Last night, Nathan and I decided that it was time for Phoenix to have a much needed haircut. His head is starting to look like the back end of a wildebeest. (If I could find the connector cord for my camera I would have a pic of his hair. I'll keep looking.)
I found a Lego in his hair the other day, and he hid small rocks among his locks on Saturday while playing outside. It is definitely haircut time.

Well...

We should have known better, not only because he is almost 3 and very in control of what he does, and what everyone else does as well (a.k.a "The Bossy Phase"), but because it was 8:30pm, which is one hour and thirty minutes past bedtime.

Phoenix and I had also just returned from a 3 hour shopping trip.
(*happy sigh* Goodwill *contented sigh*).

We should have just let it go for another day or two, instead of trying to hold this child down and cut what we could reach.

But no.

As parents, we have this "superiority complex" that tends to take over our brains. When we get the notion in our head that something needs to be done, and it has to be done RIGHT NOW, our brain short circuits the nerve endings that lead to the RATIONAL THINKING part of our brains.

Lets shorten this story.

Nathan got soap in both eyes
I have a bruise on my chest in a place where most women have something to complain about if they get a bruise there...
Phoenix may possibly be traumatized for life.

It was probably pretty stupid of me to offer him a candy cane as an apology. Now every time we pass a barber shop, he will remember that red and white striped candy cane, and how it very closely resembles the spinning barber pole hanging from the door of the barbershop. Oh while I'm at it I might as well screw up his idea of Santa Claus as well. Candy canes are always a stocking stuffer...

I think I am theoretically losing it.

Anyway, when we decided to finally stop torturing the now lop haired child, Phoenix looks up at us and growls "DONT TOUCH MY HAIR! Where's Grandma?"

Nathan says "Would you let Grandma cut your hair?" and Phoenix said "Oh yes, can I have some milk now?"


So we put the poor traumatized child to bed under his Thomas and Friends blankie and kissed him goodnight, silently apologizing for the sheer terror (or SHEAR terror) we put him through.

(Ha ha, get it?? Shear terror!)

(Yes, I have lost my marbles, thank you for noticing)

No Habla Escargot

A few nights ago, I asked Jack to pick out a story for bedtime and he handed me "Theodore and the Tall Ships". And excellent choice, I thought, as it has many similarities to Thomas the Tank Engine, which is very popular in our house.
So as I am reading about the Tall Ships that have come from many places around the world to port at Big Harbour, I realize that I have no idea how to pronounce the way the Tall Ships say "Hello" in their many different languages, such as Italian, German and Dutch. I said the Spanish and French "Hello's" properly and the boys even tried to copy, but I felt very inadequate. I am my children's teacher, and in a world where knowing a second language has become almost mandatory, I can't even say "Hello" in Italian. Or German. Or Dutch.

So today I shall teach myself, and the boys, via the internet. Google, I *heart* U.

In other news, the playroom has been a big success. I have introduced coloring back into the boys lives, since they have an actual place to color that isn't my walls. I absolutely cannot WAIT for spring, so we can play with play-doh outside. There is no way you could pay me enough to let them play with it inside. I am NOT cleaning THAT out of the carpet.
I am also looking for preschools for the boys. We have a new Montessori school opening just a few miles from our house, and I am very excited to take a tour of it. Nathan doesn't understand why I dont just put them in daycare or a regular preschool (which is pretty much daycare around here). I really wish his head would extract itself from whatever world its been living in and realize that our children need a much more educated upbringing than we were required. He was homeschooled, I went to public school. He graduated early, I dropped out. He has a great job, I qualify for McDonalds.
You can see why I am very adamant. I have high expectations when it comes to my children's education. So I am doing the best I can, with what I have and can find during a Goodwill run, to teach them not only the basic ABC's and 123's, but now we will be working on other languages as well. Plus Phoenix is old enough to have an extra cirricular activity, so I am thinking about putting him in tumbling (since he loves to jump and do somersaults), or piano (he's nearly worn the white off the keys of his keyboard, lol). Jack will have his own class to go to at age 3 also, as I think his interests will be more defined by then. I honestly can only handle adding one new thing to our schedule at a time. I'm pretty overwhelmed as it is, but I try. I try with everything in me because my children are my world, and I would be absolutely nothing without them :)

I'm bragging, but wouldn't you...

If you made a great effort, and spent several hours (over the period of a few days of course) creating something beautiful for your more than beautiful daughter?

Just wait untill I get my sewing machine. :)

I nearly listed my sons on craigslist today...

Now I would never REALLY sell/trade/barter my two youngest boys (ages 1 and 2), but today I was ready to list them and get FULL PRICE. There was no OBO (or best offer). Here is why:

1. They made chocolate pudding on my kitchen floor
2. They also made angel hair pasta on my kitchen floor

Both incidents happened while I was in the bathroom. Its a miracle I dont have a bladder infection from "holding it" to make sure my kids dont get into anything.

3. They had the idea that poop makes for good finger painting.

Ive had this problem with them for MONTHS. Every single stinking (no pun intended) day, someone saves up their poo for naptime. Somedays they both do it. I cannot tell you how many times I have locked them out of their bedroom because of the poo disaster they have created.

Tonight I scrubbed, vacuumed, and disinfected their room and everything in it. I also removed all toys and created a playroom in our Dining Room. Now there is no reason to play at naptime.
And if they know whats good for them, no one will have to poo at naptime either.


