-op preschool activity that involved placing apples stickers on a tree.  Grabbing his picture of the tree, running from me in panic, he had an all out melt down.  At first I thought it was an isolated incident, but some number of days following the apple tree trauma, we went to Wal-Mart where a nice older man offered Z a round, yellow smiley face sticker.  Z screamed 'NO!', literally in terror, and buried his face in my arm -whimpering.  After that, when ever we went to Wal-Mart, he would fall apart.  Clearly traumatized, he would frequently tell me how much he hated the 'sticker man'.  I won't go into detail about the primary(church class) pajama party that required kids to wear a 'hello my name is' sticker.  Suffice to say, it wasn't pretty.      

His phobia extends, though not as severely, to stamps.  Last summer, after exiting the 'most magical place on earth' we each recieved an invisible hand stamp so we could return to the park later.  I had to force him to get his stamp, then though he couldn't even see it, he glared at his hand and angrily exclaimed "Oh! I hate Disneyland!"

A few weeks ago, I got him to do a workbook activity involving stickers, so I was hopeful that this weird phase was over, or at least that we were making progress .

I was wrong.

Yesterday, we went to a craft store.  As I was walking down the scrapbook/sticker isle.  Z got all fidgety till finally tearfully exclaiming "Can I just wait for you over there?  I can smell stickers everywhere!"

The Many Faces of Z

My sister Heather recently asked me to get her pictures of my kids for a project she is working on.  Before pulling up my photo files I knew that it was going to be difficult to find a good picture of Z.  He has a super sweet side but also a rather grouchy persona.  I got a good laugh looking at all of his close up's and though I would share.  

And...

He is trying to have fun - really, look how hard is trying to smile!  Gotta love him!

Ode to the Loudoun County Department of Sanitation

Today was trash removal day - and I forgot. 

I was eating toast.                                

You were collecting trash - I heard you from the kitchen.

By the time I got outside - you were half way down my street.

But you saw me coming.

You waited for me.

I ran to you - in my pajamas.

And flip-flops.

Dragging my trash can behind me.

You sat on the back of the truck - and watched me run.

You did not laugh - too much.

You took my trash.

My green can is empty again.

Thank You.  

Wisdom from my Sisters

From Kristy: When ever anything in life is unmanageable, thusly causing stress, change your hair.  While many things in life are beyond our control - or lack a quick fix, changing your style or color is an instantly gratifying experience.  Additionally, life would be worse if we were to start drinking excessively.

From Heather:  Tactics used in a Special Ed classroom are quite effective when used on my children.  What this says about my children...I don't like to admit.  What this says about Heather is that she can handle a lot of deviant behavior.  Also - when under stress it is perfectly acceptable to cry to a stranger (i.e. the comcast guy) if no one more suitable is around.  

From Becca: Many of us agonize over the fact that most pictures taken of ourselves, are less than beautiful.  When once in a while a good picture turns out, we are glad that our imagined beauty has finally been captured on film.  We need to accept that the opposite is true.  We actually look mediocre much of the time - so mediocre pictures are an accurate representation of our physical reality.  Remember: those few really good pictures of ourselves are not how we actually look.   

From Mom: (who must be included even though the blog title indicates only Sisters) As women, many of us spend much of our lives agonizing over weight and the last 10 pounds (or fill in the number with whatever poundage you choose) that we want to loose.  Many of us also spend much of our lives enjoying snacks and treats.  At some point we need to say "This is what size I am.  I like to eat ice cream (donuts, cookie dough, etc.), and will continue to do so."  Then we need to stop agonizing.  Or stop eating the treats.  Pick one of the two.     

From Me:  (Just because I don't want to feel left out!) Laugh at yourself.  Life is hard/ stressful/disappointing much of the time.  Find the funny and lighten up!  If by chance you are unable to find humor in your own life, watch America's Funniest Home Videos and laugh at someone else.  A heavy set woman falling off of her bike into the mud, a poorly executed trampoline move ending with some guy getting it in the sweet spot, a little old grandma falling from the dock into the lake - these things are all very funny.   

Please note -  when entertaining the idea of taking of Kristy's advice - (hair cut or color) it will only be instantly gratifying if you pay someone whom you trust, who is also qualified to do the task.  This does not include a sister (Becca), trustworthy but untrained in cosmetology, who thinks she knows how to home-job some bleach blonde high-lights on my normally dark brown hair. Don't think of her too badly though, she let me do her hair at the same time so we both looked crappy - but we looked crappy together.

And that is the point of having sisters - togetherness.  Whether we are living in the same state or not. Miss you guys!   

Never Not Get It?

In the great and rainy state of Virginia school has been cancelled. Yes, that's right I said 'rainy'.  And I said 'canceled'.   I am looking outside and the rain is in fact, heavy, but it is still just - rain. Coming from Utah, living at 6,000 ft, I drove through 2-3 feet of snow, in a raging blizzard, more than once, to get my kids to the bus stop. After braving the elements there, this seems - weird. People say that I shouldn't scoff, after all it is freezing rain. Which is the kind that freezes (hence the name) when it hits the ground, and apparently people here do not know how to drive on slick roads.  Ergo, we are all homebound for a 'rain day.'  Excuse me, a 'freezing rain day'.    

Consequently, instead of getting ready to go to the gym, I am overseeing the clean up of the basement. Whilst, goading my 3 offspring into action, we had the following 'intellectual' conversation:     

N: If my birthday was on Christmas would I still get presents?

Me: You bet.

N:  Awesome!  I wish my birthday was on Christmas! 

A: I wish my birthday was on Thanksgiving.

Me: Why?

A: Because we would have a big feast for my birthday dinner. (She looked suddenly thoughtful) Can I never not get my own birthday cake?

Me:  What?

A:  Can I never not get my own birthday cake?

Me: What do you mean?

A: Um, like, if I didn't finish my dinner?

Me: Well, usually we have something good for your birthday dinner - so you want to finish it.

A: But if it was Thanksgiving dinner, I might have to eat some gross vegetables or something, and I wouldn't want to, but I wouldn't get my dessert if I didn't finish - so can I never not get my own birthday cake?

Never Not?  I was thinking that A could have really used this day of school to brush up on her grammer, but before I had time to delve into double negatives, the kids began to battle over N's prolific creation of Mii's on the Wii.  A is angry that N is wasting Mii's.  N feels very strongly that Heather will really want a personalized Mii waiting for her when she comes to visit this spring.  And so will Kristy.  So will Grandpa Rex.  I resolved the issue by dictating that A can make all girl Mii's and N can make all the  boy's.  But only for real people.  N will have to delete all of the fake Mii's that he created, because let's face it, that is wasteful.  In fact, Some kids don't have any Mii's at all, and here N is all willy-nilly with the wasting.  (If you don't have a Wii and don't understand this, just chalk it up to kids having another pointless argument.)

On the tails of resolving the Mii issue there have been loud disagreements over:

a) who actually turned the Wii on (because this was not allowed until the basement was clean)

b) who demolished Z's club house (because they should have to fix it)

c) why Z should pick up all the Scooby-Doo toys and not just Daphne (sadly, his all time favorite toy - besides barbies and polly pockets)

d) how N threw A's book at/to her and so will never be allowed to touch any of her things ever again

e) how Z is not helping clean

f)  how N is not helping clean

g) how A is the only one who is cleaning even though she never makes any of the messes   

I am wondering if I can never not get any peace and quiet today.  Z is crying, N is yelling, A is tattle taleing, (perhaps I could be more parental but I am blogging)....and it is 8:30 a.m.

It would seem that my kids day off is my day to pull a double shift.  Time to go be a mommy.