To brag, or not to brag?

THE bathtub.

The sweet smell of victory.

Hey, I'm just taking it one day at a time ladies...

Little A. loves to be girly. Glitter, lip gloss, blush, and perfume...
Every time I put make-up (baby girl pink blush) on A., she starts hopping up and down so she can see it in the mirror.
She's too short to see herself in my mirror without a stool.

Then she says, "Mommy, lift me up. I want to show the mirror how pretty I am."

I hope she never loses that self-image.

I know that even the youngest of beauties are bombarded with negative opinions about the way they look.

She is so beautiful. May she always see the source of her beauty in You, Lord.

When your bathtub becomes a battleground

I think that sounds like a great book title.

Tonight is as good a night as any to let you inside the chaos that is my marriage.
Yes, you can keep reading - it's not about the 'dirty laundry' - this laundry is actually quite clean.

I do my laundry. And like kj, I am allergic to putting it away.
After you do all the work to sort it, wash it, dry it, sort it again, fold it, yada yada yada - I cannot seem to bring myself to put it away.

His, that is.

I put the kids' away. I put mine away. I put the bathroom and kitchen laundry away. I even put his laundry that goes into drawers away. But whenever I think about opening his closet door, I just simply cannot.

I think to myself, 'It will only take 5 minutes of his time. Surely he can do that...'
Then I dump it neatly in the bathtub and walk away.
I ask him when he gets home to "put it away when you get the chance."
He says he will.
I ask him in the same sweet tone of voice to put his laundry away every day for the next few weeks.
He says he will - never changing his tone either.

We civilly, silently, and passively 'argue' over whose job it is to put away his laundry for weeks that turn into months. Until one day, somebody gives in.

I have always been that somebody.

In earlier years of our marriage, I did this menial task without so much as grumbling on most days. Now that I am a bit more sturdy in my beliefs about household chore sharing, I have grown the proverbial 'laundry putting away' backbone. You hadn't heard of such a backbone?
Oh yes, it does exist - and I am the proud new owner of one!

So I stand before you today, a woman with a new badge.
I was not the "somebody who gave in" for the first time in our marriage.

He put his laundry away.
After a month and a half.

I have finally outlasted him.
At least with regard to clean laundry.

Rodeo.

One down - One to go.
The rodeo at school went fine. Not Great, but fine.

Tomorrow Chris and I are going to try to take our kids to the fairgrounds.
Is it awful for me to say that after living here all these years, I don't know anything about our rodeo?
Well, I don't.
I did, however, get a brand new pair of boots yesterday.
Yes, crys, I got 'em. I understand that this compromises our friendship in countless ways ;)
I do love my boots though - and I am not sure that you will find me without them for a while.

J. also got a hat and boots. Apparently, Chris was a little cowboy back in the day - so we have some of his old Western shirts and his old belt with the last name on the back of it. The best part is the GIANT buffalo buckle on the belt!!
He and I are pretty smitten with our new boots!
Looks like the rodeo is going to get a dose of style tomorrow!

Back in the saddle... again.

I would wager that there have been many posts titled this way - but today it seems especially appropriate.
Tomorrow is our annual "rodeo" at school. It could be described as a music program, but more harrowing.
During THIS program, 90-odd preschoolers and Kindergartners must gallop into the gymnasium on the various and sundry stick-horses they have (or have not) created at home.

We sing songs and *as a special addition to this year's program* Ms. Smarty-Pants Music Teacher decided that it would be cute to end it by scootin' a boot to the Cotton Eyed Joe.
The only version devoid of foul language that I could locate ends up clocking in at a whopping 4 minutes and 22 seconds long. Let me tell you, it doesn't sound that bad - until you remember the ages of the children in question and factor in their coordination.

Picture 90 'shannons' doing their rendition of the Cotton Eyed Joe.... Sorry to sell you out like that, sis. But it's true...

They fall all over the place. They look like little bowling pins knocking each other down. And unlike 90-something 'shannons', they don't laugh it off. Each one expects you to rush over to them, scoop them up, and offer them a Boo-boo bear to make it better. It's a nightmare.

By the end of nearly 4 and a half minutes, I am frothing like an old mare that got spooked out on the trail.