4. Jack turned the oven to broil after I put in a pizza, without my knowledge. Needless to say, 5 minutes later the pizza was done and smoke was pouring out of my oven.

We had chicken sandwiches instead.

Let's move on.

5. There is nothing funnier than dumping an entire Ziploc gallon freezer bag of magnetic letters and numbers on the floor and running through them.

Especially when they end up in other rooms.

Its even funnier when mommy is wearing a sock that has a hole in the big toe and the neon orange letter "L" finds a new home where a toe should be.

6. Seven new books are missing covers. This includes their new Thomas book.

As you mommys out there know, Thomas is sacred in our house. Well actually Percy is the chosen one, and Thomas has become the name brand. (i.e. "That is a Thomas blanket with Percy on it." or "I want the Thomas train named Emily")

7. Phoenix informed me that the "Pizza is gross now mommy" about 783 times today. He even mentioned it before going to bed. I told him I knew it by heart now that the pizza is gross, thanks to him telling me about it so many times today.

I tried to sound appreciative.

8. They ran outside completely naked.

Thank goodness it was in the mid 50's today, and that we live in a pretty secluded area.

9. Their chocolate pudding fingerprints are still all over the bathroom.

Now this makes me think. Why do I even bother to wash their hands 389047 times a day, when they just make a mess in the bathroom with what is already on there? Plus its not like those hands will stay clean, due to the fact that before today, their favorite place to play was in the refrigerator! Im about ready to buy and entire box of super extra small rubber gloves and layer 5 on each hand per kid every morning, that way when their hands get dirty, Ill just peel off the gloves and TA DA! Fresh clean hands!

Eh. Its an idea.


Tonight I am crocheting hats for preemies and newborns for a charity called Newborns in Need. I can crank out a baby sized hat in 30-60 minutes (depending on the size), so my goal is to crochet one baby hat a night for the next 30 days.

I'm going to need a lot of coffee and a lot of naptime on the weekend.

But please, visit the site. Find a way to help. Share the link.

Cause everyone loves feeling warm and snuggly :)

Resolutions

I have read and created many blogs over the course of many years, but lately I have been entertained by "mommy blogs". The daily trials and tribulations of mothers just like me with kids just like mine, give me that extra little push I need each day to keep from completely ripping my hair out (which has spit up in it btw).
While my sympathies extend to the moms that haven't had a shower in three days (like me), take 3-4 children to the grocery store with them only to realize that she got everyone else ready but herself and is still in pajama bottoms (like me), and are sleep deprived (like me), its nice to know that I am not the only one that got into the rickety lifeboat of the sinking parenting Titanic.
I laugh, I cry, I spit juicy juice all over myself (which is usually covered in far worse by this point in the day). Moms are amazing women. Our stories bring us together, and make us better people, for our children, husbands, extended families, and friends. It is a joy for me to try a technique I have learned from another mommys blog. (Potty training BOYS is number one on the list. All comments appreciated!)

So who am I?

My name is Sarah. I live in northeastern-middle Tennessee (well that's where everyone says it is) and I just turned 30. The big 3-0. I was afraid of turning 30 until my cellphone alarm went off at midnight and I realized I hadn't exploded. I am breathing normally again.
I have four beautiful children. Three boys; Griffen is 10, Phoenix is almost 3 and Jack Jack will be 2 in a few months. My only girl Madelyn Kate turned 5 months old yesterday. She is everything I ever hoped having a girl would be.
So the answer to your question is "Yes, I have been pregnant for 3 years straight."
The answer to your other question is "No, I have no idea what I was thinking".

My "pseudo husband" Nathan and I have been together for 4 years as of next month, and our relationship has been the most trying long term experience I have ever been a part of, but we love each other very much, enough to make things right for our children and become better people ourselves. We've talked about getting married for nearly as long as we have been together, but circumstances (i.e. I'm NOT wearing a maternity wedding dress) have kept us from doing so, but we love like we are married and fight like we are married, so I consider it one and the same.
Griffen and I go to church on Wednesday nights, and sometime Saturday night service as well, but we are very new to the ideals of Christianity and are pretty much making our own way right now. He just goes to play with the kids, but I think the environment is good for him. He is very into playing Halo 3 and drawing comics about killing zombies in the most gruesome fashion, but he is a boy and I have somewhat accepted that.
I don't preach or judge. You won't see bible verses or quotes on my page. That is something, I believe, each person must find on their own and it is not my responsibility to make sure you do. I go to better myself. Plus it gives me 2 hours away from the undone dishes, piles of laundry, and potty training disasters.

Anyway...

I love organic stuff (but I'm not obsessed with turning "green"), Crochet (although I never finish anything I start), Video games (old school nintendo/sega whats UP), shopping for bargains, decorating my house, Halloween, Christmas, and designing children's clothing.
We are currently potty training (if you hadn't guessed by now) the two youngest boys. Jack jack, has caught on beautifully, and Phoenix could care less. They are two very different people. Phoenix is pretty much a genius. Loves learning about everything. His brain is a sponge, whereas Jack is just content with having something to do and someone to love. Griffen is a very active child. The ADD kind of active. Always wanting attention, and waiting to see how people react to him. He is also very protective of me and it has taken more than just a kick in the back pockets to calm him down, but I know his heart is in the right place.

So here I will be writing about my daily life (when i actually have the time). I plan to post funny stories, pictures, and I'm sure there will be a good rant or two...hundred. My days are never ending, the chaos always ensues, but I can honestly say that I know my cup is full.
(too bad its not full of quarters...)