Happy Birthday to Moi!

I think I enjoy my birthdays more and more each year. It is one of two days out of the year that I just do what I want. No pressure to have dinner ready, no laundry gets done, and I am flat out lazy. This year, however, I think my expectations were a bit off. You see, the kids were home on Spring Break.

In my head, I had pictured a Little House on the Prairie sort of day. You know, one in which the kids willfully do all their chores, plus the ones I would normally do. After finishing, they’d take their younger siblings outside and skip off to lake for the day, to leave me with my needlepoint while Pa played the fiddle (OK, maybe that’s taking it a bit too far- maybe at least outside to jump on the trampoline so I could hone my photography skills.)

Too bad the snowy weather didn’t cooperate with my birthday dreams. Some called it Mother Nature’s April Fool’s joke. I found nothing funny about it. So, the kids were stuck inside, bouncing off the walls, and I was growing increasingly irritated with their lack of ESP. Regretfully, I told them of my (unrealistic) expectations, and I left for lunch with Randy. Needless to say, it wasn’t nearly as enjoyable as it should have been. Not because of the company, or the menu, but because I was upset at myself for getting upset at the kids.

When I returned  home, I found a clean house and happy kids, and homemade cards awaited me on the kitchen table.

My day continued to improve as I got well-wishes and gifts from many friends and family. I felt very loved.

Randy and the kids got me presents as well, even though my photography class was supposed to be my gift. Randy knows me all too well- he got me a set of exercise weights and a 4lb. tub of Red Vines!

Hailey has kept up her promise of buying gifts for everyone with her own money. She was upset that she didn't have enough money to buy me and Tyler a present, so she decorated this cake for me instead. I loved it much more than anything she could have bought me.

After pizza and cake, we watched Old Dogs, together, snuggled on the couch.

Laying in bed that night, I realized my mistake in setting my expectations for the day. My birthday turned out better than I ever could have hoped for.

Thanks, everyone, for making my day.

Nurse Nancy

It’s not quite 10 AM. And I know it will be a good day. You know why?

Well, Randy is gone on a campout and I was awaken much too early on a Saturday to clean up the contents of two stomachs.

Emma crawled into my bed, crying that her stomach hurt. I asked her if she was going to be OK, and she answered with more crying. In my half-asleep state, I convinced myself she was fine, and rolled to Randy’s side of the bed. She wasn’t fine.

After taking care of her, I crawled back under the covers, to continue my slumber. A little while later, I heard the bathtub running. It was Hannah. She had gotten sick downstairs where she had been sleeping.  

Then, as I was pouring smoothies, Tyler cut his thumb on a piece of broken glass. I put him at the sink, washing his bleeding wound. I turned around to get a BandAid and heard a loud noise as if someone had tipped over a stool. I turned around expecting to get after someone for messing around again, only to find Tyler face-down the tile floor. You see, Tyler inherited my ability-to-faint gene (I can’t say it has ever come in handy.) The poor kid had fallen straight back and hit his head on Nathan’s stool.  He was pretty shaken up but, after some Tylenol, rest, and TLC, he’s feeling better.

It’s all part of being Mom. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

For Hire

Today I was a little out of sorts. I had one thing on my to-do list and couldn’t remember for the life of me what it was.

I spent the majority of the day working on my photography class. I was frustrated that a simple assignment was not turning out the way I knew it should.

Around 6:30 I remembered what I was supposed to do. And I was too late. At dinner time, Hailey pointed out that the task was written plain as day on my calendar.


I need a personal assistant.

Waxing and Waning

In an attempt to redeem myself of my earlier “mother of the year” incident (In case you didn’t hear, I totally missed the second grade butterfly project with Hannah this week,) I accompanied Hailey (I know, wrong kid) as a chaperone stowaway on her field trip to the planetarium today (a fieldtrip with sixth graders is much more enjoyable than one with first graders. (But not necessarily more enjoyable than making butterflies with second graders) Nothing against the first graders- but if a 12 year-old wanders off, it doesn’t send you into a panic.) So, as I was saying…

This morning came way too early after our family’s late-night Iron Man party for Casey’s birthday last night (Randy started the movie at 9:15 ON. A. SCHOOL. NIGHT (I allowed this because, once again, I was trying to redeem myself and not be a party pooper…)) I knew this morning would be hard, so I prepared myself for the worst. Mornings are just like that (and to compound things, Emma typically doesn’t wake up until 9:30 or so…and hour after the bus was scheduled to leave.) So, after dragging myself out of bed around 6:55 AM, I began the dangerous task of waking the offspring.