Usually at the culmination of this motley rodeo, there will be dead sequins, partial boas, half-crushed googly eyes, yarn 'mane' remains, and dismembered stick-horses splattered all over the gym floor. A gruesome sight, for sure.

The parents of the Cowpokes are usually so enamored with the "Cute Factor" that I come out on the other side relatively intact.

So "back in the saddle again" is right. Maybe next year, I'll have the foresight to call in sick...

Knowing.

A fellow teacher walked up to me today and asked, "So have you begun the 'waking up tired every day, no matter how much sleep you get' phase of the school year yet?"
I was validated by her line of questioning.
We all feel that way, don't we?
It just becomes so much more bearable when you know you're suffering together.

So much going on, so little to say.

Tomorrow is Friday. Hold the applause.

Tomorrow J. is going on a field trip to the rodeo fairgrounds.
I have to work, as I have no remaining sick days - so DH has the day off work and has decided to go with him. I think that is sweet. I'll probably think of my two buckeroos there while I am at preschool. Yeah, let me tell ya...

Also, I am going with meems to wichita falls this weekend. Uh-huh. Very exciting!
I am going to get to see baby Joshua, and his Mommy - who is one of my most favoritest people!
Not to mention, the purpose of the trip to begin with is to help a dear friend get her new business rolling. I think it's actually already doing well but I like to take all the credit I can get...
I think we will have a great time while we are 'working' :)

Also, my sister is going to drive to hang out with us!

Could this get any more exciting?

My parents are going to watch the kids.
I am going to have girl time all weekend with meems, la, and sisser!
What a cool dealio!

One other earth shattering thing that happened - my parents' offer on a house TEN BLOCKS AWAY from my house was accepted this week. If I have to go back to work full time next year, they are going to take up my 'mommy slack' and help with getting the kids to-and-fro giving them lots of grandparent love all the while. How blessed we are!

Got Bugs?

If you haven't talked to me in the last few days, it would be important to note that we have had a stomach bug.
And when I say, "we" I mean, "I."
Sort of...
(Seph - you need to ask Landon why this is funny...)

Sunday morning I woke up with amazing tummy trouble.
It proceeded throughout the day - to the point that, if C. hadn't been here, my kids would have had no reasonable level of care. I can only think of maybe two other times in motherhood that I was that violently ill.

Most of the day Sunday, Chris and I had to remind the kids why Mommy couldn't do __x__.
Or why Mommy couldn't hold them... Or why Mommy was sick.
We decided to use the term "tummy bug" when referring to my ailment.

Several times throughout the day A. would look down my shirt and say, "Where's the bug, Mommy?"

I would laugh and explain that it was too small to see and that it was inside my tummy.

In the middle of the night, as luck would have it, A. ended up getting sick too.
Quite sick.
This morning, after a really rough night, she woke up and said, "Mommy, I found your bug."

Hope

knowing that you don't know anything can be the beginning of faith.

sometimes praying that you stay right in His palm is the origin of peace.

there IS something around the bend worth hoping for, worth believing for.

God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? Numbers 23:19 (NIV)

I heart candy.

It's 6:52.
Do you know where your children are?
Mine are in bed.

In a related story, why does it seem that Valentine's Day brings more candy into your house than a Golden Ticket? Sweet Jesus, I am in candy overload mode!
I thought I would have to peel their sticky bodies off the walls, they were bouncing so!

I am with Julia and La on the construction paper artwork to show your devotion. Even if you did eat it, it wouldn't be devastating to life and limb...

I think next year I'll beat everyone to the punch and manufacture huge sugar cubes (reminiscent of a deer lick) and install one in my kitchen at about my waist level. That way - I could spare myself having to say - FIFTY TIMES A DAY, "You've had enough sugar." or "Did you just steal another piece of candy?" and "What is this candy wrapper doing in your closet if you didn't sneak another piece?" Or "Are you seriously eating one lollipop for each side of your mouth? Those sticks look like tusks, you goof!"

I have decided that there are two types of memories in life:
Childhood memories and Mom-ories.
Valentine's Day had so much more appeal back then...

Hope your Valentine's Day was a good one.

I will say that this Valentine's Day beats the one a few years ago when I didn't realize eating 4 or 5 pieces of "Sugar-Free" chocolates had the same effect as taking 6 boxes of Ex-Lax...
OY!
And you're welcome for the image...