Much to my surprise, Emma woke up around 7:15. She found me loading the car in the garage, her eyes half closed and her sister’s nightgown reaching to the ground (she owns countless P.J.s but insists on wearing her sisters’ shirts and nightgowns instead.)

I took her inside and ask if she wanted something to eat. She replied, ‘Yeah, because I didn’t brush my teeth.”

Okay, whatever. So I proceeded to make her a nutritious, well-balanced breakfast pour her a bowl of Froot Loops.

I went about my daily morning routine of packing lunches, signing homework, tying shoes and combing hair. As I stood, doing Hailey’s hair, Emma looked up at and asked, with a puzzled expression, “Where are you going, Hailey?”

Hailey told Emma she was going to school. Emma looked even more confused and said, “But it’s night time.”

Now I was confused. She reasoned, “It’s dark outside. It’s time to go to bed.” (why is it then, that she doesn’t go to bed when it is bed time?) I convinced her it was, indeed, morning and I needed her to get ready. She agreed that she would get dressed before she went back to bed (after all, she normally doesn’t crawl out of bed until well past that time. Let me state that it is usually my bed she is exiting in the morning. But then, that’s another story, for another day.)

By some small miracle, we made it to the school with time to spare.

We all had a great time at the planetarium learning all about waxing and waning and why we have seasons. Incidentally, we learned that 10 sixth graders and two moms weighs approximately 26,500 pounds on Jupiter.

Emma fell asleep on the way home and slept for over 3 hours. So now, at 11:30 PM, she’s sitting here on my lap, wide awake, wondering why I keep typing her name.

I Have No Idea for You.

Do I really have a fourteen year-old?! FOURTEEN! I have no idea what I’m doing.

Being the oldest, I have made plenty of mistakes raising him. And with five short years ahead of me until he leaves to serve a mission, I can’t help but wonder if I have time to figure it all out. He certainly caused me his share of headaches, but I look back and wonder what my problem was. He’s just a kid.

But man, oh man, what a gentleman he is turning into! I couldn’t ask for a better son.

Happy Birthday, Case. Thanks for being patient with me.

Love,

Mom

A Slight Addiction

My name is Christie, and I’m a  sugarholic. It’s no secret. But please, don’t confuse me with a chocoholic. That would be a terrible mistake.

As I stated previously, I look forward to seasonal candies. Easter used to be my favorite because of the marshmallow peeps.

And then they started producing them for every holiday, and in every flavor. The novelty is gone, and I don’t buy them much anymore.

Last month, my Valentine candy palate was never quite satisfied. I missed the old candy hearts. {sigh}

But in place of the conversation hearts, I found these:

Pretty much the best candy EVER. Too bad Valentine’s is over.

Then I started craving these:

I haven’t been able to find them in a while. I was beginning to think my candy world had been turned upside down. They were nowhere to be found. Luckily, the Easter candy is out.

Yeah, too bad they are as hard to find.

But in my search, I found these:

Maybe all is not lost in the candy world after all.

PayPal Accepted

Making it through sacrament meeting with six kids is exhausting to say the least. I have resorted to bribery. Yep. If they sit well through the sacrament, they get candy. Our sacrament meeting staple is PEZ. I can load them before church and that makes them a mess-free treat.  On one particular week, however, I failed to make my Saturday night run to the store to purchase the said bribe.

On the way out the door, I grabbed the only treat I had on hand: Sour Patch Kids.
  

For a good portion of the hour, I had kids asking every 10 seconds or so if they could have more. The bag was noisy, my hands were sticky, and my lap was covered in sour sugar. This was NOT the ideal keep-the-kids-quiet-until-the-closing-prayer kind of treat I had in mind.

But Emma made it all worth it as she discovered the golden ticket. She was eating one of her allotted portions when she exclaimed, loud enough for all to hear, “Look! It’s Jesus!”

Not too alarming, given we were in the Lord’s house. Then I turned to see what she was referring to:

Bidding starts at $50.